Just Finished Reading: My Troubles With Women

I saw Terry Zwigoff's documentary about Robert Crumb a few years ago, and since then I've been really curious to read some of Crumb's comics. I chose this one because I thought that it looked the most interesting. It really was. This collection of comics is funny and creepy and kind of sad, and I loved reading it. I just love how he is so aware of how much of a creep he is. From the documentary, Crumb seemed like such an interesting guy, and its neat reading something of his, especially more autobiographical comics, which is what these are. There are even a few comics in this that are done by both him and his wife. My one complaint is that they have such different drawing styles, so it looks kind of strange. My favorite one in here is probably the one where he talks about how girls would let him play footsy with them when he was 13.  

Character of the Week: Sarah Connor

This week's character of the week is Sarah Connor. She is from one of my favorite film franchises, the Terminator series. She is the mother of John Connor, the prophesised leader of the resistance against the machines. In the first Terminator film, the T-800 is sent back in time to kill her, so she never gives birth to John. So, a soldier named Kyle Reese is also sent back to protect her, but unbeknownst to both of them, he is also John's father, so he was sent back to impregnate her as well. In the second film, she works with a different T-800 to help keep John safe from the T-1000 model Terminator. She goes from scared victim in the first one, to badass survivor in the second film. I've only seen a couple episodes of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I'm assuming that its pretty good. I love Sarah Connor because of how much of a transformation she goes through. Even by the end of the first film she toughens up a bit when she kills the T-800. "You're terminated, fucker!"

Song of the Week: Barracuda

Spotlight On: Stan Winston

This week's spotlight is on Stan Winston. He was a make-up artist and a special effects person who had 10 Oscar nominations, and 3 wins. He has worked on some really cool movies and has really done a lot of important work in the fields of make-up and special effects. Here are some films that he has worked on.
The Thing

While the majority of the work was done by the great Rob Bottin, Winston did step in to work on the dog transformation scene, one of the many amazing scenes in this film.



The Terminator

Stan Winston also did the special effects for all four Terminator films. He recieved two Oscars for his work on Terminator 2: Judgement Day.





Aliens

For Aliens, Stan Winston was credited as Alien effects creator, and this is the film that won Winston his first Oscar, for best visual effects.




Predator

For this film, Winston received another nomination for Best Visual Effects. Even though this movie is corny as hell, I'm a sucker for a good Ahh-nold movie. That, and the Predator is one of the coolest looking film monsters ever!


Edward Scissorhands

For this film, Winston did the make-up for Edward as well making his hands. For this, he also received an Oscar nomination for Best Make-up. I was actually just watching this movie a few hours ago. I just love how under all of that make-up, Johnny Depp's handsomeness still shows through...



Batman Returns

For Batman Returns, Winston received yet another Oscar Nomination for transforming Danny DeVito into the Penguin.




Jurassic Park

Now onto what I think is the greatest work that Stan Winston has ever done, and that was creating the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park. Whenever you saw an entire dinosaur body, that was CGI. However, when you saw only parts of the dinos, you saw Winston's creations. This film, of course, won Winston his fourth Oscar.



While he has worked on several more films than this, including Avatar and Iron Man, these are the films, in my opinion, where he has done his best work.

Character of the Week: Patrick Bateman

This week's character of the week is Patrick Bateman. I remember reading American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis when I was 15 or 16 and being really disturbed by it. To this day, I still have never read the book all the way through. That is one of the great things about books though, is that you can say whatever you want in them. Mary Harron's film adaptation of American Psycho, however, is one of my favorite films. In my opinion, it is Christian Bale's greatest performance. The film is both disturbing and also darkly funny. Of all the serial killers in film, Patrick Bateman is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, this was the only good video that I could find to embed, but everyone should just go out and see this movie because it is amazing!

Song of the Week: Living Dead Girl

Spotlight On: Audrey Hepburn

This week's spotlight is on one of Hollywood's most radiant, talented, graceful, and beautiful actresses to ever appear on film. I have been a big fan of Audrey's ever since I saw Breakfast at Tiffany's when I was in junior high. I have only seen a handful of her films, but she was amazing in everything that I saw her in. Here are the films of hers that I have seen.

Roman Holiday (1953)

In Roman Holiday, Audrey plays a princess who is bored with her completely scheduled life. So, one day, after taking her sleeping pills, she decides to run away. A journalist, played by Gregory Peck, thinks that she is drunk and decides to help her. Eventually, he finds out who she is and decides to write a story about her while he shows her around Rome. Then they fall in love...of course. This is the movie that won Audrey her Oscar and it really showcases both her charm as well as her comedic talents.




Sabrina (1954)

I actually saw the remake of this with Harrison Ford before I was this one. I have to say that this one is much much better. Audrey plays Sabrina Fairchild, the daughter of the chauffer for the rich Lareby family. She is in love with the younger son, who doesn't notice her at first. After she comes back from Paris, however, he starts to notice, which causes problems for his family. So Linus, played by Humphrey Bogart, decides to woo Sabrina to get her to stop loving his brother.



Funny Face (1957)

This a film where Audrey is paired yet again with a man who is a lot older than her. This time it is Fred Astaire, who I really loved in Swing Time. While Audrey doesn't have the greatest singing voice in the world, she has been great in the few musicals that she has done.



Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)

This is the film that Audrey is most known for. She plays a call girl named Holly Golightly. Apparently, Truman Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe to play her and thought that Audrey was all wrong for the part. Looking at her previous films you can kind of see where he is coming from because this is completely casting her against type. Nevertheless, now we can't see anyone else playing Holly Golightly.



My Fair Lady (1964)

What's odd about this film is that Audrey's singing voice is dubbed by another woman whose voice is nothing like hers. Regardless of this, Audrey is great as Eliza Doolittle, the cockney flower girl who is being transformed into a girl fit for high society.



Wait Until Dark (1967)

Audrey Hepburn is the last person I'd ever  think would be in a horror film. Here she plays a blind woman who is being terrorized by people who believe that she has a doll full of drugs in her house.