More Cultural Quirks: Marriage (aka Game Over ;-) )

So once again, I was recently endowed with an opportunity to stare blankly at the things people do in the name of culture, and I must say, I an in a partial state of disbelief , amusement, and "omg, no." I was spared attending the formal vow-exchange part because my dad couldn't make it, but we did attend the banquet. In true AcDec form, I was there for the food :)

Before the ribcage-rattling speakers belted out the bilingual blathering of the presumed emcee at hire and scared away my sonic-sensitive mom, she talked briefly about weddings in general and revealed my general ignorance in this area. It was really never something I'd paid much attention to. (Shocking, right? Given my cynical rants on Valentines, and girls...) I must say, in the remote chance I ever get married, I REALLY don't think I'll particularly enjoy pouring thousands upon thousands of dollars into things like wedding banquets. The torrent of money out of pockets for weddings is really terrifying. (The couple in question here is also honeymoon bound. Pocket - $$$$ = Hawaii.)

And then there's the issue of Cultural quirks. Apparently there's a little aside at the banquet where the newly-weds have to serve tea to their elders? Strange, though I can fathom that display under the rationalization of respect. Also, the bride has to change into a "traditional Chinese wedding dress" half way through? I've seen this done at another banquet before, so I'm assuming it's somewhat standardized, but still seems like an added inconvenience. And what about ill-contrived, and dreaded tradition of utensil percussions? Honestly, just tell the bride and groom to kiss. I don't want to have a heart attack thinking that the room suddenly filled with chopstick wielding kids beating at plates and cups.

OOH. And if you ever want a non-Disney representation of a dancing forest, look no further than a Chinese wedding banquet with a dance floor :P . After that display, I think my opinion of generic dance-moves has increased, along with my respect of people who can actually pull off a few moves. (It should be noted that a black couple was the last one standing for a particular string of songs.)

So, back on topic. summary of events:
• Arrive, cocktail hour, tea ceremony business.
• "Grand" entrance of newly-weds with ... techno music?
• Food!
• Wanton acts of intimate humiliation, like [emcee]: "You have to kiss... for 10 seconds. (Obligatory delay of countdown to close to 20 seconds)"
• More food!
• Little games with prizes, dancing, and some more food.
• Depart before the exit degrades into a human plug from the mass exodus.

I'm vaguely curious about what this is like for other people, and what their experiences are. Comment below if you have anything insightful and/or snarky to say! :)

The Dark Knight - Soundtrack Impressions

Seeing as I'm at work, and the movie's going to be released in a few days, I figured that I might as well waste a blog entry about my thoughts on the score for the upcoming release.
Credited to Zimmer and Howard (if you don't know who they are, ask Brett), the soundtrack to The Dark Knight seems a rehash of the original score from Batman Begins, but hey, isn't that what they did with Pirates of the Caribbean? I recognize a lot of clips from various old tracks melded together, usually for the better, but sometimes seeming out of place when you listen to it only for the music. I can only assume it was done to match the action in a particular scene.
Thematically, it's almost identical, with a few tracks standing out in honor of the Joker. It's still very brass and percussion heavy, with a layering of strings. I think I might have caught an electric guitar thrown in for a moment, and a flute to add to various emotional settings. A spot here or there briefly brings to mind Ironman or Transformers, but the music quickly retreats back into its dark little niche in the soundtrack world.
I do have to mourn the lack of a particularly long, intense track though. It was something I couldn't really find in the first and still something I can't find now. The vast majority of the action tracks in this album involve breathtaking crescendos followed by precipitous plummets back into low, ominous tones (which are still worth listening to, but if you turn up the volume, you risk blowing out your eardrums on the next orchestral orgasm). I suppose that in a theater, these auditory disappointments would be filled by cinematic glory. But alas, there is no single track that screams "kick-ass" all the way through.

So yea. That's enough time-wasting here.

Best one I can find ("Introduce a Little Anarchy"):