Brian, being the most wonderful boyfriend in the world, surprised me recently with tickets to a screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World with director Edgar Wright and director of photography Bill Pope doing a Q&A session. I was thrilled to say the least. There are not many films that I think are worth the trek to a movie theater and the 13 bucks for a ticket (NYC prices are nuts). However, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an exception to this rule. The screening made my 4th trip to a theater to see Scott Pilgrim kick the asses of Ramona's seven evil exes. For me Scott Pilgrim is a perfect marriage of old and new. It combines nostalgia such as 8 bit graphics and music from classic games like Legend of Zelda with fast-paced anime style fight choreography and indie rock. To quote a panelist at the Q&A it is an "Action-muscial". Each time I left the theater after watching this wonderful film I felt a surge of energy and my passion for making media was rekindled. During the Q&A Edgar Wright discussed how many years of work had gone into the film, and I must say it shows. There are so many little details that you can examine upon multiple viewings and so much spectacle to take in. Everything from the choreography to the music, the set designs and the costumes play an integral role in making this film feel like it belongs to the world of graphic novels and old school video games from which the script was born.
Needless to say I was extremely hyped as Brian, our friend Guido and I entered the old movie theater in which I had spent so many Saturday afternoons of my childhood. As we walked up the curved staircase to the large screening room the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack pumped out of speakers behind the concession stand. The theater was officially a nerd haven for the night. Though we had arrived nearly an hour before the screening was set to start, we were amongst the later crowd and thus had to search carefully for 3 seats next to one another. After a few minutes we decided that sitting in the lower level directly under the screen was better than not sitting together. I am SO HAPPY that we made this BRILLIANT decision! Though we had to crane our necks a bit to watch the film, our pain was not in vain as Edgar Wright, Bill Pope, Kieran Culkin and Bill Hader ended up sitting about 10-15 feet away from us during the Q&A session! I hung on every word as the film makers discussed what it was like to create one of my favorite movies. I feel revived, I have been reminded of what all of my tiring school work is for. This is exactly the push I needed to get me through the end of this semester. I feel inspired!
Many thanks go out to all of those who made this film possible, and of course to Brian. Without him I wouldn't have this resurgence of drive and spirit.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
American Idiot on Broadway
Last weekend (on October 30th to be exact) I went with a friend of mine to see American Idiot. It was a wonderful experience to say the least. In fact I have not been able to stop listening to my old Green Day albums since I saw the show.
To preface the rest of my post about the show I must explain what the original American Idiot album and Green Day in general means to me. I can't claim to be Green Day's biggest fan, my friend Mikey officially claimed that label at the tender age of 5. It is because of Mikey that I care so deeply for this album. For a shining moment in 2005 he and I were the best friends that you could possibly imagine, and of course American Idiot became and integral part of the soundtrack to our friendship. We were a couple of angry restless teenagers on a mission to show the world that we didn't have to play by the rules. We were fiery, rebellious and full of life.
The Broadway show was able to capture that feeling. It captured the energy, the frustration and the pain. It raised an incredible amount of nostalgia in me, although nothing Mikey and I lived through was ever quite as dark or dangerous as the subject matter of the stage show. The performances were very good, especially John Gallagher, Jr. and Tony Vincent. Most of all I liked the costumes, lighting and set design. The lighting design was amazing, using unique shapes and creatively using color in a way that captured the mood and tone of the music. The set design really made a statement. There were harsh metal structures towering over both actors and audience and screens everywhere in varying shapes, sizes, and time periods. The costumes were great because they enabled me to identify the various types of "Punks". The costume designer clearly did their research into the subculture and i found my self looking around at the cast and thinking I know exactly what the designer is trying to say with that piece. In addition Johnny's (the main character) costume evolved along with him and symbolized his emotional journey into adulthood.
I loved the show and it is a memory I will treasure right along with all of the memories I have of my crazy year with Mikey. So thank you to everyone who made this wonderful show come about, and to those of you who have not seen it, I highly recommend that you change that ASAP!
To preface the rest of my post about the show I must explain what the original American Idiot album and Green Day in general means to me. I can't claim to be Green Day's biggest fan, my friend Mikey officially claimed that label at the tender age of 5. It is because of Mikey that I care so deeply for this album. For a shining moment in 2005 he and I were the best friends that you could possibly imagine, and of course American Idiot became and integral part of the soundtrack to our friendship. We were a couple of angry restless teenagers on a mission to show the world that we didn't have to play by the rules. We were fiery, rebellious and full of life.
The Broadway show was able to capture that feeling. It captured the energy, the frustration and the pain. It raised an incredible amount of nostalgia in me, although nothing Mikey and I lived through was ever quite as dark or dangerous as the subject matter of the stage show. The performances were very good, especially John Gallagher, Jr. and Tony Vincent. Most of all I liked the costumes, lighting and set design. The lighting design was amazing, using unique shapes and creatively using color in a way that captured the mood and tone of the music. The set design really made a statement. There were harsh metal structures towering over both actors and audience and screens everywhere in varying shapes, sizes, and time periods. The costumes were great because they enabled me to identify the various types of "Punks". The costume designer clearly did their research into the subculture and i found my self looking around at the cast and thinking I know exactly what the designer is trying to say with that piece. In addition Johnny's (the main character) costume evolved along with him and symbolized his emotional journey into adulthood.
I loved the show and it is a memory I will treasure right along with all of the memories I have of my crazy year with Mikey. So thank you to everyone who made this wonderful show come about, and to those of you who have not seen it, I highly recommend that you change that ASAP!
Re-decorating
So I have decided to re-decorate my room. So far pretty much everything I've picked up has been bird themed. As you all should have guessed by now, purple is my favorite color. So I ordered this great duvet set. I can't wait for it to arrive!
I've also gotten this wonderful bird on a branch wall rack in white.
Its absolutely adorable in person. Perfect for hanging my necklaces and scarves and such. I've also got this great little bird themed mirror/jewelry organizer and a peacock earring stand. Its just a start but I'm really excited about all of the changes I'm making. Next I have to figure out what color to paint my walls which are currently royal blue. I've gotten really into this whole out with the old in with the new thing. Especially the out with the old part. I've begun the arduous process of going through all o my stuff and deciding what to get rid of in order to un-clutter my life. There is something very satisfying about getting old stuff/ thing I no longer need out of the house.
I've also gotten this wonderful bird on a branch wall rack in white.
Its absolutely adorable in person. Perfect for hanging my necklaces and scarves and such. I've also got this great little bird themed mirror/jewelry organizer and a peacock earring stand. Its just a start but I'm really excited about all of the changes I'm making. Next I have to figure out what color to paint my walls which are currently royal blue. I've gotten really into this whole out with the old in with the new thing. Especially the out with the old part. I've begun the arduous process of going through all o my stuff and deciding what to get rid of in order to un-clutter my life. There is something very satisfying about getting old stuff/ thing I no longer need out of the house.
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