Western vs. Evergreen?

So my day has consisted of parental requested listing of the pro's and con's of Western Washington University and Evergreen State University. I have been scouring both of the school's website for hours and hours and hours and hours finding out all of the basic information for both and downloading their applications. I guess I'm taking the SAT in March, which I'm fine with, but I'm just getting kinda stressed with the whole idea of applying to schools. I'm probably stressed the most about the fact that I only have two schools which I could ever seen myself going, period.

Blah. Mindfuck of collegiate information.

Everything happens really fast

Time is going by much faster than I've been paying attention. It's already almost February, half the school year is gone.

I'm feeling very conflicted at the moment. On the one hand I really just want the next year and a half to go by quickly, I want to graduate and I want to go off to College. On the other, I'm terrified. I don't know if I'm the most capable person and the idea of depending solely on myself scares me. I don't know, that's just the train of thought I'm on right now... And what if I don't get into the college I want? For some reason I've always had this feeling in the back of my mind that I'm going to be okay, I've always done pretty decently in school, not fucking great, but you know, I'm not an idiot. What if it doesn't turn out okay? What if my gut feeling has always been tricking me? I don't know, I'm just worried.

Sigh.

Time!

I have so many books I need to read... I keep buying them and now they're piling up and I don't know if I can stop buying them!

I think I'm going to start No Country For Old Men tonight... supposedly the book is much better than the movie.

What a wonderful day.

Of course it was wonderful! We have a new President, and a great new President at that! Barack Obamas speech today was wonderful, and I got to watch it with my favorite people. I can't think of anything to say other than wonderful. Wonderful wonderful wonderful! After watching the inauguration at the Clinton Street Theater with 100 other Barack lovers and Bush haters (we were all finally REALLY unabashedly allowed to boo and growl at Bush and Cheney!), we went over to a very cute coffee shop that I just can't remember the name of. We sat there trying to figure out what to do, we being Lindsay, Anthony, my Mom and her friend Cynthia. We ended up settling on Powells and then a great meal at.... Swagat! So good. I've been going to that restaurant since I was 6, so it's all nice and sentimental. Then off we headed home. It was a very nice day, and I am so happy that Barack Obama is finally our 44th President!

Waltz with Bashir, Slumdog Millionaire

Does that movie not look just fucking amazing? The answer is yes, it does.

I also saw Slumdog Millionaire yesterday. I've never seen a movie that lives up the the enormous hype around it so well. I went into it and honestly didn't think it would be as good as it was. The story seemed cliche at best from the commercials. I came out of it just in awe, me and my mom couldnt even say anything about it. I still don't know what I can say about it that will do it justice, so I'm just going to say you should see it, because it's not what it seems.

The Wrestler v. Milk

I'm still not completely sure what I thought of The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. I know it was well done, Darren Aronofsky did a really great job getting what he did out of Rourke. The big debate is over who had the better performance, Rourke for The Wrestler or Sean Penn in Milk. My feelings are this.

Rourke tends to play this sort of part a lot. Not to mention that it directly relates to his life on many levels. Rourke quit acting to persue a career in boxing in the late eighties. He then lost his family and destroyed his face. Playing Randy "The Ram" Robinson must have been tough, sure, but he had personal experiences to draw from to help create this amazing character. The Ram wasn't a stranger to Rourke. He did a really phenomenal job in this movie, everyone involved did, and I am not disputing that on any level.

That said, when Penn signed on to play Harvey Milk, his performance was equally as good, if not a tiny bit better in my opinion, than Rourke. But here's the thing, Sean Penn had to do this role cold turkey. Harvey Milk was a much more unique character that The Ram. Sean Penn had to convince us all that he was an actually person who'd had a life. Harvey Milk wasn't just a character, he was a political beacon. Penn has a large challenge making us all believe he, who has played brooding characters for most of his career, could pull off the flambuoyant, carefree, humourous, loving character of Milk. And he did it! He did it perfectly.

In my humble opinion, it's a larger challenge to play the part of someone who has actually lived, who had friends and loves and hopes, and be able to portray that well than to play a character who was written for the screen. When acting as a real person, you have to capture all the subtle nuances of the person's personality, you have to really step into their skin and do the research to become them. Penn did that, and for that reason, I believe that he deserves to win the Oscar for Best Actor. Rourke is absolutly a close second in my book, though. The Wrestler was a powerful movie, and I really enjoyed taking that journey with Randy the Ram.

Interesting or not?

This is a photograph taken and designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. I've recently discovered their work and it's very cool. They had this fence running for 24.5 miles in Northern California farmlands, I've driven through this area, and it's a pretty impressive feat.

AHH!

I can't describe my love for this tv show... It's hiatus between seasons made me forget about it and I just looked it up again and I'm dying, ah!

Adventureland

Adventureland trailer


Ok so I'm a closet-fan of Superbad, but this looks so much better. In case people forgot with the recent Twilight debacle, Kristen Stewart can, in fact, really act. I love the SNL cameo's, Bill Hader and Kristen Wigg are the best cast members on there right now. I love movies set in the 80's, also. They always seen to have this unintentional humour that is just brought out more by the big hair and off-the-shoulder tank tops. The concept is pretty promising, too. Amuesement park losers, always funny.

Oh, and can I mention how happy I am that this is rated R?

s s s sigh

So Thursday was the night of the Critics Choice Awards, and I have to say, if the Oscars go the same way I'll be happy. I just want Sean Penn to win best actor for Milk, he was so fucking fantastic. I also would like to see Slumdog Millionaire before the Academy Awards, because I'm sure if I see it I will love it, but until then I'm having a hard time with it's success.

I saw Frost/Nixon last weekend, I liked it very much. It did the unthinkable, and by the end I was feeling rather sorry for Richard Nixon. The story is actually pretty cool, it's worth at least an illegal download.

With Kela pretty much all weekend, then Mark tomorrow for the Golden Globes.

A few new things I think are interesting

So in two days a lot of stuff has happened. Well, not really, but it feels like it to me, or more like to my mind. I've started a few new books, my favorite being this compilation of Charles Bukowski poems and stories. So I've been reading a lot...

Yesterday my family and I went to the Portland Art Museum. I liked it.

Then I drove Mark to the airport, I liked that too.

Then today, Mom and I went to Swagat (mmm), and then went to see Frost/Nixon. I really, really liked it. I have a thing for Sam Rockwell, and even though his part was small I still love watching him act. It was a good enough movie that even though I wasn't alive for the Nixon crimes, I was still transfixed by the events on screen. I didn't check my clock once.

And now it's snowing again, and I'm wondering if there will be school tomorrow. I know there will be Clark, they wouldn't cancel the first day of the quarter, but maybe Camas will be cancelled. I think that would be funny.

I'm watching House right now and I miss House nights, a lot. I wish House was still on Tuesdays.

Top 10 of 2008

So unlike Mark, I will readily admit to being a "film geek", not to mention probably a bit of a film snob, if you must. I picked the movies that I loved seeing the most this year. I would whole-heartedly reccomend any movie on this list to any person that I know. Let the listing commence!

Also, I didn't have a chance to view a couple movies that were supposed to be pretty good. Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire, and Frost/Nixon are among some of the gems I was unable to see before the year was out, but I will most definitely be remedying that situation in the near future!

Kenz's Top 10 Movies of 2008:

10. Wanted
This movie made my top 10 list four a couple of reasons. First, it was a really good surprise. The advertising campaign for this movie completely blew, making it out to be just another fleeting summer action flick. It most certainly did not do it justice. Secondly, it was creative. There just aren’t a whole lot of movies out there like it. And thirdly, the ending was unexpected, which made it great.

9. The Wackness
I really liked this movie. The writing was witty, the plot was endearing, and the ending wasn’t cliché. The acting was very good, considering I really didn’t think Josh Peck could act. His character Luke Shapiro isn’t popular and in all honesty isn’t really all that likeable, but the mark of a good movie is how it can still make us care about an unlikable person.

8. Burn After Reading
I had to see this movie a couple of times for it to really make a strong impression on me, but it did. I just fucking love everything the Coen Brothers do. They have this way of turning 5 completely different plots into one really complex and engaging story. The cast is 5 star and their acting proves it. This movie dares to take risks, and is heavily rewarded for it.

7. Tropic Thunder
I’m not usually one for this kind of comedy but I have a serious soft spot for Robert Downey Jr. Sure Ben Stiller plays the same old character, as does Jack Black, but who says their same-old characters aren’t funny? They lend a superb backdrop to Robert Downey Jr.’s super cool Kirk Lazarus. The premise is relatively unique and the writing is edgy. Unless your unbearably uptight, you probably enjoyed Tropic Thunder just as much as the rest of us.

6. Let the Right One In
This movie proves just how awesome horror movies can still be, and it makes sense that it’s not American. I am so tired of our definition of horror movie, i.e. Saw I (II, II, IV, V…). This is a fresh, but not too fresh take on the myth of vampires, and it’s from Sweden! An American movie would never have a 12-year-old murderous vampire. An American movie would never ever dare to murder a child, let alone multiple children, in fear of turning off the audience. In short, this movie goes there, and it does it well.

5. The Dark Knight
I know, shoot me for not putting TDK higher. I know it’s effects were close to flawless, I know Heath Ledger was pure gold, I know the plot was full of not your average superhero flick nonsense but real issues and thoughts which relate to our world today. I do not dispute any of that. The only reason that this movie isn’t higher up on my list is that Superhero movies, no matter how great, just are not my favorite genre. I loved The Dark Knight, I loved it. But, that being said, I loved a few movies more if only because they are the kind of films that I prefer in general. Truth be told, all the movies in my top 5 are within millimeters of each other in my book. That being said, Heath Ledger really, really was gold in this movie.

4. In Bruges
I think this is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen ever. I loved the cast, I loved, loved, loved the writing, and really enjoyed the cinematography and directing. Lines from this movie still float around in my head at inopportune moments, causing me to snort or laugh at inappropriate times. It’s another one that dares to insult the general public in subtle, and not to subtle, ways. It’s shocking and it’s beautiful and it’s fucking hilarious. And since I’m a sucker for cool endings, this movie definitely makes it into my top 5.

3. Changeling
Clint Eastwood is a genius. He’s an acting genius, and he’s most definitely a directing genius. This movie is dark, but it’s so well done. Angelina Jolie proves once again that she’s not all Mrs. Smith and Lara Croft and she can truly be a serious actress. The real reason I love this movie is its look. Every single thing, down to her stockings, is fitting with the period. The movie has beautiful shots mixed in with gruesome ones. The storyline is not only true, but interesting.

2. Snow Angels
This movie may have its flaws, but the reason it’s so high up on my list is my inability to get it out of my head. For months after I saw this film all I could think about was seeing it again. I searched for it endlessly online trying to find a pirated version to watch. I went out and bought the book it was based on and read it twice. This story may not be the most original, but the acting is so good and the story is so heartbreaking that all you can do is watch dumbfounded while almost every character sabotages their life beyond repair. It’s a juxtaposition between young and old, new love and fading love, life and death.

1. Milk
If you know me, you’ve heard me spouting off praise for this movie on almost a daily basis. Sean Penn is mind-blowing in this movie, and it really cements his place as one of the best actors of our generation. His ability to capture the warmth, determination, strength, and softness of Harvey Milk without it seeming forced is a sight to behold. The script is fantastic, the supporting cast is fantastic, the directing is fantastic, the film editing is fantastic, and the soundtrack is fantastic. This film is simply fantastic. Coming at the time that it did, after the win of Prop. 8 last November, this movie is sure to make itself a little home in your heart, and it won’t be moving out anytime soon.

So those are my top movies, go watch all of them!

life resolutions

A few more things to add to my list of things I would like to do.

See a Claude Monet painting from less than 5 feet away.
Be able to watch an emotional movie around someone else and not feel uncomfortable.
Stop trivializing other people's feelings.

Because right now my Mom is watching The Bucket list and getting all "deep" and it's making me really fucking uncomfortable.

first

it's 2009