A Change of Direction (For Now!) - Day 1 (Wednesday, February 26th)

Hello, all!

Today is Tuesday, February 25th, 2014, and I have decided to go on a diet/exercise/training regimen once again. For the second time in my life, I feel that dramatic weight loss is not only preferred, but necessary for me to remain healthy. It's funny - I have been feeling nearly identical to the Junior Year-in-High School me, in that I have lost a great deal of self-confidence with my weight gain from this past year and a half or so and that I have been re-immersing myself in the WWE. I have taken more of a "back seat" to others in my life, and I have found myself feeling responsible for wrongdoings that have not been perpetuated. It's a difficult feeling to describe, but the stress of school, performance, and social living have all combined to form an amalgam of my own personal identity that I am truly not proud of physically, mentally, & spiritually.

I need to re-discover the me that was so happy Freshman year of college. I know that it's within me, which makes this realization all the more difficult to acknowledge. But, I know that the integrity I strive for is there. I've never felt more consistently tired or run-down than I have this past year, but all of that can change with lifestyle changes necessary to foster life longevity.

Tomorrow - Wednesday, February 26th - will be the first official day of this change of lifestyle. I have been slowly changing my diet to include more healthy options for myself, with the occasional sweet. However, I am giving sweets up beginning tomorrow, too, & another goal I have set for myself is to not eat after 8pm, wherein the intake of calories and carbohydrates only encourage weight gain. All of this sounds so amazing whilst writing - it is going to be the perpetuation of this lifestyle that will be the challenge. I know that, if I can do it once, I can replicate the experience with the right will power.

Thank you all for reading, & feel free to join me on my journey of weight loss and its unpaved road to a happier, more healthy lifestyle. All comments are welcome down below!

Best,
Chris O'Reilly

Twitter: @chris_0reilly

"12 Years a Slave"

Hello, all! This will be short & sweet:

"12 Years a Slave" is far and away the best all-around film of the year. It reminded me of why I love acting - something I was in desperate need of and was seemingly-hopelessly searching for. Chiwetel Ejiofor gave one of the best performances I have ever seen, and in no way am I meaning to be over-dramatic. Acting, directing, cinematography, musical score, setting, everything - it was near-flawless in my opinion. Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, Lupita Nyong'o - all were unabashedly committed to the source material of Solomon Northup's original memoirs. 

More to come. This was art done right, and with the utmost respect to those living and dead.

--Chris O'Reilly

@chris_0reilly

It's Been Five Months!... And I Experienced iO!

Hello, everybody!

It has been a long while since I've last posted, and I want to explain myself while I have time to do so between my classes!... I am mentally preparing for my Italian class, which does not consider itself my friend so far this year.

ANYwho, it was a hectic, life-changing, mind-altering, and most importantly, eye-openingly grounding summer for me. I participated in the iO Summer Intensive at the famed improvisational comedy training theatre in downtown Chicago. It consisted of five weeks of improv, with each week finding a different focus.  I came to discover that not only was I unknowingly egotistical going into the intensive, but that being down in the dumps can lead to all of your wildest, unimaginable insecurities surfacing for all to see. Even though I was fortunate enough to be in the end-of-the-year musical at Marquette - "Urinetown" as Officer Lockstock for those familiar with the show; and for those not familiar, "Google it!" - I came to discover that these collegiate theatrical accomplishments are miniscule when viewing life as a whole. They were not celebrity-making moments as I had invented in my own mind, and I certainly had not accomplished as much as I had thought. Sure, some short term goals were met as a result - who would have EVER thought I would be involved in a collegiate musical? Certainly not most, methinks! - but I have re-discovered the concept of "more." There is always "more" to be done, and "more" to be learned, and iO pounded that into my intellect. I have re-grounded myself after what was a long summer, and truthfully, one of the toughest periods of my life. But, now, after having gone through all of that, I can honestly say that I am feeling more like the me that I like: goofy and more focused on the fun in life. I can't forgo admitting that, upon returning to school and the campus improv group, there were tensions amongst the group whenever the iO experience was brought to the fore. But these seem to be tension-filled feelings of the past, and I AM MOVING ON, BABYINFANTS! My friend, Spencer, and I are working on a two-man improvisational comedy show, wherein we showcase all that we learned over the summer with regard to the Chicago-style, long-form improvisation. It has been immensely rewarding so far, and I can truthfully say that I now know I do my best work in that setting, which bodes well for the future. I'm perfectly comfortable with the campus group, but have found myself yearning for more than just our short-form-based improvisational games. (think "Whose Line Is It Anyway?")

I digress. It is my goal to re-invest myself in this blog, and hopefully share more film/TV critiques with you all! I have begun watching 'Homeland', for example, so I have officially slipped and tumbled mercilessly down that slippery slope. (It is just as amazing as I had heard, and I definitely recommend it to you all, too!) Thank you all so much for reading, and for listening via writing to me. For my next post, I will be sharing with you guys why SNL is not as "in danger" as some expected coming into this season.

Thanks SO much for reading, guys, and I will be writing again soon! Feel free to leave any comments on this page, or to tweet at me on the twitter handle below! BESURETOTIPYOURWAITRESS!

--Chris

Twitter: @chris_0reilly

CHECKING IN! - Again!..

Hello, everybody!

As with my last post from February 12th, 2013, I am checking in with you all, and letting you know that I have not, in fact, forgotten about "BirdieNumNuMilkshake", and will continue to work on it this summer... Especially because the job prospectus is not as promising as expected.... It was a hectic and outlandishly crazy end to the year, and I was fortunate enough to have a part in Marquette University's Spring Musical Production of "Urinetown" (for those familiar with the production, I played Officer Lockstock.) It was, hands emphatically down then back up, one of the most rewarding experiences of my young life. It felt very professionally done, which was neat and very new. It was tons'o'fun, and despite the hectic time, it was rewarding and I would not change anything about the process.

"Urinetown" on Broadway in 2001

But, because of 'Urinetown', I was more than preoccupied with school & the crazy rehearsal schedule - 6 times a week, 6 hours per rehearsal. It was an entirely new examination of my own psyche and time management skills, and felt like an audit of my priorities. However, as an aside and non-sequitur, you should absolutely go see a production of 'Urinetown' if provided with an opportunity to do so - it is a funny and brilliantly written satire of capitalistic entities, which looks to be especially prevalent in our contemporary society.

My next post - I do promise this time, with only one finger crossed over another, making it not consensual - will be a review/hodgepodge of thoughts about "Dr. Strangelove" (1963) with Peter Sellers. As I have mentioned before, too, I'm placing myself at the mercy of AFI's "100 Years... 100 Movies - 10th Anniversary" list, and as of now, I have seen 61 of the 100, and I hope to have seen at least 80 before the summer is over. I just watched "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966) with Elizabeth Taylor & Robert Burton, and it was... strange-but-good, in a Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" sort of way (for me, at least.)

Until then, have a wonderful rest of your day/week, you guys, and thanks so much for reading! Comments are always more than welcome down below!

--Chris

Intermittent ONTHEGO Post!

Hello, everybody! As I wait for my class to begin at 12:30pm Central Time, I am just checking in, and want to let you all know I'm working on my next post!

It's a review of "DR. STRANGELOVE", another Peter Sellers movie, that really stands on its own in terms of characters and performances.

Comments are welcome as always, and there's no cover charge for their placement at the bottom. Paid "comment advertisements" for the body are under consideration by the management.

Twitter: Chris_0reilly

Thanks so much for the patience, you all! Talk soon!

--ChrisO

The Best Television Show You Haven't Seen

Hello, again, all!

Today's post is atypical, but still in the "entertainment" vein, and by that I do mean that it's concerning television, rather than film. I should preface by saying that I love television - a detail you all could have more than likely deduced (an appropriate verb for this post - More on that to come...). For right now, I will digress into a television breakdown of my favorite shows that are not the subject of this post, and will eventually work into the show which I do intend to profile.

The Cast of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

I love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and have been a loyal viewer since half-way through Season 2. The depravity of the show is most appealing, and the darkness of the comedy is, counter-intuitively, refreshing in a society in which most comedies are written lighter, and exist more within the 'feel-good' spectrum - ALTHOUGH, I do think that is sort of an umbrella term, and by no means am I saying the majority of comedy is feel-good... it's just... lighter. With my love of Sunny's dark sense of humor has come a newfound appreciation for stand-up comics other than the character-based, manic stand-up styles of Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, and Robin Williams - three men I greatly admire and look up to in my own life - and more to a deadpan, one-liner, joke-telling based format.

More specifically, Anthony Jeselnik (SEE VIDEO to the right; it's uncensored, too, so for those who are easily-offended, maybe give this one a pass) is a comic who is both up-and-coming to some, but for those who pay close attention to the comedy scene, is someone who has already developed a reputation and stage persona as a "shark in the water" (V.V. Brown - embrace the depravity within the metaphor!) and sociopath, fearing no-one and willing to discuss any (Actually; if you haven't seen a Jeselnik routine, all you will really need is to hear a joke, and you will come to an immediate understanding; again, see the video to the right) subject. Most routines find their basis in fictional stories on rape, abortion, sadism, ignorance to his ex-girlfriend's pains and problems, and suicide (to name a few), written flawlessly by Jeselnik, with surprising, oft-sadistic twists in the end. He is perhaps the only comic alive who can do this so tediously on the "right" side of the line, and with a palpable arrogance on stage and disregard of the audience's feelings. His deadpan delivery and asides make him all the more enjoyable and effective.

Larry David as 'Larry David' on Curb Your Enthusiasm

And, to go along with the theme of honesty & seeming depravity, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, while not the subject of this post and thusly NOT the "Best TV Show You Haven't Seen," it is one that more people might like if they gave it the chance. With so many die-hard Seinfeld fans, it's hard to believe that this one really didn't catch on until later seasons (it ran it's 8th Season concurrent with the Summer of 2011... a new 9th Season is rumored for this year! LET'S HOPE, people!) I say this with the knowledge that the premise of Curb is near-identical to Seinfeld, and it's subject matter, while perhaps minute and insignificant to the viewer after taking "a step back", is one that while watching, one can't help but get caught up in the everyday life and complications of the neurotic life of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David's fictional life. (I'm still working on phrasing that sentence.) The fictional character of Larry David is someone who is genuine & is constantly looking to help others, & thusly, someone the audience wants to sympathize with. But, with the genuine disposition comes a brutal honesty, which make these ridiculously hilarious situations arise consistently. It's a show I never get sick of, and Larry David's semi-fictional Hollywood world and circle of friends are a comedic riot.

These two shows are two of many that I (1.) can never get enough of and (2.) will go out of my way to watch loyally. Another that is a given is Saturday Night Live, as it was my first ever favorite television show, and the first I ever started to tune into loyally (in 5th grade, mind you!) I still do, and the subject of that could just be one post in and of itself!...................................... (Maybehint.)

However, while these shows are great and (somewhat) under-the-radar, they cannot hold a "Santa's Bakery" holiday scented-candle from Yankee Candle adjacent to the one which I feel so strongly about. It stars Martin Freeman ("Tim" from The Office (UK)), and Benedict Cumberbatch (War Horse; Star Trek: Into Darkness [coming in May, 2013; the preview IS OUT!]; Atonement; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; "The Necromancer" & "Smaug the Dragon" in the upcoming The Hobbit films), and airs on BBC (exclusively in the UK) and PBS in the United States.

For those who do watch, you know. For those who don't, you (rightly) will.

It's called Sherlock, and truthfully, it's one of the absolute, all-around best shows I have ever seen, and feel like I will see in the near-future. It IS that amazingly exceptionally "BRILLiant!" (in the hypothetical words of Sherlock himself.) [[TRAILER BELOW]]

The premise of the show is, simply & superficially, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson investigating & solving crimes in modern-day London, and thus, a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective novels. More specifically, however, it's a literal adaptation, and the writers are some of the cleverest around. Their incorporation of all of Sherlock's idiosyncrasies are ever-present - instead of incessantly smoking a pipe, as in Conan Doyle's novels, he employs nicotine patches; Dr. Watson keeps a blog to chronicle their (mis)adventures, etc. It's idiosyncratic loyalty not only adds to the show's humor, but gives the show an over-arching ingenuity that few others have. We as the audience are given glimpses into the mind of Sherlock with sudden word appearances on the screen concurrent with a sharp turn of the head or glance, making us feel as if though we've burrowed inside his constantly laborious intellect and are joining him on a first-person evaluation of the crime scene at hand. It's an "active" show, and one in which, despite each episode's 90-minute lengths, we as the audience never feel dragged along or outcast.

Cumberbatch & Freeman as Sherlock & Watson in Sherlock

Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Sherlock, too, is one that is deserving of acting accolades from the spectrum over. His Sherlock is one who is a sociopath, and shares much in common with those criminals he investigates. He is a "consulting detective", and according to him, he "invented the position" because the police "had absolutely no choice." His cockiness and sureness of self is something that even loyal readers of Sir Conan-Doyle's novels may brush off as a heroic quality. Here, however, its shamelessly blatant that he could not care less about others' feelings, and that the real, sole cares in his life are: (1.) to successfully solve the crimes he is consulted for; and (2.) the criminals of London continue to do their job so that he can do his. This is a man who openly wishes for crime and gets openly excited when a murder is committed so that he can be busy and do his job. In one regard, he's a selfish sociopath; but in another, he's like anybody else who has found a passion, and gets "bored" during times of lull and malaise, only wishing that he was busy doing the thing he is so in love with. This, coupled with Martin Freeman's deadpan, convicted portrayal of Dr. Watson as the stringently loyal compatriot of Detective Holmes makes for an unbeatable chemistry between the two, and awkward social encounters with those bartenders/waiters who confuse their intense dedication to one-another as best friends who just so happen to live with another with sure love. "We're not!..... Ugh, nevermind" is a common Dr. Watson rebuttal to a suspiciously supportive bartender's wink. And this only tips the 'rock hard' iceberg of subtle humor in the clever writing of the writing staff.

In all, if you guys have not seen Sherlock, you must! It's attainable through Netflix's "Instant Streaming" service. For those in America, it airs on PBS; for those elsewhere, it's a BBC1 show. Because it's BBC based, the 'seasons' (or, in the UK, 'series') are shorter than we in the States are used to; they're three episodes long. But, as I mentioned previously, these episodes are 90 minutes in length; doing the math, that equals out to about a 10-episode season of an FX show (like... Sunny!) The next series is due out in 2014, as Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch are both busy making highly lucrative films in Hollywood. But, I'm thinking it will be worth the wait, and will only give the writers of the show more time to conceive of cleverer ideas for the omni-clever Sherlock.

THANK you guys for reading, again, and I can't tell you how awesome it was to return to 'BirdieNumNuMilkshake'! I welcome feedback down in the comments section, and on Twitter (@Chris_0Reilly - the 'Shameless Plug'O'The'Day!)



I will ceraintly be writing again soon, and will re-focus on the American Film Institute's "100 Years... 100 Films (10th Anniversary)" list, and return to the love of film! (Hint -->)

Until next time, slurpers (of milkshakes... eh?),

--Chris

"DJANGO UNCHAINED" Full Review & Other Holiday Film Thoughts

Hello, all!

It has been a couple of weeks of cathartic escape from the blogosphere, but the return could not come soon enough as far as I am concerned. The holidays were in full force in the suburbs this year, and it was a wonderfully relaxing time with family, friends, and desserts. I hope you all had a wonderful time over the break, and that you have morphed into a homo-erectus species of whale with human blubber!

The holidays also proved to be productive, as I was fortunate to see many of the "big name" films; these are ones very much in Academy Award© conversation for 'Best Picture' and, by virtue of this, a plethora of the technical and acting categories. These include the star-studded & grandiose
Les Misérables, Peter Jackson's bombastic and ambitious (thank you, Google synonyms!) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure, Steven Spielberg's poignant and thoughtful exposition into arguably our greatest president's life in Lincoln, and Ben Affleck's gritty portrayal of an inspiring story not enough Americans know about in Argo.

These were all, as anticipated, fantastic films, and I cannot recommend seeing them enough; one, however, took me gladly by surprise in how much I enjoyed it. As you might have surmised from the not-so-subtle blog title, it was Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino's passion project since, well, the finality of Inglorious Basterds (2009) set in. In the week or so since I first viewed the film, I've only been able to think of new parts I loved when talking with others about it. (It also coerced me into changing my Twitter background; a groundbreaking film, it IS!) Tarantino fans will love it; the gratuitous violence, swearing, & controversial motifs characteristic of most, if not all, of Tarantino's films are not only prevalent, but are in-your-face & boisterous. I consider myself a Tarantino fan, but for various reasons, this film stood out. [[TRAILER BELOW]]

Jamie Foxx as Django; "I like the way you die, boy."

The basic premise of the film is essentially that Django (played brilliantly & with a quiet confidence by Jamie Foxx) is a slave enlisted by a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz, who might have outdone his despicably amazing performance in 'Basterds' that earned him an Academy Award© for Best Supporting Actor) to provide reliable intelligence on fugitives who were former masters. In the process, Dr. Schultz befriends Django, and expresses his disgust over the immorality of the slave trade. And, because Django is the first man he has ever 'freed', he finds himself feeling responsible for Django's well-being. This leads to a heartfelt conversation between the two men in which Django provides minute-but effective detail about his wife Broomhilda (played excellently by Kerry Washington), and how they were punished for attempting to escape from their torturous plantation by being sold separately. Dr. Schultz eventually finds it in his heart to aid Django in his quest to find and rescue his wife from the horrendous torture she is surely enduring. They travel to Mississippi to find that she was bought by Calvin Candie (played superbly, and with evil conviction, by Leonardo DiCaprio), the owner of the infamous "Candie Land" plantation in Mississippi. Dr. Schultz eventually devises a plan of rescue in which he 'plays' a slave owner who is interested in foraying into the horrible underground world of 'Mandingo Fighting' - a gladiatorial-like sport in which slaves are bred to fight to the point of death. Django poses as the Mandingo 'expert' who advises Dr. Schultz on the optimal rates for each slave according to his condition and seeming potential. There is one who does not take kindly to Django's respectability and eloquence, and he is Candie's house-slave Stephen (played with a despicable hilarity by Samuel L. Jackson; a house-slave is one who sucks up to the plantation owner enough to escape slave duties, the slave 'label', and be treated with the respect that all other slaves deserved). 

The premise of the film is interesting on the surface, but only gains more intrigue when one learns Tarantino filmed this in the style of Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960's and 1970's. 
(A "Spaghetti Western," for those who don't know or are unclear [as I admit I was], is a film made by Italians [so the title has but a MERE hint of racism; ah, traditional America of the 60's!] with traditional "Western film" motifs - i.e. extremely quick close-ups juxtaposed acutely with wide landscaping shots, unique musical scores, melodrama, and intensely conceived facial expressions.)
As a result of the deep southern environment blended with the 'Western' genre, some critics have come to label 'Django' as Tarantino's 'Southern.' I love the label, & I will continue to do this at the expense of those who have no idea what it is I'm saying, and probably assume I'm not completing my sentence when I assert confidently: "In fact, I do think it's Tarantino's 'Southern."
"....Wait....Southern what?..."

Look at how MAD Leo is!

As mentioned previously, the music of Spaghetti Westerns provided a nuance not many genres enjoy: music differentiability. The soundtrack, in and of itself, makes the film watchable and is like a visual 'condiment' that spices the film up. There is an excellent blend of the more traditional, guitar-heavy Western pieces, and rap and hip-hop - art forms predominantly practiced by African-Americans. Rapper Rick Ross, R&B star John Legend, and even artists like James Brown and (in)famous rapper Tupac make their way onto Tarantino's uniquely conceived soundtrack. While providing interesting conversation starters as mere 'soundtrack members,' they are all placed strategically into the film at points that only add to the exposition and/or action sequences, of which there are plenty.
 
Tarantino's unique vision keeps me coming back for more. And, with Django Unchained,  I was not disappointed I did so. Writing about this film only does so much justice to the masterpiece I felt I saw in theaters. If you are a Tarantino fan, the decision to see the film is a 'no-brainer'; if you aren't, you must ask yourself if you're okay with spending 2.5 hours watching a slave go on a murderous rampage to save his wife from a horribly perverse, violent, and despicable slave owner, who just so happens to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio. 

...

It's ultimately up to you, and I refuse to tell you what togoseeit do. 

On The Horizon...
Here's where we stand, audience. I am trying to figure out where to go from here. I love giving you all my thoughts and feelings about the films I have seen. I am also aware, however, these posts can be long, and can be arduous. Any feedback on how to make the reviews more lively is much appreciated! 

But, in answer to my original question, I am still making my way through AFI's "100 Years... 100 Movies" list, and I am very much looking forward to perhaps beginning a chain of reviews of those films, and whose inclusions I agree and disagree with.  

Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful beginning of January!

Twitter: Chris_0Reilly

--Chris