wait...worry...who cares?

so, for our customary midwinter gift exchange, my sister got me the 2nd season of Millennium DVD box. (i'd gotten her the first season for her birthday, you see, so she thought she was being clever. XD)

as i don't think i've gone on about my love for Millennium at length here, i will now do so---behind the handy cut below.

assuming you're already aware of this fine and overlooked TV series that started in 1996 and lasted three seasons (two of which were brilliant; one of which was absolute and unmitigated shite) and was created by the same Chris Carter of X-Files fame, let me say flat out: i thought (and still think) Millennium was a much better and more consistently engaging show than X-Files ever was.

X-Files had its moments, and there were a lot of good episodes, it's true. my sister was a huge X-Files fan, and through her i saw most of the series (up till she gave it up for lost in the last couple of seasons, and especially when Duchovny went away and the T1000 Robert Patrick stepped in). but Millennium was more consistent all around---at least, the first two seasons were. XD

Millennium, simply put, was the predecessor to Profiler, the rash of CSI variants, and the general forensic profiling pop-cultural rage, and if i may say so, was much better than any of them. for one, it didn't have characters attempting to explain aspects of their jobs to other characters on the show for no particular reason other than as a point of plot exposition because the show's writers obviously felt their audience was far too stupid to grasp it otherwise. it was the (fictional) story of forensic profiler Frank Black (played by Lance Henriksen), who had a rather cursed gift: his mind could quite readily get inside the minds of those individuals he was profiling. or, to put it in Frank's own words, "I see what the killer sees." which, while it sounds like the sort of premise that could go horribly wrong, didn't. it examined the various complications of this "gift," and the ramifications it had and continues to have on his personal and professional lives.

which, i believe, is what was so brilliant about this show. it was episodic, in one sense, but because it so skillfully intertwined the various portions of Frank's life, it was very easy to get a sense that the characters portrayed were more real, more true---and the show itself was more linear and less episodic than it actually was. it wasn't just a crime drama, and it wasn't just a family drama---it was a life drama, and not in the sense that most movies-of-the-week tend to be. critically lauded and yet reviled by some for the extreme levels of violence portrayed, it was such an interesting mix of human elements and rampant symbolism that it was fascinating to watch in a way few other shows before or since have been.

the first season focused on introducing the viewers (all two of us) to the lives of Frank Black, his wife Catherine (Meghan Gallagher) and daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady), his contacts in Seattle law enforcement, his flirtations with a mysterious organisation called the Millennium Group (hence the title), and acquainting us with elements of his past that had led to his family's move into the yellow house that came, as the series progressed, to signify all that is pure and good in the world. it was, perhaps, slightly episodic at the beginning, but soon built up the confidence to weave a more ongoing story. it was this that we loved about this show.

the second season focused on things built up in the first falling apart, and further exploration of various levels of refreshingly non-monochrome evil. it also introduced the brilliant character of Lara Means (played by Kristen Cloke), a forensic psychologist also being courted by the Millennium Group for possible induction, and also gifted with a dubious ability: that of seeing angels, usually as a harbinger of horrible events. it also introduced the character of Lucy Butler, which may have been the only reason to even bother with watching any of the third season. (this show could not have had better recurring characters if it tried. seriously.)

the third season, sad to say, was when the show lost the plot altogether and decided it wanted to be another X-Files, with the reintroduction of Frank into the FBI (after having a nervous breakdown after two rather key and rather stupid plot points happened at the end of the second season) and the subsequent introduction of his new partner, Emma Hollis. i generally tend to think those two key (and did i mention stupid?) plot points at the end of the second season colluded to comprise the EXACT point where the series went badly off course, but i wanted to believe it might right itself somewhere along the line...despite more Lucy Butler in the third season (and a guest appearance by Juliet Landau!), it never did.

the show died in the ignominious shadow of its rather terrible third season, but thankfully it's now in the process of being released on DVD. at first, i didn't believe it would actually be released in R1; the UK seemed to like it a lot more than the US did, so it was no surprise that it got released there relatively quickly. however, had Harsh Realm gotten released here and Millennium not, i'd have been really upset. cos, y'know, Harsh Realm is kinda crap. Millennium (or at least, the first two seasons of it) was very much not.

cheers to Lord Peter~~!

have lately been reading Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. am trying to go in order, as i've never read them before; have just now finished off Unnatural Death (as it was released in the US, anyway; it was apparently originally called The Dawson Pedigree) and am quite enjoying the series so far. while i've got a book of her complete short stories out of the library as well (including both Lord Peter and Montague Egg), i unfortunately didn't find this lovely page until yesterday, and so didn't know where the short stories fell in line with the novels. so i'm afraid i'm a bit out of order in any case. i suppose i'll live, but. :P

so far, these books are extremely clever and witty and entertaining, and i'm in fact enjoying them so much i almost feel as though i'm doing something naughty. XD

and again, left with feelings of "why didn't i find these sooner??!?!" but, yanno, there have been and will continue to be a great many things where that happens, so. XD shall retrieve The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club later today and resume most happily immersing myself into Lord Peter's and Bunter's world...

give them the business!

last week, made my less-frequent-than-i'd-like pilgrimage up to Chicago Comics to poke around and pick up some stuff. reviews may well be forthcoming, if i get around to it in a decent amount of time, because i did pick up a few quite good things.

the store has changed quite a lot---i don't know when the change happened, but the internal layout is different, they now have you check your bags in at the counter when you come in (which i can understand, but it's still totally different to how it used to be), etc. Eric Thornton is still there---saw him wandering around, although i didn't get the chance to talk to him. one of the other Erics is still there, and the dude who's always got interesting hats on, too (whose name i don't know).

but what this post is REALLY about is a really adorable and lovely TEA SHOP that has opened on Belmont Ave. it's called My Place For Tea, and as clicking the link will inform you, they also sell tea and tea accessories online.

i wish i'd had more time to sit there, but by the time i went in, i really needed to be on my way home. plus, i'd had a very yummy and filling lunch of excellent Indian food with my sister, and so i was quite stuffed. which is too bad, because this tea shop also sells various sorts of steamed meat and veggie buns.

they sell all sorts of tea, and tea accessories, and bubble tea kits and accessories---all in addition to being a cosy little cafe in which to enjoy various teas and tea-based beverages, which they'll create to your specifications as you watch.

i myself walked out with a green tea soy milk shake, a business card, and a fervent wish that this place stays in business---i know i won't get to go there often, but there have been all sorts of neat places that have come and gone along that block, because i know rent has got to be pretty pricey. so please, if you get the chance and are interested at all in tea, visit them in person or online! the people in the shop are really nice, too---i really wish we had more places like this. although one is more than we had before! :)

file: audio

a short time ago, a Sansui Seven Series Receiver (either scroll down or search for "seven") came for a short stay at our house.

it was meant to be sold, most probably, and so Spaz hooked it up to check that it still worked, see if it needed to be taken apart and cleaned, etc, etc. neither of us knew much about these, or indeed Sansui, and so Spaz searched around to find out more information. he'd noticed that many of their receivers were commanding quite impressively hot bidding on eBay, which was intriguing.

and then he hooked it up and tested it last night. and tested it some more. and had problems stopping himself testing it, as he just kept putting CDs in and listening.
and couldn't wait to place me just so in the middle of the speakers so i could hear when i got home.

we've got a pair of front and a pair of rear speakers at home, so it's possible to surround yourself with sound, depending on your source material. in the case of this particular receiver, while not quadrophonic, it's got what in many ways might be more useful: dual stereo.

it is unbelievable how crisp and clear this thing sounded. it made me not want to leave the house ever again, as i just wanted to keep putting things on to listen to through it. stuff we thought we knew backward and forward was revealing yet more secrets to us through this receiver. Spaz (who, by the time i got to hear it, had been listening to it for a couple of hours at least) commented that even though it's solid-state, he could still hear definite differences in sound as it warmed up, almost as though it had tubes.

long story short, we're not so sure it's being sold anymore...XD

...but it can't possibly be Klingon*...

if ever i have a bakery of my very own, i hope i could come up with things as cool as this lovely thoracic cake.

(WARNING: it's quite grotesque. gorgeous, but quite, quite gorey as well. XD)

* = they've got two of almost every internal organ in case one fails, IIRC. erm. although this would certainly account for why all these tasty, tasty organs have been left behind...hrrm.

raining doom down upon the doomed heads...

you can preorder the first volume of Invader ZIM on DVD now.

just so you know. Amazon.com also has it, but i believe it's about $17.47, not including shipping.

ride the pig!

short but interesting interview with Merideth Mulroney of Media Blasters here regarding slightly more detail on the impending Invader ZIM DVD situation.

of particular interest is the descriptions of the two ideas so far for the limited edition box. i hope the plush piggie wins. *^^*

MOOSEY FATE!

WOW.

this is almost too good to be true.

it seems that Media Blasters has acquired Invader Zim.

more importantly, they'll be releasing it in three double-disc DVD sets starting in Spring of 2004, as well as a limited-edition full box set.

updates? what are those? XD

ah, yes. but it appears that fate has forced my hand, and i must update today after all. XDXD

why, you don't ask?

today is the most lovely and wonderful Keito-chan's birthday. IIRC, she is 21 today.

so please, take whatever you're drinking right now (alcoholic or non; it does not matter) and raise a toast to her continued sparkliness throughout the coming year. ^^

it's a sin...

...not to wish Fifichu-chan a most joyous and exciting and all-out fantastic birthday today. granted, she's probably off having the time of her life up norf, but still---good wishes have got to count for something, right? XDXD

(some birthday presents for her and some other people should be arriving at my house today; shall try to send them out before next year this time. XDXDXD)

DANSUDANSUDANSU!

...you must!

for it's Jazzler's birthday!

and she'd want you to, really. for her own amusement, if nothing else.

c'mon, you know you want to. ^^

(happy birthday, Jazzlah dear. ^-^)

i lied.

right.

so i guess i can go on slightly more about Hopeless Savages.

but why should i when it's done so much more succinctly over here?

wish i'd got into this sooner. but i wish that about a lot of things.

go scoop it up if you can find it---it really is worth a read. and how can you go wrong?!?!? look who's involved! *^^*

subliminal rotary club!

THEY'RE COMING. THIS AUTUMN.

*.*;;;

MSRP = $14.99/ea.

(you may even be able to pay for them with pennies. unlike Svetlana.)

picked up a few things this weekend as well, aside from photos. XD got the first Hopeless Savages TPB that Oni Press put out (by Jen Van Meter and Christine Norrie, with various bits contributed by Andi Watson, Chynna Clugston-Major, Guy Major, and others); it's loads of fun and i highly recommend it if you haven't already read it. Skanky Zero = my new hero. <3 <3 <3 speaking of Ms. Clugston-Major, also picked up the first two issues of Scooter Girl, which i'd been meaning to for some time. grabbed Jill Thompson's Death #1: At Death's Door as well. oh, and apparently there's a new issue of Lenore out, so i also grabbed that. was mightily interested in Days Like This (more from Oni Press), but showed restraint and left both that and the other Hopeless Savages book on the shelf at Chicago Comics' booth where they were. (and incidentally, they had a whole section aimed at me. nearly everything i was looking for was on two shelves. *.*;;; i <3 ChiCom. my wallet, however, thinks they're Big Mean Teases. XDXD

(that's the other thing about the comicon the past few years---haven't really found much that was exciting, and certainly not enough to buy---and anything i have has been found at ChiCom or a few other places i would've shopped anyway. hrrm. XD)

there were also bagels. about 16, in fact. here's the first batch:

and perhaps subconsciously in honour of the RX-8 being released here not long ago, i present the following bagel, which i SWEAR ended up this way entirely of its own volition, and with no intentional help whatsoever on my part:

and then there was the C-Spot Drive Party. the giant tent part was the stuff of very surreal dreams. including random refrigerators popping up and videotaping you (and no, i'm not kidding). a Mercedes-Benz event promoting their C-class vehicles which felt like some odd cross between a fashion show and a gallery opening. the two driving courses (one featuring professional drivers taking you for hot laps in AMGs and such, and one featuring you [well, if you're licensed] driving the C-class of your choice with very unfortunate speed restrictions around a closed course) were way, WAY too short. which was a bit of a let down, considering this event was meant to promote these cars and try to not-so-subliminally convince people to buy them.

('twas a weekend of foodporn and carporn, what more could you want? XDXDXD)

katsu you, katsu me....

today was quite a busy day.

at the Chicago comic convention from today through Sunday. so far, it's about as expected. there's a rather fun game in the PlayStation booth, although i forget now what it's called. hopefully i'll get to play it again. it involves the player standing in front of a blank screen and some sort of motion-detecting device monitoring you as you beat imaginary things (which show up onscreen, which is how you track them). i'm not terribly good at it, but i was better than some people. hee.

also, met Paul Dini. again. forgot we'd met him before, because am a dork with no memory. ^^;;; was reminded upon pulling out my Mad Love comic and seeing that oh yes, evidently we'd met before because he'd signed it. ^^;;;

hee. anyway, this time round, i got my Batman Animated book (done by Chip Kidd, and really REALLY spectacular) signed. (Spaz was lovely enough to take a picture. ^^)

other biggest amusements of the day were had by visiting the Toynami booth, which has many fun Robotech toys---but the really amusing things were the I-Men, which seem to amount to their versions of Kubrick block figures. witness for the prosecution below, one Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law:

we go back for more punishment tomorrow morning, bright and early. and on Sunday. unfortunately, they seem to have taken away the Trailer Park, which was this block of time where they'd string together a zillion or so trailers of things scheduled to be released theatrically in the next couple of years. which was usually one of the more interesting things about the con---but alas, it has gone.

loads of bootlegged Invader ZIM stuff, which kinda pisses me off. i mean, not on Nickelodeon's behalf---they're the ones who shot themselves in the foot with how they treated it. but on behalf of everyone who worked so hard on that show, well---argh. argh argh ARGH. --;;;

oooh, i should mention also that the Smokescreen Transformer (Makkinen edition) is on display at the Hasbro booth. that thing is REALLY gorgeous. i'm still amazed asking price (so far) is only going to be $50. i really would've thought it would be more. i mean, not that i'm encouraging it to be...but. XD

finally, there was dinner. which i'll include here just to say OMFG YOU SHOULD EAT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DO YOU REALISE HOW LATE IT IS?!?!??!

hrrm. would this count as "torikatsu"? haps. XDXD

(this post brought to you by: Shirakiku honey panko is TEH WIN. <3 <3 <3)

orbit

saw Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life this weekend.

^________________________^

(the following probably contains spoilers. be warned.)

i <3 Mme. Jolie. <3 <3 <3. and i <3ed the first movie quite a bit---besides the fact that it's her, the movie itself was (i thought) quite good for a video game movie. honestly. and i still am incredibly impressed with the amount of work that Mme. Jolie herself put into learning how to do things so that she could do most of her own stunts. i cannot stress enough how much i love it when people do stuff like that. it's just so cool. *^^*

the second movie was at least as good (if not better) than the first. i'm starting to lean towards it being better, mostly because the pacing seemed a little better this time around. and although i had my suspension of disbelief switch firmly turned on in preparation, there were still moments (the unlocking of the orb in the apartment in Taipei, ahem) where i was left going, "...and they'd have had the means of doing this back then? O.O;;" but overall, much fun was had.

the chara of Terry Sheridan was okay. more fun than i'd have expected, but they didn't seem to entirely gel at first. worked really well towards the end, though. and Jonathan Reiss (Ciar?n Hinds) looked (at first glance, not looking v. closely) a bit much like...Hans Gruber from Die Hard. just a teeny bit. (Spaz thought he looked like someone too, although i don't think that's who and he'll probably say he thinks i'm on a lot of crack once he reads this. XDXD) [now there's a concept. Jolie and Rickman in the same movie. as nemeses. 'scuse me while my entire body's blood supply rushes out my nose with absolutely no warning. *.*;;;;]

Spaz was particularly taken with the way the nighttime scenes in Kilamanjaro were shot. at one point (and neither of us talks during movies, as a general rule), he leaned over and excitedly whispered, "...THAT'S what night should look like on film!" and it did look quite convincing.

CG work was not too shabby, which was a relief---i can't say how many times lately i've seen things where people have obviously been exercising their new toys and really shouldn't have; the results have just looked like utter crap. and things like Starship Troopers (both the Paul Verhoeven movie and also Roughnecks: the Starship Troopers Chronicles animated TV series) have proven solidly that it CAN be done and done WELL---regardless of what else you might think of either. so that was nice, too. i think that a large part of the particular scene i'm thinking of's looking so good is that it took place at night, but i'm not complaining at all. they did what they had to to make it look less flashily unbelievable, and i appreciate that.

if you're someone who'd enjoy this, and you haven't seen it yet, i heartily advise going.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

</jolie fangirling>

nameless, faceless, run them down

nearly forgot, but shouldn't have. we saw 28 Days Later this weekend, too.

and i advise you to go see it.

but not if you're stuck in a theatre with people who don't realise that while it's perfectly fine to not like any movie they've gone to see, it's not perfectly fine to ruin the experience for everyone else around them.

one day, i will dump an entire fountain machine of soda on someone's head. possibly several someones. and you won't be able to say i didn't warn you. honestly. >P

(also, i keep forgetting to mention, but Fi and others might be interested to know that the USPS now has Audrey Hepburn stamps available for purchase. ^^)

...all the news that split the p1mps.

via carrier Rob, today we have for you an interesting article at Salon about Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and The Great Big Meta. oooh.

and also, Fantagraphics is in big, bad financial trouble right now. just, er, so you know. in case you wanted to buy any of their books and help them out.

oweeeee...

i need some of the "Bunny with Headphones" CDRs from here...but they're rather prohibitively expensive, unfortunately. SO CUTE, however. and SO VERY HSL. XD

...bastards. XD

ione skye in the retiring room with the firebrand!

saw Identity Saturday, which was actually pretty decent. the Cusack/Liotta thing was actually quite a good idea, and they played off of each other very nicely. was v. happy that the score (done by Alan Silvestri) knew when to pop up and when not to---i swear, as time goes on, i have less and less patience for overly intrusive, repetitive, obnoxious scoring. this was none of those things---and in fact, the coolest thing about it was that it not only wasn't repetitive, but it actually allowed large gaps for "natural" noises from the movie to occur. it wasn't constantly going in the background. 'twas very nice.

if you'd like to be spoiled (albeit in a rather vague sort of way), click below to continue...

what was established: everything we thought would happen did, but in a completely different way to how we had thought it. which was cool. perhaps not quite the grand headfuck they were intending, but it was still fairly interesting and not a waste of time or money, which is definitely more than i can say for a lot of things. XD the look of the film was really nice, too. ending felt a teensy bit rushed, and it's my understanding several different endings were shot in order to keep the actual ending secret. i also would bet this was the ending most positively responded to by test audiences. XD at any rate, i hope whatever alternate endings actually exist are put into an extras section when this gets released on home video & DVD.

overall, fairly decent. there was a trailer for Pirates of the Carribbean beforehand which made me start hearing bits of Leftfield's "Open Up" in my head, v. softly (O/~burn, Hollywood, burn...take down Tinseltown...) mostly cos there are some good people involved, but it really really looks like it's going to grate mightily. le sigh. i wish i wish Bruckheimer'd go away. >P thankfully Identity wasn't like that. it feels like it wasn't quite what was intended by the people who made it, but it wasn't bad, either.

(Cusack is beginning to show his age. is v. weird. he really kinda sorta has looked exactly the same for awhile now, hasn't he? it's not a bad thing, it's just kinda weird. XD)

the lunatics have taken over the asylum

OHO.

*cackles*

guess who just stumbled into an earcandy shop with LOADS of imports marked down to stupidly low prices?

*^___________________________________^*

Crow's Nest (the downtown location, at least) is apparently attempting to clear out a bunch of their import singles. they're not getting rid of the imports entirely, as there are still plenty around and they've still got their own section apart from the stuff that's on sale. so that's good. it'd be far more bittersweet if they were completely axing the entire section, you see. but since they're not, it's just plain sweet.

import 7"s are $2.98/ea. or 4/$10, as are the import CD singles in the designated section. one can also mix-and-match as one sees fit betwixt the two formats. 12"s and 10"s are $3.98/ea.

so, erm, i ended up getting a slightly later train, due mostly in part to madly pawing through all the goodies on display just for me. ^^

and surprisingly, i came out of it having only spent around $14. there's a few other things i'm interested in, and there was really far too much to take in all at once. but here's what i grabbed:

7"s (which i haven't listened to yet):

"Thank God for the Rain" c/w "You Never Will Be." Graham Coxon.

actually, i haven't picked up any of his solo stuff before. and i haven't really heard good things about it, i'll admit. but...but...but...it's Graham! and he was cheap. so i bought him. and besides, it's pretty fire-engine-red marbly vinyl! how can one go wrong? brown sleeve with a drawing of a bird in a bush on the front and a flaming acoustic guitar (with no strings! :O) on the back. Transcopic Records.

"Uneasy (edit)" c/w "Lie Low." Laika.

anyone who knows much about me at all should know how much i adore Laika. Margaret Fiedler is absolutely BRILLIANT---at least, her contributions to Moonshake and to Laika have been. actually haven't poked much into the God Is My Copilot stuff. should. hrr. XD anyrate, er---i didn't previously have "Lie Low," as it's only available here. and i don't have the editted version of "Uneasy," although i do of course have the album version. and god, the sleeve art is pretty. i could show you pictures, but they wouldn't do it justice. it's got this prismy green/blue holographic stuff as the background. v. nice. Too Pure.

"Panda Eyes" c/w "Office Party." Sing-Sing.

let me just state for the record that this is yet another in my ever-expanding collection of jellybean vinyl. it is candy apple red. and translucent. v. pretty. simple sleeve; white with the Sing-Sing logo on in black and a little red heart off to the left. Elefant Records.

CD singles (which i have listened to):

"Re:volution." Coldcut (and the guilty party).

also has an instrumental version at the end, and in between is the rather nifty "Space Journey," which apparently is an intermusic.com competition winner by Nautilis. had seen the video to this ages ago, and seen the single too---but not for $3. it is a pretty great song, and goddamn them and their prescience! XD the instrumental is appreciated, and i know why it's included and see many points to it (not the least of which is actually paying more attention to the instrumentation and cuts and such), but really---it loses all the fun of the Blair sampling. hee. unfortunately, of course, guiltyparty.cc is no longer theirs. d'oh. the credits given on the inside are amusing as well. anytime someone can be referred to as "the Right Dishonourable Sir," you know i'll be amused. oh, and "Minister of Bass." yes. XD

"Beached." Orbital and Angelo Badalamenti.

i saw this and my eyes popped out of my head. i swear. i had difficulty putting them back in, too---good thing the right eye's so wonky or else i might not have been able to tell them apart well enough to put them back in the right places. this has got the radio edit of "Beached" (which is nearly Perfect Pop Song Length at 3:34! XD) and the long version of same (nearly 8:00), as well as a just-Orbital composition called "Doctor Look Out." as for the combination of Orbital and Badalamenti: two great tastes that taste great together? actually---yes. i was a bit skeptical, i'll admit. although i was WAY too curious not to pick it up, especially at such a price. this brings up a problem i usually have, though---that of things that have "radio edits" done for them. in recent time, there are two things i've noticed commonly wrong with a lot of them. scenario one, the "edit" is in fact done very choppily and jarringly, thus distracting you from being able to enjoy the song at all---regardless of whether or not you've actually heard the full-length version. hearing the full-length version of course only exacerbates this problem. it's either this or scenario two, wherein the radio edit is merely the hookiest bits of the song (not to be confused with the Hookiest bits, of course)---repeated over and over and over again with all the subtlety of using a jackhammer to crack open an egg for poaching. and the main problem with this is, a hook very quickly ceases to be a hook when it's what the entire listening experience is composed of. if there's no differentiation between it and the rest of the song, there's a problem. it gets boring, and thusly Loses Its Point.

it's scenario two that's present with the radio edit of "Beached," unfortunately. it's not bad, and not nearly as annoying as it could be due mostly in part to its (relatively) short length. but the full-length version is actually really quite good. i really like it quite a bit, in fact. and "Doctor Look Out" is quite fun as well. definitely worth the $3, and maybe worth full price as well. i hadn't known it existed previous to tonight---that Badalementi boy certain does get around, doesn't he?

(reminds me. i never did pick up Booth and the Bad Angel after moving out of my sister's. hrrm. XD)

what else was there? a couple different versions of Pulp's "Bad Cover Version" on CD (not sure how many CD singles were released, but i saw two there), some Pet Shop Boys, some Erasure, some JJ72, some Libertines, a Hefner split with Murray the Hump (or was it Murphy...don't know this band...^^;;;), a Funky Monkey 7" featuring Her Out Of St. Etienne, Mazarin's "Suicide Will Make You Happy," some Oarsis from the last album, and i think "Get Ur 9lb Cock On." although i'm not sure. it's all a bit of a blur, honestly. i know i got the only Sing-Sing there, as well as the only Graham. there were a couple more copies of the Laika 7". and a couple more of the Coldcut and Orbitalamenti CDs as well. some BRMC singles. loads of this one JSBX single on both 7" and CD which i forget the name of. Garbage's "Androgyny" in every format listed above except 10". no interesting 10"s, BTW. as for 12"s, some Oarsis from the last album, and loads of both of New Order's "Someone Like You" 12"s (which i didn't grab, as i don't really care for the mixes involved---and was trying to retain some small bit of self-control XD).

there was probably other stuff as well. it took me nearly an hour to get out of there once i was in, and most of the time was indeed spent pawing happily through everything in the bins. there was even some of The Brit to make certain people happy. XD

if any of you who i know and adore are interested in any of this, let me know and perhaps we can work something out. (as though i need an excuse to go back in and look again. XD) i was too overwhelmed to remember much in the way of song titles, but if you've got something specific you'd like me to watch for, let me know. and if you're in the area and interested, i'd suggest you get your arse down there immediately.

COG

Neil Gaiman mentions a really unbelievably cool TV advert for the Honda Accord, which has been written about in really great detail here, by the Daily Telegraph. the long and short of it is, it's an insanely complicated and cool bit of watching all the mechanical innards of the Accord working together; action and reaction and reaction. and NO CG trickery of any sort employed; they really did this as one shot all straight through. it took upwards of 600 takes to get exactly right, but the point is that they did it. they took the time. they Did Not Cheat. ^-^

which isn't to say that i'm against computer graphics. not in the slightest. when done well, and not merely for the sake of waving someone's expensive new toys about in the faces of the audience, Just Because They Can. that's the sort of thing that pisses me off to no end.

there's also more than a little bit of sadness to see amazing things done with puppets and animatronics and such, and (gasp) hand-drawn lightning and other special effects, and thinking "that's great, but we're never going to see anything like that again, are we?"

Gollum, of course, was a great leap forward. but how many bazillion dollars were spent on the effects in the Harry Potter movies (to name a particularly glaring example), and how crap did they (mostly) look? it's not about the toys, it's about the talent. it's about how they're used. and the idea that older forms of doing effects work, of the days of Kit West fiddling with a kazillion and a half condoms to make up the innards of the giant sandworm that Paul Atreides latches his hook into to ride in David Lynch's Alan Smithee's Dune will never come again. great miniature work? what's that?

it wouldn't be so bad if more CG effects looked better. but a lot of them don't. and so, quality is sacrificed for convenience, once again. :P things that had risen to a level of being accomplished artistic expressions are left writhing sadly in the dust. does advancement always have to be about discarding all vestiges of the old? it really shouldn't be that way, but all too often that seems to be the case.

at any rate, i REALLY hope i get to see this on TV sometime. wasn't shown during our airing of the Brazilian GP, that much i can tell you. not that i'm surprised. Honda.co.uk has put it up online, in both a smaller version and a larger version. additionally, an Accord owner particularly taken with the ad and distressed at the appallingly slow download times he was getting from Honda's UK site mirrored it at his own site here.

i'll take a look once i'm home. the painstaking description written up in the Daily Telegraph just sounds too unbelievably cool not to. o.o;;;

[addendum: after having watched it (and it IS really cool and highly recommended; you'll need Flash 6 installed to do so, however), the Daily Telegraph article is actually wrong. not everywhere gets Accord wagons (the US doesn't), so they couldn't air this commercial just anywhere. and the car is also right-hand drive, of course. so they'd have to change that a bit if they wanted to air it in the US, as well as elsewhere. since they already spent so much time and money to get this commercial shot, it might actually be much easier and more cost-effective to simply make Accord wagons available everywhere. in right-hand drive. ^^]

now *that's* entertainment

watched the real The Italian Job yesterday (Noël Coward...XD), and will probably write more about it soon. it reminds me of something else i forgot to mention, though...

...the Sir Michael Caine special on Parkinson. this month, BBCA has dubbed as "Michael Caine Month," (and it was them who left out the "Sir," not me! XD) and as a result are showing a handful of his films as well as the Parkinson special during this month. (oddly enough, they don't appear to be showing The Italian Job---and i only regard this as odd considering that the Minis are VERY CLEARLY in the promos they've been running for this special festival! at least they're showing Get Carter...--;;;)

right, so i watched the Parkinson special a couple of weeks ago. taped (and presumably aired on proper BBC) last November, it's one hour long and as one would expect, quite entertaining. the bit i remember best was a story he told about dancing at a disco with Sean Connery during the filming of The Man Who Would Be King in the Sahara. XD this interview is completely worth your time, if you've got BBCA. he's 75? i hope i'm that amusing if i live that long. O.O;;;

also, for certain people who would care, there's a Parkinson coming up where he interviews Ms. Minogue, as well as one where he interviews Sr. Bowie. you might want to check their schedule for these episodes, and/or set your VCR appropriately...^^

oh, and on a completely different note---watched a lot of the extras on the R2 24 Hour Party People DVD yesterday, as well. still need a bit of time to process, but expect to write about those soon, too. however, seeing the interviews with Shaun Ryder and Bez were very...O.O;;; thusly, coming across this thread nearly had me on the floor. Shaun "Aston" Ryder. XD XD XD XD XD

[also, hadn't realised Caine was a "Sir" until watching this special. XD which apparently so shocked me that i promptly forgot all about it until after i'd posted this entry, so i'm editing this now to reflect that. it's 3:25pm. whoops. XD]

what's up, sweetcakes?

ah, yes. Cowboy Bebop: the Movie.

only theatre showing it here is the Music Box. the Music Box is a really cool place to see things, mostly because it's one of the few theatres in this area to make you feel like going to see a film is still Something Special And/Or Magical. it's got HUGE personality, unlike the many interchangeable multiplexes dominating the landscape these days (and you can read a bit about it at their page as linked above, if you're so inclined). and that's not even taking into account the sort of films the Music Box chooses to play---it's a good place in general. besides, how can you say no to a theatre that's still got its own (really good) organist? ^^

right. anyway, so. the movie. there might be spoilers, so i'm sticking this away in the "more"; you've been warned.

one thing's been bothering me from the start: why did Goldwyn choose to leave off on the "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" bit? was any official reason ever given? did they feel it was offensive in some way, or just unnecessary? i was a bit confused about that before seeing it, and became even moreso after having seen it, and seeing how well it fit. weird.

i hadn't seen the movie before, and i still haven't seen all of the TV series (please don't kill me, Keito-chan! ;.;). i had, however, understood that seeing the movie wouldn't spoil me*. so off we went, most anxious to see it. even though we knew it was the dubbed version.

(that's another thing i wondered about: back when it was first announced that this movie was being released theatrically here, i seem to recall mention of a dub and a sub receiving theatrical release; anyone know what happened to that? i'd think it weird if there was a choice and this theatre chose the dub, actually...)

and the movie itself felt like a very long episode of the TV series. if you're familiar with the dubbed English-language voices, then you already know what it's going to sound like. (i think they're pretty decent for a dub, although if there'd been a sub available, i'd have wanted to see that instead. but at least it's not the Eva dub. >.<;;;)

of course it's gorgeous, and of course the score is loads of Kanno goodness. the pacing seems a little bit jerky, but not to the point of inexcusability (although the ending did seem a bit rushed, after such an atmospheric buildup). characterwise (and in particular, with movie-specific characters), Electra could have been a little more fully fleshed out, and in particular, her relationship with Vincent. everyone from the series was just as expected, and i still love Ed to bits and pieces.

the movie's good, but not the most brilliant thing i've ever seen. thrilling to see it in a theatre here, though. ^^

what's particularly irksome to me in having read a bunch of reviews around here about it is a bit of a constant: people reviewing things who clearly Don't Get It. not just with anime (although that's certainly the case with a large number), but with other things as well. i'm still not entirely sure how some people were unsure of what was going on in this movie, for a particular instance. i've read at least two reviews wherein someone claimed it was difficult to follow, which is a claim i completely do not understand. oh well. perhaps this is why i'm not paid to review things? XD

* = although i can't be spoiled much on the series anyway; it already got spoiled by a bit of a slip of the tongue by another band member who hadn't realised i hadn't seen it all yet. --;;;

you can do it with your MC 505

currently spinning: self-compilated disc of later-era Bis b-sides + rarities.
(they are were damn prolific, weren't they? O.O;; have almost everything they put out, but it's a damn lot of stuff to lug around...)

currently drinking: sugar-free Red Bull.
(odd turn of events, the existence of this. it's a bit saltier than normal Red Bull, but not bad. although i generally hate aspartame on principal, so i prolly will stick to fully leaded in the future.)

weekend was far too short, as usual. got out of the house, though---which was quite nice. Spaz and i hit Chicago Comics, which we hadn't done in a long time. unsurprisingly, i found loads of stuff i needed wanted. for one, i've been lagging way behind in issues of Charm School (squee! the Vampire Dragster Dean story arc! <3 <3) for quite some time now, so i scooped up everything i was missing quite eagerly. there's also a Magical Witch Girl Bunny figure out now (Monkey Fun, of course), which comes with a little tiny book of love spells. didn't get that, but did get to see it in person---and it's pretty nice. i think Bunny looks a teensy bit thinner than in the comics, but overall rather nice.

also picked up two Blue Monday items; the Absolute Beginners TPB and also the new one-shot, "Nobody's Fool." already told Fionachu this, but Ms. Clugston-Majors has a new 6-parter coming out starting in the middle of May (also via Oni) called Scooter Girl. in case, y'know, you're interested.

and lest my normal cute-to-twisted ratio should be severely compromised, also grabbed Everything Can Be Beaten, by the lovely Mssrs. Chancre Scolex (snerk) and Crab Scrambly. average day full of kittens coming out of chutes indeed.

afterward, off we went to eat nyummy Thai food at Once Upon A Thai and see the Cowboy Bebop movie.

neither of us had previously been to Once Upon A Thai. it had just opened shortly before Blackout! (my favourite record store, which was just a few doors down) had closed---i'd swiped a few bites of noodles from my friends who'd worked at the record shop before, but never had any food of my own from them.

it was really, really good. fairly average prices for Thai food around here; nice service, and good food. the restaurant itself was rather dark, which was nice---i prefer a bit of dimness to too much light. i resorted to chicken pad siew---which actually tasted the most similar to the way my mom used to make it than any i've had in a restaurant. wonder why i've not tried to make it before now? i really should. hrrm.

Spaz had beef noodles, and i'm still trying to figure out what the beef was marinated in. it was REALLY, really good. we traded bits back and forth, and it was quite a lovely meal.

now, here's the thing. the entirety of the afternoon was spent tromping around in areas where i'd spent a good deal of my childhood, but hadn't really been in quite some time (bar the comic shop). in doing such things, it's always interesting to see what's changed and what hasn't, of course.

but what really rather amazed me is that even though i'd known where the neighbourhood was going for quite some time, it's one thing to have the concept firmly embedded in one's head. it's quite another thing entirely to see the actuality.

weird things---little family-run plumbing shop still open, but loads of things torn down to make way for overpriced condos and lofts. more bars and yuppie eateries cramming in and elbowing up against local pub/pizza places and such. not really any more chain activity than had been there previously (a Jewel and Osco, a Starbucks, and a Kinko's), but still more of that nondescript "look! it's a bar!"-ness going on that makes you think it's part of a chain.

also, permit parking up the arse. and speed bumps on many side streets! O.O;; all things that hadn't been there before. it made me a bit sad, the way it's built up---not because it's changed, but because of what it's changed into. it had been on this path for ages, mind---but witnessing the gentrification trouncing on my childhood was kinda grating.

next entry: off to the Music Box for the movie (at last!)...

why should i fangirl when i've got others who'll do it for me?

oho.

ohoho.

OHOHO. XD

erm, uh, yeah.

so, Wired.

May issue is out already. nothing to get too excited about, really---little teensy mention of us on the calendar page listing notable events of the month. they used the cartoon drawing of us that Tony did (which is fine, cos it's cute).

i wouldn't have bought it just for that, though. in fact, i am a complete and utter dork for buying it, because i really did so more out of amusement over placement of us than anything else.

click the popup to see why. and you don't have to tell me what a dork i am, because i already am well aware.

(but seriously, you really couldn't make this up! ^^)

XD

more on this weekend tomorrow. comics and the Cowboy Bebop movie. w00t. ^^

say you will

my brain is broken again.

please leave a message at the tone, and i'll get back to you again as soon as possible.

...or rather, it's about to be broken. it is currently having a song battle within itself, you see. when walking past the electric blue (with white roof and mirrors) MINI Cooper S this morning, it could do nothing but paste a gigantic and still-widening grin across my face---while listening to one of the songs on loop, of course. as i've been doing for far too long.

...and as with the other one, it's demanding writing.

...also as with the other one, it's all your fault.

let this be a warning to you, kitties: the ficcing virus will indeed bite your sorry arse when you least expect it.

(or when seasons change and you're uberstressed due to the state of the world and various deadlines and other pressures making you want to lock yourself in your house and Never Leave Ever Again. either way. XD)

on a completely unrelated note, Fi has informed me that this particular comic strip reminds her of me. XD

errrrr...the songs, they circle...they will kill me...they will...o.o;;;;

stole all the change off me

an (admittedly rather silly) thought just occurred to me.

(yes, i'd turn back now if i were you, too. XD)

the three proper Electronic albums can be broken down as follows:

s/t: barney + johnny + neil + chris = Interesting! New! Side Project! and therefore, automatically meritorious (or so it seems). it's also the most lauded of the three, which i still can't quite grasp. even taking into account temporal distance from this release, i still can't quite understand why so many people (and no, most of them who i've talked to aren't rabid PSB fans, either) like this album so much---and especially above the others. skeptically embraced by the few already entranced with the bands who donated members to this project; mostly ignored by everyone else.

Raise The Pressure: barney + johnny + karl = repressed boy band album shot straight to no.1 in an alternate universe. no, seriously---listen to it, think about it, and tell me i'm wrong. and hey, that would mean b. would have to get a choreographer, right...? XD mostly ignored by everyone except die-hard fans.

Twisted Tenderness: barney + johnny + ex-members of Sub Sub + various others in non-high-profile projects = most straight-ahead pop, with some interesting flourishes here and there. also arguably the one with the most balanced sound; the synths and guitars play nicely together, with neither necessarily hogging the spotlight. a nice change. mostly. ignored. by. everyone.

alas, for they are not so different after all in the end result. :P

but i'm right about the boy band thing. i'd almost put money on it. listen to it again (if you've got it) and tell me i'm wrong. XD

we've got a file on you...

went Jae Young-spotting and Fi-spotting yesterday evening by watching last night's new ep. of V. Graham Norton on BBCA. and alas~~wasnae as Jazzlerlicious as i had hoped, although Fi did end up quite a spunky lass as promised. and the Naked Cowboy. O.O;;; UM.

also, i have a bit of a confession to make, from this weekend.

i'd never seen Pretty In Pink before.

while it doesn't seem like the sort of touchstone that many people talk about (ala the Cusack oeuvre) as a defining film as regards, well, any aspect of their lives---it nevertheless seems something most people i know have at least unconsciously done. perhaps the first rule about Molly Ringwald is that we don't talk about Molly Ringwald? i don't know. (although i don't see what the big deal over any aspect of her is anyway, but that's a completely different matter.)

i blame Sabina for the fact that it was on the terebi this weekend, too. unfortunately on WE, which i've since discovered (by watching said movie on it, actually) makes me want to stab my eyes out even moreso than watching Oxygen for any length of time does. (hey, they show eps of AbFab, or else i never would have bothered in the first place!) EEEK.

anyrate, the movie. i still haven't seen all of it. i started somewhere around the middle---and i'd known that "Shellshock" was used in it. i've got the 12" that states this fact all over it, actually---some pretty forgettable sleeve art as well, but i'm digressing. anyrate, i hadn't realised what else is in that movie, soundtrack-wise.

three New Order songs within a single half-hour of watching. interesting edit of instrumental bits of "Thieves Like Us," part of "Elegia," and of course part of "Shellshock." Spaz jokingly wondered if they were going to show up as the band playing at the prom scene towards the end. XD

no, of course not---for that particular scene is loaded with an incredibly long edit of OMD's "If You Leave." leading me to explain about the evilness derived from the catchiness and earworminess of said song, which i'd just discussed with Sabina earlier in the week.

i found myself wanting to rewatch the movie from the beginning just to hear what else was used in it, but i cheated a bit in that regard by watching the end credits---as much as i could, since of course WE squished them off to the side to run promos for something else over most of the screen.

and oh, look. "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want."

NOT FUNNY.

particularly in light of hearing about The Importance of Being Morrissey.

but at least it wasn't used during the prom sequence. (wonder where it is used, though?) i mean, i was never the sort of person who wanted to go to prom, or to school dances in general---did end up going to a couple, mostly because i was dragged kicking and screaming by friends of mine. but for some reason, such an occasion doesn't seem to go so well with the Smiths as soundtrack providers to me, and particularly not that song. (jaw nearly on the floor in that scene at the end of Never Been Kissed, in other words.)

ahem. er, i am pathetic, i know. XD

...oh, and completely unrelatedly, yesterday was Christopher Walken's birthday and no one seemed to care mentioned it. *cries*

too buddhalicious for ya, babe

firstly, before i mention everything else i'd like to, go take a look at the past couple of entries over at A-Girl Studio, Elizabeth Watasin's page. the paper houses are REALLY cool, and the links she's got up are as well. but she's also got a really great peacekeeping solution in the entry below the one on paper houses. check it out. >D

more later. it is a new month, and so i must do stats~~~!

can't sleep; clown'll eat me

weekend accomplished. well, mostly.

rather annoyed at having spent most of my sunday evening clearing a stupid virus off my computer. what's funniest to me is that it's not even the newer, more dangerous version of the virus---it's instead an older, more archaic version. what, stupid virus---i'm not good enough for your best? *laughs the laugh of the damned*

of course, this means Word '97 is throwing fits and claiming insufficient memory issues, which it bloody well ought to know is patently impossible. and guess who can't find her Office '97 disc so she can uninstall and reinstall?

GRAR.

but really, these are minor gripes in the face of the current state of the world. so i really oughtn't complain. was a grand waste of time, though.

in other news, saw a trailer for the updated version of The Italian Job this weekend. and it made me want to cry. you know, a movie really has to do a lot to make me not want to see it when it's CHOCK FULL OF MINIS. but really, it did.

...when will people stop making "updates" of classic films? with very few exceptions, they Really Don't Work and Just Make Me Want To Cry.

so, er, i hurried home and ordered the R2 DVD. along with re-placing my order for the R2 24HPP DVD, since i'd apparently had the order deleted (without my knowledge) for the preordered version with the special slipcover designed to look like Tony Wilson's book cover. (would've been nice if they'd e-mailed me, at least. :P) BTW, for anyone who cares, HMV UK is having a sale on a special list of DVDs right now wherein if you buy one that's on this list, you get a second on the list of equal or lesser value for free. and yes, 24 Hour Party People is indeed on that list. for anyone who doesn't know and would care, the PAL (R2) version of 24 Hour Party People has quite a few things that the R1 version doesn't---including a version of the movie wherein you get to watch certain principals from various Factory bands watch the movie and comment on it. a slight twist to normal commentary tracks. should be entertaining, once it gets here. so if you've got a DVD player capable of it and care, i'd advise this version over the R1 one.

(also, regarding purchase from HMV UK; the prices you see onscreen have the VAT included. therefore, if you're not living somewhere where the VAT is applicable, it gets refunded when you check out. shipping to the US is cheaper than the VAT. shipping on our four DVDs of choice came to about ?4.60, i believe. bwee~~~!)

oh, and the original Italian Job had been announced tentatively on DVD here in the US ages ago, but the date kept getting pushed back, presumably because of this new abomination version being done here; i doubt it's ever really going to come out here. and if it does, it'll take forever and ever. and besides---the R2 cover art is just too damn cool for words.

synopsis of this post? mmm, Minis. old, classic Minis. not that there's anything wrong with the new one (certainly not), but. oh, and 24 HPP.

oh, and we're also getting a disc wherein Murray Walker interviews...himself. ph34r. >D XD XD XD

more details to follow, after we get them and watch them...i'd meant to put up at least one recipe this weekend, but no such luck. hopefully soon...

a change of speed

lest one think i am disgusted with absolutely everything right now, here's a few things i feel otherwise towards. mostly rather frivolous, but. just to prove a point...

a) Radiohead's new album title: "Hail to the Thief." <3 <3 <3...er, we'll have to see if the album itself is as good as the title, ne? ^.-

b) the sweater jumper i'm wearing just now. i have no pictures of it, but i really like it. i shamelessly stole borrowed it from Mariam quite some time ago (years, even), and never did get around to giving it back. i refer to it as my Draco sweater jumper. although it's really more of a low-rent Draco sweater jumper, as i'm sure he'd never be caught dead in a material so base as acrylic. but it's the sort of soft, plushy acrylic one often finds chenille yarns out of, and feels really lovely against one's skin. it is forest green and v-necked, and looks quite nice and more than slightly private-school-ish. i should dig my scarf out and wear it, too. XD

c) Dirty Damon. i think (and this is mostly all your fault ) i am in the midst of renewing my love for Blur right now. even without Graham, which i thought would be next to impossible. still have much wub for Graham, but man. "Out of Time" is gorgeous. as are other things. and his fragile, warbling falsetto still amuses me to no end. XD

d) knowing i'm not alone and not crazy. (well, about certain things.)

e) Sabina's fic challenge. eheh. >D

f) having time off at the end of this week, in which i shall sequence my little heart out. myself and the MMT-8 will be spending much quality time together. *cracks knuckles*

g) the idea that after such incidents as this one involving GY!BE being detained as possible terrorists, one wonders if any group of people numbering over one in a vehicle can be considered "suspicious." soccer moms? oh, definitely. stupid twits in SUVs on cell phones? that cell phone might be a gun! arrrrrrgh! XD

h) [added at 9:49am on Wednesday, 26th March 2003] oh yes. the F1 Grand Prix of Malaysia. Alonso on POLE!!!!! AN ALL RENAULT FRONT ROW!!! and the result! fantastic! want to smack Schumi, but that's nothing new. *.*;;; and at least he wasn't on the podium. and he even got punished! amazing!

i) [added at 9:49am on Wednesday, 26th March 2003] this week's Onion. <3 <3 <3 would be more amusing if it weren't so close to home, but is still damn funny. there are loads of things like that lately, actually.

j) [added at 11:21am on Wednesday, 26th March 2003] oh yes. and lest i forget, get your war on.

[edited later on sometime, as all the "sweaters" refused to stay put in anything referencing Draco. they Just Didn't Look Right. pmmmf. ]

what the paper said...

damn.

it seems the Read Or Die OAVs have been picked up here.

which wouldn't be a problem for me in the slightest, except it's being done over by Manglea Entertainment.

damn. --;;;

WHERE HAS MY HEAD BEEN? IN A DISNEY TOILET.

...in other news, whilst madly sl0ring reccing some comics to Beeru-kaboo, i unwittingly discovered that Elizabeth Watasin has a blog, too.

i knew about A-Girl Studio. but it hadn't had a blog up as its main page last time i visited.

i am also shamefully behind in Charm School. must remedy this situation at some point. most likely when i have money for such things. ^^;;;

*adds to long, loooooong list*