Okies, in new news. My gramma and I FINALLY finished Pride and Prejudice! It was her first read, obviously. I've read it...haha....maybe four times all the way through, numerous partial reads.(Particularly a certain scene in a certain room with a certain endearing character proposing to another endearing character. You know you love me.) We read from chapter 50 something to the end just tonight, which isn't bad. BTW, the stuff between Elizabeth Bennet and Lady Catherine de Bourgh is freaking PRICELESS. I mean, that is verbal sparring at it's utmost hilarity. I saw a few fork-tongued comments, and since I read it aloud to my grandmother, I got to use a really sharp tone, and of course over-enunciating all my words for her. XD I do voices when I read. Dig it.
Watched Cinderella Man tonight. I know, everyone else has probably seen already, and I always watch things years after everyone else, but dad borrowed it for lack of something new-ish to watch(seriously, he's watched all the James Bonds numerous times. I probably would know which one you're talking about if you alluded to one, and I didn't even really watch them), and he chose Cinderella Man. I happened to have finished a loverly posty for GG at KC's site, and had little else to do, and he asked if I wanted to watch it and I said, "Okies." And started my Nemo sheet music a-printing. (W00t! w00t! I multitask from across the house. Hurhur.)
My right hand is so cold right now it's all stiff and hard to type. X_X Gramma left all her windows and doors open for the last few hours and it's coooold outside. Comparatively to recent temps, that is.
Anyways, I've always wanted to do reviews on some of the films I watch, and I'm bored, so I guess I'll do that now. As an added plus, I've way over-used my allotted commas for the evening in the last two paragraphs, so this should be fun.
WARNING: I'm not going to bother avoiding spoilers because it's just annoying and I don't think it'll cause you to lose much for enjoying the film. (or not enjoying the film)
Okies -
Story Idea/Concept: A man's journey through the Great Depression, along with his personal challenges and challenges as a boxer champion. A first glance at the summary, IMO, doesn't offer much intrigue. But it holds a lot more to it than first glance. The way the script was written seems a bit similar in structure to, say, the Rocky shows, where I could tell he was gonna win the fights you got to see(except in the beginning of course. You have to show them losing in the first part of the movie, to try and throw you off track. I realized this at about age...9? 10?), and the only question win-wise was whether he would get pummeled badly or REALLY badly. A couple of times, though, I wondered about the OTHER things he was risking in his more personal-level journey. The losses in his life in the little moments, not so boxer-important, touched way more than the also-compelling and stress-inducing poundings he took to his face numerous times. From the start, when you could see, hear, and practically FEEL the bones in his hand breaking, it was moving. I didn't think, "well, now he's out of a job", or at least, not at first. I felt for him at that moment, and the indescribable, mind-boggling pain. For the future, the loss of that hand and how it was a vital piece of his existence at that time. You feel a sense of foreboding when you first see his family, a warning of the challenges ahead.(BTW, they did very well at letting you see their 'normal' lives before the real conflict hit. I think it was a very believable fashion in which it was written and filmed. It started from what you thought was his most important thing(his boxing), to what was really at the top of the list for him(family), and then to his acceptance and keep-fighting attitude.
But back to the feel-for-him thing. The representation is heart-wrenching. From the first few moments of the jump forward in time to his extreme fall into poverty, I was left questioning, "How bad has it really gotten for him?" "What other sort of challenges is he facing?" the little details, the little moments and dialogue, as well as props and setting, did very well to convey the realism and brutal honesty of the fact that he was facing a very challenging time, but he was determined to continue. I especially loved and enjoyed the scenes between Jim and his wife, both in their previous good fortunes, into their bad times, and further still into their worst of times. The moments where they would stop talking and just look into each other's eyes, then embrace each other, were very well-timed, IMO. A good, subtle expression of their "my one true love forever and ever", and they get extra points for not needing to emphasis this in what has now become traditional Hollywood way - a not subtle scene of fondling leading into direct or alluded-to sex. *rolls eyes* It's over-done, people. You need to get that and find a new way to express extreme attraction and/or love, IMHO.
Alright.
Script: Pretty much awesome. There were a few kinks, but only as much as can be expected. Scripts can't be all-pleasing, and I'm not one to criticize in-depth on this since I've only been paying all that much attention to wording/phrasing/deliverance for a modest amount of time. There were some adorable moments, some hilarious moments, some thought-provoking moments, and some totally pwning moments, though. So I liked it. A thousand times better than anything Barbie's coming out with, I guarantee that. XD
Acting/Actor Choices: Pretty good. Strong lead(Russell Crowe as Jim Braddock), which is always vitally important. I feel the pain etched across his features was played just a hair too subtle(he broke his hand in three places!? Got punched hard below the belt twice in one fight? Maybe I'm just overwhelmed by the idea of such pains, but it seems like it would be shown outwardly a liiiittle bit more), but still well done. Out of 10 I would give it an 8 1/2. : ) His manager(Paul Giamatti as Joe Gould, a very familiar face) was hilarious just to watch walk through the room and a little underused, but all his parts were played well. Renée Zellweger, who played Jim's wife Mae, always seemed a tad too distant for some of her other roles, but she fit this role well. Mae seems just like a 1930's woman should be - a bit prideful in her determination to appear poised and everything's-fine, but very strong and in control of herself. Her and her husband's life, however, is a little harder to maintain. There's a little clip of a scene where she is heading to Joe Gould's to insist he not pull her husband back into the ring, where she is storming across the street and to the building. Man, my dad looked over at me and said, "She looks like a woman on a mission, doesn't she?" She has just entered the screen, was notably far-off, and you could just SEE the determination in how she held herself and how she walked. Brimming confidence and self-determination. Well-played, Zelwlweger. *applause*
(Plus, the fact that she was dirt-poor and her wardrobe still remained notably nice, and perhaps even fashionable? A well-placed and I believe well-researched decision on behalf of the crew.)
Bruce McGill, who played Jimmy Johnston, a very feisty character indeed, was pretty intimidating. Not overtly so(he's not the villain of the story, if you're looking for an easy-definition). The best quote to describe himself was thus, "My heart is for my family. My brains and my balls are for business." He's tough, rough, and I doubt very much the cream puff, but I feel for his character. You don't make it rich and prosperous during a Depression if you're not fierce, and for me, Mr. Johnston emanated a sense of abruptness and power. Also, this actor looks SO familiar to me, but I cannot for the life of me find out what I've seen him in. *shakes head* My memory is so poor these days...
A character I found underplayed was Mike Wilson, played by Paddy Considine. This actor looks fairly new on the acting scene, and perhaps it was the character more than the actor, but his part intrigued me. There was a sense of wonder at the little dialogue he was offered, and I felt there wasn't very much emphasis on his own struggle. But I suppose there wasn't much information on him, as well as the fact that you don't want to take away from your lead character. Mike was very 'young-patriot' like, and he has a bit of talk about an uprising, I believe, organizing people to work things out, but it never really finishes that storyline in the way you expect. And while unpredictability can be good, it just felt odd, the way it was represented.
Character Development: Ahh...there was a really nice character development in this, I believe. It wasn't one of your "coming of age" stories that have been popping up like wildfire in the last few years of films and books, and it isn't one of your, "my life was utterly changed after.." stories either, really. It was one of those stories about your grandfather you hear, and you keep trying to imagine how he must have felt, why he acted the way he did. You begin to see it through his eyes in a very realistic fashion. It's your everyday Joe turned unexpectedly into an icon sort of tales. No, there isn't some cheesy sideplot(or main plot) about how money and fortune changed him - just the opposite, his consistency of character was very touching to me. Jim displayed continually how a family man can struggle, how a proud man can stumble but keep his pride in the end through perseverance, how a devout praying man can mutter the words, "I'm all prayed out" in one of his darker hours, and how a little optimism can go a long way. It was the little things he did that made a difference. The bigger things just accumulated. The seemingly small tasks became vital to his character, and the really intense moments arrived when you started seeing things through
his eyes.
One of my favorite scenes is when he is really getting back in the ring after years of sickness, poverty, and just trying to muddle through, and he is standing before his opponent, about to give up. When he flashes back to his wife and kids, and the children's empty beds when his wife had to send them away until they got back on track(they were getting pneumonia from no heat and little food, no lights and few clothes, etc). I just found it intense and film-wise gratifying to see the look of sheer stubbornness and drive flash in his eyes. It was way better to me than all the punches and boxing huggles previous or following.
Video Presentation/CGI/etc: I think it was actually decently done. There were some of the fight scenes that seemed a little awkward to follow, especially when it panned around the actors in the ring. Besides being a bit dizzy it was difficult to follow what was going on. But I suppose this is a supreme challenge for the camera to get the right stuff, especially for fast-moving fight scenes like that. A good idea is consistency for ease of viewing, but not being too predictable with your angles. The special effects used was seldom and well-placed. A good use of subtlety, and allowing a storyline to show through. This seems like such a rarity these days that I can't help but repeat the praise of this: HURRAY! THEY DIDN'T SPICE IT WITH A BILLION SPECIAL EFFECTS AND LET HIS STORY SHINE BRILLIANTLY AND CLEVERLY!
: ) One of the most notable moments is the breaking of his hand. For a moment you receive a flash of what looks like an X-ray view of his hand shattering, if I recall correctly. This added with sound effects, created a very cringe-worthy moment. Bravo on that. *cringes and claps*
Oh yeah, and with our 'evil-dude', we have the curly-haired Max Baer, played by Craig Bierko. Wow, so much anger issues in one character. He played your nearly-stereotypical smart-aleck, double-chick-loving sleeze, but I did laugh pretty heartily when in the final fight scene Jim's manager throws a one-liner at him and he can't resist turning to spat back, and Jim nails him one in the jaw. XD He couldn't resist...
Action sequences has been dealt with, so I think that only leaves...
Music/Sound Effects: I've always wondered how a punch in boxing makes such a weird thumping noise like that, but recently I've decided it has less to do with impact to the shoulder/neck/nose/whatever, and more to do with the punching gloves.
Don't mind me there, I'm just rambling oddly. I think of weird things while doing day-to-day stuff.
Most sound effects were well-placed and I didn't catch any notable odd sounds. Which is good. If something had been out of place a person is more likely to hear it. The less you notice in sounds/music, the better it is.
Music-wise, I didn't pay much attention to it since the plot was so moving, but there were some nice moments. I'll probably watch it again and pay more mind to it, but the general idea is that it was passable. Nothing was oddly placed in a severe or frown-worthy fashion, but I get a bit in-depth and picky about my music selection. This being action-driven, there was vastly more sound-effects(crowds cheering/booing, crunching of bones and the shouts of referees) than music, but there was still some moments where it added to the feel of the movie. And like I said, the less you notice the music/sounds, especially the first time, the better. Unless they are trying hard to be epic(good or bad, I mean) then it should blend right in with the movie experience.
Overall, it was a fantastic movie, and one of the better plotlines I've seen. The actual boxing scenes were a bit intense - especially the last one - though they were a little predictable, IMO, especially being such an echo of other such films as Rocky. But personally, I don't think this story is much about boxing -- it's about Jim. It was Jim that moved the story along and Jim that you learn to care about. And it's Jim, the Cinderella Man, that makes this story worthy of watching again. One of those movies that you remember years down the road and say to yourself, "That was a pretty cool movie..." and then you watch it again and are reminded of just how awesome and impacting it was.
~~~
Okays, done with my rambling review. XD For the record(I've had people ask me about this before) I don't organize my posts or reviews or comments or anything like an essay. I edit and rephrase a little bit here and there, but I don't reread it until I've posted it. It's all train-of-consciousness, almost. And yes, your little Mascii thinks about all this while she watches her films. You should hear about some of the films I've been forced to watch again and again, because of my siblings who like to rewatch movie money-makers and sequels of what used to be purely fantastic Disney movies. *sigh* But I have seen a steadily incline of good heart-wrenching films recently. So that's good. *thumbs up* Bring back the plotlines! Subtle use of CGI should be mandatory, I'm beginning to think.
Hm...and also, I watched the Ellen Degeneres show with my gramma. We watched last night's episode and tonight's. Last night she had the Jonas Brothers on, apparently, as well as Michelle Obama(not sure if that's how she spells Michelle, I'm afraid. My apologies. It's late). So I asked if I could watch with, since I was interested in seeing both of those guests. And both were for the same reason, to be honest - I'd heard a lot about them/her, and I wanted to see for myself in an interview what they/she was/were like, etc. To scope them out, per se. See what my gut feeling tells me, then what my mind elaborately tacks on.
Mrs. Obama -- quite nice, she definitely dances in a pretty cool way, IMO. XD Barack's dancing, which they showed a clip of from when he was on Ellen's show, just made me laugh and think of my own father. What's that tell you? I'm really hoping these guys are as down-to-earth as they seem...I'm not naive enough to think that there isn't the possibility of appearances, but I also think that certain influences on my life have instilled just a tiny bit of paranoia in me when it comes to people. Heh...well, I liked watching the interview moderately. It didn't offer too much information since Ellen is clearly the comedic, but it was funny to see the doghouse/whitehouse. XD I don't have much to say because the interview was so short, I'm afraid, but she talked about how she's dealing with everything and what their kids think of daddy maybe being president and such.
Jonas Brothers -- (bear in mind I have no idea what their names are. Haha...is that lame or just funny?)-- kind of an adorable and endearing interview. IMO, the Bros had nothing on Mrs. Obama's dancing, but they tried. (the camera showed a teenage girl screaming and freaking out in the audience. I was wondering if she was gonna pass out or something) Hahaha...and I laughed at the diaper comment. Hearing singers/actors talk about their mother has always been strangely hilarious to me. Because then I imagine the stories and laughs I could tell about my mom and dad. And surprise people with the fact that, even as a teenager, I think my parents are COOL! XD I really do. They aren't perfectly in-synch with today's trends, I dare say, but if they were it would be apparently because they were trying to hard to be cool in their kid's(or the younger generation's) eyes. But no, they're just fun to hang out with. :) And hearing the Bros chit chat about their mother's reaction was interesting. Plus, the comment about how two of them still share a bedroom? Totally my sister and me. We have this huge house right now(four-five bedrooms, two full baths, lots of empty space. XD We're moving soon), and we still keep sharing a bedroom. Not because we have to - just because it feels kind of empty without someone else there. College dorms are no issue with me. ;)
Okays, so after the interview the Jonas Brothers closed the show with a live performance that had all the fans screaming their heads off. I really paid attention to this part, especially for your sake, GG. You know me -- I'm up for anything new, and even if I shy away from the popular stuff mostly because I know I'll get sick of all the merchandise I'm sure will be shoved underneath my nose, I'm open to these sort of things. Especially music. Well, I'll just say I'm not going to be handing over any dough for Jonas Bros CDs anytime soon. I put a lot of opinion on a band overall by their live performances, and I saw them on Dancing With The Stars, and now on Ellen. Neither performance had me in the least way enthralled. The vocals I found muffled-sounding and ill-fit to the melody lines for the most part, and the lyrics were nothing astounding. The actual instruments were passable and kind of catchy, but nothing significant to my ears. *shrug* I've wondered often what their HUGE fanbase is based on, but I can't seem to find anything I find remotely believable. But of course, that's just my personal opinion and tastes. I'm not downing them or saying they suck -- I just don't prefer their music. There was one song of theirs I was humming for awhile, though...I think it was, "Year Three Thousand"...but I think that was a cover, to be honest. X_X
Okies...so I promised GG I would recommend some music to her. To be fair, I was trying to wait until I had an uber-pile to send your way, lahve. So I could be momentarily impressive with my ultra-music prowess. For at least a millisecond. Until you all realize that I am severely deprived on what's "happening" and am really in the dark about most things.
I dunno if you've heard of these names, but...meh.
For GG, I think you should totally look up the bands...
"Acceptance" -- makes me think of Yukito, and my muse for him is on full blast right now! I think Leelee gave me their stuff, and I like it. : D So much cool new music over the last week! I miss music-snatching.
"A Perfect Circle" --the sound is sooo soothing, and there are some freaking amazing meanings behind those lyrics. It's nostalgic, and they're definitely near the top of my list
"Fastball" -- their songs make me think more of a more shallow part of my life, I suppose. It's hard to explain, really. But it's my easy-listening stuff. That kind of music you play in the background over speakers while doing five million other things, yet you can't really blast out your hardcore music that might offend some listeners. Very catchy stuff, too. Not near as soothing as A Perfect Circle, but worth a hearing.
"D'espairsray" -- One of my favorite bands right now. Pretty emo and hardcore scream stuff, plus it's in Japanese, but...man, those songs can play through your head ALL day. My ultimate fave by them is, "Forbidden". One night I dreamt that song was placed to a music video for DeathNote. XD Yes, I can dream music videos. Warning: this band has some language. Not all of it in English. LOL!
"Savage Garden" -- I was practically weaned on their stuff. Two-person-band, but done in a lovely way, IMO. The lead singer sometimes sounds like a girl, but hey, it was the 90's. Go synths. Simplistic accompaniment, not-quite-popish melody lines, and some decent lyrics. Caaatchy tunes. One of those bands that everyone tends to sing along to.
And GG, you've officially addicted me to Flyleaf. Played it on repeat all day, day before yesterday. Mom calls it 'whiny music', though. And my brother calls Pillar 'racket'. X_X Why, why, WHY!? Open up your musical horizons, people! It's still music! Now MTM says that screamo isn't her thing and she doesn't see it as a musical art form or anything like that. *sigh* I suppose differences of opinions need to be allotted for, but this means I can only play MY music once in a great while. The rest of the time I have to play their stuff or wait until those rare moments when I don't have to keep an ear open for little kids I'm babysitting or when my mother needs my help with something. *siiiiigh*
Okay, did something totally dorky in Walmart the other day. Was out shopping with my brother for groceries....$100 for the week, for 7+ people. We got everything on the list plus an extra can here and there for safety, and we were under budget. Yaaay! Only $12, but stiiiiill! It's my second time shopping without mom correcting amounts and such.
Alright, so near the checkout line was one of those huge cardboard display things. I stopped humming, "Cassie"(would have sung it if I wouldn't have scared people by randomly belting "...Written on that bul-leeeeeet! And Cassie pulled the tri-i-ggerrrr...!") and sent it a Mascii double take. It had a circle on it and it said, "History of Rock'N'Roll" or something like that. On the circle around it, there was written various band names and artists, like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queen....and Queen....
So what does Mascii do? She grins and lets out a little gasp, scampering over to look at the CDs sitting atop this loverly little cardboard thingy.
And what does she see?
What CD does she end up picking up to smile at, as three or four people look her way curiously?
Jonas Brothers.
Where was my Queen? There were lots of empty spaces, and once or two albums by some bands I liked or had heard briefly. But there were, ten or twelve Jonas Bros albums. I have nothing against them, I SWARE. But...where was my classic bands? *cries* They abandoned me. I could not find them. No Iron Maiden, no Black Sabbath, no Eagles, no Beatles, nothing I would listen to and really, truly enjoy.
....And thus I was left heart-broken in Walmart, holding a Jonas Bros CD as people looked on strangely..wondering what this strange teenager was doing gasping, rushing over, then looking so forlorn. Walmart, we've never been on good terms. But now you have utterly failed me.
This was somehow worse than when I found out our library had NO manga, no anime, one Japanese book, only the first in the awesome Montmorency series, and yet held EIGHT COPIES of each of the Harry Potter books, tons of fluffy adult romance novels, a huge box of 'Blondie' comics, and two huge sections for Videos and DVDs. And their audio/CD section was severely lacking. This sucks so badly.
Then brother came up with the money to check out, so I continued in line. *sigh* Then he skittered off again to look for lemon juice and left me standing awkwardly with the checkout lady and waiting customers. *glare* He abandoned me for most of the shopping trip, too. Wandering around and letting me pick out the correct sauce for our chicken alfredo. I'll be cooking it, too. Because I'm awesome like that. CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE IS MY FAVORITE MEAAAAALLLL...
Anyways, this is further physical evidence of Mascii's dorkism. It's been a long time developing, but I think we're finally making some real progress.
Oh, and all my friends except maybe one or two seem to go through bouts of severe depression. I'm wondering if, like some people, I attract a certain type of person? I dunno. I've just recently been offhandedly told that I'm comforting and am a good listener. I was thinking about that. You know, sometime between bags of shredded cheese and 2 liter soda on sale....
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