If anything can truly be considered fraught in my life right now, it's this project currently employing me. Case in point: I'm home early today so that a new build can go up before we all come in for overtime tomorrow. Things that make you go, "Hmmm..."
Friday, January 31, 2003
Monday, January 27, 2003
Best of 2002
Nine easy-to-find movies mingle with nine movies worth the hunt:
1. Spirited Away -- In a year of continued Harry Potter and LOTR hype, this is where the real magic was.
2. Tribute -- A KISS act with a black Paul Stanley! Bitter resentment between "Davy" and "Mike" in the aftermath of a Monkees-act breakup! Spinal Tap meets Behind The Music in this documentary about tribute bands.
3. The Believer - brutal, rich, and rewarding.
4. Hell House - the annual Halloween spookhouse put on by a funadmentalist church in Texas made for the scariest movie of the year.
5. About A Boy - One of the years earlier delights. I'm not qualified to say it was Hugh Grant's best work, but it didn't make me want to wring his neck, so that's something.
6. Rabbit-Proof Fence - Why this isn't gettimg more end-of-year attention is beyond me.
7.(tie) Happiness of the Katakuris and Chaos - two strange visions, one aptly described as "The Sound of Music with a body count," the other a solid psychological thriller, from Japanese cult directors.
9. Lilo and Stitch - Disney gets it right for a change.
10. The Endurance - Simply one of the most amazing stories of the past century.
11. The Man Without A Past - A Finnish Depression-era "forgotten man" film?
12. Two Towers -- Too bad I was sick of hearing about it even before I saw it.
13. Bowling for Columbine -- see above comment.
14. The Independent - May Morty make another 472 films, all as good as VENUS DE MOFO or THE MAN IN THE IRON LUNG.
15. Punch-Drunk Love -- Will the P.T. Anderson and Adam Sandler audiences ever intersect again?
16. Lagaan - brisk and thoroughly engaging at 225 minutes.
17. Scotland, PA - Macbeth for laughs? hell yes!
18. Spider-Man - the best comic-book movie is still Ghost World, but this one had so many opportunities to fall flat, but didn't.
Didn't See: Adaptation, Harry Potter, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Hours, Far from Heaven
Best "Bad" Movie
Blue Crush
Worst "Good" Movie
Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary
Worst
Garmento
House of 1000 Corpses
Attack of the Clones
Hollywood Ending
Wendigo
Nine easy-to-find movies mingle with nine movies worth the hunt:
1. Spirited Away -- In a year of continued Harry Potter and LOTR hype, this is where the real magic was.
2. Tribute -- A KISS act with a black Paul Stanley! Bitter resentment between "Davy" and "Mike" in the aftermath of a Monkees-act breakup! Spinal Tap meets Behind The Music in this documentary about tribute bands.
3. The Believer - brutal, rich, and rewarding.
4. Hell House - the annual Halloween spookhouse put on by a funadmentalist church in Texas made for the scariest movie of the year.
5. About A Boy - One of the years earlier delights. I'm not qualified to say it was Hugh Grant's best work, but it didn't make me want to wring his neck, so that's something.
6. Rabbit-Proof Fence - Why this isn't gettimg more end-of-year attention is beyond me.
7.(tie) Happiness of the Katakuris and Chaos - two strange visions, one aptly described as "The Sound of Music with a body count," the other a solid psychological thriller, from Japanese cult directors.
9. Lilo and Stitch - Disney gets it right for a change.
10. The Endurance - Simply one of the most amazing stories of the past century.
11. The Man Without A Past - A Finnish Depression-era "forgotten man" film?
12. Two Towers -- Too bad I was sick of hearing about it even before I saw it.
13. Bowling for Columbine -- see above comment.
14. The Independent - May Morty make another 472 films, all as good as VENUS DE MOFO or THE MAN IN THE IRON LUNG.
15. Punch-Drunk Love -- Will the P.T. Anderson and Adam Sandler audiences ever intersect again?
16. Lagaan - brisk and thoroughly engaging at 225 minutes.
17. Scotland, PA - Macbeth for laughs? hell yes!
18. Spider-Man - the best comic-book movie is still Ghost World, but this one had so many opportunities to fall flat, but didn't.
Didn't See: Adaptation, Harry Potter, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Hours, Far from Heaven
Best "Bad" Movie
Blue Crush
Worst "Good" Movie
Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary
Worst
Garmento
House of 1000 Corpses
Attack of the Clones
Hollywood Ending
Wendigo
Friday, January 24, 2003
Thursday, January 23, 2003
Yes, I am still alive
...and walking around. Feeling pretty good, actually.
This weekend we were in Michigan for some trashy goodness. My team saw its five-year title streak snapped in the finals, by 12 points (for people unfamiliar with quizbowl, this is akin to losing by a free throw with no time on the clock). I can live with that. Craig had wanted a win for some time now, and he was nigh-unstoppable in the playoffs.
Our pre-tournament entertainment was a Toledo Storm hockey game. It was craptacular. Much better was the dinner at Tony Packo's, where I got to win over some converts to the wonders of the deep-fried pickle, and had a quite-good chili on spaetzel. Yum.
The second half of curling season is underway, and we picked up a win last night to go 2-0 in the Erwin event. I was thinking that the second half was going much worse than the first, but I added them up last night and I'm 3-4 so far, not counting a slaughter in a game I subbed in -- 2-0 in the Ervin, 1-1 in some mixed events, but a woeful 0-3 in the President's league, in which my weight is always off and I can't hit the broom. One would think I'd be better in the President's, since I'm playing lead, whereas in the Erwin I'm a second.
Congratulations to Natalie and James, who got engaged this weekend. tomorrow I'm picking up Chris to take in this hallowed event.
...and walking around. Feeling pretty good, actually.
This weekend we were in Michigan for some trashy goodness. My team saw its five-year title streak snapped in the finals, by 12 points (for people unfamiliar with quizbowl, this is akin to losing by a free throw with no time on the clock). I can live with that. Craig had wanted a win for some time now, and he was nigh-unstoppable in the playoffs.
Our pre-tournament entertainment was a Toledo Storm hockey game. It was craptacular. Much better was the dinner at Tony Packo's, where I got to win over some converts to the wonders of the deep-fried pickle, and had a quite-good chili on spaetzel. Yum.
The second half of curling season is underway, and we picked up a win last night to go 2-0 in the Erwin event. I was thinking that the second half was going much worse than the first, but I added them up last night and I'm 3-4 so far, not counting a slaughter in a game I subbed in -- 2-0 in the Ervin, 1-1 in some mixed events, but a woeful 0-3 in the President's league, in which my weight is always off and I can't hit the broom. One would think I'd be better in the President's, since I'm playing lead, whereas in the Erwin I'm a second.
Congratulations to Natalie and James, who got engaged this weekend. tomorrow I'm picking up Chris to take in this hallowed event.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
