Californication
Ok, so let's just be upfront about this: I like women. A lot. It's a known thing, if you talk to my friends and even women I've dated. I've learned, especially during my time in academia, enough to feel comfortable in my own circle, in my own right, to say that I am a feminist. I would probably temper that for certain audiences (who would be hostile to the very notion that a man could be a feminist) and say that I am sympathetic to and supportive of feminist ideologies in general. But still and all, I have a profound appreciation for women in an aesthetic sense, romantic sense, and carnal sense. For sure.
And this leads me to Californication, the Showtime original series starring David Duchovny. Wow. Overwhelmingly funny, poignant, and interesting. Nice commentaries. Shoots from the hip well.
Also... Madeline Zima. Holy smoke. She may just have leaped above Jena Malone in the formerly-jailbait- but-talented- and-sure-to- break-hearts standings. Damn. My god. And thank god she's NOT 16 like she plays on the show, but was 20 or 21 during filming and is 22 now. From the youngest daughter on The Nanny to THIS? Holy Frijoles. God. Damn.
so sez Matt at 2:22 PM[edit]
Monday, April 07, 2008
Movies
by Alien Ant Farm
At slow speed we all seem focused In motion we seem wrong In summer we can taste the rain
I want you to be free Don’t worry about me And just like the movies We play out our last scene
Two can play this game We both want power In winter we can taste the pain
In our short years, we come long way To treat it bad and throw away
I want you to be free Don’t worry about me And just like the movies We play out our last scene
You won’t cry, I won’t scream
In our short years we come long way To treat it bad and throw away And if we make a little space A science fiction showcase In our short film, a love disgrace Dream a scene to brighten face In our short years we come long way To treat it bad, just to throw it away
I want you to be free Don’t worry about me And just like the movies We play out our last scene
You won’t cry, I won’t scream
(one fascinating thing about this song is the way that my mind fills in the gaps in the pidgin-like grammar)
so sez Matt at 10:37 AM[edit]
Friday, April 04, 2008
Quotes
The answers to my list of quotes. Novel figured out number 7. Julie must have known most of the rest.
1. Sylvester Stallone in Death Race 2000
2. Pee Wee's Big Adventure
3. Egg Chen and Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China
4. Han Solo to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars
5. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
6. The Usual Suspects
7. Jules in Pulp Fiction
8. Blue Velvet
9. Brad Pitt in perhaps his greatest role, the stoner roommate in True Romance
Lexical Forebears
I realized recently that there's one person in particular who has been a really huge influence on my vocabulary and mode of speech.
Bill Cosby.
That may sound asinine, and it may, also, BE asinine on some level, but it's actually true. I say "Hey Gang" when I meet a group of friends, I refer to money as "dough" all the time. There are tons of other examples, I'm sure, but those most readily leap to mind. I listened to Bill Cosby's records over and over as a kid. My brother Sean and I would be doing stuff and I'd be playing Bill Cosby in my room, and we'd just start laughing and laughing until we couldn't breathe. We'd even hear one word, later, that reminded us of Cosby routines and start laughing and get yelled at during dinner.
That guy has really been a huge influence in my life.
I saw him perform live at Northern Illinois University with Sean about 4 years ago. It's one of my favorite memories... I just wish it could have lasted longer...
so sez Matt at 3:26 PM[edit]
Friday, March 28, 2008
Film Quote Meme
So I'm slow, but Novel tagged me for this, and so...
1. You know, Myra, some people might think you're cute. But me? I think you're one very large baked potato.
2. It's like a giant cable-knit sweater that someone keeps knitting... and knitting... and knitting... and knitting.
3. "What's that?" - "Black blood of the earth." - "You mean oil?" - "I mean black blood of the earth!"
4. This ain't like dusting crops, boy.
5. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.
6. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.
7. I'm a mushroom cloud-laying motherfucker, motherfucker.
8. If there's one think I can't stand, it's warm fucking beer. Makes me want to fucking puke!
9. Don't condenscend (sic) me, man. I'll fuckin' kill ya.
10. Hell, I even thought I was dead 'til I found out it was just that I was in Nebraska.
(With apologies to those in the know from 150 Darrow Hall.)
so sez Matt at 3:16 PM[edit]
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
"You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, Sasha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost
My life is brilliant.
My life is brilliant. My love is pure. I saw an angel. Of that I'm sure. She smiled at me on the subway. She was with another man. But I won't lose no sleep on that, 'Cause I've got a plan.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful, it's true. I saw your face in a crowded place, And I don't know what to do, 'Cause I'll never be with you.
Yeah, she caught my eye, As we walked on by. She could see from my face that I was, Flying high And I don't think that I'll see her again, But we shared a moment that will last till the end.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful, it's true. I saw your face in a crowded place, And I don't know what to do, 'Cause I'll never be with you.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful, it's true. There must be an angel with a smile on her face, When she thought up that I should be with you. But it's time to face the truth, I will never be with you.
Yes. I know exactly how that feels.
so sez Matt at 10:29 PM[edit]
Astounding
Check out the maps for Clinton and Obama in Texas and Ohio. Obama wins the large population centers/urban areas every time. In Texas, it's Dallas, Austin, and Houston. In Ohio, it's Cleveland, Columbus, and that unnamed bit is Dayton.
Sobering. Very. Also appears to be a race/class disparity, along with the well-documented age disparity (young people like Obama, Dems over 60 like Hillary).
I'm amazed it polarized this dramatically. Fascinating.
so sez Matt at 3:35 PM[edit]
The Last Victim
This is the rough bit. But the killer was a victim, too -- of himself, of an affliction, of our culture. We'll surely never know why. But it's obvious, to me anyway, that he was troubled, and maybe agonized, maybe crazy, maybe driven that way... We're all responsible. These are our children, our sons and daughters, who do these things.
Northern Illinois University
I entered NIU in June 1999 as a graduate student in English Literature. I finished an MA in 2001, and then worked as an instructor for a year before being hired as Support Professional Staff in 2002. I finished a second MA in 2004 and worked at the University managing computer labs and teaching classes for the Department of Communication until June 2006. My office was in the basement of Cole Hall.
Last week, on Thursday (in America), a man dressed in black entered a Geology class in Cole Hall and opened fire with a shotgun and 2 or 3 other weapons. He shot 22 people, killing 6 (including himself).
I went to bed with the news about my friend John. I woke up to the news of the shooting. Friday (in Japan) was a very bleak day. The high point, for me, was the farewell party/ talent show for the 3rd year students at the school where I teach (though even that was bittersweet as it was one of the last times I'll see most of those kids).
Here's a piece of something I wrote to my fellow English teachers here in Nara, Japan:
The shooting happened in the building where my office was. It's in a classroom where I was a TA (during the 9/11 attacks, no less). I've called or emailed or Facebooked a bunch of friends and colleagues, and I don't think I know any of the victims. But 2 years ago, I was in that building, and I might have been buying a drink in the vending machine right outside the doors. I used to spend long nights there, working late. It never felt unsafe.
Call your families soon, if you haven't. If you have college friends or old pals you haven't talked to in some time, do it, no matter the emotional stings and the weirdness. Just say hi. Just let people know you give a damn about them, and you miss them, and you appreciate them. Don't put off any longer the little efforts that keep us close to those who are far away. Sometimes you lose that chance if you don't take the time and make the effort.
And as you teach, try to be nice to the nerdy kid. The dorky kid in the corner. The out kid that everyone craps on or ignores. And if they aren't nice back, or don't respond, let it be ok. Smile anyway. It's taken years, maybe, to get them to the place they are now. One day, one moment, one gesture isn't going to fix or change all that. But even a smile might be remembered later, and appreciated. And it might be something that helps keep this sort of thing from happening here, among our students. Who knows why this happens? But just increasing the niceness and goodness in the world can't hurt.
John
Last week, as I got home from Osaka, I got email from J. telling me that John was gone.
Sobering.
I met John frosh year at BGSU. He lived in the dorm, upstairs on the 3rd floor. He was one of the Honors Dorm dorks we all were at the time. He was tall and thin, glasses, unbelievably wavy hair, and a grin that never stopped. Very preppy dresser, and a comic book freak. He became friends with my friends, and with me vicariously. He dated my friend. Together they worked out that he was gay and that was a good, great thing. He was the housemate of another friend. He found someone he loved. He had a family. He helped Katrina victims. He was good people. He was fun. His grin was infectious and he crossed culture, gender, clique boundaries quickly and easily and gladly, but as far as I knew him, he never compromised who he was and how he wanted to be.
I hadn't talked to him in a long time. The last time I saw him was at J.'s wedding, where we danced together and he picked me up. It was ludicrous and perfect. Last Tuesday, he died.
Rest well, John. Rest well.
so sez Matt at 10:19 AM[edit]
Rollercoaster
Last week was pretty cool at the beginning and just awful at the end. The beginning of the week saw a Monday holiday, lots of DVDs and relaxation, a nice, calm Valentine's Day (because of the time difference)... and then it all went poorly.
so sez Matt at 10:17 AM[edit]
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Fuck You, Filmrot They're Back?
I just tried to go to a formerly cool website called Filmrot dot com (don't bother going there... it's GONE) where they, at one time, had done a frame-by-frame comparison between the Sin City graphic novels and the Sin City movie.
Now... it automatically redirects to the Ron Paul campaign website.
Fuck you, too, filmrot. Bleah.
EDIT (4/2/08): Appears to be back to its former goodness. I dunno what happened there, but I'm not gonna lose sleep over it. All I can say, though, is that the re-route to Ron Paul made me like both him and this site less than before. So... brute force campaigning is maybe something to reconsider.
so sez Matt at 4:24 PM[edit]
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Olbermann: "You, sir, have no business being President."
A Rare Moment
I just had a daydream flash of riding in a car, as a passenger, in the right-hand seat in America. It's winter, there's at least mucky ice, if not snow, on the ground, and I'm heading from DeKalb toward Sycamore. I'm bundled up. It's around 4 pm or so, and the light is fading, the sky is grey. It felt almost like the time I spent with Teri 8 years ago. I don't miss that particular time... but that place, that feeling, that familiarity... it's strange, but that's the first time I've actually wanted to be somewhere specific, or felt like I missed something... some SPACE... from home. It's an odd feeling.
so sez Matt at 3:29 PM[edit]
I'm not as impressed by Reservoir Dogs, but I think it's intriguing that it's here. I'd have included The Wild Bunch, which was pretty cool (and RUINED in the pan & scan version) and I also liked The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Can't find a video of that, though, and I don't own the DVD.
The Wild Bunch
Bullitt gets a lot of praise, too. I like those credits, but I've nevver seen the movie. And while I like them, I'm not in love with them.
He's totally right about knocking off Se7en's titles. I remember being riveted by the opening sequence, and surprised that it was Nine Inch Nails remixed as the soundtrack.
withdraw the U.S. Navy from the waters off the Iranian coast
end the federal war on drugs
get rid of the Department of Homeland Security
repeal No Child Left Behind
overturn the Patriot Act
pull out of the United Nations, NATO, the International Criminal Court, and most international trade agreements
abolish FEMA
send the U.S. military to guard the Mexican border
end most foreign aid
phase out Social Security
And I'm not sure what to do with these:
stop federal prosecutions of obscenity
eliminate the IRS
revoke public services for illegal immigrants
reestablish gold and silver as legal tender
But I'm inclined to put most of those last four in the "con" category. "Obscenity" is a rough one, so I might be on that page. But I dunno how one generates income without a tax department, and if you back with gold, what happens when everyone wants his/her gold, NOW?
I also think we need SOMETHING else to grandfather in the excessive numbers of illegals in the country now... if we cut all FUTURE public services to illegals, and if we offer current illegal immigrants a way to begin a legitimate and feasible citizenship process that is realistic, then that might work. But cutting all that aid immediately will only create even WORSE situations for people who have no way to return to their own countries. I think we need to start thinking of many of these people as refugees, and the only reason we don't is that there isn't a violent war happening in their country. But they're not fleeing a regime... they're fleeing poverty.
so sez Matt at 8:55 AM[edit]
used.
Another thing that drives me nuts about the RIAA and their fascist tactics (and the way they ultimately fuck over artists, then tell the world it's OUR fault - the customers, their target audience - that the artists are being fucked) is the used bin at the local music shop.
On one hand, a used CD has been paid for once. After that, it has become a grey area as to what rights the CD purchaser has regarding that product. In the past, it was treated as having a product that could then be resold or traded. Now... I dunno. But anyway, not the point. Money changed hands and some went to the label (and therefore theoretically the artist) and it's kosher, then, to resell the CD and NOT pay the label or artist. They already got their cut.
That's fine, if all the "used" CD's are really used. But come on. The reality is that in any college town (and most big cities, too) there are a ton of "cut outs" (promo copies) in the used bins. I'd guess that fully 20% of my CD collection is cut outs. These were never paid for by anyone (except maybe the artists) other than the label, and were used to get the music on the radio or in the hands of concert promoters, shop owners, street teams, etc. So somewhere along the line, the shop owner, or a radio station DJ, or someone similar, decided to take their box of promo discs down to the record store to get credit or some quick cash. The shop owner probably bought each one for between $1 - $4, and then marked it up to $5 - $10 and put it on the shelf.
So why aren't the labels and the RIAA going nuts over these practices? Why aren't they shutting down record stores left and right for violations?
Because you don't shit where you eat.
Without the higher margins from used CD's, most of those shops would close down. Most are struggling to stay open, anyway, and places like Best Buy and WalMart are destroying their ability to compete on the market. Used CD's bring in customers who might then hear new tunes on the sound system in the shop and ask about the artist, check out the listening station, browse the wall racks, check out the posters and shirts, and go home having spent an extra $10 - $40. And though it would be really easy to shut down ALL of those violations immediately, it would fuck the broken system - because "album sales" really means "units shipped" and if you don't have a place to ship your units (i.e., the record stores), then you take an even bigger hit.
There's also the fact that electronic distribution is on a scale far more huge than the record shop used bins could ever approach, even throughout the world. But my point is that it's disingenuous to use rhetoric like "theft" and "piracy" about teenagers sharing files when there's flagrant illegal practices happening among your own distribution channels.
so sez Matt at 10:25 AM[edit]
but why?
I read this article Our Entitlement Mentality and found it just as dated as the commenters point out - it's worth reading the rebuttals in the comments to get a better view of things, definitely. Some other things that are overlooked in these arguments include the fact that I WOULDN'T buy half the things I download, partly because singles are so overpriced (here I refer to hard-copy CD's and the like) and because whole albums often aren't worth buying for just one song.
But the real issue I take with the article itself is that it never pauses to ask WHY we (Americans in particular, but western cultures) have this sense of "entitlement." And I think this is a very complex question that I can't really analyze in a post on a blog. But one component of that, regarding "free" music, is the very model that is used to promote musicians and bands. We're constantly surrounded by "free" music - TV commercials (and even shows now), radio, sound systems in stores and shops, in the mall, sometimes even on the street. We hear music constantly and we have no notion that we're actually paying for it via advertising. Or even, perhaps, that the music itself is its own advertisement. Or the store/shop/restaurant has paid for a music subscription service in order to have tunes in their business. So the notion is "if I can get this for free on the radio, if I could have taped it on my cassette deck 10 years ago (or 20 or whatever), then why can't I use this better technology to get it free now? So obviously, the system is broken, but to slap people for taking advantage of your broken system and scold them (or sue them) is at the very least arrogant, if not ultimately futile.
so sez Matt at 10:16 AM[edit]
Archives
"I give you this one rule of conduct. Do what you will, but speak out always. Be shunned, be hated, be ridiculed, be scared, be in doubt, but don't be gagged. The time of trial is always. Now is the appointed time."
--John J. Chapman, Commencement Address to the Graduating Class of Hobart College, 1900
And this leads me to Californication, the Showtime original series starring David Duchovny. Wow. Overwhelmingly funny, poignant, and interesting. Nice commentaries. Shoots from the hip well. 
