Film Fetish: "Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull"

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)
- directed by Steven Spielberg

The fourth film in the wildly popular and successful Indiana Jones franchise finds the titular character entangled in a plot with Russian militants bent on attaining a world-ruling power; to be bestowed in return of a lost, ancient relic.

I feel funny about this review because I feel a review is based around the idea that I'm to dissuade or sway an audience toward a particular film and I can't imagine anyone not seeing this movie; There's nothing I can say, bad or good, that's going to stop someone from doing so. So what is there to say? I think the one thing you'll hear over and over again is that it was fun. It was entertaining. It was fun and it was entertaining. I'm sure there are very few that will say they love the film and truly mean it. I didn't fall in love. :( In fact, I might have been more than a tad disappointed. But y'know how I feel about expectations and disappointment. Maybe the blame should be on me, but I don't think I built up any expectations... at least nothing so grand. I only wanted the film to live up to the greatness of the previous three and I don't think it made it.

I could probably rip this film apart if I wanted to, but as I said, I enjoyed myself and to be hypercritical now would be very disingenuous. It wasn't the greatest disappointment. I think I should just be grateful that it wasn't on par with the failure that was the Star Wars prequels. Anything looks better in that light. :P There was a lot I liked about the movie... but it didn't have the polish to make the grade. I guess it's true what they say, you can't go home again. :|


7/10 Sadly, my least favorite film of the franchise. A fine argument that digital effects aren't the be-all and end-all in world with practical effects. While not the best film of the franchise, definitely worth the watch for the awesomeness that is Cate Blanchett with a wicked Russian accent. Yowsa! :P ;)


DS333, disillusioned.

Film Fetish: "Dreams"

Dreams (1990)
- directed by Akira Kurosawa


A collection of eight short, self-contained films inspired by the dreams of visionary director Akira Kurosawa.

Of all the films that were on my list to watch during my Kurosawa retrospective, Dreams was the film I most looked forward to watching. It was during the time I first conceptualized my own Dream project that I learned of Kurosawa's. It was one of those things, a sign. Having worked primarily in black & white I was hesitant about experimenting with color, that I would also be sharing something as personal to me as my own dreams paled in comparison to that initial fear. I'd always been a fan of Kurosawa but it wasn't until I learned of Dreams that I felt a true affinity for the artist. In my mind he existed in the old world of classic black & white cinema. I remember first seeing the cover/poster work for Dreams and feeling things click. I remember the color most of all; the dichotomy between old and new. I was instantly drawn in and had to see this film. But I had to wait...

If for nothing else this film is worth seeing for the first short, Sunshine Through The Rain, which just so happens to be the inspiration for the cover/poster artwork of Dreams, it's that good. While the rest of the shorts didn't quite live up to the grandeur of the first, I did find things to take away from each of them. I'd say this film is largely a visual experiment... in that vein I found it to be arresting, compelling, strong and dramatic. There are so many images you'll walk away with after having watched the movie. Unfortunately, given the structure, there's not much to take away in terms of a coherent storyline. In fact, the film is characteristically Asian in that the film provides very little dialogue. It's exactly the film you would expect given the pitch. It's scattered, poignant, visual, meditative and mysterious. Certainly Kurosawa's most artistically experimental film to date. I loved this film through and through.


8.5/10 In my opinion, Kurosawa's most visually arresting film. A film for the art set.


DS333, greatly impressed.

001.342.365

• Tonight's the night... the Lost season finale!!! :D
• My brother's wedding is in a few days and now I'm worried about things falling into place... there are a few details that need tending to at the last minute. I suppose it wouldn't be my brother's wedding if that wasn't the case. :P
• I need to finish uploading those year-old photos to Flickr by the end of this month. D'oh! :P
• My wildflowers won't grow. :( Perhaps they were offended by my first careless attempt.
• The weather's been beautiful these past few days and the next few look to be just as peachy. :)
• I'd forgotten how awesome the Wii's Internet Channel is. Sadly it can't play Flash video from the TED website. Fortunately it can play video from YouTube which TED posts to as well.
• Laundry day today. I can't remember what doing laundry was like before I owned an iPod... I'm typing up this blog post from the laundromat! :D
• Looking forward to the Sex And The City movie... I'll catch it sometime next week though.
• I just noticed the other day that Dina Lohan has the longest (disproportionately long) arms I've seen on a person. Also, I hate that I know Dina Lohan's name.
• This shirt feels like a blouse... it's like a tent. I knew I should've trusted my ghost when I bought it. I'm a medium guy, but this medium is more like a large. :| O where o where is that small shirt now?
• Another raspberry white chocolate mocha is chilling in the freezer. Life is good. :D
• Time to head out...

DS333, tending.

My Hot Friend

I love my oven. I use him all the time. Microwaves and toaster ovens have nothing on a conventional oven. There's a whole science to reheating that I feel I've mastered. I can resurrect just about any dish with the help of my hot friend. It's all about the right heat and the right time. A novice could destroy all that is beautiful in the world. :P A master can make that beauty flourish all the more. I speak of my friend because he's helping to bring a pizza back to life right now. All I can think about is that melted cheese and crispy crust *drool*. All I can think about is food. All I can think about is eating. All... why am I blogging right now? :P


DS333, passing the buck.

Gratitude Redux

I had a great day today. And like many of the days I deem good, I spend the tail end of this one thinking of the worst things. I've spoken to a few of my friends about this... and they don't think as I do, don't do as I do. I'm different. I rarely like to say things like that... only because they might be construed as self-congratulatory. But I don't think of specific facets of my character as being especially being good or especially bad... not most of the time anyway. Sometimes different is just different; there's no subtext. The stories are all the same, I've said and thought this many, many times. It's all the same and yet always different. Sometimes it just... your voice can sound so different that you believe you're redefining the concept of song...

Back to what I was getting at... good days and bad days. I can conjure up a really great day. I have it in my mind. And a funny thing happened that night as I was leaving the restaurant, I caught sight of someone having the worst night. It's funny because whether I had seen that person and his family or not, I still would have thought of them. Of course I wouldn't have thought about them specifically... but the idea of them is always there.

It comes easily when I catch sight of a great landscape, a panorama. I see the cars, I see the houses, I see the cities, the streets... everything bustling with people. People like and unlike me, running about their days. And what's happening to me? What's happening to them? I have these views and I pretend to see inside houses. I wonder... who's dying, who's being born? Who's making love, being raped? Who's being embraced, being beaten? Who's flourishing, breaking? So many stories are being played out, so many dramas. So many. I'm on the side of a mountain, over a bridge, on a street atop a hill and I see these things... all these stories happening all at the same time.

It's the idea that days and memories can exist as two diametrically opposed forces in the minds and hearts of two people. I have a great day and get struck with the idea that it doesn't exist for everyone as it does for me. This beauty exists as a horror somewhere else and it will continue to live on as such forever because I still remember that night... one of the very best, filled with such happiness that I thought I would explode... and crossing paths with a man dying in a parking lot. I remember his family circled around him and sobbing. I kept thinking of what would happen next, for me and for him. How different will this day turn out for us? What will we take away from this night? It's always there... these thoughts. Always with the best of days come the worst of thoughts.

Ultimately it's about compassion and empathy. Getting totally lost in one thing, however dark or light, is a selfish and, some might argue, empty experience. I don't mind these thoughts if carrying the memory of them means harboring these feelings of deference, empathy and compassion for all those who can't share in my bliss. Carrying them within might result in their bleeding out; making the fantasy a reality... a world in which we all endeavor to share in our bliss.


DS333, honored.

001.339.365

• It's Memorial Day! What are you doing here at this blog? Git! ;)
• It's a day for many things, blogging is not one of them. Better luck next time. :P

DS333, *nom nom nom*

A Rant # "Ghettos"

So I was having a chat with a friend of mine the other day and he mentioned something that sparked something else in my head... that seems to happen quite a lot, conversations within conversations.

For anyone who's unaware West Hollywood, which just so happens to be West of Hollywood :P, is a city here in Southern California that's a hub of homosexuality, a man-on-man mecca. I have a love-hate relationship with the place. I love it in the same way that I love the Navajo reservation. There's something about being around people who are like you, there's this familiarity and safety. It's just a pleasant feeling. It's hard for me to imagine myself being anything other than exactly what I am but I would think, I would hope, that even if I were straight I would be enamored with West Hollywood for this overwhelming sense of freedom and acceptance. The place is less about being accepting to the GLBT community and more about being accepting of acceptance. It's a lovely place when you think about it. Everyone is exactly who they want to be, doing exactly what they want to be doing and there's no fear of being shamed or threatened into anything else. There's a spirit about the place... a strength, a courage, a fearlessness, a bravery... heroism.

The thing I hate about West Hollywood and places like it is seeing people shut themselves off in self-imposed ghettos. The picture's not all rosey. I don't see everyone as courageous or brave. I know people who are there because they are the exact opposite. I see people living in fear. There are people there whose entire life is that one place. It's the literature, it's the theatre, it's the community, the culture, everything... all of it is centered around this one perspective. We live in a global community, there is no disputing that. I try not to be judgemental and rarely do I say something is wrong for fear of being wrong myself. But our greatest threats as a global community are these rabid and fanatical enclaves of exclusivity, these self-imposed ghettos. There's this fear and resistance to change that's fostering a toxic xenophobia. It's a dangerous state to live in, literally and metaphorically. But y'know, I don't pretend that my story is that of everyone else. There might be... I'm sure there are reasons for the way things are. People can be ugly, vicious, brutal, violent... and if that's all you've ever known of others who am I to say what you're doing and where you're living is wrong? I don't say it for exactly that reason. I don't know everything and I don't know what's going on... but I feel like something's off.


DS333, doubtful.

Film Fetish: "Ran"

Ran (1985)
- directed by Akira Kurosawa


A Japanese period drama adapted from William Shakespeare's King Lear; A tale of an aging king driven to madness by his feuding sons; a house divided by avarice and treachery.

I wanna keep this short and sweet (along with future Fetish posts), so I'll just say that I liked the film. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy myself. It's hard to go wrong when you pair two geniuses like Kurosawa and Shakespeare. However, given that the story is so simple the film is largely a visual experience and that might have to do with my lukewarm reception; I didn't view the best version of this film... I missed out on the Criterion edition. The copy I saw was the original DVD transfer and it looked quite muddy. If I had viewed the pristine version of the film I might have been bowled over by the visual impact, so much so that I might have forgiven the film's slight failings. The story, or, at least the screenplay seems to be quite lite with Kurosawa's epics... lite and drawn out. It's hard to live up to Shakespeare but if the writing were anywhere near as interesting I might have been able to forgive the muddy visuals. Anyway, it's a solid film... sadly despite my viewing experience, at this point, Kurosawa is working against himself; the film is nowhere as compelling as his earlier work.


7/10 A visual treat of period Japan underlying one of Shakespeare's great works.


DS333, underwhelmed.

001.336.365

• Currently making love to the Juno soundtrack. Listened to Cat Power's Sea Of Love cover quite a lot, now I've been ensnared by Barry Louis Polisar's All I Want Is You, it's the first track featured in the film and the first of the soundtrack. Much like the rest of the album it has the feel of a children's tune; quite infectious.
• In a world of Drum, Guitar and Keyboard guys I'd have to call myself a Keyboard guy. Then I might be a Drum dude. It's very rare for me to celebrate my inner Guitar guy. PJ Harvey's the only known soul to really bring him out.
• I'm coming to the end of my Akira Kurosawa retrospective. I watched Dreams (1990) last night which means I've only to watch Rhapsody In August (1991) and Madadayo (1993) and I'll be done. :( A very bittersweet ending. I'm still trying to figure out what will come next. I always thought I would begin the documentary march not long after...
• The week's just about over... and I'm so glad I was able to cope with the loss of Lost and Battlestar Galactica (not to mention Law & Order: SVU, Survivor... and ER). :P Although, maybe that had something to do with having four Kurosawa films, four Harry Potter flicks, the Indiana Jones DVD box set, three episodes of Hell's Kitchen and the usual collection of vidcasts to watch. :P Still, I can't wait till next week! :D
• I don't know if I mentioned on this blog, but my Wii came back to life! :D That last sentence would be much sweeter if I had a history of impotence. :P I love amusing myself. ;)
  
• Been catching up with The Dawn and Drew Show and episodes 751-758 have been fucking stellar! Just hilarious! *LOL*
• I've been consuming so many raspberry white chocolate mochas from Starbucks it's not even funny! Well, maybe it is. :P Funnier thing is that I might grab another one tonight. O_O I can't stop myself! Help! :P
• Just came back from Starbucks. :|
• See ya later snow bunnies. ;)
  

DS333, wired.

A Happy Routine

I don't mean to hold off on blogging till the very last minute but I can't help it sometimes. :P I'm gonna give the short shrift because I can't wait to dive into one of life's little pleasures: ripping a new CD. I just got my hands on the Juno soundtrack. One thing I forgot to mention in my review of the movie was the way in which one song worked it's voodoo on me, Cat Power's cover of Sea Of Love. I've always loved that song and Power's version is unlike anything I've heard before. I've been thinking of the song ever since I watched the film and knew I had to have it. Funny thing is that every online service would only think of parting with it as part of a full album purchase, so I figured I'd just go ahead and pick up the physical CD. It's not like me to buy an album for one tune, but I had no choice in this situation. As a plus, I like more than a few tunes on the album so it's pretty much a win all around. Now I must depart to scan the album art and rip the sucker into iTunes and then transfer it to my iPod so that I can get lost in the delicate body of Power's gorgeous voice... you can be sure that you'll find me listening to it quite a lot. :D

Sleeping Giants

It's the sense of innocence that I find most compelling when I see someone sleep. It has a lot to do with the inactivity; inertness. They're something like defective bombs, or rather, ticking time bombs. They can't do anything, for the moment, but have the potential to do many great things, both beautiful and horrific. It's only when active are we at our most volatile. Do we choose to nurture or destroy? There are always these decisions and the intentions that hardly mean a thing; the best intentions often lead to the greatest disasters. There's always the potential for things to go wrong when active. Though, there's just as much chance for things to be perfect. But it's always a gamble and only sleep and death can manage to stave off the rolling of dice. Stasis isn't an answer to living but it's a peaceful distraction. The storm always breaks, there's no sense in trying to contain it. So maybe it's not just the innocence and inactivity that manages to mystify.

The sleeping face is a reference to the reality of being. It reminds me of who we are as opposed to what we are. We are not our shells, we are not our vessels, we are not our cages, we are not our bodies, we are not these dolls. We are the light, we are the energy, we are that spark that inform our thoughts and our actions that in turn spur our shells, vessels, et cetera. What we are leave in sleep to play in dream. What we are leave in death to play in transcendence. And we come back. An allegory of being, this continual cycle of death and rebirth. The sleeping face like the setting sun; the waking, the rising. All at once the frailty and strength of the Human Condition. All at once and always this sense of peace, mystery and beauty.


DS333, transitory.

001.333.365

• Wow, post 333! I feel this one should be really special but I don't know how to make that happen. If I had some nude photos or a raunchy sex tape this would be the time to post 'em. :P More than likely I'm just going to ramble on as usual. ;)
• I had this weird moment when I woke up today. When I awoke my cell phone was in bed with me, placed right above my head. I always place my cell phone near my computer just to the side of the bed. So I had no idea why it was there... I specifically remember putting it away before I fell asleep and I don't remember picking it up. More weird were two missed phone calls from numbers I didn't recognize while I was asleep, minutes apart and one from Louisiana of all places. I must've heard them but didn't answer? I heard them and picked up the phone and... I don't know... it's weird, because if I had actually answered them they wouldn't be "missed calls", so I just grabbed my phone and didn't answer? I have no memory of what happened, none. It was the strangest thing.
• Watched Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985) early in the morning. :D Sadly the film isn't a Criterion release so the picture quality was somewhat degraded.
• I love watching people run to catch a bus or a train. I'm convinced that it's symbolic of something... I just don't know what. I mean to say that it's a personal meaning of mine, not that these people are acting out something internal... there's something hidden there that tickles me just so.
• I've been having some weird e-mail trouble. There's a problem syncing my desktop app with my IMAP account. I think it has to do with the iPod touch as well... but I can't be sure because that wouldn't make much sense. Anyway, it's just weird... and annoying. I'm having a lot of little problems with tech these days. It's pretty funny, I'm a huge enthusiast with a knack for making things malfunction. It's not that I'm careless with my things, quite the opposite, I've just always had this problem. My money's on a wonky electromagnetic field. :P
  
• I had a dream about the much rumored/anticipated second generation iPhone. I was holding this thing I'd never seen, pristine and white. It was so beautiful. *loving sigh* June 9th can't come soon enough! :P :D
• It's been a while but I wanted to mention that I was in a glutton's paradise this past weekend. My brother and sister have taken to hosting a family get-together every month to... well... get together. :P My sister's a phenomenal cook and a great host to boot so everyone had a great time chatting it up and gorging ourselves. I'm still having withdrawals. :P
• Later tonight I plan to sow some seeds... and that's not a euphemism. :P I'm gonna play the gardener again and see if I can get it right the second time around. It's been a longtime coming so I thought, why not now? I had actually planned to have had it done earlier in the day so that I could make it a part of this special post but didn't get around to it. Better late than never, right? :P
• Gee, it feels weird ending this post... I feel like there needs to be more. Then again, I don't think there's anything I could do to make it feel right. Maybe it needs to act as a point of inspiration. Maybe... I don't know.
• 32 posts left to go. I better get my ass into gear. I had sorta adopted this plan of doling out one piece of artwork per month; one every 30 days. And there are two that I'm working on that I wanted to make part of this project but that are nowhere near complete. I'm gonna need to race against the clock... well, not really, but I feel weird about wanting to get them out at a specific time... it feels like unnecessarily inducing labor. There are a few posts brewing in this head of mine that have been lingering for a long time as well. They're all gonna need to come out eventually... hopefully sooner rather than later. :P
• Okay, my mind's sparking... I need to use this. ;)
• See ya later cyber kitties.

DS333, meow.

Film Fetish: "Juno"

Juno (2007)
- directed by Jason Reitman


Witty acerbic high school junior, Juno, navigates the choppy waters of teenage pregnancy.

Every field of interest has them, miserable assholes. You hear about them from time to time even if you don't happen to be immersed in their world. For instance, I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile but I know enough about that space to know that it's riddled with sonic snobs; joyless, anal retentive zombies. Being in love with film as much as I am means I'm familiar with the cinematic variety. I can't stand them. I can't stand anyone who can't have a good time; people who are bored, people who are blasé, people who are hypercritical, etc. Those people are deaf, dumb and blind. Case in point, their assessment of Juno. The film took a good beating from that camp, in fact, it was pretty much trashed. Over and over I heard about how trite and mediocre it was, indie-by-numbers is the phrase I remember being bandied about. I have no idea what movie they were watching. I loooved Juno.

In some way I guess I could see what the cinephiles were trying to get at, but I feel they lost sight of what's really important, the heart of the film. It's a really great story; heartwarming, touching, funny and honest. It's not huge, not great, not all-encompassing, but it doesn't need to be... it still packs a punch. It's a small film that has all the right elements, that hits all the right notes. The star of the film, appropriately enough, is Ellen Page as Juno. Page along with Jennifer Garner and Allison Janney delivered phenomenal performances. As a whole I was pretty much bowled over by the strength of the cast, it's just something I wasn't really expecting. I was expecting the worst in a lot of ways, given what I had heard from the hardcores, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I think you might be too.


8/10 A great dramedy that's a little lite on the drama and very heavy on the comedy; this film's loaded with laughs. :D


DS333, surprised yet again.

Film Fetish: "Sweeney Todd..."

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)
- directed by Tim Burton



After being unjustly exiled by the corrupt Judge Turpin in a plot to usurp his wife and the life he loved so dearly, Benjamin Barker returns to London a changed man and seeking revenge as The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd.

I hate musicals. Let me qualify that, I hate most musicals... traditional musicals. As far as I can remember the only ones I've been able to get into have been comedies like South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) and Team America: World Police (2004). There was also Lars Von Trier's Dancer In The Dark (2000). And I was only drawn to them by a preexisting love for their creators; my love of Matt Stone and Trey Parker's comedy and my love of Björk's music. There's always been a hook to the musicals I've loved. I need to find a way in, otherwise they just seem ridiculous. I'm shut out from experiencing musicals in the way that fans of the genre do because I can't make sense of what's going on. Why are these people spontaneously bursting into song? How does everyone know the words? Where's the music coming from? This doesn't make sense, it's unnatural! I would have an easier time wrapping my head around them if they treated their performances as soliloquies. In a soliloquy the performer is removed from our reality; it's a window into the mind. I would even be fine with interpreting the songs as metaphors for the relationships of the characters involved, but the songs invariably contain specific information crucial to the plot progression. The songs are almost always symbolic of nothing, they're intended to be actual interactions and conversations. I just don't get it. Believe me, I could go on skewering the medium but that's not why I'm here. :P ;)

Having said all that, I really enjoyed Sweeney Todd... and that should really mean something because it's structured in the way a traditional musical is. It's got everything save for the elaborate dance routines. But the film didn't win me over solely on its strength as a musical. The casting was spectacular; Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are incredible and the supporting cast is just as strong. But tying it all together is the visionary genius of Tim Burton. Burton is definitely one of the high demigods in my personal pantheon. I don't believe there's been a film he's churned out that I haven't managed to enjoy. I just think he's a great filmmaker and this film... this story was perfectly suited for him and his visual style. The project as a whole is a perfect storm of talent and gore. :P


7.5/10 One of the rare musical experiences I've managed to stomach and enjoy. At its heart, a great revenge film. Violence and vengeance set to Sondheim, what could be better? ;)


DS333, pleasantly surprised.

001.330.365

• Early start today; early Saturday mornings are so unnatural. :P
• Spent most of the day with my brother and sister.
• Went to a cake tasting and was lucky enough to see a man-child nutcase tantrum like a baby because of a mistake he made which he desperately tried to blame on the owners. I love out of control people and behavior. :P ;)
• I love free Wi-Fi. :D
• Finally got my grubby mitts on a BrightKite invite! :D While InviteShare turned out to be a bust I still like the idea; nice site.
• Had lunch at one of my mostest favoritest places on Earth: Tito's Tacos! :D
• Went to the Fox Studios lot to catch a screening of Smart People but missed out on it due to a change in plans.
• Very sleepy at this moment.
• Watched a good majority of the Indiana Jones trilogy on the Sci Fi Channel.
• Goodnight. ;)

DS333, (-_-)zzZZZ

Looming Gloom

All my babies are going to die. :(

I think it first started with my 1st generation iPod Shuffle. It started acting wacky just when my brother bought me the 2nd gen iPod Nano. It had this annoying habit of skipping to the next song before the current one finished playing. Now that I think about it, it actually got worse before I got my hands on my Nano. It had completely died at one point. Or at least it slipped into a coma. It wasn't until long after my honeymoon with the Nano ended that Apple released a reset utility for the Shuffle that gave me my baby back. He was resurrected. But he was never the same again.

And of course things with my Nano haven't been perfect either... he started to slip away too. It's mostly a freezing issue, though it happens a lot more than one would normally expect. Luckily I was gifted the iPod Touch before I saw the worst of the Nano's illness. So far everything's great with the Touch... our relationship's still young and so is he. But it'll happen. Things will begin to decay. I know this, but it's always shocking because you never know when it'll happen.

My Nintendo Wii went on the fritz a week or two ago. Just outta blue. There were no signs, it just happened. One day it was working and then it wasn't. My heart sorta skipped a beat when I first realized that the little LED power indicator was dead. I hoped that it was just the LED that died but I kept pressing the power button and nothing. There's still nothing. Again, I hope it's the adapter. It'd be the shittiest luck if the internals got fried. This house isn't the friendliest toward electronics. It's the current, the electricity, it's so shoddy. I had a feeling that that might be the cause but I began to doubt that more and more. I might not know what happened... I just have to deal. These things happen. Now I have to see if there's anything I can do. Now it's time for the paperwork, the aftermath. I hate the paperwork. But I want my baby back. I don't think it's the end just yet but I know it's not going to be easy to get started again. I guess it never is. *sigh*


DS333, regrouping.

Elephant Blood

A friend of mine recently sparked a conversation that sparked another I've had in my head for a long time and was almost sure I'd written about before, but apparently I haven't. It has to do with genetic memory. I first became familiar with this phenomenon when I learned of elephant graveyards. Elephants have this uncanny ability to return to the same exact spot that their ancestors finally laid to rest. There are several theories about why this is the case. You could easily argue that it isn't within the blood... but, it's the idea that it could be that's the point. And you start to wonder about what lives in the blood. Alice Walker tapped into this thinking in her novel, Possessing The Secret Of Joy. There's this idea that actual memories can live on through the bloodline. And these memories may shape any number of things. And I wonder about how our blood shapes the way we are as men and women. What sort of legacies are we living out? What's written in our blood? What part of ourselves is the beginning of something new and what's merely the continuation to a story spun long, long ago?

I have to imagine trauma is key to this flow; that an experience has to hit hard to leave any lasting effect for generations to come. And I've wondered what lives in the heart of Native Americans as a whole. What happened to this country and it's people was such a radical and violent shift that I can't help but believe it lives on somewhere: the anger, the rage, the sorrow, the shame, etc. And I'm not speaking of socioeconomic effects, that's much too superficial and physical. The way these things live on is more subversive. And they don't live on through history... through stories and spoken word. It has to do with the blood. I imagine being a part of many legacies that I'm not physically in tune with; that I'm living out parts to stories my mind is oblivious to but that my heart is all too familiar with. It sometimes feels that way... like things are foreign and familiar at the same time and I wonder if all this has something to do with it. These stories, these memories live on a spectral plane. I may never know what I'm a part of... what's choice and what's merely cause & effect?


DS333, vibrating.

001.327.365

• I'm a bit obsessed with Björk's The Modern Things. All the modern things have always existed / They've just been waiting / To come out and multiply and take over / It's their turn now
• I met this really cool guy at Starbucks who was making paper cuts... they were beautiful. Paper cutting is something I've always wanted to dabble in and that encounter tonight was very inspiring. Who knows... maybe someday.
• The next few days are expected to heat up. Joey's not a happy boy. :|
• I've had the urge to watch a ton of movies lately... I think I might get to The Matrix tonight. Or maybe The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (Extended Edition). Then again, I have been meaning to watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original). *sigh* So many films, not enough time.
• I've a Caramel Macchiato chilling in the freezer. I forgot what they tasted like. I think they fuck me up but I can't remember. Let's hope I'm wrong about that.
• I need to transcode some DVDs for my iPod touch. Seems like a real intensive process for the computer and I figure my Mac's on its last legs so why not throw everything I can at it before it gives out? It always bothered me that the few movies I do have formatted for my iPod are missing their chapter titles. I hate seeing those generic "Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc." titles.
• I need to upload some files to Pownce... I've been meaning to do so for weeks now. :|
• I want a BrightKite invite but I'm too shy to ask the microblogosphere (yes I just coined that one :P ). I hate all these exclusive beta services. :P
• What else, what else? I've got nothing... but I'm sure to come up with a dozen things I wanted to say after I post this sucker, that's how it always happens. Oh well.
• Goodnight you paper tigers. ;)

DS333, *growl*

Film Fetish: "Speed Racer"

Speed Racer (2008)
- directed by Andy & Larry Wachowski


Based upon the 1960's American-adapted anime, Speed Racer follows the titular race car driver's struggle to honor and protect his family while attempting to expose the corruption within the corporate racing industry.

If you've been keeping your ear to the ground you've probably heard that Speed Racer is considered a failure in almost every way, certainly critically and financially. I rarely let other people's opinions shape the way in which I experience a film and I care even less about how financially successful it is if it manages to entertain. Well, this film was entertaining for me. Granted it's not the best story... not even the best of the most mediocre but there was enough there to facilitate a blockbuster special effects powerhouse experience. If there's any reason you should see this film it's for the art direction, it's a killer spectacle. It's a hyperreal, pop art wonder fuck. I was blown away by what the film had to offer visually. I also managed to get caught up in the nostalgia of the original series, enough that I found myself at times getting really excited and racked with suspense. I'm probably being more forgiving than I should be but I just didn't hate the experience in the way that the critics at large hoped I would. Once you surrender yourself to the feel of the movie I think it's easy to get lost in the child-like optimism of it all. It's well worth a look if only to marvel at the technical achievements on display... that and the killer reworking of the original Speed Racer soundtrack, I still can't get that orchestral theme out of my head. :P ;)


7/10 There's enough here to rope in any fan of the original series and even if you're not I think there's enough visual mastery on display to shock you into a state of awe and what could be better than that? :P


DS333, in awe.

Film Fetish: "Iron Man"

Iron Man (2008)
- directed by Jon Favreau


Based upon the Marvel comic book character of the same name, Iron Man is the first film in what is sure to be a wildly successful franchise. At the center of this origin tale is billionaire industrialist and weapons engineer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). After suffering a near fatal attack at the hands of terrorists armed with weapons supplied from his own company Stark shifts his focus from a life of overindulgence and superficiality to one of nobility and uses his genius to hunt down his former captors.

Everyone's saying it all over the place so who am I to disagree? Iron Man in the best superhero movie of all-time! I never really jibed with the idea that Tim Burton's Batman (1989) was ever in the running but I did feel that way about Spider-Man (2002) and Batman Begins (2005), though none of those films can hold a candle to Iron Man. The film was so beautifully crafted from top to bottom. I personally can't find any fault with it. Really I don't know what to say other than that, it's that good. What I love most about this film is that it doesn't suffer from the familiar trappings of every other superhero origin tale, quite simply it doesn't drag and it isn't ever boring. In a word the film is just fun. I don't know what more you can ask from a movie like this. The action sequences were perfectly choreographed, the special effects were incredible, the story structure was tight and efficient, the actors were strong and compelling... everything was just perfect. :D It's the type of movie I'd imagine non-geeks/non-comic book fans could fully enjoy.

I'm pretty sure I know why this film hit me the way it did and managed to earn the top superhero spot in my book, save for the reasons I already mentioned. First up, all of these stories have a romance angle... a love interest. Most of the time I'm just not digging it. The relationships always seem so forced and contrived... I'm just not interested. But the dynamic in this one was pitch-perfect because it was so believable. It wasn't heavy-handed and you get the impression that this too is just budding. Too often I think the love story develops too quickly in superhero films... it needs to slow down. I think the one nurtured here was perfectly paced. It might also have to do with the strength of Gwyneth Paltrow, I can't be sure. It's probably a mixture of character and actress. Whatever it is, is just worked. So what would traditionally be considered a flat, "intermission" scene suddenly became as compelling and engaging as every other scene in the movie. It was just brilliant.

I was also never familiar with the Iron Man mythos. I'm almost sure that this origin tale is nothing like that of the comics, but whatever else they managed to stay true or not I wouldn't be able to tell. So there might be this affection for something new and fresh that won me over in the end. It's just interested to see and hear something you've never experienced before.

Lastly, there's the whole tech angle. The film's basically robot porn... and I mean... c'mon! How could you not love that!? :P :D


9/10 I'd venture to give a higher rating save for the extreme guilt I might feel about previous reviews, but I just feel that enthusiastic about this movie... I could watch it over and over again. If you're looking for a great, well-rounded film look no further. ;)


DS333, excited.

001.324.365

• Happy Mommy's Day to all. ;)
• The days I hate the most? The days I have to walk about as a zombie after only clocking in a couple hours of sleep. My eyelids are getting very heavy. My arms feel light and airy. I don't think I can fight this much longer. (-_-)zzZZZ
  
• Had my first Caramel Frappuccino in a very long while, all thanks to my very generous brother. :D
• Tonight's the big night, the Survivor... season finale and reunion!!! :D
• Okay I can't do this, nappy nap time. :P
• Sweet dreams my fellow zombies. ;)

DS333, the walking dead.

Exposure

I'm probably the last person who should add any more slabs of meat onto his digital plate but I did just that the other day, I subscribed to the Revision3 vidcast Social Brew. I had the flash, I had the thought that I shouldn't be doing this but I couldn't resist. I need to be tuned in. As much as I would like it, I know I can't be tuned in to everything... so anything that comes my way I tend to latch onto. The sashay is at the crux of the problem, the nature in which things come my way. I feel there's a reason for the way things are, there's a purpose to our consumption. It's something like destiny. I can't turn my back on anything that feels like it needs to be apart of me. The feeling is a whisper... something whose voice grows from coincidence. You see and hear the same things over and over again in the oddest fashions, in the oddest places. It can't be coincidence... there's something there. Maybe it's something you can't see upfront, something you need to study and be patient with. Maybe it's something for someone else. You might have to listen to this whisper so that you can pass it on. You can never be sure where a conversation will lead you, where life will lead you. Maybe you'll have the answer to a question someone's destined to ask you and only you. You need to be prepared. In some ways that what I feel it is, preparation. I'm exposing myself to all these sources in the hope that it'll amount to something. Someday everything will be in its right place. Right now I'm just setting the board and picking up the pieces.


DS333, hoarding.

Just A Few...

• Taking off my shirt before bed and the smell of my body in that tunnel of fabric. All I can think is warm and sweet.
• Tightly bound boots and the smell of leather.
• In bed, lifting my legs up into the air to tuck the overhang of sheets and comforter under my feet.
• A pen with a steady flow of ink.
• The loud crackle of ice immersed in warm liquid.
• The sound of rapid-fire typing; the clicking and clacking of keys.
• The haze and daze of waking up from deep sleep.
• The silhouette of power lines, transformers and high tension towers against a sunset sky.
• The smell of asphalt after rainfall.
• The shocking touch of a cold iPod.
• Marathon viewing.
• Short blog posts. ;)

DS333, unfinished.

001.321.365

• Wow, post 321... again, I can't believe how close it's getting.
• Today was a heavy consumption day.
• Lost just keeps getting better, as far as I'm concerned there's no such thing as a shitty Locke, Juliet, Ben or Kate episode... Sayid's pretty much a lock too. Tonight's episode got me so excited... I was envisioning the long body of the series and was awed by it's scope. It's such a grand show and it's shaping up perfectly. I can't wait it see what happens next.
• Finished watching ER not too long ago. The season finale is up next week. :( And soon enough it'll be time for the final season ever. Y'know what they say, All good things... (Best title of a series finale episode by the way, courtesy of Star Trek: The Next Generation)
  
• I laughed sooo much today. I wonder if this is how it feels to be insane. :P
• Watched Survivor: Fans VS Favorites today... by far the best episode to date. I think the season may be the best season ever in fact. I'm endlessly fascinated by human behavior. I'm so in love with Cirie, she's now reached demigod status in my book. ;) She gives a whole new meaning to the term people person.
• Catching up on the final season of Sex And The City. I have a gift certificate to an AMC theatre that I've been holding onto since X-mas. It's very rare for me to go out to the theatre to catch something mainstream, I usually catch indies. So I'd been racking my brain trying to come up with some big blockbuster that I could use the certificate for, a blockbuster I most likely wouldn't be able to wrangle anyone to and I thought Sex And The City: The Movie was the perfect choice. Anyway, at the time the final, sixth season was airing I no longer had access to HBO. :( It's sorta amazing that I haven't gotten around to watching it sooner since it's one of my all-time favorite shows... I just figured I'd own the DVD box set someday, but given that it's so pricey I haven't been able to get my hands on it. So yeah, I couldn't walk into that theatre a practical virgin to the sixth season. I'm seven episodes in and I think I have 13 more to go... I actually had to pull myself away to make this post. :P I'm diving right back in once I finish this sucker. ;)
• Been listening to a lot of Björk's Harm Of Will from her 2001 album, Vespertine. I'm obsessed with the Vespertine Live version at the moment. It's what I consider one of my transcendent tunes. It's the most perfect thing on Earth.
• Okay, I could prattle on and on but I really wanna get back to my media consumption. :P
• Fair thee well my fellow sprites.

DS333, transparent.

A Rant # "Changing The Formula"

Advance Wars (2001) for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance is one of my all-time favorite games in the universe, alongside it sits its equally impressive sequel, Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising. Those two games are as close to perfection as any game developer can hope to attain with their design. At the time of their release the franchise was healthy and strong, they found a winning formula and the future looked bright... and then it all changed. With the release of Nintendo's DS came new titles in the Advance Wars series. Those game suck. Okay, suck might be a bit strong but the new games don't garner the same acclaim as their predecessors did. They changed too much. Since Advance Wars 2... there have been two more Advance Wars titles released under the DS banner, the first made some noticeably minor changes while the second is almost a complete overhaul of the franchise. I won't get too geeky about those changes... most of them are artistic; graphic and narrative. The point is that the developers cocked up something beautiful. They had it! They had it and they pissed it all away with some bonehead moves. And it shouldn't be misconstrued, my anger isn't directed toward change or the idea of change... but toward unnecessary, drastic, fundamental change. If something is working... well you've heard it before, If it ain't broke don't fix it. Well it wasn't and they went ahead and broke it anyway. It's so crushing and disappointing to something so perfect fall apart. Usually it's the things and the people that need to make change that are resistant to it, you don't see it enough... but with the things that don't need to change, well change is the watchword. I wish more people had the awareness to know when they have something great in their hands. It's horrible to see it fall apart.


DS333, lamenting.

Film Fetish: "The Departed"

The Departed (2006)
- directed by Martin Scorsese


Two cops from opposite sides of the tracks race against time to discover the identity of one other in an intense game of cat & mouse; one a dirty cop working for the local crime lord and the other an entrenched undercover agent working to bring down the crime syndicate from within.

Okay... right off the bat I need to say that I'm probably going to be more harsh than I need to be with this review. Objectively I realize this is a solid film, a good film, but there was something I just didn't like about it. I've come up with a lot of reasons of why this might be and when you add it all together you might get the impression that I didn't like the film but I did. If for nothing else you should at least watch this film for the acting. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio are at a level I've never seen from them before. And to sweeten the pot further Jack Nicholson's performance trumps theirs by a hundred miles, he commands such power onscreen it's almost incredible.

I feel the greatest thing the film had working against it was the fact that I had seen the film before... in the form of it's original source material, Infernal Affairs (2002). I loved that film. And when you're working with a story like this one I feel a lot of the power lies in the unknown. I was well aware of where things were going before they happened. The story takes a lot of twists and turns that were meant to be exciting and suspenseful but were ultimately lost on me. That's not a failing on the part of the film of course, I had essentially ruined the experience already by watching the original. And in some ways I wish I hadn't because this film has tons of polish and finesse that the original lacks, it also doesn't hurt to have one of the most talented directors of our time helming the project. :P In so many ways this version of the film is the best.

Having said all that it seems petty to go on about all the other things I had a problem with, they're so minute. At the heart of this film lies a great suspenseful and dramatic story, and in the end it's all about the story. Given that it's a big budget Hollywood film directed by one of the greats you can trust that the fit and finish are top notch, there's very little about the technical aspects of the film to bemoan... although I will add that I didn't much care for the editing, I thought it was more than a bit sloppy and rushed. :P Still, all in all a fantastic picture.

7.5/10 Yeah, I know... pretty low score but I have my reasons and it shouldn't affect your decision to see it by very much. This is a great film. If you're in the mood for a solid suspense crime-drama you won't find many films better than this.


DS333, meh.

001.318.365

• Wow, the titles on these Third posts are kinda freaking me out... it's almost over. :|
• I've been listening to Björk's Hyperballad (- Post (1995)) quite a lot lately. I love the song so much. I think it perfectly embodies what the Buddhists term joyful participation in the sorrows of the world. It's a beautiful blend of light and dark; at once depressing and uplifting. And the music video is one of those rare pieces that mirrors the soul of the source material. Hands down one of Michel Gondry's best videos.
• After listening to John C. Dvorak on No Agenda I've fallen into watching the latest season of the UK version of Kitchen Nightmares, or Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares as it's known across the pond. I've always loved the US version but damn is the UK version so much better. Most importantly it's uncensored. I don't need expletives... I just need honesty. I hate all the hand-holding going on in America, it's really getting bad (actually it's been bad for a very long time but it's getting worse). I hate what passes as natural conversation amongst adults in the media, it's all so fake. We want truth, honesty and authenticity!
• The most depressing thing happened yesterday. My local Starbucks failed me. :( My venti zebra was horribly under par. It was bathwater. It was casual sex in the backseat of a car. It just wasn't what it's always been... which is transcendental. No fireworks last night. :| But I find espressos to be much like pizza in this regard, it's always good on some level... I did drink it after all. *shrug*
  
• The latest trailers for The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull look pretty kick ass. Oh my god, Cate Blanchett and that accent?... that's my undoing... I don't think I've ever been more attracted to a human being in my life! :P :D
• I was enligthened the other day to find out that my favorite TV shows are in fact consultancy shows. There's Kitchen Nightmares, What Not To Wear and Project Runway, all of which are based on experts in their fields judging and mentoring challenged clients. It's only natural I suppose, it's always compelling to watch someone at the top of their game do what they do best. How could I not eat it up?
• Ah! Almost forgot... I'm over the moon about my new favorite iPhone/iPod touch web app for Twitter, Hahlo. The user interface is insane! :D I'm in love. There're a few things that could use some tweaking but overall it's pretty killer. It's good enough that it replaced PocketTweets as my go-to Twitter client on Narcissus (my iPod touch), I think that alone speaks quite highly of the app. Also, sweet logo. ;) I'm a whore for good design. :P
• Okay I need to go and consume some more media, you go do the same. ;)
• Goodnight my fellow digital gluttons. :)

DS333, chomping.

The White Trials

For the longest time I steered away from wearing white, specifically white pants. I've of course worn white before, I don't have an issue with the color... I'm actually quite fond of it, it's right on par with black (yeah I know it's not technically a color :P). Anyway for as long as I've steered away from the white slacks I've suffered that time ruining the white clothes I did wear. I don't know how it happens... it's just cosmic because I almost always wind up wearing white on the same days that I happen to eat pasta. Pasta sauce is the bane of my existence. :P My lover, my killer. I can't eat pasta and not get something on myself. It's always a crime scene. And now that I've taken to white jeans and slacks my white paranoia has tripled.

I hate the constant maintenance. In a way I do and I don't. I don't care for it right when I slip them on only because they're so fresh and getting them dirty means spoiling them. When they're new, right outta the wash, they're sorta like blank canvases coveted for their purity. And you don't draw on these... they're meant to stay blank. But it only takes time before I stop giving a shit, then I begin to enjoy the mess. I liken the experience to trying to stay cool and dry on a hot Summer day. You do all that you can to avoid the inevitable, burdened by the stress of maintaining order and only find relief when you give up. You let the heat in, the sweat bead and realize it's not the end of the world. Then you kinda enjoy the experience. You want more of it. Granted, I'm not fretting the smudge I noticed a couple of hours ago but that doesn't mean I'm about to jump into any mud puddles. :P I'm just not sweating it as much as I was earlier in the day. It's really about maintaining a neutral position in the war between order and chaos... or at least trying to find a balance between the two. Sometimes you just have to let go. It's not so bad to have a little disorder, a little mess. You gotta let what happens happen. Que sera, sera.


DS333, smudged.

Hookers

Before this year-long blogging project came to an end I felt it would be wrong to overlook hookers. A blog of my creation would just have to include hookers. Though, now that I come to it I don't know what to say.

I've always been fascinated by the hooker mystique. At the heart of most of my interests lies a strong element of the foreign. Prostitution is so far removed from my experience that I can't help being intrigued by it. And it's important to note that my view isn't tarnished by harsh judgements, it's self-righteousness that keeps us small and limited. It's been said many times before that we're all whores for something. We may not give up our sex but there are sure to be any number of things we trade that we would much rather not to get something we want or need, so who are we to shun our brothers and sisters of the night? That said, I wouldn't exactly consider myself a whore... I just think it important to hold that idea close at hand in times like these when you can so easily slip into a judgemental frame of mind. Then again, you shouldn't have to train yourself to empathize. For me, it's quite natural not to look down on the whores and hustlers, much in the same way it's easy for me to sit down with the addicts and druggies. Some of my very best friends would be considered unseemly, which is ironic since they're some of the best people I've ever known. Stigma's a funny thing that way... it can mean so much to so many people and yet be so meaningless to the few who can see through its farce.

I may have to take this up again at a later time. There's a lot to dig through here and I'm not feeling up to it right now. But I think this is a nice start. ;)


DS333, mulling.

001.315.365

• Laundry day today. It was a nightmare having to suffer these incredibly disobedient children running about. Apparently good parents... scratch that, apparently halfway decent parents are hard to come by these days.
• Battlestar Galactica is two hours away! :D
• I don't know exactly when, but I should be seeing Iron Man sometime this weekend or in the coming week. Super psyched! :D
• This week's episode of Lost was somewhat lackluster but it looks like next week's episode is gonna be killer! :D
• Been working on completing All Star with all characters on Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I'm almost there. I need to complete all those challenges! :P
• This warm weather's making me sleepy. (-_-)zzZZZ
• This is just a nightmare / Soon I'm gonna wake up. I can't get that verse outta my head. It's from 4 Minute Warning by Radiohead on the bonus disc of In Rainbows (2007). By far the best track on the bonus disc. :D
• Heading out kiddos. ;)
• ...Soon we're gonna wake up.

DS333, in dream.

Memory... "Days Of Being Wild"

I remember a time before time, or rather, I remember a time before the concept of time. I was very young but not so young that I could not grasp the progression of days. The Sun rose and the Sun set, I awoke and I slept. I had a simple understanding of this synchronization but very little of much else. I can't remember being able to wrap my head around minutes and hours, much less weeks and months.

I had a question, of what, I can't remember. Maybe it was about my birthday, maybe Christmas. I wondered when this day would come. It was on the horizon and I was consumed with the excitement of anticipation. I couldn't wait and I had to know when I could stop. I asked my older brother and he swung the hammer. My world shattered when I first began to internalize what a calendar was.

I remember very clearly the boxes. Perfect lines, ordered and closed. It was so foreign to me to encapsulate the days of my youth in these boxes. This is what days are? Blank white boxes, all numbered and lined? In a lot of ways it was offensive, repulsive even. It just never made sense. I was taking it in but I couldn't fully grasp it yet... but still I could feel it slipping away. There was this tension, this tear, this pull between the past and the future. In a sense I could feel myself slipping away, in the same sense that illuminations and traumas are like deaths and rebirths.

I was forever changed by the concept of time. Before there was nothing and everything, then it all started closing in. It was as though my mind and my experience were running wild and free and then the calendar came. I don't think it's a simple coincidence that they look like nets and cages because that's what it felt like, like I was being reined in and caged. But I still have the memory of what it felt like before, the bliss of that ignorance. To have lost the memory would have been the greatest crime because it's the one thing blocking the onset of the prime Stockholm syndrome. I still have it and it's still within me. So here's to holding on, and to breathing new life into the spirit of the days of being wild.


DS333, devout.