Hotel Babylon.

Wow, so I completely forgot to write yesterday.  Also, school will be starting for me next week so I may be writing less.  I will try to continue every other day but I may get bogged down in too much school work.

Now on to more important things.  Hotel Babylon is my new favorite show.  I cannot even describe how much I love this show.  It's a British series that ran from 2006 to 2009.  It stars a bunch of people that look familiar but I have no idea who they are.  The show is just so great!  I was hooked from the first episode and have been exclusively watching it for the past few days.

I'm in the second season right now and there are four seasons.  Normally I like to watch an entire series before I write about it but this one couldn't wait.  I have slightly ruined it for myself by looking at IMDB because now I know a couple of the current main characters will be leaving the show soon because they're only in half the episodes that the other main characters are in.  I can see how they're giving the long-term characters more responsibility and air-time as they prepare for others to leave.  So that's interesting to watch.

The show is about eight staff at the five-star hotel Babylon who get into trouble, get out of trouble, have fun, and help their strange guests.

• Rebecca, played by Tamzin Outhwaite, is the hotel general manager.
• Charlie, played by Max Beesley, is the deputy manager.
• Tony, played by Dexter Fletcher, is the concierge.
• Jackie, played by Natalie Mendoza, is the head of housekeeping.
• Anna, played by Emma Pierson, is the lovely and scheming head of reception.
• James, played by Raymond Coulthard, is head of waitstaff I think.  His title is not clear but he does wait tables and he's in charge of ordering wine.
• Ben, played by Michael Obiora, is the token gay man of the show.  He works reception with Anna.
• Then there is the head bartender Gino, played by Martin Marquez.  Now, when I first started watching the show I thought he was Spanish.  According to his last name and IMDB profile, he is Spanish!  But for a while on the show they made him seem Italian.  Then, on the last season they clearly state that he's Spanish when a Spanish boxer stays at the hotel.  I'm not sure why there was confusion but he's definitely Spanish, don't let the name Gino fool you!

I believe there will be other main characters as the show goes on but these are the current stars.  They started in the series so they're most important.  After Rebecca leaves as Managers, Charlie takes over for a while.  Then he decides to leave as well and some other young guy, they slowly introduced, takes over.  But only for a few episodes and then he suddenly is gone and some lady is in his place.  So, once the main characters leave it gets a little dicey on who exactly is in charge.  Still a great show but I can see why it ended after four seasons.

Each episode focuses on one main theme.  The voice of Charlie usually introduces the episode while scenes of guests coming in are playing, then the opening theme song plays.  One great episode was about how guests should never pick-on the employees as employees will get revenge.  The episode featured a group of soccer (or football as they say in England) players who completely disrespect all the staff and in the end they learned a BIG lesson.  Somehow, the staff never get into trouble for their shenanigans.  I guess that's poetic license, huh?

Hotel Babylon gives an interesting look into management and hotel life.  Of course, I have no idea how much of the show is factual but I'm sure it is truthful on some level.  Within the series you learn about staff, guests, guests of guests, and how a hotel is run.  Hotel Babylon is funny, dramatic, and well made.  It has music that reminds me of Charlies Angel's, it's kind of fantastical.

I highly recommend  you check out Hotel Babylon!  It ran four seasons so there is a good chunk of show to watch.  It's always sad when you get into a show and then realize it only ran for one season so don't fear this one!  Check out this hilarious clip of Gino showing off his "gay walk" for Charlie and Ben.  Gino wanted lessons on how to act gay so that he could get better tips at the bar from a customer.  Always trying to make money on this show!

Mary and Max.

Mary Daisy Dinkle and Max Jerry Horovitz are two unlikely friends in the 2009 clay-animated black comedy called Mary and Max.

Mary and Max, directed by Adam Elliot, is a tale about two pen pals: Australian eight-year-old Mary and American forty-four-year-old Max.  Mary finds Max's number in a phone book at the post office and writes him a letter to ask where babies come from in America.  Mary's adult questions give overweight, anxiety ridden Max anxiety attacks every time he receives her letters.  Eventually, he needs to be institutionalized after one of her letters and when he stops writing Mary freaks out and pretends to forget about him.

This movie is incredible!  It is now one of my all-time favorites.  It really hit me.  I shed a lot of tears while watching and felt oddly empowered by the movie.  It's about being different and only having one other person in the world understand who you really are.  It's about overcoming the difficulties life has thrown at you and beating all the odds.  It's about friendship and love.  It's really about self-discovery and growing up.

The movie not only has an incredible story-line but great claymation and voice acting as well!  Mary is voiced by my all time favorite actress ever, Toni Collette.  Toni Collette has starred in some of my favorite programs ever like United States of Tara where she plays a mother with multiple personality disorder.  She's also fantastic in In Her Shoes, Little Miss Sunshine, Connie and Carla, Clockwatchers, and Muriel's Wedding just name my favorites.  She's AMAZING. I could go on and on.

Max is voiced by the talented and super cool Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Hoffman has been in everything from The Hunger Games to Along Came Polly to Charlie Wilson's War.  This guy does it all!  He is hilarious in comedies and great in his very serious roles.  I'll never be able to forget him in Along Came Polly as Ben Stiller's very strange friend who sharted at a party.  Also, I found this awesome picture of him playing basketball from the movie and ALWAYS thought he was saying "Letter A" and not "Let it rain."  Learn something new everyday!

I really could go on all day about Toni and Philip but this is about Mary and Max.  Apparently, according to the director, the movie is based off true events.  The character of Max is based off Elliot's own pen-pal in New York.  According to sources from Wiki, the movie took about 57 weeks to shoot and used 133 separate sets, 212 puppets, and 475 miniature props including a fully functioning Underwood typewriter which apparently took 9 weeks to design and build.

I really love the look and feel of a good claymation.  I've seen videos of people making claymation's and it takes a lot of hard work and time!  They set up the puppets then move them, take a picture, move a little, take a picture, and so on and so forth.  It's a long process but worth it in the end for how amazing it looks.

If you like claymation, Australia, Toni, Philip, weird storylines, and general awesomeness then check out this movie!  It really left a mark on me and I'm not sure why.  It's streaming right now on Netflix!  Here's the trailer. I couldn't find anything better than a trailer but at least you can hear how wonderful the music is in this movie.

Also, because I love Along Came Polly here's a clip of Sandy taking what is obviously his spotlight.  Just give him the freedom to rock out, guys!  Also, please note his outfit.  It's tight and makes him even funnier.  I never realized how much I love Philip Seymour Hoffman until this moment.