Flawed, but an OK way to kill a few hours on the couch.
I was interested in how Korean samurai movies compare with Japanese samurai movies, so I forgave many of this films fundamental transgressions. In the same way that photorealistic art undermines the thing that makes comic books work, the director of a sword-and-sash fantasy does his project a disservice when he opts for a grainy, cinema verite approach.
That kind of thing works in movies where you're trying to drive home some kind of reality (the beach landing from Saving Private Ryan comes to mind). It doesn't work so well when you've got people leaping onto the roofs of buildings and running across the tiles like a cat, or pulling arrows out of their chest so they can spit in the face of the opressor and fight on. It creates a disconnect with the audience.
This movie was Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon re-imagined as Gimme Shelter, and it just didn't pan out.
Friday, June 30, 2006
movie: the latest
two more for the permanent collection:
Emma
A very nice Austen adaptation. The wife is adding it to her 'watch when depressed' stack, alongside The Apartment, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind & Manhattan
Titus
My pick, one of the greatest films ever made.
I think it was the role that broke Anthony Hopkins, in the way Apocalypse Now broke Frances Ford Coppola and Blade Runner broke Ridley Scott. He seems to have entered into the Brando stage of his career, cashing paychecks for mailed-in roles.
Emma
A very nice Austen adaptation. The wife is adding it to her 'watch when depressed' stack, alongside The Apartment, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind & Manhattan
Titus
My pick, one of the greatest films ever made.
I think it was the role that broke Anthony Hopkins, in the way Apocalypse Now broke Frances Ford Coppola and Blade Runner broke Ridley Scott. He seems to have entered into the Brando stage of his career, cashing paychecks for mailed-in roles.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
hee, hee
"Awkward moments abound in penis pump trial"
Yikes!
Former Judge Donald D. Thompson, a veteran of 23 years on the bench, is on trial on charges he used a penis pump on himself in the courtroom while sitting in judgment of others
Yikes!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
movie: battle royale (with cheese)
Lived up to my expectations.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but one of the greatest examples of the genus "real film wearing the skin of a genre movie" I've seen in quite a while.
This is the movie Quentin Tarantino wishes he could make but lacks the depth to pull off...which explains why he cast BR's Girl #13 as Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill.
Earns my highest rating.
Lovers of exploitation, Japanese weirdness and art films who don't mind buckets of arterial spray will be pleased.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but one of the greatest examples of the genus "real film wearing the skin of a genre movie" I've seen in quite a while.
This is the movie Quentin Tarantino wishes he could make but lacks the depth to pull off...which explains why he cast BR's Girl #13 as Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill.
Earns my highest rating.
Lovers of exploitation, Japanese weirdness and art films who don't mind buckets of arterial spray will be pleased.
movie liveblogging: Pitch Black
so far it's Alien Lite, not really bad but suffereing under the hand of a director who's reach substantially exceeds his grasp.
It's the sort of movie where the freshman actors treat the hokey script like Shakespeare and the Ripley stand-in says "what, do you think I'm trying to prove something?" to which the Dallas stand-in replies "I don't know....are you?".
Good news- the male romantic lead who I liked and thought looked vaguely familiar turns out to be Cole Hauser, son of one of my all-time favorite b-movie actors Wings Hauser.
Wings registered one of the all-time p4p b-movie tour de force roles as the maniacal pimp Ramrod in Vice Squad. I'm glad to see his boy getting some work.
final verdict:
A solid B- overall.
It had strengths and weaknesses. Sorta frustrating because the weaknesses could have been done away with by more diligent rewrites on the screenplay. But didn't piss me off and drive me crazy like so many mainstream releases. The critters were pretty cool, it didn't go overboard with explaining every little thing that happened and Vin did a solid job as the ex-con antihero.
Worth a rental.
On to my next victim!
It's the sort of movie where the freshman actors treat the hokey script like Shakespeare and the Ripley stand-in says "what, do you think I'm trying to prove something?" to which the Dallas stand-in replies "I don't know....are you?".
Good news- the male romantic lead who I liked and thought looked vaguely familiar turns out to be Cole Hauser, son of one of my all-time favorite b-movie actors Wings Hauser.
Wings registered one of the all-time p4p b-movie tour de force roles as the maniacal pimp Ramrod in Vice Squad. I'm glad to see his boy getting some work.
final verdict:
A solid B- overall.
It had strengths and weaknesses. Sorta frustrating because the weaknesses could have been done away with by more diligent rewrites on the screenplay. But didn't piss me off and drive me crazy like so many mainstream releases. The critters were pretty cool, it didn't go overboard with explaining every little thing that happened and Vin did a solid job as the ex-con antihero.
Worth a rental.
On to my next victim!
sick time
I hate being sick like Huey Newton hated The Man.
Fortunately I confront my nemesis only rarely...unlike Huey, who died of his affliction.
One silver lining of teh sick is freely indulging my weakness for cream of tomato soup & saltine crackers, one of the few relics of my childhood I've allowed to remain standing.
Another is grabbing a pile of b-movies and hunkering down on the couch for several hours of uninterrupted exploitation with absolutely no guilt.
Our DVD player is one of those weird Sony 5-disc changers, neatly eliminating the need to move for anything short of a pressing emergency.
tonight's lineup:
Battle Royale, a movie I've been meaning to see for a few years and not one I could ever talk the wife into, even though it stars Takeshi Kitano. He became a favorite of ours during our Paris idyll a few years ago. The movie house closest to our hotel was having a Kitano film festival where we stopped every day on our way back from touristy outings.
Predator II
I couldn't make it past the first 15 minutes of Aliens vs Predator so I thought I'd give this goofy sequel another spin.
Sword in the Moon
A modern Korean martial arts flick. I've been meaning to take a closer look at the Korean cinema renaissance...what better representative than a movie Rotten Tomatoes tags with the keywords "Foreign Films, Korean, Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Vengeance, Assassins"
Pitch Black
I don't "get" Vin Diesel, but after seeing him on some talk show unabashedly admitting he played AD&D as a kid I decided to give him another chance. Even sickness would be no excuse for a Fast and the Furious screening, so this SF opus got the nod.
will report back with my findings.
Fortunately I confront my nemesis only rarely...unlike Huey, who died of his affliction.
One silver lining of teh sick is freely indulging my weakness for cream of tomato soup & saltine crackers, one of the few relics of my childhood I've allowed to remain standing.
Another is grabbing a pile of b-movies and hunkering down on the couch for several hours of uninterrupted exploitation with absolutely no guilt.
Our DVD player is one of those weird Sony 5-disc changers, neatly eliminating the need to move for anything short of a pressing emergency.
tonight's lineup:
Battle Royale, a movie I've been meaning to see for a few years and not one I could ever talk the wife into, even though it stars Takeshi Kitano. He became a favorite of ours during our Paris idyll a few years ago. The movie house closest to our hotel was having a Kitano film festival where we stopped every day on our way back from touristy outings.
Predator II
I couldn't make it past the first 15 minutes of Aliens vs Predator so I thought I'd give this goofy sequel another spin.
Sword in the Moon
A modern Korean martial arts flick. I've been meaning to take a closer look at the Korean cinema renaissance...what better representative than a movie Rotten Tomatoes tags with the keywords "Foreign Films, Korean, Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Vengeance, Assassins"
Pitch Black
I don't "get" Vin Diesel, but after seeing him on some talk show unabashedly admitting he played AD&D as a kid I decided to give him another chance. Even sickness would be no excuse for a Fast and the Furious screening, so this SF opus got the nod.
will report back with my findings.
stolen content
Bobo has a pile of photos from his amazon river outing up on flickr.
Some cool shots of monkey and pirahnas.
Some cool shots of monkey and pirahnas.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
How You Know You're Getting Old
When you go to sleep feeling fine, and wake up with a twisted ankle you can barely walk on.
>:(
Feels like I rolled it playing basketball, but all I did was get a good night's sleep.
>:(
Feels like I rolled it playing basketball, but all I did was get a good night's sleep.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
no close friends?
Blame teh internets!!11
oh please.
maybe this is a problem for younger folk who grew up with the internet and have some kind of weird socialization, but I've met plenty of people I consider 'close friends' on-line.
And the internet has made staying in touch with my IRL close friends WAAAAY easier.
Instead of a letter every couple of weeks, I'm emailing, chatting and talking to them pretty much daily.
What say you, my loyal readers?
Has the net helped or hurt your social network?
oh please.
maybe this is a problem for younger folk who grew up with the internet and have some kind of weird socialization, but I've met plenty of people I consider 'close friends' on-line.
And the internet has made staying in touch with my IRL close friends WAAAAY easier.
Instead of a letter every couple of weeks, I'm emailing, chatting and talking to them pretty much daily.
What say you, my loyal readers?
Has the net helped or hurt your social network?
books: SCORE
Just had a Fine/Fine 1st edition of Martin's Game of Thrones come in over the counter.
I've got a couple of copies I snagged off the B&N sale table years ago, but they're in storage...this one will look nice on the shelf next to my 1st of Terry Goodkind's first book and my 1st of The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan.
Yeah, yeah...it's the second book in the series...but I've never even seen the 1st book in hardcover, let alone a 1st edition.
Scarcest modern fantasy/sf book I own:
A signed 1st of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It's an ex-library copy, but given it had a print run of 600 copies I'm not complaining.
I've got a couple of copies I snagged off the B&N sale table years ago, but they're in storage...this one will look nice on the shelf next to my 1st of Terry Goodkind's first book and my 1st of The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan.
Yeah, yeah...it's the second book in the series...but I've never even seen the 1st book in hardcover, let alone a 1st edition.
Scarcest modern fantasy/sf book I own:
A signed 1st of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It's an ex-library copy, but given it had a print run of 600 copies I'm not complaining.
More for Bobo & Ivanus
Undaunted by the lukewarm response to my discovery of dark treasure for my two anally-fixated pals, I place another offering on their (unreasonably selective) alter:
BEHOLD!
I think I have Bobo's next birthday gift...
BEHOLD!
I think I have Bobo's next birthday gift...
Friday, June 23, 2006
the wife on America's Got Talent
lady:
this is Wazoo, he's an African Grey...
Regis:
now, why do they call the bird WAZOO?
lady:
Wazoo is French for 'bird'.
The Wife:
Bird in French is oiseau, you CUNT.
and on the next act:
"This reminds me of being a kid, this shitty dog shit."
this is Wazoo, he's an African Grey...
Regis:
now, why do they call the bird WAZOO?
lady:
Wazoo is French for 'bird'.
The Wife:
Bird in French is oiseau, you CUNT.
and on the next act:
"This reminds me of being a kid, this shitty dog shit."
world boxing announcers
One of the myriad joys of the internet, ranking right up there with free music and cheap hotel rooms, is the availability of foreign boxing to the enterprising fight fan.
The relative scarcity of top notch, competitive domestic fights even in good years makes access to quality fights from other countries a boon to the starving fan. I watched a handful of foreign treats tonight and subconsciously ranked the announcing teams...and what's the point of having a blog but to share such mental ephemera with my completely disinterested readership?
Well, disintersted except for DT.
I've disqualified the Brits because I can understand what they're saying. Listening to the Sky Sports team is like listening to American announcers who were kidnapped at birth and raised on a small island to be erudite, funny, interesting and accurate.
IRON ANNOUNCERS
#1: Japanese
What can I say...a hyped up Japanese announcing team could make Smoke Gainer vs Juan Manuel Marquez sound like World War III. They have that crazy guttural roar when they get agitated, and the rapid-fire staccato cadence of the language moves the rounds right along. Also, teams of multiple broadcasters have no qualms about all shouting at the same time if something astonishing happens in the ring.
#3: Germans
Anything shouted in German sounds like the end of the world. Plus, their production values are second to none and all of the best ringwalks I've ever seen are off German fights.
#3: French
Number three, but if I were going to listen to more than 45 minutes or so at a go I'd probably rank them #1. They can make the most awful carnage sound positively cultured. Plus, I can get the wife to translate in a pinch.
The relative scarcity of top notch, competitive domestic fights even in good years makes access to quality fights from other countries a boon to the starving fan. I watched a handful of foreign treats tonight and subconsciously ranked the announcing teams...and what's the point of having a blog but to share such mental ephemera with my completely disinterested readership?
Well, disintersted except for DT.
I've disqualified the Brits because I can understand what they're saying. Listening to the Sky Sports team is like listening to American announcers who were kidnapped at birth and raised on a small island to be erudite, funny, interesting and accurate.
IRON ANNOUNCERS
#1: Japanese
What can I say...a hyped up Japanese announcing team could make Smoke Gainer vs Juan Manuel Marquez sound like World War III. They have that crazy guttural roar when they get agitated, and the rapid-fire staccato cadence of the language moves the rounds right along. Also, teams of multiple broadcasters have no qualms about all shouting at the same time if something astonishing happens in the ring.
#3: Germans
Anything shouted in German sounds like the end of the world. Plus, their production values are second to none and all of the best ringwalks I've ever seen are off German fights.
#3: French
Number three, but if I were going to listen to more than 45 minutes or so at a go I'd probably rank them #1. They can make the most awful carnage sound positively cultured. Plus, I can get the wife to translate in a pinch.
film: Kung Fu Hustle
Top drawer!
Stephen Chow has graduated from a dude who's movies I avoided like bad fish to a quality filmmaker.
I'm sure this one appeals more to nerds like me with the cinematic equivalent of a Masters degree in wire-fu movies, but it's a winner even if you do miss most of the in-jokes and references to other genre films.
Good natured, unpredictable and with a surprising emotional resonance, it's the best kung fu flick I've seen in a good long while.
Stephen Chow has graduated from a dude who's movies I avoided like bad fish to a quality filmmaker.
I'm sure this one appeals more to nerds like me with the cinematic equivalent of a Masters degree in wire-fu movies, but it's a winner even if you do miss most of the in-jokes and references to other genre films.
Good natured, unpredictable and with a surprising emotional resonance, it's the best kung fu flick I've seen in a good long while.
One More Step Toward the Robot Apocalypse
courtesy DT's Brother's Brother
shudder!
“People are going to be having sex with robots within five years,” he said.
shudder!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Hair Today
here ya go Anner.
Should work...I have it set so only friends and family can see, so if anyone photoshops it I'll know where to look!
(hat tip to DT's Brother for the post title)
Should work...I have it set so only friends and family can see, so if anyone photoshops it I'll know where to look!
(hat tip to DT's Brother for the post title)
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Time to Dump AT&T
They just changed their rules so they can reveal your data to whoever they want, whenever they want, for whatever reason comes to mind.
clicky clicky.
Nice!
clicky clicky.
Nice!
classic movies it's OK to hate
according to The Onion.
Just FYI, it's not Ok to hate Clockwork Orange, whatever some mouthy Onion intern says.
Just FYI, it's not Ok to hate Clockwork Orange, whatever some mouthy Onion intern says.
summer 'do
It was hot as hell last week, so I cut off all my hair.
It's never my intention to grow a long, flowing mane of luxurious blond locks.
No, the jealousy of my folliclly-challenged friends a heavy burden to bear and not one that I would purposefully take up.
But I'm lazy, and I have crazy hair.
If I go to the barber I have to get it all buzzed off or I end up looking like a mental patient being prepped for a lobotomy. The chains are worse- the beauty school dropouts at Fantasic Sam's make such a hash of things I dream of looking like a mental patient.
Even the real salon pros are sometimes befuddled by the irrational tidal patterns of my mane, which is discouraging. Nothing sucks quite like making an appointment and spending fifty bucks to have someone butcher the job.
I had a guy for a while who was great.
He was an insane speed freak...but for beauty we must suffer.
But I had to ban him from the house after he added a sales presentation for crappy, overpriced knives as an opening act before every cut.
I just let it grow and try to ignore it...until the weather makes that impossible.
So, I grabbed a pair of sewing shears and hacked off big handfuls of hair, intending to buzz the stubble into a uniform lawn. Alas, I'd forgotten that the wife dropped my clippers and broke them last year.
The result of my efforts did give me a certain raffishly Johnny Rotten-esque feel, but I wasn't much for punk rock the back when it was fresh and relevant.
I was left with only my beard trimmer, the prospect of which seemed comparable to Klaus Kinski trying to drag the steamship over the mountain in Fitzcarraldo.
But you go to war with the army you have, and while I fell far short of any sort of objective success my trimming efforts did handily eclipse those of the quotes originator.
So what happens after this hair debacle?
I spend the next several days collecting compliments over my "stylish" new hairdo.
sigh.
It's never my intention to grow a long, flowing mane of luxurious blond locks.
No, the jealousy of my folliclly-challenged friends a heavy burden to bear and not one that I would purposefully take up.
But I'm lazy, and I have crazy hair.
If I go to the barber I have to get it all buzzed off or I end up looking like a mental patient being prepped for a lobotomy. The chains are worse- the beauty school dropouts at Fantasic Sam's make such a hash of things I dream of looking like a mental patient.
Even the real salon pros are sometimes befuddled by the irrational tidal patterns of my mane, which is discouraging. Nothing sucks quite like making an appointment and spending fifty bucks to have someone butcher the job.
I had a guy for a while who was great.
He was an insane speed freak...but for beauty we must suffer.
But I had to ban him from the house after he added a sales presentation for crappy, overpriced knives as an opening act before every cut.
I just let it grow and try to ignore it...until the weather makes that impossible.
So, I grabbed a pair of sewing shears and hacked off big handfuls of hair, intending to buzz the stubble into a uniform lawn. Alas, I'd forgotten that the wife dropped my clippers and broke them last year.
The result of my efforts did give me a certain raffishly Johnny Rotten-esque feel, but I wasn't much for punk rock the back when it was fresh and relevant.
I was left with only my beard trimmer, the prospect of which seemed comparable to Klaus Kinski trying to drag the steamship over the mountain in Fitzcarraldo.
But you go to war with the army you have, and while I fell far short of any sort of objective success my trimming efforts did handily eclipse those of the quotes originator.
So what happens after this hair debacle?
I spend the next several days collecting compliments over my "stylish" new hairdo.
sigh.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
food : simple and deeelicious summer fare
modified green bean salad:
1lb green beans, steamed
1-2 tbs scallions, chopped
1-2 tbs garlic, chopped
4-6 tbs good quality olive oil
2-3 tbs good quality balsamic vinegar
small pile of shaved parmesan to top (I use a potato peeler to good effect)
while the green beans are steaming chop the scallions and garlic and mix with the olive oil & balsamic vinegar- set aside.
Cool the green beans, chop them in half (or quarters, if they're big ones)and throw them in a large mixing or serving bowl.
Stir up the dressing to combine and pour it over the top.
Sprinkle the parmesan over the individual portions before serving.
You can turn it into a light meal by grilling a good sized chicken breast, chopping it up and mixing it in with the beans.
1lb green beans, steamed
1-2 tbs scallions, chopped
1-2 tbs garlic, chopped
4-6 tbs good quality olive oil
2-3 tbs good quality balsamic vinegar
small pile of shaved parmesan to top (I use a potato peeler to good effect)
while the green beans are steaming chop the scallions and garlic and mix with the olive oil & balsamic vinegar- set aside.
Cool the green beans, chop them in half (or quarters, if they're big ones)and throw them in a large mixing or serving bowl.
Stir up the dressing to combine and pour it over the top.
Sprinkle the parmesan over the individual portions before serving.
You can turn it into a light meal by grilling a good sized chicken breast, chopping it up and mixing it in with the beans.
true-life customers
I answer the phone.
"Yes, my boss was in the store a few minutes ago, and he left his shoes and his sword. Do you see them?"
......
"Yes, my boss was in the store a few minutes ago, and he left his shoes and his sword. Do you see them?"
......
Join the Future
I finally got tired of resizing digital pictures for all my email pals and made an account on flicr.
here it is!
mostly pictures of the neice, being as she's the most photogenic thing on two legs.
here it is!
mostly pictures of the neice, being as she's the most photogenic thing on two legs.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Father's Day
So, my father in law has a somewhat problematic relationship with his children, which makes most holidays "interesting times" as per the old Chinese proverb.
Here's how the drink ordering went at last night's commemorative Father's Day feast:
mother in law:
I'll have a large lemonaide.
father in law:
Water.
sis in law:
Bohemia please.
the mrs:
Lemonaide too please.
me:
I'll go for a Bohemia.
bro in law:
Hmm.
Four Heinikens...thank you.
Oh yeah....that's how we roll baby.
Here's how the drink ordering went at last night's commemorative Father's Day feast:
mother in law:
I'll have a large lemonaide.
father in law:
Water.
sis in law:
Bohemia please.
the mrs:
Lemonaide too please.
me:
I'll go for a Bohemia.
bro in law:
Hmm.
Four Heinikens...thank you.
Oh yeah....that's how we roll baby.
some arty wallpapers
neato stuff.
the guy also has some really cool image sets...the Hope & Fear set is fascinating & unsettling.
sample:
the guy also has some really cool image sets...the Hope & Fear set is fascinating & unsettling.
sample:
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Attn Adrian
so I dug out all my hoop togs and washed 'em up since I fully intend to get back in shape and dominate the 40+ league next season.
I discovered everything I own is now a genuine retro jersey.
My LJ Hornets jersey?
The team doesn't exist.
My Denver Mutumbo jersey?
Now the Nuggets look like UCLA (a huge improvement, true, but still it dates me).
I was reminiscing about our Jedi Mind Trick two-on-two games where I'd camp the line and you'd post up and we'd confuse the crap out of people. Kinda a poor man's version of the Barry brothers showing up together and running people out of the gym.
Do you still have your Eddie jersey?
I saw Captain Dribble a few months ago and actually choked in horror.
The wife asked me what was wrong, but the horror of Captain Dribble is purely Lovecraftian- it can't be explained, it can only be endured and (hopefully) survived.
I discovered everything I own is now a genuine retro jersey.
My LJ Hornets jersey?
The team doesn't exist.
My Denver Mutumbo jersey?
Now the Nuggets look like UCLA (a huge improvement, true, but still it dates me).
I was reminiscing about our Jedi Mind Trick two-on-two games where I'd camp the line and you'd post up and we'd confuse the crap out of people. Kinda a poor man's version of the Barry brothers showing up together and running people out of the gym.
Do you still have your Eddie jersey?
I saw Captain Dribble a few months ago and actually choked in horror.
The wife asked me what was wrong, but the horror of Captain Dribble is purely Lovecraftian- it can't be explained, it can only be endured and (hopefully) survived.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
books: best cover blurb in a long, long time
from a copy of Holy Madness that just came across the counter:
HAH!
When are the outrageous antics of "holy madness" an authentic expression of enlightenment rather than the posturing of a psychotic deviant?
HAH!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
RIAA declares victory over p2p
p2p contained and no longer a problem.
In other news, Iraq will be hosting the next Summer Olympics, Global Warming has agreed to sit down at the negotiating table with the Kyoto Protocals and the RSC has signed Hulk Hogan to play Hamlet for their Complete Works celebration.
In other news, Iraq will be hosting the next Summer Olympics, Global Warming has agreed to sit down at the negotiating table with the Kyoto Protocals and the RSC has signed Hulk Hogan to play Hamlet for their Complete Works celebration.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
p2p: unintended consequences
Pirate Bay doubles traffic after police crackdown.
The Man can no sooner stamp out p2p filesharing than Pandora could re-fill her box.
The Man can no sooner stamp out p2p filesharing than Pandora could re-fill her box.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
when shallow people make "greatest _____ of _____" lists
Upfront, this is a stupid link.
I'm linking it because I want to mock it, not because it's inherently any good.
I see the subject: Greatest 100 Movie Posters of All Time
I get excited! I expect greatness! Of all time? There will probably be stuff I'm not familiar with...neato!
Then I click it.
Feshhhhhhhughn.
A better title: "Best Movie Posters of my experience, which is limited to the past 15 years or so, with a couple of old ones thrown in to make people shallower than me think I spent more than five minutes on this list".
Sure, a mouthful, but accurate.
I was already bored and annoyed by the list when I came across this entry for the film Descent:
WTF.
It's a rip off of one of the great surrealist illustrations of the 20th century, not the poster for Silence of the Lambs.
I understand we live in a culture and a time where shamelessly overstating your case is part and parcel of getting heard, but this really takes the cake.
I could have my three-year old niece throw darts at my copy of 1001 Movie Posters and come up with a better, more accurate and more representative list than this juvenile twaddle.
I'm linking it because I want to mock it, not because it's inherently any good.
I see the subject: Greatest 100 Movie Posters of All Time
I get excited! I expect greatness! Of all time? There will probably be stuff I'm not familiar with...neato!
Then I click it.
Feshhhhhhhughn.
A better title: "Best Movie Posters of my experience, which is limited to the past 15 years or so, with a couple of old ones thrown in to make people shallower than me think I spent more than five minutes on this list".
Sure, a mouthful, but accurate.
I was already bored and annoyed by the list when I came across this entry for the film Descent:
A very clever nod to the hidden image on the moth in the "Silence of the Lambs" poster - The skull is made up of the six girls
WTF.
It's a rip off of one of the great surrealist illustrations of the 20th century, not the poster for Silence of the Lambs.
I understand we live in a culture and a time where shamelessly overstating your case is part and parcel of getting heard, but this really takes the cake.
I could have my three-year old niece throw darts at my copy of 1001 Movie Posters and come up with a better, more accurate and more representative list than this juvenile twaddle.
Sunday, June 4, 2006
music: Wolf Parade
Ok, found a clean version of I'll Believe in Anything on the Tube.
Watching the Arcade Fire clip and this one back to back the reason AF pulls off Wake Up so much better live is obvious- they have the on-stage manpower to generate the same dense sonic texture as the studio version, but with live energy.
Wolf Parade just needs five more cats lending a hand....
Watching the Arcade Fire clip and this one back to back the reason AF pulls off Wake Up so much better live is obvious- they have the on-stage manpower to generate the same dense sonic texture as the studio version, but with live energy.
Wolf Parade just needs five more cats lending a hand....
books: the scientific method
A woman is checking out two competing books on Balthus, one $29.95 new & the other a $16.95 remainder.
Woman:
I'm not sure which one to get.
Me:
they're both good publishers, I don't think you can go wrong either way.
Woman:
Hmm.
leafs through them both, picks up the new one
This one's longer, I'll take it.
Me:
A fine choice.
Woman:
I'm not sure which one to get.
Me:
they're both good publishers, I don't think you can go wrong either way.
Woman:
Hmm.
leafs through them both, picks up the new one
This one's longer, I'll take it.
Me:
A fine choice.
music : Arcade Fire
I'm giving a retroactive 2004 Song of the Year award to Wake Up by the Arcade Fire. I was a little late to the AF party, arriving via their Toronto buddies Wolf Parade and their fabulous album Apologies to the Queen Mary.
James tried turning me on to them when they were still au courant with the hipsterati, but at the time I eyed his recommendations with profound suspicion (I still have a hangover from his enthusiastic low-fi indy garage rock period, when his only criteria for greatness seemed to be off-key vocals and Radio Shack portable cassette recorder fidelity).
Well, he was right, they're great.
I hereby officially forgive him for making me listen to Sparklehorse.
And they're great in a way you don't see very often in modern music. They manage the neat trick of wearing their hearts on their sleeves without coming off as corny saps, and their best songs simultaneously convey the tragedy, wonder and majesty of life without collapsing beneath the immense load, or even seeming to take the responsibility all that seriously. There wasn't any great conscious struggle to form it just so, that's just how the song turned out.
Wake Up is different from most other songs I'm mad for because I listened to Funeral several times before I noticed how fantastic it was.
Usually a song that moves me and gives me chills does it right off the bat- the first five seconds of Wolf Parade's I'll Believe In Anything made my hair stand on end the first time I heard it (and every listen since).
I think it's because the album version of Wake Up is a bit vocally muted. But I loved the album and as is my habit with bands I love I tracked down all the live performances I could find- I got wonderful copy of a show they did for a public radio station in Minnesota.
That performance of Wake Up absolutely set me on fire. It was ragged and gorgeous and had a depth of feeling that's almost never captured in a recording. I'm lucky I wasn't in that audience, it likely would have killed me.
(oddly, the studio recording of I'll Believe in Anything is much superior to any others I've heard...I have a couple of live verisions & it loses much of it's relentlessly epic quality. Kudos to their producer for nailing the soul of the song in the studio.)
Anyway, here's a good live version of Wake Up I found on Youtube, with David Bowie lending a hand (which is sure to send the wife into conniptions when I show it to her.)
check it.
/edit
ok got home and checked out the clip with speakers- really good, nice to see the industry crowd get swept away.
but this one is better. Better mix (strings to the front), and as much as I love Bowie nobody else does these lyrics justice.
James tried turning me on to them when they were still au courant with the hipsterati, but at the time I eyed his recommendations with profound suspicion (I still have a hangover from his enthusiastic low-fi indy garage rock period, when his only criteria for greatness seemed to be off-key vocals and Radio Shack portable cassette recorder fidelity).
Well, he was right, they're great.
I hereby officially forgive him for making me listen to Sparklehorse.
And they're great in a way you don't see very often in modern music. They manage the neat trick of wearing their hearts on their sleeves without coming off as corny saps, and their best songs simultaneously convey the tragedy, wonder and majesty of life without collapsing beneath the immense load, or even seeming to take the responsibility all that seriously. There wasn't any great conscious struggle to form it just so, that's just how the song turned out.
Wake Up is different from most other songs I'm mad for because I listened to Funeral several times before I noticed how fantastic it was.
Usually a song that moves me and gives me chills does it right off the bat- the first five seconds of Wolf Parade's I'll Believe In Anything made my hair stand on end the first time I heard it (and every listen since).
I think it's because the album version of Wake Up is a bit vocally muted. But I loved the album and as is my habit with bands I love I tracked down all the live performances I could find- I got wonderful copy of a show they did for a public radio station in Minnesota.
That performance of Wake Up absolutely set me on fire. It was ragged and gorgeous and had a depth of feeling that's almost never captured in a recording. I'm lucky I wasn't in that audience, it likely would have killed me.
(oddly, the studio recording of I'll Believe in Anything is much superior to any others I've heard...I have a couple of live verisions & it loses much of it's relentlessly epic quality. Kudos to their producer for nailing the soul of the song in the studio.)
Anyway, here's a good live version of Wake Up I found on Youtube, with David Bowie lending a hand (which is sure to send the wife into conniptions when I show it to her.)
check it.
/edit
ok got home and checked out the clip with speakers- really good, nice to see the industry crowd get swept away.
but this one is better. Better mix (strings to the front), and as much as I love Bowie nobody else does these lyrics justice.
Saturday, June 3, 2006
culture shock
Was walking downtown with the wife yesterday and as we took a shortcut throuth the park a scruffy skateboarding youth brought me up short by asking "you got a phone I can borrow?"
His bad luck I'm the only person I know still clinging obstinantely to his land-line.
But at first it struck me as a question a crazy person would ask you- you're in the middle of a playground and someone asks you for a phone. It took a little mental reset on my part to catch up to his meaning- "oh, that's right everyone has cell phones now, that's what he's talking about."
The original vision the question called up was the bulky baby blue rotary-dial job that was the telephone of my youth (exactly like this one save for the color).
Is this what getting old is?
People ask you simple questions and you have to pause and sort through the mental landfill of outdated junk in your head until you sift out their meaning?
I'm certainly going to be more open hearted to the aged from now on, no matter how confused they seem. Someday I'll be one of them, endlessly trying to catch up to a reality in constant and increasing flux.
His bad luck I'm the only person I know still clinging obstinantely to his land-line.
But at first it struck me as a question a crazy person would ask you- you're in the middle of a playground and someone asks you for a phone. It took a little mental reset on my part to catch up to his meaning- "oh, that's right everyone has cell phones now, that's what he's talking about."
The original vision the question called up was the bulky baby blue rotary-dial job that was the telephone of my youth (exactly like this one save for the color).
Is this what getting old is?
People ask you simple questions and you have to pause and sort through the mental landfill of outdated junk in your head until you sift out their meaning?
I'm certainly going to be more open hearted to the aged from now on, no matter how confused they seem. Someday I'll be one of them, endlessly trying to catch up to a reality in constant and increasing flux.
Goatse Sticker Set!
safe for work, except for a picture of a toilet with a log in it.
I may have to get myself a few sheets....
I may have to get myself a few sheets....
Holy Mother of God
the ultimate Windows Vista preview.
500 hours of testing, 40 pages of results, courtesy of the wild-eyed loons at Tom's Hardware.
I didn't actually read it, I just had to recognize the sheer mass of the project.
500 hours of testing, 40 pages of results, courtesy of the wild-eyed loons at Tom's Hardware.
I didn't actually read it, I just had to recognize the sheer mass of the project.
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