Fido

Sarcastic, incredibly politically incorrect, and sooo silly: everything I love in a good comedy. I love movies that are not afraid to be ridiculously silly. This movie is about a world, still stuck in the 1950's, where an outbreak has occurred and everyone who dies turns right into a zombie. But a scientist has invented a collar to put around the zombie's neck to prevent it from wanting to feast on flesh. Simply when the red light is lit on the collar it is domesticated, when it is off it wants to eat your flesh and brain. Oh it gets better, so 1950's I Love Lucy families have these zombies on collars as their pets and servants. One kid's zombie gets beaten in the head by an older women and her walker, so his light gets turned off and therefore he eats her. Then crazy antics and madness ensues. The movie is hilarious and so ridiculous. If you have can embrace your silly side I would rent this for a friends night, especially if board games are involved. B

Particles of Truth

To quote one of my favorite musicians John Mayer, "Fear is a friend that is misunderstood". That line in his song Heart of Life can sum this movie up. This is a beautiful art house type movie that anyone who watches it can relate to. It deals with fears. Fear of your past, fear of your future, fear of love, fear of not being good enough, fear of being alone, and most of all fear of facing yourself. The movie is written, directed, and starred in by Jennifer Elster co-founder of 75films. Gale Harold (Queer As Folk hottie) plays her germa-phobic love interest Morrisson. Both are struggling incredibly with the fears their parents and society have burdened them with and the struggle within themselves to see something beautiful. It shows exactly what the title promises, Particles of truth. Truth of life, no matter how much people try to avoid it. It's about being frightened and being a human being. It's the perfect impressionistic movie for a young person in their 20's, scared of where their life might end up. I suggest watching this movie alone, you'll get more out of it. It's not a fun filled movie nor a date movie. And I don't suggest drinking while watching it, it could become very depressing. But it is very well written, and very well acted. Movies like this one is the reason why I always wanted to be an actress, to tell a story, a little bit of truth, that can make someone out there recognize and feel....anything and everything. A+

Rush

Drugs, guns, and bad hair! It doesn't get much better than that. When I was little I always saw the cover of this in the video store and wanted to rent it, but being 9yrs old my mother of course gave me a big fat "NO". I finally saw this movie about a month ago and understood why my mother wouldn't let me watch it, it has explicit drug use and a very forceful sex scene. Besides all that, it is a solid story and I was not disappointed one bit by it. It lived up to my expectations, for 1991 this movie was very good. It stars Jason Patric (yes, from the lost boys) and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who play undercover narcotic cops trying to bring down the big dealer. While trying to go through all the amateur dealers to get to him they both develop cocaine and heroin addictions. It's a great examination of drugs and how they manipulate the mind. The movie makes you feel dirty, like you have had a long night of drinking and being passed out on a friends floor, and it makes you feel like you desperately need to take a shower. It is great acting by both actors, especially Jason Patric. You slowly get to watch him lose control and watch his sanity crumble. It's a really good movie in a time period where movies were incredibly cheesy. The movie is raw and doesn't have some young overpaid actor twitching up a storm and crying that they had a bad child hood like many of the drug movies today. They are normal people who get wrapped up in their job, they lose control like any normal person can. It has a good twist in the end that does not disappoint. It is definitely worth the rental and one of your movie nights. B

The Machinist

Boy was I wrong about Christian Bale! He is turning out to be one of the finest actor's of this generation. I always criticized him for swing kids and newsies, but he has a tremendous amount of talent that either I have just been noticing in the last couple years or he is finally getting the work that he can showcase it in.
The Machinist is a tiny film that sadly seems to have been missed by many. It's a dark film about the deterioration of man over a year of his life. In fact it begins towards the end of this particular year in his life and how it all completely unravels on him. He works in a dark factory, hasn't slept in a year, his only real connection is with a call girl named Stevie, and he is talking to man that everyone around him is trying to convince him doesn't exist. The real shocker of the whole deal is he is sooo skinny that he looks like a prisoner during WWII. The movie is very eerie and has you tangled in it's mystery the whole way. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was how quickly the very good ending was thrown at me. This movie has you the whole way but the end is just kind of tossed at you, and it is a very good ending. The writing of the movie is well done and the acting by Christian Bale is amazing. Just the fact that the man went down to 120 pounds to make the part even more realistic shows what kind of dedication he has to telling a story. I highly recommend this film if your looking for quality work! It is definitely artful and an incredible example of great story telling. A-

Pizza

The story can be described in one sentence: Overweight girl befriends hot thirty something pizza guy on her 18Th birthday! But really there is much more to it. This movie has a few layers that make it incredibly sweet and sophisticated. On the outer layer it's an overweight girl whose lonely,angry, and longing for something much more in her life. At her 18Th birthday party no one shows up besides the hot pizza guy (Ethan Embry) delivering her pizza, so she starts talking to him. She's smart and witty and he likes talking to her. He starts to realize that no one showed up to her party so he invites her to eat with him in his pizza truck. While eating pizza in his truck she begs him to take her with him for the night. So he tells her she can help out with his deliveries for the night. The rest of the movie is them delivering pizza and becoming really good friends.
What I really loved about the movie is the simplicity of how it faces truth in a lot of young people today. There's Cara Ethel. She's overweight, she's strange, and she scares people off as a defense to not have to deal with her current situation. But she's also incredibly smart and has huge ambitions with her life. She dreams of herself doing all kinds of things in the world, but in reality stays home and eats while hating the rest of the world. Then there's Matt. He's in his thirties, he's still a pizza delivery guy, he claims he's a political activist for rallies that he never shows up for, and he lives with younger guys to make himself feel young because he doesn't want to face the idea that he might have to grow up. To everyone around them he is the hot guy who has been with tons of girls, but never really commits. In each other they find a connection. She finds someone who can see past the weight and the glasses and appreciate her for the smart girl that she is. And he finds someone that he finally feels like challenges him, someone who calls him out on his bullshit. All of this is discovered through a simple night of delivering pizza. He's trying to show her a good time, while she's trying to experience some life outside of food and cynicism. By the end of the movie they both show each other that they are better, and worth more than the life they have convinced themselves they are happy and comfortable in.
The movie is very sweet and thoughtful. And the writing is very eloquent, making you love each character with every idiosyncrasy you discover in them. I wouldn't say a lot of guys would really like this movie. It's more for a girls a night with some pizza. So if your looking for something a little more thought provoking than the typical chick flick you should definitely rent this.
I would give this a B+!

1408

Audiences have become obsessed with gore. And no I don't mean Al Gore, but bloody, limb losing, stomach turning gore. Horror films have lost their "jump in my seat" affect. The studio's become wealthier with every blood fest they release, but these movies just don't have the thrill they used to have. Given, the occasional gruesome feature does have the bird popping out or a broom suddenly falling to make me jump. But for the most part scary movies have lost their best quality, the excitement! It's the unsettling feeling in my stomach of not knowing whats around the corner, not knowing Who or What is going to pop out at me next. 1408 is the first movie I have seen in a while that has brought that thrill back to the movies. It has all the thrill of venturing through haunted house without actually having to turn a corner or leave a room.
I was slightly hesitant wanting to see this movie, it being written by Stephen King and all. Generally his movies these days consist of oddball horrors that don't make much sense to his story line or are not well developed when turned into a feature film. But this one looked decent in the trailer and anything with John Cusack is a good selling point for me (and every girl who has seen Say Anything). I was also very excited to see Samuel L. Jackson in something that did not involve snakes in the movie nor the title. He definitely contributed to movie's eerie nature which made it flow like one long haunted house that you weren't sure you would ever find the end.
A little background:
John Cusack is a writer who stays in "supposedly" haunted places and writes about them. He has all kinds of tools to detect for spirits or haunted occurences but has yet to truly experience anything. He finds out about this room 1408 at a hotel in New York. He decides it would be perfect for his book and decides to go stay in it. Samuel L. Jackson, the manager of the hotel, tries everything in his power to talk him out of staying in that room. Cusack insists and Samuel L. allows him to.
The movie is full of "jump in your seat" moments. It has a very twilight zone and Disneyland's haunted mansion feel to it. It takes you on a haunted maze without every having to leave room 1408. The acting is very good (Cusack usually is good), and the effects are very well done. The movie messes with your head, almost like you've taken some bad acid. It makes you feel, like they refer to in the movie "like you've fallen down the rabbit hole". It's scary and taunting, it makes you nervous and jumpy without ever having to sever a head or have a blood bath of any sort. I highly reccomend this movie if your looking for the same excitement you get from walking through a haunted house. It makes you want to do it all over again!
I would it give it an A!!!

Fracture

Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling side by side in a court thriller? Doesn't get much better than that in the acting department. With that kind of stellar casting who wouldn't be intrigued to see what kind of story they came up with for these two.
It starts off with Anthony Hopkins as a smart and rich buisness man who is working out of town. He decides to go home early. Then we soon find out that the reason he leaves early is because he is suspicious of his wife having an affair. He shows up to the hotel his wife is at and watches her with another man in the pool. He finds a way to get into the room they have rented out and sees the bed has been used. Cut to his house when his wife finally comes home. She sees that her husband has come home early and they start to have a somewhat uncomfortable discussion. At this point the film reiterates the fact that whoever you are "Dont piss Anthony Hopkins off"! Because he brings up the affair to his wife and proceeds to shoot her in the face. Cut to the always sexy Ryan Gosling as a young hot shot lawyer who is moving on to a fancy firm from his down in the dumps firm to make millions of dollars. He's quick and very cocky. In his last week at his old firm he gets put on Anthony Hopkins murder case and becomes completely enraveled in it. At first he wants to get it over as quickly as possible and move on, then he realizes that Anthony Hopkins is messing with him. Playing very well witted mind games on him. So Gosling risks everything trying to figure the whole thing out.
The movie is very clever and the characters are well written. The story line progresses easily not leaving the moviegoer behind...until the end! And I blame bad editing for this. The end jumps around from piece to piece of this puzzle your trying to put together. The twists that are revealed in the speeches at the end are very well written. But sadly the impact was lost because I was confused.
The end doesn't ruin the whole movie though. So I would recomend this if your looking to watch some great acting, a hot boy, and decent a story.
I would give it a B-!

Dear Mr. Black Bird

Dear Mr. Black Bird,

I am writing to you today to call truce with you. Every day you find a way to antagonize me and taunt me. I am growing quite sick and tired of your shenanigans. At first I thought you wanted to use my hair as nest material. Then I thought maybe you were just protecting your young. Now I have realized that you and your punk buddies are just fucking with me now. Please stop flapping your wings in my ear as I walk by, or landing briefly on my head. And this new shit you've started with dive bombing has to stop or I am telling you I will be eating birdy for dinner. I don't know what kind of birdy because I'm not sure what species you are, but bird will absolutely be on the menu. And don't think I wont do it, I played a lot of Duck Hunt as a kid.
Good Day Sir,
Amanda

Coachella 2007

My sister and I went to the first night of coachella this year. Bjork and Interpol were headlining so we were pretty much sold when we heard that, and then plus a day's worth of other cool bands. No way we were passing this up. Sadly it was too hot to try and push your way to the front, but all the bands were so good and so much fun. Well here are the pictures of our adventure in the 100 degree heat.

We got there just before 2:00pm:







KINGS OF COMEDY
Chris Hardwicke from the old Mtv show Singled out and some other guy I don't know, and of course Zach Galfianakis!




THE TENT
They had this wierd tent that wrapped in a circle and as you were walking through, it got smaller and smaller until you eventually had to crawl out. Once you made it out there was this branched dome circle in the middle with all these people sitting around smoking out. It was very hippie like. The tent was absolutley pointless but so much fun.








My sister and I melting...and I am wearing way too much eye shadow.
My eyes actually look like they started melting downwards...hmmmmmm.




Other cool stuff we saw:














Now for the bands, this is only a few of them that we saw(My camera wouldn't take clear pictures at night so most of the bands are on video):

SILVERSUN PICKUPS


we only stayed for one song with PEACHES (her sound was all screwed up)



JESUS AND MARY CHAIN




INTERPOL
(my favorite)




My camera died once Bjork came out (of course that would happen to me) so sadly I dont have those videos.

Other fun stuff we saw:






It was so much fun and worth it even with the disgusting heat!

My Island

If I was stuck on a deserted island the only thing I would need to survive is Bear Grylls!


For fun I would bring Dustin Penner!

Blue in the face

Another night goes by feeling comfortable. Not taking any risks, not feeling any real emotion. I have not expierenced my own truth in a long time. You are what your mind perceives! I think I gave up on myself along time ago.
I live in my dreamland and am comfortable. A wasted existence if I never believe in my own truth. My place here, my job, my purpose never truley recognized. If I cant allow myself to believe that I deserve my dreams and goals than why should any body else? I am frightened to fail, frightened that people won't credit me for trying and only see the failure in me. I have beaten them to the punch, I have seen the failure in myself before even trying. How do you get past that fear? Right now that controls me, no matter how hard I try to shake it. Therefore my life has stopped, and I sit in a comfort zone never moving anywhere, even if it was backwards.


There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
-Buddha