In Which I Talk About Zombies, Which Have Been Occupying My Brain Lately (haha)

[NOTE: If this post isn't as comprehensive or as well-thought-out/written as it should be, I apologize. I'm leaving tomorrow evening to spend a month studying in England, and my brain is all over the place. And yes, I will be trying to blog a lot while I'm there.]

So about two years ago (WHOA really?!), I posted about Exile, a web series about zombies and such. I enjoyed it a lot and was pretty excited about it, partly because it was nice to see a good zombie story in a year when garbage like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies was so popular. The zombie craze is still going strong in 2012, and Exile came back in April with Arc II: The Family You Choose and its three issues.

If you decide to take this time now to just watch Exile yourself and then come back to read this, go ahead and watch it HERE. Episodes are usually between 10-20 minutes long.

I'll try not to give spoilers to those who haven't seen Arc I, but Arc II picks up where Arc I left off, with main protagonist Charles leaving the city where he'd previously been holed up in an abandoned theater with a pack of other survivors. He's not leaving the zombies behind in the city, as they're everywhere, but Charles is one of those survivors who can take care of themselves and doesn't really need a group. Also, considering what happened between him and the other group--he's probably not a guy who should be in a group at all. However, he does run into a new gang of survivors, who aren't quite the average-Joe-who-survive-the-zombie-apocalypse-by-mere-luck types that made up the movie theater group, but rather the kind of people you meet in real life who you just know would survive any apocalypse because they're just that crazy/badass. This means more rural camp survival business than the urban survival of the previous arc, which is somehow even scarier. (Zombies coming at you from all sides in a forest is just worse than zombies on the streets--there is NOWHERE to run.)

Things needed to survive when the zombie apocalypse comes: Cool jackets and hats, intense tattoo sleeves, and lots of attitude. Oh yeah and guns. So throw away unnecessary items now, while you can. No one survives the apocalypse in PINK sweatpants or wedge heels so forget about all that.

Arc I had much of its value in its very human interactions (Charles and Jenny's growing relationship; the interviews with survivors) and Arc II is much the same, but with a lot less cuteness and humor. Rather, what I liked most in Arc II was seeing how much scarier than zombies humans can actually be. We saw a bit of that in Arc I with the cowardice and selfishness of some survivors, but Arc II shows how sadly humans don't just not always stick together in times of trouble, but will even try to destroy each other. There wasn't much positivity or a whole lot of hope, but I found myself enjoying the negativity (there's time for hope in other arcs, I'm sure). The characters were not always as likable as Arc I characters, but they definitely intrigued me (particularly Tali and Julian).

Another aspect I enjoyed was the visuals in general--I loved little props and character things, like Julian's drinking tea from a china cup and saucer in the midst of everything, I loved each characters' distinct clothing, and there were some shots that were just so good I had to screencap.

Charles--bloodstained and smoking a cigarette while wearing a cool hat. I actually had about five screencaps; this was my favorite.

All in all, Arc II is a lot more confusing than Arc I, but a lot darker and scarier. Exile in general doesn't go out of its way to explain itself, but leaves the job of figuring everything out to you, so while Arc II definitely answers some questions (how did zombies even come about??) it brings up even more questions. My number one question is when is Arc III coming out? Do we have to wait another two years?


[NOTE 2: I suppose it is appropriate, when talking about zombie apocalypses in 2012, to mention The Walking Dead. I know what it is and am currently in the middle of watching it...maybe will post about it in July, when I have time to finish out Season 2.]

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks...you better run.

I don't really think it's acceptable to dance in the street or train just because the song on your iPod gets you going...but if it's Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" then it's totally acceptable right? I mean who can blame you? ...Or at least that's what I've been telling myself today.

So I was thinking about dusting the old blog off and having another go at it since I do want to record all the events that may occur during my upcoming trip to England. Studying at Roehampton University in London for a solid month this summer should be exciting and is worth actually blogging for.

I was looking through my old drafts on this blog...reading half-finished posts (most of which were really funny--sorry I never finished or posted them) and thinking that I should try keeping up with this thing more often. Another reason to start up again is that the terrifying webseries "Exile" started up again last month, and I'll be watching it later or tomorrow and blogging about it.

Also, my own novel series, Three of Swords, is currently updating and off its inappropriately extended hiatus. We're on the second chapter of Volume IV: The Moon at the moment, and the action starts to really pick up soon.

illustration from Three of Swords, Volume IV: Chapter 2

So things to expect from this blog in the coming weeks:

• Exile review
• What I've been watching lately
• Inside info on Three of Swords
• and....ENGLANDDDDDDDDD

In Which I Discuss Job Searches and Try Not to Be Too Bitter (But Fail.)

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THIS ITALICIZED RANT. It is 11:29 am and I woke up at 7 am so I could have time to go to the bagel store on Ave X and complain about how they accidentally charged me $79.16 on my card for a $1.63 bagel w/ cream cheese last week and WHEN can I catch the boss and get my money back, and also so I could run to the copy center on Hillel Place and get the book that had a bunch of stuff I was supposed to read for a 12:50 class today. The bagel store boss will apparently be notified, so maybe I'll get my moneyz back in cash soon, and I read all the MLK/Malcolm X/Steve Biko in an hour. Go me. Also, stayed up till 5:30 am Saturday night discussing Three of Swords . SO PRETTY MUCH I AM TIRED.

I am unemployed. I go to school 4 days a week and volunteer several hours a week as a freshman guide (Peer Mentor). As a Peer Mentor I sit in on a freshman class, give presentations, am available for questions and help, write reports, talk with amazing faculty members, and send like 6 FREAKIN billion emails a week, I SWEAR. I also write when I have spare time and refresh my Facebook homepage too. So I'm not entirely unoccupied. I mean between classes, homework, Peer Mentoring, OH and my education fieldwork (sitting in on 4 HS classes a week and taking notes on surroundings)...I sometimes have to think hard about how to fit in a life (Solution: Neglect homework. Go out. Have fun. RUSH TO GET THAT CRAP DONE THE NIGHT BEFORE OR MORNING OF.)

I was going to add a lolcat but this was better.

Nevertheless, I need a job. Or, more importantly, I need money. I mean my resume is beefed up decently enough at the moment, and if my rich grandfather died and left me his millions, I wouldn't bother with a job (note: I do not have a rich grandfather. Both of my grandfathers are dead* and never had much of the stuff anyway.). Currently, the only legal path to Brittany Having Money seems to be a job (I have considered illegal options, and I don't think they'd pay out). Or I hear you can make $$ on selling your eggs or whatever for the gov't. to make superhero babies with, but I just keep imagining what if the superhero baby grew up and married one of my legitimate kids? Incest is never cool. Except in Ancient Egypt.

The trouble with looking for a job is that it's a job in and of itself. How many weeks did I spend looking for a job before I was hired by Annie Sez when I was18? Probably more time than I actually spent working there. They should have paid me for my search. Or paid me on time for my work there, instead of like a month after I was hired. I don't know. What I'm getting at is that now that I'm in school, I don't have time to look for a job. But I need the money like you know, starving poor people in the USSR needed bread and lard (been reading Ayn Rand). A job at school would be ideal, but that has not worked out so far.

Attempted job #1 I walked in and the woman exclaimed that I was "such a beautiful girl", asked her coworker what he thought, and he was all ahhh yes she is. Still didn't get the job. Still confused.
Attempted job #2 They kept the "now hiring" sign up even though they were no longer hiring. WORST EVER.

Soon this will be me. Except I'll be humiliated and probably wear a mask or something.

It's no wonder that most suicides are caused by college students who can't find employment.** I mean, here we are, selling our souls for tuition, and nobody can give us jobs. If there are jobs, you have to, I don't know, already know about it, because nobody's going to tell you. You can ask different locations if they are hiring, but there is nothing I hate more than that vague shifty look and a reluctant, "Well, you can leave a resume." I am often throwing my resume into bottomless messy drawers (or more likely the garbage can) via the hands of disgruntled workers that don't want people stealing their hours no matter how much they loathe their job.


Forget looking for jobs online. I used Snagajob.com to get that Annie Sez job though, so they do work. But sifting through them is hell. I look through my school's job search page and everything is for graduated teachers or accounting majors. I just want to sit at a desk and be a receptionist or do filing or tutor some brats.


Someone once told me looking for a job is like looking for a boyfriend. Now I don't venture out into the man market too often (or ever), but I can see the similarities. It takes time and therefore, money, often you expend much effort in the search or attempt and get nothing out of it, you are often disappointed by high hopes, etc. You could maybe even say in the end, when you do get one, you immediately want a better one. JUST KIDDING. That last statement is a PESSIMISTIC JOKE.


Anyway, I think I might have to become a bum eventually. I'll ask the bum at the F station on Bay Parkway if he can spare some room and a corner of that dirty yellow comforter he carries in a garbage bag tucked into his sweater. If I do end up as a bum, I promise however, that I will be an HONEST bum, like this guy:

Sorry for the language. But this made me laugh.

Comment with your job search/actual job horror stories. Or bum stories. I'm partial to those too.

_________________________________
*I also only have one living grandmother. And one active parent. I am seriously lacking in the family department.


**This probably isn't true. But it might be.

In Which I Talk About Webseries and Get Excited When They Have Hispanics

So I wasn't productive today. Monday night I finished my Three of Swords chapter (Vol. III, Chap. 11, for the curious), which I've been working on FOR MONTHS, and then re-started working on when I finished school at the end of May. So yes, I'm lame and take forever, but all in all, it was a tough chapter and it was hard not to make it corny (it ended up being corny anyway). Yesterday I pretty much just watched Parks & Recreation (the BEST) and re-read chunks of Eclipse (don't be hatin') and then gave up and succumbed to lying on the floor of my air-conditioned-room while making up a bizarre new story about a paraplegic. But TODAY....I still wasn't productive. BUT!! I watched two web series and read about 700+ pages of a web comic.

A minute ago I found this image on Google and I realized HEY "extraordinary" doesn't begin with an X!!! eheheheheh.

LXD (not be confused with LSD or LDS), which I watched while eating breakfast is really rather corny. Basically, it's about the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Stop laughing. I'm not joking. Also, I'm not about to totally knock this show, because it's got great cinematography and the dancing is pretty cool. The LXD is a secret organization that's invites-only for amazing dancers--and here, dancing isn't just the usual deal. It's gravity-defying and is essentially a super-power. Each episode begins with some bald black dude who looks like a toad talking about super-powers like Professor X does in the beginning of the X-Men movies.

All bald dudes are the same to me.

This dude is like a cross between Prof. X and Morpheus so you KNOW you can trust him (but he's gonna get you killed probably if he thinks you're 'special'). LXD features a lot of used plot points--like the unpopular boy who likes the pretty girl w/ the jerk popular boyfriend (if she's so great, whyyy is she dating a jerk??). But the characters were sort of charming, and I love that it's not all white people in the cast, you have a lot of Hispanics and Asians and heyo! it's directed by Jon Chu, an Asian director. So I guess I'll be watching, because I think it has the potential to be kind of cool in a weird way (they showed a few seconds of people fighting with dance moves and THAT was epic). Also, the villain is quite handsome--but the actor has the same name as my honors philosophy professor.

He doesn't LOOK like my philosophy professor! In fact, this guy was that guy who dances with Madonna in the "Hung Up" music video I used to watch on MTV a lot. I liked that guy, despite his taste for older women in leotards. He's Hispanic. yayz

O_o Anyway...new episodes of LXD are posted every Wednesday on Hulu all summer! If you like SYTYCD, Step Up, and that kind of thing, and maybe like X-Men and all...it's fun.

Exile is less popular and on a smaller budget than LXD, but it's kinda awesomer. It's definitely more original. It's a bit more artistic and all, and is just generally rougher and not as smooth and glossy as LXD. But enough comparing. I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, because it's a zombie thing, and while I like Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, 28 Days Later, and Resident Evil (games, not movies, except Degeneration), I hate Dawn of the Dead and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and pretty much most other zombie things. But Exile isn't gratuitous zombie shots. There's blood and flashes of things, but it's not about the zombies. It's about people, and I liked that.

There's only 4 episodes online, and they're all from Arc 1. The general plot centers around a group of people holing up in a movie theater, while zombies roam outside. I don't think they ever say the word zombies in the show itself, but it seems that the things outside are zombies, so I'm calling them that. There aren't too many characters. Jake and Jenny are brother and sister and their parents are dead, and Jenny is really cute. She wears a wonderful scarf that belonged to her mother and she acts pretty realistic, which I liked. Of course, what's a post-apocalyptic world without people forging relationships that they would never forge under normal circumstances? Charles is a lot older than Jenny, and they develop a relationship I didn't expect but that I loved immensely. 

Those of you who know about my soft spot for these kinds of relationships won't be surprised that I loved this so much.

The characters in Exile are strong and likable and what makes the show so real. The interviews Charles conducts using his video camera were just great, as he asks the other survivors random questions like "what food do you miss most?" The answers are so good and believable...that made me laugh. Also, the fact that Dunkaroos were mentioned is such epic win. But what really makes Exile is the dialogue. There were some scenes where I wasn't sure how I felt about the delivery of lines, but not matter what, I liked the lines themselves. The script is tremendously good, and is what really kept me watching, more than anything else. My favorite line was Jake talking to Charles about Jenny: "You're like the 'Lost Boys' to her 'Twilight'." I really like double-references, ok? *Edit: Also, I meant to mention this but I forgot...the actress who plays Jenny seems to be Hispanic. As always, this pleases me. We are getting closer to taking over the world, amigos.*

The music is really good and I actually know the composer so I feel cool! haha. Additionally, the cover of Bob Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm" is so very good. I want an Exile soundtrack pronto. (Do they exist?) I know a couple of the people who worked on it, so that was why I checked it out, but I kept on with it because it is actually quite good. As I said before, all 4 episodes of Arc 1 are up, and Arc 2 is supposed to be released at some point, though I don't know when.

Okay I wanted to blog about a webcomic, but I am tired and giving up on this fan and going to my room to embrace my AC.

One of Those "Favorites" Memes. I Feel Like Half My Life Has Been Spent on Doing These Kinds of Things.

Stole this from Sarah Diehl's blog, A Thousand Mad Things (Before Breakfast)...she blogs every day and I love that.

FAVORITE....

~TV show~

-Supernatural (SPN). No hesitation there. Obviously, LOST, Merlin, and Firefly come in very close...but my love for Supernatural eclipses those. This is partly because I have been watching this show for all 5 seasons, for 5 years, and I KNOW these characters so well. This picture is from first (or maybe early second) season...Recently, I started re-watching the first season with my friend Beth, and my sister and I kept looking at each other, thinking the same thing--the main characters have developed so much from season 1. They matured, and in ways I never would have expected. The SPN creators' ability to to do that, and to maintain these INCREDIBLE parallels between early seasons and newer seasons is just enviable.

~Book~

-War & Peace. When my sister was in college, she borrowed this book from a friend and I decided to flip through it randomly. I seriously always thought it was some kind of treatise on war and peace--I had no idea it was a novel. Oh my. I read this book in five days, and every morning I woke up, THINKING about it. It spans over about twenty years, so the characters who are children in the beginning are parents with children in the end. The character development is incredible, and like Supernatural, they change in ways you don't expect. The selfish arrogant cold-hearted character gets his heart broken and learns how to love and forgive, the sweet insecure lonely young man inherits riches, marries a beautiful girl who cheats on him, has numerous adulterous affairs, and learns what it really means to be a man. Oh. I could go on forever. These characters make wrong choices and right choices and throughout the book you are so WITH them and you love them even when they screw up. This book seriously had me crying. People who think it's boring are INSANE. I read it when I was fourteen and I was so psyched about the hot guys, the sexy romance, the intense bromance, the suspense, the heartbreak.... Best book ever, IMHO.

~Movie~

-Braveheart. This has been my favorite movie for 12 years. I was 8 years old when I first saw this, and it blew my mind. Sure, it's grossly historically inaccurate, but I didn't know any better. All I knew was that it was a great story, I loved the characters, and it made me cry at the end. I know it by heart, and I seriously still laugh at all the funny scenes and get worked up and angry over the upsetting parts. I love that the characters have little bantering scenes. It makes you really BELIEVE in them. Best scene: William Wallace coming to the British, after Murron dies, and smashin' all their heads to bits. YEAH. I could talk about this movie forever.

~Color~

-Green. It started because I have green eyes, but now it's just for the color itself. Favorite green: olive.

~Actor~

-Jude Law. It took me forever to decide on my favorite actor, but Jude wins out. He's a cad in real life, of course, but I love him in pretty much most movies I've seen him in. (He couldn't stop A.I. or Sky Captain from sucking though, even if he did add to the pretty.) He's got more Brit charm than Hugh Grant, and has such a (deceptively) sweet face. Best Jude movie? The Holiday, hands down. Sherlock Holmes comes pretty close....but in The Holiday, Jude's character is a "major weeper" and "Mr. Napkin-head", so...

~Actress~

-Winona Ryder. No hesitation. I adore her. Visually, of course, with those EYES. But I love her acting skills. Heathers is the BEST. Then there's Girl, Interrupted and Edward Scissorhands. And dude, she dated Johnny Depp. She's also a kleptomaniac. Aw, Winona.

Ice cream flavor

-Cold Stone cheesecake ice cream. BEST. EVER. This photo is from Google and appears to have blueberries in it...but the way i like my Cold Stone cheesecake ice cream is with gummi bears and crumbled Twix bars. *NOM NOM*

~Drink~

-Manischewitz wine. Not really my fave drink. I mean, I mostly spend my time drinking huge glasses of ice water, or shotglasses of orange juice, or mugs of apple juice, or longing for actual not-from-powder cold lemonade. But this is Lord's Supper wine and so it makes me feel at peace...also I have spent a few times drinking this with Beth, and those were good fun times watching Princess and the Frog or Zombieland. So I kinda want some of this now. And I want to watch a movie. Beth should get out of work and come hang with me. :3

~Animal~

-Cat. Multi-colored cat. I have lots of fave animals technically, but I've loved cats for longer than I can remember. I fell in love with multi-colored cats though when, at age 5 or 6, I got a huge book filled with photos of cats. Multi-colored cats, white with red-brown and black markings, slay me with cuteness. They also tend to have adorable green eyes. I never could own a cat however, because my two sisters are allergic. :(

~Band~

-Death Cab for Cutie. This is a cliche answer because who DOESN'T love Death Cab (besides my sister Melissa)? But I have all their CDs (except the special singles or whatever), and I never get tired of them. The first I heard of them was when I got Transatlanticism from a library, but today I'd say Plans is their best album, hands down. Of all their songs, my favorites are the under-appreciated "Title Track" (from We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes) and pretty much everything from Plans, most especially "Crooked Teeth". I saw these guys live once and it was THE BEST CONCERT EVER. There were two drum sets on stage at one point...it was fantastically mind-blowing and at the time I didn't even know all their songs yet. Also--Ben Gibbard is totally what I'd be as a dude.

~Singer~

-Hyde. I will, for eternity, testify that this man has the best voice in Japan or Asia or the world. I feel like I've been a fan for forever but it's really not even been 4 years, strangely. He's a 40+-year-old chain-smoker, but his voice is steadfastedly incredible. (Also, he's gorgeous and a great actor and his wife is a lucky lady.) He started out in band L'arc-en-Ciel, then did solo work, and is now simultaneously balancing both those acts out with a new band, VAMPS. I saw VAMPS live in 2008 and was not impressed with their music (I am not a fan of band member Kaz!), but Hyde's voice did make me just close my eyes and listen and oh my it was heaven. Best of Hyde would be his "Season's Call" or his duet with the EXCELLENT Gackt, "Orenji no Taiyou".

~Food~

-Avocado. Vegetables (or fruits??) count as foods, right? :) I could eat avocados forever and ever. They're delicious with olive oil and salt and cut up and thrown into salads, sandwiches, rice, chili, or anything! I adore these, but we never get them for some reason. On a side note, my favorite actual food is probably pasteles, but people who don't know anything (white people) tend to think they look gross, so I didn't want to put a picture.

~Disney character~

-Mulan. Favorite Disney movie too, even before I became such a geek about Asia. People get all up this movie's grill about how it's 'feminist', but while I don't consider myself a part of today's feminism (which often is a bit anti-woman), I think Mulan is the good kind of feminism. What girl power should be! (Also Shang is one hawt animated dude, so I love that.)

~Girl name~

-Anneliese. The blondie in Barbie's Princess and the Pauper is named Anneliese, and I love it. That and any similar names like Annika or Anna. I love pretty feminine names, and always wished for one myself!

~Boy name~

-Thomas. (That's Thomas Gibson from Criminal Minds up there, yo. He's kind of amazing.) But there are lots of good Thomases out there. Like Thomas from Disney's Pocahontas, who was voiced by Christian Bale. Or my very own Thomas, from Three of Swords.

Is it weird that this meme took me several days? I get too distracted/bored. Or I watch too much Merlin? Anyway, I only have 6 episodes left before I'm through with Season 2 of Merlin...then I wait till Season 3 airs in England in September and finds its way onto YouTube. The whole YouTube transition shouldn't take long--people get Japanese shows subbed and up in a week! Anyway...Merlin's excellent, but it has that problem Smallville always had, of taking one step forward plotwise, then taking a half-step back, so the story-arc inches along. Hope it doesn't topple into the suckfest Smallville found itself falling into.

A Post About Being Productive--Which I Am Not.

I'm not terribly good at being productive. Today I had this whole plan that I would wake up early (summertime early, not normal-time early) at 9:00 instead of when my body naturally awakes (10:00), but my sister woke me up at 8:45 or something saying, "I thought you were getting up early!!" "I am..." I said sadly, "in a few minutes, when my ALARM goes off." She apologized, and I decided to hit the snooze until 9:30...which is still better than 10, right? Nevertheless, I took a long shower, got into a fight, got dressed, compared my GED scores to my brother's, made some iced coffee from Starbucks new presweetened Iced VIA Coffee, read a James Patterson book, and pretty much did nothing. However, my younger sister did try to tempt me with pleas to watch more of Season 2 of BBC's "Merlin" on YouTube....but I resisted, which is incredible.

I am supposed to be working on this piece that mainly takes place in a Viennese cafe (it's during the Victorian era, so it's pre-Hitler...it's during the age of the Austro-Hungarian empire fyi), and it has these six people (three couples) and they're eating lunch and being cute and rude and horrid and all. But I have to maintain this funny light attitude while writing and I've been wayy too moody for it. I listen to Florence & the Machine's "Heavy" and can't be all cute and funny! Humor has never been easy easy for me to write (except sarcasm)....But I do this too everything I write really. I come up with excuses as to why I can't finish it. I hit that 7-page mark and I get stuck. Or, if I get past the 7-page hurdle, it's the 12-page spot that gets me. So it's really me, and maybe that I don't push myself enough? But I have co-finished two novels...so that's something? It's helpful (though annoying) to have a co-writer pushing you. 'Cause pushing yourself is hard. You can want to finish a novel and reach that goal all you want, but it's 'drive' that's the toughest to get a hold of.

I remember when I took the GED in '08, the essay was on "Ambition" or something. That was before I learned how to write a good essay in college, so it was probably terribly written. Basically though, it was about how it's 'drive' that moves ambition. I told a story about how someone had told me that, or said something to me about ambition--and I don't even remember what this story was, though I do remember who the person was. It was someone I thought was interesting, until I got to know them better and they turned out to be sort of boring. What I remember most from the essay was some terrible metaphor about how ambition without drive is like a car without wheels? Or something. (I did say it was terribly written.) But the idea is sort of basically true. You can WANT to finish a story all you like, but if you don't have that drive that moves you toward that goal, that ambitious goal is worthless. (It should be noted that I just took a break from writing this blog to skim through my dash on Tumblr.) I have drive, but it's in small quantities and comes and goes and sometimes I think I run full out and need a refill.

I think drive is fueled by inspiration (SORRY MY METAPHORS SUCK). I don't hold by the muse idea, but inspiration is important. I personally get my inspiration from music, movies, TV, books, people, food, or whatever, but for some people (my sister) books dry out inspiration. I remember sitting through movies in the theater and trying to pay attention to the movie WHILE working out an idea (note: this multi-tasking is only right when watching crap movies like Hulk [the Eric Bana one] or X-Men 3). Melvin Burgess' "Blood Tide" novel changed my LIFE and I think, the way I develop stories. His story was SICK, both literally and figuratively. It was genius (though I don't recommend it at all, because it is nauseatingly violent), and the characters were such twisted people--and it had a huge impact on me as a young teen. Anyway, I often excuse my time-wasting by telling myself I'm gathering inspiration, which is bad, but actually kind of true. So closing the Word doc and going out for ice cream can be inspiration. You never know what you'll see or do that will inspire you!

So to conclude...it seems as if I have an idea of AMBITION being a car that will take you to your GOAL, and DRIVE is the wheels, and INSPIRATION is the fuel. That is super-lame-sounding. Sorry!~ But that's the basic idea. You need all four to do anything.

And I did end up being productive...I wrote a page in my Three of Swords chapter, which took a surprisingly dark turn. So that legitimized my desire to watch Merlin 2x02... Not since Harry Potter have I been this crazy about shipping (relationships for the non-fandom-savvy). In the days of the HP books, I was violent about Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione...and I totally was for Snape/Lily, Lupin/Tonks, Neville/Luna, Fred/Angelina, and other stuff that did happen or didn't happen. I even did admit that Ginny/Draco would be cool if Harry/Ginny wasn't such an OTP (one true pairing). But Merlin brings out the old rusty fangirl in me, and I have my ships and will stand by them. Like with HP though, I am annoyed by the SO OBVIOUSLY non-canonical shipping. Dude. Harry/Hermione was stupid. Sirius/Remus was just silly. And nurgghhhh Merlin/Arthur WILL NEVER HAPPEN, so get over it, people. And that was my random geek prattle for the day. Will now go to Tumblr where it's okay to do this.

Oh and by the way, John Farnham's "You're the Voice" is THE OFFICIAL SONG OF FOREVER.

"I like subtitles. Sometimes I wish all movies had subtitles." ~ Gena Rowlands

I don't know who Gena Rowlands is, but I agree. I have to watch Shakespeare with subtitles, as well as any movies where people have insane accents.


I realize some people really mind subtitled movies. I guess the reason I don’t is partly because I prefer reading to watching movies anyway, and subtitles sort of combine the two pastimes. But some people would rather have English dubbed over the original sounds because they don’t feel quite comfortable with the foreign dialogue (or they can’t read very well?). Some people don’t even like foreign movies. I was raised on a steady diet of Bruce Lee (who deserves a post here sometime), so I was always comfortable with foreign movies. They were dubbed admittedly at times, but I think that gave me a comfort that helped me, once I developed a Japan obsession in the 11th grade, to segue into watching subbed (subtitled) anime, drama, and movies.


I don’t watch much subtitled anything lately, because I’ve been too busy with school and Three of Swords, but I still love my favorites from before I was so busy…and I have a new favorite that I saw at the end of last semester in one of my favorite classes (History 10.W with Professor Meyer). So here’s four subtitled movies I personally adore in no particular order (there was going to be five but I got too tired--forgive me). Please comment with any opinions and please do feel free to share any subtitled recommendations! It’s summer and I have time to watch movies on YouTube—and hopefully in a few months we’ll be getting Netflix again.


NANA (2005) (directed by Kentaro Otani; starring Mika Nakashima, Aoi Miyazaki, Yuna Ito, Hiroki Narimiya, Ken’ichi Matsuyama, & Ryuhei Matsuda)
Japanese & random near-unintelligible or surprisingly good English 

NANA is based on the manga (Japanese comic book) by Ai Yazawa, but unlike most adaptations, it’s insane how much like the manga this movie is. The scenes, the costumes, the actors, the dialogue—they cut down about four or five of the books into 113 minutes, but it really is superb. You don’t need to have read it to see this—in fact, the movie is about seventy-five percent cleaner, so it’s definitely a safer bet you’ll enjoy it.


It’s basically about two 20-year-old Japanese girls who happen to both be named Nana (which means “seven” in Japanese—thus the ever-present 7-motif in the movie) and happen to both take the same train to Tokyo AND happen to end up looking at the same apartment and splitting the rent. But Nana Komatsu (Miyazaki) and Nana Osaki (Nakashima) couldn’t be more different on the surface—Nana K. is a bubbly girly-girl who is moving to Tokyo to hang out with her boyfriend Shoji and buy cute clothes, while Nana O. is a tough punk rocker who is moving to Tokyo to be a successful rock star. From there comes one of the best portrayals of female friendship ever, as their lives begin to blend together and they become each other’s strongest supporter. It kind of makes you want to be like, “Who needs guys when I got my girlfriends?!”


But NANA is rich in the romance department and may actually leave you curling up in a ball asking why you don’t have those moments in your life. (Hey, I'm honest.) The scenes with the guys are excellent also, and they’ve got great (good-looking IMHO) male characters. Nana O.’s band is just awesome, with two of my favorite Japanese actors—Hiroki Narimiya (“Kagen no Tsuki”, with Hyde [teehee] and Chiaki Kuriyama [Kill Bill; Battle Royale]) and Ken’ichi Matsuyama (L from the “Death Note” movie) stealing the scene at times. Love them. The flashbacks are a great way of showing what happened previously, and oh those flashbacks have some of my favorite movie moments ever. So romantic. I died.

This sent my 16-year-old self into conniptions. "Oh, I wanna put a locked necklace on a guy's neck and keep the key!~" The almost possessive passion of Nana O. & Ren's relationship still gets me every time.

It’s not rated, but I’d give it a PG-13 for mild language, sensuality, and some sexual references (depending on the translation of the subtitles and your IQ, that may not even come through). The music is just amazing, with a fun and cute soundtrack that also can rip your heart out with emotion, and the amount of rock star characters mean they actually DO rock out and perform frequently, so you’ve got some great rock music by Japanese superstars Mika Nakashima (Nana O.) and Yuna Ito (Reira). It ends satisfyingly, with a simple resolution—but there is a sequel, which I never finished, that I hear is not so good. The manga is a real downer later on…but the movie remains cheery. And it is my favorite movie right alongside Braveheart and Boondock Saints, so I recommend it very highly.


El Laberinto del Fauno (2006) (Pan’s Labyrinth) (directed by Guillermo del Toro; starring Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, & Sergi Lopez i Ayats)
Spanish

I wasn’t sure at first if I even wanted to see this, but I loved this movie. It’s not for everyone because it is a painful watch, but it is powerfully and masterfully done. It’s serious as hell, and there were parts I covered my eyes, but I recommend it. I see people online comparing it to Narnia and I sort of get that. Similar idea. But Pan’s Labyrinth is harsh and while it does have some beautiful moments, those are compounded with ugly moments—sort of like real life, I guess.


Pan’s Labyrinth is a fairy tale about a little princess who escaped to earth, and her parents from the Underground Realm wish she she would find her way back. But more prominently what is shown is the story of a little girl named Ofelia in post-Civil War Spain (1944 to be exact), who loves books and stories, and goes with her pregnant mother to live with Captain Vidal (Lopez), her new stepfather. Vidal is easily one of the most evil movie characters I’ve ever seen and he proves that in one of the only scenes of violence I’ve ever covered my eyes at, where he kills a rebel with a bottle. Gah. It’s intense. Cover your eyes. So while Vidal is cruel and insane, and only obsessed with having a son, Ofelia manages to dream and explore, meeting a strange faun who tells her she is the lost princess and must complete three tasks to prove that—then he will bring her home to her real father.


I don’t want to spoil anything, but the visuals are just incredible and the acting is like whoa. Ofelia is one of my favorite movie characters, and my heart just ached for her—when it wasn’t up in my throat during the scary scenes. Because these scenes are scary. Try deciding which is scarier though, creatures like the Pale Man, or real evil men who are monsters, like Vidal. Yikes. It’s rated R for violence and mild language, so be warned. Have your hands ready to cover those eyes. Have the tissues ready to mop up the tears. Inform everyone about the volume level of your scream. Don’t come and tell me I didn’t warn you about all this.

You will never forget this scene. Even if you want to. Google the Pale Man now.

Battle Royale (2000) (directed by Kinji Fukasaku; starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama, Kou Shibasaki, Masanobu Ando, & Takeshi Kitano)
Japanese

Battle Royale was actually based on the book of the same name by Koushun Takami, and while it doesn’t accurately cover everything in the book, it is still incredibly compelling and gets the same message across. The character development doesn’t have as much opportunity to be as rich as it is in the novel, but the main characters are all well-developed and believable. I loved this movie so much, and haven’t seen it in three years—though I’ve read the novel two or three times since. The Japanese government flipped over this film, and the Japanese rating system did their best to keep teenagers from seeing it. The U.S. still hasn’t quite released it properly here. So if you’re a teenager, be a rebel and watch it, at least just because lots of people don’t want you to.


“At the dawn of the millennium, the [Japanese] nation collapsed. At fifteen percent unemployment, ten million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence, and fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act—AKA: The BR Act...” The BR act is the Battle Royale act, which serves dual purposes, one being to diminish the amount of youths (who are potentially dangerous), the second being to remind everyone of the government’s power. One class of ninth-graders are selected each year to be isolated on a government-controlled location, where they are given weapons and told to kill each other until only one is left. If more than one is left after three days, they will all be killed by the explosive collars on their necks. These explosive collars also serve to keep them moving around the area—because at certain times, certain locations are closed off and anyone on them will have their collar triggered. The movie focuses on Shuya (Fujiwara), whose best friend Nobu is killed for refusing to play the game. Shuya goes into the game resolving to not play by the rules and commits himself to protecting the girl Nobu always liked—Noriko (Maeda). Initially, Shuya believes no one would actually play—but he’s wrong, of course, and as it turns out, some of his classmates are selfish idiots, clever and ruthless killers, and certifiable psychopaths. A bloodbath ensues, and Shuya and Noriko find themselves banding with Shogo, an experienced fighter with a secret (secret: he's awesome. It's not a very secret secret.).

Shuya, Noriko, and Shogo. Shuya has a girly scream that is really sad compared to Shogo's awesomeness and bandanna.

The conflicts are so multi-layered. What will people do in the most dire of situations? Will best friends kill each other in a machine-gun melee the moment they feel suspicious? Will the chubby geek be the first to start the massacre? What will the quiet kids do? Will the lovers commit suicide rather than hurt each other? Will the computer geeks save the day? (<3 Maybe a little.) People compare this film to Lord of the Flies, which I’ve never read. But from what I understand about Lord of the Flies, the message is something about us all being vicious and horrible at our core. Battle Royale’s message is that we are all something at our core. Vicious maybe. Killers, possibly. But will we kill the guy who swings an axe at our best friend? Or will we swing an axe at our best friend? Sometimes whatever’s deep inside is beautiful goodness and bravery. Sometimes it isn’t. Let’s not pretend we’d all do the same thing in a Battle Royale.


Rated R, if it is was rated by the MPAA which it isn’t. Buckets of violence, some language, some innuendo. Watch for Chiaki Kuriyama, Gogo from Kill Bill: Volume I—she is amazing as Takako Chigusa, the track runner. Seeing BR sent Quentin Tarantino into a frenzy to have Kuriyama and Kou Shibasaki (who plays the gorgeous and dangerous Mitsuko) in his movie. He only got Kuriyama, and she sort of stole the scene in Kill Bill, IMHO. Oh and Death Note fans--Tatsuya Fujiwara who plays Shuya, was Light/Raito in the Death Note movie. Return to topic: The last scene of BR was so right and so good. I could analyze the complexities of this movie forever, but this isn’t a BR post.


La Grande Illusion (1937) (directed by Jean Renoir; starring Jean Gabin, Marcel Dalio, Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay, & Dita Parlo)
French, German, & a smattering of surprisingly good English

This is an old historical movie about WWI with an amazing history in itself. The first foreign movie to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, it was also considered “Cinematic Public Enemy No. 1” by the Nazis, who banned it. Mussolini banned it too, and the film actually was seized when the Germans took Paris! Even once WWII was over, the original film was hidden away in Berlin, and wasn’t found until the 1960s, then wasn’t restored and re-realeased till the 1990s! If that doesn’t convince you this is a must-see, I’ve got more artillery (LOLOLOL this is a war movie so must make war jokes LOLOLOL). It’s an anti-war message, about people and class division and it pretty much sticks its tongue out at anti-Semitism by having an awesome Jewish character and saying flat-out just the sorts of things Nazis hate hearing.


Aristocratic and mustachioed Captain de Boeldieu (Fresney) and working-class, swoon-worthy blond Lieutenant Marechal (Gabin) are two French aviators who end up getting their plane shot down by the Germans in WWI. They are sent to a POW camp, where they are treated pretty well, except that they are prisoners with curfews and the threat of being shot if they misbehave. The soldiers they end up rooming with have a plan however, and they all throw themselves into the secret work of digging an escape tunnel every night—though by day they are model prisoners and do fun stuff like participating in musicals and drinking together. Unfortunately, they are re-located before they can escape, but that doesn’t deter them. After many failed escape attempts and re-locations, they finally are sent to a camp under Count von Rauffenstein (Stroheim), which is a serious camp that doesn’t take any crap and is willing to kill. But von Rauffenstein knows Boeldieu and is like “let’s be bffs” (which doesn’t work so well in the jailer-prisoner situation) because they are both aristocrats and are so alike. Boeldieu is torn between this weird friendship and his friendship with his comrades, who are his fellow Frenchmen but are not of his class. What’s more important—class or nationality? Or just human kindness? Gah. It gets soo good, I can’t even describe it.


This movie had the most amazing bromances ever. Seriously. Okay, Holmes & Watson, Frodo & Sam; David & Jonathan—guys, you are awesome. But Boeldieu & Marechal? Marechal & Rosenthal the not-so-popular Jew (Dalio)? It just gets unbelievably good. There is cross-dressing. There is banter. There is an epic romance (not to be confused with the bromance). There is anti-Semitism looming like the Smoke Monster in the background, and being deflated by the awesomeness that is Marechal & Rosenthal’s bromance. There is Boeldieu’s adorable smirk and raised eyebrows and arrogance. There is Marechal being ticklish and uber-manly. There is Rosenthal’s sighs and sarcasm and general brilliance. There is von Rauffenstein’s awesome collar. Also, FDR said, “Everyone who believes in democracy should see this.” Let’s just take out the part that says “believes in democracy.” Everyone should see this. Now.

Clockwise from the top left: Rosenthal, two guys I mixed up constantly but called Tall Guy and Funny Hat in my head, Boeldieu, Cartier, & Marechal. THE BROMANCE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL I CAN'T EVEN.

I was going to have Spirited Away here too, and I'm horrible for not putting it, but I'm too tired. Watch Spirited Away--it's made by Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicaa, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbot Totoro, etc.) and it is possibly the best children's movie ever YOU KNOW WHAT sometime I'll do a children's movie post and include it. In the meantime, you now have so many movies to watch. You don't have time for Spirited Away. You're going to squeal over Nana & Ren, scream over the Pale Man, shudder over Battle Royale, and get all worried that your favorite character in Grande Illusion will die (He might.). But try not to cover your eyes--you should see the movie! Unless you have eyes like the Pale Man. Then by all means,  put those hands up. Yowzah.