The Fall

I’ve been a big fan of Lee Pace since his days on the short-lived Wonderfalls. Now, after the critical success of his new show Pushing Daisies, it looks like his other projects are coming to light. David Fincher and Spike Jonze are now releasing Tarsam Singh’s The Fall, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. The film interweaves the story of a bedridden man in a hospital who befriends a little girl by telling her a fantastical story. As time goes by, fact and fiction begin to blend.

According to IMDB, the film goes into limited release in the U.S. this May. In the meantime, take a gander at the trailer, which promises some cool visuals.

My Peace On Earth

During a recent afternoon off, I decided to wander over to the Music Center, which is just a few minutes’ walk from our place. The courtyard between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Mark Taper forum is a great place to sit back and read. It’s sort of my oasis in the heart of downtown. Fittingly, the sculpture set in the middle of the fountain is called “Peace on Earth.” It was sculpted by Jacques Lipchitz, who said it was his “prayer of peace.”

And then when night falls, the fountain lights up. It’s pretty magical.

Random Tumblr Image

 

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Last Stop For Paul

Since the film pickings were slim last weekend, Riley and I opted to catch a a matinee of Last Stop For Paul, which chronicles the misadventures of two guys on a mission to scatter a friend’s ashes all over the globe. Their trek takes them to fun destinations such as Jamaica, Chile, Greece, Japan, and Vietnam, and then finally on to the Full Moon Party in Thailand.

Last Stop isn’t going to win any Oscars, but it’s got heart and that gung-ho indie filmmaking spirit that makes me smile. With just the barest recollection of having seen a trailer, I thought it was a documentary going in. That kind of flummoxed my expectations. But after about ten minutes of confusion, I finally decided what the hey, and sat back to enjoy the fictional travelogue. It’s a very rough-around-the-edges film, but it;s enjoyable enough. And as a means of whetting your appetite to travel, it works well. I also did some checking around, and seems the film began as an internet film series.

At the matinee we attended at the Sunset 5, everyone was surprised when actor-director-writer Neil Mandt made an appearance both before and after the screening. He did a Q&A afterwards, speaking about the challenges involved in having two people run around the world shooting a film. They’d recruit people off the street to be a part of the film, often just telling them to recite improvised dialogue.

As a result, I now really, really want to travel. A lot!

This Is Why I Watch TV

Take two cable show hosts who don’t mind acting like major goofballs (I’m talking about you, Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn!). Add one of the most ridiculous weight loss devices ever created. Stir and season as desired.

The result: sheer comic genius. My favorite moment comes at 1:47, when Kevin just rides with it. So to speak. As Olivia once said: All the boys love Kevin.