I Finally Watched This (1)

The Spirit

I resisted this for a long time. But the magic of Netflix brought it to my door. I have a Love/Hate relationship with Frank Miller these days. I respect his earlier work a great deal, and I like about 50% of what he done since about 1995. But that other 50% infuriates me to my core. It's more disappointment than anything else. Like a parent who know his child can do better, but the kid just won't out of some misplaced sense of privilege. It's the same sort of disapproval I have for trust fund kids and lottery winners.

While I enjoyed certain aspects of Sin City and 300, there were more aspects that I didn't like. The good, we now realize was the the doing of the Directors. 300 managed to make a decent movie out of a so-so book, and Sin City was awesome just for the novelty how it was made and the dream cast it managed to secure. This film manages to only take what's wrong with the first two (mainly extreme misogyny and horrible performances) and leaves out all the good. Oh, and it manages to trample one of the best written and iconic comic characters of all time in the process.

Eisner's Spirit was essentially a very long love letter to New York. Eisner loved all of the breadth of culture and temperament and diversity of so many people crammed in such a small space. His character reflected that. The Spirit has it's problems, don't get me wrong. The chief among them the racism that would poke through from time to time. But it was always fun. Miller's version takes this expansive city and localizes it so much by over-use of small sets and tight shots, and very strict lighting that it actually feels very cramped. Miller took this wonderful, campy fun character and sprayed Sin City all over it, then presented it to us like a cat with a dead bird. While the cat thinks it did something awesome, in reality it's kinda gross.

People keep defending it by saying that it is visually stunning. And while I agree, and indeed Millers visual style is what I like most about him and his work. But this movie looks so much like Sin City that it could have been a sequel. But it isn't. But it's really close. But I don't like it for some reason. It's like that time in 1984 when I was expecting Transformers for my birthday and got Go-Bots instead.

The acting is phoned in. Pure and simple. Sarah Paulson seems to be the only one even trying. I have a feeling that the actors spend some time researching and preparing for their roles, wanting to bring depth to them, only for Miller to tell them, "Yer a dame, that's as deep as you go," and then the actor thinking: Fine. Be that way. And not putting any effort into it out of spite. The sad thing is that these are decent actors for the most part. The plot is basically nonexistent, and the characters seem to have no motivation for anything they do.

I think Miller would be wise to take a step back. I don't think he should give up on movies, because I think he has a lot of potential. But he may be able to really shine as a cinematographer. Robocop 2 and 3 showed us what happens when he writes a screenplay from scratch, and The Spirit has shown us what happens to actors when he directs.

He needs to just stick to visuals.

1) We will be in Denver for the Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately we are driving. This will be the first really long road trip for the boys. We decided to break it up, and we found a hotel about half what that has an indoor pool with a water slide. That should help.

2) Why is it that a train can block 4 consecutive intersections for hours on end, but I can't park in a fire zone for 5 minutes?

3) My good buddy Joey V has re-launched his web radio show. Friday nights he spins Goth and Industrial for an hour. Check it out:

4) For an hour yesterday, Jackson and I were the owners and operators of an imaginary restaurant. The main dish we were serving to his mom and brother(and the dogs), was something called Chompwurst. I don't really know what's in it because he did all the "cooking", but it sounds delicious.

-JP

None Shall Pass

Has anybody else been watching the 6 part documentary on Monty Python on the IFC Film Channel? I have, and I have to say that it is wonderful. Most Python docs try to cram the last 40 years into a one hour show, and there is just so much missing. This one is in6 parts, and separates them into projects. The first being how they all met, and what they all did pre-Python, the second being The Flying Circus, the third being Holy Grail, and so on.

I have been a Python fan my whole life. I'm trying to remember how I got into them, and I think I came to it gradually. For years and years, on Sunday nights, I used to listen to The Dr. Demento Show, which I think is still actually on. In the early '80s, it came on way after my bed time, like 11:00 or something, so I used to set my digital clock radio* to wake me up. Then I would pull the radio under the covers and listen to the show at a very low volume, so as not to let my parents in on what I was doing, as they were in the room next door. Sometimes this back-fired when I fell asleep again, having forgotten to re-set the alarm, and my mom would come in to wake me up and wonder why my clock was in the bed. The excuse was always that I was fumbling with it, trying to turn off the alarm, and fell asleep with it after hitting snooze a few hundred times. My best friend Sean would do the same thing, and we would always be excited to see each other Monday morning. Singing our favorite songs from the night before, always made funnier by crackling voices, mis-remembered lyrics and sleep deprivation. Anyway, in addition to introducing me to Weird Al, Spike Jonze, and many many other weird novelty acts, Dr Demento also played a lot of Python. I think at first, I thought it was one guy named Monty doing a bunch of different voices.

Years later, my uncle Roger, who kept me in a good supply of cool music via dupes and mix tapes through out my formative years, let me on to the fact that PBS was showing The Flying Circus late at night on Thursdays. By this point, I was living in the basement**, and had inherited a computer when my dad upgraded. But not just any computer. It was the TRS 80 Color Computer. The TRS-80 ran off of a normal TV, and used normal cassette tapes to store data. It also had an insanely loud, 35lb daisy wheel printer which I wasn't allowed to use during football games, while Dallas was on, or if anybody in the house were asleep. This meant that I had a legitimate reason to have both a cassette player and a TV in my room(score!). My parents were naive enough to not realize that these things also worked outside the confines of the computer. So under the guise of studying, I would watch Python(and a ton of other quirky British shows like Dr Who, and whatever else) with headphones that since the TV was mono, sound only had sound out of one ear. This was just as well, because I needed the other ear to listen for someone coming down the stairs to make sure my "homework" was done. Often, I would hold the cassette player up to the small speaker and record the whole show onto an audio cassette, so Sean could at least hear it if he couldn't see it.

When the video age descended on suburban Denver, Sean had a sleep-over movie party to show off this new thing called a VCR. One of the movie we got was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and our lives were changed forever. Sean and I made it our mission to collect every scrap of Python we could get our hands on. Sean recorded The Flying Circus off of the TV, I slowly purchased all of the albums with paper-route money and allowance, we saved up and bought a copy of Holy Grail after having rented it enough times to buy it several times over.

We would be able to insert a Python quote into every situation possible. I once got in big trouble when I was on a vacation trip to my grand parent's house in KY, and was running around their gigantic house singing "Sit on my Face" at the top of my lungs. By 1989, when Graham Chapman died, they hadn't done anything as a group in such a long time, that everybody figured they were over, at least as Monty Python, and this turned out to be true.

I have followed every member's career, post Python as well. Some have had great sauces, like Terry Gilliam, and some less so, although I still count Erik the Viking among my favorite movies.

Every time I see John Cleese in a move I get excited, and he's everywhere these days.

The group will always remind me of Sean. Sean and I lost touch when he went to a different middle school than did due to district lines, but I would run into him or his parents from time to time. He died tragically in a construction accident some years back. I hadn't spoke to him in several years, but his mom made an effort to find me so I could go to his funeral, which I am very thankful for. He was a good kid, and from what I hear, an even better adult.

I'm glad those guys are (mostly)all still around and still being creative. They seem to be settling down nicely. I'm completely excited for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.

-JP

* The first real luxury I remember having. I only got it because when I mom married my second step-dad, he already had a clock, so I got hers. Having access to a radio in my room was a big deal for me.

** As is every suburban weirdo's right by law.

Sickies.

Hunter. If only he looked that good when he died.

It doesn't seem that long since a posting but I guess it has been. Not for lack of material, mind you.

A few weeks ago, Joseph started having pretty bad diarrhea. after about 4 days of it, and after he started refusing anything to eat or drink, we took him into the doctor, who promptly admitted him into the hospital. He was severely dehydrated, though we couldn't tell. As the doctor was telling Jennifer that he had to be admitted, he was at the time, swinging from the back of the exam chair and making monkey noises. "They're going to think I'm crazy, for admitting him," the doc said.

So after a little more than 24 hours in the hospital, they let him out and he has been slowly recovering ever since. He seems to be all better now. Turns out he had some kind of fungus in his digestive tract that the doctor actually had to go look up, as she'd never heard of it. Who knows what that kid gets into.

Jen and Jackson were thankfully spared for the most part. Jennifer was a little messed up, and Jackson was perfectly fine. I got it full on. I see why they admitted him. It was nasty. I had to take three days off of work, and do nothing but sleep and stay very near a toilet. No fun. I lost 16 lbs, and am not fully over it even now.

Now we march into Flu season!

I saw the Decemberists at Cain's Ballroom. That was an awesome show. Creeping up into my top five the more I think about it.

Other than that, Not much.

I think I may have a family of rabbits living in my shed.

-JP

Moving and Other news.

Poe. One of the best. Not one of the best drawings of him, I mean one of the best writers. Well, maybe not one of the best, but one of my favorites. Anyway...

So we moved. We now live within the Tulsa city limits and it has made all of our lives easier and our petrol budget lower. The house is pretty much where we want it for now. There a re some project looming for the spring maybe, and a few that are waiting on cash flow. Oh, and Jen decided to re-paint the kitchen cabinets after we already painted them. They look way better.

We are on the look out for an orange couch for some reason, so if you see one for cheap, let me know. Jennifer's dad gave us his ginormous television when he purchased a flat-screen LED hybrid dilythium crystal something or other, and we had to cut out the back of our entertainment armoir to fit it in. It was worth it , though because boy does Zula Patrol look cool when the aliens are the same size as the kids watching the show.

Things we are going add to our house, and may need help with:

-A deck

-A fence

-French doors leading to the above mentioned deck

-Another Bedroom(maybe)

-New Windows

-A half-pipe(Never)

-A hot tub

-An underground Lair(definitely)

If you are experienced in building any of these things, and would like to help, there will be a sign-up sheet outside the drama room after 3rd period.

As promised, I have posted a bunch of pics from my trip to New York, but they are on my facebook page, and I'm too lazy to re post them here. So if you want to see them, go there. Friend me if you want.

Jackson started pre-school at Channing Day School, and he loves it. They do a really good job there. Hopefully, he will then go to Eisenhower, and some day take over the world Evil Genius style. No pressure though. The best thing they have taught him so far: "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit." I love them.

It has been raining in Tulsa for like a month now. I LOVE it! It kept the beast that is late summer in Oklahoma at bay. I haven't had a sunburn since Memorial day. The mold allergies can go screw themselves, but it is a small price to pay.

Powers out.

Sore hands.

Been a while...

I've had a couple of busy weeks. We bought a house, we're selling the old one, I went to New York for a week, and am knee-deep in renovation. Oh, and work. And the other work.

New York was mostly fun. Every flight was delayed in some way, and the Airline lost our luggage. Well, they didn't actually loose it. They knew where it was, they just refused to send it to the correct city. We arrived in NY on Sunday night and didn't get our luggage until Wednesday. I have pics, but the camera is in the tool box at the new house, as we are semi-documenting our remodeling efforts.

So I'll post those along with a better wrap-up of New York in a couple of days.

Here is a pic of Tom Waits to hold you over:

In other news:

We've got a Nerd on our hands. Jackson has become totally obsessed with space and the solar system. He has a DVD that his Gramma C. got him and a few books, and he can recite them all word for word. When he's in the car, he'll spout off information and facts and what not the entire duration of the trip. He aunt Jenny got him some flash cards and he is loving those too. It's completely cute.

Joseph, who we now call Joezilla the Destroyer! has deiced that he is certainly not into the solar system because he cannot break it, throw it on the floor, or stomp on it. That's how he rolls. On Friday night, we were going to go out for once in our lives. When we were getting ready to leave, I reached into the fridge to get the six-pack of beer we had purchased earlier in the day, set it on the counter, and turned to close the fridge door. In the .03 seconds by back was turned, Joe grabbed the beer and threw it on the floor. One of the bottles exploded, showering us all in beer and broken glass. Then DHS showed up. Not really. But it would have been a good time to show up. It took for ever to clean up, and the house still smells faintly of malted hops and barley. Not in a good way.

Then last night I pulled a chunk of glass out of my foot that had apparently been there for three days with out my knowledge.

Um... That's it. New York pics are coming. Home renovation pics are coming.

-JP

So then we threw a party

We held a joint birthday party for Jackson and Zane on Saturday. We learned our lesson last year, and it started at 10:00 am rather than 2:00 pm. Last year it hit 112° and everything melted. Last year was in a park, and we couldn't go anywhere to escape. This year was way more pleasant. We held it at the Grandparent's house, and could go inside whenever we wanted.

Way better. Also this year, we had a Super-hero themed Jupiter Jump. That was a big hit. The cup-cake train was also a big hit, thankfully, as we stayed up until 1:30 the night before decorating them. Jackson and Zane once again made out like bandits. The biggest hits being a pedal-powered John Deer tractor for Zane and (surprisingly) a book about the solar system & a toy lap-top for Jackson(nerd!). We were all exhausted by the end, but it was so darn hot that we still had to go to the mall to cool off and to buy a stuffed bear in a Spider-Man outfit. Her are pics:

More here.

Rock.