As Spring Break '11 Goes On: Thursday, Friday, Saturday
What's up? Well, spring break is reaching it's end, with one more day (well, two for me since I don't have class mondays) and it has been a pretty relaxing one! I hope everyone has had a relaxing week as well and got to stay warm! Yes, the windy city is still as windy and cool as ever, but at least the sun has been out!
So these past few days, my dad has been in town here (he's here until tomorrow night) so I have been spending time with him, and it's been a great time! Got to go see Second City (ok, who DOESN'T know Second City?? Well, I guess if you don't, it's the popular improv theatre company here in town that many from Saturday Night Live started out, and even the classics like Mike Myers, Dan Akroyd and many many more.) They have a show up now called "The Absolute Best Frickin' Time of Your Life" which has now been extended due to popular demand and is playing on the Second City ETC stage. Second City will always crack me up, and this show was no different! Had a great time and the cast is amazing as ususal, so yeah! Check it out! Second City is a must if you are only visiting too and if you live here, you NEED to see one of their shows. Now!
Anyway, let's see. Also got to go to the opening of Sucker Punch, directed by Zack Snyder, and starring Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Oscar Isaac, Scott Glenn and a few more. It is about a girl, Babydoll (played by Emily Browning) in the 1950's who is sent, by her father, to an asylum after accidentally killer her younger sister who the father was about to molest. Her father arranges for her to be lobotomized in five days. Along the way, she tries to escape with the help of four other girls as they live in the hell of the corrupt asylum and, we the audience, get to see how Babydoll mentally copes with her harsh reality and if her plan will work or not.
Now, I never really was a fan of 300, which Snyder also directed, and the style the movie seemed to be in wasn't my favorite but, alas, something drew me to it. It may have been it's dark mood that I picked up from the trailer that really struck with me, but I think it was also the story, even though I didn't fully realize it until after the movie. If you look at it really closely, though it is an action movie, there is also something very tragic about the whole thing, as this being a "super-hero" or sorts is her way of dealing with her harsh reality in life and using her imagination to look at it differently. This, I am also guilty of at times, so that could have been the reason for me being drawn to it. Of course we all have those fantasies occasionally of being someone more "super" when we are stuck in rough situations, especially when we were all little and young. I've always had a very active imagination, from when I was a young kid going into now. It's why I like writing stories so much. My imagination is very much one of the stronger cards I was delt, and I'm proud of that! So yeah, Sucker Punch. Honestly, it's worth the watch. Maybe netflix it or rent it or whatever when it comes out in DVD, but I think you'll be surprised if you really look at the message. Watch it with an open mind. Also, I think some of the best performances are from Oscar Issac, who plays the evil orderly Blue Jones and also Scott Glenn, who plays the comedic but wise Wise Man. They were really fun characters to watch. Honestly, everyone does a pretty good job in the movie. So I guess no complaints. Was it my favorite movie of all time? No, but it was very enjoyable! (and oh yeah, I especially liked some of the covers of classic rock songs the movie had in the soundtrack, including "White Rabbit" covered by Emiliana Torrini and "Tomorrow Never Knows" covered by Carla Azar and Alison Mosshart. Also the cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" is by Emily Browning who plays Babydoll, the lead! She sings the song "Asleep", a Smith's cover, as well! She has a nice voice!)
Also got to listen to The Ghost Of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1995. Well, yet again, the style has now changed for Springsteen since the album that came out before this one. This time, going back to a Nebraska-like sound, this being a very acoustic album, though not as dark as Nebraska. There are a few more instruments in this album, such as with "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and "Youngstown", but still are pretty acoustic heavy. In the album, Springsteen paints a picture of what mid-90's life was like here in America and Mexico, going back to his more folk like style. He sings about the working class life as well, and it is a very peaceful album, but at the same time it tells a story that beautifully tells the "struggle" of such life at that time, and it comes out in the music and lyrics. It's a really cool album, and it's stories are always interesting to hear, as if you are listening to these songs out of a rustic and all too real storybook. Some of my favorites off this album: "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" (named after The Grapes of Wrath character, written by John Steinbeck), "Straight Time", "Highway 29", "Youngstown", "Across The Border", "Galveston Bay", and "My Best Was Never Good Enough". Below the post, I put up a video of Bruce performing "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" with Tom Morello, and it just kicks ass! One of the best performances of it I've seen! So check it out!
Well, that's all I have for now! More to come tomorrow night! Time for me to get some much needed sleep! Tomorrow's post, I'll write more about my adventures today and more! Well, folks, have a great night!
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