My Day in Pictures: December 31, 2011

So today I had a pretty chill day. I went out to North Vancouver with my parents to go to Michaels for some clearance Christmas items and yarn. 

There’s this little outdoor shopping plaza thingy by Park Royal mall that we like to walk around in, so we wandered for a bit in the cold Vancouver winter air before heading into Michaels to buy some stuff!

 

Really liked this assortment of Christmas trees. They were each sponsored by a charitable organization.

My dad found a pretty huge candle for $3, my mom got 8 balls of yarn at $4 each, and I managed to find a few cute Christmas things for next year.

 

The same shopping plaza has a Whole Foods, which I absolutely love to shop in for a treat. Their stuff can be very pricey, so I don’t go there often. It’s more like a special occasion… makes it easier to justify the expensive stuff. For example, $2.90 for a plain chocolate chip cookie? $4.99 for a doughnut? I dunno about some of their stuff…

 

I love the grumpy one...

Other things, however, are too cute to resist…

Snowman soap! I'd never want to use him...

I didn’t actually buy all of that, but they’re so ridiculously cute…

We also stopped by Ambleside Park to eat some goodies we picked up from Whole Foods.

 

 

Tonight I don’t really feel like being overly celebratory. I may just pass out at 10pm, who knows! I have never liked the hassle of heading downtown and being tired the next day. Plus I’ve had two nosebleeds today already and it seems my body is in need of some rest.

Pet Peeve of the Day

A parent/parents bringing younger children in to see R-rated movies.

Frankly, anyone who brings someone who seems a bit too young for an inappropriate movie.

What do I consider ‘too young?’ I consider someone to be too young if they’re looking horrified at the screen, or end up crying, or keeps asking questions about things beyond their psychological maturity.

What do I consider ‘inappropriate?’ Well, any rape scene, multiple sex-scenes, extremely/excessive graphic violence, and excessive vile language.

I’m not saying to keep your kids home from Harry Potter, but Harry Potter isn’t rated R! It isn’t rated R for a reason!

However, movies such as Hobo with a Shotgun (which is unrated, by the way) is probably unrated for a reason. They didn’t neglect to stamp it with a rating, let’s use our heads here.

Other movies like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are rated R for good reasons. I’ve heard tell of a mother bringing her (approximately) 7-10 year old children to see it. Two rape scenes are probably not the most enjoyable thing for children to see. Just my opinion.

I understand several things:

·      I know I cannot tell/suggest/even approach a parent and tell them how to parent their children. I know this. But I don’t think I should be faulted if I inform a parent that a movie is, in fact, vastly too inappropriate for the eyes of a young viewer. Politely.

·      I know it is none of my business what anybody does.

·      I know by condemning one type of violence, it naturally logically follows that I must condemn any type of violence. So rape isn’t allowed but murder is? Nope, violence is violence. However, there are degrees of violence, and there is a pretty OKAY rating system that helps people discern what kind/measure of violence they’re about to see.

As far as I’m concerned, if someone is too young to distinguish reality from fantasy, they should not be watching a film beyond their age rating. If an audience member is crying and staring with anguish and horror at the scream, probably not appropriate. I’m all for exposure and educating people on the realities of the world, but let’s face it… you can do it in a delicate way. I’ve seen pretty violent movies (and love some of them to pieces) but I still can’t sit through the entirety of Hostel. Not because it’s inappropriate for me, but because I know where my threshold is, and Hostel passes it. If someone is used to seeing Disney movies and Pixar wholesomeness, the next film you bring them to probably shouldn’t be Straw Dogs or something. 

This is how I would watch Hostel...

This isn’t solely about younger audience members, though that is my biggest qualm… but generally my issue is about anyone who is unprepared for what they’re about to see. There really aren’t that many good excuses for ‘not knowing’ what you’re going to witness. For the movie Hostel, I knew it was going to be terrifying, disgusting, involved torture and body parts and blood and torture and eyeballs… but I chose to see it. How can I possibly complain if I am a fully consented and compliant audience member?

I think my main point is that people (parents, guardians, any audience member in fact) should do their research before going into a movie. Know whether you’re going to be supremely offended. Know if you’re going to scar the younger person you’ve brought. It is so easy, there are rating systems ALL over the Internet, there are film synopses and ratings in the theatre when you buy tickets… I just don’t believe anymore (in this technological age) that you just ‘didn’t know it was this violence!’ Know what you’re getting yourself into!

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Rating: PG

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

Seems like I’m watching a lot of movies this holiday season… but it can’t be helped. It’s cold outside, people love movies, and it’s a convenient and fun thing to spend some time doing.

So today I went out to see the Adventure of Tintin with two of my friends.

The plot according to IMDB: “Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor. But someone else is in search of the ship.”

Now I have seen some of Tintin’s original series, and found it quite cute. I was curious to see how this one panned out.

Firstly, the theatre was packed and full of children. Two kids left crying after the first half hour. I think this movie should probably be bumped up to a PG-13 rating, just because there is a bit more fist-fighting and gun-fights than expected. 

Frankly, I found this an extremely stressful movie. I kept thinking about all the tense action scenes and the wrecks they would leave in their wake. I’m sure I would have found it much more gripping as a child. For my desensitized eyes, a lot of it seemed overdone. 

I enjoyed the CGI/special effects of the film… I did see it in 3D (sometimes they don’t even offer certain movies in regular 2D anymore!) against my best wishes. I find 3D rather tedious to watch… the glasses slip down the slight bridge of my nose and I find that unless I find the perfect angle in which to view the movie, it is slightly blurred. Also, specifically for this film, it didn't seem like 3D was necessary. There weren't any moments when I was like 'oh, they did that just to impress us with the 3D,' in fact... I only noticed about 3 times when I even remembered I was watching 3D.

Regardless, it is a good movie. It is very much like Indiana Jones for children. Actually, that’s pretty much exactly what it is.

Highlights:

·      Action-packed

Lowlights:

·      No real acting

·      A bit long

·      A touch violent for younger children

·      Accented characters made for chopping comprehension at times (just me probably)

My Verdict:

I enjoyed it, but won’t be watching it again unless my parents rent it and I happen to be around. It had tons of action but was a bit long compared to other children’s movies (107 minutes). 7.5/10

Movie Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Rating: R

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

Today I went out to see a movie I’ve been itching to see ever since I heard it was in production. I have seen almost every David Fincher movie, so I knew I just had to see this one.

Note that I approached this as a stand-alone film, not as a remake, nor as an adaptation. I think the comparisons can be too extensive and I won’t go into them. It’s easier to enjoy a movie if you analyze it according to its own worth rather than the worth of a predecessor.

Firstly, I have not yet read the books. I know, I should. I meant to pick up the trilogy as a boxed set and even asked for them for Christmas, but not having received it I intend on buying it soon. So I went into this film not knowing very much about it (beyond the hype and some major plot elements).

The plot according to IMDB:

"Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker."

Rooney Mara is incredible, convincing, and bad-ass. There’s no other way to express it… she is so kick-ass and like a terminator in this film. She’s supposed to portray a 23-year-old and I’ll admit right now that 23 year olds do not act the way she acts. She portrays independence and a sulky angst very well.

The theatre was filled with many middle-aged spectators. And honestly I did question whether every person there knew what they were getting themselves into. I knew before going into this theatre that there were 2 rape scenes and quite a bit of nudity.

The rape scenes are done with about as much class and about as tasteful as a rape scene can be. It was pretty explicit, and certainly effective at evoking disgust and anger. The nudity was overt as well, but very reflective of the personality of Lisbeth (she’s very assertive and confrontational), so it wasn’t uncharacteristic in any way.

The soundtrack was filled with tension, had high whirring noises that could irritate some. It definitely helped the anxiety and nervous anticipation in the film.

Highlights:

• Acting
• Intense
• Solid and interesting plot
• It's a Fincher film!

Lowlights:

• Lengthy
• Slow build-up

My Verdict:

I liked this a great deal. I probably won’t watch this 10 times, but this is worth a re-watch or two. Like many Fincher films, this movie is well over 2hours, so some people may get restless if you’re used to quick action and dramatic resolutions. This isn’t a family movie, but it is moody, atmospheric, and dramatic. Great for any action/drama/suspense/mystery fans. 8.7/10

Best Concerts of 2011

 

2011 is almost over! This year I definitely didn’t go to as many rock concerts as 2010 (with generally fewer of my favourite bands that came here to play).

I only went to 6 shows in all of 2011… The Black Angels, The Black Keys, Soundgarden, Iron & Wine, Ben Harper, and The Sheepdogs.

I have always liked concerts; since I got my first fix in high school I haven’t been able to kick it. There’s something about a big room of people all there singing and dancing and having a good time that is infectious.

My favourite show of 2011 was The Black Keys that came in the summertime. The Black Keys came the year prior, but due to a ticket-buying-mix-up, I couldn’t get a ticket. Unless of course I wanted to get one from Ebay for $500… So I had been looking forward to seeing them for a long time.

They were incredible. The hype for this band is huge, so they couldn’t disappoint. Considering how minimalist their band is, they have huge sound and huge spirit. Cage the Elephant opened for them but didn’t tickle my fancy. In fact I was let down by their performance… it seemed amateur and immature. Especially compared to the Black Keys. The Black Keys are a must see!

Iron & Wine was another superb show. Mr. Beam is such an amazing entertainer. I think there were probably 8 people on stage with him, and they all showed super enthusiasm for playing with him. The saxophonist was especially groovy. 

They played singles and fan favourites, but with every single song they changed the pacing/length/intensity of the song. Many of the songs were hardly recognizable apart from the lyrics – they switched it up immensely – to the pleasure of the audience.

It was a very female-dominated audience. Lots of girls in the venue, not too many males. Definitely go see Iron & Wine if you get a chance. Don’t be deceived by some of the slower radio ballads, there’s some intense heavy stuff on their discography!

Ben Harper was another really good show I went to. I’ve seen Ben Harper before so I know how excellent he is in person. He’s got such an awesome selection of slow/intense love/angry songs, and also lots of rock and groove songs. It was another summer show so it was perfect for the outdoors, and it’s always nice to see everyone dressed in summer clothes. 

Ben Harper has some of the most emotional music I’ve heard in ages – he can go from heartbreaking to delighted – in just a song or two. He can belt it out with the best of them… and he isn’t getting any younger. Go check out Ben Harper and be blown away.

I’ll mention Soundgarden as a favourite as well, although my friend gave me a ticket and I probably would not have purchased one for myself (they were over $100 for most good seats). I have always liked Soundgarden, but I didn’t think I’d ever see them play. There were definitely a lot of 70s and 80s babies in the crowd, and not too many younger people. My friend and I saw the show from the floor and got pretty close (always trying to get the full experience) and it was very impressive up close. It was definitely a show for fans… and many of the singles were stretched out to 15minutes in length or more.

I have heard many complaints about the Soundgarden show from other friends who went, and a major complaint was that it all sounded very… soundboarded/digitized/technologically meddled with. I would agree that the guitars were VERY high on distortion, but I don’t really think that necessary made it unpleasant. 

The most unpleasant part of the show was their encore (after a few encore songs) they broke out into a highly distorted guitar wail that lasted a good 10minutes, and then they left the stage. I saw many people surrounding me with their hands clapped over their ears and most people left.

For classic rock bands like this, definitely see them… even if you don’t think they’d be any good anymore (I’d go see Bob Dylan if he came and if I could afford tickets), it’s more for the experience anyway. 

The Black Angels were good too, but they wouldn't make my favourite list. 

I already have a concert review of the Sheepdogs show that I went to in December, so there’s no need going into how good they are… but not every show can be a favourite! 

I am super grateful that I am lucky enough to live in a city where major bands frequent. Hopefully there’ll be even more shows next year! I already bought my ticket for Band of Skulls, so I’m already itching for more shows…