(55) PostSecret

PostSecret done! Meant to post about this earlier, but forgot. There isn't really much to say about it, for obvious reasons. I thought it'd be tough to come up with this, but it wasn't too bad. I meant to take a picture of me dropping the postcard off in the mailbox, but forgot my camera that day. :(

(54) Movie List

Reservoir Dogs

I can't believe I hadn't seen this all the way through until recently. Then again, I still haven't seen a good amount of Tarantino movies. I can say with certainty that I have definitely developed a much wider appreciation for movies these days. Chris is a total movie addict (he even agreed to it earlier today!) so I've seen tons of movies I never would have otherwise. But anyway, on to Reservoir Dogs....

This was pretty amusing overall, but not really knowing what to expect, I was kind of hoping they'd actually show the bank robbery scene, but if I remember correctly, they only spoke of it. Other than that, it had plenty of twists and action to keep me interested. It almost went too far during the cop interrogation scene, but I normally don't have a problem with gore so other than making a few 'grossed out' faces, it was fine. :) I'm a fan of Buscemi as well as Tim Roth (I need to watch "Four Rooms" again soon) so they made up for any lack of amusement I may have had, which I don't think was often.

While it was a good movie, I don't think I could watch it too often. Unlike "Usual Suspects" or say "Pulp Fiction", there's not as much to catch a second or third time around so if someone wants to watch it, that's fine, but I won't actively seek it out for a while.

Wall-E

First of all, I'll start by saying I have an issue with roaches so picking out the picture above was a little out of the norm for me. I can't look at roach anatomy without being grossed out. I can watch "Reservoir Dogs" just fine, but "Wall-E"s roach grossed me out - the math just doesn't add up. :) But I guess it makes sense that a roach is one of the lone survivors on earth.

Anyway, this was an absolutely CUTE movie and there was definitely something for everyone. There was very little talking in the beginning, but there was so much to take in and so much almost childish interaction between Wall-E and his surroundings, it was fine. It's kind of like in "Castaway" where there was almost no talking, but this was done better...and shorter. The animation was, as expected, absolutely incredible and the whole plot was solid. I'm trying to think of things to say that stood out, but honestly, the whole movie was just fantastic. It was funny, suspenseful, relatively realistic (both the plot and the animation)...it fully entertained and sent a positive message. :)

Amadeus

Having learned to play/read music at a very young age (piano at 4, flute at 10), I've developed a deep sense of appreciation for classical music. There are definitely pieces that will put me to sleep, I won't deny that, but it still never ceases to amaze me how people can write music and on top of that, compose that into various parts. It blows my mind to have 15 different components of the same melody already mapped out into different instruments or parts. Anyway, I think you get the idea that I'm impressed with composers. :)

I hadn't seen this movie in several years and had forgotten that this was from the early 80's. I picked this movie before realizing it was both the director's cut and therefore 3 hours long (the non-director's cut was "only" 2 hours and 40 minutes). The director's cut adds a little more depth to the story and also makes the movie rated R vs the original PG, but in all honesty, it should have been PG-13 at the most. In any case, this movie highlighted the struggles Mozart went through to get his music known and then the problems with money, his reputation and wife even after having fame and fortune. The acting was great all around and as you've probably already watched the video above, the laugh (based on written accounts of his "chortle") served for some great comic relief.

The plot wasn't all from fact, but hey, you've got to have some artistic license to make the movie more enjoyable and flowing. If it was purely based on fact, it would not have won 8 Academy Awards. It really magnified the beautiful process of creating music and it just had me in awe the whole movie. If you have any appreciation or taste for classical music, I would definitely recommend this movie. If anything, Tom Hulce's laugh will make it all worth it. :)

(74) Mile without stopping

I finally did it! Sure, it's not as fast as I would've liked, but I really had to push myself at this point so it counts. I haven't been to the gym consistently for maybe 3-4 months, I went twice last week (both days on the elliptical) and I've gone Mon-Wed this week (all three days on the treadmill). Tonight, I walked .15 mile and then pushed myself to continue at a solid avg of 4.4 mph to get to 1.15 miles (repeating the song 3-4 times).

I think I need to find a new song though...maybe I'll go through the hundreds of songs I have to find ones at similar speeds. And if you're curious what song I currently (over)use, it's "Corner of the Earth" by Jamiroquai (my favorite musician ever). Here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure:



And now, time for some food before I pass out!