I'm still here...

Yes friends, I'm still here - it's just been an incredibly busy month, mainly because I'm still in the process of trying to find roommates for the College Ave....I've got 2 and need one more. Anyone looking to move? Or know anyone looking to move? Let me know ASAP! This is the most difficult and stressful thing I've ever done - I really didn't think it would be this hard to find roommates...

Anyways, other than that minor (ok, major) inconvenience, life has been pretty much status quo. Seen quite a few movies lately, all of them good - here's a quick recap:

District 9 - I had heard all kinds of buzz about this during the summer from all of the movie/Oscar blogs that I read, but I really had no burning desire to see it. Basically, it was about the relocation of an alien community in JoBurg (that's Johannesburg, South Africa to all you newbs), District 9. Shot in a documentary style, and a slight allegory of the apartheid struggles of South Africa, it was slick, had a breakneck pace and was incredibly engaging, thanks in most part to an magnificent break-through performance by Sharlto Copley. Definitely a major surprise, and this could easily be one many critics top 10 lists. Grade: A-

Inglourious Basterds - Any film that has the names Tarantino, Pitt, Roth and Kruger on the bill immediately makes me want to see it, no matter what the subject matter. When it happens to be about a rouge branch of the Army charged with killing and scalping Nazi's and a Jewish girl seeking revenge for the death of her family? Even better. The reviews out of Cannes on this were so-so, and word on the street was that there was some minor edits between Basterds Cannes screening and the domestic release, and they were apparently for the better. Interestingly, the storyline that the It was a little long, and at times a little tedious to sit through (running time is over 2:30), but there were parts of it that were absolutely stunning, mainly the last 40 minutes. Christoph Waltz walks away with the film, expect a Best Supporting Actor nod for him. Basterds is one of those films where I walked away thinking...hmm, I don't know if I liked it, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. I think this is one that definitely needs a second viewing. Grade: A

9 - Saw this last night, mainly because of the novelty of the movie 9 being released on 09/09/09. All I knew about it was that it was an animated movie about rag dolls (which I later learned were called Stitchpunks) who are "the last remains of mankind" on the Earth and their quest to save humanity. Whoa. That's pretty deep for an animated movie...and I was totally blown away. The imagery that it created, the story that it told - all of it was top notch. Essentially, the 9 Stitchpunks spend half the movie trying to figure out what they are, and they other half trying to save mankind. A little far-fetched, I know, but trust me, in context, it works. Beautifully. There were quite a few spectacular moments, especially towards the end. Go see this. You won't regret it. Grade: A

In other, non-movie news, Katie and I have gone kayaking quite a few times on the Charles, and it's been a lot of fun. It's also less than 6 weeks til my next half marathon - the B.A.A. Half Marathon to be exact. I'm running for Dana-Farber, and have to raise $500 - help me out by clicking here! You'll even get a personalized thank you from me!

Molly and I saw Jersey Boys a couple weeks ago...and I didn't like it as much as I did 3 years ago in New York. Maybe it was the casting, maybe it was the fact that I forgot almost nothing happens in the first 20 minutes, something was just kind of meh. I still do, however love the epilogue, I have a new soft spot for "Who Loves You".

Tickets for The Addams Family went on sale yesterday and we got tickets for May. We're going to take mom for her birthday since she's been talking about wanting to see it for months. Bye Bye Birdie and A Steady Rain, two of the most anticipated shows of the fall, start previews tonight. I'm anxious to see what people have to say about the first performances.

ok - I think that's a long enough update for today. I promise that I'll try and get back into a regular updating routine. Once this roommate thing goes away....