Aglaonema...ag-leon-ama....clever

Léon (The Professional), with Jean Reno and a very young Natalie Portman. Well, for one, I really like Portman and Reno, and often like Luc Besson's films, so I was pretty much going to like this movie, regardless. That said, it wasn't what I was expecting, which would have been simpler and probably banal - that is, say, the girl simply being taught to be a hit...uh, hitwoman. Hit-teen? Anyway, there was more depth and pathos to the movie as it is, though reading about the extended version, it seems that would have a combination of the two ends of the spectrum, which I'd like to see someday as contrast. Hm. And yeah, part of me wanted more action for some reason, but that really wouldn't have fit the movie so well. Oh, and Gary Oldman was amazing, as usual.

One of those things, not sure if it's clever or stupid

rainy triviaball

the hell? celery soda?

pfft: "Mountain Dew's name is a previously-existing euphemism for moonshine, which likely traces back to Ireland (see the Irish folk song "The Rare Auld Mountain Dew"), and has generally been marketed to highlight its potency. It was originally marketed as "zero proof moonshine" and had pictures of hillbillies on the bottle until 1973."

tempted to move to Kentucky and accomplish something

purty art

spherical moo?

Check out the last fight scene in Screamers, it's so simple, and the actresses probably aren't martial artists really, but it's also so effective in conveying the robotic nature and power of the combatants and in really making it seem as if they are pretty badass - with a little subtle camera shake, one almost quails away from a missed kick slammed up against a wall, for example.

Ah, the common spherical cow

downright impressive once they get going faster

the world is a crazy place

on Trinity, a comparison

Tucson needs a 'local stuntman,' I think

Hot Rod, with Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher. Uh...dumb. But, I suppose, that was perfect for the state we were in last night. It really did pull off dumb, without being the kind of trying-too-hard-to-be-dumb that would make me want to walk away. Ah, absurd is probably a better word for it - the story takes place in a kind of absurd setting, with absurd characters, which is much, much better than trying to pull off absurd characters in setting that doesn't match that. And as equally absurd as the plot was - trying to raise money for an ailing stepfather just so his ass can be properly kicked - that really did tie it together nicely.

-aw, I like ants...dang creepy fluke thing that probably inspired several horror movies

-we have to bring the Mesoamerican ballgame back (and give it a better name)

say it, it's fun - ye-ka-ter-in-a

Archangel, with James Bond and Yekaterina Rednikova. Rednikova was quite a cutie. And did anyone else notice that in the brothel, she was the only girl with non-blonde hair? I guess there was one redhead. Anyway...the idea of the narrative is interesting, but at the risk of spoiling it, that very idea is completely stymied at the end of the movie. Hence, I will label the story: "stunted." That, and I just could not bring myself to care about any of the characters, who all seemed very self-serving to various degrees, if not outright jerks. Not horrible, I mean, it was serviceable, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to see it again.

A creature of pure rage. That also uses tools. The adorable honey badger.

Teeth seems frightening on several semantic levels, ie, in terms of cultural context and response and ohdeargodteeth!

Interesting posit:
"There are three ways to make wealth: make it, mine it, or grow it."

dear god that "dress" was nipple-tastic

Hitman, with Timothy Olyphant and Dougray Scott. Aside from one particular fight scene, this movie really didn't do much for me at all. Well, I suppose the almost-always semi-nude Olga Kurylenko did it for me as well, but at the same time, she was almost-naked to an almost ludicrous degree. Reading about the games, I think the movie would have much better been served if it had actually followed the game's plot at all, rather than just taking the character and throwing out a few easter eggs. And the close-ups that pervaded the film were a bit much, I think; as in The Fountain, those instances perhaps better translate, interestingly, to a smaller screen. Sigh, I wish I could just take just the fight scenes out of some movies...

Rescue Dawn, with Christian Bale and Timothy Zahn. Aside from a wince-worthy special effects introduction, the greater part of this movie seemed carefully crafted in terms of cinematography and acting and appearance. Other than that (oh, and a strange, almost incongruous ending), it seemed less a film than a kind of journal based on some real experiences. I think I would have appreciated it more had there been a documentary-style narration accompanying it, as I felt that either I was missing a lot, or a lot was being left out in terms of explanations and information. Or perhaps that was just replicating the POW's experience...hm.

A nice collection of (mostly vintage) articles on Savate and its offshoots is under "Essays"

On good attitude: "Keeping his units concentrated and moving deliberately, Smith made an aggressive assault to break out of the reservoir. When asked if the Marines were retreating, Smith explained that their fighting withdrawal through Chinese lines did not constitute a retreat. His explanation was abbreviated into the famous misquote, "Retreat? Hell, we're attacking in a different direction!""

Happy Pre-Turkey Day!

I thought this quote was very true and wish I'd had it to use in my thesis on Frank Herbert's Dune:
"Arizona and the Southwest tells you one sure thing: Everything that matters is here and it is in peril."

And that this one was just interesting:
"Once Bil had tracked a coyote in the snow of the mountain and this trail had led to a roadrunner with broken wings and a coyote blinded in both eyes by the bird. He had to destroy them both..."

Also, lastly, the idea that people back in the day titled their diaries and journals sounds fun, like:
"The Journal and Maps of Caved D. Couts"
or
"The Whipple Report"
Though I guess I did that when I kept a lyrical journal, calling it "Threnody's Song"

Fun little quiz, a few answers I don't quite agree with, but most are pretty spot on

I want a spacetreebubble

The Fountain, with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. As much as I didn't get the movie without Ms. Kim's adept help, and applause-worthy cinching-sentence (according to the room of people, anyway), I enjoyed it. Very...quiet, very artsy movie, with a lovely score and absolutely gorgeous golden palette and organic imagery. Also, there is great shifting acting (between the three disparate sections), and a melancholy but still lovely message conveyed by the narrative, made all the more interesting and rich by its resulting three (and more?) layers. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

Employee of the Month, with Dane Cook, Dax Shepard, and a slinky blonde tart. Aaand, here we have: stupid. Well, I suppose it did have some flourishes, like a protagonist who is nervous around girls to some degree, and solid theme of doing anything for one's own satisfaction and pride, and the rest following. Then, there was Jessica Simpson, and eh jokes, and confused tropes of heartfelt or comedy or what. Eh, it was fine, I guess.

I like the helmetcams the best...psychos...awesome psychos...

I am officially interested (this was also one of my favorite short stories, just for the sheer wonder/terror of it)

folkcest?

A Mighty Wind, with Christopher Guest and his usual cast. I liked this one better than the last Christopher Guest movie we watched, For Your Consideration, I think this one is perhaps more cheerful. Even kind of poignant at times. Not as hilarious as Best in Show, though. The deadpan humor is not for everyone, but in the same sort of vein as The Life Aquatic, there's an endearing cast of characters that makes for a relaxing movie.

The Quiet, with Elisha Cuthbert and Camilla Belle. Ok, so the main themes of this movie (incest, abuse of a deaf person) are certainly off-putting to most audiences. That said, I still think it's a pretty quality movie. Pleasantly twisty narrative, attractive cast, interesting dark cinematography, atmosphere, and music are all abounding. So, I'm glad I bought it for less than two dollars, but would have actually paid more to gladly rent it. Hm. That sentence may not have made sense.

Remember, remember the fifth of November...

...the gunpowder treason and plot.

Heaven, by Ian Cohen and Jack Stewart. And a coincidentally perfect companion video. I'll borrow this nice sentence from a review of these authors' other book: "Although their characters and world-building lack believability, the authors wield scientific speculation with cheerful abandon, providing some real old-fashioned sense of wonder." That pretty much sums it up right there, in what I probably would have said in several sentences. I will add that as much as it's hard to read in being...well, written by a couple of academics, it is artfully constructed in terms of structure, so that's something. Lots of incredibly interesting ideas, loosely shoved into an unbelievable, even for science fiction, setting. So, worth reading in the one regard, if you're up for the challenge of non-stimulation.

One thing I noted about the All Souls Procession last night was the odd beauty of hundreds of cameras constantly flashing. From within the parade, and from the multitude of people watching on the sidewalks, it was like a constant lightning storm. I wonder how a procession of a couple hundred years back would think about that.

-interesting burial alternatives

interesting history, in a few different manners

Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. This being the progenitor of night every self-directed work from the 1930s on, I could certainly see where everything from The Secret to everything less popular got most of their stuff. Or, one might argue, they're all just speaking to universal principles, I suppose. In the same vein, the yogic texts of yore obviously came thousands of years before the 1930s, and they contain much of the same gist of things. All that said, this book is particularly interesting in my mind because, one, the sheer passion of its author - if the history textbooks that spoke to the same subjects (in some chapters of this book) spoke with the same verve and vigor, I would have become a history major come college time. And two, the manner in which the book was written, which was by true life experience, and interviews with some of the most historically prominent and successful people the time, ie, the richest people in the world.

It's funny, hearing a story from a friend at work about his brother-in-law getting in a fight with a bunch of Arabs after a road-rage kind of incident (I'm talking a literal fistfight in the middle of Alvernon), and then later finding the group's car and baseball bat'ing their headlights, I was reminded of a sensation I had often in working at the hospital, but rarely feel now. That is, that I am damn lucky to have the life I have. Remembering people I spent hours with at the hospital, I don't have theft as an everyday occurrence in my life (including people walking into your apartment and literally taking things out of your hands), or getting mugged, or just jumped for no reason at all, or get hit by a car and then left to bleed by the side of the road. I could go on. But for the majority of people, everyday existence is defined by massive, weighty debt, by omnipresent danger, and by utter despair at not only feeling stuck in that situation, but not having the slightest clue as to how to get out of it. So fuck it all, right? And so, in those moments, I feel a bit irked at myself in my everyday assumption that everyone has a life as peachykeen as mine. But, that's a good kind of upset, in the end, I suppose.
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"Eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." Mark Twain