So we’ve got this friend, Mcd. He’s kind of a big deal. He makes movies. Good ones. Like the one that you’re about to see.
His latest film, Urinception, is a short film spoof of the movie Inception. There’s still a team of people breaking into someone dream to change something, except in Urinception’s case the something is the man character’s chronic bed wetting problem.
It won best cinematography and special effects at the latest Fredericton 48 hour film competition. As I was watching it, I totally could see that the camera work was a step above. My friend really has progressed in his ability to shoot some really well crafted, and thought out, shots.
Not only is the directing/camera work very solid, the acting is also well done. Jon Quinn as the lead really takes it upon himself to demand the audience’s attention whenever he’s on the screen. And who can forget Jack Yerxa as the number 2 in the dream team squad? Also, he looks particularly skeezy in the goatee and sweater vest…
The only flaw that is readily apparent is the sound quality; the characters spoken lines, in particular, are sometimes difficult to comprehend. But you can hardly blame the crew for this. I’m sure with only 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and render the film, rerecording dialogue was probably not at the forefronts of their minds.
A clever script, cinematography and neat special effects make Urinception a great short film to see. Ah, I forgot to mention that the film was the first runner up in the best film category at the Fredericton 48 hour film contest. Which is actually a step down from Mcd’s last entry in the competition. That film won best film last year. Take a look!
This date had been in the mix for awhile. As mentioned awhile back, we had a gift card for the Old Spaghetti Factory, one of our favorite restaurants. I mean seriously, what’s not to love? Free bread, delicious pasta, and a $2 corking fee on Tuesday nights? We’re there!
Interjection – totally just realized that our only other Date Night post is also about the Old Spaghetti Factory. But seriously, free bread. I’m not embarrassed at all.
We’ve known about this $2 corking fee for some time now, but this was the first time we’ve been able to put it into action. So at 5 p.m. sharp, He went to buy our advance tickets to the movie we were seeing after TOSF, and I went to the LCBO by the Yonge/Bloor subway to grab a bottle of wine for us. After some seriously depressing searching (hardly any bottles of white with Air Miles), I finally found a bottle for $7.95 that had five airmiles. Sold. It will inevitably be received here later.
We met at the resto with the intention of pretending it was our first date. Aw, supercute! We kind of forgot about it though, until 20 minutes in my coworker texted me as my get-off-the-hook-pretend-it’s-a-car-crash phone call. It was pretty funny. We had our awesome pasta, free bread (two loaves) and our salads. BUT NOT OUR WINE.
They changed the corking fee! Apparently it wasn’t just on Tuesday’s, it was everyday, but no one was using it, so they turned it back into their old fee of $10 to uncork it! The guy, Joel, asked if we wanted to pay that fee, but seriously, do I look like the kind of girl who’s going to be late for dinner in order to find a cheap bottle of wine that costs $8 and comes with Air Miles, just to pay MORE to uncork it than the bottle of wine cost itself? I don’t think so brosef.
So we sucked it up and got the bucket of five beers for $15. Still not a bad deal, but not what we were expecting. Old Spaghetti Factory, you’ve let us down. You’re lucky we don’t have any more gift cards…
During dinner I received a phone call from Queen’s Alumni Relations a.k.a. Queen’s Alumni Please-Give-Us-Your-Money-You-Graduated-A-Year-Ago-What-Don’t-You-Have-Lots Relations. They almost get me because they’re so damn nice and inquiring as to details of my life that no one else cares about. But no, I will not give you my $20.09. Even if it is cute to ask for money in the year I graduated.
We went to the Rainbow Cinema, a neat little spot that He has been after me to go to for some time. It was a neat theatre, and we saw True Grit for only $5 each. Not terrible at all.
I know True Grit got a buttload of Oscar nom’s and all, but I don’t really care. It was a good movie though, although (spoiler), it would have been nice if SOMEthing nice happened at the end, you know? Plus, I don’t like when animals die in films. It’s not their fault. While the movie was good, I kind of like the trailer more. It’s funny, because the thing I told Him that I liked about the movie most was that they had funny parts in it. I mean, just because you’re on a quest to avenge your father’s death doesn’t mean someone can’t tell a decent joke on the way, am I right? The trailer has none of that funny stuff, but I still think it’s really good.
Good Date Night over all though. A friend of ours was even at the theatre, sitting next to us. We haven’t seen him since Queen’s, so it was nice to run into him. He’s really tall, and I forgot that until he stood up next to me.
This is almost in a way rather a music review than a movie review, but in this case, the two go hand in hand. Since I’ve been listening to a lot of Eddie Vedder lately, I thought this was appropriate.
Now, we saw this film in theatres when it first came out, so this review isn’t exactly current. But I’ve been listening to the Vedder soundtrack a lot lately, and this snowy day has got me thinking about it (if you have seen the movie, you’ll probably guess what part I’m thinking of).
The video’s that can be found on YouTube are actually really decent – they show great footage from the film and are very well done.
This film is one of my favorites. My family is big into camping, exploring the wilderness and the outdoors, etc. I thought this film would be right up my Dad’s alley after I saw it, so I bought him the book for Christmas that winter. He was less than impressed for some reason.
The film is based on a book written by Jon Krakauer about a true story of a college graduate in the states who graduated top of his class, with a huge pile of money. One day he dumps his money and sets out with the goal of traveling up to Alaska. Obviously he has adventures along the way, some good, some bad, one terrible.
It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to drop everything, change your name to Alexander Supertramp, and head out to go wherever you’ve ever wanted to go – with not a word to anybody, no forwarding address, no promise of a travel blog along the way.
Apparently Christopher McCandless’s parents, the directors of his memorial foundation, are coming out with a new book, called Back to the Wild in 2011. I’ll be eager to see what direction that takes, as it comes from their perspective rather than Hollywood’s.
Check out the film if you get a chance – it’s shot beautifully, Eddie Vedder works his magic, and the story itself is heartwarming, inspiring, and tear/adventure-inducing.
Friday night I went to see The King’s Speech with a few friends from work. Wow. What a film. I know it’s probably going to be nominated for about a squillion awards, but it’s definitely deserving of a few of them.
Even though it makes me a bit more like His mother than I’d like (kidding Mrs. Him!), I’m a big fan of the monarchy stuff. I like The Other Boleyn Girl and the other Phillipa Gregory novels, I like learning the history of the British monarchy.
This film provides all that jazz, plus Colin Firth.
It tells the story of King George VI of England and his ascension to the throne. In case you’re not familiar with the Wikipedia entry, the King had a stammer and this prevented him from feeling confident in his ability to be king. He begins to see speech therapist Lionel Logue and after many he-quits-he-returns-he-quits-he-returns moments, voila, everything is fab.
Colin Firth is getting a lot of critical acclaim for this movie – and well he should. He portrays the King and his stutter in a way that’s not over the top, is very endearing, and definitely shows the skill of his acting.
But I think the supporting characters in this movie is where the money really is. Helena Bonham Carter, as Queen Elizabeth, really exhibits the great talent of being a superb actor that isn’t meant to be the star. She’s quietly in the background, supporting, but never over-shining. As an actress who as of late is more known for her crazy roles (Fight Club, Harry Potter, the Tim Burton collabs), it was nice to see her in something calmer, more like her earlier work, and honestly, at some points, I forgot who I was watching, which I think is definitely the mark of a talented actor.
Geoffrey Rush is another stand-out performance. His portrayal of Lionel Logue is where a lot of the comedy comes in, sure, but it’s also the most heart-warming stuff I think. A few of those scenes could definitely have started the waterworks in the movie theatre, if it wasn’t for my friend next to me making hilarious comments (quite loudly) throughout the movie. Thanks for helping me avoid embarassing movie tears Michelle!
Definitely a film to go see, and one I wouldn’t mind seeing again, if you’d like to take me. If you can see it with an audience of 50 year old women – do it. Their gasps, laughs, and credit claps alone make it all worth while.
hishersandtheirs 