“No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for… for ten minutes! ”
Overview: The Incredibles is a movie about what would happen if Superheroes were forced to live real mundane lives, and not try to constantly save the world from peril. Plain and simple. That’s the premise of the story, and that’s what makes it so intriguing — two siblings fighting with one another and using super-powers to bicker, the Dad is forced to work in an insurance company, etc. etc. Sure, there’s the whole thing about the world being put into jeopardy again and the family coming to the rescue — but that’s merely a plot device.
Noteworthy Actors / Actresses: Craig T. Nelson (Mr. Incredible), Holly Hunter (Elastigirl), Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone), Jason Lee (Syndrome),
Homages / Trivia / References: When Mr. Incredible is rattling off names in the beginning, trying to remember what “Incrediboy”’s real name is, the first one he says is “Brody”. In the movie Mallrats, Jason Lee played “Brody” the comic-fanatic main character — Jason Lee also plays Buddy Pine / Incrediboy / Syndrome in this film. The codename for Syndrome’s project is “Kronos”, which was a movie from 1957 about a robot from outerspace that does nasty things to Earth. The two “old school” men in the end of the movie were 2 of the “Nine old men” from Walt Disney studios — they did the animation for all the Walt Disney classics. The name of the plane that Elastigirl is flying is coded “India Golf niner Niner” (IG99) which is the name of the giant in the movie “Iron Giant” also directed by Brad Bird (director of this film). The computer screens on Syndrome’s island are nearly identical to those in “2001: Space odyssey”. The story takes place in “Metroville” a combination of Superman’s cities of origin: “Metropolis” and “Smallville”.
Verdict: It rocks. Go watch it. I have nothing bad to say about it.
From IMDB: (2004) Fifteen years ago, superheroes walked the streets of Metroville, performing acts of great heroism and inspiring many to follow their example. But a string of lawsuits by disgruntled people they’d helped lead to political and public outcry, and the Supers were forced into retirement and government-funded anonymity. Bob Parr used to be Mr. Incredible, one of the greatest and strongest Supers; now, he lives a mundane life as a suburban insurance agent. Although his wife Helen (formerly Elastigirl) has moved on and is more concerned with raising their children Dashiell (who is super-fast and super-confident), Violet (who can turn invisible - and is super-shy) and baby Jack-Jack than battling evil, Bob still yearns for the good old days - and his chance comes when he is approached by a shadowy government organization and asked to join their numbers. But all is not as it seems, and Bob will find himself trapped by Syndrome, an embittered enemy who in his youth once idolized Mr. Incredible - and only his family will be able to save him now…

Categories: Movies & the IMDB 250
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“Once you do something, you never forget; Even if you don’t remember.”
Overview: Chihiro and her family are moving to a new house. They end up taking a detour (a “shortcut”) and Chihiro ends up getting lost in a bathhouse for spirits as her parents get turned into enormous pigs. She is trapped in this spirit bathhouse until she can rescue her parents and get out. But how to do that? The bathhouse is controlled by a large-headed witch, and the only way Chihiro can stay (and not get eaten) is if she starts working there… This film is about growth and of course the age-old theme of triumph over adversity. The animation is a combination of traditional animation with new-age computer graphic animation.
Noteworthy Actors / Actresses: Daveigh Chase (Chihiro), Lauren Holly (Chihiro’s Mother), John Ratzenberger (Aogaeru, the assistant)
Homages / References / Trivia: The original Japanese title was Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi which means “The spiriting away of Sen and Chihiro” (”kami” = Spirit, “Kakushi” = away). Chi and Sen both use the same Japanese Kanji, meaning 1000. The name ‘Sen’ is a play on the name ‘Chihiro’. The character “No-face” (the monster that Sen accidentally lets into the bathhouse) is actually “Noh-face”, which is in reference to the mask it wears. The mask is a type of mask used in Traditional Noh Theatre in Japan - English viewers will typically believe that it means “no-face” as in “he has no face so he wears a mask instead.”  Also, Haku’s real name is more than just “Kohaku River”, but that was a dub error in the movie, which changes the meaning of his name drastically.
Verdict: This movie was adorable. You have to kind of be a fan of Japanese animation to really appreciate the style, but it’s not too hard to follow. The movie’s plot reminded me a lot of video game Role-playing games — the character faces a series of tasks with escalating difficulties, and is assisted in each one by either people she met before, or things she acquired from previous tasks. This thematic is present in many media created in Japan (other movies, video games, Manga, etc.) — the idea of using what you’ve gained from your past to assist you in the present. While the movie is definitely angled towards a younger demographic, it’s still entertaining for adults, and it has a certain whimsical charm to it as well. I consider it worth seeing.
From IMDB(2001): Chihiro and her family are on their way to their new house in the suburbs when her father decides to take a shortcut along a lonely-looking dirt road. After getting out of the car and walking along a path for a while, they discover an open-air restaurant filled with food but with no workers or customers present. Mom and Dad don’t hesitate to sit down and dig in, but Chihiro senses danger and refuses. As night falls, she is terrified to see the area fill with faceless spirits, but when she runs to find her parents, she discovers that they have been turned into pigs. She is found by a mysterious boy named Haku, who promises to help her. He gets her a job working in a nearby building, which turns out to be a bathhouse for the thousands of Japan’s gods and spirits. Though the work is hard and the people strange, she does as well as she can. Her parents, however, are still waiting in the hotel’s stockyard, and Chihiro must find a way to break the spell on them before they end up as the main course of some guest’s dinner.

Categories: Movies & the IMDB 250
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Pics of the house are now up on my flickr page. (Tag: “new house”) I added some notes to the pictures where I felt they would be appropriate.

The initial panic has subsided slightly, and I’m getting a little excited. Melissa got a job today, she starts Monday! I was a little concerned about coming up with part of the down-payment on the house, but The Gill offered to lend me an undisclosed amount, and my grandparents are giving me a substantial amount as a gift! I was shocked! So it looks like we have the mortgage down-payment covered. As long as I dot my T’s and cross my eyes with the documentation, we should be alright.

It feels really weird buying a house, but I guess I’m at that point in my life where it feels right. A few months ago I started to feel like my life direction was a little aimless and purposeless — I came to a realization that I had outgrown a lot of things with which I previously associated. Things like raving and DJ’ing, something I’ve done since I was 16 or 17 (nearly TEN YEARS!) no longer “do it” for me. It’s somewhat liberating realizing that you can let go of something, but scary too. It’s intimidating to feel that lack of drive or direction, but there’s also the emptiness you feel when you are holding onto something that has left you already.

Show me more… »

Categories: This New House
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