Embryo of Philosophy

It's about movies! That's not fandom. Unless I was in the fandoms for those movies. Which I'm not. So, uh, good.

I've been meaning to see Savage Grace ever since bitterfig wrote up a review of it. I liked it, overall. Very disturbing. I mean it. Lots of creepy sexuality up to and including mother/son incest. But that wasn't what diminished my enjoyment. I was expecting that from bitterfig's review. No, movie just felt slightly... flat? Empty? The movie's based on a true story, and it's an inevitable danger when dealing with such shallow actual people, but still. Julianne Moore does a great job with what she's given, though, and I also liked Eddie Redmayne as Tony. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from seeing it, unless the disturbing subject matter is a problem.

Also watched Imagine Me and You, a lesbian romantic comedy. I picked it up because I discovered that it has Anthony Head in it (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Nathan Wallace from Repo! The Genetic Opera), and I adore him. Except the girl/girl angle, it was typical as romantic comedies go, but that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. None of the three members of the love triangle, including the husband who inevitably gets left, are demonized, and everyone tries to do the right thing. My main problem with the movie is that depends heavily on "love at first sight," which I find to be unbearably stupid. You have to know someone to love them. Infatuation at first sight? Yes. Lust at first sight? Most definitely. And love can grow out of either of those things. However, love at first sight is just nonsense. But the movie does allow the women to develop their relationship to the point where they do know each other and love each other for who they actually are. Oh, and H, the little sister of one of the main characters is the best part of the movie... unless that's Anthony Head.

Oh, and only the Merlin fans will care about this, but Angel Coulby has a brief scene right at the end. I was so surprised to see her. Anthony and and Angel! Now if only we could have had Colin, Katie, or Bradley.

Finally, I rewatched 10 Things I Hate About You, a favorite from many years ago. I wanted to see if it would hold up, no that I'm no longer in my early teens.

It did. While it's no great work of staggering genius, it's enjoyable, clever, and even intelligent at times. See it for Ms. Perky, the guidance counselor who cares far more about writing bad erotica than she does about the students, if nothing else.

It's common knowledge that the film is a teen movie version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. (The titles even rhyme. See what they did there?) And while I'll readily admit that whoever penned the movie was no Bard of Avon, there are compensations. This version of Kate (Kat) doesn't have a her will utterly broken and there's no glorification of spousal abuse. (And, yes, I do realize that there are differing interpretations of the play, but...) Besides, there are times when you want Shakespearean poetry, and there are times when you want something a little lighter.

Plus, there are certainly people out there who can resist Heath Ledger belting out "Can't Take My Eyes off You," but I am not one of them. The movie made me feel silly and young, like I was a teenager again, except without all the pain, misery, and general anguish that came with actually being a teenager. And I actually found myself identifying with Kat much more than the first time I saw it, when I didn't really know who I was as a person.

In conclusion, movies are fun. Yay.

To make up for that last post, things I have enjoyed recently.

The Bruce Springsteen concert. Oh my god, it was so fantastic! That man is amazing. He's a singing machine. His encore lasted for forty-five minutes. He just never stopped. Un-fucking-believable. And you may not know this, but he dances like a total dork. It's wonderful.

And he played Born to Run, and the audience got to sing along! That's one of my favorite songs ever.

Just thinking about it makes me bounce up and down all over again.

I also saw two movies that I really liked. The first was Monsters Vs. Aliens. It was delightful. There were all sorts of geeky in-jokes, and Stephen Colbert played the President of the United States. See it for that, if nothing else. Plus, a really great woman main character whose story arc and character development went exactly as I wanted it to. Make sure to see it in 3-D. It costs a little more, but it's absolutely worth it.

The second movie was Frost/Nixon. (No, fandom people, it's not like that.) You would think a movie in which the main action is two guys talking would be boring, but it was superb. I was really impressed. Also, decidedly embarrassed about my lack of historical knowledge. I didn't even know about the Frost/Nixon interviews until this movie.

I also saw What Just Happened, which was entertaining enough, but nothing to write home about. Robert De Niro was great, but the movie itself lacked bite.

I'm skipping anime club for the fourth time in a row. I can hardly believe it. That's been my one guaranteed thing ever since I started CU. But the first week, I went to a book signing by one of my favorite authors, the second week I had pulled an all-nighter and could do little more than go home and collapse, last week... uh, I honestly don't remember. This week, I just can't be bothered. I have to go back eventually, as I borrowed some manga from another member, but...

If I could get myself to do some schoolwork, the night wouldn't be a total loss. School is just killing me. I'm not sure how long I can go on like this. Plus, I appear to have acquired a terminal case of Do Not Give a Damn. This is not good for my GPA. I'm losing my damn mind.

But in "Oh my god, oh my god, this is too unbelievably amazing for words!" news, John Cameron Mitchell, director and star of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," my very favorite movie ever, is going to be at CU! I'll copy and paste the email that I was sent.

On March 16th and 17th the Conference on World Affairs Athenaeum Lecture Series will host filmmaker John Cameron Mitchell on CU's campus. Mr. Mitchell is best known for writing, directing, and starring in the 2001 rock musical film "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," which received the Best Director and Audience Awards at the Sundance Film Festival. His second film, the sexually frank "Shortbus" (2006), won various awards at the Athens and Zurich festivals. As an actor, Mr. Mitchell has also appeared in the original Broadway casts of "The Secret Garden," "Six Degrees of Separation" and "Big River."

On Monday, March 16th Mr. Mitchell will screen "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" in Muenzinger Auditorium at 7 PM and follow with a Q&A. The screening is free and open to the public.

On Tuesday, March 17th at 7 PM Mr. Mitchell will be featured at a FREE catered student dinner, entitled "Hedwig: Life of an Indie Bombshell." He will eat with everyone, and then give a talk on his career experiences as an actor, writer, and director. Seating is limited so to attend you must send an RSVP to ATH@colorado.edu.

I'm really hoping that he'll be able to sign stuff. But what to get signed? I'll probably have my Hedwig script and lyric book signed. I don't have the CD anymore, ever since someone at my dad's house ruined it. (Luckily, the music was ripped to my computer.) I wonder if I'll be able to get more than one thing signed. The movie too, then?

Of course, it will still be wonderful, even if I don't get an autograph. I'm so excited!

Last night I got to see Watchmen. (For free!)

( Spoilers for both the movie and the comic )



So, in conclusion, I recommend the movie.

In other news, as you know, I've been trying to buy a binder. rockeandroll told me that it's easier if you can get someone else to measure you, so I asked my mom when I was at her house last night. At first, I tried to avoid telling her exactly what I was going to buy (she's supportive but still not entirely comfortable, and I feel that the less I share about my specific plans, the better for both of us), but I wasn't going to lie, and so the truth came out. Then, I was babbling on about all the difficulties of measuring, and the irritation of trying to return anything, and the possibility of physical pain, when my mother interrupted and asked why I didn't just get breast reduction surgery. A little surprised, I explained that I'm planning on getting a double mastectomy somewhere down the line. She then asked me why I didn't just get the reduction first. She bluntly points out, "Your boobs are too big." (And she's right, in that I'm not particularly proportional.) She notes that while I'd have to pay for a double mastectomy myself, we might be able to get insurance to cover a reduction. (I do have backaches. The cause has not so far been pinpointed. But strain from my breasts makes sense.) I'm still decidedly surprised, and I begin babbling about our insurance. (Essentially, we pay a really high deductible, then after we meet that, everything's free.) This billing year, we're fine because my mom's husband's cancer treatment easily met the deductible, but next billing year, we'll be back to paying for everything. When I noted that we'd have to pay full price, she just said, "Not if you get it before July first." At that point I moved beyond surprise into shock. She has a coworker who had the surgery, and she'll call her on Monday.

My mom's mostly focusing on the reduction as a matter of pure physical comfort (No more backaches, yay!), rather than the transgender aspect, but if that makes her more comfortable, then that's fine with me.

I'm getting all excited about this, I hope it doesn't fall through.

Ugh, I am so done with OASOS. Just being there sends me in an anxiety attack. Too many giggly, hyperactive thirteen year olds than any one person should have to deal with. I wanted to stay in order to have coffee afterward with terryn73 and two other people, but I knew that I would lose my mind if I didn't leave early.

I just finished reading A History of the Devil by Gerald Messadie and translated from French by Marc Romano. Overall, I say it's worth reading. The first few chapters are dry and tedious and imperialist prejudices keep popping up. Non-Western cultures are continually referred to as "primitive." Even when the author is describing the jungles of an area that can only be trekked through using a "primitive" tool made by the natives. So, it's the best tool for the job; hell, it's the only tool for the job, but because it wasn't made by white people, let's call it primitive. However, after about five or so chapters it becomes much more readable, and in the chapters about Africa and the Americas, the author takes Western scholars and religious figures to task for their racism. It makes me wonder if the book wasn't actually translated by two different people.

Sometimes the book feels too simplistic, and I don't always agree with his interpretation of the mythology he's discussing. He states that when we think of Greek gods, we think of heroes lounging on Mt. Olympus. I guess I can't speak for anyone else, but when I think of Greek gods, I think of spiteful, jealous, petty, rapists... lounging on Mt. Olympus. Then again, maybe I'm the unusual one. (But also the right one.)

Messadie's description of our current conception of the devil of a sort of "hero of the loser" and a figure to liberate us from the oppressive idea of sin made me think of the Lucifer comic series that starred the Lucifer that Neil Gaiman thought up in his Sandman Series.

( Spoilers for volume four, The Divine Comedy )

Despite the book's flaws, I wouldn't dissuade anyone from picking it up. Once it got going, it was really interesting.

I also saw The Dark Knight Today. I hadn't seen a movie in the theaters in over a year (Ratatouille was the last one), but I wasn't going miss this one. It was awesome! The first scene with the bat-cycle had me practically jumping up and down in my seat. And it was funny too!

Yep, it was all around great. Except...

( Cut for spoilers )



END DARK KNIGHT SPOILERS

In other fandom news, I'm just getting into Heroes. It's enjoyable, though I find myself despising nearly every character at least on occasion. The only characters who escape my sometimes wrath are Hiro, Jessica, and Micah.

( Possible spoilers for up to episode nine. I have not seen beyond this. Please do not spoil me )

And that's just about all that I have to say. Hm, I wanted to bake cookies tonight, but it may have gotten too late.

First off, some really awesome news: The Breast Cancer Site got the 8 million clicks it needed to earn to extra 10,000 dollars! Fantastic! And we helped, people.

However, that doesn't mean that you should stop clicking. All of these sites are an incredibly easy way to do good.

Save The World - One Click At A Time!

On each of these websites, you can click a button to support the cause -- each click creates funding, and costs you nothing! Bookmark these sites, and click once a day!





Click here to post this on your page or 'blog

Bidding at livelongnmarry has started, and there's some incredible stuff by equally incredible people. Tamora Pierce is offering stuff! Tamora fucking Pierce! A signed book, never-for-sale pins, and a chapter from her yet to be published new novel. There's also Pamela Dean, offering signed first edition copies of her novel, Tam Lin. I have never read it, but apparently it's really great. There's loads of gorgeous handmade jewelry and more offers to write fanfic than you can shake a stick at.

Also, I'm getting multiple bids on my bourbon balls. Yay!

I also hit on the ingenious idea to contact Andrea Gibson and Ellen Orleans about providing signed books. Andrea is a local spoken word artist who's a four time Denver Slam Champion, came in fourth at the National Individual Poetry Finals, third at the Individual Word Poetry Slam, and won the Women of the World Poetry Slam. She is also among the most incredibly awesome people that I know. A small selection of her poetry can be found on her website here

Ellen Orleans is humour writer here in Boulder. She's won the Lambada Literary Award for her book The Butches of Madison County, and she's also the author of The Inflatable Butch, Who Cares If It's a Choice (one of the funniest books that I have ever read), Can't Keep a Straight Face, and Still Can't Keep a Straight Face.

So far, Andrea has emailed me back, and I'm just waiting to see her opinion on the starting price.

I've finally got all my ingredients for the bourbon balls. It's turning out to be more expensive than I figured, but I don't care. The price had me wavering on whether to make a practice batch or not, but I decided that I should. I want to make sure that these turn out well.

And now for something completely different: a look into my life at the moment.

A few days ago, I found a book in my bike pannier. It was not my book. It's called The Seat of the Soul, and it appears to be a new age self help sort of book. It's not a cheap pamphlet type of book. It has a price tag for $12.00. I have no idea why someone would leave this book in my pannier. Did they just want to get rid of it? Were they trying to do an random good deed, and help a random person uncover the mystery of their soul? Were they simply looking for a place to put their book down, thought that my pannier would be a good place, and then forgot? The world may never know.

Work is going all right. They've increased my hours, which means more money, but less free time.

I rented two movies the other day. One was Blackbeard's Ghost, a cute family film that I remember really liking years ago. The other is called Walk All Over Me. The cover features two sexy women in fetish gear, and the tagline is "Love. Latex. Larceny." My complex and twisted psyche: welcome to it.

Sweeney Todd was a lot of fun. Right before it began, I was reminding myself not to complain, and then it started, and I just went "Eeee! :D." Lots of fun.


The voices were about what I expected, except for Johnny Depp, who was actually better than I thought he was going to be. (But I thought he was going to be pretty awful.) The main problem was that the voices were all weak. Not bad, simply not strong enough to really do justice to Sondheim's songs. In a stage production it would have been a disaster, but in a movie it was all right. Not as good as it good have been, but all right. (Actually, I was the most impressed with Toby's voice. But someone with more musical knowledge may disagree with me on all of this.)

The singing may have been less than the best, but I really liked the acting. Depp's over the top crazy Sweeney may not be to everyone's taste, but he pulled it off wonderfully, I think.

Helena Bonham Carter continued a trend that I also noticed in what little I heard of the Broadway revival, and that's the playing Mrs. Lovett as a dark, overtly creepy character. I understand this, but my favorite will always be Angela Lansbury, who played her her very warmly and matronly. I love that because it actually makes her a much scarier character, all friendly and warm until she makes you into a pie. But don't think that I didn't like Carter! I really liked her performance. I think she did very well.

Another thing that I was expecting but sad to see was the cutting down and removing of songs. The Ballad of Sweeney Todd was removed for obvious reasons, but I still missed it. I was more disappointed to see how the changed A Little Priest and By the Sea. A Little Priest is one of my favorite songs, and By the Sea had at least one of the most amusing lines cut. There was also a lot of the humor missing from A Little Priest, though, luckily, not from By the Sea.

But this makes it sound like I didn't like it, and I did. I liked it a lot!

And, because I love you, I'm uploading the the original Broadway cast recording. This is the complete version, and last I checked, it was out of print. Download it!

Disc One
Disc Two

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention that the songs on disc two are mislabeled. I don't know why. They're still all there.

Bad news: I feel like shit. I'm emotionally and physically drained, and I still have to write papers and take two finals. I'm not sure I can make it without just dropping dead of exhaustion.

Good news: I got the job at Blockbuster! It should pay me good money, and cataloging and managing a video collection should look better on a resume than grocery store work when looking for a library job.

Also going to see Sweeney Todd with tekararogue tonight. Yay free movie at CU! I'm going to try and not compare it with the stage version too much. Johnny Depp's singing voice sounded like crap in the trailers. I am prepared for this. Helena Bonham Carter will be no Angela Lansbury. (I have the original Broadway cast recording.) I am also prepared for this.

I'm also going to see the play at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts on June 21! Yay!