Movie review: No Country for Old Men

The short of it: what an overrated snooze fest. 0/5

The long of it: One of my first thoughts towards the beginning of the movie was that maybe I'd like it better if Peter Sarsgaard were in it. That shouldn't be surprising. I thought I'd watch this movie because it was on Netflix and supposedly it's good and it's fairly well known. I think it's right about on par with The Shining in terms of my opinion about it. Also, this one guy I'm messaging on the online dating website said that it was a good movie. How wrong was he! 

This movie was very boring and languid and had very little tension/excitement. Blah. Shattered Glass was more exciting than this and that movie didn't even have any murder in it, just a lack of journalistic integrity on the part of Stephen Glass. Hayden Christensen was good in that role. 
This movie was supposed to be a crime movie but it was really boring for a crime movie. Nightcrawler was better than this movie. 

Anyways, that's about 2 hours of my life down the drain that I COULD HAVE spent watching Peter Sarsgaard in something, like, say, Garden State or An Education. Javier Bardem was in this movie as a murderer and he was, I guess, sort of creepy but not that much because the movie as a whole was boring and wooden. And what an awful anticlimactic ending. Not to mention an awful haircut on his character in this movie. He was good in Skyfall though, where he had a less boring role and a less anticlimactic ending. It would've been interesting if Peter Sarsgaard had had his role in this movie. The movie still probably would've been boring but at least it'd have had Peter in it who I could gaze at and hear say things, which I'm always happy to do.

There was a scene where Javier Bardem's character had recently gotten shot, so he exploded a car in front of a pharmacy so he could rob it for drugs and medical supplies while everyone else got distracted by the car fire. Which he did and then he was in a bath tub washing the blood off of his leg where he had gotten shot, and the water got all bloody. Then he started picking out the bullet fragments and stuff and injecting lidocaine into it. Ick. This whole scene was sort of gross. In an alternate universe where the movie was better and an actor I liked were playing the character washing blood off and picking out bullet fragments, maybe a scene like that could be weirdly attractive, but in this case it was just gross. Hmm, come to think of it, there was sort of a similar scene in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which I probably liked better (the scene). I definitely liked that movie better. 

I just don't think western movies are cut out for me. This one wasn't exactly a western movie, but it was set in Texas. I have NO IDEA how this movie won an Oscar... it was so, so mediocre. Gah.  

Conclusion: unless you like boring movies and/or looking at Javier Bardem in the way that I like looking at Peter Sarsgaard, don't waste your time. 

As a parting thought, it seems like I'm thinking everyone and their brother looks like Peter Sarsgaard these days. Anthony Scaramucci, this guy in Congress I saw on CNN this evening (Lee Zeldin, if you're wondering), this guy I saw in person today (who didn't look super similar to Peter exactly, but something about him just seemed to resemble Peter in some way or another...)... my 'facial recognition software' is most definitely a bit screwy, I think. 

Jarhead, revisited

(and some other stuff, for that matter) 

I rewatched Jarhead just now, since I felt like seeing Peter Sarsgaard and hearing him say things. I also wanted to be able to crochet in the background, and it's best to either listen to podcasts or watch something you're already familiar with so you don't have to give it your complete attention and have enough to put aside for crocheting. I have just about 2 weeks left to finish the thing I'm working on if I want to enter it in the fair, which I do, and I also hope that I win a ribbon of some kind. No lie, I'll be disappointed if I don't. I'd be happy with even a third place ribbon. So there's that.

The second time around is always interesting for movies because you can notice things that you maybe didn't necessarily notice the first time. This movie was directed by Sam Mendes, who also went on to direct the Bond movie Skyfall, which has a special place in my favorite movies. Upon rewatching, I noticed some interesting parallels to Skyfall, which may have been intentional references/allusions on the part of Sam Mendes, to his previous work. 

A) in this movie, there's a scene where the soldiers have two scorpions fight each other. In Skyfall, there's a scene where James Bond is in a bar and has a scorpion crawling on his arm as a kind of dare/game. 

B) Part of the opening act of Skyfall has James Bond fighting with someone on top of a train, which is going over a bridge. M is directing Eve, who is positioned to shoot, ideally the guy Bond is fighting. She conveys her hesitance about taking the shot to M because it's possible she might accidentally hit Bond. M, in a fairly notable quote from the movie, says "Take the bloody shot." James Bond gets hit and falls off the bridge and into the water, cue title sequence (I'm pretty sure that's when it happens - I haven't rewatched Skyfall in awhile) which is quite nice and on par to Casino Royale's title sequence. This scene with James Bond getting shot is an interesting (really!) contrast to what happens in one of the final acts of Jarhead - Peter Sarsgaard's character and Jake Gyllenhaal's character are a sniper team and they've been sent to take out some enemy combatants. They have the perfect shot but must get approval from higher ups, which unfortunately they do not get because an airstrike is going to happen shortly, which will kill the people they were intending to shoot. This scene is the climax of the movie, so to speak, and Peter Sarsgaard really steals the show here. I would say that his character in this movie comes across as a bit enigmatic (or maybe that's just the essence he gives off in all his movies?). 

Jake and Peter were both in pretty decent shape, naturally, for roles as soldiers. I think they're both about the same height (according to google, they are). I think it's Jake's bushy eyebrows that make him look sort of... bug eyed. Peter, on the other hand, does not have bushy eyebrows at all. I kind of wonder how they did the casting for this movie, particularly Peter, because he doesn't strike me as the first choice to play a soldier. Not that he did a bad job in this role or anything. He's just sort of delicate looking in the face, and the stereotypical idea of a soldier is masculinity. But maybe the idea was to convey that lots of different kinds of people join the military, delicate looking or not. There was a scene where I got a good view of Jake's fingernails and they were dirty, which probably makes sense as they were in a war zone, which probably doesn't exactly lend itself to nicely manicured fingernails. I'm not sure if prison does either, but I won't go into that again here; you can read my other post for more on that topic.   

Again it's interesting to think about the fact that this movie was a portrayal of the Gulf War, a conflict in the Middle East, and that there is still yet conflict in the Middle East, over 25 years later.  

I again noticed the brightness and beige-ness of the desert. And I liked the quote "Every war is different. Every war is the same." again. Visually this movie was pretty cohesive. The same guy did the cinematography for this movie and Skyfall. As far as other Sam Mendes movies go, I think American Beauty and Revolutionary Road (with Leonardo DiCaprio) could be interesting to see. I have also been told that No Country for Old Men is worth a watch, so that is another option that's on Netflix. I think American Beauty was on Netflix, but I'm not sure if it still is. And I could rewatch Memento. 

I... take satisfaction in the idea that it's more rewarding to me to watch Peter Sarsgaard movies than the hit or mostly miss-ness of online dating. Peter Sarsgaard I know for a fact that I like his appearance and voice, and that he's a good actor so he's much less likely to disappoint me. And I can watch his movies on my own terms, whenever I want. That seems like a better deal to me. Who needs a boyfriend when you can watch your favorite actors' (I say actors plural to include my other favorite actors as well, even though I'm definitely giving more of my attention to Peter at the moment) movies? I have a finite amount of time to spend and affection/attention to direct towards people. I think spending that time watching and directing that attention/affection to Peter Sarsgaard is a pretty good deal, as far as I'm concerned. 

The online dating is going... not too differently than it has in the past, I guess. It's just going. No one has commented about the "PETER SARSGAARD LOOKALIKES WELCOME" notice. Or the other times I mention him in my profile (no "You really like Peter Sarsgaard, eh?" messages, which I thought maybe my current profile would inspire, and to which I'd respond, "Yes, I really do, and I probably like him more than you"), which maybe I did go a little overboard with, but whatever. I don't really think I have that much to lose, and again, shaking it up could be interesting. I think maybe people just don't know who he is, so the statement doesn't hold that much weight for the readers. Maybe, for the heck of it, I should change it to a different, more well known actor. For that matter, I could put Jake Gyllenhaal, maybe. Although then prospective suitors might be more intimidated because perhaps they actually know who Jake Gyllenhaal is, and don't think they measure up to his looks (they probably don't). Or maybe they just wouldn't care and would think that it's still worth it to give me a chance. I have no idea what goes on in the minds of guys my age who do online dating. But thankfully, you, dear reader(s), can have a peek at what goes on in my mind about online dating because I write about it here on my blog.

Let's finish this off with some current news related subject matter. It's certainly interesting to watch Anthony Scaramucci do his showboating, and today he went totally unhinged on a phone call/rant to a journalist from the New Yorker magazine. Something else, I tell you! "Fucking paranoid schizophrenic!" It's like a train wreck and I just can't look away. Or maybe the better analogy here is... a nuclear accident explosion, or something. 

Edit: I finished writing this post as I was listening to Muse's album Absolution, and the song Hysteria was on. I think that could be an interesting song to use in a movie, somehow. 

Edit 2: maybe, just maybe, I could watch all (minus the ones I can't find/refuse to watch) the Peter Sarsgaard movies by the end of this summer, which would make for a nice alliterative (summer/Sarsgaard) blog post title in which I summarize the experience of watching all of them. 

Re: Online dating (again)

Firstly, I think I've thought/fretted about the possibility of having a wrist injury too much and now have developed psychosomatic wrist pain. Ugh. 

Anyways, I am sort of considering yet again attempting to do online dating. But first, I think I need to update my profile information a little bit. 

So, what follows is a very honest profile which I don't actually think would attract many people (but makes for a good blog post), but this is what I actually think. 

Self summary: Notice: PETER SARSGAARD LOOKALIKES WELCOME (PREFERRED - but please shave). No conservatives need apply. 
I like reading about serial killers/murderers/unsolved crimes, as well as things related to various areas of the humanities. I'm particular about what kinds of writing utensils I use, and I like to keep my fingernails a decent length. I try to keep up with the news and what's happening in the world. Occasional giver of strange compliments, like "you have nice teeth" or "you turn pages nicely" - two compliments I've actually said to real people. I think I have pretty good attention to detail regarding lots of things, like set decoration in movies or tv shows. I like to write down my dreams if I remember them when I wake up so I can try to analyze them. 

What I'm doing with my life: Spending/wasting time putting (too much?) effort into my blog, sleeping a lot, trying to finish crochet projects, worrying that other people I know of will be more successful than me, staying in the house and not having a social life, contemplating becoming a future starving linguist and/or copy editor and/or set decorator, 

I'm really good at: Obsessing over anything and everything, spending too much time thinking about things that "don't matter", shopping, staring at people, being indecisive, collecting stuff (all kinds of it), a certain illegal activity, staying in the house because I'm too lazy to walk to the bus stop, plucking the leaves off of pineapples, eating unhealthily and not getting that fat from it 

Favorite (books, movies, tv, music, food)
books: Into the Wild, Millennium trilogy, Cloud Atlas, 1984, Sabotage in the American Workplace
movies: Shattered Glass, Experimenter, Casino Royale, Shutter Island, Memento, Requiem for a Dream, The Philosophers
television: Law and Order Criminal Intent, 1999-2011 Law and Order SVU, The Killing, Arrested Development, The Office UK, political humor like Colbert & the Daily Show
music: Augustana, Muse, The Killers, an assortment of other more or less similar artists 
food: various types of hot sauce, spicy salmon sushi, chicken parmesan from Macaroni Grill, Big Macs, peach rings, caramel cream candy, salt and vinegar potato chips, funnel cake, onion petals from Outback, filet and cheese and bacon fries from Outback, tres leches cake, frozen cheesecake, fried shrimp, crabcakes, orange/vanilla ice cream, certain frozen tv dinners, Caesar salad with lots of dressing, buttery biscuits

6 things I could not live without: internet, air conditioning/heat, food, good looking people to feast my eyes on, all of the stuff I've collected, 

Spend a lot of time thinking about: if my writing is actually similar to that of David Sedaris, which movie I should watch next, what would be interesting sayings to put on a t shirt, Peter Sarsgaard, Peter Sarsgaard's face and voice, what Peter Sarsgaard buys at Whole Foods (or whichever grocery store he goes to, but I feel like he's the kind of person who might shop at Whole Foods), other favorite actors aside from Peter Sarsgaard, what yarn I want to add to my already sizable collection, ideas for movies I'd make if I were a director, if I'll ever get to travel to Sweden, how I'm going to forget the other languages I know (sad face), people who look like other people, what it would be like to be a drug addict  

Most private thing I'm willing to admit: So many of the people on this website [okcupid] are one or a combination of the following (none of which are appealing to me): only average looking, boring, ugly. So what, I'm sort of shallow. Sue me. 

On a typical Friday night: at home relaxing/being lazy, spending a lot of time thinking about the things I put in the "I spend a lot of time thinking about" section 

Message me if: you look like Peter Sarsgaard/are otherwise good looking, are around my age, are interesting (this is a MUST), can hold a good conversation (also another must), value proper spelling and grammar, want to go shopping and people watching with me, are not obsessed with video games, value the humanities, have an opinion about modern art, are not a psycho and/or murderer/rapist, have well-kept fingernails   


It would be interesting to put this as my actual profile and see what happens... Maybe I will to shake things up a little. I wonder how likable this profile comes across.

Also, out of curiosity I googled "prison fingernails" to try and find out some information about how prisoners clip their nails. It turns out that I was right about nail clippers being a restricted item. I think it would have been really cool, from my (meaning someone who just can't get enough of Peter Sarsgaard) point of view, to have a scene in The Killing where Peter's prisoner character is getting his nails cut (according to something I read, in some prisons the prisoners will get their nails cut by the medical staff, or the guards will watch them closely while they cut their own nails. I don't think I'd like to work in a prison). Since they were so nice and neat looking in that one picture. It reminds me somewhat of that one postsecret from the person who didn't like getting their hair washed in the salon because they felt it was too intimate of an experience. I think the theoretical nail clipping scene could be sort of intimate in a weird way. If I ever am in charge of a tv show/movie that takes place in a prison, I think I'd want to have a nail clipping scene like such. If, theoretically, I saw Peter in public and happened to get a decent glance at his hands and fingernails and they looked well-kept, maybe I'd tell him "You have nice fingernails"... 

Interesting semi-relevant article: https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/series/top/15/all-you-know-is-the-room-in-here-a-close-look-at-solitary-confinement

Journaling, shirts, etc

Today was another errands day, this time the grocery store. It was about the usual amount of crowded for a Sunday. I did see another person who apparently had a wrist injury, which makes me ever so slightly more paranoid that my own wrist(s) will get broken or injured somehow. There was a guy with his wife and small child looking at the live lobsters in the tank and I thought that he looked sort of like John Green, but with longer hair. He was kind of short but really not bad looking. Then there was another guy who was minutely reminiscent to Peter Sarsgaard, from the short glance I got at him. If I'd been able to look at him more/better, I probably could say with more certainty how much he really looked or didn't look like Peter. He was drumming on the watermelons to see which ones sounded better, which is how you're supposed to tell which ones are good. In addition to these two men, I saw a few other men who had really tiny ankles and bird legs. 

I was looking at some other pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal, and in one of them he's wearing another interesting graphic t shirt. This one said "good looking revolutionaries wanted" and the one I mentioned previously said "Democrats make better lovers." These both are sayings that I wouldn't mind having on shirts of my own, in addition to "future starving linguist" and/or "future starving copy editor". 

Somewhat against my better judgement, I'm contemplating using the online dating website yet again. I... don't see how this time will turn out any different than all the other times, but I just can't seem to stay away. I need to update my profile information a little bit though. 

Now on to a little more about one of the things (people) that is more guaranteed to bring me joy, rather than the hit or (mostly) miss-ness of online dating. My newest favorite actor, Peter Sarsgaard. There are a few pictures of him I'd like to comment on. 

Firstly, this one: 

I have no idea at all of the context of this picture. Honestly, I'm not even completely sure that it's him in the picture. It looks pretty much like him, but I can't be completely sure. It probably is a pretty old picture (90s, I'm guessing) since he looks pretty young and I can't find any information about it. Only tonight did I figure out how the shirt is on him in this picture. Previously, it had really puzzled me and I thought that it was a shirt that buttoned in the back and he was wearing it partly unbuttoned. I've seen a few women's shirts or cardigans like that, that have buttons on the back instead to be unique. I thought about it and realized that the buttons are on the right side of the shirt, which means it's a men's shirt and I got out one of my own buttoned shirts to try and recreate how the shirt is on him in this picture. Usually, I put on buttoned shirts or jackets, things that open in the front, both arms at the same time. A written description of my technique: hold the shirt in front of you, inside facing you. Cross your arms (right over left) a little bit and turn them a little to the (left) side so they go in the correct sleeves. Slide the left arm fully into the sleeve and bring the rest of the shirt around your back with your other arm/hand, in the process put the right arm fully into that sleeve. Adjust the shirt and pull your hair out. There you have it. In this picture, it looks like he was in the process of putting on (taking off??) a shirt, but one arm at a time. In this picture, the left arm is in the sleeve and the collar is draped over his shoulder, and the right side of the shirt with the buttons is draped over his back. Due to this revelation, I'm going to try to remember to pay extra attention in the things I watch for people putting on shirts or jackets so I can see if their technique is like mine or not. 

I also like this picture because it shows his spine a little bit and I have a thing for spines. I have this interesting little glass, heart shaped picture frame that currently just has the sample picture in it because I haven't gotten a picture of my own to put in it. The sample picture is of a bride and groom, and the bride looks kind of like Madonna. I think this particular picture of Peter could certainly be interesting to print out a copy of and put in the frame, but to other people it would probably just be weird to have a picture of him in that frame. I think a black and white picture would go nicely in that frame, and it wouldn't waste the colored printer ink.

Secondly, this one: 

This is from when he played a death row inmate in the show The Killing. It was quite a role and he did a really good job. I like this picture because it's just nice and/although he really doesn't look very murderous at all here. Perhaps that was on purpose to add a bit more dimension to the character. The thing I really noticed in this picture was the well manicured fingernails. To me, that's pleasing to see on people of any gender. For some reason I feel like prisoners don't usually have such nicely groomed fingernails. Those are some unusually well kept fingernails on Peter's prisoner character there. I bet in prison, things like nail clippers and other manicure tools probably are restricted because they could be used as weapons. (Speaking of which, I need to trim/file my nails soon.) I wouldn't know for sure though since I've never been in prison. Maybe I could find out by watching Orange is the New Black (which, for whatever reason, actually doesn't really interest me). I just realized that both of these pictures have him sort of looking to the side/over his shoulder, like he was in the middle of something and something/someone else caught his attention for a moment. 

I was also thinking about going back through at least some of the actors I evaluated the appearances of in a past post so I can attempt to pin down specific features that I consider attractive. That... could be interesting. In general, I'd say on the delicate side, but what exactly constitutes 'on the delicate side'? 

Since I mostly write about actors here, it might not hurt to comment a little on actresses. I don't exactly have any particularly favorite actresses, but Chloe Sevigny might be a candidate. I've actually seen more things that she's been in than I realize. Somewhere I read someone writing that she looked sort of similar to Peter, incidentally, and I can kind of see it. They have similar eye shapes. Particularly in this picture, which I think emphasizes it due to lighting and/or makeup. I think her and Peter have actually been in 3 different movies together.

This one too. I think it shows best when she's more lightly made up.

P.S.: Some people might think that I put way too much effort into this blog that probably very few people read. So, am I pleased with the amount of effort I put into this blog? Yes. 

Seven

Deadly sins, that is. They also happen to be the basis for the movie Se7en, which I've seen in the past.

I did some considering about how many and to what extent of these sins I'm guilty of. Not that I really care, because I'm not religious, but I thought it'd be interesting to take a self-inventory here. 

1. luxuria / Lust. I don't really think I'm guilty of this one. 
2. gula / Gluttony. I think in some ways, sometimes, I'm gluttonous.  
3. avaritia / Greed. I think I'm at least sort of greedy also. 
4. acedia / Sloth. I'm very lazy, so definitely guilty of this one. 
5. ira / Wrath. I certainly feel like being vengeful sometimes, so I've been guilty of this one as well.
6. invidia / Envy. I don't think that I'm particularly envious of others. 
7. superbia / Pride. Do I think that I'm better than others? Better than some people, at least. 

In other matters, apparently there are at least a few (one?) people who delight in posting pairs of similar pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal (the amount that I've been mentioning him lately, it feels like this blog is turning into a Jake Gyllenhaal blog a little bit) and Jared Leto. They do sort of look similar as far as hair color and eye color goes, and face shape/feature arrangements, to some extent, but Jared Leto... has rounder/bigger eyes? Something in the eye area. I particularly like the Jake picture in this set, of Jake splayed out on the floor like my cats do sometimes. It would be interesting to do my own compilation of similar pictures of different actors, so maybe I'll try to get on with that. 

Also in other news, last night, I began to watch a documentary on the same subject matter that the movie Black Mass was about. I thought that it could potentially be insightful, and so far it's been pretty interesting. There was a mention of the guy who Peter Sarsgaard played, who got murdered by the mobsters. In relation to the movie, I was trying to look up this one video of Johnny Depp saying some things (really, just a thing) about Peter Sarsgaard but I didn't find it. However, I did find a review which expressed some things I would say I agree with: "The two actors who do manage a few moments of credibility are Johnson as Whitey’s girlfriend and Peter Sarsgaard as a minor criminal who ends up in Whitey’s clutches. They’re both wasted in tiny roles that make you wish the screenplay had given more time to their characters and their conflicts. Cumberbatch isn’t awful as Whitey’s brother, a senator and one of the most powerful men in Boston. However, Cumberbatch isn’t able to lose all of his posh, British aura and ultimately, you don’t believe he belongs with the other Southie men." This review also mentioned the movie The Departed (and said it was a better movie), with Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio, which is apparently about the same subject matter, which I hadn't know before. I intend to eventually watch that movie someday. 

My current list of movies I'd like to watch eventually is as follows: Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed, Schindler's List, Fight Club, A Beautiful Mind, Awakenings, An Education, Flightplan, Boys Don't Cry, Jackie, Flightplan, Rendition, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Great Gatsby, Brokeback Mountain, Contagion, various Jason Bourne movies.  

Journaling, blogging, skulls

It seems that I really only have even partially interesting things to write about as far as keeping a journal a la Warhol or Sedaris goes when I'm out of the house, which at the time is mostly for errands. Exciting, I know. 

Stores: Dry cleaners, Bed Bath and Beyond, Verizon, Costco

At the dry cleaners, most of the people working at the counter where you hand in or receive your clothes were fairly petite looking women, which was kind of interesting in that they all had similar builds/sizes. There was one man who maybe was the boss/manager and one of the customers was talking to him seemingly about something that was wrong with her dry cleaning. He was on the larger side in terms of weight and waistline but he had really nice looking eyeballs. 

At Bed Bath and Beyond, they had expensive tweezers, trash cans in colors more interesting than the color of the trash can I currently have, and personal humidifiers even though it's summer and today was very humid. They also had peach rings, rugs, and beach chairs. One of the employees was standing around and writing on a clipboard; he was left handed but also wore his watch on that arm, which I thought was kind of weird. It would make more sense to wear it on the other arm where it would be more out of the way when writing or doing other stuff like that. 

At Verizon, it seems like they're always rearranging the layout and look of the store's interior. And they didn't seem to have a very good selection of phone cases for Samsung phones. Not that I particularly need a new one, but it's nice to look. I don't think any women were working there. One of the male workers there had very delicate looking wrists and arms, and the rest of his body was pretty similar. Most people would probably say that it's not manly to have delicate wrists and arms (and therefore unattractive), but I love that kind of figure on men. 

At Costco, I looked at the books (as well as a good amount of the other stuff) and it seemed like there were a lot in the genre of spy/mystery/murder kind of thing. I guess that's in vogue these days? There were some political related books too (one by Newt Gingrich about understanding Donald Trump), as well as a good helping of cookbooks. This one man was looking at the books and he was by himself, which shouldn't be surprising - people can go shopping when and with/without whoever they want, but I guess I usually expect men to be shopping with their wives or just not at all. He was looking at the books and he must have injured his wrist/forearm/hand because it was in some kind of cast. I wonder how that happened to him. One of my weird fears (along with: my hair catching on fire, my favorite clothes getting ruined, someone hiding in the tub behind the shower curtain) is that my wrist(s) will get broken somehow. For some reason, the idea of that bone getting broken is more unsettling to me than the idea of breaking, say, an ankle, or really, any other bone. It hasn't happened yet, but I also hope that I don't eventually end up having crocheted too much and develop wrist pains because of that.   

I just recently read an article on Slate that was about the incompetence of Sean Spicer ironically being a good thing - that it was a good thing that he was so bad at lying, and a press secretary who's actually good at lying and does it with ease would be more dangerous/insidious. It mentioned Anthony Scaramucci (maybe from now on I'll call him by his initials??) and how it seems that he's a more adept liar than Spicey. I gathered as much; in my previous post I said that he was more articulate than Sean Spicer. Which isn't exactly a good thing because the articulateness is going towards the task of lying for the Trump administration. I begrudgingly look forwards to seeing him on television due to the decently fetching looks. I promise you, I'm simultaneously chastising myself for appreciating his appearance. He's a slimy rich guy working for Trump. I don't know what I'd do with myself if Peter Sarsgaard, god forbid, were a Trump supporter, or, much worse, were actually directly working for Trump. I know that's not exactly plausible; Peter being an actor sort of precludes working for Trump (or does it really??) and if he had been in the circles of people that ended up working for Trump, that would probably preclude him being an actor and therefore I probably wouldn't be aware of him.  

  

Topic du jour: skull

Shh, I've been keeping up with the Jake Gyllenhaal newsletter... I feel like it's just ever so slightly weird to write about other people's blogs in the way that I'm doing now. But anyways, the most recent edition of the newsletter talks a little about the new Christopher Nolan movie that I'd like to see eventually (due to James D'Arcy being in it), Dunkirk. In relation to that, (this is from the newsletter) some website published a list of what they deem to be the best war movies. Without having looked at it, I'm going to throw out some movies that I think would probably be on it: Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, Platoon (all of which I've seen except the last, to varying degrees of enjoyment). According to the newsletter, one of the movies on that list is none other than one I recently purchased a DVD copy of secondhand at a thrift store - Jarhead (starring Jake and Peter). Apparently, people are getting rid of their Peter Sarsgaard (or you could say Jake Gyllenhaal or Hayden Christensen - fun Scandinavian last names, all of them!) movies these days (hello, Shattered Glass, which I also got a copy of at that same thrift store a few weeks ago). They are also getting rid of their copies of the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report - there were 5 copies at the thrift store. Anyways, in the part of the newsletter mentioning the movie, there's a screencap from the movie featured, of Jake's character lounging and reading a book, captioned: "Here's me, reading on the beach and showing off the shape of my skull." Which then made me think about... skulls. Skulls, skulls, skulls. Seeing as the movie is about people in the military, they all naturally have very short haircuts (although in Full Metal Jacket, by the time they were in Vietnam, Joker's hair had grown out), so you also get a pretty good view of Peter's skull too. I then thought of this quote:

 "but i don’t understand why anyone would willingly make the decision to expose their gross bulgy skull to the universe."

Anyways, in relation to Peter's skull, I thought about this one movie he was in (that I don't plan to watch, ever, because even though he's in it, I don't think I'd enjoy it. I'm not a fan of superhero stuff at all) where he plays a villain. I haven't actually seen this movie but from what I know about it, he plays a villain whose head is growing to disturbing sizes. I much prefer Peter looking how he normally looks, without a deformed, swelling head, which is yet another reason to not watch this movie. This is a similar reason for why I'm not going to watch Men In Black even though Vincent is in it. So, despite me not planning to watch this movie, I did come across some of the interviews Peter had done for it and he was really bald and kind of pale looking in one of them, actually. So you could really see the shape of his skull. I assume they had him shave his head so that it would be easier to either CGI the expanding head of his character and/or to glue a fake expanding head on him. Yuck. This is certainly one of the roles I don't understand why he took. Maybe he needed the money. You're so much better than that though, Peter. 

I guess he was pretty close to bald in The Killing as well, for that matter.  

P.S. (meaning post script, not Peter Sarsgaard): I... sort of (but not really) can't believe I wrote part of a blog post about other people's skulls. Skulls. I'm not super familiar with my own skull shape because I never have had my hair short enough to really discern the contours of my skull (except maybe when I was a baby). 

Voices (blog-cast)

Transcription (completely unedited in Hubert Selby Jr fashion; I tried to pause as little as possible while transcribing. Scroll down for an edited version): "So, before I go to bed, really quickly, I was thinking about recording my voice saying things, recording me saying things and how i was pleasantly surprised that I sounded fairly decent and normal in the recording because a lot of people apparently hate the way that htye sound when they ehar a recording of their voice and for me that's not true and I thin that's a good thing I guess I not really sur what percentage of people dislike/hate the souind of their voice on recordings compared to people who don't mind it or who actually sort of like it. UI don't really kmnow what the nunbers are for that but it could be sort of interesting to know so It hought ath I'd doa recording for my next blog post and then I'd transcrip it for the blog post and maybe post the recording in addition to the trancpotion. and then naturally wiht the usbject matter of voices, in this case mine and how it sounds on a recording, I also of couirse had ot htink about peter sarsgaar dbecause i really like the wya thta he talks., I really like his voice, I think it's just absoultely lovely, absolutely loves, aldn i just wnt ot hear hi/m say things, and if he read an oaudiobook, whtaerve boo, then my life would becomplte i could die happi, not that i plant o die anyytime soon. I mean,m he could read a bookt aht i hate or dislike and i hitnk i'd probly stil be hapy; i didn't like great epxectaiong or heart of darkness, so even if he read one of htose books i think ik'd stil be plesed. it owuldn't matter that it's a book that i hate, it would only mayyer that it's him, it's ptere sargaard saying things. I thiknk that would make me really hapy. SO, with regards to that, PS 's voice, I was thinking about how pwople sound dfferent to themselves when they're sayign things vs how you would sound if you record your boice and liceten to that. it has to do with eharding things when you speak , not on a recordig, you're hearing things through the bnones in your skull and that mkes it sound a bit difffernt compared to ar ecording amd you're not hearing theboones in yorei skull, which you do hear when you speak because the sppech vbirates your sull. I'm sure ther's sa more elegant way of explainignt hat' but that's the gist of it. So now i'm super curiosu about what PS/he sounds like tohimself. Not on a recofdinw which is how i've been eperienceing his voice, how I"ve been heering his couie on videos and stuff, and i guess that's a t least someone different thna how he hears himselv. i do wonder what he think a about hearing his voice. i do remember in one intv he talks about that a littl ebnit and says something along the lines of his voice isn't exctly like anormal perosn's voice; other popel apparently ocnsider him to have a crepty sounding voice or osmething and so in this one intv the intber asked aobut his voice and he said thathe didn't htink it was exacrly like normal peopel;s voices and that he owuldn't be chosed ot sell ceral on televiosn ebcause his voice is unconventional.  I mean, I of course I don't ella yhink that his voice is crrep obviously i like ti quite a lot, i really do. so this all kind of ites into gether a litlt ebit' with the amoutn that PS is ovcupyin my thoughts lately within the last montho ro it's isn't too surpsing that a lof ot the things i've been thinking about i can relate back ot him in soem way or anyother. so yea, I dont think it's too smuch or a surprise, this combo of topics - how my voice sounds and how his voice sounds. and yeah i just i'm always in the mood to hear him say things, anything, i just ewant to hear him say things. not wreally iwht an accent, just with is normla voice, not where he's using some kind of accent. not that that's bad or anyhting I just erally like hisnormal voice. SO that is the end of this littler ercoding ,blog post thign and i'm going to ideally trancribe ikand and post it. i might just post the trancription or i might post bot the recording and the trans if i can figure out how to do that/ o'm curious to se how long the blog post weil end up beign sine the recording is about 7 minutes lone. so that is is for now and i'm propably going to ho to leep shotrly;. 

Transcription (the previous text, but edited for spelling/punctuation):
So, before I go to bed, really quickly, I was thinking about recording my voice saying things, recording me saying things and how I was pleasantly surprised that I sounded fairly decent and normal in the recording because a lot of people apparently hate the way that they sound when they hear a recording of their voice and for me that's not true. I think that's a good thing, I guess; I'm not really sure what percentage of people dislike/hate the sound of their voice on recordings compared to people who don't mind it or who actually sort of like it. I don't really know what the numbers are for that but it could be sort of interesting to know so I thought that I'd do a recording for my next blog post and then I'd transcribe it for the blog post and maybe post the recording in addition to the transcription.

And then naturally with the subject matter of voices, in this case mine and how it sounds on a recording, I also of course had to think about Peter Sarsgaard because I really like the way that he talks. I really like his voice, I think it's just absolutely lovely, absolutely lovely, and I just want to hear him say things, and if he read an audiobook, whatever book, then my life would be complete, I could die happy (not that I plant to die anytime soon). I mean, he could read a book that I hate or dislike and I think i'd probably still be happy; I didn't like Great Expectations or Heart of Darkness, so even if he read one of those books I think I'd still be pleased. It wouldn't matter that it's a book that I hate, it would only matter that it's him, it's Peter Sarsgaard saying things. I think that would make me really happy. 

So, with regards to that, Peter Sarsgaard's voice, I was thinking about how people sound different to themselves when they're saying things vs how you would sound if you record your voice and listen to that. It has to do with hearing things when you speak (not on a recording), you're hearing things through the bones in your skull and that makes it sound a bit different compared to a recording and you're not hearing the bones in your skull, which you do hear when you speak because the speech vibrates your skull. I'm sure there's a more elegant way of explaining that, but that's the gist of it. So now I'm super curious about what Peter Sarsgaard sounds like to himself. Not on a recording, which is how I've been experiencing his voice, how I've been hearing his voice on videos and stuff, and I guess that's at least somewhat different than how he hears himself. I do wonder what he thinks about hearing his own voice. I do remember in one interview he talks about that a little bit and says something along the lines of his voice isn't exactly like a normal person's voice; other people apparently consider him to have a creepy sounding voice or something and so in this one interview the interviewer asked about his voice and he said that he didn't think it was exactly like normal people's voices and that he wouldn't be chosen to sell cereal on television because his voice is unconventional.  I mean, I of course I don't really think that his voice is creepy; obviously I like it quite a lot, I really do. 

So this all kind of ties in together a little bit: with the amount that PS is occupying my thoughts lately within the last month or so, it isn't too surprising that a lot of the things I've been thinking about I can relate back to him in some way or another. So yeah, I don't think it's too much or a surprise, this combination of topics - how my voice sounds and how his voice sounds. I'm just always in the mood to hear him say things, anything, I just want to hear him say things. Not really with an accent, just with his normal voice, not where he's using some kind of accent. Not that that's bad or anything, I just really like his normal voice. 

So that is the end of this little recording blog post thing and I'm going to ideally transcribe it and and post it. I might just post the transcription or I might post both the recording and the transcription if i can figure out how to do that. I'm curious to see how long the blog post will end up being since the recording is about 7 minutes long. So that is it for now and I'm probably going to go to sleep shortly [at the time of the recording]. 

Addendum: this was really interesting to transcribe and see how fast I could type. It looks like you can't upload audio files, so no recording to go with this blog post.