Movies

Human Again

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A couple of weeks ago, the boyfriend got diagnosed with Strep (and the Flu). Fun. I felt fatigued and not great all that week but managed not to get fully sick. Everyone was better for one day and then I came down with a cold. Ugh.

Thankfully, the one good day for me was the day we had long standing plans to go drink moonshine in Gatlinburg with A&A. We might have even thrown some cider from the Tennessee Cider Company in there.

Ole Smoky Moonshine

Of course, we might have had to romp through the Mysterious Mansion. Spooky!
Mysterious Mansion!

Michelle is unexpectedly back in town … now a refugee from China due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Even with me not at 100% (yay, cold), we went for burgers, beer, green bean fries and karaoke. Michelle seriously is the best.
Best. Human. Ever.

And, on Saturday, we tripped down to Anderson, SC for a super tasty dinner at Reed’s. The Mac ‘N Cheese he made was off the chain!

The work week is now underway. Ugh. But, the big excitement for the week will be going to see The Lodge tomorrow night. Whoo!

Human Again

Obsessed [Parasite Edition]

Chas.2 Comments

Anyone has been around me since November 26, 2019 knows that I love Parasite … like LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

(I have been following Bong Joon Ho since seeing The Host and am a huge fan of all of his films. Seriously. Seek out Mother and Memories of Murder immediately if you have not already seen them.)

Needless to say, I am super thrilled with what went down at the Oscars on Sunday night as I never though Parasite had a chance to win the top prize let alone walking away with FOUR top prizes. Yes! Sometimes the Academy voters get it right.

PARASITE - Best Picture

Last week, before it blew up on everyone’s radar, I snagged an original double-sided theatrical release poster that I paid waaaaaaaay too much money for. The plan is to get it framed and hang it in my office.

I have even switched my phone’s lock screen off of Captain America (Chris Evans … *drools*) and over to Parasite. Yeah. I am not obsessed.
Parasite iPhone Lock Screen Wallpaper

Obsessed [Parasite Edition]

Rainy Day Blah’s (Sorta)

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So … it looks like I am doing weekly updates now? Ugh. I have got to get back into some sort of routine. I like routines. They mean that everything is moving along smoothly.

TASCHEN had another “display and slightly damaged” book sale and I grabbed a copy of The Pedro Almodóvar Archives for half off. Almodóvar’s movies are so great!
The Pedro Almodóvar Archives

I met up with Shortlegs this past Saturday afternoon for drinks, food, and (most importantly) gossip at Boojum Brewing. I had the Whistle Pig starter for my food … and OMG, I am in love. It’s soft pretzel sticks stuffed with pimento cheese and bacon and served with a spicy ranch for dipping. Heavenly (and I am sure it’s totally fat free)!
The Whistle Pig at Boojum

I am continuing to go to the local Rec Center on a fairly regular basis. Doing the weight machines makes me feel pretty productive for the most part … but it’s depressing that I can’t seem to increase the weight on the bicep machine after several weeks of working at it. I guess I am destined to be a weakling even after working the muscles?

David and I have also started counting calories in an attempt at loosing weight. Checking serving sized and calories contained therein has become a bit of an obsessive task for me now. I have also switched from coffee to green tea in the mornings. I read on the internet that green tea can help boost your metabolism. Does it work? Who really knows … but it’s been nice to be doing something other than coffee every day. I have become totally hooked on Tazo’s Green Ginger tea. It’s also heavenly!
Tazo Green Ginger Tea

Tomorrow night some friends are coming over to watch Parasite. I am pretty excited about this as I love turning people on to my favorite films. And, if you have not seen it yet, you need to remedy that situation immediately. Seriously. It’s the best movie from last year hands down. Too bad Oscar probably won’t do the right thing this coming Sunday.
Parasite

Rainy Day Blah’s (Sorta)

Updating Randomness

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Yeah. Things have been going. Last week was stressful as one one my bosses ended up in the hospital and I had to cover all her work (on top of mine) for three days. Ugh. Thankfully, things are looking up and she was back at work today.

Meanwhile …

I got started on and finished the Stranger Things: The Upside Down LEGO set that I got for our anniversary in December. It was fun to make … but, I really do hope Will Byers survives. Plus … how cute is that Demogorgon minifig? Very!
Lego Stanger Things The Upside Down
Run, Will! Run!

I took my sister to Biltmore. I love this picture I took (near the grand staircase) with lots of overlapping archways.

We went bowling with our friend, Chris, at Sky Lanes. My highest score was 86 which confirms that I suck as bowling. Here’s David getting ready to gutter-ball it. 😛
Sky Lanes Fun

On the vinyl collecting front, I have FINALLY managed to acquire a first pressing of X‘s debut album, Los Angles. Score!
X: Los Angeles

Meanwhile, meanwhile …

I watched two more of the Best Picture nominees.
– 1917 (Technically impressive but DOA as far as tension and emotional engagement.)
– Joker (It’s Taxi Driver-Lite. Just watch Taxi Driver. It’s sooooooooo much better!)

So, yeah. Totally bumfuzzled as to how Joker scored the most Oscar nominations this year. Parasite is still the movie to beat. Seriously. Go see Parasite!

Updating Randomness

Star Was: The Rise of Skywalker [Quickie Thoughts]

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
And … we saw Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker over the weekend. Meh.

After the subverted expectations of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, J.J. Abrams (and Disney) course corrects and gives fans what they want … even more rehashed/remixed plots elements from the original three movies. Didn’t The Force Awakens fill this particular void in aid of easing us back into the series? Now, I don’t mind fan service in movies. It can be fun if it’s done right (i.e. Avengers: Endgame). In The Rise of Skywalker it feels like it’s being done because the writers just don’t have any great original ideas. Or maybe they were scared that the toxic fanboys would crucify this movie like they did The Last Jedi. Regardless the reasons, we now have a series ender that is mildly entertaining but never as thrilling or as emotional engaging as it could/should be.

So yeah. I rate it a big “Meh!”

Star Was: The Rise of Skywalker [Quickie Thoughts]

Wrap Up [Thanksgiving ’19 Edition]

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What’s the best way to not overeat and get too drunk at Thanksgiving? Why, plan a hike for 8:00 am the next morning! Jack, Josh and I romped over Waterrrock Knob then over Browing Knob then over the summit of Mt Lyn Lowry and out to the memorial cross on the ridge.

Browning Knob View
The view of Yellow Face and Blackrock Mountain from Browning Knob.

Mt. Lyn Lowry Hike
Looking towards Maggie Valley from the cross. Plott Balsam is the peak on the right.

Mt. Lyn Lowry Hike
Looking down into Waynesville from the cross.

Mt. Lyn Lowry Hike
The cross on Mt. Lyn Lowry.

And here’s some other things that have recently happened …

Egg Nog!
I made this year’s batch of egg nog. It’s damn tasty, if I do say so myself.

Biltmore Wine Tasting
We went to taste wine at Biltmore with Alvin. We also got to have a glass of wine in the special Wine Club members only area of the Winery. Talk about feeling classy.

Knives Out
We went and saw Knives Out. I really dug it. As a friend said … “Let’s see, murder mystery, twisted humor, Chris Evans… yep, that checks out as a Chuck flick.” Ha, ha.

And I might have (yet again) gone crazy buying movies in all the Black Friday insanity. There will be a photo posted once all the online orders arrive. Someone needs to take my bank account away!

That stupid cat meme that’s been going around totally applies …
The Truth About Movies

Wrap Up [Thanksgiving ’19 Edition]

Hannibal-ism

Chas.2 Comments

Hannibal

So, yeah. Hannibal is my favoritest show of all time (unless something in the future knocks it off its perch). Its mix of psychological drama, horror and art house styling is so totally up my alley.

Back when the show was airing, one of those online “on sale for 24 hours only” t-shirt places sold two Hannibal-inspired cereal themed shirts … Cannibal Crunch and Murder Grahams. Of course, I found out about them days after they had gone off sale and was unable to get them. Bummer.

Fast forward a couple of years, and it turns out they are available for purchase again. I found out in a totally convoluted manner that randomly involved my sister and an emergency room nurse. Go figure. Needless to say, these bad boys are now mine. Yay.

And seriously, if you have never watched Hannibal, seek it out … NOW!

 

Hannibal-ism

I Just Died [Criterion Edition]

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This is quite possibly the greatest news ever!!!

Criterion Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975
Criterion Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975In 1954, an enormous beast clawed its way out of the sea, destroying everything in its path—and changing movies forever. The arresting original Godzilla soon gave rise to an entire monster-movie genre (kaiju eiga), but the King of the Monsters continued to reign supreme: in fourteen fiercely entertaining sequels over the next two decades, Godzilla defended its throne against a host of other formidable creatures, transforming from a terrifying symbol of nuclear annihilation into a benevolent (if still belligerent) Earth protector. Collected here for the first time are all fifteen Godzilla films of Japan’s Showa era, in a landmark set showcasing the technical wizardry, fantastical storytelling, and indomitable international appeal that established the most iconic giant monster the cinema has ever seen.

This October, we’re celebrating the arrival of spine number 1000, and it’s a collector’s set fit for the granddaddy of all movie monsters! Our landmark edition gathers for the first time all the Godzilla films from Japan’s Showa era:

Godzilla (1954)
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
Son of Godzilla (1967)
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
All Monsters Attack (1969)
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

I Just Died [Criterion Edition]

Weekly Update

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Shew. July has just been too crazy. Too much work and not nearly enough fun!

Crawl 2019
But … there was some fun this past weekend! We got to go see Crawl and it was pretty much EVERYTHING I wanted in a killer alligator fright-fest.

Saturday, we went to …. Gatlinburg! Shocker. Needless to say, all four distilleries were visited. Where else can you have this much fun for $20 each? 😛

Annie = Suglands Best!
We happened to get Annie again as our tasting host at Sugarlands. She is super fun.

Mysterious Mansion!
So, yeah. We did the usual rounds culminating in a super awesome trip through the Mysterious Mansion. By far the scariest walk-through we have done there. Kudos to the staff for that one!

And now the work week is underway … and what better way is there to start it than by breaking your glasses? Yay!
Busted!

Weekly Update