Academy Award Nominees/Winners are now coming out on DVD...So...here we go! (I still refuse to watch 127 Hours, though. I'm scarred from selling the book, the Oprah publicity, etc. I will take everyone's word that it was a good film and well acted. Black Swan I'm probably going to watch once it hits Red Box).
King's Speech (Colin Firth, Helen Bonham Carter) - I enjoyed the film just as much as I thought I would. All the anticipation and desire to watch it before it came out in the U.S. has definitely not left me with a sour taste in my mouth after finally watching it (as sometimes happens). Colin Firth was amazing, as true to his Academy Award Best Actor Award, and the rest of the cast was just as good and was understood why Bonham Carter and Rush both received nominations for Best Supporting Actress/Actor. It's a good film that people interested in movies like that will enjoy. In comparison to Christian Bale's Best Supporting Actor win to Geoffrey Rush's same nomination, I agree with the Academy on the award (for these two at least). Rush was a stable entity for the film and really was important as a supporting role, but Bale's character had the more complex role between the two. It makes sense in a way. Firth you can consider the complex character, while Rush was the stable factor to help the character along. The Fighter, in ways, Bale's character was the more complex one with Wahlberg's main character being the stable one (to a point, but he was pretty submissive throughout the film). So, in complexities, Bale's character definitely beats out Rush's; however, they both did great jobs and it's no wonder Rush was nominated. He was fantastic. I did have troubles getting past all the Harry Potter characters, though. Having 3 in one film and then a pirate messes with your movie enjoyment when you go, "It's Dumbledore!" or "It's Pettigrew!" or "It's Narcissa!" Or "He's a pirate!" Chris kept saying every time he'd watch, "You can't trust him. He's a pirate!" when Rush was on screen. *rolls eyes* Anyway, excellent film and lived up to my expectations beautifully. It's almost a movie buyer, but I don't particularly enjoy rewatching dramas. Grade: A
Rabbit Hole (Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart) - Nicole Kidman was nominated for a Best Actress award for the film and it's superb acting through a somewhat sad story that somehow is still uplifting by the end. There is a very powerful argument scene between Kidman and Eckhart that simply tugs at your heart strings as they both try and cope with the unfortunate death of their son 8 months prior. It's also interesting to see how they are both trying to cope with the grieving. Kidman's character is definitely the more prominent one of the two and the one who has the most emotional struggle between the two, but that doesn't mean Eckhart is cold. He simply grieves in a different manner. I enjoyed the film and the end had a promising ending (not necessarily happy, but you could see they were finally working their way through their grief and wanted to work it out together). There are some chuckle worthy moments in the awkwardness of the film, but it works. The whole film has a believability to it that is nice to see in a film. I don't think this film would be for everyone, but if you like either actor a lot, I'd rent it for the acting (as I did). And, at least, the film doesn't leave you feeling completely down and sad about the situation or the couple. It leaves you with the feeling of hope that life can still go on. Grade: A-
Tomorrow might be Country Strong.
I have also figured out why I don't like Smallville. Chris doesn't like their stupidity and stupid repetitive stories, but I don't like the lack of character complexity. So many of the characters are one-dimensional that it just gets boring after a while. I think it's also the way the stories go, but still! I do really like Lex Luthor (who ends up being enemies with Superman) and it's been paining me knowing he'll eventually not be friends with Clark. I think I like him so much because he's got the sympathy vote going for him (father doesn't really love him, he's got a hard outer shell, tries to do good but has a slightly skewed view of what is "good"), but it's also because he's practically the most complex character on the series! I don't really care about the others and that's just not a good way to draw people in...
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
GP public presentation - Check!
The GP Public Presentation went very well! It was a super long day, though. I had to leave at 9:15am, hung around till around 11:30 (put our poster up, had our class photo, went to mic checks), went home to eat, fell asleep so I missed the first two sessions, got back to campus 3 hours later (2:15pm to be there early to set the computer up at 2:45pm), had our presentation and Q&A, took some group shots (client contact and advisor with us), went to the last two sessions, had the poster session, left at almost 7pm, went to the Elephant Bar for our dinner with our client, got home from the Elephant Bar at 10:30pm. Phew. Long day. The thing I did? Brought my Skechers nice looking shoes so I wasn't in my heels the whole day. Oh my gosh my feet were killing me at times! Bren also saved me. If there is one thing Bren does well, it's receptions and snacks. They know to feed you and feed you often. LoL They had snacks and beverages available throughout the sessions. So I had some snack mix stuff at the last session and a Dr. Pepper till the reception. At the reception they had alcohol for free, water, meat platter, two types of hummus, some type of rice dish (really good!), breads, big flat crackers, cold veggies plate, and maybe something else. At any rate, that helped to tied me over till dinner.
The presentation itself went very well. Our room was only about half full, but it's what we expected since we were competing with the Aquapods group and knew everyone was going there (half of us even wanted to go!). We all answered a question at the Q&A. I got a dreaded policy question, which EVERYONE in the group immediately honed in on me as our mediator was asking the question (I didn't even bother looking at them because I knew it was for me). We are all super glad it's finished!
We will be presenting twice more and I feel like those are more intimidating since we'll be presenting at the BLM Sacramento Office and the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council Meeting. It's like presenting to our peers...We'll be presenting both on the same day too, so it'll be another long day. Sacramento in the morning, Davis in the afternoon, dinner with some people in the evening. Phew. BLM is going to try and find money to fund our trip (2-nights too!). That will be May 16-17 and we'll come back the 18th. I will probably miss all my classes that week. :P If there's one thing Bren is tolerant about, it's students attending conferences and doing things for GP. It's one thing I like about Bren.
Here are some random GP photos for the day: GP Photos
In other news...Watched Hereafter (Matt Damon). It's an odd little film that is semi-depressing. It has a semi-happy ending, but it's so low key that it kind of levels the movie to a somber ending rather than a true happy ending. Basically chronicles three different people and their issues with death. Damon's character is a "psychic," but he truly can communicate with the dead. Unfortunately, he can't touch someone's bare hand with his bare hand without flashing to someone in their life so he can't have any real meaningful relationship because of it and also his dates tend to be freaked out over his ability. This French lady has a near death experience (dies, sees shadows of people, etc, and comes back to life) and it ends up messing with her relationship and her career (until she gets published). A child loses his twin brother to an accident and tries to find a way to communicate with him (he was very dependent upon his older brother and his mother ends up going into rehab after his death). They end up all, in the end, meeting each other in London and helping each other in various ways. So...it's interesting. I don't know if I'd readily recommend it to most people unless you like the more somber type movie, but it was interesting and Clint Eastwood directed it and it's (I think) based off of a novella. Grade: B
The presentation itself went very well. Our room was only about half full, but it's what we expected since we were competing with the Aquapods group and knew everyone was going there (half of us even wanted to go!). We all answered a question at the Q&A. I got a dreaded policy question, which EVERYONE in the group immediately honed in on me as our mediator was asking the question (I didn't even bother looking at them because I knew it was for me). We are all super glad it's finished!
We will be presenting twice more and I feel like those are more intimidating since we'll be presenting at the BLM Sacramento Office and the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council Meeting. It's like presenting to our peers...We'll be presenting both on the same day too, so it'll be another long day. Sacramento in the morning, Davis in the afternoon, dinner with some people in the evening. Phew. BLM is going to try and find money to fund our trip (2-nights too!). That will be May 16-17 and we'll come back the 18th. I will probably miss all my classes that week. :P If there's one thing Bren is tolerant about, it's students attending conferences and doing things for GP. It's one thing I like about Bren.
Here are some random GP photos for the day: GP Photos
In other news...Watched Hereafter (Matt Damon). It's an odd little film that is semi-depressing. It has a semi-happy ending, but it's so low key that it kind of levels the movie to a somber ending rather than a true happy ending. Basically chronicles three different people and their issues with death. Damon's character is a "psychic," but he truly can communicate with the dead. Unfortunately, he can't touch someone's bare hand with his bare hand without flashing to someone in their life so he can't have any real meaningful relationship because of it and also his dates tend to be freaked out over his ability. This French lady has a near death experience (dies, sees shadows of people, etc, and comes back to life) and it ends up messing with her relationship and her career (until she gets published). A child loses his twin brother to an accident and tries to find a way to communicate with him (he was very dependent upon his older brother and his mother ends up going into rehab after his death). They end up all, in the end, meeting each other in London and helping each other in various ways. So...it's interesting. I don't know if I'd readily recommend it to most people unless you like the more somber type movie, but it was interesting and Clint Eastwood directed it and it's (I think) based off of a novella. Grade: B
Friday, April 8, 2011
GP public presentation and other stuff
Our GP Public Presentation is next Friday the 15th! You can find the schedule at this link. We are from 3:00-3:40. 3:00-3:25 for the presentation and 3:25-3:40 for Q&A. The entire event starts at 1pm and the final presentation ends at 5:30pm with a reception following. It's a pretty big day. Each group will have its own table/display for their brief and poster. We will have an extra copy of our report there for people to flip through if they choose. I won't be presenting this time, but I'll be there the entire presentation and, of course, afterwards. Bren sends out an invitation to just about everyone affiliated with the program and beyond to the day since it essentially highlights what Bren is/does. It's like capstone festival day for CSUMB, but I feel this is even bigger since Bren tends to go all out.
I turned our poster, brief, and report in today to get printed. I'm glad I asked for a test copy for the report because the report had some page numbering issues. The brief looked fine. So we need to fix the page numbering issue and then I can return it to get it printed! The messed up one we got bound (we paid for the test print since it's 202 pages) so we'll use it as our "public sample". If it walks off, gets food on it, smudged, etc none of us will cry. :P Last year, a group's report walked off and it was the one for the client -- oops. To say the least, I don't want that happening to us!
We also might be going to the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council meeting in May to present our paper. We still have to pat down the details, but it looks like it's happening. We might have to pay out of our pockets to go, though. Our extra funding from BLM got lost somewhere and we used almost all our money up for the printing. It shouldn't be that bad considering there are 6 of us and it's only one night. We'd go up Monday afternoon and come back Tuesday night. The sad thing? UCSB Arts and Lectures recently added David McCullough to their series and he'll be speaking on May 16th! The meeting is the 17th so we'll be on our way north. :( He'll be signing books and he's got a new one coming out about Americans in Paris at the end of May (I think). A popular historian coming to Santa Barbara, that would be interesting to hear. He's speaking about something to do with the importance of history. Oh well.
I also picked my policy topic for my policy class! I'm going to write on the shark fin ban in California (AB 376). It has an interesting culture vs environment thing going on. Shark fin soup is considered a status food in the Asian culture (specifically, I think the Chinese culture) and some people are seeing the ban as an attack on their culture. At least one cosponsor (haven't read about the other one) was raised as a traditional Chinese so it's interesting he proposed it (recently passed the committee with a unanimous vote). The Asian community is not strictly against the ban either. It seems rather split. Some Asian orgs are for the ban. So, to say the least, it'll be an interesting thing to research and I'm excited to research it. It's always good to be interested in your topic and for the first time in a quarter, I am excited to write a school paper. Last quarter was just not fun with the forced assignments I had no clue what to write on...So, it's a breath of fresh air this quarter.
I will say, I am for the ban. I think shark fining is a horrible and cruel practice; our shark populations are decimated; and shark fin soup has no nutritional or taste value. Shark fin tastes like whatever broth it's cooked in and there's no nutritional value. It's a status food because it's so expensive (around $40 a bowl in some restaurants). However, because more Chinese are moving up to middle class, the demand for shark fin soup has increased. There's a point that banning shark fins in California won't do "any good" because shark fins will still be sold/bought outside of California, but it's a good step in the right direction. Hawaii recently (last year?) actually passed a shark fin ban and Oregon and Washington are both considering it too.
In other news, I strained my back last Sunday. It's been hurting all week and it was bad enough that I did an urgent care appointment. The physician's assistant checked me out and determined I just strained it (no muscle spasm or herniated disc). Told me to baby it, heat/ice it, and not to lift anything heavy. I'm a student...with a laptop...Is that possible?! To say the least, it hurts enough that I have decided I can't make the trip to Santa Anita tomorrow. :( I'm pretty bummed, but I can't imagine the 4-hour round trip and then all the standing/sitting on hard seats at Santa Anita all day tomorrow. I have troubles even lying down and sitting at my chair for my computer. Also, I've got a minor cold so I'm sneezing and coughing a lot and the pain from doing either tends to send me into the fetal position if I sneeze/cough too many times. In this case, health before pleasure. I really want my back to be a-okay so I can start exercising again and so I can go to school and not be in pain as I sit in class! Still bummed, but oh well. I've gone twice this year at least!
Movie update. UCSB was showing free-to-student Michelle Williams videos this past Wednesday. Went with Melissa to see Wendy & Lucy. They were also showing Blue Valentine (she was nominated for an Oscar this year for it), but it was later and neither of us quite felt like being out that late. Wendy & Lucy was a little bizarre. Not quite happy for sure, but the entire movie is basically about her, Wendy, looking for her dog, Lucy, in a small Oregon town. She's traveling from the midwest to Alaska to find work. She's living in her car and has her dog. Lucy is okay (I was worried the entire movie!) and everything, but Wendy ends up losing her car (it'll cost her $2k to fix the car with money she does not have) and decides to leave without Lucy (who's being fostered with this nice older man after she was turned into the pound). So Wendy ends up train hopping. Kind of slow, not horrible, but it was definitely a small independent type film. I don't really dislike it, but it's not one that really grabs you either. Grade: C/C+
Well, with that. Time to go attempt some school reading or watching more Top Gear. Netflix has all the Top Gear seasons on instant now, except season 1. There has been a LOT of Top Gear watching of late. :P We also started watching Smallville, but neither of us are completely enamored of it. Chris just sits there and says how stupid the town is. LoL And how someone always morphs into the bad guy from being exposed to kryptonite. He also complains about how the stories aren't following the comics. Yes, the stories aren't that original, but, it's okay. Going to finish season 1 and then might move on to Chuck or Northern Exposure. We'll see.
I turned our poster, brief, and report in today to get printed. I'm glad I asked for a test copy for the report because the report had some page numbering issues. The brief looked fine. So we need to fix the page numbering issue and then I can return it to get it printed! The messed up one we got bound (we paid for the test print since it's 202 pages) so we'll use it as our "public sample". If it walks off, gets food on it, smudged, etc none of us will cry. :P Last year, a group's report walked off and it was the one for the client -- oops. To say the least, I don't want that happening to us!
We also might be going to the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council meeting in May to present our paper. We still have to pat down the details, but it looks like it's happening. We might have to pay out of our pockets to go, though. Our extra funding from BLM got lost somewhere and we used almost all our money up for the printing. It shouldn't be that bad considering there are 6 of us and it's only one night. We'd go up Monday afternoon and come back Tuesday night. The sad thing? UCSB Arts and Lectures recently added David McCullough to their series and he'll be speaking on May 16th! The meeting is the 17th so we'll be on our way north. :( He'll be signing books and he's got a new one coming out about Americans in Paris at the end of May (I think). A popular historian coming to Santa Barbara, that would be interesting to hear. He's speaking about something to do with the importance of history. Oh well.
I also picked my policy topic for my policy class! I'm going to write on the shark fin ban in California (AB 376). It has an interesting culture vs environment thing going on. Shark fin soup is considered a status food in the Asian culture (specifically, I think the Chinese culture) and some people are seeing the ban as an attack on their culture. At least one cosponsor (haven't read about the other one) was raised as a traditional Chinese so it's interesting he proposed it (recently passed the committee with a unanimous vote). The Asian community is not strictly against the ban either. It seems rather split. Some Asian orgs are for the ban. So, to say the least, it'll be an interesting thing to research and I'm excited to research it. It's always good to be interested in your topic and for the first time in a quarter, I am excited to write a school paper. Last quarter was just not fun with the forced assignments I had no clue what to write on...So, it's a breath of fresh air this quarter.
I will say, I am for the ban. I think shark fining is a horrible and cruel practice; our shark populations are decimated; and shark fin soup has no nutritional or taste value. Shark fin tastes like whatever broth it's cooked in and there's no nutritional value. It's a status food because it's so expensive (around $40 a bowl in some restaurants). However, because more Chinese are moving up to middle class, the demand for shark fin soup has increased. There's a point that banning shark fins in California won't do "any good" because shark fins will still be sold/bought outside of California, but it's a good step in the right direction. Hawaii recently (last year?) actually passed a shark fin ban and Oregon and Washington are both considering it too.
In other news, I strained my back last Sunday. It's been hurting all week and it was bad enough that I did an urgent care appointment. The physician's assistant checked me out and determined I just strained it (no muscle spasm or herniated disc). Told me to baby it, heat/ice it, and not to lift anything heavy. I'm a student...with a laptop...Is that possible?! To say the least, it hurts enough that I have decided I can't make the trip to Santa Anita tomorrow. :( I'm pretty bummed, but I can't imagine the 4-hour round trip and then all the standing/sitting on hard seats at Santa Anita all day tomorrow. I have troubles even lying down and sitting at my chair for my computer. Also, I've got a minor cold so I'm sneezing and coughing a lot and the pain from doing either tends to send me into the fetal position if I sneeze/cough too many times. In this case, health before pleasure. I really want my back to be a-okay so I can start exercising again and so I can go to school and not be in pain as I sit in class! Still bummed, but oh well. I've gone twice this year at least!
Movie update. UCSB was showing free-to-student Michelle Williams videos this past Wednesday. Went with Melissa to see Wendy & Lucy. They were also showing Blue Valentine (she was nominated for an Oscar this year for it), but it was later and neither of us quite felt like being out that late. Wendy & Lucy was a little bizarre. Not quite happy for sure, but the entire movie is basically about her, Wendy, looking for her dog, Lucy, in a small Oregon town. She's traveling from the midwest to Alaska to find work. She's living in her car and has her dog. Lucy is okay (I was worried the entire movie!) and everything, but Wendy ends up losing her car (it'll cost her $2k to fix the car with money she does not have) and decides to leave without Lucy (who's being fostered with this nice older man after she was turned into the pound). So Wendy ends up train hopping. Kind of slow, not horrible, but it was definitely a small independent type film. I don't really dislike it, but it's not one that really grabs you either. Grade: C/C+
Well, with that. Time to go attempt some school reading or watching more Top Gear. Netflix has all the Top Gear seasons on instant now, except season 1. There has been a LOT of Top Gear watching of late. :P We also started watching Smallville, but neither of us are completely enamored of it. Chris just sits there and says how stupid the town is. LoL And how someone always morphs into the bad guy from being exposed to kryptonite. He also complains about how the stories aren't following the comics. Yes, the stories aren't that original, but, it's okay. Going to finish season 1 and then might move on to Chuck or Northern Exposure. We'll see.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
School and misc
I have decided (80% decided) to drop my climate change impacts class. It's not exactly what I thought it would be like. I like the lectures because it tells you things about climate change, how to observe data to determine if and when trends are occurring and stuff like that, but our assignments are about how to convince people climate change is occurring at certain ecological levels. These are not climate skeptics, but those who just have not been that involved with the news or science. I just find the assignments a little tedious when I already have my policy class that has similar assignments and a ton of reading for each class. I think it's a good class to have in the science field, I just don't think I really want to put the effort in this quarter for it. So I'm on the verge of dropping and just attending the lectures and not doing the assignments. We will also have to analyze data and show the climate change impacts. I don't know...I'm just not that jazzed about the class after I've sat in two lectures already. One part of me says, "This would be a good class to take so you can communicate climate science" and the other side of me goes, "I really don't need these tedious assignments to learn how to communicate climate science when this is not a communications class, but a climate change impacts class. So all I'm really saying is, "The snow will not last as long!" or something like that and that's just not as interesting." So...Yeah. I just may listen to the lectures to learn the impacts (my original reason I wanted to take the class) and skip the assignments.
In other news, I found out how to give Otis and Lotus their own FB link! You have to have a minimum of 25 people and their pages does! You can directly connect to their page without logging in at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Otis.Lotus. You have to be signed up with FB to be able to comment, but you can read everything and view everything. :) Of course, to see updates in your feed, you need to like them.
I also got my Oberon iPad cover today! It's amazing and so much fun to touch, smell, and look at. It definitely catches your eye when it's just sitting somewhere too. I should have told them no pockets, but it's okay. I know I won't use them because they're so small and they cover up the wool at the bottom, but it's okay having them too. Perhaps a business card will be placed into the pockets and they won't scratch the iPad either. Here are a few pictures: Creekbed Maple in fern - front; Creekbed Maple in fern - full. The cover is a "wrap around" cover so the front picture continues onto the back. When you look at it fully, it makes a full picture. They send you a little charm with your purchases, so I added it to the bungee closure of the cover. The charm is a maple leaf (think Canada's maple leaf on the flag). It looks better in person than it does in the photos too. The cover is a little stiff right now, but with use the leather will relax a little more (e.g., doesn't fold very well right now). I got my eye on a Moleskine in saddle now. :)
Anyway, with that, it's time to head out. I haven't done any policy reading and have decided to skip Monday's option for the written assignment (only have to do three and there are over 15 opportunities). I'm also thinking of maybe doing my paper on the bill going through the Senate (soon or now?) on harmful algal blooms OR something about shark fining. I'm still browsing websites. But...I will certainly enjoy my policy reading more with my new cover and having my iPad! (Thanks mom and dad!)
In other news, I found out how to give Otis and Lotus their own FB link! You have to have a minimum of 25 people and their pages does! You can directly connect to their page without logging in at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Otis.Lotus. You have to be signed up with FB to be able to comment, but you can read everything and view everything. :) Of course, to see updates in your feed, you need to like them.
I also got my Oberon iPad cover today! It's amazing and so much fun to touch, smell, and look at. It definitely catches your eye when it's just sitting somewhere too. I should have told them no pockets, but it's okay. I know I won't use them because they're so small and they cover up the wool at the bottom, but it's okay having them too. Perhaps a business card will be placed into the pockets and they won't scratch the iPad either. Here are a few pictures: Creekbed Maple in fern - front; Creekbed Maple in fern - full. The cover is a "wrap around" cover so the front picture continues onto the back. When you look at it fully, it makes a full picture. They send you a little charm with your purchases, so I added it to the bungee closure of the cover. The charm is a maple leaf (think Canada's maple leaf on the flag). It looks better in person than it does in the photos too. The cover is a little stiff right now, but with use the leather will relax a little more (e.g., doesn't fold very well right now). I got my eye on a Moleskine in saddle now. :)
Anyway, with that, it's time to head out. I haven't done any policy reading and have decided to skip Monday's option for the written assignment (only have to do three and there are over 15 opportunities). I'm also thinking of maybe doing my paper on the bill going through the Senate (soon or now?) on harmful algal blooms OR something about shark fining. I'm still browsing websites. But...I will certainly enjoy my policy reading more with my new cover and having my iPad! (Thanks mom and dad!)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Oh...Zenyatta news
Zenyatta lost her foal. :( They checked her on Monday and between last Thurs and this past Monday she lost the foal. It's not unusual before 45 days (after the breeding) and she's fine, but it's still a little sad. They'll breed her again next week to the same sire (Bernardini). It's kind of weird being kept this up-to-date with her because normally you never hear of the mare again after she's retired (except for her offspring) so I just hope nothing happens to her or the foal if it comes to term next year or it'd be just horrible. Also, some people are just mean and stupid. I haven't been able to read the comments on this because it gets my blood boiling sometimes. People.
More movies and school
Soo...Two more movies watched:
Fair Game (Naomi Watts, Sean Penn): This is the movie about Valerie Plame Wilson and the scandal back in 2003 (I think it was 2003) about her status as a CIA agent being revealed. The movie is based off her book with the same title. It was an okay movie. The movie started in early 2003 (I think) and basically led up to the moment she testified. It was an odd combination of trying to chronicle her being a CIA agent (she does some convert things in the Middle East) and the moment she's revealed. So it starts off like a spy type film and then moves into a drama. I don't remember the whole trial and investigation (I remember hearing about it too -- who can forget a name like Scooter Libby!), but this movie was really before the trial and the investigation happens in the background as it goes through her martial struggles with her husband and all that. It was okay. I don't even know if I can really grade it, but for shear entertainment, here's my opinion. Grade: C/C+
Love & Other Drugs (Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal): This film was kind of weird because it's classified underneath a rom-com, but it migrates from a rom-com to a drama. It's definitely an adult film and there is a fair amount of cussing and nudity (saw Hathaway's breast a lot and Gyllenhaal's butt a few times). This movie is also based off a book called "Hard Sell" and it's mostly about a viagra salesman, which Gyllenhaal plays. However, Hathaway's character and story is thrown into the movie and (based on the book reviews) does not exist in the book at all. The movie has a feel of a true story since Pfizer is showcased and some other drugs. It was funny at points and it was a cute rom-com for itself, but it wasn't really that impressive. The love story definitely takes the forefront over the selling of pharmaceutical drugs and Parkinson's plays an interesting role in this too (Hathaway's character has early onset of Parkinson's). Other than that...eh. Grade: C
School started this week. My LAST quarter of grad school! I managed to make a great first impression with a prof because she thought class got out at 11:30, but the Bren schedule says 11:15. So at 11:20 I raised my hand and said, "Doesn't class get out at 11:15?" She said, "Does it? I have it written as 11:30. Oh well, I'll go ahead and let you guys out now." Weird. I have never been in a Bren class that lasts longer than 1:15 hours unless it's a lab and those are typically 1:50 hours. So...who knows. I guess I'll find out Monday who was right. LoL I have had a class with her before too. Although, I doubt she remembers me beyond facial recognition. :) That was my policy class...and I have to come up with a policy to do a case study on. I can't decide what to do...Anything I want to do isn't environmental or I've already done it if I know it. I guess I'll do some policy research. It can be anything too: state, local, national, international.
My other class that I might drop (can't decide) is climate change impacts. I want to learn in the class, but don't want to do any of the work! UGH! So...I don't know if I'll keep with it or drop it. We have to do a case study about some location, all the data, and determine if and how climate change will impact a location. It's interesting, but I don't want to do all the tedious work of the weekly writing assignments that are reflections on what we read. Ironically, climate change impacts has very similar assignments to my policy class and even requires us to turn them in 24 hours before the class. So weird.
My other class is the marine environment in a changing world and class was canceled on Monday. Supposedly it was going to be reschedule, but we still haven't heard about that so I wonder if we'll have class twice one week instead. I'm looking forward to that class, though. End of April is when my fisheries economics advanced class (1.5 weeks) starts. I'm a little intimidated, I must admit. Economics in 1.5 weeks...What was I thinking?! Oh well.
I ordered my Oberon iPad cover! I'm soooo excited! My "to buy/wish list" keeps increasing, though...Somehow when you buy things from it, it just manages to add a new thing on. :P I do really like their customer service, though. I ordered the iPad cover last night and this morning I got a call asking if I wanted it for the original iPad or iPad 2. They have been getting a TON of requests for them to do an iPad 2 cover so they wanted to make sure I knew it was only for the 1st version. It was very nice of them to double check.
Anyway, with that...back to rearranging the apartment and gotta do some school reading for next week. Trying to get ahead. Good intentions, but there's always "tomorrow".
Fair Game (Naomi Watts, Sean Penn): This is the movie about Valerie Plame Wilson and the scandal back in 2003 (I think it was 2003) about her status as a CIA agent being revealed. The movie is based off her book with the same title. It was an okay movie. The movie started in early 2003 (I think) and basically led up to the moment she testified. It was an odd combination of trying to chronicle her being a CIA agent (she does some convert things in the Middle East) and the moment she's revealed. So it starts off like a spy type film and then moves into a drama. I don't remember the whole trial and investigation (I remember hearing about it too -- who can forget a name like Scooter Libby!), but this movie was really before the trial and the investigation happens in the background as it goes through her martial struggles with her husband and all that. It was okay. I don't even know if I can really grade it, but for shear entertainment, here's my opinion. Grade: C/C+
Love & Other Drugs (Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal): This film was kind of weird because it's classified underneath a rom-com, but it migrates from a rom-com to a drama. It's definitely an adult film and there is a fair amount of cussing and nudity (saw Hathaway's breast a lot and Gyllenhaal's butt a few times). This movie is also based off a book called "Hard Sell" and it's mostly about a viagra salesman, which Gyllenhaal plays. However, Hathaway's character and story is thrown into the movie and (based on the book reviews) does not exist in the book at all. The movie has a feel of a true story since Pfizer is showcased and some other drugs. It was funny at points and it was a cute rom-com for itself, but it wasn't really that impressive. The love story definitely takes the forefront over the selling of pharmaceutical drugs and Parkinson's plays an interesting role in this too (Hathaway's character has early onset of Parkinson's). Other than that...eh. Grade: C
School started this week. My LAST quarter of grad school! I managed to make a great first impression with a prof because she thought class got out at 11:30, but the Bren schedule says 11:15. So at 11:20 I raised my hand and said, "Doesn't class get out at 11:15?" She said, "Does it? I have it written as 11:30. Oh well, I'll go ahead and let you guys out now." Weird. I have never been in a Bren class that lasts longer than 1:15 hours unless it's a lab and those are typically 1:50 hours. So...who knows. I guess I'll find out Monday who was right. LoL I have had a class with her before too. Although, I doubt she remembers me beyond facial recognition. :) That was my policy class...and I have to come up with a policy to do a case study on. I can't decide what to do...Anything I want to do isn't environmental or I've already done it if I know it. I guess I'll do some policy research. It can be anything too: state, local, national, international.
My other class that I might drop (can't decide) is climate change impacts. I want to learn in the class, but don't want to do any of the work! UGH! So...I don't know if I'll keep with it or drop it. We have to do a case study about some location, all the data, and determine if and how climate change will impact a location. It's interesting, but I don't want to do all the tedious work of the weekly writing assignments that are reflections on what we read. Ironically, climate change impacts has very similar assignments to my policy class and even requires us to turn them in 24 hours before the class. So weird.
My other class is the marine environment in a changing world and class was canceled on Monday. Supposedly it was going to be reschedule, but we still haven't heard about that so I wonder if we'll have class twice one week instead. I'm looking forward to that class, though. End of April is when my fisheries economics advanced class (1.5 weeks) starts. I'm a little intimidated, I must admit. Economics in 1.5 weeks...What was I thinking?! Oh well.
I ordered my Oberon iPad cover! I'm soooo excited! My "to buy/wish list" keeps increasing, though...Somehow when you buy things from it, it just manages to add a new thing on. :P I do really like their customer service, though. I ordered the iPad cover last night and this morning I got a call asking if I wanted it for the original iPad or iPad 2. They have been getting a TON of requests for them to do an iPad 2 cover so they wanted to make sure I knew it was only for the 1st version. It was very nice of them to double check.
Anyway, with that...back to rearranging the apartment and gotta do some school reading for next week. Trying to get ahead. Good intentions, but there's always "tomorrow".
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Rango
Save your money and wait to see Rango on DVD. It's almost 1:50 hour long and it's a wee bit too long for what it is. There are some good things in it and the story is okay, but it's not a Dreamworks (I keep accidentally calling it "Dreamweaver"...) or Pixar film. The animation is excellent, but something in the story lacked. Plus, it's got some "gross" parts. Not like blood, body parts everywhere, or crude, but some parts that make you go "ewww." Like Rango eats a dragonfly and you watch it go into his mouth and munch it; an armadillo gets run over and you see his inner half is all squished in (no guts or blood) and he's still talking and stuff. Just random weird stuff like that. Also, it's not that much of a kid film because Rango uses some big words that kids probably have no clue what they mean. One word stuck out for me, but I can't remember what it is. So it might be an animation film, but I'm not sure if it's really kid appropriate earlier than 8 and, even then, may work better at 10. Other than that, I'm glad I saw it, but won't see it again and super glad I saw it at a matinee price. Grade: C (maybe C+ if I could have actually gotten into the movie, see below)
My movie watching experience was HORRIBLE! Chris said he thought he was going to have to stop me from strangling the lady next to us. She is an adult with her husband and two grandkids (around 6 and 8) and the girl sat on her lap the entire time and the girl ended up dangling her legs over the seat in front. The most annoying thing was the adult kept talking through the WHOLE movie and even sang with the songs (most songs were well known ones). It was utterly annoying. She talked 3 times more than the girl (who mostly asked questions about what was going in). Chris and I glared at her a lot, but she never noticed apparently. Could have shushed her, but I think she's one of those people who does not realize what she is doing and I had a suspicion she'd just complain about us being "rude". Sadly, we were the only adults around her other than her husband who fell asleep in the middle of movie. Theater was packed, but we got surrounded by kids after we sat down. It was kind of funny because during the exciting moments no talking occurred and she talked enough that I noticed how long she'd go without talking. I hope her granddaughter does not end up like her. I really wanted to shush her up badly.
Funny thing afterwards is Chris and I went to get food and this older guy was talking to the cute hostess. Chris shoved him out of the way to place our order and noted the girl didn't want to talk to that guy. The guy sat down and got back up like 5 minutes later and started talking to her again. She was totally giving him the "leave me alone creepy dude", but he didn't get it. We don't think he touched his food by the time we left with our takeout too. Poor girl.
My movie watching experience was HORRIBLE! Chris said he thought he was going to have to stop me from strangling the lady next to us. She is an adult with her husband and two grandkids (around 6 and 8) and the girl sat on her lap the entire time and the girl ended up dangling her legs over the seat in front. The most annoying thing was the adult kept talking through the WHOLE movie and even sang with the songs (most songs were well known ones). It was utterly annoying. She talked 3 times more than the girl (who mostly asked questions about what was going in). Chris and I glared at her a lot, but she never noticed apparently. Could have shushed her, but I think she's one of those people who does not realize what she is doing and I had a suspicion she'd just complain about us being "rude". Sadly, we were the only adults around her other than her husband who fell asleep in the middle of movie. Theater was packed, but we got surrounded by kids after we sat down. It was kind of funny because during the exciting moments no talking occurred and she talked enough that I noticed how long she'd go without talking. I hope her granddaughter does not end up like her. I really wanted to shush her up badly.
Funny thing afterwards is Chris and I went to get food and this older guy was talking to the cute hostess. Chris shoved him out of the way to place our order and noted the girl didn't want to talk to that guy. The guy sat down and got back up like 5 minutes later and started talking to her again. She was totally giving him the "leave me alone creepy dude", but he didn't get it. We don't think he touched his food by the time we left with our takeout too. Poor girl.
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