Man, it's cold up here... and I can't breathe! Guess I'll just float away into the deepest reaches of the galaxy for eternity... hey, maybe that's what the "outer darkness" is in the scripture... maybe God casts people there, forever to float around in the cold dark... in fact, perhaps they appear to gnash their teeth, but actually they're just rattling because they're so cold...
Oh, man, worse would be if they were stuck in geosynchronous orbit, and could see what's going on down on the earth, but not participate... that would suck. Plus, if you're afraid of heights, double sucks. Maybe that's why drifting in space might be better for people with a fear of heights... just black void, everywhere you look, being teased by little sparkly dots of light in the distance... probably lose your spacial awareness. Thus, no heights to fear!
OK, enough riffing. Let's get down to business...
First, the important stuff...
Here's a guy with a helmet-camera on, going off of the tallest ski jump ramp in the world (192 meters)... 5 world records have been set there...
OK, now to less-important stuff.
Yes, I watched the Oscars. Yes, the entire thing. And actually, I thought for the most part, it was well done. Of course, I was bummed that the tribute to James Bond didn't actually have all of the living Bond actors on stage at once, as planned... apparently Connery backed out, and then Timothy Dalton did the same. It fell apart after that. Oh well, I suppose listening to Shirley Bassey sing the theme to Goldfinger was good enough. I didn't really understand all of the Chicago numbers and references... but I think my favorite moment of the night was the Sound of Music mini-skit, where Seth introduced the Von Trapp Family Singers, lol... I can't find the clip on YouTube yet... I guess no one else thought it was funny but me...
I was, however, worried that the show would have to end after Adele sang... opera tradition being what it is...
Watch this post-awards-ceremony interview with Best Actress Jennifer Lawrence, where the interview is interrupted by Jack Nicholson... awesome...
And now, the nominees for Best Picture...
Chillin' Cat
File Cat-binet
Catman Begins
Aloof Cat
Incredulous Cat
You can vote in the comments for the winner.
Hmm... looks like we have a Hollywood theme going here... might as well run with it...
Man, don't you hate that? I have the Apple movie trailer app for my iPad, since I love watching movie trailers... and I often wonder why "they" edit so much of the tale into trailers sometimes. Why watch the movie now? You just showed me all the best moments and lines, and then the ending too! I'd call that tipping your hand a bit too much...
Plus, the sheer number of trailers they play before movies in the theater nowadays has crossed the line, methinks...
Well, on the plus side, you can safely arrive 20 minutes after the start time and know you haven't missed any of the movie yet...
Here are some cool photos of stars revisiting roles that helped define them as actors... (click them to see them bigger)
And, of course, I can't go Hollywood without a montage video of the Cinematic Evolution of Nic Cage's Hair...
I think 2:30 is a perfect length for a visual gag video...
On a more personal note, check out this website. MovieBoxUSA is the production studio that my good friend Todd has recently started, with screenwriter Rick Rapier and novelist GP Taylor. Here's hoping that I can assist them in a way that is mutually beneficial. If not, I wish them every success. We'll see!
GP Taylor has written a bunch of novels - his first movie comes out this spring, based on his book Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box. Here is the Good Reads page for the book. And here is the IMDB page for the film. It has quite a cast, including Sam Niell (Jurassic Park), Lena Headey (300), Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), etc... Once the trailer drops, I'll likely post it here.
In either case, I'm looking into local acting classes again.
So that's that, for the "outer darkness-slash-Hollywood" edition of My Little Corner of the World.
Watch that Nic Cage video (again)! That's an order!
Greetings, y'all! I have to take you to task on something for a moment... you were all so silent last post! Not a single comment! What's an insecure blogger supposed to think!? Don't you love me anymore? You know that my sense of self worth is based in large part on the number of comments I receive!
OK, fine, I'm over-reacting... still, one wonders if one offended one, doesn't one? Was it the blood puddle pillow? Was it that off-putting? But what about the glacier calving video!? Come on, that was awesome! Wasn't it?
Wait... you mean your life doesn't revolve around my blog? Really? Sheesh! Some people!
OK, enough nonsense. Time to get down to business! Where to start?
Well, we got a new car... meet Daisy, our new Nissan Sentra SV!
Yes, I know it's red. Wifey has always wanted a red car...
And it came with a cute 7-year-old in the back seat!
So here's the scoop. We had two paid-off Hyundai Elantras. Then my brother gave me his Subaru WRX. And now we have a Sentra. Wifey's 02 Elantra has seen its better day. I wanted to get her into something more reliable. So I got her the Sentra and we're fixing up her Elantra to give to Eldest Daughter. Plus I'm going to sell my brother's WRX. That will leave us with the new Nissan and my old 05 Elantra.
So, yeah, we're a four-car family at this very moment, which is CRAZY. But it won't last long.
We're leasing the Sentra, not buying it. Never leased a car before. But, really, it's the only way I could afford to get a new vehicle. I can't afford $400+/mo. car payment... but zero down and $199/mo? I can do that... Plus, anything that could go wrong with it is covered... all we do is change the oil, basically. And I get the peace of mind of knowing Wifey's is on safe wheels. Not that the Elantra wasn't safe, per se... but it has seen it's better day. With the zero-down lease, we didn't have to trade the Elantra in, which allowed us to give it to my Sweet Chris...
So it's a win-win.
Rant Time:
OK, I have one question, for the writer(s) of Downton Abbey. WHAT THE HECK!?!?!?!?!
Yes, I know it may seem odd for me to be so into this show... but it really is a terrific show. And it's one of the very few things that Wifey and I have in common and can do together. That having been said, the Season 3 finale just aired this past sunday, and it was a terrific episode. Lots of great stuff happened. And then in the final 90 seconds or so, they blew it BIG TIME! I won't say who (to avoid potential spoilers), but a certain main character very suddenly and (IMO) stupidly dies. It made me so angry, because it was so unnecessary. Personally, I needed no bombshell to keep me on the hook for Season 4... I'll watch it the second it airs, whenever that is. But I suppose they felt "we" would need a crazy event to keep "us" on pins and needles until the new season... NO! You didn't need to do that! That character did not need to die, you jerks!
And then, immediately after the bombshell, they have the nerve to transition to two KPBS talking heads, and pitch viewers for donations! Are you nuts? Talk about awful timing! I hadn't even caught my breath from the bombshell death, much less transitioned into full-blown anger yet, and you want me to give you money? lol...
It reminded me of that scene in Silver Linings Playbook (which I saw last Sunday - review to follow), where Bradley Cooper finishes reading A Farewell To Arms, and gets so angry that he throws the book through his window and then storms into his parent's room and wakes them up (at 4am) to rant and rave about how angry the ending made him... I wanted to chuck my TV out the window and rant and rave for a bit... glad I didn't, since I know that's a silly reaction... but still... they didn't need to do that.
Silver Linings Playbook: A Sort-of Review
So I did it... I made it to the theater to see Silver Linings Playbook before it got pulled. It's the only Best Picture nominee that I've seen this year. I thought for a while that, if it won the Big Award, it would be the only Best Picture winner I'd have seen in the theater before it won... but that's not true. I saw The King's Speech, Return of the King, Titanic, and Driving Miss Daisy in the theaters on their initial pre-nomination runs as well... although in this case, it was nominated before I saw it... but I WANTED to see it before it was nominated... so that almost counts...
Anyway, this movie was great, but I'd say a bit over-rated. Don't get me wrong, I liked it a lot... but other than Jennifer Lawrence, I'm not sure anyone else actually gave a nomination-worthy performance. All due respect to DeNiro... and I'm a huge Bradley Cooper fan as well. Still, I enjoyed it. It had a Hollywood ending, for sure. In fact, I read an article that said this movie is the only nominee that "leaves a lump in your throat", and that's why this person believes it will win the Big Award. Who knows? As I said, I haven't seen any of the other nominees, so I don't really know if there's anything better.
Cooper's character is bi-polar, and has just been released from a mental hospital, after serving 8 months by order of the Court, having beaten a man nearly to death. Granted, Bradley found the man in the shower with his wife, so in a sense, the attack seemed justifiable... still, he is unhinged. After returning home to his parent's house, to his OCD dad (DeNiro) and his comparatively stable mother, he sets about trying to resume a normal life, and win back the love of his estranged wife (who has a restraining order against him). His best friend's wife has a sister named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who is dealing with her own set of mental issues after the death of her husband. They are both unhinged people, trying to regroup and set their lives straight, and end up helping each other.
Lots of great scenes, lots of funny, rapid-fire dialog, lots of very touching, human moments, lots of uproar. It really was a great story, with wonderful performances. Oscar-worthy? You know, as much as I'd like to say yes, I just don't know. Lawrence, yes. Everyone else? Meh.
Summary: (4/5 stars) I'd love to see it again, a few times actually. That's gotta be a good sign. Cooper is turning into quite a star. I've been tracking him since his stint on the TV show Alias. This is a great movie. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.
Hmm... I'm going to have to chew on that, Mr. Bukowski...
OK, what else?
Ah, I finished a book...
The Rook, by Daniel O'Malley: A Review
This book took me a while to get through, but it was worth the effort.
Myfanwy Thomas works for a paranormal investigations unit in the UK called The Chequy, which protects the UK from supernatural attacks, and acts as a quick-response team to contain and cover up weirdness as it occurs. Well, Myfanwy (rhymes with "Tiffany") experiences some weirdness of her own, as she 'comes to' one day in a park, in the rain, surrounded by dead bodies (who are wearing latex gloves), without a shred of her memory left. But apparently she knew this was going to happen ahead of time, and prepared a series of letters for herself, for her to find and read to help her rebuild her memory, and to find out who was responsible for the attack and the memory loss.
Overall, the story was very fun, with good characters, interesting events and witty dialog. However, the inserting of the "Dear You" letters really jarred the flow of the story for me. So much so that every other chapter, when one of the "Dear You" letters appears (filling her (and by extension, the reader) in on important details about the people she works with, etc.), it angered me. Imagine repeatedly being hooked and intrigued by a story, and just when you get some momentum going, you hit a wall stopping you completely. Over and over again -- the letters are a constant interruption throughout the book.
I have to think there had to be a better way to handle the info dumps, but perhaps this was the best solution, I don't know. It doesn't seem to bother the myriads of readers who have expressed 5-star love for the book before me -- which is part of the reason I read the book to begin with.
Summary: (3.5/5 Stars) The story was worth the effort. It resolves itself well enough to be a stand-alone tale, while still leaving the door open enough for a sequel if the author wants. Structure flaws aside, it was well worth the read. A supernatural who-done-it, combined with the X-men.
OK, what else? I covered the car, TV, Movies, Books... hmm...
Ah, yes! A cat video!
Here's a cat that has learned to knock on the door when it wants inside...
I have lots of other cool photos and fun videos to share, but I think I've taxed your patience enough for one day.
Wow, look at those towering peaks! No, I don't mean my receding hairline, don't be rude...
Well, what dost thou know? The weekend hath arrived! Forsooth and hitherto and all that poppycock, etc.
Let me begin by saying I've finally done it! Just before coming here to write this very post just for you! I've found it! A mediocre movie starring John Cusack! I didn't think it could be done! But done it was. The Raven. On paper, it sounded great. John Cusack portraying Edgar Allen Poe in a mystery thriller whereby he must help solve the case of a serial killer who is using Poe's stories as inspiration for a series of copycat murders. I hate to admit it, since I'm such a fan of Cusack, but this one was weak. If I may make an excuse for him, though... I believe the weakness stemmed more from the script than the performance. But hey... at least he had a "killer" goatee... BUAHAHAHAHA!!!!
What else? Well, I also watched Triumph of the Will (1935), directed by Leni Riefenstahl, that classic, ground-breaking full-length propaganda film commission by Adolf Hitler himself, chronicling the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. It was worth the watch, for historical reasons, and for aesthetic reasons, and also to get a good, long, close-up look into the eyes of a madman, and a nation entranced. Creepy and fascinating...
Like this...
"McHello There!"
And this...
It's a pillow shaped like a pool of blood... yeah, not sure about that one... Ethan would love this...
So I was all excited to go see the latest Die Hard movie... I'm glad I didn't. It's getting ravaged by the critics... Rotten Tomatoes has it cruising at a dismal 17% (was at 10% for a while there). I guess this time it paid to wait for the reviews to start coming in. Saved me some $$$. Now if I can only find a theater still showing Silver Linings Playbook, then I'll have something worthwhile to see! Man, that film got just about every Oscar nomination possible. I wonder if it will win anything? I like Bradley Cooper a bunch, but my man Daniel Day Lewis will be hard to beat.
And now, the largest glacier calving ever caught on film... watch it big if you can...
Incredible. Actually, that deserves all-caps. INCREDIBLE.
Wait, it deserves a bigger font size as well...
INCREDIBLE
There, that works.
Also incredible is the footage of that Russian meteorite strike the other day...
Aww, yeah... end of the world, eh? That was quite an extended sonic boom... like a fireworks finale, or an artillery barrage .. Let us eat and drink, eh, for tomorrow we shall die, eh? A little Book of Isaiah for ya there... I've long believed that the second trumpet from Revelation 8 talks of a meteorite falling to earth in the Wyoming area and triggering the Yellowstone super-volcano... but I guess that's a story for another day...
On a related note, good thing we don't speak Russian, eh? That compilation is likely loaded with Russian profanity... I know if I experienced that power of that sonic boom barrage in person, I might lose control of my tongue a bit as well, lol... and maybe my bladder, too...
Two points a day...
OK, well, I suppose you've had enough Dave for one day... now beat it!
Well, hello there! I'll give you three guesses as to who I am!
Yeah, it's Dave. Man, you're not easy to trick! I thought you'd at least need two or three tries to get it right. Hey, you never know... I could have been, like, Hillary Clinton or something...
Or I could have been this guy...
The thing about that video is... you'll either think it's hilarious (like I do), or it will creep you out and you'll stop the video about 30 seconds in, and miss out on the fun... the facial expressions during the sax solo are awesome...
Anyway, hello, it's Dave. Confession time: I think it was me that plugged the toilet at the rug shop on Friday... I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it was me... how humiliating...
Anyway, it's almost Valentine's Day! Here's a Valentine for you...
Sheesh... no wonder I haven't had a date in 22 years. Well, that, and I'm married...
So I'm going to do you a great disservice (even greater than that Valentine I just gave you).
There's a website called Vinepeek that will sound lame, but it's remarkably addictive. It features 6-second video clips that have been uploaded by random people from around the world. They play in a non-stop stream, and it's so random. There's a lot of pets featured, lots of random faces and goofy dances, some quick footage of toddlers, and occasionally an actual attempt at a little 6-second movie! Anyway, it may sound boring/lame (and actually I hope it does sound that way to you!) but it's crazy how oddly fascinating it is to watch.
On a completely different note, Downton Abbey is a terrific show. If you aren't watching it, what's wrong with you?!?!? Don't you enjoy quality commercial-free entertainment? Get on it! Otherwise, I'll give you another Valentine!
OMG look how excited this little kid is to go on the train!
Have you ever been that excited about anything in your entire life? I could watch that video over and over again. So cool.
What am I reading lately? Well, funny you should ask!
I'm reading The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. Why, here is the link to the Good Reads page for that title!
And here's a car done up to look like a 4-wheeled watermelon!
And here's a video of one of the greatest guitar solo's of ALL TIME!
If you don't have the patience to watch the whole 6-minute video, jump to 3:27 and get a taste of Prince's amazing talent. Honestly, admit it... when you think of Prince, you think "short, weird, effeminate walking oddity" and not world class guitar talent, right? Well, I'm happy to prove you wrong! That solo was amazing...
So I had someone notify me through a comment on a four-year-old post of mine that I am a thief. Apparently I "stole" the opening photo of that particular post by putting it up there for y'all to admire. You know... like I do with EVERY SINGLE PHOTO AND VIDEO CLIP I've posted in all of my posts, ever... so does that really make me a thief? I don't benefit at all financially from this blog... And the photo... I mean, it was an ok photo... nothing overly amazing... I'm sure on that day back in April of 2009, I didn't have anything better to lead with, so I grabbed it off Photosig or something. In any case, I decided to modify the photo, and add my accusation plus a photo of a man playing the bagpipes on it. Go check it out!
Yeah, that's the only way I can get anyone to read old posts in my archive. Which makes me wonder why on earth this dude felt the need to drop such a comment into a post no one will ever see... who on earth has so much time on their hands that they troll back through the archive of this blog, lol...
You know what? I am done!
Thanks for accepting my heart-felt Valentine... it's because we have such a close, meaningful friendship...
Hello y'all! Dave the Goof here, with another drive-by blast of hot air... and it's a good thing, too, since I could tell your Hot Air-O-Meter was returning a lower-than-average reading.
So here I am! Did you miss me?
What? You don't even remember what I look like? Seriously?
Here, let me help...
There... ring a bell now?
OK, fine, that's Michael Fassbender, not me... but I sorta look like that... on a good day.... on a really good day, I should say... OK, fine, I've never looked anything like that...
I look more like this...
Yep, that's me.... without the beard, of course... I look older without the beard.
OK, fine, that's Don Rickles, not me... but if you can imagine a nice blend of Michael Fassbender and Don Rickles, that should remind you what I look like...
Where was I?
Oh, yeah, the Super Bowl....
So I went over to my good friend Todd's house to watch the Super Bowl, and it was a good amount of fun for me and most of my family... Wifey stayed home. Didn't feel social, I suppose. In any case, it ended up being a good game, I thought... was a blow-out until the stadium light's blew out... then 35 minutes later, when play resumed, the trailing team scored a buncha points, and suddenly it was a game again!
I didn't really care who won - I just like good football and close games. So I won, in a way...
Plus, I absolutely loved this commercial...
Paul Harvey was so awesome...
So I've been on a retro music kick lately. Mostly some Phil Collins and Oingo Boingo. I've had on Phil's album No Jacket Required (1985) on practically non-stop, along with the Genesis album Invisible Touch (1986). Both are from back in my high school days. Funny, I pulled up an hour-long concert video on You Tube of Phil Collins, thinking it would be cool... it was not. Trust me, you don't want to see a stadium full of people rocking out to (and singing along with) "Easy Lover" and "Can't Hurry Love"... ridiculous... still, those two albums I mentioned above have a sentimental place in my bones, for various reasons. This is one of my faves...
Great song. Anyway, that and the Dead Man's Party album (1985) by Oingo have gotten a lot of air time of late. So be it. One thing I loved about Oingo Boingo... they never looked like rock stars... they looked and dressed like a buncha 80's geeks, I loved it. Check them out in THIS CLIP of them live, on stage at the Ritz circa 1985... lol, what a buncha nerds...
So it looks like Disney is pulling out all the stops on the proposed new Star Wars movie projects. They got JJ Abrams to agree to direct the next film in the new trilogy, and they also have stand-alone films planned for Yoda, Han Solo and Boba Fett... dang. Busy little bees. I wonder if they'll make a film about Jabba the Hutt and his criminal underworld... well, you gotta give them points for enthusiasm... it remains to be seen whether the quality level will be there. I guess they figure if people were OK with the crappy prequel films, they'll be happy with just about anything.
Wrestling-theology mash-up comic, for the win!
Well, gonna go finish up the March newsletters for Piranha now.
