Post-Borat Depression

Courtesy Of VH1.com, Entirely By Coincidence
Two things:
1. Everything you need to know about the on-going joke that is "Chinese Democracy"
and more interestingly
2. Richard Linklater is five years into making a TWELVE YEAR MOVIE

Movies
Back into proper holiday-viewing mode, having watched four movies in four days.

Duel - Spielberg's first proper feature. Thrilling from start to finish, ending a bit deflating if entirely logical and 'fair enough' I suppose. Maybe I'm just too used to expecting twists because of modern movie poison. Maybe that's the genius of Duel, you expect one and there isn't - a twist in itself.... or not... But yeah - I feel like if I get the right idea I, or anyone, could write a movie like this... must get said-idea...

The Abyss - Cool movie. Not Cameron's best. Actually it's probably only better than Titanic and (presumably) Piranha II as far as his directorial efforts go. But cool movie anyway. CG effects are quite stunning for 1989 or whenever it was, foreshadowing 1991's Terminator 2. Oh and the movie was unmistakably Cameron, he's quite an auteur for a largely action-movie director like Hawks (apparently, say lecturers) and Spielberg I guess.

Children Of Men - In theatres now, I recommend you see it - assuming you'll still have money for Casino Royale and Pan's Labyrinth which will probably be better. But the action (and contrary to the marketing, there's SHITLOADS... eventually... ) deserves the big screen treatment. The warzone scenes obliterate anything I've seen before, the beach scene in Saving Private Ryan included. Cool use of well-choreographed long-takes here also, and blood splatter on the camera is a welcome effect. Also, this is the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals:




















I thought I was imagining things when it popped up, but yes, it is randomly featured in the movie in perhaps the greatest background reference in cinematic history. Brilliant.

Borat - Certainly inconsistent though most gags at least draw some degree of smile-age. Smile-age. Smilage. New word. Catchy 'cause it's like "milage" so people already know the sound, like Nelly Furtado's hook in Maneater which steals from (and I do mean steals from, no royalties paid or samples taken) the hook in the 80s pop hit Maneater by some old dinosaurs. But yeah, Borat. At it's best, it's brilliant (i.e. when Americans are making themselves look like fools - some of it just has to be seen to believed... or maybe not, because redneck ignorance is widely-documented and Borat visits every out-of-the-way town to track it down) and there are enough "at it's best" moments for this film to deserve your hard-acquired cash. But it's not Holy Grail, so don't believe it'll be the funniest movie ever as some claim (having presumably only seen American Pie etc.).

Fare Thee Well, friedorange Blog
So Dennis's blog has come to an end. Be sure to pay your respects here.

I bid thee farewell with the fitting words of Monier Williams:
god bless you, front of house. you'll be missed. by the people who knew you - and, more importantly, by stuff like blowdarts and bullets when you do that crazy matrix stuff. and then you do a somersault.

Of course, you can now go here instead (off to a good start: "James Blunt does not belong to this category, I can't stand his voice, nor do I like his songs" - yay).