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 h let's see... where were we.
I finished up Alex's training and put him off the truck last Thursday before going home for the weekend. I have a new student named Don. He's 40 and from Flint, Michigan. He's a bit of a talker, so hopefully he doesn't take my generally quiet nature personally. So far he's doing okay; really rough on the shifting, but we'll iron that out in a couple of days. Otherwise, decent lane control and he's reasonably bright so I don't anticipate the Qualcomm or maps/directions/routing being any big deal for him. Hopefully I can get him up to speed in a week or so and begin putting down some miles again. Between Thomas, Alex and myself, the three weeks I was out prior to my home time, Sally saw 16,200 miles. I need some more of that.
Sally has been running great for the past couple of months. Her turbo is leaking oil, I get some compression in the cooling system, and she has some creature-comfort annoyances, but she takes everything I give her. She recently ticked past the 900,000 mile mark. Only 32 more weekly payments and she's all mine. Hopefully, if I can keep Sally stocked with quality students and roll like I have been, I can get her paid for sooner. I'll be so glad when I'm done with the lease. Maybe by this time next year I'll be able to give her a much deserved engine overhaul. Maybe by the first quarter of 2009 I can have an additional truck on the road and someone working for me.
My home time was relaxing and enjoyable. Of course, it's hard for it not to be when I have such good company as ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) welfy. In addition to puttering about the house in a manner that an old codger like me is supposed to, we went to a folk dancing class on Friday night and had my parents over for Sunday dinner. Also, I'm beginning to think I'll never get past "Freya" on Expert.
A dear friend of mine who I regrettably don't make enough effort keeping in touch with since she moved to the far-off land of Pennsylvania, has begun a LiveJournal. So now I have no excuse as long as she keeps writing. She's also good friends with aloneinky who I pimped on these pages a while back. The journal name is slhorsfield, and I'm sure she would appreciate having a few starter friends to get her in the swing of the social aspect of LJ. Take a peek and see if it's for you if you're in the market for a new friend.
While we're on the subject of livejournal.friends: tequilaprophet ... wtf? I hate to see the good ones give it up.
And now... some quick movie reviews:
 Cinderella Man (2005)
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti
A biopic about the astonishing, if brief, championship boxing career of James J. Braddock. Great story, an okay script and fantastic set/costumes (Depression era New York City, the estimated budget for the film is nearly $90 million), but, unfortunately the acting is stiff and contrived, even from Giamatti who has been known to steal the show with his character work (Private Parts, anyone?). How he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for this role is beyond me. The real problem with this movie is the pacing, though. Howard has such a great set and props to work with that he lingers too much to show how pretty it is and many of the boxing scenes are too long, repetitive, and tedious.
 Dark Star (1974)
Director: John Carpenter
Writers: John Carpenter, Dan O'Bannon
A collaboration by two men who would make a considerable mark in the sci-fi/horror hybrid genre just a few years later. It's laughably low-budget (there's even a beach ball masquerading as an alien) and the acting is horrible. It is more of a comedy than a dramatic film and has its moments, but won't be of interest as anything more than a historical curiosity in their early careers. Starting in 1978, Carpenter would direct Halloween, Escape From New York, Christine, Starman and The Thing in a four year period and O'Bannon would write the screenplay for Ridley Scott's Alien in 1979.
 Unknown (2006)
Cast: Jesus Christ Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Barry Pepper, Peter Stormare, Chris Mulkey
First-time director Simon Brand and first-time screenplay writer Matthew Waynee get everything right and attract a small ensemble cast of quality character actors for a no-frills thriller worthy of being called Hitchcockian. The film has a unique premise: five men wake-up in an abandoned factory and can't remember who they are or how they got there. There are obvious signs of a previous power struggle: two of them have been restrained and one has been shot. The factory is locked-down by security doors and they can't get out. Over the next 98 minutes, the characters gradually regain pieces of their memory, while trying to escape. There is nothing spectacular about the script, but it is tight as is the editing. Little is wasted and it is compelling through the very last frame.
 Three Days Of The Condor (1975)
Director: Sydney Pollack
Cast: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Max von Sydow, John Houseman
This often over-looked film yields some great performances and on-location filming in New York City. Without giving too much away, Redford is a bookworm for the CIA, code-named The Condor. When he unwittingly stumbles into a conspiracy within the agency, he has 72 hours to unravel it and try to stay alive. A film like this could easily sprawl and become a mess, but it stays tight and gripping (it was nominated for an Academy award in the Best Editing category). Redford is his usual charming, somewhat-fumbling self and Dunaway gives a decent turn as the obligatory eye candy. Houseman is on-screen far too little for my tastes, but von Sydow's supporting role is top notch. Probably not worth going out of your way, but if you're a fan of solid, gritty 70s-era cinema, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Not in the same league as All The President's Men or a weird, gem like Dog Day Afternoon but better than, say, Marathon Man.
( Other stuff I've been watching.... ) | |
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 ince leaving Frankfort on Wednesday morning I've been running non-stop with a load to the Seattle area. While the amount of ground I can cover with a student is always mind-boggling to me, some times I still amaze myself with how much ground I can cover on my own.
 I had a short day yesterday though. I got to the Seattle area around noon and didn't have to deliver until 08:00 today. It'll be another short day today as well, as I just have to drive back across Washington to deliver in Spokane in the morning.
I have a fondness for creating and maintaing lists and I've been using LiveJournal as a place to warehouse them in case anyone else would be interested in seeing it. A couple of weeks ago, I began what is probably my most ambitious list to-date. I humbly present: Every movie I've ever seenFor the record, it currently contains 1,138 films and I estimate it's probably 80%-90% complete. The only criteria for inclusion was that it must be feature-length and non-porn. As a side note, this on-line alphabetizer is really fucking cool.
Summer's almost over. Some people mark today as the last day of summer proper. I guess I better get to posting these last couple of gams photos I have. Here's troubleagain. For some reason, I find these sneaky office photos particularly enticing. There oughta be a whole website of office snapshots of ladies legs, if there isn't one already.  | |
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 om surprised me and opted to get off the truck yesterday and fly home from Laredo, something about a limited window of opportunity for seeing his daughter this weekend and he wanted to be sure he was home for it. So I'm solo for the moment, but there's a good chance I could snag a new student in Dallas this afternoon since it looks like I'll be sitting here until this evening.
 s per my daily routine of late, I made the requisite phone calls to my real estate agent and the lending agent. We're trying to schedule a time for the closing this Friday afternoon. It was beginning to look like we were all set to stick a fork in this puppy then I get word today that no one seems to have the deed to the property. Um, what? This is a foreclosure property, being sold by the bank who holds the old mortgage. Why would they put a house on the market they don't even have the title for or not have taken the steps necessary to procure a new one before doing so? Grrrr. At the moment, it's unsure how long this will take with only 72 hours left to go 'til closing, I fear this is going to delay things. The question is how long?
h fine, have some gams; a display of ink from oberonia.
 his afternoon for lunch I had my first experience with Whataburger. Good stuff. As far as major regional burger joints go, this only leaves Fatburger on my list to try. Unless there's something I'm forgetting. I'll likely not get loaded until this evening, so I've been max'n and relax'n, listening to some Sonic Youth with Sally. I think I'll fire-up the DVD player and watch Seven Samurai, a long over-due complement to my viewing of The Magnificent Seven several weeks ago. | |
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 have been watching a ton of movies lately. Here's a somewhat brief rundown of them.
Alien
Aliens
Alien3
Alien Resurrection
It occurred to me that I had only ever seen the first in this franchise of films and decided to treat myself to a quadruple feature. Ridley Scott's original film in 1979 is still today a powerhouse of action, horror, and suspense. The chest-bursting on-screen debut of the alien has been parodied so many times in television and film that it's been ingrained in our collective consciousness, whether we've seen the film or not. James Cameron's action-packed sequel nearly rivals the original. The latter two films are are not as solid as the first two and problematic, but still fun and interesting for numerous reasons. Alien3 is notable in that it was David Fincher's directorial debut and his artistic eye is immediately felt, making it the most strikingly different, in tone and vision, of the quadrilogy. His background in the then burgeoning field of screen CGI lent a new dimension to the alien; agile mobility. By today's standards, though, the CG effects look flat and fake and not nearly as scary when slow-moving, physical animatronics are in use. Nearly 20 years since the first film (and nearly 300 years in "on-screen" time) , the final chapter of the quadrilogy suffers from a hack-job script which reduces a lot of Sigourney Weaver's dialogue to clever one-liners, but still packs the action punch of its predecessors. All-in-all I'd recommend watching these films if you enjoy this sort of thing. Especially when viewed as a whole, it is one of the most solid action-film franchises in existence, thanks no-doubt to Weaver's co-production credit in the sequels insuring that these wouldn't be just a cash-in on the popularity of the original. Each film is unique in its story and setting, and each exhibits strong production ethics, befitting Ridley Scott's original vision.
Little Miss Sunshine
This is a fantastic film. It has one of the.best. scripts to come out of Hollywood in a very, very long time. It's funny, touching, and absurd all at once. It's up for an Oscar for Best Picture this month and deservingly so. If you've ever had any doubts about Steve Carrell's talents as an actor, this film should set you straight on that. ALL of the performances in this film are top-notch, even Greg Kinnear. Production-wise: the color palatte is a little over-bearing at times, but the lensing is clever without being distracting and the direction is subtle and even.
Happy Campers
A subversive and dark treatment of teenage summer camp from the same director who brought you Heathers. It has its moments, but all-in-all probably not worth your time.
Wet Hot American Summer
Another camp movie, this time a parody, from various alums of "The State" and "Saturday Night Live". ALMOST worth it just for the hilarious "going to town" montage, but as a whole gets too ridiculous and absurd for its own good. If you're a fan of this brand of humor, it might be worth checking out but otherwise it doesn't offer much else.
( Movie Mania! )
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've been sick with a sinus infection. I've (so far) taken an additional two days off from work and it looks like I'll be taking another tomorrow. I can't afford much more of this. I've decided that, regardless, I'm going back to work Monday, and I'll just hafta suffer through if I'm still feeling like this.
Here's a movie meme, stolen from atthestarz. I've seen 90 out of 164.
01. Trainspotting
02. Shrek
03. Memento
04. Dogma
05. Strictly Ballroom
06. The Princess Bride
07. Love Actually
08. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
09. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
( Read more... ) | |
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 ovies
British director David Lean has one of the most storied careers in film-making. He began his career adapting stage plays for the screen in the 1940's, culminating in winning the first-ever Grand Prize at Cannes in 1946 for Brief Encounter. Immediately after being honored at Cannes, he adapted two Dickens novels for screen, Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948), both featuring Alec Guiness, in his first two credited film roles.
But it was a trio of films in the late 1950's and early 60's that would solidify Lean's place among the great film makers of all time. They are extravagant, expensive productions; the kind for which the phrase "sweeping epic" was created and is often uttered in the same breath as their titles. All three films are set in era of war. All three of these films star Alec Guiness in a supporting role. All three films often make the top 20 lists of greatest films ever made. All three films were nominated for and won multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture for two of them. I recently watched all three of these films, having never seen them. I thought I'd introduce them to you, or as the case may be, let you revisit them.
 The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Starring: William Holden, Alec Guiness
It is loosely based on actual accounts which occurred in a Japanese POW camp in World War II. Utilizing the labor of its prisoners, the Japanese construct a train bridge across the river. Simultaneously, an Allied commando squad has been sent-in the destroy it. It has a very strong anti-war sentiment throughout the film and deals specifically with what one source described perfectly as "the irony of British pride". Holden is perfect as the cocky and charming American officer, but it's Guiness' role as the uncompromising Colonel Nicholson that is unforgettable. The final act of the film is as taut and suspenseful as there is in cinema. The way the plot has unfolded, you know bridge is going to be blown-up in spectacular fashion. So it's not a question of what is going to happen, but how it's going to happen in the final moments that is so gripping and satisfying.
 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guiness, Anthony Quinn, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrer
At nearly 4 hours in length, this film can be a chore to sit through, especially with its somewhat slow pacing, but you'll be rewarded with one of the most gorgeously photographed films you'll likely ever see. Utilizing a cast of extras into the thousands, not to mention horses, camels, and machines of war, Lean brought to the screen a scope nearly unprecedented, and rare today in the age of modern CGI cinema. Set during the Arab Revolt during the first World War, it follows the amazing military career of T.E. Lawrence; an eccentric and gifted British officer with a bit of a Messiah complex . As in his previous film, Lean explores themes relating to competing loyalties and the folly of British pride in the waning decades of the Colonial Empire. It also, however, explores much deeper and complex themes than its predecessor: politics vs. leadership, morality vs. law, and humanity vs. brutality. Lean does something else which wasn't common in mainstream cinema at the time which we've become more accustomed to in modern cinema; shifting the chronology of the narrative. The opening sequence of the film depicts Lawrence's untimely demise in a motorcycle accident well after the war, and his post-humous induction into the British Military Museum. For me, it weakened the suspense of the film's final sequences, knowing that he would return home safe and sound.
 Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Starring: Omar Sharif, Alec Guiness, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger
Like the other two films, war serves as a back-drop for the story; World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in the early 20th century. Unlike its predecessors however, it's a multi-faceted love story that explores the various relationships: love for a spouse, love for a mistress, love for a brother, love for one's ideal and love for a country; and the competing loyalties which operate within all of them. It is beautifully shot, and at times, eclipses anything in Lawrence of Arabia, even if it lacks its grand wallop. There is a more subtle artistry to the composition and technique that is lacking in the former. From the streets of Moscow, to the Ural Mountains, to the interiors of cottages and manors, the film is breath-taking nearly every single frame. Lean begins this film at the end of the story, too, but to much greater effect than in Lawrence of Arabia, as Zhivago's brother questions a young girl about her parents to determine if she may be his niece. Doctor Zhivago won 5 Oscars but it is the film which failed to capture the Best Picture award, only because The Sound of Music was its competition that year and Oscar was briefly in love with musicals in the 60's.
All three of these films are worth your time if you've never seen them. I'd rank Lawrence of Arabia as one of those must-see-before-you-die experiences. It's just that good. In 1970, Lean released Ryan's Daughter, another large budget, epic, war-era film to very mixed, and sometimes nasty reviews. It managed two Oscar wins, but wasn't nominated for Best Picture. It's understandable that after making three of the greatest films of all time back-to-back, that meeting the lofty expectations you've created in the public at large would be difficult to meet. Lean had a reputation as a consummate perfectionist and it's rumored that these unfavorable reviews wounded him deeply. He didn't direct another film until 1984's A Passage to India, which was nominated for Best Picture but would lose to another brilliant film from that year, Amadeus. It would be Lean's last film, dying of throat cancer in 1991 at the age of 83 while in pre-production on a new film.
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ovies!!!
Bloodrayne (2005)
Director: Uwe Boll
Starring: Kristina Loken, Ben Kinglsey, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Madsen, Billy Zane, Meatloaf
 I added this to my Netflix queue only on the recommendation that it was, quite possibly, one of the worst films ever made by my pal stormodacentury. He's right, it's very, very bad. However, it does have some qualities which redeem it, if only very slightly, to keep it from being completely unwatchable. It's based on a video game, which is a strike against it already. There's yet to be a really good film based on a video game; they're typically made just to cash-in on the popularity of the title and this one is no different. What is different about it however is the lengths to which Boll goes to show you death sequences. There are more gory, blood squirting death gags in this film that you typically see in any mainstream American feature film: slashed necks, heads/limbs chopped-off, torsos severed at the waist, crushing heads, people burning to death, swords and arrows through the mouth, impalement, disembowling. And every one is given a perfect split-second setup; just long enough during normal viewing for the effect to be appreciated when edited into the action. For gore fans, Bloodrayne is a blast as far as genre pics go. Outside of that, though, it's a lesson in how to waste talent. Ben "I-got-a-friggin-Oscar" Kingsely is in this for cry'n out loud, reduced to uttering mindless dialogue with no motivation. Wanna see a good motivated Kinglsey villain, go rent Sneakers. But it's not just Kingsely, Madsen stands around wincing likes he's constipated most of the time because that's what he does when he has a lack of direction for his character and Rodriguez is left to brood and scowl sexily like every other character she's ever played. Loken, the star and title character you may remember as the strong, silent-type from T3 as the female Terminator. She does a respectable job with the awful dialogue, but it's the action where it becomes laughable and, sadly, it's probably not her fault. It's Boll's direction and editing that makes her look like a kid playing with swords in the backyard. In T3 she was pretty bad-ass as I recall, here she just looks absurd. It's the "B" actors that steal the show in this; in a pointless sequence, Meatloaf cameos as a hedonistic vampire smothered in an orgy of naked women. But even better is Billy Zane sporting a bad hair-piece as a campy, flaming vamp. Imagine Tim Curry's Dr. Frankfurter as a 17th century aristocrat and you're getting close. This is not worth your time unless you just really like watching gory effects or you're like me and want to see a real train wreck of a film.
The sad thing is, a sequel has been slated.
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim
 Even if you've never seen this film, chances are you know its most famous line: "Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup." If you've never seen this film, you're also missing out on of the all time great cinema classics. It is imaginatively filmed, creatively cast, superbly acted, and still as wickedly funny as it must've been over 50 years ago. It's the story of young Joe Gillis, a Hollywood screenwriter down on his luck with bill collectors trying to repossess his car. While eluding them one afternoon he stumbles into the grand and decaying mansion of Norma Desmond, a star of the silent screen era who has been out of the public eye for over 20 years. Upon introduction, Joe goes, "You were in pictures. You used to be big!" Norma replies indignantly, "I am big, it's the pictures that got small." A sad and dark story unfolds as Joe enters Norma's delusional world, as grand and decaying as the mansion she lives in. The humor is dark, even mean spirited at times right up to the tragic final sequences when the film's most famous line is spoken. If you've never seen it, do yourself a favor and rent it. You don't have to be some "old film nut" to enjoy it.
Other movies I've watched/rewatched in the past few months, if you wanna give a shout-out, dis, quote, or ask how it was:
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)
Adaptation (2002)
Super Size Me (2004)
The Hebrew Hammer (2003)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Wild At Heart (1990)
Eraserhead (1977)
The Straight Story (1999)
Lost Highway (1997)
Bullworth (1998)
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
The Hills Have Eyes 2 (1985)
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Dial M For Murder (1954)
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice In the Hood (1996)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That! (2006)
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)
Mad Max (1979)
Spanglish (2004)
Freedomland (2006)
The Forgotten (2004)
City of Angels (1998)
Roger & Me (1989)
In the coming weeks, director David Lean's trilogy of epics: Bridge on the River Kwai (finished), Doctor Zhivago (started), and Lawrence of Arabia (queued). I'm gonna do an entry covering all three the next time I tackle movies.
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 've been busy.
Last Saturday I picked-up a new student in Allentown. His name is Clayton and he has been working in the trucking industry for a number of years, but he hasn't done over-the-road for the past several. So my company is putting him through the training program to knock a little of the rust off and to learn some of the company specific things concerning the Qualcomm. He only has to complete 140 hours, so he'll only be with me for about another week and a half.
Since he's already an experienced driver, we've been rolling non-stop. Since leaving home last Thursday, I've clocked nearly 7,000 miles. Sometime this week I'll see if I can get a photo of him.
The film Jarhead, starring Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenlhlhalhlhnnyllnhl Donnie Darko, is a film about the United States' liberation of Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, from American Beauty director Sam Mendes. The movie lasts twice as long as the actual combat operations and is only half as interesting.
 I'm wondering if any of you Central Kentucky locals like playing the game Risk? Y'know the old Hasbro board game? I have the PC CD-ROM of it that has LAN capability for game play and some wonderful BIG maps (140+ countries), as well as support for Capital Risk, Mission Risk, and an interesting variant called Ultimate Risk. I was thinking, that if there was enough interest, of cobbling together a LAN party and if it's a hit, doing it a few times a year. The ROM was made long before the days of security schemes and is easily copied so everyone could play and it runs really well on a laptop. Additionally, I have two extra machines in the house that people could use if they couldn't bring their own box/laptop, in addition to my own laptop, Welf's laptop, and a third laptop of questionable reliability that could be used in a pinch.
I was thinking it might make for a fun, if geeky, inauguration event for The Guy RoomTM. Since I've got a wireless router, non-smokers could play upstairs simultaneously with the smokers downstairs. It would be an all-day event, probably on a Saturday, so even if you live a few hours away it'd be worth the trip if you're interested. You could come play for a few hours or dig your trench and battle all day. There would be plenty of snacks, leading up to dinner which I'll cook for everyone. There's ample floor-space for crashing-on if it goes late into the night and/or heavy drinking ensues and The Drive Home becomes daunting. While the gaming will be the centerpiece, it'll be a chance to have fun, hangout, and be social. Up to 8 people can play simultaneously on the big maps, so there'll be plenty of time in between turns for goofing off and conversation. Foul-mouthed trash-talk will be expected... bitch.
Anyone game? Don't worry if you've never played or played little, and want to join in anyway. Since the game takes care of the tedious aspects of the classic board game (dice rolling, army calculation, etc), all that's left is moving your virtual pieces around and conquering the world!
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really great movie, like any other art, can make you think and feel with their imagery, themes, symbols, dialogue, characters, and stories. Unfortunately, a bad film can do the same thing especially when it's an "independent film" from a "respected artist". Don't get me wrong, I love independent cinema. I also love big Hollywood films, but at the end of the day the film has to stand on its own merits, regardless of its studio affiliation or budget. The problem with independent films is that their DIY aesthetic and often more overtly artistic approach to story telling will endear them to the audience. I find often times that this allows independent film makers to be provocative for the sake of being provocative, without offering the viewer anything of substance.
If you've ever seen Gummo, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.
But I'm not here to waste more words than have already been written about Harmony Korine's turd of a film. Instead I want to talk about two films dealing with a similar theme; one a charming-yet-flawed indie newcomer, the other a tried and true freakshow-nightmare master piece,
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)
Directed, written, and starring performance artist Miranda July, the film features an impressive ensemble cast of unknown actors, especially the child actors. At the core is a love story between its principle characters but a larger theme unfolds in the vignette stories within the plot, one which weaves through and binds all the characters in Magnolia-esque fashion. It is a theme of lost innocence in the rapidly shrinking boundaries of the digital age and the simultaneous self-imposed isolation in which we increasingly place ourselves.
I really wanted to like this movie, as I've already been a fan of Miranda July for some time. Her 1998 album The Simon-Binet Test ranks among one of my favorite spoken-word albums ever. In her first outing as a feature film director, Ms. July certainly exhibits plenty of passion for her project and it shows in the care with which it is filmed. While not visually stunning, nor creatively shot, nor possessing any iconic photographic moments, it is pleasing to watch. Unfortunately, she drops the ball on everything else.
There simply is very little character development. They're caricatures with no histories or futures; just shallow impressions of people you know or have known. This lack of depth in character makes it difficult to invest in anyone in the picture. Also with concern to character, there's very few people who you feel like you can actually believe. Everyone talks in literate double-entendres and does quirky, eccentric things which are windows into their SOUL, man. The pretentiousness of July's characters becomes laughable after a while. To her credit, she has one character point this out to the character she portrays, when he accuses of her behaving like she's a character in a book.
Which is ultimately, the problem with the movie. I was constantly conscious of the fact that this was a FILM. I was never sucked into the story and I never cared what happened to anyone in it.
Blue Velvet (1986)
In stark contrast, David Lynch's treatment of the loss of innocence of a couple of small town busy bodies is multi-faceted, multi-layered, filled with rich characters and stories. I've seen the film a few times and decided to revisit it when I discovered that my girlfriend was not familiar with Lynch's work in general and Blue Velvet in particular.
As a story-writer, Lynch grasps and utilizes something which Miranda July didn't employ: the importance of a credible straight man. In Kyle MacLachlan's portrayal of Jeffrey, we have the all-American kid from small-town America, home from college to be with his family after his father has a stroke. After finding a severed human ear in a vacant lot, a mystery unfolds which he decides to investigate further, finding himself sucked into a seedy underworld completely foreign to anything he has ever known. As the parade of ne'er-do-wells crawl out from the rocks he begins to look under, their eccentricities, flaws, and depravity are magnified by the foil of Jeffrey's wholesome goodness.
Dennis Hopper's portrayal of Frank Booth stands as one of the great bad guys in modern cinema. The reason is that, for all of his psychosis, he's basically a hopeless romantic at heart giving his character a quality that you can't help but like, even if he expresses it in completely inappropriate, sadistic, and morally reprehensible ways. Most complicated of all is probably Isabella Rosselini's treatment of Dorothy Valens, a character who, to this day, I still can't wrap my head fully around. Most of all, she makes me feel embarrassed for her, which is a testament to Rossellini's performance and the guts it took for her to portray a character like Dorothy.
With an inventive score/sound design, interesting photographic compositions, and the sorts of scenes and characters that stay with you for a lifetime, Blue Velvet is classic cinema, in every sense of the word.
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  ong time, no type LiveJournalers! I haven't had much to report and have been working my butt off the past two weeks. When do I ever go more than a week without posting? And no one NUDGED ME! I.. I'm just beside myself with heartache and contempt.
I had to break the silence though because I'm excited about a new feature the good folks at LJ are implementing, one I've been wanting for a while. It's currently being tested by Permanent Member accounts, but will be a basic feature to everyone in a few weeks. You will be able to track the comments to an entry, or even a particular thread, in your friends journals and communities, by way of e-mail notification. That way you are alerted when anyone jumps into the conversation anywhere in the post/thread, and not just when they reply to you. It's about time.
Another LJ curiosity I'd like to report is a milestone for my journal. I had planned to make a big deal over the first person who commented on this entry, as it would've been my 10,000th comment, but then I got an anonymous comment to an old photo entry from back in the spring and that kinda ruined it. But whoever comments first I guess will be the 10,001st. so... yay!
 he butt working-off has come in the form of lots and lots of miles, to the tune of over 9,000 in the past 10 days. I should get home tonight or tomorrow morning and return to my dear Welf. Her pal and our mutual livejournal.friend erebrandir is going to be coming in from Alabama to spend a few days with us. The three of us have plans to meet-up with yourtourniquet in Newport on Saturday night to see Emo Phillips perform. I got to see him a few years ago in Lexington and look forward to seeing him again. While you certainly can appreciate his humor on a TV screen, there's no substitute for his stage presence. For one, the dude is HUGE. At least, he's a lot bigger than you expect. And then there's the heavy mouth breathing and the spastic body language coupled with the sing-song delivery. For my money, Emo is probably one of the top ten stand-up comedians EVER.period. It should be awesome, and I'll finally have an opportunity to buy yourtourniquet that shot of whiskey I promised her so long ago.
 finally saw Casablanca for the first time. I had seen scenes from it countless times or seen/heard it referenced and parodied even more than that. Despite this, after watching it entirely and investing in the story and the characters, I still teared up just a little bit during the final scene at the airport with Bogart and Bergman. I guess this makes me a pussy or something. Peter Lorre was deliciously weird as usual, but I wish he had had some more screen time. I also have been continuing with my Hitchcock immersion, and by chance, I recently watched Notorious, also with Ingrid Bergman just before Casablanca. I've become rather smitten with her. Anyone know of any other good Ingrid Bergman films I should check out?
 es, yes, I know, you skimmed all that useless stuff above and came straight to the gams. These dandies belong to insignificantxx.
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 ne of the things I'm enjoying about pulling loads for the 48-states general account is that there is much more variety in the places I go and, probably even more interesting, the types of places that I go. Before, I loaded at the same 4 or 5 plants and then took them to the same sorts of places: moving and storage warehouses, lumber yards, and a mixture of home improvement superstores and mom n' pop retailers. This was what I did for the first three years as a truck driver, which was comforting as a rookie driver to have a routine which varied little, but eventually it became monotonous. Just one of the plethora of reasons why trying something new was appealing to me.
I've been thinking that with all of these neat places I'm getting to see, it'd be fun to start documenting them photographically. These won't be large collections, just a few pictures when and where I'm allowed to be (or can get away with) taking them. Logistically speaking, I've created a miscellaneous album in my photo gallery which will have additional sub-albums of these various facilities rather than their own top-level albums. For the purposes of LiveJournal, I intend to share a photo or two in the text of my daily/weekly entries just for the voyeuristic pleasure of seeing something you might not see every day, with a minimum of fanfare and words. The picture will also serve as a link to the sub-album in question if you care to click-through and see the rest of the photos.
Today for instance, Joe and I made a delivery to a Freightliner Chassis manufacturing plant in Gaffney, South Carolina. The lot was filled with the skeletons of what would eventually become trucks. There were guys driving some of them around, which was really surreal.
Speaking of Joe, I managed to capture him in a photo, too.
ovies
 Secret Agent (1936)
Featuring a cast which boasts John Geilgud, Robert Young and Peter Lorre, Hitchcock weaves a love story into a tale of international intrigue. Not as visually masterful as some of his other films but oodles more engaging than a similar Hitchcock film made just two years prior (The Man Who Knew Too Much, also featuring Lorre). Young and Geilgud's performances are on the spot, but it's Lorre who steals the show as he usually does. Presented only as The General, a spy of questionable loyalties and an even more dubious ethnicity, Lorre speaks hilariously broken English while traipsing about with a curly perm, moustache, and hoop earring. Secret Agent is not a great enough of a film that you'll remember a lot about it for very long after watching it, but you'll never forget Lorre's performance in it: outstanding.
Kid Dynamite (1943)
Set in Brooklyn during the war era, it is the story of Mugs, a street ruffian and leader of his gang of neighborhood friends. He spends his days trying to one-up his rivals and friends in pool halls, boxing rings, and while jitterbugging on the dance floor while commiting petty crimes to make a living. When his friend costs him the loss of a pool game, a boxing match, and a dance contest and then proposes to his sister, things get out of hand until his sister's fiance joins the ultimate gang, The United States Army. Now untouchable and garnering the sort of respect Mugs has always sought to obtain, he is forced to evaluate his moral choices in life. It's not a horrible film and is often very funny. The over-the-top Brooklyn accents are typical (think Bugs Bunny: girl=goil, turn=toin, etc) of the era as are the social values depicted. The preachy nature of the film about what it means to "be an American" and having a sense of "duty" is a little overbearing at times, but all in all it's an entertaining film from start to finish.
Africa Screams (1949)
Posing as seasoned expeditioners, Abbott and Costello con their way into a safari, which has a nefarious ulterior motive involving diamonds. The film is full of typical plot devices involving humans disguised as animals resulting in a comedic mistaken identity, alligator infested rivers, and of course, cannibals. This is probably the first Abbot and Costello movie I've ever seen in its entirety and I seldom stopped laughing. I look forward to seeing many more.
The Truman Show (1998)
By now everyone knows the premise of this film whether they've seen it or not. Jim Carrey is Truman, a man whose entire life has been televised without his knowledge or consent for the viewing pleasure of millions. His entire life (home, work, marriage, etc) is fabricated and he's the only one who doesn't know it. Slowly he begins to unravel the secret and put the pieces together to discover the truth. It is well written, well acted, cleverly shot, and has great production design making it very entertaining and fun to watch. Yet, I couldn't help feeling that the film tried to tackle too many transcendent themes rather than try to stick with one and go for it good and hard. There were themes about the nature of entertainment, the power of television, man's purpose, the nature of love, God complexes, and on and on and on. In doing so, the film loses an opportunity to impart a moral/caution, or at the very least, to leave the viewer with a powerful question in their minds about how they feel about any of these themes. They weakened the potency of any one of these by watering it down with mini-themes about all of them.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
Stupid. Funny. Stupid Funny. If you like SpongeBob, you'll love this movie. If you're not a fan of SpongeBob, you won't be converted.
 Death Tunnel (2005)
This is probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of bad movies. I mean, we're talking top ten, maybe top five bad movies. It's SO BAD that I recommend seeing it just to see what a REALLY BAD MOVIE looks like. The star of this film is its set, shot entirely on location at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky (a place I'm hoping to visit this year incidentally). To be fair, the directors of this film didn't set-out to make a feature-length horror film, they were there initially to shoot a documentary called Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium which, to their credit, has been well received. Unfortunately Netflix doesn't carry the film so I guess I'll be reduced to buying it sometime in the near future. Aaaaaanyway, where did this movie go wrong? It has all the markings of what could be quite a fun genre film. First of all, great location. Secondly, it has a tried and true premise: buxom college coeds dared to spend the night in a haunted place for some boneheaded initiation prank... in their lingerie. Genius! Even the photography and editing is above par, in that hip, fast-motion style that is all the rage in modern horror. Considering it was made on a budget of only 2 million dollars, it's an impressive feat. Five girls, Five floors, Five hours. That's the dare. Oh yeah, and the girls are named Devon, Elizabeth, Ashley, Tori and Heather. DEATH! Get it? So what's wrong? The narrative is what's wrong. There is no character development, the story is confusing and dumb, and the ending makes absolutely no sense. In case you're wondering, the film's title refers to a feature of the hospital. Alternately, referred to as the scariest and most haunted place on earth, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium was the site of over 63,000 deaths from tuberculosis in the early 20th century. The tunnel is a 500 foot subterranean passageway which was used to remove the bodies from the premises clandestinely so it wouldn't be a constant source of depression for the hospital's patients. That said, yeah I recommend seeing it, just to see how awful a movie can be.
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 called the landlord of the duplex yesterday evening and spoke with him at length about it. He is willing to work with me on a 6-month lease and he informed me that he thinks he can have it ready for us to move-in by the first of May. I'm going to touch-base with him around Easter and see if that anticipated vacancy date is still realistic. In related news, my youngest brother recently swallowed some pride and moved home with my mom and dad for a little while after unexpectedly being downsized out of a job. He's going to let me borrow some of his furniture (that's sitting in storage at the moment) for this little "trial period" to which welfy and I have agreed. He even has a washer and dryer I could use if I fee like moving it.
he forthcoming weekend should prove to be fun. I'm visiting Welf in Pennsylvania, but we won't be there very long. We're taking a road trip up to Rochester, NY to spend the weekend with stormodacentury and dsptchrgal. Saturday will provide me with an opportunity to finally see Stormo and his band The Emersons play live. There's also a big adventure planned for the weekend as well. Rochester has a small subway system which was closed in 1956. Only 2 miles of it was truly subterranean, the rest of it an open causeway below street level. A lot of the old causeway sections have yet to filled and the 2-mile tunnel is supposedly still accessible. It should be fun!
ovies
 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Set in the era of the Women's Lib movement of late 1970's, Will Ferrell is San Diego's top anchorman who begrudgingly has to work with *gasp* female newswoman Christina Applegate. Funny and entertaining with a respectable ensemble cast including ample cameos from the usual suspects (Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Fred Willard, Tim Robbins, Steve Carell). The rumble between the network news teams is worth the whole movie. Priceless.
Elizabethtown (2005)
By now, most people are familiar with Cameron Crowe's story: at the age of fifteen he published freelance articles for Rolling Stone magazine (as chronicled in the film Almost Famous) then went on two write/direct not one, but two, definitive 80's teen flicks (Fast Times and Ridgemont High and Say Anything) as well as a definitive 90's love story (Jerry McGuire). Oh yeah, somewhere along the way, he managed to marry a rock star (Nancy Wilson of Heart). His latest offering, in a career as a film-maker which has been sporadic and quirky to say the least, has a semi-autobiographical edge to it as well. The title of the film refers to the city of Elizabethtown, Kentucky which for me made the film immediately interesting as there are few films set in my home state, particularly ones with this sort of budget. I knew Crowe was going to give serious attention to detail when Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst first meet, and Dunst gives Bloom a lesson on how to pronounce Louisville. Crowe admits that this film is one big love letter to the state of Kentucky, the birthplace of his real-life father, and his recognition that while he may not have lived here himself, its influence on him through his father is undeniable. The film is full of things only someone who has lived in here can fully appreciate: Bloom standing in the kitchen drinking an Ale81, Dunst slouching around her apartment in a Maker's Mark T-shirt, references to the Bluegrass Parkway, Lexington, and Bardstown, scenes shot at the Brown Hotel, and the accents - OMG the accents! It's refreshing to watch a film dealing with my home state which doesn't resort to convenient caricatures and hackneyed stereotypes a la Next of Kin.  Crowe intelligently captures the essence of Central Kentucky; it is not Midwestern, nor Southern, nor Appalachian but an eclectic blend of it all and so much more. It is in this way that Kentucky is the real star of this movie reducing Bloom and Dunst to supporting roles and Alec Baldwin (who has a delicious role) and Susan Sarandon to cameos. It would be amazing that this movie was made at all except when you consider that Tom Cruise (who spent a few formative and destitute years growing-up in Louisville) served as an Executive Producer on the film. Story-wise, it is typically Croweccentric, teeming with the pith of real life and honest emotion. As director, it is typical Crowe faire as well with extended music montages and his trademark: someone singing in a car. Overall it is a touching and moving film that is an obvious labor of love, even if it will never enjoy the "definitive" status of some of his other films. Although if you've ever spent any amount of time in Central Kentucky, you might just find it a little on the definitive-side afterall.
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  y goober of a girlfriend has lampooned me! Not only did she completely mock my entry about my new truck, but she did a parody of the video.
My only two "creative" video endeavors have been the subject of parody, now; ed_aims having apparently set a precedent last summer.
ovies
 The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
A deft blend of court-room drama with horror. Even if you're not typically a fan of the horror genre, you can appreciate this film. It isn't gory, nor does it utilize mind-boggling CG effects. The scariness lies in the story and in the performance by Jennifer Carpenter. It is beautifully shot, well-directed, and full of strong performances.
Saw (2004) & Saw II (2005)
I watched these two movies back to back this week. The first film is awesome for a variety of reasons, the two principal ones being the relative talent and what I call the "wtf? factor". The first film features the acting talents of Cary Elwes and Danny Glover, while the second film relies on a brooding and boring Donnie Whalberg. But that's not the real problem. The real problem is that in the first film, you have no idea what is going-on from the opening sequence, and you're immediately drawn in and kept constantly guessing as the story unfolds, even until the very end. In the second movie, the magic is gone because you know the trick. While there are still some surprises in the second movie, it doesn't have that edge-of-your-seat quality like the first. That said, these are very much genre films. Whereas The Exorcism of Emily Rose has the capacity to appeal to a broader audience, these movies will only be of interest to you if you're a fan of the genre, especially the highly-stylized horror films of the last decade.
 Benny and Joon (1993)
This has been a movie I've wanted to see for a long time but never had the opportunity until now. Seeing it now is probably more interesting because it is chock-full of people whose stars were just starting to rise but were virtual unknowns at the time, like William H. Macy and Julianne Moore. It also features good lead and character work from the likes of Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masternson, Aidan Quinn, CCH Pounder, Dan Hedaya, and Oliver Platt. It's a multi-faceted love story, all centered around Joon (Masterson), a mentally-ill woman who is the sister of Benny (Quinn). Depp is Sam, a quirky and loveable outsider who falls in love with Joon much to dismay of her brother. The various plot-lines resolve themselves neatly and predictably as you would expect in any date-movie, which is all this is. It's better than most, but not great.
 Boogie Nights (1997)
Julianne Moore and William H. Macy would team-up with the other Whalberg kid, Mark, for Paul Thomas Anderson's astonishing film about the golden era of the porn industry. From the first sequence of this movie, you know you're in for a treat, with its amazing, continuous opening shot. With an ensemble cast which also features strong performances from Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Burt Reynolds, Boogie Nights is simultaneously heart-wrenching and hilarious.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
This movie tries too hard to be a Tim Burton knock-off at times, but is entertaining and fun none-the-less. The voice-over narration is often clever but, while the larger-than-life character of self-important actor Count Olaf deserves a certain amount of over-the-top acting, Jim Carrey's scenery chewing antics become a bit tedious after a while.
Corpse Bride (2005)
Burton's latest stop-animation endeavor is commendable on many artistic levels. The set and models are gorgeous and the dark humor is great, but ultimately it's lacking in character development. You just don't care or become attached to anyone because you're not given enough to sympathize or relate to them in any way.
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 'm in Omaha. Robert's off the truck and on a bus headed for North Carolina. I have completed the hoop-jumping and paperwork signing necessary to be in the owner/operator division of my company. I even have a spiffy new employee number.
The company I'm renting/purchasing the truck through doesn't have the kind I want prepped and ready to go and it could still be several days, up to a week even. It looks as if I will drive another truck temporarily for them until they can get the one I want ready. I've been trying to avoid this, because I HATE truck move-in/move-out and now I'll have to do it twice.
 hen I visited with justamy on Monday, I made her take me out for some authentic Kansas City barbecue. In all the times I've visited her, we had never eaten barbecue. It was so good. Then on Tuesday, in observance of the sacred holiday I gorged myself with Never-Ending SteakTM at a Travel Centers of America truck stop in Denver. Yesterday, I had grilled pastrami and swiss with mayo on rye, courtesy of my in-truck grill'n machine. By last night, I had some serious heart burn. I felt like I was breathing fire.
For lunch, I'm making grilled havarti cheese sandwiches on rye. I wish I had some tomato. That would rock so hard.
OVIES
The Return of Spinal Tap
I loved This Is Spinal Tap. Own it in fact. So I thought it'd be fun to see this pseudo-sequel, a concert movie of Spinal Tap. It's the first movie in a long, long time that I turned off before it was over because I was so bored with it. And I watch a lot of bad movies. To give you an idea of just how bored I was consider the movie I watched next.
American Pie Presents: Band Camp
 I actually made it all the way through this one. Not this was any great movie, in fact it was awful, yet watchable. This is due partially to the fact that I'm a dude and there is ample T&A throughout. But there is a reason this movie went straight to video; it lacks the charm and talent of its predecessors. I don't know how Eugene Levy got roped into doing this installment of the American Pie franchise. I'm guessing he inked the contract before anyone else and no way to back-out when none of the cast returned. Maybe he just wanted the paycheck. He, and the dude that played the science-fiction geek minor character "The Sherminator" are the only links to the original film. The story, in a nutshell, revolves around junior high school student Matt Stiffler, the younger brother of the older Stiffler, eager to have the same sort of legacy as his brother. After a rather heinous public prank on the highschool band during the graduation ceremony of the senior class, The Sherminator, who is now the school guidance counselor, sentences him to spend the summer at band camp. Eugene Levy's tie to band camp is that he serves as the "conflict counselor" in the absence of his daughter in-law (the band-geek from the other films) who is pregnant by his son Jim. Hilarity, hi-jinks, and nudity ensue. In the end, young Stiffler is redeemed when he learns that good friends, regardless of their nerd-factor, are more important than being cool and a jerk. All together now: awwwwwww. The real surprise for me was Arielle Kebell who is a breath of fresh air and cute as all get out. Not worth your while, really, but if you've seen the other three, you might as well just for the completist in you.
Bubba Ho-tep
 Elvis (Bruce Campbell) switched places with an impersonator in the 1970's, then the impersonator died famously in the bathroom at Graceland. The King is now laid-up in an east Texas nursing home waiting to die from a cancerous growth on his penis. Along with an elderly black man who claims he's John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis), they make an unlikely geriatric super-duo who must fight the forces of evil in the form of a 3000 year old Egyptian mummy sucking the souls from the assholes of the home's patients. Not only does the film have a great premise and is incredibly funny, but it has a lot of heart and soul about a once great man seeking a way to redeem himself in the final moments of his life. This is one movie you should not miss.
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 here's no way I can keep-up with reviewing everything I watch though I'll likely still do them from time to time. Here's a quick and dirty list of everything I've watched in the past couple of weeks. Feel free to chime in if ya like.
Red Eye
Wes Craven makes an honest-to-god thriller. Not bad.
The Wedding Crashers
Vince Vaughn is manic, Owen Wilson is an aw-shucks good guy. Was this supposed to be a comedy?
Million Dollar Baby
Two aging actors with limited acting range and a hot chick with an unconvincing southern accent in a depressing movie.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Zoolander on steroids.
The Ring Two
Not as scary as the first, which isn't saying much
Utopia
Laurel and Hardy's last film. Uncharacteristic depth. Not bad.
Flying Deuces
One of Laurel and Hardy's more famous films. Stanley at the wash basin is priceless.
The Wizard of Oz
Silent era version that's tedious yet interesting given its famous remake. Features a very young Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man.
The Naked Gun 331/3
You know the drill. Leslie Nielson owns me.
Black Brigade
Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams in a 70's blaxploitation movie set during World War II.
Must Love Dogs
Diane Lane's class and John Cusack's cool can't save this maudlin romantic comedy.
Collateral
Jamie Fox is boring but Tom Cruise's character is interesting. Michael Mann's stylish direction is superb and the nighttime high-def digital cinematography is awesome.
National Treasure
Typical Bruckheimer action flick with typical Nicholas Cage performance.
The People Vs. Larry Flint
Courtney Love's BOOBS. I imagine her portrayal as Flint's addict wife wasn't too much of a stretch.
Velocity
Roger Corman repackages an early Jack Nicholson movie called The Wild Ride as one big flashback sequence in a modern setting. Nicholson's beatnik lingo is hep, daddy-o.
Mercury Rising
Alec Baldwin wants a retarded kid dead and only Bruce Willis can save him.
Runaway Jury
With Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack, AND the yummy Rachel Weisz, the weak source material (a John Grisham book) is somewhat salvaged.
Closer
Beautiful people (Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts) in depraved circumstances are mean and nasty to each other and you could care less.
8 Mile
Eminem gives a respectable performance. I was mildly impressed.
Underworld
Kate Beckinsale is one sexy, badass vampire. Goth Matrix!
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for one think that the Shirelles were asking "Can I believe the magic of your size?" in "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?".
I became a "Lost" dork a couple of weeks ago when I was inadvertently exposed to the first season pilot by a friend. This resulted in my renting the entire first season and becoming engrossed. I typically am not a huge fan of supernatural entertainment unless there is double-penetration involved. "Lost" is not so much episodic television as it is one REALLY long movie which obviously required a lot of fore-thought in the writing process to weave the various story lines together. Even the way it is shot is more reminiscent of cinema than television. Hopefully its creators will take the story where ever I'm sure they've already planned and end it. If they begin adding bullshit things to extend the life of the show, it'll jump the shark for sure.
After all the hype about "Arrested Development" on my f-list for the past couple of years, I decided to rent the first two seasons of it as well. Definitely a funny show and certainly one of the quirkier things to come down the pike in a while. For you fans hoping that Showtime will pick this show up, I think this is the worst thing that could happen. A good deal of what's great about AD is what they get away with on broadcast television. It's funny because they have to bleep the language, use double entendres, and blur the nudity. Most of the humor is generated from the creative writing necessary to circumvent the censors and at the same time allow you to complete the joke or visual image in your own head. I think being on a pay/subscription channel will kill that.
Robert and I are kicking ass and taking names with concern to miles. We've been driving virtually non-stop for the past 36 hours. I've got the night-shifts right now as he's still on curfew and cannot drive between midnight and 6am, which is fine with me. I kinda like the peacefulness of the road at night.
Shadow Of a Doubt - (1943)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock |
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