Fiction's Finest Nerds #38

While it is true that Moss from the IT crowd is an extreme stereotype of nerddom, I tend to identify a bit more with Roy. Roy is not portrayed as the über knowledgeable tech, but has his smarts. He is more socially competent than Moss in many ways, but worse in many others. Roy holds a great deal of disdain for the people he supports, which is not only typical of IT, but at times necessary.

Fan-Boy Icon #17

David Lynch. I'll let the work speak for itself.

• Mulholland Drive
• Lost Highway
• Twin Peaks
• Twin Peaks: Fire, Walk with Me
  
• Wild at Heart
• Blue Velvet
• Dune
• The Elephant Man
• Eraserhead

While the list may not be as expansive as some, he is responsible for some of filmdom's most iconic and/or bizarre entries. Twin Peaks is probably his most widely known work, and was full of bizarre story arc before J.J. Abrams conceptualized the smoke monster. It still makes its way around cable, so look for it sometime.

Nerd Girl of Note #68

The leggy, mysterious, and eager to disrobe Soledad Miranda (aka Susan Corday) is quite often the main reason to watch a Jess Franco film. Soledad was unfortunately killed in a car accident in 1970, but appeared in thirty-five films, starting in 1960 (I believe she did some film work as young as age eight, however). Her most famous films are with Jesus Franco, particularly She Killed in Ecstasy, Eugenie de Sade, and Vampyros Lesbos.

I have finally seen Vampyros Lesbos, prompting this post, and found it to be quite good for a Franco film. "Uncle Jess" is kind of like horseradish. If you like it, it goes with most anything. If you don't like it, it goes with nothing. In some ways, to carry the metaphor, Vampyros Lesbos is like cocktail sauce. You just might not know there is horseradish in it, and enjoy the taste.

Miranda plays Nadine, a countess who was turned into a vampire by Dracula himself. Dracula saved her from enemy soldiers that were raping her, then put the bite on. The rape caused Nadine to hate men. After two-hundred years she comes across Linda (Ewa Strömberg) who is not interested in women, but falls under the vampire's spell.

In a lot of ways it is like traditional Dracula stories. There is a Dr. Seward who runs a sanitarium, the character Agra (Heidrun Kussin) is very much Renfield. the ending is quite different. All-in-all it is a solid vampire movie for the Eurotrash milieu.

The film has a great soundtrack, and here is The Lions and the Cucumber, a song many also know from Jackie Brown. Here is an old MTV friendly video with scenes from the film.

Just some business.

First off, welcome to all the new followers. Some of you have been around for a bit, and hope you are enjoying it here.

Second, this blog has finally, officially reached over 200 followers! Wait, where is my vuvuzuela? That gives us a nice big number to go with everyone following on RSS and Networked Blogs.

Third, we are approaching (in September) two years of Adventures in Nerdliness, and I have had a great time. You folks who comment are 99.999% of the time nice to me, but I don't mind lurkers. Still I live for comments, so if you want to say something, feel free.

On that note, I am very glad we have such a great group here. There are many, many places on the internet where folks are not terribly nice to each other. I like to keep it that way here. I have only had to delete perhaps 2 comments in all this time (not counting Chinese SPAM). As long as we all keep it nice we can have a good time. I abhor nerd-on-nerd violence. If you disagree with me on something though, tell me. I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer and have been know to talk out of school. I am a pro-choice, pro-gay-marriage, Atheist Democrat who works on an Army base. I can take a punch (believe me), but I think we'll all enjoy the internet more if we keep it nice. Like I have to tell you guys. :-)

That's all. Tomorrow's Nerd Girl of Note will be Soledad Miranda with comments on Vampyros Lesbos and how Jesus Franco is like horseradish. Intrigued?

Short Movie Reviews

We drank the Netflix Kool-Aid at the Whiteplume residence. Not all the things I am watching will need a full treatment, so here are some blurbs:

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Tokyo Gore Police is a weird little film from Japan whose plot I cannot totally remember. Basically, there are "people" called engineers who are hunted down, kind of Blade Runner style. The only way I could describe it while watching was to say "I can't believe Julie Strain is not in this." It is a blood-bath full of decapitations and dismemberments. Gallons of thin, cherry red blood spurt and flow across the screen. It was interesting, but a tad forgettable.

Verdict: Hmm... Interesting at least.

The Machine Girl is similar to Tokyo Gore Police, in that it is also a blood-bath. It is lower budget, and so smacks of Troma that I really can't believe Julie Strain is not in it. The interesting part is the way this film looks at how children are often worshiped by their parents. It is a circular revenge film. Ami wants to avenge her brother's murder. The kids who bullied him to death are then being avenged by their parents... Of particular hotness is Honoka who plays Violet Kimura, mother of the main bad-kid. Hers are some of the best scenes in the film.

Verdict: Hmm, with a chance of meh.

Julie Strain's Tales from the Crapper. I am going to have to give this one another shot, perhaps. Perhaps. I watched maybe twenty minutes that involved some guy from Troma explaining the movie, Julie Strain and some other Troma girls stripping, and an ancient hobo/private investigator who gets his dick chopped off by an alien(?) after getting thrown out of the strip club for jerking off. Sure, this might sound exactly like something I would watch, but despite Julie Strain nakedness, I did not find this very watchable. I'd rather just watch a Andy Sidaris vehicle if I want to see Julie Strain naked.

Verdict: You must really need to see yet another Julie Strain movie.

Ghost in a Teeny Bikini is possibly even worse than it sounds. This is definitely a Skinemax flick. I watched maybe ten minutes of it, and it is the typical "belly kissing" softcore affair. The sets are not worthy of regular porn. I am sure there is a story somewhere, but all I got was one chick trapped in a jungle lair who is saved my some Rambo wanna-be. With only "maybe a half an hour to live" they decide to have faux sex rather than, I don't know, get the fuck out of there?!? I am a bit intrigued to see Nicole Sheridan (the Ghost), though I have serious doubts she looks as good on video as in touched-up photographs.

Verdict: Withheld, temporarily. Maybe Fred Olen Ray has something up his sleeve?

Invictus was not as heavy handed as I expected, though I should know better when Clint Eastwood is at the helm. It was a good story about a difficult time, and touched on a lot without bogging things down too much. The film gave me a view of Mandela I had not really seen before, namely in his political maneuvering. He was not just some old man who got out of jail, but a man who knew how to get movements going. I had to watch with the subtitles, as the accents are strong and non-uniform, which makes sense as South Africa is a conglomerate of peoples.

Verdict: Well worth watching.

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That's all for now. I promise to be at least a little less low-brow next week.

Ichi the Killer (Takashi Miike, 2001)

Initially I was only going to do a blurb on this film as part of tomorrow's post. I watched the first hour on Monday, and the rest last night. The remainder changed my mind. I hope to include no spoilers, as there is a mystery aspect to this film.

Ichi the Killer is a bizarre mobster/superhero movie from Japan. Takashi Miike is a favorite of Quentin Tarantino, and I am guessing the reverse is true. The film has definite Tarantino qualities while still obeying the rules of Japanese Torture Porn. This is not a film for the squeamish.

The film revolves around the Anjo gang, a family in the Yakuza Syndicate. Their boss goes missing, and his second in command, Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano, pictured above right) is determined to find him. Eventually finds he is dead. He discovers Ichi (Nao Omori) is responsible, but no one knows who this assassin is.

The story is remarkably complex for the genre. It falls in line with its counterarts as Ichi's motivation is revenge (similar to tomorrow's Tokyo Gore Police and The Machine Girl), as is Kakihara's. Ichi's is against bullies like those who made him the way he is, and Kakihara's against Ichi. It is a circle of vengeance which I hope is meant to carry the moral that revenge is never complete and violence only begets more violence. The overall story is, however, more complicated than this. We learn early on that Jijii (Shinya Tsukamoto) is playing rival Yakuza gangs against each other, much like Yojimbo or A Fistful of Dollars. Jijii's motivation is unclear, but it seems Kakihara is his target, or maybe he has no target. Maybe he is like The Joker from The Dark Knight, and only wants to see the world burn?

As the gore goes, it can get quite strong, but is almost comical in its unrealistic portrayal. Buckets of blood are thrown into scenes and sprayed from dismembered torsos in a manner that looks like an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon. The more horrific parts are less gory, but of a more disturbing nature. I hid my eyes a few times, a bit too late unfortunately.

The acting and directing here is quite nice. Like Tarantino's gangsters from Pulp Fiction, we see the bad guys from a different angle. Kakihara is a weirdo who enjoys pain and dresses like a hipster pimp. The other bosses are often petty and obnoxious rather than a bunch of Tony Sopranos. Paulyn Sun (right), who plays Karen, a rival boss' moll, gets a lot of interesting action as well as the only English lines in the film. I am not one to fetishize Asian women, but she brings a lot of hotness, combined with tough and crazy.

Ichi the Killer is definitely not for everyone. The aforementioned gore is paired with a lot of disturbing activity, and as is typical in these films, a portion of misogyny. If you could stomach Saw you can probably handle this one. Frankly, I think it would have been a better film in many ways if it just stood on its story. The gore is mostly for shock value alone, and you can make people seem dastardly without gratuitous violence. It is, however, part and parcel for the genre. I think in this case the story transcends the genre, much as Silence of the Lambs is a slasher flick that is more than a slasher flick.

I am interested, if anyone wants to comment, how Ichi as a character is similar to Jet Li's "Danny" in Unleashed? I have not seen that film yet, but I get the feeling there are some definite parallels.

Josie and the Pussycats (Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, 2001)

I have to tell you, I was never interested in this movie. I was never into Archie comics or the cartoons, also on the surface this looks like a funny little teeny-bopper movie that might fill the post Spice Girls world. Boy, was I wrong, and thanks to my web friends (Shon Richards in particular) amends have been made.

Yes, there is a teen movie vibe to this film, but it is more like a parody. Not a parody like Not Another Teen Movie, but a subversive stab at the genre in general. It feels like the other movies, but at its heart it mocks. It takes no time getting there either. The first images and song we hear are not the Pussycats, but rather the film's boy-band "DUjour" doing thie hit Backdoor Lover while a multitude of screaming 'tweens watch. Here are some of the lyrics:

You know that I won't hurt you
So open up and let me in
We love each other way too much
For it to be a sin
Some people use the front door
But that's never been my way
Just 'cuz I slip in back doors,
Well, that doesn't make me, hey!

The film continues to lampoon the pop-music world, though its main target is the commercialization of music and coolness, and selling things to teens.

Rachael Leigh Cook stars as Josie and is believable in the role; a cute wanna-be-punk with a bit of a Joan Jett fixation. Tara Reid is the Tara Reid we always wanted as the ditsy Melody, playing the role with such great silliness that it is a shock it is her. Rosario Dawson is the least teeny-bopper of them all; she is all breasts and attitude as Valerie.

This movie is a load of fun with a lot of great characters. You just might be surprised at how anti-MTV it is.

Twitter Paid Trending

See that image to the right? That is my trending bar from Twitter. If you don't use Twitter, trending topics are items that are getting a lot of play during the day. You may wonder why mine is for São Paulo. Well, as far as I know, you cannot remove trending from your screen, so by choosing São Paulo I am free to ignore topics, as I don't know what most of them are (obvious exceptions with the World Cup going on). See, the Brazilians are not yet big Justin Beiber fans, and since he owns Twitter I had to pick a place he was not yet destroying.

Today I see Toy Story 3 in my São Paulo trending. "Wow," I thought, "it is big there too?" I am sure it is, but then I notice the little "Promoted" button. When I mouse-over it, it says "Promoted by Disney/Pixar."

First, I understand that Twitter needs money to operate. I don't know who is funding it in general, but they do not have banner ads and are providing a free service. Good for them getting Disney to shell out some bucks. Also, good for them in making it clear that Toy Story 3 is not actually trending in São Paulo, but rather Disney paid for it to be trending there. I have no fault with Twitter on this account.

Now, I am also not going to disrespect Disney here either. I am sure they bought up key search terms at Google, and banner space all over the internet. I do think this is a weird thing though. Trending topics are what people on Twitter are talking about, and if Toy Story 3 has the caveat "promoted" next to it, then it is inferred that people are not talking about it. It makes Toy Story 3 look like the unpopular kid who gets invited to the party because he promised to bring beer. It just seems like an odd move to me. The only time I see people mentioning trending topics is when they complain one thing is trending, or another thing is not. I mean, the movie did huge bucks at the theater, but now it has this image of, well, punk ass me trying to promote my blog.

I'm no expert, but I think this is a bad move. I wonder what it cost, and if it will become a normal thing?

Histoire d'O (Just Jaeckin, 1975)

Films based on controversial books, particularly books that are considered pornographic, are difficult to translate to film. Just Jaeckin's histoire d'O (The Story of O) based on Pauline Réage's novel nicely handles difficult material, balancing the brutality and sensuality of the text without dwelling too long on either.

If you are unfamiliar with the novel, "O" is a woman brought into a secret society by her lover René at the château d'Roissy. Here women are dominated and "taught" to obey any man who is a society member, or is privy to their secrets. There are a number of rules including; the women cannot speak to the men nor look them in the face, they may not wear any undergarments and must wear loose skirts, they must provide any service the men desire. After her training, O is given to René's friend, Sir Stephen. It is a misogynistic tale that follows some Sadean themes, yet is more engaged in eroticism than philosophy.

The movie dances the line between eroticism and pornography nicely. Jaeckin, along with cinematographers Robert Fraisse and Yves Rodallec, frames the shots in such a way that the intent is obvious, yet not graphic. It does seem that things fall apart a bit in the last half-hour, as there is some definite "stroke material" and some of the society's men, including Sir Stephen, seem to be disgusted by the practices. To be fair, the book tends to be sloppy at this point as well.

One of the best parts for me is Udo Kier as René. When I read books, I like to get a picture in my head of the characters. Kier is not the perfect picture I had of René, but an excellent choice. First, it's Udo Kier. You can't make a Eurotrash film without him. Secondly Kier's homosexuality adds to the role. René is, in many ways, in love with Sir Stephen. They are more of a couple than René and O or Sir Stephen and O. René lives to please Sir Stephen, but unfortunately this theme drops a bit toward the end of the film.

If you've read the book, this is worth seeing. If you love Eurotrash, again it is worth seeing. Both the book and film have the disturbing ability to make the inherent misogyny erotic, as it appears everything O does is by choice. I still find the character to be a doormat despite her claims of willingness. If sexual politics are of interest to you, again, this is worth watching.

"You know, the Devil lives in New Orleans."

One of our earliest encounters with a local character in New Orleans was an old guy pointing out a statue of an angel. As we walked away, he told us, "you know, the Devil lives in New Orleans." Probably truer words were never spoken. Fortunately, a friend of the Devil is a friend of mine.

We arrived in New Orleans late last Sunday, and left last Friday early. I have not been to many true metropoli, most notably Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Toronto. With those I had few preconceptions, save DC. I grew up in Army towns, and the hugeness of a major city was beyond my comprehension. New Orleans, on the other hand is a preconception. I am happy to say, it lives up to the hype.

Now, I have to admit I was initially put off. We hit Bourbon Street during trash collection. Following a garbage truck while on foot is not the way to create a good first impression, however that impression was quickly replaced by a love for the French Quarter. We stayed at The Dauphine Orleans, on Dauphine Street, one block off of Bourbon. It's a nice place. Not ridiculously nice, and full of middle-aged couples with their kids, and oldsters who are there to sit by the pool. Not being right on Bourbon, and not during Mardi Gras I am sure, meant that you could go to the room and sleep without being pass-out-drunk.

Favorite places in New Orleans:

Favorite Bar

I really liked a few of them for different reasons.

Erin Rose is right off Bourbon (on Royal, IIRC) and had quite a few locals in it. It is a bar. Just a bar. There's a jukebox and a TV, but otherwise you go there to drink and talk. Good way to get away from the tourist feel.

Maison Bourbon is a nice little place that has old-style New Orleans Jazz, live. It is right across the street from a rock bar, which was loud, but it is amazing how the Jazz band was able to cut right through the noise.

Rita's Tequila is another, that leads us also into the restaurants. Rita's has a nice staff, good recorded music, and a huge tequila section (if you are into that kind of thing). $2 margaritas and domestic drafts on Tuesday.

Favorite Restaurant

The Red Fish Grill is a great place, but pricey. Excellent bar and bartenders. Pretty good wait staff (the waiter was good, but his support guys kinda sucked), great food. I had the eponymous red fish with vegetables and fried potatoes and crawfish remoulade. Theresa had a salad and a great rum-flamed shrimp done up with a cucumber sauce and fried beet shavings. It was like eating sushi, and was delicious. We finished with chocolate bread pudding that would make you, as the locals might say, slap your momma in the mouth.

Back to Rita's Tequila, we went there for fish tacos. They had other basic Mexican dishes as well. Their salsa has a great smokey flavor with visible chunks of garlic. I think the fish tacos were the special that night, and only $4 for two tacos with chips. It is grilled fish rather than deep fried, and we almost ordered another round.

Favorite Cultural Attraction

Yes, we did something other than drink. The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is a lot of fun, and the Cabildo State Museum was interesting and informative. I guess in all I would have to say Cafe Du Monde might have been my favorite. Sure, it is a coffee house, but it is a bit of history. Cafe Du Monde hearkens back to the time of lunch counters at the drug store, that many places have done away with.

Favorite Strip Club

Now, we only went into three of these, so I'll just mention them all in favoritism order least-to-most.

Little Darlings is a bit scary. I think it is part of the Hustler empire, as they had ads up for the other Hustler clubs. Now, Little Darlings is not scary because it is a, to use the popular euphemism, "urban" strip club. The girls are hustling dances. The bartender was lousy, and the place was kinda dirty. I have been in similar clubs elsewhere, and felt less comfortable here. To the right is "Woo-Woo" who way gracious enough to pose outside.

Babe's Cabaret is a strong second for me. The staff was good, and the dancers were very naturally built. No fake tits or ridiculously thin girls.

Rick's Sporting Saloon was easily the best of the three. It was not busy when we were there, but the staff was good. The girls mostly looked like strippers you see on TV shows. Some a little rougher around the edges, but predominately thin, long legged chicks with good pole skills. They all seemed nice. We talked to one, Niki, for a while and had a good time. Also we got a couple's dance from her which was, lets say, nice.

Okey. That is all for now. I'm sure I'll think of other things to post, and will likely bore you all with holiday snaps in the coming days.

Nerd Girl of Note #67

What happens when you take a wildly popular show that has been on the air for years and change out one of the main characters? Unfortunately for today's Nerd Girl of Note, Linda Thorson, you get a canceled show. The Avengers was on from 1961 to 1969. The show really caught on when Honor Blackman as "Cathy Gale," who left to appear in Goldfinger as "Pussy Gallore." She was replaced by the show's most iconic female in 1965, Diana Rigg as "Mrs. Emma Peel," who also left for James Bond, appearing in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. By the final series (season) The Avengers was starting to get a bit too campy for its own good. It was becoming, as so often happens, a parody of itself. This is where Linda Thorson enters as "Tara King."

Thorson is a bit of an oddball for the show. She is a Torontonian secretary who moved to the United Kingdom to study drama. The Avengers was, according to the IMDb, her first film/television role. Tara King is perhaps and underrated "companion" to John Steed. I think this is due to the quality of the show at the time. King was capable, but seemed to find herself in more trouble than Mrs. Peel or Ms. Gale. Sure, her predecessors often found themselves captured, but in a recently watched episode, "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?" King is getting smacked around, a lot. Where Mrs. Peel and Ms. Gale would get into fights regularly, Ms. King was knocked unconscious at least twice in the one hour episode.

Now, obviously they needed Tara King to be a new character, which they accomplished. She is not the femme-thug that Cathy Gale was, nor the "talented amateur" that was Emma Peel. Frankly, I am unclear on how Tara King became Steed's companion. She seems to be a junior agent of some sort.

After The Avengers Thorson continued to work in film and television, and has three films still pending release.

Back shortly...

We are having a big week in New Orleans, and I have not had a ton of time for the computer. Will be home tomorrow (Friday) with lots of news on the trip, for those who are interested. Tomorrow is a pre-planned NGoN. See y'all soon!

Premature Game Review: Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (Wii)

I'll admit it. I am a sucker for hot girl games. Tomb Raider, Dead or Alive, Final Fight. Hell, I even had the VIP game for the Playstation. When something comes along that fits the hot girl slot, and is only $12... well, you have my attention.

Onechanbara is based on the movie of the same name (which I have not seen). It is an "over the shoulder" fighting game that supports two player, split screen modes, as well as a story mode. On the Wii you use the Wiimote and the nunchuk attachment.

I have to admit, the game is a bit repetitive. I have only played it a bit, but already know that all I will be doing is swinging my controllers wildly as I buzz-saw through hordes of the undead. Is this so bad? Probably not. There are tons of games just like this, and I'll enjoy my $12 worth and then put it down for a few years.

The good parts are some of the things that are new to the genre, at least to me. Remember, I am not much of a gamer. One interesting/confusing item, is the "ecstasy meter." As you fight, your character starts to fall prey to blood-lust. The more continuously you fight, the more enraged you become, finally you are unable to fight effectively. Your sword becomes stuck in your target, and you must pull it free while opening yourself to attacks. Also, your character tires. I just went in there swinging like crazy, and before too long Aya (cowboy hat girl) was hunched over, breathing heavily.

In all, the game is fun, and quite the workout. I was breathing a bit heavily myself after completing a level, which is good. I don't really exercise, so swinging my arms is far better than just wearing out my thumbs. Here is some game play:



Obviously, you did not have to watch the entire video to see that there is going to be some repetition. I apparently learned a thing or two watching, though. That's why it is a Premature Game Review. :-)

Nerd Girl of Note #66

Katherine Parkinson plays Jen on the UK Channel 4 programme The IT Crowd. I had never seen this, but was interested after Mickey Glitter recommended it.

The show revolves around the IT department of a the fictional Reynholm Industries. Jen gets hired on as the IT Department. Jen has, unfortunately, fluffed her resume, but the hiring manager CEO, Denholm Reynholm, is completely fooled. Her team, Roy and Moss, however learn quickly that she is completely clueless. Her strong suit, however, is interfacing with the rest of the world, so she is dubbed the Relations Manager.

I hate to say it, but I really do think they got IT work/workers right. Sure, the stereotypes are hyperbolic, but the attitudes are typical. It is also typical to have a lousy tech as the team lead or manager, and for human resources to be dazzled by any bullshit an applicant spews.

The show really reminds me of The Big Bang Theory with fewer characters. Jen is of course Penny. Roy is a mix of Leonard and Walowitz. Moss is a mixture of Sheldon and Raj. I am almost positive that Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady were familiar with the show, though it is different enough to not be directly derivative.

Parkinson is cute and funny as Jen, and does a great job playing the odd-man-out in the nerd department. If you get a chance to see it, it is well worth watching. I was literally howling at the first episode.

The Expanded "You Know..."

I did a quick Tumblr post yesterday that, for me, has been quite popular. Here is the text:

If Katy Perry’s first song wasn’t about faux bisexuality we wouldn’t know who she is. She’s got a lot of balls to critique another artist for taking a stab at something provocative. You know what else is like a comedian telling fart jokes? Making out with another chick just to be a cock tease.

Now, this all came about after reading Katy Perry's Twitter post regarding Lady Gaga's Alejandro video. "Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke," she stated. First, a few Grammar/Fact Nazi comments.

Blasphemy is an affront to the judeo-christian god. Calling the deity a douche-bag is blasphemy. Sacrilege is an affront against the judeo-christian church. Nunsploitation is sacrilege. As far as fart jokes go, George Carlin regularly did fart jokes that were neither cheap nor unfunny.



Now, it is fairly plain that I am a Lady Gaga enthusiast. I don't count myself as a "little monster" or fan in the traditional "fanatic" sense. Also, while I find her to have a great deal of talent I will readily admit that much of her persona is derivative of David Bowie and Madonna.

If you have not seen it, here is the Alejandro video in question:



To me, the most offensive thing about this video is that is has nothing to do with the lyrics, but that is hardly a legitimate complaint. Music video imagery rarely has much to do with the lyrics. It does, however match the song. Alejandro is easily the most Madonna-esque of Lady Gaga's songs. It hearkens back to the True Blue and Like a Prayer era Madonnas. The video is full of Madonna imagery, particularly the video for Respect Yourself, and obviously Like a Prayer. I also see a lot of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation in it. Some of it in the militaristic visuals, but also in that at the time Rhythm Nation was considered extravagant. Videos were, however, a big deal then. Remember, MTV actually played videos then.



My problem with Perry's statement is that it has nothing to do with the video, aside from the knee-jerk reactionary arguments that people made about Like a Prayer. The minor complaint I have is that she is pandering to the religious fringe in this country, but what's worse is she is being a hypocrite. Not only is I Kissed a Girl a song that sold a great deal because it was shocking to some, but it is derivative as well. Some time ago, there was another I Kissed a Girl by Jill Sobule. Sobule's song was more twee rock, but was essentially the same song. Perry also hearkens back to Joan Jett's penchant for glam rock and sexual ambiguity. People were shocked when Joan Jett sang Crimson and Clover and did not change the lyrics to reflect a female-to-male relationship, but demanded that you consider it a female-to-female relationship. Certainly Jett did this with purpose, but it is a better purpose. When questioned about her sexuality (I believe by George Stroumboulopoulos on The Hour) she explained that she is purposefully deceptive about her own preference because she does not want to exclude anyone in her fan base from thinking they have a shot. Rock and roll is sexual, so why exclude anyone from thinking a song is about them?



I never cared either way about Katy Perry before. I Kissed a Girl is a good song. So is Waking Up in Vegas. I do find You're So Gay to be an offensive song, especially since it is couched with I Kissed a Girl, but not so much that I formed any strong opinion of her. I will say that her lack of self-awareness is offensive. Not just the items above, but also that she is marrying a non-christian, recovering drug and sex addict (I love Russell Brand, and am not trying to disrespect him). She should consider, as we all should, what we say and how it fits into the "glass houses and throwing stones" allegory. Decrying another artist for offending your religion when you have offended it as well is highly hypocritical and borderline fascist.

Premature Book Review: Watch Your Mouth (Daniel Handler, 2000)

After discussing author Daniel Handler last week, I decided to re-read Watch Your Mouth and give a quick overview you you, my loving readers.

This Handler's second novel of the non-Lemony Snicket variety, and is more subversive, perverse, and comical than his first novel, The Basic Eight. It is the story of Joseph, a college student who meets and falls for the highly libidinous Cyn (Cynthia) Glass. She arranges for the two of them to spend the summer with her parents in Pittsburgh, PA while working at a Jewish day-camp, Camp Shalom. This is where Joseph's world falls apart.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one is often misrepresented as a opera. Joseph is the narrator, and described the action as though he were composing an opera about the story. It has all the operatic elements. The father plagued by scandal, a wife creating scandal, a wanton daughter, and lots of people die in the end. Oh, and there is incest. Lots of it.

The second part is often misrepresented as a self-help book. Joseph is trying to recover from his time in the Glass house, and has started reading a self-help book. The narrative now follows his progression through a twelve-step program. This part of the book is similar to (Chuck Palahniuk, 1996) in Joseph's further talking to his reader and going through a set of rules in an attempt to turn his life around. It is also a bit of a murder mystery.

In all, though perverse and occasionally gratuitous sexually, this is one of my favorite books, and definitely my favorite by Handler. It is clever and funny, and I think you feel Joseph's frustration towards the situation he has found himself in. He is not entirely sympathetic, but it is difficult to imagine someone in his predicament. There are clever twists, and even though I have read the book previously, I am still surprised at times and find myself laughing out loud.

Fan-Boy Icon #16

This post might be considered timely because of the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, but is oddly enough unrelated. I think we all know how behind the times I am, and certainly wont see that sand-fest for at least three years. I did just get to watch another film staring Jake Gyllenhaal; Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001).

This was one of those films that slipped by me, somehow. I don't know if I confused it with something else? Perhaps Meet Joe Black? Who knows... Fortunately, my string of internet film buddies led me to this one, and I am hooked. However, I am not sure why.

Donnie Darko is a troubled young boy with a mental disorder and a pill-happy psychiatrist. He is coming of age in that wonderful time in America when we were finally getting rid of Ronald Reagan, only to fall in the lap of George H.W. Bush and the continuation of institutional stupid. Darko's world is full of toe-the-line teachers and parents, and the abysmal self-help guru Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze). Being roughly Darko's age, I can appreciate the sense of Fascism the time fostered; do not question, do not step out of line, do not rock the boat.

Donnie is visited by a rabbit-suited being called Frank. Frank tells Donnie to do things, and those things are typically of benefit to young Darko. Donnie does not know what or who Frank is, though the creature claims to be a time-traveler, and says the world is going to end on Halloween. The countdown begins, and Donnie becomes more disturbed and disruptive as it approaches.

There are a lot of big names in this film. Aside from Jake, his sister Maggie appears as, well, his sister. Mary McDonnell plays Donnie's mother, and looks like she could be Jake and Maggie's mom. Patrick Swayze's slimy portrayal of Jim Cunningham is fun, as they make a lot of fun of Swayze's image. A young, not-so-chubby Seth Rogen plays one of the douche-bag cool kids. Drew Barrymore's Ms. Pomeroy is interesting. Wonderfalls fans will recognize Beth Grant as Marianne Marie Beattle from the "Muffin Buffalo" episode.

Now, as a review... I enjoyed this movie. It was fun visually. Gyllenhaal does a nice job with the character's personality flaws and sense of unbalance. It is very much a fairy tale, in the Brothers Grimm tradition. Things get ugly, and the ending is not so happy, yet not altogether sad. If you demand closure from your films, you might avoid this one. When the wife asked me "so, what was the point?" I could not quite describe it. They don't blow up the Death Star or bring the blue whale to the future to save the planet. It unfolds, and ends with either a button missing or one shoe untied; but not in a bad way.

Nerd Girl of Note #65

I have to admit, I know little about Thu Tran, but was recently introduced to her show Food Party by Empress Kate at her blog. Her is the "about" section from Thu Tran's website:

Thu Tran is five feet tall and loves food. The inspiration for her work comes from many different sources, including, but not limited to, sandwich wrappers, manga, sanrio, and the infinite rainbow that is Vietnam. Thu currently refers to herself as a "mixed media artist."

She lives and works in Cleveland, OH at numerous jobs ranging from book illustration to painting psychedelic murals for sub shops with fellow artist Taylor Dell. First and foremost, she is a food enthusiast, and enjoys the simple pleasures of home cooked meals and food experiments with her friends and family.

Food Party is, in a word "wacky." In three words it is "wacky and subversive." It has the perverse sensibilities of the original Pee-Wee Herman Show and the sheer lunacy of Wondershowzen. The low-budget appearance of the show and awkward editing and segues takes swipes at both childrens television and home/cooking shows. There is an absurdity similar to Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! to Food Party that makes it highly enjoyable.

If you get IFC, give Food Party a try. If you don't, you can see some video at IFC's website.

Premature Book Review: Candy Barr

We like to think of the 1950s as being very Leave it to Beaver. Wholesome and good. Mom and apple pie. Cops were honest, people caring, and sex existed solely for propagation of the species. In fact, the 1950s were a time of sexuality, perversion, and violence. All you have to do is look at Bettie Page, Tempest Storm, Blaze Starr, Marilyn Monroe, and our subject here, Juanita Slusher, aka Candy Barr.

When you write a book about a sex-symbol you are treading shaky ground. You might adore said sex-symbol, which will impair your judgment. You might despise her, also an impairment. Thus, with books of this nature it is always hard to tell if you are going to get an honest story worth reading or empty praise or condemnation. Fortunately, Ted Schwarz seems to have his head on straight. The inside jacket claims he has over one-hundred hours of interviews with Candy Barr, and she seems quite forthcoming. It is obvious from the text that he is on her side, but the story is more than that of Candy Barr, it is the story of America in the middle of the twentieth century.

Juanita Slusher grew up in a world of institutional misogyny. A man's sexual behavior was his business and the law believed, in a rather Sadean fashion, that men were pawns of their natures and incapable of monogamy. Women, on the other hand were deemed prone to monogamy, and thus an adulterous woman was considered mentally ill. Candy Barr was subject to sexual abuse by family and neighbors before her famous figure became apparent. Her first sexual experience occurred when her sister sold her virginity to a stranger for one dollar. After running away to Dallas, she was raped and forced into prostitution. Where are your Ward and June Cleaver now?

Thus far this book deals with difficult issues. It is not fun. It is not the tale of a glamorous star loved by millions. Schwarz handles the material well. There are typically two ways to treat stories of abuse. You can go the way of Stieg Larrsen's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I have not read, but understand to be a brutal, off-putting portrayal of violence against women, or you can take the "Lifetime Original Movie" approach, where the violence makes you feel for the victim, but not necessarily sickened by the act itself. There are problems inherent in both; if the story is too off-putting your message will not get across to many readers, and some are titillated rather than offended; if the story is too gentle to the reader then you are downplaying the heinous nature of the act. Schwarz just gives us facts here. There is no description of the rapes that occur. There is no description of the men involved. He simply states that there was a rape, and that rape is unacceptable to civilized people, though it was not considered unacceptable in 1950s Texas.

I am not far into this book, but it is very interesting. Schwarz's style is quite good, and highly readable. Eventually we will see Candy Barr tied up with the mob, particularly with Jack Ruby, and involved in the investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It should prove an interesting story, and a good read, particularly for the non-fiction lovers out there.

Fan-Boy Icon #15

This week's entry gets us not one Icon, but two. Daniel Handler is a novelist and musician, known for his accordion playing. He is also the man behind the pseudonym "Lemony Snicket," author and chronicler of the Baudelaire children in the collection A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Handler quickly became one of my favorite authors. His first novel, The Basic Eight, is about a teenage killer whose personality disorders lead her to kill some of her teachers and friends. The book was panned by critics for its style. It takes the form of journal entries and is written from the teen girl's point-of-view. Apparently he wrote too believably in that character's voice, as the juvenile nature of the text was the critics main complaint. From this point he began work as "Lemony Snicket" which we shall get to shortly. His second novel as Handler was Watch Your Mouth. Here we have the story of a modern Jewish family and a young man who enters their lives. There are a lot of odd things going on with them, including incest, the mother's production of an anti-Semitic play with the local theater troupe, and last, the construction of a golem. His final book, thus far, is Adverbs, a collection of short stories with a confusing twist. Characters in several stories have the same names, but it is often difficult to determine if they are in fact the same character or not.

Unfortunately, Handler's adult themed books are not widely read. There is a touch of perversion to them, particularly in Watch Your Mouth, which is not erotic but touches on sexual explicitness. His real claim to fame, of course is with Lemony Snicket.

Lemony Snicket, according to an interview with Handler, was a name he created while researching The Basic Eight. He was researching various right-wing religious organizations, and did not want them knowing his true identity. He came up with Lemony Snicket. Later he was pitching a dark story to a publisher, and they suggested he turn it into a story for children. Since then, A Series of Unfortunate Events has seen thirteen books in the main series, several related books, and the 2004 movie with Jim Carey as the arch-fiend Count Olaf.

While not reaching the same worldwide appeal of the Harry Potter stories, ASoUE was very popular, considering its competition. It is the story of three children who are orphaned when Count Olaf burns down their home and kills their parents. They find themselves in a string of homes through the first half of the series, and eventually on their own in the second half. Regardless of where they are hidden, Count Olaf always finds them out and attempts to destroy them.

What was most enjoyable, as an adult, is how truly evil Count Olaf is. He is a murderer, and while not graphically told, the truth is plain. The villains in Harry Potter's world are evil and devious, but none are so blunt as Count Olaf. The books typically display the ignorance of adults, and their unwillingness to listen to children. Olaf is the exception. While he appears ignorant in many ways, his cunning is unmatched, and he knows how stupid the other adults are. He uses this to continually harass the Baudelaires, and to avoid prosecution.

If you have not read ASoUE, it is well worth a try. Read The Bad Beginning, and know that the books only get better. There are certain books that I would have left out of the series altogether, but there is a theme of thirteens. There are thirteen books in the series. Each book is thirteen chapters... It all goes toward the bad luck surrounding the heroes.