Catching Up My Movies, and a Little Anouncement

I had to play catchup with my movie list, so it's gonna be a little long. I got a new page of Golden Brown up, so when you're done here, go there. I'm still counting down to that last page. It's been crazy that I started the comic just ovr 2 years ago. Even crazy is that when I counted up my pages so far, I still haven't hit 100 yet! Oh well. After Golden Brown is finished, I have another story in mind to get started on. I'm still making notes here and there--I wanted to be a little better prepared than I was the first go-round.
I have an anouncement to make, which is bittersweet. I haven't talked about it much on here, but I've been having some issues with my artistic education. Mainly I've taken issue with the concept that something which is supposed to broaden my mind artistically and encourage creativity is actually laden with rules and wrong ways of doing things. I had a couple good teachers (Mark Badger, for one)I do feel that there are some basic guidelines in art, but I was, in truth beginning to turn in assignments I had done the year before, only to get slightly different critiques, and be told to work on things I didn't think were that flawed. Some of these guys would love Bill Wray, but if he were a student, they'd tell him he has to push his values more, or work on his detail bcause he didn't put enough time into his painting, or something to that effect. With Mike Mignola, they'd rail on his proportions, or with Frank Miller they'd tell him his portrayal of fingers were too square and boxy. All these things are signatures of the artists I just mentioned, reasons why their stuff is so appealing to me, things that I don't see as flaws at all. So, after a lot of thought, discussion with Karissa, and even a little with my dad, I quit art school. Going in, I wanted potential empoyers to see the degree and giv m a chance. Now, I'm not really sure I ever want to be employed by someone who would need to see a degree. Fuck rules. I'll get my stuff published, and I'll probably do it the hard way, but at least I can still be god of my own little comic. So that's that. I am an art school dropout. And despite the bitching, I've been feeling better about my decision as each day passes (I actually decided about 2 weeks ago).

What Am I Watching?
13 Ghosts- Not the 2001 version with Tony Shalhoub, Matthew Lillard, et al.--This one is the original starring Charles Herbert and Rosemary d Camp. A down-and-out teacher/researcher inherits his uncle's haunted mansion, complete with 13 ghosts and special goggles to see them with. Some stuff happens, everybody screams, it's not too bad a movie for 1960. It would have been cooler to see in the theater when they did the whole seat buzzer thing. The story comes together okay, but is wrapped up way too neatly by the dad in a Scooby Doo-ish happy ending.

The Tingler- A pathologist discovers a supernatural bug in the vertebrae that feeds on human fear. Vincent Price stars in this one, and I realize his earlier roles have virtually nothing of the type-cast creepiness of his later roles. The 'tingler' in question closely resembles a mutant centipede. Oh, and also, this movie heralds the first depiction of an LSD trip.

Smokin' Aces- A Vegas magician with mob ties lives it up one last time before going to testify against said mob in court. A bunch of hired killers step up to take the contract on his head. The story moves along at a frantic pace with the magician's health rapidly deteriorating as he continues his bender. Some of the killers get bumped off early on, and one who barely got away alive ends up in a side story at a house dealing with an elderly woman and her MASSIVELY attention-deficit-addled grandson who apparently gets turned on while threatening the guy with his martial arts skills. The kid in this movie, though a minor part, was one of my favorite parts of this movie.

Barton Fink- A Jwish screenwriter is offered a job writing a B-movie script about a wrestler. He gets horrible writer's block and weird things start happening to him. It didn't take me long to figure out this was a Cohen bros. movie. The movie takes place during WWII, the dialogue is cool, the main character is nuts and maybe a little delusional, and John Goodman turns out to be a Nazi spy--or something to that effect. My favorite scene in the movie is when Goodman's character is standing at the end of a hallway he had just started on fire (long story). He starts running toward two detectives at the other end with a shotgun, and the flames are right on his tail.

Alvin & the Chipmunks- While this may not seem like a movie I would see, remember that I grew up with cartoons like this, so watching this movie with Isabella took me back to my own childhood. While there are some slight changes, like the size of the chipmunks, the movie stays pretty true to the original stuff in the sense that the cartoons did music that was modern at the time, and nobody after Dave Seville seemed to question how chipmunks could talk, let alone sing and have human attitudes. The question was never really an issue in the cartoons, nor does it need explanation here. The only thing that bugged me at all was the hip-hop version of the witchdoctor song.
Delinquent Daughters- A girl's suicide ends up revealing some of the seedier aspects of high school culture of the 1940's. Didn't care much for this movie. The "teens" looked a bit old for high school, and there was a lot of "aw gee fellas"-type acting that I could have done without. The chick fight is okay, but the nice, wholesome ending made me sick.
The Trouble With Harry- This is what happens when Hitchcock decides to do a little comedy. A man out hunting rabbits unwittingly shoots and kills another in the forest. As numerous people seem to inexplicably happen upon the scene, they all react differently to the body, and we find out more about the "victim". I thought it was pretty funny.

Some Videos From MetalFest...

Obsidian

Masada

From the Stronger

Fatal Intent

Inkedindecision

MetalFest!

I survived the weekend! It was unnerving Friday to see so much snow come down, but by the afternoon, it was mostly gone again. On Saturday, Karissa and Isabella went to Mayville to see her sister do the Grand March prom thing. Isabella apparently had a good time seeing all the different 'princesses'.
There was no TCM Underground last Friday, because since Charleton Heston died, they saw fit to show some of his movies that night. No Planet of the Apes, no Omega Man, just some of his other crap. I've got movies I watched last week, but I'm gonna be talking about music in a minute here, so the 'What Have I Been Watching' bit will have to wait.

MetalFest!
I started getting a headache on Saturday as I saw the girls off, great timing! Since she had the van and half the tires on the other car are flat, I hoofed it to the Eagles Club, which was okay because it was only a few blocks away.
I got there almost an hour early, paid my $6 and sat there watching the first band set up. I asked if anyone needed help, but nothing really needed doing. I warn everyone that this music is an acquired taste, and I don't actually expect anyone reading this to like the stuff they will eventually hear/see. This is all just for me, and this whole concert experience was just for me as well.
I should note that I love, LOVE seeing a guitar come out of its case/gig bag. It's like fucking Christmas (although it's not my present), and I'm always excited to see what kind it is, what color, etc. Anyway, here's the list:
Obsidian- These guys got everything good right off the bat. They were tight, their sound was excellent. They normally do some kind of metal grinding thing at their shows, but the people from the Eagles said no no. That would have been cool to see, but the show they did was awesome nonetheless. What I remember most about this band was the big bassist wielding a B.C. Rich and playing that thing fast as hell. I even got some video of it, which will show up here in a day or two, when I get around to it.
Masada- Another tight-sounding band. There is a definable lead-guitarist on this one, and he was amazing. He went through his solos like nothing, and didn't sound like he was just going through scales like some leads tend to. With this kind of metal, however, the scales get so fucked up and out of the normal range that to simply play a scale and call it a solo is still kind of a cool feat. The singer was good, but they had to cut their set a little short, possibly because of something with his voice/throat.
From the Stronger- Easily the biggest surprise of the night. A three piece from Thompson, ND, it consisted of a drummer, a guitarist and a singer--but no bassist! But they sounded full, and they sounded good. He turned out to be one of my favorite vocalists there, and the guitarist wasn't bad, either. The singer didn't look like he knew what to do with his hands, but he had good stage presence and talked well to the audience. His dad, who was front and center the whole time, chatted with me about the band. He didn't like all the "screaming shit", but was proud to see how well the boys got everything together.
Fatal Intent- I'm still a little unsure about these guys. Also with a bassist, I think they would have benefited from one, despite having a full guitar sound (the singer even had a doubleneck, which I don't see much) Their first song was played not completely in tune, and the singer has some work to do on his voice (I'm one to talk), but overall, they had a lot of potential, and I think the next time I see them (or the next after that), I'll like what I hear more.
Inkedindecision- Easily one of the best bands of the night. They had stage presence, a great sound, and were full of confidence. I started getting way into the music, and even got into the circle pit (basically moshing but you move in a circular fashion, if you need more description than that you're a retard), despite having my sunglasses in my pocket and my camera on my belt. I would see this band with or without all the others in a concert anyday (which is cool because they're from town and play in the Square from time to time).
Here's the 2 bands I had to miss:
Surrounded By Silence
MX Rocket
Two bands in I decided to loosen up with a doubleshot of Jack. Not realizing I hadn't eaten since lunchtime, I unwisely had another double about an hour later. By the time Inkedindecision had finished up, I had 5 shots total under my belt, and was in no condition to stay. So I picked myself up, wandered outside and around the back, and sat with a couple of the musicians that were hanging out back. I talked to them for a couple minutes (Jeez I hop I sounded coherent enough) before they went back inside, then I stumbled off home on what seemed like a longer walk than one I took earlier. Forgetting that we had turned the heat off that day, I spent half the night freezing on the couch and thinking what a fucking awesome time I had before thinking to get up and turn the thermostat on.
The next morning my asscheeks hurt like you wouldn't believe from all the walking and standing of the previous night. Still, I got housework done, and laundry started so that when Karissa & Isabella got home, she wouldn't be stuck with a bunch of chores. The rest of the day was littered with resting, yardwork, and homemade lasagna.

A Midweek Post?

I got back into my comics reading a little again the past couple weeks. One of the books I read is called One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot. I didn't realize at first, but the book really looks into the mind of sexual abuse from the "victim" point of view. An English runaway developes a deep interest in rats and leads an oddly parallel life to Beatrix Potter. Eventually she learns to face her demons (at one point almost literally as she confronts her dad about how he molested her). Talbot was contacted by many abuse survivors after this book came out and complimented on the accuracy of his portrayal of the emotional burden being hefted by the main character. I found another Rushdie book, too--this time one of his earlier works.
It's been a shitty week for movies. I'm not sure how many I'd be able to talk about by Friday. I've had weeks in the past where nothing was on until Thursday, and then all of a sudden I'd see 4 movies in a day or something. So we'll see. I've already got a new page mostly done on the comic, so by Friday it'll be good and ready. I may not post again until Saturday--Some kids are putting on Metalfest at the EGF Eagles Club on Saturday at 6pm, so I'd like to check it out. If I can make it, I'll wait to post. Maybe there'll be pictures, but no promises.

A Daddy/Daughter Night, Movies With Psychological Fright

I got frustrated with not being able to make a proper mic pickup for my cardboard guitar, so I jammed a regular mic into it and plugged it in. It's temporary, but it works, even with my metal pedal.

It took me forever to finish The Satanic Verses, but I'm about to start Midnight's Children, and hopefully that one won't take so long to read.

I got a new page of Golden Brown up, so mosey on over to read it. Not there, there! Not there! THERE!
The pictures posted above are from today. Isabella and I went to "Knight for a Princess", where she got to eat some chicken and dance, and then come home with a bag of goodies. I felt somewhat underdressed, but if I dressed up more, I wouldn't have felt the least bit comfortable. The dinner was okay, the music sucked (they played Miley Cyrus and even the dads seemed to know the lyrics), and Isabella behaved very well. The first time she hit the dance floor, she barged into a circle of kids and danced with Miss Red River Valley (tight dress in the second shot). She was patient, even when she was getting tired. In the last pic, she's sporting a shirt she got from the event.

What have I been Watching?

Some Like It Hot- Believe it or not, it's my first Marilyn Monroe movie. A couple of musicians witness a mob murder and go on the run in drag as part of an all-female swing-jazz band. Among the girls in the band, they encounter 'Sugar', a ukulele-playing singer with a boozing problem. There are apparently suggestions of homosexuality in this movie, but I think people are looking a little hard. There are plenty of risque aspects, though. Guys in drag get checked out by plenty of other men at the resort, one of whom takes a special liking, and at the end of the movie doesn't seem to care when he finds out he's been chasing a man the whole time (that would be pretty much the only actual 'gay' part). Monroe missed very few chances to shake her tits for the camera, and her behavior while shooting the film was apparently pretty deporable. But who knew she could play ukulele!

Frenzy- A serial rapist/murdere strikes and the victim's ex-husband is a prime suspect. The scene in which she's killed is a little disturbing since they all but show the rape and then the strangulation by necktie. Oddly enough, Hitchcock throws a little comedy in as well. The inspector disusses his case with his wife, who cooks him Doug-awful dinners like squid or pig's feet. While he is visibly struggling to get the food down, she is offering her perspectives on the case. Hitchcock couldn't have picked a better ending for his movie. It's very abrupt and decisive, but still leaves one wondering what is the next step.

Comic Book: The Movie- Mark Hamil plays a comic geek who is obsessed with a character named Commander Courage (kind of an amalgam of Golden Age superheroes, most notably Superman, Batman, and Capt. Marvel that I can tell). When the character is revamped for modern times he is hired on as a "consultant", but he stirs up trouble with the snakey movie execs by procuring an old school Commander Courage costume, tracking down the creator's only living relative (who subsequently finds out he's due royalties), and eventually ends up arriving at the press conference dressed as Commander Courage to call them on their genre-destroying ways. There are plenty of references to Batman, Frederick Wertham (though the doctor in the movie is fictional), and there are cameos from tons of good actors & directors, many of whom actually were involved with stuff like Batman: the Animated Series(Hamil himself voiced the Joker). His business partner is played by Tom Kenny, most remembered right now for his giving voice to Spongebob Squarepants.

It was kooky, but on the whole, the movie turned out to be written pretty well and addresses issues in comics like creator proprietorship and the effect of movie adaptations on the comics industry.

Joshua- An 8-year-old genius is jealous of his babysister and hatches an insane little scheme to remove her from his family. This movie was extremely well-written. The only bad parts involve the "inlaws" The writers seemed like they were trying to establish the religious fervor and overbearing nature of the dad's parents in about 2 minutes. Still, one of the things I was fascinated/unnerved by was the fact that with everything that befalls this family--baby suddenly starts crying at night, causing mom's postpartum to resurface full force and make her go fucking nuts, which then causes dad to become unfocused and let his work slip and his eye wander to his coworker, which leads to Evangelograndma to come to watch the kids so mom & dad can get a break, you see how this goes. Anyway, Grandma falls down the steps and the dad realizes the son Joshua is behind it all, and begins to shun him. He keeps away from Joshua, accuses him of wrongdoing, and in the end even resorts to physical violence to keep his son away from his 3-month-old daughter. What makes it unnerving is that you NEVER ONCE see the kid actually doing anything. You know he's doing something, because the dad even has a video of the kid waking up the baby, and knows the kid has access to some kind of poison that killed all the classroom pets at his school, but Joshua always acts innocent, and never admits or is caught doing anything. What one notices, however, is that the parents bring their own problems, long hidden, to the surface. The dad comes from an overbearing household and internalizes his anger, which can and often does lead to quick, violent outburst, and the mom had postpartum depression when she had Joshua. This kid does a thorough job of remaining creepy throughout the movie.