Archive for March, 2008
once »
Friday, March 28th, 2008
This one was created in three weeks with a handi-cam. It’s the first, and so far only, role for both Glen Hansard (as Guy) and Makéta Irglová (as Girl). It’s a simple story following these two as they meet, make music and cut an album, all almost completely on chance. It’s far superior to any romantic comedy/drama that’s come out in the last couple years.
I don’t want to overstate it, because the movie speaks for itself, but it’s realistic and impressive. The music is awesome and the acting is surprisingly solid. As some of you know, I liked the Notebook, but this is better. Notebook had the parallel plots and strong acting and story, but this one is brilliant in its simplicity.
I recommend it as a date movie, because you’ll wish someone was around when you’re watching it (cheesy right?). It’s smart, aurally awesome and is remarkably subtle.
****1/2
friday free for all »
Friday, March 28th, 2008
…It’s getting warmer, so I’m thinking about biking to the rail in the mornings again. I’m trying to outfit my “mountain bike” in quotes because it has yet to see even a slight incline, much less a mountain with fenders in order to protect my valuable read: cheap bag and khaks on rainy-day rides back to the house. Unfortunately, the entire bike is worth $37. I’d be doubling the value by getting these things. Ah well, it may be worth it.
…As there was so much driving and visiting last weekend, I plan for a low-key weekend. I also have all eight Horrorfest movies from last year. Those two things may be directly related.
…Here’s what I did yesterday, while getting paid for a day’s worth: watched three different run-throughs of a script, watched a speaker stumble impressively over his section of said script I think he was trying to ad-lib, but he sounded illiterate, ate a quasi-high-end box lunch in semi-darkness, listened to Leigh Steinberg talk at length about something, carried a bag of luggage around for a couple minutes, drank a couple finnegan’s at the local with some appetizers and met up with Girlfriend at r. norman’s for a promotional shindig for martinis and steak and sushi and mac & cheese. Cost to me? $0. Girlfriend bought a martini and summit for her and I, respectively, before the free stuff came by.
…There was a vote among the staff here at UpTheDrain and it’s decided that I will keep my cinephillic rants out of these posts. They will remain here. Thanks can be mailed, in five-dollar increments, directly to the UpTheDrain offices.
…Here are some blogs I subscribe to through my reader. Some local fare: Metblogs: Minneapolis, ThriftyWhores, ThoseCrazyMinnesotans though she’s taking a break.
Some digital photography/advertising: PhotoshopDisasters, Copyranter.
A few others: SDIF this one, I especially recommend, Unphotographable, ZFS!.
…This is my 300th post. We’ve had some good times, you and I. Well, I, at least. I have no idea if you’ve enjoyed yourselves, but that’s not much the point of blogs, now is it? I’d like to thank Echo, Marty, TinkTrace, Sanguinetti A!, Anthony, “The Truth For Now,” B. Miller and Val for your comments.
Shout out to St. Francis, MN… I just happened a glance at the numbers and you’ve made Minneapolis your bitch this last month in reading these posts… not so much in awesomeness, though I’m sure it’s a great place. Kudos. Thanks for reading my randomness and here’s to 300 more! Or, at least… like… eighteen. Or so.
…and finally:
The video below is awesome. I think. It’s fake, but seems too close for comfort. Maybe. I’m working on being more decisive. Sort of.
american: card carrying member »
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008
First, let me direct you to this. Unreal. The site is in depth with videos, images and a solid timeline. Whether you agree with the current state of things or not, take a look. If anything, it’ll give you something to watch in lieu of the latest Dancing with the stars.
With this post I’d like to share some joyous news. It’s been a long time coming, but I can finally wear my flag lapel pin with pride though the suit it’s pinned to is financed at an inexplicably high interest rate. I recently took the major step in citizenship that so many have taken before me. I have a credit card. Last night I felt a Biblical-ish flood of pride when I saw that I am officially in credit card debt and thus drowning in American-ness.
Realistically, it’ll be used for gas, groceries, on-line purchases, auto repair and maybe travel, but still… it’s like free money. Gas and groceries get me more cash back than other purchases, I can use a virtual number online and big bills will at least get me a fractional return. I can’t wait to lapse in financial judgment, forget to record a purchase and clench in fear when I’m emailed that surprisingly large bill total. I imagine it’s like watching your first baseball game or telling people you’re Canadian while traveling abroad. America!
Because it took me so long to ditch the debt-free-but-for-student-loan crowd ok, “crowd” is the wrong word; it’s more of a small group of people smoking outside a pub, I’m retarded in the linguistics of being treacherously close to financial ruin. “Statement date” meant nothing to me, but I guess that’s when the card company reports transactions. I have to wait impatiently until my first bill to find out when my billing cycle ends or when my bill is due. So fun.
As mentioned often most recently, the previous post we are a nation full up on dim-witted know-nothings. I plan to avoid that group the parties are lame and I don’t especially enjoy Schlitz beer. Some can’t avoid it, spending their potential wealth on day-to-day necessities, but like a good American I ignore those unlucky bastards. It’s reassuring that the average debt is about nine grand impressive even, considering sixty percent of the country has a zero balance (no credit card or pays it off each month).
Those people are spending money they don’t even have. That’s uniquely American like working ourselves to death (here) [via]. For more bits of credit awesome, click here, here or watch the video below.
Let’s everyone cross our fingers and hope I don’t have to freeze the damn thing. Happy spending!
As you can tell by today’s double dose, I’ve done little today. Who needs a job? I have credit!
haha »
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008
Unpaid and oft abused staff member, TinkTrace, brought the video below to my attention. Her opening words: “I don’t know if this helps or hurts his campaign.” She just walked out of the office for some sort of get-together off K street I don’t ask questions, but she had a brown paper bag and a Mayflower Hotel mug, so I’ll share what I was going to direct at her, with all of you.
Anyone think McCain still needs to worry about his campaign? His target market is made up almost entirely of either the dumbest and poorest or the most ignorant and rich that this country has to offer. Those two camps are hard to sway because, intellectually, they’re like boulders in strong winds. One doesn’t have the interweb, cable or friends with outside influences and the other has worked diligently and spent extravagantly to create a vacuum of social consciousness.
As the front-runner in a race for the idiot vote, McCain’s solid. If someone opening for him drops Obama’s middle name or an image flies across the Faux News screen that shows him in Muslim garb, he’ll jump a few points. If I haven’t stated it before, I love my country. Every last morbidly-obese, 8th-grade-educated, terrorist-fearing and brown-folk-hating chunk of it.
Now for the video production notes after. With supporters like these, there’s no way he can lose if he gets enough people to think the surge is working:
Not only is the video ridiculous though the raining McCains are a nice touch, but their voices are almost painfully terrible. I couldn’t even force myself to listen to the words because I felt the aural centers of my brain crying. Psst… lady on the left, you’ve got some sort of weird photo-from-back-to-the-future thing going on. Your fading into the background every ten seconds and it’s mighty distracting.
Here’s more McCain and his supporters. Solid campaign. He’s not a lock, though. That would only be the case if he were Reagan.
meet bill, the end of the world »
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
Two things that may or may not be related. That’s for you to determine. A terrible film and the first signs of Game Boy-style warfare that will consume our planet and leave no species un-obliterated…
I saw the preview a couple weeks ago, but a bus panel with Aaron Eckhart’s giant mug on it reminded me about this one. I’ll see it, unfortunately. I’m sure some of you out there will ask why. You’re right in asking. It looks to be a pile of feces wrapped in vomit and stashed in a bag made of burnt hair. So why would I, as cinematically conscious and discerning as I am, want to see such a perfect storm of suck? Two reasons conveniently in alphabetical order: Alba, Banks.
For the longtime readers, this should be obvious. For you newcomers, I hope this doesn’t shatter your admiration for me let’s say I have my doubts. Let me explain myself before you click away and start reading menarebetterthanwomen.com because Dick Masterson is more sensitive than I.
I realize Alba has the acting chops of Dakota Fanning’s younger second cousin, but she’s also knocked up presently. This movie showcases here in all of her pre-preggers glory. Who knows how she’ll recover. Realistically, it could be the last time we see those abs in bow-down-and-worship form. Seeing this one would be like watching any of those they-were-hot-long-ago type videos. Like, Mariah Carey’s Dream Lover for instance or crossroads.
Ms. Elizabeth Banks. She’s goofy hot. I mean, the preview, with her all chilling on the phone in front of the mirror in her blue lingerie… ridiculous. Added bonus: she’s actually entertaining even when she’s talking. She’s not necessarily a quality actor, but she holds her own.
Mind you, I won’t be seeing this one in first-run theaters. I can’t justify the cost. I may see it on a big screen if the financial hit is less than $3. If not, it’s for the Blockbuster queue or by other means. I figure watching a festering pile of lame helps me determine a quality film, like there will be blood, when it presents itself. Well, at least that’s how I justify it.
And then there’s the article that my father linked me to this morning. There’s no stopping the machines. Granted, just now it only takes something slightly more treacherous than a patch of ice, but things will get much, much worse and hell, I just bit it on the way to the rail this morning; fucking winter.
I get that the robot is relatively necessary because of how easily it exponentially increases the effectiveness of our forces. I understand that it will probably decrease the number of casualties on our side of things. It took five years for four thousand of our soldiers to die in Iraq. That’s pretty good, if we ignore the dead Iraqi civilians and we do; emphatically. BigDog could be the answer to our military prayers. Add a rocket launcher or machine gun instead of the packs accessories sold separately and you have yourself some full-on robotic warfare. Awesome.
warning: the following contains grossly misguided logic based on the assumption that our country will still be a factor on a global scale in ten years. It ignores some minor details, namely that we didn’t even give our soldiers armor in the first place and the present and future costs of the war will leave us economically crippled as dozens of other countries gain on our monetary dominance. Only take predictions herein as possible if you plan to vote for John McCain or Hillary Clinton three cheers for more of the same: hip! hip! …fuck, I sprained a lung and don’t have insurance…. Proceed with caution.
I don’t understand why the Japanese are wasting all that time building robots that help blind or other differently-able people. There’s no money in it. Sure, you can help someone in a wheelchair interact with the world more easily, but we’re talking fifty grand or so. What’s that going to get you? A new car? Maybe a girlfriend if she’s hot on the social-good type guys they’re never the gorgeous ones?
Future BigDogs will go for millions in no-bid contracts to a government that’s trying to appear like a global protector while expanding it’s oppressive corporate empire. That sort of money can buy you a Giselle Bünchen-type ladyfriend. It’s a proven fact that money can not only buy you happiness, but respect and enough drugs to actually think that’s true. I guess Japanese folk are too caught up in that do-the-right-thing bullshit to really understand that. Tis a shame.
If I could foretell the splendor of robotic war, there’s only one issue that needs to be resolved. Does BigDog run on sustainable energy? I worry about such things. Even after our takeover of the Middle East and Latin America, we only have so many years left of fossil fuels and fresh water. Once terrorism is gone, that will probably be the biggest issue facing Americans aside from only 17% having health coverage, of course.
What? Boston Dynamics is launching a going-green campaign next fall? Alright. Carry on then…