Elvina

Eyecatching: like with a butterfly net. Only catching flying eyes.

I'm late, but HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTH DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY *gasp* WYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!! I hope all your birthday wishes came true!

Très agréable, l'homme 'pas tout à fait le lézard'! ~Elvina

Psycho I'm talking the Alfred Hitchcock version, of course. I have no interest in seeing any of the remakes, especially not now. Hitchcock is a master of suspense, and Psycho certainly wasn't lacking in that regard. Norman, I thought, was creepy, while I liked Marion (Janet Leigh). The shower scene must have been gory for its time, but I found the suspense of this movie far more interesting than the gore (not a gore fan anyway). I sort of figured out what was happening as it got nearer to the end and we learn about Bate's mother and father and the weirdness going on there. The ending was great - full creepiness in that look Bates gives right at the camera... "I wouldn't even hurt a fly". Nicely done, Hitch! Five crazy madmen out of five. The Birds Ah, another classic Hitchcock. Due to the recommendations of my friend who is a Hitchcock fan, I'm making my way through the master's repertoire. Rear Window is next on my list. Like the beginning of Psycho, The Birds started out far removed from the memorable movies scenes (which was all I knew of them hitherto). Opening in a menagerie and being introduced to Melanie had me watching closely. I wasn't sure when the birds started getting... peckish (). With most movies I can do other things while watching, but during Hitchcock's I've found that I can't look away from the screen. His movies always get my undivided attention because I don't want to miss anything. So we have 'Tippi' Hedren as Melanie, following an eligible bachelor up to Bodega Bay. On her way to meet him she gets attacked by a seagull. Odd, yes, but oh, well, what can you do... So on they go, their romance striving to spark from the kindling amid some familial tension with the mother (Jessica Tandy from Cocoon!) and an old flame, but then a whole flock of seagulls attacks a children's birthday party... and it gets worse from there. Birds are flocking into Bodega Bay by the tens of hundreds. I don't want to give anything else away but for those who don't care if I reveal something about the ending: Thrilling I would call this movie, in the true sense of the word. Five plunging seagulls out of five. I definitely recommend Hitchcock to anyone who can appreciate the classics!

I'm not sure if this is of any use, but if you're interested in making a map you might find this GNU mapper useful: AutoREALM. Here are some Tutorials as well, in case they're needed. I'm not planning to join this Quest, but I thought you might find AutoREALM useful. Good luck to all!

I just read the last one, Predator, and I thought it was very interesting. At first I thought there would be a twist to it - like Onyx was the true predator, but then Lupus showed his real canines, so to speak. I thought the sisters' names were too unrealistic and I was confused as to why they would even go back to a concert after that, but the story writing was really good and I thought it was a well contained little piece. I'll surely be reading more of your work in future, Kikuyu. *Edit - And I read the Beginning of Neverland one as well. It was also very well written. You have great talent there, Kikuyu. There were a few parts where certain things were not particularly clear, like the fact that Hook's hooks were his favourite weapons and not yet attached to his stump (which, of course, he didn't have yet). There were also a few parts where the word order in a couple of the sentences was a little backwards, but only in a few instances. I really like the idea of writing a sort of "where it all began" for this story and you seem to have just the imagination and skill to write it. Very nice. Arr!

I liked the measure of this piece. It radiated hurt - I know that kind of hurt that only friends can inflict (knowingly or unknowingly). I didn't want to just read it and not leave a comment (I hate it when people do that to my stuff), but I don't have much else for you feedback-wise other than to say it was well written and I liked it.

I think the first version is much better, Reverie. The second doesn't quite (to me) convey that same sense of the dance itself that Wyvern mentioned far better than I could. The second version has more words, and I felt that took away from the quick-dance-step feeling that made the first one so good.

I did the same thing not long ago!! Did you watch the extended version? I watched that one and thought it was a great movie, though I do still admit to liking Aliens better. I talked about this with my dad who saw the original and he mentioned that he thought most people in his time were pretty confused by it all because the version they saw wasn't the extended edition, and apparently there were some scenes in there that would have helped add to their comprehension. I remember thinking as I watched Alien recently how much Sigourney Weaver's Ripley reminded me of heroines like those of authors I know like Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon. Ripley was playing by the rules with her refusal to let them in before the quarantine period was over, even with Kane all face-hugged by an alien. I was a little shocked to see Veronica Cartwright and Tom Skerritt in it, and I couldn't believe I'd never realised Ian Holm was in Alien, and that he was Kane! I guess I just didn't know my actors as well when I first saw Alien.

Too funny!

This had me chuckling, Kikuyu. Very blasé indeed. I liked it and I sympathise with you. School computers make me want to get in there and tinker so things go faster.

I think some people left the cinema I was in when I saw The Fountain with my husband. While it took us a while to get an idea of what was happening we weren't tempted to walk out - how would we ever know what was going on? We saw it mainly for Weiz and Jackman - both of whom I thought were good in this. There was some confusion (check the IMDb threads to see just how much!) as to the timeline. Some brainiac had stated in a blurb that the story spanned a thousand years, but all but one timeline (the one in which his wife is dying and he can't save her) was metaphorical. The Conquistador timeline signified his desperate search to save his wife, while the journey into the stars signified his spiritual journey as he came to terms with her death and everyone's mortality. It was a very roundabout way to put across a message, but I believe that's what this director is meant to be good at. Hubby and I both came out of the cinema feeling like our minds no longer fit inside our puny skulls and we kept looking up at the sky, the stars, and the moon on the way home. I couldn't say if we'd do that after watching other abstract metaphorical films - we don't make a habit of them. But we thought this film was very interesting and hadn't been a waste of our time, so that's something, I guess. Even though we're all going to die... J/k!

What is AoA?