Romina’s Blog

“Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.” - imdb.com

Trailer.

I was lucky enough to get into a screening for The Bucket List last night followed by a Q&A with Jack Nicholson and Rob Reiner. I had only read a synopsis before viewing the film. I had the impression that it would be a comedy. It was a great surprise to find that it was more than just that.

The Bucket List is so wonderfully written with constant dialogue. At first I thought it would just be another Hallmark film about two old guys trying to be adventurous. It turned out to be much more than that as we go on a journey with Edward and Carter. Edward is a millionaire and Carter is a car mechanic, they both meet in this hospital room. Being who they are, they probably wouldn’t have met in another other occasion. An interesting relationship blossoms between the two men as they realize they are close to “kicking the bucket.”

Morgan Freeman does such a powerful performance alongside with Jack Nicholson. They both have their characters spot on. It’s really magical to watch a film where you don’t have to struggle to relate or to imagine it’s reality. Watching these two complete strangers bond over the things they missed out in their lives fills the audience with emotions. As I glanced over to the people around me there were moments that I noticed tears of laughter on their faces and next they turned into tears of sadness.

It was pleasurable to join Edward and Carter. The audience was a part of the movie. This is one of those few movies where you can walk away and say that you truly got to know the characters. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

Be sure to check out John Mayer’s song “Say” for The Bucket List at iTunes: Here.

You can also download the video for free at iTunes: Here.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhtO2D1lO74&rel=1]

This is a mini movie that I made when I was 15 or 16… with a camcorder, so spare me. I was on the island of St. Kitts with my parental units. I got all of the clips and put them together to create this movie.

I already had the idea for it before I even went to the island. It’s meant to be a silent film, as in there’s no dialogue. But there’s plenty of music, all created by me (accidentally).

The man in the film is my father in case you couldn’t figure it out. It takes place the day after the man has died. I hope that you get any other intentions I made. Every cut or weird effect is on purpose, nothing is a mistake. I meant for anything that you see in this video.

Last night, I made my first gingerbread house and already people have started eating away at it. I bought a little kit to build it, so I did not make it from scratch.

Okay. So I cheated. What can I say?

Either way, I had some fun making it, but it was a little difficult since I didn’t know what I was doing (and the box didn’t come with instructions!). I made a little video about it and set it to a song by Sufjan Stevens.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gupJZqjpRkw&rel=1]

It isn’t Christmas yet, but it’s sure starting to feel like it…

Come On! Let’s Boogey To The Elf Dance! by Sufjan Stevens
Uno, dos, tres, quatro

Tie up your boots
Jump off the ladder
Pack up your clothes
Nothing’s the matter
Mistletoe hangs
Up in the bedroom
Your sister’s bangs
She cut them herself
Santa is here
Sleighbells are ringing
Twenty-one elves
They are all singing
K-Mart is closed
So is the bakery
Everyone’s at home
Watching TV

Santa Claus is coming
Hear the banjo strumming
Santa Claus is coming
Hear the banjo strumming

Chestnuts and fire
Holly and hay
Jesus and Mary
What a great day
Evergreen tree
Covered in snow
Tower of Babel
Tower of glow
There’s Aunt Marie
Hand on the fire
They give us good gifts
Like mittens and socks
Hijack a snow plow
Clear out the streets
Tell all of the neighbors
There’s cookies to eat

Off the floor and give a shout
There’s a lot to shout about
Santa Claus is coming to town
He’s got the greatest gifts around
Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down his sweet head
The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where he lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
The cattle are lowing
The baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying he makes
I love you, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle
Until morning is nigh
Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask you to stay
Close by me forever
And love me, I pray
Bless all the dear children
In your tender care
And fit us for heaven
To live with you there

Santa Claus is coming
Hear the banjo strumming
Santa Claus is coming
Hear the banjo strumming
Santa Claus is coming
Hear the banjo strumming
Santa Claus is coming
Hear the banjo strumming
Off the floor and give a shout
There’s a lot to shout about
Santa Claus is coming to town
He’s got the greatest gifts around

“Margot and her son Claude decide to visit her sister Pauline after she announces that she is getting married to less-than-impressive Malcolm. In short order, the storm the sisters create leaves behind a mess of thrashed relationships and exposed family secrets.” -imdb.com

Margot at the Wedding. I was at a screening for this film last night. I knew absolutely nothing about it, except for the cast that worked on the film and Noah Baumbach. I had the choice of seeing the trailer before I went, but I decided to watch it with a clean slate.

I have not seen any of Noah Baumbach’s previous work as a director so I cannot compare this to his other work. I have read a few reviews for this movie and they all seem very long and very intricate to me. I prefer to write something simpler for the people that are not interested in the extra punctuation marks.

Now about the film. This is a very complex movie, not only because of the characters, but the story as a whole. The screening I attended was followed by a Q & A with Noah Baumbach, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Jack Black. Noah mentioned that when he was writing for this film he cut out all unnecessary parts. This process is evident in the movie; the movie is a compilation of various conversations and little events held during the days that Margot is visiting. The unimportant things that are so often mentioned in movies are not in this film. I found that to be something interesting because as an audience member I felt that I was a part of the family. Most of the conversations were cut right when reaching the climax. When it first occurred I was taken aback because I am so used to seeing the fight or the struggle in the conversation. Not being a part of it made me more involved. Noah uses very little lighting here and leaves the sun and the shadows to determine the look of the scene. For me this was very real and surprisingly I enjoyed it.

With a film like this the casting is very important. I think that an excellent job was done. Every person that was cast had a unique look to them. They all looked interesting because of their physical attributes. I was really impressed with Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Margot. She has her moments in film and I believe that this was one of them. I feel that Nicole has a strong potential and sometimes is not given the proper roles to help her fulfill it. Jennifer Jason Leigh was so natural and had some really great moments while on screen.

This is getting long and intricate isn’t it? Well, point is the movie is good, but not a movie for everyone.

On another note I was able to meet Jack Black. He’s very funny and very nice. :)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMuRWRqpQXQ&rel=1]

Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri on Vimeo.

I bet that we all wish we worked in a place like this.

We did this video one night after work. We are a company called Connected Ventures, a group of friends who work for: Vimeo, CollegeHumor, Busted Tees, and Defunker.

Even if I tried my hardest… I probably wouldn’t be able to get even my closest of friends to collaborate in a project like this. Sometimes you just have to have fun and this video is an excellent representation of that.

Speaking of fun, tonight I will be attending a screening of Beowulf so I hope to write a review tonight to let you know how it is before you all venture out to watch it tomorrow.