Metallica: Doug Magnetic

The whole first part of this post is going to be about Metallica. I have defended and will continue to defend St. Anger until I'm cold & dead. It was an album they wanted to do, it came from an angry place and was used more as a creative outlet for Hetfield's problems than anything. That being said, I got to read what Hetfield himself thought about it 5 years later upon the release of their new album. He stops short of calling it a mistake, but still appreciates the album nonetheless. They've pretty much come full circle by now-- after "singing" more on the black album, and their musical experimentation with Load, ReLoad, S&M, Garage, Inc., and St. Anger, they apparently just felt like thrashing again.
Last Saturday, I was napping on the couch. Karissa got the mail, and dropped a package into my arms. I knew exactly what it was--my new metallica album, Death Magnetic, that I only paid $1.47 for (long story) had came! Unfortunately, I was still very tired, so I hugged my package and fell back asleep. When I finally woke up, I had to go outside and mow the yard, so I didn't get much of an introduction, and Isabella talks all through dinner, so I was still having trouble gtting to hear it all. My real introduction came in the car, when I got to crank it up and listen to it nice and loud. I had already heard about three songs on the album, but I was still blown away. The entire album is fucking awesome. The first song, That Was Just Your Life, reminds me of songs like Battery and Blackened--it's fast as hell with a catchy riff. And speaking of fast as shit, All Nightmare Long has become a favorite of mine already for its insane tempo. Broken, Beat, and Scarred is a little more simplistic lyrically, but nonetheless cool in its get-the-fuck-up-and-fight kind of way. Cyanide, The Judas Kiss, My Apocalypse, and The End of The Line might become lesser known-but still hard-hitting classics in no time (I'd say people will remember them like they remember The God That Failed, My Friend of Misery, The Thing That Should Not Be, Orion, etc). I LOVE the intro to The Unforgiven III, which incidently might share a chord progression with the first two, but pretty much nothing else. No acoustic feedback, no "What I've felt..." lyrics like before--this one is no less awesome, though. As for the piano, I wonder myself if Hetfield played that intro--he did learn piano at a young age.
The Day That Never Comes was the first song I got to hear, and it's one of those cool Metallica-style ballads that works its way into your head. I've been using the clean verse riff as a practicing tool, adding it to my growing repertoire of catchy Metallica clean-riffs.
And is there an instrumental? Well, they did dive into their past a little, and must have decided that an instrumental is a welcome addition after 4 or 5 albums without. Suicide & Redemption clocks in at over 10 minutes! and is also awesome.
Yes, Kevin, there is a teensy bit of Lars' annoying snare, but not much, and the lowest tuning they go is dropped D. No Derek, Hetfield isn't all sing-songy with his voice. Here and there, he is, but he's still got his signature growl. And yes, Kevin/Derek, their WHOLE ALBUM is going to be on Guitar Hero, so you guys can fake-play to your hearts' content.
Anything bad to say about this album? Nope. I guess not. I love it, and I'm still listening to it as loud as I can get it. Plus it's all about death, and how various people are attracted/repulsed by it. Kinda like Tom Waits' Bone Machine.
What am I Watching?
Cashback- After a nasty breakup, an art student develops insomnia. To help him get through the night, he takes a graveyard shift at a local grocery store and there realizes (or pretends, it's never really clear) that he has the ability to freeze time. Utilizing this gift, he undresses store patrons (solely for art sketches, he's not a total pervert), plays little pranks on his boss, and eventually comes to se the beauty in life as a still scene. Characters are a little shallow and predictable, but are still fairly interesting. His freezing snowfall at the end looked really cool and would have amde a great end if the director hadn't opted for the mega-happy guy-gets-girl-and-shows-her-beauty-of-frozen-life ending.
AB Negative- A good guy is exhorted into harvesting organs after losing his wife (alcohol, bad liver), his job (expendable), and his house (see job). Using a database from his laptop of other employees & clients, the guy exacts revenge on those who fucked him over. Using a drinking problem to add depth to the characters was a good idea, but very poorly acted. The overall sound sucked. The ending was pretty good, except that he laughed maniacally, and that's just plain reidiculous. It's billed as a horror flick, but it's really just a cheap indie thriller.
Harold- 13-year-old with early male pattern baldness tries to make his way through a new school in a new town. This movie is one of those little nuggets that doesn't get good enough advertising and therefore falls through the cracks of popular cinema. It was funny as hell, and I have to give kudos to Spencer Breslin for his apparent natural acting abilities, also to Cuba Gooding Jr. for taking on a supporting role he didn't get enough credit for. It was a textbook happy ending, except for the fact that the bald kid blew off the hot chick for the frumpy big girl (and she actually is a frumpy big girl). That little detail makes me like how it ended after all.
Little Otik- A barren couple takes a weekend at cabin to take their minds of not being able to have children. While the husband is trying to rip out a stump, he comes across a root that looks a bit like a little child. He carves it out better and varnishes it, then presents it as a present to his wife, who immediately begins treating it like a real child. Despite being completely unnerved, the husband and wife concoct a lie about finally getting pregnant. They have different sized 'tummies' made up, and leave the root baby at the cabin, coming back for it on weekends. Finally, the wife "gives birth". The husband comes back to get her a week later, only to find the root baby alive and breast-feeding. I'll just stop the synopsis there and let that one sink in. I had to go back and check the info about halfway through, and sure enough, this film was made by Jan Svankmajer, a master of ultra-creepy artistic European stop-animation, and one of my favorites. This particular story is actually based on an old, equally weird Czech fairy tale called Otesanek. It is very bizarre and nds on an odd note with no closure.

A Couple Doodles, and Some Junk

I haven't posted pictures in a while, so here's a couple.
These are a few of the things I've been working on lately at the lab. I started out making rough sketches to mark the directions of twists and spins (not shown). The first sketch shows some examples of hide twisted by itself and around a cord (twisted fibers). They are mainly only for reference. The second illustration shows a sample from actual textiles Dr. Leach is looking at. By sample, I mean that it is still drawn without having seen the blanket, but still contains examples of how the blanket is woven together. This gives us a pretty good idea of how proficient these people were in weaving.
I never realized how hard illustrating textiles can get until I tried figuring out the exact spin and/or twist directions, especially when you twist a cord one way, wrap it around another the same way, and then wrap those two around yet another the opposite way. And they did this shit by hand. Neat stuff.
If you haven't been by April's blog, Kevin had an inflamed gall bladder, he went in for surgery, now he's recovering. Anymore details, read her blog. Needless to say, I can imagine him rolling around on his bed saying "I'm a stupid man!", and since he's doing alright, I can say that's fucking funny.
We took Isabella to Yunker Farm last weekend. She had a lot of fun, we had very little. The museum was okay, but w got bored quickly. Then we did a little present-opening at McDonald's, and took her to Toys 'R' Us and let her buy something with her birthday money. Then we went to the Halloween store and she became obsessed with the life-sized woman holding her own beheaded head. Why? Who knows? It's Isabella.

That Saturday we had April, Tab and Derek over (Kevin was in Oregon seeing the town the Goonies was filmed in). It was funny to see Derek scoot closer and closer to the tv as we all talked. I had asked him if he watched Metalocalypse at all, and was surprised to hear he didn't like cartoons. I guess I didn't see that coming from a guy who loves Rob Zombie. I myself have become obsessed with the show. I'm not a huge fan of death metal, but this cartoon hooks me every time. That and Murderface reminds me so much of Butto.
We had to go to a Headstart parents meeting last night, it went okay. Isabella got to play with her classmates while we listened to budget stuff and parent involvement in school activities blah blah blah.
I really wasn't up for going, but I had this thing about her having both her parents at these meetings every once in a while. Good thing, too, because one of the teachers was impressed by how many fathers were there. I wanted to be insulted, but let's face it. Dad's aren't exactly famous around here for participating in their kids' academic lives like mom's. I got lucky because I had a dad who did that stuff, so I at least know I should, even if I get a little lazy.
What in the world am I watching?
Jesus' Son- A long walk through addiction and the various interactions with people lost along the way. It's hard to pinpoint a real description for this movie. Between the after-the-fact narration, the occasional hallucination, the overdoses, the rehabilitation, and mennonite voyeurism it turns out to be just some guy's life over the past few years. It really plays out like the guy is trying to remember the last couple years of his life--he even forgets parts and puts them in later. While slightly annoying, it does add to the overall effect of seeing the past of an addict through his eyes. I was impressed by the low key introduction of major actors like Jack Black, Dennis Hopper, Denis Leary, and Holly Hunter, but I was especially impressed by the character-acting of Billy Crudup--I totally bought that he was a hopeless addict.
The Day the Earth Stood Still- A ship lands in the middle of Washington D.C. A humanoid in a funky spacesuit with major shoulder pads comes out with a message for Earth about ceasing its violent ways. He is accidentally shot by a nervous soldier, and looked at by earth doctors, while his bigger-than-a-breadbox robot plays statue in front of the ship. The being, named Klatu, escapes and lives with an unsuspecting family for a little while before trying to get into contact with a famous scientist about atomic issues. He gets found out, gets shot again and dies, but not before instructing his confidante Helen to give his robot a verbal code so it doesn't go on a big hypocritical rampage. The code? Any Army of Darkness fan knows it...Klatu...Varada...Nikto...Anyway the chick (played by Patricia Neal--remember the Fountainhead? Of course you don't you cinematic philistines) has to give the code twice, because apparently death-robots are a little hard of hearing. He stops shooting things with his eyes, takes Helen to the ship, then goes real quick-like and picks up Klatu. It uses the ships mysterious atomic technology to revive Klatu and they drop Helen off and stay just long enough to explain to earth that his people now have robots who keep them from being violent. Basically, humans have used robots to make themselves not kill eachother, and the robots can be trusted to help keep them safe. I don't buy into that message at all. I've seen I, Robot.

Oh No I Blogged All Over Myself!

Last weekend we took Isabella to Devils Lake. On Saturday we had a little party over at my sister's place where she got to later spend the night with her cousins. I must say I really appreciate getting to sleep in a little at my dad's place.
I hadn't intended to get into discussions of politics, but right when we got there he asked about the Republican convention and Dumb-shrill-Bitch--I mean, Palin, and right off I started bitching. Fortunately I have pretty good conversations with my dad and he's fairly politically open-minded.

I've been thinking about the whole tin-can banjo thing again lately, and decided I might be able to pull it off if I tune the canjo lower than a normal one. I'm not sure how the lower tension on the strings will affect its playability, but it can't be much worse than breaking all my strings because they grind against the wood.

Halloween season is just around the corner! Last year I was pissed that the Halloween stuff was out so early, but this year I'm just excited to look at it all. If we have time while in Fargo tomorrow, we're planning on stopping at the Halloween store and taking a gander (and a few gooses, yah).

I have a new page of Golden Brown out now, but due to a professor giving me a bit more workload for the coming week than I expected. I may be taking a week off from the comic. We'll see.

What am I watching?

It's "1931" week. Both of the movies I saw this week were made in 1931, and both were completely awesome.

M- A child murderer incurs the wrath of the German underworld for letting them take the blame for the lives he's taken. All descriptions of this movie call him a pedophile, but there's not really mention within the movie of sexual contact between him and the children. Insignificant detail, really, but I like my descriptions accurate. This was Fritz Lang's first talkie, though the dvd was oddly scratched so all my sound was mistimed unless I restarted the chapter. Strangely this is my first real intro to Peter Lorre, who I found out is an incredible actor. I finally get the reference in the Ren & Stimpy episode where they try to pass themselves off as babies in a family with a creepy grandpa that whistles "In the Hall of the Mountain King", like Lorre's character does. This seems like a pretty cutting edge movie for 1931. But then, it's Fritz Lang, a master of his time.

The Champ- A washed up boxer holes up in Tijuana with his kids and gambles/drinks. Despite his bad habits, he's a very loving father to "Dink". Things get complicated when Dink's mother accidentally comes into his life, and "Champ" gets in trouble with the law. Hard decisions are made, and even harder fight is fought, and in the end Jackie Cooper (played "Dink") gave a heartbreaking performance better than any 9-year-old I've EVER SEEN. That's right Dakota Fanning, you don't hold a candle to this kid. Throughout the whole movie he did his character like he'd done it all his short life, even the non-verbal gestures, which kids typically can't do. Seriously, he's the BEST child actor I've ever seen (okay maybe besides Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon).

Political Groups, B-Day Shindig, Where Bands Play: What are PARTIES!

I guess I'm posting every other week these days. Makes the movie list longer, but oh well. Last week Kevin, Derek and I went to Mike's Pizza for Open Mike Night, which turned out a little disappointing. Isabella started her dance class, and now she's a ballerina on top of a princess. At least she likes it, though. Her birthday is rolling around, and we've decided to have a party for her Headstart class after we do the parties in DL & Fargo. How many kids get like 3 birthday parties a year? Seriously. We wanted to do something with our friends, too, but then Isabella would have to have a birthmonth instead.
I wound up through no fault of my own watching Karissa's National Conventions over the past couple weeks, and I have to say I am honestly scared for November to come. Watching people twisting and/or omitting facts to make their opponents look bad, the snide remarks flying around, people trying to shove the word "Maverick" down my throat, and so help me if I have to hear a bunch of fucking morons mindlessly break into the "U! S! A!" chant one more time...
Whew. Anyway, never fear, the political crap won't make it into the comic. I may take jabs at monks, women, fat people, myself, doctors, readers, the bunny ranch, art, current events (wait, no not current events), the elderly, women with odd nipples, and some twelfth thing, but I don't pander political in Golden Brown (by the way a new page should be up by the time anyone reads this).
I'm getting very excited for Metallica's new album! I think I've heard about 4 tracks from it now, and so far I love it. The new video is growing proof that Hetfield is trying to steal my look. That's okay, though, I'm trying to steal his chops. I've found lately that a good guitar exercise is to take clean riffs from their songs and play them. The picking is hard, but it helps develop good coordination of your fingers while trying to keep up a rhythm.
Scroll down a touch for the movie section.

What am I watching?

The Defilers- A wholesome girl is kidnapped and sexually abused by a couple young men. One guy has a spanking fetish. The acting is okay, the movie overall is actually pretty engaging for a sexploitation flick. In the end one man's conscience overcomes him and he attacks the other man. The fight concludes when nonconscience guy gets his head knocked against the wall into a nail, which I thought was awesome! The camera backs up to show us the whole scene as maybe a police officer might find it, and makes for a good ending.
Scum of the Earth- A wholesome college girl is taken advantage of by guys who take nude pictures of her and market them. The dialogue is stiff, and especially forced from the girl's father, who I'm pretty sure must have been picked off the street at random. The nonverbal acting, like her discomfort with being naked in front of a camera, was much better. The plot moves along pretty well.
Bad Girls Go To Hell- After killing a rapist in self-defense, a girl leaves her husband for NYC, where she meets all sorts of different undesirables before settling with an old woman. But her past catches up with her even there. Not nearly as interesting as I just made it sound. By this point, I was getting sick of seeing guys portrayed as mindless sexual predators and girls as helpless idiots. The ending was pretty interesting, but didn't really save the movie.
Another Day, Another Man- After getting a raise and an espensive apartment, a guy falls ill and his wife goes into prostitution to help pay the bills. This movie goes on way too long. At one point the pimp begins narrating to us about his women, and I'm not sure why any of this is relevant information. I liked the ending not just because the movie itself was long and boring, but also because the ending was actually not bad. I won't tell you what happens, but it involves a knife.
Soylent Green- in a grim future of starvation and, apparently, heat, we no longer have regular fod. We now have the synthetic Soylent brand. A cop investigating a high-profile murder and a retired professor stumble upon its secret ingredient. Who hasn't seen this movie yet? Avert your eyes now. Soylent Green is PEOPLE!! Soylent Green is PEOPLE!! You blew it up! You really blew it up!! Damn you--oops I mean Tell everyone Soylent Green is made from people!! Charleton Heston did pretty good in this one, and if you look closely, you'll see and an aged and severly ill Edward G. Robinson playing Sol Roth opposite Heston's Thorne. There's a great scene where Thorn and Sol get to eat a real meal, Thorn's very first ever. Their appreciation for a good meal is genuine. Robinson faced his own death when his character died, the scene was peaceful, and yet one of the most well-acted natural death scenes I've seen in a long time. According to IMDB, that scene was the last day he ever worked; he died nine days later, and Heston was the only one on set who knew he had cancer. What I like most about this movie is that it's about the future, and yet you don't see the shiny clothes & giant shoulder astro pads.
She Mob- "Big Shim" leads a gang of chicks as they lure a former associate (a gigolo) to their hideout and hold him for ransom from his lady-boss. A detective, Sweety East, finds him and helps him escape, only to deny the boss her fee and decide to keep him for herself. Lots of tits, a little sex, a little violence, I actually liked this movie. I didn't lik Sweety's pantsuit, though. It was so low-cut in the back that she could poop without having to remove it. For the most part, the women all had realistic bodies, nice ones by 1960's standards. Big Shim was pretty non-sexy, but I liked her more than the others for her brutality.
Nymphs Anonymous- A bunch of woman form a club to fulfill thir carnal needs and recruit "other" men to do the jobs. I notice the same donkey cigarette dispenser was used in She Mob. I do like the concept of a jealous husband-turned sniper. Otherwise this movie is forgettable.
Kung Fu Panda- A big fat panda dreams of being a kung fu master, then mistakenly gets his chance against a leopard(?). We took Isabella to this one at the Dollar theater. It was a nice little film, but nothing spectacular. I really thought Patton Oswalt voiced the crane, but it turns out it was David Cross. The two have uncannily similar voices.
Nashville- A bunch of stuff happens leading up to a big political convention, many musicians are involved. It speaks more about the music industry than about politics. Henry Gibson was awesome in it, as was Ned Beatty (who sometimes reminds me of my dad). That's really all I'm gonna say about it. I wasn't really planning on posting it, but it was a helluva good movie. Every now and then I watch a flick but don't post about it. Those movies are just for me.