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Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The ever-changing Bucket List - UPDATED!
This past week and a half, I've been on a great road trip with two friends, Dave and Nick. While we were driving across the country, I was able to cross off a few items - including #64 and #75. :) It was a great trip.
It's fun to look at my list and see just how many items are crossed off...and just how many more will be crossed off within the year! :)
1. Learn how to salsa dance in Spain
2. Learn how to drive a manual transmission
3. Snowboard in Queenstown, New Zealand
4. Go skydiving in Aukland, New Zealand
5. Go zorbing in New Zealand
6. Learn how to sail
7. Be proficient in a second language
8. Be an "extra" in a major motion picture
9. Get a tattoo
10. Set up a scholarship in my dad's name
11. Attend the Super Bowl and World Series
12. Go bungee jumping
13. Go backstage and meet the headliner at a concert
14. Skinny dip
15. Complete a coast-to-coast road trip
16.Go fishing and eat my own catch
17. Gut a fish like a pro
18.Swim with dolphins
19.Ride a jet ski in the ocean
20. Ride in a hot air balloon
21. Go heli-skiing
22. Sleep beneath the stars
23. Swim with Great White Sharks
24. Fall in love and get married
25. Raise children
26. Take a full year off from work
27. Travel to Europe
28.Travel to South America
29.Travel to Australia
30. Travel to Asia
31. Travel to Africa
32.Travel to Hawaii
33.Travel to Alaska
34. Travel to Antarctica
35.Take a vacation on a cruise ship
36. Take a trip without any destination in mind
37. Attend the Olympics
38. Drink a Guiness in Dublin, Ireland
39. Go to St. Patrick's Day in Dublin
40. Kiss the Blarney stone
41. Participate in a camel caravan in the desert
42. See the pyramids in Egypt
43. Drink beer at the Oktoberfest in Germany
44. See Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany (the real castle the Sleeping Beauty castle was modeled after)
45. See Stonehenge
46. See a musical in London
47. See Big Ben
48. Ride on the London Eye
49. See the Queen's palace
50. Walk on London Bridge
51. Have high tea at Fortnum & Mason in London
52. Stand on the Great Wall of China
53. Visit the Taj Mahal
54. Ride on an elephant in India
55. Stand at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
56. Kiss under the Eiffel Tower
57. See the Mona Lisa
58. Walk along Champs Elysees
59. See Moulin Rouge
60. Eat sushi in Japan
61. Drive on the autobahn in a fast car
62.Visit Wrigley Field
63.Visit Fenway Park
64.Visit Safeco field
65. Scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef
66. Hold a koala
67. Touch a kangaroo
68. Take an around-the-world cruise
69. Play an 18-hole game at par
70.Ride a cable car in San Francisco
71. Visit all 50 states (only 5 to go!!)
72.Climb the Rocky Stairs in Philadelphia (done 8/26/2010 with Liz)
73. Sleep under the stars in Yosemite
74.Visit the Seattle space needle
75.Throw/catch a fish at the fish market in Seattle
76.Find the celebrity with the same size feet/hands at the Chinese Theater in LA and remember who it is (did as a kid, but don't remember who it was) (Completed 12/31/2010)
77.See the Bellagio water show in Vegas
78. See a Vegas show
79. Visit the Jurassic Park set in Hawaii
80. Visit the Lost set in Hawaii
81. Surf Hawaii
82.See the Liberty Bell (done 8/26/2010 with Liz)
83.Visit Boston (done 8/13-15/2010)
84. Go to the Salem witch trials area
85.Climb the Statue of Liberty
86.Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA
87.Go on a cruise
88.Learn how to play chess
89. See the fall colors on the east coast
90.Go whale watching
91. See the cherry blossoms in DC
92.Take a cab in NYC (done 8/7/2010)
93. Visit Carnegie Hall
94. See the Rockettes at Radio City Hall
95. Learn how to Hula in Hawaii at a luau
96. Pan for gold in Alaska
97. Go to Niagara Falls
98. Go to the Kentucky Derby and have a mint julep
99.See an independent film play at Sundance Film Festival and shake the producer's hand
100. Go to the Cannes Film Festival
101. Go on location for the Sound of Music in Austria
102. Ski the Alps
103. Visit where Grandma Johnson was born in Sweden
104. Visit the relatives in Sweden
105. Go on a safari
106. See a lion and cheetah in the wild
107. Swim in the largest swimming pool in the world, off the coast of Chile (it's more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres and has a 115-foot deep end, and holds 66 million gallons on water)
108. Have an authentic Chinese meal
109. Have a conversation in Mandarin Chinese
110. Meet a celebrity and have a conversation.
111. Ring the bell on the NY Stock Exchange
112. Stay in a hut above the water in Fiji/Bora Bora
113. Walk the Aztec Trail
114. See Machu Picchu in Peru
115. Visit Bali
116. Visit Thailand
117. Visit Prague, Czech Republic
118. Visit Santorini
119. Visit Athens
120. Visit Myokonos
121. Visit Brazil
122. Visit Chile
123. Visit the Galapagos
124. Visit Dubrovnik, Croatia
125. See the leaning tower of Pisa
126. Be a street performer
127. Visit the colussium in Rome
128. Eat an authentic Italian meal
129. Have authentic Italian pizza
130. Take a gondola ride in Venice
131. Paint a picture with oil paints in Venice
132. Adopt a pet
133. Learn how to say "hello" in 20 languages
134. Learn how to say "I love you" in 20 languages
135. Dive in a submarine
136. Go fire walking
137. Drive a race car
138. Climb Mt. Everest Base Camp
139. Watch a space shuttle blast-off up close
140. Break a Guinness World Record
141. Take up photography
142. Solve the Rubik's cube
143. Throw a great dinner party
144. Put something in the world and find it 20 years later
145. Make a list of 100 books to read
146. Make a list of 100 movies to watch
147. Write a travel book
148. Drive a Lamborghini
149. Sleep in a castle
150. See penguins in their natural habitat
151. Milk a cow
152. Throw out the first pitch at an MLB game
153. Go backpacking in a foreign country
154. Reverse pickpocket someone
155. Tip someone $100
156. Write my initials on the bottom of dollar bills and wait to find it again
157. Make a time capsule and bury it
158. Go to the airport and buy a same-day plane ticket to a destination that looks interesting.
159. Build a house on The 40 up north
160. Practice unconditional love
161. Learn how to play the bagpipes in Scotland
162. Go to Prince Edward Island, Canada and see Green Gables....and maybe find a Gilbert ; )
163. Successfully crack an egg with one hand
164. Stay in a haunted house/hotel and live to tell about it
165. Make a film
166. Celebrate Mardi Gras in Lousiana
167. Meet enough people to know someone with a birthday every day.
168. Drink wine directly from the barrel
169. Create a signature dish
170. Collect honey from a beehive
171.
It's fun to look at my list and see just how many items are crossed off...and just how many more will be crossed off within the year! :)
1. Learn how to salsa dance in Spain
2. Learn how to drive a manual transmission
3. Snowboard in Queenstown, New Zealand
4. Go skydiving in Aukland, New Zealand
5. Go zorbing in New Zealand
6. Learn how to sail
7. Be proficient in a second language
8. Be an "extra" in a major motion picture
9. Get a tattoo
10. Set up a scholarship in my dad's name
11. Attend the Super Bowl and World Series
12. Go bungee jumping
13. Go backstage and meet the headliner at a concert
14. Skinny dip
15. Complete a coast-to-coast road trip
16.
17. Gut a fish like a pro
18.
19.
20. Ride in a hot air balloon
21. Go heli-skiing
22. Sleep beneath the stars
23. Swim with Great White Sharks
24. Fall in love and get married
25. Raise children
26. Take a full year off from work
27. Travel to Europe
28.
29.
30. Travel to Asia
31. Travel to Africa
32.
33.
34. Travel to Antarctica
35.
36. Take a trip without any destination in mind
37. Attend the Olympics
38. Drink a Guiness in Dublin, Ireland
39. Go to St. Patrick's Day in Dublin
40. Kiss the Blarney stone
41. Participate in a camel caravan in the desert
42. See the pyramids in Egypt
43. Drink beer at the Oktoberfest in Germany
44. See Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany (the real castle the Sleeping Beauty castle was modeled after)
45. See Stonehenge
46. See a musical in London
47. See Big Ben
48. Ride on the London Eye
49. See the Queen's palace
50. Walk on London Bridge
51. Have high tea at Fortnum & Mason in London
52. Stand on the Great Wall of China
53. Visit the Taj Mahal
54. Ride on an elephant in India
55. Stand at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
56. Kiss under the Eiffel Tower
57. See the Mona Lisa
58. Walk along Champs Elysees
59. See Moulin Rouge
60. Eat sushi in Japan
61. Drive on the autobahn in a fast car
62.
63.
64.
65. Scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef
66. Hold a koala
67. Touch a kangaroo
68. Take an around-the-world cruise
69. Play an 18-hole game at par
70.
71. Visit all 50 states (only 5 to go!!)
72.
73. Sleep under the stars in Yosemite
74.
75.
76.
77.
78. See a Vegas show
79. Visit the Jurassic Park set in Hawaii
80. Visit the Lost set in Hawaii
81. Surf Hawaii
82.
83.
84. Go to the Salem witch trials area
85.
86.
87.
88.
89. See the fall colors on the east coast
90.
91. See the cherry blossoms in DC
92.
93. Visit Carnegie Hall
94. See the Rockettes at Radio City Hall
95. Learn how to Hula in Hawaii at a luau
96. Pan for gold in Alaska
97. Go to Niagara Falls
98. Go to the Kentucky Derby and have a mint julep
99.
100. Go to the Cannes Film Festival
101. Go on location for the Sound of Music in Austria
102. Ski the Alps
103. Visit where Grandma Johnson was born in Sweden
104. Visit the relatives in Sweden
105. Go on a safari
106. See a lion and cheetah in the wild
107. Swim in the largest swimming pool in the world, off the coast of Chile (it's more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres and has a 115-foot deep end, and holds 66 million gallons on water)
108. Have an authentic Chinese meal
109. Have a conversation in Mandarin Chinese
110. Meet a celebrity and have a conversation.
111. Ring the bell on the NY Stock Exchange
112. Stay in a hut above the water in Fiji/Bora Bora
113. Walk the Aztec Trail
114. See Machu Picchu in Peru
115. Visit Bali
116. Visit Thailand
117. Visit Prague, Czech Republic
118. Visit Santorini
119. Visit Athens
120. Visit Myokonos
121. Visit Brazil
122. Visit Chile
123. Visit the Galapagos
124. Visit Dubrovnik, Croatia
125. See the leaning tower of Pisa
126. Be a street performer
127. Visit the colussium in Rome
128. Eat an authentic Italian meal
129. Have authentic Italian pizza
130. Take a gondola ride in Venice
131. Paint a picture with oil paints in Venice
132. Adopt a pet
133. Learn how to say "hello" in 20 languages
134. Learn how to say "I love you" in 20 languages
135. Dive in a submarine
136. Go fire walking
137. Drive a race car
138. Climb Mt. Everest Base Camp
139. Watch a space shuttle blast-off up close
140. Break a Guinness World Record
141. Take up photography
142. Solve the Rubik's cube
143. Throw a great dinner party
144. Put something in the world and find it 20 years later
145. Make a list of 100 books to read
146. Make a list of 100 movies to watch
147. Write a travel book
148. Drive a Lamborghini
149. Sleep in a castle
150. See penguins in their natural habitat
151. Milk a cow
152. Throw out the first pitch at an MLB game
153. Go backpacking in a foreign country
154. Reverse pickpocket someone
155. Tip someone $100
156. Write my initials on the bottom of dollar bills and wait to find it again
157. Make a time capsule and bury it
158. Go to the airport and buy a same-day plane ticket to a destination that looks interesting.
159. Build a house on The 40 up north
160. Practice unconditional love
161. Learn how to play the bagpipes in Scotland
162. Go to Prince Edward Island, Canada and see Green Gables....and maybe find a Gilbert ; )
163. Successfully crack an egg with one hand
164. Stay in a haunted house/hotel and live to tell about it
165. Make a film
166. Celebrate Mardi Gras in Lousiana
167. Meet enough people to know someone with a birthday every day.
168. Drink wine directly from the barrel
169. Create a signature dish
170. Collect honey from a beehive
171.
Monday, January 31, 2011
#99 - See an independent film play at Sundance Film Festival and shake the producer's hand
I can't even remember when it was that I wanted to go to Sundance. Years ago, I knew that I had to get there at some point.
About a year ago, I was looking on the Sundance website, trying to figure out how I can get to it. At first, I had thought about volunteering at the festival. It stated that more information for the festival is released in the fall each year, so this past fall, I went to check out the website for more information.
What I ended up doing was putting my name into their lottery drawing for both the movie passes and the individual ticket packages. And then I completely forgot I did that.
A few months later, I got an e-mail stating what my time slot was to purchase a movie pass. I wasn't sure if I was going to go - I looked into hotel and airfare, and it was going to be expensive, not even considering the movie pass. There was only one movie pass I was going to get, and I told myself that if it was still available when it was my time slot, then I'd get it and make things work.
And looking back, I'm so glad I got the pass.
After some planning and re-planning, my trip went from one night to four nights - I'm SO glad I didn't just go for one night. That would've been a huge mistake.
Anyways, I got to Park City Wednesday night; basically, I just went straight to my room and fell asleep. I woke up early the next morning and walked to the theater for my first movie, I Melt With You. It caught my eye, because it has Jeremy Piven in it. Thomas Jane and Rob Lowe are also in it. It's about four 44-year old college friends that get together for a week. They do it every year, where they basically let loose from their lives - it was a lot of drugs and drinking. Rob Lowe is a doctor in the movie, and he comes to this house they've rented with a bag FILLED with pills and drugs. And within the week, they manage to polish off about everything. It was kind of funny; the house they rented was big enough for about 50 people - and it was just the 4 guys. Well the movie has a crazy twist, and it gets pretty dark. I absolutely loved the soundtrack for the movie. Each song was great and perfectly placed within the movie. But, I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. It definitely got mixed reviews. Perhaps it was just so dark for being 9am. The movie did get picked up, so I'll be interested to see if it hits theaters. I think there might need to be a few changes for it to hit the theaters though.
After that, my movie pass didn't start up until the next day, so I tried my luck with doing the wait list. And it did not go so well. Well, I guess I tried it for two movies and I got into one. But I know if I go back again (or should I say, when I go back again), I will definitely have a movie pass. The movie pass is definitely the way to go. The first movie I tried to wait list, I spent about three hours waiting around....and didn't even get in. Just a waste of time.
But I did get into the second movie I waitlisted. This too was a dark movie; and strangely enough, it had basically the exact same plot as I Melt with You. But to.get.her was based on five teenage girls. Less drugs and drinking. But these five girls all get together at a beach house for a weekend. And, that's basically all I can say without giving it away. Now it doesn't get as dark as I Melt with You, but it definitely has a twist that I did not see coming. I'm not sure why I saw the twist in I Melt with You; perhaps I read about it before the movie, but I didn't see the twist in to.get.her.
Here's a picture of the cast. On the far right is the writer/director. Next to her are four of the five girls. The two guys are also actors in the movie, and I can't remember who the lady is on the left. They had a Q&A at the end of the movie, which was pretty interesting to hear the back story of the movie from the writer/director's point of view. I was able to talk to her after the Q&A, which was pretty cool.
After that, I called it a night.
Friday was a very big day of movies:
1. HERE
This movie was not good. It was so hard to watch the whole time; it was really slow and the story was not that great to me. I kind of wish I had left the movie early, but I felt bad leaving early. Looking back, I should have. It was miserable. I left right when it ended and didn't stay for the Q&A. It was about a guy who makes maps around the world. He runs into a girl who's traveling, and they end up going around together. The story could've gone somewhere, but it was just really slow.
2. Higher Ground
This was a great movie. It was written and directed by Vera Farmiga. She did a great job with this film; it was about a woman's life and how religion affected it. It was a great piece, and she was the lead role in the film. I also got to talk to her for awhile after the Q&A, as we walked out of the theater together.
3. Terri
Here's where my bucket list item gets crossed off. So, this was the movie I tried to waitlist on Thursday but didn't get in. Before the movie, I was getting some lunch at the Marriott near the theater. As I was having my soup, the producer and director for Terri were sitting at the table next to me. I got to talk to the producer, Alex Orlovsky. He also was the producer for Blue Valentine, which was at Sundance in 2010. While I didn't get into the movie on Thursday, I saw it on Friday. This was about a high school boy, who was teased/didn't have friends - instead, the Vice Principal befriends Terri, as well as eventually one of the popular girls. It was a pretty good movie. The director is on the left. Second from the left is the guy who plays Terri and the girl next to him is the popular girl. The fourth from the left is a guy who also is in the movie as another outcast. The last four are all of the producers; Alex Orlovsky is the fourth from the right.
4. Flypaper
Now, this was actually my favorite movie of the whole festival! Well, at least in the top three. This was awesome. It stars Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd. It's about a bank robbery, but it's definitely a comedy, as well as an action movie. The whole movie is kind of a "whodunnit" type of movie. But it kept my attention throughout the entire movie, as well as it was hilarious! I'm not sure if it got picked up yet, but I really hope it does. One of the best things.......Patrick Dempsey came to present the movie!! The lighting's not the best, but oh well. That was pretty awesome...
5. Happy, Happy
At the end of Flypaper, they stated that Patrick Dempsey wouldn't be around for the Q&A, so I headed out to make it for the last movie of the day. This was a Norwegian movie, so the entire movie was in subtitles. It was about this one couple - couple #1. Another couple - couple #2 - moved into the house next door, so couple #1 went to befriend them. Then the girl from couple #1 has an affair with the guy from couple #2, and the movie goes on to discuss their love story. It was rather interesting, and actually it ended very well for what it was.
Happy, Happy was the midnight showing, so afterwards, I took the bus back toward the condo and went to bed.
Saturday was another long day of movie watching. Again, I went to another five movies. Well, four movies and a shorts program.
1. Like Crazy
This was also in my top three movies (along with Sound of My Voice, noted below). Like Crazy was fabulous - it describes the story of a first love. The two met in college. The girl is from England, and her visa runs out. Instead of heading back, she stays in California longer with her boyfriend. When she goes home for a week and tries to come back, she gets rejected and sent back to England, since she had overstayed her visa. The story then goes on to talk about how the couple work through a long distance relationship. Oh, it's so good. Their love story is well developed, and you just love them. This was one of my favorite Q&A's. The guy on the far right is the writer/director, Drake Doremus - and he was hilarious! My favorite part of the Q&A - Question from the audience: What did you film on? Doremus: Uh, VHS. This movie was one of the big winners for the festival, and I know it was purchased early in the festival. I'm excited to see it hit theaters. Also, I just have to say - the guy second from the right had a Vikings jacket on! I went up to him at the end of the Q&A, and he said he's always been a Vikings' fan, but he's not from Minnesota. There were a couple other Minnesotans there, because they went up to ask him the same thing.
2. Sound of My Voice
Also in the top three, this movie was completely different than what I was thinking. This movie was about a cult. There was a couple who were trying to film a movie about cults, so they went to join one to get more information. The leader of the cult was Maggie. I think the ending of the movie is what made the movie great. Right before the end, there was this really awkward situation that made me so uncomfortable, but it changed and became fabulous. When it ends, it really leaves you hanging - during the Q&A, the writers and director stated that the movie was actually written as a trilogy. I'm really looking forward to seeing the future movies! The girl in the middle is Maggie, as well as she was one of the writers. The guy on the left is in the movie as one of the main characters and the guy on the right is the director/writer.
3. Shorts Program II
This was a compilation of about 5-6 short films. The best one was Brick Novax's Diary!! Oh my goodness, this was absolutely hilarious! It's about a ken-like doll named Brick Novax, who has two weeks to live, and he goes through different things in his life. It's all with dolls/figurines with voice overs - the guy who was the voice of Brick Novax was there for the Q&A. The guy said that Brick Novax is going to play on HBO. Some people from Sundance were telling the writer that he should figure out some cure for Brick so that he lives longer than 14 days. Check out this little article and video about Brick Novax. Man, that film was absolutely hilarious - I wished it was longer than what it was...
4. Jess + Moss
This movie wasn't as good as I thought it was, as well as what I had heard about. Jess is this girl about 18 years old. Moss is this boy about 12. They're friends, and the movie focuses around these two and their relationship/friendship. It seems like Jess' parents abandoned her, and she notes that Moss' parents seem to have been in a car accident and died. I thought the movie was pretty slow. I wasn't a huge fan of it, I guess. There was an odd relationship between the two, but I just felt bad for both of the kids, since they seem so alone, but they are each other's friends.
5. Silent House
This was a scary movie. And on my goodness....it was incredibly scary! I definitely screamed at one point during the movie, as well as I spent most of the movie with my hand over my face, watching the movie in between my fingers. It was definitely a horror movie, and the twist to the movie was really good. Oh, it was scary. It was a shot basically in front or behind the main character, as she was exploring the house, trying to find the weird noises she kept hearing. Man, it was scary. Granted, I think I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to scary movies.
In between Jess + Moss and Silent House, I went to the Awards Party. They had a DJ there with a big dance floor, and a ton of drink stations. I basically went there for my free drink tickets and to just see what it was all about. Had I had some other friends there at the party with me, I would've stayed all night. The DJ had a really good song mix, so it was easy to listen to.
That was my best attempt at a panoramic picture. Even thought I was only there for enough time for me to consume the free drinks, I had to get to the Egyptian theater for the Silent house movie.
Sunday was the last day there. I went and saw the movie Another Earth. It actually also stars the same lady who wrote Sound of my Voice. Actually, she (Brit) also wrote Another Earth. It was about how another planet was discovered, very similar to Earth - and how the lives of a man and a woman intersect with one another. It was pretty good, and a good one to end the festival.
All in all, this has been such an amazing experience. I just loved this festival. My favorite part was the Q&As - I liked having the directors and actors/actresses available to discuss the movie we had just seen. Having that immediate feedback / information was interesting and made the movies more meaningful. I'm really looking forward to going next year!
About a year ago, I was looking on the Sundance website, trying to figure out how I can get to it. At first, I had thought about volunteering at the festival. It stated that more information for the festival is released in the fall each year, so this past fall, I went to check out the website for more information.
What I ended up doing was putting my name into their lottery drawing for both the movie passes and the individual ticket packages. And then I completely forgot I did that.
A few months later, I got an e-mail stating what my time slot was to purchase a movie pass. I wasn't sure if I was going to go - I looked into hotel and airfare, and it was going to be expensive, not even considering the movie pass. There was only one movie pass I was going to get, and I told myself that if it was still available when it was my time slot, then I'd get it and make things work.
And looking back, I'm so glad I got the pass.
After some planning and re-planning, my trip went from one night to four nights - I'm SO glad I didn't just go for one night. That would've been a huge mistake.
Anyways, I got to Park City Wednesday night; basically, I just went straight to my room and fell asleep. I woke up early the next morning and walked to the theater for my first movie, I Melt With You. It caught my eye, because it has Jeremy Piven in it. Thomas Jane and Rob Lowe are also in it. It's about four 44-year old college friends that get together for a week. They do it every year, where they basically let loose from their lives - it was a lot of drugs and drinking. Rob Lowe is a doctor in the movie, and he comes to this house they've rented with a bag FILLED with pills and drugs. And within the week, they manage to polish off about everything. It was kind of funny; the house they rented was big enough for about 50 people - and it was just the 4 guys. Well the movie has a crazy twist, and it gets pretty dark. I absolutely loved the soundtrack for the movie. Each song was great and perfectly placed within the movie. But, I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. It definitely got mixed reviews. Perhaps it was just so dark for being 9am. The movie did get picked up, so I'll be interested to see if it hits theaters. I think there might need to be a few changes for it to hit the theaters though.
After that, my movie pass didn't start up until the next day, so I tried my luck with doing the wait list. And it did not go so well. Well, I guess I tried it for two movies and I got into one. But I know if I go back again (or should I say, when I go back again), I will definitely have a movie pass. The movie pass is definitely the way to go. The first movie I tried to wait list, I spent about three hours waiting around....and didn't even get in. Just a waste of time.
But I did get into the second movie I waitlisted. This too was a dark movie; and strangely enough, it had basically the exact same plot as I Melt with You. But to.get.her was based on five teenage girls. Less drugs and drinking. But these five girls all get together at a beach house for a weekend. And, that's basically all I can say without giving it away. Now it doesn't get as dark as I Melt with You, but it definitely has a twist that I did not see coming. I'm not sure why I saw the twist in I Melt with You; perhaps I read about it before the movie, but I didn't see the twist in to.get.her.
Here's a picture of the cast. On the far right is the writer/director. Next to her are four of the five girls. The two guys are also actors in the movie, and I can't remember who the lady is on the left. They had a Q&A at the end of the movie, which was pretty interesting to hear the back story of the movie from the writer/director's point of view. I was able to talk to her after the Q&A, which was pretty cool.
After that, I called it a night.
Friday was a very big day of movies:
1. HERE
This movie was not good. It was so hard to watch the whole time; it was really slow and the story was not that great to me. I kind of wish I had left the movie early, but I felt bad leaving early. Looking back, I should have. It was miserable. I left right when it ended and didn't stay for the Q&A. It was about a guy who makes maps around the world. He runs into a girl who's traveling, and they end up going around together. The story could've gone somewhere, but it was just really slow.
2. Higher Ground
This was a great movie. It was written and directed by Vera Farmiga. She did a great job with this film; it was about a woman's life and how religion affected it. It was a great piece, and she was the lead role in the film. I also got to talk to her for awhile after the Q&A, as we walked out of the theater together.
3. Terri
Here's where my bucket list item gets crossed off. So, this was the movie I tried to waitlist on Thursday but didn't get in. Before the movie, I was getting some lunch at the Marriott near the theater. As I was having my soup, the producer and director for Terri were sitting at the table next to me. I got to talk to the producer, Alex Orlovsky. He also was the producer for Blue Valentine, which was at Sundance in 2010. While I didn't get into the movie on Thursday, I saw it on Friday. This was about a high school boy, who was teased/didn't have friends - instead, the Vice Principal befriends Terri, as well as eventually one of the popular girls. It was a pretty good movie. The director is on the left. Second from the left is the guy who plays Terri and the girl next to him is the popular girl. The fourth from the left is a guy who also is in the movie as another outcast. The last four are all of the producers; Alex Orlovsky is the fourth from the right.
4. Flypaper
Now, this was actually my favorite movie of the whole festival! Well, at least in the top three. This was awesome. It stars Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd. It's about a bank robbery, but it's definitely a comedy, as well as an action movie. The whole movie is kind of a "whodunnit" type of movie. But it kept my attention throughout the entire movie, as well as it was hilarious! I'm not sure if it got picked up yet, but I really hope it does. One of the best things.......Patrick Dempsey came to present the movie!! The lighting's not the best, but oh well. That was pretty awesome...
5. Happy, Happy
At the end of Flypaper, they stated that Patrick Dempsey wouldn't be around for the Q&A, so I headed out to make it for the last movie of the day. This was a Norwegian movie, so the entire movie was in subtitles. It was about this one couple - couple #1. Another couple - couple #2 - moved into the house next door, so couple #1 went to befriend them. Then the girl from couple #1 has an affair with the guy from couple #2, and the movie goes on to discuss their love story. It was rather interesting, and actually it ended very well for what it was.
Happy, Happy was the midnight showing, so afterwards, I took the bus back toward the condo and went to bed.
Saturday was another long day of movie watching. Again, I went to another five movies. Well, four movies and a shorts program.
1. Like Crazy
This was also in my top three movies (along with Sound of My Voice, noted below). Like Crazy was fabulous - it describes the story of a first love. The two met in college. The girl is from England, and her visa runs out. Instead of heading back, she stays in California longer with her boyfriend. When she goes home for a week and tries to come back, she gets rejected and sent back to England, since she had overstayed her visa. The story then goes on to talk about how the couple work through a long distance relationship. Oh, it's so good. Their love story is well developed, and you just love them. This was one of my favorite Q&A's. The guy on the far right is the writer/director, Drake Doremus - and he was hilarious! My favorite part of the Q&A - Question from the audience: What did you film on? Doremus: Uh, VHS. This movie was one of the big winners for the festival, and I know it was purchased early in the festival. I'm excited to see it hit theaters. Also, I just have to say - the guy second from the right had a Vikings jacket on! I went up to him at the end of the Q&A, and he said he's always been a Vikings' fan, but he's not from Minnesota. There were a couple other Minnesotans there, because they went up to ask him the same thing.
2. Sound of My Voice
Also in the top three, this movie was completely different than what I was thinking. This movie was about a cult. There was a couple who were trying to film a movie about cults, so they went to join one to get more information. The leader of the cult was Maggie. I think the ending of the movie is what made the movie great. Right before the end, there was this really awkward situation that made me so uncomfortable, but it changed and became fabulous. When it ends, it really leaves you hanging - during the Q&A, the writers and director stated that the movie was actually written as a trilogy. I'm really looking forward to seeing the future movies! The girl in the middle is Maggie, as well as she was one of the writers. The guy on the left is in the movie as one of the main characters and the guy on the right is the director/writer.
3. Shorts Program II
This was a compilation of about 5-6 short films. The best one was Brick Novax's Diary!! Oh my goodness, this was absolutely hilarious! It's about a ken-like doll named Brick Novax, who has two weeks to live, and he goes through different things in his life. It's all with dolls/figurines with voice overs - the guy who was the voice of Brick Novax was there for the Q&A. The guy said that Brick Novax is going to play on HBO. Some people from Sundance were telling the writer that he should figure out some cure for Brick so that he lives longer than 14 days. Check out this little article and video about Brick Novax. Man, that film was absolutely hilarious - I wished it was longer than what it was...
4. Jess + Moss
This movie wasn't as good as I thought it was, as well as what I had heard about. Jess is this girl about 18 years old. Moss is this boy about 12. They're friends, and the movie focuses around these two and their relationship/friendship. It seems like Jess' parents abandoned her, and she notes that Moss' parents seem to have been in a car accident and died. I thought the movie was pretty slow. I wasn't a huge fan of it, I guess. There was an odd relationship between the two, but I just felt bad for both of the kids, since they seem so alone, but they are each other's friends.
5. Silent House
This was a scary movie. And on my goodness....it was incredibly scary! I definitely screamed at one point during the movie, as well as I spent most of the movie with my hand over my face, watching the movie in between my fingers. It was definitely a horror movie, and the twist to the movie was really good. Oh, it was scary. It was a shot basically in front or behind the main character, as she was exploring the house, trying to find the weird noises she kept hearing. Man, it was scary. Granted, I think I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to scary movies.
In between Jess + Moss and Silent House, I went to the Awards Party. They had a DJ there with a big dance floor, and a ton of drink stations. I basically went there for my free drink tickets and to just see what it was all about. Had I had some other friends there at the party with me, I would've stayed all night. The DJ had a really good song mix, so it was easy to listen to.
Sunday was the last day there. I went and saw the movie Another Earth. It actually also stars the same lady who wrote Sound of my Voice. Actually, she (Brit) also wrote Another Earth. It was about how another planet was discovered, very similar to Earth - and how the lives of a man and a woman intersect with one another. It was pretty good, and a good one to end the festival.
All in all, this has been such an amazing experience. I just loved this festival. My favorite part was the Q&As - I liked having the directors and actors/actresses available to discuss the movie we had just seen. Having that immediate feedback / information was interesting and made the movies more meaningful. I'm really looking forward to going next year!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Bucket List fun
I've really enjoyed putting my stories together. It's fun to look back at what I've done.
For my bucket list, I updated it a bit, where when I've put together a story - I've been crossing off my bucket list, as well as I put the link to the respective story.
Check it out - and read through some of the newer stories!
http://thisbucketlistbelongstojaime.blogspot.com/2010/12/ever-changing-bucket-list.html
I'm excited to be crossing off another one this weekend; I'll write about it in a few days!!
If you enjoy looking through other's bucket lists, a few of my friends have been making their own bucket lists....check these two out:
Dave's Bucket List
Daniintheciti's Bucket List
For my bucket list, I updated it a bit, where when I've put together a story - I've been crossing off my bucket list, as well as I put the link to the respective story.
Check it out - and read through some of the newer stories!
http://thisbucketlistbelongstojaime.blogspot.com/2010/12/ever-changing-bucket-list.html
I'm excited to be crossing off another one this weekend; I'll write about it in a few days!!
If you enjoy looking through other's bucket lists, a few of my friends have been making their own bucket lists....check these two out:
Dave's Bucket List
Daniintheciti's Bucket List
Monday, January 24, 2011
#85 - Climb the Statue of Liberty
So, for the longest time, nobody could climb the Statue of Liberty. I found out at one point, you could not only climb up to her crown, but you could also climb up to the top of her torch.
Well, I had scheduled a trip to go visit my friend, Danielle; she's been living in Hoboken for the past few years, and while I'm so happy for her being out there - I miss her and don't like that she's so far away. So, I try to get out there to visit her whenever I can.
So, for my second visit, I decided to head out toward the east coast during the fall. I knew I'd have to entertain myself during the day while Danielle was at work, so I was just google-ing random things to do in NYC. While doing so, I came across a few articles indicating that the Statue of Liberty had opened up for people to climb to her crown. I figured I had to do it.
I went to the website, and turns out - it sold out MONTHS in advance. Well, when I got to the website, every time period was filled up for the days that I was out there. Way bummed. Basically, I had kind of given up - seriously, who would give that up? It had just opened after years of being closed, so the demand was incredibly high.
Well, one day, I decided to just go to the website to at least purchase my cruise tickets to the Statue of Liberty; even if I couldn't climb to the crown, I still wanted to go there, as well as Ellis Island. I had heard that if you purchased your tickets online, the whole process would go a lot faster once you got there. While I was on the website, I thought just to check it out to see if there were any availability.....and would you know, there was literally ONE spot available for one of the time slots while I was in the NYC area. I saw one hyperlink available, meaning there were spots open. I seriously purchased that ticket faster than I could process what I was actually doing. As soon as I had purchased the ticket, I went back to the website, and everything was sold out; I seriously think I got the last ticket.
Wow. I was over the hill with excitement! To climb to the top of the crown. I just thought it was so cool.
So, I flew out and got to visit with my friend Danielle. I always have a blast every time I'm out there. So, she was at work one day. I rode the train into the city with her, and then I started just wandering around the city toward Battery Park. Eventually, I found the area where I needed to be.
I stood in line - honestly, not too long. There were a lot of school groups there; we all waited patiently for one of the ferries to come out to find us and bring us over to the Statue.
Because I was going to be climbing to the crown, I had to go to a different area and get a special wristband. I went to go put my purse away, because you literally couldn't bring anything with you. The only thing you could bring was a small camera. This was the first time I've ever seen lockers that you can only open with your finger print; very high tech.
Anyways, I went to the landing area where you get into a group and start the trek up to the crown. Of course, the day I was there was the day that all of the elevators and escalators were broken. I literally went from ground to the top.
Once I got to the landing, I realized that I seemed to be the only one there for my time period. I'm not sure exactly how that worked, but the lady let me just head up without anybody else in my group. It was actually quite nice, because I could take my time walking up the stairs. Literally, as you're heading up, the stairs turn into a spiral staircase that is (a) super steep, and (b) SO incredibly narrow. It was incredible how narrow the stairs were. It's one of those things you just need to experience. By the time I climbed to the top, I knew I needed to take a little bit of a break; the stairs were SO steep and narrow, I felt like I literally had my hands on the stairs and I was climbing up there. Ugh, I probably looked ridiculous; which is why I'm glad I was the only one in my "group."
I finally made it to the top; the view was pretty cool. There's something I just love about New York; and I think I've decided it's the fact that the place has amazingly huge buildings, yet in the middle of it all, is a calm area known as Central Park. While I couldn't necessarily see into Central Park, I could see glimpses of it. Or, maybe that was while I was somewhere else....
Anyways, I just loved it. I also loved that I was in my own "group." It gave me enough time to just stand around at the top of the crown and view the beauty that is the city.
Ah, I would highly recommend climbing to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. One of the tour guides was telling me that if you wanted to climb to the torch, you first climb up to the crown, and then there's kind of a secret passage way where you climb down her arm; once you get toward the bottom, the person literally has to do a 180 on the ladder to hop onto a different ladder. Maybe next time. ;)
The statue is completely different than what I was thinking.
Ah, I just loved it. And because of the city that doesn't sleep, it had a little place in my heart. How absolutely awesome, and I'm so glad I was able to do that while I visited my friend!
Well, I had scheduled a trip to go visit my friend, Danielle; she's been living in Hoboken for the past few years, and while I'm so happy for her being out there - I miss her and don't like that she's so far away. So, I try to get out there to visit her whenever I can.
So, for my second visit, I decided to head out toward the east coast during the fall. I knew I'd have to entertain myself during the day while Danielle was at work, so I was just google-ing random things to do in NYC. While doing so, I came across a few articles indicating that the Statue of Liberty had opened up for people to climb to her crown. I figured I had to do it.
I went to the website, and turns out - it sold out MONTHS in advance. Well, when I got to the website, every time period was filled up for the days that I was out there. Way bummed. Basically, I had kind of given up - seriously, who would give that up? It had just opened after years of being closed, so the demand was incredibly high.
Well, one day, I decided to just go to the website to at least purchase my cruise tickets to the Statue of Liberty; even if I couldn't climb to the crown, I still wanted to go there, as well as Ellis Island. I had heard that if you purchased your tickets online, the whole process would go a lot faster once you got there. While I was on the website, I thought just to check it out to see if there were any availability.....and would you know, there was literally ONE spot available for one of the time slots while I was in the NYC area. I saw one hyperlink available, meaning there were spots open. I seriously purchased that ticket faster than I could process what I was actually doing. As soon as I had purchased the ticket, I went back to the website, and everything was sold out; I seriously think I got the last ticket.
Wow. I was over the hill with excitement! To climb to the top of the crown. I just thought it was so cool.
So, I flew out and got to visit with my friend Danielle. I always have a blast every time I'm out there. So, she was at work one day. I rode the train into the city with her, and then I started just wandering around the city toward Battery Park. Eventually, I found the area where I needed to be.
I stood in line - honestly, not too long. There were a lot of school groups there; we all waited patiently for one of the ferries to come out to find us and bring us over to the Statue.
Because I was going to be climbing to the crown, I had to go to a different area and get a special wristband. I went to go put my purse away, because you literally couldn't bring anything with you. The only thing you could bring was a small camera. This was the first time I've ever seen lockers that you can only open with your finger print; very high tech.
Anyways, I went to the landing area where you get into a group and start the trek up to the crown. Of course, the day I was there was the day that all of the elevators and escalators were broken. I literally went from ground to the top.
Once I got to the landing, I realized that I seemed to be the only one there for my time period. I'm not sure exactly how that worked, but the lady let me just head up without anybody else in my group. It was actually quite nice, because I could take my time walking up the stairs. Literally, as you're heading up, the stairs turn into a spiral staircase that is (a) super steep, and (b) SO incredibly narrow. It was incredible how narrow the stairs were. It's one of those things you just need to experience. By the time I climbed to the top, I knew I needed to take a little bit of a break; the stairs were SO steep and narrow, I felt like I literally had my hands on the stairs and I was climbing up there. Ugh, I probably looked ridiculous; which is why I'm glad I was the only one in my "group."
I finally made it to the top; the view was pretty cool. There's something I just love about New York; and I think I've decided it's the fact that the place has amazingly huge buildings, yet in the middle of it all, is a calm area known as Central Park. While I couldn't necessarily see into Central Park, I could see glimpses of it. Or, maybe that was while I was somewhere else....
Anyways, I just loved it. I also loved that I was in my own "group." It gave me enough time to just stand around at the top of the crown and view the beauty that is the city.
Ah, I would highly recommend climbing to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. One of the tour guides was telling me that if you wanted to climb to the torch, you first climb up to the crown, and then there's kind of a secret passage way where you climb down her arm; once you get toward the bottom, the person literally has to do a 180 on the ladder to hop onto a different ladder. Maybe next time. ;)
Ah, I just loved it. And because of the city that doesn't sleep, it had a little place in my heart. How absolutely awesome, and I'm so glad I was able to do that while I visited my friend!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
#77 - See the Bellagio water show in Vegas
I finally went to Vegas for the first time this past weekend!! Such a great weekend. I think I was made for Vegas - so much to see and very little sleep. I think that's why I'm partially an insomniac; my life was waiting for me to get to Vegas.
So I definitely had to see the Bellagio water show. One night, we were walking around, and I just shouted out, "Ok guys, I'm going to go see the water show. You can come with if you want to or not. Your choice." And off I went with a few of my friends.
We stayed for a few shows. The first show I saw was to the tune, "Time to Say Goodbye," by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brighton. Absolutely amazing. I'm pretty sure I stood there in awe and amazement for the entire show.
Absolutely loved it.
We knew it wasn't the last show, so we sat around for a few more minutes for the last show of the evening....and of course, some good ol' Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" blared through the speakers. :)
So I definitely had to see the Bellagio water show. One night, we were walking around, and I just shouted out, "Ok guys, I'm going to go see the water show. You can come with if you want to or not. Your choice." And off I went with a few of my friends.
We stayed for a few shows. The first show I saw was to the tune, "Time to Say Goodbye," by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brighton. Absolutely amazing. I'm pretty sure I stood there in awe and amazement for the entire show.
Absolutely loved it.
We knew it wasn't the last show, so we sat around for a few more minutes for the last show of the evening....and of course, some good ol' Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" blared through the speakers. :)
Ah, if Bellagio played their water shows constantly, I would probably have been standing in front of that pool all day. It was absolutely amazing! The next day, we were walking along the strip and heard the theme song to The Pink Panther playing with the water show going, and there was a part where the water shot up so incredibly high, it was pretty sweet. We all talked about who the people were that choreographed the water shows to each song; that'd be a pretty sweet job.
All in all, this was probably the biggest highlight of my trip. I absolutely loved it.
And, I love the Vegas. :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
#76 - Find the celebrity with the same size feet/hands at the Chinese Theater in LA
I was able to do a quick weekend trip to California, so of course, I decided I needed to cross off a few things on the bucket list. :)
Not only was I able to cross off a few items, I was able to do a few additional things I didn't even think about....but more about that after #76.
So, when I was a kid, my dad would always have a work convention in the summer; one year, it was in Anaheim. To keep us kids occupied during the day, the convention had activities for parents to leave their kids during the day. Basically, it was doing touristy things around whatever city it was the convention was located in. One of the days we were in Anaheim, they put us on a bus and took us all around the Los Angeles area, including Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I remember we were able to get off of the bus and walk around the Chinese Theater, where they have the stars' of past and present hand and foot prints. At that time, I know I walked through the entire courtyard, figuring out which star had the same size hands and feet; however, I don't remember who it was! So I knew I wanted to go find that out again.
So I headed over to the Chinese Theater to check out the star studded walkway. I walked around, looking at all of the cement slabs, trying to find out who hand the same size hands as me.
And you can imagine my happiness when I found out that my hands were the same size as, yes, Judy Garland and Julie Andrews. Both of them.
Not only was I able to cross off a few items, I was able to do a few additional things I didn't even think about....but more about that after #76.
So, when I was a kid, my dad would always have a work convention in the summer; one year, it was in Anaheim. To keep us kids occupied during the day, the convention had activities for parents to leave their kids during the day. Basically, it was doing touristy things around whatever city it was the convention was located in. One of the days we were in Anaheim, they put us on a bus and took us all around the Los Angeles area, including Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I remember we were able to get off of the bus and walk around the Chinese Theater, where they have the stars' of past and present hand and foot prints. At that time, I know I walked through the entire courtyard, figuring out which star had the same size hands and feet; however, I don't remember who it was! So I knew I wanted to go find that out again.
So I headed over to the Chinese Theater to check out the star studded walkway. I walked around, looking at all of the cement slabs, trying to find out who hand the same size hands as me.
 |
| Julie Andrews' hands |
 |
| Judy Garland's hands and feet |
And you can imagine my happiness when I found out that my hands were the same size as, yes, Judy Garland and Julie Andrews. Both of them.
So figuring out the identical hand twin was pretty easy.....finding the foot twin was a bit more difficult. Now, I've decided that women from the 20s to 40s have the smallest feet EVER. I mean, just look at Judy Garland's compared to my hand. I could literally fit Judy Garland in the palm of my hand. So needless to say, I could not find my foot twin with any of the women there. Also, I was wearing my Uggs, which are just a bit bulkier than the heels women seem to be wearing.
So, I had to go with looking at the guy's feet prints. Now, I'm not sure what that says about me, or them. My feet fit Frank Sinatra's kicks. Do I have man feet? Or do the guys have very feminine shoes?
Well, I figured it out. If they have their hand and feet prints in the cement, I think I can get mine in there as well. :) I even saw a few empty stars along Hollywood Blvd. I bet my name can fit perfectly on one of those stars....I was meant for Hollywood. ;) ha!
Well, I was able to do a bit more while I was along Hollywood Blvd. The first night I was there, I hit up the Egyptian Theater. They were showing The Godfather. I had never seen it; and now, I have no idea how I've gone so long without seeing it! That was such a great movie. I have to say that Sonny was my favorite, and I was pretty bummed when (spoiler alert) he was straight-up gunned down on his way to lay the smackdown. It was really cool to see a movie in such a historic theater. The ceiling looks the same as from the original.
There's also another theater along Hollywood Blvd - El Capitan. This is where they show a lot of the Disney premiers. I went to see Tron. I hadn't seen a preview for it - the only thing I had heard about the movie was from a friend, where she said it didn't look good. Well, proved her wrong - I actually liked the movie. I think potentially because it was about video games. It was kind of cool - at the very beginning of the movie, they had this cool light show for about 3-5 minutes.
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| Front of El Capitan |
But all in all, the movie was pretty good. Parts were predictable (the end - incredibly predictable...), but it had Alex from The O.C. in it! That in itself makes it a great movie.
So speaking of The O.C.....back in the summer of 2005, I went on a trip to California with my parents. It was at the peak time that I loved the show The O.C., so when my dad said I could pick anywhere I wanted to go visit for a week, for some reason, I chose to go to California. Obviously, I didn't do enough research before we left to know that the majority of the show isn't filmed in Newport Beach, but it's filmed in Redendo Beach. Well, my parents and I flew into San Diego, and then we drove up to LA along the coast. I tried to see if we could find where they filmed the show....too bad, we weren't anywhere near where they do the filming, so I saw absolutely nothing. Well, this time (you know, years after the show is done), I found the website that tells you where all of the locations were filmed. This is The O.C. Filming Locations. This even had all of the addresses of the places, so I could easily throw them into my GPS and start heading to the locations.
So, one day for lunch, I headed off to Redondo Beach to see the diner where the core four would eat. It was at the Redondo Beach Coffee Shop. I just had to sit in one of the booths they sat in.
I had one of the best omelets ever there. It was really cool to be in there, because basically it was like I was on the set of The O.C. (Did I mention that I have a bit of an obsession of that T.V. show?) But seriously, if you're ever in the area, I would highly recommend stopping here for a meal.
Then I walked along the Redondo pier, which is where Ryan and Seth used to bike/skateboard. At the end of it is the building that they considered to be the Bait Shop. The place is closed/shut down. Apparently, they only used the outside to be considered the Bait Shop - they never went inside the building. You can see the orange mesh "gate" to keep the place closed off from people.
 |
| The Bait Shop |
 |
| Redondo Pier |
It was pretty cool seeing these different places that I've seen so many times from watching my DVDs.
Then, I had to drive from LA to San Diego. On my way out of town, I had to make one more stop. My friends and I always joke around about the Mermaid Inn from The O.C. It's suppose to be this sleezy/sketchy motel. Well, that website had the address to the hotel, so of course, I had to make a quick stop by to get a picture before I hit the highway down to San Diego. Now it's not truly called the "Mermaid Inn," but it's the same location/building (as per that website.)
 |
| Front of the "Mermaid Inn" |
 |
| The hotel room where Julie Cooper and Luke met |
So, while I got to do a little Hollywood Blvd. tour, I also added a bit of The O.C. sightseeing that I hadn't really thought about doing until I got there. :) There was a few other things I did, such as tour the Kodak theater and shop along Rodeo Drive, but for being out here for only a few days, I've done quite a bit! Slowly, falling in love with California.
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