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So I was watching The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou again, because I want to like it more than I do.* And because I saw a mention of how the end credits were Anderson's tribute to Buckaroo Banzai, I was thinking about it going in instead of at the end. It's there throughout the film, really: the fan club and the membership rings, the raid on the hotel, the fetishization of gadgets and boys and their toys. And so of course I had to watch The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai again.
Twice. (I watched the end credits four times. I want that music to play every time I walk anywhere, ever.)
Really, there is no greater movie than this. There are better movies, but not greater ones. John Lithgow gives the performance of his (largely underwhelming) career. Clancy Brown gets his chance to shine as a good guy. Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya and Vincent Schiavelli are a pitch-perfect blend of alien menace and silliness. And I'm sorry, but Ellen Barkin has never been sexier.** It's not just the short hair (although that doesn't hurt). Carl Lumbly and his crazy fingers. Matt Clark's venal Secretary of Defense. Bad eighties guitar solos! Bad eighties hair! Awesome eighties fashions! (Project: Runway oughta do an episode based completely on designing suits for Perfect Tommy. Or, alternately, belts for Reno. The man wears two in every scene, didja ever notice?) Jeff Goldblum: the man is mesmerizing and hilarious. There's a scene where he's delivering some of the whacked-out dialog and you can see Lewis Smith nearly lose it.
Indeed, the primary reason this movie wins is the dialog. This calls for a poll:
[Poll #1156180]
If, by some sad quirk of fate, you have not yet seen this film, consider this your exhortation to witness the awesome. Now I give you footnotes.
*Note to Barb: I liked it better this time, partly for reasons above; but I'm still not connecting to it or to The Darjeeling Limited like I do the first three films. In part I think my issues are class issues, although that's more true of Limited than of Zissou. I think a larger issue may be the one of context. In part it's a geographical context, since in those most recent films there's no familiar American background to set the characters against. But it's also an emotional context, because Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums have secondary/peripheral characters whose emotional reflexes seem to be intact and not numbed or overlain with quirkiness like everyone around them. I'm thinking specifically of Seymour Cassel as Max's father and Ari and Uzi in Tenenbaums. Through them I find it easier to access some of the primary characters; Max's barber shop scenes with his father are really poignant, and the brief exchange between the kids and Gwyneth Paltrow's character in the cemetery is a lovely grace note. Most of the scenes with the kids really work, and they also make Stiller's character work better than it should. It's always him that gets me choked up at the end, when he says, "I've had a rough year, Dad." Anyway, Zissou is a great-looking film, and it has some great moments, but tonally it's erratic, and there isn't a particular character who serves that function for me. Klaus comes closest, probably, and Defoe's performance almost rises out of caricature, but not quite. Cate Blanchett's character might have done it, but there again her emotional reflexes seem magnified and erratic. Ned/Kingsley isn't real enough; he's too much symbol, not enough person. What it comes down to is that--and this may make me a lazy viewer in some ways, but it's true--Steve is too much of an asshole for me to connect with without a way in, and I haven't found it, yet.
**Which does sort of point to one problem with the flick; there's not a lot for the girls to do in it except get rescued and (in the case of Mrs. Johnson) handle the reception area. If they ever get that TV series greenlit, they'll have to do better with the female roles. And good lord why hasn't anyone made this yet?!? If they can get Heroes and Torchwood off the ground, there's no reason not to make it. But it must be set in the eighties, so as to preserve the fashion madness of it.
Twice. (I watched the end credits four times. I want that music to play every time I walk anywhere, ever.)
Really, there is no greater movie than this. There are better movies, but not greater ones. John Lithgow gives the performance of his (largely underwhelming) career. Clancy Brown gets his chance to shine as a good guy. Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya and Vincent Schiavelli are a pitch-perfect blend of alien menace and silliness. And I'm sorry, but Ellen Barkin has never been sexier.** It's not just the short hair (although that doesn't hurt). Carl Lumbly and his crazy fingers. Matt Clark's venal Secretary of Defense. Bad eighties guitar solos! Bad eighties hair! Awesome eighties fashions! (Project: Runway oughta do an episode based completely on designing suits for Perfect Tommy. Or, alternately, belts for Reno. The man wears two in every scene, didja ever notice?) Jeff Goldblum: the man is mesmerizing and hilarious. There's a scene where he's delivering some of the whacked-out dialog and you can see Lewis Smith nearly lose it.
Indeed, the primary reason this movie wins is the dialog. This calls for a poll:
[Poll #1156180]
If, by some sad quirk of fate, you have not yet seen this film, consider this your exhortation to witness the awesome. Now I give you footnotes.
*Note to Barb: I liked it better this time, partly for reasons above; but I'm still not connecting to it or to The Darjeeling Limited like I do the first three films. In part I think my issues are class issues, although that's more true of Limited than of Zissou. I think a larger issue may be the one of context. In part it's a geographical context, since in those most recent films there's no familiar American background to set the characters against. But it's also an emotional context, because Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums have secondary/peripheral characters whose emotional reflexes seem to be intact and not numbed or overlain with quirkiness like everyone around them. I'm thinking specifically of Seymour Cassel as Max's father and Ari and Uzi in Tenenbaums. Through them I find it easier to access some of the primary characters; Max's barber shop scenes with his father are really poignant, and the brief exchange between the kids and Gwyneth Paltrow's character in the cemetery is a lovely grace note. Most of the scenes with the kids really work, and they also make Stiller's character work better than it should. It's always him that gets me choked up at the end, when he says, "I've had a rough year, Dad." Anyway, Zissou is a great-looking film, and it has some great moments, but tonally it's erratic, and there isn't a particular character who serves that function for me. Klaus comes closest, probably, and Defoe's performance almost rises out of caricature, but not quite. Cate Blanchett's character might have done it, but there again her emotional reflexes seem magnified and erratic. Ned/Kingsley isn't real enough; he's too much symbol, not enough person. What it comes down to is that--and this may make me a lazy viewer in some ways, but it's true--Steve is too much of an asshole for me to connect with without a way in, and I haven't found it, yet.
**Which does sort of point to one problem with the flick; there's not a lot for the girls to do in it except get rescued and (in the case of Mrs. Johnson) handle the reception area. If they ever get that TV series greenlit, they'll have to do better with the female roles. And good lord why hasn't anyone made this yet?!? If they can get Heroes and Torchwood off the ground, there's no reason not to make it. But it must be set in the eighties, so as to preserve the fashion madness of it.
If you're not reading FreakAngels, Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield's new weekly webcomic, you should start. The first installment was too sketchy to make any sort of judgment by, the second felt a little too familiar, but today's has managed to hook me in a very quiet sort of way. See if you feel the same.
This is kind of cool: my photograph of the Hideout, that most beloved of Chicago music clubs, has been selected for use in something called Schmap!, an online guide to the city. Since I've been on Flickr I've had people ask to use photos for open-source journalism stuff, and now this. No, I'm not making money off of any of it, but then my photographs aren't that good. I just think it's cool, living in the future.
Today is Leap Day, and yet we are not all out on the streets, having the biggest party since the last Leap Day four years ago. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. We ought to be having a bissextus festival!
[Poll #1146550]
This is kind of cool: my photograph of the Hideout, that most beloved of Chicago music clubs, has been selected for use in something called Schmap!, an online guide to the city. Since I've been on Flickr I've had people ask to use photos for open-source journalism stuff, and now this. No, I'm not making money off of any of it, but then my photographs aren't that good. I just think it's cool, living in the future.
Today is Leap Day, and yet we are not all out on the streets, having the biggest party since the last Leap Day four years ago. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. We ought to be having a bissextus festival!
[Poll #1146550]
Man Shall Not Say No To Ape
Feb. 27th, 2008 10:19 amI want to see this movie, like, right now. Sadly I will have to wait until March.
Yesterday I finished The Stolen Lake, and Holy Crap. I have never read Joan Aiken before, and I am retroactively designating myself an idiot for that. I loved this book. So weird, and funny, and dark, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alicek is awesome for loaning it to me and enlightening me on this matter. DUDES I WANT A SPINNING GEOTHERMAL-POWERED HOUSE. Also a flying ship. (Kind of a given, I know.) I'll pass on the long-tailed cats, though, as I am allergic.
Speaking of animals, the promised Animal Overlord Poll:
[Poll #1145298]
Yesterday I finished The Stolen Lake, and Holy Crap. I have never read Joan Aiken before, and I am retroactively designating myself an idiot for that. I loved this book. So weird, and funny, and dark, and
alicek is awesome for loaning it to me and enlightening me on this matter. DUDES I WANT A SPINNING GEOTHERMAL-POWERED HOUSE. Also a flying ship. (Kind of a given, I know.) I'll pass on the long-tailed cats, though, as I am allergic.Speaking of animals, the promised Animal Overlord Poll:
[Poll #1145298]
Yes I Am Posting Again
Feb. 13th, 2008 02:30 pmAs you've probably seen elsewhere, a rare white stag has been spotted (and photographed) in the Scottish Highlands. From the article:
My parents have a coyote living in their neighborhood, but all the dogs do is bark at it.
In other news of mysterious animals, scientists think a dinosaur found in Mexico (one Velafrons coahuilensis) may have been musically inclined. I mean, what else are you going to do with a resonating chamber on your head?
In the spirit of weird animals, I give you a poll:
[Poll #1137992]
In Celtic traditions, white stags represent messengers from the afterlife. Arthurian legend has it that the creature can never be caught -- King Arthur's pursuit of the animal represents mankind's spiritual quest.
It is also said that for those who set eyes on the animal, a momentous moment is near.
"They say their appearance is meant to herald some profound change in life for those who encounter them -- but I am still waiting," said Lockhart.
Her dog, though, stood transfixed for 45 minutes watching the white stag, instead of his usual scampering around.
My parents have a coyote living in their neighborhood, but all the dogs do is bark at it.
In other news of mysterious animals, scientists think a dinosaur found in Mexico (one Velafrons coahuilensis) may have been musically inclined. I mean, what else are you going to do with a resonating chamber on your head?
In the spirit of weird animals, I give you a poll:
[Poll #1137992]
All the Old Showstoppers
Feb. 5th, 2008 08:36 amIn Kenya, the death toll has passed 1,000, but negotiations are continuing. Kofi Annan was already my hero, but if he can pull this off I will love him forever.
To the northwest of Kenya, Chad is also in crisis; overwhelmed with refugees from the Darfur crisis and the Central African Republic, with a war raging between the government and rebel groups. The president there won his position by coup, just as his predecessor did, and in 2006 he abolished term limits.
In news closer to home, tonight I will caucus for the first time in my life. Being that this is (apparently) some kind of bizarre ritual in which people socialize while they vote, I am probably more terrified than excited. But I'm doing it anyway. I don't want to get into it in a big way, but I'm for Obama. There are many reasons why--this eloquently expresses one of them--but the main one comes from a different impulse entirely. I am 37 years old, I've voted in every presidential election in which I was eligible to do so, and this is the first time I've ever looked forward to voting for someone as opposed to against everyone else. It's not disgust motivating me this time, it's hope. It's kind of a good feeling.
[Poll #1133416]
To the northwest of Kenya, Chad is also in crisis; overwhelmed with refugees from the Darfur crisis and the Central African Republic, with a war raging between the government and rebel groups. The president there won his position by coup, just as his predecessor did, and in 2006 he abolished term limits.
In news closer to home, tonight I will caucus for the first time in my life. Being that this is (apparently) some kind of bizarre ritual in which people socialize while they vote, I am probably more terrified than excited. But I'm doing it anyway. I don't want to get into it in a big way, but I'm for Obama. There are many reasons why--this eloquently expresses one of them--but the main one comes from a different impulse entirely. I am 37 years old, I've voted in every presidential election in which I was eligible to do so, and this is the first time I've ever looked forward to voting for someone as opposed to against everyone else. It's not disgust motivating me this time, it's hope. It's kind of a good feeling.
[Poll #1133416]
High Five, Look Up, Look Alive
Feb. 4th, 2008 10:26 am1. See my previous post, on the weird wonderfulness of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.
2. My lovely neighborhood coffee shop, where I drink tea because coffee disgusts me, has a display of art by this gentleman, whose art is pretty cool. I particularly like the "Mother Earth" piece.
3. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a football fan. Instead, last night I had Puppy Bowl IV on while I worked on other stuff. My fave was the Alaskan Malamute, Bruin, who at fourteen weeks was three times the size of some of the other pups, and towered over them like a canine Paul Bunyan, largely seeming a bit bemused by the entire proceeding.
4. Am reading Naomi Novik's new book, which despite some tiresome bits has that one-more-chapter quality that all of the Temeraire books have had to some extent. This one's shaping up to be a little better, overall, than books 2 or 3, both of which had sections that were rather a slog for me. (Honestly, every time there's a battle, particularly with Napoleon's forces, I start to drift off. Does that make me some kind of weirdo?) I should note that I strenuously object to the practice of raising elephants as foodstock for dragons, and will be starting a fictional organization dedicated to the ending of this practice.
5. Speaking of elephants, after the Puppy Bowl I watched Nature on PBS, which had the documentary Unforgettable Elephants. Turns out that this was a continuation of the story of Echo and her family, which was begun in two previous documentaries, Echo of the Elephants and Echo of the Elephants: The Next Generation. If you're so inclined, these three documentaries give you a pretty good idea of how elephant families work, how truly empathetic they are, and how not deserving of being hunted for ivory or sport they are. (Not to mention being EATEN BY DRAGONS.)
[Poll #1132857]
2. My lovely neighborhood coffee shop, where I drink tea because coffee disgusts me, has a display of art by this gentleman, whose art is pretty cool. I particularly like the "Mother Earth" piece.
3. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a football fan. Instead, last night I had Puppy Bowl IV on while I worked on other stuff. My fave was the Alaskan Malamute, Bruin, who at fourteen weeks was three times the size of some of the other pups, and towered over them like a canine Paul Bunyan, largely seeming a bit bemused by the entire proceeding.
4. Am reading Naomi Novik's new book, which despite some tiresome bits has that one-more-chapter quality that all of the Temeraire books have had to some extent. This one's shaping up to be a little better, overall, than books 2 or 3, both of which had sections that were rather a slog for me. (Honestly, every time there's a battle, particularly with Napoleon's forces, I start to drift off. Does that make me some kind of weirdo?) I should note that I strenuously object to the practice of raising elephants as foodstock for dragons, and will be starting a fictional organization dedicated to the ending of this practice.
5. Speaking of elephants, after the Puppy Bowl I watched Nature on PBS, which had the documentary Unforgettable Elephants. Turns out that this was a continuation of the story of Echo and her family, which was begun in two previous documentaries, Echo of the Elephants and Echo of the Elephants: The Next Generation. If you're so inclined, these three documentaries give you a pretty good idea of how elephant families work, how truly empathetic they are, and how not deserving of being hunted for ivory or sport they are. (Not to mention being EATEN BY DRAGONS.)
[Poll #1132857]
Mirror Image, See No Damage
Jan. 30th, 2008 09:35 amKenyan Pundit points to Vuma Kenya, an organization which seeks to bring attention to and work toward solutions for the current crisis. They're planning a benefit concert on February 2nd at the Roxy in Boston, so if you're in the area you may want to check it out.
Looks like the presidential race is down to two on each side; reports are that Giuliani and Edwards are both dropping out. I wonder if this will all be figured out by convention time. Speaking of which, I am NOT looking forward to having scads of Republicans crawling all over my town come September. Shall I protest? Shall I pretend it's not happening? Shall I scramble to see if anyone wants freelance coverage from someone who has an imperfect understanding of politics but lives within walking distance of the convention center? I can't decide.
Because I am neurotic (no sense trying to hide it) I am beginning to obsess over stupid things, like how shall I dress for book-related stuff? I am a person who dislikes "dressing up" in general, but I'm not sure that the jeans/t-shirt/hoodie look is how I should be presenting myself. Since everyone knows that all great fashion choices are made by committee, OBVIOUSLY this calls for a poll:
[Poll #1129997]
Looks like the presidential race is down to two on each side; reports are that Giuliani and Edwards are both dropping out. I wonder if this will all be figured out by convention time. Speaking of which, I am NOT looking forward to having scads of Republicans crawling all over my town come September. Shall I protest? Shall I pretend it's not happening? Shall I scramble to see if anyone wants freelance coverage from someone who has an imperfect understanding of politics but lives within walking distance of the convention center? I can't decide.
Because I am neurotic (no sense trying to hide it) I am beginning to obsess over stupid things, like how shall I dress for book-related stuff? I am a person who dislikes "dressing up" in general, but I'm not sure that the jeans/t-shirt/hoodie look is how I should be presenting myself. Since everyone knows that all great fashion choices are made by committee, OBVIOUSLY this calls for a poll:
[Poll #1129997]
This Is Life As We Know It
Jan. 29th, 2008 11:11 amKenyan opposition politician slain. Fuck.
Greek Orthodox, Mormon religious leaders dead. Armageddon coming.
Mole rats are freakishly immune to pain, a fact apparently discovered by scientists trying to inflict pain.
[Poll #1129364]
MOOD: IN A RAGE DUE TO MISSPELLING "SEETHING"
Greek Orthodox, Mormon religious leaders dead. Armageddon coming.
Mole rats are freakishly immune to pain, a fact apparently discovered by scientists trying to inflict pain.
[Poll #1129364]
MOOD: IN A RAGE DUE TO MISSPELLING "SEETHING"
Two Random Things + A Poll = A Post
Jan. 16th, 2008 08:27 amHumongous rodent fossil found. I like the Yahoo! News headline: "King of the rats weighed one tonne." You just know that those rats remember it, too. You can see it in their crazed, vengeful eyes. WE RULED THIS WORLD ONCE AND WE WILL AGAIN, they say. I've heard them. In my brain.
Castro lives. Not shown: a private photograph of the dictator thumbing his nose at Perez Hilton.
Today's Poll:
[Poll #1122170]
Castro lives. Not shown: a private photograph of the dictator thumbing his nose at Perez Hilton.
Today's Poll:
[Poll #1122170]
I wrote a long post about compassion and fighting for ideas and stuff but then I decided I was really working out some stuff for this story I have to write so you get none of it. Sorry but not really. Plus I think people would have either rolled their eyes or gotten mad about it, and I don't much feel like dealing with it.
Instead you get a poll:
[Poll #955820]
Instead you get a poll:
[Poll #955820]
(no subject)
Mar. 5th, 2007 05:30 pmToday is Pulaski Day, a holiday you've probably not heard of unless you've lived in Chicago at some point, or bought a Sufjan Stevens record. Cas Pulaski was a cavalry officer in the Revolutionary War, and someone at some point decided to give him a holiday at the ass-end of winter. It's a big deal here in Chicago because, depending on who you talk to, there are either almost as many or more Poles here than in Warsaw. CUT TO a crowd of Poles huddled together for warmth along the parade route, waving Polish and American flags and saying through chattering teeth, "Lu-lu-lucky us."
When I moved here and first encountered Pulaski Day I thought it was something people were making up. Which begs the question of which imaginary holiday should actually become a holiday, for really real.
[Poll #940638]
When I moved here and first encountered Pulaski Day I thought it was something people were making up. Which begs the question of which imaginary holiday should actually become a holiday, for really real.
[Poll #940638]
So, as Holly and Gwenda have reported, there's a controversy over the Newberry Award winning novel The Higher Power of Lucky. Some librarians (a minority, I assume) are considering banning the book based on the use of the word "scrotum," which appears once in the book. (EDIT: In reference to a dog. Who is bitten by a snake. On the scrotum. Perhaps the real lesson here is to SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS.)
Clearly the problem here is not a puritanical discomfort with any mention of genitalia within six blocks of a child, or a climate in which librarians and educators are besieged by complaints from parents who would rather protect their children from the world than prepare them for it. No, obviously the real difficulty is the lack of workable euphemisms for the scrotum! In this spirit, we here at Mumble Herder (that's the schizophrenic, not the royal "we") present a poll for yourdiscomfort enjoyment:
[Poll #930291]
Clearly the problem here is not a puritanical discomfort with any mention of genitalia within six blocks of a child, or a climate in which librarians and educators are besieged by complaints from parents who would rather protect their children from the world than prepare them for it. No, obviously the real difficulty is the lack of workable euphemisms for the scrotum! In this spirit, we here at Mumble Herder (that's the schizophrenic, not the royal "we") present a poll for your
[Poll #930291]
So, um. I got my check yesterday. I'm a working novelist.
Man, does that feel good.
In the meantime, there is work to be done. Assuming I get my work done for today, I'll be halfway through the novel-in-progress. At least, I think I'm halfway done, although I'm not really sure what happens in the rest of the book. I hope it doesn't suck.
In celebration, it's poll time! Superpowers has been described as "'The Invisibles' meets The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay." It's shorthand, the Hollywood description; it gives you the flavor of the book, but not much else.
In that spirit, a poll:
[Poll #926473]
Man, does that feel good.
In the meantime, there is work to be done. Assuming I get my work done for today, I'll be halfway through the novel-in-progress. At least, I think I'm halfway done, although I'm not really sure what happens in the rest of the book. I hope it doesn't suck.
In celebration, it's poll time! Superpowers has been described as "'The Invisibles' meets The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay." It's shorthand, the Hollywood description; it gives you the flavor of the book, but not much else.
In that spirit, a poll:
[Poll #926473]
