| (no subject) |
[Dec. 10th, 2009|01:24 pm] |
Our school has a shirt that says "The odds are good, but the goods are odd"
And I never knew what that meant. So, our biochem seminar class tradition is for the prof to buy everyone a book at the end, and he bought us PhD comics volume 1 (which is kind of interesting, but is that shallow type of humor), and I found out that that's where it comes from. |
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| This movie is better than a ten-inch dick and you know it! |
[Dec. 8th, 2009|01:52 pm] |
PART 1: BACKSTORY
I’ve been obsessed with Showgirls since it was in pre-production. I was 12 years old, in the midst of discovering my libido. With open, liberal parents who allowed me to watch Rated R movies, there’s a good chance I had seen tits in a movie already. I had also found a Playboy in a trash can somewhere that I was utterly fascinated by. But considering I still thought the vagina was on the front of a girl, buried in the middle of that triangle of hair somewhere (which is why kids should always dig deeper through that trash until they find a Hustler), it wasn’t like I understood anything about sex or what I was feeling. But I knew that it was something interesting. And I knew that I liked naked girls.
( Read the rest of the most important review I've ever written under the cut! Lots of nudity! ) |
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| Christmas Music |
[Dec. 7th, 2009|09:01 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Aimee Mann - One More Drifter in the Snow | ] |
Every year, I make a Christmas Mix CD, and this year, I might not because I've been busy and I'm also running out of great Christmas songs. Actually, if you have any awesome Christmas songs you love, please send them my way!
Here are the previous 4 Volumes of I Love You Baby Jesus, Happy Birthday.
Download
Tracklisting:
1. The Frogs - Here Comes Santa's Pussy
2. The Kids of Widney High - Santa's In a Wheelchair
3. El Vez - Mamacita Donde Esta Santa Claus (secret song version)
4. The Dickies - Silent Night
5. Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis
6. Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas
7. Frank Sinatra - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
8. Charlie Brown Christmas - Christmastime Is Here
9. Tiny Tim - Santa Claus Has Got The AIDS
10. Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby
11. Roy Orbison - Pretty Paper
12. Princess Superstar - I Hope I Sell a Lot of Records At Christmastime
13. The Vandals - My First Xmas (As a Woman)
14. Jesus Christ - Merry Christmas
15. The Locust - Pulling The Christmas Pig By The Wrong Set Of Ears
16. Wesley Willis - Merry Christmas
17. The Kids of Widney High - Christmas Is The Time
18. Jackson 5 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
19. The Carpenters - Merry Christmas, Darling
20. Britney Spears - My Only Wish (This Year)
Download
Tracklisting:
1. Eazy E - Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas
2. The Cryptkeeper - Deck the Halls with Parts of Charlie
3. Twisted Sister - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4. Chuck Berry - Run, Run Rudolph
5. Akim & Teddy Vann Production Company - Santa Claus Is a Black Man
6. Star Wars Christmas Album - What Can You Get a Wookie For Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)?
7. Insane Clown Posse - Santa's a Fat Bitch
8. B2K - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
9. Wham! - Last Christmas
10. Ali Lohan (feat. Lindsay Lohan) - Lohan Holiday
11. Kylie Minogue - Santa Baby
12. The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
13. Spice Girls - Sleigh Ride
14. Morgan Ames - Santa's Watching (from Silent Night, Deadly Night)
15. Treacherous Three - Santa's Rap
Download
Tracklisting:
01. Intro (from Silent Night, Deadly Night)
02. Ali Lohan - I Like Christmas
03. Alvin & The Chipmunks - Jingle Bells
04. The Ronettes - Sleigh Ride
05. Aimee Mann - Winter Wonderland
06. Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschanel - Baby, It's Cold Outside
07. Barry Manilow - (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays
08. Diana Ross & The Supremes - Little Bright Star
09. The Jackson 5 - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
10. The Cotton Top Sanctified Singers - Early On One Christmas Morn
11. James Brown - Soulful Christmas
12. Nate Dogg feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto
13. Venom - Black Xmas
14. El Vez - Feliz Navi-nada
15. The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)
16. The Long Blondes - Christmas Is Cancelled
17. Weird Al Yankovic - The Night Santa Went Crazy
18. Ivy - Christmastime Is Here
19. Aimee Mann - Whatever Happened To Christmas
20. Darlene Love - White Christmas
21. Lena Horne - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
22. Mariah Carey - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
23. Star Wars Christmas - R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
24. Alvin & The Chipmunks - (All I Want For Christmas Is) My Two Front Teeth
25. Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg - Dick in a Box
Download Disc 1
Download Disc 2
Disc 1 - Baby Jesus
01. The Wesley Willis Fiasco - Jesus Is The Answer
02. Ol' Dirty Bastard - I Can't Wait (for Christmas!)
03. Kanye West - Jesus Walks
04. Depeche Mode vs. Goldfrapp - Jesus Is My Personal Trainer
05. Neutral Milk Hotel - King of Carrot Flowers Parts 2 & 3
06. Unknown - A Cowboy for Jesus
07. Wesley Willis - Jesus Christ
08. Unknown - Dear Mr. Jesus
09. Lil' Markie - Jesus Put the Stars in the Sky
10. Tammy Faye Bakker - Oops! There Comes a Smile
11. Laibach - Jesus Christ Superstar
12. The Flaming Lips - Plastic Jesus
Disc 2 - Happy Birthday
01. Danny Elfman - What's This? (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)
02. Michael Jackson - Little Christmas Tree
03. Prince and the Revolution - Another Lonely Christmas
04. The Weather Girls - Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man This Christmas)
05. Pansy Division - Homo Christmas
06. Edward Furlong - It's Christmas Time
07. Peggy Lee - Happy Holiday
08. Dolly Parton - Winter Wonderland & Sleigh Ride
09. The Carpenters - The Christmas Song
10. Kermit the Frog - One More Sleep 'Til Christmas
11. Judy Garland - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
12. The Cryptkeeper - Juggle Bills |
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| Movie Survey! |
[Dec. 7th, 2009|03:34 pm] |
This is taken from Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule.
1) Second-favorite Coen Brothers movie.
It's hard to say for sure because there are a few (Fargo, Barton Fink, Miller's Crossing, and Blood Simple) that I haven't seen in ages and don't really remember, but of those that I do have sufficient memory of, my second favorite would be Big Lebowski, or possibly A Serious Man, but I'd have to see it again.
2) Movie seen only on home format that you would pay to see on the biggest movie screen possible?
DREAM TO BELIEVE!!!!!!
3) Japan or France?
Favorite Japanese films: Visitor Q, Imprint, Ichi the Killer, Pastoral: To Die in the Country, most of Strange Circus, Tetsuo: Iron Man, Haze, Splatter: Naked Blood, Spirited Away
Favorite French films: Haute Tension, Inside, The Grapes of Death, The Night of the Hunted, The Mascot (Russian filmmaker, though, if it matters), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, City of Lost Children
Close call, but Japan, I guess.
4) Favorite moment/line from a western.
Django pulls a primitive machine gun out of a coffin and starts blowing everyone away, in Django.
5) Of all the arts the movies draw upon to become what they are, which is the most important, or the one you value most?
The art of excess.
6) Most misunderstood movie of the 2000s (The Naughties?).
The Room.
7) Name a filmmaker/actor/actress/film you once unashamedly loved who has fallen furthest in your esteem.
I get disappointed in individual films from people I like, but I can't think of anyone I've completely lost faith in.
8) Herbert Lom or Patrick Magee?
Magee because he's in A Clockwork Orange, and I would probably recognize him if I saw him in something else. I've only seen Lom in Mysterious Island, and he didn't leave an impression on me.
9) Which is your least favorite David Lynch film?
Inland Empire, I guess. I like it ok, though. The worst thing, by far, that he's ever been involved in is On the Air.
10) Gordon Willis or Conrad Hall?
The Godfather movies fit into the handful of films where I've actually been taken aback by stunning cinematography, so Willis.
11) Second favorite Don Siegel movie.
The Lineup.
12) Last movie you saw on DVD/Blu-ray? In theaters?
The last movie I watched at home was Star Wars, but it was on VHS. Before that, it was Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth on 11/9. I almost never watch movies at home anymore. In theaters, I rewatched Zombieland at the Red Vic last night, and the last non-rewatch was A Serious Man at the Balboa.
13) Which DVD in your private collection screams hardest to be replaced by a Blu-ray?
Pink Flamingos.
14) Eddie Deezen or Christopher Mintz-Plasse?
Eddie Deezen is great, but he's only great in short bursts. If he's in a movie too much, he can be kind of grating (see: Surf II: The End of the Trilogy). Mintz-Plasse has a much more lasting charm.
15) Actor/actress who you feel automatically elevates whatever project they are in, or whom you would watch in virtually anything.
I have a ton of answers for this, but I'll go with Amy Adams because she's a current obsession. No matter how terrible a movie looked, I would still want to see it if she's in it.
16) Fight Club -- yes or no?
Yeah. I always think it's not gonna hold up, but then it always does. It's been a few years, though.
17) Teresa Wright or Olivia De Havilland?
I don't know either well enough to say.
18) Favorite moment/line from a film noir.
I really love the scene in Pickup on South Street where a snitch is eating Chinese food with chopsticks, and he casually uses them to pick up money from the table and put it in his pocket, then continues eating with them without missing a beat. It's a simple thing, but it kind of blew my mind.
19) Best (or worst) death scene involving an obvious dummy substituting for a human or any other unsuccessful special effect(s).
The baby being thrown out a window in Andy Warhol's Bad. It actually doesn't look that bad, and it's only obvious it's a dummy because it's not like they had the option to use a stunt-baby or something.
20) What's the least you've spent on a film and still regretted it?
When you love as many movies as I do, it's nice to occasionally see something I hate, no matter how unpleasant it may be while I'm actually sitting through it. And that way, when people are like "Whatever, Austin, you like everything." I can be like, "Are you kidding me? How can you say that in a world where something as pathetic as Werckmeister Harmonies exists?"
21) Van Johnson or Van Heflin?
I liked Van Heflin in Airport. That's the only thing I know either of them from.
22) Favorite Alan Rudolph film.
All I've seen is Roadie, starring Meat Loaf. It was alright.
23) Name a documentary that you believe more people should see.
Herzog's Land of Silence and Darkness. Dear Zachary. My Flesh and Blood.
All three of those are total heartbreakers. I guess there's a trend in documentaries I love.
24) In deference to this quiz’s professor, name a favorite film which revolves around someone becoming stranded.
Home Alone.
25) Is there a moment when your knowledge of film, or lack thereof, caused you an unusual degree of embarrassment and/or humiliation? If so, please share.
Taking this survey, and not being able to answer any of the actor comparisons.
26) Ann Sheridan or Geraldine Fitzgerald?
I don't know!
27) Do you or any of your family members physically resemble movie actors or other notable figures in the film world? If so, who?
My dad kind of looks/looked like Lee Marvin. That's him on the left, Marvin on the right, OR IS IT?
28) Is there a movie you have purposely avoided seeing? If so, why?
Yes, like a hundred thousand of them. I may not regret anything I've watched, but that doesn't mean I purposely watch anything I think I'm gonna hate. I don't care for period pieces or a lot of high-brow dramas, so I don't fucking watch them. There are also a few directors whose work I've seen a bit of, and I didn't like it, so I stop watching movies by that director. You want to know my secret for why I like such a huge percentage of the movies I watch? I only watch movies I think I'm going to like. That's it! Anyone can do it. I get kind of offended when people hate something like Norbit or Transformers 2, because how is it possible to go into a movie like that not knowing what you're gonna get? If your personal tastes do not lean toward big, dumb, incoherent action movies, but you see something like Transformers anyway, then that is your own fucking fault that you had a bad time watching it. I always see these ridiculous movies on people's Worst-of lists, or that they hated something on Netflix, and it's like, I haven't even seen that fucking movie, and I like those kinds of movies. Why have you seen it? I only know you through the internet, and I could've fucking told you that you wouldn't fucking like that movie, and your time would be better spent watching something else. I'm guilty of this myself to an extent, but the only reason I'll watch something that looks terrible to me is if enough trustworthy people completely love it (or if Amy Adams is in it). Or if it's a classic in some way. I knew I wouldn't like Lawrence of Arabia (and I didn't), but it's one of those classics that seemed important to see. Norbit isn't.
29) Movie with the most palpable or otherwise effective wintry atmosphere or ambience.
The first thing I thought of, for some reason, is The Ice Harvest. But obviously, The Thing is a better answer, even if it's everybody's answer. The Ice Harvest is underrated, though.
30) Gerrit Graham or Jeffrey Jones?
I like Gerrit Graham, but Jeffrey Jones has a much more impressive filmography overall. And by more impressive, I mean that it includes Howard the Duck.
31) The best cinematic antidote to a cultural stereotype (sexual, political, regional, whatever).
Doris Wishman and Kathryn Bigelow.
32) Second favorite John Wayne movie.
I've only seen one, 3 Godfathers, and I didn't like it.
33) Favorite movie car chase.
Clint Eastwood being chased through the streets of San Francisco by a small, remote control car with a bomb attached to it in The Dead Pool. There never has, and never, ever will be a car chase scene that even comes close to being as amazing as this was. Bullitt can suck it (I haven't seen it, but I know it's not as good).
34) In the spirit of His Girl Friday, propose a gender-switched remake of a classic or not-so-classic film.
Showboys could be pretty good, preferably with Verhoeven still directing. But I saw someone else answered Fight Club, and that's brilliant.
35) Barbara Rhoades or Barbara Feldon?
Don't know them.
36) Favorite Andre De Toth movie.
Never seen one.
37) If you could take one filmmaker's entire body of work and erase it from all time and memory, as if it had never happened, whose oeuvre would it be?
Mel Brooks. There are a lot of directors I hate, but he's the only one where I actually feel a little sad when someone I like says that they like him.
38) Name a film you actively hated when you first encountered it, only to see it again later in life and fall in love with it.
The first time I saw My Own Private Idaho, I thought it was the worst movie I had ever seen. I watched it again a few years later and thought it was pretty good. Usually, though, if I try again with things I don't like, my opinion stays the same (Top Gun, Buckaroo Bonzai, El Topo, Blade Runner).
39) Max Ophuls or Marcel Ophuls?
I don't know Marcel, and didn't like the one Max I've seen.
40) In which club would you most want an active membership, the Delta Tau Chi fraternity, the Cutters or the Warriors? And which member would you most resemble, either physically or in personality?
The Dagger Debs. Can't say I resemble any of them, but if I had a choice of who to be, I'd be Maggie.
41) Your favorite movie cliché.
Girl getting revenge after being raped. 2nd favorite: Blatant setup for a sequel.
42) Vincente Minnelli or Stanley Donen?
Singin' in the Rain is better than every great Minnelli movie put together. But he also made Two for the Road, which I think I actually hate more than I love Singin' in the Rain (which he only co-directed, anyway), so by default, I have to say Minnelli.
43) Favorite Christmas-themed horror movie or sequence.
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT!!!!!!
44) Favorite moment of self- or selfless sacrifice in a movie.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2.
45) If you were the cinematic Spanish Inquisition, which movie cult (or cult movie) would you decimate?
Obviously, the subculture of people who think it's ok to talk during midnight movies (or any other movies in the theater).
46) Caroline Munro or Veronica Carlson?
Don't know Carlson, but I like Munro a lot.
47) Favorite eye-patch wearing director.
No.
48) Favorite ambiguous movie ending.
City of the Living Dead.
49) In giving thanks for the movies this year, what are you most thankful for?
My Bloody Valentine and The Final Destination setting off a trend, and now seemingly every single horror movie in production is going to be in 3D! While I was watching The Final Destination, I was actually thinking that if all I watched for the rest of my life were 3D horror movies, I would be wholly content.
50) George Kennedy or Alan North?
George fucking Kennedy. He's awesome. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 7th, 2009|12:48 am] |
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Gosh, I love Gershwin |
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| September Reviews, Part 1 |
[Dec. 6th, 2009|04:53 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster | ] |
TV
9/3
Michael & Michael Have Issues Season 1 (Michael Ian Black & Michael Showalter, Comedy Central) - 7.0
Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter are making a tv show, and having issues with each other all the time, and sometimes there are sketches. Not too amazing, but a lot of pretty funny stuff.
MOVIES
9/2
District 9 (2009, Neill Blomkamp, 35mm, Kabuki) - 8.0
An alien ship ends up suspended above Johannesburg, and all the aliens inside are removed and forced to live in the slums, segregated from human society for 20 years, and then a government agent accidentally sprays himself with some alien shit, and starts growing an alien arm (I don’t know why everyone considers this a spoiler, it should’ve been a selling point), and because of this new connection he has with them, he tries to help one of them get their ship working again so they can go home. There’s some decent action and effects, and an adorable child alien. I wasn’t as blown away by it as I had hoped to be, but it was a very good sci-fi movie.
9/4
Risky Business (1983, Paul Brickman, 35mm, Castro) - 9.0
Tom Cruise’s parents go out of town, and he hires a prostitute, who steals one of his mother’s belongings when he can’t pay her, so he tracks her down, and they end up becoming friends and helping each other out, and they throw a prostitute party. It’s really good, and Rebecca De Mornay is really fucking cute in it, and I loved the Tangerine Dream score that barely fits the movie and turns it into more of a drama than it needed to be.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Rewatch, 1982, Amy Heckerling, 35mm, Castro) - 11.0
Perfect 80’s high school comedy dealing with sex, dating, abortion, jobs, stoners, car crashes, and Phoebe Cates’ tits. This is one of 3 or 4 movies I’ve seen like a hundred times, and basically have memorized, but I still feel exhilarated while watching. As soon as I see the Universal logo, and hear the opening drumbeat from The Go-Go’s We Got the Beat, I start tearing up with excitement. Every performance and character is amazing, all the way down to the extras, and it goes through a year of high school life with brilliant pacing.
The Last American Virgin (Rewatch, 1982, Boaz Davidson, 35mm, Castro) - 9.0
Three high school friends try to find sex and love, usually unsuccessfully or with comical results. I realized on this viewing that the main character is actually really creepy. He becomes obsessed with a girl who he barely knows and who, at no point, shows any reciprocal interest in him. He seems delusional about some deep connection that they have, even though they’ve hardly spoken to one another, and he just kinda mopes about it for the whole movie, and continually tries to win her over, and gets mad about his asshole friend sleeping with her. It’s kind of a huge flaw in the movie, but it makes up for it by it’s bizarre change of pace 3/4 in. What starts as a retarded sex comedy ends traumatically with abortion and tears (which might have made a better title for the movie, or any movie). It’s really oft-putting and amazing.
9/6
The Final Destination (2009, David R. Ellis, RealD, Van Ness) - 10.0
A guy has a vision about himself and his friends getting killed at a racetrack, so he drags them out of there, along with a few other people. But Death is still after them, and it’s gonna fucking get them in the most absurd ways imaginable, usually through something flying at them or by something long and pointy, using the film’s 3D to it’s full potential. Like My Bloody Valentine earlier this year, I think this is a great movie regardless of how many dimensions it’s in, but the 3D definitely doesn't hurt, and adds a considerable amount to how fucking fun and amazing it was. The deaths are creative and knowingly hilarious, and it breezes along quickly, without ever settling down, reaching an incredibly satisfying climax a mere 80 perfect minutes in. There is one absolutely brilliant sequence that takes place in a movie theater showing a 3D movie, where a character exclaims “This is where I’m supposed to be. I was meant to see this movie.” mimicking my exact feelings in that moment. This movie seemed to have been made just for me, and I was meant to fucking see it. Erin described it as a “joyous celebration of retarded death.” Yes! Exactly. It is easily one of this year’s finest films.
9/9
Virtuosity (1995, Brett Leonard, 35mm, Balboa) - 8.5
Russell Crowe is a villain in a virtual reality game, and Denzel Washington is an imprisoned ex-cop who is forced to play the game all the time because that’s just something they do with prisoners in the future, and then the creator of the game finds a way to bring Russell Crowe into reality, for reasons I wasn’t very clear on, and sets him loose on the world to kill people and make club mixes of people screaming. It’s really good. Russell Crowe is ridiculous.
7/29 & 9/9
Johnny Mnemonic (1995, Robert Longo, Download/35mm, Balboa) - 9.5
Keanu Reeves has a bunch of computer storage space in his brain where there used to be memories of his childhood, and uses it to make money smuggling information, but his latest case ends up going way over his capacity (320 gigabytes, and he can only hold 160 with a booster), so he needs to get the shit out of there as soon as possible before it kills him, but he lost half of the download code during a Yakuza attack! This movie has an incredible cast. Keanu Reeves is in top form, and Dina Meyer, Ice-T, Udo Kier, Henry Rollins, and Beat Takeshi are all fucking amazing. The real standout here, though, is Dolph Lundgren, who is completely brilliant as a preacher who worships violence, and kills people with a knife shaped like a crucifix. Amazing. Everything about the movie is perfect and great, but I think when it really peaks is with the introduction of the junkie hacker dolphin. A fucking dolphin who is a code-breaking hacker and is addicted to some kind of drug that needs to be injected. Unfortunately, though, it turns out that the dolphin’s drug problem is only in the Extended Japanese Cut that I had downloaded, and was cut out of the US release. I learned this while watching the 35mm print that Omar bought and now owns for us to watch at any time. But even without the dolphin being a junkie, or the extra violence the Extended Version has, it’s still fucking great. This movie is the best. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 6th, 2009|03:34 pm] |
For a Daily Bruin article entitled "Best of 2009".
.... I think my hand's gonna fall off now.
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| August Reviews, Part 3 |
[Dec. 3rd, 2009|09:21 pm] |
TV
8/3
Charm School with Ricki Lake Season 3 (2009, Mark Cronin & Cris Abrego, VH1) - 7.5
This time, Charm School brought together girls from both Rock of Love Bus and Real Chance of Love with initially obnoxious results. The first episode was really painful. The RoLB girls were bitchy and boring, and the RCoL girls did little more than scream at Bubbles constantly, even though she was fucking great, and obviously going to be the only real reason to watch the show. But after Ricki Lake kicked off Ki Ki, and then So Hood and Farrah quit, everything settled down and it got a lot better. There were still some pretty unbearable episodes, particularly the one about Bay Bay Bay and how fucking proud she was of herself for being fully charmed. Ricki had given her like one fucking compliment on being generous or something, and she took it to mean that she was now the most charming and amazing person who had ever lived, and ended up quitting the show because she didn’t need it anymore. What turned out to be the worst part about this is that Ricki apparently ended up confused about the purpose of the show, and ended up kicking off Bubbles for becoming too charming too quickly, and kept around Ashley, because she still had a long way to go, even though Ashley had not shown any sign of improvement whatsoever, and clearly was never going to change. At least Risky ended up winning, I think she deserved it. And there were some really great episodes, too. The one with the psychiatrist who made them all open up and cry was amazing, and I felt very emotional just watching.
BOOKS
8/19
Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film by Jimmy McDonough - 4.0
Biography about Russ Meyer, who was a genius filmmaker, but apparently a terrible person. I don’t think I really like biographies, anyway, but this one was especially tough to get through, as I just hated Meyer more and more as I read about his vicious tirades, pointless feuds, and his bizarre form of confused misogyny. At first, I hated the writing of the book as well, as it seemed like the author was trying to match the fast-paced, overblown style of Meyer’s films, which was not fucking working, but he eventually toned that way down, and also very smartly quoted John Waters at every opportunity he could.
8/31
Wetlands by Charlotte Roche - 8.0
A girl with hemorrhoids goes to the hospital because she needs an operation on her asshole, which she’s obsessed with, and she’s also obsessed with her pussy, and with bacteria, and she goes into a lot of detail about all of these things, and it’s really graphic and gross, but also charming.
MOVIES
8/22
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Rewatch, 1988, James Signorelli, 35mm, Bridge) - 8.0
TV horror host Elvira inherits a house and a “recipe book” from an aunt she didn’t know she had, and it turns out the aunt was a witch, and the recipe book is full of spells and power, and her evil uncle is trying to get at it, and she befriends a movie theater owner and a bunch of teenagers, while the rest of the town spurns her. Some pretty dumb humor, but it mostly works, and Elvira is awesome.
8/23
Ice Castles (1978, Donald Wrye, 35mm, Yerba Buena) - 9.0
Lynn-Holly Johnson is a rising star in the ice skating world, until an accident leaves her blind, but as the tagline says on a different poster than the one I'm using, this is “a girl who refused to forget she was once a champion”, so with the help of her dad and Robby Benson, she keeps trying. It’s very emotional, and very fucking good.
The Bad News Bears (Rewatch, 1976, Michael Ritchie, 35mm, Yerba Buena) - 9.0
Walter Mathau is a drunk who has to manage a misfit little league team who are all terrible players, so he enlists Tatum O’Neal and the delinquent Jackie Earle Haley to help the team out, and in the process of coaching the kids, he sort of learns to be a better person. I had seen this fairly recently, and was a little uncomfortable with how fucking mean Mathau gets toward the end of the movie, but knowing that it was coming made it a lot easier to take in and appreciate. I also found the movie a little funnier this time. Great fucking film.
The Cheerleaders (Rewatch, 1973, Paul Glickler, 35mm, Yerba Buena) - 10.0
Stephanie Fondue is a 16 year old virgin whose boyfriend won’t have sex with her, so she joins the cheerleaders, and ends up having lots of close encounters with sex, but for various reasons, it never ends up working out (until the end, anyway). It’s a sleazy movie, but also incredibly joyful and light-hearted and fun. Stephanie Fondue is unbelievably fucking adorable, and amazing to watch. It’s a shame she wasn’t interested in continuing her acting career. According to the director (who, much to my surprise and delight, was in attendance at this screening), she is now running a nightclub in Canada.
8/27
Halloween II (2009, Rob Zombie, 35mm, Van Ness) - 8.0
A year after Michael Myers is presumably killed (though his body is never found), he comes back to kill some people, and to reconnect with his sister Laurie. I didn’t really get that into the story, mostly because I just don’t like the Laurie character very much, but the kills are brutal and awesome. The previous film is one of the most vicious and mean-spirited movies I’ve ever seen, and this one doesn’t quite reach that same level of making you feel dirty for watching it. But something along those lines that I really loved was how Myers would kill absolutely anyone. There’s no backwards moralism here (i.e. teens have sex then get killed for it.) If you’re an asshole, Myers will kill you. If you’re friendly and make any attempt to be helpful, Myers will kill you. Myers is also without his mask for a good portion of the movie, and aside from the weirdness of him looking exactly like Rob Zombie, I actually found this interesting and kinda liked that touch.
8/30
The Dirty Dozen (1967, Robert Aldrich, TCM) - 9.0
Lee Marvin, a Major in the military, is recruited to train a dozen convicted murderers and rapists, and lead them in a mission to assassinate a bunch of Nazi officers. Great story, and a tense finale, and the cast is fucking awesome, especially Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, and Telly Savalas.
August Top 6
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Spirited Away
3. The Dirty Dozen
4. Ice Castles
5. Moon
6. Junior High School
Bottom 2
1. Top Secret!
2. The Ugly Truth |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 2nd, 2009|08:56 pm] |
This mildly cold, foggy night weather is so cozy, it makes me sleepy.
In an oversized sweatshirt with a mug of latte.
Feel like reading Sherlock Holmes.
Or Wise Blood. Read the description for that book and it seems like that's going to be the next piece of nonfiction that I read.
And for some reason, I feel anti-stressed. This is very strange, since I am almost always stressed out with work. But right now, I feel done. I feel like I am done with the things I have to do, even though I still have things to do.
It maye bea because I am essentially done with the one item that has contributed the most to my stress this semester (biochem seminar grant proposal--fucking rocked that thing).
Or it may bea because I never finish things.
Pride. Pride in one's work. I have that. And it is the type of pride that is Pride in the work of Mike Starr.
There is a girl at CMC with the last name Starr. I think she is more of a fit for the name than I. It made me form the opinion that I don't really seem like much of a Starr at all. She has a lighter, blonder, cheerier, slightly more outgoing composure, though still very reasonable and frank. She seems like a star, twinkling, light, bright.
Compared to that, I don't think I am a star. But maybe people see it differently. I am not depressed or down on myself at all. I just think, well, what would it be like if I had a different last name.
It would be more appropriate, I think.
Oh, and, apparently I am going to Big Sky, Montana to present a poster and listen to talks at a conference on eukaryotic regulation of transcription. It is like, weird. I guess this officially christens me as a scientist.
I am a scientist...
Such a weird thought.
But fucking man, I am finally one of those people that travels around the country to go to science conferences! F-awesome!
...
Gosh, I love reading papers and learning things, and being productive. Making things.
And I am signed up for THREE (count 'em) engineering classes next semester!
So the excite!! ~*^___^*~
E82,
E83,
E84.
Electrical/magnetic devices, continuum mechanics, and digital/computer engineering.
Finally get to go back to my favorite thing to do--solve problems on paper! Finally get to go back to ma' engineering roots.
Sigh. (A pleasant, satisfied sigh). |
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| I love it |
[Dec. 2nd, 2009|12:01 am] |
You know that feeling, when you're trudging through the literature, and your faux- grant proposal is alright, accepted by the prof, but you personally feel it's vague in some areas... but then you come across one paragraph in one paper, it is written in the olden times with less information than you have, so it is an innocent and naive statement... but you've been reading more modern work, and you put 2 and 2 together and it's a giant...
O SHIIIITTTT!
And suddenly everything makes sense.
And it's bam, man, that feels great. |
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| Wow |
[Dec. 1st, 2009|01:07 am] |
I am feeling
so
lazy
right now |
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| August Reviews, Part 2 |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|02:28 pm] |
8/7
Junior High School (Short, 1978, David Wechter & Michael Nankin, Digital Projection) - 9.0
From the genius directors of Midnight Madness, this is a musical about a day in the life of junior high school students starring actual junior high schoolers, including a 15 year old Paula Abdul, done in the style of a tv movie. It’s pretty heartwarming and realistic, and could practically pass for an actual tv movie if it weren’t also a comedy. Supposedly, it will be getting a DVD release someday soon, which will hopefully also include their educational spoofs Gravity and School, Girls, and You.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Prewatch, 1989, Stephen Herek, 35mm, Castro) - 9.0
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter need to pass their history test, because a peaceful future depends on it, so George Carlin shows up with a time machine to help them out. I hadn’t seen it since I was a kid, but it holds up well, and is still hilarious. It’s also a great time travel movie, and I really fucking loved the payoff with Keanu’s dad’s missing keys.
Top Secret! (1984, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, 35mm, Castro) - 2.0
Val Kilmer is an American rock star who goes to Germany and ends up involved with the French Resistance. I like Val Kilmer a lot, but not even he could make this shit work, although I did like some of his dancing. I also appreciated the backwards scene and the underwater fight scene, but for the most part, it’s full of the worst kind of slapstick and obvious sight gags, which is not my style of humor at all. With nothing to laugh at, I was left fucking bored, and I hated it.
Get Crazy (1983, Allan Arkush, 35mm, Castro) - 6.0
Allen Garfield has a club that is planning a big New Year’s Eve party, but Ed Begley Jr. wants the property and plans to blow the place up when Garfield refuses to sell it to him. The cast in this movie is pretty amazing, and there’s no opening credits, so it’s kind of exciting as more and more people just keep showing up. But despite the cast, the humor in the movie is fairly retarded, so at first, I didn’t really like it. Although honestly, I don’t think I would have minded nearly as much had I not just been so bombarded with dumb humor throughout Top Secret. The second half of the movie picks up, though, because there are a lot of music performances that were really awesome. There’s a girl group called Nada (led by the lead female singer for Kid Creole), who do a really good song, and then they do another song with Lee Ving, who is fucking great, and then Malcolm fucking McDowell plays a rock star who does three songs that are all totally amazing. The movie could’ve, and should’ve, been a lot better, but I still liked it alright.
8/10
Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki, Projected DVD, Bridge) - 9.5
A young girl wanders into a fantasy bathhouse for gods and spirits, and they all hate humans, but she manages to get a job and win them over. All the different creatures are really amazing, and the animation is fucked up incredible. There’s also some scary shit, and even a fairly bloody sequence. It’s really great.
Kiki's Delivery Service (Prewatch, 1989, Hayao Miyazaki, Projected DVD, Bridge) - 8.0
A young witch takes off from home to find a new life for herself (as is tradition), and once she finds a new town, she sets up a flying delivery service. She meets some nice people, and a nice boy, and everybody laughs a lot, and occasionally shit gets dangerous. It’s really good. Super fucking cute and sweet.
8/13
Ponyo (2009, Hayao Miyazaki, 35mm, Balboa) - 7.5
A young boy finds a goldfish with a human face, who after drinking his blood, starts becoming human, and they love each other. Pretty cute story. Aside from some positions the kids end up in that might seem questionable if you’re dirty-minded enough (which I am NOT, Erin had to point them out to me), it’s exclusively geared toward kids. The animation was kind of interesting in that it’s got a classic style and literally could have been made in any decade, and there’s nothing in the story either to give it away as being modern. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|12:27 am] |
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Ah! Good thing I have melatonin pills. |
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| Non Movie Review Post #3 |
[Nov. 29th, 2009|07:59 pm] |
I thought this survey would be good to break up all my review posts (which will return tomorrow).
You know how sometimes people on your friends list post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when were they working THERE? Since when were they dating HIM/HER? Since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.
Please copy the topics below, erase my answers and put yours in their place, and then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration. One-Word-Answers seldom help anyone out.
1. First Name
Austin. I used to be really into using aliases, not in life, but for things I wrote, or movies I made. I don't even know anymore why this interested me so much. After some unbelievably embarrassing name choices in high school that I will not reveal here, I stuck with Placenta Ovaries. I've used this name often enough that it's too late to get away from it, and that's fine, because I still like the way those words sound together. But I have no interest in using it as my actual name, so instead I'm thinking of it as like a production company title or something. My website will remain placentaovaries.net, and for movies, I might use it like "Placenta Ovaries Presents... An Austin Wolf-Sothern Film." If someone calls me Placenta, I will still respond.
2. Age
27. I have no thoughts on being this age. I like it alright. I might want to be doing something bigger and better with my life by the time I'm 30, but we'll see.
3. Location
San Francisco, where it's constantly hot and sunny, and it's fucking disgusting. Hopefully, one day it'll be cold on a regular basis again, which is why I fucking moved here away from San Diego in the first place. I don't know what the big fucking deal is about sunny weather, I think it's gross. Aside from that, though, SF is a very nice place.
4. Occupation
Full-time manager/projectionist at the Balboa Theater, which is where I shot No Fatties, Christmas Movie, and STAR TREK: The Motion Picture Film (you had no idea those were all shot in the same place, right? and weren't actually a Junior High School, a shopping mall, and a spaceship, respectively?). I've been at the Balboa since July 2006. I like being a manager a lot, even if it gets pretty stressful and frustrating sometimes, and I think I'm really good at it. I'm still just ok with customers. I'd like to excel at it, but I don't think I ever will, because when it comes down to it, interacting with customers just isn't something I like all that much. I'm great with the staff, though, and they totally adore me (again, just refer to my movies to see how thrilled they look to be doing what I tell them to). But my favorite part of the job is projecting and doing film work.
I also work part-time (1-2 days a week) at the Red Vic doing projection exclusively. I've been there since last December. It's pretty incredible at this point to be working at a movie theater, and not have to feel responsible for everything going on. All I have to do is start the movie, and prep whatever movie is coming next (it's a rep house, so there are constant changeovers). The projectionist is also responsible for changing the marquee, updating posters, and doing the dishes (which doesn't even require actually scrubbing them, I just put them in a dishwasher), which is all pretty easy and straightforward. They pay under the table, too, which is amazing and I hope is ok to type here publicly (don't tell the government, please). And it actually pays pretty well, and for awhile, I was making more per-shift than I was at the Balboa even though I do about 1/10 the amount of work, but then I got a raise at Balboa, so now I make the same. I wouldn't want to work at Red Vic full-time, though. It's a different kind of staff who (with exceptions) I don't feel as comfortable with even if I like them all, and the person working concessions is almost always someone different, so it's hard to get to know anyone. It can also be pretty fucking boring if there's there's no film work to do. So, really, it's only perfect as a source of supplementary income.
5. Partner
Erin K. Devitt. For 5.6 years and forever counting. She's the best. I suppose we'll get married someday, but it still weirds me out sometimes when people my age are married. It's a very adult concept that I'm not ready to embrace yet.
6. Kids
Doubt it. I could see myself wanting one way down the line, if I ever felt secure financially and responsibly. But Erin never wants any, and that's fine. It's definitely not a deal-breaker kind of thing.
7. Siblings
One sister, who is 15. We have different dads, but I've never thought of her as a half-sister or whatever. She's pretty great, and really funny. It's weird that she's in high school now and becoming a regular person and not a kid.
8. Pets
No. I just worry that I'm not responsible enough to care for it properly. But I'd like to have either a cat or a small, cute dog.
9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life.
1) 24. I just finished Season 5, and every season so far has been incredible. Jack Bauer is one of the most intense and all-around phenomenal characters ever written/acted, and I can't fucking get enough of him. I still haven't seen most tv shows that everyone else in the world has seen, and if Lost/Deadwood/The Wire turns out to be just as good, or nearly as good, as 24 is, then I will probably swear off movies forever, then promptly explode.
2) Acting. I never had any interest in acting previously, but this year, I've had a lot of fun with it, and it's something I want to explore more, and especially lately I've been thinking a lot of pursuing this in a more serious way.
3) Work. This is definitely not in the least bit exciting, but since I work 6 days a week, it tends to consume my life more than anything else. Nothing else is going on.
10. Parents
My mom is a public defender in San Diego. My dad is an unpublished writer, and a photographer. He's been trying to work on a website lately, and posting some of his photos, and they're awesome, so you should check out his stuff here. Both of my parents are fucking great, and very supportive of me.
11. Some of your closest friends are:
Jennifer Kelly, Doug Freedman. Jennifer is my oldest friend (I'm trying to resist typing the bad joke I always make where I say she's like 67). She lives in San Diego. Doug is a filmmaking collaborator I never expected to have. It's hard for me to write about other people, but they're great and I love them. |
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| Xmas Album |
[Nov. 29th, 2009|04:45 pm] |
It's no secret that I love Christmas music, and back in 2003, I tried to record my own Christmas album. I put seven songs together, but never finished it. This was actually probably the last music I ever recorded. My performance art/noise band Carlos and the Frontiersman came after this, but we never recorded anything (I've got some video footage, but we didn't have "songs" or anything). I was just listening to it, and even though I had initially wanted it to be full-length, it actually works fine as an EP, so I figured I'd put it up, even though I don't really like it. The album is called The Return of Xmas Anal, Or The Return of Christmas, Anal. It's very noisy and often repetitive. I really like the first track, Merry Christmas (which I included on I Love You Baby Jesus, Happy Birthday, Vol. 1), and Xmas Necrophilia is alright. The most embarrassing song is Master of the Xmas Tree, which is a bunch of overlapping tracks of me making the most obnoxious sounds I could with my voice. It's pretty irritating. The last song, and title track, is over 7 minutes of noise and Kris Kross samples, and it's boring. And then there are three versions of Jingle Bells that are ok. So if you're interested, here is the download link, but I honestly don't believe there is anyone who would actually enjoy it.
Tracklisting
1. Merry Christmas
2. Jingle Bells 1
3. Master of the Xmas Tree
4. Jingle Bells 2
5. Xmas Necrophilia
6. Jingle Bells 3
7. The Return of Xmas Anal |
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| STAR TREK The Motion Picture Film Screening |
[Nov. 29th, 2009|04:22 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Jon Bon Jovi - I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas | ] |
Last night, the Red Vic screened STAR TREK: The Motion Picture Film before a sold-out midnight show of Tommy Wiseau's masterful The Room. I was excited because the audience who comes to The Room midnights are there to shout shit out at the screen and make fun of it, and there's a line in Star Trek: TMPF about the invention of rapebots in the (utopian) future, who rape anyone who talks during midnight movies. And I was also really excited just because it's always really fucking exciting to screen one of my movies to 100+ strangers (I think the Red Vic seats 140, I can't remember for sure). During the intro to the film, which included a pizza and "scotchka" (it pertains to the movie) eating/drinking contest, Sam Sharkey mentioned there would be a short preceding it, and I could tell people were like "Ugh, a fucking short. We're here to watch THE ROOM." and there were a couple shouts of "Just start the fucking Room already!" (it had gotten off to a really late start, which may have contributed to this). So that was a little scary, that they were already sick of my movie before it had even started. But once it came on, people seemed to like the Popcorn Dangerous logo, and quieted down, ready to watch. And then when supporting actress Sylvia Pines came onscreen, seemingly half the audience recognized her (a total coincidence) and started screaming her name and cheering, so I knew it'd be fine from there. Everybody laughed at the appropriate parts, and many seemed to be made uncomfortable by the rapebots joke, but a lot of people laughed, too, which was perfect. And they all cheered at the end. So it was pretty successful, I think. So successful, that for next month's Room midnight on December 26th, they're gonna show Christmas Movie. For Star Trek: TMPF, I had made a new version that incorporated images of Wiseau, and I have an idea for something similar to do with Christmas Movie. I kind of want to re-cut it a little, anyway.
I didn't get to watch The Room because since I was there, I was conned into doing some film work. I don't like watching it with the loud, rowdy audience, anyway (although apparently, someone shouted something about rapebots, so that's pretty awesome). But I watched a few scenes from the projection booth, and I was reminded of just how fucking good that movie is. You can literally start watching any random few minutes from the movie, and it's guaranteed to be funny and weird and just completely fucking enjoyable, and it made me want to rewatch it. It's the kind of movie I could easily watch over and over again, and the style is so surreal and so fucking unique that it won't ever grow old. I think it's definitely gonna be in the Top 5 of my Best of the Decade list. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 29th, 2009|03:37 pm] |
Back from the Grand Canyon.
MOST AMAZING TRIP EVER!!! We hiked ~45 miles in three days.
Question:
Do any of you have experience with taking medications for bipolar disorder?
Unfortunately I had to cancel my psychiatric evaluation on Thursday because of the need to leave ASAP for the Grand Canyon, but I'm going to make another one this week.
I've been doing some research on medications, and I'm very concerned about weight gain...
Any thoughts on this? Personal experiences? |
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| a good drink |
[Nov. 29th, 2009|12:03 am] |
ice
1oz bourbon
1oz sweet vermouth
1oz kahlua
(maybe on the sweet/syrupy side?)
(also good with cranberry juice)
Definitely need to get some bitters.
...
questionable, actually
going to have to work on it
but gosh, ice makes everything better (usually)
...
This Thanksgiving break has reminded me of this summer, which makes me realize how much I am going to love grad school and the adult world.
Long day of work (in the lab), work out, come home relax have a drink.
So nice. |
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| Capturin' the Freedmans Episode 2 |
[Nov. 28th, 2009|02:06 am] |
Here is the long-awaited second episode of Capturin' the Freedmans. This is the first one, in case you missed it, where I played a corpse. In this one, I play Homicide Detective Steven Cho. It's written, directed, and edited by Doug Freedman and myself.
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