i've been running around trying to see a bunch of movies before the Mooscar ceremonies , but its seems that the theatre chains here are trying to phase out the early matinees . this is my personal fav tie to see a movie so hopefully that will change. when showtimes didnt agree with my schedul i did manage to see a couple new on dvd..................
GrindHouse Presents Death Proof and Planet Terror - in perhaps the dumbest releasing strategy ever , come two retro drive in movies from quentin tarantino and robert rodriguez . they released this 4+ hour double bill in the theatres , yet release them separately on dvd....dumb dumb dumb . that aside , these are two pretty cool movies that are a lot of fun to watch . they have all the campiness you'd expect but with a clever modern spin that does not mock the genre , but celebrates it . theres everything you'd expect . guns , fast cars , buxom broads , 'splosions , unfortunate film splices and even kurt russsell ! a great night out at the movies . dont forget to crank up the volume . there are cools tunes abound . cool website too . check it out
Amazing Grace - do you know an older woman who is dying for a good period piece ? this may be for them . its the story of William Wilberforce , who championed the abolition of slavery in england . its a good movie and has all the period costume and set details that you would ever need . its an interesting story too. especially how they finally bring about the end of slavery . though at times the movie gets a tad formulaic , you can get over that and anjoy it . after you see it you can then remind people that the hymn amazing grace is actually a anti-slavery protest song
3:10 to Yuma - this movie was advertised as the best western since 'Unforgiven' , but if you think about it , there really hasnt been that many westerns since then to compete with . thats not to say thast its a bad movie , its just that i wanted to see an excellent western and only saw a decent one with a silly ending . i'm not a huge fan of either christian bale or russell crowe , but i thought they were both pretty good in it . i think i was mainly bored by the story's pacing . that made it hard to buy crowe's character's sudden change of character at the end that just didnt make any sense at all . it still had its good bits , just not enough of them
Atonement - here's another period piece thats up for best film this year . this movie has a real twist to it that makes me have to be extra vague in this review about the story . its a twist that makes the whole movie work too . its set in 30s and 40s england and re-examines the life of a well to do family and a major event that tears them apart . its a lushly filmed story and is worth it just to gaze at how pretty keira knightly is . there is a lot here , the war scenes seemed to drag on for me (especially at dunkirk) , but that is a minor flaw and this is a really good movie you should check it out . woot ! i dont think i spoiled the ending either !
I'm Not There - this movie is F'ing awesome !! heres the premise.... christian bale , cate blanchett , marcus carl franklin , heath ledger & ben whishaw are all bob dylan . well there characters arent called bob dylan and though the people and places are ones that dylan knew , they arent really there . neither is dylan , but you cant escaope from the fact that dylan is still there in every frame . hes there in the music , though its not him , even though its him . does this make any sense ? go see it and you will all understand . sure you wont get every symbolic reference (i didnt) , but thats why we'll rent the dvd and watch the directors commentary after rewatching this really really really cool movie . do no miss this one
La Vie en Rose - do you think that you have it rough . were you raised in a brothel ? lived during a war ? lived on the streets ? edith piaf did and her story is quite a sad one . its an excellent acting performance by the lead actress , but quite a depressing reality that she recreates . this is not the feel good movie of the year but its a good movie . i'd only recommend it to older piaf fans and lovers of all things sad , so if that fits your bill , check it out .
Fido - imagine a world where the government has a whole country scared of an impending danger and has paid corporations to take the responsibility of protecting people . sound familiar ? well unfortunately this movie isnt about terrorism , not unless you think that terrorists are ZOMBIES !!!!! . this is a very funny movie about boy and his pet zombie and if you love a good zombie movie , add this to your list . even if you dont like horror films , check this one out . sure it has some ingestion of humans and people shooting the heads off of slowly charging zombies , but thats just all part of the fun ! what zombie movie doesnt have that ? a bad one ! this is a good one ! it'll make you laugh , so check it out
Persepolis - if it werent for ''I'm Not There' , this would be the best movie on this post and its a close close second . it will certainly be my choice for best animated Mooscar . its creatiuve , its moving , its fascinating and it wll teach you about a different side of life in iran . it follows the real life story of a yong girl in iran who must deal with a revolution , a war , freedom , releigion , bigotry of all kinds all before she turns 30 . its an extremely good movie that i hope a lot of people will get a chance to see . its also a refreshing change from the overly slick and dull story lines from the computer generators at pixar/disney et al . this movie hasnt forgotten that animation is about creativity and good story telling and not about the perfect tweaking of pixels . do not miss this one
an obscure couple of older movies crossed my path last week and once i started them i couldnt turn the channel . in case you havent seen them.........
Tempest - i love this film . the people i first saw it with hated it . its paul mazursky's retelling of shakespeare's 'the tempest" , set in the 1980s manhattan & greece . this is by no means an "80s movie" . no acid wash jeans here . instead its the story of an architect going thru a nervous breakdown , who deals with it by escaping to a remote greek island . along the way you get a very sexy susan sarandon , raul julia & his dancing goats , john cassavettes & gena rowland , some magical conjuring of storms , the longest tango ever and a young molly ringwald with no john hughes in sight . i love this movie
5 Corners - this is anothe littler subversive indy gem about life in a small neighbourhood in the bronx . written by john patrick shanley , the excellent cast includes jodie foster , tim robbins & john torturro early in their carreers , yet the all give amazing performances as they deal with the return old menace who has returned from jail . this movie has some very tough parts , but also has a lot of whimsical charm and i'm glad i got a chance to catch up with it . now where did i put that bow & arrow ?
God i must be tired . soooooo many typos and crappy wiriting , but i'm out of time and/or too tired to edit it that much . bear with it and you'll get the gist
Enjoy !!
it wasnt the snowdrifts that the weather 'experts' were warning us about , but what a pleasant surprise to wake up and see 3 inches on the ground . hopefully there wont be any driving issues when i have to go out later . in the meantime i will sausage until the snow melts a little...............
Penn & Teller - The Saw Trick - mannnnn that teller is an agile guy
You Gotta Try This - weird but you just cant control it
Lloyd Cole - Rattlesnakes - musical interlude
Homemade Solar Heater - do it for a few pennies too
100 Free University Lectures - free lecture podcasts from excellent schools
Cool Pics - lots of cool stuff
2008 Oscar Nominations - Into the Wild wasnt nominated for best film ?? *shakes head*
Electicker 2008 - an unbiased look at the good , the bad & the ugly of the campaigns for president
Numb - a cool animated short
Kent Rogowski's Stuffed Bears - inside & out
The Do's & Don'ts of Parenting - funny pics
The of Car of Tomorrow - by the great tex avery
The of Farm of Tomorrow
The of TV of Tomorrow
The of House of Tomorrow
The Mouse of Tomorrow
Got Post-Its ? - nifty new art form
Rollick.Org Attacked By Wasps !! - or was it Dinosaurs or was it just being Picketed
The Return of A Clockwork Orange - after 30 years of not being shown in britain , the great movie was finally rereleased in 2001
White & Nerdy - watch donny dance !!
Theres Something in the Water - a cool bit of animation
Potassium Chlorate and Gummy Bear - coooooooool
Drunk History - a drunk guy tells the tale of alexander hamilton and aaron burr lol
Its Fun to Stay at the.........
- hee hee
Enjoy !!
its another gorgeously sunny winter day outside . the kind where blues are more blue than you'd think possible . these are great days for walking , so i'll make these sausages quick...................
Googly Eyes - tired of watching what you eat ? now your food can watch you !
2007 Darwin Awards - this years best in natural selection
Opening a Beer Bottle with a Chain Saw - coooooool . i gotta try this
A Little Trip - take one step back , then another , then another then ................
Walking Hard - Smokin Reefers - this movie looks like it could be kinda funny
How to Write a Song - just take a bunch of photos , describe them and voila
Test Your Tiredness - this can be kinda depressing if you try it first thing in the morning before you have had some coffee
Rave Generator - whether you are nostalgic or curious about it , make your own rave (really slow to load) you could also create one using a Roland TR - 909 Simulator
April March - Chick Habit - musicla interlude *Chair Boogie*
The 30 Strangest Deaths in History - by beard ??? lol
80 Million Tiny Images - for 80 million words
Kung Fu Bunny 2 - nutty animation
Opentopia - random live webcams from all over the world
LOLCat Generator - now that this trend is nearing its end , in comes a generator so you can make your own
Stone & Stone Wheel - how marketers delayed industrilaization by hundreds of thousands of years
Urban Legend ER - medical myths video
Jeffrey Lewis - Anxiety Attack - unusual stop motion animation
Sacred Destinations - a cool site for finding religious sites from all over the world
Mr Deity - all their funny videos in one place
Smallville Fatal Attraction - funny trailer mashup
Psychedelic Doodling - look at all the purdy designs you made in this doodle app
I'm Your Brother - choosing someone to vote for can be hard lol
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes ! - watch the whole thing for some david bowie
Bill Maher - Religion & Politics & Rationalism - an interesting and funny video
Adolph Hitler - Dallas Cowboy Fan - funny video
A Colour Changing Card Trick - just how observant do you think you are ?
National Geographic Photo Tips - all kinds of nifty photo stuff here
All the Cool Dolphins Blows Smoke Rings - well actually its just water , but it is cool
Soccer Tornado - finally something intersting happened at a scoccer game
50 Top Atheist Quotes - a good collection of observations
Enjoy !!
i'm just going to do a quick posting today . after several dark & rainy days , i woke up to clear sunny skies and i want to go out and take advantage . here are some sausages.................
Zune Arts- a cool community arts project . all kinds of cool stuff in here . if you are in need of a quick musical interlude , check out the music section . lots of cool artists you may not have heard of before .
Jam Now - very interesting site . you can either watch musicians jam in real time or you can join in with others and do some jamming of your own .
Mike Huckabee congratulates Canadians - and its a nice igloo too ! lol *rolls eyes*
The Evolution of Art - this guy has traced his development over 25 years
Crochet - woolen oddities
Apology Form Letter - for when you just cant find the words
Trapped in the Closet - despite people laughing at how ridiculous it is , r kelly finishes his 22 part 'epic'
LOLCat Bible - 1 Oh hai. In teh beginnin Ceiling Cat maded teh skiez An da Urfs, but he did not eated dem.
Where They Stand on Science - what all the candidates for president positions are .
12 Nutty Old Ads - my how times have changed
The Best 19 Movies People Missed in 2007 - this is a good list . i am going to make sure i see the ones on this list that i havent yet
Pics That Look Like They Are Photshopped , But Aren't - cool things to try with your camera
The Best Photshop Tutorials - lots of cool photo editting tips
DIY Photo Lighting - cool lighting tricks & tips you can do yourself on the cheap
The Biggest Nuclear Blast in History - *BOOOOOOOM*
Scuba Cat ! - and yes there is a scuba dog too
Yellowtail - your app for when you want to make your doodling move
Macro Micro - cool mosaics with a message
Ascii Cat - a boogying coded animation
Stupid Answers on Jeopardy - What is a hoe ? lol
Could You Pass 8th Grade Science ? - sadly i just squeaked by with a C
Bill Gates Retirement Via David Letterman - there is not a more fitting tribute
Increases in the American National Debt - when it comes to spending , red goes up , blue goes down . so much for the tax and spend rhetoric
Historical Sounds on MP3 - famous excerpts from famous people and events
Plantage - a cool animated video by the folks who also made this nifty point & click game .
Alrighty , time to go play in the sunshine
Enjoy !!
its rainying , my bookmark tab is getting to cluttered and the power is flickering on and off , so i am gonna do some sausaging and sausage quicky . i've already lost one posting D'OH !.......................
Saturday - animated fun from saturday night live
TV
FunHouse
Flying Over Manhattan - cool flight of a paper airplane
Street Art of 2007 - there be cool stuff on the walls
Elcectoral Compass Candidate Picker - on this one i am for Obama
10 Obscure Google Search Tips - some you may know , some you may not know
Time's 50 best Websites of 2007 - i havent had the time to go thru this yet , but i'm sure you'll find something interesting
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM - HEYYYYY HEYYYYYYY (musical interlude)
Groucho - a cool biography of the great comedian
Chinese Dancer - no need to give her a hand *groan*
This Peanut Looks Like A Duck !! - and so do some others things
Clothes Peg Mini Gun - fun with projectiles
33 Weird Statues - cool art
Zombie Food Pyramid - cuz zombies needs to eat healthly too
Why Some People Are Calling For Impeachment - with the links to back it up
RadioHead - Scotch Mist - a new years performance of their latest cool album
How to Open an Envelope - awwwww and its organic too !
2,592 as of december 31st *sigh*
World Life Expectancy Map - where do you stand ?
For Sale : Yasgur's Farm - all the mud and all the memories could be yours for only $8 Million
Planets & Stars in Scale - cool visual comparison
IKEA Names - apparently its not some guy randomly picking odd sounding names out of a swedish dictionary . who knew ?
Times Square 360° - cool panaorama with sounds
Humourous Graffiti - lol paying for donuts
Right Place , Right Time - funny pics
Old Ads , Old Attitudes - how times have changed
MXC Top 25 Most Painful Eliminations - ya gotta love japanese game shows
Yayyyyyyy ! i finished without the power going out again !
Enjoy !
wow , its january already . its time for me to start getting to the theatres and check out the latest contenders for award season . so far i have to say that this has been an excellent year for film . i havent seen anything that really stinks and i have seen a lot of really excellent cinema...........................
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - brad pitt and casey affleck lead an very good cast in what is probably the most genuine telling of the jesse james story ever on film . this is not a fluff american west mythology piece . its grity and honest and very well done . it follows the james gang in the last months of jesse's life and its an interesting look at the life these guys led . you really get a sense of what life was like back then . this is a long film , but well worth checking out
Sicko - heeeeeeeee's back . much effort was made to villify michael moore when this movie was released . after seeing this film it seemed to me that it was more for politics and businessreasons than for the film itself . moore is a unique guy . sure he manipulates things in his movies , but it is never to outright lie . the american medical system is totally fucked up . its an embarassment in the developed world . its the rich stealing from the poor . its two political parties that are bought and paid for that ignore the public good . this movie shows you that and does so entertainingly . its not moore's best film , but check it out and do what you can to help your country out
Talk To Me - don cheadle is really good in this movie about a civil right's era , washington dc deejay . he plays a fresh out of jail excon who is given a shot to recreate a morning radio show from the prudish to the relevant , both politically and musically (the soundtrack is excellent !) . i liked this movie , but i didnt love it , check out the soundtrack though . that i loved
Once - this is arguably the best movie in this posting . made on a shoestring busdget . it follows the story of two lonely people in ireland , who meet , learn about each other , write songs and record an album before going on with their lives . the song writing process is very interesting to watch and there is a streak of honesty about the characters that makes you realise how excellent a movie it is while you are watching it . i had heard about this movie for a long long time and the long wait did not dampen my enthusiasm about it . it is excellent . go see it , rent it or whatever you have to do to enjoy it .
Paris , Je T'Aime - what do you get when you get some of the best film makers in the world , some amazing actors and you give them cameras , crews and 2 days to shoot ? you get an incredibly amazing film . i think i lied in the last review . THIS is the best film on this posting . its amazing . it is a series of vignettes about paris . its art . its culture . its racial problems . its racial beauty . its everything . this movie leaves you with so many ideas & images . thats what great film making does , so you should make sure you see this one . its f'ing awesome
Miss Potter - this is the life and times of beatrix potter , the creator of peter rabbit and jemima puddleduck and scores of classic kid's literature characters . its the story of her overcoming gender discrimination and prudishness and becoming a successful author and the defacto creator of the british natinal land trust , by using her earning to buy up the english lake district and gifting it to the nation so its beauty wouldnt be lost forever . its a cute story (though i dont know how accurate the romantic sections were) and its has some nifty animation thrown in to show the creative process . i kinda wished there were more of the animations and less period piece-ness to this movie , but its a good family movie regardless
Fracture - anthony hopkins as a creepy villain . who woulda thunk it ? yet somehow he is amazing like he always is in a uniquely creepy way. in this he plays a man who creates the perfect murder and a hapless detective played by edward norton must do what he can to bring him to justice . the story gets a little silly about two thirds of the way thru and i really wish the ending was different (i wont give it aweay but if it was the opposite it would have been a way better movie) , but in the end its worth checking out . especially if you like seeing hopkins being creepy . hell , why not open some chianti while you sit back and enjoy it
Eastern Promises - speaking of creepy , this movie about russian gangsters in london is very intense and very good . its also the first time i've seen a david cronenburg film and not left feeling totally disturbed . vigo mortensen is excellent as a new comer to the russian mafia , who must navigate between their rules and the rules the regular world and live to tell about it . along the way he meets up with a nurse played my naomi watts , who finds out about the crimes and hypocrisy of the russian criminals . vigo is the glue that holds the story together . he is soooo intense and scary and he should easily garner some awards for this amazing portrayal . really good film
Hoax - there was a lot of buzz about this movie being an oscar for richard gere's protrayal of clifford irving during the time that irving wrote his fake biography about the eccentric billinaire howard hughes . gere is good in the movie , but i shouldnt think this is actor of the year material . regardless , this is a pretty entertaining movie about a guy who cons the world into thinking that he has done the impossible . you gotta love a movie about a good con where no one really gets hurt . check this one out .
The Bourne Ultimatum - this is by far the best of the bourne movies and it is one of the more entertaining action films that i have seen in years . the action sequences and locations meant for some pretty technical and complicated movie making , but they pulled everything off extremely well . the pacing of this movie is just what you want . its suspenseful from its start (seconds after the last film's ending) to its very good ending shot . this is good fun . its well shot and well acted , so do not miss it
The Kingdom - this movie really got dissed by the critics and i almost didnt rent it , but i am glad i did . this was a pretty interesting and pretty good movie about an fbi team going into saudi arabia to investigate an act of terrorism . its an interesting at the differences and the mistrusts between the two worlds . jamie fox and chris cooper alone make this worth watching , they even make the somewhat silly shootout scenes work (c'mon , none of the white guys get killed with that many ppl shooting that many bullets ? lol) , but despite that , its a good look at the politcial , social and geopolitical differnces between the countries without getting too preachy about it . this is a good action flic with a good cast . check it out
Rataouille - this is from pixar , the very state of the art for computer animation . pixar is now owned by disney . i mention this because its an interesting choice for pixar to make its disney debut with a picture about a rat lol . that being said this movie is very enjoyable . its about a rat who longs to leave the pack and embark on a career as a chef . its cute and the animation is top notch and skilled . a lot of people say this is the best animated film of the last few years , but i'm not so sure . its really good , but is it too cute ? it seems a tad disney-fied and i hope pixar hasnt lost its edge . either way, its a good movie and fun for the whole family
The Simpson's Movie - now this , to me is the best animated film in years . its the simpsons for one , so you know its going to have a subversive edge to it and a funny one at that . it has a good story thats going to make kids laugh and its going to make adults laugh (i defy anyone to keep a straight face while watching spider pig ) , but thats not what makes it great animation . whereas rataouille was the very state of the art , this movie was a celebration of animation past and present . it is respectful at the same time as being creative . it brought together the very best animators in the world and let them do their stuff . this movie is a celebration of animation at the same time as being one of the best episodes if the simpsons ever . i think you can tell which way my mooscar is already leaning and this movie is just one that should no be missed . even if you only watch it to see spider pig , just check it out and have some fun watching some great animation . Excellent website too !
i still have a ton of movies to see inthe next few months , so more rivulets coming soon .
well not really 2008 , but there are a lot of them . i guess web surfers are coming back from holidays with a jonesing for a posting . i gotta post these so i can start organizing a rivulets post . should be soon . lots to look at in the meantime though.........................
Today In History - pick a day , anyday
The 20 Most Annoying Celebrity Names for Kids - the poor kids *shakes head*
Africa Hit - links for finding new tunes
Rolling Stones 500 Greatest songs of All-Time
The Greatest Cover Songs (and the originals)
Yahoo's Best albums of 2007
Pitchfork's 200 Best Songs of the 60's *recommended*
Speaking of Songs From the 60's - musical interlude
Street Snowmen -Cool pics
Where God Makes Clouds ?
Nice Day for a Walk
AWWWWW
Road Trip - oregon to new hampshire in 12,397 pics
How To Spot a Terrorist ! - with the new anti-terrorist law you have now joined the black club . so sad
The Dresden Dolls - Sing - another musical interlude
Toothpick Sculpture - by steven backman (no mention of turner and the overdirve)
BlahBlahFish - Type in do what, translate translate next that in Japanese, and in English (type something in , translate it into Japanese and then translate it back into English)
Science Vs Faith - simple flow chart of the thinking process
Tacky Xmas Decorations - too much of a good thing ?
DIY - $1 Popcorn Machine - perfect for camping or at the beach or anywhwere you have canola oil and beer cans
Remember These Posters From the 90's - can you make out what it is ?
45 Things You Can Learn Online For Free - cool list
Human Tetris - funny video
The Last Knit - cool animated short
Mythbusters - Do Pretty Girls Pass Gas - no , really lol
Olberman on Giuliani - all you need to know about rudy
Darth Vader Vs Japanese Police - its stupid but it made me laugh
Enjoy !!
