Black Swan Is No Ugly Duckling (I did it)

First off my apologies for the title of my smattering i'm about to unfurl about Black Swan.

Secondly, see this movie.

If I had to sum up Black Swan in two words they would be....

Sex
&
Transcendence

Everything about this film is simply phenomenal. Daren Aranofsky, who has proven himself to be one of my favorite modern day directors, has taken the tale of Swan Lake and wrapped it up and strangled Natalie Portman with it. She not only becomes cast as the white & black swan in Swan Lake, but must transcend her fragile world in order to access the depths that is the core of the character of the black swan.

Pretty little princess dancer Natalie Portman pushes through her comfort zone with the help of Mila Kunis' dark influence, Vincent Cassel's seduction, Winona Ryder's tragic end, and Barbara Hershey's controlling grasp.

The determined Portman, always in search of perfection, finds her world collapsing around her as she trudges through the anxiety of becoming the best, and once there realizes that it isn't her. Aranofsky, staying true to the essence of the story, let's us know that sometimes crossing the edge is more than one person can endure.

Inception Exceptions

So, a few weeks ago my friend and I spent a good hour or two watching a laundry list of these Inception trailers. Well, In order to keep you from wasting your time I have neatly compiled the four best in order of.... well, bestness.

The Big Lebowski

VIEW ME

Dumb & Dumber

VIEW ME

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

VIEW ME

Bill & Ted's Excellent Inception

VIEW ME

Lost in Space

So, I started my morning with animating and watching Stranded. Have I mentioned how much I love independent films? Absolutely LOVE them. I feel they have more heart and passion than any big budget film out today. Granted, some of the acting is sub-par/barely sufficient, but as long as you have an active imagination that hasn't been completely beat into submission by our over-stimulating entertainment culture then you can get past that. However, if you've completely lost your imagination and now require the assistance of laugh-track crutches or 3d glasses in order to make it through a movie then don't bother. Independent cinema is not for you. Stick to feeding the economy your "hard-earned" money so they can continue to spoon-feed you the same crap you regurgitate every time you talk to your "friends".

*clears throat, and adjusts my tie*

Moving on...

As I mentioned I watched Stranded this morning, and I liked it. If I had to be a rating asshole I'd give it 4 out of 5 thumbs out of my butt. Granted, some of the acting wasn't great. Watch out for Danel "Wa-Ter" Aser. However, this movie had a lot of heart and passion, and reminded me of what Defying Gravity could have been if it had better writers, and hadn't been canceled. Vincent Gallo is also in this, and you know what that means. That's right, he certainly did try to have sex in space. He certainly did.

So, while I watched this movie it made me think of my favorite space films of all time. Now, before I spit out this list I'm going to prefix my conditions for this list.

• said film must take place in OUR universe. Which means no Star Wars or Star Trek
• said film must be fairly plausible, however like most sci-fi it's going to tap on some boundaries
• said film must take place in space
  
• that's about it

Which means yes, I did exclude Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Fifth Element from this list. I also excluded Spaceballs, even though I love that film with a thousand raging boners.

So, here's my list in order of year released.

2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968)
dir. Stanely Kubrick

Solaris
(1972)
dir. Andrey Tarkovskiy

Alien
(1979)
dir. Ridley Scott

Stranded
(2001)
dir. Maria Lidon a.k.a. Luna

Sunshine
(2007)
dir. Danny Boyle

Moon
(2009)
dir. Duncan Jones

Some Sunday Music Before Monday

Today I stumbled upon a handful of great music videos. Some I've seen before, some are new to me. However, they are all great. I just want to share the greatness of these videos with you, gentle reader.

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry...

I don't know where I've been, but I feel like I missed this band at the party. She kept standing in the background, and I noticed her. However, every time I got close to her she was gone. I'm absolutely loving you, Cold War Kids. Don't ever leave me again. xOxO 4ever

P.S. I just heard and instantly fell in love with "Saint John". I'm tingles all over.

WATCH IT NOW!

Best Coast - When I'm With You...

If you haven't heard this album you are doing yourself a disservice to your life. It's heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time. Plus this video has a very recognizable pop icon having a lot of fun.

WATCH IT NOW!

Free Energy - Free Energy...

Not only is the energy free, but there's so much of it. If their music doesn't pump you up and lift up your heart then you have no soul.

Other recommended listening: Andrew W. K. and The Go! Team

WATCH IT NOW!

Kasabian - Club Foot...

I've never actively sought to listen to Kasabian, but my friend recommended this song to me. After hearing it I realized that this song, is not only frenetic and blood-pumping, but it's been everywhere. Especially sports games and the other things macho. The video is superb! I love the mood the song sets for the video, and when it's paired with the black & white tones it only intensifies the despair of the situation.

Other recommended listening: I feel Ocean Colour Scene's "Hundred Mile High City" is a perfect mix of "Club Foot" and Cold War Kids' "Hang Me up To Dry"

WATCH IT NOW!

The White Stripes - Walking With A Ghost...

So, I had no idea that The White Stripes covered Tegan & Sara's "Walking With A Ghost". I have to say, I like The White Stripes version better. Plus! I really enjoy the music video, and from what I've been learning at school lately, that entire video seems within my grasp of animation production. That makes me happy.

WATCH IT NOW!

Ups & Downs

Things that made life worth living today...

• Early morning conversations with good friends
• Liberation from Zee Barrel
• Outtakes (continued below)
  
• Mexican con Madre, and accidentally shooting cerveza all over her. Why can't I ever remember that pushing a lime into a cerveza and covering it with my thumb only creates carbonation?
• Iced Americano with raw sugar
• Taking naps in the car
• Running in the park
• Ordering secret gifts for awesome friends
• The hardy hibiscuses that are growing outside my window
  
  
  

Things I could have done without...

• Realizing, much like Dave did, that I drink too much, smoke too much, eat too much... too much. *takes a bow* Running to the near point of exhaustion was an excellent punctuation to this statement.
• Once again finding that some animal, and I'm not pointing any fingers here, but part of me thinks it was black... (oh that sounded racist. Allow me to explain. I live in a house with 6 black cats, 1 orange cat, 2 white cats, a ferret, and a little adorable dog. So, chances are good that the animal that did this was black.) ...peed all over my book bag. That is the second book bag of mine to be micturated upon by an animal. Don't even get me started on the pillows that have been ruined.
  

Outtakes (continued from above)

Today I came across outtakes from one of my favorite television shows of all time, Life On Mars. I'm talking about the original BBC version, not that piece of shite American bull. After seeing this it made me think of my favorite actors of all time. So, I'm gonna list them off for you. Now, these are all I can think of right now, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple. What I'd like you, the reader, to do is why you are reading down my list, which is in no particular order, I want you to try and think about who I am, and then maybe you'll see where I get it. If you don't know me, then think about these actors and then try and compose an amalgamation of them. You may very well have a pretty good basis of who I am then.

John Simm
Bruce Campbell
David Tennant
Jeffrey Donovan
Charlie Sheen
Emilio Estevez
Groucho Marx
Bill Murray
Cary Elwes

And now for your viewing pleasure here are the outtakes from Life On Mars. Bon Appetit!