Quote of the Day [3.18.09]
"Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired
by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."Mark Twain
Jesus, Buddha, Tokyo
http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/92099.htmlThat's a funny manga. I wish they would bring it for real to America.
Link of the Day [3.18.09]
I wish animation would get out of the silliness that it is in today. There’s plenty of stories to tell with animated characters, 2D or even stop motion. If only there were people creative enough to see animation’s wonderfulness of uses.
Then I see today’s link. I frown. Seth McFarlane is killing us. He’s taken the latter day Simpson formula and jammed it into the bungholes of America with Family Guy, Patriotic Dad and this monstrosity. I know already what the shows going to be about without even watching a single episode.
Adventures From My Netflix Queue: Millennium Actress
It took me three sitting, but I finally finished Millenium Actress. The first time it put me to sleep in twenty minutes. The second time just under ten. This last time was the pure sitting and then I found out how good of a love story it was.
Millennium Actress is an animated film by Satoshi Kon. He’s another celebrated Japanese animation director famous for Paprika and Three Godfathers. I’ve seen Paprika but didn’t think anything of it. I’ve partially seen Three Godfathers but didn’t think anything of it. I almost didn’t finish this film, but glad I did. Satoshi Kon while not as great as Miyazawa is a cut above Makoto Shinkai.
In Millennium Actress, a documentary crew goes to interview the reclusive titular actress, Chiyoko Fukiwara. Her story is told in flashbacks that are filmed like the movies she starred in. It plays around with the settings. What era are we in? Is this one of her movies? Are they saying the script or what she said in real life? And her story is one of finding the love of her life. She helps an left-leaning artist escape for a time from the police and falls in love with him. She doesn’t seem him again until she follows him to Manchuria under the guise of being an actress. But the times are tough for them to meet as war follows and he is imprisoned because of his politics.
The movie plays out in how she yearns to reunite with him. She lives her life always looking for him and a chance to find him once again.
There is a prop that reminds me of Notorious. It is a key that Chiyoko longs to return to her love. And just like the key to the wine cellar in Notorious that was given back to Hitchcock from Ingrid Bergman at a celebration before he died. I liked how Millenium Actress reminded me of that.
One thing I love about animation is that it can tell many stories well. It is a stylistic choice that a strong creative person can use to great effect. I wish it would expand from the children story ghetto we’ve currently got it slotted into in the US.
4 of 5 stars.
Sixth
Itsuki-chan: 6 gears
Alice Alicia: 5 gears
It makes for an interesting drive. When I feel like I’m going 70 MPH, I want to shift it into sixth. There is no sixth in my VW, so those shifts go nowhere and I’m left with holding the stick in neutral for that split second before I slide it back into fifth. Luckily, I don’t have a gear box with reverse in the furthest, lower right position or else it would be a horribly grinding noise and the transmission falling out of the the VW. It’s one of those things that the mind adapts to quickly but stalls at some times. Funny that.
Quote of the Day [3.17.09]
“I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy so they trotted out the next most popular member of the Republican cabal.”
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
Link of the Day [3.17.09]
Just posting this for my own sake so that I can read it at work and understand why the fuck it didn’t work the first time.
Quote of the Day [3.16.08]
Well here we go again, you’ve found yourself a friend that knows you well
But no matter what you do, it always feels as though you tripped and fell
So steady as she goes
The Raconteurs, “Steady, As She Goes”
Link of the Day [3.16.09]
I’m thinking about going hightech on my bike. Screw iPhone it won’t tell me enough of what I’m doing while I ride.
He’s Just Not That Into You
I was dragged kicking and screaming to He’s Just Not That Into You. Do I have to know how foolish we make ourselves out to be as we try to find that special person?
No.
With that being said, it was a strange movie that reveled in dating tropes that it tried so hard to make fun of. I guess that it is difficult, because we are all fools once. (Twice a fool is just stupid.)
3 of 5 stars.