Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Most recent movies watched:
Sweeny Todd
Brazil
The Simpsons Movie
Stranger than Fiction

Most recent reads:
Ishmael (Please, please read this book. PLEASE.)
working on reading Mrs. Dalloway

Just watched the Sweeny Todd and basking in the glow of 'good movie'. Visual poetry is a term that comes to mind. The aesthetic of the world and cinematography as well as the characters themselves and their interactions with each other are precisely crafted, like words with just the right sound and speed. Everything ties into itself, the motifs repeated throughout are subtle, but powerful, and despite it being an old story, it is told very well. That's not even mentioning the clever costuming and digital graphics that define the world, from the dark and rotting streets of London to the radiant beach, where Sweeny sulks in his striped swimgear. That shot alone should justify the movie.
I'm not a Johnny Depp maniac (in fact how famous his face is actually detracts from his acting, by no fault of his own) and I imagine slitting someone's throat one of the worst ways to murder. But this is an art piece. It is beautiful from start to finish. And if you appreciate a well-crafted story?
I highly recommend it. wink

Just to bring down the mood with another revalation:
Just before I headed to college last year, I went to dinner with a good friend and her aunt, a very smart and respectable woman. I mentioned to her that I don't pursue "Cool" people as friends, and rather than being amused by my social snarkiness, she was shocked. She said something along the lines of, "Why shut the opportunity to know amazing people out just because they're 'Cool'?"
So I started reaching outside the group of people I'd normally associate with. Way out. And it never occurred to me that I was being rejected much more because of that- I just assumed something had gone wrong with me.
I've been in a funk the past few months, and it got worse over winter break, when I tried to interact with strangers again. My jokes were never laughed at, or even recognized, so I stopped telling jokes. I turned to apologies, my next strength, beating myself down before anyone else could get a word in edgewise.
And then it all came together. I realized that because of what she said, i've been caring what other people think about me. Not if i'm attractive, or witty, or smart (well, a little bit, yes). I've been worried if people think i'm friend material, even if our tastes are worlds apart and it is natural to not 'click'. But when all's said and done, i'm still worrying about what other people think.

s**t. What a weight off of my shoulders to figure that one out. No offense to anyone, but screw what other people think. I've only found success in this life when I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks I should like or be like. So ******** that. Seriously. rolleyes
TIME TO BE MYSELF AND HAVE SOME FUN AGAIN heart

PS- Kind of bullshit, but also fairly accurate:

What Your Handwriting Says About You



You are a laid back person with rather low energy. You aren't lazy... you *are* sensitive and empathetic.

You are somewhat outgoing, but you're not a natural extrovert. You think first before you act. You tend to be independent, rational, and logical.

You are very detail oriented and meticulous. You are a careful thinker and a true intellectual.

You don't a lot of space, and you prefer to spend time with others. You are a little nosy and intrusive. You sometimes don't give people enough space.

You are a free thinker. You are unique, open minded, and artistic. You don't care what other people think.

You are a poor communicator. No one really knows exactly what you're getting at.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourhandwritingsayaboutyouquiz/