pitch perfect was… pitch perfect

I watched Pitch Perfect a couple weeks ago- I was bored and I needed a good movie so I rented it on amazon. And then I watched it again two days later. And again a week after  that.

Pitch Perfect became an instant favorite- I already really love it. It’s a great movie, and there are several reasons.

THE MUSIC

… is really catchy.  It starts with a really good a cappella version of “Please Don’t Stop the Music.”  The soundtrack is primarily composed of awesome a cappella and even more awesome dj-style mashups of great songs. My personal favorite is the composition of Titanium by David Guetta and 500 Miles byt The Proclaimers.  Everyone in the movie sings well, and the mainest-main characters sing really well.

THE PLOT

… is very high school musical. And yet, that was always a light, catchy plot.  The main problems with that movie were the music and the acting- and Pitch Perfect nails those on the head.  My favorite thing about the plot is that it’s NOT Glee.  As a character says towards the beginning of the film “This isn’t a place where you can sort out any social issue or confused sexuality. This is the real world.”  It’s funny because obviously it’s not the real world. And it’s even funnier because it’s such an obvious dig at Glee. But they stayed the course and never tried to poignantly deal with any of that stuff- Pitch Perfect stuck to their plot and their main characters and didn’t make big, angsty mountains out of molehills. The plot was classic- underdog team trying to make it big, go to “the Finals;” a big rival team that wins everything, parental issues stemming form a divorce… but they mixed it up, too. The underdogs were once pretty big themselves, but recently tumbled from grace. That rival team might make better friends, and boyfriends, than rivals.  Becca gets along with her dad- complains about their issues, but goes to him for advice.  It’s cool.

ANNA KENDRICK

I loved her in Twilight and I loved her in What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I hope to someday cast her in a movie that I’ve written because she is so fantastic. Kendrick plays real so well. There’s this theme that she’s introverted and puts up a wall and doesn’t let people in. I love that this isn’t overplayed, she doesn’t approach this characteristic as though it’s tragic or controlling her entire life; it’s just an issue that she has to work through.

She’s also kind of badass. She has some really gritty lines. She punches a dude. SHE RAPS AND IT’S AMAZING. Anna Kendrick, thank you for rapping.

SKYLAR ASTIN

Oh my word. Just, don’t even get my started. I might have a tiny actually really big crush on Skylar Astin.  He can sing. He can dance. He does it all with cool confidence. But he’s never cocky. He is as American as baseball and apple pie and at least in this movie, he has a big heart. And I love that.  Again, they cast this movie well because Astin comes across as real. I think it’s the American boy thing. In his first scene, he looks out of his window in the backseat of his parent’s car and plays air guitar to Kendrick, in the tune of Carry On My Wayward Son.  It’s silly. It’s normal.  Plus, his smile melts hearts.

Alice

You know how I post more when I’m procrastinating? Yeah.

This is a sample from something I’ll be working on in the future. Possibly the distant future. I don’t know.  But it’s a fairytale about an underground crime ring. Maybe two. Maybe steampunk. (I haven’t figured most of this out yet. This is really all I have written so far, plus a description of a midget.) Hope you enjoy…

“‘Thieves! Ruffians! Rogues!’ The woman screamed in a high-pitched voice, but it was too late: they were already invisible among the London shadows. A mocking voice whispered ‘thieves! ruffians! rogues, oh my!’ and the chant was picked up by others, echoing from mouth to mouth and against the sides of the alleys.
‘thieves! ruffians! rogues, oh my!
thieves, ruffians, rogues, oh my!
THIEVES, RUFFIANS, ROGUES, OH MY!’
The chorus sounded like a wave, like a rushing wind as it blew across London.  Dogs barked, bankers flinched, policemen blew their whistles and threw their cars into gear but all they found were echoes, laughing at them.  The thieves, ruffians, and rogues were long, long gone.

P.S. I retain complete and utter creative control over the above passage and in other words I had better not catch it in somebody else’s book … or else.

P.P.S. I love you all.

shoes… and cabbages?

Hey all!

Exciting news in my life. I’m starting an internship with the lovely Rachel Bridgwood and Lauren Brown over at Sweet Root Village.

I’m also starting a new job at a new movie theater, and I am pretty psyched about this. I’ll be doing more behind-the-counter jobs, which I really like, as opposed to “can I help you find something” jobs, which suck because no one ever answers that question with a smile.

And, what I’m most excited for right now (drum roll please….)

ba ba daaa! I am Associate Producer for my friend’s senior thesis film at GMU! It’s called SHOES AMONG THE CABBAGES and it’s a modern fairytale, about a man who is tricked into buying a pair of shoes that force him to dance and… why don’t I let you watch the video (which I’m IN, by the way):

Funding A Dance Film from Ashlee Duncan on Vimeo.

This film is going to be AWESOME. And, not to be that guy, but we seriously need monetary help to meet our fundraising goal and make this movie as good as it can be.

check out the film on IndieGogo here: http://igg.me/at/shoes/x/2200753 and on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ShoesAmongTheCabbages

SO WHO’S WITH ME?

pounds per square inch, or the capillary system

A bit of poetry, courtesy of chronic procrastination:

 

Apparently, my blood is 55% plasma. Which is 92% water.
There is no red dye no. 40 in my blood but it looks like it anyway.
Average blood pressure is supposed to be 112/64, systolic and diastolic, respectively.
Whatever that means.
All I know is that my blood pressure skyrockets when I stand in front of a class to tell them all the things I supposedly learned that year.
Performing is even worse.
My heart beats like a bad boyfriend, my pulse is through the roof.
I would never know I actually enjoy it (but you’ll take my nerves for intensity).
Sometimes if I’m anxious and tired and malnourished all together,
my heart stops-

Just long enough to scare me.
But you don’t want to know what my heart does
when you walk through the room.

the perks of being a single lady

Well. What a surprise. Being single is hard. Especially when it seems like ALL your friends are dating. Especially when you’re in your twenties and never had a boyfriend. Especially when it’s cold and you just want someone to bring you cookies.  Especially when people tell you to “just be patient.”

Well guess what girls.  There are good things about being single, too. So here is a handy list I came up with that you can look at whenever you feel down.  This is not to say it’s wrong to want to be with someone.  THERE IS NO JUDGING HERE. THIS IS JUST TO CHEER YOU UP.

This post will be updated to include more perks as I think of them or anything you guys share with me in the comments section. Enjoy!

ONE: BEYONCE

You can sing single ladies ironically in the car with your friends and secretly mean every word.

TWO: FRIENDS

It can be hard to keep friends when you’re in a relationship. It’s ok. It happens. So cherish the ones you have now.

THREE: CRUSHES

You can have crushes. Need I say more?

FOUR: FAMILY

You don’t have to meet his.

FIVE: FRIENDS WHO ARE BOYS

Sure, you can have friends who are boys while you’re dating someone. But it’s hard work. It takes effort to keep it in balance and everyone happy. If you’re the single one, you can have single guy friends. You can even have friends who are guys who have girlfriends, but it’s up to them to make it all work. [caution: this is not license to flirt with all your guy friends. their girlfriends will get wise and you will soon have no friends.]

SIX: THIS

if you know how, you can dance blues with whoever you want. it’s awesome.

SEVEN: JESUS

I didn’t want to throw religious stuff at you right away, but lets be honest here: this is a great opportunity to get to know Jesus, and to get to know yourself as part of his kingdom.

EIGHT: TRUSTING JESUS

Specifically, it’s harder when you’re single. But there are two reasons this might be good:

first, it could be easy to trust Jesus about your future when you’re in a relationship. and then to stop trusting him and trust your boyfriend instead.

second, insecurity often brings me (personally) closer to God.  Doubt is questioning and even questioning is communication.

NINE: LITMUS TEST

It is always true that men should treat you like a lady.  Take this time to find friends who are respectful of You As A Woman.  The ones who open doors for you, walk you to your car, say you look nice, and tell people not to cuss in front of you? And don’t expect anything in return? They are keepers. They may even be dateable.

[I should say more about this. I’ve never had a boyfriend, so this may be terrible advice, but I just want to say: Friends can transition, eventually, into more-than-friends.  It happens. Singlehood is a good time to make sure the friends you have are solid. Don’t be a bitch; be a lady, and expect the men around you to be gentlemen.]

TEN: PARIS

Just go. You need no one’s permission. Fall in love while you’re there, get your heart broken, come back and make me some wicked fondue while I listen to your sad but just-like-a-novel story.  Which brings me to…

ELEVEN: DRAMA

Come on. We all know drama is a little bit fun. It adds spice to life. But you probably don’t want it in a relationship.

TWELVE: JANUARY

Don’t shave if you don’t want to. Isn’t it great that no one cares?

THIRTEEN: CHICK FLICKS

Watch them ALL. Three times.

FOURTEEN: GARLIC

Just eat so much garlic. Onions too. You have to kiss no one. (but if you’re going out, brush your teeth first.)

FIFTEEN: NEW THINGS

Go try something new. Take a cooking class. Hey, remember when you danced ballet when you were four? Ever wonder if you would still like it? Go find out. Get passionate about something. (perk: great way to meet people!)

guys aren’t jerks

So… I was thinking about this the other day, and now I’m going to write a blog post about it.

Guys, you’re hard to understand. and sometimes you act like jerks. and we, as girls, don’t like that. And the basic definition of acting like a jerk is treating someone like they’re not important. and we definitely don’t like that.

Girls, how many times have you said to yourself (or your girlfriends), “guys are just jerks”? I’m just gonna say I have been guilty of this so many times. like, soooo many. But we HAVE to stop saying that.

“Stop saying that!”

I’ll tell you why we say it, if you don’t already know.  It’s much more comfortable to think that all guys are naturally jerks and will treat you badly, than to admit that : there’s something wrong with you/you’re a bad judge of character/you’ve been putting up with a bad person/ or any number of things.

[There is nothing wrong with you. Don’t ever tell yourself that. It’s a lie from the devil].

“Guys are jerks” is a lie. And it helps NO ONE. It’s not fair to all the very great guys out there. It’s not fair to the jerks. It’s not fair to you.

THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN WE BELIEVE THIS LIE

1) we don’t trust the good guys.

They’re real, ladies. They’re out there. And I’m sorry, (and I know this is cheesy), but we won’t find love if we assume everyone is just waiting to screw us over.

2) we give the bad guys a free pass.

What, you were mean to me? You were insensitive about my cat’s death/didn’t pay for the meal/told me I looked fat in those jeans/cheated on me? Oh well. You’re just being a guy. That’s what guys do.  This might not come as a surprise, but let me reinforce: no guys, and especially the ones we love (including brothers in Christ), should be allowed to get away with less then gentleman-like behavior.  It doesn’t serve them or help them grow when we assume that they can’t change.

3) we give the bad guys a free pass.

that’s right, twice.  As a sinner, you deserve the wrath of God (so do I).  But as a woman living among many other sinners, you do not deserve to be treated like trash.  If you devalue men (they’re jerks!) and let them devalue you, you devalue yourself. And then they devalue you more because that’s the way a Vicious Cycle works. Don’t stick around with a bad dude just because you think he can’t help it! Because he totally can! But he doesn’t have to because you seem fine with it!

I am not saying we should all burn our bras and pursue our inner goddesses. This is me talking. But Men as a Race are not jerks. We need to figure that out. And then we need to kick the jerks to the curb and be patient for the Gentlemen to figure out they can come out of hiding. You don’t have to put up with a crummy relationship.  That’s not the only kind of relationship out there.  Sure, a good man is hard to find… but feel free to start looking and stop settling.

And guys? This is me saying, I’m holding you to higher standard now.  It’s a sign of respect, and I expect you to take that seriously.

Colleen, OUT!

pick of the week: Taylor Swift

Hey guys!

been a while. I’ve got some new posts coming soon, including one about Hurricane Sandy and a long(er) music post about Mumford and Sons new album.  But school’s been crazy, so in the meantime, this is the pick of the week.

Seriously. I don’t care if this song isn’t as beautifully crafted as something from say, Bon Iver or Regina Spektor.  But Taylor does put thought and work into her albums. And it’s actually her singing them (and writing the songs). She’s fantastic in her own way, and most importantly,

this song is really fun and sassy.

mobtown

So, I’ve recently gotten into swing dancing. And I’m not ashamed to say, I’m a little obsessed with it.  But hey, it’s loads of fun, great exercise, great community, and you get to dress up and still wear sneakers. What’s not to love?

This weekend I went to the Mobtown Ballroom’s anniversary party (Mobtown is this cool swing dancing place inside an old church in Baltimore).  It was a three day party full of dancing and music and general merriment, but I’m not going to night because I have class in the morning. BUT I was there friday and saturday nights and it was spectacular. I forgot to take an pictures on friday but I took a few yesterday, here they are!

Bosley sings soul during the variety show and bangs out a pretty sweet tune on that piano

Bryan, Lakshmi and I skipped most of the variety show and got pizza at the corner. It was really good pizza.

The live band for the evening, from New Orleans, quite amazing. Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns.

My last dance of the night, with Bryan.

Basically, it was one of the best nights ever.  We even got to watch a showdown jack and jill competition, and although there weren’t many fancy tricks involved, it was amazing. These people were so talented. Swing outs at 246 beats a minute. I’m really glad I could be there.

pick of the week: Stray Cats

I’ve been listening to this on repeat. Seriously.  The other night I had a dream I could turn into a cat and I think it was partly because of this song. Remember the Lovecats song by the Cure? Remember the Aristocats? They can be pesky pets, but cats are cool. They have swagger. Everybody wants to be a cat.

And this song by the Stray Cats themselves is especially cool because it has that hepcat jive from the swing era. (Guys! Upright bass!) And I gotta say that I love the Stray Cats and Brian Setzer for keeping a jazzy, jivey rock-and-roll alive in the midst of the New Age 80’s.

pick of the week: Muse

This week’s post goes out to Muse, who just released their new album “The 2nd Law.” No, I don’t know what it refers to.  But it sounds cool.  Anyway, here’s the single, Madness.  And please watch it with the video, it’s unbelievably awesome.  A fantastic concept.

And now I’ll tell you why I love this song.  Besides that IT’S MUSE, this song is full of the most incredible tension.  The heavy bass and slow pace, not to mention mournful vocals, make it so intense and passionate and you’re just waiting it for it to break into an upbeat crescendo… but it doesn’t.  The genius in this song is where it holds itself back- which is a great contrast to the video.  Oh my gosh, just watch, it’s great. Shoutout to my facebook friend kaitlin who posted it, I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.