Fuck Angst!

I'll get my "update" out of the way before moving on to more important things (meaning movies). New Year's Eve was, uh, interesting. Without going into too much detail, I ended up taking care of both my brother and Katie after a level of debauchery that Brendon and I were envious of (in theory). Still, I had fun, ate a lot of tasty food, and got to hang out with some awesometastic people. However, my bottle of absinthe remains unopened (and will probably remain so for some time, as neither my brother nor Katie are eager to touch alcohol anytime soon).

So yay for 2010! It seems many people had problems with 2009, and I'm on that list as well. 2010 will yield much more positivity, I'm sure of it.

Now, onto the important stuff. After a streak of not seeing many movies in the theater, I recently saw The Boondock Saints II, which I've mentioned, but more importantly I've just recently seen Sherlock Holmes and Avatar, which, after the disappointment of Saints, rekindled my excitement of movies.

Sherlock Holmes had me from the get-go. When I found out that Guy Ritchie was directing, I raised an eyebrow, but was simultaneously ecstatic. I love Ritchie's films and I love the energy in them. Then, as I heard Robert Downey Jr. was cast in the lead with Jude Law as Watson, my nerd-o-meter's needle snapped off. If you've talked to me about movies, you know that I love Downey Jr. My obsession with him started around a year ago when I watched A Scanner Darkly and Zodiac, and was further pushed to the limits when Iron Man came out. And Jude Law is an actor that, while I'm not obsessed with, I do enjoy seeing on the screen.

The movie itself was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. The acting was spot-on, the dialogue was quick and witty, the story was intriguing, the costumes were amazing, and the score totally caught me off guard. I'm a big fan of Hans Zimmer, but for some reason the fact that he composed the score for this movie flew completely past my radar. As I watched the movie I thought, "I really like this score! I wonder who did this..." and was blown away when I saw Zimmer's name in the credits. Usually I can pick up on a composers signature within the music, but this time I didn't. So kudos to you, Mr. Zimmer, for creating my favorite movie score in a long, long time!

If you haven't see the movie yet, do yourself a favor and catch it before it leaves the theater. It's totally worth the money, and I will be grabbing it as soon as it comes out on DVD.

Avatar was another movie I was excited about, and one that I've been following for years. Cameron's script had been circulating for a decade, and every now and again it's name would pop up on a list of long gestating projects. When I found out it was finally going to get made, I was happy. I love Cameron's sci-fi work, and the fact that he was having new technology made specifically for this movie made it even cooler. And then, after a long wait, I saw the trailer and knew that this was a movie I needed to see on the big screen.

What annoys me is the bandwagon mentality of the majority of people who went to see this movie. They heard reviews talking about the formulaic story and dialogue, and they went into the movie with preconceived notions. I'm not denying the movie is formulaic, but what I am saying is, frankly, who gives a damn? In the overall scheme that is the movie, the story is only mundane if you strip away everything else. But when you're there in the moment watching it, it shouldn't matter. I'm a guy that picks apart movies on a regular basis, and my problems with the story were very minor (so minor, in fact, that I won't even bother to mention them).

Maybe I'm biased because I'm a sci-fi/fantasy geek, and this movie caters to that. Cameron created a world like we've never seen, with lush colors and believable - yes, believable - computer generated images. This movie has set the bar for future sci-fi/fantasy films very high, in terms of the overall visual look.

The acting was nothing spectacular; it got the job done and it didn't pull me out of the moment. The score was well done (thanks to James Horner), but was overshadowed by my memories of Zimmer's Sherlock Holmes score.

Basically, it was the feel of the movie that hooked me into it, not the specifics. People are far too eager lock down onto the specific parts of a movie nowadays, and that is destroying the experience of watching a movie. "Movie magic" doesn't exist anymore to most people, and it's akin to a loss of innocence.

My theories aside, I may be seeing this movie again, this time in 3D. I very rarely, if ever, see a movie twice, but I would sit through all two-plus hours of this again just to see it in 3D. It blew my mind in 2D, so I can only giddily imagine what a 3D viewing holds. Regardless of either way you see it, it's worth the price of the ticket. Just, please, leave your cynical and jaded self at home. It will make the experience more pleasant, I promise.

The last time this cropped up, I made mention that the mere practice of another religion could be considered a blasphemous statement itself, because there is no way to practice one religion without denying every other religion (unless you're a Jubu).

Giving these fine lawmakers the benefit of the doubt, we'll assume they have already noticed such an obvious paradox, and have long labored over a system that will assist them and the courts in effectively and efficiently ranking blasphemous statements, making sure to exclude historical and outdated blasphemous statements such as: the Earth being round, the Sun being at the center of the Solar System, and that I'm allowed to use electricity on weekends.

Chances are we can also assume these fine lawmakers have also determined what can be interpreted as blasphemy (and quite possibly what can be interpreted as a statement).

This one took longer to do than I expected, and with the craziness of the holidays I couldn't get it done in time.


Candy Kane the Christmas Fairy by ~roofpig on deviantART

New Retrojunk Article - Cartoon Crushes of my Youth. Enjoy!

Thought I might try to get a quick post in before the New Year's hooplah.

Christmas was hectic, but nice. The big plus was not having to travel 8 hours by plane (plus x number of hours being stuck in the airport or on the tarmac). We did Christmas Eve at Katie's mom's place and had their traditional Christmas Eve dinner (stuffed calamari, fried shrimp, pasta and homemade sauce). Christmas day we had our first dinner at Katie's dad's place, and then a second dinner back in Rochester at my parents'. The day after Christmas we did breakfast at the Compertore's (our neighbors from growing up) since all the "kids" were home, took my mom out to get a pedicure/manicure for her birthday and went out to dinner, and then hit up a sort-of reunion party with some old high school friends of mine. The day after that we traveled back to Syracuse to spend some time with Katie's brother and sister-in-law, and their completely adorable kids. After all that, it was right back to work.

Can you imagine why I might be a bit tired?

Katie got a couple of really nice gifts. I got a Nene Thomas fairy statuette (you can see it here) and a really cool pocket watch, which is something I've wanted for a long time. I got a lot of other great swag, including Star Trek on DVD, some new clothes, a LOT of candy, and some toys (yes, I still get toys for Christmas; is there something wrong with that?).

Tomorrow night will be our co-hosted New Year's party. Katie and I will be spending time tonight shopping and preparing food (mostly dips) for the epic shenanigans. After that I THINK we can take some time to rest. I'm not going to assume anything though.

So if I don't speak to you before then, have a great New Year's and I'll see you on the other side!

More on the holidays later, but first I'll melt your brain with cuteness. I'm referring to the kids, not me.

Balthazar, 101, reached out with his less stiff hand and closed it around a cookie. As he brought the cookie closer to his face he realised it was a stocking and not a malformed gingerbread man. Not that it mattered, it had been months since Balthazar could taste anything.
The doctors called it as Ageusia, and Balthazar called it Life. Another item checked off the long list of items one loses with age.
Some items could be replaced, like his teeth or assisted, like his eyes. Even his dwelling was replaced by an assisted living center.
Taste however...
Balthazar bit into the cookie and concentrated on the way it broke down and crumbled like a little civilisation swiftly eroded away by the elements of his mouth. He figured it was just as well he couldn't taste anything, he heard nothing but complaints from other "guests" about the food anyway.
The strange part for Balthazar was how he could remember taste, while not being able to experience it.
Balthazar was then struck by the thought of himself as a creature from a science fiction film.
The thought amused him. He pictured himself as a cyborg trapped on an unsympathetic alien planet.
These thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a needlessly loud knock at his door.
Balthazar’s eyebrows lowered in confusion over his sunken eyes like two large furry dragons descending in unison upon identical watery caverns.
The knocking persisted until Balthazar made eye contact with a pair of inquisitive eyes that gave away this girl being full of mischief.
Her name was Ivy, 11, the child of his old neighbors who he secretly gave knife throwing lessons to.
Her presence gave Balthazar an idea.
Quietly, Ivy and Balthazar made their way to the kitchen, all the while Balthazar's imagination narrated the adventure with thoughts of his cyborg navigating the treacherous alien planet with the help of a clever mutant.
In the kitchen they searched for knives.
Balthazar reached out with his less stiff hand and selected one he found suitable for throwing.
He lifted the knife parallel with his glasses and searched for something to throw at.
Ivy helpfully offered a stack of Christmas cards.
Balthazar pictured the cyborg again. Despite having lost most of its original parts, it still managed to retain a skill buried deep in its mind.