Best Movie: Have I really not watched any movies this week? I guess not. Not enough hours in the day, and all that, eh? Either that or nothing I watched stuck in my memory long enough to write this up. Hmmmm.
Best TV: I've been catching up on a lot of older tv lately, as there's pretty much nothing on the tube. That said, of the shows that actually premiered this week, I checked out Studio 60 and the new HBO series by the creator of Deadwood, John From Cincinnati. Studio 60 isn't bad. In fact, it's pretty good, especially given the fact that they seem to know that they weren't renewed, and now are going to really mess with all of the characters. John From Cincinnati was very interesting, what with all the levitating and the raising birds from the dead and whatnot. I'm intrigued and will keep watching.
As for old tv on DVD, this week I watched the first season of Big Train (6 episodes) and really enjoyed it. It was good and funny, without being too mean-spirited. It was no Jam, which had nearly the exact same cast (minus Simon Pegg), though. It was good comedy that anyone could enjoy. Unlike Jam, which was mean and twisted and apparently only I, among my friends, love. Oh well. You can't have everything.
But best of the week goes to Doctor Who, yet again. You know, I thought the last two weeks were the best the show has been able to produce. But this week was a very good one as well, definiitely keeping up the energy as we head into the home stretch of the season. Not only was it really good without actually having the Doctor in the episode (for the most part), but those weeping angel statues were creepy as hell. Good, old school Doctor Who monsters to make the kiddies hide and have nightmares.
And next week Derek Jacobi is the guest star! I get giddy just thinking about it.
Best Book: By default, this category is topped by Charles Stross' Accelerando, since that's the only thing I've read this week. But it was good. I must admit, however, that I was a little disappointed with the ending. Again, as with Vinge's Rainbows End, I kind of felt that the end was less about drawing things to a conclusion than it was about laying groundwork for future stories in this world.
That said, it was an excellent piece of work, creating a future world that was believable and accessible, and was at the same time fresh, new, and exciting. It makes me wonder just what Stross is capable of if he sets his mind to it. Were the adventures of the characters who went exploring just not the story he wanted to tell at this time, or was he unable to come up with something even more imaginative than what he already had laid out? That wouldn't be a crime, really, since this was fantastic in the level of technological (and legal) speculative detail. I look forward to reading more by this author, and hopefully, more about these characters.
I've started a new book this week that is a lot of fun, but I'll wait until next time to talk about it.
Best Music: Checked out the new White Stripes CD and think I'll probably buy it. I don't think I like it as much as their previous work, but it's still damn good.
Also checked out Timbaland's new one and didn't like it so much. No real criticisms other than it's just not my speed.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Friday, June 15, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Bull on Parade?
So Rage's big event that was being counted down to on the mystery site? Tickets going on sale for a concert at Alpine Valley on August 24.
That's it.
If that's not the first date of a full-fledged tour, I'm gonna be sorely disappointed.
That's it.
If that's not the first date of a full-fledged tour, I'm gonna be sorely disappointed.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Best of the Week - June 8, 2007
Best Movie: Two words. El Topo. If you've seen El Topo, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, then here goes. This is a mystical western of-sorts. It's about spirituality and illumination and violence and destruction and love and fear. This film has only been available in the form of expensive European and Japanese imports for all my life, thanks to a feud between the writer/director/star, Alejandro Jodorowsky and the producer Allen Klein. However, they have made peace and now a remastered print of the film (along with Jodorowsky's other films, Fando y Lis and Holy Mountain) has been released on DVD in America for the first time.
The print is exquisite. I've seen the European import version and this tops it for clarity and vividness of color (the skies are pure blue and the blood is a shocking red). And there are no annoying fuzzed-out boxes covering the exposed genitalia like in the Japanese import. It's quite simply a gorgeous film, filled with image after image that I wish I could lay claim to as my own. The film is one continuous series of symbols and metaphors for the spiritual quest for transcendence. Everyone should see this, especially if one has a love of the more experimental westerns to come out of Italy in the mid to late sixties. This isn't Italian, but it really does take the tropes to come from those films (I'm thinking Django, and Django Kill -- If It Lives, Shoot!, especially) to a whole new level. It's brilliant and beautiful. If you like this, you should also try out some of his comics (Jodorowsky has written a number of fantastic comics, many of which are available in English translations. My personal favorites are Metabarons, Son of the Gun, and White Lama). They cover a wide variety of genres but all have a distinctly Jodorowsky-an exploration of spirituality, mysticism, and violence.
Best TV: Death Note continues to be excellent. I've finished the first season (which apparently corresponds to the first 6 volumes of the 12 volume manga series) and it ended with a pretty extreme shift to the status quo of the series. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, but I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did, that's for sure. That's a plus in my book, so good on 'em. The first few episodes of season 2 have been interesting, again, taking the series in a different direction from where it started, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I miss Ryuk, though. He hasn't been seen since a few episode before season 1 wrapped, and I worry about the big lug. Hopefully I'll get to watch the next 7 episodes over the next week or so.
Anyway, this week's Doctor Who ("Family of Blood" - the second part to last week's outstanding "Human Nature") was unquestionably the best thing on the tube (or the "tubes" as I have to download it to watch). I'm not too proud to say that even without alcoholic enhancement, this episode brought a tear to my eye. It was that good. Great character work continued this week, and what the Doctor did to the baddies was brilliantly personalized and devastating. The Doctor is a bad-ass, no question about it.
Best Book: Notice the change in category? That's because I shifted the comics talk to its own entry this week. I haven't done a lot of reading outside of comics this time around, but I'm now about to begin the third and final part of Charles Stross' Accelerando. It's still holding up to be as good as I said it was last week (although the latest section I read wasn't as absorbing as what's come before. This could be the story itself, or the fact that I've been reading it in 5 and 10 minute installments during my breaks at work. Hmmmm. Probably the latter.), but there's still a ways to go. Hopefully I'll have it finished by next week.
Best Music: I'm giving three things a listen this week. The new Queens of the Stone Age CD Era Vulgaris, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, and Klaxons' Myth of the Near Future.
My impressions so far: QOTSA - not bad, but nothing really stands out as more than superficially interesting, although I dig the single "Sick Sick Sick" for some reason. It's more experimental than the rest of the album, maybe. Maybe not. I don't know. Something about the overall project just doesn't click with me. Just like their last CD. I really want to like this, and the band as a whole, but in the end, I'm just kind of indifferent to them. Don't dislike them, but they just don't make any impression at all on me.
Amy Winehouse -- What fucking year is it? Heh heh. Sorry about that. That was Mike Patton's response during a video interview at Lallapalooza last year when he suddenly heard Wolfmother playing. Still makes me laugh. But seriously, what fucking year is it? For retro cool it scores full marks. For embracing pure hedonism the CD also scores highly. But in the end it just seems like a novelty act. It reminds me most of The Squirrel Nut Zippers. I loved them when I first heard them, but after a while the experience of listening to them just became an empty one. I still enjoy them if a song shows up randomly on my MP3 player, but I've reached a point in my listening tastes where if I want to listen to retro music, it's easy enough to track down original work instead of contemporary bands copping classic styles. That said, this isn't bad. I just don't ever imagine being in the mood to listen to it. Maybe some songs will end up in a mix.
Klaxons -- I know, I mentioned them last week, but I'm still listening to them and really enjoying it. Although I will admit that they're not for everyone. They may be a little too light for some people, but to me, the light poppy elements are usually offset with a noisy undercurrent and lyrical references to subjects as varied as William S. Burroughs and Thomas Pyncheon. That and it just makes me happy listening to them. There are a few moments where I'm also reminded of the peak moments of Prince Charming-era Adam and the Ants. Yes, I have a weakness for that kind of stuff right alongside my fondness for classic metal, classic punk, and almost anything off of the Ipecac label. Go figure.
The print is exquisite. I've seen the European import version and this tops it for clarity and vividness of color (the skies are pure blue and the blood is a shocking red). And there are no annoying fuzzed-out boxes covering the exposed genitalia like in the Japanese import. It's quite simply a gorgeous film, filled with image after image that I wish I could lay claim to as my own. The film is one continuous series of symbols and metaphors for the spiritual quest for transcendence. Everyone should see this, especially if one has a love of the more experimental westerns to come out of Italy in the mid to late sixties. This isn't Italian, but it really does take the tropes to come from those films (I'm thinking Django, and Django Kill -- If It Lives, Shoot!, especially) to a whole new level. It's brilliant and beautiful. If you like this, you should also try out some of his comics (Jodorowsky has written a number of fantastic comics, many of which are available in English translations. My personal favorites are Metabarons, Son of the Gun, and White Lama). They cover a wide variety of genres but all have a distinctly Jodorowsky-an exploration of spirituality, mysticism, and violence.
Best TV: Death Note continues to be excellent. I've finished the first season (which apparently corresponds to the first 6 volumes of the 12 volume manga series) and it ended with a pretty extreme shift to the status quo of the series. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, but I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did, that's for sure. That's a plus in my book, so good on 'em. The first few episodes of season 2 have been interesting, again, taking the series in a different direction from where it started, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I miss Ryuk, though. He hasn't been seen since a few episode before season 1 wrapped, and I worry about the big lug. Hopefully I'll get to watch the next 7 episodes over the next week or so.
Anyway, this week's Doctor Who ("Family of Blood" - the second part to last week's outstanding "Human Nature") was unquestionably the best thing on the tube (or the "tubes" as I have to download it to watch). I'm not too proud to say that even without alcoholic enhancement, this episode brought a tear to my eye. It was that good. Great character work continued this week, and what the Doctor did to the baddies was brilliantly personalized and devastating. The Doctor is a bad-ass, no question about it.
Best Book: Notice the change in category? That's because I shifted the comics talk to its own entry this week. I haven't done a lot of reading outside of comics this time around, but I'm now about to begin the third and final part of Charles Stross' Accelerando. It's still holding up to be as good as I said it was last week (although the latest section I read wasn't as absorbing as what's come before. This could be the story itself, or the fact that I've been reading it in 5 and 10 minute installments during my breaks at work. Hmmmm. Probably the latter.), but there's still a ways to go. Hopefully I'll have it finished by next week.
Best Music: I'm giving three things a listen this week. The new Queens of the Stone Age CD Era Vulgaris, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, and Klaxons' Myth of the Near Future.
My impressions so far: QOTSA - not bad, but nothing really stands out as more than superficially interesting, although I dig the single "Sick Sick Sick" for some reason. It's more experimental than the rest of the album, maybe. Maybe not. I don't know. Something about the overall project just doesn't click with me. Just like their last CD. I really want to like this, and the band as a whole, but in the end, I'm just kind of indifferent to them. Don't dislike them, but they just don't make any impression at all on me.
Amy Winehouse -- What fucking year is it? Heh heh. Sorry about that. That was Mike Patton's response during a video interview at Lallapalooza last year when he suddenly heard Wolfmother playing. Still makes me laugh. But seriously, what fucking year is it? For retro cool it scores full marks. For embracing pure hedonism the CD also scores highly. But in the end it just seems like a novelty act. It reminds me most of The Squirrel Nut Zippers. I loved them when I first heard them, but after a while the experience of listening to them just became an empty one. I still enjoy them if a song shows up randomly on my MP3 player, but I've reached a point in my listening tastes where if I want to listen to retro music, it's easy enough to track down original work instead of contemporary bands copping classic styles. That said, this isn't bad. I just don't ever imagine being in the mood to listen to it. Maybe some songs will end up in a mix.
Klaxons -- I know, I mentioned them last week, but I'm still listening to them and really enjoying it. Although I will admit that they're not for everyone. They may be a little too light for some people, but to me, the light poppy elements are usually offset with a noisy undercurrent and lyrical references to subjects as varied as William S. Burroughs and Thomas Pyncheon. That and it just makes me happy listening to them. There are a few moments where I'm also reminded of the peak moments of Prince Charming-era Adam and the Ants. Yes, I have a weakness for that kind of stuff right alongside my fondness for classic metal, classic punk, and almost anything off of the Ipecac label. Go figure.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
Best of the Week - June 1, 2007 -- UPDATED
Best Movie: No movies this week. I only started watching one film (a Japanese film called The Red Spectacles, directed by Mamoru Oshii of Jin Roh fame), but to be quite honest, it was so bad I turned it off. Maybe it was really something special if one could give it the time, but I thought it was remarkably boring. I made it through the opening scene, which wasn't too bad for a low-budget, late eighties, action film, but after the credits rolled, the film turned into a sepia-toned exercise in trying my patience. One loooooong drawn out scene after the other triggered my "jump to the next chapter" impulse. I did find a fight scene later on that was so poorly choreographed and filmed that something my friends did on video in high school was as good.
Best TV: TV, on the other hand, had a couple of hot spots for me this week. Although they weren't for shows currently running on any cable network that I have access to. Trailer Park Boys is back, baby! After the last two seasons and the feature film, I was afraid that they'd lost their edge. Hell, My Name is Earl has captured more of the old TPB spirit lately than the actual show had. But season 7 is a return to form.
The first five episodes find Ricky unable to sell his dope at a decent price thanks to the dirt weed being sold at the mall; Julian is desperate for money before his trailer gets repossessed; Ray's hobby is drinking; Bubbles' new hobby is model trains; Randy is a pothead; Mr. Lahey is back on the force and allied with the boys; Lucy is pregnant and working for J-Rock; Cory and Trevor are out of the picture, locked up in a mental hospital after being driven into nervous breakdowns by Ricky; Phil Collins (not that one) has moved into the trailer park to start a "Dirty Burger" restaurant; Phil's son is missing after being recruited by Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles for a 3 day recon job into Maine. It's kicking all kinds of ass. Even the guest appearance by Skid Row's Sebastian Bach (as himself) was cool, and I can't stand that guy.
The season finishes up in 2 weeks (I think), so I'll get caught up on the rest then.
The other TV highlight has been Japan's Death Note anime series. I've just started watching the first season and it's excellent. I enjoyed the first film (haven't seen the second yet), and the first 8 episodes of the series cover the same amount of storyline, but with the additional time the format allows, expands on it in a much more effective way. I'm going to have to catch up on reading the manga now, too.
Best Reading Material: I finished Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End earlier this week. It was pretty good up until the end. The technology was very cool and I wanted every piece of it. Vinge's vision of a fully tagged environment and wearable computers providing a constant virtual access to information was believably realized and the characters were all interesting and well written. The climax was pretty exciting and a good tying together of the narrative threads throughout the earlier parts of the book, but then it just lost me. There seemed to be no repercussions to anything that took place, and no real resolution beyond a general sense of "everything's okay now". I'm still not sure who or what Rabbit was, but that could just be me.
In the end, I felt that things were being set up more for a sequel than as a satisfying conclusion.
I'm almost finished with Charles Stross' Accelerando and HOLY CRAP is it good! One of the ways that I tend to evaluate works is by comparing what's on the page to what I could possibly do on my own (with decent research). In that sense, Rainbows End was good, but nothing was too far beyond my comprehension and it was pretty easy to follow (except for where answers just weren't given). Accelerando is outside of my abilities. I have to think hard to follow certain conceptual lines and that's just fucking great! The last time this happened was in parts of Iain M. Bank's Culture series (particularly Excession -- good book -- read it!). I can't wait to finish it and read some more Stross.
I've read his Bob Howard stories (The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue) and they were excellent, especially if one likes Ian Fleming and H.P. Lovecraft. However, they were pretty grounded in spy/cthulhu tropes and fairly easy to follow (although sometimes the math or the IT stuff was a little foreign to me). Accelerando is pretty much straight science fiction, following a family as the Singularity approaches. It was originally a series of short stories, so each chapter is essentially a self contained story, and as such there is some repeating of information as characters are reintroduced, but it's not a very big distraction. Good stuff.
On the comics front, there wasn't much out this week. Countdown remains barely interesting, but holding on, even with some horrible dialog this week. Daredevil was still good, but nothing mind-blowing. New Avengers: Illuminati was okay, but again, pretty average overall. Barracuda was good and offensive, as usual. What can you say about an issue entitled "And a Warm Place to Shit"?
The highlights this week were the return of The Boys and Shaolin Cowboy. The Boys hasn't lost a step, despite having to switch publishers. What DC couldn't handle becomes Dynamite's gain. This issue (#7) starts a new storyline, in which a Batman variant named The Tek-Knight has a problem. As he puts it on the very first page: "Doctor -- I can't stop fucking things..."
However, it's not treated as just a running gag. Garth Ennis treats it pretty seriously, exploring the psychological damage Tek-Knight's uncontrollable urges are doing to him. Meanwhile, The Boys themselves get on the case of finding a friend's missing son, who may have ties to Tek-Knight's former teen sidekick. I highly recommend this series. If one is not easily offended, that is.
Shaolin Cowboy, published by the Wachowski Brothers and written and illustrated by Geofrey Darrow is another slice of highly detailed heaven. I'm not even going to try to describe it. Oh hell, why not? It's beautiful, it's ugly, it's immense, it's intimate, it's got it all. And there's an army of naked zombies heading for our hero on the final pages. Granted, new issues are few and far between, but every issue is worth the wait. And back issues are all available at the Burlyman website.
Best Music: No new music this week. Although as I write this I'm listening to Myths of the Near Future by Klaxons. I know nothing about them, except that I just saw a video by them and had to give the cd a listen. It's interesting, but I'm going to have to listen to it a couple of more times before I form a decision. It's interesting, though. I'll give it that. And fun.
UPDATE - How the hell could I have forgotten this week's Doctor Who? It was maybe the best episode of the relaunch. Part one of two and adapted (by the author) from a Doctor Who novel. Great character work, with the two-part format giving them time to really establish the scenario and provide a nice slow build-up of tension to the episode cliffhanger. It made me wish that every episode was at least a two-parter (and written by someone who knows what they're doing -- not whoever wrote that "Daleks in Manhattan" story - ugh).
I only hope part two lives up to the first half. Then in the next few weeks, Derek Jacobi and the return of Captain Jack! Not the pirate, the bisexual galactic con-artist turned hero and immortal defender of earth as it heads into the 21st century over in Torchwood.
Best TV: TV, on the other hand, had a couple of hot spots for me this week. Although they weren't for shows currently running on any cable network that I have access to. Trailer Park Boys is back, baby! After the last two seasons and the feature film, I was afraid that they'd lost their edge. Hell, My Name is Earl has captured more of the old TPB spirit lately than the actual show had. But season 7 is a return to form.
The first five episodes find Ricky unable to sell his dope at a decent price thanks to the dirt weed being sold at the mall; Julian is desperate for money before his trailer gets repossessed; Ray's hobby is drinking; Bubbles' new hobby is model trains; Randy is a pothead; Mr. Lahey is back on the force and allied with the boys; Lucy is pregnant and working for J-Rock; Cory and Trevor are out of the picture, locked up in a mental hospital after being driven into nervous breakdowns by Ricky; Phil Collins (not that one) has moved into the trailer park to start a "Dirty Burger" restaurant; Phil's son is missing after being recruited by Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles for a 3 day recon job into Maine. It's kicking all kinds of ass. Even the guest appearance by Skid Row's Sebastian Bach (as himself) was cool, and I can't stand that guy.
The season finishes up in 2 weeks (I think), so I'll get caught up on the rest then.
The other TV highlight has been Japan's Death Note anime series. I've just started watching the first season and it's excellent. I enjoyed the first film (haven't seen the second yet), and the first 8 episodes of the series cover the same amount of storyline, but with the additional time the format allows, expands on it in a much more effective way. I'm going to have to catch up on reading the manga now, too.
Best Reading Material: I finished Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End earlier this week. It was pretty good up until the end. The technology was very cool and I wanted every piece of it. Vinge's vision of a fully tagged environment and wearable computers providing a constant virtual access to information was believably realized and the characters were all interesting and well written. The climax was pretty exciting and a good tying together of the narrative threads throughout the earlier parts of the book, but then it just lost me. There seemed to be no repercussions to anything that took place, and no real resolution beyond a general sense of "everything's okay now". I'm still not sure who or what Rabbit was, but that could just be me.
In the end, I felt that things were being set up more for a sequel than as a satisfying conclusion.
I'm almost finished with Charles Stross' Accelerando and HOLY CRAP is it good! One of the ways that I tend to evaluate works is by comparing what's on the page to what I could possibly do on my own (with decent research). In that sense, Rainbows End was good, but nothing was too far beyond my comprehension and it was pretty easy to follow (except for where answers just weren't given). Accelerando is outside of my abilities. I have to think hard to follow certain conceptual lines and that's just fucking great! The last time this happened was in parts of Iain M. Bank's Culture series (particularly Excession -- good book -- read it!). I can't wait to finish it and read some more Stross.
I've read his Bob Howard stories (The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue) and they were excellent, especially if one likes Ian Fleming and H.P. Lovecraft. However, they were pretty grounded in spy/cthulhu tropes and fairly easy to follow (although sometimes the math or the IT stuff was a little foreign to me). Accelerando is pretty much straight science fiction, following a family as the Singularity approaches. It was originally a series of short stories, so each chapter is essentially a self contained story, and as such there is some repeating of information as characters are reintroduced, but it's not a very big distraction. Good stuff.
On the comics front, there wasn't much out this week. Countdown remains barely interesting, but holding on, even with some horrible dialog this week. Daredevil was still good, but nothing mind-blowing. New Avengers: Illuminati was okay, but again, pretty average overall. Barracuda was good and offensive, as usual. What can you say about an issue entitled "And a Warm Place to Shit"?
The highlights this week were the return of The Boys and Shaolin Cowboy. The Boys hasn't lost a step, despite having to switch publishers. What DC couldn't handle becomes Dynamite's gain. This issue (#7) starts a new storyline, in which a Batman variant named The Tek-Knight has a problem. As he puts it on the very first page: "Doctor -- I can't stop fucking things..."
However, it's not treated as just a running gag. Garth Ennis treats it pretty seriously, exploring the psychological damage Tek-Knight's uncontrollable urges are doing to him. Meanwhile, The Boys themselves get on the case of finding a friend's missing son, who may have ties to Tek-Knight's former teen sidekick. I highly recommend this series. If one is not easily offended, that is.
Shaolin Cowboy, published by the Wachowski Brothers and written and illustrated by Geofrey Darrow is another slice of highly detailed heaven. I'm not even going to try to describe it. Oh hell, why not? It's beautiful, it's ugly, it's immense, it's intimate, it's got it all. And there's an army of naked zombies heading for our hero on the final pages. Granted, new issues are few and far between, but every issue is worth the wait. And back issues are all available at the Burlyman website.
Best Music: No new music this week. Although as I write this I'm listening to Myths of the Near Future by Klaxons. I know nothing about them, except that I just saw a video by them and had to give the cd a listen. It's interesting, but I'm going to have to listen to it a couple of more times before I form a decision. It's interesting, though. I'll give it that. And fun.
UPDATE - How the hell could I have forgotten this week's Doctor Who? It was maybe the best episode of the relaunch. Part one of two and adapted (by the author) from a Doctor Who novel. Great character work, with the two-part format giving them time to really establish the scenario and provide a nice slow build-up of tension to the episode cliffhanger. It made me wish that every episode was at least a two-parter (and written by someone who knows what they're doing -- not whoever wrote that "Daleks in Manhattan" story - ugh).
I only hope part two lives up to the first half. Then in the next few weeks, Derek Jacobi and the return of Captain Jack! Not the pirate, the bisexual galactic con-artist turned hero and immortal defender of earth as it heads into the 21st century over in Torchwood.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Best of the Week - May 25, 2007
Best Movie: Although I haven't actually seen many films this week, I did finally watch Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I loved Oldboy and really enjoyed Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, but this one topped them all. It was beautifully shot, intricately structured (without relying on a twist ending, like Oldboy), and had a truly heart-and-gut-wrenching conclusion. Damn near perfect on every level.
Best TV: Without a doubt, it was the Lost Season finale. Heroes ended nicely, but was a bit anti-climactic (although I loved the final shot!!). But Lost --- hoo boy! Lots of good stuff from start to finish. Can't wait to see where they go from here, if I can remember anything about the show by next year.
Best Reading Material: DC's Countdown yanked its neck out of the noose this week with a pretty tight issue. There were a few poorly executed moments, but all-in-all it was a solid issue. I'll keep getting it. Captain America returned with the first new issue since the assassination and was pretty darn good, if a bit disjointed. Newuniversal was about the same: good but disjointed. It'll probably read much better in one sitting than it does in the monthlies.
Best comic of the week, though, goes to Ed Brubaker's Criminal #6. It's the start of a new story with a whole new cast, and in one issue has set up a very interesting revenge story (and I'm a sucker for revenge stories -- see above).
Best Music: Nothing new this week. What can I say? I'm poor. I did listen to Marilyn Manson's new one and can honestly say that it is the first time a Manson cd has let me down. I don't even want to listen to it again. It's deleted.
Best TV: Without a doubt, it was the Lost Season finale. Heroes ended nicely, but was a bit anti-climactic (although I loved the final shot!!). But Lost --- hoo boy! Lots of good stuff from start to finish. Can't wait to see where they go from here, if I can remember anything about the show by next year.
Best Reading Material: DC's Countdown yanked its neck out of the noose this week with a pretty tight issue. There were a few poorly executed moments, but all-in-all it was a solid issue. I'll keep getting it. Captain America returned with the first new issue since the assassination and was pretty darn good, if a bit disjointed. Newuniversal was about the same: good but disjointed. It'll probably read much better in one sitting than it does in the monthlies.
Best comic of the week, though, goes to Ed Brubaker's Criminal #6. It's the start of a new story with a whole new cast, and in one issue has set up a very interesting revenge story (and I'm a sucker for revenge stories -- see above).
Best Music: Nothing new this week. What can I say? I'm poor. I did listen to Marilyn Manson's new one and can honestly say that it is the first time a Manson cd has let me down. I don't even want to listen to it again. It's deleted.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Best of the Week - May 18, 2007
Okay, here's another go-around.
Best Movie: Well, I didn't make it out to the theater this week, and I'm really looking forward to 28 Weeks Later. But since I haven't seen it yet, it doesn't make the list. The week started off strong with a viewing of The Giant Spider Invasion and multiple flashbacks to my original childhood viewing of the film. Nostalgia almost makes this the best of the week, but not quite.
Saw The Fountain Tuesday night, and though the girlfriend did not care for it, I was very impressed. Solid acting from Wolverine and the girl from The Mummy. Very nice visual sense that more than makes up for that dreadful piece of crap (that everyone else seems to love) Requiem for a Dream. Ugh.
I don't know why reviewers found this film to be confusing. Of course reviewers are usually barely literate, much less able to follow a non-linear narrative. Anyway, it was pretty good, I thought, and was definitely the best movie I saw all week.
Best TV: Heroes didn't make the cut. It wasn't bad, and the fist-through-the-head bit was pretty nicely done, but the big payoff is going to be next week's finale.
Lost came close, but I generally don't care for the Charlie-centric episodes and this was one of them. Nice twists and turns, but not quite up to last week's excitement. Season finale for this one is next week too!
No, for me the best of the week was The Office season finale. It really had everything: comedy, drama, romance, horror, and something else, I'm sure. Dwight Schrute, co-manager of a bed and breakfast in Hell was inspired. As was the exchange rate between Schrute Bucks and Stanley nickels.
After next week there'll be no new American tv that I know of (or that I'm interested in), although I think NBC is going to burn off the Studio 60 episodes they have banked. After that, who knows?
Last week's Doctor Who almost made the top of the list this week for some reason. It just clicked with me, but the previews for the rest of the season look incredible. Captain Jack returns and Derek Jacobi plays a role!!! I expect it will be what I talk about most in this spot in the weeks to come, along with catching up on episodes of the new season of Trailer Park Boys.
Best Reading Material: I read the first 2 volumes of the manga, Dragon Head, but wasn't too impressed. I don't know if I'll get any more. Maybe if they're on sale. The weekly comics were pretty weak, with nothing really making much impression. DC's Countdown was horrible. It gets two more shots before I cut it loose. Morrison's Batman was extremely forgettable, as was the story finale in Uncanny X-Men (Brubaker's only weak spot) and the series finale of The Ultimates. Ex Machina lurches along making virtually no impact at all, but it's still well done. Mighty Avengers was entertaining, but it would be nice for the story to really get moving.
Best of the week was Warren Ellis' Blackgas 2 #2. Zombie horror and extraordinarily bleak ending. No one is safe, that's for sure.
Best Music: No new music this week, but I've been listening to old Bowie, Clutch (of course) and Tool. Tool's coming in concert in July. Or at least they say they are. We'll see if they actually show up this time. I don't know who's opening for them. Isis opened for them in the fall leg of the tour and that would have been nice. I don't think we'll get that lucky.
Best Movie: Well, I didn't make it out to the theater this week, and I'm really looking forward to 28 Weeks Later. But since I haven't seen it yet, it doesn't make the list. The week started off strong with a viewing of The Giant Spider Invasion and multiple flashbacks to my original childhood viewing of the film. Nostalgia almost makes this the best of the week, but not quite.
Saw The Fountain Tuesday night, and though the girlfriend did not care for it, I was very impressed. Solid acting from Wolverine and the girl from The Mummy. Very nice visual sense that more than makes up for that dreadful piece of crap (that everyone else seems to love) Requiem for a Dream. Ugh.
I don't know why reviewers found this film to be confusing. Of course reviewers are usually barely literate, much less able to follow a non-linear narrative. Anyway, it was pretty good, I thought, and was definitely the best movie I saw all week.
Best TV: Heroes didn't make the cut. It wasn't bad, and the fist-through-the-head bit was pretty nicely done, but the big payoff is going to be next week's finale.
Lost came close, but I generally don't care for the Charlie-centric episodes and this was one of them. Nice twists and turns, but not quite up to last week's excitement. Season finale for this one is next week too!
No, for me the best of the week was The Office season finale. It really had everything: comedy, drama, romance, horror, and something else, I'm sure. Dwight Schrute, co-manager of a bed and breakfast in Hell was inspired. As was the exchange rate between Schrute Bucks and Stanley nickels.
After next week there'll be no new American tv that I know of (or that I'm interested in), although I think NBC is going to burn off the Studio 60 episodes they have banked. After that, who knows?
Last week's Doctor Who almost made the top of the list this week for some reason. It just clicked with me, but the previews for the rest of the season look incredible. Captain Jack returns and Derek Jacobi plays a role!!! I expect it will be what I talk about most in this spot in the weeks to come, along with catching up on episodes of the new season of Trailer Park Boys.
Best Reading Material: I read the first 2 volumes of the manga, Dragon Head, but wasn't too impressed. I don't know if I'll get any more. Maybe if they're on sale. The weekly comics were pretty weak, with nothing really making much impression. DC's Countdown was horrible. It gets two more shots before I cut it loose. Morrison's Batman was extremely forgettable, as was the story finale in Uncanny X-Men (Brubaker's only weak spot) and the series finale of The Ultimates. Ex Machina lurches along making virtually no impact at all, but it's still well done. Mighty Avengers was entertaining, but it would be nice for the story to really get moving.
Best of the week was Warren Ellis' Blackgas 2 #2. Zombie horror and extraordinarily bleak ending. No one is safe, that's for sure.
Best Music: No new music this week, but I've been listening to old Bowie, Clutch (of course) and Tool. Tool's coming in concert in July. Or at least they say they are. We'll see if they actually show up this time. I don't know who's opening for them. Isis opened for them in the fall leg of the tour and that would have been nice. I don't think we'll get that lucky.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Best of the Week - May 11
I thought I'd try something new (since I don't seem to be writing much) this week. My bests of the week. I'll try to do this each Friday, so long as my interest holds up. We'll see how long that'll be.
Best Movie: Not much movie watching this week. Although last week I did get to see Hot Fuzz and it kicked everything's and everyone's ass. Don't cross that film, it's packing heat. I don't think I liked it as much as Shaun of the Dead, but then I'm a zombie film obsessive and not a cop film obsessive. I don't think there's much difference in the quality of the two films, just a personal preference for the walking dead. That said, there were quite a few extremely gory moments in Hot Fuzz that took me by (pleasant) surprise. The two best had to be the tribute to The Omen and the spike through the chin and out the mouth "bit". Very nicely done.
For the future, I just bought the Alejandro Jodorowsky DVD set, and can't wait to get a chance to watch El Topo and Holy Mountain again. Maybe next week. Or sometime while my girlfriend is at work or sleeping.
Best TV: Damn, but there was a lot of good tv this week. Heroes started the week off strong as it builds toward the first season finale. I didn't care for this show too much when it started out, but I stuck with it (mainly since there isn't much good science fiction on television), and it has paid off. I'm loving it. It could have easily been my best tv viewing of the week.
Then Lost shows up and knocks it out of the park again, this time with flashbacks to Ben's childhood on the island (with Uncle Rico as his asshole dad!!!), and a Locke-centric story that ended with a monstrous cliffhanger. There was gunfire involved, a big pit of skeletons, and an invisible friend. Oh my. Surely that would top the week.
Then My Name is Earl aired its season finale last night, and once again jumped to the top of my viewing list. Earl got a new girlfriend, lost the new girlfriend, and then confessed to a crime he didn't commit to keep Joy out of prison and home with her family. The Trailer Park Boys similarities are complete now, as Earl finishes his season by going to jail. Nice.
That was followed by another brilliant episode of The Office. This time it featured Beach Day, a survivor-inspired search for Michael's possible replacement, sumo wrestling, and fire walking. Creed again displayed what a freak he is, Toby made me very sad, and Pam opened up to the group. Next week is the season finale and I can't wait.
So I can't pick which was best. These were definitely the four highlights (especially since I haven't watched this week's Doctor Who or new Trailer Park Boys yet).
Best Reading Material: I've been reading short stories lately in an attempt to get inspired to write my own. Right now I'm reading Jeremy Robert Johnson's Angel Dust Apocalypse and really enjoying it. Each story is pretty messed up and very entertaining. I just finished his short novel Extinction Journals and loved it. It's about a man who survives a nuclear holocaust thanks to the suit he made. He sewed living cockroaches all over it and they help him survive in the post-apocalyptic world. This is a continuation/sequel to a short story in ADA, where the cockroach suit wearer has a run-in with the President of the USA in the ruins of Washington. The President survived thanks to his suit made of Twinkies. Good, clever stuff.
Comics-wise, best of the week is a tie between Matt Fraction & Ed Brubaker's Immortal Iron Fist #5 and Warren Ellis' Thunderbolts #114. I tried out DC's new weekly series Countdown, and it was okay. I'll check it out for a few more weeks, but I don't foresee a longterm commitment being made. Oh well. If DC wants my money, they'll just put Grant Morrison in charge of things and make him write everything.
Best Music: Not much music-wise happening this week, although I did subject my girlfriend to the new Dio/Black Sabbath tunes. She didn't like them. I think she may have been born before her god made ears. Heh heh.
I've mainly just been putting my mp3 player on shuffle and playing Clutch while I work. Or occassionally Kiss. I dug out my old ZZ Top tunes for a refresher and, as it was the first time all those years ago, there were a few gems, but not much I really cared about.
Clutch's new cd From Beale Street To Oblivioun is pretty good, but lacking something I can't quite put my finger on.
The new NIN sucks pretty hard. Nice single. Rest of the cd sucks. If I'd never listened to anything on Mike Patton's Ipecac label then maybe this would have sounded fresh or exciting or edgy. Instead it just sounds weak and crappy.
Didn't care much for the new Bjork either.
I did just receive a couple of cds by J.G. Thirlwell's Manorexia project. It was a couple of weeks ago, but since this is my first entry, I'll include mention of them. They're really good, moody, instrumental pieces that make me feel like I'm in a creepy-weird film. More orchestral than his Steroid Maximus projects, and not really as fun, but still worth taking a listen to.
Best Movie: Not much movie watching this week. Although last week I did get to see Hot Fuzz and it kicked everything's and everyone's ass. Don't cross that film, it's packing heat. I don't think I liked it as much as Shaun of the Dead, but then I'm a zombie film obsessive and not a cop film obsessive. I don't think there's much difference in the quality of the two films, just a personal preference for the walking dead. That said, there were quite a few extremely gory moments in Hot Fuzz that took me by (pleasant) surprise. The two best had to be the tribute to The Omen and the spike through the chin and out the mouth "bit". Very nicely done.
For the future, I just bought the Alejandro Jodorowsky DVD set, and can't wait to get a chance to watch El Topo and Holy Mountain again. Maybe next week. Or sometime while my girlfriend is at work or sleeping.
Best TV: Damn, but there was a lot of good tv this week. Heroes started the week off strong as it builds toward the first season finale. I didn't care for this show too much when it started out, but I stuck with it (mainly since there isn't much good science fiction on television), and it has paid off. I'm loving it. It could have easily been my best tv viewing of the week.
Then Lost shows up and knocks it out of the park again, this time with flashbacks to Ben's childhood on the island (with Uncle Rico as his asshole dad!!!), and a Locke-centric story that ended with a monstrous cliffhanger. There was gunfire involved, a big pit of skeletons, and an invisible friend. Oh my. Surely that would top the week.
Then My Name is Earl aired its season finale last night, and once again jumped to the top of my viewing list. Earl got a new girlfriend, lost the new girlfriend, and then confessed to a crime he didn't commit to keep Joy out of prison and home with her family. The Trailer Park Boys similarities are complete now, as Earl finishes his season by going to jail. Nice.
That was followed by another brilliant episode of The Office. This time it featured Beach Day, a survivor-inspired search for Michael's possible replacement, sumo wrestling, and fire walking. Creed again displayed what a freak he is, Toby made me very sad, and Pam opened up to the group. Next week is the season finale and I can't wait.
So I can't pick which was best. These were definitely the four highlights (especially since I haven't watched this week's Doctor Who or new Trailer Park Boys yet).
Best Reading Material: I've been reading short stories lately in an attempt to get inspired to write my own. Right now I'm reading Jeremy Robert Johnson's Angel Dust Apocalypse and really enjoying it. Each story is pretty messed up and very entertaining. I just finished his short novel Extinction Journals and loved it. It's about a man who survives a nuclear holocaust thanks to the suit he made. He sewed living cockroaches all over it and they help him survive in the post-apocalyptic world. This is a continuation/sequel to a short story in ADA, where the cockroach suit wearer has a run-in with the President of the USA in the ruins of Washington. The President survived thanks to his suit made of Twinkies. Good, clever stuff.
Comics-wise, best of the week is a tie between Matt Fraction & Ed Brubaker's Immortal Iron Fist #5 and Warren Ellis' Thunderbolts #114. I tried out DC's new weekly series Countdown, and it was okay. I'll check it out for a few more weeks, but I don't foresee a longterm commitment being made. Oh well. If DC wants my money, they'll just put Grant Morrison in charge of things and make him write everything.
Best Music: Not much music-wise happening this week, although I did subject my girlfriend to the new Dio/Black Sabbath tunes. She didn't like them. I think she may have been born before her god made ears. Heh heh.
I've mainly just been putting my mp3 player on shuffle and playing Clutch while I work. Or occassionally Kiss. I dug out my old ZZ Top tunes for a refresher and, as it was the first time all those years ago, there were a few gems, but not much I really cared about.
Clutch's new cd From Beale Street To Oblivioun is pretty good, but lacking something I can't quite put my finger on.
The new NIN sucks pretty hard. Nice single. Rest of the cd sucks. If I'd never listened to anything on Mike Patton's Ipecac label then maybe this would have sounded fresh or exciting or edgy. Instead it just sounds weak and crappy.
Didn't care much for the new Bjork either.
I did just receive a couple of cds by J.G. Thirlwell's Manorexia project. It was a couple of weeks ago, but since this is my first entry, I'll include mention of them. They're really good, moody, instrumental pieces that make me feel like I'm in a creepy-weird film. More orchestral than his Steroid Maximus projects, and not really as fun, but still worth taking a listen to.
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