I called in sick today because I've been having severe digestive problems and nausea. I feel like a brick, and when I stand up I want to puke. Trying to put my socks on this morning created a sort of panic attack, so I settled back down and called into work.
I'm sure freudian therapists would have a good time with that one (socks=panic).
Regardless, this weekend proved to be very exciting!
Friday night we were supposed to go to John and Monica's to play RISK. However, my wife's knee is so swollen and painful that she didn't think she could make it up the stairs to their apartment. So I called to try to change the plans, to get them to come out to the Admiral Twin drive in on (apparently) the season opening weekend. They declined and we rain-checked for next weekend.
So my wife and I went to the Drive-In.
(side note: remember my plea to vote for Admiral Twin in the Hampton Inn contest? Well, it appears that a search for "admiral twin theater" in Google will bring my journal up on the first page!)
Hitch, a Will Smith movie, is something I wouldn't normally pay to watch. But it was fun enough, and it's really more about the experience than the movies playing anyhow. I won't bother to review it, but I will say that it's quaint in a not very laughable way. Not too over the top. A date movie.
Boogeyman was fairly interesting, and it might have been better served by surround sound than by a mono FM transmission. But ultimately it failed to impress because of its sudden over-use of CGI when revealing the monster.
This has been my problem with so many horror and suspense films of the last decade. The entire movie can be amazingly non-cgi, with great washes of color and tone, but all of a sudden we are pummelled with out-of-this-world dazzling computer FX, and they don't blend at all with the rest of the movie. The first time I really noticed this was in watching Sleepy Hollow, when the Headless Horseman finally gets his head. It just doesn't match the tone of the rest of the movie. And the same can be said here. What might have been a good, creepy Saturday Night movie turns out to be a waste of time BECAUSE of CGI.
I don't despise the use of CGI, but I don't think it's always necessary when a greater effect could be achieved with real props. These filmmakers who are dishing out horror movies every weekend need to go back to the '70s and rewatch some of those low-budgeteers like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead. Then they will realize how much more effective realism, even cheap realism, can be. Some CGI, like in the case of Fellowship of the Ring (Balrog), is so brilliantly used and shaded that it works perfectly. But a number of lower-budget films simply can't compete with what Peter Jackson and Lucas are doing, and they would be better off not using it or at least using it in the background rather than in key effects.
So that was Friday. And it was fantastic to be at the Drive-In again. I will probably spend a lot of time there this year. Looking forward to it, in fact!
Saturday, I spent most of the day sitting around being a lazy bastard, catching up on news and watching reruns of Buck Rogers. Then we went to Elaine's house for some food and company. It was Geoff's 60th Birthday, and the brownies were fantastic (Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip). The secret, apparently, is to accidentally set the oven at 250 instead of 350, then after about 15 minutes realize the mistake and THEN set it at 350. Cook for another 5-10 minutes and you have a wonderful brownie that's rich and smooth on the inside and crispy on the outside. Yummy!
Sunday, well, I didn't do much. Slept in. Then evening time came, and I received an email from a friend. It was probably the best email I've received in years.
"Come watch the first episode of our favorite show tonight."
Yes, without shame I admit to seeing an advanced screening of ep 1 of the new Doctor Who. And I will post a review sometime in the next week. But I will say this: even though it's a little rough at the edges (and this could be because the screener is not quite finished), DW fans have much to look forward to. This is going to be a fun ride, and I hope it keeps on going for years to come. I have my gripes about some of the plot elements, as well as the quick pacing, but all in all it seems to be a sustainable combination of qualities and very faithful to the old series.
I also managed to watch the next exciting episode of Carnivale. This show just gets better and better. I live, eat, and dream Carnivale. Last night, in fact, I dreamed I was lying naked with Ruthie the snake charmer (someone I am most definitely NOT attracted to). As horrible as the depression was, the creators of Carnivale make it seem like an exciting time, a place I might want to visit. The characters of this show are so real, so 3-dimensional, and the look of the show is mouth-watering and rich. The antique colors, the unique set design. I will beg and plead and pray for a 3rd Season.
Of course, the preview for the next episode had to ruin it by saying "Only 3 Episodes Left."
I hope this isn't the end of my favorite show. Please HBO, keep it going for at least another season. There are stories unfinished that need time to play out. Wrapping it up so quickly would be a slap in the face of everyone involved, including the fans, the creators, the actors, everyone. There is so much creativity brimming out of this show, in degrees I have never before seen on television or anywhere. It must keep going!
If we lose Carnivale like we lost Wonderfalls and Firefly, it will be yet another blow to true ingenuity and creativity on the airwaves.
posted by novachild @ Monday, March 07, 2005,
3 Comments:
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At 6:35 PM,
:: miss m :: said...
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Ah...it worked this time. Sent you an email about it not working but don't know if you got it.
As for the original comment, it went like this:
Three words: Carnivale Fucking Rocks.
Gods I love that show. Three episodes left this season. HBO will announce the next year's seasons in June so we won't know until then if it's on the scheulde. But damn, it should be. I mean, Six Feet Under is still around that's gone way downhill.
I freakin' LOVE that show. It's the best, most unique thing on tv right now. -
At 11:45 PM,
novachild said...
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Isn't it, though? Fucking brilliant storytelling, always keeps me guessing but unfolds in a satisfied way. Creepy all around, yet for some reason it makes me WANT to live in the dustbowl!
Got your email, btw. Thanks! -
At 5:01 PM,
Kjersti said...
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Just a little comment on the CGI-sigh.: Weta (the company Jackson used for the LOTR trilogy) did the job for a lot less money than any hollywood company would have done. I mean, compare Gollum with Dobby from the Harry Potter movies for instance? And they have the same technology available. USE the same technology even (I think). But some are just... better.
