That was a long day although I should consider myself fortunate that I didn't get caught in the aftermath of the snow storm on any of the roads. It was a gray day. Very gray. I spent most of the time day-dreaming about my residency options for the next year. Right now my top two choices are in Florida and Connecticut. Most people would think that given the option Florida will be the obvious choice but I'm not such a big fan of Florida. Its only a marginally fun place to go for a vacation; i'm not sure I want to actually live there for even 3-4 years. The program is a really good one with a famous name but I'm not sure that is enough especially since I don't want to settle down in florida. Connecticut is winning out slightly at this point.
I'm in Toronto now. I am going to try and relax and do fun things. I should make a list so I don't forget. Is it odd to make an actualy list of your leisure activities?
Probably.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Snowed In!
2010 is nearing an end and I am snowed it due to more than a foot of snow outside. I tried to take the dog for a walk yesterday and didn't go farther than the end of the street. This was smack in the middle of the storm. Today I didn't get farther than shoveling the driveway. I have cabin fever. Tommorow I will go from being trapped in the house to being trapped in the car as I drive from New Jersey to Toronto. Goodness!
I finished reading 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. I certainly could have read it back in 2005 when it was popular but I am allergic to popular things, I find. There isn't a single trend I can adhere to, not even this blogging thing! Once again I am going to tell myself to try harder to maintain some kind of a writing schedule.
The book was very charming, just as I imagine a real geisha's personality must be. The book starts with a Forward known as a 'Translator's Note' which mentions that everything was transcribed from the protagonist narrating her life story and it is very easy to believe that was the case. The book has a conversational quality that makes it a very easy read. The entire thing is entirely fictional but I can imagine it being true. The thing that probably made the book really popular I suppose, was that it was a love story with a happy ending. We are such suckers for that kind of stuff. I would reccomend reading it if you have been living under a rock like me and are stuck somewhere and completely sick of movies and your family.
I am trying to decide if I want to read Steig Larsson's trilogy at the moment since I have a week off from work. Ofcourse the franchise is wildely popular right now as evidenced by the fact that it can be called a 'franchise' and not just 'books'. The author is dead and that makes the work more intriguing in my mind, although i'm not sure why. I have other things I want to read as well. It depends on what I can get my hands on first I suppose.
I finished reading 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. I certainly could have read it back in 2005 when it was popular but I am allergic to popular things, I find. There isn't a single trend I can adhere to, not even this blogging thing! Once again I am going to tell myself to try harder to maintain some kind of a writing schedule.
The book was very charming, just as I imagine a real geisha's personality must be. The book starts with a Forward known as a 'Translator's Note' which mentions that everything was transcribed from the protagonist narrating her life story and it is very easy to believe that was the case. The book has a conversational quality that makes it a very easy read. The entire thing is entirely fictional but I can imagine it being true. The thing that probably made the book really popular I suppose, was that it was a love story with a happy ending. We are such suckers for that kind of stuff. I would reccomend reading it if you have been living under a rock like me and are stuck somewhere and completely sick of movies and your family.
I am trying to decide if I want to read Steig Larsson's trilogy at the moment since I have a week off from work. Ofcourse the franchise is wildely popular right now as evidenced by the fact that it can be called a 'franchise' and not just 'books'. The author is dead and that makes the work more intriguing in my mind, although i'm not sure why. I have other things I want to read as well. It depends on what I can get my hands on first I suppose.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Movie Review: The Science of Sleep
Firstly, hurrah for CINSSU's free friday night films (and occasional previews) at Innis Town Hall.
Now who didn't like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Even the toughest critics (both professional and armchair)conceded that it had a brilliant premise at the heart of it. Who wouldn't want to erase unpleasant memories of the past? But as Kate Winslet's character says, its essential for us to keep those memories to prevent future mistakes.Conditioning at its best.
The Science of Sleep is another such movie by Micheal Gondry that looks minutely at personal romantic relationships. It has a pseudo-scientific title which I fear will scare too many people away. Although it is considerably less coherent than Eternal Sunshine..., it was probably intended to be so since the audience is expected to share Stephan's confusion about his waking/dreaming states. This movie is also more light-hearted and funnier than ESSM. The characters are engaging, although I probably couldn't stand to know any of them in real life for too long. I have problem with its ending; it was intended to be optimistic, however every mentally competemt person past the age of 15 knows that one can't 'dream' through relationships. I predict a very rocky road ahead for Stephan and Stephanie and thats precisely why there will never be a sequel to this movie. Its still a very entertaining watch. Don't mind me, i'm just too old for it.
Rating: Good
You will enjoy this movie if you liked: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Garden State
Now who didn't like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Even the toughest critics (both professional and armchair)conceded that it had a brilliant premise at the heart of it. Who wouldn't want to erase unpleasant memories of the past? But as Kate Winslet's character says, its essential for us to keep those memories to prevent future mistakes.Conditioning at its best.
The Science of Sleep is another such movie by Micheal Gondry that looks minutely at personal romantic relationships. It has a pseudo-scientific title which I fear will scare too many people away. Although it is considerably less coherent than Eternal Sunshine..., it was probably intended to be so since the audience is expected to share Stephan's confusion about his waking/dreaming states. This movie is also more light-hearted and funnier than ESSM. The characters are engaging, although I probably couldn't stand to know any of them in real life for too long. I have problem with its ending; it was intended to be optimistic, however every mentally competemt person past the age of 15 knows that one can't 'dream' through relationships. I predict a very rocky road ahead for Stephan and Stephanie and thats precisely why there will never be a sequel to this movie. Its still a very entertaining watch. Don't mind me, i'm just too old for it.
Rating: Good
You will enjoy this movie if you liked: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Garden State
Friday, September 22, 2006
Movie Review: The Descent
Watching 'The Descent' was quiet a chance occurence. I got out of class feeling restless as I had just had coffee and didn't immediately have anything to occupy myself with. While I was wandering aimlessly (although in the general direction of Gerstein), I bumped into a friend who was in a similar dilemma. We decided to catch a movie at Carlton. The Descent was the only one we hadn't missed a significant portion of. Upon enetring a hall meant for about 200 people we discovered that we were alone except for a single male presence at the very back of the theatre: a quiet, bespectacled man who could've been anything from an axe-murderer to a movie critic. The atmosphere was perfect. Knowing my fear of horror movies in general, the coffee rush I was on and the given ominous setting I'm not sure what kept me in my seat but i'm glad I stayed.
The blueprint for the adventure-gone-wrong genre is pretty standard; the characters are introduced in an innocuous setting about to embark upon an adventure of a lifetime. Meanwhile, everyone watching has already started guessing which ones are going to die (and in which order). However the characters in this movie are hardly stereotypical. An all female cast allows the movie to do away with gender stereotpypes of any sort. 6 friends from the other side of the atlantic come to north carolina looking for adventure and perhaps some bonding (there was a falling out of sorts, we are only given a few tanatlizing morsels and left to work out the rest). Under the leadership of Juno, a goddess in every right, given her namesake, the group begins to explore an underground cave. One of the girls, Sarah, seems to be psychologically sensitive and gets 'stuck' in very narrow passageway. While one of her friends turns back to help her, they realise midsentence that the passagway has started to collapse and they just manage to scramble out. Their way out is blocked...let the horror begin. I don't want to give too much away but what follows is nerve-racking, tragic, and exhilirating all at the same time. By and far its intelligent, not especially in its logic, but in its interpersonal dynamics (once again I am thankful for the lack of stereotypical characters). In the end its hard to identifty a hero, as is possible on so many other movies of this genre and that makes this movie much more interesting than your average monster flick.
Rating : Very Good
You will enjoy this movie if you liked: The Alien series, Predator, Jaws
The blueprint for the adventure-gone-wrong genre is pretty standard; the characters are introduced in an innocuous setting about to embark upon an adventure of a lifetime. Meanwhile, everyone watching has already started guessing which ones are going to die (and in which order). However the characters in this movie are hardly stereotypical. An all female cast allows the movie to do away with gender stereotpypes of any sort. 6 friends from the other side of the atlantic come to north carolina looking for adventure and perhaps some bonding (there was a falling out of sorts, we are only given a few tanatlizing morsels and left to work out the rest). Under the leadership of Juno, a goddess in every right, given her namesake, the group begins to explore an underground cave. One of the girls, Sarah, seems to be psychologically sensitive and gets 'stuck' in very narrow passageway. While one of her friends turns back to help her, they realise midsentence that the passagway has started to collapse and they just manage to scramble out. Their way out is blocked...let the horror begin. I don't want to give too much away but what follows is nerve-racking, tragic, and exhilirating all at the same time. By and far its intelligent, not especially in its logic, but in its interpersonal dynamics (once again I am thankful for the lack of stereotypical characters). In the end its hard to identifty a hero, as is possible on so many other movies of this genre and that makes this movie much more interesting than your average monster flick.
Rating : Very Good
You will enjoy this movie if you liked: The Alien series, Predator, Jaws
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