1-31-05 (20:23)
  • imdb.com has been making some small changes lately. one of them is that they've started rating (out of 10 stars) the users who provide comments. presumably this will allow them to post the better reviews on the main page.
  • updated recommendations.


    • 1-31-05 (14:55)

  • jon came over today for about an hour. it was good to see him and show him the new digs.
  • went to the podiatrist and got a cortisone shot. my foot is numb now. getting mold for orthotics on friday. hopefully insurance covers it otherwise i'm out $300.
  • philip johnson is dead, that's unfortunate.


    • 1-30-05 (22:50)

  • updated movies list.
  • watched the second half of the kings game today. no webber, no peja, no evans, no bobby jackson and we still beat the timberwolves. we played great ball today. it was fun to watch. if bobby jackson was healthy we'd be in great shape for the postseason, but, as is, he's slated to be out until april. lame.
  • my personal feeling is that owens will play in the superbowl and score a touchdown.
  • i'm overdue for a good road trip.
  • i've download about 200, of about 1350, cds onto my computer so far.
  • chris webber is officially my favorite nba player again. for a long time it was a close one between him and christie, but now that christie isn't a king anymore i have to give up to webber. and, honestly, webber and i have more of a history anyway.
  • went out to brunch with melanie before the kings game. it was nice to hang out with her. i wonder why things can't always be like that. sometimes i think i must be an extraordinarily consistent person, and then i remember how depressed i can get. i guess it's more that i'm consistent in my actions. because even when i feel really good i generally go out and watch movies, and when i'm depressed i stay at home and movies. i think that with other people, when they're happy, they go out partying with friends, and when they're depressed they do drugs or kill small animals or something.
  • i like movies.


    • 1-28-05 (21:35)

  • just finished watching a tightly contested kings/rockets game. we were down by three with 4.7 seconds left. bibby inbounded the ball to webber, webber faked the handoff to bibby, spun and took a three with mcgrady in his face; he made it. overtime. mobley made two threes, webber came up with a big steal, miller came up with a big rebound and bibby made some key free throws. we won. good, exciting game.
  • warner brothers is back. they got three times as many oscar nominations (27) as their nearest competitor (miramax, with 9).
  • i plan on watching million dollar baby, the aviator and hotel rwanda this week.


    • 1-26-05 (23:50)

  • updated movies list.
  • i've changed my stance on marriage. i used to think that no one should be allowed to marry, now i think that everyone should be allowed to marry, but that single people should get paid more.
  • i think i'm the only person at work who doesn't smoke. it's amazing how much money is lost because people take breaks to get coffee, smoke a cigarette, move their car or take care of their kids. i abhor all those things. living in davis you shouldn't drive to work, except on rare occasions. smoking is vile and coffee is nearly worthless. that said, i'm just a judgmental prick so...
  • i've had the feeling lately that truth doesn't matter. yes, i know that there isn't any knowable Truth, blah blah blah, but in the real world there is a certain degree of truth. like the fact that bush changed his reason for going to iraq, or that the administration lies about all sorts of things on a weekly basis. the one that got me more than anything, though, was getting ridiculed for using the word "incontrovertible" because it was believed that the word did not exist. it was a small thing, but it made me think about the fact that being right doesn't count for very much and i think that's kinda sad since i value being right quite a bit. i guess that's just part of life. what's worse is that even when the truth is known there is often no reparations given to the party that was wronged. we know there are no wmds in iraq, but the majority of the nation doesn't really care...there wasn't any accountability. it's a tough lesson to learn, one i should have learned long ago, but one i think i've learned now.
  • life has been pretty tiresome lately. i can certainly understand the desire to just tune it out.


    • 1-25-05 (20:07)

  • there's a nova segment on hd-pbs right now that is discussing motor neurons. pretty interesting stuff.
  • nova is officially the coolest show on tv.
  • putting all my cds onto my computer is going to be a huge undertaking. i think it'll take a couple months if i do it at a leisurely pace.


    • 1-24-05 (16:41)

  • worked for 11.5 hours today. i'm ready for a nap. good news is that it's all done.
  • one of the lead loss prevention guys was at the store today. he's a very reserved person, probably because of his job, but i had heard that he was a big movie buff so i approached him about it today.

    • me: "so, i hear you're a big movie guy?"
    him: "yup."
    me: "seen anything good lately?"
    him: "like in the theater, or just at home?"
    me: "either...i'm just trying to see what you're into."
    him: "oh, i'm into everything."
    me: "oh, cool. ever seen lady snowblood?"
    him: "what?"
    me: "lady snowblood. have you seen kill bill? (he nods). yeah, well it's a 1970s japanese film which was a major influence on kill bill."
    him: "oh, i don't watch anything with subtitles, i like to actually watch the movie."
    me: "oh. yeah."
  • that interaction made me feel two things - like i came off as pretentious and like he grossly overrated his interest in film.
  • i've decided to transfer all my cds to my computer. i like big projects, it doesn't cost anything and it'll make listening to a wide variety of music easier (after the initial investment).


    • 1-23-05 (22:53)

  • johnny, luke and john came over today to watch the two football games. i think we all had a pretty good time. both the games were less exciting than i had anticipated. i was right about the patriots and wrong about the falcons. at half-time of the pats/steelers game we played some football. i think that i'm pretty easy to please when i'm amongst friends, but i'm very picky about friends so it kinda evens itself out in that way.
  • tomorrow is inventory at work which means i gotta be at work around 5am. not really looking forward to that.
  • i didn't eat very well today. ate at in and out, had ice cream, chips and soda.
  • johnny and i talked about my doing more with myself. but days like today just solidified my thinking that as long as i have a few good friends, music and movies i'm going to be pretty damned satisfied in life.
  • luke and johnny laughed at me today because i used the word "incontrovertible." they laughed because they didn't think it was a word. bastards.
  • i need a haircut, but i've been waiting to buy a mirror before cutting my hair. in the past i used a cd, but the reflective properties of a cd aren't good enough to ensure that the back of my head looks presentable.
  • i hope owens plays in the super bowl.


    • 1-21-05 (00:20)

  • updated movies list.
  • inventory at work is coming up on monday, that'll be a lame day.
  • kings have been playing well and the suns have been sucking, both of those are good things. i am a bit sad to see that we're doing so well (six wins in a row) without christie though.
  • i'm glad that both football games are on sunday, that means i don't have to leave work early or miss any part of the games. johnny and luke might come to visit. i'm pretty excited about these games because they look like pretty good matchups.
  • added a year end awards list (for film) that melanie and i compiled. awards were given from the following films released in 2004:

    • Voices Of Iraq
    Dawn Of The Dead
    Ray
    Primer
    Fahrenheit 9/11
    Saw
    Bush's Brain
    Deadline
    Garden State
    Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War On Journalism
    Control Room
    Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle
    Collateral
    Door In The Floor
    Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgandy
    Meet The Fockers
    Ocean's Twelve
    Blade Trinity
    Enduring Love
    Spartan
    Incredibles
    National Treasure
    After The Sunset
    Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster
    Man Who Knew Bush
    Grudge
    Bush Family Fortunes
    Miracle
    Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
    Kill Bill Volume Two
    Silver City
    I Heart Huckabees
    Along Came Polly
    Girl Next Door
    Team America: World Police
    Unconstitutional: War On Our Civil Liberties
    Forgotten
    Envy
    Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow
    Butterfly Effect
    Shaun Of The Dead
    Hunting Of The President
    Super Size Me
    Mean Creek
    Prince And Me
    What The #$*! Do We Know!?
    Cellular
    Suspect Zero
    Without A Paddle
    Predator vs. Alien
    Stepford Wives
    Napoleon Dynamite
    Manchurian Candidate
    Spider-Man 2
    Village
    Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
    Bourne Supremacy
    King Arthur
    Terminal
    Mean Girls
    Saved!
    Trekkies 2
    Twisted
    Day After Tomorrow
    Alamo
    Ladykillers
    Jersey Girl
    Perfect Score
    Starsky And Hutch
    Secret Window
    Hidalgo
    Club Dread
    50 First Dates
    Big Bounce

    1-17-05 (13:31)

  • john came over yesterday and we watched both the football games. the games weren't all that spectacular, but it was good to have company. i'm glad that boomer esiason echoed my sentiments regarding peyton manning - great regular season qb, but he'll never win the big one. he's just today's dan marino. what made it funny, though, was that boomer said it right in front of dan marino, who obviously took offense, and later on asked him (boomer) how many playoff games he had won. for the record, the colts/patriots game was a pick em game, if you're the betting kind, so i gotta give myself props for predicting the outcome last week. also, if you're the betting kind, it seems that the smart money in the playoffs is on the under line. both games yesterday went under by a touchdown or more.
  • i'm looking forward to the steelers/patriots game. i think the patriots will win because they have more experience, but other than that it's a pretty square matchup. as for the nfc...i was very impressed by atlanta, and they have what you need to do well in the playoffs (a great ground game and a great defensive line). that said, they did well against the rams, but that doesn't count for much since the rams don't really have a defense. philly, though, is without one of my mvp candidates (owens) so i think atlanta will come out with a win.
  • updated movies list.


    • 1-14-05 (19:54)

  • after work i went out for some pizza with john and my boss. it was nice to do something other than just go home and watch movies.
  • i broke down today and bought a small heater for my place. it'll be here next week so that'll be nice. waking up every morning and being paralyzed in my bed is a shitty way to start the day. it gets so cold that if i move at all my body will hit a cold spot in the bed and it's not very comfortable.
  • mark mcgrath is such a tool.


    • 1-14-05 (00:35)

  • it's 55 degrees in my apartment right now. that's where it is most of the time these days.
  • feeling pretty lonely right now. the raucous party across the street just amplifies that feeling.
  • apparently having fun grows in proportion with the level of noise you emit.
  • on the upside i watched the ali g show tonight and it was hilarious. it also highlighted the fact that the amount of stupidity in this world is absolutely staggering.
  • recently i've been waking up about 15 minutes before my alarm goes off. that said, i've been going to work later and later each day. i just keep hitting the snooze button in the morning. part of it is the weather and part of it is just life.
  • i think melanie views her choice to not be with me as freedom from me, and i view being with her as freedom from loneliness.
  • updated movies list.


    • 1-13-05 (19:42)

  • the other day i adjusted my tv antenna and told the tv to look for more channels and it ended up finding seven more digital channels. this whole hdtv thing is crazy. there are all these channels out there that i never knew existed. now i have four pbs stations and all the major networks in hd.
  • i wonder why tattoos have become so cliché in recent years. it seems everyone has them now.
  • i guess the last few years i've been spoiled because i've been able to talk to someone about my day and about the things i'm looking forward to and everything else. it's nice to be able to turn your head and tell someone what you're thinking about - whether it's a stupid comment about something on tv or a profound societal observation. watching documentaries on pbs about lava flow and the colorado river are made ten times better when they're broadcast in hd.
  • i got disc one of da ali g show tonight. i'll check that out tonight.
  • i worked on a budget through the end of may and it looks like i could be out of debt (minus the tv payments) by the end of april.
  • it seems as though i don't write as much these days. my days are pretty much all the same. work is generally pretty good on one level, but it's also frustrating because working for a corporation always is. my feet hurt less now than they did a couple months ago, but i've scheduled a checkup with a podiatrist to see if orthotics might help. outside of the unsure relationship with melanie i don't have any personal relationships worth discussing. i've finally gotten a hold of my finances. i go out to the theater less frequently these days. i worked overtime today because there wasn't anything better to do and things needed to be done at work. i eat fairly regularly. i still haven't finished my top ten reviews, but i'm going to just go ahead and post those now anyway.
  • two of the best films that were released this year were actually released (at one or two film festivals) in late 2003. since i use imdb.com as my reference point for year of release i can't include open water and the corporation on my top ten, but they both belong there.
  • top ten of 2004 here. i had planned on doing an awards list with melanie, but every time she comes over we either forget or she needs to leave before we get around to doing it.
  • i was thinking about inviting john (because he's from pennsylvania) over for the pittsburgh/new york football game this weekend, but it's the early game on saturday which is the only game, of four being held this weekend, that i'm going to miss (because of work). i am looking forward to the other games because i like the playoffs of all four major sports.
  • it looks like i'll be taking some time off around the last week of february, but i haven't made any definite plans i.e., i haven't purchased plane tickets.


    • 1-13-5 (00:02)

  • today was pretty lame overall. work was weird. after work i watched a good movie and had a good dinner. melanie came over later to watch part of law and order and she wasn't feeling too good. the end to law and order was kinda stupid.


    • 1-10-5 (22:23)

  • i just received some awful news about the kings. christie is being traded to the orlando magic. this sucks.
  • updated movies list.
  • hurt my neck tonight. just tweaked it, but it hurts.


    • 1-10-5 (11:52)

  • i want to get a bumper sticker for the car i don't have that says "real environmentalists don't procreate."


    • 1-9-5 (17:03)

  • updated my recommendations.


    • 1-9-5 (13:00)

  • my personal feeling about peyton manning has always been that he's just dan marino part two. that is to say that he'll put up great numbers in his career, but he'll never win the big one. personally, i'd rather have tom brady on my team. the colts played two good defenses this year - new england and baltimore. they lost to new england and scored only 20 against baltimore...and their defense allows 22 points a game. i do think that the colts' defense has done a good job the last month or so, but i don't think they can beat new england (even though they're short-handed) and i don't think they can beat pittsburgh. also, i don't think they can play with teams like new england and pittsburgh on the road. the colts have a dome and i think dome teams are at a disadvantage in the playoffs.
  • updated movies list.
  • back in the day randall cunningham was the great running quarterback...nowadays we have guys like michael vick and dante culpepper and a couple others who are double threats. but the rap on cunningham was always that he would look to run too quickly. culpepper's decision on third and short in the first minute of this game against green bay shows the new breed of quarterback. he easily could have gotten the first down with his legs, but he dumped it off after scrambling to the outside and it resulted in a touchdown. the secondary bit on culpepper when he left the pocket and culpepper took advantage of it. i'm not a big fan of the guy, but it was a great decision.


    • 1-7-5 (23:13)

  • updated movies list.


    • 1-7-5 (18:37)

  • ian stimler at zeitgeist video has told me that the corporation will arrive on dvd on 04-05-05 it'll be a 2-disc set.

    • disc one
    16:9 anamorphic, formatted for widescreen tvs. two audio commentaries with co-directors achbar and abbott and one with writer joel bakan.
    janeane garofolo interviews bakan on air america's "majority report"
    "q & a"s: a selection of tv, radio and festival interview segments with the filmmakers, in cluding segments from CNN financial, WNYC, WBAI, and Air America.
    Trailers for the corporation and manufacturing consent
    deleted scenes, including additional clips from michael moore's "the awful truth."
    grassroots marketing video segment
    disc two
    "tropical paradise" and "tell me more": over 5 hours of additional footage of the corporation's 40 interviewees, searchable by topic or interview subject.
    plus additional trailers, web links, subject updates and more.
  • other than that and a free lunch with john (for which i forgot to thank him) my day has been pretty lame. being home alone sucks. melanie's back but we have only hung out for a couple hours since her return. i have lots of movies to watch, but i don't feel like watching them. went to sleep last night at about 9:30. i just feel so unmotivated.
  • the whole free car thing doesn't look so good anymore. estimates range from 650-1500 bucks to get the transmission working, then there's a smog test, registration (including back payments since it's been unregistered for about a year), and ownership transfer fees. all told it's looking like it would probably cost me 1500 to get it up here which is about 1400 bucks than i have right now. also, since i bought a tv recently, i'm still a year away from getting fully out of debt so getting a car (and the freedom to visit friend in sacramento and friend in berkeley and friend in sf) is looking extremely unlikely. the good thing about being a pessimist is that you're not disappointed quite as much.


    • 1-6-5 (00:43)

  • i need to get to bed earlier.
  • the usc game yesterday was great. i think i said it a few months ago when i went to la and saw them play ucla...watching them is like watching a video game because they do all the things that you shouldn't be able to do in a real game. i'm glad that they crushed oklahoma.
  • i wish cal had won their bowl game. i'm a pac-10 guy.
  • i was just thinking about "kanto wanderer" and it made me happy. you know a movie is great when you can just think about its style and have a good feeling. when i watch the better suzuki stuff i can't help but feel like i'm finally watching something worth my while. he was a great filmmaker. seeing tin star made me feel the same way.
  • i'm working overtime on getting these top ten lists ironed out soon.
  • inventory at work is in late january which means i'm going to take some time off in february. should be fun.
  • speaking of fun...i haven't given enough recognition to jim gaffigan...if you haven't heard his comedy routine yet, do yourself a favor and check out his new cd.


    • 1-3-5 (23:39)

  • updated movies list.
  • ironing out my top movies/music of the 2004...should be done by the end of the week.


    • 1-1-5 (20:20)

  • college football is fun, but i wish it wasn't the case that every other play is either an option or a shovel pass. it gets a bit old.
  • updated movies list.


    • 1-1-05 (01:07)

  • i was in the middle of tin star when the clock turned 12:00...i didn't even notice actually. i'm sure most people were with someone special having a good time drinking or partying or just hanging out. i didn't have any company, but tin star turned out to be pretty great so i was happy enough.
  • i've never been a big new year's resolution kind of guy, but i would like to watch another 500 movies this year.
  • 150 of the 523 movies i watched this year were made oustide of the US. 180 of the 523 movies i saw were released before the year i was born. i watched 11 movies directed by hitchcock, which led all directors for the year. i watched 67 movies in the theater. the most movies i watched in a month came in july when i watched 51 movies, in december i watched 28, which was the lowest number for any month. i watched at least one movie a day for 25 days in a row in march and july.
  • 01-02-04 (02:34) "my one prediction for this year is that bush will win the presidency. this time he'll win for real."
  • "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that you? For even sinners do the same." Luke 6:32-33
  • added all of 2004 page.
  • 2004 was a good year for sports fans and the best year i've ever had financially. other than that it sucked.
  • it's past 2am and i should get some sleep since i have to be at work early tomorrow, but i want to finish my reviews for the last 4 films i watched.
  • i wish i had a police scanner. i've always thought it would be nice to have one to listen to from time to time. tonight would be especially interesting.

    • updated movies list.