Things to See

Despite the fact that I'm not even halfway through The State boxset sitting next to my DVD player and I still need to finish watching borrowed copies of Spider Baby, Proof (1991) & a 2-disc Serge Gainsbourg collection, here's a short list of movies I want to watch right now.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a I'vebeenwantingtowatchthesefilmsforsolong kind of list, it's more of a I'vehadthesefilmsonthebrain list:

Jeanne Dielman 23, Quai Du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles
Man on Wire

The Red Shoes
World's Greatest Dad
Andrei Rublev

Made in U.S.A. (which I've seen only in french without subtitles)

I Guess I Just Wasn't Made For These Times....

Perhaps now is a bad time to out myself as a fan of Mad Men since MadMenYourself.com has pervaded the interwebs and this image has been papering bus stops and billboards everywhere for weeks. But I have to confess, more so than the soap opera-esque storylines of secret identities and infidelities galore, I'm taken in by the relentlessly appealing mise-en-scène: the eye candy of early 1960's costumes, furniture, hairstyles and, admittedly, the constant drinking and smoking that never fails to look artful or charming. Because, once --just once, I'd like to stroll into work and pour myself some whiskey from a fancy decantor.



Update: More awesome nerdiness can be found at The Footnotes of Mad Men

Proof There is No God

Exhibit A: A sequel to White Chicks is currently in the works

Why?

Exhibit B: Because White Chicks grossed over $70 million in 2004

I WENT TO LAS VEGAS AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS SIMULACRA

The Paris Hotel, like nearly everything else is Las Vegas, is a Baudrillardian landscape of half-cocked simulation and middle American escapism. Add to this any music relating to France (Edith Piaf? check. Serge Gainsbourg? check. "Lady Marmelade" as performed in 2001 by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink? check.) along with copious amounts of tourists buying crepes! Arc de Triomphe snow globes! boisson alcoolisée! and you've got yourself the ultimate postmodern getaway.

In conclusion, I've decided I need not visit Paris (the city) unless I wish to be disappointed by its lack of painted skies and novelty booze.

Baked Failure

Cake Wrecks is my new favorite ultra-time-wasting website

FAIL!

FAIL!

FAIL!

I Could Watch This All Day Part ll

I've never seen the Neil LaBute's 2006 remake of The Wicker Man, and thanks to this clip reel, I don't need to.

I Could Watch This All Day Part l

Just Like Honey

There are a few interesting facts you should know about Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive ---for example, that Luis Cuadrado's cinematography can only be described as nothing short of amazing, despite the fact that Cuadrado was going blind during filming. And that of the 1000 total shots in the film, exactly 500 are shot inside and 500 are shot outside.

The Spirit of the Beehive is also #1 on James Franco's Criterion Top 10 list. And really, if anyone should dictate your viewing selections, it's Daniel Desario.