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PoeticProse22
My name is Daniel; I'm a writer and a photographer, and I just completed my first novel.
I'm 18, nearly 19.
Favorite Music (in no specific order):
The Decemberists
The Shins
Crystal Castles
Coldplay
Muse
Radiohead
AIR
The Velvet Underground
The Libertines
Kings of Leon
The Smiths
The Killers
Arctic Monkeys
Franz Ferdinand
Sigur Ros
Dirty Pretty Things
The Beatles
Neutral Milk Hotel
Manchester Orchestra
Florence and the Machine
Arcade Fire
Babyshambles
Death cab for Cutie
Low
Ultra Orange and Emmanuelle
The Rolling Stones
The Veils
Led Zeppelin
Antony & the Johnsons
Windermere
Cat Power
Portishead
Jefferson Airplane
The White Stripes
Imogen Heap
Bob Dylan
Favorite Movies (in no particular order):
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Atonement
Apocalypse Now
Layer Cake
500 Days of Summer
Moon
Aladdin
Pride and Prejudice
Harry Potter series
Star Wars series
Pixar films (except Cars and A Bug's Life)
Psycho
District 9
Rear Window
The Truman Show
Munich
North by Northwest
Vertigo
Strangers on a Train
Brick
Lucky Number Slevin
Notorious
Rebecca
The Age of Innocence
Casablanca
V for Vendetta
The Libertine
It's a Wonderful Life
To Kill a Mockingberd
Indiana Jones
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Spy game
Three days of the Condor
The Sting
Ocean's Eleven
Oldboy
American Psycho
Airplane
When Harry Met Sally
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Proposition
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Adaptation
The Secret Garden
The Brothers Bloom
The Dreamers
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Big Lebowski
Fargo
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
Slumdog Millionaire
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Jaws
Glory
Chocolat
Finding Neverland
Carlitos Way
Collateral
Empire of the Sun
The Machinist
Frost/Nixon
Le scaphandre et le papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Manhattan
Annie Hall
Moulin Rouge
Hot Fuzz
Shaun of the Dead
The Constant Gardener
Doctor Zhivago
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of
Others)
The Graduate
Children of Men
In Bruges
El laberinto del fuanto (Pan's Labyrinth)
The Fountain
Requiem for a Dream
Double Indemnity
Fight Club
Sunset Blvd.
The Apartment
LA Confidential
Waltz with Bashir
Boy A
Stay
Benjamin Button
Seven
Lord of the Rings trilogy
A Streetcar Named Desire
On the Waterfront
Pulp Fiction
Sleepin Beauty
101 Dalmatians
Beauty and the Beast
Peter Pan
There will be Blood
In the Name of the Father
Last of the Mohicans
Taxi Driver
Godfather trilogy
Candy
I'm Not There
Sweeney Todd
Ben-Hur
American History X
Leon
Love Actually
Lawrence of Arabia
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Matrix
Silence of the Lambs
Milk
Spiderman 2
Star Trek
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Cinema Paradiso
Heat
All the President's Men
Chinatown
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
No Country for Old Men
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Lookout
About a Boy
Death at a Funeral
Let the right One in
Man on Wire
All about Eve
The Royal Tenenbaums
To Sir, with Love
Trainspotting
The Maltese Falcon
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Notebook
The Pianist
Marathon Man
The Princess Bride
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Quills
The Dark Knight
Memento
Undoubtedly I have many, many more, and some of these are much more loved than others, such as Atonement, Eternal Sunshine, many of the Hitchcock films.
Favorite TV shows and miniseries (no particular order):
TV shows:
Skins (best show ever, period ])
Deadwood
The Prisoner
The Mighty Boosh
Psych
Friends
Life
Extras
The Twilight Zone
X-Files
Californication
The Wire
Carnivale
Battlestar Galactica
Firefly
Lost
Twin Peaks
Coupling
The Office (both)
Top Gear
Life on Mars (UK)
Doctor Who
Spaced
The IT Crowd
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Miniseries:
Band of Brothers
Pride and Prejudice
North and South
Favorite Actors:
Johnny Depp
Christian Bale
Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Alan Rickman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Sam Rockwell
Sean Penn
Daniel Day-Lewis
Jim Carrey
Edward Norton
Ben Whishaw
Robert Carlyle
Robert Redford
Marlon Brando
Michael Sheen
Paul Newman
Anthony Hopkins
Geoffrey Rush
Clint Eastwood
Ewan McGregor
Michael Caine
Jim Carrey
Ian McKellen
Bill Nighy
Alec Guiness
Al Pacino
James McAvoy
Robert Downey Jr.
Ryan Gosling
Hugh Laurie
Hugh Grant
Gael Garcia Bernal
Favorite Actresses:
Meryl Streep
Maggie Smith
Kate Winslet
Judi Dench
Abbie Cornish
Eva Marie Saint
Ingrid Bergman
Zooey Deschanel
Katharine Hepburn
Cate Blanchett
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Weisz
Helena Bonham Carter
Nicole Kidman
Keira Knightley
Saoirse Ronan
Isla Fisher
Bette Davis
Hellen Mirren
Audrey Hepburn
Favorite directors:
Alfred Hitchcock
Frank Capra
Joe Wright
Martin Scorsese
Christopher Nolan
Alfonso Cuaron
Paul Thomas Anderson
Coen bros.
David Fincher
Darren Aronofsky
Wes Anderson
Woody Allen
Terrence Malick
Hayao Miyazaki
Spike Jonze
Frederico Fellini
Peter Jackson
Billy Wilder
Danny Boyle
Michael Mann
Elia Kazan
Steven Spielberg
Michel Gondry
Rian Johnson
Favorite Books:
Harry potter series
The Road
1984
The Road to Wigan Pier
Lovely Bones
To Kill a Mockingbird
Wuthering Heights
Atonement
On Chesil beach
The Age of Innocence
Pride and Prejudice
Catcher in the Rye
Jane Eyre
Fahrenheit 451
Favorite Film Quotes:
Clementine: Joely?
Joel: Yeah Tangerine?
Clementine: Am I ugly?
Joel: Uh-uh.
Clementine: When I was a kid, I thought I was. I can't believe I'm crying already. Sometimes I think people don't understand how lonely it is to be a kid, like you don't matter. So, I'm eight, and I have these toys, these dolls. My favorite is this ugly girl doll who I call Clementine, and I keep yelling at her, "You can't be ugly! Be pretty!" It's weird, like if I can transform her, I would magically change, too.
Joel: [kisses Clementine] You're pretty.
Clementine: Joely, don't ever leave me.
Joel: You're pretty... you're pretty... pretty... -Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Joel: I really should go! I've gotta catch my ride.
Clementine: So go.
Joel: I did. I thought maybe you were a nut... but you were exciting.
Clementine: I wish you had stayed.
Joel: I wish I had stayed to. NOW I wish I had stayed. I wish I had done a lot of things. I wish I had... I wish I had stayed. I do.
Clementine: Well I came back downstairs and you were gone!
Joel: I walked out, I walked out the door!
Clementine: Why?
Joel: I don't know. I felt like I was a scared little kid, I was like... it was above my head, I don't know.
Clementine: You were scared?
Joel: Yeah. I thought you knew that about me. I ran back to the bonfire, trying to outrun my humiliation.
Clementine: Was it something I said?
Joel: Yeah, you said "so go." With such disdain, you know?
Clementine: Oh, I'm sorry.
Joel: It's okay.
Clementine: Joely? What if you stayed this time?
Joel: I walked out the door. There's no memory left.
Clementine: Come back and make up a good-bye at least. Let's pretend we had one.
[Joel comes bac]
Clementine: Bye Joel.
Joel: I love you...
Clementine: Meet me... in Montauk... -Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
"Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume. The one I had been planning on that evening walk. I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life. The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library. The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame." -Atonement
"I was thinking how nothing lasts, and what a shame that is." -The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cassie- "Do you know what hurts most about a broken heart? Not being able to remember how you felt before. Try and keep that feeling, because if it goes, you'll never get it back. You lay waste to the world... and everything in it." -Skins
Anwar's Father-
"It's a *beep* stupid messed up world. I've got my god. He speaks to me every day. Some things i can't work out. So i leave them be. Ok? Even if i think they're wrong because i know one day he'll make me understand. I've got that trust. It's called belief." -Skins
Emily: "I know you Naomi. I know you're lonely, you need someone to want you. Well I do want you, so be brave and want me back." -Skins
The Joker: Oh, you. You just couldn't let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You are truly incorruptible, aren't you? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.
Batman: You'll be in a padded cell forever.
The Joker: Maybe we can share one. You know, they'll be doubling up, the rate this city's inhabitants are losing their minds.
Batman: This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good.
The Joker: Until their spirit breaks completely. Until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent and all the heroic things he's done. You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fistfight with you? No. You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey.
Batman: What did you do?
The Joker: I took Gotham's white knight and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push! -The Dark Knight
Reviews
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
"500 Days of Summer" is a delightfully engaging and poignant tale of love
"This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total mis-reading of the movie 'The Graduate'. The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief. Since the disintegration of her parent's marriage she'd only love two things. The first was her long dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and not feel a thing. Tom meets Summer on January 8th. He knows almost immediately she is who he has been searching for. This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."
500 Days of Summer is an intriguingly original take on falling in love. Every emotion involved with a relationship seems to be relayed; from the strange and quirky aspects of new love to the tragedy of heartbreak. Marc Webb deftly incorporates his ingenuity and comedy into the film. The writers quite skilfully enrich the film with one of the most immensely beautiful and original screenplays to come along in a while.
Tom, a greeting-card writer with artistic dreams beyond his mundane job, meets Summer and quickly falls for her. Eventually, he manages to charm her into a "casual relationship". So begins the 500 days that chronicle the happiness, heartbreak, and every other aspect involved with the often changing tides of romance.
500 Days of Summer portrays a relationship that is more realistic and less clichéd than most others in it's woefully unoriginal and formulaic genre. In doing so, the film never feels anything less than completely innovative and incredibly fun. The film's story is told in a refreshingly non-linear fashion that strives for and often reaches perfection with each and every scene.
The acting is wonderful, especially from the two leads. Since starring in Mysterious Skin (a disturbingly compelling film), Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been one of my favorite actors and proves yet again why he is one of the most talented actors of his generation. His performance was truly fantastic. Zooey Deschanel is absolutely wonderful in her portrayal of Summer and her quirky personalities. Their chemistry is wondrously compelling to watch and their moments together seem wholly convincing and genuine. The supporting cast is terrific throughout and very fun to watch.
The music was marvelous and really added to the film. Everyone involved does an amazing job to connect the several elements of love into a satisfying and moving conclusion. The film often shuffles between whimsy and realistic, but, rather than getting lost because of it, the story only seems to be enhanced due to the chaotically transitional moods.
500 Days of Summer is a hilarious, deftly thoughtful film about love. The performances are astonishing and the writing is sublime. It is a thoroughly clever and impressive film that shouldn't be missed.
Moon (2009)
"Moon" is a brilliantly psychological film driven by Sam Rockwell's utterly incredible performance
"I want to go home"
Duncan Jones' Moon is a magnificently beautiful character study and a dazzlingly complex and ambitious sci-fi film. Aside from some rather subtle similarities to other genre classics, the film rarely feels unoriginal, mostly due to the masterful storytelling and superb direction. The pace is never compromised by trite or useless scenes, but flows rather seamlessly from one harrowing moment to the next.
Sam Bell is an astronaut miner stationed on the moon. He's nearing the end of his contract with Lunar Industries. A diligent employee for three arduous years, he has been made to remain separate from his family and all interaction with others. His home has been Selene, a moon base where he has spent his time. The only one he talks to is a computer named GERTY. Spent in complete isolation, he ponders his eventual return to earth and his family. Two weeks prior to his return, his communication with earth fails. After an accident occurs, Sam discovers something that forces him to doubt his own sanity and edge closer and closer to the breaking point.
Duncan Jones and co-writer Nathan Parker are able to constantly keep things fresh and exciting throughout. Although slow at times, the deftly hypnotic pace allows the viewer to emotionally connect to such a degree that the film never becomes boring because of it.
Sam Rockwell has been one of my favorite actors for a number of years and has been brilliant in quite a few films, and yet he manages to completely outdo himself here. His portrayal of his character is hauntingly emotional and layered to the point where every single scene he's in is perfectly compelling. His performance is absolutely riveting and is clearly one of the best performances in a film in recent memory.
The cinematography is consistently breathtaking and wonderfully assists the direction. The score by Clint Mansell is another beautiful piece of this genuine work of art.
Duncan Jones is an amazing director who has debuted with an incredibly thought-provoking, hauntingly complex film that deserves any number of awards it hopefully receives. It is truly an outstanding achievement that should be recognized for years to come as a genre-defining masterpiece.
Atonement (2007)
"Atonement" is a beautifully poetic and riveting masterpiece
"Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume. The one I had been planning on that evening walk. I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life. The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library. The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame."
Joe Wright's Atonement is a beautiful and imaginative film that deftly succeeds at being a perfect adaptation of Ian McEwan's psychologically involving book of the same name. Using every ounce of engaging story available, Wright tackles the film's themes with a confidence considerably rare for such a relatively new director.
Towards the beginning of the film, Briony Tallis, an imaginative, yet foolish 13-year-old girl, bares witness to Robbie Turner making love with her older sister and then misinterprets a horrible crime she thinks she understands. Due to her naivety, she falsely accuses Robbie of the crime because of his earlier actions. Through her misguided convictions of the truth, she separates Robbie from Cecelia. The tale continues as Cecelia becomes a nurse and waits for Robbie to return from the war.
Christopher Hampton, the screenwriter, quite skillfully adapts the novel into a poignant screenplay. His ability to transform the pages into moving art and transitioning perspectives without sacrificing the pace or emotion of the source material is stunning.
Joe Wright excels even further after directing his first film, the spirited, yet simpler "Pride and Prejudice". His direction in Atonement is absolutely phenomenal, from the insanely brilliant single-take tracking shot through Dunkirk (perhaps one of the most beautiful and impeccably detailed scenes in film history) to the incredibly erotic and smart sex scene. His ability to deftly and brilliantly portray the most thorough and complex of emotions without the slightest of words being spoken is incredible.
Assisting the direction suitably is the seamless cinematography. The decoration and meticulous attention to detail throughout the entirety of the film wonderfully captures the feel and look of each location. The visuals constantly heighten the mood and perception of the story to the point where it feels as though the characters and circumstances of the tale were anything but endearingly human and complex creations of a clever mind.
The acting complements the visual prowess of the film perfectly. Saoirse Ronan and James McAvoy are particular standouts in an already top-notch cast. McAvoy instills in his character all the underlying emotions and exhaustion flawlessly. Ronan's talent shines through as she plays a character so complex and naive, the frustration and anger she makes the viewer feel towards her character defines extraordinary acting.
On top of everything else, the score is hauntingly breathtaking, from the melodic strikes of the typewriter keys to the melancholic piano and the mournful violin. The music enriches the scenes with an infectious beauty and sadness.
Joe Wright is a master storyteller and Atonement is an unforgettably brilliant, incredibly emotional film that deserves any sort of accolades it receives. It is one of only a very few films I have ever seen that I am proud to say is thoroughly without fault throughout its entirety.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a remarkably beautiful, yet equally bizarre exploration of love
"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd." - Alexander Pope
Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a brilliantly heartfelt and complicated tale that delves, rather flawlessly, into the labyrinth of human emotions and the pain often involved in trying to make a relationship work. Charlie Kaufman, the main writer behind Eternal Sunshine, often allows his ingenuity and talent to infuse the film with perfectly subtle touches of emotion and humanity. His understanding of relationships and the variety of complexities involved is often wondrous to behold.
One day, Joel Barrish (Jim Carrey), after falling in love with Clementine (Kate Winslet), finds out that she, due to her recent unhappiness with the relationship, had Joel erased from her memory through a procedure carried out by the Lacuna company. Eventually, Joel, himself, wants the same operation, in order that he can forget Clementine as well. Through this procedure, the film delves into Joel's thoughts and past, chaotically revealing his memories as he eventually attempts to outrun the erasing of them, after realizing how much the lovely moments with Clementine rather largely outweighed the upsetting ones.
The cast, from Kirsten Dunst to Jim Carrey, is superb in the portrayal of their characters. In one of his more dynamic roles, Jim Carrey presents Joel Barrish as a complex and three-dimensional character, and seems wholly convincing and sympathetic throughout. Clementine is played absolutely brilliantly by Kate Winslet. Her on-screen chemistry with Carrey is thoroughly entrancing and poignant. The entirety of the supporting cast deliver a subliminally nuanced and engrossing blend of emotions as well.
The apparent surrealism deftly blends with the realism in a way that allows the viewer a more complete view of the tale. This subtle relationship between the director, the writer, and the screen is enhanced and brought to life with the assistance of the exceptional cinematography and the seamless transitions and edits.
The feelings and expressions throughout the film cast a picture so hauntingly realistic, it's difficult not to see some aspect of a past relationship unfolding on-screen. The engaging and creative ways Gondry and Kaufman explore Joel's memories and dreams is humorous, chaotic, touching, and heartbreaking all at once.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind is a consistently moving and thought-provoking film that remains my favorite film of all time. Simply perfect.