Students of Hailsham are special.

I took m'self on a date tonight.

I was pretty charming, and really old fashioned, paid for everything, opened the door for myself, and at the end of the night I tried to get a little fresh, and...well, a girl never kisses and tells.

Too far? ...too far.

As a kick start to my fall break, Duncan (my stud of a Jeep) took me out to see Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go. I've been very intrigued by this film since seeing the exceptional trailer. (Seriously. Click that thing. It makes me all teary.) Directed by Mark Romanek, the man behind handfuls of famous music videos, as well as the Robin Williams-fronted One Hour Photo, this film was, in short: often poignant, but missing something.

First off, the good (great, even):

The cast? Incredible. Stand up performances across the board- Carey Mulligan leading the way, proving herself capable of an Academy Award someday. Soon. Next up, the popularity ladder quick-climber: Andrew Garfield. You know him as the Social Network's Eduardo Saverin, and coming soon, the new Peter Parker. Another one to keep your eye on, as I predict he will soon, very, very soon be cradling an Oscar. Garfield is profound as Tommy, meticulously acted, he gives a heartbreaking performance...eventually. Then there is wildly overrated Kiera Knightly, who should also be proud of this performance. This one performance. Maybe two others. Maybe.

I digress...

Really, the only negative things I can say about the film reside in the story.

Some of the characters decisions don't make sense. The plot surrounds a love triangle between three childhood friends, who grew up in a very interesting manner. Watching it unfold felt inauthentic. Sometimes too obvious, mostly just disingenuous.

Also bothersome: there is a sci-fi undertone introduced almost immediately, which was carried throughout the film in small details, which are never really explained. It wasn't enough to distract me from the bigger picture Romanek wanted me to focus on, but it was distracting. No doubt in my mind they were things that the readers of the novel, written by Kashuo Ishiguro, understood and appreciated, but the lack of explanation for the rest of us was frustrating.

For me, the story had holes, and lacked some heart. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. Everything else about the film was absolutely beautifully done. From performance to cinematography to score, it was flawless. If that story were patched up a bit, you would've had a crier on your hands, Romanek. So close.

My Rating: 8/10.

For British Eyes Only.

Hey there. Hello to you. Howdy.

Well, well, well. It's been some time. You look great... have you lost weight? Changed your hair? Veneers? Wow. Good for you.

I come forth this beautiful, crisp, Albuquerque evening with an eye swollen shut and a severed knee cap. (Actual Injuries: eye is unnoticeably and inexplicably a touch swollen, and I hit my knee on my desk. Minor bruise soon to follow.)

All semester long I've been cheating on this blog. Not by choice. By brute force. Brute, brute, GPA fueled force, and I'm not proud of it. If you'd like to see everything I've turned in to my very first IFDM class, including terrible sketches and mass amounts of inspiration, visit me over there at:

meshellmendiola.wordpress.com

If you could care less, let's move on.

I miss you guys. Completely my fault. I've been brainstorming on topics to blog about that aren't media related. I'm trying to tone-down my pop culture references, as they've gotten out of hand. I've got one foot out of reality at all times. I suppose I'm like Community's Abed in that way. ...shit.

So, that being said. Ideas for blogs are appreciated. My mind is poisoned by popular culture. Not one single original idea swimming around up there. (Kidding. I hope.)

However; as none of you know, because I have told only my father, I've added a minor in Media Journalism and Mass Communication. To abide by my mothers rules, "the more you do, the more you'll want to do, and the better you'll be," I'm going to use this bloggy bloggerson as an outlet for some personal film reviews, while I'm just getting to know the process.

Hopefully, if even one person reads this someday, we can even begin doing some film discussions and such.

Don't worry your pretty little head, possible reader.

My countdowns and Riff Raff aren't going anywhere.

I know you've lost countless hours of sleep wondering when I'm going to count down my ten favorite pairs of celebrity bifocals. So soon. (That was a joke, but now... Stay tuned.)

For now? I've got an eye to hold a warm compress to, a knee to complain about, and a cozy bed shouting at me. I must heed the call.

Until next time, which will not be in 3 months...

à voir!