Demons, Haunted Houses and Bad Relationships

Hey, remember me??? No? Well, I don’t blame you. It’s been over a month since I last posted.  Let’s face it: January was a dud, but February is looking better. There will be a lot to talk about: The new seasons of Project Runway (which is actually good–hooray!) and Damages are here and Lost’s last season begins tomorrow.

However, I finally got around to seeing Paranormal Activity this weekend, and I have to say, it wasn’t bad. I say that because, when it was in theaters, PA was constantly compared to The Blair Witch Project, a movie that I hated. And, while PA isn’t perfect, it is scarier than BWP. Why?

(Warning: There are so many spoilers in the next section it will make your head spin.)

• The acting is better: Both BWP and PA used newcomers to play the main roles, however, the actors from PA (Katie Featherstone and Micah Sloat, who play . . . Katie and Micah, natch) have  genuine chemistry, and are better at improvising. (Watch the scene in BWP where the one guy “loses” the map. It’s God-awlful.)
• Katie is a sympathetic character: One of the problems I had with BWP is that I couldn’t stand any of the characters. I actually couldn’t wait for them to die. Now, in some horror movies, that’s not a problem (any of the Saw movies, for example).  However, with a movie like PA, you need to relate to at least one of the characters, or else you won’t care about the escalating horror. Katie (who is haunted by a demon since childhood) is a likable, empathic character. Micah, not so much. (You will want to slap him, trust me.)

Paranormal Activity has a lot in common with BWP, but it also like The Haunting (the original version, not the terrible remake) in that you hear more than you see. The plot in a nutshell: Katie’s haunted by a demon on and off since she was 8-years-old.  Her live-in boyfriend, Micah, decides to videotape them while they are sleeping so he can capture the haunting.  Micah doesn’t take the haunting seriously, so antagonizes the demon despite Katie’s fearful pleas. Bad shit happens. The end.

So, while there are some things I wish they had done differently (the scene with the ouija board was just plain silly. Also: I wish we had more information about Diane. I also wish that they kept the creepy ending -labeled “The Throat” and not the Steven Spielberg Approved! ending, because the creepy ending makes the most sense) overall, it’s a good, creepy movie that is fun to watch.

Oh, right, I have a blog . . .

. . .  and once again, real life gets in the way. Between Christmas prep, the new job, my home computer dying and my friend having her second child (I’m a Godmother, woo!), I haven’t had time to write about anything. It doesn’t help that I haven’t had time to really watch anything, either. I don’t have Showtime, so I didn’t see Dexter (although The Soup spoiled the finale for me) and I have no interest in seeing Avatar or any of the other movies out right now.  So, I guess I’m in a holding pattern till Lost airs again. I’m sure I’ll write every once in a while–we’ll see.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year. It’s supposed to snow New Year’s Eve, so there is a very good chance I’ll be home with my cat, enjoying the quiet. Right now, that sounds pretty good.

May the road rise to meet you

As I mentioned, my uncle passed away last week. It’s been difficult to watch my cousins go through this– partly because I’ve been there, and I know how hard it is– but also because I know they’re relationship with their father was very, very complicated. (Of course, who doesn’t have a complicated relationship with their father?)

My cousin gave the eulogy, and summed it up best. It was an acknowledgment that my uncle became angry when he couldn’t control everything around him. However, he loved and adored his children, and he did the best he could with what he had. He was the man who did terrible things to his family, but he’s also the man who gave my mother flowers when my Dad passed away.

What I remember most about my uncle? Glazed doughnuts. As a kid, I was always so jealous because my cousins got glazed doughnuts every Sunday, and we got bagels. I also remember how handsome he was, and how he always wore plaid. Always.

Rest in peace Uncle Chuck. And may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Hello,

On the off-chance you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, there’s been a lot of changes lately:

• I got a new, permanent job (woo!) But . . .
• my home computer died.  It was 3 days older than God. And . . .
• my uncle passed away on Monday. Which is heartbreaking.

So my week has been filled with learning a new job and making arrangements to get home. Ack. Hopefully, I’ll have more to write about soon.

Her hair is like that all the time.

Was anyone else distracted by Suzy Menkes’s hair? It’s like she forgot to take a curler out.

Well, it turns out that she wears her hair like that all the time. Yes, she always leaves the house that way.

Project Runwzzzzzzzz . . .

Good God, how boring was this past season? I know I’ve talked about it before, but I watched the finale last night, and calling it lame would be kind. In a sense, I feel bad for the final three. They waited a year for this show to air so they could take credit for their collections, and it was pretty dreadful. My main problem with the show was the runway portion itself. It was too fast; I had a hard time remembering the clothes. This is especially true of Irina’s collection. There was a lot of black . . . I remember some hats (oh, those hats) . . . and show’s over! Oy.

I just have to ask: Was I the only one who wanted to slap Irina when she gave a snotty, “That’s Althea!” to the discovery that Althea’s models also were going to wear smudged eye shadow? Memo to Irina: I’ll check Wikipedia, but I’m pretty sure that you did not invent either the sweater or the concept of smudged eye shadow. Another memo: people who steal their ideas from New York Magazine shouldn’t throw stones. Just saying.

Season seven will air in January, here’s hoping that Lifetime has the kinks worked out.  Oh, and contestants to root for.

One more thing: Coney Island. One n in Coney. Sheesh!

*Just wanted to add: when I ran spellcheck, it suggested that I replace the “I” in the sentence, “I just wanted to ask . . .” with “Eye just wanted to ask.”

Is my spellcheck on drugs?

“I’m not a number!”

So, amc’s remake of The Prisoner aired last night, and honestly, I didn’t watch the whole thing. Not because I have any loyalty to the original (I only have very vague memories of seeing it as a child), but because Jim Caviezel is about as interesting as watching paint dry.  You’re not supposed to root for 2, but that’s what I found myself doing. Not sure I’ll be back.

Edward Woodward: 1930-2009

I was sad to hear that Edward Woodward passed away today. In case you don’t know him, he was in the original version of The Wicker Man (not the terrible Nicolas Cage version), and The Equalizer, which was a very cool show from the 1980’s.

RIP, Edward. I’m sure my dad has cornered you by now and is telling you how much he loved The Equalizer.

The ending of The Wicker Man:

The intro to The Equalizer:

For All Five Of You Who Read This . . .

. . . you’ll notice that I didn’t change the look of my blog that much. I have a thing for a black background, what can I say?

Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce

So, Don lost his marriage, but he’s gained a family.

This storyline was so much win, it’s unbelievable. Don learns from Conrad Hilton that PPL and Sterling Cooper will be sold to McCann Erickson (you may remember them from season one as the ad firm that hired Betty as a model to entice Don to work for them).  Don and Bert conspire to start their own ad agency. But first, Don has to make amends with Roger, Peggy and Pete. So, let’s talk about all the awesomeness:

• First, last and always . . . Pryce and Joan come along for the ride. Pryce especially was wonderful. After Singen (sp?) tells him he’s fired, Pryce answers, “Happy Christmas!” And, Roger’s inspired moment of calling Joan. Or, as Don put it: “Joan. Of course.”
• When Pete demanded that Don explain why he and Roger wanted him in the company, and Don was so gracious, I thought to myself, “Why can’t he say these things to Peggy and Betty?” Then, that wonderful scene between Peggy and Don where Don finally tells her how valuable she truly is. If you didn’t get teary-eyed along with Peggy, then you have no soul. Note: I still think that, at some point, Don and Peggy are going to get together. I know I said I suck at predicting things, but I’m sticking to this one. Another Note: Gee, Don. If you had said these things to Betty, perhaps you’d still be married.
• How wonderful are Pete and Trudy together? When he acts like a child, she’s an adult. And she always sees the bigger picture. (It sounds like she brought in Clearasil for Pete to help with the cash flow.)  Now, if Pete can just stop taking advantage of nannies. It’s interesting to note that it was after Trudy came in with the sandwiches that Don called Betty to tell her that he wasn’t going to fight her. I think he realized that Pete and Trudy have what Don and Betty never had. An equal partnership.
• We also have to give props to the second best relationship on the show: Don and Roger. It’s great seeing those two kids together again.
• I loved the Ocean’s Eleven type of music playing as they were plotting to take clients away from Sterling Cooper.
• How long do you suppose Paul will last without Peggy to lean on? I’m sure that Ken will be just fine, though.
• Should we be on countdown until they invite Sal back?
• Bert called Jane a trollop! Damn!

This episode had some of the best lines:

• “We have tea!”
• “Pete, could I speak to you for a moment?”
• “Can you believe that little shit was going to leave us?”
• “I was going to tell you. No, I wasn’t.”
• “Beg me? You didn’t even ask me.”
• “I don’t want to make a career out of being there so you can kick me when you fail.”
• “I’m so tired. Peggy, can you get me some coffee?” “No.”
• “I will spend the rest of my life trying to hire you.”
• “I’m not really sick.”
• “Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, how may I help you? [pause]Yes, Harry, we’re in room 435.”

Special mention goes to fART DEPARTMENT. My inner twelve-year-old thought that was hilarious.

After such a dark and depressing season, it was wonderful to see the show end on such a high note. Yes, Betty is gone (I don’t know if she’ll be a regular next year–she’s not exactly popular), and most likely Paul and Kenny  (please, not Sal). But, Don seems genuinely happy with his new family. Summer of 2010 cannot come fast enough.

 

Note: Since this season is done, I’ll probably change the look of the blog. I’ll talk about the last season of Lost when it airs, and I might talk about V as well. (Apparently, I was the only person on the planet who wasn’t wild about the pilot.) We’ll see. And, of course, whatever else pops into my little head.

Thanks to all those who took the time to read my little blog. My friends and family don’t know about this, mostly because not of all them currently watch Mad Men, and I don’t want to be accused of spoiling things for them. (Crazy, right? But some of my friends are like that.)