January 2009

Over at my Livejournal, I'm participating in a thing called Scrapbook 2009, and I decided to do a monthly fandom review on here. That way I can get at least some use out of this blog, right? Right.

Possible spoilers under the cut! You've been warned!

TV Shows

This month I had to say goodbye to my weekly dose of happiness: Stargate Atlantis. But at least they were very great ending episodes. Vegas is definitely going down as one of my favourite episodes ever, and that AU is pretty spectacular. Enemy at the Gate was filled with awesome action, as I suspect all finales should be, and it was a very nice ending, with the team in SF Bay. Very cute :)

This month I also said a temporary bye to Sanctuary and Pushing Daisies. Sanctuary had a great two-part season finale, which left you wondering what the hell was going to happen to Ashley (or, at least that's where it left me). ABC announced they weren't going to air the last Pushing Daisies episodes until possibly June, if ever (they'd better...!).

However, I welcomed back a ton of shows that I've loved: Cold Case, NCIS, Without a Trace, Scrubs, My Name is Earl, ER, The Office, 30 Rock, Numb3rs, Psych, Monk, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, CSI, Supernatural, House, Fringe, Bones, Burn Notice, AND The Simpsons all made a comeback this month. All the episodes have been amazing, but I must admit my favourite ones were Stargate Atlantis' Vegas, Leverage's The Wedding Job, and Psych's Six Feet Under The Sea.

Just one thing I was annoyed with was with CSI. Everyone one made it seem as if Laurence Fishbourne's character, Ray Langston, was going to replace Grissom's place, leaderwise. While I'm glad that's not the case, because Catherine definitely deserves the position, I was just really annoyed that all the publications and blogs led us to believe that it was the case. I don't know; for some reason it just really annoyed me. However, for the record, Ray's the cutest CSI 1 ever ;)

Movies

Each movie will have a small, spoilery review.

Kung Fu Panda

January 1st, 2009: This was my technically only my second time seeing this awesome movie, and I didn't actually see it from the beginning (I only missed Po being selected as the Dragon Warrior). The first time I watched this movie, it was only because my mom had borrowed the DVD from a friend, and wanted to watch it with someone. And that someone was me. Going in with low expectations, I didn't expect much, but I loved it almost right away. I love everyone, especially Master Oogway. It was such a heartwarming, funny, spectacular movie, and watching it a second time enamored me even more.

If you're not familiar with the movie, here's a summary from IMDB: A CG-animated comedy about a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, Po, who must somehow become a Kung Fu Master in order to save the Valley of Peace from a villainous snow leopard, Tai Lung. Set in the legendary world of ancient China, this is the story of Po, our unlikely hero, who enters the rigid world of Kung Fu and turning it upside down. Po ultimately becomes a Kung Fu hero by learning that if he believes in himself, he can do anything.

Swing Kids

January 8th, 2009: A friend of mine and I love Robert Sean Leonard, especially in his role as Dr. Wilson on House. So, while talking about him and his other roles, we talked about Swing Kids, a movie about friendship and doing the right thing, even when everyone else thinks its wrong. I must admit I was iffy going into this; I hate being told what to do, and especially what to watch. I don't know why. But this movie? Amazing.

If you're not familiar with the movie, here's a summary from IMDB: In Nazi occupied Germany, the youth of the nation were pressed into joining a pro-Nazi Youth Leauge called the "Hiterjugend", or Hitler Youth. A group of rebel teenagers, however, chose to defy Nazi directives and grew their hair long and listened to American music while calling themselves the "Swing Kids." This is the story of one group of Swing Kids and how Nazi rule and persuasion tore them apart and set them against each other.

The Fall

January 14th, 2009: This movie was so beautiful. I mean, I wanted to watch this movie because Lee Pace was in it, and I love Lee Pace with a passion, and good God, Marcus Wesley is gorgeous, but it was the cinematography that I really fell in love with. Also, I found the story so beautiful and innocent in the eyes of little Alexandria, that it was almost too sad to watch. I think it was her innocence that really pulled the story together, because even after she's hurt, she still wants more of the story. Just beautiful.

If you're not familiar with the movie, here's a summary from IMDB: At a Los Angeles hospital in the 1920s, Alexandria is a child recovering from a broken arm. She befriends Roy Walker, a movie stunt man with legs paralyzed after a fall. At her request, Roy tells her an elaborate story about six men of widely varied backgrounds who are on a quest to kill a corrupt provincial governor. Between chapters of the story, Roy inveigles Alexandria to scout the hospital's pharmacy for morphine. As Roy's fantastic tale nears its end, Death seems close at hand.

Monty Pythons' Meaning of Life

January 15th, 2009: Now, I've never really been a fan of Monty Python (I know, shoot me now, right?) with the exception of And Now For Something Completely Different, which I absolutely loved. I only watched this because I had basically seen all the other movies and wanted to complete the collection, in a way. I didn't find it that funny, but I guess I should've seen it when I was 12, when I saw all the other ones?

If you're not familiar with the movie, here's a summary from IMDB: The Monty Python group examines the meaning and purpose of life in a series of sketches from conception to death and beyond. In typical Monty Python fashion they satirizes and humourizes almost everyone.

Milk

January 18th, 2009: Going to see Milk was because I'm a supporter of the LGBT, because I'm from California (and I should know my history!), and because his story is inspirational and sad. It was a great movie; really moving, heart tugging, and interesting. The movie itself was very well put together. It didn't move from start to finish, but rather starting at the end, and going back to the beginning to tell us the entire story. Of course, it wasn't his whole life, just the parts that were relevant to the plot of the movie, and for that I am thankful.

If you're not familiar with the movie, here's a summary from IMDB: Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, this film traces Harvey Milk's career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet and New York, opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Francisco's growing gay community, and organizes gays' purchasing power to build political alliances. He runs for office with lover Scott Smith as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White wins in the city's conservative district. The rest of the film sketches Milk's relationship with White and the 1978 fight against a statewide initiative to bar gays and their supporters from public school jobs.

In Bruges

January 30th, 2009: I had In Bruges on my "To Watch" list for a very long time, and finally dragged it out to watch it just last night. I watched it in hopes it would be a pick me up and while it was, (very hilarious), it was also horribly sad, and slightly depressing. There were also times I was happy, and times I was scared for the characters life; what an emotional roller coaster! Also, much more bloodier than I thought, even though I knew it was a movie about hitmen. For me, a surprise at the end by the name of Ralph Fiennes! It totally doesn't look like him (or maybe I'm too used to him with longer hair?) or sound like him (it's a higher pitch than his other roles I've seen) so when a friend of mine was kind enough to tell me that "yes, it is him," I was amazed and delighted.

If you're not familiar with the movie, here's a summary from IMDB: The Irish hit-men Ken and Ray are sent by the Londoner mobster Harry Waters to the medieval Belgium city of Bruges in Christmas after an awry job in London. Ray, in his first assignment, was sent to murder a priest in a church, and he accidentally shot a boy in the head. While Ken enjoys the historic city, Ray, who is in inner conflict due to the death of the boy, feels completely bored and misses his home. Ray meets the small time drug-dealer and crook Chloë, who sells drug to the cast and crew of a movie that is filmed in Bruges, and has an incident with a Canadian tourist and later with Chloë's boyfriend. Meanwhile Harry, who has an stringent code of principles, orders Ken to kill his protégée Ray.

Video Games

This month, I played three games, all of them being tactical/strategy games. The first one was Bahamut Lagoon, which my brother had initially introduced me to a couple of years ago. I loved it immediately. Maybe it was the dragons? Maybe it was the game play? But anyway, it remains one of my favourite strategy games.

When I got tired of it (as I get tired of games quite easily), I started playing Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance. I didn't stop playing it because I got tired of it, for once, but rather because I realized that there was a Final Fantasy Tactics for the PSP, and being that I wanted to start playing my PSP again, I went and bought Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions and I love it to pieces. It's so hard, because I kept *dying* and I couldn't figure out *why* but then I did, and while I definitely still die (a lot), it's so much fun, and there's so much to do and I just love it.

Books

Since I failed at reading books last year, the only one I read being John Barrowman's autobiography, I made a New Year's Resolution to read more. I went to the library and checked out six books, but only managed to finish one before I had to go back to school.

Andrew and Joey by Jamie James. The entire book is written in email format, and while that was a turn on in high school it was definitely a turn off now. I don't know why. Also, I thought I was reading an epic love story, but as it turns out, it was a long, melancholy story that ended on a sad note.