The Films of Alfred Hitchcock

I have recently been indulging in an Alfred Hitchcock marathon - watching a movie a month. Not having ever seen many of his films, my naive understanding of what "a Hitchcock film" was was seriously misguided. Blackmail, murder, death - sure, but having now seen five of his films, there is much more to them. Hitchcock truely creates and sustains tension, plays with symbolism, and experiments (successfully) with new film technology. As an evolving filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock and his film have become inspirational to me.

Here are the films I have seen so far, in the order I saw them:

1. Psycho (1960) - I saw Psycho first maybe 5 years ago, and I remember really enjoying it. I especially loved the fact that there was so much more to the story than just the infamous shower scene.
2. Rear Window (1954) - The first Hitchcock film in the current "marathon." Loved it. Now I understand it's spoof in the Simpsons. It is an amazing use of confined space, with the protagonist (wonderful James Stewart) wheelchair-bound in his apartment, only able to watch his neighbours out his window.
   
3. The Birds (1963) - A very creepy and surreal film. I really enjoyed the technical side with the extensive use of special effects. Story-wise, it starts slowly, then rushes into terror. But where is the ending?
   
4. Vertigo (1958) - I am so conflicted with this one. I was fascinated by the story and the way it takes such a turn in the middle, but I also felt it dragged in the second half and was confused by the complete shock tag ending. Vertigo is a very fascinating film with very suspenseful moments. I think I like it, but it requires another viewing.
   
5. Strangers on a Train (1951) - A fantastically simple story (I wish I had thought of it!) with a stunning acting turn by Robert Walker! Simple, subtle and well-paced.
   

Up next and waiting to be put into my DVD player is Dial M for Murder. I'll update you with my thoughts once I have seen it. Perhaps I'll make is a semi-regular feature on here. We'll see. All I know is that I am really enjoying watching Hitchcock's films and seeing the style of film-making of 50 years ago.

I can't fathom what Hitchcock would have thought of today's hyperfast blockbusters, such as the garbage Transformers 2...

Sharkwater

Last Friday, I was lucky enough to catch a free showing of Sharkwater at the Park Theater, presented by the Vancouver Aquarium.

While it has been a very movie-centic week (Sharkwater, Transformers 2, Night at the Museum 2, and a Ghostbusters double feature in theaters), I haven't neglected the prehistoric side of life! ART Evolved's third Gallery - Pterosaurs - is opening up on July 1st! Canada Day! My azhdarchid piece is almost finished. Send your submission to blogevolved@gmail.com. Anyway, sharks...

When I was seven, I watched a taped-off-the-tv VHS copy of Jaws (the swearing was edited out by just cutting the sound!) This and the subsequent 99 viewings changed my life. Most people end up scared of the water after seeing Jaws, but me, I became drawn to the sea and to the great beasts within. I fell in love with sharks, so I had to learn to dive.


Sadly, I seem to be unique in my response. What Jaws and the subsequent media frenzy did was label sharks as ugly, mindless, savage, killing machines, unchanged for millions of years, who hunt and kill humans. People became terrified of the animals and felt no remorse for killing them. This shark apathy allowed the explosion of shark-finning operations. Over 100 million sharks were, and are still killed annually, with fins fetching over $300 each!

And if you will allow me to continue ranting, once the fins have been cut off the shark, it is thrown back into the water, still alive and unable to swim. It either dies of blood-loss or drowns once it's on the bottom and cannot move forward. All this just to make soup.

But no one cares because they are sharks.

No one except Rob Stewart.

Stewart is a Canadian film-maker with a passion and a love for sharks. He made the 2007 documentary Sharkwater in the effort to stop shark-finning in Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. Being one year younger than me and a Canadian with a passion for film and sharks, I feel a certain connection with him. His movie is an amazing and exciting tale of the beauty of sharks.

Please see this movie if you haven't already. Read and learn about sharks. Don't eat at restaurants that serve shark-fin soup. Sign petitions calling for a stop to shark-finning. Support campaigns to save sharks at SaveTheBlue. See them in aquariums.

Should we blame Jaws for the world's terror and apathy towards sharks? Are there any redeeming features?

Sharkwater and Jaws are great films, each an opposing view of a beautiful and impressive creature. The shark.

Review of Transformers: Rise of the...Ugh. I can't go on. It's a terrible film.

Dear Micheal Bay,
Why? Oh my gosh, why? Why didn't you learn from the first one?

I have just returned home after the midnight screening of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and I am just so disappointed. Unlike the first Transformers movie - which was silly but still fun and exciting - this one is silly, crude, dull, confusing, and offensive.


I don't even know where to begin. Before the film started, my friend and I made a list of everything we didn't want to see from the first movie: less comedy, no stupid robots and robot personalities, no complex story, more robot fighting, more cool. None of what we wanted happened. The story was just as complicated and confusing as the first one, but this time, I didn't care.


First off: Language, Autobots! I couldn't believe the amount of foul language uttered by not only the humans in the film, but also by the robots! Why does Bay/Spielberg/Writers have to give the robots such ridiculous personalities and dialog? And why all the sexual and crude humour? No one was laughing. I really miss the cartoon.

At one point, Optimus Prime - defender of the good and moral safe-guardian of life - actually says, "We should kill them." And then sticks a glowing metal sword through a defeated Decepticon's skull. Kill them!?! There is an unconscionable amount of death and gruesome dismemberment in this film. It feels very cold.

I am also surprised by Egypt allowing this production to film there. It portrays Egyptians as solely desert-dwelling, goat-and-chicken-raising nomads, and basically shows nothing but destruction of the glorious places in Egypt.

Speaking of offending others, there are a number of Transformers who portray offensive stereotypes. The worst being a couple of Autobots (the Twins) who seem to be derogatory black stereotypes, including gold teeth, the inability to read, and ..ugh.. horrible slang speech.


And what of the women? I was happy to hear the ArCee (from the cartoon) was joining the cast this time round. Sadly, she was on screen for 5 seconds and did nothing to advance the plot. There is also another female transformer in the film I won't reveal, but let's just say I was appalled and disgusted by her use. Unbelievable.

For a positive slant, the only thing I can think of is that there are one or two cool robot fights. But, as usual, Micheal Bay ruins them by getting the camera too close to the action. Shiny metal bits tumble through the frame and I can't tell who is who. After a bit, I don't care. At least no one got peed on.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has fallen for me as the worst movie of the year. It is worse than Wolverine...and in my mind worse than Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull - which is really saying something.

Original Transformers cartoon. This is cool! Why not more of this?

Epilogue - The Good: So far, this summer, I've loved Terminator: Salvation (for it's action and story), Star Trek (for it's fun and awesomeness), and Up (for it's heart, comedy and wonderful animation). Still want to see The Hangover, Night at the Museum 2, and Ice Age 3 - hopefully these won't disappoint me as much as Transformers did.

A Love Letter to Canada

What would you do if you had one day, one week, or one month to live?

This is the premise behind the new film "One Week" (now on DVD). It stars Joshua Jackson as a young man diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, who decides to motorcycle across Canada - from Toronto to Tofino. Filled with stunningly beautiful images of Canada along with Canadian icons, such as the Stanley Cup and Gord Downey of the Tragically Hip, "One Week" really is a love letter to my country.

For those palaeo-people out there, Joshua does ride through Drumheller (poses with the World's Largest Dinosaur) and stops at Dinosaur Provincial Park, where he takes a moment to equate his potential fate with that of the long-lost reptiles. The breathtaking shots of the badlands took me right back to 2002-04, when I lived amongst them...

But it was the film's central question that made me think. What would I do with a week to live? I identified greatly with Joshua's character in the film; both the same age (30), same career (teachers), similar look, similar decision making processes... I often found myself intensely emotionally invested in his choices.

But what would I do if I had one week to live?

I don't know. Until I'm faced with that situation, I don't think I could say. But I do have a few ideas...

• Travel Canada and the USA in the circle - cross Canada, down the East Coast, through Texas, up through California, Arizona, Montana, back to Vancouver.
• Be alone for a day. Reminisce. Write a book.
• Spend as much time with family and friends as possible. Laugh.

...I just realized as I wrote this that my first and third point seem mutually exclusive. Hmm. Being selfish and doing what you think needs doing, or sharing your time. Can these be reconciled? Time is precious when there isn't much of it.

I guess that is one of the points of the film. For all my fellow Canadians out there and everyone else around the world, see this movie. Not just to ponder this deep moral question, but also to experience just how damn beautiful Canada is!

Wild Things are coming...

One of my favorite childhood books "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak is coming to the big screen! Spike Jonze (director of Being John Malcovich and Adaptaton) is directing this live-action adaptation for the big screen - coming out in the fall.

Can't wait! Look at the Monster costume! (Why isn't the Jim Hensen Company doing this?!)
With this exciting news, I end this post is a photo from 2005. Tributes to Where the Wild Things Are - paper-mache puppets made by my UBC FAME teaching classmates and I!

Who Watches the Watchmen?

ME!

Yeah, to say I am excited about Zack Snyder's adaptation of the graphic novel "Watchmen" is an understatement. It opens on this Friday and I can't wait to see it...

Quantum of Solace Review

The new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, was released here in Korea last week - almost two weeks before it's release in North American. I assume this has to do with Asia's rampant movie pirating, and releasing it here first might cut down on this. What that means is that I am able to review the 22 Bond film before people have seen it back home!

Having seen Quantum of Solace, I really enjoyed it. The action is intense and exciting, while the story (which sometimes stumbles in Bond flicks) is quite solid and topical. The film enters new territory with some artistically shot sequences and by delving far into Bond's reaction to the events at the end of Casino Royal. (Highlight for spoilers: The woman Bond loves, Vesper, betrays him and kills herself.)

Of coarse, Casino Royal, the first film in the "reboot" of the Bond film franchise, should be seen first as Quantum is a direct sequel - where Bond does whatever it takes to capture the shadowy Organization responsible for his pain. In traditional Bond style, he globe-hops across Italy, Spain, Bolivia and Haiti. Here he meets up with Camille, a beautiful and feisty Bond Girl with her own plans for revenge.

Daniel Craig is back as 007 and he seems more comfortable in the role. How would I rank him among the past Bonds? I would place him after Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan, then Roger Moore, Dalton and Lazenby. Not to shabby.

There are a few interesting artistic moments in the film which I attribute to the director, Mark Forster. His credits include Monster's Ball (starring Halle Berry, who won an academy award!), Finding Neverland (Johnny Depp) and Stranger than Fiction (Will Farrell and Dustin Hoffman). Not you're usual action films! What Forester brings to his shots is a sense of style. I fully approve.

Besides some unconnected action sequences, Quantum of Solace is a solid and thrilling entry into the James Bond series. Check it out and tell me if you think it's as good as Casino Royal!

Can the Dark Knight win an Oscar?

I have finally seen the Dark Knight (not once, but twice!) and I have to say that it is one the best movies I've seen. Not only is it a great comic book movie and action movie, it is a very exciting and layered crime drama. I believe it transcends the usual light comic book fare and will go on to be nominated as a Best Picture of 2008. Make sure you see it.

Besides the top prize, I feel that the hype over Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is well warranted. He is spectacular and terrifying - actually SCARY. There is a fantastic and gruesome magic trick early on that illustrates this definite difference from Jack Nicholson's Joker - who, let's face it, wasn't really scary. Heath deserves a best supporting actor Oscar.

"Here's my card..." - the Joker

The rest of the cast is on form, with Michael Cane and Morgan Freeman doing their usual good work. Christian Bale seems much more comfortable as the Batman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, while not as pretty as Katie Holms, acts her pants off as Rachel. Gary Oldman gets to act more as Commissioner Gordon. I feel the most underrated but solid performance in the film was by Aaron Eckart, who played district attorney Harvey Dent. He had the most challenging character arc - from Gotham's White Knight to Two-Face (see the movie to figure out what the hell I mean here!) He was great.

The movie is a tragedy and is not very fun. In fact, it is very dark and mean. But that makes it more interesting and it stand out from other comic films, such as Iron Man, the Hulk, and even from it's prequel, Batman Begins. It is not a kids movie. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILDREN! Nor is it just another summer blockbuster. It is dark and disturbing, more like Heat, Scarface or the Godfather.

Watching the Dark Knight drains you and leaves you shocked and breathless at the end. It feels like a roller coaster ride that begins fun, then turns a bit scary as drop after drop, climax after climax hits you and you can't move, you just have to bear it, and then it drops you suddenly into a different theme park, punches you in the stomach and gives you ice cream. You leave the theater stunned and wanting to do it all again.

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain." - Harvey Dent

With such a great complete movie, where does the story go from here? I have no idea. It is wide open. If Chris Nolan* and the cast decide to make one more Batman film, the story could go anywhere. Any of Batman's villains could make an appearance, and rumors are already circulating around the net - Johnny Depp as the Riddler, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin, and Angelina Jolie as the Catwoman. It is way to early to take these casting rumors seriously.

As for my bet on which of Batman's rogues with feature in a third film, I think Catwoman and Talia Al Ghul (Ra's daughter - Ra's Al Ghul was Liam Neeson in Batman Begins). Catwoman would work as a copycat inspired by Batman, and Talia would be seeking revenge on Batman for killing her father. Any more discussion about a future film would cross into spoiler territory. Email me if you want to continue the discussion!


Even if the Dark Knight is nominated for a best picture or best supporting actor Oscar, can it win? I say yes! If we look at the history of the Oscars, one movie was nominated for best picture that didn't fit the standard, such as Titanic, Million Dollar Baby and No Country for Old Men (What was with the end of that movie!? So boring!! Great villain, though.) This one film was a fantasy movie and it still won best picture in 2004 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King!

If the Lord of the Rings can with the top film prize, then The Dark Knight surely can as well!

Be sure to see the Dark Knight, as it's just a great great movie.


*Chris Nolan is the director of both the Dark Knight and Batman Begins and the man we give credit to for the great realistic interpretation of Batman we have today. Long live Nolan! Please direct one more!

"Why so serious?" - the Joker

Evil Dead sucks Korea's Soul

One of the best horror films of all time, Evil Dead - the 1981 movie directed by Sam Raimi (Spiderman) - has been transformed into a musical, in all it's bloody and gory glory!

Evil Dead: The Musical (by Canadians George Reinblatt and Christopher Bond - no relation!) opened to rave reviews in Toronto and then moved to New York.


One of the things that really sets Evil Dead: The Musical apart from your average run-of-the-mill musical is the "Splatter Zone," where the audience gets covered in "blood" that is sprayed on them from the shot and chainsawed zombies! Ponchos are provided.


But now, the musical has been translated in Korean, and Evil Dead: The Musical has come to South Korea!

Grand open indeed!

I had to go. I couldn't let this opportunity slip! I met my friends at the theater and with our $50 ticket in hand, we took our seats. I wore my whitest shirt to get myself a "bloody" souvenir.

Soon the show began and it was much funnier and sexier than I had thought for a Korean show. The special effects and make-up were fantastic, as were the wonderful set and props. The zombies sang and danced great, with a nod to Micheal Jackson's Thriller.

When it came time for blood-letting, the zombies not only bled on the willing audience, but they fell into it and rolled around, gushing blood. The surprisingly 90% female audience squirmed in delight and horror! The show was hilarious, even without understanding a word.

Unfortunately, I missed the spatter and my shirt is still white.

Asian Ash vs The Cast of Darkness

Check out this video of Evil Dead Musical writer George Reinblatt visiting Seoul and meeting the Korean cast! It is hilarious when they all drink soju at the end!!!!




Here are some more clips from the Korean version of Evil Dead: The Musical:

Gimme some sugar, baby!


Come get some!


For the uninitiated, here is a brief synopsis of the Evil Dead story:

The timeless story of a group of teenagers having a sexy weekend in a cabin in the woods and finding the Book of the Dead which when read summons the Evil Spirits which one-by-one possess each of the teenagers until one is left (Ash) who also gets possessed but comes back but with a possessed hand which he cuts off and replaces it with a chainsaw but the hand attacks him and his girlfriend gets possessed and he has to cut off her head but she's undead and the deadites urge Ash to "join us" but he fights on using his chainsaw and boomstick/shotgun until the new girl reads the missing Evil Book pages and the Evil Dead goes away and Ash resumes work at S-Mart...

I loved the show (even though I couldn't understand a word of it) and highly recommend you see it - either here in Seoul (March 18th - June 18th 2008) or in Toronto while it is still playing!

See it before they suck your Seoul!!!

Ode to Roy Scheider

Roy Scheider: 1932 - 2008

I don't usually take note of celebrity passings, but this one made me pause.

Of all the movies from my childhood, Jaws (1975) had the biggest effect on me. It ranks up there with Ghostbusters, Condorman and Jurassic Park as Life-Defining.

Jaws indulged my love of sharks, introduced me to special effects and taught me to swear.

This was the coolest movie to a 9-years-old. And Police Chief Martin Brody (Scheider) was my hero.

Scheider's portrayal of the grizzled Amity Island cop / shark hunter inspired me with the ability to be strong and fight against forces larger than oneself (the shark being a metaphor!)

Scheider's death (due to multiple myeloma) is the loss of a childhood hero for me. A good actor, he was nominated for two Academy Awards (for All That Jazz and The French Connection).

Goodbye, Roy.



Hooper: [singing] Show me the way to go home / I'm tired and I want to go to bed....
Hooper, Quint, and Brody: [all singing together] I had a little drink about an hour ago and it got right to my head / Wherever I may roam / by land or sea or foam...


Brody: You're gonna need a bigger boat.

Blog Evolution

In the effort to update and organize my BLOG, I am discontinuing a side-bar feature I have been running since I began: Movies You Need To See Before Death.

So here they are, in no particular order...


MOVIES YOU NEED TO SEE BEFORE DEATH

• Reservoir Dogs (1992)
• Kill Bill (2003)
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Batman Begins (2005)
• Snatch (2000)
• Superman: The Movie (1978)
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
• The Matrix (1999)
• Metropolis (1927)
• One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
• Fight Club (1999)
• Aliens (1986)
• Shawn of the Dead (2004)
• Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Rings (2001)
• The Naked Gun (1988)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
• Terminator 2 (1991)
• Star Wars (1977)
• Amelie (2001)
• The Usual Suspects (1995)
• Ghostbusters (1983)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Alien (1979)
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• Shawshank Redemption (1994)
• Jaws (1975)

Goodbye, side-bar feature...

Don't be sad, adaptation is the only way to evolve.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Movie Tailer

The first trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie has been released.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is not only one of the longest titles in movie history, but it is the fourth movie in the Indiana Jones Trilogy...er... Quadrilogy(?).

Harrison Ford returns as the main man, supported by Shia LeBeouf, Cate Blanchett and Karen Allen.

Watch the trailer here.

One More Minute of Fame - Update

A video of my cameo in "Butterfly on a Wheel."
Check here for the original post.

One More Minute of Fame

Sometime around 2006, I worked as a movie extra in Vancouver. I love films (and have begun to make them!) and loved seeing the behind the scenes work. I had (extremely!!!) small roles (hah hah!) in Smallville, Catwoman, X-Men 3, and I, Robot.

Today, a movie I am in was released: The Butterfly on a Wheel. Or The Butterfly. Or Shattered... Depending in which country it was released. It was also released straight to DVD, which says something about it's quality. It stars Pierce Brosnan (James Bond himself) and Gerard Butler (300, Phantom of the Opera).


I saw it and found myself. These stills from the film tell the whole story:

Gerard Butler is searching for a hotel room key without being seen.
Suddenly, a young gorgeous couple exit their hotel room and walk past him.
(I am on the right.)

...we walk past and Butler tries to hide...

...but I SEE HIM!!!

There you go! Another minute to add to my 15 minutes of Fame. That leaves only one film left that I am in that hasn't been released yet - 88 Minutes with Al Pacino...

Stay tuned...

The Dark Knight Cometh...

I love movies, and the one movie I can't wait for is The Dark Knight, the new Batman movie. As a direct sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, we will see Christian Bale as Batman, Micheal Cain as Alfred, and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon back in their roles.







We will also get to see newcomers Heath Ledger as the Joker and Aaron Echart as Harvey Dent. Heath's portrayal of the Joker is one of intense reaction around the web. Will he be any good? Will he be compared to Jack Nicholson?

Can The Dark Knight (set for release in July, 2008) recapture the success of the first film?

Check out the movie trailer for The Dark Knight:

New York City: 5 days in the Big Apple

NEW YORK:

My friend Greg and I parted ways after three weeks of traveling (Portugal, Spain, London) on the London Underground, carrying our heavy bags, at the Earl's Court stop. He was off to Gatwick Airport back home to Vancouver, and I was off to Heathrow Airport on my way to New York City. Greg's point of view of our Spain and Portugal trip can be found on his blog.

Now I was on my own, to fend for myself amongst the gangsters, pimps, druggies, criminal, and ill-tempered cabbies of New York. I couldn't wait.

With a reputation as tall as the Empire State Building preceding the city, I wasn't sure what to expect. Many movies are set there: Ghostbusters, Gangs of New York, Sex and the City, Friends, Big, Seinfeld, Men in Black, and King Kong! I arrived into JFK Airport at 4:30pm and took a coach through Brooklyn to my hostel in Midtown Manhattan. After locking my valuables in the tiny locker, I venture out into a New York night...

Three blocks north is Times Square, lit up like Vegas on Independence Day. Signs, billboards, posters, TV screens, ticker-tapes, all moving and vying for your attention. One feels dizzy as your eyes and brain try to take in the over-stimulating stimulus. A crowd surrounded the entrance of the Hard Rock Cafe, trying to catch a glimpse of some celebrity. I asked the crowd who was there. They didn't know. New York: City of Unknown Celebrities.

It is also the City of Museums: The Guggenheim (didn't see), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (amazing, but disappointed by the construction and renovations), and the new Museum of Modern Art (fantastic - free on Friday nights! - contained amazing Picassos and Monets and Van Gogh's Starry Night!).

But the Masterpiece of New York's Museums was the American Museum of Natural History - the home of the first Tyrannosaurus rex ever found, a life-size Blue Whale model, and a 563 carat Star of India (the largest and most famous star sapphire). I recommend the film Night at the Museum for a glimpse at some of the treasures within!

As someone who loves palaeontology, this is a mecca to prehistory. Their collections include: the aforementioned T-Rex, the nesting Oviraptor fossil and embryo, Canadian Sternburg's Alberta dinos, Roy Chapman Andrew's Mongolian dinos, Leonardo (the mummified Edmontosaurus), Styracosaurus, Deinonychus, Tylosaurus, and a rearing Barasaurus protecting it's baby. Photos upcoming!

Through the magic of Facebook, I was able to meet up with my friend Bree who went to elementary school with me. She is living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan, so we decided to meet up and take the (free) Staten Island Ferry. The trip was great, catching up with Bree while catching the views of New York and the Statue of Liberty from the water.

We also went to see an off-Broadway play and meet up with her husband and friends for a night out in the Big Apple. One bar was unique in that it cantained many old 80's arcade games - each costing only 25 cents a play - in the bar! It was called (best name ever) Barcade.

While exploreing the city, I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, had lunch in Harlem, and spent a lazy afternoon in Central Park. The citizens of New York sure do use their park. I wish we used Stanley Park to the same extent. I also tried to find the locations of where Ghostbusters (one of my favorite movies was filmed) - the fire hall, Dana Barret's apartment, the New York Public Library, and Columbia University!

One trip up the Empire State Building finished the grand tour of a grand city. Goodbye New York, I'll be back. Bree and I had one last (amazing!) dinner, and I was off to Newark Airport to catch my 5:30pm flight to Montreal, and on to Vancouver. What an amazing bunch of cities and towns I've been to in the last month... The good moments stick out and the bad ones are forgotten. But I'm not finished yet...

Back home for one month, and then the adventure continues in Korea, where I will be teaching English for about a year!

Ask me which part of Korea I'm going to...

(Quick note about Tarantino)

I forgot to mention last post:

What made the screening of Death Proof so unique, was that Quentin Tarantino himself watched the film with us. As the lights went down and the curtain raised, the film's director walked up the isle, shuffled down the middle row, and sat down in the center seat - right in the middle of the theater and in the middle of his fans. I was able (from my seat at the back) to watch the movie and watch Tarantino view his own film. As I said, what a unique experience!

London, yeah!

I am currently in the Montreal Airport on the way home, waiting for my plane. Thank you Montreal for having free wireless. Apologies for being behind in the posts, but I figured I'd better live the adventure and blog about it in the gaps between. I hope you agree.

Last I left off, Greg and I had just arrived in London - city of history and expense. We were wonderfully able to stay with my Aunt and Uncle (thank you!) in London, allowing us to exist in the expensive big city world.

London was a "coming home" of sorts for me - having lived there (England) for the past year. Goodbye euros and hello pounds! London was the last stop for Greg who had never been to England before. My only regret was that I didn't see my cousin Nicky (and Rav) and my newborn niece Mia in those four days. Next time...

We began by diving right into the Thames. We walked the entire length of the river from Westminster Abby, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben to Tower Bridge and back. South and North sides. It was a wonderfully exhausting walk that gave us great views of St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, London Tower, Shakespeare's Theater and the London Eye (which is so expensive, you had to sell your soul for the high view. We opted to keep our soul and steal a view from the top of the Tate Modern - for free!)

What tour of London isn't complete without a trip to one of my fav places on Earth - the Natural History Museum. Greg was impressed by the dinosaur skeletons and I was impressed by the lack of crushing crowds. Everyone wins! The robotic T-Rex was exceptionally good this time round. Scaring kids...hehe...

After introducing Greg to the 'Pub Life' in England ("Can anyone murder a Guinness?"), we explored Leicester Square and picked up half-price tickets to two "Broadway" shows: Avenue Q and Spamalot. Both beyond spectacular and a very nice change from the norm Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables.

Avenue Q is a small show about life in on a run-down street on the edges of New York, where 20 and 30-somethings search for their purpose while dealing with adult situations. Also, most of the characters are puppets. Imagine Sesame Street all grown up and having lost all it's money. Princeton (puppet) moves into a tenement run by Gary Coleman, falls in love (and other stuff) with Kate Monster (puppet), and lives with other puppets and humans. Trekkie Monster (Cookie Monster without ANY morals) stole the show. Left humming the songs. Highly hilarious!

The next night, we had back row of the top top back balcony nosebleed seats for Monty Python's Spamalot. With the last tickets available, we entered the theater only to be told to talk to this woman. Confused, we go and see her. We are then suddenly upgraded to floor seats with fantastic views! A few minutes later, the curtain rises and the laughs never stop. In fact, I'd have to say that Spamalot (The Search for the Holy Grail movie put to musical) was one of the funniest things I had ever seen, ever. If it comes to Vancouver, SEE IT. Your muscle spasmed face and sore sides will thank you!

And we had one more treat for us before we left. Cousin Dave had alerted me to a special film opening we all attended our last night in London. Death Proof, Quentin Tarantino's new film, was premiere-ing at the theater Dave works at - The Ritzy in Brixton. Not only would we see the film, but Tarantino himself (master of Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill) was there for a question period! One of my film mentors passed me going into the cinema, looked at me and said, "Hey there!"

The film was actually better than I expected (sexy girls getting stalked and killed by Kurt Russel and his killer car) and Tarantino was great. He did not fail to show off his arrogance, child-like giggles and general happy director guy. Very cool!

Goodbye to Greg...
And on to New York for me!

Change all around...

Man, everywhere I look I see change.

Robotic change in Transformers:

It opened in USA and New Zealand, and everyone and every review I have read yet has praised it beyond every other movie... BUT it does not open here until July 27st. Ugh, I have to wait 17 more days...

Work change in teaching:

School ends in 10 days. 10 more days (actually only 8 WORK days) of hour-long commutes. 10 more days of whining, bickering, tattle-tailing kids. 10 more days of ungrateful, uncaring parents. But that also means only 8 days of pay...

Creating change in film making:

The untitled sequel to Tony's Empire has begun filming. So far, we have filmed the Funeral, the MP Speech, the Secret Meeting, and the MP/Assistant Chat scenes. I am pleased by the footage so far! Momentum has been engaged, but needs to continue. The film is more ambitious than the last (car chases, fighting in a lake, police shootout, bordello raid...), but with the experience gained shooting Tony's Empire, we can do it!

Musical change in karaoke birthday party:

On July 20th, Lewis is having a karaoke party at O'neills. The twist is that you have to come as a famous musician and sing a song by the artist! I will be going as Bono. Black jeans, shirt and jacket, sunglasses, earrings, and wig! Cher and Gwen Stefani will also be in attendance...

Geographical change in location:

I finally bought my flight back home to Vancouver. I will be leaving from London on September 10th, after a three-week trip with Greg around Portugal, Spain and London. But I will not be flying to Vancouver directly, I will be stopping over for five days in New York City! After sightseeing and living in the AMNH for the week, I will arrive back in Vancouver on the 15th, ending my 2006-2007 England Adventure...

Change all around...

Dino Movie Poll

What is your favorite dinosaur movie?
	King Kong
	Jurassic Park
	Disney's Dinosaur
	The Lost World
	The Land Before Time
	One Million Years Before Time
	Jurassic Park 3
	Gertie, the Dinosaur
	Baby, Secret of the Lost Dinosaur
	Fantasia
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