The Winks

KSCL presented The Winks, a band from Montreal, Canada, at artspace downtown. They were sooooo good and fun! At first, I had a funny feeling they wouldn't be that good, and when we got there me and Chrissy looked at each other and laughingly said "I don't think we are cool enough to be here!" because all of the kids there looked way too kool and EdGy to talk to us. hahah. We love to make fun of people who take themselves too seriously... but when the guy that opened for The Winks (I forgot his name... he was Scottish) started singing, I knew the night would be worth while.

The opening act was a Scottish guy that played the ukulele and sang. The keyboardist from The Winks played with him most of the songs, too. At first, the crowd was really rude and kept right on with their pseudo intellectual music snob conversations. It reminded me of a conversation some friends had about wanting to make their next album indie because nobody would get up and dance during their punk shows, but then they decided against it because people just talk amongst themselves during indie shows... they were so right. Wisely, however, Scottish guy and keyboardist stepped off of the stage, mad their way onto the floor where the crowd was sitting, and started singing without their mics. It was so cool! The crowd started to slowly die down in the effort to hear the performers interesting voices and use of peculiar instruments like kazoos and a weird flute keyboard thing... i still don't know what the hell it was. The best part of this performance was how much fun i could tell the guys were having. They were just messing around and spontaneously playing, but it sounded really good. I could tell this mostly because every time the keyboardist did something he would smile and look over at the singer who was already grinning and looking back. It was really adorable. I couldn't decide if i liked them or not at first because the kazoos were really ridiculous, but i decided not to be like my deep supposedly musically superior neighbors and just enjoy it for the experimental entertainment it was.

Then came the Winks. They consisted of a guy that did lead vocals and played the mandolin, a girl that also did lead vocals, played the cello(I knew i would like them when i saw the cello... i am in love with the cello. it think it's like the ultimate classical instrument!) and tap danced in a few songs, a girl that played the drums, and the cool smiley keyboardist guy. They were great. Though there was some technical difficulty.... well alot of technical difficulty, their fun nauture and pretty good music shined through. The technical difficulties, mostly feedback and mics that weren't up enough to pick up the vocals, was pretty distracting and got the lead singer really pissed off. It was funny at first, but then it started to piss me off, too. The sound guy was horrible! He had to have felt like a real ass after the show, because he really screwed it up for most people. But enough about the sound bastard. The Wink's music can only be described as freak folk/experimental/indie pop/kinda psychedelic at times. They were crazy and whimsical. The girls were dressed in puffy dresses and the stage was decorated with lights and feather boas to set the playful mood for the night. Glitter was even thrown into the audience from time to time (lame but fun/cute). One of their songs was simply to count from 1 to 24 in a catchy little tune. The band got the audience to participate in this one, and it was one of my favorites. their songs were very catchy and original for the most part, and Chrissy and I bought one of their CD's with the $10 we had at the end of the night.



In conclusion
The Winks were most def. a bunch of freaks
They put on a really good show
and I really like them and had a very enjoyable time!

Sex Carnival

A few weeks ago, it was safe sex week, and if you didn't notice the suspicious amount of condoms that seemed to appear everywhere on campus, there were lots of cool activities to participate in and get a little sex ed. at the same time. The coolest thing by far was the Sex Carnival full of fun carnival style games that all related somehow to sex.

When Chrissy called me and forced me to go, I though the Carnival was just going to be a lame waste of time, but it turned out to be really fun and cleverly put together. The atmosphere was very inviting and playful, and the fact that there were so many people there made it seem more normal. The first game we played was throwing darts at blown up condoms and trying not to bust them. This was the perfect game for me because the point was to suck at throwing darts, and I had that covered! I punctured no condoms and was STD free at the end of my turn, but Hayley on the other hand ended up with clamidia because she busted a condom. I guess it happens to the best of us... then we made our way to the bean bag toss of effective ways of birth control. As the ways became more effective(worth more tickets), the buckets were farther away and more difficult to throw the bean bags in. Well, I didn't get any tickets here, but there were many other fun stations at the carnival. There was even a room where people could dress up as students and teachers and take weird sexual pictures! Everyone looked like they were having a fun time. At the end of the night, people who earned tickets (I gave mine to Chrissy because she is more of a winner than me) put them into a box where they had the chance of winning a prize. Chrissy won a book of sex positions (something she needs like a hole in the head.) and several other nice prizes were given out.

The Sex Carnival was a huge success not only because of the large amount of people there, but also because it made sex education fun and memorable. It also just served as something to do on campus. Finding an adequate mixture of entertainment and informative information is sometimes difficult to do. Also, there's always that thin line between what you and your friends think is funny and what is actually funny and fun to most people, and I think. Both of these obstacles were overcome in style by the organizers of the Sex Carnival. Leaving the Carnival, people probably left with plenty of things to joke about, interesting facts in their head, and a few condoms in their pockets, which is always a good thing.

"Hard Candy"

Wow, what a movie! “Hard Candy” tells a twisted story of a 15 year old girl, Lauren, who turns the tables on an attractive and successful photographer, Jeff, she met online in a chat room. The movie takes the viewer on a ride of oscillating emotions as it becomes unclear who is good and who is bad as the twisted events unfold.

At first, when the two agree to meet up at a coffee shop, both of the characters seem like relatively normal people. The photographer, though creepy for perusing a little girl on the Internet, was surprisingly cute and well off. The girl, though very young and already suspicious looking, seemed very smart and innocent at the same time. As the two arrive at his house, it seems like any other shady older man interaction with a young girl. Subtly playful and still legal play quickly takes a turn when Lauren says one of the most important phrases in the movie “Don’t drink anything you haven’t mixed yourself.”(which is now a motto I want to live by!) An unexpected reversal of roles is made when Lauren actually drugs Jeff’s drink and goes about teaching him a torturous lesson. Through an alleged castration, thorough tazeing, and attempted hanging, Jeff lives on until the very end when he is passively persuaded into to kill himself. Lauren lived up to her promise that she wasn’t going to kill him; she made him do it for her. She did it all in the name of all the little girls Jeff has molested and/or killed and all of the ones he won’t get a chance to harm anymore… which is kind of respectable… maybe?

That girl was CRAZY! What I liked most about her is how much she reminded me of a young Cathy Ames, one of my favorite characters form one of my favorite books. Both are purely evil and demented characters that make the plot outrageous, unbelievable, and enthralling. I love Cathy! Ole creepy man, Jeff, illustrated the truth behind his statement at the beginning of the movie, “People’s faces lie.” Just like the old phrase, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” You really can’t judge a person by their face or outward appearance. I would have never guessed a well-dressed attractive man of his age would have been a pedophile. It kinda hurt me that he actually was so disturbed in the end. I also surly would have never guessed that a cute little girl with a peter pan haircut would end up being a torturous murderer. You just never know.

The movie was great with its compelling story line and camera maneuvers that reflected and enhance the frantic, intense, and confusing action. I would suggest it to anyone who is willing to go along for the ride. As my mom says “Anna, these movies you make me watch are so weird… but they’re good!” So, weird is usually good!

"I met Hairspray girl... AND SHE GAVE ME A HUG!"

All of the trucks and equipment have been on the campus for a day, and already it's pretty irritating, but at the same time, it's kinda cool. I have never really seen such elaborate equipment or so many production people. It got me to thinking about how celebrity obsession has gotten completely absurd.

A girl in my FYE class was so excited about ole what's her name being on campus and couldn't wait for the chance to see her. Surprised that she was so excited, I asked her if she just really liked "Hairspray" or if she was just excited because a semi-famous person was around. Of course, she was just excited that a person that has been in a relatively successful movie was within 100 miles of her. This obsession with a "celebrity" that has been in one movie and the that the girl hardly even knows really creeped me out. Just the thought of being able to say "I MET A FAMOUS PERSON!"really gets most people going. It has become so common in our culture to mindlessly support and get excited about anyone in the public eye that it's just ridiculous. Now, I would understand if it was her favorite actor, or even just a well established actor. I know I would probably be in tears and hyperventilating if Gael Garcia Bernal graced our campus with his presence, but I love him for a reason, not just because I think he was one of the Mexican guys in Babel. I love him because I love all of his movies and think he's an amazing actor(the fact that he is a beautiful doesn't hurt either). I don't like people just because I saw them on MTV or a trailer for a movie. I wish it was like it was in the old days when the authors and poets of the time were the celebrities. Now a days it's Paris Hilton and apparently the Hairspray girl... I mean come on... really? I would be more star struck if I saw a cool animal like a red panda or other animal I see on shows up close. Yay cute animals!! Better yet, show me Garrison Keillor or one of the people form "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" because I hear them all the time on the radio, but i don't even know what the hell they look like. That would be awesome! But, I digress... and am starting to sound like a complete freak. Anyway, people just need to calm down and at least have a real reason to call themselves a fan. Everyone should be more selective of who they consider a celebrity because it looks like they have more control over the publics opinions on things than politicians and people who actually know what they are talking about.


could it be any cuter?

P.S. Speaking of movies, why don't good movies stay in theaters here long!?? Better yet, why don't they come here at all? I have to wait for "Lars and the Real Girl" because it never even came here or Alexandria. Ryan Gosling, why do you have to make such good movies and then make me wait till they come out on DVD to rent them? Well, I guess it's better that way so Seol and I can watch it together. She has loved him ever sine I showed her the light and made her watch "The Believer." I also didn't get to see "The Darjeeling Limited" because it left after a week. oh well, I guess! I just don't get it... I guess it's just a false consensus effect that makes me think lots of people want to see these movies.

Thank you for all of my favorite musicians, Chicago

Last Saturday I went to an awesome show in the KSCL lobby with Chrissy and Hayley. After first going to the wrong place, behind the Turner Art Center where show was initially planed to be, we made our way through the disgustingly humid and cold campus and up to the radio station. (Why does it have to be humid and cold? I just don't understand. The humidity is supposed to go away with the hot weather and I hate it!!!) We were among the first people there, and of course, we just stood there awkwardly like I have grown accustomed to doing in most situations by now. The performers got there about 20 min. late, but once Judson Claiborne started playing it didn't matter anymore. Not knowing what the hell to expect, my expectations weren't high, but I figured I could at least appreciate whatever it was. It turns out that Judson Claiborne and The Gunshy were just the kind of music I usually like.
Judson Claiborne, a tall skinny man with dark hair and a pretty full beard, sounded like a wonderful mixture of Andrew Bird and Devendra Banhart(two of my favorites EVER). After the first song I knew Chrissy would be loving it, and sure enough we looked over at each other and just mouthed out "He is reaaallly good!" Most of his songs were inspired by his grandparents and a period of time when he was living in the woods with these women (or something along those line). One of my favorites was one about his grandmother and how she apparently got shot in the head by her third husbend and had to plug the gun hole wound up with her finger.... ummmm she is still alive though.... yeah. All of his songs were really cool and narrative like that, and I really enjoyed them. His passionate and interesting vocals and subdued acoustic strumming meshed perfectly with the dim room of about 20 people just gathered around listening. I really loved him.
The Gunshy, just another bearded guy who used to be Amish, sounded and acted much like Tom Waits. (I personally thought his voice was fake, but I always think people like that and people with accents are faking it) He was also inspired by his grandparents and the letters his grandfather sent his grandmother during WWII. He really liked to talk in between his songs, too. I enjoyed that because you could tell he really felt comfortable with us and it made the show feel even more intimate. He seems like a good guy. His best song was his last one where he played the acoustic guitar and the harmonica. It had the most intensity and emotion in it. he was a cool guy, too.
The best thing about these guys is how obvious it was that they really love playing music and doing what they do. It was really refreshing to see people who are just doing their own thing; playing gigs at little obscure places and being content with it. It made me think about things (yep, more than usual!) and I can't answer any of the questions I have. ahhhhaha that's my life. But anyway, they were selling their CDs after the show and I really wish I had bought Judson Claiborn's.... I keep on getting in the mode to listen to him, and I can't.

Oh, I think Hayley actually liked them too! She usually hates the things Chrissy and I make her go to! I feel like we are making progress! too bad she is transferring after this semester hahaha

on a side note: THANK GOD FOR THE THANKSGIVING BREAK! there will be many more blogs to come!

On another note... I thought I would share this because we don't talk nearly enough politics in class!!!.... and because it's funny.

Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

So many movies so little time....

ohhh god I have been so negligent when it comes to my blog.... sorryyy. It's not that I don't have things to write about (I have about 7 drafted posts), but I just can't bring myself to finish them. It's not that I don't have the time, it's just that when I do have the time I am drained and can't bring myself to write something. I haven't forgotten about it though; I think about it alot actually... between obsessively studying, trying not to neglect my non Centenary friends, and trying to unsuccessfully de stress myself i am never in the mood and don't want to force writing something that will end up crappy. It seems like every time I talk to my friends on the phone it's like a commitment. The only person I talk to every day is Seol, but usually I get a call, stare at the person's name on the screen, and think to myself "Ok, if I talk to this person it will be at least 30 min. to an hour.... ummmm... I will just call them back another day." Am I supposed to feel like that? Most of my friends get pissed off if I don't call. My friend Emily isn't talking to me anymore and being completely over dramatic... it's going to be awkward when I go home for Thanksgiving. I want to talk to her about how she feels, but she has to be a freak and not talk to me. ohhh well I am sure she will come around eventually. My friend Sarah is the only one that understands that I can't talk to her for long. She goes to Georgetown and is even more screwed with work than me! hahahah. She leaves me delirious voice mails at 3am every now and then. Can't wait to see her during thanksgiving!!!!

Anyway, I am rambling and sounding like an asshole now... ok just wanted to say that I haven't forgotten about Mr. Blogg, and I want to write, but I start to feel all anxious about things and can't finish one entry... I guess I could have been doing one in the time it took me to write this.... ahhhh back to writing my damn research paper for FYE... I LOVE THAT CLASS!!!

I need to update this... GRIZZLY MAN!

Well, I haven't written in this for a long time. It's not because I don't have anything to write about, I just never feel like it. Chrissy and I go see the film society movies at least once a week. It's kinda a ritual now, and I am really liking it. I made her go see Grizzly Man with me the other night. I. LOVE. THAT. MOVIE. I have a weird obsession with Werner Herzog and his voice. Timmy Treadwell is pretty damn amusing, too.

As good as Grizzly Man was and as much as I loved watching my friend's reactions while watching it, there were some problems. The girl that was playing the show was being EXTREMELY irritating and rude during the movie. She would perpetually laugh and say comments that she just didn't need to say the ENTIRE time. It ruined the whole experience.

Moments that should have been contemplative and touching were trivialized by immature comments and cackles. All this girl and her equally repugnant friend did was degrade Treadwell and the amazing film he and Herzog made. All they got from the movie was "Wow, that guy is CRAZY." I am pretty sure the point of the movie wasn't to make fun of this loony bear guy. Though he was kinda crazy, I am almost positive that if I was alone for that long with bears, cute foxes, and a camera, I would be doing most of the same things. I talk to myself when I am alone in my room sometimes, I can only imagine what would happen to me his that position. One of the things that got to me the most was the churlish remark, "OH YEAH, YOU REALLY HAVE A LIFE NOW!" that burst from the miss lovely's mouth as Tredwell gave an emotional tirade about how rough his life was prior to living with the bears in the summer. That asshole comment was just one of many. WHYYYY? I just don't understand why someone would do that. It's called inhibition. It's called politeness. It's called decency. arrrrghhhhhhhhh!!!! I get all worked up just thinking about it.

Anyway, in conclusion, Herzog is awesome, Treadwell was troubled but had good intentions, and the documentary permeated with the breath taking footage from Treadwell and Herzog's ominous voice which only added to the already compelling story.

Well, I know that review wasn't really a review. I will try to get out of the ranting bitchy blog posts and more into the serious analytical ones soon. I just can't help bitching on this blog though!! It's what I vent to.

Anyway!!!! I think I might be a psychology major, but I still don't know. It's just so interesting to me! I still think I may want to do something with English though. I don't know... I just love to write. I love to learn new words. I love to turn in an essay and have it decimated by my teacher and learn what I did wrong. I even love studying my ass of for science tests as much as I complain about them. I just love to learn.... well I like learning when there is no complex math involved. Ok, well this really needs to end!

Here is a neat video of Werner on one of my favorite shows, The Henry Rollins Show. Yes, Henry Rollins formerly of the infamous hardcore punk band Black Flag! Too bad we don't get IFC at my house anymore... I miss that show.

Little Children... really late

"Little Children" is the kind of movie that has you thinking about it in a daze all the way back home. The kind of movie that will influence your dreams that night and pop into your mind sporadically the following day. With an engrossing story line and multifarious characters, the movie won me over.

The stories of an unhappy house wife, a husband questioning his life and role in his family, a retired cop with too much time on his hands, and a creepy guy moving into their neighborhood after being released from jail all somehow intertwine and converge in the end. Kate Winslet did a great job as Sarah and her dashing co-star and love intrest in the movie (whose name I don't know) also did a wonderful job.

The creepy new man in the neighborhood who was just released from jail for indescent exposure proved to have the most surprises and distrubing plot shifts in the film, and this plot really kept me guessing. Usually, I am good at figuring out to some extent what will happen at the end of movies, but "Little Children" had me completely in the dark. Just when I thought creepy guy was going to get an equally weird girlfriend, he went and started masterbating in the car .... Just when I thought he was going to kill himself, Sarah, or Sarah's daughter, he goes and castrates himself. Oh how many references I make to that scene now. Along with being very unpredictable, the outcomes and actions of the movie were VERY susspensful. I was holding my breath for the majority of the movie and shaking my head and saying "don't do it.... what's going to happen!" to myself.

The omonoius narrator was the cement of the movie and actions. It reminded me of the narrator in Y tu Mama Tambien, and that was an aspect I loved about that movie. The narrator always seemed to come in at just the right times and only add to the movie.

it was just a good movie. a movie that you can talk about after watching it. That's all I ask for, just to be able to discuss what happened, maybe some themes... just any kind of thought provoking talk after a movie.... not like "Oh yeah man those explosions were awesome!" or "Oh yeah man those were some nice tits!" umm no thanks, man! But, this was just an all around good crazy ass movie.

BORED

Well, I actually have free time right now. I kinda don't know what to do with myself. I am watching Take Home Chef right now, and my roomie is not in here.... thank god. College is really awesome though! I like it so far. I can't wait for the new season of House!!!!!!!! Next Tuesday can't come fast enough!!!! I am unhealthily obsessed with it... Oh well!! Ummm I guess I will write about a movie or something...

The weekend before I left for college, my friend Ankur and I wanted to hang out and see a movie for the last time before we went away. There weren't any really good movies playing, but there was nothing better to do. In Alexandria, that's about all there is. We decided to go see the Bourn Supremacy even though we hadn't seen any of the other Bourn movies. Well, when we got to the theatre, we were about 1o min late, as usual, and decided to see what other movies were playing around the same time.

When I saw that the only other option was Balls of Fury I wanted to scream "NOOOOOOOOO!!" deep down inside but Ankur wanted to go, so I agreed. If you couldn't tell by the title, the movie was HORRIBLE!!! It is literally the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. I laughed maybe once in the entire 'comedy' movie, and the laugh was because I was thinking about how stupid the movie was. I nearly fell asleep, and I never fall asleep during movies. After the movie was finally over, Ankur looked over at me and said "Umm, are you OK?" Apparently my inward disgust for the movie was bursting out of me. On a lighter note, one of my other friends went to see the movie when she was high and loved it. I wholeheartedly agree that a person would have to be under the influence to enjoy that revolting movie.

Watching that shitty movie got me to thinking about a lot of things. I am sure everyone has noticed the lack of good movies and music in popular culture these days. Though I hear people complain about this problem, I always see them endorsing the bad movies and music in the end. The music today has gotten so deluded, so watered down and uninspired because we, the consumers, demand it. Movies today are so pointless and vapid because we spend money to watch them and put them at the top of the box office. If we demand better movies, if we demand better music, we will get it. Though we are all guilty of going to see movies we know will be bad or buying the CD of a singer for one song, it doesn't have to be that way. It didn't used to be that way, especially in the music world. Anyway, I feel like an old disgruntled person writing all of this...

With all that being said, and my tirade coming to an end, I just want to conclude this blog with
PLEASE, DON'T GO SEE BALLS OF FURY!!!!!!! You will regret it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W26aM0ldwMs
best part of the emmy's!!!

Perfume... I am almost speachless...

OK, so I saw Perfume with Chrissy and Hayley and IT. WAS. WEIRD. You know when that's coming from me, it must be true. I kind of don't want to go to sleep tonight because I am afraid of the dreams I'll have.

Anyway, the movie is about this serial killer that kills women to preserve their luscious scent FOREVERR in a perfume. Take your freakish notions of that and amplify it by 10 and that's how strange it was. It was pretty well done, and it really looked like a lot of thought and effort was put into the movie from all parties. Dustin Hoffman and the guy that plays Snape was a nice surprise. It was a very beautiful film. I loved the cinematography. The angles kept my attention and the colors were vivid and rich. The amazing visuals made up for the lack of smell o vision. My favorite aspect of the movie was the kind of cut away, up close glimpses, different transition scenes (I don't know what to call it or how exactly to describe it). It reminded me of how Requiem for a Dream (another movie that scarred my life) was filmed in some parts. There was an obscene amount of nudity in the movie, but looking back on it, all of it was done pretty tastefully and was almost alluring at times. My attention was well kept throughout the entire movie.

The plot line was VERY unpredictable. "What the hell!?" went through my mind at least 5 times during the movie, and most of those times were in the last 3o min. WOW! talk about weird. Just when the creepy bastard is about to get killed he dabs on a little bit of his woman oil perfume and everyone bows to him as if he is some hallowed angel... oh yeah the crowd of hundreds of people starts having an orgy, too!!! Even the priest/bishop! That was definitely Chrissy's favorite part!!!! AWKWARD! Another disturbing part was when the guy gets eaten by homeless people after he pours the rest of the perfume over his head. I definitely was not expecting that. I felt bad for the troubled Jean Baptiest because he couldn't help his eerie demeanor. He just needed a girlfriend!

Well on another note, my best friend Seol hates college!!!! yay for her!! I personally can't imagine liking school if you are taking classes to be a chemical engineer. Chemistry, Biology, Calculus.... nooooo thank you!!! oh well!!! She will do fine though. She's a freak like that. That's why I love her!

ANYWAY..... I guess I am done with this... this whole blog thing is new/strange to me. I still don't know how to change the colors or do anything, but I am sure i will soon enough.