braden pate

Round 1: It’s Complicated
This is my second foray with this film. Meryl Streep is one of my favorite actresses of all time. I admire Streep’s Jane Adler. She played by the rules, followed her passions and got burned. In the end, Jane falls for Adam (Steve Martin), ditches Baldwin and finally gets the dream kitchen she has dreamt of for years. Performance wise, I am consistently entertained by Baldwin’s comedic performance. It is also refreshing to see Streep venture from her normally dramatic brilliance and channel an equally moving performance into a comedic genre. Streep’s hilarious turmoil between vengeance, indulgence and love creates an awesome cornerstone for the film. Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the film is seeing Jane, Jake, and Harley (John Krasinski) smoke pot in the bathroom during their son’s graduation party. There is something about seeing people my parent’s age smoking pot that just drives me into hysterics. The comedic quip and emotional core of this film make me fall in love with it over and over again. If I could end up with Streep’s house in 30 years on the California coast then by all means sign me up.

Round 2: Triangle (via Netflix Instant Play)
This was the freakiest movie of the day, without fail. The film stars Melissa George, a single mother with an autistic sun who sets sail on a boat with a group of friends and strangers. Eventually the boat runs into storm, then runs into an abandoned cruise liner and then a bagged head murderer. That last bit isn’t entirely true but for spoilers sake I will be vague. The twist of the story is ultimately rewarding and thought provoking though its not completely tied up in the end. But that’s the point of the story, I think.

Round 3: Revolutionary Road
Kate Winslet won a Golden Globe for her performance in 2009. I remember watching a preview clip for her performance during the GG telecast in which Winslet’s Aprilconfront’s her husband after a less than stellar theater production. This sets the stage for the rest of a movie which is erratically emotional but extensively satisfying in its journey. Heartbreaking is one word that comes to mind. She has the hope of leaving her suburban life for Paris but is ultimately foiled by a pregnancy, a husband’s cowardice and her own inner demons. The potential hope of this film shakes me. They had all the possibility to be happy, to take a chance and to take control of their lives and ultimately all that resulted was hurt. I think we all look for Revolutionary Road. That place that we feel is ideal, picturesque but as soon as we find that ideal we take it for granted, we accept as normal and we want more. We want more and we should. The harrowing performances of Winslet and DiCaprio are marvelous. I’m stil puzzled by this film, that’s how I know its good because it continues to haunt me hours after the final scene rolled.

Round 4 : The Sensei  (via Netflix Instant Play)
Ever since I joined Netflix I have had the marvelous opportunity to watch some great LGBT films which I may have never seen. The quality of the video and production left something to be desired but the message and emotion of the film was especially moving. One scene that moved me in particular was the confrontation between a youth minister and his church minister where the youth minister confronted the head minister on his sermon against homosexuality and how in his intolerance, condoned the hate crime of an other gay man. That’s the most important messages for me. Hate, no matter how buried or disguised it is behind something else, is hate. All and all, never be silent and let your voice be heard.

I’m not sure what to write tonight. I’m a jumble of excitement for many reasons right now. So I’ll just use these few lines to talk about the book that has been keeping me up at night. On Tuesday night, I downloaded Tess Gerritsen’s The Surgeon ($1.99 Kindle for iPad). It peaked my interest after seeing a TV spot for the new TNT drama Rizzoli & Isles. The first novel centers on a very don’t-sleep-in-the-dark-after-reading killer, the Surgeon. Its creepy and addictive all at the same time. I love mysteries and thrillers but what keeps me around is the strong female lead of Jane Rizzoli (Isles is introduced in subsequent entries into the series). I love James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club but eventually the series got stale for me so I stopped reading. I’m excited to have found this series and even more so because of the television interpretation which is forthcoming. Hopefully this series wont die like the Women’s Murder Club on ABC did a few seasons back (also led by Angie Harmon who plays Jane Rizzoli). Here’s to hoping TNT will allow the series to maintain the grittiness of its novelization which I believe is what killed ABC’s translation of WMC.

I’ve lived in 105G for 2 years. These walls have seen a few firsts and they have been a constant in my life over many events. Coming out to friends and my parents, these walls stood. Realizing what I want to do with life, these walls were here. Through the anger with myself and the frustration with others, these walls remained. They listened to the words I said, they read the thoughts I pondered and witnessed the dreams I dreamed.  I’ve grown up here. As much as I am ready to leave these walls behind me, I will miss them. I’ve danced, I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve screamed, I’ve lived, truly lived in this space.

All things come to an end. All experiences come to pass. We live, we witness, we interact and we move on. Despite moving on, I carry these memories. I carry my friends in an awesome tote along with the things I have learned from my quest for a diploma and a career.

So I sit, I wait and I wish. What will come will come, what has happened has happened. What’s next is next, also waiting for me. We’re always waiting for something be it love, a career, fulfillment, even happiness. That’s life. What we do while we wait is the mystery. How do we make this life awesome? How do we change our present to get to the future? We all know what we want but the rub is figuring out how we get there. Will I ever get there? That is yet to be seen and that, ultimately, is okay.

As Gregory Maguire wrote in Wicked, I believe these words to be true:

“Nothing is written in the stars. Not these stars, nor any others. No one controls your destiny.” 

Liz and I share a love for design, Gaga and Real Housewives of (insert city here.) At work, Erica and Julie love design and crafting, respectively, as well as social media. We go to lunch and all we talk about are new ideas and ways to be creative in our jobs. We are invested in what we do and, no matter what, we can’t turn it off. What I love about all these people is that we can say anything. There is no thought unshared, no matter how awesome or atrocious it may be, and that is okay. The creative process is filled with potholes and speed bumps. All these hiccups are part of the journey as are the people you meet along the way.

I’m continually amazed by those crazy hitchhikers I meet along the way to wherever it is that I am going. In every class or job that I have had, it’s all about the people. If you have a great team, then a great energy is present and amazing work is innevitable. This equation is not mathematical but there is something magical when people come together, share and create. It may be cliche but I don’t care. When creative people are involved, anything is possible.

Live long and create.

The way she speaks and sings sounds like she has so much to say that she cant help but sing, quickly, almost desperately. She can’t help but sing. Her freedom in her words and expression is inspiring. By far, this is one of my favorite albums of 2009 and now going on to 2010.  And, for goodness’ sake, some one take “Put It In A Love Song ft. Beyonce” and put it on the radio. Its in the same vein as “Single Lady” but all the better because of Keys. Special thanks goes to my friend Erica for turning me on to Keys in general and Liz for introducing me to Key’s stripped down incarnation of “Empire.” 

It’s about  2:15 a.m. I’m sitting chatting with a friend about my homosexuality. Caio (hello) it seems like a good time to talk about it (Ciio) which I watched on my NetFlix instant stream last night. It was beautiful and intriguing. 

Without being too cinematically artistic, I have to commend the film for its artistry. It opens on an empty alley scene of the deceased Mark and closes on much the same scene. But the heart of this film, is the issue of love; be it unrequited, tention filled, vindicated or unfulfilled. 

The fleeting encounter between best friend and potential lover is the crux of this film. Never is it inappropriate or absurd. The relationship is genuine, gentle and empathetic. Their eventual embrace is beautiful and emotive. Its all to familiar to those (gay or straight) who search for that kind of embrace. 

I can’t say enough about his film. If you are hesitant about what cinema with gay themes means then I think you should watch this movie. We are gay, but we aren’t different. You’ll see. http://www.ciaomovie.com/

liztafaro:

                             

Cannot put the book down. So excited for the movie to come out. They filmed a scene in my sisters apartment building-AH