Buttons, GeneCo & Blood

Really wanted to hit a theater this weekend and really wanted to see Coraline. Glad I did; the stopmo is amazing. I already knew I'd have to watch again because I was so distracted by the incredible stopmo work. Story is pretty good too... dark and totes Neil Gaiman.

Repo! The Genetic Opera is a frickin' riot. It reminded me of Dracula the Puppet Musical from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Wish I could have seen on the big screen but it only played 1 night in Chicago. hrmph. Paris looks like she gained a lot of weight for it.

Red Cliff is part 1 of John Woo's ambitious and bloody period piece of one of the greatest wars in Chinese history; the north's attempt at taking over the south. Part 1 came out in 2008 and leads up to right before the Han assault on Red Cliff. The half builds up the characters and it's in the second half of part 1 that things really get interesting and intense. It's a strange move for Woo but I always appreciate the subtlety of Tony Leung's performance. Great to see Vicki Zhao in a strong role. The Guqin (seven-stringed zither) scene alone is worth the watch.