I spent most of my Sunday desperately trying to get some work done, but kept myself entertained by finding excellent podcasts and YouTube videos to stream in a little window on the corner of my monitor. The best one by far was from a BBC Series called The Machine that Made Us, hosted by British television Stephen Fry. In the show Mr. Fry sheds light on the invention of movable type by following the construction of a working replica of Gutenberg's press, as well as travelling across Europe to learn how to cast type and make paper. The series lasts about an hour, and I enjoyed seeing the process in action.

Having spent a lot of my first semester here at RISD studying Mr. Gutenberg's series of innovations (G developed not only a printing press, but a new lead alloy, a formula for ink, as well as an entirely new casting process), I particularly enjoyed watching Fry actually carve his own punch of a blackletter 'e', strike it into a copper matrix, and then cast several pieces of lead type that would eventually be used on the replica press. I spent a lot of time trying to find images of this process for a research book, so I was amazed to have such a detailed video fall in my lap!

The real shock came, however, as I started up the first video... lo and behold! Mr. Fry's is a face I knew well — for uttering the very line quoted in my last blog entry, no less! — as the endearingly clueless Mr. Mybug in BBCs miniseries of Cold Comfort Farm.

It was funny to reconcile the bumbling, hopelessly egocentric Mybug, whose life's amibition is to prove that Branwell Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights, with the charismatic TV host geeking out over movable type.

Before I give my impressions, I have to admit that I have not seen episodes I or II, so I don't know how this one fares in comparison to its predecessors. I had been warned ahead of time to not expect much in the dialogue department, so I wasn't surprised to find it pretty lame. I did, however, get exactly what I was hoping for in a movie-going experience: a fun, fast-paced movie that allowed me to get caught up in its larger-than-life story.

Sure, trying to use androids as comic relief in battle was a big flop. Sure, Ewan MacGregor was a little too, well, charming for a battle-ravaged warrior betrayed by his closest friend and destined for exile.

But then there was that thrilling score, the dizzying battle scenes, and those beautifully, intricately constructed cities and planets. There was the horrifying metamorphosis of Darth Vader into the black caped, mechanical villain I recognized from the original movies. And then, finally, there was the seamless integration of plot, a deliberate tying of all those pesky loose ends, to usher us smoothly into the familiar storyline of the last three episodes.

It left me happy, satisfied, and wanting to settle in for the night to continue the story with the movies that began it all.

The trailer for the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is up for your viewing pleasure. I'm a big Tim Burton fan, and the trailer looks absolutely wild. Which I'm starting to think is a good thing - if the film was too much like the original it would be hard not to compare the two (and in the end be disappointed).

Anyways, go check it out!

I ventured out into the fog/rain last night to see a movie with Adam and Jason. Our choice? Anchorman, starring Will Farrell and a host of other recognizable comedic actors. It was a strange movie, to say the least. I certainly laughed at parts. But there were also long stretches where the entire audience was quiet enough that I knew we were all collectively asking "Huh?" inside our heads. Often the funniest scenes came when you recognized one of the many uncredited guest appearances - Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Tim Robbins, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Stephen Root (Milton!), etc. I know I saw a smattering of SNL alumni in there somewhere as well. In fact, the whole movie felt like one loooong SNL skit, and not in a good way.

So save yourself nine bucks and put this movie on your Netflix queue. :)

I saw the Matrix last night. I'm still not quite sure what I thought of it. I have not seen the middle installment of the trilogy, so I think I am morally obliged to not comment on the work as a whole. But as a standalone movie, it was great fun to watch. The dialogue was cornier than I expected, Morpheus' neck gets wider and wider as the movie goes on, and there were some particularly funny moments during the battle for Zion with soldiers with overly large machanical arms. But the battle for Zion is a masterpiece of computer graphics, and Agent Smith is as diabolical as ever. His final face-off with Neo takes place in the dreary, monochrome world of the Matrix, in the pouring rain with thousands of Agent Smiths watching on. Even when you know the outcome, its still fun to watch.


After finally seeing the "Burly Brawl" on the big screen, it was fitting that we walked out of the movie theater into dark, dreary, rainy weather ourselves. I spent the evening preparing fajita marinade for the gang's Must See TV dinner tonight. My apartment smelled heavenly this morning!

I have to include a link to this review only because the ending is so hysterical..

I’m giving Love Actually a full pie if only because it was top-rate entertainment. The writing, the humor, and the excellent use of surprise cameos make it a real crowd pleaser. Not the most significant work of art or anything... not going to change the face of filmmaking, etc.... but a good reason to go to the movies and that’s what it’s all about.

P.S. My husband was dragged to this film sulking and groaning. He ended up liking it a lot and he wants you all to know that there were some naked boobs.

P.P.S. I love Colin Firth. I love Colin Firth. Love the Firth. Gotta have the Firth.

Now here is reviewer that I identify with. :) Here's the article.

I wouldn't have clicked on the ad for this movie, except that I noticed it starred Kate Beckinsale..

Underworld.

For more info on one of my favorite actresses, check out her IMDB profile. My favorite movies starring Beckinsale, for future reference, are Cold Comfort Farm, the BBC/A&E version of Emma, and Much Ado About Nothing. Interestingly enough, she was also in a George Michael video. Go figure.

At first I thought it was just another action movie that Adam was going to make me watch.. ;) But I must say that after I watched Robert de Niro, Eddie Murphy, and Renne Russo in Showtime last night, I was pleasantly surprised! It was a funny and entertaining couple of hours. :)

I saw Catch Me If You Can last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it.. it was suspenseful in an Oceans 11 type of way, where you knew that the lead guy (Leonardo DiCaprio) got away with all of it, but were eagerly anticipating learning how he did it. Leo's signature skill is elaborate forgery of airline paychecks, which leads into a short-lived but profitable stint posing as a Pan Am co-pilot. Tom Hanks was great as the underappreciated FBI agent assigned to the case in a time when agents viewed handling checks as "women's work," and getting assigned to the Check Fraud unit was a form of punishment for bad behavior in more respected units. I can't really give much more information about the movie without spilling the beans, but its an entertaining couple of hours, and I'd recommend seeing it. :)

Last night was the opening night for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I definitely give this movie two thumbs up! Adam and I got to the movie theater about 45 minutes before the show, and there were already maybe 60-70 people in line - some were even in costume! Two Towers opened with a small flashback, but didn't spend too much time rehashing old plots or trying to reintroduce the zillions of original characters. Instead we were thrown right into the middle of the adventures of Frodo and Samwise, Merry and Pippin, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli as they made their way through Middle Earth. The film did an especially good job depicting the struggle between Gollum and Smeagol, and Gimli's struggles to keep up with his larger counterparts were some of the funniest scenes in the whole movie. I won't spoil it for those who are still waiting to see it, but I'll leave you with one of my favorite lines:

"Toss me! Don't tell the elf." -Gimli

:)