Paintings that won't finish

So... not as productive a weekend as I'd like it to have been. I forgot a lot of things I needed to do, while getting other things done. One thing I wanted to do was finish a painting that I started a few month ago in acrylic. I am working on that with the oil paints.

Its going longer than I want it to, but its the added combination of the oil paintings and losing focus or changing the the way I wanted it to look.

Other than that, saw a lot of movies lately.

Horton Hears a Who: Enjoyed it very much! Was a lot of fun, and kept a lot of the spirit of the original story. Yes, they changed a lot of stuff in it and added more story, but the storybook wouldn't have lasted an hour and a half. The animation was fun to watch and the characters were enjoyable. A sure sign it was good for kids? They didn't get bored and they were laughing and involved the whole time. A good sign it was for older grown-up kids? They were laughing and involved too!

Leatherheads: I don't know why they decided to do this. It was an ok movie. It wasn't a bad movie, but it certainly wasn't a great one. They were going for this... 1930's or 40's feel of film but had too many things that removed it from that era of film. The "His Girl Friday" attempt at banter didn't work because Rene' Zellewiger (I don't know how to spell that woman's name) was miscast... and I'm tired of her squinty pouty looks anyway. Clooney was charming but this certainly wasn't anything we haven't seen from him before. It wasn't a COMEDY with great moments of humor... it was just a film with some funny bits. The pacing was slow too many times which certainly wasn't going to happen in "His Girl Friday" (that movie has whip crack timing!). I felt if they needed to pan it out, they could have done more shots of the games. They talk about plays like a "Crusty Bob" or "A Pig in a Poke" but they never show them so you the viewer can know what they are and why they are so great. Also... waaaay too much cursing. It MIGHT be a nice family film if they hadn't cursed... Something you'd have never seen in a film from the era they were showing. I'm not talking about saying hell or damn or anything, but harsher cursing - which just seemed... un-needed.

We rented some dvd's too.

Michael Clayton: A very good film and proof of George Clooney's acting skill. After so many films with dark moods and violent people, this was a little bit of fresh air - not that it doesn't have dark moods and violent people - but it offers hope. Very interesting performances, including Tilda Swinton (who got the Oscar for her role in this film).

30 Days of Night: If you read the graphic novel, then you might as well see the movie. It has been awhile since I read it and I actually can't find the darn thing (probably hanging out with the missing digital camera wire I'm looking for still). But it was a good graphic novel and a good movie as well. I'm not a horror movie fan over all. I don't like the blood and gore, slasher scare-fest that most movies of this type can be. But 30 Days of Night ended up having a lot of suspenseful psychological moments. While we watch the characters trapped in an attic, hiding, it almost turns into Nazi Germany with people hiding from the enemy. Questions of what to do and whether to stay or go come into play... Is it better to run and hope some survive? Do you stay and wait it out? Yes... there is some gore scenes... We are talking about vampires. But it was pretty good.

Eastern Promises: VERY good movie. The performances are (and I use this word very rarely) mesmerizing. The whole film is. They never really establish where it takes place, though it is mentioned they are in London. But there aren't any establishing shots or set ups so you really know and that helps keep it very ungrounded. You never feel safe or that anyone is safe. The famous scene with Viggo Mortensen fighting naked is... well... Wow... Not because you see his body. You have no time for that. But you can feel how exposed he is and how hard it must be to try and fight from such a position. You feel unsettled after the movie is over, but you definitely get the sense that everyone is where they are by their own choices. Very good movie though...

So... uh.. yeah... I HAVE to finish that painting... And I need to work on some new ones too. I started slacking after the initial burst from the paintings a day. I need to keep on myself to keep doing things.