Monday Muzak: My Favourite Game

I made this!

I'm sitting here typing out how I want to introduce the fact that I'm either going to start an art blog - or every so often you will get some art spam on this blog - but it's sounding more and more bullshitty every time I type it out

This started as a movie blog - but has now encompasses music - video games - movies - chicks - now "art"? Shit! Some of you people didn't sign up for this crap!

I'm also trying to articulate that it's been a long time - probably 10-years - since I had been dedicated to working on my artistic talents - so if it looks like crap - know I'm working on getting better - I promise it will look better to you than to me because I see the details that I missed and the spots where I really fucked up (and the cheap oil pastels don't help) - I have such a critical eye for myself - as I think most creative people do

But my articulations into narrative words that make a sweet little tale of how I'm making myself happy by drawing/painting and whatnot just keep sounding like I'm shitting out of my mouth - so SHIT - here I made this...

Shed & Wagon (based on a photograph) - in (really cheap) oil pastels on mixed media paper - 1/22/2012

This one was a result of overworking my art to death for several days - so I sketched it in 45 minutes in charcoal and called it a day - Rashomon - 1/17/2012

Oscar picks from someone who shouldn't be picking his nose...

The Academy Award nominations have been announced today - and they all sound very bland to me - nothing unexpected - mostly just going through the motions. Big name directors/actors/actresses who made films - got nods - big push Oscar bait films got nods. Even though I'm underwhelmed with the nominees - I'll make picks. Unless there's a Norbit 2 in any of my picks futures - I'll stick to my premature picks.

Best picture - The Artist will win - Oscar voters have proven they love nostalgia and they rarely go out on a limb unless it's to award something that truly doesn't deserve to win over something "controversial". This film panders to them perfectly with celebrating Hollywood and it's got the silent film novelty shine - perfect bait.

Best Director - Whoever directed The Artist - that seems to be the Oscar voters usual MO - whoever wins best director wins best picture.

Best Actor - George Clooney will take this one over Brad Pitt - the academy loves Clooney - but I'd prefer to see Gary Oldman win it. I really like the three of them - so whoever takes it I'll be happy.

Best Actress - Michelle Williams will finally get her bell rung for this one - and why not? She's a great actress - she is quite deserving of the award - she's been "owed" this one. Streep is always a threat though.

Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Plummer - without Albert Brooks in the race (who seemed a shoo-in for a nomination) Plummer is a given - gotta honor these legacy actors before they die.

Best Supporting Actress - Berenice Bejo is my pick - I think The Help actresses will cancel each other out - it's fun that Melissa McCarthy was nominated - but she'll probably not win for a raunchy comedy - and so it's between Bejo and McTeer - and without a bulk of major nominations for the film Albert Nobbs - I'll assume that they'll prefer to give another nod to The Artist - thus I pick Bejo

Original Screenplay - Midnight in Paris will win this one - because can a silent film really win for a screenplay? I mean - it can't - can it?

Adapted Screenplay - The Descendants will win this one - seems to have the momentum to win this one

Monday Muzak: Bad Blood

Ruth Wilson

A couple of days ago I finally was able to watch series 2 of LUTHER - and even though I loved the show - it was more intense and gratifying than any cop show I've seen in a long time - I found myself disappointed that the lovely Ruth Wilson was not featured more. I am a fan of her lethal smile.

STOP

SOPA

&

PIPA

Thoughts on The Artist

I do not want to see THE ARTIST – to me it reeks of nostalgia grasping and clown-hammer forced emotions. It’s sad because people who would never watch an actual silent film will watch this for the novelty of it all – like it’s the hip trendy thing to do. I don’t care if it becomes a gateway to people rediscovering films of the silent age – to me it looks like Forest Gump – “this is how you should feel – feel it” kind of film.

I’m not saying I will never see it – or one day love it – or even purchase the ultra-deluxe 6 disc blu-ray version with life-size cut outs and autographed collector dildos. I’m saying – right now – at this moment in time – I find the idea of it being forced down our collective throats offensive.

The main thing that drive me away from the film is that usually the first descriptor of the film is it’s a ‘silent film’ – which is fine – that indeed describes the film – but what if it was a talkie? What’s the freaking plot? It makes me nauseous that people don’t describe the film like any other film – and then say – “by the way it’s a silent film” – it just solidifies that the only reason why people are masturbating so heavily to it is that it’s a novelty. Just like 3D. Since we’re going backwards next we’ll get a kaleidoscope – and we can all pay $7 for a spin of watching a horse gallop and people will chop off their own heads over that.

Or I hear ‘it’s a celebrating of cinema’ – which is wonderful – more fake nostalgia for an era we are too young to have known. Just like Forest Gump. We are thoughtlessly in love with the previous era without appreciating how much we should enjoy our own – I find it ironic that Midnight In Paris came out the same year as The Artist.

Like I said – I’m not saying I won’t watch it or love it – I’m saying I don’t want to – I will give it a few years to age and if I feel like watching it then - I will. I pray it doesn’t win the Best Picture Oscar – I think it would be a major mistake looking back – because it seems to me everyone is in love with the idea of it more than the film – and I fear we’ll have another debate in X years whether Shawshank Redemption or Pulp Fiction was more robbed.

Now, get off my bridge before I grind your bones and put them in my stew!

Monday Muzak: Holdin' On to Black Metal

Moonrise Kingdom [2012]

Yes, new Batman looks great. Prometheus looks amazing. But Moonrise Kingdom has become my MOST anticipated film of the year!

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil [2011]

As what typically happens – I publish my end of the year list – and not too long after I watch a movie that deserves a mention on that list. If I had waited just one day to publish the list – I would’ve been able to add this movie because I saw it the day after I published it.

The movie of course is TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL – which when Netflix kept recommending it to me – I kept ignoring it because it always appeared next to such films as SUPER SNAKE VS MEGA CROC VS MECHA-SHARK and that kind of straight to DVD trash in the horror section.

TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL is ridiculous fun – it’s one of those movies I wished I came up with the concept for. It’s such a great twist on the killer hillbilly horror/slasher films – and the best part is – I went in cold – no previews – no synopsis readings – no review readings - so I didn’t know any of the jokes or any of the “twists” if they were meant to be twists or not.

Therefore I can’t give this film a review or a synopsis – because it’s a better film to me because I had no clue what to expect. All I can say is if you like horror comedies – this one is up there with DEAD ALIVE, ARMY OF DARKNESS and SHAUN OF THE DEAD – it is in the ‘top of the top’ class. To adjust my recently published Favorites of 2011 list – this one would push its way in the middle pretty easily – no lower than the #5 spot.

Monday Muzak: Absolute Beginners

Erase Me/Replace Me

Today, I feel like...

Top 6 Favorite Films of 2011

Screw what that other guy said yesterday – I’m going to put up my TOP 6 favorite films of the year because I feel like it! Why should it be just 5? I can stretch it out to be 10 if I wanted to add in a few other titles – but I want to just put down my absolute favorites of the year – not just the movies I liked. I liked X-Men: First Class, I liked The Ides of March, I liked The Muppets, I liked Super 8 – if you feel the need to make it a full round 10 – but below are the movies that I give a solid 5 outta 5 – not an iffy 5 outta 5 – or a hesitant 5 outta 5 – or a drunk 5 outta 5 – below are my only real 5 outta 5 films of 2011.

#6. Super – what I really liked about Super was that it didn’t let down at what it was advertised as – it was a dark comedy involving topics and situations that you wondered if you should laugh at – disturbing and graphic – tragic and funny – the heart ultimately is to save himself he must save the girl – there’s something wonderful about that to me

#5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – great performances – solid effects – and a truly believable story of the scientist who sets in motion the end of the world at the hands of the apes – Andy Serkis was outstanding as Caesar blending in a mind boggling way the differences between what is ape and what is human in the performance

#4. Win-Win – Thomas McCarthy’s knack for turning what could be a depressing topic and finding the human spirit that lifting out the optimism without forcing it – this time with a displaced kid who’s looking for the home he never had and the coach/lawyer who was looking for inner strength but not knowing where to find it

#3. Source Code – what stuck with me about Source Code ever since I made it the first film I saw in the theater this year – was the optimism – science fiction tends to lean toward the loss of humanity and the hopeless struggle of it all – but with Source Code the idea of the hopeless struggle and pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat was so wonderfully conceived and executed
#2. 50/50 – a pleasant surprise – figuring I was in for a raunchy stoner comedy (thanks to Seth Rogen) but turned out to be a true comedy with some heart – laughing at the face of tragedy – no cheese – just great performances – the strength of the script – the fact that it never discounted the situation but never used it to drag the viewer down – it wasn’t just a “cancer comedy” – it was more of a true to life cancer story #1. Drive – intense, atmospheric, mesmerizing action, pitch perfect acting – Drive kept my excitement up well after I saw it – thinking about scenes – thinking about the execution – thinking about so many aspects – it’s the mark of a great film the resonance of it well after watching it – still feeling that atmosphere lost in questions and memories of it

Doll Me Up In My Bad Luck

You know in all of the time we shared – I’ve never been so scared – doll me up in my bad luck – I’ll meet you there – I wish I had never taken this dare – I wasn’t quite prepared – doll me up in my bad luck – doll me up in my bad luck – I’ll meet you there...

Since, I’ve only watched MODERN TIMES and half-watched the STRAW DOGS remake while I made dinner and did some sketching – I don’t have much to movie blog about at the moment. I just kind of wanted to blog because I want to write – and with nothing really happening at work – I’ve got the time.

I’ve got a pad of paper, some charcoal pencils and soft pastels and have been doing some sketching. It’s something to take my mind off of stuff – and found out last night that it’s a good way to release some steam. I’ve done a couple of DVD covers – and that seems to be good inspiration for me for right now. I attempted a landscape but I ended up scribbling all over it – a good therapy session that was.

I keep thinking I should make a Top 10 movies from 2011 – but I don’t have 10 movies I want to put on a list – I’ve got about 6 – maybe I should chop it and put it up.

As for albums – my top 5 are – in order of artist:
- Wasting Light by Foo Fighters
- Mockingbird Time by The Jayhawks
- Circuital by My Morning Jacket
- I Am Very Far by Okkervil River
- Ashes & Fire by Ryan Adams

This is the first time in a long while a couple of my favorite artists have had one of my favorite albums of the year – Foo’s and Adams have been coasting a lot lately. Okkervil River on the other hand is getting close to a point where they seem like they might start coasting – their album was great but not any better or worse than their previous albums.

I hauled a bunch of stuff to the resale shop – and got a fair price – then I looked in the closet and questioned why I sold some of it and kept the other. I sold an album by The Broken West – and ever since I’ve listened to it over and over – and after all that hunting I did to get it – I’m disappointed I sold it without giving it a fair chance. It’s at the top of my list to reacquire for this year.

With the new year always comes the horoscopes of what to expect – and I liked mine – it aligned with what I wanted to accomplish (be more artistic – put myself out there a bit more) – but there was one that kinda creeped me out. It was on the Huffington Post – where it aligned books with star signs – the book for my sign was Hunter Thompson’s The Rum Diary... Which just so happened to be the book literally on the top of my pile of stuff to read.

A sign I’m going in the right direction? I don’t know – but damn cool – if not a little creepy.

One last thing before I quit – I never wanted any more than I could fit into my head – and still remember every single word you said and all the shit that somehow goes along with it – still there’s one thing that comforts me since I was always caged and now I’m free...

Monday Muzak: Jan Pehechaan Ho

Movie Blogging in 2012

Do you have any end of the year/beginning of the year movie traditions? What's the first movie you'll be watching in 2012? Any movie related resolutions?

The end of the year usually meant that I would watch all the Lord of the Ring extended cuts consecutively in one day... But I didn't do that this year for various reasons.

I've been wondering what movie I should watch first - I've got Chaplin's MODERN TIMES on Blu that I received for the holiday and the Bollywood film GUMNAAM that are the finalists...

As for movie related resolutions - I'm thinking of trying to make sure I watch more of what I've got before I buy new movies - and try and get back to watching more cult films. LuLu and I broke up in the past couple months - and last year I didn't watch as many movies from out of my own vaults because I was better entertained with LuLu - and I think it's probably about time to catch up.