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fun with time travel

September 26, 2007 in books, dave eggers, mcsweeney's, writing | 3 comments

go now and read this great short fiction piece about time travel called Troubleshooting Guide for TimeCorp’s VH3928-Model Time Machine today by Jonathan Baude & J. Alex Boyd on the McSweeney’s site…it’s hilarious. definitely worth the read, especially if you’re a fan of the idea of time travel and the all the crazy nonsense that must come with it.

there is also this completely awesome selection of very short fiction pieces by three authors (Eggers, Manguso, and Olin Unferth), as a promo for their book called One Hundred And Forty-Five Stories In a Small Box. number 49 by Sarah Manguso, which you can read here, is a measly 73 words, and completely blew my mind. i love it when someone can blow my mind in only 73 words. i’ll be picking up this book as soon as humanly possible.

you should too.

ah Heroes, what to say?

September 25, 2007 in comics, superheroes, television reviews | 2 comments

overall a very disappointing start. i’ll give the show a pass as you could see how much trouble they were having getting viewers caught up with such a large cast of characters (Niki, Michah, & D.L. were blissfully absent – the biggest upside of the whole episode).

[spoilers]

we got a few interesting threads to start us on our path (e.g. the mysterious killer of Hiro’s father) good stuff, and the last 10 minutes was pretty compelling, but overall there were too many chessy saccharine speeches and repetitive bits (if i had to hear Hiro say that Kensei was “supposed to be a hero” one more time i was going to pull my hair out). and the sad thing about that whole bit was that having Kensei the mythic Japanese legend turn out to be a white guy (and very much not a hero) was pretty funny, but everything that was interesting about that was worn away after seeing the same conversation between Kensei and Hiro twenty times.

the good: my boy Nathan Petrelli is back and with a badass grizzly beard – and what was up with his burned off face in his reflection in the mirror? one of the coolest things we saw all episode…can’t wait to see more of what is up with that – also cool was Nathan ripping his mother a well deserved new one. my boy Peter Petrelli is obviously not dead (as we all knew) and we finally got a peek at him at the end of the episode, with nice shorn off locks. I’m not a fan of amnesia as a plot device, but they’ve made Peter so powerful that i guess they will have to keep thinking of ways to hold him back…this season it will be amnesia i guess. my boy Parkman back in fighting form and seeming less whiny than before. my boy Suresh being smart (finally).

the bad: the saccharine sweet and too long awkward speeches by various characters (most notably HG…say it ain’t so). the cheesy over the top stuff e.g. dialogue between Claire and her new teen “love interest”; almost every word out of Molly’s mouth; HG’s “kinko’s” boss…played for laughs, but it was just….uncomfortable; and as mentioned before the repetitive speeches with Hiro and Kensei.

the ugly: what is Claire made of glass? why on earth would she suffer such a horrible break from a simple back tuck. i mean, i would probably suffer that break, but Claire? i don’t buy it, a weak device to get us to see her powers…i liked the scene overall the idea of highschool as the horror show we know it is and Claire being forced to hide her true awesome self was all good, but the scene would have played better if she had just done the back tuck and been fine…no reason for the badass leg break; also ugly were the horrendous accents and bad acting on our “Irish” guys in the final scenes…ugh what a horrible note to end on.

as a first episode i give this a: C-

if this had been the first look i’d ever gotten at Heroes i never would have come back for more. fortunately i know they can do better, so i’ll come back. maybe since my expectations are now down around my ankles i won’t have to worry about them “living up to anything” anymore…see…i can be a glass half full kind of person – i swear!

the only kind of music videos i watch…

September 25, 2007 in artists, comics | Permalink

my officemate Gordon sent me this pretty cool music video (i never see music videos these days unless someone alerts me to one…no time!) by The Brunettes. the music is not necessarily my style, but the video, a combination of awesome comic book features and marionettes, is completely great.

it reminded me a lot of a video my good friend (and amazing artist) Rebecca Hahn did a couple years ago for a song called Stay.

“brett ratner hack”

September 24, 2007 in brett ratner, hack, hollywood | 2 comments

i’m happy to report that someone found this blog with the search terms “BRETT RATNER HACK” (and all in caps). it’s good to know that other people have put these words together and are actively seeking out further information. go world!

here is a quick list of Ratner’s unforgivable directing sins against the people of the world (and is it any coincidence his last name has the word RAT in it? i think not:

Rush Hour, The Family Man, Rush Hour 2, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand (for this i could kill the man); and let’s not forget Rush Hour 3 (whoo-hooo!).

i mean are you kidding me? how is it this guy gets hired for anything? this is your list of credits? i gracefully left off Money Talks and After the Sunset as i have not seen enough of either to judge – but i’m confident they suck as well. how does one even go about destorying franchises already so carefully built? well okay, only one franchise, but whatever.

sidenote: as karmic payback for my HACK posts, when my book is no doubt optioned by hollywood someday (blessing or curse?) i’m sure Brett Ratner will direct my precious baby into Rush Hour 3 ridiculousness…oy.

Heroes premiere tonight!

September 24, 2007 in premieres, television reviews | 1 comment

Heroes season premiere is tonight (9pm on NBC)…also it’s my brother’s birthday (happy birthday Scott!).

i’m sure i will have many thoughts about the season premiere tomorrow, so feel free to check in and see.

my pre-viewing Heroes thoughts pretty much boil down to excitement and apprehension. the excitment bit is obvious i suppose, the apprehension comes from a general concern that the show cannot likely live up to the high bar it set for itself in the first season. in the tradition of shows that start off and kind of blow your mind right off the bat and then can’t live up to the standards they’ve set for themselves (first season of any of the following could apply: Alias; Lost; CSI; Grey’s Anatomy; and according to my officemates Desperate Housewives and The O.C. – which i have never seen – and would never admit to seeing). there are a lot of shows out there that just can’t follow up their first act…i hope Heroes will not be one of them.

also, while overall i loved the show and thought they did a good job, there were occasional serious mis-steps. the kind of dialogue or plot points (or deus ex machina) that i feel are warning signs in a show…of bad things to come. let’s hope it’s not true here.

below is a link to a teaser (posted on myspace last week). Also, if you feel like freshening up on how the season ended you can watch the finale here. if that’s not enough for you there are literally dozens of bits on you tube if you search for Heroes Premiere…from ads to 7 minute clips.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18301677

character i most hope will fall on a blade (and not be able to survive): Ali Larter’s Niki Sanders. i’m so very sick of her and all her whining.

character i most hope will return in a blaze (or no blaze) of glory: Christopher Eccleston’s Claude and my beloved Nathan Petrelli.

#2 – comic of the week

September 24, 2007 in comic of the week, comics, dreams | 7 comments

can you believe it? a second comic strip…delivered on time! i know, i can’t believe it either.

this is not the planet i want to be living on…how do i get off?

September 21, 2007 in comics, craptastic, daniel clowes, rants | 5 comments

Less than 5 days after posting the Daniel Clowes NY Times Weekly Strip on my blog, I came across this blurb on Vulture about this article.

What is the world coming to? How did Americans…a people that should be like the revolutionary teenagers of the universe (making idiot rookie mistakes but being young and confident and full of ideas about change and pushing limits) become the fucking scared conservative old woman of the world? When did this happen? WHY?

Yesterday it is cover stories about genital cutting and today it is about censorship in schools, it’s too much. If the father of this girl (who is a complete ass) would read a book once in a while maybe they would realize that their daughter is actually better off being challenged by teachers that don’t have blinders on.

I have read the book in question and while I will concede that it is debatable as to whether it is definitely appropriate for a 14 year old (it really depends on the 14 year old I suspect) I can also say in no uncertain terms that I WISH I had been given something like this by a teacher. Something that actually was outside the box. Something that made me think and/or feel. One of the mother’s complaints is that the teacher asked the student “how does this make you feel?” she said it like that was an inappropriate (read: pornographic) question for a teacher to ask a student…are we really no longer even allowed to FEEL? Is it wrong to read something that causes you to feel something more than the crappy television shows that just wash right over you? Is it a crime to challenge a student to not just do the assignment but to be challenged to answer tough questions about it? I just can’t believe this. If I had been given things like this when I was kid, maybe I would have learned something about life and what else was out there much sooner…as is, I feel like I had to hunt down every single thing I have learned…if ONLY someone could have handed me something that would have challenged me…think what I could have been.

I’m so disappointed in this planet and especially my backwards fucking nation. Stop the planet, I’d like to get off please.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/09/daniel_clowes_pornographer.html

quote of the day

September 20, 2007 in Uncategorized | Permalink

to lighten the mood after the genital cutting post, here is a quote from one of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan. i lifted the quote from the Vulture Blog, and they lifted it from EW…

“I’ve been outside. It’s not that great. Outdoor activities always tend to interrupt my napping and watching of Law & Order marathons.” —Jim Gaffigan on why he’s glad summer is over [EW]

sidenote: i may actually BE Jim Gaffigan

female genital cutting in Egypt

September 20, 2007 in feminism, feminist rage, misogynistic bullshit, rants, the continued torture of women | 3 comments

i’ve been debating all day whether to write about this article i read in the New York Times today or not. i guess i decided to write about it. but i still feel conflicted.

here’s the problem, i’m a smart girl, i’m no genius but smart enough most days and while i’m more informed about worldly events than the average American (and apparently more educated considering i can point to not only North America but several other continents – not to mention actual countries too – on a map) i have been doing a piss poor job of keeping involved in current events, politics, world issues, etc. i get my news mostly from the internet, clicking on stories that interest me. i don’t regularly read any newspapers and i refuse to watch American news reports which we all know are really entertaiment news programs anyway. as such i feel like my information is a bit limited and part of this is deliberate. like many educated people i suffer from a strong desire to know these things and be involved, but also like many people i feel overwhelmed quickly. i can only read about a war that i have no interest in (and if it were up to me we would not have ever gotten involved in) so many times before i give up in frustration.

i think it’s a combination of things, but mostly there are not enough hours in the day for me to work my job, submit (and write) short fiction, submit my novel, re-write my novel, re-draw and re-tool my graphic novel, work out (which always seems to get lost in the shuffle), engage in my relationship, and also both care about and do something about things like female genital mutilation in Egypt (or anywhere else for that matter). so all i end up feeling is frustration.

on one hand it is my choice to not do anything about it, to instead focus my energy on becoming a “successful” writer. on the other hand if people like me don’t care (there seem to be so few of us out there) then who will do anything? *sigh* it’s depressing. in my mind there is always going to be ample time to care about such things when i quit my full time job and become a “full time writer” because then i will have all this magical free time that used to be used up on writing…but we all know that is a myth. there will never be any extra time. maybe this is why i get mad when people tell me they are bored. please, give me your extra time that you have to be bored, because there are plenty of things i’d like to do with your “i’m bored” time.

okay, enough of the rant. please read the article below, and if you’re a better person than me (i hope you are) consider getting involved. there must be something that can be done.

these men are cowards. they are afraid of change and more importantly they are afraid of the power of women. they hide behind religion because it is hard to attack religion without being called all sorts of things, but what they are too cowardly to realize is that they are hiding behind man’s interpretation of God’s word and man gets things wrong all the time, this is no exception.

and speaking of getting things wrong…how is female genital mutilation the same as circumcision? it’s not female circumcision it is female castration.

it is female castration and it has to stop.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/world/africa/20girls.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

this is a picture from the NY Times article of some of the men who defend the tradition of genital cutting with the words, “we support circumcision!” you are cowards. you are all cowards.

the first 14 minutes of The Bionic Woman…oy.

September 20, 2007 in craptastic, rants, television reviews | 2 comments

the first 14 minutes of the Bionic Woman have been posted online, click below to watch, but be warned, you will probably want to claw your eyes out, even if there are no bionic eyes with which to replace them. it is a pretty horrible 14 minutes. i don’t know how hard you have to try to write something this terrible. and it’s a real feat to get actors that are equally as terrible as the writing. whoo-hoo! the only bright spot seems to be Katee Sackhoff, but even that stuff is stiff and frustratingly stupid.

i promised myself i would sit through the hour long premiere…boy do i hate it when i promise myself stuff. yuck.

http://video.aol.com/video/tv-bionic-woman-2-acts/1970902

check out the cast shot below, how do you make even a simple cast shot look lame? the show is called the bionic woman for chrissake…i mean you actually have to work hard to make that boring…congrats guys.

UPDATE: looks like they have pulled the first 14 minutes of the net (could it be because it sucks?)…the link above no longer works and i can’t find a duplicate that is the same as the one i originally posted. interestingly enough there was an older 4 minute trailer on youtube that had very similar scenes but with a different “sister character” (pictured above actually) who is deaf (like in the original Bionic Woman). i think it’s a mistake that they changed this direction, at least it would have given something unique to the show. also, it’s annoying that they went with the “cuter, slimer, bitchier and more annoying” actress that is also not deaf as the sister. not that i’m shocked. it sounds about par for the course.