If you say so...


What swear word are you?
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Movie Review - The 25th Hour
Ahh, nothing like a good Spike Lee joint. And what a good buzz it was. Edward Norton is one of the best actors of our time, but my only question is, why the hell is he always getting beaten up in all of his movies (e.g. Fight Club, American History X)?

Punches and punchlines aside, this was a very well done film. Lee's direction was very intense and fast, yet at the same time quite poetic and sympathetic. The story involves Norton, who after being busted for possession, attempts to enjoy his last night as a free man with his girlfriend and his two best friends.

The movie explored some good themes in personal responsiblity and how tough times can affect close relationships, and one of the most suprising elements was how Sept. 11 focused the film was. Lee intersplices the very NYC film with plenty of WTC images and symbolism, all done with a great deal of compassion and tact. Norton's relationships with his closest friends, Barry Pepper and Philip Seymour Hoffman, were especially moving, and I could identify a great deal with the way the closest of friends interact with each other.

Heck, I might have to redo my list now. I don't expect everyone to rush out to the theater for this one, but be sure to stop by Video Hits Plus when it comes out, it's well worth your time.

Grade: A-

and I'm feelin' the same way all over again...
I love when I am able to have an effect on another person, there is no better feeling in the world. Just feeling of use, it's awesome.

"Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls
Brought me here.

And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest"

Thank you Ben, for putting that so eloquently. :-P Seriously though, I wish I could show certain people that that strife is necessary to grow and become happy and content once again. Being comfortable is all well and good, but is it worth it when it comes at the expense of your happiness? Maybe I'm being too judgemental, but I was there, I know how things go down.

Back to me though, because I like talking about me. Finally a successful Denny's trip; too much fun. I'm a complete attention whore, but I love it, so it's all good.

This is the best time, I love this part so much. So new and so uncharted, so fresh. I never want it to stop.

but your adventures are just beginning, for you are no ordinary gerbil... you are the gerbil king! all hail the gerbil king!
Hmm, these are pretty good results... FOR ME TO POOP ON!


What Self-Mutilation Are You?
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do you feel what i feel, can we make it so that's part of the deal? i gotta hold you in these arms of steel, lay your heart on the line this time
"Guess who's back, back again? Shady's back, tell a friend."

That's right kids, I'm blonde once again, and I'm here to tell you, we REALLY do have more fun, or at least I am tonight. It doesn't burn as near as much as it did last time, so that's a plus.

I'm ready for this weekend, I want to get out and enjoy myself. And to that cutie down the hall, we really need to go out on an actual date, you know what I mean? When the hell are we going to find time though? :-( First Fox should just drop all our classes and turn into the 24-7 party floor, that would be fun.

Damn you Mike for stealing all my wit, I got nothing tonight. Damn these infernal contacts.

Hey, there's still Vaseline on my ear... EWW! ;-)

Found a couple more... same story...

"He hopes that the hand which strokes his forehead will never stop - will never die. He hopes that there will never come a time when the old folks won't be sitting around the living room, talking about where they've come from, and what they've seen, and what's happened to them and their kinfolk. But something deep and watchful in the child knows that this is bound to end, is already ending."

"You may not be able to stop nothing from happening. But you got to let him know you's there."

Just reading for class, came across this quote, found it quite interesting, and thought I would share...

"All the boys really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness, and in which they now, vindictively, dreamed, at once more together than they were at any other time, and more alone." - "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin

Umm... so, this one is pretty much a misfire. And I was so hoping to get "slut." :-P





Take the What High School
Stereotype Are You? quiz, by Angel.

Top 10 Movies of 2002:
10) Death To Smoochy
9) 8 Mile
8) About A Boy
7) Gangs Of New York
6) Austin Powers In Goldmember
5) About Schmidt
4) LOTR: The Two Towers
3) Bowling For Columbine
2) Punch Drunk Love
1) Adaptation

That list is SO subject to change... I'm missing something, let me know if you figure out what it is.

happiness is wherever you find it, and I want to find it with you...
Sweet gentle jesus, I haven't contributed a worthwhile, heartfelt entry in days. I got nothing... I mean, I started this thing to vent, but what do I have to vent about?

I miss the guys. We really need to talk and shoot the shit.

"You're a wonderful waste... such a wonderful waste... such a wonderful waste of time."

I cherish people who simply accept me, who don't try to judge or tell me how to live, who occasionally make suggestions, but never push. Just feeling needed, I needed that really bad, it had been long enough that I had begun to forget what it felt like.

The drama's still here, but it's not happening to me this week... I can't tell you how refreshing that is.

Hmm... it's true, but not at the same time. Pretty anime pictures though.


What's your sexual appeal?
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Movie Review - Adaptation
I have been told I have redeemed myself for "One Hour Photo" (even though I loved it, but no matter). The most rewarding part the experience was that I was able to turn on some people to a good movie that they would not have seen otherwise. I love spreading my "movie joy."

God, I'm such a nerd...

On with the review. Adaptation works on so many levels, it's almost hard to keep up. You can take as much out of it as you want, but regardless, I'm sure you'll have something to laugh at for at least parts of the two hours. Charlie Kaufman shows us he is the most original, if not one of the best screenwriters in Hollywood, and it's about damn time for these guys and gals to get some recognition. Do what you will, you can't direct (or act) a bad script into a good movie. Most often in life, it starts with the words.

What makes this his tour de force is that he makes one of the most self-aware movies in recent memory. The movie suggests multiple storylines, but thoroughout, you know every line and action originates and stems from Kaufman, his insecurities, and his dreams. Almost every word out of everyone's mouth is spoken from Charlie, all in a movie about Charlie. I swear, if you think about this movie long enough, you'll give yourself a damn headache, but in a good way, I promise.

Nic Cage turns in quite possibly the best performance of his career, and he does it twice in same movie, playing Kaufman as well as his imaginary brother. Meryl Streep is always good, that's a given, and Chris Cooper plays such a refreshing and sympathetic dork.

I've discovered as of late what I love above all in a movie, a conflicted character who discovers his or herself during the course of a couple of hours and leaves us optimistic for the future of that person. American Beauty, About Schmidt, Magnolia, Vanilla Sky, there are so many similarities in the journeys that these characters go through.

I could go on forever, but my laundry's done, so I'll stop there. Go see Adaptation, if only to humor me. I leave you with just one of the many quotable quotes from one of the best movies of last year... "Life is about what you love, not what loves you, I learned that a long time ago."

Grade: A

Movie Review - XXX
For the first time in a while, my expectations of a movie actually closely resembled what I got out of it. Many could say that a film like this one is innocous and harmless, but my biggest problem is that it perpetuates a recent trend that is becoming all the more prevalent in Hollywood. The shorter the cut, and the faster the action, the less time the audience has time to consider what they are actually watching. Don't give us time to think and we won't and we will accept everything we are watching. Many opinions of the movie I heard stated that the plot was razor thin, but that the action made what it lacked story wise. Well, what's the point of going then? If you want explosions, why don't you set your house on fire; it's a hell of a lot cheaper, and this way you might actually have some emotional investment in what's going on. Even the action scene were formulatic, the villian had the personality of a stapler, and even though many things were blowing up, at a very loud volume mind you, I still managed to almost fall asleep during it. Just in case you didn't know... I DON'T FALL ASLEEP DURING MOVIES! EVER! And when I wasn't sleeping, I sat there, completely tranced, with my jaw slightly agape. I felt like Malcom McDowell in "A Clockwork Orange," but thankfully, I had the ability to shut my eyes.

Vin Desiel has charisma, no denying that, and maybe someday he'll pick up a good script, but until then, we get crap, and then we get sequels to crap.

I'm all about escapism in films, but at least let it be entertaining escapism. "XXX" is for those who find Bond movies a little too intellectually stimulating, and that's not saying a lot.

I just can't wait to talk to R; I'm sure he's already added it to his collection, right in between "Godzilla" and "The Time Machine."

Grade: D

well i found the truth friend... let me whisper in your ear...
I'm still happy... how about you? ;-)

love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill... to me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny... won't you tell me, is that healthy baby?
Wow... what a night. I'll say that again... what a night. Why is it I always sit down to write when I want to go bed, and therefore, can't think or write properly.

I just want to hold onto this feeling, right now, put it in a bottle and store it for a rainy day. I remember this feeling, it fits like an old glove or some other cliched analogy. I'm glad I made the decisions I did.

I promise, not that anybody cares, that the movie reviews will be coming soon... I'm so behind.

Lewis Black: hilarious.

Porno Party: interesting, disgusting, and awkward, but a complete stitch.

The past few hours: priceless.

Sorry, I had to... I refuse to overanalyze this because there is just no need to. Let the pieces fall where they may. Right now, I'm happy, and that's all that matters.

please send me anything but signals that are mixed... cause I can't read your rolling eyes... out of touch, are we out of time?
I'm still confused, but I try not to think about it too much.

I'm filling my day. I like being busy.

If you spend enough time with a person(s) you start picking up some of their attitudes and eccentricities. It's healthy I suppose, but it takes adjusting.

I just realize everything I just wrote in the preceding paragraph falls under the "bloody obvious" category, but screw it, this train is full speed ahead.

But still, what was all that? Nothing, I'm sure, but it's that damned scrap of doubt that sits in my head, lying dormant until I choose what I want to do with it. Pitch it, or keep it around for a rainy day?

You think I'd have something useful and thought-provoking to write after tonight... but I got nada.

According to Mike, the tables have turned again. Disco IS dead, and love is alive and kicking... woohoo!

That is all.

i want to fuck you like an animal, i want to feel you from the inside...
ElentariMalore (11:53:23 AM): snerk. nah. i don't care. i live more :oP or, whatever.
TaoMan1121 (11:54:00 AM): you "live" more?
ElentariMalore (11:54:39 AM): yeah...i spend more hours awake. so technically. i live more...
TaoMan1121 (11:55:09 AM): so... then, when i'm sleeping, i'm "technically" dead? is that what you are telling me?
ElentariMalore (11:55:20 AM): yes. yes i am.
TaoMan1121 (11:56:07 AM): ok... nice to see the nice people in P.R. are making sure you are getting a rich and accurate education :-D
ElentariMalore (11:57:07 AM): ahhh....nevermind. my breath is minty

at first I was afraid, I was petrified. i kept thinking i could never live without you by my side. but then i spent so many nights just thinking how you've done me wrong and i grew strong...
I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and goshdarnit, people like me.

But seriously, I'm strong. Yes, I have my weak, self-pity moments, who doesn't, but I'm too mature and I've been surrounded by too much love to be "fucked up."

I just watched Moulin Rouge, I think that, along with other factors, is contributing to this mood. I refuse to let anything stand in the way of my beliefs... that movie is how I view life, no matter what my mood is.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn... is just to love... and be loved in return." - Moulin Rouge

P.S. I don't live through movies, but they are a means of expression and a means of enlightment. Snapshots of life...

it's just no good since you went away. now i spend my time making up rhymes of yesterday...
I'm surrounded by psychos. In a way, I'm glad I'm back, it helps remind me that I am actually one of the more emotionally stable people I know... I just like to blow my problems up. The biggest problem being around such lunacy is that you most likely get sucked right into the middle of it. My one saving grace is my roommate, the eye of the storm... if I didn't have an emotionally stable roommate to keep things normal, the wheels would seriously come off this thing.

Movie Review - About Schmidt
Disclaimer: If you don't like challenging and offbeat movies, stay away. But if you have a wicked sense of humor and like to be suprised, make sure you catch this one.

Jack... is... back. Nicholson is at the top of his game with one of his best performances, and this movie is all his, and he runs away with it beautifully. I don't remember seeing a performance from him that was so fleshed out, offering a very personal look into the mind of Warren Schmidt.

One of the greatest criteria in making a good movie, in my opinion, is the ability to keep the audience guessing, an especially hard task for those who have seen a great deal of movies. But the great thing about Alexander Payne, whether or not his movies are good or bad, is that you never know what sharp turn the script will take next. You know where the movie is headed, but you have no idea how you are going to get there.

As I said, the film is not easy. Payne has no qualms showing things another director might be afraid to, and he certainly doesn't have a problem offering a close up of the said shot to make sure you absorb it. But I laughed my f'ing ass off, the characters are so colorful and eccentric (with the exception of the Hope Davis' turn as Schmidt's bratty little daughter), and the end has a upbeat and optimistic feel. There's a reason that Jack has so many statues on his mantle; he's the real thing, and he's been doing it for decades now.

Grade: A-

my heart is drenched in wine, but you'll be on my mind... forever
Oww... someone shoot me. I have stuff to do today, but this headache has infected my entire upper body. Gotta keep hydrated.

I love college... what a trip.

Grr...
It's amazing how easy we forget why we dislike people.

You know if you don't like a person, just tell them, don't wait for other people to tell you while they are in the process of making fun of you.

You know it's one thing to use someone... but it's quite another to use someone while you know that you are doing it.

I gotta write this down, because I don't want to bellyache and complain to anybody about it... I mean, I don't want to be accused of being a "whiny bitch" or anything.

What the fuck did I do to you? Just because things didn't go your way, it doesn't give you the right to hold it against me.

And screw you Western, and your godforsaken internet... you couldn't work just once, could you? That would be too easy... by the way, thanks for the computer usage Stef... appreciate it. :-)

On the more optimistic side, I'm back at school, and for better or worse, it's a relief.

There I'm spent.

Movie Review - Far From Heaven
So, I didn't have extremely high expectations or enthusiam going into this one, and it about lived up to those. Julianne Moore and Dennis Haysbert did offer up some good performances (this will probably be the year for Moore, one way or the other), but in the end I just didn't care enough.

One thing it had going for it was the obvious throwback to the Douglas Sirk melodramas of the 1950s, it had that feel all over it. Right down to the music, this movie could have been made in the year in was set in, if not for a few choice phrases and subject material that would have never flown back then, which is another of its strong points. Race relations and homosexuality, two still very relevant issues dealt with in a convincing period piece.

Todd Haynes directed, and I've never seen, let alone heard of any of his other films. One thing going for him is he does know how to end a scene at just the right time, right at the height of suspence, but just before it's overkill.

So looking it over it's strong points, it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it just seemed they were being melodramatic without really having a reason to be. By the ending,I was thinking, "Yeah, but why do I care?"

Ryan broke the antenna off his phone just before it started. The worst part is it was a fixed one, so it didn't even extend. I mean "WTF?"

And to the annoying, ignorant woman sitting behind us tonight... get a f'ing clue and shut your trap. I hate moviegoers who have don't have any concept of what's going on.

Grade: B-

Well me and Sloppy Joe got married. We got six kids and we're doing just fine... down in Lunchlady Land.
OK, people, please tell me if anybody else out there has had this happen to them... very frequently when I'm driving, street lights just randomly turn off. Tonight it was even weirder, I was driving down 44th St. by the mall and the stoplight just randomly went out. I mean, it would be one thing if they turned on instead of off; I could just blame it on motion sensors, but this is just freaky. And I realize the chances are good considering how many street lights I pass on a given day, but this happens more than it should. I must just exude some sort of powerful energy or something. :-)

and as for now, i'm gonna sit around and hear the saddest songs and sit alone and wonder how you're making out. and as for me, i wish i was anywhere with anyone, making out.... i hope you're as happy
I hope she's happy... I really honestly do. It took me a long time to get to that point, and one of the more productive things about being home for the past few weeks is it forced me to deal with it. I handled the news pretty decently, quite remarkable due to the fact of how jealous I can be when it comes to the opposite sex.

I miss her, and the situation, every once and a while, but it's become somewhat of a more distant memory, not something that burns constantly. I guess Ryan was right about me trying to supplement my loneliness... besides I have other endeavors to fill that hole with.

I need to go to Best Buy today and get some movies... why you ask? Because I don't have enough.

and it's wake up time... time to open up your eyes... and rise and shine.
So the Leed-man just left, oh, an hour or so ago... had another one of our "talks"... emotionally draining but i always enjoying a thought-provoking conversation, especially during this time of little mental stimulation that we call "break."

We talked about our relationships, past and present, and those of our friends... we came up with the fact that no matter what our life situation is, we (as an age group) never be content until we are, say, 40. well, basically i came up with that, and leeder agreed. drama is good though, it keeps the wheels greased and it's the only way things change.

I need to get back to school... I need distractions... I need to spend a few hours chatting in the hall followed by a couple episodes of MST3K on Andy's computer.

This year is going to be good, (the odds ones always are, it's like the Star Trek movies, only opposite numbers) one way or the other. it's all about attitude, and mine is renewed, yet the problem as always is i can't put that optimism in a bottle and keep it around, instead i usually just throw it out the window at the first sign of strife and the melodrama kicks back in... oh well, recognition is the first step in recovery, so they say...

but she's got a dark side too, even murdeous, but i love that, just like her. i don't have a chance at writing the book, i just want to be a page in jeannie's diary.
OK, so I give... this damn woohu thing is addicting as hell. damn you stefanie for getting me hooked. :-P i did respond to her concept of using it as an outlet to get all of "the crazies" out; i need a release for my issues. friends and family are all well and good, but there gets to a point where i just feel needy and pathetic always talking about my problems... besides, i would much rather listen to someone else's problems than listen to me whine about my own.

Y'all like this e.e. cummings lack of capitalization thing i'm trying? i lifted that from stefanie as well... thanks dear.

New Year's was good... had a decent turnout of 10 people, not nearly as big as last year's, and there was certainly A LOT less drama than last year, but it was still fun. of course, it helps when you are trashed... umm... yeah.

So i didn't get a kiss for the ball-dropping (that's dirty...), but i had texas toast, and i swear to god, it was almost as good. the saddest part is i think i actually believe that...

Thanks again to Sandra for saving me last night on the phone... thank goodness for people who know you well enough to predict your actions and save you from doing something you would regret. i'm making a bigger deal out of it than it needed, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless.

I must buy Trivial Pursuit, 20th anniversary edition... that game rocks.

Back to New Year's... no apology necessary for the no-show, stef, i was just frustrated with the inability to get a straight answer out of you... all you had to do was give me a call and tell me you weren't going to be able to make it. i figured you probably had people you've known longer you had to go see. oh well, as jeremy likes to say "i still love ya, always have!"

I think i've babbled on enough to... ::at a loss for an appropriate analogy:: i'm sure i'll be back later with more though... i literally have nothing better to do until next Sunday.