Chicago International Film Festival

The Chicago International Film Festival happens every year in October. So far, only seventeen of the films have been announced. More will be announced later this month. I thought that I would say a little bit about the films that I am planning on seeing.

The first film is called Antichrist. It is written and directed by Lars von Trier and stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It is a dark, erotic love story from the controversial writer/director of Dogville, Dancer in the Dark and Breaking Waves. A grieving couple retreats to an isolated cabin in the woods to repair their broken hearts an troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse...

Vincere is written and directed by Marco Bellocchio and stars Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi. The closely guarded story of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's secret lover and son is revealed in fittingly operatic proportiona in this electrifying tour de force.

A Frozen Flower is directed by Ha Yu and stars Jin-mo Ju and Ji-hyo Song. This bold and provocative tale of the forbidden love between a 13th-century Korean king and his male guard is laced with lust, betrayal, and epic battles.

Hipsters is written and directed by Valery Todorovsky. Moscow, 1955. soviet uniformity is the order of the day, but incurring the wrath of all the grim-faced comrades in Russia isn't enough to stop a group of young "hipsters" from donning outrageous threads, puffing up their pompadours, pushing up their cleavage, throwing back martinis, and shakin' their hips. Could this romantic, infectiously fun musical be this year's Slumdog Millionaire?

Notturno Bus

I just went to the Chicago Cultural Center with my roommate, Sarah, to see a free sneak preview of Night Bus (Notturno Bus). The showing was part of the International Summer Screenings Program. I absolutely loved it. It took a little while at the beginning to really get into the plot, but after that, it was really good.

The film was directed by Davide Marengo and originally came out in 2007. It starred Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Valerio Mastandrea. The film centers around Franz, a bus driver with a gambling habit and Leila, a thief. I feel like the film was best described right before the showing by the head of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago as a film that is a bit Noir-ish and a bit Romantic Comedy. I believe that the film is coming back in October as part of the festival, and I would encourage anyone to check it out.

ESL Training and the Peace Corps

I went to ESL training last night. For those of you that don't know, I have been seriously thinking about joining the Peace Corps for a little over a year now. I decided last year, that I wanted part of my "road" to the corps to be ESL (English as a second language) tutoring. A lot of the places that I am looking into offer ESL as a part of the volunteering. I really wanted to start getting experience last semester, but it never seemed to fit in with my schedule.

I am really lucky this semester. Loyola has a really good program. The program is about twelve years old and is run by a Loyola professor. There are several English grad students that oversee the program. The tutors themselves are made up of Loyola students and others in the community. The location is also really convenient. The Literacy Center is right on the edge of campus.

I was a little nervous at first, but training last night went really well. We watched a mock-tutor session. We practiced making lesson plans. We also took a tour of the center and went over all of the tools at our disposal. I will most likely be tutoring for about three hours every Tuesday, and am already really excited about it.

I am also, already starting to get really excited about the Peace Corps. This past week, I started filling out my application. I can't believe that it is really happening (although it will be about 9-12 months before I get an official invite). I feel like it is going to be a long process, but I am going to try and stick with it and get all of the paperwork finished as soon as possible. As the process continues, I will let you all know how it is going.

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 35

The Men Who Stare at Goats Trailer

Armored Trailer

Cloud 9 Trailer

The Descent Part 2 Trailer

Amreeka Trailer

Music Monday! pt. 10 What You Don't Know

This week's Music Monday is "What You Don't Know" by Jonatha Brooke. Some of you may recognize is as the theme song from "Dollhouse." I thought that it was so cool when I found this song. Joss Whedon only uses the last little bit of the song, but really it all goes along really well with the show.

What You Don't Know mp3

Food Friday! pt. 6 Egg Drop Soup

The recipe that I used is vegetarian, but instead of vegetable stock, a meat stock can be used.

Ingredients:

6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Pinch finely ground white pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Add green onions (you can keep a few to add later as garnish). Add white pepper and soy sauce. Return to a bare simmer and cook for three minutes.

Stirring with a fork, gradually add the eggs in a slow, steady stream. Cook until the eggs are set, stirring to create shreds or ribbons of the eggs (1 minute).

Remove from heat. Ladle into bowls. Serve immediately.

I Miss My Sweeties!

Original photos by my sister, Justyn

Off the Railstone

DJ Paige Railstone

If you haven't heard of Paige Railstone, you should definitely check her out. I happened across her website online. I listened to a small portion of her upcoming album, OFF THE RAILSTONE. Not only is she an amazing DJ, but she is also a surprisingly good song writer. Her lyrics are absolutely amazing. If you want to learn more about her, check out her site.

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 34

Youth in Revolt Trailer

Bronson Trailer

The Wolfman Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 33

The September Issue Trailer

Avatar Trailer

Inception Trailer

Deathly Hallows Casting

As most of you know, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part I and II are currently being filmed. I have been looking at the cast list for all of the new characters and am pretty excited about the film. Here are some of the actors that will be joining the cast:




















Perhaps one of my favorite casting decisions is Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeor. I am sure that you all recognize him, but in case you don't, you may remember him from Love Actually and Underworld.













Jamie Campbell Bell (RocknRolla, Sweeney Todd) will be taking on the role of Gellert Grindelwald.

















Ciaran Hinds (another favorite casting choice) will be taking on the role of Aberforth Dumbledore. You may recognize him from the television show, Rome and the recent film, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.

Toby Regbo will be taking on the role of teenage Dumbledore.





















Rhys Ifans will be taking on the role of Xenophilius Lovegood (perfect casting in my opinion). He has been in a lot of different films, but every time I think of him, the very first role that comes to mind is the weird roommate from Notting Hill.



















David O'Hara will be taking on the role of Albert Runcorn. He has been in many films including the Matchmaker, Made and the Departed, but my favorite role of his is Stephen from Braveheart.





















Nick Moran (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) will be taking on the role of Scabior.








Guy Henry will be taking on the role of Pius Thicknesse. You may remember him as the creepy Mr. Collins form Lost in Austen or as Cassius from the television show, Rome.

Music Monday! pt. 9 Vagabond

This week's Music Monday mp3 is Vagabond by Wolfmother.

Vagabond mp3

Back at School

I am so glad to be back at school right now. My dad and I arrived at my dorm this morning just a little before 8:00 am (Chicago time). After quite a while, I finally managed to get everything unpacked and put away. I never really feel settled until I get everything put away, so it is always the first thing that I do. Then I went to do a little grocery shopping. It feels so nice to be on my own again.

I am living in the same dorm, so everything seems really familiar, but just a little different. It is kind of weird. For instance, I am sleeping in the same room, but on the opposite side of it. My desk is in a different room. All of the furniture is moved around. And of course there is the fact that the place is clean. I never really noticed how well the dorms are cleaned during the summer, but this is certainly not the condition that we left it in.

That is all for now, but I will keep you posted to the goings on.

Currently Reading for Pleasure:
The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

Currently Watching:
Battlestar Galactica Season 4.0

Currently Listening to:
New Order

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 32

Me and Orson Welles Trailer

The Boys Are Back Trailer

Legion Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 31

Art & Copy Trailer

The Headless Woman Trailer

It's Complicated Trailer

New York, I Love You Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 30

Gentlemen Broncos Trailer

My One and Only Trailer

Paris Trailer

When in Rome Trailer

Law Abiding Citizen Trailer

The Fourth Kind Trailer

Motherhood Trailer

Music Monday! pt. 8 Cruel World

This week's "Music Monday" Mp3, is "Cruel World" by Danny Elfman and Alan Cumming.

Cruel World Mp3

Smell Saturday! James Franco

For this week's "Smell Saturday" I will be posting the...Essence of James Franco...

Heavy on the: Cherry Jolly Rancher, Cotton


Waft of: Ivory Soap, Mint


Hints of: Grass, Leather

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 29

Hot Tub Time Machine Trailer

Bright Star Trailer

The Lovely Bones Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 28

Alice in Wonderland Trailer

The Blind Side Trailer

The Open Road Trailer

Not Quite Hollywood Trailer

The Other Man Trailer

Fantastic Mr. Fox Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 27

45365 Trailer

I Sell the Dead Trailer

Grace Trailer

Beeswax Trailer

Earth Days Trailer

The Burning Plain Trailer

A Serious Man Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 26

Cemetery Junction Trailer

Whip It! Trailer

Broken Embraces Trailer

An Education Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 25

The Queen and I Trailer

I Love You Phillip Morris Trailer

No Impact Man Trailer

Flame and Citron Trailer

Despicable Me Trailer

Yoo-hoo Mrs. Goldberg Trailer

The Collector Trailer

Bret McKenzie in the Lord of the Rings!

I remember imdb'ing Bret McKenzie (The Flight of the Conchords) a while back and seeing that he was in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King. I forgot about it until a few nights back. I finally had a chance to go through the films and find him...

Extended Edition- The Fellowship of the Ring
disk one
1:43:25 (far right of the screen)
1:43:38
1:44:03 (far left of the screen)

Extended Edition- The Return of the King
disk one
38:45 "Lady Arwen..."

Half-Blood Prince

I saw the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince earlier this week. I have heard very many mixed reviews so far, so now I am going to write what I say. First of all, there were very many discrepancies between the film and book. This did not bother me as much as it seemed to bother others. I guess that I have kind of gotten used to it since it has also happened that way with all of the other films.

The one thing that I really had a problem with was the way the the film dealt with Fenrir Greyback. I personally think that he is a kind of large part of the story. The problem that I had was that the film showed him, but with absolutely no explanation. I do not understand why he was even put in the film, if he was going to have such a small role.

That all said, I loved the film. There were many moments when I was uncontrollably laughing (the main moment being after Harry takes the luck potion). Prior to seeing the film, I was not completely sure whether Jim Broadbent was the absolutely best choice for Professor Horace Slughorn. Upon seeing the film, all of my doubts were crushed. He was absolutely amazing. He could be in the background of a scene when something extremely important was happening, and still, I could not take my eyes off him. Every facial expression and gesture was perfect.

I encourage you all to post your own reviews in the comments section.

Dream Cast Thursday! Twilight

For this week's "Dream Cast Thursday," I will be recasting Twilight. The original cast includes: Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene), Rosalie Hale (Nikki Reed), Jasper Hale (Jackson Rathbone), Emmett Cullen (Kellan Lutz), Dr. Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli), Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Esme Cullen (Elizabeth Reaser)

My recasting includes: Bella Swan (Emmy Rossum), Edward Cullen (James Franco), Alice Cullen (Natalie Portman), Rosalie Hale (Amber Heard), Jasper Hale (Trent Ford), Emmett Cullen (Channing Tatum), Dr. Carlisle Cullen (Jason Lewis), Jacob Black (Steven Strait), and Esme Cullen (Rachel Weisz).











It was really hard trying to find the right Edward. I know that James Franco might not be the obvious choice for a seventeen year old looking vampire, but when I saw the above picture from SNL, it seemed really right.

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 24

Weather Girl Trailer

The Windmill Movie Trailer

Betty Blue Trailer

Pandorum Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 23

The Invention of Lying Trailer

Amelia Trailer

The Box Trailer

Ponyo Trailer

Zombieland Trailer

Daybreakers Trailer

Love Happens Trailer

Nine Trailer

Spread Trailer

Trailer Tuesday! pt. 22

Jennifer's Body Trailer

Brothers Trailer

Carriers Trailer

The Informant Trailer

Couple's Retreat Trailer

Five Minutes of Heaven Trailer

Coco Before Chanel Trailer

Mackinac Bridge

Camping Trip

This past weekend, I went on a camping trip with my dad. I had a really great time. We drove up to Michigan. The first camp site that we went to was at Grass Lake Campground. It was right outside of Paradise in the Upper Peninsula. That first night was pretty cold, but it wasn't too bad with a sweatshirt on in my sleeping bag. The lake was really beautiful, and our site was right on the shore. Above are a few pictures of Grass Lake.























Here are some photos of Mackinac Bridge. We went over it twice and spent some time in Mackinac City. The breezes coming off of the water made the weather really nice. There were some really nice and funny shops. One was called "The Canada Store." It only sold Canadian merchandise.























Later we went to Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula. We spent a really long time walking along all of the trails and going to the upper and lower falls. We also spent some time in the Tahquamenon Brewery. I had some absolutely delicious french fries. My dad had a Black and Tan that he said was delicious. One thing that is really nice about Michigan, is that there seems to be an enormous number of dogs. People bring their dogs everywhere. They are allowed in most stores and resturants. Many places have little water dishes outside their doors. At Tahquamenon, we saw many dogs. My dad pet just about all of them.






















Our last site was at Platte river Campground. It was right by the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Glen Arbor right by Lelanau. In Lelanau, there was a really cool store where everything was at least 50% off. Their sunglasses were on sale for 2 for $10.00! Everyone that knows me knows that I hate spending a fortune on sunglasses. We also went to a cute little restaurant called The Cherry Republic. Just about everything had cherries in it. I had the most magnificent grilled cheese of my life. The bread was really good. It had a couple different types of cheese (including provolone) and a really delicious spicy, cherry sauce.



















Our site at Platte River Campground had a trail leading to the Lake Michigan beach. We spent several hours hiking to and along the beach. It was gorgeous. It was really nice, because there were only a couple of crowded areas along the beach. The rest was pretty secluded. For a lot of our hike, there was this tiny, little bird that kept walking ahead of us. Every now and then it would turn around and look at us. If we were too close behind, it would fly ahead a few feet and start walking ahead of us again.