Things I Want That Do Not Exist Yet

There are often things that I want to have that unfortunately don't exist. Some of them are probably impossible to ever have (like a fluffy immortal pink kitten or a mogwai that can't turn into a Gremlin no matter how much chicken I give it after midnight) and others are possible yet difficult to obtain. I've always been a fan of art (my mom used to drag me around to museums when I was, like, 5), but it's only been in the recent years of my developing love and knowledge of comics that I realized it is possible to have original art of my own. I'm practicing the hunt for original pieces with my rinky-dink sketchbook, but below are some of the works I'd love to maybe someday hang on my walls.

The Mad Hatter Tea Party
by James Jean

I've always been a fan of the Alice in Wonderland story and imagery, even though in more recent years, it seems like every emo/goth girl out there claims she's totally an 'Alice.' But I've tried not to let that deter my love of the original story. And specifically, I love the tea party sequence, maybe because I was a weirdo only-child who totally had whacked-out tea parties with my stuffed animals and imaginary friends. And the artist whom I would love to see re-imagine this scene would be James Jean of Fables, Umbrella Academy, and My Chemical Romance fame. I don't think anyone would argue that that wouldn't be an awesome painting. The surreal softness of his art in addition to his unique color palette, I believe, would make for a hauntingly whimsical wall-hanging.

Nighthawks
by Brian Bolland

I always loved this painting, and it probably wasn't until middle school that I found out that Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Elvis weren't supposed to be in the picture. However, I eventually came to understand the Edward Hopper was a genius and that as simplistic as this painting looks, it makes you feel so many different emotions all at once, as does most of his art. As for Brian Bolland, I think he's fantastic. I love his clean lines and stark colors, as well as his tendency to put his subjects in bold, movie poster-esque poses but still stocking their faces full of emotions. I would love to see him place the cast of Doom Patrol into Hopper's 'Nighthawks,' combining regular stoic and creepy with fantastical, anti-hero stoic and creepy.

The Last Supper
by Marc Hempel

I'm really not that big a fan of the original 'Last Supper,' but I do love the iconography of it and people's various takes on it. And the version that I want of it would be famous movie monsters and creatures and whatnot (Freddy, Jason, Wheelers, Alien, etc.). I've been trying to get my boyfriend Rickey to do this for almost a year, but he seems to think he can't (please encourage him to do so). So instead I wish Marc Hempel could do it. I'm really not familiar with any of his work other than 'The Kindly Ones' from The Sandman series, but it's my favorite of the ten volumes and I absolutely love his art. Everything is so pointy with thick outlines, almost cartoonish, yet still very powerful and emotive, and I think that a monster version of a classic religious image would totally be the right medium for his style.

Kissing on VJ Day
by Bryan Lee O'Malley

This is another image that I fell in love with when I was younger (mainly because I thought it was super cool to cover my walls in black and white images - Yes - I was/am a dork). But I still think it's a powerful image in our culture and a great photograph, as well. So the person I would pick to recreate it would be Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley. It's pretty simple. I love his style, everyone is super cute and I would like for him to make me and my Rickey all adorable-afied into this picture. I know it's a little cheesy, but that's exactly why O'Malley's awesomeness would balance it out.


So yeah. There are definitely other yet-to-be-created items that I'd want. I'm sure I will come up with more later. And feel free to make any of the above artworks happen. You know, if you can. :)

Soundtrack to the Apocalypse

Anyone who spends any amount of time with me will quickly discover that I am rather fixated on the end of the world. I don't want anyone to think that I wish disastrous events upon the human race, I just happen to think that they are unavoidable at this point. Be it a plague, climate event, war or zombie apocalypse, I'm pretty sure something is coming. My hope in the continuation of humanity was given a slight boost with the election of Obama, however I soon realized that he is a movie president (good-looking, humorous, motivational speaker) and bad things tend to happen to movie presidents (Independence Day, Deep Impact, Mars Attacks), so the worrying has resumed.

Now I don't go around all terrified-like, but I do like to feel prepared. And one of the things I have done to prepare myself is to create a soundtrack for the end of the world. If I could film it, edit it and score it when it happens, this is the music that would be on the CD. If you click on the songs, I've linked them to their respective videos (or the best I could find). I tried to do some magical tech stuff, but it just didn't work out.

Please note, I am by no means a music geek, but I like what I like so I am sharing it now.


1. Johnny Cash- When the Man Comes Around
2. Junior Senior- Move Your Feet
3. Journey-Don't Stop Believing
4. Moby- Natural Blues
5. Kanye West-Gone
6. Petula Clark-Downtown
7. Talking Heads-Psycho Killer
8. Flametrick Subs- Creepy Dead Folk
9. Harvey Danger- Flagpole Sitta
10. Ram Jam- Black Betty
11. My Chemical Romance- Dead!
12. The Killers- All These Things That I've Done
13. MC Chris- Hijack
14. Modest Mouse- Dance Hall
15. The Clash- London Calling
16. The Aristocats- Everybody Wants to be a Cat
17. Isley Brothers- Shout
18. Iggy Pop- Lust for Life
19. Dave Matthews Band- All Along the Watchtower
20. Fall Out Boy- Dance Dance
21. The Rolling Stones- You Can't Always Get What You Want
22. Gary Jules- Mad World
23. Coldplay- Amsterdam
24. Gene Kelly- Singing in the Rain
25. The Flaming Lips- Do You Realize?

So what would be on your playlist if you had time to sync up your ipod or similar device in time for all hell to break to loose?

Casting Sandman

I have a habit of casting any book I read in my head, even if I hate the book. I've always done it, and sometimes I get waaaay too into it and sit and think of who could play who. So I decided I would share my casting thoughts with whoever wants to know, and you can tell me how wrong I am or how right -- or offer up your own suggestions. Whatevs.

So, below I've cast Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, because it is one of my favorite books (comic or otherwise). I've cast the seven brothers and sisters of The Endless and then a sampling of my favorite characters (I wouldve' done the entire series, but I decided sitting at my computer all night might be unhealthy). For those of you who aren't familiar with the story, please, go read it.

I tried to think a little outside of the box and also listed my back-up choices for fun. So please, enjoy.


The Sandman
Billy Crudup

I think whoever might play lead character Morpheus will have a really tough job. However, what I've seen of Crudup in Watchmen looks like he could have the goods. He's chiseled, and brooding, and is seems like he can pull off that whole glowy, god-like being thing.

Runners Up:

James Franco
Robert Downey Jr.

Death
Jennifer Carpenter
Okay, she's kind of annoying on Dexter, but I think Jennifer did a pretty decent job in Quarantine. And she totally looks the part, which is kinda freaky.

Runner Up:
Kat Dennings

Desire
Milla Jovovich
I think the obvious choice for Desire is Tilda Swindon since she's Hollywood's leading androgynous actor. But I love Milla, and I think she has just the right level of androgyny, while also being super hot.

Runner Up:
David Bowie

Despair
Lizzy Caplan
She'd definitely either need massive prosthetics or a lot of CGI, but between Mean Girls and Cloverfield, Lizzy's shown a lot of range. I think her face shape is just soft enough and her eyes are dark enough that the base of Despair's depressing mood is there.

Runner Up:
Kathy Bates

Destiny
Josh Brolin
Okay, you never see his face, so almost any credible actor could play him. So I went on chins. Brolin's chin can totally pull off the brooding authority needed. You know I'm right.

Runner Up:
Jim Sturgess

Destruction
Alan Tudyk
I absolutely love Tudyk! He's fantastic and should be in more stuff. And Destruction is supposed to be a big dude, but he could wear a body suit or bulk up or something. The main thing to me is Destruction's hearty smile and laugh and welcoming demeanor. I think he's perfect.

Runners Up:
Eric Dane
Jim Gibbons

Delirium
Anna Faris
I've never really seen her in a serious role, but Anna's got the fearlessness that whoever would play Delirium's bonkers personality would need. I think she would bring something completely out of the blue to the role, while also being totally loveable.

Runner Up:
Evanna Lynch

Abel and Cain
John C. Reilly and Christopher Walken
The great thing about these two is that Abel's a total coward and Cain is a complete asshole, but you love both of them completely. I think Reilly would make a perfect bumbling softie Abel who carries around a baby gargoyle, and Walken is totally the douchebag Cain who repeatedly murders his little brother, but refuses to let anyone else do so. Hell, I just want to see the two of them in a movie together.

Runners Up:
Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

The Corinthian
Timothy Olyphant
I love Olyphant and I'm not even sure if he's a good actor or not. But he's so sassy and pointy. Which is perfect for the Corinthian -- a smooth-talking, cool, murderous nightmare on the loose.

Runner Up:
Aaron Eckhart

Lucifer
Cillian Murphy
Lucifer is just as evil in The Sandman as you might imagine him to be, but he's totally level-headed and actually quite cool. Murphy has blown me away ever since I saw 28 Days Later and I think he can do anything. And he's got that whole Jesus fit thing going on.

Runner Up:
Heath Ledger
(if only...)

Rose Walker
Evan Rachel Wood
Everytime Rose shows up in the book, she looks totally different, but still very interesting-looking. Wood is definitely that kind of actress; she's got a lot of range, but keeps that girl-next-door quality, which makes her likable.

Runner Up:
Jewel Staite

Constantine
Peter Sarsgaard
I mean, he's no Keanu Reeves, but I think Peter could pull it off. I always forget about him because he's so good at being a character-actor, but he's got those heavy eyes and scratchy voice that just oozes Constantine to me.

Runner Up:
Ewan McGregor

Thessaly
Amanda Seyfried
The first time I read Sandman, I hated Thessaly. After I finished it, and read it again, she became my favorite character. So choosing her was tough for me. But Seyfried is fantastic as a cute conniver, so I totally think she could play a nerdy, self-centered, 800-year-old witch who looks 22.

Runner Up:
Thora Birch

Lucius
Jackie Earle Haley
I had no idea who Jackie was until I saw Little Children, which was an interesting way to learn about an actor. But he seems like a fantastic character actor, and he has a unique look, so I think he could pull off the libraian of a metaphysical realm kinda thing.

Runner Up:
Alan Cumming

Matthew the Raven
Paul Giamatti
For Matthew, it's all in the voice, and if you had to have a raven follow you around and talk to you, wouldn't you want it to be Paul Giamatti?

Runner Up:
Tom Hanks

Merv Pumpkinhead
Ben Affleck
Again, probably a voice-over character. But Merv is essentially a wise-cracking, loud-mouthed grounds-keeper. For some reason that screams Ben Affleck to me. I think he's also got an odd sense of humor that would translate well for the character.

Runner Up:
Will Arnett

Hob
Colin Firth
A British everyman who happens to get to live forever. He goes from bumbling drunkard to wise entrepenuer. It's hard to find actors who can retain that sense of being no-one once they start to get famous, but Firth has done it well. In a good way.

Runner Up:
Anthony Head

Daniel
Joe Anderson
Daniel is basically the light, new version of Dream. I loved Anderson in Across the Universe, and he had a fantastic emotional range that I think would be necessary to play Daniel. It's a really odd character who isn't around for long in The Sandman, but I think Joe would make it count.

Runner Up:
Jonathan Rhys Meyer

The Kindly Ones
Laura Harris, Melanie Lynskey, Frances McDormand
The Kindly Ones are also known as the Fates, so it's 3 witches of various stages of life: maiden, mother and crone. I picked Harris because of her damsel in distress character on Dead Like Me, Lynskey because she always looks so sweet and motherly, and McDormand because she's awesome and I love it when she does crazy-shit characters.

Runners Up:
Mandy Moore, Kathy Najimy, Helen Mirren

So, those are my thoughts. I think it would be a rocktacular cast. Feel free to give your opinions. I want to hear them!

I didn't feel like coming up with a clever name for my first post...

Hello ladies and jellyspoons!

I'm not sure that anyone will every really care, but in recent months, many of my friends have started blogs, either for personal or professional use, and I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon.

I don't want anyone to feel like this is some wacky pretentious blog where I think you should all be so happy to read my thoughts on random bullshit. It is rather an exercise for my brain to practice taking thoughts and making them somewhat coherent; I did a lot of that type of thing throughout school, but not so much since having graduated. And since I have a job with a desk for the first time ever, I figured, hey, why not now?

I'm still not entirely sure what my posts will always be about, but they will probably change often.

As for this blog, I didn't really have a topic in mind, I just wanted to do something introductory. However, with it being the start of a new year, I thought I would share some of the movies I am looking forward to this year (note, these are by no means the ONLY movies I am looking forward to, just a sampling).

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
As you might've noticed from the title of my blog, I am a big fan of monsters. I'm also fond of aliens. And the cast list for this is dripping with fantastic actors/comedians. And it's in Dreamworks 3D. What's not to love?

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

I've only heard bits and pieces about this movie, but I'm a big Tarantino fan. I've never been let down, even with Death Proof. And even though Brad Pitt has let me down with recent movies (Benjamin Button, Mr. and Mrs Smith) I think he and Tarantino will work out great together in this film. I'm excited.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Yeah, again with the theme of monsters and creatures and whatnot, I can't help it. But this is one of my favorite books as a kid, and in any other director's hands, I would be worried, but I think that Spike Jonze is crazy enough to make it work. I know a lot of people will classify it as a kids movie because of the book, but I think the timelessness of the story and the awesomeness of Jonze will make it well worth seeing in theaters.

WATCHMEN

Assuming it doesn't get held up in litigation, Watchmen is the movie I am most excited to see this year. The book is phenomenal, the cast looks awesome, and even though the book seemed like it would never be translated into a movie correctly, all the footage so far points to the contrary. I will be there opening weekend, whenever that may be.

That's all for now. Catch ya on the flipside!