Rimshot

Yesterday I once again went for coffee with the younger sister. She seems to be doing well, which makes me happy. That evening, David called me up about a potential job as a tech writer, so I sent him my resume. I hope that goes well. I'm eloquent, and I can translate complex ideas into legible nuggets for the laity. Tonight, we're going to set up his network and then do some serious Haloage online. It should be most entertaining. Other than that, there is little to report. AND GO SEE SERENITY SO THAT IT WILL STAY IN THEATRES!!!

Swords in the Future

So last night, Sarah came over to the flat to watch bad movies. Originally, we had intended to watch Bruce "Don't Call Me Ash" Campbell's newest, The Man With The Screaming Brain. However, Blockbuster, in their infinite incompetence, did not stock it. So it was that we began searching for something else. We found Christopher "McLeod" Lambert's 1999 crapfest, Beowulf, which is loosely (and I do mean loosely) based upon the ancient poem of the same name. The similarities basically begin with the fact that the characters share the same names and there's a monster named Grendel terrorizing a castle, and end right about there. All of the actors look awkward and uncomfortable in every scene, and it is clear to the audience that this is either an embarassing step down from their usual standards, or yet another step sideways in a career chock-full of similar embarassments. The only actor who looks remotely comfortable is Layla Cook, for whom this is actually a step up from her usual fair, namely porn. And she plays Grendel's mother. Grendel himself is basically a purple smear of vaseline on the camera lens, mixed with a dash of Predator. All other characters are basically useless cannon fodder. In short, I loved it, as did Sarah. There are some movies that approach greatness from the other side, going so far into horrid that they come out fantastic (for all the wrong reasons). Beowulf is one such movie, and every fan of MST3K should view it at least once. Perhaps more.

IT'S A GUNDAM!

Sorry. Couldn't resist. It's a throwback to my old days as a Gundam fan. At any rate, the week has been rather odd, it's safe to say. Monday night, the Woodhaven crew decided it was high time to go get some stuff at Best Buy, namely network equipment for Ipps' new flat. Afterwards, we went to Applebee's and ate steak. I drank beer (Widmer's new Oktoberfest seasonal is quite good). Ipps then returned with Trev and I to our pad, and we watched the last episode of Firefly (because it's a good one, and Ipps hadn't seen it yet). Yesterday, Ipps, Tramp, and I began the final phase of Ipps' move out of Woodhaven and into his new place. Taking three cars, we hauled his prodigious amounts of stuff to his new place in Airway Heights. Once our respective cars were unloaded, we began playing video games with Ipps' new room-mate, Dustin, and Dustin's wife, Jun Ko. At that point, Jun Ko decided to make dinner for all involved, which meant good Japanese food. Seriously, Ipps will be eating quite nicely from now on. 'Twas indeed most excellent. Meanwhile, Tramp picked up his wife before dinner, and then we ate. After dinner, Ipps, Dustin, Jun Ko, Jeff, and I went to see Serenity. Both Jeff and I had already seen it, so we were noticing all sorts of stuff which I won't give away, seeing as some of my dear readers might not have seen it once yet. It was even better the second time. So that has been my week thus far.

Oh, and before I forget, Lars has so graciously updated Life of Wyma. Check it out!

There's No Place I can Be/Since I Found Serenity

Well, the weekend was pretty good, all things considered. Friday was uneventful. Saturday afternoon, I went with the gang to see Joss Whedon's Serenity. I won't spoil it, but let me just say a few things: 1) Wow. 2) The Reavers are fuckin' scary. And 3) sob. That being said, it is definitely a very fine film, and a worthy continuation of the saga began in Whedon's short-lived Firefly tv series. All the cast is back, and in fine form. Nathan Fillion's Mal Reynolds is a bit darker than before, but is not lacking for comic timing. The rest of the merry band of outlaws hasn't lost their touch either, and brings it all together for a rousing show. You can tell that there is real chemistry between all of the actors, reflecting the dysfuntional family dynamic established in the show. The new villain, The Operative, is positively chilling, and provides a good foil for the crew. At any rate, go see Serenity at all costs. And then go again, because it's that much fun.
At any rate, after returning, Ryan, Aaron B. and I began to reminisce about the old N64 chestnut, Perfect Dark. At which point, Ryan indicated that yes, in fact, he had a copy of said game at his place. Just as I was about to head over, Decken called. Now, it must be noted that freshman year, when Decken and I lived together, one of our chief past-times was in fact Perfect Dark. The two of us had gotten quite good at it back then, but had not played in some time. With room for a fourth player, I invited him over, and so it began. A good time was had by all.
Sunday rolled around, and that means church and laundry. Church was okay, laundry meant playing games. Also watched the first disc of Ghost in the Shell Stand-Alone Complex 2nd Gig. It was nice.
On a random side note, I really appreciate it when writers are willing to kill off a character, unless it's just some stupid shock stunt. But even then, there is only one thing worse than a character killed to shock the audience, and that is when said character is suddenly brought back to life. It just cheapens the whole thing. If you kill a character, have the decency to let him or her stay dead. That's where I think the whole Passion thing went wrong. Jesus' resurrection just totally felt like the dictionary definition of deus ex machina. To what is this world coming?