Wii Suck

I'm speechless. The actors in this video look so damn awkward!

Also, possibly why the Wii sucks and why the Kinect is superfrickingawesome.

Movies watched, the Oscars edition

In a lead up to the 2011 year of the Oscars, Dave and I threw a small Oscars movie marathon last night in hopes of getting up to speed with all the film talk that has been going on. Since this is the first year where the Best Film nominee pool from five to ten, that means we just had more movies to watch. After excluding The Social Network, Inception and Toy Story 3 (three movies which Dave and I have seen), that gave us a somewhat substantial seven movies to watch. Quite a feat, but in the end we managed to watch five out of the seven films we had on our list. Winter's Bones and 127 Hours, we're coming for you next.

Thoughts on the movies we've watched, in order of last night's movie viewing sequence. 

Black Swan - Whoever knew that ballet could be such a mindfuck? I have to come out to say that this is as much ballet as I've seen in my entire life. But in typical Darren Aronofsky fashion, anything can be changed into a mindfuck movie. It's got his typical signature auteurist moves, like the way everything fades to white at the end (The Wrestler) , the camera shot of the whole body from above (Requiem for a Dream). But all throughout the movie, I was just thinking about the dedication and tenacity required to be a great ballet dancer. It's really really something.

The Kids Are All Right - Great great writing - also the reason why I placed my bet on it as the winner for Best Screenplay. I think one of my favourite scenes has to be when the lesbian moms were trying to confront their son on whether he had a gay boyfriend, and because they never really specify who they're talking about, the son thinks that the moms are talking about his recent meeting with their sperm donor dad. Hilarity ensues. But also, how gorgeous is the house? That, my friends, is what you are able to afford on a surgeon's salary. I am in love with their huge kitchen top, especially since its the kind where you can actually prepare your food on it. 

Also, I loved how they poked fun of the two actresses, when Julianne Moore was explaining to her son why they don't get their socks off watching lesbian porn. 'Usually they get straight female actresses, and the inauthenticity...' That was so deliciously ironic for me, seeing how Julianne Moore and Annette Benning are straight actresses playing gay lovers. 

But out of all the movies, this film had the most 'emotional pull' for me. Emotional pull meaning how I personally feel drawn towards the characters and the 'spirit' of the film. You walk out of the movie thinking about your relationships, and how a relationship that seems so great on the surface can have deep cracks in it.  

The Fighter - Dear casting directors, please never cast Mark Walberg in any movies again. Seriously, did this guy go to any acting school at all? Next time when Mark Walberg goes into an audition room, take a sack of potatoes and place it near him when he auditions. Look at Mark when he's acting. Look at the sack of potatoes. Look at Mark again. Look at the sack of potatoes. See any difference? No? Geez, that's insulting to the bag of potatoes. 

But an incredibly slow start to the movie. I was really fidgety and making all sorts of nasty comments about the movie and the plot. Also, you see Amy Adams nipples, which is weird because everytime I see her, I think 'Disney Princess'. But now she plays the character of underdeveloped feisty girlfriend who gets into cat fights. Also, how unrealistic is the relationship dynamic between Mark Walberg and Amy Adams? If a guy promises to call and bring you out on a first date and he's a no-show, who marches over to his house to demand an explanation? Won't you just write the guy off as a douchebag? Especially when all you know about him is that he's a boxer?  

The King's Speech - Whoever knew that something as small as a speech impediment could provide fodder for such an interesting story? (When I say small, I mean in terms of other Oscar film themes that usually revolve around epic wars and other dramatics. I don't mean that speech impediments are something to be regarded as something minor.) Colin Firth's acting is great. I love the sets and the cinematography, and how everything feels so English.  

True Grit - How are the Coen Brothers so damn prolific? But again, this has all the styles of Coen Brothers. The lengthy dialogue talking about nothing in particular, the speech (always some kind of a slang!), Jeff Bridges. But I need to watch this again, because I fell asleep at 3am, right smack in the middle of the movie. 

My bets for the 2011 Oscar winners

Best Actor - James Franco for 127 Hours. Initially chose Colin Firth for The King's Speech, but realistically, I think James Franco will draw more votes for gnawing off his own arm. 

Best Supporting Actor -  Christian Bale for The Fighter. Pairing Christian Bale with Mark Walberg just made it so much more painfully obvious how Mark Walberg cannot act. Also, during the end credits where they were showing the two brothers whom the story was based on, it's so obvious that Bale did a wonderful job imitating real life. 

Best Actress - Natalie Portman for Black Swan. It was a toss up between her and Annette Bening, but I think Natalie Portman showed a greater range of emotions, showing a dedicated frigid, sex-shy girl before her descent into madness. Although I'm secret rooting for Annette Bening, I think the votes will go to Portman. 

Best Supporting Actress - Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. Again, it was a toss up between her and Melissa Leo in The Fighter, who again, acted circles around Mark Walberg. 

Best Picture - The King's Speech - for having the movie with the most well-roundedness that movies need. Good characters, good script, enough emotional pull, good acting, good cinematography and art direction. 

Best Director - Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan and for messing with my mind. 

Best Adapted Screenplay - The Social Network.  

Best Original Screenplay - The Kids Are All Right 

Let's see how many picks I get right tomorrow. 

Oh Coke Light

You taste like gassy ass.

In response to a response

In which I also realize that I am not as left-leaning as other people out there..

Okay, ableism is bad, I get it. That is why I've had to consciously remember not to use words that used to be in my vernacular. Words like spastic, lame, mad, retard. No, I don't want any of your damn cookies for it, mainly because, yeah I get the fact that these words mean things and that they trivialize the physical/mental disabilities and experiences of others who actually have issues using their bodies.

But trichotillomania? You got to be fucking kidding me. Jesus.

I hope this doesn't mean anything

This is scary, but of late, I've been having recurring dreams about my good friend and her father's death. Thing is, her dad has cancer in real life. I hope this doesn't mean anything.

Books read, movies watched

Been on an entertainment slump ever since returning from Europe. Chalk it up to my jetlag, work (new cookbook!), writing deadlines, Chinese New Year festivities, Joie's visit, the boyfriend's coral foot infection (which meant that we stayed in for a couple of days watching Dexter) and iPad/iPhone games (Battleheart! Dungeon Raid!)..

Books read:
1) Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother - Amy Chua. Bought this on a whim on iBooks and pretty much blazed through it in two days. It's also the book which has gotten a lot of questions and raised eyebrows when I told people that I was reading it. But I must say that it is actually quite a good book if you take into account that Amy Chua is not a parenting-expert (and shouldn't be), and she gets her comeuppance in the form of her second daughter at the end of the book.

But after reading the book, I just felt really really exhausted. Amy Chua is driven in her desire for her kids to excel, especially when it comes to playing the piano and violin. And just the way she describes her full-time activity of ferrying her kids around to music classes, sending them for auditions and sitting with them for hours each day making sure that they practise the violin - IN ADDITION TO HER FULL TIME JOB AS A LAW LECTURER - it makes me feel like I want to crawl into bed and just lie there because I'm so tired out from her schedule. (She even makes her children practise their piano and violin on vacation as well. How does she get around the problem of finding a piano? She just calls the hotel in advance to ask if she can borrow their lounge piano during off-peak hours. Remember, a day you don't spend practising is a day you are slacking!)

I guess one thing I was surprised to read in the memoir was that Chua wasn't initially successful at her start of her career. She didn't really like what she did in college, stumbled badly during her first interview with Yale. Her parents didn't even initially approve of her serious relationship with her then-boyfriend, as he was a Jew, and studied ACTING in Julliard.

Should you read the book? I don't know. But if you don't want to, watching this reality-style documentary of musical child prodigies in China is pretty much the same thing as reading the book. And it's over in one hour too.

2) The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman
Bought this book in Paris when we re-visited Shakespeare and Company, which is actually one of my favourite places in Paris. It's also a sense of relief when you walk in sometimes, and realise that you can actually read and understand *everything* in the store because it's in English, and not have to do this brain acrobatics trying to translate your half-baked French into English.

It's a pretty decent book. Split pretty evenly into 11 stories, each about a different person - but all of them revolving around a flailing newspaper in Rome. But ultimately, the book fluctuates between being very engaging and very boring. It's like they got different editors for the different short stories.

I think what colours my perception is that I totally forgot that I had this e-book saved on my iPad when I bought it. Darn, could have saved some money! Damn.

Movies: Avatar, the last Airbender - Watched it in honour of Joie/Dave/my tradition of watching movies that have a single-digit rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And OMG, this movie is TERRIBLE. Cardboard boxes can probably act better than the guys on the show, the script is stiff, and there is no damn bloody plot to this thing. Out of the six of us watching this movie, more than half of us ended up falling asleep during the movie, and none of us made it through the entire thing. It is THAT BAD.

Snooze-o-meter: 10/5 Avoid at all costs

i'm just a dreamer but i'm hanging on

Kim Jong-il turns 69 in style

Kim Jong-Il is really really great, guys!

Are Justin Bieber's 'Beliebers' out of control?

Bieber's career can only go downhill, says this animated Taiwanese news network thingy.

22 Minutes: Gordon Pinsent Reads Bieber

This video is so damn funny!