What are your top five break-up songs?
Submitted by gt.

Normally, the term "break-up song" brings to mind mainstream pop with average lyrics. Instead, I'm going to list five (English-language) songs which brilliantly express love lost or unreciprocated. I've also underlined the lines that are my personal favourites. Enjoy.

James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover

No question - this song is completely synonymous with a break-up. This is my favourite James Blunt song - in fact, one of my favourite songs ever. The lyrics really hit home, and delivered in Blunt's unique voice, sound completely gut-wrenching. It's hard to listen to this song without feeling sad, but that's exactly why it's so good.

Goodbye My Lover

James Blunt

Did I disappoint you or let you down?

Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?

'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,

Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.

So I took what's mine by eternal right.

Took your soul out into the night.

It may be over but it won't stop there,

I am here for you if you'd only care.

You touched my heart you touched my soul.

You changed my life and all my goals.

And love is blind and that I knew when,

My heart was blinded by you.

I've kissed your lips and held your head.

Shared your dreams and shared your bed.

I know you well, I know your smell.

I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake,

You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.

And as you move on, remember me,

Remember us and all we used to be

I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.

I've watched you sleeping for a while.

I'd be the father of your child.

I'd spend a lifetime with you.

I know your fears and you know mine.

We've had our doubts but now we're fine,

And I love you, I swear that's true.

I cannot live without you.

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.

In mine when I'm asleep.

And I will bear my soul in time,

When I'm kneeling at your feet.

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.

I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.

Elvis Costello - I Want You (as covered by Fiona Apple)

This is also about pining for lost love - with an edge. No other song I've heard describes such raw longing, love, rage and jealousy, especially when sung in Fiona's anguished voice. It's a musical out-of-body experience.

The lyrics speak for themselves.

Fiona Apple covers Elvis Costello's "I Want You"

Oh my baby baby

I love you more than I can tell

I dont think I can live without you

And I know that I never will

Oh my baby baby

I love you so it scares me to death

I cant say anymore than I love you

Everything else is a waste of breath

I want you

Youve had your fun you dont get well no more

I want you

Your fingernails go dragging down the wall

Be careful darling you might fall

I want you

I woke up and one of us was crying

I want you

You said "Young girl I do believe you're dying"

I want you

If you need a second opinion as you seem to do these days

I want you

You can look in my eyes and you can count the ways

I want you

Did you mean to tell me but seem to forget

I want you

Since when were you so generous and inarticulate

I want you

Its the stupid details that my heart is breaking for

Its the way your shoulders shake and what they're shaking for

I want you

Its knowing that she knows you now after only guessing

I want you

Its the thought of her undressing you or you undressing

I want you

She tossed some tattered compliment your way

I want you

And you were fool enough to love it when he said

I want you

I want you

The truth cant hurt you its just like the dark

It scares you witless

But in time you see things clear and stark

I want you

Go on and hurt me then well let it drop

I want you

I'm afraid I wont know where to stop

I want you

I'm not ashamed to say I cried for you

I want you

I want to know the things you did that we do too

I want you

I want to hear he pleases you more than I do

I want you

I might as well be useless for all it means to you

I want you

Did you call his name out as she held you down

I want you

Oh no my darling not with that clown

I want you

Youve had your fun you dont get well no more

I want you

No-one who wants you could want you more

I want you

Every night when I go off to bed and when I wake up

I want you

I want you

I'm going to say it once again til I instill it

I know Im going to feel this way until you kill it

I want you

I want you

Nine Inch Nails - Only

Trent Reznor is my absolute favourite when it comes to angst. The man nails it everytime with his voice and lyrics - and when he's not singing, his instrumental compositions do all the talking. I'm taking this opportunity to remind everyone - PLEASE try to attend their upcoming summer tour, especially if you live in any one of the cities on their schedule. It's not mere concert-going; it's a pilgrimage.

Only

Nine Inch Nails

I'm becoming less defined

As days go by

Fading away

Well you might say

I'm losing focus

Kinda drifting into the abstract

In terms of how I see myself

Sometimes I think I can see right through myself

Sometimes I think I can see right through myself

I think sometimes I can see right through myself

Less concerned

About fitting into the world

Your world that is

Cuz it doesn't really matter

No it doesn't really matter

No it doesn't really matter any more

None of this really matters any more

Yes, I am alone

But then again I always was

As far back as I can tell

I think maybe it's because

Because you were never really real

To begin with

I just made you up to hurt myself

I just made you up to hurt myself

Yeah, and I just made you up to hurt myself

I just made you up to hurt myself

Yeah, and I just made you up to hurt myself

And it worked

Yes it did

There is no you

There is only me

There is no you

There is only me

There is no fucking you

There is only me

There is no fucking you

There is only me

Only

Only

Only

Only

Well the tiniest little dot caught my eye

And it turned out to be a scab

And I had this funny feeling

Like I just knew it's something bad

I just couldn't leave it alone

Pickin' at that scab

It was a doorway trying to seal itself shut

But I climbed through

Now I am somewhere I am not supposed to be

And I can see things I never really shoulda seen

And now I know why

And now I know why

Things aren't as pretty

On the inside

There is no you

There is only me

There is no you

There is only me

There is no fucking you

There is only me

There is no fucking you

There is only me

Only

Only

Only

Only

Only

Only

Only

Only 

Richard Thompson - Beeswing

This song is a reminisce about a former love. The lyrics are lovely, and the girl spoken of is very much like me in spirit.

Richard Thompson - Beeswing

I was nineteen when I came to town, they called it the Summer of Love

They were burning babies, burning flags. The hawks against the doves

I took a job in the steamie down on Cauldrum Street

And I fell in love with a laundry girl who was working next to me

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing

So fine a breath of wind might blow her away

She was a lost child, oh she was running wild

She said "As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay.

And you wouldn't want me any other way"

Brown hair zig-zag around her face and a look of half-surprise

Like a fox caught in the headlights, there was animal in her eyes

She said "Young man, oh can't you see I'm not the factory kind

If you don't take me out of here I'll surely lose my mind"

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing

So fine that I might crush her where she lay

She was a lost child, she was running wild

She said "As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay.

And you wouldn't want me any other way"

We busked around the market towns and picked fruit down in Kent

And we could tinker lamps and pots and knives wherever we went

And I said that we might settle down, get a few acres dug

Fire burning in the hearth and babies on the rug

She said "Oh man, you foolish man, it surely sounds like hell.

You might be lord of half the world, you'll not own me as well"

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing

So fine a breath of wind might blow her away

She was a lost child, oh she was running wild

She said "As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay.

And you wouldn't want me any other way"

We was camping down the Gower one time, the work was pretty good

She thought we shouldn't wait for the frost and I thought maybe we should

We was drinking more in those days and tempers reached a pitch

And like a fool I let her run with the rambling itch

Oh the last I heard she's sleeping rough back on the Derby beat

White Horse in her hip pocket and a wolfhound at her feet

And they say she even married once, a man named Romany Brown

But even a gypsy caravan was too much settling down

And they say her flower is faded now, hard weather and hard booze

But maybe that's just the price you pay for the chains you refuse

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing

And I miss her more than ever words could say

If I could just taste all of her wildness now

If I could hold her in my arms today

Well I wouldn't want her any other way.

Dido - White Flag

For a change, the lyrics to this song work because they are simple and to the point, but without being juvenile.

Dido - White Flag

I know you think that I shouldn't still love you

I'll tell you that.

But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it

Where's the sense in that?

I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder

Or return to where we were

Well I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

I know I left too much mess and

destruction to come back again

And I caused but nothing but trouble

I understand if you can't talk to me again

And if you live by the rules of "it's over"

then I'm sure that that makes sense

Well I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

And when we meet

Which I'm sure we will

All that was then

Will be there still

I'll let it pass

And hold my tongue

And you will think

That I've moved on....

Well I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

Well I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

Well I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

BONUS TRACK:

Richard Thompson - From Galway to Graceland

While not a "break-up song" in the actual sense, this is one of the finest songs I've heard of love unrequited. Thompson's soothing yet emotional voice only amplifies the beauty of this ballad. Someone on Youtube called him "one of the last great troubadours". Amen.

From Galway to Graceland

Richard Thompson

Oh she dressed in the dark and she whispered amen

She was pretty in pink like a young girl again

Twenty years married and she never thought twice

She sneaked out the door and walked into the night

And silver wings carried her over the sea

From the west coast of Ireland to West Tennessee

To be with her sweetheart, oh she left everything

From Galway to Graceland to be with the king

She was humming Suspicion, that's the song she liked best

She had Elvis I Love You tattooed on her breast

When they landed in Memphis, well her heart beat so fast

She'd dreamed for so long, now she'd see him at last

She was down by his graveside day after day

Come closing time they would pull her away

Ah to be with her sweetheart, oh she'd left everything

From Galway to Graceland to be with the king

Ah, they came in their thousands from the whole human race

To pay their respects at his last resting place

But blindly she knelt there and she told him her dreams

And she thought that he answered or that's how it seems

Then they dragged her away it was handcuffs this time

She said my good man are you out of your mind.

Don't you know that we're married? See, I'm wearing his ring.

From Galway to Graceland to be with the king.

I come From Galway to Graceland to be with the king.

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From today's edition of teh Qte™. I couldn't resist. Meet Su Lin:

wheeee!

In case you didn't notice, she's also rather cheeky about her rolypolyness.

lets see YOU do that

Originally uploaded by kjdrill, found on Cute Overload.

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Tom's QotD:
Name three words or phrases you wish you'd coined.

Glibido

[glĭ-bē'dō]

noun. All talk, no action. "My glibido is at an all-time high."

adjective, glibidinous.

Origin: Found it on Reader's Digest (it was a prize winner at one of those competitions organised by newspapers/ publishing houses where you add, take away, or change a letter to make a new word with a new meaning. I think this particular one was organised by the Washington Post.)

Ass o'clock

[as-o-klŏk]

noun. That deepest, darkest time of the night when your cat awakes you from the dead for a feeding.

Origin: Found this on Cute Overload, not sure who coined it. Maybe Teho would know.

Cubic Assload

[kyōō'bĭk as-lōd]

noun. Bobavey-speak for overwhelmingly huge, usually in reference to being overloaded with work. "I've got a cubic assload of documents to file, so you can take your 10$ raise and shove it."

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 Show us something you love about Mexico.

Of course. ;)

Gael García Bernal

And his real-life best friend isn't bad either. ;)

Diego Luna

Bernal and Luna appeared together in Y Tu Mama Tambien. Luna played the lead role of the Cuban street dancer in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. (He's a marvellous dancer, by the way.)

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Finally got my spankin' new iBall 8x6 pen tablet so I can work at home too. It's just as good as the Wacom but less than half the price. Sweet.

Also bought a whirly, girly, blue wraparound skirt with folksy motifs. It doesn't seem to go with any colour other than white or the colours that it already has, but it's still so pretty.

Meanwhile, Nine Inch Nails are having a late-summer whirlwind tour in the US and Canada. Will anyone be attending their concerts? Those who are going - PLEASE take plenty of pictures and videos!

2008 Summer Tour

NOTE: all times are local venue time zone

7/25/08 Pemberton, BC [Pemberton Festival]
On sale: NOW

7/26/08 Seattle, WA [Key Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10:00AM)

7/28/08 Edmonton, AB [Rexall Place]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (10:00AM)

7/29/08 Calgary, AB [Pengrowth Saddledome]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (10:00AM)

7/31/08 Winnipeg, MB [MTS Centre]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (10:00AM)

8/2/08 Minneapolis, MN [Target Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/3/08 Chicago, IL [Grant Park - Lollapalooza Festival]
On Sale: NOW

8/5/08 Toronto, ON [Air Canada Centre]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5:00PM)

8/7/08 Uncasville, CT [Mohegan Sun Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/21 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/24 (10AM)

8/8/08 Worcester, MA [DCU Center]
Pre Sale: 5/14 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/17 (12NOON)

8/10/08 Baltimore, MD [Pimlico Race Course - V Festival]
On Sale: 5/3

8/12/08 Knoxville, TN [Knoxville Civic Coliseum]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (9AM)

8/13/08 Duluth, GA [Gwinnett Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5PM)

8/15/08 Oklahoma City, OK [Ford Center]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/16/08 Houston, TX [Toyota Center]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5PM)

8/18/08 Dallas, TX [American Airlines Center]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5PM)

8/20/08 St. Louis, MO [Scottrade Center]
Pre Sale: 5/28 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/31 (10AM)

8/22/08 Cleveland, OH [Quicken Loans Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/23/08 Auburn Hills, MI [The Palace of Auburn Hills]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/27/08 East Rutherford, NJ [Izod Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (12NOON)

8/29/08 Philadelphia, PA [Wachovia Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/31/08 Lexington, KY [Rupp Arena]
Pre Sale: 4/30 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/3 (10AM)

9/2/08 Morrison, CO [Red Rocks Amphitheater]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

9/3/08 Salt Lake City [E Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On sale: 5/10 (11AM)

9/5/08 Oakland, CA [Oracle Arena]
Pre Sale: 6/12 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 6/15 (10AM)

9/6/08 Los Angeles, CA [The Forum]
Pre Sale: TBA
On Sale: TBA

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The Number 23 is a typical Joel Schumacher film - slickly edited whodunit, special effects, wizardly credits et al. But I quite enjoyed this film - it's visually good, especially in the flashback parts (which are high-contrast with undertones of green) and the story is plausible enough. Nice to watch with a bowl of popcorn on a weekend.

One scene in particular stood out - Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen meet at the scene of an arson/killing. The song for this scene, as I found out later, is  called "Tear You Apart", by a band called She Wants Revenge, whom I'd never heard of until I saw the film. As the video below shows, both the song and the scene go together perfectly. It might not be as effective unless you see the whole film, but you might still want to turn up the AC. ;)

(warning: lyrics and video Not Safe For Kids.)

High contrast, undertones of green, both Carrey and Madsen clad in black, Carrey looking uncharacteristically hot (and that badass tattoo, oh my) ... it's sex, death, bondage and Goth all rolled into one. Hot damn.

Tear You Apart

She Wants Revenge

Another song by them that I liked was this one called "Killing Time". After the first one minute of (rather repetitive) piano, it starts to develop influences of the tango - one of my favourite kinds of dance and music. I could actually visualise doing a typical tango sequence to this song, and the context is very appropriate for the dance as well.

(Can you tell I'm a sucker for Latin ballroom dances?)

Killing Time

She Wants Revenge

Except for having a penchant for repeating certain lyrics or parts, which can get tiresome and stretch the song unnecessarily, She Wants Revenge seems to be pretty good. I'd like to hear more of their stuff.

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This is what David was doing during his 2-year American sabbatical.

David can haz cheezburger

EDIT: Neurotic as I am, I realised I could do better...

om nom nom nom

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Show us your favorite pair of shoes.

Nothing great about these, but they're high heels and they're black. 'Nuff sed.

I'm bringing sexy back

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Purplesque reminded me about Ratatouille yesterday, and I also remembered some other films that I'd meant to review but forgotten.

Ratatouille was nicely done - a little unbelievable of course (a Cordon Bleu who's a rodent?!) but who says fairy tales should only happen in the "days of yore"? The story premise was familiar and a little jaded, as is with most commercial animated films, but it was unusual in the fact that instead of the beaten-to-death man vs. nature battle, man and nature join hands to come up trumps. That's what I liked about Bee Movie as well.

Story-wise, Brad Bird's two earlier films - The Iron Giant and The Incredibles - were better. But Ratatouille was nevertheless nicely animated, with excellent lighting and texture. Also it was obvious that a lot of effort had gone into the research of Paris's famous gastronomic culture, especially with the addition of the death-like food critic Anton (aptly named the "Grim Eater"!) However, I wish they had animated more scenes of the food, since that was so central to the plot.

Realm of the Senses. This Japanese film, made in 1976, is inspired by a real incident in the 1930s, when China was sending its troops into Japan. It's about a married landlord who has a torrid affair with a former protitute-turned-brothel-maid. It's a very explicit film - two hours of almost non-stop full frontal male erect nudity, penetration, the works - sometimes in close-up. Some scenes are borderline repulsive. This threatens threatens to overwhelm the story in parts, but it makes sense when you find out that the film was made specifically to rebel against Japanese censors, who had no problems with depiction of violence and rape, but were prudish about sex. (Damn movie censors - they're the same everywhere.) That explains why the cast and crew is Japanese but the producers are French.

I found the movie extremely boring beyond a point, and even the unusual ending didn't surprise me because I sort of expected it. It was only later when I was mulling over it that I realised how the female protagonist's character undergoes a sea change from the beginning to the end, but I had not noticed. That was interesting, if a bit too long.

If you can see beyond the pornography (I don't even know whether to call it pornography, because it was a fictionalised narrative in spite of the unsimulated sex) there are very interesting displays of Japanese cultural motifs - specifically blood and death. Both are so deeply ingrained with Japanese culture that it is present in virtually every aspect of Japanese art, and especially so in this film, where the colour red stands out in particular. Those familiar with Miyazaki's work will know that these are present in his films too, which can be enjoyed by children as well.

There is Japanese traditional vocal and instrumental music throughout the movie (the lead actor sings really well, by the way) and there is even an unusual Kabuki-inspired dance accompanying a post-wedding orgy. Those familiar with Indian classical music will find an unmistakeable similarity in their music and ours, whether it is the ragas, notes and style of singing. Very interesting.

Overall, not really a must-watch movie, but it does have some historic and cultural value.

Woman of The Dunes. This film, also Japanese, is one of the most intriguing I've ever seen. An entomologist is looking for insect specimens near a beach, when he learns he has missed the last bus home. So the local villagers lead him to a house inside a sand dune occupied by a lone woman, and he accepts her hospitality. The woman and her home are very strange - every night, they have to shovel the falling sand so the house does not get buried. Soon the man realises he is trapped, as he cannot climb out. The woman asks him to stay with her and help look after the house. He goes mad, and is extremely angry with his hostess because she is content to just live inside the dune forever and has no desire to explore the world outside. After various attempts to escape are thwarted, he hits upon a plan. Whether it works or not I won't tell because this is a must-see film, and a taut psychological thriller as well. The feeling of endlessness and claustrophobia are beautifully captured.

Billy Elliot. I saw this movie last night. I had last seen it several years ago on cable, so some scenes and dialogue were censored, so this time I had the pleasure of seeing it raw. A heartwarming film set in County Durham, North England, it tells the story of a boy who dared to learn ballet instead of boxing while his miner father and brother are on strike. It is set in 1984 but still very reminiscent of the 60s British New Wave - films like Tony Richardson's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning - which portrayed the life of the working class.

Jamie Bell does an excellent job as Billy Elliott, and so does Julie Walters as the local ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson. There's also an unapologetic exploration of sexuality - Billy's attraction to his teacher's daughter Debbie and his coming to terms with his friend Michael's homosexuality. This is a distinction in British cinema, which does not hesitate to have its child actors use swear words and enact scenes of sexual tension if the story demands it (also see December Boys, Daniel Radcliffe's first non-Harry Potter role.) Billy even dares to ask his ballet teacher if she fancies him! The scenes when Billy is saying his goodbyes before leaving for a career at the Royal Ballet school are especially wrenching.

The accents will take a little time to get used to, but they are authentic and do not distract from the film. Fun fact: Apparently, the Durham slang for gay is "poof"!

I'd rank this movie as a must-see, especially for Jamie Bell. That boy can swear, cry, tap-dance and pirouette like a pro. Too bad we aren't getting to see more of him on a regular basis.

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This weekend was full of surprises.

While I was expecting Michael Clayton to be a thriller, it turned out to be a depiction of conscience battles. Nice. It wasn't really a new one in terms of storyline, but I was blown away by the performances. For the first time in ages I have seen a film where nearly all the leading performers did a great job.

Tm Wilkinson's monologue, the first lines in the film, were possibly the best movie lines I've heard in a while. His performance and dialogue delivery was excellent too - in fact, better than Tilda Swinton and George Clooney. He totally deserved the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Swinton was good, but that wasn't really a surprise since I've heard her reputation as a great actress. I don't know if she deserved the Oscar, as I haven't seen the performances by the other nominees.

What did surprise me was Clooney's performance. I feel that his looks often get in the way of his acting, so I enjoyed his performance in Syriana as the overweight, bearded spy. But he was surprisingly good in Michael Clayton and brought some uncharacteristic sensitivity and intensity to his role. Good stuff.

The other surprise was Bee Movie. I was not really keen on watching yet another Hollywood 3D animated film, but I decided to watch this one because I knew it would be light-hearted and I needed to unwind. Turns out, it wasn't so bad - it was written by Jerry Seinfeld, among others - though the animation was comparatively sloppy. The story looked like a spoof on the RIAA/MPAA and all those copyright infringement battles going on. It even had neat guest appearances by Larry King, Ray Liotta and Sting.

Best line from the movie, is when a mosquito (voiced by Chris Rock) is newly appointed as a lawyer:

"I was already a bloodsucking parasite - all I needed was a briefcase!"

MAJOR GOOFS: Only FEMALE bees make honey, and only FEMALE mosquitoes suck blood, yet both the lead bee and mosquito in the movie are males. After doing all that painstaking research on bee communication patterns, they completely sidestepped this fact!

This is why anthropomorphism sucks.

Other movies that I've seen this month but forgot to review:

Annie Hall. A one-time watch and reasonably good film. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Diane Keaton's clothes - feminine, smart, classy and sexy all the same time. Especially the black-waistcoat-and-tie combo with white full-sleeves formal shirt, khaki pants and black fedora. That was genius.

No Country for Old Men. Not that great a movie, and I couldn't understand some of the dialogues because of the heavy Southern accents, but it was beautifully shot. However, the highlight of the movie was obviously Javier Bardem.Not because he was hot - though he definitely is, come to think of it - but because his performance was INSANE. Brilliant. Frightening. After a point, I kept putting the speakers on mute whenever he entered the screen because I had actually come to be terrified of him. The relaxed way he spoke, the glazed look in his eyes, the uncertainity of whether he was going to blow off someone's head... it was too much to handle. It's not that hard to make viewers cry and laugh along with the character you're portraying, but it takes genius to be able to scare the hell out of them. He totally deserved his Oscar.

Juno. BAD: Cleary the most overrated movie of the year. Shockingly cavalier about something as life-altering as pregnancy - even the parents are so calm! Sure, people having been having babies for aeons, but many poor folks die at childbirth due to lack of medical care, and here we've got an irresponsible, loud-mouthed 16-year-old casually going ahead with a pregnancy since papa and mama dearest are there for her, after all. It wasn't even that she was pretending to be cool when in reality she was scared to death (That, or Ellen Page is a lousy actress.)

I'd bring the roof down if MY 16-year-old got pregnant, especially if she's been making a show of oh-look-at-me-i'm-so-cool-with-my-condescending-slang-and-slasher-movies bullshit. I'd either get her an abortion, or let her have the baby and give it up for adoption, depending on how far along she is - but not without giving her a good ass-whooping first.

(Oh, and if my 16-year-old son got someone pregnant, I'd whoop his ass too.)

Sure, it's not that big a deal if you're prepared for it, but pardon my conservative thinking, I think 16-year-olds have way better things to do than getting pregnant. Babies are fragile, helpless, and a lot hard work - and baby stuff is expensive. Jeez, when you're an adult, ALL you'd be doing is getting knocked up, whether its your boyfriend, boss or your goddamned tax inspector.

One one hand, the respectful attitude towards babies in general and the pro-adoption message is good; nevertheless, it is also an anti-abortion movie, but cleverly done. Anyone else notice that the character Su Chin, who protests alone outside the abortion clinic, is Chinese? To me that seemed a little forced and unusual. Maybe they couldn't have Americans protesting because that would put off the pro-choice folks. So they got in a Chinese girl, which would make sense since abortion in China (and India) is usually an excuse to get rid of baby girls. Atleast that's what I think.

GOOD: The only character in the film who was worth watching was Michael Cera. His character too was to blame for the pregnancy, but he didn't pretend like he was so cool and awesome while being scared inside. He continued to be as nerdy and clueless as ever, with an air of resigned innocence and naiveté rather than indifference.

The music was pretty nice too - I like the folksy bluegrass feel. Some of the quotes were funny too.

So anyway, sweet on one level but really stupid on another. Okay if you have nothing else to watch.

Gotta get back to work now. I've been working with the Wacom, and while it isn't as good as the old pencil-on-paper, it's way better than the mouse. Atleast my hand moves in circles instead of jerking in all directions. :P

Definitely one of the first things I need to buy in the near future - though I'd happily settle for the less expensive (1/3rd the price) but just-as-good iBall.

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