Film class blues

I haven't blogged here in quite a while. Maybe it's because I'm busy. Or maybe it's because I just haven't felt like blogging in a very long time. But I feel like venting a little, so bear with me here.

I just wanted everyone to know that the class entitled "Film of the 20th Century" at my school is useless. I would know this because it's part of my daily academic schedule. It is the most mind-numbing, ridiculous class I've ever taken.

We sit there and watch movies, but we never really discuss anything. We have tests about the actors in the movies and the scandals the actors were involved in. Of course, classic Hollywood scandals are fun to hear about, but they're not really beneficial in appreciating the art of film.

There is sort of this ongoing "joke" in that class, though. Well, I guess I'm the only person who finds it remotely hilarious.

Instead of watching actual Charlie Chaplin and James Dean movies, we watch movies based on their life. Although I'm not complaining--watching Robert Downey Jr. and James Franco play Chaplin and Dean, respectively wasn't too horrible; at least I wasn't watching Jennifer Love Hewitt play Audrey Hepburn--I think it would make more sense if we actually watched some Chaplin and Dean movies.

All we've done is watched this Chaplin short film and five minutes of East of Eden. Come on...

It's not really the "20th century," by the way. It's more like, "the 20th century starting from the 1930s." We've watched sentimental pieces of mush, such as Boys Town and Goodbye, Mr. Chips. We've watched the mildly amusing and funny My Man Godfrey. We watched a mediocre gangster flick, The Public Enemy. And we watched the fairly epic (for its time), King Kong.

Now we're in the 1940s, and we're in the middle of a fairly boring film called Sergeant York. At the end of this film, I'm supposed to think Gary Cooper is awesome, but I think High Noon would've been a better example of Cooper's acting abilities.

So how is everyone doing?

Yes, I know, I'm terrible...

It's been quite lonely around this corner of the whole wide web, hasn't it?

I've been tremendously busy with school. School has, in short, been kicking me hard in the ass that it's not even funny anymore. I've never been a spectacular or productive student, but the work load for junior year has been completely insane that I'll literally explode with happiness come mid-June. I can't even resort an entire weekend for studying since I have to do work on a history project on some--never mind the adjectives--kid's house.

My future is still undecided, but all I know is that I can't wait for the monumental moment in the immediate future called senior year.

Anyway, I'm actually really bored right now, mainly because I'm in a state of morbid procrastination. I have a billion things to do now, but instead of doing those things, I am being forced into stalker-dom due to the "new" Facebook, listening to the glorious Tori Amos, and--gasp--updating my movie blog about things that aren't about movies.

I haven't really voluntarily watched a movie since last month. I watched I Love You, Man in cinemas for my anti-prom (which is, depending on who you are, is either for the cool or the really lame people). I half-wrote a review that I don't know if I'll ever publish, but the movie's worth a look. It's quite funny, Paul Rudd is adorable, and I want Rashida Jones's hair.

I also watched Pay It Forward for the second time at the Movie Night at my youth ministry, and it's the most preachy thing I've ever watched but...KEVIN SPACEY! And lol...Jon Bon Jovi. But yeah, it's preachy and sentimental, but a lot of people seemed to like it. But hey, it is sort of entertaining in its own preachy-sentimental kinda way...right?

We're also watching this amazing Chinese film in English class (a companion piece to Joy Luck Club) called A Great Wall. It's a little-known eighties movie about the collision of a Chinese-American family with a full-blooded (in heart and body) Chinese family. Being a Taiwanese-American, I could relate to some of the things the characters say to each other. It's an honest film, that is tender instead of offensive.

And...I also watched the most epic thing ever during spring break: Masterpiece Theatre's recent mini series, Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Gemma Arterton is absolutely stunning as Tess, the tragic young woman who is troubled by fate, which leads her to an inevitable downfall. That journey to the eventual downfall is characterized by two men: the dangerous Alec D'Urberville (played deliciously and freakishly by Hans Matheson), and the sweet, but cowardly Angel Clare (played by Eddie Redmayne, who seems to be channeling the annoying spirit of Ashley Wilkes). It's the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed on public television and I whole-heartedly recommend the mini series.

Oh, and I saw Much Ado About Nothing in drama class and it makes me kinda wish that Kenneth Branagh didn't cheat on Emma Thompson with Helena Bonham Carter because Branagh and Thompson are terrific together. And I used to vehemently hate Shakespeare because of the blantantly coincidence-ridden Romeo and Juliet, but I fell in love with Shakespeare after The Merchant of Venice.

I hope everyone is doing well and I will be back...soon. My friends and I are planning to see 17 Again after AP testing, but things are a little uncertain right now, but I certainly hope I get to see it in all its corniness (and Zac Efron's gorgeousness) one way or another.