No title coming to mind

So Michelle spent the night after the party on the 4th. *sniff* They're going to Colorado for a couple weeks, so it'll be the last one for a while. I don't like it when friends leave, even for such a short time. Makes me depressed.

Anyway. After church, I went with Megan and her family to a park type thing. We were going to swim the creek, but it was c-c-cold! So we sat around the fire and ate Polish sausage. Quite a good backup plan. Her grandparents told us that marshmallows have pig fat in them! That is so weird and pretty GROSS.
I'm listening to a playlist I made called "Delightfully Cheesy Songs." It's so marvelous! It has stuff like Barry Manilow, N*SYNC, Styx, even Carman! hehe very very cheesy stuff. Right now it's playing Strange Magic by Electric Light Orchestra.

Ok, talk to you great people later.

Hey Mush!

What in the world were you thinking?!? I didn't even see that huge horse coming from 80 miles away. Dogs will be dogs, and kings will be fools. But that doesn't mean we have to feel farther than the sunlight...knife cuts don't matter to brain history anyway.

Blow your bangs out of your face; it's hardly worth the salt and birthrights. I was watching nails pound pound pound yesterday! Her teeth grinding, his fingers burning, my eyes bleeding???? Never!

Yet...it is a phenomenon that creates wishful thinking. Lights in the grass won't change bare eyelashes. Don't tell: I saw the shoulders rising higher HIGHER higher on this pool. YOU CARE!!!! YOU CARE NOT!!!! Ferris wheel dreams aren't as full of laughter as we thought, are they? White and black lovers hiding...I can't stop imagining their torn history of red threads.

HOLY--
HOLY--
HOLY--
HOLY--
HOLY--
nothing.

The Phantom of the Opera

I've been completely GORGING myself on the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera. I watched it Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and I loved it each time! The music, which I'd of course heard before, still was effective and incredibly moving. The atmosphere of gothic beauty and eeriness was so gorgeously sensual!
Of course, my favorite part of the movie was the Phantom himself (his name is Erik, but the movie just names him as The Phantom). It really struck me that every time he sang to Christine, she went under this complete spell of attraction, even when she was terrified of him. I suppose I can identify with that...♥ The anger in his voice that was almost permanent was electrifying!
The other characters were a mixed bag. Christine Daae was beautiful and vulnerable and everything she should be. Her blend of youth and womanliness was lovely, and her voice--incredible! I could hardly believe that Emmy Rossum (the girl who plays her) was only 18 years old in this role!
Raoul, on the other hand, well...I wasn't so into him. There was something unmistakably feminine about that ridiculous haircut, and it bothered me intensely that he was so skeptical about the very existence of the Phantom. He seemed to automatically assume that Christine was a fanciful child who believed in fairytales--and yet she was so quick to fall in love with the "insolent boy, this slave of fashion"! But in the end, I suppose I must support his unfailing goodness. But what can I say; I'm a girl who loves the bad boys.
The entire movie was a feast, plain and simple. I can't recommend it to men, in that there is an excessive amount of low-cut dresses. But it's a chick flick anyways, so, girls, indulge yourselves in the music of the night.

Next Movie to See

I know everyone has seen these, but JUST IN CASE...
Watch The Lord of the Rings. They are quite possibly the masterworks of film creations. Of course, due to their length, you'll want to make time and plan ahead. Don't just cut it off in the middle, it totally ruins it (unless you've already seen them, and in that case, why are you reading this?)
I don't even need to describe them here. You just watch/rent/BUY them. You'll thank me later.

Watch this Movie

Yes, yes, I know that my last post was about a movie. But you know me, I love 'em.
So I've been compiling a list of movies I think everyone should watch. They're almost all clean, because I don't watch raunchy stuff. Soooo here's the first one. I want everyone reading this to go out and rent...

The Lion King.

A kids movie? Yes. A cartoon? Yes! A classic Disney film that completely captures the essence of what we want from an all-ages film? Yes, yes, yes! If you've never seen it, don't knock it till you watch it. The songs are beautiful (written by Tim Rice and Elton John), the story is compelling, the animation is expressive, and the characters are sublime.

If I remember, I shall post a new movie next week.

The Thief and the Cobbler

Allow me to tell you a story I found intriguing, beautiful, and happily-ever-after all the way.

Once upon a time, there was a marvelous man named Richard Williams. He had much prestige from all around the world for his work in animation. Richard Williams had a dream.

He had a dream to direct, right, and animate the greatest animated film in the history of mankind! It was to be magical, beautiful, eyepopping and grand. Taken from old tales in the Arabian lore, it was a tale of young Tack, the poor cobbler, and the nameless thief, who together but quite separately saved The Golden Kingdom.

So, Richard Williams began his work in 1964. For 26 years he worked and let it lie dormant, unknown to the world. Then, in 1990, Richard's dreams began to come true. He signed a deal with Warner Brothers for his film to be distributed!

Alas, such a perfect situation was not to be. He couldn't finish the film on time, and Warner Brothers removed him from production and put it in the hands of a less able person, Fred Calvert. Fred attempted to fill in the gaps and the movie was officially released in 1991.

Horrifically, the film had been butchered. Much of the beauty and feeling was gone, replaced by cheap jokes and dialogue appreciated only by children. The movie was met with unsurprisingly little success, and was all but forgotten in subsequent years.

But the story does not end with this tragic turn. Fans and those who knew Richard's true intent for the film resolved to restore, as much as possible, The Thief and the Cobbler to its original and incredible state. The internet gathered movie buffs and collectors who submitted their rare footage of the original movie to one project. It included everything from complete movie sequences to simply storyboards that never even had a chance to be animated.

After much work and time, the movie was complete. Released on the net for all to see it the way it was meant, there was rejoicing in the streets! Well, not exactly...most of the world had never even been introduced to this masterwork of Richard Williams's.

I saw the released version as a child. I was satisfied with it, not knowing or caring that it was simply a mangled version of what it should be. Today I watched the REAL Thief and the Cobbler on Google Video. My eyes practically popped out of my head at the beautiful animation and tender characters. For anyone who watches it, pay careful attention to the checkered halls in the castle. It's a delicious illusion just to watch it. And the climax of the movie is very near the end, with the One Eye army's hellish war machine. Scary as anything you'll ever see, and yet terribly beautiful in its own right. I beg you not to miss this treat.

Let it be known that this movie is out there! I've included the link to the full film. Although sometimes the storyboard parts rob from the mood, you'll get used to it. If you've ever seen the officially released version, you MUST see this one. Don't miss it.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2263043366719734101