Movies of 2010

2010 releases (in the order viewed):
Shutter Island
Kick-Ass

Book of Eli

Iron Man 2

Toy Story 3

Inception

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

127 Hours

Black Swan

The King's Speech

Tron: Legacy

True Grit

Older releases (in the order viewed ... mostly):
Up in the Air
Brothers Bloom
Sherlock Holmes
500 Days of Summer
Avatar
Bonnie and Clyde
The Godfather
Much Ado About Nothing
Badlands
Smoke Signals
My Own Private Idaho
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Rambo: First Blood Part II

Lone Star

Daughters of the Dust

A Woman Under the Influence

Angels and Demons
The Hit
Paranormal Activity
Invention of Lying
In the Loop
Franklyn
A Serious Man
Gremlins
Stardust
Sky High
Pirate Radio

Dead Poet's Society

Eternal Sunshine
Royal Tenenbaums
Igby Goes Down
Wall Street
400 Blows
Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead
White Oleander
Virgin Suicides
Land of the Dead
Youth in Revolt
Fido
Edward Scissorhands
Fantastic Mr. Fox

Love Actually

Re-watches (in the order viewed):
Pulp Fiction
Toy Story
Hitchhiker's
Big Lebowski
Serenity
Spirited Away
Up
Toy Story 2
Reservoir Dogs
28 Days Later
BTTF
Shaun of the Dead
Toy Story 3
History of the World Part 1

Yeah ... so ... I was in the theater/in front of the TV/my laptop screen a lot ... :)
Pleasant viewing in the new year!

Books of 2010

1. The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)
2. Under the Dome (Stephen King)
3. Othello, The Moor of Venice (William Shakespeare)
4. Much Ado About Nothing (William Shakespeare)
5. The Taming of the Shrew (William Shakespeare)
6. Murder Mysteries (Neil Gaiman)
7. Harlequin Valentine (Neil Gaiman)
8. Creatures of the Night (Neil Gaiman)
9. Eternals (Neil Gaiman)
10. The Last Temptation (Neil Gaiman)
11. Midnight Days (Neil Gaiman)
12. The World According to Twitter (David Pogue)
13. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)
14. Will Grayson, Will Grayson (John Green and David Leviathan)
15. Changes (Jim Butcher)
16. Worst Case (James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge)
17. And Another Thing … (Eoin Colfer)
18. Have a Little Faith (Mitch Albom)
19. Fang (James Patterson)
20. BPRD 1946 (Mike Mignola)
21. Abe Sapien: The Drowning (Mike Mignola)
22. Fables: Legends in Exile (Vol 1) (Bill Willingham)
23. Fables: Storybook Love (Vol 3) (Bill Willingham)
24. Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers (Vol 4) (Bill Willingham)
25. Fables: Homelands (Vol 6) (Bill Willingham)
26. Fables: Arabian Nights and Days (Vol 7) (Bill Willingham)
27. Fables: Wolves (Vol 8) (Bill Willingham)
28. Fables: Sons of Empire (Vol 9) (Bill Willingham)
29. I, Alex Cross (James Patterson)
30. Fables: The Good Prince (Vol 10) (Bill Willingham)
31. Thessaly: Witch for Hire (Bill Willingham)
32. Jack of Fables: The Bad Prince (Vol 3) (Bill Willingham)
33. Jack of Fables: Jack of Hearts (Vol 2) (Bill Willingham)
34. Fables: The Dark Ages (Vol 12) (Bill Willingham)
35. Jack of Fables: The Nearly Great Escape (Vol 1) (Bill Willingham)
36. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (Bill Willingham)
37. Blockade Billy (Stephen King)
38. Knightly Academy (Violet Haberdasher/Robyn Schneider)
39. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (Bryan Lee O’Malley)
40. The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye (Robert Kirkland)
41. The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us  (Robert Kirkland)
42. The Gates (John Connolly)
43. Blood Oath (Christopher Farnsworth)
44. Horns (Joe Hill)
45. Stories (Neil Gaiman, et al)
46. Doctor Who: The Forgotten (Tony Lee, Pia Guerra)
47. Haunted (Chuck Palahnuik)
48. Let It Snow (Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle)
49. Doctor Who: The Betrothal of Sontar (Mike Collins, et al)
50. Beowulf (Seamus Heaney)
51. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
52. A Separate Peace (John Knowles)
53. Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
54. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
55. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (W.S. Merwin)
56. The Virgin Suicides (Jeffrey Eugenides)
57. Thursday’s Child (Sonya Hartnett)
58. Surrender (Sonya Hartnett)
59. The Faerie Queene, Book 1 (Edmund Spenser)
60. The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
61. I Am The Messenger (Markus Zusak)
62. The Fall (Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan)
63. Shades of Grey (Jasper Fforde)

So there is is. This year's list of books read. I started a few other Shakespeare plays and one or two or three or a few other books, but I hope to tackle them in the new year. I know I didn't read as many as last year, but over 50 (the yearly Nerdfighter challenge) is still good.

Pleasant reading in the new year!

365 Photos, Day 365: Love

365 Photos, Day 364: True Grit

Stellar movie. Pitch-perfect from the Coens. I'll be shocked if Hailee Steinfeld doesn't got Academy recognition.

365 Photos, Day 363: Presents!

365 Photos, Day 362: Cookies

Top of 2010: Music

Being a member of the radio station, I have access to more new music that I can keep track of. What follows are the twelve I've been listening to a fair amount (some more than others), as well as my top 9.

Winter: Contra (Vampire Weekend), Sign No More (Mumford and Sons)
Spring/Summer: Travelers in Time and Space (Apples in Stereo), Shame Shame (Dr. Dog), Volume Two (She & Him), Evelyn Evelyn (Evelyn Evelyn), Good Old War (Good Old War)
Fall: The Suburbs (Arcade Fire), Write About Love (Belle and Sebastian), Lonely Avenue (Ben Folds and Nick Hornby), Le Noise (Neil Young), The Orchard (Ra Ra Riot)

My top ones include (in no particular order once again):
- Contra: Perfect summer-y sound in the darkness of winter to dispel all cold feelings. 'Holiday' is the perfect summer-y tune. And oddly enough, it's in Honda commercials now.
- Sigh No More: British folk rock. Shakespeare nods here and there. Heart-wrenching lyrics. Need I say more? Try 'Awake My Soul'.
- Good Old War: Wonderful flowing concept album that's a strong follow-up to their debut. Go with the single 'My Own Sinking Ship'.
- Shame Shame: Pretty steady set of indie rock tracks from Philly. Try 'Jackie Wants A Black Eye' and 'Unbearable Why'.
- Volume Two: Summer, bubble gum-y ... and it's Zooey Deschanel, who does have quite a soothing voice! Try 'Thieves' and 'Ridin' In My Car'.
- Evelyn Evelyn: One half is Amanda Palmer. And it's a really odd concept album, featuring a bit of a few pop genres, but it works and it sounds stellar. Try 'Elephant Elephant' and 'Chicken Man' to get the scope of the album.
- The Suburbs: Arcade Fire. Need I say more? Try 'We Used To Wait'.
- The Orchard: Somewhat of a Vampire Weekend-esque sound, but not quite. Try 'Massachusetts'.
- Lonely Avenue: Ben Folds' piano skills don't let you down, paired with Hornby's wondrous words. Definitely check 'Levi Johnson's Blues', 'From Above', and 'Saskia Hamilton'.

Until next post! Allons-y!

365 Photos, Day 361: Clearing the Deck

365 Photos, Day 360: Outage in a Blizzard

365 Photos, Day 359: Jewish Christmas

365 Photos, Day 358: Black Swan

365 Photos, Day 357: New Nightside

365 Photos, Day 356: Series 4

365 Photos, Day 355: Library Haul

365 Photos, Day 354: 127 Hours

365 Photos, Day 353: Bloody Bloody

365 Photos, Day 352: Photos

365 Photos, Day 351: P4A

365 Photos, Day 350: Season Finale

365 Photos, Day 349: Tron Flannels

A Tale of 17 Rainbow Cupcakes

Last night, a full batch of 12 and a partial batch of 5 were baked.
2 were consumed by the author.
3 were given to friends in another apartment. One who at one quite liked it.
1 was given to a friend who is helping with some resumé stuff.
1 was given to a good friend with great taste in music and good relationship advice as breakfast.
1 was given to a good family friend, who quite liked it as well.
1 was given to the station GM.
1 was given to a station community member, who quite liked it too.
1 was given to a friend who is a campus bus driver and said it was delicious.
1 was given to a station friend, big comics fan, and former collab channel buddy.
The final 5 are sitting in my refrigerator.

365 Photos, Day 348: Baking Time!

365 Photos, Day 347: Studying

365 Photos, Day 346: Buffet

Unpublished Column

What follows is the column I wrote for the Finals issue of the campus paper. It won't be appearing in the issue because I missed the deadline by a few hours. :( Enjoy!
***

Politically, the news recently has been a tad depressing, what with the lame duck session, as well as one major international story.  A repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has been shot down.  A tax cut compromise for the rich has been passed, but there is hope.  Last I heard, there’s a filibuster against it.  As for the international hubbub, there’s the Wikileaks uproar.  But that all doesn’t really bother me right now.  Why?  I’m happy right now.

I’m just happy.  Maybe it’s because classes are over.  Maybe it’s because I’m nice and warm inside my apartment.  Maybe it’s because there’s snow in the air and on the ground as of when I’m writing this.  Maybe it’s because of the Christmas-y tunes I’ve been spinning recently, even though I don’t celebrate Christmas.  Hey, maybe there should be more Hanukkah songs that aren’t quite traditional and aren’t written and performed by Adam Sandler.  It gets old.  Maybe it’s because I can just see the light at the end of the tunnel and, God, is it a sight for sore eyes.  I don’t know why.  But I’m happy, which is quite a good thing, especially during this time of the semester and year.

Yes, that’s right, it’s time for finals.  Some of your classes might’ve been the best you’ve taken this semester or so far in your college career.  Your professors and/or TAs might’ve been extremely enthusiastic about their respective subjects and were able to convey as much as they possibly could to you to get you ready for the final exam, if there is one.  Some of your classes might’ve been the absolute worst.  Your professors and/or TAs might’ve been droll and boring and monotonous and picky with all their assignment grading.  But thankfully, it’s all over now.  Mostly over, that is.  Everyone has a few more days before they pack up and head home for a nice six weeks of recuperation and family time.

Six weeks. Six whole weeks. Can you believe it?  Six whole weeks of relaxation after a grueling fifteen weeks of classes is like heaven.  What are you going to do?  You’ve got plenty of time to spend in New York City, depending on your proximity.  You’ve also got plenty of time to spend with friends, apart from family, as well as catch up on pleasure reading, if you do that at all.  Traveling, reading, and family time is what I have awaiting me.  Travel-wise, I’ll be spending about a week in Toronto and ten days in Israel on a Birthright trip.  Reading-wise, I have a feeling that I’ll finish at least five books.  And as for family time, two to three weeks at home are just fine for me.

But what sucks, and I mean REALLY sucks, is that the spring semester starts on my birthday.  Not that I’m complaining or anything … but worst timing ever!  Oh, and The Decemberists have a three show run at the Beacon during that first week of classes.  I’m currently bemoaning the transportation woes.  Actually, that doesn’t really matter.  I’ll be back here at [REDACTED], celebrating my birthday with friends and starting some hopefully interesting classes.

Happy holidays and a happy New Year to all! See everyone in 2011!

365 Photos, Day 345: Christmas-y

Sorry for the lateness.

365 Photos, Day 344: More Snow

365 Photos, Day 343: School's Out

365 Photos, Day 342: More Work

365 Photos, Day 341: Brit Lit

365 Photos, Day 340: Winter Wonderland

365 Photos, Day 339: Lights

365 Photos, Day 338: First Snow

On Casting 'Paradise Lost'

This past Thursday in my Brit Lit course, we were discussing the important characters and more or less who we'd choose to cast in said roles if we were in charge of casting for an adaptation of Paradise Lost. What follows is what we as a class came up with. My suggestions are in bold.
***
- Adam: Keanu Reeves, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Brad Pitt?
- Satan: Al Pacino, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Nicholas Cage?, Daniel Day Lewis, Johnny Depp?, one of the Baldwin Brothers, Colin Farrell, Mel Gibson, Ian McKellen
- Eve: Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Gwenyth Paltrow?, Eva Longoria, Kate Winslet
- God (the Father): Ian McKellen, Morgan Freeman, Christopher Lee, James Earl Jones, Betty White, Queen Latifah, Meryl Streep
- God (the Son): David Tennant, Russell Brand
***
With Adam, we were going for actors who can do vacant, emotionless, and shirtless rather well. I chuckled at the thought of Keanu and when the prof mentioned shirtlessness and poor displays of emotion, the thought of Pattinson and Lautner popped into my head and I sheepishly suggested them. Pitt was suggested because he and Angelina work well.
There was an age split when it came to suggestions for Satan, however, the choices primarily relied on how well angry and emotional turmoil could be played out. Pacino was suggested in sync with Reeves in hopes of another Devil's Advocate-like casting. I suggested Bale because of his anger and Cage because ... well, he's Nick Cage.
With Eve, we were looking for some brains and beauty. I had no suggestions there ... but I was thinking about how horrible the casting would be if Kristen Stewart was cast as Eve ... it'd be almost like Twilight over again ... *shudder*
With God (the Father), we were looking for a stern figure with a large repetoire and an overpowering voice. McKellen was the first to pop into my head. Of course, Freeman, Lee, and Jones are known for their recognizable voices. And White, Latifah, and Streep were suggested to fiddle with the gender casting. And as for God (the Son), we were thinking about a bit of flamboyance and such. We didn't get to casting him, but I suggested Tennant and Brand to the prof as the class was letting out.

Until next time! Allons-y, Alonso!

365 Photos, Day 337: Mail! :D

365 Photos, Day 336: O.S.U

365 Photos, Day 335: Hanukkah