Eddie Izzard is one of the funniest comedians on the face of the earth.

Just had to say that.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Or just add more Eddie Izzard quotes -- that works too.

So, the job search continues. I fill my days with library-rented movies, chores, and walks around the house. My brother is still being an ass, as per usual, but now he's got loads of doctor bills due and he has to go back to work on Monday (THANK GOD.) And yet he still has the audacity to ask my parents for money so he can goof out this weekend.

*sigh* I think I'm looking forward to the day he moves out (or is kicked out) as much as my parents. Good riddance.

I have been doing a bit of reading. I reread Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I finished Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I now understand the difficulty in adapting it to film, as it is surprisingly short, and not a lot really happens. It's all terribly droll, though, and now I'm working my way through Resturant at the End of the Universe. I've also been reading quite a few books by Georgette Heyer, who wrote mainly mysteries and cute, interesting Georgian/Regency-era romances. The one I've liked best so far is Black Sheep, where the main character falls in love with the tactless, sarcastic uncle of the fortune-hunting dandy who is pursuing her niece. I also finished Stardust by Neil Gaiman, which was entertaining enough, but nowhere near the level of something like Neverwhere.

Still, I've had time to see a couple of movies. While my parents were away at a drag race in Joliet, I went to see Sin City at last at the QC Brew and View, a lovely little independent theater in Rock Island. That movie was quite the experience. Visually, it was just WOW -- this had sure better be remembered come Oscar time for Best Cinematography. Sure, it was violent, and I did my fair share of wincing, but it rocked. Also, I am officially kinda scared of Elijah Wood now. Damn that boy was creepy, and he didn't even have to say a word. It's good that he can do this, as it shows that he's more than just the cutest little hobbit in the Shire, but damn. Not even the usually contemptable presence of Josh Hartnett could hamper my liking of this film.

I just got back from Batman Begins, and I definitely liked it. It's not the best superhero movie I've seen (that title being currently held in my mind by Spiderman 2), but as Batman movies go it's far beyond the others, and this is coming from a girl who likes the Burton ones. Christian Bale definitely held his own, even if the Batman voice was a bit weird at times, but casting both Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman against type earned it some serious love from me. Michael Caine was just fabulous as Alfred. Plus, you can tell they shot part of it in Chicago -- there's a bridge that's featured pretty prominently that's actually located in the northern part of the Loop, so that was cool.

Plus, how can you hate a movie with ninjas? Ninjas are just good fun in any film.

So, the job search continues. I fill my days with library-rented movies, chores, and walks around the house. My brother is still being an ass, as per usual, but now he's got loads of doctor bills due and he has to go back to work on Monday (THANK GOD.) And yet he still has the audacity to ask my parents for money so he can goof out this weekend.

*sigh* I think I'm looking forward to the day he moves out (or is kicked out) as much as my parents. Good riddance.

I have been doing a bit of reading. I reread Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I finished Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I now understand the difficulty in adapting it to film, as it is surprisingly short, and not a lot really happens. It's all terribly droll, though, and now I'm working my way through Resturant at the End of the Universe. I've also been reading quite a few books by Georgette Heyer, who wrote mainly mysteries and cute, interesting Georgian/Regency-era romances. The one I've liked best so far is Black Sheep, where the main character falls in love with the tactless, sarcastic uncle of the fortune-hunting dandy who is pursuing her niece. I also finished Stardust by Neil Gaiman, which was entertaining enough, but nowhere near the level of something like Neverwhere.

Still, I've had time to see a couple of movies. While my parents were away at a drag race in Joliet, I went to see Sin City at last at the QC Brew and View, a lovely little independent theater in Rock Island. That movie was quite the experience. Visually, it was just WOW -- this had sure better be remembered come Oscar time for Best Cinematography. Sure, it was violent, and I did my fair share of wincing, but it rocked. Also, I am officially kinda scared of Elijah Wood now. Damn that boy was creepy, and he didn't even have to say a word. It's good that he can do this, as it shows that he's more than just the cutest little hobbit in the Shire, but damn. Not even the usually contemptable presence of Josh Hartnett could hamper my liking of this film.

I just got back from Batman Begins, and I definitely liked it. It's not the best superhero movie I've seen (that title being currently held in my mind by Spiderman 2), but as Batman movies go it's far beyond the others, and this is coming from a girl who likes the Burton ones. Christian Bale definitely held his own, even if the Batman voice was a bit weird at times, but casting both Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman against type earned it some serious love from me. Michael Caine was just fabulous as Alfred. Plus, you can tell they shot part of it in Chicago -- there's a bridge that's featured pretty prominently that's actually located in the northern part of the Loop, so that was cool.

Plus, how can you hate a movie with ninjas? Ninjas are just good fun in any film.

If you have wondered why I haven't checked in a couple of weeks, the answer is simple: Nothing is happening to me. Just lots of time on the internet, interspersed with a bit of meandering around the place, quality time with the kitties, and a bit of birdwatching.

Having no luck on the job front so far, I've applied to a few local temp agencies. One of them might have a clerical job at a trucking company soon that I'm crossing my fingers for -- I'd like to have a job that won't bore me to tears or leave me reeking of fast food fryers.

Also, saw Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at the discount theater. It was alright, but honestly I was expecting something a bit funnier. Not to say that it wasn't funny, though. Anything where you combine Sam Rockwell, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman (well...his voice, but close enough), Stephen Fry, and Mos Def and his towel-fu has to be pretty funny. It was just the bits with Trillian that felt a bit ponderous. Ultimately, though, I did like it. I love random humor, so a film with falling whales, alternate universes made of yarn, and musical numbers sung by dolphins is fine by me.

I guess I should try to read the book now, since lord know I have plenty of time to do so.

And now thinking of this has re-lodged "So Long and Thanks For All the Fish" back into my head. Dangit.

Well, I didn't get the internship. They said it was very close -- they even called a couple of my references twice -- but in the end, someone else was a bit more qualified.

I guess I should be happy, as this means no long road trips and lots of kitty time, but I really looking forward to that, and really prepared for it.

*sigh* C'est la vie.

Unfortunately, this means I have to seek another source of summer income, and the pickings are slim in the area. The high gas prices aren't helping that either.

Oh, and Kingdom of Heaven? It was OK. Visually, it was fine, as any Ridley Scott film should be (especially the costumes. I could have damn near squealed in delight over them). The supporting cast was excellent (especially Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Liam Neeson, and Edward Norton...at least, Edward Norton's voice. It's a long story.). And Orlando Bloom was pretty solid -- he's not going to win an Oscar anytime soon, but he's not painful to listen to or watch...definitely not painful to watch...mmmm...*ahem*

The problem was that it felt so bloody rushed. I heard an hour or so was cut out after test screenings, and frankly, it shows. This films could have used some more character building and bonding moments and less of the battling, which became pretty damn tedious after a while. Also, there were some somewhat cheesily righteous speeches, but they're not enough to spoil the film entirely.

So, it's not the worst thing you could see right now, but it might be better to wait for the inevitable director's cut DVD.

...she might get better. :p

Yes, I return after a month and a half or so, after a few tests, two presentations, ungodly amounts of short papers, and buttloads of stress. I'm at least thankful for two things: I didn't have any finals or final papers, and that this horrid year is finally OVER. Over, I tell you! HA HA HA HA!

*pauses to let others seethe in envy over my lack of finals*

So I'm back home with the critters, at least for now. Unfortunately, due to troubles I had in my ceramics class, I couldn't go on my archaeology professor's field school. Right now, I'm pinning my hopes on an internship at Whitefish Dunes State Park up in Sturgeon Bay, WI. It's a naturalist position, where I'd be doing things like tour guiding, organizing events, and writing for a newsletter. I'd be gone again for most of the summer, but they provide housing, will help set one up with a part-time job, and pay $500 at the end of the summer. These last minute internships have worked for me before, maybe this will be the same.

If not, I'll get to spend my summer at home, searching desperately for a tolerable part-time job.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything good in the theaters lately (I'm deciding right now whether to go see Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Kingdom of Heaven next weekend), but here are two I saw back in late March/early April:

*The Merchant of Venice -- I was pleasantly surprised to see this had finally came to Madison, so I convinced my friend Katie to come see with me, and we were not disappointed. The story's a bit weird, but that's the fault of the author. You do have to wonder what possessed Shakespeare to think "Hmmm....serious drama...light romantic comedy...let's smush them together and see what happens!" So, you get this light romance with Bassiano trying to impress the fair and rich Portia as his pal Graciano tries to impress her lady-in-waiting, but it's mixed with the story of how Bassiano gets the necessary cash from his pal Antonio, who in turn has to get it from the Jewish usurer Shylock, who makes him commit to the payment of a pound of flesh should he not pay it back. He can't, so the whole thing ends up in court, where there is much drama and a bit of drag (because you can't have a Shakespeare play without a bit of drag, I swear. He was big on girls disguising themselves as guys.)

Al Pacino plays Shylock, and thank God he can occasionally tone down his acting. It's a fine performance -- dramatic where necessary, but without all his usual scenery-chomping. He doesn't do much to hide his normal accent, but it kind of help reinforce the character's otherness in a sea of Brits. Jeremy Irons turns in a solid performance as Antonio; Joseph Fiennes makes an unremarkable Bassiano. The woman playing Portia was surprisingly good, as well as very lovely in an unconventional but period-appropriate way. Another surprise was the good performance by the guy playing Bassiano's friend Graciano, whom I though was the angry red-headed guy from A Knight's Tale but in fact was the gawky red-headed guy from Love Actually (aka "Colin, God of Sex").

In short, it's a good production of a play that is tricky to keep balanced in regards to tone without being overly dramatic, and it does so while looking very lush.

*Moolaade -- The French Club went to see this when it was been shown as part of the Madison Film Festival, and I'm very glad I went. It deals with the controversal topic of female circumcision, where half a dozen young girls run to a local woman, Colle, who has prevented her teenage daughter from undergoing the procedure. She takes them in and protects them by declaring moolaade, a state of sanctuary where the door is barred with a strip of cloth and no one may enter without permission. She is confronted by the town elders and the women who perform the procedure as she gains some allies, such as some of her fellow wives and the local merchant. Tensions rise as the confrontations between Colle and her allies become increasingly violent, but in the end her will and determination win the day.

This was made by Ousambe Sembene, a very famous Senegalese director who is basically responsible for founding the modern African cinema movement, and he does a fine job with this film. He presents the matter fairly -- neither side is fully sainted nor villainized, and it will leave you thinking for hours afterwards. If you can find this, I would absolutely recommend it.

...she might get better. :p

Yes, I return after a month and a half or so, after a few tests, two presentations, ungodly amounts of short papers, and buttloads of stress. I'm at least thankful for two things: I didn't have any finals or final papers, and that this horrid year is finally OVER. Over, I tell you! HA HA HA HA!

*pauses to let others seethe in envy over my lack of finals*

So I'm back home with the critters, at least for now. Unfortunately, due to troubles I had in my ceramics class, I couldn't go on my archaeology professor's field school. Right now, I'm pinning my hopes on an internship at Whitefish Dunes State Park up in Sturgeon Bay, WI. It's a naturalist position, where I'd be doing things like tour guiding, organizing events, and writing for a newsletter. I'd be gone again for most of the summer, but they provide housing, will help set one up with a part-time job, and pay $500 at the end of the summer. These last minute internships have worked for me before, maybe this will be the same.

If not, I'll get to spend my summer at home, searching desperately for a tolerable part-time job.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything good in the theaters lately (I'm deciding right now whether to go see Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Kingdom of Heaven next weekend), but here are two I saw back in late March/early April:

*The Merchant of Venice -- I was pleasantly surprised to see this had finally came to Madison, so I convinced my friend Katie to come see with me, and we were not disappointed. The story's a bit weird, but that's the fault of the author. You do have to wonder what possessed Shakespeare to think "Hmmm....serious drama...light romantic comedy...let's smush them together and see what happens!" So, you get this light romance with Bassiano trying to impress the fair and rich Portia as his pal Graciano tries to impress her lady-in-waiting, but it's mixed with the story of how Bassiano gets the necessary cash from his pal Antonio, who in turn has to get it from the Jewish usurer Shylock, who makes him commit to the payment of a pound of flesh should he not pay it back. He can't, so the whole thing ends up in court, where there is much drama and a bit of drag (because you can't have a Shakespeare play without a bit of drag, I swear. He was big on girls disguising themselves as guys.)

Al Pacino plays Shylock, and thank God he can occasionally tone down his acting. It's a fine performance -- dramatic where necessary, but without all his usual scenery-chomping. He doesn't do much to hide his normal accent, but it kind of help reinforce the character's otherness in a sea of Brits. Jeremy Irons turns in a solid performance as Antonio; Joseph Fiennes makes an unremarkable Bassiano. The woman playing Portia was surprisingly good, as well as very lovely in an unconventional but period-appropriate way. Another surprise was the good performance by the guy playing Bassiano's friend Graciano, whom I though was the angry red-headed guy from A Knight's Tale but in fact was the gawky red-headed guy from Love Actually (aka "Colin, God of Sex").

In short, it's a good production of a play that is tricky to keep balanced in regards to tone without being overly dramatic, and it does so while looking very lush.

*Moolaade -- The French Club went to see this when it was been shown as part of the Madison Film Festival, and I'm very glad I went. It deals with the controversal topic of female circumcision, where half a dozen young girls run to a local woman, Colle, who has prevented her teenage daughter from undergoing the procedure. She takes them in and protects them by declaring moolaade, a state of sanctuary where the door is barred with a strip of cloth and no one may enter without permission. She is confronted by the town elders and the women who perform the procedure as she gains some allies, such as some of her fellow wives and the local merchant. Tensions rise as the confrontations between Colle and her allies become increasingly violent, but in the end her will and determination win the day.

This was made by Ousambe Sembene, a very famous Senegalese director who is basically responsible for founding the modern African cinema movement, and he does a fine job with this film. He presents the matter fairly -- neither side is fully sainted nor villainized, and it will leave you thinking for hours afterwards. If you can find this, I would absolutely recommend it.

*The Three Musketeers -- No, not that horrid Disney version, the one from the 70s with Michael York, Oliver Reed, and Richard Chamberlain. I much prefer this version, as it is intentionally funny, and the story does not suffer for it. My only fault with it is its weak ending, and I found out that this is only because this and its sequel, The Four Musketeers, were meant to be one whole film. Again, I highly recommend this.

*The Prisoner of Zenda -- This was recommended to me by Katie G, whom I always trust when recommending old movies. This 1939 story is a variation on "The Prince and the Pauper", where an English gentlemen is called upon to fill in for the inebriated monarch on his coronation day. Things are complicated when the monarch's older brother kidnaps his brother in order to get himself on the throne, and when the replacement falls in love with Princess Flavia. And since one of the brother's lackeys was played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., there had to be swordplay, and it was good of course.

*Brigadoon -- Frankly, I feel that the music in this classic musical is weak, and the story only average. The only thing that kept me watching were Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse's wonderful ballet numbers and Van Johnson's delightlfully sarcastic sidekick.

*Maurice -- Yet another depressing tale of men who love men in early 20th century England, and all the things that will keep them apart and make them suffer. Once again, Hugh Grant plays a bastard, who teases the titular character with the hopes of affection but choosing to take his public role, while Maurice eventually runs off with the hot young gamekeeper.

Rewatched: "I, Claudius" (still full of sex, death, and more Shakespearean actors than you can shake a stick at), The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan, Much Ado About Nothing (le sigh, le swoon), The Lion King

*The Three Musketeers -- No, not that horrid Disney version, the one from the 70s with Michael York, Oliver Reed, and Richard Chamberlain. I much prefer this version, as it is intentionally funny, and the story does not suffer for it. My only fault with it is its weak ending, and I found out that this is only because this and its sequel, The Four Musketeers, were meant to be one whole film. Again, I highly recommend this.

*The Prisoner of Zenda -- This was recommended to me by Katie G, whom I always trust when recommending old movies. This 1939 story is a variation on "The Prince and the Pauper", where an English gentlemen is called upon to fill in for the inebriated monarch on his coronation day. Things are complicated when the monarch's older brother kidnaps his brother in order to get himself on the throne, and when the replacement falls in love with Princess Flavia. And since one of the brother's lackeys was played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., there had to be swordplay, and it was good of course.

*Brigadoon -- Frankly, I feel that the music in this classic musical is weak, and the story only average. The only thing that kept me watching were Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse's wonderful ballet numbers and Van Johnson's delightlfully sarcastic sidekick.

*Maurice -- Yet another depressing tale of men who love men in early 20th century England, and all the things that will keep them apart and make them suffer. Once again, Hugh Grant plays a bastard, who teases the titular character with the hopes of affection but choosing to take his public role, while Maurice eventually runs off with the hot young gamekeeper.

Rewatched: "I, Claudius" (still full of sex, death, and more Shakespearean actors than you can shake a stick at), The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan, Much Ado About Nothing (le sigh, le swoon), The Lion King

*The Three Musketeers -- No, not that horrid Disney version, the one from the 70s with Michael York, Oliver Reed, and Richard Chamberlain. I much prefer this version, as it is intentionally funny, and the story does not suffer for it. My only fault with it is its weak ending, and I found out that this is only because this and its sequel, The Four Musketeers, were meant to be one whole film. Again, I highly recommend this.

*The Prisoner of Zenda -- This was recommended to me by Katie G, whom I always trust when recommending old movies. This 1939 story is a variation on "The Prince and the Pauper", where an English gentlemen is called upon to fill in for the inebriated monarch on his coronation day. Things are complicated when the monarch's older brother kidnaps his brother in order to get himself on the throne, and when the replacement falls in love with Princess Flavia. And since one of the brother's lackeys was played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., there had to be swordplay, and it was good of course.

*Brigadoon -- Frankly, I feel that the music in this classic musical is weak, and the story only average. The only thing that kept me watching were Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse's wonderful ballet numbers and Van Johnson's delightlfully sarcastic sidekick.

*Maurice -- Yet another depressing tale of men who love men in early 20th century England, and all the things that will keep them apart and make them suffer. Once again, Hugh Grant plays a bastard, who teases the titular character with the hopes of affection but choosing to take his public role, while Maurice eventually runs off with the hot young gamekeeper.

Rewatched: "I, Claudius" (still full of sex, death, and more Shakespearean actors than you can shake a stick at), The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan, Much Ado About Nothing (le sigh, le swoon), The Lion King