Roamer's Zonetag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2010:/LeslieRodriguez//1712010-02-07T21:24:13ZMovable Type Commercial 4.23-enHouseSitter Revisited...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2010:/LeslieRodriguez//171.352032010-02-07T21:14:11Z2010-02-07T21:24:13ZToday I re-watched HouseSitter (1992) starring Steve Martin. I could not help but think how...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
HouseSitter (1992) starring Steve Martin. I could not help but think how similar his character Newton Davis was to the character Adam that he plays in It's Complicated (2009)...the shy heart broken architect. I mean we are talking your typical nice guy. I'm wondering if we are just at this point for Steve Martin where he either can't remember the roles he has played, is completely aware of the repeat action or has just given up and would rather go with what he knows then try something new. Disappointing. ]]>
Six Degrees of Eliza Dushku...Kinda...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2010:/LeslieRodriguez//171.352012010-02-07T20:11:45Z2010-02-08T17:36:29ZRecently I had the luxury of re-watching some older movies that I hadn't thought about...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but bare with me.
I first watched The Haunting (1999) and noticed that Owen Wilson's character was coincidentally named Luke, the name of his brother (i.e. Luke Wilson).
Next I watched The New Guy (2002), which has one of my favorite young actresses, Eliza Dushku. I've liked her ever since Soul Survivors (2001), (co-starring Luke Wilson).
The last movie I watched was the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992). Do you get where I am going with this? Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson and Eliza Dushku were not in this movie, but it does link to The New Guy. There is a scene in BTVS the movie where the cheerleaders perform the cheer "How funky is your chicken? How funky is your chicken? How loose is your goose? Our goose is totally loose! So come on all you Hog fans, so come on all you Hog fans and shake your caboose, and shake your caboose!" This exact cheer is replicated by cheerleaders in The New Guy and is lead by Eliza Dushku. She previously played a cheerleader in Bring It On (2000).
If we want to delve even deeper into the crazy connections between BTVS the movie and Eliza Dushku you go for the obvious link. She played Faith Lehane on the BTVS show from 1998-2007. All in all this weekend proved mentally stimulating and although I'm not sure anyone is going to understand what I have just blogged.]]>
Grandma's Boy Revisited...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2010:/LeslieRodriguez//171.351422010-01-30T13:52:43Z2010-01-30T14:07:43ZIt just occurred to me that Kevin Nealon's character Mr. Cheezle from Grandma's Boy (2006)...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
Grandma's Boy (2006) is oddly similar to Steve Martin's character Barry in Baby Mama (2008). Just saying, kind of a huge let down....as if the Baby Mama wasn't bad enough. Rip off!]]>
Currently Playing...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2010:/LeslieRodriguez//171.349702010-01-13T16:45:50Z2010-01-13T17:01:02ZIn the spirit of Dr. Jerz's EL 250 class I thought I would list the...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
EL 250 class I thought I would list the games I am currently playing. It's hard to believe that I took the class back in 2006.
PS2Resident Evil OutbreakResident Evil Code VeronicaHistory Channel’s Civil War: A Nation DividedDelta Force Black Hawk DownPCClive Barker’s Jericho]]>
Marvel Zombies...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.344432009-11-29T02:16:46Z2009-11-29T02:38:29ZI recently discovered the Marvel Zombies series. I wouldn't mind dressing up as one of...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
Marvel Zombies series. I wouldn't mind dressing up as one of the characters for Comic-Con, Wonder Con or a similar convention.
Click to enlarge
Click here to watch a cool fan made Marvel Zombies video. I was very impressed.]]>
Metro Noise Too Much For One Man...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.333482009-10-05T11:16:10Z2009-10-05T11:47:01ZEvery day I see people with headphones riding Metro, but this guy is really taking...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguezEvery day I see people with headphones riding Metro, but this guy is really taking it to the next level! He must really value his sleep or silence. I am pretty sure that he is wearing the type of industrial earmuff hearing protectors used at a shooting range, or when operating heavy machinery in the yard. Just found the entire situation to be rather curious and wanted to share it. Ohhhh 6:00 am is always a fun time to be riding the trains.]]>
Misleading Movie Poster: Surrogates (2009)tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.331502009-09-26T01:18:37Z2009-09-26T01:40:15ZAt first glance you might think Surrogates starred Angelina Jolie, but shockingly she is not...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguezAt first glance you might think Surrogates starred Angelina Jolie, but shockingly she is not even in it! I hate to link to Perez Hilton, but he makes a great point here. Being a huge fan of Angelina Jolie this entire marketing campaign is kind of a slap in the face. I was totally geeked when I saw this poster last week. I thought that maybe I missed the boat and just happened to overlook the fact that she was in the film. It was only just revealed to me that my primary assumption was incorrect. I think it is a cheat to use her likeness. I don't think there is any denying that it looks like her. That would be hard to argue against. I wonder what she has to say about it...
Update (9:37pm): I just read that this poster for the film depicts a David Beckam's likeness. I still do not approve of these tactics!]]>
Review: Jennifer's Body (2009)tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.329872009-09-21T00:24:22Z2010-05-18T17:21:48ZJennifer's Body: About As Supple As Expected... I first heard about Jennifer’s Body (2009), the...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguezJennifer's Body: About As Supple As Expected... I first heard about Jennifer’s Body (2009), the horror film inspired by the Hole song of the same name, in July. I saw the red band trailer for the film and it called attention to all of the things a movie like this wants to market: the promise of hot girls kissing each other, and gruesome slaughter. It seemed as if the audience for this film was fairly clear: teenage boys. Nevertheless I decided I should give it a shot.
When I entered into the theater several thoughts went through my head. The film was already receiving lackluster reviews online so I was beginning to doubt the movie’s ability to truly deliver. Deep down inside I wanted this movie to succeed! The yearning for success was not help Megan Fox's career, but to aid Diablo Cody (the film's writer) in proving she wasn't just a one hit wonder riding on the proverbial coat tails of her debut effort Juno (2007). No doubt the woman knew how to turn a phrase, and make hilarious pop culture references, but could she deliver it again. The answer: partially.
The writing in Jennifer's Body is too deliberately stylized. The phrases and pop culture references that Cody uses seem to be present for the sheer sake of meeting a quota. It is as if she undertook the painstaking task of reading through the script and inserting one of these signature quips every ten minutes. The phraseology overkill was a big turn off for me.
I also didn't understand or like the brief introduction of Jennifer's police cadet boyfriend in one of the earlier scenes. It was pointless. Actually I thought he died in a fire at the rock concert and then she references him later.
But that is not to say that the film does not possess some redeeming qualities as well. The heavily talked about salacious same sex smooch between Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried definitely lived up to the hype and after hearing Cody justify it's presence in the film I am sold on it. It did indeed emphasize the romanticism associated with the relationships of teenage girls.
Cody also makes a brief cameo in the film.
Although generally I feel like Jennifer's Body had a lot more bark then bite it was not terrible. I don't feel like I wasted my time of money like I did at the end of Transformers 2. Hands down the best scene in the film is when Jennifer barges into her best friend's house covered in blood and attempts to tear apart a Boston Market chicken on the kitchen floor. Once you've seen Megan Fox do this it kind of takes the sexy down a couple of notches. Not to mention she then spews what can only be described as "pure evil" all over the floor and runs off.
It is the kind of film that they could have done a lot more with in my opinion. Overall I believe Jennifer would describe the film as "salty. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate this film a 6 for valiant effort. Is it bad that the whole time I was watching the movie the Hall and Oates song "Maneater" was going through my head?
Update 05/18/2010: Great song to use in this film would have been "Who Killed the Cheerleader?" by the Nekromantix.]]>
Sheryl Crow @ Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.320452009-07-04T14:22:24Z2009-07-04T14:39:50ZI have seen a lot of concerts over the course of my life. I calculated...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
Sheryl Crow, who I had the privilege of seeing last night at Wolf Trap's Filene Center in Vienna, VA. Previously the performer that I thought was outstanding was Mandy Moore. I blogged about that experience back in September 2007. I believe I even said "it was the best concert that I have ever been to in my life and I am not kidding." Well Ms. Moore (or should I say Mrs. Adams) you have been topped! I captured a majority of the concert on my Flip camera. Freakin sweet! ]]>
2008 Presidential Race: Movie Casting...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.317252009-04-16T13:51:23Z2009-04-23T13:05:40Z I have been thinking that Harry J. Lennix (far left) who plays Boyd Langton...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez I have been thinking that Harry J. Lennix (far left) who plays Boyd Langton on FOX's "Dollhouse" would be the perfect actor to portray Barrack Obama in a movie about his life. Every time Lennix is on screen I think of Obama. In some instances Lennix even mimics Obama's tone when speaking.
I also think that Maeve Quinlan from "South of Nowhere" would be a dead ringer for Cindy McCain.
(click photo to enlarge)]]>
Review: Sunshine Cleaning (2009)tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.315002009-03-30T14:11:52Z2009-03-30T18:21:14ZI went into this movie with incredibly high expectations and can proudly say that those...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
I went into this movie with incredibly high expectations and can proudly say that those expectations were exceeded. Sunshine Cleaning, which was produced by the independent film company Big Beach, had the same enigmatic spark as the companies’ previous projects which included, but were not limited to SherryBaby (the reason I began to like Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Little Miss Sunshine.
The film’s opening scene is a powerful one to say the least. A man sitting in his car (a non-plot related character) places a shot gun shell in his pocket and enters a sporting goods store. He then proceeds to ask to see a shotgun and loads it when the clerk is not looking. He kills himself in the store. Death is a very prominent theme in the film as a whole (similar to Little Miss Sunshine).
To say that one could find joy and happiness in a film about a single mother running a crime scene cleanup business (similar to Merry Maids only with more bodily fluids), while at the same time carrying on a long term love affair with her married high school sweetheart (Steve Zahn) is a little shocking in and of itself. But that is exactly what happenes. Sure there was the fair amount of morbid humor, gore and sadness (one would expect this given the film’s premise), but there is something very endearing about its characters.
I make the prediction that Emily Blunt (best known for The Devil Wears Prada and My Summer of Love) will come away from this film with at least a best supporting actress nomination. She was by far the scene stealer that made this movie. Her character Norah can be best described as a mess. She has issues routed in abandonment, possessiveness, and substance abuse. She even befriends a dead woman’s daughter in order to bond with someone else lacking a mother in their life.
The gravitation that I felt towards Blunt’s character in Sunshine Cleaning was similar to that of Angelina Jolie’s character Lisa, in Girl Interrupted. Blunt’s American accent makes for an entertaining element to the film as well (she has it down). There is a particularly powerful scene where Norah is at the train tracks crying out to the heavens and trying to understand her dead mother’s suicide motivations.
Amy Adams, who plays Blunt’s sister, is not a bad actress, but played a seemingly pathetic and predictable character. I felt like her portrayal of Rose was similar to that of Lisa Nova’s ‘affirmation girl’ on YouTube (which is not a good thing). I also felt that her character lacked the ability to be fully independent of the other characters and really drive the main story line (she was the main character). I would not have wanted to see a film solely about Rose. Investment in her character is required in order to understand the film, but it is not something one would do willingly. You feel so bad for Rose that in the end you are obligated to root for her.
After seeing Sunshine Cleaning I also came to the conclusion that Amy Adams’ serious acting style is comparative to Kristen Wiig’s comedic style (also not a good thing). I kept watching Adams on screen and thinking Wiig in my brain. Although I love Kristen Wiig I did not want to be thinking about her SNL skits while watching a completely unrelated film. The association proved to be distracting.
On a scale of 1-10 I would rate this film an 8.5 with have no qualms about recommending it to friends. It was definitely not the waste of a Sunday afternoon and I would see it again if asked by a friend.
]]>
Blogging Often Comes In Spurts...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.314482009-03-26T14:47:56Z2009-03-26T16:01:42ZOver the past month I was stricken with an unbelievable case of writers block [I...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
Movable Type. Currently I have a Word document that is titled “blog notes” and it includes all of the things I keep meaning to blog about. I have even been in contact with a fellow blogger that is eagerly awaiting my comparison of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” to his other series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
There will be a specific focus on the father/daughter relationship that exists between Buffy Summers and her Watcher, Rupert Giles, and Echo/Caroline and her Handler, Boyd Langton. The dynamic between Slayers and Watchers is remarkably similar to that of Actives and Handlers. There is so much to talk about and from the research I already completed it appears that not many other people have yet to explore this topic. Alas, that is only a taste of the real work I would like to accomplish over the next few months. I have been contemplating revising some of my early BTVS work and pursuing publication or at least trying to present some of it at a Buffy convention if possible. I am currently looking into meeting up with a group called the Washington Whedonites at their next meeting on April 9, 2009 to discuss my thoughts on all things Whedon.]]>
St. Patty's Day Leads To Ride "All Night Long"tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.312752009-03-19T19:37:28Z2009-03-19T22:36:10ZSt. Patrick’s Day - Washington, D.C. 2009 As I was heading home from an early...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguezSt. Patrick’s Day - Washington, D.C. 2009
As I was heading home from an early night of dinner and drinks I couldn't help but to think about those poor souls that didn't have to work the day after St. Patrick's Day. I had eaten dinner with friends at Capitol City Brewery. I refer to these all night party-goers as poor souls for the sheer reason that many of them would end up like the man I photographed here.
Often times a nap on the train after a night of fun can lead to missing your stop completely or becoming stranded in a place far from your original destination. This gentleman rode the train from Union Station to the end of the Orange line, woke up for a brief moment [I assumed it was his stop] and then went back to sleep. Who knows how long this guy kept riding? And to give you a little indication of the time it was only 9:00pm when I got to my station and the trains run until about midnight Monday through Thursday.
]]>
Angelina Jolie likes SALT...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.311072009-03-06T13:47:24Z2009-09-26T01:15:05ZI went to work yesterday thinking it was going to be an average Thursday. I...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
work yesterday thinking it was going to be an average Thursday. I also planned on leaving work at 4:30pm. There were not many expectations for this particular day especially because most of my co-workers were out of town at a conference in Phoenix, AZ. As the lackluster day was winding down I received a call around 3:45pm on my cell phone from my office mate who had just left work to go to a night class. This call changed my day and my life forever. Paraphrased below is the only thing I can distinctly remember her saying and after that I completely tuned out. I was on a mission driven by fanaticism.
"Hey I just walked out of the building and they are filming some Angelina Jolie movie out here up by L'Enfant Plaza."
FYI in case you didn’t know I love Angelina Jolie.
I think my immediate response was something to the effect of "oh my God I need to leave work." My heart was racing and I was becoming flushed. I walked over to my manager while still on the phone with my office mate and stood in his door [not the most tactful of moments, but it worked out]. I am sure at this time he thought I was having some kind of family emergency because I just kept uttering "oh my God" over and over. I quickly got off the phone with my office mate and told my manager I needed to leave work because Angelina Jolie was up the street filming a movie and she is hands down my number one favorite actress.
He replied "oh yeah I was going to tell you guys about that, but I forgot." After explaining my undying fandom to him I ran back to my office. I don’t think he could have told me no lol. Needless to say I left work two minutes after and the last thing my manager said as I was leaving was "hurry they are losing daylight." It is for reasons like these that I love working for him. He totally understood that this was a once and a lifetime experience for me and that as a true blue fan I had to go. I mean I was practically hyperventilating.
When I reached the set of Salt it was amazing. To think that a place that I walk to daily to catch the metro or buy some lunch was now part of a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie made me melt. After arriving I made friends with one of the techs and he first informed me that Angelina Jolie was wearing jeans, a long black The North Face jacket [that upon closer inspection appeared to be goose down], and a black hat. I also learned that the crew had been shooting at the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter metro station earlier in the day and that Liev Schreiber was also in the film [I actually got within 15 feet of him in between shots].
With this wealth of knowledge in hand I moved closer and closer to the set. I had to keep in mind that there were two Angelina Jolie doubles present on set as well [one for lighting rehearsals/tests and one for the more challenging tucking and rolling related stunts]. I spent over 2 hours at the set watching them film a scene in which Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor chase after Angelina Jolie. They must have shot it about 8 times [amazing!].
I think it goes without saying that this was the best day of my life! Have I mentioned that? I keep reiterating it to everyone I see, talk to and work with. I have been smiling from ear to ear for the past 24 hours. I am pretty sure I was even smiling in my sleep. I woke up excited to go to work because I was just amped about this entire experience. Unfortunately the only camera that I had was on my cell phone so I will link to a few sites that have better shots from yesterday’s shooting.
And in the end the best person to thank is my officemate.
Some good photos from yesterday's filiming can be found here and here.]]>
Robbed in the night...tag:blogs.setonhill.edu,2009:/LeslieRodriguez//171.309352009-02-27T22:40:08Z2009-02-27T22:50:15Z So last night my car was robbed. I got home around 11:00 pm and...Leslie A. Rodriguezhttp://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez
So last night my car was robbed. I got home around 11:00 pm and parked it per the usual. When I went out to my car at 6:15 am for work I discovered a broken window and that my GPS and mp3 player had been stolen from the center console and glove box. I called the police, who may I say arrived rather promptly. Six other cars in my apartment complex were also burglarized as of 7:30am. That number may have climbed since this morning as people went out to their cars for work. The police fingerprinted the vehicle, but that remains inconclusive.
Brand new 2008 Ford Fusion vandalized...big city life can suck sometimes.
]]>
Click to enlarge
Click here to watch a cool fan made Marvel Zombies video. I was very impressed.]]>
Every day I see people with headphones riding Metro, but this guy is really taking it to the next level! He must really value his sleep or silence. I am pretty sure that he is wearing the type of industrial earmuff hearing protectors used at a shooting range, or when operating heavy machinery in the yard. Just found the entire situation to be rather curious and wanted to share it. Ohhhh 6:00 am is always a fun time to be riding the trains.]]>
At first glance you might think Surrogates starred Angelina Jolie, but shockingly she is not even in it! I hate to link to Perez Hilton, but he makes a great point here. Being a huge fan of Angelina Jolie this entire marketing campaign is kind of a slap in the face. I was totally geeked when I saw this poster last week. I thought that maybe I missed the boat and just happened to overlook the fact that she was in the film. It was only just revealed to me that my primary assumption was incorrect. I think it is a cheat to use her likeness. I don't think there is any denying that it looks like her. That would be hard to argue against. I wonder what she has to say about it...
Update (9:37pm): I just read that this poster for the film depicts a David Beckam's likeness. I still do not approve of these tactics!]]>
I first heard about Jennifer’s Body (2009), the horror film inspired by the Hole song of the same name, in July. I saw the red band trailer for the film and it called attention to all of the things a movie like this wants to market: the promise of hot girls kissing each other, and gruesome slaughter. It seemed as if the audience for this film was fairly clear: teenage boys. Nevertheless I decided I should give it a shot.
When I entered into the theater several thoughts went through my head. The film was already receiving lackluster reviews online so I was beginning to doubt the movie’s ability to truly deliver. Deep down inside I wanted this movie to succeed! The yearning for success was not help Megan Fox's career, but to aid Diablo Cody (the film's writer) in proving she wasn't just a one hit wonder riding on the proverbial coat tails of her debut effort Juno (2007). No doubt the woman knew how to turn a phrase, and make hilarious pop culture references, but could she deliver it again. The answer: partially.
The writing in Jennifer's Body is too deliberately stylized. The phrases and pop culture references that Cody uses seem to be present for the sheer sake of meeting a quota. It is as if she undertook the painstaking task of reading through the script and inserting one of these signature quips every ten minutes. The phraseology overkill was a big turn off for me.
I also didn't understand or like the brief introduction of Jennifer's police cadet boyfriend in one of the earlier scenes. It was pointless. Actually I thought he died in a fire at the rock concert and then she references him later.
But that is not to say that the film does not possess some redeeming qualities as well. The heavily talked about salacious same sex smooch between Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried definitely lived up to the hype and after hearing Cody justify it's presence in the film I am sold on it. It did indeed emphasize the romanticism associated with the relationships of teenage girls.
Cody also makes a brief cameo in the film.
Although generally I feel like Jennifer's Body had a lot more bark then bite it was not terrible. I don't feel like I wasted my time of money like I did at the end of Transformers 2. Hands down the best scene in the film is when Jennifer barges into her best friend's house covered in blood and attempts to tear apart a Boston Market chicken on the kitchen floor. Once you've seen Megan Fox do this it kind of takes the sexy down a couple of notches. Not to mention she then spews what can only be described as "pure evil" all over the floor and runs off.
It is the kind of film that they could have done a lot more with in my opinion. Overall I believe Jennifer would describe the film as "salty. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate this film a 6 for valiant effort. Is it bad that the whole time I was watching the movie the Hall and Oates song "Maneater" was going through my head?
Update 05/18/2010: Great song to use in this film would have been "Who Killed the Cheerleader?" by the Nekromantix.]]>
I have been thinking that Harry J. Lennix (far left) who plays Boyd Langton on FOX's "Dollhouse" would be the perfect actor to portray Barrack Obama in a movie about his life. Every time Lennix is on screen I think of Obama. In some instances Lennix even mimics Obama's tone when speaking.
I also think that Maeve Quinlan from "South of Nowhere" would be a dead ringer for Cindy McCain.
(click photo to enlarge)]]>
She was by far the scene stealer that made this movie. Her character Norah can be best described as a mess. She has issues routed in abandonment, possessiveness, and substance abuse. She even befriends a dead woman’s daughter in order to bond with someone else lacking a mother in their life.
The gravitation that I felt towards Blunt’s character in Sunshine Cleaning was similar to that of Angelina Jolie’s character Lisa, in Girl Interrupted. Blunt’s American accent makes for an entertaining element to the film as well (she has it down). There is a particularly powerful scene where Norah is at the train tracks crying out to the heavens and trying to understand her dead mother’s suicide motivations.
Amy Adams, who plays Blunt’s sister, is not a bad actress, but played a seemingly pathetic and predictable character. I felt like her portrayal of Rose was similar to that of Lisa Nova’s ‘affirmation girl’ on YouTube (which is not a good thing). I also felt that her character lacked the ability to be fully independent of the other characters and really drive the main story line (she was the main character). I would not have wanted to see a film solely about Rose. Investment in her character is required in order to understand the film, but it is not something one would do willingly. You feel so bad for Rose that in the end you are obligated to root for her.
After seeing Sunshine Cleaning I also came to the conclusion that Amy Adams’ serious acting style is comparative to Kristen Wiig’s comedic style (also not a good thing). I kept watching Adams on screen and thinking Wiig in my brain. Although I love Kristen Wiig I did not want to be thinking about her SNL skits while watching a completely unrelated film. The association proved to be distracting.
On a scale of 1-10 I would rate this film an 8.5 with have no qualms about recommending it to friends. It was definitely not the waste of a Sunday afternoon and I would see it again if asked by a friend.
]]>
St. Patrick’s Day - Washington, D.C. 2009
As I was heading home from an early night of dinner and drinks I couldn't help but to think about those poor souls that didn't have to work the day after St. Patrick's Day. I had eaten dinner with friends at Capitol City Brewery. I refer to these all night party-goers as poor souls for the sheer reason that many of them would end up like the man I photographed here.
Often times a nap on the train after a night of fun can lead to missing your stop completely or becoming stranded in a place far from your original destination. This gentleman rode the train from Union Station to the end of the Orange line, woke up for a brief moment [I assumed it was his stop] and then went back to sleep. Who knows how long this guy kept riding? And to give you a little indication of the time it was only 9:00pm when I got to my station and the trains run until about midnight Monday through Thursday.
]]>
I think my immediate response was something to the effect of "oh my God I need to leave work." My heart was racing and I was becoming flushed. I walked over to my manager while still on the phone with my office mate and stood in his door [not the most tactful of moments, but it worked out]. I am sure at this time he thought I was having some kind of family emergency because I just kept uttering "oh my God" over and over. I quickly got off the phone with my office mate and told my manager I needed to leave work because Angelina Jolie was up the street filming a movie and she is hands down my number one favorite actress.
He replied "oh yeah I was going to tell you guys about that, but I forgot." After explaining my undying fandom to him I ran back to my office. I don’t think he could have told me no lol. Needless to say I left work two minutes after and the last thing my manager said as I was leaving was "hurry they are losing daylight." It is for reasons like these that I love working for him. He totally understood that this was a once and a lifetime experience for me and that as a true blue fan I had to go. I mean I was practically hyperventilating.
When I reached the set of Salt it was amazing. To think that a place that I walk to daily to catch the metro or buy some lunch was now part of a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie made me melt. After arriving I made friends with one of the techs and he first informed me that Angelina Jolie was wearing jeans, a long black The North Face jacket [that upon closer inspection appeared to be goose down], and a black hat. I also learned that the crew had been shooting at the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter metro station earlier in the day and that Liev Schreiber was also in the film [I actually got within 15 feet of him in between shots].
With this wealth of knowledge in hand I moved closer and closer to the set. I had to keep in mind that there were two Angelina Jolie doubles present on set as well [one for lighting rehearsals/tests and one for the more challenging tucking and rolling related stunts]. I spent over 2 hours at the set watching them film a scene in which Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor chase after Angelina Jolie. They must have shot it about 8 times [amazing!].
I think it goes without saying that this was the best day of my life! Have I mentioned that? I keep reiterating it to everyone I see, talk to and work with. I have been smiling from ear to ear for the past 24 hours. I am pretty sure I was even smiling in my sleep. I woke up excited to go to work because I was just amped about this entire experience. Unfortunately the only camera that I had was on my cell phone so I will link to a few sites that have better shots from yesterday’s shooting.
And in the end the best person to thank is my officemate.
Some good photos from yesterday's filiming can be found here and here.]]>
So last night my car was robbed. I got home around 11:00 pm and parked it per the usual. When I went out to my car at 6:15 am for work I discovered a broken window and that my GPS and mp3 player had been stolen from the center console and glove box. I called the police, who may I say arrived rather promptly. Six other cars in my apartment complex were also burglarized as of 7:30am. That number may have climbed since this morning as people went out to their cars for work. The police fingerprinted the vehicle, but that remains inconclusive.
Brand new 2008 Ford Fusion vandalized...big city life can suck sometimes.
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