I’m an Irish guy by way of South Boston (sorta kinda once upon a time). As such, this needs no explanation or justification; just enjoy it:
My theory on feds is that they’re like mushrooms; Feed ‘em shit and keep ‘em in the dark.You girls have a good day.
Oh, and if you haven’t seen the movie…
A. Stop being a complete lameass
B. Get thee to a Blockbuster or on Netlflix ASAP
C. Thank me for my recommendation
Have a good night ladies (and gentlemen).
It might be a terrible movie, but when we actually have reasons to be proud (and not just enthusiastic) of the hometown five…it’s pretty awesome. With that in mind:
Effin’ sweet. The Patriots, Red Sox, Revolution, and even the Bruins are doing alright, too.
Love you all madly,
He was Edmond Dantés… and he was my father. And my mother… my brother… my friend. He was you… and me. He was all of us. - Evey from V for Vendetta
The fact is, I’ve been waiting to write this post for a long time, ever since I first saw V for Vendetta. It’s a fantastic film, and examining it as a metaphor for the modern day world could be an entirely new post at some point, but in this case, I just want to touch on this one quote in light of the current state of affairs in the America. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty in V for Vendetta I do not agree with, such as the wanton destruction of national landmarks or the violent overthrow of government. Nonetheless, it has a great deal to offer, and I can’t help but recall Evey’s quote as I read this story. Edit: And this story.
Edit Two: And this story. And let’s be honest – thousands of other stories just like it…
It also brings to mind the famous poem by Martin Niemoller. You know the one:
That poem, of course, is about the failure of German intellectuals to rise to speak out against the growing specter of Nazism. Are the neocons Nazis? Not yet, they aren’t. Nonetheless, the similarities are alarming. All across American, millions are failing to speak out against what they full well know are illegal, immoral, and treasonous activities by their political leaders. This disturbing trend is complicated by the systematic suppression (through punishment, censure, or worse) of dissent by the U.S. government and those jackasses who think that questioning authority is wrong. In this case, you can see it in the comments of people who blame the students for daring to speak their mind. This comes while the military demands they be allowed to place recruiters in high schools. (This might be because they have failed recruiting troops everywhere else.) If school administrators don’t kowtow to this blatant demand for one-sidedness, they risk losing funding from the federal government. In other words, it’s fine to have an opinion, as long as it conforms to the opinions of the neocons in charge of the U.S. government. Otherwise, the government and their enablers in the electorate feel that the concept of free speech should be erased. This systematic obfuscation of opinions is happening on many issues, from global warming to the conflict in Iraq, and it means that America is heading towards a philosophical civil war. I don’t really care to imagine what happens next, because no matter what, it won’t be pretty.
On deck, you scabrous dogs! Man the braces! Let down and haul to run free. Now…bring me that horizon. And really bad eggs? Drink up, me hearties, yo ho.
(If you don’t get it, it may be because you didn’t realize the the equal sign is a link – tricky, huh?)
I don’t need to say anything more. Happy holidays, folks.
So, first things first. The trade deadline has come and gone and Manny Ramirez is still a Red Sox. Even got the game-winning hit today as a pinch hitter. Thank God for that. I loved Nomar, but it was obvious that he was weighing the team down a bit when he sulked in the corner. He had to go, and we got two great pieces for him. Manny, on the other hand, certainly has his foibles, but most of them are somewhat endearing, and although he has the occassional incident, noone is perfect. Not to mention the trade that had been discussed. Mike Cameron and Aubrey Huff for two of the Sox top prospects and Manny? Im not even sure I would have made the deal if it was Cameron/Huff for the prospects. No offense to either, but Huff is having a poor year and Cameron really hasnt done much offensively since that ridiculous four home run game of his a few years ago. Hes good in the field, no doubt, but Id be willing to bet that Manny has won more games with his bat than Cameron has with his glove. To sum it all up…Manny still being a Sox is a good thing in my book.
Pop culture time. As I hinted earlier, I ended up seeing “Wedding Crashers” today. As I also suggested, I had very high hopes for it. It definitely came through in a good way. The first hour of it or so was flat out hilarious. Wilson and Vaughn are both quite capable of both physical and verbal comedy, and both were on point during the designated funny sections of the movie. For Vince, it was a nice return to “Swingers” days. He kind of got a little too serious with some of his films after that, although now that hes fallen into the new Brat Pack of sorts (Will Ferrell, Owen and Luke Wilson, Vaughn, and to a degree, Ben Stiller) he mostly just makes kick ass movies.
He was definitely in full on Double Down Trent mode, macking on ladies and spouting off one liners in the most appropriate and inappropriate of situations. The best may have come when upon being told that women in hats are very proper, he replied “Yeah? Well, little miss prim and proper just eye-fucked the shit out of me.” Im fairly sure everyone in the theater didnt hear what was said for the next 30 seconds or so. Definitely worth seeing. Although it is worth nothing that the last 1/2 hr or so can get a little silly, what with everyone falling in love and all. But all in all, it definitely lived up to my prediction for movie of the summer. A great way to spend 5 dollars.
So thats about it for me on the news front. I really have spent most of the day catching up on Season 1 of the O.C. and then going to the movies. The Grayson crew went home, and my roommates seem to have been swallowed up by the earth, so I really have no idea whats coming next. When it happens, Ill let you know.
Big news from Coldplay, one of my favorite bands. This is the album artwork, which they just released today, for their new album, which is due in June. The name of the album is “X&Y”
Heres the just released track listing, as well.
1. Square One
2. What If
3. White Shadows
4. Fix You
5. Talk
6. X&Y
7. Speed of Sound
8. A Message
9. Low
10. The Hardest Part
11. Swallowed In The Sea
12. Twisted Logic
Some interesting song titles, for sure. I admit, I am on quite the Coldplay kick lately. The Scientist, In My Place, Yellow, Marianne, and some others have also been making frequent appearences in the playlist.
Also, saw Sin City the other night. I’m no comic book geek, but it kicked ass. Im too lazy to write a full review tonight, so Ill just copy and paste someone who I agree with. I edited out the spoilers for your enjoyment. Much thanks to Mike McGranaghan at http://www.geocities.com/gamut_mag/sincity.htm
“A lot of times, we throw the expression “comic book movie” around a little too loosely. Spider-Man 2, for instance, is a movie about a comic book hero, but it doesn’t necessarily look like what’s actually on the printed page. Sin City, on the other hand, is a movie that really does look like a comic book (excuse me – graphic novel) come to life on a screen. Simply on a visual level, the film is mind-blowing. I was in awe of the style from beginning to end. This is not just a visual spectacle, though; Sin City uses its groundbreaking images to enhance the themes it deals with. The resulting package is nothing short of amazing.
Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez used Frank Miller’s graphic novel as a direct blueprint for Sin City’s visual style.
Sin City pretty much defines the term “adaptation.” Director Robert Rodriguez (who also made the Spy Kids and El Mariachi series) used Frank Miller’s books as his storyboards; the images you see onscreen are essentially the same ones you see on the page, and the dialogue is lifted right from the books as well. It may well be the most faithful adaptation of anything ever. Interestingly, Rodriguez had Miller on set and gave him a co-director credit since the film adheres so closely to the graphic novels. This went squarely against the rules of the Directors Guild of America, so Rodriguez quit the group. (A “special guest director” credit also goes to Quentin Tarantino, who helmed one scene.)
As you can tell, Sin City is set in a world full of serial killers and prostitutes, corrupt politicians and child molesters. The gritty, grimy quality of the story is not exploitive, though. Miller and Rodriguez are interested in exploring the sometimes ambiguous quality of morality…The film’s dark, CGI-heavy look suits the material perfectly. Everything is shot in black and white, but strategic objects are in color: a woman’s eyes, the taillights of a car, a bottle of pills. College students could have a field day interpreting the use of color in this movie. The eye is immediately drawn to anything colored, and it typically reveals some important piece of information or illustrates a particular emotion. Other times, the images are starker. There are long, dark black shadows punctuated by objects that shine an almost blinding whiteness. (Child molester Kevin is framed totally in black except for the white lenses of his glasses; the look is chilling.) There’s lots of blood on display too. Occasionally it is colored red but often it’s white, like paint being splattered about. In order for the film to effectively deal with morality issues using these characters and locales, it is crucial for it to create an entire fictional world and then convince us that it’s real. The visual look achieves this to perfection, allowing us to really feel like we’re visiting this gritty, grimy, dangerous city.
A stellar ensemble cast also proves crucial to the movie’s success. I really liked the relationship carved out by Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba. They do a fantastic job of bringing a little piece of purity to the otherwise dismal Basin City. Willis, Owen, and Rourke do a fine job with the voiceovers, which perfectly capture the interior monologue “thought boxes” that are commonplace in comic books and graphic novels. Mickey Rourke also gives his most vibrant performance in years; it’s a treat to see his portrayal of Marv. I have not even had room to mention some of the other players, like Powers Booth, Michael Clarke Duncan, Josh Hartnett, Alexis Bledel, and Rutger Hauer. They’re all here, and they’re all good.
Sin City is the kind of thing that’s right up my alley. One of the main reasons for going to the movies is to be transported to someplace else. Like another of my favorites, Dark City, this film immerses you in its made-up world. I love the look, I love the themes, and I love the way the actors bring the characters to life. Sin City is a dark, disturbing, enthralling masterpiece.”
That sums it up pretty well. The visuals were outstanding, and the story was entertaining. Also, it has a kick-ass song during the trailer – Cells by The Servant. My friend Kate turned me on to the tune, and its fabulous. As good as the movie – I’ll probably go see it again. Go see it yourself. You’ll thank me later.
So RA training is done for the day. Thank goodness for that. It really gets highly repetitive, and for some reason, I just dont appreciate hearing the same stuff every semester. I’m now left to find ways to spend the rest of my day. I guess Ill start by blogging.
Yesterday was much the same. Finished everything by 2, so I had the whole afternoon off. Ended up going to the Hanger with Ari, Sue, and J9. Then it was off the best cinema experience 5 dollars can buy. Yes, it was matinee time at the Hadley Cinemark. We saw “In Good Company,” which I had heard some good things about, so it was a good pick. Movie turned out well, although I was not entirely fond of the ending. Some observations:
-Topher Grace might be able to make the leap from comedy show to big screen. He has a certain bumbling charm that makes you laugh, but he is capable of playing it just serious enough to make it work. Plus, he’s kind of an everyday looking guy, so it’s hard not to like him.
-Dennis Quaid is a funny guy. Why doesnt he work more often? Like Grace, he is handsome in a common sort of way, so he’s a good pick for any “John Citizen” role. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him in a movie I didnt like. However, now that I think about it, I’m not sure I have ever seen any other Dennis Quaid movie. Hmm.
-Scarlett Johansson is really beautiful in a classic sort of way. Its very easy to imagine her in a 17th century painting thats hanging on a wall of a British castle. Also, she’s a pretty talented actress. I hadn’t seen her in anything previously, but this performance made me excited to see what else she has done. Seeing “Lost in Translation” has become more of a priority for me now. My best friend www.imdb.com also informs me that she will be in Mission Impossible 3. This, I find intriguing.
-Anyone who knows me well knows that I sometimes consider the previews to be the best part of the movie experience. I still talk about the perfect game, when I saw 9 good previews out of 9 previews before one film. That day will live forever. Yesterday, however, will not. None of the previews blew me away, and now, less than 24 hours later, I cant even remember what previews there were. Oh well.
Moving away from yesterday’s movie experience…
I’m not a huge fan of Usher. That said, his new song, ‘Caught Up’ falls somewhere between fairly and very catchy. Give it a try.
Dr. Phil now has a best-selling book about weight loss. Now, I have yet to discover the secret to perfect abs. Nor am I a particularly mean person. But I will admit, I dont understand this. America is buying a book en masse about weight loss that is written by a fellow who is a fatass? How does this make sense? Isn’t this like buying a book on good marital relations from O.J. Simpson?
I am far too excited for Europe. I feel as though nothing between now and then matters. I can’t keep my mind on anything else. If this trend continues through the start of classes, I could be in trouble. Must…find…way…to…forget…about Europe…for now.
Welcome to the O.C., bitch! Today is Thursday. That means I will be watching one of my two weekly television shows, the sublimely awesome O.C. If you dont know what the other show I watch regularly is, then read my blog, ass. Am I the only waiting to find out how long its gonna be until Marissa and the swiss cake hair girl are gonna hook up?
Her hair looks more normal here 
I mean, they tease us all with it during the previews of the second half of the season. Now that DJ the lawnboy lover (a good guy, its too bad he was written out) is gone, Marissa is presumably single. Since she must be either trashy, drugged out, slutty, or crazy at all times, I am thinking it is soon time for the slut to come out. Problem is, swiss cake is dating Seth nowish. I dont want see Seth Cohen’s heart get broken by a lesbian affair. That’d be too much for this fragile heart to bear. So how is this problem going to get resolved?? Maybe I’ll find out tonight.
Lastly, an apology to my readers. I still havent suffered from any of the deep emotional angst that seems to make blogs so compulsive to read. I love my family. My friends are cool. My job only minorly sucks. I don’t have a pet that tears up all my furniture. I’m not rich but I’m not yet broke. I dont have any huge homework yet. Sorry for the lameness. I shall do my best to create some upsetting life experiences so I can write about how I react to them, and thereby, make my blog much more interesting. The End. For now.
Following the trend of pop culture reviews for the year 2004:
Heres the list of the 5 best films I saw in the year 2004. Since movies are out for such a long time in theaters, I decided to include any film that was in theaters during the year 2004. Thus, films that were released in late 2003 and stayed in theaters through the New Year are eligible. It should also be noted that I didnt see a lot of films this year, for various reasons. Thus, my selection pool is mildly limited. As always, feel free to object. Thats all for now folks.
Return of the King
Kill Bill 2
Garden State
Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind
Spider-Man 2
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