Useful Consumer Review

(May 31, 2014)

Sony has a newish version of their “sporty” headphones branded “Walkman” (or “NWZ-W273”).  They have a built-in mp3 player.  I’ve got big headphones with built-in mp3 players, but it would be nice to have a pair in a more convenient form factor. I bought the previous Sony iteration, but they were huge and fell out … Continue reading Useful Consumer Review

My New Horticultural Blog

(May 31, 2014)

Due to the exceptionally warm winter, or exceptionally studly plants, the roses on my balcony survived.  But one of the bushes looks kinda…  odd… See?  There’s a white powder thing going on, and there seems to be a lot of spider web action going on, too.  But mainly around the buds. So is this a … Continue reading My New Horticultural Blog

Summer Workwear

(May 30, 2014)

When being handy around the house, I prefer using professional workwear, because they have straps to hand the hammer off of, and lots of pockets for tools and screws and stuff. And now it’s summer, so I went to buy some shorts. See?  Super practical. But at the Blåkläder store they also had workwear kilts. … Continue reading Summer Workwear

CM&C Redux

(May 29, 2014)

Hey, that didn’t take long at all. What I’ve learned from watching 100 movies and making 100+ cocktails is: 1) There are a lot of bad cocktail recipes out there.  2) New movies suck. 3) The WordPress spell checker doesn’t think that “movie” is a word. But I swore to never use the word “film”.  … Continue reading CM&C Redux

CM&C:C The Red Shoes

(May 29, 2014)

The Red Shoes. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger. 1948. ★★★★☆☆ Bailey’s Banana Split: 😃

Monitor losing HDMI connection whenever xscreensaver runs: It’s a thing

(May 29, 2014)

After upgrading my TV machine (the old one wasn’t powerful enough to play BluRay media), whenever xscreensaver runs, the TV would claim to have no inputs. I know. After trying various things, I started looking at the DPMS stuff, because that’s, like, power handling and seemed like something that might be relevant.  Perhaps Linux/xorg/whatever turns … Continue reading Monitor losing HDMI connection whenever xscreensaver runs: It’s a thing

CM&C:XCIX Foreign Correspondent

(May 29, 2014)

Foreign Correspondent. Alfred Hitchcock. 1940. ★★★★☆☆ I think I’ve seen most of Hitchcock’s post WWII movies, but very few of the earlier ones. I had forgotten I had bought a couple of box sets of the early ones, but I found them today. Just in time for the penultimate CM&C. But it was a bit … Continue reading CM&C:XCIX Foreign Correspondent

CM&C:XCVIII Small Town Gay Bar

(May 28, 2014)

Small Town Gay Bar. Malcolm Ingram. 2006. ★★★★☆☆ I really liked this. A heartwarming documentary. Bridal: 😃

CM&C:XCVII Blue Valentine

(May 28, 2014)

Blue Valentine. Derek Cianfrance. 2010. ★★★☆☆☆ Brandy Smash: 😃

CM&C:XCVI A History of Violence

(May 27, 2014)

A History of Violence. David Cronenberg. 2005. ★★★☆☆☆ Look at this list of movies: Scanners, Videodrome, The Dead Zone, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, M. Butterfly, Crash, eXistenZ. Not only are they all excellent and fascinating — they’re also thematically consistent, sort of. Cronenberg had some obsessions, and he wasn’t shy about putting them … Continue reading CM&C:XCVI A History of Violence

CM&C:XCV Inglorious Basterds

(May 27, 2014)

Inglorious Basterds. Quentin Tarantino. 2009. ★★★☆☆☆ Not so much a movie as a collection of “cool scenes”. If the scenes that didn’t work (the cellar scene, for instance, which went on for 253 minutes (I timed it!)) had been edited out, it might have been a good movie. But how many “does the Nazi know!11!!ONE!!!” … Continue reading CM&C:XCV Inglorious Basterds

CM&C:XCIV La règle du jeu

(May 26, 2014)

The Rules of the Game. Jean Renoir. 1939. ★★★★☆☆ Bordeaux: 😃

CM&C:XCIII Theodora Goes Wild

(May 26, 2014)

Theodora Goes Wild. Richard Boleslawski. 1936. ★★★☆☆☆ This movie follows the standard “(happy-go-lucky) man persistently wooing a (repressed) woman” plot, but the “wooing” sometimes tips over into stalking. With a different sound track, some of the scenes could have been from a horror movie instead of a comedy. “He’s inside the yard… and he won’t … Continue reading CM&C:XCIII Theodora Goes Wild

CM&C:XCII CBGB

(May 25, 2014)

CBGB. Randall Miller. 2013. ★★☆☆☆☆ I liked bits of this movie. That era in music was fascinating, but this movie makes bizarre choices. What’s up with using studio versions of the songs the actors are miming to? What’s up with the comic book thing? Why try to fit history like this into a three act … Continue reading CM&C:XCII CBGB

CM&C:XCI To Be Or Not To Be

(May 25, 2014)

To Be Or Not To Be. Ernst Lubitsch. 1942. ★★★★★☆ White Jamaican: 😃

CM&C:XC La nuit américaine

(May 24, 2014)

Day For Night. François Truffaut. 1973. ★★★★☆☆ It’s amusing, but it seems self-mythologising. 8½ avoided this problem by being more obviously a fantasy. And Day For Night is too long. T1000: 😃

Useful Consumer Review

(May 24, 2014)

The interwebs have been all abuzz with a funky new Ikea lamp (IKEA PS 2014, designed by D Wahl).  But I bought one anyway. I love Lego, so putting this lamp together was fun.  It’s over 50 parts. It made of plastic, so it feels very cheap. It expands/contracts in a very plastic-ey way.  Doesn’t … Continue reading Useful Consumer Review

CM&C:LXXXIX Ladri di biciclette

(May 23, 2014)

Bicycle Thieves. Vittorio De Sica. 1948. ★★★★★★ I started crying before the movie even started. Rusty Fogg Cocktail: 😃

CM&C:LXXXVIII Limelight

(May 22, 2014)

Limelight. Billy Corben. 2011. ★★★★☆☆ Mexican Mule: 😒

CM&C:LXXXVII The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

(May 22, 2014)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Francis Lawrence. 2013. ★★★☆☆☆ The first movie had some rough, but charming edges.  The Hunger Games Colon Catching Fire, however, has been polished and is more of a normal Hollywood big budget movie.  I found it to be a snooze fest. The Legend of Jack Sparrow: 😃

CM&C:LXXXVI À bout de souffle

(May 21, 2014)

Breathless. Jean-Luc Godard. 1960. ★★★★★☆ Schuylkill Punch: 😃

CM&C:LXXXV You Again

(May 21, 2014)

You Again. Andy Fickman. 2010. ★★★☆☆☆ Strawberry Prosecco Float: 😒

CM&C:LXXXIV Adoration

(May 20, 2014)

Adoration. Atom Egoyan. 2008. ★★★★☆☆ I liked parts of this movie a lot. I’m a sucker for non-linear storytelling. Confusion roolz. Bellini: 😃

Bolts

(May 20, 2014)

      I think what this balcony renovation firm is trying to express with this logo is that bolts through your head makes you wobbly.

CM&C:LXXXIII Promised Land

(May 20, 2014)

Promised Land. Gus Van Sant. 2012. ★★☆☆☆☆ Gus! What are you doing! Amaretto Sour with Prosecco: 😃

CM&C:LXXXII White Material

(May 19, 2014)

White Material. Claire Denis. 2009. ★★★★★☆ Basil Prosecco and Limoncello: 😒

CM&C:LXXXI Top Hat

(May 19, 2014)

It’s just like The Lido from the Death in Venice movie. Top Hat. Mark Sandrich. 1935. ★★★★★☆ Champagne Bowler: 😃

CM&C:LXXX Gravity

(May 18, 2014)

I laughed out loud at this shot.  Like “HA HA HA HA”. And this isn’t a satire. When the actors shut up, it’s almost unbearably exiting. Whenever they talk — dialogue or monologue — I wanted to skip the rest of the scene.  The talk only in hackneyed cliches. Someone should remix this movie without … Continue reading CM&C:LXXX Gravity

CM&C:LXXIX Prêt-à-Porter

(May 18, 2014)

Prêt-à-Porter. . . ★★★★☆☆ The “Milo” scenes made me subtract a star. They were loathsome. The movie worked best when there was no plot going on, but it was mostly hugely enjoyable. The Robert Altman scatterbrained movie thing is very attractive. Champagne Antoine: 😒

CM&C:LXXVIII G.B.F.

(May 17, 2014)

G.B.F.. Darren Stein. 2013. ★★★★★☆ I think that concludes the “quirky high school” series within CM&C: Heathers, Jawbreaker, Mean Girls, G.B.F.. And this movie is the funniest one! I laughed a lot. It also kinda illustrates how much smoother lower-budget movies look now compared to 1988. Digital cameras in 2013 look good, and movies can … Continue reading CM&C:LXXVIII G.B.F.

CM&C:LXXVII Heathers

(May 17, 2014)

Isn’t that the other woman from Charmed? Heathers. Michael Lehmann. 1988. ★★★★☆☆ The mother of all quirky high school movies.  It’s not perfect, but there’s so much to like. Añejo MANhattan: 😃

CM&C:LXXVI Simple Men

(May 16, 2014)

Hey…  isn’t that that woman from Charmed? It is! Hey, it’s a Bande à part tribute scene! I love that scene. Simple Men. Hal Hartley. 1992. ★★★★☆☆ Alexander: 😃

CM&C:LXXV La flor de mi secreto

(May 16, 2014)

The Flower of My Secret. Pedro Almodóvar. 1995. ★★★☆☆☆ Easy Bourbon Tea: 😒

CM&C:LXXIV The Serpent’s Egg

(May 15, 2014)

The Serpent’s Egg. Ingmar Bergman. 1977. ★★★☆☆☆ This was the only Bergman movie I hadn’t seen.  It turned out to be the worst one he’s made, I think. Yellow Fairy: 😒

CM&C:LXXIII Out of Rosenheim

(May 15, 2014)

Out of Rosenheim. Percy Adlon. 1987. ★★★★★☆ This is such a lovely movie.  I loved it when I saw it 20 years ago, and I loved it even more this time. Percy Adlon is a pretty unique director.  I tried shopping for his early movies earlier this year, and they’re all basically just available in … Continue reading CM&C:LXXIII Out of Rosenheim

CM&C:LXXII Destination Tokyo

(May 14, 2014)

Smoking in submarines…  Those were the days… Destination Tokyo. Delmer Daves. 1943. ★★★★☆☆ This is a vicious anti-Japanese propaganda movie. But it’s well made. I liked it quite a bit. It focused on the sailors to a surprising (and some may say boring) degree. But it’s quite exciting. Lemon Highlander: 😃

CM&C:LXXI Death in Venice

(May 14, 2014)

Death in Venice. Tony Palmer. 1981. ★★★★★☆ I had to keep the libretto open to understand the chorus, though.  Fantastic music. Limoncello Sunrise: 😃

CM&C:LXX Midnight in Paris

(May 13, 2014)

Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen. 2011. ★★★★☆☆ Zaza: 😃

CM&C:LXIX The Day The Earth Stood Still

(May 13, 2014)

The Day The Earth Stood Still. Scott Derrickson. 2008. ★★☆☆☆☆ X. Y. Z.: 😃

CM&C:LXVIII Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

(May 12, 2014)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Michel Gondry. 2004. ★★★★★☆ White Lady: 😒

CM&C:LXVII Animal Crackers

(May 12, 2014)

Animal Crackers. Victor Heerman. 1930. ★★★★☆☆ Vesper: ☠ Ward 8: 😧

CM&C:LXVI Trois couleurs: Bleu

(May 11, 2014)

Three Colours: Blue. Krzysztof Kieslowski. 1993. ★★★☆☆☆ Hey, I’m back! Had a little prolonged stomach flu thing going there… No movies or cocktails for me… Anyway. The movie. I mean, I liked The Dekalog and stuff. And this movie was very, very pretty. But. I mean. The dialogue. The plot. The excruciatingly schmaltzy “great” music. … Continue reading CM&C:LXVI Trois couleurs: Bleu