Category: Uncategorized

new this week: we went to santa barbara for a night this weekend where the weather was beautiful, the one wine tasting we made it to was just okay, the dinner was great, but the bar we went to afterward was a little douchey. so overall, i think it averaged out to somewhere between pretty good and actually good.

yesterday i finished half life 2 proper and get to move on to the two little half-life-lettes that accompany it.

also, i’m pretty sure i’ve pinpointed what i might call my three biggest weaknesses in a week full of poker playing. now i’m hoping that knowing how i suck is part of the path to sucking less. wish me luck with that.

slacking, brian. have you no thoughts, no ideas, no stories to tell?

well, let’s see. my very slow february suddenly became a fairly busy march at work, and it was like opening floodgates. i even worked yesterday for six of my normally lazy sunday hours, neglecting my customary call home to the parents (sorry, mom) and my hypothetical gym schedule (sorry, gut). we did squeeze in a birthday lunch with jessica’s mom before i reported for duty though, and her cumpleanos seemed more feliz for our being there. we also had dinner with gino and sarah and planned our may new york trip, which is becoming more real and therefore more exciting by the day.

what have i failed to report over the last couple weeks? well, my sister is an amazing singer now that she’s close to finishing college, chicago was nice but damn cold even in march, and i am no longer allowed to order chocolate milkshakes on pat’s behalf from the wiener’s circle. apparently i am bad at being the butt of a joke.

saw an excellent mountain goats show, finished a few books, and am starting to play some online poker in an attempt to teach myself not to suck as badly. those lessons are coming slowly and with their share of frustration and lost dollars. but i am confident that if i can just lose enough times in a short period of time, i might learn to fold when i’m goddamned supposed to.

the most dramatic update: i got a new pair of glasses which should come this week. they will replace my old ones which were generic looking and had cracked lenses of a weak prescription. i’m anxious for the sleeker, sexier version of nerdiness that will cement my cute bookish hipster profile. ‘why yes, i do enjoy the occasional mcsweeney’s publication, would you like to make out with me?’ jessica will be sure to put down her newsweek, helpless with geek lust, and pounce all over me without even turning off the flight of the conchords episode playing in the background. can’t wait!

one weekend, two concerts. last night’s magnetic fields show was very pleasant, and although that sounds banal i mean it in the most flattering way. it wasn’t exactly exciting, because for the first time in my experience at the henry fonda, they had folding chairs set up in rows. i was not expecting to sit, but it made sense; the magnetic fields don’t put on so much a rock show as a musical performance. for what it was, though, the first word that comes to mind is ‘gorgeous’.

they’re just such a talented bunch when it comes to crafting cleverly worded, well-constructed pop music. i love stephen merritt’s songwriting in all its various incarnations, all of which they pulled from for their two-part set (intermission at a rock show? unheard of!). the way his lyrics dance along the line between profound and funny is unbeatable. and as a collective, i think they make great decisions as to which singer and what music best fits each song, even when the live version isn’t exactly faithful to the original. as strange as it was to be sitting still and listening instead of toe-tapping or head-nodding at a concert, the serenity served to highlight the gorgeous quality of beautiful music coming together. the less-distorted versions of songs from their new album distortion might even have improved when pared back to focus more on the words, and i just enjoyed myself the whole way through. finally seeing one of my favorites on a rare public appearance was a very satisfying way to spend 30-or-so dollars.

unfortunately, i wish i could say the same of friday’s MSTRKRFT show. if you read my buddy ted’s account, he absolutely loved it. i, however, am less enamored. not to disparrage him or them, but i think it took this show to point out exactly why i don’t have the same audio-crush on them that a few of my friends do.

being a big fan of their remix work (of which ted has also posted several great samples), i was expecting to like it way more than i did. but i quickly realized they came to play ‘their music’, not do a dj set. here’s the disconnect: i think they have absolutely mastered the craft (kraft?) of a very specific sound; a sort of crunchy, rock-and-roll, distorted synth sound that they use super effectively to take any song remotely danceable and knock it out of the dance club atmosphere. that’s why their remixes are so good — they take what’s already great and put it into overdrive. however, if you take the base sound that they’ve perfected for that purpose, and try to make it stand it on it’s own, you start to lose me. it’s just not a musical form i have any interest in, no matter the possible merits audible to the more initiated.

for example, listen to these quick slices from some of their mixes:

sample 1
sample 2
sample 3

and you have vaguely what the first hour of their live show is like. for a house music enthusiast (or ecstasy user), it might be spanish fly. but i am a person who likes a couple basic things when having a dance party: a little variety, and some words to sing or shout along to. i just could not get into what quickly became, to my ears, a droning repetitive buzz-saw house beat. when they pulled out some justice and daft punk samples at the end, i was ready to jump right back in there. but i have to say politely that by this point i had barely made it that far without walking out. i am just not a guy that likes house music. let me know next time you’re spinning at a club with actual songs, not just punching buttons on your BeatThumper 3000, and i will gladly give you vowel-snubbing scoundrels a second chance.

speaking of which, i give full credit to their opening act, dj z-trip, for doing exactly what i do like a dj to do. take some familiar and unfamiliar tracks, then mix and match them in fun and unexpected ways that show talent, finesse, and a desire to charm the pants off your crowd. check out his page for lots of downloads similar to what he spun at the show and tell me it isn’t more fun to listen to than an hour of MSTRKRFT’s pounding, and i will not believe you. so it wasn’t a total waste.

anyhow, back on the positive side and last night’s show. i’m currently adjusting my ears to the new magnetic fields songs as heard in their shoe-gazey form off the new cd i picked up at the show. i’m not sure i’m convinced this was the best way to go for them, but at the very least you get more classic lyrics from merritt’s notebook. i’m particularly fond of too drunk to dream, for it’s simple premise of getting fucked up in order to forget that formerly special someone. a precious pay day song pick for you to enjoy.

today is my brother’s birthday, and my friend gabe’s birthday. since they live in time zones ahead of mine, here’s hoping they are both drunker than i am right now as i prepare to leave work for the day.

also, i’m heading into a very musical weekend. mstrkrft tomorrow, magnetic fields sunday, mountain goats tuesday. i’m not sure i’ve ever been to three concerts in such rapid succession before, so here’s hoping my 27-year-old body won’t have any problems with such a rocking schedule.

after having this website for going on seven years (seven!?), and attempting throughout to write semi-coherent reviews of the entertainment i fill my evening hours with, i’m beginning to worry about a couple things.

one, that they aren’t very good or very helpful to anyone. telling all six of you regular readers how a movie or album i plunked down cash for aligned with my already-established tastes, just as i expected them to when i decided to fork over said cash, doesn’t get anyone anywhere. unless the reason you read this is because you know our similarities and differences well enough to say to yourself, ‘i know how brian thinks, and i’ll probably have a similar opinion,’ in which case i suppose i’m glad to have validated your 12 dollars.

two, as a corollary, is that i rarely if ever give anything below a 3 out of 5. as i just said, i think this is a symptom of knowing very well by now what my well-established tastes are, and only bothering with things that will suit them. so it’s never a question of, ‘will i like or dislike this thing i saw or heard?’, as much as ‘i knew i’d enjoy this because my taste-radar is a finely tuned instrument. now, did the work in question deliver on its promise to a fair, high, or outstanding degree?’

the second one is hard to do anything about without intentionally de-tuning that well-calibrated radar of mine, which i refuse to waste my precious time doing. perhaps it’s more a question of adjusting the scale to more varying degrees of good, and the rare category of ‘failure’ (*coughtransformerscough*). leaving the score part out altogether would alleviate the problem — with a simple ebert/digital ratings system (being both thumb-related and on/off status) — but then you have no ‘special award’ to give when you really love something. hmm.

the first, however, i intend to put much more effort toward. seven years of amateurish rambling can only get you so far; at some point you either throw in the towel or try to develop, and i favor the latter. if i want the act of writing in one form or another to be at the center of whatever i do career-wise, progress must be made. words must be cut, replaced, rearranged into something greater than thought vomit.

i’d start right this instant but what was meant to be a prelude to a couple book reviews got all grandiose and blathery. carry on for now.

pulled out the old animation show dvd box set last night for kicks — and because i haven’t watched them since picking up said box set — speaking of which, isn’t it about time for the next one guys? i seem to remember going to volume three around this time last year.

anyhow, i think a couple of my most favorite, and incidentally not part of the original program, are the brother, cousin, uncle trilogy of adam elliot. so sad and sweet and funny at the same time. i think i almost — shut up, i said almost — cry at the end of brother at the closing line which i hope i can faithfully remember:

memories of you i will always keep; god saw you were tired, so he put you to sleep…

so on the dvd they also mention his academy award-winning follow-up, harvie krumpet, from 2003, which i have never seen. now in this season of catching up on the oscar-nominated films i have guiltily neglected, i have decided to track it down in addition to all the obvious ones that have been recently added to the lengthy netflix queue. i mean, i suppose i could watch it on youtube or ifilm, as is apparently possible. in fact, i’d recommend you do just that if you’re less interested than i am, but still at least somewhat intrigued. i, however, refuse to take in such works in a degraded format, so i’m currently taking to the internets to find a higher quality option.

saturday’s valentines date turned out pretty cute. we made each other t-shirts over at fresh pressed, which was pretty cool (and were told by the owner that the lady ahead of us who’d brought two young boys with her was in fact a rock singer whose name may rhyme with Phiz Lair… we thought she looked familiar…). i have to grab the pictures from jessica’s camera so you can see our handywork. then we had a sweet little dinner at the charming la dolce vita. that was good solid too. sunday we did nothing and monday we had a barbeque with beer pong and rock band and superbad

the rest of the week has been pretty slow though. jessica was gone for a night and i realized quickly that it’s just a bit weird now being home alone for a whole night. a little too still, a little too quiet once i turn off the tv. april is going to suck, because she’ll be gone a lot more. maybe i can rent a puppy?

still meaning to go out and pick up copies of february’s hit albums from the ‘goats and the ‘chips, but until then a substitute pay day song to get you looking forward to march… when we’ll be blessed with some new music from we are scientists. stumbled on this first single last week and it’s getting a fair shake on the ipod, so i thought i’d let you join in the short wait to the full album. after hours may be a bit less kinetic than some of the hits off the last album, but i still think they’re all over the basic power-pop framework. fingers crossed the rest turns out this catchy.

(you can also check out their entertaining video here; i really appreciate their injection of an improv-comedy sensibility into their promos and other filmed projects. you can tell they’re just some dudes having a good time.)

yesterday, in what i can only hope was a non-valentine-related occurrence, i saw a dog with red painted toenails. not even a fancy poodle, where it would kind of make sense (would it though?), but a medium-sized, brownish, rascally-looking dog. too confused to even laugh, i was sadly not able to act fast enough to snap a photo either. the poor thing. how would peta feel about this situation?

anyway, happy valentine’s day, friends.

i am allowed to be excited by this holiday on some level because i have a special lady. we may not buy into all the cheesiness, but do see it as a good occasion to go out to a fancy dinner and be sappy, and that ain’t so bad. today at work a bunch of girls were emitting various giggles and squeals as they compared the floral arrangements they received from delivery men; that’s the part i’m not so into.

the very first year, we made the mutual decision to move our date night out to saturday to avoid the crowds and be able to fully enjoy our fill of wine. tonight she’s making a lovely meal at home so we don’t get gouged or treated badly by nerve-wracked wait-staff. that will be nice. last year, i cooked the ‘day of’ dinner, and she picked the saturday night special date location. we take turns. it’s a good system. i am fully content with our tradition.

cloverfield – 5 stars

i wondered aloud to jessica on the way home if this film was conceived before the fall of 2001 and postponed due to sensitivity, or in the years since, now that an acceptable distance has grown between that terrifying incident and the present in which this film occurs. a quick wikipedia check seems to suggest the latter, as well as including a summary of what various critics thought of the comparisons between this monster movie and those monstrous realities.

if you ask me, anyone who uses the parallels in plot and imagery as an excuse to dismiss this movie is missing the point, because this movie isn’t about ‘a horrible thing that happens to some poor new yorkers, that sorta resembles real events’. that would have been in poor taste, and yes, cheap.

but this is a movie about fear, plain and simple. the current world climate of anxiety feeding into it is merely a symptom of the times; it’s only one factor that contributes to the overwhelming, confusing state of pure terror these characters find themselves in.

through a well-executed handheld style that embodies that confusion, you’re sucked right into this emotional rollercoaster for 90 minutes of nail-biting and breath-holding. the building moments of ‘what’s happening here?’ uneasiness turn into ‘oh my god this is bad’ grief and sadness. the ‘what the fuck do we do now?’ uncertainty slowly becomes a ‘this is crazy but i have to get through this’ intensity.

seeing — or in most cases, barely glimpsing; or only seeing once it’s too late — exactly what you’d see if you were trapped as they are by the circumstances serves to translate the fear better than any monster or horror movie since the blinking dot snuck up on the unfortunate alien crew member. i left this movie literally exhausted and shaky from how much i felt every brutal beat of this story in my own body.

the obvious blair witch comparison both helps and hurts this movie; i’ll admit to really liking that film as well for pulling me in and truly scaring me. but i’d describe that as an experiment in unsettling creepiness, the fear of the unknown. here, it becomes clear very quickly that what you’re afraid of, what you’re running from, hiding from, fighting off successfully or unsuccessfully, is right there, in your face, and real no matter how much you wish it was a nightmare. as far as telling a full and satisfying story, this film far surpasses its predecessor.

a real credit to the people behind this project. a brilliant concept — monster movie from the perspective of the man on the street running in terror — was pulled off impressively when it could have been a disappointment. a genre so full of predictably ‘unpredictable’ scare moments or token gore is given a refreshing jolt of real emotion. and even the monster itself is new and interesting. kudos all around.

one word to the wise though. if you leave the theatre right after this movie and go up to the grove parking garage, as we did, watch out for an oncoming car driving over some metal grating and making a loud THUMP THUMP noise as it passes; you might almost shit your pants and look around you for explosions. the movie’s that good.

it was a good weekend. our team took a second straight victory at little bar’s trivia night saturday, with knowledge of such things as ‘movies with the word “black” in the title’, ‘famous people named jane’, miscellaneous theatre and plant-related questions, and a bunch of popular actors’ early, lesser-known roles. it was a glorious triumph.

then last night, i finally finished an outer-space RPG on the xbox i’ve been playing for weeks and weeks. the one you may have seen misinformed news anchors decrying for it’s ‘explicit sexual content’… which was really about 10 seconds of tactfully-angled foreplay less arousing than even the tamest of prime-time romantic scenes. silly reactionary media. the game was actually terrific. more so the farther in i got, getting more addicting and compelling with every chapter. check it out if your nerdy sci-fi itch needs scratching between seasons of battlestar galactica. 5 out of 5 and ready for the sequel whenever they want to crank that out.

we also tried a new combination on the ol’ panini griller — chicken breasts marinated in lawry’s baja sauce with chipotle basil pesto, roasted red peppers and goat cheese. sooooo good. though i’m thinking maybe a meltier, gentler cheese might be a slightly better choice for next time to go with such a powerfully tasty sauce. lots of experimenting to be done with that thing.

the latest episode of the wire, of course, continued to blow me away. only a handfull of episodes in, and i’m already preparing to grieve for the loss of one of the best shows in forever ever.

oh and also there was this movie we saw…