WEST WORD

2007-02-24T20:26:00.000-06:00

I'm going to interrupt my long in gestation top ten list to post my predictions and a few comments on tomorow nights 79th Annual Academy Awards. Please bear with me. I just have to throw in my two cents.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Who Will Win: Little Miss Sunshine
Who Should Win: The Departed
Missing: Children of Men

In all fairness, it could go to either The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, or Babel. It's too close to call with certainty, but in the spirit of such silly predictions I will make a choice.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Who Will Win: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Who Should Win: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Missing: Ivana Baquero, Pan's Labyrinth

Really this is Mirren's category, and one of the few awards that the Academy will get right. Her performance was astounding. Sometimes I wonder why the Academy still gives out awards based on gender. I guess it's so you can give out more awards. Silly, naive me.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Who Will Win: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Who Should Win: Leonardo Dicaprio, Blood Diamond
Missing: Sascha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learning's of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

From what I hear Whitaker is great, but it's hardly a "Leading Role." Leo was nominated for the wrong film, though he was great in both. And Sascha Baron Cohen gave one of the greatest comedic peformances of all time. Peter Sellers would be proud.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Who Will Win: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Who Should Win: Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond
Missing: Jack Nicholson, The Departed

Regardless of no Best Pic nod, Dreamgirls will rake in the awards and Murphy will get this one (Norbit aside, the Academy loves sentimental favourites). Djimon Honsou was great, though his was arguably a co-lead with Leo in the film. And as good as Wahlberg was, Jack was the real firecracker in The Departed.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Who Will Win: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Who Should Win: Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Missing: Maribel Verdu, Pan's Labyrinth

See the Dreamgirls comment above. Kikuchi was by far the best part of a film that I really don't feel worked at all, so that's saying something.

Best Achievement in Direction

Who Will Win: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Who Should Win: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Missing: Darren Aronofsky, The Fountain

This is Marty's year. Finally. Though if he doesn't win he is in good company (Kubrick, Hitchcock, Welles).

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Who Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Who Should Win: The Queen
Missing: The Fountain

As good as Pan's Labyrinth is, The Queen is a remarkable work of speculative fiction (which is good to keep in mind when we criticise United 93 for being speculative).

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Published or Produced

Who Will Win: The Departed
Who Should Win: Children of Men
Missing: Casino Royale

The Departed is great, don't get me wrong, but Children of Men is a fantastic revisioning of P. D. James' novel. And Casino Royale sucessfully adapts Fleming's novel for the 21st century, while staying true to the source material.

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Who Will Win: Children of Men
Who Should Win: Children of Men
Missing: The Fountain

Best Achievement in Editing

Who Will Win: The Departed
Who Should Win: The Departed
Missing: The Prestige

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Who Will Win: Dreamgirls
Who Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Missing: A Scanner Darkly

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Who Will Win: Dreamgirls
Who Should Win: Curse of the Golden Flower
Missing: The Prestige

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Who Will Win: Babel
Who Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Missing: The Fountain

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Who Will Win: something from Dreamgirls
Who Should Win: "Our Town," Cars
Missing: "You Know My Name," Casino Royale

Best Achievement in Makeup

Who Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Who Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Missing: The Queen

Best Achievement in Sound

Who Will Win: Dreamgirls
Who Should Win: Flags of Our Fathers
Missing: Children of Men

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Who Will Win: Letters from Iwo Jima
Who Should Win: Letters from Iwo Jima
Missing: Children of Men

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Who Will Win: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Who Should Win: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Missing: Children of Men

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Who Will Win: Happy Feet
Who Should Win: Cars
Missing: A Scanner Darkly

Best Foreing Language Film of the Year

Who Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Who Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Missing: Letters From Iwo Jima (ineligible though)

Best Documentary, Features

Who Will Win: An Inconvenient Truth

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

Who Will Win: Recycled Life

Best Short Film, Animated

Who Will Win: The Danish Poet

Best Short Film, Live Action

Who Will Win: Eramos pocos

2007-02-06T09:18:00.000-06:00

I recommend checking out The Arcade Fire's official myspace page to check out their latest post from the upcoming album Neon Bible, "Keep The Car Running." I think they might have done it again. (Album out on March 6th.)

2007-02-04T14:31:00.000-06:00

8. A Scanner Darkly

Dir. Richard Linklater
100 min; R

Linklater's Waking Life was a fascinating experiment of a film -- a series of vignettes about life and dreams shot on digital film and then animated over top. The result was a psychedelic, dreamlike film. And though it was interesting, the film (purposely) was not unified in visual style or narrative. If you were wondering what it would be like to take that style and apply it to a story in an effective manner, wonder no longer: A Scanner Darkly is such a work. Based on a novel by Phillip K. Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), this film is a fascinating examination of identity, drugs, and a society that is frighteningly not too dissimilar to our own (a theme which comes up in more than one film on my list). Keanu Reeves is suprisingly effective in the film, playing his own "stoner" image
to tragic results. The first time I watched the film in the summer I enjoyed it a lot though I wasn't sure it would end up a favourite; a second viewing in the fall confirmed in my mind that it was a bold visionary statement. This film ranks among Linklater's best films (Before Sunset, Dazed & Confused) and while it is ostensibly science fiction, it also revisits the themes of human relationship and identity that seem to be Linklater's -- and Dick's -- interest.

2007-02-01T10:35:00.000-06:00

9. The Prestige

Dir. Christopher Nolan
128 min; PG-13

Christopher Nolan's follow-up to Batman Begins was one of my most anticipated films of the year. It had, what in my mind was, a fantastic cast: Jackman, Bale, Scarlett, Oscar-winner Michael Caine, David Bowie, and even Andy Serkis. The novel was great source material and Nolan's past projects left nothing but anticipation for what he was going to do next. Even with all my expectations, and knowledge of the source material, Nolan managed to surprise me. The Prestige - which refers to the final stage of the three parts to a magician's act - in that respect is a filmed magic trick. We are the audience of the magician - Nolan. While some have compared this film to The Illusionist, the similarities end after the subject matter. The Prestige is more elaborate in its set up and in the payoff. It's not a fairy tale or love story. It's a carefully constructed piece of entertainment, like a good detective story or murder mystery. And while some have complained that the film is too emotionless and calculating, I feel that those elements work well to give the film its unique feel. In the end, it's a fantastic piece of craftsmanship and definitely one of my favourite films of the year.

2007-01-29T17:58:00.000-06:00

ANDERS' TOP TEN FILMS OF 2006

2006 ended up being a good year for films. It seems that the good films continually get pushed back until the very end of the year, and many don't open in Saskatoon until after the new year has started (e.g. Pan's Labyrinth, Letters from Iwo Jima). With that in mind, this list is the best of what I've seen over the past year of films that had their theatrical release listed as 2006 in North America. That means that it is limted to films that played in Saskatoon or Victoria, and that I got around to seeing.

It was a year for originality. Last year we saw some really good franchise films, but this year only one franchise film made my list (and it is a fairly radical revisioning of the franchise at that). A couple of franchise films -- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Mission: Impossible 3 -- almost made the list, but I'm going to give honourable mention here for improving on the films that came before them and offering some of the best thrills of the summer. Other franchise films left me cold -- or seething: Superman Returns failed to impress and X-Men: The Last Stand made me glad to see the franchise end.

That said, my top ten this year is dominated by original films, adaptations, and personal projects that all were the best film going experiences of the year. With the intro out of the way, here's number ten.

10. El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth)

Dir. Guillermo del Toro
112 min; R

Del Toro presents here a fairy tale for grown ups: a dark moral fable set during the Spanish Civil War, in which a young girl (Ofelia) faces the challenges of a faerie world and the horrors of fascist Spain. Del Toro is best known for his imaginative horror/fantasy comic book films (Hellboy, Blade II) which I love, but here he creates a moving and challenging film that dazzled me with its creative vision and moved me with its compelling characters. Pan's Labyrinth only made it to Saskatoon in the last week of January, so I only recently saw it, but it stands up with the best films of 2006 and was justly rewarded with six Oscar nominations as well. Definitely worth catching, though not for children.

2007-01-29T17:53:00.000-06:00

Wow. It's been ages since I've posted. I don't have the desire to blog as much as I used to, but inspired by Aren's and Luke's year end TOP TEN lists, I feel like sharing mine. So, those of you who used to check this blog and still do occasionally, there should be some content in the next few weeks.

Also, I'm going to be playing around with the cosmetics of the blog, so bear with me as I fumble my way through that. I'd like for this blog to be a place where I can post my movie reviews, music discoveries, and general thoughts on culture and art -- and for people to comment back. In the months since I stopped regularly posting, it seems that blogger has improved as a venue for commenting and dialogue, so that's encouraging. I hope to hear your comments as I begin to post again.

2006-08-28T16:09:00.000-06:00

Just a heads up that they're streaming the new Bob Dylan album, Modern Times over at AOL Music.

2006-08-23T18:38:00.000-06:00

Here goes Sean Penn again, following in his Mystic River mode. Translation: taking an otherwise really good-looking film and ruining it with his "realistic acting" and a laughable accent. Check out the trailer for All the King's Men.

No joke, Penn's accent reminds me of Bob Odenkirk's southern right-wing Senator Tankerbell from HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David. Of course, Penn wouldn't get the joke. He had his sense of humour removed during a fund-raiser for Iraqi Hurricane victims.

2006-08-17T18:21:00.000-06:00

Fall movie season is finally upon us. Common wisdom holds that summer is full of big, dumb films that are meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator and that with fall comes the serious Oscar contenders and critical favourites. People who know me also know that I sometimes like those big summer films as much as the fall ones, but this year has really disappointed and lived up to the stereotypes of summer dreck. Only a handful of pictures really satisfied me (Pirates of the Caribbean 2, M:I-3, A Scanner Darkly) and many of the one's I was looking forward to were trainwrecks or at least mildly disappointing (Superman Returns, X3, Nacho Libre). The fall however brings great promise with lots of interesting premises, great directors and great actors/actresses getting into the game. Here's a few of the one's I'm looking forward to each month, and until then I'm going to go see Snakes on a Plane and at least get intentional laughs out of a big dumb movie.

September seems to be the month of "true crime" thrillers based in Hollywood. Hollywoodland looks at the mysterious death of George Reeves (Ben Affleck), while The Black Dahlia is directed by Brian DePalma and has a screenplay from the writer of L.A. Confidential that explores the famous "Black Dahlia" murder.

But it's not all murder in September; The Last Kiss sees Zach Braff return to drama-comedy for young adults in this film penned by Paul Haggis. And Beatles buffs like myself will want to see the documentary The U. S. Vs. John Lennon which explores how Lennon's politics were opposed by the United States government in the late-Seventies, reminiscent of the book John Lennon and the FBI Files.

For more esoteric fare, there's this uniquely animated action thriller starring the new Bond, Daniel Craig, called Renaissance. Or check out director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) in The Science of Sleep.

October is when the big directors start dropping their films. In her follow up to Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola takes us back to eighteenth-century France with Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst. Martin Scorsese, who is always exciting, tackles this remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs called The Departed starring Scorsese's new go to guy Leonardo DiCaprio along with Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, and Matt Damon. What a cast! This is probably one of my most anticpated films of the year along with Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, which I've commented on before. This cast is equally crazy with Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson. Which film will end up thrilling? Let's hope both.

Clint Eastwood directs and Steven Spielberg produces what is likely one of the sure fire Oscar contenders, Flags of Our Fathers. Eastwood's story of the Battle of Iwo Jima is the first of a two part project which then looks at the Japanese side later in another film, titled either Letters from IwoJima or Red Sun, Black Sand (I've heard both titles thrown about). Pretty ambitious project, but not really doubting it will be good with those two names attached.

Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys) brings us a poker film starring Eric Bana called Lucky You and the director of Amores Perros and 21 Grams, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, gives us Babel starring Brad Pitt.

November contains a good mix of comedy, drama, Oscar contenders and action flicks. We start laughing with the brilliant satirist Sascha Baron Cohen (Ali G) in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. If you haven't seen Borat yet and been inundated with your friends quoting him, stay away from me and my brothers in November. Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny should also be a good laugh, as Jack Black and Kyle Gass bring the greatest band in the world to the big screen. And then Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, and Dustin Hoffman star in Stranger Than Fiction from the director of Finding Neverland in a plot worthy of Charlie Kaufman.

A Good Year reunites Russell Crowe with Ridley Scott in this story of a London businessman in Provence. Also in November, Richard Linklater releases his second film of the year (the first being A Scanner Darkly), Fast Food Nation in the adaptation of the non-fiction bestseller. Then Christopher Guest and company bring us another mockumentary For Your Consideration and this time also starring the brilliant Ricky Gervais (BBC's The Office).

The big blockbuster of the month is the revival of the James Bond franchise with Casino Royale, which I am feeling enthusiastic about. Daniel Craig's James Bond looks to take the character in a new direction, while still feeling like Ian Flemming's classic character. Also, Darren Aronofsky (Requim for a Dream) finally gets to release his long in gestation sci-fi epic The Fountain. It looks great.

December has a mix of films as well, including the seasonal films like Catherine Hardwicke (thirteen, Lords of Dogtown) directing the Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary the mother of Jesus in The Nativity Story. The guy who last brought the Bible to the cineplex has instead turned his attention to the story of the ancient Mayan culture in Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.

Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney reteam for The Good German which I know very little about, but the fact that those two are involved is enough to make me interested. And director Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai) directs Leo and Djimon Honsou in Blood Diamond.

Will Smith tries his dramatic chops again as a single father in The Pursuit of Happyness which looks pretty good to me. And Jamie Foxx tries to do for Beyonce what Ray did for him in the musical drama Dreamgirls.

Finally on Christmas day we get Clive Owen starring in Alfonso Cuaron's new film The Children of Men which gives us a fascinating apocolyptic future where people are unable to conceive children. We also have Oscar bait starring Ewan McGregor, Renee Zellweger, and Emily Watson in the biopic about the Peter Rabbit author, Miss Potter.

It should be a good fall with that line up. At least it will keep me busy, and probably therefore blogging as well. Get your Oscar predictions ready, because it's going to be a good fall for movies.

2006-08-12T19:02:00.000-06:00

TV On The Radio's new album, Return to Cookie Mountain is among the best new albums I've heard so far in 2006.

I had the opportunity to see them last fall in Seattle when they opened for Franz Ferdinand. They were good, but this new studio album is a big step forward. This is a big sounding experimental rock album, full of layers, distortion, and atmosphere - but not obtusely so, like so many of indie rock bands.

The band's arrangement with a major label (this is their Interscope debut), has also afforded them the opportunity to have David Bowie provide backing vocals on "Province"; but the song holds its own, the rock legend's vocals merely providing the icing on the cake.

If there is one song that defines this album it is "Wolf Like Me," the first single and fifth track off the album. It's sonically dense and engaging with a barrage of noise, but it's also a straight up, hard rocking single that should be seeing more radio play than it has been getting.

Definitely check out TV On The Radio, it's a great late summer album to put on when you're tired of dancing your feet off, but still want to rock out a little bit before the end.

2006-08-08T21:41:00.000-06:00

This (long overdue) post is in response to my good buddy Luke's concerns about one of my favourite food products here.

Now, I haven't seen the ad in question, but the fact is that when one claims that Nutella is "FREAKING CHOCOLATE," that is inaccurate. Nutella is a HAZELNUT spread that contains cocoa as one of the ingredients. In fact, cocoa is fourth on the list of ingredients. The jar that I'm looking at says it contains 106 roasted hazelnuts, 1 3/4 cups of skim milk...and "a hint of delicious cocoa."

Mmm...

According to Wikipedia (which granted may not be a perfect source), Nutella isn't chocolate but an Italian confection called gianduja made by blending chocolate and hazelnut paste. And apparently cocoa makes up only 7.4 % of the mixture. Hard pressed to call it "chocolate."

Ok, now I'm having a wee bit of fun with Luke here in my "defense" of Nutella, but I would imagine that my prime concern with giving Nutella to a child EVERYDAY wouldn't be that it has cocoa (or chocolate) in it, but rather that the most abundant ingredient in Nutella is...sugar. But so are many peanut butters and cereals in the same camp.

But then again, I eat Nutella nearly everyday and I can attest to my own good health and slim size, so maybe the ad isn't lying...

2006-07-19T15:07:00.000-06:00

What I'm currently listening to:

Shoegazer Mix AKA A Short History of the Genre, 1990 - 2005 (Thanks to Kwaya Na Kisser via Opuszine)

Galaxie 500, "Here She Comes Now"
Ride, "Vapour Trail"
My Bloody Valentine, "Come In Alone"
Swervedriver, "Rave down"
Drop Nineteens, "Delaware"
Catherine Wheel, "I Want to Touch You"
The Lilys, "Claire Hates Me"
Slowdive, "Some Velvet Morning"
The Boo Radleys, "Lazarus"
The Verve, "Weeping Willow"
Brian Jonestown Massacre, "Jennifer"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Shade of Blue"
Autolux, "Turnstyle Blues"
Engineers, "Let's Just See"

The CDs currently piled on my desk as I work on my Master's Essay:

Editors - The Back Room
Elbow - Cast of Thousands
Goldfrapp - Supernature
The Libertines - s/t
U2 - Zooropa
U2 - Pop
U2 - Boy
The Stone Roses - s/t
She Wants Revenge - s/t
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Elbow - Leaders of the Free World
Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisted
Jeff Buckley - Grace
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
Joy Division - Substance
U2 - October
Madonna - Ray of Light
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
Pulp - Different Class
LCD Soundsystem - s/t
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights
Kanye West - Late Registration
Sigur Ros - Takk...
The Smiths - Meat Is Murder
The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
Jets Overhead - Bridges
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Joy Division - Closer
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
The Organ - Grab That Gun
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
Depeche Mode - Violater
The Darkness - One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back
Metric - Live It Out
Metric - Old World Underground

2006-07-14T10:24:00.000-06:00

For my artist friends.

This is just so much fun, and beautiful.

2006-07-14T00:47:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last night. After a summer of disappointing films it was nice to have a film that was nothing but fun from beginning to end. By far the best movie of the summer thus far. Really, there aren't too many films this summer that I was dying to see anyway, at least compared to summers past.

Speaking of films that I'm dying to see, here's the trailer for what may be my most anticipated film of the year. Christopher Nolan. Hugh Jackman. Christian Bale. Michael Caine. AND Scarlett Johansson. Based on a book that I read and really enjoyed, here is The Prestige.

2006-06-28T12:23:00.000-06:00

Am I Predisposed to Not Like the new Superman film?

NOTE: I have not yet seen the film and this is just based on what I've seen and read, and what I, as a long time comic book fan, would like to see in a Superman film. If Singer's film delivers, I will happily eat my words and admit I was wrong.

I'm getting the impression from some that people might think I'm against Superman Returns without going to see it. This is not entirely true. Oh, of course I'm going to see it, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it (like Luke said on his blog, it's gotta be better than X-Men: The Last Stand, right?).

I'm not even saying I think it's going to be a bad movie. It's just that from everything I've read and seen, Singer's vision of Superman is not what I would do if I was making the film. I just don't think that making this a psuedo-sequel to the first two Chris Reeve films is a good idea. Why handicap yourself and tie yourself to continuity that way. Especially a continuity that, nostalgia aside, had some pretty stupid elements to it that took away from the epic feel of Superman (e.g. Otis, turning back time, amnesia kisses, levitation beams?). I think that the series could have used a fresh start like Christopher Nolan did with the Batman films. Though, I guess I would keep John Williams iconic Superman theme. That I'll give Singer. Good idea.

Heck, if I was going to make a Superman film with a $250 million dollar budget, I'd go back to Byrne's 1986 Man of Steel mini-series and use that as a basis for a screenplay with a few modifications. Here's what I'd put in the film. A Luthor who is a legitimit threat -- a billionaire scientist with the tech to actually take on Superman, and whom the world trusts and loves, and who's lust for power and glory makes Supes a rival. A love triangle for Superman and Lois -- involving Luthor no less; I know this was done on Lois & Clark but it worked. Not killing off Pa Kent, as the love of his adopted parents is what helps keep Clark grounded in the human world. Those are just a few things that I would work into a film.

As for casting, I cast a Superman who's a bit older than Brandon Routh. Superman can't look like a kid. We already have a young, inexperienced hero -- his name is Spider-man. Routh's age wouldn't be a problem, but if we're to believe that this is the Superman from the first two films who's been away for 5 years shouldn't he be like in his mid-thirties at least? That said, I do like the idea of casting a non-movie star in the role. I really can't see any of today's Hollywood elite as Superman, and then he brings no baggage to the role (I'll give Singer this, Routh makes me much happier than Burton's ill-concieved idea of casting Nicholas Cage in the role).

As for supporting cast, I'm looking forward to seeing what Kevin Spacey does with the role; I hope he takes Luthor and really goes with it, because the last thing I want to see is a Luthor in the vein of most of Spacey's roles; you know, the self-righteous, soft spoken guy who's just so smug. I want a Luthor with a bit of kick to him. I was thinking, "who would I cast?" and I came up with what I think would be a really interesting bit of casting: Ed Harris! Just think, he's got the aggressive, intelligent, determined thing going for him. He can play great villians, and we're used to seeing him bald anyway so that wouldn't be a distraction for people (like Spacey's egghead is). I think Ed Harris as Luthor would kick ass!

Now for the most important casting decision: Lois Lane. I'm sorry, I don't know if I'll be able to buy Kate Bosworth as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Lois has to be not just beautiful, but someone who you believe could track down a story, who could win the heart of the most powerful men on earth through her energy and aggression. I always thought that Terri Hatcher was the best Lois in any of the live action incarnations. She was easily the best part about the Lois & Clark show. But her time has passed, and she's now known to most as one of those Wisteria Lane women. Why not go after another TV actress, an up and coming starlet who I think would do a good job playing both a gutsy and beautiful Lois Lane. Why not Evangeline Lilly from LOST? I think she would do a fine job. What do you think?

With the right casting and the budget that Singer had, I'm positive we could have a definitive take on the Superman myth. But we have what we have, and I guess I'm going to have to see it for myself this week.

2006-06-27T18:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm almost half way done my essay at the moment, and it seems to be coming together alright (I don't feel like I'm stretching my material at all).

I recieved an invitation from my friend Ryan Fisher to attend Superman Returns. I'm still not sold, as the reviews come pouring in. I'm very skeptical of how marrying the new film to the old films will work. I have a feeling it will be awkward. The fact is that the Superman comics are much more interesting than the old films (for example, why have Luthor be a crook who has to come into possession of his fortune. He's much more interesting in the comics as a multi-billionaire whom the public thinks is a good guy). I guess I'll know for sure how I feel on Thursday night.

That said, here's a film that I'm sold on from the beginning. This looks good. Real good.

Forget Superman. SPIDER-MAN RETURNS!!!

2006-06-26T12:16:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a week now since The Loss. And it's been ages and ages since I posted anything on this blog. And I'm working on the final essay for the final class of my MA program. Victoria has been HOT lately! In excess of 30° and wonderfully sunny. I spent most of Saturday at the beach reading and getting a nice tan/burn. Of course, beach weather interfers with one's concentration when you're trying to get a paper done for Wednesday. The papers not due until Friday, but I'll be back in Saskatoon on Thursday morning so I figured I might want to get it done before then.

...

A few thoughts on the Oilers. Now it was a glorious--and more importantly UNEXPECTED--ride to the Stanley Cup , which makes the ending that much more sad. Why? Well, given the state of things, you never know when they're going to be able to repeat that again. In the "new NHL," basically every team is competitive and could make a similar run if the stars align properly. It's both the hope and the frusteration of any fan hoping to see their team make regular runs at the silver. You have to enjoy it when it happens. So with that said, I'm getting over it. Really.

However, Edmonton Oilers fans can now move on to the fact that our "Conn Smythe candidate" defenseman, Chris Pronger, has requested a trade from Edmonton for "personal family considerations." Translation: his wife doesn't like Edmonton and would like to move out east. Harsh blow: lose the cup, now possibly lose your franchise player?

Things are not nearly a dismal as it might seem though. Pronger has just finished the first year of a 5 yr, $ 6.25 million a year deal with the Oilers. He's just come off a Playoff MVP quality post-season run. He's arguably one of the best defenseman in the league. So what's that hope I'm talking about? The hope is that Pronger is a huge bargaining chip for Oilers GM Kevin Lowe (and that story says that the calls are already pouring in). Lowe, known for being one of the shrewdest GMs in the league, knows this and this makes the next week fairly exciting for the prospects of making the team strong.

Of course player Free Agency begins on July 1st, and Lowe is going to want to re-sign a few of the key players that are UFAs this summer; prime among those I would imagine are Pisani and Roloson. Of course, the signing of Roloson and what happens among other teams on July 1st is going to make a big difference in the decision that Lowe makes.

Firstly, if Roloson doesn't re-sign with the Oilers, filling the space between the pipes is going to be Lowe's first concern. Barring that, Lowe's concern is going to be getting fair market value for Pronger. Now, Pronger wants to move out east, so those are the teams to be looking at for this deal. The reports are that Toronto is interested in Pronger, and the offer of Kaberle and Steen has been thrown out there. Now, Kaberle would be ok for shoring up the defense of the Oil, but neither of these guys are really on the level of Pronger (I'd be more interested in McKabe). For me, the more interesting move would be to make a deal with Ottawa. Both of Ottawa's star defensemen are UFAs this summer, and if Ottawa fails to sign Chara and Redden, they could be very interested in Pronger. I think that if this happens that Havlat/Heatley/or Spezza and a defensemen like Phillips could be a good option for Edmonton.

The next week or so should be very interesting for a lot of teams.

...

Last night I re-watched Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction with a couple of friends and it just reiterated how great a film it is in my mind.

It's such a cliche to say such a thing, but the film honestly just cracks with energy, despite the fact that it's a two-and-a-half-hour film that is very dialogue heavy. But Tarantino makes the most of this with his outstanding cast. Just about ever actor is perfect for their role, and brings so much to their portrayals.

Take Uma Thurman's Mia Wallace (above). Not only does she handle the QT's dialogue in a way that never seems forced or contrived, but she brings all the little things to the role that make it memorable. The tension between Mia and Vincent throughout the entire chapter is apparent, just in the way she moves her eyes, or drags on her cigarette. It's no wonder QT brought her back as The Bride in Kill Bill.

2006-06-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

Apologies for the long time between posts.

Anyway, anyone who was dissapointed/enraged by X-Men: The Last Stand should check out this hilarious webcomic: "X-Facts! The 'X-Men' comics vs. 'X-Men: The Last Stand.'" Hilarious!

2006-05-14T13:01:00.000-06:00

Oh wow! Anton! Aren! Everyone! I've been wanting to see this for ages and now here it is. Any Star Wars fans should make sure they watch this! YouTube can be an amazing power for good!

Presenting, the Biggs-Luke Anchorhead scene that many claim was in the film with some prints in the original 1977 release of Star Wars.

(Thanks to Peter Chattaway for noticing this first.)

2006-05-13T01:20:00.000-06:00

The Oilers won! What a fantastic game. I was ecstatic. Being down 3-1 in the middle of the third and then coming back to win 6-3 is a wild game. A great performance by all the Oilers. Be sure to check out the highlight reel to see Samsonov's crazy goal coming out of the penalty box, picking up a huge bounce and stealing it away from Toskala to tuck it into the empty net.

Of course one of the great things about living on the west coast here is that games finish up relatively early, allowing one to do other things with one's evening. I was in the mood to celebrate, but everyone was either out of town or not doing anything. What does that mean I'm likely to do? Hey, it's summer movie season! I'm going to the theatre.

---

When you watch a movie and a character has to hold their breath underwater, do you ever catch yourself holding your breath along with them? Well, then Poseidon might not be the best movie for you.

Based on the novel and the 1972 disaster flick The Poseidon Adventure, starring Gene Hackmen and Shelley Winters, Wolfgang Peterson's new film is a solid summer film. The cast performs admirably for what is expected of them, but there is the slight case of knowing who is going to live at the end and who will die (Hint: Lucky Larry may not be so lucky).

But overall, while it's nothing profound, Poseidon is better than the original film and doesn't outstay its welcome. Peterson spends less than 20 minutes setting up the characters and situation before we are plunged (pun intended) into non-stop thrills and suspense, as our group of heroes attempt to find their way out of the doomed ocean liner that has been flipped on its back (as Dreyfus's character Nelson points out, "these ships aren't built to stay afloat upside down"). The movie's runtime is a brisk 99 min: short for this genre. But it's just enough to enjoy the heroics and special effects, which are impressive given that the Poseidon was created entirely in CGI. Everything is convincing and suitably impressive.

Sure the film falls into cliches at times (one particular sequence I like to call "the Armageddon moment" could be seen a mile away, and of course the loner gambler (Josh Lucas) is going to fall for the single mom and her precocious son). And really, some people in the audience may not be interested in seeing such large scale destruction for mere entertainment. But if you're looking for a good suspense action movie that's something different from superheroes or spies this summer, Poseidon isn't a bad choice.

2006-05-09T19:36:00.000-06:00

One last post for today. HALO 3 TRAILER!!!

2006-05-09T17:36:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I love dogs. Dog stories are one of those things that can make me all sentimental (ok, I guess I can be a sentimental person over a lot of things...).

Anyway, you all need to check out this crazy story about "Faith, the bipedal dog" who walks about on her two hind legs because she doesn't have front legs. It's amazing. I didn't believe it until I saw this video (care of YouTube and Montel Williams). Wow. Amazing what a creature can do when it's necessary for survival.

2006-05-09T11:24:00.000-06:00

Guess who's on the TIME 100 list this year? The man who had the guts to do his bit right infront of the President. The guy who gives us not the facts, but truthiness. That's right: Stephen Colbert.

2006-05-04T09:41:00.000-06:00

As they say in Star Wars land, "This will be a day long rememebered." Basically all the old school Star Wars fans can just shut up with the complaints and allegations that Lucas has been trying to bury the original Star Wars films and replace them with his what-they-see-as-inferior versions. Well, we can all cheer and celebrate the love, as the Ewoks once sang and will sing once again! The Original Theatrical versions of the Star Wars Trilogy are coming out on DVD this September!

Oh, and what would an Anders blog post be without a couple of movie trailer links.

The new Superman Returns trailer is up. It makes me more curious than the last ones, but I still have reservations. But who am I kidding? I'll still be seeing it.

And even more exciting is the trailer for Casino Royale, and it looks like Bond is going to kick some serious ass in his twenty-first film. Sure Daniel Craig is no Connery, but I think he'll pull this one off nicely. And speaking of nicely, that's how Eva Green is going to do as Bond girl Vesper Lynd. Very nicely.

2006-04-16T14:34:00.000-06:00

To everyone out there, I wish you a happy Easter.

Unfortunately, most of my Easter afternoon is going to be taken up with finishing (as much as possible of) my last essay of the semester before I fly out of here tomorrow night.

I like to write my essays to music; with iTunes I make big multi-hour playlists so that I can just work and not worry about changing songs or searching for things. Here's the song of the day for all out there in blog land.

It's been around for a while, but Scissor Sisters cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" is fantastic. Hopefully you enjoy it.

"Comfortably Numb" - Scissor Sisters

2006-04-12T23:35:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I posted anything. I'm a delinquent blogger.

I have two things to say at the moment.

1) Writing massive papers for graduate school is like pulling teeth. I know I have to do it, and I can do it. I just don't like the idea of it. It's hard to get out.

2) The Stone Roses rule. (And yes, their defining album did come out 16 years ago. But I was 7 at the time).

2006-04-07T14:48:00.000-06:00

Wow, if anyone thought that Sufjan Stevens' Illinois wasn't nearly long enough (or that the titles were too short and uncomplicated) then they can look forward to June 25th when Suf releases The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album. I must say that I'm excited. It will contain 21 tracks, some new and some alternate takes, that didn't make the cut for the main album. Seriously, Sufjan is so ridiculously prolific. He's a machine. An acoustic machine that is. Whatever, yes, I am mixing metaphors (I'm not a music critic).

Check out the acoustic version of "Chicago" here:

"Chicago (Acoustic)" - Sufjan Stevens

Thanks to "...good weather for airstrikes" blog for the link and mp3.

2006-04-06T01:14:00.000-06:00

Today was a productive day. So that means I was allowed to go and rent a movie for the evening. However, I had a hard time deciding what to rent, but I saw something that I had wanted to rent had finally moved to the full week rentals.

Anyone who knows my taste knows that I'm not the worlds biggest TV fan. TV shows have to be pretty good, and my tastes run more to the comedic as far as TV goes. Dramas generally get a hard time from me. But tonight I decided to rent the first disc of Lost - Season 1.

I just finished watching the two-part pilot to J. J. Abrams hit series. Let me say that this is one of those times that I'm sad that I'm late to the game. The pilot is fantastic. It is intense. It is mysterious. It is scary. The characters are varied and interesting. It makes me want to watch more right this minute despite having to get up and go to my last class of the semester tomorrow morning. Seriously, I haven't been this hooked on a drama series after a single episode since Twin Peaks. And after seeing this pilot, I'm sure you'll agree with me that the comparison is not entirely without basis.

So, now I have something to look forward to in the evenings this week. The great thing about TV on DVD is that you can sit down and watch an episode (or two or three) in a sitting. You can fit it to your schedlue. And if my schedule includes working on essays, as my next week or two does, I can use the possibility of another episode as an incentive to work. And you don't have to wait on pins and needles for a whole week to see what happens next. That said, perhaps it destroys the serial nature of television somewhat. The effect of watching a show like Lost or Twin Peaks on DVD as opposed to serially, week-by-week is similar to the effect of reading Dicken's Bleak House all at once, rather than having to wait weeks, or even months, between installments. I don't think one is better or worse than the other, but it is important to note the difference in reception. I think serial storytelling is interesting (not surprising considering I'm a huge comic book fan), and it's nice to see that there's still quality being put out even in a medium as generally tepid as TV.

Ok, I can't go to bed just yet. Time for one more episode before I go to bed...

2006-04-04T09:57:00.000-06:00

In case you're one of the two people on the Internet who hasn't seen this for whatever reason, check this out!

Summer 2007 and The Simpsons fans can finally see their favourite characters on the big screen.

Also, FOX has renewed the show for another two years, meaning that it will have be in its nineteenth season at least before it goes off the air. The Simpsons is now the longest running prime time entertainment show in history.

And there are rumours of Futurama's return as well. Matt Groening fans rejoice!

2006-04-02T13:32:00.000-06:00

Movie journal time. I didn't watch a heck of a lot of movies this month. Probably something to do with being in graduate school and being a busy person, both professionally and socially. Still I managed to waste a lot of time watching bad movies on TV. I probably watched Rush Hour 2 more than the one time I have listed here if you count all the fragments I've sat and watched on TBS on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. And would I ever actually go and pay money to watch Armageddon? No, but it's one of those compulsively watchable films even as you know it's absolute shit. One could almost consider it a camp classic. Oh, and I rewatched The Matrix the other evening on TV as well. It holds up pretty well. I think it is a great movie (hence the four-star rating), but not one of the best of all time. Not by a long shot. Perhaps I'll have to revisit the sequels sometime. Or maybe not.

My theatre going was somewhat limited this month. I did catch Terrence Malick's The New World and it was easily my favourite first viewing of March. It's a shame it didn't get more recognition. It is one of the most beautiful films I've seen in ages. Visual poetry is what some people have called it, and I agree. I also caught V for Vendetta, since I'll pretty much watch anything with Natalie Portman in it and it's based on one of my favourite graphic novels. It's a solid adaptation. I also got to see The Big Lebowski in theatres at a midnight screening. Clearly one of the greatest cult films of all time. I also bought a few DVDs this month. One of them was American Psycho, which is a fantastic film that is a brilliant work of satire. And of course I bought Peter Jackson's King Kong. Do I need to remind you all that I love that film?

*First Viewing

March

3.05.06 Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005) DVD, ***½

3.08.06 *The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005) Theatre, ****

3.11.06 Rush Hour 2 (Bret Ratner, 2000) TV, ***
Armageddon (Michael Bay, 1998) TV, **

3.18.06 *V for Vendetta (James McTiegue, 2006) Theatre, ***
High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000) DVD, ****

3.19.06 *Election (Alexander Payne, 1999) DVD, ***

3.24.06 The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen, 1998) Theatre, ****

3.26.06 *The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, 2005) DVD, ***½

3.27.06 Wedding Crashers (David Dobkin, 2005) DVD, ***

3.30.06 The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999) TV, ****
King Kong (Peter Jackson, 2005) DVD, ****

3.31.06 American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000) DVD, ****

2006-03-26T23:28:00.000-06:00

I've only recently discovered the joys of the used CD store. Partly because Victoria has stores with slightly better selection than say Tramps back home in Saskatoon. The used CD store is a great way to fill in the "holes" in my collection, which are many (everytime I think about Joel's CD collection I realize how far I have to go). So I bought a few older CDs this past week that were new to me--and for prices that couldn't be beat. The first thing was to fill in one of the most glaring ommissions in my collection. After talking to Anton on Saturday morning and how he had been enjoying some Bob Dylan, I decided I needed to get some full albums (rather than just the random few MP3s of his that I had). So I picked up Highway 61 Revisted and Blonde on Blonde. And I've had a Bob Dylan weekend enjoying both these CDs immensely. Dylan really was a great songwriter and it's hard to pick out the best songs, but obviously "Like A Rolling Stone" stands out. Also, "Queen Jane Approximately," "Visions of Johanna," "Desolation Row," "I Want You," "Just Like A Woman," and "Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands" are among my favourites (yes, I like the really long songs that he ends both the albums with).
I also picked up The Stone Roses self-titled (or eponymous if you prefer) album, which was a must buy given my current interest in 80s Indie British pop music and the Madchester scene. It's a fantastic album that totally fits into my current mood and tastes. Of course so far the songs that I enjoy the most are "I Wanna Be Adored," "She Bangs The Drum," and "I Am The Resurrection." They do a greata job of combining the solid, hook laden psychedelia of the 60s with a touch of the 80s dance beats. The result is an album I have a feeling will become a favourite of mine.

2006-03-23T17:16:00.000-06:00

It's time for a music related post.

We're three months into 2006 now, and I thought I'd give a little bit of a look at what some of my favourite music has been so far this year (always makes for an interesting comparison at the end of the year to see what stays on the list and what doesn't).

Top Five Singles of Jan.-Mar. 2006

5. "Skinny Boy" - Amy Millan or "Rise Up With Fists!!" - Jenny Lewis or "Hold On, Hold On" - Neko Case

I'm going to cheat and put all these together cuz they seem like a theme project. 2006 - the year of female vocalists from popular indie rock bands' solo projects. We have Amy Millan of Stars fame, Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley, and of course the beautiful vocals of Neko Case from The New Pornographers.

4. "Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix)" - Feist

I just loved this remix, having been a big fan of the original last year. Apparently Feist is busy at work on a remix album as we speak.

3. "White Collar Boy" - Belle & Sebastian

I linked to this as a "song of the day" a few weeks ago.

2. "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" - Arctic Monkeys

I love these guys. While you might be surprised that this wasn't my number one pick, overall this is by far my favourite album of 2006 thus far. Good ol' "drunken lad" music, this is the perfect soundtrack to a night out on the town with the gang, getting into trouble, or staying at home and pretending to.

1. "Number 1" - Goldfrapp

I might not technically count as a 2006 release (UK release was last fall), Ewan was allowed to call Free The Bees a 2005 release, so I'm calling this a 2006 release. It deserves the attention. This is just a fantastic electro-pop song, showcasing one of the most underrated pop acts out there. Alison Goldfrapp is incredible. I just love it. And the video is one of the most disturbingly fascinating I've seen in a while.

Some other songs that are right up there:

"You Only Live Twice" - The Strokes

The opener to their latest album is the best song on the disc. Too bad they didn't pick this as the single instead of the quickly tiresome "Juicebox."

"Who Left The Lights Off Baby" - Guillemots

It's hard to pick just one song off the EP From The Cliffs, the American compilation of the bands UK releases last year. So I'll just tell you to go out and pick up the whole thing.

"You're All I Have" - Snow Patrol

Just heard this one today (leaked onto the Internet), and it has potential to be a fantastic pop single. Worth checking out if you like this kind of thing.

If you hear any of these, hate any of these, or love them all, let me know.

2006-03-19T20:17:00.000-06:00

So I saw V for Vendetta this weekend. As a fan of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's comic book, I was quite excited for this. Also, I wanted to see if the Wachoski Brothers could atone for the lackluster Matrix sequels with the screenplay and producing credits on this film (poor James McTiegue might be the most ignored director of a major feature film since Tobe Hooper and Poltergeist).

It satisfied me. The story of one man fighting back against an oppressive and injust regime will always be popular. There were a number of tweakings to the plot, streamlining the serial nature of the original story and modifying things to fit better in today's climate of fear--for one they moved the film into the future 2020, as the book's "future" of 1997 might have seemed a little dated to those of us presently living in the 21st century.

Natalie Portman does a great job as Evey, even if her British accent isn't perfect. She is the human heart of the story, and it is through her that we really experience V's fight against the regime. Stephen Rea is good as inspector Finch, bringing some humanity to the enemies of V as well, and showing how a good person can get stuck in an oppressive beaurocracy.

Really I think the film is definitely worth seeing, if only to raise questions about the role of government, the definition of "terrorism," and whether the ends justify the means. I always enjoy the films that satisfy the "popcorn" desire to see some great entertainment (V's knife battle toward the end is one of the best action scenes in ages) and still have room left over for some interesting ideas as well. You can thank Alan Moore on this one, even if he doesn't think much of the films of his books thus far (and after suffering LXG and Constantine do you blame him?).

2006-03-15T16:09:00.000-06:00

This is news for Star Wars fans only. Specifically those of us who actually like the films post-ROTJ. The rest of you piss off. Joking. Joking.

Rick McCallum has announced that the new Star Wars TV show will be about the adventures of young Luke Skywalker! Sounds pretty cool to me!

2006-03-14T17:27:00.000-06:00

Ha ha. I bet you all thought I was done with King Kong related posts. Well, you were wrong. Peter Jackson and Co. won Empire magazine's Best Film award last night. Is it better than an Oscar? You can watch Peter Jackson's acceptance speech here, and enjoy the outtakes (WARNING: Lots of foul language in the outtakes, in case that kind of thing bothers you) as well as a special scene at the end showing the hitherto unknown way that they got Kong back to NYC!

Oh, and the DVD of Kong is out on March. 28th. Woo hoo!

2006-03-09T16:09:00.000-06:00

The Edmonton Oilers just made themselves a better team for the playoffs. They picked up a solid number one goaltender in Dwayne Roloson, which was a good pick up considering how hard to come by goaltenders are in the NHL these days.

But better yet, they added some offensive power by acquiring Sergei Samsonov from the Boston Bruins!

As Pierre McGuire said on TSN, "imagine having Ales Hemsky coming down one side, Sergei Samsonov flying down the other and Ryan Smyth crashing the net up the middle. There's a lot of weaponry in Edmonton now." Woo hoo!

2006-03-09T15:35:00.000-06:00

Here is my belated list of my movie journal for February.

It was a slow month, partly because the weeks around the break were filled with school work and other activities that meant I didn't get a chance to get to the theatre as much. My favourite first viewing was Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People, which is a funny and fascinating look at the "Madchester" music scene in the early 80s, and bands like Joy Division, the Sex Pistols, and the Happy Mondays. Plus, Steve Coogan is just hilarious. Both Walk the Line and Capote were excellent films as well. And I reminded myself of my love for Spielberg's Jurassic Park films.

*First Viewing

February

2.02.06 *Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005) Theatre, ****

2.04.06 *24 Hour Party People (Michael Winterbottom, 2002) DVD, ****

2.05.06 *Capote (Bennett Miller, 2005) Theatre, ***½

2.06.06 *Croupier (Mike Hodges, 1998) DVD, **½

2.09.06 *Jacob’s Ladder (Adrian Lyne, 1990) DVD, **

2.12.06 *Hitch (Andy Tennant, 2005) DVD, ***

2.18.06 *MirrorMask (Dave McKean, 2005) DVD, ***

2.19.06 The Frighteners (Peter Jackson, 1996) DVD, ***½

2.20.06 Road House (Rowdy Herrington, 1989) DVD, **½

2.23.06 Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993) DVD, ****
The Lost World (Steven Spielberg, 1997) DVD, ***½

2.25.06 GoldenEye (Martin Cambell, 1995) DVD, ***

2006-03-05T13:31:00.000-06:00

One little fact that may make tonight's Oscar's historically interesting: if Ang Lee wins Best Director for Brokeback Mountain, he will be the first non-white male to win EVER. That's right, every single recipient of the Best Director award has been a white male. So, Ang Lee could make history tonight. I know I'll be watching.

2006-03-01T14:02:00.000-06:00

The song of the day is "White Collar Boy" by Belle & Sebastian.

2006-02-28T15:49:00.000-06:00

After the all the hype, and the thumbs up from Anton (which still holds more weight that just about any critic out there), I finally bought the Arctic Monkeys debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. The verdict? It's good. I like it a lot. Possibly my favourite new album of 2006 thus far. They have a feel that vaguely reminds of The Strokes, The Libertines and any other combination of neo-classic punk, garage rock, with a touch of post-punk influence as well. That said, while they wear their influences clearly on their sleeves, they don't sound like they are merely aping those other bands or living in the past.

This is music for the moment, and that must be why they sold 118,501 copies of the album in its first day of release in the UK. That's the biggest debut since Oasis incase you're wondering.

I also bought the DVD of Walk the Line today as well: the 2-disc Collector's Edition. I'm a sucker for the "fancy" editions of DVDs. It's like they say, "This is the collector's edition" and I'm like Mickey Rooney on The Simpsons, saying, I'm a collector!. But I don't feel bad about this one. For one thing it was only $5 more. For another, the art was just a million times better. Also it comes with nifty cards of the various posters for the film, which I had earlier mentioned that I like quite a bit.

2006-02-28T00:34:00.000-06:00

Critical scholarly editing is a somewhat disheartening activity. In our bibliography class today, we learned about the impossibility of creating the ideal text. We have documentary texts—the evidence left behind by authors and editors of the past—and we do our best to make something of them and justify our actions to our peers. But the ideal text is impossibility: one cannot say that we have, finally, the definitive text. We just have to do our best, knowing that in some way it will be a flawed attempt.

Some people dedicate their entire lives to such enterprises. The editors of an upcoming critical edition of Othello have been working for ten years; ten years knowing that what you created is still not perfect. I guess that’s what I find disheartening. I’d like to think that if I was going to dedicate all that time and energy to a project, I’d end up with some original work. I still hope to do so someday.

In the end, all this work is somewhat futile. It isn’t going to give our lives meaning. We need to take joy in the parts of life beyond what we do, what our labours yield. We can take joy in each other, in the relationships with family and friends, despite knowing that we will all fall short in some way.

And so our lives are somewhat like critical scholarly editing. We just have to make the best with what knowledge and ability we have, knowing that the end result will be inevitably flawed. But we keep going anyway. Who would have considered the existential ramifications of bibliographic work could be so grand?

In other news, I’ve been reading Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Some of it is somewhat repetitive, but there are flashes of brilliance and insight that have made it an enjoyable experience thus far. Seventy pages in an hour-and-a-half aren’t too bad. I find that when I want to really take in what someone is saying, especially in essay type books like this, I need to slow down and let it sink in. Her commentary on the experience of “seeing,” and particularly the experiences of those blind from birth, who through surgery are able to see for the first time, is moving and profound I think.

2006-02-27T01:55:00.000-06:00

I stumbled across this song from this new Swedish band, The Envelopes and promptly downloaded their EP. It is so incredibly catchy, bouncy, rocking and...good. You can see the video here and check out their website here.

Today was a complete waste. I barely got anything considered work done, I just procastinated, dreading the week that is coming ahead. This song made the day worthwhile.

2006-02-24T01:31:00.000-06:00

So, Venom it is? I guess the teaser poster for Spider-man 3 just goes to show that Raimi changed his song (he has been quoted in interviews as saying he never liked the character of Venom). Why else have the black suit/symbiotic costume without Venom? This should be interesting. I just hope Raimi doesn't pack the film too much; we have Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), Venom, the promise of Harry as the new Green Goblin, and the introduction of Gwen Stacey (Bryce Dallas Howard). Let's just hope he can pull it off.

2006-02-22T15:49:00.000-06:00

Ok, what the hell happened? How could we not score a goal? It's just mind blowing. Brodeur played well, but the offense was just lacking. I'm just wondering why players like Draper or Doan were selected for their "grit" and proven young goal scorers like Spezza or Crosby (who has international experience) weren't? I mean, Russia had their star rookie Alexander Ovechkin who scored the game winner. Some things to think about before Vancouver-Whistler 2010.

2006-02-18T15:30:00.000-06:00

Shocking! Just plain shocking!

2006-02-14T09:30:00.000-06:00

These are hilarious. Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

I'll post this one for you here, not only because it's great, but also as a tribute to Phil Brown (Uncle Owen in Star Wars) who passed away at 89 this past week. He was one of those thankless, unglamorous roles in the film, but he added a lot of believability as Luke's cranky but well meaning uncle.

2006-02-13T00:49:00.000-06:00

I have to say that this news makes me very happy. After Disney shut down their traditional animation division last year, AICN is reporting that John Lasseter (head of PIXAR animation studios) is planning on bringing back the traditional 2D animation division of Walt Disney studios!

I'm a pretty big animation fan. I own over 40 animated films or collections on DVD and have always had an affection for Walt Disney's work. While I can't claim to have the insight or critical acumen that Luke has into the process of animation, I still celebrate the return of 2D work to the House of Mouse. The almagamation of PIXAR and Walt Disney, under Steve Jobs, is turning out to be the most exciting movie news of the year so far. Since Brad Bird, who's Iron Giant is among the best non-Disney animated films ever, is now part of the PIXAR team, perhaps he can make another fantastic 2D animated film.

If I had to pick my favourite Disney film I'd probably have to say Pinnochio has always been my favourite, and Beauty and the Beast ranks closely behind it. I have a real appreciation for the landmarks that are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Fantasia as well. I grew up watching Disney. Hey, how many 23-year-olds will admit that they bought Bambi on DVD? Yes, it's true. I'm a pretty hardcore fan.

What are your favourite Disney animated films?

2006-02-11T13:19:00.000-06:00

The 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy have started! I'm a huge fan of the Winter Olympics. Summer games, there's only a few events I really enjoy. Whereas I pretty much like every event in the winter games. How can you tell I'm a Canadian?

I also love the CBC coverage of the Olympics. For the next two weeks, Ron MacLean and Brian Williams will be on my TV pretty much non-stop. I've already been watching this morning as Canadian Jennifer Heil wins our first Gold Medal in women's moguls. Off to a good start. Go Team Canada!

2006-02-10T11:23:00.000-06:00

I saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote this past week. Without going into an in depth review of the film, let me just say that I'll be rooting for Hoffman at the Oscars next month. The film focuses on Truman Capote's research into the murder of a Kansas farm family for his "non-fiction novel" In Cold Blood, and specifically the strange relationship Capote has with one of the killers, Perry Smith. Capote becomes fascinated with Smith and the insights that he gains for his novel. However, the film asks difficult questions about the nature and morality of such a relationship, especially when the ending of Capote's book becomes frusterated by the lack of closure to the killer's story. Catherine Keener is also good as Capote's best friend and research assistant, Harper Lee. I think it's a complex and engrossing film that deserves the accolades it's getting.

It's nice that Hoffman is getting the attention he is. After outstanding supporting roles in films like Almost Famous, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, and 25th Hour. I also love that he's going to be the villian in M:I-III. It will be fun to watch Frank T. J. Mackey, from Magnolia facing off againsthis dying father's male nurse, Phil.

2006-02-10T11:06:00.000-06:00

I think I've mentioned before that I quite like my little apartment here in Victoria. It's cozy, clean, has a skylight and really, it's everything I need for my purposes and it's starting to feel like mine. Even the location is great, nicely situated equal distance between downtown and the University. But it's also just off a main street, and for some people, the noise of early morning traffic might be frusterating. Fortunately, I tend to sleep through almost anything (even earthquakes). But this morning was the exception: I awoke earlier than I would have hoped (today was a day I could have slept in) because they were doing work on the sidewalk one house away with a backhoe and a jackhammer! A goddamn jackhammer! Seriously, who starts operating a jackhammer at quarter-to-eight in the morning? Infuriating.

In other news the Curious George movie opens today, with the voice talent Will Ferrell as the Man in the Yellow Hat. Often I'm frusterated with the constant efforts of studios to "update" classic children's stories for mass consumption (see the recent Winnie the Pooh alterations for example), so it's somewhat heartening to hear that the movie is merely pleasent and appropriate for very young children to enjoy the adventures of a monkey without being subjected to sexual innuendo (ala Shrek) for once.

I've been well known for bashing singer Jack Johnson on numerous occasions. I thought it should be known that I have no active vendetta against the guy. The fact that I can barely get excited enough to care is pretty much my problem. However, he has recorded the soundtrack for Curious George, and it has been the number one selling album this week. I think Roger Ebert sums up my opinion of this very well in his review (linked to above): "There are songs sung by Jack Johnson, which are pleasant if kind of innocuous."

2006-02-06T23:20:00.000-06:00

Since it seems to be popular on other blogs, I'm going to post my viewing journal for January. Hopefully I'll be a little more consistent in keeping track of my movie watching this year.

I watched a fair number of films this month, though not at either my summer time or my old "Blockbuster free rentals" levels. I spent an afternoon back during the break watching a bunch of shorts with Anton & Aren on the new Disney Rarities DVD. Some great stuff on there, specifically Ferdinand the Bull and Ben and Me. My favourite first vewing of the month would have to be Munich. Loved it. Also had a riot watching Swayze in Road House. Enjoyable in a completely ridiculous manner. Grizzly Man, Hustle & Flow and Woody Allen's Match Point were three of the 2005 releases I caught that were really good and probably would have been on my honourable mentions list had I seen them before I did my list.

* First Viewing
† Non-Feature Length Film

January

1.01.06 *Guys and Dolls (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955) DVD
*Road House (Rowdy Herrington, 1989) DVD

2.01.06 †Ben and Me (Hamilton Luske, 1953) DVD
*†Alice’s Wonderland (Walt Disney, 1923) DVD
†Ferdinand the Bull (Dick Rickard, 1938) DVD
†Paul Bunyan (Les Clark, 1958) DVD
*†Noah’s Ark (Bill Justice, 1959) DVD
†Chicken Little (Clyde Geronimi, 1943) DVD
†The Hire: Hostage (John Woo, 2002) DVD
†The Hire: Beat the Devil (Tony Scott, 2002) DVD
†The Hire: Ticker (Joe Carnahan, 2002) DVD
†The Hire: Ambush (John Frankenheimer, 2001) DVD
†The Hire: Chosen (Ang Lee, 2001) DVD
Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) (Tom Tykwer, 1998) DVD

4.01.06 *Four Brothers (John Singleton, 2005) DVD

6.01.06 *Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005) DVD

8.01.06 *Munich (Steven Spielberg, 2005) Theatre

12.01.06 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001; Extended Edition) DVD
*Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) Theatre
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(Peter Jackson, 2001; Extended Edition; Commentary by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens Part 1) DVD

13.01.06 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(Peter Jackson, 2001; Extended Edition; Commentary by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens Part 2) DVD

14.01.06 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005) DVD

15.01.06 *Memoirs of a Geisha (Rob Marshall, 2005) Theatre

19.01.06 *Hustle & Flow (Craig Brewer, 2005) DVD

21.01.06 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, 1998) DVD

27.01.06 *Match Point (Woody Allen, 2005) Theatre

2006-02-03T11:02:00.000-06:00

Also, news too odd to make up.

Thanks to Jeffrey Overstreet for the link.

2006-02-03T10:39:00.000-06:00

Actual conversation I heard from two women in their late-20s/early-30s, sitting behind me at the movie theatre last night:

First Woman: He is so hot.
Second Woman: Who?
First Woman: You know, that guy; tall, lanky, dark, sexy. I don't know, I just think he's incredibly hot. And he's got that intelligence about him too.
Second Woman: Uh, what's he in again?
First Woman: You know, the guy from The Big Chill, The Fly...
Second Woman: Oh, the Jurassic Park guy!
First Woman: Yeah! Jeff Goldblum!
Second Woman: Oh yeah! He is hot.

There you go. It's undeniable. Move over Brad Pitt. Goldblum is in the house.

"Hello? I forgot my mantra."

2006-02-03T00:42:00.000-06:00

So, I just went to see Walk the Line. Finally. It's one of those films that slipped through the cracks last fall (partly on account that it opened on the same day as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), but that I really wanted to see. Fortunately the wasteland of release dates that is January/February (I mean, unless Underworld: Evolution is really your thing) solicitates me catching up with all the films that I didn't get to see in November/December or that opened in limited release in December and are just opening up in the wider markets now. Up on tap for the next week is Terrence Malick's The New World and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote.

So, Walk the Line; it's a really good movie. I liked it an awful lot. I liked it better than most of the biopics I've seen in ages. Much better than Ray. Jamie Foxx did an amazing job in that film, but Joaquin Phoenix doesn't seem like he's doing an imitation as much as peforming a character. He's not so much concerned with making one completely believe it's Johnny Cash on screen, as he is in making you believe the story that's being told. I appreciated that. He's a great actor. Reese Witherspoon is fantastic too. One believes that Johnny would fall for her and that she would become his best friend who would save him from his own personal demons of pills and booze. She is also just adorable. As of the moment, I'm rooting for her come the Oscars.

Plus the story of Johnny Cash is, to me, just very compelling. And I love the music. I'm home listening to Live at Folsom Prison as I speak (I think "Cocaine Blues" might be one of my favourite songs). It's also amazing that both Joaquin and Reese did their own singing for this film. Outstanding. And T Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Cold Mountain) did the music arrangements and choices and he continues to be the best in the business.

And finally, I think Walk the Line might have one of the best sets of posters I've seen in a long time. What do you think?

2006-01-31T16:05:00.000-06:00

Ok, the Oscar© Nominations are out today. No real surprises, but nonetheless I offer my commentary, predictions, etc.

I've seen all but one of the Best Picture nominees (Capote which I was planning on seeing this upcoming weekend anyway because I really like PSH). I always watch the show. It's like the movie geek superbowl; half the fun is playing armchair quarterback and complaining about the decisions. Plus this year should be worth watching just for the host. Who is it? None other than Jon Stewart!

78th Annual Academy Award Nominations

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Brokeback Mountain
Capote
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Munich

Somehow I have a feeling that the adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's cowboy short story is going to take this, but I think that Tony Kushner's (Angels in America) meditation on terrorism and counter-terrorism is more daring and better executed.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Match Point
The Squid and the Whale
Syriana

Haggis won the adapted screenplay last year (for Million Dollar Baby) so he's the one to watch this year. But Woody Allen's Match Point is a fantastic bit of writing (it's what he does best) and given it's snubs in the other categories, it should win this one.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams (Junebug)
Catherine Keener (Capote)
Frances McDormand (North Country)
Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

Williams did great work and will likely pick up this award as the lone acting win for Brokeback, but don't count out Keener either who has been nominated before and did other fine work this year (The 40-Year-Old Virgin). Me, I have a soft spot for Rachel Weisz.

Actor in a Supporting Role

George Clooney (Syriana)
Matt Dillon (Crash)
Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
William Hurt (A History of Violence)

Possibly the most competitive category, with fine performances on all counts. I predict either a win for Clooney who had two great films this year, or Paul Giamatti to make up for his snubs the past two years in the leading role category. My choice would be the scene stealing performance by William Hurt playing totally against type in A History of Violence.

Actress in a Leading Role

Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents)
Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice)
Charlize Theron (North Country)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)

Haven't seen any of these, but my gut tells me that Huffman will win because it follows the Academy rule of "most=best," and how can one beat one of the Desparate Housewives wearing tons of makeup as a pre-op transgendered person? From what I've heard though Reese should win (I'll probably get around to seeing Walk the Line before the awards). But this is a tight race and could go either way.

Actor in a Leading Role

Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)
Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line)
David Straithairn (Good Night, and Good Luck)

Another competitve category. From what I've heard, PSH will take this and deservedly so (heh, funny if "Hoffman" and "Huffman" won). But all the other performances are great and don't count out Joaquin (though Jamie Foxx won for playing a music star last year which hurts Joaquin's chances). I personally thought Terrence Howard had as good a year as any actor and Hustle & Flow deserves the praise it's getting.

Directing

George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck)
Paul Haggis (Crash)
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Bennet Miller (Capote)
Steven Spielberg (Munich)

Usually the Academy mixes things up and nominates one director who doesn't have a Best Picture contender (I was predicting Jackson getting a nod for Kong), but not this year. I predict that Lee will take this one easily. But you know I'm rooting for my all time favourite, Steven.

Animated Feature

Corpse Bride
Hauru no ugoku shiro (Howl's Moving Castle)
Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

My favourite category and the one where the Academy got the three best. I predict that it will go to Corpse Bride, but my favourite was Wallace & Gromit.

Best Picture

Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich

Again, I think Brokeback is a lock in this category, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that Munich was the better film.

In other categories, I'll post my predictions again before the actual night of the Oscars©. My biggest dissapointment was that Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith got robbed in the Best Visual Effects category. War of the Worlds and King Kong sure, but Narnia? How can you tell me that those cartoony-looking beavers were better than Yoda? Just kind of gets to me, because I thought the effects in Narnia were weak. That said, I'd say King Kong is a lock in this category. Hell, WETA should get a special acheivement award for creating the character of Kong.

2006-01-30T00:54:00.000-06:00

COLDPLAY Setlist
GM Place - Vancouver, BC Thurs. Jan. 26th, 2006

1) Square One
2) Politik
3) Yellow
4) Speed of Sound
5) God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
6) X&Y
7) How You See the World
8) Don't Panic
9) White Shadows
10) The Scientist
11) Kingdom Come
12) Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover)
13) Trouble
14) Clocks
15) Talk

Encore:
16) Swallowed in the Sea
17) In My Place
18) Fix You

Pictures and commentary to follow soon.

2006-01-22T23:42:00.000-06:00

There was in interesting article over at Pitchfork Media on Friday about Indie Rock and religion. The long held belief was that "almost no strain of music is as secular as indie rock," but lately there has been a few artists who are challenging this belief and the criticism has been coming from both sides: those who want "a little less God in [their] rock" and those who insufferably try to shoe horn music about religion into their own little ghettos.

If we shun the religious content of these works, we're missing their emotional and intellectual power.
You can disagree with the church of your choice, but to dismiss religion altogether-- and to write off the best ideas, the best people and of course, the best indie rockers-- that come out of it, seems pointless. Why shoot the messenger just because you're scared he has a message?

One of the artists that they talk about a fair bit, and who has prompted people to rethink the relationship between faith and music is Sufjan Stevens. I finally picked up his acclaimed 2005 release Illinois and it hasn't dissapointed.

The other album that I've been really into this week is another 2005 release that I belatedly picked up-- the Bloc Party Silent Alarm. This is a seriously catchy, thoroughly enjoyable pop rocker. I love it. Check out "Helicopter," as it's my song of the day.

2006-01-19T20:59:00.000-06:00

I've posted before about how movies based on video games suck. However, there are two projects that look hopeful, not only because they're based on quality source material, but also because the development teams went out and got real writers, real directors and are being put together with care. The first is Halo, being produced by Peter Jackson, screenplay by Alex Garland (28 Days Later) and now being directed by Guilermo del Toro (Hellboy, Blade II). Of course, Halo doesn't come out for another year and half, set for release in summer 2007.

But there's a film coming out this year that I'm pretty excited about, based on one of my favourite video games and definitely the most disturbing and frightening game ever. Welcome to Silent Hill! Brings chills to my spine! More exciting is the fact that Silent Hill is written by Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction) and being directed by French director, Christophe Gans, whose underrated Le Pacte des loups (The Brotherhood of the Wolf) was fantastic. It stars Radha Mitchell (most recently seen in Woody Allen's Melinda & Melinda and as J. M. Barrie's wife in Finding Neverland), and most excitingly, everyone's favourite Sean Bean!

2006-01-17T00:38:00.000-06:00

A sure fire way to get me to post on my blog is to spoil my Top Ten Films of 2005 on your own blog after talking to me, in an act of pure spite. What else are little brothers for? That said, I relent. There's still a few movies I haven't seen yet this year that I really wanted to (Capote, The Squid and The Whale). In fact, last year I saw over fifty 2004 releases in theatres. This year was a little slower, I saw 40 (not counting repeat viewings of films of which there were three that I saw at least three times in the theatre). Without further ado, here it is.

The Year in Review - MOVIES

For me it was a exciting year of movie going. Some of my favourite stories from childhood came to the big screen for the first time (The Chronicles of Narnia), and other favourites came to a finale (Star Wars); Some of my favourite directors (Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Cameron Crowe) released films in 2005; Some films were surprisingly good, others were unfortunately disappointments. That said, it's always hard to boil down the films I see into a top ten. The fact is that armed with a limited budget of both money and time, and listening to writers and friends I trust, I see few films each year that I absolutely hate. But at the same time, this list represents the films that entertained/moved/provoked/thrilled me the most. To that end, I begin.

10) Broken Flowers (Dir. Jim Jarmusch)

After my conversation with Aren, in which I remained non-commital on the final spot for my Top Ten list (never a good sign), I reviewed my film journals and notes, in case there was a film that made a strong impression that I was overlooking. I found one in this surprisingly accessible film from an eccentric auteur. Jim Jarmusch (Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Dead Man) directs Bill Murray (good as ever, year after year) in this touching story of an aging womanizer in search of a son he's never met. Some felt that Murray was merely playing the same disaffected cynic that he played in films like Rushmore or Lost in Translation, but he's so good at it and he's still not gotten the recognition he deserves as one of the premiere actors of his generation (unfortunately, comedians rarely get their due). Broken Flowers avoids the contrivances of some of Jarmusch's recent fare (Coffee & Cigarettes) and manages to stay with me months after seeing it.

9) War of the Worlds (Dir. Steven Spielberg)

Many dismissed Spielberg's frightening reflection on extra terrestrial intelligence (a theme he's clearly qualified to talk about given his past films) as nothing more than an empty and tasteless excercise, exploiting the disaster imagery of post-9/11 America, and starring an actor whose personal life was quickly spiraling into a media circus. Say what one will about Tom Cruise, he does fine work when he's with Spielberg. The decision to keep the screenplay firmly anchored in the point-of-view of the civilian protagonist (nary a general or president to found in this alien flick) gives the film an urgency and confusion that few other films of this genre achieve. Furthermore, when considered in light of Spielberg's other more overtly political film that he released this year, the film takes on a more thoughtful poignancy about the nature of world shaking events and the use of terror as a force of war. And anyone who had issues with the seemingly abrupt ending to the film out to take it up with H. G. Wells, as on that issue Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp stay relatively faithful to the original source material.

8) Good Night. and, Good Luck (Dir. George Clooney)

There were a great many films that had political themes this year (and a number of them appear in my favourites), but of those that overtly dealt with politics in a straightforward way none impressed me as much as Good Night, and Good Luck. George Clooney, taking a back seat supporting role in the film, shows that he's not merely another "actor-director," but a legitimitly good director in his own right. The film, which chronicles the televised confrontation between CBS journalist Edward Murrow (played most excellently by the underrated David Strathairn) and Senetor Joseph McCarthy in a 50s America not entirely foreign to us today. Clooney's film isn't pedantic however, and is artful and complex in it's portrayal of the news media's relationship to politics. The use of "glorious black & white," as well as fine supporting acting from all involved makes this one of the best films I saw all year.

7) A History of Violence (Dir. David Cronenberg)

This film, directed by Canadian Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen, is one of two films on my list that have their origin in comic books. Suprised? Yep, the film is based on a graphic novel by British writer John Wagner (Judge Dredd). Either way, Cronenberg's film hit me hard and stuck with me the whole year. Like several of the films on my list, A History of Violence explores the theme of, guess what?, violence, and how it affects us and whether we can ever truly walk away from our past. Viggo Mortensen gives an amazing peformance as Tom Stall, an average citizen, who when he kills a man to protect his community, draws the attention of those asking, "How come he's so good at killing people?" Supporting performances from Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt (playing against type) add to the power of the film. It is a film that is well worth seeing, for the art and craft involved, and for the conversations to be had afterward.

6) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Dir. Mike Newell)

I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter books. I was also a big fan, despite the complaints of many fans I know, of Alfonso Cuarón's adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004. I felt that Cuarón's film was more artful than the first two Potter films and not merely a slavish adaptation of a popular book. I was somewhat apprehensive about this film, what with Goblet being one of my favourites in the series and also being somewhat more difficult to adapt (it's more than 3 times the length of any of the first three books). But the film surprised me becoming one of my favourites of the year.Of course Goblet has the advantage of it's plot, the Tri-Wizard Tournament, being constructed in such a way that momentum is maintained throughout the story, never slowing down or getting bogged down in exposition.Newell stays more faithful to the source material than Cuarón, but still brings an artist's vision to the film. Furthermore, Newell manages to make the character moments in the film really shine. The Yule Ball scene is one of my favourites in the entire film and contains some amazingly real emotional moments. Harry Potter is literary adaptation done right, capturing the energy and feel of the author in a year when other fantasy adaptations left me cold.

5) Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Dir. Nick Park & Steve Box)

This film is probably the funniest and most charming film I saw all year. I've been a huge fan of the Wallace & Gromit films since I saw The Wrong Trousers years ago (and subsequently made it one of my all time favourites). I loved Nick Park's Chicken Run as well and was ecstatic when I heard Wallace & Gromit would be getting their own feature film. The film, with its myriad homages to classic horror and creature features, concerns a beast, a Were-Rabbit, that is preying on the good English village's vegetable gardens, and threating the Big Vegetable competition. Fortunately Wallace & Gromit's Anti-Pesto, humane pest removal is on the job. As much as I love the computer generated imagery of Pixar, there's something about the stop motion puppetry at work here that gives the film a special touch. Not as polished as other offerings (Tim Burton's Corpse Bride), but it contains all the more charm in it's hand crafted tale of rabbits, vegetables and of course...cheese!

4) Batman Begins (Dir. Christopher Nolan)

Truth be told, I don't think any of the live-action Batman films, not even Tim Burton's heralded 1989 film let alone the Schumacher travesties, really "got" the character of Batman. Burton was more interested in the freak show and what I would call "camp-gothic" than in exploring the idea of a man driven by the death of his parents to become a vigillante. So when I heard that Christopher Nolan (Memento) would be directing the film, and that he had cast Christian Bale (a move I called for ages ago) as Bruce Wayne/Batman I was excited. Would Nolan finally make a Batman film worthy of the character? By crafting a story that keeps its focus firmly on the character of Bruce Wayne, and filling the the supporting cast with a wealth of acting talent (Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, and Gary Oldman) Batman Begins handily lets us forget that any other Batman films exist, wiping the slate clean and claiming the mantle of "Best Superhero Film Ever" (yes, joining and perhaps even surpassing Spider-man 2). This film was everything I could have hoped it would be and reminded me why the Dark Knight is one of my favourite fictional characters ever.

3) King Kong (Dir. Peter Jackson)

King Kong cements Peter Jackson's position among the greatest and most audacious directors of our time. His ability to tackle projects that seem too big (The Lord of the Rings for instance) and make exciting, larger-than-life, and moving films puts me in awe of his imagination and skill. Kong is a remarkable feat. Jackson takes everything he loved about the original 1933 classic that inspired him to become a filmmaker and cranks it up to the extreme. Fleshed out is the backgrounds of both the crew members of the Venture and the film crew of the hubristic Carl Denham. But more imporantly the relationship between our misunderstood hero and the woman he falls for is stripped of its creepy sexual subtext and made to really resonate and work. Naomi Watt's deserves praise and my nod for the best actress of the year as she helps bring Kong to life through her interaction. Furthermore, Andy Serkis and the Weta FX team deserve special praise for bringing a 25 foot gorilla to life and making him emote. This film really worked for me, not only as a piece of bravura filmmaking, but in the wake of my beloved pet dog Belle's death, reminding me of the powerful bond that can form between a human and an animal.

But wait you say..."King Kong is only your number 3 film of the year? You loved it and raved about it for months leading up to it. How can this be?" Let it be known that I absolutely loved Kong and Batman, and that should explain how much I adore the top two films on my list.

2) Munich (Dir. Steven Spielberg)

In a year when political films were all the rage, and the news is filled with various talking heads from all political views bombarding us political rhetoric, how can it be that the master of "mere" entertainment gives us one of the greatest American films I've seen in ages and ages? How is it that Steven Spielberg is able to make a film that not only asks more honest and hard hitting questions about the state of the world, violence, life, love, patriotism, duty, honour and the cost of vengeance than any of the more "serious" directors out there? Not only that but Spielberg's film is brilliantly composed, endlessly thrilling and emotionally intense, never relying on "preaching" in getting us to tackle these hard questions. Perhaps it is in working with acclaimed playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America), or in once again getting himself a cast that does wonders (Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush). At any rate this nearly perfect, melding of craft and conscience blew me away. If I was to compare it to other films in history, I would have to describe it as containing the punch and politics of a film like The Manchurian Candidate (1962) but interpreted through the aesthetic of early 70s Copolla (The Godfather, The Conversation) with it's gritty violence and striking characters. Munich is a film for the ages and cements Spielberg's position as my favourite director of all time.

MY FAVOURITE FILM OF 2005!

1) Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Dir. George Lucas)

Was there really any question of what my favourite film of the year would be? Revenge of the Sith brings a close to the story that I've followed with zeal my entire life. And it does so with a bang! Even those I know who were dissapointed with the first two prequels had to admit that Sith was different. I cannot honestly judge the film without acknowledging that this film meant more to me than any other. I brought with me to the film all the emotional baggage of a young man watching a film that he had been waiting for, for quite nearly, all his life! Seeing the fall of Anakin Skywalker finally put up on the screen, watching him hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knight's (and commiting actions that even I never dreamed he would!), seeing the home of the Wookies Kashyyyk finally portrayed, watching Obi-Wan forced to engage his life long friend and brother figure in mortal combat on a lava planet and then finally secreting away Anakin's infant twins after the tragic death of their mother, when those credits reading "Written and Directed By GEORGE LUCAS" finally popped up, it was a moving and bittersweet moment. This is the last Star Wars film. The fact that I type those words makes me think about how great it was growing up with these films, and getting to experience the conclusion to the greatest film saga of all time. For all those reasons, and hundreds more, melodrama, operatic storyline and all, Revenge of the Sith is the most significant, most memorable, and my personal favourite film of the entire year, if not the decade!

Those last four films on my list were easy to rank. I uncategorically loved them. Making lists though is always difficult. I always have something to say about more films, love them or hate them, and I can't limit myself to just the Top Ten list.

Runner's Up: Syriana for its fascinating look at the complexities of the global oil business; The Constant Gardener for making a fascinating thriller that forced us to contemplate our relationship with drug companies and our complicity in African suffering; Robert Rodreguez and Frank Miller's Sin City for suggesting an entirely new aesthetic and amazing technical accomplishments that made it possible to literally bring the pages of a comic book to life; Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin for making me laugh until it hurt, but never losing their hear; Crash for being about more than just "race"; and Corpse Bride for just looking fantastic.

Dissapointments: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe showed me the negative fallout of Peter Jackson's success, as stories I've beloved for ages are interpreted by people who clearly don't understand them and are merely cashing in on the fantasy craze; Elizabethtown and Cameron Crowe for letting his passion for making great mix tapes interfer with ability to tell a touching and believable story; The Brother's Grimm and more specifically, The Weinsteins for clearly butchering the work of a genius like Terry Gilliam and fine actors like Heath Ledger and Matt Damon; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for not being as charming and memorable as the book it was based on. Months later I can barely remember moments that should have been classic.

Surprises: Brokeback Mountain for transcending the political arguments surrounding it and giving an artful portrayal of broken human relationships and people struggling to connect; The Island was better than it should have been, given the name Michael Bay was attached. Perhaps it had more to do with the names Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou and Sean Bean; The Weather Man for being surprisingly memorable, full of great performances from Michael Caine, Hope Davis and Nicholas Cage, and reminding us that "Easy doesn't enter into grown up life."

2006-01-10T02:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, here it is. My favourite album of 2005. I'm sure a lot of people are going to be disappointed, shocked, angry. But it is my favourite.

Some albums I discovered too late in the year, but might have been contenders. Broken Social Scene's self-titled album would definitely have been a top ten album, had I heard it before Christmas. Also, The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema, is as good as pop-rock gets. Perhaps if Ryan Adams had not released 3 albums in one year (surely trying to set some kind of record or prove something to who knows who), he might have produced something that was a favourite of mine (Jacksonville City Nightes comes close). Also, I ashamedly have yet to really give Sufjan Stevens a real critical listen yet. I couldn't find it to buy after Christmas in Saskatoon (which is a good sign, since it was obviously sold out), so it too wasn't in consideration. All things considered though, I doubt that any album would top..

MY FAVOURITE ALBUM OF 2005!

1) Late Registration - Kanye West (Roc-A-Fella)

Kanye is like the Orson Welles of Hip-Hop. Perhaps that's high praise, but the guy is a genius. Unfortunately, like Welles, he knows it. He went off on MTV declaring George Bush a racist (whether or not it's true, it's probably not wise). He says he's a brilliant rapper. He's a top-notch producer. And it's true. The College Dropout was one of the best albums of 2004, but Kanye went and did the impossible; not only was his follow up better than his debut (proving the sophmore slump is nothing but a rumour), but it is perhaps one of the best Hip-Hop albums I've ever heard, and at least the best of the decade. Hip-Hop was getting stale. The fact of the matter was that there wasn't much choice between the ridiculous "gansta" rappers like 50 Cent and the overly serious "socially conscioius" rappers. Kanye defies definition. He features guest spots from everyone from The Game, on the thought provoking "Crack Music," one of my favourites, Common, and even Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx on the infectious single "Gold Digger" (not only is it brilliant, but it's probably one of the most uncomfortable pop songs for a white boy to sing along to, when Kanye rhymes "I ain't saying she's a gold digger / But she aint' messin' with no broke n***er"). Kanye combines clever, but not overly self-conscious rhymes with club-worthy rhymes. He went out and defied convention by hiring producer Jon Brion (soundtracks to Magnolia and I Heart Huckabees; Fiona Apple). He rhymes about both bling and the damage caused by traffiking in "blood diamonds" in my adored single, partnering with superstar Jay-Z on "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" (also featuring an amazing sample from the James Bond-theme to Diamonds Are Forever). I've listened to this album more than almost any other this year. The fact that a Hip-Hop album would make my number one favourite never crossed my mind at the beginning of the year, but Kanye showed my that my preconceptions were off. This is the most interesting, entertaining, and artistic album I've listened to all year. I love it and it's a classic. Standout Tracks: "Touch the Sky," "Gold Digger," "Crack Music," "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," "Celebration"

Coming soon: Top Ten Films of 2005.

2006-01-08T20:58:00.000-06:00

Ok, this made me laugh. I love Ricky Gervais.

Hopefully it makes you laugh too.

2006-01-08T19:28:00.000-06:00

Apparently, I am in fact the worst blogger ever. But as I promised some people that I would post today, here I am. Let us continue with my top ten albums list.

4) LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (DFA/EMI)

This album might best be described as literate, electro, dance rock, if one can best describe it at all. It's perhaps one of the most compulsively head nodding albums I've heard in ages. From the driving, crazy beats of the opener, "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House," to the brilliant "Tribulations" (which incidently fades quite nicely into the opening of "Blue Monday" making it an instant DJ favourite everywhere), this album is chalk full of infectious beats. But just to show that they've got it going on with more than just dance music, they throw in the lazy, druggy Beatles-esque sound of "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up." The album earned it's place on my list of the best of the year and it has also become the unofficial anthem album for the UVic English grad students. Standout Tracks: "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House," "Tribulations," "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up," "On Repeat"

3) You Could Have It So Much Better - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)

Ok, this one is obviously one of my favourites and probably one of the ones that I've listened to the most. I'm sure part of that has to do with the fond memories of the concert I saw in Seattle back in Oct, but that only solidified my impression that Franz Ferdinand are great entertainers, if not some of the best in the world. Some critics (and people I've talked to) were a little bit dissapointed with the album. But making cohesive "albums" doesn't seem to be what Franz Ferdinand are about. What they do is craft some of the greatest hooks and most danceable pop songs out there. And in that respect, they deliver on the promise of the first album fully. "The Fallen" is perhaps one of the best opening tracks on any album this year. And "Do You Want To," while it falls slightly short of the glory that is "Take Me Out," is one of the most popular songs on the dance floor with its playful cheekiness and brilliant build up. Let's hope that the boys from Glasgow continue to dominate pop music. Standout Tracks: "The Fallen," "Do You Want To," "Walk Away," "I'm Your Villian," "Outsiders"

2) Takk... - Sigur Rós (Geffen)

This album was a huge surprise, but a wonderful one. I was a big fan of this Icelandic group's last album, the somewhat pretentiously untitled (). With it's meandering sounds and ethereal atmosphere, it was great, but sometimes the songs went on too long and it wasn't something that you could just throw on and listen to any old day. But with Takk... the band moves back to the sounds of Ágætis Byrjun, their popular second album. The sounds of Takk... are triumphant and melodic, somewhat different from the more funereal and measured feel of (). Takk... is like a ray of sunshine through a cloud, it's soundscape creating moods and atmosphere as much as "songs" in the traditional sense. Obviously the new album isn't going to win over those who think that all music has to be in traditional 3 min pop songs, but by mixing up their methods, Sigur Rós makes music that is less exhausting and more, dare I say, fun. Earlier I wondered if there was a pop song as "triumphant" as Coldplay's "Fix You," but "Sæglópur" is perhaps one of the most brilliant pieces of music I heard all year. It literally gives me goosebumps just to hear it in my headphones as I walk. If you've never heard Sigur Rós before, I urge you to give this album a listen. It truly has earned it's place on my picks of the year's best. Standout Tracks: "Hoppípolla," "Með Blóðnasir," "Sæglópur"

Now it's down to Number 1. Do you know what it is?

2006-01-01T17:38:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! 2006! Can you believe it already? Here's hoping everyone has a good year!

Anyway, back to my top ten albums list that was supposed to be up "tomorrow." Holidays are murder on my blogging.

7) Set Yourself on Fire - Stars (Arts & Crafts)

The second Canadian indie band on the list (also from Montreal). This band took me quite by surprise, as I hadn't heard any of their earlier efforts. But it turned into one of my most listened to albums of the year, as its unique blend of indie pop, melodic male and female vocals, electronic noises and atmospheric production was irresistible to me. I especially found the lyrics interesting, and I'm not normally a lyrics person; emotional, but not verging into self-pity as many bands do. Overall, it's an excellent album and one of my favourite discoveries of the year. Standout Tracks: "Set Yourself on Fire," "Ageless Beauty," "Calendar Girl"

6) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Self Released)

This album is one of my favourites that I discovered in the last little bit of the year. The band not only produced and recorded all the music themselves, but also somehow managed to put the album out without the help of a label. This is a rock that is a little bit weird, a little bit catchy; distorted guitars, tortured vocals (my little brother hates the lead singer's voice). But nonetheless I've listened to this album non-stop and it's got surprising depths and is very listenable. The first track is bizzare and not really representative of the album as a whole, but if you can get past that you're in for a real treat. For all those reasons it's one of the best albums I've heard all year and makes the list. Standout Tracks: "Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)," "Details of the War," "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth"

5) X&Y - Coldplay (Capitol)

I'm sure putting this on my year's best may discredit my taste in the eyes of some, but honesty compells me to say that this is one of my favourite albums of the year and one that I've listened to incessantly since I got it on "Super Tuesday" back in June (when it was released on the same day as new albums by the Black Eyed Peas and The White Stripes). Almost everyone knows what to expect from a Coldplay album, so I don't need to describe them to you, but is that such a bad thing? They do what they do, which is write catchy, beautiful, arena rock songs, better than almost anyone. A lot of people don't like this album as much as the last one, but I wasn't as big a fan of A Rush of Blood To the Head as some. I still think Parachutes is their best album, but this is probably second. Is there a more triumphant pop song than "Fix You" (I'll tackle that question later in my list)? I love Coldplay and I'm glad I'm going to get to see them in 25 days! Standout Tracks: "Fix You," "Talk," "Swallowed By the Sea," "Kingdom Come"

4-1 of my favourite albums coming soon.

2005-12-28T22:34:00.000-06:00

The Year In Review - MUSIC

Ok, so I'm not normally known as the music guy (as has been stated, movies is my thing); but the end of the year came and I realized that, you know, I've listened to a lot of music this year. I've been to a lot of concerts. I've bought a lot of CDs. And boiling it down to a list of ten albums, takes a little bit of work, because music is such a constant part of my life. So like Luke I'm going to offer up my Top Ten Albums of the year, followed by some honourable mentions, some of my favourite singles and some memorable performances that I was able to take in this year.

Of course I do all of this with the caveat that I do not proclaim myself a music expert. I don't know everything about every band, nor do I have time or money to listen to every major release of the year (hence some major albums that I have yet to listen to, including Sufjan Stevens Illinois, The New Pornographers Twin Cinema and My Morning Jacket Z). Also, I do have to send some thanks in the direction of a few of the people who I credit with encouraging my interest/education in music: Ewan Currie, Joel Fonstad, Meghann Fior, and Lesley Matheson. And anyone else who suggested an album to me that I really liked. Thanks.

It's been an interesting year for music. Living in Victoria, in my own place, music is always on. I always have my iPod with me. That means that there's been some really great new discoveries for me this fall of old music as well. I must say that Joy Division and New Order will now always be among my favourites. Also, I discovered Jeff Buckley and realized what an impact he's had on the kinds of music I like. More recent bands that I've found, such as Interpol (thanks to Lesley's obsession) and The Libertines have also become regular fixtures in my listening patterns. It's also been a year of the Canadian Indie bands, a couple of which will appear on my list; discovering these bands has become much easier thanks to the CBC Radio 3 Podcast. It's a great weekly dose of the newest and most interesting happenings in Canadian music.

So, without further ado let me present my favourite albums of the year 2005.

10) Guero - Beck (Interscope)

There are certain artists who I will check out almost anything they release. Beck is one of those artists. He is the consumate eccentric musician (crazy tracks, Scientology) and he's difficut to pin down and define. Sea Change is one my favourite albums of the past few years, but for Guero he returned to the more "classic" Beck sound working with the Dust Brothers (Odelay) again and creating something that harkens back and looks forward at the same time. The first single "E-Pro" definitely got me moving, nodding my head along to the the album. The album title (which means roughly "white boy" in Spanish) is definitely fitting, as on the second track, Beck brings in the Latin influence that he experienced growing up. Of course part of the greatness of a Beck album is that you never really know what to expect, and yet you do at the same time. While Guero is a bit of a return to the sounds of the Odelay-era, and probably doesn't rank along with my very favourite Beck albums, it's so well done and sent me on a Beck listening spree in the spring and so it belongs on the list: Standout Tracks: "E-Pro," "Girl," "Scarecrow"

9) Don't Believe The Truth - Oasis (Epic)

Another old favourite band on the list. This album may get the award for "Biggest Surprise" of 2005. Last winter, when Ewan mentioned that Oasis had a new album out this year, I was kind of interested, but not really, since it seems it's been all downhill since (What's the Story) Morning Glory. But low and behold I listened to it and it rocks! Of course, if you're not an Oasis fan already, you're not likely to change your mind, but it's as if Noel Gallagher remembered what made Oasis the best wanna-be Beatles band in the world and went back to it. Standout Tracks: "Lyla," "Love Like A Bomb," "The Importance of Being Idle," "Let There Be Love"

8) Apologies to the Queen Mary - Wolf Parade (Sub-Pop)

The first Canadian Indie artist on the list, I had the pleasure of seeing these guys open for The Arcade Fire in Vancouver in October. Their stage energy and my friend Meghann's enthusiasm prompted me to check out a few tracks of theirs and low and behold, I liked their album work even better than their performance. The opening few notes of "It's A Curse" won me over, and Luke heard my comments and got me the album for Christmas. While the band may recieve some criticism from those who say they sound like other bands (their local compatriots The Arcade Fire, or Modest Mouse), I think they have a unique "indie" sound with a solid rock core. The whole thing is outstanding and makes me hungry for more. Definitely one of the best albums of the year. Standout Tracks:"Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts, "It's A Curse," "This Heart's On Fire"

Tune back in tomorrow for albums 7-5 of my favourite albums of 2005.

2005-12-24T21:37:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Everybody!

I've been a delinquint blogger since I got back to Saskatoon. No Kong review. No music reports. No excited boyish exclamations about comics. But I did want to wish everyone who reads this blog and even those who don't a very Merry Christmas! To me Christmas is a wonderful time of year to be with friends and family, have good food and wonderful times, but most of all, for me and mine, it's about the birth of Christ. May the spirit of the season and He who it celebrates fill your heart with joy, in whatever way you observe this day.

P.S. I'm having a fantastic time here in Saskatoon. And you can all look forward to me publishing my yearly top ten movies list. And this year I'm also going to do a top ten albums list as well, as music has been a huge part of my life this past year. Stay tuned. At some point I will be back!

2005-12-09T13:26:00.000-06:00

One last thing before I get back to work: the trailer for Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman. It looks beautiful, and both Dunst and Schwartzman look far better in the roles than I would have thought. Of course, this might be one of the coolest anachronistic music choices in a trailer ever. Gotta love New Order. Sofia might just have nearly perfect taste in music.

2005-12-09T13:18:00.000-06:00

Essay writing in progress. However, you should all know that the song of the day is "Disconnect the Dots" by Of Montreal (click to listen), one of the catchiest little songs I've heard in a while.

2005-12-08T22:07:00.000-06:00

The essay is going well. At least as well as things can be given the circumstances. However, I seem to have the attention span of a 12-year-old with ADHD. I'll get back to the essay writing in a moment, but first let's check in with the Kong news of the day.

The reviews are coming in now after the premiere in New York this past weekend, featuring the life size statue of Kong as seen in the picture above. How fun would that be? Anyway, the reviews are glowing! How glowing? Well, both Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone give the film their very highest grades, A and four-stars respectively. That's something, especially from the tight-fisted Travers who last year only gave out 2 four star reviews the whole year! I cannot wait!

2005-12-08T00:35:00.000-06:00

On Monday night I finally got to see Good Night and Good Luck, the film about Edward Murrow and CBS news' conflict with Senator Joe McCarthy in 1953. Seeing the potential of the medium and way that Murrow and co. so doggedly pursued what they felt was justice was not only great filmmaking, but it was inspiring as well. Director/Actor George Clooney shows why I cite him as one of my favourite entertainers working today. His second film (the first being the underrated Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) shows that he is a serious director, with a knack for compelling drama and an eye for composition.

The Acting is fantastic - David Strathhairn does a great job as Murrow, and could even nab himself an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast, including Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jr. (great as always) and Frank Langella, are all great as well. Particularly interesting though is the use of historical footage for the portrayal of Sen. McCarthy. No need to fear that he's been "villanized." He does a fine job of that himself.

The picture is beautiful - This is a finely composed film, and the use of black and white makes me long that more films would do so. The black and white not only seems appropriate to the period, but looks great too. Clooney uses many tight close-ups in the film, giving it an intimate and personal feel.

One last thing that really stuck with me was the cigarette smoking in this film. Murrow always has a lit cigarette during his show, and at one point they even show an old 50s TV ad for cigarettes. It's shocking from the stand point of our modern culture which demonizes cigarette smoking, because it was so prevalent in that culture. But also, the black & white photography wonderfully captures the smoke in the air, lending some particularly memorable and beautiful imagery.

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On another note, comic book fans should pick up the latest issue of Mark Millar's The Ultimates 2 #9. This is a shocker. Or if not a shocker, it's a definitely the most heavy-hitting issue of the series, especially if you thought that last issue (which saw Captain America accused of treason and placed under arrest) was full of surprises.

Millar is one of the best writers in comics (both this one and Frank Miller as well). His handling of The Ultimates concept (what if the Avengers existed in a world much more like our own) is spot on. He writes this series as if it is the ultimate political-action-science-fiction film. And what an insanely huge film it would be. This series has it all. Grand spectical. Personal insight. Characters who are well developed. Fantastic art design. I'd kill to be able to make this into a movie.

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On a more personal note, I'm done one essay and working on the next two (hoping to be done by Monday before I jump on a plane back to Saskatoon for the holidays that night). Life keeps me busy here, so I haven't had a lot of time to contemplate going back home. Let's just say that as great as Victoria is (and it is), there are a number of things that will make the visit home very sweet indeed (and yes Aren, you're Xbox 360 is one of them).

Today I've been listening to Feist's album, Let It Die. It's great. I'm particularly enjoying "Mushaboom" and her cover of the brothers Gibb's "Inside and Out." As, Aren and Joel are prone to say, that is all.

2005-12-05T14:32:00.000-06:00

In case anyone thinks my enthusiasm for King Kong has been on the decline, fear not! I've just had to force my mind to think about papers until next week. Today's Penny Arcade strip was of course hilarious. I don't know how many times I've talked about certain movies just assuming people knew what happened in them, in fact, I think I've done this about Kong as well in the past few weeks.

2005-12-01T22:41:00.000-06:00

Today the unthinkable happened in Victoria. It snowed! When you think of how beautiful it was on the weekend it's even more strange. Of course, having lived in Saskatchewan for most of my life this didn't seem threatening. It seemed a fitting way to start the first day of December. But people in Victoria cannot drive in winter. It's not because they are somehow ridiculous, but the city lacks infrastructure to clean up snowfall, and people's vehicles aren't accustomed to it. Still it's got me in the Christmas mood, and it's still fairly warm out (zero degrees). I'm sure it will be gone tomorrow morning.

2005-11-29T14:41:00.000-06:00

The new Darkness album, One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back!, is available in streaming format on The Darkness' myspace site. I loved Permission to Land, in all it's faux-metal glory. It's still one of those albums that I throw on when I need a smile. Justin Hawkin's Freddy Mecury impressions are getting better all the time, even if the new album doesn't quite standout on first listen. Give it a spin. It might at least put a smile on your face.

2005-11-28T15:44:00.000-06:00

Oh, and incase you don't check all the blog links which I provide on the side there, you should check Meghann's posting of some great pics of our walk Sunday afternoon and how beautiful Victoria was this weekend. Thanks Meghann. I'm glad I didn't spend the whole day in the library and instead went for a walk and watched the Grey Cup.

2005-11-28T15:04:00.000-06:00

In 2001BMW, under the supervision of executive producer David Fincher, produced a series of 5 films to showcase their various cars. Rather than mere commericals, this series would be true short action films, all revolving around the unnamed character known only as The Driver. The Driver was played by a little known (at the time) British star called Clive Owen. This was my first exposure to Owen, who would go on to become a much larger star today. The series of films, called The Hire, added three more films in 2003. For a long time these films were available free on the internet at bmwfilms.com. Not long ago, BMW "retired" the films, but not before making it freely available on DVD (with minimal shipping and handling costs) to the fans of the series. I mark myself a huge fan of the series. Not only is Clive Owen one of my favourite actors, but I love BMW cars, and this series showcases some of the finest action directors of all time. Of course I ordered the DVD as soon as I got wind of this. My DVD finally arrived today!

The 8 films are directed by John Woo, Joe Carnahan (Narc), Tony Scott, the late great John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, Wong Kar-Wai (2046), Guy Ritchie, and Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams). And they showcase the acting talents of Gary Oldman, Don Cheadle, Madonna, Stellen Skarsgard, and Mickey Rourke among many others. They are thoroughly entertaining and finely crafted short films, showcasing some amazing driving and tense situations.

This DVD has been a long time coming. I'm very excited to have it now. I can't wait to watch it. Once I get a bit more work done on my paper for Chaucer and Middle Scots Poetry, I'm going to reward myself by watching a few episodes.

2005-11-26T13:26:00.000-06:00

Today just reinforces a theory. I am planning on going to the library this afternoon and working on my "50 pages," so of course, today is the most beautiful, sunny day we've had in the last month!

I guess I should plan to be studious more often.

2005-11-23T01:54:00.000-06:00

There are a few things that I'm really enjoying right now. One of them is the iTunes exclusive, The Arcade Fire & David Bowie - Live At Fashion Rocks EP.

This is the recordings made at the show when David Bowie (right) joined the Arcade Fire (left) for their concert in New York earlier this year (lI posted a link to a video of the performance of "Wake Up" earlier this fall).

Now iTunes has released three of the live tracks in an online EP. The tracks include two Bowie songs, and one Arcade Fire: "Life on Mars?", "Wake Up," and "Five Years." "Life on Mars?" is one of my favourite Bowie songs and the live version with the orchestrations of the Arcade Fire, accompanying Bowie's maturing (a nice way of saying aging) voice makes it unique from other takes on the song. Definitely worth the $2.97 CAN.

Another thing that is keeping me from getting much done on my "50 pages" project is, Turner Classic Movies channel. Some genius had the idea that putting one of the greatest television channel ideas of all time on basic cable, just before exams and papers are due, would be a brilliant idea. It is, but it's also really distracting. Basically, non-stop good movies. No commercials. Yesterday, was a Joan Fontaine festival. They played Hitchcock's Rebecca and Suspicion (which I'd already seen) and Fritz Lang's Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956, which I hadn't seen and was actually very entertaining with a neat twist ending). Today it's documentaries on Merican C. Cooper (the creator of King Kong), King Kong (1933, which I also bought today on the brand new Collector's Edition DVD) and some of his other non-Kong films (including the other giant ape film, Mighty Joe Young - the 40s version). It all makes for good background viewing while I make notes on Middle Scots Poetry.

2005-11-21T12:20:00.000-06:00

Mission accomplished. I'm now the proud owner of tickets for Coldplay in Vancouver in January!

2005-11-21T00:58:00.000-06:00

I've seen Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire twice now. Yes, I have three papers and a presentation to do in the next 3 weeks before I got back home for Christmas, but one must keep one's priorities straight.

I can say now with a fair amount of certainty that this is both my favourite, and the best, of the Potter films thus far. This is of course, in no small part, due to the fact that Rowling's novel is possibly the strongest of the series (though I really do like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the most recent book in the series a whole lot as well). In the first three films (and books), the key event always seems to occur at the end of the school year, with the majority of the plot building up to the key event--they are mysteries at heart. With Goblet, the Tri-Wizard tournament takes us into the action from the beginning of the term, with the various tests taking place over the entire story. What it means for the film is that Goblet is rarely slow; it's remarkably fast paced and packed for a film that is over two-and-a-half hours.

Things I particularly liked:

Fred and George Weasley; every scene they are in is priceless
The Quidditch World Cup; the stadium is impressive, and the Death Eater attack particularly memorable (Ku Klux Klan anyone?)
The Hungarian Horntail; movie dragons are rarely impresive, but fortunately this one holds up both as a special effect and as a threat to the character
The Yule Ball; one of the most entertaining and moving sequences in the film, showcasing our heroes struggle with the pains of growing up (and the band is pretty cool too, what with Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Greenwood and Phil Selway)
Lord Voldemort; Ralph Fiennes creates a memorable villian for the series, which is important because as my brother Anton likes to point out, a story is usually as good as its villian

What I think puts this one ahead of Prisoner of Azkaban for me (as I especially appreciate the way that Cuaron tries to make the film art and really adds a unique visual style to film, despite creating a few plot holes), is that Newell seems to have a much stronger grasp of the characters. I think Goblet of Fire is a good example of a film that is able to present strong visuals and outstanding special effects without losing its characters in the mix. Of course, again, it helps that they had such a strong piece of source material to work with, but it's still quite remarkable when you realize they did a fairly successful job of paring down a 636 page book into an two-and-a-half hour film and still conveyed the sense of it all. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is one of the best times I've had at the movies all year...both times.

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In other news, I'm in the middle of a Beatles marathon. I made an iTunes playlist of every single Beatles song. 237 songs.10.9 hours. Chronologically.

Also, tomorrow morning I'm getting up early to buy tickets for Coldplay's January 26th concert in Vancouver at GM Place! I'm fairly excited about this. It should be a good show. A lot of the songs on the new album lend themselves perfectly to the arena experience. I can't wait to hear "Fix You" live. Also, Fiona Apple is opening. Judging from the reception her new album has gotten, this should be good, though I see that Richard Ashcroft is opening the UK dates in December and I would have rather seen him. Nonetheless, this should be an awesome concert. I love living here!

2005-11-17T23:39:00.000-06:00

I'm going to admit that I've never loved Superman. I've always had a serious respect for the character; he is an icon of the comicbook artform. Yet I never really had the same affinity for him the way I do for Batman (my personal favourite) or even Spider-man (who else comes closer to "me" as a superhero?). On the other hand, Superman has a mythology that is unrivaled in comics: the origin story, Lois Lane, Smallville, Jimmy Olson, Kryptonite, Lex Luthor. Perhaps only Batman comes close in having such a richly developed mythology (I use the word mythology here, specifically, for those two characters, because while the stories have appeared in many forms, there isn't really a definitive single story that explains all; they are constructed of repeated motifs that have made their way into the narrative consciousness...not unlike classical myths). But Superman has rarely, in my opinion, been treated in a way that would make me really fall for character. Perhaps the closest moments would be the Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940s. I have a fondness for the first two thirds of Donner's 1978 Superman film, and think that John Williams theme is perhaps one of the greatest movie themes of all time, but the failure to utilize Lex Luthor as anything other than comedy (though I do love Gene Hackman) taints the film for me. Again, John Byrne's 1986 mini-series, Man of Steel, also contains moments of brilliance, but is far from a perfect imagining of the character.

So it's rare that I find Superman particularly compelling. But today seemed to be his day to make me sit up and take notice in a way I haven't in a long time. I picked up Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's addition to the new DC All Star imprint (the first which was All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder): All Star Superman. The team behind Marvel's much maligned, but in my opinion brilliant, New X-men tackles the "World's Greatest Superhero." So what do we get? We get an icon treated with respect. We get Luthor acting appropriately villanous. We get iconic versions of Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White ("Great Caeser's Ghost!"). We get Superman behaving appropriately heroic. And we get new and wild things that feel fresh and classic at the same time (Who knew that Willy Wonka was a daring researcher and adventurer?)--which was what I thought was the point behind DC's All Star line in the first place.

In some ways this first issue capitalizes on the promise of the All Star line up more fully than Miller's B&RTBW in offering non-continuity based stories that explore modern takes on the heroes while staying true to the mythology. Miller's story seems to me to really be a take on his own Year One continuity--Batman: Year Two anyone?-- but Morrison's Superman story here is original and seems far more "super" than any have in a long time. Quitely's art is classic, bringing to mind the Fleischer Superman cartoons. The way he portray's Clark/Superman's transformation and differences in body posture, etc make it believable that people could not recognize the differece, but are also clearly the same person. In the end, the comic is a fully satisfying modern comic book, but also fittingly mythic in it's take on that most iconic of superheroes. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Superman, but never read one of the comics.

The "return" of Superman continued today as the new teaser trailer for Bryan Singer's Superman Returns debuted online (for real this time). I've expressed doubts about this film before, and while I'm still not completely won over, this trailer did get me excited. The music, the look, even the costume which I was questioning looks good here. But the main thing is the voiceover by one of the greatest actors of all time reprising (post-humously) his role as Superman's father. Yes, that's correct. Marlon Brando is Jor-El!

2005-11-17T10:32:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like John Allison's experiment with hand drawn strips has ended over at the Scary Go Round. He has returned to the Adobe Illustrator production, as he says, "for the foreseeable future." I understand that it makes it much faster to produce the daily strips (and unlike certain other strips, he is never late), but at the same time I really enjoyed his experiment in pen and ink. Oh, well. It's still one of the best webcomics out there and I'll continue to read.

2005-11-13T18:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my mom and I went to down to the Oak Bay Marina and walked around a bit, looked at the boats and the ocean. However, we found something even more interesting than that. These greedy little guys.

Apparently these seals are regulars around the marina, and the shop there even sells the fishes that the children are feeding to them. Of course, they're greedy and look how fat they are! This guy looks like he'll just float. No need for swimming.

2005-11-11T01:42:00.000-06:00

There have been numerous "Top 5" lists making the blog rounds lately. Most of these have been things "people don't get", and while I could probably make a list of much more than 5 things that confuse the hell outta me, I'm going to try to be positive and make a list of 5 Things That I Really Appreciate At The Moment.

1) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - I watched the film for probably the fifth time last night with my mom, who hadn't seen it before. I was again moved by it, and how I both emotionally and intellectually respond to the film, and to appreciate the fantastic piece of art it is. I love the imagery in this picture below.

2) "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode - I love this song. I don't know what else to say about it. It's so good.

3) Gingerbread Lattes at Starbucks™ - I was walking downtown today, on a beautiful sunny afternoon here in Victoria. My mom and I had returned from walking down by the water, and we both felt like grabbing a drink. Since I moved to Victoria, I haven't been as much of a Starbucks junkie as I used to be (having maybe had one coffee from there, since there is so much other good coffee here). However, Starbucks has their Christmas drinks out already, and I couldn't resist the Gingerbread Latte. It reminds me of Christmas. And though there is no snow on the ground here (and not likely to be), it's clear Christmas is soon upon us.

4) Scary-Go Round - This is currently one of my favourite webcomics. It's not as immediately hilarious as some, but it's unique (British) sense of humour and strong storytelling makes it great. I also favour John Allison's move from creating his art on Adobe Illustrator, to good old hand drawn work. I think his characters look better hand drawn.

5) Infinite Crisis - This DC comicbook miniseries is the real deal. It's been a blast to read the first two issues, and it reminds me of what I love about DC comics and superheroes in the first place. Geoff Johns knows and loves the mythology he's been granted to work with. It's a joy to read. There's been more worthwhile material in the first two issues of this series than in all of Marvel's much vaunted House of M (which was alright, but didn't need to be 8 issues long to hold 3 issues of content).

Well, I can't resist putting one negative thing on here (everyone else was allowed to). How about the fact that I have such a horrid short term memory? I do. This entire post wasn't what I had originally intended to post tonight, but I couldn't remember all the wonderful insights I had this afternoon (must carry notebook at all times!).

2005-11-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

The teaser trailer for one of my most anticipated films of the past few years: Darren Aronofsky's (Pi, Requim for a Dream) The Fountain. Finally coming out. This should be interesting.

2005-11-07T23:39:00.000-06:00

So, the weekend was not much of a break. I spent most of it working on a homework assignment (Early English Books project) and wasting time in the library (thank you iPod). But now this week, since I don't have Monday or Tuesday classes, is reading break for me. My mother is visiting, so it's nice that I don't have classes this week. However, I still have to work in the Writing Centre. Apparently there is no rest for people who don't know how to write, and thusly, no rest for me.

After taking my mom around campus and going for supper, we proceeded to watch the new episodes of Arrested Development that were on tonight. I've spoken about how much I love this show, and it isn't changing. This season may even be more absurdly wonderful than ever. The cast is uniformly excellent, though we could do with more GOB (Will Arnett), as he is possibly the funniest character on television. Jason Bateman continues to carry the show. And suprisingly (at least to me), Charlize Theron's guest role (4 episodes so far) as "Rita", Michael's new British girlfriend who may be more (or less) than what she seems. Ms. Theron (pictured above) had always struck me as nothing special, but I believe that my negative image of her was only reinforced by her bland as tofu performance in The Italian Job remake. However, even the often excellent Mr. Wahlberg was flat in that fiasco, and Ms. Theron is actually very funny, and her character is already a memorable one. I'm going to drop some "R" on this Academy Award winner for recognizing comedic excellence can be as praise worthy as Oscar gold. She's just earned a new fan.

2005-11-04T15:51:00.000-06:00

You're probably asking if Peter Jackson has taken over my blog and is using it to promote King Kong -- nope. I'm just so ecstatic about this movie the more I see of it! I want to share the excitement with others. Like the fact that the full length trailer for King Kong is available now! Seriously, watch Kong on top of the Empire Stare building taking a swipe at that bi-plane; It's pure movie magic! (Sorry, Meghann, Danny and others. While I am very excited for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Kong is king!)

As for the rest of life, it's going well for the most part. Unfortunately my motto for November has become "50 pages!", as that's how much I have to write before I head home for Christmas on the 12th of December (and Kong opens on the 14th; maybe Jackson should pay me for this). That's just the major papers, not counting the presentations, teaching and writing centre work I'm doing. So, yeah, graduate school is a stress in case you're wondering - especially to those of you who are also suffering through heavy work loads. You're not alone.

2005-11-01T10:45:00.000-06:00

My excitement for Peter Jackson's King Kong just got a boost from the new "A Look Inside" production trailer that is online now.

This is definitely my most anticipated film of the remaining year. And if you think Kong is stupid, you probably haven't seen the original 1933 film. When the re-mastered DVD is released on Nov. 22nd, watch it!

2005-10-31T00:41:00.000-06:00

The Weather Man is a depressing film. But it's also darkly funny as well. The performances are uniformly outstanding and the cinematography is wonderful. Perhaps what I'm trying to say is that, The Weather Man is a very good film.

Nicholas Cage is David Spritz, a Chicago weather man whose life is a complete mess. His marriage is over. His kids are dealing with all kinds of problems. His father (Michael Caine), a Pulitzer Prize winning author, is dying. On top of all that, Dave finds his job meaningless, and people think he's an asshole. One of the regular things he has to deal with is having fast food thrown at him. Of course, Dave wants to get things together, but as he finds, it isn't easy, and real life doesn't always turn out the way we dreamed things would when we were kids.

Cage gives another outstanding performance. I wish he would keep doing films that are dramatic/comedic (Adaptation, Matchstick Men) and just ignore the whole action star thing (National Treasure). Hope Davis, as his estranged wife, is appropriately frustrated and frustrating - she has a lot of appeal to me in many ways, the kind of woman I find interesting. I'll take this moment to recommend the little-seen gem, The Secret Lives of Dentists, with her and Cambell Scott. Very good. Nicholas Hoult (About A Boy) plays Dave's son, and newcomer Gemmenne de la Pena plays his troubled daughter. Michael Caine is likely to get an Oscar nomination for his role in the film.

The film isn't neccessarly happy. But it's real. As Michael Caine's character, Robert Spritzl points out, "Do you know that the harder thing to do, and the right thing to do, are usually the same thing? "Easy" doesn't enter into grown-up life." Not something you hear at the cineplex every night, from the mouths of big name actors, but a point well taken none-the-less.

2005-10-30T15:05:00.000-06:00

"Bond. James Bond." Halloween can be no fun when you're 23. You're too old to go out trick or treating, and yet you haven't resolved yourself to your fate, sitting at home handing out candy. I didn't know if I would get a chance to do anything for Halloween this year. No one was planning a party, as far as I knew, and so I didn't put a lot of thought into it, other than Monday night I'm going to watch myself some Halloween movies (Burton's Sleepy Hollow is a yearly ritual for me). But Meghann (who has posted a whole bunch more pictures here). was kind enough to invite me to a Halloween bash with a bunch of her friends, so I had to come up with a decent costume. In lieu of the Harry Potter costume which I've worn for the past 3 years, I decided that with my recent interest in all things Bond, I would go as the man himself: Sean Connery in From Russia With Love. I didn't have a rea bowtie, but I think the costume worked pretty well. And the fun thing is that as Bond, your drink is also your accessory: "Martini. Shaken, not stirred."

2005-10-29T16:56:00.000-06:00

Do you know what one of the most strange things to get used to here on the Pacifac Coast is? The fact that Hockey Night in Canada starts at 3:30 PM!

So what happens is that the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs game, which starts in a few minutes, is on the late afternoon, there by throwing a distracting wrench into my homework plans. Let's just hope that the Senators kick Toronto's ass!

2005-10-25T22:04:00.000-06:00

Here you are Belle. You'll love to hear this.

2005-10-25T09:52:00.000-06:00

On Sunday night, after spending all afternoon working on preparing my notes for teaching sentence structure, I decided I had had enough and went out to see a movie. The theatre has become my sanctuary from work and the world. I had wanted to see Flightplan, with Jodie Foster, for a while. While the film didn't have the greatest reviews, I was still curious about it. It turns out I enjoyed it quite a bit. While it's not a great film, it's an enjoyable ride. The film has a real Hitchcockian bent to it, employing plot elements reminiscent of The Lady Vanishes and others. Sean Bean is solid as always, and Peter Sarsgaard continues his string of outstanding supporting roles. What I particularly liked about the film was the atmosphere created in the enclosed space of the airplane (albeit one of those new 400 passenger super-airbuses, but still). Of course, the main reason to see the film is Foster. She's outstanding in pretty much ever role she takes; her icy blue eyes revealing both her intelligence and beauty. It's too bad she doesn't make more films than she does (and something more substantial, since this and her last film, Panic Room, were both fairly light weight, while enjoyable). If you want to see her at her best though, check out Silence of the Lambs, and also one of my personal favourites, the film of Carl Sagan's Contact. Both of her characters in those films (and in Flightplan) are intelligent, capable women. It's refreshing from the Hollywood norm.

---

Also, I found a poker night here in Victoria. Monday nights at Felicita's. It's not for cash (gambling laws and all that), but there are prizes and the players take it seriously, which is nice. While I do miss the house games from back home, this is good practice as some of these guys are really good. Still, I managed to hold my own and came away happy with my performance. It's nice to play against some different people, as I was wondering how good I really was and if I was just used to playing the same people over and over.

2005-10-21T15:30:00.000-06:00

Danny posts some insightful comments on television and how it allows us to waste time. I like to waste time too, but I find myriad other ways to do so. For instance, posting to my blog, talking on MSN, reading web comics (Penny Arcade, PvP, Scary Go Round), organizing playlists in iTunes, going for a walk, and, or course, socialising with my fellow students over coffee or beer.

For the record, I have over 50 channels of television, but I only regularly watch the following:

FOX (Arrested Development, The Simpsons)
TSN (hockey games, SportsCentre)
CBC (news, hockey)
Much Music and Much More Music (on the rare occasion that they actually play music videos these days)
and The Comedy Network (The Daily Show)

Last week I bought Arrested Development: Season 2 on DVD, and have already watched the whole season again with highlights like "Uncle" Jack (Martin Short in a hilariously insane role), Franklin (Gob's hand puppet):

Gob: Franklin said some things White-America wasn't ready to hear.
Michael: Gob, weren't you also mercilessly beaten outside of a club in Torrance for that act?
Gob: He also said some things that African-America wasn't ready to hear either.

and Zach Braff as the founder of Girls With Low Self-Esteem. Go watch it now!

2005-10-16T23:35:00.000-06:00

I don't really know why Cameron Crowe's films seem to work for me time and time again. While it's no suprise that I absolutely love the critically acclaimed Almost Famous , even Crowe's box office and critical dissapointment Vanilla Sky became a favourite of mine. Perhaps Crowe just hits on aesthetic notes that I mesh well with my own sensibilities. Or perhaps it's just merely that the man is the master of creating soundtracks, melding popular music into his films in memorable and remarkable ways (see the "Tiny Dancer'" scene in Almost Famous or the Tom Cruise freakout to "Good Vibrations" in Vanilla Sky).

The main reason to see Elizabethtown.

Elizabethtown isn't an out and out homerun; let's just get that out of the way (maybe that's for that other Kentucky town, Louisville to handle). It's flawed in a number of ways, and coupled with the failure of Vanilla Sky, this may hurt Crowe's Hollywood currency. It isn't going to win any awards, and won't probably bank hugely at the box office. But to me this is a much more interesting film than most directors are pumping out these days. It's a personal film; Crowe has gone to great lengths to highlight this in the promotional material and in the set up of the film itself. And it shows through in the film itself.

Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom shedding the armor and English accent) travels to Elizabethtown, Kentucky after his father passes away in the wake of a phenomenal personal failure at work and in life in general. As expected, over the course of the film Drew finds new zeal for life in the love of his family and friends and in the chance relationship with a peppy airline stewardess, Claire (Kirsten Dunst). The film is somewhat disjointed in some ways. The opening scenes of Drew's failure in shoe design and suicidal intentions don't mesh with the down to earth flavours of Kentucky. Some of the plot elements are downright goofy and too coincedental for a film that seems to demand that we emotionally connect with it. It's not until Drew encounters Claire on his trans-continental red eye that the film really picks up. Kirsten Dunst is amazing. Claire is so charming, so much so that I wanted to run away with her part way through the film. The performances of the two main actors go a long way to making the film work, and it shows that Crowe spends a lot of time working with his actors to get what he wants out of them.

While I said that the film doesn't entirely mesh, on their own the elements of the film are fantastic. From the hours long phone conversation (one interesting motif in the film is the use of cellphones, something that really grounds the film in the America of today) to the final roadtrip, these sequences completely engaged me. Especially in the last half of the film, the emotional elements of the story start to come together and work, perhaps in part because of my own travels and dealings with death in the last few months (my grandmother passed away from cancer at the end of August in case you're wondering).

A word on the music in the film: Crowe's use of music is spot on. From the almost theme song of the film, Elton John's "My Father's Gun" to Ryan Adams (a personal favourite) with "Come Pick Me Up" Crowe creates a solid, cohesive album of sincere, rock and alt-country songs that make it the perfect roadtrip music to travel across the heartland of America. Of course, this becomes the climax and most memorable piece of the film. When all was said and done, I wanted to take Claire's map and go on my own roadtrip. And on that count, Crowe succeeds.

2005-10-14T12:40:00.000-06:00

It's official! Daniel Craig is the new James Bond!I'm very excited about this news. Craig is a wonderful actor, who I was mostly recently a fan of in Matthew Vaughn's Layer Cake. Other's might recognize him from his small roles in films like Elizabeth, Road to Perdition or Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The fact is that he'll be perfect for returning the character to something a little more cold, a little more deadly, and a little more like original Sean Connery role.

The next Bond film will be Casino Royale, which was Flemming's first Bond novel. This will be the third time that it's been adapted: once for television in the 50s, and for the spoof film in the late 60s with Peter Sellers and Woody Allen. Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, The Mask of Zorro) will be directing. Goldeneye is easily my favourite non-Connery Bond film, so he's hoping he makes Craig's debut a good one!

2005-10-13T09:18:00.000-06:00

Wanna read an interesting blog? Check out Radiohead's blog, as they work on their new album due out in Spring 2006! Thom gives some tantalizing glimpses of a new track entitled "Rubbernecks." I must say, this is one of my most anticipated albums of next year (even if I think Hail to the Theif is their weakest album, here's hoping they're back on track). I think I'm going to go listen to some Kid A.

In other Radiohead news, I must also mention that Johnny and Phil are going to be part of the band, The Wyrd Sisters, in the new Harry Potter movie along with Jarvis Cocker from Pulp.

Also, you should all go and download the newest Radiohead single, "I Want None Of This" which was released for the charity album, Help: A Day In The Life in the UK.

2005-10-10T15:02:00.000-06:00

It's time for a massive update. And a wish to all of you whom I haven't personally talked to, a very happy Thanksgiving weekend. Here's to a shortened work week of eating turkey sandwiches. On this Thanksgiving Monday afternoon I decided I really need to update the blog: a time for reflection, perhaps? Or maybe I'll just give the narrative. Living in Victoria, I'm close to two major cities (Vancouver and Seattle) and it means that there are a lot of good concerts. Also, how could I live here without exploring those cities a little bit? Well, that's exactly what I did this past week and half.

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It's been a very busy couple of weeks. School in particular is getting very busy. I find myself swamped with readings and writings and weekly presentations for my Literary Computing class. But one cannot live on work alone, so in the name of unwinding and doing something fun, I jumped at the opportunity to see Franz Ferdinand on the Oct. 1st weekend at Seattle's gorgeous Paramount Theatre.

Of course the trip to Seattle was more than merely a hop on a bus and jaunt down the street (though it did involve both of those activities). Because of the nature of living on an island, one has to find a way to cross the body of water that separates us from the mainland. Lesley Matheson, whom many of you know, (but who still hasn't sent me the photos from the concert!) came with me as she's even more of a music nut than I am. We caught the Victoria Clipper ferry from the downtown harbour on Friday afternoon, and had a comfortable and speedy ferry ride directly to downtown Seattle. Conveniently, the Hostel International, where we stayed, was only a few blocks from Pier 69. We found it with minimal trouble and found our room to be clean and comfortable. As a spoiled brat I've never had the hostel experience before (I stay in hotels), but this time on a student budget, it made sense and it ended up being a lot of fun.

The concert was Saturday night, so we had to find things to do in Seattle on the Saturday. One exciting part of the trip was that I had the opportunity to meet Jeffrey Overstreet, whom I have participated on message boards with, but not had the chance to meet in person. Jeffrey knew a great coffee place and amazing bookstore as well, and we also explored the Pike Place Market as well. Seattle is a great place to visit as there seems to be no shortage of cool places to shop, cool places to drink, and cool concerts to see. In short: it's cool.

I mentioned that the Hostel International ended up being a lot of fun. Specifically, we found out that two of the other people staying in the hostel were also going to the Franz Ferdinand concert that evening: Tracy, from Vancouver, and her boyfriend Keith, from Sydney, Australia. We ended up going for dinner with them before and having a few drinks as well. And then we went to the concert with them as well. That's something that would never happen in a hotel (as opposed to a "hostel" - the "s" is very important). There's something about a community of travelers that seems to open itself to that kind of fast friendship making.

Now for the concert; I know that's what you've all been waiting for. The opening bands were Cut Copy and TV On The Radio, both of whom were unfamiliar to me. But Franz was the real attraction of the concert. The lower level of the concert hall (where the tables are in the above photo) was all cleared out for the audience, so the crowd (at least the standing crowd) was reading to dance! The lights dimmed, and then they busted out the opening number from the new album "The Fallen." It was a great opener and the guys were all in top form, energetic and dynamic, especially lead-singer Alex Kapranos. They then segued into "The Dark of the Matinee." Then they followed it up with another new song, the catchy single "Do You Want To." The crowd was then fully in their hands, as they unleashed their number one hit. "Take Me Out" was a homerun. The crowd went insane. As soon as the opening guitars were heard, even those casual Franz Ferdinand fans were excited. That was what we were there for. And it was worth it. They played a fairly long set, going through mostly their old album, but with a few tracks from the new one ("Walk Away" was a stand out). They closed with "Michael" (perhaps one of the most playfully ambiguous pop songs of all time) but then came back to an encore performance of "This Fire" as the drummer from one of the other bands came out and joined Paul on the drums, in a whirlwind drum duel that was fantastic to watch and really left the audience on a high.

The ferry ride the next morning was early, but we made it. Seattle had been a good experience, and I was a little sad that I had to go back and face the daunting reality of grad school once again. Little did I know that the fun wasn't over just yet.

---

Wednesday night rolled around. I had a monster of a reading to finish up for my Chaucer and Middle Scots poetry class. I was listening to The Arcade Fire's album, Funeral, as I also chatted with my friend Meghann on MSN Messenger (the bane of my productive existence - MSN, not Meghann). I mentioned that I was listening to the album, in part because many of my friend's back home had seen The Arcade Fire in Saskatoon the previous weekend (as I was enjoying Franz Ferdinand in Seattle). Everyone had said what a great performance it was. On a whim I checked the band's website and discovered that the were actually playing the final show of their tour in Vancouver that coming Friday night (less than two days away!). I mentioned this to Meghann, assuming that the show would long have been sold out, as it was in Saskatoon. Meghann soon popped back saying that she had found tickets to the show if we wanted them! It was too good an opportunity to pass up. I said yes, figuring the logistics would take care of themselves. So, with two days notice, after having just been to Seattle the weekend before, I had committed myself to going to Vancouver to see another show that I was very excited for. Like I said earlier: spoiled.

Things have a way of just working out it seems. You know that part in Shakespeare In Love where Fennyman (Tom Wilkinson) and Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) are concerned about the fate of their play?

Hugh Fennyman: So what do we do?
Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Hugh Fennyman: How?
Philip Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery.

Well that is sort of the way things always seem to work out for me. I knew I was going to the show on Friday night in Vancouver, but I still didn't know where I was going to be staying. Meghann mentioned that there was a hostel downtown, but we didn't have a reservation or anything. I mentioned in passing to my friend Percy that we were going and he reminded me that it was Thanksgiving weekend and that he would be going home to Vancouver to see his folks, and that it would likely be no problem for us to stay there that Friday night. Percy's serendipitous hospitality turned out to be the perfect thing. I got his home phone number, and we agreed that we would stop by his house on the way to concert Friday evening.

Of course it couldn't all be that easy. Friday after class, I raced to the bus and Meghann, her friend Erin, visiting from Ontario, and Jag, one of our grad student compatriots jumped on the bus and made our way to the ferry crossing. The ferry trip was great and within a few hours we were downtown in Vancouver. At the train station, I decided that I needed to check a map to find Percy's house. I proceeded to look up the street and then direct my friends to board a Skytrain and ended up in New Westminster, where I was convinced that Percy's house lay (Trivia: It also happens to be the place of my birth!) After a fruitless search, I called Percy, who politely informed me that they didn't live on that particular numbered street in New Westminster, but rather the same numbered street in West Vancouver...a good distance away in another municipality. Someone had neglected to tell me that the maps had all their listings divided up by municipality and I hadn't paid enough attention to the index. Embarassment and a speedy 45 min cab ride got us to Percy's to drop off our stuff and make our way to the PNE Forum.

Fortunately for us, the first band didn't start playing until 8 pm, so we didn't arrive late and even got pretty good seats. The opening act was Belle Orchestre, a side project of The Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry. They were interesting and actually quite solid. The second act, whom Meghann was a fan of, Wolf Parade, put on a decent performance but the real show didn't begin until The Arcade Fire took the stage.

The opener was the opening track of Funeral, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" and it was amazing! This is a band who knows how to perform. The various members of the band all took turns playing different instruments, and Win Butler's vocals were perfect. If there was ever an example of a band who really uses the live performance to give the audience something different from what they get on the CD, this is it. Whether it is the rock star antics of Win (smashing his guitar) or the vaguely creepy dancing of Regine (Are you a robot?) or even the fantastic stage set, complete with lamps which make it feel like they're playing in your living room, or the way the percussion wailed on motorcycle helmets at one point, these guys and gals gave one of the most fantastic live performances I've ever seen. They played most of their album, and also a couple older songs including the fantastic "Headlights Look Like Diamonds" from their self-titled EP. Other highlights included the live performance of "Une Annee Sans Lumiere" and "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)." The band ended up doing two encores. The first was the much anticipated "Wake Up," where they also brought on stage all the other bands from earlier in the evening and even a few audience members as well. However, for the second encore Win came on stage and said "Well, we've run out of stuff to play, so we'll just play something by New Order." It was a fantastic conclusion to the evening, and the band picked up their instruments (as I hear they have done in both Seattle and Saskatoon, my friends tell me) and move out with the audience, playing acoustically as they led us out into the evening. It was definitely one of the concert going highlights of my life.

--

We made it back safely from Vancouver, thanks to Percy's hospitality and the excellent Greater Vancouver Transit System. The Thanksgiving weekend proved to be a lot of fun, and not a let down at all. It all helped to ease the pain of missing my mom's fantastic cooking and the company of my brother's and uncle David. Of course, there are other things that happened over the past week, but I think I've written enough for the moment. Maybe when another long weekend comes along you'll get another monster post like this, but don't hold your breath.

2005-10-05T21:29:00.000-06:00

First the Halo announcement, now this teaser poster. I love Peter Jackson.

2005-10-05T00:55:00.000-06:00

You should all go and listen to LCD Soundsystem, the self titled album that was released earlier this year, but I just picked up. This is great music that compells you to move. Imagine a blend of post-punk, garage rock, disco, techno and a touch of the Beatles. "Tribulations" just might be one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard. I dare you not to tap your feet or nod along.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, I'm going to recommend the new Sigur Rós album Takk...This is even better than their 2002 release (). It's more focused, more melodic, and les wandering. Not to say that Sigur Rós has gone pop, but this album will be less off-putting to people who haven't moved beyond five minute "songs". "Sæglópur" makes me feel euphoric as it builds to a wonderful crescendo. What is it about Iceland that I love so much?

2005-10-05T00:33:00.000-06:00

Video game movies suck. Name one that's actually really good. You can't. Can you? Didn't think so.

It looks like Microsoft and Bungie are out to change that with the adaptation of my favourite video games of the last 5 years. The Halo movie is being produced jointly by 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios (why? think $100 million plus budget) who declared that they want to make Halo: The Movie their tentpole release of 2007.

But why my optimism that this won't be another suck-fest, like the latest from Paul W.S. "I didn't make Boogie Nights" Anderson (Resident Evil) or Uwe Boll (House of the Dead)? Well for starters they've got a real screenwriter: author Alex Garland (28 Days Later, The Beach). Always good to start with a decent script. Plus, Bungie has been personally involved in the production from the beginning. But the icing on the cake was announced today. And it just about blew my mind.

Announced today was the name of the Halo film project's executive producer. His name? Peter Jackson. Yep. That Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh. Yep, the Oscar-winning duo behind the best films of the decade. And they're bringing their amazing WETA workshops with them to work on models and effects of the Covenant, the Flood and all our favourite weapons and vehicles. This is crazy. This movie could be huge. This movie will be huge. Halo 2 made more in one day than any film ever has ($80 million). Jackson's Lord of the Rings are among the most beloved and highest grossing films of the decade. Mark my words. This is great news for gamer and movie fans.

P.S. Yes, I'm working on a post about my weekend in Seattle and the Franz Ferdinand concert. I'm just waiting for Lesley to send me the photos.

2005-09-29T09:22:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've done this, so I'm going to post my current Top Ten Most Played Songs from my iPod (Note: In the move to the new computer, I had to reset my playcount, so this is actaully a very current record of the last month):

10) The Verve - "This Time" from the album Urban Hymns
9) Ryan Adams - "Oh My Sweet Carolina" from the album Heartbreaker
8) The Arcade Fire - "Rebellion (Lies)" from the album Funeral
7) U2 - "Bad" from the album The Unforgettable Fire
6) Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx - "Gold Digger" from the album Late Registration
5) New Order - "Ceremony" from the album Substance
4) Stars - "Calendar Girl" from the album Set Yourself On Fire
3) Kanye West - "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" from the album Late Registration
2) Natasha Bedingfield - "These Words (I Love You, I Love You) from the album Unwritten
1) New Order - "Bizzare Love Triangle" from the album Substance

A song that's not on the list but will probably be soon is from Ryan Adams newest album, Jacksonvile City Nights, "Dear John" which is a duet with Norah Jones and is just amazing.