"I saw the Signs" 2003-01-17 - 3:01 a.m.

older - previous - next - profile - host - my band - my lj

nothing much to say today

had to literally drag myself out of bed this morning

I was so depressed

I managed to pull myself out of it, though

gave myself a stern talking to

worked hard to convince myself that the only thing I really have to be depressed about is how fucked up I've made things with my friends lately

I've been anticipating friday all week, I usually do, 'cause that's when I get to see my friends

but this week I don't know if it's gonna be back to normal

or if they're gonna tell me I'm a freak and I should just get the hell away from them

I doubt that would happen; but there will be some type of reaction to the things I've been saying all week

and I'm dreading it

but I'd rather face the worst they could give me for that,

than to just stay away from them

I've gotten so used to having friends that I can't go back to the loneliness

I mean shit, I saw them saturday, and I was going crazy by like, tuesday

or whenever the hell it was I freaked out

I think it might've even been monday

that's sad

I need to get a job or something just to keep me sane

it's just a week until I see the specialist again

and then however long it takes him to get me fixed after that

but I don't know if I can wait

based on this week, anyway

*sigh*

stupid emotional issues

learned Touch Me, I'm Sick by Mudhoney and Molly's Lips by Nirvana on my guitar

I keep meaning to write my own stuff

but lately I've been...

preoccupied

shit, you guys know what I'm talking about better than anyone else

I tried to write a song about that

and to be fair, I suppose it's not that bad, but it's not great

I surprised the hell out of myself with the solos

I expected them to suck ass, but they're actually the best part of the song

but anyway, I've been getting into Danzig recently

now that I think about it; the same way I got into the Misfits in the first place, ironically enough

I got into the Misfits 'cause this kid in my math class would wear their shirt all the time, and I thought the logo looked cool as hell(and one of my favorite wrestlers, Vampiro, actually tag teamed with Jerry Only for a while, and had his theme done by The Misfits[Kong at the Gates])

so I downloaded one of their songs(Hunting Humans) from Napster(back when that was still around)

and a week later they're my favorite band

until just a few months ago, actually

so now I figure Danzig has one of the coolest logos out there, so I downloaded one of his songs today(Mother)

and it's freaking great

Glenn Danzig is seriously one of the best voices in rock history

(and plus anyone who makes a freaking guest appearance on Aqua Teen Hunger Force is cooler than hell)

and his solo band is rock, rather than the Misfits; who are punk

and lately I can't even listen to punk

so yeah, Danzig is my newest musical discovery

and as far as music goes, I've noticed MTV has this new "spankin' new bands week" going on

which is a cool idea, I'm all for supporting new bands on the rise

but A)none of them are really new bands; they're all bands that are on MTV that just don't get as much air-time as the bigger acts

and B)they're all freaking scene bands

yes, that's right, "scene bands" as in "scene kids", as in "we're almost punk but not really, but we're still gonna act like and say we're cool"

there's only five acts that are being "pushed"(to borrow a wrestling term), and to be fair two of them are pretty good; but the other three are about the worst of the worst

the two good acts are: The Donnas and Good Charlotte

the three shit acts are: The Used(vomit), New Found Glory(extra vomit), and Simple Plan(vomit blood)

now, The Used and NFG simply suck, and they should be going off to fuck themselves; but I'm content to let them go do that

Simple Plan on the other hand is the worst of the worst

they are the absolute worst "let's jump on the scene bandwagon[no pun intended]" act out there right now

they sound beyond terrible

nothing would make me happier than beating the fuck out of them with a baseball bat

which reminds me(those of you who've seen it will get that)

I saw Signs today

such an amazing movie

M. Night Shyamalan is an amazing director

this guy is easily the best I've seen in a while

he takes into consideration simple things that most directors forget about that add a level of realism to the movie

just simple things, like the shadows of the creatures as they surround the house, or of the one in the pantry

I'm saving one more comment about his directing because I want to end with it; but as far as the movie goes:

it was amazingly well made, with scenes of great humor(the pharmacy attendant in particular) interlaced with scenes of absolute tear-jerking drama and scenes of sheer terror

it was a nice touch just showing the effect of things on this family, just them; no shots of the government, no cuts away to invasion scenes in other parts of the world for added effect, no alternate stories that intertwine, not even the effect on the rest of the town really, except when the family went to town

and it was refreshing to see an "alien invasion" movie where the aliens didn't destroy 90% of the planet before we drove them off

I don't know why but stuff like that has always bothered me

movies like Independance Day and Deep Impact, or even Mars Attacks, where the earth gets mostly wiped out always leave a bad taste in my mouth for some reason

I like how even though there were some casualties, we won

they didn't have to worry about rebuilding earth after the movie ended

it just leaves the viewer feeling good

and for a movie that's the ultimate goal

if you're going for a happy ending then your purpose is to leave the viewer feeling uplifted; and an invasion movie where we pull out with minimal damage does it for me

honestly this movie was so well-made that there's only one thing that I would've changed

one insignificant, measly thing

I wouldn't have shown his wife's face

I wouldn't have even shown her at all

I would've left it at the second flashback, where it cuts out before he actually gets to her

or at most I would've shown her from the side, like the first time you actually see her; where her hair is blocking her face

now when that is the single, solitary thing I would've changed out of the entire movie; that's a damn good movie

that last point kind of leads into the point I was holding out on about the directing

what I like most about Shyamalan, is that he remembers something that every other director nowadays has forgotten

something so vital that it has practically destroyed the genre of horror in the modern day

(for nit-picking purist geeks like me)

the basic knowledge that nothing you could possibly show, can rival the audience's imagination

if you see the monster, or the murder, or the violence

you see it, but it's there, you don't have to think

but if the camera pans away, and your staring at a stationary object while the victim screams in abject terror,

then the viewer is five years old again

laying in their bed in the dark, every possible fear they could think of leaping out at them

they imagine what, to them, would be the single worst thing that could be happening

and that is far worse than anything you could hope to show

no matter how good a director you are, or how large your budget is, or how realistic the monster looks

and by remembering this trick, and using it in spades; Shyamalan kicks your ass in the horror department

by simply showing the flashlight laying on the ground in the cellar while the struggle takes place, or having the lightbulb break by accident and leaving you in the dark; he makes the film much scarier than he could've hoped to had he shown what's going on

and that, my friends, makes a good director

but all that is about film-making

as far as plot goes, Signs is good but it doesn't stand out

as far as horror movies go I can think of probably five without trying hard that are scarier/more entertaining

but if you're asking me about filmmaking; this'll be the first one I'll recommend

Signs isn't going to be breaking into my "favorite movies" list

but if they had a "favorite directors" list, M. Night Shyamalan would definitely be in it now

simply put: the man's a genius

his name(if it isn't already) will go up there with guys like Romero and Hitchcock and Fulci

(although Fulci's more of a cult figure, known more for his extremist methods rather than his technical ability)

yeah, and if that doesn't prove I should be going to film school then I don't know what does

I'm way too into this stuff

I don't even remember the last time I just watched a movie

I see camera angles, and scene cuts, and positioning

it's still entertaining as hell, just in a different way

no wait, I can remember

Sorority House Massacre 2

with films like that, you have no choice but to let your brain shut down and just take it at face value

and damn was that hilarious

Starring Orville Ketchum As Himself

Sweet Dreams

�

�