What's John watching?

Gummo: I have never been so relieved to see the American Humane Association's logo at the end of a film. I never would've believed that many cats hadn't been killed in the making of it otherwise. What a grim picture.

I've done some reading - probably too much, tainting my own impressions - on Xenia, Ohio, and on the writer and director, Harmony Korine. My initial horror at the thought of Americans living like this was only aggravated by some of the entries in the City of Xenia's guestbook:

I miss living in Xenia. I graduated XHS in 1989. I now live in Blythe, California and work at a gas station. Now i know what living the great life is like. Thanks XENIA!

However, upon reading that the movie was actually shot in Nashville, Tennessee, and that Korine has never set foot in Xenia, Ohio, my horror began to fade. And while Mayor John Saraga's grammar isn't perfect, his clarification of life in Xenia seems genuine.

As art, I would say this movie succeeds; it's sparked many thoughts. Tummler's (Nick Sutton) rage against simplicity - while achingly brief - is the strongest message I'm left with. Like his brother, I want to flee that world, running hard and fast, eyes on the pavement. It's scary, what humans can become accustomed to. *shudder* ¶ 11:58:00 p.m. (0) comments

Croupier: You'll be green with envy by the time you finish reading this post. Guaranteed. This rare glimpse into my world is quite a privilege, you know. Even my closest associates couldn't guess at my amnesiac life. What? That's a handicap, you say? In many circles, yes, but it's a movie-lover's delight.

This movie is a case in point. I saw it in Ottawa's comfy Bytowne cinema. A quick look at Croupier's IMDB entry puts that four to five years ago. Not that long ago, I hear you say. True. But it might as well have been an eternity for me. I remembered Jack's (Clive Owen) apartment, his typewriter, his view... and that's about it. Oh, and I remembered that I loved it. Seriously. Welcome to my world (cue the dramatic music).

That's why I picked it up tonight. My wife's reading Bringing Down the House, so I knew it'd be right up her alley. Score one for ole John boy!

I've also been a huge fan of Clive Owen ever since. I was going to go off on some obscure Internet search for the BMW films, but the IMDB has surprised me again: they're all catalogued, the 6-minute beauties that they are: Ambush, Chosen (directed by Ang Lee!), Follow, Star and Powder Keg.

Finally, I never forgot the word itself. Croupier: an employee of a gambling casino who collects and pays bets and assists at the gaming tables. [Merriam-Webster] Such dignity!

Guess I should say something about the movie, eh? While I still remember it. *slap of knee* (Jolly good, old sport!) *ahem* Hey! While I was thinking about what to write, I realized that this is yet another example of a story about writing a story! Now we have a pattern! Adaptation: excellent. Alex and Emma: terrible. Croupier: excellent. Huh. Guess I should hold off on watchin' 'em for a while.

Damn it, John! Why'd you like the damn thing? Oh, yes; sorry. It didn't take itself seriously; that's for sure. Very endearing, that. Plus, it was on the tracks, motoring by. All aboard? No? Too bad. We're tellin' a story here. Very smart; and oh, so funny at times. Like when Jack is practicing his blackjack, right in front of his typewriter. :-)

Rent it. Buy it. Watch it. Trust me. Envious yet? ¶ 10:54:00 p.m. (0) comments

The Apprentice: Well, I liked this show a lot more than the last one. Again, I was completely out of my depth, but I was entertained.

It's funny, though, watching Trump morality. A handshake is etched in stone, (possible) lies of omission enter a grey area, and people's lives (setting the liability issue aside) are... What? Certainly not fair game, but endangering them is excusable. I don't know... I didn't get a good sense of how drunk some of the girls' customers were, but the owner's face spoke volumes. Drinking on the job? Eh. It didn't look like they were out of control. Sending people out the door when they can barely stand? Not good.

I thought Trump was gonna call 'em on it... I was convinced that that was what the golf-day meeting was about. Turned out it was about another good point: it's one thing to win competitions by showing a little skin (and I'm not saying that's the only reason the girls've been winning, but it sure ain't hurtin'), it's another to do it for a living; a bad thing? Not necessarily. A Trump thing? Apparently not.

Hats off to the girls, though. They recognized the potential in liquor sales and went for it. Let's see how Nick handles the hot seat next week. ¶ 10:57:00 p.m. (0) comments

Building the Ultimate: Spacecraft: All this excitement about the Mars Exploration Rover Mission has really rekindled my interest in space. This show perfectly complemented an article I read - yesterday, I guess - on Columbia's final minutes. Really an excellent read.

I love demonstrations, and this show had some great ones. How 'bout trying to hit the edge of a piece of paper from a football-field distance? That's what Apollo crews had to do on their return trips from the Moon (well, the ones that went there). The price of failure? Either bouncing off or burning up in Earth's atmosphere! No pressure, guys! ¶ 10:41:00 p.m. (0) comments

Building the Ultimate: Skyscraper: I was surprised by how many building techniques were hundreds of years old, ready to go way up once something stronger than brick was invented.

Torre Mayor in Mexico City looks amazing! I can't believe it weathered that 7.6 earthquake on January 23, 2003 so well that the people inside barely noticed. A pass with flying colours, I'd say. ¶ 10:27:00 p.m. (0) comments

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968): Happily, I didn't find myself comparing this one to the 1999 film of the same name. The chase theme is really all they share. I just enjoyed it for what it was: a great film.

The chaos of the opening credits was something else; I never would've dreamed it would work for a suspenseful scene like the first bank heist. But it did. Your eye was always drawn to the important frame of that crazy collage. And the best part was, it helped you appreciate the intricacy of the plan, Crown's (Steve McQueen) brilliance in pulling it off.

It was the same with the polo scene. He excels in chaos yet again. I don't think I've ever seen any scene like it. I think Guy Ritchie may have attempted it, but certainly not to that extreme.

But I think the biggest surprise was Vicki (Faye Dunaway); what a fascinating woman! Yes, Russo did a great job in the 1999 version - oh so subtle at times - but Vicki had a depth that could only be guessed. She was truly in control at times. The chess match was extraordinary! They both played it so well! Such tight shots, and yet it was like they were alone. And then her surgical blackmailing of the getaway car driver! Ho, this woman could be cold. Kidnapping children, no less! Brilliant! Just brilliant!

Yes, both films stand on their own; no question. But I've gotta say, while I like the second one a lot, I like this one more. (Don't tell my wife. She loves the 1999 take.) ;-) ¶ 12:10:00 a.m. (0) comments

Much Talks: Violence: A thought-provoking show. They had some great speakers: the police officer was excellent, and so was Benjamin Kowalewicz; I think Try Honesty is awesome, but my respect for the guy increased tenfold listening to him speak tonight. He was very quick, smart and sensitive to the complexities of the subject.

I have to say that, as a fan of Max Payne, Unreal Tournament and Halo, I've always be skeptical of the purported adverse effects of video-game play: it's a game, get over it. However, after watching some of those clips, I was shaken. Seriously. Shooting the cops was bad enough - right in your face, and so realistic - but when that guy got stabbed in the neck... *shudder* How could a nine-year-old do that, say a hundred times, and not be f***ed up? It turned my stomach... Zoomed in, the gurgling... Anyone know which game that was? I guess I've been out of the scene longer than I thought.

I agree with the importance of self-expression. I remember the rage I had as a kid. From the time my younger brother came on the scene, I was a hellion. Wrestling wasn't enough for me: I'd jump on his head if I could. Obviously I didn't act out as much as a young man, but that was almost worse. The rage was there, inside, threatening to consume me at times. I'd wander the streets just praying someone would say something, give me a look... And I wasn't a big kid! But I felt big - huge! - with the rage. How could anyone stand against it?

My point is that I was on a razor's edge. If I'd fallen in with the wrong crowd, had trouble in school, who knows where I'd be today. As the media teacher was saying, if I'd known that someone out there cared about what I had to say, even if I had to struggle for the words, that would've made all the difference in the world. As it was, when I was a bit older, I found that Kurt Cobain gave voice to the words I couldn't find, that maybe he understood where I was. You can imagine the turn I took in 1994.

If I'd had an outlet, expressed myself in some form, as opposed to bottling it up, I never would've got to that point, so I echo Benjamin's words, Jenn's great piece: pick up a guitar, a pen, and speak. ¶ 8:33:00 p.m. (0) comments

The Apprentice: Well, this was the first episode I watched from start to finish, and I have to say that I was disappointed. I tuned in late last week, and while I had no idea what they had to market or how they did it, I thought the premise was cool. I've taken project management courses, my job requires those skills of me on occasion, and I thought a competition based on those skills would translate well on the screen.

I guess I'll have to wait 'til next week to confirm that; this episode was more about yelling and running than managing. Sam did manage to highlight a big PM don't, though: don't waste resources. Why did they need three guys to research their items? Most of the shots I saw had at least two of them sitting on their butts, laughing. One guy coordinating in front of a computer? Yes, excellent. Beyond that... *shrug*

But you know what kept bouncing around in my head? With all that money, Trump can't buy a good haircut. ¶ 9:14:00 p.m. (0) comments

Oprah: Yeah, this is quite the list I've accumulated lately... But I gotta be honest, I really liked this show. It was (taped, first of all, so I don't know when it aired) about having adventure in your life. My favourite segment was the last one on National Geographic's Worlds Apart: an American family flew to Mongolia to live with a local family for 10 days. Just awesome. At one point, the eight-year-old American girl said, They share a lot here. We don't do that in St. Louis. We don't share with our neighbours.

They ended with that common surprise of, Guess what? We've brought the [Mongolian] family here for an on-show reunion! I can't imagine what they thought of airplanes, running water, supermarkets, you name it! Of course, what are we missing? We're distracted at every turn. Whoa! What was that! 2003. Gone. ¶ 11:03:00 p.m. (0) comments

The Muchmusic VJ Search: I have it on in the background while I build the X-wing fighter out of Lego. I really liked Dale's writing-a-song-live spot, but overall, I think Devon's got it; either him, or J.C.; man, is that guy ever easy on air. Reminds me of Michael Williams. Anyone remember those days? Hangin' with the bone? :-) ¶ 2:41:00 p.m. (0) comments

The Muchmusic Countdown: O.K., I didn't watch the whole thing; Britney turned me off. But I really like that Jet song, Are You Gonna Be My Girl. It reminds me of everything I like about Tricky Woo. The video is great too. I also really like that Kelis song, Milkshake (and, no, not just 'cause the video's smokin' hot... although that doesn't hurt); it's different, basic... good. ¶ 10:10:00 p.m. (0) comments

Will & Grace: Man, you'd think an episode with John Cleese, Geena Davis and Minnie Driver would be better. Cleese was hilarious, but I don't think the writing had anything to do with it; uninspired is a good word for it. ¶ 10:06:00 p.m. (0) comments

Babylon 5 - Season 3: Episode 22: Z'Ha'Dum: What a great monologue by G'Kar! An excellent finish to the central (by the numbers, anyway) season. It's funny: my initial reaction was, See, with a huge story arc, you don't need to have climactic season finales; the story just continues. But, now that I think about it, no, this was actually pretty climactic; it's just that I'm accustom to it, thanks to the many twists and turns throughout each season. Very few episodes are filler. I'm so glad Season 4 is out now. :-) ¶ 7:59:00 p.m. (0) comments

NASA Connect™: Data Analysis and Measurement: Dancing in the Night Sky: Well, after viewing over an hour of programming (including this episode), I have say that I'm impressed with NASA TV. I learned a lot from this episode, despite NASA Connect™ being aimed at kids. :-) It reminded me of that great science show from my childhood: 3-2-1 Contact.

This show was about the aurora borealis and the aurora australis. What perfect timing, given that I'd just found the Auroras - Dancing in the Night study on the NASA Earth Observatory site a few minutes earlier; it includes pictures of the auroras from the International Space Station! Beautiful, eh?

Oh, and how did I stumble upon NASA TV, you ask? Well, I was reading about the upcoming First Look show on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission home page. It should be great! ¶ 9:13:00 p.m. (0) comments

Vénus beauté (institut): A good movie. I found it a little slow at times, but certainly very true; especially Angèle (Nathalie Baye). I guess my biggest complaint about this movie is that beyond Angèle, the world seemed flat, and lacked conviction. ¶ 6:42:00 p.m. (0) comments

House of Sand and Fog: What a movie! From the opening scene - when the camera cuts away just before we get to hear Kathy's (Jennifer Connelly) response to the question, Is this your house? - I was intrigued. Just an amazing performance by Ben Kingsley; he was Behrani... Especially in those final scenes. Jennifer Connelly was excellent too.

And the story... I believe it's based on a book, but the screenplay worked so well on the screen: there's a beautiful scene near the end where it's as if the house is ephemeral, disappearing into the fog now that no one desires it. That was just one of many beautiful shots of landscapes and seascapes.

But I think what I liked most about this movie was the characters. I was in such turmoil, trying to hang my hat on something I could disapprove of, until finally I just accepted them all as human beings with virtues and faults, and felt such sympathy for them. Their transformations were so complete... There wasn't a moment I wasn't with them. And while I'm sure the material was good, I can't imagine even good performances acheiving the same effect. It needed the Oscar-worthy performances of Kingsley and Connelly. ¶ 6:33:00 p.m. (0) comments

Babylon 5 - Season 3: Episode 21: Shadow Dancing: Tying things up for the season finale. I did like that moment when Franklin looked up from his hospital bed and noticed all the casualties pouring into the infirmary; his there are bigger things than me moment. ¶ 6:17:00 p.m. (0) comments

Born on the Fourth of July: There was a time that I couldn't get enough Vietnam, be it Dispatches, Argument Without End, or the great movies. I'm adding this one to my list of the great movies; it tells a story I hadn't heard, one that I needed to hear.

Full Metal Jacket, among many other things, showed how screwed up things can get before you ever leave home soil. Platoon showed how those same problems are just as real in the face (and land) of a common enemy. Apocalypse Now showed another level of horror... What you pray to God is an alternate history, some terrible imaging. You knew that Willard (Martin Sheen) could never go back home, could never live as we live - the beautiful script makes that imminently clear - but you don't see that failure. In Born on the Fourth of July you see Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) try to live, and fail.

I loved the parade scenes, the soldiers - including Kovic later on - flinching as the firecrackers go off. And those scenes in the Kovic household - especially the last one - were so great. At other times, I found the music a bit distracting, but the silences between the shouts and cries made the last Kovic family scene all the more riveting. ¶ 10:14:00 a.m. (0) comments

Meng long guojiang (1972): Or Return of the Dragon as it's titled on the DVD I just bought. It's been years since I watched this movie, and all I really remembered was a climactic fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. That they were like gladiators completely escaped me at that first viewing.

Back then I thought there'd be dozens of Bruce Lee movies to watch. It's hard to believe that when people talk about the Bruce Lee collection, they're really just talking about four movies: Tang shan da xiong (1971) or Fists of Fury, Jing wu men (1972) or The Chinese Connection, this one, and Enter the Dragon (1973). I've watched them all in the last six months, and I can't say that I have a favourite. Although, I've only seen The Chinese Connection once, and the sheer number of guys he's fighting in some of those scenes surprised even me.

I know these movies can be cheesy as hell sometimes, and at other times you're wondering why they gave the over-caffeinated guy the camcorder, but you have to be impressed with their martial art and Lee's physique. Especially in this one, I find his lats are so big that he looks like a flying squirrel. ¶ 2:00:00 p.m. (0) comments

Anything Else: Well, I just spent a minute at the Internet Movie Database to confirm my suspicion: this is the first Woody Allen movie I've seen. It took me a while to warm up to it, but I have to say that I enjoyed it. (I was going to say really enjoyed it, but no, that's stretching it.)

This is the first movie I've seen in a long time that had me saying, Well, that's an interesting shot. If there's one thing I can say about Allen, it's that he's not afraid of having an actor deliver a line offscreen. Lots of great angles, lots of shots that lingered just long enough to capture an actor's reaction to a line (instead of immediately cutting to the speaker). Oh, and another great moment: Falk (Jason Biggs) is typing away on his computer when his word processor converts a hyphen to an em dash! For someone who works with Word daily, such an accurate portrayal of working with a computer is refreshing, to say the least. :-) ¶ 2:28:00 a.m. (0) comments

Alex and Emma: Phew, man! Rob Reiner has made some great movies. (Stand by Me and The Princess Bride come to mind.) This is most definitely not one of 'em. Kate Hudson's many transformations and the chalk-in-the-eye scene made it bearable, but not memorable.

A bit of background: I'm the guy who walks out the theatre and listens to his friends argue over which scene gave the movie away for them, after which they simply waited for what they knew would transpire; you see the guy nod, hold his chin just so, and say nothing. Why? Because the ending was at least a bit surprising.

This same guy pegged this movie's big moment so well that he uttered the words not five seconds before it occurred. Let me tell you, folks: that is a sign of a very bad device. And the funniest part? I know how good this story-about-writing-a-story device can be: Adaptation. (I loved it.) ¶ 11:48:00 p.m. (0) comments

Babylon 5 - Season 3: Episode 20: And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place: An excellent episode. Such black humour near the end, cutting between that gospel song and Lord Refa's murder... I don't expect that sort of television from anyone but Lynch. :-)

I followed this episode fairly well. I knew that G'Kar must've been involved; after all, they made such a big deal out of his staying on Babylon 5 when he'd tried to sacrifice himself only a few episodes earlier. What I didn't understand was why Mollari went through all that trouble to kill Refa (after all, he'd set it up so perfectly with that two-part poison)... until the framing came out.

I also really enjoyed the Reverend Will Dexter's (Mel Winkler) late-night talk with Sheridan. It's hard to bring depth to such a small part, but I really felt like he was looking back on a full life. ¶ 9:30:00 p.m. (0) comments

Raising Victor Vargas: I just wrote about 8 Mile's limited story. I guess the same could be said about this one; but it never felt like that, not for a moment. I heard about it at the same time that I heard about Thirteen, and I put them both in the tough-to-watch category. Why? Kids, young adults, struggling to find themselves. It's tough stuff, and a part of my life I don't enjoy reflecting on. (I haven't seen Thirteen yet, by the way.)

What can I say about this movie? Well, I'm shocked that this was a lot of the cast's first time acting. This was not an easy movie to act: most of it was shot very tight to the actors to create emotional attachment; it worked wonderfully, but any lack of sincerity in the eyes, any momentary loss of concentration, would glare on the screen. Having said that, at no point was I not completely absorbed in this movie. There was a camcorder feel to the shots as well; I'm sure it only added to the feeling that we were watching home movies, that Victor (Victor Rasuk), Vicki (Krystal Rodriguez) and Nino's (Silvestre Rasuk) life really was this crazy. ¶ 7:05:00 p.m. (0) comments

8 Mile: Not a bad movie. The scope of the story was limited, but it still managed to satisfy. I thought Kim Basinger did a great job, although I doubt Mrs. Mathers appreciated the portrayal. Eminem was also very believable, very real, although I have to wonder how much of a stretch this was for him.

You know, I don't often comment on sex, but I found the quickie scene to be really good. Seriously; it's hard to hit a scene like that, but I think Eminem and Brittany Murphy did it. Another scene that I enjoyed was when B-Rabbit (Eminem) was writing Lose Yourself. I expected the song to play in the background as he scribbled, but instead, they played the music of the track and sporadically played the lyrics - even mixed some up - like he was writing it right there, on the spot. A nice touch, I thought. ¶ 6:38:00 p.m. (0) comments