Friday, March 27, 2009

Bruce Lee vs Iron Man

[#] posted at 4:35 pm (GMT +1200)

Best stop motion short ever.

Labels:

* * *

Thursday, March 26, 2009

In and Out

[#] posted at 11:52 am (GMT +1200)

After the mental times of crazed packing, moving and sleeping on whatever spare surfaces my friends could provide for me, I'm now in a room of my own. There's a certain standard of living in this new place that is quite unlike the others I've lived in, but I chalk it up to be an interesting experience.

But one night in and I'm in a moment off to Auckland to attend The Kills concert. totally awesome. Can't wait. Hopefully get some Real Groovy purchases going on.

Yeah, I know I had denounced consumerism earlier, but that doesn't count for movies and music. I love those way too much to be able to give up. But other stuff? totally expendable. Or at least sellable.

Anyway... concert! Kills! Outta here.

* * *

Yes, Oh Freakin' Yes!

[#] posted at 11:07 am (GMT +1200)

Trailer for Where the Wild Things are is finally out and crapmypants awesome. I can't wait. Embedded trailer here, but you totally should watch the nice HD ones at apple instead here.

Labels: ,

* * *

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Craig Robinson is my new lover

[#] posted at 1:54 am (GMT +1200)

This hilarious screensaver is downloadable from the funnyordie website here. Or you can just watch the awesomeness that is Craig Robinson in this video.

Labels: ,

* * *

Monday, March 23, 2009

My Weekend of Happy Fun Times

[#] posted at 3:58 am (GMT +1200)

So it turns out I own a lot more stuff that I had originally thought I did. At first, packing up books, CDs and comics, you know, stuff that's on shelves, was simple and made moving look like it was going to be relatively easy. Well this facade didn't last long...

Example... Clothes? No problem, I don't really own that many. Oh wait, jackets? I have quite a few of those. Packed. Done. Oh hey, there's some more jackets in here, better pack those into some more boxes. Next up... oh wait, there's more coats in this closet. Better get out another box...

Now repeat this process but each time with a different set of objects like: camera equipment, lighting equipment, computer components, cables, files and folders, scripts, musical instruments, toys, knick-knacks, kitchen stuff, photos and general tiny doo hickey things that I have a tenancy to hold onto for posterity reasons and mix it all up in a building rush of growing haste, panic and the fact that you're not doing it in any order and you just keep discovering stuff you completely forgot you own and that's at least a brief description of the moving process I went through this weekend.

Actually, don't get me started on the packing of the DVDs either. I thought I'd have enough boxes to hold all of them... totally didn't. In fact, the volume ratio of DVDs was well more than all my books, comics, cds and clothes combined.

Moving is not fun and in fact, I haven't even moved yet, I've moved my furniture (half of it) into my new temporary room, but the room isn't actually free yet as the guy still hasn't moved out and wont be for a few days. So all the stuff that required a trailer is packed into the corner, but all the crap that's in boxes is currently stored at a friends until the room frees up and even then, I don't think I'll fit everything into the room.

So it's safe to say that this whole moving experience has developed a new found appreciation for the lifestyle of hobos and I'm pretty much close to denouncing my worship of consumerism. Well, not quite. But I think I'm going to start selling off a lot of the things I own just so that the next move, whenever that will be, will involve a lot less stuff needing packing and moving... hopefully.

It's been a long weekend and aside from the packing and moving, there was also a lot of house cleaning involved and by the end of it all, I was dead on my feet, but still managed to go out for some drinks and work a full shift. Actually, I'm still tired as hell because I haven't had enough catch up sleep, but at this point, I'm used to it. It's just hard to write anything right now and feel its something actually readable. Like that last line, pretty sure it doesn't make much sense.

Anyway, a super massive huge big thanks to everyone who helped in some way from helping transport stuff to putting me up for a night (or both). You all know you are. And now I shall enjoy a few days of homelessness until I get to do some proper moving into my new place.

Labels: , ,

* * *

Friday, March 20, 2009

General Updating

[#] posted at 3:43 pm (GMT +1200)

In the lengthy process of packing and moving stuff. Also had a physio examination today and it turns out my lower spine hates me. Further treatments to be had next week.

In the meantime, I'll be moving into a new, possibly temporary place. I have no idea what I've got planned for the future, so I'm just playing it all by ear at the moment. Fun times to be doing at this point in my life and in the era of a recession.

Once all the moving is done and I'm settled down a bit, I've got quite a few film projects that well be shifting up a few gears and rearing to kick a little local butt, but more news on that in a few weeks time. In the meantime, I'll just have to deal with the retarded level of junk, boxes, files and folders of things still in my room. Have packed away most of my books, comics and CDs which have already taken up several boxes, and am currently dreading the number of boxes I'll need just for the DVDs. Consumerism rules.

* * *

Friday, March 13, 2009

The Dead Weather

[#] posted at 5:45 pm (GMT +1200)

Less than two weeks till The Kills NZ tour and I'm looking very forward to it. It's surprising how popular they've become really. Anyway, Jack White just announced a new band called The Dead Weather and The Kills' Alison Mosshart fronting and that's awesome.

Here's their first video for their song Hang You From The Heavens...

Labels: ,

* * *

More Doom For You

[#] posted at 5:38 pm (GMT +1200)

Eighth drink driving conviction for pregnant woman

Horse bites off man's testicle

Climate fears being realised

But in other slightly more interesting articles is this brief but cool write up on the flight of the Apollo 9 Spider.

Or just screwed up... Man dressed as Batman character the Joker shot dead by police

Labels: ,

* * *

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Brief Updating

[#] posted at 12:16 am (GMT +1200)

Had an evening of no internet last night and goddamn was that one long night. In the news of moving, it seems we're gonna be in this house for another week as my flatmate needs a little more time to sort his moving arrangements and our super cool landlord didn't mind us hanging around for one more week. He's made of win.

* * *

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Tough Like the Ukulele

[#] posted at 2:32 pm (GMT +1200)

Best Nirvana cover ever.

Labels: ,

* * *

Monday, March 09, 2009

Brief Updating

[#] posted at 3:51 pm (GMT +1200)

Been slowly packing and organising my things into boxes and rubbish piles today. Its amazing how much paperwork I've accumulated in the last year and a half too.

The last day in this house will be Saturday, and from now till then, I'll have to sort out my things, move them, sort out where I'm staying next, keep looking for a new job and get a damn haircut. I've endured the most of the annoying fringe always getting in the eyes stage, but now I'm reaching the annoying semi-mullet in the back stage which always makes me want to go out and get a haircut, but by the time i hit the hairdressers chair, I haven't figured out what I want and tell them to just cut it all back to short. Fingers crossed I don't do that.

Well that was a rather dull post. Here's a suggestive picture.

* * *

Music Video - Smile Around the Face by Four Tet

[#] posted at 3:47 pm (GMT +1200)

Been watching some good old British comedy shows and one particular actor who's been on a lot of them is the brilliant Mark Heap. Here's a music video with him in it and its just great.

Labels: ,

* * *

Sunday, March 08, 2009

General Movie Jibba Jabba

[#] posted at 4:06 pm (GMT +1200)

Not content with just the robots taking over the planet, I've been reading up a lot of articles on the big bang theory and the ultimate fate of the universe, which, though long after the robots have enslaved our planet, stripped it of all its resources and took to the stars, is the theory that the universe is actually expanding at an accelerating rate and eventually will be nothing but redshift to radiation. Gotta love science.

Anyway, been pretty shit still at keeping this constantly updated, which I still maintain is a robot conspiracy. Caught up with some friends over the weekend and managed to stay conscious through the most of a friend's Samurai movie marathon and got to watch a few films that I've been meaning to watch for a long time. In particular is Hari-Kiri by Masaki Kobayashi which was just great and something I've got to get my own copy of sometime. Wonderful lighting and intense performances from all, check out his other film Kwaidan if you can sometime.

Also caught Watchmen which left me at a loss for an opinion for a few days and even now I'm not as close to deciding if I liked it or hated it. On one hand, the adaptation of the comic in terms of visuals and dialogue have been done brilliantly well and the film looks amazing and lots of the scenes reminded me of bits exactly in the books, on the other hand, that's almost just saying that comics are nothing but movies that don't move and I think that's the growing attitude towards graphic novels which is stupid. While this worked in Sin City and 300 cause there was this macho attitude towards everything in the comics and that attitude was there on screen, Watchmen the comic is full of nuances and subtext and themes that just weren't there on the screen. It was like a hollow doppleganger or carbon copy of the general plot and no soul behind it.

In saying all that actually, I think I'm getting closer to not hating Watchmen. Other gripes I had were that the pacing of the film was very off, the soundtrack (apart from the wonderful use of Dylan in the opening credits) was awful, the changed ending was terrible, most of the action scenes were boring and unnecessary and what the hell was up with Nixon's nose? It was hard to pay attention to anything else when the damn thing was on screen.

I wanted to like the movie, I really did, and I admire Snyder for "staying true" to the comics, but in doing so, he's just made a hollow moving picture version that made me want to go back to the comic and stay there.

Really, I should have posted this semi-review separately, but meh. Here's a version of Watchmen I'm certainly glad they never did and yet strangely would have still watched it anyway...

Labels: , , , ,

* * *

Monday, March 02, 2009

Posting Stuff on Films

[#] posted at 5:50 pm (GMT +1200)

Am currently editing a video for my friend Sash and introducing his Samurai Movie marathon this weekend, which is just fun and a good excercise to keep me working. Especially since I'm currently sick from work, which is really annoying, cause I get sick only once a year during the seasonal change from Summer to Winter, but that shouldn't happen for a few more months. This flu is way too early and I blame it on global warming. To be fair, I do blame everything on global warming, well, I do if I can't blame it on the robots first.

Last week there was a screening of the short film collection It Came From the Swamp at the Hamilton Gardens Summer Festival. I tried to attend it, but somehow got lost in the gardens and it seemed everyone I inquired had a different opinion of where exactly it was on the grounds. But from what I've heard, most screenings have gone down very well and Spit-Takes is a real crowd pleaser, which is great.

At the insistence of several people I've uploaded an old video made several years ago. Shot on no budget and for a university music video competition, this was just fun for all involved and turned out to be pretty much one of the only videos I can rewatch without cringing for some self concious reason.

So, without further blathering, I present "I Think I Can" with music by The Pillow.

Labels: , , , ,

* * *

Strangest Theft Ever

[#] posted at 5:36 pm (GMT +1200)

So it takes an out of the blue, crippling flu to get me to finally update this blog. Plenty has gone on in the last two weeks, but I'll just detail one thing for this post.

First off my wallet was stolen one night in the most bizzare of circumstances. One night, alone in my house, I was preparing to head into town for some drinks when I realised I'd need money for a taxi, so I pulled some notes out of my drawer and put it in my wallet and left it on my desk. I left the room for a few minutes to call a cab, grab another beer and then waited for the taxi for about ten minutes.

The cab arrives and as I was leaving, I realised I didn't have my wallet and looking where I knew I last put it, it wasn't there. Several minutes of frantically looking, I resorted to telling the driver to just go without me.

After turning my room inside out for an hour, I thought a bit on it. I knew the window by my desk was open at the time, so looking outside, I found a few other items that were in the grass, still dry (as it had been raining all night).

So the conclusion was that after seeing me put money in my wallet, it had been taken from my window. In all the time I've lived at this house, there's never been a burglary or anything like this happening. Especially considering the place is down a long driveway and my room is not visible to anyone on the road.

The usual calling of cops and cancelling of cards happened pretty soon afterwards. But what was even more bizzare was several days later, my wallet turned up again in my car. Empty of money, but the cards were still inside. Strange? Very.

Now this no doubt made me paranoid of my own sense of time and space, but fact is I checked the car several times of the night of the theft. Even had a friend looking through the car a seperate time and finding nothing. So the theif must have taken the wallet and returned it several days later.

Certainly was one of the more stranger experiences I've had in a while. And I'm simply gonna assume the wallet was returned after the thief realized who they had stolen from and quaked in fear at the repercussions of what they had done and tried to make nice before Batman opened a can of whoop ass on them.

Labels:

* * *