.: so comes snow after fire :.

I had quite the intense therapy session yesterday, and I couldn't sleep well last night. After lunch I decided I'd had enough of dark thoughts, and went to the cinema to watch Maleficent. I really loved it. The first part was cute, the second part was funny, and the third part I thought was brilliant. A couple of lines were a bit corny, but the story was intriguing and the plot twists were awesome.

I couldn't quite believe a friend of mine when a couple of days ago she told me I'd walk out of the cinema shipping Maleficent/Aurora, but oh god, she was right! I saw some reviews focusing on the mother/daughter thing, but I didn't get no maternal vibes there, no sir. Not to mention that the tagline of the movie should be "Ladies! Men are shitty assholes, become a lesbian and be happy forever after!"

I also had this very strong feeling towards the end, that if I had seen this movie as a kid, I would have been very attracted to both Maleficent and Diaval, while now that I'm an adult I mostly had eyes only for Maleficent. Ms Jolie was really magnificent. And I really liked the message of the movie, and how all the kids in the room kept applauding everything Maleficent did, and loudly cheering for her during the final battle. It was really cute. ^^

On a different note, Wikipedia informs me Philip is 24, but he looked 15 to me. O_O And is there a reason why they changed the names of the Three Good Fairies? It was very distracting.

I'm writing this entry while my aunt is packing, as she's leaving in less than an hour. It was a short visit, but we managed to do a lot of things. First and foremost, she took those pictures of mom for her id card. With someone propping her head. Yes, this whole procedure still makes me bitter and angry. Then Tati sorted them, and I went to a photographer downtown to have them printed in the correct size. As luck would have it, he had done the same thing many times for others, and he was very kind to me, explaining something more about the whole procedure, and he promised to call me when they're done. So, one awful thing off the list.

It was all very vexing for all of us, so my aunt decided to stay one day more, and we went to the cinema together. We watched Saving Mr Banks. Obligatory piece of trivia: Mary Poppins was one of my dad's favourite movies (probably his favourite one). We watched it hundreds of times, flew kites in front of our church while singing the songs, and he used to sing me "Jolly Holiday" when walking me to school substituting the word "Mary" with my name. All of this to give you an idea of what that movie means to me.

I loved it, I really loved it. I cried my whole way through it. It was quite different from what the trailer made it look like, and all the better for it. And having recently seen the 2009 documentary The Boys (about the Sherman brothers, highly recommended), I loved it even more.

When we came back we had dinner and then watched Mary Poppins, to appreciate the movie even more. It was a wonderful day and a nostalgic one as well, a perfect way to end this visit.

Obligatory goodbye post, I'm leaving in a couple of hours for a long trip to my aunt's place. There'll be presents, good food, and a lot of great family time. Obviously, I was so nervous I only slept a couple of hours last night (and considering the sun hasn't risen yet, it's still tonight, I guess), but now I'm all energetic and vibrating and I can't wait to start. I'm packed, I have a huge bag full of xmas presents that's bigger than my suitcase, I'm all set! \o/

Also yesterday we went to the cinema to watch Frozen, and despite the horrific Italian dubbing (really the stuff of nightmares), I enjoyed it a lot. There were some things I didn't like (a couple of plot holes here and there), and many times it looked like they had just run out of money (weird animation mistakes, the princesses' faces looked exactly the same, very cramped shots for a story that asked for epic, swooping camera motions), but it was finally a story about siblings, about sisters, and it had a plot twist towards the end that made my jaw drop in shock. And the soundtrack was really beautiful, even with the horrid dubbing.

Seriously, the italian voices were unbelievably bad. At times it felt like my brain was trying to escape through my ears. I can't believe that we've fallen so far, we used to be so good. I won't even link you to a clip here, because I love you all and don't want you to endure that pain.

Anyway! It's time to get ready, so see you on the flip side of the safety demonstration - ciao! ;)

I finally got The Little Mermaid bluray! The Little Mermaid was the first movie I ever saw in a cinema, back when I was 6. I still remember that afternoon as it was yesterday. My father cried all through the ending, and when we bought the VHS he made us watch it thousands of times. We had the soundtrack on tape, the sticker album, the dolls. When he set a dolby surround system in our living room the seagulls were the first sound we ever heard on those beloved, enormous speakers. Hope this intro can give you a glimpse of what that movie means to me.



So this afternoon I grabbed a bowl of yogurt, sat on my favourite armchair, and proceeded to be completely blown away. Besides the obvious (the original aspect ratio, instead of the VHS one, the soundtrack loud and clear in every scene), I wasn't expecting all those details, the raindrops, the grains of sand, the paintings in the castle. There was a lot of crying, obviously, but also such a warm feeling, like meeting a part of me that I had long forgotten.

And now, on to That Scene. In case you haven't heard, this bluray version comes with an 'error'. At the end of Part of Your World, in the cave, two shots are inverted. Here's a video to show you the difference:



Now, I read about this a few days ago. At first, judging from everyone's anger and the scandalized reviews, I thought the entire scene was mirrored, or something crazy like that. Then I found the video. I saw the error, it was weird, but not as tragic as I thought. I thought I would just cringe for a moment, and then go on with the movie. There was one thing, though: ever since I was a kid, that shot of Flounder bothered me. I thought it ruined the scene, that was supposed to be all about Ariel. Yes, I noticed that kind of stuff when I was a kid. Details were everything to me - don't get me started on continuity errors or dubbing mistakes, I was a nitpicking nightmare.

Anyway! When I sat down and watched the scene, I held my breath the whole time. I knew it was coming, I was worried. And then the scene happened, and it was better than the original. There, I said it. I know, I'm a purist, I should be horrified too, but I can't lie here, the scene flows better this way. It just does. I have no idea why they decided to wait so long to change that detail, but it doesn't bother me at all, if anything I like it. It's crazy, I know.

Anyway, my advice is, BUY IT. Definitely buy it. The quality is amazing, just like it was back in 1989, it's like time-travelling to our childhood. And if that little change bothers you, it's so minor you won't actually notice it at all. You'll be too busy marvelling at all the details in Ariel's cave anyway. ;)

E per gli amici italiani, il doppiaggio è quello originale, del cinema e della prima versione vhs. Niente ridoppiaggi cretini con la voce della serie tv, grazie al cielo. *____*

What a lovely day! My mouth isn't hurting anymore, my aunt is back home from her parents, so she can have a bit of rest, it's less than 24 hours until the new Cabin Pressure season, this afternoon I went to the cinema to watch Wreck-It Ralph and I adored it! Again, what an amazing year for animated movies! And what an adult storyline too, there were a couple of very strong scenes that I wouldn't have expected in a kids movie (not since 1989, at least), and the final boss was the right mixture of terrifying and disgusting, loved it! A strong plot with characters who don't have to be likable but have their flaws, thus being real. It's a new golden age for animated movies, at last. *_____*

Today was also a day of great mail! First, TEAS. So many teas.


I actually own only half of those, 007, Quartermaster and Reichenbach Reunion, while Tati bought Dean, Castiel and Destiel. My good padawan. I'll never stop reminding her that *I* got her into Supernatural. *_____* Anyway, I still haven't tried any of them, and yes, I still have tons of old teas in my tea cabinet but you should all know by now that new teas make me happy and I'm a weak person. :D


More than a month ago I bought a few stickers from Red Bubble, whose only flaw is their incredibly slow delivery times. Anyway they are so pretty I'll forgive them anything. I bought them for my desk, there's a cabinet I'm turning into an Altar To The Gods of Fandom or something of the sort. ^^


Saving the best for last, it's lovely stardust_made's christmas gift to me, she's so wonderful! Look at all the cute Sherlock adorableness, AND the incredibly appropriate pin for the day. :D

Off to bed for me then, it's been a lovely but very long day, and tomorrow I have therapy in the morning. ^^

Short update to tell you all that I'm feeling better! No emotional traumatic experiences for me today, thank you very much. Highlights of the day were:

- watching the new Supernatural episode, which confirmed that Jensen is a great director. And Sam couldn't get any more adorable even if he tried. Just saying.

- having a nice long conversation with my neighbour about ceilings, and stuff to stick there to isolate the room from the cold. In other words, slowly realizing I'm a grown-up now, because I actually enjoyed that conversation. God help us.

- listening to the last John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme episode. I now have that final hymn stuck in my head. I'm going to miss this show so freaking much.

- thanks to tumblr, discovering this amazing gem:



It's a cover of Not in Nottingham, from Robin Hood, as sung by Mumford & Sons. I must say, this might convince me that God does actually exist, because holy crap.

And most important, today I made my aunt laugh, during one of our daily phone conversations. With all the troubles with her mom being sick again, and tough shifts at work, it had been weeks since I last heard her laugh, so it was definitely THE best moment of the day. Go me. ^^

The fall is definitely here. It's cold, my throat aches, and I got a text message alerting me tomorrow there's going to be acqua alta in Venice. And they're selling roasted chestnuts in the streets! I felt the need to have a long stroll after my therapy session, and I ended up at Rialto, where the Disney Store is. I went in and asked the cashier if they had any Merida dolls. I tried to buy one last month, and they told me to come back in October. Then I went last week, and they told me they had recieved only 16 of them, that got sold-out in a couple of days, and told me to come back in the weekend. And finally, today they had them! He went to get me one, and I gave him a big smile and told him I was so happy, that it was my third attempt, and she was so beautiful, cue little cooing noises while caressing the box. He smiled and told me it was nice to see someone actually happy in that store, and I was shocked. Is everyone else so grumpy they can't even enjoy buying Disney Princesses? It was so hard not to start jumping up and down!


Look at her! She's perfect! And it took me half an hour to get her out of the box, with all the clips and wires they had put to keep her in place, and then Sakura almost stole the arrow, but now she's ready. She's going next to Ezio Auditore, in the living room. *________*

Anyway, then the cashier asked me if I liked action figures, and Merida, and we talked a lot, and he told me about new action figures of female villains, Maleficent, Ursula, the Queen of Hearts, and that he had seen them in a Disney Store in London. A bit of squeeing about London and villains, and then we went on talking about all the Disney movies that are in production right now and that we can't wait to see.

When I was about to pay, I noticed they already a wall covered in Christmas decorations. He told me they had skipped Halloween this year, which was a pity, and that's when I noticed this:


A bit of very, very important background information here: my sister's name is Alice. And she loved that movie so much, she adored it. This is going straight to the top of the christmas tree, but for now, it's going to sit right on top of my computer, on what I've decided is my new fandom wall:


It's the cupboard on top of my desk where I keep spare headphones and the likes, and now it's the Sticker Temple. :D

What a lovely weekend indeed! ♥

Who has two thumbs and an unhealthy addiction for the Disney Store?



Funniest thing is, I went there to buy the Merida doll, the one a bit taller than a Barbie, with the bow and quiver and the dark blue dress. Turns out, they're already out of stock and they'll be back in two weeks. Curse you, Venetian little girls with great taste in toys!

Also, my headstone will say "Here lies Nausicaa, strangled to death by her aunt because she bought yet another Disney mug". I couldn't help it, it's blue and it's pretty, and it has Merida on it! God, I'm so weak. :D

But seriously, I started going to the Disney Store back when I was doing radiotherapy. It was a daily, horrible experience, and the Disney Store is on the way to the hospital, so I would get out of the hospital everyday at 12.15, all aching and sad (my skin is very sensitive, and two weeks in I got radiation burns on my chest, and there were three more painful weeks to go), and then I would spend five minutes among princesses and colorful mugs and Donald Ducks and come out with a smile on my face. ^^

Today was, at last, the first day of Autumn, cold and rainy, and I wore a striped sweater, jeans, and a trenchcoat. Finally, my favourite season is here: pumpkins, hot chocolate, sweaters and cute jackets, Halloween and the Lucca Comics and Games! ♥

I'm back home! We watched Brave, and oh my god it was amazing. The Queen was so much my mom it both hurt and was extraordinary, and we both sobbed our eyes out at the ending. So happy I always keep some tissues in my bag when I go to the cinema, one never knows. Loved it loved it loved it!

And I bought an electric toothbrush, for the first time in my life, and it's brilliant! I never had one before, and now my mouth feels as if I just went to the dentist, amazing and with zero effort. :D Such a wonderful purchase!

Just got a call from Tati, who was watching the tv when a promo came on: starting 18th September, Teen Wolf will air on MTV Italy! I'm so going to watch the first episode, because I'm looking forward to hear the Italian voices. They're the same guys who did Scrubs, and that was a superb dub. I wonder if this means they're back to airing tv shows instead of reality shows. And then maybe they'll start airing music again. One never knows. Anyway, I love it when my shows go international. *______*

I'm going to Tati's for the weekend, and on sunday we'll finally see Brave in the cinema! AT LAST. Pixar movies always arrive here months later, and I have no idea why. After all, we had The Avengers a week before the USA, what's up with that? It was so hard to avoid spoilers on Tumblr, and yet I managed. I'm so excited about it, I'm sure I'm going to love it - well, it's Pixar, I'm obviously going to love it. ♥

(no spoilers in the comments, please, or I will self-combust and that would spoil a perfectly lovely weekend - also the title has nothing to do with the excited tone of the entry, but it's here because Lover's Eyes is a Derek Hale song if there ever was one, so there.)