It's Leap Year Day!

On this magical Leap Day I woke up like any other day of the year. 30 Rock steered me wrong. I thought there would be magic abound on this Leap Day but it was no different than any other day of the year. I should probably spent less time hoping for television sitcoms to come true.

So I got nothing really important to talk about (yeah because all your other posts broke mental grounds). So here are a few blurbs about a few things I did or saw today:

This morning started out pretty terrible. I decided to try these Peanut Butter Cheerios that I found in my house. They were not good. I love peanut butter and breakfast cereal is probably my favorite thing in this world. So the two together haven't done me wrong (Peanut Butter Captain Crunch or Reese's Puffs anyone?). But they did me wrong here. This cereal was not good. Could have been a lot better, but when you are putting a cereal up against the likes of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch or Reese's Puffs, those are hard shoes to fill. It was decent enough, I won't be eating it again that is for sure. I feel as the Cheerios company (General Mills or something) wanted to make one of their healthy type cereals but with a little flavor (cue Frosted Cheerios!). Well as with their other forays, they fell on their faces. You gotta commend them for trying though.

Here's what I had for lunch:

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is indeed beef brisket over macaroni and cheese covered in BBQ sauce. Recently a friend and I stumbled upon a food truck called Rancho A Go Go. They specialize in slow cooked meats. This was pretty delicious and if you ever find yourself near this food truck definitely give it a shot. Worth every penny.

Now the really important stuff. It's Wednesday and that means new comic books. I get my comics through an online distributor so I rarely find myself at a comic book store on Wednesdays. But today Ralph Wiggum's one-shot came out. I love the Simpsons and have since I can remember. They were the one thing my father, brother and myself could all agree on when it was time to watch something. Anyone who has seen the Simpsons most likely knows about the police chief's son, Ralph. He is a great little guy, a little slow, but you just have to love him. This issue is all Ralph all the time and it is great. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, it wasn't anything awe-inspiring, it was just Ralph. And I loved it.

I almost bought the new issue of Orc Stain but for some reason the paper smelled horrendous, so I put it back. The paper was nice, it was heavy and the already extremely vibrant comic lept off the pages, but it smelled so bad I just couldn't do it. Now Ralph Wiggum, that was some great paper. Nice, heavy stock, crisp and didn't flop so easily like all the comics from Marvel and DC. Plus it didn't make me want to throw up so that is always a plus!

I promise not to talk about the paper stock of comic books ever again. That is a level of nerdom I don't want people to know about.

(Orc Stain is an amazing comic drawn by an amazing artist, I buy that book in trade format, the only reason I brought it up was because I felt it necessary to talk about the paper because it smelled so funky. I love the book and wish it all the best, but damn, the paper smelled horrible.)


So that's it for today. Just about the most meaningless post I think the blogosphere has ever seen. I started with breakfast cereal then ended with talking about paper? Come on, there wasn't anything more interesting for you to talk about today Alex? Sorry everyone, no there wasn't.

I think I might be going to that 24 hour Disneyland business tonight so maybe I'll have something halfway interesting to talk about tomorrow.


I don't own those photos
Except the one with my hand in it and the one I took of a comic book page with my phone

The Artist, or the Greatest Dog Movie Ever Made

Now some of you might be asking yourself, "He surely ment to type 'Air Bud', or 'Lassie'. He just wasn't thinking when he put 'The Artist'". Well you would be wrong. Now sit there in your wrongness and read on!

So I saw The Artist today. Now all I've heard about this movie is how it is a love letter to cinema (eat your heart out Hugo!) and how amazing the acting is from everyone involved. I agree with all of that and feel that this movie deserved the Academy Awards it received. It truly is a window to the past when pop culture was just starting to become a part of culture. The silent films were the first attempts at creating new worlds for people to immerse themselves into. The introduction of the 'talkies' however was something many were against. This is where we find George Valentin as this movie begins.

George Valentin is one of the most beloved silent film actors, only rivaled by his dog Uggie. This movie is beautiful in that it gives us one of the most amazing performances in recent memory. Uggie is a powerhouse of talent. He can't be stopped. His performance in this movie is only opposed by his master George Valentin, played by Jean Dujardin. Jean's performance is deserved of his Academy Award without a doubt. His ability to express emotion with his face and minimalist mustache was astounding. Obviously it being a silent movie requires the actors to do most of the acting with their bodies. I believe that all the actors in this film were taught by none other than Uggie himself. As a dog he cannot talk (not sure if you knew that) and his experience as an actor who can't talk obviously was beneficial to the other actors in this film.

Sure this movie is about film history and how the introduction of the 'talkies' rocked the medium to its core. But what was more interesting to me were the characters and how they evolved in tandem with the evolution of the film medium. The two main characters' (George Valentin and Peppy Miller, played by Berenice Bejo) arcs mirrored each other. As one star rose another fell. It isn't a unique storyline by any stretch of the imagination, however the actors and their ability to show their emotion through their facial expressions was what set this movie apart. Even though the two main characters were awe inspiring, neither of them came close to the ability of Uggie. Uggie did not need a voice to express his feelings, nor did he need expressions to show his love, anger, determination, or any of the other countless emotions you feel from Uggie in this film.

George Valentin fell from stardom and spiraled into a self-loathing, depressed man. The joy he felt for life was quickly diminished when people started to look towards this new and intriguing style of film making. It became clear that he was not the everyman, collected person he portrayed in his films. He was rather the opposite. He was a needy, loveless man with a hole in his soul that no amount of idolization could fill. He pushes everyone in his life away, but he knows to keep his rock, the only person who truly loves him for who he is, close to him. He keeps Uggie and Uggie stays with George because he knows how much George needs him. While everyone in this film is changing themselves to be who the world wants them to be (for some it takes longer than others), one character stays true to who they have been and who they know everyone needs. Uggie is the cornerstone that holds this film together. He is the reason George is able to live.

The Artist is a film that many believe captures the essence of what makes a motion picture truly beautiful and captures a tumultuous time in film history. It is all these things but to me this movie is an example of what all humans go through. It is an example of life, of being thrust in a direction you do not expect nor even want sometimes. It is more than just a love letter to film it is a love letter to life and living for what you believe. It reminded me to recognize that things change, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better.



I don't own that picture


But I wouldn't mind owning that awesome dog

A Review of the Silent Film "The Artist"

Almost 100 views in a day?

I guess people like me. I have almost 100 views on this here blog. Well that is pretty neat. Not sure if I get a medal or anything for that, but it's cool to see that people actual are reading this rather than me just talking to myself.

I am about to go see the Artist so I might write a thing or two about that movie when I get back. But until then, here are a few things I've enjoyed this morning:

I just recently heard about the Belgium born musician Gotye. His record "Making Mirrors" is a unique collection of songs that don't feel like they would normally go together. Each song is a different style than the last but they all work really well together. He's gonna go far in this world. Here's my current favorite track off "Making Mirrors", "State of the Art":

The Best Show on WFMU podcast is a great couple of hours to have on in the background. If you have to listen to one episode check out the February 2nd 2012 episode. The last 20 minutes where the host, Tom Sharpling, tries to do 50 (terrible but hilarious) impressions is worth your time.

Then here are a few comics I've been reading this morning:

Thanks for read!

(I opened the edit menu to change that typo but I decided against it. Don't point it out, I know it's there)

I don't that video or the rights to those books

Once again I just feel like I need to say that

Wanderlust. Why was it called that?

So I got bored this evening and wanted to just walk around the book store and Byrne read a few things (Byrne reading is a term used by comic fans where you sit in the store and read the comic, it was coined by famous writer/artist John Byrne). Well I get there and decide to check my phone to see if there is a movie playing that I would like to see. I wasn't down and out enough to see Ghost Rider, nor was I interested in the Rock's nipples enough to see Journey 2. Everything else isn't even worth thinking of something witty to say.

I get to the bottom of the listing of movies and I see that the new David Wain movie Wanderlust was playing. I had heard David Wain on a recent episode of the amazingly funny Comedy Bang Bang podcast and he mentioned the film. He didn't give away any plot details and only mentioned members of the cast in passing. But having seen David Wain produced movies and TV shows in the past I had a rough understanding of who was going to be in it and what kind of feel the movie would have.

I knew Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston were going to star in this movie but the best part about recent comedy movies for me have been picking out the guest stars. David Wain has been producing comedies on the big and small screen for years so he has a few friends. It wasn't all that surprising to see Ken Marino (who also co-wrote the script), Joe Lo Truglio, Todd Barry, and Alan Alda.

The story was just okay. Young couple in New York try to buy an apartment but after their careers take a turn for the worst they go to live with Rudd's brother. They find themselves at a commune and begin to see themselves in this world. I don't want to give everything away so I will stop there. The story was fine but it wasn't very believable to me. There were many times where I needed to just go with it. That's not a bad thing but it happened frequently. I'm not nearly old to start worrying about owning a house or having a wife or wondering if I am stuck in a commune full of psychopaths.

Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, and even the writer/director David Wain could easily be right out of that stage in their lives. All three of them are into their 40s and from what I've seen people at that age have their lives more or less figured out. This movie seems like a way for David Wain, and in part the whole cast, to look back at the hard times in their lives and have a different perspective than when they were living them. I'm not trying to say that I know what any of the cast members have gone through in their lives, however I am saying it is plausible that this movie was a way for them to work through those hard times when they were first trying to make it in this world. Or they just wanted to make hippy jokes for three months.

Now you can go into each of the members of the commune and how they're quirks could possible equate to how they ended up where they do in this film. But this movie is a comedy. It is supposed to make people laugh. It did that in spades. I had a good time seeing this movie. I wasn't very invested in the story, it was entertaining but it fell short. What this movie had however was a lot of great comedians doing what they do best, making people laugh.

The theater wasn't packed by any stretch of the imagination. There were maybe 5 couples, myself, and this other guy who was there on his own, but there was a lot of laughs being had. This movie got people to laugh and I don't think you can ask for much more than that. Go see this movie, or don't, it's no skin off my back, but if you like to laugh and like Paul Rudd being awesome, this might be up your alley.




Here are a few pros and a single con:

Pros:

• Ken Marino as a stereotypical poohead older brother
• Doorless bedrooms, bathrooms, and every other -rooms
• Justin Theroux "fighting"
• Alan Alda suffering the residual effects of hallucinogens 
• David Wain, Michael Ian Black, and Michael Showalter as some of the funniest newscasters

Con:

• Too much of Joe Lo Truglio

I don't own that picture. 

I feel like I need to say that.

Initial thoughts on Blogs

So I've never done anything like this before. I wrote two articles for my high school newspaper and that's about the extent of my writings available to the public. A blog seemed like something I could do without much preparation (God knows many bloggers don't). After being a user of the internet for many years and reading many different blogs on many different topics, it became clear to me that literally anyone can write a blog about literally any topic.

There are countless blogs about any topic you can think of. I'm sure everyone and their mother knows someone with a blog devoted to movies, or a blog specifically about TV shows. There are most likely people out there who know of blogs centered around knitting cats little sweaters (if you find this hypothetical blog please tell me. I am sort of interested in that). I think that is a real testament to the beauty of the internet. The internet does a lot of terrible things to society but it also can do some great things. Where else in the world can anyone of any age or demographic share their thoughts on a topic they really care about? I believe that is something truly unique to this time in history. Some people might abuse the freedom to share their opinions that a blog allows, but at the same time there are the people writing about their cat sweaters.

There are a lot of terrible things that happen in this world. The good things in this world get over shadowed by the bad more often than not. It can be hard to find the things that bring you job. That's why I support blogs 100%. They're just people sharing what they love.  It's hard to find what you love, and it's even harder to share those things to a world so interested in the bad. What brings you joy? What reminds you that this world isn't all bad? Do you talk about that often? Do you share what you find awesome in this world with others?

The point of this blog isn't to convince you that certain things are better than others, it's just a way for me to share what I enjoy about this world. Whether it be comic books, movies, TV shows, crappy reality TV, music, or anything else that crosses my mind. I don't have any master plan behind what I want to talk about, I just want to share what makes me excited about the day. What has you excited this week? This month? This year?