Wednesday, June 25, 2008

What's Up Wednesday - June 25, 2008

We take a quick break from my entirely too-thought-out series of posts about the AFI to spill the beans on what I've been liking - and not liking - for the past seven days. Some have been good, some have been bad, but they've all made their way here. Let's give them a warm welcome, shall we?

The Movie - Morgoid and I went to see Young People Fucking last night. It's a Canadian-made comedy film that's been under a bit of scrutiny in recent months thanks to its connection to the controversial Bill C-10. (I'm not going to comment much on the bill or its questionable clause, except to say that I disagree with it.) Aside from the controversy, the movie is actually pretty good: funny and thought-provoking. It's five different stories of love and/or sex, split up according to different points in the act (Prelude, Foreplay, etc.). The movie actually plays both sides very well, using controversy and the promise of titillation to get butts in seats, and then makes very well-thought-out and important points about how sex and love are seen in modern society. Well, mostly well-thought-out: there was one point in the movie (no spoilers here) where both Morgoid and I just gasped and were flabbergasted by what we saw as cheap trickery and bad writing. But four out of five good stories makes for a good film overall, one I can recommend with one notable reservation. So if you're anti-censorship, pro-sex, or interested in Canadian film, go see it. (And if you see it - or have seen it - please let me know if you think you understand which scene I disliked.)

The Album - I popped Funkadelic's America Eats Its Young on the mp3 player yesterday and was really surprised by how good it was. The first time I listened to it I remembered being unimpressed, but this time I was really pleased. A really pleasing mix of funk, soul, and r&b; not as hard as Let's Take It To The Stage and not as sprawlingly brilliant as Maggot Brain, but a good little album to have in your collection.

The Drink - When I saw billboards for Sleeman's No. 20 Anniversary Ale popping up, I went to a number of my local liquor stores looking for it, but they didn't have any in. I finally found it when I was looking for wine on Father's Day, and I had my first bottle the other day. I really like Sleeman's Honey Brown and their Amber Ale is pretty good too, so I was expecting good things, especially from an anniversary brew. Sadly, this is pretty pathetic. Nothing special at all about it; in fact, it's actually bad. It feels bad in the mouth, smells a little off, and tastes worse than Pabst Blue Ribbon. Just dreck. The only way it's drinkable is if you either a) drink it really fast or b) turn it into a Dillinger. Never agin.

The Book - I cracked open The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time yesterday on my way to work and finished it up today. I will say that, while it's good, it's not exactly what I was expecting. The book starts off as a murder mystery with a twist: the investigator - and author of the book - is a fifteen-year-old boy with Autism, and the murder victim is his neighbor's dog. But the book is about much more than that. Author Mark Haddon's technique is really good, bordering on too tricky-cute sometimes, but it really helps the reader get into the mindset of someone with Autism as best one can (though some people would disagree). It's good, but a lot different than I was expecting, and I don't think as deserving of some of the hype it had recieved when it was released. It's good, but not life-alteringly so.

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