Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Movie Review

Saw the most recent addition to the Harry Potter movies a few weeks back, and wow was I impressed! Visually stunning, superb acting, as always, and such an exciting first part to the ending of the series. I was thrilled about the animated sequence, the story of "The Three Brothers". I thought it was very well done, and visually speaking, it was easily my favorite part. The layering of the animation was enchanting, and the stark contrast of the whimsical, fairy tale-esque "storytelling" with the dark, brooding, live action plot line really made it stand out to me. It was done by Ben Hibon, a Swiss born artist and graphic designer whose previous work was mainly - but not limited to - designing animated video game sequences. He is now signed with Nexus Productions, an indie animation production company, thanks in part (no doubt) to his beautifully animated 5 minute HP sequence.


Moving on, while the movies are made in such a way that audiences of all ages can enjoy them, I loved how much more adult this one was. Some sequences were pretty intense! I couldn't help but laugh as I imagined all the little kids that must have poured into the seats dressed in little wizard robes and fake glasses, only to be scared out of their mind, leaving the theater in tears.
I must confess, this was the first HP movie I had seen in theaters due to the fact that I refused to get into the Harry hype until "The Half Blood Prince" was circulating, simply because there was so much hype over it. I guess you could say I didn't want to "sell out". Very lame, because I had no idea what I was missing, until a close friend of mine brought over the DVDs and convinced (ok, it was more like forced) me to watch just one. I was interested, so I thought I'd give the second one a go. After that, there was no stopping me from finishing the saga.
I am now (proudly) reading the books, and am on book four, "The Goblet of Fire". What a complicated and well written series! Its astounding how Rowling had the patience to weave such an intricate plot. I wonder what her brainstorming sheets looked like. I imagine mind maps scrawled over ten or more pieces of paper, and character development notes that could fill up a composition notebook.
Needless to say, I can't get enough, and am only too sad that there is only one final movie to look forward to. But I still have three books! And the DVD's to collect, with all their special features. Muhaha.
And yes, I know I'm a nerd.

Oh and P.S., Xeno Lovegood's artsy decor=amazing!
(Better pics when the movie comes out on DVD)


-Vixen

Snowflakes and pancakes and whiskers on kittens...

I have seen snow about 4 times in my life. So every time it happens, its a big deal. I grew up in constantly sunny California, land of the perfect weather and neverchanging seasons. I recall offhand several Christmases where my family and I gathered outside on the patio, our plates full of Holiday food, enjoying the 70 degree "cool Christmas breeze", and opening presents in our flannel pajamas, while the air conditioner blasted. Now that I live in Texas, even after six years, the changing of the seasons never gets old. We actually get falling leaves in the Autumn, thunderstorms in Spring, and the occasional snowfall in Winter.. imagine that. It's wonderful.

Naturally when it started to snow last week, I wanted to play in it. And by play in it, I mean watch it from behind a safe warm window, enjoying a cup of coffee as the snowdrifts grow. So my wonderful boyfriend Daniel picked me up from my place after work to enjoy our snow-day, and took me out to Ihop for pancakes and records and movies and such^_^






After iHop we went to browse a record shop with a not-so-great selection. There were a few good ones, but they hardly ever change out their selection. Either way we were warm, and surrounded by music. Not a bad gig.


Wolfie, of course, was not interested in the snow in the least, even though we carried a generous handful upstairs for him to play in, (it was his first snowfall), he sniffed it un-appreciatively, and sauntered off to bury himself in Daniel's jacket.

HelloGoodbye. Hella yes.

I've almost forgotten how much I love this band. They're from Huntington Beach, CA, mere miles from where I grew up in sunny Yorba Linda (part of the Orange County district). I remember after the first full length album "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!" dropped, I was addicted. I stalked their website roughly twice a day, checking for when the new album would be released. BUt to no avail.
After a year or so of this compulsive behavior, I finally tired of cyber-stalking, and decided to give it a rest. Would they ever release another record?

Well, the other night, I was browsing CDs at Hasting's, and stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes had fallen on a CD that showed a gorgeous amalgamation of picture frames of all different colors and sizes haphazardly placed on a wall, not unlike my own wall in my coffee talk/dining room at my apartment. Enchanted with the album art, I leaned forward for a closer look. Who would have such whimsically eclectic taste? I read the name on the cover, and my world stood still: HelloGoodbye had released a new album.
After four long, lonely years, I finally could hear the new tracks I had so desperately dreamed of. But would the band be the same? Had they sold out during those music-less years? Would it be some watered down Bieber-esque pop garbage? It couldn't be. But time has a way of changing things....
Once home, I scrambled to their MySpace, poured myself another cup of coffee, and held my breath. Slowly my fingers glided over the mouse, and with a slow exhale, I prepared myself for the worst. Click. What followed made my heartbeat slow, my senses pause, and my heart soar. HelloGoodbye had remained the same. My ears were entranced, enveloped in the same style of music I had grown to love, with the same heartfelt, whiny vocals of Forrest Kline. All those years of waiting, completely worth it.
Their new record, "Would it kill you?", contains no techno/dance-y tunes like the first. Instead, they focused more on music in the style of "Baby it's fact" and "Oh, it is love" from Z!A!V!D!, with the ukulele and mandolin sounds. It reminds me of Owl City, you know, the kind of music that its impossible to be sad while listening to. The kind of music that makes you want to be hopelessly in love, or in a field of daisies holding a droopy eyed puppy, or eating rainbow sherbet on a swing set with your best friend. Adorable, happy, heart-overflowing-with-the-joy-and-beauty-of-the-world music.

Their merch store, http://www.hellagoodbuys.net, has some pretty awesome stuff. I want "Would it Kill You?" on vinyl, and also one or both of the following shirts:


Either way, they are selling out FAST, so I better choose quickly, or else I'll be trying to outbid Xsc3n3_kidz4lyfeX on eBay, and wind up paying about $30 bucks more for a shirt not in my size.

-Vixen

Mannequin Models and Tangled Jewelry

A couple of weeks ago I made another one of my "tangled" necklaces. Basically, I have accumulated a good sized box of broken, damaged, found, or otherwise useless jewelry and charms over the years, holding onto them in my art cabinet wondering what in the world I am going to ever do with them. So recently, I got an idea to put them to good use. I am a big fan of unique jewelry, particularly necklaces. I love ultra long, chunky beaded, and bib necklaces, and it seems I layer more and more chokers and chains for an increasingly eclectic look. One day it dawned on me that I should combine my love for layering with the trinkets in my art cupboard to create an elaborate, perfectly imperfect mess of jewelry. "Charm Necklaces", if you will. So I tried it and a few hours later, I had a work of art that I was extremely happy with (a rare occurrence in my history of projects). The piece pictured is actually my first ever attempt at one of these tangled heaps of jewelry, and I love it dearly. While I will soon list my other creations for sale, I am too attached to this one to ever part with it. Thanks to "Teresa", my mannequin torso, for the modeling in these shots. She's a good sport. Never complains and isn't a bit camera shy. (And why should she be, with those perky ta-ta's!) She lives on top of my World War II era trunk in my "coffee talk" room. Anyway, here is necklace number one for your viewing pleasure. By all means, click the larger images and take in all the glory of the intricate charms (and Teresa, too)!

-V.

Henry Howard (The Second)

There is a British soldier that lives in the little space between the parking brake and the console in my boyfriend's car. A plastic soldier with an injured leg, and a quiet demeanor. He is Henry Howard II, and he's been there so long I can scarcely remember how we came by him. I believe he was rescued from a parking lot, or perhaps he had infiltrated the vehicle simply by appearing in need of rescue, however he has lived there ever since, and I don't suppose he'll be leaving anytime soon.

Meet Wolfie.

Wolfgang Oliver Foxx is my little boy. Oh, not a child, I can't stand kids for more than a few moments at a time, but my kitten. He is growing up so fast, its hard to remember when little Wolfie could fit in the palm of my hand, and had to eat his dinner curled up on a kitchen plate, because his neck was too short to eat from his bowl. Wolfie is an extraordinary cat that needed his own introductory post, mostly because his name will be cropping up in posts from here on out, but also because with a name like Wolfgang Oliver, well, why wouldn't he have at least one post dedicated to him?

I'm not sure what kind of cat he is, all I know is that his mother was a wild cat, he makes sounds like a raccoon, and his ears are much too large for his body. Everyone who meets him comments on his exotic features and talkative manner. He is very polite, but he may try and crawl into your purse, or nibble on your shoes if he smells something interesting.

When I brought home my large green armchair, Wolfgang immediately claimed it as his. He shares it with Snowball and Clarice, a harp seal and plush deer who have been with me since I was very young. I often come home to the three of them cuddled up in this chair.

No countertop or other surface is secret to Wolfie. Despite numerous attempts to keep him from it, he jumps on top of the refrigerator whenever he pleases, which usually takes place when the heater kicks on. (The heater vent is right above the fridge, so he cuddles there till he gets nice and warm.) ^_^

-The Savage Vixen

Where the Wild Things are.

Finally, a year or so after its release, my boyfriend and I got around to watching Spike Jonze's movie version of the classic kids book, "Where the Wild Things are". Spike Jonze as director, Karen O supplied soundtrack, and monsters in a make-believe-bedtime-story world? Um, yes please. Needless to say, it was a great movie. Especially the goat creature, Alexander, who was a constant whiner, and the part where Carol rips off Douglas' arm in a fit of rage, only to replace it later with a stick. A. Mazing. I'm only sorry I didn't see it sooner.

Ghostland Observatory ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year 2011! The year started out pretty nicely. Besides coming down with a flu that prevented me from wearing the chilly minidress and sky high stilettos I wanted to ring in the new year with, my boyfriend and I were able to attend the sold out "Lights all Night" VIP show at The Dallas Marriot Hotel-city Center. (Event site: http://lightsallnight.com/) And by attend, I mean walked right in. Through the front doors, and headed right through security, tucked in the safety of a crowd of 20 or more $115-dollar-ticket-paying guests.

This wasn't our first time to get into a sold-out show. Its fairly typical for said boyfriend and I to travel to a concert that we have no guarantee that we'll get into, and find ourselves falling into the luckiest of circumstances. Like the time we used a couple "found" wristbands and bluffed our way through a back door entrance to see Korn, Rob Zombie, and a handful of other similar artists at the Rockstar Mayhem Madness Festival. Or the time we payed $45 for general admission tix in the nosebleeds to see Paul McCartney, then ended up fifteenth row from the front in the upper $500 dollar seats the same night by some extravagant twist of fate.

Either way, we never imagined it'd be this easy to get in. The security was rumoured to be pretty tight at this particular gig, and neither of us had braved this venue before, so we imagined there would be a lot of walking around and the possibility of a long night in the bitter Texas cold. So when we found parking less than a mile from the entrance, and sauntered in through the front entrance like it was nothing, it was turning out to be a pretty good kickoff to the New Year.

Once inside, we found a place near the railing to camp out and shed our many layers of coats and jackets into a large heap at our feet. Standing out like a vagabond, my moccasins and knit sweater made me a definite misfit among all the flashy socialites of downtown Dallas, which put me in the most agreeable of moods. But, like I said before, we could never have anticipated how easy it could have been to breach security, so I was forced to deal with it.

The night went fairly smooth, security was pretty lax for those of us on the upper levels of the event, so we only relocated a couple of times, once to find the restroom, and again to get a better view of the headliners, Ghostland Observatory. It wasn't my first time to see Ghostland, and this was definitely their most extravagant lightshow yet. All in all it was a good night. Lots of people watching, gorgeous venue, well put together event with some pretty cool Djs and electro bands. Definitely a nice way to ring in the New Year, next time I'll just be sure to sneak an agreeable change of clothes in with me. (And a camera!)

-S.V.

Introduction.

I'm a "list" person. I have to keep track of what I have to do, when I need to do it, also where I've been and what I did the day before. So naturally, blogging is something that suits my personality. This is a blog of the randomness, the day to day, the mundane or banal or occasionally exciting details of the life of a Savage Vixen. Welcome, please comment at will, or don't. Either way, enjoy your stay, be it brief or a once a week ritual.

<3 The Vixen.