I'm the map. I'm the map. I'm the map. I'm the map. I'm the map.

Best face ever?

2010: The Year We Didn't Make Contact, But Got Some Nifty Things Done Anyway

Has anyone seen that film? 2010? The "sequel" to 2001? I actually liked it a lot lot better than 2001. Some may cry foul that it tries to explain 2001 too much, but if you're like me and do not like 2001 (but respect it), then it's a fun little "Oh, I see!" sorta thing.

Here's what I saw in 2010, and kinda sorta thought was cool.

In no real order.

- Toy Story 3 - I don't need to explain this one.

- The Town - Man, BAffleck! Stop surprising me with your filmmaking prowess.

- Inception - I was thinking about it for days afterwards, and talked about it even longer.

- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Razzle dazzle!

- The Social Network - A writer's wet dream.

- RED - I hear it departs from the book quite a bit, but I found the tone to be a breath of fresh air.

- Easy A - Emma Stone.

- Harry Potter 7.0 - Slow and incredibly unfulfilling as a stand-alone piece, but still an emotional trip for fans, no doubt.

- How To Train Your Dragon - A nice surprise. I hope Dreamworks takes notice and fashions all its films after this one, i.e. make them good.

- Black Swan - Another thought-provoking little film. Couldn't shake some of its images. A fun little thriller.

- Winter's Bone - Wow. Jennifer Lawrence has a bright, bright career ahead of her.

- Rabbit Hole - A nice change of pace in the "Grieving Parents" genre. Reminded me a lot of Wit, one of the best films ever made about death.

- Shutter Island - I liked the book better, but still a solid piece of B-movie Scorcese.

- Catfish - Tense little film. Hard to watch at points, but a nice counterpoint to The Social Network.

- The Ghost Writer - Didn't expect much from this after Polanski's boring Oliver Twist redux, but a slick thriller emerged, and won me over with its amazing ending.

- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Probably the longest film on here, and probably the most engrossing. Too bad its sequel kinda sucked in comparison.

There's still a whole host of films I need/want to see. But, as of today, this is it.

Slurm

If you've ever wondered why I don't blog a lot, here's why:

Yeah, in one month, 13 people saw this site. 27 visits. And 5 of those visits were from me.

Would blogging more often increase readership? Doubtful. I went a whole week blogging almost every day back in September, and I saw little change.

I don't expect a massive readership, I really don't. But, given how much time I do put into posts, and the severe lack of interest (I'm not blaming you. My life is incredibly boring. I am aware of this), it's becoming tiresome. It's not worth it.

Thanks, Lost.

It's Christmas time, so I'm in a mood. I also took two Excedrin this morning to curb a migraine, and I feel fantastic. And buzzed.

But, every year, I think back on Christmas' past, and the one I always seem to think about is the one Christmas I spent in France.

I normally hate mission stories, because I feel most of them are simply excuses for the raconteur to tell everyone how awesome they were, or how awesome their mission was, or whatever. No altruistic intent at all, just pure ego. But, this one isn't about any of that. It's just involves me doing something unusual, and being completely changed by it.

See, back in Christmas of '03 (yeah, 2003. See, I'm what you would refer to as old...), I was not only in France, but I was in Paris. It was everything I could have wanted, all coming together in one giant ball of "Um, hell yeah!" I was stoked beyond belief to be in the city for the holidays.

Christmas in the mish usually means a special Christmas Zone Conference, a gathering of all the missionaries in a certain region of the mission boundaries. It also meant we got to eat Pizza Hut, which was a really big deal, but that's whole other story. Our zones included all of Paris, and some of the surrounding suburbs and cities. It was quite a large group. Part of this conference involved a lot of music, sung or played by missionaries. Like most missions I'm sure, mine was crawling with musical talent. I was always floored to hear of one missionary or another's full-ride music scholarship, or their ability to improvise any pop song on the spot, or what have you. Tons and tons of talented people.

Anyway, the climax of this musical program involved a big emotional rendition of Le cantique de Noël, or as it's known here, O Holy Night. It was a huge part of the program, the trailer moment of the afternoon, if you will. It's a powerful song. I remember the Christmas prior hearing it sung at the MTC by a duet of some of the best male voices I'd ever heard. It's just an amazing song, and probably my favorite "carol." The song was to be sung in four-part harmony, a traditional quartet of soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Given the amount of musical prowess in the zone, I knew it would be handled flawlessly.

The big shock--and the reason for this long story--was that despite my belief that everyone outside of myself was incredibly musically inclined, and much worthier to participate, I was asked to sing in this quartet. Yeah. Me.

I love to sing. I always have. But, I've never fancied myself any good. I know I can carry a tune, and I know I can muster the necessary bits of breathing and cadence, but that's it. I'm not much more than a choir guy. I'd never sung in anything smaller than maybe a 10 person choir. It never even crossed my mind to want to sing in a quartet. But I accepted, because, why not? I'd already stepped out of my comfort zone a million times over as a missionary, saying and doing things I never dreamed myself capable of, so I figured this was just something else to do.

The people I sang with were some of the best voices in the mission (the best male voice had just left for Brest the transfer prior. You can hear that voice here.) One sister was in my MTC group, and she had some pipes, let me tell you. The other was the daughter of the guy who wrote the music for This Is The Christ, so you can imagine her musicality was spot on. My male counterpart (the bass to my straining tenor) was a previous companion of mine. He sang solos in high school, and was in a band. He and I often sang songs from the Buffy musical episode, as well as pieces from Les Miz while we were together (longest companion I had, too, at 15 weeks). We were theatre nerds, and proud of it. His voice was impressive. His range was much better than mine. I felt dwarfed.

Rehearsals were fine, but I always felt ridiculous singing with these people. I'm not a tenor. I can sing it, but it requires more falsetto than I like to do. I was nervous.

I don't remember much about the day of. It was all well and good. All I remember was, that despite my lack of comparable musical ability, I was unbelievably exhilarated while singing. I don't know how it sounded. I'll never know. I should have recorded it, but failed to even think about it. I don't think anyone did. I could have been just plain awful; the tune-less anchor weighing down the floating ship of musical perfection, on its way to the heavens above to perform for the Man Himself. But, honestly, I don't think that was the point, and it's certainly not what I take away from the experience.

What I take away was the feeling of doing something so completely out of my realm. I'd become so comfortable talking to strangers and imparting my beliefs on anyone who would listen (in a foreign tongue, no less), that it'd become daily, and stale. This performance re-invigorated me. It made me float for about four minutes, and I have yet to shake that feeling. It's one of the most pure Christmas memories I have, and I hope to keep it that way.

So, while Christmas is often centered around Christ and his birth, it should also be a time when we force ourselves to change. We ready ourselves this time of year for the New Year, for resolutions we tend to break in February. Our intent, however, is pure, and our willingness to do something different with our lives is abundant in December, and that should be celebrated, and remarked upon. Do something that scares you this Christmas, because this is time when good works and kind hearts aren't looked upon as needless grabs for attention or false modesty. Use the spirit of the season to surprise yourself, and maybe if you're lucky, surprise someone else as well.

Imagine

Just so, so perfect.

Any Takers?

Trying to see if it's useful/possible to seduce women with showtunes. Studies show that it normally doesn't usually work (outside the confines of the BYZ*), but damn it, I want to have to prove them wrong!

And I also wanted y'all to watch this. Because I can't stop watching it myself. My hetero-man-crush on Raúl Esparza's intoxicating baritone voice knows no end.

*BYZ - Brigham Young Zone

The Bear

I went to Disneyland recently. The trip was a celebration of my sister's 30th birthday, and I was invited to go by my brother-in-law to be a third, so that two folks could enjoy the rides, while the third watched the child.

I was a bit weary about this, but Disney parks have this great thing called the Ride Swap, where you pick up a pass at the entrance of the ride that allows you to have a few people in your party ride the ride, while the rest of the party waits (with the little ones). After the first group rides, you swap children, and then the second group gets to go, usually through the Fast Pass line, thus making it quicker. It's kinda genius, and very helpful. Combine that with the already amazing Fast Pass system they have set up there, and you have quite a lot of power.

Anyway, we spent two days there, one at Disneyland proper, and the other at California Adventure. None of us had gone, so it was new to us all. Long day shortened: it was very cool. I was impressed with how much there is to do there, and they're currently expanding it further, so... And World of Color is totally worth the wait.

Okay, now to my point. My sister's birthday is the 7th of October, so that's when we went to Disneyland. The 8th was spent at CA. The 8th also happens to be the birthday of my friend, Carrie. Carrie, for as long as I've known her, has been called Bear, something stemming from family from what I gather. Anyway, CA has a TON of bears, all over the place. They even have a giant mountain in the shape of a bear, right in the center of the park.

So, during the several times I was stuck waiting for my sister and bro-in-law to ride rides, I took to the park, taking pictures of any bears I could find.

I had intended to simply post them on Facebook, but in a fit of creative desperation, I decided to open up Final Cut Pro, and give that a spin.

And this is what came of it:



So, Carrie, this one's for you. And for no real reason other than you're awesome, and I miss you, and I was thinking about you on your birthday. I hope this tribute honors you well.

A Mickey Poop

Getting my nephew to say Pizza Hut is one of the most amazing things I get to do as an uncle.

The scary thing is, he will literally repeat anything you tell him to, which can easily be abused. I choose not to abuse that privilege, thanks in part to how adorable he is when he pronounces benign things like "monkey" and "salsa."

And for the record, no one taught him Mickey Poop; he invented that one on his own. It's what he calls his diapers, since they always have a picture of Mickey on them, and usually have poop inside of them.

Toddlers....

Until Next Time...

HAPPY HARLOW-WEEN!

Scary.

Yeah, it's a sticker

I was really proud of myself a few weeks ago for doing almost one post everyday for a week. But, as great  a victory as it was, I still couldn't bring myself to blog after that week. Why? Well, I realized that this blog had digressed into some media saturated love-fest, where I'd predictably bring some random bit of media to your attention, and then beg you to care. I wanted to change that.

But, not before I did this. 

WHAT I AM (and am not) WATCHING

I did it last year, thanks to the urging of some friends, and I'll do it again. 

I'll try and keep it short. 140 characters was the norm last year, but I'm pretty sure I didn't stick to it. I probably won't here.
___________________________________________________________________________

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - Back on its game, but still not quite what it once was. I love the characters, so that helps. 

CHUCK - Becoming increasingly bored. The show keeps rebooting itself, rehashing prior conflicts. Getting old fast.

HOUSE - Pure, enjoyable noise. House's dynamic with his girlfriend and best friend make the show worthwhile. The medical mysteries, however, are predictable and the show's weakest part.

THE EVENT - Fence-riding. It has potential, but it squanders it with predictable twists. Also, its characters aren't engaging. 

LIE TO ME - This show is always on in my house. Can't. Stand. It.

MIKE AND MOLLY - Watched the pilot, but did not like it. I hope it gets better, because Melissa McCarthy resides in a special place of my heart (Sookie!)

HAWAII  FIVE-O - I wanted to love it, but so far, I don't. And since when did Hawaii become a hot spot for criminal activity? Sheesh.

CASTLE - A delight. Nathan Fillion is so underused in the cinematic world, it's criminal. #nathanfillion4uncharted

GLEE - Groan. I look forward to it only for the music. Other than that, I couldn't care less.

NO ORDINARY FAMILY - Another wasted show. I can't quite pinpoint what bugs me about it, but I think its the constant "Our family is in trouble" line. Stop whining! For serious.

RAISING HOPE - Best new show (that didn't get prematurely canceled), period. Funny, heartwarming, and completely adorable. 

RUNNING WILDE - Where's the fun? This show feels so labored and forced, it's painful. Peter Serafinowicz steals the show, though. #serafinowicz4uncharted

PARENTHOOD - Almost gave up on it, simply because I watch too much TV. But, I'm glad I didn't. The best family drama on TV. And the best part? It's funny too.

THE GOOD WIFE - Phenomenal. Everything about this show is astoundingly good. It's a legal drama with a nice serialized center. Probably the best writing on television.

UNDERCOVERS - I've only seen two episodes, and I already know two things: 1) It's not for me and 2) It won't see a second season. 

THE MIDDLE - I'm SOOO glad ABC ran reruns of this show during the summer. A nice, easy to digest family comedy. Gotta love it.

MODERN FAMILY - Still on top, but not on fire. A few of the episodes have been duds, but only duds due to the show's incredibly high standard. I hope it gets better.

COUGAR TOWN - LOVE. Just pure, unadulterated love for this show. Best ensemble since Friends. Busy Phillips is a genius comedienne. 

BIG BANG THEORY - Same ole, same ole. 

COMMUNITY - Still in love. The Space Race episode was near perfect. Last weeks was bizarre, but on second viewing, it was better, and rather insightful. 

30 ROCK - It's back! They brought the funny back! Fun live episode, great guest spots with Matt Damon, Queen Latifah and Paul Giamatti.... Just add Michael Sheen, and it'd be perfect.

FRINGE - Deliciously good. The mythology is alive and well, and the show makes no apologies for its new direction. Firing on all cylinders. 

THE OFFICE - Can take it or leave it. Don't like that they're rehashing Jim/Pam with Andy/Erin. I do want to see how they write off Steve Carell...

OUTSOURCED - Blech.

MAD MEN - Another nearly flawless season. Not one episode was a dud, and even one of them was by far the best this show has seen (The Suitcase). The finale was quite a whopper as well, if only on an emotional level.

RUBICON - Critics be damned! This show is amazing. The finale was a bit soft, but I think the second season (if there is one) will be phenomenal.

CAPRICA - I don't know if I'm up for more of this show. We'll see.

LUTHER - Love a good miniseries. Just started on BBC America. So far, so good. Idris Elba is great, but Ruth Wilson steals it as a psychopathic ex-child prodigy. #ruthwilson4...nevermind

SHERLOCK - The first episode of this Holmes update aired on Sunday on PBS. Brilliant. Steven Moffat again hits it out of the park. And it's got a future Hobbit in it, so...

TERRIERS - I'm saving this one up on the DVR. The first two episodes were fun. Trivia Bonus: this one's filmed in San Diego.

FILMS

TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE - Not bad. Not great. Very well made, just not all that well-written.

FOOD INC. - Changed how I look at food. A must-see for any and all American consumers.

SECRET OF KELLS - Beautiful animation with a nice simple story. Fine holiday fun.

THE RIGHT STUFF - I secretly love films about the space program. This one was stellar.

WHEN IN ROME - Um, yeah.

DEAR ZACHARY - Wanna get your heart ripped out AND punched in the gut? Watch this film.

KLUTE - Interesting film from the 70s. Another Oscar win for an actress playing a hooker. Oscar loves a prosty.

Most of these films are available on Netflix Instant Watch. One of them isn't. Try and guess!


I've also been playing me some Super Mario Galaxy 2. So much fun, and perfect for small dose gaming, which I love.

I think that's all. Thirty shows. Seven movies. A failed hashtag joke (or two). And even a bad pun.

All in all, a red-letter day here at the Habdashery...

Now to go make a cake.

Winklevi

Full disclosure: I fully admit to clapping when I laugh. Sometimes. Not all the time. But every once in a while, it's a good way to express just how hilarious something truly is. It is not, however, a device that should be utilized EVERY TIME YOU LAUGH. Especially not in a half-filled movie theatre.

I get that The Social Network is a pretty funny film (yes, it is), but really Dude Who Sat Behind Me? Was it sooooo funny that you just had to clap at every single remotely funny line? And not even a "round of applause" sort of clap, but the much-maligned "slow clap" made infamous in John Hughes knock-offs and football movies that take place in the 60s? And feature racially diverse teams who have to learn to play together, despite being the wrong color? 

Really?

And to add insult to injury, the first 10 minutes of the film were out of focus! 

The things I have to put up with! 

I mean, really. 

But, besides all of that, the film was fantastic. It was on par with some of the best films Hollywood has ever produced; a sort of millennial version of All The President's Men mixed with the destructive genius imbedded in Citizen Kane. If this film soars at the box office, it will win the Oscars. It will trounce them, and steal its first-born child while it's at it. It's just that good.

"But," as one Mr. Levar Burton once told me, "you don't have to take my word for it." 

Ba-dum-bum!

slap the death out of it

Generally speaking, we haven't seen much of this lately.

We're entering into the final weekend of regular season play in baseball, and I'm starting to question why I like the sport to begin with. It's a fickle beast, comprised of over 150 games each season, where the beginning and middle of the season matter very little. It's almost as if they don't matter at all, which is just annoying, especially with a team like the Padres. They defied expectations this season to become the number one team in their division for almost the entire year... That is until a spell of bad games in late August cost them their comfortable lead. Ever since then, they've struggled to remain on top.

Now, they're not on top. They're in second place, with a very tiny (if any) chance of moving into the post-season. It just breaks my heart. I had to stop watching games because I just couldn't take either the crushing disappointment of a team's downfall, or the intense end-of-the-game victories the Pads are so well-known for.

Don't get me wrong, I love the team, and I wish them all the best, but this season has been a roller-coaster ride that I would have much rather not taken. I'm too obsessive and I tend to put too much stock in the success of others (to compensate for my own and more tragic failures). It's sad. I'm sad. And pathetic.

Other odds and ends:

Which

To

See?

- Three movies are opening in my area this week that are begging to be seen: The Social Network, Let Me In and Catfish. I've read the script for the first one (it's excellent, by the way), seen the original of the second one (also excellent), and am super curious about the last one (even though I know more than I probably should). I'm torn. I can't afford all three. And, I'm just impatient enough to not want to have to spread them out over three weeks, not to mention other films being released that interest me. I hate being poor. Decide for me. The Social Network is currently on top, seeing as how it's getting crazy good reviews. I think I can wait on Catfish on DVD. And Let Me In would be a hoot in theatres (and even better with a lady friend...).

- It's been blustery all day here. Can't say I hate it, because it's so wonderful to see San Diego suffer meteorological mood swings. Sunny and temperate does indeed get very old. Another plus? We had a double rainbow. Pictures to come.

- I stopped posting on Twitter. It was the right thing to do, honestly. I often felt like I was tweeting to a brick wall, where only occasionally people would respond to what I had to say. It was making me feel narcissistic and self-important, and I couldn't take it anymore. Going off Twitter has helped me focus my thoughts on other things, which is good. If I have an idea for a tweet, I'll write it down, or blog about it. I still use Facebook, but only to keep in touch, and share cool videos. That's the only thing Facebook should be for, honestly: looking at pictures of friends and keeping up with each other's lives. Not FarmVille or Betty White campaigns or anything else that bugs the crap out of me.

- Speaking of things I dislike, I'm officially avoiding the words "Epic" "Fail" and "Win", in all of their many Internet inspired usages. Hate 'em. I hate how they've made the English language lazier, and I wish they would be phased out of society. It's okay to hate words, right?

- Are you all watching Raising Hope? It's adorable. Tuesdays on Fox.

- Also, Cougar Town.... When did it get so awesome? I think I just found my new spec script.

The L-Word *UPDATE*

UPDATE, y'all...

The Powers That Be dug the poster, so it's a go. Too bad they also saddled me with photocopying it and handing it out. Psh. Responsibility.

And finally, shout-outs to Jessica Kendrick, Eric Anderson and Spencer Holt for the correct answer to the easiest trivia question imaginable for well-read people. The Scottish Play is my favorite Shakespeare play, so much so that I can only refer to it as The Scottish Play. You know, for obvious reasons.

And yes, I get that I just gave shout-outs to the only three people who have probably read this blog recently. Whatever.

See what loyalty gets you, kids?

Your name on the Internet, that's what.

Marsilea quadrifolia

Ten episodes in, and I have to ask: Am I the only one watching this show? It's on just before Mad Men, and I must say, I'm hooked. 

It's The Office, if Dunder-Mifflin were an intelligence think-tank, and if Jim Halpert were caught up in his own personal Three Days of the Condor. 

A lot of folks jumped into the show expecting something more along the lines of The Event (a conspiracy-laden thrill-ride with cliffhangers and the like), but like I inferred just moments ago, this show, at its core, is a workplace drama, one that deals with the everyday lives of people who traffic in top-secret information; the people privy to information most Americans would much rather not know about. Sure, there's a conspiracy to pull you in, week in and week out, but the heart of the show is the team of four analysts (all ably acted by some very fine people), who must decipher cryptic texts, translate chatter, and make heart-wrenching choices that involve words like "collateral damage" and "shock and awe."

I mention this show mostly because I watched the most recent episode and was completely riveted, but also as a suitable substitute for the loss of Lone Star. See, as much as I (often) mourn the loss of great television, it's important to not dwell on it too much, and look elsewhere for other well-crafted and original forms of entertainment. So, Lone Star fans, consider Rubicon your "elsewhere." 

Give it whirl the next time its in a marathon (starting from episode one is a must). It's worth the DVR space, I promise. It has the slow-burn pace that has made Mad Men both incredibly frustrating, and impossible not to watch, so basically, it's can't miss television.  

The L-Word

Today I learned that "canceled" has only one L. I don't quite know why I've been spelling it "cancelled" for so long, and no one, not even Chrome's nifty spell checker seems to think its wrong.

Well, today I also learned that I'm far more British than I realized, since "cancelled" is the preferred spelling of my neighbors over the country and across the pond (here is another example of how living in California makes my life difficult... I'd use less descriptives if I was an east coaster.)

The reason "cancelled" (how defiant!) is on the brain is cause Lone Star bit the dust. Inevitable, but whatever. It still sucks. The show was great, and it had loads of potential. What really sucked was while watching it last night, I realized half-way through the episode that no one besides myself and 3.2 million other individuals were enjoying this show, and that its fate was already a foregone conclusion.... So I tuned out, and played on my laptop for the rest of the hour. I kinda got the gist, but by no means was I fully invested. Sad.

My heart breaks for Kyle Killen, the creator of the show. Dude can't catch a break. His first feature film, The Beaver, has been shelved indefinitely thanks to its star, Mr. Mel Gibson's off-screen brouhaha, and now this... his critically-lauded show is the first one to get the axe.

I imagine he'll rise above, because he's clearly very talented. And quite fertile, it seems...

But, if Lone Star taught me anything, it's that I should never try to go against the grain. If the world demands NCIS, well then by golly, I better deliver a derivative knock-off of NCIS!

It also introduced me to Mumford & Sons, an alt-folk band from the UK. I highly recommend.



And yeah, I'm slow to hear new music. I guess once I finally get a hold of a song, the hipsters can then officially stop listening to it. ("Buzz-kill!" they cried, ironically...)

In other news, I made this for the upcoming Ward Halloween Party:

For a treat, enlarge it, and read the border. The person who tells me where it comes from
gets my respect, and maybe a shout-out on an obscure blog.

It's pretty amateur work, but I dig it. The inspiration stems from a number of places, including The Daily Prophet as seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the back cover of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and a random wedding invite I saw months ago. I also had the old ads of the 1920s on the brain. 

But, I have to ask, is this inappropriate? Is it too busy? Too graphic? Too interesting for a church activity? Can any of you picture this on the hand-out table at the back of the chapel? Your input is important. I haven't turned it in to TPTB yet, so let me know soon. Seriously. 

Profit

Netflix sent this to me recently, mostly because I'd forgotten to update my queue with my preferred choice (which I'm usually pretty good at doing). I'd put this one on there years ago, and it had slowly made its way to the top, but I've been casting it aside for months now with new releases and other things that have caught my eye.

But after all that, there's a happy ending to this story: the show is actually pretty darn good. Like, it's Dexter good. Much like Dexter, the show's lead (Adrian Pasdar, seen most recently flying around like a doofus on one of TV's biggest disappointments of the last five years, Heroes) is an anti-hero; a corporate shark, ready and willing to manipulate any and all who stand in the way of his rise to success. He's unmatched in his abilities to make any negative situation work in his favor. Granted, most of that success is based on all-too-perfect (read: written) circumstances, and a series of fortunate coincidences, but when the main character is so compelling and sooooo bloody disturbing, it's hard to fret over those faults. You just can't help but watch with shock and awe.

But before we get down on Jim Profit, there is a layer of sympathy underneath the mask of deceit. I won't get into details, but let's just say the pilot's final image gave me chills.

The most tragic thing about Profit, however, was the fact that it never connected with audiences. Too dark and too disturbing were the war cries. Because of that, only nine episodes exist.



It's also important to note that this show was unbelievably ahead of its time. Nothing of this nature had ever been on television, let alone network television. It is often cited as the predecessor to shows like The Sopranos, Nip/Tuck, Mad Men, and the aforementioned Dexter. As of late, it's even been mentioned frequently in the same breath as Lone Star, another Fox show that's heading for the chopping block soon (if y'all don't start watching it, Mondays at 9).

It's worth a trip, if you're willing to put up with 1996 again. That's my only gripe. Network TV has come so far since 24, Alias and LOST made production values as breathtaking as the story, so it can be a bit grating to the senses (the music is 100% synth orchestra, and the fact that the show was filmed in Vancouver is all too obvious). But, give it a shot.

Last bit: Buffy and Angel fans should be aware that this was the show that put David Greenwalt on the map.

Furry

My nephew, already adorned in fuzzy fabric...

My nephew, as of late has been completely and utterly obsessed with two things: Finding Nemo and The Lion King.

Nemo, or Meemo as it's known around these parts, has faded into the background (thankfully). But it's only given rise to the latter film.

Without fail, he begs and begs and begs to watch the Guyguy Show (his words, guyguy meaning "cat"), each and every time he comes over, and we tend to oblige, if only to give us maybe a half-hour or so of peace*.

So, I find little coincidence in the fact that my friend, Tati, posted this gem on Facebook just last night. A cautionary film, no doubt, further evidence of the possible future consequences of my bad babysitting.



Who knew there was a Lion King Meetup each year at Anthrocon? I sure didn't. I was too busy picking my jaw up off the floor over the fact that Furries have a convention of their own. (!)(?)(*shrug*)

*Peace: a break from constant toddlerian badgering, quietly accompanied by the musical stylings of Sir Elton. 

LOST and gone forever

I know you're all probably sick of this, and considering I haven't blogged in almost two months, I guarantee an eye-roll or two will result from this post, but whatever. There's a reason it's my blog.

But, on the day of the final DVD release of LOST, both the sixth season set and the complete series set, I just want to say this, once and for all:

The way I see it, there are two ways you can look at LOST, now that it's all said and done:

1. There will never be another show like LOST, so cherish the experience, because you'll probably never see anything like it again.

OR

2. There will never be another show like LOST, so breathe easy, because you'll probably never see anything like it again.

Whichever camp you fall in, congratulations! You have an opinion!

So now please, PLEASE, stop constantly sharing it with the violent vigor of a suicide bomber. We. Get. It.

In conclusion, check out the DVDs. The Epilogue is worth the price alone, as it gives closure to quite a few mysteries, including one very big one. A definite must-watch for any and all fans (even those who "wasted six years of their lives").

Check it.

Gory Details

I finally saw The Monster Squad, a nice little gem from the 80s. I must say, considering it's 23 years old, it holds up quite nicely, thanks in part to some nice cinematography and some great make-up effects.

Also, I love a film that's not afraid to kill people to raise the stakes, especially a film that's geared towards 10 year old boys. What a rarity. Thank you for that, Shane Black.

My biggest gripe with the film had to be that I just couldn't get past the fact that Frankenstein (portrayed by theatre actor Tom Noonan) looks like the deformed twin brother of Michael Shannon.

I guess, in a sense, it helped me buy into Frankenstein's creepiness, since I find Michael Shannon to be quite unsettling to look at. Revolutionary Road, anyone? 

No? Didn't see it? Count your blessings, my friends. Why? Because it's long and tedious. And because no one should ever have to witness anyone self-abort their unborn child and then proceed to bleed to death. 

Oops. Spoiler alert. 

Ritalin

Charlie Bartlett (2007)...

It's as if the writer saw Rushmore and Harold & Maude back-to-back and thought:

"I'll just do that"

A thematic mess.

Do-over

The time has come for me to face the music, and live up to my promises. June, my previously stated goal month, just didn't work out. Too much happened.

So, July is my new June, the battleground for my fight against unfinished screenplays.

Wish me luck, if you want.

And for those playing at home, the subject of this month's Script Frenzy: Do-Over is: Science-fiction.