Grab Bag.

[stoney321]

Got my first mini-sun burn this weekend while putting in the garden. YAY WARMTH. Except for how my shoulders are a little ouchie. I always forget to hit my shoulder blades with the sun screen. One day that skin will turn into a pair of leathery angel wings and my dream of becoming the embodiment of an Affliction t-shirt will come true.

Had a film showing at the Dallas International Film Festival on Saturday night, it was sold out, there was a line around the block, and the audience really seemed to love it. Great! Keep your eyes peeled for Wuss at a festival near you, it's Fest season and it's picking up steam. A short film I'm really proud of has it's world premiere on Wednesday, written by and starring my brother in law and featuring yours truly, Narcissism & Me (only one person has gotten the joke so far, which is disappointing) and you can check out the trailer here. It's dark and hilarious, and I can't wait to see it with an audience. I'll post festival dates for that, and the shorts that have been showing so far have all been stellar. If you've never been to a Shorts Festival, you're missing out.

Tried to watch Mildred Pierce on HBO, and without going into any real spoilers, I'll just say that it was the most tedious hour and change of television I've had to endure in a long time. Didn't finish, didn't care to. Dreary, petulant characters with trumped up drama that just doesn't stand the test of time. Oh, noes, poor divorced woman has to (gasp!) wait tables!? It's hard and we should feel bad for her not being able to carry more than one plate on her body and her job is embarrassing to her bratty shit of a daughter? Wah. Good hell, how pathetic. If you're into the show, alrighty, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous, overly dramatic, scenes were too long, the acting was over the top in places. I expect more from Kate Winslet and HBO, I'm just saying.

I need to get some trail shoes this week because on Friday (here's the antidote to the ear worm that may or may not have popped up in your head at that word, also, creepy video of Friday is CREEPY) dovil gets in town all the way from New Zealand! WOO and a HOO. She'll be shown the delights of North Texas (read: shopping, eating, drinking) and then we head out on Monday to hit the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and then a weekend of debauchery in Las Vegas with marenfic. We've been planning this trip for a year now, and I swear to god, if she screws this up for me, I am going to straight up murder her ass and leave her in the desert. Ahahaha. It's funny because it's inevitable.

HI GUYS IT IS MONDAY AND WINDY OUT AND I HATE THE WIND. Which means I will be goofing around indoors. How are you? *chin fists*

Comments

[oatmellow.livejournal.com]

There is color on my skin and it is not pasty white! it is the beginning of a lovely tan, because I sat in the sun for an hour and read yesterday and I watched a soccer game Saturday. All behold the awesome that is color on the skin!

I'm glad your film is getting some Kudos! Hopefully I'll be able to catch it this year at the LR Film Festival!

Had a very successful weekend of apartment hunting for the friend-boy who will be relocating to The Rock soon. It was 80 degress yesterday and I am still high from the Vitamin D. But today is very stormy weather so I'm thinking an afternoon nap might be in order...

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I have commented back, like, three times and LJ hosed it each time. BOO.

Anyway, sun, yay, you, yay, life, yay!

[violethamster.livejournal.com]

Congrats on your movies! You're becoming quite the master thespian (I don't even know if there's some kind of double entendre in there). There's a film festival I've been meaning to go to, I'll keep an eye out to see if it plays there.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Where did your comment go? Stupid LJ today. I'll post all of the upcoming fests as we get selected. <3

[bienegold.livejournal.com]

I disagree that Mildred Pierce doesn't stand the test of time. The book is great (and I love the film, too). That said, the pacing on the miniseries is really terrible. I think part of the problem is that there just isn't enough material in the novel for a 5 parter. 3 or 4? Probably. Not five. The sleepiness of the score doesn't really help.

my $.02

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I know nothing of the book, I'm only commenting on the miniseries. And the miniseries immediately sets you up to be sympathetic with a woman that doesn't lend any sympathy. Then she is aghast and horrified to have to work, and esp. at a restaurant, the horror! I just... gimmie a break. I have no sympathy for her, and I wanted to slap her daughter across the face. Why watch something when no one is inspiring or sympathetic?

And in this day of Push and other movies that show real hardships for women, esp. when their life is on the line... not interested.

Re: my $.02

[bienegold.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're actually think you're supposed to have sympathy for Mildred, the novel is more a snapshot, kind of. And if that's what the producers of the mini think, they've kind of misinterpreted the novel, imo.

I totally get wanting to having sympathetic characters in [media product], but the source is a novel by one of the fathers of the hardboiled genre. James M. Cain doesn't really do sympathetic. Pathetic characters, sure.

I think the very nature of television kind of takes away from the story, too, as much as I was looking forward to it. There are a lot of funny lines in the book (it's certainly not a comedy, but it lightens the horror a bit), and you really lose out on Mildred and Bert's background as well.

Sorry, that's a bit tl;dr. I was really looking forward to the miniseries because I really like Cain, and while it's not the worst thing I've ever watched, it's definitely not as good as I was hoping it would be, especially when I went to bat for its not being a straight remake of the movie.

Re: my $.02

[chrryblssmninja.livejournal.com]

I only know the movie version, but in that one Mildred is very glad to have the diner job. The daughter is horrible, though.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

I am waiting for Falsh 9 to dl so I can watch the trailer. The description was a riot however.

Try not to get permanently banned from Las Vegas. Although on second though, it would mean you had a rocking time.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I don't know what Falsh 9 is? Am I hopelessly lame or something?

I have a feeling we'll just need bail money, no banning. None of us are smart enough to be card counters. ;)

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

You're not hopelessly lame. I'm a hopelessly bad typist. I meant flash 9.

I bet if you try very hard you can get banned for something other than card counting. (my husband's cousin did get banned for card counting. He paid his bills for a while doing that.)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha, I thought it was some new Sci-Fi show that all the cool kids knew about!

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

That would imply I am a cool kid which is patently false.

[anelith.livejournal.com]

Very exciting goings-on in your life! With the films, and the Dovil, and the debauchery... :D

The Mildred Pierce miniseries doesn't sound very appealing to me. I need to like at least one character in whatever I'm watching.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Many exciting times!

Anne, it's just dreadful. Slow, slow, slow, unlikeable characters, scenes that take waaaaaaaay too long to play out, ugh. You're not missing anything.

[fiveandfour.livejournal.com]

I mean this in the best of ways, but (<--isn't that always the perfect lead-in to one of the crappiest kinds of thing you'll hear in your lifetime?) I was really surprised to hear that when you and dovil get together SHOPPING is at the head of the list of your plans.

I'll admit it: I'm sorely disappointed in you two. I would expect, at a minimum, stealing a homeless person's shoes or finding some glittery vampire and exposing him/her to the sun to top your list.

Why is she even bothering to visit if SHOPPING is the best you can do? Plus, I don't even see stalking anywhere on your list. Sheesh. Seems like a waste of a trip to me.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, shopping isn't the lead thing, but with all the money we'll make off of selling babies on the black market (and the fact that she lives in a third world country, lol) she's going to need some Channel. And loads of jeans to mark up and sell back home. *taps temple* I'm disappointed you didn't think of the grift involved, frankly.

Those Somalian pirates need to get their contraband from some</i?where, after all. Did I mention the 2 CASES of wine I have waiting? I apologize for leading you astray, in that case. Oh, and several bottles of tequila. And a donkey.

[fiveandfour.livejournal.com]

Well, you didn't say you were shopping for BABIES. Excellent choice - babies have terrific mark-up/re-sell potential. That improves things a bit, though of course you didn't really redeem yourself until you mentioned the tequila and the donkey. I might not have to call for dovil's deportation-upon-arrival now. (I'm now just a slight bit jealous to miss out on all those profits and pictures-as-bribe-material opportunities.)

[ladycyndra.livejournal.com]

Ah mah gah I know a famous person! XD Seriously, congrats on your films! As for your trip, have fun, take lots of pics and share them with us. OR ELSE IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! =P

I'm okay, had a nasty headache yesterday but that was due to the INSANE WEATHER that manifested itself with high winds. I almost flew away today! o_ov

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

HEY, FACE OF STONEY. Pretty!

I was only able to get out for 1 hour today, and that went to running errands. *sigh* NEXT YEAR.

[mosrael.livejournal.com]

Waitwait... is the pun supposed to be that Narcissism & Me sounds like Withnail & I? If so, then I am doubly glad I saw that movie!

Whenever I see *chinfists* at the end of a post I can actually picture you doing it. It's kind of cute. :D Clearly you're trying to lull us into a false sense of security...

[bitchygrrl.livejournal.com]

I will keep an eye out for Wuss and Narcissism and Me because that looks like the kind of movie that would make me laugh. i chuckled at the trailer. Congrats on the kudos and making festivals. That is hard to do so congrats and enjoy. :)

Yeah the Mildred Pierce remake is not working for me, I gave up on it really fast, the book and original movie are much better. Crawford played her as a strong woman who hated that people looked down on her for working. I really felt in the original that she was happy working liked was proud, but that her spoiled daughter and Monty the whore looked down on her because they had "class". I feel like this new version has sapped the character of strength. I would think if anything a remake could have taken the opportunity to explore class issues in a more complex way, make Mildred even stronger, etc. I think I pulled a muscle rolling my eyes, at the new version.

Truly I think there are so many issues there about class and giving your children what they want instead of what they need that a good writer could easily update the story bring those issues to the foreground and make it feel relevant. How o you balance your kids wanting to keep up with the friggin Kardashians and fit in with teaching them values. What is the price of so much indulgence because you want them to have what you didn't. Damn I could write a better script, and I only earned a B- in my screen-writing class.

[stephanierb.livejournal.com]

So cool that your movies are showing at festivals! I hope one of them comes my way (Boston).

[marenfic.livejournal.com]

Narcissism & Me. Hilarious. Self-portrait cookies. Hahahahahaha!