Well, that week flew by.

I'm not going to bother trying to catch you up on everything but if you missed it, I did review Tim Burton's Alice and Wonderland, over on the Medianook. I've also been failing to find the time to finish the review I started of Up in the Air, which we saw in a double feature with The Hurt Locker last weekend.

Also in the mix was Kiddo's birthday party, for which I baked and decorated 20 cupcakes (not from scratch, but close enough) -- the birds and butterflies are paper on toothpicks and they match the liners (both by Wilton).

The remainder of my evenings have been spent fighting the stupid timechange and trying to find my way around Drupal 6 since Hubby was kind enough to upgrade my FrugalVictoria site (that was still stuck back in version 4.7)

Work has been crazy busy -- we are almost done scanning and uploading the backlog of theses (we have about 60 remaining out of about 400 when we started focusing on them in November), we snuck in a side-project that turned out to be really interesting (I'll post the link as soon as it's officially "live" -- hint: it's related to the Abbey Theatre in Ireland) and we are trying to finish our other outstanding projects while shoehorning in another rush and... well, you get the idea. Busy.

a change in course may be required

I think I may have come to the end of my fascination with the end of the world. At least I think I need a break from it. We saw The Road on Thursday evening -- at times, I could not even watch the screen it depressed and infuriated me so much. I told Hubby on leaving the theatre, "if it comes to a time where all vegetation has been destroyed, I'm out."

Honestly, I think it's the first time I've left feeling anything other than "entertained" by an apocalyptic film and that's saying something because I've seen a lot of them -- several in the last year alone, including Knowing, 2012, Daybreakers, and Zombieland.

I spent my teen years convinced our world would be obliterated by the exchange of nuclear warheads between the US and the USSR, with Canada being collateral damage in the middle. By the time I was in university, the Cold War was drawing to a close and the hands of the Doomsday Clock were drawn back. I relaxed a little. Sure, I was still convinced we were going to hell in a handbasket but not at full speed.

However, since 9/11 (and OMG, how I hate that phrase, but I promise I am using it only in a historical context here) Hollywood has been pulling out the stops, greenlighting movies that forecast the future, however bleak. Sure, they still crank out the mindless fare, but I've always considered fluff not worthy of big-screen viewing. Maybe I've got it all backwards. Maybe I need more Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock.

So bring on the happy, Hollywood, I think I'm going to stop paying for the gloom.

thoughts over tea

I'm sitting here enjoying a cup of tea as I type (basic orange pekoe, Salada, I think), reflecting on a busy weekend.

Friday night was pizza and a movie (date night -- we went to see Daybreakers). We almost gave up when we got to the theatre; a combination of the credit union debit card system being down across BC and the armies of people buying tickets for Avatar (when we arrived at 7, all showings up to 10:30 were sold out; by the time we left, it was sold out until sometime on Saturday) the line-ups stretched almost to the parking lot. We persevered though and saw the movie which, I am not sure was worth the full admission price (now up to $11.50).

Saturday started off nice and lazy but worked up to a small panic when we realized the dryer was no longer working (after weeks of the washing machine limping along, I never guessed the dryer would give up first). We have purchased a new set and are awaiting their delivery later in the week.

We also found time to see another movie on Saturday, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (whole family, at Cinecenta -- btw, you need to check out their new website, it seriously rocks) -- which was better than I had been expecting.

Today, while Hubby helped a friend film a short subject, Kiddo and I went shopping (with a purpose -- she needs some boots with heels for riding). We struck out at the mall (in all of Mayfair there were only two places selling kids shoes in her sizes and neither had anything close to appropriate footwear) and after some consideration, decided to bus into town to check Value Village -- I should have checked there first! We found two pairs of short boots (but with the right heels, hooray!) and a few other things that, together, cost less than one pair of boots new would have cost, even on sale. Yay!

Two Great Things

Quite by accident today, I found two great pop culture things on the internet. One is relatively new -- discovered through Darren Barefoot's blog -- and one goes back a long way -- discovered by searching for "The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll" on archive.org.

The former is a series of video essays collectively called The Evolution of the Modern Blockbuster. This series is fantastic for anyone who was paying attention in the 80s. It contrasts two summers: the peak of Reagan's America in 1984 and the building unease with consumer culture and subsequent rise of Generation X's distaste for Boomer ideologies in 1989. Each segment is about 8 minutes long and is very much worth your time -- if only for the nostalgia factor.

The latter is my New Favourite Thing, a radio program called Crap from the Past (I kid you not). Basically, it is made for me -- pop songs that span the full spectrum of classic to oh-my-god-where-did-you-find-that?? It runs on public radio in St. Paul, Minnesota and the archive has shows all the way back to 1992, pretty much 52 shows a year. That's a lot. However, I fell in love with it immediately when I opened the show for September 4th and found a playlist that included Barenaked Ladies, Styx, Harlequin, Chris DeBurgh, Howard Jones, and Big Pig (the song featured is Breakaway but I think I was one of about a dozen people across North America that once owned the whole album).

Each show is about 90 minutes and is split into three parts. I listened to several shows at work today and apparently, it was exactly what I needed because I got a lot of really tedious work done.

on spoilers....

I'm glad I was ambivalent about seeing The Time Traveller's Wife before I watched Rachel McAdams spoil pretty much every possible plot point in her brief interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show last night. I hadn't read the book, despite it being recommended to me by oodles of people, and now I doubt I will bother. Thanks a bunch, Rachel.

Spoilers, in general, really irk me. Way back in the 80s, someone spoiled the big plot twist in Empire Strikes Back and I've worked hard to avoid them in most cases ever since.

Of course, there are times when I will seek the spoilers -- when M. Night Shyamawhosits' The Happening came out, I had already grown tired of his "suprise twist endings" and actively searched for the spoiler**. I didn't find it right away, but I did find something likely, so Hubby happily blogged it.

**yes, this links to the real spoiler -- a full plot summary that reveals everything you ever wanted to know about The Happening.

If you aren't bothered by spoilers, you might find this Threadless t-shirt amusing:

Little creatures with great power

This video is one of 10 shortlisted as part of NFB/Cannes ShortFilmCorner...



It reminds me a lot (in tone and texture) of 9....



...an Oscar® nominated short film that Tim Burton is making into a feature film to be released on 09/09/09. Clever.

home today...

Took a sick day. Just a basic head/chest cold again but I am too foggy to focus at work and with all the swine flu panic, my coworkers were giving me pretty wide berth yesterday. Instead, I am reading through newsfeeds... and playing games on Facebook... and watching Donnie Darko (we bought The Director's Cut last weekend).

A couple of stories that amused me:

• Ferris Bueller's Criminal Day Off: a discussion of felonies and other misdemeanors committed by Ferris and his friends.
• Will real pirates kill fun pirates? Are the Somali troublemakers going to put an end to Talk Like a Pirate Day?
• Make jam, not cream cheese. Costing out of various staples, home-made versus store-bought.
  

It's the first time in a long time that I've seen Donnie Darko. I remember being really impressed by it but there was so much I'd forgotten. It's an odd film... but our collection is full of odd, haunting, similar-feeling films: Final Destination, Butterfly Effect, Waking Life, and of course Southland Tales, another Richard Kelly film. There are aspects of the typical teen outcast film but those are largely overshadowed by meditations on philosophy, time travel, the existence of god, literary theory, good versus evil, human nature, and redemption. Yeah, there's a lot of layers in that movie.

Movie and Maple Syrup

Friday night, the three of us went out to see Coraline (in 3D) -- my only beef was the extra $4 each we had to pay for the 3D glasses; the movie was fine. If you're curious, I posted a full review at the MediaNook.

Today, we decided to actually take in one of the events I regularly post on FrugalVictoria -- the Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival at the BC Forest Discovery Centre north of Duncan. I actually had no idea you could tap Big Leaf Maples which are native to the region -- I thought all maple syrup came from Sugar Maples. Nifty.*

We watched a tapping demonstration -- someone actually drilled a hole in a tree, hammered in a plastic spout and attached a 15L wine bag with some tubing (unlike the traditional bucket-under-the-spout method which offers a healthy dose of bugs along with the sap). We checked on the bag about an hour later and there was a good amount of sap already collected, maybe a litre or two. Of course it takes about 45L of sap to get 1L of syrup -- which explains why those litres were selling for $20 each.

However, after tasting several varieties, we happily bought three bottles from local farms and families, and continued with our visit. We rode the train, explored the grounds, and let kiddo run off some steam at the playground. Then we headed into Duncan for lunch (at a great little hole-in-the-wall diner) before heading home.

---

* Turns out Bigleaf Maple tapping is pretty new to the Island and the subject of recent research at UVic, too. What I find most interesting is that the industry could actually increase biodiversity in the region because the trees are often seen as a "pest species" and are specifically removed. By proving their value, these trees may be saved.

A nice mellow night

peg_girl
Originally uploaded by triviaqueen

After work, we went out for dinner. The plan was to go to Nautical Nellies.... but I had completely forgotten about the Victoria Dragonboat Festival starting tonight so the area was stupidly busy. Time for plan B! Hubby suggested Santiago's in James Bay instead -- success! We got one of the last available tables and had a lovely meal.... and dessert (they do a mean deep-fried cheesecake!)

Kiddo showed us her climbing skills after the meal, folding herself in around the pegs on this kiosk. After that it was off to Pic-A-Flic for some rental goodness. Four hours later and we are watching the finish of Superbad, following Death at a Funeral -- Kiddo watched The Game Plan upstairs before drifting off to a late bedtime.

There are boxes in the van and we'll get to them tomorrow. :)

ZOMG! Christopher Nolan is my hero, for real!

Seriously. The Dark Knight kicked every other movie's backside around several blocks.

We saw the 3:30 showing and when we came out, the line to go in to the 7:00 (and later) showings was all the way around the theatre -- an honest-to-god blockbuster; something I haven't seen in a very, very long time (in fact, I think the last time I saw that happen was for the godforsaken metachlorian-riddled Episode One). The difference this time, is that the people in line today will not be disappointed.

As amazing as Heath Ledger's performance is (oh, yeah, you can believe that hype) -- and his is not the only buzz-worthy performance -- but Nolan's script is the unseen star. Nolan really understands how to instill fear in an audience. I don't want to build it up too much, but it was certainly the best movie I have seen in a while (the only other movie that comes close -- and it is in a different league -- is In Bruges which actually did the impossible: it made me appreciate Colin Farrell as an actor).

Go see it, then come back and comment -- I'd love to know what you think.

"No, Mister Bond, I expect you to die."

 

"No, Mister Bond, I expect you to die."
Originally uploaded by triviaqueen

Of the many scenarios Kiddo creates daily, one caught my eye. She said it was a tanning bed with an artificial light. I said, "Oh, I thought it was some sort of James Bond laser thingy."

As soon as I put the idea in her head, Kiddo scuttered off and immediately rearranged the scene, finding a Bond-like minifig and pointing the laser at his chest.

(I would say it was racial memory, but I didn't seeGoldfinger until she was 6 years old.)

As you can imagine, I thought this was several layers of wonderful.

these thoughts have no common thread

I have been very aware of my dream-state lately -- by this I mean that in my dreams I am aware that I am dreaming. I don't know if this "means" anything and I don't really care much, it's just odd, though it used to happen a lot more when I was younger. The oddest example lately was last weekend where I was dreaming that the power had gone out and thought, "Hmm, I should wake up and check if the power's out." (It wasn't.)

***

Tonight, Hubby and I are planning to take in two movies in the theatre (one after the other in the same complex) because there are several we want to see... it's been a long while since we've tried to pull that trick (not since the days of going to the Roxy, pre-kiddo). Anyway, we should be taking in one superhero film and one adult comedy; reviews will follow.

***

Being between terms, the library itself is quiet these days, though there are many changes in the wings for staff so rumors are flying and things could get a bit hairy. I am bracing myself accordingly.

***

For those of you keeping track, we are still waffling on the house-hunting issue, there are so many factors to consider including the fact that the most recent "average" house price in Victoria hit a new record high of just over $650K (to be fair, the median is somewhat lower at $558K) and we really don't relish the thought of spending over half a million dollars for a house. Sigh.

I did take a peek at this house; the price is a bit higher than we'd like, but the house seemed ideal, until I realized there was virtually no yard, save for a stretch in the front, right along a main road. (It also needs a lot of updating -- the current owners have a style that would send most HGTV hosts into some sort of fit or fugue. In fact, I think there may be Astroturf® in the kitchen.)

***

Last night I pulled out all my beading stuff, sorted it, then put it away again because I wasn't ready to settle in for a beading session, which usually end up taking me several hours. Still, I was feeling the need to make something, so I whipped up a little "sunny side up" pincushion. While I like the design, overall, I need to work on the detailing.

So long to the Vic Theatre....

Without much warning, the Vic Theatre closed its doors for good after last night's show. Up until then, the Vic had been running films that often wouldn't show up elsewhere on a first-run basis -- largely art-house and foreign films. Before it was re-born as the Vic, it was the Towne Theatre which was notorious in the 70s for showing "adult" films. It even had seats that reclined... and I suspect staff had to clean more than popcorn and candy off the floor.

Of course there is still Cinecenta, the little theatre in the Student Union building, where you can sometimes catch a foreign film or small-budget art-house shows. Unfortunately they often show for one-night-only, which doesn't work well in today's on-demand world. I actually thought you had to be a "member" to get into Cinecenta, but their website says otherwise.... so I guess the Vic wasn't quite the last public single-screen theatre in Victoria.

Some of you may also be crying, "What about the Roxy, eh?" but they only run second-run features. Since changing owners a few months back, The Roxy has been slowly renovating, starting by calling themselves "Roxy Classic Theatre" instead of the "Roxy Cinegog" but they are still charging only $5 for two movies. Happily, they are also running kids' films and other matinées on the weekends for $2.50 now.

Really, though, Victoria does OK for diversity. Empire Theatres Capitol 6 screens downtown regularly show Indian (Hindi) cinema and the University 4 usually has one art-house type flick on the go. Even the grumpy old Odeon (Cineplex) has been known to bring in smaller films and now Silver City is featuring Opera along side WWE and Hockey events on the big screen.

Even so, I hope someone can come up with a viable business plan for the Vic; it would be a shame to lose the space all together. Maybe if I win that million-dollar lottery....

Not all films age well....

Turner Classic Movies seems to be on a Jack Lemmon binge of late -- fine with me, as he has graually become one of my favourite actors to watch. Of course, not all of his roles were as watchable as those in The Apartment (1960) or The Odd Couple (1968).

Yesterday, I watched Phffft (1954) and today, Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963). Of the two, Phfft is the more watchable, but that's not saying much (it is kind of like comparing white bread to dinner rolls).

Phffft is a "romantic farce" that opens with divorce, follows with how the couple met, and continues with how the couple really were meant to be together. (I'll let you guess how it all works out in the end.) Overall, Phffft is harmless fun which, despite its predictability, is entertaining thanks to good performances all around.

Under the Yum Yum Tree is one of the most sexist and dated comedies I've seen. Lemmon plays a creepy stalkerish landlord who only rents units in his complex to single women. And yet... I couldn't stop watching the trainwreck of a film.

What struck me about both films was their outdated look at relationships. While Phffft's version of events now looks quaint, Under the Yum Yum Tree seems insulting because it's hard to believe the situation could ever have come up.

.

Recap....

1. Butchart Gardens is still an underwhelming experience. The weirdest thing was that the grounds were eerily sterile; I saw almost no insects... no butterflies... no bees... very weird. I did get plenty of photos, but I stand by my review that it just isn't worth the long drive and the high entrance cost. Visitors can see just as much by going to other gardens in town (I'd start by recommending the Abkhazi gardens and the Government House grounds.)

2. Stardust is thoroughly entertaining. I recommend seeing it on the big screen.

3. Another one of my photos has been chosen for the UVic homepage this week. (This isn't quite as prestigious as it sounds... the photo is thumbnail sized at the bottom of the page... you have to scroll to see it. Still... I am pleased about it.)

... see, down there in the lower right...



... here's the photo...

Happy Easter.

There's been plenty of bunny lovin' on campus lately...
I expect baby bunnies by the bucketful very soon.

Aside from kiddo's lightning-speed Easter Egg hunt, it's been a mellow morning. Hubby has been trying to wrangle Frugal Victoria on to the new server, and I've been lazing around enjoying coffee.

Yesterday, the weather was not agreeable for a day outside, so we went to see a movie instead: Meet The Robinsons (which I hope to review in full on Medianook later...), which was a fine way to spend an afternoon.

This morning, there is a little window of cloudy-but-not-pouring-rain so we are about to head out to the park. Yesterday afternoon there was a little window too, but not enough to make us want to pack out to the park.... instead I got some photos in our garden:

Hope you're having a pleasant weekend.

Weird Weekend..

Friday night, we watched I Bury the Living on TCM Underground. Great film; very Twilight Zone feel to it; I recommend watching it if you can find it.

Saturday was Kiddo's birthday party; it went well despite being underattended (only two of the 6 invitees showed) and getting some bad news (a death) just as things were getting underway. She still managed to have a good time (thankfully) and after we cleared things up, we watched Cars, which was one of her gifts.

Today, we totally forgot (more like blocked out and refused to accept) the time change... so we got up at 8:30 which was supposed to be 9:30 and my Mom was due here at 10 ish to pick up kiddo for lunch out. It all worked out and while she was out with Mom and my Aunt, hubby made a housecall (work related) and I hauled our laundry to the laundromat. We had a mellow afternoon and evening... kiddo and I baked cookies for her to share with her friends at school tomorrow.

After she was in bed, hubby braved the torrential rain to go rent a movie. He brought home Tideland, Terry Gilliam's latest weirdness.... it was disturbing and creepy and I didn't hate it... but I sure wouldn't recommend it without a lot of caution. Parts of it parallel the fantastic Pan's Labyrinth, but of course it's Gilliam (though it is based on a novel of the same name) so it all gets very, very strange. I should write a full review but I need to sleep on it, I think.

Hoarding, Headache, Happenstance, Horror, and Hometown.

Went out shopping this morning -- did the Langford thing: Glenwood Meats (I cannot say enough good things about the service and the high quality of meats here), Costco (big boxes, big portions, big billlz), Market on Millstream/Michaels, and Harveys Burgers in the Home Depot for lunch. Mmmmm

Problem was, even before getting home, I had a headache. It just kept getting worse... and making me grouchy. I tried napping but I wasn't tired -- just miserable.

After dinner, I curled up in bed** and discovered to my amusement that AMC was running the Independent Spirit Awards (yay!). I'm pretty sure some of the winners were wearing sneakers -- one was wearing jeans under a swanky dress -- and where else could you hear Minnie Driver singing "I blew a giant frog to smithereens; I've got his golden key" to the tune of Brand New Key?

After the Spirit Awards wrapped, the next movie happened to be The Exorcist -- which I've never seen but am watching now; on the heels of having watched Child's Play (another iconic horror film not previously seen) last night. I'm watching the Exorcist while at my computer and with all the lights on -- and this is the way I watch most horror movies, otherwise I get sucked into the tension just a bit too easily... and I have to say, the effects at the end of Child's Play were lots of fun... the Exorcist a whole lot more creepy and I'm not even at the halfway mark.

Of course, since they are playing on AMC, there are also frequent (really frequent), repetitive interruptions -- including far too many repititions featuring Andrew W. Marlowe, writer of some serious Box Office crapola -- which lessens the tension greatly.

***

Later in the week, I am looking forward to taking in the 35th annual Be A Tourist in Your Own Hometown event... I've been to this event many, many times... it's changed a lot over the years and I stopped going at some point but now I have my own kid to take, it is more appealing.


**p.s. A big thanks to hubby for letting me curl up and hide when I needed it.
:)

Movie Monsters

Last week, hubby and I managed to see Pan's Labyrinth. You've probably seen Pan, the bluish creature with the big horns, in all the promos and while clearly they spent big bucks to make him real, the true monster in the film is a human. Whether you like your monsters human or otherworldly, I highly recommend the film; I also wrote a full review for The MediaNook.

... via Drawn! I direct you to the Ray Harryhausen Creature List. Oh, WOW. Not only are the creatures itemized, but clicking on its name brings up a short film clip of the creature in action.

... and while not quite monsters, the creatures in Michael Mills' classic NFB* animated short, Evolution (1971) are not of this earth either. I was happy to watch it in its entirety today on YouTube, though I'm not sure the NFB would be happy to find it there. [While at the NFB, I found a bunch of their short films are available online so I watched another favourite, The Cat Came Back.]


*that would be the National Film Board, well known for producing Oscar®-winning animated short films, among other things.