Twilight/Bring It On Drunken Double Bill

You may know that creating drinking games for movies is pretty much one of my favourite things. I have amassed a pretty good collection, for a variety of movies and also, very importantly, Eurovision. So here's a couple more of them for your viewing/boozing pleasure.

The Bring It On drinking game:

Drink for the following:

• Lesbian subtext
• Every time a word is altered to include the word "cheer"
• Kirsten Dunst says "Duh"
• Spirit Fingers
• Bull Horns ("Go Toros!")
• Someone does a somersault
• Training montage

The Twilight drinking game:

Drink for the following:

• Jean shorts
• Every time someone tells Bella she's awesome
• Self-hug (i.e. When Bella is having an emotion and hugs herself while looking vulnerable.)
• Sparkles!
• GAY.
• Things that you would be arrested for in real life, but Bella finds romantic. (i.e. creepy behaviour, Love=Murder.)
• Adorably clumsy
• Softcore abstinence porn
• Montage

Quite frankly, you can whip up a perfectly decent drinking game for more or less any movie if you follow only two rules: drink whenever there is a montage, or whenever something is kind of gay. Who knew that homoeroticism and training montages would be the building blocks of modern cinema?

She's the Man: THE DRINKING GAME (!!!)

Last night we watched stellar teen movie She's the Man, starring manic weirdo Amanda Bynes, hunky beefcake Channing Tatum, and some other people we haven't heard of.

These people are all supposed to be in high school.

I love this movie, I have seen it several times. It is worth it for the totally insane lead performance by Amanda Bynes. She dresses up as a dude to prove she can play football (?), and decides that dudes speak in bizarre southern accents and pull a lot of funny facial expressions. Amanda Bynes at full speed can pull approximately 10-12 funny faces per second. (Basically, her acting style solidified when she was in "All That" at age 8.) Oh, also this movie is supposedly based on Twelfth Night.

Amanda Bynes as a gay 12-year-old boy.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the drinking game! You must drink on the following occasions:

• Every time Amanda Bynes switches from a girl to a man, OR vice versa
• Every time Amanda Bynes called someone "bro" or "bra"
• Channing Tatum is shirtless
• Amanda Bynes grabs her crotch
• Something is GAY.
• Montage!
• Something is actually faithful to Twelfth Night/Shakespeare

I know that's only a handful of rules, but trust me, that's the entire movie covered.

Oops! Looks like Channing Tatum has misplaced his shirt again.

For future reference, drinking every time there is a montage or something is super gay will work for just about any movie. For example, I worked with only those two rules for Whip It!, and I was smashed.

Trailer Feminism Fail

Today we are going to run some experiments. First thing: I love movies, and I also looove watching movie trailers. They are like the most exciting and tantalizing bits of a movie, and they allow me to feel excited about all the fun things there are to watch, before my almost inevitable disappointment.

This afternoon I'm going to catch up on all the new movie trailers, but while I do it I'm going to run a test. Namely, The Bechdel Test.

For those of you that don't know, to pass the Bechdel Test a movie has to:

a. have more than one woman in it;

b. who talk to each other;

c. about something other than a man.

Seems pretty straightforward, right? But you'd be surprised how many movies don't pass it. You know, considering that women are 50% of the population and all, and tend to have fully rounded personalities and stuff in their brains other than men and the needs of men, and movies are supposed to be about life. Movies get a pass on the test if they're something like a WW2 movie set on a submarine.

Ok let's go! Which upcoming movie trailers pass the test?

The Amazing Spider-Man: Nope.

Paranormal Activity 3: Yes! Two small girls are talking to each other about ghosts.

The Dark Knight Rises: Nope.

Haywire: Nope! This is like one woman and 15 guys. At least she beats the shit out of most of them.

Captain America: The First Avenger: Does not pass. Neither did the movie as a whole.

Dream House: Nope.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1: Nope. Not to mention Twilight's other feminism fails.

Friends With Benefits: Nope. But I'm hoping the movie itself passes, because I want to see it.

Cowboys and Aliens: Nope.

Horrible Bosses: Nope. And only one female character.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2: Nope. Although I expect the movie as a whole passes the test.

The Thing: Yes! One exchange between the two women about the monster.

Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows: Nope.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: Nope. But the movie itself passes.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol: Nope. But one lady punched another lady in the face, maybe that bodes well for a meaningful interaction. Also, I hate Tom Cruise.

Drive: Nope.

The Sitter: Nope.

In Time: Nope.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Nope. Total period drama sausage fest.

The Darkest Hour: Nope. I hope that Olivia Thirlby gets some lines in the movie.

The Ides of March: Nope.

Like Crazy: Nope. But this is just a boy and a girl in lurve talking to each other.

Red Tails: No - but it's about WW2 fighter pilots.

Tower Heist: Nope.

Killer Elite: Nope.

Margin Call: Nope. Boo hoo, I feel so sorry for all you Wall Street boys who accidentally caused the financial crash by waving your penises around.

Bridesmaids: Yes! This wins so hard! It wasn't even on the list, I just had to watch it to make myself feel better.

John Carter: Nope.

Battleship: Nope. Oh no! Some Transformers got onto my board game! Better fire some phallic torpedoes at them.

Contagion: Nope.

Jack and Jill: Nope - I'm not counting it if it's Adam Sandler dressed as a woman.

Footloose: Nope.

Puss in Boots: Nope.

A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy: You know, I think that was a yes! Maybe one line.

The Three Musketeers: Nope. Also, I thought this had some lesbian action in it, but in fact D'Artagnan just looks very girly.

The Devil's Double: Nope.

Attack the Block: Nope.

The Whistleblower: Yes! This passes the test so hard! Right on, Rachel Weisz.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Nope.

The Help: Yep.

The Change-Up: Nope.

The Future: Yes! This passes! Indie movies always do better than mainstream.

So by my count that's 35 movies that do not pass the test, and 6 that do. Seems pretty clear to me.

Ok, so I know that trailers are very short, and that many of these movies may pass the test when you get to see the full hour and a half. But think about it: trailers are designed to be a snapshot of the full movie, and if the trailer doesn't have any decent female characters, then the movie probably won't either. Also: a trailer has, what, between 5 and 20 exchanges? And if all of them are between men and discussing the hero's struggle, or maybe only one of them is a lady saying anything, then you know you're in trouble.

Ugh. So disappointing. The male characters get to talk about politics, aliens, heists, make jokes, help each other out, and yes, talk about ladies. Women show up in trailers to remind the audience that there will be boobs present. Or they say something about how awesome the hero is. Or they are shown in tears to show this is a movie where serious things happen. Or they are rescued. They don't get to be friends with other women, or talk about their careers, and they only ever talk to each other about whatever guy they are in love with. Thank god for Bridesmaids. Thank god for having a monster to talk to your fellow women about.

"What is this bullshit?"

QUICK!! NEW STUDY!!!!!

So today, in the spirit of sociological research, we are going to test a lady-related theory. The theory, which is not a new one, goes like this:

"Hey girl," (this only works for girls) "you remember that Charlie's Angels movie?" (Either the 2000 movie or the 2003 sequel, 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.) "Who was your favourite Charlie's Angel?"

If they answer Cameron Diaz, then they are probably straight, if they say Lucy Liu they are bisexual, and if they answer Drew Barrymore they are a massive lesbian!

Ha ha ha ha ha! We are having the best time! Wetsuits and Cameron Diaz's sideboob are so funny!

There we go, that is the theory. Like I said, we came up with this theory ages ago, especially since Charlie's Angels is now 11 years old (!!). I totally swear by it though, especially since Drew Barrymore is my favourite, and I am a big old lez.

Anyway, I was in the pub the other day with some fellows, and for some reason The Charlie's Angels Theory came up. Then, because I was a bit squiffy, it seemed like a good idea to spam everyone in my phone book with The Question, in order to test out The Theory. I am sorry to say that many of my friends are too young to be into that movie, which made me feel old. Still, I got some results, which I will now share with you. Does anyone know how to make pie charts on this Blogger thing?

WTF? Does anyone remember this scene from the movies? You know, I am not exactly in the CIA, but I'm pretty sure this is not what spy business looks like.

TEST SUBJECT 1
Lady one is straight, but chose Lucy Liu as her favourite. However, she hangs out with lesbians all day long and this may have rubbed off on her. So I will call this:
RESULT: Inconclusive.

TEST SUBJECT 2
Gal 2 is straight, but likes Lucy Liu.
RESULT: Does not support the theory.

TEST SUBJECT 3
Lady 3 is also straight, and likes Drew Barrymore.
RESULT: Does not support the theory.

TEST SUBJECT 4
Woman 4, likes girls, says she cannot remember the characters (making me feel old) but would pick Drew.
RESULT: Confirms theory!

TEST SUBJECT 5
Woman 5 dates men, yet picks Drew Barrymore - "duh!!!"
RESULT: Does not support the theory.
HOWEVER: Subject later says that she is having a gay kind of a day, thus rendering her result INCONCLUSIVE.

TEST SUBJECT 6
Girl 6 is a gaymo, and asserts: "I'd do all of them, but I'd hang out with Drew the most."
RESULT: Confirms theory.

TEST SUBJECT 7
Lady 7 is bi-ish, and picks Lucy Liu.
RESULT: Confirmation of theory.

TEST SUBJECT 8
Girl 8 is bisexual, yet picks Drew Barrymore.
RESULT: Does not support theory.

TEST SUBJECT 9
Woman 9 is a massive homo, yet picks Lucy Liu.
RESULT: Does not support the theory.

TEST SUBJECT 10
Woman 10 is bi-ish, yet picks Drew, followed by Lucy.
RESULT: Inconclusive?

TEST SUBJECT 11
Girl 11 is homosexual, says it is between Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. Further comments: "I have a huge crush on Drew and Lucy is just super attractive."
RESULT: Supports theory? "Huge crush" seems to indicate that Drew has the edge.

TEST SUBJECT 12
Lass 12 is bisexual, and likes Lucy Liu the best.
RESULT: Supports the theory.

TEST SUBJECT 13
Woman 13 is myself. I am not sure if it is ethical to include oneself in a sociological study, but I was at the pub during the period of the study so it counts. As previously mentioned, I like Drew Barrymore the best.
RESULT: Supports theory.

Kinky. This is what every lady's ideal Saturday night looks like. Except not in a field, and Cameron Diaz has to go out for snacks instead of joining in.

OVERALL RESULTS:
By my count, that makes:
6 results that SUPPORT THE THEORY.
4 results that DO NOT SUPPORT THE THEORY.
3 results that I have deemed INCONCLUSIVE.

SUPPLEMENTAL RESULTS:
8 ladies preferred DREW BARRYMORE.
5 ladies preferred LUCY LIU.

OVERALL CONCLUSION:

The theory is PROVEN. I am ALWAYS RIGHT.

NOBODY likes CAMERON DIAZ. Sorry, Cameron Diaz.



BONUS STUDY!!!

On the same occasion at the pub, I decided to test out another theory that I have:

THEORY: Maker's Mark is the whisky of choice for lesbians.

I drink it all the time, so I think this must be true. Once again I texted a selection of people in my phone book, this time self-identified homos only. I received a smaller number of results, but I think it still counts.

Some lesbians doing something weird to some Maker's Mark.

RESULTS:

4 out of 4 lesbians prefer Maker's Mark.

One lady added: "FOSHO. THAT IS A TRUTH FACT". Her emphatic response counts double, in my opinion.


Please communicate your own Charlie's Angels/ Maker's Mark preference to me if you wish, and I will add your response to the results, thus enriching my highly scientific study. Thank you.

Oregon Trail Shenanigans

A poster for this new movie Meek's Cutoff, a Western kind of thing starring Michelle Williams.



I don't know if I'd like the film but I flippin' love this poster.

500 Days of Hawtness

So I saw (500) Days of Summer a week ago, and it's a really fantastic movie. I mean, I knew I was going to like it, since it has two of my favourite indie actors in it, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, and since I like this sort of movie. But I was not disappointed. It was inventive and thoughtful and funny and well-designed and cute. Just like these two:

Equally cute in real life:

The movie really intensified the straight-on I have for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I really like him as an actor; he's just plain good at what he does, and has a lot of charisma. He also carefully chooses his movies, although I heard he was in G.I. Joe which is plain bizarre. But god, he is a good-looking man. Also dresses really well, in real life and movies. But his wardrobe in (500) Days of Summer was the epitome of sharp hipster smart-casual - I kind of wished I could wear his clothes, in between contemplating my straight-on for the guy. Behold the pretty:





Here are a couple of Joseph in Brick, which is one of my top ten all time fave movies, you should see it.

Here he is making smoking look cool:

Despite my extreme man-crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I also still have massive love for Zooey Deschanel. I mean, who wouldn't? Look how totally adorable she is!!


Finally, in case anyone was worrying that my affections have strayed, here is another photo of Chuck Bass.


Oh yes, and I am in America having a very nice time. I will probably write about that some time soon.

You Can Fly

Found this video over on Kitsune Noir. Seemed appropriate since Hook came up in conversation the other day, can't remember why. Hook was one of my favourite movies when I was a kid, and I haven't really seen it since. I don't think I should see it again (even though I still have it on VHS), because that might ruin my remembered childhood emotional investment in the adventures of a grown-up stretchy-faced Peter Pan. In fact I think Robin Williams would annoy me quite a lot.

Still, seeing the little clips here provokes pleasant little pangs of recognition, plus the music is totally rad.

EDIT: The video has been taken down by The Man/copyright laws. Shame, it was a good vid.

Bangarang, by Pogo.

God, you know who is a total brat? Rufio. He came through in the end, though.

Babe Ruthless

So this is the thing I am now most excited about in my life:




Whip It! looks amazing. Take the alluring and intriguing world of all-girl roller derby, throw in Drew Barrymore acting and directing, an all-round awesome cast, and Ellen Page in the lead being cute as a button, and you have a recipe for sexy funtimes. This movie has been on the radar of fabulousness for a while now, and now that the trailer has arrived it doesn't disappoint. I hope the movie lives up to all of the personal hype I have created in my brain.

Trailer bonus points for Ellen's dorky glasses, the roller derby nicknames, Maeby from Arrested Development in the best buddy role, Drew's laugh, the DIY feminist ethos, gratuitous elbow violence, usage of Weezer and Boys Wanna Be Her by Peaches.

P.S. Kaia you are totally going to owe me five bucks. You know why.

Googly-Eyed Weirdo

I can't believe it took me this long to see the following Buffy/Twilight mashup. It basically demonstrates that Edward Cullen is a creepy, stalkerish pain in the butt, and that Buffy, bless her heart, would not put up with that kind of nonsense. This video is also really, really well put together, IMO. Watch it.

"You're sexy like a chocolate strawberry."

To start off, this will make no sense to you unless you have seen the movie Role Models. If you have seen Role Models, you will go "Oh my goodness, I cannot believe they went to the trouble of creating an entire interactive website for Sturdy Wings!?"

Sturdy Wings

Yes they did. They even went to the lengths of creating a separate blog for the uber-creepy ex-drug addict founder of the Sturdy Wings program, Gayle Sweeny (played by Jane Lynch, who is always excellent at being creepy and revolting). There are many videos of all-new uncomfortable Gayle material on the site, including her interviewing some new "Bigs".

Role Models is a pretty great movie, by the way. I thoroughly enjoyed it, snappy dialogue, bromance, horrible embarrassment, sappy emotional scenes and all. Let us relive our favourite lines:

Ronnie: Suck it, "Reindeer Games"!
Danny: I'm not Ben Affleck.
Ronnie: You white, then you Ben Affleck.
Wheeler: You are white.
Danny: That's true, I am white.

Gayle Sweeny: You know what I used to have for breakfast? Cocaine. Know what I had for lunch? Cocaine.
Wheeler: What did you have for dinner?
Danny: Was it cocaine?

Gayle Sweeny: Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Bullshit and Dr. I'm-full-of-shit.
Wheeler: In what way are we full of shit?
Danny: Which one of us has the Ph.D?

P.S. "You're sexy like a chocolate strawberry" is Seann William Scott's character's best chat-up line. It could work. Why not try it out? (P.P.S. Is it truly necessary for Seann William Scott to have an extra 'n' on the end of Seann?)

E.T.A. I removed the video because it was annoying me.

Giant Deformed Ewok

If you live in the same house as me, I have already shown this to you, but I think you ought to watch it again in any case.


Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

This works because Star Wars is lodged in the brains of all of us, whether we like it or not, but some of us are more familiar with the material than others. I personally have a totally hazy grasp of the timeline of Star Wars, and sometimes I mix it up with Dune, which I have not seen/read. No, actually, this works because it's super cute and the animations are hilarious and a perfect fit with the dialogue.

Rocket Family Resemblance

So it turns out I had totally confused Lauren's picture of Rocketeer with Rocketo in my mind. Mea culpa. Easy to do though, right? Maybe? No.

Rocketeer was an 80s comic drawn by an illustrator named Dave Stevens (who just died in March, actually) with a bit of a 30s feel to it. It is about a young aviator who mysteriously acquires a jetpack to become Rocketeer, and solves crimes by zooming about the place, I presume. And his girl is based on Bettie Page.

The comics ended up with Dark Horse (Portland-based!) but they weren't really that many issues altogether. Yet there was somehow a movie and a 2 video games? The movie starred Jennifer Connolly and Timothy Dalton and came out in 1991, hence the poster above. The movie looks like crap. But the poster is great; clearly based on some particular 30s World's Fair-type poster design which I cannot place right now. And how neat does Rocketeer look? Very, is the answer to that.

Cities and the Sky

Oh my god, guys, I just saw the BEST MOVIE EVER. For reals. It's called City of Ember, it's basically a kid's movie, it has got no press and fairly lukewarm reviews. It doesn't bode well, I know. But the aesthetic of the movie is so inventive and wonderful that even if the acting and plot sucked it would be worth seeing. Luckily the action is understated and intelligent and the acting is uniformly fine. It's a no-brainer. GO SEE IT.

The film is about an underground city built as a haven for humankind following some unspecified worldwide disaster. The city is powered by an enormous generator (see below), which is slowly running down after 200 years. Hundreds of electric lamps hang above the city, and the whole place has a grimy, gadgety, old-fashioned, buzzing lightbulb kind of feel to it. It is very steampunk. The story follows two kids who try to find a way up into the light before everything powers down, hampered on their quest by corrupt officials and the institutionalized and complacent mentality of the populace.

The design is uniformly thoughtful and inventive, down to the packaging of the tinned food they have as supplies and the posters on the walls. The particulars of this underground world are subtly evoked, and at no point are you hit over the head with obvious plot points or morals. It's as if they don't consider their audience to be idiots, or something.




So despite this annoyingly over-emphatic and preachy post, you should absolutely see this film. Because the sad thing is that no one else will. Honestly, some advertiser out there sucks at their job.

Ooh, and then watch The Iron Giant!!

Iron Giant Pretty Links

Eeeee! The extremely cool Animations Backgrounds blog, which, as the name suggests, collects backgrounds from animated movies and cartoons (mostly Disney and Disney-similar), has featured one of my favourite movies ever, The Iron Giant.

Here is the post Part One:


Here is the post Part Two:


I especially loved the autumn-tinged colour palette in The Iron Giant, and you also know I am a sucker for folksy American suburban charm. Look at Hogarth's cute little house up there! And the cute little diner where the squirrel-down-pants scene takes place!

Animation Backgrounds is great fun, by the way, especially if you are a Disney fan. Which a surprisingly high number of my friends are. Your DVD collections are rife with Disney movies, and approximately 75% of you have an inappropriate crush on the Disney version of Robin Hood's character. "He's a fox in more ways than one!" you cry. It is disturbing to me. Anyhow, the backgrounds to animation are often surprisingly beautiful on their own, and seeing stills without the characters in reveals just how much care has been taken with the scenery. I also find them a little eerie and sad sometimes, I have to admit. Without the frenetic action of wacky cartoon characters, their environments seem markedly empty. In a cool way, however. Not like all the characters have been murdered by a chainsaw-wielding crazy duck, leaving Disneyville a tragic ghost town. Not like that at all.

I have previously gushed about The Iron Giant here. And written a zine page about it. God, I just love that movie.

Why I Watch Movies

What do the following two films have in common?

Honeydripper (2007), starring Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Keb' Mo', Charles S. Dutton, and Kel Williams

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LeBeouf, Ray Winstone and John Hurt

Yes, that's right, they both had bar scenes where the characters were drinking PBR!

Obvious commonality when it's pointed out, right? I saw both of these movies in the past week, and the Pabst Blue Ribbon drinking was perhaps the most exciting element in both of them for me. Honeydripper is about a bar in Alabama revitalized by a young electric guitar whizz giving a big concert, and has excellent music and an easygoing pace. Indiana Jones is a nonsensical but broadly enjoyable thriller about some old guy in a hat. The first is set in 1950 and the second is set in 1957, so I suppose that was the heyday of PBR, and I very much appreciated the detail.

Oh, and while I'm writing a blog about art and stuff, both movies also have nice posters. I like an old-fashioned touch.

Four Minutes

I just happened across an upcoming movie called Four Minutes, (or Vier Minuten) a German indie film which appears to be gathering awards by the armful. It's about a violent murdering youth who happens to be a piano prodigy, and the strict music teacher who works in the women's prison and takes the girl as her pupil.

The trailer looks great, but it's the poster that really caught my eye. So dramatic and striking and sexy and well-composed. It's the little details I really enjoy, such as the handcuffs it takes you a while to notice, and the girl's bare feet.



I want to see this movie now. I bet the music will be great, too. I wonder when it will turn up at Cinema City?

My Whole Life Was Like a Picture of a Sunny Day

Carrie Brownstein, ex awesomeness-provider of Sleater-Kinney, is apparently spending her time making funny little videos with a mate of hers and posting them on the internet. Alright for some, isn't it?

I heart you, Carrie Brownstein. Your friend probably has some nice qualities too.

Visit ThunderAnt for more. I cannot watch said videos because my laptop is fucked and it is forbidden to do anything noisy in the library, but do tell me if they're any good.

Costume Drama Monday

Look, because it is Monday, and I had to get up early, and it is very cold and I'm feeling pathetic, I'm just going to be really shallow for a minute. While thinking about costume dramas and also therefore history. I can be superficial and intellectual at the same time, yesss.

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), with Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn and Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn

The Other Boleyn Girl (2003), starring Natascha McElhone as Mary Boleyn, Jodhi May as Anne Boleyn

So here we have the current Hollywood adaptation of Philippa Gregory's novel The Other Boleyn Girl (2001), and the BBC version which showed a few years back. I didn't see the first one, I probably won't see the film version, but this is unimportant to my main question:

Who is fitter??

Obviously the Hollywood version is supposed to be a concentration of hotness, what with Scarlett and Natalie, but they are not really doing it for me in this film (Ghost World Johansson and short-haired, SNL rapping Portman, on the other hand...) I would go for the original courtly line-up any day, largely because it includes the divine Jodhi May. Votes?

Side-note: Has anyone in tv actually seen a picture of Henry VIII? He was an ugly ginger fat bloke who only got all that tail because he was king. Henry looked like this:

He did not look like these two:

He probably smelled pretty bad, too. Just saying. (Also, could we not get at least one English person in a movie about English history? I mean, I know you get more chance of an Oscar if you put on a funny accent, but still.)

Big Iron Comfort Blanket

So, my visiting Reedies have all gone off on their separate ways, and Kai Baby Kai has left and I won't see her for weeks, and I am bereft. I have been moping for several days, which is therapeutic in its own way, but I've worked out what I really need. Yes, that's right! The Iron Giant, the 1999 animated movie inspired by the Ted Hughes children's book. (I know that's totally what you were going to say.)

Seriously, I love this movie a lot. Criminally underrated upon release, fun for all the family, sweet and wonderfully animated and funny and moving... I usually avoid things that are emotionally rich and convey lasting and valuable life lessons; I really have no patience for that personal enrichment through the arts crap. I am prepared to make an exception for The Iron Giant because it's so adorable. It's what I need right now to heal my wounded soul. Ok, enough angst and hyperbole, here are some entirely random stills from the movie:

Hogarth: Wow, my own giant robot! I am now the luckiest kid in America! This must be the biggest discovery since, I don't know, television or something!

Mansley: Two nights ago, at approximately 1900 hours, S.A.T com radar detected an unidentified flying object entering Earth's atmosphere, losing contact with it two-and-a-half miles off the coast of Rockwell. Some assumed it was a large meteor, or a downed satellite, but my office in Washington received a call from someone reporting an actual encounter with the object. This is no meteor, gentlemen. This is something much more serious.

Hogarth: Welcome to downtown Coolsville! Population: us.

Dean: There are two kinds of metal in this yard: scrap and art. If you gotta eat one of them, eat the scrap. What you currently have - IN YOUR MOUTH! - is ART.

Iron Giant: No Atomo... I Superman!

Hogarth: Can you talk? You know, words? Blah, blah, blah, like that? Can you do that, blah, blah, blah? Iron Giant: [very rusty] Blah, blah, blah. Hogarth: Well, you get the idea, anyway.

I desperately want to see this movie now. And also make everyone else I know watch it. Luckily, by a strange coincidence, I just ordered it off Amazon. Hooray!

Five Angels For the Millenium

For some reason we've been talking a lot about Tate Modern lately, I guess people have been going or thinking of going. I really want to visit Tate Modern again, including to see that big crack down the floor of the Turbine Hall which represents something or other. Anyway, I was reminded of one of the best pieces I've ever seen in Tate Modern, a Bill Viola installation called Five Angels For the Millenium. (I'm guessing he made it about 8 years ago.) Five large screens of video projection in a very dark, large room, showing bodies rising or falling from water, moving incredibly slowly. There was sound to go with each, sounding like the quiet rushing of water, or distant waves, or water drops. The effect was fantastic, very tranquil. Looking at the pictures now, it seems like it ought to have been quite eerie, but it really wasn't.

Departing Angel

Birth Angel

Fire Angel

Ascending Angel

Creation Angel

Ok, that's it. Where's my ticket to Tate Modern? Or any big gallery really. I want to go spend a ridiculous amount of time in an art gallery, and read every single label in the entire place until my fellows are bored stupid and furious with me.

ETA: The five angels are now in a gasometer in Germany. How cool does this look?