Southland Tales : A Journey Into Maddness.

Entertainment, Movies, Rants

southland-tales

Chapter 1: Backstory.

This movie came out in 2007 and for some reason I had never watched it. I like the director’s first movie, [W:Donnie Darko], but something had been stopping me from actually sitting down and watching [W:Southland Tales]. I heard that it was bad, but I’ve liked bad movies before (The Island, Terminator Salvation). Laurel was working on Friday night so I decided that I was bored enough to watch it.

I was unprepared.

To say this movie is bad is a disservice to other bad movies. You know when a movie is so bad it’s good? (Road House) Well this movie was heading there then it would snap back to good for a second, then dive headlong into a shit storm of terrible, then it would try to redeem itself, then it would snap off into a vat of crazy.This movie is so insane that it will make you question your own sanity.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here

Continue reading →

Matisyahu delivers oppressive hope

Entertainment, music

Matisyahulightalbumcover

This wasn’t one of those albums that grabbed me right away, but I knew that there was something I liked about it. I think he’s finally, in my mind, moved out of novelty act territory. He’s no longer “that Hasidic jewish guy” who raps and sings reggae, this is actual good music. Like much of the reggae genre the themes of hope and fun permeate the album. There’s just something about this music that makes me happy. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to get out there and do something positive in the world.

The first track, “Smash Lies”, starts the album with a crowd pleasing energy and tempo and is one of my favorite tracks. The rest of the album is less reggae and moves into more reggae-influenced rock and pop, but it’s the peaceful attitude that ties it all together. The third track and possibly the radio single, “One Day”, is so hopeful for the future it almost crosses into cheesy. There are some songs that I might skip through if they came on by themselves, but they’re so much in the flow on the album that I don’t notice till they’re over. I know it’s just music and it wont “really” change anything, but it makes you think it’s possible, in a [W:Michael Franti] sort of way. The whole sound of the album is a bit like a jumble of Franti, [W:MGMT], and [W:SOJA]

Schu-Review : 4/5 Schus

Quick things I have learned recently

Life, Rants
Unlearn what you have learned

Unlearn what you have learned

  1. If you try to resize a .png file and “save for web” in Photoshop as a Jpg… the results will suck.
  2. Apple has a great warranty on their hardware.
  3. Even with ATT’s crappy service on the Metro, if you start a streaming podcast at Lenfant plaza you’ll buffer enough to get you out the top of the Federal Center SW without any stuttering.
  4. My least favorite personality trait is “the one upper” especially the non-self-aware one upper who doesn’t like New Yorkers because “they think they’re better than you”.
  5. Brian Regan is still a genius.
  6. Idiocracy is an under rated movie.
  7. I can get an almost full wifi signal from the Starbucks downstairs when I am in the bathroom on the second floor.

The Beat-down of the Beltway

Life, Trips

Going into the game we did not know that two of our players were suspended, so I’d say that we were a little too optimistic. I guess we should pay more attention. Jesse and I met at “The Froggy Bottom Pub” which was turned into “the Mason Bottom Pub” for about 2 hours before the game. Everyone there was in high spirits hoping for a good outcome. I still think Mason fans are still getting used to pregame festivities, but we’re learning. On the walk to the stadium it was great to see all the Green and Gold. Walking into the gym I could tell that the fans had really showed up.

Mason fans to the Left

Mason fans to the Left

Mason fans to the right

Mason fans to the right

and then the game started.

It was a turnover filled beating of a game. It’s not like GW started out very hot either, but Mason couldn’t hit any shots. Long must have missed 5 straight runners in the lane. In the first half Hancock was awesome. The GW fans behind me kept saying “just don’t let the white guy get it!”. Which would have been a pretty good strategy in the first half. At halftime I went to the bathroom, in what seemed like the locker room, and then came back to talk with Jesse. “I hope they come out hot in the second half”….

They did not.

GW started the second half on a 14-2 run and the game was pretty much over with 10 minutes left. We almost left at that point because we were so frustrated. But we stuck it out to the end to see them pull a little bit closer, mostly due to sloppy passes by GW subs. On the way out I heard a Mason fan say “These guys aren’t worth traveling to Wilmington for”. They are not… yet.

GMUHOOPS.COM analysis