Ever since I read Watchmen, I always thought Alan Moore to be incredibly unapproachable, and I guess I still think that, but because of this video I think it to a lesser degree. All you've been getting in the mainstream press is that he "Grr, doesn't want anything to do with this movie, or any other movie for that matter. They're all a bunch o' feckin' conts." Blah blah blah.
Has anybody ever seen The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, though? The guy has just a little reason to be bitter about his movie-making experiences. And, while I share his opinion that Watchmen was made to exploit it for its singularly graphic traits and is (probably) unfilmable, I don't think the movie necessarily adds to or subtracts from the quality of the graphic novel. So far, and there have only been 26 reviews as of this writing, Rotten Tomatoes has it at 81%, which is certified FRESH!
Feb 26, 2009
Feb 25, 2009
Feb 24, 2009
Coheed & Cambria
This post is neither topical nor relevant. I'm just feeling like espousing some love for one of my favorite bands, and I don't care if they're doing anything special at the moment (even though they're on tour).
Coheed & Cambria are a - what - pseudo-prog rock band, with a catalog consisting of science fiction-based songs written by a well-coiffed singer who also pens a comic book that coincides with the music. It's complicated, but also extremely, extremely awesome. Unlike a lot of neo-prog bands, C&C are melodic and yet aggro. I don't know. It's sort of difficult to explain. You'll just have to check them out.
They have several albums out, which is daunting, I know. So, to help you out, I'll give you a little heads-up for the albums and songs I've been listening to.
My favorite album of theirs is also coincidentally the most well-known/popular. It's called - and bear with me - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. I know. It sounds pretentious, and to a certain degree it is, but to an awesomely acceptable degree.
If you own Rock Band, then you'll recognize the song "Welcome Home" (not Sanitarium). You might be tempted to think it's the best song on the album, since it's the one on Rock Band, but you'd be wrong. "The Suffering" was the big single I remember, and it's a great one too. "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood & Burial)" is also a great song. If you start the album at track one and listen through a single time, though, I promise you'll be hooked. If, that is, you have good taste.
Well, that should get you started. Go and listen to great music.
Feb 22, 2009
'Funny People' Extended Trailer
One of the things I've learned over the last year is that I'm not cool and hipstery enough to disparage Judd Apatow. I guess that making really good movies doesn't really amount to much if they're popular. Oh well, I guess he can't go back to getting his shows canceled again so people will rave about what a fucking genius he is.
Now my disdain for hipsterism aside, the trailer for Funny People is over at Defamer, and it's pretty damn good. Sort of weepy looking, but his movies always have what doctors call "a heart". I'm excited.
Now my disdain for hipsterism aside, the trailer for Funny People is over at Defamer, and it's pretty damn good. Sort of weepy looking, but his movies always have what doctors call "a heart". I'm excited.
Feb 19, 2009
Brett Ratner - Conan Gossip
I learned on MTV.COM by way of BamKapow! that Brett Ratner, if he were to direct a Conan re-boot (I'm already tired of that word) would need "an unknown". Those of you who've been crying of the possibility of HHH as the Savage Cimmerian can rejoice. Sort of. This thing's still in the planning stages.
Feb 17, 2009
Live Mocha: Learn a Language for Free
I know that, as far as blog posters go, I'm like the dad who moves away and starts a new family. I drop in, give you some drunken words of wisdom, and then jump into a convertible with my too-young wife, but today I really have something I want you to go check out. It's a service called Live Mocha.
On Live Mocha, you can learn a language - a la Rosetta Stone - for free, signing up for classes and having other people critique your work along the way to learning a language. The only problem is that you can only "learn" up to a certain level, and then you're on your own. But I think it's a great way to begin the process of learning a language. I signed up for Russian!
On Live Mocha, you can learn a language - a la Rosetta Stone - for free, signing up for classes and having other people critique your work along the way to learning a language. The only problem is that you can only "learn" up to a certain level, and then you're on your own. But I think it's a great way to begin the process of learning a language. I signed up for Russian!
Feb 15, 2009
Jackie Earl Haley to be the New Freddy?
In what may turn out to be the coolest rumor of the week, it was reported that Samuel Bayer - director of the "Smells Like Teen Spirit Video" - has been tapped to direct the re-boot of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise, and the rumor is that Jackie Earl Haley - Rorschach from "Watchmen" - may play the spaghetti-faced monster. Cool.
Feb 5, 2009
Prioritize Your Life: E-Mail
I don't know of anybody who hasn't uttered the following phrase: There aren't enough hours in the day. I've said it more than once - often multiple times in a given day. But it doesn't have to be that way (and no, I'm not offering an "As seen on TV" device).
The advice I want to give you is, as far as time goes, the little things add up. Whether it's checking e-mail, checking the casserole, or checking this blog, there are plenty of time vacuums that rob you of your free time.
There is no single way to free up every minute of every day, but there are definite methods to give you a time rebate, so you can enjoy the things you love more and spend less time with the things that are plaguing your existence. Some of them you might not even realize you're doing.
I'll be blogging a series of these over the next couple of weeks, so check back in - although not too often!
E-MAIL:
E-Mail is a big time-waster. Think of how many times you check your e-mail over the course of the day. Five? Ten? Fifty? It can happen, and I know people who compulsively check their e-mail, thinking they might be missing something extremely important. Not true, in most cases.
Solution: Check your e-mail only a couple times over the course of the day, when traffic is at its height or when you've been away from the computer the longest. Optimally, you should check e-mail once in the morning when you wake up, at lunch, and then once in the evening.
For an added bonus: Deal with your e-mail in those sessions, clearing the inbox a little each time, rather than taking an hour or two to get it all cleaned up later in the week. Or, on the other hand, if it works best for you to deal with e-mail at once, make sure you have the most streamlined system possible.
That same principle - checking things only once or twice a day - can be applied to all web-surfing, but I'll get into it in more depth in another post.
SPAM:
If you spend as much time clicking and then deleting SPAM messages as you do sorting through important mail, then taking the time to install a proper SPAM filter may be the thing for you. A recent blog post over at Unclutterer discusses this very topic in depth, advocating that you install a server-side spam filter on your e-mail so that more unwanted messages go into the junk mail folder in the future. GMail - not to get on my high horse! - has a wonderful SPAM deterrent.
The advice I want to give you is, as far as time goes, the little things add up. Whether it's checking e-mail, checking the casserole, or checking this blog, there are plenty of time vacuums that rob you of your free time.
There is no single way to free up every minute of every day, but there are definite methods to give you a time rebate, so you can enjoy the things you love more and spend less time with the things that are plaguing your existence. Some of them you might not even realize you're doing.
I'll be blogging a series of these over the next couple of weeks, so check back in - although not too often!
E-MAIL:
E-Mail is a big time-waster. Think of how many times you check your e-mail over the course of the day. Five? Ten? Fifty? It can happen, and I know people who compulsively check their e-mail, thinking they might be missing something extremely important. Not true, in most cases.
Solution: Check your e-mail only a couple times over the course of the day, when traffic is at its height or when you've been away from the computer the longest. Optimally, you should check e-mail once in the morning when you wake up, at lunch, and then once in the evening.
For an added bonus: Deal with your e-mail in those sessions, clearing the inbox a little each time, rather than taking an hour or two to get it all cleaned up later in the week. Or, on the other hand, if it works best for you to deal with e-mail at once, make sure you have the most streamlined system possible.
That same principle - checking things only once or twice a day - can be applied to all web-surfing, but I'll get into it in more depth in another post.
SPAM:
If you spend as much time clicking and then deleting SPAM messages as you do sorting through important mail, then taking the time to install a proper SPAM filter may be the thing for you. A recent blog post over at Unclutterer discusses this very topic in depth, advocating that you install a server-side spam filter on your e-mail so that more unwanted messages go into the junk mail folder in the future. GMail - not to get on my high horse! - has a wonderful SPAM deterrent.
Feb 3, 2009
Penn & Teller On the Bible
My beliefs on religion are pretty out in the open, but somehow I can never find a way to articulate myself as well as Penn & Teller. Snide as they tend to be, sometimes they just it the nail right on the head.
The topic discussed in the video is one of the most troubling for Christians. They don't see it as the true paradox that it is. See, most "modern" Christians aren't literalists when it comes to the Bible; they see it more as a guiding tool than anything else.
Yet, they also state that The Bible is the true word of God. I mean, who would take it literally, if judged on the scriptures shown in the video? But doesn't the Bible also say that every word in it is true? Weird.
The topic discussed in the video is one of the most troubling for Christians. They don't see it as the true paradox that it is. See, most "modern" Christians aren't literalists when it comes to the Bible; they see it more as a guiding tool than anything else.
Yet, they also state that The Bible is the true word of God. I mean, who would take it literally, if judged on the scriptures shown in the video? But doesn't the Bible also say that every word in it is true? Weird.
Jan 25, 2009
Rob Paravonian - The "Friends" Them Song Analysis
I just found this video deconstructing the "Friends" theme song and a Sugar Ray song that was popular at the time, and I have to say it's pretty insightful.
Jan 23, 2009
The Failure of Science in Public Schools
According to an article in Discover Magazine, as many as 1 in 8 teach Creationism in the classroom as a scientific alternative to evolution, and an astounding 1 in 6 espouse young Earth theories, which state that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. Sheesh.
Jan 21, 2009
Ahh, politics
Jon Stewart hits Obama early, and through clever editing, proves the consistency of rhetoric and lip service:
Jan 20, 2009
John Krasinski: Director?
The LA Times has an interesting article about John "Jim Halpert" Krasinski, who, apparently, has adapted David Foster Wallace's "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" into a film. Wow! Who knew he had it in him? Only time will tell if it's a decent adaptation, but it premieres at Sundance this week, so cross your fingers if you're a Krasinski fan!
How to Clean When You're Exhausted
I am a disciple of Unclutterer, and, though I don't always follow their principles - I'm sure they would consider my DVD and book collections clutter - I don't want to keep you from benefiting from their expertise. My favorite recent article is on the subject of cleaning when you're exhausted. It's spectacular.
The Transition
I found an awesome quote about the incoming administration over at Andrew Sullivan's blog - who is, actually, quoting Mike Allen over at Politico:
Vans will be poised at the Capitol to take a few top aides of Barack Obama's to their new offices at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. as soon as he is sworn in, transition aides told Politico.
About 20 senior officials have had their paperwork cleared to enter the White House complex on Tuesday. Some will attend a traditional lunch with the new president in the Capitol, then get to work while the inaugural parade is under way.
The quick start on Tuesday is indicative of the months of planning that Obama’s transition team has put into preparing for his opening days in office.
Fifteen Movies That Influenced Metal Gear Solid
Over at Kotaku, there is a list of the fifteen movies that most influenced the Metal Gear franchise. It comes from an interview with creator Hideo Kojima, who recommends the movies for those interested in the influences of the series.
Fifty-Five Beers
I found a list of fifty-five beers that will know you flat on your ass, at least according to MyBadPad.com. I've tried quite a few of them, and I have to say I'd agree. My ass is quite flat because of a few of them.
Jan 14, 2009
Jan 11, 2009
The Echo Chamber: 'Morbius' Might Be in Spidey Four
Because of an interview with Sam Raimi, in which he says Morbius is one of his favorite villains, the internet is blowing up with rumors that he is going to be in Spider Man Four. Also in that interview, Raimi said that he'd like to shoot the fourth and fifth movies back-to-back. Holy Shit!
Source: io9.com
Source: io9.com
Jan 10, 2009
The Unborn is, to quote Christopher Smith, Stillborn
Given the fact that faux-J-Horror is about as fresh as the vegetables in my crisper (re: every movie in the last five years about a dead child), David S. Goyer and genre maniac Gary Oldman decided to make a stew out of it. The result is, well, I haven't seen it but just look at Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, I plan on going to see it, but the likelihood that I will come out of the theater with anything more than a belly distended from Diet Coke and Buncha-Crunch is dubious.
An added Rotten Tomatoes bonus, though: there's a pretty awesome list of The Ten Sci-Fi Flicks for the Thinking Man. The Adventures of Pluto Nash, not on there.
An added Rotten Tomatoes bonus, though: there's a pretty awesome list of The Ten Sci-Fi Flicks for the Thinking Man. The Adventures of Pluto Nash, not on there.
All DC Universe Movies 'Are on Pause'
According to BamKapow!, all current DC-based movies are "on hold". That includes a TDK writer David S. Goyer penned script for The Flash movie. The reason: the big-wigs have realized that comic book movies are now an entirely new genre - duh - and they're rethinking strategies, yadayadayada. Bummer.
Jan 9, 2009
UGA Gymnastics Begin Tonight
The UGA Gym Dogs will take on West Virginia tonight at 7:30 at Stegeman Coliseum, and I will be attending. The Gym Dogs are looking for their fifth straight (!) national title. Unfortunately, they will be doing so without Courtney McCool, who will be out for at least seven meets with a broken bone in her foot. Either way, it should be an exciting season. Hope I see you there!
UPDATE: Uh, yeah, so LP & I just got back from the Gym Dogs meet...and we didn't look very good. For a gymnastics team, yes, we looked above average. For the Gym Dogs, though, there were some evident problems. I don't think it was coaching or anything, just a few of the Gym Dogs totally dropped the ball tonight. So to speak. Abby Stack completely missed the higher of the uneven bars and ate the mat. That was the low point of the evening, but the floor exercises almost matched it. The only thing that would have made it worse would be if some rabid West Virginians had dragged a sofa out onto the mat and set it on fire. Not good.
Hopefully, things will look better at the next meet. Tonight, we looked as if we were playing "on the level" with West Virginia. The final score - 195.425 - was the lowest I've ever seen.
UPDATE: Uh, yeah, so LP & I just got back from the Gym Dogs meet...and we didn't look very good. For a gymnastics team, yes, we looked above average. For the Gym Dogs, though, there were some evident problems. I don't think it was coaching or anything, just a few of the Gym Dogs totally dropped the ball tonight. So to speak. Abby Stack completely missed the higher of the uneven bars and ate the mat. That was the low point of the evening, but the floor exercises almost matched it. The only thing that would have made it worse would be if some rabid West Virginians had dragged a sofa out onto the mat and set it on fire. Not good.
Hopefully, things will look better at the next meet. Tonight, we looked as if we were playing "on the level" with West Virginia. The final score - 195.425 - was the lowest I've ever seen.
NYPD and Cell Phones During Terrorist Attacks
According to a Wired.com post from yesterday, it has become apparent that New York City police officials - including Commissioner Ray Kelly - believe that jamming cell phones during a terrorist attack may save lives and break up coordination. Kelly cites the attacks in Mumbai from last month as an example (the terrorists used cell phones for contact). What are your thoughts on this? Is the government overstepping boundaries here, or is the suggestion necessary?
Jan 6, 2009
To Get Caught Up - The Echo Chamber
Here's what is going on in the world of nerdy pop culture:
The trailer for the new Romero zombie flick - tentatively titled ...Of the Dead [I'm not kidding] - looks awesome.
Apparently, the trailer for the new GI Joe: Rise of Cobra movie is not very good. You can read a blow-by-blow description here. They're thinking of releasing it as a Super Bowl commercial. Hmm.
Nuking the Fridge is the new Jumping the Shark. Eh. I still liked the movie.
If you want to know how the 2008 WGA strike affected movies and television shows coming down the pipeline, you can read an excellent article over at io9.com. Terminator: Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, and X-Men: Wolverine are all included in the article.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta may be the new Surgeon General. What!?
Nip/Tuck starts back up tonight. Pineapple Express is out on DVD.
The Earth is out of sync with time. RAD!
Plenty of comic books are being turned into movies over the next several years. If you want to waste several hours, please visit this link. I couldn't even get through it all.
The trailer for the new Romero zombie flick - tentatively titled ...Of the Dead [I'm not kidding] - looks awesome.
Apparently, the trailer for the new GI Joe: Rise of Cobra movie is not very good. You can read a blow-by-blow description here. They're thinking of releasing it as a Super Bowl commercial. Hmm.
Nuking the Fridge is the new Jumping the Shark. Eh. I still liked the movie.
If you want to know how the 2008 WGA strike affected movies and television shows coming down the pipeline, you can read an excellent article over at io9.com. Terminator: Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, and X-Men: Wolverine are all included in the article.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta may be the new Surgeon General. What!?
Nip/Tuck starts back up tonight. Pineapple Express is out on DVD.
The Earth is out of sync with time. RAD!
Plenty of comic books are being turned into movies over the next several years. If you want to waste several hours, please visit this link. I couldn't even get through it all.
Back From Staycation
I've been on vacation from the blog for the past few weeks, and I know how much you've missed it, but I had to take some 'me' time. Unlike New York, Athens is a city that does sleep, and I did plenty of that over the holidays. Now that I'm back into the daily grind, you can expect more of the same, only angrier, from me. Good day.
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