You know how some second films in a trilogy end up being fun and pretty -- but empty -- filler *cough*Hellboy 2*cough* while others are complex and gorgeous creations that not only add depth to the overall story but exist as classics in their own right?

Oh yes.



















yes yes yes yes yes.



















Genius.

And the Watchmen trailer will blow your mind.

Haha, check out these Star Wars action figures that unintentionally look like celebrities.

Slave Leia/Christian Bale = eerie. I'm slightly uncomfortable.

Welcome welcome 2008!
























Already sorta started with a bang -- as I ran down the steps of the YMCA in downtown Oakland on the eve of 2008, an impeccably dressed older gentleman stopped in his tracks and remarked how much I look like Cher. Yep, 2008 is definitely attempting to bring it.

Soooo, on that note, let's take a look back on 2007 for the moment, shall we?

First off, a big shout out to Rod at b(oot)log for: 1) posting the best Canadian Pride bootleg site around, and 2) hosting contests for CDs and other schwag -- that people actually win! Just got the Buck 65 CD that I won in the mail. Cheers Rod!

Onward...I like lists. And I really like tops-for-the-year lists. But because of my status as out of touch in 2007, or maybe my shame for past list-making (or is that curmudgeonly respect?), I have decided to go a little light this year. But a list shall go on!

1) Shows

Xiu Xiu, April 22, 2007 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, hands down. Best. Show. Ever. Ever ever. My long and rambling review may help you see why.

2) Reads

Most of what I read in 2007 was released pre-2007, so heaven help me, the landslide winner is Ken Follett's World Without End. I ate that book alive.

3) Records

Hmmmm. I didn't pick up a whole hell of a lot of new! right! now! in 2007, but Grinderman's self-titled debut album (but can you call it a debut, really?) got a lot of rotation, as did Kanye's decadently addictive single and video and British/Sri Lankan artist M.I.A's second album, Kala.

Check the sociopolitics and amazing use of samples that make up my favorite M.I.A. song, 'Paper Planes' (from Kala):



4) Films

Nothing absolutely made me hyperventilate, but as far as blockbusters go, Summer '07 was good to me: I liked The Bourne Ultimatum, Rescue Dawn and Stardust. The recently released film version of Philip Pullman's book The Golden Compass was a surprise winner for me too. Still want to see La Vie En Rose, Eastern Promises (mmmm, Russian mobster-muscle Viggo), and No Country For Old Men. But I think my local video store creating a whole section for The Criterion Collection is probably my best film related news all year.

5) Tee-Vee

I don't have a TV, but for what it's worth Dexter almost makes me want to buy one, and Project Runway gets my ass to the gym and on a cardio machine with an idiot box. Love these two shows.

6) Weird News

I got a lot of mileage out of hater Larry Craig's meltdown, as did a lot of late night talk show hosts...

Senator Larry Craig is now saying that his constitutional rights were violated when he was arrested in an airport's men's room. Craig was furious. He said, 'When I got to a men's room, I do the violating. --Conan O'Brien

...but I think there are weirder things.

Early looking forward tos for 2008: the talented Mr. Stich's portrait of Lenny Kravitz for Vibe magazine (hopefully this will be the first of many illustrations!), another trip to Japan (?), meeting a good online friend from London in the flesh in February, my honey finishing school, The Dark Knight (and Christian Bale in black rubber once again), and a possible move into a house with yard, and therefore, more BBQs and parties. Whee!

Bring it, 2008. Bring it, indeed.

Finally saw Rescue Dawn on Friday.












Yep, that's about how I felt about it.

You know nothing is ever going to touch Aguirre... or Nosferatu for me when it comes to Werner Herzog, but this was a fine film. There was a lot going on in there. Herzog has such an uncanny ability to take random things that may seem sort of trite or played on the surface, affix them to a lush landscape, and then blend the unnatural pairing of sometimes mediocre dialogue and/or characters with raw human experiences to create chaos that is contained enough to make you want to fall both cerebrally and physically headfirst into the film. He always seems to form something magnificent and riveting.

As he said when my husband and I met him years ago, he's one of the greatest directors who has ever lived. Most people I would say pish posh to if they said that, but he's the real deal.

And can I get a "yum!" for Christian Bale? Hot damn! The boy doesn't have the best range, but he does really well with what he's got and looks great while he's doing it (his eyes actually do the most work to make his characters), and holy smokes is he dedicated. Can't wait for The Dark Knight next year.

Anyway, it was well done. You must go see it.

But after you see it, be sure to take a look at this site -- created by the family of POW Eugene DeBruin and featuring POW Pisidhi Indradat (the last surviving POW who escaped the camp in the film) -- for a different take on Herzog's portrayal of DeBruin. The way Herzog portrays DeBruin definitely adds to the tension and story of the film (and apparently illustrates why there are those disclaimers at the end about characters in the film) but the DeBruin story from his family is a 180 from Herzog's. Their story gave all of the characters new depth, but also made me feel quite sad for how they felt the film tarnished Eugene's memory.

Sure, Rescue Dawn is a film only based on true events and has the disclaimers, but many people won't look at it as such. And hell, it uses real names of the POWs. After reading this I felt it to be an important element to the truth and honor of the whole story.

BTW, I also saw Transformers this weekend. Totally fun, except for the forced sentimentality and romance bits (c'mon, it's Transformers -- no one cares about that stuff!) Made me feel like a little kid again, and also made me wonder where my Transformer is buried in my parents' yard.

I don't care what they say, the demographic for this movie is 30 year olds, for real. You want to see this on the big screen, as it is Michael Bay all the way.

Hell in an infernal handbasket. For real, yo.

HOWEVER...if the killer robots can successfully battle anything we DNA scramble or create from scratch that might try to Deep Blue Sea our asses -- wow, what a blessing in disguise! Even Steven.

BUT...if that scenario just doesn't quite work out (but really, T, what could happen?), there are a few current events one may take comfort in before our imminent self-destruct at the hands of mad scientists.

1) Yummy and brilliant Edward Norton will be The Hulk. Tim "the English Edward Norton" Roth will be the Abomination.

2) Hellboy, Darkness Calls. This 6-parter drawn by Duncan Fegredo and penned by Mr. Mignola is rocking my world. Just finished numero tres. The undead army panels, Baba Yaga/Perun, and Hellboy finally getting to spill his cwazy adventures to a sympathetic Russian house spirit are just some of the delights that await you.

3) Rescue Dawn, this month! Not only is this film one of the few non-documentaries that Werner Herzog has directed in the new millenium, but hello, Christian Bale. And Herzog on location, in the jungle once again. Sweet. He can push his actors to the limit because it is not only he who requires it, but the environment. That can only mean one thing: quality.

4) My birthday is coming up! I see a massage and pedicure, caramel apples and saltwater taffy, a deserted weekday beach and arcade, and numerous rides on the Giant Dipper in my future.