Sunday, July 24, 2005
Slept in while Patrick visited Simmone for some kind of martial arts test. Breakfast: a banana and a nectarine. Saw The War of the Worlds at Daly City Century 20 with Sam and Patrick. This film is good for its mass destruction special effects and not a whole lot else. Well, the acting is good, but the dialogue is not anything exciting and it's occasionally cheesy. The special effects were really interesting to me. One shot which particularly impressed me was when they're driving in a minivan—the camera circles the van around the front while it's moving, then circles back to the original position all while dialogue within the van is taking place and you can still see the characters in sync. The camera then pulls back and we see the van drive off and I realize—was this all a single take? Did they use a helicopter or a truck? It was likely neither; I think they used a bluescreen or greenscreen and masterfully put all the other elements in digitally. The camera pans around the car were rather gratuitous, however, and not really essential to the telling of the story. How did they do the scenes in the cellar? Should you see this film? If you like special effects and/or destruction/disaster films, then yes. Don't expect much from the denouement—ultimately it's a weak one, and the greatest mystery in the film remains unexplained: the mom's condition at the end. If you loved Independence Day, Jurassic Park, or Signs, you'll like this film. Snack: cheese and potato perogis. Did more logo work for Corinna. Italian dinner with Yan and Patrick at home, Patrick cooking. Antipasti: pancetta- and mozzarella-stuffed assorted olives and marinated onions, artichoke tapenade, Italian country bread. chicken parmigiana, grilled eggplant and yellow bell pepper. Dessert: Gelato Massimo limoncello. Finished watching Desperately Seeking Susan, which Patrick says is the film with Madonna's best acting (or perhaps second to Evita).