Author: Chas.

Silence

Chas.3 Comments

Not had a lot to say as I have been down, down, down in the dumps since mid-morning yesterday. Bad news finally arrived in my Inbox … that bad news that I have been expecting since the middle of November. See, I have had lots of time to prepare for it but it still smarted like a hard slap to the face when that e-mail arrived.

I plan on wallowing in self-pity for a bit and then moving forward from there. I think I deserve to wallow for a few more days.

And now, to jump back for a few days …

Cool Christmas Gifts received this Past Weekend:
Picture Coasters featuring poster art from Hitchcock Films
“The Comic Book Guy’s Book of Pop Culture” Book
One Gallon of IHOP Butter Pecan Syrup

Yeah. You read that right … One Gallon of IHOP Butter Pecan Syrup!!!

Christmas Gift to Myself:
Vasque Ranger 2 Hiking Boots (with Gore-Tex)

My hiking boots that I have had for years finally have started to bite the dust … the soles have begun to serperate from the boots and good ole Shoe Goo just doesn’t want to put them back together again. Makes me a little sad as I have hoofed many a mile on various trails in them. It’s kinda like loosing a good friend.

Silence

Kong Isn’t King (Sorta)

Chas.4 Comments

Oh, Peter Jackson. I have loved your work for years, having first seen “Heavenly Creatures” then exploring from there. You made “The Frighteners” (which is one of my favorite films of the 90’s) and then went on to become super famous doing “The Lord of the Rings” movies. Maybe that’s what happened to make your “King Kong” remake the mess is it.

Now, when I say “mess” I am saying it in the best way possible. There is so much that is good and thrilling in “Kong” to make it worth seeing. But, by the same token, there is so much in the movie that is pointless and bloats it to that three hour run time.

Do we really need to take the time to get to know all the characters even when they don’t have anything to do with the basic story (ie: Preston, Denham’s Assistant, or the whole Hayes/Jimmy relationship). The entire Kong/Anne Darrow “love story” is problematic too as you have to take time from the action and adventure to set that up. And what gives with Jack Driscoll being a Broadway playwright instead of the first mate of the ship? I really couldn’t buy that he would be “man” enough to trek off into the dinosaur and monster bug infested island by himself to rescue Anne ’cause all we have seen him do up to that point is work a typewriter. Someone also needs to teach you the proper usage of “slow motion” as well. There was a lot of it in the Skull Island sequence that was just totally unnecessary. Only once did you use it effectively.

That said, there is a lot of cool stuff in the movie … the Tyrannosaur sequence, the “Spider Pit,” the Broadway theater scenes (loved that stage show) and the top of the Empire State building. If you could have just gotten rid of the fat of the film and made it lean with the really good stuff you would have a movie that would have done much better at the box office than it already has.

So, Mr. Jackson, can I get you an editor for Christmas?

[You can also see Kyle’s excellent thoughts on the movie as well.]

Kong Isn’t King (Sorta)

Horror Double Shot

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King/Hills
Coming in Early 2006:

“Cell” (January 24th)
Stephen King’s new novel in which cell phone signals turn people into something “savage, murderous, unthinking … and on a wanton rampage.” Hmmmm. Sounds like “28 Days Later” with people’s cell phones being the carrier. It could be the perfect horror novel for all of us cell phone haters.

“The Hills Have Eyes” (March 10th)
Yet another entry into Hollywood’s attempt to remake every single good horror movie ever made. What makes this one look so interesting is that it’s being helmed (directing and writing) by Alexandre Aja … the mastermind behind “Haute Tension.” Plus, bonus points are awarded ’cause the cast includes Emilie de Ravin of “Lost” fame.~

Horror Double Shot

Wallpaper: Bane of My Existence

Chas.2 Comments

So, I decided the other day to get started taking the super ugly wallpaper border that’s in my bathroom down. It’s been in there for a long time and has started to curl and come loose at the edges anyway … plus the fact that I have never liked it. Frogs and turtles just ain’t my style. Needless to say, removing it has proved to be more of a pain in the ass than it really should be. I really think that if you buy a house that has wallpaper in it that you want to remove, the previous owners that put it up should be required to come back and take it down themselves. Once the hideous stuff is down, I will repaint and redecorate.

Frogs and Turtles
It’s blue and has frogs and turtles on it. Ewww!

In the Corner
The room definately looks bigger with the border gone.

Psycho!
And, here is the shape of things to come. It’ll make more sense later.

Wallpaper: Bane of My Existence

Let’s Talk About the Weather

Chas.5 Comments

Tonight:
Mainly cloudy this evening. Then a mix of wintry precipitation expected overnight. Significant icing possible. Low 28F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 70%. About one inch of snow and ice expected.

Tomorrow:
Periods of freezing rain and sleet early…changing to rain showers by afternoon. High 37F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Let’s Talk About the Weather

I’m Going to Bovine University!

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You know, it’s always nice to get “The Simpsons” on dvd. They have been playing in syndication for so long that we get used to seeing them in their edited form. For those of you who don’t know, all syndicated shows are edited down by a few minutes to allow for more advertising time. So, there are always some nice surprises when watching them un-edited on disc … you get jokes and small dialogue sequences that haven’t been seen for 10 years.

I’m Going to Bovine University!