Movies
The little Maid would have her will
Been stuck on this song since I finally watched 500 Days of Summer. 
Note though, that I am hardly a hopeless romantic. I probably subscribe more to Summer’s views on life and on love than Tom’s. Or maybe the little sister. She seemed wise!
Stand still, yet we will make him run
Today I went to watch The Time Traveler’s Wife with A, L and D. Going into the movie, I had fairly low expectations (significantly affected by the mostly negative reviews of the movie) so when the movie managed to tug on my heartstrings a little, I was pleased. Here’s the lowdown:
Based on the premise of The Time Traveler’s Wife, a Chicago librarian (Bana) has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel when he is stressed. Though he often disappears from her life for long periods of time, he tries to build a romantic relationship with Clare Abshire, an artist (McAdams).1
To be truthful, I wasn’t entirely impressed by the book (even though my cashier had assured me it was one of the best she had ever read). The style is emotional but not engaging enough to produce the perfunctory willing suspension of disbelief necessary needed to enjoy the novel for its literary merits, in spite of the logical constraints. And I’m also not terribly emotional anyway so an appeal to pathos doesn’t sit well with me. This all meant, of course, that I hadn’t expected much from the movie.
Nevertheless, I should have realised that nothing – nothing – could possibly have been as bad as what I had been as bad as what I had expected. McAdams gave a fairly genuine performance, even if she was a bit overly cheery or overly dramatic at moments. Bana performed suitably, if woodenly, as Henry DeTamble. I was disappointed, however, with the rampant exclusion of the subtle events in the novel that made it so charming.
The movie could have been better than this but it was still a good try anyway. Not living up to the hype is very different than saying it was a bad movie overall and I wouldn’t be so cruel as to condemn the movie as the latter.
After the movie, we headed to La Casa Gelato for some dessert. After sampling several unpalatable flavours (I was feeling adventurous so I tried the gorgonzola!), we mostly resorted to surefire bets – I paired chocolate brownie with raspberry sorbetto. It was great!
Good day overall, glad for the respite from the monotony. I have to be more wary of falling into a regimented lifestyle. Must remember to loosen up from time to time.
- "The Time Traveler’s Wife (film)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 16 Aug 2009, 03:47 UTC. 16 Aug 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Time_Traveler%27s_Wife_(film)&oldid=308240389>. ↩
hold infinity in the palm of your hands
After getting plenty of sleep and spending the day fixing my laptop, I am pleased to finally blog about The Best Day Ever™.
I started by rolling out of bed (literally rolling off my bed and onto the floor) at around 9:30. Groggy and bleary-eyed, I turned on my laptop (doesn’t this tell you a lot about me?) and then I ate a quick, small breakfast. A then phoned me and informed me that we (A, N and me) would be meeting at Burrard Station at 11:30 to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (of which I have only re-read 50%). Quite happily, I set off (wearing appropriate attire for the assuredly hot day) and arrived exactly at 11:30. Of course, this meant that I was awkwardly on time. A and N arrived shortly thereafter, gently reminding me of how I have a tendency to induce guilt in others by being precisely on time. I must remember that for the future – I will earnestly endeavour to arrive fashionably late, sauntering into the room with a grand entrance.
It was decided to purchase the tickets first at the Scotiabank theatre and off we went. I felt slightly crestfallen when I noticed that A’s ticket actually printed her name on it while mine was nameless. Curse my cashier for not knowing advanced functions made to impress friends and foe alike. Curse her.
After first visiting the Burrard location (at which we were turned away due to full capacity), we arrived at the Robson location of the Cactus Club Cafe and sat down for lunch. We had much deliberation over the menu and I got the J.D. BBQ burger (which was juicy and yummy! but not really my style, to be honest). We noticed the sheer number of staff our location seemed to possess; at every turn, a new staff member strolled by dutifully. N sardonically remarked about the recession and labour wages. I concurred.
After lunch, we headed to watch the movie. After reading the book in preparation for the movie, there were certainly some things I liked and disliked about the cinematic experience.
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I was generally unimpressed with the movie but felt like it did the job. It was adequate but not much more… As much as I adore the movies and the books, I can’t say that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be a particularly memorable cinematic experience. It’s a shame because I had had high hopes for David Yates’ directorial vision.
After the movie, we ventured around downtown and ended up in Sears at Pacific Centre. Excitedly, I skimmed through the stationery section, glowingly appraising the Montblanc pens and Moleskine notebooks.
We then heard the announcement of a lifetime. "Attention shoppers. We will be having a free giveaway on the fourth floor today, for shoppers only in the store right now." I paused and looked to N and A, who were listening with rapt attention withal. I gingerly replaced the Moleskine notebook I had been thoughtfully caressing and we set off towards the fourth floor.
Needless to say, it was a disappointment. We got a dinky orange little fruit juicer (the efficacy of which I sincerely doubt) and waited the whole presentation to learn that we could have a free filet knife…with purchase of 29.99. We left.
As such, A and I were horrendously late for dinner with C and D at Thai Spice. I ordered Tom Yum which, admittedly, is a weakness of mine but I was rather disappointed with the lack of flavour. A’s pineapple rice was only passable. Happily, though, we played Sorry during dinner which (albeit displays a thorough lack of table manners) enlivened our dinner much more than the food would have done.
The crown jewel of the evening was really watching Les Miserables. It was spectacular. If you haven’t watched it yet, I assure you that you are missing out. The casting was wonderful; perennial favourites Jonathan Winsby and John Mann gave breathtaking performances while newcomers didn’t slacken at all.
Here’s what I thought:
- Murphy (Valjean) displayed masterful skill at singing with a particularly strong voice and diverse range; he was a little wooden at times but his singing was spot-on flawless
- Cournoyer (Javert) was a personal favourite; Javert doesn’t get much variety in song but Cournoyer did a commendable job at conveying Javert’s character
- Hosie (Fantine) was a strong presence but her wig was very offputting; I’m usually a big fan of Arts Club costume design but here is one case where I was rather distracted
- Lipman (Mme. Thenardier) and Mann (Mr. Thenardier) offered wonderful — wonderful — comic relief but Lipman’s vocal strength was not what I would have expected
- Winsby (Enjolras) was, of course, incredible and powerful; his performance is almost so strong that it is overwhelming, actually, threatening to overshadow the performances of others
- Victor (Marius) had a perfectly respectable performance though he was really overshadowed by Winsby at times
- Talbot (Eponine) was a surprise star; I was really impressed with her performance and vocal strength!
- Harwood (Cosette) gave a good performance throughout but I can’t recall any moments where I was floored by her
- Ballard (Gavroche), Matchette (Young Cosette) and Withers (Young Eponine) gave great performances, particularly at their ages! I bet I’ll be seeing them at the Arts Club when I’m much older
I particularly enjoyed “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Master of the House,” “Stars”and “Drink with Me to Times Gone By.” Unfortunately, “One Day More” was nowhere near as strong as what I would have liked but ç’est la vie!
All in all, a marvelous day. I just hope A doesn’t tire of my company!
forget and forgive: I am old and foolish
Today, I had the culmination of BIOL 334 in a 7-question exam. It wasn’t very difficult (in retrospect) and I paced myself evenly throughout, working methodically and systematically. I was particularly amused when I came up with 9 phenotypic classes for a particular cross (red, blue, lilac, fuchsia, magenta, periwinkle, rose, violet, indigo and cyan). The cheatsheet was only useful for assisting me with the ploidy question (which I shamelessly copied out of my notes).
I had a quick lunch with Derrick and Nelson before heading home for some well-deserved rest before the evening’s festivities: dinner and a movie!
I headed over to Metrotown a little early so that I wouldn’t be late…and ended up in Chapters, encouraging Louisa to come over and buy books. There’s an interesting anecdote about a tower of books and my head, so feel free to ask me in person next time you see me. Anyway, I started reading the Marple books and I hope they’re at least half as good as Poirot. Here’s hoping!
Allison got off work so we walked towards Sammy J’s. Louisa, of course, decided to wait for the crosswalk while I casually strolled up the stairs to take the overhead bridge. She’s still bitter that I was quicker. Dinner was alright, shared three appetizers with Louisa and Allison (Justin – Jalapeno Artichoke Dip, Allison – Steak Bites & Louisa – Calimari). We finished up quickly and went back to Metrotown to line up for our movie.
The Proposal, as far as romantic comedies go, was pretty good (7.5/10). Lots of comedic moments even if some of the gags get tired af ter a while. There’s some chemistry between Reynolds and Bullock and certainly with some of the secondary characters. I think I’m a bit biased, comparing it with Bride Wars and He’s Just Not That Into You, but all in all, a fair movie. I laughed out loud in several scenes!
Here’s hoping I’ll loosen up over the next while. It’s my only chance to do so; no tutoring and no school means I’m free for (at least) one week.
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The Crossing Card:
Shaking in the fingers with the bottle in your palm
It’s time to batten down the hatches! (The phrase “batten down the hatches,” interestingly, is a nautical phrase applied idiomatically in common vernacular – it literally means to close all the hatches of a ship in preparation for an oncoming storm; the meaning of the phrase is similar to the phrase “gird your loins”)
BIOL 334 is winding down to a close and whether it ends with a bang or a whimper will be up to me; I’ve got to simply practice the questions much more in the coming days and ask for help if I get lost. Craig’s mentioned he’d like to see 7-8 questions on the final (leaning towards 7 rather than 8 questions) which will make it a big crunch for time and considering how long it takes me to do problems, I’m out of luck…
This weekend will be the granddaddy of all Justin the Tutor weekends because…dun dun dun! It’s provincial examinations week! Does anyone remember those? So I’m busy preparing people for Social Studies 11, English 10, English 12 and assorted school-specific final examinations. Hurrah!
AMS Minischool registration ended today and I was pleased to learn that I made only slightly less than Sheila did the summer previously; she really got the Minischool name out there and I’ve used my skills at mail merge to turn 3-hour jobs into 20-minute jobs. Hurray for laziness…I mean…productivity hacks.
I’m just about finished “Rise from the Ashes,” the final case in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney featuring the Skye sisters. It’s been the longest case I’ve ever been on and it’s so cool that I get to use all sorts of forensics techniques!
On another note, I just wanted to shamelessly plug Push, a movie that was released in February 2009 featuring Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning. Think X-Men meets Heroes meets The Matrix (sort of). It wasn’t given a great critical reception but it was filmed entirely on location in Hong Kong and it’s really visually appeal. What it lacks in meaty plot material, it more than makes up for with visual effects and gorgeous cinematography.
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