40: Turning Thirty

Well, my 30th birthday rolled around yesterday and I spent it resting up, and then going to eat.  While waiting for my meal, I managed to watch the recent Cowboys game, and got bummed out a bit, which is not good when having a deep dish Chicago-style pizza for dinner (although due to a ordering error, I got a medium for a the prize of a small one.  Decent amount of leftovers...)

Next, I went down to Barnes and Noble and picked up a few little gifts for me, such as The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, (a "purdy" looking book), and a new special edition of one of my favorite movies ever, The Third Man with Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, with a script by Graham Greene.  It's a great film about post-World War II Vienna, with a rather clumsy hero, a surprisingly cool antagonist, and a thrilling climax in the sewers.  Definitely worth viewing.

Nothing like leftover pizza and great movies to tie off a good day...

"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

39: stimuli for September 25, 2007

Here's a collection of things keeping me busy this week:

CD: Foo Fighters, "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"- Just got the new album and am loving it!

DVD: "Wall Street": A nice little time capsule of how the eighties were truly bad for us all...music wise, not so much.

BOOKS: "Marvel Zombies": What happens when superheroes become flesh hungry monsters...and still are able to talk? Gross out humor and a LOT of dismemberments is what! Pure-effin'-genius!

"Dust Covers: The Collected Sandman Covers": A great tablebook of some of the best art to EVER grace the front of a comic book...ever.

38: Random musings

What is currently in my iPod at this moment:

Fugazi, "Repeater" (punk rock)

Henry Rollins, "Talk Is Cheap, Vol. 2" (a 2 1/2 hour piece--with one hour being about his first trip to a Kiss show...in San Bernandino. That's right--someone got out of San Bernandino...ALIVE.)

Elton John, "Greatest Hits 1970-2002": Yeah, I know...not the most masculine stuff to listen to but, man, there's some great tunes on the first CD...it's all his seventies stuff!

Kanye West, "Stronger" and "Can't Tell Me Nothin'": From his new album.

Also, I still got my FNM post coming up later (on AV Stimuli), so until then, look at this...

As bad as this may appear, maybe young girls would be better off with this instead of those damn Bratz toys...those toys were forged by Lucifer himself!!!

37: Stimuli for the week of September 3, 2007

MOVIES: "The Simpsons Movie": All hail the spider-pig!

"The Bourne Ultimatum": The fastest two hours of film I've seen this year (sorry, Hot Fuzz).

DVD: "Blades of Glory": Ice skating can be funny. Deal with it.

"Children of Men": Regret missing this one when it came out. Some of the most spectacular camerawork I've seen in a while.

"Friday Night Lights: Season One": A good movie makes a good series? Rarely, but true in this case.

"Heroes: Season One": Just rename this show Hiro and get rid of all this other crap and you got a great show! I'm kidding, somewhat, but not really...

What is it with Will Ferrell sports-themed movies and mascots on fire? First, there was Old School...

Then while watching Blades of Glory, I witnessed this...

I mean, come on... can't there be a Will Ferrell sports-themed movie that doesn't have a mascot on fire?

(long pause)

Well, I did say not on fire...

36: Strange Things...

I've been drained out after the weird double shot of movie auteurs passing into the great beyond (Antonini and Bergman).  Just a while ago, while I was listening to a Joy Division tune of all things ("Atmosphere"), I had read online that their former manager Tony Wilson died recently of a heart atack.

For those who don't know who he is, he was one of the chief architects of the burgeoning pop scene in Manchester, England during the 1980s with Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub, managing such bands as Joy Division and briefly, New Order.  He wrote a book on this time which was made into the very good movie "24 Hour Party People" a few years back.  He was even canny enough to appear in the film as a TV director directing...well, Tony Wilson.  Must pull that flick out of my DVD storage bin tonight, it's got "good music to chill out to."

  

"(This) may not be true, but I believe in what John Ford used to say...when deciding if to print the truth or the legend...Print the legend."    

35: Other Avenues

Well, seeing as how I post also on MySpace as well (where do I get the time to do this without taking some kind of over-the-counter narcotics?), I thought it would be nice to pull some posts from my blog there to here ("cross-pollination" I believe its called). I should have my regular Friday post called Friday Night Movie posted to my avstimuli.blogspot.com blog as well as previous installments later this week.

Also, in case I didn't bring it up, I am also posting my own little podcast of whatever brain droppings I have at the time. You can download these small files at no charge at: www.geocities.com/rsmon77. My next one should be coming shortly, so I'll let you know when to visit.

Can't wait to hear from you...

34: stimuli for August 1, 2007

DVD: "300": The action was great, but jeez, what a way to make me feel sad about my personal appearance by having a bunch of musclar, greased up dudes running around in loincloths. I do need to get a workout however...

"Hot Fuzz": My favorite comedy of this year to date. Sight gags aplenty.

"Hard Boiled": One of the best action films EVER. See why Chow Yun Fat was underused in the last "Pirates of the Carribean" film.

MUSIC: Fair to Midland, Tales of a Mayfly: I'm not sure this is metal, but it sounds fine to me.

Garbage, Absolute Garbage: A simple compilation of songs I already got, but then again, I'm probably a sucker for redheaded Scottish women.

Smashing Pumpkins, Zeitgeist: I wasn't really missing them, but it's glad to see them back (half of them anyway)

COMICS: "World War Hulk": The Hulk comes back from space (long story there) and decides to have a sit down and hug with the heores who sent there in the first place. And by "sit down and hug", I mean HULK SMASH!! Really SMASH!!!

"Yarf! Narf?"

33: current stimuli for June 4, 2007

TV: "The Sopranos": I've been missing this show over the years. Last week I regretted that decision. OMG! Definitely looking forward to the last episode...
DVD: "The Boondocks: Season One": Easily one of the most offensive, politically incorrect and gut-bustingly funny shows out now. Among my favorite episodes of television ever: Martin Luther King dealing with the present day of black society...and it's not pretty.
MUSIC: "The Fountain" soundtrack by Clint Mansell: Like I mentioned previously, I still don't know what the f**k this movie is about. But I REALLY love the score for this sci-fi romance.
BOOKS: "The Boys: The Name of the Game": Garth Ennis (PREACHER) writes this book about the need to keep decadent and corrupt superheroes in line by teaching them a lesson...a lesson in getting their ass beat and having it handed back to them in a doogie bag.

"I really should have approval over this kind of thing."

32: current stimuli for April 25, 2007

MOVIES: "Smokin' Aces": Buckets of blood, large amounts of gunfire, and chainsaw wielding inbred loons? Sounds like I'm in.

"The Venture Bros.: Season Two": Just started this one. The brothers' "multiple deaths" sequence is gut-bustingly funny.

MUSIC: Nine Inch Nails, "Year Zero"

TV: Nada these days.

BOOKS: No time to read right now.

"So you don't want to do this?"

"No, I'm saying I feel better going to Fort Knox and knocking it off with a slingshot. And if I really feel like it, I'll go into hell after Hitler."

31: The Taxman Cometh (and I kick him to the curb...)

I am a happy man today. For the first time in a verrrry long time, I am getting money BACK from the government. Weird, because I thought Bush's tax relief would have come sooner, but I guess I don't count because I'm LOWER middle class. But, this info didn't come to me until after I heard about the tragic college shooting this Monday. As I'm trying to get my Master's in English right now, I know that I rely on the campus security in case something truly horrifying happens. Hopefully this is nothing more than an isolated incident, but the last time people were this paranoid about a shooting at a place of education was Columbine High School. Hopefully, paranoia and the need to point fingers won't cloud the ongoing investigation. I'll have to address this in my justaminorcomplaint blog later this week...

So, good luck to you taxpayers this year, and remember...that sore feeling in your butt may not be a rash. You may have just lost A LOT of cash to Uncle Sam. Treat accordingly.

30: current stimuli for April 6, 2007

MOVIES: "Grindhouse": Yes, I actually went to see a movie. Defintiely worth checking out in a packed theater.

TV: "South Park": Man, are the Christians and the British gonna be ticked off this Easter.

"The Shield": My favorite corrupt cop show is back with a bang...and Oscar-winner Forest Whittaker to boot. My "Battlestar Galactica" withdrawal has been contained for now.

MUSIC: Incubus, "Light Grenades"

MISC: "SModcast": Listen to Kevin Smith and producer buddy Scott Mosier wax philosophical about everything under the sun, such as why good movies aren't getting much attention. Here's the reason: because "Wild Hogs" speaks to my generation. And the message is: old dudes in leather suits on bikes equals gay jokes and funny. Supposedly funny, I mean.

"Look at the poster for "Black Snake Moan". I mean, you got Samuel Jackson with Christina Ricci in her underwear and in chains. What the f**k is stopping people from seeing this?"

--from "SModcast"

29: Spring Break summary

As you may know (or don't know, I'm not really sure if anyone's reading this), I was recently out of town during Spring Break. It wasn't to go hang out at the beach or anything like that, although with that many drunk women in attendance, scoring for me would not really be a problem. No, I decided to go down to Mississippi to visit my father's aunt, who was going through cancer treatments. I am optimistic as to the outcome, but I knew it might be prudent to visit. She's a wonderful and sociable person for the many years I have known her. Also, I got to explore a lot of the state's capital, Jackson. Outside of the hills and huge-ass trees, it's a lot like Fresno, my hometown. I barely got home in time to catch up on my sleep (road trips aren't condusive to rest) before going back to the same 'ol rat race.

The time out has recharged me a bit. Considering how busy my summer will be, its nice to get some time away from it all.

For the moment, I'm feeling gloomy...

28: Stu's Favorite Songs of All Time, Part 3

It's been some time since I continued my list of favorite tunes, so without further ado:

Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here: Before this band went on to mega success with Dark Side of The Moon, their lead singer Syd Barrett disappeared into a haze of paranoid schizofrenia, and recently died of natural causes. With this 1975 title track, the sense of Barrett's loss couldn't be more obvious. Boasting some of the best lyrics I've ever heard, this stands as a quiet and stunning tribute to a fallen comrade. Some critics suggest the band never got past this loss (elements of paranoia and insanity filled the band's latter works, including The Wall), but its a great song nevertheless.

Bob Dylan, Knockin' On Heaven's Door: This little ditty came from a rarely seen Western (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid) from Wild Bunch director Sam Peckinpah that Dylan appeared in. But this tune managed to inspire several covers from Eric Clapton to Guns N' Roses. However, nothing beats the original.

The Psychedelic Furs, Heartbreak Beat: Nice eighties pop, epic and grandiose in scope. And I dig the dirty saxophone too.

New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle: Nice and cool syntheizer music. Gets me in the groove every time.

Massive Attack, Unfinished Sympathy: One of the first really good trip-hop tunes ever. And the album it comes from (Blue Lines) isn't bad either.

The Ramones, Blitzkrieg Bop: Two minutes of high-speed classic punk rock that refuses to slow down in case you feel like its about to run you over. It's just not done like this anymore.

Marc Bolan and T. Rex, (Bang-A-Gong) Get It On: A solid rock tune from the seventies that only hinted at what could have been if its lead singer didn't die tragically.

To be continued another time...

(There's a lot of dead people on this list. A bit depressing. Next time I need to show favorites from artists still breathing...)

27: current stimuli for March 23, 2007

MOVIES: "Casino Royale": If I had any trepidations about a new Bond, I lost it three minutes in. And the women aren't half bad either. I ♥ Eva Green.
"Rocky Balboa": I'm a sucker for sentementiality, and this one got me.
"Re-Animator": One of the most goriest and funniest movies about bringing back dead people ever. Just got a new special edition on DVD, and enjoying every ludicrous moment of it.
TV: "South Park": Ohhhh, "naggers"... oh boy... And yes, putting a friend's penis in your mouth does make you gay. As does giving the thumbs up and taking pictures of it.
"Battlestar Galactica": Man, everyone on this show is going stir crazy. And some are hearing music. And the Cylons are coming. If it's one thing about season finales, they sure know how to pile the pressure on.
MUSIC: Modest Mouse, "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank"; Bob Dylan, "The Best of..."; Mogwai, "Mr. Beast"
"How's your lamb?"
"Skewered. One sympathizes."
--a wonderful exchange from "Casino Royale"

26: Just A Minor Complaint

Well, I promised a new blog, and it is ready for mass consumption. So, just head over to justaminorcomplaint.blogspot.com to start the horror. My first minor complaint is on blondes. Not the smart ones, but the dumb ones. As in the dumb, drunk, borderline psychotic celebrity blondes. Enjoy the hate. I'll be back later...much later...

25: Spring Break, Research and Development

Well, I'm heading down South for Spring Break next week (I mean the Southern United States, chuckleheads!), and hopefully things will be good. I'm hoping to get some more posts out of the way before that, including...a new blog! Yes, I know...why would I need to do something like that? Don't I have enough useless junk to talk about already? Well, you'd be wrong, mister. It's an opinion blog, which means if you want to really know my viewpoint on the decline of society, you'll be able to soon enough. Details on the way...

In the meantime...

ALL HAIL THE RONNIE MONSTER!!!!

24: current stimuli for March 5, 2007

MOVIES: “The Prestige”: magicians and bizarre contraptions, oh my!

“Infernal Affairs Trilogy”: The inspiration for “The Departed”. Complex and surprising stuff. Not for those who like subtitles, because that requires reading. For some people, it interferes with their watching.

TV: “24”: What would you do if you had to torture your two-faced brother, threaten to kill him, and then find out your dad’s even worse? If “kill lots of terrorists to relieve the pain” was your answer…
“Battlestar Galactica”: WTFF? Just when I thought one character wasn’t going to buy the farm, they did. I’m still a bit shocked. I’ll need a drink later.
MUSIC: “Talk Is Cheap, Vols. 1-3, Henry Rollins”: This answers the question: “Did he do anything else besides that album that had the song that had the video where he was painted red and jumping up and down?” Yeah, he was Black Flag too, wisearse.
BOOKS: “Civil War”: Moral and political statement about the need for secret identities and where public safety falls in. Plus, superheroes beat the living piss out of each other. So if you don’t like politics, there’s that.
“newuniversal”: You remember many a moons ago when Marvel tried to create a “new universe” of reality based heroes? I don’t remember it too well myself. But, the first few issues are interesting, especially with the writer of Transmetropolitan and Planetary at the helm.
“DMZ”: A gritty book where New York is a hot zone between two forces in another U.S. civil war. No superheroes beating the living piss out of each other, though.
“Spartans, enjoy your breakfast, for tonight, WE DINE IN HELL!!!”

--a wonderful little gem from the upcoming “300”

23: Haiku-mania!

As a result of learning (curse you, brain!), I went on a binge of writing haikus. For those not in the know, its basically like a poem, with 3 lines and a syllable pattern of 5, 7, 5. Sounds easy, right? At first, no. But eventually, it did become easier. So, in the interest of full disclosure and possible embarassment, here are some selected writings for your reading pleasure:

You are really stressed
It's not all that important
You should just relax

Who can walk alone?
There is still love in the world
Even for the lost

Blonde with big boobies
Why do you even try to act?
Jessica Simpson

I thought the Jessica Simpson haiku made me think a lot more about the nature of life and question my reality. Plus, its NOT a lie. Why does she try?

22: current stimuli for Feburary 18, 2007

MOVIES: "The Departed": Having seen the original Hong Kong film, this remake still managed to be interesting. Very quote worthy. I may have to revise my favorites of 2006 over at AVStimuli for this one.
MUSIC: "Special Herbs: The Box Set", MF Doom: A strange collection of instrumentals and beats from half of Danger Doom.
TV: "Battlestar Galactica": Boy, I'm starting to sound like a broken record with the praise on this one, aren't I?
"The Sarah Silverman Program": Unbelievably wrong and insanely funny. I never thought I would go to hell for watching a TV show until this came along. On the other hand, I would want to go to hell if I was forced to watch "American Idol". Ooohhhhh, sick burn.
"This department has more leaks than the Iraq Navy."
"***k you."
"Can't. I'm tired from ***kin' your wife."
"How's your mother?"
"Fine. She's tired from ***kin' my father."
--a manly exchange worthy of Oscar Wilde wordplay from "The Departed"

21: current stimuli for January 12, 2007

MOVIES: "Little Miss Sunshine": Dear Lord, someone documented one of my family road trips from childhood...minus the dead relative in the back of the van. "The Descent": One of my favorite fright-flicks from last year. "A Scanner Darkly": Damn. I didn't think I was on drugs until now. I planned to go into rehab after seeing this flick, but luckily, sanity won out.

TV: "Dexter": A serial-killer who kills criminals hunting a serial killer who kills innocent people? A nice little mystery series, with nice flourishes of gallows humor. "24": I managed to get to see the first four episodes of the new season before they came out, and...oh man. The last act of episode four is still a shock to me. Plus, Kiefer Sutherland gets to reenact a scene from "The Lost Boys" on a terrorist...while tied up.

COMICS: "Ex Machina": A superhero book about a hero who becomes the mayor of New York? Surprisingly well done and thought provoking. "Astonishing X-Men": The creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" handles the mutant heroes in their best stories in years. Watching a brainwashed Wolverine behave like a British private schoolboy is worth the price of admission alone.

20: Resolutions (I kept a few…)

Well, I managed to fulfill many of last year’s resolutions (that I probably shouldn’t have revealed). Among them, I managed to post more on both my blogs, nearly double my 2005 posts, which means almost monthly! Wow, now I’m just semi-lazy as opposed to being just lazy. I kept off the weight, I am happier than I’ve been in a long time, and I got a girlfriend. Waitaminute…that was the one I didn’t do well on. Ewww… well, I almost had them all.
For this year I will resolve to…
(Hold on a second, maybe I should follow my plan of last year and NOT resolve to do my resolutions this year. Well, outside of one failure, maybe it’ll work. Okay, then let’s do this…)
I resolve NOT to get a girlfriend.
Yep, that’s it. The only one. Like I said, the others went really well and outside of that glaring one, I can’t think of anything better I resolve to do. Or NOT do…
With that in mind, hopefully you all reading (whoever you are) are and will have a wonderful new year, and remember…resolve not to do a thing! Wait, is that right? Oh man, I got think through this again…