Non-Sandwiches & Sandwich cookies

For dinner, I'm having a sandwich but instead of making it I'm eating all the components of said sandwich individually. Also, why would anyone buy single stuf Oreos? Why do they even make them anymore? Wasn't the invention of Double Stuf pretty much a Revolution in Cookie Affairs? And I've just been surprised to learn that Oreos are manufactured in Richmond. I'd like to tour that factory.

I'm trapped in a glass case of emotion

Overall, so far has been a productive 24 hour period. Watched Ghandi. That is such a good movie, it's definitely Richard Attenborough's best. I like him as a director, but he just doesn't get Americans. A Bridge Too Far is my example. I think I've written about this before, but he just manages to turn every American character into the most grating cliché. I think it's funny that in the UK David is as/possibly more famous than Richard. Nobody in the US knows who David is. Anyways, back to my sense of accomplishment... Extensively edited my sister's final big English paper of her high school career. I always like editing more than writing, although often I end up giving people back obnoxiously red pages and so I'm always trying to hold myself back from making too many notes. Sis however doesn't get that courtesy, the page ran red with ink. Vacuumed my room as it was badly in need of it. Cleaned out a bunch of papers and junk from my desk. It feels so good to throw stuff away and have all your papers that should be shredded, shredded. More irrational fears created by the constant barrage of pseudo-journalistic news magazine hype-making. Identity Theft, why YOU should worry. Please, I've got enough to fucking think about, I don't need to be made to feel that by throwing away an unshredded credit card statement I might as well be walking naked with my life savings in a plastic grocery bag through the worst part of town screaming, "RAPE ME ROB ME." Made blueberry muffins. Got a few time consuming, unpleasant chores done which I've been putting off for awhile done. When I started this blog I was wild with that giddy early planning stage excitement at the possibilities, combined with nervousness and anxiety that made me short of breath. Writing this has actually helped me calm down a bit, which is good. I've had all day a desire for Macbeth, so I think I'll be watching that later this afternoon once I've finished everything else I need to do. Ian McKellen and Judi Dench from 1979. I've never seen it before, so I'm excited.

I'm so over Death Cab for Cutie. I Will Possess Your Heart... seriously, who the fuck do you think you are? Ben Gibbard is an ass.

Hard to Explain

So I know this is like 6 years old, but at the risk of sounding totally out of date The Strokes Hard to Explain music video is incredibly cool. I saw it today on MTVu for what I think was the first time. MTVu is basically what we get as a replacement for IMF. I used to watch MTVu back when it was College Television Network on the campus cable system at South Carolina. MTVu is good, IMF was one of my favorite channels. Revolutionary for a "music channel", they played music videos. There were no commercials. They played bands from all over the world. There were quirky little travel segments and band interviews with artists discussing weird stuff like the food they ate on tour
(almost barfing from too many rice krispies squares, pigs feet) and anecdotes about the making of their videos. IMF was bought by Ovation TV just so they could get IMF's channel space on various networks. Ovation is occasionally mildly entertaining, but in this day and age is that any reason to take a TV channel off a cable network? Because there's not enough space. I don't think I'll ever get over the loss of ITV. Anyways, here's the video.

And here's a link to a slightly higher quality version that I can't embed.

I'm Not There.

I just finished watching this movie. It's really different. Stylistically it was a bit like an Oliver Stone movie, with different story lines in black & white, color, and that Kodachrome look of a 60's 8mm. The script was sparse in a way I love, almost as if it were a play. Some many of the lines were in just one shot so incisive and painfully, brilliantly sad. I think Cate Blanchett had some of the best. In one scene she's heckling a crucifix in front of a church with David Cross (who is playing Allen Ginsburg) and she says, "Do your early stuff!" She is really phenomenal. Heath Ledger also is great, and so much of his role is non-verbal. He's so good it's sad. Sad because he's gone. Sad because it seems so much of what he's doing shows the really dark place he must have been in. There are two scenes where he angrily swats at press photographers and it just reminded me of the pitiful and tragic drama that played out outside of his apartment building. The world Richard Gere occupies during the film is great for it's use of that whole P@TD!/"steampunk" whimsy. The film takes Dylan's music out of it's original context, in some places using cover versions, and puts it in a new context where it seems to fit exactly as if it were written for them. It is really amazing. The cinematography reminds me of a Goodfellas, because every shot is just so beautifully composed. At times it's almost like watching a moving album cover. Having five actors and an actress all play (versions of) the same man in what is essentially six different movies could have ended up making a cutesy "aren't I so clever" picture, but it really really works. This is probably because none of the "dylans" are forced or over the top impressions of the man. Each of the six managed to adopt different recognizable characteristics from Dylan, allowing them all to remain recognizable individual pieces, and because none of them clung too tightly to the raspy, iconic, instantly recognizable voice. I hope I like Shine a Light this much.