sinclair_furie

From William Gibson's blog: Not Quite Big Brother. But still creepy.

Speaking of creepy, I just watched Pan's Labyrinth. It was so very lovely, a rather scary adult interweaving of fairy tale and civil war. Neil Gaiman loved it too.

I am now filled with the sort of glow you can really only get from watching something beautiful die.

So, Deepest Sender has taken it's own pretty time getting set up, OMG. Seriously, it's on version 0.7.7 now and I had to go all the way down to version 0.6.5 (which I had before) to get something that would install and NOT crash mozilla.
Um.
I was going to explain about how my 30 hour trip to Charlotte North Carolina (omg!) was actually not that bad, except for the bit where we were in La Guardia Airport and it was gross and all the food had copious amounts of oil or mayonnaise and I wanted to cry, but whatever.
I am now at my aunt's house, upstairs in my OWN ROOM which is a guest room, with really fast internet and my VERY SEXY LAPTOP which I love even though it has only 3 USB slots and no PS2 slots and also DID NOT COME WITH THE WINDOWS XP INSTALLATION CD. I shall complain to IBM about that, because wtf, I payed for XP so I should get a copy.
On the bright side, my aunt and my uncle and my cousin Linus are very cool. Especially my cousin, who at eight years of age is the only pre-adolescent child in the world that I like, probably. He's wonderfully bizarre and charming and by turns incredibly somber and hysterically giggling. Seriously. His current obsession is with surge protectors and various extension cords (he knows more about how to plug my laptop in than I do). He also enjoys taking videos of his feet and photographing sockets.
He used to like vents, before, and he makes me feel vaguely tempted to eventually settle down and have a child in the hope that mine is as entertaining.
Um. I'm going to forget about the wimsical bit of this entry and get to the pop culture reviews.
Ok, I watched Inside Man on the plane, which was the coolest psychological thriller/bank robbery/criminal movie ever. Also, Clive Owen <3. Seriously. Which puts it in that category with Syriana for cool drama like politicalesque thrilling things. I suspect Crash would also be there, but I've yet to watch it alas.
Today, I discovered the randomly cool fact that apparently Chuch Palahnuik is gay from Travis, which Wikipedia confirms. Which makes him even awesomeer for writing a book about sex addiction and choking on food and of course Fight Club.
Speaking of gay writers, I finally read something by David Sedaris, i.e. Me Talk Pretty One Day. It is quite possibly the funniest book ever. Easily the funniest non-fiction book I've ever read. Sedaris has a very healthy appreciation of how fucking absurd the world is, a wacky family and a past involving meth and performance art, so you know, you SHOULD READ IT RIGHT NOW.
Also, today I listened to NPR which made me giggle like none other. I mean, they play news and everything (btw, this Jonbenet shit? Get over yourself, America. It's not important) and eventully they include stuff about events of geopolitican significance...
But they're so lyrical! They speak as if they're writing a war  novel and it's the radio so recorded voices sound fnny and ON TOP OF THAT they have to speak slowly so that people understand. And it's impossible to take it seriously when the construction of every other sentence makes me giggle.
Um. Right. 5 am. must sleep. bye.

Right, I should start by saying that my musical roots are sort of enmeshed in 70's folk music, so my love for Simon & Garfunkel is given. I grew up with my mom's music: Hindi music which I paid no attention to and my mom's English music which I eventually learned to love. Somewhere along the line I also listened to music older cousins did, and then developed this bizarre and disturbing love for pop rock (woe) such as Dashboard Confessional. But freshmen and sophomore year I was all about the sound of silence, baby.
So, somewhat inspired by karaoke today for Sachi's farewell, but also the Supernatural soundtrack...
7 (+1) Songs you should listen to, pre-1980's (as far as I know):
( OMG SUSPENSE )

Ask and I shall upload the songs you want, I suppose.
Now, all this talk of the  seventies is making me think of the movie A Home at the End of the World, which has one of my very favorite Colin Farrell performances, ever. It has Me and Julio down by the Schoolyard in the soundtrack! And it's by Michael Cunningham! It wasn't that popular because it's a rather bizarre story about family and sexual orientation (sort of) and it's realistic to point of depressing at times and totally contrived at others. I don't know, it's the kind of story you just have to go with and then have a sort of resolution but not really at the end.
To conclude...
The song Losing my Religion by R.E.M. is best coming-out song ever. That's kind of a bizarre song category, but whatever, it's still a great song. And also, my friends were losers today because they all didn't know it, except Francis, who didn't mention he knew it so I had to sing it alone. But yes, awesome song, because the lyrics include: "And I don't know if I can do it/Oh no I've said too much/haven't said enough" and "Of every waking hour I'm/Choosing my confessions/Trying to keep an eye on you/Like a hurt lost and blinded fool."
I don't think it was written to be a coming-out song, exactly (though who knows, the lead singer of R.E.M. is bisexual) but it works very well as one.
And I thought I was going to sleep early tonight.

Right, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (omg so long!) today. It was lots of fun, very funny and whatnot, thoroughly enjoyable. I'd give it... 8.5 out of 10, and bonus points for hot men. And Keira Knightly, who deserves a bonus point all to herself, though her dress annoyed me before she changed out of it.
Some not too  spoilery things.

1. Norrington! When did you get so hot! Last movie, when you were courting Elizabeth, why didn't you just take off the wig and get a little scruffier? Because. Oh. My. God. You are very, very attractive, and Elizabeth is a very lucky woman for having your lust as well as Will Turner's and Captain Jack's.
2. Captain Jack Sparrow, while being a sexy beast et al, is incredibly camp. Crystal and I spent half the movie giggling about how he runs like a girl and sashays instead of, you know, strutting. Ah, slightly gay pirates with eyeliner.
3. Boy!Keira Knightley makes my world go round. And no matter what he says to the contrary, she makes Captain Jack's world go round too. Yup, new OTP.
4. Captain Jack! When going to ask a favor from what seems to be an ex-girlfriend or some such business, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT take your younger, prettier friend with you. I promise, she'll pretend to like him better just to spite you.

And. Part two of this post, which is actually far more important, even though I, like abstractanthony, ask myself every day why I'm not having sex with Johnny Depp, while I only think about course registration once a week at best...
Ok, other MIT-ers. What are you putting down for the HASS-D lottery? Do you know anything about it?
I mean, I've looked at the course descriptions and picked the ones that sound interesting, but what about important considerations like, oh, teachers I've never met before?
Right now I'm thinking about Reading Poetry as a first choice, and then in vague order: Islam, the Middle East and the West; The Film Experience; Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies; Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics & Society, 1917-Present; and Introduction to Linguistics.

What think you all?

Ok, four movies I have watched recently.
The Squid and the Whale
Joe (winner!) recommended this to me, saying that he though I'd really like it. And suprise, suprise, I did.
( OMG AWESOME! )
Speaking of Joe Day, I learned today that he's quite a staunch Republican. Apparently his father is from the South. I suspect, though that he's got libertarian leanings. At least, I hope so.
Excuse me while I apply the compensatory model of decision making.

Match Point
The tagline for this movie was: Passion Temptation Obsession.( Scarlet Johanssen! )

Mission: Impossible III
Suprisingly enjoyable. I think the trick to Mission:Impossible is realising that they are actually romantic comedies in disguise.( The IMF )

Velvet Goldmine
Wow. I've been wanting to watch this movie for the LONGEST time. I'm really glad I finally got to. It's kind of an odd movie.
( Slash! Teh Pretty! )

By the way, stop with the interview requests. They're hard. :P

1. I read Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. And. And.
I cannot believe it's been out since 1990, and I've gone sixteen years without reading it. It is amazing. Quite possibly one of the best books, and probably the funniest, I've ever read. Aziraphale and Crowley (An Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards) are adorable. I mean, Aziraphale says "my dear" all the time, drinks tea and likes old books. They feed ducks together and listen to Tchiakovsky's "Another One Bites the Dust!"
Some quotes:

Crowley had been extremely impressed with the warranties offered by the computer industry, and had in fact sent a bundle Below to the department that drew up the Immortal Soul agreements, with a yellow memo form attached just saying: "Learn, guys."

The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance.

Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide.

Oh, and they're rather slashy in a completely asexual way. Fahad even agrees... because we know that angels are sexless unless they try very hard.
Oh, just go read it. Now. :D

2. I watched Breakfast on Pluto, starring Cillian Murphy.
It's a pretty good movie. Sort of... heartwarming in a depressing way. And Cillian Murphy is very, very pretty, as I pointed out earlier.
As katranna put it earlier, "how can you not like a movie about transsexuality, IRA terrorists, Oscar Wilde-quoting robins, and the power of believing in glam rock music?"
So it's Irish and about finding yourself and all that, and Cillian Murphy plays Patrick "Kitten" Braden and it's got Stephen Rhea being a magician and it's lots of fun. Lovely characters. Though sometimes I couldn't decide between wanting to squish Kitten in a hug or smack him for his... naivete, I guess.

3. I've started watching Doctor Who.
It's quite entertaining. I feel like I'm vaguely taking part in this British cult phenomenon, and judging from what I know about the BBC, Doctor Who is sort of... the quintessence of British Television. Between the humor, the low budget effects and the horrible teeth... Seriously, I'm feeling this bizarre sort of empathy.
I love Douglas Adams and I drink tea. Granted, I drink my tea black and in coffee mugs. But still, in an alternate universe, I could so totally have been British.
Also, Doctor (Nine)/Rose! (Spoilers in the last two pictures, scroll slowly)

I just watched Transamerica. It's a really nice movie... starring Felicity Hoffman, of Desperate Housewives fame, as a pre-operation transsexual who discovers she fathered a son. And as the supporting actor, we have Kevin Zegers playing her criminally pretty rent-boy of a son. Seriously. He is so. very. gorgeous.
The movie is suprisingly delicate and dignified, considering its mature and at rather times crude content- I think the quiet dignity comes from Felicity Hoffman, who is ridiculously convincing as Brie.There was the whole conflict of "when is she going to tell him," because you can't just go up to a person and say "Hi, I'm your father, but I'm a woman now." It was a strange movie, but the characters were completely convincing in their earnest and jaded and utterly flawed interactions. I was quite sad when I realised there were only ten minutes left to the movie because I was so interested and caught up in the jouney, I suppose.
It is adult- drugs, nudity, sexual abuse and various other shit- but it doesn't spare the viewer. At one point I questioned if Freud was so wrong, after all- but don't worry, everything in the movie makes so much sense you won't be able to imagine it any other way.
Now, for the screencaps, lol.
Spoilers cannot be avoided. But! I promise slash!


( Pretty Boys Make My Libido Happy )

( Plot-Like Things )

( FREUDIAN STUFFS )

( Slash )

Anyway, it's a good movie. You should watch it.
But you know, between Brokeback Mountain, Capote and Transamerica all being nominated for Oscars, it's quite trendy to be queer this year.

Jun brought this to my attention today. Jake Gyllenhaal. Heath Ledger.
And boylove. It sounds really good, but as he put it, "If it ever comes to the Philippiens,all the good scenes... I mean, ah, the inappropriate scenes will be cut out."
Honestly, it sounds more like a depressing love story than something squeeworthy. Still want to see, though.
Edit: Upon checking out the website like a maniac, I really, really want to see it. Boylove reasons aside, it looks like a really good movie. And the trailer, of course.
SOUNDTRACK HAS RUFUS WAINWRIGHT!!!

( more pics )