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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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...

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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.)

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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):

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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.

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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.

What's Up Wednesday - Special The Dark Knight Edition

So I got back from seeing an advance screening of The Dark Knight about forty minutes ago, and I thought I'd give you guys my thoughts. First of all, yes, I liked it. Which is strange, because I wasn't really expecting it to. I thought it wouldn't live up to the expectations, probably be good but not as good as Batman Begins. And I was wrong. I think that Dark Knight was much, much better than the first movie, for a number of reasons. First of all: the first movie had about fifty minutes of unneccessary origin story, while Dark Knight had zero. You started in with Batman as the status quo right away, which was good for the momentum of the storyline. Second: the science in this movie, while still kind of bad, wasn't nearly as bad as the science in Batman Begins. (Seriously. Microwave generators creating steam in water pipes but not cooking ANYONE? That's bad, BAD science.) Third: excellent, EXCELLENT foils. While The Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul were passable in the first movie, Heath Ledger's Joker is really very good. He's been getting a lot of praise in the media, which I had chalked up the hype machine going into overdrive due to his death. His performance in this movie, however, is in fact very good. Chilling, hilarious, and dare I say even honest? His Joker may not be the one fans are familiar with, but it fits the Nolanverse (a term I just coined, thank you very much) very well. The buzz that he might get an Oscar nomination seems a bit much, but "not getting an Oscar nomination" does not equal "poor performance". Ledger did a teriffic job, showing you just how good an actor he really was.

In fact, as good reason number three-point-five, the acting of nearly everyone in the movie is rather good. Gary Oldman gets a lot more to do in this movie, and he does it very well, playing the one good cop in a city gone crazy and giving the audience a solid anchor. Aaron Eckhart, an actor I've never been particularly fond of, is really quite engaging as Harvey Dent. Of course, Maggie Gyllenhaal is a vast improvement over Katie Holmes, and Michael Caine & Morgan Freeman round out the cast with their trademark gravitas and a couple of light comedic touches. The actor I had the most problems with is sadly Christian Bale, who does a very good Bruce Wayne but grates on me whenever he's Batman, thanks to the ridiculous voice he affects whenever he puts on the cowl. You don't need to sound like you're gargling chunks of hot asphalt* to disguise your voice or sound intimidating. Less is more, man.

Bale's vocal antics as Batman are one of only a few minor quibbles, though. The story starts off as fairly straightforward but then gets as twisted and turned as it becomes more affected by The Joker's influence. There are many good moments in this movie that I could harp on, but it's getting late. The point is, even if you're not a comics fan but liked Batman Begins, I think you'll like this even better. Not that you need me to sell you on it. I just think it's worth your time.


* - Who am I ripping off homaging with this line?

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!)

What's Up Thursday - July 3, 2008

I completely forgot about this yesterday, because - and I wish I was making this up - because comics weren't in yesterday (due to the Canada Day holiday), I forgot it was Wednesday. Wednesdays have a very particular rhythm to them: go to work, get comics, go home. The pattern broke and apparently I lost all track of time. I know, I know. But let's not dwell on it, shall we? Let's instead take a short trip into the black hole of my week's experiences.

The Movie(s): I've been plowing through The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection, which contains the first five Marx Brothers movies (before Zeppo left the group). Their first feature, The Cocoanuts, is really uneven, partly due to the ridiculous romantic subplot and partly because the directors couldn't frame a scene if you gave them a right angle and a level. But the brothers really pull it off, particularly due to a great scene where Groucho and Chico go over a map of Florida. Monkey Business is a lot better, and it has some great moments (particularly Groucho's scenes with Thelma Todd, and Zeppo even gets a fairly decent part). Horse Feathers, which was my first Marx Bros. movie, is still a sentimental favourite of mine. But my very favourite, sentimental or no, is Duck Soup, which is a work of sheer comedic genius from start to finish. (I haven't watched Animal Crackers yet, but it would have to be pretty damn good to be better than Duck Soup.) The movies might get hokey at times, but they are classics for a reason.

The Book: I'm getting back into my Wodehouse, and am currently trying to polish off Very Good, Jeeves. It's another great example of very British writing, and hilarious to boot. I laugh out loud every two pages or so (often every page), particularly due to exchanges like this:

'[...]Well, as I was saying, I maintain that the rank is but the ghinea stamp and a girl's a girl for all that.'
' "For a' that", sir. The poet Burns wrote in the North British dialect.'
'Well, "a' that", then, if you prefer it."
'I have no preference in the matter, sir. It is simply that the poet Burns--'
'Never mind about the poet Burns.'
'No, sir.'
'Forget the poet Burns.'
'Very good, sir.'
'Expunge the poet burns from your mind.'
'I will do so immediately, sir.'

The most curious thing I've found about reading this book is that I had read two other Jeeves books before seeing the television series starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, and I had completely different images of them in my head. Now, after seeing all four series, I can't get Laurie's foppish Wooster or Fry's cool Jeeves out of my head.

The Real-Life: The Peach and I went out and wandered The Works arts festival on Friday, and I saw a few exhibits that were interesting but on the whole I was underwhelmed. Probably because we were on a schedule and could only stop in at locations that were on our walking path. Then we went out for dinner at Sofra, a Turkish restaurant downtown, and it was delicious. We had yaprak sarma, spicy feta dip with fresh-baked flatbreads, rack of lamb, chicken and lamb kebabs, bulgur wheat pilaf, grilled vegetables, and finished it all off with baklava (which were delicious) and Turkish coffee (which The Peach HATED, but not surprising). I would definitely recommend that restaurant to anyone looking for a nice place to eat in Edmonton.

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.

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" - Special Sasquatch Edition!

Well, yesterday was kind of a write-off, what with me sleeping for 15 hours and feeling like crap when I wasn't sleeping. But today was better, so here's a little update on my activities this weekend.

Best Show: The Flaming Lips. The opening of the show had a giant light rig that was made up to look like a UFO come down from the rafters, at which point the lead singer came out of the top of the UFO in a giant hamster ball and rolled around on top of the audience for a bit, and then came out and shot streamer cannons into the audience while giant balloons were released. And then things got WEIRD.

Best Performance: Rodrigo Y Gabriela. I only caught the last half of their set, but it was amazing. Two former members of a thrash metal band playing acoustic guitars and rocking the roof off the place, if indeed there had been a roof to rock off. Such a good performance that I had to buy their album; we listened to it on the way home and their music was as good as I remembered.

Favourite Performance: R.E.M. (I never said I was impartial.) The performance wasn't as varied or as exciting as the time I saw them in Vancouver, but Michael's voice was much better, and they did play a few songs I was surprised and delighted to hear ("Harborcoat," "Drive," and "Ignoreland" in particular). I stayed out through the rain and enjoyed every bit of it.

Biggest Surprise: The Presidents of the United States of America. I know, I wasn't expecting very much, just some guys being goofy and playing around on stage. But these guys were TIGHT. And they had so much energy, and made such a great sound from their limited, weird instruments, by the end of their set they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. I would DEFINITELY see them again if they came to town. Just a great, great performance.

Biggest Disappointment: Built to Spill. They weren't really bad, per se, but they were a big letdown after the previous band (The Hives), barely interacted at all with the audience, and a lot more mellow than I wanted at the time. I really enjoyed their last song, though, but if that was because I was slowly coming around to them or because it was just a really great song, I don't know. I'll still check them out, though; I have a feeling that they're not a great band to see if you're five hundred meters away from them.

Best Discovery: The Cave Singers. Great folk trio from Seattle; their mix was a little too loud (as was almost every performance on the secondary stage), but their music was really compelling and I downloaded an album from eMusic when I got home.

Best Moment in the Comedy Tent: Jerry Minor talking about how funny monkeys were. I've been into Jerry since his time on Mr. Show, where he delivered the immortal line, "Life is precious, and God, and The Bible." His performance on the comedy stage was so funny, I teared up numerous times. Plus, he asked my what my favourite monkey was. I was enormously happy to be a (very small) part of the performance.

Best Discovery in the Comedy Tent: Rich Fulcher. His first set was a little dead, but his second set, if I might, killed. Talked to him after the show and told him how much I enjoyed the set, and he gave me permission to watch The Mighty Boosh illegally because the DVDs weren't available here yet. So that was cool.

Biggest Disappointment in the Comedy Tent: (Well, technically it was outside the tent.) Not getting to see the Upright Citizens Brigade's ASSSSCAT show. Long-form improv comedy featuring Matt & Matt from the UCB, plus Jerry Minor, Rich Fulcher, Sean Conroy, and Tim Meadows. Would have been great to see, but the tent was at capacity and the line was going nowhere, so we walked away, a little disappointed but ready to see something else.

Best Purchase at the Festival: Chocolate-chip-cookie ice cream sandwich just before the Flaming Lips show. It was DELICIOUS and exactly what I needed.

Worst Purchase at the Festival: An $11 can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Seriously, it could have been the most disappointing beer I've ever had, and I've had beer that tastes like mushrooms before. That was entirely unneccessary, made even worse by the exorbitant price.

What's Up Thursday - May 22, 2008

Whoah Nellie, is tonight ever going to be busy. I'll let you know why tomorrow, but for now, only the briefest of brief reviews.

The Movie: Last night I watched Repulsion by Roman Polanski on DVD. It was a study in mood and psychology I guess, but I found the first hour sleep-inducing and the last thirty minutes riveting. So I guess on a different day I would have liked it before, but as it is, it was just okay. Could see how it would have become a cult classic at the time, though.

The Album: Oh man, this news is about thirty-five years too late, but Talking Book is awesome. I must acquire more Stevie Wonder albums with all speed.

The Book: Trying to get through Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (it was due on Monday and I want to get it done by tonight so as not to accrue ridiculous fines). It is RIGHT up my street, as it combines a number of subjects that I'm interested in: psychology, neurology, language, and music. I keep telling The Peach about interesting stories and concepts from it, like the musician who had a stroke and then lost the ability to percieve music as music, just noise, or theories of how absolute pitch works in the brain. I think she'll be as glad as I am when I finish the book, but for different reasons.

The Real-Life: I had a lovely relaxing long weekend. It started with The Peach's birthday on Saturday, continued with an awesome shopping excursion on Sunday, and was capped off by a French picnic in the park where The Peach and I relaxed and painted watercolours (that she got for her birthday). I'd never painted before (aside from art in school), and it was kind of relaxing, actually. I'd still prefer oils, but that's just because I love Bob Ross so much.

What's Up Wednesday - May 14, 2008

My life is just a cavalcade of stuff. Here are three examples of the most notworthy things that have come into my life this week.

The Video Game: I upgraded the computer's memory and video card with some of my income tax rebate, and since I had quite a bit left over from my alloted budget, I picked up a copy of Civilization IV: The Gold Edition as icing on the computery cake. I love the Civilization series of games; I started with II, and when III came out it was just such a giant leap forward I was in shock. I wasn't expecting that kind of shock again, though. But I really should have. Seriously: Civilization IV is one of my favourite video games ever, which puts it in a very small list with the likes of EarthBound, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Tetris. It is a joy to play; it doesn't come with a manual so you basically have to figure it out as you go along, something that I find both frustrating and exciting. There are so many different aspects of the game, I don't think I'll explore all of them for at least a year. Plus, there's an expansion I'm itching to try. But I'll wait for this experience to sink in first. If you haven't already played it, people, get Civ 4. You'll be glad you did.

The Book: While reading up on the Summer and Fall movie slates, I came across a brief summary of a movie called Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It was billed as "High Fidelity for the iPod Generation" and is going to star Michael Cera, which piqued my interest, so I tracked down the book to give it a whirl. It's a young-adult book, which made me a little nervous, but I've read YA books before and enjoyed them just fine. This one, though, I didn't. The plot was kind of lame, full of teenage problems I couldn't identify with and probably couldn't have fourteen years ago either. And the fact that it was co-written gave me another headache; while I liked the style of Norah's chapters (written by Rachel Cohn), I really disliked Nick's (written by David Levithan), so much so that I came to dread the last page of Norah's chapters. Overall, I would NOT recommend it, but maybe if you're an emo-loving teenager or early-twenty-something, it will speak to you.

The Real Life: I went to see the soccer match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the LA Galaxy yesterday, along with about 37,000 other people. Unlike most of those people, though, I did NOT go to see David Beckham. Which wasn't too bad, actually. After a gong-show-like first five minutes (the Galaxy's goalie was laughably inept), it all settled down for a good match. We mocked the crowd who cheered every time Beckham went close to the ball ("Oh my god, a famous person is touching the ball!" "Posh Spice's wife is going in for a free kick!"), and had a good time. Until the 75 minute mark, when Beckham went off the field and people started leaving the stadium in droves. It made me a little upset, but then again, I went to the soccer match to see the soccer match. I must have been crazy.

What's Up Thursday - May 8, 2008

Offered without comment.

The Book - I've had the novel If Beale Street Could Talk (by James Baldwin) on my bookshelf for a while; it was one of the many books I rescued from my parents' storeroom before they gave them all to Goodwill. I just read it this week, and it was not what I'd expected from the cover. "A masterpiece about the love between a man and a woman..." it said on the cover: not my idea of a great read, if you want to know the truth. It made it seem like a high-class romance novel. It is decidedly not. It is about love between a man and a woman, but it is also about race and family bonds in lower-class New York City. It wasn't something I really liked, per se, but it was a well-written book. While I can't speak for the book's authenticity, it really seemed like Baldwin had captured the setting rather well, and the dialogue was top-notch. A good book, but not something I'd necessarily want to read again.

The Movie - GO SEE IRON MAN. Yea, it is good. Like I said to The Ninjas (Stolz and Stan), "Wow, who would have known that all you need to do to make a good superhero movie are good actors and not taking yourself too seriously?" Take THAT, Spider-Man 3.

The Drink - The Peach and I went to the Farmer's Market last weekend, and on the suggestion of a friend of mine I checked out Catfish Coffee Roasters, a local company that (surprisingly) roasts coffee. I picked up some coffee that was roasted the day before, and it did taste very good. I couldn't necessarily say that I found it so much more delicious than coffee that had been roasted in countries farther away and longer ago, but it was delicious and I would get more. But probably not the "Way Too Dark Roast". It's a clever name, but I don't like dark roasts that much in the first place.

The Podcast - I checked out the Most People Are DJs podcast when it was mentioned on Warren Ellis's mailing list, and it's rather good. The guy has good taste in music, and I found out a few good bands that I'd like to check out more. Worth exploring if you like off-the-beaten-track rock or electronic music.

The Real Life - I got a letter in the mailbox on Monday telling me that I passed my CASLPA exam. Funnily enough, I wasn't exited. I was just "not worried" any more. I didn't jump up and down, or say "YES!", or do a little happy dance. I just let out my breath and said, "Thank god." It was anticlimactic, but it's still good news.

What's Up Wednesday - April 30, 2008

Not much to update with this week, but I will keep this up until I close this shop down for good. What did I like this week? Good question!

The Comic: I listened to an episode of the Comic Geek Speak podcast yesterday, and they did an interview with Raina Telgemeier, who writes a number of comics, including the extraordinarily popular Babysitter's Club series of graphic novels. And no, I've never read them, but I have seen them in the shop and have always admired her art. During the interview she mentioned her webcomic, called "SMILE (A Dental Drama)", which is the true story about how she lost her two front teeth in the sixth grade. It's a really good read: she's got a great cartoony style that's really good for action and for emotional moments, and the story of her dental escapades combines with the other adventures in her life in such a way that I get really invested in the main character, namely her. It's cute but not fluffy, and if you can handle very mild dental horror stories, I really really really think you should check it out. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

The Movie: What an odd movie, Monsieur Verdoux. The story of a former bank clerk who takes up marrying rich women and murdering them in order to provide a comfortable living for his crippled wife and young son. Based on an idea by Orson Welles and written, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, it's definitely not the feel-good fare of The Kid or City Lights. Panned when it was first released - and I can understand why, but not quite agree with, the reasons - Monsieur Verdoux is perhaps Chaplin's best performance, and with this movie he finally took a firm command of the techniques of the talking picture. It's got comedic moments, but this is a decidedly black comedy, and Chaplin is surprisingly good when the charming persona starts to fade away and the hard killer starts to emerge.

The Real-Life: I'm getting excited for the Sasquatch music festival at the end of the month. My tickets came in the mail the other day, so now I'm just making up a budget for the weekend that includes gas, food, merchandise, and whatnot. From the lineup it should be a VERY good time; will keep everyone posted when I can.

What's Up Wednesday - April 23, 2008

Non-mandatory post tomorrow or Friday I hope. But for now, let's check in with what's been on my plate for the past week.

The Movie: I saw Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law yesterday, and I am surprised I haven't seen it sooner. I'm not a huge Jarmusch fan or anything, but I really liked Dead Man and told myself I should search out more of his work...and then I never did. But really: the adventures of John Lurie, Tom Waits, and Roberto Begnini in and out of prison in New Orleans? That's something I really should have checked out. It's not a prison movie or escape movie in the traditional sense - nothing is terribly traditional with Jarmusch, I've been noticing - but it's a great character piece, with some great acting. I liked it so much I immediately went to the library and took out another Jarmusch movie, Broken Flowers; haven't seen it yet but it's my plan for tonight.

The Album: I downloaded Let's Stay Together on a complete whim a couple weeks ago. I'd never heard of Jimmy McGriff, but I thought an album full of jazz versions of R&B songs done on the Hammond organ was just quirky enough to be listenable, at least once. And it's exceeded my expectations. Each song works individually and as part of an album, and I've listened to it three times in the past week alone. I'm sure I'll get it out of my system soon and relegate it to single entries on playlists, but for now this is a hell of a find.

The Real-Life: Went to the Edmonton Toy & Comic Fair on Sunday with Morgoid and The Dorklord, and it was pretty fun. I got me a lot of comics AND a Dalek figure (I know, I know, but it's a DALEK!), and I got to see Ernie Hudson. He looks good for a guy his age, or as Morgoid said: "He looks good for his age. Wow. I mean, really good." I left before there was awkwardness or drooling, but yeah, it was interesting.

The Food: The Peach and I made Rosemary Cookies on Saturday, and they are REALLY good. Basically, a modified shortbread cookie with fresh rosemary in them, and topped with an egg wash and sugar on top. Sweet and savoury is always a good combination, and this one has impressed.

The Job: Today I had a girl do a tiger impression for me. She also did an entire language subtest in a Scottish accent. Sometimes, my job is AWESOME.

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 26, 2008

The Book: I borrowed The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz about two months ago and I didn't get around to reading it, but I figure I should read it and return it before I'm known as the black hole of non-returnables (I just returned a bunch of stuff Diego lent me over eight months ago.) Anyhow, that's not the point. This book is interesting, positing the theory that even though we as a people might want as much choice as possible, the fact is that we as a society have so much choice that it's causing us distress. Wasted energy from trying to find the absolute best choice, spending too much time on meaningless decisions, mental distress from worrying about things after the fact, and the real danger of making a bad choice that shouldn't have been wholly yours to make in the first place. I came in a skeptic but found myself agreeing with Schwartz's points a lot more than I thought I would. I have barely spent any time reading it and I'm 75 pages in, so it's that rare find I like so much: a well-researched, thoughtful book that's not painful to read.

The Movie/DVD: I watched a LOT of movies last week, what with my Peach being away and needing breaks from studying. I could talk about any of them, but I think I'll focus briefly on The Phantom of the Opera from 1925. It's melodramatic and the print is understandably faded, and I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed it. But the sets are GORGEOUS, and even though it's more quaint than spectacular you do get a sense of awe from some of the larger scenes. And Lon Chaney, Sr. is magnificent. Just a wave of his hand or a shrug of his shoulders and you don't need anything else. A classic more in the remembering than in the re-watching, but still worth a watch for film nerds like me.

The Food: The McRib is back, baby! (Warning: Flash.) Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story! I know some people are vegetarians and some others wouldn't set foot in a McDonalds if you paid them, but to me, there's something special about delicious pork meat on a bun with pickles and onions. Oh, McRib. Why can't you stay forever...

The Real Life: Yeah, still with the studying. It's a killer, and I'm sure how well it correlates to the exam, but it is kind of nice to know how much stuff I remember, and how much is coming back to me with so little memory-jogging. I actually find myself liking Resonance and Speech Science a lot more than I did during the classes, and am almost interested in re-reading some of my old textbooks purely for enjoyment's sake. Yes, I know. Nerd. What else is new?

What's Up Wednesday - March 19, 2008

Amidst the preparation for crazy choral jazziness, I have had some time to ingest a few choice items of pop culture, most of them great, some of them just okay. Can you figure out which is which?

The DVD: I cannot think of anything bad to say about The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. This movie is enchanting: the music, the colours, the beautiful beautiful actors, the gorgeous fluid shots. A French musical from the 60s that puts makes the Hollywood musicals from the era look like they were slapped together with sawdust and plywood, and that goes for the actors as well as the sets. I wanted to watch it again immediately after it was over, but unfortunately I couldn't. But I am keeping it out a few more days to watch over the long weekend. Astounding.

The Album: I love Horace Andy's work with Massive Attack, so I decided to check out one of his better-reviewed albums, Dance Hall Style. It's a really good album, but I don't know enough about reggae to say much more than that. Andy's got a great and distinctive voice that adds a lot of great colours the lyrics, and the tunes are slow, groovy, and perfect as background music or for when you need a bit of spring in your step.

The Comics: Re-reading some of my old stuff in a nearly-impossible attempt at culling the heard. Some were surprisingly as good as I remembered (Warlock & The Infinity Watch), some were first-reads of things that I'd picked up over the past few years (Suicide Squad, which is amazing), and some were just awful (the 1993 Metal Men miniseries; I love the Metal Men but this series is TERRIBLE). A mixed bag, and there are SO many more to get through. I'm going to have to lay off the superheroes, though: start in on my stash of Ape Entertainment books and see what they're all about.

The Video Game: Noah's Ark is a great little break-creator for studying. I liked the free version you can play through PopCap's site, but the official expanded edition is even better. I'm Noah's Wife right now!

The Real-Life: I've already talked about ChoralFest, and between that and work it's hard to get some time in for studying, but I'm getting through it. I just finished up re-reading an article about male-to-female transsexual voice therapy and surgical options; I don't know if that'll be on the test but it was fascinating! If it does come up on the test I'll have all the answers.

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?