Michael*

Oh, thanks.  Have you seen 'Requiem for a Dream'?  It's also by the same director and also ultra depressing (about heroin/meth addicts that destroy themselves).  His films are quality but the depressing intent & subject matter is not something that I want to spend time with.

 

 
I actually saw 'Black Swan' on the big screen, and although I've very little inclination to watch it again anytime soon, I thought it was really rather magnificent. Depressing, yes, but also incredibly intense, creepy and surprisingly scary. Highly recommended, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into.

 

Sounds fantastic, I'll be sure to take a look. How are you coping with Jaimie's new-look pixie cut? I only ask because I remember you weren't terribly keen on Karlie's hairstyle change.

 

WOW! Your memory is amazing!!!!! i ts been like a year.

But yeah everything going well on this end.... except I still don't have a job in my field. I still work at a bakery. But I'm going to try to go through an agency to find a better job... I'll see how that goes.

How is everything with you?

Thankful currently just to have some semi-regular work on the go, as I know a lot of people who don't at the moment. I don’t see there being any shame though in either trying something and deciding it’s not for you, or finding something you like and sticking with it. As long as you do like it, that is. I strongly suspect that if I worked in a bakery, I'd end up eating most of the profits.

So which models are you liking at the moment, other than Sasha?

Flopping is huge in basketball. As a matter of fact, overall, basketball and regular football are much more similar than American/Canadian football. European players are considered to be the innovators of basketball flopping because fouls aren't called as much in the European leagues. Vlade Divac (7'1  ) is considered to be the father of the modern flop.  The court does indeed prove the harder they fall theory which is probably what makes a basketball flopper deam his or her (well, women don't flop as much) case as more believable. I think I'll do a 'basketball rules explained' series. I stopped the NFL explained at the time because I was disappointed with some new rule changes but I should pick that back up too. Speaking of Michaels and the NFL, the gay player (Michael Sam, or rather first openly gay draft prospect) I spoke of earlier is reaching new heights. His jersey is now the second biggest seller in the league and he just got drafted . Not only that, the video of him kissing his boyfriend after being drafted has gone viral. Its currently going at a rate of a half million views per day. I hope that he succeeds because I would hate for him to get all of this attention and bomb as a player. As to him as a player, he was the defensive player of the year in a tough college conference but some (even before) said he would likely still get drafted low (and he did). He isn't an overly impressive physical specimen by NFL defensive end standards, but his skill and relentlessness made up for it in college. The immediate problem he will face is that the team that drafted him is already stacked at that position and is basically just looking to motivate them all to battle it out in practice to weed out the chaff. I hope he makes it through though.

Vlade Divac, now there's a blast from the past. He was on NBA Jam when I used to play on my Sega.

Interesting that one of the first high-profile gay male athletes is someone who was already 'out' before he officially hit the big time. Presumably, there's still a lasting sense of apprehension preventing more established and well-known athletes from taking similar steps, but hopefully, Sam's courage in coming out at such a pivotal point in his career will be key in changing attitudes and moving things on a bit. The notion that being gay could somehow be a hindrance to one’s athletic abilities belongs in the dark ages, although it would concern me if wasn't fully his own decision to do what he did, or if there was any sort of pressure from outside sources.

Oh, thanks.  Have you seen 'Requiem for a Dream'?  It's also by the same director and also ultra depressing (about heroin/meth addicts that destroy themselves). His films are quality but the depressing intent & subject matter is not something that I want to spend time with.

Yeah, it's definitely a bleak vision, certainly not a movie for everyone and probably even more depressing than Aronofsky's other work. It's in no way optimistic and throws the audience only the very occasional bit of hope, but has an incredible brutality and intensity to it, akin to being repeatedly smacked around the head.

It's also impossible to watch it and not be touched and frightened by the plight of the characters. Never has an actress been so unfairly cheated out of an Oscar as Ellen Burstyn was for her turn in 'Requiem'.

Are you interested in Aronofsky's latest ('Noah') at all, Andy?

I'm not sure what you are talking about since I don't keep up with her.  I googled it and I have to say that I am always on the side of longer hair.  Even with older women...

btw, i heard Godzilla was quite good.

Unlike some celebs who opt for a drastic change, Jaimie chose to cut her hair in installments.

I like to judge each case on its merits - as with any hairstyle or item of clothing, a lot depends on who's wearing it. For Jaimie, I must say I greatly prefer the longer hair, but more the 'long and parted in the middle' look than the 'long with fringe' look in the left pic.

Heard Mark Kermode (a well-known and sometimes rather difficult-to-please film critic from the UK) praise 'Godzilla' to the hilt this week, which I was really quite surprised by. Apparently it aims high, shows an appreciation of the fifties original and doesn't disappoint. Wasn't really planning on going, but I'm tempted to give it a look now.

Ah yes everyone thinks that because I work in a bakery that I'd be eating all the goodies! However its not allowed, a couple people have gotten fired for sneaking in treats. I mean some still do it... and if there is extra of something technically we can have a taste. However, I tend to just stick to the straight and arrow, and not get into that.

When it comes to models I like...

Andreea

Magdalena Frackowiak

Edita

Malaika Firth

Marloes Horst

Emily Didonato

Frida G

When it comes to the lesser knowns I like

Emma Stern

Emmy Rappe

Ophelie Guillermand

Hannah Ferguson

Ola Rudnicka

Elle Dieke

Vivien Wysocki

Good calls all. I still count Karlie, Marloes, Edita, Eniko, Tiiu, Bregje, Daria, Sui He, Catherine McNeil and Michelle Ouellette as tops at the moment - others kind of come and go for me (sometimes I lose interest in a bit, some grow on me over time) but those ten always seem to remain as core favourites.

I'll have to investigate the lesser known ones a bit more, I think. Years ago, when I first joined BZ, one of my favourite things to do was to click on random threads in the models section. Made some great discoveries that way, it's a habit I'd quite like to get back into.

I tend to avoid films about mentally ill people, criminals, disabled,and retards on principle..  I find it a waste of time and the opposite of entertaining, lol.    There is 'My left foot' starring Daniel Day Lewis that is supposedly great...if you enjoy watching a man with cerebral palsy for two hours....

I like Jennifer Connolly and Russel Crowe but being effectively a lifelong atheist I haven't worked up any interest for Noah.  Have you seen it? 
 

As a person with natural black hair, I can tell that Jaime's haircut is a dye job.  Artificial black hair is usually 'too black' and doesn't have the sheen & shine of natural.  Out of those pictures, I'd say the center one is the best but only because her long hair to the left has awkward bangs.

I'm waiting for a reasonably watchable Gozilla cam to pop out.  My experience with Godzilla is about nil..I saw one or two of the films as a small child but that's it.

Have you been anticipating any other film?  

BTW I hosted gallery 2 of Eniko..

====================================

This is my recreational/hobby reading list for 2014 into 2015:  What's yours?

1. Colossus Reborn: The Red Army 1941-1943 - 600 pages

2. Hitler's Nemesis: The Red Army 1930-1945, Stalin Keys to Victory, Re-read 'Companion to the Red Army 1939-1945'.  600 pages in total

3. Stalingrad Trilogy: 500, 700, 500, 600 pages.

And, if I still hunger for more stalingrad, there is a super appendix- A book 5 with translated documents and also 'Stopped at Stalingrad' (About the LW).

I try to study about 10 pages a day and typing this out makes me realize that it's going to take a long time until I'm done. 

Unlike some celebs who opt for a drastic change, Jaimie chose to cut her hair in installments.

I tend to avoid films about mentally ill people, criminals, disabled,and retards on principle.. I find it a waste of time and the opposite of entertaining, lol. There is 'My left foot' starring Daniel Day Lewis that is supposedly great...if you enjoy watching a man with cerebral palsy for two hours....

I like Jennifer Connolly and Russel Crowe but being effectively a lifelong atheist I haven't worked up any interest for Noah. Have you seen it?

As a person with natural black hair, I can tell that Jaime's haircut is a dye job. Artificial black hair is usually 'too black' and doesn't have the sheen & shine of natural. Out of those pictures, I'd say the center one is the best but only because her long hair to the left has awkward bangs.

I'm waiting for a reasonably watchable Gozilla cam to pop out. My experience with Godzilla is about nil..I saw one or two of the films as a small child but that's it.

Have you been anticipating any other film?

BTW I hosted gallery 2 of Eniko..

====================================

I didn't have much interest in 'Noah' initially, figuring that it would be something akin to the biblical epics of 1950s cinema, but some of the reviews I've read seem to suggest that it's a bit more than just a straightforward re-telling, so I'm mildly intrigued now. The film's centrepiece is supposed to be really rather impressive: a strobing reconstruction of the creation story that apparently suggests evolution and also sits pretty comfortably with Aronofsky’s previous work. Putting it down as a definite maybe as we speak.

Caught 'Two Faces of January' on the big screen just the other night, a very classy (if a little slight) suspense thriller with Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst. Aside from that, there's not a great deal on my agenda at the moment. I'm still very keen to see the latest X-Men movie, but I almost always prefer to wait until the 'major release rush' dies down a bit before going. My trip to see 'Spider-Man 2' last month served to reinforce my dislike for crowded cinemas.

Thanks, that second Eniko gallery is unspeakably awesome.

This is my recreational/hobby reading list for 2014 into 2015:  What's yours?

 

1. Colossus Reborn: The Red Army 1941-1943 - 600 pages

2. Hitler's Nemesis: The Red Army 1930-1945, Stalin Keys to Victory, Re-read 'Companion to the Red Army 1939-1945'.  600 pages in total

3. Stalingrad Trilogy: 500, 700, 500, 600 pages.

 

And, if I still hunger for more stalingrad, there is a super appendix- A book 5 with translated documents and also 'Stopped at Stalingrad' (About the LW).

 

I try to study about 10 pages a day and typing this out makes me realize that it's going to take a long time until I'm done.

Gosh, well, it sounds like a lot to get through. I certainly admire your dedication. My reading habits have taken a slight turn for the frivolous this year, if I'm honest. I've been reading the new autobiography by football/soccer's coolest man, Andrea Pirlo. Terribly funny stuff, packed with interesting and absurd soundbites...

"Take someone like Antonio Cassano. He says he’s slept with 700 women, but he doesn’t get picked for Italy any more. Can he really be happy? I wouldn’t be."

 

"Roy Hodgson mispronounced my name. He called me "Pirla" (dickhead), perhaps understanding my true nature more than the other managers."

 

"I saw Ibrahimovic and Onyewu laying into one another like two bully boys from the roughest estate. They looked like they were trying to kill each other: there were definitely some broken ribs, despite silence and denials from the king's buglers who said it was just a 'lively confrontation'. Those of us who'd witnessed it were put in mind of a mafia-style settling of the scores."

 

"Park Ji-Sung must have been the first nuclear-powered South Korean in history, in the sense that he rushed about the pitch at the speed of an electron."

 

"Gattuso's word was law at Milan, and anyone new to the club was aware that the first thing they had to do if they made a mistake was explain themselves to him. Just having that knowledge drastically reduced the chances of people fucking up."

 

"Caressing the ball at the World Cup final was something I had to do. I lifted my eyes to the heavens and asked for help because if God exists, there's no way he's French. I took a long, intense breath. That breath was mine, but it could have been the manual worker who struggles to make it to the end of the month, the rich businessmen who is a bit of a shit, the teacher, the student, the Italian expats who never left our side during the tournament, the well-to-do Milanese signora, the hooker on the street corner. In that moment, I was all of them. You won't believe me, but it was right in that very moment I understood what a great thing it is to be Italian. It's a truly priceless privilege."

If I know you like I think you do, I bet you like her too . She's like the 'good' Daria because she can subtly mock you but still be friendly with it.

You bet right. Strangely enough, she really reminds me of someone else (who I also like), but I can't quite put my finger on who it is at the moment. I'm sure it'll come back to me eventually.

I had to laugh at the comments section for the first video though. People are getting so angry about the mother bouncing, despite not being the one holding onto the baby.

She looks super cute with the middle cut - I think she holds that length really well.

The middle picture is definitely my favourite of the three above. Overall though, I prefer the Lady Sif look (long and parted in the middle) for Jaimie.

Any idea what the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs are doing these days? I know last year was big for them, but I haven't seen them since. That's not to say I'm not glad that they aren't like regular celebrities in the media nonstop . 

This game continues to look incredible - they're totally nailing the lighting and atmosphere

Also, creepy android on fire coming towards you =

Any idea what the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs are doing these days? I know last year was big for them, but I haven't seen them since. That's not to say I'm not glad that they aren't like regular celebrities in the media nonstop .

Yeah, the three members of the band each tend to do their own thing between album releases. Brian (the drummer) almost always seems to maintain a low profile, but Nick (the guitarist) performed and conducted his own classical composition '41 Strings' recently alongside various other musicians, while Karen has done a few collaborations too, most notably for the soundtrack of the Spike Jonze movie 'Her'.

This game continues to look incredible - they're totally nailing the lighting and atmosphere

Also, creepy android on fire coming towards you =

Thanks Don, this is looking tremendously promising.

The prospect of constantly being stalked by a lone alien sounds really interesting, particularly as the developers have stated that it's going to be unkillable throughout. I'll be fascinated to see how they pace out the story and whether they'll be able to sustain the level of tension required for a 10 hour+ campaign.

Do you guys have links to a 'no commentary' video?  It looks a lot like the original Alien movie.

Found one so far:

What is this supposed to mean?  Elaborate, please.

 

Gosh, well, it sounds like a lot to get through. I certainly admire your dedication.

 

Do you guys have links to a 'no commentary' video?  It looks a lot like the original Alien movie.

 

Found one so far:

 

That's the only 'non-commentary' one I've seen so far. Not 100% sure, but it looks as if it may have been put together by someone splicing the footage from the other videos.

The atmosphere looks near-perfect though. Honestly, just watching it is enough to put me on edge.

What is this supposed to mean?  Elaborate, please.

It's not supposed to mean anything, only that the amount of reading you're doing sounds like a challenging proposition, and something that would require considerable patience and dedication to complete.