Book v. Mini-series





Synopsis
Tess Durbeyfield knows what it is to work hard and expect little. But her life is about to veer from the path trod by her mother and grandmother. When her ne'er-do-well father learns that his family is the last of a long noble line, the d'Urbervilles, he sends Tess on a journey to meet her supposed kin- a journey that will see her victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy. With its sensitive depiction of one of literature's most admirable and tragic heroines and its powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Thomas Hardy's novels.

( Why is it that every character named Tess has the most horrible life imaginable?: Spoilers )

I saw 500 Days of Summer today and really liked it. There were a lot of funny parts/dialog and I think the characters/situations were very realistic. The ending isn't typical, but I was happy with the ending.

( spoilers )

I just watched a documentary about Philippe Petit. He walked on a wire from one World Trade Center to another on August 7, 1974.




Watching this was both nerve-wracking and exciting. One false step and that's the end. He is absolutely crazy, but I couldn't turn away. It was really interesting hearing about all the preparation and how people actually agreed to help him break the law.

It was also sad to see all the footage of the WTC. They were beautiful buildings.

I don't normally watch documentaries, but this one was on an interesting subject. I wonder if the guy who climbs buildings was inspired by him.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/

I liked the movie. I like movies that have mystery in them and where characters have to connect the dots.

But the end....DID NOT LIKE.

( thoughts on the hot priest this way )

I saw Adventureland tonight with a friend and my sister. It was hysterical! The 80s fashion alone was hysterical. If anyone has a chance to see it, you should. I was entertained.

I saw Grey Gardens on HBO tonight. It was a very good movie, but also very sad. I felt bad for Little Edie because her mom held her back, but then she also could've left anytime she wanted to. Little Edie wanted to be famous and she did get that in a way (she's a gay icon), but there was still regret.

It's unbelievable how messy their house was. I will never understand how the house got that bad. There was freakin' raccoons in their home. Raccoons!

All the actors did a great job - especially Drew. People say she's not a good actress, but they should really see this movie. If she's given good material and is with a good director, I think she can really shine.

I saw Coraline today and I REALLY liked it. After paying $14, I better have liked it. The 3D was so cool. I wish I could see all movies in 3D now. I was very impressed with the animation.

( spoilers, I guess )

This is the cutest movie I've seen all year. It had a very Tim Burton-feel to it. And I actually got really used to Christina's fake pig nose and thought she looked weird without it.

One thing that made me roll my eyes, though, is that the guys who came in contact with Penelope really overreacted to her nose. It wasn't bad. Their reactions reminded me of the hilarious reactions that people had to the Phantom of the Opera in that film. His face wasn't that bad.

I rented Sunshine - mostly because Cillian Murphy is in it and because I've seen a lot of Danny Boyle films. I love Danny's movies and needed to see this one in order to keep up with his filmography.

Sunshine is typical Danny in that it's really crazy and examines people's mental states when they're alone and placed in a difficult situation.

I was on the edge of my seat during some parts. However, the end really confused me. I think I'll have to see it again to get it.

I think my order of preferred Danny films are
Trainspotting
Shallow Grave
A Life Less Ordinary
28 Days Later
Sunshine
Millions
.
.
.
.
.
.
The Beach

I just came home from seeing The Dark Knight and WOW! It did not disappoint. Everyone has been giving it positive reviews, and that can sometimes make me too excited to see a film and then it doesn't deliver, but this movie did deliver.

A lot happened, but I don't think the movie was ever too crammed with story. It was long, but I never looked at my watch to see how much longer it'd be.

All the performances were good. Heath, of course, was excellent. He was crazy and funny and a lot of times I said to myself during the Joker's crazy antics, "oh, he's goood."
Maggie was a big improvement over Katie Holmes who in no way could carry this material.
GORDON!! I love Gordon. I also liked Harvey Dent and didn't expect his story to only be covered in one movie.

I loved seeing Scarecrow again. He needs to come back for the third movie, even if it's for 2 seconds. But Scarecrow can never die since Cillian is too much fun.

But yea, really good movie and good ending. I think this sequel is on par with sequels like The Empire Strikes Back.

I can't wait to see it again and the third film. The third one certainly has a lot to resolve though (if that is the last one).

I saw Atonement tonight.




I really loved the director, Joe Wright's, other movie Pride and Prejudice. He did a great job of adapting that film. Though I never read Atonement, I think the movie came out great.

The story is tragic, yet so well put together. There were times I got confused. At times I wasn't sure if something was a flashback or not.

I really like that the movie didn't give a clear answer to whether or not the main character is bad or not. Did she make a mistake that she should be forgiven for? Briony was complicated, and I love that.

People have said they found Atonement to be boring, but I didn't think so. When I saw on the DVD box that the movie is over 2 hours I thought, God, it's going to by so slow, but it really wasn't.

I want an Atonement icon now. I always see them on LJ and they come out beautiful, which is easy considering the cinematography and scenery was gorgeous!

I've been wanting to see Enchanted for a while since so many people gave it good reviews.



( here's my review )

Last night was amazing!

I went with my sister haydens_angel81 to the Tribeca Film Festival and we met up with Erin (Roswell 10/2/00) from fanforum.com to see Emilie de Ravin's movie Ball Don't Lie

( movie review )

My sister and I got to the theater early. We ended up being the first people on line to purchase tickets. After buying the tickets we walked towards the theater and I saw the press line - which was inside a really small tent.

I recognized that PR guy that Emilie is always with from pictures so I knew Emilie had to be nearby. It was hard to see her at first because cameras and people were in the way. Plus, she's short. So I moved over a little bit and saw her.

She's SO tiny.

I quickly turned my camera on and zoomed in as much as I could. I managed to get 2 pics before security told my group to move along

( press line pictures )

We sat in the very front row of the theater cause we figured we'd be able to run up to Emilie after the Q&A session.

Emilie sat a bunch of rows behind us with her husband, Josh. It was cool seeing him in person though we did not get to talk to him.

When Emilie's name appeared on the end credits my group yelled, "woohoo" and we clapped real loud. I think she heard it.

So then during the Q&A the director called the cast down. It was awesome seeing Emilie standing only a few feet away. She didn't do much talking, but when she was asked to speak I was so busy trying to get my camera to work that I totally forgot to listen to her answer.

( Q&A photos )

So when the Q&A ended, Erin, my sister and I ran up to Emilie. She was a sweetheart.
We told her we've been fans since Roswell, that we loved Ball Don't Lie, and I told her I've seen everything she's ever been in. She said, "Thank you" a lot and took pics with us.

At first I thought I'd take a pic with Emilie and then my sister would, but Erin offered to take a pic of the 3 of us together. Then Erin said to Emilie, "they're sisters." Emilie responded in a scarcastic/funny way, "I couldn't tell."

( pic of my sister, Emilie, and me (in the jean jacket) )

I still can't believe I got to meet her. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be - maybe because I knew Emilie is sweet and approachable. I hope I have a chance to see her again some day.

I've been looking forward to this movie for a while and it did not disappoint. The costumes were great and the actors were too. At first I wondered why British actresses weren't casted, but Natalie/Scarlett did a fine job.

( And what would you know of great men? )

I purchased the novel today and already there are differences - mostly what scenes are put first.
I think it's good I saw the movie first because now I'm far more likely to enjoy both the movie and novel rather than hating the movie and only liking the novel.

I saw Jumper today with my sister. It was a good movie. I was really jealous of the cast, though, because they got to travel to Rome & Japan & a bunch of other cool places. My favorite moment was when David & Millie (Hayden & Rachel) go to the Colosseum. I want to go back there so bad.

I'm hoping they do a sequel because so many story plots can still be developed like

( spoilers )

I saw Juno today with my mom and sister. It was quirky and I really liked it.




( A comedy about growing up... and the bumps along the way )