More recent purchases

For my birthday, Mordecai's parents generously sent me this nifty gift card from Best Buy:

I had some things that I had been meaning to purchase for a while, and I was able to acquire them all at once. It's pretty sweet to hold multiple things in your hands, not having to decide which to sacrifice for a later time.

From left, I got Marie Antoinette; The Police, "The Police"; Lost in Translation; Michael Jackson, "Thriller" (25th Anniversary, Deluxe Edition). My interest in the Police has significantly increased since singing "Next to You" and "Synchronicity II" in Rock Band, so I got some massive Best-Of compilation. And my favorite song by Michael is "Beat It," so I figured if I were to buy my first MJ album it oughta be "Thriller." I like the shiny, holographic cover, and splurged on this edition because it contains an extensive little booklet that may or may not be worth the extra $10. If not, I guess the translucent paper is worth it. Also, the DVD is a little transparent, which is pretty awesome (but the DVD is included in the non-deluxe edition; I'm not sure if that non-deluxe DVD is also sheer-like).

I've seen both Sofia Copolla's movies here, but I hadn't seen them since the theater releases long ago. I'm looking forward to the scenes featuring macaroons in Marie Antoinette. As for Lost In Translation, I've always had mixed feelings about it, and I still do after seeing it again at home. There are many questionable moments that render parts of the movie uninteresting, even bordering on offensive. But I'm always eager to see images of Japan, especially of areas that I have been to, like Shibuya, or of people I've seen on TV who I love, like Matthew Minami (a.k.a. Fujii Takashi). I think the movie was made with the right intentions, even if some of them slipped through the cracks. Overall, I have to say the movie makes me excited for my summer vacation in Japan.