Saturday, December 31, 2005
Maya uses sign language to comment on her tutu and head-garter-thingie from Auntie Becca.
Maya uses sign language to comment on her tutu and head-garter-thingie from Auntie Becca.
Originally uploaded by emaggie.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Two movie reviews for the price of one - "Brokeback Kong"
We saw "King Kong" a few days ago. Everything you've heard holds true - it's over 3 hours long, the effects are overwhelming, Kong and Ann (Naomi Watts) fall in love, Skull Island has a freakishly diverse ecosystem, the Empire State Building is the setting for a final epic face-off. If you're expecting some sort of new twist (Kong can TALK!), you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for a amusement ride that's especially thrilling and well-built, Kong's your main monkey. My rating - a strong B-plus. I'd eek it up to an A-ish rating if it didn't feel somewhat bloated. Although I'd not trade the gross-out, creepy-crawly scenes in the Second Act for all the conciseness in the World. Peter Jackson is now officially the rightful heir to the epic director moniker George Lucas has dragged through the mud and worn to shreds over the last decade or so. While my usual appreciation for Adrian Brody was tested mightily by a thankless role and Jack Black over-acted the crap out of his ample frame, Naomi Watts is typically astonishing. She can emote more with just her face than a battalion of eight-headed Cameron Diazs could ever muster. LOVED her in David Lynch's freaky-cool "Mullholland Dr." DOUBLE LOVED her herein.
Even better than a big hairy ape - gay cowboys are cooler than at any time since the first Village People album. "Brokeback Mountain" was touching, stunning to look at, and unflinchingly full of emotion. I'm possibly being unfair, but my rating is an A-minus. The minus only comes from the caveat that the pacing never seemed to break into a full stride. Although the elegiac tone is entirely appropriate. I'm probably one of 37 people on the planet that liked "The Hulk", but here again Ang Lee's skills will rightly regain widespread acclaim. Heath Ledger's half-spoken, half-hidden Western dialect is frickin' cooler than a Windriver Range meltoff stream. Jake Gyllennhallenhagen is more uneven, but I now see he's true to the character portrayed in Annie Proulx's original shortstory (found on a funky coffeetable in the cafe, Muddy Waters, I've come to dig bigtime here in Santa Barbara). The supporting cast is uniformly good. The Wyoming vistas widen your eyes like a gutpunch. The tasteful allusions to the Matthew Sheppard murder in Laramie should be the focus of all those assface conservatives trying to do the reacharound on this movie's real meaning. Even if you've never met a cowboy, we can all imagine some of them being gay. I mean, puul-leeze!, look at their absolutely fabulous clothes. But in all seriousness, do yourself a favor and not only see this movie. Discuss it. Piss off the James Dobsons of the world and consider the truth behind the loneliness in denying your true heart. If you smoke, have a pack ready for after the movie. And nod in unison with the acknowledgement of how powerful a great film can be in making a reluctant society consider its hateful shortcomings.
We're heading back up to San Francisco later this morning. Maya's back on her West Coast schedule and happy as a young dog in the morning surf. No big plans for the New Year on our end. But if you want to be on my Year Ender mailing list, drop me a line. Hope your own plans for the next few daze give '05 the proper sendoff. Rock on.
Even better than a big hairy ape - gay cowboys are cooler than at any time since the first Village People album. "Brokeback Mountain" was touching, stunning to look at, and unflinchingly full of emotion. I'm possibly being unfair, but my rating is an A-minus. The minus only comes from the caveat that the pacing never seemed to break into a full stride. Although the elegiac tone is entirely appropriate. I'm probably one of 37 people on the planet that liked "The Hulk", but here again Ang Lee's skills will rightly regain widespread acclaim. Heath Ledger's half-spoken, half-hidden Western dialect is frickin' cooler than a Windriver Range meltoff stream. Jake Gyllennhallenhagen is more uneven, but I now see he's true to the character portrayed in Annie Proulx's original shortstory (found on a funky coffeetable in the cafe, Muddy Waters, I've come to dig bigtime here in Santa Barbara). The supporting cast is uniformly good. The Wyoming vistas widen your eyes like a gutpunch. The tasteful allusions to the Matthew Sheppard murder in Laramie should be the focus of all those assface conservatives trying to do the reacharound on this movie's real meaning. Even if you've never met a cowboy, we can all imagine some of them being gay. I mean, puul-leeze!, look at their absolutely fabulous clothes. But in all seriousness, do yourself a favor and not only see this movie. Discuss it. Piss off the James Dobsons of the world and consider the truth behind the loneliness in denying your true heart. If you smoke, have a pack ready for after the movie. And nod in unison with the acknowledgement of how powerful a great film can be in making a reluctant society consider its hateful shortcomings.
We're heading back up to San Francisco later this morning. Maya's back on her West Coast schedule and happy as a young dog in the morning surf. No big plans for the New Year on our end. But if you want to be on my Year Ender mailing list, drop me a line. Hope your own plans for the next few daze give '05 the proper sendoff. Rock on.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The "Year Ender" Countdown Begins...
For those of you that have been wondering what's happened to and the Family Buick over the last week, I'm happy to report that I'm back in California after a healthy and happy Holidaze in unseasonably warm Northern Wisconsin. I was a bit too pleasantly preoccupied with stuffing my face and showing off Maya to get all snarky about the constant drumbeat of goofs from the Bushies over the past few days. I'm sure the NSA is happy to have had me off their watch list up through Festivus. But since I'm psyched to be both back on this horse and supplied with broadband connectivity, I've put up a few pics to start showing Maya's reaction to my homeland's snowy Seasonal beauty. Maya seemed to wholeheartedly sync with the 'Sconi vibe, played well with her cousins, and generally charmed the long underwear off those we encountered along the way. The weather was approximate 60 degrees warmer than last year (highs right around freezing), which allowed for some outside time and no discernible loss of digits. Highlights included a sleighride on a local farm with the whole famn damily, delicious local "delicacies" (venison, pheasant and lutefisk, just to name a few), our traditional Christmas Eve service at my family's Methodist Church in Spirit, Wisconsin (an ACTUAL place, I assure you) and loads of quality time with Grandma, Grandpa, and the whole cheery clan back yonder. At the moment, Maya, Sarah and I are in Santa Barbara, doing the same sort of special bonding with the other side of the Family Tree. Expect plenty of shots from this festive mix to be posted in the next few days to balance the Holidaze punch.
As we're heading to the end o' '05 and prepping for the Delightful Backside of the Aughts that begins in '06, I'm putting a few thoughts together for my Traditional Year Ender Missive meant for family, friends and interested observers. If you'd like to receive a copy or worry that I've lost your email since you got out of jail, send me a quick heads-up to be included in the distribution list. I won't post the Year Ender here, but I'll be happy to include you in this hopefully entertaining summation of '05. And I'll also peg you for future mailings that will showcase all the updated features I've got planned for '06. Hope your own Year End lists are filled with reasons to look forward with unceasing glee. Rock on.
As we're heading to the end o' '05 and prepping for the Delightful Backside of the Aughts that begins in '06, I'm putting a few thoughts together for my Traditional Year Ender Missive meant for family, friends and interested observers. If you'd like to receive a copy or worry that I've lost your email since you got out of jail, send me a quick heads-up to be included in the distribution list. I won't post the Year Ender here, but I'll be happy to include you in this hopefully entertaining summation of '05. And I'll also peg you for future mailings that will showcase all the updated features I've got planned for '06. Hope your own Year End lists are filled with reasons to look forward with unceasing glee. Rock on.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
One deep eight-tooth laceration for the Road.
Much like the Bushies, I'm trying to turn the other cheek on the whole NSA story for a few days. Not to mention the pesky post-election realities in Iraq - it seems Ayad Allawi's about as graceful in losing elections as Dubya is in winning. But all the necessary parsing of these and the other end o' the Year stories (Bono and the Gates as "TIME" Persons of the Year...are you freakin' nuts?) will have to wait a teensy bit. We're packing up the family caravan and heading to my homeland, the Temporary Home o' Favre, for the Holidaze. Our flight leaves in a few hours. We're going for 5 days, but you'd think we were invading Winnepeg for all we're packing. And as I try to get a post up for you, beloved reader, Maya's making a game of biting my leg. Which makes me glad we picked up that BabyHannibal facemask for the trip. Expect regular updates over the Holidaze. Hope your own stockings are hung with care. Rock on.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Look soulfully into camera...snap fake salute...point at heart...fake having heart...
Am I the only the one that found Dubya's utterly inane speech this evening to be most disturbing because of his perversely moronic sign language? Honestly, have you ever seen someone try so obscenely to accentuate every statement with hand movements? I'll be putting in a call to the American Sign Language folks (who are doin' a heckuva job) tomorrow to see what they have to say about Dubya's bastardization of their beautiful language. Not to mention that of years of abuses directed at the English-speaking citizens of the World. Regardless, if you saw anything new in this speech, you should be the one we rely on to tell Maya about Santa Claus. Because you're able to see what's not there. Gawd bless you. And Gawd bless the U.S.A. (flap, flap, flap...stick finger in air...twirl...repeat...stick finger in throat...cough up soul). Rock on.
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