Cleolinda everywhere

New Secret Life of Dolls thataway. And when you're done, here is the back story on [spoiler].

Meanwhile, I didn't quite grasp this fact the last time I mentioned it, but foresthouse is having her keratoconus eye surgery on Thursday, not some vague indefinite "soon." If you've ever wanted to send me money for writing about movies or dolls or linkspam or what have you--please think about sending it to her instead; her PayPal address is emilyesse @gmail .com (take out the spaces). I mean, there are so many of you here that five dollars would help, if you could. If you'd rather send me money, I'm dailydigest @yahoo .com (and I will turn around and give it to her). And foresthouse herself writesask_deadpool, she co-founded and works on the North American Discworld Convention (NADWCON), and she's my agent and she needs to be able to see to do these things and I don't know what else to do. Except "write faster," maybe.

... I've just now found out that my other grandmother is in the hospital after having been in a car accident. It sounds like she's going to be okay, but she did break some ribs, and they've put her in ICU because of her age.

What's that, Tiny Tim? You need a new crutch? I'm sorry, all I have tonight is linkspam. It's a lot of good stuff, but pretty much without commentary because I'm a little wrung out at the moment.

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I have a bad habit, when writing about a movie, to pick an issue I think is interesting and then discuss that. The problem is, if it's a new movie that people haven't really seen yet, they end up thinking that that's all that's in the movie. This time around, I got a lot of "What about tenderness and longing and needing to be accepted!" Having not seen the original (and yes, I really want to), I didn't know what I needed to mention in particular. Because, actually, I thought people would complain that Let Me In is too sentimental compared to Let the Right One In; there is a lot of longing, particularly on Abby's part (which is what people seemed to want to know), but also--well. Spoilers. So, since we had a really good discussion in the comments yesterday, I want to post some of the highlights of that and discuss some of those things: ( Spoilers for both movies )


I promise that when I see Let the Right One In, I'll come back and we'll discuss that as well. The thematic focus of the two movies seems different enough that I think we'll have a lot to discuss. (And no, I don't think Let Me In will knock it from the Great Horror Movie pantheon in any way. There's a reason I only use one tag whether I'm discussing the original or the new version.) The new one has sort of a golden, Spielberg-esque tone at times--the Two Kids In Love times--that I suspect differentiates it from the original, and probably weakens the impact a good bit--makes it a bit less haunting. But I did find myself thinking about Let Me In all night, which means it succeeds on a certain, important level. And even if you love the original, I think the new one's worth seeing for the very different take it has on the Abby/caretaker relationship, which is what I found myself thinking about the most.

Today's #leavingthehouseomg: The Social Network. See you around this evening.

I have to preface this by saying--well:

As the Lovely Emily, The Lovely Husband, and I walked out of the theater, and apparently one of her husband's friends was near us, because he shouted out to him, "So you guys just saw Let the Right One In [sic] too?" They talked about it a little back and fort as we crossed the street, and the guy ended with, "I think if you hadn't seen the original, you'd really like this," the guy said. I raised my hand and waved triumphantly: "And that's why I didn't!"

The thing is, I was dying to see it. It actually played here at the Sidewalk Film Festival before it opened wide. I didn't get to see it, though, and I heard they screwed up the DVD subtitles by only vaguely translating the dialogue, so I was going to wait for a proper DVD to come out (as promised after an outcry. Check the product info/DVD case for "theatrical subtitles"). And then I heard about the American version going into production, and I thought, you know, I really like what Matt Reeves did with Cloverfield. I'd like to see what he does with this, but without the original--which will inevitably be better--peering over my shoulder the whole time. So, you know what? I'll set that aside until the new one comes out, and that way I have a chance at liking both of them. So it was killing me to wait, but that's why I did. Regrettably, I found out pretty much the entire plot in the meantime, to the point where I'm watching Let Me In going, "Oh, this is going to be the scene where [spoiler spoilers spoiler]!" So even today, I didn't go in as a blank slate. But I at least didn't have the memory of the original movie haunting this one and--seriously, you guys, I feel awful that I haven't seen the original. At the same time, however, I also have the opportunity to give you a perspective that fans of the original can't.

OKAY. ALL THAT ASIDE. What I was surprised to realize about halfway, maybe two-thirds of the movie, is that Let Me/The Right One In is about... child abuse. ( Major spoilers; possibly upsetting if you have triggers )


ETA: Something I'd like to go back and mention, about the "longing to be accepted" theme of the original, which also has additional implications for Owen.

Did get some work today. Spent the morning... mathing.  ( NUMBERS, HOW DO THEY WORK )

Linkspam! ( Full Alien or Predator costume required )

Quick public service announcements: "As a lawyer, I think Facebook is the worst company in the world": The secret link to delete your account; Facebook Isn’t Private, and 7 Other Things You Should Know; Vox is closing down.

From brandied_plum: "The theatre I usher at (which does live stage shows as well as movies and is 95 years old) is up for a $25,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and I'm appealing to the people of the internets to help us win, and I know we'd reach a lot more people with your help."

Linkspam:

Bessemer native and "Beetlejuice" actor Glenn Shadix dies following a fall in his condo. 


Let's have something cheerful: ( The origin of fangirling )

SO MANY THINGS TO DO

I NEED MORE HOURS

Please, a warm welcome for rollfizzlebeef, aka Mark who Reads Harry Potter, joining us back on the previous entry. Also, pegkerr notes that the blog is syndicated at markreadshp, which may be easier to follow.

IMPORTANT: How to Disable Facebook Places: "If you're not convinced that posting your location can be a bad thing, check out PleaseRobMe for some evidence. Of course, if you're careful, check-ins aren't inherently a bad thing. Whether or not you want to disable them is entirely up to you, but Facebook—yet again—has made the assumption that you want to take part in all of their privacy-eroding new features."

Linkspam! ( Read more... )

I feel compelled to tell you a few things:

We have a new official reboot-from-the-beginning Spider-Man, and apparently he is an incredibly talented English actor who is... 27 years old. Behold: First Pictures of Andrew Garfield at the Spider-Man Press Announcement; How Old Will Andrew Garfield Be When the Next Spider-Man 3 Comes Out? Meanwhile, swsa found this picture of Andrew Garfield with Robert Pattinson and--who is that? When in doubt, Tom Sturridge? Let me tell you, people, I think RPattz has finally been out-haired. And he looks like he knows it, too, in a smug "Yeah, you have fun being The Guy With The Hair now, hope you enjoy having it pulled out by the fistful" way. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IS ON THAT KID'S HEAD. Animal, mineral, vegetable? Whatever it is, it is full of secrets.

( MOAR LINKSPAM )


More importantly, EDWARD CULLEN CAT--




--HAS A HOME. THIS IS THE DANCE WE DANCE WHEN WE DANCE FOR RESCUED CATS. He hasn't been to it yet, but snowcoma has been visiting him at the pet store and is finalizing the adoption process. A process I find a bit amazing, by the way, given that you could have gotten in and out of the store in ten minutes or less if you bought a cat off the shelf (uh. As it were). She says that Edward Cat is incredibly sweet, and that her mother is really looking forward to having him. And that she will take PICTURES for us. I cannot wait for happycat pictures, let me tell you.

So tired. Did not sleep at all last night, between the rainstorm and the cramps (again: you needed to know this, I'm sure). Headache now. The kind of long day where nothing actually gets done. Did see my doctor for a medicine check; we're going to raise the Lamictal from 150 to 200 (but leave the other two meds alone). And that was the target dose she thought would be best in the end, so I guess we're finally going to work up to that; it was originally (or primarily?) an anti-seizure drug, so what it's supposed to do is help the bipolar cycle even out. I just know that increasing that particular drug too quickly in the past sent me into a deep tailspin, so I'm going to have to be on the lookout for that. The thing is, I went into a dark patch this spring anyway, so the worst case scenario is that I go into another one--one that I'm expecting and watching for--and the best is that I don't, and it helps regulate the mood cycling better.

Also, there is no chocolate in the house. This vexes me. Thus, in this spirit of sleep-deprived vexation, I bring you a smattering of linkspam that might or might not provoke more discussion than usual, I don't know.

Headshots of the four main Airbender actors in costume. DO NOT SNIPE AT EACH OTHER IN THE COMMENTS OR I WILL PULL THIS JOURNAL OVER AND COME BACK THERE. I'VE DONE IT BEFORE, I'LL DO IT AGAIN.

Emma Watson on the scene I always think of as Voldemort Ships H/Hr: "I'm going to end up kissing both of [the boys] in the last film. Ugh, it's horrible." But! Emma Watson had the hots for Tom Felton.

Meanwhile: LA Times: Michael Gambon "Sees No Point in Reading" Harry Potter Books by JK Rowling. Maybe I'm crazy, but I love the Gambledore. I'm not saying he's Perfect Exact Book Dumbledore; I'm just saying I love him.

Danny Huston Takes the Crown in 'Robin Hood.' Aw, I love him! I feel kind of warm and fuzzy now.

A major deleted death scene from the director's cut DVD of Watchmen. ... a little less fuzzy now.

What Does Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Green Lantern’ Role Mean For ‘Deadpool’ Movie?

TCM's 'Summer Under the Stars' Posters are Phenomenal.

With ‘True Blood,’ HBO Revives Its Fortunes.

Kodi Smit-McPhee Might Be Oskar in the 'Let Me In' Remake.

'The Wolfman' Gets Down On All Fours: "Rumors of reshoots have been dogging the Wolf Man movie for months. Now we know the truth: instead of paying homage to the original film, the film-makers have reshot key scenes to put Benicio Del Toro on all fours. [...] And then he faces off a much fiercer CG-ed up werewolf. Yes that's right the crew that made a movie based on the Wolf Man now think the Wolfman is lame and did bounding reshoots, so the Wolf Man could be scarier and face off with a werewolf."

Everything Wrong with the Internet in One Gaming Banner Ad Campaign [Badvertising].

Oh my God, I am so behind on everything and I pulled a leg muscle moving boxes yesterday so I took some Aleve and a nap late this afternoon and I woke up feeling loopy and tireder and I kind of arrgh. So I have a number of things to get to, but I think I'm going to mention them tomorrow so they don't get lost in the shuffle.

(Happy clouds. Peaceful, happy clouds.)

And happy birthday to sweetdragon (Dayna at Made of Fail)!

Linkspam: ( Read more... )

First of all: Downloads of the third Half-Blood Prince trailer.

Two unconnected musical thoughts:

As soon as I became aware that Katy Perry (the singer I love to hate. GET OUT OF MY HEAD, "HOT N COLD." "N" IS NOT EVEN A REAL CONJUNCTION) did a cover of The Outfield's "Your Love" ("Use Your Love"), I had to hunt it down, because "Your Love" is one of my top umpteen songs ever. EVER. Shit, I would give any cover of "Your Love" at least one shot. Except that I started listening to it and I immediately got pissed off that the lyrics were changed for no appreciable reason. I mean, yes, there are a couple of lines near the beginning that you'd have to change, unless you, as a female performer Miss I Kissed a Girl, want to sing about how you like your girls a little bit older (honestly? If I were singing this in a karaoke or Rock Band situation, I'd do it, Josie and her vacation and everything). HOWEVER: let us compare (cover lyrics in bold): ( All my girls are nowhere to be found? WHAT? )

Sigh.

Secondly, there was an awesome song over the credits of the last episode of True Blood, and my understanding is that it's Dr. John's "I Don't Wanna Know" (actual spelling might vary, I'm not sure). Does anyone have it? Because I can't find it anywhere; I can't even figure out what album it might be on.

Anyway: linkspam! ( First you need to buy genitals )