Mood

My favorite moment from any Hou Hsiao-Hsien film.

Musings

Nothing really special to say this week. The glut of near summer movies (i.e. "Thor", "Fast Five") is brain numbing and nothing has gotten me to the theater in a couple weeks. The exception was James Gunn's all-over-the-map indie superhero 'comedy' "Super". It has its moments (Ellen Page especially) but one knows the superhero motif has run its course (much like the zombie genre) when all fragments of the genre have been explored. We now have a low-budget take on the idea. What's left... the mockumentary where a group of elderly citizens dress up and patrol the streets at night? But, hopefully the tide is turning with some interesting fare in the upcoming weeks, "Meek's Cutoff" especially.

Secondly, the Cannes Film Festival gears up, and this clip from Nicolas Winding Refn's upcoming moving entitled "Drive" looks and feels spectacular....as if Walter Hill or Michael Mann had breathed life into the now tired fast-car-movie. Hopefully this film and others at Cannes expose us to some terrific things.

And finally, does anyone remember this:


Going through some boxes of books yesterday, I came across this blast from the past. In the mid 90's, I signed up as a member of Home Film Festival and received this program guide. The idea, renting movies through the mail for flat fees and postage paid, was brand spanking new and I jumped at the chance. Granted, we're talking about VHS tapes here, but for someone with a unique passion of finding films one could not find anywhere else, this was terrific. Home Film Festival exposed me to the films of Jean Pierre Melville, Hou Hsiao Hsien, hard to find Godard, and Lars von Trier. I remember only ordering five or six times, with the pricing of 16 bucks for three tapes, and the idea of actually calling and speaking to someone with ID numbers and titles is definitely antiquated in this streaming and rapid Internet environment, but it got the job done. Good times indeed. I'm glad for the current existence of DVD-R's and Netflix, but there's a special place in my heart for combing through this guide and then having to wait 4-5 days for my VHS selections to arrive. Drop a comment if you remember other pre-Netflix methods of home film exposure.

Random Thoughts

First off... new television. I'm not sure how I got turned onto AMC's new show "The Killing". I rarely watch AMC for their butchering of classic movies with commercials. Maybe it was advertised on the last season of "Breaking Bad" I watched on DVD. Regardless, a fantastic show after just two episodes. The choice of basing its harrowing and sad tale of a pretty 17 year old girl's murder in dreary Seattle is somehow fitting and takes the atmosphere to a whole new level. Lead actress Mireille Enos perfectly portrays a female detective drawn back into the murder on her last day before retiring and starting a new life in San Francisco. The faces she makes when her new partner makes the family a promise to find the killer.... the tired way in which she questions a witness... the lackadaisical strut in which she carries herself establish the character as a new spin on old genre tropes. Set the DVR's.

New music. Two old dogs have resurfaced to make some new noise. First, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr fame just released a blistering solo album that combines melancholy acoustic numbers mixed in with his heavier trademark slurred guitar. Admittedly, Mascis really always was Dinosaur Jr. so any new work from him makes me very happy.



Unlike Dinosaur Jr, its debatable whether Thurston Moore was the singular driving force behind Sonic Youth's wall of sound. His latest solo album entitled "Demolished Thoughts", due to be released in May, knocked me over with the first song introduced last week. I can't wait for this one.





And finally, RIP to the great Sidney Lumet. I'm extremely glad I completed a retrospective of his work a few years ago. He will be missed on the cinematic landscape.

Virtual Download Buzz

So I finally jumped into the world of digital streaming with Netflix's Instant View features and, wow, is there some great (i.e. highly unavailable on home video) stuff located there. For someone as technically geeky as myself, I'm terrible at connectivity. I broke down and purchased a Roku player because I couldn't get any of the other options to work. I've got a Sony Blu Ray player, but apparently the model I have doesn't allow for this connection. I have an old Xbox 360 that I rarely play, yet one needs one of those Xbox gold subscription plans for Internet connectivity. Basically, the Roku seemed like an affordable option. I'm so glad I did. There are so many great films unavailable on any video format readily at hand on Instant View. Obscure titles like "Twins of Evil", Monte Hellman's "China 9, Liberty 37", Kinji Fukasaku's "Message From Space" and many more. Then there are long lost 70's greats such as "Looking For Mr. Goodbar", Francesco Rosi's "Excellent Cadavers" (which I've been hunting for years) and the Terence Malick penned "Deadhead Miles". For a movie lover, this is close to heaven. I've been resistant to streaming video in the past simply because I can't bear to watch films on a 16" computer screen. This option, sreaming straight to my 55" plasma screen, defies those hangups. And with titles added daily, this is a very encouraging method of film production to the masses. One can find some great suggestions here. Thank you Netflix.

Random Images From A California Tourist

And we saw "Star Trek" in the heart of Universal Studios IMAX theater. MUCH better than expected. It opens with a bang and ends with a bang. Two hours just zips by. Now, if we could only do something about that damn cut every second during a fight scene....

Miscellaneous Ramblings

I've got a grab-bag of thoughts and clips in this post. Nothing of real substance here... although I'll be seeing my 4th new film in 7 days either Wednesday or Thursday- so there's some reviews-a-comin'.

First, everyone needs to check out this post from Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule blog. Not only does it strike at the heart for so many of us film-obsessed fans, but it floods back my own memories of buying and devouring film books back in the late 80's and early 90's and being just as heartbroken about not being able to see the films mentioned. I'm trying to rectify that now, but some titles from the wonderful books of Jonathan Rosenbaum or Amos Vogel's "Film As A Subjective Art" still (and probably always will) elude me.

Over the past year or so, I've come to grow and really appreciate the humor of South Park. I'm not sure how big the following for this show still is, but for me, I find myself eagerly awaiting each week's new episode. While the early years seemed to be an excuse for potty-mouthed humor, the last 3-4 seasons feel like some of the most incisive social and political humor available today. I smile just thinking about the "Heavy Metal episode" with Kenny... or the old west recreation town whose actors refuse to break character even when terrorists attack.... and especially the World of Warcraft episode. Then, last week, we get a "Dark Knight" episode that is so perfectly written and executed, it makes me wish Trey Parker and Matt Stone were given more chances in the film world. I guess now I have to see "Baseketball". And Butters is one of my favorite characters... ever.



And two recently released trailers. First, Michael Mann's "Public Enemies". Seeing this trailer in front of "Watchmen" was worth the price of admission. Much has been made about Mann's preference to go HD digital with this film, but I think it looks striking. The scene where the inmates are being led into the jail with the camera poised to highlight the blue sky overtaking the frame is vintage Mann and I trust the 30's locale will mesh beautifully with the cinematography. I cannot wait for this movie.



Lastly, I'm not a huge, huge fan of comedies on the big screen, yet the Broken Lizard comedy troupe have continually surprised and engaged me with their films. I still maintain that "Club Dread" is an overlooked gem. Now, the Lizard is back with another film that looks to carry forward their energetic brand of comedy, mixing high-brow and low-brow laughs into a go-for-broke experience. Enjoy the red band trailer.

10 Reasons For a Tarantino Remake

I lost interest in Tarantino way back in the mid 90's. While I don't deny "Pulp Fiction" and its lightning bolt charge of cinematic richness to indie films, his stuff always feels like an echo of much greater work. Tarantino is a walking encyclopedia of genres, camera angles, and obscure cult films that he distills into current pop smorgasbords. There's nothing wrong with liking that. I simply prefer to gorge on the originals.

So now we have "Inglourious Basterds" [sic] coming out this summer. After recently watching Enzo Castellari's original 1978 film which Tarantino's will be loosely based upon, I can certainly see why the ultimate film geek wants to use this bat-shit piece of Italian obscura as a jumping off point for something.... equally trashy and bat-shit, maybe? Granted, Castellari's film is fun in the sense that you can gain some joy while sitting around at 1am, drinking beer and laughing at the numerous amounts of over-the-top deaths and 70's persuasion. I somehow think Tarantino will strive for something more honorable than that... while ripping off every piece of Sergio Leone, and Sam Fuller along the way.

10 Reasons Why Tarantino Chose to Remake "Inglorious Bastards"

1. It features an African-American with an afro who spouts off ultra cool lines of dialogue whose anachronistic presence is worn out quickly.
2. It gives him a chance to feature a bridge explosion sequence (David Lean anyone?)
3. There's a secondary long haired hippie character who looks like he's been smoking dope all day and discovers a group of Nazi women taking a bath in a stream.
4. Lots of bullets that never hit anyone except the bad guys (to profess his love for Tsui Hark and others)
5. A train derailment sequence. I can just see Tarantino slobbering over this. Honestly, who wouldn't though?
6. A chance to overlay some Ennio Morricone music.
7. A chance to use swipe pans, quick zooms (a true staple of 70's Italian movies) and mounted stationary shots as vehicles drive.
8. Characters who swagger around in Nazi uniforms, dressed like the enemy to sneak behind the enemy line.
9. Castellari's original was essentially a twisted remake of "The Dirty Dozen", one of Tarantino's favorite films.
10. Lots and lots of Nazi deaths. Slow motion Nazi deaths. Quick Nazi deaths. Tortured Nazi deaths.

The Future's So Bright...

A few things I've run up against in the last couple weeks that I can't wait to see or experience:

1. Naturally, this new little thing from Darren Aronofsky and someone named Mikey err Mickey Rourke?



2. While watching the very lackluster "24 Redemption", FOX broadcast a quick teaser to this new show debuting on A&E early next year. Patrick Swayze... mumbling a voice over about someone drowning, then picking up a gun and holster from the table? In the words of Peter Griffin from "Family Guy" when he finds an old pair of long johns with a butthole flap in the back for sale at a clothing store- "here's a check with my name on it.... fill in any amount you wish." I'm so there for whatever this show is.



3. From Slashfilm, someone named Christopher shared production photos of Michael Mann's '09 summer release, "Public Enemies", which looks at 30's era gangsters and stars Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.




Some very early test screening reviews can also be found here if that's your thing. I personally avoid them since one runs the risk of rolling over spoilerific items. And honestly, how often can you trust these things?

Los Angeles Plays Itself and Urban Growth (Decay)

As I alluded in an earlier post, a fellow blogger had read my Produced and Abandoned post and took pity on my lack of seeing Thom Anderson's "Los Angeles Plays Itself". A week later, I devoured the three hour documentary and confidently scratched it off my list. Now, 11 more to go. But not before I say a few words about this film. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Not only is "Los Angeles Plays Itself" a cinematic treasure that demands to see larger audiences, but any film that can surface a rarity like Kent Mackenzie's 1961 independent film "The Exiles" and help bolster it into an actual 2008 release deserves utter reverence.

Still, as a visual representation of one city's transformation from dust bowl to the excess capital that it's become today, "Los Angeles Plays Itself" has no peers. A few have tried, but Anderson's dry commentary and affinity for the city as it was and used to be is downright infectious. I've only been to Los Angeles once (I'll now always say Los Angeles since the film makes a damning indictment of reducing the sprawling place to initials as cheap as L.A.), but after watching this film, I too wished that the section known as Bunker Hill still existed. And I took a small victory away. After peppering his documentary with dozens of film clips that expose the architecture, history and recognizable facade of Los Angeles, I'd seen all but a handful.

The most resounding effect of "Los Angeles Plays Itself", though, lies in the way it caused me to assess the urban growth- and eventual decay- of my own city. Founded in the 1840's, Dallas hit its economic boom around the turn of the century with the formation of the "5 cities" (now East Dallas, Dallas, Oak Cliff, West Dallas aka the slums and Uptown). Today, Dallas is regarded as the most plastic city in Texas. Like Los Angeles, Dallas seems to hold onto very little of its history. Even legendary parts of the city such as Deep Ellum, where legendary bluesman Robert Johnson played his earth-shattering original sound, is in deep commercial/artistic/population meltdown. The very building he recorded some of his songs in isn't even granted a historical marker, instead giving shelter to rats and the homeless. In fact, pretty much all of the city's history- whether its architecture or not- serves as little more than a bargaining chip for real estate brokers to buy cheaply and tear down so they can make way for the new W Hotel or that new billion dollar convention center. The only real difference between Los Angeles and Dallas is that we don't have the celluloid proof to remind us of what used to be there.

I've recently finished reading Warren Leslie's excellent book, entitled "Dallas Public and Private". Leslie, a journalist from New York, documented the comings-and-goings in and around Dallas as a reporter for the Dallas Morning News. His outsider POV, plus the book's untimely release after the darkest day in my city's history (think November 22, 1963) reveal a bustling, energetic and ultimately self-conscious province of land that seemed to take itself seriously. Somewhere along the way, Dallas has lost that sense of time and place and cashed those beliefs in for the latest and greatest concrete marvels. If nothing else, "Dallas Public and Private" is a great time capsule read that makes one wonder "gee, that would be great if it still existed". One of my daily reads, the invaluable "Dallas Observer" blog Unfair Park, certainly realizes this as they routinely update readers of the latest city hall corruption scandal, long-time favorite eateries closing their doors, or city council meetings designated to 'discuss' decrepit sections of the city and its future. I know Robert Wilonsky and crew don't mean it to sound this way, but one could cite "Unfair Park" as a moratorium of the city. I suppose recognizing that one's history is slipping away is yet another way to fight it?

So, not the happiest of posts here, but it's pretty rare that a film stirs up the civil clarity of the mind. If anything, "Los Angeles Plays Itself" is a microcosm for -insert your own city name here-. If only we all had documentaries like this to shed light on the destructive pretenses of growth and renewal.

Los Angeles Plays Itself...Finally

Due to the kindness of strangers and the openness of the internet, I was able to have a copy of Thom Anderson's "Los Angeles Plays Itself" sent to me over the weekend. Many thanks! I can now scratch one off my list of Produced and Abandoned.

Thoughts on the film will be relayed at a later date. It's been busy here around the homestead and I'll be postig more this week.

Technical Challenges Be Damned

So... with my internet problems finally solved, I feel like a junkie who's been clean for three months and just now took another hit. It's nice to have internet/phone/HD TV again and feeling back in the technological loop. I apologize for several blog-a-thons I missed and having close to 700 posts on my Google Reader.

In the meantime, the latest blogtalkradio editions of the Trashcan Odorous Jr show with my buddy Chris and I can be found here and here. We're still searching for the right time slot, and we've expanded to two hours- one show for sports and another for film (and damn it, we still run out of time on both). I hope to be back and posting in full swing tomorrow or the day after.

Shared Memories

Out of 436 photos taken with my trusty Sony Cybershot, I wanted to share a few of my favorites.

The original recording studio in Memphis (Sun studios) where everyone from Elvis Presley to U2 recorded songs. The tour starts upstairs where you're given a talking head spiel about the history of the studio with glass museum-like cases. 55 people were crammed tight into this small space, jockeying for photos and digital recordings. I noticed a small stairway at the back of the room and stood next to it, not wanting to get entangled with the crowd. The tour then takes its next step and goes downstairs into the actual recording studio, in which I was the first one into due top my (sharp!) observations. Four of five photos of uninterrupted snaps were taken and I felt a small victory as the rest of the losers stumbled downstairs.



The grave of Edgar Allen Poe tucked quietly inside a downtown Baltimore graveyard. Eerie and beautiful at the same time.



Babe Ruth's birth house and museum in downtown Baltimore. There's another picture of the original sale of receipt for Ruth from the Red Sox to Yankees that would melt a few Red Sox fans around here.



The awe-inspiring Camden Yards.



Overlooking Gettysburg. We walked for what seemed like miles around the battlefields, snapping random photos of everything. If you want a real sense of history, this is the place for you.



Part of the Vietnam wall memorial. A very moving experience.



The Capitol building. After seeing it up close, it is one of the most gorgeous looking buildings I can imagine. Movies and TV (of course) don't do the intricacies of the architecture justice.



JFK's gravesite.



And who is this guy throwing up the ubiquitious peace symbol on the steps of the Lincoln memorial? That's me... worn out and suffering from blisters on my feet for walking for 4 straight days. Highly enjoyable, though. I'll take the blisters in exchange for the sights and sounds my family and I experienced. And I decided I definitely want to retire in the area when the time comes. Driving through the small Pennsylvania town of Emmittsburg (where a majority of my dad's family was from) I made the decision. Beautiful country, temperatures in the lower 70's in late August- which I'm sure is just a fluke, but it still sold me- and laid back lifestyle. Who could ask for me. Nothing to do except enjoy life and write the great American novel.

What's On My Mind... In Links

Still reeling from Josh Hamilton's walk-off 2 run shot over the Angels tonight, something has been nagging me that I've been meaning to pound out for several weeks now. Yes, there is an East coast bias (sorry to all the Red Sox fans I know read this blog!) Over the past few weeks, every game on ESPN and every Sportscenter highlight have involved Boston vs. Yankees, Yankees vs. Twins, Red Sox vs. Rays, and Sunday night the Mets vs god knows who. Please, break up the monotony and give us some heartland folks something to sink our teeth into. I'll be watching the Rangers anyway, but it'd be nice to flip over and see the occasional White Sox game or watch Arizona fall flat on their faces and lead the division with a .500 record.

And now, there's this inane story about Jason Giambi's freakin' moustache that has owned ESPN TV and radio for the past day. I had to turn off the radio last night after hearing Jason Smith on all-night radio spend 2 hours on this subject. Ridiculous. Anyway, yes, the bias does exist.

As a fan of Coast To Coast AM radio, I found this story somewhat compelling. Legendary occultist Aleister Crowley as a British spy?

With Tiger Woods done for the year, you could hear the collective sigh of relief when PGA tour phenom Anthony Kim won his second tourney last weekend in Washington DC. In between some terrific sporting events (baseball and Wimbeldon which really sucked me in), I flipped over to watch Kim's pretty flawless Sunday round, dropping approach shots within 10 feet and making some critical putts. With Tiger out, the tour needs someone like this to pump some fresh energy into the events.

And in the spirit of Weepingsam and his The Listening Ear blog, below is a bonus YouTube clip! From the Gutter Twins (Greg Dulli and ex Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan).

Things I Learned In Los Angeles

I feel infinitely smarter now having been exposed to the following:

1. I seemed to have picked the hottest days in the last 1000 years to visit L.A. as everyone I met told me, "wow, it's not usually like this. This is the hottest it's ever been." Hell, I could've felt that in Dallas.

2. The coolest thing about Dodger Stadium- the reflective logo that lights up after dark on the top tier behind home plate:



3. I snapped a quick photo of Joe Torre walking back to the dugout after a pitching change (as promised to my father, a HUGE Yankees fan). If this has been his last game as a coach or something, I think this would have been one helluva iconic image:



4. While billboards in Dallas are busy talking about houses for sale or the campaign to eliminate teen pregnancy (this is still the Bible belt, remember), L.A. billboards are busy pimping cool things as below:



5. The best food on Sunset can be found at Mel's Diner (pictured below, but didn't come out like I wanted it to). Burgers on sourdough bread, fries, milkshakes... and the place where Lucas filmed "American Graffiti" as the walls are adorned with black and white photos of the shoot.



Runner up food joint: Tarantino's Pizzeria in downtown Pasadena

6. The view from Mulholland Drive overlooking the city is simply breathtaking. The friends I was visiting had never been up there before, but they got just as much pleasure out of the scenery as I did:



And another from Mulholland:



7. While I first thought this may be a movie being filmed on the 405, the realization quickly set in that it was just another example of why California traffic is so bad. An RV had caught on fire.



8. The coolest thing about Beverly Hills? Seeing the police station and thinking of Eddie Murphy trying to enter at the front gate with the automatic option box and his expression of 'what the fuck?':



9. Palm trees do make the scenery look nicer:



And another:





10. The airlines only hand out these neat little luggage tickets to instill a sense of comfort in us passengers. The real fact is, they don't mean a thing when presented to the LAX baggage claim office because your luggage was lost in transit. They seemed pretty shocked I would even present this as evidence that my luggage should, indeed, be in L.A. with me. Instead, I filled out paperwork and went to the Dodger game in 95 degree weather in my jeans and long sleeve shirt. My luggage showed up 2 days later. My friend's advice: always fly into Burbank. I now know why.



11. The movies always make downtown L.A. appear.... bigger. It's not so big. It did make me want to go back and re-watch "Heat", though.



12. Careers begin.... and end... here.

Thoughts On M. Night

All the advertisements for M. Night Shyamalan's latest, "The Happening", have been playing up the fact that it's his "first R rated movie". When the crux of your marketing campaign is singling out the fact that a reasonable portion of your regular summer movie-going audience (13-16) can't get into this thing, it sorta loses its luster no? Compounded with the idea of no screenings for critics yet, and that could be strike two. Perhaps 20th Century Fox and Shyamalan have crafted such a genuinely exciting film (complete with awe-inducing twist ending) that early word-of-mouth would ruin its chances of opening weekend buzz. Doubtful. But, as pessimistic as all this sounds, I am looking forward to "The Happening" just because it's the first film in two solid weeks I kinda care about- yep, no "Don't Mess With the Zohan" for me.

I suppose one could call me an inverted Shyamalan fan. My least liked films from the auteur seem to be the most revered by other film fans- "Signs" and "Unbreakable"- while my two favorite- "The Village" and "Lady In the Water"- always bring forth bile and disgust from so many people who felt cheated or disappointed. This, of course, is exempting his mainstream Hollywood calling card "The Sixth Sense", a film that exists as a near perfect exercise in modern Hitchcock-ian reflexivity, camera placement, timing and subliminal scares tied to a well rendered denouement. This was simply a film that came along at the right time and place, delivering the goods all around- and for better or for worse, a film that proved the atmosphere was ripe for twist endings... and financially plausible. It kept the audiences growing exponentially. "You've got to see how this thing ends". And in that sense, Shyamalan's career has been broken into two distinct sections- pre and post '99. Some directors would love to have this kind of dichotomy.

The largest criticism leveled against him after his success with "The Sixth Sense" was that he'd become egotistical and bloated in his self-important thrillers (as if thrillers can't be saying something while attempting to scare your socks off). He didn't play by the rules, but more importantly, his success allowed him the luxury of not playing by the rules. While "Signs" and "Unbreakable" certainly have their cult followings in science fiction and comic book realms respectively, I think Shyamalan's real triumphs have come in the form of his last two 'failures'. First, "The Village". Not only was this an engaging theater experience where the audience listened and gasped at every small scurry at the edge of the frame, but it's also where Shyamalan attempted to add his contributions and politicize the horror genre with an underlying theme. While it seems "The Village" was largely maligned because of the audience's unwillingness to accept a conclusion that's not attributed to anything other worldly or ghostly, I found its final 'twist' to be just as devastating and even more terrifying that anything conjured by boogie men. "The Village" stands as a greatly satisfying yet futile examination of our culture's mounting hysteria towards anything "different". The fact that it's wrapped up in a pseudo horror flick didn't help its cause. The people who might enjoy such an allegorical romp stayed away and the people who expected a good old fashioned scare ala "The Sixth Sense" showed up in droves and left wondering what the hell they'd just seen. The movie business is so fickle.

The outcries against "Lady In the Water" were just as loud... if not deafening. While there were semblances of his horror film aesthetic left, "Lady In the Water" seemed to be where Shyamalan had finally been given way too much creative control. Veering wildly in mood, tone and underhanded insults (at professional film critics no less), it's a film that deserves to be re-watched in a different frame of mind. Again, Shyamalan's past efforts probably influenced how the audience reacted against "Lady In the Water", and it certainly wasn't viewed as the light hearted modern fairy tale I took away from it... even though the film's subtitle references it! I overlooked a lot of the film's shortcomings due to Paul Giamatti's honest performance, Bryce Howard's penetrating innocence, and the film's overall ambition to say something quite epic in small gestures. And the scene where Giamatti's emotions finally come pouring out as the seven sisters put their hands on him is a shining example of just how good Shyamalan can be with framing, timing and the ability to draw something fundamental out of his actors. It deserves a second chance.

Back to "The Happening". I was talking to buddy and movie lover Chris from his Trashcan Odorous blog and he wondered about the ability of Mark Wahlburg to carry the film. I agree. His reading of the line about "there are forces in the universe that can't be explained" in that Wahlburg-Dirk Diggler lisp do come off as cringe-worthy. But, to some degree I trust in him as an actor (and Zooey Deschanel as an actress even more) and I also trust in Shyamalan to create a genuinely creepy and apocalyptic atmosphere that could push this film over the top as his return to form- although I really don't think he's lost it yet. "The Happening" could be that perfect melding of total creative control and story that once generated so much anticipation about his upcoming films. That's been lost the last few years. And with films like "Get Smart", "The Love Guru" and The Matri.... uhh "Wanted" on the horizon, I'm dying for some creativity from somewhere.

Back From the Wild West

So I'm back and need a vacation from my vacation. Hopping out to Vegas for four days, returning late last night (including that dreadful time change stuff) and then starting fresh at 7am this morning is NOT the ideal way to assimilate myself back into regular society. Still, it was fun, hung out with old friends and was up a couple hundred dollars until I stayed a wee bit too long at the roulette table Saturday night. Oh well, as The dude says... "sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar eats you".



Above- picture looking out over the strip.



My one celebrity encounter, and I'd already met him (and run away from him as a kid.. which is a story for another time). Pete Rose signing autographs in Caeser's Palace.

If I would've been smarter, I would've carried my work Treo with me more often since sending pictures is much easier than on my crappy personal AT&T phone, which holds the really great shots such as two nights at Hofbrauhaus Bavarian Restaurant, the BEST time I've ever had in Vegas over 3 trips now. Tons of German sausage, ham, authentic German beer drinking games, music, and the most important... microbrewed beer served in LITER glasses. Yes, liter. Needless to say, 2 of these bad boys had me flying. And a later story will certainly have to be told about me befriending the head musician in the band and drunkedly staggering out with him as he sings authentic German songs, making my entire party in the waiting cab say "what the hell?" Good times. Good times.

Random Thoughts On the Super Bowl

1. Not that I had a vested interest in either team winning, but I kinda hoped the Pats would win just so every ESPN announcer would stop trying to clone the Chris Berman G-MEN expression. It's annoying enough when just Berman does it.
2. Commercials- not so funny. Since when did people doing stupid dances, celebs singing badly and doing stupid dances, and CGI created lizard things doing stupid dances become funny?
3. I kinda wanna see "Iron Man" now.
4. I don't watch many Pats games so I don't know the amount of coverage she usually receives, but where were all the Eva Longoria-type screen shots of Giselle whats her name? They could've got alot more mileage out of her.
5. I enjoyed the game. Sorta old fashioned, very few referee interferences and they allowed the guys to play football for a change. Nothing was decided due to controversial calls or blown flags. Good job guys.
6. That Manning non-sack-catch play will live on and on and on.
7. Bellichick really hates losing. A classless showing after a legit beating.
8. Another thing about Bellichick. Why not go for the long field goal at 46 yards to at least give your team a chance? I mean 4th and 13 conversion? Not the way Brady was dodging blue jerseys in the pocket all night. Maybe all those 4th down 'go for its' during the regular season when they were already up by 31 finally came back to haunt them. You can't convert 'em all. Hire a new kicker then.
9. I guessed it. There were at least 2 mentions of God during the post game interview. And from the same player!
10. Look on the brightside, Boston. You still got 1 world champ. Don't be greedy.

The Least Pretentious Way To Watch A Movie

I don't know how prevalant these types of places are around the country, but if there's one near you, I urge you to check it out in the near future. It's known as a movie grill. By doing some quick research, it appears the chain I visited here in Dallas is locally owned and operated, opening a little over 10 years ago. I know places such as Austin's Alamo Drafthouse have been catering to this style of movie-watching for years now and I'm sure each city has their own variations, but this is a fun environment. I went with a group of friends on Friday night and was blown away by the level of entertainment. First off, for you alcoholics out there, I've yet to be at a movie/bar setting (such as the various Angelika settings for example) whose bar doesn't outclass a majority of the city's other hot drinking spots. Then, when allowed into the theater, we found ourselves a perfectly clear view of the screen, relaxing in plush chairs with a table directly in front of us. There was room to spread out your legs and truly enjoy the experience. Throughout the movie, the waitstaff remains fairly invisible so they don't detract from the film. And, add to that, this is an environment that elicits howling, clapping and reactions to the on-screen action. Overall, just a highly pleasurable experience that everyone should participate in with friends.

And as for the movie.. I've kept you in suspense long enough. Rambo. Based on the reaction of 1 of my friends as we exited the theater, "that was the greatest film known to mankind." Need I say more? This is the type of film that defies critical expectations. Simply order another pitcher and roll with the fun.

Christmas Wish List

A new Christmas trend has been started thanks to the keen imagination of Burbanked as well as Piper at his blog, who includes some scrumptuous screengrabs of Jennifer Connelly just bursting at the seams! It's a novel idea... a Christmas wish list. A few of mine would include:

1. I wish that my Netflix queue would get below 150 titles.
2. I wish that Terrence Malick eventually moves out of theory territory and gets to film his latest.
3. I hope the blog world continually progresses, morphs and develops into something even cooler.
4. I wish there to be less sequels, remakes and dumb parodies in 2008 (which seems even less likely than my queue being below 150 titles).
5. I wish that the next-gen format war will be decided so I'll know if my purchase of an HD-DVD was as wise as Mark Cuban investing in Google twelve years ago or fool-hearted.
6. I wish that baseball would somehow rise out of its muck and heal itself, endure and re-emerge as America's pastime, not its black eye.
7. I wish I get to play more golf next year.
8. I hope '07 produces just as many quality films as '08.

Slow Post Stop-Gap

My apologies for slow posting as of late. I've been here in lovely, balmy Minneapolis since Sunday, so my movie-watching has taken a sharp decline. But, after I'm back in DFW on Thursday evening, I look forward to a loooong Christmas holiday weekend and perhaps some much needed food, family and films.

I did sneak away last weekend to see Joe Wright's "Atonement" and I have to say... while my initial response was something only a little more than average, the film has been growing in my mind ever since (especially the virtuoso five minute tracking shot that almost trumps Cuaron's in last year's "Children Of Men"). And Keira Knightley looks so, so good as the left-behind lover to war ravaged James MacAvoy. Still, while the plot is something out of a Lifetime movie, "Atonement" managed to sneak into my subconscience and linger there, creating a feeling that the film deserves more credit than I initially gave it. While it'll certainly score with the 30+ female crowd (which isn't bad for us guys who love for a film to stir up the romantic juices!) it's also very well acted, elegantly photographed and ingeniously structured.

This weekend I'm hoping to make it out to see "Juno", "Sweeney Todd" and several others. Of course, "There Will Be Blood" is on the horizon and I'm still waiting for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" which seems to be a few weeks overdue.