Movie Night 2

Our second movie night more than doubled in attendance. Woo!
Unfortunately practically everyone left before the second movie.
Anyhoo, here's the rundown for those of you playing the home game:


1. Operation Kitten Calendar -
I started off this week by showing all five episodes of this daring reality show. You can view them here.



2. Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006 -
Up next was this delightful short animation by Paul Robertson, done in the style of an old school, side-scrawling, action arcade game (think Metal Slug). You can download the high quality version here. Or just watch it below:




3. V For Vendetta (2005) -
I think this is an excellent action film. We showed this by request for the two people left in the world who hadn't seen it yet. Hugo Weaving's performance as V is really impressive considering he wears a mask through the entire movie. And he manages to get through all the lines without invoking his Agent Smith "Mister Anderson" drawl (which he unfortunately does not avoid in the LOTR trilogy). Also, Natalie Portman is effing gorgeous, even with a shaved head. But most of all, I think I just love the fact that a movie came out post-9/11 that glorifies terrorism, and it was actually successful.


4. Junebug (2005) -
This was one of my favorite indie films in 2005. The performances are all excellent but Scott Wilson and Amy Adams are my favorites in this one. If you never saw the movie you probably did see all of the Oscar hype surrounding Adams for her peformance. She lost to Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener, so I can't really get too upset.
This movie does a great job of revealing the characters' inner worlds without a lot of talking. You find out a lot about them in the quiet points between dialog.

Check Me Out - I'm Evil!

An old piece I wrote for McSweeney's (they rejected it) is now up on The ISS. After some helpful criticism from Trevor the piece is much better than it was originally. Check it out. My supervillain name is, of course, Laser Sharkbear. The graphic they put together is also excellent.

9/11 Anniversary

Today is the day we all doff our hats and solemnly remember the anniversary of a world-changing event. Of course, I'm talking about the 710th anniversary of the day brave William Wallace led his fellow Scotsmen to victory over the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

Seriously though, it probably wouldn't have even occurred to me what day this is if I hadn't read this beautiful piece by John Hodgman, over at McSweeney's.

I've been thinking about our country immediately following the event, contrasted with where we are now. Regardless of how you felt about the everyone-must-have-flags-at-all-times sentimentality of that time, there was something to be said about the general feeling of brotherhood. For all his talk of being a uniter, not a divider, has ever an American president gotten such a free pass as this? I really do remember feeling a sense of unity with everyone around me, though that could be attributed to healthy doses of shock and naiveté.
But George W. Bush had the country united, his approval rating skyrocketed, and he never had to lift a finger. He could have coasted on that for quite a while. But instead he decided it would be the perfect time to abuse our trust.

Now look at us. We're stuck in a war that has no easy out, and which Bush himself has now compared to Vietnam. That in itself should be reason enough to get the hell out, except Bush thinks the problem with Vietnam was that we didn't stick with it long enough. The country is more divided than ever, and the current administration's ongoing campaign to subvert the Constitution and strip us of our fundamental liberties steamrolls ahead.

Where is the outrage from the right? You should be furious at this president. Since when did a government that wantonly spies on its own people represent the Conservative ideal? Time and again they prove themselves to be liars on almost every level. When is the last time an administration was so rife with scandals and moral shortcomings? This is the party of values? I don't think you could possibly set the bar any lower.

More Hawking Goodness

So, Stephen Hawking is a good match for children's toys. But how about children's literature?
I was very excited to discover that Hawking has written a sci-fi trilogy for kids. As he says, it's like Harry Potter, but with science taking the place of magic. We'll have to wait and see if certain people from the religious right find that more, or less, threatening to America's youth.
I, for one, can't wait to read the series.

Here's the book description from Amazon:
Stephen Hawking, author of the multi-million copy bestselling A Brief History of Time, and his daughter Lucy explain the universe to readers of all ages. George's parents, who have always been wary of technology, warn him about their new neighbors: Eric is a scientist and his daughter, Annie, seems to be following in his footsteps. But when George befriends them and Cosmos, their super-computer, he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe. With Cosmos's help, he can travel to other planets and a black hole. But what would happen if the wrong people got their hands on Cosmos? George, Annie, and Eric aren't about to find out, and what ensues is a funny adventure that clearly explains the mysteries of science. Garry Parsons' energetic illustrations add humor and interest, and his scientific drawings add clarity; there are also eight 4-page full-color inserts of scientific photos.

Movie Night 1

Sunday night is now Movie Night at my place. But don't fret. Even if you don't live in Knoxville I'll post the movie list so you can follow along at home.

Here was the first night's lineup:


1. Death Of A Hen -
Animated short from Wholphin Vol. 1, directed by Brian Dewan. It's a humorous parody of those film strips you used to watch in high school, complete with audible boops that signal when the slide needs to be turned. A tragic story of the death of a hen, and everybody she ever knew.



2. 3-Iron (2004) -
Korean dramedy from director, Kim Ki-duk. This movie left a huge impression on me when I saw it in the theater. It's a beautiful story told almost entirely without dialog. The main character doesn't speak a single word throughout the movie, but the performance is very deep. It's about a young man who breaks into people's homes while they're away. He stays briefly, doing their laundry and fixing broken appliances. During one of his break-ins he meets a young woman who is trapped in an unhappy marriage. She leaves with him to live his vagabond lifestyle.
The third act of the movie is very different, involving the man's arrest and eventual escape from prison. This is followed by one of the most unique and satisfying endings I have ever seen in a film. I highly recommend this one. And if you enjoy it, check out Kim Ki-duk's other amazing film, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring.
Rated R: Some sexual content.



3. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) -
Hilarious comedy directed by David Wain of The State. If you are a fan of The State, or more recently Stella, then you've probably already seen this movie. If not, see it immediately. It's a surreal, yet spot-on parody of all those summer camp movies from the late seventies and early eighties. It also features Paul Rudd in one of his funniest performances ever.
Rated R: Strong sexual content, language, and a drug sequence.