At the radio station, we don't get a ton of calls. In fact, at least a quarter of them are from the same dozen or so folks. Consequently, I haven't been concerned as I have gotten at least one call every Thursday morning from the same guy. Sure, it was a little weird when he called and asked me to repeat a story on scholarships for gay students, which we proceeded to discuss, with the conversation somehow turning to me answering questions about the guy who had the slot last semester (who I don't know.) But most of the regulars are pretty eccentric and this was tame compared to what regulars like Truck Driver Rick, Donna the cat lady, or Captain Marvel talk about. However, today he called to talk about a joke I had made on my rock show two weeks ago, and ask me about my grades. He called back ten minutes later and told me he had an extra ticket to the Glee Club Spring concert tomorrow and asked if I wanted to go. Now ordinarily I don't date older men, but a couple of my best friends here, one being my future roommate, are in Glee Club and I hadn't gotten a ticket before they sold out. And you guys know how devoted a friend I am. I mean, who else would donate a testicle to Ken? So I said sure. We talked about where to meet and he asked what color my hair was. I told him I was 5'11 and pretty goofy looking. He said, and I quote: "Oh, a tall boy, very good." Then after a second he asked me how goofy looking. I told him fairly goofy, but not a circus freak (agree/disagree?). Anyway, that tall boy thing seemed sort of strange. I tell ya, there's nothing nicer than getting calls from people who really like what you're playing, but sometimes I wish we didn't have a telephone in the studio. Especially when Captain Marvel gets drunk. Really I have no reason to be posting. I guess you guys could help me: what should I wear?
{He called a third time to confirm}
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Spring Break '06: The Revenge of Sally Ann Furnace
Well, I just got back to Brew City after what amounted to a whirlwind 10-day tour of the East Coast by my buddy chum ol-pal Kate Sko(czalek). Emphasis on the whirlwind. We covered at least 800 miles, including the Appalacian mountains, Washington DC, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, and a whoooole lotta Philly. As I speak Kate is currently sleeping somewhere. I'm not sure. I should probably go find her at some point and poke her with things, because that is my job here in Cobeen. Along the way I met some crazy people, some not-so-crazy people, and some absoultely batshit insane people. And Nancy Tsang. Anyway, because you busy college people enjoy pretty pictures instead of words:
Kate Sko and some juice in the airport, shortly before she was patted down by a very burly woman because she lost her photo ID.
Kate's block in the Mayfair neighborhood of Philadelphia. A whole bunch of little identical row homes made up every block. Kate's boyfriend/fiancee lives a block up.
Kate's grandpa's Christmas tree farm. He's a retired civil engineer and one of his daughters is also a civil, so we talked shop (well, granpa was kinda sleepy/on painkillers for a broken sternum, so we just kinda sat around with him).
Kate's in the Army. I made her promise me that she wouldn't make me go back to Arlington.
A really pretty sunset behind the Washington Monument in DC.
The White House, complete with some security dude looking at us.
Me taking a picture of Kate taking a picture of someone taking a picture (not pictured). We were bored?
This one's called: "IT WAS 80 DEGREES OUT YESTERDAY WHY ARE WE WEARING SWEATERS *confused*."
NANCY TSANG, with whom I watched "V for Vendetta" a second time. In two nights. Ah good times.
We stole chalk. Rebels.
Highlights not pictured above:
-Driving to the Jersey shore at 3 AM to watch the sun rise. (IT WAS COLD. But pretty. No pics becasue I left my camera in the car and was too busy spooning for warmth to go run back.)
-Tastycakes!
-Almost but not quite stealing food from the UPenn business school with Nancy.
-Bubble tea place!
-Watching Dan's video of "that time we got bored, happed to know someone who had some dynamite, and blew up Kate's TV"
-Getting lost in the foothills of the Appalacians for two hours after eating at someplace called "Snuzzle's" on Sally Ann Furnace Road. BEST ROAD NAME EVER. However, we still do not know how it intersected with itself and then became another road entirely.
-Hanging out at Chris's house. The Engmans fed us well.
-Figuring out just what the hell a Wawa is.
-5 mile run around some big lake in Virginia.
-The 100-mph return from DC in post rush-hour traffic. ("I SEE A HOLE!" "ohmygodi'mgonnadiecrazyeastcoastdrivers")
-Matt just kind of showing up one day. He's from Detroit. Go figure.
And a whole bunch of other stories that are either bizzare, incriminating, hilarious, or all three. Mostly all three. But that's my spring break in a nutshell. I have more pictures which will wind up places. For now I must figure out what my chemlab is all about and try to fix my iPod, which apparently hates airplanes or me or both... yeee-haaaa!
Highlights not pictured above:
-Driving to the Jersey shore at 3 AM to watch the sun rise. (IT WAS COLD. But pretty. No pics becasue I left my camera in the car and was too busy spooning for warmth to go run back.)
-Tastycakes!
-Almost but not quite stealing food from the UPenn business school with Nancy.
-Bubble tea place!
-Watching Dan's video of "that time we got bored, happed to know someone who had some dynamite, and blew up Kate's TV"
-Getting lost in the foothills of the Appalacians for two hours after eating at someplace called "Snuzzle's" on Sally Ann Furnace Road. BEST ROAD NAME EVER. However, we still do not know how it intersected with itself and then became another road entirely.
-Hanging out at Chris's house. The Engmans fed us well.
-Figuring out just what the hell a Wawa is.
-5 mile run around some big lake in Virginia.
-The 100-mph return from DC in post rush-hour traffic. ("I SEE A HOLE!" "ohmygodi'mgonnadiecrazyeastcoastdrivers")
-Matt just kind of showing up one day. He's from Detroit. Go figure.
And a whole bunch of other stories that are either bizzare, incriminating, hilarious, or all three. Mostly all three. But that's my spring break in a nutshell. I have more pictures which will wind up places. For now I must figure out what my chemlab is all about and try to fix my iPod, which apparently hates airplanes or me or both... yeee-haaaa!
V FOR VENDETTA
I read the comic book (“graphic novel” is a term for people who don’t want to admit they read comic books) on which this film was based a few months back so that I could better know the story, judge it as an adaptation, et cetera. It completely blew me away. It has a scope and range that few stories have, and I knew instantly, if only for its length, that it’d be nearly impossible to adapt to the big screen.
But as an adaptation, it’s fantastic work. The Wachowski Brothers somehow managed to not necessarily work in all the intricacies (some of which I miss dearly, including a much longer flashback and V playing the piano and singing "The Vicious Cabaret"), but put enough in to make you believe they’re there. One of the things Alan Moore did in the comic so well (as he always does) is show how V’s actions affect EVERYBODY, from himself to Evey to the government to the police, and that was all maintained. And it was sold in the murder scenes, because even the first one, which happens early on in the film, you can tell this guy has concerns, worries, cares of his own. And the scene with the doctor, who’s in the film for probably no more than ten minutes, was just as beautiful as it was on the page.
Scott Foundas, film critic at LA Weekly, says, “As an action movie V For Vendetta is a dud,” and surely he’s right. There’s one impressive fight scene towards the end, which has MATRIX written all over it, but by and large this is not an action story, and I’m glad they kept it that way. There’s enough action an intrigue to keep the general population in place, but the Wachowskis, as screenwriters, have moved far beyond their days of settling matters in bloodless battles.
This is, in fact, their best writing. Not only are the ideas and narrative of V kept intact, but the heart is as well. Evey’s time in jail, though I knew the outcome, moved me deeply, and they kept one important detail of her time there that completely sells that section of the film. This, of course, was equally helped by Natalie Portman’s fantastic work here, probably the best of her career, and actually a really daring choice having just come off an Oscar nomination for CLOSER.
And Hugo Weaving’s work as V is just fantastic. There’s been some talk, rightfully so, as to how much he’s actually under the mask, but at any rate the character works extraordinarily well onscreen.
I’m really interested to see how this gets received in the next few weeks. Critics are by and large digging it (a solid 74 at Rotten Tomatoes), and I ended up having to go to the 11:20 as the 9:40 was completely sold out. I think, by and large, people will be open to the message it has, that violent overthrows are at times necessary, and there’s some really jarring imagery, especially for a major studio release (the ending says it all for that).
As for me, I do not see it as a criticism of the Bush administration. There’s a slight allusion that the current Iraq War led to the downfall of the United States, but I think the similarities between the British government in V and the current American one are few and far between. The two strongest are the anti-homosexual tendencies, which played just as large a role in the original comic (published in the early 80s), and the mention of phone tapping (which is pretty standard sci-fi governmental stuff). No, the only form of government the story is commenting on is the kind that happens when people stop thinking for themselves and lay it all at the government’s feet. That, and fascism. In fact, one guy who sent a review into Ain’t it Cool News pointed out that the government of V has more in common with the Saddam Hussein regime than anything else, the two strongest links there being the murder of thousands of his own people and the censorship of media, controlling not only creative television but also what is released as news.
But I’m very interested the see how audiences take this. I was in a fairly crowded theater, and I had everything from the guy in front of me who made sure prior to the movie that I wouldn’t be disrupting his experience by eating my potato chips to the guy in the back row who laughed at lethal injection, never mind the growing number of people who cheered with each person V killed. It’s really tough, dense material, and it was successfully adapted as such. I think the film does a great job in getting you to take V’s side, but at the same time making you ask yourself why that is.
So feel free to talk back about it; I know a lot of you were planning on seeing it/saw it (if you haven’t, I of course highly recommend it, though honestly I’d give the edge to Thank You For Smoking), and it’s definitely a discussion-oriented film.
But as an adaptation, it’s fantastic work. The Wachowski Brothers somehow managed to not necessarily work in all the intricacies (some of which I miss dearly, including a much longer flashback and V playing the piano and singing "The Vicious Cabaret"), but put enough in to make you believe they’re there. One of the things Alan Moore did in the comic so well (as he always does) is show how V’s actions affect EVERYBODY, from himself to Evey to the government to the police, and that was all maintained. And it was sold in the murder scenes, because even the first one, which happens early on in the film, you can tell this guy has concerns, worries, cares of his own. And the scene with the doctor, who’s in the film for probably no more than ten minutes, was just as beautiful as it was on the page.
Scott Foundas, film critic at LA Weekly, says, “As an action movie V For Vendetta is a dud,” and surely he’s right. There’s one impressive fight scene towards the end, which has MATRIX written all over it, but by and large this is not an action story, and I’m glad they kept it that way. There’s enough action an intrigue to keep the general population in place, but the Wachowskis, as screenwriters, have moved far beyond their days of settling matters in bloodless battles.
This is, in fact, their best writing. Not only are the ideas and narrative of V kept intact, but the heart is as well. Evey’s time in jail, though I knew the outcome, moved me deeply, and they kept one important detail of her time there that completely sells that section of the film. This, of course, was equally helped by Natalie Portman’s fantastic work here, probably the best of her career, and actually a really daring choice having just come off an Oscar nomination for CLOSER.
And Hugo Weaving’s work as V is just fantastic. There’s been some talk, rightfully so, as to how much he’s actually under the mask, but at any rate the character works extraordinarily well onscreen.
I’m really interested to see how this gets received in the next few weeks. Critics are by and large digging it (a solid 74 at Rotten Tomatoes), and I ended up having to go to the 11:20 as the 9:40 was completely sold out. I think, by and large, people will be open to the message it has, that violent overthrows are at times necessary, and there’s some really jarring imagery, especially for a major studio release (the ending says it all for that).
As for me, I do not see it as a criticism of the Bush administration. There’s a slight allusion that the current Iraq War led to the downfall of the United States, but I think the similarities between the British government in V and the current American one are few and far between. The two strongest are the anti-homosexual tendencies, which played just as large a role in the original comic (published in the early 80s), and the mention of phone tapping (which is pretty standard sci-fi governmental stuff). No, the only form of government the story is commenting on is the kind that happens when people stop thinking for themselves and lay it all at the government’s feet. That, and fascism. In fact, one guy who sent a review into Ain’t it Cool News pointed out that the government of V has more in common with the Saddam Hussein regime than anything else, the two strongest links there being the murder of thousands of his own people and the censorship of media, controlling not only creative television but also what is released as news.
But I’m very interested the see how audiences take this. I was in a fairly crowded theater, and I had everything from the guy in front of me who made sure prior to the movie that I wouldn’t be disrupting his experience by eating my potato chips to the guy in the back row who laughed at lethal injection, never mind the growing number of people who cheered with each person V killed. It’s really tough, dense material, and it was successfully adapted as such. I think the film does a great job in getting you to take V’s side, but at the same time making you ask yourself why that is.
So feel free to talk back about it; I know a lot of you were planning on seeing it/saw it (if you haven’t, I of course highly recommend it, though honestly I’d give the edge to Thank You For Smoking), and it’s definitely a discussion-oriented film.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Over the last few years, the Sundance Film Festival has changed from a champion of true independent film to a venue for the latest star-laden $5 million production that is just waiting for distribution from Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, or Sony Pictures (most recently, one could point to “The Squid and the Whale” and “Garden State” as the best recent examples of this principle, whereas I could just as easily point to “Primer” as the best example of how the old system is still thankfully somewhat in place). In the case of “Thank You For Smoking,” it had a distribution deal months before Sundance, and I even saw the trailer for it running before “Munich” in December.
So while part of me wants to lash out at it for being the perfect example of how there’s hardly such a thing as an old-fashioned independent success story (see “Clerks”), I really can’t deny that “Thank You For Smoking” is one of the funniest, smartest movies of the past few years. As a satire, it’s brilliant, because it expects almost no prior knowledge to get many of the jokes, yet is still biting enough to have something to say.
And the cast IS amazing. Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, David Koechner, J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson from “Spider-Man”), Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, a surprisingly-not-awful Katie Holmes, Sam Elliot, Rob Lowe, Todd Louiso (Dick from “High Fidelity”!), and Adam Brody (best cameo of the year…one line of dialogue will have you laughing for hours). I don’t know if they had anyone else in mind for the parts, but all of these were so perfectly cast (well, Katie Holmes will never be truly perfect casting, but she’s decent enough as…a slut).
It’s tough to review humor, and the laughs aren’t constant in it (but neither are they intended to be), but the small jokes work and the big ones soar. And, as was my fear, it’s not a one-note joke about cigarettes or big tobacco, but there’s a lot of fun to be had with Hollywood, congress, education, alcohol, and firearms. The closest thing I can compare it to in a comical sense is “South Park,” not only for making us laugh at serious issues, but especially for making us laugh at both sides. The guys trying to cut down on tobacco use have methods just as bad as the guys trying to get America on a pack a day. The other comparison to “South Park” is the humor has almost no subtlety (but try to name the most recent comedy that does) – It’s bright, loud, and fast-paced, but it packs a lot for its running time. At 92 minutes, it feels like you’ve gotten a full 2-hour experience without a hint of boredom.
I'm not sure what the release schedule is for this...I caught it at a free press screening (no, not as a member of the press, just a lucky bastard). I'm almost positive it's in New York and LA right now, and I think it opens in Boston next Friday, so keep an eye out for when it comes to wherever you may be.
So while part of me wants to lash out at it for being the perfect example of how there’s hardly such a thing as an old-fashioned independent success story (see “Clerks”), I really can’t deny that “Thank You For Smoking” is one of the funniest, smartest movies of the past few years. As a satire, it’s brilliant, because it expects almost no prior knowledge to get many of the jokes, yet is still biting enough to have something to say.
And the cast IS amazing. Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, David Koechner, J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson from “Spider-Man”), Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, a surprisingly-not-awful Katie Holmes, Sam Elliot, Rob Lowe, Todd Louiso (Dick from “High Fidelity”!), and Adam Brody (best cameo of the year…one line of dialogue will have you laughing for hours). I don’t know if they had anyone else in mind for the parts, but all of these were so perfectly cast (well, Katie Holmes will never be truly perfect casting, but she’s decent enough as…a slut).
It’s tough to review humor, and the laughs aren’t constant in it (but neither are they intended to be), but the small jokes work and the big ones soar. And, as was my fear, it’s not a one-note joke about cigarettes or big tobacco, but there’s a lot of fun to be had with Hollywood, congress, education, alcohol, and firearms. The closest thing I can compare it to in a comical sense is “South Park,” not only for making us laugh at serious issues, but especially for making us laugh at both sides. The guys trying to cut down on tobacco use have methods just as bad as the guys trying to get America on a pack a day. The other comparison to “South Park” is the humor has almost no subtlety (but try to name the most recent comedy that does) – It’s bright, loud, and fast-paced, but it packs a lot for its running time. At 92 minutes, it feels like you’ve gotten a full 2-hour experience without a hint of boredom.
I'm not sure what the release schedule is for this...I caught it at a free press screening (no, not as a member of the press, just a lucky bastard). I'm almost positive it's in New York and LA right now, and I think it opens in Boston next Friday, so keep an eye out for when it comes to wherever you may be.
Friday, March 17, 2006
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