31 March 2011

Bonnie & Clyde are totally boss.


Adorable, right?
This movie is so great.

"The strangest damned gang you ever heard of. They're young. They're in love. They rob banks." –tagline

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are fantastic as the legendary bank robbing lovers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Their smash-hit chemistry (beating other famous couples like Edward & Bella all to hell) is only bested by their likability –or, perhaps, how attractive they are. I am honestly not embarrassed to say that I find them amazingly charming, even considering their felonious career as bank robbers.
Bonnie & Clyde, Arthur Penn’s greatest film, was released in 1967, and rivaled such classics as The Graduate and In the Heat of the Night at the Oscars (the latter being the winner.) Much like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, this was Faye Dunaway’s first real role, and Warren Beatty’s first great role (or, at least, the first that didn’t involve him as a “spoiled, popular, rich kid with girl problems,” of which he has a considerable list).
Now, as somewhat-romanticized as this film was, I truly felt that Penn captured certain realistic elements that the Barrow Gang probably -and certainly- went through during their career in bank robbing.

It was believable that Bonnie would leave her home, her mamma and her “life” to go with the bold and adventurous Clyde, since the blandness of her job and tiresome nature of her hometown were well expressed. It captured the immature interest in each other that they were famous for, which quickly turned into a passion great enough to withstand the looming threat of life in prison. It portrayed the nit-picky arguments between themselves and the later members of the Gang to an almost painful extent, but certainly with good reason. It showed the boldness, rashness, and almost delusion which kept them robbing, and how unprofessional they were.

Most importantly, Penn didn't go out of his way to make the viewer feel things for the characters, or sympathize too much. You certainly do, but I felt he kept close enough to the reality of the situation as to remind you that these people truly weren't very nice.

Alongside the talented Beatty and gorgeous Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, and Michael J. Pollard make up the Barrow Gang.

After Bonnie and Clyde partner up and begin their bank-robbing career together, they realize that they need a driver and some extra help. Enter Clyde’s brother, his wife, and the young C.W. Moss. Now, you need to realize that Bonnie and Clyde are the kind of characters that you secretly hope will make it, despite their actions and how obvious it is that they won’t. So, when these other people get involved and things start to get complicated, the film becomes a nightmare of hidden stress on their behalf. 
Outwardly, of course, you make sure that your law-abiding fellow viewers know that you’re on the “good side” by making comments about the debauchery of bank robbing and unmarried sex, even though you know they're thinking the same thing as you!

That, folks, is a real woman.

I don’t know much about the real-life couple, but I know enough to know that I like them a lot, despite their selfishness in the way of money-making during the Depression. Much like John Dillinger, another bank-robber at large during the Depression [see Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp], you find yourself feeling confusingly sad and hopeful that these criminals will make it. Of course, this could be due to Hollywood’s passion for making vigilantes and criminals as likable as possible (they usually succeed, as even Hannibal Lector is one of most likable characters I’ve ever seen) but even after doing a little research and looking through old footage and photographs, you know damn well that even the real life people may be difficult not to like.

Clyde is a badass. Look at that gun!
In the end, then, Bonnie & Clyde is a film for the ages. It makes you feel guilty, charmed, sad, impressed, annoyed, pleased, stressed, interested, hopeful, excited, and regretful, all at once. The acting is brilliant all round, the scenes are well cut, the story moves smoothly, and if you’ll ever like “bad” characters in your life, you’ll certainly like these ones.
Truly, this is a film worth watching.

Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

30 March 2011

From Thomas Aquinas' Introduction to Aristotle's Posterior Analytics

" Reason not only can direct the actions of the lower parts, but it also directs its own actions, because it belongs to the understanding part to reflect upon itself. Indeed, the understanding understands itself, and in the same way reason can reason about itself. Therefore, if the arts of building and making, through which man can do such actions easily and in an orderly way, were discovered because reason reasoned about the actions of the hands, for the same reason there must be some art which directs the actions of reason itself. Through this, man proceeds in the actions of reason in an orderly manner, easily, and without error. "

28 March 2011

must watch:

- Dr. No
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- The Squid and the Whale
- Groundhog Day
- The King's Speech
- 127 Hours
- Barney's Version
- Fight Club
- Reservoir Dogs

April -PJ Harvey

April,
how could
I not have
seen

April,
you
come-
ing

April,
how could
I have worn
in-appropriate
clothing?

April,
all that
careful
stepping,

rounding
of my soul,
and now
your rain.

April, I felt you leaving.

I don't know what silence means.
It could mean anything.

April,
won't you
answer
me?

These days
just seem
to crush
me.

Hatching,
collapsing,
tumbling
down.

April!
What if
I drown!

I don't know what silence means.
It could mean anything.
Won't you answer me?

I dreamed,
April,
that I'm walking,
that I'm watching
your rain.
It overcomes me.

25 March 2011

La-de-dum... it's been a while.

On Monday, I will be starting the second official school course for my diploma! Biology 20. This one, added to last year's Science 10, will bring my credit count to a total of 10 credits, and my reality meter to oh gosh, I guess I'll be doing highschool for a while yet, won't I?

But I am happy.

I had a job interview last Tuesday [which went over smashingly] and should find out whether I've got the job rather soon. My position? Swimming instructor. I'm a mixture of excitement, hope, and anxiety.

In other news, I'm attending a symphony tonight ["The Requiem," composed by Maurice Duruflé in the early 1900's] and am a bundle of frazzled excitement over it. I will wear the reddish, soft-leather, ankle boots I found at Value Village for $17, with a purple skirt belted to the waist. It will be amazing.

15 March 2011

If I ever have children...

... what excellent names they will have.

Male
- Desmond
- Alastor
- Everett
- Flynn
- Dallas
- Clark
- Jude
- Paris
- Alec
- Jack

Female
- Cora
- Olivia
- Briony
- Sinead
- Elina
- Ruth
- Lenore
- Glynis
- Jacinta
- Sylvia

10 March 2011

Laura eats meat.

I had a delicious steak today [AAA grade, in fact] and I don't feel like a murderer. Though the cow was probably cute and gentle, as cows are, he was obviously to delicious to keep alive.

My mother stood in the cold of our deck to roast the thick meat on our barbecue, and I fried mushrooms in butter and peeled shrimps. I will admit to the sickening nature of my latter job, since the shrimps were still equipped with their crustacean-armor, tail and bug-legs. Peeling them was truly horrid, and the thought of them fried in garlic butter was the only thing that kept me from screaming [truly, if wriggled the right way they almost looked as though they had come alive again].

But together with the steak, mushrooms, a spinach salad and Coca Cola, this was truly a meal of the ages.

09 March 2011

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

-Carl Sandburg

a jellyfish king















So, so badass.

06 March 2011

Charles Dickens says...

" A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. "

03 March 2011

A short review.












Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) is a fast-paced German thriller bursting with youthful energy and originality. Written and directed by Tom Tykwer and released in 1998, this colorful film runs on a high-energy soundtrack, believable acting, and flashy cinematic technique. The story follows Lola’s boyfriend, Manni, who, having lost 100,000 deutschmarks owed to some local gangsters, calls Lola for help from a payphone. Lola, after realizing Manni wants to rob a store to solve this problem, asks him to wait for her. From this point, the audience sees Lola run to assist Manni three times, each with different outcomes due to timing changes in her run. In the end, this film proves to be a masterpiece of artful cinema, and a thrilling piece of entertainment you won’t want to miss.

02 March 2011

on thursday

Today will be a recovery day. I need to save the week!

Though I managed to finish The Hobbit and write a successful long paragraph on Run Lola Run [which were assignments for some English courses I'm taking online], they're all I can really show for a whole 4 days. Shoddy, ain't it?

Here are some rescue goals for Thursday:

- participate in English class discussions
- read some long-rejected Stephen King
- watch the last half of 12 Angry Men
- work on one of my many sewing projects
- go swimming
- drink matcha with a turkey wrap
- fold some small origami stars [mainly yellow]