We Take A Break From Our Usual Programming....

For today's blog, I'm going to take a moment to answer the 25 Random's Things challenge (game?) on Facebook, after I was tagged by Wendy yesterday. I couldn't resist doubling this up as a blog so I hope it still works. Here's how it goes...

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1.) I'm a serious Anglophile. I've always thought the Brits were just kind of the best. I love their accents, their history, their Queen, their tea, their country... Yeah. I've been there twice, and I must say, it doesn't disappoint. If I could ever choose to be of another nationality (or gain citizenship in another country), it would probably be England.
2.) I'm a teenager, but I don't hate my parents. I actually get along very well with them. I've never gone through that whole, "get the hell out of my life" stage, and since I've hit 17, I think I've probably avoided that stage for the most part.
3.) I don't hate school completely, nor do I never do my homework, or resent all books we've ever been "made" to read for English. I actually do complete basically all of my homework and I even sometimes think ahead about it. I don't mind it - I'm a student and it's what we do. I am a bit tired of high school - it's starting to feel a bit redundant, but it's not the worst thing in the world. Oh, and though I haven't liked all books we've been assigned (*cough-1984-cough*), I have liked a fair few of them, The Odyssey and Pride and Prejudice coming in as books I genuinely enjoyed.
4.) I am a liberal, tree-hugging Boulderite, to the core. I eat granola and Tofu, avoid beef, care about the Ozone layer, and couldn't be happier that Obama is President.
5.) I don't really pay attention to mainstream music. For many years, my main source of auditory entertainment has been soundtracks (aka scores) to movies. I can list off a dozen composers in a heartbeat who I love, and I've never found anything more beautiful or enjoyable to listen to. Now, that's not to say I don't like Coldplay, for example, but don't expect me to know the current hit tunes or artists.
6.) I always have to know the full storyline. I cannot just watch a TV for the sake of zoning out, or just start watching in the middle of a season - or worse, a few season's in. When I watch a show, I'm committed - to the characters, the plot, the storyline. I always have to go back to the beginning and see it all. The same goes any movie or book series.
7.) I think people who don't read are stupid. I'm sorry, I'm not going to lie or tone it down on this one. There's so much richness in books, you're lame if you're not partaking in their wisdom. TV and movies are awesome, but nothing will ever trump the written word.
8.) I am hopelessly addicted to the Internet. It freaks me out if I go a day or more without checking my email, reading the news on my favorite sites, logging on to Skype or Twitter... gack. When my computer breaks, I feel like a piece of my brain is missing. So, yes *raises hand* "I am a hopeless addict when it comes to my Macbook."
9.) This list of 25 Things feels rather long, possibly because I don't often actually do things like this very often. You know all those email chains people were really obsessed with several years ago? Yeah, I deleted pretty much all of them.
10.) Now that I've subscribed to Entertainment Weekly for a while, I don't think I'll ever want to stop. I so enjoy seeing who makes the cover each week, reading the Must List, laughing at the cynical reviews, and having something tactile to page through every week. The same goes for TiVo - or DVR's in general. It's one thing that has managed to integrate itself into my life so thoroghly that I can't imagine ever letting it go.
11.) I'm almost always way too wordy. I like lists of things, I'll often use two or three words when one will do, and if left to myself, my word counts will shoot through the roof. Take me, baby, or leave me. Oh, and I care about grammar. "Funner" is not a word, people!
12.) I think vlogging is cool - and I wish I could do it, but I'm one of those people who feels so incredibly awkward in front of a camera. That's why I want to direct or produce or write... I could never act. It seems to me the most slippery slope when it comes to self-confidence... YOU, trapped on film, forever!
13.) My cat is so much more than "just" a pet. She's been my friend, my sister, and my companion for, holy carp, 11 years, going on 12, now. Going away to college - if that happens - will be oh so hard because I don't know how I'll go to not seeing her every day. Now, that might sound like the kind of sentimentality that comes from a 4-year-old, but Molly's always been special to me.
14.) I'm shamelessly obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, true obsession. I can quote it, I know the music, and I've analyzed the plot. Scary, isn't it?
15.) I have pondered the meaning of life. I've tried to figure out why I'm here, what I'm meant for, and what will happen when I'm gone. Sadly, I've reached nothing more meaningful than "42."
16.) I believe in the power of positive thinking. While I don't believe in God, per se, I do believe that willing something to happen has some effect on the outcome. So, as long as you don't mind, I'm going to keep willing there to be a snow day.
17.) I've always wanted to be fluent in a cool language that not a whole lot of people know, and then to be able to speak it with A) My mom B) My best friend or C) (in the future) my spouse.
18.) I get emails from The Universe. I know, I'm special like that. (See here for more information. They're awesome!)
19.) I firmly believe that TV peaked when it reached Friends. Nothing will ever ever been funnier, more creative, or more brilliant or timeless than that glorious 10-season show. I love other series, but Friends is the one and only.
20.) When I was little, I wasn't really allowed to watch TV. I never knew Nickelodeon or Disney. PBS was it - Arthur was my favorite. Even into middle school, I wasn't allowed to watch anything during the weekdays, so I worked out an elaborate system of video cassette tapes and recording timers (ick, the days before TiVo!). Until very recently, I've always felt something holding me back - and I'll always do homework before TV. At first, I resented my parents for it but now I see the blessing that it was. I grew up reading, not being a couch-potato.
21.) I don't really like eating out in restaurants. I can never make up my mind about what to order, it's always super expensive, there's a long wait, and I always get stuck with too much food. Although, breakfast out is an exception to the rule - THAT, I love.
22.) I used to HATE exercising with a vengeance. I was seriously a very stangant kid. I'm actually kind of surprised I didn't turn out quite fat. Nowadays, I long to get to the gym and relax whenever I have the chance, but I used to run the other way. Well, not run, but you know.
23.) I'm a total night owl. Heart and soul. I feel tired if I have to get up anywhere before 8, or at least 7:30. I usually get creative bursts late at night, so, yeah, definitely not an early bird.
24.) I could care less about anything designer. It's hard enough to find jeans that fit me, let alone jeans that fit with a nice looking label? Why spend $200 just for a word?
25.) I pay attention to celebrities. Not in the "Ohmygod, Britney, look over here!" TMZ kind of way... just in a, "Ohmygod, Johnny Depp, look over here!" kind of way. I've gotten autographs (and pictures) from four Harry Potter actors so far, and I really treasure the autographs.

So, that's me. Sorry if that was crazy long, but you did as for a heck of a lot of random things. Off to tag someone else!

73 ... And Definitely Counting

Well, for once, I don't have a specific movie to review, TV show to rant about, or actor to applaud. That's not to say I couldn't spend a blog discussing Grey's Anatomy, which I haven't talked about, or Crusoe and Legend of the Seeker, which I've recently really begun enjoying, or the lack of Life and Heroes, or the amount of Private Practice I have to watch, or even more time about 24 or Lost... that's just not what I'm feeling up to today. Although, now that I see that list, I should probably get on that. Maybe in the coming week.

And, while I could talk about going to the gym and Fitting It In, the Oscars, the snow (and the approximate 0.0% chance of us getting a Snow Day even if there's a freaking blizzard), the books I want to read, the books I'm reading, or any of a myriad of things, instead, I'm going to talk about 73 particular, intriguing, and increasingly painful days.

That's the magic number. I went through the school calendar and, as of right now, I have only 73 days left of high school. Forever. And Ever. So, yeah, for once, I'm going to blog about real life.

For a while, that elusive May 23rd Graduation Date was scary. It was like I was cruising along comfortably in a convertible, on a sunny day, with the top down, accustomed to high school (okay, I guess it wouldn't be a convertible on a sunny day... more like driving on a rainy day). It wasn't the best, but it was familiar, and then all of a sudden, I was hurtling toward the brick wall of real life, of college, of a possibly $40,000 education, of living on my own... and that was scary.

But now? Not so much. Now that I've been accepted to my schools and am able to see how this is going to happen, it's more like I can see that the road is going to change direction, but I know that it's going to change direction, and I'm okay with the change.

Still, those 73 days are staring me in the face. Sure, they're broken up by Mondays of no school, of CSAP days (haha!), and spring break, and April break... but that still seems like a long time. Particularly if I have this much work. Don't teachers know that math worksheets are usually annoying, but when they're grouped with the 73 days, standing in your way of freedom, they're excruciating? Don't teachers know that wasting your time in class is just plain cruel?

Now, everyone's going to say, oh, don't worry, it's just senioritis. And I know it is... heck, I knew it was coming, but that doesn't change the fact that it's here, it's real, and it's making school kind of annoying.

However, those 73 days, I can deal with them. They're not only counting down to a summer of freedom - of absolutely no summer reading (hopefully), and of hours of lounging, reading, movies... Ahh, bliss. Nope, they're also counting down to LeakyCon, something that is shaping up to possibly be one of the best experiences of my life to date.

So, if 73 days is the price I have to pay for that, well, maybe I can manage. Okay, now, back to homework!

LOST?

Yeah, me too. I love this show with a fervent passion - it's "I Do," in sickness and in health, (its driving me crazy, hence the sickness), for richer and for poorer (heck, there's an economic downturn), and all that. But, man, this television show is insane!

(Disclaimer: if you're a fan and haven't seen any or all of the episodes up to the two from the season 5 premiere, so help you, god, if you keep reading. Arr, matey, spoilers be ahead!)

Okay, I have been a fan of Lost since approximately the third season - my mother and I started catching up via the DVDs in a mad rush of fervent watching and we were hooked. Now, if you know anything about the show, you'll know that it's only gotten nerdier, more confusing, and more complex over the past few seasons. Now, this isn't bad or good, it simply is how the show is.

Being someone who's fully committed to seeing this thing through all six seasons, I've long been interested in noting its progress. Lost started out as a very real and fairly classic television drama - it was about people and their interactions. It was still quite a ground-breaking show, with the flashbacks and the six degrees of separation elements, but it was, at the core, about people. It simply was telling people's stories, while using the setting - a plane crash on an island - as a backdrop.

But it started getting weirder. Trees would move in the forest, polar bears would appear, a french woman showed up, and we learned about the numbers, the button, Dharma... then Ben showed up and all hell broke loose. We got into time-traveling, a fake Oceanic 815, a creepy Charles Widmore and.... AHH! So much. So many webs and layers, plots and sub-plots, hints and references! Who could possible keep track of it all?

I'll tell you who. Doc Jenson. Aka Jeff Jenson. Aka the main Lost columnist for the magazine Entertainment Weekly. Since last year, I've been reading his blogs - he writes at least one per episode - and things have finally started coming together. Through him, I've begun to see the subtle shaping of the series. I've always wondered, though, how much is really in there, and how much is us the viewers making a mountain out of a mole-hill. Much the same as my study of the Harry Potter books, I really wonder... did Jo really put in all the stages of Alchemy, purposefully? Or are we just finding that? Did the Lost creators really link everything together, place stuff in season 2 that they're using now, and name everybody as part of a grander scheme? The more I think about it, the more I realize that they must've!

In this last week, I've finally realized that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (the writers/creators minus JJ Abrams) maybe sort of know where they're going. They clearly seem to know that they're down to the hard-core fans... that anyone who's still watching is going to keep watching, till death do we part. All this time travel madness that permeated the last two episodes... that's the peak of Lost's nerdiness. This is where we're heading, how it connects, and hopefully, what will finally make it all come together.

Now, this has been rambly and scattered, a product of writing a blog over the course of several days, and of attempting to talk about the elusive shadow that is this television show, but I can only end by saying that I sure am glad that Lost is back, and that it's headed toward it's last two seasons. Maybe the pieces - much like our work with the Lost puzzles - will finally come together. Maybe, someday, we will no longer be Lost.

No way to avoid being cliché: YES WE DID!

This guy is our President?!?!?!

My friends, welcome to a new America! I can't saw how totally thrilled, how tear-evokingly happy, how gleeful and proud I am to be able to say President Obama.

It has been said, re-said, and re-re-said, but this was definitely an Election for the history books. Personally, it became real for me when Obama spoke in Denver. That was probably the first time he brought tears to my eyes with one of his speeches. I will also carry with me the memory of Election Night; the feeling of walking on water as everything went right, all the pieces fell into places, and this lovely well-spoken man glided toward the presidency.

So now having Obama around is not something we have to fight for, hope for, or work towards - it's real. He's ours, he and his lovely family are sitting in the White House, and he is changing our country. I still can't shake the feeling that it's real - it's like that moment when you first wake up, hoping your last dream won't fade away... except that it's not a dream, it's reality, and he's not going anywhere.

Now, I'm not going to argue politics. I'm not going to say to the grumbling conservatives that they had their damn 8-years in power, and look where they left us. I'm not going to hope the door kicks Bush and Cheney on their way out. I'm not going to do any of that. I'm going to look to the future.

In history class this week, my teacher, in his classic attempt to be thought-provoking asked us if we're really headed toward something new, toward a change or a new era. Some nay-sayers in the class said no, some who wouldn't have voted for Obama grumbled, and some were too sleepy to even acknowledge the question, but I'm not going to have my bubble burst.

Because whatever Obama has to fight... whatever Washington D.C. corruption and lobbying that comes his way and stays the same... whatever he's up against, I truly feel like this time, this round of the fight against it all, is going to be different. Why? Because we're all with him. We've joined the fight.

Some say that Obama is only going to disappoint because he can't exact all the change he's promised. But see, that's just it! Sure, maybe he can't, but WE can. If there's anything this election proved, it's that when people come together - when those darn community organizers (*sticks tongue out at Sarah Palin*) come together and do their job, well, that's pretty darn powerful.

Now, I don't know what the future holds; what Obama will or won't do, or where we'll be in four years when we go through all this election-madness again, but I know where we are now. We're one step closer to closing Gitmo. We're moving toward a policy of openness. We. We are doing it. We are in power again. And Obama is leading us forward.

And I also know what I saw on the day of the Inauguration. I know that my entire school ceased to function, as what seemed like every student in the school crowded around the TV in the Senior Lounge, and occupied literally every surface in the Student Center where they were also broadcasting the day's events. I know that people laughed and cried. I know that millions stood in the cold simply to be there. I know what Obama said, I know that we seem to have Camelot 2.0 in the absolutely gorgeous Michelle and the phenomenally cute Melia and Sashaaaa (*cue the jazz hands*), and god damn, I know that our President can dance.

But most of all, I know that we have hope again. We the people of the United States of America have been empowered, and we have been given a unique opportunity. Yes, this was an Election for the history books, but I think this is also a moment, a president, and above all, a united generation of individuals headed straight for those history books.

Now, I'm not religious, but for right now, I mean it when I proudly say, God Bless our President, and God Bless America.

Defiance: A Film of Contrasts

Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of seeing a truly great film. Defiance was one of those movies you come across that has everything. It's based on a true story, deals with a tough subject, and tells the timeless tale of fighting all odds. It had emotions, heroism, and the harsh reality of truth and death. It's also one of those films that I knew I was going to like, I sat there watching it thinking "I really like this film," and I walk out of the theater thinking "Wow, that was a really great film." It's simply the kind of story that draws me in; and they would have really had to have done a horrible job of it to disappoint me.

Defiance tells the story of the Bielski brothers who lived in Belorussia during WW2. (Yes, another Nazi movie. What can I say, they're good - albeit hard to watch - films). After their family is murdered, the brothers (Tuvia, Zus, Asael, and Aron, by decreasing age) go to the forest that they know quite well to hide. Other persecuted Jews follow them, and they begin building what is essentially a colony, living and hiding in the forests. Tuvia becomes the leader, as Zus joins another group of Russian fighters, and they continue to move and survive. They defy odds, make it through winter and sickness, fight off the Germans, find love, disagree, join together, but most importantly, simply survive. By the end of the film, we are told they ultimately saved 1200 people, and that upwards of tens of thousands of individuals owe their lives to the brothers today.

As an action, defiance is not easy. It takes courage and resolve; you must fight the odds and fight to stay strong. As a film, Defiance was not easy to watch. It depicted the harsh truths of the Holocaust; the brutality of it all. It begins with stock footage of a village of Jews being raided by the SS policemen and soliders. Children are ripped screaming from their parents arms, and men are shot right and left for sport or trying to escape. But this is not R-rated brutality for the sake of it - it shows what it was like. As in any WW2-related film I've seen (the first I was was It's a Beautiful Life; the most recent was The Reader), I'm left questioning HOW could this have ever happened in our world.

So as a story, Defiance was truly remarkable. As the trailer says, it's a "story that's never been told," which surprises me, as it's a wonderful tale to tell. From that alone, the film had a strong foundation. I also liked the acting. Daniel Craig, of course, can do no wrong in my eyes. When I said I enjoyed Defiance yesterday, a friend mentioned to me that it was hard to imagine Bond as anything other than Bond, but that was the last thing from my mind. Sans the tuxedo and the I'm-better-than-everyone look, and with the ruggedness of war-time, grunginess of living in the forest, and a harsh Russian accent... I promise you, James Bond is nowhere to be scene. The film's other primary actors: Liev Schrieber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, etc were also worth of their roles. Each brought depth and energy to their characters.

From an analytical film perspective, I also found a lot to look at in this film. My experience with the director, Edward Zwick, lies in a similarly difficult film, Blood Diamond, which depicts the terrible atrocities occuring in Africa over the Diamond Trade. Zwick seems to have a real talent for taking a real-life tragedy, one that is hard to watch, yet riveting, and spinning a masterful web of emotions and strong characters.

But I was most struck by the use of contrasts in the film, and I found these contrasts everywhere. They were in the dialogue, as when Tuvia gives a rousing speech to the survivors in the forest, explaining that "If we must die trying to live, at least we will die as human beings." (paraphrased). Or when Lilka attempts to get him to allow a baby in the camp, pointing out the urgency of bringing life into the world when there is so much death. They were in the plot, as when the brothers go on a rampage of revenge shortly after their family was killed, threatening to become much like the Nazi's they were fighting. They were in the editing, the filmmaking, as when Asael's wedding was juxtaposed over Zus' first main military engagement after joining with the Russian fighters. The riveting horror and beauty of the wedding celebrations, then the fighting and shooting, then the wedding, back and forth, was powerful. They were even in the scenery, as the green of the forest was lost to the winter white, then melted through the yellow sunlight.

Defiance was a powerful film. One that I'd highly recommend.

The Clock is STILL Ticking... (24, Part Two)

Okay, I'm back, and here to dig into Season 7 of 24, which premiered last Sunday and Monday. I've got my cup of coffee and 24 music playing in the background, so I'm ready to think this through. I tried summarizing the episodes at one point, but it was so long that I won't bother. If you don't know what happened, go watch. That's all I have to say. I'm going to focus on opinions about the new series, assuming you the reader know what I'm talking about. Now, I'm going to break this down so as to not be quite as scattered and summation-al as I was in the last blog. Now, let's see...

(Like yesterday, all this is up Spoiler-Alley, so watch out if you don't want to know!)

New Location, New Agency:
As you can (maybe) tell from the official Season 7 poster above, 24 is no longer in Los Angeles. It's been relocated to none other than our nation's grand capital - D.C. itself. Personally, I really like the change. As the EW blogger pointed out last week, there's only so many bad things that can happen in L.A., it's time to move on. Plus, it puts Jack closer to the President (I wonder if that will come into play...?), allows for new plot options, and makes for some really cool scenery, like when the First Gentlemen met up with Samantha and they sat right in front of the water, with the Jefferson Memorial behind them ... really pretty.

Also, with the new local, comes the news that CTU was disbanded and that the main agency we'll be dealing with in this season will be the FBI. Hmm... This one disappointed me at first. I mean, 24 without CTU is like Lost without The Island. But, it makes sense. CTU was going overboard, and they could only push it so far. I like that the FBI is more restricted - and I'm particularly enjoying all the audience intended jokes like "We're the FBI, we obey the law!" Sure, *rolls eyes* we'll see how long that lasts.

In fact, this leads into one of the questions that 24 raises... when you boil it down, this season is really asking Do the Ends Justify the Means? Sure, Jack Bauer went overboard in every season so far, torturing people and getting that vein in his forehead to stick out, but we were there - we all saw that it was necessary. Now, Jack's being brought to trial for it - he doesn't regret it, and neither do I (don't know about you). Meanwhile, there's the FBI saying they're not going to sink to their limits, but as soon as the pressure's on, Agent Walker is already doing just that. Innntteerrressting!

Jack is Back:
Hell yeah, he is. Jack is so cool, can I just say that? Last season he felt a bit "do I really have to do this?" but now he feels like he's back in it with more energy. Maybe it was the time of for Kiefer Sutherland, or maybe traveling around the world for a year did the guy some good... but I feel like he's more energized, readier to do what it takes to save the world, yet again.

Damn, this hacker is good:
They couldn't have possibly considered getting rid of Chloe, but I was still so happy to actually see her back. The face-off with Janis the FBI equivalent of Chloe was totally hilarious, and I loved when Chloe mentioned Jack's Senate hearing and ended with "By the way, you looked really good." I truly love this character, she's good writing and acting in action. I can't wait to see where they take her in the next 20 episodes.

Undead, or Not Dead TONY!!! Squee!:
Okay, I admit, when the info first leaked that Tony was back - and bad - I couldn't wrap my head around it. First of all, we saw him die in Jack's arms! As much as this show enjoys ignoring reality, it isn't LOST!? People who die stay dead. But the way that they explained it actually worked. Plus, I recently read a bit of trivia that said that they didn't use a silent clock for the commercial break after Tony died - which they always do for characters who die, so they've probably been planning this all along.

Still, Tony, evil? Nuh uh. I was so glad (literally yelling at the TV) when they revealed that he was undercover. I do really like the writing here - Tony did go back. That is, I guess, believable. He lost everything at the expense of the government and was angry. But he wouldn't go against everything he believes in - hurting innocent Americans in a terrorist plot. Too much of a change. So, I was glad to see he was good, and am really enjoying the Jack/Tony team-up. Can't wait to see where it leads.

Of Presidents and Plots:
I like the new President, for the most part. On a side note for a moment, I wonder what sort of real life political ramifications this will have. After all, David Palmer (and later Wayne) were the first mega-example of a black president, and now 7 years later, look who we've elected? I'm not the first to say it, but I really wonder if this will lead us to a female Commander-in-Chief in the next 4 or 8 years. (Just, dear god, don't let it be Sarah Palin!)

Back to the show. We haven't seen too much of Taylor in action yet, but she seems to be very noble and upstanding - in a way we haven't seen since David Palmer himself. I'm really starting to suspect that the big bad rat in the whitehouse is either Ethan, the chief of staff, or the slightly awkward Secretary of State. They're the only characters that have been really set up so far.

I think the issue of African lives vs. American lives is very interesting. It has a lot to do with the topic of National Interest, which interestingly enough (har har) we were just talking about in my history class. As horrible as it is, I believe that American lives should come first. But I bet they'll find a way to work around it.

Basically, I think the plot is really charged in this season. The only major issue I've had so far is that they've been talking down to the audience too much. You know, like taking extra time to explain what's going on, or always saying "Damnit, this is our only lead. Without it we have nothing!" That kind of thing. We get it, 24 writers. We're smart people! Don't waste our time.

But yes, the plot is good so far. I like the idea of not being able to trust anyone and I think, overall, they're doing a good job balancing plots and subplots. There's a new episode tomorrow night, and I can't wait!

That's it for me for now! We're off to see Defiance this afternoon, so my next blog will probably be on that!

The Clock Is Ticking.... (Part One)

Jack Bauer is back, baby! I finally finished Season 6 of 24, back when I was still on Winter Break. Very soon after that, we watched 24: Redemption, the made-for-TV movie that bridges the gap between Season 6 and Season 7. THEN, last Sunday and Monday night, we leapt full-throttle into the new season, with a four-hour premiere over two nights. I'm so excited for the direction this show is taking - but more on that in a moment.

(By the way, this blog is full of SPOILERS. It's pretty much all spoilers, so if you haven't seen what I'm talking about and don't want to know, now's a good time to close your internet browser).

Season 6: I don't remember exactly what detail I went into when I talked about this last time. I can see why Season 6 got a great deal of criticism. It was much more scattered than any of the other seasons. It had too many plot lines and twists, it was full of gimmicks (the kind of moments that look good on a commercial for the show, but aren't really that great when you get there), and Jack seemed kind of, well, not as cool as usual.

My main problem was that they just couldn't settle on one plot. First Assad was a bad guy, then Fayid, then Fayid with nuclear weapons, then there was Graem Bauer, then Jack's father, then Fayid working with the Russians, then the Russian, Gredenko, working with the consulate, then the Chinese, then Jack's dad again..... Get the idea? Waaaay too much. I like it when the bad guys are harder to capture - when (and I never thought I'd say this), the plot drags on a bit more. It's more suspenseful when it takes more than just a few episodes for Jack to capture all the nuclear bombs.

Plus, everyone just felt whiney and mad at each other! I love these characters but, gosh darn, let them be likable! Jack didn't want to be doing CTU work, but went along with it anyway. Chloe was pissed at Morris, then lovey dovey, then hurt by the breakup, then pissed again. Let her be her quirky self! Morris was the injured guy, then the angry boyfriend... It felt like they were trying to make us hate them! We're supposed to like the protagonists!

Anyway, it wasn't totally flawed. I liked how they balanced the different plot lines - the white house, the terrorists, all that. They always do a good job with editing and split screens. That stayed the same. Chloe was still her funny self sometimes, and the characters who died were just as poingant and heart wrenching as ever.

But they can do better.

24: Redemption: This was interesting. Basically, the makers of 24 had filmed only 8 episodes when the Hollywood writers went on strike early last year. Rather than air those, then get stuck for god-knows-how-long (like most shows did), they decided to push Season 7 to this year, 2009. That gave them time to work extra hard to make it extra better, as they've all said countless times in interviews. But, in their spare time, they also decided to film a made-for-TV movie in South Africa. It's basically a 2 hour 24, with Jack, that reminded people of the show in November, and got them all excited for the January premiere that happened last week. Also, I'm pretty sure it's serving the purpose of a screen-test to see if a 24 movie would be a good idea - but more on that in a minute.

24: Redemption fits into the story thus: Jack Bauer ran away to find himself and avoid everything after Season 6. He traveled all around the world (they mentioned India, I believe) and then ended up with an old army/special-ops pal who has a school going in Sangala, Africa. Jack's been receiving subpoenas to appear before the U.S. Court, but of course, like a true bad-ass, he's been ignoring them. Meanwhile, there's the makings of a military coup going on, and Jack gets all tangled up with it, (cue the heart-wrenching scenes of child soldiers, and the boys that Jack must save). Long story short, he ends up having to turn himself in to save the kids, and thus gets sent back to the U.S.

Meanwhile, the creepy VP from Season 6, who became a less creepy President, has now lost the office to one Allison Taylor, the first female president on the show. This 2 hour segment takes place right before and during the inaguration.... and there are some great scenes of her speaking with the outgoing Daniels that really echo the current administrative shift in the real world. Also, her inaguration speech is really cool.

Finally, there's a subplot that ties this all together, one that we don't know much about. We meet a guy (who's name I've totally forgotten) who works at a financial office of some sort. Several things happen here. 1) Jon Voight (who I think is going to be a great addition to the show) is a client of this firm, and he's somehow funding the war in Sangala. A.k.a., he's a very bad guy! Our guy-who's-name-I've-forgotten somehow probes the files and figures this out. He warns his friend Roger, who also works at the firm, and just happens to be the son of the incoming president, about what he's discovered, but before he can fork over the proof, our guy gets killed. Aww. However, Roger now knows about it, which is important to Season 7.

And that's where they leave us! I KNOW! Just from this little 2-hour snippet (less, when you subtract the commercials), it was clear that the new season was going to be awesome. So, now....

This blog is getting way too long to go into Season 7 details right now. I'll have to come back later this weekend to get into that all, but that's where we stood on 24 up until last week's premiere. So, let me just wrap this up for now....

As you can tell, Redemption really caught my attention. Finishing Season 6 was almost like a chore - I just wanted to get caught up so that I did. But it wasn't great. It wasn't OMGod I have to keep watching this second. However, Redemption was great, and it turns out it was a great indicator of what Season 7 was like.

To be continued! Haha, it's just like the show! The clock keeps ticking, but you have to wait for the next episode!

Reading between the lines

Okay, no image on today's blog because it's too darn hard to find. It's been a few days now since I saw the film I'm about to talk about, but hopefully I'll still be able to get my point across.

The last movie of Winter Break ended up being The Reader, a lesser known film starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. I first heard about it because it's generating some Oscar buzz for Kate, and then the trailer for it was shown in one of the films we saw earlier - probably Milk or Frost/Nixon.

I thought The Reader was an incredible, beautiful film. It's a bit hard to describe - one of those 'go see it if it sounds good to you'-type movies. Basically, it's about a teenage boy who has an affair with a woman, who then (a bit later) disappears. (During the affair, he reads to her a lot - hence the title). Years later, he finds her again, but it's in a courtroom and she's a convicted SS guard, being held for war crimes (as I understood it). The story movies into his later life, and hers, and follows their respective stories.

It's basically a look at post-WW2 in Germany, and it reminded me a great deal of the Dutch novel we read for IB English last year, The Assault, by Harry Mulisch. (True, different country, but similar theme). Incidentally, The Reader is based on a book as well.

The time after the war was a horrible time in Germany, it seems to me. Everyone was faced with the question of guilt. Am I guilty? Even if I just went along with everything for my own self-protection, am I guilty? Who can I blame? In the Assault, there's a phrase at one point: "Was everyone both guilty and not guilty? Was guilt innocent and innocence guilty?" This pretty well summarizes The Reader.

See, it's clear that the woman (Hannah, I believe her name was) did horrible things to Jewish prisoners. But early on, she's painted as a good person - she's kind, and the main character, Michael, really loves her. She took a job as a guard for the SS because she needed a job... so is she a guilty person of the horrible things she did? Or is she a victim or circumstance?

During the trial, one of Michael's fellow law students begins asking questions as to the fairness of trying Hannah and the five other guards she was convicted with. If these women were convicted, he argued, they were just being made into scapegoats. If not, however, they were letting crimes go unpunished.

I'd very much like to see the film again to see what else I could get out of it. It raised many questions about the value of justice and the law, the true meaning of guilt and innocence, and the nature of the post-WW2 recovery for citizens involved. I'd also like to read the book that this was adapted from, mainly because it was a bit hard to follow Hannah's motivations in the movie, and I wonder if the book reveals more.

Well, I'm sure I had more to say about this film originally, but it's escaped me now, so I'd best move on with my evening.

DFTBA!!

Okay, I just have to take a moment to write about the Vlogbrothers aka Nerdfighters aka John and Hank Green (even though I really should keep working right now. Heck, it's still winter break until Wednesday. A little procrastination won't kill me.)

Basically, in 2007, two brothers, John and Hank Green, decided to start a project called Brotherhood 2.0. They decided that they would partake in no form a textual communication for a year, but instead would release a video blog every week day (switching off days) for a year. They had rules, did challenges for fun, and even got into funny punishments (if they failed to put up a video). Punishments include waxing a leg, dying hair green, and eating a blenderized happy meal. (Just watched that one... disgusting but hilarious).

But the project evolved. One day, when John was in an airport (he's an author, so he travels a lot), and he found a video game called Nerdfighters, and he and Hank got to talking about nerdfighters - people who are made of awesome and fight with their intelligence to decrease World Suck (their brilliant words, not mine). So, then B2.0 ended at the end of 2007, but they kept online communities going, and kept putting up videos.

Even though this was a few years ago now (that still sounds weird), I recently got into watching their new videos, but couldn't get enough, so I've been watching all the old videos also. I'm currently up to August 2007, and I'm having so much fun. I'm sure my parents are getting tired of hearing about them, so I'll probably be talking about them on here whenever I have something to share.

Basically, I really admire their outlook on life. They're both what you would call "nerds" - one's a writer, and the other is a blogger for a website about green technology. They both have glasses, spend lots of time reading and on the internet, and have gloriously nerdy photos from high school that they've shown on their videos. And, did I mention they started a project where they decided to vlog every day for a year? Yeah. But the way they put it, being nerdy is not a bad thing. Nerdfighters (the group of people who has risen around them) are "made of awesome," and when you spend time with them (okay, it's on the interenet and it's kind of one way through a video), you don't feel bad if you're a little nerdy (which I am). Heck, having more and more people form a group around being awesome is not a bad thing, and being nerdy certainly isn't!

Plus, to me, they represent everything that I love about the internet. They rallied a group of people from all across the globe around them. They're raised money for numerous charities just by suggesting it in their videos. They've built a global community, and made the big wide world a little less scary.

And finally, they're just plain hilarious. Really. Just take Hank's Christmas Song, all about how Jesus never gets anything for Christmas. (Check it out here). They have this joke that they always bring up about "In My Pants." For example, there's the In My Pants rule: that adding "in my pants" to any book title inevitably makes it better. (Just think about it: The Stranger... In My Pants. Yeah. Funny.) They're both very intelligent, talented, and funny, so it's a real delight to watch them.

Now, as I mentioned, Brotherhood 2.0 was in 2007. During 2008, as I understand it, they were basically uploading videos when they had time. But just recently, they announced Brotherhood 2.0.0.9, which is their project for this year. Basically, they have certain days where they will put up certain types of videos. News videos, question and answer videos, songs from Hank, etc.

Yesterday was the first video, and since it was a Sunday, it was John's day to talk about some sort of news. Now, he chose to talk about the situation in Israel/Palestine right now, which is pretty heavy, but he did so while showing pictures of his absolutely adorable puppy. I don't know about you, but it's pretty impressive! John doesn't just blather on about it either - he knows quite a bit about it! I'll share it with you, for reference:


(By the way, isn't Willy (the dog) adorable? I love how he keeps turning his head back and forth! Oh, and John's mismatched socks are hilarious!)

So that's what's occupying my time in cyberspace right now. I'm guessing that the nerdfighters are going to stay quite popular, and I know that they're certainly a part of my life now.

As they say, then, DFTBA! (Don't forget to be awesome!) <--Best sign out ever.

P.S. I mentioned that John is an author, and he's quite a good one. I've recently finished his second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, and I'm now reading his first, Looking for Alaska. I next want to read his most recent, Paper Towns, and then I'll probably blog on them all together. Long story short, they're very good.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

This afternoon, I finally had the chance to see Australia, which has been out since Thanksgiving. I had been really wanting to see it in theaters because I knew its scenery and epic-nature would be better witnessed on the big silver screen... And I'm so glad I did.

Quite simply, Australia blew me away. It is, to me, everything a movie should be. Baz Lurhmann really knows how to construct a beautiful, moving, and entertaining work of cinema.

Let me back track for a moment. A while ago - back in 2008 (still sound weird to say that), the educational section of Apple started a program called Set to Screen for young filmmakers. It was basically a video podcast, and it focused on Baz Lurhmann creating Australia. (It also consisted of a contest, but it was too advanced for me.) Baz (I really just love his name) had 10 episodes in which he illustrated the most important roles in making a film, such as director, production designer, sound editor... etc. In doing so, he also showed bits and pieces of Australia, so I had seen some fragments of it.

But I didn't really know the full story. I just knew that most of my friends who saw it generally liked it, and that critics regarded it as too long (it's about two and a half hours). In case you don't know, Baz Lurhmann previously directed the Red Curtain trilogy: Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge (swoon). So, suffice it to say that the guy knows a few things about cinematic expression and love.

I mentioned that it's over the 2 hour mark. However, unlike Benjamin Button, it didn't feel painfully long. In fact, it didn't feel long at a all... Truthfully, I didn't want it to end. This is an example, as I was saying earlier, of a film that is perfectly okay running long.

Something I've noticed about him is that he likes to have a particular outlet for expressing his story. In the Red Curtain trilogy, this was clearly defined: he used dance in Ballroom, Shakesperean language in R + J, and music in Moulin Rouge. In Australia, this seemed to simply be the setting (although truthfully, there's nothing simple about it). Whether through the beauty of his filming, or through the grace of some higher power, the Australian outback is gosh darn gorgeous. In every way, just as the outlets from his other films, this setting was a character in and of itself, acting right along with Sarah Ashley, the Drover, Nullah, and King George.

Another thing about Lurhmann: he really seems to like Nicole Kidman, and knows how to get a great performance out of her. She had a wonderful character, although a bit uptight and staunchly British. She acted wonderfully along Hugh Jackman (who oh-my-god-is-so-smoking-hot! Sexiest man alive, heck yes!)

The movie had everything. You laugh, you fall in love, you're wowed by gorgeous camera work (or at least I am) and beautiful settings, you're afraid for the characters, intimidated by scenes of the Japanese bombing of Darwin (the film is set during WW2), you cry, you fall in love again, you smile, you sigh, and then you walk out of the theater feeling very happy.

That's what a film should do, right? I know that the Oscar people like "issue" movies that are intense and make you think, that test the limits and try your patience, but this was simply a gorgeous movie.


P.S. I really tried to fit all the wonderful "character" posters in here, but couldn't get it to work. They're really beautiful, though, so check them out here. Also, the same website has a beautiful gallery of images from the film... it really gives you a sense of the way the movie was filmed. (Plus you might catch a glimpse of gorgeous Jackman, all muscle-y and tan... *sigh*) Check the gallery out here.

-Gate, the suffix of shame

So, this time yesterday, I was walking out of a restaurant after eating dinner after walking on the mall after seeing Frost/Nixon! If I sound a bit, you know, not like myself and maybe like I'm rambling today... it's because I've been watching video upon video from the older Brotherhood 2.0 blogs from 2007 and that's kind of how they talk. (I'll talk more about B2.0 some other time.)

So, Frost/Nixon, directed by Ron Howard, starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, based on a play, based on the interviews that occurred between British journalist/talk-show host David Frost and First-to-Resign-the-Presidency Ex-President Nixon.

Frost/Nixon is an excellent story, just maybe not such a totally phenomenal movie. Don't get me wrong, it was a very good movie. Well made, excellent acting, and beautiful film-work... But it didn't have that total WOW effect that totally phenomenal AND well-made movies like Slumdog Millionaire have.

But back to my first point for a moment. It's an amazing story - and it's all true. Now, I didn't live during that time, so I can't speak to the emotions of dealing with Watergate and Nixon for those who did, but it was definitely a major part of our country's history. Richard Nixon seems like a fascinating history - all wit and no empathy. The movie had many great one liners, most of which leave you chuckling nervously, thinking, "did he really just say that?" (take, for example "I'd hate to be a Russian leader... They never know when they're being taped.")

I mentioned that it's a true story. I don't know how accurate it was, or how many of the lines in the movie Nixon might have actually said, but I'm guessing they captured the essence of his character. Frank Langella, the actor who portrayed Nixon, was incredible. He looked and sound like him, and really managed to highlight the situation Richard Nixon was in (particularly in the scenes following the interviews).

Additionally, the Frost that puts the Frost in "Frost/Nixon," acted by Michael Sheen, is quite an interesting character in and of himself. A popular British talk show host (though I just read today that he considers himself more of a serious journalist) and sort of playboy bighead... Frost didn't seem to be the natural "adversary" to Nixon. He couldn't get any networks behind the project, and ended up borrowing and paying out of his own pocket for the project. He basically staked everything, after losing his other job due to the media chatter about his ridiculous goal.

But I'm losing my point here, if I have one. It's a fabulous story. Nixon was so delusional, it seems to me, about what he did... That the interviews and the conversations were simply riveting.

And Ron Howard did a great job directing. I was particularly struck by the lighting, which seemed to have a story to tell in and of itself. In many of the scenes, not only were there two kinds of light (light and shadow), but sometimes there were three kinds, like light from a lamp, shadow, and moonlight (Exibhit A: the telephone conversation scene). And then, during the interviews, they were constantly changing types of light - they had certain spotlights to make the film look good, and then the lights in the room. These were slightly different "shades" of light, and aimed in different ways.

It seems to me that as light versus dark fundamentally represents black versus white that these lighting decisions might be symbolic. However, many of the scenes, as I just said, didn't have clear light versus dark... It was a mix of kinds of light and kinds of dark... Almost like there's black and white, but there's also gray. Could this be speaking to the "gray" area of Nixon's decisions, how everything around the Watergate scandel seemed wrapped in gray, instead of being simply black and white/ right and wrong? Or I've just spent too much of the day writing an analyticial paper and am now waaaay over-analyzing this.

So, those parts I liked. My only criticism (and it's not really a criticism, just an observation) is that the movie is basically a glorified documentary, and thus is not a truly masterful work of storytelling. This is true with any true story turned play turned movie, I'd imagine.

Wrap-up: I'd recommend Frost/Nixon. It's extremely well acted and will probably be showing up on the Oscar nominee list. I'm sure it would also be very powerful for anyone who had lived during the time (as I gathered from the conversations between my parents and the stranger sitting next to them and virtually any other older adult couples in the theater as the film ended).

Right, well, I feel like I had more to say about this yesterday, but didn't get around to writing before the thoughts slipped my mind, so that will have to do. Off to watch another movie! XD I'm sure I'll be back soon!

Peering Back and Gazing Forward:

2008 -> 2009

Okay, so yesterday, I made a few resolutions. I laid down the rules for the upcoming 2009... But I wanted to take a moment to look back at 2008 before it's faded completely into the background. 2008 was an odd year, I admit. It seemed like a lot of work and overall quite tumultuous. I just want to highlight some of the parts that stand out most in my mind.

My Year in Review:

~ My aunt was still living with us in January, and my dad was out of town for the New Year. Family life was a bit crazy on and off for the entire year.
~ In January the writer's strike started. Shortly after, the Golden Globes were canceled, most TV shows went off the air, and several movies were delayed. This felt fairly chaotic as it's usually a rather routine part of life.
~ Heath Ledger died in January, which struck me as an extremely tragic event. Every time I see him on screen now - I recently saw A Knight's Tale and The Dark Knight - I feel saddened that this young man didn't have more time to live up to his extreme potential.
~ February through May are vague in my mind; a period of insane over-working and a huge burden of school work, ACT and SAT prep, and attempting to find a summer job.
~ In March, I get my driver's license. I still remember the first time we needed to pick up dinner but mom was busy, and I was so excited to say "I'll go do it!"
~ In May my cousin died in a motorcycle accident, throwing that part of my family into hell.
~ June through August went quickly as I babysat like mad, worked at Boulder County Aging Services, and tried to avoid the big c word (college!).
~ In June, my aunt bought an apartment, moved out from our home, and moved in there.
~ In June and July, we (finally) bought new furniture and a new TV for our family room. We get HD quality TV with a ton of channels, including a free upgrade of HBO. My head practically explodes with excitement, and with not having to deal with our crappy furniture.
[Note that it's just about a year until I move out for good. XD]
~ In July, I went to Chicago for J Camp, which was a very good experience.
~ August marked the beginning of the Beijing Olympics, which were stunning and occupied most of my attention over their duration. Michael Phelps was phenomenal, the American gymnasts rocked, and the opening and closing ceremonies were scarily impressive.
~ In August, I did Link training, then arrived at school early (despite all their fears that they'd have to delay the start because the school wasn't finished) for the freshman orientation day.
~ August 15, I officially started school as a senior, sitting in the senior lounge and walking on the senior balcony. Hell yeah!
~ August 31: I turn 17. Holy moly.
~ September through December, I worked. Really, that's about all I remember.
~ November 4, we make history. Obama is elected. 'Nuff said.
~ Mom and I went away together! Squee! In mid-November, we travelled to NYC, saw everything (including Daniel Radcliffe, woot!), saw Bard (didn't like it), saw Ithaca (did like it). It was a blast! Easily one of my favorite parts of the year.
~ November and December were a mad rush to get ready for Christmas and finals. I had three secret santas plus a Christmas card exchange to take care of - Leaky made my Christmas awesome! - then studied like mad for a week solid, managing to avoid getting sick until the day after finals ended.
~ Christmas hit, and was totally awesome. I got the collector's Beedle the Bard, a lovely ring from my parents, a personalized recipe box, the mug I've been wanting, jewelry, books, clothes.... Wonderful holiday.
~ Then New Year's and here we are!
Oh, and somewhere in there, the stock market crashed and the economy went to pieces.

Wow, when I list it all off like that, there actually was a lot that happened last year. Now, other than things I want to change, there are many parts of 2009 that I look forward to, have hopes for, and sincerely hope for success in. Let me take a moment to gaze forward into the coming year.

Looking Ahead:

~ Obama: January 21, baby, that's when it all starts.
~ Oscars: I'm excited! I've actually seen a lot of the probably nominees this year!
~ College: Blah. Yeah. Covered that already. I've gotta decide some time though.
~ LeakyCon: It's so very annoying that it's on the same weekend as graduation, but I thought, I soul searched, and I'm going to be there. It just means so much to me.
~ HBP: Okay, now we're getting way ahead of ourselves, but they delayed the movie (and pissed us off), and now we can start counting down again. July's where the magic happens!

That's all I know, really. After the summer ends, my life is a big blank mystery. So, *raises a virtual, non-alchoholic glass* Here's to a year that's full of new beginnings!

I Resolutely Resolve, Solemnly Swear, and Hereby Declare...

Happy New Year !!!

Welcome to 2009, my wandering peeps! I have to say, just by the nice round look of the way 2009 is written out, that I hope and think this will be a good year. Though it's late at night, I wanted to take a moment to get in a quick post before bed on this, the first day of a brand new year. I've got a ton of ideas for blogs over the next few days - so much so that I might have to do a couple in a day to fit them all in!

The New Year, for many people, means - of course - resolutions. People begin feeling down about a part of their lives, take the new year as a clean slate, and resolve to change. I believe it's a nice sentiment, so I'm here to share my main resolutions (or goals, if you will) for 2009. I'll list them off first, then take a moment to elaborate

1. Choose a college; Finish IB and high school.
2. Get to know more people from Leaky; Attend LeakyCon.
3. Watch films, make films.
4. Get and stay fit physically and mentally.

1) Okay, this is kind of a big one. Sometime before May I will have to choose from the three schools I have now applied to. This all hinges on financial aid and scholarship money, so a corollary to this resolution is to complete all necessary scholarship applications and, erm, hopefully get some of them. That's out of my hands though. Then, starting as soon as I get back to school and culminating in May, I will be facing the final stages of the IB program in English, History, and Spanish... I hope to do well in my certificates. Finally, I just hope to make it to that last week of May in one piece. This has been a long four years and it'd be a shame not to make it in the last few months. (Just kidding - I know I'll get there).

2) While I spend a lot of time on Leaky, Skype, YouTube, and now on Twitter (the latter mostly with people from Leaky), I hope to get to know some of these people better. I hope this will culminate in LeakyCon in the final weekend of May, which promises to be all kinds of awesome. (I'll know by the time I get back to school whether or not I can actually make it work - it requires skipping the last few days of school and graduation so, well, we'll see.) After that, I just have to book plane tickets, find a place to room, and scrounge up some money.

3) I watch a lot of films. So many, in fact, that I almost made it to 100 in 2008 (more on that another time). I'd like to continue to expand my horizons by watching well-made films in addition to the Blockbusters that I so enjoy. I want to crack the spine of 501 Must-See films, and maybe work on the AFI Top 100 list. Additionally, since I keep saying I want to make films, I want to - well, do just that. I'd like to write some part of a screenplay or film a short film. Anything to get me moving in that direction.

4a) This one has two parts. In accordance with the wonderful fantabulous project Fitting It In (very briefly, it's Melissa Anelli's goal to manage to "fit in" fitness sometime in the next year, and many people have joined the social community headed for the same goal), I want to fit fitness in. I want to make going to the gym easier and more possible - every Thursday during 4th would be a good place to start - and find a primary activity to do at home when I am not able to make it to the rec center. I would also like to stretch at least 5 days a week in my efforts to become more flexible.

4b) I'd also like to continue to stay healthy mentally. That includes continuing to write in this blog regularly - I'm now going to make my official goal 5 days a week, because I'm really starting to enjoy it. I'd also like to make more of an effort to quite simply be happy. I know that sounds obvious but there you have it. I'd like to make an effort to find a balance in sleep - it's tough when I have to get up at 6AM, but I basically manage to ruin my weekends by always having to sleep in. More caffeine, maybe? Just kidding. I'll keep thinking about this one.

So there you have it. Those are my 4 goals... Wish me luck!