"[I]t takes extraordinary intelligence and discrimination and taste to use any theory in the arts, and that without those qualities, a theory becomes a rigid formula (which is indeed what is happening among auteur critics). The greatness of critics...may have something to do with their using their full range of intellignece and intuition, rather than relying on formulas. Criticism is an art, not a science, and a critic who follows rules will fail in one of his most important functions: perceiving what is original and important in new work and helping others to see."
~film critic Pauline Kael

Well, it's reading break and I figured now would be a good time to finally update my blog. I've been wanting to do a top ten list of my favourite movies from this past year...so here goes.
(note: these are the movies I enjoyed the most-not the best movies I saw last year' otherwise I'd have titles like United 93, which was a very well made film, but painful to watch. note also: though I love watching movies there are many titles that I have not seen, i.e. The Departed,)

1.) Pan's Laberynth
Bonnie and I saw this in theatres when it (finally) came to Hamilton. I had read about it in the Toronot indie papers and I was really stoked to see it. Going in I had the impression that it was primarily a fantasy film framed by the Spanish Civil War. So I was a little surprised to find that most of the movie's action takes place in "reality". This is not to say I was disappointed: the two layers of reality compliment each other quite well. Del Torro comments are cleverly revealed in the way he presents the fantasy world. One thing that I found particularly interesting was how I was more afraid for the protagonist while she was in the real world than when she was in the fantasy world. I could say so much more about this film...great direction (use of colour, camera movements & angles), the sound!, acting, story...everything was great. Oh and the fantasy sequences were amazing.
2.)The Prestige
A great movie for those who like their plots with a twist. Christopher Nolan knows how to pace a movie. All the actors were great...even David Bowie. It's coming out on DVD soon...so rent it
[I'll write more blurbs later...]
3.) Brick
4.) The Chumbscrubber
5.) Little Miss Sunshine
6.) Inside Man
(From here on the movies on my list could be qualified as "guilty pleasures")
7.) The Descent
8.) Crank
9.) The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
10.) Slither

honourable mention: V for Vendetta, Thank-you For Smoking, The Rocket

Hey, I'm back. Ahh...Christmas break. The RnR is much needed. Looking forward to curling up with a good mystery novel. When I get tired of that I have a couple comic books I've been saving. I just read a graphic novel called "Scene of the Crime" -quite good. I'm really getting into this whole genre.
Today Bonnie went downtown to the police station so Bonnie could get her police check for the YMCA. After that we went to Dr. Disc to purchase some new merchandise..."Exit" by k-os (his first album & hard to find!) as well as Danielson's "Ships". In the basement there I met Sean who moonlights as a DJ. He introduced me to UK Grime -interesting stuff...I like the way it mixes hip-hop with world music...sometimes the beat is really slow, but it's still quite intense: the rhymes are still in your face -rhyming in "double time" seems to intensify the MC's voice. To sample some Grime go to hostile.ca or go to the mixes link on Sean's profile at Soul Champion.

Ahh. I just finished my paper. I really enjoy this writing course. I get to write on whatever I want. The last paper I wrote compared Frank Miller's Dark Knight to Batman, as seen in the 1960s TV show. One of the perks to researching this topic was reading a whack-load of graphic novels. I started with Batman: Year One, and The Dark Knight Returns; and now I'm reading a lot of Sandman (courtesy of Shona) and Alan Moore (-Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). The graphic novel is such a cool medium! I think I'd like to try my hand at it...we'll see where that goes.

I finished writing my paper on horror movies. I argued that horror films provide a safe environment for people to wrestle with evil. Viewers wrestle with evil from within and without. I figure horror films provide a way to confront our shadow side and a way to confront more external forces of evil.
Sounds pretty serious...maybe I'll revisit the topic and think more about the comedic element in horror films (?)

So I'm writing a paper on why people watch horror films. It's a lot of fun so far. I've read some feminist criticism (...I always wondered why horror victims are generally half-naked women) and some really old books from the 60's with cheesy movie posters. I just took out a couple of books on faith and film...I wonder what they will say (?)
I've also decided that my research should include watching horror movies. So last night Bonnie and I rented Halloween, Carrie, and the original Dawn of the Dead. I also saw An American Werewolf in London recently, which I really liked -though it wasn't as bloody as I had hoped -err expected.
I'm interested in what it is about horror movies that attract people. I'm coming up with all sorts of answers. It's a fun topic.

AHHH!!!

















Well, the good news is I can see my boy crush more now.
(Here's a hint: he's getting married next month)

Hello? Is anybody still out there?
I'm sorry...my blog is boring right now. I'll post soon.
I'll even include some snazzy pictures.