What's Up Wednesday - October 5, 2011

So did you know that since the reign of Queen Victoria, the last Wednesday in September has been given the name "Second Tuesday"? That's because it's not true. I missed a week. Oh well! Let's see what I found interesting in the past two weeks.

* * * *

Music
I love The Muppets and am a big fan of off-beat covers, so when I saw The Green Album I knew I would eventually have to give it a spin. It starts off really promising: OK Go!'s cover of "The Muppet Show Theme" is weird and groovy, although it goes on a little too long. Things pick up with Weezer & Hayley Williams's cover of The Rainbow Connection, which gives us a harp doing the traditional banjo riff and a beautiful two-part harmony for the last verse. The Fray's "Manah-Manah" sounds nearly the same as the TV version, which is okay but nothing special. And then there's the Alkaline Trio's version of "Movin' Right Along" which could be my favourite song on the album: it's a fusion of the band's sound with the spirit of the original, where the band plays with it just enough to make it interesting without completely destroying the song. My Morning Jacket's version of "Our World," a song I've never heard before, is a nice little song that would be easily performed by both Muppets and rock stars.

And then...things start going downhill. Amy Lee does a creepy version of "Halfway Down The Stairs," which needs that kind of interpretation like Archie Andrews needs a goth-style makeover. Another lowlight is a really awkward version of one of my favourite Muppet songs ever, "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along" - a human should not sing lyrics like "What could be better than a saucy Irish Setter" straightforwardly. An adequate version of "It's Not Easy Being Green" almost pulls us out of the nose-dive, but then the album closes with Rachael Yamagata's version of "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday" which seems weirdly-orchestrated just for the sake of being weird, and is truly unfortunately mixed (I don't need to hear the soft tisues of your mouth sliding against each other when you're singing). I like about half the album and the rest either underhwlmes me or makes me frustrated thinking about how much better it could have been.

* * * *

Comics
I have been curious about Matt Wagner's Grendel comics for a few years, so last week I got off my ass and took Grendel: Behold The Devil out of the library. If I had done my research I would have discovered that this was one of the last books in the series, but I decided to try it anyhow, figuring every comic is someone's first and that it might hook me hard enough to want to seek out the other comics. And boy, did it. In this volume Grendel is Hunter Rose, bestselling author by day and brutal crime kingpin by night. Behold The Devil is an examination of a "lost" episode in his life, and if this is anything like the earlier comics then I am in. Beautifully illustrated, perfectly paced, this tale of violence unfolds step by glorious step until the surprise (to me) ending. The violence is absolutely exq$uisite; the first five pages of Chapter One completely blew me away. I will be back for more, definitely, and will re-read this one with relish when I get back to its spot in publishing continuity.

* * * *

Movies
I saw Drive yesterday and it is GOOOOOOOD. It's not the big dumb action movie they're trying to sell it as, although sharp-eyed viewers would probably have figured that out by the use of pink font on the posters and trailers. It's a thoughtful, suspenseful action film, more along the lines of a Point Blank or To Live& Die In L.A. than a Fast & The Furious. I've heard a few people say the 70s & 80s homage is slap-dash and unsatisfying, but I really feel there's a lot to like. There are a number of very quiet moments, nearly TOO quiet, and there are a lot of very subtle performances that would have been completely extinguished in a lesser film. And when things go bad, they go really bad. Shocking, grotesque violence, with one scene that had me squirming in my seat. And the cast is great, too. Ryan Gosling's stoic performance may go a little too far towards stone-faced at times, but Carey Mulligan is note-perfect, Ron Perlman is fun and intimidating, Bryan Cranston is great as usual, and Albert Brooks is TERRIFYING as a crime boss. No seriously. I was shocked too. If you like film in general and action films in particular, then you need to make a trip to see Drive, and soon.

* * * *

Books
After months of struggling to read, I broke into Grant Morrison's Supergods for Nerd Book Club and it is a really fun and fast (but uneven) book. I enjoyed his (admittedly skewed) examination of the Golden and Silver ages of superhero comic books, with a little bit of examination of how these books represent spiritual archetypes that have been with us for centuries, but these analogies didn't really going anywhere other than "Did you notice that? I did, it's amazing." Which is okay, I guess, and I enjoy seeing someone else's perspective on these familiar characters. And then about halfway through, it became less about an exploration of the character archetypes & how they could inform us about human nature and became part-history, part-memoir. I understood why: Morrison felt he needs to explain his motivations for writing, which are based on his life experiences, including his metaphysical ones. And while that fits into the theme of the book, which I won't completely reveal because I think finding that theme is part of the journey,

I think the memoir aspects could have been toned down and the thematic aspects given more direction and follow-through. The book is in some pretty desperate need of an editor, as things get a little meandery about halfway through and almost spiral completely out of control towards the end. (There are also some pretty obvious typos and things being mentioned out of sequence.) For me, though, being familiar with Morrison's style, I find the lack of direction is a trap he sometimes finds himself in, and I was able to climb out of it with him and bring something worthwhile along with me. So I ended up liking it and will probably re-read it in the next couple of years, but  I would be really interested in a non-fan's perspective on the book.  I don't know if it would be easy to follow or impactful for someone who doesn't have strong connections to the characters or the writer like I do.

* * * *

DVDs/Blu-Rays
Two weekends ago I went to visit a friend and we had a marathon of all 25 episodes of the first season of Community Season 1. That marks the seventh time I've gone through the first season in under 12 months. Which probably sounds silly but it really is that good. I noticed jokes and references this seventh time that had completely passed me by the first time, which means that either a) I am not very observant or b) these are some amazingly great episodes. I would like to think that the answer is b). Regardless: if you haven't seen Community, you really should. It is one of only a handful of shows that represent the pinnacle of television comedy, and I have no doubt that it will be remembered very fondly in the coming decades.

* * * *

TV
This "week," I would like to take a moment to talk about...The Playboy Club. When I first heard that there was going to be a prime-time drama about The Playboy Club, I was dubious. I thought that it was just a lame way to grab ratings by cashing in on the Mad-Men-60s-style-chic and parading beautiful women around in Bunny costumes and their underwear. And I will admit: it was partly that. But honestly, only partly. By the end of the first episode I thought, despite myself, that there was something more there. They introduced a lot of characters, and involved a lot of interesting themes: politics, race relations, organized crime, sexual orientation, gender roles, and a handful of interesting mysteries. And there were musical numbers! And did I mention a half-dozen beautiful women? Sure, some of the characterizations were groaningly broad, and the "Hugh Hefner in the shadows" bits were pretty awful, but I thought there were things to grow on. I felt even more positive about the show after the second episode, where things felt a little rushed and some plots were given more time to breathe. And that meant, of course, that it would be cancelled. I just didn't think it would have been by episode three! I thought for sure I'd get a half-season out of it at least, where they could wrap at least a couple of plot threads up. Instead I got three episodes of what was a pretty promising show. I guess most viewers didn't see it the way I did, but I really think that The Playboy Club is up there with American Gothic as one of those promising shows cancelled way too early.

* * * *

Life
Last Monday my brother got me royally drunk, tied some training wheels on me, and set me up in his hockey draft. I apparently did okay, stealing some players out from under some of the other guys, and I walked away thinking I did okay. And then three days later he sent me a text saying I had drafted someone who had already retired. And nobody noticed. So I have a lot more to learn, I guess.

* * * *

And that's it. More song updates to follow, for sure, but now it's time for me to get on the exercise bike. Curse you, bike.

What's Up Wednesday - September 21, 2011

Just a short one this week. Why? Good question!

* * * *

Life
My weekend was full of wedding-related things. My good friend's bachelor party was on Saturday, and then Apocalypse Kow sang at a wedding of two very nice and appreciative gentlemen on Sunday night. I am surprised I made it through Sunday though, because I was feeling kind of sick, and when I got home after the wedding I turned into VERY sick. So sick that I missed work Monday, Tuesday, and today, although stuff finally turned around today and I'm feeling well enough to go in to work tomorrow. But yeah. Watched a lot of TV and read some comics, so that was an okay way to spend my sick days I suppose...

* * *

Comics
Read a lot of these this weekend but the best of the bunch was probably one I read today: Batman #1. Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo put out a first issue that has EVERYTHING I want from a Batman book: villains, fight scenes, skulking, detective work, sidekicks, plot twists, and a ton of style. It doesn't skimp on the alternate identities, either: by the looks of this issue, Bruce Wayne will be playing important roles both as the billionaire and the bat. As much as I liked Action Comics last week, I think I liked Batman even more.

(And yes, I know that the past 2 weeks have been nothing but new DC books. I promise to do something different next week, both for variety's sake and to stretch my own reading & writing habits.)

* * *

TV
The only premiere I caught last week was Ringer, and whoah BABY was that a flawed episode. Even with some pretty great actors (Buffy AND Batmanuel!?!) I can't overlook the absurd script and blatantly awful special effects. I mean, when the twin Sarah Michelle Gellars were on the boat together I almost vomited, not because I was sick but because I cannot BELIEVE that made it on television. It's a mildly interesting premise, with a few cool plot twists, and I am of the opinion that one mediocre episode doesn't doom a series, but really, that show needs to seriously pick up in the next few episodes or it is getting cancelled and fast.

* * *

Scotch
At the aforementioned bachelor party a handful of us went out to The Bothy, a local wine & whisky bar, to do some Scotch tasting. I got myself a sampler of three one-ounce selections from the Glenrothes distillery, and they were TOP. NOTCH. I was particularly fond of the Glenrothes Select Reserve, my Twitter review of which was: "Glenrothes Select Reserve: sweet, vanilla, spice. A Scotch you could give anyone, especially your awesome Grandma."

(For the record, I do have an awesome Grandma who drinks whisky, but she is a Nana and generally prefers rye to Scotch. I might just be able to convince her to try this, though.)

If you like Scotch, or even if you just like whisky and aren't 100% sold on Scotch, this is one to try. I am going to get a bottle of it very, very soon.

* * *

DVDs/Blu-Rays
Watched a LOT of these in the past few days. Finished up Castle Season 2 (still a lightweight show but packed full to the brim with charisma) and Community Season 2, which would make that my sixth time through that season. But only the first time through with commentaries! And a few interesting movies, including the fascinating Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which is pretty much mandatory watching if you are interested in standup comedy. However, the thing I want to take more than one sentence to talk about is Ichi The Killer.

I'd heard about this movie, obviously, but my interest in seeing it turned *way* up after I saw another film by Takashi Miike, Zebraman. (And yes, you need to see Zebraman. But that's slightly off-topic.) Ichi The Killer is based on a manga series and it is bloody, disgusting, and hard to watch. I don't know if I liked it, in fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't. If there's one thing that I learned from watching Ichi The Killer it's that splatter movies aren't really my thing. If there's a particularly good one I'll probably watch it, but the level of violence and gore in Ichi The Killer was enough to make me want to turn off the movie. I finished it, though, and I'm glad, because there are some fantastic performances and...let's say interesting themes. In the future, though, I'm going to try and make sure my Miike films are more Zebraman than Ichi.


And that's it for now. I might be feeling better but I'm not feeling great. Hopefully next week I'll have more links, more reviews, and more wellness.

The Return of What's Up Wednesday: September 14, 2011

Hello! In efforts to find more ways to distract myself that aren't "sit on couch and eat too much while watching movies," I'm pulling out the What's Up Wednesday semi-feature I tried about a year back. This should get me writing more regularly, and should provide me with a "deadline" and reason to dedicate some blog time every week. This week's update is going to be long, as I figured I should dive in headfirst, so let's see what struck me as interesting, fun, and or important about the previous week!

* * * *

Movies

I got to see Contagion with @Morgoid last night. The trailer had me mildly interested until I saw that it was directed by Steven Soderbergh, and then I knew I had to see it. Soderbergh's one of my favourite modern directors, and although he's helmed a few clunkers he's also put together two of my favourite movies: Out of Sight and The Limey. And since he is apparently retiring from the movies to paint, I thought I should see what might be his last movie in the theater.

Overall, I thought Contagion was a good film. First of all, it's a hell of a cast: Lawrence Fishburne, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Enrico Colantoni, Chin Han, Elliott Gould, Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle, and Bryan Cranston all do remarkable work. I thought it would be distracting having so many recognizable faces because the presence of so many stars might pull you out of the story, but ultimately having so many names helped because they were all really good performances. Each character was given moments of weakness and of strength, so the characters weren't all paragons or villains, but people with varying degrees of greed, hope, selfishness, passion, and fear.

The pacing, sparse score, and naturalistic dialogue help the film to be very matter-of-fact without being boring: it really does feel like this is what would happen if there was a worlwide outbreak of a devastating disease, which makes the horror very real. You get to see the impact of the outbreak from varying levels: international tensions, national political issues, state and family emergencies. It's a very thoughtful and well-researched film that some others might find cold and unengaging but I appreciated the lack of sensation and sentimentality that you might find in a lesser "Hollywood-style" thriller.

* * * *

Books

Still finding it really hard to read lately - apparently stress plays havoc on my concentration - but I am trying to finish The Lost City of Z that I started reading for Nerd Book Club. It's adventure non-fiction, the story of explorer Percy Fawcett and his doomed trip into the South American jungle in search of a fabled lost civilization. I'm enjoying it but I don't like the author putting words and thoughts in the character's mouth: it's one thing if you're quoting from journal entries and letters, but inventing dialogue whole-cloth is where I draw the line in my non-fiction. Your mileage may vary, but if you enjoy exciting and interesting non-fiction then I think this is up your alley.

* * * *

DVD/Blu-Ray

Speaking of Elliott Gould: I watched a lot of DVDs this week (including the fascinating I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale which is a must-see documentary for people who love acting and/or movies, and the entire first season of Castle which was just as fun as I remembered), but the DVD I really want to rave about is The Long Goodbye. I read Raymond Chandler's novel when I was in University and really liked it, and was a little hesitant to watch a re-imagining of the story directed by Robert Altman, who I knew had taken a number of liberties with the story and the setting (updating it to the early 1970s, contemporary for the time). Finally sitting down to watch it, though, I was really pleased: although it does feel like an Altman film in the same vein as M*A*S*H or McCabe & Mrs. Miller (meandering storyline, chunks of improvisation, moments of unintelligible dialogue, constantly moving cameras), it works as a movie in its own right.

Elliott Gould's Marlowe is really terrific, and it's because he doesn't do a version of Humphrey Bogart, although there are similarities in the characterizations. I love the contrast between Marlowe's 1950s aesthetic and the rest of the characters "contemporary" attitudes and styles; his straightforward hard-boiled nature and older-cut suits play beautifully off the ambiguous characters and sometimes outrageous outfits. Gould is funny and wry when he needs to be and tough and cold when the situation calls for it, and another awesome standout is Sterling Hayden, sporting a Hemingwayesque beard, as a troubled writer that Marlowe is hired to find. Plus: Arnold Schwarzenegger in a non-speaking role sporting a moustache. Yeah. That happened. I can't stop thinking about it since I watched it three days ago, which to me is the mark of a good movie. Watch it: you just might be surprised.

* * * *

Podcasts

I'm going to shine a spotlight on what is not just one of my favourite comedy podcasts but one of my favourite podcasts period: Doug Loves Movies. (Fun Fact: I saw a taping of Doug Loves Movies when I went to California in July and if you listen to this episode you can hear me laughing in the background and catching a monkey.) The premise is that comedian Doug Benson sits around a table with a bunch of his friends, ostensibly talk about movies, then play movie-themed games such as "Build a Title" (where you add movie titles together to make things like "Wait Until Dark City of Angels in the Out-Field of Dreams" and "The Leonard Maltin Game" (think "Name That Tune" but with movies and actors). In the past two days I've listened to five episodes and they're all very funny; three of the most recent episodes were recorded live from the Bumbershoot festival and feature great guests such as Scott Aukerman, Kyle Kinane, Eugene Mirman, and Paul F. Tompkins. I think the Bumbershoot episodes are a good intro to the show because you get a lot of content and a lot of great guests without a lot of self-promotion (which, let's face it, is why people do the podcasts). If you like movies, standup comedy, and tangents: Doug Loves Movies is for you.

* * * *

TV

On Monday the last episode of So You Think You Can Dance Canada aired and while the show itself felt kind of like filler, Mary Murphy's breasts shocked and terrified, and Leah Miller's special brand of anti-charisma threatened to break my spirit, I enjoyed it. Not only did the "right" dancer win (in both my and @DanicaHere's opinions), it featured some of my favourite routines. If you're curious as to what I thought, or what you can expect, here are four of my favourite routines of the season in glorious low-fi YouTube quality! (You can skip through the judges at the end, I usually do.)

Melissa & Shane in a Hip-Hop routine (choreographed by Luther Brown; the music is awful but the dance is really fun; starts at about 0:50)

Jordan & Joey in a Jazz routine (choreographed by the great Sean Cheeseman; starts at 1:16)

Shane & Lindsey in a REALLY fun disco routine (choreographed by Melissa Williams; starts at about 3:08)

And because I want EVERYONE to see this last one, embedded video! Jordan & Christian in a breathtaking Jazz number (again by the brilliant Sean Cheeseman):

* * * *

Comics

I read quite a few comics last week, but the ones I'm going to focus on are the ones from the DC relaunch. For those non-comics people who read my blog, DC Comics (they who make Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc.) decided to revamp/relaunch their line of superhero comics by streamlining continuity, making the characters younger and more modern, and releasing 52 new titles starting all over at #1. It's an attempt to bring in new and lapsed readers, and as someone who is neither of those two things I'm still excited to see what they do with their titles. The four titles I liked best from last week were:

Swamp Thing: The list of talented creators who've worked on this title in the past is about as long as my arm, and this first issue lives up to those expectations. This is more of a supernatural thriller than a superhero book, but it's definitely grounded in the shared universe thanks to featured appearances by a number of recognizable DC characters. Swamp Thing features really lush art from Yanick Paquette, which is some of my favourite art of the books I read. I've never read anything by Scott Snyder but he has sold me on this Swamp Thing and I will be going back to pick up some of his Detective Comics run as well.

Animal Man: I have a soft spot for Animal Man; I have almost the entire run of single issues from 1-89, and even when it got really weird and sloppy it was still interesting. Writer Jeff Lemire does a good job of holding the tradition of the title while still breaking new ground, and while I wasn't always affected by Travel Foreman's art there were a number of sequences that blew my mind. Definitely a companion book with Swamp Thing, bringing supernatural and horror elements into the superpowered DC Universe, and despite a few reservations I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

OMAC: Something I thought would be disposable and easy to pass up ended up being my favourite book of the week! I love 70s Jack Kirby and OMAC is some of the best stuff he did in my opinion, and Dan DiDio, Keith Giffen, and Scott Koblish make this new iteration SING. Part of the reason I love it so much is that it reminds me of those old Kirby books, with many tips of the hat to the King's legends, but the other part is because it is BIG LOUD FUN which is sometimes all I want out of a superhero book. Evacuate your expectations because OMAC is going to destroy them!

Action Comics: The new origin of Superman from writer Grant Morrison, penciler Rags Morales & inker Rick Bryant is probably the most new-reader-friendly of the bunch, and despite some online brouhaha is a very good comic. This new Superman feels like he's going back to his 1930s roots: a working class hero with a sense of social justice. He doesn't fly: he leaps tall buildings in a single bound. He's faster than a speeding bullet. As for the locomotive...well, you just have to read the issue. It tells a complete story but ends on a cliffhanger, daring you not to pick up the next issue.

* * * *

Life

Is about as positive as a Morrissey song. I'm not getting into it. But the possibility of more #yegprov (a Twitter-enhanced improv experiment) is an exciting development. And I hope to have a new creative project to ignore starting on Monday, so keep your eye on this space.

Mini-Regina Piles: May

I know, it's been a while. I've been a little preoccupied, life has thrown me a couple of curve balls and I haven't dealt with them well. I don't want to say anything more about that, and I don't want to make excuses, lest this become a blog where I post once a month and say "I promise to be better" every single time. So let's make a deal: pretend I put this up at the beginning of the month, and I'll try and get better. Okay? Okay.

Here's what I made it through last month:

• Essential Super-Villain Team-Up, Volume 1
• Incredible Hercules: Assault on Mount Olympus
• Samurai Executioner Volume 1
• Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2
• Love And Capes Volume 1
• Why I Hate Saturn
• No Hero TPB
• Bones, S3
• The Dick Van Dyke Show, S1
  
• The Aviator
  
• For a Few Dollars More
  
• Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (Technically I'd already seen it, but that means it counts to me!)
  
• Dark Passage
• The Circus

And here's what I plan on trying to get through this month (with new colour codes for comics, television shows, and movies):

• Golden Age Flash Archives, Vol. 1
• Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn
• Crisis on Multiple Earths, Vol. 1
• Lone Ranger, Vol. 2
• Samurai Executioner, Vol. 2
• Samurai Executioner, Vol. 3
• Atomic Robo, Vol. 2
• Astro City, Vol. 2
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents, S1
• Homicide: Life On The Street, Season 3
• Bones, Season 4
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 1
• Batman: The Brave & The Bold, Volume 1
• Doctor Who, S3
• Scrubs, S1
• The Godfather, Part III
• A Day At The Races
• Zack & Miri Make A Porno
• Dick Tracy (I've seen it before but not since I bought it)
• Kung Fu Hustle (same as Dick Tracy)

Nothing new that's depressing this month, unless you count bleak samurai stories as depressing (which I don't). I'm trying to have nothing but upbeat stories, because honestly, between the way Homicide and Alfred Hitchcock Presents aligned with my mood last month, I didn't want to have anything more to do with them. Hopefully I can get through them with some sitcom breaks to take the edge off. I'll be back later; right now it's time for a little Scrubs.

Mini-Regina Piles: Late April Edition

Two months in a row I have given myself the Mini-Regina Pile Challenge: make a small but manageable pile of pop cultural matter and try to burn through it in a month. The point of this exercise is twofold. First of all, it was supposed to get me to actually watch, read, and consume my way through my vast bought-but-untouched collections. Second of all, it was supposed to kick-start my writing again by making reviews and blog entries.

The first part of the challenge is going pretty well, I must say, with a couple of small hiccups. While there is some room for improvement, I am ploughing my way through over 75% of the stuff on in my pile. The writing thing? Not so much. I don't think I wrote a single review on an external site, and NOTHING on this here blog. But I keep telling myself: baby steps. Keep making the lists, making tiny improvements, and things will turn around. So, let's look at what I actually made it through last month, shall I?

Through March 31, I managed to consume the following movies, comics, and TV series:

• Kelly's Heroes
• Three The Hard Way
• Angels With Dirty Faces
• Bones, Season 2
• Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank, Volume 1
• Superman: Escape from Bizarro World
• R.E.B.E.L.S., Volume 1: The Coming of Starro
• Put The Book Back On The Shelf: A Belle & Sebastian Anthology
• 20th Century Boys Vol. 3
• Awesome: The Indie Spinner Rack Anthology
• Marvel Boy
• Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (Volume 2)

I also made some progress on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Homicide: Life on the Street, although my Alfred Hitchcock Presents remained untouched. And I made a decision about my Star Trek box set. Even though I put it on my first list, I realized that it's the kind of show I want to savour, not gorge on. Particularly as I only have the one season right now. That's not the kind of thing I want to burn through. So I replaced it with Doctor Who: Season Two. Which isn't as long but I felt good about it (and had a LOT of fun watching it). Plus there were a couple of my DVDs that I didn't put on the list that I watched, for one reason or another (Highlander, The Marx Brothers' Room Service, Alfred Hitchcock's Number 17), which would have EVENTUALLY made it on a future pile...so it's about even.

For April I want to accomplish two main things: get rid of all the stuff that's left over from my previous two lists, and make at least one update entry every week. I also want to switch out Star Trek: Season One for something thematically appropriate and with a similar time commitment. It's going to take a little more effort, but it's all part of my process. My nerdy, nerdy process. Here's the pile for this week.

• Essential Super-Villain Team-Up, Volume 1
• Incredible Hercules: Assault on Mount Olympus
• Samurai Executioner Volume 1
• Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2
• Love And Capes Volume 1
  
• Why I Hate Saturn
  
• No Hero TPB
  
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents, S1 *
  
• The Dick Van Dyke Show, S1 *
  
• Homicide: Life On The Street, S3 **
  
• Bones, S3
  
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, S1
  
• The Aviator *
  
• For a Few Dollars More **
  
• The Godfather, Part III
  
• Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster
  
• Dark Passage
  
• The Circus

* Continued from February
** Continued from March

So here's hoping for more reviews, more blogging, and a higher success rate for the first month of Spring! (And yes, I know it's already 10 days into April. I am nothing if not tardy.)

Mini-Regina Piles: March Edition

One month ago, I started a challenge to myself: making my way through my massive pop culture collection, one tiny Regina pile at a time. I gave myself what I thought was a reasonable yet achievable challenge: four movies, five television seasons, and eight comics collections. Big enough to be daunting, but not so big that I would just give up on it. My plan was to update all through February with every item I removed from my pile, but being out of top blogging shape, I managed to review exactly zero items on this site. But I did give it a go, and I wanted to take a moment to examine my progress and give myself another challenge for March. So, first things first: how did I do?

Not terribly, I have to say. I got through all but one of the comics, and finished two of the television series and made small dents in two more. The movies...I'll get to those in a second. But here's what I finished in February (with some links to the reviews I did manage to post on Goodreads):

• Gon, Volume 3
• NewsRadio, Season 5
• Mad Men, Season 2
• Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus
• Superman: Last Son
• Nexus Archives, Volume 1
• Absolute Planetary, Volume 1
• American Flagg: The Definitive Collection, Volume 1
• Scud The Disposable Assassin: The Whole Shebang

And the movies...well, I didn't watch any of them. Partly for a reason that I'm going to keep secret for another week or so, and partly because I watched over a dozen movies from my PVR in the month of February. (Oh, Turner Classic Movies, you are an amazing resource, but it is impossible to watch all the movies I impulsively record.) Still: I read 7 of my 8 comics, and over 100 pages of the massive Haunted Tank phonebook, and cleared off some shows that had been sitting unfinished for months. So I'm putting one in the wins column.

For March I want to continue to challenge myself and stretch a little bit, while taking advantage of the increased amounts of free time (32nd birthday, Spring Break, slightly reduced late worknights). So I'm keeping all the incomplete items from last month, as well as more than enough new ones to make up for things:

• Kelly's Heroes *
• Three The Hard Way *
• Angels With Dirty Faces *
• The Aviator *
• For a Few Dollars More
  
• Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1 *
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Season 1 **
• The Dick Van Dyke Show, Season 1 **
• Homicide: Life On The Street, Season 3
• Bones, Season 2
  
• Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank, Volume 1 **
• Superman: Escape from Bizarro World
• R.E.B.E.L.S., Volume 1: The Coming of Starro
  
• Put The Book Back On The Shelf: A Belle & Sebastian Anthology
  
• 20th Century Boys Vol. 3
• Awesome: The Indie Spinner Rack Anthology
  
• Marvel Boy
• Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (Volume 2)
  

* Continued from February, untouched
** Continued from February, unfinished

I'll update more regularly as I get through them, and probably post a picture of my pile in the next few days. But that's enough to do me for now. I really hope I can tackle EVERYTHING on this list, because I have plans for this little experiment. That's right, I have even MORE stuff I want to pile on. Because apparently I have way more free time than I think I do.

Mini-Regina Piles: The Lamest Journey Begins With A Single Step

Testing...testing...is this thing still on?

*ahem*

Okay. I had an idea the other day, and I figured blogging about it would be an interesting way to go about it and it might might keep me on-task in the bargain. So if there's anyone still here, or if anyone stumbles across this place: thanks. Hopefully I'll make it worth your while.

So, for those of you who don't know me: I am a big fan of popular culture. Movies, comics, television, and books both fiction and non-. I love to watch and read and listen (to music, standup comedy, radio plays, and audiobooks). And because I love these things so much, when I go out shopping, I see a LOT of stuff I want. "Oh man," I'll say to myself, "Quantum Leap DVDs are only $14.99 per season. I think I should get ALL OF THEM." And then I do just that. It's a kind of madness, I think. A madness that has no cure.

Which leads to my home having a higher-than-average amount of shelves, all of them full and overflowing with movies, cds, and (as The Rhino would say) "paper DVDs". I have always wanted to make my way through these chunks of unconsumed pop culture, but every time I feel like I'm making a dent, the madness takes over, and I find myself with three new Discworld books and a bunch of back issues. And so, no progress is made.

Now, one of the podcasts that I listen to - 11 O'Clock Comics - has developed this concept of the "Regina Pile," which is their name for your pile of unread comics that stacks up. I really don't want to get into the reason why it shares its name with the capital city of Saskatchewan, but that's jist of it. And as far as comics go, I have a very, VERY BIG Regina pile. But I never thought about applying it to the other "stuff" that I own. And when I was sitting in the basement last weekend, trying to find the next thing to read, it hit me: I could make Mini-Regina piles that I could work on every month, small enough to be manageable but still a challenge.

The first thing I had to do, though - because I am incredibly anal retentive and love making lists - is compile all my unwatched and unread items together. This was a tougher task than I'd initially thought, so I focused mostly on my DVDs (both film and tv) and my comics trade paperbacks. And while I was both surprised and SHOCKED by the sheer mass of my unconsumed junk, I think I can make dents in it. A number of tiny little dents.

For February, I'm actually tackling two challenges: first of all, my regular Mini-Regina Challenge, and second of all, the "My Wife Will Delete All The Movies Older Than 3 Months Old On My DVR By The End Of February" Challenge. And considering I have about...20 movies that I need to either watch or abandon in 27 days, I'm making my Mini-Regina Pile rather small to start: 4 movies, 0 TV Boxed Sets (because I'm already in the middle of 5), and 4 Comics Trades (plus the 4 that I've already started).

I took a look at my lists and tried to make things as varied as possible. And finally, I ended up with the following for my February pile:

• Kelly's Heroes
• Three The Hard Way
• Angels With Dirty Faces
• The Aviator
• Mad Men, Season 2 *
• Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1 *
• NewsRadio, Season 5 *
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Season 1 *
• The Dick Van Dyke Show, Season 1 *
• Gon, Volume 3
• Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus
• Superman: Last Son
• Nexus Archives, Volume 1
• Absolute Planetary, Volume 1 *
• Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank, Volume 1 *
• American Flagg: The Definitive Collection, Volume 1 *
• Scud The Disposable Assassin: The Whole Shebang *

(* - Denotes something I'm already in the middle of.)


And that doesn't count my PVR movies. Something tells me this first month is going to be a spectacular failure, but at least I'm going to try, dang it. I'll try and put at least a little something on this blog whenever I finish something, which should make me more of a presence here and might actually kickstart my Creativity Experiment of 2011 (slogan to be determined). See you soon, internet pop culture fiends. And pray for my sanity, because that is a LOT of stuff to get through.

Eastervision

Earlier this week, I decided to set up a mini-project for myself. My wife is out of town, my family's Easter dinner happened on Friday, and I was going to have a lot of time on my hands. I also have a LOT of un-watched DVDs on my shelf (and in a box...). Putting all that together, I decided that I would try and watch an entire television DVD set in one day. Most shows are 22 episodes, and at 45 minutes an episode, that's about 18 hours. It would be tough, but I figured I could do it. I had a couple of ideas about where to start, but I was going to decide the day of.

Cut to today, where I got some upsetting news (more on that later), and I lost a good four hours from my day dealing with that. So I decided to go another angle: The Unit, Season 3. There's 11 episodes in that set (thanks to the Writer's Guild strike), so I can get through that without breaking a sweat. And then, when that's over, I will try to finish as many of the DVD sets that I have on the go as possible. Which, based on what I have, is going to be MAYBE 1. But at least I have beer and television to keep me occupied today. That's an okay to spend a lazy Sunday.

Get Some Leverage

There are a few things swirling around in my brain right now, but if I don't put something down now, and I mean right now, I probably won't write again for another few weeks. A busy, sometimes stressful job only compounds my procrastination.

First of all: happy 2009, ye few and mighty readers. Anyone get anything good over the holidays? Or have good New Year's stories? My holidays were SLOW AND RELAXING. Which was a blessed relief.

Secondly, anyone who is able to should be watching the TV show Leverage. It's a smart, funny series written & created by John Rogers, who I first discovered as the writer of Blue Beetle - one of my favourite comics series of the past couple years. (Link to his groupblog here.) The show is about a team of theives and crooks who get together to pull off crimes that screw over evildoers and help the little people who have been stepped on. Great cast, well-written, stylishly directed, and you get a great heist every week. Sadly, it also feels like just the kind of show to get cancelled before its time, or air for one season and then not get renewed. So I'm doing my part to spread the word. Leverage: it's a good thing.

Back later.

Secret Messages From The Picture Box

Sometimes while I'm flipping through the channels on my television, snippets of dialogue from different stations merge together to create odd, quirky sentences. A few days ago I was flipping down through the channels, and I heard the following message:

BBC News: Just beat-
Food Network: -a juicy steak-
Nancy Grace: -for several hours.

I know you need to tenderize your meat, but that seems like a long time.

What's Up Wednesday - July 9, 2008

Capsule reviews today due to insomnia and overwhelming urge to sleep.

The TV Show: I blazed through the last half of How I Met Your Mother Season One and ALL of Season Two while my Peach was away. That show is good stuff. Definitely above the level of your average sitcom; nearing Coupling levels, but not quite there.

The Book: I finished The Perks of Being A Wallflower in a span of 24 hours and it was pretty dang good. Certainly above what I've come to expect from some of the YA (Young Adult) books I've been reading. Also: why did I start reading YA books? I didn't read them when I was a young adult; why read them now?

The Album: Sly and The Family Stone's A Whole New Thing is really, REALLY good. But then again, I'm mostly basing that on how awesome the first track, Underdog. SO AWESOME. I think I may have found my new theme song. I will be sad to see you, Theme From The Andy Griffith Show, but you are not funky enough. (Yeah yeah!)

The Return of What's Up Wednesday

I let it slide for two weeks, but no more! All must know of the various minutiae of my life! However, since I'm working on something sizeable - at least, for this little blog - it's going to be fairly short.

The TV Show: When Survivor dawned, I laughed at it and said "Why would anyone waste their time with this crap?" When American Idol arrived, I rolled my eyes and even though I could not escape the music of Clay Stutters and that girl who sings "Since You've Been Gone", I did not care. But I am sad to say that I have fallen hard for a reality-competition-television show. I, The Doc, love So You Think You Can Dance. I don't much care for the voting parts, and the eliminations aren't that heartbreaking for me (although I do get a little sorrowful when someone I like leaves). I don't really pay much attention to the behind-the-scenes looks at the contestants. And I friggin' HATE that Mary woman. But I love to watch the dancing. For most of the show, I read my book or I knit, basically ignoring the screen. But when they start the routine, I am rivited. I am not ashamed. I am, however, worried that this might carry over to So You Think You Can Dance Canada. I only have so much time in my day.

The Movie: Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was, in a syllable, meh. It was exciting in parts, and really disappointing in others. I loved every scene with Karen Allen in it; she and Harrison Ford have a lot of chemistry. But although there were hints of adventure, the movie sagged, not because Indy seemed old, but because he seemed above it all. He seemed like it was obvious he was going to get away: all the references to his past adventures and all the knowledge he had right at his fingertips without having to bother researching, it just made him seem too good for the movie. And, in a sense, he was.

The Music: If you like punk-rock-ish music and r&b, then you should check out The Carps. I heard these guys a couple of weeks ago and I can't stop playing their The Young & Passionate Days of Carpedia EP; I probably listen to it once every day. Definitely recommended.

That's it, folks. But tune in tomorrow for part one of a two- (or three-) part article on movies and my reactions to them. You won't want to avoid waiting to not miss it!

What's Up Wednesday - April 17, 2008

Another week where I'm a day late, but I was hanging out with my brother and his ladyfriend yesterday, something I don't get to do very often, so I hope you'll forgive me. What did we do, you ask? Well, we had delicious chilli and caught up on each others' lives. But we did one more thing...

The Video Game: We played Rock Band. I'm a Guitar Hero fan, and I'm not too shabby if I might say so myself. And while I still like the GH series, it pales in comparison to Rock Band. The singing's the weakest link, as far as I've found. I don't know enough of the songs, and I like to play around with the tune, which makes me a fairly average player. So I suppose that's my failing, not the game's. The drums are REALLY fun, though, and while I've barely scratched the surface of Medium, I can see them getting ridiculous later on. I've been invited back another day to play for a longer time, and I have plans. Ooooh, I have plans...

The Movie: I picked up Akira last week, not expecting to enjoy it very much. I watched about ten minutes of it at an Anime Festival about ten years ago, and walked out. That one convention has tainted my view of anime (and, to a lesser extent, manga) for years. But after watching Akira all the way through, I have to say: it is much, MUCH better than the ten minutes I caught out of context. Certainly not for everyone, but if you can handle mild psychedelia and graphic cartoon gore, then I'd recommend Akira. Then again, I'm probably recommending it to a readership that is very likely to have already seen it.

The Drink: Monday I tried Rickard's White Ale for the first time. I have to say, it's not terrible, but it's not that great either. It kind of reminds me of Hoegaarden beer, just more expensive. I wouldn't buy it again, but I wouldn't turn it down if it was offered to me. Actually, I probably would unless if it was the only beer in the house. Ah well, it's not a complete loss. I got a variety pack when it was on sale, of Rickard's Red, White, and Honey Brown: I like their Honey Brown (not as much as Sleeman’s, but it'll do in a pinch), and the Red is decent (and good for poached eggs and beer bread). So, you know what they say about two out of three. Anyhow, I needed some beer for...

The TV Show: The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yes, I'm rekindling my love for Hockey Night In Canada. Specifically, the Habs/Bruins games (I missed the team falling apart this evening, thankfully), but I've also seen some of the Senators/Penguins series and snippets of a few others. I'm not really keen on some of the new personnel or technical developments at the CBC, but there's good hockey being played right now and I'm loving it.

The Real Life: Kow had a massive recording session on the weekend, which seemed to go on forever, but we got a few things accomplished and took another big chunk out of the things to do. Just...three or four more of those kinds of sessions and we’ll be done. Ugh. Three or four. I know we’re further along in the process than we’ve ever been, but right now it feels like this will never end.

What's Up Wednesday - April 9, 2008

Special Edition! Now with 50% more headaches!

The TV Show: So I finished up Veronica Mars Season 3 and it was good-ish but not great, kind of like I'd expected from the first few episodes. However, the other DVD set I picked up was Hockey: A People's History, and it was pretty good. It's not supposed to be terribly deep, just examining the history of the game and its impact on the country, and it has some interesting vignettes and trivia. Some of the sections really got to me in a nostalgic kind of way, particularly the sections on Maurice Richard and the start the Oilers' dynasty in the 80s. It's also made me excited for the playoffs this year, which I'm sure my Peach will just be ecstatic about...

The Real Life: The Peach and I just got our new couch delivered today. We picked up a two-piece from Leon's for a very good price, and while we definitely don't regret our decision, it was slightly surprising how much bigger it is than we'd remembered. It didn't look that big when we picked it up. Not that it's too big for our apartment, but it is a bit of a shock to see it. It is very comfortable, though, and deliciously chocolate brown. The only bad thing about it so far is that it's a really good static electricity generator.

That's all for me; my head's killing me. Maybe I'll check in later this week and surprise us all, but for now, I'm out.

What's Up Thursday - April 3, 2008

The Film/DVD: I am a big sucker for Akira Kurosawa. I've seen six movies he wrote and directed - The Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Stray Dog, Rashomon, and Yojimbo - but I love all of them. And after watching Ran on Tuesday, he's batting seven for seven. It's got a more theatrical tone, which might turn some people off, but considering it's based on King Lear and a Japanese folk legend, the long takes and far shots make a lot of sense to ground it in a more theatrical, less cinematic context. But there's still a lot of great cinematic technique: the battles are epic and there are some really breathtaking moments (especially in the final 15-20 minutes) that could only be done in cinema. I'm sure I'll eventually find a Kurosawa film I don't like, but I'm going to be enjoying myself while I look for it.

The TV Series: I got Veronica Mars, Season 3 out of the library (slight aside: the public library is a LOT more hip than it was when I was a kid), and have started devouring it in large chunks, like I had the previous seasons. This season, though, is rubbing me the wrong way. Unneccessarily updated theme music, a meandering plot, and a ridiculous romantic subplot. There's still clever dialogue, and Kirsten Bell & Enrico Colantoni are stellar as usual, but it's definitely much lower on the quality scale. After the first season, I thought to myself, "Why on earth did this series get cancelled?!?" About 1/4 into the final season, though, I'm starting to see the faults. I still don't think it was bad enough to cancel, though. Just not great any more.

The Food: I wanted to have sushi while I watched Ran because, well, I sometimes get odd cravings that I cannot explain nor deny. So I ordered a few small dishes, one of which I'd never ordered before: spider roll. Soft-shell crab, mayonnaise, cucumber, and avocado rolled up in a delicious rice roll. I'd never had soft-shell crab before, and it was definitely a new experience - like eating a whole shrimp if the shell was more edible - but in the end, spider rolls go in the "awesome" column. And there are only three columns in my sushi rankings: "aweseome", "excellent", and "fair". I have yet to find a sushi I did not like.

What's Up Wednesday - March 12, 2008

After being slapped solidly on the face by sweet Lady Daylight Savings Time, I'm apparently having difficulty with my sleeping. It's like having really really really inconveniently small jet lag. But that doesn't mean that I didn't get up to some mischief this past week! Well, it wasn't really mischief. But I did stuff. Let's see what it was!

The Book: After finishing Heir to the Empire, I started on Born Standing Up, Steve Martin's memoir on his years doing standup comedy. It's a deceptively short book: it's sizeable but the font is pretty big, so I'm moving through it on a fair clip. It's interesting to see what influenced him in his standup career, as I've been a big fan of his writing and acting but only discovered his comedy albums about three or four years ago. And he's a good writer, so even when it's more personal material it's still interesting. I'd recommend it, but then again, I'm a fan.

The Movie: About a half-dozen of us went out to see Be Kind, Rewind for Jago's birthday (yes, we're all aware his birthday was a month ago). I liked Michel Gondry's music video work and really liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so I went in expecting good things. And it is good. But it's not great. I know that's a small thing to complain about, but it's true. There are moments of greatness, but there are moments of mediocrity too, places where the story seems to drag or things get a little too twee. The performances are really good: Jack Black's somewhat restrained, so the other actors really get a little space to stretch, and Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, and Mos Def all really sparkle in this one. So overall it's good. I was just expecting more, I guess.

The TV Show: I found my favourite game show! I know lots of people like Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune or whatever, but for me, the cream of the crop is QI (also known as Quite Interesting). It's a British quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry (awesome!), with a rotating panel of guests including Alan Davies, Clive Anderson, John Sessions, Bill Bailey, Richard E. Grant, and Hugh Laurie (awesome again!). The questions are really difficult to get right, so the whole point of the game is less about answering the question right and more about being interesting while answering them, throwing out trivia and showing how clever/funny/stupid/witty you can be (the awesome trifecta!). Brilliantly entertaining and fun, and actually rewatchable because of the quips and the really quite interesting things you learn. So try and track it down, somehow; I think you'll be rather impressed by the whole thing.

The Real Life: On Monday I celebrated my 29th birthday. I'm now as old as my dad was when I was born. You know. So no psychic pressure there.

What's Up Wednesday - March 5, 2008

I'm full of enchiladas and I'm ready to go, people! What was new with ME in the last seven days? I'm glad you asked.

The TV Show: I finished up Dead Like Me, Season Two this past week and, unsurprisingly based on my impressions of Season One, I really liked it. Until the last episode, which was weak overall, and dreadful in the last few minutes. Seriously, I felt bad after watching the last episode. I think the second-last episode would have been a really good one to end on, as it tied up plot threads and just felt like an ending. The last episode felt like a middle-of-the-road episode that they tried to make into a season-ender and failed. So it was worth watching, but I'm going to try and forget the last episode. Sort of like I try to forget most of Season Seven of Buffy, and most of Season Four of Angel.

The Comic: This one was Powers, Volume 1: Who Killed Retro Girl? Which I really should have read much much earlier than this, considering I've read every other collected volume and have the first 25 issues of the new series. I really liked this book: Mike Avon Oeming's art style's not quite as solid as it has become over the years, but it was good to see him taking risks, and it was really good to see the introductions of the characters that I've come to know over the years. And for those of you out there who don't read comics, I have my one line pitch of this book to you: It's Law & Order, Special Superpowers Unit, heavy on the Law & Order. You should read it.

The Book: I've always felt good about myself because I've never bought a single book from the "For Dummies" series book. Until this week, when I bought Knitting for Dummies. I took it out of the library a few times and found it really helpful to a long-time beginner, and since it was 30% off I had no problem bringing it home. Hopefully this will lead to a regrowth in my knitting career, something I need because of...

The Real Life: The Peach and I set out a budget. It was nerve-wracking and I hated it, but it got done. We laid out plans for paying down our student loans, my car, and our credit bills, and for saving up for a down payment on a house. Sure, that all sounds good. But it's at the cost of my good times NOW, dammit! I'm losing the good times! "The good times are over. A bug flew in my mouth." * It's not that bad, really, but for a guy who's used to instant gratification, it's a big change. But maybe knitting will be my salvation. Instead of going to movies, renting DVDs, and watching cable TV, I could knit. Wool's cheaper than Hollywood.


* - I'm thinking about starting up the Geek Points tally again. Any takers on where this is from?

What's Up Wednesday - February 27, 2008

Not feelin' that great tonight, folks, so it's going to be a short one.

The Album: Raising Sand by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. It's produced by T-Bone Burnett so I knew it was going to be SLOW, but this album is really growing on me. A lot of different stuff, maudlin and upbeat and bluesy and folky. Plant's & Krauss' voices blend really well together, and she even gets to play the fiddle a little - to particularly great effect on my favourite song, Nothin'. It's an odd combination of artists, but it's good.

The TV Show: 24, Season 4. Jago, Ninja, and I have been watching it for the past few Monday evenings, and have been royally shellacking it for the first five episodes. Yeah, it hadn't been very good. But then, in Episode 6, something great happened, and the show turned a corner. I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't seen S4 yet, but let's just say that it had an infusion of leather-jacketed, dark-handsome-and-moody awesomeness. I hope it stays good for the next few weeks, anyhow.

The Real Life: Had the choir concerts on Saturday, and after the festival of bad planning that were our rehearsals (you can't call it a "dress rehearsal" if you don't actually rehearse the whole show, dammit), I actually found myself enjoying myself at times. The first concert, not so much, but the second one, it felt a lot better. And I actually had a few moments where I got the shivers because the music was so beautiful, and even one when I actually got choked up. So I didn't end up hating it like I thought I would. I didn't love it either, but "not hating" equals progress.

What's Up Wednesday - February 20, 2008

The Movie: Took Jago out to see There Will Be Blood for his birthday. He's probably the biggest P.T. Anderson fan that I know, so I figured that it would be a good present for him, and that we wouldn't have that many people we could have taken to see it anyhow, as most of our friends don't really like him. But we took Diego and the three of us sat through all two and a half hours of it, and my GOD is it good. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing, pulling off both sliminess and genuine emotion, and wrapping it up in about fifteen tons of charisma. The story's unexpected and really powerful, and while it sure doesn't feel like your "typical P.T. Anderson movie" (much different than when I think of Boogie Nights or Magnolia), I can see how he would be interested in this kind of project. Really really good; I don't think it's going to beat No Country For Old Men at the Oscars on Sunday, but it might have a chance.

The DVD: I rented a few this past week, but I'm going to give the nod to Gone Baby Gone. I knew I would have to watch it because it's based on a Denis Lehane novel and I do like his books (and I liked Mystic River too). I was a little put off by the fact that it was directed by Ben Affleck, but he actually did a fairly good job. He made a perfectly good movie, with competent shots and he didn't let any obvious style get in the way of the story, but sometimes I felt that there could have been more exposition, as some things were even more confusing and unexplained than they needed to be. Casey Affleck was good, and Amy Smart (the other reason I watched it) was AMAZING. So, definitely worth a rental, particularly if you like a smart little mystery.

The TV Show: I got The Peach Whose Line Is It Anyway? The Complete Seasons One and Two as a random gift, and we've been working our way through it. It's...really uneven. Some episodes are brilliant, some are painful, and some are both at once. But it's good to see how the original series started, and there are some really nice scenes. We're most of the way through Season One, and while it was okay, I hope that Season Two picks up the quality a bit.

The Video Game: I've been playing our home version of Zuma a lot the past few weeks, but last Saturday night in a fit of insomnia, I finally finished the damn thing. Even though I finished the adventure level, I still like playing the other levels. Just a fun time-waster, and the last level's a DOOZY!

The Job: I'm slowly gearing up to be working another part-time job, just eight to ten additional hours a week. Still working with kids with ASD, and still doing research instead of clinical work, but it's a fun grind interacting with the kids. And I'm meeting a few families I used to work with five and six years ago, so it's really interesting to catch up with them. Plus, the extra income will be useful.

The Real Life: My grandmother's birthday was Valentine's day and I gave her a call to give her best wishes. For the first two minutes, she thought I was my dad. "I thought things were strange," she said when I cleared it all up. "Your dad doesn't sing that well!"

What's Up Wednesday - February 14, 2008

Well, that "weekly Wednesday entries" thing ended quickly. Yes, yesterday was full of work and a really long night in the recording studio, and when I got home I just went right to bed. But I figured a day late's nothing to be too worried about. So, a day late but easily a dollar more worth your time, here's what I've been up to.

The Book: This weekend I decided to pull Star Wars: Heir to the Empire off my bookshelf. It's one of the books I've had for a really long time but have never gotten around to reading. It was because the concept warded me off: I read a few licensed Star Trek novels as a kid and, whoooooo they were bad. But this isn't. It's not nearly as self-conscious and insular as I was expecting; the characters act exactly like I expect them to and the story moves along at a quick pace, introducing interesting characters and situations that, unlike those the movie prequels, I actually want to learn more about. So this is a surprisingly good read. Not great, but good.

The TV Show: The Peach and I started watching Doctor Who: Series Two last year, but she didn't like it very much. I think she missed Christopher Eccleston a lot, and she didn't like some of the early episodes, so we stopped watching about six episodes in. But I've been watching it by myself lately and I've been enjoying it. Sure, I definitely miss Eccleston (he's my Doctor, always will be), but David Tennant is good in a very different way, and there are some really good stories in the episodes. I particularly liked Episode Four, "The Girl In The Fireplace", a time-jumping story involving clockwork aliens, pre-Revolutionary War France, and a horse on a spaceship. Fun, wacky, exciting times.

The DVD: I like James Stewart's lighthearted, comedic performences in movies like The Philadelphia Story or It's A Wonderful Life. But I really like his darker stuff: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Vertigo, Rear Window, and my latest favourite, Anatomy of a Murder. It's BRILLIANT. Slow-paced and perfectly written, it's packed full of great performances from Eve Arden, Ben Gazzara, Lee Remick, George C. Scott, and of course Stewart. It's his best performance by far. A perfect legal drama for a lazy afternoon. Put it on and get sucked in, it'll be over before you know it.

The Real-Life: Getting ready for my choir concert. I initially joined this choir to improve my musical knowledge and beef up my voice, which I felt had lost some power and precision over the past few years, and so many people I know who've joined have really liked it. Well, I've been in it for a few months now, and I'm really beginning to regret joining. I don't want to get into much detail, but I don't like the conductors' methods, I get extremely irked by some particularly annoying people, and I'm not getting the guidance I feel I need to learn the pieces well. I'm sticking it out until the end of the year, but if things keep going the way they are, I'm going to seriously reconsider my membership. Don't get me wrong, I think the concert's going to be really good, I just wish that I felt satisfied or content or anything other than upset and frustrated after a rehearsal, just once.