sometimes "creative" are too creative for their own good. last night our lead creative designer sent around his early april fools joke: a web site with a neverending pop-up exclaiming "you are an idiot" over and over. funny.
not really. when my popup-blocker intervened it fried and my system was toast. i discovered today that it wiped out my entire windows explorer thus disabling my PC until 3 sys restores and a XP repair and boot disc. 2hrs benchtime. the apology i got was:
"I thought force-quitting an application from the Task Manager was common knowledge and didn't think a javascript popup window would do any harm."
no shit? task manager huh? damn, so that's what it's for... all these years and had no idea i could open the task manager to shut down an app. call me learned. perfect cap to a lunch hour spent with too many cockwads on the road. after almost bursting a vessel from that to come back to a wrecked PC... ain't supposed to be like that. fuck it. i'm going home early. /done.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
BLABBERMOUTH.NET reports:
JUDAS PRIEST, W.A.S.P., QUEENSRYCHE and RUNNING WILD are among the artists confirmed for this year's edition of the Rockwave Festival, set to be held June 18-22 in Athens, Greece.
The lineup of acts currently scheduled to appear at the event looks as follows:
JUDAS PRIEST
QUEENSRYCHE
W.A.S.P.
RUNNING WILD
H.I.M.
NIGHTWISH
NIGHTFALL
PETER GABRIEL
PIXIES
PLACEBO
(ok, so the pixies are a stretch here... but gabriel?! wtf?)
JUDAS PRIEST, W.A.S.P., QUEENSRYCHE and RUNNING WILD are among the artists confirmed for this year's edition of the Rockwave Festival, set to be held June 18-22 in Athens, Greece.
The lineup of acts currently scheduled to appear at the event looks as follows:
JUDAS PRIEST
QUEENSRYCHE
W.A.S.P.
RUNNING WILD
H.I.M.
NIGHTWISH
NIGHTFALL
PETER GABRIEL
PIXIES
PLACEBO
(ok, so the pixies are a stretch here... but gabriel?! wtf?)
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
"When he plays, it's like the sound of all those dead chickens coming through his hands." — Buckethead's hand puppet Herbie
Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN'R's Buckethead
this just in:
Buckethead
Saturday. April 3. Park West. 8PM. $15.
Buckethead's Hand Puppet Says Goodbye To Guns N' Roses
QotD: "Any man who claims he is half man/half chicken, wears a KFC bucket on his head and only communicates through a hand puppet deserves to be a legend."
Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN'R's Buckethead
this just in:
Buckethead
Saturday. April 3. Park West. 8PM. $15.
Buckethead's Hand Puppet Says Goodbye To Guns N' Roses
QotD: "Any man who claims he is half man/half chicken, wears a KFC bucket on his head and only communicates through a hand puppet deserves to be a legend."
spent good portions of these last 2 days exorcizing demons at the office (a.k.a. rearranging our workspace after our recent round of lay-offs). I have more workspace room now than I've ever had... incl. those dark days in WI. now we're talking about firing up the LAN gaming again. about damn time.
I could see it coming... Elsa was expendable on Gunslinger Girl. once she was introduced into the series I had wondered why I haven't seen a wallpaper of her (when I have a nice set of all the other girls). but once her icy disposition was explained, it become apparent she was only introduced to be killed off. I won't go into the exact details b/c I don't know them all (up to ep.10) but I'm fairly certain as to what transpired.
In other news I'm almost ashamed to admit: I'm currently watching the live action Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon series. Ashamed only b/c for oh so long I ripped on the Sailor Moon cartoon (yes, it's an anime but when it was exported over here it clearly became another crummy kids 'toon). but the live action series is a whole other animal... ok, so it's as campy as Power Rangers but since I'm watching the current run from CBC TV it's so culturely (is that a word?) different and intriguing, albeit rather silly. I swear it has nothing to do with the cast of cute girls. honest. ^_^
I could see it coming... Elsa was expendable on Gunslinger Girl. once she was introduced into the series I had wondered why I haven't seen a wallpaper of her (when I have a nice set of all the other girls). but once her icy disposition was explained, it become apparent she was only introduced to be killed off. I won't go into the exact details b/c I don't know them all (up to ep.10) but I'm fairly certain as to what transpired.
In other news I'm almost ashamed to admit: I'm currently watching the live action Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon series. Ashamed only b/c for oh so long I ripped on the Sailor Moon cartoon (yes, it's an anime but when it was exported over here it clearly became another crummy kids 'toon). but the live action series is a whole other animal... ok, so it's as campy as Power Rangers but since I'm watching the current run from CBC TV it's so culturely (is that a word?) different and intriguing, albeit rather silly. I swear it has nothing to do with the cast of cute girls. honest. ^_^
Monday, March 29, 2004
the Wolfsheim show @the metro was pretty good last night. better than expected considering by the time i headed to the show i couldn't have cared less as to whether i went or not. probably has a lot to do w/me not listening to EBM/synthpop/goth lately. but it's been a while since i've been to one of these shows so it was nice to get back to it and see a few familiar faces, incl. my industrial dancing friend sporting his trademark black skirt.
Hungry Lucy was on when i arrived. two words to describe them: boring. good time to crowd watch. standard Neo-type vampire crowd. lots of PVC, makeup, and platform boots. a few 16th century eastern European swordsmen and at least one Queen Amidala on hand. the usual scene.
note to fat ppl: i'm sorry but it's not flattering to see you squeezed into skin tight shiny black plastic. it also appears that cloves and raggedy ann hair are no closer to extinction. thankfully i have my organizer to pass the time until Wolfsheim.
10:23PM Wolfsheim fires up and the crowd is psyched. they sound great and now I'm actually happy I came down for the show. no thumping zzintz zzintz zzintz so i don't get see my friend kick into his wild industrial dance but near him was a seriously smoking scene-grrl... black cat specs, goth-a-billy ponytail, ribbed jersey knit sweater, etc. but an overall very subdued look. perfect really. i think she works somewhere i've been... bar, record shop or book store. she was in my line of sight most of the evening so it was nice. 11:55PM show/over - stalker-mode/off.
Hungry Lucy was on when i arrived. two words to describe them: boring. good time to crowd watch. standard Neo-type vampire crowd. lots of PVC, makeup, and platform boots. a few 16th century eastern European swordsmen and at least one Queen Amidala on hand. the usual scene.
note to fat ppl: i'm sorry but it's not flattering to see you squeezed into skin tight shiny black plastic. it also appears that cloves and raggedy ann hair are no closer to extinction. thankfully i have my organizer to pass the time until Wolfsheim.
10:23PM Wolfsheim fires up and the crowd is psyched. they sound great and now I'm actually happy I came down for the show. no thumping zzintz zzintz zzintz so i don't get see my friend kick into his wild industrial dance but near him was a seriously smoking scene-grrl... black cat specs, goth-a-billy ponytail, ribbed jersey knit sweater, etc. but an overall very subdued look. perfect really. i think she works somewhere i've been... bar, record shop or book store. she was in my line of sight most of the evening so it was nice. 11:55PM show/over - stalker-mode/off.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
The Dark Side of climbing the Corporate Ladder
so last night i go out w/my boss' sister-in-law... ok, so it wasn't quite like that. actually we, jen & i, were chaperoned by my boss and one of his friends. it was one of those "let's all go out together and hang out" kinda deals where i'm supposed to make nice w/the sister-in-law b/c my boss' wife thinks we'd hit it off. sure. why not. i'm a gamer.
well it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been. actually it wasn't bad at all but it wasn't great either. first off, jen was nothing like i had imagined having known my boss' wife for a long time. jen is sorta like a indie chick with the nerdy glasses, Chucks and a geeked personality to match. we went to a sports bar to play pool and apparently billards is her thing... as in, what she lives for. fact: she's in a pool league and enters tournaments out in Cali.
ok, it was kinda freaky.
i chided her all evening about being in a pool league and i dunno if she got my humor in it. she really takes that shit seriously; she was perturbed that some guys there brought their own sticks... so she challenged them each to game (and won 2 out of 3). sadly the atmosphere didn't provide much beyond pool talk the entire time. i doled out my share of "oh really?" and "that's interesting" responses and that was the extent of it. the evening was just there. i'm sure things might have gone differently had pool not been the center of discussion and had we not been surrounded by pool tables. ah well, she seems like a cool chick all geekiness aside.
so last night i go out w/my boss' sister-in-law... ok, so it wasn't quite like that. actually we, jen & i, were chaperoned by my boss and one of his friends. it was one of those "let's all go out together and hang out" kinda deals where i'm supposed to make nice w/the sister-in-law b/c my boss' wife thinks we'd hit it off. sure. why not. i'm a gamer.
well it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been. actually it wasn't bad at all but it wasn't great either. first off, jen was nothing like i had imagined having known my boss' wife for a long time. jen is sorta like a indie chick with the nerdy glasses, Chucks and a geeked personality to match. we went to a sports bar to play pool and apparently billards is her thing... as in, what she lives for. fact: she's in a pool league and enters tournaments out in Cali.
ok, it was kinda freaky.
i chided her all evening about being in a pool league and i dunno if she got my humor in it. she really takes that shit seriously; she was perturbed that some guys there brought their own sticks... so she challenged them each to game (and won 2 out of 3). sadly the atmosphere didn't provide much beyond pool talk the entire time. i doled out my share of "oh really?" and "that's interesting" responses and that was the extent of it. the evening was just there. i'm sure things might have gone differently had pool not been the center of discussion and had we not been surrounded by pool tables. ah well, she seems like a cool chick all geekiness aside.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
seems to be a bit of a buzz over the upcoming SAMURAI CHAMPLOO series airing in May... as justanotherwhorewithablog so eloquently put it, "expect ten million different fansub groups, and animejunkies, to race to the first digisubs so they can get lots of little kiddies in their irc channel." amen, brother.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
End of Evangelion.
so just when you think it can't get any more fucked up, it gets more fucked up. i sat there stunned for most of the 2nd half (ep26v2)... with my jaw on my lap. i sorta thought i had a handle on the original series but the EoE has dispensed of all that. i'm not sure what to think anymore.
i went back to the beginning (ep25v2) and turned on the English dub to see if they captured the same dialogue... and i killed it after a few minutes then skipped ahead to ep26v2 and killed it again after a few minutes. i really detest the English dub (no offense to the voice over talent). for whatever reason it just doesn't convey the same tone and gravity of the series, IMHO.
a nice addition to the DVD is the commentary, which i wish the series set had. they share some interesting insights about the whole thing and the initial reactions from when it was first presented at anime cons around the country. i need to hook trukpro up w/the eps he still hasn't seen so he can check out EoE. he'll flip with this one. same goes for raydeen... and anyone else who has only seen the series episodes. now i have to catch the director's cut of eps 23+24. i think the finale of EoE made me physically ill. was either that or the spider maki i ate while i was watching it.
so just when you think it can't get any more fucked up, it gets more fucked up. i sat there stunned for most of the 2nd half (ep26v2)... with my jaw on my lap. i sorta thought i had a handle on the original series but the EoE has dispensed of all that. i'm not sure what to think anymore.
i went back to the beginning (ep25v2) and turned on the English dub to see if they captured the same dialogue... and i killed it after a few minutes then skipped ahead to ep26v2 and killed it again after a few minutes. i really detest the English dub (no offense to the voice over talent). for whatever reason it just doesn't convey the same tone and gravity of the series, IMHO.
a nice addition to the DVD is the commentary, which i wish the series set had. they share some interesting insights about the whole thing and the initial reactions from when it was first presented at anime cons around the country. i need to hook trukpro up w/the eps he still hasn't seen so he can check out EoE. he'll flip with this one. same goes for raydeen... and anyone else who has only seen the series episodes. now i have to catch the director's cut of eps 23+24. i think the finale of EoE made me physically ill. was either that or the spider maki i ate while i was watching it.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
i am so fucking glad My Ruin played an extra headliner show @Bottom tonight! news at 7...
stakk and Tarrie B
stakk and Tarrie B
Monday, March 22, 2004
i am so fucking glad i went to the Japanese Girls SAMURAI US tour 2004 show last night at Bottom. news at 11...
kokeshi doll: l-r Kaori, bass; stakk; Satoe, drums
kokeshi doll: l-r Kaori, bass; stakk; Satoe, drums
Friday, March 19, 2004
so it appears that Junko Mizuno has also done some work for Kokeshi Doll (on the Samurai tour). i'm afraid to go down this road... i have enough hobbies/interests as it is. ~sigh
Kokeshi Doll n. kO-'kA'-shE 'däl
1 : a small-scale figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything.
2 : simple stylized dolls that are made for tourists on vacation in Japan. In Japan, these hand-painted, lathe-turned wooden dolls often had a cylindrical base (the body) and a round head. Many people collect these small dolls.
3: 3-piece all-grrl heavy rock band from Japan.
Kokeshi Doll n. kO-'kA'-shE 'däl
1 : a small-scale figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything.
2 : simple stylized dolls that are made for tourists on vacation in Japan. In Japan, these hand-painted, lathe-turned wooden dolls often had a cylindrical base (the body) and a round head. Many people collect these small dolls.
3: 3-piece all-grrl heavy rock band from Japan.
April 3-4 Saturday and Sunday
ReptileFest 2004
Hosted by the Chicago Herpetological Society
Nation's Largest Educational Reptile and Amphibian Show
University of Illinois-Chicago, P.E. Building
901 W. Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL
Adults $7, Children (3-11) $5
www.chicagoherp.org
ReptileFest 2004
Hosted by the Chicago Herpetological Society
Nation's Largest Educational Reptile and Amphibian Show
University of Illinois-Chicago, P.E. Building
901 W. Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL
Adults $7, Children (3-11) $5
www.chicagoherp.org
Thursday, March 18, 2004
email rec'd today:
"Hello, My name is Katie and I am studying Outdoor Recreation in Western Iowa. The backpacking class of mine are planning a short trip to the Black Hills. I discovered your webiste while searching for trails that would be great to backpack on during our trip. There are about 6 of us going, most are beginners. We plan to be there for like two nights, and three days. Could your give me some tips? We would like to go the last week in April. Thanks again! Nice website!
Kind Regards,
Katie"
"Hello, My name is Katie and I am studying Outdoor Recreation in Western Iowa. The backpacking class of mine are planning a short trip to the Black Hills. I discovered your webiste while searching for trails that would be great to backpack on during our trip. There are about 6 of us going, most are beginners. We plan to be there for like two nights, and three days. Could your give me some tips? We would like to go the last week in April. Thanks again! Nice website!
Kind Regards,
Katie"
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
1st show of 5 next week...
mpshows.com
mP productions presents:
SUN. MAR. 21
Japanese Girl Band Invasion Tour
PETTY BOOKA
NOODLES
BLEACH
KOKESHI DOLL
Bottom Lounge - 8PM - 21+
acquisitions today:
mars volta - "de-loused in the comatorium"
story of the year - "page avenue"
yeah yeah yeahs - "fever to tell"
Stingray: The Complete Series - DVD-B
mpshows.com
mP productions presents:
SUN. MAR. 21
Japanese Girl Band Invasion Tour
PETTY BOOKA
NOODLES
BLEACH
KOKESHI DOLL
Bottom Lounge - 8PM - 21+
acquisitions today:
mars volta - "de-loused in the comatorium"
story of the year - "page avenue"
yeah yeah yeahs - "fever to tell"
Stingray: The Complete Series - DVD-B
Monday, March 15, 2004
Sunday, March 14, 2004
the weekend recap:
so i don't even remember friday nite altho i probably watched a lot of techtv... saturday swung errands to TRU (not really an errand but they have the new Xevoz Stifkas on sale so i picked up a few -- very, very cool!), randhurst mall, and finally wal-mart to get the tubs to store all my shelved toys. skipped Quang Hong's last monkey business gallery show that night in lieu of watching more techtv incl. Starwoids which i had never seen (documentary on Star Wars fans centered around those waiting in line back in '99 for the Phantom Menace). i probably should've went to see Quang instead. oh yeah, i went to the office *to work* for about 4 hours late saturday and i purchased my first PDA online before i went home.
oh shit. check out the trailer for the live action Casshern flick!
Today was festive. up early to watch ebert and his thumb magic. sped off to gurnee mills to look for more clearanced micros and that damned elusive 8" Hellboy figure. caught the 1st matinee of RotK at 12:30pm and the theater was packed. the flick opened 3 months ago and is still in the projected top 10 box office for the weekend... testament to a truly great film. altho way too many ppl sobbing in the theater... movie done so i signed up for Gamestop membership and dropped $40 on used anime DVDs. got home in time for a quick rest before the Sopranos. time-tracked work for 3 hours afterwards then watched last weeks CSI (wow, a-girl just called to tell me she just got done seeing Robot Stories in LA and met w/one of the stars, Tamlyn Tomita - yum!). gonna finish the night w/ep.7 of Gunslinger Girl and prepare for black monday by trying not to think about. 'night.
so i don't even remember friday nite altho i probably watched a lot of techtv... saturday swung errands to TRU (not really an errand but they have the new Xevoz Stifkas on sale so i picked up a few -- very, very cool!), randhurst mall, and finally wal-mart to get the tubs to store all my shelved toys. skipped Quang Hong's last monkey business gallery show that night in lieu of watching more techtv incl. Starwoids which i had never seen (documentary on Star Wars fans centered around those waiting in line back in '99 for the Phantom Menace). i probably should've went to see Quang instead. oh yeah, i went to the office *to work* for about 4 hours late saturday and i purchased my first PDA online before i went home.
oh shit. check out the trailer for the live action Casshern flick!
Today was festive. up early to watch ebert and his thumb magic. sped off to gurnee mills to look for more clearanced micros and that damned elusive 8" Hellboy figure. caught the 1st matinee of RotK at 12:30pm and the theater was packed. the flick opened 3 months ago and is still in the projected top 10 box office for the weekend... testament to a truly great film. altho way too many ppl sobbing in the theater... movie done so i signed up for Gamestop membership and dropped $40 on used anime DVDs. got home in time for a quick rest before the Sopranos. time-tracked work for 3 hours afterwards then watched last weeks CSI (wow, a-girl just called to tell me she just got done seeing Robot Stories in LA and met w/one of the stars, Tamlyn Tomita - yum!). gonna finish the night w/ep.7 of Gunslinger Girl and prepare for black monday by trying not to think about. 'night.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
omg. just now on TV i saw the first real trailer for The Punisher... and despite the "MARVEL" logo at the beginning, they're selling this thing more like A Man Apart type of theme (i.e. guy loses family/wife;seeks revenge on those responsible - which really is the Punisher origin at its core) rather than pushing another "comic book" feature film. i dunno whether this is the way to go w/it or not. too early to tell... but at least it's rated-R! yeehaw... finally a Marvel-licensed flick w/some teeth. here's to hoping it's a decent flick. oh damn, it opens in 1 month! crimeny. that makes 3 must-see flicks in the next month. yep, i'm such a geek.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
from ANN:
Three New Anime Premiered in Japan this (past) Weekend
Although the number one movie in Japan was Lord of the Rings - Return of the King (now in its fourth week in Japan), three new anime movies helped round out the top five films of this past weekend.
All premiering on Saturday March 6th, The Doraemon 25th Anniversary movie, the fifth One Piece Movie and Ghost in the Shell: Innocence took the second, third and fifth spots respectively at the Japanese Box Office this past weekend.
Between One Piece and Innocence, Once Upon a Time in Mexico rounded out the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Master and Commander, The Last Samurai, Hotel Venus, Love Actually and Gothika.
Also premiering on Saturday, Hotel Venus was the top, non-animated, Japanese film at the Japanese box office.
Three New Anime Premiered in Japan this (past) Weekend
Although the number one movie in Japan was Lord of the Rings - Return of the King (now in its fourth week in Japan), three new anime movies helped round out the top five films of this past weekend.
All premiering on Saturday March 6th, The Doraemon 25th Anniversary movie, the fifth One Piece Movie and Ghost in the Shell: Innocence took the second, third and fifth spots respectively at the Japanese Box Office this past weekend.
Between One Piece and Innocence, Once Upon a Time in Mexico rounded out the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Master and Commander, The Last Samurai, Hotel Venus, Love Actually and Gothika.
Also premiering on Saturday, Hotel Venus was the top, non-animated, Japanese film at the Japanese box office.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
NYC already seems like a blur... almost as though the week never happened but it was all just a dream. weird. work is reaching the pinnacle of stress and i fear some dark days on the horizon... to quote melora, "I see the bad moon arising/I see trouble on the way..." yep, looks like we’re in for nasty weather. speaking of Rasputina, they're coming back to chicago again next month! damn, that's 3 years in row... and if i hit that show (sadly a HoB show) i think that'd be my 5th or 6th raspy show in the last 3 years. crazy. can't pass on them tho... they rock the cellos.
Brides of Destruction were cool on Leno last night... altho, how they got on there baffles me. picked up their debut CD today at worst buy and it's great but not long enough. only 5 bucks tho (w/reward cert!). also grabbed the freebie Hellboy sneak preview DVD and whoa, the flick looks slick. also caught the trailer ad during American Idol tonight of all places... opens April 2. finally a theater movie i'm really looking forward to... not to mention Dawn of the Dead (redux) on March 19!
acquisitions today:
Brides of Destruction - "Here Come the Brides" CD
Dawn of the Dead divimax re-release DVD
The Young Ones: Every Stoopid Episode 3-disc set DVD-B
Lumière et compagnie DVD-B (thanks, phixed!)
Brides of Destruction were cool on Leno last night... altho, how they got on there baffles me. picked up their debut CD today at worst buy and it's great but not long enough. only 5 bucks tho (w/reward cert!). also grabbed the freebie Hellboy sneak preview DVD and whoa, the flick looks slick. also caught the trailer ad during American Idol tonight of all places... opens April 2. finally a theater movie i'm really looking forward to... not to mention Dawn of the Dead (redux) on March 19!
acquisitions today:
Brides of Destruction - "Here Come the Brides" CD
Dawn of the Dead divimax re-release DVD
The Young Ones: Every Stoopid Episode 3-disc set DVD-B
Lumière et compagnie DVD-B (thanks, phixed!)
email rec'd today:
"Pardon my english is not very good...
Greetings from Venezuela, I am moderating Hector of diverse forums of anime. My question is on those 24 chapters of Cyborg 009 that complete the series of 50 chapters. Single 26 were transmitted and wanted to know that it happens with those other 24, were transmitted in Japan or no, or was that in the United States they did not buy them. In other words that passage with those 24 capitulos?
I wait for information and greetings"
"Pardon my english is not very good...
Greetings from Venezuela, I am moderating Hector of diverse forums of anime. My question is on those 24 chapters of Cyborg 009 that complete the series of 50 chapters. Single 26 were transmitted and wanted to know that it happens with those other 24, were transmitted in Japan or no, or was that in the United States they did not buy them. In other words that passage with those 24 capitulos?
I wait for information and greetings"
Monday, March 08, 2004
[Cool News] Cartoon Network has announced its lineup for 2004, and among the new shows is the following:
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: One of Japan's biggest pop music acts arrives in America, not with a massive stadium tour but as a cartoon. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, set to debut in December, follows the adventures of two very cool, but very different, pop stars as they travel from gig to gig or just hang out in their hometown of Tokyo. Ami is the peppy, positive and resourceful one. Yumi is the hard-rocking, no-nonsense cynic with an absolutely infallible sense of cool. Together, they take the world by storm, despite occasional misjudgments from their well-meaning but tragically square manager, Kaz. Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi also will feature live-action segments starring the real life Puffy AmiYumi as well as the group's catchy J-pop hits.
(if you didn't already know, puffy does the theme song for the New Teen Titans 'toon)
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: One of Japan's biggest pop music acts arrives in America, not with a massive stadium tour but as a cartoon. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, set to debut in December, follows the adventures of two very cool, but very different, pop stars as they travel from gig to gig or just hang out in their hometown of Tokyo. Ami is the peppy, positive and resourceful one. Yumi is the hard-rocking, no-nonsense cynic with an absolutely infallible sense of cool. Together, they take the world by storm, despite occasional misjudgments from their well-meaning but tragically square manager, Kaz. Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi also will feature live-action segments starring the real life Puffy AmiYumi as well as the group's catchy J-pop hits.
(if you didn't already know, puffy does the theme song for the New Teen Titans 'toon)
Sunday, March 07, 2004
the weekend wrap...
caught 3 flicks each day; three very different flicks. today i went down to Facets to catch Robot Stories, a small budget indie flick by Greg Pak with Asian Americans cast in most of the primary roles. it's actually 4 short films that feature the idea of robots in different scenarios (incl. a slew of Takara Microman toys from Greg's personal collection in the Robot Fixer piece - awesome to see Micronauts so prominently featured on the bigscreen!). this was really cool and after the viewing the co-producer Karin Chien held a Q&A w/the audience which was also very, very cool. this one is highly recommended whenever it comes to your city.
yesterday i went with a group of friends to take in The Passion of the Christ. by now there should be no surprises about that one. it's bloody violent to the point of overkill. the feature itself is decent for how it's portrayed yet i felt it could've been so much more. also i wish monica bellucci wasn't cast b/c everytime she was on the screen i couldn't get past her being monica bellucci (i've been crazy about that woman for years!). but definitely worth seeing at least once. and there's at least one take-away: the Satan Baby! yeah!
Friday night (saturday morning actually) i finally saw Kinji Fukasaku's long anticipated sequel his '00 cult-hit Battle Royale - Battle Royale II: Requiem. and while it was still entertaining it wasn't half the movie that the original was. i expected this after reading many a review beforehand so my expectations were tempered going in and yet i still found myself disappointed thru-out the viewing. Riki Takeuchi (Dead or Alive trilogy) replaces Beat Takeshi in the sensei role and totally overplays it compared to Kitano's lowkey, subtitle performance that really made BR1 an instant classic (i still can't believe that Riki's only a few years older than me!). overall BR2 is still a worthwhile flick yet pales in comparison to the original but recommended viewing nevertheless.
in other movie news i picked up 6 PVDs in the ballbuster 2 for $20 sale. in no particular order i snagged Underworld, X2: X-men United, Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cabin Fever, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. it's slim pickings at BB for me b/c i already have most of the available PVDs. was temped on several occasions (hit a few BBs in the area) to pick up Kangaroo Jack (akemi!) but just couldn't do it.
before hitting Facets today i picked up 3 tickets for the following metro shows: Distillers (3/25), Wolfsheim (3/29), and Fantomas (4/11). ran out of cash for the Bodom and Neubauten shows next month. have to get those later. i'm pissed that the Soil show is a 94.7 Zone show (94 cent tickets) b/c it's already soldout and My Ruin was just added to the tour. dammit! i need to get into that show! i really hate when so many shows hit around the same time... i'm too old for this. oh yeah, the Sopranos season premiere was decent. yippee, back to the grind tomorrow. and btw, i'm sick again and my neck is still sore. more yay!
caught 3 flicks each day; three very different flicks. today i went down to Facets to catch Robot Stories, a small budget indie flick by Greg Pak with Asian Americans cast in most of the primary roles. it's actually 4 short films that feature the idea of robots in different scenarios (incl. a slew of Takara Microman toys from Greg's personal collection in the Robot Fixer piece - awesome to see Micronauts so prominently featured on the bigscreen!). this was really cool and after the viewing the co-producer Karin Chien held a Q&A w/the audience which was also very, very cool. this one is highly recommended whenever it comes to your city.
yesterday i went with a group of friends to take in The Passion of the Christ. by now there should be no surprises about that one. it's bloody violent to the point of overkill. the feature itself is decent for how it's portrayed yet i felt it could've been so much more. also i wish monica bellucci wasn't cast b/c everytime she was on the screen i couldn't get past her being monica bellucci (i've been crazy about that woman for years!). but definitely worth seeing at least once. and there's at least one take-away: the Satan Baby! yeah!
Friday night (saturday morning actually) i finally saw Kinji Fukasaku's long anticipated sequel his '00 cult-hit Battle Royale - Battle Royale II: Requiem. and while it was still entertaining it wasn't half the movie that the original was. i expected this after reading many a review beforehand so my expectations were tempered going in and yet i still found myself disappointed thru-out the viewing. Riki Takeuchi (Dead or Alive trilogy) replaces Beat Takeshi in the sensei role and totally overplays it compared to Kitano's lowkey, subtitle performance that really made BR1 an instant classic (i still can't believe that Riki's only a few years older than me!). overall BR2 is still a worthwhile flick yet pales in comparison to the original but recommended viewing nevertheless.
in other movie news i picked up 6 PVDs in the ballbuster 2 for $20 sale. in no particular order i snagged Underworld, X2: X-men United, Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cabin Fever, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. it's slim pickings at BB for me b/c i already have most of the available PVDs. was temped on several occasions (hit a few BBs in the area) to pick up Kangaroo Jack (akemi!) but just couldn't do it.
before hitting Facets today i picked up 3 tickets for the following metro shows: Distillers (3/25), Wolfsheim (3/29), and Fantomas (4/11). ran out of cash for the Bodom and Neubauten shows next month. have to get those later. i'm pissed that the Soil show is a 94.7 Zone show (94 cent tickets) b/c it's already soldout and My Ruin was just added to the tour. dammit! i need to get into that show! i really hate when so many shows hit around the same time... i'm too old for this. oh yeah, the Sopranos season premiere was decent. yippee, back to the grind tomorrow. and btw, i'm sick again and my neck is still sore. more yay!
Thursday, March 04, 2004
email rec'd today (from Brazil):
"Hi... I'm looking for the Cyborg 009 Opening Theme (Orchestra Version) Mp3, but just the instrumental one... I've been looking for it in many web sites... but I did not find it... Also I looked for it in kazza and emule... but I got the same result... So... if you know where can I find it, or not just it, but many mp3 from the new Cyborg 009 i'll be thankful...
Thanks,
Rodrigo C."
"Hi... I'm looking for the Cyborg 009 Opening Theme (Orchestra Version) Mp3, but just the instrumental one... I've been looking for it in many web sites... but I did not find it... Also I looked for it in kazza and emule... but I got the same result... So... if you know where can I find it, or not just it, but many mp3 from the new Cyborg 009 i'll be thankful...
Thanks,
Rodrigo C."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)