Stuff we're reading / watching / listening to

[Dead Cat]

I just saw BYU's The Merchant of Venice. They did a really good job adapting the play for children.

[Fredjikrang]

I agree. It was very good. (And I'm pretty sure we were in there at the same time. You probably saw me.)

*Edit. On second thought, probably not. I saw the 2:00 show.

[Fredjikrang]

Just watched Seven Pounds. Very well done.

[bobtheenchantedone]

I watched The Great Race with Marduk and his dad last night. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

[Whistler]

Just watched Seven Pounds. Very well done.

The one with the guy with the heart condition? What a cheese fest.

[Fredjikrang]

Just watched Seven Pounds. Very well done.

The one with the guy with the heart condition? What a cheese fest.

Um, actually there isn't a guy with a heart condition. There is a girl with a heart condition though, and a blind guy, so it could be the movie you are thinking of. It is a Will Smith movie.

[Whistler]

yes, that one. I think it's ridiculous to try to atone for something by killing yourself and giving other people your body parts. It goes against my religion.

[Fredjikrang]

True. But it does beg the question. Can a work of art be well done, entertaining, inspiring, even when the characters do what we consider to be wrong? I would say that yes, it can.

Using the case in hand. I also don't agree with what he did, but I can understand the internal struggle that he faced. I can respect his desire to help others. I can understand that his desires were good, though his premise flawed (see below). So, I liked it. Your milage may vary.

*Spoiler alert*

Okay, I just want to say something that really struck me about it. Can you imagine being in his position toward the end of the movie? He believes that his life is worthless. He falls in love with a good woman who is about to die in spite of doing nothing wrong, and he has the power to save her. That is a very difficult situation to be in. Live a worthless life, or lay it down to save someone who is better than you are? I'm sorry, but that's tough.

[Whistler]

Yeah, I don't agree at all, and that's okay.

In my opinion, no one's life is worthless. We are all sinners who have gone astray, but Jesus has atoned for our sins. Wanting to right your wrongs is fine, but sometimes it can't be done and it's not right to kill yourself over it, because you deserve to have a life too.

[TheBlackSheep]

Albert Nobbs: the most disappointing film of the season. Oy.

[Dragon Lady]

I watched The Great Race with Marduk and his dad last night. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

It's one of Yellow's favorites. Biggest pie fight ever to be filmed.

[bobtheenchantedone]

That was a great scene! Though I was mostly distracted by watching Leslie's impeccable white outfit.

[Dragon Lady]

That was a great scene! Though I was mostly distracted by watching Leslie's impeccable white outfit.

I know, right?

Maybe Yellow and I should watch that movie tonight as a date or something.

[Dead Cat]

I've been watching a lot of anime lately--as in, I've watched Last Exile, Noein, Death Note (only parts of it--I've seen it before), Fruit's Basket, Gankutsuou (basically The Count of Monte Cristo in space), Full Metal Panic!, and Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu all within the past month. At least 150 episodes... I should probably take a break right about now.

[Dragon Lady]

I've been reading Leven Thumps. I just finished book 2. It's not the most amazingly brilliant series ever, but it's quite fun and clever and I've really enjoyed it so far.

[Whistler]

Oh, I started watching an anime called _Yakitate Japan_, about baking bread, and then I couldn't find the rest of the episodes. Dead Cat, I've seen Death Note and Fruit's Basket, do you recommend all the other anime you watched, or were some better than others?

[Dead Cat]

Noein was pretty good, but I would probably have to rewatch it to make sure I didn't miss anything. It's probably the most interesting story about quantum mechanics I've ever seen, although that list isn't very long.
Last Exile was recommended to me by a friend and I found it quite enjoyable. This one was steampunk with war, pilots, and alien people.
Gankutsuou was, as I said, Monte Cristo in space. They took a lot of liberties with the story--the Count is practically a vampire for crying out loud--but it was a fun watch, nevertheless. A warning: there have been reports of people getting headaches watching this since instead of filling the lines with solid colors, they filled them with textures. I liked it, but it took some getting used to.
Full Metal Panic! likes their fan service a little too much for my tastes, but I still liked this one a lot. I kind of preferred the episodes that focused on the crazy things a mercenary with no social skills does while undercover in a high school than the ones where they fight the bad guy, which is why I stopped with the Fumoffu half-season instead of continuing to watch The Second Raid as well. Well that and the fact that I'm rotting my brain.

[Stego Lily]

Hi...I'm new here and trying to fill the void giving up Facebook for Lent has left in my life! And I thought I'd choose a random conversation and jump in. I just watched "Life in a Day" the other day and kind of adored it. A lot. Though I found myself getting really attached to a lot of the people and wanting to know what happened to them the next day and the next and the next, ya know?

Also, I've been listening to Beirut all day today. I didn't know horns went that well with folk-rock...

[Whistler]

I love Beirut! If you have a ukelele you can play some of their songs on it.

Also: I am going to check out this Noein anime, it sounds like something my husband would like too.

[bobtheenchantedone]

I just watched the new Muppet movie with Marduk, my sisters, and some of Marduk's family. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, though there were some things that irritated me.