Watched: Chaplin

These kinds of movies are the ones that turn me off biopics. When the movie just moves from point A to B to C in a person's life, and seems more focused on fitting in all the major events and accomplishments than actually getting to know the subject. It's not that this isn't a well-made or well-acted film. Downey in particular carries off the Britishness and artistic obsession well, but between the stunt casting (Moira Kelly as some showgirl Chaplin loved when he was young and then his fourth and final child bride later in life, blergh) and the determination of the filmmakers to get in all of his major movies, wives, and political stances, the movie feels rushed. Chaplin says at one point, "If you want to understand me, watch my movies." I would take any one of his movies over this in a heartbeat.

Watched: The Crazies

I don't always watch horror movies, but when I do... I prefer them well-made.

P.S. SETH BULLOCK AND CAROLYN FRY!!! Talk about your power couple.

Watched: Blood Into Wine

Sort of self-effacing but informative. I don't actually care that much about wine growing and freely admit that I mostly watched this for the Maynard. Which; this is not a movie about Tool. Or A Perfect Circle. Or Pucifer. Although all three do get mentioned in passing. This is a movie about his vineyards, about his super-hippie naturalist partner, about a bunch of people talking about things like the integrity of soil and survivalism. So, keep that in mind. But it does have some fun bits with Milla Jovavich, Tim and Eric, Patton Oswalt, and an old timer Arizona historian. Good stuff.

Watched: Exit Through the Gift Shop

I don't really know quite what to make of this one. I really enjoyed it. I didn't read too much press about it during the summer, and what I read I forgot, so the end was still kind of a shocking, disappointing, hilariously weird twist. I think it does a great job examining a scene through the eyes of this guy, who we think we know but eventually realize we may not. Like, at all. Is Guetta a mastermind or a devotee, a hack or an artist in his own right? Did he spend years following around Shephard Fairey and Banksy so that he could rip them off or did Banky's go-ahead simply push him to think he had acquired a style in all those years of watching, a style that should be shared? Here's an interesting take. Obviously I don't know any better than the writer, or others who question the film. I guess Banksy and Guetta are the only ones who really, truly know. Although between you and me, I've heard that Banksy isn't even one guy, but a whole bunch of people working together under one name.

So yeah. Ambiguous, entertaining, and wry. Like a snarky sphinx. I liked it all right.

Watched: Cropsey

Pretty effective documentary. Hilarious Staten Island accents aside, the film has a lot of the look and feel of a horror movie (I swear the soundtrack is eerily similar to The Exorcist's and some of the shots are straight up Blair Witch Project). It also has the added twist of being true. The story starts out exploring the "Cropsey" urban legend, then works its way through the disappearances and investigations of the five children attributed to "drifter/pervert/weirdo" Andre Rand to the strange rumors of cult activity and devil worshiping on Staten Island and their connections to the kidnappings/murders.

Between the gruesome footage from Geraldo Rivera's report on Willowbrook's (the mental institution whose forced closing and later, use by itinerants and former patients as a home in the subterranean tunnels plays an important role in the kidnappings) complete lack of civil or humane treatment of its patients and the weirdness of Andre Rand's letters to the filmmakers; the whole things is totally effective. I'm not kidding about the Rivera footage by the way, it's pretty fucking upsetting. These people were just... thrown in this place to disappear, essentially. Also, I think it's interesting the way they frame the doc as an investigation so that the deeper the filmmakers get into the stories, the less everything makes sense. They leave the film fairly open-ended, which as they note in their final voiceover, is the way most urban legends go. Also, it was probably not a good idea for me to watch this at 3 AM by myself.

Watched: Jonah Hex

I don't really have much to say about this, because it was every bit as rushed and non-sequitur and boring as most of the professional critics said it was. There were also a lot of pretty random cameos (Wes Bentley? The guy who from Lost? The Comedian? Aiden Quinn?)

But that's not why I watched this. I watched this for one reason.

And his name is Michael Fassbender.

Yep. Pretty much the only enjoyable part of this half-baked wanna-be Western Steampunk comic book adaptation fiasco. Fiasco, I say!

Birthday. Dammit. *Googles "songs about being 23"*

a decade ago

I never thought I would be

at 23

on the verge of spontaneous combustion

woe is me.

-Incubus

WOULD THAT THIS HOODIE WERE A TIME HOODIE!

Conspiracies Theories and Interior Design.
Just rewatched. I have to say, this has probably been my favorite episode of Community this season. It's got Joel McHale and Alison Brie's excellent chemistry, Dean Pelton being an idiot, Professor Professorson (changed from Professorberg when his family was fleeing from the nazis), prop guns, the most underwhelming threatening message ever, Abed and Troy's fort city, and the Latvian Independence Parade.

What more could you ask for in a half an hour of television comedy?

Love.

Watched: Dune

On DVD, over the weekend. Here's what I learned:

• Spice is life.
• But water is also life.
• He who controls the spice, controls the universe.
• He who controls the spice also BECOMES the center of the universe.
• The spice is the center of the universe.
• The worms are spice, and spice is the worms.
• He who controls the spice controls the worms.
• Thus, he who controls the worms becomes the center of the universe and also controls it.
• Intrusive, redundant voice overs do not make characters three dimensional or interesting.
• The sleeper must awaken.
• Fear is the mind-killer.
• Mood is a thing for cattle and love-play, not fighting.
• Relevant to the last point: Sir Patrick Stewart looks his best (which is to say: exactly the same as he has looked for the past three decades) when leading an army into battle with a silly laser gun in one arm and a pug in the other.
• Paul Atreides, aka Paul Muad'Dib, aka Usul aka the Kwisatz Haderach has the worst hair on Arakis (aka Dune, aka the desert planet, thanks movie, for reiterating these stupid points about 80 times but never bothering to explain other basic plot points) and possibly the worst hair in the universe.
• If you can destroy a thing, you can control a thing. Thus, the worms must be destroyed. Or controlled. Or harnessed and ridden like steeds into battle. Like they say, sometimes a cigar is just a simultaneously phallic and vaginal desert monster that can be used to smush your enemies.
• Tiny magical imp children are creepy as hell.

And this was just the short, 2hr 17min version!

Autumn in Austin

The first time it rained in what felt like a month, back in early October. I was strangely thrilled by it and took a picture on my way into work.

This is the lizard who lives in my room. I call him Alfred the Gecko. He's a classy fellow, keeps to himself, very respectful. Sometimes I catch him napping on the floorboard or on my umbrella, but mostly he hides himself away.

I must have made a big enough deal out of missing New Jersey/North Eastern Autumn because in rapid succession my mom sent me a beautiful stained glass leaf and Joanna sent me an amazing collection of pressed leaves, nestled in the pages of the book American Heritage: Men of Charlie Russell's World. It was quite the page turner.

Also, yes: I have an Avatar poster. It was a present from Kathleen, and even if it weren't, I would still not apologize for it. I don't care how dumb you thought that movie was, it was still fucking awesome.

This didn't have any serious bearing upon my Autumn, except for immediately making me want to cry then vomit.

Parade on Halloween for los muertos.

Local bar, the depot, which actually is part train. It's nifty.

We had a pumkin carving contest at work. My group did the guillotine in the last picture. The black pumpkin was probably my favorite though, it was the Pumpkin Ba-Bomb. The box is hiding the bottle of Jaeger, and yes, people did start doing Jaeger Ba-bombs at the first office party I ever attended. It's an interesting workplace.

Window display during October at the El Interior, a store across the street from my house.

Dear Netflix: Really? Are you sure that's how you want to categorize that?

Some new posters! Also, beer.

Canoeing with Kathleen on Lake Austin. It was gorgeous.

Austin Botanical/Dinosaur Garden.

My new headphones! With houndstooth. I plan to ONLY wear them while drinking tea, listening to Beethoven, and wearing my monocle, of course.

Thanksgiving feast. Since Kathleen is a vegetarian I made myself an adorable Cornish Game Hen, and we had a veggie casserole, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, cheese and bread, carrots, pistachios, salty roasted red peppers, and hummus. We got cappuccino goat milk and Ben Jerry's PB Cup ice cream for desert. It was the best Thanksgiving meal I've ever prepared, partly because it is the only Thanksgiving meal I've ever prepared and partly because as you can see from my blurry, shitty phone photography, it was quite the spread.

That's it for now.