stimuli for May 19, 2009

MOVIES: "Star Trek": It's awesome. I know it, you know it. Yes it's the dumbest Star trek movie yet (and don't get me started on why), but it's AWESOME. Moving on...

DVD: "Taken": Liam Neeson kills Albanian slavers and pretty much ANYONE who keeping him from getting his kidnapped daughter back. Yes it's a one note trashy revenge flick, but at least its a good one note trashy revenge flick.

"Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture Collection": A cool high-def set with some new special features. BTW, random note learned from set: Ronald Moore (one of the commentators on Star Trek 3 and developer on the new Galactica) is from Chowchilla.

"24: Season Seven": Hey, didn't the season end like, I don't know, yesterday? One of the advantages of spending the last year and a half in production, I guess. A vast improvement over the drag that was season 6.

TV: "Breaking Bad": Depressing, darkly humorous, and at times, unbelievably nerve-wracking. So yes, it's my favorite show on TV right now.

"Lost": Someone obviously saw the end of Beneath the Planet of The Apes. Makes the last season seem really far away.

"Fringe": Spock and the World Trade Center for a season finale? Sign me up!

MUSIC: 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day: Great album, but those looking for the immature feeling of Dookie are gonna be lost.

Funny The Way It Is, Dave Matthews Band: A good sampler of their upcoming album. I like DMB, and this is no exception.

Funhouse, The Stooges: Iggy Pop and friends make one the best rock albums EVER. For an album that is 35-odd years old, this is what a rock album should aspire to be.

stimuli for March 15, 2009

MOVIES: “Watchmen”: Anticipated (and dreaded) this adaptation of one of my favorite books ever. Not a masterpiece, but its damn good. You can bet that a lot of dudes this Halloween will be dressing up as Rorschach. Plus, people will be dressing down less to play Dr. Manhattan (yea, it’s a bad pun).

TV: “Battlestar Galactica”: Already dreading the end of this show.

“Breaking Bad”: An intense and darkly comic show about a teacher riddled with cancer who goes into meth making. The first season is now on DVD, and the second season just started on AMC. One of my favorite new shows on television.

“24”: Bill Buchanan, we hardly knew ye. Unfortunately, he knew Jack Bauer, which pretty much gets your toetag prepared in advance.

DVD: “Miracle at St. Anna”: Spike Lee’s WWII movie doesn’t really work for me. The performances are off a bit, some scenes go on longer than they should (let alone exist), and in the end, it’s drowning in melodrama. No need to rush to see this one.

“The French Connection”: One of the best cop movies ever just came back into my view.

MUSIC: U2, “No Line on The Horizon”: A nice hodgepodge of experimentation and classic U2. Enjoyed this one more than their last album, which is still better than the granulated crap that passes for most pop music these days.

“Henry Rollins on KCRW” (kcrw.com): One of my favorite radio music shows ever is now on another online radio station, but it’s all good. A great mixtape of tunes from all over the place.

65: stimuli for February 9, 2009

DVD: “Pride and Glory”: Good performances here, but still territory covered in other NY-centric cop dramas. Decent watch, but not quite worth rushing out to see.

“Burn After Reading”: An interesting black comedy about espionage and the goofs who keep screwing everything up. Not as great as No Country for Old Men, but a slightly enjoyable (if awkwardly paced) flick.

“Zack and Miri Make a Porno”: A very raunchy comedic time-killer with some nice performances inside and outside writer/director Kevin Smith’s usual repertoire of actors. This reminds me of the days I tried making porno names for movies for the heck of it. Hey, that’s an idea…

“Elite Squad”: Followed someone’s recommendation for once (good call, Jason S.) and rented this intense Brazillian cop thriller. As a fan of City of God (still haven’t seen the City of Men stuff yet), this was a hardcore flick. Definitely not for the squeamish, or those with fear of plastic bags.

TV: “Battlestar Galactica”: Two weeks of interstellar mutiny, violence, and badass-ness have left me drained. And I still have six weeks to go before it’s all over…sigh.

“Lost”: So there are Immortals in the Lost-verse? Does this mean someone will have to cut of Alpert’s head to receive the Quickening? And will it be scored to the rousing music of Queen?

“24”: Enjoying this run so far, especially Agent Freckles (yes I know that’s not the character’s name, but doesn’t it sound cuter?).

MUSIC: Pandora.com: A playlist with music I dig? Sign me up…

Indie1031.com: While not playing in L.A. car radios anymore (I weep on the inside), you can still hear some great alternative/indie classics and new favorites online.

64: stimuli for January 28, 2009

What says "leadership" more than a beleaguered, pill-popping space admiral? Well, actually...

TV: "Battlestar Galactica": I knew going into this last batch of episodes that things would get bad for the remnants of humanity, but good Lord, this is pretty bleak. The big reveals in the first half of the first new episode would be shocking enough, but there's a boatload more after that really sends things into a tailspin. Plus, it seems a rebellion is a-coming. Not the happiest show on TV, but boy its good.

"Lost": Everyone's favorite time-shifting island is back! And early word tells me this Wednesday's episode will be incredible! Exclamation points galore!!!!!!

DVD: "Chris Rock: Kill The Messenger": A solid comedy special with some still timely stuff. "We invade a country with lots of oil and gas prices still go up? If I raided KFC, chicken wings will be cheap at my house!"

MUSIC: U2, "Get on Your Boots": The first single from their new album and, I'm really digging this one. A lo-fi tune that sounds like a distant cousin from their pre-Joshua Tree days.

63: stimuli for January 14, 2009

TV: “24”: Yea, the Jack Bauer Power Hour is back, and so far it doesn’t suck. But seeing as how the show tends to drift off in latter episodes in the season, we’ll see if the extra time to film the show pays off well.

“Damages”: One of my favorite new shows of last year is back. And with Glenn Close AND William Hurt together here, it’s like a mini-“Big Chill” reunion. Criminally underwatched last season, but hopefully a few Emmy wins will get more attention to this great legal pulp potboiler.

MOVIES: “Pineapple Express”: One of the best stoner comedy/buddy action films ever made by man, if such a genre exists. At this point, I’ve seen it multiple times and STILL find it funny. “You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos, mother****er!”

WEB: “The Guild” (entertheguild.com): One of the stars of “Dr. Horrible” stars in this rather funny webseries about the dangers and benefits of having friends that you only know from online roleplaying games (e.g,, World of WarCraft). Just got into this series, and definitely enjoying it.

62: stimuli for January 7, 2009

DVD: “Traitor”: A decent little thriller about an Islamic man who may (or may not) be a willing participant in jihadist terrorist bombings. The advertising gives away a bit, but still has solid performances from Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce. And co-written by Steve Martin, in probably the most worthwhile thing he’s done recently (and don’t even think of defending the remake of the Pink Panther, all right?).

“Eagle Eye”: A flashier, louder retread of WarGames that only worked for me after I had a few beers (it was after New Year’s, so I got an excuse). Upon seeing it sober, some of the film works, but utterly preposterous all the same.

“Battlestar Galactica Season 4.0”: The first half of the last season (once again: January 16!), with many a shocking twists and turns. Hard to jump in for newbies (pick up the first season to do that; and if you haven’t, why haven’t you?), but some solid sci-fi stuff.

BOOKS: Why We Suck by Denis Leary: A warm fuzzy book that helps you see the inner a-hole in all of us. Hey, waitaminute… I’m not a a-hole. At least, not regularly…