missalyssa

In a GREAT mood.

So, my film culture professor is VERY easily impressed. And his guidelines are pretty lax if you win him over. Which I did.

We had to write a paper about a film we saw in class, and relate it to a reading from our book. I asked if I could write about a theme we touched on in class, which is Michel Gondry’s fascination with obscure technology, and how it relates to nostalgia and childhood. He enthusiastically agreed as I knew he would because this guy is OBSESSED with Gondry. 

So I wrote the paper, and I didn’t personally think it was very good.

He LOVED it. 

And for paper #2, which was originally going to be an 8 page paper (assigned two weeks before the end of the semester, no less) turned into “just write about a movie screened for class and add on an additional 2-3 pages to your first paper” which after a brief email exchange with him turned into “just add 1-2 pages and you can talk about any film you want if we even mentioned it in class.” And he gushed about how much he loved my paper.

NAILED IT!

30 Day WDW Challenge Day 30: Fav. Statue, fountain, etc that grabs your eye

This awesome hopping fountain by the imagination pavilion is probably my favorite little feature at Epcot. Not many people notice it (mainly because the Imagination pavilion sucks except for Captain Eo) and it’s a shame because it’s pretty darn neat. This fountain and the “reverse fountain” near it are neat, unique fountains often overlooked. 

That concludes the 30 day disney challenge!! Holy crap do I miss WDW and being a CP. 

30 Day WDW Challenge Day 28: Favorite Fireworks Show

(I skipped day 27 because I’ve never had a “disney breakfast,” hahah, never stayed in a resort or been to a restaurant for breakfast on Disney property. Next!)

ILLUMINATIONS: REFLECTIONS OF EARTH is my favorite favorite favorite fireworks show. (Fantasmic is not really a fireworks show, it’s got a lot more going for it, so I didn’t count it.) The music/sounds for Wishes is far too cornball for my tastes, and the park is way too crowded, and there’s no real “good” spot to see Wishes except from a distance. Illuminations can be seen crystal clear and heard loudly from anywhere near the world showcase, so no need for shoving. The music is 100000x better than wishes (except the corny song you hear when you leave, but the show’s over, I’ll forgive it.) The giant torches, lasers, fireworks, and lit-up pavilions are all super cool, and even the big spinning globe in the lagoon is neat to watch (even if it is a little too quiet for a little too long in the middle of the show with the water and all that.) Best WDW fireworks show by a mile, and the Holiday and New Year’s fireworks are even better.

30 Day WDW Challenge Day 23: Scariest Ride

Also the BEST ride.

30 Day WDW Challenge Day 17: Favorite Restaurant

The Coral Reef at Epcot! I went here with my friend Matthew from work and we got seats up close and personal to the tank window on the left, where a big sea turtle liked to curl up and sleep for a while. We also happened to be there for dinner while a scuba diving group swam through and waved at us. The food was delicious too (I’m not much of a seafood person so I opted for steak, it wasn’t the best steak in Disneyworld but it was the bomb, as was the chocolate lava cake!). Overall a unique and awesome dining experience. Foodwise, my fave was the Yachtsman steakhouse, whose filet mignon and gelato blew my mind. 

30 Day WDW Challenge Day 15: Fav. WDW Resort

After much back-and-forth in my head, I settled on Animal Kingdom. Because the idea of having a bunch of giraffes hanging out in front of your window is just the coolest idea for a hotel ever. I do love the atmosphere of the Yacht and Beach club resorts, though. (Never stayed in any, just visited and snooped around them all. Hehe.)

30 Day WDW Challenge Day 14: Fav. Animal Kingdom Attraction

It has to be everyone’s favorite part of Animal Kingdom, and it’s mine too: EXPEDITION EVEREST! I don’t like heights during daytime (when I can see just how high up I am) so I was reluctant to go on this ride, but it was definitely more fun and less scary than I imagined.

I love the atmosphere of the queue line (though nowadays I just jump in the single rider line and avoid the super long wait) and the attention to detail and authenticity in the “tour” videos and display cases for the “Yeti Museum”.

The atmosphere and imagineering continues on the ride itself, the climb up the mountain and through a tunnel of ancient-looking sculptures, and into the mountain itself, feels very “real”. And the view to the side where you can see everything (Hey look, it’s Spaceship Earth!) is breathtaking, if not a *little* bit scary for someone like me. 

30 Day WDW Challenge Day 12: Fav. Hollywood Studios Attraction

Hands down the BEST attraction not only in Hollywood Studios, but all of Walt Disney World. Imagineering at its finest, but apparently not in California, only in Florida. Disney World boasts an entryway as though you’re walking through a real old hotel’s outside entryway and lobby. The library is spooky, the intro video is fun and sets the mood for the whole ride. Every moment from getting into your seat and white-knuckling the nearest handlebar, to traveling through another dimension (apparently also missing from CA’s version, man, you Californians are missing out!) to the fifth and final drop make this the most thrilling and fun Disney experience, ever. My dream college program job is working at this ride, haha.

Inception

Is the first great movie of 2010 that isn’t animated. It’s incredibly fresh and original, mindbending without being a total chore to watch, has special effects that aren’t just visually pleasing but are relevant to the story (and not pure eye candy), and has some great performances. In three words, GO SEE IT. 

In related news, besides How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, and Inception, 2010 has been a totally terrible year for movies. Why couldn’t we have taken half the movies from 2009 and pushed their release dates a *little* further forward to even things out, eh? Well, saves me money on movie tickets I guess.