Book 35

The Wizard be Gene Wolfe is the sequel/second half of The Wizard Knight series started in The Knight. I enjoyed the first book, and was slightly underwhlemed by the second. It might have been partly due to the fact that it's been so long since I've read the first book, but the second left me mostly confused. Things were going on that didn't make a lot of sense. I remember thinking that about the first one, but that at some point it clicked. There wasn't a real good clicking moment in this one. There were moments of pure brilliance but they were weighed down by the bits that just felt tedious to me. Which is a little surprising, because again, Wolfe eschews a lot of exposition, speeding up sequences that would be terribly drawn out in other books. I'm beginning to wonder if some of that exposition isn't a little more necessary. At any rate, overall the series was certainly unique and mostly enjoyable. I suspect a decent knowledge of Norse mythology might enhance your understanding/enjoyment as well.

One more

Nintendo article.

Pet peeve for the day: shirts that are one color in the store and another color entirely outside. I picked up a nice blue shirt from Target a couple weeks ago that turns a rather strange purple color in daylight. Odd and yet frustrating...

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was ok. Not great, but not horrible. If you've read the book, you know most of what to expect. There are some differences (much like the differences found in the other versions) and some work and some don't. The rescue Trillian bit wasn't worth the "I'm English, I know how to queue" joke - in fact the rewritten Trillian/Arthur romance wasn't terribly well done - but the point-of-view gun was a nice touch. And I really liked the segment where Arthur and Slartibartfast travel through Magrathea's workroom floor.

Fever Pitch was good. Nice romantic comedy. Who knew the Farrelly brothers had it in them?

Book 34

Hachiko Waits by Lesléa Newman is a delightful telling of the traditional Japanese story concerning the Akita, Hachiko. I first ran across the tale when I was taking Japanese in college. When we started learning kanji and reading in Japanese the story of Professor Ueno and his faithful dog was an interesting look into some of the culture and history of Japan. Newman's book blends the basic true story into a fictionalized account that does a wonderful job of bringing out the trasitional elements - loyalty, friendship and faithfulness. This is a children's story, but it's one that everyone should read.

Book 33, TV

Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes is an odd little book. A "comic-strip novel", Ice Haven concerns itself with the inhabitants of the titular town and their lives during the search for a missing child. Sort of. The missing child arc is mentioned mostly in passing and the "meat" of the story is the lives of the people each set of strips follows. There are brief flashes of brilliance and it's interesting to put things together for yourself (very little is spelled out) but overall it's not really something I'd recommend. There are a few interesting meta-story bits where Clowes looks at the world of comic strip critique, but that's about all that can be said.

And so we've survived the first week of the new TV season. The winner? Threshold. Seems to be well written and intelligent. I hope that they have the story mapped out and that there will be a definite end to the show. This isn't a story that should go on and on, but it should prove to be an interesting ride. Supernatural is a close second. There are a couple new shows next week, so we'll see what else is out there. I'm a little worried about NCIS after seeing the teaser commercial the other day. I really hope they're not screwing with the dynamic. I realize that's a nigh impossible task with Kate's death, but here's to hoping.

And as I don't think I've mentioned it, Super Monkey Ball is quite the game. The girls have fallen in love with it and I must admit to a certain bit of enjoyment as well. Monkey billiards is quite the little mini-game...

Revolutionary

And so the Nintendo Revolution's controller is revealed. Cool. It's definitely different. I suspect it's a controller that you'd actually have to spend some time with in order to form a real opinion. I'll just leave it at interesting idea and hope that it's as cool as the possibilities for it suggest.

Update: And here's a video demonstrating possible game uses. Ok, now I'm officially excited...

Prelude

This is a nice little short film by Michel Gagne - one of the Flight artists.

A few more words

Poor little blog. All abandoned and no real updates to speak of. Alas. The end of the year is like that for me though - short weeks lead to more relaxation and unwinding. And since there are new things to mock on television (Head Cases? Seriously? Who greenlights this stuff?) Less time here. Oh well. You'll live.

Picked up Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 for the kids. We borrowed the first one and loved it. Nice gameplay and there are lots of things to do with the girls. I even got my Dad to play some. ^_^

I meant to write more on 12 Monkeys. It's been a while since I've done a bit of a retrospective post. Grand ideas and such... That's been one of the standout sci-fi films in the last several years. Criterion needs to put it out on DVD with a nice set of goodies. All star cast and a script that lets you go back and watch it again and again. You'll probably pick up something new every time you see it. I need to track down a good site with some commentary on the film. It's probably a little late, but as the net never throws anything away (pack rat that it is) I'll probably be ok.

At any rate, a time travel story that twists in on itself a couple times, 12 Monkeys follows Bruce Willis as he travels back in time to unlock the secret of a virus that wiped out most of humanity. And along the way he unlocks a few things about his past as well. I suspect a good portion of the film is really Gilliam's critique of the mental health care industry, but there's a solid story here with some great acting by Willis, Pitt and Stowe. If you haven't seen it, you really should. And if you have, watch it again. It's that good.

I've been reading a bit about Takeshi Kitano. An interesting fellow with some interesting movies under his belt. I need to track a few more of them down and watch them. This is a nice little site that follows his career. Go give it a couple moments of your time. Some of the background on Zatoichi was quite interesting.

New TV sound bites

Supernatural - best new show tonight, will definitely keep watching (this is 'd' speak for don't get attached I'll be cancelled before you can blink).

House - excellent as always, although my wife isn't too sure about the Sela Ward dynamic.

Bones - weakest link tonight. Will give it a couple more episodes to see if they can find their stride, otherwise Tuesday gets a little simpler.

Monday rides again

Gearing up for Serenity later this month. We're watching through Firefly and enjoying it immensely.

New TV season starts up in earnest tomorrow. Once again Tuesdays feature far too much TV for one night. NCIS (not new tomorrow), House, Bones and Supernatural. And the checking things out begins. Threshold is also a possibility...

And there are even a couple DVDs worth checking out this week: H2G2 and Fever Pitch. So many ways to kill brain cells, so little time.

1up has some video coverage of PAX up. I'd like to get there some day.

And for a random link, here's a list of some software that you may, or may not, find interesting if you have a Mac.

TV's new season
features things that go bump in
the night. Ooo spooky...

Sound bites

12 Monkeys - still great.

Battlefield Baseball - wacky, get together with some friends fun.

Mean Girls - formulaic, but not too bad.

Confessions of a Teenage... - I watched about as much as I typed. And I regret that... (Actually we didn't make it past 10 minutes or so.)

The House

Creepy. Yay!

Hmmm

Apple made their announcements today. iPod Nano looks trés cool. I'd take one of those.

And the new TV season is trickling in. Haven't really watched Prison Break, but it might be interesting. House starts up next week. And why does Martha Stewart have some form of reality show? Haven't we been punished enough? Is the American TV viewing audience that stupid? Oh. Wait. Yes, yes it is... <sigh>

And we're back

And the long weekend has come to a close. It seems we are unable to have an end of summer activity that doesn't end in sunburn. Last year the beach trip resulted in massive burns and kidney stones for my wife. This year we went to watch border collies herd sheep. Hopefully we can skip the kidney stones. I was a little surprised at how much fun it was to watch the show, but there you go. Plus there was plenty of food and some Scottish Highland games going on in the background. I suppose we should buy some sheep for Ein to practice with. It would be pretty amusing to see how she handles something like that.

Sahara ended up being a lot of fun. If you've read a Clive Cussler book, you know what to expect. And despite my initial wincing over the casting decisions, things worked out. The banter and chemistry between Steve Zahn and Matthew McConaughey was actually just about spot on. They still don't really fit the physical descriptions, but they fit the part. And I have no idea why everyone hated Penelope Cruz in this movie. I didn't find her accent that hard to follow and I think her acting was fine for the role she was cast in. Besides, it's an adaptation of a Cussler book. What are you expecting here? So, yeah, Sahara was just what it should have been. Could be the beginnings of an interesting franchise.

White Noise, however, was mediocrity in it's purest form. In theory it's a spooky idea. In reality not so much. I suspect part of the problem lies with my own personal beliefs on the afterlife and how we interact with it. The movie tries (mostly) to play it straight - up until the end - and those sections work alright. I was able, for a while, to just sit back and watch the show, but ultimately I just couldn't buy it and my own biases ruined any real enjoyment that might have been had. I think the problem stemmed from the fact that the movie tried to play it straight - since it was serious, my own world views felt no need to take a hike so I could just watch. And so, in some ways, the ending lost a lot of its impact.

If nothing else, it is an interesting topic. My friends and I messed around with Ouija boards for a bit (well ok, a very small bit) and my wife and her mother have some interest in psychics and communication with those who have passed on. I certainly believe that we continue to exist and I think that communication is possible. But it follows very strict rules. And when you try to just randomly interact with that world, you're asking for trouble. Part of me wonders if the end of the movie is meant to add credence to that view. While on the one hand he helped someone, it wasn't necessarily worth it.

And I think I'm going to have to rent The Longest Yard. It looks funny...

Radio silence

And this will be me for a couple days. Time to enjoy the weekend and spend some time with the folks and the kids. I've managed to round up enough booster packs of Pirates that I can attempt the full game so we'll see how that goes. And we may track down a copy of Sahara. Or who knows, maybe there's actually something worth seeing at the theater.

Have a great weekend, and our hearts go out to those in Louisiana.

Tasty

Ah, Del Taco. You are my friend. And Graeme has decided that Del Scorcho sauce packets are the best of toys. I tried to take one away from him and he cried until I gave it back. That's devotion to your hot sauce. ^_^

And so the four day weekend commences. I predict much laziness attempted and some laziness accomplished. Gonna coerce my Dad into a game or two of Pirates and we may track down a copy of Sahara. Other than that, who knows.

Sounds like Blockbuster has decided to get rid of their VHS tapes. A silly move at this point if you ask me. There are still plenty of classic movies that aren't out on DVD yet. And Star Wars 3 won't come out on DVD. Eh. Whatever.

And I borrowed a copy of Super Monkey Ball from a guy at work, so much monkey goodness will be had.

Evil

Kohl's. Kohl's is evil. One day sales. One day sales are evil. Especially one day sales at Kohl's. Went in to get some shoes (which I did), came out with shoes and shirts. Lots of shirts. I did manage to leave behind the t-shirt that read, "Work Bad. Videogames Good." though. (It was a close call...)

Family is in town again. Will be nice to see them for a bit. And it's a long holiday weekend. Posting may be very sporadic over the next several days. I'm sure you won't notice.

So. The computer world is waiting on the new announcement from Apple. And the gaming world is still hoping to hear more about the Nintendo controller. And apparently Nintendogs is "better than Barbie". Groovy.

And there was some horror film festival in the UK. Grrrr...

Spin

Nice short film.

Book 32 and Cake

True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel is an odd book. A good book, but an odd one. I was unfamiliar with the events depicted, but Finkel certainly weaves a fascinating narrative out of a surreal situation. Fired from his dream job with the Times magazine for fictionalizing parts of a story he wrote, Finkel is alerted to a situation where Chris Longo (charged with killing his family) has been captured while impersonating Finkel. It makes for a compelling read as you realize the little games the two men begin to play.

Layer Cake was vastly different from my expectations. Having seen Snatch I expected a witty (if convoluted) British crime drama. Layer Cake leaves out most of the wit. It's still convoluted and a crime drama however. I don't think some of the pieces came together as well as they could have, but it's an interesting film. The swearing does wear thin though. Definitely a rental.

Travel

Get your bug going here...

Pirates and Ghosts

Picked up a handful of the Pirates Constructible Strategy Game packs. I suspect I've found a CCG that I could play. I've always enjoyed Pirate games and the little ships that you construct in this one are quite nice. Build some ships, sail the seas, find treasure, and blow up your opponent. What's not to like? The basic game is pretty easy to pick up and the advanced game looks like it adds some length and strategy without adding too much to the difficulty. Perfect for the upcoming speak like a pirate day. Arr...

We watched The Ring Two last night. I would say it wasn't as scary as the first one, but it had a pretty good story. And the extras on the DVD were quite nice. I especially liked the Rings short. It's a nice piece of Ring mythology that fills in the events that led up to the beginning of the second film. Quite well done. I still find it interesting that they're bringing over the Japanese directors to re-make these films. Part of me wishes they'd just release them, but it is interesting to see what the re-makes are like. The second one has several nice moments including the scene with the deer and the (in)famous bathtub sequence. We get more of Samara's background and more creepy little kid moments. Plus a really good contortionist.

In related news, there's now a box set of all the original Japanese Ring movies out. Sounds like a birthday present to me.

Book 31.5

Tried reading The Dante Club. I wanted to like this book. Intriguing premise and some Dante. And in a lazy sort of way, I did like the book. Just not enough to finish it. So that marks about three books that I've started recently that I haven't been able to convince myself to read. We'll see if the next one bucks that trend. I suspect it will. Actually I have a couple more books on tap, so expect something relatively soon. As for whether or not I'll try counting any of the failures, I guess not. But I'm leaving the half score in my count. Well, not visibly, but I'll think it every time! ^_^

The Brothers Grimm is getting pretty mixed reviews. Which may imply a Gilliam Effect. Typically you either love him or hate him. My wife's undecided enough that this one may get relegated to rental status as opposed to theater venture, but I'll carry a special place in my heart for it.

Session 416

Viral video for Serenity. Per Whedonesque, that's Joss in the chair. Heh...

And one year later...

So. It's been a year. And frighteningly enough, I'm still here. A venture started due to lack of sleep and irrational desire continues through pretty much those same commodities. I've started taking weekends off (mostly) but otherwise you get to endure my pointless ramblings and the odd link or two that you've seen thirty other places. And the infrequent kid pictures. Can't forget those.

At any rate, I don't have anything terribly special to mark this momentous milestone. So let's just opt for a coupe lines of silence...



I think that's enough. The neighbours next door are moving. They've been there since just before we moved in. I suspect it will be a couple teary days for the kids as they're losing their most frequent playmates. I offered to save them the trouble of moving the big screen TV, but they seemed oddly attached to it. Go figure. ^_^

The Brothers Grimm opens this weekend. I expect all of you to patronize the movie (in the original sense, thank you very much). It's good to see a Gilliam film in the theater again. Now we just need Fincher's Zodiac...

It's funny, I think I had some ideas I meant to jot down here in commemoration, but at the moment nothing's jumping out. I could point you over to Neil Gaiman's site so you can listen to the first bit of Anansi Boys, but that's fairly predictable. (And yet I'll do it anyway.)

If nothing else I expect my sanity level has been on a slightly more even keel this past year. It's nice having this outlet. Random writing is good for the soul.

At least you have the fall TV season to look forward to. New NCIS, House... And a whole slew of spooky shows. Good to see horror getting its 15 minutes.

Heh

This is hilarious.

Couple random links

This one is a transcription/description of the Serenity panel at the recent San Diego ComiCon.

And this is the Cry_Wolf blog.

Kind of different and yet the same. It's been interesting to me lately to see a little further behind the curtain of the movie industry. Between reading Bruce Campbell and Robert Rodriguez, listening to commentary tracks on DVDs, and skimming through film blogs, bits and pieces of that world have opened up. Things to think about. Film can certainly be a powerful medium.

Monday catchup

Here's Macworld's Mac Gems blog. If you have a Mac, chances are there's something for you there.

Watched The Cat Returns. For the Ghibli title we knew the least about (out of the last batch of three released) we ended up enjoying it the most. This one is a nice little fairy tale. The girls loved it and my wife and I weren't far behind.

Rescue Me is what Dennis Leary would have done with The Job were it not on network TV. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I like Dennis Leary, but I think he's a little better when he's working under some restraint. The Job is probably just a touch better than Rescue Me, although it has been quite some time since I've seen The Job - that could be the nostalgia talking.

And school is back in session. The world breathes a collective sigh of relief and I suspect we'll start gaining back some semblance of sanity. There are times when the track system is terribly appealing.

Don't look

Just don't.

Red Eye

Red Eye is a nice little thriller. Some great acting, nice tense moments and a plot that clips along. Makes you remember why movies used to be ninety minutes.

This is an interesting article. Moreso for the question it asks as opposed to the actual content of the article. Which is a pity, as it really is a rather interesting question. One that I shall have to think about some.

Thursdays

Not really much you can say about Thursdays. Poor Thor. God of a day that most people would skip if they could. Not yet Friday, but close enough to the end of the week to be frustrating. This marks the last week of summer for the kids. Back to school on Monday. And the world sighs with relief.

The letter 'r' and I will hit Red Eye tomorrow. It's getting pretty good reviews. Looks like Craven may have a hit on his hands again. Speaking of Craven, have an interview. Those wacky folks at Twitch score again. I especially liked the bit about the rating of Last House on the Left. Never saw that one...

Quick question

When did Winnie-the-Pooh become all about Roo? Is Elmo behind this?

Oshiro

This should keep you busy...

Werewolves

Dog Soldiers is good. Low budget British horror flick featuring soldiers vs. werewolves. There are a couple plot oddities, but overall an enjoyable film. It's an odd fact of life that the best horror movies now seem to be coming from outside the US. Britain and Asia seem to be the new reigning horror champs. We're stuck in remake/sequel land. I've heard Red Eye is supposed to be good, so maybe there's some hope left.

And soon it's off to my daughter's guitar recital. That should prove to be interesting...

Elvira interview

Twitch has an interview with Cassandra Peterson (better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark). Go read it, it's quite good. I will once again lament the loss of the weekend horror/sci-fi show. I grew up with The Creature Feature and Crematia Mortem. And I still miss it. Long live the horror genre...

Weekend fun

Knock yourselves out. (Inspired by one of the better sequences in Sonatine.)

Lull

My sister and her husband get into town this afternoon. We'll spend parts of a couple days with them. They're taking the girls over to a water park this evening as part of her birthday. Miranda has been going on about it for a few days now. I suspect she's excited. And there will be an evening at a cabin Dave's family owns. It's nice to get away for a bit.

At any rate, today was mostly a get things done day. Groceries, lawn, random tidying, that sort of thing. It'll be a somewhat busy weekend, so any chance to rest is welcome.

Yakuza movie

Watched Sonatine, the "bonus" movie included with Zatoichi. In a lot of ways I don't know what to make of it. I don't have a lot of experience with the yakuza genre and so can't really pick up on any of the nuances or differences Sonatine might be going for. It was interesting in a lot of ways. For a good chunk of the film my wife and I were wondering if anything were going to happen. And trying our hardest to keep all the characters straight. We mostly succeeded. But not entirely. There are moments of humor and certainly moments of violence. Interestingly, if you watch some of the bonus features, you learn that Takeshi had a series of images in mind and then strung them together into a plot. I think he mostly got it right. Not one I'd watch with any regularity, but it was interesting enough. And I really want one of those paper boxer games...

Ok, something interesting

Support the First Amendment in literary style.

Not much

It's been a crazy week. Work has been rather hectic, running around after odd TV shows, family coming in to town. Crazy.

And so I don't really have much to ramble on about today. Graeme has come down with a bit of a cold and so his sleep schedule is pretty medication derived at the moment. The girls are trying to cram as much energy as they can scrape together into this final couple weeks of summer and my wife is still off in crochet land. Although she has completed one project thus far.

I guess I'll have to settle for the cold comfort of movies and games. Oh wait, I do that anyway. Never mind. Life is normal...

Although I suspect there's something instinctual in kids that let's them know summer is ending. They've been a lot more on edge lately. Not enough sleep and a certain amount of restlessness. Will have to keep a closer eye and tighter fist on them.

Accursed Roswell

Spent most of the afternoon running around looking for the increasingly elusive Roswell third season DVDs. Kung Fu Hustle? Found it in a flash. The Place Promised in Our Early Days? Ditto. Even the sole copies of Hero and Dog Soldiers Circuit City had discounted weren't this hard to find. But find them I did and so my wife will be enjoying the last episodes of the show come her birthday. All in all an expensive, if frustrating, day. But hey, every so often you have to live a little.

Zatoichi is an absolutely amazing movie. And there's a little of everything in there. Nicely done fight scenes, wonderful comedy, a dance number that seemed inspired by Stomp, and even some heart-breaking drama as we get some of the back story of some of the characters. If you haven't seen it, go now. Go now, rent it and watch it. It's brilliant.

Book 31 and a couple of flicks

Finished off Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way. While I enjoyed Chins more, this one was certainly enjoyable. And honestly the only reason Chins was better was because it was non-fiction. While I'm sure a lot of Make Love is pretty close to reality, it still falls into the realm of story. And where Bruce is concerned, truth is certainly stranger than fiction.

The Eye is an excellent horror film. It's not really a scary movie - there are a couple jump moments, but overall it's more horrific than anything. (Hence the emphasis earlier.) And apparently several of the events in the movie are based on things that actually happened. This one gets a complete recommendation. It was pretty well paced (note - I'm not saying it moves along at a fast pace - it's well paced, they take the time to progress the story in a way that makes sense and allows us to get involved with what's happening) and there are some nice cinematographic touches. The Pang brothers are directors to keep an Eye on. Ha Ha!

Hitch manages to remain interesting in spite of the formula it adheres pretty strictly to. It's pretty typical for a romantic comedy, so there aren't really any surprises, but the cast and the story are fun, so you don't really mind. There are certainly worse ways to kill time.

And I spent far too much time at work today. But that's neither here nor there.

And it begins

Short weeks for the rest of the year.

Picked up way too many movies for the week. One Japanese horror flick, couple of Beat Takeshi flicks, Hitch for the wife and The Last Unicorn for the kids. So yeah, heads will be exploding or something.

And there's the slight possibility of having to go into work tomorrow. Gotta love it when one thing breaks and in fixing it, something else gets broken and then that... well you get the idea. Rube Goldberg lives on.

But for now it's Friday and I can live with that.

Almost a Friday

Lovely poetry. Although admittedly I've only read Neil Gaiman's offerings at the moment. But plenty to keep coming back for.

Played Bocce this evening. A nice game to pass the time with. When I was in Scotland I played a bit of lawn bowling. Picked up Bocce since it's similar (only without the weighted balls). Hit a bucket of balls at the driving range yesterday. I'm paying for it today. I swear there are muscles that only golf uses. And if you don't play regularly it reminds you.

I've become enamored with the Audio Editions of the Movie Blog. Interesting topics and usually a few laughs. If you haven't hit the link over there on the right, go wander by.

Which, in a way, brings up podcasting. It's interesting how the internet is really starting to change the face of journalism. Blogs and podcasting let anybody get their viewpoints out there to a potentially wide audience. Pretty intriguing really.

Cables and so on

Want to make your own A/V cables? We talked about that in the home theater class I took. I don't know that I'll ever make my own cables, but if you're a perfectionist cheapskate home theater enthusiast, then you might be interested.

Confession time. The next couple books that were slated to show up were 1776 and John Adams by David McCullough. But I couldn't get through them. Which is a shame because they're actually quite good. The problem is it takes me a long time to read his stuff. He's like a complete non-fiction Tom Clancy. It's interesting, but it's detailed and it takes me forever to get through it. So I'm going to give them a thumbs up and move on to my next book. I will probably try to sneak them away from my folks so I can actually read them in the future, but without the pressure of having to get them back to the library.

Seems like there were some other links I meant to pass along, but I have no idea what they were. Poor you.

The house has been overtaken by the needlework bug. I can't explain it. My wife is currently crocheting up a storm and McKenna is doing some kid's cross-stitch. Too strange. Actually, I used to do a bit of cross-stitch myself. I have a half finished Monopoly board running around somewhere.

Have I sent you here yet? Ah papercraft... Yup, that's enough of a distraction from that last paragraph.

Lovecraft Comic

This has potential.

Links abound

Once again the Lyttle Lytton awards are out. And the Bulwer-Lytton awards are up as well.

Here are some Game ads if you need to kill some time.

And it looks like Download.com is going to start offering videos and what not as well. The Aeon Flux Jailbreak teaser was interesting.

So there, something for just about anyone.

Weekend recovery

Did a bit of shopping for an upcoming birthday. Also picked up the Harry Potter edition of Scene It. That's a fun little game. They did a good job with some of the categories and the clues they give on the DVD.

Watched Star Wars (episode IV I guess I have to clarify now) last night. You know, as hard a time as people give the newer episodes, the old ones aren't that much better. Blasphemy, I know, but still pretty much the truth. Although I will forever hold a small place in my heart for Empire Strikes Back. I suspect it's really the best movie of the lot. Maybe I'll pick up just that one on DVD somehow...

I need to sketch a few icons. (And I needed a non sequitur to throw all of you off for a bit...)

So anyway, the trial of the guitar lessons is just about at an end. McKenna avoids practicing like all children, but in spite of that normality, I think we'll be canceling that extra-curricular activity. She has enjoyed swim lessons though. And Miranda has had a good time at dance. Ah the trials of little girls...

Serenity

New Serenity trailer up! New Serenity trailer up! ^_^

Block party was fun. Chocolate fountains are interesting and evil devices.

Sky High was terribly enjoyable. I would go into more about it, but I think I'll save that for a later time.

I can't seem to write a paragraph that involves more than a sentence or two...

Alas

For you anyway. Courtesy of the new link over on the right there, I managed to catch the trailer for the remake of The Fog. But it doesn't seem to be up anymore, so I can't send you on. Looks good. Although the fog itself is a little strange. Too thick I think. At any rate, The Movie Blog is a nice addition to the link stable.

And I made an interesting discovery last night. More news on that should be forthcoming in the next few days. I hope.

Summer woes

Survived my first Scout outing. Of course, it was just an activity night over at the Boondocks Fun Center. Bumper Boats (got soaked), Go Karts, a few games (the DDR machine was busted!). We'll see how things go the next few weeks once the actual badge activities start.

There's a block party scheduled for the end of the week. I vaguely remember those from my youth. I don't remember having them all that often, but once or twice. We'll see how this one goes.

I'm ready for summer to be over. Mowing the lawn, the heat, the kids out of school, the heat, the usual. This is my least favorite season and I welcome its end. I've heard rumors that they want to extend Daylight Savings Time from March to November. That would be a crime against all things good.

And we're being invaded by ants. Yet another reason summer needs to go bye bye...

Tuesday bits

So it's Tuesday. New movie day. I forget what's out this week. Probably nothing spectacular. Kung Fu Hustle comes out on August 9th. I expect you all to buy a copy. Or two. Roswell Season 3 comes out then as well. I'll pick it up for my wife and hold on to it until her birthday. She's already aware of this fact, so don't think I'm spoiling something for her here. I don't understand why she likes that show, but it's good for her to have some random TV show to enjoy. Currently it's Smallville. Again, no accounting for taste.

Every other Tuesday I get to listen to Punk's movie review as I drive to work. He reviews the sorts of movies my friends and I watched in High School. The really bad kind. Today he did Barbarian. It sounded delightfully rotten. I may have to track it down.

Whales and Desperados

Watched Desperado. It's pretty much El Mariachi with a budget. There were some pretty good fight scenes and Antonio did a fine job, but honestly Mariachi was better. We may get around to seeing Once Upon a Time in Mexico, but there's no rush.

Whale Rider, on the other hand, is a wonderfully moving little piece about the Maori culture. I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it whole-heartedly. While it follows the typical formula for a movie about the underdog hero (heroine in this case) it doesn't detract any from its impact or its worth. And the actress that plays Pai is a real gem.

Be Cool and Book 30

If you've seen Get Shorty, you've seen Be Cool. If you haven't seen the former, you'll probably get a kick out of the latter. If you have, well, you'll enjoy it, but you'll experience a lot of déja vu. Oddly, I enjoyed Get Shorty the movie over Be Cool, but Be Cool the book over Get Shorty.

Be Cool brings everybody's favorite shylock, Chili, back, only this time he's taking on the music industry. They opted to compress/cut down several of the characters in the book, but they kept a lot of the twists and turns. So if you've read the book, you'll have a better chance of knowing what's going on, but you'll occasionally be surprised at who's doing it. If you haven't read the book, things are a bit muddy. But it's still got some of the Elmore Leonard humor. I've heard that the reason Get Shorty was as good as it was had to do with the fact that they used a lot more of Leonard's dialogue. I suspect this is true. Be Cool isn't quite as true and that's where it suffers. But The Rock does a great job. So, it's an enjoyable time remembering how much you liked Get Shorty (except for the bit where you're remembering how much you liked Pulp Fiction).

Rebel Without a Crew documents Robert Rodriguez's experiences making El Mariachi (and yes, before you ask, reading this book was indeed a bit of a push to finally watching the movie - I've wanted to for years, but now I had no excuse...) Between this book and Bruce Campbell's If Chins Could Kill you've got an excellent look at all sides of making a film. If you have any interest in film making, you need this book. If you like reading interesting stories about the crazy things people do and the crazier things that happen to them, you need this book. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read and one that just might push you into film making if you have any leanings that way. Great book...

Observations and cats

Today's random thing that must go: jewelry store ads on radio. I don't think there's a jeweler yet that can put together a good ad. There's not really anything that will make me switch stations faster than an ad for some of the jewelers around here. Well ok, a couple things, but that's definitely in the top three.

Today's random observation: for some reason I tend to like songs that feature a place in the title. Recently mentioned Dakota for example. Also Amsterdam by unintelligible mumbling. What? Just because the net is terribly useful doesn't mean I'm going to run right out an find out who did that song... Where's the IMDB for music?

Apparently the cat person/dog person favoritism is genetic. And the girls have just discovered that they're cat people. (Not to be confused with Cat People the wacky/sexy shape shifters from bad cinema.) There are a couple cats owned by some neighbours that have the run of the block. The girls have spent the past few days playing with them whenever they get the chance. Mwa ha ha ha! I knew they were smart. You just can't trust a dog person. Sorry dear... ^_^

*Cough* *Cough*

Trying out a new look. Ignore the dust...

There's no budget like low budget

Watched Horror Express last night. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Great low budget horror flick. Had some wonderful lines and something resembling a plot. Kit, Eric, James - track this one down and give it a go. I picked it up for a buck at Walmart. Watch it some Friday night and raise a glass for me. (Root beer of course ^_^)

Tonight we watched El Mariachi. Rodriguez's first flick. Made for $7,000. It's quite good. As a bonus the disc also contains his short film Bedhead (muy bueno) and Desperado. We'll check it out on Friday night. For a first effort it's pretty amazing. Especially considering the fact that Rodriguez did just about everything himself.

Summer

Ok, the heat can quietly go away now. Summer is my least favorite season. And one of the problems of living in a desert is that it tends to take summer seriously. We've had hundred degree temperatures for about a week. I believe this week has been in the 90s. It's a good thing we have central air...

They made some really bad design calls with that Prince of Persia sequel. Save points are a little too far apart. When you die (not if, when) they start you back (more often than not) where you last saved. This makes for lots and lots and lots (and lots) of repetition of areas. And boy is it glitchy. It's a real shame too. There's a decent game lurking around in there, but you really have to want to find it.

Started up Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Looks good. Although I hear some of the later parts lag. Guess we'll see.

Dakota by the Stereophonics is a nice little tune.

Paper Mario and random generators

I finished off Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. I can now whole-heartedly recommend this game. Despite the amount of time it took, it was enjoyable just about the entire time. And were this several years ago, I would have finished it much sooner. At any rate, the artwork (as has been previously mentioned) is spectacular (and tied quite nicely into the gameplay) and the story is a joy. Full of humor and touching moments it ends on just the right note. If you have a Gamecube, this game should be in your collection. And I'm coming to realize that Nintendo really makes you earn that ending. I think Nintendo's games feature the hardest boss battles of any of the games I've played.

And courtesy of the letter 'r', here is a list of random thing generators. Go check it out. Maybe I'll use the random blog post generator from this point out. I'm not certain you would notice.

Book 29

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is probably my favorite of the six currently available. And she better get book seven out soon... This one certainly begins to tie things together and the stage is set for the endgame. That's not to say there aren't a few little stumbles. Harry is awfully composed after the loss of Sirius. But I guess one book of whiny/angry Harry is really enough. This book continues the darker tone of the latter half of the series but it also contains some of the humor that graced the earlier books as well. If you follow the series, I suspect you'll enjoy it greatly and if you've been undecided this book could make you a fan. I can see re-reading this one more than some of the others in the series quite easily. Great book...

iFlea

This is brilliant.

Quiet

And family has once again left and the house returns to the dull roar of normality. Well as normal as you can get with three kids and a dog. Temperatures have been in the hundred degree range but that doesn't seem to affect the kids much. They still run around and get up to mischief.

Hit Burger King in a vain attempt to get one of those Amazon cash cards that might be worth something. It was worth a buck. Pretty typical. Brother-in-law wins a PSP and we win a buck. ^_^ I have absolutely no luck when it comes to drawings and contests like that. My wife won $100 in those gold Sacagawea dollars from Cheerios once. And I managed to snag a gift certificate to a restaraunt at work. But that's about it.

At any rate Harry Potter shows up in a couple days, so maybe somebody famous will deliver it...

Be afraid

So. I saw a brief teaser on TV the other day for Hail to the Chief. (I believe was the title) And Hollywood's quest to elect Hillary Clinton has begun. <sigh> She's the absolute last thing this country needs. And unfortunately this next election is probably her best chance to win. Here's to hoping that doesn't come to pass.

Had a half day at work today so I could get in to the dentist. Good thing I grew up with flouridated water. Too bad they don't do that here. Now if I can just sort out what's behind the strange noise the Saturn is making...

Go wander over here for a diversion.

Family

Sister and her family in town today and tomorrow. Her husband just won a PSP and brought it along. Lucky git. It's actually the first PSP I've seen close up. The screen is indeed very nice. It's a nice looking little device. Still want a DS though. There's not a lot of software out for the PSP at the moment and other than Lumines, none of the games scream "Own me!" Plus the whole multimedia thing just kind of irks me. Why buy one device that does everything sort of well when you can buy several that do each really well? ^_^

At any rate, off to go be sociable or something.

Names

The letter 'r' sent along this interesting little site that lets you know how common/rare your name is. Works for both given and family names. Those who know me will be little surprised that my last name was oddly rare. So surprising that...

At any rate the week is off to a, well, a start I suppose. I can't really claim more than that. The lawn has been mowed, the mower is still acting a mite strange, and the girls continue to drive my wife crazy. Nothing new there.

We've let McKenna try her hand at guitar lessons. It's been an interesting experience to say the least. I'm pretty musical. My wife is not. McKenna falls somewhere in between. I'd say she has my love of music and my wife's talent, but that might be true mean. Actually my wife enjoys music as well. She's just rhythmically challenged. And McKenna inherited that. Which makes it difficult to play the guitar when you have problems locating the beat... So yeah, lessons (and practices) are interesting.

Bruce!

Bruce
Originally uploaded by dkun.

So today was the day - went to the book signing/film showing. We opted not to go to the show. Bruce was fun to meet. He complimented me on my shirt and then asked what I did. In my defense, I hate answering this question. So I said, "Just work."

"Isn't that what I asked? What do you do?"

"Oh..." and then I mumbled some form response thing about medical journals and so on. And he said that was great.

So I can say I've been both complimented and mocked by Bruce Campbell. Groovy. ^_^

And please ignore the bizarre facial hair. I was bored...

Book 28

Just finished The Tesseract by Alex Garland. It was an odd read. It was easy to read, and yet a struggle at the same time. Oddly interesting and not at the same time. About as much of a puzzle as the subject matter of the book itself. I suppose I'd say it's my least favorite of the three books he's written that I've read. I still believe The Coma to be the best of the three, but you can see the seeds of that book lying dormant in this one. So, it exists in some uneasy space that's both good and bad. A tesseract on its own...

At any rate, it's easy to say that Garland is a talented writer and one I've enjoyed reading. If you run across a book of his, I'd say it's worth picking up. You'll probably find something of value inside. And really, not much more than that needs to be said.

And another thing (or two)

This = Cool Art.

And this (from Boing Boing) is just plain cool.

Plans

Have been made. The letter 'r', myself and another compatriot shall venture forth tomorrow and procure autographed copies of Bruce's new book. Mwa ha ha! I doubt we'll stick around for the screening of his movie, but a signed book is compensation enough.

After school cartoons

Jackie Chan Adventures and Xiao Lin Showdown are still pretty good... I've fallen out of the habit of watching things on Saturday mornings. But the girls have picked up the habit, so I occasionally hear about the silliness that passes for marketing entertainment these days. I miss good Saturday morning cartoons...

Apparently Bruce Campbell will be in town this weekend doing a book signing and showing off his new movie. I'd like to get over there, but not sure I'll make it.

And that's about all I've got.

Random

The Descent looks like it should be pretty good. Wonder when it'll wind its way over here...

Oddly, short weeks never really feel all that short. Sometimes they're not so bad, but then you have the kind that just drag on and on. And being tired certainly has an effect on that.

So. I've been roped into the scouting program. Webelos Den Leader. Well, really assistant Den Leader. I'll pause for some laughter. There is a cruel humor to the universe on occasion. At least there's no camping. That would have nixed any possibility of this happening. Maybe there should have been some camping...

At any rate, I picked up F Zero GX and Warrior Within yesterday. Both are a little more difficult than they should be. At least with F Zero it's a difficulty that should lessen with some practice. Warrior Within is just a bizarre anomaly.

Happy 4th

To my friends. A big thanks to the letter 'r' for the barbecue. It was quite nice. Next time we'll duct tape the girls so they don't cause quite as much havoc. Hope everyone had a nice day.

Watched a bit of the original Thomas Crown Affair the other night. Didn't come away terribly impressed. Mostly they tried too hard. The chess game sequence is a perfect example. There were some nice sensuous bits, but there were also a lot of over the top "Come hither" moments. Overall I'd stick with the remake.

And managed to snag a couple cheap games today due to silly 4th of July sales. So here's to the occasional bout of rampant commercialism.

Morning sky

sky
Originally uploaded by dkun.

I took this the other morning around 6:45 or so. I happened to glance out into the back yard and realized the sky was quite lovely with lots of little fluffy clouds. They had moved around a bit before I managed to get the camera, but here you go. My first attempt at nature photography.

Still laughing

BEST. MOVIE CRITICS. EVER.

Yard work... of DOOM

So, apparently this has been a DOOM filled week. Was going to mow the lawn today, but the mower had other ideas. It started up like normal, ran for about two seconds and then died with a cough of black smoke. And refused to start up again. Ended up having to borrow a neighbour's mower as the lawn really needed a trim. Stupid yard work implements. Stupid yard work.

Even regular work was rather frustrating today. But then again when isn't it?

At any rate, it's a three day weekend and tomorrow is Friday. ^_^

Plus there are rumors that Nintendo's new console will be relatively inexpensive. Certainly in relation to the other two. Smart move on the big N's part.

The Fog rolls back in

Have I mentioned that they're remaking The Fog? I love that movie. Classic Carpenter. Wonder how they'll remake it? Hopefully they'll keep all the charming bits - cheesy frame story, evil townspeople, conflicted undead sailors... It just goes on. ^_^

Anyway, not much else to ramble on about. It's been a quiet kind of day. And that's a pretty good thing.

Tuesday... of DOOM

King Kong has a trailer now. Looks pretty good actually. Special effects have come a long way.

And other than that I don't really have a lot to say. I suppose a better title would have been IMPENDING DOOM as I suspect I shall have a few things to discuss come the weekend.

The only bright spot is that I think I may have sorted out my time off for the rest of the year and come August I'll be on short weeks. w00t. Or exclamation of joy of your choice.

Book 27

Finished The Beach by Alex Garland. Odd combination of Lord of the Flies and something like Utopia. Garland's writing style is enjoyable and he creates characters that are interesting to follow, but overall I'm not sure I'd recommend this book. We'll see how The Tesseract goes next. Maybe that will help cement a few things. I suspect that The Coma will end up being my favorite story by him. (Although the 28 Days Later screenplay would be a close second...)

I'm not entirely sure what puts me off The Beach. The drug use got a bit old. There were some good bits though. Almost anything involving Keaty, Jed or Mister Duck was worthwhile. I suppose part of it is that I just don't really identify with that subset of my generation. That and I'm not entirely certain that is my generation. I'm probably just old enough that I fall into that group right before "Gen X". But the idea that you could find a quiet, untouched place is an interesting theme worth exploring. I may have to track down Lost Horizon as I've heard it looks at some of the same things. It's interesting to me that some of the classics are now coming out repackaged for a new group of people...

Trickery

My wife and I do have some overlapping tastes in entertainment. While she doesn't enjoy cheap horror like I do, I can get her to watch some regular horror as well as action and suspense. We both like platform games and we enjoy some of the same types of literature. A lot of this has to do with the fact that we've been together for quite a while. By now we've pretty much merged what we do like and know to enjoy the other stuff on our own time. But there are times she refuses to believe this. While I will admit to some rather bad guesses earlier on in our marriage, by now I'm pretty good at it.

So, I told her she should read The Coma. It was interesting and I figured she'd enjoy it. She didn't believe me. We were going to head to the library today to poke around for a few things for the kids. The Coma was a new book so it was due back a little earlier than a couple of the other books we have out at the moment. I asked if she was going to read it or not. She hemmed and hawed a bit so I said, "Look, just read the first five pages. You'll know then whether or not if you want to read it." So she did and of course she finished it a couple hours later. I tried not to say "I told you so" too many times. And I didn't point out the sheepish expression on her face. Well, I'm pointing it out now, but that's different. ^_^

I'm glad she enjoyed it though. I think she's one step closer to trusting me when I recommend things for her.

And on an unrelated note, it looks liks Land of the Dead is getting good reviews. Good on Romero. Look forward to checking that out at some point...

Links

This is an interview with George Romero. Land of the Dead comes out tomorrow. It was an interesting interview. I especially liked the bit that involved the actors from Shaun of the Dead. That and the fact that Romero is not a fan of speedy zombies...

This is a Japanese IQ test. Hit the big blue circle and then try to get all the people across the river.

And that's enough entertainment for now.

Primer

To conclude indie film rental-a-thon, I snagged Primer at the same time as the previously blogged Machinist. Primer wasn't as well received. My wife and the letter 'r' were sorely unimpressed. I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's a movie that requires multiple viewings. And the commentary tracks. And a strategy guide to help navigate the tough bits. Full points for originality. Full points for telling a story that focuses on an issue. No points for clarity. Things start to come together, but they never gel. You don't really get an a-ha moment of illumination that throws everything into strong relief. But it's interesting. If you don't mind using your brain (a lot) while watching a film, give it a go. If nothing else it'll humble you a bit and you'll feel better the next time you sit through an Arnie movie.

And the letter 'r' has also come across a book that I will be reading in the not too distant future. It's about Robert Rodriguez. Rebel without a Crew. More later.

The Machinist, take 2

Alright, a warning first. If you haven't seen The Machinist, don't read this post. Unless you don't plan on watching it. In which case you can still avoid this post. I feel like actually talking about the movie some and I can't really do that without spoiling it. So consider yourselves warned.

The Machinist is quite a little piece of celluloid. First off, Christian Bale - weight loss, 63 lbs, walking skeleton stick of a man, yadda yadda yadda. Now that that's out of the way. What we have here is basically a redemption tale. A homily on guilt. The striking figure that is Trevor Reznik is a warning on the powerful force that is human nature and what can happen to us if we let it. Only instead of a metaphysical discourse on how guilt can eat us alive, we watch it consume poor Trevor. Literally. I mean look at him. Eeesh.

Actually the film discusses both sides of that coin. The majority of the movie looks at some of the interior aspects of what guilt can do, but we don't realize it at the time. Brad Anderson directs a picture that for the most part is a suspense film and saves the moral for the final reveal at the end.

The problem is, the movie is pretty dense. I still can't make heads or tails of the timeline. I think I've managed to figure out who Ivan is (Trevor's repressed conscience that finally makes itself heard), but I'm still unsure of what happened when and with whom. Mostly this revolves around Stevie. It's apparent at the end that Stevie knows what Trevor used to look like. And I suspect that Trevor is in reality the psycho ex-boyfriend that she refers to. But if that's the case, how do we view the relationship that they have over the course of the movie. It's obviously the template for the relationship he builds in his mind with the boy's mother at the airport diner, but beyond that I'm a little stuck. And I don't really know what to make of the events in the machine shop. Further grist for the guilt mill? (Pun only slighty intended. ^_^)

At any rate, The Machinist is certainly a powerful film and one my wife and I quite enjoyed. It's up there in the ranks of The Fisher King and se7en for redemption/cautionary tales for me. I suspect multiple viewings would help make further sense, but I'll have to wait a bit before I can sit through it again. Mostly because I took it back to the video store already for the dollar credit... Stupid video store.

The Machinist

Good show. But it's late, so more on it later...

Books 25 and 26

Beautiful Aquarium was an odd little book. I asked my wife to snag me a book about setting up aquariums when she went to the library the other day. And this was the book she came back with. It covers this strange creature known as Dutch Aquariums. I had no idea such a thing existed. Apparently the Dutch like aquariums. And they like to feature plants as opposed to fish in them. A Dutch Aquarium is about creating an underwater garden. Very much centered around the plant life and the few fish that might be found there. So not entirely helpful as I'm more interested in looking at the fish. Plus it was just an odd book. Strange bouts of bias interspersed with odd bits of superiority. Will have to track down another book about fish tanks.

The Coma by Alex Garland, however, was a delightful read. Years ago Kit recommended a book called Einstein's Dreams. That was a whimsical little book that took on some of the trickier aspects of time and physics as seen through the lens of Einstein's dreams. (Hence the oh so clever title) The Coma is also a bit of a whimsical book that tackles the nature of reality vs. dream. It reminds me a bit of that old TV show Tales from the Darkside (as opposed to The Twilight Zone). Garland weaves both words and images into a book that is pretty hard to put down. In fact, you probably won't until you finish it. It's pretty short, but no less powerful for it's brevity. Perfect for perusing a couple times.

In fact, much like Fight Club when I first read it, I'll probably read through The Coma again pretty quickly to see what other bits of information I can glean from it. It's a book I could see assigning to a High School English class as required reading. Of course I'd probably assign them some Neil Gaiman as well as the aforementioned Palahniuk, so a proper English teacher I'll never be. ^_^ (Actually, despite all the classics - some of which there is little doubt as to why they're classics - I had a pretty cool English teacher. She was probably a good part of why I got an English degree...)

At any rate, The Coma was a great little read as well as an interesting and thought-provoking one. I look forward to reading some more by Mr. Garland.

Miyazaki

Howl's Moving Castle was great. McKenna enjoyed it and it kept enough of Miranda's attention that she tried to keep up with it. Honestly it was a little old for her. Miyazaki's animation is still a thing to behold. The voice talent was excellent and it was fun to see Dianna Wynn Jones's book come to life. Wholeheartedly recommended.

And another trailer. Another Bill Murray film from Focus Features. Looks good.

Before I forget

Trailer for The Brothers Grimm, the new Terry Gilliam flick. The video quality isn't stellar, but this is one to see. Plus it's got Matt Damon in it. The half of the Dynamic Duo that can actually act...

Nothing to see

Move along. They've put up some interesting stuff over the last couple days.

I on the other hand don't really have anything. Which isn't to say there aren't things to discuss. I remember thinking Press the Buttons had a few things of interest. And a couple other places, but I really haven't had time to jot these things down for you.

Had quite the rousing game of Canasta the other night. My wife and I barely managed to eke a victory out over the in-laws. Good times.

Rented I, Robot so they and the letter 'r' could check it out. Held up well on its second viewing. Oddly, it seemed a lot more philosophical than I remember it being. This could be due to the fact that I rented it more for action content and I'd forgotten those bits, but regardless it was still good. Especially enjoyed the "ghosts in the machine" voice-over this time for some reason.

The Old Spaghetti Factory is a pretty good restaurant as well. Although the Vesuvius wasn't as spicy as advertised.

Random moment

Posting will be a bit hectic this week as my in-laws are here. Just when the kids were over the last set of grandparents... ^_^

Actually it's been a really nice visit so far. They watched the kids so my wife and I could get out a bit, so we can accept a bit of grandkid spoiling in return. Although the guitar they decided McKenna needed as a birthday gift is questionable...

Haven't had a chance to make a trip to the library recently so I have no idea what the next book will be.

Anyway, laundry is buzzing and real life is doing it's best to poke me in the back muttering "You've got things to do..."

Mr and Mrs Smith

Went to Mr and Mrs Smith this afternoon. Great flick. Take True Lies and stick it in front of a mirror. Take that reverse and add a dash of War of the Roses, stir and let simmer. I enjoyed this one a lot more than War of the Roses. To me, that movie was just completely unpalatable. It was just too mean-spirited to be fun. Mr and Mrs Smith managed to hold onto the humor and kept the relationship real. In spite of the troubled nature, they managed to pull out of it. Brad Pitt has some great comedic talent on top of his action chops. Go see it.

And this is wonderfully creepy...

Heading out

And now for a nice quiet weekend!

Random

House of Flying Daggers fit the Asian Cinema bill. I'd like to know how they get the colors so vibrant in their films. Do they color them post process? Filters? Voodoo? I liked Hero a touch better, but Daggers was certainly enjoyable. Some nice fight/dance sequences. Beautiful cinematography. And the standard everybody dies ending. I suppose that one's a little arguable this time, but most everybody at any rate. If you've liked any of the other Chinese films out over the last couple years, you'll feel right at home with this one.

Seems like there was something else worth mentioning, but I forget what it was. So there. The British reduced sitcoms to a formula. But I don't have the link at the moment. I'm undecided if that constitutes British humor - reducing comedy to a formula. I suspect it does.

And tomorrow is Friday.

House of Flying Daggers

Pretty, pretty movie.

But it's late, so more later.

Bruce Campbell update

His new book is out.

Magazine

Giant may win the new magazine for the letter 'd' search. I've been hunting around for a while for something and so far this looks pretty promising. 'r' lets me borrow Wired when it comes out and I've been tempted to get my own subscription, but I have more fun browsing that one than reading it cover to cover. Giant on the other hand has been fun to get in there and read. A "Men's Magazine", it covers movies, books, music, and games. It follows that bizarre trend that most magazines adhere to lately of consisting mostly of bullet-point style articles, but the interviews are interesting and the women aren't looking for their next paycheck in the porn industry. This year it's bi-monthly but next year it goes to ten issues a year. Plus the current June/July issue features an article about Donnie Darko. Bonus points right there.

The Long Dark Monday of the Soul

Eh, I just thought it would be a cool title. A riff on good ol' D. Adams. I need to get to the library.

Apple is in the news again. Switching over to Intel chips. At the moment I have no thoughts on this because I'm not sure how it will affect me. Hopefully not a lot for a while. By the time I need to buy a new computer I hope the transition to that chip is over.

Have I mentioned that we watched Ocean's Twelve? Eesh. That film needed to be at least half an hour shorter. It was far too long and far too slow. I enjoyed the first one, but this was just painful. Oh well. I get to make my wife sit through House of Flying Daggers on Wednesday, so turnabout is still fair play.

And we're hoping to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Friday. What can I say, it looks like silly action fun. And you can almost never go wrong with that if that's what you're looking for.

At any rate, Monday is rounding out to a close, so that light ahead should no longer be the oncoming train.

Book 24

Finished Order of the Phoenix. And there's just over a month until the new one comes out.

Goblet of Fire was a decent read. I have vague memories of acquiring that one. My folks sent it to us. After they had read it. So it arrived in less than stellar condition, but arrived nonetheless. While it suffers from being huge, it still told an enjoyable tale. The Tri-Wizard Tournament was an enjoyable backdrop for the action that went on. And of course the ending brought the first of the much whispered about character deaths. This one was a bit of a red shirt, but oh well.

Order of the Phoenix was a different matter. I got, and read, it the day it came out. Good ol' Amazon. No pesky lines for me. Reading it in such a short space of time was a bit of an injustice though. It's definitely my least favorite of all the books. It may advance a few things plot wise, but it's not an enjoyable read. I don't care if Harry is acting your typical teenager, you shouldn't hate the main character. And after that initial read-through I did. I've since read it twice (including this one) and it's gotten a bit better. The second time through I actually enjoyed it a bit more. Harry wasn't as angry and obnoxious as I remembered him, but Umbridge was still just a real low point. I'm all for villains you can hate, but she was unbearable. This last read through just left me feeling indifferent. It's not that great a book. So, here's to hoping that Rowling gets back to telling a decent story and learns to be a bit more concise. At least Fred & George are still brilliant. I'm going to miss them in Book 6. Hopefully they'll be around some where. And then there was Sirius's death. I think I'll just point out that it happened. That's about all the time she gave it. And the relationship between Sirius and Harry. (Actually that's a little unfair - reading them this time did show that she tried to highlight Harry's feelings for Sirius when she got the chance, but those chances were few enough that it still didn't carry a lot of weight when she bumped him off. It was more of a "Oh, Harry's about to have a surrogate Father, let's get rid of him" kind of thing.)

So. Speculation? We know more characters will die - I'm betting on Dumbledore at some point (as Rowling is telling a pretty traditional Hero's journey) and Remus at the silver hand of Peter. Other than that it's a pretty level playing field. I suspect the trio will make it out alive, but probably not unscathed. That most likely points to a Weasley death of some sort, but I'm not sure who would affect Hermione that much. Unless it's Ron, but I don't think it will be him - chess sacrifice in Book 1 notwithstanding. Some possible romance. Will Ron and Hermione finally stop bickering? Harry and Ginny? Hard to say. And Neville should finally stop flinching at his shadow.

But enough about that. My next book should be a bit of a departure for me. I may try and tackle something historical and possibly even non-fiction. The horror!

Zombies and architecture

What more could you ask for? Go see.

Don't blink

Finished Goblet of Fire. (To be fair I started it back while the internet was down, so there was some trudging.

Ocean's Twelve would have been a good hour and a half long film... Maybe...

Back in the saddle again

So, things are in the process of calming down a bit. Got my folks off to the airport. Was a great visit. It's always good to see them. There are times I wish we lived much closer to both sets of parents, but on the upside it does tend to make our visits more enjoyable. We now have about a week before my wife's folks show up, so hopefully the kids will have wound down by then.

We saw Madagascar on Monday. It was pretty cute. Probably the best Dreamworks cartoon I've seen. If nothing else, it's worth seeing for the Planet of the Apes and Twilight Zone homages. Nicely done. That and the Penguins rock...

So, as mentioned, I finished Prisoner of Azkaban. That will be the last one I blast through. The last two will take a little longer as Rowling just starts to ramble on and on tell more of the story. PoA is my favorite movie of the three currently out. I'm not quite certain where the book falls. Any more I just think of them as one long story and not a series. So take that for what it's worth. I must admit, I remember being a little surprised the first time I read the book that she was doing a time travel story. Fortunately that was only an aspect of the story overall. Book 3 does set up quite a few more of the pieces that will be important later, so it gets a few points for that as well.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's, in some ways, an odd and yet unsurprising list of directors. About four of the ten I have no problems with. I'd throw David Fincher on there. I don't think Spielberg is really number one material. But I suppose that's more due to his recent work than some of his older stuff. Oh well. Typical list really.

And I have the day off tomorrow. So 3 day weekend for me. Yay me!

It lives! And a Book 22 bite

The internets live! They live here at my house. I can once again waste my time in cyberspace.

And I finished Prisoner of Azkaban. Still a great book. Will talk more later.

One other thing

Elektra is a silly, silly movie. Despite Jennifer Garner's innate hotness. Silly movie. You have been warned.

Book 21

Chamber of Secrets has fallen and I'm closing in on the half-way mark of this ridiculous 50 books in a year thing. CoS is an ok Harry Potter book. I believe I've read that Half-Blood Prince was almost the title of the second book and that there were parts of the story that ended up getting left out as they weren't central to CoS, so maybe they ended up in Book 6. Guess we'll see. At any rate, you get the start of the whole class system/racial purity thing in book 2 and the Jar Jar of the Harry Potter world makes his first appearance. Poor Dobby. Still, CoS is a fun, light read.

My internet connection has been conspicuously absent the last day or so due to some sort of IP address confusion. But it's back at the moment and I am glad.

Anyway, have a great 3 day weekend.