THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD…AND FROM THE AIR!

The hotel I'm at has free wireless. Sweet. Now to see what I wrote during my layover!

I love the Denver airport. It’s not my favorite place for a layover (Dallas is Heaven for anyone who knows their layovers, and Chicago’s also pretty great), but Denver has a pretty significant advantage in their restaurant selection. Ordinarily I go for the Colorado Sports Bar & Grill for way a way overpriced burger and fries, but today I actually got here before lunchtime, so I stuck with Quizno’s, which always serves lunch, God bless ‘em. Then topped it off with a cinnamon sugar pretzel from Auntie Anne’s. And if those didn’t suit my fancy, there’s a Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Wolfgang Puck, McDonald’s, a few bar-and-grills, and a cinnamon roll place that I almost hit instead of Auntie Anne’s. And that’s all in this concourse (B).

Last night I went on a bit of a music binge, hitting Everyday Music at 11 PM (on a Thursday no less…just like a junkie) and the iTunes store for Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection, Blitzen Trapper’s Wild Mountain Nation, The Hollies’ Greatest Hits (one of them anyway...the most underrated pop group of all time), and Peter Gabriel’s So. Listening to Blitzen Trapper right now, and damn are they great. I also downloaded a single off their Field Rexx album called “Country Rain,” which I’m fairly sure is the song that, when we (read: Me and Rachel…all you other bums had yet to show) saw them open for The Hold Steady, convinced me they were indeed awesome. At the very least, it’s equally as good as my memory of whatever song they did play. And that’s good enough for me.

I didn’t sleep at ALL last night. And I tried. I literally laid in my bed from 1 AM until 3:30 AM (I was due to get up at 3:45 or 4) hoping I’d get some sleep. None came to me. I did get about 22 Joni Mitchell songs worth of sleep on the flight to Denver, though. And because of the way my Joni Mitchell collection is structured and the fact that I’m too dumb to get rid of repeats, I both fell asleep to and woke up to “California.” It was trippy.

DAMN IT. Two guys just passed me carrying Pizza from Pizzeria Uno…if I knew that place was here too…like gold in my hands.

The news is on (as it always is), and apparently Hillary was on Letterman doing a Top 10 campaign promises, and one of them was that you could roll against the IRS for double or nothing on your taxes. If she actually made this promise, she’d have my vote without any other concern. It’s not because I would actually do it, I just want to see it put into practice. This is America, dammit! I should be able to gamble with my taxes. Besides, in the end, the house always wins.

I don’t think my small Pepsi and cinnamon sugar pretzel are gonna allow for much sleep on this next flight. Hopefully they have some sort of electrical outlet, because I came stocked with an adapter and movies for just such an occasion, and I didn’t bring a whole lot else (just a book – Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, which is the shit so far – and the iPod). The last flight didn’t have ‘em, though, so hope is thin.

BOARDING!

Hey so I’m on the plane now about…an hour and a half into a nearly four-hour flight. Bored already! Good times. Anyway, whenever I end up getting Internet access, you can expect a massive update with photos, etc., detailing all that will certainly be great and terrible about trying to run my own life with only the help of two other dudes whose lifestyles are drastically similar to my own.

Aaaaaannnnnnnnd no more Internet for a few days!

P.S. People who sing to themselves to whatever’s on the airplane’s radio station should not be allowed in public, much less to sit next to me.

P.P.S. Just listened to Peter Gabriel's So while walking around Boston, and it's amazing. Take a break from whatever cutting-edge artist you're illegally downloading and listen to just pure beauty.

P.P.P.S. There wasn't an electrical outlet. I killed time eating a crappy sandwich they gave me, writing that essay on Wes Anderson, and listening to a mix of The Rick Emerson Show, The Hollies, and The Cure.

The bus is running
It's time to leave
Summer's gone
And so are we
-Counting Crows, "Miami"

And I know that I'm damned if I never get out
And maybe I'm damned if I do
But with every beat I got left in my heart
You know I'd rather be damned with you
-Meat Loaf, "Bat Out of Hell"

Looking on. she sings the songs
The words she knows, the tune she hums
-Elton John, "Tiny Dancer"

"I always tell the girls, never take it seriously. If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt. Never get hurt, you can always have fun. And if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends."
-Penny Lane, Almost Famous

It's been a fun summer, and it sucks to think it'll be my last. Next summer I'll be in Boston and more in less in the groove of real life. The summer after that, I may (hopefully) be back, but by then we'll officially be grown-ups. No more school, only life as we make it. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for all of it. This is going to be an amazing year now that we're finally striking out on our own, away from the dorms, and there are some really exciting projects already in the works. But small though the opportunities may be for a real career here in town, I still love this friggin' city. In the meantime, I'll be back at Christmas. I'll be back for a couple of weeks next summer. And in between and around it all, I love every single call, text, IM, e-mail (I won't have Internet for a few days, though), postcard, and letter (I'll get my address up somewhere) I get from somebody from the hometown. I don't really have a life anyway, gotta fill that time somehow.

Live well.

Spring Cleaning

Here's some subject lines from my Bulk folder after I didn't check it for a week...

Here Ya Go

Your news release is here.

ROTFLMAO, who is that your with?

LMAO, your crazy man

OMG, what are you thinking?

Where did you take that?

HAHAHAHAHAHA, man your insane!

are you kidding me? lol

LOL, dude what are you doing

LOL, that is too cool.....

Dude your gonna get caught, lol

You've received an E-Greeting

A greeting for you

You have received an eCard

Y'know, I kinda miss the offers of a bigger penis and free, wild sex. At least those you know...made sense.

Top 5 Movies to Watch For This Fall

This is going to be a very, very busy fall. I'd try to count how many films I have on my schedule right now, but the fact is that schedule is expanding every week as new trailers, posters, even release dates are announced. I'm going to try to keep on top of reviews a lot better than I did this summer, which should be helped by those reviews being promised to other publications as well, but at the very least I'll do catch-ups. But here are the top 5 films I absolutely cannot wait for, in order of release.

HONORABLE MENTION. Across the Universe (starring Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, and Joe Anderson; dir. Julie Taymor)
I'm gonna be honest - I haven't heard one good thing about this, and besides a cool trailer (note: X-Men 3 had a great trailer) and good faith with Taymor, there's absolutely nothing that would lead me to believe this is any good. But those two things go a long way for me, especially that trailer, which gives me chills every time I see it. Either way, we'll find out on September 21.

5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck; dir. Andrew Dominik)
First, big props to Warner Brothers for keeping the long title. It's an easy one to shorten, but not nearly as cool or evocative as it is like this. Second, EVERYTHING leads me to believe this will be a masterpiece. Early word from reviewers I trust, that new trailer, and just the idea of Pitt and Affleck playing off each other for nearly three hours. I'm telling you right now, I knew Casey Affleck had big things ahead of him four years ago when I saw Gerry, and between this, his standout performance in Ocean's 13, and the upcoming Gone, Baby, Gone, it looks like the day has finally come. September 21

4. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (starring Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Albert Finney; dir. Sidney Lumet)
This is one that's got me all excited on pedigree alone. Hawke and Hoffman play two brothers who are strapped for cash, and decide to rob a mom and pop store. Only it's run by their mom and pop (there's a trailer out, but it's more of a promo reel and my best guess is it gives away the first two acts of the film). I haven't seen anything Sidney Lumet's done since the 70s, but in the 70s he directed Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network, never mind directing 12 Angry Men back in '57. Four classics. And the thought of him working with these four actors, especially Hawke and Hoffman, gets me all kinds of giddy. October 26

3. No Country for Old Men (starring Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Woody Harrelson; dir. Joel and Ethan Coen)
If this trailer does nothing for you...you're probably not a guy. The Coen Brothers have one of the best track records in the industry for as long as it is, and for my money created at least four classics with Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski, among other nearly-perfect works (O Brother Where Art Thou?, The Man Who Wasn't There). They hit a rough patch over the last few years with Intolerable Cruelty (which I enjoy, but will readily admit is not up to snuff) and The Ladykillers, but this really looks like their big comeback. November 9 (wide release on over the following two weeks)

2. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and Jason Bateman; dir. Zach Helm)
How great is that title? Seriously, I just realized that (Across the Universe aside) all of these films have fantastic titles. Zach Helm impressed me last year with his script for Stranger Than Fiction, so I'm interested to see what he has in store as a director, especially with three actors I love. And I love feel-good holiday films, I really do. November 16

1. There Will Be Blood (starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano; dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Even if this were an ranked list, this would still be at number one. It scares me if I think about it for too long. P.T. Anderson hasn't made a film in five years, but before that he made Punch-Drunk Love, and before that he made Magnolia, which is a masterpiece and for my money one of the ten best films ever made (I said it). I can't wait to see what he does with his first adaptation, never mind with Daniel Day-Lewis, one of the finest working actors. December 26

Whooooooo!

Done with work. Thank God. This last...week and a half of work blew so hard...well, it almost knocked me over. I guess. And these next four days are jam-packed with so much insanity and triumph (including finally, FINALLY! seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, all that Kubricky goodness, more Halo 2 than, hopefully, ever before, and perhaps most exciting of all...picking out a pair of back-up glasses...I want to get something kinda ridiculous).

There's a new indie comedy about high school coming out this weekend that I will not be seeing this weekend (too much glory), but will be seeing next week if anyone else wants to come. It's called Rocket Science. And even though this increasing trend of quirky, indie movies about teenagers that are all ripping off the vastly-superior Rushmore kind of annoys me, I can't deny that I enjoy the ones I see (see: Thumbsucker, Igby Goes Down, and, yes, Napoleon Dynamite...it's WAY overquoted and I can't actually watch it anymore, but I laughed my head off the two times I saw it in theaters).

I smell an essay about Wes Anderson coming on...I just realized sitting here proofreading that paragraph that I have way too much to say about that guy. Yeah, I'm gonna write that right now. I should probably have an English Muffin first...

So here's something. Remember Bowling for Soup? Y'know, they were like a band and stuff. Still are I guess (where else could those guys go?). They were probably most famous when somebody decided to make them famous (if only for a week) and gave them this theme song (and how telling that it's impossible to find the real music video for it, which was also awful). Anyway, they were a pretty big for that week or so there, insofar as everyone knew who they were. Where are they now? I'll tell you. I will give them props for the shameless pimping of their product, but will deduct props for the longest, most pointless description of their show ever.

Yeah, you didn't expect to have to consider Bowling for Soup when you got into this post, did you? I really don't hate them (really, what's to hate?), I just thought it was hilarious when I was driving by the Hawthorne Theatre to see their name amongst acts that, really, nobody anywhere has ever heard of, and in fact are kinda freaky (I can't remember the names exactly, but I'd say at least one out of the three or so bands that are listed there are any given time just makes me wonder what the hell they're made of).

THIS WEEKEND...AT THE NW FILM CENTER!

First, Ben, props for the explanation on indie music (see comments on previous post).

Now then...onto this weekend. I know I didn't do this last weekend, but it's only because I kinda suck. Also, I figured out by then that I probably wasn't going to make it to any of them. But this weekend is jam-packed excitement and glory.

Friday, August 17th [7:00 PM]
FULL METAL JACKET
Will Scott Go: NO!
The Skinny: Because look what’s happening tomorrow…

Saturday, August 18th [7:00 PM]
THE SHINING and FULL METAL JACKET
Will Scott Go: Once again, since God didn't kill me before catching 2001, he’ll have to kill me now to keep me away.
The Skinny: THE SHINING! FULL METAL JACKET! JACK NICHOLSON! FRIGHT! WAR!* CREEPY TWINS! VIETNAMESE PROSTITUTES! FOUR AND A HALF HOURS OF SOME OF THE BEST CINEMA IN HISTORY, ALL FOR A MERE $8! What the hell more do you want? The Coach from Saving Silverman yelling at recruits for the first half? A ghost bear engaging in sexual activity? (no, really, it happens towards the end of the The Shining). Good, ‘cause it’s chock full of that too!

Sunday, August 19th [7:00 PM]
BARRY LYNDON
Will Scott Go: Jesus God yes.
The Skinny: Coming down off the relentless adrenaline and edge-of-your-seat suspense of THE SHINING and FULL METAL JACKET, comes one of the slowest-paced movies I’ve ever seen! But Dear God is it brilliant. Top 5 of all time brilliant (maybe, I’ve only seen it once, but it holds its own with the best of them). Might be my favorite of all of Kubrick’s movies, I dunno. But it’s soooo frickin’ good.

*The first time I typed that I wrote "TERROR! WAR!" Then I realized that'd just give the wrong impression.

Music Talk (Beware!)

Indie music sheds all associations it could possibly have with what its name actually means! I know I rag on the classification of "indie music" a lot, but seriously, first its name doesn't actually apply, linguistically speaking, to much of the music it covers (seeing as the bands are signed on with record labels or are being produced by someone who isn't themselves), and second "indie" doesn't actually describe the sound of the music! It means nothing! I guess you could say the same for pop music, but what has been classified as "pop music" often doesn't really fit within the confines of rock, which is sort of the go-to genre of popular, instrument-based music. But anyway, yeah, "indie rock" has no business calling itself that anymore. There really only is Rock n' Roll anyway.

And yes, I know it's not actually a part of the NOW! label, but the compilation really is the last stop on the long and windy road to selling out. Which, y'know, whatever, gotta pay the bills, doesn't really bother me. I'd take the money too. It just bothers me that the whole presentation of much of this sort of music is trying to keep with some sort of independent spirit, when that clearly isn't the case.

So anyway!

I don't hate country music as such. I really don't. But songs like this make me want to. To say this is the worst song I've ever heard...kind of an overstatement, but also not really. It's also the least-country Country song I've ever heard. Well, maybe...Country's been leaving the country for some time now. A little set-up: For the past few weeks, Nordstrom has played the same music every single morning and a few times during the day just for kicks - Maroon 5's It Won't Be Soon Before Long (can we put an end to titles of films and records that make no sense to anyone? I guess it'd be okay if the record was actually any good, but that's not the case so let's move on). I remarked to a coworker just yesterday morning how this music will certainly drive me insane, and how just about anything would be a suitable replacement. As I folded a table of jeans this morning being forced to listen not just to Brad Paisley's "Online," but EVERY SONG off of 5th Gear (which I guess is the country equivalent of "this one goes to 11"), I wondered if I was wrong in my previous statement.

I'm starving! And I need aspirin. May have more to say in a second. Hang tight.

I have nothing! My apple tastes like poo and my water's kinda dusty! But the English Muffin is so wonderful. I do wonder how they make the Extra Crisp English Muffins extra crisp, though.

New Sandals

I got new sandals. It was a pretty big step. I love the sandals I have (had). They're beat to hell and held together by duct tape and safety pins, but I love the hell out of them. I'll find a way to welcome these new ones (that are remarkably close in style to the old ones) into my life.

For a few weeks now, I've wondered what has been missing from my life. Turns out it's massive amounts of 80s music. I don't care what you, your mother, or anyone else says, they made some fantastic music in the 80s, and I feel like I've only...what's the phrase? Tapped the iceberg? Whatever. Sure there was some bad stuff, but it's not like we're doing that much better today (have you listened to Z100 recently? I have), or any other decade (there's some awful, embarrassing music from the 60s, that's for damn sure).

So yeah, I downloaded like $10 worth of music from iTunes (too lazy to get it for free!) last night and can't stop listening to it. Don't miss the post below that keeps the geekiness of this blog flowing freely! (I typed "geek juice" the first time through on that sentence, but that was just wrong).

This Weekend...At the NW Film Center!

Gonna post these every Tuesday or Wednesday this month, just as a little reminder mostly. Because you guys couldn’t even remember the damn pillow fight (another opportunity next week!). So yeah…to start it off.

Thursday, August 2nd [8:00 PM]
THE KILLING
Will Scott Go: No.
The Skinny: As film noir goes, this is pretty friggin’ great, about a heist to take a racetrack for $2 million. It’s the forerunner to films like PULP FICTION, RESERVOIR DOGS, MEMENTO, THE PRESTIGE, anything that messes with the timeline, this was one of the first, and often listed as an inspiration. I will not be going because there are too many other damn movies to see. But I would if I could.

Friday, August 3rd [7:00 PM]
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Will Scott Go: God would have to kill me to keep me away. And even then I'd probably hold off on the Heaven/Hell verdict a few hours so I can wander the Earth to the theater.
The Skinny: Right now, to me, this is the best film ever made. But it’s been a few years. Will it stand? Either way, it’s ONE OF the best films ever made, certainly in the top five, and if you haven’t seen it, you really owe it to yourself. You really do. Especially when afforded the rare opportunity to see it on the big screen (I think the last one I had was two years ago, and I would have literally had to go the day I flew into Boston freshman year).

Saturday, August 4th [7:00 PM]
SPARTACUS
Will Scott Go: God would just have to heavily inconvenience me.
The Skinny: Haven’t seen it, always wanted to. Even though Kubrick himself was never a big fan, I just have to. And it’s on the American Film Institute’s Top 100, so how bad can it be? Never mind the presence of Kirk Douglas. It does run at around three-and-a-half hours with an intermission (they just don’t make ‘em like they used to), so rest up kids!

Sunday, August 5th [7:00 PM]
PATHS OF GLORY
Will Scott Go: Of course! Why not do the same thing every night all weekend long?
The Skinny: I know almost nothing about this film, but it’s got Kirk Douglas, and it was this experience that got him to convince the studio to hire Kubrick for SPARTACUS after its original director dropped out, and I’ve been secretly waiting for an excuse this good.

Next week...perverts and crazy Germans!