I don't know what is wrong with me lately, but I have been suffering from the weirdest dreams nightmares. Like 3 nights in a row. It sucks because I don't remember my dreams, but I finally remembered one.. And I'm still trying to figure out what it means.
The other night I dreamt I was in the reality show Jersey Shore (refrain from criticism til the end, thank you)... And of course, I was chillin with Pauly D and getting along pretty well, as I always thought we would be good friends in real life. Anyway, my dream was in perspective like how you would watch it on MTV.
Then this is where it gets creepy. A killer comes into the house, and starts killing us one by one with a knife. Somehow all the doors are locked, and we are trapped. I remember Snooki hiding in the fridge. And just before the killer gets to me I wake up.
And I wake up breathing hard, in a cold sweat, and I sit straight up in my pitch black room. Seconds later, I get a feeling that there is an alien presence in the room with me that I cannot see. Instead of talking, the alien communicates through telepathy, implanting his thoughts into my head. He tells me "Go back to sleep so you don't feel the pain." I quickly oblige.
if the lights weren't off in my room, I probably would have seen this
Now I've decided I need to keep a journal by my bed so I can write down these nightmares. Or maybe I need to stop watching Jersey Shore? Or Ancient Aliens? Which is an amazingly awesome show, but I will dedicate an entire post to that show in the near future to convince you of its awesomeness..
This week, MTV premiered its show "Skins," which happens to be a (horrible?) remake of the hit UK series.
Now, I really wasn't drawn to the MTV version.. hence why I did not see it. But after reading all the controversial issues, I decided I have to watch it now. Most intriguing to me, MTV's skins is being blatantly labeled as child porn. This idea coming from the fact that they have actual 15/16/17 year olds in incredibly explicit sexual encounters and rampant drug use, and the filmed footage (even if not aired) of these kids. Now MTV is editing the show down to avoid legal battles.
The reason I hear that the US version fails, is because the UK version honestly portrays their youth.. where teens legally drink at 18, sex isn't as censored, and the societal status/classes are different. And the US version doesn't. Not to mention, copying the UK version with amateur actors and young writers seems to hinder the US version, as I've heard these US teen actors really suck.
Now, many parents are criticizing the show because the teens don't seem to have any negative consequences for their crazy antics. Others are criticizing the show for being too unrealistic. My opinion: I am all for this show, even if it was produced poorly. I am glad MTV took the risk to make a show about underage teens in what I think are realistic situations.
Maybe I am just in the small percent of people who had a crazy life like this, because it does not seem unrealistic at all. When I was a teen, I was surrounded by parties, drugs, sex, wreckless driving.. I had friends do porn, overdose, die... I guess most people just aren't ready to accept that there are teens like this. I happened to be one of them.
I will check out the MTV version.. but I think I'll just start watching the UK version, as I hear it is great. And who doesn't love British accents?
I just discovered that one of my favorite directors has a new indie comedy. That amazing director being Gregg Araki... and his newest film is Kaboom.
His new film seems promising to me. He says it goes back to his 90s style of film, which includes ridiculous WTF sci-fi end-of-the-world plotlines, pop-art color values, offensively witty dialogue, and of course sex and drugs. Let's just say I am more than excited. It premiered at Cannes Film Festival last year and will be shown at Sundance. If you happen to live in NY or LA there will be one screening in each at the end of January. Without further ado, i present the trailer for Kaboom:
And now a little background about why I love Gregg Araki. He is probably most known for his drama "Mysterious Skin," starring awesome Joseph-Gordon Levitt. Surprisingly, that was not one of my favorite films of his. He also did the stoner comedy "Smiley Face" with the talented Anna Faris, which also did not make my Araki favorites. I tend to like his older, 90s flicks... which is why I am so incredibly excited for Kaboom.
I first discovered his "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy" when I was in high school... I think I found his film "Nowhere (1997)" as a discount VHS and it seemed compelling enough to buy. I am so glad I did. Its cast included the soon-to-be stars: Heather Graham, Ryan Phillippe, Scott Caan, Mena Suvari as well as Beverly D'Angelo, Shannen Doherty, Rose McGowan, John Ritter, and Christina Applegate. Araki described the film as "A Beverly Hills, 90210 episode on acid," and I agree. After the film, I could only think WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! After some research I discovered that was the third film in the trilogy, so I was on a quest to find the others.
Yes, that's an alien
Indie films are so hard to find. But after special ordering online, I found the second film, "The Doom Generation (1995)," starring Rose McGowan, with cameos by Parker Posey and Margaret Cho. This black comedy also had an erotically violent WTF ending. I decided I HAD TO FIND THE FIRST FILM.
After years of searching, I finally found a copy this week. "Totally Fucked Up (1993)" is currently on my computer and I am waiting to watch it. Not sure how I feel about having seen these films in backwards order, but even though the films seem like they don't make sense, artistically they have so much depth and interpretation. After reading interviews with Araki, he has so many layers and reasons for why he wrote/directed as he did. It is so amazing to watch something over and over and interpret it differently each time.
So, if you are down for some offensively-weird sci-fi candy-colored sex-filled drug-sprinkled entertainment... check out his stuff. if you can find it.
I just found out that Pete Postlethwaite died. I know not many people know his name, but I'm sure that most people would recognize his face.
He has been in so many films that I love, and his roles are always memorable... probably why I felt compelled to blog about him. I distinctly remember him from Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Omen (2006), and The Lost World: Jurassic Park. He was also in The Town, Inception, Amistad, In The Name Of The Father, The Usual Suspects... and a long list of other amazing films.
Also, his voice can always be in my head, as I recall the album version of the song "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba. Yes, it's his voice that says "Truth is I thought it mattered, I thought that music mattered. But does it bollocks! Not compared to how people matter." But this is just a quick dialogue from the film Brassed Off, and it doesn't appear in most versions of the song. But if you owned the album, like I did, you'd remember this. Otherwise, the rest of the song goes like this:
Goodbye Mr. Postlethwaite, you and your cheekbones will not be forgotten.
