..:: Blog ::..

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

Remember my friend Jen that I told you about yesterday? Well, she wrote something in her blog that impressed me a great deal. She writes about journal-writing, why it matters, and why one would want to post on the web. It sums up precisely my feelings on the matter, so why not go take a look? (assuming you care about what I or Jen think about weblogs, that is)

This blog is not a place for me to whine, so I'm not going to talk about my unemployment situation. I'll just say that the money from Unlce Sam is about to run out and I don't have another source of money lined up. I have a really foolproof bank-robbery planned, however, so everything is under control.

I've gotten several very nice emails lately about the Images section of this website. In particular, people seem to like the web-design for the Kiln art museum and a few have expressed curiosity as to the location of said museum. I'll save you the yahoo-hunting time and admit that there is no such place -- it was invented by Dan for an online poster design contest and I stole the name to use for some design samples I was mocking up. So that's one mystery solved (we're still working on the "hot water freezes faster than cold water" dilemma, which seems like a bunch of hooey to me).

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Tuesday, January 29, 2002

I just realized that I forgot to tell you about Brotherhood of the Wolf. The short version: it was pretty bad. The only slightly longer version: Great costumes, good performances, idiotic story, mediocre CGI. If you get all hot when you see Mark Dacascos with his shirt off, go see it. If you're a big fan of the merchant-ivory-martial-arts-horror-flick, go see it. If making some kind of sense out of a movie's story matters to you, avoid it. Let's just say it's a solid B horror movie and leave it at that.

My friends Linda and Jen are doing weblog thingies too, and they're much more interesting to read than this one. They actually have entertaining insights into their lives that are gratifying and amusing to read. You should visit.

I have a big, fat crush on Aisha Tyler. I watch Talk Soup and the The Fifth Wheel everyday, mostly just to oggle her. She and I would get along famously... she's got that perfect, smart, cruel sense of humor that I love so much. Plus, she's hotter than georgia asphalt. And not in that supermodel-glamour-hot way, but the much more elusive "real girl" way. Marry me, Aisha... and we can rule the galaxy as father and son!

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Sunday, January 27, 2002

I think watching The Practice is making me dumber. I've watched the show 3 times now, and I can feel the intuitive, creative, and cognitive parts of my brain withering away. The storylines are so pat and simple and the characters give little speeches Clearly Enunciating Every Word to Patiently Explain the Plot. The show is pre-digested; no thinking required. This kind of "writing for dumbies" is certainly David E. Kelley's trademark since he does it with his other rather vacant shows (Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope, and the abysmal Boston Public). For some odd reason, I have a similar reaction to The West Wing even though that show is pretty smart and very well done. Maybe it's the little speeches that bug me.

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Listening to: Lyle Lovett, The Road To Ensenada
Reading: Dean Motter, Electropolis
Playing: Medal of Honor, full version (love it)

So, only Jon and Chris showed up for the LAN party on Saturday, but it was a lot of fun anyway. We played games for something like 11 straight hours, but even so it just flew by. There were several games we didn't get to play at all, so we're already planning the next one. We played a lot of True Combat as well as Medal of Honor, Excessive Quake, and Crimson Skies.

Jon and I went to see the anime remake of Metropolis on Friday. It's pretty good overall, and has truly amazing animation and production design. The art-deco-future mega-city style is super cool and is done very well. The story gets kind of muddy in places and a few of the subtitle translations are awkward. Still, I give it the ol' thumbs-up. If you're in Seattle, you can see it at the Varsity theater in the U District.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2002

What up, dog?

Listening to: Luscious Jackson Electric Honey
Reading: Neil Gaiman American Gods. It might suck... I'm not sure yet.
Playing: True Combat. I loves me my AK47.

Me and Jon Elliott are off to see Le Pacte des Loups today. Cross your fingers for us, 'cause it might be a stinker. Then again, it has Mark Dacascos kicking werewolf ass in a big leather coat, so how bad could it be really?

We're having a LAN party this Saturday, so I've been dowloading lots of Quake mods for us to play. So far, True Combat is still the best. Western Quake and Full Metal Jacket are pretty cool, too. And with that incomplete little post, I'm off to bed.

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Sunday, January 20, 2002

Listening to: Afro Celt Sound System
Reading: Sugar and Preserve
Playing: Medal of Honor Demo (still)

I finally got around to watching Cure, the highly acclaimed thriller from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Here's my review.

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Saturday, January 19, 2002

Tonight at Alissa's birthday party the "film club" folks ended up pooling in a corner of the room and doing what we do best: talk and talk and talk about movies. A few folks were running down their top ten for 2001 and I realized that I hadn't really made my list yet. So, after some thought (and some rum) here it is:

Top Ten Films in 2001

1. Mulholland Drive
Everyone who knows me knows I am a David Lynch fan. He is, quite probably, the greatest living American filmmaker (the other contenders being Wes Anderson and the Coen Bros.). Suffice it to say, when a new Lynch film comes out, my expectations are very high. Not only did Mulholland Drive not disappoint, it surprised me with a film that captured everything great about Lynch's work, while still offering something totally new and vibrant. Many reviewers have called Mulholland Drive Lynch's movie about Hollywood, and it is a fantastic deconstruction of the movie-making biz. But Mulholland Drive isn't allegorical at its heart. It's really a story of a woman's despair and madness, and ultimately, the salvation she finds in her escape. It is also a triumph of Lynch's totems: the screaming, hysterical lunatic; the elderly spirit guides; the wise dwarf; the mysterious, dark, femme fatale; the innocent, fair ingénue; cryptic dreamwalkers and demonic forces. We've seen all of these elements play their parts through Lynch's other films (and Twin Peaks) but to see them all woven together so seamlessly in a single piece is a delight. Add to this what is without a doubt the best performance of the year (Naomi Watts) and lush, gorgeous photography (courtesy of Peter Deming) and folks... we have a winner. Mullholland Drive is my favorite film of the year, my favorite David Lynch film (maybe... it's still wrestling with Lost Highway but it's on top) and it's in my Top Ten of all time. I love this movie, period.

And here are the rest for 2001. I'll do capsule reviews of them in separate posts.

2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. Amelie
4. Ghost World
5. Memento
6. Lord of the Rings
7. Monsters, Inc.
8. In the Mood for Love
9. The Man Who Wasn't There
10. The Others

Other notables: Startup.com; Iron Monkey (re-release); Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Made. If this list was films I watched in 2001 (rather than released in 2001) then Whisper of the Heart would make the top five for sure. Also, I haven't seen Cure yet (but I will this weekend) and from what I hear it's a contender for the top 10. Do you have a top 10 you'd like to share?

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Friday, January 18, 2002

Enabled comments on blog posts. Wahoo.

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Small site update. Changed the pop-ups in the Images section and filled out Things a bit more. New stuff on the way in Words, too.

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I was gonna go and be all brilliant about Wes Anderson and The Royal Tenenbaums but, as usual, Rev beat me to it. Read his analysis at Tablet. For what it's worth, I think Rev's piece is on the mark. Shame that he only got 800 words to spend on one of America's best filmmakers. Oh, and I should warn you that there are mild spoilers for Bottle Rocket and Rushmore in the piece... nothing major, though.

I just got back from seeing BLACK HAWK DOWN. It didn't totally suck. I know, I was as surprised as you are. Don't get me wrong, it is not a great movie. But the action scenes are done very well and they make up about 90% of the movie. Scott still manages to get all weepy with the soundtrack (and Bruckheimer sticks his sappy, sentimental nose in a few places) but overall I enjoyed the experience. It's the first military movie I've seen in years where the actors don't walk around with their fingers on the triggers of their guns. That's got to count for something. Oh, and Scott's "action-monkey-shake-cam" is back in this one, but it's more refined and didn't make me want to hurl like it did in Gladiator.

As I type this I'm listening to Sade's Lover's Rock. Isn't she wonderful?

BHD really made me excited about airsoft this Sunday. I'm gonna shoot people with my SR16 and everything... it's gonna be great. I just got a new P90 and SIG 551 as well, but I'll probably loan those out to the noobs. For those that are curious, I play with the PSAC guys -- they're a good bunch. I think it's important to get along with those who shoot 6mm projectiles at you at 300 feet per second.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2002

Hayao Miyazaki is a genius. His Studio Ghibli has produced some of the great anime classics (My Neighbor Totoro, Mononoke Hime, Grave of the Fireflies) and I have a lot of respect for him as an artist. However, one of his best films (possibly the very best) slipped under my radar until recently. Based on Rev's recommendation, I rented Whisper of the Heart from Scarecrow Video. It's part of the Studio Ghibli DVD boxed set that came out recently.

In a word: Wow. Whisper of the Heart (Mimi wo Sumaseba) is not only one of the best animated films I've seen, it's one of the best films I've seen, period.

To call it a coming-of-age story would trivialize this touching masterpiece that never once dips into cliche or tear-jerking shmaltz. It handles the complex issues of creative responsibility, self-determination, and personal integrity with the lightest, most human touch imaginable, all the while putting a big fat grin on your face. All of the characters -- from Shizuku the daydreaming writer and central character, to Moon the enigmatic cat -- are rendered with a kind of compassion and intimacy that draws you into the story.

The animation is beautiful, and like most Ghibli productions, it captures an idyllic, pastoral quality of modern Japan that is rarely seen elsewhere.

My advice: Curl up on the couch with your kids or any creative types you know and enjoy this truly unique and charming film for all ages.

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Saturday, January 12, 2002

Turns out I'm a punk-ass bitch. See, I hate Jean Claude Van Damme. I don't just hate his movies (like every right-thinking, god-fearing, all-american should) I hate him as an idividual. He's a no-talent jackass who thinks women need to be slapped around and kept in the kitchen and if he ever actually fought someone he would "kill them with his legs". Everyone who knows me knows how much I despise this man. So the other day, when I go to pick up Christine at the airport who do I run into but JCVD himself. I see him coming and instantly recognize the mix of failure, mysogyny, and suck that is his hallmark. He passes so close that he brushes up against me and utters (to no one in particular, in his broken english) "Is crowded today." He's weaing some kind of ridiculous sweatsuit and ballcap, but it's definitely him.

I stand there staring, not punching his pussy belgian lights out. Then he is gone.

So there you have it, true believers. Remember all those times I said if I got the chance I would sock JCVD in the kisser and make him wet his pants and cry? Turns out I was all talk, no walk.

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Friday, January 11, 2002

I'm still awake. Getting close to 24 hours now. Guess I should go to bed.

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Once again, my schedule is all screwed up. I'm sleeping at the oddest hours. Still, I've been a lot more productive lately. Just need to channel some of that energy into finding a job, I guess.

Went to film club for the first time the other night. Jen and Mark's friend Ian runs the club. Lots of cool folks in the group, and they all like to talk about movies as much as I do, which is incredible. For this meeting, we watched 2 Peter Weir films, Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously. I'm a big Peter Weir fan, mostly from Fearless and Mosquito Coast. It was good to see his earlier stuff, and to see Mel Gibson before he totally sold his soul.

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New site goes online. Everything seems to be working okay.

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Thursday, January 10, 2002

New site almost ready to go...

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Ah... Blogger works. Groovy.

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