Ugh, what a terrible two-week chunk. I worked a 36-hour day and it screwed up my sleep cycle for many days after. It was not a good time. However, in and around these weeks of three simultaneous pitches I managed to see a few movies I would like to discuss. But first, did you know there were IRIDESCENT HOLOGRAPHIC-TYPE SNAKES??? WHY WAS I NOT NOTIFIED OF THIS NATURAL PHENOMENA???
Holy crap, that is awesome. If I had one of those I would stare at it all day. Happy happy rainbow snake for me to love and pet and call George.
Okay, sorry, movies. I saw Paranorman! And it was surprisingly good! I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I know I’m supposed to like Tim Burton movies but I just don’t. Visually they’re excellent but plot-wise I find them perpetually lacking. After Frankenweenie and The Nightmare Before Christmas I felt like the spooky-ooky stop-motion animation children’s movie bed had been made but I was pleasantly proven wrong. Paranorman has a plot! It’s a decent plot, too. The animation is fun and sassy and creative. I do have to say that it is a scary movie. Like, if I was thirteen this would scare the pants off of me. If you’re not keen on zombies or creepy angry little girls with demon powers then this might not be the movie for you. I mainly saw it because A) it was streaming on Netflix and B) I saw this preview in the theater when I went to see Frozen (ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THAT DAMN SONG, I’M SICK OF IT) and was immediately smitten. I have no idea if the movie is good but I have higher hopes now that I’ve seen Paranorman.
I saw 20 Feet From Stardom. It’s a documentary about background singers. I know that sounds possibly uninteresting, but no, it was a compelling film. I loved it. There’s not much I can tell you about it because it doesn’t really have a story line. It’s basically these different people, mostly women, talking about how their love of music began and who they sang with and where they are now. It won Best Documentary at the Oscars this year. I think it is also streaming on Netflix right now. You should check it out.