The Gaga Viddy

So I'm back, and guess why? This new Gaga video is blowing my brain. I have to watch it compulsively, like in an OCD way, because the sound and images are stuck in my brain and it is the only way to relieve it. This woman has turned me into a teenager again and I truly feel like she literally has taken up where Madonna left off.

I don't know what adding to the choir of fans is going to serve, but I don't care, this is satisfying work. These were some of my favoritist shots:

First let me just note that there are indeed plus-size dancers in here. Does anyone else notice them on the ends here? They get demoted to the back in later numbers.

I love the way she gets thrown around in this vid. May said here she has "panda eyes."

The many faces of Gaga. Each more lovely than the last.

Check this out. Does it get any fiercer. Nay.

Her acting also gets me.

Being carried like a baby.

Magic. I swear that celestial orb thing she wears is the best invention since the television set.

Editorial.

How bloody magic does it get? Is this not the most fabulously terrifying thing ever?

I love the styling here. Making me want full bangs again.

Signing off for now, but mark this, not forever.

Summer Movie Tally and ammendments to my wish list!

So here's what I saw from the original list:

Star Trek - I still need to see it again.
Every Little Step - my full review thereof.
(500) Days of Summer - I was impressed. I thought it was going to be way loserisher but it was pretty excellently executed! It really is the Annie Hall for generation Y.
Year One - poor Year One! It could have been soooo gooder.
Whatever Works - Whatever! It's Woody! Patricia (Clarkson) was amazing in it.
Angels & Demons - so bad it's good.
Bruno - no one can touch Sacha.
Harry Potter 6 - so psyched to re-read all the books again.
Away We Go - the critics were way too hard on this one. It was clearly Sam Mendes's best film, and that's because of the script by Dave Eggers. However, as the Poetry Man put it, at it's best, it was better than (500) Days, but at its worst, it was indeed worse, due in large part to Sam Mendes's corniness and lame soundtrack. He seriously doesn't know what he's doing with regard to pacing; I feel like he does it just to seem arty.

Movies I saw but weren't on the list:

Drag Me to Hell - and glad I did - look at that average! I was truly impressed. This is destined to be a cult classic.
The Girlfriend Experience - awesome film.
The Hangover - I loved it. Zach is my new love due mainly to this video.

Additions:

Julia - yay Tilda!
Cheri - I'm sorry but I love Michelle Pfeiffer.
The Hurt Locker - looks so intense I'm kind of scared to see it.
Moon - decent reviews + Bowie Jr. + scifi + Sam = good enough for me.

Off the list:

Public Enemies - it's probably okay, but at this point it's just not doing it for me. Kind of just looks like a star vehicle at this point.

Still need to see:

Tetro - Francis Ford and Vincent Gallo are dear friends of mine.
Up! - I KNOW DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED, IT'S NATALIE'S FAULT.

A Chorus Line and Every Little Step (2009)

Seriously I almost feel like when this comes out on video I'm just going to always have stock of it to just give out constantly as gifts. Mixing elements of the musical, reality television eliminations, suspense and obviously the documentary, Every Little Step is completely fresh. I really think it is the only way a Chorus Line can successfully be adapted to film. The literal makeup of this documentary actually transposes the theme and message of the original musical perfectly without contrivance. As opposed to that failure of a film version that was made, and other lofty and ridiculous reviews, it does not obsess over, "the line," which so many people have interpreted as having some kind of Communist meaning.

So many lines from Michael Bennet's dialogue on that fateful night (a tape recorded session from which all of the plots of the characters "on the line" are taken) explicitly state otherwise, "I think that we're all pretty interesting, and that all of you are pretty interesting. And I think that maybe there's a show in that... somewhere... which would be called A Chorus Line." Another thing it did was make me realize how much of a genius Michael Bennet really was for it also tells the story of the shows original execution, a success story with the urgency of "I Hope I get it" in its own right. I really don't think the suspense of who actually gets cast was relevant, though, because in most cases it was pretty obvious who they were going to pick because the panel was bawling after some auditions. Yes.

Here's the trailer just for a taste.

I know the comparison to Man on Wire seems kind of obscure but I think these two films are inextricably linked because they are documentaries of a new kind: about the abstract. Also it will probably be nominated at the Oscars this year, if not win. I was practically bawling by the end.

And just for super-awesome timeness, here is Shirley Bassey (one of my all-time best vocalists) performing the cheesiest number in the show and making it fanfuckingtastic. WHAT IS THAT DRESS:



"Won't forget, can't regret what I did for love."

I'm Still Here.

As you may have noticed nothing has been posted in a while. Don't let this fool you into thinking I haven't been watching any movies. It's like the more schoolwork I have/do, the more media I consume. I guess it's like the drug that propels me on. Like Dextroamphetamine or somethin'. I've pretty well found that I couldn't keep up with the constant reviewin', given the state of things, so I've really just being using the old tumblr and it really fits into my grad-like timetable well. So for the time being, I will be mildly retiring Shangri-La until other "things" get sorted out. A.K.A: M.A. (That's code for I'm working hard at not working hard enough, wondering what it will be like to not be a student for the first time in my life.)

In the meantime, here's a short update on some of the wondrous trash I've consumed:

The Incredible Hulk (2008) - 3/5 stars


I thought it was an okay action movie and really it only worked because of Edward Norton's performance, and yes, that was apparently good enough for me. PLUS RDJ makes an appearance at the end. WHO KNEW?? I was also led to watch it to see the hilarious things they did with U of T (making it look like it's in a forest) and Yonge St.; the side with Zanzibar and the Sam's sign.

Election (1999) - 4.5/5
I had been waiting to watch this mother for years and I regret not seeing it sooner. I think Payne is the greatest dark-comedy writer since Allen. And what it really boasts is some great characters who you route for but kind of don't want to, so imagine that. It's often hard to figure who's the bad guy, ultimately making a statement on just how hilarious humans can be. Mind you, I kind of sypathized with Tracy Flick probably more than I was supposed to.

Wolf (1994) - 5/5 stars

I find it amazing that the most exciting and inspirational film I've seen in months is a creeper feature/allegory of aging from the mid-nineties starring Jack Nicholson and James Spader. What does it say about me? What does it say about movies of today? But I guess it should be no surprise. Lo and behold, it also has an awesome score by (WHAT!??!) Ennio Morricone.

And it also rekindled my mid-nineties adoration of Michelle Pfieffer. She is a thrice nominated actress, you know. I have to admit I did forget how great she is:

And she is aging better than anyone I've seen her age.

Also, have I mentioned how True Blood is amazing?!??! Here is a lovely portrait of Jason Stackhouse to express my deep feelings of true gratitude for the show:

AND VAMPIRE BILL RECYCLES.

With that I bid this Shangri-La a temporary farewell, and will leave it with this thought via a magical magical musical video by those pop poets the Pet Shop Boys, to remind you that despite minor disengagements, rest assured I am never being boring.

The Strangers (2008)

3.5/5 stars

While I'm sure everyone whose seen or heard of this has noted that it is a bloody great edge-of-one's seat cat-and-mouse thing--total suspense mode--I'm sure not everyone noted how smart it is for other reasons:

1 - A long time before anything horror related happens, as the psychological tension is built up around the relationship between the two protagonists, which really comes to a head in a serious motherfucking way by the end of the film. A total new layer to a horror narrative I've never before seen used.

2 - GEMMA WARD IS ONE OF THE KILLER PEOPLE HOLY COW BRILLIANT. And when you see her you can barely see her face and it is one of the spookiest moments I've seen onscreen since probably, like, Signs (whatever that means). Her character's name is Dollface so how smart is that?? Anyone who knows Gemma knows that she's basically the dollface of the fashion world.

3 - Killer peeps have NO REAL MOTIVATION which makes it ALL THE MORE EERIE and post-9-11 all the way.

One of the best horror films I've seen in the past ten years and literally must-see viewing for anyone who appreciates a creeper.

Wendy & Lucy (2008)

4/5 stars

A beautiful portrait of a little girl lost, when she's lost her dog. It's quite gripping, moving, and ultimately satisfying. But seriously without Michelle Williams I don't know if this movie would even have worked; that's how serious her f*cking performance is.

Angels & Demons (2009)

2/5 stars

An intriguing trainwreck of a picture. It was like after 15 minutes in, it was just one climax every three minutes which got soooo tiresome sooooo quickly. But the cast was hilarious and the priests and cardinals and all that were just such a perfect joke. It was doomed from its inception to never be taken seriously by me. I hope it does offer Ewan some kind of comeback because really he was the most engaging character (however absurd), whose dialogue wasn't limited to spewing out ridiculous facts about "Illuminati" like a hailstorm of bullets, but it was in that territory. Oh well.

So no shocker here I guess. I got what I asked for.