Requiem for a Dream With a Happy Ending

I finally got around to watching Slumdog Millionarie this weekend (or, I should say, Netflix finally got around to sending me a copy after it had been on Very Long Wait status for about five weeks). As you can probably tell from the title of this post (assuming you've watched Requiem for a Dream), this movie reminded me a lot of that movie. In other words, it's a movie where a lot of really messed-up things happen to generally decent people (though I guess the people in Requiem weren't all that decent). Like Requiem, this movie made me cringe, made me depressed, and (strangely enough) made me sick to my stomach. While the queasy feeling in my stomach is partly due to a scene where a kid is blinded using scalding oil (I didn't appreciate the vomiting scene either), it is mostly due to the incredibly annoying way in which the movie was shot. The shaky camera, the out of focus shots, and the running sequences shot with hand-held cameras gave me vertigo and a headache approximately 20 minutes into the movie.

The story itself was interesting. Jamal, from the slums of Mumbai, India, enters India's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" game show. Exceeding all expectations, he answers all questions correctly up to the 10 million rupee question, which he blindly guesses (though, honestly, that would never be a top question because it is a ridiculously easy answer). Suspected of cheating, he is questioned by the police, where he retells the critical events in his life that have shaped him into who he is. More importantly though, he has gathered bits of knowledge from these events, which is how he is able to answer the game show questions.

The movie is undeniably powerful, emotional, and generally quite good. And, unlike Requiem, it has a happy ending, so that's neat. Now, I've always said that Requiem for a Dream is a really good movie, but I will never, ever watch it again. Never. Same goes for Slumdog Millionaire. It's a good movie (mind you, I didn't say really good...the directing is too messed up for that), but I will never, ever watch it again. If I want to get really depressed, I'll just look at my bank account. I think it's funny that the movie review on that poster is "the feel-good movie of the decade." Yeah, ok, you feel good at the end when he gets the girl and he gets the money. But, to me, it didn't make up for the previous hour and 40 minutes of down-trodden, life-is-crappy, story.

The Ups and Downs (and the Gates)

This week started on a sour note. I need to renew my passport, which should really just amount to showing up at a particular destination with some choice documents, forking over way too much cash for a fake-leather bound booklet, and proceeding with life as usual. Not leaving it up to fate, I decided to call ahead and make sure I had the right documents. Picture me, starting out her Monday morning at work, coffee in hand, ready to get the day going, dialing up the number for customer service, asking if so-and-so documents are the ones needed, and getting the bitchiest call center attendant known to man. Ok, A) I realize being a call center attendant is not all daisies and sunshine; I hate talking on the phone too, I get it; I hate people in general, I understand that too. And B) it sounds like you must really hate life cause, after all, you ended up as a call center attendant. But, damn it to hell, why take it out on me? I don't want to relive the tediousness here but in all my time calling customer service numbers I have never had a ruder, meaner, and dumber attendant. A minute into the call I was really regretting that I had no way to record the conversation. Jerk.

Tuesday was considerably much more fun. Rock and I met up after work for dinner and Up. I'd been wanting to see this for some time and, strangely enough, our tiny town was playing it in 3D. Judging from the trailers, it looks like all animated movies will now be offered in 3D. The movie looked very good in 3D, though there are times when the image can look a little blurry, particularly around the edges. It's also funny how your brain adjusts to it after a while and then you no longer seem to notice that it's in 3D. The movie itself was awesome. Of course, I was bawling during the opening sequences. I'm worried that the last animated movie I saw was Wall-E and that also had me bawling at times. Apparently the animated movies are getting to be too emotional for me. I am such a wuss.

Tuesday was also like Christmas, because when I got home I found that my recent Amazon purchase was waiting for me: Stargate SG-1 The Complete Series Collection. Just look at it. It makes me ridiculously happy for some reason and I can't wait to start watching.

It is seriously so shiny...and cubic.

However, Tuesday was also like those Christmases where you have your heart set on getting a certain gift and then you open the box and it's socks or something (I'll be honest, though, I love socks, especially if they are fuzzy or striped or soft). When I opened the Stargate box, I looked over the DVD's and several of them had scratches on them, which displeased me greatly because the Amazon third-party vendor claimed the set was brand-new but they clearly just shrink-wrapped a used set and delivered an item that was clearly not new. I've written a strongly worded email, demanding to know what they plan to do about it and if they will exchange it for a brand-new item or give me my money back. Most likely they will say that those are the breaks. At which point I will slink away with my slightly defective Stargate box, though that doesn't mean I will love it any less. It's ok SG-1, it's not your fault.

Finally, today I was almost sideswiped by some jerk with Florida plates. Like I wasn't even there. I honked my horn like there was no tomorrow and then look over to see that the moron is laughing. Scared to death with my heart about to jump out the roof, I honk again, make a rude gesture to indicate he watch where he's going, and then realize I should probably keep my eyes on the road and watch where I'm going. Did I already mention today that I hate people? I thought so.

And it's only Thursday to boot.