The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (oh oops, edited to say: no spoilers!)

Sigh. So depressed during and after watching this movie.

I could go into a long spiel about the various themes of this movie that I find interesting... but maybe not...

Thing is, epics like these always make me depressed, which is I guess why books always depress me. They are more often epics. And the thing about epic movies that cover a person's life from birth to death, is that a person's life is covered in the 2 or so hours... it's like a person's life in a nutshell, no matter how detailed the movie is, it's still just a few hours... which is a reflection of the length of a real life, just a blink on this speck of blue.

This just in: Oscar noms

OF COURSE, currently living in Hong Kong, I have hardly had the opportunity to see any of the Oscar-nominated movies. Except of course I've seen the Dark Knight. And Benjamin Button arrived yesterday in theaters, but other than that... which is depressing to me. The fact that I am BEHIND in movies is depressing to me. And the fact that I find that depressing is depressing to me. I am a troubled girl.

But let me just say... Penelope Cruz! I must say that my favorite movie of the year is a tie between Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Dark Knight and Iron Man. Actually I hardly liked any movies this whole year and didn't watch very many either, so these three are my favorites but compared to last year's favorites the degree to which I like these pales in comparison.

But back to Penelope Cruz. She is so great in VCB! I'm guessing she's not going to win, just because I'm sure the films she's up against, which I haven't seen, are major award types. But I heart VCB and Penelope Cruz in it.

"If I am half a scrap of paper, let me turn into a butterfly"

So obviously, origami will always have a special place in my heart.

I would estimate that each contemporary English-language novel makes on average one mention of the word origami. I haven't always been diligent about marking passages that use this word but am trying to do so more and more. I just find it very interesting in a weird obsessive way. Since these are pretty good authors I am reading, the word origami isn't written haphazardly. It's always just the right word. It implies intricacy, elegance, foldedness, balance, etc., what origami is all about. I guess I can't stop thinking about "American Pastoral" (Philip Roth) which, in passing, uses origami to describe a vagina.

From "Survivor" (Chuck Palahniuk):

"The journalist sits across from me. How her legs look with the rest of her body is not too long. She shows just enough ear for earrings. All her problems are hidden inside. All her flaws are underneath. The only smell she gives off, even her breath, is hair spray. How she's folded into her chair, her legs crossed at the knee, her hands folded in her lap, is less good posture than it is some flesh-and-blood origami."

The above passage is this whole multi-sentence description that gets wrapped up in one last word. Origami--intricate, elegant, folded, balanced, etc.--says it all.

From "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" (Michael Chabon) (Thanks althealthfreak for the lend!

"I gathered up my books and papers and noticed that the Spanish Potboiler Guy had left. Where he'd been sitting there were a small empty can of pineapple juice and a little scrap of origami that was like a dog or a saxophone."

Well, Chabon's "origami" is literal. But anyway. I, in my obsessive way, find the use of this word/description very interesting/cool... it also makes me wonder how it's possible that so many people in the US do not know what origami is. I mean, it's a pretty commonly used term. (Having lived in Florida, I would guess that only 50% of the population knows what origami is, crazy as it sounds.)

I also collect moments in movies and TV shows when origami is used. I have a bunch of screencaps. Weird huh. This unicorn from "Bladerunner," I made 70 for a wedding back in the day.

Stop Me

I am crazy about this song...
Interestingly, for a Marie song, no "bridge" section...
Oh Marie, u r so talented and awesome and I heart this song.

Saw "Twilight" two weekends ago.

I guess the whole situation was kinda funny. I was really dying to see Twilight because I was craving an entertaining no-brain-required somewhat-actiony slick movie. This was before Stephen H. started gushing about it. OK I've always known he is partial to chick flicks in a weird way, and he made this Anne Rice connection which makes him even more biased... because he LOVES Interview with a Vampire (the book). But he couldn't stop gushing about Kristen Stewart. And I sort of have a girl crush on Kristen Stewart, which was another reason I really wanted to watch this.

So I drag my husband to the midnight show (although I said I was perfectly fine with seeing it myself), as did many a spouse around the world, or so I hear, and he really didn't like it.

I didn't love it, ar! I wasn't exactly expecting to love it because of the Tomatometer rating, but I still wanted it to be a slick entertaining movie. I think I should read the books because I might love the books. But the main reason I didn't love it was the filmmaking was sloppy. I want to love this movie! The characters/acting was great, and I love Bella's dork posse actually. Those were realistic high school kids. But it was edited all weird, and I didn't particularly like the special effects when it came to the super powers. And Kristen Stewart didn't mesmerize me like I'd hoped.

Boo. Anyway, can't wait for Benjamin Button.

Went to Osaka for a few days. I like Osaka. It's not expensive, not suffocating and so picturesque. Oh and I bought riding boots for cheap! Oh and Japanese girls fearlessly wear mini skirts and riding boots in near-freezing weather, which I will never get over.