p e n g u i n d e v i l

So a little action today. Matt made some Sloppy Joes from a Fantastic Foods mix that was quite tasty, which we followed up with some ice cream. Quite a winning match. Also, I watched some of The Oblong Box, it was nice to do a bit of reliving of my old “Vincent Price everyday” phase. I didn’t get too far into it (Bambi awaited, afterall) but it did bring to mind that I should re-watch some of these (especially Scream & Scream Again) and it also served to remind us all that my excuse of, “I’ve seen The Omega Man” doesn’t hold much water with Matt & Brooke who keep it fresh in my mind that I really need to see The Last Man on Earth! Well, one day soon…

Also I finished The Singing Detective! I liked it, though as I started the last episode it occurred to me that I was ready for it to be over. 7 hours was enough, you know? Anyway, the soundtrack was really quite quite good.

Speaking of things that I must get, I stumbled upon a website tonight, Kyonsi Online, which brought into my sphere a couple of new movies for my wishlist: Kibakichi and Japanese Hell… I also discovered the news that Unearthed has plans to release Electric Dragon domestically. Very good news, I would say.

Running on through a movie-free phase it seems. Aside from Tintin shows and A Bugs Life, at least. Though Land of the Dead is out now. I have an urge to see that though I don’t have much history with those things. I think I saw Night of the Living Dead on TV a good number of years back and, of course, I’ve seen Return of the Living Dead plenty of times… I don’t think I’ve seen other of-the-dead’s. Dawn of the Dead? Day of the Dead (is that the name of one)? Well, maybe I’ll see Land of the Dead and maybe it will inspire me to look up those older ones. Speaking of things of that ilk, I’ve been having urges to re-watch Gozu. I recall not being too sure about it when I saw it. I think because I liked its Yakuza stuff at the beginning and then, for the rest of the movie, I was wanting more “good ol school Yakuza” action. I know I know… That’s not what one should count on from Miike, but still. In retrospect though, I think my appreciation for the whole of the movie has grown quite a bit and it may be time for a second time around… Even though there are still a good number of his movies that I need to see for a first time even…

Well, who knows. At least it’s raining again.

Shivers! The work day is done. I almost stumbled right into Critical Mass as I left work. What on earth is that thing for? To charge up that oh-so-portland need to feel like your fixing the world? Anyway. I’ve been biking about the city for longer than I care to remember and we are I think the only thing this place needs is for Cyclists to follow the “rules of the road” and “common sense”… too many of them seem to feel immune to laws and common courtesy.

Well onwards into the evening… I opted for Hidden Fortress. It’s too bad that I had heard about it being the basis for Star Wars so many times, I couldn’t stop thinking about which scenes were brought over. It was nothing like the comparison between Fistful of Dollars and Yojimbo, though. Anyway, even though by now I should be giving up on getting to see anything at a theater… With The Great Escape and Danny the Dog at cheapo theaters this week… These always unfulfilled movie urges will continue for at least one more week…

What year is this? Yesterday, on the news, did I really hear “ol’ dub” say that he “thinks it’s time we started building nuclear plants again?” Did the news really follow that up by mentioning the “bother of what to do with the nuclear waste?”… Well, since the old waste is still a bother, doesn’t making more seem a bit counterintuitive? Other horrible things? The “supreme” court ruling that cities can condemn private property in the name of developer profits? Yay, American Freedom! Yeah, let’s spread more of that kind of liberty around the word… Kissenger style!

Not to sound like a ol’tyme New Deal Socialist or something but was there not a time when the American Government expended at least a little effort and expense for the non-corporate citizen, instead of taking taxpayer money and handing it over to for-profit corporations? Contrary to what the Republicrats like to say, I think the Founding Fathers and yes, ol’ Jesus himself (when did Christians take it upon themselves to think that Usury, by which we mean all interest charged on money loaned, was a godly thing?) would be mighty disappointed with this “slave to the corporation” republic.

Of course, not being a religious man, I may be wrong. I may be mis-understanding the few religious bits that I’ve heard. The new American Christianity of “good things for those who take, nothing for those who don’t” just wasn’t quite what I thought it was all about.

Anything positive to report today? Well, no. No movies. No books. A bit of enjoyable comics, Shaolin Cowboy, were read.

The parent having and car-owning stress has driven me to the borders of my senses this morning. So I prescribed the ultimate “back-off” medication… An extra day off of work. Yes, missing the meetings and other fun that go along with a Wednesday work day is quite the shame but playing wookie today has given me a whole extra day… Well, 11 hours at least in which to engage my senses. A trip to Bridge City Comics with Matt has led to me adding a few more titles to my dusty old collection for the second time in a month. And then alphabetizing them!… What? Comics? Again? Well, we’ll have to see where that goes… But I certainly couldn’t resist Shaolin Cowboy!

As a strange hi-point? Hearing Magic Power on KGON this afternoon… I’m as big a fan of Triumph (well, of all of the “trios of rock” from the great white north) as anyone and hearing them on the radio is a rare suprise. Leading, of course, to me throwing Allied Forces on the table (no sun there today!) .

Up way too late watching Gun Crazy, but I was compelled in that direction by the previous evenings re-viewing of Asphalt Jungle. I couldn’t help but keep thinking that I was watching a different movie. John Dall has surely been in something familiar. I cannot place what. I guess I could check but instead I’ll just think about how familiar he is.

Dix though, in Asphalt Jungle, coupled with memories of his role in The Killing and possibly the purity of Jack T Ripper, has inspired an urge to find more good ol’ Sterling Hayden rolls. Of course, that all mixed in with the desire to watch all of the Tadanobu Asano films (mainly though, Away With Words), makes for again, all too many movies to try and watch.

Egads… On the just discovered front… I started yesterday with a little John Lee Hooker, as one should. I then went out for the day… Without thinking about it (reasoned due to never having had a problem with it) I left the record low and proud upon the turntable. This morning though, I have now noticed, there is a very large warp on my copy of I’m in the Mood. Frankly, damn. I may have to find another copy of this Up Front classic.

Must get “boom boom”. I am too shocked still to try and see what it sounds like.

Okay. So the root canal wasn’t quite the horror that I had anticipated. A little pricey but when you only get around to the dentist every decade or so, I figure you should be allowed to splurge a bit. Anyway, I was only away from work for a hour and a half and I feel fine. Yes, who knows what the weekend may hold but I think I feel okay about it and glad that I didn’t opt for extraction.

In other news, at work I oggled a 1st Edition of Dagon which I think I may pick up for a bargain price and I grabbed the old Video Watchdog… Later, at home, spurred on by Simon Pegg on the cover of VW119 I watched some of 28 Days Later (you make the connection) and then some Singing Detective (rented, since there was still no Sopranos to be had).

Well well well. So failure? Yes after two weeks I missed We Jam Econo and now, after the collapse of last Thursdays plans to see Oldboy. They have collapsed again. Well. Oh well, at least it gave me a reason to satiate myself with an episode of Tintin (Red Rackham’s Treasure!) and an ice cream sundae (now that we’ve got that stuff downstairs at Mabel’s, it may become dangerous…)… Though I had planned on putting that sort of stuff off until after my Root Canal tomorrow. Ugh.

I still need to see Oldboy. It looks like I may just borrow the disc, at this point.

Other failures of the day? I had hoped to return The Wire to WatchThis today and get the 4th Sopranos Season instead. No. they were closed. I figure that the Sopranos were probably checked out anyway, but the 1.5 episodes of The Wire that I watched were so disappointing that I’d rather not have it around.

Why did no one ever make a series of Fafhrd & Grey Mouser movies?

Re-watching what now? Life Aquatic? The notions rolled about first that Steve Zizzou was an metaphor for Wes Anderson, yes but then, that Ned was a metaphor to Wes Anderson’s films and hence, that the interactions between Steve and Ned are indicative of Anderson’s feelings about his work. It all brings to mind that the whole movie is a defense and an apology to the world (but really to the critics) for his oeuvre and a comment on the fakery which is his movie making.

Really though, I like the full size cut-away ship.

Anyway. Tonight? Nick Hornby. I’ve never read any of his work (though, of course, I have seen High Fidelity) but he was such a nice guy and the bits he read seemed quite entertaining that maybe I’ll pick something up. At least I’ll start perusing The Believer.

Strangely though, I picked up a Mordecai Richler book instead.

I watched Le Pacte des Loups again today… it was brought to my attention that for having seen it 2 or 3 times already, I sure don’t have much idea what happens in it. Chalk that up to my attention span I suppose. Regardless, I do like it quite well. Silly action flick? Sure, but I can forgive much that wouldn’t fly were the movie of American origins. In fact, when I put the disc in, it began to play in English and suddenly the movie began to lose interest.

Luckily, quality is just a button away. It brings to mind when I watched Exorcist for the first time in many years and it started playing in French. Though I switched it to English, I was strangely compelled to keep on watching in French. The foreign language trick doesn’t always work, I watched Daredevil once (in flight.. I had few options) in Deutsch and it still sucked.

For what else it’s worth… I’ve started re-hash the days of old with Q3A. I didn’t know that one could just download the Excessive MOD and play to ones lonely ol’ desire without having to interact with others! Now, it’s back to “just one more drink” time with that!

Other Lessons from today? Father Jack scares me.