MOVIES
Stardust (2007) Starring: Charlie Cox, Ian McKellen (narrator),Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Mark Strong
Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with much of Neil Gaiman's work (feel free to shoot down this twenty-something with an English Lit. degree right now), so I'd like to think I came into this unbiased. I realize this movie is based on a novel, but since I haven't read it, I cannot compare the two. I am just going to comment on the movie itself, which I think lends to a much more fair critique.
All that being said, I enjoyed this movie. It was a little slow at the beginning, but the end more than makes up for it. It is a clever and witty take on a fairy tale with messages of individuality and acceptance sprinkled throughout. Did I mention it's clever? Michelle Pfeiffer is superb as the evil witch Lamia. Claire Danes will always be Angela Chase from "My So-Called Life" to me, but she did a great job at being the whiny, yet charming, Yvaine. Charlie Cox as the awkward prince charming Tristran is ADORABLE. (I dare you not to melt when he smiles.) Mark Strong as Septimus was chilling and yet captivating . . .couldn't keep my eyes off of him.
Robert DeNiro as Captain Shakespeare definitely felt a little odd. I don't know if it's because he's the only character with an American accent or what, but I just didn't get into him. Seems like he and his character were just thrown in the movie.
Annabelle Blue's verdict: Movie theater it. BUT, I will admit this movie isn't for everyone, so some people might want to just DVD it if they are having reservations about seeing it.
CONCERTS
Virgin Festival
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Baltimore, MD
Starring: Fountains of Wayne, Cheap Trick, The Fratellis, Amy Winehouse, INCUBUS, Ben Harper, Beastie Boys and The Police
Overall, I'd say this was definitely what we made of it. It was hot as hell (100 degrees), there wasn't much to do besides watch the musical acts, food and drinks were pricey, the tickets themselves were outrageous. One word: Port-a-Pottys. We still had a great time, but that's because we pushed and shoved our way to the front row of the main stage.
Fountains of Wayne: Boring as hell.
Cheap Trick: Way too loud. Saw them at WHFStival back in high school and thought they were good . . .this time around I just covered my ears, sought shade and a strawberry smoothie.
The Fratellis: They sound just like they do on the radio. We left though because it was hot as hell.
Amy Winehouse: Great voice. Her backup singers (dancers?) stole the show. They were amazing. Get the poor girl a burger, please. Figures she went into rehab a few days later.
Incubus: Amazing as always. It was surreal being up so close. We wished we could see them all night (way too short) and now Incubus concerts aren't going to be the same without being front row. I'm spoiled.
Ben Harper: Very good. The crowd loves him.
Beastie Boys: Surprisingly awesome. Not into them, but they put on a great live show. They definitely killed it.
The Police: Sting looks awesome. Amazingamazingamazing. We left though because we were way too tired.
That's Brandon Boyd, the lead singer of Incubus. I'm not a photographer, so excuse how crappy it turned out. We were much closer than it seems in this picture. I wasn't concerned with taking awesome pictures . . .I just wanted to rock. And not die of heat exhaustion.
Annabelle Blue's verdict: Eh, I don't think I'd do it again unless one of my favorite bands were playing. But this concert was totally worth it, if only because I made eye contact with Brandon Boyd.
No comments:
Post a Comment