Well, dinner last friday was great. Sure, cooking with easy ingredients and a good cookbook is hardly going to fail, but it has to be something different too - you can't just serve steak and fries when you're having company, can you ? Not that there's anything wrong with steak and fries, mind you. Absolutely not.
And thankfully my persistent cold wasn't acting up too much after a long sleep in the morning and an afternoon sitting in the sofa watching cartoons. Always great to skip a day of work that way.
Song of the week : "Grey Day" Zoot Woman
Oldie of the week : "Axel F" Harold Faltermeyer
Last seen movie : "Training Day" : Strong police-movie about the first day (hence training day) of a new detective (Ethan Hawke) under the wings of a topcop (Denzel Washington). Starting out with the best intentions, the rookie is forced to re-evaluate when his mentor makes him smoke weed, beat a suspect and break various rules. Denzel's acting got him the Oscar as best male that year. Probably because it's quite far from the usual do-gooders he usually plays (remember "John Q" ?). In a way the movie may also have inspired the tv-serie "The Shield" which deals with the same basic concept : reasonably good cops doing bad things to enforce the law.
Doing this week : It's about time I start watching a lot of movies again, since it's a been very slow on that front the last few weeks. There are so many (probably) good movies coming out these days and I have at least 15 others on video - not to mention the ones on DVD. I've got to stop taping and borrowing these things.

Editorial - 20 October 2003

I've been thinking a bit about selling some stuff I don't use anymore. There's always a lot of crap you collect during the years - thinking you really need or want it - which only piles up on top of bookshelves and closets. Some stuff you can throw away, some is to good to throw away. Guess I'll have to put Ebay to work once more. Hope I'm lucky and get rid of a lot.
Song of the week : These days I smack the alarmclock to quick to listen what's on.
Oldie of the week : "No Rain" Blind Melon
Last seen movie : "The Hard Way" : kinda boring actionmovie (bad acting killer without motivation on a killing spree) which is kinda saved by the humerous buddy-feel of Michael J. Fox and James Woods. The usual rainy day fluff.
"Stir Of Echoes" : Kevin Bacon never seems to get the big break he deserves. Great acting performances (as in "Murder In The First") tend to get overlooked, box-office successes ("Apollo 13") only feature him in a supporting role and in this one, he had the drawback of being in theaters simultaneously with "The Sixth Sense" which has a similar storyline - and is much better too.
Kevin plays a working man, not entirely happy with his "small" life in a small community in the outer skirts of some big city. On a dare being hypnotized by his sister-in-law during a party he is asked to "open up his mind". This leads to horrific nightmares, strange behaviour, tension in the peacefull neighbourhood and an ending which tries to shock and surprise but fails because you can't help compare it to "The Sixth Sense". Too bad because this could've been a great movie otherwise.
Doing this week : Lemme see ... an appointment tonight, someone coming over for dinner tomorrow, reception on wednesday and probably someone for dinner on friday ... a program quite filled indeed.

Editorial - 17 October 2003

A very late update this week. Seems I find less and less time to get around of doing this thing. Busy at work, looking around for new stuff to do, my girlfriend moved all the furniture again so I'm trying to find my way in my own apartment and then there's some stuff in the family. Think I'll skip the songs this week too.
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : -----
Last seen movie : "The Dirty Dozen" : One of Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies tells the story of 12 convicted soldiers who get the chance to redeem themselves by accepting a suicide mission under the guidance of a hard nose officer. Focusing on the long training does leave quite a few holes in the overall buildup, but it does give the movie less of a Rambo feel and a more leveled character development. Which may also be due to the - for those times seemely necessary - more comical scenes.
"On The Riviera" : harmless musical comedy starring the late and great Danny Kaye in a double role as an actor and a famous french pilot who sets records flying further and further than anyone else (no doubt a small reference to Charles Lindbergh). When the pilot's business tends to go belly-up, the actor is hired to impersonate him (and entertain the high guests) while the pilot travels elsewhere to raise money. Needless to say this creates funny scenes with wives, girlfriends and mistresses ?
"Daredevil" : Dark comic-adaptation starring Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer prosecuting criminals with eager. At night he transforms himself into Daredevil and executes criminals who slipped through the system. Romance grows when he encounters Jennifer Garner, playing the daughter of a rich businessman. She's also known as Elektra and while in love with Matt, wants to kill Daredevil because she thinks he killed her father. Off course he didn't do it, but some random lunatic (bullseye) hired by the biggest baddie in town (Kingpin). Well, it is a comic book after all ... there are some themes and trends to follow - no matter how lame they sound when you describe it. Oh well, there are some fascinating effects and stunts and a nice setup for sequels, but I'm not sure whether I'm going to slip this disc into the player as much as I'm doing with Batman and Spider-Man.
Doing this week : Nothing much, the week's done.

Editorial - 7 October 2003

Finally, after numerous delays "The Simpsons Season 3" is available on DVD. At this rate (one a year) and considering the DVD releases are already 11 years behind the television-screenings, we'll all be old and gray before we have the whole enchillada on our DVD-shelves. Hell, DVD's will probably be obsolete by then. Saves us some bucks again !
Song of the week : -----
Oldie of the week : "Darlin' You Know I Love You" BB King
Last seen movie : "The Fiendish Plot Of Doctor Fu Manchu" : terrible adaptation of the infamous Fu Manchu story which practically ruined Peter Sellers' career. This probably is the only movie in which even he isn't funny. Typical nonsense from the mind of some marketing-weenies with "their ear on the pulse of time", thinking they know what to put into a movie too make it appealing to the youth of that particular month, year, decade. No wonder it sucks. As a fan of Sellers I'm pissed about this.
"The Bridge On The River Kwai" : british war classic with sir Alec Guiness as a stubborn officer leading his captured men through the rough times in a japanese prisoncamp. At first they sabotage construction on an strategic bridge over the river, but in time the more honourable thing to do seems to build the best bridge possible. Strong acting and beautiful landscapes in a film about honour, the weirdness of war and the friendships that can develop between the least likely men.
"Matchstick Men" : For once Ridley Scott drops the bigbudget mega-sceneries from "Gladiator" and "Black Hawk Down" for a small scale movie. Hardly ten actors, strongly focusing on 3 main characters : Nicolas Cage as a scam-artist with lots of neurosis, Sam Rockwell as his younger partner in crime and some girl who's name escapes me as Nicolas' daughter. Sent to a shrink by Sam for treatment, Nicolas digs into his roots and tries to contact his daughter whom he never knew he had. The ex doesn't want anything to do with him, but his daughter is curious and wants to meet her dad. Almost immediately the two grow closer and eventually the daughter discovers her father's real job and is lured into that world of deception. Right until their first big scam together with Sam. Maybe all will not end well. As usual Nicolas Cage is seriously acting his ass off - never taking the time to let emotions settle down. most of the time it's a good thing, but he will run into stories where that kind of acting isn't welcomed. By then his sidekick Sam Rockwell is probably as famous as Nick, especially after his award-winning role in George Clooney's "Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind". A changing of the guards perhaps ?
Doing this week : Duck for cover between rainstorms.

Editorial - 2 October 2003

Guess I'll stay sick at home for the rest of the week. Doc says I have something stuck in my left lung, hence the infernal coughing. Medicine, syrup and warm milk for me the next days. Cool ! Now I can watch movies during the day !

darkman says sleep tight

Next month
Editorials