pee wee and the ipad

yeah i'm late posting this but it's still funny. pee wee herman looks the same. it's scary.

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman

super bowl

glad New Orleans won. but the super bowl spots were so crappy. also the thing is, i think it'd be awesome if we tried to like, you know, make great ads 365 days out of the year, and not just half-way good ads one day out of the year.

academy awards

so i think i saw 3 of the 10 academy award nominated movies: inglorious basterds, a serious man, and district 9.

i think out of all of them, a serious man had the most depth to plunge, especially if you come from a jewish background. while of course the movie can be seen from a non-jewish standpoint and still carry the same power, i do believe it holds a special meaning coming from the zeitgeist right now of what it means to be jewish which is an ever evolving question.
inglorious basterds was essentially tarantino's best film to date in terms of writing and plot, but mostly writing. it was the least self-conscious film he's made to be sure, and while i wouldn't put the same weight of meaning on it to the cohen's brother's epic (which in my opinion is also their best film to date) i would put it as being his most unabashedly mature film and the for that reason alone it merits in my mind as going from a tarantino film to being one that is Serious, with a capital s.

the one i grapple with is district 9. while i liked the cinematography, and the acting (essentially one person carrying the film) it is telling when the characters we most identify with are the aliens themselves. while you can read the current relation of refugees to host country and even apartheid into the script, the problem is that neither feels right. the former feels like it is explored
incorrectly while the latter is incongruous. the main (real) character is likable enough but the problem is it devolves into a typical "hollywood" ending which either portrays the unlikely hero as just that or worse, opens the door to a lessor sequel.

i guess for my money i'd say in the perfect world, best picture for a serious man, best director for inglorious basterds and best cinematography for district 9.

and while i haven't seen the other films on the nomination list i admit i will be a bit disappointed if my perfect world scenario doesn't play out as it is.

still it reminds me of this summer when M and i went to more films that i can count at Fantasia Fest. I swear two of the best films i've seen in a very long time (which of course didn't come near the nominations list at the oh so important academy awards) were instant swamp which is the asian equivalent to amelie, and my dear enemy which is so achingly beautiful and charming in its storytelling that no other film can match it.

i hate to sound overly grateful but those two movies alone kind of make me glad last year happened.

i can only hope 2010 is as great a year for films.

it's 7 degrees outside

and i'm guessing it isn't a lucky number 7 degrees either. ouch.

it's very interesting living outside of america during its weirdo turbulent times. reading about it almost second hand. like how could one man inspire a people and in one year be on the verge of losing the senate? how does one fuck up so boldly like that?

i am really blaming the broken system. i maintain if we had term limits for everyone then more people would be forced to participate and we'd actually have a representative republic rather than, pockets of mini monarchies.

but i don't have to be on my soap box any more. i live in a country where by and large, not a lot of things happen of huge consequence, politically speaking. oh sure every so often the Quebecois threaten to become their own country but whatever. i almost wish they did so i could see some real history happen here.

and yes this is me totally stalling so i don't have to go outside in the freezing cold.

yes.

i just wrote this for something:

He touches the bracelet like it still retains a distant memory.