Until next time…

To those who may be waiting for an update:

I’m taking a bit of a hiatus from blogging. On account of my tendency toward the verbose, updates tend to take a notable chunk of time for me. Over the next month or so, I will have many more obligations than usual, so I cannot guarantee even sparse updates during that time.

 

For anyone who might be curious, I am most concerned about my post-graduate options, so I will be using more of my free time to seek out a job (or, to avoid joining the workforce for at least another year or so, graduate studies). I will also attempt to complete a novel for National Novel Writing Month for once, so that will also take some time.

I’ll still update, on occasion. I might post about my goings-on and the progress I am making in finding a job and/or writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Also, I will probably put something up later this week about Halloween, which is a pretty big deal here at Ohio University. I’ll do my best to focus on the important obligations and take care of them quickly and efficiently, so that I might have more time to write blurbs about things that people may or may not appreciate.

A fake empire, an empire of dirt

Image courtesy Warner Bros.

Title: Where the Wild Things Are

Directed by: Spike Jonze

Genre: Fantasy, Nostalgia

Starring: Max Records, James Gandolfini, others

Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” is a staple of many a young adult’s childhood. The storybook has a certain nostalgic quality to it that strikes home for a wide scope of people. It seems only fitting, then, that the movie based on the book is not so much a children’s film as it is an emotional romp through the joys and fears that come with growing up. In fact, it’s not really much of a children’s film at all.

Max (Max Records) is a young boy with an overactive imagination. He lives with his work-stressed mother and his older sister, who is getting to the age when she is too old to hang out with her little brother. As Max adjusts to his changing world, he develops feelings of loneliness and uncertainty about the future. He wishes for things to go back to the way they once were.

Being a child, Max does not know how to deal with such anxieties properly, and instead he lashes out and misbehaves. This behavior culminates in an emotional fight between the child and his mother, and Max runs from his home to escape his fears and vent his stress. After running into the woods in his monster footie pajamas, he comes upon a boat, and decides to set off to whatever distant land it will take him.

Zombieland: Guns, the undead and Twinkies.

Image courtesy Wikipedia.

Title: Zombieland

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

Genre: Zombie comedy

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

At first glance, “Zombieland” might seem like another zombie comedy in the same vein as “Shaun of the Dead”. Truth be told, it is, but it takes a new approach to the recently popular notion of surviving a zombie apocalypse.

The film takes place some time into the world-shattering catastrophe. The survivors are not merely trying to escape a zombie-infested city or find shelter until the whole thing blows over. The nation has fallen to the zombies, and to them, it’s just a matter of staying alive from day to day.

The survivors refer to each other by the cities they came from, an indication of the tenuous nature of their relationships in the uncertain world of zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, possibly channeling Michael Cera) is a neurotic young man who abides by his anal-retentive list of rules for zombie survival – with such gems as “Beware of bathrooms” and “Buckle your seatbelt”. While trekking back to Ohio to see if his parents are okay, he meets up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a man’s man with a deep penchant for Twinkies. The two of them head off east in Tallahassee’s modified Cadillac, complete with cowcatcher.

Along the way, they run into two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone of “Superbad”) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin of “Little Miss Sunshine”). Believing the pair to be in trouble, the men attempt to help them, only to be conned out of their guns and vehicle. In time, however, they catch up with the sisters, and the motley group members eventually decide to stick together, if only for a little while.

Ponyo: Cute. Adorable. Hilariously so.

Title: Ponyo

(Written and) Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Kids, animated, adventure

If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki’s previous works, I don’t need to tell you to check out this one. The Japanese animation studio delivers yet another memorable, touching film that appeals to all ages.

“Ponyo” tells the story of Sōsuke, a little boy who finds what he believes to be a goldfish near his house on the cliff overlooking a harbor town. This “goldfish” is in fact the daughter of beings who care for the sea and sea life, and through magic she transforms into a little girl – Ponyo. In the short time that Sōsuke takes care of Ponyo as a fish, the two develop a special bond, one that leads Ponyo to run away from her overly protective father.

The eruption of magic that brings about this transformation – spurred on by Ponyo’s childish desire to be with Sōsuke – causes a tsunami that envelops the harbor town, leaving only Sōsuke’s house high and dry. Ponyo and Sōsuke set out to see if his mother and the rest of the town are okay, all while Ponyo’s magician father seeks to get her back and restore order to nature.

DIY: chalkboard for the cheap college student

I’ve had this idea in my head that it would be awesome to have a chalkboard in my room. I’m not talking about one of those little notebook-sized ones that you can stick to refrigerators or put above your computer desk. I’m talking about a full chalkboard, like the sort found in a classroom.

After searching around on various Web sites, though, I found that even if I can find a cheap chalkboard for sale, the shipping will ruin it. Being the poor college student that I am, I looked instead for a cheap alternative, and I found it.

Chalkboard paint. God bless the stuff.

Chalkboard paint.

Who is the brilliant mastermind who came up with this stuff? It’s basically paint that can be applied to a smooth surface such as wood or plastic, creating a finish that more or less looks and behaves like a chalkboard. The potential uses are practically limitless!