9

Every now and then I stumble across a trailer that really inspires me–something that makes me stop and say, Oh damn, that is really cool! You know you’ve seen a special trailer and you not only want to watch the movie really bad but you find yourself watching the trailer over and over again.  9 is definitely one of those trailers.  If you haven’t checked it out already, make sure you do.

I’m not even completely sure what the film is about (something along the lines of a post-apocalyptic world after most if not all humans are dead) but I’m super excited to see it.  When I watch a movie, I want it to take me somewhere.  I’m not going to lie: I’ve been seriously fiending for another medieval/fantasy/sci-fi movie that is reaaally out there but that will not leave me with a bad taste in my mouth.  So when I stumbled upon this Tim Burton produced number (no pun intended) you can imagine how worked up I got.  When you have a project under the influence of Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas) and Timur Bermambetov (Nightwatch, Wanted) you can be pretty sure it’s gonna be at least extremely entertaining if not wildly captivating.  I’m expecting the latter.  The art direction and cinematography on this sucker already looks amazing.  Great choice of music (Coheed and Cambria!!!) for the trailer and impeccable editing!  Watch it here.

5 Minutes

December 17, 2008

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”

-  Albert Einstein 

I didn’t agree with this the first time I saw it earlier this week.  It was on a calendar hung in the back of the bakery where I work at.   

Today was a different day though. It was raining and it actually made sense to me.  

It’s been a tough week, mentally and physically.  Mentally, because I’m having a hard time loving people these days.  Customers and people have been taking a toll on my patience and I confess my pride is so rampant.  It’s hard to love—seriously! I think a bit of hate is in me and the battle is what’s so difficult.  Physically, because the shifts have been long and the work has been demanding for the holidays.  Cookies, pies, cakes, packaging, serving, cleaning.  Still have a long week to go until Christmas when I’ll finally get to breathe.  For me December was never really a month to celebrate, but a month to prepare, to dread, and to work.  

Today something special happened though.  I love it when these special “things” happen.  It’s like a drop of residue from God to make my day, to taste and ponder about for weeks.  It’s when you fear God.  Not in the sense of bucking from him like I usually do—but that mad respect and awe you have, when something so amazing is right before your eyes.  

I took a quick break to stare out the front door of the shop.  It’s always refreshing to see what’s outside when you’ve been sweatin’ inside for so long.  I often watch for things that will make me catch my breath, things that you would want to take pictures of.   

Today I watched the rain fall, and for the next 5 minutes, my day was being made.

I can’t imagine how it must have been like, when it first rained on Adam, or better yet, when it first rained on me.  It must’ve been a complete mystery to see water fall out the sky, millions and millions of drops…out nowhere. It’s then you realize that everything changes.  Your clothes, the dirt, the asphalt, the buildings, all start to change colors.  The people, the cars, the pigeons, they all act and behave differently. Everything shifts.  Sounds you never heard and you can actually see the rhythm of the droplets. Puddles form rings, accurately reacting to every raindrop; light gets bounced, and there’s a subtle oscillation in the air.  Splashes, ripples, and streams—part of me just wished that there were no definition for it.  I wished that it remained a mystery, the phenomenon that it is.  I wished my eyes could only stay fresh to see.  But at the same time I thank God he revealed a piece to me for those five minutes while I tripped out like how I used to, except this time there was no THC involved.  

Time was up. I had to head back to the kitchen and get back to work. And there it was: that December 2008 calendar with the Einstein quote, sitting so smug I swear it was nodding at me. Damn, I thought to myself.  

 Bless the Lord O my soul, praise the Lord, because he is dope.

 Downtown, Los Angeles

Griffith Park View, Day after the rain.

Closing the Generation Gap

Curious Indeed

I think all of us have movies that have seriously screwed with our minds.  Movies that keep us awake at night after we watch them, trapped in a state of near-delirium as our tiny mind feebly attempts to wrap itself around their twisted plots and ideas. Off the top of my head, 10 in no particular order:

1. Truman Show - I think everyone has their moments where they at least half-believe their life is a massive voyeuristic conspiracy theory that everyone else is in on.  I almost believe it’s true at least once every four months.

2. The Matrix - Words cannot describe bad this movie screwed me up.  I watched this sucker on a 22″ TV screen in my parents’ when we still used VHS.  And I felt like I was living in a different world for like a week afterwards.

3. Twelve Monkeys - You know you tried to think of a way the movie could end without Bruce Willis experiencing what he does (I don’t want to give the movie away).  You’re not going to understand this film until the fourth or fifth time you watch it.

4. Memento - Christopher Nolan makes Guy Pierce seem like an A-list actor.  Almost.

5. The Usual Suspects - Two words: Kevin Spacey.  This movie is one of the best ever made.  You want to slap yourself at the end.

6. Deja Vu - Alicia Keys and Halle Berry–when their powers combine she is Paula Patton.  In the words of T-Pain “fuego!”  Trippy circular stoyline that will have your mind bending over backwards to figure it out.

7. The Green Mile - Stephen King + Frank Darabont + Tom Hanks = crack.

8. The Sixth Sense - Oh Shamalama.  When are you going to show people you’re not a one trick pony?  This flick had everyone asking “do I see dead people?”

9. The Game - Michael Douglas before he started having vicious sex in all of his movies.  Yeah.

10. Donnie Darko - Weird.  Weird.  Weird.

Honorable Mention: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Abre Los Ojos,
Pan’s Labyrinth, The Prestige.  Why didn’t they make the cut?  Because 10 is a nice round number.  15 is just an awkward stage for a latin girl’s coming of age.

All that to say, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is another such film.  A truly peculiar film which was beautifully shot, told, and acted out.  Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s (author of “The Great Gatsby”) story, the film tells the story of a man born in his eighties who ages backwards.  I’ll let you take your own meaning out of this movie.  Truly a film worth watching.

Pictures from the website, which has a very interesting Where is Waldo layout.

The 4 principles

There are 4 principles that the owner of House of Love in Yanji, China lives by:

1.  No Hidden Agenda. If you’re a baker, then bake bread.  In other words, do what you say you are going to do, and don’t try to manipulate or trick people.  This is crucial in China because the government hates it when Christians lie about what they’re doing.  For him, the government knows he’s Christian.  He and his wife are extremely open about it.  But the government respects them because he’s there to house orphans, and that’s exactly what he does.  He doesn’t secretly try to convert the kids.

2.  Work. Do work.

3.  Live by example. Don’t just tell people what to do or what to believe.  In fact, there is little you need to say at all if you just live out what you believe.

4.  Do the work yourself. This is basically a reiteration  of #2 and #3 combined.  But don’t just tell people what to do.  Do it yourself.

I’m not really sure why I am typing this up.  Maybe it’s to serve as a reminder for myself.