Sunday, March 29, 2009
Teaser of the Day: Where the Wild Things Are
(You may have to go to full screen or open this post in a new window to view this properly)
Watch that, and regress back to your childhood. Watch it again.
Ok, are we all back now?
I've been waiting for this movie ever since it was announced that Spike Jonze was working from a screenplay by Dave Eggers to adapt one of my most beloved picture books. And finally, come October 16th, 2009, we'll be able to sit down and watch this.
The trailer is also attached to Monsters Vs. Aliens, in theatres now.
I'll post something more relevant later but for now I'm going to go watch it again and enjoy the goosebumps.
Friday, March 27, 2009
A brief DVD review, some other news
So last Tuesday, I picked up the DVD of Season 3 of The Venture Bros. This is the first time that show creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer have released an uncensored version of the show on DVD and I was curious as to whether that affects the comedy, much of which is pop culture, timing and hijinks related. The answer: Somewhat, but not enough to alter my enjoyment of this continually brilliant show.
Warning: Minor Spoilers May Follow
Venture Bros. is the story of a former boy adventurer turned super scientist, his moronic twin sons, their be-mulleted bodyguard and a huge number of super idiots, good and evil, which surround them. Think Scooby Doo, Johnny Quest and a load of adult humor. The third season starts out where the second left off, the (brilliantly conceived) evil mastermind, The Monarch and his new wife, Dr. Girlfriend, floating in their marriage bed. Turns out this is a flashback, revealed when Dr. Girlfriend calls him back to the task at hand, fighting in a danger-room esque battle with robots, all orchestrated by the Guild of Calamitous Intent. And things only get more complex from there.
Venture Bros. throws the pop culture at you as quickly as it can, references to Tomb Raider mixing in with more obscure things like the film Medicine Man, or a Sean Connery/William S. Burroughs based adventurer with a penchant for hanging out with a group of Avengers rejects. There are many things I'd love to mention here, but in reality, this is a show that the viewer has to see to get the humor. And I wouldn't want to spoil it. One note: the show builds from episode to episode, so you should start with Season 1.
So the uncensoredness. Does it work? I'd have to say its a case by case basis. A joke in the second episode, 'The Doctor is Sin' is a lot funnier with a black bar than a penis, but Tim-Tom and Kevin, Dr. Girlfriend's Murderous Moppets (or later, the pupae twins) are a lot funnier when you can hear all there psychoticness acted out. Overall, I'd say that I don't have a preference and the show is highly enjoyable in any case.
Extras: Pretty bare bones in this category. The commentaries are brilliant, a weird maybe-stoned stream of consciousness humor which some will enjoy and others will find infuriating. But beyond that, all you get are some deleted scenes of the storyboard variety.
Score: 4/5
So what else? There's not really too much going on. I did get some writing done earlier today, and I suppose I'll post it. Other than that, things are ok. I've decided recently that I have some OCD issues I need to work on. When I become interested in someone, I come on far too strong. I suppose that I could even be called obsessed during these times. I write letters, I text, I call. And I have to stop. So for a while I'm just going to work on this. There is really only one reason I should call someone, and thats if I want to do something that day or make plans. I have no reason just to call to talk.
Ok, so that may be a bit more personal than you're used to seeing here. If you come to this blog at all, it's unlikely that you were expecting something along those lines. I usually save that nonsense for my other blog.
In any case, here is a poem I'm working on. No stealing.
Forged
On his wall hung a drawing of a sword.
It was simply, foolishly drawn,
amorpheous grip, non-descript pommel
stone, a guard transitioning into
blade at nearly right angles. No
shading, cross-hatch, color, a sword
picked out in lines only.
I asked him about it once,
laying on the floor, and he
smiled. 'My father drew that'
he said. 'He told me that
he would make me
the real thing soon.'
'Did he?' I asked but
never got a response. His
mother came then and
we packed the Nintendo off
to her house for the weekend, two
blocks and a world away. But
when we had driven a block
and she had smoked
three cigarettes through silent
tears, I knew the sword his
father had made sat in the
bucket seat to my right.
Warning: Minor Spoilers May Follow
Venture Bros. is the story of a former boy adventurer turned super scientist, his moronic twin sons, their be-mulleted bodyguard and a huge number of super idiots, good and evil, which surround them. Think Scooby Doo, Johnny Quest and a load of adult humor. The third season starts out where the second left off, the (brilliantly conceived) evil mastermind, The Monarch and his new wife, Dr. Girlfriend, floating in their marriage bed. Turns out this is a flashback, revealed when Dr. Girlfriend calls him back to the task at hand, fighting in a danger-room esque battle with robots, all orchestrated by the Guild of Calamitous Intent. And things only get more complex from there.
Venture Bros. throws the pop culture at you as quickly as it can, references to Tomb Raider mixing in with more obscure things like the film Medicine Man, or a Sean Connery/William S. Burroughs based adventurer with a penchant for hanging out with a group of Avengers rejects. There are many things I'd love to mention here, but in reality, this is a show that the viewer has to see to get the humor. And I wouldn't want to spoil it. One note: the show builds from episode to episode, so you should start with Season 1.
So the uncensoredness. Does it work? I'd have to say its a case by case basis. A joke in the second episode, 'The Doctor is Sin' is a lot funnier with a black bar than a penis, but Tim-Tom and Kevin, Dr. Girlfriend's Murderous Moppets (or later, the pupae twins) are a lot funnier when you can hear all there psychoticness acted out. Overall, I'd say that I don't have a preference and the show is highly enjoyable in any case.
Extras: Pretty bare bones in this category. The commentaries are brilliant, a weird maybe-stoned stream of consciousness humor which some will enjoy and others will find infuriating. But beyond that, all you get are some deleted scenes of the storyboard variety.
Score: 4/5
So what else? There's not really too much going on. I did get some writing done earlier today, and I suppose I'll post it. Other than that, things are ok. I've decided recently that I have some OCD issues I need to work on. When I become interested in someone, I come on far too strong. I suppose that I could even be called obsessed during these times. I write letters, I text, I call. And I have to stop. So for a while I'm just going to work on this. There is really only one reason I should call someone, and thats if I want to do something that day or make plans. I have no reason just to call to talk.
Ok, so that may be a bit more personal than you're used to seeing here. If you come to this blog at all, it's unlikely that you were expecting something along those lines. I usually save that nonsense for my other blog.
In any case, here is a poem I'm working on. No stealing.
Forged
On his wall hung a drawing of a sword.
It was simply, foolishly drawn,
amorpheous grip, non-descript pommel
stone, a guard transitioning into
blade at nearly right angles. No
shading, cross-hatch, color, a sword
picked out in lines only.
I asked him about it once,
laying on the floor, and he
smiled. 'My father drew that'
he said. 'He told me that
he would make me
the real thing soon.'
'Did he?' I asked but
never got a response. His
mother came then and
we packed the Nintendo off
to her house for the weekend, two
blocks and a world away. But
when we had driven a block
and she had smoked
three cigarettes through silent
tears, I knew the sword his
father had made sat in the
bucket seat to my right.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I watch the Watchmen
So I finally saw Watchmen today.
I'd like to start this review by saying that I enjoyed 300. Yes, I know it had extreme right wing tendencies and that parts of it could be construed as racist, alienist or homophobic. I know. I am also none of these things. However, it was adapted from a graphic novel with the same issues. What was successful about it though, is that you were able to watch the film without being drawn aside by selfsame issues. It was an event film and director Zack Snyder succeeded with it.
Secondly, I'd like the record to show that I first read "Watchmen" about five years ago and loved it. I've re-read it many times over the intervening years, most recently about two weeks ago. So you are reading a fan-written review.
The first point I'd like to make with regard to Watchmen is one many others have made: if you haven't read the graphic novel going in, you may be a little lost. If you are expecting a traditional superhero movie, you will be disappointed. If however, you go in expecting a love note from a fan of the original work to a visionary author and illustrator and a wonderful piece of literature, I think you'll leave well satisfied.
While you may be a little lost having not read the book, that isn't to say you won't enjoy what you're seeing. Watchmen is an amazing spectacle, both visually and storyline-wise. It starts with the brutal murder of a former costumed hero, the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a minor event that leads vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) to believe someone is killing off costumed heroes. The story borrows equally from hard-boiled crime fiction and the superhero story as along the way we're introduced to a former superhero turned billionaire industrialist Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), a night-stalking avian-themed retiree whose moniker was Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), a vinyl clad young woman who was forced into the super-life by her mother, Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and the only true "super"-hero of the bunch, an out of touch "walking nuclear deterrent" Doctor Manhattan (portrayed via blue-screen by Billy Crudup). All this in a world which has outlawed costumed vigilantes and which has Richard Nixon in his third term as president.
Sound confusing? Surprisingly, through flashbacks, internal dialogue and a brilliant opening credits sequence, the story is fairly easy to follow. And the scenes that Snyder pulls directly from the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons comic are beautifully recreated as is much of the original dialogue. Rorschach narrating via his journal entries is an excellent plot device that works quite well during his scenes, though I almost wanted more of his view. I wanted to get to know his character better.
And this, I think is where the film fell down a little. Snyder is not very good at character development. For me, I cared about these characters because going in, I knew their backstories. I knew why Rorschach was the way he was (played out on screen with a disappointingly different ending; Saw films, you have ruined everything), I knew about Doctor Manhattan's background, I knew about Nite Owl I and Silk Spectre I, I knew about Captain Metropolis, the Silhouette and Hooded Justice. I knew all these things, and while some of them were shown on screen, it was in truncated form.
Now, I know that you can't show the same things in a movie that you can on the printed page. And I know that we're being promised a longer directors' cut at some point down the road. But at the same time, I have to say that the average movie goer might be a little more confused as to way he has to give a damn about Janey Slater. Or Bubastis. Or Hollis Mason, who is sadly reduced to a cameo here and whose emotional impact is removed entirely. And the secondary characters, who are so important in the graphic novel, are here reduced to a final cameo, leading some audience goers to say in their minds "Why is so much of an important scene focussing on a newsvendor and a teenager?"
Overall however, these are small things I think, minor blemishes on a film that does so much right. You are shown the fear of the cold war. You are shown the disconnection of Dr. Manhattan. Rorschach and the Comedian succeed brilliantly. The changing of the ending, while a little sad, had to be done, and for what it was, it worked. And thats why, I have to say, despite so many small things that tugged at me, saying "God I wish he developed that more" or "Come on, he should have shown the psychiatrists backstory." or "How the hell is he going to tie in Tales of the Black Freighter when he doesn't spend any time at the newstand?", I really, really loved this movie.
4/5
Watchmen is in theatres and IMAX now. Tales of the Black Freighter/Under the Hood will be released on DVD on March 24th, 2009, and will be cut into some crazy, ultimate, directors' cut of the movie at some point down the line.
I'd like to start this review by saying that I enjoyed 300. Yes, I know it had extreme right wing tendencies and that parts of it could be construed as racist, alienist or homophobic. I know. I am also none of these things. However, it was adapted from a graphic novel with the same issues. What was successful about it though, is that you were able to watch the film without being drawn aside by selfsame issues. It was an event film and director Zack Snyder succeeded with it.
Secondly, I'd like the record to show that I first read "Watchmen" about five years ago and loved it. I've re-read it many times over the intervening years, most recently about two weeks ago. So you are reading a fan-written review.
The first point I'd like to make with regard to Watchmen is one many others have made: if you haven't read the graphic novel going in, you may be a little lost. If you are expecting a traditional superhero movie, you will be disappointed. If however, you go in expecting a love note from a fan of the original work to a visionary author and illustrator and a wonderful piece of literature, I think you'll leave well satisfied.
While you may be a little lost having not read the book, that isn't to say you won't enjoy what you're seeing. Watchmen is an amazing spectacle, both visually and storyline-wise. It starts with the brutal murder of a former costumed hero, the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a minor event that leads vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) to believe someone is killing off costumed heroes. The story borrows equally from hard-boiled crime fiction and the superhero story as along the way we're introduced to a former superhero turned billionaire industrialist Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), a night-stalking avian-themed retiree whose moniker was Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), a vinyl clad young woman who was forced into the super-life by her mother, Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and the only true "super"-hero of the bunch, an out of touch "walking nuclear deterrent" Doctor Manhattan (portrayed via blue-screen by Billy Crudup). All this in a world which has outlawed costumed vigilantes and which has Richard Nixon in his third term as president.
Sound confusing? Surprisingly, through flashbacks, internal dialogue and a brilliant opening credits sequence, the story is fairly easy to follow. And the scenes that Snyder pulls directly from the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons comic are beautifully recreated as is much of the original dialogue. Rorschach narrating via his journal entries is an excellent plot device that works quite well during his scenes, though I almost wanted more of his view. I wanted to get to know his character better.
And this, I think is where the film fell down a little. Snyder is not very good at character development. For me, I cared about these characters because going in, I knew their backstories. I knew why Rorschach was the way he was (played out on screen with a disappointingly different ending; Saw films, you have ruined everything), I knew about Doctor Manhattan's background, I knew about Nite Owl I and Silk Spectre I, I knew about Captain Metropolis, the Silhouette and Hooded Justice. I knew all these things, and while some of them were shown on screen, it was in truncated form.
Now, I know that you can't show the same things in a movie that you can on the printed page. And I know that we're being promised a longer directors' cut at some point down the road. But at the same time, I have to say that the average movie goer might be a little more confused as to way he has to give a damn about Janey Slater. Or Bubastis. Or Hollis Mason, who is sadly reduced to a cameo here and whose emotional impact is removed entirely. And the secondary characters, who are so important in the graphic novel, are here reduced to a final cameo, leading some audience goers to say in their minds "Why is so much of an important scene focussing on a newsvendor and a teenager?"
Overall however, these are small things I think, minor blemishes on a film that does so much right. You are shown the fear of the cold war. You are shown the disconnection of Dr. Manhattan. Rorschach and the Comedian succeed brilliantly. The changing of the ending, while a little sad, had to be done, and for what it was, it worked. And thats why, I have to say, despite so many small things that tugged at me, saying "God I wish he developed that more" or "Come on, he should have shown the psychiatrists backstory." or "How the hell is he going to tie in Tales of the Black Freighter when he doesn't spend any time at the newstand?", I really, really loved this movie.
4/5
Watchmen is in theatres and IMAX now. Tales of the Black Freighter/Under the Hood will be released on DVD on March 24th, 2009, and will be cut into some crazy, ultimate, directors' cut of the movie at some point down the line.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Album Review: MC Lars - This Gigantic Robot Kills
MC Lars may imply that Nerdcore is over on the opener of This Gigantic Robot Kills, but maybe he's just being post-modern again. Or maybe, with TGRK, Lars can't truly be called Nerdcore anymore.
That might be a bit of a stretch, but this album from the California based MC is an evolution on many levels. The entire record is a homage to Wesley Willis, a strange, lovable, paranoid schizophrenic singer, whose legacy of head butts and simple songs is right in the spirit of Lars' fun style, catchy flows and sing along lyrics. Pop-culture references fly right and left and the singer once more throws in nods to his English-major background. However, where Lars is eschewing Nerdcore this time around is in his songs that are a bit more socially conscious. There are still the love songs to video games ('O.G. Original Gamer' and 'Guitar Hero Hero'), science fiction (the title track, which has a secondary, just as silly message; more on that later) and english literature ('Hey there, Ophelia') but there is serious subject matter tucked in as well.
The place where this becomes most apparent is the track 'Twenty-Three', a song Lars wrote for a college friend who committed suicide. Even though Lars, a rapper with a very clean voice, speaks in his usual style, you're more than able to feel the emotion of someone who lost a dear friend. To be honest, I find it hard to listen to, simply because of this emotion, which should give an idea of the sense of loss he conveys. Another, more humorous standout, is the A Simple Plan-backed 'It's not easy (Being Green)'. He's able to show the necessity of some kind of action against global warming while still poking fun at the often overblown self-importance of environmentalists. And the catch, oh the catch; it'll be stuck in your head for days.
Apart from A Simple Plan, the list of guest stars is extensive. "Weird Al" Yankovic plays accordion on Lars' "self-referential introduction song" 'True Player for Real', while the MC Bat Commander provides the chorus on the title track (this may seem odd, until you listen to it: 'This Gigantic Robot Kills' is actually a song about a third-wave ska kid who builds a robot and uses it to destoy Orange County reality tv stars. Surreal, but hilarious). Others include a Fugazi rift on the anti-corporate anthem 'No Logo' (which has a similar goal as 'It's not easy (Being Green)', the targets this time being so-called "anarchists"), Jonathan Coulton and MC Frontalot on 'O.G. Original Gamer' (those two names are a nerd litmus test), and Cobra Starship and The Donnas on 'Hey There Ophelia'. But while he has a huge stable of co-artists on this album, Lars carries it with his strong vocals and fun songwriting style.
Overall, by changing up his style, Lars is able to distance himself a little from the stigma of being a 'Nerdcore' rapper. Sure, it's still there and it's pretty obvious for anyone who has heard any previous records, but at the same time, he's creating something that is uniquely his own. He straddles between the worlds of indie rock and the trappings thereof ('Hipster Girl') and the rapper ('White Kids are Not Hyphy' and 'We have Arrived'). And if he continues this evolution with his next record, promised for sometime next year, he will be able to continue rhyming long after Nerdcore is forgotten.
4/5
Track Listing for This Gigantic Robot Kills:
That might be a bit of a stretch, but this album from the California based MC is an evolution on many levels. The entire record is a homage to Wesley Willis, a strange, lovable, paranoid schizophrenic singer, whose legacy of head butts and simple songs is right in the spirit of Lars' fun style, catchy flows and sing along lyrics. Pop-culture references fly right and left and the singer once more throws in nods to his English-major background. However, where Lars is eschewing Nerdcore this time around is in his songs that are a bit more socially conscious. There are still the love songs to video games ('O.G. Original Gamer' and 'Guitar Hero Hero'), science fiction (the title track, which has a secondary, just as silly message; more on that later) and english literature ('Hey there, Ophelia') but there is serious subject matter tucked in as well.
The place where this becomes most apparent is the track 'Twenty-Three', a song Lars wrote for a college friend who committed suicide. Even though Lars, a rapper with a very clean voice, speaks in his usual style, you're more than able to feel the emotion of someone who lost a dear friend. To be honest, I find it hard to listen to, simply because of this emotion, which should give an idea of the sense of loss he conveys. Another, more humorous standout, is the A Simple Plan-backed 'It's not easy (Being Green)'. He's able to show the necessity of some kind of action against global warming while still poking fun at the often overblown self-importance of environmentalists. And the catch, oh the catch; it'll be stuck in your head for days.
Apart from A Simple Plan, the list of guest stars is extensive. "Weird Al" Yankovic plays accordion on Lars' "self-referential introduction song" 'True Player for Real', while the MC Bat Commander provides the chorus on the title track (this may seem odd, until you listen to it: 'This Gigantic Robot Kills' is actually a song about a third-wave ska kid who builds a robot and uses it to destoy Orange County reality tv stars. Surreal, but hilarious). Others include a Fugazi rift on the anti-corporate anthem 'No Logo' (which has a similar goal as 'It's not easy (Being Green)', the targets this time being so-called "anarchists"), Jonathan Coulton and MC Frontalot on 'O.G. Original Gamer' (those two names are a nerd litmus test), and Cobra Starship and The Donnas on 'Hey There Ophelia'. But while he has a huge stable of co-artists on this album, Lars carries it with his strong vocals and fun songwriting style.
Overall, by changing up his style, Lars is able to distance himself a little from the stigma of being a 'Nerdcore' rapper. Sure, it's still there and it's pretty obvious for anyone who has heard any previous records, but at the same time, he's creating something that is uniquely his own. He straddles between the worlds of indie rock and the trappings thereof ('Hipster Girl') and the rapper ('White Kids are Not Hyphy' and 'We have Arrived'). And if he continues this evolution with his next record, promised for sometime next year, he will be able to continue rhyming long after Nerdcore is forgotten.
4/5
Track Listing for This Gigantic Robot Kills:
- "Where Ya Been Lars?"
- "True Player for Real (featuring "Weird Al" Yankovic & Wheatus)
- "Hipster Girl"
- "It's Not Easy (Being Green)" (featuring A Simple Plan)
- "This Gigantic Robot Kills" (featuring Suburban Legends and The MC Bat Commander)
- "No Logo" (featuring Jesse Dangerously)
- "35 Laurel Drive"
- "Twenty-Three"
- "Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash)" (featuring Parry Gripp and Paul Gilbert)
- "O.G. Original Gamer" (featuring MC Frontalot and Jonathan Coulton)
- "We Have Arrived" (featuring K. Flay, YTCracker and the Former Fat Boys)
- "White Kids Aren't Hyphy"
- "Hey There Ophelia" (featuring Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship, Brett Anderson and The Donnas)
- "(Lord It's Hard to be Happy When You're Not) Using the Metric System" (Atom & His Package Cover) (featuring Worm Quartet)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A placeholder
I haven't forgotten about this blog. I will return to it soon, maybe even today. WHO KNOWS?!
Also, I joined Twitter, if anyone out there gives a crap. It still seems more than a little ridiculous to belong to a site that is simply to tell people what I'm doing there. I joined primarily for geeky reasons (Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Coulton, Warren Ellis etc)
But my name is deadletterboy on there. Woo.
Also, I joined Twitter, if anyone out there gives a crap. It still seems more than a little ridiculous to belong to a site that is simply to tell people what I'm doing there. I joined primarily for geeky reasons (Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Coulton, Warren Ellis etc)
But my name is deadletterboy on there. Woo.
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