quietprofanity

Thanks for voting in my "When would you rather be 17 again?" poll. I have to admit I thought you all would agree with me (because my Dad did, and I'm a bit of an egomaniac) but it seems like we're pretty split overall. That's cool. Everyone had really interesting answers.

The reason why I asked the question was because I always figured the reason we all think "Oh, it was so much better when I was young!" isn't so much because we want to have younger bodies or whatever but because we were seeing things through nostalgia. And I didn't really buy the 17 Again movie premise because ... man, why would you want your second experience of being 17 to involve listening to music you're not familiar with (I don't want to be a teen in the world of The Jonas Brothers, myself. Backstreet Boys and N'Sync was guilty-pleasure embarrassing enough without the weird abstinence message to it) and not being with your friends. But I guess associations of what it means to be 17 are different to others. And I can respect everyone who wants to have fun again, but with new toys this time.

But I think what I have truly learned is that Hollywood needs to make a new movie: one with 47nite as a plucky teen going back to the past so he can participate in a RACE AGAINST TIME to stop 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. I imagine that, due to Hollywood's racist casting, he'll be played by Shia LeBouf. Sorry, buddy.

Congrats to the_red_shoes, angevin2, temperance_doll, gibbon_plinth, sarajayechan, htbthomas, sandoz_iscariot and everyone else on my friendslist who participated in Yuletide. I, as always, did not participate, but I can't wait to see what you guys wrote and what you guys got this year. [HUGS!]

People keep insisting I read/watch stuff, so I figured I'd list those assignments here.

Chris:
Parts of the New Testament (i.e. Gospels, Acts, Romans and (maybe) Revelation -- Read Hebrews instead)

Mark:
No Country for Old Men (movie)
They Live (movie)

Dad:
Moby Dick

Co-Worker:
Atlas Shrugged [loooooooooooooooong drawn out sigh]

And here's some old recommendations from people that I still have in mind.

Alejandro:
Haruhi
Gunslinger Girl
Yami to Boushi no han no Tabito
R.O.D. the TV
Ouran Host Club
Maria-sama ga Miteru OVA

Mia:
One Hundred Years of Solitude

AldenMacrae:
The Thirteenth Tale

Ragnell:
Wonder Woman: Land of the Dead

PapaJoeMambo:
1971 King Lear movie

Anthony (old boss):
The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril

Angrybee:
Jennifer Government
Only Begotten Daughter

Photoash:
Kitchen Table Wisdom/My Grandfather's Blessing
All Over But the Shoutin'

And here's just stuff from people who liked stuff that I think I'll like, too:

Ragnell:
And Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
The Dark is Rising series
Where the Girls Are
Le Morte d'Arthur

Karen Healy:
Black Widow: Homecoming
Soon I Will be Invincible
Karma Girl
The Pro

KannaOphelia:
Malory Towers
Agatha Christie novels (got "And then There Were None" on the WishList)

violetisblue (well, more like she used these as influences for the book she updates)
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Pamela (yeah, I know, I know)
The Wicker Man (movie)

What's the point of all this? Just to show I do listen, even if when I get around to a recommendation by that point my old relationship is pretty much dead. Books and movies go on forever, and all that.

Anyway, now I'm curious about 1.) What on this list do you think isn't on there that should be and 2.) Have I ever given you a recommendation (or assignment) that turned out really well?

OMG I'M LEAVING AND I HATE YOU GUYS AND ... oh, wait ... no I'm not. So much for me being a foaming-at-the-mouth slacktivist.

I'll be leaving IF and only IF everyone else leaves ... I'm really not in fandom enough to justify it and ... well, the blanket deletions were one thing, but the individual case-by-case basis stuff I don't mind so much.

Fun Montage for You Guys, just because I'm thinking about the Simpsons a lot ... and South Park, just because I like it.

In other news, it seems I shall have two guys visiting this month. cyberweasel is coming for a week starting on Saturday and 47nite says he might be in the area on the 30th so ... well, it should be fun if I can think of anything to do. Delaware is a little low on stuff to do ... as cyberweasel knows from my near-nightly rants which basically amount to "Waaah! Why don't they play movies I like?" (and degraded last night into a until-two-in-the-morning argument on the definition of art until I was finally like, "Okay, I'm a snob! Can I go to bed now?")

Which brings me to my next showcase of "What I Think is Awesome and None of You Do", which is becoming a popular program on this LJ:

The New and Improved "At The Movies!" a.k.a. Ebert & Roeper a.k.a. the original Siskel & Ebert for the first time on the web! The site has always had the vocals of Ebert & Roper but now you can get the visuals, and more!

I think this is very cool. I do like movie critics, although popular wisdom is that they're a bunch of pretentious gits who don't like the movies that THE PEOPLE like and are thus useless. But I think that what most people don't realize is that a critic is only personally effective if you know he or she has the same taste as you. (Which is why James Berardinelli is my favorite ... except for John Waters, I agree with him on a lot, and I respect that he doesn't dismiss a genre film just for being a genre film.)

But I like critics. I've gotten to see some really great films on critics' recommendations. Heck, I've been opened up to whole new TYPES of films and learned what to look for in films through critics. Yeah, when they crap on something I really liked it's kind of a bummer ... but they keep me rolling in biopics and artistic shots of nudity and subtitles. I have nothing to complain about.

Plus, the fights are fun! And seeing how much Ebert changes over the years is kind of amusing. (For now, anyway ... it'll probably be sad when he comes back with his face partly removed ... if he does come back -- he's going to need surgery to be able to speak again.)

So, yeah, I've been watching those. The only thing I think is lacking in the site is that you can't search for guest reviewers. Check the archives for the review of "The Guardian (2006)" and see Kevin Smith's rebuttal to Richard Roeper. ("I'm tellin' you my Dad was an idiot!") Shit like that is fun, man.

Dress? Check.
Shoes? Check.
Earrings? Check.
Card? Check.
Cover-up, lip gloss, sunscreen and other skin-related goo things? Check.
Hair done best as possible with minimal ability? Check.

All that's left is writing the gift check, which I can't do because I don't know what their last names are going to be ... but checkbook? Er ... check!

Okay, I'm off to Liza and Kate's wedding. 1/2 of all the weddings I'm attending this year. Let's hope I don't get lost ... that would be bad.