February 2012
2 posts
One of the most difficult things about seeing my family so rarely is that when I do see them it’s all rapid-fire-make-the-most-of-it. I miss the quiet moments where everything is simple and natural and you can simply coexist. Being in one room, knowing they’re right down the hall.
Then there are the pangs of guilt that, like a few glasses of wine, bring forth a veritable thunderstorm...
I don't really want to talk about We Need to Talk...
… but I feel I must, albeit briefly. Whenever I’m excited about and subsequently disappointed by a film there’s a bitterness that doesn’t fade unless I go on a bit of a tirade. I’ve already complained to my husband on several occasions, but it always helps when I document my ravings in a more permanent method.
Ultimately what it comes down to is: I don’t give...
January 2012
4 posts
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
I haven’t written about this film earlier because I’ve been busy obsessing over it.
To me it seems that there was a smear campaign on this film before it was even released. I read several separate articles suggesting that the film’s “ultra-violent” nature would be a turn-off, specifically to women. Each article echoing that sentiment strengthened the notion that it...
Hoofing It
Southern California has an uncanny knack for conditioning people not to walk. Being a pedestrian simply isn’t done, unless you’re a child in a serene suburb walking the couple blocks to and from school.
It’s not just the layout, which was designed without considering pedestrians, or even the lack of good public transit systems. There’s just something in the air down here...
December 2011
1 post
A Dangerous Method: Update
I read something to indicate that it was indeed Knightley who required changes to the sexual content in the film. I had been so thrilled when I first found out she was in it; I believe she has all the traits to create a very special, dynamic, and touching performance. However, there is no question that it was not worth it to alter the graphic material for her. What the sex scenes became was not...
November 2011
5 posts
Martha Marcy May Marlene ✓
The Skin I Live In ✓
Melancholia ✓
A Dangerous Method ✓
Anonymous
The Artist ✓
Shame ✓
Sleeping Beauty ✓
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ✓
Carnage
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ✓
Take Shelter
It hardly seems possible; in the span of a few months all these films are being released. What magic is in the air that has caused more all...
Man, Rob Marshall, that took some major stones to set the runtime of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to friggin’ 2hr16min. I’m pretty sure that the 2hr+ bracket is reserved for Art Houses and Hobbits, neither of which includes the fourth installment of a Disney franchise. The only way that could have possibly worked is if at least 40 of those minutes were of mermaids...
en français
Before today my mind had never felt as it does now. It’s a truly bizarre sensation for one’s head to feel something new, after twenty-three years experiencing a myriad of states and sensations. To put it simply, I have French overload. I’ve been studying french for the better part of three weeks, and every new word, grammatical rule, nasal r, and accented letter is has tangled...
A Dangerous Method
This was unquestionably the most anticipated film release of my life. Since the first time I heard Cronenberg was making a film about Jung and Freud starring Fassbender, Knightley, and Mortensen, not a day has gone by without it crossing my mind. All parties are absolutely ideal for the extremely graphic themes of sexuality that are part and parcel of Jung/Freud’s work; they’re...
Dear Patrick Bauchau,
You have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of the first TV series that I found myself engrossed in was The Pretender. As a young girl I appreciated the story and intrigue, but was instantly taken with your character. Something about your voice and your face exuded a warmth and intelligence that was extremely magnetic.
Growing up I developed a profound love of cinema. You...
October 2011
5 posts
One of my favorite things in the world is sneaking the oyster of the chicken into his mouth without him realizing. When he knows what I’m up to he refuses, insisting I be the one to feast on the delicacy.
It’s now become a fun little challenge. I’ll throw him off by sharing a bite from the leg, or just pop it in his mouth before he has a chance to protest.
But it’s not...
“All you people who are sittin’ down when The Greenhornes were playin you’ve commited a mortal sin and may god have mercy on your souls, specially all you hipsters standin’ still never been to no rock and roll show don’t know how to move your head even.”
- Jack White
If only he knew that I had beer thrown on me repeatedly for refusing to sit down during a White Stripes concert.
Something must be channeled ...
At liberty, spending days looking at naked pictures.
copy editing for you and yours
I bloody love editing. I am a perfectionist with a passion for proper grammar. I can make your writing stand out for its clarity and strength without affecting your writing style.
I care about grammar and spelling so you don’t have to.
I have extensive experience in web and video game Quality Assurance. Remember World of Warcraft patch 4.2 and how grammatically sound its quests were? Well,...
August 2011
3 posts
1 tag
My problem is me. The reason I do not succeed is me. My friendships fail because of me.
I am the cause of and refuge from all my troubles.
I know the good, I know the bad. I may not be what I want but as long as I know what’s what I think I will be okay.
June 2011
1 post
The other day
I was in quite a strop for various reasons. He had left his ID in the car, so when the clerk, a mustachioed fellow in his late forties, requested it he inquired whether my ID would be adequate proof.
“You know this guy?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Yep. You’re married.”
In all earnestness I feel closer to him because of it.
March 2011
1 post
How to: Fix Suckerpunch
R-rating
10x upskirts
boobs AND nipples
no messing with metaphors
replace the shreds of plot with sexy dancing
OR
end the film immediately after Jon Hamm says “Did you see the way she looked at me?”
OR
lesbian scenes. Plural.
His black ramekin sat in the sink, water brimming over the mass of uneaten egg and spinach.
He’d wanted black ramekins for weeks; matte black, resembling spent shell casings, he said. My heart was warmed by his enthusiasm but could not share it as I knew they would not be ideal for his purposes. But that little heart of his was set and a few days ago they arrived.
Gods, did I want to have...
February 2011
4 posts
Never Let Me Go
This movie exemplifies the payoff of going into a film with an entirely blank slate. I knew nothing about the plot or characters and ended up being completely surprised at what my eyes beheld.
The alternate reality is presented with such subtlety that I questioned my own. Audiences are fools, and because of this filmmakers are often forced to explain every little thing, stripping both meaning...
http://annikawesleyimages.tumblr.com/ →
I think I’m having an identity crisis.
January 2011
3 posts
Tonight on the drive home I set my iPhone to shuffle. I frequently use shuffle, but this time was different in that I let it cycle through my entire library rather than a specific playlist or artist. I’m extremely particular when it comes to music. What I’m hearing needs to be exactly right for my temperament and I listen to the same artist or album or playlist solidly for weeks or...
Exit Through the Gift Shop
The whole thing is merely the Princess Bride scene with the Sicilian and the iocane. No sense in speculating what’s bullshit ‘cause both cups are poisoned.
Friday, My Saturday
I stare at him every night while he sleeps. His peaceful face is too beautiful to be real. He’s taken to snoring lightly when he sleeps on his back. Soft, low rumbles. Now gentle deep breaths.
The movie flew by like never before and now, in the midst of Powerman I know I’m almost alone with nothing but my thoughts. I want to edge closer to him but I toss and turn to the point of...
September 2010
1 post
The American
Turns out that this film’s quality can be gleaned from two key pieces of information:
1.) Director - Anton Corbijn
This fellow directed Control, one of the finest films there ever was. Control was beautiful, moody, restrained. The American is all these things.
2.) Writer of the adapted screenplay - Rowan Joffe
Now, this fellow is responsible for penning 28 Weeks Later, the bullshit...
August 2010
2 posts
We have so little time on this earth I refuse to feel guilty for a single second about being selfish with my own time and mourning the loss of every wasted minute.
Just because other people have accepted the idea that they’re going to spend a large percentage of their life doing something they don’t want to doesn’t mean I’m spoiled for refusing to settle thusly.
Everyone...
Seven or Eight Days
When I was a little girl, say, 7, my mother had to spend a night in the hospital. That night I wore her nightgown to comfort myself and feel a physical connection despite the forced distance.
My husband left on a business trip this morning. Our first separation since March ‘09. In preparation I have been saving his sleep shirts in an attempt to feel not just warmth and comfort, but his...
July 2010
3 posts
Ravings from a spell of madness
I am right on the edge of a knife. Every single thing is magnified exponentially. Every thought, every sight, every word made dire. My hands shake and my heart pounds. Tears are welled up behind my eyes, at the ready to stream at the slightest provocation. Each breath is strained, infused with heat and panic, as though it could cut off any moment - rolling up my eyes and collapsing my frame.
...
Inception - Near Perfection
Roughly halfway through the film I had a thought: this is the film I’ve been waiting my whole life for. Preemptive maybe, but even now I still believe this to be true in many regards.
HOWEVER
- Ellen Page. I don’t enjoy anything about her, which naturally detracted from my enjoyment.
- Ken Watanabe. Can he please take the marbles from his mouth? I can never the fuck understand what...
Dear Matt Smith,
I’m sorry for writing you off like I did.
It feels like yesterday when my husband and I were at The Container Store talking with an employee about what a mistake your casting was. I even pulled up your picture on my phone to emphasize the point. That was before Tennant’s last season had even begun.
The funny thing about my judgment is at that point I had only ever seen a handful of...
March 2010
11 posts
I had one of those moments this evening where you’re warm from alcohol and everything seems more deep and consequential than it really is. I found myself entirely lost in his face. I will see his face, every day, forever. I will never have another boyfriend. I will have him. My husband. Forever.
Why I Will Not Be Seeing Predators
I do not like gore
Robert Rodriguez on his own is not nearly enough of a draw
This guy’s face
The rest of the cast except Adrien Brody and maybe Danny Trejo
My love for Mr. Brody is mighty indeed, but I need only rewatch The Darjeeling Limited, allowing me to skip The Jacket, Cadillac Records, Hollywood Land, The Village and…. Predators
FFXIII - Day Four
Sentinels - good lord, I love this class. I hate when the leader needs to be one as timing commands can be rather annoying, but having another member of your party take on this role is a sheer delight. The enemies focus attacks on them and their damage is severely reduced.
Music - on the whole I am not a fan. Granted, it’s hard to match FFVII in that realm but the music is frequently...
Final Fantasy XIII - The First Few Hours
Active Battle System - this initially troubled me as I prefer the thinking time most RPGs like this provide. However, since you don’t have to specify your teammates moves while still being able to tailor their tactics at any time makes the system easy to adjust to.
Leveling structure similar to FFX - rather than gaining xp with each battle you gain cp (crystogen points) which you can use...
I speak only of my personal preferences, with no way of knowing general sentiments of tattooed humans. I’ve gone from living in an area where most people were tattooed and I was rarely the most tattooed human in the room to an area where I am *always* the most tattooed person in the room, oftentimes the only one.
I am severely averse to people using my tattoos as a conversation starter or...
If I Wrote Comics
Cell One: You and I in market perusing jars of mayonnaise.
Cell Two: You reaching for jar of flavored mayonnaise next to reliable, straight mayonnaise. “This stuff is fantastic.
Cell Three: Me preparing to dress hamburger buns with new, flavored mayonnaise. You, “That stuff won’t go with hamburgers!”
Cell Four: Me, “sigh,” *scraping sounds while extracting...
My Time in Rapture
10.5.09 - Began Bioshock with great trepidation. I startle easily and was still not terribly used to games involving guns.
2.9.10 - Bioshock 2 was released and I observed my boyfriend playing said game.
2.10.10 - Continued my Bioshock journey
2.11.10 - Completed Bioshock
2.17.10 - Began Bioshock 2
2.21.10 - Completed Bioshock 2
I don’t like having an endless list of game saves. I...
It just occurred to me...
At present I follow 36 people on tumblr. It’s safe to say my feed is 85% pictures of women, probably 40% of which are naked. That’s a whole lotta bewbage. In all these tens of thousands of pages - a vast sea of tits - I have yet to find a single bosom that could masquerade as my own.
I officially prefer my skin being varying degrees of tan rather than the porcelain I once strived for. This can be attributed to one of two things:
1.) For so very long I prevented myself from absorbing any rays thereby robbing myself of the ability to compare skin tones and make an educated decision regarding my preference.
2.) They put something in the drinking water in Southern California.
Tempted to start posting my masses of unfinished entries as a gesture of penance.
February 2010
4 posts
Shutter Island
Or, Shitter Island, as dubbed by my better half.
*SPOILERS RAMPANT WITHIN FOLLOWING TEXT*
This movie is way too goddamn long. The acting is rather notable, but with the predictable, tired, drawn out story that isn’t enough to save it. So he is actually crazy, which everyone thought unlikely for the very reason that it is so obvious. I do not find that compelling. It is possible that I...
Yes, I am excited to move.
not having to wear clothing outside the bedroom
no cats
sole responsibility of supreme cleanliness
control of HVAC
increase in living space
level of commitment implied by moving with your lover
immaculate interior decoration
no fighting for fridge space
leaving doors open
freedom to entertain company whenever we wish
never waiting for other people to finish using the kitchen
organizing...
Films you may not have seen but ought to
*Obscure, forgotten, overlooked, misunderstood.*
American Splendor
Anatomy of a Murder
Angel-A
And the Ship Sails On
Arsenic and Old Lace
Bananas
Baraka
The Best Years of Our Lives
Betty Blue
The Big Blue: Director’s Cut
Birth
Bitter Moon
Born Yesterday
Bringing Up Baby
Capturing the Friedmans
Claire’s Knee
The Closet
The Collector (1965)
Control
CQ
Crash (1996)
...