232 : napoleon dynamite

Years later and I still absolutely love this movie. It's so freaking funny. So glad it was on MTV over the weekend. I laughed so hard, it hurt.

220 : the powers of ten

I first saw The Powers of Ten in elementary school before I even knew who Charles & Ray Eames were. It was years later, while watching their short films that I realized the film I had watched oh-so-long-ago was by the famous duo.

The Powers of Ten depicts the relative scale of the universe in factors of ten. The film starts out with two people on a picnic blanket, and slowly zooms out at a rate of one power of ten per 10 seconds. The final zoom out is at 10²⁴ meters, which is the size of the observable universe. The camera then goes back to the people on the picnic blanket, and then into the negative powers of ten (so inside their bodies). The last stop is at 10⁻¹⁶ when the camera comes to quarks in a proton of a carbon atom. 

218 : going to the movies

Went and saw Salt today (which was surprisingly good), and was reminded just how much I like going to the movies. While it's nice to watch a movie cuddled on the couch, there's something exciting about seeing a movie on a giant screen in the pitch black with a bunch of strangers. Wait, forget the strangers part.

206 : jackson pollock

Known mainly as the "splatter" painter and for his volatile personality, Jackson Pollock was truly a magnificent American artist. His use of color  and composition is just amazing.

Many years ago I drove down to Orange County to an exhibit just to see the one Pollock painting they had on display. I was mesmerized. I couldn't look away. Why? I'm not sure. Strangely enough, the person I was with (who had no interest in art whatsoever) felt the exact same way.

If you're interested in finding out more about his life, I highly recommend the 2000, Academy Award winning movie, Pollock, starring Ed Harris. It's entertaining, inspiring and heartbreaking all at the same time.

195 : the fall

A few years ago, during one of Monique and my many movie days, we rented The Fall. This movie is amazing. The costumes, the scenery, everything. It was filmed in over 20 countries over many years. The premise of the movie, is in a 1920's LA hospital, an injured movie stuntman meets a little girl with a broken arm, and he tells her an "epic" tale about 5 mystical heroes. As the story progresses, the distinction between his story and reality starts to blur.

I absolutely love the little girl, Alexandria. She is an amazing little actress.

186 : gustauv klimt

The subject of today's post is an artist that many people have seen, but probably have no idea what his name is...Gustauv Klimt (1862-1918). An Austrian painter, known mainly for painting women and for his paintings during his "gold phase", Klimt created some absolutely stunning pieces of art. On screen and in print they look nice, but in person, they'll take your breath away.

The Kiss (above) is probably one his most recognized works.

174 : the girl with the dragon tattoo

I've been wanting to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo for awhile now, so when Monique and I took a ditch day to go to Bottega Louie and see a movie, I was SUPER excited to see that they had made it into a movie. I was even more excited to learn, upon leaving the theater, that the second part, The Girl Who Played With Fire, comes out July 9th. No wait time in between! Hooray!

Now, I'm going to run to Borders to buy the books :)

169 : the secret in their eyes

Ok...so today's original post was deleted...Why? Because after our late-night movie going adventure, the happy post just HAD to be The Secret in Their Eyes, directed by Juan Jose Campanella. It won an Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film, and I can see why. It was touching and heartbreaking and truly an amazing film. But I guess in some ways I'm a little different. Give me a good foreign or indie film over a blockbuster hit any day.

For those interested, here's a bit about the film...

Recently retired criminal court investigator Benjamin (Ricardo Darin), decides to write a novel based on a twenty-five year old unresolved rape and murder case, which still haunts him. Sharing his plans with Irene (Soledad Villamil), the beautiful judge and former colleague he has secretly been in love with for years, Benjamin’s initial involvement with the case is shown through flashbacks, as he sets out to identify the murderer. But Benjamin’s search for the truth will put him at the center of a judicial nightmare, as the mystery of the heinous crime continues to unfold in the present, testing the limits of a man seeking justice and personal fulfillment at last.