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Well That's Something I've Never Seen Before....

I don't like Quentin Tarantino. Never have, never will. But that's besides the point. Boing Boing posting these little beauties from somewhere. Each is an animated text using the dialogue and audio from Pulp Fiction. Sam Jackson really sells is so you don't even need the video. Like I said, I may not enjoy the movie, but damn these are pretty cool. Enjoy.

By the way, I should mention that these are in NO WAY safe for work, unless you are a sailor with really good internet acess

Weekly Music Video #14

The world we live in has a hard time defining the quality of things in relation to other things, be them better or worse. The areas I think this is most usually dealt with is music, movies, books, and whatever else you want to lump in there. Something is the greatest and best ever, or the worse pile of doggie doo. Most of the time we tend to be overly positive about things that we'll forget about in a week or two. I'm not sure why we do this, maybe we can't honestly figure out a mental shelving unit. If you don't know where to put the shelves, it's hard to separate things. I do believe this does cheapen the value of when something is really really good. If I had to rate of the 1,000 or so movies I've seen in my life, I'd put maybe a handful or two as perfect 10s. Even movies I truely love can have their faults.

An example. I had to go to a seminar for work and I had to rate the speaker on a scale of 1-10 in a number of categories. I thought she okay. She didn't get a standing ovation or even anything close to that. In fact, some people, in an attempt to show their displeasure, asked blatantly disrespectful questions. So on my little questionaire, she got received a fair amount of 4s, 5s, and 6s, with a 7 or two thrown in for good measure. My co-worked, who wasn't the happiest of campers, took one look at mine and said "Oohh.. you were nasty." How, do I ask you, was I nasty? I reserve my 9s and tens for people who make me laugh, make me cry, make me want to give up my worldly possetions and join them in their cabin in the woods. The speaker, my friend, didn't make me want to give up my very small bag of complementary cookies.

The reason for all this? This weeks music video is GREAT. Could have been a bit better a points, but really a very solid 9. Enjoy.

The Go Team!-Junior Kickstart

"Impossible Is Nothing"

As I mentioned before, I recently got a new job. If I hadn't, I probably would have made a video resume along the same lines as....



It's pretty darn easy to take shots at this guy. I would personally choose the under armour shirt on during dancing and the editing that made the breaking brick portion about 3 times as long as it should be. One kind fellow in the comments had this to say:

"Olympic Valley National Qualifier?Qualifying for what? The worlds shittiest 3' high 360?I didn't know that they built Jr. High kickers for National Qualifying. Tool."

Apparently Aleksey he doesn't quite understand why people find it funny. I do feel somewhat bad for the dude. Just something to help you next time you're looking for work.

Sorry...

It's true, I haven't posted anything for a few months now. I was posting all the time, then it turned into just music posts, then pffff... Okay, I can't type the noise I would make if I was looking at you, but you get the idea.

There is a very simple reason for this. I got a new job. It requires more work than my old job by about a mile and a half. If you notice, I never actually post anything about work. This isn't on accident. I'm not sure what the legal ramifications are, so I just try and stay away from that whole hornet's nest. No I'm not a spy, heck I'm not even a mailman. I actually have more entertaining work stories than anything I can post on here. Just ask me next time you see me, I got some DOOZIES.

Anyway, this job takes time, effort, and to be honest, wears me out sometimes. I've also been busy with other stuff and writing endeavor ( still a secret, shh...). I do have instances during my day when I think to myself "Wow, I feel strongly about that." This is one thing I need to get off my chest.

Brittney Spears- Never a huge fan of hers. I just don't understand how people can:
1) Pay attention to the actions of someone else they have never met ( I don't look at it as a bad thing either. It just confuses me)
2) Be entertained by this.

The first one is self explanitory. The second one, not as much. I see this woman who went from nothing to everything in a few years. I don't see how this doesn't mess with your head. She was held up as a sex symbol and treated like royalty. Then she was turned on and slammed when people didn't like her choice of husband, decision to smoke, or desire to not wear underwear. I look at Mariah Carey and see how she "went crazy" a few years ago and wonder why this keeps happening.

My theory? There seems to be an underlying sense of helplessness. I see it every day, and have no idea how to help others handle it. I'm not quite sure where it comes from, but I do hear all about the disposability of culture and the lack of morals in "the young folk". If that's true, if that is the cause of this feeling, I would think it might be a tad ironic that a person who helped push it forward is now being bitten by it.

I know this has been dealt with better in a million places, but I just feel bad for her. I know she's rich, but when you're falling apart, you're falling apart.

Weekly Music Video #13

So it's been a whirl wind few weeks here at the Castle (cause that's where Kings live). Sometimes you just need to throw everything out the window and go with something that's catchy and you enjoy listening to. That's what this week is for. Emo, hate it or love it, but some of it is damn catchy. This song is a good example of that, especially the begining. So don't be all snobby and hate on it, enjoy it for what it's worth:

Taking Back Sunday- Makedamnsure

Weekly Music Video #12

Real quickly, why does anyone make a Christmas themed movie any more? Did Jingle All the Way , Surviving Christmas, and Christmas With the Cranks not show clearly enough how bad an idea this can be? I really can't imagine why anyone would make Deck the Halls. I understand the desire to make a quick buck just like anyone else, but come on Matthew Broderick, help me help you. And no, I'm not telling you to dance.

Anyway, it's been a busy week at work folks. Lots of stuff to get done+ late night soccer game + chest cold = useless me. So in an effort to bring my week to a happy and fun conclusion, we're heading back to a well we tapped earlier. I've already posted a video by Architecture in Helsinki. It was fun, cute, and cartoony. Well I think the first two apply to this video as well. To be honest, I haven't spent a whole lot of time in New York, but this is what I imagine Max and his friends do in their spare time. I could be way off, but somehow I don't think so. They must be like:

Architecture in Helsinki- It's 5

Weekly Music Video #11

Alright, I think this week it's time for another classic to help raise your spirts. The fact that it's getting darker earlier always gets me down and I know this video will help pick me up, and hopefully you as well. Maybe you suffer from SAD or maybe you just don't have a very good winter hat.
Either way, this video will warm your heart. Love is love, if it is between a man and a woman or a woman and a cat, I don't judge. I hope you don't either when it comes to:

Bjork- Triumph of the Heart

Switching Gears

Well now on to something that couldn't be further from the last post. I think everyone needs a little sunshine in their lives and this might be it for the day.

Don't adjust your monitor, what you see is correct. They are making a red Guinness. I think one of the great things about Guinness is that you always know what you're getting. There aren't a million different types like Sam Adams or even Blue Moon. They make one thing and they make it great. But I would love to give this a shot, just to how exactly they would pull it off.

The problem is they are only planning on releasing it Great Britain. Now I doubt I have the pull to get some sent over here, so it looks like I need to book some plane tickets right now. Who wants to go on a vacation?

What Is The World Comming To?

I read about something a couple of weeks ago and still don't think I can fully wrap my head around it. It's pretty twisted and bizarre, but I still think it's interesting news. I'll give you a minute a to catch up on the story.

All done? Okay. What is confusing is the inability to identify the body. I'm fairly sure it must have been a gruesome and somewhat unique site, but I still can't find any information that says for sure if it was the girlfriend or not.

Also, following the hurricane, she wanted her and her boyfriend to be safe from looters and other trouble makes. So she decided to flash any police car that came by. That way they were more likely to return later on. It doesn't mention that in the article. I don't know if that makes the situation worse or not.

I Wonder What NWA Would Have To Say About This?

So are you wondering where to take those few precious days of vaction next summer? Thinking about going somewhere urban, with a sense of history, cool attractions, and some world famous ice cream? Hey, St Louis sounds like a good place to visit. Um... or maybe not so much. Apparently they like to kill people early and often, ususally while planning it first.

I have a friend who lives down in the Loo (or Lou, not sure which) and I've spent a little time down there. I've never seen anything bad there and to be honest, thought it was a pretty nice place. Apparently I wasn't hanging out in the places where the crime rate rose 5.7%.

Maybe the funniest part about the article, if crime can be funny, is who St. Louis beat out. It's more dangerous to hang out in St. Louis than Compton. Yes, that Compton. Maybe my small hip hop education is mistaken, but accorting to every west coast rapper I've ever heard, Compton is like Hell mixed with prison. Apparently that combination isn't quite as bad as St. Louis. Yikes. Maybe I should visit south central L.A. next time I get a free week or two.

Also, the Mayor of former #1 city Camden N.J. had this to say about falling to 4th place on the list of most violent cities: “'You made my day!' said Faison, who has served since 2000. 'There’s a new hope and a new spirit.'” Nothing like bringing a little sunshine into the hearts of those in Camden, New Jersey.

Weekly Music Video #10

Old people scare me a little bit. I think it's the constant need to repeat myself in front of them. I know they just have problems hearing, but I end up questioning the validity of my statement. Maybe they CAN hear me and just think I'm stupid, offering me a way out. Instead I always repeat it the second time, even quieter than the first, eventually just yelling"OH NOTHING!" when they say "What?" for the 4th time. For this reason as well as my intense fear of wigs, I tend to stay away from those over the age of 75. I know it's probably wrong, but there seems to be little I can do to change it. Well, that is unless old people start acting like they do in the video for:

Sigur Ros-Hoppipola

Pull The Uncle Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does

Tired of the same old work out? Running on the treadmill with the rest of the robots got you down. Well then maybe Ike Taylor has got the answer for you. In In Sports Illustrated, he offers up a few helpful hints.

Growing up poor outside New Orleans, Ike's Uncle Francois didn't have the money to afford high tech training equipment like heavy ball or spray paint. So instead they oprovised. They created such great activities as:

Catch the brick-

Chase the Rabbit-(Yes, Rocky Style)

and of course, Pull The Uncle-

(Note, tire is much larger than the one Ike used)

They also used baking flour to make lines on the field since they didn't have any spray paint lying around. If anyone wants me to sit in a tire and pull me around a field, I got some time to kill. Let me know before it gets too cold though.

Weekly Music Video #9

I don't know if this video is great because I love the band so much or if it's as funny as I think it is. I'm thinking it's funny because who doesn't laugh at guys dress like they are in 80's gym class. Plus, I really do love me some badmitton and the ending is an all time classic. You know what? You're also going to get a great song too. So this video is a winner on a number of levels and so are you. Congrats to you and congrats to:

Broken Social Scene- Fire Eye'd Boy

The 300 Trailer

Since I posted about the 300 a few weeks ago, I thought I'd give you a follow up. The trailer is now online and it's also plays before "The Departed" (Two Thumbs Up!). It looks interesting and I'm still looking forward to it at this point. . This trailer is over three minutes long, which is pretty loco. I don't think I've ever seen a trailer this long before. It's like a baby sized cut of the movie, and everyone loves babies. Enjoy.

Weekly Music Video #8

This might be one of my favorite music videos of all time. As I was watching it again, I was going to point all the stuff that made me laugh, but then I just gave up, there were too many things. Anyway, this is a classic and if you love the Muppets, I know you'll love:

Weezer- Keep Fishing

Lets Go Out To the Movies: November

November 3rd
Borat

"In "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," Sacha Baron Cohen - star of HBO's hit comedy "Da Ali G Show," takes his outrageous Kazakhstani reporter character Borat to the big screen. In this hilariously offensive movie, Borat travels from his primitive home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. On his cross-country road-trip, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences."
Chances of Viewing-10/10
Everything I've read says this movie is fantastic

November 10th
Babel

"Armed with a Winchester rifle, two Morrocan boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats. In the silent echoes of the desert, they decide to test the rifle... but the bullet goes farther than they thought it would."
Chances of Viewing-9/10

Sounds very complex, maybe like Syrana

F*ck
"A documentary that takes a look at the infamous F word from both the liberal and conservative perspective. From Hollywood to the schoolyard to the Senate floor it's the word at the very center of the debate on free speech, and everyone seems to have an opinion"
Chances of Viewing-6/10

Gotta have some non-fiction, right?

Stranger Than Fiction

"Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick, an IRS Agent whose world is turned upside-down when he begins to hear his life being chronicled by a narrator only he can hear. The Narrator, Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a nearly forgotten author of tragic novels, is struggling to complete her latest and best book, unaware that her protagonist is alive and uncontrollably guided by her words. Fiction and reality collide when the bewildered and hilariously resistant Harold hears the Narrator say that events have been set in motion that will lead to his imminent death."
Chances of Viewing-8/10

Very interesting idea. Not sure aboue Will Ferrell playing it straight though

November 17th
007- Casino Royale

"Daniel Craig takes over the role of the legendary British secret agent, James Bond, in the highly anticipated 007 adventure thriller. "Casino Royale" will be the 21st James Bond film."
Chances of Viewing-10/10

I always end up seeing Bond movies with my Dad. Can't imagine this one being different

Fast Food Nation
"A dramatic feature based on material from the incendiary novel "Fast Food Nation," a no-holds-barred exploration of the fast food industry that ultimately revealed the dark side of the "All American Meal."
Chances of Viewing-7/10

I like the idea. If I have any money left I'll go

November 22nd

The Fountain

"What if you could live forever? The Fountain is an odyssey about one man's eternal struggle to save the woman he loves. His epic journey begins in 16th-century Spain, where conquistador Tomas (Hugh Jackman) commences his search for the Fountain of Youth, the legendary entity believed to grant immortality. As modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife, Isabel (Rachel Weisz). Traveling through deep space as a 26th-century astronaut, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries that have consumed him for a millennium. The three stories converge into one truth, as the Thomas of all periods -- warrior, scientist, and explorer -- comes to terms with life, love, death and rebirth."

Chances of Viewing-9/10

I can't imagine how they plan on pulling all this off, but I'm excited to find out.

Again, all movie posters and reviews by Movieweb.com

Lets Go Out To the Movies: October

The next two months are probably the most highly antipated in my movie watching life. First I need to make sure I see these three already released movies at some point:

1. The Last King Of Scotland

2. The Science of Sleep

and I still somehow have yet to see

3. Talladega Nights

I did however manage to see the crapfest that is "The Last Kiss". The last movie I saw before that was "Beerfest". Talk about your 0-2.

Anyway, I better hurry up because the next two months are going to be filled with a bunch of great movies. I'm going to give you the movies, the release dates, a bit about them, and the likelyhood I'm going to see it. All the work is done for you. I can be so nice sometimes. In part one, we'll do October :

October 6th
The Departed

"Based on the Chinese-linguage Hong Kong gangster film of the same name ("Wu jian dao"), "Infernal Affairs" will be reset in Boston amid Irish-American mobsters and the cops who are their nemeses. The film was written by William Monahan. Damon would play a gangster who has infiltrated the Boston police department as part of its cadet class and has been steadily rising through the ranks. DiCaprio will play a cop who's been deep undercover inside the mob and is starting to come unglued. Each side works feverishly to flush the mole out, with deadly consequences."
Chances of Viewing-10/10

Wow, looks fantastic

October 13th

Man of The Year

"Robin Williams plays a Jon Stewart-like host of a latenight talkshow who runs for president only to see the stunt backfire when he actually wins due to a set of unusual circumstances. Linney plays the head of a computer company that investigates those circumstances."

Chances of Viewing- 7/10

Most people think it looks stupid, but yes, the John Stewart mention gets me

October 20th

The Prestige "Bale and Jackman will play rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London who battle each other for trade secrets. The title refers to the residue left after a magician's successful trick."

Chances of Viewing- 10/10

Wow Part II. The preview looks amazing

Flags of our Fathers

"The film is based on James Bradley's book "Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima". The Battle of Iwo Jima, which took place in winter 1945, was a turning point in the Pacific theater. About 6,000 Americans died and 17,000 were wounded during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The battle produced one of the most enduring images of WWII: a photograph of U.S. servicemen raising an U.S. flag on the flank of Mount Suribachi, the island's commanding high point."
Chances of Viewing- 5/10
Looks interesting, but I really can't stand Ryan Phillipe

Running With Scissors

"Running With Scissors is the hilarious and poignant feature film based on the personal memoirs of Augusten Burroughs. Growing up in the 1970's, young Augusten (Joseph Cross) was living a middle-class existence with an alcoholic father (Alec Baldwin) and a bipolar mother (Annette Bening), an unpublished poet with delusions of becoming famous. When his parents divorce, Augusten's mother sends him to live with her wildly unorthodox psychiatrist, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) and his eccentric extended family. Running With Scissors chronicles Augusten's survival under the most extraordinary of circumstances."

Chances of Viewing-7/10

I never read the book, which I think increase my chances

October 27th
Catch A Fire

"A political thriller based on the true story of Patrick Chamusso, an ordinary man forced to resort to terror in extraordinary circumstances. A story of one man's struggle amongst a nation's, set in a divided South Africa in the nineteen eighties, climaxing in the present day."

Chances of Viewing- 7/10

I haven't hear much about this, so I'll play it by ear.

All reviews and posters from Movieweb.com

Weekly Music Video #7

So last week I went cute with animation. Well to get a theme going, here's another video with animation. Not only does it have that, but also a very happy sun, a giant game of connect four, and the least harmless food fight ever. The stuffed animals in the video are interesting because if you listen to the music, you might think our plush little buddies are the ones who wrote it. So here you go:

The Boy Least Likely To- Hugging My Grudge

Makes Sense

So I was in line waiting to buy 4 cans of stewed tomatoes (Yes, your life isn't as exciting as mine) and I happend to see this on the magazine rack:

You know how sometimes an article title catches your eye and you have to find out what, exactly, the dilly is? Well I can promise you that "The Best Elementary Schools" article doesn't interest a man such as me who still worries about his NCAA 2007 team ( currently the 7-0 USC Trojans).

Instead, I was a bit intriuged by one of the smaller titles, "The Dentist and the Pimp: One Wierd Partnership." I thought about picking it up, but instead thought to myself "I would assume Pimps need to get their grills (or grillz, not really sure) cleaned, just like the rest of us." I know that's not a partnership, but I'm fairly certain that's what's discussed. Instead I looked at the woman in front of me's purchases. With a high degree of probablity, I determined she's a cat lady.

"Meow"

Finally

Wondering why I'm posting a shirtless picture of Hugh Jackman? Well this is why.

All I have to say is it's about time. Our day in the sun has come gentlemen, so let's be proud!

Bears...

Well I am from Chicago so I figured I should post a little something on this. The Bears are getting all the love they can handle around the country. Talking heads are saying they are now the team to beat in the race to the Super Bowl. A surprise to most has been the balance on offense. Here are a few articles about the squad that you can use to catch up if you've been living under a rock or outside the windy city:

E.M.Swift- In Rex They Trust

Michael Smith- Bears On The Prowl

Deadspin Weekend NFL Recap

The Seattlest Recap of the Bears- Seahawks Game

Brad Biggs- Grossman Has Bears Headed in the Right Direction.

I honestly thought they would finish 10-6, make the playoffs and get knocked out in the first round again. I didn't think Grossman would progress this fast and didn't think they had the depth at receiver to take the pressure off Moose. As of now, I appear to be wrong. Most people are taking a cautious approach, because a lot can happen between now and January. Things do look good though.

Weekly Music Video #6

Well I don't think I can say I've done a music video that I would call "cute". This one and this band I think would fall under that category. Well, the video is up until the very end. I like to think some how something good happens, but I think all you negative nellys out there might disagree. Anyway, here is:

Architecture in Helsinki - Like a Call

Here We Go Literacy, Here We Go! (Clap Clap)

If you're always looking for something good to read, I've got a few sites for you. (Both are Via Largehearted Boy by the way)

If you didn't notice, I added Bookmooch.com to the side bar. If you have a lot of books that you don't really want anymore, this might be a great way to save some cash while getting some new ones. It's very simple. For every 10 books you post that you are willing to give up, you get a point. Every book you mail to some one, you get a point. Every point you get can be used to get a book from someone else. You can just browse around, pick books that you want, and all you have to pay is shipping and handling for the ones you send out. There are over 8,000 users and most books I looked up are on there. Sounds fantastic to me.

Also, if you are sick of asking friends for book suggestions, give Rating Zone a try. Once there, you rate books you've read on a scale of 1-10 and it offers you suggestions based on what it thinks you might like. Fun, easy and simple. The first book it recommended for me is "What Do You Care What Other People Think" by Richard Feynman. Never heard of it, but it sounds interesting. They also do movies, music, even wine. A great time waster.

Just thought those might help.

Lucky Ducky

This is you-



Why? I'm giving you a 5th post of the week. Yes, I am feeling mighty productive these days and you get the benefit. As a little end of the week send off, I have a present for you.

You know how at a certain time in your life, a band or song or album is everywhere because of your friends. Like back in high school when your friend wouldn't stop playing the Third Eye Blind album and it became somewhat of an anthem? Or in college when your neighbor listened to O.A.R. every day that it became part of your routine? Maybe you had a roommate your junior year of college who listened to Daniel Beddifield so often that it when from bad to horrible to unbearable back to good and necessary? Well I when I was traveling I worked with a couple of white boy chefs and they absolutely love the rapper The Game. Every day when I was serving and they were cooking dinner for a month we listened to The Documentary, his first album. Well I have to thank them. Their love of The Game made these two clips, one old, one new, even better.

If you need a bit of background, check out his Wiki entry. His list of "beefs" is pretty long.

New- Apparently some rapper made fun of his son in a song. His response? Slap the shit out of him. Works for me.



Old- Before he became a Gangster Rapper, for some reason he appeared on the dating show "Change of Heart." He looks like the biggest whipped puss in the world.



If you read all that and want to leave me a response letting me know what that anthem was at a point in your life, I'd love to hear it. Have a good weekend.

Weekly Music Video #5

Sorry this is a little late. It's actually been a busy week, but I've still posted one every week.

I like the Faint. Not everyone does. I think they do something orginal and do it really well. When people ask me to desribe their music, I always say it sounds like the Killers mixed with Alkaline Trio. This might be the most accurate comparison I've come up with in a while, so you're welcome. Anyway, here is their video for "Desperate Guys". It's got those cool art models dancing. Nice.

The Faint- Desperate Guys

300

Wow. I hadn't heard about this movie until today. Here are a few alternative summaries. I haven't been able to find a trailer for it, but good god this sounds amazing if they do it right. The pictures seem to show that this movie is going to have a really originally feel to it, which is not surprising since it's based on a Frank Miller (Sin City) graphic novel.

Mr. Stevens, Why You Sure Are a Gentleman

Many things have been said about Sufjan Stevens. Some good. Some not so good. Some people are charmed and interested in his 50 albums for 50 states idea. Other people think it's supid and just an attention grab on his part. Either way, one thing I think we can all agree on is he seems to be a fairly interesting dude. I've read a few articles on him and for the most part he seems to be an prolific artist who is a little shy and tells his and other peoples stories through his music. Relevant Magazine has a nice bit of backround information on some of the songs he wrote for his "Illinois" album, some of which ended up on the outtakes album, "The Avalance." If you've ever wondered what Illinois history was behind those songs, now you have your chance.