Activity of the Tornadic nature.

Spring in Kansas...

Just couldn't get through a work day without this.

nom nom nom Fettucini Alfredo, chicken, spinach, roma tomatoes nom nom nom What an adorable bathroom! HP <3 Just started on the last book. I have to know how it ends!!

I look focused...

Anyway, movies to watch, farewell for now & happy viewing.

Britain's Finest

*Under the words 'Britain's Finest' should probably not be a photo of Russell Brand, an ex-heroin addict who used to have sex with lots and lots of prostitutes. I don't care though, I love him!

Last weekend I watched a movie called American Dreamz, starring Dennis Quaid, Willem Dafoe and the dreadful Mandy Moore. I had this very detailed blog about my hatred of the movie which ended up not making sense, was horribly constructed (something I imagine that is very fixable) and I just deleted it because I was so frustrated, the movie ruined my life even after watching it. So to summarize, don't watch it! Other than Hugh Grant being in it, it's a total trainwreck, it's essentially a romantic comedy but it's laced with crass and unneccessary political satire. They try to cover too much material, it's the wrong genre and I have to disagree with the cover of the movie that says that the movie is 'Daring'. Although, it did get me thinking about people and their guilty pleasures. Some of mine are romantic comedies (anything with Hugh Grant, I just can't resist...), documentaries about people with weird habits, viral video shows (like the Soup or Tosh.0) and reality tv shows. Now when I say reality tv I don't mean competition shows like American Idol or Survivor, I mean shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Bridezillas, Jersey Shore, Teen Mom or Real Housewives of Orange County. I like watching the Human Condition, I like watching people in their "natural" environment, I can't explain why this is so enticing to me or why they are so popular. I can only think we like watching people live their lives out in front of us to ensure that we aren't crazy or maybe it's just pure escapism because whether their problems are worse/better than ours, they aren't our problems and it gives you a break from our lives. As much as people may speak down on reality tv, if I were given the opportunity to be paid a large amount of money to live my life in front of a camera I would absolutely do it! If the people on the shows choose to degrade or humiliate themselves that is their choice, but it's not going to keep me from watching. The next night I watched The Full Monty, one of the movies on my list, this movie was not what I expected at all, I was pleasantly surprised. I expected raunchy humor and a ton of nudity and it instead it was a sincere and heartfelt movie about a bunch of middle aged men who find themselves out of work and aspire to be male "Chippendale" strippers in order to make money. They have to hide this from their wives, learn how to dance and overcome their stagefright. "Anti wrinkle cream there may be, but anti fat bastard cream there is none." It is a great movie with an honest story and great acting and it just further confirms my love of all British entertainment. Seriously, from Harry Potter to Amy Winehouse, I love it all, I haven't ever seen or heard anything that I haven't liked.

Cheerio for now & happy viewing!!

I can't end a blog about British actors without a photo of Colin Firth =]

Brutality for Breakfast

First I'd like to share some new photos. I dyed my hair brown yesterday!! I'm very excited about the new color!


This morning I watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I actually woke up at 9am, and if you know me at all you know this does not happen, I only wake up before 11am on days that I have to work and most of the time I'm a zombie until lunchtime. So anyway, I figured I'd take advantage of being up so early and watch this movie that I borrowed from a friend of mine and I've had it so long it had been collecting dust on the shelf. I've seen people reading the series and people had told me how good this movie is so I had very high expectations. And let me say, I was not disappointed, not one bit, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this movie whatsoever. I must warn you though, this is one of the most raw and gruesome movies I've ever seen. I consider myself pretty desensitized to violence and graphic images, however this one was far beyond anything I'd ever seen. Since they are solving a murder case you expect some brutality, however they take it above and beyond, with several violent and gut wrenching rape scenes, photos of dead and mutilated bodies and a brief torture sequence it can get difficult to stomach at times.

What I like about foreign films is that the main characters are not the sheer images of perfection that Hollywood shoves down our throats. They look like normal people, not super thin with perfect breasts or men with flawless hair, skin and jawlines. The actors are not perfect and the nudity is not glamorous, but it is real. This is not for the faint of heart but if you are looking for a thriller and want to be totally vested in movie, this would be the one. Way to go Sweden, I look forward to watching the next 2 movies in the triology soon. Farewell for now & happy viewing!!

Just A Quickie

The reason I haven't blogged in awhile is because after watching The King's Speech I have been temporarily obsessed and preoccupied with Colin Firth.

This is the kind of obsession that makes you late to work everyday of the week because you've been up late watching movies at night, you don't pay attention to the posted speed limit because you are too busy thinking about the next movie you are going to watch, I've had little tastes before, I didn't mean to get hooked but now the inevitable has happened, I'm a Colin Firth addict. Immediately after watching King's Speech I put Love Actually in the dvd player, this was by sheer coincidence that it was the next movie I chose to watch was this one, since he stars in it as well. I had checked it out from the library because it's on my list of movies I haven't seen. By the end of Love Actually (which is my new favorite movie) I was totally enamoured, hanging on every word he says and then just for fun I wrapped up my Sunday on the couch by watching Bridget Jones's Diary.

I own both Bridget Jones movies and I like to watch them every now and then because I think they are delightful pick me ups and I really enjoy the humor, I've read both the books and I really identify with her as a person. (I read they're making a 3rd movie!!!!) This time however I really paid attention to his performance and I saw Mark Darcy in a whole new way. I am already a sucker for a British accent and when watching him on screen he ignites every role he plays, he can be serious or the perfect kind of quirky and funny. Bottom line he is absolutely charming and so nice to watch in any movie and not mention sexier than a shirtless neanderthal with pulsating tan and shiny muscles any day of the week. In the last week I have watched one of his movies everyday, making many many trips to the library to raid their vast selection of movies, I'm sure all the clerks in the entertainment area think I'm a little strange but I honestly couldn't care less. I congratulate him on winning the Oscar for Best Actor this year and I hope to see him in many many more movies. Farewell for now & happy viewing!!

Royally Speechless

Two Sundays ago I sat down to finally watch The King's Speech, I had been wanting to see it since I heard it was nominated for an Academy Award. When the titles of the movies that have been nominated for Best Picture get announced it is always my plan to see them before the show and it never happens. The only movie I saw beforehand was True Grit, I would like to say kudos to Matt Damon, I don't think he got enough credit for his performance in that movie. But this post is certainly not about Matt Damon. As I was saying, I sat down to watch The King's Speech on a Sunday afternoon and my anticipation to see it had grown since it won for Best Picture.

I was immediately drawn into this movie within the first few minutes, Colin Firth (<3) plays the Duke of York, son of King George, known only to his friends as "Bertie", and he is about to speak publicly. The anxiety that buzzes through this scene before he steps out in front of the crowd pulses through you and before you even hear him speak you empathize with this man you see on the screen in front of you wearing a top hat. It makes you think of the first time you were called upon to either do a presentation in grade school or of your first time of being truly bitterly embarrassed in front of total strangers. You hear him speak into the microphone and you hear his stammer, and whether or not you've known about his speech impediment before you watched the movie, you are taken aback and think, omg, how does someone who is a very public figure deal with this? And the answer you soon find out is, he doesn't. He deals with this unfortunate disability like a child throwing a temper tantrum. It is at this time that his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) takes it upon herself to hire Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) a speech therapist. He admits his methods are unorthodox and strange, Bertie and he meet and things do not go well, he is very guarded, uncomfortable and embarrassed. He does not return to see Lionel for awhile and when he does he lays down the law, however Lionel is not one to be told what to do.

Their relationship grows from that of future king and speech therapist to being great friends, Bertie had been seeing everyone to help him with his speech and with the exception of his wife, his children and of course, Lionel, they are all impatient, mean and completely unsympathetic to his condition. He gets a cold "Spit it out" or people perceive that he is unintelligent because he can not convey what he is trying to say. His temper sprouts from people's insensitivity and it is completely reasonable considering how difficult it is to express yourself through speech. Whether at an event, giving a speech or just having a conversation, nothing comes out easily, and living with this every time you open your mouth, you'd be pretty pissed off too.

The delightful Guy Pearce makes a surprise appearance in this as Prince David, I am always happy to look at him in a movie. This movie was absolutely deserving of all it's nominations and wins. By the end of the movie I couldn't peel my eyes from the screen, it was that good. The cinematography and coloring are beautiful, it is so nice to see a movie that is just plain enjoyable from every single way you look at it. You see a man completely transform his life and come out the other side swinging, it was a very inspiring. If you haven't seen this I highly reccommend it. Farewell for now & happy viewing!

when your reflection turns on you...

Black Swan (2010-Nominated at the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Cinematography, Film Editing & Winner Best Actress-Natalie Portman) Leave it to Darren Aronofsky to warp the perfect image that is a ballerina in Swan Lake. He is also the mastermind behind Pi, The Wrestler and the infamous Requiem for a Dream. I was scared to see this at first knowing his power of haunting your thoughts for hours or even days at a time after watching one of his movies. I had never really cared for Natalie Portman, in my opinion she is only tolerable to watch, I also saw the Oscars before this movie and was pretty shocked that she actually won an award for Best Actress, until I saw the movie. She did surprise me and I did enjoy her performance, she went from girl next door to a mature actor. She lost herself in the role of Nina, a young, boring, sheltered, little ballerina who spirals into self destruction, she didn't play it safe or pretty. She did deserve her award, but she hasn't won me over for good.

The lesbian sex scene between her and Mila Kunis will go down (no pun intended) in history as the best girl on girl action in a motion picture EVER. Whether gay, straight or asexual you can not watch this scene without getting all hot and bothered or squirming in your seat a bit (not recommended for watching with parents or in laws). Mila Kunis oozes sexuality throughout the entire film and this is the icing on the cake. She has come a long way from That 70's Show and I have grown to really like her as an actor. *Side note: Does anyone else think it's really strange that she is coming out with a movie that is an identical twin to Portman's "No Strings Attached"? She is doing a friends with benefits comedy (intelligently named Friends with Benefits) with Justin Timberlake, that looks a million times better than Portman's movie. Hollywood recycles romantic comedies over and over but they are usually better about disguising them as original thoughts. Essentially there are only 3 or 4 romantic comedy story lines and they switch up the actors, the plot changes a bit and the best friends get quirkier for the sake of the trailer. I'm not complaining, I enjoy the light hearted entertainment immensely, but these were released a little close to each other. Natalie Portman has starred in way too many movies as of late. She has been in Brothers, No Strings Attached, Black Swan, Your Highness and Thor. I'm getting a little tired of seeing her everytime I turn on the tv since I didn't like her in the first place.

All the relationships in the movie really interesting and clearly defined, everyone Nina interacts with has an intense part to play on her life. Her mother, whom she lives with, is psychotic and overly controlling, treating her daughter like she is still a little girl, in the most extreme way. The director of the ballet is a strong man who is controlling, demanding and sexually confusing to Nina, with him trying to make moves on her and encouraging her to embrace her sexuality. Lily and Nina's relationship is obviously the most intense, it has a Fight Club/Tyler Durden feel to it, the parallel between their characters is like looking in a warped mirror. The pressure that eventually consumes Nina makes her go slowly insane. She is constantly rehearsing to perfect her performance and the entire movie she is told to "be the black swan. be the black swan. be the black swan." It isn't until the time of the performance that she masters this, and her mind is so childlike that she is unable to separate her role in the ballet and her life and that is why she ends up picking feathers out of her skin and adopting various swan like characteristics....

This movie was perfectly constructed. The color is subtle, therefore the plot is the captivating aspect, same with hair and makeup, simple and classic so the performances are what is noticed. Dialogue isn't complex or hard to follow, direct and to the point. He got really creative with the mirrors, the way they shape the scenes, since she has an evil side of her subconscious he used the mirrors to make it look like it was two different people. It is very cut and dry with him, there isn't anything you really need to "read into". I really like that about Aronofsky, he's fearless and unapologetic with a take it or leave it attitude, he isn't afraid of pushing the envelope and it's obviously paying off, it grossed $106,954,678 at the box office. I hope he continues to make beautifully disturbing movies for many years to come. Farewell for now & happy viewing!

goodbye ruby tuesday....

To Conan's Beard, you will be missed!

P.S. One week without a cigarette! I think I'll bake myself a celebratory cake! =)

Long Live the Ginger Beard & Mr. McGregor

Went back to work today and I honestly didn't think I was going to make it the whole day, I'm still having alot of discomfort with my mouth/jaw. I also have a small bruise on either side of my face where my tooth was, since I don't wear much makeup I didn't realize this until about 2pm, so for the rest of the week I'm going to have to wear foundation and concealer. And my chin is still numb, I called the doctor today because I wasn't sure this was normal or not, I'm assuming this just lasts longer with some patients than others, he said if it is still bothering me in a week that I should go back and see him again. I am really hoping this goes away soon cause I can't take anymore mouth trauma or time off from work. For lunch I tried to eat Wendy's chili and a vanilla frosty which was kind of silly, I barely made a dent in either so that's what I'll be having for dinner, with some mac and cheese. I'm so sick of soft food so I figure it's time to get creative cause I'm soooo hungry!!!

MY SUPER SMILE =D (the night before...)





On a side note, Conan is one of my favorite shows on the planet, he is so funny and enjoyable to watch, ever since he's been on TBS I don't think I've missed more than one episode. A week or two ago there was a clip of Will Ferrell saying he will be on the show May 2nd and that he was going to shave Conan's beautiful ginger beard off. It's a pretty immaculate beard that has filled out gloriously since he's been back on the air, it looks great on him and Will Ferrell is threatening to cut it off. Well today is May 2nd, I will not be missing tonight's show, the beardpocalypse is here and I HAVE TO KNOW IF COCO WILL WAKE UP BEARDLESS TOMORROW!!!


Now, on to movies... Early last week John and I watched the non fictional book turned movie 'I love you Phillip Morris' starring Jim Carrey and one of my top 5 favorite actors, Ewan McGregor. I love a man who can sing, dance, weild a lightsaber and camoflague a Scottish accent with a southern accent. He's a chameleon who can play any role that's thrown at him and this movie is a perfect example of that. In this first person narrative Stephen Russell (Jim Carrey) tells the audience about his life, how he was adopted as a baby; he is a perfect member of society, a cop, and a family man. However, there is something that is a secret to everyone but him, he is gay. Gay gay gay gay gay. After a potentially life threatening car accident he decides he is going to embrace his homosexuality, stop living a lie and be himself. Since living a flamboyant lifestyle is expensive, he ends up becoming a criminal. Eventually he finds himself in jail and meets an adorable, soft, blonde haired, blue eyed Phillip Morris, no not the cigarette guy. They hit it off immediately, however Phillip is getting transferred to another block and they do what they can to keep in touch and learn things about eachother. Now Stephen knows how to get what he wants and how to make things happen and he gets his way to his new love, they end up sharing the same cell where their love blossoms into an adorable full blown relationship. The rest of the movie basically plays out like 'Catch Me if you Can' with a gay undertone. With a roller coaster of a plot, funny and tear jerking scenes this is a well rounded movie. Farewell for now & happy viewing!

what a weekend...

Brandy After Dentist Part 2

Positive I'm going stir crazy... on Friday I had my procedure and got my 2 impacted wisdom teeth pulled, I was so nervous all day on Thursday. I got there they put me under and before I knew it, I was done. My boyfriend John came and walked me out. He said I was laughing hysterically the whole way out and I kept saying "I'm Alive! I'm Alive!!". (I remember none of this) We stopped at the pharmacy and then went home, I ate, took a half hour nap, laughed at how swollen my face was and then he went to work. I spent the day in a half awake daze watching the royal wedding, eating pudding, falling asleep (without intending to) and just generally feeling weird. Later when John got home from work he showed up with our friends who brought me a care package <3 I went to bed semi early and ended up tossing and turning most of the night, I woke up a few times to take my pain pills. Saturday was pretty much the same, I took like 4 naps, watched a bunch of tv and about 8pm I finally started to feel normal. Sunday I did a whole lot of nothing, I wanted to watch a bunch of movies, but couldn't make any commitments on which ones I wanted to watch and was still pretty out of it, so basically just a day full of blah tv. I am still having some problems though, no pain really just some discomfort and I can't open my mouth very wide, so I've lost 4 lbs on my diet of soup and yogurt... Needless to say I'm ready to get back to work tomorrow. However I'm still sooooo swollen, so I'll have to figure out a way to do my hair so I don't look ridiculous.

So I watched the majority of the royal wedding, both Will and Kate looked amazing like old school fairytale characters, they seem genuinely in love. It made me so giddy in my pain pill fog. (I also watched a marathon of shows all about the lives of Will & Kate and being that they are in their late 20's they really aren't all that interesting yet, so if you watched one show you pretty much knew everything about them.) On Thursday I recorded Steve Carrell's last episode of the Office, now I haven't watched any of the new episodes because they are all horribly stupid. Without sexual tension and a real plot it really lost me, but since I'd seen so many of the early episodes I decided I should watch it since this seems like a pretty big night in television history. Michael Scott "World's Best Boss" leaves Dunder Mifflin, this is big... I think it was done very well. I love Ricky Gervais, I think he is a genius and I can't wait for the next season of An Idiot Abroad. I miss Karl... Hopefully this week I'll get back into the swing of things and have some energy and get some more movies watched. Farewell for now & happy viewing!

P.S. Haven't had a cigarette in 5 days and haven't had a Mountain Dew in 3. I'm so proud of myself!