The Return of Opus

I rarely get the Sunday edition of The Boston Globe, I'm not much for clipping coupons and really the whole thing is just a bitch to throw away for the small amount of info it provides. But I happened upon one the other week and much to my suprise, right on the front page is a new comic strip by Mr. Berkeley Breathed, this time simply titled Opus. Over the years there was only two daily newspaper comic strips that I enjoyed. Most of them are barely tolerable. These were Calvin & Hobbes and the Pulitzer-Prize winning Bloom County. Oh, and The Far Side was pretty good too. Anyway, I was pretty happy to see it and so I checked out www.berkeleybreathed.com and it seems that Opus came back a little while before the election.

Click to enlarge


Anyway, I thought that was worth pointing out. Also there's a movie in the works, allegedly to be completely cgi. This is a dicey propostition but I always felt the A Wish For Wings The Work TV special could have become a holiday staple much like A Christmas Story and the rest of those cartoons.

Here's one more dealing with the ol' anxiety closet... WHAT'S IN GW's ANXIETY CLOSET

Dump Tanks and Skull Island

I know, this is old news, but I've just recently gotten back into checking up on Kongisking.net -- the place to go to for info on Peter Jackson's King Kong remake. It's been up for a few months now posting these sometimes interesting, sometimes funny (Jack Black), "production diary" videos. I never watched any of these videos I guess Mr. Jackson also made during Lord of the Rings (I have much more anticipation for this king kong than I did for the hobbits) but these little videos are a pretty great if you have any interest in movie making. Or any interest in on-set antics of Jack Black. And I have a fondness for both so... Anyway, there are about 30 of these things on there now so it's a good way to waste an hour or so if you want to. You get a very deep insight into how a production of this ginormous size is run, from a look at some of the smaller aspects like the creation and placement of fake animal poo, to the creation of a fake ocean storm. But the tantalizing thing of it all is you get a good idea of the aformentioned ginormity of this movie and how cool it all could be. And yes, Jack Black is always "on" when a camera is in front of him. Click on the big ape.



p.s. -- new Sin City trailer here

Fan of the Farrell

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is coming out on DVD on December 28th. That's great and all, but what I'm looking forward to is this:



When the cast and director were having their rounds at the press junkets when Anchorman was coming out they'd mentioned that they'd filmed a whole other plot line that didn't even make it into the movie--basically that they had enough extra footage that could be edited to make a whole seperate movie, and that they'd probably put in on the DVD release. And so here we are with Wake Up Ron Burgundy, to be released as a seperate DVD on the same day as Anchorman. Very classy.

Watchmen & Friends

Yeah, so I suppose Watchmen deserves its own post. I don't know why it took me so long to pick up this book. It's status amoung comic book geeks is something equivilant to On the Road or the Bible. And I'd known how good Alan Moore's stories can be--I still have my copy of The Killing Joke sitting on my bookshelf after foolishly selling many other of the comics I had as a kid long ago. But like a good number of any of the other books I've read over the years, I decided to finally pick this one up after reading so much about the struggles of getting the movie version up and running.



You can type "Watchmen" into Google and you'll see people have set up sites all over the world disecting every panel of this comic book--er, graphic novel. As the blurb from The Villiage Voice puts it, a brilliant piece of fiction. And that really is what it is. The act of reading a comic book still seems to put some people off for whatever reason. But I have read very few books that have left me as eerily touched or have spoken as profound and timless a message as has Watchmen.

Simply calling it a commentary or decunstruction of the superhero mythology is just grazing the iceberg of this book. (Click the pic for the plot description.) But what really stuck me was how timely this book is. It came out and takes place around 1986, but I'll be damned if it doesn't resonate like it came out last month. I suppose it could be simply from the fact that the Russia vs Afganistan conflict and the general political climate during that time is a very interesting reflection of our problems now. And that may be the reason the movie is finally getting in motion. But whatever happens I can only hope they do it half the justice it deserves. I agree with the Devin over at CHUD (they even have a message board set up for this) who has repeatedly requested that it be made as a miniseries on HBO--Band Of Brothers style, giving each chapter it's own hour. That would be ideal--but I've read that the script is actually pretty good and I think Paul Greengrass is an interesting choice. As long as they're fans of the material I feel this could turn out well. Let's hope.

In other comic news, I want to recommend 4 titles that have giddy every time the next issue pops up.

Astonishing X-Men -- This is getting a lot of hype so if you're barely into comics you've probably heard about it. Or, if you're a Buffy fan you may have obsessed over every issue already like me. Yes, Buffy meastro Joss Whedon has launched a new X-Men book (I believe he's down as sole writter for the first 12 issues) and it is a thing of gloriousness. These are great characters and he's made them even more enjoyable and relatable then I remembered them being. This title got me back to hovering over the stands like I used to years ago. Pure joy -- even if you're not that famialiar with these guys (huh?) this series picks up at a great place to jump into.

WE3 -- What happens when the military takes 3 household pets and straps them with some heavy-duty machinery to be used as combat weapons? Well, when the project gets cancelled and the animals are released by the empathetic project director, don't try to stop these 3 from getting home to their masters. But of course that's just what happens and the amount of carnage that ensues it quite intense. A well written and most timely series of three books (the third's about to drop this week or next) by Grant Morrison (Arkham Asylum anyone?). And the brilliant brutal art work is unflinching and makes me cringe with glee. (Click link for Adobe peek)

Ocean -- Ah, Warren Ellis. A great great writter, genius of the medium really, who's also working on revamping Iron Man from the ground up. Both titles are worth checking out, but Ocean is a head scratcher that I still can't tell exactly where it's headed and am loving the mystery of it all. Mr. Ellis is great at creating his own unique worlds and his vision of the future universe of space travel and politics is cool as hell -- he's got kind of a Alien meets Solaris thing going on. I also like his diverse casting for the futuristic story. Making our protagonist a black dude (get Don Cheadle for the movie) and having the team he meets be largely made up of women is an interesting way to go.

Well, check those out. I don't think you could be disappointed.

Netflix Update

Been a while since I pimped some rentals, so as I sit here, day after Thanksgiving, a bit hungover with nothing better to do, I figured I'd do just that.




Masked & Anonymous -- So this one has been on my mind a lot lately as I've been listening to his autobiography. Most critics have been pretty cruel to this one but I really got into it. Co-written by Dylan himself (though you get the feeling that a good majority may have been improvised), it really is like taking one of his songs and stretching it out into a 90 minute movie. It's a dis-jointed almost sci-fi plot, rambles a bit at times, jumps around with free-association, is filled with other-worldly characters, and well--like I said, just like one of his songs. I loved it's disregard for standard movie conventions (like another movie below). This movie has it's own agenda and couldn't be bothered concerning itself whether or not you're up for following along. Let the movie wash over you, enjoy the excellent live songs Dylan plays that are scattered throughout and the 5 star cast that you can tell is having a good time just letting loose. There's a lot going on and trying to be said in this movie. Though critics disregarded it, NYU and probably some other schools immediately started featuring this in their film classes--and for good reason. They just don't make movies like Masked & Anonymous at major studios with a cast like this. It is an oddity to be sure, but a rather enjoyable one.

Ali G Indahouse -- It's Friday night, you have your beverage of choice within reach, you've smoked a bowl or two, now press play. That's the ideal way to enjoy this movie anyway. Now of course it isn't as brilliant as the show is, but did you really expect it to be? It starts off amazing and slowly goes downhill from there--but there are moments of hilarity sprinkled from beginning to end. If it was as smart as Anchorman it would have thrown the plot out the window and just come up with random excuses to deliver the jokes, as the whole Ali G becomes member of parliament thing seems forced and lame from the moment you see it coming. But no matter, there's a lot of bug laughs in there to make this worth checking out.

Also, if you haven't seen it--check out Ali G's speech to this years graduating class at Harvard. Laughter will ensue.

Blueberry (Renegade) -- This one's the weaker of the bunch but I still recommend giving it a shot. I'm into Vincent Cassel's work lately. Birthday Girl, Irreversable, Read My Lips, all top notch stuff that I recommend checking out. Anyway, this is, to my knowledge, the first psychedelic western. Very strange existential revenge movie based on some obscure comic book with lots of peyote consumption going on and even a five minute freak-out at the end. There's some good performances by the eccentric cast, but what really hooked me was the photography. I'm not familiar with the French director who made this but some of the cinematography going on here is amazing. The ending is a bit of a let-down though. The big pay-off seems to be Juliette Lewis' bush. But as I said, this is an existential revenge movie--if you can deal with that concept then you may have a good time with this one. And I refuse to call this by it's US DVD title of Renegade. There's no Lorenxo Lamas involved and Blueberry is a very apt title to this bizare movie--as well as the name of the main character and the comic book. Who do they think they're fooling with Renegade? Ick.

Bubba Ho-Tep -- A classic in my book. I love The Chin, and he was born to play geriatric Elvis and I pray to whatever god decides which movies are green-lit that there is indeed a sequel to this movie as the end credits suggest. A lot of you are probably already hip to this one, it's been out for a while now--but if you're not, it's Elvis and JFK in a nursing home fighting off an evil soul-sucking Mummy. From this plot they manage to make a movie that is both flat out hilarious and oddly touching. Bruce Campbell proves he's got plenty of acting chops as he gives us an elderly Elvis who's pretty much lost his will to live until Ossie Davis' black JFK gives him purpose in saving their home. And Ossie, lordy... by the end of this he actually has you believing that JFK could be alive, black, and living in Texas. Highest honors go to this one.

Well, that's it for now. These aren't the best of movies ('cept Bubba), but they've stuck with me for some reason or another so I figured I'd give them the shout out. Feel free to bitch me out if you disagree.

Bob Dylan via Sean Penn

So Bob Dylan's autobiography came out. Well, the first volume anyway. Chronicles, it’s called… And as I was wasting time in Borders standing at the big cardboard display flipping through the book (no pictures!?) the guy at the counter felt the need to comment to me how good the book is. I was really in the middle of trying to do the math—figuring out which was cheaper—the book with the on-sale discount or the audio-book?… I asked him if he’d heard Sean Penn’s rendition. He said, no, I kind of like hearing Bob’s voice in my head while reading it. Ok, maybe there’s a point to be had there. I’m assuming he meant Bob’s voice 40 years ago. But I chose Sean Penn’s voice instead. And therefore also choosing to be read to rather than actually reading it.

The first audio book, and the only other audio book I’ve purchased was Robert Evans’ The Kid Stays in the Picture. And I’ll go out on a limb here and say that those 6 cds are probably going to be the best rendering of a book put to cd ever. The guy’s voice is like the purr of chain-smoking gin soaked panther on ludes. I loved every minute of it. I know, there have been many jokes on the subject on Patton Oswalt’s cd and Mr. Show, all very funny jokes – but these jokes all stem from the fact that the audio book is priceless.

Well, the Chronicles audiobook is of course a different beast. And I just wanted to chime in and say Sean Penn does a kick-ass job. Loses himself in the part as he always does. Kind of kidding there, but really—by the second disc you pretty much start to think that Bob is telling you his story of getting by in the East Village visiting Woody Guthrie in the hospital and eating free french fries backstage at the Gaslight with Tiny Tim. Yes, it is a good listen – and while it doesn’t serve as quite the reference material a Bob Dylan autobiography on page does, it’s a really enjoyable way to go. There are a lot of references to the people who inspired him in those first few years in New York that you’ll sometimes want to go back to, but what’s good about this one, which wasn’t present on the Bob Evans audio book, is that there are track breaks on each cd, so it’s easier to go back and revisit bits.

I’m sure it’s an even better read – but I’ve got three other books that I haven’t even touched yet, so I choose Sean Penn to serenade me for 6 hours. Either way, you won’t loose.

Sundance Channel's Midnight Snack

If you don't get the Sundance Channel you should. I've been torn between the Independant Film Channel and Sundance Channel for a good while. And I have to say, today, I prefer the Sundance Channel. IFC gets some great movies, and some good original series -- Dinner for Five is hands down my favorite interview show on TV. Well, "celebrity" interview show. Charlie Rose still holds strong with his thang. But IFC also gets bogged down with having to rotate the same handful of movies every month which can get pretty boring. Now all this depends on which service you have, but it seems that now IFC is getting tossed in with a lot of packages and Sundance is costing extra. Consider it. I'm not completely sure about the packaging details but what I am sure of is Sundance has been kicking some programing ass recently.

I started noticing this in October when I became a big fan of The Al Franken Show in the morning repeats before work. Well, that show is no longer with us, but what we still have is Midnight Snack. This is a prime slice of, for a lack of a better word, "cult" movie greatness. Every Friday night at midnight, the great Bob Odenkirk hosts a showing of new, old, classic, soon-to-be-classic, midnighty type movies -- in his bath robe.

They also have cool Monday documentary specials, and Saturday night music related features (where they recently featured the mesmerizing behind the music style movie DIG! -- that They Might Be Giants doc is up next). I'm writing this now because I just realized Bob is hosting the final in Takeshi Miike's what the hell oh my god are you kidding me this is fucking kick ass trilogy -- Dead or Alive: Final this Friday. Look here for my slobbery kisses to Mr. Miike. And be sure to check the link on the Midnight Snack page for a cool Miike interview. This trilogy is huge fun and the Final(e) is Miike at his most famboyant what-the-fuck best. And to me the combination of Bob Odenkirk and Takeshi Miike, well, a channel can't program a block of tv any more Sean-specific than this. Watch it, you won't be bored.

Speak to the Blender (cuz common sense ain't listening) / Sin City

[So check out the updated linkange for some new ways to browse away your day.] This is one of the stranger inventions I've heard of lately. It's called Blendie. And it's a voice activated blender. You want a high speed mix, well then make a high speed mixing blender noise. Want a gentle mixing action, make a low gentle grumble. But really, no matter the effectivness, or need for this device -- the video is pretty fucking awesome. Click the pic to watch the hot girl-on-blender action.



Also, this is a movie that I'd somehow forgotten about until the other day when I saw this poster.



I like it, as far as posters go. But what really gets my geek blood a-pumpin' is the video that they showed at the Sand Diego Comic Convention a while back where he took some of the footage he'd shot and inserted stills from the books for everyone to see the attention to detail that's going on here. It used to be over at themoviebox.net but it seems some people got upset about everyone and their little brother downloading the thing or something so now if you haven't seen this already get it HERE. Seriously, this is some pretty cool shit -- albeit unfinished and incomplete and all that (and even though I still think Josh Hartnett's about as interesting to watch as a ham sandwich) -- but it's taking comic book translation into a whole new realm. And the fact that Frank Miller, the guy who created the books, is co-directing along with Rodriguez and Tarantino [who directed one scene for the price of one dollar] is a welcome sign. Rodriguez gave up his guild card to be able to make this movie with the way he saw fit and it looks to me like the result is going to be worth these unusual efforts.

The Curse of the Jaded Scorpio

So in one week I turned 28, the Red Sox won the World Series, came down with a bitch-ass cold from hell that lasted 9 days, got an ipod, and watched a bunch of bible-thumping rednecks fuck up our country for at least another 4 years. See, it's the karmic teeter-totter, with every good stroke comes the backhanded bitch slap. C'est la vie. And I really think that I've become so used to the daily slog through the river of shit that is the daily news I automatically put on the knee-high rubbers every morning. So when I woke up to get the confirmation that GW was indeed elected (this time for reals), it was like, bummer dude, oh well, it figures, don't it...

Sure I was upset, disappointed, or whatever you call it. But I swear I couldn't even work up a real simmer of a rage like I did 4 years ago. Nope, it felt like I was like I was out of stock on frustration. The lady I work with who's kid is over in Iraq, fuck, she was [is] super-pissed, but I just nodded in agreement and went back to reading about the R Kelly / Jay-Z feud. Other friends seemed like they were sincerely hurt and depressed by the turnout, but myself--I get angrier from 30 seconds of watching Fox News than the actual fact that Bush is going to be around 4 more years. I think I've become far too jaded. [I couldn't even get that excited about the Red Sox win -- I was happy, some clapping was involved, but I know that last year or the year before I would have been running full-speed in circles crapping my pants and screaming halle-fucking-lujah -- all at the same time.]

There are a couple of other theories I have about this. Maybe I'm happy that there'll be four more years of good comedy material. Or, maybe we'll be able to watch him dig himself into a situation where he'll be publicly humiliated, impeached, indicted, and/or forced to resign. I mean, with all that's happen in the past 4 years, it really isn't much of a stretch. Both those ideas are pretty sad also. I mean, let's watch him drive the country into the ground like a cigarette butt under his cowboy boot--but hey, at least we'll have a good laugh at our own expense! Or, maybe this will all hit me later on down the line. Either way, right now Nov 2nd and 3rd just seem like two more normal bad days. Sad...?

Lisa Simpson: We're the Mtv generation, we feel neither highs nor lows.
Homer: Really, what's it like?
Lisa: (shrugs) Meh...

Stolen Linkage [Republican Phone Sex]

Probably my only sorta political post, before the election anyway. Got this link over at Newyorkish.com (the highest quality links around town) for Li(v)e Girls, a fine piece of genius. Click the pic, choose your viewing mode and enjoy.

Gilliam

The Brothers Grimm is another thing I put on the sidebar over there. It's a movie that Terry Gilliam directed and finished filming more than a few months ago. And if you know the history of Terry Gilliam movies, or seen Lost in LaMancha, the fact that it's finished can be a cause for rejoice--even though it won't see the inside of a theater until Winter '05. But I felt like mentioning the site that the link is for: MENTIONING. It seems to be the only decent site for Gilliam out there -- which I find strange. I mean, the guy was in Monty Python for christ's sake. That alone should give a guy 3 decent sites. But maybe I'm just not finding them. Anyway. The site says he's already started Tideland.



Which could possibly mean that two Gilliam movies could be at your local cinemaplex this time next year. Craazy. It'll be over five years since his last movie, but hey, it's the definition of the double-dip-cream-dream. So good things come to those who wait, Clarise.

And take a look HERE (it's a lot easier to read than the amazon chapter) for the first, albeit small, chapter of Tideland -- what sounds like a very cool book. There's also an interview with the man behind the book on that Gilliam appreciation site from a couple years ago when Terry was first signed on for the adaptation. And being able to chronical the struggle of getting Good Omens made(for fun fact reading, especially if you've already read it)... Well, to me, that's one of those dream movies -- the perfect material for him, and you can only hope--like being a Red Sox fan in some ways--that it will happen one of these days. You really hope that Brothers Grimm or Tideland is hugely successful to make the suits with the money wake up.

Amy on Dave

Amy Sedaris on Letterman tonight. Funny lady, and the two of them have a great rapport -- I like how Amy tosses her own questions in the way she does. I wonder who cancelled... There'll be some good stills from those couple of impersonations she did [probably show up here soon]. Anges Morehead... She does look a bit more tan than usual. No mention of the movie. I think they had the wrap party July 31st at a MisShapes afterparty at NYC's Luke & Leroy's (get your hands off her, greasy Justin Theroux!), but it doesn't look like it's coming out until Spring. Must be the extensive CGI post-work needing to be done... Anyway, I'll always think that her on Conan with an animal expert afterwards is the best way to book an Amy Sedaris tv appearance--I think they allow her to get a bit more crazy on Conan. Well, my ears still haven't quite recovered from ...Trail of Dead last night--and still need work catching up on the shut-eye...

Game Day #7 (Coupland)

Keeping this one brief, I need sleep.

1st Inning -- Papi! D-Lowe! Or is that Owen Wilson? I'm never too sure... I'm already exhausted.

2nd Inning -- The ol' choke-a-dope. Impressive inning and a third of pitching. I like that guy. Wait-hold the fucking presses! Holy mama pajama! Untamed Damon! Finally! Capn' Caveman comes through. Best game ever! Double that score and I can go to bed.

6th Inning -- Well, Boston is full of drunk rabble rousers tonight. More than usual that is. What with FUCKING HISTORY BEING MADE! D-fucking-LOWE! Take A-fucking-ROD and shove it sideways...

This has been fun guys. Sorta. Not doing this again, though. I have no place commenting on sports really--but the main reason is it's just a hassle. The posts on here will be written for a reason--not simply because I get myself into a situation where I feel I gotta keep a theme running. Anyway, need sleep--and beacuse I feel I have to put some sort of commercial here...

Commercial -- Coupland



New Douglas Coupland soon to be released. Yes, Jeff, it's a reason to be cheerful. Unlike this fucking game. But no fear, Pedro has a history of bullshit first innings. But I'm sure he has something he wants to prove to someone, himself?, whatever--if this gets real ugly I might feel the need for bitching and moaning--but I stand by need to lie down and let this insane victory wash over me.

8th Inning -- Thanks Bellhorn, you know what I'm sayin'.

Game Day #6 (Eugene Mirman)

So here I am again. Nearing 8pm and sitting in front of the laptop with the tv turned on to Fucking Fox about 6 or 7 feet beyond that. Sean McDonough a nice little tease -- look at them, talking to someone who isn't a complete fucking annoying windbag automaton like themselves, craaazy. So there's my bitch and moan about Fox for the night, I promise I won't bring it up again.

Commercial -- Eugene Mirman



This guy makes me laugh. He recently was on tour with the likes of Modest Mouse and Yo La Tengo and can mow be seen opening for those Stella gentleman. Is the lesser known friend of David Cross, Todd Barry, Jon Benjamin, you know, that whole scene. And if you don't know that whole scene--what the fuck there, holmes? Get a-googlin!

4th Inning -- 3 innings and no score? Refreshing. I wonder what kind of drugs they've got Curt pumped up with... But definitely, infinitely more refreshing is being up 4-0.

8th Inning -- Don't they show replays on the jumbotron or whatever they call it? Pretty obvious--A-Rod shooting dirty pool. Headache setting in.

9th Inning -- Nice. "How about we just tip over the SUVs after the game? It shows how pissed we are as fans but also how politically aware we are as a city." What's a good song to play over the speakers as Yankee fans get tasered, gassed, and/or clubed? I'd say We Will rock You.

What can you say? I'm surprised it only lasted 9 innings. There has to have been some people with weak hearts who've suffered some attacks... Well, one more.

Sideways

This is looking to be possibly the best movie of the year--right now it's sitting along side Eternal Sunshine and the innevitable The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. I know it may look bad to put movies I haven't seen on the best-of list but with the Life Aquatic, I mean, this is Wes Anderson with Bill Murray we're talking about.

Anyway, I keep reading great things about Sideways, the new movie by Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Election, Citizen Ruth--all recommended), and I'm getting pretty jazzed to check it out. Read the above links to the reviews or the offical site for the story. It just finished up the New York Film Festival and will be making it's way around everywhere else in the upcoming months. Also, the official site has some fun wine related extras to it--though my favorite feature is the "Life Uncorked" bits.

I created a little "On the Radar" spot on the sidebar today where I put some references to some movies that are coming up that have caught my attention. I figured I'd give this one it's own post since the ad campaign for it seems to be non-existant [at least on tv and in print media... hmm, maybe I don't need to post this...-ed.] -- but I expect once it gets closer to Award time you'll be hearing more about this one.

Game Day #5 (Army Man zine)

7th Inning -- Maybe I'm just hung up on this dynamic announcing team Fox has but I'm sorry, the word cadence does not belong in baseball. That's just my opinion, and again, I'm a bit biased against these Fox bastards. Nevermind the insane frustration these games bring me just being a fan of the Red Sox, whatever that guy's name is, I don't care if he's got ten rings on his fingers and thumbs, he should get a muzzle strapped on and given a once over with some cattle prods every time he uses that word to describe some facet of this game.

10th Inning -- Arroyo. Not a fan of the braids, but I like the hot potato he does at the end of his pitches. Hell yeah. These games are hurting me.

Commercial -- The extra in that last Believer mag.



This is the cover of a great zine reprint that came in the September issue of The Believer magazine. Army Man, America's Only Magazine. It's wirtten by George Meyer of the Simpsons and some other people including a Jack Handey Deep Thought. I recommend getting your hands on it if you can. Hilarious stuff. Click it to make it bigger.

13th Inning -- Not sure why Mirabelli doesn't get sent in... "Mesmerthighs" hasn't been hitting very well--well, I mean no one has really, but I think we've reached the point where you really couldn't make it any more stressfull than this inning. But maybe I shan't say such things.

14th Inning -- I love it when it comes to big Papi. Sorry, bad joke. But seriously... Thousands crap their pants at once... Maybe I'm amazed? I don't know how they do it, or how I can watch--no I guess I do know, it's ultimately the most entertaining (if somewhat insanely hair pulling) shit around.

Game Day #4 (Vice mag)

Well, last night was definitely the lowest I believe the Pain part of the roller coaster can go. Hopefully the Delight part will show up today.

8:00pm - Still enjoy Denis Leary's rants. And he made a good point there about the optomistic cynic that most Red Sox fans are. Derek Lowe, the unlikely hero. Unlikely indeed.

Commercial --



Why is the Scandinavian edition of Vice so much better than the US's anniversary issue?

1st Inning -- Wow, we made it through the first without giving up 10 runs. So happy...

2nd Inning -- D-Lowe! Joe Buck's begining to make me nauseous. He really should stick to whoring himself on the streets of NYC with Ratso.

5th Inning -- Hot shit!

6th Inning -- That Godzilla is a fucking baseball machine. A robot of some sort, I'm certain. Taking out D-Lowe will be this years keeping in Pedro.

9th Inning -- Hey hoo ha! Rally caps are on. More hot shit. Very methodical and business like. Damon snaps his streak. Barely. No double play...

1:24 am -- Papi finally comes though. Glad I had that nap earlier. I think most people are too tired and sobered-up to cause any kind of ruckus on the streets tonight.

Game Day #2 (Monobrow/Sanchez Bros.)

[Will update continually 'till the end of the game... Maybe.]

8:00pm -- Yeah, so Curt's not doing to good, eh? And what was the biggest difference between last year and this year? Our pitching, right? Well, I still think we still have plenty to work with in the bullpen. Bring out Lowe instead--I wouldn't squak. I'm looking foward to Pedro shutting up that NY crowd... should be a good game. Hell, if last night's a sign of anything it's that all these games could very well be classics.

Commercial -- Who's #1?

This Guy. Click and feel it -- unh, yeah, that's right...

1st Inning -- That throw to second almost smacked Jeter in that mug of his... almost.

2nd Inning -- Did that douche bag just question Pedro's "cadence"? I think he did. Sweet jesus...

3rd Inning -- Scooter... sigh... Have I mentioned my dislike of Fox? I wonder how many focus groups it took to decide upon the name of a talking baseball.

Checking in on the Presidential Debate --



5th Inning -- Now's the time. Close. Damnit.

6th Inning -- Pedro's got the crowd quiet though--I like that, very much so. Olerud? Well, there goes that crowd respect... And okay, who's your daddy... um, why not Where's the Beef? or Who's the Boss? or Whachoo Talkin Bout? Yes, I'm bitter.

Commercial -- Have you met the new Partridge Family?

Do yourself a favor -- MEET RON, GARY, BRUCE AND DOUG

7th Inning -- This Sheffield/Godzilla double whammy unnerves me.... I really need to see the Papi/Manny double dip happen tonight.

8th Inning -- Did I jinx Damon last night? I sent this raging email to The Trifecta last night about Damon... Well, if I did, my realizing it now should un-jinx him. Here comes his first hit... Ouch.

9th Inning -- Well, the real bitch of this thing would be losing a game because of the 1st inning. That's tough. Nice tense way to do it Foulke.

And so it goes. Papi wanted it just as bad as any fan out there.

Game Day #1 (Roller Coaster of Pain and Delight Begins)

[Constant Updates 'Till The Game is Over]

8:00pm -- The Star Wars opening. I guess Fox doesn't have to pay much for that footage--it's a cheap idea in more ways than one. I mistakenly thought the game was going to start at 7. Just used to that time I guess. So since I've been waiting even longer than I should have all I can do is scream--get the fucking game on already! I hate pretty much everything about you Fox! [sorry, a bit jaded there] I think I'm going to put some music on, or maybe the radio--I really find all the Fox hosts and personnel a bit sinister and evil atound the edges.

Commercial -- Thinking about buying this hat.



But I'm not much of a hat wearer at all... but it makes me kind of want to start every once in a while... though I really want the sold out Pit Pat hat.

Does the words "My Big Fat" anything make anyone else's bile rise up a bit? And that Nomar song should never grace airwaves again ever.

1st Inning -- Don't like the looks of this. Fans sound pretty intense... That's okay, too early to get too worried about anything.

2nd Inning -- "...loves to pound the green monster." Please, somebody slap this guy good. Love Millar's Amish Up look. Please someone just get the fuck on first base soon...

3rd Inning -- oh... Pain starting to build. I don't like this Sheffield guy. Your right that's a strike you bitch [c'mon Schilling you're really making me wish Pedro was up first -- he feeds of this crowd.! walk... godzilla is even worse... "Who's your daddy?" Schilling seems to be feeling the heat... Sweet Mercy.

4th Inning -- Another 5 up another 3 down. Sadness mixed with frustration begins to simmer. LesKanic? I'm not even sure I've seen him play... Jeter. Look at him. He's got that face that you just want to punch. I'm sure he could visciously pummel me into patty but still. Double play--exhale. oh! Inning should be over with but not. But is. I repeat please get at least one fuckin' guy on base.

5th Inning -- The moose is on fire. Slipping...

6th Inning -- Wakefield Headache. Again, I wonder how this game/series would have turned out if Pedro had pitched first.

7th Inning -- holy shit. A hit. C'mon Papi! holy shit... C'mon Amish Power! holy shit... gotta love 2 out runs. 2 more innings, 4 more runs.

Commercial -- Vote.



7th Inning -- Heart attack time. Go Papi! This 2 out shit's killing me. Holy shit! Papi hit a tripple? That must have been the fastest he's ever run in his life.

8th Inning -- Sorry about all the swearing. Sports can do this to most anyone... Especially a Red Sox fan. It's neccessary for the coping process. I am now swearing.

9th Inning -- Now's when sports can even get prayers to come to the lips of even the most Agnostic of us...

Typical. A very familiar game--takes you right up to that point of glory, and then drops you. But hey, not like we're not used to it...

Bill Plympton & Hair High

BIll Plympton has created some of my favorite animated moments. I believe it was early 90's Mtv, maybe Liquid Television, where I first saw one of his short cartoons. Some of them are a good laugh, and some of them are trancendant moments of bliss. He also shows up on a lot of Spike and Mike collections and he's made more than a couple of features as well as even wining an Oscar at one point. Anyway, I'm a fan and I was more that a little happy to find out he's got a new movie on the way.



That cast is pretty great -- and Matt Groening and Michael Showalter from the State and Stella contirbute voices as well. Click on the picture for some clips but there isn't really to much else except the official press kit. And IMDB makes it seem like it's still looking for distribution as it's still doing festivals. Well, I'm hoping it comes out in one form or another sooner than later.

Star Wars - The Last Hope

Like many of my generation I grew up on Star Wars. Some of my earliest movie memories are of Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. I got the posters, the action figures and shipis, the magazines (I think my first object of lust was Carrie Fisher in that Bobba the Fett slave outfit) even the Bantha Tracks fan club-only magazine that had all these ads for cool crap that we couldn't afford like the official Hans Solo utility jacket or Indiana Jones Stetson. Not really sure exactly who those Bantha Tracks were aimed at exactly. It was a strange magazine -- or newsletter really, as it was indeed informative and awesome to receive in the mail with your , as a seven or eigth year old it also did a good job of stripping away any childish thoughts of movie magic by introducing you to special effects guys and crew members that would talk about how many people it took to operate Bobba the Fett. (What the hell happened to those now very collectable issues and toys I had escapes me...) [Going to go look these up on ebay... hmm, disapointing - ed.]

I so vividly remember this very issue (though it wasn't so fuzzy). I remember the redish issue, the greenish one too...

So like any good geek I was eager to get any news I could about Lucas creating episodes 1-3 of the series. Sure, I'd sat through Howard the Duck, Willow, and two spotty Indiana Jones sequels (still get hardly any enjoyment out of Temple of Doom) but I figured American Graffiti couldn't of just been a fluke... And I don't think he invented the prequel (did the Godfather do that?), but it was an interesting notion when he first announced it and so he had my attention. Word started spreading about the cast of Episode 1 and the choices seemed fine -- all was still well. The image of the little kid with the Vader shadow was indeed tantalizing.

But then the commercials came. Ok, at first... But there was this noise about the movie now -- it was all about Lucas trying to get the new generation of 7 and 8 year olds to buy all the new toys and games that were about to be air dropped onto the masses. Indeed, it seemed that what millions had been waiting over a decade for was a kiddie flick. Then the thought occurs that maybe that's what the first Star Wars was... Yet looking at the various documentaries about the phenomena of the original it seemed like it was stoned teenagers and geeky 20s that were queuing up. Sure, those were the ones queuing up this time too -- but were those the ones coming away pleased? And shouldn't that be the same audience he should be shooting for?

So I was pissed. I walked out of the theatre thinking the time would've been better spent catching a few winks. And of course the main brundt of my cursings was that fucking hell spawn Jar Jar... but we'll speak no more of that bastard. Let's chalk it up to a big fucking disapointment, try to forget it ever happened and move on. Thought immediately turn to how much better Empire was than the the first one.

I didn't even see Clones in the theatre -- that's how pissed I was over Menace. Even a kung-fu Yoda on the Imax couldn't get me to shake it. And the title didn't help at all. But I must admit, when I watched the DVD, I wasn't too disapointed. Maybe because my expectations were so low, but I found myself shrugging off the more preposterous moments with a laugh and simply enjoying the fact that it was better than Menace, if even by a small margin. Yoda definitely helped.

And so now, as if to start the vicious cylce over again, there's this...



Again, I find myself tantalized -- i think it reaches down to some sort of cellular level childhood reaction. I don't know. There's even a cool THX feel to that hallway. And the noise this time is that it's supposed to hit much darker themes and possibly even be PG-13. But I'm not going to get my hopes up again. Lucas has lost that ability in me. I'll be dropping the 10 dollars ro see this next installment but this is what will be in the back of my mind (copied from here)...

Thursday, October 07, 2004
I LOVE STAR WARS!

George Lucas recently gave an interview to ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY to promote the release of the “directors cut” versions of the first three STAR WARS movies that just came out on DVD. What follows are actual real (true!) quotes from George, along with what I would say if he said that shit to me…

DOUG BENSON: Why the fuck did you have to go and add a bunch of useless crap to the original trilogy?

GEORGE LUCAS: When STAR WARS came out, I said it didn’t turn out the way I wanted—it’s 25 percent of what I wanted it to be.

DOUG BENSON: 75 percent of the movie wasn’t there? Funny, it seemed pretty complete to me.

GL: So the choice came down to, do I please myself and [finally] make the movie I wanted, or do I allow the audience to see the half-finished version that they fell in love with?

DB: Half-finished? That’s only 50 percent.

GL: If you really look at it, there’s hardly any changes at all.

DB: First you say 75 percent, then 50 percent, then hardly any changes…are you retarded?

GL: The thing that really caused the trouble on STAR WARS is the whole question of whether Han Solo or Greedo shoots first.

DB: Yeah, Han Solo understandably shoots Greedo because Greedo is holding him at gunpoint.

GL: He didn’t shoot first.

DB: But he did. I saw it. At least 50 times.

GL: In my mind [Greedo] shot first or at the same time.

DB: Sounds like you really don’t know what your mind thinks.

GL: We like to think of [Han Solo] as a murderer because that’s hip...

DB: Yeah, murderers are awesome!!

GL: I mean, I don’t see how you can redeem somebody who kills people in cold blood.

DB: Greedo, the green ant-eater faced monster, is a person now? You’re so crazy, I wanna have your baby.

GL: Every other change is, you know, I wanted to have a good matte painting in here.

DB: So you’re saying STAR WARS is 75 percent matte paintings? I thought it was mostly characters and plot and shit. But then again, I’m not a filmmaking genius, I’m just an asshole comedian.

GL: Half of directing is great casting.

DB: You should really stop throwing around percentages.

GL: It really is. If you cast it right, you don’t have to do much work.

DB: That kid you hired to play young Anakin in PHANTOM MENACE was terrific.

GL: I said, well [PHANTOM MENACE] is not going to work because I’m making it about a ten-year-old boy, and nobody is going to want to see this.

DB: I certainly wish I didn’t.

GL: And then [ATTACK OF THE CLONES] is a love story.

DB: No wonder I didn’t like it. Love is stupid.

GL: It’s not a hip, happening romantic comedy with the Olsen twins.

DB: Um, I know you’ve been busy making horrible movies, but there’s no such thing as a hip, happening romantic comedy with the Olsen twins.

GL: So at least Darth Vader is in [EPISODE III]. Only for two minutes, but he’s in it. If you take them all together it’s a fascinating saga.

DB: Oh, I get it, if I see EPISODE III next May it will magically make EPISODES I and II not suck. I’m gonna go get in line right now!

Buffy & Me: A Confession

About 2 years ago I began watching reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on FX when they showed two episodes in a row from 6-8pm. At first I was hesitant. I had seen a couple episodes over the years but never really got involved with the show and suspected that it was really just another WB teen soap opera with a kitschy vampire twist. But now, 2 years later, I freely admit that it is [one of the-ed.] funniest, most original, imaginative, and most sincere and emotionally honest 1-hour "drama[s]" to be aired on free TV ever.

It wasn't an overnight love affair. More of the slow-burn seduction variety, which always leads to the more meaningful and lasting television relationships. I wasn't even the instigator of this relationship -- it was a roommate of mine who would generally be home before me that was the fan. And so there it would be, already on TV every day when I got out of work. I passively stared at it in the beginning. Nodding along with its formula of monster of the week popping up in Sunnydale, finding out where it's hiding out at the last minute, kick its ass and save the day, chuckle, repeat.

But then the not so subtle array of metaphors started hitting me. And as the episodes moved along in order, the characters themselves starting showing the actual subtlety and growth. I started thinking the character of Willow was the most interesting thing on television at the time. What was going on? I thought. Was I falling for a WB show? With the girl from Scooby Doo as the star and central themes revolving around teen problems? Yes. I was falling in it deep. And once you start falling for the three to five central characters and caring about them, then the action scenes even take on depth.

Sure, there were some characters that showed up that were a bit annoying; bad guys that didn't really deserve the time devotion; bad CGI and rubber suits; some story metaphors that were too painfully obvious and close to preachy; but these could all be forgiven when you realize that this show also gives you some of the best writing and dialog to have ever graced television. At its best it is the best, or shoulder to shoulder with it at any rate, and at it's worst is is still better than the other 99% that's being programmed.

My favourite thing about Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being able to look at an episode from the first season and see 3 high schoolers with baby fat trying to get through high school and compare it to the last season, seven years later, and be able to see 3 people, hardened, weathered, who've almost in all cases literally been through hell and back--having had their lives crushed and built back again, more than once in some cases, and really be able to honestly see it in their faces and in the better-than-deserved performances of the actors. What other show can you see that? What other one hour drama can you even see all the main cast last until the end of the shows run? Not many at all. And how many of those shows have jokes with references to Magnolia, kung-fu, hot vengeance demons, and the production values of a studio feature?

So in all, I think it took about 2 to 3 months for me to become a full-fledged geek about the whole thing. And at first it was just Buffy--fuck that gay Angel crap, right? Never liked that actor much anyway... Well, ok, let's take a look--they're starting to repeat them on TNT... Son of a bitch! Who is this Joss Whedon and why the hell are his shows so fuckin' good? And what gives Angel the right? I mean, there's episodes on that show that trump Buffy itself. And the last episode was much better than the final Buffy. Hmm, let me check out this Firefly show that got cancelled after 4 shows or something--can't be very good right?... Shitballs! It's genius! And so on...

Yes, a year ago my geekness was basically being kept to a minimum--only freaking out about TV things related to Mr. Show and Amy Sedaris. Now I find myself anonymously peeking into the Buffy fanclub site and Whedon blog; anticipating the April '05 release of Serenity while trying not to drool; ordering the UK Region 2 DVDs of Buffy seasons so I can see the episodes letterboxed; what has become of me... But no, no shame in this game. I've become utterly convinced, unwavering in my beliefs. America may not justify my claims, but the actors are treated like gods in England. And in most cases it's a good sign in my book when something American is more popular in the UK than here. And speaking of England, what's up with the Giles show over there?

So now, here I sit. A man in the clutches of a Star Trek-like obsession. Alias was a good distraction. But with only 3 seasons to it, sorry... I'm buying Buffy season 2 tomorrow, and that'll give me 4 of 7. I'm buying these used mind you--which breaks down to about 2 dollars an episode per season. Not too bad. Like I said, no shame in this game. Anyway, so I'll be satiated for another couple weeks. It's a pretty good season, a big improvement from season one... Okay, I'm getting sick of myself here. So let me wrap this up.

For your benefit, a seasonal review, in order of bettertude (first being bestest):
Season 3 -- The Mayor is easily the best Buffy season villain. The characters are at their peaks of likability.
Season 5 -- Glory being the next best villain. Spike at his best. Great cliffhanger.
Season 6 -- The musical is pure genius. It's something that by all laws of logic should be laughable and fail miserably. But it actually becomes possibly the coolest episode of TV ever and having some of the funniest moments of the series as well as the "We'll see it through / It's what we're always here to do" tingle-moment. Honors also to the Nerds of Doom. And respect for being able to get away with as much bleakness as they did.
Season 2 -- The Buffyverse comes alive.
Season 4 -- "Hush" is the Buffy apex for me--doesn't get any better. Unfortunately Riley is a human snooze button.
Season 7 -- Preemptive wrap up, but I liked the message of the season and bringing back a worthy villain.
Season 1 -- Only because the actors were still figuring themselves out, it was a short season, and budget restrictions were visibly in place.

Again, this is just different levels of goodness, there are no bad seasons, this is just my own personal biased opinion.

Boom #2.

It seems some people still haven't seen this...

It's a pretty interesting video about the Pentagon hit on Sept. 11th. Check it out and promptly start scratchin' your noggin afterwards.

Boom.

Something's brewing...

Prez: More of the Same!, sez Kerry! (May / Dario Argento)

I'll move on to something else soon, I promise. But these titles keep popping up that I feel I've neglected to mention along side these past few recommendations. I don't want to start any type of theme so early on here but since it is October, and you'll hear people pushing the same old tried and true scary movies at you until Halloween comes along, I think I'll continue pushing my own.

Now, this one wasn't just one of the best horror movies I'd seen in a while, but also one of the best movies I'd seen last year. May.



A great creepy little movie. And a performance from Angela Bettis as May that you immediately realize should launch this actress into many great things, and I believe she will be well known in a matter of time. Good performances all around in what is in some ways is a kind of Dr. Frankenstein story retold through a disturbed suburban teenage girl. A definite recommendation to put on the Halloween queue.

Also, in case you haven't heard of Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, here's a brief intro... And three movies that are all you really need to see in the order of their betterness...



The fist one there is The Bird With the Crystal Plumage. This is one of Dario's first movies and the closest to being as Hitchcockian as people like to refer to him as -- a normal guy is an accidental witness and gets in over his head. It has some great photography by Vittorio Storaro who went on to work with Bertolucci and Coppola afterwards. A great movie to simply look at but also an effective thriller--De Palma has clearly been more than a little bit influenced by this guy and after watching this you'll see that how Aregento moves a camera around has had an impact on a good number of directors.

Suspiria, the second one there is pretty much the prototype of the teen slasher picture. It also falls into the same catagory as some of Polanski's early movies, of an innocent girl going insane in new surroundings, growing paranoia, etc. Again, great visuals, great camera work... A classic, and the one that really brought Dario the ten years or so of minor fame he achieved in America.

(Have to pause here--this SNL monologue is pretty funny... Dr. Porkenheimer's Boner Juice... shit, that was good. Anyway...)

The last Argento movie I'll recommend to you here is Deep Red. His giallo triumph. I put it third because it gets a bit stranger and less linear than the previous films. This trend would continue more into to the 80s until he faded into low budgets and lose his grasp on his strengths -- which is great visual storytelling, which is still in high gear on this film. A great horror movie. Now all of these movies will have plots that will strike you as very familiar -- Deep Red has the whole psychic who knows what the killer is thinking plot -- but these were the one's that started it all and did them best.

These movies are really what DVDs do best. Take great movies that could previously only be seen off of crappy copies and chopped up frames -- here they are in their colorful and gory brilliance the way they should be.

(Holy shit! Tina Fey AND Amy Poehler doing the news together -- I swear people are reading my dreams. If only they'd get around to the one's that involve me...)

King of the Ants

[So I'm going to try turning this thing "Netflix-friendly". That is, I'm going to start linking movies to their respective Netflix pages. I'm not really sure why--I think it's because it's something I would like, so maybe there's one other person out there that'll appreciate it. I've been on the Netflix for maybe close to a year now. It changed my life. I love it. Give me a free account.]



Still deciding about this one, but I figured I'd dive into it. I posted the picture to the book this movie is based on--because the cover of the DVD is pretty misleading. Makes it look like some stupid zombie movie or something. Ahem. Although, in fact, it is directed by Stuart Gordon of Re-Animator fame. I know that's not neccessarily a good thing--but in this case it is.

Now I haven't read the book--though looking in to it makes me interested in the author Charlie Higson's other work. The whole thing starts off pretty poorly, we're pretty much immediately tossed into a pretty standard loner getting mixed up with bad guys story. The bad guys even being George Wendt (bought the rights to the book many years ago) and Daniel Baldwin (the poor man's Baldwin even!), but they actually do a pretty decent job in their roles. The main guy, Sean, is played by a guy who's mainly only done tv show appearances--and this is what causes some problems. Its a very tough role to sell. His character is a pretty unlikable guy and the first 10 minutes or so are pretty rough because as we're supposed to be getting into the movie we find ourselves stuck with this dumb guy and a rather badly executed story.

But after our anti-hero kills the guy from Office Space the unexpected twists start showing up and a wholly original story appears. As does Kahri Wuhrer's breastses (some geeks out there interested in that). But I digress... There is a fair amount of violence in what ends up to being an intersting origin story for a twisted and slightly disturbed new hero. The actor playing our hero, Chris McKenna doesn't end up leaving too bad an impression. He's appearing in Art School Confidential next, based on Daniel Clowes' comic book, which I'm highly anticipating, so I'm still hoping he'll get better as he goes along. I recommend putting it on your queue especially if you liked the Miike movies and we're disapointed by some of Gordon's last few. But you don't have to rush it to the top.

3 out of 5 severed George Wendt heads approve.

I have to go back to watching Versus now. So far I've been a bit disapointed with it, but the pot's definately helping.

Double Feature of the Week

I'm just feeling a bit like digging into the ol' Netflix bag, and all this talk about zombies and horror movies got me thinking that I might have overlooked a few good ones. These two movies were a double feature I had one night--hadn't seen either of these and thought both of them were damn fine werewolf movies. These would be Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers.



Good examples of how to keep a struggling genre alive and interesting. Both have there own fairly unique variations on the theme. But neither knock down the reigning champ of werewolf movies -- An American Werewolf in London. Oh, the days when Landis had style. This movie still holds the best werewolf transformation sequence ever. And the Nazi Werewolf nightmare scene is still genuinely scary. But An American Werewolf in London is, in my mind, in the category of the comedy/horror that I was talking about previously. Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers are more in the melodramatic serious horror vein. Like the difference between Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. Different sides of the same coin.

Anyway, both Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers have their own decent attempts at the werewolf transformation sequence. Ginger Snaps definitely wins in this comparison. The Ginger in the title is the older of two gothy Canadian sisters who enjoy Harold style hobbies like photographing each other in various stages of death and making fun of and getting into fights with the square popular kids of the school. Well, one night, one of them, Ginger, gets bit. In some ways it's a bit like Spiderman. Instead of the Male Spider Puberty Metaphor they have the Female Werewolf Puberty Metaphor--and it works pretty well but with much more violent and gorier and Canadian results. The two sisters do a better than expected job of creating a believable relationship, which is good because that's the main crux of the movie.

Dog Soldiers is one of the better products of England's long lasting boner for Tarantino. But it's better than anything Guy Ritchie's crapped out, and really is more of standard action movie than a werewolf movie--a point the director and cast love to repeat in the featurette extra. Basically (after a pretty funny intro that's really a gratuitous wink-wink nod-nod to the conventions of the genre) a small platoon of British soldiers go on an exercise in the woods of Scotland and get attacked by what just happen to be werewolves only to be rescued by a local resident who takes them to a house were they can do a last stand at. Great "this can't be happening" moments and the cover artwork really doesn't do justice to one of the best werewolf representations on film. Maninsuit werewolves all the way--no cgi or robots going on--and done very well-quite creepy in some moments.

I recommend Dog Soldiers a bit more in terms of entertainment value. Ginger has more weight to it (as well as two sequels now--both are a bit of a ways down on the queue so no comment on them as of yet) and is a more solid story, but the blender action of combining werewolves with army guys with Reservoir Dogs and then adding a bit of Night of the Living Dead and just a dash of Dead Alive--well, shit, even I'm surprised they managed to pull it off, but damn it all it's a good ride.

Zombie Love

But you know, if zombies do come a knockin'--don't call them "zombies", because that's just crazy talk. Shaun of the Dead makes this very important point after our two heroes bash their first zombie brains. This is of course a reference to the fact that no movie containing zombies actually refers to the walking dead as zombies--so in a way this movie is quite ground-breaking. It is also the most fun you'll have at your local cinema right now.

Making a funny horror movie has become something of a challenge ever since Scream came out. That movie in a single stroke took the horror movie genre back to it's pretty looking teens getting cut up style of the 80's and it got stuck with that for a good many years until recently--thanks to zombies. Shaun of the Dead does, on a much bigger budget, what Evil Dead 2, Re-Animator, and Fright Night did in the late 80s. Which is to stay true to it's genre and at the same time inject it with new life and making it exciting again. Right now I can't think of a movie recently that ballanced the humor and horror so well that you actually root for the good guys and not the zombies or the inbred hillbilly monsters or whatever. Cabin Fever made a pretty good attempt at it, and I did give that one a good review, but it can't hold a candle to the joys of Shaun of the Dead.

To the Winchester!

4 out of 5

Oh, also, two things... The guys who made this are behind a tv show called Spaced. If you are able to get Trio you can watch this show and you are a lucky bastard that I am quite jealous of. For some reason the dip-shit money grubbing bitches at Comcast won't offer the channel EVEN THOUGH IT IS AMOUNG THE CHANNELS LISTED AS AVAILABLE. So be on the lookout for Spaced.

Secondly, (HOT TIP!) this is quite intriguing: CLICK ON ME. If the movie is as good as the ad campaign I'll be a happy zombie lover. It comes courtesy of people from Alabama--zombies and the deep south... heavenly.

Okay, I know I said "two things" but I just remembered this;

I'm not much for novelty books but the excerpts from the book on the website (click the pic) are pretty funny and there's a good amount available there. Plus, the Max Brooks who authored the thing is actually Mel Brooks' son--so there's some street cred for you. Check it out--but you might want to adjust the volume--the zombie music gets a bit irritating.

That's all the zombie news I have. Except for the fact that Romero's Land of the Dead starts filming next month -- which is the best zombie news of all, innit?

[adult swim]

Ever since the heyday of Space Ghost and Cowboy Bebop I've been a bit in love with Adult Swim -- back when it was just late night Cartoon Network, and Home Movies was on UPN with Paula Poundstone. It was on one night of the week (Sunday), then repeated on a second night (Wednesday), then on two nights with action/anime on Sat and comedy on Sun, then everyday after 11. Now it's back to being a mixed bag, which I like most, and, anyway, what i'm trying to say is: it's even better than ever. This is because now there is The Venture Brothers.




I highly recommend this show. James Urbaniak, an actor from a few of Hal Hartley's movies plays the questionable Prof. Venture and best of all, Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld/Tick tv show) plays the family bodyguard so very hilariioiusly deadpan in his very special experienced voice-over guy way. A bit of a twisted show but compared to Aqua Teen or Sealab or Brak it's pretty straight foward. I like it, and so should you, no really, I insist...

Lost / Veronica Mars / The Farina Force

Fuck [television sucking away more brain cells]... Wednesday night is becoming something of an ass grove night. This Veronica Mars is looking pretty good -- it's like Hammet High. I think the name Mars along with the Neptune, California is a bit much but the show is sly, deceptively intelligent (Veronica could be the best new character out there) and I like the guy from Just Shoot Me as the dad -- I always thought he could be good in something without the cringing sit-com broadness (that includes Galaxy Quest) and I think he's got a good chance to prove himself with this role. Its also good to see UPNs looser restrictions put to good effect besides racy "urban" shows. But this is also the channel that dropped the ball on Sofia Coppola's show Platinum unforgivingly quick which still boggles me.-- even though I wasn't that big a fan. But how could I be, they showed like three episodes and all at fucked up times too if I remember correctly. Oh, the show's going to be on Tuesdays... that's the UPN I'm talking about.

Anyway, I'm a huge Alias fan so I was already excited about Lost. Not disapointed either. It's obviously the best thing on right now. Only complaint is that they didn't give it a two hour opener.

And Farina on Law and Order? C'mon, that was obvious the moment I heard about it. It's the best marriage since wine and cheese, choclate and peanut butter, doctor and pepper, etc. I don't think there's any beating Law and Order, in all it's varous forms, as the safest bet you can get for zoning out on the couch. It's turning into MASH too -- with cable you can jump channels all day and watch nothing besides it.

I'm a huge Farina fan though too, so again, this is biased. I think Crime Story is the best cop show that's ever been on television. I mean, the guy WAS a cop. I have to go put Midnight Run on my queue...

The Writings of James Ellroy

I probably got into James Ellroy the same way a good number of people did -- enjoyed LA Confidential (the movie) and/or his appearances on Conan O'Brien. So about 4 or 5 years ago I picked up what was then the previous year's Time Magazine book of the year, American Tabloid.

At first it was a bit intimidating. It was a hefty book even in paperback and it has a good number of characters being thrown at you to try and keep track of. But it reads easy with blunt testosterone fueled sentences, and moves along at a great pace as it covers five years of events leading up to the murder of JFK--putting a date and time stamp at the begining of each chapter. We follow three guys, who may be the the only three fictional characters in the book, as they work their way between Hoover and the FBI, the mob, Cuban militants, the KKK, and the Kennedys themselves. The book is about 600 pages long and stops exactly at the moment of JFKs assassination, but I honestly didn't want it to end.

It really was like reading a history book of all the awful truths of our country that you kind of knew were true and finally got to find out about in all it's perverse detail. You definately get the feeling that Ellroy lives for this kind of dirt and that love makes all his bleak portraits seem that much more fun to uncover. Oh, and the best part is, it doesn't end.

The Cold Six-Thousand picks up the story later that very same day and takes you yet another 5 years down the line to the events of 1968. We follow the two guys who managed to survive American Tabloid and a new guy as they try to not get killed in their chosen professions. We're still trying to keep the forces of Hoover appeased as well as Howard Hughes this time around. We also get a peculiar view of war in the form of an operation to ship heroin in to the US from Vietnam so the undesirables of Las Vegas stay subdued. And, of course, sit sideline as RFK and MLK are thrown towards their fates. It's not quite as exhilarating as Tabloid but as I believe it is supposed to be the middle of a trilogy it serves it's role damn well and it's characters are still captivating despite it's Vegas-centric surroundings not quite as intersting as the early 60's JFK plottings.

These books (especially Tabloid) are right up there, top-shelf with the best books I've read. And I highly recommend picking them up and being ahead of the game when the thrid comes out--hopefully not too far from now. Also check out The Black Dahlia (currently being made into a movie by Brian DePalma) and White Jazz (which at one point was being made with john Cusack and Nick Nolte, but fell apart) which make up the rest of his LA trilogy with LA Confidential. All enjoyable, but if I had to rank them in order of how you should pick them up, or greatness, would be as such: Tabloid, Dahlia, Confidential, Jazz, Cold Six. There you have it.

Sky Cap'n and the Brewing Eye-Patch Fetish

So during a break from the downpour on Saturday, Admin and I went to see Sky Cap'n. If it was playing 10 minutes sooner or later we probably would have called it off but as we walked in it was starting in less than ten minutes so I dropped the always fucked up price of $10.25. Being the first weekend, the people were packed in. So, as seems to be the case with every movie I see with Admin we dropped ourselves in the second row.

The movie starts right out with a black and white slanted art deco style opening credits -- much like Rocketeer did over a decade ago if I'm not mistaken. Though that opening probably wasn't b&w... Anyway, I mention it because both movies are similar in spirit but very different in the way they go after it. Rocketeer tried to take the old sci-fi serials and, while keeping it in the same era, tried to put itself in a reality-based world. They attempted to explain how the back-pack rocket worked and how this device could have been invented and could have propelled a farm boy to defeat some Nazis in a zeppelin.

Zeppelins are popular in Sky Cap'n's world as well. But this world has absolutely nothing to do with reality -- with ray guns, giant robots with wiggly arms (my favourite), airplanes that turn into submarines, etc. It's pretty rare to see when you think about it. There hasn't been a decent sci-fi movie that's taken place in an alternate reality in a while. Well, maybe the Harry Potter movies, but I feel like giving this one a distinction of being an original story--as the Rocketter was. This isn't a comic book adaptation or a series of teenager books. It's a couple of guys with computers and George Lucas sized visions and an encyclopedia of 40s and 50s sci-fi movies. Really, I think it was when the hover craft ship zoomed away from the island with the giant jub-jub lizard looking on that sealed the deal for me as a movie I'd recommend.

Admin left a bit disappointed and mentioned the acting as something he couldn't get around. I know what he means -- and I also realize the acting was all very specific to try and recreate the style of the old Buck Rogers, but I also believe that obscure references shouldn't have to be known to enjoy a movie. But it didn't bother me that much. I'm impressed that the actors come away looking as good as they do after a few weeks of emoting on a blue set. But as much as I respect Jude Law's skills -- his Sky Captain is no Indiana Jones. But, that said, if I were a 9 year old kid, I'd most likely get a huge kick out of this movie. If you've lost complete touch with that part of you -- iwell then, this movie doesn't interest you at all in the first place, does it?

And that's pretty much my position on this movie. I liked it, it entertained me, but besides the plethora of obscure genre flick references there isn't much beyond CGI appreciation to get the adult in me all that excited. That is, besides Angelina Jolie. I think it has to do with my repeated viewings of the Kill Bill movies, combined with her Pussy Galore outfit -- but really I think I'm developing an eye patch fetish. I'm wondering if it's a niche that's already being serviced...

Rating: 3 out of 5

Takeshi Miike / Ichi the Killer / Audition / Dead or Alive 1 (sort of)

Miike and friend 

About 2 months ago I saw my first Miike film. For those that don't know, Takeshi Miike is a Japanese director who, since directing his own movies about ten years ago has made over 30 movies. Like all the great film directors he's jumped around in generes -- from the ultra violent to musical comedy to (his next film, rumor has it) family adventure. But his bread and butter is in the crazy fucked-up violent genre. In all actuality he's invented his own genre.

The first Miike movie I saw was Ichi the Killer. Good god almighty, this movie bent me over, made me its bitch, and made me wonder how I ever lived without it. It is hands down the most violently bizarre, disturbingly hilarious, mind bendingly fun movie I have ever seen.

Ichi is this mentally unstable guy with a permanent hard-on who has gotten picked on all his life. He lives with these two guys (one of which aparently has the ability to painfully transform himself into a huge strongman twice his normal size--very cool scene) who can get Ichi to kill whomever they want dead by brainwashing him into thinkning that person was one of the bullies from his past. I suppose having a permanent boner will get you going into a frenzy, and that combined with knife size razors popping out of the shoes of your rubber superhero outfit will do some serious damage. And Miike's eye never flinches.

But the real star of this movie is Kakihara. He's the guy who's scarred up face you'll find on most covers/posters of the movie.



Ichi has killed his boss, and it's Kakihara's job to find out who did it (his interogation efforts resulting in one of the more gruesome torture scenes I've ever seen). Although Kakihara loves and misses his boss dearly because without him there's no one around to give him the beatings and punishment he longs for, once he finds out Ichi is the killer he is desperate to track down this guy who seemingly can dish out the brutality that Kakihara's been longing for his whole life.

The R-1 version that's you'll find at your local video store is supposed to be missing some of the more extreme moments of the original Japanese version--but really, it's pretty intense as it is. A great mind-fuck of I movie and I can't recommend it enough to anyone with a taste for a bit of the outlandish. It propells you with into it with utter exuberance from the first frame and all you can do is hold on, cringe and laugh. Right now it has a solid spot on my top 10 action movies.

Immediately after watching Ichi I had to bump up all my Miike movies on my Netflix queue. They couldn't get in the DVD player fast enough. Next up was Audition. A huge change in tone was immediately apparent. This one, for the most part, is much more subtle. It creeps up on you until the last 30 minutes or so when it does a 180 and punches you in the back of the head with one hell of a twisted suprise... Well, it is a Miike movie so it isn't that surprising.

It starts out with a mother dying in the hospital, leaving behind a father and son. We immediately jump foward and the kid is a teenager who's prodding his dad to live a little and maybe get a female companion before he gets too old. The guy agrees, and since he is a movie producer he decides, with the help of his friend, to hold auditions for the role of his wife under the false pretenses of casting a new movie. A good idea for a romantic comedy/drama, eh? That feeling quickly disintegrates into a lovely lingering trip to hell once we start getting the feeling that his choice of a new wife isn't quite Donna Reed.

By the time the credits roll you're left again with some of the most gruesome images and a Japanese female voice teasing "kitit-kitee". A great ride. As far as horror movies go I rank it right up there with the best of them. Very similar to the Exorcist in the way it build the feeling of dread right up to the climax that doesn't fail to deliver.

After those two the first Dead or Alive was abit of a let-down. And it wasn't just because the DVD crapped out on me right before the last chapter. It certainly does have it moments. The prolonged introduction is like the begining of Goodfellas transplated to Japan via Miike and edited by a schitzophrenic. It's a rush...


DOA 1 

I'll comment on this one more later as I think I need to sit down with the complete DOA Trilogy to give it a fair appraisal. It's definately trying to make a Yakuza epic--in the same vein as Leone's western trilogy. Gangs and cops battling it out for supremacy while family and friends get caught up in it for the worse. There's some flashes of Miike having the kind of fun as with Ichi but I suppose the characters don't really allow for as much. Anyway--I'll get back to you on the subject. In the meantime--go get Ichi and Audition and give yourself some bad dreams.


The Cuddly Miike 

The Plan

So, for now, my idea is to just write about the entertainment that crosses my path -- in it's various forms; movies, tv, books, music, puppet shows, slide shows -- as well as; restaraunts, bars, tv diners... anything that can be consumed really. I know, not the most original of ideas, but hey-you have to start somewhere. No? Ok, you might be right. But what the hell...

Why?

Good question.

Will I do anything with this?

These and many more questions will be answered in the coming months.

Check in later. Or not, whatever, it's totally up to you.