Cheering up Janice

I don't know why the bug butt biting video didn't cheer Janice up, but when I saw this (overly) precious video, she was the first person I thought of.



Hope you're cheerier soon!

Super-bored

I realize that I'm like the only person on the planet to think Superbad is pretty boring. So I feel the need to justify myself. As far as teen(ish) comedies go, I think it falls far behind Clueless, Animal House, Fast Times at Ridgmont High, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles and Three O'Clock High; however, it is superior to Porky's and American Pie (and a whole slough of others that don't need mentioning).

First of all, I thought the setup for the film was lame--must get alcohol for party to impress girls. Secondly, the conflict that the two leads have--Cera's character admitting that he would be rooming with Fogle in college--was unbelievable. The only reason it had any heft was because tertiary characters kept drilling it into our brains. The first 20-or-so minutes were great. There were some truly inspired raunchy lines, but all of that got waylaid by the second act where the movie just dragged. The party that Joe LoTruglio takes them to was tedious and I don't think I laughed--even as Michael Cera sang "These Eyes". It felt forced and uninspired.

As for the B story line, with McLovin/Fogle and the cops, I dreaded each time the story would come back to them. This is the type of storyline that you can tell began with the stoned writers (Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg) saying, "Wouldn't it be cool if . . ." There was nowhere to go with it, so they end it in an explosion with gunfire.

The resolution was apparent long before we get to the final reel, and it couldn't come fast enough for me.

My final quibble with the film comes from Jonah Hill's performance. It is mind-numbingly one-note. He goes from manic to manic and lacks any of the nuance that Cera has. To believe that any girl (especially one as gorgeous as Emma Stone) would find him even the least bit do-able is really hard to believe. Hill and Cera are an unbalanced comedy team with Cera responsible for most of the heavy lifting.

So, all that being said, I still think Superbad is good for a laugh or two and worthy of a Friday night rental. I just had to justify myself.

For much more glowing reviews, see here and here.

Kirk Cameron + Howard K. Stern =

This guy from this video my guy sent to me last night. Tell me he's not a ringer for the love child of the aforementioned.





I'm sure Charles would like it. Hell, I'm sure 88.4% of gay America will like it.



And, because it's been pushed back like 50 times and all I have is this picture to keep me going, here's my girlz, yo!

Sounds like

I'm currently listening to Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion.
Brilliant.
Aboslutely brilliant.

Go atheism! Rah rah rah!

In other news, Toobs will be up at Volunteer Park on Friday (assuming there's enough sunshine to power it).


And, finally, because I know you wonder about Alexyss Tylor (the audio on this is most definitely NSFW):

My new favorite

From easily the best blog I've come across in a long, long time. This made me smile for a while today. Thank you, Samim.

Speaking of the wunderkind, his new track "Heater" w/ a remix by Claude von Stroke (who will be returning to Decibel Festival this year) and a decent B-side is available for download now at Beatport. [Samples here.] Truthfully, I prefer the B-side. There's something too . . . German-y about the accordion and oompah-oompah bass of "Heater."


Now its bed time.

It used to

make me sad when a young person called me "sir." Now it makes me sad when an old person calls me "sir."

One more time

So, to get a sense of how overwhelming the Daft Punk show was, play all four clips at once.
The lighting was amazing. There were light emitting diodes everywhere--and they were sparkly and pretty. I feel really sorry for the kids there that were on drugs. They are probably still seeing tracers today. Anyway, here's some short clips for ya!

For a lovely review by a lovely man, check it.

Less insightful

Antonioni and Bergman both left behind impressive bodies of work, and, being the film junkie I am, I thought I'd take a minute to say something about both of them.
First, Antononi.
The first Antonioni film I saw was Blowup. I liked its swingin' sixties vibe and getting to see a youthful Vanessa Redgrave was a delight. The irreverence for structure in the piece was what I really enjoyed--and of course the beautiful visuals.
I wasn't aware, however, that Antonioni really was a technician and a formidable auteur until I saw L'Avventura. Every shot is framed so perfectly--the tableaux, tracking shots, all of it is near-perfect. People in the background crawl mysteriously out of the person in the foreground's head. He quite literally implies that our desires and wishes are formed from our own minds, and he also questions how easily we can lose and forget those desires. The scenes on the volcanic island are unforgettable, and this was the first film that made me aware of architecture as texture and symbolism. L'Avventura is an incredible film that I highly recommend.


Bergman, for many of my generation, is an acquired taste. I know I only show my hillbilly sensibilities when I say that I've seen The Seventh Seal twice and it still has yet to make an impact on me. Cries and Whispers and Fanny and Alexander are more my speed. They tell specific tales with universal themes and even though Bergman is asking the big questions, you get a believability and realism that just isn't around in his earlier works. Richard Corliss of Time magazine recently interviewed Woody Allen about Bergman (and Antonioni). [article]
Still, Bergman's influence will be felt for a long time. I hope it leads to more parodies like this French and Saunders piece.


Finally, I wanted to send my condolences to the friends and family of Jeremy Blake. Chances are you are familiar with Blake's work but don't know it. He was an artist for Rockstar Games, but more importantly, he was well-respected video artist. He did the video for Beck's Round the Bend which is consistent with his style of "time-based paintings". He also did the beautiful transitions in Punch Drunk Love. He was starting to show an interest in more narrative, documentary style productions before he took his own life. His girlfriend killed herself on July 7th. Ten days later, he went missing. His naked body washed ashore in New Jersey on Monday. There are some lingering mysteries surrounding his death. [blog post]
We will never know what kind of work he would have produced if he had lived as long as Antonioni and Bergman.
Here's a couple clips to give you an idea of his work--