Say whatever you want to in the comments to this post -- random, off topic thoughts, ideas, suggestions, questions, recommendations, criticisms (which can be anonymous), surveys, introductions if you have never commented before, personal news, self-promotion, requests to be added to the blog roll and so on. If a week goes by and I have failed to add you to the blog roll TELL ME TO DO IT AGAIN, and KEEP TELLING ME UNTIL IT GETS DONE. I can be lazy about updating the non-post parts of this site. Remember these comments can be directed at all the readers, not just me.
ALSO. You can use this space to re-ask me questions you asked me before that I failed to answer because I was too busy (but now might not be). That is often the reason I fail to get back to people, and on a blog, after a few days, the comments thread dies and I just kind of forget about it. Let's use this space to fix that, because it does need to be fixed; I look like a jackass sometimes, leaving people hanging. I will TRY to respond to any questions here.
AND you can use this space to comment on posts that are old enough that no one is reading the comments threads anymore. For example, if you thought of a great quote for the great quote commonplace book, but now no one is reading that, you could put it here.You do not have to have a blogger account or gmail account to post a comment -- you can write a comment, write your name at the bottom of your comment like an e mail, and then post using the "anonymous" option.
WRITING FOR THIS BLOG. If you think your free form comment here might be better as its own post, but you do not want it to be public yet, email it to me. My email address is available on my blogger profile page. If I think it will work on this site, your post will be published here with your name in the title of the post. You can propose what you will, I am always looking for reviews of games, tv, movies, music and books.
If you think what you have to say -- new topic or comment on an existing topic -- would be better to hear than to read, use the CALL ME button on the toolbar on the right.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
9 comments:
Geoff, I think you may have solicited a faculty message board for "random, off topic thoughts, ideas, suggestions, questions, recommendations, criticisms (which can be anonymous), surveys, introductions if you have never commented before, personal news, self-promotion, requests to be added to the blog roll and so on."
Ack! Thanks! I was on a computer at school and my "Ctrl + C" did not take -- I ended up pasting whatever the guy on the machine had copied. All fixed now.
Geoff, wasn't sure this should be it's own post or not. It's a short review of The Raconteurs new album from my blog. Just thought I'd put it up here and let you do with it what you will:
If the White Stripes can be viewed as an exercise in minimalism then Jack White’s latest album with the Raconteurs can be seen as an experiment in excess. Even the title, Consolers of the Lonely, manages to evoke a certian heroic grandiosity.
After opening with a couple of straightforward rockers, the title track and the first single "Salute Your Solution", Jack White begins putting on the layers. He builds upon the basic structure of the band (two guitars, bass, and drums) by adding piano, organs, (there are places where I’m pretty sure Jack White manages to create some interesting sounds by running keyboards through effects peddles)fiddles, banjo, and mariachi style horns (what’s up with Jack White and mariachi horns? I guess if it worked for "Conquest"....). The overall effect is an epic quality not usually afforded Jack White in the confines of The White Stripes.
Nowhere is this epic quality more on display than in the tracks "The Switch and the Spur" and "Carolina Drama", not only do these songs use the layered instrumentation to greatest effect but their lyrics border on the bombastic with the former having the lines:
"and any poor souls who trespass against us, /whether it be beast or man, /shall soon feel the bite or be stung dead on sight /by those who inhabit this land/For theirs is the kingdom/and this is their glory/as soon as the sun shall burn"
These lyrics are nearing Spinal Tap in their ridiculousness, one can almost picture tiny stonehenges in danger of being trampled by dwarfs when one listens to this track but it doesn’t matter because the song is so much fun. Jack White even opens "Carolina Drama" by saying "I’m not sure of the point of the story" and, when the tunes are this good, do you really need one? It seemed as though excess like this was going to disapear from the rock scene when The Darkness broke up... who knew it would be Jack White that would keep it alive?
Not sure if this is old news, but I just found out that the release date for Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 has been pushed back from April 9th to May 21st. Boo hiss.
Fellow Geoff Klock enthusiasts! Watch Satacracy 88 on hulu at http://www.hulu.com/satacracy-88
Make sure to leave comments too... We need our friends to represent!!! Thank you everybody =:= )
I miss Lost. Deeply.
It was a mistake to crush my longing under the wait of a three season marathon, held over two weeks, as now my brain has melted.
However, I did re-encounter many things I had forgotten, such as the 'Adam and Eve' skeletons and the white and black rocks they held.
Please allow me space to discuss the last available episode, 'Meet Kevin Johnson', as a way to ease my pain. I may cover well-worn ground. I apologise.
I the reason I feel such anticipation for Lost's return is that this episode was deeply unsatisfying, even for a Lost apologist such as myself.
The previous episode, in which Jin's potential demise is revealed, would've been a much stronger break point, as I believe was the writer's intention. It's a shame the writer's strike had this affect at all, as otherwise 'Johnson' could've survived as a bum note amongst the greatness of this season. As it is, the seemingly tacked-on final scene pays testament to the artificial level of drama this episode is vested with. It crumples under the pressure.
Michael's backstory was dull. More importantly, it was a waste of potential bordering on criminal.
We already knew the broad strokes. Michael must've lost Walt along the way, as he would not've voluntarily left his side. He must've been coerced by the Others at some point. He was on the boat. The revealed flashback seemed a perfunctory manner in which to tell this story.
In outlining the squandered potential of which I speak, four points are considered:
The actor who plays Walt is aging at a rate too rapid for him to remain in the show;
This season has cemented that time travel is a cornerstone of the show, including a revelation that there is a schism in time between the island and elsewhere;
While Michael has been gone a long time from the audience's perspective, his departure was a recent occurrence for the characters - he has not been gone very long, and;
Michael's return is unlikely to result in a pat on the back from his former castaway chums.
With that in mind, I had high hopes for Michael's experience. It seemed certain in my mind that time travel was the perfect device to account for Walt's accelerated ageing and allow Michael time to change into his current guise.
Admittedly, it's my fault that my imagination ran away from me in a 'my, wouldn't that be awesome' fashion, but putting disparate pieces together in that fashion is encouraged in the viewing of Lost, and is what makes it so compelling. Rarely have I done so and been disappointed. Blindsided, flabbergasted and dumbfounded, but not disappointed.
So, instead of a time-travelling romp with the Hostiles, we got to see Michael being depressed because he sucks so hard.
It is, admittedly, a natural progression for his character to go through. On paper, Michael's arc should be one of the most compelling in the show - "desperate father goes to extreme lengths to save his son from first isolation and then capture, losing his soul in the process" - but in the execution it has been one of the show's weaker elements.
Whenever presented with a choice, Michael has taken the wrong path. His choice of a life partner, the first choice we are privy to in a chronological sense, was a dismal failure. He took Walt on the raft. He set off into the jungle alone. He killed two women. He postponed his return to the show to film a failed pilot.
This episode was an extension of that. Compelling arc. Poorly told.
There were bright spots. The concept of the island preventing Michael's death delivered by a man who had time to sabotage his gun. Sayid's rage. Tom continuing to be entirely awesome. Automatic weapon-toting psychopaths and the future they suggest. I always enjoy seeing the freighter captain, as I remember him as the host of a somewhat dodgy Australian reality program called "The Mole".
As mentioned by Geoff previously, the Others' belief that they are the good guys is compelling. I want it to be true simply for the joy I find in skilful misdirection, but it would require an explanation that included an elastic, broken morale code to be convincing. They have done terrible things, and justification is needed if their altruism is to be proven.
Thanks for your time. I needed that.
Geoff I hate you for making it seem that Southland Tales was at the very least entertaining. 2 and a half hours I will never be able to get back.
Geoff I hate you for making it seem that Southland Tales was at the very least entertaining. 2 and a half hours I will never be able to get back.
For anyone interested, over on Superheroes vs Ninjas, I blogged about the world's greatest living kung fu fighter - Cung Le - and his recent mixed martial arts fight from this past Saturday.
Post a Comment