Why Movies?

Last night, I griped on Twitter about trying to think of a post idea for the following day. Ryan over at The Matinee send me this a few hours after that tweet:

Blog post idea: For you, why movies? Why not books, music, art? What elevates film above all else?

My response:

I think it's because movies are an easier escape from reality for me.

His response:

So next time you're looking for an idea, write about that feeling of escape.

Ryan definitely got me thinking. Why do I like movies so much? Granted, I gave my own reason, but I knew there was something else behind it all.

I thought it might have something to do with my own rather dull life. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, no job, no driver's license, no social life...I needed something to cure my boredom. Movies just seemed like the go-to answer to that problem.

But where's the escape in it all? Simple: to see the visionary minds of others. Seeing directors whose works can range from playing it safe to taking risks is something I always like. Seeing the stories they tell is a complete far cry from the monotonous life I lead.

Basically what I'm saying is if it wasn't for movies, I would feel as though my life is meaningless. I hope in several years' time, my name will be projected on the silver screen. It sounds like a cliche, I know, but I genuinely would like that to happen.

We all have stories to tell. I want to tell mine.

In Light of Yesterday

To those who paid any attention to my Twitter feed for most of yesterday, you'll know what I'll be talking about. To those who didn't, allow me to get some of my bottled up thoughts out into the open. (It'll make it easier for me.)

(Also, I'm taking the next several days off. The reasons are obvious.)

Merry Christmas!

Since it's the holiday season, I'm giving Defiant Success a short hiatus. I'll be back on Wednesday but in the meantime, enjoy the time with your family.

So many TV shows, so little time...

Oy, and I thought balancing between watching movies, reading books and writing was complicated already. Now I'm trying to catch up on a number of TV shows, a handful of them still being on the air. Here's a small sampling of the shows I watch(or have just started to watch):

• Sherlock
• The Hour
• Luther
• Elementary
• Breaking Bad
• Black Books

Shows I plan to watch in the very near future:

• Doctor Who
• Mad Men
• Pushing Daisies
• Downton Abbey
• Spaced
• Firefly

And shows I'm thinking about watching:

• The Wire
• Boardwalk Empire
• The X-Files

I want to hear from you. What other TV shows should I take a look at?

I need a break.

If you've been reading my Twitter page, I've constantly talked about a screenplay I'm working on. But it's hard to balance a blog and write something as time consuming as a screenplay. Because of that, I'm taking a break from Defiant Success.

It won't be a long hiatus; I'll be back on the 16th. My time will be focused on that screenplay. (Nikhat will be ecstatic.)

Enjoy the rest of the blog.

Ten Years Later

To quote Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a day that will live in infamy. Thousands of lives were lost, millions of them affected. Even if the perpetrator is now dead, that doesn't make up for the emotional damage that he caused. It could be another ten years before we can move on, maybe even longer.

A moment of silence for innocent victims of this awful tragedy in American history.

College, hear I come!

Today I'm heading up to Massachusetts to begin my first year of college (!!!) and I'm both excited and nervous. Anyway, because of the first few days, blogging will be pretty minimal.

Will resume on Thursday.

(PS, I know I misspelled "here" in the headline. I blame lack of sleep.)

Damn you, Irene!

Due to Hurricane Irene passing through the east coast (and the possibility that I'll lose power), I'm holding off blogging until the weather clears up.

Blogging will resume on Tuesday.

I need a break.

I solely blame the "end of summer" blues on this. I feel unmotivated to really write anything, so I'm taking a break from blogging this weekend.

Will resume on Monday when I feel inspired.

I love this.

From time to time, I get into a conversation with an older movie aficionado. I bring up a certain movie, and they admit they've never seen it. And I'm like, you're older than me, have seen more movies than me, but you haven't seen that one and I have?

I'm not referring to just the classics, mind you. (Or maybe I am. Who knows?) I always get a small sense of triumph if I've seen a movie that a professed movie lover hasn't. I still get taken aback by their confession.

This is has been another pointless rambling by me.

(bleep) it all.

I am just having one of those days where I want people to stay far away from me. I kind of need to stew it off for a while, meaning blogging will be in short supply for the weekend. It'll resume on Monday in time for a new BOOK VS. MOVIE entry.

Anyway, carry on.

I can explain!

If you may have noticed (or not), there was an unplanned hiatus for Defiant Success. For several reasons:

1. I was out of town,
2. Where I was staying didn't have internet access, and
3. Writer's block was knocking me out.

Anyway, blogging shall be normal for now on. Reviews will resume tomorrow.

Summer

Ah, the dog days of summer are upon us. For me, that usually means going to Cape Cod, seeing relatives, catching up on reading, the works. But when I'm back home, it means sitting in my air-conditioned room watching movies and surfing the interwebs.

What does summer mean to you?

Criterion

To those who are devotees to the company, Criterion had a 50% off sale for all inventory today. And yes, I took full advantage of it. I went to the closest store that sells Criterion DVDs and purchsed:

• Insignificance
• Diabolique
• Wings of Desire
• The Last Emperor

And these add to the other Criterion DVDs I own, which are:

• Sweet Smell of Success
• Ace in the Hole
• The Night of the Hunter
• The Thin Red Line
• 8 1/2

In short, best day ever. Which Criterion DVDs do you own?

Ever happen to you?

I've been stuck for some time now and I cannot STAND IT. I guess that's what happens when you've been blogging for almost two years and hit a brick wall hard.

This post aside, I've had writer's block affect me. Hard. I can't think of anything to write for a post AND I've stalled on my screenplay.

Somebody give me a freakin' idea!

New Stage in Life

So today I got college orientation (early, I know) and my current state of mind is anxious. Basically because it's an out of state college and I don't know anybody there. Hopefully I'll get along with other arriving freshmen.

Anyway, I'll be out of town (and away from my computer) for today and most of tomorrow. I just want to ask college students/graduates this: what are some pointers for any freshman?

What's going on?

So earlier today I graduated from high school. (Whoo-hoo!) As I write this, I feel like I might fall asleep on the keyboard. And this coming Monday, I got orientation for college. Whew, who thought being a senior would be tough?

Anyway, reviews might be in short supply for the next week or so. I will, however, try to keep the site updated daily.

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?

This has happened to me twice in the last few years. I'll name those examples.

• As I was watching The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus last January, I was intrigued by the young actor playing Anton. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that I would be seeing more of this kid. Sure enough that prediction was true; over six months later, I would be watching Andrew Garfield in The Social Network.

• Halloween 2009. To commemorate that holiday weekend, I decided to watch Psycho, Rosemary's Baby and The Shining. (Didn't get that much sleep that weekend, safe to say.) Anyway, there's a certain scene from Rosemary's Baby that has been stuck in my head for a while. It's where Rosemary calls the actor who went blind and was replaced by Guy. Like Rosemary when she listens to the actor speak, I had a feeling I heard that voice somewhere before (when in reality I haven't). A few weeks later, I would be hearing that voice again in a movie, only this time I would get to see who spoke with that voice: Tony Curtis.

So have scenarios like that happen to you?

California

For those who haven't been paying attention to my Twitter account for the last week or so, I headed off to California with my mom for my cousin's wedding. Here's a day-to-day journal of what happened with photos taken by yours truly.

THURSDAY

We left for Los Angeles after the previous two flights got cancelled because of the weather. Actually, we got holed up in Philadelphia for FOUR HOURS in layover. On the flight to Los Angeles, I watched Once Upon a Time in America.

FRIDAY

We had a few hours before we had to go to Fresno for the wedding, so my mom and I went up to Santa Monica. Shops there are awesome.

Me squinting from the sun.

But after that, we got into a bit of a strain. First, the shuttle taking us to the airport was late. Then, the bus from the airport taking us to the bus station was late. We managed to get a later bus and train. On the train to Fresno, I watched THX 1138.

SATURDAY

There wasn't much to do in the area of Fresno we were in, so we stayed cooped up at our hotel room until the wedding (I took advantage of the hotel's high-speed Internet big time). The wedding was very nice. Rachel and Eric make a really cute couple (Eric is a really nice guy; he knows his movies too!). The only thing I didn't like was the fact I decided to keep my shoes on during the whole reception (got a blister as a souvenir).

SUNDAY

Brunch with the family! My uncle Rob (Rachel's father) has this really cute house in the Fresno suburbs. Headed up to Sonoma with another uncle, my aunt and my grandmother where the second uncle lives. Again, really cute house in the suburbs.

MONDAY

Headed up to San Francisco (finally!) later in the afternoon. View from the Golden Gate Bridge is AMAZING. Never realized how hilly of a city San Francisco is until I went there.

Like so.

TUESDAY

This is where most of the events of the trip took place. We headed downtown to the shops. Of course, being the book nerd that I am, we stopped off here:

City Lights, where Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg used to hang out.

And right next to the book store:

The street sign, that is.

Down the street was where we had lunch:

Cafe Zoetrope, owned by Francis Ford Coppola

Food was excellent, but the highlight of the restaurant is the fact it's covered practically wall-to-wall with production photos from Coppola's movies.

Spent the rest of the day walking around San Francisco. Also went up to Berkeley, but only for like a half hour or so. Later on in the day, we went down to Fisherman's Wharf.

Ghirardelli Square: proof I died and went to heaven.

Down near that general area:

Sup, seagull? What you doing ruining my pic of the Golden Gate Bridge?

Turn right:

Alcatraz: dunh-dunh- DUNH.

Keep turning:

San Francisco: the city I left my heart in.

I just love the architecture of San Francisco, evident in the pictures below.

WEDNESDAY

Heading back to New York. *sigh* All good things must come to an end. Flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia I watched Gone with the Wind; Philadelphia to Albany, worked on the review for it.

So that's what happened to me during that trip. I am definitely moving there when I'm done with college.

Vivien or Janet?

When I was becoming interested in movies, I'd tend to get Vivien Leigh and Janet Leigh mixed up. Now more aware of who's who, I thought this might happen to other rising movie lovers. Mind you, I'm writing this out of pure boredom not drunkenness.

Birth
Vivien: Born Vivian Mary Hartley in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India on November 5, 1913
Janet: Born Jeanette Helen Morrison in Merced, California on July 6, 1927

Notable Performance(s)
Vivien: Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire; both roles got her Oscars
Janet: Marion Crane in Psycho; role earned her an Oscar nomination

Prolific Marriage
Vivien: Laurence Olivier; marriage lasts twenty years (1940-1960)
Janet: Tony Curtis; marriage lasts eleven years (1951-1962)

Death
Vivien: July 7, 1967, age 53
Janet: October 3, 2004, age 77

Again, I just wrote this out of pure boredom.