In the mail today...

I got my new issue of Paste. Oh, and looky what we have here, the "best" of the albums and "films" of the year. Uh-huh. Right. Well, the best I guess if you only live in snooty indie-ville and pretty much nowhere else. Hey everyone look, we went out on a limb, we included a hip-hop album! I've said it before, I enjoy reading Paste, (actually I much prefer reading the vignettes in comparison to their features or reviews) but to pigeon-hole the signs of life in music to this, well, its simply naive. As for the movies, better but still lacking. Always interesting, because the normal viewing public often has even had the opportunity to see 1/5 of the list. I was impressed that they did actually include the best action (omg, an action film in Paste?) film of the year, The Bourne Ultimatum, in the list. There is hope!

But then again, that is part of the fun isn't it? The opportunity to bitch at other people's lists and say how much they suck while in turn posting yours that is infinitely superior, hehe. Then, after that, people can come and tell you that your list is naive and devoid of all things great :). So yeah, like Josh said, it's all subjective. Which means, I will no doubt have to post mine here sometime soon.

5 more days...

Yes, 5 more days have passed and I have nothing new to really talk about. I say that because I wouldn't call mounting frustration and lack of sleep to really be new things. They are old. Its all pretty much old shit by now. And to be honest, I am very fucking tired of it. Very. I suppose some people are born with more patience than others. I used to think that I had a good deal of it. Perhaps I did. But right now, I can tell you that it is used up. Dry. Bone dry. I'm not sure what else to write, or why I continue to write...is anyone besides Josh reading these? Maybe there is some therapy in it. Somewhere. It just seems like the end of the line gets reached on a daily basis. And yet, I wake up (when sleep is there) for one more day.

So far...

I can’t sleep.
Dry red eyes wide open.
Stare at the white stucco ceiling.
I turn on the TV,watch music on television.
Have I heard this song before?
Did this already happen?
Derived influence in style of dress.
Similar trends in camera technique and editing.
Sync up the cuts to the bass drum kick.
All the taste makers drinking from the same glass.
Is there anyone thinking what I am?
Is there anyone thinking what I am?

Are you restless like me? -- Against Me!, "Up the Cuts"

So far, a week into these meds, my sleep has actually gotten worse. I've tried going to bed earlier, somewhere in the middle, and the usual (i.e. early morning), and it has been a restless disaster to this point. I'm up typing this now based on another failed attempt. But hey, if I had any money I'd be already to head to BestBuy in a few hours and wait in line for those "great" deals. (Seriously, is it just me, or are the deals at Circuit City waaaaaay better than BestBuy this year?)

"No Country for Old Men"

Is pretty awesome...til' the ending...I remain undecided about it. The rest of the movie is a definite A. I can't decide if the ending is masterful or simply a cop-out. Or if it is simply being true to the novel since I have not read it...In the end though, after a few days, I think it is decent. The rest of the movie is brilliant...and I think overall I will still give it an A. It's just not going to "the" movie of the year for me. Though, to be honest, I still do not have a standout favorite this year.

A few other things (old and new) seen recently:

American Gangster -- A-
Away from Her -- B+
The Astronaut Farmer -- B+
The Hunting Party -- B+
3:10 to Yuma -- A
Wait Until Dark -- A-

Wow, that really was Steve Earle on SVU tonight

Yup, playing a jailhouse professor. Classic.

Radiohead says "Nope, wasn't our idea"

Apparently, the brilliance everyone has been equating with Radiohead and their release of "In Rainbows"...well...it actually wasn't there idea. At least that is what they are saying.

That bipolar thing...

I guess I won't say I was shocked at the diagnosis by the psychiatrist yesterday. The symptoms have been there for awhile. Years, if I really look back. No, it's not bipolar 1, that which is generally associated with destruction, the longer periods of elation/mania, harm to self/others, etc. But its still bipolar. Still the restless nights/staying up for most of the night, sleeping during the day (no wonder all-nighters in college were so easy). Short periods of elation/mania, followed by pretty awful depressive crashes and a serious lack of concentration, and plenty of suicidal thoughts. That combined with not being able to hold down a job on a consistent basis the last 4 years or so (getting no sleep while trying to work day shifts is never a good thing) AND attempted to come to terms with the sexual abuse that happened as a kid...well, it kind of fucks things up. In a big way.

I'm not going to talk about this like I am an expert. I'm not. All cases are different in some fashion. I hope to try and educate myself further in the near future. I do know this. All I can do now is hope and pray (and ask for the prayer of others). Pray that the medication that was prescribed will do what it is supposed to do. And does it fairly quickly. And perhaps...maybe...things will get a little bit clearer after that. Cause I am serious lacking in many things...including a true personal relationship with Jesus, friends, a church, career direction, and the ability to write about music and film in a clear-concise manner. Well, that and being in debt with nothing coming in at the moment. Never good. But anyway, not really sure what writing will be done in the near future. Perhaps some year end lists if I can manage. Or maybe I'll feel like writing all the time. Dunno.

A few things I'd really like to see are No Country for Old Men, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Charlie Wilson's War, The Savages, The Kite Runner, Juno, Grace is Gone, Margot at the Wedding and Sweeney Todd.

Oh...by the way, forget about what the majority of critics said about The Hunting Party and go see it. It really does the balance between humor and seriousness pretty well. Good stuff. Richard Gere's career year with this and The Hoax (which you need to rent immediately if you haven't already).

Is U2 entering Rolling Stones/Eagles/classic rocker et all territory?

I have to say something about this. Basic price for the new "Limited Edition" 2cd/dvd Joshua Tree re-release...$50+. Are you serious? Yes, I know it will be on sale from time to time..."sale" meaning $40 (or probably somewhere in the low $30s if you make it to Best Buy's door at 3am on Friday). Come on. A remastered album (should have happened 10 years ago). A "bonus disc", which really amounts to 5 songs, as any moderate fan already has the Best of B-sides released 7 years ago, and a live dvd, with as far as I can tell no behind-the-scenes/making-of, etc (I could be wrong, correct me if I am). But if this is really it for that price...well...then relevance is on a sharp decline with this, a very-subpar last album, and ticket prices out-the-roof (yes, I am aware of the show they put on, I've seen them 7 times). I understand. I would like to make lots of scratch too...but we are headed to Rolling Stones/Eagles territory here. At least in my opinion.

I don't recall Bruce Springsteen charging this much for the 30th Anniversary Edition of the arguably superior "Born to Run", which did actually come with a making of dvd AND concert dvd. If you don't own it, I'd advise you to purchase this, and wait on the J-Tree. Once again, just my opinion.

Note: I do believe I stand corrected. Apparently the dvd does include "Outside It's America", a documentary of sorts from The Joshua Tree tour and the "never-before-seen" video to "Red Hill Mining Town". I will still tell you it's too much. But hey, thats just me...and I'm poor right now :)

Diagnosis...

Today, I was diagnosed as bipolar...not sure what to make of this yet. Prayer is needed (and very much appreciated)...wherever it may come from.

Yup...all that excitement for nothing, Fox pulls the plug on "24"

So, during the world series I got all excited that "24" was going to be good again this year. Alas, it is not to be now. Originally when I saw headlines last week about the writers strike, I thought that FOX had considered pushing "24" back. Apparently I was wrong. The plug was pulled, just 3 days into the strike. Damnit.

Elizabeth:The Golden Age was...

Decent. I wasn't turned off by it, but I can't seem to put my finger on exactly what it was that was missing. I understand that the story obviously isn't going to be the same. But where the first relied on intrigue and subtlety, The Golden Age went for more flamboyant set pieces, scenes, and the like. Believe me, there was plenty of intrigue throughout her life. Clive Owen does well as Sir Walter Raleigh, Geoffrey Rush is consistent as ever, and Samantha Morton provides a quiet, constant simmer to Mary Stuart. Still, it never reaches its potential. B-

Being a die-hard Bengals fan for 25 years...

Oh my god! What has happened to me? I have been cheering at volume level 11 for...THE BROWNS!!!!!!!!!...the last two weeks!

Let's just say my level of disgust for Cincinnati has reached an all-time high...and this is the result.

Halloween 4/5 Double Feature...Give Me the Reel Thing

Okay, so watching these and Saw IV in the theatre within days of each other is definitely no credibility play. That's okay. Horror films may be my guilty pleasure per se. And there is no doubt that the original Halloween was one of the best of all time. In addition to that, there is some back story, as from what I can recall, Halloween 5 was the first horror movie I ever saw in a theatre...many moons ago.

I will tell you up front that in comparison to the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street series, I think the Halloween franchise has held up better. This by no means make the sequels masterpieces, but they have had their moments (Knocked Up co-star Paul Rudd getting his start in part 6), the lowest being Halloween Resurrection with Busta Rhymes among others stellar actors. Busta is a supporter, not a main player, I assure you.

But anyway, I won't drag this out. Besides the college boy making weird breathing/nervous laugh (I shouldn't really be at any horror movies cause I can't deal with it) noises and obnoxious constant side comments to the only girl that would have him, the other thing that really pissed me off about this one-off showing last Tuesday was the fact that it was the dvd being super-imposed onto the screen. Not the actual print. Meaning, the sound was so-so and the the picture was actually about 70% of the screen. Now...I admit, there is a chance that I still would have gone to this showing and paid my $10 (oh my god did I really pay that?) knowing what I do now. Maybe. I'm just saying it would have been nice to know. And as we all know, knowing is 1/2 the battle. Just like GI Joe said.

You know the temperature in hell is dropping quickly when...

This is what's selling in America this late in the game. What's even funnier is trying to imagine how the oh-so-progressive Don Henley and Co. could explain their exclusive arrangement with Wal-Mart of all places. And as the "The Dude" once said, "I hate the fuckin' Eagles!" (I'm pretty sure he would have included Britney in there as well)

Yes, It's True...David Mead agrees, Maritime's new one is the shit!

Though I frequently lament the fact that Paste generally doesn't view punk/hardcore/metal/etc. as viable genres or has simply decided that they don't fit into the all things indie/oldie-but-goodie categories; occasionally they agree with me. Such is the case with David Mead's review of the new Maritime album in the new (November 2007) issue. I have to find it online yet, but I assure you it's in there.

(With the exception of Peter Travers) I really wish Rolling Stone would cease to exist

For real. Jan Wenner, give it up for god's sake. Your black/white politics (oh so noticeably absent before 2001) are laughable. Your features are ridiculous. You are so far behind publications like Alternative Press and Paste that every time you do an ass-clowned feature like "Indie Rock Universe" you look like an even bigger out-of-touch douche than you already did (no small feat). In fact, why don't you get together with the owners of Spin and give us a 2-for-1 sale and both take a dirt nap.

"Rendition" and "We Own the Night"

Rendition raises a debate that we have heard before...is it okay for us to torture those that are suspected of being terrorists based on our fears for our own national security? Honestly, I still don't have the answer to that question. I mean I do in my heart, just not in my gut. (That would be a "no" by the way). Well, Rendition really isn't going to answer that for you either. Jake Gyllenhaal isn't bad as an agent forced into his first "interrogation" by circumstance; and Reese Witherspoon pouts, cries and whimpers at all the right moments while of course showing "strength" the whole time. The excellent Peter Saarsgard is there and then he's not. And Meryl Streep plays cool calculation to perfection as she has done numerous times before. But in the end, not a whole lot is answered and while it's done well you can't exactly say, "at least it was fun getting there". B-

We Own the Night is also a thriller in nature, though more of a standard cop/drama kind. It is also a solid flick if never quite rising above that standard formula. Joaquin Phoenix reminds us of his versatility. Mark Wahlberg reminds us he can play a hardass. Robert Duvall reminds us that he can be quietly stoic. And of course Eva Mendes reminds us that she is hot. In between all of this is movie that is pretty well put together and moves at a steady pace despite delays in the timeline even though director James Gray has kind of been here before with Wahlberg in "The Yards". B