Well, as many of you know, I'm moving this weekend! Time for calling in favors and hauling a bunch of stuff around. We've been painting and cleaning all week. The bedroom and bathroom are almost done, except for trim/doors, and a few big and tall rooms are getting done by professionals today and tomorrow. Saturday's the big day, so I'm taking off tomorrow to finish up last-minute details. Thank you so much to those of you who decided to give up some of your weekend to help us out, and also to Amy for her painting help. Oh, and Ric's mom, too, who cleaned like crazy and even set up one of our bathrooms with soap, a towel, and toilet paper. :)

I have very mixed feelings about La Vie En Rose. On one hand, it's a very well crafted movie. On the other, the life of Edith Piaf isn't all that inspiring to me. She grew up in a seedy environment, became a bit of a punk in her youth, got recognized as a great singer and started a big career, and used her fame and fortune to party, ultimately killing herself with her hard living (at least, that's how the move portrays her health issues). Well woo frickin hoo. She comes across in this movie as a bad person, no matter how beautiful her voice was.

I had always been familiar with certain recordings sung by Piaf, but never knew who she was. This movie chronicles her life from beginning to end, cutting frequently into her early, middle, and later lives. I didn't much care for the frequent cutting, but the other aspects of the movie were handled well. The sets, costumes, and art direction are all beautiful, and there are some wonderful long shots, especially in a climactic scene when she finds out the man she loves is dead.

The singer is portrayed by Marianne Cotillard, who definitely deserves the Oscar this year. She carries the character through many ages, and the extent to which she changes herself in both behavior and appearance is uncanny. I had to check to make sure it was the same actress playing Piaf the entire time because it was such a big contrast between the two. I hear most of the awards have been going to Julie Christie for her great role in Away From Her. While I loved that movie, I would have to side with Cotillard.

That being said, this movie just wasn't much up my alley. Part of my lack of enthusiasm comes from the DVD itself, which does not have subtitles for any of the songs. Since so much of the movie consists of songs, and so many of those songs have a specific meaning for their particular scenes, not having subtitles felt like a complete loss. I wouldn't be surprised if my perspective on the movie would change if I were able to understand what was being sung. But, even so, I just couldn't admire this woman, or even feel all that sorry for her.

So, to sum all that up: I would recommend the woman for the award, but not the movie unless one understands French and would like to watch a famous French celebrity's unappealing story.

My school canceled classes yesterday for snow, which gave me a nice chance to be at home and catch up on some reading. I got all the way through the first 17 issues of Y: The Last Man. I've been wanting to read the series for a while, but I had to wait until the final issue was published this month to start it.

You see, even though I love the medium of comics, I have no patience for the serialized format in which most of them are published. Y: The Last Man is a limited, 70-issue series with a single story that has taken six years to tell. I don't understand how a reader can wait that long to get to the finish. And Y is even better than most, because it goes at a fast pace and has exciting plot developments in every issue. Other series have demanded far more patience from readers.

Take Dave Sim's Cerebus. It was a 300-issue series that ran for 25 years! It's very impressive that a single creator can see that kind of project through to the end, but I can't help thinking how frustrating it must have been for fans to read it in monthly installments. In one issue early on Sim takes a break from the main story to create a trippy dream sequence after which the main character wakes up, takes a long leak that lasts several pages, then goes back to bed. I love the audacity of the scene, but I can't help but think how angry I would be if I had waited all month to find out what happens next in the story, only to see Cerebus literally pissing away an issue with no plot development.

But here's the thing: what is infuriating in a monthly comic book works fine within a 250-page graphic novel; conversely, the plot twists and cliffhangers that make serialized stories exciting are tiresome in a book-length work. I would just as well see publishers give up monthly comics in favor of original graphic novels. I think the format would encourage not only better storytelling, but more original stories, once creators no longer have to force out yet another new take on a series that's been in publication for 70 years. I think a switch to exclusively book formats would also be the key to setting comics alongside prose novels and films as a legitimate art form.

Unfortunately, I don't see this happening anytime soon. The sale of the monthly floppies are the comic book industry's bread and butter. This business model that keeps the industry alive also keeps it from growing beyond the small niche of comic book fans it has carved out. It's a vicious cycle.

Until something changes, I'll keep on with my own habit of only reading limited series after they're finished. I can't wait for 100 Bullets to end next year so I can finally start it.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Mass Effect

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters | Official Movie Site | Picturehouse

I just watched this last night and I was blown away. Even if you aren't a fan of video games you will enjoy this fascinating story of a nice guy named Steve Wiebe trying to overcome an army of insane video game uber-nerds to get the world record in Donkey Kong. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll stop there. Events transpire that will make you jump for joy, cry, and shake your fist in anger. This is truly a great documentary and a captivating story that is still unfolding. I highly encourage you to pick up this DVD if you haven't yet.