Operation This Will Most Likely End Badly

All Conned Out

Tue, 26 May 2009 04:14:26 GMT

Well, the big weekend is gone, and Marcon is over. But had a fabulous time overall, meeting up with old friends from last year and making new ones, even though my voice is almost completely gone, and I'm exhausted. I have a new rule- when you're at the Ghostbusters room party...don't drink the yelllow stuff. Seriously.

We had some trouble with the SG-7 booth- the location kinda sucked, unfortunately. But, the big honkin Stargate we had setup at the table...was a big hit with people. If only it hadn't fallen over in the middle of one our panels on Friday night...it took most of the morning on saturday wrestling with it to stay up.   But thanks to the help of the nice hotel engineer guy, who had a electric drill, I was able to get it back up, and it stayed this time *G*.

Two surprising things did happen though. One, and I'm not even all that sure how this all happened, but my two friends and myself managed to impress the director of the con with our panels, and the planning we had done, so that he invited us to be a part of of the official Marcon Planning Staff for next year.    Our main job will be planning, scheduling, and preparing all the programming panels next year. It hasn't sunk in yet that means planning about 50-80 different discussion and presentation panels, and figuring out scheduling and rooms and making sure everyone has a place and equipment they need, etc. So that should be interesting, even if it might be quite a bit of work over the next year.

And two- somehow, I've been sucked into something else. By Saturday night, it was very evident by many people's attire, that the Pirate craze of the last 3-5 years has been replaced by Steampunk.    In a really HUGE WAY. It was everywhere. The dealer room was selling top hats with wierd goggle attachments, and victorian era dresses and corsets left and right. And they weren't cheap, that's for sure.

But the costumes are really impressive, and are way too fun. Talking to many people, some of whom were traditional historic costumers, Steampunk represents total freedom- you can mix and match eras, styles, and even whole periods if you want. And because the options are so vast, I could tell it has huge cross-appeal for people. Goths can embrace the dark and mysterious steam power/device angle, while the historic and fantasy people can delve into modifying tradittional Victorian styles. It's a win-win all around. Many said most of the supplies they get just walking through the plumming aisle at Lowes or DIY.

Soooo....as I am planning on going to Dragon Con for sure this year...I will definitely be putting together a costume. I already started, as I found in the dealer room a perfect walking cane, with a metallic hound's head.   And twist the head, and it unscrews as a short sword.   As most everyone else was going for top hats with twin tailed long coats, I'm thinking more a classic bowler hat, with a sack coat/silk vest/pinstripe pants. And I've already got the idea for a hand controlled monocle device, attached by control cables in a glove, going up the arm, where a push of a finger would raise and lower a set of monocles.  The character would be a Official Member of the Department of Unearthly Investigation and Elimination. Yeah, a really fancy way of saying alien hunter. *G*

Yeah, it's bad when it's already this far. But really, walking around downtown Atlanta, in something like this...isn't really optional. So it should be a fun time this summer putting this thing together. And as I realized saturday night the trap I had fallen into, I explained to my friends....I hate them. Seriously, for giving me the ideas. Or then again, it might have been the yellow stuff....

Where Findle posts baby pictures...run for your lives!!!

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:03:27 GMT

So a very tiring/exciting/surprising holiday weekend has come and gone. On Thursday morning my brother and his wife had an addition to the family... Gavin Michael Boyd

All 19 inches and 7 lbs, 3 oz of the little guy- or henceforth known as the Geek In Training.

In one of those ironies the Universe loves so much, and which was even more amusing in that it was Mom who made the actual observation, but the fact that Tim's baby boy is so absolutely ADORABLE, when it is rather a family joke that pictures of Tim taken after only a few days old are...not very pretty.

There was some kind of explanation around the fact that this was a c-section, and since he wasn't forced through the birth canal....but then I just started staring at the adorable guy again and lost all track of what they were talking about.

In any case, this was just part of a crowded weekend of easter dinner cooking, taking care of Mom's old cat (even longer story), and preparing Mom and Dad's taxes. And something I found out- that babies just do not know how to follow any kind of schedule. So this makes planning events and dinners and things rather problematic at best. But Gavin, Mom and Dad are doing fine, and my brother is hilarious because he has just snapped into the role of Father of the Year. And my Mom and Dad are still coming to terms with the idea of 'Grandma and Grandpa'. Of course, I was still not quite getting it when someone addressed me as Uncle, either. It's a lot of change to come to terms with. And even harder when....did I mention he's so adorable as to cause staring and in general not being able to hear much of what goes on around you. It's like if zombies all went 'AWWWWWWW' instead of 'GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR".

It's just like that.

Click on picture for more pictures. Witness the evidence!

Watchmen Thoughts.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:50:27 GMT

So I got to see Watchmen Saturday.

Okay, so I did not know anything of the source material for this. And I am interested to see if the book is different, although from everything I'm hearing it's almost exactly the same. It's a good movie, it moves fast, has a interesting story, some interesting characters, and decent action. And so why, a day later, do I have the overwhelming desire to ask...is that it?

I've seen many reviews say the 'problem' with the movie is that while it's a interesting intellectual exercise, it's hard to really FEEL anything for anything or anyone in it. And I think I realize now the two main issues I have, that add up to a huge problem in the end.

In this movie, while the heroes are portrayed as layered, complex characters with internal conflicts and various historical and psycological baggage, the WORLD AROUND THEM ARE MORONS. At the very least, all the 'normal' people in the movie are shown as simple minded idiots.    And the only 'citizens' you see are politicians, tv news people, or people rioting. That's it.    And those people are just compliete idiots.   I'm not sure if the whole point is that with a world with 'heroes', including having a guy that can change matter with a whim, then the people really have become that stupid? I don't know.

Part of the problem I had with that, and this whole disconnect, was also because they tried so hard to use period details, including using real names. But the really strange thing was, while they used familiar pop culture, and news and media figures- they didn't play them straight'. For example, they do The McGlaughlin Group. Complete with actors dressed up like and using John McGlaughlin, Pat Bucanin, and Elanor Cliff's names. These are famous people, and I would watch that show EVERY friday on PBS. But here, they got actors that sorta looked like them, but really didn't ACT OR SOUND ANYTHING LIKE THEM. I'm talking about the worst impersonations I've ever seen. There was also a Ted Koppel actor, who was a little better- but not much. So they all come off like complete cartoons of the real thing.   And I may be crazy, but Kissenger had a...American accent?? Someone needed to make up their mind- either this was supposed to be a faithful recreation of many famous things from the 80's, or a distorted parody. They seemed to try to be both- and it just didn't work, IMO.

So I was thinking about it, and I think those two things really conspired to rob me of any deep feeling toward what this movie was trying to tell me. I mean, lets leave the notion aside that it could be saying I, myself, as represented by the 'common masses', must be as stupid as they were. But also, there's no 'connection' felt between the heroes and the people they're supposed to be helping. There's ONE instance really in the whole thing, where Dan and Laurie decide to go out that night and save the family from the burning building.   Other than that, they NEVER show exactly how or why these people, going back to the original Minutemen, even decided to become these hereos. I think they try to do some of that in the opening credits, which is a interesting and neat way to tell the history, but just leaves so much out. You really have no idea at all why these people are doing this, or what they actually care about. And while there are grand speeches given by Ozmandyous and Dr Manhattan, and even Rohrshack about what people need and why they 'must' do this or that, it just rings hollow to me. Actually, of all the heroes, Rohrshack was the one I thought that actually comes off the best, because his whole motivation for everything is the desire to see justice done. No matter what the circumstances or consequences. The rest of them- other than what you'd think would be their movitve, you never actually find out.

And that's also prob why I didn't feel anything about the 'flaws' the heroes have. They kept calling Rohrshack a pyscho, and even acting like it to a extent, but again since almost everything you know about his actions are tied to his code of right or wrong, and THEN given the fact that the world is shown to be either idiots or morally corrupt criminals, I just didn't feel all that 'shocked' by the things he did. Of all of them, the only one I really had a issue with was the Comedian. He's scum with IMO absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. So I'm not even sure why he's a hero even in name. As for the rest of them...well they're just fucked up people with fucked up lives. And really, the most affecting thing emotionally to my eye was the romance between Laurie and Dan. The rest of them, just need a boatload of prozak. Which makes even less sense why they are shown to be 'serious and complex' characters, while the world around them is nothing but simpletons and cartoons.

Oh and that's something else that didn't make sense to me. Since all the 'heroes', except for John, are really just common people who decided to be outright vigillantes, so they have no 'super' powers. But yet, when we see them fighting, they TEAR people apart. In the alley Dan and Laurie with just a hit force compound fractures and shred people's very bones. And when they get in fights, they take horrific damage which barely phases them. Hell the Comedian has his HEAD put through a solid counter, yet hes still CONSCIOUS. Again, lets make up our mind. They either are normal humans, or not.

Like I said, there was a lot of good stuff about it. I especially liked how they portrayed all the Dr Manhattan stuff, showing him to be a very complex character whose humanity still shows through even with all of the changes he's gone through. Although, it is somewhat amusing...most people get dumped, they get a six pack or a quart of ice cream. Dr Manhattan...moves to Mars. Now that's a bad breakup. ;)

So yeah, I think at the end of the day, the movie tries to do a lot of things, but certain base creative choices kinda go against them. And I have a feeling they made those choices for certain reasons given what the messages the story had.  Which is fine. I just think those messages might not make for the best movie. And so I must ask, after all the hype about it...is that it?

Ahh Slumdog

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:03:01 GMT

So I went and saw Slumdog Millionaire

I need to mark a calendar, because I actually like the movie that won all the oscars....

"You're not lying. You're too truthful."

And, much like how Jamal wins over the police interrogator, so this movie completely wins over its audience. To me the brilliance in the movie isn't the contents of the story, or the performances. The real genius is how perfectly presented it all is so that each element supports and elevates every other.

I think this creates a almost complete truthfulness to the audience.   The amazing thing, to me, is how the only manufactured drama in the whole thing is actually what is created by the television show. And by the end, the audience realizes, in the long run, none of that even mattered. At all. Because the real story- the story of Jamal and Salim and Latika, means more. It means more to Jamal, and so if means more to us. And the events that did matter- those are presented without ANY narraitive tricks, or the kind of cheating that creates tension simply because the story dictates it. But here, one set of events are shown, and when that's over, it's on the to the next.   There's a flow to it all, and the tension the story creates is natural, and more effective.  Even though the audience knows whatever 'danger' Jamal is describing turns out okay, since that was the past, you still find yourself catching your breath.

And because all of those events are shown with such honesty, none of them are lingered over, so the audience is never preached to. The events are what they are. And these characters come from a really shitty life (sometimes more literally than others), and what's important are the choices they make, and how those change their lives. But there's no time to worry about the past and other than Jamal's overwhelming need to find the girl he loves so devotely, there's no chance for regrets.   All they can do is be who they are, and take each change, challenge, and opporunity and make the best of it. Sometimes the choices bring out their best. And often, like Salim realizes finally, they fall short and make mistakes, where the people they ultimately care about most, get hurt.

For me the most clever scene in terms of Jamal was with the sleazy host. It's one thing to say 'well he was just lucky he went through all those specific events that let him know the answers.' But by realizing he was being played into giving the wrong answer, and giving the right answer anyway, showed HIS wisdom, beyond just being a guy from the slums. It was a awesome moment when the host realized it didn't work.

There's a lot more that can be said about the movie. How the filming helps create that immediacy the audience feels in every scene, or how awesome the music is and how well it helps keep the driving pace of the story going.   But ultimately what Slumdog Millionaire proves is that being truthful with the audience, makes the payoff SO much better. And it's why the ending for Jamal and Latika feels so damn good. There's no self manufactured angst. Just people doing their best and, even though it's hard, never giving up on what or who is most important to them; each other.   And that's worth more than 20 million rupees. Any day.

My Job

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:54:59 GMT

starfyre01 asked about my new job, and since I have something I meant to post in general about it, I thought I'd do a full post. I work for Hyland Software, which makes the OnBase ECM (enterprise content management) software, as a tech support analyst. I'm on a new Team that specializes in supporting the higher education customers. They've had massive growth in the last five years, and given the nature of the products, really doesn't show any real signs of slowing down too much, even in this craphole of a economy. And it's a tough place to get into, so I was pretty lucky. But it's a awesome place, and one I can see staying at for a long time, and since they're talking about almost triplling in size in the next 5+ years, there will be a lot of advancement possibilities.. The turnover rate is insanely low for this industry as a whole.

Oh yeah, and Hyland is actually in this month's Saturday Evening Post! They did a photo article about impressive and unusual lobbies in American businesses, and we're there for...the slide:

http://saturdayeveningpost.com/Happiness/Lobbying-Efforts.html

Scroll down, Hyland is second from the bottom.

Bring out your dead!

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:14:57 GMT

But I'm not dead yet!

Wow, I found a life somewhere in the last few months. Forgot how nice those are. The last few weekends been geeking out, and had some guys from the stargate group over for the weekend. Lots of fun and geekery to be had. (not to mention what seemed like half the Trader Joe's munchy section). As well, we were able to get a lot of planning done for the big summer con season. Very nice time.

It's also nice, and surprising, when I bring people over, esp who don't know my town, and they tell me how what a awesome place this is, from my place to the surroundings. And you can tell they mean it. (all the guys were already making plans to come back this summer as a photography trip. Even on a coooold weekend at the end of Feb. Makes you go 'phewww' in regards to the major decisions I made when I moved here last year.

Of course what makes this all possible now is the new job, which is in a settling in phase. It's a awesome place, but they won't actually let me DO anything except read and install stuff. Even in the middle of some fairly large emergencies taking place in my Team. But the nice thing is, when the dept is 40+ people, the jobs are separated and there is tons of backup should you get caught up on something that takes you off the phones for hours, or even days to handle the crisis du jour. Still though, and even though everyone there warned me that it would be slow for a few weeks for me, it's still hard to be doing nothing that feels really productive, when other people are working around me. Ah well.

On the health front, I'm running possibly better than I ever have, in terms of speed and distance at once. I'm up to 3 miles non-stop now, and today hit it at 33:50. First time I ever broke 34. Whooo. I'm preparing because the company is having a '20 k challenge' this spring/summer, which consists of running 4 separate 5k events. I'd love to start lifting again, but with some residial back trouble I had from last summer, I'm too paranoid to start anything till my insurance kicks in, which will be the beginning of April. So will just continue the heavy cardio till then, and worry about toning later.

Well that's it. Need to do a long post about all the awesome tv that's been on this winter, because there's been a ton of great stuff, IMO.

Why WALL*E is movie of the year. And proves Joxerphobes DEAD WRONG.

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:09:16 GMT

I don't think I need to give anything away, but just in case...

I downloaded Wall*E on my xbox on saturday, after shutting off the monstrosity that was Mummy 3. And wow, talk about a reversal. I went from the worst 15 minutes of a movie to the best movie of the year. Hands down.

What amazes me about it is that so much emotion and story is conveyed by two characters who basically know 4 or 5 words between them. That's it. But those are enough to really set the...er...love story into motion, along with the Pixar people's ability to subtley personify and emote with their animations and art. Watching EVE get upset with Wall*e with just her two blue eyes, or how she watched through Wall*e's memory what he did for her after she found the plant, was so heartfelt.   The whole movie is like that, and that is what makes it so special.

And they came up with the perfect science fiction story to give the relationship and responses from Wall*e and Eve context. And I was a little surprised, how much of a old skool, hard core Science Fiction story it was. Very Asmovian or esp Bradbury- like, showing a future where things went waaay wrong, in many different ways. And while it's obviously a movie that has something to say, IMO they do it the right way, by letting the characters JUDGE THEMSELVES. That's what makes the 'love' that Wall*e seems to be able to provide everyone he meets the perfect outlet, by giving something to the forgotten and 'comfortably numb' passengers that, once they saw it, changed their entire POV.   It's such a nice story, even with how disturbing things have gotten, and IMO is much more effective because it doesn't seek to preach, as much as it shows a really optomistic pov of the human spirit, even though they had made so many mistakes.

And I do have to hand it to the actors who were Wall*e and Eve.   I don't know their names, but they were PERFECT. The way Wall*e would follow Eve around, forlornly calling "Eeeeeevvvveeeeeh!" and the way Eve could show frustration or worry with the way she'd bellow "Waahhhhllleeeyyyy", was so well done. You didn't NEED any more words than that. Everything fit and you knew exactly what was going on.

And after it was over, I was thinking about it, and really, the whole movie is a pure testament to how I look at certain characters, like Joxer. And how IMPORTANT a character like Wall*e or Joxer or Wesley Windham Price or Xander or Dr Rodney McKay or on and on is to a STORY. I think it really all comes down to the fact that these are all characters who CAN'T do the 'super cool' hero things, and jump into a dangerous situation and just save the day through natural skill, strength, or training, and even though they may pretend that's not the case, they realize it and still try to help anyway.   in Wall*e, the 'hero' is really Eve- she is sleek and fast and can fly anywhere she wants, and can kick serious ass with her Big Ass Space Gun, and her programming provides her with the most important job. Wall*e has none of those things- he's armed for his purpose with a never ending tape of the Hello Dolly soundtrack, and whatever interesting objects he finds in the trash on earth.    And because of that, the Wall*e's of the world can't just 'kill em all and ask the questions later', instead they don't try to hide from those hard questions or dimminish their own sense of right and wrong, and emotional consequences of the choices they or the hero are forced to make..  And in doing so, they provide the real heart to stories most often set in a action context, where 'success' for the hero is usually decided by a fight between the hero and villian. The Wall*e's and Joxers of the world know there's MORE to life than just beating up bad guys. And the really wonderfull part is they don't need to make big speeches or grand pronouncements, in fact all they really have to do to bring out the heart in the hero, and the world in general, is just be be themselves.

And when you think about it, that's really a awesome thing.

In the meantime, I really need a Wall*e & Eve 'otbp' icon.   That would be the One True Binary Pair. Naturally.

And- I'm not going to check Zune Marketplace to download the Hello Dolly st.

I'm not.

Really.

Now since I have to be up at 5 to be in early for the big annual company meeting day, I must goes to bed eaaaarly.

Grrrrr....Mummy 3

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:38:34 GMT

So it started snowing yesterday about 3 in the afternoon. It stopped...about an hour or so ago.   About 15 hours and and 19 inches on the ground later...it seems a really good weekend to chill out and watch some movies. And lucky enough, I got Wanted and Mummy 3 from netflix.

Now, I don't get 'angry' at movies or tv shows. I've always beleived- they make it, and I can either like it or not. But getting 'angry' to me implies I have some sort of say or input into said creation. Uh, no it doesn't work like that. But having said that, I think I've come the very closest I've ever gotten to being 'angry' at a movie. And it's SO bad, that I don't need to cut for spoilers because I don't know what happens, since I shut the movie off just when I learned THE PREMISE.

Okay, so Mummy 3 starts out really well actually. They open with the full setup narrative that explains the full backstory to Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh's characters. (And O. M. G. Michelle gets more and more breathtakingly gorgeous the older she gets. Her in that ornamental red chinese dress....).   And IMO it's a very Hong-Kong style story, using many classic themes from that genre, and provides what I thought was a really clever explanation for the Terecotta Army statues.

Alright, so 10 minutes in, and suddenly I'm feeling pretty good.

And then- they re-introduce the main Mummy characters.

Now, I read lots of stories about them making this. Especially concerning Rachel Weisz's roller coaster status. First- she wasn't in it. Then she was. Then she...wasn't.    Now I know that since she won the oscar, she can be wayy more particular about what roles she takes. She doesn't NEED to do a lot of movies.    But, even though there were the usual 'disagreements over character and creative direction' explanations, my jadded brain just translated that to mean...they just didn't want to pay enough cash for Rachel to do it.

But now I get it. It's the single DUMBEST premise for a returning character in a movie series EVER.   They simply take Eve O'Connel and replace her with someone who had their brains SUCKED OUT.  What was Eve's biggest  passiona, those things that drove her her entire life- archeology, and history. She had dedicated every second of her life to study and field work in her quest for knowledge. Okay, so having said that, it's been 10 years since Mummy 2.  So where would you expect Evelyn O'Connel's life would take her in that time. Head Curator of the London Museum of Antiquities? Maybe a professorship at Oxford in Anthropology or Archeology? Perhaps she's decided to take it easy, and just relax and study all the amazing artifacts she found on her adventures with Rick?

Buzz. Wrong. The brilliant anthropologist and archeologist Evelyn O'Connor now...writes pulp adventure novels based on her adventures.

Er....what?! I mean, if I took ANYONE and showed them the first two movies, and esp the way Rachel presented the character, and asked them to tell me what she'd be doing 10 years later....NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD COME UP WITH THIS SHIT.

So yes, I apology to Rachel Weisz. This had NOTHING to do with money. This has everything to do with taking a established, strong character and evicerating her to the point that she's barely recognizable. Rachel is a great actress, but even she could never take this crap and make it 'work'. I mean, they show her trying to write, and she's blocked, and to 'inspire herself' she thinks of the 'grand adventures' and she jumps around the room with a sword. Which then gets her horny to the point where she goes to find Rick and seduce him wearing a flimsy night gown.    Did ANY of the writers that came up with this actually WATCH the first 2 movies? Evie didn't LIKE the adventure, and would just assume not have it. She's the ACADEMIC. She only became the fighter in Mummy 2 because A) her child was in danger and B) she had discovered it was part of her past reincarnated self's history. But NO WHERE did she ever show any enthusiasm or desire to find more death-defying adventures. It was always a side effect, and the fact that Rick did love the adventure, whereas all Evie wanted to do was build her knowledge and care for her family, made them the perfect opposites as a couple.

(And I wont even go into how incredibly STUPID it looks to have casted a mid 20's something actor to be Rick's 'son', when they look like they could be BROTHERS. )

It was at that point that I disgustedly shut the movie off. I'm very torn now, because I love Jet Li, and , OMG Michelle....but to put up with the pure crap writing and characterization to get far enough to care? Oy.

I've never done this before, but I think, had I actually gone and paid money to see this dreck in the theater, I'm pretty sure I would have just walked out at the same point 15 minutes into it that I shut it off today.

I also saw Wanted which confounds the hell out of me. A summer action movie that wants to be a Indy character movie? And then it decides in the last 3 minutes that it's neither, and something else entirely? I should do a review of that one too, but I think I'll wait till after the Mummy 3 anger is out of my system. *G*

So my new company is kinda, really, amazingly cool.

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:15:29 GMT

Yeah, I'm alive. The last two months- not really good for the whole 'keep your head clear enough to actually write shit' thing. And then this week I started my new job. And after 5 days, I still want someone to pinch me to wake me up. Tonight the QA dept held a Bond themed 'after hours' night in the main building areas, which consisted of dollar beer and wine, 5 dollar martinis (or 'bond girl martini' cosmos if you prefered), and let me tell you- they didn't skimp on the vodka. And they had a 10 dollar buy in black jack and texas hold em, with all money from the night going to charity, various bar appetizers and Golden Eye N64 on the giant screen, along with Jame Bond trivia, etc. So after work I got a martini and some sliders, played a couple hands of poker- all without needing to walk more than five minutes. Yeah, awesome.

And today at lunch, at the diner the company runs, I got a giant bbq grilled salmon and fried mashed potato cake for 6 bucks.

Yeah, whatever this is, I just hope I dont wake up from it.

A Plethora of reviews

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:00:23 GMT

Okay, maybe not a plethora, but I like the word. I recently signed up for netflix, since one of the really cool things about the latest xbox live update is you can stream the ‘instant watch’ movies from netflix right to your tv. And also, I caught some things on cable recently that was things I had been meaning to see for a while.

Xmen 3: The Last Stand

Okay, surprising enough, this was not as horrible as I expected it to be, mostly based on the comments I saw people make when it came out. It’s not a bad movie per say, but you do get the feeling that someone at Fox realized that this would be the last x-men movie, but zomg, they had 2 script treatments waiting to be done. Because it just felt like this was two movies cut down and spliced together to make one. There’s just so many things that they start, and don’t do anything with. Of course Jean is one of the big things, but she more or less just disappears for a large chunk of the last half. And while I didn’t have the visceral reaction to Rogue taking the ‘cure’ as other people did, they sure didn’t do much with it. I mean I can see why she’d think about doing it, and then she leaves and…we never see her again till the end? That was setup as a journey, to watch Rogue come to terms with a decision. And, like Jean, she goes…poof. It just felt like we were missing HUGE chunks of the actual STORY. But it wasn’t terrible, and enjoyable none the less.

Hoax

A movie I have wanted to see for a long time. This is the true story (mostly) of how a writer attempted one of the greatest con jobs of all time, writing a ‘fake’ autobiography of Howard Hughes. Richard Gere plays Cliff Irving, the writer in question, along with Alfred Molina, who steals the show as fellow author Dick Suskind, who helped Irving pull this off. The movie is best when it shows how Irving fooled all these people, from the Charirman of the board at McGraw Hill to handwriting experts, to the Editor in Chief at Time Magazine, and even a journlist who was ‘the last known reporter to interview Hughes’. They totally bought into it, to the point where McGraw Hill gave Irving over 600 thousand in advances. These scenes are really played more as comedic, given the absurdness of what they were doing. The one real downfall of the movie occurs in the last third, when you realize that what the purpose of the story is, as it was written by Irving after getting out of prison, is to basically try to give this whole scam some higher meaning or importance, by attempting to prove that the Watergate break in was actually DUE to this book. It’s self aggrandizement on a celestial scale, yet somehow it seems just the thing this guy would do.

Oh, and the best meta irony ever? Irving had a affair with a woman who was a actress and wife to some rich guy, and helped blow Irving’s story when the whole thing came unraveled by admitting it to the press. Oh yeah, and that real life woman was later in a movie called American Gigalo. WIth Richard Gere.

Even though I think some of the conclusions they try to prove are complete bullshit, I highly recommend the movie.

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Wow, did I enjoy this. This doesn’t fall into the trap I’ve seen a lot over the last few years, where the sequel of a movie tries to go out of its way NOT to be a sequel. Here you have the same characters, and the same things that made them so darn fun to watch in the first movie are back in this one. Tons of witty and sarcastic banter, word and logic puzzles woven into a crazy story based on even crazier history, combined with crazy heist and chase scenes, and wrapped up with some above average character romances. It’s just the kind of thing that makes you smile a lot. And I loved casting Hellen Mirren as Ben’s mom, and her and Jon Voight made the Best. Bickering. Couple. Ever. The only weakness I found was that it felt like a lot of this was cut out, because Ed Harris’ role seemed to be bigger than it was in the end, and the motives for the initial plot events turned out to be really shallow and felt kinda cheap. But those were minor faults, given how much fun the rest of the movie is.

Adorkable Idina Menzel, Live!

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:21:11 GMT

So I saw Idina Menzel last night at the House of Blues in Cleveland. First, the scientific part of the post:

In a experiment to determine which is louder at the Idina Menzel concert:

1. High school girls quoting Wicked every five seconds.

2. 20-40 year old Gay Men

3. 20-40 year old Heterosexual men in absolute love with Idina, who felt the need to profess this very often.

The answer is - they all emit a strange, ear-piercing sound which has the effect of making you want to take a ice pick and shove it into your temple.

(The lesbians I saw were mostly too busy trying to cop a feel on their dates to make much noise).

So anyway, now that is solved, on with the show. I don't actually have too much to say about the actual performance. I thought it was very good, overall. I would have liked her to maybe have one or two more driving 'upbeat' songs, simply because I think the shows energy tended to be uneven.    She came out to 'Don't Let Me Down', which IMO is a odd opening, because while the song is upbeat, the chorus is very passive, so you're kind of defeating the purpose, IMO. (I would have her open with Gorgeous, but anyway)    But she did a lot of different songs, most even not from I Stand.    She even broke out into a accoustic set half way through, with someone playing upright bass, guitar, and just a snare and cymbal played with the brush sticks.  She said that since they had been on break for a while, this was something new they were doing for this leg of the tour.    The encore was interesting too, becaue she did a AWESOME cover of Kissed by a Rose, with her two backup singers. It sounded awesome.

In terms of the actual performance, the thing that stood out most to me was how she approached everything. Because at almost any standard rock or pop concert, the singer will usually have 2, 3, or sometimes even more songs that they will just totally 'sell out' on. They know it's prob beyond their natural range, and doing it probably hurts like hell, but dammit, that's what they do. Of course, you also see tons of stories about how Axel Rose or Mick Jagger or Elton John or Billy Joel, or Madonna and on and on have to postpone or cancel shows, because they have blown out their voice and have to rest. Well Idina did none of that. She knows what her voice range is, and she knows what she can and can't do. And her discipline when it came to that was amazing. And she NEVER missed a note. Not once. It was amazing to watch her capture and hold those songs. It was all on HER terms. And it struck me that is the difference between a professional performer, vs a professional stage singer/performer. It's the discipline.

But really, the best part of seeing Idina live is- just seeing Idina. Because, when I see almost any other 'big name' professional broadway performer, be it Joel Grey or Kristin Chenowith or Michael Crawford or Nathan Lane, etc, in interviews or such, you can TELL what you are hearing/seeing is 'PublicPerformerPersona' person. But when Idina talks you can tell it's just- Idina. The nice, normal jewish girl from Brooklyn. Who looks down at her shoes in the middle of talking and goes "OMG, look at the SCHUMTZ all over my shoes! GROSS!"   And who tells the audience things you just would not normally hear at a show. Like this may be the first time in public she's told anyone that her and Taye have decided to try having a baby. (Only after she said "Well I'll have a chocolate baby soon! <panic look> Oh wait- I'm not pregnant now, I woudln't drop that on you like that! ") Or that last week she went to a wedding in Tuscany with a "Nice jewish boy from new york and a Catholic Polish girl. And let me tell you, there was a lot of STRONG vodka at that thing!"   And then told us how "Taye danced with a Polish Mother-In-Law. He actually lifted her up. She was in HEAVEN."     And then there was the issue with her jeans. Or rather, how she kept LOSING them. She told us "Before I came out <someone in back> asked where to put a belt on, which I didn't have. So I said 'Well then give me a fucking belt!' <panick look> OH NO, DON'T ANYONE GIVE A BELT, I'M FINE"     She explained that she just wanted to be comfy. Of course she didn't count on those jeans falling down every time she tried to move around, which made her have to wiggle and pull them up. And she totally didn't care and was laughing at herself and making 'joe the plumber' jokes the whole time. It was hilarious.

And finally, it came time to do her final encore, which is ALWAYS Defying Gravity.   And at the start, she walked over the keyboard guy and sang something to try to find the key and she was "wow, was that the key?" and he nodded and she fist pumped and went 'YES!". But then, she started to sing something- and stoped "Oh Shit, that's not the right song!" And the band was totally cracking up. "What song am I doing? What SHOW am I doing. What DAY is it?!" And then it got worse- because she could. not. remember. how. to start.   Yes, she forgot the first line of Defying Gravity. "OMG, can you guys sing the first" and so the audience did. And she liked that so much, she had them sing the next two lines, before she finally came in and took over.   It was very amusing. But a perfect end for an Idina Show.

V: for Veeeeery late Vendetta review

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:42:42 GMT

Well I was feeling under the weather and V for Vendetta was on FX, and yes, I know I'm probably the last person in all of LJ land to see it.

I actually liked it a lot more than I expected I would. In fact, I liked it so much, the one real weakness in it really drives me crazy.

It drives me nuts because the real tension in this thing is destroyed, because they completely give up the game waaaay before the climax. And it's a shame, becuase the real story here isn't the plan to blow up parliment. And by showing the meeting that V has with Creedy in the greenhouse, and showing that whole conversation so early, the tension that SHOULD have been released during the subway scene between V, Creedy and his men and the Chancellor is completely blown. Because you know what his real plan is from the second they make the deal in the greenhouse, and you realize, this is not about blowing up a building- it's about surgically removing the two ideological pillars of the whole govt, and the two directly responsible for what happened to V and the attrocities with the virus. And you know it with 30 minutes left which makes everything after that just anticlimatic. Oh you could say the real 'surprise' is supposed to be that V was going to kill Creedy and not keep the deal but really....DUH. Anyone with a brain would know that.

Overall though, very enjoyable movie. The symbolism was sometimes a little thick and heavy handed, like all the Count of Monte Cristo stuff, but Weaving and Portman did a great job overall. And I usually love Stephen Rhea, and no exception here.

It's just- ugh, there's a ton of ways they could have cut this so that the viewer had nothing explained to them about what was going to happen. They could have cut away from the greenhouse scene and not given the details, and shown that in flashbacks just before or during when Creedy brings the Chancellor into it. Then the audience would be shown what V's game was, pulling in the Inspector and getting him to put the surveilance on to back his con. Because in the end, that's what this whole thing was about. All the deadlines and explosives are nice and real, but they were never ever the point. Which, I did like that V himself realized that, and gave the choice to Evy.

But in a way, the quality of the story really undercut that, because they make it so very clear the real issue here is this core of people who form the ideology of the entire system, and if they are taken out, the whole thing is gonna collapse. So with the Chancellor and Creedy and all the other scumbags V took out during the movie gone- everyone realizes, it really is just a building, and the real obstacle to changing things already happened.

In fact, now that I think about it, much like how the real hero of Dark Knight were the convicts and civilians that refused to blow each other up, you could argue the real heroes of V are the local army commanders who do not fire on all the people when they march on Whitehall.

Ramblin

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:18:16 GMT

So Mom vacilates between grudging acceptance to outright hostility and paranoid refusal to do anything anyone tells her to. I talked to the doc in private yesterday when we went for her appointment, and after I dumped on him for a little bit in private, he tried to be part doctor, part family therapist when he finally saw her. It partially worked, I guess. The depression is still really strong, and she has crying fits at times.

I'm going to ask my Brother and Sister in Law if they want to announce her pregancy faster than they planned. (oh did I mention they told me the day of mom's surgery she was pregnant again?). I'm hoping that would be the one thing Mom would use to will herself to concentrate on rehabing her knee. We'll see.

As for me, I took the chance to run home Saturday night and Sunday. It wasn't a ton of time, but enough to take a break. Also, driving to Panera for some breakfast and taking my normal walk to the park Sunday morning really made me glad, because I live in a pretty place. And now the trees are JUST starting to turn, so Peak should be coming in the next week or so. Today I had a job interview, which seemed to go really well, and I had to drop by the apartment again before heading home, and I noticed how much things were starting to change even just a couple days later. The reds, oranges, yellows, golds- it's coming, and I can't wait. I've decided to try to go home again Thurs night, and come back Saturday (didn't think Mom would like me to be away on bday), and hopefully I can take a few hikes around and get some pics. Driving around, the whole state just has that awesome 'fall' feeling all over the place, and I want to soak it in as much as possible.

Oh yeah, and I really need to bake another apple pie. Seriously.

I've been found out.

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:10:37 GMT

Apparently, according to Mother, I've 'been looking for any excuse and wanting to put [her] in a nursing home for 30 years!".

So that's it, I'm busted. Since I was eight, I've been looking for any way to put her in a nursing home. Seriously.

Lets just say Mom's first day/night home was not exactly what one would hope for. Gonna be a interesting weekend.

Update for the updates.

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:20:13 GMT

So Mom was finally released from the hospital to the rehab hospital on Wend, 3 days later than she was originally supposed to. And by the time she had left the hospital she had a internist, kidney doctor, and cardiologist. She couldn't eat any solid food for close to five full days, and her blood pressure was spiking sky high, prob a combination of the drugs and panic attacks. They finally prescribed adavan, which combined with the zoloft would calm her down in stretches, if leave her pretty fuzzy.    And btw, if you are ever in the hospital and you mention you have pressure in your chest- that's much like being at the airport and telling the baggage check in you have a bomb. In either case, you will not being able to leave again until you pass a whole bunch of really uncomfortable tests. Just sayin.

The rehab hospital is a pretty nice place. It's nestled outside a town/shopping area so it's more in the country, and there's a arborteum and other things that is relaxing. Mom seems to like it pretty much, and she is eating fine again,  although yesterday morning I got a phone call that went like this;

"Hello?"
"Hi it's me. I need you to talk to the nurse and tell them why I can't take all these pills. You explain it to them"
"Er....huh?"

Which I was put on with a equally confused nurse, who explained that my mother simply refused to take the blood pressure meds the cardiologist at the hospital prescribed. So what followed was me running down there (she has therapy in the morning so I wasn't gonna go till lunch) and talking to the doctor there and the nurses, and getting mom to understand that they'll take her off some of hte pills, but she has to take them to start, so they can see where her heart numbers are now.   Finally she agreed. Hopefully they can start taking her off some of them soon. In reality her blood pressure is never that high normally. But with how she reacted in the hospital- well all that anxiety will make them shoot up for sure.

And yeah, if you change my mother's prescriptions and don't tell her, or her family you're doing it (thank you so much, cardilogy doctor with the communication skills of a dog eating peanut butter), she will get completely paranoid and refuse.

Looks like she'll be at the rehab till Wend, so I'll be spending the weekend down at her house again.   Unfortunately, someone said it was time for Fall to really start, and for the most part i brought summer clothes, because it was really warm last weekend and I thought I'd be home at the end of this week. So I may have to take a few hours tonight or tomorrow and run home and back with some warmer clothes.

Finally, just some thoughts about the non-important stuff:

1. I'm so glad the Awesome has returned to Heroes. I barely watched last year with what they tried, but I'm really digging what they're doing now. They're much better when they let their character stories lead the plot, and not vice versa. Also, Summer Glau was so amazing in Sarah Connor last week, and I've been really happy with how that show is progressing too. Sucky that they're on at the SAME time as Chuck. Not like those audiences cross over. Moron schedule people. I need to watch Chuck, which is still on the dvr.

2.   Couple weeks ago I got my bday present, which is a neat new blue zune. I know, the world is owned by ipods, but itunes doesn't offer subscriptions and that was a deal breaker for me. And the other neat stuff the zune does, like letting you have friends that you can actually sync with, so if you have a subscription you can see what they are listening to and you can sync up and listen to their playlist, wihtout having to buy the songs.    I'm having a blast with it. I got the flash based 8 gig, and I'll prob get the hard drive 120 gig later...and it most probably will be the evil Gears of War 2 special edition they just announced. Eeeevil.

3. Tonight is the premiere of Sanctuary on Sci FI. If you're looking for something different, but still cool, you may want to dvr and check it out. This show started out as a internet-only project done by Amanda Tapping and some of her buds from the Stargate studio. The rented some of the sets and green screened EVERYTHING. It's a steam-punk atmosphere, and the story is about this doctor (played by Tapping) that searches the world to find evolutionary and other-worldly creatures, and gives them sanctuary to protect them. Looks very neat, and it's nice that a sci fi show co-created, exec produced, and starring in the lead hero role a woman is a neat thing. Much looking forward to it.

Update.

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:45:29 GMT

So quick update. The job interview was...wierd.   I went through the first two parts (behavior and 'are you right for this kind of job') really well and they seemed to really like me. And then the two 'tech' guys came in, and in short order I realized...the job they were hiring for was NOT what was in the description. At all. Like, the description makes it sound like they need someone to do minor tasks on the server for customers, and what they REALLY need is a guy with 5-10 years hard core networking and server deployment experience to walk in there and start doing the job in a week. Yeah- kinda not me there. Which, shockingly, he said has happened with the other 3 interviews they had this week. We then discussed how the job description just does not indicate the level technical experience they require, and how if I had known that I would not have even applied. And the recruiter guys had no idea of any of this either. So the bottom line is, this manager has been totaly wasting his time because his description was geared toward a entirely wrong level. Great.

So no job. However, all is not lost, because the woman who was interviewing me for the behavior part, said after talking with me about my previous experience, esp all the accounting background I've had, that she wanted to give me a accounting test because 'there was another position open, in software.' Which, is what I should have been interviewing for all along. They esp liked my SQL and Crystal Reports background. She said it's the same position, so the terms should be the same. She was very enthusiastic, and I called the recruiter afterwards and they're going to contact them about that. They had no idea they even had another position open. And it's a position I'm really perfect for. So I have a good feeling about it, but we'll see next week what happens.

So by the time I got home last night and got changed it was 6 before I could get to the hospital. Apparently, unfortunately, the first night was much like the first day, and dad said earlier in the day she was pretty much a mess. She's heavily nauseaous and couldn't eat solid food. But at least her leg wasn't hurting.   But, she was soooo drugged up I'm not sure she could feel it if she were.    But by 6:30 she was laying down and falling asleep. She told Dad and I to go home, since she was going to rest. According to dad, this same kind of thing happened after her gall bladder surgery. Which leads me to think more and more that her actual issues are more about her mental state, which is making her irrational and paranoid, which then makes her so nervous that she makes herself nauseaus and exhausted. I also heard the stories how the nurses were yelling at her and they're not really trying to help her, etc. I hate to think all this, but the fact is, this is the same behavior pattern I see all the time. Now it's just even more intense, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Bleah.

And to top everything off, I've been fighting a cold for several days, and this morning, it's really hit me hard. So I talked to Dad, and there's no way I can go in today, spreading this around and making her sick possibly.   So I'm gonna try to make soup and sleep as much as possible, see if I can nuke this in a day.
ETA: The new Knight Rider show may be the dumbest show ever made. And I do mean ever. What a absolute disaster.

Well that sucked.

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:03:52 GMT

So just about the worst day I can remember. Mom's surgery went more or less okay, but the post surgery was not so good. It basically amounted to one long 5 hour anxiety attack with periodic rest breaks, with her yelling about how much pain she's in, demanding more pain meds (which, because she was tense and fighting everything, did not help them work), and basically making herself nauseaus because she was in such a panicked and anxious state. (And I talked to the nurse as I was about to leave and she concurred that was essentially what was going on.)

I left early, because I caught her, after she had closed her eyes and leaned back, opening them to look at me. She really NEEDS to sleep, esp since they start the actual therapy tomorrow (she had a knee replacement). So hopefully if things were quiet and there was no one there - because she had already had me call tim and susie and tell them not to come back this afternoon- that she would relax. And dad- well he had the brilliant idea to schedule a volleyball match to officiate on the same day as mom's surgery. Which was very helpful.

Tired now. Going to take a run around the neighborhood and then try to study for the job interview tomorrow.

Ike is here.

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:37:37 GMT

So you know how if you stand next ot the freeway and a truck goes by at like 60 and how it feels? Well that's what is happening here, all afternoon and right now. Basically we are at the very southeastern most edge of Ike. And the winds have been increasingly insane since around 4pm. I've never seen wind like this- oh we've had plenty of windstorms, but this is gusting so often and SWIRLING that you never know where it's coming from. I've barricaded the garbage cans outside, I hope they are still there in the morning. As I type this the power keeps flickering off and on, so I would not be surprised if we lose it sometime soon. This should be past in about 3 hours. I'll know it's over when the firetrucks finally stop racing all over town- I swear they've passed the house at least 8 times since this afternoon. Crazy.

Updates and a Music Meme!

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:20:12 GMT

It's been a while, and to be honest I just haven't been in a great mood to blog. For one, the move didn't go as smoothly, with a pretty serious shoulder injury following me until just recently. Add to that some more family dramaz because it was decided Dad had to move back home by the end of August, and the result is I've been spending 2-3 nights a week at the parents to help him move. Fun fun. And Mom's knee replacement surgery is happening two weeks from tomorrow, and I'll be staying down there that week to try to get some more things around the house done and make sure everything is ready when Mom gets out of the rehab center a week later. It doesn't help that the job situation, after 2 close calls a few weeks ago, remains unfilled. Oh well, just keep searching and applying I guess. Bleah.

Oh yeah, and did I mention how I'm very seriously considering suing my hometown city govt, the police force, and possibly a couple neighbors? Because if you really want to piss me off- just act like some idiot macho 'alpha male' and call some 'friends' you have at city hall so they send the POLICE out to bother my mother THREE TIMES IN A MONTH. My mother, the 70 year old woman who suffers from clinical depression, can barely walk half the time and needs a knee replacement surgery, and in 40 years of residence doesn't have so much as a parking ticket.   Because someone like her obviously deserves to be freaked out about meaningless shit that has no bearing on public safety. Seriously.

So I've decided if it happens one more time, I'm retaining a laywer and we'll file the papers. Can you say ''Mental Anguish'. I put my Mother on the stand, and the jury will know exactly what that is.

Anyway, some FUN stuff has happend too. And I shoudl really post some pics I've taken lately. Maybe later.

Oh yeah, and today I got an email announcing that Idina Menzel has added a show in Cleveland at the HOB on Oct 30. This is quite a surprise, because as far as I know that tour ended in LA a couple weeks ago.    But this is a deal that Playhouse Square is doing, and I'm being offered the chance to buy a ticket before they go on general sale. So woot!

That will be a interesting time, since on Nov 1 my family and sister in law will be seeing the Trans Siberian Orchestra open up the eastern wing of their tour in Youngstown. AND the first week of Nov is the opening for Legally Blonde at Playhouse Sq. A whole lotta cool music there! Unfortunately, unless sometihng changes very soon, I've resigned myself that Legally Blonde will just have to be off the table, for several reasons.   But Idina is only 30 bucks for a GA ticket, and that's a one-time-only thing, so I'll grab a ticket for that for sure.

And, in the musical spirit, I ganked the following from random_flores

I usually despise meme's, but this one is actually fun. So here we go!

1. One of the earliest songs you can remember listening to:
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins. Mom had the record.

2. Song from the artist you last saw live:
The Wizard and I - Carmen Cuzak, Wicked

3. Song you cur.rently can't get out of your head:
Re: Your Brains - Jonathon Coulton

4. Song by someone who is dead:
Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughn

5. Song you discovered from a film:
Bring Me to Live - Evanescence.
Saw Daredevil, and that night went to the store and bought the cd.

6. Song you love to sing along to:
Twilight Zone - Golden Earring.

7. Song you totally misunderstood the first time you heard it:
Jumpin Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones

8. Love song:
Have I told you lately that I love you? - Rod Stewart

9. Song that makes you nostalgic:
Drive - The Cars

10. Song that makes you cry:
Um...none?

11. Song that makes you laugh:
Wow, a couple ways to go here. There is the obvious comedy stuff like Alan Sherman or Tim Wilson, but for a non-comedy song....
Lawyers, Guns and Money - Warren Zevon

12. Song that makes you want to dance:
La Grange - ZZ Top

13. Song with food in the title:
Chesseburger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffet

14. Song that creeps you out:
The End - Doors

15. Really good cover song:
You Really Got Me - Van Halen

16. Song about dreaming or waking up:
These Dreams - Heart

17. Song you like only because of the title:
I kinda....don't listen to stuff I don't like. Title or not. *G*

18. Song you like from an artist that you otherwise don't like:
Extreme Ways (The Jason Bourne theme) - Moby

19. Song you hate:
Send In The Clowns- any version. lol

20. Wildcard:
Mama - Genisis

The Dark Knight. Ohh boy review time.

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:33:46 GMT

Wow, spent a lovely Saturday. First I got up and went to the Lakewood Arts Festival, where I was psyched to find two 'Lighthouse' pieces to hang in the living room! Then I picked up Stargate Continuum at best buy, which I'll watch tonight. Finally, spent most of the afternoon  at ~~The Grove~~ Crocker Park, where I saw Dark Knight for the second time. And this really is a movie you need to see twice- so much is going on you see a lot of different things you can't possibly keep focus on all of them, unless you're as wacko as The Joker is.   Or even cloise.

"Sometimes people just want to see the world burn."

Okay so it's a testament to some of the unique things in this movie that, at the end of the day, the real heroes of the whole thing are a unnamed convict and some common forty-ish buisness man. And they' are ultimately the reason the Joker doesn't succeed.

But I'm getting ahead of things. Because Alfred's line there really does sum up the film.  And the awesome thing is, that really is what the Joker wantrs. To show everyone how much the world, and everyone in it, is fucked up. To take the well-laid 'plans' and show "the scheemers how little controll they actually have of their little worlds." What I loved about this is, that the Joker here is PURE anarchism. Oh other villians have been constructed for tv and movies that are called 'anarchists', but in the end (usualy because they all follow the standard 'hero-chases-villian' trope), they aren't REALLY anarchists at all. They usually are in the game for their own aggrandisement or to get rich. That's not what anarchism is. The Joker here iS anarchy. It's lighting a match to society and watching it crumble before you. Just like the Joker taunts Batman after their fight, "What, do you think I'd let the battle for the soul of Gotham come down to a fistfight between you and me?!"    He's always looking for the endgame, and he doesn't even think it's about him.

Now, what I really find fascinating about Ledger's Joker (and you might as well just award the oscar now, seriously) , is how he sees himself. First, I love how adamant he was when he broke into the mob meeting there. "You're crazy." "NO. I'm not." It was one of the most firmest things the Joker says the whole movie. He's NOT crazy, at least in his own mind. He does know other people think he is, and he uses that to his own benefit. But in that scene, and elewhere along the way, he firmly believes he's not insane or a psychopath. But he knows what that IS. Because he's not dissociative- he knows exactly what 'right' and 'wrong' is, at least according to society's 'rules'. As he tells Batman in the interrogation room, he understands 'the one rule' that batman and everyone else has- they won't kill people unless they have to. So it seemed important to him to differentiate that, and by doing so, elevates him beyond the crazy people that he used from Arkam prison.

Of course, the Joker is crazy. We just don't know how or why. And it doesn't matter. One of those little things I loved so much about the movie was how for several times they setup the tragic backstory for the villian to 'explain' their psychosis [tm]. And in every case, the Joker gives a completely different story. "Do you know how I got these scars?"   Whether it was his father, or his wife, or whoever else, whatever happened to him, they don't say. And it doesn't matter. The fact that he doesn't see what he's doing as crazy just proves that he is. It raises a interesting question, because terrorists are not automatically thought of as crazy (no, they're 'true believers'), yet anarchists, by definition, are treated as psycopaths. Eeenteresting how those two are so closely two sides the same...er...coin.

I won't talk about the plot much, because it's been in all the reviews I've seen, and they're mostly dead on. Ledger gets the oscar, and there just might be a best picture nom in here too. It really is that good, that intense. While some of the pacing of the firest third is uneven at times, the last hour and half of it are so intense, you can't stop yourself from becoming immersed in it.

And its remarkable, because IMO it does have two, rather large flaws. One, some of the deeper batman stuff here just gets completely lost. I don't think that's Bale or Nolan's fault per say, but rather a offshoot of the fact that the Joker likes to talk so damn much. Because one thing- you NEVER have to wonder what hte joker is thinking about. Just ask him, he'll tell you. But Batman- the whole theme of him needing to go beyond his own boundaries, and using questionable spying on the total populice, gets somewhat lost because there's hardly anytime for him to discuss it.  So those internal conflicts really do stay- internal.

On top of that, the 'big' point' made in the very end, that they try to talk about through the film, about how important Dent was 'to be the real hero for the people of Gotham', just really doesn't emotionally work as well as the rest of the movie. Because they keep telling us and each other how important he is, but that connection between the common man and Dent, just doesn't come through naturally, and isn't IMO really shown at all. So it's a classic 'say not show' situation, even though Batman forces Gordon to 'call him [batman] in' as the murderer of Ramierez and Wiertz, and three other people. (btw, what five people did Dent kill? I totally missed that.).

The acting really was amazing, and Nolan kept everyone exactly where he wanted them to be in the story. Poor Rachel, was doomed the moment Katie Homes became Cruise-ified, and Maggie did the best she could, I think.  But there was NO chemistry between her and Bale at ALL, where there was a really nice quiet intensity that Homes and Bale shared in Begins.   Eckhart did a great job of transforming into a psycho- not by acting crazy, but taking all those beliefs that he had at the start and twisting them to match his need for revenge.

And man, how many really huge actors had bit parts in this? I mean, the buzz must have been on the street about this script, because the Bill Fichte and Anthony Michael Hall's of the world don't need bit parts in a summer action movie. And I noticed others too, I just couldn't place the faces.

Nolan really does a great job getting some amazing shots. And I noticed, following how so many things are going on this, in almost every scene, something is moving. Either he's moving the camera, by shooting a conversation with a handicam, or using a rotating shot around a group, like the conversation between batman, dent, and gordon on the roof, that swirled around them as they spoke. And if the camera isn't moving, Zimmer is using his crazy constant 16th-note string arpeggios in the background so you know- things are happening, even if you can't see them beyond this 'simple' conversation between the joker and some thug or a cop. It's the constant movement, a frentic emotional sense, or as the Joker put it "like a dog chasing cars," that lends to the intesity you feel in that last hour and half. And it just- doesn't stop.

And even now, three hours after it ended (again), and I still keep thinking 'I'm missing something', because of just how intense it all is. And that's what makes it do remarkable.   Even after you see it again.

Nice racist people make me crazy, and Lake Erie is noisy.

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:22:31 GMT

Well I'm moved. At least if you call all the boxes, bags, suitcases, and dissasembled furniture laying around 'moved'.

And I do, so there.

There are many stories that go along with the moving that are long and painfull, figuratively and literally.   But one of the most annoying happened at my local bank near Mom's house. I've been banking there for literally ever. I've had accounts there since I was 11 years old. So I went in to arrange some financial things before I moved, and change my address with them. So I meet one of the teller ladies that I've known for years and years, and I tell her I need to change address, which leads to where I'm going, and I just moved back from LA, and what the differences are, yadda yadda. I said that LA is a really cool place to live, mostly if your family lives nearby. Then the nice teller lady says she just got back from Arizona, where her daughter moved, and that there 'was 3 things wrong with it. It's too hot, it's too expensive, and I'm sorry, but there's too many Mexicans!'.

*sigh*   Great.

This is a woman I've known since elementary school. I was in the the same class as her nephu, and only one class in front of her son. I've been to her house for birthday parties when I was little.

Nice racists just annoy the hell out of me.

Anyway, I matter of factly said how one of my best friends is from a large Mexican family, and I've spent a lot of time with them, and I noted how very similar Mexican and Italian families are. And after having spent most of my LIFE around large Italian families, I can say, it's so true. Similar values and cultures and family structures and just- everything.   There is almost NO difference.   Except food.

The only thing she could say was 'huh', although I could tell she really didn't agree. Maybe because she was, of course, Mary Ann *DePizzo*.

Yeah, because being from a large Italian family and hating Mexicans makes a whole pile of sense. Idiot.

Anyway, yesterday was the first full day in the new place, although since the parents came up later in the day, there wasn't much time to really take anything in.

But it did rain early in the day, and for most of the day it was cloudy and pretty windy. And when I stood in the back bedroom or by the back porch or anywhere outside, I could hear this- roar. I figured it was the train going through town. But then I was outside a hour or so later, and I heard it again. And then when the parents showed up with a full van to unpack, I realized what it was- it was water.   I just never figured the lake could be so...loud.   But then, when we went to dinner later and we passed some cross streets where you could see the lake, you could see how violent the winds had made it yesterday, because there were whitecaps and what looked to be 4-6 foot waves out there. It looked ANGRY.  So I guess I shouldn't be surprised it sounded it. But I never expected it.

Time to put together more furnture and do something with all these boxes. And with whatever the hell Mom put in them. Oy.

OMG Batman Score OMG

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:49:38 GMT

So Rhapsody pushed out the new Dark Knight soundtrack yesterday. And I am TOTALLY in love. OMG, all the stuff that was so awesome about Batman Begins is there, but there's a whole new powerfull layer of themes that I can tell is for the Joker, and it meshes perfectly. It's kinda hard to describe, but some of the techniques Zimmer uses now, it's just so effective. Like the way in some songs ("Like A Dog Chasing Cars") he does the upper string arpeggio to the marching beat, like in Begins, but then he brings in the cellos and deep horns and just drops the whole fucking thing a couple of octaves, and you feel like you just fell through from the top floor of a building.

Oh god, is it Friday yet? Well okay, I need the extra day to pack, which really has to be 80% done by tonight, but still....GIMME BATMAN.

T-minus 7 days...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:25:32 GMT

One week from moving. And I want it OVER. Ugh. I've had a ton of posts I've wanted to do, but combined time and energy deficiencies mean..no way. Oh well, I promise to get to them...even the 4th of July reccs. But, many unexpected trips to my new place to take stuff, including the saga of getting the new sofa and recliner from sam's which is about 11 miles away, taking two days, four different people, and one wrecked shoulder (mine). In fact, it's been so bad today that of the list of about 2000 things I wanted to get done today I did a total of...2. Bleah. In any case, thankfully I only have about 35% of my stuff to get up there next saturday. Which can't come soon enough and it will finally be OVER.

But, I did manage to take some picks of the place over the last week, to get a feel for it, and they can been seen here:

http://flickr.com/photos/29989638@N00/sets/72157606151910473/

This week will be all moving prep, unless my shoulder improves to the point where we can carry all the stuff down from what will be dad's bedroom so I can get it painted. But, since he won't be moving in until Oct, I'll prob end up coming back for a day or two sometime in Aug or Sept and finish it up. It's gonna be a crazy week regardless.

Er...Sea Doo is stalking me?

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:39:27 GMT

So taking a quick break in the weekend from bbq's, moving preparations, and carpet steam cleaning, and I check my email, only to find....a spam from of all people Bombardier/Sea-Doo. Um- I just signed the lease to my new place by the lake this past tuesday, so how the hell would the jet-ski people EVEN KNOW THIS?!

The best part is that I've never even been ON a jet ski in my life, although it does sound very fun. And of all things I've thought about owning in my life, a jet ski has never been one of them. But still, thanks to checking my email, I now know I can get 36 months 0% interest, and if I buy one this summer, I'll get a free gas card worth $1000!

So I got that going for me, I guess.

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:17:14 GMT

Wow, spent one day last week, and all day yesterday, roving Cleveland in the Great Apartment Search.

Last week's trip was pretty disappointing, but yesterday...pretty good.  And I think I've come down to the fnal decision that I need to decide to make a decison soon.   And now that THAT is set in stone....

But, it really comes down to two issues. Yesterday, for the first time, I went over to the west side of Cleveland. Which is where this house is:

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/apa/726653806.html

So I drove over there, and saw the area in general, and in a word, it's simply gorgeous.  The house is literally one block from the last houses before the lake. To give you an idea, I went to the park which is located about half a mile down the road that runs on the other side of the block from the house, just two houses down:

The park goes to the edge of the cliffs before the lake, but in the last few years they built this lovely promenade with these ramps that run down to just above the water, and there are platforms and benches at various spots.

If you walk down to the end, you can see downtown directly to the east:

So...yeah.   And the area next where the house is, in towns lke Rocky River and Avon Lake and such, are just amazing, beautiful places. It very much reminds me of the old mansions that were built in Long Beach, and that's understandable since they should be about the same age as these homes. I even found a mall that they built in the area that is, in essense, a carbon copy of The Spectrum in Irvine. Pretty neat.

So - that's door number 1.   Leaving us with Door number 2:

http://clevelandheightsapartments.com/12485Cedarint.htm

This place is awesome. First of all, everything is completely remodeled. The kitchens are COMPLETELY brand new- brand new MIDDLE of the line gas stoves and fridges, and all new counters and cabinets. It looks like a model home show kitchen. And the landlord got GOOD people to do the work in all the rooms. The finishing work is perfect. And there are just amazing archectural touches in the rooms, keeping the 1920's feel of the original builiding, while putting in modern Hunter ceiling fans and track lighting. And in the one suite I was shown at the very top of the building, it is facing the west and you can actually see the top of the downtown skyline- about 6 miles away.   I bet the sunsets through that window are amazing.

And the neighborhood is amazing, just for completely different reasons than the west side area.   In this building, you are literally 500 feet from art galleries, bookstore, coffee shops, a Dave's Market, several resturants, a martini bar, jazz club, etc. And it's still has the park like feel of much of Cleveland Heights.

So, the rub is. I can't actually SEE the lakewood house until Saturday, since I called the nice older lady that owns it, and there's someone living in it. But the outside that I saw was REALLY nice.   One thing it has the apartment doesn't have is a porch and a screen porch, and a area in the back yard to grill out and eat and such. The apartment building of course, has nothing like that.    The other large issues are that with the duplex I'll have to pay heat, where heat is included in the apartment building. But parking at the apartment building will be 50 bucks a month extra (ouch). And the big thing, I'm a little worried what the kitchen will be like at the house.

UGH. Hate decisions. But I think what it comes down to is, if the kitchen at the house is serviceable, and the rooms are not beat up, I may just have to take the house right there. Otherwise, I have a strong feeling about the apartment building. Then again I could keep looking in Lakewood, because there seems to be a lot of openings over there in the last few days....

I'll just be over here smacking my head against the wall.