Haiku review for Whiplash

I've been sick for the last couple of days so I haven't been near the computer. I'm finally feeling better and I wanted to post the haiku I promised for the movie Whiplash.

It's about a drummer at a music conservatory who is trying to get into the best jazz band in school. When he finally gets in, he has to deal with the conductor of the band who is... let's just call him... intense.

I cannot say loud or often enough that I freaking LOVED THIS MOVIE. When it was over I wanted to watch it again. I want to download all the music from the soundtrack. I want to have all of JK Simmons' babies.

Whiplash
JK Simmons is
Astonishing, scary, mean.
All this for jazz drums?

Seriously? Wanting to be a famous drummer? I only know a few drummers but few by name. The guy from Def Leppard with one arm, the guy from Rush with the huge drum kit and Roger Taylor from Duran Duran because, well Duran Duran. Oh, and Phil Collins.

Anyways, I couldn't help comparing the JK Simmons character to Gordon Ramsay. But my favourite reality show chef is the one who seems like the fictional character...a cartoon or caricature. Simmons' evil, manipulative, bitter, cruel, angry, band director seems far more real. How strange is that?

This movie has stuck with me for days. I loved it so, so much. I recently heard that this movie was one of the lowest grossing movies to ever get a Best Picture nod. This is a terrible injustice. Please go and see it if you can find it.

kxx

Another two movies down

Scott and I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel over the weekend and just came back from Whiplash tonight. In order to pad up my blog posts for the week, I'll post my review of Whiplash tomorrow. But honestly, I'm just going to leave you with it's freaking AWESOME as your teaser regarding how much I loved it.

That said here's my haiku movie review of...

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson at 

His Wes Andersoniest.

A weird, funny film

I really liked this movie but if you don't like his directing style, you won't like this movie. It's him all over. Personally, I love all of his movies; I find them wonky and fun, but I totally understand when I hear that others don't. This movie shouldn't have been nominated for Best Picture, but I'd love to see him win Best Director.

My rankings so far:

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

2. The Theory of Everything

Even still, I liked both of these movies better than 7 of the 9 from last year so that's saying something....

kxx

Back by popular demand

Well, back as per a single request from my oldest friend (Hi Kathy!), it's...

Haiku Movie Review!

For those who don't know (and where have you been, anyway?) Scott and I go see the Best Picture Oscar nominees. Not a really big explanation needed here, to be honest. And because I'm fascinated by haiku, I write a terrible poem about the movie. The challenge being that a haiku consists of 17 syllables and these movies are usually around 3 days hours long.

Those of you who know me or who have read these posts long enough know that my taste in movies run in the "lowest common denominator" range. Put in a couple of explosions, a spaceship or two, some superheroes, a few laughs, a bunch of monkeys shooting guns and/or riding horses and I'm so completely in. Over the summer, I watch at least one junky movie a week. I love them.

These Oscar movies are like medicine. In fact, I often wonder why I still do this. I frequently don't enjoy them, leaving the theatre feeling depressed, sad or just downright confused. Most of the time all three. I freely admit it... I'm not the intended audience for these movie "masterpieces".

That said, last night Scott and I went to see The Theory of Everything. It was a pleasant surprise that I thought it was excellent. I really enjoyed it.

So, after all that, here is my first Haiku Movie Review...

The Theory of Everything

Deserves every prize
For getting me to feel like
Stephen Hawking's hot.

kxx

Photo Dump!

Here are some of the photos I took over the holiday. We had a lovely Christmas and New Year and getting back to work has been a real challenge. You kind of get used to eating whatever you want, whenever you want and napping at 2pm on Wednesday afternoons. Ahhhh....

Henry's birthday tree

The man himself

The cake I made. He's growing up. He didn't want a car like a few years ago or a peanut butter and jam cake of the past

The thank you cards I had made for the parents at my school

I love me some rum punch. My dad makes the BEST rum

My first selfie of 2015. Full to the brim with rum punch on NYE.

Too much excitement at my dad's

The man himself doing what he does best

Me and my brother Mikey

Another shot of the ukulele group on the ice

Coming off the ice

This is our classroom toolkit. Notice the eating utensils. I think the children's toy tools are more effective

Want.

This dress was on sale from $90 down to $15.99. How could I resist even without a place to wear it? "Oh Lucy, I'm hooooome!"

That's the last batch of photos I took.

Gird your loins, folks, it's Oscar season! Scott and I plan to see all 8 Best Picture nominees in the coming 4 weeks between now and the telecast at the end of February. Be prepared for my oft requested (okay, requested only once by by my best friend and shameless enabler, Kathy)  "Haiku movie reviews" posted here after I've seen each movie.

Stay tuned, everyone... first review comes tomorrow.

kxx

Loving that I enjoy this so much

Being on the scary side of 40 has given me so much perspective. I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want and screw you if you don't like it. Which explains the fact that I do this at all.



I just need to play better. And sing better. I had to laugh... at one point I actually ran out of air. I didn't even realize that it was a thing. If it isn't, I just invented something. I wish you could learn how to sing on YouTube like I learned the uke and how to knit a hat. But whatever. I like to do this and I do what I want. I'm old, dagnabbit!



kxx

Happy 2015!

A few interesting things have come up already and we're less than a week in.

• I'm finally getting to perform that ukulele tune on Wednesday. I may not have posted about it here, but I had been practicing the song "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" for about a month before the last ukulele night then on "game day" I got bumped. Not one to give up on a thing, I just kept on practicing it until the next one which is Wednesday. Let the fact that it's ages past New Year's Eve stop me? Never. Besides... I've practiced it so much over the last 6 weeks that if I don't play it, my family would have gone through all that damned plink-a-plinking for nothing.

• This weekend, my ukulele gang will be playing the National Anthem before Sunday's Ottawa 67's hockey game. Have I practiced it even once? Well, d'uh, of course I have. I've played it through 3 times just now, I'll have you know. Heh, well, at least I know all the words. I'll fake it through the rest using what we call in the "biz" the zed chord. Which is where you wrap your whole meaty fist around the neck of the uke, deadening the strings. This will happen.

• This next one is cool:

If you listen to CBC you may have heard the show Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids. It does what it says on the tin and is truly hilarious and if you haven't heard it, get thee to their Facebook page here and just click on one of the links. It's awesome. Anyway, I heard they were coming to town and signed up to read a couple of my grade 11 poetry. Awful stuff but sure to get a laugh. Unfortunately, IN MY READING IT, they won't be able to see the OVER-use of the ever-dramatic ALL CAPS!!!

If the first few weeks of the new year are anything to go by, This sure will be a fun year of putting myself out there and doing things I never EVER thought I'd do a couple of years ago. 

I know it's early but how's your new year shaping up?

KXX