day 273: you dig?

I’m still marathon packing. I found out that my cousin is coming tomorrow. I’m surviving on little to no sleep. Somehow I managed to meet with Chris.

Leave it to Chris to allow me to escape my reality with humor. We watched Black Dynamite. Wholey freaking hilarious! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I’m not sure if the humor is for the masses, but with my love of film, I was dying. We topped it off with a meal at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles, which was a perfect match. Chris is an amazing person and has always been a source of support through laughter and tears.

day 223: Thirst & Sonic

This morning we met up with @MsHerr's friend at The Griddle on Sunset Blvd. We enjoyed these beautiful mimosas (photo courtesy of @MsHerr) After breakfast we headed down to Irvine to catch Thirst, and after I convinced @MsHerr to go to Sonic. Love cherry limeades!

day 216: Americana

Sue and I went to watch the Time Traveler's Wife. We had read the book, and now it was time to watch the movie. Of course the book is always better than the movie. The movie was casted very well, and I thought the sequence of the movie made sense in altering it from the book. I wish the ending would have been the same as the book, but it must have not tested well with audiences.

day 195: Thirst

We watched Thirst this evening in Korea town. If you've seen the Vengeance Trilogy or Old Boy, you can understand the apprehension/desire to watch this movie. I thought it was a brilliant vampire story. Every scene & character was needed to tell the story: beautiful, suspenseful, bloody and romantic.

day 153: The Muppet Movie

There was a free screening of the Muppet Movie tonight. The LA Film Fest shut down Broxton Avenue and set up a large screen for the showing. I've heard that Westwood was once like Universal City Walk, where people walked the boulevards on a weekend. I love to see the streets of Westwood filled. It always seemed strange to me, when I was at UCLA, that they didn't take advantage of the proximity to the University, but I guess I was just a few years too late.

sorry for all the crappy cell pix, I didn't realize how much I pulled out my cell rather than my camera.

Rainbow Connection
Uploaded by imperfectly. - Watch feature films and entire TV shows.

day 151: Paper Man & Iron Man

I went to the premiere of Paper Man tonight. Paper Man is an independent film and the opening night Gala for the LA Film Fest. I was not a fan of the movie, and while it was an interesting concept, it didn't come together well. It was almost trying to hard with gimmicks, obvious metaphors and bad use of a superhero. That will kill it every time. hahaha However, another superhero saved my night: Robert Downey Jr. was a the premiere and looking dapper as always. He's inching up on my top 5.

This is my poor attempt at taking his pic, so I will link to a better shot. hahaha

day 108: live long & prosper

I was in Westwood today. And you know you're old when stores have closed that were open when you went to grad school. Westwood is constantly changing, I think, because of the high rent for the commercial spaces. It's adjacent to UCLA, but the college clientele cannot sustain the market in that area. It was nice to persuse my old stomping ground, that seems like a world-away. Don't worry the Hammer is still there, and so is Diddy Riese, but the ice cream sandwiches are now a buck fifty! wtf?

Rod, Chadonna, Chris and I watched Star Trek today. AWESOME!

day 097: cabernet savignon

Last night I caught up with Joanna. Bianca went to Minnesota for a conference. What was suppose to be an early evening turned into a late (midnight) night.

Being unemployed I have my ups and downs and I get so consumed in what is happening with myself that sometimes I need to be reminded of the bigger picture. Thank you to Joanna for reminding me of this.

day 051: sunshine cleaning

I went to another free screening tonight: Sunshine Cleaning. It was filmed in New Mexico... It's so beautiful, and it made me home sick. I will write more tomorrow, it's gonna be an early morning at the pool, again, and I better go to bed. I forgot to grab the battery for my camera, so I had to take a picture with my cell, sorry.

day 050: the last house on the left

LA is filled with free movie screenings. On any given day you could attend one. There was a screening of The Informant, a Steven Soderberg film, tonight. When I arrived there was a red carpet premiere for The Last House on the Left. I didn't see anyone that I recognized. When I got home, I imdb'd the movie and this is the female victim/heroin, Sara Paxton. (?)

day 047: watchmen

I went to Century City to see Watchmen in IMAX. A few years ago, it was suggested that I read Sin City, before the movie came out, which is brilliant. After I read Sin City, the other suggestions were 300, V for Vendetta, Ronin, Watchmen, and Old Boy. Old boy is another post, and I don't think I'm ready to talk about it. haha.

Chadonna and I have found ourselves in this situation before. Chadonna, along with my other friend Heather, are among the few girls who keep up with sports. One night, we were out with the guys, and Chadonna and I were watching the Lakers game, talking about the players while the guys were talking about art and design. hahaha... Tonight, Chadonna and I were the ones who had read the graphic novel, were filling in the guys on the story and answering their questions. :)

This picture is in the parking lot, because I forgot to take pictures and remembered on my way back to the car. I appreciate when all of the minutia of building infrastructure is organized. :)

day 034: and the Oscar goes to...

moi? I won the Oscar Pool with a total of 16 correct picks. I did watch all of the Best Picture nominations and all of the big categories: Actor, Actress (you should definitely watch Frozen River), Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor. All of those free screenings helped. I wonder if I can get into the Vanity Fair party in my 'hood with this award? hahaha

Vanessa and Alex hosted a glamor filled Oscar party with delicious food and great company. I was the emotional one. I'm a cryer, yes I get emotional during the show. The "In Memoriam"... how can you not tear up? Heath Ledger? forget it.

The show:
I liked Hugh Jackman as host, primarily because he's hot. JK He's a very talented man.

I loved how they presented the awards with the five former winner's and I hope they continue this.

I loved the Best Picture montage with former Best Picture winners.

Favorite moments:
"Domo arigoto Mr. Roboto" Kuni Kato blurted this when accepting his Oscar for Best Short Film, Animated.... awesome!!

Ben Stiller's impression of Joaquin Phoenix (I watched that Letterman interview and it was a mess)

Kate Winslet's dad whistling

Kate Winslet talking to Meryl Streep in her acceptance speech

Sean Penn's acceptance speech. I wanted Mickey Rourke to win, because his performance was amazing in The Wrestler. Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey Milk is wonderful, but he's truthful in his statement, "...I know how hard I make it to appreciate me." He's not a very nice person, but I liked that he brought up gay marriage.

Slumdog Millionaire winning for Best Picture. This is an absolutely beautiful film in a beautiful country.

Fashion:
loved Kate Winslet's everything: hair, dress, make-up...she looked like Grace Kelly

Natalie Portman's pink dress: The bold color was beautiful and her hair was amazing.

Awkward Moment:
Why did they keep showing Brangelina when Jennifer Aniston was presenting?

day 027: movies

I woke up late, and it's freezing cold in LA. Spent some time with my friend Carla, but didn't know what to say or what to do. I hope she knows that she's in my thoughts and I'm sending her strength.

It was definitely a movie day. I'm planning on watching Doubt at the $5 Matinee with Henry later. Before Sunset is a brilliant movie and I love this scene.

day 023: site visits

I know, I know I missed yesterday. It was jammed packed with site visits to two of my projects, and followed by a screening of The International with Henry and Fish. About my projects, I can't disclose any information or even show a detailed picture of the project. We have confidentiality clauses. Between the visits I was able to stop by the beach and clear my mind. Malibu is so beautiful and calming. I consider myself very fortunate to live by the beach. The clouds have moved out, and the sun is shining, but there are grumblings of the dark clouds reappearing, just in time for Valentine's Day.

day 020: review

WARNING SPOILERS…don’t read unless you’ve seen He’s Just Not That Into You

Ok, so last night I didn’t have time to write a proper review of He’s Just Not That Into You, as I was dashing out to retrieve my beloved cell phone. Seriously, what did we do before the cell phone? Well, in addition to rekindling with my lost appendage, I was treated to the culinary delights of Michael and Sanova’s delicious homemade pizza. Mmmm, mmmm good. After devouring the delectable carbs, I exercised my vocal prowess by getting my Rockband on. ‘I’m wanted, waaaannnnnnted dead or aaliiive…”

The Book:
I’m usually on the side of the fence that believes one must read the book before watching the movie, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy this book. I don’t want the ramifications of amazon.com recommending self-help books and playing with my psyche. Hahaha Maybe I’ll check it out from the library.

Movie review:
Though I believe it was suitably cast, I think that every actor was completely believable in their character as Fish and I confined our conversation to the situations/topics rather than the acting. The Ginnifer Goodwin character: I understand that she’s the archetype. While many of us may ‘think’ her actions in our head, I don’t believe girls act on it as she does (please, correct me if I’m wrong) I felt very nervous and embarrassed for her. Jennifer Connelly's character was stellar. The dénouement was poignant in her delivery. Anniston, Affleck & Barrymore played their standard characters, but that’s why we love them in romantic comedies. Scarlett really needs to stop playing a housebreaking hussy (leave that to Angelina Jolie, haha), I mean she’s so good at it, but typecast? Anyone? There is a scene of Scarlett singing, but they don't play her singing, so consider your self lucky! (the Tom Waits cover fiasco) As for the soundtrack, most romantic comedies usually deliver a nice medley of new artists, but this was lackluster. Too bad, I love discovering new music.

Summary:
Watch the movie - laugh, roll your eyes...I would normally say don’t watch it with your significant other/boy toy/man of the moment, but this one is "the exception, not the rule." :) I reserve romantic comedies to a night out with the girls, unless I’m dragged to some inept comedy like Paul Blart: Mall Cop where paybacks are due. :P It’s not gonna solve any problems, but it offers some good fodder for conversation.

Let me know what you think.

day 005: revolutionaries on the road

went to watch Revolutionary Road with my friend, John. Freaking A! Be in a good mood to watch this, because you'll want to take a bath with a toaster afterward. It's a good movie, but just very compelling.
I saw this plant in a planter near the theater and decided to photograph it. I love the contrast of the colors. I'm always amazed at the plants that grow outside in Southern California.