I finally got to go and see Lions For Lambs the other night and I really enjoyed it. It hasn't had a great critical response and a lot of people seem to find it a bit preachy, but I thought it brought some fairly reasonable and logical ideas and perspectives together in one place. It's feels shorter than it's 88 minutes, flying by in a flurry of catchy one-liners..."I am not running for president.....Do you want to win the war on terror, yes or know....I was drafted...etc. Tom Cruise plays a suitably smarmy republican senator (rather perfectly!) Meryl Streep is great (as always) as a jaded journalist sick of the bulls**t, and Robert Redford is quite charming. It plays out a lot like an episode of The West Wing, which has inspired me to think about watching that whole series again.
Go and see the movie while it's still in the cinema.
Along with the movies release, Robert Redford et al ran an online video competition asking people what they stand for. The winning video is posted here.
Initially, when I started watching this I responded a little cynically, but I changed my mind. I wish more parents would act on this advice.
Thursday 29 November 2007
Monday 26 November 2007
OOOOh, The Gum Thief
Una has started a book club, and the first book on the list is The Gum Thief, by Douglas Coupland. Excellent! Though I haven't read it yet, I'm a big Coupland fan.
The book was launched along with a viral campaign by these guys.
There are nine dramatic shorts, narrated by Coupland, released on youtube and they make for intriguing teasers.
Can't wait to read it.
The book was launched along with a viral campaign by these guys.
There are nine dramatic shorts, narrated by Coupland, released on youtube and they make for intriguing teasers.
Can't wait to read it.
Wednesday 21 November 2007
Movies, music and musings.
I took this morning off in the spirit of being kind to myself and slept until 11am. As a consequence I feel groggy from oversleep. How irritating this is. I am either too tired from getting up so early every day, or too tired from sleeping too late.
We went to see The Jane Austen Book Club the other night in the IMC in Dunlaoghaire. It is, as you can probably guess from the title, an unapologetic chick flick (a genre I love, bein' a chick and all) Based on a book from a few years back, it had just opened, but there were only about 8 people in the cinema which has the unsettling effect of making you think does everyone else know something we don't? As it happens the movie is great, I recommend you go with girls!
Speaking of chicks, I recently got Canon, a major Ani DiFranco retrospective and I've been listening to it a lot. She played in Tripod recently but I missed it because I was out shooting Bonfires, which is a real pity. Always a bit anti establishment, Ani releases all her stuff through her own record company Righteous Babe Records, I was surprised to see that you can buy all kinds of stuff on the website, key rings, gym bags, mugs and magnets, it all seems a little commercial. On one of the live tracks on Canon she provides a little insight into this. Basically as her career progressed she didn't want t-shirts and stuff and really didn't want pictures of herself on them, but, as time went on, people began producing t-shirts themselves, and then stickers and mugs and all kinds of stuff, so Ani simply decided that they would bootleg the bootleggers. I have to admit, this is kind of cool.
I am going out to buy chairs now, maybe these, or possibly these, probably not these.
We went to see The Jane Austen Book Club the other night in the IMC in Dunlaoghaire. It is, as you can probably guess from the title, an unapologetic chick flick (a genre I love, bein' a chick and all) Based on a book from a few years back, it had just opened, but there were only about 8 people in the cinema which has the unsettling effect of making you think does everyone else know something we don't? As it happens the movie is great, I recommend you go with girls!
Speaking of chicks, I recently got Canon, a major Ani DiFranco retrospective and I've been listening to it a lot. She played in Tripod recently but I missed it because I was out shooting Bonfires, which is a real pity. Always a bit anti establishment, Ani releases all her stuff through her own record company Righteous Babe Records, I was surprised to see that you can buy all kinds of stuff on the website, key rings, gym bags, mugs and magnets, it all seems a little commercial. On one of the live tracks on Canon she provides a little insight into this. Basically as her career progressed she didn't want t-shirts and stuff and really didn't want pictures of herself on them, but, as time went on, people began producing t-shirts themselves, and then stickers and mugs and all kinds of stuff, so Ani simply decided that they would bootleg the bootleggers. I have to admit, this is kind of cool.
I am going out to buy chairs now, maybe these, or possibly these, probably not these.
Wednesday 14 November 2007
Read this!
I got a text into the show today asking a question and referring to me as "the reader" I don't really read as such, i ad-lib off this.
Tuesday 13 November 2007
File under misc.....
As the writers strike in America, that great threat to all things Greys Anatomy wages, there's an interesting viewpoint on the true monetary value of web media here
Hackers have been running amok on myspace, infiltrating the pages of Alicia Keyes of all people! Apparently macs are safe, but for how long.....?
Generating some heat at the moment is the To Do List blog, which, like Post Secret, has produced a book.
I use to do lists a lot myself, here's one I prepared earlier.
Hackers have been running amok on myspace, infiltrating the pages of Alicia Keyes of all people! Apparently macs are safe, but for how long.....?
Generating some heat at the moment is the To Do List blog, which, like Post Secret, has produced a book.
I use to do lists a lot myself, here's one I prepared earlier.
Monday 5 November 2007
Movies and Music
I got hold of a copy of the I'm Not There Original Soundtrack today, "33 Bob Dylan songs reinterpreted by some of music's most acclaimed voices"
A so called supergroup has been formed featuring members from Sonic Youth, Wilco and Television along with some Dylan Band members called The Million Dollar Bashers and they feature on a lot of the covers, with Calexico popping up fairly regularly too. So far the stand out track for me is Cat Powers version of Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again which had the unexpected effect of making me sit up and actually Listen to the track, Dylans original had always just breezed by me. Anthony And The Johnsons version of "Knockin On Heavens Door" will no doubt bring tears to the eyes of twenty - something males, but has me crying for less appreciative reasons. Sufjan Stevens does a suitably Sufjan version of Ring Them Bells
I went to see Death At The Funeral on Friday night. Its a British comedy farce, directed by Frank Oz and the plot centers around a funeral where everything goes hilariously wrong. The tag line is Last Rites....and Wrongs. To be fair it is pretty funny and there are a few genuine laugh out loud moments. The writing is lean enough and doesn't linger on anything too long to milk it. If you go to see it watch out for the clever animation that runs under the opening credits.
In other news, I went do dinner at a friends on Saturday night and we all ended up going a bit wild and dancing until 4 in the morning, I spent most of yesterday in bed. Hangovers are a real waste of time (but dancing is fun)
A so called supergroup has been formed featuring members from Sonic Youth, Wilco and Television along with some Dylan Band members called The Million Dollar Bashers and they feature on a lot of the covers, with Calexico popping up fairly regularly too. So far the stand out track for me is Cat Powers version of Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again which had the unexpected effect of making me sit up and actually Listen to the track, Dylans original had always just breezed by me. Anthony And The Johnsons version of "Knockin On Heavens Door" will no doubt bring tears to the eyes of twenty - something males, but has me crying for less appreciative reasons. Sufjan Stevens does a suitably Sufjan version of Ring Them Bells
I went to see Death At The Funeral on Friday night. Its a British comedy farce, directed by Frank Oz and the plot centers around a funeral where everything goes hilariously wrong. The tag line is Last Rites....and Wrongs. To be fair it is pretty funny and there are a few genuine laugh out loud moments. The writing is lean enough and doesn't linger on anything too long to milk it. If you go to see it watch out for the clever animation that runs under the opening credits.
In other news, I went do dinner at a friends on Saturday night and we all ended up going a bit wild and dancing until 4 in the morning, I spent most of yesterday in bed. Hangovers are a real waste of time (but dancing is fun)
Thursday 1 November 2007
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