Reviews/Recommendations (Movies, Music, Books, Art, Games etc)

[rogerSIMIAN]

Feel free to use this thread to post little mini-reviews (or to just give a "heads-up" or an "avoid at all costs") on any cultural morsels you've been nibbling on of late.

:euro:

[thebiz]

Currently Im really down with the 7-11. I figured I would hate the 7-11 that moved in a block from my hoose (7-11s are poppin up all over nyc within the last 3 months where there none before) but there is a lot of amusement in watching the magnetic draw of 16 year olds to the 5'x5' area in front of the 7-11 doors. I thought it was myth but there seems to be a teenager working the door there 24-7. Usually more than 1. Stoned roughly 22 hours of the day. Its also fun to spot the stoner friends in the car nearby waiting for the time when there are no customers so they can toke up in the car. I really thought there had to be a parking lot at least but apparently kids doint mind gettin in the way of everyone passing by the 7-11 as they eat thier burritos and slurpys. More power to em I say.

Plus the hot dog fixin bar is drunk guy heaven (ie. me). A large frank (amusingly called a sausage) with mustard, relish and amazingly fresh chopped onions. YUM! Thank Heaven for 7-11. I just hope they dont drive the 3 other bodegas within a block of the hoose outa business (you know...on principle).

And for those wondering...no, Im not irish but I have adopted that spelling and pronunciation of the word hoose cause its fun.

[rogerSIMIAN]

I watched that film "Control" the other day about Joy Division's doomed front-man, Ian Curtis. The film looks great - stark, black and white and well-lit (just like some of the iconic photographs director Anton Corbijn has snapped throughout his years as a rock photographer). I also think that the musical performances are superb - I can't think of another film where actors have played being an onstage band quite so convincingly (other than "School Of Rock" perhaps? haha). I kind of knew most of the facts from being a fan of Joy Division but I still found the storyline very interesting, and it gave me much more of an insight into Ian Curtis's character. Sam Riley is exceptional in that role - a very convincing performance. Samantha Morton (as his wife) has been great in everything I've seen her in (from the UK tv series "Cracker", to Scottish arthouse movie "Morvern Callar" and Spielberg's "Minority Report") and she's good in this too. The actor playing the manager Rob Gretton is funny as all hell. I laughed at almost ever line he delivered. He has a kind of Manchester streetwise cockiness that amuses me a lot.

But there are problems with the film too, I think. The script seems a bit sloppy in places and there are elements of the kind of cheesiness you always get in biopics (I'm thinking in particular of the scene in Oliver Stone's "The Doors" where they start playing "Light My Fire" for the first time - haha). There's a bit in this film where the Bernard Sumner character says "I've got an idea, Ian! I've been learning hypnotism!" that may well be factually accurate, for all I know, but it caused me to mumble "Oh, bugger off!" or somesuch at the screen. Heehee. I also thought that off-stage the other band-members aren't at all convincing. I just didn't believe that this was Bernard Sumner or Hooky or Stephen Morris - they seemed much more like caricatures than realistic portrayals. And also, maybe it's the coldness of the black and white images or the coolness of Joy Division's music but it's quite strange to watch a film where (SPOILER!) the central character commits suicide at the end and feel emotionally fairly disconnected. I've been known to have a tear in my eye watching "Lady And The Tramp", or that bit in "Serenity" where Summer Glau runs into the room full of Reivers, or even at the occasional romantic comedy, but by the end of "Control" I just felt kind of fascinated and unmoved.

The positives definitely do outweigh the negatives though and I'll probably watch this again fairly soon. I've already watched the uncut song performances several times 'cause they're bloody good.

:euro:

[rogerSIMIAN]

Haha - love your 7/11 review, TheBiz. You know, I actually thought I detected a Scottish lilt to your "hoose".

Incidentally (this is a mini mini review) i love the way Canadians say "about" in a vaguely Scottish way, like there are way too many Os in there.

:euro:

[thebiz]

Havent heard of Control (the song is excellent indeed) though 24 hour party people was amusing. Well, the pigeon scene was amusing. Actually the way they handled his suicide was amusing as well if I remember correctly. I'll have to keep an eye out. Twas a cool band for a minute.

I read somthing the other day that mildly disturbed me about the Germs movie wherin the actor playing Darby Crash was a doctor from ER (the tv show). All well and good untill I found out that apparently the Germs decided to reunite (for the longish $$$ term) and this guy who plays Darby Crash in the movie is their full time singer. Am I wrong in being a bit revulsed? Oh well, perhaps he too will see the step 5 in leaving a beautifull corpse.


Haha - love your 7/11 review, TheBiz. You know, I actually thought I detected a Scottish lilt to your "hoose".

Incidentally (this is a mini mini review) i love the way Canadians say "about" in a vaguely Scottish way, like there are way too many Os in there.

:euro:

I have and will always love the way Francis Mcdormand says, "And its a beautifull day. I just dont understand." at the end of Fargo. Such an excellent ending. Such a cool Canadian movie. Goofparade needs to chime in now......

[rogerSIMIAN]

I read somthing the other day that mildly disturbed me about the Germs movie wherin the actor playing Darby Crash was a doctor from ER (the tv show). All well and good untill I found out that apparently the Germs decided to reunite (for the longish $$$ term) and this guy who plays Darby Crash in the movie is their full time singer. Am I wrong in being a bit revulsed?

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Almost as insane as Queen reforming with the lad out Free on vocal duties.


I have and will always love the way Francis Mcdormand says, "And its a beautifull day. I just dont understand." at the end of Fargo.

Ja, ja, ja! Totally agree.


Such an excellent ending. Such a cool Canadian movie. Goofparade needs to chime in now......

Just wondering, would Mr GoofParade be chiming in to say something like, "Hang about old chap: Fargo's in North Dakota!"

Oh, yeah, and 24 Hour Party People is a magic film. I like Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson in it.

:euro:

[thebiz]

Just wondering, would Mr GoofParade be chiming in to say something like, "Hang about old chap: Fargo's in North Dakota!"

:euro:

Haha. Im a bad geographical kinda guy. Wow, I shoulda known that.... Oh well.

And as far as reviews go...

Budweiser cans vs busweiser bottles.

Gotta go cans here. Bottles are a waste of money, fill up the recycling bin, is louder when i have to take out said recycling bag and still contains low end swill same as the can. Wheres the upside? I will drink bottles of Brooklyn as its the way it should be served but something abooot being from the south means that budweiser should be served in cans. So um...cans = thumbs up. Bottles = not so much.

[rogerSIMIAN]

Ah, good analysis of the whole Budweiser cans vs Budweiser bottles situation there, TheBiz.

But, just to play Devil's Advocate, I'd like to make a counter-claim for the superiority of Grolsch bottles over Grolsch cans.

Grolsch cans - all off what you said above, but...
Grolsch bottles - they're pleasing to the eye, with their curvaceous shape and green tint; the plug stopper device that acts as a lid looks like it might wash up on some distant seashore some day and is fun to play with in between gulps of the beer (popping, re-securing, popping, re-securing); plus the red rubber circular bit that goes on the stopper (would you call it a rubber-washer?) can be used by guitarists to help secure a guitar-strap to a guitar.

Here's a testimonial for the Grolsch bottle "DIY strap lock system" from a lady guitarist:

http://lorinator.feminoise.com/guitar-tips-diy-strap-lock-system/

:euro:

[thebiz]

I am totally with you on the Grolsch bottle argument. They are possibly the coolest commercial bottle (emphasis on the bottle) of beer. Provides hours of entertainment for small children as well.

If I recall correctly however, the Grolsch logo is beveled making the bottle unsuitable for slide guitar playing. But since I havent played my guitar in 7 years and I do have a small child Im going big thumbs up.

Good call, nice review.

[rogerSIMIAN]

Yes, in my opinion the bottle of Grolsch would be greatly improved if the beer itself was decanted and replaced with Kronenberg 1664.

*Bottle-use In Slide Guitar-Playing*
I've discovered that the ideal bottle for slide guitar playing is actually those tiny miniature bottles of whisky or other spirits you get in gift shops. The neck of the bottle fits snuggly between the middle two fingers (unless your Django Rheinhardt) giving extra purchase for when your blues is pushing you into those trickier areas of self-expression.

:euro:

[JohnnyEx]

I like Grolsch as much as anyone, but I have never, I repeat NEVER, had a reason to even think about putting the cap back on a beer. I just dont comprehend the reasoning behind it. Seriously. So, cans it is...
http://www.tmunderground.com/watch/25934ee377cfda20e414/TEAM-X-ADVENTURES

[thebiz]

Well, as long as we are staying on the subject...

I have always been amused by the Mickeys wide mouth can or more recently the Coors vented cans cause God knows I have major problems getting enough beer in my mouth from those regular and vastly inferior small mouth cans. Unfortunately both Coors and Mickey's Malt Liquor are freakishly bad alcahol. Guess I will have to stick to sippin.

I really wish I had a high brow art review to follow this up but alas...I got nothin.

[rogerSIMIAN]

Aha! The Mickey's Wide Mouth must be related to the Mickey's Big Mouth Mr Tom Waits speaks of:

One night Frank was on his way home
from work, stopped at the liquor store,
picked up a couple of Mickey's Big Mouths.
Drank 'em in the car on his way to the
Shell station; he got a gallon of gas in a can.
Drove home, doused everything in
the house, torched it.
Parked across the street laughing,
watching it burn, all Halloween
orange and chimney red.

[kuroken]

Unfortunately both Coors and Mickey's Malt Liquor are freakishly bad alcahol.
I agree that Coors is awful, and though I haven't had a Mickey's in probably 20 years, I have fond memories of it, and the out-of-control behavior that came after pouring 7-8 of them down my throat.

Plus the green bottle always made me feel that Mickey's tasted green.

But tomorrow, I hope to have a review of Elem Klimov's Come and See, a Russian flick described by some as the most horrific war movie ever made. I've had it around for a while, and SGPorche mentioned he was about to watch it the other day - I know he was impressed (if that's the word) and since I'm off for 4 days after many hours of battling Tropical Storm Fay, I plan to watch that, as well as Control and a Joy Division documentary that recently came out as well.

It's funny that somebody mentioned a scene from Stone's The Doors - because something about JD always reminded me musically of The Doors.

Ken

[rogerSIMIAN]

Oh, I'll need to watch that Joy Division documentary.

[Jase180]

Oh, I'll need to watch that Joy Division documentary.

Ditto, as I loved 24hr party people. Aslo, see the film
The Mayor of Sunset Strip (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230512/)

We have a DJ who is a icon of radio in Cali, but not just any icon. Rodney on the rock is his show, on a station called KROQ, and your jaw will hit the floor when you find out how many great bands he is responsible for making known via his show. mindblowing really. yeah, he really had a huge impact on 80's and 90's music and bands getting heard and turning into big time acts

U2, , Nirvana, Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, Ramones, Blondie, Golden Earing, Siouxie and the Banshees, the Cure, No Doubt, Beck, Tori Amos beastie boys to name a few. Alot appear in the film even talking about getting their break from him.

I've been listening to that show since 81 ish...and found bands like U2, Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, The Cure, Siouxie, New Order, the Jam, Maddness, Untouchables, English Beat, Depeche Mode, Yaz and more from his thing..nice eh..

[sgporsche48]

and SGPorche mentioned he was about to watch it the other day - I know he was impressed (if that's the word)


Was thoroughly impressed and utterly awed. Excellent cinematography (wonderful, beautiful long takes really take you into the story) and wonderful performances from what seems to be a lot of first-time actors. It has that real documentary feel to it. Apparently they used live ammunition as well, which heightened the intensity of the fire fights. I won't say it entertained me as that is definitely the wrong word for this kind of film. I'll say it's an experience everyone should have.

[rogerSIMIAN]

SGPorsche/Kuroken - I'm not mad on war films, but Elem Klimov's Come and See sounds very intriguing. I've just been reading about it online.

Jase - oh, I've of heard of Rodney Bingenheimer before. It must be from David Bowie biographies and places like that. Anyway that looks like an interesting doc. He sounds a bit like the Californian equivalent of John Peel - the first to play seminal bands.

Have you seen the documentary "DiG!" about The Brian Jonestown Masacre and Dandy Warhols? The Dandy Warhols come across as real self-congratulatory wankers and the frontman of Brian Jonestown Massacre is a kind of loveable sociopath, which makes for a really interesting doc:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388888/

[thebiz]

Hmm, on the music documentary front, The Devil and Daniel Johnston is worth a look. Kinda what you might expect if you are familiar with Daniel Johnston I suppose. Weird, religiousy, trippy graphic arts and a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of dementia and mental disease. Maybe a hair depressing.

Pegleg raved about this flick called Cannibal Holocaust that I have yet to see but the Wikipedia page is fascinating: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibal_Holocaust

Banned in many countries as it was thought to be a snuff film for a long while. Pretty interesting stuff.

Ive been thinking a bit about everyone's favorite documentaries. Mine would probably be "The Times of Harvey Milk". Fascinating story that comes across more like fiction (who coulda dreamed up the twinkie defense) and has a huge amount of humanity (the good kind) in it. Though "Paradise Lost" would be a close second for me. What a freak show of american justice (though like most docs theres probably a portion of bias that is lost to the viewer).

Funny story...MrsBiz and I went on our first date to see "Capturing the Freidmans", a doc about a family with a pedophilic father. Possibly the second worst date movie of all time next to "Happiness".

[rogerSIMIAN]

Ah, hell! you know, they were actually showing "The Devil And Daniel Johnton" the other day on one of the Channel4 digital channels and I totally forgot it was on. I've been meaning to see it for ages.

"Funny story...MrsBiz and I went on our first date to see "Capturing the Freidmans", a doc about a family with a pedophilic father. Possibly the second worst date movie of all time next to Happiness."

Heeheehee.


**DOC: The Weather Underground**

My ladyfriend in Michigan sent me a really fascinating documentary - "The Weather Underground" by Sam Green and Bill Siegel. It's one of the best put-together documentaries I've seen. It was an Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature (I think in 2002) and it's all about the left-wing US terrorist group, The Weathermen, who grew out of SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) after a leading Black Panther was murdered. It's a really interesting look at an area of modern American history that doesn't get a great deal of attention (over here, at least):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343168/

[thebiz]

Looks interesting Roger. I will have to add that one to my queue. Amusingly reminds me of the old episode of TV Nation where Moore takes some mountain militiamen to a roller skating rink and fair and has them sing the Barney Song. Thats my idea of nonviolent protest. That was the only show/movie where Moore didnt come across as insanely pompous to me (though its probably just rose colored memories).

"League of Ordinary Gentlemen" was a letdown as I expected more from a bowling documentary with such a great title. In a way I compare it (unfairly) to the excellent "Air Guitar Nation" which I thought was a very fun and amusing little flick. Best music doc I can think of at the moment is the "The Filth and The Fury". Though Im not the biggest Sex pistols fan (Ramones and Buzzcocks were superior IMO), I really enjoyed that one. And I am physically unable to change the channel whenever Decline of Western Civilaization (1 or 2..though part 2 for entirely different reasons) comes on. But thats me.

[thebiz]

Two non-documentary 1970's flicks that I enjoyed a lot...

Race with the Devil - Peter Fonda rides supercross, Hot Lipps screams a lot, Satanists sacrifice nekid ladies, rednecks give the hippies a frowning of a lifetime and they all roll across country in a new fangled RV (with a MICROWAVE..the technology is astounding!). A lot of fun, mildly creepy, a little cheesy and a great ending. Huh, its kinda like the pg version of the original Hills have Eyes (something I only just now realized).

Assault on Precinct 13 - The original was an excellent flick that plays like a zombie movie. Great Carpenter score (the kind that makes you think, huh, I could make music like that) and an shocking scene of a little girl getting shot in the belly while eating ice cream. Something that would never make the cut these days..and speaking of, it was a bad re-make.

[rogerSIMIAN]

"Best music doc I can think of at the moment is the "The Filth and The Fury"."

Yeah, it's quite good to watch both that and "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" 'cause I think Malcolm McLaren's fantasy version of the way things happened is just as important to the story of punk as John Lydon's "This is the way it really happened" take. I really like both those films.

I've got a pretty good documentary by Don Letts called "Punk: Attitude" that looks at punk, its precursors and what came afterwards. It's got interviews with all sorts of folk like Henry Rollins, who's quite funny.

I like The Sex Pistols but I was never blown away by The Clash (although songs like "London's Calling" are classics). I tend to veer much more towards the New York path of punk - from The Velvet Underground (I saw the reformed VU playing in Edinburgh in the 90s), through Patti Smith to Sonic Youth.

:euro:

[thebiz]

I like The Sex Pistols but I was never blown away by The Clash (although songs like "London's Calling" are classics). I tend to veer much more towards the New York path of punk - from The Velvet Underground (I saw the reformed VU playing in Edinburgh in the 90s), through Patti Smith to Sonic Youth.

:euro:

I remember picking up the Best of the VU cassette in 10th grade and popping into the car tape deck with 5 friends in the car and everyone absolutely hating it and quickly putting Duran Duran back in the player...haha. Skip ahead a few years to me playing Venus in Furs 10 times in a row on a jukebox in a little bar in Atl and nearly getting in a fistfight with the bartender.

I find the Mo Tucker working at a Wal Mart story amazing. Well, we all got to eat huh.

[rogerSIMIAN]

*Mo Tucker*
I got a shiver down my spine just to see Mo Tucker standing there playing her drums during "Heroin" and "Venus In Furs" and having the whole thing sounding how it must've sounded in some club in the '60s (apart from Lou Reed's wank-guitar solos - haha). The singer in my last band has a solo Maureen Tucker album and there's a great lyric on one song that we ended up stealing for the title of an EP - "All That Cheyenne Caboodle".

*Atlanta*
Are you from Atlanta, Georgia? My friend from Michigan lived down there for years and loved it. She claimed she even picked up a bit of a Southern drawl.

[thebiz]

*Atlanta*
Are you from Atlanta, Georgia? My friend from Michigan lived down there for years and loved it. She claimed she even picked up a bit of a Southern drawl.

Yep, born and raised in the Dirty Dirty. Some good times were had but I dont miss it much. Small town, some backwards attitudes and such. I still root for the home teams. Your michigan gal play music by any chance?

[rogerSIMIAN]

Your michigan gal play music by any chance?

Haha - nope, but she loves everything from Rickie Lee Jones to Beefheart, so if she did I think it'd be pretty cool.

[thebiz]

The NYC waterfalls are 5 towers approximately 100' tall that pull water up from the East River and shower it back down to the collective "huh's" of many a New Yorker. The installations are only up for the summer. Of the 5, the one under the Brooklyn Bridge is the most impressive as the water looks as if it is emanating from the bridge itself. The other four are stand alone structures that don't work as well as there is little relation to the surroundings. Plus on a windy day the water ends up flooding the shoreline. The exhibit is similar to the Gates project that occurred in Central Park in 2005 but there is much less fanfare and more kayaking danger (a couple of kayakers had to be rescued when they ventured too close and their boats were sucked in)

In all honesty, I can't help questioning the money spent on this project (15.5 mil) as the city talks of eminent fiscal crisis but what the hey, the kayak story was funny and it's cool that we allow (and even promote) these types of things every now and then.

http://www.nycwaterfalls.org/#/about_the_waterfalls/Waterfall_Images

[rogerSIMIAN]

Looks mighty purdy (even if it did cost the city $15.5 mil).

[kuroken]

I dunno, that second picture of the one on the Brooklyn piers kinda made me laugh - as the wind blew it back onto land, I imagined how many might break into an impromptu "Singin' In The Rain" as the unspeakably filthy and disgusting water from the East River splattered down on them, perhaps containing one of those Coney Island Whitefish mentioned in Biz's other thread...

Mini-reviews/comments on Come and See, Closer, and the Joy Division documentary, aptly titled Joy Division, tomorrow when I'm not coming down from a Guinness & Bass overdose.

Ken

[rogerSIMIAN]

Aha! I thought you might've been watching those, what with you requesting Joy Division on last night's Friday Rock Show.

Looking forward to your reviews once the Guinness & Bass has been successfully decanted from your person.

[thebiz]

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster.

Never fear the title, as the focus on NYC is slight. The real meat of these three stories (written in the 80s) is a retelling of the detective novel. Ive seen it called meta-detective and anti-detective stories but my favorite description is "soft boiled" which fits pretty well (postmodern is a term often used as well). Three short novels about men who play the role of private dick and fall into a hazy shade of solitude and some form of subtle madness.

The first tale, City of Glass, reminds me a little of Breakfast of Champions as Auster places himself into the story as a side character who continues to exist even as the protagonist dissapears altogether. Theres a great subtext of the retelling of the Don Quixote story and I thought this was the most interesting of the three tales. It seems to start out as a solid Dashiell Hammet type story and evolves into something vague and bizzare.

Ghosts (the second tale) plays with the idea of a detective hired to provide the proof of existence for another man (think tree falling in the woods type of questions) by watching him and his incredibly mundane life. Toss in the fact that everyone's name is that of a color perhaps inspiring a certain Tarantino film - er, probably not.

The Locked Room (the final tale) is an interesting take on creativity and ties the novels together in as neat a package as Auster is willing to provide.

I wouldn't classify The New York Trilogy as a fun read but it stays in my head for a while and there are plenty of interesting ideas and murky mental states to be had. Plus it provides a very different take from the traditional detective tales.

Finally, reading through wikipedia I found out that a character from Metal Gear Solid 2 is lifted (in name) from City of Glass. A strange reference. And Auster is responsible for the screenplays for Smoke and Blue in the Face.

[rogerSIMIAN]

Very interesting review that, TheBiz. I've been hearing about Paul Auster's "New York Trilogy" for ages. There was a UK tv documentary about it years ago. I'll see if they have the first book in my local library.

I liked the way that when they finished filming "Smoke" they had a bit of time left on the sets and actors still to hand, so they filmed a whole other feature-length movie on the cheap. That's the kind of thing your man Roger Corman used to do back in the day.

:euro:

[Dr_House]

Anyone read "A Year In The Merde" yet?
I loved that book, probably the funniest one I ever read (apart from my own biography of course!)

[rogerSIMIAN]

Not read that, Dr House. Who's it by?

[Dr_House]

As far as I remember the guy's called Stephen Clarke.
I heard the book was pretty successful in Britain some years ago.

[rogerSIMIAN]

I'm going to France for a couple of weeks in October. I should read this on the way there - haha.

[thebiz]

The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories - HP Lovecraft (Penguin Classics)

I've always skipped over Lovecraft as he gave me an overly verbose D&D vibe that Im not very into..probably has something to do with the whole old gods mythos. Then I happened to watch Slarners version of The Terrible Old Man (http://movies.lionhead.com/movie/151072 - Biggstrek also has a version that can be found on TMU) which very much impressed me. It was a nice short, tight story which is just like I like my horror. I decided I would have to look at some more of Lovecraft's tales so I picked up this group of short stories and had a go.

Some pretty good stuff here with "The Thing on the Doorstep", "Pickman's Model" and "The Dunwich Horror" being highlights for me. All three have a Twighlight Zone/Night Gallery vibe (of which pickman's model was an episode I think) and are both fun and creepy.

Pickman's Model is a consise story of an artist and his twisted muses and was the first tale that I truly enjoyed in the collection. Then came The Dunwich Horror which focused on some satanic hillbilies, college professors largely versed in the occult and a creature that struck me as some crazy version of Snufflelupagus (of sesame street fame). The Thing on the Doorstep plays as a cautionary tale of marrying creepy looking women who may or may not be possessed by entities of damnable ilk. It wasnt all home runs though as I found The "Quest of Iranon" to be the 1910 angle on running nekid through the flowery fields hippy BS and "Under the Pyramids" (a ghostwritten Houdini fiction) pretty freakin long and boring. Plus theres an overly analytical introduction that would be more appreciated by those who equate things LoveCraftian to a philosophy rather than just a little tale.

Reading a group of tales like this all at once you begin to see things recurring in some of the stories such as the Necronomicon (written by a mad arab), the arkham advertiser as the local rag that reports on all things bizzare and the way all colleges seem to have libraries devoted to the occult. I see more humor in some of these things than was probably initially intended which kept things a bit campy and fun. Another interesting thing I noticed about Lovecraft was the way the tales were nearly all told from the past tense and the way he often switches the focus of the way the story is told at crucial moments. For instance, in The Dunwich Horror the details are rather specific as if the narrator is present in the action until the final crucial moment which is told from the point of view of people watching the action from afar through a telescope. Or the Thing on the Doorstep which seems to be headed to a particular action throughout the story but then relegates that action to about 2 sentences and moves onward to some new "horror".

I enjoyed most of the tales and will probably pick up another collection of tales in due time..though it wont be my next book purchase.

8 outta 10 for me. Solid.

edit - If anyone has read The Dunwich Horror Im kinda curious if they would agree with a comparison of Big Bird (9 feet tall and covered in feathers) and Snuffleupagus (Giant Elephanty thing thats invisible to most people) to the two horrors from that story. Kinda amusing to me anyway. Reminds me of Bert and Ernie as characters in Its a Wonderful Life.

[Marine101]

I recently just saw The Kingdom. Now this has both action and story. Its not just random explosion and fire fight, they all have a meaning and relevance. It has some historic features (and quoted by some source, true or not "inspired by bombings at the Riyadh compound on May 12, 2003 and the Khobar housing complex on June 26, 1996 in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.") I mean, it has some fine acting and a good cast and I didnt feel it was an anti (whatever) film. Actually, the ending is what makes the film.

Its a good film, with a decent length and doesnt bore you and keeps you on the edge of your seat (great, intense last 35-40 minutes) If you like action with a grood plot, then go see this.

Hmmm, any games...well, I'll say this, with this new laptop, I've never experienced online intense warfare in BF2 like never before. I mean jesus, so smooth and crazy. True story (though, no one is probably interested) I was playing in the map Strike Of Karkand (for those interested) and I literally drove past an enemy apc and tank and went up some ramp, near the suburbs. I was like 'Holy jeez", but anyway...

I might sit down and watch Stalingrad over the weekend, looking forward to this one, I'm interested in the Eastern Front part of WW2 (thanx Activision!)

For the music part...well, you gotta love these techno remakes, hip-hop songs, all about losing (break ups) or meeting someone or kissing girls or whatever...what a year we have in music, no complaints.

Anyway, thats it from me...

Marine.

[Nukester]

Cool thread folks,

In terms of games, I recommend anyone who owns an Xbox 360 to purchase a copy of "BRAID" from the online marketplace.

Quite simply, one of the most original games I have ever experienced, both on a story telling and gameplay perspective, which at the same time, has layers of substance.

It is a mindboggling puzzle platformer that has you controlling the protagonist 'Tim' as he uses his powers of time travelling to manipulate his surroundings to get one step closer to his ultimate goal; "Finding the Princess"

I have to stress, however, this is no normal Mario-esq parody. Believe me when I say that it goes beyond the average platform game and really hits home in ways I never thought a video game would make you feel.

It's quite simply, NUKETASTIC!!!

[rogerSIMIAN]

I'm starting my next Open University course very soon - level three Creative Writing, and drama is a big part of this one. So I thought I should check out some of the plays I've never seen that are considered classics.

Found this YouTube playlist with loads of Shakespeare and ancient Greek drama etc, but it was a 1964 tv version of Henrik Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler' that I watched recently and I really enjoyed it. It stars Ingrid Bergman as Hedda and I think she gives a great performance in this, full of arrogance, fire and dark twisted psychology:

Shakespeare and More playlist (http://www.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=ShakespeareAndMore)

[thebiz]

Saw Quantum of Solace last night. Had read 3 relatively negative reviews before I went and wasnt expecting much. The action editing is shakeycam/quick cut irritating at points and the theme song is pretty freakin bad but I ended up enjoying the film a good bit. The new bond is definitely a badass. Villian was pretty amusing as well and theres an excellent CIA agent who reminds me of Richard Masur (the harvard interviewer in Risky Business). All in all a good time was had. Recommended (as if you needed my words).

P.S. They played the new Star Trek trailer. Looks like fun. After it was done and the crowd clapped someone in back in his best Ogre (RotN2) voice bellowed, "Nerds!". Many chuckles.

[Norrie]

I haven't seen this yet, but I found your "action editing" comment interesting.
It makes me laugh that the Bond franchise is now trying to emulate the second two Bourne movies. Unfortunately, not many can edit like Greengrass (yes, I'm a fan).

[Edit] Careful what you say about Trekkies here Biz. You'll suffer the wrath of K4, Killian, Uber, Chris, et al!

[thebiz]

I haven't seen this yet, but I found your "action editing" comment interesting.
It makes me laugh that the Bond franchise is now trying to emulate the second two Bourne movies. Unfortunately, not many can edit like Greengrass (yes, I'm a fan).

[Edit] Careful what you say about Trekkies here Biz. You'll suffer the wrath of K4, Killian, Uber, Chris, et al!

Yea, the Bourne vibe definitely abounds. Its not a bad thing. We were chatting over many beers afterwards and decided the ranking would be Bourne 1, Casino Royale, Bourne 3, QOS, Bourne 2. But thats a rather drunken ranking so grain of salt and such.

And no worries. My wifes one of the bigger scifi dorks around. Not that theres anything wrong with that..right hun? Hehe.

[Norrie]

Yea, the Bourne vibe definitely abounds. Its not a bad thing. We were chatting over many beers afterwards and decided the ranking would be Bourne 1, Casino Royale, Bourne 3, QOS, Bourne 2. But thats a rather drunken ranking so grain of salt and such.


I'm assuming that list is worst to best? Please tell me it is. Surely?

[thebiz]

I'm assuming that list is worst to best? Please tell me it is. Surely?


Hehe, well I did say salty. Eh, agree to disagree. I loved the first and third and felt the 2nd bourne lacked the intrigue and freshness of the first and the punch and excitement of the 3rd.

[Norrie]

Agree to disagree? What a ridiculous concept!

I'm right, you're wrong. You are now my sworn enemy until you admit your mistake.

(This message has been brought to you by a "brutally honest reviewer")

[thebiz]

Agree to disagree? What a ridiculous concept!

I'm right, you're wrong. You are now my sworn enemy until you admit your mistake.

(This message has been brought to you by a "brutally honest reviewer")

Ok your right. Im wrong. The proper ranking goes Bourne 1, Casino Royale, Bourne 3, QOS, Bourne 2. Sorry for the mixup. My mistake.

Harhar...

[Norrie]

Ok your right. Im wrong. The proper ranking goes Bourne 1, Casino Royale, Bourne 3, QOS, Bourne 2. Sorry for the mixup. My mistake.

Harhar...

Chortle, guffaw, snicker, and fnaar.
Seriously: aside from the unseen QOS, I would definitely have those the other way around.
Ain't diversity grand?

[thebiz]

Chortle, guffaw, snicker, and fnaar.
Seriously: aside from the unseen QOS, I would definitely have those the other way around.
Ain't diversity grand?

While I can dig the authoritarian grandiosity of your opine, Im open to further reasoning on the uh...reason for your ranking (care to further pontificate?). In all fairness I will say Bourne 2 is the one I remember the least (hasnt been on tv lately and Bourne 3 was pretty recent).

Dont worry, Im still the same size...its the words that got bigger.

[Norrie]

It's difficult to explain. I read the Ludlum novels decades ago. I'd seen the first Bourne movie and gone "MEH"

I'd noticed Greengrass from a small, wonderful, British film called The Theory of Flight (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120861/).

Then he did a couple of British TV things; and his doc style retelling of Bloody Sunday was stunning. I noticed his name on United 93 (I suspect Bloody Sunday got him the gig), watched it, and was gobsmacked.

I was kind of disappointed in him taking the second Bourne (pretentious git that I am), but was proved wrong by a, in my opinion, truly great action movie. His editing, camera work, and pacing in this movie are remarkable in my mind.

I love the movie, and I'm not a Damon fan (cue Team America "MATT DAMON")

[thebiz]

Over the last 2 months I have picked up approximately 20-25 books for less than $10. I grabbed 5 from a book fair at work for $5, another 5 from stoop sales for another five dollars and found the rest put to the curb. The lack of space in a nyc apartment means things are always being thrown out (especially things that dont sell at the stoop sale). Therefore, most of these books will end up back on the curb in front of my place waiting for some other cheap ass rube or the trashman. I'll post a little review of some of them here from time to time if only because I can...

'The Bobby Gold Stories; A Novel' by Anthony Bordain

Found this one on the sidewalk coupled with "A History of Salt" and a french cookbook. A chef's residence perhaps? Being very familiar with Bordain both from his tv travel show and from "A Cooks Tour" (my favorite travel book - very good read that feels more authentic than the No Reservations TV show) and "Kitchen Confidential" (slightly better than average "tell all" about the restaraunt business in nyc - nothing groundbreaking but mildly amusing) I snatched it up.

Overall pretty dissapointing tale about a 2 bit gangster with a heart of gold and jailhouse skills. If your familiar with Bordain this will feel like a paint by numbers story. Ramones tshirt wearing snotty punk kid (a young anthony)..check. Saucy kitchen banter involving 'Mis En Place' and gahones..check. A trip to Southeast Asia...check. It all ended up looking like a caricature of the real Bordain.

However, in all fairness the pages flew by and I finished this in roughly 3 hours time so it worked out well for free. Not so much recommended (unless you find it for free) though I have heard his earlier 2 pieces of fiction ('Bone in the Throat' and 'Gone Bamboo') are much better.

Next up, A modern Welsh version of Cannery Row...

[thebiz]

Another book from a box on the curbside. Never heard of the author but has a snazzy cover and a title that relates to booze.

5 Bars, 2 Pubs and a Nightclub by John Williams

12 tales set in 8 locales in a poor section (Butetown) of Cardiff, UK. Each tale focuses on a different member of the community whose residents range in variety from pimps, prostitutes, sailors, gangsters, drug dealers, hippies, bookies, ex-cons and the like. Each tale is loosely tied to the others but none are reliant upon another to understand.

Many of the reviews I have seen for this book relate it to Trainspotting which is understandable given the down and out denizens of the stories. However, the stories here and not as hip and a bit more kind hearted than the Irvine Welsh's tale. In fact, as the stories flow and you begin to fall into the boozy, gutterbound but enjoying the ride vibe each story has, this really reminds me a lot of Steinbeck's Cannery Row (specifically the segment in which the hobos and prostitutes of CR throw a party for the professor and trash his place in the process - all before he has arrived at the party).

The stories all seem to culminate in an excellent tale of Pirate Radio run by a mix of characters which include a gambler who becomes a short lived celebrity when he gives out golden tips on winning horses for four weeks in a row (causing riots in the streets of Butetown). This story is followed by a great ender in which one of the djs relates the old days when he was a member of the White Panthers (think MC5) and his group of dumbasses blow up the butetown bridge in the middle of a funeral procession (inspired by the blaxploitation Bond Flick Live and Let Die) for a recently deceased local bluesman. Good stuff.

Unfortunately, theres one more story to tell and it lacks the fun of all the previous stories as a man recently released from prison ponders an escape from his previous life. Its not a bad story, but its just not as much fun as what comes before it. In the liner notes Williams thanks someone for helping him to turn a single story into a book and I get the feeling that this was the single story that started all the rest.

Still more than enough good here for me to like. Thumb up.

[Roger]

After 9 years with my old 17" Relisys CRT monitor, I have upgraded to a LG Flatron W2224S. What a difference 5" makes! :whistling:

But it is not just the size that has impressed me, but the quality of the image, and of course the cost, £114 I paid for it (New).


http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6134/w2242s1225875150482lkd8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


The technical bit:

General Information: Colour - 16.7 million colours / Size Horizontal/Vertical - Information not provided / Point Size - Information not provided / Resolution - 1680 x 1050 / Brightness - 300 cd / m² / Contrast - 8000:1 / Viewing Angle Horizontal/Vertical - 170°/170° / Waiting Time - 5ms / Video Inlets/Type - D-Sub 15 (VGA) / Frequency Page - Information not provided / USB Hub - no / Audio Loudspeakers - No / Max. Consumption - 40 Watts
Size - 515.7 x 418.0 x 209.4 mm with stand
Weight - 4.65 kg with stand

[thebiz]

I hope Alex appreciates that extra 5" as well (too easy huh)

[MBStudios]

I went and saw Quantum of Solace last night, and for the most part, liked it. I've heard a few people complain about the editing of the fight scenes, but I liked it that way. Not much else to say except that it was an entertaining popcorn movie, but better then the last one. I'm definently liking Daniel Craig as James Bond.

Edit: Oh, and for those who haven't heard Elton John's album Good Bye Yellow Brick Road, you should buy the CD or get it off iTunes. It's, in my opinion, his best one.

[thebiz]

Ok, so I had some high hopes (but obviously not high enough to get my ass to a theater 3-4 months ago) and I finally got around to watching Ironman. Me thinks Tony Starks benifitted from a release before the Dark Knight made his return.

Its solid action and I thoroughly enjoyed the first 3/4 of the movie and the Stark persona (and of course Downys performance was workmanlike..not Ledgeresque but he owned it well enough). Last quarter felt like a mecha-video game to me. And for that matter, the segment following the desert action (the middle portion) came across like an 80s tv show, be it manimal or that show where the guy turns into a car...hmm similar themes me thinks. Production values just seemed a bit on the cheese side. And did Favereau (sic) really need to put his now you see me bloated, now you see me pumped face in this? The weird thing is I remember critics loving this (hence my high hopes). Batman vs Joker really put things in perspective.

Solid action, but Batman 2 left it felling a tad overwhelmed. I'd put Spiderman 1 at a 4, Dark Knight 1 at 4.5, Dark Knight 2 at 5 and Ironman at 3.5. But thats me. Next up soonish..Hulk.

[BenTuttle90]

I decided to get out of my dorm room for once and go see Pineapple Express, hey it was free to enter since it was showing at the college theater. I went in a large box of popcorn (Pretty cheap) and a bottle of Mountain Dew (Not so cheap). I was expecting a very stupid comedy I wouldn't even laugh at...I was wrong. I had a few good laughs and I enjoyed the movie, especially when James Franco's character kicks his foot through the windshield and his foot gets stuck. It was worth the time and I recommend it.

[Jase180]

I saw this the other day was found myself surprised I liked it. it's..differant.but not lame like i thought. Interesting film, worth seeing

Blood and Chocolate (http://www.moviesbox.us/horror/blood-and-chocolate-2007.html)

[thebiz]

Next up soonish..Hulk.

Got around to seeing the Hulk not so long ago. Was rather boring. I liked the backstory of Banner living in Mexico more than the rest of the cliched comic book riff raff of a story.

Made me think that they could have made a cool little flick with the Hulk in Mexico as a Folk Hero/Urban legend kinda like a chupacabre who saves little orphan Pedro from the La Raza gang. Maybe he has a stint in the Lucha Libre. It had promise. Norton kicking back drinking El Sol and trying not to get angry when somebody interupts his seista. Eh? Well it woulda worked for me.

Anywho, Ive read two more books that I found in the garbage over the summer. Both are collected stories. Both are very good.

Heavy Water by Martin Amis - Found this in a box filled with Martin and Kingsley amis books. I had read London Fields a long while back so I grabbed all the Martin Amis I could. Didnt realize Kingsley was his dad. Heavy Water is a collection of stories from Amis written over the last 30 years. Amis makes the other authors Ive mentioned here look like clowns. He has a way with words and stories that makes your head spin. Best ones here are "State of England" which reminded me of Tony Soprano as a two bit english hood trying to be a good dad and husband in the post modern future dreamed of in the 1990s, and "Let me Count the Ways" which is an amazingly good tale about a number crunching sex obsessed faithful husband who in midlife learns how to masturbate. An Excellent tale. If you havent read any Martin Amis I thoroughly endorse this as a good place to start. He commands the language.

Next up is the Best American Mystery Stories 2006 - edited by Scott Turow I didnt have any expectations for this one as the cover is bland and Im not the biggest mystery fan but it turns out this is all crime fiction (no mysteries here) and theres not a cluncker in the bunch. All of the stories are about 30-45 minutes worth of reading time and they are all outstanding. I was constantly thinking, "Damn, I wish I had thought up this plot" as I read. Favorites included "Why Bugsy Seigel was a Friend of Mine" by James Lee Burke which is a classic yoyo gangster boyhood anthem, "The Crack Cocaine Diet" by Laura Lippman which is Clueless meets Boys in the Hood meets Kiss Me Deadly and finally "Her Lord and Master" which is an excellent noir S&M masterpiece in my eyes. Definitely check it out if your looking for a cool read for right before bed. And as its 2006 you can probably get it for a song. I will be seeking out 2007 and 2008 in the future.

One last thing Im into at the moment is BioShock on the PS3. Never got into 1st person shooters on the consoles as they are difficult to control and impersonal. Hated Red Faction and Half Life just didnt work for me. However, Bioshock has a very cool story and a groovy 1920's modern vibe going on. Yea Im late to the party but I showed up ok.

[thebiz]

Well, rounding out my 2008 with a lot of Greyhounds and a view of "Hellboy2 The Golden Army" as KidMillions mandated a stay at home eve and the babysitter was out having fun herself. So, how was it? A glorious mess.

Some things are done so very well as parts of the movie reminded in part of "The Dark Crystal" (most of the secondary characters), "They Live" (backstreet brawling and Roddy Piper's attitude), "Star Wars" (Cantina Scene) and LotR (easy to figure yourself). Theres a pretty cool mix of fantasy with superhero going on throughout. It has a unique look and mixes in a good bit of humor in with the fantasy.

Unfortunately theres a lot of things that are simply bad from some cheesy dialogue to bad character development and a weak rendition of NYC complete with a 2 dimensional take on human nature and Jeffrey Tambor is completely wasted (as an actor not from various drugs and alcahol).

Its worth a look. You might dislike it, you might love it but its definitely a different take on the superhero movie.

[Norrie]

Heavy Water by Martin Amis - Found this in a box filled with Martin and Kingsley amis books. I had read London Fields a long while back so I grabbed all the Martin Amis I could. Didnt realize Kingsley was his dad. Heavy Water is a collection of stories from Amis written over the last 30 years. Amis makes the other authors Ive mentioned here look like clowns. He has a way with words and stories that makes your head spin. Best ones here are "State of England" which reminded me of Tony Soprano as a two bit english hood trying to be a good dad and husband in the post modern future dreamed of in the 1990s, and "Let me Count the Ways" which is an amazingly good tale about a number crunching sex obsessed faithful husband who in midlife learns how to masturbate. An Excellent tale. If you havent read any Martin Amis I thoroughly endorse this as a good place to start. He commands the language.

Oh, don't get me started on Martin Amis – a great writer lost to ego and (to use a Scottish expression) being stuck up his own arse.

Like you, I thought London Fields was brilliant; Heavy Water was, in parts, excellent; Time's Arrow was exceptional.
Then he started to believe the hype... started calling Kingsley all sorts of silly things, then wrote a pile of dog's sputum called "Yellow Dog".
Truly, a bigger pile of pretentious drivel it has never been my misfortune to buy and (attempt to) read.

Celebrity killed the literary star.

[thebiz]

Started playing Fallout 3 about a week ago. Future, post apacolyptic FPS. Starts out slow and not nearly as impressive early as say...Bioshock. Your character is stuck in an underground vault with some getting to know you cutscenes and tutorial type of gameplay. However, once you get outside into the wasteland things pick up dramatically. Theres some really cool tasks going on and everything is crazy open ended. Plus theres a Mad Max vibe that works really well in the sprawling wasteland.

I picked up a task to go look for food at a grocery mart thats filled with raiders (again think Mad Max villians), met a kid from a town infested with giant fire ants and signed up to go find his father, happened into a destroyed subway station running from a gaggle of said ants and emerged into a firefight with the military and some super mutants. And I havent even started so much in my main task of looking for dear old dad. Its all very very immersive and so far very solid.

To make a few points about Bioshock having finally finished it up...it was waaay to easy and the last quarter of the game seemed to lose a bit of the edginess that existed in the first 3/4 (one or two ineffective twists too many for my tastes). Still, it was a fun experience and a unique environment, like a dark art modern carnival. Id grade it out at 8 out of 10.