Ah, nice supercell, eh? HDR is a two-edged sword, though... it's easy to overdo the effect. This one skirts the edge, but ultimately, the levels are acceptable and the lines are nice.
Blah blah blah, sorry...
OK, so today is "P Day" in this month's alphabet slog, so I shall wade through my Favorite P's for you, for what it's worth. Sorry, no Mr. Popper's Penguins, or Pippi Longstocking or Punjabi warriors today. No pound cake, Perry Como, politics or poop. No pickles, The Punisher, peanut butter or Porsche 911s. Sorry, this is not your fave list, it's mine! (It is odd that you would have "poop" on your favorite's list though...)
Favorite Movies (P):
Yes, today I reveal my hopeless romantic side... 3 out of the 4 entries are mushy love stories, for the most part... plus, Pirates....
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003): The only good movie in the POTC series - and it's better than good, it's awesome. It got 5 Oscar nominations (one for Depp, the rest for visuals/sound/makeup), without winning any. I think it should have been nominated for the script, which was wonderful. I'm a big fan of great dialog - mix it with great acting, and I'm a happy man. Lots of great lines delivered by two particularly awesome actors (Depp & Rush). Fun movie. First time I saw it, I must have smiled for a full hour after leaving the theater. My face hurt, but it was worth it. Definitely a fave.
Persuasion (1995) and Pride & Prejudice (1995): I group these together because they're both Jane Austen stories, both came out in 1995, both are BBC productions and they're both terrific. Plus, I'd like to see a cage match between Captain Wentworth and Mr. Darcy. Admittedly, I've never read anything of Austen's before, so I know not how the films compare, but each of these films are thoroughly watchable to me. Granted, there aren't very many explosions, Nazi invasions, profanity-laced rants or car crashes, but hey, you can't have everything...
The Princess Bride (1987): Gee, let me go into great detail as to why this movie is awesome and why you should see it! On second thought, you write it for me, and I'll agree with it.
Favorite Performances (P):
Matthew Perry in The Whole Nine Yards (2000): This performance was so funny, I contemplated adding Matthew Perry as a Favorite Actor entry... but then I realized I can't recall seeing anything else with him in it. I never watched an episode of Friends, and I can't recall another film he's been in that I've seen... but in The Whole Nine Yards, he plays a random dude in a lousy marriage who finds out his new neighbor (Bruce Willis) is a notorious hit man in witness protection, and his wife convinces him to go to Chicago and rat him out to the mobster that Willis used to work for. Hilarity ensues. It really is a great script, very funny. A little off-color in places, but a solid effort. Bottom line, Perry's timing and physical humor are top notch, in my not-so-humble opinion.
What the heck; here's the trailer...
Favorite Authors (P):
Steven Pressfield: I love Pressfield's historical stuff. Gates of Fire is my favorite book of all time, and I've also greatly enjoyed the other two of his books that I posted up there next to his face. He has many other books, including a couple books on the craft of writing/creating in general, on getting past creative blocks, and getting done what you need to, as a writer/artist of any kind. The War of Art and Do The Work are invaluable resources. The Warrior Ethos is another non-fiction work well worth reading. Pressfield is world-class.
[Honorable Mention: KJ Parker.]
Favorite Songs (P):
Prayer by Petra: A little sappy-sounding, but brings back great memories for me.
[Honorable Mentions: Pity For A Dime, by Creed
Pressure, by Billy Joel
Pure Light, by Matt Redman]
I'm out of steam tonight, sorry. I need Sleep. I know what you're thinking... "Dave, it's only midnight! The night is young!" Well, sorry, I am spent... Going to file the rest of the P's under Odds & Ends...
Odds & Ends:
Favorite Comics: Peanuts by Charles SchulzFavorite Games: Portal & Portal 2
Favorite Bands: Petra
Favorite Book Characters: Polynikes from Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
Favorite Movie Characters: Paikea from Whale Rider (2002, Keisha Castle-Hughes); Gus Portokalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002, Michael Constantine)
I wish I had something witty to say here at the end, but I have nothing... I most humbly beg your forgiveness...
Adios,
Dave the Penitent
4 comments:
Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion are both pretty close to the books. Jane is good value. She gets tagged for romance a lot, but she's much more pragmatic than romantic.
Agree on your film list, particularly about the Pirates script. It's a joy.
Amanda: I guess I should grab the Austen titles on Amazon... they might even be under the free classics... thanks for the nudge...
The P&P book was awesome and some of the best lines from the movie were taken from the book, which makes it even more awesome :)
Your four favorite "P" films are among my favorite films in general. P&P has been my all-time favorite book adaption for years. Definitely worth the read and by far the best of Austen's books. Great choices, yet again! As for reason The Princess Bride is awesome...quotes. So many quotable lines.
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