Movies and a talented actor everybody loves

Hello there. Sorry I haven't updated for a long time, especially with movie reviews!

This weekend I saw two completely different movies: No Country For Old Men and Penelope. Warning, may contain minor spoilers.

No Country For Old Men is an intense movie. It is scary, suspenseful, and creepy. Javier Bardem is terrifying as Anton, the psychopathic killer. Some parts are funny with the naive sheriff. All the parts with Anton are frightening and suspenseful, and everyone is no match for him with his devastating weapons. The first part of the movie is pretty straightforward with a cat and mouse chase, but with a lingering mystery as to who Anton is and what he wants. Towards the end, everything amounts to nothing. All the effort made in the beginning is ineffective. As the title of the movie says, there is no room for the old ways of men: greed, murder, etc.. I got confused at the very last scene because I didn't catch everything that Tommy Lee Jones's character said, so I'll have to watch this movie again to truly understand everything that happened in the movie. The atmosphere of the movie and the way it was shot, added to the ominous feel of the whole story. All in all, I think it deserved its Best Picture, but I haven't seen any of the other nominees besides Atonement.

Trailer for No Country For Old Men



Penelope is a cute fairy tale that young girls will enjoy. If you love James McAvoy like I do, you'll adore him in this movie. His character, Max, is wonderful. James can carry a movie so well. Whenever he came on, the movie became even more surreal. Christina Ricci also does a great job as Penelope, and I found her pretty cute with the pig nose. I enjoyed this film so much. It is definitely a feel-good movie that's guaranteed to make you happier. I was smirking during the movie, especially whenever James was on the screen. His American accent is flawless too. Any slips are definitely not obvious because his American accent sounds natural. No offense to Ewan McGregor (whom I also love), but James's American accent sounds a lot more natural than Ewan's forced accent. At times, the movie can get cheesy, but that's what makes it fun! There are quite a few faces that I was surprised to see, including some famous British actors like the one who played Owen from Torchwood. The soundtrack is nice too! I found this film very enjoyable because of James's lovable performance. If you're looking for a fun and adorable movie, go watch this one!

Trailer for Penelope



Yes, everybody loves James McAvoy. I absolutely adore him. He first made himself known to me as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and I found him cute in that. However, it wasn't until several months ago that I saw him in The Last King Of Scotland. After I saw him in that movie, I started to become fascinated with this talented Scot. Then I watched the trailer for Atonement. I was so excited by it that I became obsessed with James in anticipation of the movie. I already loved him before Atonement, but he was just wonderful in that movie. He didn't get nominated for an Oscar for his role as Robbie Turner, but that was one hell of a performance. Now, after seeing him in many of his other movies and watching interviews of him, he is currently my favorite actor out there. He is so talented and he is only 28! His acting ability and range are amazing. He has revived my love for film. During most of 2007, I was only into music. Then I saw James and his movies towards the end of the year, and now I am truly a movie geek again.

Talented, cute, nice, funny, SCOTTISH, and he has gorgeous blue eyes..


One of the best interviews with James

TRAVIS @ THE WILTERN - 11/21/07 + @ HOUSE OF BLUES - 11/24/07

Eek! It's already been almost a week since all that excitement?! OMG, Travis are one of the best live bands around!!! The three times I have seen them this year have made up the happiest moments of my life. Going to a Travis gig will definitely turn a gloomy day into a sunny and warm one. With their lovely tunes and generosity to fans, it's hard not to love this Scottish band.

Opening for Travis was Maximo Park. I had only heard a few of their songs before, but didn't think much of them. However, singer and frontman Paul Smith gave an impressive performance! He sings and dances with fervor and energy. It's hard to take your eyes off him while he's on stage. They were excellent, and I liked some of the songs they performed that I hadn't heard before.

Travis came on stage in the most creative way. XD It started out with the 20th Century Fox theme and some guys on stage shined the spotlights into the audience. Then Fran, Dougie, Andy, Neil, and Klaus ran through the audience in boxing robes while the Rocky theme song was playing. Haha, amazing!!! Soon after getting on the stage, they started out with "Selfish Jean". Loved it!!

They played fewer of their new songs compared to the Henry Fonda show in April, but they played a lot of old favorites including more from 12 Memories. It was wonderful to hear "The Humpty Dumpty Love Song" too. ♥ Fran did another unplugged solo, but sang "20" instead of "Flowers In The Window". That was magical and when they performed "Flowers In The Window" together, it was so adorable! They were all performing together like a close family. :D Seeing them interact with each other and connecting with the audience puts a huge smile on my face. :) I made a "Be My Baby" sign because I love their cover of it, and Dougie saw it. He mouthed "aww" and smiled. ^_^ Dougie totally makes the night magical by connecting with the audience like that. :D I've never sang or screamed as much as at a Travis gig! XD I sang along to almost every song and my voice hurt afterwards. :P

At the House of Blues show in Anaheim, they played four extra songs for their encore! These extras included "Battleships"♥, "Hit Me Baby One More Time", "Three Times And You Lose", and "Blue Flashing Light". Awesome!!! They performed song after song almost non-stop without very many breathers! O_O I stood right in front of Fran nearer to Andy this time. For Fran's solo, he stood right over me! *g* It was adorable to see Andy smile at the audience singing along too. X) Wow, I had such a blast at both shows. I am so glad I went to both!!!

I just met them after the first show, but it was fantastic as usual. They are so incredibly nice, and I am grateful for their kindness. I gave another drawing to Fran, and he remembered the one I gave to him last time and he said he still has it in his home. O___O OMG, I love them so much! I show my love and appreciation for them, and it's so pleasant to get that in return from the band you love. ^_^ Dougie was smashing again, almost squeezing me to death with bear hugs. :P Andy winked at me!!! *DIES* There were too many people when Neil came out since he came out early. x_x I also met Paul and took a picture with him. He is so cute and nice as well! Sigh, it is always worth it to wait for them, no matter how long it takes. They make me so happy. ♥!!!

A few of my pictures from The Wiltern show:
Marquee

Maximo Park

Nice lighting

Awww, Closer! :D

Flowers In The Window ^_^

Please no stealing these!! Thanks! :]

Some videos from The Wiltern show!!! Thanks to okeastron for uploading these fantastic videos!!
Maximo Park

Entrance + Selfish Jean

The Beautiful Occupation

Sing

20

Flowers In The Window

Why Does It Always Rain On Me?


Stupid House of Blues didn't allow cameras, so no pictures or videos from there.. ><

Seeing Travis live has been magical!!! ♥!!!

Play: Black Watch @ UCLA Freud Playhouse - October 12 & 14, 2007

I found out about this play at the last minute. I'm so glad I caught it before its last weekend here in LA. I'm glad I'm at UCLA. :P

Black Watch is a Scottish play brought to life by the National Theatre of Scotland. Their run in LA was the first stop on tour outside of Scotland! Now they are headed off to New York. If you can catch them, go watch this play!

Just the fact that it is a Scottish play was enough to make me want to see it. I also heard it was an excellent play. I didn't really know what it's about other than that it's about Scottish soldiers in Iraq.

I hadn't a clue what to expect of this play. I was in for a thrill ride with its stylistic production and setup. It is technically as well as artistically brilliant. I enjoyed all the effects and the music. The singing and dance choreography were my favorite parts.

All of the actors are marvelous and Paul Rattray, who portrays Cammy, is likable with his modest/humble demeanor. He also reminded me of Pippin from Lord of the Rings. XD Everyone in the cast gave a strong performance. They had to have a lot of stamina for such a physical performance with fights like dances. This was amazingly theatrical. The part about the history of the regiment was one of my favorites in the play. Cammy changes clothes through the times, and it flows so smoothly from one war/era to the next.

It is a riveting, dramatic, and beautiful play despite the gritty content. It is a powerful piece of entertainment that grabs you and shakes you to the core, making you feel a connection to these soldiers and their humanity.

I met a few of the actors after the show. They are quite nice and as awesome as you can expect Scots to be (like Travis). ;D I was all shy and embarrassed around them, but I'm glad that I did get to meet them. Even though it was very brief, it was still cool to talk with some Scottish actors. ^_^

I loved this play so much after I saw it the first time that I saw it again only two days later for their last show. I just wanted to see it one last time before they left. I wish I could see it again somehow, or at least listen to that radio play that aired over the summer.. Anyone know how I could listen to it now, or watch the television broadcast of the play? XP

I highly recommend this play for its entertainment and artistic value!

*****/*****

-Photo by Manuel Harlan

Watch the trailer for the play!