“Can ten years of imaginary training be put to use? Apparently, it can.”
“Let’s show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown.”
1. There Will Be Blood
2. Batman Begins
3. Ghostbusters
4. Barton Fink
5. Old Boy
6. My Left Foot
7. Ratatouille
8. Cloverfield
9. Juno
10. 9 Lives
It’s been so long, Ron. I had almost forgotten what it was like out there in space, on the run, looking for Earth.
1. Veronica Mars
2. Lost
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. Torchwood
5. Flight of the Conchords
6. The League of Gentlemen
7. The Mighty Boosh
8. Witch Hunter Robin
9. Robot Chicken
10.
Of course I couldn’t just leave that rich mine of musical data alone.
After much research I have determined what I can say are, in purely scientific terms, the greatest songs ever recorded.
Follow the link for a ridiculously long list: Continue reading →
A few weeks ago, a conversation came up about our favorite bands. As usual, I didn’t have a list of favorite musicians floating within easy grasp. I like lots of music. In fact, I’m not sure there is a kind of music I dislike.
So, my obsessiveness kicked in and I decided to figure out who my favorite bands and singers were by sifting through my music collection and counting up the number of songs I really enjoyed by each artist. I briefly considered working out some kind of signal to noise ratio, taking into consideration the volume of work, but that sounded too complicated. So I went for the sheer number of awesome songs.
Here’s what I came up with:
1. U2
2. Weird Al Yankovic
3. Steve Taylor
4. Toad the Wet Sprocket
5. Pink Floyd
6. INXS
7. They Might Be Giants
8. The Beatles
9. The Police
10. Indigo Girls
11. Billy Joel
12. R.E.M.
13. Sting
14. Nine Inch Nails
15. Moxy Fruvous
16. Syd’s Misconception
17. Pearl Jam
18. Soul Coughing
19. Bon Jovi
20. Jars of Clay
So there it is. I think this list comprises types of music that resonate with every aspect of my personality. I see passion, social change, sarcasm, unconventional spirituality, introspection, melancholy, regret, vast inner landscapes, fun, sex, nostalgia, innocence, poetry, feminine energy, anger, depression, friendship, longing, eclecticism, attitude, and humility.
I dug up something from the archives and incorporated it into the retroblog. Since it is around spring break now, I thought it appropriate.
Whoops, forgot to update the TV list.
This is all you need to know about Flight of the Conchords.
1. Veronica Mars
2. Lost
3. Torchwood
4. Flight of the Conchords
5. The League of Gentlemen
6. The Mighty Boosh
7. Witch Hunter Robin
8. Robot Chicken
9.
10.
I had forgotten how amazing Batman Begins was. I hadn’t seen it since the theater. The cast is just saturated with talent, a who’s who of amazing non-genre actors bringing their A game to a genre film. As far as I know, this is the only superhero film to have pulled that off.
Since Nukes is sadly behind in his watching of the Coen Brother’s filmography, we watched Barton Fink last night. This was the first Coen Brothers film I had ever seen. It had been part of a class in college. I don’t think I appreciated it nearly as much as I did last night. It is definitely up there as one of the top Coen Brothers films.
1. There Will Be Blood
2. Batman Begins
3. Barton Fink
4. My Left Foot
5. Ratatouille
6. Cloverfield
7. Juno
8. 9 Lives
9. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
10. Charlie Bartlett
So now I can say I successfully put on a film festival!
My mother flew in from Ohio to be there. I hadn’t seen her in years, so it was great to have her visit for a few days. She said I had really nice friends, which I knew already, but it is good to know I haven’t unwittingly fallen in with some riff raff.
There was only a minor technical glitch during one of the films. Suddenly the screen went black where it wasn’t meant to. A cold panic set in. But by the time I entered the lobby to find the manager, the picture had returned.
People came up to me afterwards and told me how much they enjoyed the movies. Everyone seemed to have their own favorite. Mine was “Longshots,” which was about a mother and daughter’s relationship working on a horse farm.
On Tuesday, I received an email from Meredith Stout, the filmmaker behind Walk in My Shoes. She informed me that Zelma Brown, the poet whose work is featured in the film, had passed away in her sleep. I let her know that Zelma was very much alive on the night of the festival and that her words had impact. It was an honor to be able to share her words with everyone.
My plan for the festival has been to pass it off on to someone else who feels inspired to take it over. So I will see if that happens. I’m also interested in having people in other cities have their own version of the festival. But as for me, I will be moving on to other projects.
It was a fantastic experience and I learned that I can accomplish projects that are larger than anything I had taken on before. That’s a good thing to know.
It has been a long day. I had at least three days today.
I had already planned to take the day off in order to navigate the bureaucratic morass that is the Texas Department of Transportation. In Texas, if you want to get a Driver’s License, you must own a car. That car must be registered in Texas. Before getting registered, the car must pass an inspection. Each step of this process is cash only and requires a bunch of identification and other paperwork.
I had accumulated all of the proper documents and withdrew a fat wad of cash and then headed out to face these trials. I was defeated almost immediately by the vehicle inspection. I knew that two of my oxygen sensors needed to be replaced and this had never blocked an inspection in Albuquerque. Not so in Texas. The repairs would cost hundreds of dollars.
This, coupled with the fact that the A/C needed repairs (for $2000), prompted my decision to forgo this tedious process and just buy a new car. New cars came with Texas registrations built in, so all I needed to do was get a driver’s license.
I came home, did some research, found out that I could not afford a hybrid or a new vehicle of any kind. I then hunted around on CarMax and found a few prospects. They all looked good on paper and were in my price range. So I went down there to have a look at the vehicles in person. I really like SUVs, so that was what I started looking at.
My car buying methods are fairly mystical and involve sitting in the driver’s seat to see if the car speaks to me. There is a lot of gut instinct as well. When I sat down in my new car, I knew immediately it was the right one. I looked at others after it, but I could tell we weren’t a match.
I had to say goodbye to my trusty Rodeo. It is one of the few material objects I have a bond with. We had been through so many adventures and hardships. But I had to let it go before I pushed it too far.
So I am now the proud owner of a PT Cruiser! It looks like a sleek, burgundy scout ship, at home dodging asteroids and delivering contraband to the rebel forces.
I feel like an era has ended and new one has just begun.
I received a package this morning from Spain. It was laden with films created by women filmmakers. I have watched some incredible submissions in the past week and I’m quite excited about the potential lineup for the festival. There are a few late arrivals on their way, but I should still be able to make an announcement by this weekend.