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ghost world is the first movie in a long time where i didn't understand the ending. i'd love to have somebody who's seen the movie and understood the ending to please explain it to me. maybe i have to read the graphic novel, is that it? it was an interesting movie, extremely character driven. there were no normal characters. even rebecca (scarlett johansson, hmm, she's purty), the friend who's working and getting her own apartment, is kind of quirky in a closeted lesbian sort of way (although she does seem to like boys in the movie, even though we don't see anything happening). enid (thora birch) seems like the stereotypical alterna-kid: weird clothes, cynical, sarcastic, critical of others, highly creative, snobbish. i didn't know whether to hate her because she came off as such a bitch or sympathize with her in the end, which basically everyone abandons her and all her opportunities seem to be closing. two funniest characters were the mulleted redneck at the convenience store (we discussed how it'd be great just to see a movie with that guy) and david cross as the record collecting lady's man. steve buscemi once more appears as an eccentric straight guy. the other movie of his that i really love where he plays an eccentric straight guy was ed and his dead mother. seymour (buscemi) comes off as such a hopeless loser in the beginning of the movie, but by the end he beds two different women. not bad for a social reject who hasn't gone out on a date in 4 years! (groan) let me just say that this summer seems like the summer of buscemi. he also did voice over work for final fantasy.

spoiler! okay, so, what is up with that ending? here's my interpretation: the movie is called ghost world, and it refers to the people on the fringe of society, the alterna-kids, the eccentrics, the crazies -- people who don't fit in -- so much so that they essentially become ghosts, because if they disappeared, nobody would notice. so i think that's what happens to enid. did she kill herself? who knows. but by the end of the movie, she becomes this metaphorical ghost as she loses all contacts with society, with the world.

so, would i recommend this movie? it's got indie written all over it -- and i mean that figuratively and also literally. the intro sequence is some weird indian rock and roll movie from the 50-60's. what's more alterna-cool than indian music, right? the references throughout the movie seems very genuine. for kids who don't fit in, alterna-kids, this is definitely a movie for them, although i thought the ending was sort of bleak as the alpha alterna-girl disappears on a bus. if you like quirky indie movies though, definitely give this movie a try, although, once again, i warn you, the ending is not the happy hollywood finale, and it might leave you just a wee bit confused as to what actually happened.

oh yeah, there was a trailer for bully, which seems like an interesting movie, but it's from the same guy who did kids, and that movie grossed me out for many weeks after i saw it on cable. one question though: can bijou phillips get anymore naked? that wild child just can't keep her clothes on in the movies!

it's like, traditional drinks just don't do it for me. why get a beverage that's clear when i can go wild and get something in blue? besides, isn't blue a prettier color, even though it's completely unnatural as a food color? in addition to a bottle of blue gatorade, i also got myself a can of tab later on during the day. what does tab taste like? it tastes like a diet soda loaded with nutrasweet. no wonder you don't see it in a lot of places. i hate the taste of nutrasweet. i don't know if i can describe it, but the taste of nutrasweet stays in my mouth even after i'm done tasting it.

the office next door has a popcorn machine (i don't mean a microwave, i mean a real popcorn machine that supposedly retails for $2000) and they were gracious enough to pop us a fresh bowl of popcorn when amanda and i went to their office looking for popcorn but found the machine to be empty. the machine was bought from a channel 2 auction for less than $1000 and that included a year's supply of popcorn.

it didn't take long before a large crowd gathered around the popcorn bowl sitting on my desk. in a matter of minutes, the bowl was reduced to nothing but a few crumbs and some unpopped kernels. i'm not saying i wasn't guilty of eating my share of popcorn -- i think i was the only person double fisting popcorn into my mouth. hey, it was good popcorn!


mandy and dan,
popcorn bouncers

laurie with a
mouthful of
popcorn
(amanda in background)

after work i went to kendall cinema to see ghost world with john, dan, cymara, and a surprise cameo appearance from joel. when i went to use the bathroom prior to the start of the movie, there was a crisis in one of the stalls as there was a geyser toilet. an usher ran out just as i was walking in, and another usher was frantically trying to stop the flood, all the while telling everyone that it was okay, it's just water. i thought i saw some floaties but i could be wrong. but imagine a row of men using the urinals with their heads turned back, nervously watching the advancing toilet water line rapidly approaching them as they pee. i was one of those men, and i wasn't going to believe for a second that this water was kosher and wasn't perhaps tainted with some fecal matter. i finished with just seconds to spare as i carefully stepped over the doo doo water and hopped across to the sink area, where i quickly washed my hands and dried them on my pants before running out of the sinking bathroom.

after the movie joel gave us rides home (or close to home). it was like, we didn't want the evening to end. as long as he kept on driving, we'd have joel for those minutes. we were having a great time in the car, joking about the movie and listening to a best of prince cd (wouldn't it be great if we could have karoake cars?). finally i got dropped off at harvard square and bid farewell to everyone.


cymara and dan

dan and john

cameo joel