urinal cake eroding, eroding, GONE!
QUICK NOTE TO OPEN WITH: WHEN DID JACK BAUER OFFICIALLY TURN INTO MACGUYVER?
This entry will be about stuff, but probably nothing about me, I'm not bored/depressed/elated/articulate enough right now to do that...
Links that rule... or at least interests me...
The Chronic of Narnia: Ok yes I am sure everyone has already seen it. SNL is blatantly unfunny these days, but this is incredible. Chris Parnell and writer Adam Harburg (apparently the heir apparent to the Weekend Update chair) shine in this gem. Just a note: If anyone can find a link with the lyrics written out, you'll be in my good graces...
Dave Chappelle News: I cannot confirm that he is off the crazy pills, but he's back in comedy, at least for a taste... This link is not funny, but rather an article about a funny person...
Jack Bauer in Japan: I think this was discovered by the great Bill Simmons' intern... Great stuff... Its just great to see cultures clash, especially when it involves the coolest motherfucker in the world... (By the way, I just finished watching all the new episodes. My favorite moment: When Bauer leaves his MILF girlfriend and he assembles himself with his velcro watch and aviators? Unassailably cool...)
Mommy I want one!: I totally want one of these. Pring and I are going to get one, or I will, and the summer will be amazing. I predict this will be the centerpiece of my 21st birthday...
The Balboa-Observer Picayune: The best Arrested Development Site. Period. I might have already posted it. It's amazing, it has everything, yes, even transcripts so that all quotes are pitch-perfect... I shall now delve into one of my favorites, for ranting sake...
It ain't easy being white,
It ain't easy being brown,
All this pressure to be bright,
I got children all over town.
NAME THE EPISODE AND CHARACTERS TO WIN A HUG AND MAYBE A TAP ON THE FANNY FROM ME
I have recently invested in Netflix... I really love it... Movies sent directly to me... Yeah, you all know how it is... Below are some long-winded (maybe, maybe not) reviews of the movies/documentaries I have taken out so far...
Crash
I very much enjoyed this film, it was not as complicated as I thought it would be, which is definetely a good thing. Racism in America is hardly untapped mines for films, but this movie find a way to make it seem fresh. Every race, every ethnicity and every background is constantly watching their backs, fearing everyone. It seems especially poignant that I watched this movie on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It shows that we have come far, but not too far, and there is much to do, and much that can never be done. Performances from Matt Dillon (who can now be referred to as Kevin Dillon's brother given the success of Entourage), Ryan Phillipe, and Shaun Toab in particular stood out in my mind. Ludacris was also very good, just as he was in Hustle and Flow.
Murderball
Wow. This documentary just knocked me on my ass. I had never heard of quad rugby, or its original and decidedly less PC name "Murderball," but this documentary did a great job of highlighting the sport which will no doubt gain exposure because of this fabulous doc. It was just a great human piece. I found all the people enduring or strangely enduring in the case Mark Zupan (the hard-headed, asshole captain of the USA quad rugby team) and Joe Soares (the stubborn coach of Canada's team, who was once the best player on the US team). As the opening credits roll, we see US team member Andy Cohn go through the excursion of changing his pants. Its so tedious, and we could never imagine what thats like. And then moments later, we see him and other careening into one another in wheelchairs souped up like something out of Mad Max.
Outfoxed: Murdoch's War on Journalism
Since I haven't been reading much since returning home, I decided my brain needed a workout. Some have called this documentary boring, and it might be to some. It promotes a liberal agenda against Fox News without being obviously clever or funny like Michael Moore or Al Franken. But what it lacks in humor it more than makes up for in information. I think as a history teacher or social studies teacher in high school (my current dream job), I would want to show this to demonstrate media bias. One example of a "trick" Fox News uses to disguise its bias. It will have a newscaster like Brit Hume (also feautured prominently on Arrested Development and 24) say "some people say..." And then he'll propose a usually conservative point-of-view. A not-so-subtle manner of disguising conservative agenda in what is called a "fair and balanced" news report. I greatly enjoyed this film, but I'm kind of a nerd like that. Less media-savvy people probably won't dig it. Though it is very short, clocking in at an hour and fifteen minutes.
Roger and Me
I have seen bits and pieces of this Michael Moore flick before and enjoyed it. I had never seen the whole thing. It was nice to watch through. Its very different from Farenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine. It seems to lack the spin and controversy of those later Moore docs. This film I believe has the greatest human element of all Moore's movies. Its about his own home town, and the way he tells the story of his downtrodden Flint, you feel for him personally. I think I'll say it, I think its my favorite Moore movie.
Chinatown
Ok, I still don't fully understand all the plot points. I'll watch it again at some point. But Roman Polansky made a true masterpiece here. The movie just looks amazing. Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway gave great performances that took the viewer back to the silver screen era of the 40s and 50s. The performances may seems forced, but they simply belong to another time and they were brilliant in channeling the Humphrey Bogarts of the world. Well done film. Can't say that enough, you can just look at it for two hours and you'll appreciate it, the dialogue can become secondary.
Broken Flowers
I really enjoyed this Bill Murray starrer. It probably wasn't crowning achievement that you can tell Murray thought it was. But it was a nice, simple movie. It looked good. It was easy to feel for Murray's character even though he was a womanizer who was tracking down an illegitimate child of his. I was intially lost as to how the film would end, but a well-drawn sequence of shots really wrapped up the movie nicely.
Gosford Park
Maybe someday, but I grew bored fast and gave up... I'm just not mature enough.
Sleepers
It might have been more interesting if I hadn't already read the far-superior book. The movie follows the book very closely, so much so that watching the movie was kind of pandering for me. I just sat there, unmoved, knowing that Lorenzo Carcaterra's words better exemplified the story's defining moments than Barry Levinson's images. I'll keep it brief because part of the Sleepers experience is the shock element... But, Kevin Bacon just did not do it for me as Sargeant Nokes the clothespin of the entire storyline. I did agree with most critics of the film (and there are plenty of those) that Robert DeNiro was used more for his aura then his actual performance, and that he kind of slept-walked through the film. I would agree with all of the above. Please read the book first. (Oh, also, the book's validity, it claims to be a true story, has been questioned. I don't know, it didn't stop me from enjoying what I found to be a very enticing book)
Another silly livejournal survey...
_Birth_
Name on your birth certificate: Samuel Isaiah Leroy
Date of birth: July 15, 1985
Place of birth: Weston, MA
Parents names: Gary and Patty
Parents ages: I would guess now… 57 and 51
Any older siblings?: Nope
_15 Years Ago_
How old were you? 5
How old were your siblings? Sister Sydney, 2
Which did you get along with best? Didn’t get along with Sydney too well then… or now…
Which parent did you prefer? Heh, My Dad, its not a close race…
Did you have any pets? Kind of
If so, names and types? Theres a bunch of dogs and cats at the house in Weston. The dogs are named Jack and Duke. And I’m not sure which cats are alive and which have died by now…
If you were in school, who was your teacher? Can’t remember a specific name…
How were your grades? Probably okay
Who was your best friend? David Policastro or Dan Broyles… I think…
Where did you live? Mission Hill
What kind of music were you listening to? Beatles and Roy Orbison
Favourite toys? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters and Police Academy-themed stuff
Favourite movie? Back to the Future II
What's your most prevalent good memory? Getting that shit box Toyota Van, and having the dog jump on it and scratch it as it came up the driveway
Bad memory? I dunno, probably some time I got beat up at Jackson Mann/Horace Mann
_10 Years Ago_
How old were you? 10
Which sibling did you get along with best? Only had one…
Which parent did you prefer? I would guess still the dad
Did you have any pets? We’ve had so many… we had Willie and Jake for dogs…
Who was your teacher? Hmmm… ten… that’s fourth grade? Ms. Russell and Mr. Aligieri (gayest man of all time)
How were your grades? Probably decent.
Who was your best friend? Pat Garrity, Phillip Edwards and David Policastro.
Where did you live? Mission Hill.
What kind of music were you listening to? Green Day and Nirvana
Favourite toys? I didn’t like toys much anymore…
Favourite movie? Billy Madison and the Goonies
What's your most prevalent memory? So many nights spent with Pat, Phil and Dave just listening to Green Day and Nirvana, some Weezer and Pumpkins
_5 Years Ago_
How old were you? 15
Which sibling did you get along with best? Still only had one...
Which parent did you prefer? Definitely dad.
Did you have any pets? Ugh… too many to remember
Who was your teacher? Mr. Murray was the shit…
How were your grades? Dreadful, especially Math… God, Ms. Fincke was damn cute
Who was your best friend? Broyles
Where did you live? Weston
What sort of music were you listening to? Not much new shit… Probably still Nirvana and Green Day
Favourite movie? Mallrats, Clerks
Were you drinking, doing drugs, smoking? I had, but I wouldn’t say I was “doing” them
Most prevalent emotion? I was very lonely, and missed 4th and 5th grade
What's your most prevalent memory? Just a lot of time alone, growing as a person
_2 Years Ago_
How old were you? 18
Did you have any pets? Not at Emerson
Who was your favourite teacher? Sam Binkley was a great guy… So was Mike Selig and Peter Flynn
How were your grades? Pretty good, got my only B- of my entire college career
Who was your best friend? Trevor, Braggy
Where did you live? Boston, Little Building/Weston
What kind of music were you listening to? A lot of Ska and hip hop from Nicks computer
Favourite movie? Hmmm… Probably Kingpin
Were you drinking, doing drugs, smoking? Not too much freshman year…
Most prevalent emotion? Nope
What's your most prevalent memory? Meeting some great friends… Jesus, man, it was college
_1 Year Ago_
How old were you? 19
Did you have any pets? Nope
Who was your favourite teacher? Mike Brown
Who was your best friend? Trevor/Chris
Where did you live? Beacon St, in the Batcave
What kind of music were you listening to? Bad rap music on MTV Jams… good times, eh, chris?
Were you drinking, doing drugs, smoking? I was smoking quite a lot… tweed that is…
Most prevalent emotion? Sad or bored
Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Nope
If so, a bit about them: she was invisible…
What's your most prevalent memory? 4th of July…
_Today_
How old are you? 20
Do you have any pets? Nope
Who is your best friend? Trevor/Chris/Pearson
Where do you live? The Beacon St Batcave
What kind of music do you listen to? Sufjan Stevens, Rap, Hip-Hop, FRANK ZAPPA
Do you drink? Not much
Smoke? Not cigarettes, and weed rarely
Do drugs? Shrooms rule
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? nope
If so, a bit about them: shes still invisible
Your favourite memory from the past year: shrooming in CO…
Any excitng plans for the future? Maybe getting my license
What do you think you\'re going to do after this? Stop working on my livejournal…
I was going to take a personality test, but I feel like I already took it, and if I didnt, it was depressing, long and boring...
Thats all for now... That's right, I'm listening to Sufjan Stevens... Its okay... I just need to get away from rap and hip-hop for a second...
I spent a lot more time on this than I intended to...
This entry will be about stuff, but probably nothing about me, I'm not bored/depressed/elated/articulate enough right now to do that...
Links that rule... or at least interests me...
The Chronic of Narnia: Ok yes I am sure everyone has already seen it. SNL is blatantly unfunny these days, but this is incredible. Chris Parnell and writer Adam Harburg (apparently the heir apparent to the Weekend Update chair) shine in this gem. Just a note: If anyone can find a link with the lyrics written out, you'll be in my good graces...
Dave Chappelle News: I cannot confirm that he is off the crazy pills, but he's back in comedy, at least for a taste... This link is not funny, but rather an article about a funny person...
Jack Bauer in Japan: I think this was discovered by the great Bill Simmons' intern... Great stuff... Its just great to see cultures clash, especially when it involves the coolest motherfucker in the world... (By the way, I just finished watching all the new episodes. My favorite moment: When Bauer leaves his MILF girlfriend and he assembles himself with his velcro watch and aviators? Unassailably cool...)
Mommy I want one!: I totally want one of these. Pring and I are going to get one, or I will, and the summer will be amazing. I predict this will be the centerpiece of my 21st birthday...
The Balboa-Observer Picayune: The best Arrested Development Site. Period. I might have already posted it. It's amazing, it has everything, yes, even transcripts so that all quotes are pitch-perfect... I shall now delve into one of my favorites, for ranting sake...
It ain't easy being white,
It ain't easy being brown,
All this pressure to be bright,
I got children all over town.
NAME THE EPISODE AND CHARACTERS TO WIN A HUG AND MAYBE A TAP ON THE FANNY FROM ME
I have recently invested in Netflix... I really love it... Movies sent directly to me... Yeah, you all know how it is... Below are some long-winded (maybe, maybe not) reviews of the movies/documentaries I have taken out so far...
Crash
I very much enjoyed this film, it was not as complicated as I thought it would be, which is definetely a good thing. Racism in America is hardly untapped mines for films, but this movie find a way to make it seem fresh. Every race, every ethnicity and every background is constantly watching their backs, fearing everyone. It seems especially poignant that I watched this movie on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It shows that we have come far, but not too far, and there is much to do, and much that can never be done. Performances from Matt Dillon (who can now be referred to as Kevin Dillon's brother given the success of Entourage), Ryan Phillipe, and Shaun Toab in particular stood out in my mind. Ludacris was also very good, just as he was in Hustle and Flow.
Murderball
Wow. This documentary just knocked me on my ass. I had never heard of quad rugby, or its original and decidedly less PC name "Murderball," but this documentary did a great job of highlighting the sport which will no doubt gain exposure because of this fabulous doc. It was just a great human piece. I found all the people enduring or strangely enduring in the case Mark Zupan (the hard-headed, asshole captain of the USA quad rugby team) and Joe Soares (the stubborn coach of Canada's team, who was once the best player on the US team). As the opening credits roll, we see US team member Andy Cohn go through the excursion of changing his pants. Its so tedious, and we could never imagine what thats like. And then moments later, we see him and other careening into one another in wheelchairs souped up like something out of Mad Max.
Outfoxed: Murdoch's War on Journalism
Since I haven't been reading much since returning home, I decided my brain needed a workout. Some have called this documentary boring, and it might be to some. It promotes a liberal agenda against Fox News without being obviously clever or funny like Michael Moore or Al Franken. But what it lacks in humor it more than makes up for in information. I think as a history teacher or social studies teacher in high school (my current dream job), I would want to show this to demonstrate media bias. One example of a "trick" Fox News uses to disguise its bias. It will have a newscaster like Brit Hume (also feautured prominently on Arrested Development and 24) say "some people say..." And then he'll propose a usually conservative point-of-view. A not-so-subtle manner of disguising conservative agenda in what is called a "fair and balanced" news report. I greatly enjoyed this film, but I'm kind of a nerd like that. Less media-savvy people probably won't dig it. Though it is very short, clocking in at an hour and fifteen minutes.
Roger and Me
I have seen bits and pieces of this Michael Moore flick before and enjoyed it. I had never seen the whole thing. It was nice to watch through. Its very different from Farenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine. It seems to lack the spin and controversy of those later Moore docs. This film I believe has the greatest human element of all Moore's movies. Its about his own home town, and the way he tells the story of his downtrodden Flint, you feel for him personally. I think I'll say it, I think its my favorite Moore movie.
Chinatown
Ok, I still don't fully understand all the plot points. I'll watch it again at some point. But Roman Polansky made a true masterpiece here. The movie just looks amazing. Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway gave great performances that took the viewer back to the silver screen era of the 40s and 50s. The performances may seems forced, but they simply belong to another time and they were brilliant in channeling the Humphrey Bogarts of the world. Well done film. Can't say that enough, you can just look at it for two hours and you'll appreciate it, the dialogue can become secondary.
Broken Flowers
I really enjoyed this Bill Murray starrer. It probably wasn't crowning achievement that you can tell Murray thought it was. But it was a nice, simple movie. It looked good. It was easy to feel for Murray's character even though he was a womanizer who was tracking down an illegitimate child of his. I was intially lost as to how the film would end, but a well-drawn sequence of shots really wrapped up the movie nicely.
Gosford Park
Maybe someday, but I grew bored fast and gave up... I'm just not mature enough.
Sleepers
It might have been more interesting if I hadn't already read the far-superior book. The movie follows the book very closely, so much so that watching the movie was kind of pandering for me. I just sat there, unmoved, knowing that Lorenzo Carcaterra's words better exemplified the story's defining moments than Barry Levinson's images. I'll keep it brief because part of the Sleepers experience is the shock element... But, Kevin Bacon just did not do it for me as Sargeant Nokes the clothespin of the entire storyline. I did agree with most critics of the film (and there are plenty of those) that Robert DeNiro was used more for his aura then his actual performance, and that he kind of slept-walked through the film. I would agree with all of the above. Please read the book first. (Oh, also, the book's validity, it claims to be a true story, has been questioned. I don't know, it didn't stop me from enjoying what I found to be a very enticing book)
Another silly livejournal survey...
_Birth_
Name on your birth certificate: Samuel Isaiah Leroy
Date of birth: July 15, 1985
Place of birth: Weston, MA
Parents names: Gary and Patty
Parents ages: I would guess now… 57 and 51
Any older siblings?: Nope
_15 Years Ago_
How old were you? 5
How old were your siblings? Sister Sydney, 2
Which did you get along with best? Didn’t get along with Sydney too well then… or now…
Which parent did you prefer? Heh, My Dad, its not a close race…
Did you have any pets? Kind of
If so, names and types? Theres a bunch of dogs and cats at the house in Weston. The dogs are named Jack and Duke. And I’m not sure which cats are alive and which have died by now…
If you were in school, who was your teacher? Can’t remember a specific name…
How were your grades? Probably okay
Who was your best friend? David Policastro or Dan Broyles… I think…
Where did you live? Mission Hill
What kind of music were you listening to? Beatles and Roy Orbison
Favourite toys? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters and Police Academy-themed stuff
Favourite movie? Back to the Future II
What's your most prevalent good memory? Getting that shit box Toyota Van, and having the dog jump on it and scratch it as it came up the driveway
Bad memory? I dunno, probably some time I got beat up at Jackson Mann/Horace Mann
_10 Years Ago_
How old were you? 10
Which sibling did you get along with best? Only had one…
Which parent did you prefer? I would guess still the dad
Did you have any pets? We’ve had so many… we had Willie and Jake for dogs…
Who was your teacher? Hmmm… ten… that’s fourth grade? Ms. Russell and Mr. Aligieri (gayest man of all time)
How were your grades? Probably decent.
Who was your best friend? Pat Garrity, Phillip Edwards and David Policastro.
Where did you live? Mission Hill.
What kind of music were you listening to? Green Day and Nirvana
Favourite toys? I didn’t like toys much anymore…
Favourite movie? Billy Madison and the Goonies
What's your most prevalent memory? So many nights spent with Pat, Phil and Dave just listening to Green Day and Nirvana, some Weezer and Pumpkins
_5 Years Ago_
How old were you? 15
Which sibling did you get along with best? Still only had one...
Which parent did you prefer? Definitely dad.
Did you have any pets? Ugh… too many to remember
Who was your teacher? Mr. Murray was the shit…
How were your grades? Dreadful, especially Math… God, Ms. Fincke was damn cute
Who was your best friend? Broyles
Where did you live? Weston
What sort of music were you listening to? Not much new shit… Probably still Nirvana and Green Day
Favourite movie? Mallrats, Clerks
Were you drinking, doing drugs, smoking? I had, but I wouldn’t say I was “doing” them
Most prevalent emotion? I was very lonely, and missed 4th and 5th grade
What's your most prevalent memory? Just a lot of time alone, growing as a person
_2 Years Ago_
How old were you? 18
Did you have any pets? Not at Emerson
Who was your favourite teacher? Sam Binkley was a great guy… So was Mike Selig and Peter Flynn
How were your grades? Pretty good, got my only B- of my entire college career
Who was your best friend? Trevor, Braggy
Where did you live? Boston, Little Building/Weston
What kind of music were you listening to? A lot of Ska and hip hop from Nicks computer
Favourite movie? Hmmm… Probably Kingpin
Were you drinking, doing drugs, smoking? Not too much freshman year…
Most prevalent emotion? Nope
What's your most prevalent memory? Meeting some great friends… Jesus, man, it was college
_1 Year Ago_
How old were you? 19
Did you have any pets? Nope
Who was your favourite teacher? Mike Brown
Who was your best friend? Trevor/Chris
Where did you live? Beacon St, in the Batcave
What kind of music were you listening to? Bad rap music on MTV Jams… good times, eh, chris?
Were you drinking, doing drugs, smoking? I was smoking quite a lot… tweed that is…
Most prevalent emotion? Sad or bored
Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Nope
If so, a bit about them: she was invisible…
What's your most prevalent memory? 4th of July…
_Today_
How old are you? 20
Do you have any pets? Nope
Who is your best friend? Trevor/Chris/Pearson
Where do you live? The Beacon St Batcave
What kind of music do you listen to? Sufjan Stevens, Rap, Hip-Hop, FRANK ZAPPA
Do you drink? Not much
Smoke? Not cigarettes, and weed rarely
Do drugs? Shrooms rule
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? nope
If so, a bit about them: shes still invisible
Your favourite memory from the past year: shrooming in CO…
Any excitng plans for the future? Maybe getting my license
What do you think you\'re going to do after this? Stop working on my livejournal…
I was going to take a personality test, but I feel like I already took it, and if I didnt, it was depressing, long and boring...
Thats all for now... That's right, I'm listening to Sufjan Stevens... Its okay... I just need to get away from rap and hip-hop for a second...
I spent a lot more time on this than I intended to...