After 3 long years, I'm back!

Hello. I am almost 100% sure that I am the only person who reads this, but I wanted to get back into writing, so here we go. I'm also trying to get CHUD.com to select me as a regular blogger, and this was the link I gave them. Moving on. What have I been up to in the last 3 years...hmmm, let's see. 2006 was spent mostly in Portland. I worked a shitty job, but went to more concerts than I can remember. I think it was about 20 concerts in the 9 months I lived there. During one of those concerts, I discovered Man Man and have since seen them 5 times. I miss Portland, but my decision to leave there was based on the idea that my friend Brandon and I would be traveling in 2007. In November of '06 we purchased our tickets to Lima, Peru. In January of '07, I gave 11 days notice to my shitty job that I would be traveling for the month of February and had no intention of returning to it. They were unhappy.
South America was basically the highlight of 2007. Both Brandon and myself were not any kind of travelers before that and so it was a pretty big first step. We mostly traveled the southern part of Peru and a little bit of Bolivia. At first it seemed like we made a bad decision, since we were a little freaked out by how different it is down there. After a couple of days though, we got into the groove of things. We saw some cool cities, ate some interesting food, and I got the worst hangover that I've ever had...before or since. Word of advice, a three dollar fifth of rum is that price for a reason. I also didn't shit for an entire week...that was rough. We saw Machu Pichu, which was pretty goddamned amazing. After all was said and done, I was glad to be going home and excited at the prospect of future traveling. Interestingly enough, the one thing I missed the most, was Taco Bell. Pretty sad, I know. But the two Mexican pizzas and nachos I had when I got home were some of the best food I've ever eaten.
Once back from traveling, I was faced with the prospect of being jobless, homeless and without any money (moneyless?). The smart thing to do would have been to move back home, get a job, start hoarding money and eventually move on to bigger better things. What I ended up doing was moving back to Eugene, and sleeping on my friends couch for 3 months. But I eventually got a job as a cashier at a grocery store, which I still currently have, and moved out on my own. The schedule at a grocery store is not terribly consistent and your days are often in the middle of the week, which leads to a lot of alone time while your friends are at work at their normal jobs. With all that alone time I headed out to the theater. Last year was pretty consistent for movies I wanted to see as I almost managed to see a new movie in the theater at least once a week. I saw a lot of stuff, some so-so, some terrible, but mostly good. At the end of ti all, I think Juno was my favorite from last year just because I didn't leave the theater feeling so goddamned drained and beaten from the rest of the sad-bastard movies I saw. There Will Be Blood, No Country, The Mist, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead...while all excellent movies, just left me worn the fuck out. Juno left me with a smile on my face, and that proved to be priceless.
Which brings us to this year. Nothing too exciting has happened yet. The movie year has been mostly shit, aside from Cloverfield and Iron Man, I can't remember anything else I've seen in the theater, though I'm sure there are others. I do have my tickets for Indy IV at midnight this week, but we'll see how that turns out. And, from here on out, there seems to be something coming out every week that I want to see. And see them I will! I'm also in the process of looking into getting a tattoo. We'll see if i have what it takes to go through with it. Other than that, I'm trying, and mostly failing, to save up for a trip to Europe next year. I'll probably just end up selling everything I own and going as far as my money takes me and return jobless, homeless and moneyless. We'll see if I make the wise decision the second time around.

Netflix update!!!

As usual, I have been slow as shit in updating my Netflix viewings. So here is an update of everything I have watched over the last couple of months.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-I really enjoyed this movie. Mos Def cracked me up, as did Sam Rockwell. Martin Freeman was also a great lead and I hope he gets more leads. This was a fun movie that was very entertaining.

The Blair Witch Project-I hadn't seen this movie in about 7 years and I have to say that it has aged quite well. Still scared the hell out of me and that's what you hope for. I enjoyed it.

Fire in the Sky-BORING!!!

Demon Seed-this movie cracked me up. It was so ridiculous-just the idea of a computer intellingence wanting to, and then actually impregnating a woman is off the wall. I was entertained though, so it did it's job.

Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
This was a fun little Italian horror movie. It never got as intense as I would have liked it to get, but it was entertaining. I should really stop using the word entertaining to describe every movie, so we'll see how we do with the next one.

Eraserhead-This movie is not in the least bit entertaining. It is slow, it is boring, but you can't take your eyes off of it. David Lynch has crafted himself a beautifully disturbing movie. I have no desire to ever see it again, but I am glad that I finally got around to watching it.

Schizolopis-this movie was weirder than all hell. I wish I had what it took to finish it, but on the particular day I started it, I just didn't have it in me. Maybe I'll watch it all the way through one day.

War of the Worlds-This was a lot better than I expected it to be. Tom Cruise was unlikeable and it was pretty unrelenting in the action. The effects were great and the suspense was intense. It would have been nothing without Spielberg and Cruise, so good thing they were involved.

Living in Oblivion-I loved this movie. Steve Buscemi is great. A funny movie about the making of what looks to be a terrible indie film. Kudos to all involved.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre-this was my second time through the original and I enjoyed it. It's not so much scary as it is just terrifyingly intense and brutal. Once Leatherface starts going, you never get a chance to breathe. This movie holds up extremely well to this day and is still better than 90% of the crappy horror movies out today.

The Specials-this movie was pretty funny. It could have been better, but it was good. I was surprised to laugh at everything Jaime Kennedy said-but it helped that everything he said was generally pretty filthy. While not as good as Mystery Men, which holds a huge place in my heart, it is still a good, silly superhero movie.

Liberty Heights-I was quite impressed with this movie. Ben Foster does a great job as the lead in this quirky coming of age tale set during the 1950's. I loved the James Brown concert scene.

The Ice Storm-I was expecting a lot from this movie. I liked it, but everything I had heard about it made it seem like it was going to be a life changing experience. But any movie with David Krumholtz is automatically going to win by respect.

Unleashed-just finished watching this and I loved it. Great action, great heart, and one crazy ass Bob Hoskins all add up to a great movie. Hooray!!!

That's all I got for now. See you next time!

My Favorites from 2005

This has been an interesitng year for entertainment. I have gone through some interesing changes throughout much of it-while also sticking by some old favorites. I have seen a number of movies, listened to a good deal of CD's and watched a decent amount of TV. Sadly, I did not read as much as I would have liked to, but what are you going to do? It is with great pleasure that I announce my favorite things from this year.

Movies

Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
I have been looking forward to this movie since the idea of a prequel trilogy first surfaced. I had been looking forward to seeing the events play out ever since it first occured to me to wonder just what the hell happened to Darth Vader. It was a movie that carries the most anticipation ever for a movie. And in my opinion, it lives up that anticipation. Sure, there are some weak moments, but the strengths far outweigh those. Seeing the making of Darth Vader right there on the screen was a joy for me finally see. The first hour of the movie has its problems, but once Anakin finds out just who Palpatine really is, there is not a single flaw in the movie. It is dark and as uncompromising as a Star Wars movie is going to get. I loved this movie and will continue to do so until the day I die.

Batman Begins
I love this movie. It is quite possibly my favorite movie from this year. I say that because this movie has had to grow on me. My first time through it, it didn't do much for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn't leave it with the gitty excitement that I thought I would have. I waited until it came out on DVD to see it again, and upon the second viewing, I was transformed. This is a brilliant movie with superb performances all around. I hate Katie Holmes but she does what she is supposed to quite well. Liam Neeson was great. Michael Caine was great. And Christian Bale is Batman. He has the Bruce Wayne attitude, and he has the Batman attitude. He is the perfect choice. This is a great movie and I cannot wait for the next one.

Good Night and Good Luck
This year belongs to George Clooney, and anyone who says anything otherwise is an idiot. Clooney is a guy who hasn't made a bad movie in about 7 years had easily his best year to date. And this movie is just one of the reasons why. He directs this movie so confidently, and with such passion for the subject that you feel like you are watching these actual events unfold before you. You forget that this movie has a stellar cast, you just think you are watching real people. And everything feels authentic, from sets, to the constant smoking-this movie is alive. Now had Clooney only had this movie under his belt this year, it would still have been an excellent year for him. But throw Syriana into the mix and you have a superb year for one of the best Hollywood has to offer.

Sin City
There was no way I wasn't going to like this movie. I love the Frank Miller books and I love the cast they assembled for this movie. Throw in the fact that this movie looks simply stunning and you have a great great movie. Robert Rodriguez did an excellent job of putting this movie together and sticking so close to the original source material. And having Frank Miller as a co-director ensures that whatever side steps you take away from the source material all have to be approved by Miller, so it just makes the movie that much more seamless. The violence is over the top, the dialogue is solid, and you can tell that every actor on screen is having a blast. This is really the only Robert Rodriguez movie I have liked-his Antonio Banderas movies do nothing for me. I do like From Dusk Till Dawn, but I enjoy it more from a Quentin Tarantino perspective. Sin City was a great action movie and I cannot wait for more of them to come down the line.

MUSIC!!!

The Decemberists-Picaresque
Boy do I love this band. This was the CD that got me into them and I am sure glad that I picked it up. I read a review and the music sounded interesting so I got it. I listened to and I immediately fell in love with. Colin Meloy has such a great voice that was made to sing about pirates and engine drivers and male prostitutes. Every song tells such an interesting story, and complex that it takes a few listens to figure out everything that is going on around it. An excellent CD from an excellent band, and now that they have signed on to Capital Records, it'll be interesting to see what they do next. I for one can't wait.

Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary
I just picked this CD up a week ago and I am already so in love with it. I was hooked almost immediately but it has taken listening to it nonstop all week to burn this beautiful music into my mind. I'm not great at writing about music, so all I will say is that I love this CD and I am already looking forward to more music from this great band.

The White Stripes-Get Behind Me Satan
This is almost my least favorite White Stripes album(there 1st album has that honor)but that doesn't mean shit. I love every album of theirs and this one is no different. I love it, I just love their other albums more. The White Stripes are such a great band and I love that they evolve from album to album. They are not content to keep doing the same thing that works-they experiment with styles, they take risks, and in doing so, risk alienating some of their fan base. But they also have the confidence in their risk taking to know that the true fans will follow them anywhere, and I count myself among those ranks. They blew me away this year live and I cannot wait for more albums, more tours and more everything from them. I just love The White Stripes so much.

Gorillaz-Demon Days
I didn't like this album very much upon my initial listens. But it took putting it down for a while and then very recently going back to it. Now I confidently say that I like this one more than their previous effort, which was also fantastic. The music in this album is much better than on the last album, which says a lot. Danger Mouse does a great job producing this album, and I was very hesitant to like his production due to my love of Dan the Automator and what he did on the first album. The beats, the samples, everything comes together perfectly and fits the mood of every song. While I was disappointed at the lack of Del the Funkee Homosapien, the volume of guest stars on this album more than make up for his absence. The standout for me was MF Doom, whom I had never heard previously. His track is brilliant and his rhymes are great. De La Soul does a great job on Feel Good Inc. as well. I really like this album and will always look forward to anything that spills out of the brain of Damon Albarn, be it a Blur album, Gorillaz, or anything else he decides to do.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
I am really glad that I got in on the ground floor with these guys. I love having their indepenently released CD. I love that I have their t-shirt shipped directly from them. Iwll constantly toot the horn of this band and try to get everyone to listen to them. They are definetely not for everyone, but any adventurous music lovers out there are sure to be taken in by this unique band.

Architecture in Helsinki-In Case We Die
This CD is a pure joy from start to finish. This is a band in love with making music and it shows in every song. There is so much fun to be had in this music, and at a time where more and more music seems to be more somber in feeling, it is refreshing to hear fun again. I would have loved to have seen these guys when they came to San Francisco, just to get a sense of the magnitude that an 8 piece band has live. I missed them this last time, but you can bet I won't make that mistake again.

TV
This has been a crummy year for TV. Arrested Development was the only bright spot for me and now that might be no longer, there is no hope left. I have missed most of My Name is Earl, but I look forward to that coming out on DVD so I can give it a watch then. I even have fallen out of love with this season of the OC. But oh well, TV rots your brain anyway.

That's it for now. I have enjoyed this years entertainment and next year promises to be excellent as well. So until then, be well my friends.

The First Annual Star Wars Marathon!!!

Hello. On Sunday November the 6th, I prepared myself to sit down and watch all 6 Star Wars movies to celebrate Revenge of the Sith coming out on DVD. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the 13+ hours I spent watching them. And so without further ado, I will now review each movie in order and try and discuss how they fit into each other. So on with the show!

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace(1999)

So obviously this is the most shit on movie in the entire series. From stupid characters, to bad acting, to shitty plot points, the shit is almost deserved. Almost. But there is still some good points in this movie. Sure, Jar Jar is annoying, but if you can get past that, you have a pretty decent movie. Jake Lloyd also sucks. And Darth Maul is horribly under used. But Liam Neeson and Ewan MacGregor are wonderful together. And there are some great Star Wars moments in the movie. The Darth Maul lightsaber duel at the end is great. Seeing Jabba the Hutt is kind of fun too. I find this to be an enjoyable movie, and having the knowledge from the third movie makes it a little more rewarding. Just watching Senator Palpatine is a lot of fun. He gives some looks that make his motives pretty clear. The first few times I saw this, I just watched it enjoying the fact that he was the Emperor, but never really looking too closely at his expressions. My biggest complaint with this movie are the ending battles. The fact that Jar Jar accidentally blows some shit up is stupid. And the fact that little Anakin accidentally blows up the droid control ship makes me mad. Hello-you have the force. Use it. Don't just make it an oops I accidentally pushed this button and accidentally blew some shit up. It's stupid.
Overall: I give this movie a 6/10.
Overall status: Least favorite of the trilogy. (6/6)

Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones(2002)

I really stand by this movie. It is filled with great Star Wars moments, and character motives become a little more clear. Palpatine is pulling all his strings and Anakin is letting him do it. Seeing Yoda in action is also awesome. The first time I saw that in theater, my jaw hit the floor. It was something special. Hayden Christiansen is a little wooden in this movie-but it isn't his fault. George Lucas just can't write dialogue to save his life. And finally getting to see the start of the Clone Wars that Obi-Wan first talked about in the original Star Wars. To me, this is a solid entry in the Star Wars saga. It's got the origin of Boba Fett. It's got Sam Jackson kicking ass and chopping off heads.
Overall: I give this movie a 7/10.
Overall status: This movie is 5/6 in the entire trilogy.

Star Wars Episode 3: The Revenge of the Sith(2003)

Now this is what I'm talking about. This is what the rest of the prequel trilogy should have been like. Full of fun, excitement and clear connections to the original trilogy. This is a movie that just by talking about it, makes me want to watch it again. From start to finish, this movie is a joy to watch. Getting to watch the change from Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader is a joy to behold. While I think more of the transition should have started in episode 2, what we are given is quite good. Just watching Palpatine manipulate him into joining the Dark Side is so interesting. He's the only guy who gives Anakin more than a minute of his time and who knows all of his secrets, that he in turn uses against him to twist him. There is still some bad love dialogue, but I still blame that one on Lucas. He needs to learn to give that area up and let someone else write it. This movie is also absolutely heart breaking. The final duel between Obi Wan and Darth Vader is sadder than hell. When Obi-Wan tells him that he loved him, and Darth Vader screams that he hates him while he is burning up-it chokes me up a little. Watching Obi-Wan walk away knowing that they aren't going to meet again until that fateful duel on the Death Star is also a pretty emotional Star Wars moment. I love this movie and I will stand by it forever.
Overall: 9.25/10
Overall status: 3/6(This movie has moved ahead of Jedi in my book)

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope(1977)

I love the shit out of this movie. I can watch it all the time and still get blown away by it. It's a great kick off to the original trilogy. The DVD special edition has some moments that make me mad, but not enough to lessen my enjoyment of it. Now having seen it right after Episode 3, it fits in well to the whole saga. Having Episode 3 end on the Sunsets on Tatooine was genius because that is how we are introduced to Luke. And seeing Darth Vader on the ship at the beginning is great because we now the journey that he has taken to get there. It makes you feel for him as a character and make you root for his eventual turn back to the light side of the Force. George Lucas did an amazing thing in making a character who originally appeared as the epitomy of evil, and turning him into a sympathetic character right from the get go. We now know how much he was manipulated and lied to. We know that there is good in him. I love this movie and will always consider myself a Star Wars nerd.
Overall: 10/10
Overall status: 2/6

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back(1980)

As much as I love the original Star Wars, I love this one a little more. Everything about this movie is bad ass. From the battle on Hoth to the final confrontation at Cloud City, this movie is filled with excitement. I love every character, I love every moment. This is also a pretty relentless movie, with the good guys in constant threat from the enemy. It doesn't let up. And the introduction of Yoda now makes me laugh. It seems to me that ever since he decided that he had to go into exile, poor Yoda has just beeing going a little crazy being on his own this whole time. There isn't anything negative to say about this movie. Every minute is great. This is easily my favorite Star Wars movie ever!
Overall: 10/10
Overall status:1/10

Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi(1983)

Jedi used to be my favorite movie. I loved seeing the Falcon barely escape the blowing up of the Death Star. I loved watching the little Ewoks dance in celebration at the end. I still hold high respect for this entry, but it isn't nearly as solid as the first two. I have nothing negative to say about this movie, but as my experiences in life have grown, my love of the earlier two movies has also grown. I still love this movie, just not as much as the others. That is all I can say about it.
Overall: 8.5/10
Overall Status: 4/10

Overall standings
1. Empire
2.Star Wars
3.Sith
4.Jedi
5.Clones

6.Phantom

Damn, I suck at updating this thing.

So let's see. There is not much going on in my life. It's boring stuff. Just mostly watching movies and listening to music. And working. Always working. I'll try and rundown the list of movies I've watched with a little blurb about it.

The Innocents-1961-Just finished watching this a few minutes ago. It was scary. I liked it

High Tension-2004-Watched this last night. It scared the hell out of me-and then the ending came. I didn't like it. But upon thinking about it-I get it and it makes sense. I liked this one. Brutal as hell.

A Stranger is Watching-turned it off half way through. I didn't like it.

Titanic-watched it today after not having seen it since it's theater run. I got bored near the end. It's a decent movie-but it shows it's age. At least on my TV, the special effects were kind of weak.

Batman Begins-watched this twice this week. It was great. I still think Katie Holmes is the only weak point in the whole movie. She sucks. She is a snatch. But she can't come close to ruining this movie. Everyone else kicks the shit out of this movie. Awesome awesome stuff.

Stir of Echoes-again, hadn't seen this since the theater. It was good, but the ending isn't a good payoff. But the movie does a good job of building tension up to that point-but loses it at the end.

Palindromes-started watching this and turned it off. It didn't do anything for me. I was looking forward to it after enjoying Happiness, but I couldn't get through it.

Dave Chappelle, For What it's Worth-this was hilarious. I love Chappelle. He cracks me up. Good stand up from the funniest man on the planet.

Akira-started watching this and was thoroughly impressed with it. But then I turned it off to go to bed and never got around to starting it up again. I will though. And I'm pretty sure I'll like it.

Strings-this was a Danish, probably, movie that used marionettes to tell an interesing fantasy story. I really liked it. It sounds lame on paper, but it was executed very well. Highly recommended.

Stigmata-I don't know why the hell I wanted to watch this again. It was shit. And the DVD crapped out with about 10 minutes left in the movie and I didn't care. What a waste of time.

The Insider-fantastic movie. Russell Crowe is great and Pacino is great. I'm a big fan of this movie.

Ravenous-this was a crazy movie. I liked it, but it wasn't as brutal as I thought it would be. It was still good though.

Rock School-a great documentary about great kid musicians. The guitar wizard kid is amazing. I enjoyed this one.

Slacker-an interesing premise and well executed-this movie just didn't click with me. But I can see how people could like it.

The Office(American Version)-didn't like it. Laughed a few times. Love the original. This had potential, but spends more of it's time trying to copy the British show, when it has a strong enough cast to go in its own direction. The new season seems to be doing that, so that's good.

Oldboy-this was a crazy movie. It was good. I enjoyed it.

Can't Hardly Wait-I love this stupid little movie. I don't know what it is, but it cracks me up. I just have to root for Ethan Embry.

Hell House-interesing documentary about crazy religous types. They go a little too far trying to convert people.

Angels in America-I watched this in a marathon session. It was fantastic. Great performances by everyone involved.

Dog Day Afternoon-great Pacino performance-I really liked this one. Brutal ending, but what are you gonna do?

Kung Fu Hustle-this was a fun movie. Very entertaining.

Casablanca-finally got around to watching this. It was fantastic. I loved every minute of it.

That's it for now. Hopefully I'll update regularly, but I'm not making any promises.

General Long Overdue Update(9/27)

So this is just going to be a generic, what I"ve been up to for the last month entry. Overall, I haven't really been up to much. I had a date, which failed miserably(I'm coming to terms with the fact that it was probably my fault.)So that wasn't too exciting. I went to my first dance club-which was also not that exciting. I don't dance-so being at a dance club, doesn't seem like a good fit. I saw a hand full of stand up comedians. Greg Behrendt, who was hilarious. Jeremy Hotz, who was also hilarious-and talked to me throughout much of the show. Bob Saget, who was genius. He's a filthy man. I think that's it. I also went and saw the Decemberists at the Fillmore. They ruled. I love that band and now anxiously await everything that they do. I also just the other day saw Green Day. They blew me away. Not musically, they were pretty much as I expected, but just as a presence. They sold out SBC Park-a 47,000 seat venue. I had no idea they were that huge. Who knew? Work has been work. Nothing terribly exciting going on over there. This weekend I'm going to Disneyland, which is going to be a blast. I can't wait. And in November, Mike Rogers and I are going to Vegas. I plan on losing at spending at least 1500 dollars. Let's hope I can turn that shit into profit. So that's all I have for now. I'll try and go through some old Netflix reviews, but if I can't get to them, I'll at least start updating it as I watch things. Until the next one of these-I hope everyone has a lovely day. Bye!!!

Netflix Triple Feature-8/15/2005

Well, my excitement with Netflix is starting to dwindle. The service itself is still great, I'm just getting burnt out on movies. Watching 3 or 4 a week is starting to drain me. But I still watched some movies, and here are the reviews for them. Enjoy.

Freddy vs. Jason directed by another who gives a shit director.

This movie was boring. I disliked it. I dislike the fact that I watched other Freddy and Jason movies. They are decent, but I realize that they are not my type of movies. Oh well, you live and you learn-just like Alanis Morisette once sang. It's not quite that ironic though.

Overnight directed by two guys whose names I can't remember.

This is a movie about a guy who made a movie. His name is Troy Duffy. He is an asshole. He burns bridges, both personally and professionally without any hesitation. He made the Boondock Saints, a movie I have not, and will not ever see. I just don't have the desire to see it. But the documentary about his collosal meltdown is great. Hearing a man just yell at everyone is great fun, for the whole family. Anyone who has the balls to call Harvey Weinstein a cocksucker-has big balls, big dumb ass balls. I've got nothing else to say about it though-other than that you should see it. It's hilarious and unnerving all at the same time. Hooray for gigantic dumbasses.

Quills directed by Phillip Kaufman

This was a good movie. I enjoyed the hell out of it. The Marquis de Sade is one crazy ass man. And Geoffrey Rush plays him like a pro. Kate Winselt is good in it too. Overall it's a good movie. and I think others should watch it.

So as you can see-my desire to write paragraphs about every movie I watch is starting to trickle. Right now I have Casablance, The French Connection and Night and the City at my house right now-but I might wait until next week to watch them, as I'm right in the middle of a season 2 of The OC marathon. I'm enjoying the shit out of it. So until next time-be well.

The Five Alive Netflix Feature 8/14/05

Netflix has been continuing to impress me, getting 4 more movies to me this week, and I watched one from the week before-giving me a grand total of 5 movies this week-add to that my Saturday Quentin Tarantino marathon-and I put in a good amount of movie time this week. So here we go with the movies

Knife in the Water directed by Roman Polanski

I had no idea what to expect going into this movie-and yet it still defied my expectations. I guess I was expecting a suspense thriller-and there were bits of that-but this was mostly a character study about people in the upper class and people in the lower class. After nearly running over a hitchhiker-a wealthy man and his wife invite him along to go on their sailboat. From that point on, the rich man continually tries to prove he is better than the lower class man. The suspense lies in assuming that the lower class guy is going to do something, but that is not what this movie is about. It goes in quite unexpected directions, and it feels plausible. I really enjoyed this movie-the cast was great-just three people on a boat for an hour and a half is pretty much all you get-but they make everything believable. Polanski does a great job at creating a moody atmosphere, but it never feels claustrophic.

I recomend this movie. It is definetely not for everyone's tastes-but it is a great class study with a great cast acting it. Go see it!

Run Ronnie Run directed by some guy.

I love Mr. Show. To me-there is hardly anything better or funnier than that show. So it was with gitty excitement that I finally got around to watching their feature length movie. And shit, was it ever disappointing. It just felt like every other forgetable SNL skit turned movie. I was hoping for more from these guys-they were given the chance to turn those crappy SNL conventions on their head with this movie-and instead they end up tredding the same familiar territory. There are a couple of really funny moments, unfortunately those are few and far betweem. The saving grace to the movie is a weird song interlude by Jack Black, where he sings a song called Kick Her in the Cunt. It's done in a Mary Poppins' chimney sweep style, and it is hilarious. It is worth sitting through the entire movie just to have seen that. But unfortunately this movie just sucks.

I do not recommend this movie as a whole-but there are a few moments that are worthwhile. Watch at your own risk.

Friday the 13th directed by some guy.

Confession time. It is the year 2005, and I have never, ever seen any of the Friday the 13th movies at all. I had been wanting to see them for some time, because I had been wanting to see Freddy vs. Jason, which I felt I could not watch until at least seeing the first entries in both of those series. So I was excited to see this movie, but assumed that the scares wouldn't hold up well 25 years after its release. I was wrong. Dead wrong. This movie scared the hell out of me. I was sitting on the edge of couch freaking out during some of the stalk scenes. My only complaint comes as a result of who the killer is. I have a hard time believing that this person was able to do some of the shit they did. But other than that, this movie kicked my ass-and I loved it.

Highly recommended for fans of slasher flicks. This is one of the best ones out there. Pure, trashy, bloody fun.

Friday the 13th Part 2 directed by some other guy.

This movie was interesting. The opening was very good-very scary. And also the obvious inspiration for the Scream opening. But the rest of the movie followed the same formulas as the previous one and didn't really offer anything new at all. Jason was suitably creepy-but he also looked kind of silly with that bag on his head. I enjoyed this movie and am thinking about picking up the box set of all the movies-because I figure if I enjoyed the first two-the rest would be just as enjoyable-no matter how bad they get.

I recommend this movie as a good installment in a cheesy horror franchise.

A Very Long Engagement directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

I loved this movie. That Jeunet has so much style and bring such interesting things to the plate that it is hard to find faults in his movies. Hell, I even love Alien Resurrection. And Audrey Tautau is just so goddamned loveable, even more so than Salma Hayek, and believe me, that's saying a lot. This movie has everything. It's a good love story, a good mystery and a truly great war movie. The style brought to the battle scenes is amazing-doing stuff that I haven't seen in other war movies out there. I am seriously thinking about adding this to my collection-I liked it that much. There isn't more I can say about it. Just go and see it.

Highly recommended. Go see it now-for the love of God!!!

So that's it for last week. Please join me next week, where I will be watching A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy vs. Jason, The Fog of War, and Overnight. And possibly Casablanca if it gets to me. But I don't think it will.

The Films of Quentin Tarantino

Yesterday, (8/13) I was trying to decide what movie marathon I was going to undertake, The Godfather Trilogy, or a Quentin Tarantion marathon. I ended up with Quentin. It was roughly 10 hours of great moviemaking. Starting with Reservoir Dogs and ending with Kill Bill Volume 2, it was interesting to watch a careers worth of movies in one sitting. References between movies are much more apparent, though those references generally die out after Pulp Fiction. It is my theory that all of Quentin's movies take place in the same universe, one just slightly skewed from ours. And with that, I will now discuss each film in the order of which movie I like better. Now bear in mind I love all of his movies, so just because something is last, that doesn't mean I don't like it, I just like the other ones a little more.

Pulp Fiction

In my mind, this is a perfect movie. It's two and a half hour run time is a breeze to get through. I there is something wrong with this movie, I haven't found it. My only slight concern is that Butch's girlfriend doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than to forget his watch. I like the scenes with her but it just seems like she isn't given a lot to do. Casting wise, this movie couldn't be more perfect. Sam Jackson and Ving Rhames are cool, bad ass mother fuckers with a vengeance. And believe it or not, there was a time when John Travolta was also a bad ass mother fucker. Too bad every movie he made after this is him trying to remind people that he was once cool. Bruce Willis is great, Uma is great. Everyone is great. Every story in this is great, weaving in and out of other stories, creating a time line for all the events in the movie. From classic lines, to c lassic scenes-this movie has it all. I love it.

Jackie Brown

It used to be that whenever I watched Jackie Brown it became my favorite Quentin movie. And then when I watched Pulp Fiction, that became my favorite. But for the first time ever, I actually watched them on the same day-and now having done that, Pulp Fiction becomes the better of the two. Jackie Brown is still an excellent movie, but the world it creates is not nearly as engrossing as Pulp Fiction's. Acting wise, this movie delivers insanely strong performances from everyone in the cast. And there isn't a wasted character at all in this movie. Everyone has a purpose and everyone helps move the story along. Sam Jackson is again a bad ass, but he is dislikeable bad ass, and I feel that that hurts him. Sam Jackson is a guy I always want to root for, and I just can't do it in this movie. Pam Grier is perfect as Jackie Brown and gives the character so much attitude and likeablity. Robert Forester is great as the lonely bail bondsman who wears his motives on his sleeve. And Chris Tucker is dynamite in the five minutes he has in the movie. I love this movie-but I love Pulp Fiction just a little more.

Kill Bill both volumes

I love this movie. And since I can no longer watch volume 1 without following it up with volume 2, I consider it one movie. Everything about it is great. The over the top violence, Uma kicking ass like she never kicked ass before, the stylish set pieces-the anime sequences being one of my favorite. There are a couple of slow points in the movie-but those come and go quickly-and we are dropped right back into the action. Again, casting is dead on. Everyone shines-even Darryl Hannah-who I usually don't like. I love the shit out of this movie and every time I watch it, it just keeps getting better. Hooray!

Reservoir Dogs

This was the first Quentin movie I saw-so it holds a special place in my heart. I still enjoy this movie-but it just doesn't seem as solid as everything else. As usual, casting and acting is dead on-with Tim Roth being the standout. Buscemi is great too-and I find myself liking everyone in this movie. So I guess I just don't like that no one gets away in the end-I liked these guys too much to see them all go down in the end. Even Michael Madsen I like-because how can you not like him? This is a great movie, but just falls a little short in the grand scheme of Quentin movies.

So there you go. There is Quentin for you. I love the man and I will always anxiously await everything he ever does. And no matter the quality, I will still love it-because that is how I am. Hooray for Quentin!!!