PTown Part Deux

Posted on 06/19/2011 | Leave a comment

Today  I woke up fairly early, because there’s continental breakfast in the inn. I also wanted to explore PTown a bit before my volunteer shifts at night. I walked around a bunch and took photos. I bought color film in anticipation of all the rainbow flags and bright-colored buildings. I wanted to find a cool place to eat lunch, and I went to this cute rooftop restaurant called Tinys. They serve locally grown food, and the hummus burger hit the spot. More venturing and a nap later, I started my volunteer shift around 5.

As I am always early, I got the awesome task of putting out and taking away the chairs at the honoree ceremony. The honorees this year were Albert Maysles, Vera Farmiga, and Darren Aronofsky. As you may or may not know, I am a HUGE Darren Aronofsky fan. This opportunity was super fucking cool. I also got to talk to John Waters very briefly.

After this ceremony, I headed to a different venue to help out there for a bit. When I got there, Abigail Breslin was doing a Q&A session after her film. I caught up to her after and told her she was bad ass in Zombieland and that I love that movie. She appreciated it and was super nice. She’s so tiny, but she was wearing heels. It was kind of funny since I think she’s 15.

Then I headed back to Town Hall, and there was a special screening of Gimme Shelter, a documentary about The Rolling Stones’ free concert in San Francisco directed by the honoree Albert Maysles. He introduced the film, which was wicked cool. I had never seen it before. It was a lot different from Stones in Exile which I saw at Cannes last year. Gimme Shelter was more like a concert movie/documentary where Stones in Exile was all documentary. I enjoyed it. It was a 35mm pressing which was pretty kickass.

Overall, today was epic. I hope it’s as epic tomorrow, my last day in PTown. Sad face X1000. This place rules, and I already want to plan to come back again in the summer for another weekend.

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My First Night in PTown

Posted on 06/18/2011 | 2 Comments

I’m in Provincetown, MA for the Provincetown International Film Festival. It’s a good time. I got in yesterday off the ferry around 8:15. It was pouring rain! Luckily the rain stopped pretty quickly. On my way to the inn, I stopped by Whaler’s Wharf, an old building filled with souvenir shops and a small cinema. This is where Cam Archer’s Shit Year was playing. This film played at Cannes last year, and I wanted to check it out while I had a free night in PTown. I checked into my inn, where I was told that Saturday there is an underwear party in the club downstairs, so “don’t be afraid if you see men running around in their underwear.” Only in PTown… After dropping off my stuff, I grabbed my umbrella and head out to the theater for Shit Year.

I waited in line for a while, since volunteers have to wait in the rush line to see if you get in. Everyone in the rush line got in, which is awesome. I had never heard of that at any of the film festivals I’ve been to previously. Shit Year was an experimental, black and white feature chronicling a shitty year in retired actress, Colleen’s (Ellen Barkin) life. I personally was not a fan of the movie. Visually, it was difficult for me to watch. It would go from really dark, barely able to make out any of the image, to really bright and blinding. It was also not very sharp. It had a very grainy look to it. I left the theater with a headache. The story jumps a lot between now and the past, and even some sort of outer-Earth afterlife. I gave it a 1/5 on my ballot.

The only sort of redeeming part of the movie came from Ellen Barkin’s performance. I was almost tempted to give it a 2/5 for that, except that I’m big on story, which this film was lacking the cohesiveness of. Ellen Barkin was pretty hilarious in her role as Colleen, the retired actress. She had this Daria-like I hate the world and everyone in it attitude that she channeled into her character well. I especially like the repeating scene of her walking by the small boy selling tamales. She always just told him, “Fuck you.” and kept walking.

Overall, I didn’t like Shit Year. It’s definitely not for everyone. Don’t go see it if you’re expecting a regular narrative film. You’ll leave the theater like the awkward couple who looked like they had no idea there was a film festival going on this week.

After the film, I was starving, because I had a pretzel and beer for dinner on the boat. Being a vegetarian can sometimes suck when you’re traveling. PTown is completely different from Boston. I got out of the film around 11:30, and the only place I could find a bite to eat was a pizza place called Spiritus Pizza. Don’t get me wrong, the pizza was amazing, but I wasn’t in the mood for it. I was looking for bar snacks or a veggie burger. I will have to venture for that today. I also tried to go to this beer garden that looked really cool, but they were closing… it wasn’t even midnight. I ended up just going back to the inn, where there was a piano bar and some adorable gay men singing songs from musical theater. I wouldn’t expect anything less in PTown.

Today I’m going to venture around, weather permitting, with my camera and take some shots. I’m also going to find a quaint place for lunch. I start my volunteer shifts around 5 at Town Hall. Epic search for Darren Aronofsky starts now!

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Guest Blogging is Fun

Posted on 06/09/2011 | Leave a comment

So my friend/fellow Buzz Builder Melissa has a blog with tips on social networking. I did a guest blog post for her today. Check it out here. Also check out her other posts obviously, because they’re quite informative and can help you boost your online presence in a positive and professional way. Enjoy.

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Tip for How to Influence People on Social Networks

Posted on 06/08/2011 | 2 Comments

As you may or may not know, I’m pretty much obsessed with social media. I run this blog fairly regularly, but not as much as I’d like. I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Flickr, Last.fm, and others.

I learned of this service called Klout. It tracks your influence on social networks. Be sure to link both your Twitter and Facebook to get a higher score. Scores are from 0-100. 0 being you just signed up basically, and 100 being Lady GaGa and Justin Bieber. I never considered myself influential on social networks, but I did my Klout score and got a 53. My title is specialist, and my influential topics range from Lady GaGa, music, movies, unicorns (WTF), and Hogwarts (WTFX2).

This made me think. Why do I influence people on social networks? What makes them want to listen to what I have to say? The simple answer is this: interact with your social following as if you’re having a conversation with a friend. Many of the people I influence or talk to on Twitter, I’ve never met in real life, but we talk about topics, like Lady GaGa for instance, like we’ve known each other for a while. Talk to people about what you’re both interested in. Don’t be afraid to have an opinion and get a conversation started. Everyone wants to talk about what they’re interested in on social networks, even unicorns.

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Paramore “Monster” Premiere

Posted on 06/04/2011 | 1 Comment

So I just checked out the new Paramore song, “Monster.” I’m not going to lie, I was kind of afraid for new music from them. I’m not a huge fan of the slower song “In the Mourning” they teased their fans with a bit after Josh and ZacFarro left. I know Josh used to have a lot of influence in their song writing. With all of that said, I really like “Monster.” It is very much like their newest album Brand New Eyes which I think is their second greatest album (after Riot of course!). The song will be featured on the Transformers: Dark of the Moon soundtrack.

Even without my fave, Megan Fox, I will definitely be going to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The trailer looks kick-ass, and I think it’s going to a million times better than ROTF (even though that’s not hard to do). Paramore better be working hard on a new full-length. I’m missing them too much in my life right now.

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End of the World via Rapture Playlist

Posted on 05/19/2011 | Leave a comment

So Rapture is Saturday. Good times. It looks like I’ll be falling into an earthquake or something and landing with my BFF Dante down in hell. Maybe not, but we should probably have an “End of the World” playlist ready for if it happens.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

1.  R.E.M. – It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

All I can say is DUH

JESUS IS COMING

2. Blondie – Rapture

Since this historic and repeatedly wrongly predicted event is called Rapture, I’m just going to throw this one in here.

Peace out y'all

3. Don McLean – American Pie

Let’s celebrate the end of the world with a story of music dying. Without music, there is no life anyways. #depressingstatement

OOOOOOO CHILDREN

4. The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter

This song is about how much the world sucks and we should do something  about it. Let’s do all that before Saturday please. Also, this song just kicks ass and is in every Martin Scorsese gangster movie. You can’t front on that.

CUZ I WUZ BORN DIS WAY BABIE$

5. Lady GaGa – Born this Way

Fuck it. This is my playlist, and I say the last song we hear is “Born this Way.” It is both terribly ironic and awesome.

At least I get to graduate from college before Rapture. Bring it on bitches. It’ll totally be a Buffy moment: me fighting off the end of the world in my cap and gown.

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Little Rock at IFFBoston

Posted on 05/02/2011 | Leave a comment

I recently saw the film Little Rock at IFFBoston. The story follows two Japanese siblings (Atsuko Okatsuka and Rintaro Sawamoto) on their first trip to America. Their rental car breaks down in the small, desert town of Little Rock. They meet locals and party with them.

Of the two siblings, Rintaro and Atsuko, only Rintaro can speak some English. Atsuko really wishes to befriend the Americans, especially two boys named Cory and Jordan. The relationship between Cory and Atsuko is very interesting. Neither of them can understand one another, yet they still try to verbally communicate to each other. They seem to have a special, unspoken bond.

One of my favorite parts of this film is the lack of subtitles. Every time there are people on screen who can not understand each other, there are no subtitles. There is even a scene where one character speaks English, another speaks Spanish, and another Japanese. I thought the movie had a great balance of comedy and drama. It is definitely a must-see.

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Green at IFFBoston

Posted on 04/30/2011 | Leave a comment

Jealousy: it creates a monster in all of us. This is exactly the standpoint that Sophia Takal portrays in her directorial debut: Green. The story follows a couple, Sebastian (Lawrence Michael Levine) and Genevieve (Kate Lyn Sheil), as they move out to West Virginia. They befriend Robin (Takal), who brings a new dynamic into the couple’s relationship and changes it forever.

The story is very sexual and fantastical. It is visually stunning, although some parts of it  I feel could have been lit better. The soundtrack adds a lot to the story too, creating the thriller undertone. I especially enjoyed the witty and natural improvised dialogue between the characters. It shows a lot of promise for the three actors and Sophia Takal’s writing. She wrote, directed, edited, and starred in the film, a feat that not many can achieve at once.

The funniest part of this whole movie is the fact that Sophia and Lawrence are actually engaged, and Kate is their roommate. The three of them have a unique relationship in real life that sparked the story. I love that the three of them can come together to work on this thriller of a jealous love story and still be able to come home at night in peace. Green was definitely a highlight of IFFBoston, and I gave it a four star review on my audience ballot.

For more information about Green, visit these sites:

Official Site

IFFBoston Page

IMDb

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Movies to Look Forward to in 2011

Posted on 03/19/2011 | Leave a comment

Usually towards the beginning of the year (of course I’m a bit late) I obsessively go to IMDb and look at all of the movie releases for the year, picking out which I think I will go see later. I’m halfway through March, but I decided to give it a go! Here is my list of movies I want to see this year:

  • The Illusionist

This animated feature doesn’t have any dialogue, and I’ve never seen a feature length, animated film with no dialogue before. It’s just something I need to see I guess. It was also nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.

  • Peep World

I kind of have a thing for dysfunctional family comedies. I’m not sure why. Maybe I see a bit of it within my own family. I love movies like Little Miss Sunshine and It’s Complicated. Peep World seems like an interesting family comedy, and with Sarah Silverman and Rainn Wilson in it too, nothing will stop me from seeing it.

  • Biutiful

Javier Bardem is an amazing actor. He can play a guy who creeps me out to no end in No County for Old Men or he can play a super sexy Spanish lover in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. This tale of a struggling man seems like a cry-fest but well worth it. He was also the first actor to be nominated for Best Actor without speaking any English in the film at this year’s Academy Awards.

  • Paul

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again for a sure comedic hit. It has aliens too. Nothing can go wrong.

  • Rango

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this animated comedy, except that it’s maybe more enjoyable for adults than children. With all of its pop culture references, I don’t want to miss it before it leaves the theaters.

  • Super

Ellen Page, Rainn Wilson, and Nathan Fillion is probably one of the greatest casts I could ever think of for an out-there comedy about people who want to be super heroes but don’t possess any actual powers. I can’t wait to see it.

  • Your Highness

One thing you should know about me is my extreme fangirl qualities. This movie happens to star two of my biggest favorites: Zooey Deschanel and James Franco. It sounds kind of like a live-action Shrek, but it has potential with its funny cast.

  • Hanna

I saw a trailer for this movie before my second viewing of The King’s Speech. It reminds me of a younger version of Angelina Jolie in Salt. If you like smart, action thrillers with badass females, definitely check out this movie.

  • Friends with Benefits

Sure this movie may have the same plot as No Strings Attached, but for some reason I just want to see this one so much more. It may or may not have something to do with Justin Timberlake as the leading man. I still ask myself why he didn’t do No Strings Attached for the amazing irony. Mila and Justin should make some great feel-good comedy.

  • Arthur

Since Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I have developed a strange love for Rusell Brand. It may be his British accent, but definitely not his choice in hairstyle. Helen Mirren, our former queen, and Russell Brand with his awkward, British charm will make a great team in this comedy about drunken awesomeness.

  • Thor

I’m not a huge comic book reader/fan, but for some reason I love comic book movies. This next chapter leading up to the Joss Whedon directed Avengers movie is a must-see. Chris Hemsworth will make a great Thor, and apparently Natalie Portman is sticking her feat into another huge franchise.

  • Everything Must Go

I’m a sucker for indie comedies, and although Will Ferrell has disappointed me with his movie choices in the past, I’m hoping for the best with this one. He plays an alcoholic who has lost his family. Rebecca Hall also stars, and I love seeing her in more and more movies.

  • Bridesmaids

Another one of my favorites in the movie industry is Judd Apatow. I will see everything he puts his hands in. This will be Apatow’s first film with main female characters instead of his usually buddy comedies. Starring SNL’s Kristen Wiig, it should make for some wedding-themed fun and comedy.

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

I thought I had lost hope with the Pirates franchise after the third one, but Penelope Cruz is going to pull me back into it. Jack Sparrow and Barbosa will be on an epic journey to find the fountain of youth. Johnny Depp young forever? I can stand behind that!

  • The Hangover, Part II

This sequel to the 2009 phenomenon will follow our wolf pack to Stu’s wedding in Bangkok. Get ready for all of the inevitable dick jokes and drunken nights they can’t remember.

  • Beginners

This indie drama should prove to bring a good story. It stars Ewan McGregor, who finds that his father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has a young, male lover. I see potential in the story and hope it turns out great.

  • Super 8

When a teaser for this film came out a while back, my first reaction was “HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT YESSSSS.” This long-awaited J.J. Abrams film is all mysterious, without giving anything essential away. I guess we’ll have to see the hype when we sit our butts in the theater.

  • One Day

This movie has an interesting concept. It stars Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess as two college graduates. It shows snapshots of their lives together each year on the same day. I can’t wait to see if it works.

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

With this movie coming out, my childhood will officially be over. I will be crying the whole time, both out of sadness and happiness. July 15th can’t some soon enough!

  • Winnie the Pooh

Another aspect of my childhood will end with this movie too. The animation looks phenomenal, and I think it will be a great film to add to this timeless story’s repertoire.

  • Captain America

The next film from The Avengers franchise stars one of my favorites, Chris Evans, as Captain America himself. It should be full of bad-ass super hero/military fun. I can’t wait!

  • Crazy, Stupid, Love

Steve Carell and Julianne Moore star as a married couple going through some troubles. Ryan Gosling plays their marriage counselor. Another family dramedy, yes please!

  • The Change-Up

Olivia Wilde has been in a lot of movies lately, and I am A-OK with that! Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds star in this movie where they switch bodies to woo a coworker. It sounds like fun, comedy gold.

  • The Smurfs

There are no words to express HOW EXCITED I am for this movie. Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry (as Smurfette SWOON), and Hank Azaria star in this live-action/animated feature of the beloved cartoon. I have such a huge love for kid’s movies. It’s a little strange, but WHATEVER.

  • 30 Minutes or Less

Danny McBride and Jesse Eisenberg star in this hilarious movie about two failing criminals who kidnap a pizza delivery guy to rob a bank in 30 minutes. That makes sense right?

  • The Help

Emma Stone stars in this drama that takes place in a Southern town with lots of good ol’ rules and morals. She wants to spark up some drama in the town. Emma Stone has been getting a lot of good buzz about this role, and I’m excited to see her dip her toes in some drama to change it up a bit.

  • 50/50

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a 27-year-old who accounts his diagnosis with cancer, and get this: It’s funny. Seth Rogen also stars in this dramedy.

  • What’s Your Number?

To be honest with you, I only want to see this movie, because it was shot in Boston. I have to represent my city. Although, that didn’t make me see Day and Knight. I guess Anna Faris and Chris Evans have swayed me to see this comedy about relationships too.

  • Wanderlust

Although I’ve never been a huge Jennifer Aniston fan, I do want to see this movie where her and Paul Rudd become hippies. That’s really all I know of it right now, and I’ve seen Paul Rudd be a successful hippie in My Idiot Brother. OH ALSO Jennifer Aniston delves into bisexuality I guess…

  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part I

YES. I do want to see this movie, and NO I am not a Twihard. I’m an inexplicable Kristen Stewart fangirl, and I can’t wait to see the crazy, CGI half-vampire baby. It’s going to be an epic shitshow, and I can’t wait!

  • The Muppets

When I first heard Jason Segel got permission to use Muppets for Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I was like “REALLY?!” I like many, thought the Muppets were of the past, and Disney had them locked away with all of the former Disney princesses and Hannah Montana. Little did I know that they were ready to make a new Muppets movie. Some of the voices you should look forward to hearing are Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Zack Galifianakis, Rashida Jones, Ricky Gervais, and Jason Segel himself. There are no words to express how excited I am to see this movie.

  • The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

When I first heard an American version of the Swedish Millennium trilogy was going to be made, I was skeptical, but then I heard the name David Fincher. All was right with the world. David Fincher can do no wrong as is shown by his many films of the past. When photos were released of Rooney Mara (from The Social Network) as Lisbeth Salander, I geeked out even more. I love the look they came up with for the movie. It differs a bit from Noomi Rapace’s Salander. I also read that Fincher is planning to change the ending from the original, so I am excited to see what he does with the film.

So that is all for movies I want to see coming out in 2011. If you have others you think I should see or would like to comment, feel free to do so below!

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Christine and Rachael’s Epic of Epic Awesomeness – 2/16

Posted on 02/18/2011 | Leave a comment

In case you guys are living under a rock and didn’t know, I have a killer radio show with my friend Rachael. We grace the airwaves with our awkwardness and love of all things Zooey Deschanel every Wednesday night from 10PM-12AM EST at the website http://radiobentley.com. I’ve decided to start blogging our radio adventures, because as Rachael says to me, in my unemployment I seem to care way too much about our radio show. I love it though. It’s really the only thing I have going on in the week, so I’m constantly coming up with theme ideas and playlists for possible shows to come. This week we played some jam-packed tunes and talked about the Grammys for a bit. I’ve always been a huge music enthusiast since my days of watching music videos on MTV. (Yes they did used to play music videos at a time my children.) I would come home every day in middle school to watch Carson Daly on TRL. I still remember the Making the Video of Tupac featuring Dr. Dre – California Love, because it made me want to be a music video director.

But back to the radio show. This week we played an awesome playlist which can be found on our Spinitron site here. We always put our playlists onto the Spinitron site, because 1. It’s required by the studio and 2. If you miss something on the show or didn’t catch the name of a song or artist it’s all right there for our listeners to find.

I’m kind of a loser, and I write notes and scripts for our radio show every week. I didn’t do them as often towards the end of last semester, because I just didn’t have time. Now with my FUNemployment, I have PLENTY of time to do some nerdy notes and scripting. Here are some examples about songs I chose for this week’s playlist. Don’t hate me for my extreme love of Lindsay Lohan.

Lindsay Lohan – “First”

There’s been a lot of LiLo hate recently, and I just want to say to Fuck the Haters! Lindsay haters need to give the girl a break. She’s trying to turn her life around. Leave Lindsay’s A-Lohan!

Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know”

This song is so fucking catchy. I really want to make the guitar into my ringtone haha.

Kanye West feat. Everyone and Their Moms – “All of the Lights”

EDIT: I think that “Everyone and Their Moms” would make a great band name.

This song is beautifully composed and features 11 fucking artists including Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Fergie, Alicia Keys, John Legend, and Elton John. Kanye was nominated for one Grammy, Best Solo Rap Song, for Power but lost to Eminem.

The Black Keys – “Never Gonna Give You Up”

The Black Keys won big at the Grammys winning all three awards they were nominated for: Best Recording Package, Best Alt Album, and Best Alt song for “Tighten Up.”

Mumford and Sons – “Winter Winds”

Mumford and Sons didn’t win their Grammys on Sunday, but they had a killer performance with Bob Dylan and The Avett Brothers. It blew my mind.

Lady GaGa – “Born this Way”

GaGa came to the Grammys in a fucking egg and won three big awards that night all while posing as an alien. She won Best Short Form Music Video and Best Female Solo Pop Vocal Song for “Bad Romance” and Best Pop Album for The Fame Monster.

 

As you can see, the Grammys were an awesome time. Arcade Fire won Album of the Year, which was really exciting and unexpected in my opinion. I also like to say fuck a lot according to my notes haha. Until next time, readers.

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