Blog #13

There's nothing better than telling one of your managers to go fuck themselves. And to tell them to take the supervisor job and find a replacement because I can't stand the stress and bullshit anymore.

I noticed, ever since thursday when I told them I couldn't deal with it and whatnot, I've lifted a ton of stress off of my shoulders. It's the second time I stepped down from the media supervisor job. But the first time it was forced onto me and then taken away from me without my doing. This time, it's all me.

I feel like writing again.

Just saw the trailer for The Dark Knight. Ecstasy to the hundredth power! And then, to make matters better, saw the first 7 minutes of the film. With the bank heist... and the Joker being... well, being the Joker. Happy days for me.

Saw No Country For Old Men, and if you haven't yet... do so. It's probably my favorite film of the year. Right next to Superbad and Grindhouse. What a trio.

But seriously, go out and support the Coen Bros. They're back in full force, showcasing why they are the best brother team in the business. Take that Wachowskis (plus, one of them is a lady now, so there's that too).

It's Josh Brolin's year. I remember when I first saw him in The Goonies and said, "Oh, James Brolin's kid!"

Now he'll be surpassing his papa. All he has going for him is Babs.

Other than that, trying to get the writing bug again. Been going nuts with the applications, especially to different magazines and online outlets for writing. Sick of saying I'll do it and now will try my best to get out there.

So hopefully soon you'll be seeing my name up in the rafters. Or in a tabloid. Or somewhere. Anywhere. With an article or a movie written by yours truly.

Night all.

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This made my day...

Zach Galifinakis looking as awkward as I would at a 'dance party' before the Ellen Show is priceless.

Just got back from doing laundry, I know, exciting. Had some ideas to write, so I started doing that and wanted to let my adoring public know that.

Bought Dianetics from the Salvation Army for 99 cents. It's worth the price of admission. One of the funniest things I've ever read.

Also reading the Chris Jericho auto-biography, which has to be one of my favorite books right now. Yes, he is a wrestler. I'm a huge wrestling fan, actually. What, want to fight about it?

Ok, let me go put the laundry away and make some dinner for Danyell. I'm playing Susie Homemaker today.

-James

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Frustrated isn't even the word...

The writer's strike still reeks havoc in the entertainment world. I don't blame them for a second. Of course there's some rich writers, we all know that. But what about the poor writers, the middle class writers who write to feed their families. I wish I could have that in my life. Writing for a living. But in order to be a paid writer, you need to get that first break. The big break, if you will.

I think I'll get it. One day. Trying to get back in the swing of things. The writing bug is starting to bite again. Very small teeth marks, but they are there. If I could leave the job I'm at, deadly retail, and become a paid writer... that'd be a dream come true. And to top it all off, to direct a movie as well. That'd be icing on the cake. So many ideas, flooding this brain. Polluting the mind in ways you couldn't even imagine. But then again, do I want you to imagine that? I don't think so. Not sure if you'd be able to escape that darkness.

And yet deep down I'm such a nice guy. But I have a lot of dark thoughts. Sinister thoughts. Ideas that would make Clive Barker blush. A bit. These thoughts will make me my millions. I'm sure of it. Or put me away in a loony bin and lock away the key. We shall see in the future.

I just don't want my future to be Best Buy blues, khakis, ads in my pockets and fake smiles for my colleagues. The ass raping I get every day for stuff that happened in the past that still haunts the department months later. Not sure how that is my fault, but I guess it is for taking the job in the first place. No regrets? Of course there's regrets. Anyone who says they don't regret anything is full of shit. It's ok to regret. I just need to learn from my mistake.

And to find a new job. Went for an interview today. Think it went well. Hope it went well. We shall see in the next few days.

That'd be a breath of fresh air. Let's cross our fingers and toes.

-James

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It's 3:08 a.m., must be a good time for a blog!

As I sit here, watching a best of Bret Hart program on WWE 24/7, I sit here and look at the pile of dvds I bought for real cheap at the closing Hollywood Video near my house.

How cheap you ask? Let's just say 2 dollar dvds never do me any wrong. Especially one consists of this classic:



Ahh classic schlock from the 60's, starring Frankie Avalon (of Funicello surfing movies fame) and Vincent Price. Vincent Price. Sorry, Sesame Street joke.

And I found out some good news on a movie I can't wait to see ever since I saw the trailer. And no, it's not the Alvin and the Chipmunks shitfest.

Lionsgate has announced that the new Rambo movie, John Rambo, will open in theaters on January 25th, 2008.

That made me super happy. Now I can wait a few months for probably one of the most over the top and gore filled action films to come our way. It's a good time for action, I think. I loved Smokin' Aces, had fun with the Transporter flicks and Crank (for the fun factor and Jason Statham), really enjoyed the fights in Unleashed and I've heard stellar things about Shoot 'Em Up. So we shall see.

Going to go to bed. My eyes are starting to falter.

-James aka Media Guru

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I have not posted in here in ages...

I guess it's the whole fear thing. Fear of change. Fear of what people think.

It was more like 'fear of not having anything to say."

It's been almost 3 months since the last post. I don't want it to die. So it will not. This is not the time to abort this message to the underground.

I shall write more. In here. In books. In life. Everywhere else. On street corners. In subway cars. On the boardwalk... which shall be gone soon (Coney Island that is).

I've seen plenty of movies since I last posted in here as well.

Halloween... sucked. I'm not going to divulge. Not yet. I'd rather do a video diary of sorts.

Let me put it like this. Rob Zombie actually had me hook, line and sinker with the first 60 or so minutes. I didn't mind the whole, "Explaining the childhood of Michael Myers and why he's so messed in the head" origin story. What I had a problem was forcing an hour and a half movie remake in about 40 minutes as well.

What was he thinking? Or better yet, what did the producers do to Mr. Zombie when everyone turned their heads?

I wonder if we'll ever know.

So I did write a little bit about it. I lied. But seriously, On my list to watch asap in theaters are the following movies.

Shoot 'Em Up
3:10 to Yuma
Hatchet
King of Kong

That is all right now. Can't wait for next week's dvd release. Death Proof on dvd. Makes me all giddy inside. Sad that they won't put both together right now. But hell, beggers can't be choosers.

Until then, stay focused.

-James

And go to www.combinationsfollow.com Please. Watch our stuff. We rock.

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Iron Man loves them fruit pies!

That is all.

-James

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I never knew Dr. Doom surfed...

This is the Dr. Doom I know. The one I grew up loving and wishing he'd get rid of the Fantastic Four once and for all.

See, it's weird. I think I'm one of 7 people who enjoyed the first Fantastic Four movie for it's corny comic book ham. Nothing wrong with that. It knew not to take itself too seriously and I thought the chemistry between The Thing and the Human Torch was great.

My big complaint about the first one was Dr. Doom. And I'm not a Julian McMahon hater. I actually like him a lot on Nip/Tuck. But that kind of acting doesn't work for the super genius of Dr. Victor Von Doom.

Eh.

So I go and see the new Fantastic Four movie for two reasons. The second reason is that I'm a huge fan of the Silver Surfer and any storyline in the Marvel Universe that deals with the power cosmic and space stuff. I think that's one reason I loved the recent Planet Hulk storyline. Conan mixed with cosmic shit.

Movie kind of drags a bit. Jessica Alba is hot and not as annoying in this one. Ioan Gruffudd was his usual boring self, which is perfect for Reed Richards. But the dancing... I don't want to get too much into that.

Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans as The Thing and Human Torch were great again.

And the body movements of Doug Jones and the voice of Laurence Fishburne as The Silver Surfer fit perfectly. I enjoyed it immensely... only thing I didn't like was that they explained the source of his power cosmic was from the Surfer's board.

Lame.


Two complaints though.

1) Kerry Washington as Alicia Masters. I mean, she has to be the worst actress to play a blind person ever. I mean, the only way she could've been good was if they poked her eyes out.

2) Julian McMahon goes through something I didn't think was possible. Sucking even more. Dr. Doom was suckier than in the first one. A surfing Dr. Doom. With bad one liners. Ugh! Just makes me shake thinking about it. I mean, I laughed my ass off with the whole surfing gimmick. I just didn't think they'd go through with it.

*shudders*

So go see it. Let's make this movie do well so maybe we can see a good Silver Surfer movie. With Thanos as the villain. Makes me all excited thinking about it.


Oh, and Galactus wasn't terrible. I won't say why or why not... but you do see a quick glimpse of his helmet. So the whole cloud thing was played out by spoilers everywhere: not entirely true. Just see it and be the judge.

I'm just a film fanatic.

-James

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Spacey no more?

Kevin Spacey has decided to not act anymore and instead choose to direct and keep on doing theatre in London and maybe here in NYC as well.

It's sad... but at least I won't have to see another K-Pax again.

Latino Review put up a picture for the new bat suit from Entertainment Weekly.



September 25th is Dario Argento day, well, according to Blue Underground that is. They've been picking up the Anchor Bay Argento library as of late, and this time around they'll be releasing Cat O'Nine Tails, Opera, Stendhal Syndrome and Suspiria. Yes, for the millionth time, someone is releasing Suspiria. Eh, I'll pass this time around... I have the Anchor Bay 3 disc edition with the Goblin soundtrack.

And the more Third Mother stills I see, the better I feel. I think Masters of Horror helped wake up Dario Argento a bit. Here's hoping this is a throwback to Suspiria or Inferno and not The Card Player.

Oh, everyone must go out and buy the trade paperback for Planet Hulk so you can catch up to the greatest event since the Infinity Gauntlet. And that is World War Hulk.

I've always loved the Hulk. And it's only going to get better with the new movie that's been announced. Yes, I was one who liked the first Hulk movie.

Night night.

-James

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Billy Connolly is one fantastic zombie

Went to an advanced screening for the film Fido which comes out next week, June 15th.

All I can say is one word, really: Fucking Brilliant!

Yes, that's two words. I'm going for comedy here. But seriously, any movie that satirizes the 50's americana bullshit we've seen attempted at in films like Pleasantville but actually ties in a zombie story within it is the cat's meow to me.

Billy Connolly plays the title zombie character, Fido, who is just like any zombie in this alternate reality: A slave to the system run by the company known as Zomcon. After the Zombie Wars, which was caused by a radioactive gas and brought back the dead as flesh eating zombies, this company was the first to realize that shooting them in the head was the way to their deaths. Then, even more economical, was to put a collar on them and make them our servants for all the menial labor we wouldn't do, but don't mind seeing a whole group of people do instead.

Carrie Ann Moss and Dylan Baker play the parents in this 'ideal' world and their son Timmy, played by K'Sun Ray (a perfect name in Hollywood) who is a bullied and picked on by the youth of the town. He just doesn't fit in and wonders if the zombies are really that dead after all. A troubled youth? Not at all, in fact, he's probably the most sane in the town.

Mr. Bottoms (played by Henry Czerny) is the new man in town. A new sheriff in town, really, because he is the head of defense for Zomcon and a war hero with over 500 kills in the Zombie Wars and now lives across the street from the Robinsons. He's a bit overbearing too, but I won't dig too deep into each character, just some nuances and whatnot. His daughter, Dee Dee, has a bit of a crush on Timmy, and plays a big role in the movie later on.

When Helen Robinson (Carrie Ann Moss) gets a zombie for the house to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood, you know something bad is going to happen. Bill Robinson (Dylan Baker) hates zombies with a passion (he had to kill his own father when he turned into one at the age of 11) yet loves funerals with a passion and can't wait to give his family the funerals he's been paying off for years. Headless, of course... so you don't come back.

So in a nutshell, the movie has some zombie kills (by Fido, but I won't say who), some more zombie massacre, lots of colorful 50's kitsch, great vintage looking commercials for Zomcon products, learned not to trust old people (ever), love affairs with zombie (a wonderfully creepy and upbeat Tim Blake Nelson), some heartache and a pretty twisted and loving ending.

Just have to give two shout outs to Andrew Currie (the director/writer) and Billy Connolly, who came to the screening here in NYC, courtesy of Forbidden Planet. He was fantastic and spoke highly about everyone in the film, even his body double, who supposedly died of an overdose the same day he was hired. I couldn't help but laugh and he smiled at me and then said, "Well, come to think of it, it isn't funny at all. But I thought you fucking dead looking people wouldn't mind that story."

His performance is especially great, considering he doesn't utter one word, and being known as a comic who speaks more often than Robin Williams, that's some good acting.

Go and see it next week when it comes out. Not only is it a funny movie, but it has zombies. And it's not some bullshit tie in with another franchise or a shitty sequel/ remake that's coming out soon (Day of the Dead, I'm talking to you!).

Just do me that favor and see it.

Until next time,

James

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A new post, a different night

Just caught up with the fantastic comic book series The Boys by the brilliant and demented minds of Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson. Such a sick and twist comic book, my good men. It's basically about a group of blokes and a gal whose job is to make sure superheroes aren't being too 'super' with their powers.

It shows super heroes in such a depraved light, you can't help but gasp and laugh all at once. It's up to issue number 7 and this is only after being cancelled by DC Comics for being a little too liberal in it's trashing of supers. But they sold the rights back to the creators and now it's back and better than ever.

Buy the trade paperback. Do it now! You must do it in order to live a proper life.

-James

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