For Anner.
Let me know if it has anything useful...my knowledge stops at using quotes to limit search results.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Politics: DeLay indicted
BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush ally faces criminal charge
I wonder what % of the current administration will eventually end up under indictment?
The "politically motivated" part is utter bullshit. In fact the prosecuter in question has a track record of going after Democrats.
It's alwas interested me how the "family values" party produces so many more criminals than the Godless, heathen, America-hating Democrats.
I wonder what % of the current administration will eventually end up under indictment?
The "politically motivated" part is utter bullshit. In fact the prosecuter in question has a track record of going after Democrats.
It's alwas interested me how the "family values" party produces so many more criminals than the Godless, heathen, America-hating Democrats.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
BBC NEWS | Africa | Somali pirates seize second ship
BBC NEWS | Africa | Somali pirates seize second ship: "Somali pirates, who have been holding a ship carrying food aid since June, have used it to board a second boat."
This one is for the Pelf.
This one is for the Pelf.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
SANTO , EL ENMASCARADO DE PLATA. FOTONOVELA DIGITAL
Just for you, bobo!
See, I look out for you even when you shun the opportunity to watch boxing with your pals!
See, I look out for you even when you shun the opportunity to watch boxing with your pals!
Friday, September 23, 2005
Mamet on the pussy Democrats
Good Stuff.
His films are hit-or-miss, but he nails cowardly Democrats with his gambling metaphor here.
His films are hit-or-miss, but he nails cowardly Democrats with his gambling metaphor here.
Politics: The hits just keep on coming
Sigh.
You think when a company gets 100 million dollars in pork from the US Government they would at least make a fucking effort to do the job....wouldn't you?
Makes you wonder how many other sweetheart deals DHS and FEMA pissed away our tax dollars on.
You think when a company gets 100 million dollars in pork from the US Government they would at least make a fucking effort to do the job....wouldn't you?
Makes you wonder how many other sweetheart deals DHS and FEMA pissed away our tax dollars on.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
politics: Bush falling of the wagon
Greeeeeeeeeeat.
I agree with Gilliard about the Enquirer's reliability.
They bulletproof their stories better than anyone else, because the people they go after are as litigous as they come.
I agree with Gilliard about the Enquirer's reliability.
They bulletproof their stories better than anyone else, because the people they go after are as litigous as they come.
politics: Immigration Nominee's Credentials Questioned
Politics as usual from Bush.
Apparently Katrina didn't teach him anything about filling critical posts with incompetent but well connected political hacks.
Apparently Katrina didn't teach him anything about filling critical posts with incompetent but well connected political hacks.
Find-A-Human
dozens of ways to get a real person on a customer support line.
Sad, but helpful.
I once wasted a full day trying to get a human on the phone from Amazon.
Sad, but helpful.
I once wasted a full day trying to get a human on the phone from Amazon.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
customers: bds&m redux
So the lady from my previous post had to leave prematurely due to the child in her stroller starting to pitch a fit.
Never fear, dear reader, she came back a few minutes ago.
"I'll try this again without the screaming baby."
She was successful, picking up a copy of Bound to be Free: the S&M Experience from our "instructional smut" section.
My advice: fuck saving for college, sock away the money to pay for the kid's therapy bills.
Never fear, dear reader, she came back a few minutes ago.
"I'll try this again without the screaming baby."
She was successful, picking up a copy of Bound to be Free: the S&M Experience from our "instructional smut" section.
My advice: fuck saving for college, sock away the money to pay for the kid's therapy bills.
What is 'Black Metal'?
well?
A practitioner of grim, dark, satanic black metal vs. a put-on artist.
Good fun!
teaser:
A practitioner of grim, dark, satanic black metal vs. a put-on artist.
Good fun!
teaser:
okay, let me break it down for you. first of all, i don't think anyone who is truly into black metal would start an e-mail by saying "hi!" you are not working at a smoothie shop buddy, you are representing black metal. pull yourself together! i should know- i'm the king of black metal in my hometown of gary, indiana. you should hear my band witch taint.....i gotta go, my mom needs the computer.
blackest of the black,
lance
boxing: Louis vs Schmelling in Vanity Fair
solid article.
I'm always happy to find boxing getting mainstream exposure, even when it's sepia tinted with nostalgia.
I'm always happy to find boxing getting mainstream exposure, even when it's sepia tinted with nostalgia.
customers: bds&m
A mother pushing a stroller comes in, an overweight matronly bottle redhead in acid washed jeans and a staid white blouse.
woman:
Where's your section for *mutters something I don't quite catch*
me:
Pardon me? What were you looking for?
woman:
(more boldly) I'm looking for bondage, discipline and S&M.
me:
Ah. Right this way.
Maybe I should have warned her about the FBI's morality offensive.
woman:
Where's your section for *mutters something I don't quite catch*
me:
Pardon me? What were you looking for?
woman:
(more boldly) I'm looking for bondage, discipline and S&M.
me:
Ah. Right this way.
Maybe I should have warned her about the FBI's morality offensive.
Recruits Sought for Porn Squad
Your Right Wing Evangelical Government At Work
"Evidence" of what, exactly?
Grownups engaging in consensual sex?
HORRORS!
Synchronicity....I just found this book on the new arrivals table.
The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults.
"Evidence" of what, exactly?
Grownups engaging in consensual sex?
HORRORS!
"I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."
Synchronicity....I just found this book on the new arrivals table.
games: fun free and funny
Kingdom of Loathing.
One of the folk on my boxing board tipped me off to this one and I've been checking it out. It's like any number of other lo fi dungeon crawl games, except it's funny, the encounters are well written and the storyline is (so far) neat-o.
It's also free, so check it out. I've already gotten enough laffs to justify my account creation.
One of the folk on my boxing board tipped me off to this one and I've been checking it out. It's like any number of other lo fi dungeon crawl games, except it's funny, the encounters are well written and the storyline is (so far) neat-o.
It's also free, so check it out. I've already gotten enough laffs to justify my account creation.
Monday, September 19, 2005
food: you get what you pay for
Mission "Guacamole" dip contains less than 2% 'guacamole powder'
Because, you see, avocados are expensive, and they don't keep for shit.
I just wonder who would buy it in the first place?
I mean I know the American consumer is conditioned for culinary helplessness, witness abominations like frozen cookie dough, hamburger helper and pre-packaged noodle dinners.
But how fucking hard is it to buy a ripe avocado or two, season it with salt, pepper and some lime juice and mash it up with a fork?
Well, assuming of course you live somewhere you can get avocados easily, like sunny Cali-forn-eye-aye.
My favorite guac of all time was made this past friday. I had about 1/2 a cup of this crazy chipotle tomatillo salsa left over from a previous meal, so I mashed up five avocados then added the salsa and some salt....deeeelicious.
Mission Guacamole Dip............feh.
Because, you see, avocados are expensive, and they don't keep for shit.
I just wonder who would buy it in the first place?
I mean I know the American consumer is conditioned for culinary helplessness, witness abominations like frozen cookie dough, hamburger helper and pre-packaged noodle dinners.
But how fucking hard is it to buy a ripe avocado or two, season it with salt, pepper and some lime juice and mash it up with a fork?
Well, assuming of course you live somewhere you can get avocados easily, like sunny Cali-forn-eye-aye.
My favorite guac of all time was made this past friday. I had about 1/2 a cup of this crazy chipotle tomatillo salsa left over from a previous meal, so I mashed up five avocados then added the salsa and some salt....deeeelicious.
Mission Guacamole Dip............feh.
Donald Trump ringtones
Oh yes.
"When Donald Trump's voice is coming out of your cell phone, everyone around you will know you mean business," Trump said in a statement to the paper. "With Trump Mobile personalization products, people can finally get some valuable advice while their phones are ringing."
Millions of games
link aggregator for on-line games.
Good fun!
In the absence of a compelling retail release to play with my chums, I've been getting my gaming fix from free online sources. This clearinghouse of links is a handy way to track down new, good ones.
Good fun!
In the absence of a compelling retail release to play with my chums, I've been getting my gaming fix from free online sources. This clearinghouse of links is a handy way to track down new, good ones.
BBC NEWS | Middle East | British troops arrested in Basra
More good news from that hole in the sand we're pouring money and lives into.
This is terrible news because up until now the Brits have held down their end with much less fuss than we have. And coming on the heels of the organized wave of bombings in Baghdad it's especially worrying.
Also, a question that's bothered me since shortly after Georgie Boy declared Mission Accomplished, tens of thousands of American and Iraqi casualties and hundreds of billions of dollars ago...how many times can you "turn the corner" before you realize you're navigating a circle?
This is terrible news because up until now the Brits have held down their end with much less fuss than we have. And coming on the heels of the organized wave of bombings in Baghdad it's especially worrying.
Also, a question that's bothered me since shortly after Georgie Boy declared Mission Accomplished, tens of thousands of American and Iraqi casualties and hundreds of billions of dollars ago...how many times can you "turn the corner" before you realize you're navigating a circle?
It's Talk Like A Pirate Day
Arrrrrrrrrr!
I remember when these guys started their thing a few years back, nice to see them still plugging along.
I remember when these guys started their thing a few years back, nice to see them still plugging along.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Holyfield fighting gym owner
this is just sad.
I love boxing, but until it gets a central governing body ridiculous shit like this will keep dragging its image down.
I love boxing, but until it gets a central governing body ridiculous shit like this will keep dragging its image down.
customers: older woman
buying books for her son in Iraq.
I was able to correct a couple of author names on her list ("no wonder I haven't been able to find them!")
A good finale to our conversation at the register:
"I can't pick books for men. What do they like anyway? I don't know. (looks at book cover) Oh, this one was a bestseller....do you have a list? A list of bestsellers that men like?"
I wasn't able to oblige her, alas.
I was able to correct a couple of author names on her list ("no wonder I haven't been able to find them!")
A good finale to our conversation at the register:
"I can't pick books for men. What do they like anyway? I don't know. (looks at book cover) Oh, this one was a bestseller....do you have a list? A list of bestsellers that men like?"
I wasn't able to oblige her, alas.
major labels: the problem with music
Producer Steve Albani lays out the financial math of the music business.
And just think, this is in the modern era.
Imagine how black rock and blues pioneers were treated back in the day.
p2p is simply karma coming around and biting the RIAA and their corporate masters in the ass.
And just think, this is in the modern era.
Imagine how black rock and blues pioneers were treated back in the day.
p2p is simply karma coming around and biting the RIAA and their corporate masters in the ass.
Thief hid phone up her bum
ouch!
actually, it would be nice if more cell phone users followed her lead...especially the driving kind.
actually, it would be nice if more cell phone users followed her lead...especially the driving kind.
Mom's Recipes - a photoset on Flickr
check it
I love this kind of analog/digital collision.
I find a ton of weird artifacts in books and have a fascination for old paper with the writing of another era on it.
Plus, I'm sure there are some good recipes in there.
I love this kind of analog/digital collision.
I find a ton of weird artifacts in books and have a fascination for old paper with the writing of another era on it.
Plus, I'm sure there are some good recipes in there.
Politics; Frank Rich
Message: I Care About the Black Folks
Dead on, as always.
Read the whole thing.
ONCE Toto parts the curtain, the Wizard of Oz can never be the wizard again. He is forever Professor Marvel, blowhard and snake-oil salesman. Hurricane Katrina, which is likely to endure in the American psyche as long as L. Frank Baum's mythic tornado, has similarly unmasked George W. Bush.
Dead on, as always.
Read the whole thing.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Movie: The Ninth Day
This film is about as badly marketed as you could hope for, at least if they want anyone to watch it. The poster (the same as the graphic on the Kino site) made me want to run the other way....the trailer was even worse, presenting a horrible vision of profoundly Teutonic doom and peril that might have gotten it some traction in Berlin, but is tragically misapplied in America.
When your movie is already threatening to sink beneath the weight of its premise (priest in concentration camp engages in existential battle with Nazi officer), do you really need to load it down further with an apocalyptic ad campaign?
The astute among you are doubtless asking "well then, why in the heck did you see it?"
The wife, of course. And the fact that my pal Bob wanted to see it, giving me some backup. The marketing was so effective only two other hearty souls joined us for the 7pm show, its last.
After all of that, the movie was great.
I recommend it to all thoughtful adults.
Ten minutes in I understood why the wife was so eager to have someone to chew it over with. It's the kind of movie this country doesn't make any more; it ask hard questions and shuns easy answers.
But it provides resolution, even though the exact meaning is left to the viewer.
I'm not a fan of movies where ambiguity serves as a fig leaf obscuring shallowness of thought and lazy writing. Not the case here, the script and its execution evidence a precision and depth of thought that is almost literally stunning.
And it manages this without crushing you flat with the seriousness and gravity of its premise. I'm not sure how, exactly, which is why I'm just an interested amateur of cinema.
The acting is off-the-charts good. The direction is dead on, doing exactly what it means to do. Nothing cheap, nothing easy. Looking back, the amount of effort that went into this film is inescapably obvious, but you're completely unaware of it while watching.
Aside from the work it does on the exercise of power and what it means to the people on both sides of the equation it's a great film about religion, a subject that has become almost impossible to address without resorting to Thomas Kinkade brand kitsch-piety. It addresses the meaning and price of personal faith and also the intersection between that faith and the power structure that grew up around it, the Catholic Church.
It's not the kind of triumphalist necro-porn that so successfully stirred fundie loins in Passion of the Christ, it's much deeper and more thoughtful and eschews the potential to wallow in the torture of the death camps, using it as a narrative tool rather than an end to itself.
So check this one out on DVD. Don't be put off by the cover or the trailer.
It's a movie about power and faith for grown-ups, and deserves to find its audience.
When your movie is already threatening to sink beneath the weight of its premise (priest in concentration camp engages in existential battle with Nazi officer), do you really need to load it down further with an apocalyptic ad campaign?
The astute among you are doubtless asking "well then, why in the heck did you see it?"
The wife, of course. And the fact that my pal Bob wanted to see it, giving me some backup. The marketing was so effective only two other hearty souls joined us for the 7pm show, its last.
After all of that, the movie was great.
I recommend it to all thoughtful adults.
Ten minutes in I understood why the wife was so eager to have someone to chew it over with. It's the kind of movie this country doesn't make any more; it ask hard questions and shuns easy answers.
But it provides resolution, even though the exact meaning is left to the viewer.
I'm not a fan of movies where ambiguity serves as a fig leaf obscuring shallowness of thought and lazy writing. Not the case here, the script and its execution evidence a precision and depth of thought that is almost literally stunning.
And it manages this without crushing you flat with the seriousness and gravity of its premise. I'm not sure how, exactly, which is why I'm just an interested amateur of cinema.
The acting is off-the-charts good. The direction is dead on, doing exactly what it means to do. Nothing cheap, nothing easy. Looking back, the amount of effort that went into this film is inescapably obvious, but you're completely unaware of it while watching.
Aside from the work it does on the exercise of power and what it means to the people on both sides of the equation it's a great film about religion, a subject that has become almost impossible to address without resorting to Thomas Kinkade brand kitsch-piety. It addresses the meaning and price of personal faith and also the intersection between that faith and the power structure that grew up around it, the Catholic Church.
It's not the kind of triumphalist necro-porn that so successfully stirred fundie loins in Passion of the Christ, it's much deeper and more thoughtful and eschews the potential to wallow in the torture of the death camps, using it as a narrative tool rather than an end to itself.
So check this one out on DVD. Don't be put off by the cover or the trailer.
It's a movie about power and faith for grown-ups, and deserves to find its audience.
WeFunk Radio
clickit
great archive of shows featuring the full range of funk, r&b and rap/hip-hop, with the accent on the funk. Lots of great stuff from off the beaten path.
I listen using Winamp, because I'm a techno-luddite.
The cool kids get down with their "podcasts", but I hate changing horses unless the one I'm riding dies under me...and Winamp is still kickin'.
great archive of shows featuring the full range of funk, r&b and rap/hip-hop, with the accent on the funk. Lots of great stuff from off the beaten path.
I listen using Winamp, because I'm a techno-luddite.
The cool kids get down with their "podcasts", but I hate changing horses unless the one I'm riding dies under me...and Winamp is still kickin'.
customers: Oregon
I had a weird interaction with one of those women on the far side of 40 who think working out obsessively, a mahogany tan and dressing 20 years too young does anything but radiate desperation.
what I didn't say was "well, in Oregon your school district has to shut down early because they can't pay the teachers."
And what's up with people who are allergic to recipts?
Every couple of days I'll get someone who can't be bothered with their recipt.
And like the people who make a big production number out of saying they don't want a bag, they always do some song-and-dance about it. Either the recycle thing, or they have to explain to me why they don't want the recipt (deathly afraid of paper cuts, abusive father collected recipts, allergic to paper, etc).
Now there's some smelly dude in a positively filthy hat perusing the sale cart...another post might be forthcoming.
woman(purchasing a Buddhist philosophy book by Trungpa):
*sigh* I wish I had my Oregon stuff with me....we don't pay tax there.
me: mmm. Ok, here's your recipt.
woman (trying for a smile, ending up with a smirk) could you, uh, recycle that for me, or something?
me: (pause)....sure.
what I didn't say was "well, in Oregon your school district has to shut down early because they can't pay the teachers."
And what's up with people who are allergic to recipts?
Every couple of days I'll get someone who can't be bothered with their recipt.
And like the people who make a big production number out of saying they don't want a bag, they always do some song-and-dance about it. Either the recycle thing, or they have to explain to me why they don't want the recipt (deathly afraid of paper cuts, abusive father collected recipts, allergic to paper, etc).
Now there's some smelly dude in a positively filthy hat perusing the sale cart...another post might be forthcoming.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Comic Artists vs. Literary Figures
check it
Some good stuff, including Kubla Kahn by Jeffery Jones.
Lots of good folk I've heard of, some people who suck, some I've never heard of. Click around a bit.
Some good stuff, including Kubla Kahn by Jeffery Jones.
Lots of good folk I've heard of, some people who suck, some I've never heard of. Click around a bit.
Politics: David Remnick on Bush
Tearing Georgie Boy a new one.
Remnick is a writer of grace and talent and wrote one of the two best books on Muhammed Ali, King of the World.
Lovely.
And accurate.
Remnick is a writer of grace and talent and wrote one of the two best books on Muhammed Ali, King of the World.
And yet, to a frightening degree, Bush’s faults of leadership and character were brought into high relief by the crisis. Suntanned and relaxed after a vacation so long that it would have shamed a French playboy, Bush reacted with fogged delinquency, as if he had been so lulled by his summer sojourn that he was not quite ready to acknowledge reality, let alone attempt to master it.
Lovely.
And accurate.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Grossest Thing on the Internet This Week
Not gross like "woman giving anal birth to a pineapple" or "man set on fire and crushed by a steamroller", but in a creepy way that makes you want to take a shower on the inside of your body and never eat fish again.
Can't say I didn't warn ya!
Can't say I didn't warn ya!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Energy Drink
Hmmm.
I bet if Bush drank this instead of vodka stingers he'd have been more on top of Katrina.
Probably could have gotten it in a thumblock and strangled it with his ponytail.
a comment from badkitty on my boxing forum:
I bet if Bush drank this instead of vodka stingers he'd have been more on top of Katrina.
Probably could have gotten it in a thumblock and strangled it with his ponytail.
a comment from badkitty on my boxing forum:
Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that the main ingredient is bourbon, and the secondary is olive oil?
Politics: Elephant above Country
So, America-hating Republicans voted down a bi-partisan commission that would have investigated why Bush fell on his face responding to the hurricane.
Not surprising. After all, they had to be shamed into creating a similar 9/11 commission by the families of the dead. But still instructive that not a single Republican senator put duty to their country over slavish party loyalty to the incompetent alcoholic coke addict lodged like a cancerous tumor in the White House.
Oh well.
At least we've turned the corner in Iraq....right?
Not surprising. After all, they had to be shamed into creating a similar 9/11 commission by the families of the dead. But still instructive that not a single Republican senator put duty to their country over slavish party loyalty to the incompetent alcoholic coke addict lodged like a cancerous tumor in the White House.
Oh well.
At least we've turned the corner in Iraq....right?
Crazy Indian Comic
this is beautiful.
I love other cultures.
Well, except when people spit on the floor indoors.
I don't love them then.
I love other cultures.
Well, except when people spit on the floor indoors.
I don't love them then.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
The Youth of Today
they've got such a sick crib....pool in back, sound system...
it was so crazy dude!
it was so crackin' last night...there was two kegs and shit...
from a ~19 year old white college student in a ballcap and tee shirt on his cell phone
Monday, September 12, 2005
movie: Darkman
Head's up for fans of Sam Rami: I grabbed a copy of the estimable Darkman at Best Buy for five bucks.
A can't lose price for the best superhero movie prior to Rami's own Spider Man, and a film that features much more of the type of grimy backyard invention that fueled his best early work.
A can't lose price for the best superhero movie prior to Rami's own Spider Man, and a film that features much more of the type of grimy backyard invention that fueled his best early work.
If Goths Ruled the Earth
A quite excellent photoshop contest.
Much higher percentage of quality-to-crap than usual in these things.
Much higher percentage of quality-to-crap than usual in these things.
Teh Funny: Religious Jokes
Top 20 funniest and most offensive religious jokes, chosen by some web site I'd never heard of.
The offensive ones are especially entertaining....
The offensive ones are especially entertaining....
Politics: Pungent Prose on Pussy Prez
Dailykos reflects on the Preznit's long vacation and its aftermath.
On point.
The graphic of all the post-disaster newspaper front pages packs quite a punch.
You know what the official response to the whole post-disaster clusterfuck reminds me of?
Ashlee Simpson's lip synch fuckup.
Outside events have conspired to expose the empty suit leading the band.
On point.
The graphic of all the post-disaster newspaper front pages packs quite a punch.
You know what the official response to the whole post-disaster clusterfuck reminds me of?
Ashlee Simpson's lip synch fuckup.
Outside events have conspired to expose the empty suit leading the band.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
movie: Five More Great Documentaries (in no particular order)
Sorrow and the Pity
Probaby the greatest feat of documentary filmmaking in the history of cinema.
'Heavy' isn't the word for it, and it weighs in over 4 hours long.
But every self-aware adult on the planet should watch it at least once.
Hoop Dreams
As DT pointed out, everything you need to know about race relations in America in a two hour capsule. Fascinating, involving, entertaining, heartbreaking.
Paradise Lost
Another one by the team responsible for Brother's Keeper. Not quite as good, but still excellent. A goth kid in the midwest gets railroaded for murder. A fine portrait of outcast disaffected youth, small town bias and the tragic collision between the two. The danger of blaming the "other" for problems resting much closer to home concretized.
Burden of Dreams
My second favorite documentary about the making of a film. Les Blank (an inspiration for and contemporary of Errol Morris) films Werner Herzog (himself a documentarian of note) filming his epic of the creative process, Fitzcarraldo.
It's only flaw is the documentary team running of money; the end of the film is rushed and sketched in...you don't get the payoff you deserve after the appropriately monumental buildup.
Still, it's well worth watching just for the mania of leading man Klaus Kinski and for Herzog's crazed monolog about the rot of the jungle.
Gates of Heaven
Another winner from Erroll Morris, tracking the history of a pet cemetary and the personalities surrounding its creation and rebirth. Big themes well grounded by fascinating characters, as usual with Morris.
Probaby the greatest feat of documentary filmmaking in the history of cinema.
'Heavy' isn't the word for it, and it weighs in over 4 hours long.
But every self-aware adult on the planet should watch it at least once.
Hoop Dreams
As DT pointed out, everything you need to know about race relations in America in a two hour capsule. Fascinating, involving, entertaining, heartbreaking.
Paradise Lost
Another one by the team responsible for Brother's Keeper. Not quite as good, but still excellent. A goth kid in the midwest gets railroaded for murder. A fine portrait of outcast disaffected youth, small town bias and the tragic collision between the two. The danger of blaming the "other" for problems resting much closer to home concretized.
Burden of Dreams
My second favorite documentary about the making of a film. Les Blank (an inspiration for and contemporary of Errol Morris) films Werner Herzog (himself a documentarian of note) filming his epic of the creative process, Fitzcarraldo.
It's only flaw is the documentary team running of money; the end of the film is rushed and sketched in...you don't get the payoff you deserve after the appropriately monumental buildup.
Still, it's well worth watching just for the mania of leading man Klaus Kinski and for Herzog's crazed monolog about the rot of the jungle.
Gates of Heaven
Another winner from Erroll Morris, tracking the history of a pet cemetary and the personalities surrounding its creation and rebirth. Big themes well grounded by fascinating characters, as usual with Morris.
hot off the presses
just found this tucked inside a copy of Secret Societies of America's Elite:
Caption?
Caption?
cookbooks: Salsa by Reed Hearon
A great little cookbook.
It avoids that most common failing of narrow-focus cookbooks, inflating the page count with too many similar recipes. The book is refreshingly slim and the salsas described are enjoyably diverse.
So far I've made a couple that turned out splendidly, including a smokey tomatillo/chipotle number that not only eclipsed my previous favorite tomatillo salsa's flavor, but was easier to make. Win x 2.
It has all the classics, a sprinkling of nice variations, a chapter on 'new' salsas culled from the experimental early days of Tex-Mex cuisine that have held up over time, a couple of super-hot salsas and a few pages of milder ones.
Like a good salsa the flavors of this book are concentrated and pungent.
Check it out.
It avoids that most common failing of narrow-focus cookbooks, inflating the page count with too many similar recipes. The book is refreshingly slim and the salsas described are enjoyably diverse.
So far I've made a couple that turned out splendidly, including a smokey tomatillo/chipotle number that not only eclipsed my previous favorite tomatillo salsa's flavor, but was easier to make. Win x 2.
It has all the classics, a sprinkling of nice variations, a chapter on 'new' salsas culled from the experimental early days of Tex-Mex cuisine that have held up over time, a couple of super-hot salsas and a few pages of milder ones.
Like a good salsa the flavors of this book are concentrated and pungent.
Check it out.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
inexplicable deux
what the hell are they thinking?
Didn't anyone involved in this marketing abomination bother to watch the goddamn movie?
This is right up there with the Carnival Cruises tabbing Iggy Pop's heroin love-letter Lust for Life to pimp Mexican getaways on the all-time pound-for-pound list of braindead marketing decisions.
Didn't anyone involved in this marketing abomination bother to watch the goddamn movie?
This is right up there with the Carnival Cruises tabbing Iggy Pop's heroin love-letter Lust for Life to pimp Mexican getaways on the all-time pound-for-pound list of braindead marketing decisions.
inexplicable
Yesterday the wife diverted me to the department store on our way to read magazines at the local chain bookstore and requested at gunpoint that I buy some new underwear.
Fair enough since I've thrown out enough of her "comfortable" old tee shirts and sweaters to stuff a mattress.
So I grab couple of packages off the rack and notice en route to the checkout that they're packed in zip-loc plastic bags, like ready-to-eat salad or pre-sliced cheese.
Did they think I needed to try on a pair?
Or is it just a convinient disposal method for after I've worn them a few times?
An odd marriage of product and package whatever their thinking.
Fair enough since I've thrown out enough of her "comfortable" old tee shirts and sweaters to stuff a mattress.
So I grab couple of packages off the rack and notice en route to the checkout that they're packed in zip-loc plastic bags, like ready-to-eat salad or pre-sliced cheese.
Did they think I needed to try on a pair?
Or is it just a convinient disposal method for after I've worn them a few times?
An odd marriage of product and package whatever their thinking.
Cigarette Packages
Packaging has served cancer sticks well over the years by following the cardinal rule of seduction; conceal as much as you reveal. A lifelong non-smoker (of cigarettes, at least), I still get a certain jolt from the minimalist perfection of a pack of Lucky Strikes.
This site is a gold mine of vintage cigarette package pr0n.
Amazing stuff. Almost makes me want to light up.
This site is a gold mine of vintage cigarette package pr0n.
Amazing stuff. Almost makes me want to light up.
Because DT Demanded it!
Continuing in the spirit of Cats in Tubs, I am happy to present you with...
dogs in bee costumes!
More proof that there is no niche market so obscure it cannot be reached by the exposing glow of teh internets.
dogs in bee costumes!
More proof that there is no niche market so obscure it cannot be reached by the exposing glow of teh internets.
Politics: Then and Now
Then:
"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job!"
Now:
Well....we may want to qualify that support.
(You know this administration is in trouble when dyed-in-the-wool winger racists like Malkin start calling your talking points out on the carpet.)
"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job!"
Now:
Well....we may want to qualify that support.
(You know this administration is in trouble when dyed-in-the-wool winger racists like Malkin start calling your talking points out on the carpet.)
America, America
Mainlining coverage of the ongoing atrocities afflicting the gulf coast has provided me with the perfect metaphor for the America of our current moment in history.
It's a stock character in film and fiction, the BMOC Jock gone to seed.
15 years ago he won the Big Game...now he's 50 pounds overweight and has traded his athletic uniform for a dirty tee shirt that can't quite cover his beer belly and a ball cap that doesn't do enough to hide his thinning hair. Instead of practice, he sits on his port with a 12 pack of whatever was on sale at the 7-11 that morning and runs the tape of his career highlights for anyone who passes by.
He beats up little dudes at the bar on Saturday night and sleeps with a hairdresser who closes her eyes and remembers the golden boy he was, glowing with promise and posibility, and who leaves before the morning light illuminates the aftermath.
It's a stock character in film and fiction, the BMOC Jock gone to seed.
15 years ago he won the Big Game...now he's 50 pounds overweight and has traded his athletic uniform for a dirty tee shirt that can't quite cover his beer belly and a ball cap that doesn't do enough to hide his thinning hair. Instead of practice, he sits on his port with a 12 pack of whatever was on sale at the 7-11 that morning and runs the tape of his career highlights for anyone who passes by.
He beats up little dudes at the bar on Saturday night and sleeps with a hairdresser who closes her eyes and remembers the golden boy he was, glowing with promise and posibility, and who leaves before the morning light illuminates the aftermath.
A Fun Game
Here's how it went with my niece last night.
scene:
the bedroom, where I was supposed to be reading her Maurice Sendak books.
the game:
she'd stand in the middle of the bed, menace me with clawed hands and a contorted face (reminding me of nothing so much as Calvin trying to look mean).
After I evidenced an appropriate amount of alarm and worry at being in a room with a dangerous, wild beast, she would freeze in place and slowly, slowly topple backward onto the down comforter.
Then we'd both laugh...and it would begin again.
This went on for 20 minutes or so.
And I know from past experience that the next time I see her, we'll be re-enacting the whole thing.
The more I'm around her, the more certain I am that people with O.C.D. are just channeling their inner 2 year old...
scene:
the bedroom, where I was supposed to be reading her Maurice Sendak books.
the game:
she'd stand in the middle of the bed, menace me with clawed hands and a contorted face (reminding me of nothing so much as Calvin trying to look mean).
After I evidenced an appropriate amount of alarm and worry at being in a room with a dangerous, wild beast, she would freeze in place and slowly, slowly topple backward onto the down comforter.
Then we'd both laugh...and it would begin again.
This went on for 20 minutes or so.
And I know from past experience that the next time I see her, we'll be re-enacting the whole thing.
The more I'm around her, the more certain I am that people with O.C.D. are just channeling their inner 2 year old...
Friday, September 9, 2005
Emerald Bile bulls-eye
Hard to argue...
Americans make a real meal of it when things go wrong. They made a terrible fuss about 9/11 and still harp on about it, and as for the way they are handling the Hurricane, well I have never seen such a shower of useless weeping cunts. When Holland went under water, some boy called Peter stuck his finger in a dam, and saved everyone. When the yanks get flooded they go around shooting each other.
music: Bill Frisell, East/West
Meet Bill Frisell, one of my favorite artists of recent years. If you've heard anything of his at all, chances are it was from the soundtrack for Finding Forrester.
He's ostensibly a jazz musician, but his interests are all over the place. In the last few years alone he's done albums of blues, country, world music & bluegrass. He's a bit like another of my favorite artists, Ry Cooder- a guitar virtuoso who's interests led him far afield. Ry started out a pure blues man and eventually worked it way around to jazz and world music...Bill started out a pure downtown NYC jazz guy, part of the John Zorn mafia, who wound his way eventually to the blues and american roots music. But where Ry finds an interest and mines it for a while, Bill hits it and quits it, changing gears from album to album. And where Ry comes out with a new project every couple of years, Bill is good for a couple of albums a year. Keeping up with him can be a challenge.
Last year I was fortunate enough to catch him live, here in the costal backwater I call home. One of the local jazz dj's who works next door to me at the record store dabbles in promoting from time to time and managed to land Frisell for a show between consecutive weekends in LA and SF...it didn't hurt that his drummer's parents lived in town. My wife had seen him many times years ago when she lived in The City and assured me it would change my life.
Correct!
The show was music as spiritual communion, the kind of thing you can't begin to describe without sounding like a new age loon high on crystals and herbal tea.
Some of that feeling is captured on disc one of this release. There's magic you can't catch with a microphone, but live is better than studio and this is a great live set. The lineup is the same as the one I saw, minus the guy who played pedal steel and slide guitar (I forget his name, but he plays with everybody- lucinda williams, kd lang, everybody), and they play a bunch of the same tunes, plus a transcendent version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine (my pal says they did this one at the sound check here, but it didn't appear in the show).
Fantastic stuff. I haven't even gotten to the second disc yet, but I'm in love.
An aside for my midwestern readers:
Viktor Krauss plays bass on disc one and the show I saw. He's a native of Champaign, Illinois and studied music at the University of Illinois. He apparently has a cd coming out on Nonesuch with Bill on guitar....if you're lucky enough to have him play nearby jump on that shit, I guarantee you won't regret it.
Bax rating: 10 out of 10.
He's ostensibly a jazz musician, but his interests are all over the place. In the last few years alone he's done albums of blues, country, world music & bluegrass. He's a bit like another of my favorite artists, Ry Cooder- a guitar virtuoso who's interests led him far afield. Ry started out a pure blues man and eventually worked it way around to jazz and world music...Bill started out a pure downtown NYC jazz guy, part of the John Zorn mafia, who wound his way eventually to the blues and american roots music. But where Ry finds an interest and mines it for a while, Bill hits it and quits it, changing gears from album to album. And where Ry comes out with a new project every couple of years, Bill is good for a couple of albums a year. Keeping up with him can be a challenge.
Last year I was fortunate enough to catch him live, here in the costal backwater I call home. One of the local jazz dj's who works next door to me at the record store dabbles in promoting from time to time and managed to land Frisell for a show between consecutive weekends in LA and SF...it didn't hurt that his drummer's parents lived in town. My wife had seen him many times years ago when she lived in The City and assured me it would change my life.
Correct!
The show was music as spiritual communion, the kind of thing you can't begin to describe without sounding like a new age loon high on crystals and herbal tea.
Some of that feeling is captured on disc one of this release. There's magic you can't catch with a microphone, but live is better than studio and this is a great live set. The lineup is the same as the one I saw, minus the guy who played pedal steel and slide guitar (I forget his name, but he plays with everybody- lucinda williams, kd lang, everybody), and they play a bunch of the same tunes, plus a transcendent version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine (my pal says they did this one at the sound check here, but it didn't appear in the show).
Fantastic stuff. I haven't even gotten to the second disc yet, but I'm in love.
An aside for my midwestern readers:
Viktor Krauss plays bass on disc one and the show I saw. He's a native of Champaign, Illinois and studied music at the University of Illinois. He apparently has a cd coming out on Nonesuch with Bill on guitar....if you're lucky enough to have him play nearby jump on that shit, I guarantee you won't regret it.
Bax rating: 10 out of 10.
movie: The Cave
I swear, when I saw the preview for this I thought it was some commemerative anniversary re-release of Aliens....people with flashslights in dark corridors, menacing critters unfolding from the roof, etc etc.
I knew I didn't have to watch it, because those two intrepid explorers of the Hollywood slush pile Pelf and Bobo would do it for me.
As Pelf proudly stated in today's email, "we could have seen 'Broken Flowers...but we chose THE CAVE".
Spoken like a true red state values voter...who'd know from that he's a sensitive artist living in Hollywood California, the Modern Sodom?
Anyway, here's their review from below heaven, below hell....in THE CAVE.
Pelf:
Bobo:
I knew I didn't have to watch it, because those two intrepid explorers of the Hollywood slush pile Pelf and Bobo would do it for me.
As Pelf proudly stated in today's email, "we could have seen 'Broken Flowers...but we chose THE CAVE".
Spoken like a true red state values voter...who'd know from that he's a sensitive artist living in Hollywood California, the Modern Sodom?
Anyway, here's their review from below heaven, below hell....in THE CAVE.
Pelf:
Cave -- a compelling shlock fest! Fun!
Bobo:
turned out to be slightly better than we thought
or to put it another way
not as bad as we expected it to be
an enjoyable outing
just got dolemite on netflix
Thursday, September 8, 2005
Music: new TV on the Radio track
and it's free!
clicky clicky
They're not happy with the preznit, judging by its title- Dry Drunk Emperor
Solid on first listen. Check it out.
clicky clicky
They're not happy with the preznit, judging by its title- Dry Drunk Emperor
Solid on first listen. Check it out.
For my slower readers
there was some confusion about the documentary post among a certain over-educated segment of my readership. In order to help them sleep better at night, I'll expressly state that 'five documentaries' posts are randomly selected from a large list of titles by my trained marmot, and presented in no particular order.
HAPPY?
HAPPY?
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
movie: Telluride festival update
email update courtesy of our reporter on the spot, my pal Kitty:
Hello, pals, your faithful, if dizzy from the altitude friend Catherine here, live from the amazing box canyon of Telluride! I write you with good cinematic
news! While my socks have yet to be knocked off, the viewing thus far has been
quality and enjoyable.
Open memo to Ang Lee: hire a good editor. As a friend here said, Didn't he learn
his lesson with the HULK? The much anticipated BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is about 42
minutes too long. I was working that particular show, and said to the floor
manager, get ready to usher people out, I believe this is the last reel. I was
then informed we still had an HOUR to go! My response? "An hour?! We need more
character development if we're going to go another hour!!" [Did I already
mention the altitude going to my head?] The surprising development was that
Heath Ledger carried the film, and will possibly get a nice Oscar nomination out
of his performance. I went in looking for Jake G to shine, but, in a Mildly
Unpredictable turn, didn't quite do it. PS to Ang Lee: if you're going to get a
lot of hype rolling for your cowboy gay love story, make sure there's some
uuhhhhh....chemistry. I'm sure most will like BROKEBACK, but it wasn't as good
as.....
CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN was a gem that I expected nothing from and
totally enjoyed. Starring Helena Bonham-Carter and Aaron Eckhart [both in
person, looking di-vine] it's a one-act play style film, with one difference:
the whole thing is present in split screen. A gimmick, I admit, but it worked
for me. The story is concerned with "the path you didn't take in life" with the
refreshing portrayal of 40 year olds exploring love relationships [so common to
see the fire-fueled romance of hard-bodied 20somethings.] Aaron Eckhart is
super-- very true, carefully playing vulnerable moments: think the anti-IN THE
COMPANY OF MEN. It was so engaging, unlike.....
CAPOTE, starring the great Phillip Seymore Hoffman [who looks in person EXACTLY
as one would imagine.] Not so much a biopic as telling the tale of how IN COLD
BLOOD came to be, this film had so many flawed characters, so much manipulation,
and vulgar displays of selfishness. The execution [ugh-- terrible pun] of the
film was good-- a slow pace and distinct styling-- but didn't come together, for
me, in the end. I am not familiar with the Truman Capote who was sort of a
characature, ubiquitous to the talk show circuit, but for those who were, said
Mr. Hoffman's performance was spot on. Not a surprise, but not as much as a
surprise as.....
BREAKFAST ON PLUTO, which if you can excuse the lunatic title will bring the
even more wonderful than expected Cillian Murphy in Neil Jordan's
gender-confused [natch] comedy-with-dramatic-moments to your attention. Very
charming, fantastical with a soundtrack that made all the music lovers giddy.
[There were even cameos of famed rockers-- I, of course, oblivious, but caught
by my in-the-know hubby.]
Upcoming on my viewing wish list is WALK THE LINE [oooh! I can't wait!!!];
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED [which could be my sock remover]; THE LOST CITY [Andy Garcia directs, so far raved by all who've seen]; and some obscure 70's
Scandinavian numbers. Bob is clamoring to see all 4 hours of Scorsese's Bob
Dylan Doc, premiering here in an hour. People are in a panic as to whether or
not "Marty" is here, but we'll just hafta wait. And see....
bumper sticker
On what looked like an electrician's pickup truck:
Americans Bless God
I'm not even sure what that means, but there were two of them, one on each side of the bumper.
Americans Bless God
I'm not even sure what that means, but there were two of them, one on each side of the bumper.
Tuesday, September 6, 2005
Movie: Five Great Documentaries
My sister in law wants a list of documentaries to watch.
Since I'm drawing it up anway, why not make it food for the hungry blog?
And I can chop it down to bite-sized pieces to make it last longer.
so here is the first installment of a semi-regular feature.
Five Great Documentaries You Should All See:
Hotel Terminus
The subtitle tells you what you need to know- "the life and times of Klaus Barbie".
Suck it up and watch anyway, ya sissies! >:|
When We Were Kings
The cinematic tale of the fabled Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and Foreman.
Ali at the height of his charm and charisma, Foreman at the height of his intimidating menace. The film does a great job of placing the fight in its social and historical context, giving those not old enough to remember it firsthand a sense of the spectacle and shock it generated worldwide.
The wife hates boxing but loved this one, so you have no excuse.
Sherman's March
Tries to be a historic documentary about Sherman's March, but ends up being an involving and revealing window into the life of the filmmaker. One of my all time favorites.
The Thin Blue Line
Errol Morris is my favorite documentarian bar none, and his first film to get widely noticed remains a seminal, important and massively influential work (a debased version of his recreation of scenes defined the Fox Network lineup for years afterward). It is easier to watch now, knowing the subject was set free based on explosive revelations of this work. When I originally saw it on PBS many, many years ago Adams was still in prison and I could barely make the end credits I was so enraged.
American Movie
Moving and funny, a rare combo.
The wife refused to believe it was a documentary when we saw it in the theater.
Well, it is. And a great one...recommended to all.
Since I'm drawing it up anway, why not make it food for the hungry blog?
And I can chop it down to bite-sized pieces to make it last longer.
so here is the first installment of a semi-regular feature.
Five Great Documentaries You Should All See:
Hotel Terminus
The subtitle tells you what you need to know- "the life and times of Klaus Barbie".
Suck it up and watch anyway, ya sissies! >:|
When We Were Kings
The cinematic tale of the fabled Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and Foreman.
Ali at the height of his charm and charisma, Foreman at the height of his intimidating menace. The film does a great job of placing the fight in its social and historical context, giving those not old enough to remember it firsthand a sense of the spectacle and shock it generated worldwide.
The wife hates boxing but loved this one, so you have no excuse.
Sherman's March
Tries to be a historic documentary about Sherman's March, but ends up being an involving and revealing window into the life of the filmmaker. One of my all time favorites.
The Thin Blue Line
Errol Morris is my favorite documentarian bar none, and his first film to get widely noticed remains a seminal, important and massively influential work (a debased version of his recreation of scenes defined the Fox Network lineup for years afterward). It is easier to watch now, knowing the subject was set free based on explosive revelations of this work. When I originally saw it on PBS many, many years ago Adams was still in prison and I could barely make the end credits I was so enraged.
American Movie
Moving and funny, a rare combo.
The wife refused to believe it was a documentary when we saw it in the theater.
Well, it is. And a great one...recommended to all.
Star Wars Episode 7 Script
There's a plot synopsis making the rounds.
I'll save you all eyestrain with my summary of the Star Wars Episode 7 screenplay:
George Lucas shits in a bucket then smears it over 327 sheets of blank paper.
THE END.
*wild applause, hundreds of millions in box office recipts and shrill cries from the peanut gallery about how it's better than The Empire Strikes Back*
I'll save you all eyestrain with my summary of the Star Wars Episode 7 screenplay:
George Lucas shits in a bucket then smears it over 327 sheets of blank paper.
THE END.
*wild applause, hundreds of millions in box office recipts and shrill cries from the peanut gallery about how it's better than The Empire Strikes Back*
Monday, September 5, 2005
Ьн Лунищфкв шы Агслув!
Ш рфв ыщьу лштв ща ензщ ьшырфз фтв рщц ьн лунищфкв шы ызуцштп пшииукшырю
Пщттф куищще фтв ыуу ша ерфе рудзыю
агслштп ьшскщыщае!
Пщттф куищще фтв ыуу ша ерфе рудзыю
агслштп ьшскщыщае!
Comic Panel of the Week
I've been neglecting this feature...god knows why, it's probably the most cost effective post I can make in terms of energy expended vs. laffs produced.
Anyway, here's a panel from that deathless classic Guardians of the Galaxy #29, October '92.
a note:
This was around the period where the sheer volume of comics produced overcame the historic training process and guys who couldn't really draw started getting their own titles. While there were plenty of artists I didn't like in the old days, I didn't like them based on their style, not because they couldn't draw.
A guy like Frank Robbins, who's work I absolutely despised, had more technical skill in one of his arm hairs than this hack.
Anyway, here's a panel from that deathless classic Guardians of the Galaxy #29, October '92.
a note:
This was around the period where the sheer volume of comics produced overcame the historic training process and guys who couldn't really draw started getting their own titles. While there were plenty of artists I didn't like in the old days, I didn't like them based on their style, not because they couldn't draw.
A guy like Frank Robbins, who's work I absolutely despised, had more technical skill in one of his arm hairs than this hack.
Movie: Broken Flowers update
Chewed it over some more with the wife, and have come to the conclusion that it's likely better than I thought on first viewing. There's always a lot of metaphor and subtext in his films, I think this one just took it in a new direction and I missed the on-ramp.
I need to see it again.
In the meantime, let Dead Man be your guide.
If you thought it was evocative and brilliant, you'll enjoy Flowers.
If you fell asleep and awoke feeling refreshed at the end credits, skip Flowers.
I need to see it again.
In the meantime, let Dead Man be your guide.
If you thought it was evocative and brilliant, you'll enjoy Flowers.
If you fell asleep and awoke feeling refreshed at the end credits, skip Flowers.
Sunday, September 4, 2005
Politics: Best Essay yet on the NOLA clusterfuck
right here.
Gilliard's profane rage over the mammoth incompetence and indifference from the Government in the aftermath of the hurricane has been a tonic, but Tom Engelhardt nails feet to the floor and administers a comprehensive rubber hose beating to Bush's administration of fools in his essay.
Gilliard's profane rage over the mammoth incompetence and indifference from the Government in the aftermath of the hurricane has been a tonic, but Tom Engelhardt nails feet to the floor and administers a comprehensive rubber hose beating to Bush's administration of fools in his essay.
Movie: Broken Flowers
Last night I checked out the latest from one of my favorite directors, Jim Jarmusch.
He's been uneven since the career peak of Dead Man in '95, one of the finest films ever made. His work since has given the impression that he's just been spinning his wheels and cashing paychecks, having made his ultimate artistic statement.
Lacking the fortitude or wherewithal to embrace JD Salinger's final solution, he's been doodling movies the last few years like a man gingerly nibbling saltine crackers to settle his stomache following a glorious twelve course bacchanal.
Ghost Dog had some nice ideas and good scenes but was bascially a goof, a NYC hipster takeoff on a formula gangster pic, owing somewhat more than a debt of gratitude to the deadpan postmodernism of films like Kitano's Sonatine and earlier, Seijun Suzuki's prescient mod ganster wipeouts Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter.
It also appropriated several scenes directly from various Hong Kong action movies, most noteably assassination via toilet (lifted shot for shot from the carefree and criminally entertaining Naked Killer), an act borne more of laziness than hommage.
So I went into his latest with a bit of trepidation.
Short version:
I liked it.
It's his best work since Dead Man, which unfortunately isn't saying a whole lot.
Longer version:
All his trademarks are in evidence- long, slow burning takes, plenty of driving scenes through scenically depressed areas, deadpan humor to spare. The film comes together better than Ghost Dog, but still seemed to me more a collection of scenes than a unified whole.
The main issue for me (after one viewing) was the meandering progress of the main character, played by Bill Murray (doing his usual stellar job).
He's doesn't really follow any narrative path, he's just shoved out into the river by his neighbor Winston and floats downstream until the film reaches it's running time, depositing him more or less where we found him, slightly worse for wear after enduring some rapids, but essentially unchanged.
Pluses: The family next door, who provide all the light and life in the film as well as forcing the reluctant protagonist to pursue the storyline. Without them the film promised to be two hours of Bill Murray watching television on his leather sofa while the flowers wilted on the mantle.
Lovely shots and individual scenes, as always. I don't think Jarmusch could make an ugly film if he tried.
Murray is fantastic, but that's a given. And even his sublime expressiveness is mildly overburdened by the mute immobility of his character.
Minuses: A bit of the same problem that Ghost Dog had, lack of smooth narrative flow in some spots, and a couple of scenes that didn't seem to sever any purpose other than to make Murray and the audience uncomfortable.
Overall though a good watch, if you don't mind a slow, contemplative pace and an ending that had one patron ranting in the lobby "Where's the MORAL?"
Not on a par with his greatest films, but a heartening return to something like form.
He's been uneven since the career peak of Dead Man in '95, one of the finest films ever made. His work since has given the impression that he's just been spinning his wheels and cashing paychecks, having made his ultimate artistic statement.
Lacking the fortitude or wherewithal to embrace JD Salinger's final solution, he's been doodling movies the last few years like a man gingerly nibbling saltine crackers to settle his stomache following a glorious twelve course bacchanal.
Ghost Dog had some nice ideas and good scenes but was bascially a goof, a NYC hipster takeoff on a formula gangster pic, owing somewhat more than a debt of gratitude to the deadpan postmodernism of films like Kitano's Sonatine and earlier, Seijun Suzuki's prescient mod ganster wipeouts Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter.
It also appropriated several scenes directly from various Hong Kong action movies, most noteably assassination via toilet (lifted shot for shot from the carefree and criminally entertaining Naked Killer), an act borne more of laziness than hommage.
So I went into his latest with a bit of trepidation.
Short version:
I liked it.
It's his best work since Dead Man, which unfortunately isn't saying a whole lot.
Longer version:
All his trademarks are in evidence- long, slow burning takes, plenty of driving scenes through scenically depressed areas, deadpan humor to spare. The film comes together better than Ghost Dog, but still seemed to me more a collection of scenes than a unified whole.
The main issue for me (after one viewing) was the meandering progress of the main character, played by Bill Murray (doing his usual stellar job).
He's doesn't really follow any narrative path, he's just shoved out into the river by his neighbor Winston and floats downstream until the film reaches it's running time, depositing him more or less where we found him, slightly worse for wear after enduring some rapids, but essentially unchanged.
Pluses: The family next door, who provide all the light and life in the film as well as forcing the reluctant protagonist to pursue the storyline. Without them the film promised to be two hours of Bill Murray watching television on his leather sofa while the flowers wilted on the mantle.
Lovely shots and individual scenes, as always. I don't think Jarmusch could make an ugly film if he tried.
Murray is fantastic, but that's a given. And even his sublime expressiveness is mildly overburdened by the mute immobility of his character.
Minuses: A bit of the same problem that Ghost Dog had, lack of smooth narrative flow in some spots, and a couple of scenes that didn't seem to sever any purpose other than to make Murray and the audience uncomfortable.
Overall though a good watch, if you don't mind a slow, contemplative pace and an ending that had one patron ranting in the lobby "Where's the MORAL?"
Not on a par with his greatest films, but a heartening return to something like form.
Saturday, September 3, 2005
Dollar Store Finds: Mead Composition Book
Part one of an occasional series where I'll compare the performance of something I got at my local Dollar Store to similar items with a better retail pedigree (and higher price tag).
I'll start with something easy, a basic black marble Mead compostition book, which I'm surprised to find listed on Amazon. I like these notebooks, the pages are sewn in so they don't come apart and if you want a lined journal they work great.
List price on Amason: $3.32 + s/h
List price at the local Longs Drugs: $2.84
List price at the Dollar Store: $1
Price winner: Dollar Store
Quality:
The same for everyone- tie.
Overall Winner: Dollar Store
Stay tuned, next time around I'll be putting the Dollar Store dish brush through its paces....
I'll start with something easy, a basic black marble Mead compostition book, which I'm surprised to find listed on Amazon. I like these notebooks, the pages are sewn in so they don't come apart and if you want a lined journal they work great.
List price on Amason: $3.32 + s/h
List price at the local Longs Drugs: $2.84
List price at the Dollar Store: $1
Price winner: Dollar Store
Quality:
The same for everyone- tie.
Overall Winner: Dollar Store
Stay tuned, next time around I'll be putting the Dollar Store dish brush through its paces....
questionable cookbook
one of the less appetizing cookbook titles I've come across:
The Eastern European Cookbook by Kay Shaw Nelson.
It isn't helped by a cover featuring what appears to be a bucket of upchuck studded with cubed potatoes and bits of green stuff...it looks for all the world like the little puddles of sickness I see outside the burrito stand during my Sunday stroll to work.
Random recipe title check:
Pike Fillets with Horseradish Sauce
Hmm. Let's try another.
Lithuanian Potatoes in Cream
I'll pass thanks.
The Eastern European Cookbook by Kay Shaw Nelson.
It isn't helped by a cover featuring what appears to be a bucket of upchuck studded with cubed potatoes and bits of green stuff...it looks for all the world like the little puddles of sickness I see outside the burrito stand during my Sunday stroll to work.
Random recipe title check:
Pike Fillets with Horseradish Sauce
Hmm. Let's try another.
Lithuanian Potatoes in Cream
I'll pass thanks.
Cover of the Week
Overall a pretty bad cover, with a cryptic title.
But what in the name of Evander Holyfield is going on with Dylan's MOUTH?
Post suggestions in the comments.
bumper sticker
God isn't a Republican (or a Democrat)
OK, so it's no 'my other bike is a bike'.
but then what is?
music: Elliott Smith
here's one of my favorite songs from the guy I consider a songwriter and lyricist in the classic tradition of giants like Cole Porter and the Gershwins. His lyrics fit together with the inevitability of greatness and he writes music to match.
password: baxblog
Elliott Smith: Clementine
you drink yourself into slo-mo
made an angel in the snow
anything to pass the time
and keep that song out of your mind
oh my darlin
oh my darlin
oh my darlin clementine
dreadful sorry
clementine...
password: baxblog
Elliott Smith: Clementine
you drink yourself into slo-mo
made an angel in the snow
anything to pass the time
and keep that song out of your mind
oh my darlin
oh my darlin
oh my darlin clementine
dreadful sorry
clementine...
Friday, September 2, 2005
Added new comment thingie, among other sweeping changes
Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.
Didn't realize it was going to wipe out all the old comments...ah well, feel free to post pithy and genteel replacement comments.
If you don't like the colors, feel free to whine, even though I won't change them.
Consider it a lesson in GOP style participatory democracy.
Didn't realize it was going to wipe out all the old comments...ah well, feel free to post pithy and genteel replacement comments.
If you don't like the colors, feel free to whine, even though I won't change them.
Consider it a lesson in GOP style participatory democracy.
Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail
No kiddin'!
I was never a huge Damned fan, but Phantasmagoria was a fine album, and I admit it would tickle me if the drummer for The Damned found the Holy Grail.
I was never a huge Damned fan, but Phantasmagoria was a fine album, and I admit it would tickle me if the drummer for The Damned found the Holy Grail.
Stellar Post Alert!
Taking a cue from Don over at DT's Brother's Blog (where I'm known as 'Not An Internet Weirdo') I'm promising all my readers a stellar post at some unknown point in the indeterminate future, generating traffic as my few long-suffering readers check back expecting this stellar post to show up like a celebrity slumming at a backyard kegger, momentarily brightening the dingy surroundings with a nimbus of stardust.
So watch this space!
There's just no telling when the Stellar Post will manifest, appearing miraculously from the dross like the Virgin Mary's coochie on a highway underpass!*
*link decidedly NSFW
So watch this space!
There's just no telling when the Stellar Post will manifest, appearing miraculously from the dross like the Virgin Mary's coochie on a highway underpass!*
*link decidedly NSFW
A Tune
Inspired by all the fine mp3 blogs I've been checking out the last while on Hype Machine, I'm dipping my toe into the rushing waters.
I was listening to an alternate 80's internet radio station earlier and they played some B-52's, reminding me of what a fantastic, odd band they were for their first couple of albums. The emerged fully formed with their own mythology and history in place from the first note of the first song on their first album. And I can't listen to their best songs without laughing in delight, which is quite an artistic accomplishment given my mood the past few days.
I'm linking it up through a place called Savefile, never used it before and I'm not sure how it'll work.
Leave a comment with your experience, if they suck I can find someplace else.
The password is
baxblog
B-52's - Dance This Mess Around
I was listening to an alternate 80's internet radio station earlier and they played some B-52's, reminding me of what a fantastic, odd band they were for their first couple of albums. The emerged fully formed with their own mythology and history in place from the first note of the first song on their first album. And I can't listen to their best songs without laughing in delight, which is quite an artistic accomplishment given my mood the past few days.
I'm linking it up through a place called Savefile, never used it before and I'm not sure how it'll work.
Leave a comment with your experience, if they suck I can find someplace else.
The password is
baxblog
B-52's - Dance This Mess Around
On Scones
Don't wuss out and use milk or half and half. Heavy cream all the way.
They claim you can substitute raisins for currants...don't believe them.
Well, technically you can, but spiritually it's like using milk instead of cream.
I'd rather forgo them entirely.
I've been using organic flour from the bulk bin at the local co-op the past while, and it makes a huge difference. It's so much better than any of the packaged flour I can't go back. If you've got a health food store or co-op in your area and like to bake, give it a try. The flour is much better and no more expensive.
I buy my spices there too- I filled my spice jar with organic fresh rubbed sage for less than a dollar...an equvalent weight of Schilling at the supermarket was five bucks.
Everyone uses food processors to cut butter into the dough these days, but I still prefer an old fashioned pastry cutter. Takes a little longer, but is much easier to clean...and call me crazy but I like the feel of cooking with my hands whenever possible. I chop and grate everything by hand too. As long as I'm not cooking for a crowd, I just enjoy it more...I like the connection to the food.
They claim you can substitute raisins for currants...don't believe them.
Well, technically you can, but spiritually it's like using milk instead of cream.
I'd rather forgo them entirely.
I've been using organic flour from the bulk bin at the local co-op the past while, and it makes a huge difference. It's so much better than any of the packaged flour I can't go back. If you've got a health food store or co-op in your area and like to bake, give it a try. The flour is much better and no more expensive.
I buy my spices there too- I filled my spice jar with organic fresh rubbed sage for less than a dollar...an equvalent weight of Schilling at the supermarket was five bucks.
Everyone uses food processors to cut butter into the dough these days, but I still prefer an old fashioned pastry cutter. Takes a little longer, but is much easier to clean...and call me crazy but I like the feel of cooking with my hands whenever possible. I chop and grate everything by hand too. As long as I'm not cooking for a crowd, I just enjoy it more...I like the connection to the food.
Thursday, September 1, 2005
Levity
Courtesy of overheard in New York.
Ladies, this is exactly how men think.
Russian thug #1: I need to see a psychiatrist, man.
Russian thug #2: Yeah?
Russian thug #1: Yeah, yeah, I need to get my head checked out.
Russian thug #2: You need to get your ass checked out.
Russian thug #1: What? My ass?
Russian thug #2: Yeah, you need your ass checked.
Russian thug #1: What?
--F train
Ladies, this is exactly how men think.
Guy #1: She may be the stupidest girl ever.
Guy #2: I think she just pretends she is stupid.
Guy #1: Dude, she spelled Missouri with a Z, and Kansas with a U.
Guy #2: She does have a huge rack, though.
Guy #1: Tremendous!
--34th & Lexington
Howell Raines on the flood
via the LAT
read it in full, but here are some highlights:
read it in full, but here are some highlights:
Oh, wondrous city of music that floats from the horn and poems drowned in drink! Oh, cheesy clip-clop metropolis of phony coach-and-fours hauling drunken Dodge salesmen, of gaunt-eyed transvestite hookers, of Baptist girls suddenly inspired to show their breasts on Chartres Street in return for a string of beads flung from the balcony of the Soniat House — will we lose even these dubious glories of the only American city that's never been psychoanalyzed?
.............
The populism of Huey Long was financially corrupt, but when it came to the welfare of people, it was caring. The churchgoing cultural populism of George Bush has given the United States an administration that worries about the House of Saud and the welfare of oil companies while the poor drown in their attics and their sons and daughters die in foreign deserts.
Why DRM Sux
Good summary by the EFF.
I've never seen the allure of paying for crippled music myself, but if anyone out there thinks iTunes or MSN or Real have your best interests at heart, here's a head's up.
I've never seen the allure of paying for crippled music myself, but if anyone out there thinks iTunes or MSN or Real have your best interests at heart, here's a head's up.
Wolcott does it better
as usual.
After perusing my usual news sources today, I'm too pissed for more posting- time to go make some coffee cake and serve the wife breakfast in bed.
Take care, everyone.
After perusing my usual news sources today, I'm too pissed for more posting- time to go make some coffee cake and serve the wife breakfast in bed.
Take care, everyone.
My Coming Out Party as a Liberal Blog
Liberal Blogosphere for Hurricane Relief
"There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what's right with America." - Bill Clinton.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed thousands of lives. Together, we're raising $1 million for the Red Cross and prove that the liberal blogosphere can help our fellow citizens.
Please donate now.
"There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what's right with America." - Bill Clinton.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed thousands of lives. Together, we're raising $1 million for the Red Cross and prove that the liberal blogosphere can help our fellow citizens.
Please donate now.
Bush dropped the ball, now we have to clean up the mess.
GIVE!
Politics: President Stupider, More Craven Than Previously Thought
"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm but these levees got breached and as a result much of New Orleans is flooded and now we're having to deal with it and will," he said.
via the BBC (of course, since the corporate puppets and lamers in the American media are allergic to news).
Let's take a moment to reflect on an article I posted earlier this week, to wit.
a quote from the article:
It appears that the money has been moved in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can’t be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us.
-- Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 8, 2004.
Well, that certainly sounds to me like SOMEONE anticipated a levee failure after Bush stole the money from that project for the Iraq debacle. When the emergency management cheif says "this is a security issue for us", that sounds fairly serious.
I mean, maybe he was talking about Iraqi insurgents boating down the river and attacking with knives between their teeth...but levee failures makes more sense to me.
So.
As a direct result of Bush's misguided Iraq policy, an entire section of the country has been demolished, a major American city is under water, we're looking at hundreds of thousands of refugees, who knows how many deaths, the commerce of an entire region destroyed...so what else is there to do except carry on with the 9/11 Propaganda event!
I'm trying to be a better person, but stuff like this brings out the vengeful Norse deity in me.
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