TV & Movies

I was thinking of rounding up a list of cultural endeavours I loved in the last few months. You might know I love old movies so there are a few of that. I'll stick with recommendations.

TV Series

1) Chuck: Of all the new series from last season, this is my favourite. I lost my other love, Pushing Daisies. I cannot say enough good things about it. It's got comedy, spy action, and romance. I love the characters. It's perfect TV fluff. I really hope NBC doesn't cancel it!

2) Breaking Bad: Such a dark series about a chemistry teacher who learns he has 18 months to live after being diagnosed with cancer. To leave money for his family, he joins forces with a younger guy to make crystal meth. So it's a totally crazy premise, but the characters are flawed and interesting, and you just want to know what will happen next. It's a series by Vince Gilligan, who was my favourite writer on The X-Files.

3) Being Erica: I've talked about it before, but I was totally sucked into this dramedy about a 30-something girl who lives in Toronto. The season finale really makes me die to see how it continues.

I also really enjoyed two BBC miniseries I watched: Cranford and State of Play.

Movies

1) Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? What a fantastic movie! It's a creepy thriller, and Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are both great. That movie had me on the edge of my seat.

2) Vertigo:. I had a Jimmy Stewart double bill a few weeks ago: The Philadelphia Story, which I love, and a movie I had never seen, Vertigo. I don't know that I was totally sucked into the movie, but I can definitely see why it's been so influential in terms of film making. It's definitely very interesting as far as how it is shot. And the plot has lots of twists and turns.

3) Sunshine Cleaning: I saw this movie last weekend. It's the story of two sisters who start their own crime scene cleaning business to try to rise up above in their situations. It's a quiet little film about the struggles of life. It just touched some cords in me. Made me cry like a little girl.

Other mentions: Loved Rachel Get Married. It was my favourite Oscar season movie along with Milk. I saw Monsters vs. Aliens in IMAX 3D. That was just a whole lot of fun. On the more serious side, Waltz with Bashir, a movie about the Shatila Massacre in the 1982 Lebanon War, is very poignant.

I have a few old school movies lined up in the next few days: 1) Hitchcock's Rope, which I have seen before but is just a great movie, 2) To Have or Have Not, a Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall movie, and 3) Fellini's 8 1/2.

I'll be back tomorrow with my favourite books that I've read lately.

A Bad Case of The Mondays

You know how the common wisdom is the life is made of a series of small moments? Well, all my little moments today kinda sucked! Let's make a list, shall we?

- Woke up at 4:50 am because I had nightmares. That hasn't happened to me since I was a kid. Couldn't fall back asleep because I was so freaked out. On the plus side, I had a lot of time to get ready for work.

- Had to come back up 3 times to my apartment on my way to work because I kept forgetting things. I got halfway down the stairs to realize I forgot my bottle of water. Second time, I got just outside the door of the apartment building and realized I forgot the keys to the office. Third time, I was halfway down the street to the subway when I realized I forgot my agenda, which I needed for all the phone numbers in it.

- Oh, that bottle of water? I would have been better forgetting it home since it leaked a bit and got my library book wet! The poor book is now wedged between huge tomes to get it straight.

- I had a really tough case at work. My boss was on my case about a bunch of trivial things that she keeps changing her mind about. When I asked her for some info to help me do my assessment, instead of getting the info for me, which would have been a courtesy given that 1) I was working a patient all day while she was home writing reports, 2) this info was needed today and 3) she should have known the info given that she's the boss, she gave me a phone number to call to get the info. When she called at the office at lunchtime to know how things were going, her first question was, "So, did you get the info?" Given that I had spent the last 3 hours trying to assess someone who didn't want to be there, NO I didn't get around to it yet. Argh.

- Also I didn't have time to have lunch.

- To cheer me up, I stopped by the music store right by the office to get a CD I couldn't find on iTunes. When I got home, opened the case, and THERE WAS NO CD in there! I mean, really?! So I have to go back to the store and explain that!

- I decided to cheer me up by going to rent "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". I get to the video store. There is a box for it on the shelves, and then they tell me they're out of it. Seriously, universe?

- I wanted to go deposit a check. The ATM is out of envelopes. Of course.

- My cat also won't stop howling at the moon.

- Oh, and of course, the cherry on top is that, as Cher Horowitz would say, God decided it was the day for me to ride the crimson wave too. That never helps in making you not a bitch.

So in conclusion, October 6, 2008= freak day. It will go in the books in the minus column. LOL

This Is What Happens...

when I feel like going on and on talking. Instead of directly inflicting it upon other people, I write a stupidly long blog entry. lol It's been a while, hasn't it? I've been working a lot, and living in my head as always. I'm trying to enjoy the summer a bit.

I went in the Shawinigan wilderness two weekends ago, kayak and what not. This weekend, E and I went to open air market, and did some movie catching up. We went to see Wall-E on Sunday afternoon, which I enjoyed very much despite the two crazy children who were talking and running around during most of the movie. Seriously, I expect some noise when I see a kids' movie, but this was over the line.

On Friday night, we went to see TXF movie. You probably know how long I had been waiting for this (i.e., a long time! LOL). The X-Files has been one of those few things in pop culture that's ever really hooked me. My verdict? I must say upon seeing the movie, I was a little meh, but the more I think about it, the more I can't wait to see it again. (I will this weekend.) I know my friend E didn't like it quite as much. She was a more casual fan than I and found it boring in spots. She was also confused by certain things, not having seen the last few seasons. I think it was just marketed as a big action/thriller movie when it wasn't really what it was so it may have been a bit misleading as to what you expected to see. It might have also been better to release it in the fall since it wasn't a summer blockbuster. But anyway, it was a mixed bag, although I like it more than not.

SPOILERS FOLLOW...

The plot of the scary story worked more or less for me. It was kind of silly and confusing, focusing a lot on agents we didn't really know. I think it could have used a bit more editing and tightening of the storyline, although I understand that the writers' strike did put the whammy on modifying the script as the shooting went along.

In addition, I think not having Mulder & Scully in the FBI didn't quite make this work. I understand that it would have been a stretch justifying having them back in the FBI, but that was such a big part of their identity. I was missing the guns, the badges, the basement office, all the things that made The X-Files.

As for the Scully B-storyline, the less I say about that, the better. I adore Scully and her crises of faith, but Saint Scully was a pathologist, and now, she's apparently a pediatrician and a neurosurgeon? Please allow me to roll my eyes since that is not how the medical profession works. Also googling stem cell research? Yeah, not so much... This is the kind of thing when they push too far and it just becomes unbelievable.

However, the good stuff was the acting. Everyone was good. In addition, he Mulder/Scully relationship was really well done and exactly what I hoped to see. That's always what has made this show special, and on that front, I can only say I was pleased. The break up was a bit of an extreme reaction to the situation but Scully didn't overdo it; she was setting her limits as far as saying she didn't want them to go back to a dark place, which is fair enough seeing as Mulder has a tendency to go nutty when he becomes involved in a case. I thought they played the relationship in a very mature and real way, although I could have done without the violins when they kissed. LOL

The end with them on a boat in the middle of the ocean? (Points for Mulder wearing a red bathing suit! LOL) I'm not sure what it was supposed to mean except that they're riding (or more to the point, rowing) into the sunset, forever happy. By the way, when I saw the boat, I thought it might be The Lone Gunmen, CSM, Krycek and all other XF villains in a boat in the middle of nowhere. I thought that would have been funny!

I did like all the little inside jokes for the hardcore fans; I don't think it would distract new viewers, but added all this baggage for older fans. It was neat. So I don't know whether I'll be disappointed or not if we don't get a third movie... I think I'll always want more Moose and Squirrel. It's the nature of the fangirlish beast. ;)

Oh, also, someone told me today that David Duchovny is blogging for TXF movie. How did I not know that?

Next up: A new Arrested Development movie is rumored to be in the works! Please make it so.

I Have Been Quiet in The Last Few Months...

It's odd how I used to blog quite regularly, but it seems to have just fallen out of my regular routine. I'm keeping quite busy as always. I did go out this afternoon, and went to see Definitely, Maybe, which I enjoyed even more than I thought I would. It's a very cute movie for a Saturday afternoon. :)

I've tried to pick back up my cooking of late, and I've made ratatouille and many other delicious dishes. I can't wait to buy myself a digital camera (which should be soon enough) to keep a visual diary of my culinary attempts.

Oh, and I finally, I've started watching Frasier reruns recently, and I had forgotten how much that sitcom made me laugh. David Hyde Pierce as Niles is particularly brilliant.



While I love shows like The Office, 30 Rock, and Pushing Daisies, I wish there were some good sitcoms in the vein of Frasier and Cheers still around.

I've Been Pretty Quiet of Late...

The summer has been a busy one. I'm currently wrapping up my internship. It makes me a little sad because I've had such a good time there. Worked a lot but it has been awesome. I'll miss it.

I got myself a new computer last week. It's a very pretty, very fast HP. And there were tons of sales so I got a good deal. Let's wish it a long life than my craptacular laptop.

Today, I went to the movies and saw Waitress, which I recommend, although I am not sure I liked the ending. Anyway, on my way to the movies, I saw a squirrel eating half an Areo chocolate bar. Oh, squirrel. Say no to refined sugar. Talk about the crazy diet of city-dwelling animals!

Not Much To Report

I am working a lot, but I am in fact still alive. ;) Nothing all that interesting to report or link to. I'll need to work on that. I did see Miss Potter last night, which I enjoyed.

(Not So) Clean Fun

A link to a ton of random, but funny, IRC conversations here.

So after I went to the ballet on Saturday night (which was outstanding), I went to see "Knocked Up". Talk about a different plane of entertainment... LOL Anyway, it was funny and I liked, but not nearly as much as I had enjoyed "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". I think Steve Carell really took that movie to another level. Plus, his chemistry with Catherine Keener was wonderful whereas while Seth Rogan and Katherine Heigl were good, they were nothing outstanding. By the way, "Knocked Up" is raunchier than "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" if that is possible...

Before "Knocked Up", there were some previews and Seth Rogan's next movie is called "Superbad" and it stars Michael Cera (aka George Michael from "Arrested Development"!) Looks very funny. So I'll add that to my list of upcoming movies to watch out for. The one movie I want to go see this week or next is "Waitress". I need to go before it closes.

By the way, my blog turned 2 yesterday! How time flies by!

Movies, Movies, Movies!

I rented three movies in the last two weeks, which is some kind of record these days. How sad given that I used to watch that in one evening when I was a teen and my brother worked in a videostore (those were the days!). Anyway, I indulged in movies, which is always nice. I rented Music and Lyrics, Dreamgirls, and Catch & Release.

Music and Lyrics was cute, if very forgettable. I didn't feel much happened in the movie, which thinking back on it, is probably because the tension/conflict in the movie occurred with characters who we didn't see that much on screen like the writer ex-boyfriend or the pop singer. Still watching Hugh Grant sing cheesy 80s songs was fun and he had some good one-liners. I always enjoy Drew Barrymore so that was another plus for the movie. Would I rewatch it? Eh, wouldn't go out of my way to do so.

I always enjoy a musical so I liked Dreamgirls. The songs and music in it are fantastic and it is just an interesting storyline. I don't care much for Jamie Foxx and Beyonce though so I think that played into my not being over the moon about it. Jennifer Hudson though does a good job. Plus, my TV boyfriend pops in there for a scene so that is neat.

I really really enjoyed Catch & Release though. It is written and directed by the same screenwriter who did In Her Shoes. The movie is about copping with grief and discovering someone is not really who you thought he/she was. I am not sure how I felt about the ending, but as a whole, it just touched me a lot. I think it is worth seeing.

My friend Eve is coming to stay for the weekend to visit and find an apartment. Yay!

Movie, Why Do You Make Cry?

I've seen 13 Going on 30 3 times, and every single time, the montage of Jenna going back home to her parents' home when her life is going all wrong makes me cry. It's such a fluffy movie, but that sequence manages to get to me. It's set to Vienna by Billy Joel, which is a song too beautiful for words. Plus, I think the 13-year-old in me can only empathize too much with the teenage self of the character feeling lost as a 30-year-old. It's the magic of movies.

Movie, Movie, TV!

What is better than a movie with Colin Firth? Colin Firth singing in a movie?! It has Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan on top of it. I saw the musical Mamma Mia back in 2002, and it was highly enjoyable. This movie should be good too. That's one I'll be keeping my eye on.

We have a documentary festival in Toronto called Hot Docs. Anyway, this year, it has a very interesting documentary about Michael Moore and his ways of making movies. While I've enjoyed what Michael Moore was trying to do, let's say that I never thought what he did 1) were documentaries as much as commentaries and 2) I always suspected there was a bit more to it. Too bad it is sold out, but hopefully, it will released soon in theatres.

One last thing... I am happy to see they finally released Larry Sanders on DVD: Not Just The Best of the Larry Sanders Show. I think it aired on HBO in the US because I only was able to watch it in syndication on CTV very late at night in the late 90s. The article I linked makes me laugh a bit because they seem to say Garry Shandling appears currently very deflated and morose. Have they never seen Garry Shandling before? He was always like that as far as I am concerned! LOL Anyway, I hope I can rent that DVD set at the video store. I had encouraged the owner to buy Arrested Development once upon a time!

Wig Gate and Party Music

Why do I enjoy the Internet? I'll tell you why. Because people can spend weeks discussing whether an actor is wearing a wig or not on a show, and they even provide evidence that his hair is much shorter in RL than on the show. Ha! I must say, regardless of whether it is a wig or not, John Krasinski's hair on The Office has been bugging me in the last few episodes because it does not look good. He was playing a 1920s football player at the same time he was filming The Office so they messed with the hair somehow. He needs to go back to his good hair days of Season 2 (how adorable!), although he was also looking good when he filmed License to Wed, which is coming out this summer. Which by the way, you know I will probably see, let's face it, because I have a hard time restraining myself in front of romantic comedies, especially when the only alternatives on July 4th weekend will be Bruce Willis being all macho again and 80s action figures.

On a totally unrelated topic, as I was running errands today, I was listening to music and felt like dancing. LOL Since dancing in public for no reason is not appropriate (ha!), I made a playlist in my head of 50 songs I'd like to dance to. I figure I can use that list if/when I have a party. If it is on my blog, it will be easier to find. By the way, I am fully aware I have music tastes that are pretty eclectic and sometimes veer towards cheesiness, but as Lucille Bluth says, I won’t hear it and I won’t respond to it.

So here is the list in no particular order: (I would have many more to add, but 50 is a good start!)

1. Sexy Back- Justin Timberlake
2. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)- ABBA
3. Like A Prayer- Madonna
4. Island in The Sun- Weezer
5. Love Shack- B-52s
6. Go- Indigo Girls
7. Brian Wilson- The Barenaked Ladies
8. Candyman- Christina Aguilera
9. Dress You Up- Madonna
10. Pour Some Sugar On Me- Def Leppard
11. Unwritten- Natasha Bedingfield
12. Thriller- Michael Jackson
13. You Drive Me Crazy- Britney Spears
14. Lady Marmelade- Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya, and Lil Kim
15. Middle Of Nowhere- Hot Hot Heat
16. We're Not Gonna Take It- Me First and The Gimme Gimme
17. Since U Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson
18. They - Jem
19. Holiday- Green Day
20. Higher Ground- Red Hot Chili Peppers
    
21. Inside and Out- Feist
22. I Will Survive- Cake
23. Here It Goes Again- Ok Go
24. Kick Your Game- TLC
    
25. Astounded- Bran Van 3000
    
26. Canned Heat- Jamiroquai
27. Extraordinary- Liz Phair
28. Breathe- Michelle Branch
29. I'm Just a Gigolo- David Lee Roth
    
30. Born To Be My Baby- Bon Jovi
31. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting- Elton John
32. Groove is in The Heart- Dee Lite
33. American Girls- Counting Crows
34. Rhythm Nation- Janet Jackson
35. Walking On Sunshine- Katrina and The Waves
36. It's Raining Men- Geri Halliwell
37. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours- Stevie Wonder
38. For Once in My Life- Stevie Wonder
39. Where The Streets Have No Name- U2
40. Where's The Love- Hanson
41. Home for a Rest- Spirit of The West (The quintessential Canadian party song!)
42. If I Could Turn Back Time- Cher
    
43. I Want You Back- Jackson 5
44. New York, New York- Frank Sinatra
45. Rich Girl- Gwen Stefani
46. Crazy in Love- Beyonce
47. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun- Cyndi Lauper
48. Toxic- Britney Spears
49. You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
50. Stop!- Spice Girls
    

Oh, and a slow song? Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight", TLC's "Red Light Special" or "To Make You Feel My Love" covered by Billy Joel.

Manic Monday

Actually, these days the whole week is crazy. Although I was at a conference yesterday, as am I today and tomorrow. It's a nice change of pace. Things are winding down though overall, which is much appreciated. I've been going to bed early (well, my early which means like 10:30!) and catching up on sleep. My really demanding rotation of my internship is done, and I'm now moving to the therapy rotation, which is much less intensive and doesn't require extra work nights and weekends. That means more time to work on my dissertation, thank God, so I can try to make progress on that bad boy. I'm juggling a lot of balls in the air at the moment, but I feel good. I just feel a sense of self-efficacy, probably because in the last 2 weeks, I've succeded in writing and giving a one-hour seminar, write up and edit six reports, tutor more than my usual night of tutoring, prepare for a dissertation meeting with my supervisor, read up on my new rotation, and keep up with my usual load of patients (with all the prep, patient face time, and post work it requires). I'm pretty proud of myself. Anyway, you'll now get to hear me spout cognitive-behavioural therapy theory for the next six months. Hee.

Other good news, I got the results from my course evaluation from the class I taught last summer, and the students liked me a lot. That's always nice to hear!

Yesterday, I watched the documentary Wordplayall about crossword puzzles. It was quite enjoyable to watch, and now, all I want to do are crosswords! My mom and my grandma both love crosswords so I grew up in that environment. (In the French language, we even have a word for it. The word "cruciverbiste" describes people who like to do crossword puzzles.) I've always enjoyed word-based and reasoning-type of puzzles so crosswords are no exception. Now, I can even do crosswords in English, which is pretty sweet, although I can't do the really tough ones since I don't always have all the necessary cultural knowledge for it. Anyway, I need to find myself a book of crosswords or pick up the paper today or get crosswords somehow... LOL

A Film About Football That Will Probably Be My Favourite Ever...

It looks like George Clooney, my movie boyfriend, is about to do a movie with my TV boyfriend, John Krasinski. I think my head may explode from the prettiness and the love. Hee. If they only added Stephen Colbert, I would certainly lie in a puddle somewhere. ;)

Wednesday Night Is Alright For Working and Relaxing

A big hi to my girls Shri and Kir who found their way over here recently. Nice to have you here in my little corner of the Internet! :)

Life has been crazy busy recently, but I finally decided to go to the movies this week since it is one of my favourite things to do, and I hadn't been in at least 2-3 months. On Monday night, I went with my friend Jeremey to see Strangers with Candy, which was so wrong and yet so funny. It had been a while since I had seen a movie that made me laugh so much. I don't think I could love Stephen Colbert any more, and I lurve Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello. They also recruited Matthew Broderick as an evil science teacher, Alison Janney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as science fair judges, and Sarah Jessica Parker as a wacky grief counsellor. Loved the movie.

Then, last night, I saw that there was going to be a free screening of Little Miss Sunshine tonight at theatre near my house so I decided to go. I saw the reviews for it from the Sundance Festival back in the winter, and I've been waiting ever since to see it. It was a dark comedy, just the way I like them. The ending was so funny! Basically, it is about a family who drives in a RV from Alburquerque to California to attend a child pageant because their daughter really wants to compete. Greg Kinnear plays a failed motivational speaker and his supportive wife is played by Toni Collette. I love those two. There is also Steve Carell plays the gay university professor uncle who has just attempted suicide and is under their watch. This is a pretty dramatic role, but he kicks butt as always. There is also Olive, the unusual pageant daughter, their teenage son who has made a vow of silence, and the wacked out grandfather. Seriously, it is all kinds of awesome. Very touching and very funny. Plus, any movie that has Steve Carell dancing is alright with me! (It wasn't boss of dancing awesome, but still good.)

Tonight I also treated myself to a bubblebath complete with pear/linden bubblebath, scented candle, and a drink. It was a beautiful thing. I'm so relaxed now. Yet, I have to get back to work. Such is the irony of life. *hugs to all my readers out there*

Time Flies By When You're Having Fun...

Or are marking exams. Life has been pretty darn busy recently, which is why I have been so sparse in my presence.

My friend Eve was in TO last week. The weather was total crap but we had a great time. On Saturday, we went to Insomnia for some yummy brunch (I had a lovely mimosa with grapefruit juice and French toast with a citrus batter!), and then went shopping. On Sunday, we went to see Tristram Shandy, and then, vegged with my Office DVD. The rest of the time was spent with my marking and Eve playing videogames! Hee.

This weekend, I came to Montreal for a dentist appointment and to bid my parents farewell. The 'rents are gone to France for 3 weeks. I'm sure they will have a lovely time.

I had a nice time here. Saw lots of friends, ate good food, all that lovely stuff. I don't know if I mentioned this before though, but one of my friends who I have known forever seems to want nothing to do with me anymore. It just saddens me because I don't know why. It started last summer out of the blue. Either she is mad at something that I don't know I've done or she just decided we've moved on. She doesn't return my emails or ever makes the effort to come out with me when I'm in town but then, I've talked to her on her birthday (and today) and she was all: "We should try to meet up." without my prompting it. Talk about mixed messages. Anyway, as much as it saddens me, I'm also fed up to be doing some effort when she doesn't seem to care enough to say if there is something wrong or she doesn't want to see me anymore. So yeah, I guess I'm not going to write or call anymore. 15 years of friendship down the drain. Sad.

In other totally unrelated news, Stephen Colbert was hosting the White House Correspondants' Dinner last night. The man was fearless in his jokes. President Bush was sitting 20 feet from him, and let's just say he didn't exactly spare him or the press corps. Check it out.

My Top 10 Movies of 2005

I got the Entertainment Weekly Oscar issue, which got me all excited for the ceremony. I love movies and wish I could go spend a day on a set, to see how the crew makes the magic happen. Anyway, my love of movies is only rivaled by my love for listmaking. ;) Hence, a list of my top 10 movies of 2005. (Some I saw in January/February 2006 but they're still 2005 movies. LOL Some are 2004 movies I saw in 2005. It's my list so I'm fudging the rules a bit. LOL)

10. The Constant Gardener: I really enjoyed this movie. The plot is complex without being obtuse. You just need to pay attention. Besides, it's interesting to try to figure out where the story is going. It was shot for the most part in Africa, and the landscapes are beautiful. Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes are both very good.
9. Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room: I love documentaries and this was a great one even if I came out of the theatre so infuriated. I wanted to run down to Texas and jail the idiots myself. I thought Enron was a scandalous affair before I saw that movie; I now know it is even worst than I imagined it. Enough said.
8. March of the Penguins: I was impressed by all the work that went into making this movie. It was so beautiful that I could have stared forever at the screen. I am not necessarily a big National Geographic person but this is just so grand. It just showed the unbelievable steps animals will take to reproduce. Wow.

7. In Good Company: I love the duo of Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace as the old guy with experience who loses his job, and now has to work for the know-nothing-but-workaholic young guy. I thought it was a great script that toed the line between drama and comedy throughout the whole film. It just spoke to me somehow.
6. The Squid and The Whale: A movie set in the 80s about self-involved parents who are smart but so self-involved it is not funny. Their kids just act out, and they don't even notice. Good acting, great script. Funny, smart & twisted is my kind of movie.
5b. Maurice Richard: Great movie about a Quebecois hockey player who became the icon of a nation. He is the symbol of the awakening of the national/patriotic conscience within the French-speaking Quebecers.

5a. C.R.A.Z.Y.: I'm cheating a bit but I had to include the 2 best Quebecois movies I saw this year. C.R.A.Z.Y. was just so so so good. The movie is about a lot of things but mostly, it is about a boy called Zack growing up in the 60s/70s who realizes he is gay and does not know how to deal with it. Society in Quebec at that time was fairly conservative and religious so he tries to navigate wanting to please his dad and wanting to be himself. It is also a movie about the relationships between the 5 very different brothers in this family. It was a huge success in Canada. Unfortunately it won't be distributed in the US because the music clearance would be too expensive. It has hands down one of the best soundtracks ever: "Crazy" (and many other songs) by Patsy Cline, "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, Pink Floyd, The Stones, and a lot of French classics.
4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin: I love Steve Carell. I just do. I think he has a knack for finding the line between pathos and laughter. This was hands down my favourite comedy of the year. It was hilarious, funny, yet sweet. It was not a great movie but one of my favourite movies this years. I'm sure I'll rewatch for years to come, all the while still laughing.
3. Good Night and Good Luck: I love historical movies, and this one is really interesting. It recounts the showdown between Sen. Joseph McCarthy and Edward R. Murrow, which ultimately ruined McCarthy's credibility. Beautifully shot in black and white by the no-less-handsome George Clooney. The whole cast was great. I thought its message about our responsibility as citizens of a democracy to question our leaders and keep the governement accountable. My hat's off to you Mr. Clooney on a great directing, writing, and acting job.

2. In Her Shoes: I didn't have any expectation in regards to this movie. I figured it was going to be a light chick flick. Really not. It was sooooo good. The central focus of the movie is the relationship between 2 sisters and also with their grandmother. The sisters, played by Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, go through a crisis, and both have to grow and develop independently of the other sister. I thought it was fabulous, and I was into it that it made me cry so much.
1. Brokeback Mountain: I am usually not a sucker for sad, tortured love stories but this one just got me. I empathized with the pain all these characters were experiencing (pretty much everyone in this movie is happy for fleeting moments and miserable for the bulk of the movie). The label of the "gay cowboy movie" just doesn't do this movie justice. That is so not the point. It is a love story between two guys but that is not even really the main point. A lot of the movie was dealing with the feeling of being an outsider in your own life. It was either feeling that you don't belong to society or that people you love and who should care about you don't. All the characters (the couples but also parents and children) love each other in a clumsy, and often, hurtful manner. This movie resonated with me so much that I saw it twice. Both times I left with my stomach tied in knots from the angsty finale. The acting was top-notch, and the cinematography was just gorgeous. Plus, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal aren't too hard on the eyes. ;)

Yes, I Am Still Alive and Kicking...

Hee. I spent time in Montreal, far, far away from the computer. It was nice to spend time just mucking around with my family. On Friday, I watched the exciting skeleton competition with my dad, and watched crime shows with my mom. We had never realized we both love real crime shows so we spent a few hours on Friday night lounging on the couch. My mom likes to say it's to train for her future as a PI/cop. LOL

I spent Saturday with my friend Eve. We went shopping, which was fun except I got a bit lost driving (Not my fault! The road has been modified recently in a neighbourhood I'm familiar with & the new signs suck badly!) and I broke the necklace I bought ohhh... about 10 seconds after buying it. Yeah, I dropped the shopping bag containing said necklace, and the string of the necklace broke. Anyway, I bought some string, and I was able to fix it. :) Then, we went out for dinner, and went to Eve's with DVDs. It was very cold (like -30 celsius cold) so staying inside (or insane as I first typed it! LOL) was a must.

We rented 2 movies, one in French and then, The Aristocrats. I believe Eve and I are unbelievably twisted because we laughed so much at that latter movie. The Aristocrats is a documentary/retelling by numerous comedians of the filthiest joke ever told. (Trust me, it is pretty much as unspeakable as it gets! Hee.) It's sort of the jazz equivalent of joke telling. The first sentence and the punchline are always the same but the riffing in between is unique to each person who tells it. Bob Saget has by far the most twisted version but my favourite tellings were probably by George Carlin, Steven Wright, Howie Mandel, and Paul Reiser. I know there were other good ones, one by a card magician who used cards to tell the joke. Eric Idle was just riffing and was hilarious. Jon Stewart was there (he was in The Daily Show's makeup chair while being interviewed) but refused to tell the joke! It was cute. Oh, and Eric Idle was funny just because he always is. Anyway, I recommend it only if you have a high tolerance for twisted humour. By the way, you may want to quit 20 minutes into it thinking there possibly be more. Stick with it, it does pick up again!

On Sunday, I did a lot of uninteresting things but then, I went to see my grandma, which is always a nice thing. My grand-maman is going to be 80 this year! Anyway, she gave my mom a big pile of trashy Quebecois star magazines (US Weekly/People-like magazines) to pass along to someone else we know. My brother and I cracked ourselves up so much thumbing through the pile. We love snark.

Monday, I went by my brother's office for some dental treatments. I have spots and bumps on my teeth due to too much fluoride growing up (took care a bit too much of my teeth growing up!) so I've had caps on my front teeth for 15+ years. They were old and needed to be replaced. Anyway, my brother removed them. He did such a good job polishing my teeth to get rid of some of the spots that I may not need new caps. Plus, my brother got me outfitted with this awesome bleaching kit, and if the spots are totally gone after that, no caps! I say wheeeee to that possibility.

Anyway, that is my life in a (long) nutshell! :) I promise not to disappear too much!

I Was Stress-Free For a Full 48 Hours!

Incredible! Amazing! Out of this world! I had a pretty relaxing weekend. Watched a lot of TV, more than I wanted to but these things happen. I watched Live 8 yesterday, and then "Gone With The Wind" was on TV, and I had never seen it so I watched. It was a very good movie, and although it was long, I wouldn't have cut out much of it at all. Scarlett was annoying in her fickleness, and always longing for the things she couldn't have, but that was the point. The single most annoying character, however, was Prissy with her ridiculously high pitched voice, which would make Victoria Jackson (Alert: dated SNL reference!) sound like a bass. Oh, and Clark Gable was very charming as Rhett Butler.

Today, I rented "Shake Hands With The Devil", the documentary on Romeo Dallaire, the Canadian General who conducted the UN Mission in Rwanda in 1994. Such a tragic and disturbing story. Gave me shivers.

Well, we now come to the fact that I'm up at 3:30 am, all wired and stressed out. So what happened? Well, my roommate announced today she was moving out. This means I have the option of taking over the lease, which I think I will exercise because I am not moving for a third year in a row (!), but this means finding a new roommate. Thus, stress alert. Plus, it means reorganizing and readapting yet again to living with someone else. I mean, in some regards, I'm happy my roommate and I are parting ways but at the same time, it's such a pain in the butt. I thought I might have one year free from living-arrangement stress but clearly, it was not meant to be. I need to up use of relaxation techniques.