Ahh…the weekend.
First, a hand-clap of praise. Bella’s sister is better, but by no means is she certainly going to make it. As ever, it’s in God’s hands.
Lots of driving this weekend, over 500 miles’ worth. Moved Bella’s parents temporarily into a tenement over in Ashland. Place reeks of cheap cigars and the scuz of years of neglect. It’s not in an awful neighborhood, but i still feel for them. Still, as a place to crash, it’s okay.
Wish they had a scuzzy car to drive to match the place, though…that gleaming Mazda MPV that’s clean sticks out like a sore thumb.
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Had a pretty awesome day today: Got to go horseback riding with Bella, who’s a hippophobe in the extreme. Still, she did well, even though her horse didn’t always follow the leader so well.
Inside joke: I had a horse named “Lips”!?
Watched a thoroughly depressing martial arts film called Hero
I really wanted to like the movie, but I found it too depressing. It’s certainly an artistic achievement, along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but it’s even more abstract: Whereas CTHD’s characters were characters in a fable, Hero’s characters are like pieces on a tragic chessboard, and they come off just as wooden.
When the main swordsman reveals he’s from the Zhao kingdom, sworn to kill the Qin ruler, we really don’t care. He might as well be a mercenary for all the difference it’d really make in the story. The tragic lovestory of the two assassins, Broken Sword and Flying Snow is, well, tragic. But who cares? We know little of their past, and what is revealed is too fantastic for my tastes.
Contrast this with Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai from CTHD: We learn of their love for one another, as well as the social customs and fate that keeps them apart. They convey real emotion.
Another thing that really got on my nerves: Could they rip-off CTHD’s Yo-Yo Ma soundtrack any MORE? I mean, it was so blatant I was thinking of what SCENE in CTHD had the given music.
Basically, if CTHD had never come out, Hero would be an awesome movie. As it is, it’s a pale (if beautiful) imitiation.