Am watching The Blair Witch Project, which is entertaining for the majority of the film because I like watching people put in a stressful situation only to fall apart. (Also, I recently read the first draft of a friend's story which is similar in tone to this movie, though the book is a lot scarier, and so was craving this type of entertainment.) Unfortunately, I'm going to have to shut it off soon, because the camera work is kicking off my vertigo. This is a bad sign, because back when it came out in theaters, I went to see it with friends and was fine. Now, all these years later, I can't handle it on a small screen. The vertigo spells themselves are occurring less frequently at night on their own, but more things are kicking them off. I'd prefer it the other way.

Anyway, I've never understood Heather's obsession with the 16mm (I think that's the right camera). The fact that the camera angles and switches have pushed the vertigo has only made me more aware of such things.

This kind of makes me want to go camping, too.

I remember how much this didn't frighten me when I first watched it. I really wanted to be scared, but I wasn't. I do remember the sounds being scarier, though. I think it was my own imagination. It's been awhile since I watched it, and after reading my friend's book (where various noises and events aren't described in great detail during the first draft, though she's working on it in the next draft), I became quite good at imagining really creepy, terrifying sounds. So now, when the movie's sounds have to compete with my imagination, it fails, as often occurs. I am much better at imagining scary things than what a movie can provide. I think many people are, and this is part of why horror novels are popular.

I've been reading King's Duma Key and I'm actually more frightened by it than the movie, and nothing frightening has happened in it. I am just frightened in preparation for what's to come.

I'm tired. I want to go back to bed. I can't, but I want to sleep more.

ETA: I just noticed a nice out-damned-spot moment. I had forgotten about it, though I remember appreciating it the first time I watched it.

You know, The Rock is no Vin Diesel, but he's looking pretty hot in Doom. Also, Karl Urban as Reaper is hottie mchot. This movie is much more fun than I expected, down to some of the moral questions and the way various people deal with them.

I'm enjoying this way more than I thought. I mean, I knew I'd have fun, because this combines two things I love, cheesy horror and video game movies, but wow. So much better.

---

I started reading Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead today. It's -- well, it's a little odd. I hope to have more thoughts later.

ETA: Watching the bonus features reminds me how sad I am that I can't play first person video games. I blame the vertigo (considering no one can figure out why I have it, it's easy to blame for such things), but I just can't do it. Just watching the brief clips in the extras is making my world spin, and the scenes in the movie which do it almost made me have to shut it off so I wouldn't fall over.

Most of the good horror games I find are first person, and it breaks my heart.

So I'm watching Fantastic Four 2, and I have but one question so far.

What the hell is wrong with Sue Storm's lips? Seriously, y'all, I'm afraid!

On the other hand, this is probably exactly the brainless fun I needed.

Edited to Add: Actually, most of the women have weird lips. Why did they make them up to look like they've all had collagen shots?

Edited to Add Two: I don't read the FF comic, so I've never really thought about the characters much, but why is it that the only woman's power is invisibility? Oh, look at me, I'm a female superhero and I can disappear. Isn't that just perfect, I can be invisible whenever you want.

So, okay, maybe it wasn't the brainless fun I needed.

(Two of my three classes are canceled tomorrow. Do you know how hard it will be to drag myself to campus for that one class? Oy.)

I just finished watching Saved. thestalkycop's been recommending it to me for years, and I'm glad I finally watched it. It's hilarious, and touching, and so much fun. It makes me want to work on my teen pregnancy story (the one I'm writing, not the one about my personal teen pregnancy).

It's so cute, in fact, I want to watch it again right away. That's a sign that it's good.

Earlier I watched Gracie, which was a lot sadder than I expected, but just as inspiring and touching as I wanted.

Both movies make me want to write fic, but not about them, necessarily, just fic in general.

I think a good movie night would be D.E.B.S., Saved, Mean Girls, Bend It Like Beckham, and Gracie. Though probably not in that order; ending on Gracie might be too much of a sad note. Maybe the sports movies first, and then the two high school, and then the spy school.

Speaking of spy school, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy was just as fun as I hoped, though the ending was predictable.

After talking to my sister, K, I really want to write about the way authors interact with their readers online; the way fans who become authors a) deal with fans and b) still act like fans first and authors second; the way author-fan expectation can change fan expectation; and how that can effect the way a new form of the source material is received.

(This is inspired by The Dresden Files, the show, and the way it hasn't been renewed, compared to Stardust.)

Unfortunately, I'm just taking a packing break to eat a bagel and then I'm back to it, so this will have to wait. I just wanted to put it here so I can remember to talk about, I hope.

(I've just switched my background show to a Scooby Doo movie, but I was watching a Cheetah Girls movie because they were singing and dancing their way through Barcelona and I was enjoying seeing all the places I visited once and would like to visit again. I can't tell you how many Disney tv movies I've watched just to see parts of Hawaii. Yeah.)

The good: It looks like maybe Friday Night Lights will be renewed.

The bad: I'm not sure I can keep watching Supernatural. I've just about reached my limit of women who are victims or enemies every. goddamn. time. Every. single. woman. I'm really quite sad about this, because I love Supernatural, I love the sibling relationship, I love the monster stories, I love the music, and I love the Impala, but I don't like the way they portray women, I've never liked it, and I'm really disappointed and frustrated.

The undead: From the directors of Undead, which is an awesome Australian horror movie (with some fantastic portrayals of women, by the way), there will now be Daybreakers. The synopsis:

Hawke will play a researcher in the year 2017, when a plague has transformed most of the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human or find a blood substitute before time runs out. Meanwhile, a covert group of vampires makes a discovery that has the power to save the human race.

This afternoon was a media afternoon while I tried to catch up on everything that had fallen to the wayside because of being sick the past few days and completely out of commission on Saturday. (One of those things, unfortunately, is my femslash07 story, but I'll have it posted on time tomorrow.)

During laundry, writing, editing, throwing out papers, etc., I watched the pilot episode of Friday Night Lights online, and absolutely loved it. I haven't watched it because it's on against Bones, and I'll continue to watch Bones, but I'm definitely going to catch up with FNL online.

People, I very nearly cried at a couple of scenes. It brought back that high school thrill of Friday night games, early morning marching band practice, and the excitement of watching the team fight to win. (My high school team wasn't all that great, except for when I was a freshman. The band, though, was smoking.)

Then my sister K. and I went to see 300, which I loved. Very comic book, very exciting, full of hot guys and gorgeous women, and not nearly as misogynist as I expected from him. (Good previews, too, Spiderman III, Invisible, and that figure skating movie, which looks funny. No Resident Evil 3, though, which made me sad.) I kind of fell in love with the Queen of Sparta. Plus maybe all the three hundred.

I also heard about this thing, Girl Trash, which is Angela Robinson's Pulp Fiction-style Lesbian Noir set in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles and starring Margaret Cho, Mandy Musgrave, Gabrielle Christian, Rose Rollins, and Jordana Brewster. I do not think I can love her more, and yet, here she is, doing another role over which I wish to swoon.

Tag: "A gang war is brewing ... and you'll be asked to pick a side."

Jordana's! I pick Jordana's! After Mia and Lucy Diamond, I'll follow her anywhere.

Finally, even though I haven't been able to work out since Thursday (and that was just a light walk, because Tuesdays and Thursdays are my days off), when I got dressed to go to the movies, I put on a new long sleeve shirt, and it was an XL. It's a little tighter than I like (which basically means it's not hanging off of me in folds), but it's comfortable.

To compare, my work shirts, which I wear every week, are 3XL.

I don't think you can see I've lost weight, and I don't feel I'm making much progress (for example, I have yet to bench 100 pounds, and nikitangel is catching up to me there, and surpassing me elsewhere, so I have to get back to lifting tomorrow), but I guess I am, at least a little.

I'm going back to bed now.

I'm finally watching V for Vendetta (I've only had it from Netflix for almost two months now), and I'm glad I finally did. I really like it, and, unsurprisingly, it has reminded me of my belief that sometimes the only way to change things is through a revolution.

(Violence is a dangerous, heady, addictive thing.)

Okay, I'm obviously spamming livejournal. nikitangel, I wish you were here (or, rather, I was there with your big screen) watching this with me. I know you've seen it, but we'd have so much fun, because this commentary is AWESOME!

Anyway, Blue Crush, the commentary with the actors. Mostly I'm in this for Michelle Rodriguez.

( Blue Crush )

Love this movie and the commentary.

Next up for the Day O' Gay, Bloodrayne because I adore Michelle Rodriguez. (This would probably be more fun to watch with nikitangel, a big screen, and lots of wine, but I'll do whatever it takes to see more of Rodriguez. Plus it has Meat Loaf, which I probably knew at one point, but had forgotten. I love Meat Loaf, too, especially when he does movies with the women I love. [Another I'd like to see is Blacktop because it has him and Victoria Pratt.)

( commentary )

Okay, I have to admit, I'll buy this movie, just because I wish to own all of Michelle Rodriguez's movies. I know. I know.