pre-cardiff

I've decided to split my recent escapades up into three posts (pre-Cardiff, Cardiff, and post-Cardiff). Let's see if I can remember all the way back to last week.

^ the movie theater closest to us- about a 25 minute walk or 5 minute tube ride.

Well. The theme of the week was certainly going to the movies- I've never seen so many films in theaters in one week. On Wednesday our whole journalism class went to see Frost/Nixon, which I thought was fairly captivating (especially the last hour, which I consider the most crucial part). While the whole class seemed to like it, our professor was less than impressed; I think that having lived through the actual period that the film covers makes him a little more critical. Apparently Michael Sheen wasn't enough like David Frost for his taste- having never seen or heard David Frost, I really couldn't have an opinion. 

Following the idea of films, Natasha, Julie and I stopped by the theater just before I left for Cardiff to see Revolutionary Road, which I've been thinking about seeing for a long time. I've read a portion of the Yates novel and loved it, but I'm glad I didn't know the ending of the story when I saw the film. For me, the movie was such an intense experience without being very intense; in traditional Sam Mendes form (which I love- American Beauty, anyone?) it was fairly understated, relying on a quiet kind of imagery, moments of silence, and repetitive orchestrations to convey a point. It was one of those films that really stays with you for the rest of the week, one of those films that really gets inside of you and doesn't let go. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone, but I'll suffice to say that it had a huge impact on me. It was like a later version of American Beauty that I could actually relate to. Also important: I think because I've never seen Titanic (I know, I know, I'm a disgrace to our generation, etc. etc.) I was really able to focus on the story and the filmmaking without thinking about how epic it was to see Kate and Leo together again. Maybe it's a movie I won't be able to make myself live through for another year, but it's one of my new favorites.

Moving out of the timeline a little bit, Liz and I also saw Seven Pounds while in Cardiff. (Our tickets were only 4 pounds 70- cheapest movie ticket I've EVER bought, anywhere.) There's not much to say other than the film is beautifully done- confusing at the beginning and truly sad at the end. I cried. Not as much as when we saw RENT, but nothing could top that. Will Smith and Rosario Dawson are both great; a good Netflix movie, as we would say at home. The one downside for me was the epic car accident scene, because they don't just describe an accident, they really show it. All of it. Generally speaking, I try to avoid that kind of thing... it's the sound of it that really gets to me. 

Anyways, what else has happened? I'm not even sure if I can remember. This only updating after 11PM thing is getting old and making things difficult. More to come.