Summer Hours

I’m feeling rather unsophisticated at the moment, having read A.O. Scott’s review of Summer Hours upon returning from the theatre feeling only lukewarm about the film. This happens sometimes; I watch a film, feel unsure about it, then read a review by a respected source and realize it was better than I thought it was. I suppose that happens when you learn about a piece of art in art history class. Upon first glance it’s just whatever you see. Then your professor talks about it while gesturing at it on a screen in an almost dark room, and perhaps you even feel moved to join in on the discussion. And then you see it—the actual piece—in person one summer and you feel close to it, because you read about it, studied it, and feel like you know it. So rather than sum the film up in two words: Antiques Roadshow, you have more to say about it than you thought you would while you were cringing over the characters saying words like “Colorado” and “pretzel” en anglais.

Lala - Where Elvis Perkins plays

At work, because my computer has the best speakers, I am in charge of playing music. Which is hard, when one employee (your boss) likes Bob Mould, newer Bright Eyes, Journey…and another employee likes Lady Gaga ("P-p-p"), Lily Allen ("Fuck You"), and the Darjeeling Limited soundtrack, over and over again. When our iTunes libraries got stale, we tried playing a mix of stations on Pandora. Currently, I am on Lala, which I really like. From what I understand, you can listen to everything once, then, the tracks play as 30-second samples. You can download them as mp3s for cheap, or buy them to listen to exclusively on Lala for cheaper, which uses a player not unlike your iTunes setup. So I immediately "added" (bought to listen on Lala) the newest Elvis Perkins album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, because I just can't get enough of it. In fact, that's where I'm headed very soon, to Walter's to see him live. We share the same birthday, by the way.

Will clarify what "cheap" and "cheaper" means and all that—later.

Indie Book Festival This Sunday

PHOTO VIA DOMY
This Sunday, I plan to visit Domy—a 0.1-mile walk from my apartment—for the Houston Indie Book Festival after I accompany my mother to church for Mother's Day. If I didn't go, my father would have to pin a flower on her. Which would break my heart. And would also be a bit like Parent Day without a parent. It's also possible that, in light of the recession, the church has cut their carnation budget. Will let you know!

According to the Gulf Coast Web site, the book fest will include R2, which my college writingmates and I helped found, with the author of the highly-anticipated vampire trilogy, Justin Cronin.

SOAP&SKIN

PHOTO VIA MYSPACE
Listen to Austrian band SOAP&SKIN. Visiting its website is like being at an uncomfortable gallery. But the music is worth a listen.

Hey, this reminds me of…

Sometimes I listen to The Hype Machine. Sometimes, like now, I will listen to the "latest" songs, some of which are unbearable, and I will hit "next" at the bottom right of the screen. In any case, here's a song called Perfect Fit, by a band called Clue, that reminds me a little bit of Islands.

I have been loving the April showers in Houston but am sad to say that, according to my Mac OS X Dashboard weather Widget, we’re to expect sun all next week. On days like today—73 degrees, fair—I find myself saying, “It’s beautiful out,” or “I love this weather,” when actually I prefer dark clouds and an impending storm. Does that depress you?…In an attempt at learning How to Enjoy Sunday, I installed myself at Antidote Coffee (729 Studewood) for several hours, where I enjoyed a double soy latté a piece of moist zucchini bread, the company of my friend F, and the surprising convenience of a power outlet under my seat. How often does that happen at a coffee shop, on a weekend? Also, the folks at Antidote will let you use their scissors if you ask.

After finishing The Wire I did not return that hallowed Netflix disc for quite some time. (Speaking of Netflix, you can watch the premiere episode of The Tudors: Season 3 instantly through April 20—tomorrow!) Some might say I was in mourning. Since realizing there might be life after The Wire, I have watched the following movies, in order: Friends with Money (2006), Shopgirl (2005), The Machinist (2004), and Badlands (1973). Coincidentally, the first three are set in LA, although The Machinist was shot in Barcelona. The first one I loved and will not write about. The second one, well, don’t go off of your antidepressants, kids! You will go through a Blue Period! And I warn, Claire Danes cries, which is one of my least favorite things to watch. It is brief, though.

The Machinist was probably the best in that I’ll probably add it to my small yet selective DVD collection. Or at least add it to my Amazon Wish List (ahem). For those who haven’t seen it, the film is about a machinist—you know, an industrial worker—who hasn’t slept in a year (I know, how is that possible?), which is really painful to watch. I really tried to imagine how the main character Trevor Reznik, played by Christian Bale, was feeling. So I tried to remember, in college, how it felt to operate my car after working in [architecture] studio for however many hours—shit-ty. That’s as much empathy as I could conjure. In any case, The Machinist confirms that Christian Bale is crazy and one of the best actors of our time. (The supporting roles of Jones and Jackson are played by actors in The Wire!)

As for Badlands, my friend L in Austin is working on Terrence Malick’s latest film Tree of Life (starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, wow!) and I figured I’d study up on “Terry’s” (that’s what L calls him) earlier films before watching Tree of Life when it comes out in 2010, according to IMDb. I haven’t finished watching Badlands but I’ll let you know if I have any other thoughts than, “What the f--- is wrong with you, Holly??”…In other news, Gossip Girl is rocking my world. Is it rocking yours?

Weather, Models, Gossip, and Karma

It's been warm in Houston, and as a fan of cold weather, I'm looking forward to the cooler temperatures we're expecting over the course of the next few days. But my new colleague and I feel this will be the last of it, which is too bad…Am looking forward to the second episode of America's Next Top Model tonight (MAKEOVERS). They are looking for girls 5'-7" and under for the next cycle, and I seriously considered applying because, you know, there industry really needs a 5'-6" 140-lb twenty-five-year-old model on the runway (ha ha ha!), but I realized I already have a job…Gossip Girl finally returns with "The Age of Dissonance" on Monday, March 16 (Daily Intel's reality index!) As for the actual episode, according to Wikipedia:

The Constance Billard and St. Jude seniors put on a production of "The Age of Innocence" and find their personal lives mirroring conflicts in the play. Serena develops a crush on the play’s director, Julian, and enlists Vanessa’s knowledge of theater to help her get the otherwise uninterested guy’s attention. Blair receives devastating news about her future that leads her on a witch-hunt for the person responsible. Dan and Rachel agree to stay away from each other in the aftermath of being discovered as more than teacher and student, but find it impossible to keep that promise. Chuck enlists help from an unlikely source to win over Blair, his nemesis Carter Baizen.

I lost my "Gossip Girlfriend" to Atlanta so I'm accepting applications for that position…Also, a word on exercising at the gym. Don't make fun of the squat Asian guy on the elliptical next to you, because somehow your earphones will fall out of your ears and to the ground, taking the iPod and you with it.