Vacay

It's been a while for blogging.  I might get back to it after the new year.

Andy Samberg can crap comedy gold.

Let's eat!

Thanks, Kara!

'Tis the season...

Thanks, Mark!

Breaking News

El hombre de los moleculos!

Monkey Business

PARK HILLS, Mo. (AP) - Monkeys will be allowed in the eastern
Missouri town of Park Hills, but not big ones.
The city council on Tuesday amended its recent wild animal
ordinance to allow primates that weigh 40 pounds or less. The
amendment bans most wild or exotic animals from city limits.
Councilman Tom Reed sought the amendment, saying the community
has a lot of small monkeys. The amendment passed 7-1.
Still banned are large primates such as baboons, chimps,
gorillas and orangutans. Monkeys who grow to 41 pounds or more will
be in violation of the law.
The lone opponent to the amendment, Charlotte House, wondered
who will regulate if monkeys become overweight.

Adam Allington
Reporter, KWMU

Thanks, Leslee!

Let's All Go to the Lobby!

originally begun over two weeks ago...

After going to three movies over the holiday weekend (see Twitter's movies w/o reviews), you'd think I'd be ready for a break, especially after working the film festival. No, friend, no. I decided to go to the theatre four times in two days. That's right, in less than 48 hours I took in four movies. I started off the viewing-athon with a screening of "Punisher: War Zone." While not a great movie, it's a good movie by comic book standards. It doesn't reach the heights of "X2" or "Iron Man" but it also doesn't disappoint like "Ghost Rider" or the first "Fantastic Four." Similar to the Hulk franchise, the Punisher has undergone a reboot after having just released a film less than five years ago, and this is the third try for the Punisher! The action was decent and the kill count was high, so most dweebs will geek out on that. There were several kill sequences which were too absurd to describe here (fist through faceplate, head exploding from gunshot wound, the list goes on). 

I wisely countered the Punisher with Mike Leigh's new film, "Happy Go Lucky." The film is wired from start to finished, but not because of artificial enhancement.  Poppy, the main character, brings her wit and personality full force, whether you're ready or not.  Poppy is played flawlessly by Sally Hawkins, a British actress known for her comedy chops on the BBC.  The film takes a look at Poppy's life and how she unflinchingly takes on all that comes at her, complete with a smile and a wink.

The next day, Wednesday, I went to a screening of "The Reader," the new film starring a naked Kate Winslet.  The film's been primed for an Oscar season release and will draw a lot of attention because of its taboo content and Nazi fueled storyline.

That evening, Kara and I went to a screening of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."  During the course of the film I was constantly reminded of "Forrest Gump."  The story centers on a character with a certain peculiarity and how that character deals with life because of that peculiarity.  Parts of the film drag and the running time is a bit bloated because of that, but overall it is an interesting film.  The make-up, costumes, and special effects are first rate.  Director David Fincher takes a less subtle approach with his direction.  His latest film is much more about the development of the Benjamin Button character and less about how Fincher allows the story to unfold and the methods he conveys that on screen.

Of the four films, I liked "Happy-Go-Lucky" the most, but had a lot of fun at the new Punisher film mostly because of its slapstick style and high body count.  I was surprised to see that "Happy-Go-Lucky" received a number of Golden Globe nominations, which probably left a lot of people scratching their heads ("What film is this?" "Who are these people?" "Tom Cruise was nominated for what?" and so on).

With great anticipation, "Serenity" will be released by BluRay on December 30th.

The Art of Archery

Using complex sciences, David constructs a bow and arrow and demonstrates its use. Those watching this video for the first time should be seated with a glass of water handy (to quench your exasperated amazement).

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Who hasn't this influenced?

Alan's War

Thanks to Matt Kindt and Nick at Star Clipper!

Look to the future...

Please let this be my son (or daughter, I can't tell really).

Blundering Blagojevich

I just like this courtroom rendering.

Cool Covers

I forget how old I was when I bought this issue (Action Comics #662), but I don't think I was any older than 13 years of age.  If memory serves, I picked it up at Comic Headquarters, though I can't say for certain.  I know it was during a weekend with my dad while he lived in South County (Covington Place).  Those were the days when I could only pick one or two issues to take home (as opposed to today when I really don't know my limits).  When I pulled this comic out of the back issue bin, I was instantly taken with it.  The art really hit me and the message goes a long way and ties in so much history and it's all done by one simple reflection.  I still miss style of those mid-90s covers with the character in the upper left and the small triangle keeping you informed which issue goes where, which helps with multiple titles Superman and Batman (though it was recently brought back with the New Krypton storyline).

Very eye-catching...

Very neat pieces on this site, much akin to local artist the Bungaloo.

Thanks Karibe.

Backing Beards: Political Power Games

Miles Ahead

Classic Douche

Read up on Sean Avery to see what type of douche he really is.

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

This movie has it all (including my heart in the palm of its hand).