I am probably the most vocal critic of the American Office in the world (Proove me wrong, I dare you). I love nothing more (not even breathing) than to pick apart each episode to find every possible flaw and logical and emotional disconnect that I can find in order to fuel my argument that the American Office is the most overrated show of all time, ever (except for MASH). It is a show that has forsaken its simple, but compelling premise of making insightful, subtle comedy about the tedium of working in an office into something that is about a laugh track away of being a Two and a Half Men lead in. The Office has become a bad show.
Or at least that's what I thought.
Then I saw an episode entitled "The Banker". This episode might be the single greatest work of comedy writing ever shown on television. Before the Christmas break, the gang at the Office were in a bit of trouble. Dunder Mifflin, which is a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (Maybe you've heard of it?), but doesn't have a functional web site, was in for a big shake up. The corporate big-wigs were all getting fired and the future looked uncertain for our favorite Scranton workaholics. Office fans were full of questions heading into this weeks episode and the Office addressed all those questions with two simple, but powerful words: Clip. Show.
Were you wondering who was going to take David Wallace's position as the new CFO? Well, let me answer that question by showing clips of people saying "That's what she said".
Were you concerned about how Pam and Jim's baby is doing? Perhaps some footage of Jim playing basketball from the first season will allay your fears.
Is the Office going to continue to be better than the last two seasons, but nowhere near as good as the first three seasons? I think you'll find what you're looking for in these scenes of Michael hitting shelves with a fork lift.
I thought that we, as a society, were done with clip shows, especially in our sitcoms, especially in our sitcoms that are supposed to be one of the best shows on television (I don't know anyone who actually thinks this. I think The Office is becoming like the Simpsons; something that is beyond critical scorn, a television institution that is just watched and admired unquestioningly, despite how ridiculously bad it gets. Although, fortunately, The Office hasn't yet approached the level of mediocrity that the Simpsons has sunk to). I don't know why, but for some reason the idea of The Office doing a clip so is especially ludicrous to me. I think this is because in essence, the show is kind of clip show anyway. It's a highlight real of all the funny stuff that happens that day in the office. They don't need the excuse of an episode devoted to showing the "best of" every episode before it to make reference to previous episodes. When Michael says, "that reminds me of the time I wrecked my car", they cut to him wrecking his car. This kind of thing happens in every episode. Usually it's footage specific to that episode, but still, the concept is nothing new. However, because they rarely make references to things that happen in previous episodes (except for plot relevant stuff) and even rarer do they actually show footage from earlier episodes, the act of having an episode where they do nothing but show footage from old episodes is not only a break in the shows normal format, but incredibly lame.
In summation, clip shows are lazy and stupid and I'm glad the Office is starting to suck again, because it justifies my completely irrational hatred of it (which I think is just a reaction to it's popularity versus the popularity of the British version, which is far superior in almost every way, and I'm not just saying that because I'm an Anglophile, and also my general dislike of everything that is nearly universally liked).
Next time I'll talk about a book I just read called "The Time Traveler's Wife". Here's an excerpt:
"I thought that"
See you next time.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Chuck vs. Me hating him
Sometime last year I developed an appreciation for the NBC series C
huck.This appreciation had a lot to do with the sort of nerdy references that the show frequently made and also because of the interesting will-they won't they chemistry between the shows two leads, Chuck, played by Zach Levi, the one on the right, and Sarah, played by Yvonne Strahovski, the one on the left (and I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge the fact that Sarah's choice of attire, or lack there of, in some episodes is also a slight draw to the show, but totally not in a creepy way if you're reading this Yvonne... ok, maybe it's a little creepy, but still, if you wanted to go out or something I totally wouldn't be creepy at all. We could just go Panera or something, get some soup, maybe go catch a movie, talk for a bit then maybe go for a walk down by the river and then we'd both go our separate ways. Then maybe a couple days later I'd text you something like, "I had fun the other night" and you could text back something like "me 2 :)", and I'd be like "That's cool, we should get married. LOL" and you'd be like "that sounds awesome! LOL" then I'd be like, "No. I'm serious" and you'd be like "Me 2."). But recently I have fallen out of favor with Chuck.
The show is more or less a spy procedural, and as such, there aren't a lot that changes from week to week. The problem with this is that it's not a particularly good spy procedural. It seems like it was written back in the 90's before the general population had seen Jason Bourne movies or Munich; when the world believed, for the most part, that spying and counter-intelligence worked pretty much like it did in the Roger Moore James Bond movies (It's all about gadgets and witty comebacks and terrorists wanting to blow up the world unless they got paid a million dollars). Living in a post 9-11 (I hate using that phrase) world, Americans are (or should be) too smart to fall for this kind of nonsense. It's not that all TV should depict the world as it really is, but Chuck seems to take a remarkably juvenile approach to how the world works, and in a completely earnest way. There is nothing ironic about the depiction of the world in the Chuckverse (or the Chucktinuum as I sometimes call it). The struggle between the good guys and bad guys in Chuck is so painfully black and white that it approaches Disney levels of naivety. There are a couple of instances where the show veers off into slightly greyish moral areas (When Sarah shoots a guy in cold blood to protect Chuck) and, for me these are some of the shows high points.
Chuck (the show)'s inability to have any sort of significant changes to the main characters from episode to episode is also a bit frustrating to me. I don't know who along the line made the decision, but at some point, someone decided that at the end of every episode, the status quo should be immediately restored (unless it's the end of the season). Sarah gets fired? She comes back to save the day at the end of the episode. A new Intersect is made rendering Chuck (the character) unnecessary? The new intersect is actually a bomb and blows up the whole project so they have to start from scratch. The gang of bad guys from the first two seasons is defeated? It turns out they were just a puppet organization of the real enemies, The Ring. The lengths this show goes to not change absolutely anything about their formula for episodes is beyond ridiculous. It undermines any of the drama that could possibly be created because the audience knows at the end of the episode, all will be returned to normal. It punishing the fans of the show by essentially making them watch the same episode over and over again, which goes a little something like this:
Bad Guy: I'm going to steal something/kill somebody... In Los Angeles!
Meanwhile....
Sarah: So this bad guy and this thing the bad guy wants are in Los Angeles.
Chuck: I know where they are. I can stop them.
Sarah: Ok, let's go.
Chuck tries to stop them but fails, comically (usually because the bad guy isn't where he's supposed to be).
Chuck: I couldn't stop them.
Sarah: I don't believe the bad guy is really here anymore. Blah Blah Blah, boy who cried wolf.
Chuck: Well if you don't believe me, I'll just stop them myself.
Chuck runs away, gets into trouble, Sarah and Casey save him.
Chuck: Thanks guys, I guess I shouldn't have gone after them by myself.
Sarah: No, it's our fault for some reason.
Casey: Chuck, you know Sarah is in love with you.
Chuck: What!?
Chuck and Sarah have a moment, but it's cut short by some ridiculous bullshit. The end.
So to sum up, I don't like Chuck because it completely refuses to be postmodern. It his an extremely conventional TV show that has, somehow, amassed massive critical goodwill by mentioning Arcade Fire a couple times in its first season and occasionally playing Spoon songs. That being said, I will continue to watch it, because it's still funny frequently, it occasionally has awesome guest stars (Chevy Chase, Scott Bakula, Vinnie Jones, Brandon Routh...) and because Sarah walks around in her bra and panties every three episodes or so.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Late Night
This past week I worked an overnight shift at Walmart. I had never worked an overnight shift before. I'm experiencing the hardest part of working that shift right now, as it is 4:44 and I'm not asleep and have to get up at 9 tomorrow. I adapted pretty quickly to staying up late, and I'm not really sure how to unadapt. I fell asleep at 10 last night, but woke up at midnight and have been awake since. I'm going to be hella tired tomorrow, but that's alright. I'll catch up eventually. On the plus side, this experience has gotten me blogging about something that has been noticeably missing since I restarted this blog, sleeping. Riveting.
In other Walmart news that is also news about me Sunday will be my last day as a Lawn and Garden Associate (sad face), and Monday will be my first day as a pharmacy tech (conflicted face?). Wednesday night, whilst working the overnight shift, the pharmacy manager came up to me and asked if I was ready for an interview. Thursday night management was filling out my transfer paperwork (which doesn't really involve much paper). I had put Pharmacy as an option for career preferences because it pays better than my current position, but I thought I would be somewhere else before I actually got a chance to be in the pharmacy. As it turns out, I'm not somewhere else, so I guess I'll be going to Pharmacy.
Here's why I'm conflicted. Pharmacy is a full time job, which means I'll be making more money, but it is also a much bigger commitment than I had previously signed up for at Walmart. But more than that, I didn't really want to start working a full time job until I got a job in my field. Getting a full time job doing something that isn't video production or whatever feels like I'm giving up on doing what I want to do. I know this is a ridiculous thing to think, but it's difficult for me to see the short term benefits of taking a semi-serious job in a completely unrelated field when it feels like I'm giving up on my long term goal. I see a lot of people who take jobs they don't particularly like because of the short term benefits, then they get stuck doing that job for the rest of their life. A lot of them work at Wal-mart. The longer they do it, the easier it is to justify doing it.
This scenario is completely unacceptable to me. Mostly because work, for these people, becomes the means to their ends, and that's not what I want. They work to support their wives or husbands or children (or to buy more booze or guns or shoes or whatever, but it's usually the former). They work so they can live the rest of their life during the two days of the week they don't work and the one week of vacation they get a year, and what they have on those days is supposed makes it all worth it. There is no thing nor anyone that could make me spend 300 days a year something I don't want to do. I want work to be an end in an of itself, and although I do enjoy working at Wal-mart, it's not what I want to do. It's not an end.
I know this is a sentiment that most people have. No one is doing exactly what they want to do, and that's how life works. Giving up the dream is part of growing up. It's a concept captured nearly perfectly in a film I love to hate called Up, and maybe that's why I hate the movie. It's essentially about giving up on your dreams and then trying to recapture them later in life and realizing that your dreams were kind of crappy in the first place (and the talking dog says "Squirrel!" Hilarious!!! Dogs chase squirrels!). It's a reminder that part of growing up is realizing that you're not going to get to do everything you want to do and maybe that's not something I'm ready to concede just yet.
But for now, I'll be working 5 days a week in the Jackson Wal-mart Pharmacy and trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do with my life.
Damian Kulash (spelling?) does a pretty good Prince impression on the first track of OK Go's new album.
In other Walmart news that is also news about me Sunday will be my last day as a Lawn and Garden Associate (sad face), and Monday will be my first day as a pharmacy tech (conflicted face?). Wednesday night, whilst working the overnight shift, the pharmacy manager came up to me and asked if I was ready for an interview. Thursday night management was filling out my transfer paperwork (which doesn't really involve much paper). I had put Pharmacy as an option for career preferences because it pays better than my current position, but I thought I would be somewhere else before I actually got a chance to be in the pharmacy. As it turns out, I'm not somewhere else, so I guess I'll be going to Pharmacy.
Here's why I'm conflicted. Pharmacy is a full time job, which means I'll be making more money, but it is also a much bigger commitment than I had previously signed up for at Walmart. But more than that, I didn't really want to start working a full time job until I got a job in my field. Getting a full time job doing something that isn't video production or whatever feels like I'm giving up on doing what I want to do. I know this is a ridiculous thing to think, but it's difficult for me to see the short term benefits of taking a semi-serious job in a completely unrelated field when it feels like I'm giving up on my long term goal. I see a lot of people who take jobs they don't particularly like because of the short term benefits, then they get stuck doing that job for the rest of their life. A lot of them work at Wal-mart. The longer they do it, the easier it is to justify doing it.
This scenario is completely unacceptable to me. Mostly because work, for these people, becomes the means to their ends, and that's not what I want. They work to support their wives or husbands or children (or to buy more booze or guns or shoes or whatever, but it's usually the former). They work so they can live the rest of their life during the two days of the week they don't work and the one week of vacation they get a year, and what they have on those days is supposed makes it all worth it. There is no thing nor anyone that could make me spend 300 days a year something I don't want to do. I want work to be an end in an of itself, and although I do enjoy working at Wal-mart, it's not what I want to do. It's not an end.
I know this is a sentiment that most people have. No one is doing exactly what they want to do, and that's how life works. Giving up the dream is part of growing up. It's a concept captured nearly perfectly in a film I love to hate called Up, and maybe that's why I hate the movie. It's essentially about giving up on your dreams and then trying to recapture them later in life and realizing that your dreams were kind of crappy in the first place (and the talking dog says "Squirrel!" Hilarious!!! Dogs chase squirrels!). It's a reminder that part of growing up is realizing that you're not going to get to do everything you want to do and maybe that's not something I'm ready to concede just yet.
But for now, I'll be working 5 days a week in the Jackson Wal-mart Pharmacy and trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do with my life.
Damian Kulash (spelling?) does a pretty good Prince impression on the first track of OK Go's new album.
Monday, January 11, 2010
A Conversation
This is a conversation I usually have a couple of times a year. It happens when I meet someone new. I had this conversation last night at work (this isn't exactly how it when, but it was close).
Me: So, what kind of music do you like?
Them: Pretty much anything. I like all music.
Me: Do you like opera?
Them: I don't know.
Me: You probably don't. Opera is pretty terrible.
Them: Maybe I don't.
Me: What about Jazz?
Them: I don't really listen to Jazz.
Me: Hmm. What kind of music do you listen to?
Them: Pretty much everything else. Shinedown, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Nickelback, Johnny Cash... you know, everything else.
Me: How do you feel about Rascal Flatts?
Them: I love Rascal Flatts.
Me: Of course you do.
I'm am such an asshole.
I find that, most of the time, when people say they like all music, they mean that they like all the music that gets played on the three radio stations they like to listen to. It took me a long time to start listening to music that doesn't get played on the radio, and it was a gradual process. I think most people just don't care enough to find other music to listen to, and really, they don't need to. It's entirely possible that they enjoy their music as much or more than as much as I enjoy mine. I like a lot of music that I know that most other people have never heard of before, and I don't like to admit it, but some of my enjoyment comes from the fact that a lot of people have never heard of it. I think its entirely possible that the converse is true for some people, they like music because almost every other person they know likes it. Some people like music that's universally (as far as they're concerned) loved and appreciated by all those around them because it let's them feel like part of a group, I like music that doesn't get played on the radio, that's hard to listen to sometimes and most people have never heard of because it let's me feel like part of a better, more exclusive group.
I'm such an asshole.
Me: So, what kind of music do you like?
Them: Pretty much anything. I like all music.
Me: Do you like opera?
Them: I don't know.
Me: You probably don't. Opera is pretty terrible.
Them: Maybe I don't.
Me: What about Jazz?
Them: I don't really listen to Jazz.
Me: Hmm. What kind of music do you listen to?
Them: Pretty much everything else. Shinedown, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Nickelback, Johnny Cash... you know, everything else.
Me: How do you feel about Rascal Flatts?
Them: I love Rascal Flatts.
Me: Of course you do.
I'm am such an asshole.
I find that, most of the time, when people say they like all music, they mean that they like all the music that gets played on the three radio stations they like to listen to. It took me a long time to start listening to music that doesn't get played on the radio, and it was a gradual process. I think most people just don't care enough to find other music to listen to, and really, they don't need to. It's entirely possible that they enjoy their music as much or more than as much as I enjoy mine. I like a lot of music that I know that most other people have never heard of before, and I don't like to admit it, but some of my enjoyment comes from the fact that a lot of people have never heard of it. I think its entirely possible that the converse is true for some people, they like music because almost every other person they know likes it. Some people like music that's universally (as far as they're concerned) loved and appreciated by all those around them because it let's them feel like part of a group, I like music that doesn't get played on the radio, that's hard to listen to sometimes and most people have never heard of because it let's me feel like part of a better, more exclusive group.
I'm such an asshole.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Job Searchin'
I've been applying to a lot of jobs online recently. I don't actually believe I'm going to get any of the jobs I apply for because for the most part, I don't think these jobs actually exist. I don't know anyone who's gotten a job based on an application they filled out online or because of a resume they posted online. I really don't think the internet works like that. I'm pretty sure internet job applications are for people who are on unemployment and have to prove that they are looking for jobs.
Another reason I don't think I'm going to get any internet jobs I apply for is because I don't think my resume is very impressive, nor are my cover letters really. My problem is that I don't really like talking about myself. Well, that's not entirely true. What I don't like talking about are positive things about myself. It sort of goes against my self-deprecating style of writing.
Two unrelated music thoughts:
1. I have recently become aware of the fact that Akon Family and The Avett Brothers are not the same band.
2. I don't think there is anyway The Go! Team could ever duplicate the dynamism of their studio sound live, in concert. Proove me wrong, The Go! Team, I dare you.
Another reason I don't think I'm going to get any internet jobs I apply for is because I don't think my resume is very impressive, nor are my cover letters really. My problem is that I don't really like talking about myself. Well, that's not entirely true. What I don't like talking about are positive things about myself. It sort of goes against my self-deprecating style of writing.
Two unrelated music thoughts:
1. I have recently become aware of the fact that Akon Family and The Avett Brothers are not the same band.
2. I don't think there is anyway The Go! Team could ever duplicate the dynamism of their studio sound live, in concert. Proove me wrong, The Go! Team, I dare you.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Meanwhile, on the internet...
Yesterday Matthew told me about a website called passiveaggressivenotes.com. It is just as amazing as one would expect a website with that name to be. Specifically, this note:
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
A short story
Phillip was sitting in a library. A library was not an uncommon place for Phillip to be sitting. Phillip liked to read, he liked quiet places, and he liked touching things that have been handled by countless strangers. Phillip loved libraries. This library, however, was unlike any Phillip had ever been in. For one thing, this library had no tables or big comfy chairs with inconveniently located, but color coordinated foot stools. It had no card catalog or computer that told where particular books were located.
What it did have was books. Lots and lots and lots of books. Books about every subject imaginable, and some subjects that were completely unimaginable; books about horseback riding, archery, lollipop boxing, fish squandering, presidential birthdays, and Jupiter's least impressive moon by one of it's former rulers ("Memories of Metis" by Julius Pennington. This book is widely regarded as one of the least complimentary pieces of literature ever written. One chapter in particular is cited as the most vulgar collection of words ever assembled. The chapter has no title, but because of it's memorable first line is often referred to the "Fuck all y'all" chapter.
"Metia Singulus is shit, everyone who lives there is shit, especially all those bitches in the Dome of Conncurrent Wisdom; Fuck all y'all".)
Phillip wasn't entirely sure how he got into this library, or why he knew it was a library, but he did know that his fiancee wasn't going to be pleased that he wasn't at L'Ocho with her, this was date night after all. Phillip decided that he didn't really care that his fiancee was going to be mad at him. She was always mad at him. She'd get over it. Phillip walked over to a shelf that towered higher up than Phillip could see. He picked up a book at random ("How to Poison a Prince: Even more New and Exciting ways to Commit Regicide" by Gertrude Whipple), sat down, propped his back against the shelf, and began reading.
What it did have was books. Lots and lots and lots of books. Books about every subject imaginable, and some subjects that were completely unimaginable; books about horseback riding, archery, lollipop boxing, fish squandering, presidential birthdays, and Jupiter's least impressive moon by one of it's former rulers ("Memories of Metis" by Julius Pennington. This book is widely regarded as one of the least complimentary pieces of literature ever written. One chapter in particular is cited as the most vulgar collection of words ever assembled. The chapter has no title, but because of it's memorable first line is often referred to the "Fuck all y'all" chapter.
"Metia Singulus is shit, everyone who lives there is shit, especially all those bitches in the Dome of Conncurrent Wisdom; Fuck all y'all".)
Phillip wasn't entirely sure how he got into this library, or why he knew it was a library, but he did know that his fiancee wasn't going to be pleased that he wasn't at L'Ocho with her, this was date night after all. Phillip decided that he didn't really care that his fiancee was going to be mad at him. She was always mad at him. She'd get over it. Phillip walked over to a shelf that towered higher up than Phillip could see. He picked up a book at random ("How to Poison a Prince: Even more New and Exciting ways to Commit Regicide" by Gertrude Whipple), sat down, propped his back against the shelf, and began reading.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Trivia Writing for Dummies
I started writing Trivia Night questions today. I picked the easiest category to do first and got 10 questions done in about an hour and some change. The most important thing about writing Trivia Questions is that they have to be written in a way in which there is only one possible answer. This seems like it would be a pretty obvious rule for trivia writing, but I've been to some trivia nights where that wasn't always the case (Every one I went to at SEMO). I feel like my symbolic logic background has prepared me quite well for writing trivia questions. It has also prepared me for a life of crippling indecision. Thanks philosophy! Thanks for making me question even the most basic intellectual constructs so that even simple tasks, like counting, take on a whole new dimension of complexity! It's not entirely the fault of my brief foray into philosophy, I'm a pretty indecisive person anyway (mostly because of my extreme pragmatism), but still, I've never been the same since I pretended to be a philosophy major.
In other news, I'm unstoppable at Board Games this year. I've gone 7 for 8 in board games in 2010. I've won 2 games of Risk, 2 games of Race for the Galaxy, 2 games of X-box Scene-it (which although not technically on a board, it's pretty much a board game) and one game of Last Night On Earth (I should've won another game of that, but I made a couple of play mistakes and had a kind of unlucky draw). Point being, if you want your ass handed to you in sort of board game, I know a guy that can help you out: Me. I'm awesome.
In other news, I'm unstoppable at Board Games this year. I've gone 7 for 8 in board games in 2010. I've won 2 games of Risk, 2 games of Race for the Galaxy, 2 games of X-box Scene-it (which although not technically on a board, it's pretty much a board game) and one game of Last Night On Earth (I should've won another game of that, but I made a couple of play mistakes and had a kind of unlucky draw). Point being, if you want your ass handed to you in sort of board game, I know a guy that can help you out: Me. I'm awesome.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Up in the Air is a good movie and other things I'm thinking about
Don't believe the trailers, Up in the Air does have a plot, just not much of one. Don't let it's lack of plot deter you though, Up in the Air is a really good film. It's similar to Away We Go, but not as cheerful or funny and for some reason, I think I liked it more. I just IMDBed the younger girl from Up in the Air and she's apparently playing Stacey Pilgrim in the forthcoming Scott Pilgrim movie. Huzzah.
Speaking of upcoming movies, I saw some trailers for movies lately. Specifically this trailer. I'm guessing this film is some kind of joke. The original film was an occasionally funny, but nonetheless entertaining farce , but I don't see any need to remake it, especially not a mere 3 years after the original was released. There is a precedent for American studios to remake popular foreign films for American audiences, but this was a Frank Oz movie with a mostly British cast playing British people (with the exception of Alan Tudyk, who is an American actor who played a British man and Peter Dinklage, an American actor playing an American). As ridiculous as this concept is I will probably still see this movie because I like a lot of the cast, especially Mr. Peter Dinklage who has bravely chosen to play the exact same role that he played in the original film.
Speaking of upcoming movies, I saw some trailers for movies lately. Specifically this trailer. I'm guessing this film is some kind of joke. The original film was an occasionally funny, but nonetheless entertaining farce , but I don't see any need to remake it, especially not a mere 3 years after the original was released. There is a precedent for American studios to remake popular foreign films for American audiences, but this was a Frank Oz movie with a mostly British cast playing British people (with the exception of Alan Tudyk, who is an American actor who played a British man and Peter Dinklage, an American actor playing an American). As ridiculous as this concept is I will probably still see this movie because I like a lot of the cast, especially Mr. Peter Dinklage who has bravely chosen to play the exact same role that he played in the original film.
Friday, January 01, 2010
2010: Options, options options.
The title of this post is a reference to something my friend Matthew mutters to himself when he becomes aware of how long he is taking to make a decision while playing a game. We frequently mock him for this particular mannerism of his. I wasn't entirely sure how to punctuate the phrase.
So in case you haven't noticed, it's 2010. I've decided that I'm going to have a lot of New Year's Resolutions this year because I need to resolve to do a lot of things and I'm going to publish a list of them here to better catalog my failures for future depressive ramblings. So in no particular order here are some things I'm going to try to do during the next 365 days.
1. Finish writing and shoot and edit Drawing Bored
2. Find a real job preferably somewhere not in Cape so I can justifiably...
3. Move away from Cape
4. Write more in general, specifically screenplays and blogposts
5. Become kind of an adult, but not so much of an adult that I suck
One is going to be the easiest and most fun. Two and three have a lot of corollaries and are going to be really hard to do. Four is really more about me not wasting time as much as I currently do and Five is kind of a byproduct of 2-4, so it kind of goes without saying except for the last part, although I don't think I'll ever become that much of an adult.
Anyway, I'll try to keep you updated on my relative progress on these and other goals I have.
So in case you haven't noticed, it's 2010. I've decided that I'm going to have a lot of New Year's Resolutions this year because I need to resolve to do a lot of things and I'm going to publish a list of them here to better catalog my failures for future depressive ramblings. So in no particular order here are some things I'm going to try to do during the next 365 days.
1. Finish writing and shoot and edit Drawing Bored
2. Find a real job preferably somewhere not in Cape so I can justifiably...
3. Move away from Cape
4. Write more in general, specifically screenplays and blogposts
5. Become kind of an adult, but not so much of an adult that I suck
One is going to be the easiest and most fun. Two and three have a lot of corollaries and are going to be really hard to do. Four is really more about me not wasting time as much as I currently do and Five is kind of a byproduct of 2-4, so it kind of goes without saying except for the last part, although I don't think I'll ever become that much of an adult.
Anyway, I'll try to keep you updated on my relative progress on these and other goals I have.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
List
Ok, so the summer is pretty much over, although because I'm not in school anymore, the changing of the seasons seems considerably less significant than it once did. Even so, I'm going to take this opportunity to enumerate my favorites things I did, saw, experienced this summer. I'm going to pick ten things, but as I write this sentence I really have no idea how many things I'm going to come up with, that number is subject to change. Also, these things may or may not be in some sort of qualitative order, because, as I said, I'm just coming up with this things as I go. So, without further ado, a list by me.
10. Race for the Galaxy
Matthew bought this game on a whim, and it quickly became our favorite game of the summer. Well it was my favorite game of the summer. It's super complicated when you're first learning to play, but tons of fun and with loads of replayability, it's a great little game.
9. The 48 Hour Film Festival
Although I haven't spoken about it much on here, I participated in the 48 Hour Film Project with some of my classmates from the film department. The movie we made sucked a lot, but it was a lot of fun to make, and it lead to me reconnecting with Brian Mayer, who graduated last year and was my greatest ally in the filmmaking process. I also worked with him briefly on his project Chester's Tales.
8. Reading. Lots.
I read more this summer than I probably did in the totality of my college career. Sadly, that is not much of an exaggeration. I read the last 3 Harry Potter Books (which I may have mentioned once or twice on this blog), 2 Chuck Klosterman Books, 2 Lev Grossman Books (more on this guy later), American Gods and a whole bunch of Trade Paperbacks (This isn't a pretentious way of saying comic book, by the way. A comic book would be a single issue, a trade paper is a collection of a run of issues in a single volume). Reading. It's not for breakfast any more.
7. Night Riding.
This is one of the few other things I've mentioned on this site before, but in case you missed it, usually Matt Buchheit and I take a leisurely bike ride around Cape Girardeau in the dead of night (which in case you didn't know, is between 8-10pm). There's just something about riding during the night that is more fun than riding during the daylight. Also riding with a friend is much more fun than riding solo. I recommend it.
6. Writing with Bobby Dianora.
Rob D and I wrote a spec script of the Office for a writing competition. It was fun writing with someone who is almost as competent a writer as I am (just kidding... not really though. But seriously, Rob's a good writer. But seriously, I'm better). It was also nice to know that I actually can write an entire episode of a TV show (with help), since that's kind of what I want to do for a living.
5. Buying an Electric Guitar.
I have an electric guitar. His name is Claude Teschreddes. Pete and Kaylen are his godparents. He is currently a very a quiet lad, because I have yet to buy an amp for him. One day he will find his voice and on that day, the world will be rocked.
4. Return of Food Night.
Toward the end of the summer, Food Night came back with a vengeance. We've been batting 1000 since we started cooking again, and by only having a food night every couple of weeks or so, we're not getting tired of them. Hopefully this trend continues.
3. The Magicians.
I read this book called the Magicians. It was amazing. It was like Harry Potter if Harry Potter wasn't for kids. Actually, I don't think that's really a fair assessment. Lev Grossman, the author of the Magicians, wrote a book about what would happen if magic existed in the real world. The world we live in. JK Rowling wrote books about what would happen if magic existed in a world where fantasy novels didn't exist. JK Rowling didn't have a lot of rules for her world, and those that she had, she usually ignored when convenient. Lev Grossman had rules in his world. He had real people in his world. People that had to face the burden and ethical implications of near omnipotence. It's an amazing book. Anyone who's a fan of fantasy or good books in general should read this book.
2. Movies.
I saw a lot of good movies this summer. To name a few; The Brother's Bloom, 500 Days of Summer, Away We Go, GI Joe (Yes, it was good. Deal with it) and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Every time I see a movie like this, it makes me realize how much I love making movies, and how much I miss that process.
1. St. Louis.
I spent a lot of time in St. Louis this summer. I am, by my own choosing, underemployed. For the majority of the summer I was working twice a week and since I had so much free time, I spent significant amounts of time hanging out with my friends and family in St. Louis. Specifically, hanging out with Pete, Kaylen, Steve, Mary and their friends was hella fun. St. Louis is a fun city to visit and has many restaurants that I would eat at all the time if I lived there. The City Museum is an incredible place to visit, as is the Zoo and the Brewery. Yup. St. Louis roolz.
So yeah. That's my list. If I forgot anything that was awesome that I did this summer, let me know.
10. Race for the Galaxy
Matthew bought this game on a whim, and it quickly became our favorite game of the summer. Well it was my favorite game of the summer. It's super complicated when you're first learning to play, but tons of fun and with loads of replayability, it's a great little game.
9. The 48 Hour Film Festival
Although I haven't spoken about it much on here, I participated in the 48 Hour Film Project with some of my classmates from the film department. The movie we made sucked a lot, but it was a lot of fun to make, and it lead to me reconnecting with Brian Mayer, who graduated last year and was my greatest ally in the filmmaking process. I also worked with him briefly on his project Chester's Tales.
8. Reading. Lots.
I read more this summer than I probably did in the totality of my college career. Sadly, that is not much of an exaggeration. I read the last 3 Harry Potter Books (which I may have mentioned once or twice on this blog), 2 Chuck Klosterman Books, 2 Lev Grossman Books (more on this guy later), American Gods and a whole bunch of Trade Paperbacks (This isn't a pretentious way of saying comic book, by the way. A comic book would be a single issue, a trade paper is a collection of a run of issues in a single volume). Reading. It's not for breakfast any more.
7. Night Riding.
This is one of the few other things I've mentioned on this site before, but in case you missed it, usually Matt Buchheit and I take a leisurely bike ride around Cape Girardeau in the dead of night (which in case you didn't know, is between 8-10pm). There's just something about riding during the night that is more fun than riding during the daylight. Also riding with a friend is much more fun than riding solo. I recommend it.
6. Writing with Bobby Dianora.
Rob D and I wrote a spec script of the Office for a writing competition. It was fun writing with someone who is almost as competent a writer as I am (just kidding... not really though. But seriously, Rob's a good writer. But seriously, I'm better). It was also nice to know that I actually can write an entire episode of a TV show (with help), since that's kind of what I want to do for a living.
5. Buying an Electric Guitar.
I have an electric guitar. His name is Claude Teschreddes. Pete and Kaylen are his godparents. He is currently a very a quiet lad, because I have yet to buy an amp for him. One day he will find his voice and on that day, the world will be rocked.
4. Return of Food Night.
Toward the end of the summer, Food Night came back with a vengeance. We've been batting 1000 since we started cooking again, and by only having a food night every couple of weeks or so, we're not getting tired of them. Hopefully this trend continues.
3. The Magicians.
I read this book called the Magicians. It was amazing. It was like Harry Potter if Harry Potter wasn't for kids. Actually, I don't think that's really a fair assessment. Lev Grossman, the author of the Magicians, wrote a book about what would happen if magic existed in the real world. The world we live in. JK Rowling wrote books about what would happen if magic existed in a world where fantasy novels didn't exist. JK Rowling didn't have a lot of rules for her world, and those that she had, she usually ignored when convenient. Lev Grossman had rules in his world. He had real people in his world. People that had to face the burden and ethical implications of near omnipotence. It's an amazing book. Anyone who's a fan of fantasy or good books in general should read this book.
2. Movies.
I saw a lot of good movies this summer. To name a few; The Brother's Bloom, 500 Days of Summer, Away We Go, GI Joe (Yes, it was good. Deal with it) and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Every time I see a movie like this, it makes me realize how much I love making movies, and how much I miss that process.
1. St. Louis.
I spent a lot of time in St. Louis this summer. I am, by my own choosing, underemployed. For the majority of the summer I was working twice a week and since I had so much free time, I spent significant amounts of time hanging out with my friends and family in St. Louis. Specifically, hanging out with Pete, Kaylen, Steve, Mary and their friends was hella fun. St. Louis is a fun city to visit and has many restaurants that I would eat at all the time if I lived there. The City Museum is an incredible place to visit, as is the Zoo and the Brewery. Yup. St. Louis roolz.
So yeah. That's my list. If I forgot anything that was awesome that I did this summer, let me know.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
5 Movies
I've seen 5 movies in the last 7 days. Not quite as impressive a feat as what my good friend Pete is trying to accomplish, but Pete is a far more ambitious, and let's face it, better, man than I.
Tuesday, August 4: "Five Hundred Days of Summer"
I was super excited to see this movie, mostly because of the leads; Mr. Jo Go Lev and Zooey "the Face Crusher" Deschanel. Ever since my first viewing of Brick (which was followed by what can only be described as the most epic running through an alleyway I've ever participated in), I've been securely nestled in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt camp. He is an incredibly gifted actor and can elevate the credibilty of a movie just by being in it (more on this later). Zooey Deschanel is pretty amazing too for the obvious reasons. Anyway, the movie... yeah. It was good. I imagine a lot of reviewers use the word quirky when describing this film, they would not be wrong. Long story short, I liked this movie, but not as much as I thought I would. It made me like Zooey Deschanel less, because her character is such a... I really don't know how to describe her. She's not evil. She's just sort of mean, but not on purpose, or not really maliciously. Anyway. Good flick.
Wednesday August 5: "Knocked Up"
People kept telling me to see this movie. They said it was Judd Apatow's best movie. That it was really good. After seeing it, I've decided that I don't really like Judd Apatow much. I really like Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, so I enjoyed the movie, but I felt it was a case of putting funny people in front of a camera and hitting record.
Thursday August 6: "Funny People"
I was not bored during this movie because, again, Seth Rogen is a funny man, but this was a bloated, long, self-indulgent film that seemed more about name-dropping and showcasing the "dramatic range" of Adam Sandler than having a particularly interesting or entertaining story.
Sunday August 9: "GI JOE"
This movie was much better than it had any right to be. It was a really decent action movie. Do not believe the trailer. It is not about robot suits. It is about Jospeh Fucking-Gordon-Fucking-Levitt (-Fucking). That's right. Jo Go Lev is in GI Joe. You know who else is? Jonathan Price (that actually used to mean something at some point I'm sure, but now having J-Price in your movie is almost like having Jon Voight in your movie, but slightly better). Anyway, this movie is all about the bad guys. Sienna Miller is totally hot the entire time. Storm Shadow is totally a bad-ass the entire time and Christopher Eccleston is totally Scottish the entire time. They kind of steal this movie away from that Stockard Channing dude (who isn't that bad, even though he is totally a dude).
Tuesday August 11: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
This movie is still good. I've seen it three times. I really like watching this cast work. It is just a ridiculously talented group of people, and I'm super excited to see what Bill Nighy brings to the table in the next installment (Prediction: A whole heaping helping of kicking your ass in the face).
Tuesday, August 4: "Five Hundred Days of Summer"
I was super excited to see this movie, mostly because of the leads; Mr. Jo Go Lev and Zooey "the Face Crusher" Deschanel. Ever since my first viewing of Brick (which was followed by what can only be described as the most epic running through an alleyway I've ever participated in), I've been securely nestled in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt camp. He is an incredibly gifted actor and can elevate the credibilty of a movie just by being in it (more on this later). Zooey Deschanel is pretty amazing too for the obvious reasons. Anyway, the movie... yeah. It was good. I imagine a lot of reviewers use the word quirky when describing this film, they would not be wrong. Long story short, I liked this movie, but not as much as I thought I would. It made me like Zooey Deschanel less, because her character is such a... I really don't know how to describe her. She's not evil. She's just sort of mean, but not on purpose, or not really maliciously. Anyway. Good flick.
Wednesday August 5: "Knocked Up"
People kept telling me to see this movie. They said it was Judd Apatow's best movie. That it was really good. After seeing it, I've decided that I don't really like Judd Apatow much. I really like Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, so I enjoyed the movie, but I felt it was a case of putting funny people in front of a camera and hitting record.
Thursday August 6: "Funny People"
I was not bored during this movie because, again, Seth Rogen is a funny man, but this was a bloated, long, self-indulgent film that seemed more about name-dropping and showcasing the "dramatic range" of Adam Sandler than having a particularly interesting or entertaining story.
Sunday August 9: "GI JOE"
This movie was much better than it had any right to be. It was a really decent action movie. Do not believe the trailer. It is not about robot suits. It is about Jospeh Fucking-Gordon-Fucking-Levitt (-Fucking). That's right. Jo Go Lev is in GI Joe. You know who else is? Jonathan Price (that actually used to mean something at some point I'm sure, but now having J-Price in your movie is almost like having Jon Voight in your movie, but slightly better). Anyway, this movie is all about the bad guys. Sienna Miller is totally hot the entire time. Storm Shadow is totally a bad-ass the entire time and Christopher Eccleston is totally Scottish the entire time. They kind of steal this movie away from that Stockard Channing dude (who isn't that bad, even though he is totally a dude).
Tuesday August 11: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
This movie is still good. I've seen it three times. I really like watching this cast work. It is just a ridiculously talented group of people, and I'm super excited to see what Bill Nighy brings to the table in the next installment (Prediction: A whole heaping helping of kicking your ass in the face).
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Potterwatch 2009
I finished book 7 last night. It was the second time I had read the book and there were a lot of things that I had forgotten from my initial read, which happened 2 years ago, in about 14 hours.
I was pretty hard on Deathly Hallows after I first read it. I was pretty angry at the ending, and the way Mrs. Rowling handled a lot of the exposition. I'm still not thrilled by either, but I didn't hate the book as much the second time. One thing that bothered me greatly was how passively the plot moves for the first half of the book. Until about halfway through the book, we are subjected to a plodding, slow moving slog of a plot. Everything that happens to Harry and co. is because of something they happened to overhear, or something they guessed about and got lucky enough to get right. It sort of feels like they are treading water until they are, inexplicably, tossed a bone by the writer, at which point the plot sort of ambles forward, then halts again. This kind of writing bothers me. I dont' think it's necessarily bad, I just don't care for it. I like my protagonists to know what's going on, and if they don't know, then they at least should have the good sense to be entertainingly flustered. That being said, there are a lot of really cool scenes in Deathly Hallows. I just wish they were as tautly paced at the beginning of the book as at the end.
I understand why it has to move slow, mind you. Voldemort's regime change, to have any sense of legitimacy, has to move slowly. So that's why they spend weeks in Grimmauld Place and months in the tent. This gives some crediblity to a secret coup that happens within the magical world.
The info dump at the end of the book is going to be somewhat problematic when it comes to adapting this book into a movie. There are pretty much three straight chapters of exposition at the end of the book, all fairly interesting exposition, some of which we've been waiting for since Sorceror's Stone, but yeah... that's going to be tough. Also, Harry's speech to Voldemort at the end is pretty much bull shit. The revelation that Draco Malfoy was the true "owner" of the Deathstick, pretty much completely diffuses the tension of the scene by making it a Scooby Doo moment. Really all of the wand nonsense in Book 7 is a bit troublesome. I suppose that wandlore is a fairly niche branch of magic and it probably wouldn't be covered much in Harry's previous magical education, but still, for a concept that is so important to the events of book 7, and is apparently a somewhat basic concept of wands, it seems like poor planning to have never mentioned it until this book.
I've said it before, and I shall probably continue to say it every time I talk about this book, but the fact that Aberforth is first introduced in book 7, even though he's apparently been in Hogsmeade for the duration of Harry's education is beyond ridiculous. Surely someone would've known of Aberforth's connection to Dumbledore and at least mentioned it at some point during Harry's 6 previous years at Hogwarts.
Anyway, I liked Deathly Hallows much more this time than my first time, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Steve Kloves does with the source material.
Scenes I'm most looking forward to:
1. Graveyard in Godric's Hallow (They better not be polyjuiced during this sequence. This could be a real tearjerker of a scene if we get to see the kids, and not some actors we have no connection to).
2. Xeno's House (The desperation and sadness in Xeno's betrayal of Harry could be another extremely potent scene if handled with the kind of subtlety and emotion that these filmmakers demonstrated so ably in HBP).
3. Gringotts Break-in (Goblins! Dragons! Action! Burning Treasure!)
4. Battle of Hogwarts (No explanation necessary)
5. Dobby's death (Probably the most heartless killing in an entire book or heartless killing).
Things they need to change from the book for the movie not to suck:
1. The fact that Harry and Co. are either polyjuiced or under the invisibility cloak in every scene.
2. Ron and Hermione's kiss. ( I am of the opinion that Ron should sack up, and put the snog on Hermione and not the other way round).
3. Wand nonsense.
4. Harry's ridiculous speech to Voldemort.
Anyway, I'll try to go easy on the Potter posts for a while. I'm pretty sure when Deathly Hallows part 2 comes out, I'll re-read the whole series and have all kinds of new insights (but more likely, I'll just make the same observations I've made previously and act like they're new).
I was pretty hard on Deathly Hallows after I first read it. I was pretty angry at the ending, and the way Mrs. Rowling handled a lot of the exposition. I'm still not thrilled by either, but I didn't hate the book as much the second time. One thing that bothered me greatly was how passively the plot moves for the first half of the book. Until about halfway through the book, we are subjected to a plodding, slow moving slog of a plot. Everything that happens to Harry and co. is because of something they happened to overhear, or something they guessed about and got lucky enough to get right. It sort of feels like they are treading water until they are, inexplicably, tossed a bone by the writer, at which point the plot sort of ambles forward, then halts again. This kind of writing bothers me. I dont' think it's necessarily bad, I just don't care for it. I like my protagonists to know what's going on, and if they don't know, then they at least should have the good sense to be entertainingly flustered. That being said, there are a lot of really cool scenes in Deathly Hallows. I just wish they were as tautly paced at the beginning of the book as at the end.
I understand why it has to move slow, mind you. Voldemort's regime change, to have any sense of legitimacy, has to move slowly. So that's why they spend weeks in Grimmauld Place and months in the tent. This gives some crediblity to a secret coup that happens within the magical world.
The info dump at the end of the book is going to be somewhat problematic when it comes to adapting this book into a movie. There are pretty much three straight chapters of exposition at the end of the book, all fairly interesting exposition, some of which we've been waiting for since Sorceror's Stone, but yeah... that's going to be tough. Also, Harry's speech to Voldemort at the end is pretty much bull shit. The revelation that Draco Malfoy was the true "owner" of the Deathstick, pretty much completely diffuses the tension of the scene by making it a Scooby Doo moment. Really all of the wand nonsense in Book 7 is a bit troublesome. I suppose that wandlore is a fairly niche branch of magic and it probably wouldn't be covered much in Harry's previous magical education, but still, for a concept that is so important to the events of book 7, and is apparently a somewhat basic concept of wands, it seems like poor planning to have never mentioned it until this book.
I've said it before, and I shall probably continue to say it every time I talk about this book, but the fact that Aberforth is first introduced in book 7, even though he's apparently been in Hogsmeade for the duration of Harry's education is beyond ridiculous. Surely someone would've known of Aberforth's connection to Dumbledore and at least mentioned it at some point during Harry's 6 previous years at Hogwarts.
Anyway, I liked Deathly Hallows much more this time than my first time, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Steve Kloves does with the source material.
Scenes I'm most looking forward to:
1. Graveyard in Godric's Hallow (They better not be polyjuiced during this sequence. This could be a real tearjerker of a scene if we get to see the kids, and not some actors we have no connection to).
2. Xeno's House (The desperation and sadness in Xeno's betrayal of Harry could be another extremely potent scene if handled with the kind of subtlety and emotion that these filmmakers demonstrated so ably in HBP).
3. Gringotts Break-in (Goblins! Dragons! Action! Burning Treasure!)
4. Battle of Hogwarts (No explanation necessary)
5. Dobby's death (Probably the most heartless killing in an entire book or heartless killing).
Things they need to change from the book for the movie not to suck:
1. The fact that Harry and Co. are either polyjuiced or under the invisibility cloak in every scene.
2. Ron and Hermione's kiss. ( I am of the opinion that Ron should sack up, and put the snog on Hermione and not the other way round).
3. Wand nonsense.
4. Harry's ridiculous speech to Voldemort.
Anyway, I'll try to go easy on the Potter posts for a while. I'm pretty sure when Deathly Hallows part 2 comes out, I'll re-read the whole series and have all kinds of new insights (but more likely, I'll just make the same observations I've made previously and act like they're new).
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Night Riding
Bucket and I have been doing some night time bike riding lately. It's been fun. It kind of makes me want to do the moonlight ramble this year. I probably won't, but it would be fun.
I'm currently watching/listening to Kevin Smith's panel from Comic-Con. I may not enjoy his movies as much as I used to, but the man can work a crowd. He is a funny, funny man.
Ok, enough about things that aren't Harry Potter.
I'm reading Book 7 and am about halfway through it. I think the thing that I find so frustrating about this book is that there are a lot of good things in this book. There are a lot of really cool, really poignant scenes. Unfortunately, they are linked together by a lot of filler. One thing that occurred to me while reading is that the storyline of this book is the kind of thing that is usually covered in an entire series. The collection and destruction of four magical objects would usually take a multipart story cycle to accomplish. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to say about this when I'm done with the book.
I'm currently watching/listening to Kevin Smith's panel from Comic-Con. I may not enjoy his movies as much as I used to, but the man can work a crowd. He is a funny, funny man.
Ok, enough about things that aren't Harry Potter.
I'm reading Book 7 and am about halfway through it. I think the thing that I find so frustrating about this book is that there are a lot of good things in this book. There are a lot of really cool, really poignant scenes. Unfortunately, they are linked together by a lot of filler. One thing that occurred to me while reading is that the storyline of this book is the kind of thing that is usually covered in an entire series. The collection and destruction of four magical objects would usually take a multipart story cycle to accomplish. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to say about this when I'm done with the book.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Ending another post with again, again.
It's 1:25 in the morning and Albus Dumbledore is still dead.
I finished book 6 a few minutes ago and here are some things I noticed:
Book six IS mostly fluff. There isn't a lot happening. It's a book about treading water. So all you bitches who is like "The movie skips all the cool parts of book 6," need to shut the s up. They hit all the high points of the book (and hit them with more skill and subtlety than the book does), and then some. Ok, the Death Eaters fighting the Order as they run out of Hogwarts would've been pretty cool to see, but we got a lot of that in the last movie, and we're going to get a lot of that in the next two movies, so if David Yates wants to have a movie end without a big wizard throwdown, than I'll allow it.
The thing that struck me the most while reading this, is how much I like Dumbledore as a character. He is a little too lenient with Harry, but he does hush him up occasionally, and anyone who puts a hush on Harry Potter is ok in my book (that book being "Harry Potter Needs to Shut his Fucking Mouth: The Sass-Enders). Dumbledore is a great character with so much depth and nuance. I was sort of sad when he died again. I don't like his line about feeling safe around Harry Potter, who is, let's face it, a pretty horrible Wizard. I think the end of the book seems a little rushed, but really the whole book is fairly quick; about halfway through the book they're in March. The funeral lasts about 4 pages, and is fairly lame and even though it would be entirely appropriate to mention it, no one mentions that Dumbledore's brother is the owner of the Hogs Head (the two things that bother me most about the Harry Potter Books are the fact that Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the whatever whatever has a little brother that runs a bar next to the school that Albus is headmaster of, and no one mentions this until book 7, and the fact that Harry has no grandparents. This lack of grandparents thing might seem trivial and nitpicky, but when you do the math on how old everyone was when Harry's parents croaked, something doesn't add up. I'll probably do this math again when I reread book 7 and share it with you then, I'm sure you can't wait).
I'm really not looking forward to reading Book 7. Mostly because I remember it being a terribly unsatisfying book, but also because it means saying goodbye to this world, as poorly written as it sometimes is, all over again. I still don't know why I love these books so much. I think the English Boarding school aspect might have something to do with it. I could take or leave the magic, as it seems sort of trivial and inconsistent, as well as not really that important to the plot. Anyway, I'll let you know when I finish book 7.
I finished book 6 a few minutes ago and here are some things I noticed:
Book six IS mostly fluff. There isn't a lot happening. It's a book about treading water. So all you bitches who is like "The movie skips all the cool parts of book 6," need to shut the s up. They hit all the high points of the book (and hit them with more skill and subtlety than the book does), and then some. Ok, the Death Eaters fighting the Order as they run out of Hogwarts would've been pretty cool to see, but we got a lot of that in the last movie, and we're going to get a lot of that in the next two movies, so if David Yates wants to have a movie end without a big wizard throwdown, than I'll allow it.
The thing that struck me the most while reading this, is how much I like Dumbledore as a character. He is a little too lenient with Harry, but he does hush him up occasionally, and anyone who puts a hush on Harry Potter is ok in my book (that book being "Harry Potter Needs to Shut his Fucking Mouth: The Sass-Enders). Dumbledore is a great character with so much depth and nuance. I was sort of sad when he died again. I don't like his line about feeling safe around Harry Potter, who is, let's face it, a pretty horrible Wizard. I think the end of the book seems a little rushed, but really the whole book is fairly quick; about halfway through the book they're in March. The funeral lasts about 4 pages, and is fairly lame and even though it would be entirely appropriate to mention it, no one mentions that Dumbledore's brother is the owner of the Hogs Head (the two things that bother me most about the Harry Potter Books are the fact that Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the whatever whatever has a little brother that runs a bar next to the school that Albus is headmaster of, and no one mentions this until book 7, and the fact that Harry has no grandparents. This lack of grandparents thing might seem trivial and nitpicky, but when you do the math on how old everyone was when Harry's parents croaked, something doesn't add up. I'll probably do this math again when I reread book 7 and share it with you then, I'm sure you can't wait).
I'm really not looking forward to reading Book 7. Mostly because I remember it being a terribly unsatisfying book, but also because it means saying goodbye to this world, as poorly written as it sometimes is, all over again. I still don't know why I love these books so much. I think the English Boarding school aspect might have something to do with it. I could take or leave the magic, as it seems sort of trivial and inconsistent, as well as not really that important to the plot. Anyway, I'll let you know when I finish book 7.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Harry Potter, again.
About 2 years ago, I read Harry Potter books 1,2,3,4,6 and 7. I read 7 because it had just came out and I read 6 so I would remember what happened right before book 7, then I read books 1-4 because I hadn't read them in a while. Now, because the 6th movie just came out and because it's summer (which is the season during which I read Harry Potter books, since I pretty much just keep living the same year of my life over and over again), I'm rereading books 5-7. I hadn't read 5 in a while, and for good reason. It is by far her worst book. For some reason, the first 200 or so pages seem incredibly familiar to me, as if I had read then dozens of times before. I'm not sure why this is, because I've probably only read book 5 four or five times. Anyway, book five is a slog until you get to about page 400 or something. Then it becomes interesting, sort of.
Most of the events of the book worth mentioning are handled much better in the film adaptation. I think this is because Steve Kloves realized that if he actually put the majority of the words JK Rowling put in the mouths of her teenagers on screen, the only people who would like these movies are the kinds of people who watch reruns of Full House and think they are watching the height of comedic writing. That being said, Rowling is capable of writing some transcendently funny bits of dialogue, but most of the time, her characters speak in mid 90's sitcom cliches (or chant and sing in large groups, which, as we all know, is typical teenager behavior).
Things I noticed upon rereading Book 5 (which I hadn't read since before Deathly Hallows came out mind you):
1. It is hinted at ever so slightly that Dumbledore's brother lives in Hogsmeade (the reference is made in passing and seems almost like a non sequiter).
2. Also hinted at: Harry's inexplicable love for Ginny Weasley. This is another reference that is buried under pages and pages of unrelated information, then all of a sudden Harry notices something about Ginny. Then completely ignores her for the rest of the book. (I seem to recall finding Ginny and Harry's relationship a bit forced, maybe when I reread book 6 it will seem more natural, but I doubt it).
3. Harry is still a complete jackass when it comes to Snape. After seeing his father torment Snape, and after Snape alerted the Order of the Phoenix to the trouble at the ministry, Harry still hates him, for no reason. At some point Harry even says (well the narrator tells us what Harry is thinking) that he will never ever forgive Snape for getting Sirius killed.
4. RETCON: Harry rides on the "horseless carraiges" at the end of book 4. He would've seen the thestrals then, as he had seen Cedric kick off a few days prior. Yet, when he sees them in book 5 he's totally like "What the shit is this shit? Dragon Horses? Cock that!".
5. Harry keeps talking about how Voldemort killed Cedric. The entire book he's like "Voldemort killed Cedric!" or "That reminds me of that one time when I was in a graveyard and VOLDEMORT KILLED CEDRIC!", but Voldemort didn't actually kill Cedric. Peter Pettigrew did. Granted he killed Cedric on Voldy's orders, but still, I think a disctinction should've been made.
6. Harry never blames himself enough for his Godfather's death. The reapprence of the two way mirror at the end of the book acts as a reminder of A. Harry Potter's need to act like a Hero at all times and B. JK Rowling inventing objects and plot devices and then forgetting about them until it's too late for characters to use them properly, then covering the slip up by having the character comment on the fact that they really could've used that item if only they would've remembered about it earlier, Oh well, how about those wands?
7. The lack of Slytherins in Dumbledore's Amry, and really the lack of any Slytherins with any redeeming qualities whatsoever just reinforce the important lesson that, some people are just evil and it's ok to judge people based on who they associate with. First impressions are almost always the most accurate.
8. The one character who actually calls Harry out on his douchebagginess is the portrait of Sirius's Great, Great, Grandfather. Of course we can't believe anything he says because he's a Slytherin, and they are all pig rapists and cow stabbers. So because he says Harry shouldn't be acting like such a douche, it means that Harry tottally should act like a douche. Fucking Slytherins. They should all be drowned in a sack. Every one of them.
So all and all, book five is probably the most frustrating read of all the Harry Potter books. It's long, tedious at times, and Harry is at his most angsty. Next stop, book six.
Most of the events of the book worth mentioning are handled much better in the film adaptation. I think this is because Steve Kloves realized that if he actually put the majority of the words JK Rowling put in the mouths of her teenagers on screen, the only people who would like these movies are the kinds of people who watch reruns of Full House and think they are watching the height of comedic writing. That being said, Rowling is capable of writing some transcendently funny bits of dialogue, but most of the time, her characters speak in mid 90's sitcom cliches (or chant and sing in large groups, which, as we all know, is typical teenager behavior).
Things I noticed upon rereading Book 5 (which I hadn't read since before Deathly Hallows came out mind you):
1. It is hinted at ever so slightly that Dumbledore's brother lives in Hogsmeade (the reference is made in passing and seems almost like a non sequiter).
2. Also hinted at: Harry's inexplicable love for Ginny Weasley. This is another reference that is buried under pages and pages of unrelated information, then all of a sudden Harry notices something about Ginny. Then completely ignores her for the rest of the book. (I seem to recall finding Ginny and Harry's relationship a bit forced, maybe when I reread book 6 it will seem more natural, but I doubt it).
3. Harry is still a complete jackass when it comes to Snape. After seeing his father torment Snape, and after Snape alerted the Order of the Phoenix to the trouble at the ministry, Harry still hates him, for no reason. At some point Harry even says (well the narrator tells us what Harry is thinking) that he will never ever forgive Snape for getting Sirius killed.
4. RETCON: Harry rides on the "horseless carraiges" at the end of book 4. He would've seen the thestrals then, as he had seen Cedric kick off a few days prior. Yet, when he sees them in book 5 he's totally like "What the shit is this shit? Dragon Horses? Cock that!".
5. Harry keeps talking about how Voldemort killed Cedric. The entire book he's like "Voldemort killed Cedric!" or "That reminds me of that one time when I was in a graveyard and VOLDEMORT KILLED CEDRIC!", but Voldemort didn't actually kill Cedric. Peter Pettigrew did. Granted he killed Cedric on Voldy's orders, but still, I think a disctinction should've been made.
6. Harry never blames himself enough for his Godfather's death. The reapprence of the two way mirror at the end of the book acts as a reminder of A. Harry Potter's need to act like a Hero at all times and B. JK Rowling inventing objects and plot devices and then forgetting about them until it's too late for characters to use them properly, then covering the slip up by having the character comment on the fact that they really could've used that item if only they would've remembered about it earlier, Oh well, how about those wands?
7. The lack of Slytherins in Dumbledore's Amry, and really the lack of any Slytherins with any redeeming qualities whatsoever just reinforce the important lesson that, some people are just evil and it's ok to judge people based on who they associate with. First impressions are almost always the most accurate.
8. The one character who actually calls Harry out on his douchebagginess is the portrait of Sirius's Great, Great, Grandfather. Of course we can't believe anything he says because he's a Slytherin, and they are all pig rapists and cow stabbers. So because he says Harry shouldn't be acting like such a douche, it means that Harry tottally should act like a douche. Fucking Slytherins. They should all be drowned in a sack. Every one of them.
So all and all, book five is probably the most frustrating read of all the Harry Potter books. It's long, tedious at times, and Harry is at his most angsty. Next stop, book six.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Watching Firefly Again
Joss Whedon makes me angry. I don't know when this started, but for some reason whenever I watch/read something that Joss Whedon wrote, I'm just irritated beyond words. I think my problem is, and I'm just guessing, is that it seems like he writes scenes that look cool or are funny, but don't really make a lot of sense in the context of the reality of the show. For example, in the first episode of Firefly, there's a scene where The Prostitute is giving herself a sponge bath, which is sort of hot, I guess, then Shepherd Book knocks on her door, and though still half naked, The Prostitute tells whoever is knocking on the door to come on in. Why would she do this? Because it's cool to have half naked women in your TV show and it's funny and awkward to have religious figures exposed to half naked women. Of course this doesn't really make sense from a character standpoint, but it makes sense from a "I want people to think this show is awesome" standpoint. He does this kind of thing constantly. The entire episode of Jaynestown is like this. Also, he thinks he can write good music, but he can't, at least not in the context of the songs in Firefly.
Also, happy Fourth of July. Make sure you looks at some fireworks or Uncle Same won't come to your house at midnight and leave you some freedom in your favorite pair of pants.
Also, happy Fourth of July. Make sure you looks at some fireworks or Uncle Same won't come to your house at midnight and leave you some freedom in your favorite pair of pants.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Let's not make this awkward.
Ok. I know it's been like three months since I posted anything, but you know what? I was busy. I'm not going to apologize for it, because frankly, I think I was spending a little too much time with you anyway. I think we needed the break. But I'm back, for now, so let's just move on and get with the blogging.
I did absolutely nothing useful this week (oh look it's Matt being hyperbolic again, how original {Oh look it's Matt being self-aware again, how new and refreshing}). I feel like if this week of my life never happened, the world would be exactly the same as it is as a result of this week happening. I didn't even get any good naps in this week. I did do some serious coughing, and a little bit of writing, but other than that, I was an entirely useless human being. I usually come to these sorts of revelations on Friday nights, when I need to go to bed early, but can't because I'm not tired because I know I haven't done anything to earn tiredness, which is what is happening right now.
Suggestions to make future weeks more productive:
1. Go to the rec center more
2. Eat at home more
3. Write more
4. Read more
5. Work more hours
6. Spend less time on the computer
Though these things might not seem to be productive in and of themselves, they will certainly make me feel better, which will in turn help me sleep better on Friday nights.
Cape Public Library is awesome, but there are a lot of very uncomfortable chairs there. Just so you know.
I did absolutely nothing useful this week (oh look it's Matt being hyperbolic again, how original {Oh look it's Matt being self-aware again, how new and refreshing}). I feel like if this week of my life never happened, the world would be exactly the same as it is as a result of this week happening. I didn't even get any good naps in this week. I did do some serious coughing, and a little bit of writing, but other than that, I was an entirely useless human being. I usually come to these sorts of revelations on Friday nights, when I need to go to bed early, but can't because I'm not tired because I know I haven't done anything to earn tiredness, which is what is happening right now.
Suggestions to make future weeks more productive:
1. Go to the rec center more
2. Eat at home more
3. Write more
4. Read more
5. Work more hours
6. Spend less time on the computer
Though these things might not seem to be productive in and of themselves, they will certainly make me feel better, which will in turn help me sleep better on Friday nights.
Cape Public Library is awesome, but there are a lot of very uncomfortable chairs there. Just so you know.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Hazardous
After several failed attempts at making it the whole way through the past two days, I finally listened to Hazards of Love in its entirety today. You know how you feel when you read a really good book for the first time? There's a sense of accomplishment and finality coupled with the slight feeling of sadness that you'll never be able to experience that story for the first time ever again. That's how I felt after listening to Hazards of Love. Hazards will probably be remembered as the least accessible album in the Decemberists catalog (at least until they start doing noise rock covers of Motley Crue songs), but it is without a doubt their greatest sonical achievement to date. I'll admit, I have a tendency to fall in love with every new Decemberists album after I hear it once, then, after a month or two realize that Picaresque is still their best album, but there is something special about Hazards of Love.
The narrative of the record (that's right, this album has a narrative thread) is probably the most melodramtic tale ever featured in a Decemberists album. It's fairly complicated and, frankly, I'm not entirely sure what happens, but I do know this, everybody dies (well, maybe not the Queen, but I could've missed something).
The music is incredibly moving. Since it is a rock opera, there are really only about 10 distinct musical themes that are repeated and reprised over the course of the 17 tracks on the album, but the way they work together is extraordinary. There are no stand out singles on this album. Really there are no songs that would work outside the context of the album (The Rake song is probably the most likely candidate, but it's a tough sell). This is an album that demands to be heard in its entirety. This is an album that demands your attention.
The narrative of the record (that's right, this album has a narrative thread) is probably the most melodramtic tale ever featured in a Decemberists album. It's fairly complicated and, frankly, I'm not entirely sure what happens, but I do know this, everybody dies (well, maybe not the Queen, but I could've missed something).
The music is incredibly moving. Since it is a rock opera, there are really only about 10 distinct musical themes that are repeated and reprised over the course of the 17 tracks on the album, but the way they work together is extraordinary. There are no stand out singles on this album. Really there are no songs that would work outside the context of the album (The Rake song is probably the most likely candidate, but it's a tough sell). This is an album that demands to be heard in its entirety. This is an album that demands your attention.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Steve and Mary's Wedding; or Pete Wissinger Almost Ruins Everything
Steve and Mary got married yesterday. The ceremony was small, intimate and very nice. The reception was tasteful and fun. All and all, it was almost a perfect wedding... except for one thing: Pete Wissinger. Whether or not it was a conscious decision, I will never know, but for some reason, Pete Wissinger seemed determined to ruin the magic of Steve and Mary's special day.
It all started with his suit, the coat of which, conspicuously did not match his vest. If that wasn't enough, Pete's coat continued to distract with the all buttons vs. one button fiasco, that raged up until the beginning of the ceremony. During the ceremony, Pete didn't cause too much of a problem, but not for want of trying. His constant standing next to Steve and beard having, was a desperate if not effective plea for attention, the audacity of which was matched only by his loud and vulgar slamming of the ring box during the presentation of the rings.
Having nearly ruined the magic of the wedding ceremony, one would think that Pete would be satisfied, but they would be thinking incorrectly. Pete's campaign to spoil what would otherwise be the happiest day of Steve and Mary's young life together was taken to the next level once the reception began. His "toast" was neither lengthy nor in verse form (unless you count blank, which I can safely say, I don't). Then, for the happy couple's first dance, Pete "couldn't get the sound system to work properly". Of course, Pete's selfish, petty behavior was topped off by his flagrant vest flaunting. Not only was his vest quite dapper, but it also had more buttons on it than Steve's entire ensemble for the evening, breaking the cardinal room of best man attire (that rule being: The best man should have fewer buttons on his person than the groom at all times {not just at the ceremony, but for the rest of their lives}). Of course, Steve took all of Pete's chicanery in stride, as he has for most of their lives together, and by the time I left the reception last night, the brothers were still on speaking terms.
In all seriousness though, it was a really great wedding. Also, in all seriousness, Pete Wissinger is kind of a dick.
It all started with his suit, the coat of which, conspicuously did not match his vest. If that wasn't enough, Pete's coat continued to distract with the all buttons vs. one button fiasco, that raged up until the beginning of the ceremony. During the ceremony, Pete didn't cause too much of a problem, but not for want of trying. His constant standing next to Steve and beard having, was a desperate if not effective plea for attention, the audacity of which was matched only by his loud and vulgar slamming of the ring box during the presentation of the rings.
Having nearly ruined the magic of the wedding ceremony, one would think that Pete would be satisfied, but they would be thinking incorrectly. Pete's campaign to spoil what would otherwise be the happiest day of Steve and Mary's young life together was taken to the next level once the reception began. His "toast" was neither lengthy nor in verse form (unless you count blank, which I can safely say, I don't). Then, for the happy couple's first dance, Pete "couldn't get the sound system to work properly". Of course, Pete's selfish, petty behavior was topped off by his flagrant vest flaunting. Not only was his vest quite dapper, but it also had more buttons on it than Steve's entire ensemble for the evening, breaking the cardinal room of best man attire (that rule being: The best man should have fewer buttons on his person than the groom at all times {not just at the ceremony, but for the rest of their lives}). Of course, Steve took all of Pete's chicanery in stride, as he has for most of their lives together, and by the time I left the reception last night, the brothers were still on speaking terms.
In all seriousness though, it was a really great wedding. Also, in all seriousness, Pete Wissinger is kind of a dick.
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