Random thoughts

- Netherlands defeated Uruguay 3-2 today to advance to the World Cup final.  I have been rooting for them all along (they have long been my favorite international team) and now they are just one step away.  My 2nd favorite team, Germany, plays Spain for the other spot in the final.  Germany is playing brilliant soccer right now and if they get by Spain they will be favored to win the Cup.  Netherlands was quite sloppy with the ball today, especially late in the first half through midway in the second half.  That will not get the job done against either Germany or a very talented Spain.  I am hoping the boys can tighten things up a bit before the final.  As for my other 2 favorite teams, England and the United States, well, the less said the better.

-NCAA Football 11 is one week away from release.  I am totally amped up for this game and have very high hopes for it.  I have my 4 custom teams all ready to go (go to username Quint75 on the Xbox 360 version of Team Builder to find them) and of course the Maize and Blue of Michigan will get a thorough workout as well.  It will be a little while before the community rosters are finished being named and adjusted, but once that starts it will be Dynasty Mode city.  Especially nice is the ability to do all of your Dynasty Mode stuff online now, including over your iPhone.  Hot tamale!

-My wife and I have started a new 4th of July tradition which I am embarrassed to say should have started about 25 years ago: we will now watch Jaws every July 4th.   After all, a great deal of it takes part over the July 4th holiday.  Plus it's been my favorite movie since I was 9 years old.  I give full credit to Barb for the idea of making this a tradition.  And I smack myself in the head because I did not think of it first.  As a certified Jaws fanatic, I hang my head in shame.

-Watched a few more movies in the last couple of days.  Here are some quick ratings, on a scale of 1-10:

• Jaws - 10 (duh!)
• Cobb - 6.5
• Session 9 - 7.0
• Zombieland - 7.5 (but quite entertaining)
• The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made - 5.0 (ironic, huh?)
• Tales From The Script - 7.0

That's it for now.  Go Germany tomorrow and Go Netherlands on Sunday!
       

Rating some recently seen movies

I have been in movie watching mode for a while, so I thought I'd just rate what I have seen on a scale of 1-10.  No comments, just ratings.

Zulu: 8.5

The Machinist: 8.0

Streets Of Laredo: 8.0

The Wolfman (2010): 7.0

Capturing The Friedman's: 8.5

The Red Baron: 6.0

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29: 8.5

Sense and Sensibility: 9.0

Suspect Zero: 6.5

Right At Your Door: 8.0

The China Syndrome: 8.5

Survivor 20 - Season Finale

Season 20 of Survivor drew to a close last night and saw Sandra walk away with $1M and the title of Sole Survivor. Once again, the jury voted for the player they liked the best as opposed to the one who played the best. I guess feelings are hurt more easily than they used to be in the game of Survivor, because more and more it's turning into a popularity contest. Nobody seems able to admit that someone else outwitted, outplayed and outlasted them, least of all this latest collection of all-star egos.

No disrespect to Sandra. She's a fine player and now two time winner. But she didn't deserve to win this game. That, IMO, would have been Parvati (also a previous winner, who placed 2nd this time). She played a much more active strategic and physical game, and pretty good social game too, all things considered. Of course the main thing to consider was one Russell Hanz, the uber villain who was participating in his second consecutive Survivor, with whom Parvati was allied throughout the game.

Arguably the best strategist and master manipulator to ever play the game, Russell has zero concept of the social aspect of Survivor that's part and parcel of winning. You'd think he would have learned from his experience last season when he finished as runner up to the charming, but otherwise pretty much useless, Natalie. He played the same bull in a china shop game this time around and once again landed himself in the final three. But this time he was unable to garner a single voted as Sandra outpolled Parvati 6 votes to 3 for the mil.

I'm usually lukewarm to "all-star" Survivor seasons, but this season was nothing short of astonishing by any estimation with shocking developments throughout. Let's hope next season is every bit as entertaining. Four months to go...

Surrounded by sound

I finally got a surround sound system!  I have wanted one for ages but it just was really never a good time for it.  There were always other priorities that made much better sense.  But this year Barb set aside money for one for my birthday.  After a lot of research, I settled on a moderately priced Onkyo system that included a 7.1 receiver and speakers.  It wasn't released yet, so I had to wait a couple of weeks until it became available.  Once it arrived, I enlisted the aid of my brother Doug to help me run the wiring.  My man-cave is in the basement and I have a drop ceiling, so running the wires the length of the room wasn't the problem.  It was going through the insulation in the walls to run the speaker wire vertically that was the real bear.  Luckily my brother has the patience of Job and he got that done for me.  A couple of late nights later and I was all hooked up and had the system set up to my liking.

First on my DVD list was Saving Private Ryan (my brother's suggestion).  I watched the opening half hour and was amazed by the surround sound audio with bullets whizzing by on one side and cannon shells going off on the other.  Next was Talking Heads' terrific concert film Stop Making Sense.  I watched a handful of my favorite performances, including Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, Found A Job, Slippery People, Life During Wartime and Making Flippy Floppy.  Absolutely awesome stuff.

Then, of course, I had to try out Jaws.  I watched the opening scene (the attack on Chrissie), the attack in the estuary, the scene where the shark makes his first appearance off of the stern of the Orca and the final showdown.  No matter how many times I see this (and I am guessing it is well over 200+ since 1975), it still gives me a tingle.  It's my favorite movie and also a great childhood remembrance.  Can't get better than that.

As a celebration for my new toy, Barb got me a Blu Ray copy of Avatar.  I was not ready for how awesome it looked and sounded.  Simply unreal.  Though I have had my PS3 for ages, I only have 2 Blu Ray discs.  I have always bought regular DVDs so I can share them with my friends that don't have Blu Ray.  I may have to become more selfish now.  Stunning is the only way to describe the audio and visual delights of the Avatar Blue Ray.

I played an hour or so of Just Cause 2 (still an absolute blast to play) and was stunned by the sound effects, especially explosions.  I can't wait to hear the bands and crowds in NCAA Football 11.  And last night I made time to pop in The Beatles: Rock Band.  I played a 19 song set, which was really longer than that because it included the Abbey Road side 2 medley.  What a blast.  A totally different (and markedly better) experience than playing it through the TV speakers.

So I am in heaven with the new surround sound system.  Barb helped me spruce the room up very nicely.  My brother helped make the installation look professional.  Jess handed out the tape (don't ask, but she did a fine job of it).  It was a team effort and now I am really in business when it comes to my entertainment system.  Thanks everyone!

Been a little busy...

Sorry the blogging has flagged as of late.  I have had my hands full with stuff at home both mundane and meaningful.  As I posted earlier, we got our son Zach off to basic training in the Air Force.  He has called a couple of times but just to relay that he arrived and to leave his address.  It is very strange knowing he is there and wondering what he is going through.  He is on our minds constantly.  We are really looking forward to attending his graduation when that arrives sometime in June.  In the meantime, he is in our thoughts and prayers and we hope this is a good path that he has chosen.

I would also like to thank Barb and Jess for all they have done lately.  They threw me one heck of a birthday party and they have just been terrific.  Barb has earned major kudos at work.  She is doing an exceptional job and that has been recognized.  I am tremendously proud of her for everything she does, here and at work.  You're the best, Sweetie!

I am in the midst of deciding on a home theater surround sound system.  I have been doing a lot of searching and I have settled upon what I want.  It's just that it is not available yet and may not be until mid June.  In the meantime there is almost an identical system available that I seriously tempted with.  Both support HDMI 1.4 so if that becomes the new standard with 3D TVs and such I will be all set.  The yet-to-arrive-model is a 7.1 system while the other is 5.1.  Honestly, 5.1 would be fine by me.  Even if I get the 7.1 system, I may only set it up as 5.1 given the size of my theater room.  The real reason I am holding out (so far) is that the system that is already available has only 3 HDMI inputs while the other has 4.  Currently I only need 3 (Xbox 360, PS3 and Digital HD cable TV) but I'd like to have an extra just in case the need would ever arise.  Maybe I am being silly there, I don't know.  The The yet-to-be-released set also comes with an iPod dock that works with iPhones, so that's cool as well.  We'll see how long I can hold out waiting for the other system to become available.

Gaming-wise I haven't been playing much.  When I do get time I have been playing Just Cause 2, which is too fun for words, and MLB 10: The Show.  Just Cause 2 is the ultimate sandbox game.  You can lay waste to anything and everything and then deal with the consequences.  It is by no means perfect but I am having more fun with this game than I ever had with a Grand Theft Auto title.  There is so much to do it is unreal.  In The Show meantime, little John Schmaltz is tearing it up in AA ball for the Red Sox affiliate.  He could get a call up to AAA at any time.  Once again, The Show is where it's at as far as baseball is concerned.

Lastly I have spent far too much time worrying about the St. Louis Rams.  Anyone that knows me know that I am a complete draft-aholic and I have been keeping up with all that as usual.  But just when it seemed as though the team was going to be sold to Shahid Khan, who is very keen on making things work in St. Louis, minority owner Stan Kroenke has decided to try to break NFL rules and buy the team outright.  The rules state that since Kroenke owns 2 other sports teams (the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche) in a city with an NFL team, he cannot own those 2 teams and and NFL team at the same time.  The thought is that he would be competing for the sports dollars in Denver against a fellow NFL owner.  It's a convoluted rule, but it has been in place for a while and there seemed no chance it was going to be lifted for Kroenke.  But he made the play anyway, so he must have something up his sleeve.

First of all, I feel very bad for Khan, who stepped up when this city needed him to.  Secondly, despite Kroenke owning 40% of the team since their arrival in St. Louis, there is no guarantee that he is committed to keeping the team here.  The stadium lease deal will likely be voided in 2014 (a long story) and Kroenke can do whatever he wants with the team.  When he announced he had matched the offer to buy the Rams, he made not a single mention of the city of St. Louis.  He is from Missouri, but he is a billionaire business man with homes all over the place, including Malibu, California.  Who says the city of Los Angeles doesn't get their massive stadium built and Kroenke is free to go wherever he wants after 2014, which would be right around the time the stadium is completed.  Sound crazy?  Perhaps, but even the local media is wary.

I am just sick to death of uncertain ownership issues (which couldn't have come at a worse time, right before the draft) and having to worry about whether this team will remain in St. Louis for the long haul.  There shouldn't be this sort of anxiety and uncertainty year in and year out for a team that has been welcomed here with open arms.  At the very least, Khan was hoping to be approved in May.  Now with this latest development, we won't know what's going to happen for a much longer time.  More uncertainty.  And even if Kroenke gets the team, the future may not be in St. Louis.

As someone who has been a die-hard Rams' fan since they arrived in St. Louis, I am just about fed up.  This is the most dysfunctional sports team I have ever seen, and I lived through the Blues era when they were thought to be moving to Saskatoon.  This team never gets anything right.  Other than a glorious 5 year run from 1999-2003, this has been the very worst NFL team in the league.  The last 3 years have set a new league record in futility with a 6-42 record.  Not only do we have to endure record-setting bad football, but all under the threat that the team could pick up and leave if that's what the owner wishes.

Rant off and good night!

R.I.P. Alex Chilton

I was very saddened to read that rock music cult icon Alex Chilton passed away suddenly on March 17th.  Chilton was the lead man behind Big Star, an early 70's band that was extremely influential despite poor record sales.  Big Star is often referred to as the pioneers of Power Pop, a genre that includes such bands as Cheap Trick, REM, The Replacements and The Posies.  After years away from the music scene, Big Star reformed with members of The Posies rounding out the band.  They had been active until his death and I am seriously bummed that I never got a chance to see them live.

As mentioned, Big Star never sold a lot of records.  They put out 3 albums in the early 70's and each one was highly acclaimed and they are now all considered classics.  When Rolling Stone magazine released their list of the 500 greatest rock albums of all time, all 3 original Big Star records made the list.  In 1987 The Replacements released their excellent Pleased To Meet Me album.  The 2nd track on the album?  A rocker entitled "Alex Chilton."

Chilton's biggest hit was as a 16 year old singer in the band The Box Tops.  The band hit #1 with their classic The Letter.  It was after his success with The Box Tops that Chilton formed Big Star in Memphis.  Chilton's solo work away from Big Star has divided many critics, some who love it and others who think it is a far cry from his best work.  But that seems to matter little at this time.  The man's music and legacy will live on mostly through his work with Big Star.  If you have not heard Big Star, I recommend checking out all 3 of the early albums: #1 Record, Radio City and Sister Lover/Third.  It definitely has that 70's vibe but to this day it still sounds fresh and exciting.

There have been recent rumors about a Big Star movie in the works, though whether it would be a documentary or a drama I am not sure.  Another early member, Chris Bell, died in an automobile accident after he had left the band.  Bell was extremely talented in his own right and was a tragic figure with some inner demons that he may never have conquered.  Now Alex Chilton is gone too.  Rest in peace, fellas.  The music world is a much better place for having had you.

A little update

-I got my daughter Jess out for her first driving lesson today.  We went to a big parking lot and she learned the basics.  She did an excellent job with the steering, accelerating and braking.  I was really impressed with her confidence and her attitude.  Well done, Jess!!!

-Barb and I finished season 4 of Dexter last night so we are all caught up.  We are both still recovering from what was an absolute shocker of an ending.  Neither of us saw it coming and it really has stuck with us both all day.  Stunning is all I can say.  I'm still not sure if I am mad about it or not.  I guess the writers did their job well.

-God Or War III comes out next week.  I have it pre-ordered from Amazon (with free release date delivery) along with the strategy guide.  I got $10 off the game for having pre-ordered Bioshock 2 from Amazon earlier.  It's a great way to get your games and save money.  Now I am feverishly trying to finish God Of War II before GOWIII arrives.  God Of War II such an excellent game in it's own right, I am trying not to rush too much so that I can savor it's quality as well.  BTW, the reviews are coming in for GOWIII and as expected, they have been universal in their praise.

That's all for now.  Enjoying the heck out of my iPhone and playing Words With Friends.  I am down 2 games to none to Pete.  I have buzzard's luck against him, but he is an excellent player as well.  I'm not giving up, Pete!

What I've been watching

Barb and I have really gotten into the Showtime series Dexter.  I had always heard really good things about it and have wanted to check it out for a while.  Since we joined Netflix and can get stuff instantly through our membership, we started Dexter a couple of weeks ago.  We finished season 1 earlier this week and have already gotten more than halfway through season 2.  We love it!

Season 1 was a beautifully self-contained story that explained everything perfectly and had some real surprises towards the end.  Season 2 is expanding Dexter as a character, giving him much more depth.  The acting is terrific (Michael C. Hall is perfect as Dexter) and the writing, while stretching credibility at times, is clever and sets a perfect tone for the series.  We're looking very forward to seeing where the series goes from here.

I had also heard good things about a small independent film called Big Fan starring comedian Patton Oswalt.  It's not really a comedy but a look at a loser named Paul that is a "big fan" of the New York Giants football team, completely obsessed with them at the expense of everything else.  He lives at home with his mother, can't afford to actually attend the games and lives for making late night calls to an a sports radio station in New York where he has a running battle going on with a Philadelphia Eagles fan.  One night he and his friend see their favorite player out on the town and decide to follow him to a club.  Things don't go as planned and Paul's hero ends up viciously assaulting him.  The player is suspended and the Giants' fortunes begin to suffer.  Paul's family wants him to sue the player while the cops want to put the guy away.  Paul wants the whole thing to blow over so that the Giants can start winning again.  And the Philadelphia Eagles' fan on the radio finds out about the incident and begins taunting Paul about it over the air.  It's a perfect storm gathering in this little guy's life.  What will happen when it all becomes too much?

I thought the movie was pretty good, maybe a 7 on a 10 scale, but make no mistake, it's a minor movie.  Oswalt was absolutely perfect in a serious role.  I have always thought the guy was talented and had something like this in him; it's nice to see him get a chance to let it show.  The supporting cast was splendid as well.  I would not recommend actively seeking this movie out, but if you come across it someday, it may be worth paying attention to.

Finally, with a little extra time on my hands last night, I was flipping through Netflix for something to watch and I came across an iconic movie from the 70's that I had heard a lot about but had never actually seen before.  I am talking about Eraserhead, baby!  So I decided to go ahead and experience it for myself, knowing that this was something that Barb would probably not get into.  It met my expectations, which is to say it didn't make much sense but was full of great visuals and was sufficiently freaky that I felt sorry for all those folks who watched it while tripping on acid in the 70's.  I wonder if most of them ever recovered.

I'll tell the story as much as I can but I won't try to explain it, because to try to make sense of it would a waste of time.  Let's just say there's this strange guy that works as a printer.  He is on vacation.  He apparently lives in an industrial city that is nearly abandoned, because we hardly ever see anyone outside on the streets; there are no incidental characters.  Now this guy, Henry Spencer, has a girlfriend that he has apparently gotten pregnant, though he seems to be unaware of that.  He is invited to her house for dinner where he meets her incredibly strange family and is told by the mother (after she licks his face in a fit of passion) about the baby.  He then is told he must marry the girlfriend (Mary) and move her and the baby into his apartment.

Let's cut the to chase and say that the baby is some sort of mutant.  It doesn't resemble a human at all.  It's head looks like a cross between a horse and some kind of dinosaur and it's body is long and thin.  Still, it is oddly endearing.  Whoever did the special effects did a bang-up job because the way the eyes and mouth move make the creature seem alive.  Anyway, the "baby" cries all the time, which makes the already insane Mary even more crazy.  She leaves to go back to her parents.  Now Henry is left alone to cope with the baby.  When the baby gets sicks, he tries to nurse it back to health but it doesn't seem to work.  Henry is trapped in his grotesque room with nothing to do but hallucinate and/or go insane.  He sees a tiny woman behind his radiator who sings and dances and tells him of better days to come.  He dreams of an affair with his neighbor across the hall.  He sees all sort of appalling visions, such as sperm-like creatures that writhe across the floor.  Then he wakes up.  And he kills his baby.  Or does he?

Eraserhead got director David Lynch established and well on his way to a career built on movies like this, focusing on the surreal where real life and dreams and insanity constantly blend.  Back when it was made it was known as a "mindblowing" experience and if you can let yourself go a bit, it is still a compelling ride.  Strange, twisted, and at time repulsive, but compelling all the same.

Bond? James Bond?

I’ve been a James Bond fan literally since I was a kid. I’m dating myself here, but I saw all of the Connery Bond movies, from Goldfinger onward, at the theatre. I had all the paraphernalia too, from trading cards to a gold Aston Martin Dinky toy with retractable machine guns and bulletproof shield. I even had a 007 attaché case that fired plastic bullets and came equipped with a built in camera that actually worked. I was obsessed with all things Bond.
My interest began to wane when Roger Moore took over from Sean Connery. I was never able to come to terms with Moore in the role and, to this day, Connery defines Bond for me. It didn’t help that most of those films were mediocre at best, especially when held up against the first four of the series (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball), which are my personal faves.

Much to my surprise, I quite liked the Pierce Brosnan era Bond films (Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, World is Not Enough). I never thought much of Brosnan prior to that, but he had just the right mix of qualities to pull off Bond. Those films ushered the franchise into the high tech world of the new millennium and placed it squarely in the big budget action genre. Most importantly, they remained true to the well established formula and tone of the past (including the late Desmond Llewelyn as M), while integrating new faces like Judi Dench and John Cleese who breathed some fresh air into the proceedings.

I finally got around to checking out the most recent era Bond with a viewing of Casino Royale on the weekend. This is a meaner, nastier Bond in the form of Daniel Craig. Craig is a fine actor in his own right, but I didn’t for one minute buy into him as Bond. He has the requisite suave when called upon, but the panache is missing in action. It’s probably unfair to criticize Craig, since he was probably just playing the characterization that was drawn for him. Maybe it’s the hair color, but I couldn’t help but think that Clive Owen would have made a perfect Bond. In any case, I think the script and direction, not the acting, are the main culprits. They assembled all of the traditional Bond ingredients, and sucked the fun right out of them. Part of the Bond charm is that it never took itself too seriously – there was always a nudge and a wink to the audience. The cheeky humor and double entendres have given way to outbursts of brutal violence. The torture scene towards the end of the film is a perfect example. Can you imagine Dr. No wailing away on Bond like that? I think not.

Taken on its own merits, Casino Royale is actually a decent action flick, but it could just as easily have been called Bourne Royale. It bears little resemblance to its predecessors, and I hope it doesn’t represent the beginning of the end of the innocence for 007. Either way, I won’t be bothering to find out whether the trend continued with Quantum of Solace.

Pandora's Box (Criterion Collection)

In 1929 famous German director G.W. Pabst released his silent masterpiece, Pandora's Box.  Based on a couple of beloved plays by Frank Wedekind, it was a hugely ambitious and distinctly German project.  So the German public was outraged when American actress Louise Brooks was cast as Lulu, the lead in the film.  What they could not have known was that Ms. Brooks would give such a captivating performance that she would become famous worldwide and come to embody the 1920's & 1930's "flapper" girl.

Louise Brooks had co-starred in several silent pictures in the States and was on her way to becoming a leading lady when her contract expired.  Rather than accept a low-ball offer from Hollywood, she took a better offer from Pabst to star in his new ambitious film, Pandora's Box.  Pabst had been having trouble casting the iconic part of Lulu but had become convinced the 20 year old Brooks was perfect after seeing her on screen in one of her American roles.  But he had trouble reaching her and had given up.  The great Marlene Dietrich was in his office and was being offered the job (even though Pabst considered her too old for the role) when Brooks returned his call to see what he had wanted.  He immediately cast her over the phone without even meeting her.

Watching Pandora's Box in it's restored glory, you realize 2 things; Pabst was a genius and Louise Brooks was as dazzling a star as the world would see for a long while.  Pasbt's movie runs over 2 hours in length and it never lulls in it's storytelling, even with the very limited dialogue that is present due to it being a silent picture.  It tells the story of Lulu, who has been a kept girl numerous times, always climbing up the ladder.  As the movie begins she is the mistress of a rich newspaper editor and he keeps her in a beautiful apartment.  He tries to break off the affair because he is getting married, but Lulu laughs him off.  "Is that the reason you won't kiss me?" she asks and the affair continues.  Her first sugar daddy (Carl Goetz as the repulsive Schigolch) re-enters the picture and Lulu feels indebted to him, so she is always dragging him along, trying to help him out.  Lulu systematically destroys every man around her, but she does it not out of cruelty, but out of sweetness and not being able to say no.  She is far from the typical femme fatale; while she knows her allure and her sexual power, she is out for nothing more than a good time.  Either she is oblivious to the fact that she is toying with the emotions of those that fall under her spell or she does not comprehend the damage she does.  Either way, she is the downfall of many men and eventually she is dragged down as well.

While the movie itself is wonderful, ambitious and stunningly photographed in the German expressionistic vein, by far it's most powerful virtue is Ms. Brooks herself.  What a sight she must have been to audiences back in the day!  Trained in dance, she had the grace of a swan and a natural beauty that was emphasized by her unusual hair style, which was often called a black helmet.  She wore it very short and it made her splendid facial features stand on their own.  The most accurate modern day comparison I can think of is Isabella Rosellini back in the early 80's.  Brooks is absolutely luminous on the screen.  You can't take your eyes off of her, especially that face with those deeply expressive eyes.  You can see why an international star was born when Pandora's Box was released.

Of course back then foreign films didn't play very often in America, so Brooks remained fairly obscure in the States.  She made a couple of more films in Germany and then came back to Hollywood.  But she had burned some bridges when she had gone to Germany.  With "talkies" now all the rage in Hollywood, the studios tried to strong arm their actors into accepting lesser contracts for fear of being replaced by voice actors.  Louise Brooks was a very intelligent, independent and strong-willed woman, something rare and not tolerated in Hollywood.  When she balked at the lesser contract, the studios blackballed her, putting out word that her voice was terrible on film.  She worked only sporadically thereafter and only in lesser quality films.  The brightest star in the galaxy had burned out amazingly fast.

Louise Brooks ended up basically becoming a hermit in her later years, an alcoholic that was bitter with the way Hollywood treated her.  She would eventually rebound late in life and become an outstanding writer on film.  She also gave some interviews about her amazing career and her life and times as the "It Girl."  There are 2 excellent documentaries about Ms. Brooks on the Criterion Collection's edition of Pandora's Box. What an amazing life she had!  She was a hedonist at heart; she had no intention of having one lover, of settling down in any one place, of being someone you could pigeonhole.  She loved being out on the town, dancing the night away in nightclubs with whatever man was currently tickling her fancy.  She didn't care what others thought of her and she was, as mentioned earlier, far more intelligent and independent than most men of the time could handle.  She was very nearly Lulu in real life.  That she brought Lulu to life for us on screen is her everlasting gift to us.

Southern Culture On The Skids

I've been aware of this madcap trio from NC for several years now, but only recently got around to checking them out. I picked up Mojo Box a few months ago and have been gradually adding the rest of the SCOTS catalog to the collection ever since. One part surf, one part country, two parts psychobilly and 100% pure, unadulterated rock 'n' roll fun. How can you not love a band that tosses fried chicken into the audience during their show? God Bless their mobile home, indeed.

A little Voodoo Cadillac for y'all, just because...

Movie review - Avatar

Barb and I took in Avatar last night amidst a snow storm in old St. Loo.  We made the very wise decision to see it in 3-D, which, I have been told, is really the only way to really experience the movie.  And what an experience it was!  While the story may be old hat (more on that later), the effects - from the 3-D technology to the dazzling array of colors - were like sensory overload (in a good way) combined with some sort of cosmic visual orgy.  Wow, that sounds weird now that I have typed it out, but I stand by it nonetheless.  It was really breathtaking.

The story concerns humankind expanding into other worlds, intruding upon other species and their sacred grounds for nothing more than the almighty dollar.  Yes, it's pretty obvious which side you are supposed to root for right away.  It's typical James Cameron, complete with an over-the-top villain, who is played with great zeal by the always underrated Stephen Lang.  As far as crazy bad guys go, Lang makes an impressive one.

Sigourney Weaver plays a scientist whose loyalties clearly lie with the indigenous people of the planet Pandora.  Age seems to agree with Ms. Weaver very well; this is the 2nd performance I have seen her in recently (The Girl In The Park being the other) and both times she has been very compelling.  It's nice to see talented actresses still getting work as they get a bit older, something that has not been so easy in the past.

The main role is played by Sam Worthington, someone that I was not familiar with prior to Avatar.  He is quite impressive here, carrying the movie with relative ease.  He plays somewhat of a dual role, that of his character in human form and his character in Avatar form.  (It should be noted that Sigourney Weaver does this as well and is terrific in both forms).  I found Worthington particularly believable as a human and watching his character (predictably) evolve was compelling.

Worthington's Avatar has to have a female love interest (of course) and she is embodied by Zoe Saldana.  We never see her as a human (she is not human in the movie) but her character is charming; equal parts sweet, seductive and ferocious.  It's a terrific performance even if the character is more than a bit reminiscent of other strong women in other Cameron movies (see Aliens, Terminator 2 and Titanic for reference).

As for the story itself, it plays out rather predictably as you would imagine.  It is a typical James Cameron event film.  Still, despite the familiarity and some preachy-ness, it is often quite stirring and it's all wonderfully entertaining.  The battle scenes are epic and spectacular.  There are definitely moments you will see coming from miles away but it really doesn't diminish how entertaining the movie is as a whole.

I heartily recommend seeking out Avatar in it's full 3-D glory.  It's an experience unlike any other at the movies and it's one that will stay with me for a while.

500 Days Of Inglourious Human Condition

Or something like that.  I had a movie marathon the other night.  Barb and I started the night off with (500) Days Of Summer, a lovely little relationship movie that I had been anxious to see.  The movie is quite captivating, due mostly to 2 very appealing stars, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.  With her big doe-eyes, Deschanel has been a charmer for quite some time, first making an impression on me way back in 2000 in Almost Famous.  She's perfectly cast here in the role of a free spirit wary of getting tied down.  But it's Gordon-Levitt who carries the movie in my mind.  He is a revelation here, a real leading man with depth, something that is sadly missing from many of today's top young stars.  One minute he is funny and charming, the next soulful and at a loss.  It's an honest performance and I think it's one of the best of 2009.  (500) Days Of Summer balances a fine line between serious romance and romantic comedy.  It's what I would call a quirky romance with believable characters.  I really enjoyed it and so did Barb.  Killer soundtrack  as well and the best use of Simon & Garfunkle in a movie since The Graduate.


Next up for me was Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.  Pete already gave his take on this movie and I am pretty much in agreement with him.  I enjoyed it quite a bit but I can't quite put it up there with what I consider Tarantino's best works, which in my mind are Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bill saga, in that order.  I liked it much more than Death Proof, which I thought was a lot of pretentious, show-off dialogue with some great car stunts thrown in. 
   Tarantino has said that IB is a spaghetti western set in WWII and that is really a pretty good description.  It's very hard to take the film seriously at all, even when some of the acting (particularly by Christopher Waltz and the 2 female roles played by Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger) is outstanding.  It's set up more like a comic book, which is fine, but that tone hampers some of the more serious moments in the film to the point where I was thinking "This moment should be more powerful."  Perhaps that was Tarantino's intent, to make the movie a jarring experience and more like a popcorn rollercoaster movie.  Nothing wrong with that, it just left me more ambivalent about the fates of the characters.


Next up was part 1 of Masaki Kobayashi's 1959-1961 masterpiece, The Human Condition.  I have touched on this film numerous times here in the past but for those who don't know, I'll lay out a little info.  First, the film is probably not for everyone, but I wish everyone would see it.  When I first saw it years ago it had a tremendous impact on me.  It stayed with me for a long while and, no kidding, made me reassess what I felt was important in life.  With that said, the reason I say it is not for everyone is because:

• It was filmed in black & white
  
• It's a Japanese film with english subtitles
• In it's entirety, it is nearly 10 hours long

It was made in 3 separate parts, each one over 3 hours in length.  Part II picks up right where part I left off and part III picks up right where part II ends.  It is one long story, a remarkable, heartbreaking journey of a man through unthinkable conditions which test his sense of right and wrong as well as his will to live.  It is at times terribly brutal and at other times touchingly delicate.  But at all time, it is remarkably poignant.
   The story takes place during WWII, with Japan at war and using and abusing the Chinese people in any number of ways.  The protagonist, Kaji, is a Japanese pacifist who believes that treating people with decency and respect is the only way.  He wants to avoid service in the war as it goes against every belief he holds dear.  In fear that he will be called up, he refuses to marry his longtime sweetheart, Michiko.  When the chance comes for him to take a laborer foreman job at a mine - a job that comes with a the bonus of being ineligible for the draft - Kaji takes it and brings Michiko with him.  He is appalled to see the abuse that the laborers - Chinese slaves - must endure.  He goes about changing the system and the corruption it has bred.  He meets heavy resistance from everyone and soon it is a battle of wills not only for the very lives of the slaves, but for Kaji's soul as well.  Part I of The Human Condition deals with Kaji at the mines.  It leads up to a devastating conclusion that sets up part II.
  The Human Condition is many things: a testament to the human spirit, a great treatise on humanity and one hell of a love story.  The new DVD from Criterion feature a MUCH improved print that makes the viewing much more enjoyable.  If you are so inclined, make it a point to see this movie at least once in your lifetime.

The Christmas haul

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas (or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate).  Ours was great as we got to spend time with Barb's family from out of town and my own family as well.  The kids were great and Santa was very good to them as always.

Santa was also good to me.  I got some outstanding gifts including sweaters from Barb and the kids, a really nice blanket and Beatles Trivia Pursuit (as if anyone is gonna play me in that) from Barb's parents.  Barb also got me an outdoor fire pit so we can enjoy ourselves during the cold season with a nice fire.  Awesome gift!

Of course I also scored some great movies including the new Criterion Collection release of The Human Condition (perhaps the greatest portrait of humanity on film and one of the staggering achievements in cinema history) and Downfall, which I finally got around to seeing.  That's also a wonderful film, with a tremendous performance by Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler during his final 10 days.  Highly recommended.

I also scored a couple of CDs (Norah Jones, including her latest) and of course I got some games.  I got Mass Effect, which I have played through once already.  I wanted to play through it again to have a saved file for when the sequel is released early in 2010.  I also got a couple of PS3 games (Pete, take note), the God Of War Collection and Ratchet And Clank Future: A Crack in Time.  I used a gift card I received for 2 more games (both PS3 games Pete!), InFamous and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift which was on sale for $20.  I got a chance to mess around with InFamous, Motorstorm and Ratchet And Clank last night.  All 3 were great fun.  InFamous is really gonna draw me in, I can see that already.  Motorstorm is more of the same, a lot like the original.  It's not the deepest racing game around but it is gorgeous, fun and a great pick-up and play game.  And I have a real soft spot for Ratchet And Clank.  I loved their last PS3 game (Tools Of Destruction) and this one picks up right where that one left off.  It's great fun and something with a much lighter tone than what I have been playing lately, so that is a welcome relief.

So that's about it.  As you can see, someone thought I was a very good boy last year.  I still have an iTunes gift card from last Christmas and I think I am gonna use that to download the latest album by Grizzly Bear.  I have heard a lot of great things about it. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Survivor Finale

Our numbers seems to be dwindling, but Joyce and I remain loyal fans of Survivor. It's a guilty pleasure. Last night put the wraps on a pretty entertaining season. But how on earth did Natalie win over Russell? A particularly snotty jury awarded a cool $1M to an adorable, coat-tail rider over, arguably, one of the shrewdest Survivor players in the history of the game. Like Richard Hatch before him, love him or hate him, Russell deserves to be considered among the best of the best. His over-confidence and arrogance along with the fact that he's already a millionaire ultimately sunk him, but I've seen jury's forgive more in the face of a deserving player. But not this assembly of self-absorbed putzes who seemed to put more stock in who was nice to them rather than lower themselves to acknowledge someone who clearly outplayed, outwitted and outlasted them. Oh well, thanks for the memories, Russell. You made it a fun ride.

Quick hits - games and movies

-My 2009 Game Of The Year selection, Borderlands, has sold over 2 million copies, according to USA Today's Game Hunters.  Take-Two studios said in a statement that Borderlands "has established itself as a key franchise ... for which the company (Take-Two) has long-term publishing rights."  Looks like there will plenty more Borderlands headed our way, which is terrific news for gamers.

-I have played 5-6 hours of Resident Evil 5.  First of all, the graphics are stunning; the look of the game is incredible.  The story is above-average and well told.  The main characters are likable and you care about them.  There is a lot to like about the game but the controls really hamper the game.  Even when you get used to them, they still stick out like a sore thumb and take something away from the game itself.  If this game had 3rd person controls like Uncharted 2 or, perhaps an even better comparison, the Gears Of War series, it would be much better for it.  It is still a grade A title but I sure wish Capcom would get modern and update the controls.

-Barb and I saw Up In The Air Thursday night.  It's a very good flick with standout performances from George Clooney and Vera Farmiga.  It's nice to see a film that is aimed squarely at adults. It's equal parts funny and sad and it's very topical for the times.

-I also finally got around to seeing that 80's horror/camp classic, Re-animator.  It was exactly what I expected after hearing so much about it through the years.  I can see why it was so startling when it was first released (it was unrated and featured tons of gore and gratuitous nudity) but of course that effect has been lessened over the years due to the ever-escalating tastelessness of horror movies released since then.  The movie was fun but quite silly.  And the musical score was such a blatant rip off from Psycho that I was not surprised in the least to find out that there was legal action taken against the composer.  But you know what?   It worked for the movie.

More Beatles: Rock Band tunes revealed!

Harmonix has revealed 15 more songs that will appear in the retail version of The Beatles: Rock Band. There are some great songs here, so without further ado here they are - along with the venues at which they will be played:

The Cavern Club
Twist And Shout
Do You Want To Know A Secret

Ed Sullivan Theater
Can't Buy Me Love

Shea Stadium
Eight Days A Week

Budokan
Paperback Writer
And Your Bird Can Sing

Abbey Road Dreamscape
Yellow Submarine
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help from My Friends
Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows
Revolution
Birthday

Rooftop Concert
Dig A Pony
I've Got a Feeling

First off, I want to give major props for including I've Got A Feeling, which is just gonna rock all kinds of ways. It was never a given that it was going to be included in the game, so to have it verified is just awesome. I am also pleased as punch to see that Can't Buy Me Love, Eight Days A Week, Paperback Writer, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, Revolution and Birthday made the final cut. I was mildly surprised by Do You Want To Know A Secret and shocked by Within You Without You, but I am sure they will be fun as well. And Your Bird Can Sing will be awesome to play on the guitar and Twist and Shout will be a fun one to sing. The only track I could really do without is Dig A Pony, never one of my favorites. I just hope another rooftop concert song from Let It Be (specifically Don't Let Me Down) is not being left out because of it.

The latest trailer showing off the new songs has been released and it is awesome. See for yourself!

Valkyrie - quick hit review

Barb and I watched Valkyrie the other night and I was pretty impressed - this despite the fact that A.) I am not a Tom Cruise fan and B.) I obviously knew how the story was going to end. Cruise gives a decent performance here; in fact I think he is a pretty decent actor overall. I just have a hard time separating his phony Scientology persona from his film roles. I guess when you come right down to it, that's my problem and it's something I usually get over before too long whenever I watch one of his movies.

Anyway, Valkyrie is the story of an assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler by high-up German commanders in 1944. The cast is full of familiar faces such as Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp and the always dependable Tom Wilkinson. Everyone in the cast shines, particularly Nighy as General Friedrich Olbricht. Director Bryan Singer is able to keep the action and suspense taut even though the eventual outcome is well-known by anyone with a smattering of world history. For this he gets high marks, as well as for pulling of a really handsome production of WWII Germany. The music is appropriately stirring throughout and the movie pays off with an emotion ending. If I were giving out grades, and I guess I am, I would give Valkyrie a nice, handsome B; it was better than I expected and I would recommend the movie to anyone interested in WWII history.

Gran Torino - quick hit review

I finally got around to seeing this movie as my wife and I watched it tonight. I enjoyed it; while it's nothing spectacular, overall it is just a good, solid movie, a quiet drama. A nice performance by Clint Eastwood is the center of the film. He does seem to be playing the role he usually plays, just at an advanced age, but he pulls it off with gruff charm and humor. I really liked the way the relationship played out between him and the 2 kids that live next door. They were excellent as well. My wife enjoyed the movie quite a bit too. If I was grading it, I'd give it a nice, solid B.

Up next is Valkryie. I love WWII history/historical fiction so I am looking forward to it, though Tom Cruise can be really hard for me to take at times. Still, the rest of the cast is stellar (it doesn't get much better than Tom Wilkinson, IMO), so it should be well acted and the story line is intriguing. We hope to watch it early this week.

The Beatles: Rock Band - drums

Ringo Starr is unfairly judged as an untalented guy who was lucky to be along for the ride with the other 3 Beatles. The truth is that Ringo was an essential part of the band, not only for his consistently solid drum work, but for what his personality brought to the band. After seeing the hit-and-miss solo work of the 4 individual members of the Beatles after the break-up, it is very clear that the 4 of them together inspired something truly magical. Indeed, I believe that it was almost some sort of miracle that the 4 were brought together, created musical magic and then broke up right at the end of the turbulent 60's. It is simply too big a coincidence for me that the end of The Beatles came right at the end of the 60's. The Beatles were messengers for their time and when that time was over, they went their separate ways.

But enough of my philosophizing. Back to the music, which is what really matters. Ringo Starr, along with Paul McCartney, created one of the greatest rhythm sections in rock history. Here are some of the songs I look forward to playing in TB:RB. Please note again that I am not suggesting that all of these songs will be available. Just that I would love them to be!

1. The End - well, it contains Ringo's only solo, so it's a given.
2. Birthday - a rocking track with a great beat.
3. Get Back - Ringo's driving drums propel the song forward.
4. I Call Your Name - come on; who doesn't want more cowbell?
5. She Loves You - from the opening roll through the crashing cymbals, this oldie gets some love.
6. Ticket To Ride - tremendous song with an upfront drum part for Ringo.
7. She Said She Said - some nice fills for Ringo in this one
8. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band (Reprise) - a nice little rocker; short but sweet
9. Yer Blues - something a little different and a little wild from the boys
   
10. Helter Skelter - "I got blisters on my fingers!"

I gotta say that's a pretty good set right there. I have my copy of the game pre-ordered and now all I have to do is wait. September 9th still seems like a long time away, but I have plenty to keep me busy in the interim. I'll probably be posting more Beatles: Rock Band related stuff as it pops in my head. One thing I will be doing is posting the order I would like the albums to be available for download. We already know that Abbey Road is up for #1 and that is a perfect pick in my mind. I'll get a complete list up later.