Quiddity

If you watch it backwards

If you watch it backwards...

If you watch Old Yeller backwards, it's a family classic about a zombie dog who becomes friends with a young boy.

If you watch Mean Girls backwards, it's about a girl who gets so unpopular that she moves to Africa.

Via coudal partners.

King Kong vs The Iron Giant

Draw2D2 is a new blog where 12 artists create unusual illustrations using 2 geek references and mashing them together.  This week it's King Kong vs. The Iron Giant. The next theme is going to be The Avengers/The Office.  Awesome!

Link via super punch.

‘The Hobbit’ illustrated by Maurice Sendak?

The Hobbit was this close to being illustrated by Maurice Sendak.  

As Sendak noted passages for possible illustration and sketched in the margins of his copy of the book, the publisher prepared the art samples for Tolkien’s approval. The editor mislabeled the samples, however, identifying the wood-elves as “hobbits,” as Sendak recalled to Maguire. This blunder nettled Tolkien. His reply was that Sendak had not read the book closely and did not know what a hobbit was. Consequently, Tolkien did not approve the drawings. Sendak was furious.

Link via neatorama.

A Century of Meat

The U. S. Department of Agriculture has graphed American meat consumption over the years.  We eat more meat now than ever.  

The Hobbit Blog

Get your Hobbit on...or something.

Via coudal partners.

What I'm Watching and Stuff

The Red Shoes (2005) -- As a woman who loves shoes (Coppola's Marie Antoinette, anyone?) and horror, I thought this would be a movie I'd enjoying watching.  However, movies that make absolutely no sense just end up really annoying me.  We all know the story about the red shoes, only in this version, the red shoes either make you want to kill some people or you end up with your feet cut off.  Not fun.  This movie really isn't that scary and it steals a lot from other asian horror movies.  So, if you've already seen Ring or The Eye, there's really no point in watching it.  2 Stars!  Watch Miranda Richardson's scary uni-brow in Kate Bush's video for The Red Shoes instead!   

Eyes Without a Face (1960) -- Loved this movie!  It's about a creepy doctor who is obsessed with fixing his daughter's disfigured face by any means necessary.  My favorite part is the silly music that plays whenever his assistant is on the lookout for another girl with a pretty face to steal.  4 Stars!

Mildred Pierce (1945) -- I've seen this Joan Crawford classic, like, a hundred times; it never gets old.  This movie has a lot of melodrama and a lot of chicks slapping each other.  I decided to re-watch it because I'm super excited for the new HBO remake starring Kate Winslet.  5 Stars!

Blue Beard (2009) -- Another film based on a classic fairytale about a wealthy man named Blue Beard who marries young girls that seem to disappear soon after the wedding.  No one questions him about it because he has so much money.  A poor, recently widowed mother sends Blue Beard her two young daughters so he may pick one for his next bride.  Will she end up dead like the other ones?  The movie splits between Blue Beard's world and the 1950's, where another pair of sisters are reading the story in the attic.  3 Stars!    

Meantime (1984) -- I only rented this film because it features a very young Tim Roth and a very young Gary Oldman.  It's directed by Mike Leigh, so you know it's all about social class and family issues and stuff.  Kind of depressing, but it has its moments.  3 Stars!

Star Wars Happiness

Star Wars Visions.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's Star Wars

Lack of Updates

Sorry for the lack of updates.  I've been busy with fun school stuff such as writing papers and getting ready for conferences.  Sometimes I wish I had a magical remote that would let me fast-forward through January, February, and March.

Pac-Man Calendar

How to make your own Pac-Man calendar.

Phones are evil...apparently

Here's a depressing article about how no one talks on the phone anymore.  It's true.  I think the last actual conversation I had with a friend over the phone was a year ago.  They all text or e-mail me.  If I call someone and leave a message, I get a text back.  It sucks because it takes me FOREVER to text someone.  I absolutely hate it.

Phone call appointments have become common in the workplace. Without them, there’s no guarantee your call will be returned. “Only people I’ve ruthlessly hounded call me back,” said Mary Roach, author of “Packing for Mars.” Writers and others who work alone can find the silence isolating. “But if I called my editor and agent every time I wanted to chat, I think they’d say, ‘Oh no, Mary Roach is calling again.’ So I’ve pulled back, just like everyone else.”

Famous Objects from Classic Movies

Can you guess the classic film just by looking at the silhouette of an object?  I need to watch more current movies.

Link via web-goddess.