Saturday, January 27, 2007

tardiness is being all too common.

all i've done over the last couple days is watch grey's anatomy, play age of empires II, and lay around in my underwear.

a few nights ago i went to a girl named lizzie's home. lizzie was in my fundamentals of design class my first quarter in denver. i like her because she laughs exactly like emily pinkerton....which is kind of weird but i'm pretty sure it is my favorite laugh of all-time(with the little time that i have actually had).it was just nice to get out of the towers and explore. i was with tony and ryan and i really enjoyed it. at one point, sometime around one, we walked up to some big hill and went sledding.

i'm planning on going to vail tomorrow to ski. it is looking to be an all day excursion. i'm hoping all goes well.

i went to andenken last tuesday and started cataloging the current exhibit....here are my favorite pieces:






in class a day or two ago i messed around with a picture of fleischaker. i think flei said it perfectly when he said, "this just creeps me out."

the picture(from an xmas break night):



the next film(actually a documentary) i'll be watching:
DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND

it is supposed to be about when an amish person gets the chance to go against their parents life choice and get the chance to enter society in a more normal manner. it's a pretty big deal and i'm really excited for this film. this is the type of documentary i would be interested in making. the subject matter is challenging while also being interesting.

yesterday night i almost went and slept outside of a finish line for a pair of $180+ shoe. i usually wouldn't do this because i mean it is just a shoe....but then again it is a dope shoe. i haven't liked a jordan this much in a long long time. it is a limited edition, west coast only release, that is far too perfect. it was made with jordan and spike lee for the commemoration for spike's company turning 20 years old.

the spiz'ike:



i've started on a big project....a story actually. i have a feeling it is going to be taking up a lot of my free time. sorry i can't say more but i'm pretty sure i know where it is going but i don't know how it is going to get there. maybe more updates later

Thursday, January 18, 2007

if i ever really learn how to dance....well other than ballroom dancing....this is what i want to be able to do

woah. things move quickly. as soon as i start to get adjusted to being home, i'm back in denver. i'm not sure where to start. hmm....something i enjoy. i've been able to watch/re-watch some films recently.

great film that i didn't enjoy:
LITTLE CHILDREN
there has definitely been a lot of buzz around this film heading into the oscars. i hadn't seen any of todd field's(the director) other films so i wasn't sure what i was getting into. i knew kate winslet would be excellent, and of course she was. anyways, film was great but i can be sad to see how life can be and all the things that can be dragged into it.

film that got me thinking:
THE DREAMERS
first, this story is weirder than anything i have seen in a while. simple synopsis in few words: paris. brother and sister really really close. boy gets thrown in. also, it is a bernardo berolucci film, which i now know means i need to know more about him. i know he won an oscar for best film a while back, but that is about it. i'll be investigating more, i can promise you that.

film that had good intentions:
THE ISLAND
wow, i didn't like this film. michael bay just kind of overdoes things. don't get me wrong, the acting was good and the premise was nice but this film just makes me kind of sick. everything seems so plastic and fake and i just didn't enjoy it.....though it has a nice commentary on the soon to be current state of embryos and the human body and all that jazz. other than that, this film just feels like it was meant to be thrown away.


the REWATCHED films:
UNBREAKABLE
this is shymalan's second best film. it almost topples the great SIXTH SENSE....but it just can't get over that hill. not that film's fault at all though. this film has such an interesting story and is just out of nowhere. samuel l. jackson is absulotely obsessed with comic books and how they play into his life. anyways, i really enjoyed it. MR. GLASS is such an interesting character.

OLDBOY
this film is the reason i will forever be fascinated by asian cinema(this one being from korea). if i could have one collection of films it would definitely be the criterion, then the janus, and then TARTAN ASIAN EXTREME. everything about their films is so crazy. the people who make them just have such interesting, crazed ideas. anyways, i've been trying to remember how i first saw this film. i remember that i read about it, but does anyone remember watching it with me? pat?

GARDEN STATE
after watching THE LAST KISS way too many times at home, i had to rewatch zach braff's "other" film. the difference seems to be really stark, but the films relate on such an odd frequency. though braff wrote garden state and the last kiss is based on some italian film(which i plan to watch), this film is just so much better, though they don't really end so differently....though they have incredibly different development. PAT, every time i watch this film i think of your senior season of basketball. you and i getting pumped up in the cl. its that damned frou frou song, though it is still just as enjoyable.

FILMS I WILL SEE THIS WEEKEND:
PAN'S LABYRINTH
oh how badly i want to see this movie. i missed the pre-screening a couple weeks back and it finally arrives to the general public tomorrow. this film has been some wicked good press. i'm nothing but excited.

CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
i'm not totally sure i'll see this one. i'd like to but it isn't a top priority. the filming is supposed to be beautiful but yimou zhang always has great cinematography. the films has been getting extremely mixed reviews....so i don't know...i usually like those films best.

FILM I WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE FOR A WHILE(not by choice):
ARMY OF SHADOWS
this film is supposed to be melville's masterpiece....sad thing was that people didn't realize it for almost 40 years. the thing had a horrible release when it initially came out. i've been trying to get a hold of another melville piece called THE TERRIBLE INFANTS for a while but the film has yet to be put out on dvd yet. anyway, army of shadows is traveling the united states like a rock star, since there are so few copies. to everyone near or around KC(namely pat and adam), it will be playing at the TIVOLI from february 16th to the 21st. don't miss it. take a girl. this is history.(and of course, they completely skip denver...nothing to do but laugh about that)

oh yeah, check out sacha baron cohen taking home his golden globe. still funny when he isn't borat.




now, some of my latest work
for observational drawing:

the original photo:


ze drawing:



i thought it came out nicely. katie's expression is just too good to pass up and the blood is the icing on the cake.

DIGITAL PHOTO MANIPULATION:
one of the three original photos:
betsy being great:


my thing for class(the real version faltered when saving and this was the last good version i had saved):


i'm calling the piece betsy in the sky with diamonds.

i tried to make betsy the focus. the expression on her face is too great to pass up on. though the real final one was much better, this one still does a decent job of what i was trying to accomplish.

oh, check it out...i found my first biter in denver.
low budget mag printed on copy paper:

it's really pretty cool. i'd like to be involved.


one thing that has been incredibly aggravating to me is the fact that my website no longer works. the explanations i have received for the problem haven't fully answered my question. hopefully i'll be able to figure it out soon.


for everyone's information:
i have sent in lots of requests to lots of different schools in the us and a. i should be receiving info soon. we'll see what happens and i'm not sure i'm leaving colorado just yet. if school gets harder, their changes shall increase.


this last tuesday i had a soccer match with the mullets. we lost but that is beyond the point. someone absolutely drilled my back right calf with their foot and thus my right calf has swollen up quite a bit. i can pretty much only flex my calf one direction(i can't pull my foot to point upwards), which has definitely made walking over ice all the time really interesting. anyways, case in point, walking isn't overrated.

so everyone knows, it is really easy to post comments now...so if you have something to say...go for it

life is good. hallelujah.