Mantis Style!

Tell me something, is it poor form to talk during a silent film? I mean, it's not like your chatter would cause anybody to miss the dialougue, right? The only reason I ask is cuz I got me some tickets to check out The Hunchback of Notre Dame on Monday, and I don't want to look like a total ass.

School is hard! I got papers to write and tests to study for, so enough of this business, I'm outta here!

What's on myPod
It's the girls of punk rock. I got Pretty Girls Make Graves, and they are a pretty rough group. On a slightly lighter note, I also have The Donnas, possibly the horniest female rock group ever. I would just like to point out for the record that I am still not Donna.

**UPDATE**
HOLY SHIT! I have just listened to the most ingenious hip-hop project EVER. Do you guys remember The Beatles "The White Album"? Sure you do. What about Jay-Z's "The Black Album"? Ring a bell? Well, DJ Dangermouse has taken the rythms and music of The Beatles, mixed it up and dubbed it over with Jay-Z's lyrics. The name of this project? "The Grey Album", of course. It's insanely original, purely innovative, and sure to get him sued by either party.

posted by Tay @ 12:35 AM

Looking for a new comic? I might have one lined up for this weekend. I know, I've really fallen off when it comes to updating those things, but you know how lazy I am.

An open message to anybody with crazy get-rich-quick schemes: I am most certainly interested. Contact me at you most early convinience.

Also, if you haven't done so already, check out Neil Jam, a universe where everything is expressed in diatic relationships. Simple art, simple humour, simply good.

What's on myPod?
None other than the greatest sell-outs in ska, Crowned King! To be fair, I was listening to these guys way before they had posters up in the Bluenotes at the mall. Yikes. It's amazing how a band can sell their souls to the devil, and still be able to pound out catchy ska-core rythms. Download the track "My Hero" to get a good sense of what they're all about.

posted by Tay @ 2:28 AM

I have been eating at Open Sesame way too much lately. For the third time this week, I've been enjoying their fabulous atmosphere and food. I really should stop, I'd hate to spoil myself.

I don't read other blogs very often, but I've recently tripped over one that has got my interest. In Passing is a collection of conversational tidbits that this woman happens to hear in passing. She jots them down and posts them, and I swear to god that they could write a movie based on some of the nuggets she's recorded. Some writers likely spend their entire lives trying to capture real human comedy, but this stuff is just freakin' gold. Check it out.

What's on myPod?
Rap fans out their, put away your stupid Westside Connection albums. Instead, check out Blackstar, the infinitely cool collaboration between wonder MC Mos Def, and new upcomer Talib Kweli. While Kweli himself brings a slightly gangster flavour to the tracks, it's all still very cerebral, mostly due to Mos Def's contributions. An excellent record. Check it out.

posted by Tay @ 12:01 AM

Man oh man, but if I ever become a sad drunk again, hurt me. That's just not any fun for anybody.

So, I'm being sued. And not for any of the things that I should be sued for. Not defamation of character, or making those people in the mall cry, but for a stupid traffic accident that happened about 2 years ago. Way to be on the ball there, plaintiff.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, let me tell you. I've seen some really cool stuff though. I went with Tamara to the Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival, which was pretty awesome. We got to see the world's most tattooed dude, who closely resembled Nightcrawler of X-Men fame. Unfortunatly, besides being totally wicked, the man's only other super power was scaring small children. And pain threshhold, I guess. It's noth like having your gums tattooed tickles.

What's on myPod
It's the fabulously funky fresh flows of Maroon 5. Although it's terribly mainstream for my tastes, I can't resist the bands combination of the sexy funk guitars heralding back to the days of The Philosopher Kings, with a dash of Wide Mouth Mason's lyrical stylings. It's neat stuff, if you ask me.

posted by Tay @ 12:12 AM

Reading Week is underway, and I'm feelin' fine! Yessir, there's nuthin' better than not going to school! To kick off the reading week, let's do a film review and a music review.

But before we get into that, I'd like to direct your attention to a blog that belongs to a good friend of mine. EB Mike is in Japan with his fiance right now, and he's a much better blogger than I, updating more frequently with interesting posts and pictures. Check him out.

Big Fish
Dare I say that film is Tim Burton's most mature work to date? Sure. This isn't anything what I expected it to be, all the campy post-modern art direction that I've seen from Burton so far has been toned down, or given special meaning. I didn't cry, but a lesser man might have. If you're not a Burton fan, then at least rent this when it comes to video. It goes to suport my theory that Steve Buscemi is indeed in every movie in the world, we just haven't found him yet. Kinda like Waldo.

What's in myPod?
At the suggestion of the fabulous artist behind OMGWTF!, I've been listening to a band that call themselves The New Amsterdams. Good stuff, really. Not quite as good for a self-loathing attitude as say, The Cure, but pretty sappy stuff nonetheless.

posted by Tay @ 11:19 PM

I really don't have much to say, so why don't I give you guys a couple of movie reviews.

Lost In Translation
It's an interesting character piece, but not much else. By way of comedy, it's original, but not generous. Bill Murray plays the exact same sad-sack that he did in Rushmore, another Sofia Coppola film that was much better, in my opinion. It's up for an Oscar, so watch it and feel smarter than everybody who hasn't.

High Fidelity
Fantastic. John Cusack leads a trio of record store workers who embody the very spirit of the Elitist Asshole which I adore. The writing is sharp as a tack, and Jack Black's show-stopping number at the end is pure gold. The DVD's deleted scenes are all really good, and I wish that many of them had been included in the original cut. Check it out already.

What's in myPod?
Obscure British hip-hop, that's what. Dizzee Rascal has got a sound and style that I've never heard before, and I like it. Check out the vdeo for his single, Fix Up, Look Sharp. It's like something straight out of the 80's, but with 21st century production values. Where can I get my hands on some of those Marvel T-shirts he's wearing? Juggernaut rocks!

posted by Tay @ 2:07 AM

Greetings, true believers! It's time to show all those false believers what's for!

Seriously, I am having a really crappy week. School sucks, and so does just about everything and everybody else. Those of you who do not suck know who you are, likely because I will explicitly tell you that you do not suck. Like this:

Lionel, you suck.

Movie Review: The Butterfly Effect
Meh, it's okay, I guess. I think the only reason that I didn't hate it is beacause of my fetish for time travel movies. Of course, the plot holes that are essential to this genre are numerous, but spotting them is half the fun right there. If the word "fuckbag" makes you giggle, then this film is right up your twisted crack-alley.

Sorry for the lack of posts and comics last week, but there was a lack of internet at work, which is where I get the majority of this crap done.

Hey, I've got a great idea for a new feature to add to the site here! What with me constantly listening to my iPod now, it might be of some interest for you to know what exactly it is that I'm listening to. We could call it something like:

What's In myPod
What with this deep funk that I've found myself in, I've been listening to a lot of the solo works by RJD2, a hip-hop producer of sorts. He's not like new-school producers Timbaland or The Neptunes, but closer to something of a Cut Chemist, with a darker, UK sound. When he teams up with Rap favorites like Mos Def or Blueprint, it's an unstoppable combination. I would definitly reccomend looking for some of his works.

posted by Tay @ 11:39 PM