Saturday, February 27, 2010

Movie Review: Serenity

I didn't jump on the bandwagon with Joss Whedon's Firefly until now, basically because I fell in love with Nathan Fillion's Castle. My nephew finished watching that series so we were finally allowed to watch Serenity last night.

I think Joss Whedon must be good friends with Russell T. Davies because the way I felt when the film ended was much like how I feel at every Doctor Who finale, but it did seem to give the whole story closure, so at least in that respect Josh isn't a sadistic bastard.

The movie blended comedy with sometimes serious and managed to not end up ridiculous. Perhaps it had to do with the cast, all of which were pretty and pretty damn good actors. Heading the cast is Nathan Fillion, one hunk of burning love. Seeing him in this made me giggle because I saw a bit of Richard Castle in Mal Reynolds. Then there was Adam Baldwin who's Jayne Cobb pretty much is Casey from Chuck. Somebody does some method acting, methinks, but I'll forgive him, because I adore Adam Baldwin. Then there's David Krumholtz aka the nerdy guy on Numb3rs to round out the cuteness quotient.

The story was one that would keep any lover of strange sci-fi amused, and even those that aren't that keen. (The eye candy alone makes this a film worth watching)

Mal and his crew of space cowboys (erm...pirates) pick up Simon and his "special" sister River who has psychic ablilities and a little more. After narrowly escaping the Reavers Simon decides he wants to take River and leave the ship "Serenity."

When the ship has landed and Mal is negotiating the pay for their job, River shows up and proceeds to kick some serious ass. If not for her brother showing up and muttering a "safe word," there probably wouldn't have been a soul in the building uninjured.

This outburst allows Alliance to find out where River is and the fun begins in the battle to keep Alliance from taking River.

I really found the movie to be well written and acted. For a movie that has a huge cult "geek" following it really was more entertaining then campy or ridiculous. I really can't fathom why it didn't do better in the box office, except that the show had such a short run that more people didn't know enough to be interested.

If you haven't seen this film yet, and you like quirky Sci-Fi stuff, watch this. Actually if you like that sort of thing, I have to wonder why you haven't seen this movie already.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Annoyed At The Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The cover of the paper's magazine section really pissed me off today. Eric Clapton and Roger Daltrey are making their way to Mellon Arena tonight.

Great show.

Well then why did the PG have to make a nasty jab at the old adage that Clapton Is God? It certainly isn't exactly nice to say to a man that almost always puts on a quality performance and where his personal life might not be the pristine, it hardly merits acover that says Clapton Was God? And yeah, it punctuated it with a question mark.

How rude!

Then Scott Mervis proceeded to discuss Clapton's place in great guitar players history with this joke;

"What do coffee and Eric Clapton have in common?"

"They're only good with Cream."

Really Scott? That's kinda low. Sure his best work was his early work, but isn't that the case with all classic rock greats?

I can see putting Jimmy Page at the top. He rocks always has and always will. I don't believe Hendrix deserves a top spot because he didn't get a chance to prove his versatility in the long run. Of course, dying shouldn't be held against him, but it also shouldn't guarantee him a spot in top 3.

The whole tone of the article left me wondering if Clapton turned down an interview with Scott. I can't imagine another reason to be so negative when a guy is coming to town to play a show.

That said, I can't believe I just defended Eric Clapton.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Why Do All the Best Shows Get Canceled?

No, this isn't about Firefly or Life on Mars. But feel free to rant away about that all you want. This is about The Riches.

FX is one of those networks that usually does pretty well with shows. Nothing truly bad ever comes out of FX. And The Riches was awesome. A family of con artists that ultimately ends up trying to pass themselves off as rich people. Almost like the other side of the story that White Collar tells, except messier & with more family drama & plenty of dark humor. Eddie Izzard really showed what he was capable of acting-wise, Minnie Driver is fantastic, & so is every single actor that appears. Especially the kids.

I think the problem was the infamous writer's strike. Not that they weren't right to strike - there are even pictures of Eddie & Minni picketing with them - it's just that TV kind of came to a standstill. The second season was cut in half & I wouldn't be surprised if there were shows people were interested in that they completely forgot about when the strike interrupted everything.

I'm not really sure what FX was thinking, though. It had serious potential, while their real moneymaker, Nip/Tuck, went downhill. Yeah, I said it. I was hooked on that early on & ironically forgot & stopped caring about it.

As for The Riches, it ended on a ridiculous cliffhanger. A few people involved had said we'll get a movie, & we damn well better. Suck it, FX.

In the meantime, though, we have the DVDs, which inspired this mini-rant. My roommate needed something to watch last week & I suggested this. We've been watching 2-3 episodes nightly ever since.

Things That Make Me Happy

Its been awhile since anyone's done an episode of happiness. I think its because of the lousy weather. It sucks the happy right out of ya!

1. Free books: I've admitted to being a Harlequin romance whore. I love the things, but what I love the contests the authors have on the website. In the last year I've won at least 10 books! Anything that's free makes me happy.

2. Good coffee: I don't know when I became a coffee-aholic, but I am. Not the regular stuff though, I like Lattes and cappuccinos and mochas. I never realized until yesterday that our Get-Go gas stations have crazy awesome white chocolate cappuccinos cheap! You can get a 24 oz cup for about 2 bucks!

BTW my Starbucks recommendation: White Chocolate Mocha with a shot of raspberry!!

3. USA Network: I'm still sad about Monk ending, but Psych, White Collar and Burn Notice are great shows and In Plain Sight is coming back in a month or so.

4. Doctor Who: I'm a sci fi geek, a closet one. I'm not sure how I feel about 11, aka Doogie Who-ser or Intern Who, but I'm willing to give him a shot, because I love Steven Moffat's writing and the episodes have to be awesome.

5. Cheesy romantic comedies. I believe I mentioned this in my review of The Ugly Truth. I love these things, especially Music and Lyrics and Chocolat.

Now it's your turn. What makes you happy right now?

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Huntington Prime in Huntington, WV

It's been a few weeks since we've had a restaurant review, so I though I'd fill the foodie gap. This month marked the 1-2 punch of Valentine's Day and my six month anniversary, so my husband took me out on a fancy date. A posh new restaurant Huntington Prime had opened up in Huntington, and this gave us the perfect opportunity to check it out.



The restaurant has a very hip New York vibe. and it's TINY. Not sure exactly how many people it seats, but my estimate would be around 30. [Note: official count says 50.] Needless to say it was pretty packed and gave the place an intimate, elite cool feeling.

In addition to being the rare fancy food haven in the area, it's also the first to really focus on locally-grown foods. The menu changes seasonally according to whatever foods are available from West Virginia farmers. It's got a definite comfort food bent but with some flare and experimentation, unlike other area steakhouses that shall remain nameless (though one immediately comes to mind that used to be a classy place with tiramisu and now feels like a redneck Applebee's)

So yeah, the food. We split an order of mini crab cakes and literally inhaled them... those were seriously one of the top five things I've eaten in my life. Super rich and delicious with homemade red pepper jelly dipping sauce. I had rainbow trout, which was pretty good, but what set the meal over the top were the veggies. The potatoes were boss and melted in your mouth with delicate buttery goodness, plus I got introduced to a new vegetable broccolini.


If you're in the area and have the cash to splurge, check it out. Expect a wait, but be wowed by the food. I'll be back in the spring because (1) they were out of lamb, which I was dying to check out and (2) rumor has it they have Bailey's Irish Cream cheesecake and Grand Marnier tarts. Oh, and be sure to check out the super rad sinks in the bathrooms.

Huntington Prime on Urbanspoon

Annoying Commercials

I'm going to highlight some commercials that make me nutty every so often. Today I have two for you.

The first one is the Colgate Wisp commercial. You have two people in a club and the girl has to sneak away from the guy to brush her teeth before she kisses him?

WTF?

They are in a bar. Uh most people in bars are drinking. Why brush your teeth when the guy you're about to suck face with is probably sloshed? Oye Vey!



The next commercial is the McDonald's Filet Of Fish commercial. The jingle is not only annoying its fucking creepy. Plus they've been airing a commercial with the song for more than a year. Here's last year's commercial. Honest, if you haven't seen the new one, be happy. Its even creepier than this one.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Technology Is Awesome

Be prepared for a rant on how technology also sucks in the near future, because you can't win 'em all.

One of the joys of sharing a digital camera is the fact that even when I ask someone not to delete pictures until I can get them uploaded, there's a good chance that they'll get deleted anyway. My dad managed to delete all of the pictures I took on Christmas Day, & maybe more than half of the ones I took a few days later at a concert.

Call it denial or an unwillingness to accept defeat & let my photos fall into cyber-oblivion, but I decided to look into recovering deleted pictures from a memory card. Maybe everyone else knew this was possible - I had a hunch it might be - but the fact that it is made me super excited.

What I found was a program called Zero Assumption Recovery. You can download it for free, so in case of unfortunate accidents with the "delete" button, it might not be bad to get. I was able to scan my memory card & it picked up almost all of the missing pictures, plus ones I'd deleted months before that. After it scans, you can preview whatever it found & decide what to save.

It's not completely perfect. Naturally, the more pictures that were taken after the deleted ones, the less likely it is that you'll be able to recover them. Sometimes the complete image isn't saved, but still, it's better than nothing.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Check Out This Show: Past Life

The new series on Fox, Past Life is one fans of cop dramas will want to check out, especially if you are bored with the same old same old that you find in the Law and Order and CSI franchises.

Past Life is a drama series that investigates the world of the unexplained through the eyes of a doctor and a former detective who must work together to solve decades- old mysteries. It was inspired by a novel called The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose.

3 episodes have already aired and with all hope, this show will be a hit, much like Bones.

The characters are Dr. Kate McGinn: a psychologist who believes in reincarnation after a past life regression in her twenties, Price Whatly a detective that occasionally thinks she's a kook. Together they solve mysteries.

The reincarnation twist really sets this show apart from the usual crime drama. Its not nearly as much blood, guts and gore that the other shows usually throw at us. Definitely not one of the prettier casts out there, but the show is definitely "must see" TV.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Movie Review: The Ugly Truth

I admit it. I love romantic comedies, but I have to say I like them more when its more comedy than romance. I also judge what I'm going to like by how the movie critics rate it. If they say it sucks, then I automatically go to see it.

Why?

I like fluff.

I can tell you right now I've only seen one or two movies that have been up for Best Picture Oscar nods. I don't like serious stuff. I like to be amused. So when this came out, and when it starred Gerard Butler, who I happen to think is a a hunk of burning love, I decided I would see it. I didn't get to see it in a theater though, because I almost never make it to the movies.

Last night the DVD got popped into my player and Mom, Raymond and I sat down to watch.

Its a raunchy romp between Butler (Mike Chadaway) and Heigel (Abby Richter). Mike's trying to teach Abby what men want so that Abby can snag the hot doctor that lives next door.

Now we all know what's going to happen there right? Its obvious that that hookup may happen but it won't last, but it doesn't matter what comes between is really hilarious, if you are into sexual humor. Its not crude but it gets pretty close. My 76 year old mother laughed her ass off. We were all on the floor during the scene with the vibrating undies. That was almost as good as the "faked orgasm in the deli" from When Harry Met Sally.

This movie certainly isn't one that I would have paid $10.00 to see in its first weeks of release but its a good Maxi Saver movie or DVD film. Its funny, its cute and it passed the time nicely. If you need a good laugh, this one is worth the rental fees or being part of your Netflix cue.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Movie review: The Wolfman


Nothing says Valentine's Day like a good old-fashioned monster flick, eh? While clusters of people packed into the theater yesterday to see She's Just Not That Into You 2: Holiday Boogaloo, I eagerly awaiting to see what kind of werewolf would be wearing someone else's heart on their sleeve.

Would it be campy? Scary? Dark and broodingly gothic? Batshit crazy? In the end, it ended up being all of these. That, I think is one of the movie's biggest weaknesses. Well, that and making Dr. Gonzo play an English gentleman, but we'll get to that later.

The movie takes place in 1890s England, as werewolves can only be Dickens-era gentry or West Coast teenagers. Lawrence (Benicio del Toro) is an actor who ran away to America after a shady and tragic childhood, only to return after his brother is pureed by a mysterious beast. Racked with guilt and egged on by his brother's fiance, Lawrence runs off to the local gypsy camp to hunt said beastie. He gets in a tangle with it, and pretty soon he's feeling a little weird around the full moon. Meanwhile, his Hannibal Lector Dad is getting creepier and creepier.

First up, the good things. I'm a sucker for visuals, and the filmmakers did a good job; the cinematography and set dressings were spot-on, and the visual effects had the right combo of gore and magic. And of course, Anthony Hopkins was good & icky as Lawrence's dad.

Like I said before, though, the movie was pretty marred by what seems like a case of "too many chefs in the kitchen." The story was a mish-mash of 80+ years worth of werewolf stories, and the film itself was an equal mixed bag of styles. One minute it'd be magically realism sprinkled with special effects, the next minute it'd be surrealism chock full 'o gore. Suddenly it's Greek theater style family drama! Oh, wait, now it's cribbing Sherlock Holmes!

Hell, it couldn't even decide which Universal monster flick to reference. Of course there was the obligatory 40's Wolf Man salute, but I also noticed nods to Dracula, the Spanish Universal Dracula, and even King Kong.

Then there's the matter of the Wolf Man himself. When del Toro was in wolf-mode, he does a kick-ass job. Unfortunately, that's maybe 30 minutes of the movie; when he's Lawrence, it's weak sauce. His performance is pretty stilted and can be fairly distracting during scenes that are supposed to be dramatic and emotional.

It's a decent popcorn movie, and I might've enjoyed it more if I hadn't built it up in my head for four months. It's no horror classic, but it's an okay remedy for all the rom-com overload in the theaters right now.

Final verdict: 6/10

Raise Your Hand If You Don't Care About Tiger Woods

Raises hand and waves it about madly.

Why is his press confrence tomorrow such great news?

Let's be serious for a minute. The guy took time off to get his life in order because he apparently doesn't know how to keep it in his pants. Its now obvious he's ready to return to work.

I personally thought he never should have stepped away from golf, except that he'd be asked about his myriad of girlfriends at every press conference, so I guess in that respect he did the right thing.

But tomorrow should just be him saying, "Hey, I'm going to golf again."

His private life, is none of the world's damn business. It matters not if he slept with every woman in the world except me. If he wants to cheat on his wife, that's his business. He's not the first man to screw anything that moves and he won't be the last. He's not a bad looking guy, and he has or had lots of money, so I'm sure there was and likely still isn't a shortage of women that would hop in the sack with him. Its part of the carnal law of greed and celebrity, if you got it, they will want to screw you, one way or another.

So Tiger is going to talk tomorrow. The world is speculating if his wife will be at his side.

Who cares!

The people who follow golf, yes, but the rest of us should really go about our business.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

When Are You Too Old For A Part

OK, forgive me if I seem out of line, but why is Ted Neeley still playing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar? The man is 66 years old.

Uh, ehm.

Isn't he a little old to play Jesus? By about 30ish years?

Surely there's someone else out there that can sing Gethsemane? Someone a little younger maybe?

I can't fault Ted's voice, its superb, or at least it was when I saw him in the part many years ago, but oye! I think its time to retire from that part. Give some younguns a shot at being Jesus!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Tubesday Top 3: Retro PSA!

Happy Tubesday, Wenches and Wenchabbes! Today I bring you a trio of PSA remembered fondly throughout my life. The first is one anyone who watched Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s will remember, Louie the Lightning Bug.



Next up is an iconic, much parodied PSA that I have on many a VHS tape from my childhood, the infamous crying Indian.



My final pick isn't the video so much as the jingle. We still have this in rotation at the local college radio station, and I play it every chance I get. If you ever need the poison control center, then I've got your back...



Happy Tubesday! Enjoy!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Stop Telling Me What To Like

You know what's annoying me lately, besides the snow?

EVERYTHING!

I'm sick to death of people telling me what to like, what not to like and what not to bitch about.

As a wise friend of mine once said, "Fuqua!" and "Go Fuqua yourself and the horse you rode in on."

I'm sick of the world removing MSG from my soups, thus making them pretty damn tasteless. I should not have to add soup base to my Chickarina so that it tastes like chicken soup and not water. Watch Food Detective people, most people aren't allergic to MSG!

I'm sick of the world telling us where to smoke, and do you know what? I don't even smoke!

I'm sick of Hungry Girl who tells me if I want a Big Mac I shouldn't eat the snack wrap because it has 330 calories and I should instead make one myself with a meatless burger.

Yo, BITCH! If I was craving Boca, and I do sometimes, I wouldn't be craving a Mac. When I want a Mac, I want a Mac, and while I'm at it, don't tell me not to have the special sauce. Bitch! The sauce is what makes the Mac! Fuck you!

Eh hem.

My list of ravings could go on for hours, because frankly the whole universe is pissing me off, including a relative who likes Sarah Palin! How the fuck can you like and admire and want to vote for a skank that has to have her notes written on her hand like a fucking grade school kid trying to cheat on a spelling test.

ARGH!

Right now I want to hit people. Lots of people.

Happy Valentine's Day Music!

As a few of you know, I do some freelance work for a PR company and I get a lot of music free, which is awesome. Every so often the one site I review for, offers up some mp3s and since they did so for the holiday, I thought I'd pass along a zip file of the love-themed tunes.


Artist: Various Artists
Album: Happy Valentine's Day (144 MB)
Genre: Adult Contemporary, Alternative, Contemporary Instrumental, Indie, Jazz, Neo-Classical, New Age, Pop, Rock
Sounds Like: Smootchy Smootchy Tunes
Buy:
Melt Into You - Sara Haze
Valentine - Vitamin-D
Forever - Gabe Hizer
Hearts Left Behind - Ann Sweeten
The Way You Do - Farrad
Destiny - Farrad
Tamahana - Te Vaka
Whisper - Megaphone
Your Ways - Jeffrey Krantz
My Funny Valentine - Debbie Cunningham
What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life - Debbie Cunningham
How Much I Love You - Debbie Cunningham
Overjoyed - Debbie Cunningham
(We Don't Have to) Live for the Weekend - The Salesmen
She's So Punctual - The Salesmen
Beauty of The Heart - Lee Abramson
Cling To Me - Jennings
Falling Higher - Jennings
Romantic Issues - Strait Laces
Awhile - Kindred Souls
You Are Unlimited - Jimmy Philip Pillar
When We're Old - Beautifully Mad
With You I Can Be Me - Lisa Hugo
Just Friends - Bone Gunn

A few of these artists should be familiar to you. I've either reviewed their full albums or did a spotlight on them in Artists to Watch. Here's a chance to sample them further. There are quite a few different types of music here. I hope you snag and enjoy!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

John Barrowman: I Love To Hate You!!


Its funny how whenever JB is on, I'm called into the room. I have an odd fascination with this man. At times I love him. I love that he's totally out an not ashamed of it one iota. I love his campy nature and the general fact that I think he's method acting Jack Harkness, or that he's played Captain Jack so long that he's become Captain Jack and will in fact snog anything that moves.

Pardon me, while I try to get in this man's line of fire. Gay or not...if he wants to bestow some hugging or kissing on me, I would be the last one to complain. I mean, really, who would complain. He's John Barrowman and he's so gorgeous that its sickening.

But back to the story at hand. Last night on BBC America, JB was on the Jonathan Ross show. That in itself means something. He has something to promote. Sure he mentioned that he has a part on Desperate Housewives coming up in about a month and a half. Cos JB would get on American TV before David Tennant. Curse you John Barrowman! I miss my Doctor!!!

I digressed again.

What does our lovely John John have to sell to those in the UK?

A new album.

Oh yeah. He's singing again. At least they are songs from musicals for the most part and not pop songs, cos that hurts me. That's truly what I hate about him. I loved him to death until I heard him sing, but back to his new self titled album.

Here's the tracklisting:

When I Get My Name In Lights (from The Boy from Oz)
One Night Only (from Dreamgirls)
Copacabana (from Copacabana)
I Won’t Send Roses (from Mack and Mabel)
Memory (from Cats)
The Kid Inside (from Is There Life After High School?)
My Eyes Adored You (from Jersey Boys)
Don't Cry Out Loud (from The Boy From Oz)
So Close (from Enchanted) duet with Jodie Prenger
Unusual Way (from Nine)
You’ll Never Walk Alone (from Carousel)
The Winner Takes It All (from Mamma Mia!)
Oh What A Night (from Jersey Boys)


Yes, you see it, Copacabana is on there. When I watched the show last night and JB performed that I joked that it was the gayest song ever recorded sung by the gayest man on the planet. A perfect combination really and he sings it wonderfully. I just wish he wouldn't do the stuff from Jersey Boys. I guess I'm a purist..and he doesn't have a voice for Frankie Valli tunes.

Guess I'll be pre-ordering this expensive puppy soon. Cos I'm a glutton for punishment.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Who to Follow on Twitter: Part II

God bless the internet. Really. Because since my last Twitter post, I have stumbled upon so many more ridiculous, silly, & entertaining Twitter accounts it's not even funny. Thank you, internet nerds, for doing this. Really. You astound me. And for the record, I've been snowed in a dorm room for three days. I'm just saying.

sayidjarrah: That's right, Lost fans. Sayid has a Twitter. It's not official, but it's pretty entertaining. Especially since on premier night it said, "No plans for tonight...yet." Think about what Sayid was doing for most of that two hours. Yep.

Edgar_Allan_Poe: Awesome as it would be to have the man himself Tweeting from the grave, that's not the case (or is it?). Equal parts macabre, literary humor, & plain dark humor.

DailySedaris: Not David Seadris himself, but a daily quote from one of his books.

Dr. Drew: I love Dr. Drew. He Tweets about basically everything, from his numerous projects to inspirational quotes to daily life. He crams as much as he possibly can in 140 characters.

Brace yourselves, Star Wars nerds.

Luke Skywalker: Brilliant. Updates are infrequent, but when they happen, they're gems.

Darth Vader: This one's just plain hilarious.

Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia herself, & she's quite witty.

Everyone on the Planet Has Probably Read This Book Already

So. Tuesdays with Morrie.

I'm pretty young & there are lots of good books in the world so I've got lots of catching up to do. I was a little kid when this came out, & when Morrie himself was actually making the news. I have vague memories of when the movie came out, but that's about it. But hey, what good would books be if we couldn't come to them years after the fact? Good stories keep making the rounds.

When my grandmother died in September, my cousin & I were the first to go for her bookshelf. I took this, & The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Clearly, good choices for the mourning.

I at least had the sense to wait a few months before reading it. Otherwise, the parts about death, the afterlife, etc. might've made me bawl like a baby. They would've been comforting, sure, but extremely tear-inducing. Instead, I only cried a little. I'm not sure exactly what this means in terms of the sadness factor, though, because I have some pretty embarrassing stories about movies that have made me cry that no one but my roommate, who thinks I'm insane & knows me too well anyway, needs to know about.

It's not too long. It's not too complex. But it is pretty moving. It's one of those books I feel like everyone should pick up & read, because there's a lot to be gained from it. Especially now, in 2010, because even though it came out in 1997 everything is still relevant. It could've been published yesterday, save a few references to goings-on at the time. Lots of talk about life & the skewed priorities we humans often have.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A Strangely Refreshing Cover Song

I recently obtained a copy of the soundtrack for the new chick flick, Valentine's Day. I was really intrigued by some of the songs on the album. Some where very good and others were creepy.

I'm sorry, Amy Wine "O" house's cover of Cupid, hurts my ears. I'm a Motown purist and what she did to that song would have Sam Cooke rolling over in his grave and it would offend The Spinners too.

But lets not discuss the bad and ugly, let's talk about one really strangely awesome cover on the album. The Bird and The Bee covered the Herman's Hermits classic I'm Into Something Good.

I have a love and hate relationship with cover songs, as many of you know, but this one really made me smile. You can listen to it @ YouTube. I think Peter Noone would be suitably impressed.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Movie Review: District 9

I was intrigued when District 9 first came out, but like most movies, I never got the chance to actually go see it. This one was tackled one lazy weekend home from college when my dad rented a bunch of movies, & my brother kept talking about how much he loved it & how much he thought I'd like it.

It's one for the sci-fi fans, for sure.

It's set up like a documentary, which seems to be a growing trend. But I think District 9 really nailed this one, because it's quite convincing & has the advantage of putting you right in the middle of the action, & there's quite a bit of that. It kind of loses some of the documentary feel around the middle to the end of the movie, but that's because it shifts more to Wikus' point of view.

Set & filmed in South Africa, the movie is centered around aliens who just kind of show up one day, & government agencies & organizations are set up to accommodate them. District 9 is sort of housing for them, & it's basically a slum. Wikus works for one of the organizations & is sent out one day to convince the aliens to relocate to what is later described by Wikus as a concentration camp. And with that, the movie also becomes a sort of social & political commentary. Funny how sci fi seems to do that so well. Anyway, things get a bit chaotic. Overall, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I can't say much else about that without completely ruining the rest of the movie.

But here's what I can say.

Sharlto Copley, who plays Wikus, is seriously freakin' amazing. For starters, his accent is awesome. Beyond that, he's a seriously unbelievable actor, & this was the first movie he'd ever been in, which is completely ridiculous because seriously, I can't say it enough, he blew me away. His character goes through such a range of things & he has to do so much, & Sharlto as an actor pulls it off amazingly. I'm not afraid to go out there & say that this movie wouldn't be as strong as it is without him. Whenever I talk about this movie, I always, without fail, bring up Sharlto.

It's also pretty impressive visually. Every single thing looks real. I believe they tried to use little CGI, but regardless, it never feels like you're watching tons of ridiculous CGI. And where make-up is used, it's also incredibly good. I'm always amazed by the things people can do with prosthetics & some make-up.

It's also pretty action-packed. Plenty of things blowing up, & plenty of graphic violence.

I really liked it, & I definitely highly recommend it. However, try to kind of forget everything you expect from it in the previews, because they don't do it much justice & do little in terms of setting up what actually happens. Expectations might screw this one up. Just jump right into it & enjoy.

And when you have, or if you've already seen it, be sure to check out www.fookinprawns.net. It's full of just little sound clips from the movie, which is awesome because 1) some of them, especially out of the context of the movie, are surprisingly hilarious & 2) Sharlto's bitchin' accent! I could listen to him talk for days. I'm not even kidding.

Mimo


First of all, let me be the first to tell you that I hate how release dates are different for music depending on the country. My thoughts are, if you are internationally known the release date should be the same, give or take a day, not weeks or months different.

Why is Mimo upsetting me?

Who the fuck is Mimo?

Mimo is Andy Bell.

Yes, Andy Bell of Erasure, my favorite gay boy of all time. He's also the gay boy with the best voice. (Sorry Mr. Barrowman, Andy trumps you every time) Andy wanted to put out some music under a pseudonym, so as not to get the "its Erasure without Vince" thing thrown at him again. However, one listen, and you know its Andy. His voice is that distinctive. So whatever, Mr. Bell. And after further reading there's an artist using that name already...so when the full length album comes out later this year, it will be as Andy Bell. Tres confusing, yes?

But back to my rant, Mimo has a new single out today in the UK.

When can we expect to get the single in the US.

MARCH!

I'm going to be sulking now until I can find a copy of the EP, which may be until March.

Grrr

Monday, February 8, 2010

Super Bowl Commericals

Ok, I didn't watch the game last night. I'm a girl. I don't like football unless its The Steelers in the game.

I didn't even bother to tune in to see The Who. For that I'm sad, but I'm sure the video will be everywhere soon.

But I did catch up on the commercials and there were about 4 that really kicked butt.

Award 1: Comedy

Letterman's Late Night Ad w/Oprah and Jay



Award 2: Made Me Cry:

Budweiser's Fences



Award 3: Animation

The Simpsons/Coke



Which were your favorite ads from this year's game?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Where The Wild Things Are


Molly reviewed this film awhile back, but I finally got to see it last night, so I'm chiming in with my 2 cents. OK, maybe 10 cents.

I liked the film. It was cute and terrifying in some parts. It definitely left me thinking. The book, only contained 388 words. That's not even one type written page in Microsoft Works or Word. So crafting a movie out of that had to take some effort and talent, regardless of what those original 388 words led too.

I haven't read the book since I was a child. So I'm taking the film as I saw it. It was enjoyable. It wasn't life changing or particularly profound, but it was good. It definitely would be worth the price of theater admission or the price of a DVD.

The wild things reminded me a bit of The Banana Splits characters meeting HR Puff n Stuff. They were all endearing, including the boy Max, who definitely needed some help. The boy had some anger management issues, that's for sure. I'm thinking that Carol was the embodiment of him as a monster aka Wild Thing, when he ended up Where The Wild Things Are.

The movie is confusing though. You never quite understand where the wild things actually are or how he conveniently got there and back home. And the whole thing with his mom and we assume her boyfriend that went unresolved leaves me with questions.

So yeah, it could have been better. It could have even made sense. It was still entertaining and the Wild Things, even when they were being creepy and violent were cute. There are definitely worse things I could have watched on a cold snowed in Saturday night.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

I Hate You Hating the New Facebook


I Hate You Hating the New Facebook

There's a time I dread every year, a time of great trepidation in Internetland: the roll out of this year's Facebook redesign. And unlike the 5 billion groups that pop up two days later, I don't hate the new designs. No, what I hate is constantly hearing how much everyone else hates it.

I get an average of two group/fanpage invites a day the first two weeks of the new Facebook roll out to the effect of "Thousands of children are homeless in Haiti, but the new Facebook is the worst tragedy of the year." And I promptly delete them. Why? Because - gasp! - usually I like the Facebook redesigns. When I don't, I suck it the fuck up and get used to it.

The thing I hate the most is the barrage of status updates bitching about the redesign. Most of these are folks under the age of 25 going "Waaaa I can't find ANYTHING!" The reason I hate this so much is because these are the exact same folks that say, "OMG, old people (read: anyone older than them, median age of old = 23+ I wish I were joking) don't know NEthing about the internet! LOL!"

Hey, bitching people! Pot calling the kettle black much? The first day your Facebook profile updates to the new design, they have a fucking tutorial that tells you exactly where everything moved or changed. Most of the changes are cosmetic and don't have a huge impact on your user experience, too. So either clam the fuck up or have a little sympathy when someone older than you (usually your parents, but also reserved for the nameless faceless Olde People) doesn't immediately know how to upload photos on their computer or use Twitter.

Caveat: This is mostly reserved for youngins and mombies who live on Facebook. If you have a for really realz job or actual grownup responsibilities, you get a free pass because, God forbid, you don't log onto Facebook every 12 seconds.

PS Rant-within-a-rant: Hey, same group of people that clogs up my newsfeed with this bullshit? STOP MAKING ME FEEL OLD. Seriously, one of you saw the Phantom Menace when you were in SECOND GRADE. There is a very appropriate Garth Brooks song title I could wax poetic about if I didn't want to stab everyone of you in the eye socket right now.

Friday, February 5, 2010

OMG So Yummy!


OMG So Yummy!

Today was a comfort food day. I think it had something to do with a huge snowstorm that's turning most of PA, MD and VA into a winter wonderland. I'm not much of a cook but I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

This recipe was quick and easy and for those of you that don't eat meat, those Morningstar/Boca crumbles are a fitting substitute.

Here's the recipe:


INGREDIENTS
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ)
1 can (15 oz) spicy chili beans, undrained. (Mine came from Aldi)
12 sandwich buns, split
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (3 oz)
DIRECTIONS
1. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
2. Stir in barbecue sauce and chili beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
3. Spoon mixture onto bottoms of buns; sprinkle with cheese. Top with tops of buns.

We served these with fries and some wonderful pickles from Kitchen Kettle Village.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

One from the Vaults: Nothing But Trouble



One from the Vaults: Nothing But Trouble

When I lived with my mom, she loved to scour the discount DVD bins at local grocery stores and buy movies based on interesting covers. This is how as a wee teenager I discovered the delightfully weird clusterfuck that is Nothing But Trouble. I don't think I could come up with a better summary than my husband, who said that it was "a cross between Cars and the Rocky Horror Picture Show." But here's a shot, at least.

Chevy Chase is some kind of smarmy financial writer, and Demi Moore is a lawyer. Because Demi Moore is hot, she talks Chevy Chase into driving her to Atlantic City along with two of his clients he dubs the Brazilianaires. All this back story is mostly a MacGuffin and doesn't matter too much to the plot, except that it's fun to say Brazilianaires.

A speeding ticket lands them in the Night Court of the Damned, as an ancient, sadistic Dan Akroyd makes them hot dogs before trying to kill them on a roller coaster that player the Damned Yankees. Then things get weird. Bonus points for an impromptu Digital Underground concert.

I suppose it's hard for me to objectively review this one, because it's a movie I've seen several times and love to pieces. It's dark, it's both consciously and inadvertently funny, its set design is mind-fuggling, and it's one of two movies based on Centralia, PA. Plus Demi Moore is oddly hot in her... hot pants business jumpsuit? (Yeah, you come up with a better description. Here's a picture.)

If you want a different opinion, check out Rotten Tomatoes, where the flick averages 11%. About the only ungushy thing I can say is that you can definitely tell at times that Dan Akroyd wrote the movie, particularly with the awkward pacing that some of the actors use. But mostly, I can just echo the sentiments of an IMDB forum member who said, "Someday when I'm rich, I'm going to have a pickle-shooting condiment train."

Trust me, you won't know what you're watching. Even with repeat viewings, you'll never know what the hell is going on. But at the very least, you can walk away saying you saw Tupac's film debut.

Buy Nothing But Trouble on Amazon

Je me suis une asshole.

Je me suis une asshole.

Hi!

There's a reason I'm called "The Space Cadet." I've pretty much dropped off the planet recently. I didn't mean to, HONEST. I can give you a laundry list of excuses: it's the busy season at work, it was my birthday and the holidays, I drove across the country, almost got arrested at 4am in Arkansas (awesome!) but you don't want to hear it.

I'm sorry, ladies, I really am.

But things have changed lately. I've stopped giving all my attention to the boy who doesn't deserve it, I've stopped caring about my job (and applied for a better one! wish me luck!), and I'm trying to be less of an asshole.

I scanned through the posts to make sure the things I want to write about haven't been covered already (Lady Gaga? Community? LOST?!) I'm beyond amazed that Andrea didn't write about the Doctor Who holiday specials (I already hate Matt Smith, does that make me a bad person?)

I'm psyched Janelle wrote a post about who to follow on Twitter. I need more interesting people. Can I add Roger Ebert to the list? The man is a great writer, and a great critic, and also f'ing hilarious. Ever since he lost his actual voice, his online voice has been crazier and genius. I love his tweets.

Anyway, I'm not making GRAND promises, because, after all, I am the Space Cadet, but I'm going to try to not forget I promised to post here.

xoxo

This Is Something I Just Don't Understand

I watch several shows on BBC America. Shows that apparently hair between 8-10 in the UK and one thing that's always baffled me, is how America, the land of the free, yada yada yada, gets all up in arms over a naked tit, a swear word, homosexuality displays and yet in Britain, you can say Fuck, bare your bottom and a myriad of other things and there's no huge fines levied on people or people up in arms.

Why is this?

I watched The Inbetweeners last night, a show I find hilarious in its total "realness" and half of the dialogue was bleeped. Basically cos teenage boys swear a lot.

Do ya think?

You can't drop the f-bomb in prime time. Nope, not even on cable.

Think of the children! (As if mommy's little preciouses haven't heard "fuck" on the school bus a bazillion times)

Oh and on Being Human, when George and now his girlfriend change into werewolves, you see some pretty shapely bums in the process. That sort of nudity can only be shown in the 10 o'clock hour here in the US, cos all the little kiddies are in bed then.

WTF!

Seriously! WTF!

I know this is a regular gripe of mine, but the more European TV I watch, the more I just wonder how long we can live with our heads up our asses without suffocating!

Vulgar/swear words have obviously not turned everyone in Europe into a bunch of potty mouthed anarchists (maybe a few of them..but I'd say that was the same here). I'm also sure that nudity hasn't harmed anyone either, nor has any public displays of homosexuality. (Can I say, TORCHFUCKINGWOOD).

~sigh~

I'm so damn confused.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Dear ABC:

Dear ABC:

I want to bring to your attention a funny show you have on your network that you seem determined to kill, Better Off Ted. The entire cast is funny, and the scripts have been wonderful too, and yet you stick it in a time slot where it will be doomed to failure, after Scrubs.

Pardon me if I remind you that no one watches Scrubs. They might have 8 seasons ago, but they don't now, and sticking this funny show right after it, isn't going to do it any favors.

It would be a great fit for the Wednesday night comedy night, but for one thing, it doesn't fit in with the "family show" theme that The Middle, Modern Family and even Cougar Town bring to that night. Sadly its a more family friendly show than Cougar Town and deserves a slot in the 8 o'clock hour. I'm sure more people would come to love Veronica, Ted, Linda, Lem and Phil so much more if this show was in a better time slot.

Couldn't you try it at 8 o'clock on Wednesday rather than rehashing episodes of Modern Family.

Don't take away Better Off Ted!

Sincerely,

The Mistress Of The Dark

Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story

Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story

Okay, Izzard fanatics - this one's just for us.

I will devour anything that has this man's name on it, because he's hilarious, a good guy, & I'm hopelessly in love with him. This documentary shows a whole other side to him.

Yeah, it's funny. Eddie Izzard is in it, of course it's funny. But it's also surprisingly moving, & in a few ways, inspiring. You see Eddie in a way you never have before. We're used to him being funny, talkative, & lively, but here you all that plus a more quiet, reflective, insecure, and even emotional side to him. And it's nice to see, but also a little heartbreaking. We see Eddie Izzard actually in tears. Hard to picture, isn't it?

It's a very honest documentary. Suddenly, Eddie Izzard is so much more than just a devastatingly funny guy who occasionally cross-dresses. Personally, I found myself able to relate to him in some parts, & it made me love him all the more.

It's not full of sadness, though - just snippets. But it is full of other interviews, not just Eddie. Friends, his dad, etc. Plus vintage home movies, clips of his very early street performing days, & home movies & baby pictures! Who doesn't love that? And he was the cutest little kid ever. Seriously.

This is definitely one the fans want to check out. And the great news is, you can do so on the internet for free! Legally! Thank Eddie himself for Tweeting this. Go to www.epixhd.com/invite to get yourself an invite code, & watch it. And while you're at it the code gives you free access to the site for about four days, so take advantage of it & stream as many movies as your heart desires. If you're in the mood for more Izzard, they have the new-ish Live in Wembley show up there, too.

And if you're not familiar with Eddie's stand-up, get off the internet & go watch it because it will not disappoint.

And for the record, if you get the chance, go see the man live. True story: I saw him in Pittsburgh, & laughed so hard I cried. Then the next day someone referenced one of the jokes & I went into hysterics.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Tubesday Top 3: Weird Stuff edition

Tubesday Top 3: Weird Stuff edition

Happy Tubesday! This week's theme is the ever ambiguous "weird stuff." First up, a video that combines three of my favorite things: birds, installment art, and Rock & Roll. Check out the zebra finch at 0:40, who's either trying to make a nest or a whammy bar.



Next up may be the creepiest children's show I've seen. And I scour the internet specifically for awful children's shows. Between the bad production values, the Rasta Rooster, and the super awkward host, this amounts to one heap of weird.



Our last video turns up on the endangered species list of dark yet funny SNL sketches. John Hamm of Mad Men and Michael Buble make a commercial for a pork and champagne restaurant called Hamm & Buble. Then things get weird. Never knew that Michael Buble was such a funny dude.



Happy Tubesday!