Josh Leo's Blog » Movies

Is Life a Movie?

joshleo — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 05:59:08 +0000

Just Like the Movies
I wish I could make life like the movies. I am not saying that I want to make everything a hollywood happy ending. I don’t need action and adventure. I just want all the right words. I want all the wit. I want to frame everything in my life through an artistic lens. I can remember my favorite scenes from the movie that is my life. I just that they weren’t so few and far between.

The Imperfection of Life
I want the perfect soundtrack to my life. I have made mixes of music for certain moods, certain environments, and certain events, that is as close as I can get. I want to be sitting there talking to the one I am madly in love with, finish my sentence and then have the perfect song swell to complete the moment. But maybe that is what reality is all about, the imperfection. There are awkward pauses, overlapping dialogue, interruptions and mistakes. People don’t always say the right thing, so when that rare time comes when it actually happens, it is better than any movie.

Movies Influence on Life
I wonder how much of our lives have been changed by movies. We have seen so many love stories, even in action films. Do we try to make our own relationships fit the stereotypical movie romance plotline? How many of our romantic ideas and words are inspired by movies? How often do we think up just the right line to say? Something that sounds like it is right out of a movie.

The Movies I Like
I like movies that are close to reality, I have to admit that I still like happy endings, or perhaps bittersweet endings. I like a lot of movies but I think I am drawn in by movies that are about people in real situations. Stories about personal struggle, stories built on basic human emotions like love, loss, anger, hurt, excitement, sadness, lonliness, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love the movies with special effects, action, fantabulous events that would never happen to me, but they are entertainment. The films that move me are the ones that I can relate to for the sheer fact that I am a human with human emotions. Let’s make a list of movies that are on my mind that fit in this category. The Son’s Room, Kramer vs. Kramer, Lost in Translation, Life as a House, In America, Harold and Maude, Time of the Wolf, Magnolia, Garden State, In the Bedroom, Ordinary People, American Beauty, The Graduate, the list can go on but let’s stop there.

ok…that’s enough about movies.

Movies! Films! Motion Pictures!

joshleo — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 21:56:49 +0000

I have records of all the movies that I have rented since the beginning of April 2004…here is the list in order:

Secondhand Lions
Lost In Translation
The Edge
21 Grams
Northfork
The Grapes of Wrath
Kramer vs. Kramer
Liam
Othello
My Life as a Dog
Joe the King
Pi
War of the Buttons
Last Emperor
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Best in Show
Little Big Man
Monster
Stuck on You
Gosford Park
Mystic River
City of God
Taps
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Cold Mountain
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Scary Movie 3
Secret Window
The Jerk
Master and Commander, the Far Side of the World
Grateful Dawg
Oceans 11 (Rat Pack Version)
Monty Python’s Meaning of Life
Girl With a Pearl Earing
Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 1)
The Butterfly Effect
Life as a House
Rabbit-Proof Fence
The Triplets of Bellville
Ed Wood
Igby Goes Down
Hollywood Shuffle
Starsky & Hutch
In America
Sweet and Lowdown
Casino
Paycheck
Donnie Brasco
Hellboy
Frailty
Requiem for a Dream
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
13 Conversations About One Thing
Changing Lanes
The Life of David Gale
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Network
All the President’s Men
The Godfather
The Godfather (Part 2)
The Godfather (Part 3)
Bonhoeffer
Nuremberg
The Insider
Spellbound
The Mothman Prophecies
Vanilla Sky
Coffee and Ciggarettes
Super Size Me
Mean Girls
Sleeper
Once Upon a Time in America
Heat
Harold and Maude
The Day After Tomorrow
Touching the Void
Wall Street
The Great Escape
The Right Stuff
Jeremiah Johnson
The Joy Luck Club
Control Room
Thelma & Louise
A Day Without a Mexican
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Spider Man 2
The Son’s Room
The Terminal
The Bourne Supremacy
Pumping Iron (25th Anniversary Edition)
The Ladykillers
Freaks and Geeks (Disc 1 of 6)
I-Robot
Time of the Wolf (Watching it Tonight)
Collateral (Ariving Soon)

There they are, all 95 films…If I really get motivated over my January off, I will write a review for each one in the “Reviews” section of this site!

People, Christmas, Arnold

joshleo — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 03:08:36 +0000

The People Place!
So I guess the ITC is the place to be the week before Exams…this place is hip-happening. There are more people than anyone could get to come to a party even if they were serving Lil’ Smokies (We all know how much college kids love Lil’ Smokies!) The only real problem with this large gathering of people is that no one wants to hang out or talk. They sit in their chair eyes wide open glued to the computer moniter with a frantic look on their face. They are in a constant state of “Freak Out” and are pissed that you aren’t in the same stat that they are. Well, I am glad that these people will return to a normal social state once exams are done…the only problem is that they will be gone for Christmas Break, so I won’t be able to enjoy it!

Christmas Time!
I do like Christmas Music…some Christmas Music…old religious songs are good when they are done well…and some versions of classic Holiday tunes done by artists like Stevie Wonder can be quite Refreshing…I would like to go caroling this year…I just need to find a group of people who want to go and can sing in Harmony! I am now accepting aplicants!

One Last Thing
Ah-nuld is truly the greatest Movie star ever to exist, I don’t think they get more rediculous than him.

I will be watching this tomorrow

3 Quick Things

joshleo — Fri, 29 Oct 2004 20:51:41 +0000

Horromedy?
Last night, after finding 2.5 geocaches yesterday with my brother, my house, and friends watched Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. These movies are classics…and quite ridiculous. I guess we are watching the Third and final installment, Army of Darkness on Halloween…oooooh

Register!
I am having trouble getting in to a class I need for spring semester…Now have to e-mail the prof and ask if he can let me in blah blah blah

Keep It Warm!
I am on the hunt for the best travel mug for coffee and tea. If you have an opinion on this matter, be sure to let me know…I am currently looking at the Thermos Nissan Line of insulated mugs and tumblers! This is a very hard decision…I have been let down too many times!

Scandinavia Rocks!

joshleo — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 18:22:51 +0000

I have been listening to the Kings of Convenience and I like them very much, they are Norwegian. I have found myself liking more and more things from Norway and Denmark. There are some really great movies that come out of Denmark, as well as music. I don’t know what it is but those Scandinavian countries know what’s up!

Other Scandinavian things I like:
Sondre Lerche – Two Way Monologue
Vasen – Whirled
Pelle the Conqueror
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Max Von Sydow – Actor
Kings of Convenience – Riot on an Empty Street

Honorable mentions:
Lars Von Trier – Director
Dogme 95 – Film Movement
“Take On Me” by Ah Ha
My Life as a Dog

that is all I can come up with right now…but I am sure there is more…

Wrapping Films

joshleo — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 22:25:36 +0000

A long day at work can really take the desire to do anything productive right out of you. I am actually looking forward to the 4 hour shifts of “wraping” and then shoving off to class. I am looking forward to my classes…but after looking at the peoples pictures…once again I am surrounded by unknown faces, and the ones I do know, I wish I didn’t. (except for Bryan in my Film class.)

I went suit shopping with my brother and his girlfriend this past saturday…I am gonna look GOOD for this wedding…I am gonna get a pinstriped black suit…quite classy.

I renewed the movie pass for 15 dollars at Blockbuster. So far here is the new list of films I have recently watched:
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Bill Cosby Himself (Standup)
Bonheoffer (documentary)

Who knows what will come next..

My birthday is coming up soon and I am having trouble thinking up gift Ideas…all the things I want are major purchases that cost more than 200 bucks!..oh well…that is what a job is for.

Nostalgia, Backpacking, Taxonomy

joshleo — Mon, 09 Aug 2004 22:29:09 +0000

Getting All Nostalgic
I started this Blog a long time ago…(November of 2002) It was originally a place for me too post possible concerts I wanted to go to, it was nothing to be looked at, just a list…but then when I decided to go to Alaska for the summer. I decided that intstead of mass-emailing and other crap like that, I would just put it on here. This blog has proved to be a fun passtime for myself, and a good way to remember what happens over the course of the year. I hope that all of you have enjoyed my musings and continue to read and leave comments. Anyone can leave comments by typing in the sidebar to the right,by clicking the “email me” link to the left or by becoming a member and clicking on the comment link at the bottom of every post.
Here are some of my favorite entries over the past year:

-An Old Rant:
Nov 11, 2003

-First Topic-Organized Post (This has become my personal style ofnga.com/Thorea
blogging and, in my opinion, makes things easier to read):
February 9, 2004

-This is a great story that I wrote about a bunny:
March 10, 2004

-A Creative Approach to Pet Mishaps:
April 8, 2004

-One of My Favorites
June 15, 2004

Backpacking Recap
I had a very fun time backpacking with Dave. We hilked 20 miles, saw snakes, deer, swam in a lake, took a nap on the forest floor, and got to see some nice areas of the Manistee National Forest. My legs hurt a little bit (especially the front muscles of my lower leg) but all together it was quite pleasant. Pictures are coming, (we took a whole roll!)

The Taxonomy of Josh
I admit that I am kind of a loser when it comes being social. I don’t really go see movies or go out to eat, or any of the cool things that most people my age do…I don’t go to many concerts and I am too young (and not really interested in going) to the bar. I just go to work, watch movies, buy cd’s, write on my blog and play with my cat. I am more interested in taking pictures of a good lightning storm than calling up someone to “go out.” I would rather walk down the train tracks as the sun sets in a beautiful blaze of orange and pink, than bumming around GR. I would rather spend a weekend eating “Yard-O-Beef”, surrounded by mosquitos, with my legs burning with lactic acid than go to Cedar Point. I am a different breed than a lot of people, and I realize that. I have places that need improvement and I can piss people off. But I would rather be interested in the overlooked than just accepting what I am told.

* Please call me if you want to hang out
* Please make suggestions for what I should write about
* Please leave me comments, I don’t even know who reads this thing
I watched Changing Lanes last thursday, I thought it was good. A proper balance between action, suspense, and personal struggle.

Movie Month and Fame

joshleo — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 23:13:30 +0000

Movie Month Conclusion
Ok so I got a little print out from blockbuster as a little bit of a ceremony for the expiration of the great movie pass, it turns out I rented 30 movies in the month of July, and 55 in the past 4 months…I am slowly but surely eliminating all my options and that is kind of scary…I am scared that when I have a girlfriend and she suggests movies to rent, I will turn all of them down becasue I have seen a large majority of the good ones. I am just glad that new movies keep on coming out. My final film was 13 conversations about one thing I liked it and thought it brought up some good ideas, a definite thinker of a film.

I am Famous!!!
While walking on Grand Haven’s beach yestarday with my Brother and his Girlfriend, I was made aware that a sample of my music has been used in a short program for non-english speakers a total of three times…You can hear the only available program by finding the program “The spark that sets a fire” on the Spotlight webpage. you see Liz (my bro’s GF) works for this place called “Words of Hope” and writes and records inspirational programs for people learning english…she used a sample of one of the tracks that my brother had on his website! I might get to record some other instrumental stuff specifically for these programs that will be sent around the world! so in conclusion…there are people in other countries learning about Chocolate and Fire who are subconciously listening to “Vintage Sunset part 2″ by Josh Leo

Random Things in Life

joshleo — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 01:37:50 +0000

Randomness
Ok so While making a delivery today I decided that I want to get paid to drive around and take random pictures of things I see like that odd looking guy with the majorly big glasses driving down Cascade today, or the cool hilly-farm area in Ada. I would post these things on a website, write about them, and then get paid for it basically a corporate sponsored version of Josh’s random observations, both visual and philisophical.

Library Homeless Man Strikes Again!
I would also take a picture of the guy that I have mentioned a bunch of times before…he is now sitting in the “Webcat Coralls” on a crappy stool…this is his way around the password and log-in stuff…still wearing that purple shirt, still printing stuff off like a mad-man, still walking around with his hand in the back of his pants! I really need to get the balls to walk up to this guy and say “We need to talk…Who the heck are you? and what the heck are you doing?”

Train Tracks
In an effort to relieve myself from the everyday boredom of working, coming home, and watching a movie…I decided to walk on the traintracks by my townhouse. I followed them all the way down to Kalamazoo rd. It was quite fun. The sunset was one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen and combined with the fact that it was reflecting off the tracks leading me on a glowing, orange pathway of light into new cool places was a high point. I followed it under behind GRCHS and under Plymouth. the tracks run next to the gold course which I think would be a cool place to lie on a blanket and watch the night sky with a special lady (as long as the sprinklers don’t go on) I found a few dead animals, one being a decapitated racoon. and then ended up in the midst of a graveyard on Kalamazoo…I don’t think the people living there mind the noise too much…the end

In Conclusion: There are too many random things that are funny, confusing, odd, and interesting that go un-noticed and un-mentioned in my life, and I am sure other people’s lives. I just wish I was paid to report my findings

Movie: Donnie Brasco

So Much to Address

joshleo — Mon, 26 Jul 2004 21:50:15 +0000

The Faux Hawk
Last Friday (not the 23rd but the week before that) After making fun of this hair style, I decided to give it a test run to feel what it is like to drive around and walk around while wearing such a “Trendy Hairstyle” I decided to put on a tight black t-shirt (I assume that that is the accompanying style) and make a trip down 28th street to Petsmart to buy a cat brush and anti-shedding wipes. now I realize that a trip to Petsmart isn’t the most “hip” things to do but I figure that cool trendy people need to shop for their cats too, and the style doesn’t stop with pet-care items. I popped in my most recent trendy/indie purchase into the C.D. player (Keane: Hopes and Fears) and jammed down the road with my windows down and radio blasting. I pulled into the parking lot and drew looks…though it may have been because my music was so loud. I swaggered into petsmart as my faux-hawk sliced through the wind. I then made my way over to the cat section, perused the products and then went to check-out…I don’t think I got any outrageous looks from the cashier, but I bet she was thinking “Damn…that is one sexy doo!” I gave her a smile and then went on my merry way. That is basically the extent of the Faux-Hawk experience…and basically my friday night…..Faux-Hawks, Cat wipes, and a DVD…this is my life folks…as pathetic as it is, I still enjoy it.

The Pouty lips and eyes are what I think people with Faux-Hawks do with their face. I think it adds to the mystery and cool-ness.

Wedding
So this past Tuesday I got a call from my buddy Nate asking me to be in his wedding…in 4 days! You see one of his groomsmen fell off a mountain in Germany and was injured pretty bad. I was the understudy. A while back when Nate and I weren’t in such close touch, he informed me of the wedding party he chose and decided that Sol (the now injured) would be a better fit at that time.He told me back then that if anything were to happen to any of his groomsmen that he wanted me to stand up. I am pretty sure (and Nate is too) that he used the phrase “Like if one of my groomsmen fell off the face of the earth.” That is kind of creepy since I would say that a 150 foot fall is kind similar. So I got measured for the tux, layed out the cash, went to the rehersa, canceled my date (since I was now at the head table) and did the whole standing-up thing all over again. It was fun and I am happy for the new couple. All together it was nice to be part of the whole thing now that Nate and I are friends again.

Album
I recieved the second mix of the album and am going through making my criticisms…I think it will take just one more mix and we will have the final thing! Now all I need to do is get all the CD art figured out and then fund the printing!

Cheeze Balls

I am now convinced that Planter’s Cheeze balls are the perfect food for the car. The can is re-sealable, it fits right between your legs for easy snacking and driving, the wierd chemicals are sure to keep it from spoiling very quickly and they just taste really freaking good!

Work
I work at a place that makes Wrap sandwiches, it is not glamorous nor is it really challenging. I would like a job where my talents and skills can be put to use. But I do have to admit that I do lay down the salami with extreme precision, and can clean a reach-in cooler way better than anyone else. I close the store 3 nights a week two of them being tommorrow and Wednesday. It is usually really slow so I get to put in my own CD’s instead of W-Light AKA W-Suck. You can only hear so many Bryan Adams songs in one day! So I think I am going to bring Othello (the game) to work tommorrow if things get really slow. I encourage all of you readers to come into my current place of employment either tommorrow night or wednesday night…from 5:00 to 8:00 things are nice and slow and kind of boring.

(*Little Known fact* Sometimes I write my name in Mayonaise on the wrap before I add the other ingredients!!!)

Conclusion
Like I said Before, This is my life. It is nothing fantastic just a bunch of random odd things like faux-hawks, cat wipes, injured groomsmen, names in Mayo and lots of movies to pass the time. The key is taking these things and convincing yourself that they are cool!

Additional films watched, in no particular order:
Igby Goes Down
Hollywood Shuffle
Rabbit Proof Fence
Paycheck
Casino
Starsky and Hutch
In America
Sweet and Lowdown
Ed Wood