Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I came home from work today, worked out, showered then watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the movie. Because it was on TV, and I haven’t seen it in years.  (From 1990, it’s a cult classic.  You know the one.)

I think most people around my age have seen this movie.  The heroes in a half shell were quite popular back in my day.  Way back in the 90’s. 

Watching it as an adult, It’s a very different film.  In addition to the overall ridiculousness of it as a whole, there are some serious plot holes.

I have a couple questions:

1.  Is anyone else profoundly disturbed by the flirtation / sexual tension between April O’Neil, Adult Human Reporter and Raphael, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?  It’s just wrong on so many levels.  And furthermore, why does Raphael have a borderline Italian accent?  

2.  What is Shredders’ motivation?  What’s up with The Foot Clan and the generalized hating of Splinter and our heroes?  

I think the movie was based on the comic books, which I didn’t read.  I read everything was I was little.  Everything except comic books – so please fill in the blanks for me if you know. 

COMPLETELY unrelated – some new detailsabout Jenny Lewis’s upcoming album have been released.  Most importantly, that it’s coming out in September.  Zooey Deschanel is featured on it, and she’ll be playing in New York in October. 

This is all code for “Do you want to see Jenny Lewis with me in October?”

Movie Memories

I’d say, for the better part of a year, every Sunday morning I’d rent The Never-Ending Story. I could probably recite it word for word between the ages of 7 and 8. I know other people who also were obsessed with certain movies as children. I’m talking about watching it every week, or even every day.
“You’ve seen this so many times!”
“But I liiikkeee it!”
Holly loved Aristocats, and Look Who’s Talking. Jenn loved Labyrinth. Gary loved Flight of the Navigator. So on and so forth…
I feel like as an adult, if I see an amazing movie, it doesn’t have the same affect on me. Maybe because children are more impressionable, movies have a deeper and more profound affect on their lives, and I’d say even shape who they are.
I went out for dinner on Saturday night with some friends, and for some reason The Never Ending Story came up. (Actually, it came up because my friend Melinda’s dog looks just like Falcor) And from there, we started talking more about movies we liked as children. My friend Steph told me she never saw Goonies as a kid, and therefore didn’t get the big deal when she watched it as a teenager. I remember when I saw Jurassic Park, I wanted to become a paleontologist. As did every other six year old who saw it.
Maybe because we’re all old and jaded (22 and jaded…), but it seems as though as we get older, it’s harder for a movie to really captivate us, and to become a big part of our lives. Sure, I see lots of great movies these days, but I don’t feel an emotional connection to them, or have any feelings of wonderment about them. Even the movies that kids love, like Pirates of the Caribbean, I saw it, I liked it…eh
Am I being too harsh a critic here? Am I the only one who doesn’t feel that strongly about movies these days?
What was your favorite movie as a kid? Do you think, if you saw it now you’d feel the same about it?

How does it feel?

I was going to write a big long review about I’m Not There, a movie I saw on Sunday by Todd Haynes, based (somewhat) on the life of Bob Dylan.  But Jenn beat me to it, and I agree with everything she said so what’s the point? 

 The movie is good.  Complex and interesting.  Cate Blanchette is amazing and Heath Ledger is as good looking as ever. 

After I saw the movie, I knew I wanted to write about it, so I did a little research online and stumbled upon this new 3 disk compilation set of Dylan’s work.    If I didn’t already own every song on this set, I’d buy it.  I think it’s a great overview of Dylan’s work, and since it’s the most recent compilation, it includes newer songs that aren’t available on other, previously released “greatest hits.”  I highly reccomend it to the casual Dylan fan, or someone who’s looking to get into his work. 

The soundtrack for I’m Not There includes all covers of Dylan’s songs, which just aren’t very good.  Everyone is imitating Bob Dylan and nobody can do Bob Dylan except Bob Dylan.  However, the soundtrack includes the previously unreleased track of “I’m Not There” by Dylan – the only song on the album that is actually performed by him.  It’s fantastic.  I have no idea why it wasn’t released prior to this but I’m glad it finally was. 

 Now a list of my favorite Dylan songs, based on most played in my iTunes. 

• Simple Twist of Fate
• It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
• I Want You
• Most Of The Time 
• Shelter From The Storm

Most of the time I tell people, “Listen to The Beatles!”  And I mean it. 

But I’m on a Bob Dylan kick thanks to the movie, so now I’m singin’ a different tune.  Listen to Bob Dylan!

it happens.

Imagine coming home from a long day of work, you take off your jacket because it’s bloody freezing out.  You collapse on the couch and say to someone, “I had the worst day…”  As the wheels in your head are a-spinnin, thinking about how you can explain the horror of your day to somebody who’ll listen to and appease you, they say “eh, it happens.” 

It’s pretty rude.  It makes the complainers’ complaints seem invalid and groundless, and all they wanted to do was vent for a little while.  And i’m not talking about the “oh I stubbed my toe” complaint – because that really does just happen, but I mean the legitimately bad days.  I only mention this because I know someone who says this all the time and a few days ago, I really wanted to complain to them but I reconsidered based on this.  Despite what you may think, i’m not much of a complainer (yes, i know that right now i’m complaining about being unable to complain…) but I just like to think that if I were going to complain, you’d listen. 

On a completely unrelated note, I want to talk about mix CD’s for a while.  I like to think that most people in the world have seen the movie High Fidelity (if you havn’t seen it, watch it.  Or better yet, read the book by Nick Hornby of which the film is based, then watch it).  In the movie, there’s a great quote. 

“The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.” 

 I make alot of mix CD’s and playlists.  As anyone who’s been in my car knows, that’s usually what i’ll listen to when I’m driving, and i’ll listen to albums at home or work (currently listening to Abbey Road for instance).  I like to think I make good mixes, and i’ve been told that I do; however, I don’t have a strategy when making one.  I mean there are some obvious rules.  I don’t put a song by Bright Eyes on and then listen to Journey (although, that would be interesting).  I try to stay in the same genre, and try to avoid having too many songs by the same artist on the one mix.  Unless of course, i’m making a mix of an artist to expose listeners to brilliance (Hi Jenn! Elliott Smith!). 

So tell me, Internet – Do you have any rules to play by when you’re making a mix CD?  I’ve found some advice and how-to lists but I feel like they’re either very serious or very stupid, it’s not working for me.