Saturday, April 25, 2009

Robot nerd that I am

Being a robot collector, as well as a big Ghost in the Shell fan, I could not resist buying this Dennou Chogokin Tachikoma Ver.1.2 from Japan; a great site called Hobby Link Japan. Yes, it is cool. Here is a vid:




I know I know, dorky right? But you have to admit it is pretty kick ass and it looks swell in the display case:




Reading: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. Makes me angry and sad.

Listening: 97.3 WRIR Richmond Independent Radio fund raising time...DONATE!!!!!!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

To see it

You know, it would really be great if the Westhampton or wherever in town would show this:




And speaking of theaters, I am looking forward to going to see Hitchcock's The Birds at the Byrd on April 24th, two showings of the film at a cost of 10 bucks, which includes Wurlitzer fun and some free popcorn. Then I notice that Bow-Tie cinema is also show the Birds for their little movie and mimosa thing. Hmmm...I bet Bow-Tie is trying some sly marketing ploy, taking ideas from our local beautiful theater as well as taking money from the Foundation by offer the same old film at the same time or better yet a week earlier, hardly a coincidence dontcha think? Maybe Bow-Tie is pretty shitty after all... Kind of like Starbucks opening two locations near a local coffee shop to steal the business.... hmmmm.

Reading : Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell.

Listening: lots, but a great German (?) spazzcore band called Chung.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Tripe movie of the past

So last night, I make everyone in the house watch 1996's space invader movie, Independence Day, thinking it would be a good space action movie that the teen would like and maybe L. would enjoy since it has Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and others. I remember going to the theater to see this with a friend of mine when it first came out and thought it was a two hour wad of spittoon catchings. People cheered when the character playing the president said Nuke 'Em. WTF??!! Oh, but then the same ding dongs that cheered that suggestion also cheered when the President FIRED the slimy character that suggested it to begin with. WTF?!?! Anyway, it was a lot of cheesed out patriotic-ish tripe, though the effects were good for the time. I remember at the time that I had enjoyed Tim Burton's Mars Attacks much better, particularly for the hilarious inclusion of Tom Jones in the final shot of the movie (you know when he is with the animals like Dr. Doolittle?).



Burton's movie took the same 1950s martian invader genre nod and went in a more endearing and lasting direction.

Seeing ID last night, it felt long (I can't believe I watched the whole thing!), pompous, showboaty, and the effects are dated. I mean sure, I guess it is an OK action movie, but it has no way near the lasting great movie element it may have banner waved at the time of its release. Not including the whole "twin towers" foreshadowed reference or whatever you want to bring into it. So the question is: why did I want to watch it and why did I want to make my family watch it? I mean, I didn't really like it at the time it came out. I might have even been vehement about it. So what inspired me to see it again? Maybe it totally feels like a Sunday afternoon lounging around the house type of movie...I am sure it wasn't some kind of attempt at capturing my youth or whatever. Maybe big budget Hollywood flicks like that, even though most suck, create some kind of false pattern of recognition where you picked up on the popularity of it through some kind of consumer collective consciousness. Weird, I know, but marketing does strange things to peoples psyche, any psychologist will tell you that. Or maybe it is as simple as just recalling some of the more impressionable scenes of the movie being interesting and you just blocked out the crappy parts. Anyway, I think I might have seen it for the last time last night --at least as a rental.

So onto some weird video okay?

IMOTO vs Komodo dragon

What would YOU do if being chased by a Komodo Dragon? Damn I love Japanese television!


Reading: Manhunt: the twelve day chase for Lincoln's killer by James L. Swanson

Listening: Feed by M.T. Anderson, read the book already, reviewing for family book club, great audio! Oh, also, ordered some new music from CD Baby!