Movie Week

I suppose it makes sense, but whenever Rachael is out of town I watch a lot more movies than I do when she's around. So, here is what I've watched this week and how it rates on the guillermo index:

-The Brothers Solomon- Excellent. Best comedy I've seen in a long time.

-Chopping Mall- Good clean fun. Eighties-riffic horror chock full of snappy lines, boobs and exploding heads. And robots. Have a nice day.

-Last House on the Left- Obviously influential 70's gritty torture porn. Not the best, but worth seeing for the historical value and weird musical juxtaposition in the vein of The Wicker Man.

-Thunderheart- This movie's pretty cool. Perhaps a bit stereotypical in the Indian-spiritualism-dancing-ghosts aspect but pretty scary and relevant regarding the government. (If you can't say fuck, you can't say fuck the government-- Lenny Bruce... which brings me to...)

-Fuck- Clearly meant for a certain type of sensibility, but some very funny moments and an undeniably positive argument for freedom of speech.

-I also began watching 30 rock and Metalocalypse which both show much promise in the future (especially if I can start to understand what the hell they're saying in Metalocalypse)...

So to wrap up... I would recommend all of these. Somehow I managed to watch only enjoyable movies this week. This definitely makes up for some wasted time in the past.

Stay tuned.

New Years Resolutions - 2008

Everyone has these... and they are so often complete bullshit. But I have started on a couple for myself and I hope to hold onto them for a change. The secret - I made them attainable so they would be easier to hold myself to!

1) Control my spending on stuff I don't really need. Reign in those costs!

That includes toys! Not much to say here... I've had trouble with my spending habits for years, and this was a particularly bad one. It's more an anxiety thing than anything, so I need to focus my energies on creative outlets instead of pulling out the credit card whenever I get bored/down/etc.

2) Keep a sketchbook/journal.

I've tried this one before with little success. But the approach is different this time. Using Chris Ware's Acme Datebooks as inspiration, I want to write and draw in the same book. One problem may have been that I tried to write one place and draw in another. If they happen together, they can feed off one another even. This will help keep my creativity flowing hopefully. I do have a separate sketchbook for all monster/toy related things such as photo stories and whatever, as well as a sketchbook for design stuff I need to work on. This is for me

I already bought a sketchbook with drawing paper inside and a couple drawing pens (Don't worry, I bought them before the New Year, so Resolution #1 can still apply)... which leads to resolution 3.

3) When sketching/writing, stop erasing so goddamn much!

A problem with things I have kept in the past is my need for perfection... or as close as I can get to it. I have to realize that no one is going to see these things unless I want them to, so I should draw and write for ME... not with anyone else in mind. So if I like the new Britney Spears album and want to gush about it in my journal with a shitty doodle of a My Little Pony, then I need to just do it. Working in pen I hope will help this constant tweaking on things that are only personal.

4) Work on more art.

I need to get back into painting and photography. I have the supplies... I just haven't had the drive.

5) Lose 15 pounds.

A more common one obviously. I broke 200 lbs for the first time a couple months ago, and I'm not thrilled about it. Time for more sit ups (more could be 1 a day at this point!) and less candy.

6) Become a big brother in Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

I have wanted to do this for a few years now, but I haven't lived in one place long enough to do so. When you move every 12 months or less, it's not really good for a mentor type position.

7) Take a martial arts class.

This probably won't happen, so I put it last. For one I don't think I need the added expense such a class will bring, and two I am lazy and have games to play/things to draw and photograph/toys to paint. I want to take one more to learn self discipline, control, etc. more than learning fighting techniques.

Anyway, I guess I will update in a year and see which ones of these actually happened!

Happy New Year!

Toypunks vol. 1

http://www.toypunks.com/

I was finally able to sit down and watch this new DVD recently, and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. At a runtime of about 45 minutes, it is full of clipped interviews from various influential figures in the street fashion and vinyl toy industry.

There is a lot with Hikaru Iwanaga, the founder of Bounty Hunter, which is fitting as it was his toy, the Kid Hunter, that essentially started the designer toy surge way back in 1997. There is a lot of interesting insight from the different interviews about their influences from overseas, old cartoons, etc.

I enjoyed seeing the bits with various collectors too... hearing why people like certain toys and why they collect the things they do. Seeing the sweet collections was nice too.

One thing that bothered me about the movie was not actually something with the movie, but rather with Frank Kozik's interview clips in the extra features about the "underground"... or in his opinion the lack thereof. I don't know exactly what to think about underground artwork, toys, etc., but in this clip, Frank says that if you are out there to sell toys then it is no longer underground.

Most likely, this comes down to semantics, but the thing that bothered me was the attitude about it all that came across in his interview. I'm no pie in the sky artsy guy bemoaning the death of the underground art world, but it seemed Frank's opinion is that it is all black or white. He said he has no trouble with Wal Mart and entities like that, and for some reason it felt a little disappointing to me. I'm not sure exactly why.

I will be the first to admit that what I do for a living (graphic design) is pretty much selling out artistically speaking, and I have no problem with someone wanting to make a living with their craft, but the attitude that Kozik seemed to express here is one of embracing the selling out and the lack of an underground. It's hard to explain for me, but it waters down Kozik's work to me... like there is less feeling put into the things he puts out maybe... like it cheapens it all in a way.

Shit, what do I know? I'm just a loser on a crappy blog who will most likely never make money on toys or art.

I'm not great at reviewing movies and stuff like that, but this little film serves as a great primer into vinyl toy collecting, design, etc., and I look forward to volume two.

Great job, guys!

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On an aside, another thing I thought was awesome about this flick was seeing my Bounty Hunter photography in there! I don't like to toot my own horn, but I was really excited when Justin from the toypunks crew contacted me about the photography I display on this little blog. It was very cool sitting here watching the movie, seeing my photographs alongside the others with the punk music and interviews, and then seeing my name in the credits.

The toypunks guys were really cool and considerate in asking to use my photos, and this copy of the movie i watched was complimentary for their use. I am proud that these photos became a part of the project.

Fallout

Fallout is infecting my brain. I am viewing my day-to-day life as turn based.

On another note... I took two movies from my work today that were left there for months... basically the lost and found of DVDs. The Big Sleep, which is a pretty good movie, and a double DVD set of A little Princess and the Secret Garden. The latter is in the hope that I have a daughter someday... but I was pleasantly surprised to see that "A Little Princess" was directed mby Alfonso Cuaron who is high on my list of great contemporary directors, if only because of "Children of Men" (which is another story). But now that I think of it, he directed the best Harry Potter film as well.

This Game

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_One_Lives_Forever

This game was not that good, but I've spent months trying to figure out the title. It's a hard search, and I have to give a lot of credit to Wikipedia... I'm fairly new to that whole scene but I find that it's often better than IMDB or gamespot of any of thoe "official sites".

It also reminds me of a time when my brother would look over my shoulder as I played games in complete reverence. Nowadays, tables have turned, but that's another story. .. This game reminds me of Abstract Rude and sitting in my mom's office with my brother for hours on end...

NEXT:

Diablo II

Fallout 2. Play it.

High on my list of games is Fallout 2. I was shocked when I saw that it was made in 1998. Ten years ago this game was made and it's significantly better than most contemporary games. It's all about breadth, I suppose. When I hone my skills as a reviewer I will go more in depth about the genius and inadequacies of the game, but for now I will recommend the most clever, in depth game that I have ever played... aside from Half-Life... of course.

blogaway my friend

I don't care about my fropile.