Anogete's Journal

Don't hunt me down and stone me, but I must say that I just don't like James Bond movies. I like the idea of James Bond movies. I like Daniel Craig (especially in his itty bitty swimming trunks). I like most of the other men who have played Bond. I just can't sit through a movie without becoming terribly, terribly bored. I couldn't even watch Casino Royale while fast-forwarding at 3x speed. I ended up turning it off and returning it to the video store.

James, James Bond, I'm desperate to fall in love with your movies, but we're just not meant to be.

I think this is one of the most beautiful songs ever. If you've never seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I highly recommend it.



Other fun clips from the movie: Angry Inch (Long Story Short), Sugar Daddy (the bit he says at 1:25 makes me dissolve into giggles - car wash, indeed), and Midnight Radio

My anxiety over this move is ridiculous. I need to stop this because I've been exhausted the past week, and we're not moving into the new place for another week.

I was flipping channels last night when I couldn't fall asleep. The last few minutes of While You Were Sleeping was on one of the cable channels. I love that movie. I've probably seen it at least twenty times. If you're looking the most wonderful romantic comedy, you should give it a try. I didn't intend to watch the entire thing again tonight, but I found it on YouTube and couldn't help myself. Bill Pullman's character is just so cute that it kills me. You can see the trailer right here, or you can watch the entire film on YouTube by starting with the first part found right over here.

In the last week, I've read books at an alarming rate. It's bittersweet because once I book is finished, I'll never have that "first time" experience with it again, but that also means I get to move on and read other wonderful books.

I put off the weekly visit to the grocery store in favor of a lazy day at home. I'm not working tomorrow, so I guess purchasing food will have to wait until then.

Stolen from sunshade:

This is Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 movies of the last 25 years list. EDIT: I thought the list looked rather odd, so I researched. This is NOT EW's list of movies. I'm not sure where it originated.

Bold the ones you have seen
Put an asterisk after the movie title* if you really liked it.
Cross it out if you saw a film and really disliked it
Underline the ones you own

I've seen a crapload of movies and most of my favorite probably weren't even considered for this list because they are foreign and/or obscure. Where is the Tarkovsky love? The Lars von Trier love? At least Blue Velvet is representing for David Lynch. Sheesh. And the South Park movie made it over something like Stalker or Dogville? For serious?

( there should be a notation for movies I never ever want to see in my entire life. )

Rushdie's The Satanic Verses is eating my life. I can't stop thinking about it.

I watch at least three movies every weekend because Netflix loves me. I rarely post about them here, but I thought I'd go through and pick out a few of my recent favorites - mostly the ones that I believe don't get the attention they should.

( five great movies, if you're the movie-watching sort )

I have a soft spot for Lars von Trier. He's a Danish director, and I absolutely love every one of his films that I've had the pleasure of viewing. I watched Dogville on Saturday. At first, I was a bit put off by the way in which the film is presented. This photo is actually the entire stage and contains every set you see in the movie, like this. The props are few and far between and there are no walls to denote different houses or rooms, just white lines on the ground. Therefore, you can always see all of the characters going about their business, even if they are not in the scene and cannot hear what the characters talking are saying. The film is told in a prologue and nine chapters with a narrator. The prologue was a bit shaky for me, but by the time I had gotten into the second chapter, I was sucked in and had forgotten about the odd sets and sparse atmosphere.

The emotional impact of the movie was incredible. Some scenes made me feel physically sick, and I was slightly taken aback with how vicious and wrathful I felt by the ninth chapter, which proves the point of von Trier. I'm not particularly a fan of Nicole Kidman, but she was so fantastic in this film. I can't even explain to you how beautifully tragic her performance is.

Maryann Johanson, a reviewer of the film, said this:
"Damn if I didn't completely forget to hate Dogville, and if I wasn't, three hours later, completely blown out of my little mind and right into the screening room next door.... You wanna see what our town is like? Here it is, in all its mean, petty, horrible smallness. It's not particularly about American meanness or pettiness or smallness, though some have accused von Trier of being anti-American — it's about human meanness, etc. The only thing "anti" about Dogville is that it might be called an anti-epic — an ambitious movie with a big cast and a marathon runtime that's about how small and insular and selfish people can be, about the miserable depths to which human beings can sink in their cruelty to others. Nationality's got nothing to do with it, though the ability to wield power over other human beings might, and so there might be some pertinent application to America as a whole right now. But everyone will — or should — recognize the universality of this, the worst side of humanity."

And that sums up my feelings on the film as well. I would post the trailer here, but I don't believe the US trailer accurately portrays the movie. You can find it by searching YouTube, but I think it is somewhat misleading. And the international trailer gives away far too much. If you're going to watch the movie, then I think it would be most enjoyable and shocking if you went into it without much knowledge about the plot.

What's wrong with me? I've taken to reading Draco/Hermione fics. I hate Draco. Or at least I thought I did. I feel all dirty now.

I forgot to mention that Jason and I watched Der Untergang (Downfall) this past weekend, and it was absolutely amazing. Wow. It is an extremely powerful film. Even if you have no interest in the fall of the Third Reich, I still highly recommend it.

I blame witchy_1 for my ordering from E.L.F.. I received my goodies in the mail today, and immediately got on with using the lip gloss. I also purchased nail polish and mascara. I never wear mascara, but I look super awesome in it, so I figure I should just suck and up and try it out for a few days. I just have to remember not to rub my eyes in frustration when things at work get dicey.

Despite being warned away from it, I rented The Seeker this evening after I walked Ferguson. It's the movie version of The Dark is Rising. I am sure I will absolutely hate it, but I need to watch it to be properly disgusted at their inability to treat a wonderful story with due respect. The fellow at the register was being a bit talky-flirty and started to chat with me about the movie and how much he enjoyed it. I assured him that I would most certainly hate it. I'm such a wet blanket sometimes. Bah-humbug and all that. Jason's going to have to deal with my groans of exasperation during the entire ninety-four minutes of the film.

In related news, I'm determined to teach myself Welsh. I know, I know. I'm nutty. What use would I have of Welsh when I live in New Mexico? None. I doubt anyone in this city speaks it. But I'm so interested. We'll see how it goes once I get the computer course I ordered.

Everyone is sad about Daylight Saving Time, but I'm actually enjoying it. No, I don't like getting up "earlier", but I do enjoy my evening walks. The early sunsets and temperatures in winter prevent me from walking Ferguson after dinner. It was warm enough and sunny enough that I was able to walk a couple miles yesterday evening. It felt so wonderful and boosted my energy level for the rest of the night.

Work is still in a shitty place. I'm blocking it all out so the stress and tension don't wear me down. The boss's daughter is coming in today to "interview" for the Controller position. The current Controller plans on telling her that he doesn't think she should take the job. I don't know whether that will change anything. At this point, I don't really care. I've done a bit of snooping online and found several open positions that would fit me. I don't plan on leaving in the next few months, but it is nice to know that there are places out there still hiring. It's funny because the boss thinks I'm the best thing since sliced bread after all this drama went down. She's told me several times over the last two days that she doesn't know what she would do without me. Meanwhile, I'm slipping one foot out the door. It's weird.

I watched Snow Cake several weeks ago and thought it was a beautiful movie. I highly recommend it to anyone who has not yet seen it. For those unfamiliar with the plot, it is about a man who picks up a hitchhiking young girl. A large semi-truck hits his car and the girl dies, but he is not seriously injured. After he is released, he travels to the girl's hometown to apologize to her mother. When he arrives, he realizes that the girl's mother is autistic. He ends up spending a week with her in her home while he helps with funeral arrangements. One of the most poignant moments in the movie for me was a scene that occurs after the girl's funeral. Everyone has gone over to the mother's house, and she is very nervous about others being in her space because she's very particular. She has not really dealt with her daughter's death up to that point. At one point, she freaks out and runs into the living room to turn on the stereo. She plays an odd Japanese song and dances around the room while all of the people look at her in horror. They don't understand what she is doing, so someone tries to stop her. The woman's mother (the grandmother) steps in and tells everyone to just let her daughter dance. It is at this point that the autistic woman finally lets go of her daughter and remembers her in a happy way.

All of this explanation isn't necessary to enjoy the oddball song she played, though. There is no official soundtrack to the movie, but I managed to dig up the song, called "Notteru Ondo". I believe it translates as "Good Rhythm". At any rate, I love the song, and it has certainly made my crappy Tuesday morning better.

Here is the link to download it if you're interested in listening. I promise that it will make you laugh or at least smile, just give it a few seconds.

I looked everywhere on the internet for this particular clip from Buffalo 66. I finally broke down and figured out how to rip it off the DVD and upload it. Maybe it is my weird sense of humor, but I think this is one of the funniest scenes ever filmed.

For those unfamiliar with the movie, Billy has just been released from jail. In an attempt to impress his unloving parents, he kidnaps a girl from a tap dancing class. After an awkward dinner with his parents, they go to a bowling alley to waste time. By now, his victim isn't so much the victim anymore. She's grown to like Billy and all his idiosyncrasies quite a bit. He wants to take pictures to send his parents to prove that they really are a couple.

I ripped the chapter I wanted, but couldn't figure out how to easily cut out the part after the four minute mark. Feel free to stop the video after the photo booth scene.



I can't stop laughing when he repeats, "Spanning time." In love, spanning time... My other favorite is when he says, "We are the couple that doesn't touch."