Sometimes coming back to work on Monday feels like a reunion with old friends. This morning, we compared notes on our respective progress in everybody's current obsession, "Guitar Hero 3". I seem to be running comfortably in the middle of the pack here . . . playing at the Medium difficulty setting and unable to beat Tom Morello (the first major ( Read more... )

I took a sick day yesterday, which was the perfect opportunity to finally watch Shichinin no samurai (The Seven Samurai), the 1954 film by Akira Kurosawa that was remade six years later as the Western The Magnificent Seven. The Kurosawa film has been sitting on the shelf at home for more than a month now, jamming up my Netflix queue . . . but 3-1/2 ( Read more... )

I have to admit a certain disappointment with "30 Days of Night". And I had such high hopes . . . the premise hooked me, and I am the type to jump up and grab my ankles when the monster lunges out of the shadows. But somehow this movie never got to my inner scaredy-cat. My best belovéd thought I was just being a rock for her benefit, but the truth ( Read more... )

Last night turned out to be a good night to stay in and watch a movie . . . in this case, "The Cube", a science-fictiony character study that puts a handful of mutual strangers in a bizarre and potentially lethal puzzle/prison. With few resources and fewer clues, they have to work together as their fragile psyches crumble under the stress of ( Read more... )

If you're interested in a movie about a six-foot invisible rabbit, but not in the mood for something quite as disturbing as "Donnie Darko", you might try the 1950 classic "Harvey", starring James Stewart. It originated as a play, and doesn't stray far from that feel for the screen . . . there are few sets and not very many characters, and the ( Read more... )

So I brought down the firewall (never do this!), fired up Internet Explorer (not my browser of choice!), and navigated over to Netflix (a site that continues to get even better) for a little Watch-It-Now magic. I chose "Maxed Out", a documentary about predatory lending practices and the difficulty of escaping from the credit trap once you're in it.
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The weather has conspired to keep me from mowing all weekend. We've finally had enough damp that I can cut the grass without fear that the sun will then sear the remaining lengths right down to the bare earth . . . and the ground hasn't been dry enough since to take the mower out of the garage. So yesterday was given over to wonderfully relaxed ( Read more... )

My daughter and I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum yesterday--and, judging by the weekend box office numbers, so did a whole lot of other people. We agreed, mostly, on what worked and what didn't. In particular, the use of handheld cameras (what I call "monkey-cam") to lend a cinema veritè feel to much of the movie has the presumably unintended ( Read more... )

My darling bride and I sought a respite from the heat yesterday in the air-conditioned comfort of the local multiplex. We saw 1408, a haunted hotel room story starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. The film does a terrific job setting up an atmosphere of creepy menace as spooky travel guide writer Cusack overcomes hotel manager Jackson's ( Read more... )

Okay, now I'm officially totally jealous. My little sister got a 2007 Chevy Trailblazer yesterday. Every car I own is a total piece of shit, and the prospects for getting a new one soon are dim.

I'm currently driving an '86 Mazda 626 that my best belovéd got last year in exchange for helping a friend get her house (and, to some degree, her life) ( Read more... )