Of course it's boring, that's the point. Write it down.

Haven’t been up to much lately, unfortunately. Looking for a job is a job, if you know what I mean. Hopefully something will turn up quick. So what have I been up to, besides reading the want ads? Watching a lot of movies, reading a lot of books, listening to a lot of music, and trying to will the Gunners and Hokies to good seasons. Here are some thoughts to what I’ve been watching and listening to.

Movies: As always, Sage and I are trying to see as many Oscar contenders as possible; not because we have votes but because we SHOULD have votes. I’ll have my detailed list of who should win before the big show, but here are some thoughts to some movies I’ve seen lately, in the theaters and on DVD.

Casino Royale. I had high expectations for this movie, as lots of people/critics said it was not only a return to James Bond’s roots, but one of the best Bonds ever. I did enjoy Daniel Craig a lot, but the movie had a ton of problems, not the least of which was that it took WAY too much time showing poker being played. Now, I love to play poker, and I watch a bit on TV. But using it in a movie to build suspense and tension was not what this Bond movie needed. It needed more Bond, and more Jeffrey Wright. Grade: B-

Children of Men. Again, really high expectations, with people calling this movie “the next Blade Runner”. Well, I should have remembered that I’m not a huge fan of Blade Runner. Anyway, Children of Men is good, but not great.. I love the setup, and the first hour is great, but I don’t think the last act really pays off too well. Grade: B+

The Illusionist. Not as good as The Prestige, the “other” magician movie. And the “twist” could be seen miles away. Grade: B-

Notes on a Scandal. This movie was great. Fantastic writing, great acting, and small twists that keep you guessing. The plot wasn’t anything special, but I really loved watching Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett really bite into this screenplay. Grade: A-

The Last Kiss. Really disappointing. When making a character driven movie, it would be nice to actually care about the characters, even if they are doofuses or dweebs. Grade: C-

The Last King of Scotland. Great acting, but I wasn’t really interested in how a Scottish doctor came to work for Idi Amin, and then had to figure out a way out of the country before getting killed. There’s a great movie here, but I think the filmmakers were off target a bit. Forest Whitaker was great, though. “But you did not persuade me, Nich-o-las. YOU DID NOT PERSUADE ME.” Grade: B

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. This one came out a few years ago and immediately went missing, but I loved it. It stars Robert Downey, Jr. as a crook who ends up as an actor in Hollywood, and Val Kilmer as a Private Eye who works for many in the movie business. Great writing, and a lot of aside winks and nods to the camera, knowing not to take it all too seriously. Grade: A-

Pan’s Labyrinth. A fable that takes place in Spain right after their civil war and before WWII, it features a small girl who lives two separate lives: as the step-daughter of an evil Franco Colonel, and as a long lost princess who is asked by sprites in the forest to help them restore the princess to their land. Is any of it real? Or maybe all of it is? Great effects. Grade: B+

Jesus Camp. Halloween? The Blair Witch Project? Scream? These all scary movies, but none of them scared me as much as Jesus Camp. A documentary about a summer camp that Evangelical Christians attend, this movie truly worries me. Kids should be allowed to be kids, but these kids almost seem brainwashed to me. Harry Potter is the work of the devil? Really? And how about teaching peace and understanding towards all, not just those who believe the same as you? Don’t get me started. Grade: B

Flags of our Fathers. Part 1 of Clint Eastwood’s movie two-step about the Battle of Iwo Jima. This movie deals mostly with the aftermath of the battle, and how the US used the surviving servicemen who helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima in order to raise money for the war effort. The battle scenes were well done, but the editing of the story, between several different time periods without explanation, and the cheesiness injected into the story made me roll my eyes a few times. I’m looking forward to see Letters from Iwo Jima soon. Grade: B

Books: The good part about having some time on my hands is having a lot of time to read. I still haven’t read as many books as I would have liked (Sage reads about 10 a week, I think), but I’m doing ok. Here are some of the books I’ve read since my last book update.

Now I Can Die in Peace, by Bill Simmons. Simmons is known as The Sports Guy on ESPN.com, and he’s a lifelong, die-hard Red Sox fan. This compilation of some of his best columns concerning the Sox from about 2000 through the 2004 Championship is pretty funny, and I love all the pop culture references, but it would have been a lot better if he included his hilarious recap of the 2001 season by using quotes from The Godfather movies. Grade: B+

Fire, by Sebastian Junger. Another compilation, this of articles Junger had published in Men’s Journal, Adventure, and other magazines, concerning the toughest jobs people have. The article about Massoud, the Afghan who fought for years and years, first against the Soviets and then against the Taliban, is probably his best work. Grade: B

Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events – The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril, and The End. The last three books in the Lemony Snicket series are pretty much like the first 9. Bad stuff happens, the kids find out some more information on their past, but also end up with more questions than when they started. I guess I should have known that resolutions were going to be few and far between, but it still felt hollow getting to the end and having not much to show for it. Grades for all 3: B

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. How dark do you like your stories? This one is bleak. A man and his son travel the desolate roads after an unspoken calamity has killed off most of the citizenship and turned the United States into a complete wasteland. The man and his son try to survive the roving bands of thugs while they cling to a small glimmer of hope: getting to the beach. This one stays with you long after you read it. Grade: A-

A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby. Hornby’s latest book tells the story of 4 people who don’t know each other, but they all meet on the same rooftop on New Year’s Eve, all there to commit suicide. They form a sort of self-help group, and hope that together maybe they can survive the world that separately each of them don’t want to live in any more. Not Hornby’s best, but I liked it a lot. Grade: B+

A Death in Belmont, by Sebastian Junger. In 1963 Junger’s mother hired some help to build an art studio for her. One of the people on the work crew was Albert DeSalvo, otherwise known as the Boston Strangler. Junger looks at another strangling death that happened down the street from his parent’s house (he was only a year old at the time) that was attributed to a drifter and not DeSalvo, though doubts have always existed as to whom really was the killer. While it’s an interesting story, especially considering DeSalvo once asked Junger’s mom to go down into her basement with him to check on “a broken washing machine” (she didn’t go), there really isn’t any new information that he brings to light on either of the cases. Grade: B

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. I’m not going to say much about this novel, as the joy in reading it is in the discovery along the way. It tells the story of Kathy H., her remembrances of a boarding school she went to when she was a child, and her time spent with some of those same friends after she becomes a caregiver to them. Brilliantly written, and it really develops these characters into complex beings. Grade: A-

Everyman, by Philip Roth. Roth’s latest book is really a novella; a short story of a man whose life is reflected on upon his death. The people he have helped, those he have hurt, his family, friends and coworkers, they’re all recounted to build a portrait of the man. In the end, however, the protagonist really is Everyman, without much to make his life that interesting. Grade: B

A Simple Plan, by Scott Smith. You’ve probably heard of the movie with Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton. I’ve always enjoyed that movie, so I thought I’d take a crack at the book. The movie did deviate from the book quite a bit, and the novel is very rich and complex. I wasn’t a huge fan of the book’s ending (I liked the movie’s a lot more), but it’s a great page-turner with good morality tales. Grade: B+

Music: I haven’t been too keen on a lot of new music I’ve listened to lately. I like what I like, and while I try to find new things I enjoy, I’m not one who spends $100 a month on music. So here’s a list of what’s been burning up my iPod lately.

…And You Know Us By The Trail of Dead – So Divided. This indie rock band from Austin is one of my favorites lately, though their latest album isn’t their best. If you like loud guitars and drums that sound like machine guns going off in your head, this is the band for you.


Sonic Youth -- Rather Ripped, plus some random iTunes downloads. I never really listened to Sonic Youth much in my youth (which wasn’t really sonic, so there you go), but someone mentioned that I should give them a listen since I like Trail of Dead so much, and they were so right. These guys (and 1 woman) have been around for over 25 years, but none of their music sounds dated.

Keane — Under the Iron Sea. This brit-pop band’s 2006 release was more of the same melodic goodness as they put out in their debut Hopes and Fears. Sage’s favorite band these days.

Badly Drawn Boy – Have you Fed the Fish? I never got around to downloading this album until recently, and it’s not too bad. Much better than his 2006 release Born in the U.K. I had one listen of that and off the iPod it went.

The Clash – The Clash. Nothing beats the classic punk sounds of one of the best albums ever made. Until The Clash put out London Calling a couple years later.

Beck – The Information. Beck’s latest is okay, but nothing substantial to write home about. “Think I’m in Love” is one of my favorite songs lately.

New Millennium Funk Party. Back in 1998 Rhino released the original Millennium Funk Party, and it instantly became the BEST funk compilation record ever released. I guess I was living in the 20th Century too much because I didn’t even realize they released the New Millennium Funk Party in 2001. Not as good as the original, but it has some killer tunes, including "Respect Yourself" by The Staple Singers, "Flashlight" by Parliament, "Freddie’s Dead" by Curtis Mayfield and "Bustin’ Loose" by Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. (An interesting note about Chuck Brown: His son Nekos plays linebacker for Virginia Tech.)

Michael Andrews – "Mad World". Sage downloaded this song after hearing it at the end of Donnie Darko and on some video game commercial. It is really haunting, with just a piano and cello to go along with some dark lyrics. (Sample: “I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.”) No wonder this version went to #1 in the UK.

The Shins – Wincing the Night Away. Not nearly as good as their first 2 albums, but second rate music from The Shins is better than 99% of everything else that gets released these days.

The Beatles – Love. My first reaction to the first few songs, remixed versions of Beatles classics by George Martin and his son Giles, was “this is pretty cool”. But then this album kind of devolved into, “eh, I like the original versions a lot better”. And I do.

Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model. Costello’s 2nd studio album has some great tunes on it, and the Rhino release includes a bonus disc of demos and different takes on the songs. Still sounds great today as it did in 1978. (Not that I was listening to it in 1978...I think I was reading the Hardy Boys and watching Sanford and Son. Still, not a bad year.)

TV: Not much floating my boat these days on television, though here’s what I’ve been watching on my Tivo lately.

Extras. The 2nd season of Ricky Gervais’s latest show on HBO is side-splitting funny. I only wish he wasn’t so lazy and produced more than just 6 episodes per season.

The Office. I loved the British version of The Office (done by Sir Ricky, of course). Those 13 episodes were short but still remain some of the best television I’ve ever seen. And the American Office might be just as good, though season 3 isn’t as good as season 2. (Separating Pam and Jim for a handful of episodes was not a good idea.) And I think the least interesting part of the show is the star…not many shows can that be said about.

EPL Review Show on Fox Soccer Channel. Every week, the EPL Review Show highlights all the best action from that weekend’s games from the English Premier League. Since Arsenal isn’t on all the time (the horror of it all!), this is my only chance to catch the Gunner’s action each week. And for me to yell, “Sage, come look at this cracking goal!” about 100 times.

Jonestown: Paradise Lost on History Channel. This 2 hour documentary includes too many reenactments, but the show does have interviews with survivors, including Jones’s son. The story of Jim Jones and the People’s Temple has always intrigued me, and I’m looking forward to a new theatrical documentary being released called Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.

Elizabeth I on HBO. Okay, this is pretty old, but I just got around to watching it. Helen Mirren does a fantastic job playing the virgin Queen over a 20 year period of turmoil in 16th Century England.

Super Bowl. First, I have to vent: when are we going to get rid of the stupid roman numerals on these Super Bowls? What is wrong with just Super Bowl 2007? So in 2044 we’ll be talking about Super Bowl LXXVIII? Does that make any sense to anyone? But on to the game, which I found fun to watch in the first half, and dreadfully boring in the 2nd. The commercials were lame for the most part, but I was happy that Tony Dungy won. Besides that, Graham and Carrie’s chili was pretty good.

Lost. The show I love to hate (or maybe it’s hate to love) is back, and the first episode of 2007 was pretty good. We got some more info on the background of the Others, and I’m hoping that the Others will kill Jack and we’ll never have to see him again. And maybe next week we’ll find out why Desmond was naked, and answers to the other 199 questions I have. Or maybe not.

American Idol auditions. I’m not an Idol fan, and once the show gets to “Hollywood”, I stop watching. But the auditions are pure gold. People complain that Simon and the judges are too harsh and mean to the contestants. I say they’re too nice. I don’t know who are telling these people they can sing but they are usually completely delusional, and watching them getting cut down to where they belong gives me great pleasure.

So, going back to Jesus Camp and the Jonestown documentary. Sage and I watched Jesus Camp about a week or so after watching the Jonestown show, and I remember turning to her and saying something along the lines of, “It’s crazy…these evangelicals sound just like the followers of Jim Jones!” And today, as I was writing this blog, a friend sent along this clip from a review of the new Jonestown documentary (by Jim Emerson, the editor of rogerebert.com):

The face of Jim Jones is, from a slightly different angle, the face of Stalin or Mao, of Christian or Islamic fundamentalism, of Baathism or American neo-conservatism -- any kind of ideology, rooted in certainty and the arrogance of infallibility, pursued with single-minded fervor, intolerant of free thinking or dissent, and that results, inevitably, in deadly consequences.

That kind of thing didn't die in Jonestown.

Something to think about.