The Rail of Tomorrow

UPDATE

2009-03-12T15:39:00.004-04:00

I'm on a bus coming back from New York. A bus with wifi, and if that isn't wild enough, wifi that's actually faster than it was at the hotel I stayed at. And I didn't stay at some trashy hotel, I stayed at the Grand Frickin' Hyatt in Midtown. Gnaw on that. Anyway, Julie's next to me with a bad case of carsick (bussick?), but I lent her the iPod, which put her to sleep pretty fast, which is nice because she won't feel the nauseous, but kind of a downer for me because I can't get my headphones back without waking her. Good news for you, dear reader, you get an update.

That's been stuck in my head all day.

So New York's pretty rad (yeah, that's right - rad). We looked at a few neighborhoods, but I gotta say, the Upper East Side feels like a place I could call home. It's a lot like what it felt like to be on Hawthorne (in Portland) before the hipsters moved in - lotta locally owned restaurants and shops, stuff like that. Good vibe, y'know?

The Upper West Side is also cool, but more expensive, restaurant-wise. But it is really close to the Lincoln Center, which for Julie means New York Ballet and for me means some rockin' stuff at the Film Society (earlier this year they had a David Fincher tribute with Fincher there himself).

Amazon's having a big Blu-Ray sale (damn! Youth Without Youth is still too expensive). Amongst their offerings? Bikini Destination - Triple Fantasy. I guess there are worse reasons to go hi-def.

We also hit the Museum of Modern Art (culture, yo), which was just flat-out awesome. Saw some Warhol. Saw some Monet (there was one of those lily pad paintings that was like twenty feet wide...could've stared at it all day, I swear). Saw some work by this dude from the 70s or something that was incredible in its breadth, even if he did feel a strange compulsion to cover way too many things in oats (culture, yo).

Big day on Tuesday. Every semester I take a day off from school, work, everything and sit alone at my apartment - I try to work it into a day when the roomies will largely be gone - and just watch movies. Mostly ones I have seen before and own. This has quickly become a day that absolutely must happen, a nearly holy day. And this semester being what it's been, it's also left me with an overwhelming number of movies I want to watch. I'm giddy.

I cannot say the extent to which The '59 Sound is one of the best things that's ever happened to me, certainly in terms of music. Listening to it now is what it felt like when I first discovered Springsteen, Meat Loaf, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, The Counting Crows. Bands that matter to me, really matter. It feels like when I rediscoverd The Beach Boys. It's big, in short.

Well, that's all I got. I'm gonna try to be better about updating, especially since seeing ya'll will be spotty at best for awhile. But I do miss you all a whole lot.

Oh, I almost forgot. I had a dream last night that Obama was debating some stodgy white dude - not McCain; younger, and much less interesting - and audience members were talking about how the economy is hurting them and all that. So one guy was talking to Obama and he said, "Hi, my family and I lost our house recently and we were wondering how you plan to deal with this fiscal crisis." And Obama's just like "yes, we know you and many Americans are hurting, so in response to that, we got everyone here a PUPPY!" And all these puppies ran from all corners of the room and everyone played with them and danced to motown.

Apparently, I now dream in rejected SNL sketches.

Full Thoughts

2008-11-05T16:12:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a night. Mainly, I'm just glad I won't be totally screwed after college. Just, y'know...mostly.

Honestly, this was a night I've been looking forward to for...I guess four years now, but I really started getting excited after I saw Joe Biden on Real Time with Bill Maher and thought "God damn, now here's a guy I can get behind." So to speak. And now to think he'll have a role in shaping the next four years is just so awesome. It'll also be nice to have a Vice President again who knows his place. Also, it'd be a lot more fun to make jokes about Sarah Palin knowing her place, because she never, ever would. Not even when talking to third graders.

But hey, can I just say, props to McCain for a truly great concession speech to cap off truly one of the oddest campaigns I've ever heard of. Wasn't as good as Obama's victory speech, but...you know...it's Obama. I found it hard to truly hate McCain during this whole racket. Maybe partially because he used to be, you know, a worthy candidate for the office of President, and I still felt some of that, all the while wondering "what the hell happened to this guy?" Although that's not terribly hard to figure out - he lost when his time came. His time was eight years ago, and he lost. And that sucks. And now he got saddled with a campaign in a year when the Republicans would have had to resurrect Reagan to have a shot at winning (and I know, I was worried and scared McPalin would take this thing, but that's mainly because I'd had my hopes dashed once already, and couldn't be bothered to get them up again), with a type of Republican party very different to the one he's capable of reaching.

Because you can say all you want about the Republicans trying to distance themselves from Bush, but this was a Bush campaign through and through. It emphasized cultural issues and in terms of presentation and aesthetics was right in line with the campaign Bush ran in '04 especially, and there were so many times when you could tell McCain was not comfortable with this sort of campaign, trying desperately to grapple with this base that was shoved on him. But he probably realized this was his last shot, and since dirty politics did him in eight years ago, why wouldn't they work FOR him this time?

So, he listened to his advisors and selected Sarah Palin, for me the final nail in the coffin. Palin will, of course, benefit tremendously from all this and continue to be a figure worthy of scorn and amusement for people like me who relish in this stuff (although it's a stretch to imagine her running in 2012), but the one thing I knew is that the extent to which she helped or hindered McCain would set the tone for this country for the next four years. If they won, it'd be true, that this is basically a nation of morons so easily taken in by charm and likeability rather than vision and capability.

Because you can say all you want about people being taken in by Obama's charm, and there is no doubt that many, many people (young people especially) fell for him, at least in the primaries, precisely because of rhetoric. This was a very tightly-run campaign, and nearly every move was so specifically calculated that it'd be impossible to look at anything Obama was saying and take it as "real." There's very little that's "real" about Obama.

But that's okay. It doesn't make him any less qualified to run the country. I don't need a real guy in that seat. The point is that those who were fooled by Obama were fooled by the right guy, because this was the job he's been educated for and trained for just about his entire life. And yeah, he doesn't have a lot of experience, but that's easy to make up if you have the right people on staff (they're the people who will determine how Obama's presidency will go, after all), and think of how many people in upper-management coporate America are under the age of 50 (or 40 for that matter). They're brought on because of their youth, exuberance, new ideas, and willingness to embrace a changing industry. And the White House needs that right now.

Finally, props to America for reminding me the country isn't totally dumb, and making me realize that it's possible to win a political race without much negativity. And props to the 18-24s for getting off their asses.

Some random stuff...

In the cinematic adaptation of CNN's coverage, Bill Bennett would be played by John Goodman and David Gergen would be played by a turtle.

Anyone who says this is the most important election in the history of the country is an idiot. Lincoln's election puts this one to shame. I'll accept most important of the modern era, but even then I'm not so sure ('68 and '32 spring to mind immediately). Culturally? Maybe. Electing a black man to President is monumental, but I think it takes more than that to make this the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN HISTORY.

Holograms are frickin' awesome. It is now the future.

Campbell Brown wanted John King so bad. And his magic map.

The McCain headquarters turned off the news by 9:30 EST, and just played music and hung out. This gives them much more in common with stoners than anything the Obama campaign has ever done.

I wanted a little more drama. Couldn't McCain have pulled ahead for a half hour or something?

Fun fact: The largest voter turnout in the last hundred years was when America elected William Howard Taft in 1908. Over 65% turned out for him. Maybe we are a fundamentally dumb country.

You've Got to Get Mad

2008-09-22T18:17:00.004-04:00

Aaron Sorkin wrote a piece in Saturday's New York Times conjuring up a meeting between Barack Obama and West Wing President Jed Bartlett. It's a silly piece that serves mostly as a vehicle for Aaron Sorkin's thoughts on the election, but then again, Aaron Sorkin's a pretty bright guy. Here's the part that stood out.

OBAMA What would you do?

BARTLETT GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!

Every four years, I say I don't really care about the Presidential election outside of the sheer sport of it. And don't get me wrong, I love the sport. But there's always some hook that drags me into it and reminds me that it does matter. This year, that hook is Sarah Palin, the sorriest excuse of a candidate I've ever seen. The idea that anyone could think she's fit to lead the country scares me a little. Really, it does.

I don't think less of Republicans or Democrats, because honestly the differences between the two parties are relatively minor, and increasingly so, and they're both pretty screwed to begin with, but I will actively think less of people who vote McCain/Palin this fall. I mean it. I don't care if you and I are best friends right now. I will look at you as an idiot from November 4th on should you so choose (you can start the hate sooner by voting early!).

Now, let's be clear, I'm not saying vote Obama. I do not care if you don't vote. I do not think it's your duty as an American citizen. I didn't vote in the 2006 election. Know why? Didn't know a thing about the candidates or the issues at hand, and it would be been a gross misuse of what little power I have to vote. If you are ignorant about the issues facing the country, please don't vote. If you don't think Obama's the right guy for the job, please don't vote (I'll give some leeway if you're just using it as a defense vote against McCain/Palin, 'cause that's some of where I'm coming from).

But if you actively vote for McCain/Palin, you are what's wrong with this country, and I will personally look down on you and urge everyone I know to do the same, especially if they somehow win.

And for the record, I agree with Sorkin - the Democrats, as always, have come off too soft and really need to attack the Republicans. Hard. I am eagerly awaiting Friday's debate, and I hope you'll all be watching it as well (9 PM EST on just about every channel - I'll be watching CNN).

Now, Ben, where's my ad space?

You Know I'd Do Anything For You / Stay the Night But Keep it Undercover

2008-06-25T11:05:00.002-04:00

I'll be home in a week and a half. I'd be excited if I were you.

I am so done with summer school. And by done I mean I still have three four-hour sessions to go. And it really has been the easiest class I've had at college yet (aside from European Cinema, that is). But nevertheless, I'm sort of torn, 'cause yeah I hated going to class and such, but it was also a pretty decent class. We just sit around and watch movies. There's very little learning involved. Or work.

So I've been bad about my commitment to Megazine, but that's because there's been this other thing in the works, which is that I'm now blogging over at CHUD, one of my absolute favorite film websites. Their system is really different from like every other blog system I've seen, but the easiest way to keep up is through this thread on their forums; that's also where people can go and comment. Anyway, I promised them an article a week at the very least. I still have commitments to Megazine, though, so...yeah. As if I wasn't busy enough, right?

I've never really been excited about the future before; it's always been a lot of dread or indifference. I kinda like this new set up.

I had an immensely satisfying lunch today (this isn't necessarily contributing to my optimistic view of the future, but it's not hurting it either). Nothing special, just a turkey sandwich, some Cape Cod potato chips (they're no Tim's Cascade, but I love them), an apple, and a Pepsi. But the turkey was so fresh and the apple so crisp and I had a few more chips than usual and it all went down so sweetly.

Sometimes at work computer monitors act up and I'm called in to hit them. Hulk smash!

Um that's all.

Nothing Ever Grows in This Rotten Old Hole, and Everything is Stunted and Lost

2008-06-11T10:57:00.001-04:00

Have you heard this nonsense that Dennis Kucinich is trying to impeach President Bush?

Now, let's make one thing perfectly clear - I wholly support this effort, if only retroactively. Impeaching Bush at this point, or even more so by the time they actually got around to the impeaching, would have absolutely no effect on anything. The only consequences would be to solidify and make absolute two things that will almost certainly happen anyway - Bush's legacy will be tarnished, and there will be legal record that the administration knowingly lied to the public in starting the war in Iraq.

First, the legacy. I know Bush is out there trying to get his public image back in order, but he's still the least-approved President since they started measuring the public's approval of the man in the Oval Office.* And nothing he started in the last eight years will end well, so there won't be any instance years from now where we say "Yeah, but if not for him, we wouldn't have THIS." At least not in any positive way. The closest he'll come to having a bright spot on his record will be for being there when 9/11 happened.**

As for Iraq...the only part of my above statement there that can't be proven using media records is the word "knowingly," and I'm sure you could even prove that with some digging. The jury's out of this.

So really, Kucinich, as much as we all appreciate the effort...too little, to late, friend. Isn't there something worthwhile all this time and effort and money could be spent on?

*Interestingly, he has a 60% approval rating among Republican voters, which explains much of John McCain's campaign, though that's still the lowest he's had since taking office.

**I did also hear a news story a few months back in which he personally took mosquito nets to children in some third world country (or possibly just New Orleans). There was a huge mosquito problem so he brought all these nets to the kids. I know it sounds small and a weird thing to bring up, but for all the complaining we do about the Government not offering concrete solutions to real problems, there's one right there.

Come On Come On and Dance All Night; Despite the Heat It'll Be All Right

2008-06-10T19:39:00.004-04:00

It's hot.

Like really, really hot. Yesterday I checked the temp at 1:30 in the afternoon...98 degrees, feels like 101. The night before, Julie and I went for a walk at midnight and it was 85 degrees. Took me forever to fall asleep last night and my desire for an AC unit increases by the second. It's starting to cool down now, kind of...I walked out of my first shift today at 1 and it was 84 degrees, but I'm about to head out to dinner (it's 5:55) and it's now 92. How does that happen? Why are people dancing in these mortgage ads on the Weather Channel website?

Ben said I should mention this here - I'm calling for Stanich Sundays* while I'm home. Anyone who doesn't join in on this, without a legitimate excuse like work, will be considered a Communist and a traitor to their country.

Sometimes I wish I grew up in the age of the Communist threat. I know we have the threat of terrorism, but it's just not as interesting somehow. I think it's because there's very little concern that the terrorists will brainwash us into joining their cause. That was probably the coolest part of Communism. Probably. I dunno. Wasn't there.

So pumped for some Hold Steady next month.

The library says I have a book out that I'm fairly certain is in fact in. I'll be investigating shortly.

John McCain needs a running mate. Everyone's obsessed with who Obama will pick, but the man's only been the nominee for a week. McCain should step it up.

The cursor in TextEdit blinks at a different rate than the one in Blogger. I really didn't sleep much last night.

I'm going to post this for now; there may be updates later as I am stuck at this shift for another two hours.

*Other days of the week will be taken under consideration.

EDIT (7:40) - The Lovin' Spoonful is such a great band. Maybe not great, but damned good.

EDIT (7:43) - Did you know The Temptations provided back-up vocals for "Superfreak" by Rick James?

Self Promotion

2008-05-31T14:14:00.003-04:00

Trying to get Megazine back up and running. Posted my review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Starting an article about the use of CGI...basically when it's okay and when it's not.

megazinemedia.com/wordpress

A Wasted Youth is Better By Far Than a Wise and Productive Old Age

2008-05-20T01:59:00.001-04:00

Meat Loaf, you're always there to describe my life for me.

Whew...been awhile. Lest I let this get to Maggie-like proportions, an update is in order. I am sorry for the lack thereof, and for the lack of being online. There's two things at play there - one, my life has changed a lot from the time when I could update every other day and be online pretty much every night, but not in any way that makes for terribly compelling blog material; and two, aside from that which makes for poor blog material, it doesn't feel like I have a lot to say, so when I do sit down to update...nothing. I've mostly been hanging out with the gang and watching movies.

Got some hours at Nordstrom when I'm back in July. Bad news for ya'll, I know, but I'll only be working like three weeks total so trust me, I won't be afraid to live it up during that time. The worst news though is that the Anniversary Sale this year is the very day The Dark Knight is released, which means I won't be able to go at midnight the night before and I won't be able to go the night of. Best case scenario, I can go the day after. Hopefully one of you will be kind enough to wait.

I know it's still Spring, but it's Summer in my book so where's the weather yo? We're middling around the 60s with occasional showers for as long as the forecast stretches. Oh sweet it's gonna be in the 70s next week...the very day I start work. So lame.

Iron Man rules. Speed Racer rules.

Some Nights I Just Lose It All When I Watch You Dance and the Thunder Rolls

2008-05-02T19:27:00.003-04:00

Very strange thing happening to me right now...I'm bored. After going, going, going every day all day for the past eight days, I have now a day to do as I please. And dammit, it feels good.

Unfortunately, Maggie and Doug are getting here Sunday, and I'll still have a lot of work for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Sorry kids...I promise I'll...I won't even half-ass it. I'll quarter-ass it. I'll put as little ass into it as I possibly can.

WIsh I knew about this earlier...tomorrow at 9am, people in Portland will be meeting up to canvass for Steve Novick, the midget with a hook who's running to represent Oregon in the U.S. Senate. Actually, it's happening all over Oregon, but in Portland you can actually meet Steve. Granted, it's early and it's on a Saturday, but I swear to God if I was in Portland I'd be there in a heartbeat.

It's a pretty well-run campaign, actually. I mean, they're not exactly shying away from the hook aspect - it's front and center in his campaign buttons, television ads, and, shortly, his beer, but the website is quick to emphasize his stance on issues and reasons why he'd be a genuinely great representative. Now, let's be clear. I don't read those parts because I really don't give a damn; he has a hook, and that's enough for me. I mean, I voted for John Kerry...I clearly have no voting pride.

I listened to Meat Loaf all afternoon and it was the best way to start my day.

LOST is so frickin' cool.

Here is something you'll all like.

Out.

College Culture Bothers Me Sometimes

2008-04-27T17:04:00.003-04:00

"Monday nights starting at 7 PM everyone you know is invited to our weekly open house/discussion group over tea and hookah.

Holy smokes is a community of contemporary thinkers dedicated to seeking truth in our world.
We believe in the importance of open-minded thinking and the wisdom found in diversity as we discuss social issues and philosophy

We seek to ask the difficult questions and to find the answers to them.

We meet every Monday night @ Grace House in the basement... Bring a hookah! Bring a beverage! Bring an opinion! Bring an open mind and most of all bring a friend!!"

Okay. I know I'm ragging on a group of people who are almost certainly discussing more important and pertinent issues than I do on an average Monday, but...come off it. I'm fine with twentysomethings grappling with big questions - college is the time to do that. People won't think you're an idiot, and most importantly you won't feel too embarrassed for saying stuff like "if the universe were a salad, Earth wouldn't even make up a grain of pepper." And I love those late-night conversations about the "deep issues" as much as the next person, I really do.

But Christ almighty does it bug me that people consciously refer to themselves as "contemporary thinkers." Because that term implies two things - one is that being a contemporary thinker is a good, worthy cause and not just "lazy, but I make good conversation," and by extension, that you are awesome for being one. What does that even mean? "So what do you do?" "Oh, well, you know, I THINK. I mean, the world is full of people who DO, but I, see, I really stop and take the time to think about what's going on out there, you know?"

(and trust me, i do get the irony here, because i myself am incredibly lazy and spend most of my time thinking about and discussing useless stuff, but to my credit, i acknowledge this and have never tried to pass myself off as more than i am, though terms like "cultural columnist" have floated through my head at one point or another)

And don't get me started on hookah, perhaps the lamest trend since Pokemon cards. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain to people that "some dude" is probably not a good authority on how harmful the effects of smoking are. "But I heard that the water absorbs the nicotine!" Argh. You can always sell things to hippies by making sure to mention that it's "Eastern" or "herbal" though...preferably both. "This isn't like those Western cigarettes...this tastes like cherry."

And I'm not even anti-smoker. If you're dumb enough to smoke, God bless. Just don't do it around me (I have enough things trying to kill me on any given day), and don't try to pass it off as something that makes you cooler or more cultured than you are - you only sound dumber.

Sorry for the rant, it's already a long day and I still have a ten-pager due for Tuesday that I'm avoiding getting started on. I did bowl a 144 last night though, and I haven't been since last summer, if we even bowled then...I can't remember.

Pizza Update

2008-04-22T09:38:00.005-04:00

So yeah, that place I tried on Friday was fantastic. It's no It's a Beautiful Pizza, but it's one of the finest delivery pizzas I've ever had, if not the finest.

P.S. There's an exclamation point at the end of "Your blog post published successfully!" It's almost as if they can't believe it themselves.

P.P.S. Maggie, I don't know what "felt the dome" means. Do I want to?

Another Gem Featured on Yahoo!

2008-04-21T22:21:00.002-04:00

My brother and I are strangely obsessed with Yahoo!'s front page stories, mostly because they're so rarely...you know, stories. But in this case it just doesn't make any sense.

"Everybody realizes gas prices are skyrocketing, but you may not know these facts about the pope."

What does that sentence even MEAN? I mean, grammatically it adds up, but what in the world could it possibly even mean? Turns out it was just a rundown of things happening in the news, and they were trying to relate two unrelated stories. The most disappointing bit is the third bit in this piece was about Jimmy Carter meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, which I feel really should've been tied into that sentence somehow.

Close Enough to Look in My Eyes, Sharona

2008-04-18T19:12:00.005-04:00

So here's something that sucks. I had like...way over a full post written for today, and I had intended to add to it during this shift, but I left my computer at home yesterday, open and unplugged. So the battery got drained and it shut down and I hadn't saved this file.

Balls.

I can't even remember what I had been talking about, but it was good, solid stuff. So I'm starting again from the top.

I was doing some research on space (it's sort of convoluted to explain why), and I found out that just last year they discovered twenty-eight new planets in the Milky Way, leading them to believe there are billions of planets in the galaxy. Doesn't that just blow your mind? Space still kinda fascinates me in a way.

We watched Super Size Me in my documentary class yesterday, a film I had managed to avoid since its 2004 release. I enjoyed watching it more than I thought, though I agree with the criticisms that Morgan Spurlock is attacking an obvious, easy target, and there are some really glaring flaws in his experiment in eating McDonald's for a month straight. Notably, he eats about 5,000 calories a day. If you eat 5,000 calories of anything, it'll probably do some serious damage too.

We have a three-day weekend this weekend. That makes me happier than you can imagine.

In a week and five hours, I'll be twenty-two. This will make me exactly the same age as Dante and Randal in Clerks, and by association, the same age as Kevin Smith when he made Clerks. I doubt this will make me relate to it more...maybe in about three years when my lifestyle and economic position more closely resembles theirs. Although I won't be living with my parents. When people ask me where I see myself in five years, I find it difficult to answer, but that's pretty much the one thing I know. I think once you start getting into your late twenties, the five-year question becomes easier to answer, but at our age, five years is a long friggin' time. Huge changes can and often do take place. I mean, I'll be out of college in a year, and I have no idea what I'm going to do once I move out of Somerville (well, I guess I know I'll move out of Somerville).

That European Cinema test I was uncertain about? The one for the class in which I lost all my notes and only studied for in the two hours prior to it? A+. 100%. I swear to God.

I dressed for much warmer weather today. It's going to be 70 tomorrow though. Although they said it'd be 77 today, and that didn't happen either.

I'm trying a new pizza place tonight in my quest to find a pizza in Boston as good as It's a Beautiful Pizza. Julie said this place is pretty damn good. We'll see.

Finally sent my tax return in today. Hopefully they'll still give me money.

Ben, I lied. I got no homework done on my shift today, at all. Instead I read a 10-page profile on George Clooney and wrote this post.

I just wanna use your love tonight
I don't wanna lose your love tonight

That song's been stuck in my head all day.

This was a disappointing post, I know and I'm sorry. I just did not have the energy tonight. Here's something to cheer you up:

Bof Fry Flew

2008-04-11T19:11:00.003-04:00

Bank with the most complaints in 2007...Bank of America! Always glad when my choice in banking is more or less rated the worst.

I've decided the worst way to live is to have a set day to clean your room. It just gives me all the more reason to let it go to hell the rest of the week (or two weeks, as it ended up being this time) - "who cares? I'm gonna clean it in a few days anyway!"

I swear to God, I have an article to read called "Online Communication Between Australians and Koreans." Oh man, and it's from 1999, and I don't know if you've ever had to read technology articles from the past, but that stuff does not date well.

April 29th
10-page paper about The War Room

April 30th
First act of a screenplay; 8-10 page outline of last two acts
30-minute group presentation on the movie Hitch

May 1st
8-page paper on European cinema, topic to be decided

Status: All uncompleted, all unstarted. Argh. At least it's all in one week. I guess. It is the week right after my birthday, but, you know...whatever.

Tom Petty, I could listen to you all day.

This Actually Exists

Steak Delivery

2008-04-04T02:13:00.007-04:00

So over the last two weeks I've noticed a new ad on the subway system here in Boston - GrubHub.com. GrubHub.com provides a simple service - they tell you what restaurants in your area deliver*. They're slogan is "Discover Who Delivers," which led me to believe the delivery service may extend beyond the typical choice of Chinese food (which I hate) and pizza (which I love, but is rarely enough for a meal).

And wouldn't you know, it does! There are a whopping 89 restaurants in my vicinity that deliver. If you think that's impressive, Julie has 176! But c'mon now, that's downtown (and, being downtown, most of them use a delivery service, which charges you (on average) an extra $5); I live in Somerville, and there's a reason you haven't heard of it. I was shocked when I discovered we HAD restaurants around here**, but these delivery options...

Anyway, so I've discovered I could spend hours on this site, but it only took me a few minutes to come across the holy grail...

The Cheesecake Factory delivers.

I could get steak delivered right to my door.

Never let anyone tell you you're not living in the greatest country in the world. For truly, no country that delivers steak to your door is anything less than Great.

*Unfortunately, their incredible service is only available in San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston...for now.

**Besides the Pizzeria Uno, whose burgers have disappointed me for the last time.

P.S. My test went pretty spectacularly, save for one question that actually had me staring at the page, asking myself, "what IS this film she's asking us about?" But I clinched every extra credit question, and absolutely slaughtered the sections on Poetic Realism and Neorealism, so I felt pretty good about myself.

2008-04-03T17:34:00.001-04:00

I have a test in about a half an hour that I've barely studied for, and honestly I hardly know where to begin. But I got an A on a paper that barely existed in that same class, and the test is entirely essay questions, so I feel pretty good about the whole ordeal.

2008-04-03T12:16:00.003-04:00

I don't start 'til 2 on Thursdays (but I got 'til 10!), so I have a lot of time to just kinda mill about.

For the first hour and a half I was awake today, I was torn between French Toast and Pancakes for breakfast.

Ended up going with French Toast.

Such a good call.

2008-04-03T11:02:00.001-04:00

I twice dropped my computer in the last twelve hours.

Twice?

Two times.

2008-04-03T10:54:00.000-04:00

When I wash MY clothes...I use the Super Cycle.

2008-03-25T11:35:00.001-04:00

Buy it today. It rules.

This One's For Maggie

2008-03-24T22:48:00.004-04:00

The title's a play on lyrics, of sorts. I'm a big fan of the song, and like many of us twentysomethings, I have a tendency to put lyrics in blog titles but also...Maggie's in a special place to appreciate this.

So I woke up today at around 12:30, realizing instantly that I had completely slept past my Screenwriting class (the one which I'm already on thin ice for, attendance-wise). Not only did I sleep through my three alarms, but also a text message and two (2) phone calls. So I'm moseying about, feeling like an ass, but thinking "well, hey, at least I have awhile to get ready for my 4:00 shift in the labs! Yep...no waiting around campus for me...make myself some pancakes, and...OH CRAP I HAVE AN ADVISING APPOINTMENT AT 2!"
So I skip breakfast, jump in the shower, zoom off to campus (as fast as one can zoom with a twelve-minute walk and twenty-minute train ride), and jump on the elevator to the 9th floor of the Ansin Building. And who should be on the elevator with me?

My screenwriting professor. I swear to God. He nailed it - if you put it in a movie, nobody would believe it. So the good news is he was cool with the whole thing, I'm not getting my grade docked like I deserve, but the ice sure got a lot thinner.

So after the elevator ride, I hop off, go over to my advisor's office, and find out...my appointment was for 11:45. Do'h! Anyway, I signed up for another slot and hopefully I won't be punished. But I was hungry and bored so I treated myself to breakfast at The Paramount. At 2:15. The website makes it look way classier than it is, but their food's pretty great. They don't have free refills though, so I spent $4 on milk alone. Scott needs his milk in the morning. Which occasionally is the mid-afternoon.

So yeah, suffice to say, I think you're onto something, Maggie, and aren't you glad you don't have to deal with this crap anymore.

Some Days I Just Pray to the God of Sex and Drums and Rock 'n' Roll

2008-03-13T23:34:00.002-04:00

Meant to post this...Tuesday night. Then that didn't happen and it's been one thing after another since then.

Man, what a break. I'm so exhausted tonight that it feels like there was very little break this Spring Break, but it easily kicked the ass of every other Spring Break week and most Summer weeks. The obvious congrats are in order, but also, thanks a ton for throwing the party. Sunday night, Maggie's mom was saying that in Poland, weddings are three-day affairs, and I thought "wow, Poland's really cool. We should hook that up over here." Though I stand by that statement (if you bastards are lucky enough and I get married, that's totally in the cards), when I think about it now, this WAS a pretty rockin' three-day party (with a righteous two-day after party), with only a gap during Saturday afternoon for some needed rejuvenation. So thanks for that. Really.

Ben's right though, someone else needs to get married soon.

116-degree heat be damned, this'll be the best two weeks ever.

Flight Writing

2008-03-06T19:02:00.003-05:00

I think an introduction is in order here. For the past week and a half, I had not been getting very much sleep (remedied that last night with twelve hours). It all accumulated, probably got the best of me, and yesterday I flew for a combined seven hours on three hours of sleep (after almost a week of no more than six hours a night...more on that below). This does things to you. Don't ask about the physical effects, but mentally, I was moving between rampant paranoia, extreme giddiness, fascination with everything around me, bottomless despair, and finally, on my flight from Denver to Portland, a strong desire to write something. Anything. It's like was Lester Bangs says in Almost Famous, you know, where he talks about doing speed and staying up all night and writing twenty-five pages of gobblety-goop. Just to write. That's what the flight was yesterday. It's sort of a shame that I got cut off when I did, because after I finished my critical analysis of "Summer of '69" (really, for lack of any sort of word that could describe whatever the hell I was doing) I was going to talk at length about this Shooter Jennings song "4th of July" that really is spectacular.

Anyway. I don't pretend to think anyone was really aching to read any of this, and I'd be surprised and flattered if anyone read all of it, but I typed it and I didn't want it to just sit around. I made minor effort to effectively break it up - it's slightly reformatted, and I made some corrections where I couldn't understand the lyrics on the fly, but except for a quick parenthetical or two (all the stuff in brackets [ ]), every word from here on is something I wrote on the plane.

Just a small town girl...living in a lonely world...

Another day, another trip to the Airport. And that of course means my latest observations on airport culture and modern travel. Today I'm running on...very little, actually. Friday night was the last time I got a decent night's sleep. Since then, it's been consistently under 6 hours, with a little over four on Monday night and...maybe three last night (I'm unable to account for exactly how many hours of sleep I got on Saturday and Sunday nights due to my policy of never checking the clock after I lay down, compounded with multiple sleep cycles). I power napped at the beginning of each of these flights (I'm on the second, from Denver to Portland, as I type this), and I've had about twenty fluid ounces of soda (so far...Mom's taking me and Chris out tonight, so that'll require some rejuvenation).

The music of choice is loud. Big. It's been a good week, and in spite of the physical handicap the lack of sleep has left me with, I remain in good spirits. So, very little hard rock, which is often my travel music of choice, because travel makes me feel like shit, and hard rock was made by and for people who feel like shit but feel sort of awesome for it (Country was made for people who feel like shit and feel like shit about it...I have those days too). So I'm scrounging for big pop music - lotta Elton John, lotta Billy Joel, some Journey...I have "You Get What You Give" by The New Radicals on right now and I finished the last flight with Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta."

Don't let go, you've got the music in you.

Fingertips have memories
Mine can't forget the curves of your body

I've taken a liking to the salmon they serve in first class on the long leg. Whenever you travel across country, you almost always end up with one flight that's demonstrably longer than the other. Ideally this is the first - unless it's under an hour and a half, the last thing you want to do after flying is get on another plane. You fear them. They are the enemy. Their bathrooms are small and if you don't get on the attendant's good side quickly, she won't refill your water. Having to remove your headphones and ask them to repeat everything is a good way to get on an attendant's bad side.

But the salmon - it's cold, but it doesn't really taste like anything in particular and it goes down smooth and fills you fast. Perfect airplane food.

Clap your hands if you want some more

The Pipettes may be a perfect band [They're not]. Is it pronounced Pipe-ets or Pip-ets? Is it a strong "i"? I've always said "pip" but the person who said "pipe" was very insistent. It should be noted this person also once believed you could grow a human fetus in your arm. Who are these people?

Through a minor error on my part - due in no small part to this tremendous lack of sleep - I started this flight with a talker. Since I've started college, I've flown more every year than probably the first eighteen years of my life combined. And in this time, at no point have I been subjected to a talker. I don't mind small talk on planes, and I require basic communication to get past me (I also consistently take the aisle seat, as I rarely sleep on planes and use the bathroom constantly). But I hate people who require your companionship on flights. I don't blame them, necessarily - it's a long(ish) flight and it can be a bit trying to just sit there, and those crime novels they sell in the terminals can only be so engaging. And actually, I like it in concept and am fairly adapt. But I never get an appreciable amount of sleep before I fly, so I'm unable to generate small talk. I know that if they get me going, I'll ramble and rant and my general loopiness will throw them, to the extent they may actually believe I am on drugs. And I think they stop planes for stuff like that.

Luckily, I was in the wrong seat. Unfortunately, someone was in my rightful seat so he could sit with his lady friend. Fortunately, the seat I had accidentally taken was not his, so I relocated to HIS assigned seat, next to a guy who appears to have a lot of work to do. Hopefully he can't see what I'm typing, or he'll discover that a) I'm not really working like I appear to be, and b) I'm writing about him.

I'm just going to warn you - my Mac says I have almost three hours of battery life. This flight is only due to last for another hour and a half [only an hour of which I ended up writing for; they make you turn off electronics and such eventually], so I plan to use the entirety of this time typing this post. Maybe by the end I'll have an essay that will somehow address the problems of modern travel on the twentysomething. Maybe I'll only have blather.

Tell me, Grey Seal, how does it feel to be so wise?

As many of you know, the purpose of this trip is to see two friends from high school get married. Well, okay, if I was really in it only for the wedding, I wouldn't have taken three days off of school or planned to stay three days past the wedding. Chiefly, cross country travel is a truly shitty undertaking - and I used to enjoy traveling. So if I have to make the trip, I make a trip out of it. A week at the least. But the wedding...

I really got buzzed when your sister said,
"Throw away them records 'cause the blues is dead."

It is all so very surreal. Which feels strange to say from a the relative position of an outsider - I've been loosely involved with the planning, but it certainly hasn't collided with my day-to-day life, and when I go back to Boston next week, I'll have my own set of concerns and things to look forward to and do. But nonetheless, when I think about it, it is very surreal. It feels like we should be going to 'Nam the next day or something [This is a reference to The Deer Hunter, which is like the last thing anyone wants their wedding compared to, unless you only watch the wedding reception part of The Deer Hunter, because it's like the best wedding reception ever. At any rate, don't take the above negatively, I really am insanely amped for the whole thing]

It's getting late, have you see my mates
Ma tell me when the boys get here
It's seven o'clock and I wanna rock
Wanna get a belly full of beer

The attendant has twice held a full cup of coffee over my computer while handing it to the guy next to me. Remain still. Make no sudden movements.

An angel smile is what you sell
You promised me Heaven then put me through Hell

Okay, so I wandered into the rock. I'm not quite comfortable calling Bon Jovi "hard rock," but he is certainly rock n' roll. Accept it.

Turn around...
Every now and then I get a little bit terrified
But then I see the look in your eyes

There is some music that I love, truly and deeply, that many, many other people listen to only in jest. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is one such song. It's a song of such unrelenting power and passion, I find it impossible to ignore. I get why people think it's cheesy or dumb - it's sincere, and sincerity bothers people. They want emotions to come wrapped in loose poetry and analogies that don't address the feeling head on but speculate about it. But when Bonnie Tyler cries out "And I need you now tonight. And I need you more than ever. And if you only hold me tight, we'll be holding on forever", man...."Together we can take it to the end of the line." And listen to that voice, man. "I really need you tonight. Forever's gonna start tonight." Who sings like that? Nobody. It started in the late seventies and ended in the early nineties [I cannot back up this statement]. No one's got the balls anymore.

I think it bugs people because lyrically, anyone could come up with it. Except maybe "we're living in a powder keg giving off sparks." That's just the genius of Jim Steinman. I know I pick on Bob Dylan a lot, and the guy doesn't really deserve it, but the first comparison that came to mind was "Most of the Time," which is an unbelievably great song. It really is. One of the finest songs about heartbreak and loss. And what's so great about it is the fact that he's sitting there trying to convince himself he isn't still crazy about the girl. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a great song for the exact opposite reason...all she wants is to feel that love again. And she knows it. She doesn't run from it, so she yells and she screams and she belts.

Nothing ever grows in this rotten old hole
And everything is stunted and lost
And nothing really rocks
And nothing really rolls
And nothing's ever worth the cost

Outside of maybe Bruce Springsteen, nobody overwrites a song like Jim Steinman. Especially "Bat Out of Hell." This is a song absolutely packed to the brim with analogies and metaphors and things wholly created. And all for a song about a guy leaving his boring home town, but regretting the fact that he has to leave his girl behind. It's not a complicated idea, but the song could not possibly be less about that on the surface, yet have everything to do with it. "Baby you're the only thing in this whole world that's pure and good and right / And wherever you are and wherever you go, there's always gonna be some light / But I gotta get out, I gotta break it out now, before the final crack of dawn / So we gotta make the most of our one night together, when it's over you know, we'll both be so alone." Man, if that ain't songwriting, I don't know what is.

And the last thing I see is my heart still beating
Still beating
A-breaking out of my body and flying away
Like a Bat out of Hell

Oh well you hold me so close, that my knees grow weak
But my soul is flying high above the ground
I'm tryin' to speak, but no matter what I do
I just can't seem to make any sound

That's expressive shit, man. Maybe it's too cheesy for you, whatever, that's your loss. But I have never, ever in my life heard a song [I have wandered into talking about "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth," the song that second set of lyrics comes from] that nails that feeling of teenage anxiety, anticipation, and excitement in romance. And yeah, I'll own up to it, I'm a romantic - I like all that lovey-dovey, goopy shit. I was too cool for that crap for so long, but what's the point, right? That's why I listen to pop music. Because pop music doesn't just understand that side, it says that perspective is COOL.

Well you were lickin' your lips, and your lipstick shinin'
I was dying just to ask for a taste
Oh we were lying together in the silver lining
By the light of the moon
You know there's not another moment
Not another moment
Not another moment to waste

Ohhhhhh, come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land

[Yes, those really are the words. I didn't think so either, but they accidentally prove the point I'm making below. Also, it's my absolute favorite Bruce Springsteen song and there is so, so much I could write about it. And maybe one day I will.]

So does rock n' roll, though. Not all rock, sure, and the harder it is, generally they tend not to, until they do a ballad (but hey, even Guns N' Roses put "Sweet Child of Mine" on their first album). But nobody, I mean nobody, does it better than Springsteen. Sure, his lyrics don't always make a lot of sense - Chuck Klosterman has always focused in on the line "Wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims, and strap your hands across my engines" to express this, but examples are everywhere across his discography. But what's so great about Springsteen isn't just that he sings unrelentingly pop lyrics in a rock n' roll style, or that he really seems to have lived a life in which he was always a small town boy going out with a girl and they're both trying to escape that one-horse town. Those things are totally great. It's that Bruce Springsteen can say anything he wants and it sounds like The Truth. And that puts him in a rare league of music acts, and an even rarer league of rock n' roll acts.

Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me it would last forever
Oh, the way you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never

When I heard Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" for the first time, it was like the song had always been with me, waiting to be heard. That's half true. I don't think you can be a culturally-aware American and not know OF Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69." I do know, though, that you can go through much of your life not listening to it. A lotta people don't really like Bryan Adams, and "Summer of '69" is often put in a context that says in no uncertain terms that it is a lame song. Plus a lot of people you kind of hate - or at least whose taste in music you hate - seem to really like it, but even then you can't quite figure out why any of this is true. Why do you hate that taste in music? What is it about Top 40 that makes it so detestable?

But "Summer of '69" IS a great song. It doesn't open particularly strong - well, strike that, it opens with a PUNCH, but lyrically it doesn't open strong - "I got my first real six string / Bought it at the five and dime / Played it 'til my fingers bled / Was the summer of '69." I mean, I guess it might be for people who played guitar in high school and who can identify with that, but the lyrics themselves aren't particularly evocative, interesting, or well-crafted, and the song just kind of drifts. "Me and some guys from school / Had a band and we tried real hard / Jimmy quit, Joey got married / Shoulda known, we'd never get far." This line is misleading in that great tradition of misleading rock lyrics. Because you'd think the song would be a little more regretful, but it's here where Adams starts to get into it. "And when I look back now / The summer seemed to last forever / And if I had the choice, yeah I'd always wanna be there." The music picks up, the attitude seems more hopeful (if overly nostalgic).

But that doesn't prepare you for the next verse.

"Ain't no use in complaining / When you got a job to do / Spend my evening's down at the drive-in..." and when I sing along, this is where I start to scream... "AND THAT'S WHEN I MET YOU / Standin' on your mama's porch / You told me that you'd wait forever / Oh, when you held my hand / I knew that it was now or never." Jesus.

Pants

2008-03-03T15:16:00.004-05:00

I've long found the word "pants" to be one of the funniest words in the English language. I'm unable to say why exactly, I just find that any story becomes all the funnier when pants are involved. Not just because any story involving pants is funny, though that's also true, but because the word itself makes me giggle inside.

Did you know Laura Bush killed a guy with a car when they were both 17? And not just any guy - a guy who was nominated to be the most popular boy in school. I swear to God, Laura Bush went to a high school in which there was officially a "most popular boy in school." Even weirder, the kid's name was Michael Douglas, which makes me imagine some alternate universe in which the actor was the most popular boy in school and Laura Bush hit him with a car.

Incidentally, the actor married Catherine Zeta-Jones, so no matter what people thought of him in high school, he doubtlessly thinks highly of himself now.

Getting back to pants, though, I bought two pairs of jeans today. First time I've bought jeans in almost three years, and that last time was actually the first time I ever bought jeans. Ladies, you may now shake your head in dismay at the state of modern man, but know that I'm probably the exception, and the reality for most guys lies somewhere between me and my roommate Ben (who has gone shopping for jeans three or four times since September and has spent an hour and a half during each of those trips trying to find just the right pair; I should know, I had to wait for that bastard to drive me home).

P.S. It's been so long since my last post that Blogger forgot who I was. My apologies.

Fear and Loathing in Somerville

2008-02-22T18:21:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke up and noticed a pretty significant amount of snow on the ground. So I hit up weather.com to see just what was going down, and found that not only would it be snowing all day, but there was a SEVERE WEATHER ALERT. Then it hit me - maybe Emerson'll be closed today! I hit up the website - "Emerson College will close at 4:00 pm."

Well HELLS YES, right? I mean, I have class from 2-4, but at least I don't have to work my 4-8 shift. Right? RIGHT?

Wrong.

For reasons beyond logic and...reason...here I sit, where I sit every Friday, and I get up and walk around every fifteen minutes to check up on five labs, two of which are being used by a combined three people. The other three...completely empty. Of course they are, though. The College is closed.

Anyway, the good news for me is I have somewhere (here) to vent all this, and the bad news for you is that you feel compelled to read it, even though the whole time you're saying to yourself "mmhmm...yeah...well, okay...that kinda sucks...what?...oh, okay."

I do wish I had something of substance to write about, something that could take my mind off this wretched shift and entertain the masses.

Well, there's this - remember how in the last post I was like "blah blah blah lunar eclipse blah blah blah it's cool but I wish I didn't have to be afraid of getting knifed blah blah blah"? Yeah, well, I said it. Check it out. So last night around 10:30 I was walking home from the grocery store with my roommate Gray when he suddenly said "dude, walk quickly."

There's only one reason anyone says this when walking around a city at night. So in addition to quickening my stride, I kept an eye on our shadows, conveniently located in front of us, to see if another one would join. We got about a block when Gray said, "All right, we're good. That guy totally had a knife. Like, out. He was just holding it."

And that'll be the last time I take the "peaceful route" at night. It's all main drag from here on out!

The worst part is that if Gray got stabbed and I had to call 9-1-1, I don't think I could say for sure if we were in Somerville or Cambridge at that point. Of course that wouldn't happened. Because we would totally take the would-be-stabber.

Heading for the Light

2008-02-21T01:48:00.004-05:00

As struck as I was by the lunar eclipse (I don't recall having ever seen one before, but when I saw it I probably stared for a good two minutes before I realized I was really close to a bunch of dark alleyways and it was like 11:30 on a weekday), that wasn't even close to how weird it was to see the guy who works at Subway (who looks strikingly like John Turturro) on...the subway.

I KNOW. Right?

2008-02-15T01:02:00.000-05:00

skimaster173 (12:58:51 AM): hello lobstr johnson
lobstrjohnson (12:58:57 AM): what's up
skimaster173 (12:59:22 AM): wanna get high?
lobstrjohnson (12:59:29 AM): nope

And that's all that happened.

I Found The Best Thing!

2008-02-12T22:53:00.001-05:00

Gino's East delivers nationwide. A few of you reading may already know this because you were in Nebraska in the summer of '04 when we did this very thing. I always remembered that experience fondly, but had not considered applying it to my own life. This makes me an idiot. In spite of my idiocy, I have now recalled it, and decided it absolutely must be a thing we do this summer. I can't recall it specifically enough to say how it stacks up to the popular Portland pizza places (I do love alliteration), but I do recall it being a fantastic pizza experience. Join me!

Ugh

2008-02-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

Got sick yesterday, and from what it feels like today, it's gonna be a long, long week. Mondays have a tendency to obliterate my immune system. I inevitably sleep 'til at least noon on Sundays, then have to be up at 8 on Mondays, which makes for a lot of staring at the ceiling, thinking I'm about to fall asleep at any given moment. Then I woke up at it was a piping 12 degrees out, -7 once you get that wind chill in there. Aside from Thanksgiving 2005 in Milwaukee, it's easily the coldest I've ever been.

Though from what Yahoo's telling me, those of you in the Midwest have little sympathy; it was -40 in Minnesota, so that couldn't have been good for you.

Summer's way too far away.

EDIT: Oh Thank God I just found out Monday's a holiday and I don't have work or school. Best news ever.

Depending on Your Upbringing...

2008-02-08T19:30:00.000-05:00

John Stewart is either...

The host of a late-night fake news show.

The Green Lantern.

Or the guy who wrote The Monkees' "Daydream Believer."

2008-02-07T12:55:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try not to post too much election stuff, but this is too fascinating and under-reported to not get out there.

Here's something that anyone who hasn't been following this election doesn't really know - the average voting Democrat has very little say in who the nominee will be. This year anyway. See, even though primary coverage focuses largely on who won which state, Hillary still came out ahead. She won less states, but the states are broken up into delegates, which are proportional to which districts and communities each candidate won. And delegates decide who gets the nomination. This was true in the past, but in the past the winner of each state took all the delegates, instead of them being broken up.

I like the new system. It gives each vote a little more weight. And the funny thing is, if this was the only deciding factor, Obama would currently be leading by five delegates.

Where the monkey wrench comes in is that there are these superdelegates. These are people in Congress, Governors, other ranking officials of the Democratic party (including past Presidents and Vice Presidents...there are actually a lot of people who qualify). These people can vote for whoever they want, regardless of popular vote, and will almost certainly decide the outcome of the Democratic election. I don't think it's been publicly admitted, but it's widely accepted that this system is in place to ensure that the party favorite still wins, instead of the one the people want in office.

So as of right now, Hillary is estimated to have almost 100 more superdelegates on her side. Nothing's decided, necessarily, until the Convention, but I thought this was an interesting side that isn't getting a lot of play in "the mainstream media" - depending on how you look at it, your vote is worthless because the party will pick whoever they damn well please, or your vote counts more than ever, because it's going to take a massive swing of support for Obama to take down Hillary. There are still a lot of primaries left, so it's totally possible, but the party seems intent on getting her into the Oval Office.

There's Evil In the Air and There's Thunder in the Sky

2008-02-07T01:26:00.000-05:00

This is one of those strange sort of evenings. I could easily fall asleep right this second, but I find myself consumed with a weird vibe and a bizarre energy and I want to write and write and write but I can't think of a damn thing to write about. No columns for Megazine. No reviews. That's not entirely true - I started on two separated pieces but was unable to form coherent thought or clear argument. Important hurdle in the pundit business.

So I come here, where I can do whatever the Hell I want.

This is a night when I'd be ready to hit the town right now, but the town's shut down. There are no trains and I have no money for the common cab. It's also difficult to rustle a crowd together at 2 AM on a Wednesday evening, Thursday morning. I don't have any commitments for another twelve hours, and I'm reasonably caught up on my school work, but that can't be true for the majority of the Emerson landscape. And, there is the matter of transportation.

In Portland, I expect one of you to answer my call at this time of night and drive to Salem or some other God-forsaken land. Just because we can.

My, I am possessed tonight, aren't I?

My plan, a plan I'm fairly certainly can succeed, is to be done with work by July. After that, let's unleash the camping trips and hikes. Two months completely lacking commitment are hard to come by, and I'd like very much to seize it. Never mind the fact I'll be completely broke by then. Ben said it, GO for broke.

Damn, I've run out. It could be "Bat Out of Hell" distracting me or just your average mental collapse, but I have absolutely no more thought. Okay bye!

Superficial Tuesday Observations

2008-02-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

Howard Dean looks bad in high-def.

Wolf Blitzer and Jack Cafferty have the worst banter; Wolf is incessantly trying to impress Cafferty, who seems to genuinely hate him

Mike Huckabee and I have almost nothing in common, except apparently we both love John Denver.

Biggest news tease yet - a picture of a toddler being thrown from a burning building, and Wolf says, "you're going to find out what happened to the toddler, coming up next."

The guy they put in charge of the polls has an exact duplication of Wallace Shawn's voice. I keep expecting him to yell "inconceivable!"

Even if it's almost entirely fake, I really like that you can see people walking around parts of the Situation Room. It's like you're there!

Every commercial is geared for people who make over $100,000 a year. There was one for a job search site that only has "$100k jobs...for $100k people."

Lou Dobbs called the touch screen "magic," and I suspect he actually believes that.

Anderson Cooper just gave the death stare at the camera as they went to commercials

Campbell Brown is apparently the newest member of CNN's political team, but she's almost certainly the hottest. Abbi Tatton's Australian (New Zealand? British? who knows) accent ranks a close second.

Huckabee keeps referring to himself as "this old razorback." I don't even know what that means.

God damn it Huckabee, stop telling that story about how you were 8 years old and your dad took you to see the Governor because you might never get another chance to see a Governor and isn't it funny because you ended up becoming a Governor!

They managed to prop Larry King up for a solid hour (which still gets him out of the studio a little after 10 in LA, where he broadcasts from...meanwhile Carl Bernstein is ready to roll into the wee hours).

VH1 Will Be Right For Once

2008-02-05T10:33:00.000-05:00

It really is Best Week Ever in pop culture. Well, best seven consecutive days ever, anyway. Last Thursday, LOST season 4 kicked off in...not quite high gear. There wasn't a moment like in the season 2 opener, when the mysterious hatch from the end of season 1 was revealed to be a rather posh laboratory and living quarters. Nor was there anything like the reveal that a suburban book club was actually taking place on the island (well, technically it was on the OTHER island), as in the first episode of season 3. But there were some pretty fantastic set ups that'll make it all the harder to wait for the rest of the season after these first eight episodes air (damn Writers' Strike...just give them their due money already!).

Then the week kicked more ass with Super Bowl XLII (that's 42, for the roman-numeral-illiterate), and even though I didn't say it at the time for fear of a beat-down, it really was immensely satisfying to see the Patriots get owned. Especially because they played so exceptionally poorly. They only got that first touchdown because the Giants got a penalty. The Giants showed up to PLAY, and they earned that victory 100%.

And now today...Super Tuesday, which I've been looking forward to...for awhile now, but especially since the primary/caucus season began. And even more so after John Edwards and Rudy Guilliani dropped out, and even though the Republican party doesn't want to admit it, theirs is just as much a two-man race as the Democrats'. And somehow, McCain is completely unstoppable. And as much as I'm not all that big a fan of McCain because he, somehow, still supports the war (never mind Bush's kooky Social Security plan and, depending on what day it is, those tax cuts for the wealthy), you gotta give it up to him. Just...what, six months ago his top advisors straight-up quit and everyone (myself included) was going on and on about how McCain won't be elected by anyone, anywhere. Of course, that was when Fred Thompson was the GOP frontrunner, so things have certainly changed.

But man, Mike Huckabee really can't get out of this race fast enough. And really, as if you didn't have reason enough to be really freaked out...

But it doesn't really matter because, come January '09, it really will be either a black man or a woman in the White House. Maybe both. After last Thursday's freaky debate where they actually didn't just pummel each other for two hours (admittedly, that's what I had hoped for), anything's possible.

Best election ever, it really is.

I'm In

2008-01-31T00:56:00.000-05:00

Well, you convinced me.

My only question now is who's up for a two-week road trip, and where will we go? Right now I'm thinking the second half of July, and I want to go to Vegas, Austin, LA, the Grand Canyon, and San Diego. If I could fulfill my dream, I'd also hit Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, Nashville, and Memphis.

But we'll figure that out later. I'll see you guys in a few weeks.

The Manufacture of Consent

2008-01-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

Those of you who were in my car going to/coming back from St. Benny's - remember how I was saying I had so much hope for this semester? That this year will be the one I really buckle down, really tackle each and every assignment to the best of my ability; no mountain too high, no feat insurmountable! But how I do, in fact, say that every semester and it all crashes so quickly? A week in, I'm already going through reading assignments and qualifying it "could be read" and "could never in a million years be done." Damn you, Ideological Eye: Documentary and the State! Who has the time for 125 pages of rambling essays filled with out-of-date political references?

School Starts In...Three Days? Damn.

2008-01-19T15:14:00.000-05:00

Man, these caucuses are crazy. No wonder nobody really knows what a caucus is; you take one look at it, who'd ever know? What's great is that there's essentially the Hilary crowd yelling at the Obama crowd, and like three people for Edwards in the back. The good news is that turnout is bigger than expected, so while it's slowing down the process a bit, at least there's more chaos. And I guess people are making their voices heard or whatever. But nothing would make me happier than just seeing the Hilary crowd full on fight the Obama crowd.

And the best part is that since it's Nevada, a ton of the caucuses are in casinos. It all comes full circle.

Someone literally called out "Excuse me are there any Edwards people in here?" And the woman up front looked around and said "okay, so there's two?" Awesome.

And there's one for Gravel! Awesome. This is the best election ever. The only thing that could make it better is for Hunter Thompson to be alive to cover it.

For those not in the loop, I got me a job this semester! That's right, a good old-fashioned workin' job! And thirteen hours a week at that. Four of them on Friday. Three of them Tuesday morning starting at 9. You know what this means? It means that after two years of trying to make my schedule not in any way resemble your typical workaday schedule, I got myself situated with just that.

But it'll be good. I could use the money, I suppose. And I've got time.

So I finally saw the rest of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and honestly, why did this get such a bad rap? I mean, I know it was kinda batshit insane, but it was relentlessly entertaining and pretty much in tune with what had come before it, if what came before it could be said to have any sort of focus.

Take Me Home Country Roads

2008-01-14T03:03:00.000-05:00

Every time I get a message while on the Internet that says "Firefox prevented this site from opening a popup window" I give a little cheer for Firefox.

I never get over how bizarre airports are. I know this will make me sound like my friend who was once astounded at the reality that my dad could box up a wireless Internet router and send it across the country, but there is something amazing about walking by doorway after doorway, each with an ever-changing sign - Munich, Manchester, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas. And consider that, if the airport just blocked off the windows, it would appear to the casual observer that thousands of people every day walked through those doorways, and somehow end up in one of those far-off cities.

Of course, just as my friend could not comprehend the mail system but had no trouble accepting wireless Internet routing (much less the Internet itself), I'm always amazed at airports but have little trouble accepting the concept of the airplane. The airplane, of course, is probably the great modern invention*, but its actual workings are so far beyond my knowledge that I just accept it. I can't figure out how they keep boats above water; the idea of keeping something the size (and weight) of an airplane in the air is insane. So insane that my only recourse is to accept it outright. I'm sure this is something innate in everyone - the disbelief in things that you can rationalize, and the acceptance of those you cannot.**

These ruminations on modern travel come courtesy of my two-hour layover in Chicago, one of the great airports, but like many, lacking Internet service (this message posted after arriving in Boston). It's not nearly as cool as Dallas, which features an unmanned train to take you from terminal to terminal, but in lacking this feature, Chicago is also much less freaky.*** But Chicago has everything - off the top of my head, I saw a sign for a Children's Museum, and an announcement just came over the system that Mass will be held in forty-five minutes. In an AIRPORT. The real reason I love Chicago is because it's a layover city, though, and there is probably a terminal in this place to service every city you can think of, thus multiplying my constant amazement at the airport system.

Time to hit the Wolfgang Puck. The current threat security level is still Orange, in case you were wondering.

*After the Internet.

**This must have been why it was so easy to sell magic for so long.

**Seriously. I took that train once and I probably went through five waves of shock, euphoria, and acceptance, realizing over and over again that NO ONE IS DRIVING THIS TRAIN.

Random Thought for 12/28/2007

2007-12-28T18:17:00.000-05:00

When the phrase "It Brings Out the Child in All of Us" was first used, was it considered really clever and enticing? At what point did it become a retarded comment that we have to find our way around?

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T15:36:00.000-05:00

Hope you're all having an awesome day, or at least got some sweet stuff. I made out pretty well, my favorite stuff probably being a new jacket (long overdue) and A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector, a Christmas album from 1963 that's been long out of print and I'm pretty impressed that my aunt tracked it down. Also the new iPod Classic is pretty friggin' sweet.

Phil Spector; this frightening image can be found in A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Of course, I also got a healthy stack of DVDs (and more coming tomorrow, apparently), but Christmas was made, as it is every year, by Midnight Mass at the Cathedral downtown Portland. I'm not saying this to be "that guy" - believe me, I love the STUFF, too - but trust me, if you were there at Midnight you'd say the same thing. I don't have real, true religious experiences very often anymore, but a packed Church singing "Silent Night" together at around 1:15 AM is about as good as they come.

And how do you like that, we got a White Christmas! First one of my life, I believe. This...I'll enjoy.

One Way Ticket to Hell and Back

2007-12-21T14:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I made it. Between noon on Wednesday and midnight Thursday/Friday, I got somewhere around three hours of sleep. And not good sleep, but plane sleep. This was after my flight from Boston to San Francisco was on the tarmac for an HOUR AND A HALF. So I was late into SF, missed the plane to Portland, but luckily I was able to catch a flight at 4:15. And in Economy Class no less! Which, somehow, had way more leg room than First Class. Like, I could stretch all the way out. It...was...awesome.

But I made it! Always good to be back in the City of Roses, where the weather is less severe (Boston's got a fresh layer of ice on it today...in Portland it's 41 and there's no wind) and my room is just as I left it. Except someone stole all of my pillows. Which is probably for the best because they were almost completely flattened.

And that's about all I got.

Finals!

2007-12-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

I thought I was a lot closer to being done, then I got this e-mail from my Communities and Race Relations teacher with our take-home final on it. There are three essay questions, but seriously, I cannot imagine a world in which the first one is even near possible.

QUESTION ONE: The World According to Americans
NEW INFORMATION: “The World According to Americans”

THINK: How is the "McDonaldization" of the world affecting (even Effecting) America’s national identity and the identities of the smaller groups that help to constitute America's rich cultural heritage. How does it impact Americans' ideas of themselves, America's idea of itself (if there is ONE) and how does it impact the international perception of America (if there is ONE)? What happens when CERTAIN values, tastes and practices are "exported to every corner of the globe," creating a "homogenized international culture [--] a 'McWorld'.” Consider, especially, that fast food companies have "targeted their advertising and promotion at a group of consumers with the fewest attachments to tradition: young children" (Schlosser, 231).

THINK MORE: How does the world of images seep into our individual and communal consciousness and to what end? What does it mean for Nike, Shell, Wal-Mart, Microsoft and McDonald's to become, as Naomi Klein says, the "planet’s best and biggest popular education tools?" (441).

YOUR TASK: In 500-750 words synthesize information from Fast Food Nation and from No Logo. Then, through this composite "lens," analyze ”The World According to Americans,” MAKING SURE to reference these texts. You may reference items beyond these two texts, but you MUST use these significantly. Somewhere in the essay, discuss how this view could possibly impact your intended career path or plans to make a living (if you are independently wealthy or financially supported forever by someone else, pretend you have to work).

Just to summarize...that's like seven questions in there to pack into, at most, a 750-word essay. And these are BIG QUESTIONS, man. Never mind the space it'll take to quote or paraphrase. I mean, this is one of those grade-proof tests that so long as you reference the material, you'll pass, but it's not really the grade I'm worried about (I never am, and I don't get why so many people are). Every single one of these questions she asked could reasonably be its own essay. It's not that I think this is excessively hard stuff; I like when teachers ask you to go beyond the text, but Jesus...750 words? Really? And that's just question 1...screw this, man.

Going back over this, I'm guessing these are just suggested topics, not all of which we'll cover, but that's not made very clear.

Also not helping...barely read the second book. I read like two chapters of the ten or so assigned.

Oh well...in like two and a half hours I'm off to Fuddruckers (yeah, they have 'em out here! awesome!) and I Am Legend (in IMAX!), and all of this will be out of my head.

Snow Day!

2007-12-14T01:26:00.000-05:00

I am soooo checked out right now. I have a presentation on Monday, a take home final due on Monday, and an article due on Tuesday, but as far as I'm concerned, I am wrapped. Semester done. Have some odds and ends to tie up, but I am too checked out to even consider it. I knew God was smiling down on me when the snow started dumping and Emerson closed up shop at 2 PM today, effectively canceling my in-class final on Monday and moving that presentation to that day (it was supposed to happen today, and to say I was underprepared would be putting it gently). So I immediately went home, walked through the very pleasant snow (no wind, even drift, soft on the ground), hit the couch and pretty much never tore my eyes off the TV. Ended up watching Blowup, 1408, and Punch-Drunk Love (two I hadn't seen before, one of which gets me closer to my goal...but I'm trying to move away from movie stuff here), along with several episodes of The Simpsons.

When I started at Emerson, I was told they never cancel classes for snow. This is two years in a row now they've done just that...and it's not even the thick of winter.

But even without the class cancellation, the snow was awesome. This was one of those days I wish we all still lived in downtown so we could hit (the fews parts that aren't fenced off on) the Boston Common and just walk around. Somerville's a little boring that way.

Portland in a week. I was mad jealous that you guys were hitting Peacock Lane without me, but I can all but guarantee I will not have time to do that between when I get home and Christmas. This will easily be the busiest Christmas break of my life, especially before New Year's, so I'm calling on you (yes, you) to keep me in check. But for reference, I get in on the 20th but probably won't be free 'til the 22nd. But the 22nd is wide open and the 23rd after dinnertime is free, so we best be causing ruckus. Or whatever the kids do.

I'm sleepy. Good night.

Megazine Moved!

2007-12-11T15:25:00.000-05:00

We're full-on at megazinemedia.com now.

Still no full launch, sadly, but spread the word...if people start commenting too it'll really give us encouragement.

Back to the 5-Day Workweek

2007-12-03T14:12:00.000-05:00

Well, it's probably for the best. I got intensely lazy this semester with how few days I actually had to show up, as my schedule made it extremely easy to just push through the pain and never really get any work done. But the problem with most five-day schedules here at Emerson is you then have class Monday, Wednesday, AND Friday, so on the whole you never really get any distance from that class. I, however, have solved that, with my retarded schedule for next semester...

MONDAY
10-12 Writing the Feature Film

TUESDAY
2-4 The Ideological Eye: Documentary and the State

WEDNESDAY
10-12 Writing the Feature Film
2-4 Intercultural Communication

THURSDAY
2-4 The Ideological Eye: Documentary and the State
6-10 European Cinema: Sight and Sound

FRIDAY
2-4 Intercultural Communication

I'm taking Writing the Feature Film! I've been trying to get in this class for over a year now, and I got the professor I wanted for it. I'm also majorly pumped for European Cinema, even if I only recognize half of the names of directors we'll be studying (having Godard on that list is a plus, but I'm hoping we'll have a chance to discuss Fellini, Bergman, and Antonioni...but I'll spare you). The problem with both of those classes, though, is timing. Sure I only have one class on Mondays, but I gotta wake up at 8 just to make it there. And with Megazine getting into full swing, having a 6-10 class on Thursdays cuts into prime screening time. At least I'll still be able to make the Tuesday and Wednesday screenings, which was impossible this semester.

The plus side of 6-10 classes, and the reason I think every film seminar class should be a four-hour class, is that we'll actually get to watch movies longer than an hour and forty minutes, never mind discuss them on the same day. I just wish they put four-hour classes in the middle of the day instead of the end. Well, for any other class I'd tell it to go shove it, but European cinema...too good to pass up. I'm a geek.

Less than cool is Intercultural Communication, though according the RateMyProfessors, the prof's a raging jackass, which I kind of enjoy in lecture classes (classes of 40 or more where personal participation is largely optional...I really need one of those every semester). I'm just not pumped for the course as a whole, and showing up to class on Fridays becomes extraordinarily painful, though it will make it easier to catch up on movies Friday afternoons (the main theater in Boston is across the street from campus, which ruled when I lived in the dorms, but I curse it now that I'm way off campus).

Meanwhile, I'll be trying for the next month and a half to get into American Film Comedy, which would mean losing Writing the Feature, but would also mean not having to go to class before noon. It would all be so perfect. But on the whole, I like the spread of the schedule, and not being on campus for ten hours twice a week again will be sweet.

It's All Happening

2007-12-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

Usually I’m pretty good at remembering my iPod wherever I go. Tonight, less so. The intent was on going to see The Mist and hitting up rehearsal for this directing project I’m in, so I figured, oh well, so I won’t have music on the way back. No big.

But, of course, some bastards at the movie theater pulled the fire alarm, full evacuation, now I’m in the school library. Awesome.

All right, the main reason for this post…to distract me from my complete lack of music…but besides that, this project I’ve hinted to occasionally is ready to launch. Ish. We’re in a sort of “soft launch” period now where the page is open for business, but we’re still getting a handle on how everything will work. Here’s the link…

http://megazinemedia.com/wordpress/

Eventually, it’ll just be MegazineMedia.com, but for now, that’s how it is. That’s where my reviews will be posted from now on (I’ll do a whole “Goodbye to Romance” thing over at the Gravy), I’ll be doing a lot more writing in general, and there’s a whole team of people working in the three departments. It’s a pretty great bunch, and I expect the writing will be to your liking. In the meantime, read and enjoy, and give lots and lots of feedback. Not just on content, but on how it operates as a whole. We’re a little limited, software-wise, but any ideas you have to make it run smoother or things you notice that are just a little bit off, do let me know. But I’m pretty proud of what we’re setting out to do here (I should’ve mentioned in my last post that work is going exceedingly well), and massively excited.

Do You Remember Rock n' Roll Radio?

2007-11-27T00:18:00.000-05:00

All right kids, listen up, because this NEVER happens. I am having, as they say, one of those nights. Is it everything finally catching up to me? MAYBE. But I've been thinking a lot about high school lately, and that always makes me sad. Because...and I enjoy being out here on my own, doing my own thing, and I love the friends I have out here. I do.

But I think about the Playwriting Festival, and I think about Tech. And I don't regret not pursuing those in college, I don't even regret getting out of Film. There's too much paperwork, too much union crap out here in the good old real world. But I miss that feeling when the lights went down and it was all on this group of people you couldn't believe you were lucky enough to be a part of.

I applied to the LA program here at Emerson, where you spend the second semester of Senior Year living, working, and learning in LA. Now, LA isn't the place I want to spend my life. But I thought, if I got into it, at least I could be back on the West Coast, with fairer winters and just a more laid-back attitude. Boston is...Boston's fine, but there's no comparison to the West Coast. I hate riding the subway.

But I didn't get into the LA Program, you know. So that's another...well, probably eight months out here with the way the lease works.

So I think about high school a lot. And I think about how much is lost since then, and how thankful I am that I'm still friends with the people I'm still friends with, but how GONE that community is. By which I mean you could rely on anyone you knew even the slightest bit if something was hitting the skids, at least just for a conversation. I don't want to get overly dramatic, but remember how it felt coming back from the Encounter? Or the Senior Pilgrimage, or Silent Retreat? Not how it was, but how it FELT. Now...messages go unanswered, Outsiders Looking In is a shell of its former self, and people just don't have the time they did before. Or that's what you hear.

I know I'm being unrealistic. Things happen, people drift away, even the ones you least expect. But this wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Now, I know...chances are whoever's reading this, you're not the people I'm talking about. That's just the way it is. But besides this just being a general, maybe pointless rant, I just want to say how thankful I am. I was in the apartment on my own this Thanksgiving, which was fine, didn't really bother me that much. But I took a moment to think about what I'm really, really thankful for.

And it's you guys. I've got a lot else to be thankful for, but above all else it's you guys, reading this now. I guess I don't know who all doesn't read this, but I know some of who does. And this is me, to you, saying thanks. For sticking by, for calling that week a little while back, for keeping alive that stuff that mattered to me the most after four years at JHS. It kills me (it does) that I won't be able to spend next summer with you. It goes beyond finances; I could find someone to live in my apartment (creepy as that may be to me) - I just have to be on my own now. Comes a certain time, you just can't live under your parents' roof anymore. Gotta strike out on your own, and that's what next summer, more so than the school year, is about.

But I can't wait for Christmas. This is probably the most excited I've been for the break...at least since Freshman year. I'll only be there for three weeks this year (Dec 20 through Jan 12), but I fully expect the level of excellence we've brought to those weeks in the years past.

So again, I thank you, and ask that you help me never let this go.

Your regularly scheduled inanity will continue next time.

2007-11-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

"I think it was just about change. I think I needed some change in my life, and I ended up staying in Portland. I fell in love with the city and that whole different environment. Fantastic people. In New York you get very stingy with your time and space; you get very guarded with your time and space. If somebody came to the door and buzzed the door without you knowing they were coming you'd be like, 'OH MY GOD! THE NERVE!' I didn't really like that side of myself, but I saw most people were like that there. In Portland I suddenly felt open to things and people and available. It became this amazing feeling of rebirth."
-Todd Haynes, writer/director of "I'm Not There" (which rules)

Whatever Happened to All This Season's Losers of the Year?

2007-11-20T11:36:00.000-05:00

Who'd have thought anyone would rally behind The Crystals? That's awesome.

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this weekend. Not Thanksgiving Day as much, because just generally, in life, I hate having a really set schedule. I know it's a part of life and you have to be certain places at certain times, but there aren't a lot of planned social activities that I end up enjoying all that much. Maybe it's because I have no option of escape, I dunno. I just prefer to have some breathing room in my life.

But other than that one day, I have a lot to do whenever I damn well please. Mostly movies...ideally, I'll knock out all six this weekend, and that's just theatrically. But I also have to write either a revision of a short story or a new short story for next Tuesday, and...well, I'm sure there's other stuff but who knows. Oh, yeah, I have to write a service piece for Magazine Writing. A service piece is like those "How to Build a Tool Shed for $89!" or "Hottest Night Clubs That Won't Refuse You at the Door!" Y'know, something that sort of helps people or gives them guidance. I don't really have any good ideas (at the pitch session, I suggested "How to Put a Home Theater Together On The Cheap," but I stole that from Cinematical).

I want to listen to the new Bruce Springsteen album but I really gotta conserve my cash...damn it all. I'll buckle eventually, I'm sure.

It snowed for the first time today, but it was that crappy snow that just hits the ground and melts.

Yesterday the city turned our water off from 9 AM to 2 PM, which gave me a very good excuse to stay home and do nothing, especially since once the water did come back on, the faucets sprayed nothing but brown hate for another half an hour. And who the hell would shower in that anyway? It did make the morning trip to the bathroom a little rough, and luckily I had old water bottles sitting around or I'd never have brushed my teeth.

I'm so tired today. I've been in the habit of getting around five hours of sleep before my Tuesday-Thursday schedule, because getting to bed by midnight is impossible and getting 6 to 7 hours of sleep usually catches me at a bad point in my REM and I wake up filled with unhappiness, but man, this was one of those mornings when that just did not fly. Maybe it's because I stayed up 'til 5 AM the night before for no reason whatsoever and woke up at 11:30 for even more baffling reasons, but it's all I can do to get from place to place today, much less retain basic critical thinking skills in class.

Three days 'til Christmas music.

Oh, damn, Black Friday's on Friday! I've always wanted to stay up and hit Best Buy's early morning sale...temptation so strong...

All right, that's enough, I'm cutting myself off here. Problem is when I'm this tired there's nothing else to do but try to busy myself to stay awake, and these blog posts are the easiest way. But this has gone on long enough.

Ruffles Have Ridges

2007-11-14T17:07:00.000-05:00

Some of you may think I'm a good source for wisdom and guidance. Most of you know better, but for the rest of you...I'm on campus right now, having just finished meeting up for a group project, going to dinner with a friend in the area at 7, and didn't at all foresee the possibility that maybe those two events wouldn't meet as smoothly as I'd hoped. And so I brought along...no work! Not the two short stories I have to read and comment on. Not the sheet that tells me what the journal entry is to be about. Nothing! So now I've got...twoish hours. Good times.

Now I'm just waiting for people to leave the Quiet Room (a food-free zone) so I can loudly munch on my Ruffles, a potato chip I have not enjoyed in some time. Over the summer I became a convert to Tim's Cascade, but they're a NW-only chip, and so over here I proudly consume Cape Cod. But even Lays (you should really click on that one) I've had recently. But Ruffles? I think you'd have to go back a year or two. Senior Year I ate them all the time, but I can't think of a time since.

It used to be really easy to refer to high school, 'cause if I referenced "Sophomore Year" or "Freshman Year" you couldn't really confuse it with college, but now when I talk about "the summer after Sophomore Year" I have to note which one. Post-graduation life will blow.

So the other day (this'd be Friday), my roommate Gray and I were sitting in the theater, waiting for No Country for Old Men to start, when they inexplicably started playing this fantastic chick pop group. "Who could this be," I asked. "Oh, The Pipettes," Gray said. "They're awesome." "Are they ever!," I said, "I want to put this on and listen to it all day!" They only got like halfway through some song I don't recall specifically, but that was it, man - now I'm listening to this thing repeatedly. They're so fantastic and I can't believe they even exist. They're sort of a throwback to 60s chick pop groups (like The Supremes, The Chiffons, The Crystals, The Ronettes, etc.), but they sort of amp it up...almost power-pop, but just on the edge. And they're "about" section on their website immediately dismisses The Beatles to discuss (read: worship) Phil Spector, which is a good way to immediately endear yourself to me. And God damn are they great. I know I'm hardly the first person to say this, but I swear this music was made just for me.

Of course, I still have an uphill battle to convince the world that "Then He Kissed Me" by The Crystals is one of the greatest songs ever written.

Only a week and a half until I can listen to Christmas music and not get crap for it! I need to get a fake tree, too...I wonder what that'd cost to mail order...

Amazon will sell me a three-footer for $20. I think I'll take that.

Since I've been in here, two people have left. Two to go (I'm not counting the guy in the corner who's sleeping).

Yeah, all these other places are pretty spendy...one sells a four-footer for $150. Jesus.

After all the crap on the last few weeks, I was great concerned I would become one of those people who takes life seriously. But so far, not such business has occurred. Thank God.

The last two guys left, and ten minutes later a chick came in. I got like three chips in between all that. Goodbye chips! They weren't as good as I remember anyway...

What Kind of Day Has it Been

2007-11-06T11:54:00.000-05:00

I'm in the Quiet Room at Emerson College, my go-to when I need to buckle down and get some work done (turning out well so far, don't you agree?). Because I have a lot, an obscene amount, to get done for my 6:00 class, which means skipping my 2:00. I also have a meeting at 4:30 that's been slipping my mind.

So Sunday...after everything, I started to get my ducks in a row and figure out what I had to do for Monday. Then I remembered we had a big project for Radio Studies, the proposal for which was due last Wednesday. So that's my 4:30 meeting. Then I remembered I had a short story due Tuesday (today) for Creative Writing. Then I was pretty much screwed.

Writing comes fairly easy for me, and I like to think it turns out decently. But this Creative Writing class is one of the few classes I've taken that I've actually enjoyed, and the pressure to do something original is pretty strong. It's a workshop class, see, and I take criticism extraordinarily well if I'm relatively proud the draft in question. If it's just a pile, it's all I can do just to endure the comments, most of which I know before we start. So to spare myself that, I like to do good work. And, I'm not one to brag, but they actually liked my last story (this isn't a self-delusion thing, I got really good criticism too, but two people came up and personally told me it was good, and I got a classroom applause, which was a bit much), so there is some need to make this one good as well.

So basically I spent the entire day struggling to get something out. I couldn't do any of the reading for the class yet, lest I ruin the process, and I put off my work for my 6:00 class 'cause I had no idea the short story would take so frickin' long. But I got it done, it's not great, I wish I had more time on it, but I'm pretty satisfied.

Show up to class this morning, Prof passes around the schedule to remind people when their stories are due...mine's not due for another week. Of course.

I'm not terribly mad about it, but still, y'know...that was a solid 8 hours I was putting into the story in one form or another that could've been used in so many other ways.

Anyway. I just need to get through today (only another 7 hours, 40 minutes), and the rest of this week will be relatively simple. I think.

I need to get a planner...the time's come.

Hey

2007-11-05T21:07:00.001-05:00

Thanks everyone who called and IMed and everything. If I don't get back to you, don't take it personally - this was a busy time for me already, and all this made it even more so. But the messages alone mean a lot, so really, thank you. Hope all's well with you all.

2007-11-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."

As bad as the last few weeks were, things just got a lot, lot worse. I hate using the blog to spout off about personal stuff, but I really, really need your guys' support right now and I'll explain it then. So yeah...no more DVD stuff, not a whole lot of anything for a bit, don't know how long. Pray for me if nothing else.

My Life in Anamorphic Widescreen: A Clockwork Orange

2007-11-03T18:47:00.000-04:00

There are two films every well-adjusted guy should see around the time he turns 17 – Fight Club, and A Clockwork Orange. And maybe girls should see them, too, I don’t know. And I say “well-adjusted” because, well…if you’ve seen A Clockwork Orange, you know. If not…it’s definitely something you have to have reached a certain level of maturity to see, because it’s a film for adults, but its politics, its message, its…energy, is very much for the young people. That was phrased wrong, but it’s politically a young film. Winston Churchill said that if you’re not a liberal by 20, you have no heart, and if you’re not a conservative by 40, you have no brain. And 17 is about when your average, well-adjusted kid is starting to think that all the crap he’s been fed is, well, crap, and anything that goes against The Man is awesome, and the fact is that A Clockwork Orange is about as great a film about sticking it to the man as they come.

In my review for Eyes Wide Shut, I talked about some of the films I saw when I was 17, 18 that really changed me and how I looked at the world – Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, American Beauty, all these great films that basically told me that everything They try to make you into is wrong, and will ultimately corrupt. A Clockwork Orange was one of those.

I saw A Clockwork Orange for the first time…I can’t pinpoint when, but I believe it was around the start of Senior year of high school, which would put me at age 18. But I know where I saw it – The Clinton Street Theater in Portland, OR – as dirty and grimy and filthy and great a theater as you can imagine. When I talk about The Ramones, the way I always describe their music is like you scraped it off the bathroom floor. The Clinton Street Theater is kinda like that. There’s absolutely no heating (so it had to be near the beginning of Senior year, ‘cause I didn’t want to kill myself the whole time), and it’s kind of a “you’re on your own” anytime you go to the bathroom.

And man, what a setting for that film – A Clockwork Orange remains my second favorite Kubrick film, largely because it was the first I saw, and…man, I remember just not being able to process the sheer chaos in front of me. I mean, by this point I’d seen Fight Club, so it wasn’t the first, but man, NOTHING prepares you for that movie, especially the first act. And nothing prepares you for how you’ll react. You’ll find yourself laughing out loud (it is a comedy, after all), but then immediately shut up and feel embarrassed and horrified for having just done so.

And as much as this is a towering achievement for its director, this is as much Malcolm McDowell’s film as it is Kubrick’s. In the commentary on this new release, you find out just how many roles were cast by McDowell himself, but even that aside, his performance as Alex is just astonishing. It’s still my favorite single performance in any film, and it’s the absolute epitome of Kubrick’s “realistic is good, interesting is better” acting philosophy. In spite of everything Alex does that really is just horrific, you’re drawn in by him. And I’m not saying anything new here, but McDowell is so charming and magnetic…I’ve seen this film four or five times, and it’s always McDowell that carries me through it. And you do end up feeling sorry for the poor bastard in spite of it all.

When I talk about how A Clockwork Orange changed my life, anyone remotely familiar with the film gives me kind of a cock-eyed “really?” And it’s not like I’m some hooligan, raping and pillaging and plundering as a result, and I certainly don’t look up to Alex – anyone who does misses the whole point of the film. But A Clockwork Orange changed the way I watch movies (certainly the way I watch Singin' in the Rain), and since movies are such a huge part of my life, it changed my life. It’s violent without being graphic, sexual without being pornographic, political without bashing you over the head with it. And its politics…it’s such a fine line, because its message is incredibly obvious, but you don’t have to think about the politics to appreciate the film. Paddy Chayefsky, who wrote Network and thus knows a thing or two, said that you can have all the message in the world, but films are meant to entertain first, and everything else, the message especially, is just gravy. Because Alex’s character arc is very strong, and it’s a thoroughly entertaining (or at least engaging) film full of lively performances (as strong as McDowell is, nobody in the film makes me laugh as hard as Michael Bates as the chief prison guard), A Clockwork Orange succeeds there as well.

VIDEO

Easily the best the film’s looked (aside potentially from its Blu-Ray and HD-DVD releases, which coincided with this DVD release). I’ve seen the film twice in theaters, and own the previous DVD, and while this isn’t a revolutionary presentation, it shouldn’t be. But the image is much more vivid than in the past. And WB was smart and released it in anamorphic widescreen, but if you look closely there are slight black bars on the left and right to maintain its aspect ratio of 1.66:1. They could’ve filled the whole screen and most people wouldn’t care, but those are the kind of touches that set this apart.

9 out of 10

AUDIO

You know the drill.

EXTRAS

The commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman is fantastic. McDowell is totally open and honest about the process, and it’s refreshing that after all these years, he’s still willing to talk about it in such depth and with such energy. Redman is there mostly to fill in with facts that McDowell didn’t know, but he also asks fantastic questions and give great prompts that get McDowell talking. And he talks about everything, from what it’s like working alongside Kubrick to the extreme reaction on both sides when the film was released, his process in creating Alex, and of course the incredible physicality of the role (all great performances require the actor to give some of themselves, but man…you don’t know from commitment until you know what McDowell went through to make this film). If this was the only feature on the disc, it’d be an easy recommendation.

But there’s more!

“Still Tickin’: The Return of A Clockwork Orange” is about the film’s re-release in Britain in 2000 (Kubrick received death threats after the film inspired a ton of teen violence in the country, and didn’t allow the film to be shown in any form in that country through his entire life). It’s pretty clearly of its time, as it’s mostly famous people in England talking about how they managed to get a hold of the film, and how it ended up having a sort of mythic status in that country. Pretty interesting.

“Great Bolshy Yarblockos! Making A Clockwork Orange” is pretty much what it says, and delivers on what it promises. There’s some information that overlaps, and some that contradicts, what we’re told on the commentary, so that’s a little confusing, but it’s still worth a watch.

Finally, there’s a feature-length career profile of Malcolm McDowell called “O Lucky Malcolm!” I didn’t realize how long it was, and there’s a screening of Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales tonight, so I wasn’t able to watch it. My apologies there, but honestly, it can only sweeten the package.

10 out of 10

My Life in Anamorphic Widescreen: Eyes Wide Shut

2007-11-02T00:48:00.000-04:00

OR: WELL, IT'S STILL THURSDAY IN MOST PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.

That's not the DVD cover art, but I love that image so much - it sums it all up.

I was about to say there isn’t an inch of this film that’s realistic, but that’s not quite true. But first let’s see why it is.

Eyes Wide Shut is a dream. I don’t mean literally; Tom Cruise can only jump off so many rooftops to wake up in his life. But in some ways more than Vanilla Sky, Eyes Wide Shut feels very true to a dream. The characters drift from one place to another, in situations that get weirder and weirder (only Kubrick could produce a scene as simple as an Eastern European man trying to seduce Nicole Kidman and have it come out that way). And while, plot-wise, there’s almost nothing that works realistically, you're willing to believe in it.

The truth is that…it feels idiotic saying this now, but when I first saw the film, man, I WAS Bill Harford in that great scene where he and Alice are stoned (not so much in the being stoned...or with some hot chick...but mentally). Bill, as a DOCTOR, is telling Alice that women just won’t think about sex like men do, and Alice gives him that unbelievable stare and says, “If you men only knew…”

And look, I’ve been close friends with girls as long as I’ve had close friends, but that line just punched me right in the face. And yeah, now I know better, but then? It was one of those sudden realizations that really makes you go “how much do I really know?”

And I’ll ALWAYS be close to films like that. When Will Hunting talked about the honor and reward of physical labor. When Sam Elliot told The Dude to take it easy, and he just said, “The Dude abides.” Sure, it helped that I saw these films very within a very specific time, a very formative time, when school was telling me to go to University and make as much money as possible, having Tyler Durden tell me, “You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank.” Man, that just about saved me. Or ruined me, depending on your world perspective.

And Eyes Wide Shut is kinda like that. I appreciate it for so much other stuff, but this was the first forum that was presented to me that said, “Hey, sex happens, and there’s a lot of screwed-up shit that goes along with it that’s fascinating. Let’s talk.” Health class? Forget about it. Maybe some class somewhere, but not at Jesuit High School, man. Religion classes didn’t talk about it either. Knights, the support group for us young men, was as close as it got, but it was still a Church thing and you can only talk so much. Eyes Wide Shut just opened up and laid everything bare.

I have to mention really fast how absolutely unbelievably great Nicole Kidman is in this film. “Realistic is good, interesting is better.”

I mean, look at THAT.

I said up top that I was inclined to say the film was almost entirely unrealistic, but it’s not really true. The plot is pretty far-out, and there are whole groups of people who will point out the geometric and architectural inaccuracies of the New York sets (everything, even the street scenes, were constructed and shot in a studio), but the film gets real where it counts – between Bill and Alice. The film’s flaws come largely from a ridiculous thriller subplot that eventually is literally explained point by point, but that’s just a hook to get people in their seats. The film is as great as it is because of everything going on between Bill and Alice, and how Bill deals with (and doesn’t deal with) a story Alice tells him of her sexual desire. The thriller stuff was interesting the first few times, but watching it again it just felt overdone. I could write a whole essay about just that, but it’s for another time.

I should mention that this new DVD release contains, for the first time in North America, the uncensored cut. Basically, there’s an orgy scene (hang with me here), and after Stanley Kubrick died, WB realized they had an NC-17 film on their hands. Rather than cut around it (which is probably what Kubrick would’ve done, but who am I to say), they used computers and stuck in people to block out all the raunchier stuff. It amounts to like a minute of footage, and honestly, there’s not a huge difference in how it plays. It’s still very surreal, perhaps even more so in its new, original form, but you’re still getting a great scene either way.

VIDEO

Get ready to learn!

Eyes Wide Shut is presented, for the first time on DVD, in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1, its original theatrical ratio). Now’s as good a time as any to explain this…there’s a lot about it, but this shortest version imaginable is that when a film is mastered in anamorphic widescreen, it’s set to fill the entirety of a widescreen TV. It also is a MUCH higher picture quality, but honestly (and tech nuts will slay me for this) the average consumer can’t tell the difference. It’s only when you watch these damn things over and over again.

Anyway, the other controversy with this release is that the original DVD came out in full frame (1.33:1, or roughly what broadcast television is formatted for). This is because for everything Stanley Kubrick made after 2001: A Space Odyssey, he shot for widescreen but protected for full frame*, so it wouldn’t get screwed when it hit VHS (this was before it was expected for films to be released in their correct, theatrical aspect ratios). First, this makes Stanley Kubrick a genius, since he basically composed his frame two ways, and second, it lead to years of speculation regarding which one was actually intended.

For my part, I prefer the full frame (especially in the case of The Shining). There’s a certain way the sets move by as the camera floats behind the characters, along with some extra room around the actors’ heads that just seizes me, and for my money this widescreen transfer isn’t miles above the old one.

*A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon were actually shot in 1.66:1, but his last three films (The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut) followed that aforementioned process

8 out of 10

SOUND

Still no surround sound. Call back later.

EXTRAS

Damn you WB!

When this DVD was first announced, it was to have a commentary with Sydney Pollack (who acts in this film, but is also a director and an all-around smart guy) and Peter Loewenberg, a historian and psychologist who’s published some articles dealing with Eyes Wide Shut. More than maybe any of the other commentaries, this was the one I was looking forward to the most. It’s one of Kubrick’s films that’s most open to interpretation, and since there was never any plans to really explore 2001: A Space Odyssey on its DVD, I figured I’d hit the jackpot with this commentary.

Then two months back they pulled it, but nobody updated their articles to reflect this and I didn’t find out until a day or so it was released. No reason given so far, of course. I cannot express how disappointed I am.

But that wouldn’t matter if they had something worthwhile here. Well, I should partially take that back…

“The Lost Films of Stanley Kubrick” is a great mini-documentary exploring the work he left unfinished, especially his planned Napoleon project (coolest bit of trivia – Kubrick had a filing cabinet that had a file for every day of Napoleon’s life).

Kubrick received the Director’s Guild DW Griffith award, named after the director maybe the most responsible for establishing many of the rules now taken for granted (we’re talking about simple stuff, just the most basic ways of telling a story on film). This disc has his speech, one of the few video recordings of Kubrick.

But did WB include anything dealing with Eyes Wide Shut? In short, not really. There’s an interview gallery with Cruise, Kidman, and Steven Spielberg carted over from the last DVD release. Each tell fantastic stories, especially one in which Kubrick told Spielberg he wants to one day expand the possibilities of cinema. Spielberg says, didn’t you already do that with 2001? Kubrick says, “almost.”

There’s a documentary called “The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut,” but it’s mostly a lot of fond farewells from a few years after Kubrick died, with some stuff from the interview gallery mixed in. Not that there's not good stuff in there, but there's almost nothing really dealing with Eyes Wide Shut.

Nothing on the making of the film, no critical analysis, no interpretation. This is a fine example of having a lot but giving us nothing.

Any other film, this score would be a lot higher, but given that they ripped us off with the commentary track and put no effort into exploring this film at all, I’m docking it.

6 out of 10 (purely for “The Lost Films” and Kubrick’s acceptance speech)

CONCLUSION

Eyes Wide Shut is my fourth or fifth favorite Kubrick film (constantly going between this and 2001), but its the one I have the most personal connection with. It's not without its flaws, especially in its more conventional thriller elements, but those are spare enough to keep us consistently engaged where it matters - Bill and Alice Harford. It also contains one of the best endings in cinematic history (Kubrick had a touch for endings unlike any other director).

Quick Update

2007-10-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

I'm successfully distracting myself these days by working...a lot. I'm plowing through last week's DVDs and seeing a shitload of other random films (not for the worse...Aguirre, The Wrath of God blew my mind by breakfast). Anyway, this is just a means of explaining why you'll be seeing the kinds of stuff you'll be seeing...again. I just watched Eyes Wide Shut and sped through the special features, so I'll have something about that in the next day or so (I'm aiming for an every-other-day thing here, so Thursday, then Saturday, etc). I promise they'll be shorter.

Meanwhile, Edward Copeland joins the ranks that think Wes Anderson needs to get Owen Wilson back to writing with him so he can stop being so stale, and makes the case in far less words than I did. I have a long way to go.

My Life in Anamorphic Widescreen: Days of Heaven

2007-10-30T18:46:00.001-04:00

For the past week or so I’ve had this quote up from P.T. Anderson’s upcoming film There Will Be Blood as my away message.

“I want to earn enough money I can…get away from everyone.”

That last bit has been running through my head all week. There are many, MANY reasons for that, as it has been a bit of a week and during such times there are moments when you just want to escape from everything in the world.

Plus I was watching and reading about this movie. A lot. Like all of Terrence Malick’s films, Days of Heaven is so rooted in the beauty of nature and how wonderful it can be to be free of the city and feel the open breeze and see the sun for every second it’s over the horizon. But I have to leave the apartment sometime, and once again I’m forced to fight for a spot on the subway before the doors close and have to accept that that smell just will not go away.

And I’m not a man who hates on the city. Generally, I love city life and all of the conveniences that come with it. But I do feel trapped much of the time, and films like Days of Heaven give me hope.

There are days when I believe with every conviction in the world that Terrence Malick is the greatest director who ever lived, and that Days of Heaven is the greatest film ever made. At the very least, his four films mean more to me personally than the complete works of any other director. Not only do they touch me deeply and express the beauty of nature so wonderfully (it’s telling that when I went to see The New World almost two years ago, it was the New Yorkers in the group that hated it), those films have impressed on me much of my love for America.

I think of the small-town life and the open desert in Badlands, the portrait of the migrant worker in the open wheat fields in Days of Heaven, the soldiers wrestling with sacrifice for country in The Thin Red Line, and of course the foundation of the ideal in The New World. I’d held a fascination with the first few years at Jamestown years before The New World, and that film only reaffirmed everything I loved learning about that area, but it was Badlands and especially Days of Heaven that built my love for the Midwest, perhaps the most detested area of the country for most East Coasters. For so many of them, anyone living east of California and west of Virginia has the mind of a child, but I’ve always loved the time I’ve spent in the Midwest. It’s not just the overused “simple folk” bit (although there is something calming to it), but I love looking out the window and not being able to see a trace of civilization.

It’s rare that I feel unqualified to write about a film. It’s not that I’m some well-read scholar of film, because I’m clearly not. But usually I can find a way to express something about a film, particularly the ones I’m in love with. But somehow it’s different with Malick. The New World was, hands down, my favorite film of 2005, and one of my favorites in general, but I never wrote a review of it. How could you? How could you of any of them?

Days of Heaven, like all of Malick’s films, is poetry. There’s almost nothing concrete to critique. Oh, sure, people of tried, arguing that his stories suffer while his imagery is what carries us, but that’s a load. Malick is an extraordinarily underappreciated writer. But what throws people is that the emotions in Days of Heaven (as becomes common for Malick) are not rooted in the present. They’re a memory. There are moments, fleeting moments (and Malick’s a smart enough filmmaker to know that it’s the moments, not the dialogue or even the plot in many cases, that we remember from films) between Bill and Abby that are as sweeping and beautiful and heartbreaking as the wheat in the breeze or wind across the water or those famous locust shots. And those moments are earned because the characters are so beautifully crafted in spite of (and sometimes because of) their limited dialogue. On the commentary track for this Criterion edition, Malick’s collaborators note that he seems to be on his way to someday making a film without dialogue. And while that would indeed be a treat (any Malick film is a treat), it’d be a partial tragedy. The man writes incredible dialogue crafted for the ear, not the eye.

I couldn’t call the film poetry without its visual component though. As lovely as the dialogue is, Linda’s artful telling of the apocalypse…I was going to say it was aided terrifically by the visuals of migrant workers climbing off the train, then I wondered if it was the narration that aided the visuals, but really, one would not be complete without the other. And that’s how well this film works. It’s a totally free form picture, pure impressionism, but the craft, the construction, of it is so exquisite you’d swear it was as specifically constructed as a Stanley Kubrick picture.

This wasn’t the first Terrence Malick film I saw; it was actually the last. I saw it a little over a year ago, in the spring or summer of 2006. I didn’t respond to it as quickly as I did the others. Part of that came from my limited ability to appreciate Richard Gere’s work in the film (I didn’t care much for the guy at the time, and to my own discredit I couldn’t get past that). But over time it just stayed with me. I would continually return mentally and emotionally to those moments, and the intense abandonment Bill experiences. And Linda’s wonderful narration (which…Linda Manz might be one of the most influential writers nobody ever credits – she came up with all of her narration on the spot in the recording studio, based solely off small prompts).

Watching it again was like watching it for the very first time. I’d forgotten enough of it to appreciate its surprises and its stunning, stunning visuals. I was absolutely swept away in its beauty and grace and I cannot put it out of my head – I watch other films (and I watch a LOT of films every week), but still Days of Heaven just keeps coming back to me. And it’s the kind of film you want coming back to you. It’s the kind of film you can let yourself be enveloped in and make it a part of you. In its spare 95-minute running time, this is a film that feels longer; not because it drags, but because it’s so fully-realized, and so lived in, and the kind of place you’re glad to spend a piece of your life in.

VIDEO QUALITY

I nearly wet myself when I thought of Criterion creating a new transfer of a Terrence Malick film (I’m a nerd!). He’s a famously visual director, and Criterion does superb transfers for all their films (even Dazed and Confused, a film never noted for its cinematography, looks like it deserves an Oscar). This is actually the release that prompted me to pony up for the widescreen TV long before I should have. Well, surprise surprise, I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, it’s better than I could’ve dreamed (those screencaps above don't even begin to do it justice). This is my new reference disc whenever the time comes to upgrade to a new TV, or even test out a new DVD player. Or just to show off my system (every film lover has a stack of these). The highest compliment I can pay it is that it just looks so natural.

10 out of 10

AUDIO QUALITY

Unfortunately, as of this moment, we’ve yet to upgrade to a surround-sound system at headquarters, so I’ll refrain from commenting.

SPECIAL FEATURES

I can’t imagine producing special features for a Terrence Malick film. The man makes sure every contract he signs now has a clause that allows him to not talk about the film at all. He makes a film and disappears (for twenty years, in the case of the gap between Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line). So even though he was involved in the production of this disc, you will not hear or read a word from him. But even without that, Criterion grabbed editor Billy Weber and art director Jack Fisk (both of whom worked on every one of Malick’s films), along with costume designer Patricia Norris and casting director Dianne Crittenden. Weber, Fisk, and Norris were all recorded together, and it’s pretty great to hear them tell stories of Malick’s work style (and ethic!) and how they were able to pull off different effects (I hesitate to use that word, because that makes it sound like CGI, but all of the effects were done right there, on the spot). Weber and Fisk especially have a lot to add, with the experiences of The Thin Red Line and The New World behind them as well.

Beyond that, there are two great interviews with Richard Gere (recorded specifically for this release) and Sam Shepard (from 2002). They both have differing views on Malick’s style with actors, but each contribute really amazing ideas about the film’s narrative and craft.

There’s a section dedicated to the amazing camerawork, featuring interviews with John Bailey, one of the camera operators, and Haskell Wexler, the guy who took over for cinematographer Nestor Almendros when he had to bolt to work with Truffaut in France. This is a much more technical discussion, but I know next to nothing about the workings of a film camera, and I still got a lot out of it.

There’s also a 40-page booklet with an essay from critic Adrian Martin and an excerpt from cinematographer Nestor Almendros’ autobiography (if you thought the Bailey and Wesler were technical…). Both are great, and I always appreciate the inclusion of these booklets in Criterion sets (and I love getting them new – you can smell the ink when you crack them open), but there’s been so much written about Days of Heaven over the past thirty years, I would’ve liked to see more critical analysis.

9.5 out of 10

CONCLUSION

Have I mentioned how much I love this film? For those of you who enjoyed recent films like Into the Wild and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, here’s where they got much of their inspiration (I disagree with comparisons between those films and Malick’s, though, but only because Malick succeeds on this whole other, enormous level that those films are wise not to aim for; still, inspiration is clear). This is filmmaking of the highest degree, and truly one of the finest motion pictures ever crafted.

Delay

2007-10-24T01:23:00.000-04:00

Well, by now you've either heard the news or you haven't. For my part, it hasn't really hit me yet...It's all extremely surreal. But my thoughts and prayers are with everyone who knew him, and if there's one good thing that can be said amidst this, it's that a lot of people share that distinct privilege.

In the meantime, "My Life in Anamorphic Widescreen" will be put off for a week, and I wouldn't expect much of anything to pop up here between then and now. God bless.

My Life in Anamorphic Widescreen: Prologue

2007-10-23T02:35:00.000-04:00

Oh...I am pumped. Loyal readers may remember this extravagance, in which I went on and on about how I'll be needing a job to offset the monumental costs that would be put to me come October 23rd. Well, things have changed since then. I do not have a job, and have almost no hope of getting one in the next month or so. And I'll be buying yet another DVD tomorrow. Let's take a look at just how great tomorrow is.

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007.

That's six classics, plus Eyes Wide Shut (and man, do I love Eyes Wide Shut). None of which, until tomorrow, have received proper DVD treatment (great transfer, special features, etc.). And actually, even after tomorrow, Barry Lyndon still won't have.

The rest of this week will be almost entirely built of reactions and recollections (including a piece on why Barry Lyndon deserves a proper release more than just about every film on this list) as I move through the biggest DVD day of the year, and so far of my life. If you at all enjoy reading me write about movies, this will be a very good time to read. If you don't, this week will bore you more than if I'd never posted at all

Largely, this will be me trying to write DVD reviews for the first time. It won't be quite the professional pieces I'll do for the upcoming venture (I have to plug this as much as possible; it really will be quite cool), but it's something I want to try my hand at and this will be maybe my only opportunity to try a whole new way of writing about DVDs.

But these are all films that mean a LOT to me (except for Breathless, which I've yet to see), and aside from the quick write-ups I did when the NW Film Center did its Kubrick Retrospective, I've never had the chance to really write about them. So beyond the pure, Christmas-esque joy I feel in anticipation of cracking those cases open for the first time, I'm excited as all hell to be forced to finally sit down and write about how the first time I saw A Clockwork Orange changed my life. Among other things.

So that's your introduction. By the time most of you read this, there'll almost certainly be many, many other thoughts clogging the blog, but I'll try to keep it as organized as possible.

And Hope That My Dreams Will Come True

2007-10-19T02:11:00.000-04:00

Ten days without a post? TEN DAYS? What've I got to show for it? Nothing. Nothing!

Today was a really good day for me. There are some days when, y'know, whatever, you spend most of it just trying to get through. And coming off 5 hours of sleep and into 6 hours of class and 10 hours of campus, I was a little wary going into today (plus I forgot my Viso!). But, somehow, I tricked my Creative Writing class into thinking I can string together a series of words into sentences and sentences into mildly-compelling literature. No, really, we workshopped (Blogger says that's two words...that's bull) my short story today, and it really took. So that was a good booster. Then in Magazine Writing, I actually had some progress to show for a story I was pretty sure would equal my total failure in the course. Race Relations...still a pretty useless class, but I did bother to send the Prof an e-mail with my indignation at the idea that Americans should know where obscure Asian countries are on maps.

Seriously though, can you think of a more fundamentally useless skill? And yet, every year or so, there'll be some retard on the news going on about how Americans can't find Iraq on a map. In what situation could that information possibly come in handy? And how does knowing where a country is have jack to do with our foreign policy? I guess you have to worry about neighboring countries and all, but you still wouldn't have to find it on a map to know that. And really, of all the ways in which the American education system is failing, that's probably the least of our concerns.

Whew, okay. Becoming Zen with it nnnnnnnnnnnow.

Very little progress has been made in the Pop Playlist. I blame all of you.

So the new widescreen TV came on Wednesday. Broke it in with scenes from Lost in Translation, Rushmore, 300, Dazed and Confused, Armageddon, Casablanca, Wild Strawberries, concluding with the opening of Punch-Drunk Love. Then today I watched Network all the way through (God damn that's a great movie...somehow you manage to forget), followed by the opening of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. And tomorrow I'm gonna wake up and put on The New World. It's pretty much been cinematic ecstasy (well, that'll really come whenever I put on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is sitting to my right at the moment, waiting to be played). It didn't take long, but in the last 24+ hours, any doubts I had about spending that money were totally erased. Especially with the new venture in the works...I'm not gonna blow my load on that right now, but you'll hear a LOT about it when it gets going.

I vastly (not vastly, but considerably) prefer The Beatles before Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and when push comes to shove, even before Rubber Soul. Not to say they didn't do good work on that and beyond, but I find "All My Loving" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" infinitely preferable to "Here Comes the Sun" or anything off Sgt. Pepper's. I'm not trying to be overly contrarian, it's just something I've realized more and more, and I think people's preference as regards The Beatles is a clear line in the sand that says most everything about a person's overall music taste.

Pushing Daisies is only three episodes into its first season and it's already my favorite thing on television. It's an hour-long, weekly fairy tale. The show does an excellent job of catching you up with vital information, so I highly, HIGHLY recommend watching it. You're life will feel a little bit better for it. Wednesdays, 8 PM, ABC.

Hey, Look, Pictures!

2007-10-09T23:34:00.001-04:00

So at first I didn't take pictures. Then I did but couldn't find the cable to connect my dock to the comp. Then I found out my printer cable will work. Now here they are.

This is Kitchen. To the left of Fridge you can see Living Room, and on the other side of the wall behind Stove is Bathroom. To the right of my POV on the right hand picture is My Room.

Here's Bathroom!

Here's My Room. Pretty proud of that shelf. And that closet. Super happy with that.

Okay, The Cardboard. So I don't have shades, and I'm super-sensitive to light when I sleep. I had these huge cardboard boxes. I don't think my parents will approve, but it'll probably result in them buying me shades. Boo-ya.

Living Room, Couch and TV (just ordered Widescreen, pictures to follow). Notice the proliferation of chips and syrup (do not combine). There's a lot of light which makes it hard to watch TV before 6 PM. To the right of the upper photo is Ben's Room.

Here's Ben's Room. It's clean and has windows.

Here's Gray's Room. He has cool posters 'cause he worked at a movie theater last summer.

And that's my apartment. Now you know the layout so you can find a way to infiltrate it and destroy us.

On A Carousel

2007-10-06T20:24:00.000-04:00

Hey, shoulda mentioned in the last post, I need help with the Pop Playlist. I don't nearly have the new music covered as well as I should, and while I could probably still come up with a kickass mix, it wouldn't be nearly as inclusive. So if you have any suggestions you think of at any time, feel free to comment on this or any other post, text me, IM me, whatever. Even if it's just a group or artist that must be represented. What's the definition of Pop? Ultimately, that'll be for me to judge, but Wikipedia tried its damnedest and to some extent succeeded -

"Pop music (or 'pop') is a subgenre of contemporary popular music that typically has a dance-along rhythm or beat, simple melodies, and a repeating structure. Pop song lyrics are often emotional, commonly relating to love, loss, emotion, or dancing."

"Pop music generally uses a simple, memorable melody and emphasizes the rhythm, often with syncopation, and stripped down to a basic riff or loop which repeats throughout much of the song. Pop songs usually have a verse and a chorus, each with different musical material, well as a bridge connecting them in many cases."

The only thing I would edit there is that it doesn't have to be contemporary or popular, necessarily. I bought a CD over the summer by a group called The Rubinoos, who performed one of my new favorite pop songs, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," and no one's heard of them (because they're otherwise mostly mediocre...still, fun group and fantastic song). But the rest you can take to heart. And if you don't contribute, you have less room to argue the results, so there's more incentive.

This will take some time.

Onto other subjects...being sick blows. I know I'm not saying anything everyone has said ever. But really, it does. I wanted to go the movies (the picture show, if you will) tonight, but my left ear is totally congested (can ears be congested? they're plugged, at any rate), never mind I'm blowing my nose several times an hour. Maybe tomorrow.

My parents are coming next weekend to see just how on Earth we three bums are getting by. Chaos will almost surely ensue.

Holy crap I never posted this (this is two hours later). Well done, ME.

I Should Have Known Better

2007-10-04T02:01:00.000-04:00

Reading stories in Creative Writing can be really, really painful. Especially since the prof is banning us from genre fiction (the only kind I can hobble my way through) and trying to get us write about our feelings and stuff. It's not that I don't care...who am I kidding, I don't. Also, college kids (most people, for that matter) are really, really bad at writing genuinely soulful stuff. And believe you me, it's gonna be trouble when it's my turn at bat.

30 Rock season premiere Thursday at 8:30 on NBC. Funniest show on TV, I swear to God. I rewatched the first season in like five days as soon as it hit DVD. Cannot recommend it highly enough. I wrote a whole essay on why it's better than Studio 60 (sorry about that one), but it got overly-hateful...I really did enjoy Studio 60 more than I remember. Except the last four episodes. I disliked them exactly as much as I remember.

Pop music is the best kind of music there is. I love rock n' roll with a passion deep within me, but nothing tops great pop music. I'm creating a playlist of the best pop music ever. It's daunting, but really fun to listen to.

I cannot wait for tomorrow (Thursday) to be over. I'm supposed to go to this Office party (a party in which people watch The Office), but I don't think I'm gonna be able to stand up at that point. I should probably go to bed (it is, however, that hour in which, if I fall asleep now, I'll wake up more tired than if I put it off a half hour). I have absolutely nothing to do tomorrow (Thursday) besides go to class, so that's awesome. Bringing along The Rules of the Game, but will probably be too sleepy and be forced to write a bunch of nonsense to keep myself awake. I do have an article due Friday night now though, which is so lame I wanna spit.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is, for me, as of this moment, the best film of 2007 so far. I thought it'd take There Will Be Blood, or at least No Country for Old Men to knock Zodiac out of the position it held all year, but Jesse James really is that amazing (those two films actually have a lot in common...besides just being ridiculously great). Full review coming very, very soon.

I've mentioned before to some people my love for dirty limericks. What I probably neglected to mention was my love for Irish toasts.

May neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

Hmmmm...

2007-10-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

When you're in class, and the professor is making an attempt to better learn the names of her students in a class of 45 by calling roll, and when she gets to your name and says "oh, so YOU'RE Scott Nye," that's a world of hurt right there. Bear in mind, this is a few opinion-based assignments in. So either she's hella-impressed with my reasoning and voice, or she takes great objection to my viewpoints and wonders who the hell could write such tripe. Either way, she gives a crap who I am and I don't care for that. I succeed much greater in classes I hate by remaining totally anonymous. Damn it all.

Let's Talk About Wes, Baby

2007-09-30T22:33:00.000-04:00

NOTE: I just watched “Hotel Chevalier,” the short film that accompanies The Darjeeling Limited, which is available for free on iTunes. I still stand by everything below, which was written weeks ago.

It’s been awhile since my last full-on essay (if things go to plan over the next month or so, I’ll have more opportunity and need to churn these out faster), on Michael Bay upon the release of the first full trailer for Transformers. My speculation was wrong there (partially – Transformers is awesome, but I still say he missed a huge opportunity), and I hope it’s wrong now.

I can’t believe I’m treading into this territory, but…Wes Anderson may be losing his touch. It’s hard to believe that someone who made something as fresh as Bottle Rocket (1996), who practically reinvented the high school comedy (I’d go so far as to say invented a whole new genre) with Rushmore (1998), and who created something as weirdly touching as The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) could become so…predictable. I was looking forward to The Darjeeling Limited, but now that we have a trailer and a poster, it just makes me sad.

And look…I LOVE Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, and have a soft spot for Bottle Rocket (it's a solid debut film). Every movie fan can point to one or two movies and say, “You know, that was the one. That made all the difference. That was the one that really opened me up to this whole world.” And for me, that movie is The Royal Tenenbaums. That’s why it’ll probably always be my favorite, because that eye-opening experience is a one-shot deal. And Rushmore, man…if you don’t like that movie, you should be shot.

Then there’s The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004), which is a good film. More an interesting experiment than anything. It’s amusing and all, but never addresses anything Anderson hasn’t hit before. It too often trades story and character for style and quirk (it’s very telling that the part of the film that had everyone talking upon its release was the cutaway of the ship, when it in no way serves the story and never does anything more than look pretty frickin’ cool). When asked who the next Scorsese was, Marty himself said “Wes Anderson,” an answer that baffled me then (around the time that Tenenbaums was released…I think Scorsese was doing press for 2002’s Gangs of New York) and baffles me even more now. And it basically comes down to the one reason that, watching the trailer for Anderson’s fall release, The Darjeeling Limited, is becoming so apparent – Anderson isn’t growing. He’s telling the same stories in the exact same style with (mostly) the same actors.

Now, I have no problem with directors and actors collaborating frequently. It’s worked wonders with the Scorsese/De Niro team (or the Scorsese/DiCaprio team for that matter), Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (Depp’s performance in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) notwithstanding), or the troupe the Coen Brothers pulled from for the first fifteen years of their career (most notably John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, etc.). Most of the time, you see a real growth happen as the teams learn to work more and more closely. And it’s true that Owen Wilson delivered, hands down, the best performance of his career in The Life Aquatic, but Angelica Huston was just playing a version of Ethel Tenenbaum, and Bill Murray seemed to be somewhere else the whole time (how much of that has to do with the grueling production, which he referred to as a “death ship” at the 2004 Golden Globes, I do not know). Besides Wilson, the standouts of the film are people new to the Anderson crew – Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum (sort of…he’ll always have a job playing Jeff Goldblum, but it works for me).

But the script is very loose, not particularly involving (did anyone really doubt that a) the film would convince you beyond a doubt that Ned Plimpton turned out to be Steve Zissou’s son, b) that it would never actually tell you for sure, and c) that Cate Blanchett would never go for Murray?), and only occasionally as funny as Anderson’s three previous films were. And people can say all they want that Anderson was growing by expanding into sort of an adventure story, but wasn’t Bottle Rocket just that? Stylistically, the two have a lot in common, Bottle Rocket just does it better. And has a guy named Future Man. Come on!

I’ve always held that Owen Wilson, the credited co-screenwriter, was a much more important part of Anderson’s first three films than anyone gave him credit for. Reportedly, he had much less to do with Tenenbaums than with the two before it, but Anderson had the benefit of Wilson’s input, and of writing from experience (the film is essentially about his parents’ divorce, but it rises above so many other autobiographical films by using all those thoughts and feelings without being a big nostalgic ego trip for the director). The Life Aquatic script, foolishly trading Wilson for the overrated Noah Baumbach, is a mess, with Anderson giving in too feverishly to his own whim, and Baumbach just happy to be working again.

Meanwhile, Anderson is holding on fervently to his composition, which (while still his greatest strength) is growing tired fast. It’s completely unlike anything anyone else is doing, but it wouldn’t kill him to grow a bit. And it’s not just that he works with the same Director of Photography (the awesome Robert Yeoman) – a lot of directors do the same thing and manage to pull new tricks out (the Coen Brothers and their DP, Roger Deakins, are PERFECT examples of this – there’s a definite skill, craft, and focus to every single shot, but it really is incredible just how flexible and inventive those three have been, film after film after film, over the past seventeen years and eight films (soon to be nine)). And besides, Yeoman also did the photography for The Squid and the Whale (2005) and Dogma (1999), which have nothing in common with Anderson’s work (stylistically, anyway – you can try to convince me The Squid and the Whale isn’t a steaming pile of a rip-off of Anderson’s work some other time).

And then there are the stories – The Darjeeling Limited is about three brothers (excessively defined by their quirks, and who haven't seen each other since their father's death) who go soul searching in India and try to rebuild their relationship. Replace India with New York, make the father estranged instead of dead, and you’ve got The Royal Tenenbaums (see also the huge father issues present in Rushmore and more especially The Life Aquatic).

There’s no word that turns me off more to a movie than “quirky.” It’s so overused and only slightly passes as positive word. The problem is, Wes Anderson pretty much raised a whole new generation of (mostly independent) filmmakers who have been trying to make movies that work as well as Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums. I wonder if Anderson is holding onto this quirk so fervently to try to continue to reclaim what’s his. By continuing to give his characters weirder and weirder quirks, is he hoping to, what, outdo everyone else? I mean, what other reason is there for a woman wandering around an all-male boat topless? Or for a man of Willem Dafoe’s age to be seeking fatherly approval from a man only a few years older? I know The Royal Tenenbaums is chock-full of quirks, but for the life of me I can’t think of one (maybe the Dalmatian mice) that doesn’t in some way serve to define an important aspect of the characters.

Anderson seems like a smart enough guy, and he knows his history. He's safe financially - A recent article in New York magazine quoted a friend of Anderson's as saying “For studio executives, supporting Wes is like collecting art.” And really, this is all speculation. I won’t see The Darjeeling Limited until around the time it opens in early October [NOTE: It'll be this Friday or Saturday]. Maybe it’s actually great. It did opening the New York Film Festival and played in Venice, so there’s hope yet. If I end up being wrong, no one will be happier than I.

Chuck a 'Nade!

2007-09-25T12:08:00.000-04:00

Halo 3 comes out today. I will be almost completely inaccessible for the next week or so in a bit of a media frenzy. I mean...I gotta go to class and all. But for those other times...it's all Halo 3 with sporadic breaks of whatever's next on the Netflix queue (Band of Outsiders and The Rules of the Game for this week). I'm sure sooner or later my eyes will want to die. I also just realized I scheduled a social event before my 6:00 class tomorrow...why?

Anyway, so that's all I got. Jessica Biel is HEAVILY rumored to play Wonder Woman in the Justice League movie. Some people will proclaim it as fact (some already are). It's not. Yet. I was just looking at her filmography and I realized it's kind of amazing she's as famous as she is. I know she's got the 7th Heaven and the hey-hey and the so forth, but like, what the hell do I know about 7th Heaven? I know I'm a white Christian-raised boy, and I know OF the show, but that's not even where I first knew about her from. I think it was mostly from Stealth, known to me as Ray 2. Anyway, she's not the worst choice in the world and at least she can handle the physical requirements (athletic-wise...also she's hot).

Also, anyone who tells you (as EVERYONE has insisted to me) that they're getting Christian Bale to play Batman in the Justice League movie is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Bale doesn't want to do it, and it's starting to look like WB doesn't even want him (that's probably just cover though).

I swear to Christ I'll talk about something somebody actually cares about next time (assuming my next post doesn't end up being the Wes Anderson essay...in the next month or so all this movie stuff is going to get filtered somewhere else, so you'll be able to visit this blog with confidence). I only intended to come on and talk about Halo 3 and get the hell out. That failed.

If This Is Out There, Imagine What Else Is Out There!

2007-09-22T16:14:00.001-04:00

HEY, SO I...left the caps lock on. Whoops. Hey, so I took some pictures of the apartment, only to find I have no idea where I put my cables for my camera dock. It doesn't help that it still looks like I'm moving in, so finding much of anything is a bit of a chore.

Hey, so remember my UPS storage? They woke me up early (10:30) the next morning telling me to come get my crap, and I was like "can't you just have them shipped here?" And they were like "well, you put down another address on your form," and I was like "well we got screwed and I'm living somewhere else" and they were like "sucks to be you" and I was like "yeah" and there was a pause and I said "so I guess I'll be down in a couple of hours" and they were like "darn skippy." How we fit those four behemoth boxes in that tiny Saab is still beyond me.

I finally made good chicken last night. It was pretty monumental.

I need to watch more foreign films. So I updated my Netflix Queue to make every other movie a foreigner. I'm pretty excited. What's that? Oh, yeah, I still don't have a life. I did have plans to go to a party last night though. Until we realized we didn't have the phone number of anyone who would be at the party, and their buzzer was broken (this was at 10). Then by the time that got cleared up it was 11:30 and I was like "screw that" and just watched The West Wing until I got sleepy.

Hey...my roommate just walked in and reminded me I haven't left the house since Thursday! Well....what'll you do. I'm getting out of the house tonight though for sure, so yay! For now, I gots to get me some groceries.

Well...Damn...

2007-09-13T19:03:00.000-04:00

I'm trapped on campus for ten hours every Tuesday and Thursday. That much I just accept...it's just how it is. But on this particular day I scheduled a meeting for a potential project at 8:30 (45 minutes after I finally get the hell out of class), AND class let out nearly an hour early. So now I'm just stuck here, doing nothing when I could be on the train home, eagerly awaiting the nightly trip to the grocery store (I was wise enough to bring a movie along this time, though...so I can finish that...or fill out job applications...probably the latter would be a good idea...I need money). And I'm kinda hungry, but have been spending waayyyyy too much money on food.

I stormed UPS today to find out what was going on with my storage boxes, and the guy was like "oh...I'll just have 'em sent here." And then literally two hours later they called and said the boxes were in the store. And somehow, for two weeks now, getting them to my apartment was out of the question. They're UPS! That's WHAT THEY DO. Argh. So hopefully getting them shipped to the apartment won't be too big a deal, because lugging a TV, fridge, and mystery box would blow, even with a car (yes, one of my roommates has a car).

They finally delivered my chair yesterday. I love it. My room's so cool (pictures soon).

My Radio Studies class is the best thing ever. Sucky hours (Wednesday nights, 6-10!), but it's like fifteen people, all radio geeks (seriously, there are few other environments in which a group of people could ever be this amused by coming up with catchy rhymes to introduce artists with), very little lecture. It's the kinda class that feels right at night though, because it doesn't really feel like a class by that time. Just something we all do on Wednesdays. Maybe that'll change as it goes on, but I hope it won't.

Okay, I'm gonna do stuff...at least watch the rest of this movie so I can keep the Netflix Queue moving along (they come really fast, but it takes forever to get them back to the warehouse, but I'm loving the convenience). Tomorrow, I'm catching Eastern Promises (which is supposed to have, like, the most hardcore fight scene ever) and Across the Universe (finally saw a positive review for it, too, so now I'm kinda looking forward to it again after months and months of negativity). Both are in VERY limited release this weekend (I'm surprised we're even getting them this soon), so you'll actually be able to read my review before the movie comes out...for once.

Which reminds me...posting the Shoot 'Em Up/Rocket Science review right now.

Settling In

2007-09-09T16:50:00.000-04:00

So I'll be posting pictures soon I hope (right now my room's in quite a state, but it's coming together), but so far the apartment life rocks. Granted, I haven't started school and don't yet have a job (getting close on that second point), but there are a number of very cool things:

THINGS I'M DIGGING RIGHT NOW

-Not being in the dorms. Included in this are having my own room (picking my own sleeping hours) and no more community toilet.

-Deciding what I eat (mostly frozen pizza and grilled tuna sandwiches)

-Full on digital cable (Legends of the Hidden Temple!)

-30 Rock Season 1. Watched it while it was on the air, bought it and watched it all again in four days. I love this show.

-All my DVDs in a GIGANTIC bookshelf right next to my desk - no more 200-slot CD cases!

-My bed. 100% Modal sheets and many, MANY new pillows.

-My tax refund coming in. Being (relatively) wealthy for the time being.

-The toaster oven we have in the apartment. Toasted sandwiches = amazing. Time to make one now in fact.

-Fall. New TV shows. Season premieres. And most of all...the fall movie season. Everything between the beginning of September and the end of January is pure media bliss. With the addition of Thanksgiving and Christmas, this season is literal perfection. Granted, I made the season out to be almost half the year, but really most of January is catch-up because the damn studios don't release their movies everywhere at once.

THINGS I'M NOT SO INTO

-UPS not telling me if I'll ever get my storage, the prized possessions being my TV and DVD player (winter coat and small fridge aside, I can't even remember what else I put in there). Easily replaceable, but annoying in their absence. I'm storming their damn store tomorrow.

-UPS not being able to figure out how to deliver my desk chair. The folding chair I'm in has shitty back support.

-Laundry. $4 a load and I still don't know where all my good boxers went.

-My dresser is startlingly unstable. Maybe it'll be better once I put the TV on top of it...if it ever comes.

But yeah, on the whole, totally digging things out here. Hope all's well wherever ye may be.

THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD…AND FROM THE AIR!

2007-08-31T22:04:00.000-04:00

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.

2007-08-31T01:52:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-28T14:59:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-24T19:30:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-08-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-08-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

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!)

2007-08-03T18:07:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-01T19:04:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-08-01T18:58:00.000-04:00

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!

Say What You Will About Fast Food...

2007-07-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

But I'm craving Wendy's like you wouldn't believe right now and I hate using my Debit Card at the fast food window, and I literally starting running around the house looking for loose cash, found three dollars, went to put it in my pocket, and discovered...eight unused, uncommitted dollars. Life can be so sweet.

A&E - I Really Need That Job at the Movie Theater

2007-07-25T17:41:00.000-04:00

Pure geekgasm here. It appeals to no one.

Yesterday I'm surfing around the web, happy that I'm not working, when I come across this. Days of Heaven isn't my favorite Terrence Malick film (that'd be The New World), but 1) God damn is it great, 2) God damn does the current DVD for it suck in every way (besides, y'know, existing - even now you can't find every great film on DVD), and 3) God damn how the hell did they get Malick in on this? Malick's a genius, and one of the rare cases when you really can declare the guy a master of the medium in spite of his sparse output (four films in nearly 35 years), but the guy never talks about his films. Ever. And although this DVD won't be an exception to that, the fact that it'll come out with his signature of approval on it, meaning he supervised the whole process, is pretty frickin' amazing. And Criterion does amazing work with their DVDs, so the transfer and the few special features that are on it will be worth the nearly $30 price tag for a single disc release.

So anyway, that comes out October 23rd, so I'm figuring it'll be easy to manage the money and this'll be but a blip on the radar.

Then I got up this morning, watched Zodiac (which is still the best film so far this year, and one of the best of the last five...seriously, guys especially, see this movie), hit the interwebs, and found THIS. I've been waiting for this announcement for two and a half years now, ever since Warner Brothers made the barest of mentions about it in a discussion with fans - The Stanley Kubrick Special Editions - two-disc releases of 2001, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut, plus conflicting reports (might just be Blu-Ray and HD-DVD) about a Deluxe Edition of Full Metal Jacket (and, I know, that's two Kubrick-related posts in a row, but this is sort of how my life is). The DVDs that are out for Kubrick's films now are kind of embarrassing - y'know, they exist and I love them and I'm proud to have the ones I do on my shelf, but the transfers are dated and there are no special features (except for a great documentary on The Shining), so I've been holding off on buying 2001 especially for when this new transfer and array of special features would be released. Add to that THIS, in which we find out that there'll be a new (presumably, sadly, one-disc) release of Barry Lyndon that won't be in the box set, and I'm in Heaven (and glad I didn't buckle and buy the crappy copy of that film for $17).

Who knows when the actual special features will be announced, but I'm ten shades of giddy (that was a gay phrase - I apologize) about the possibilities...Criterion is the benchmark for DVD releases, but the only studio really doing justice to their catalog titles is Warner. Their two-disc release of Network is close to perfect (why they didn't put the whole archived interview with now-dead screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, instead of just segments, is beyond me), and probably the best making-of documentary I've ever seen (certainly for a movie that old) was on their King Kong DVD (I could go on and on - the Batman Anthology, Casablanca...the thoughts of what next year's 4oth Anniversary release of Bonnie and Clyde will be like are the stuff of dreams).

But, of course, Kubrick Special Editions also come out on October 23rd. So even figuring that there'll be a markdown on the suggested retail price of $79 for the box set and $20 for Barry Lyndon, I'd guess that whole bundle will end up costing around $70 altogether (Amazon or Newbury Comics will probably have the box set for $55 and the single disc for $15), plus...$27 if I'm lucky for Days of Heaven means around $100 right there, right then. Don't get me wrong, it's totally worth it and the fact that I have no choice in the matter of this purchase doesn't bother me in the least, but damn will it suck.

And man I really need that job at the movie theater to offset these costs...

Working Overtime, Wanting to Die, Hilary Duff, Hilary Clinton, and Stanley Kubrick

2007-07-23T18:59:00.000-04:00

This first part was at the end of my post to begin with, but I decided just to get it out of the way for those of you who get sick of reading halfway through (that's right - I proofread these posts; I've never proofread an essay for school in my life, but I proofread my blog posts).

Here's something that interests me, and so I will force it upon you - throughout the month of August, the NW Film Center is showing every single Stanley Kubrick movie (in no particular order). Kubrick, to me, is the greatest director of all time, bar none, so yeah, little bit excited about all that, if only because I've always wanted to see 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon on the big screen. I'll be writing more about this as it approaches, but for now, here's the schedule. Tickets are $6 apiece for students. I'll be going to the ones in bold, and have previously seen the ones marked with an asterisk(*) (again, more of all this in the next few weeks), but will happily go to any of the others if, in fact, anyone else actually wants to go (especially Dr. Strangelove and A Clockwork Orange, two of the best films ever made, which I won't go to automatically 'cause I've seen both on the big screen, but I cannot recommend highly enough ALL these films, the ones I've seen anyway - they're a thousand times better than anything that's come out this summer, and you paid more to see those, didn't you?).

Thursday, Aug. 2 - The Killing*
Friday, Aug. 3 - 2001: A Space Odyssey*
Saturday, Aug. 4 - Spartacus
Sunday, Aug. 5 - Paths of Glory
Friday, Aug. 10 - Lolita*
Saturday, Aug. 11 - Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb*
Sunday, Aug. 12 - Killer's Kiss
Saturday, Aug. 18 - The Shining* and Full Metal Jacket* (BACK TO BACK! All for a mere $8! Easily the best money you'll spend all summer!)
Sunday, Aug. 19 - Barry Lyndon*
Friday, Aug. 24 - A Clockwork Orange*
Saturday, Aug. 25 - Eyes Wide Shut*

Aaannnnnnd onto the rest of the post.

Y'know, I was just thinking about how summer is just FLYING by, and then I saw my last post was ten effing days ago! Ten? TEN! How? I'll tell you how...never mind, I don't really know. But I did work a shitload over the last five days, including a 3-11 shift Thursday night followed by a 5:15 AM-6:00 PM shift on Friday after two hours of sleep. Yes, I did want to kill myself. I also came freakishly close to full-on passing out in the middle of the store. I started to feel myself fall but snapped back to it in time. From that point on I made sure to keep moving at all costs. So yeah, life is now restored to me though, and it's my weekend right here, right now.

People have often asked if you ever get used to waking up at 4 or 4:30 five days a week for work, and I always say "yes" but that's only partly true. You do get used to waking up and just wanting to shoot yourself in the face, and it does become easier to move past this feeling. But it never really goes away (man, if anyone who didn't know me was reading this, they'd either think I was really interesting and dark and deep, or just batshit insane).

But summer is FLYING man. No idea where the weeks are going, but boy are they.

I always thought Hilary Duff was kinda hot, y'know, I guess, but man is she hot as balls on the cover of Maxim this month. Their interviews are really, really retarded though. And say what you will about it "just being Maxim," but some of the best pop culture articles I've ever read came from Playboy (a magazine I've admittedly never bought, largely because it's sort of an embarrassing thing to own, but also because I suspect, like Rolling Stone, it's still published mostly because it was so big and so good a few decades ago).

If you haven't seen this yet, you really ought to.

Finally saw Aliens. Sweet.

P.S. I know all of the major spoilers of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and am oh-so-tempted to mention them to random passers-by in hopes that they actually give a damn. But it also makes me excited for the when the movie finally comes out and something actually happens (seriously...besides that one guy dying, which was pretty unceremonious, NOTHING FRICKIN' HAPPENED in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! NOTHING! The credits started rolling and all I could do was look a little distraught and think to myself, "where'd all that plot and character development go? Surely it had to be there at SOME point!" I'm not really that mad about it, but seriously, come on).

BEHOLD!

2007-07-13T20:05:00.001-04:00

I got an eye exam today for the first time in...three, four years, and guess what? My eyesight's improved! Take that you jackals, I can heal my own damn eyes! What makes you so unique and wonderful?

Well...it wasn't the worst of the Die Hard franchise, at least I was right about that. I'm just glad I didn't have to pay. Makes it all go down a little smoother. Read my review anyway, it's completely retarded and great.

EDIT: I know I include a ridiculous amount of information on here from the Yahoo! News, but I really do wonder sometimes if it's written by hamsters. Such as today..."WAITRESS GETS $10,000 TIP! Jessica Osbourne, 20, receives a huge amount from a regular customer to help pay for college." Which is pretty great, but then below that, for their related links section, are the following two items:
"How do you decide on tip amount?" (which, to me, reads like the thought of forking over $10,000 crosses your mind at some point in the paying process)
"Money found in toilets across Japan."

Top Five HOT Songs

2007-07-11T19:11:00.000-04:00

Psyche! I'd really meant to, but the only really good picks were KISS' "Hotter Than Hell," Three Dog Night's "Summer in the City," and Meat Loaf's "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" (but only as honorable mention because the opening line was in my head all day). Anyway, it's unbelievably hot today, even in Nordstrom, which seems like such a cozy store, but they only kinda air condition the floor and they have like a single vent for a stock room probably 75 yards long and 20 feet wide, so it just felt like death. And as I relayed to Ben on my way home, this was the shittiest day ever to not have air conditioning in the car. I left got out for like a minute to drop some DVDs* off at Movie Madness, and I got back to a car that I could've sworn raised ten degrees in temperature since my departure. To quote Al Pacino in Glengarry Glen Ross (the best movie you haven't seen...except Ian...he saw it), "They say it was so hot downtown this afternoon, grown men on the street corner were going up to cops begging the cops to shoot them." That's about how I felt.

Wanna see a ca-razy trailer before you see it in the theater someday and say, "man, that was ca-razy!" CLICK! But imagine all the text at the beginning spoken by Mr. Voice. Trailers were so much better before the studios realized no one took that guy seriously. That said, big fan of anyone who can make an excuse to put a wooly mammoth onscreen. That said, remember he also directed the Godzilla remake. So there's that.

Y'know, just when you think you're over it, someone brings back the seething hatred by quoting Crash in their away message...you know who you are...and you probably aren't reading.

Can't even really think straight. Gonna be cooking up some steaks (yeah, ME) in about an hour, but I think I'll kill that hour by watching that much of JAWS (one of few movies I absolutely must spell in all caps). If I can stay awake. Somehow I don't get to sleep 'til like 12:30 when I gotta wake up at 4 or whatever, and I still wake up in the middle of the night! WTF mate indeed.

Tomorrow! Die Hard with a Vengeance followed closely by Live Free or Die Hard. Thoughts, reactions, and musings following soon after. Then on Saturday - was Spencer right when he said Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is "the dumbest movie ever," or was it the fact that he was dragged to a midnight showing? Stay tuned, loyal readers. My (constantly-revised) goal is to see Ratatouille on Sunday at Cinetopia, because how better to see a Pixar movie? And I really want that pizza again. God damn.

*I rented the original, 1972 Russian Solaris, which I'm required to say is genius, but upon reflection found to be boring as shit, but which was counterbalanced by the fantastic 2003 documentary End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones.

Stay In Your Homes! Remain Calm! Or: Is It Hot Out Here, Or Is It Just Me?"

2007-07-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't know. I went outside to go to dinner today, and that's it. I was gonna take a bike ride, I was gonna clean my car, but screw that man...it was frickin' 105 today!

Occasionally I think it'd be cool to have a summer fling, and sometimes wonder why I never really got on that (so to speak). Then I take a look in the mirror after work. If I'm still not convinced, I end up looking in the mirror at like 9 PM. Taking your daily shower at 4:40 and sweating a good percentage of the day leaves one looking quite grody.

I was staying in a hotel two weeks ago or so, looking at the thermostat thing, and realized "Hot Water, Electric Heat" would be an awesome name for a rock album.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder really does suck. Except for the part where the guy gets stabbed in the eye with an icicle. The good news is Live Free or Die Hard almost couldn't possibly be the worst of them. Could it?

2007-07-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

I was at the QFC on SE Milwaukee this afternoon and a woman of about...I'd say 80 years old or so, started walking past the meat counter chanting "Beer! Beer! Beer!" and laughing maniacally. And not in a funny way. It was actually kinda unnerving. She looked like a skeleton someone had hung some extra skin on. I grabbed my beef stir fry and booked it.

Some guy's comment on my review for Transformers..."You're an asshole." I do love anonymous posters.

Okay, so this weekend, I swear to Christ I'm gonna catch up on the staggering number of movie's I've yet to see. I just got paid, so I feel pretty good about diving in. If anyone has any interest in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Ratatouille, Sicko, La Vie an Rose, Live Free or Die Hard (which I guess we're gonna wait for until we do the marathon), or POSSIBLY A Mighty Heart (that'll be a push...might have to wait for the DVD, but if anyone else is interested I'm totally down), tell me now. Don't call me tonight, I'll be asleep by 7 (I hope...more in a second), but text or call tomorrow, because I'm just gonna dive right into it. The goal is to be completely caught up by next Friday, when Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out, and is hopefully the one movie this summer that'll live up to expectations. Granted, I still do need to see the last hour of Pirates 3, but if that ends up being the one movie, I'll be the only one who thought so. What'll you do.

Anyway, I'm going to bed at 7 tonight because I didn't get home last night until like 1 AM (and had to wake up by 4:40 as usual), and made the EXTREMELY unwise choice to have Wendy's right before bed. Okay now...the Wendy's was FANTASTIC. For about a year now, I've avoided them because they were so far off their game, but it was extraordinarily good and so close to being worth the extreme fast food hangover I woke up with this morning. Added to the fun today was a major sunburn on my feet from last night's beach trip! Walking was fun.

Annnnnnnnd OUT!

Something I Was Thinking About on the Toilet Today

2007-07-04T03:54:00.001-04:00

When guys in biblical times had an especially successful date, did they say, "oh, man, I totally knew this girl last night!"

Discuss.

A&E - AFI's New Top 100

2007-06-23T16:20:00.000-04:00

Click the link above for the list.

Since it's pretty much required for anyone who fancies himself a film pundit to comment on such things, here are a few thoughts on the new AFI Top 100.

First, Citizen Kane absolutely deserves top honors. It's kind of become old hat to recognize it as such, but screw that. The fact is, the film (unlike any other I've seen from that era) still plays today. And I LOVE Casablanca, but it does play like a movie from the 40s. Citizen Kane has the kind of pacing and dialogue you find in films that have come out in the last five years, features an incredible leading performance, and is still one of the most innovative films ever made. Honestly, it's not in my Top 10 favorites, but if I had to make a Top 10 of the greatest achievements in film, this would easily be in the top 5.

I LOVE The Godfather, but The Godfather, Pt. II is a better movie. It just is. The two of them put together, though (as I and many others do) is the second-best film ever made (behind 2001: A Space Odyssey and just ahead of Apocalypse Now).

You have no idea how cool it is that Raging Bull is #4. To me, Scorsese's best film is The Last Temptation of Christ, but Raging Bull is an incredible piece of work that never, until now, got the respect it deserved, and I was beyond happy when that came up (yeah, I watched the 3-hour broadcast).

I've seen half the movies on the list. Sweet.

Schindler's List is...it's not the most overrated movie of the 90s (that'd be Forrest Gump), but it's not a Top 10 movie. I don't mean to demean it, and saying something like that is a little controversial, but the fact is that it works as well as it does because of the subject matter, not because of especially great performances or great direction.

They just kinda slided Do The Right Thing in there at 96, probably just to stave off the (justified) complaints that there were no black filmmakers represented on the last list.

I don't like Platoon or Forrest Gump. I'm on the verge of flat-out hating the latter, and nothing you can say can change the fact that it's a self-serving piece of nostalgia with the weakest lead characters I've ever seen in a major motion picture.

A Clockwork Orange plummeted almost 30 places since the last list. There's no good reason for that.

If they made Bonnie and Clyde today, it wouldn't be nearly as cool because there'd have to be a real love story between the two of them. They handled that so effing well in that movie.

For your convenience, movies that I've seen from the list that you should absolutely see, besides some of the more obvious stuff that I talk about all the time (since the main purpose of the list, to me at least, is to encourage people to go out and see great pieces of filmmaking).
Blade Runner
Do The Right Thing
Goodfellas
12 Angry Men
The Apartment
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
American Graffiti
The Deer Hunter
Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Chinatown
Double Indemnity
Lawrence of Arabia

Gonna Walk Around and Drink Some More

2007-06-18T19:19:00.001-04:00

Not really. The song's just stuck in my head.

I am chock-full on energy today. I have no idea where it came from (four hours of sleep last night? Ish). But I'm riding a huge manic swing right now, and I'm just hoping it lasts the night.

From Yahoo! News today..."How to Spot a Counterfeit - There are specific ways to tell if your toothpaste is a real, safe product." I didn't even know this was a problem.

Yesterday was Father's Day, and I was at work. Before the store opens every morning, a woman comes on the loudspeaker and says good morning and makes announcements and so forth. She wished all the dads who were away from their families to be at work a happy Father's Day, and then someone...whoever's in charge of such things...put on "Cat's in the Cradle" for all the store to hear. I would've laughed but I think that would've just twisted the knife a touch too far. Even if I was in a women's department at the time.

S'yeah...I've decided it'd be really cool to start up our own radio station. Just saying.

My Jeep was supposed to be fixed today but it isn't. Another day with the Big Red Boat. Hurray.

Look at the time. Traffic's gonna be a bitch. See ya.

Squeezing In An Update...

2007-06-14T20:07:00.000-04:00

Anyone wanna see the new Fantastic Four with me? Hello? Anyone? Anyone?

Seriously, I'm gonna see it anyway, but if someone wants to join me that'd be fun. Granted, it's supposed to be a pile, but what'll you do.

To fill out this post, the #1 song on the Christian/Gospel Billboard chart is by a guy named Big Daddy Weave, which sounds like nothing they would ever play in any church anywhere.

UPDATE:

This just in. I remember a few years back I kept updates going on Batman Begins news that ya'll seemed to enjoy, and with The Dark Knight production in full swing, I'll keep up with some cool tidbits here and there (even though I already sorta have when I geeked out about Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, which is still the coolest thing ever). This was just posted to Ain't it Cool News, scanned from Entertainment Weekly (bigger pic if you click it).

Might not seem like a big change, but luckily I'm a first-class loser. Most of the changes are listed, but the main thing I'm pumped about is it looks like they finally got the damn cowl right. I don't think I'm the only one who noticed Batman's head was enormous in Begins. Also, the suit as a whole is a little sleeker, and looks like it fits Christian Bale's physique a bit better.

The Dark Knight comes out July 18th, 2008 and I'm already first in line.

I Picked a Fantastic Time to Use the Bathroom Yesterday

2007-06-09T19:11:00.000-04:00

Really. I did. I walked in and this dude was just talking. At first I thought it was to the guy in the stall next to him, but no one was there. Turns out he was calling his lawyer while on the crapper, letting out a fart here and there (this is kind of a disgusting story...I'm sorry). Anyway, he was trying to sue Nordstrom over...something...and he saying things like "We're going to nail them for this" and "We need that woman fired, can you make that happen?" and all those things that I want to be able to say to someone someday.

It's been a good week. Starting to slide into a great, easy routine at work, nights have been fun, and that movie Once is phenomenal. Seen a few really great movies as of late...I dunno which has been the best, but Waitress (Rachel saw it and loved it...why haven't you?), Knocked Up, and Once are all so much better than we deserve. I still need to see the rest of Pirates...for posterity.

Drink Viso.

I feel like I have absolutely no time to do anything anymore. I haven't read in weeks, I haven't been keeping up very well with my summer movie rental list, and I still haven't bought new sandals (mostly because I'm trying desperately to hang onto the pair I've had for years, which I adore). But it's mostly that I'm just lazy when I get home from work, and who wants to accomplish things on their day off? F that.

Well, the cursor on this thing isn't working anymore and it's getting harder to figure out where I'll be typing as I click between windows. So bye.

EDIT: There was a sign outside QFC yesterday saying they're looking to hire a "Grocery Night Stocker," which is fun to say because it sounds like the name that would be attributed to a creepy guy who hangs around supermarkets after dark.

2007-05-31T19:57:00.001-04:00

I was driving back from getting some Big Town Hero (which tasted like ass) and I saw this billboard. I would never, ever trust this woman with my insurance. Her hair alone would consume my money.

Aren't you glad my camera works again?

Man's Ambition Exceeds His Reach

2007-05-26T03:30:00.000-04:00

Fell asleep right before the shit went down towards the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Even though I'm told I missed nothing of any great consequence, I was mostly digging the movie and wanted to see how it all paid off. So I'll be hitting a cheap show...I dunno, next weekend or something and just coming in for the last hour. Good times.

Had a good run though...between two and four hours every night this week, five nights straight. Guess it had to end sometime.

A Few Quick Things

2007-05-24T19:40:00.000-04:00

Almost exactly a year after it broke (seriously, I think I'm like two weeks off), my camera is returned to me in complete repair! Photo journalism will strike back.

When I was buying my ticket for Pirates 3, a scruffy, raspy-voiced man ahead of me was asking the underage girl at the booth, Ally (their names are on the tickets) when her school is in session this weekend, and when they have the day off. Ally didn't seem nearly as creeped out by this as I was.

This album is so effing good. You have no idea. Here's a taste...you absolutely must listen to "Falling Slowly."

Waitress is playing at the Fox Tower right now and it's the most pleasant surprise I've had in a movie theater...maybe since Lost in Translation three and a half years ago. It's uplifting, charming, fun, heartbreaking and a thousand other nice things.

A&E - Season Finale Wrap-Up

2007-05-24T02:44:00.000-04:00

I shouldn't really be posting this until Studio 60 ends in a couple of weeks (for good...it's definitely canceled, as opposed to before where it was just maybe canceled), but what the hell...everything else ended when it should. We'll just go in the weekly order.

24 - Didn't watch it, which is probably the worst thing you can say about a show like this, that's supposed to grab you by the throat and demand your attention week after week. I just got bored. So I missed last week's episode and didn't record the finale and I just don't care enough to watch either. It just ended up being kind of a boring show (and yeah, I've been told I caught it at a bad season, so save that comment).

Veronica Mars - About as great a season finale as you could ask for, especially considering this season, unlike seasons prior, had no central, season-long mystery that came to a major conclusion for the finale. Unfortunately, it ended up being the series finale, which is a damn shame because, much as you probably still don't believe me, this really was one of the best damn shows on this season. It never stopped being classier than its premise or network (it aired on the CW, home of crap) would suggest.

LOST - Holy shit. THAT'S a season finale. In the past four weeks or so, this went from a fun, genuinely entertaining show to one of the best shows I've ever seen. I have no idea why this show is so popular (it's the weirdest thing on network TV, that's for damn sure), but it shows audiences are a LOT smarter, and a lot more patient, than we give them credit for. If you've never believed the hype, you have seven months to catch up on three seasons of greatness before season 4 starts.

Scrubs - DAMN IT! Just when I thought J.D. was really progressing forward in a way that would set up a GREAT last season of the show, they had to end it with their most overused plot device. My guess? They were all set to end the series with all the characters all settled, then they suddenly got renewed and felt they had to come up with a cliffhanger. They could've done a lot better though. This season in general hasn't been up to par with the past (in which every season just got, for my money, better and better), but they were really onto something towards the end.

The Office - Not unlike LOST, this show seems to be unafraid to (apparently) wrap up what we assumed was the one consistency that would stick with the show throughout its run. This episode was just adorable in every way, and I'm giddy as hell over the direction they took Pam in in the weeks leading up to this. I love this show so very much.

30 Rock - Not the most memorable of endings, but they had to make something that could've simultaneously worked as a series finale (it will be coming back next fall though...and you should all watch it, because unlike everything else on TV you really don't need a history book to understand and enjoy any given episode), and as far as that goes, it really nicely bundled up the first season (and keeping seasons self-contained is something I've long-championed, so there's little to complain about there). This show was a huge surprise for me, because I a) hate Tina Fey, and b) scoffed that anyone should try to do the same concept as an Aaron Sorkin show, and think they could do it better. Well, a) Tina Fey is forgiven (maybe I'll finally watch Mean Girls), and b) I really can't compare the two...I love both of them, but for very, very different reasons.

Next fall has a host of new shows that look like balls. And with Veronica Mars and getting flushed, not to mention Studio 60 getting flushed, not to mention LOST staying gone 'til January, it looks like the tube will only be on for Thursday night Comedy Night Done Right (unless one of those new fall shows proves to be less balls than they look...I especially hope The Sarah Connor Chronicles works).

You're Welcome, Environment

2007-05-18T20:36:00.000-04:00

So I had this great idea a few weeks back to ride my bike more. I'd always kinda wanted to and now I gotta pay for (some of) my gas, so I was like "well, there are definitely places I can ride the bike to." One of those places is the video store, located at 4320 SE Belmont.

Here's a map of my house in relation to the store. You'll need it for reference. [EDIT: Okay, apparently that link worked...not at all...but the shortest way there is like 3 miles...I did not take the shortest distance there].

Problem is, 39th has NO bike lane at all, and fairly narrow lanes for cars, so I wasn't too cozy on taking the easy way. Plus there's a massive hill right before Division. So I decide to swoop down to 28th, down Holgate, down 26th, which leads right through Powell to Division, where I could cut up to 39th or just weave through the neighborhoods until I hit Belmont. Pretty solid plan, only a slight incline, and let's face it, I could use the exercise.

So after work today I was feeling pretty alive and awake, running on 4 hours sleep (which gets you through a work day at Nordstrom better than you'd think), and the day had just flown by. So I said to myself, "today's the day!", threw on one of my new, comfy, very breathable shirts, pulled the bike out of the garage (which took some doing), filled up the tires, and was on my way.

I hit 26th and Powell and for some reason there were a ton of cops. I gave the officer across the street a questioning look, and he just pointed up Powell, then down Powell, apparently mouthing "you can go up there, or down there." I wondered what could possibly be keeping me from my route. It turned out to be this. Now, I don't know all my limits, but I know some of them. One of them is that the road from 26th to 39th on Powell is too steep for me. So I went down to 21st and cut across.

Look, I may not be in the best of health, but I was fairly certain I could handle the ride from there. I was so very, very wrong. The ride back was considerably easier as it's largely downhill, but man...I was thoroughly unprepared for that. Then I got back and my shirt is drenching with sweat, so I'm like "I'll throw it in the wash!" Look at the label - "100% Silk." Flip it over - "Hand wash cold separately. Only non-chlorine bleach when needed. Line dry. Cool iron or dry clean." First, cheapest damn silk shirt I've ever seen...I think it was like $30. Second...damn.

In the future everything should be machine washable. Shoes included. Now I need a shower and to watch The Fugitive (one of the movies I rented...no, I've never seen it, but I totally expect it to be worth the effort it took to get it here).

Is my mom cooking dinner tonight? Voice mail...she's at the club (the work out center, not like...my mom didn't go clubbing after work)...she's not cooking. Damn. Anyone wanna go get dinner? Nah. It's definitely a take-out night. I hope to Christ Pastini does take-out...their website is pastini.biz...is .biz new?...oh thank Christ they do take-out...I'm totally getting extra bread too...they have the best bread I've ever had in my life there...maybe not, but I could eat it forever...order's placed, 10 or 15 minutes...no time for shower...also I'll be driving there, and...well, I guess I'm saving a little gas having rode to the video store, but really not enough to justify all that.

God damn it.

EDIT: Maggie, I still say I could take you in a race.

It's OFF!

2007-05-16T20:37:00.000-04:00

So...remember that awesome apartment that would've made me wake up each and every day excited for life? Gone. In more ways than one. But basically, I will now be living somewhere else entirely. It's actually in a better part of town (read: closer to cool movie theaters and stores, but probably more dangerous). It's cheaper though. Money's good. I'm really really tired right now (first day of work and I'm still only operating on two hours of sleep).

I have many, many days when I think I'm wasting four years with this Media Studies business. The extent to which it barely qualifies as a real major cannot be understated, and really I'll get out of school and sort of stay in it (the career will consist of a LOT of a research and writing...not so unlike school). But I watched a movie last night that reminded me why it'll be so easy, so interesting, and so invigorating to spend the rest of my life with movies (and TV and music and radio and such). So that was nice.

Work blew big time today. Spent all day in shoes and cosmetics. So much more tedious than the clothing departments.

For the first time in my life, I find The Doors interesting. Oh well.

The movie was Wild Strawberries if you're curious. It's a Swedish film. Yeah, it's pretentious as hell, but it's frickin' amazing.

Okay, I gotta go put some pants on and run to the grocery store.

But Then She Looks Me In The Eye And Says, "We're Gonna Last Forever"

2007-05-10T03:09:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile, I think in part because the events of the past week have been...I dunno, I just wasn't up to my usual bout of carrying on about television and movies and the small quirks of society. But, y'know, gotta blog sometime I guess.

On some level I'm bored, if only because I've eagerly done pretty much every chore around the house and am trying to find new ways to fill time. I've been watching a lotta movies though, a lotta TV. I have a HUGE list to move through this summer (the TV stuff just won't happen...I HAVE to watch as much of the sixth season of The Sopranos as I can, but at least until the end of the regular TV season there's just no time...I spent four hours today just catching up so I could watch Lost tonight, which could not be a more amazing show, and Scrubs and The Office tomorrow...plus two hours of Sopranos and an hour of The West Wing...shit, I didn't do anything today), somewhere around 55 movies (so far I've watched...six, three I absolutely fell in love with...it sounds like 55 should move quickly at that rate, but I do have a job eventually).

And that job begins next Wednesday, the 16th! From that point on, I am only kind of a free man, but if it's anything like last summer, most of you probably won't even notice it (besides all those times when I'll remind you that you have no right to complain about being tired...ha ha!). But yeah, met up with the Boss Man and it's all set. I'm actually kinda pumped to get started. Kinda feel useless just sitting around the house debating what movie to watch. Also I'm broke.

I went to the dentist today. I really don't...and I know there are small children in Darfur who feel deeply for me, but I really don't think there's a more excruciating experience that I'll go through all year. It really is terrifying. I have pretty poor dental hygiene (although I did discover that not everybody at college brushes twice a day, so I do have some people beat!), and I'm convinced that one day I'll stroll on in for my twice-yearly visit (increasingly becoming merely yearly..."merely yearly" is a fun phrase) and they'll strap me to the chair and keep me forever until they correct every little problem. My dentist and his lovely assistants are in no way evil (perhaps a little too clean and polished), but especially when they get to that part where they basically run a very firm needle along your gum line and just scratch like it's the lottery...I could just about strangle that lady.

The weather sucks at night, but it's so nice during the day. It's nice to have my summer music back, too...all that music that I never ever listen to in the winter because it just doesn't feel right. "Never ever" is extreme, but you get the idea. My Summer Rock playlist. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits. The more upbeat Counting Crows songs. The Mamas and the Papas. Springsteen. Aerosmith. Don't even start me on the Beach Boys (start me...I dare you).

That was a long post. I dunno, I always feel like I should mention it, just so you're just just sitting there saying "Damn, Scott, wanna write some more?" This is me saying "I know, man, but hell, I mean...you read it anyway." And then you're like "Yeah, well...okay...wanna get some pizza?" And I'd be like "Hells yeah!"

Words Blogger's spellcheck took issue with in this post - "y'know," "lotta," "playlist," "Heartbreakers," "Aerosmith," and, oddly enough..."okay." Oh, and "spellcheck."

You Drive Us Wild, We'll Drive You Crazy

2007-05-03T13:56:00.000-04:00

So begins possibly the greatest two-day adventure of my short life...

It's 1:55 PM and I just woke up. On the itinerary today is to hang out one last time with my nearest and dearest of the East Coast, which includes standing in line for four hours for Spider-Man 3, then SEEING Spider-Man 3, which'll get out at around 2:45 late tonight. Then proceed to the South Street Diner for breakfast before getting a cab at 4:30 AM to make it to the airport by 5 to get on a 6:30 AM, first-class flight to San Francisco and up to Portland, where I'll finally get a bit of rest (I would sleep on the plane, but I'd hate to waste all that first-class goodness) before heading to Points of Departure, Beth Fagan's one-woman show that I'm almost anticipating more than webhead himself.

Whoo!

Half Past Dead

2007-04-30T21:53:00.000-04:00

In exactly fourteen hours, school's out. Well, I do have a class to show up for two hours after THAT, but that's just a show-up-and-leave kinda thing. Trust me, I'll be blasting "School's Out For Summer" at noon anyway. I cannot wait to be done. So sick of it. It's been a fun semester and I'll miss all the college folk, but I'm so sick of school I could spew (I'm also kinda sick in general, which blows chunks...not literally...yet).

Meanwhile, I still have a bit of studying to do for my last final, and will you look at that I have an essay due in two hours, and the only part of it I have yet to complete is the part about the play I never read and the film adaptation I never saw. Best...section...EVER.

It's Kirsten Dunst's birthday. Say whatever you want, she's a babe.

Go to this website and listen to the song that comes on. It's AWESOME.

I recently...acquired seasons 3-10 of The Simpsons (y'know, back when it was good). What a great TV show.

Spider-Man 3 in THREE DAYS. So excited. Too many commercials on TV. Then home. Then Beth's play. Then sleep and watch movies until work starts up mid-May. That first week of vacation will taste so good. If you wanna hang during that time, you'll probably have to get in touch with me, as I'll be somewhere between catatonic and lazy. Although I will want to drive...

Oh, and I got the feed working again onto Facebook, so if you're reading this there, you have about a month's worth of posts to go through. Stop whining, you know you're only on Facebook to waste time in the first place.

It was chicken and waffle night in the Dining Hall! And last night was turkey! Not fake turkey, but real, honest-to-God Thanksgiving turkey! Life can be so great...

Birthday!

2007-04-27T02:41:00.000-04:00

Heeeeyyyyyyy I'm 21. Eat it. No, not really. Thanks a ton to everyone who Facebooked and messaged and...I don't think anyone called...oh Chris called. Yay!

I wish I had cool stories to tell, but I really don't so much. My parents (being crazy, yet awesome) left all these presents at Maggiano's (the restaurant we hit tonight for the bday) with random descriptions that were to be given to the person who best fit the description ("For the luckiest one," who received a small book of fortune cookie writings, "For the one who's most precise," who received a tape measure," and so forth). And an inflatable moose head (there are times when I just KNOW my dad was behind something). I only had a little more than half a glass of wine for dinner 'cause I was feeling kinda icky today, so no crazy drinking escapades.

I pretty much woke up, watched Dog Day Afternoon, played a LOT of Super Mario World, realized I had to get my ass in gear to get ready for dinner, then came back, played some more Mario and some Halo, and now am typing this before bed. All in all, a pretty damn good birthday, especially considering all the homework I ditched out on (don't worry, whoever thought up the idea for the pizza with candles Senior year still takes it all home).

Top Five Birthday Messages...

5. "Did you know that you share a birthday with Marcus Aurelius, Muhammad, and Jet Li? And that Lucille Ball died on this day? And so did Osama Bin Laden according to Wikipedia." - Pat

4. "It's off baby" - Ben (in response to my away message that said "take your top off"

3. "Use extreme caution when open mailbox/packages a piece of cake may or may not be on its way to greet you!" - Cynda (this one actually scares me)

2. "2111111111!!!!!!!!!! yeah sucka! pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew!" - Mike Lower (a joke that could not possibly be more inside and more impossible to describe by text alone)

1. "scott if you drink to much....i will hold your hair. have a sweet ass b-day." - Spencer (I owe you an apology...we're watching Newsies in class to finish off the semester, and I actually really like it)

Anyway, thanks again everyone, and I can't wait to see all you Portland folk ASAP.