Staci\'s a quirky bird

So I’ve come to discover I’m a Hitchcock enthusiast.

There’s something about Hitchcock movies that is just so intruiging. I find myself watching them with my mouth agape, just soaking it all in. The cinimatography speaks volumes and no one has to say a word. So many times through them, I wish I could take snapshots to save in my brain forever of the imagery they show. They make me want to draw.

I think it started with The Birds. I had seen Psycho, but didn’t really get it. At 16, it seemed so anticlimactic compared to the slasher flicks of my time. Then, I saw The Birds. Something about that scene where she’s sitting outside, waiting to get the little girl from school. She pulls out a cigarette and looks over her shoulder, there are a few crows. Takes a few drags, then there are a dozen crows. She gets nervous. Stands up and the jungle gym is, quite literally covered in crows. She panics. You get the point.

We watched Vertigo a few months ago. I swear when the nun came up the stairwell, I almost screamed.

Last night Jeff had EMT class, so I browsed netflix instant play for a little something to watch. Saw the cover for Dial M and had to watch it. It’s my favorite yet. The premise is that the husband wants to murder his wife. He devises a plan but something goes wrong. And we’re the only ones, beside him, that know what happened. And we want him to fail. Every time he gets away with something, we curse him. It’s super intense without any screaming, slasher, bloody knive, sex charged mess. It’s just good, clean, thriller. At it’s best. By the master.

So out of curiosity, I recorded Earth 2100 last week. Finally got around to watching it and…well wow. It was very powerful and the art was amazing. It tells the story of a fictional future through expert accounts as well as (and most interestingly) through a graphic novel. There were some obvious fear tactics involved (a mob attacking a gas clerk that ran out of fuel, borders collapsing and soldiers opening fire on droves of people trying to come in to the US, that sort of thing) – not that in the situation that they were painting those things wouldn’t have happened, but it was super intense to watch. Here’s the first act:

I enjoyed it, I learned a lot, and again – the art was amazing.

Here are Part 1 and Part 2 on hulu. You’ll need ABC’s plugin to watch, but if the teaser got you interested, watch it.

We’re back from my brother’s wedding yesterday, drove out there on my birthday. 29 on the 29th. I think it was destined to be a sketchy day for that reason alone. It seems like it would be good luck…but alas. The day blew. I *did* however get to have dinner with my entire immediate family, which happens like once a decade. That part of the day happened to be fantastic.

Next year, it’ll be legendary. The big 3-0. One year left of being in my 20′s…how the heck did THAT happen?

Anyway, Happy Birthday, self. Enjoy your last year as a kid!