July 23, 2008

Song Obsession of the Evening

"Word Up" Willis

Which is what's playing in the background when Hodges is doing his wacky dance in the 2006 "Post Mortem" episode of CSI which I have oddly seen a ton of times in recent weeks. (Greg-centric episodes are the best, don't you agree?)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under " " of the XXX., Listenin', TVTVTV, Tunes

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am...

Eating: Like there's no tomorrow. Seriously, people. On Friday, I must have been afraid there'd be a run on meat overnight because not only did I have a 900-calorie Chicken Poblano Fresco sandwich for lunch, but then I had BOTH a Brat AND a 2-lb. Hamburger at dinner. Along with 4? 5? Kirs. And as I'm sure you can imagine, I ate even grosser than that at Pitchfork all weekend. What is wrong with me?

Making: Technically nothing, last two days have been complete fucking hell on wheels at the secondary browsing location. But Jenn did rewrite the sleevecaps for me on the pattern I'm stuck on (ravelry link) so soon I will be working on that. Soon. Supposedly.

Reading: Still reading Dad's and my challenge book for the month, "The New Granta Book of the American Short Story" edited by Richard Ford, when I'm at home. And reading "Finding Battlestar Galactica: the Ultimate Unauthorized Fan's Guide" ed. by Lynette Porter, David Lavery & Hillary Robson on the El.

Watching: The Cleaner , a show that apparently I am the only person on earth to like. Have you read the reviews? Because they're BAD. But I like it! Also The Closer, which I am enjoying but not as much; Saving Grace, which I am NOT enjoying at all; Burn Notice, which I am enjoying primarily when Tricia Helfer is on screen (she is sooo different than her BStarG character, and yet has some of the same powerful characteristics. It's kinda awesome); and Generation Kill, which I am LOVING but am *ahem* only 15 minutes into the first episode. Slacker! And I've already watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog three times (all 3 eps) with many more repeat viewings to follow, I'm sure. As for the Big Screen, I loved both Wanted and The Dark Knight and frankly I'd like to see them both a second time over the weekend. We shall see.

Listening: to Nana Grizol "Love It Love It" which I bought after reading about them (a bunch of times) on this blog. It is a LOT of fun. And the Sea Wolf song "Neutral Ground" over and over after this morning's El contretemps.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Currently, Flicks, TVTVTV, Tunes

Complete Brain Breakdown of the Morning

Ah, ah ah ah, Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm*... "warm hand"...hmmm hmm... "into mine"... hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm....

Over and over and over in my head this morning. Could not remember a) more lyrics, b) song name, c) artist (so I could have just pulled the damn thing up on the Pod) for the life of me. Grrrrr.

Sea Wolf "Neutral Ground": Ah ah ah ah, But here in the sky, lights flash before our eyes, and I feel your warm hand slipping into mine.

Good grief.

*hmmm = (humming the melody)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under " " of the XXX., Listenin', Lyrics, Tunes

July 18, 2008

Favorite Song of the Bus Ride Home:

"Coast of Carolina" - Telekinesis

Favorite Song of the Waiting 'Round the Apartment for the Nipper to Arrive:

"U and Me" - Trina

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under " " of the XXX., Listenin', Tunes

Angry Girl Music of the Morning

Raise your hand if your lipstick doesn't make you a dumbshit
Raise your hand if the shape of your hips don't [sic] compare to the shape of your mind

You don't even stand a chance
I'm not taking off my pants

I’m not a barbie doll, shopping mall, silicone substitution
I’m not a perfect ten, paper thin, Hollywood illusion

-Saving Jane "One Girl Revolution"

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under " " of the XXX., Listenin', Lyrics, Tunes

July 17, 2008

Big Screen: Wanted.

Sooooo much fun. Completely exhilarating! Great trip to the movie theater. Very different from Iron Man, but just as completely what I am looking for in an action movie. My two favorite movies of the year so far. No fucking doubt about it.

I LOVED IT. Dad LOVED it. Nipper loved it. Michelle liked but didn't love it. The Chicago Reader hated it (prompting this response from Michelle: Damn! I liked it a little more than that dude. Who apparently doesn't understand the difference between REALITY and a FUCKING MOVIE.).

Where it suffers in comparison with Iron Man:

  • The underlying mythology isn't as strong. With Iron Man, it's very clear why he decides to do what he does, what's driving him, it makes sense in a very cause-and-effect way. When he sits in front of the press and says "somehow we've become comfortable with zero accountability" it's like a jolt to your (any actual smart, responsible person's) heart, a direct attack on the fucked up situation of today. With Wanted, it's more smoke and mirrors. A very "In the Name of the Rose" or "DaVinci Code" type background. I mean, that's fine, except that no one ever questions "who's running the loom?" No one ever wonders who's in the background pushing the buttons? The assassins committed to this society BELIEVE the loom is doing it all on its own? (Although in other ways, this does work for me. That whole "secret society buzz" has a very comic book feel to it, so I think it works in the movie, I just think it doesn't work AS WELL as Iron Man's themes.)

  • The situation isn't as personal, or it technically should be, but it's not presented that way. While RDJ's character in Iron Man is in many ways someone living a life who just doesn't care, when he does begin to care, it's very personal. His name on the weapons, his legacy, etc. In Wanted, McAvoy sort of falls into things with an extreme lack of knowing what's really going on. Things eventually become personal, but not at first, and they become personal via lies and misinformation that creates a kind of distance from any emotional effect. In other words: Iron Man becomes a MORAL QUEST. Wanted is about a gang of slaughterers. Fun, but kinda sick. Iron Man engages you on another dimension. As my Dad put it: It's probably not good to kill people you don't even know.

  • The Hero's Glamour Factor. While RDJ's character may not be on the moral highground to begin with, he's not a frustrated loser working a shithole job and getting blindsided by his best friend either. He's a little easier to fall in love with in that "beginning of the movie, suck you in, make you want to watch him" way. Much as I love Bright Abbott dearly, oh, man, I hated seeing him be the swindler of McAvoy.

Where it SHINES in comparison to Iron Man!!:

  • Hello, four words: Female Fucking Action Hero. Jolie* is just as much a focus as McAvoy, or any of the other assassins (even moreso). As Dad points out, "she is a MAJOR part of this movie, her part is outstanding and she's outstanding in it." Whereas in Iron Man while Gwyneth Paltrow is actually good (a rare enjoyment of her on my part), and has great chemistry with RDJ, her role is soooooo sidelines. And very retro, the female "secretary" role, even with sass is STILL the female secretary role. I mean, she goes to the final confrontation in 5-inch spiked heels to stand on the sidelines and shriek in distress. She's good when she's in it but she's so auxiliary.

  • The Sets, particularly the Factory. While they make sense in the storyline, Iron Man's modern office buildings and desert caves don't really do as much for me as the sets in Wanted (although RDJ's house is pretty cool). The textile mill/factory is really majestic in a way, I LOVED all the car chases through the El structures and the stuff on the El itself (I love you, Chicago! You're so pretty!). And the train scenes at the end with his dad? And when Jolie drives her car onto it! VERY COOL!

Where both movies are GREAT:

  • Effects, effects, exhilarating effects. Even my Dad who is not generally fan of CGI bullet fights (Peckinpah and Walter Hill did it better, OLD SCHOOL, and he will happily talk your ear off about it), even he loved the "fight" scenes in Wanted. How about the final showdown at the textile mill, where McAvoy is picking up other people's weapons as his way to reload? AWESOME!

  • Wit, sarcasm, banter. Both movies have enough of this to be interesting BEYOND the effects and the drama and the Super Heroness of it all. Comic relief so you don't become bogged down by the horribleness of some of it.

  • The "training" scenes. RDJ in his laboratory with his robot helpers and McAvoy gettin' schooled by Jolie. Like the scene where he's trying to grab the shuttle? And then when he finally does? All done with nice touches of humor.

I could go on (and on...) but believe it or not, I actually have something else to do right now. Shocking!

Need I even say it? Highly recommended. (BOTH)


*And if you enjoy Jolie in this, I recommend you check out Mr. & Mrs. Smith (which I LOVED a ridiculous amount!) as well as the two Tomb Raider movies, because she is great in these mixes of physicality/sass/sex/etc.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under DadReaction, Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

July 16, 2008

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am...

Eating: My weight in brownies from Jamie. Yum.

Making: Secret.Family.Craft.Project.

Reading: Still reading the same two books as last week: 1) at home: Dad's and my challenge book for the month, "The New Granta Book of the American Short Story" edited by Richard Ford, and 2) in transit: "Absurdistan" by Gary Shteyngart . Close to finishing #2, which has been a hilarious ride so far, and definitely spending some time gazing at the bookshelves, pondering what's on deck.

Watching: Summer TV kickoffs of Burn Notice, The Cleaner, The Closer, Saving Grace and the wonderful, truly awesome, so enjoyable Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. (I had more to say ova heah.) Also rewatching lots of old favorites. As well as (re)watching BSG season 4 so far. Wanting to see Wanted again...Sooooo good. (So good that I haven't written it up? Slacker!)

Listening: Mostly to SModcasts. About five in the past four days or so? As my Dad says, "those two make great traveling companions." Also (re)listening to the latest albums from Madonna, Gnarls Barkley, Coldplay, Meg Hutchinson and Missy Higgins. All as accompaniment to Secret.Family.Crafting. I have a bunch of new stuff I haven't listened to yet. And there's Pitchfork (with the Nipper! YAY! NIPPER VISIT!) over the weekend. So we'll see.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Currently, Flicks, TVTVTV, Tunes

Recommending Random Sampler Singles

For those three of you who are always asking me for new singles to check out...HERE YA GO.

Paste 39:

  • "Love During Wartime" The Main Drag
  • "Sweet to Mend" Heirloom Projector
  • "Ships" Tyler Ramsey"
  • "Fine Line" Little Big Town
  • "The Story of Benjamin Darling Part 1" State Radio
  • "Coat Check Dream Song" (Live version) Bright Eyes

Paste 40:

Paste 41:

  • "The Silence Between Us" Bob Mould
  • "Strawberry Street" Lili Hadyn
  • "Bye Bye Bye" Plants and Animals
  • "Punches" by Collin Herring
  • "Meet Me by the River" Matthew Ryan vs. the Silver State
  • "I Got a Thing for You" Jim Bianco
  • "Changing Your Mind" Bob Schneider
  • "Goodnight Girl" The Nadas
  • "Old Song" AM

Paste 42:

  • "Sing Again" Chris Walla
  • "Buildings & Mountains" The Republic Tigers
  • "Nobody Knows" Keaton Simons
  • "Antarctica" The Weepies
  • "Rebel Side of Heaven" Langhorne Slim
  • "Shooting Star and the Ambulance" Pete Francis
  • "This Girl" Jordan Zevon
  • "I Keep Faith" Billy Bragg
  • "Better Things" South
  • "She Held My Hand" Steven Delopoulos

Paste 43:

  • "Graveyard Girl" M83
  • "Be With Me" Foy Vance
  • "My Only Offer" Mates of State
  • "Get on With It" Val Emmich
  • "Mystery" Ashleigh Flynn
  • "Late Last Night" Robby Hecht
  • "Standing Bird" Love Psychedelico
  • "Jessi Jane" The Whipsaws

And if you need reference points*, we've got:
"Right Hand on My Heart" The Whigs ...sounds like... Springsteen! "Ghosts of Goodbye" Ford Turrell ...sounds like... Ryan Adams! "Bye Bye Bye" Plants and Animals ...sounds like... Arcade Fire! Or Ravens & Chimes! "I Got a Thing for You" Jim Bianco ...sounds like... Joe Cocker! Or Tom Waits! "Old Song" AM ...sounds like... Josh Rouse! "Nobody Knows" Keaton Simons ...sounds SASSY like... Jason Mraz! "Open Fire" Sara Mac Band ...sounds like... The Dixie Chicks! "Standing Bird" Love Psychedelico ...sounds A BIT like... The Dixie Chicks as well! "Jessie Jane" The Whipsaws ...sounds like... Lynyrd Skynrd!

* Note that ...sounds like... is a very loose term that may mean actually SOUNDS LIKE or may mean rather mean "reminds me (and no one else) of".

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under ...Sounds Like..., Listenin', Rags, Recommending, Tunes

July 15, 2008

Background Entertainment

Things that kept me company yesterday and today while I worked on a secret project. Generally I stick with old, old many-times-watched favorites for situations like this.

  • SModcast #55 (not old, but too damn funny)
  • SModcast #56 (and the same)
  • Bull Durham (still quirky and fun on the gazillioneth watch)
  • Streets of Fire (my love for this movie knows no bounds)
  • The Thomas Crown Affair (the Brosnan/Russo one, sexy sexy)
  • Lara Croft Tomb Raider (Angelina Jolie, best female action star ever?)

The bold of which is possibly my favorite movie IN THE WORLD and I am SHOCKED, s-h-o-c-k-e-d shocked, that there is no Snip entry on it to link to. My Gods, People, What Have I Been Doing with My Time?

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Flicks, Lists

July 10, 2008

Paste #43

Tunes to Think About:

  • Ersi Arvizu "Friend for Life"
  • Jack Dishel "Only Son" (only on myspace? not sure)
  • The Ting Tings (Shell recommends them too)
  • Caroline Herring "Lantana"
  • Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken "Ampersand" EP
  • Elbow "The Seldom Seen Kid"
  • Jim Noir (It's been out for ages, but I keep resisting this one, not sure why.)
  • Old 97s "Blame It on Gravity" (hmmmmmm)
  • Baby Loves HipHop Presents: the Dino 5 (this album sounds like so much fun!)

And other random thoughts:

Steve Labate describing The Replacements: simultaneously stupid and profound, a gang of reckless, wiseass pranksters accidentally slipping on their own banana peel headfirst into the sacred sublime. ...the endearing juxtaposition of abject failure and wild success.

I don't know what to think of Scarlet Johansson putting out a Tom Waits' cover record...but I did really enjoy the stuff she had to say about Woody Allen in this interview. (And also, the video she's in for Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down" sounds really lovely...although I can't remember the last time I saw an actual music video.)

This review of Mates of State sounds eerily like it could be describing The Weepies. Bizarre. They are not that similar in my head, but I realize I haven't listened to MoS in awhile...

I soooo want a Wii Fit!!

Book: "Dear American Airlines" Jonathan Miles (the second intriguing review I've read...hmmm....)
Book: "Black & White" Lewis Shiner
Book: "Poems 1957-1967" James Dickey

Snack: Trader Joe's PeanutButter-Filled Pretzels (the second recommendation of these in a week. my coworker says they're bliss)

Game: Dishwasher Dead Samurai (to be on Xbox 360. Dang I wish I could play video games (other than Tetris and Hatris I mean. I'm great at those.)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Rags, Tunes

July 09, 2008

Chicago's Famous Tamale Guy!!

Check it out, yo. (link via DJ BIll)

I myself have run into him numerous times* at Ten Cat and I will tell you those tamales are Damn.Good.

*Once when Gotvald was in town and had started drinking at noon with no food (he was wasted by the time I saw him) and even though we had tapas at Cafe Iberico early in the evening, by the time we wound up at the pool tables at Ten Cat, he was in serious need of those tamales. Yum.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Food

À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am...

Eating: Better than last week. So far. Lots of bananas. Monkey-loving girls can never have too many bananas.

Making: This week? Absofuckinglutely nothing. Maybe over the weekend.

Reading: Dad's and my challenge book for the month, "The New Granta Book of the American Short Story" edited by Richard Ford, a behemoth of a collection, way too heavy to read in transit. I didn't think the first three or so were very good choices, but after that it really picked up and now I can't put it down. I mean when I'm at home, sitting down, with the book resting on a pillow or table, THEN I can't put it down. So since I'm not carrying that fucker around, on the El I'm reading "Absurdistan" by Gary Shteyngart which is really hilarious. Solidly in the "Confederacy of Dunces" tradition. I am picturing the main character as a (much) fatter Kevin Smith. If you listen to SModcasts and then read this book, I think you'll see why.

Watching: Almost nothing. (I mean BSG every night but at this point, does that even count?) I'm supposedly going to start watching Band of Brothers (CCB, can you guess why????). But I've been carrying around disc one for a couple days now and haven't managed to pop it in yet.

Listening: The new Beck "Modern Guilt" (good!), the awesome mix I just made per Juno's request, another new Joseph Arthur EP "Vagabond Skies" (Love.It.), the most talked about rap album of the year Lil Wayne "Tha Carter III" (fun!), and still listening to Fleet Foxes , Sea Wolf and Matt Costa a lot as well. Plus today I am listening to "Nightswimming" from an old, old beloved album (R.E.M. "Automatic for the People") after a eulogy in the April issue of Paste brought it to mind.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Currently, Tunes

July 08, 2008

RW #1055 (Chris Martin)

So I don't watch or know anything about American Idol but there is a really great photo by Peter Yang of the dude who just won it with some random little karate girl who walked by during the shoot. Really great photo.

Weird articles in this issue. Chris Martin = weirder than I even already thought. The dude who created Facebook = insane.

In other random news: Billy Squier will be part of Ringo Starr's "All-Starr" traveling band this summer. Hello, I could hear "The Stroke" live? Oh, the little junior high schooler I once was just swooned a little.

Single: "Handlebars" Flobots

Single: "Lost" Coldplay (compared to U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For")

Album: The Virgins (self titled) (gets a really great review. just read about these dudes somewhere else recently as well...)

Album: "Last 2 Walk" Three 6 Mafia (singles: "First 48", "Lolli Lolli")

The latest in the series of R&B-sounding but actually skinny weird white chicks coming out of the UK (what an odd trend): Adele "19"

Great Album title: "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold" (Atmosphere)

Flick: "The Go-Getter"

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Flicks, Rags, Tunes

EW #1001 (Batman/Joker)

A(nother) redesign. WIth lots of bolding in the text.

I really can't wait to see Batman. The previews are intense and Heath looks amazing.

Stephen King agrees with my Dad on The Strangers.

This is a much better review of Wanted than the one in the Chicago Reader.

The new HBO drama Generation Kill sounds much more intriguing to me after reading this article (and Maureen Ryan has a whole host of PDFs to help you keep track of who's who if you feel the need).

Tune: "Hero" Nas feat. Keri Hilson
Mystery: "Swan Peak" by James Lee Burke (Robicheaux series)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Flicks, Rags, TVTVTV, Tunes

Belgian Beer Rambling

The "Budweiser" equivalent in Belgium is pretty much standard "lager" = so that'd be Stella Artois, Jupiler, Maes. (Boring, but I do love Stella myself. But it's not all that "flavorful" of beer, I would admit.)

Next up are what they call "White Beers" but are pretty much "Wheat" beers to us. Often served with a slice o' lemon. Hoegarden, obviously. And in Brugs, there's a beer there called "Brugs Tarwebier" from De Gouden Boom. I'm sure 't Brugs Beertje probably serves it. ;)

I would say the next level "up" from that would be the Golden Ales or "Abbey Beers". Referred to as "strong amber ales". Supposed to be "dense" and "creamy" / but they're not heavy or chocolate-y (or stout-y) like the next categories we will get to. Probably the most liked here is Duvel but that one brewery in Bruges (De Halve Maan) makes one called Straffe Hendrik Blonde that was pretty good. And I LOVED this beer called "Triple Karmeliet" but Wes probably wouldn't like it because it's pretty sweet! Yum! :) I think Leffe goes in this category also, as well as Maredsous and Grimbergen (I don't remember trying those two).

Next are the Trappist beers (all made by Trappist monasteries). These are all super malt-y and strong to me / I'm not really a fan. Chocolate-y / dark / heavy. But the friend I went to Belgium with was pretty much all about these. She LOVED Orval. There are 6 trappist monasteries, most make more than one beer although Orval only makes one: Westmalle, Westvletern, Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort. Westvleteren is IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND because apparently they only sell once a year now or something crazy. We tried to get it everywhere even at very high-falutin beer pubs and we couldn't find it. But Westmalle's beer production was actually started by some dude who used to work at Westvleteren so they're pretty comparable I would think. They make both Double (Dubbel) and Triple. Achel (4, 5, 6, 8) Tracy thought was "OK" but didn't seem that blown away by. Rochefort is super strong (the "6" is deep amber", the 8 is super dry and the 10 is redbrown and "full on flavor" according to our book). (The higher the #, generally, the higher the alcohol content.) Chimay's beers are labeled by color instead of number. "red" - 7% alcohol, "white" - 8% it's not as dark but it's kinda bitter and "blue" = 9%.

The other thing in Belgium is "Lambic" beers or "gueuze" which is this total old style beer. Now the REAL old style stuff is pretty much all made by "Cantillon". [I mean, there are other places that make it besides Cantillon but I can't remember their names! Cantillon you can go to the brewery of in Brussels. It's cool. Very tiny.] It's super super sour, kind of like sour lemonade mixed with beer. Even the ones w/ fruit in them (which is called "Kriek" and has cherry or raspberry added) are still super super sour. HOWEVER, a ton of places make sort of "commercial imitations" of lambic and gueuze which are super sweet so they're not real gueuze but some are sooo good. There's a bar in Brussels that has its own beer (that you can also buy at other pubs) called Mort Subite and I drank Mort Subite Gueuze a LOT while we were there. Sooooooo yummy (very sweet!). But no real beer connoisseur would ever drink the stuff. :) If something says "Aud Gueuze" it MIGHT be the old-style sour stuff. If it just says "Gueuze" and is NOT by Cantillon, then it's probably the commercialized sweet stuff.

"Rodenback" is a "flemish red" beer. I thought these all tasted a lot like wine (super thick dark rich wine) so I avoided them like the plague! :) But Tracy liked "Rodenbach Grand Cru" which apparently ages in a cask for 20 months or something ridiculous.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Beer!

British Beer Recommendations #2 (with some overlap)

from Jess.

Beer recommendations -- hmm. If your friends are coming to London, then I'd recommend anything by the Fullers brewery -- the one I suggested to your dad is called London Pride (it is a bitter beer, so quite dark and strong-tasting) but they do a wheat beer called Discovery, one called Honeydew as well -- both of those are very nice. You'll usually find them in bottles rather than draught/tap.

Here in the UK there is a weird system where the majority of pubs are tied to a particular brewery so they can only sell that brewery's beer. So there are some pub chains where the beer isn't that great -- Wetherspoons pubs are generally to be avoided, they are nasty, and Sam Smiths' pubs are often cheap but the beer tastes cheap as well.

Or there is always cider. Last summer it was very trendy to drink cider out of bottles (magners or Bulmer) with ice -- a bit weird, no?

I would recommend to your friends to check out a website called Beer in the Evening. It has good pub reviews, maps, etc. I'd trust it, for sure ..

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Beer!

British Beer Recommendations #1

from Shell.

Well, my favourites are:

  • Timothy Taylor 'Landlord' bitter (that's the one your dad had)
  • Oakham 'JHB'
  • Deuchars 'IPA'
  • Crouch Vale 'Brewers Gold'
  • Fullers 'London Pride', 'Discovery' or 'Honey Dew'
  • Hopback 'Summer Lightening'
  • The whole range of Meantime beers (brewed in Greenwich)

There are so many though, and lots of smaller regional breweries. If they are REALLY interested in beer, the best book is the Good Beer Guide, available in most bookshops!

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Beer!

Is this true?

Psychologists figured that the memory center was located in the left brain, and the imagination engine in the right brain. Therefore people unconsciously glanced to the left when they were remembering things, and to the right when they were making stuff up. When they were lying. This girl was glancing right so much she was in danger of getting whiplash.

-Lee Child "Nothing to Lose"

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Lit Quotes

Mystery: "Nothing to Lose" by Lee Child

The latest Jack Reacher. You know how I feel about Jack Reacher.

I liked the little bits of the mystery that made this very modern day / the connections to the current global conflict. Definitely enjoyed it overall. Another solid addition to the series.

But I wasn't loving the (yet another) dead-end relationship and I thought the way they made the relationship "connect" to the main mystery (the husband) was a bit contrived. Also, hello, there is no way a smart guy like Reacher takes THAT LONG to figure out what's going on with the husband. Come on.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Readin'

Dads will always set you straight.

In a story, where an environmentally aware son (not young, but still a son) is "borrowing" his dad's welding equipment to weld shut the pipes of a company dumping into a waterway.

'They're pouring emission straight into the water down there, from two pipes hanging out over the bank.'

He tests the chisel, nodding slowly as he works out what I want his welding gear for. 'They're pouring human shit straight into the ocean, too,' he says, pinning me with a glance, 'but I haven't noticed you welding your arse shut.'

-Cate Kennedy "Direct Action" (collected in "Dark Roots")

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Lit Quotes

Short Stories: "Dark Roots" by Cate Kennedy

Very intense little stories. Succinct but centered around the moment of conflict. Very in medias res. People caught by surprise, sometimes by their own actions. Questioning themselves, questioning you, what would you do. People in unconventional situations. All different points of view: men, women, old, young.

Really good. (And very fast read. BIG print, less than 200 pgs.)

I must not have read the blurb beforehand though because I was somewhere in the mdidle when I thought "This girl MUST be Australian." Yeah, dork, says so right on the back cover. Doh.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Readin'

July 07, 2008

Albums: Sometimes you're UP and sometimes DOWN

Upbeat music that is making me happy:

The Kills "Midnight Boom" - I don't know if you can call this punk (in this day and age) but it certainly has punk sensibilities to my mind. Digital and dirty and demanding. Lots of beats. While there is humor in some of the lyrics, this isn't a fun and games album, they're kickin' it. I love the male/female back and forth vocals (as you should know I do already, from say this or this or this). I want you to be crazy because you're boring baby when you're straight.

The Fratellis "Here We Stand" - Yay! These guys are so much fun! I loved their last album and loved their crazy high-energy but super (ridiculously) early in the day set at Lollapalooza (they so brought it ) and this album is a solid continuation of them doing their thing. Woot! Dear world's biggest Beatles fan Ms. Shrinking Smartgrrrl, I think you would like this.

Low-key music that was making me too sad to listen to it:

Shearwater "Rook" - Along the lines of Fleet Foxes or Sea Wolf, musically, (or a combination of them with Band of Horses), but somehow the mood and the tones were just so, so, so sad, I actually had to fast forward past it...Only to arrive at:

Jakob Dylan "Seeing Things" - I tend to like The Wallflowers more than most critics, maybe because they're just sort of "straight up" rock with no pop or alternative pretensions and also because I do not spend all my time comparing children to their parents (Boh-Ring!), but this album was just bringing me down, man. Sad and slow, with very melancholy lyrics. Not the sensibility of The Wallflowers at all, which is fine, it is a solo album afterall; but it felt almost dirge-like. I had to say goodbye for the day and fast forward past it as well! Maybe when I am in a different mood, I will try again.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Album, Listenin', Tunes

Album: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin "Pershing"

So when I wrote my April album reviews (in June, of course,when everyone was writing reviews of albums they bought in April, ha ha ha ha), I had only listened to this album once, maybe not even all the way through.

Um, hello, what was I thinking? It's upbeat and lots of fun and some of it's really pretty and it turns out for a slow-ass not really running when she's "running" runner like me, it's the perfect running music! Not so insistently rhythmic that you find yourself running to its beat, but peppy enough to keep you going.

I *love* especially "Heers" which reminds me of what Josh Rouse sounds like live (but not what he sounds like on his albums, which are much, let's say, calmer).

I'm 90% sure I bought this based on a review on Andrew Taylor Recommends although I am far too lazy to go looking for it right now. I don't know the dude but I am totally into his "random posts about everything" type of site and I will mention that he recently reviewed some Cinnamon Buns icecream that I am dying to try, and he has also done some Mt. Dew taste tests and you know how I feel about the Dew. Don't you? Do you know how JenG. feels about the Dew? Or AmandaJean? Oh, the Dew.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Album, Listenin', Tunes

DadReaction: The Strangers

Sooooo scary/good. A real psychological terror/thriller. Really well done.

Classic "things that go bump in the night". NOT a gorefest.

Dad to you, random reader who can handle scary movies and maybe even thinks they're fun: Go see it! Totally worth it!

Dad to me, scaredy freakshow, especially if she sees them a) alone or b) at night or c) any other time: Do.Not.Go.See.This.Movie. Do.Not.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under DadReaction, Flicks

Books Stephanie recommended

Another reminder to self post: I keep forgetting to buy these two and I can't keep carrying around this email I sent myself...

The Genius, by Jesse Kellerman (also mentioned here)

To the Power of Three, by Laura Lippman (also mentioned here)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books

Book I keep reading about.

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. Called "possibly the most impressive post-9/11 novel yet" somewhere that I copied & printed out and then promptly forgot wherefrom. Looked at it in the bookstore but couldn't decide...

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books

Who writes the ads for Spike TV?

A couple weeks ago I was watching a crapload of CSI reruns so I basically had at least three hours of SpikeTV on every day and they were promoting their big week-end showings of Star Wars. The ads really cracked me up.

I can't remember, was this one said in a Yoda voice?: Being a bad guy isn't bad. There is much to be learned.

Han and Leia: If your sister hangs out with your friends, eventually one of them is going to hook up with her.

Too funny!

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Mots, TVTVTV

Fiction: Lush Life, by Richard Price

A bday present from Carla who must've seen me mention it here. ;)

Price does such a good job of sucking you into each character's point of view. I kept changing who I was rooting for / who I thought was guilty / who deserved a serious smackdown. He is also just brilliant at maintaining the main plotline while also delving into all the little conflicts going on in the substories around it. Every character, every story, every little grouping of people is fully fleshed out and palpably human.

And the dialogue? Holy crap, no wonder they make this guy's books into movies. The dialogue is just spot-on in every scene.

Combine this great book with Minty's recent Coney Island and Mermaid Parade photos and I was missing NYC something fierce for a week there.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Readin', Recommending

Fiction: Life Class, by Pat Barker

I really, really canNOT understand the reviews for this book: all of which seem to compare it unfavorably to her earlier Regeneration trilogy and some of which I just find ludicrous ("Tellingly, many critics mentioned as their favorite character one with little more than a walk-on—the real-life artist, teacher, and surgeon Henry Tonks, whom they hope to see more of in a sequel". What? NO.).

I didn't think the first half of the book was "slow" as so many have said / I thought the first half was about a bunch of very unhappy people, some of whom are actually happier when the war comes (second half) because it gives their life some direction they hadn't seemed to be able to find before it. Life does move slower when you're unhappy, don't you know.

I loved the descriptions of the art in this book; I could *almost* see the paintings in my mind and I really wish most of them existed. (Similar to how I felt about the paintings in Siri Hustvedt's "What I Loved".)

I found it moving and insightful and while it does continue to crack me up that so many contemporary British writers are often to be found writing about WWI and II (because there just haven't been any conflicts in the world since then, right?) in a way you don't find quite as often on this side of the pond, I think Pat Barker is (and continues to be) one of the best.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Books, Readin', Recommending

DadReaction: In Bruges

Howling [with laughter]. Off the wall. Black humor. Incredibly funny. Colin Farrell is so hilarious.

Dad is the second person in two weeks to recommend this movie to me.

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July 06, 2008

DVD: Rendition

Powerful. Emotionally moving. And extremely fucking depressing.

This IS what is going on ALL THE TIME in our world today and fuck who wants to live in a world like that.

p.s. Do Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal have some clause in their contracts that they have to be in at least 90% of each other's movies?

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under Flicks, Watchin'