April | 2003 | mashby

April 10, 2003

Death To Smoochy

Death To Smoochy
Director: Danny DeVito
Writer(s): Adam Resnick
Category: Comedy
MPAA: R
Runtime: 109 min
Country: USA / UK / Germany
Language: English
Year: 2002
Tagline: Get ready for an unexpected hit.

Plot: Danny DeVito directs this dark comedy set in the dog-eat-dog world of children’s television. Kids’ show star Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams) gets fired over a bribery scandal and is replaced by Smoochy (Edward Norton) — a puffy, purple rhinoceros. When Randolph discovers Smoochy is having an affair with Randolph’s ex-lover Nora (Catherine Keener), a top programming executive at the network, he plots his revenge.

Review: This is an odd little film. It’s funny, but in an off-center kind of way. If you found Fight Club funny (which I thought it was in parts), then you’ll probably find this movie funny as well. Not that they are the same in context, just that their humor is similar in the oblique way at which they approach it.

This is clearly a dark comedy that envelopes itself into a style that is much like the children’s television shows they produce. In fact, I’d venture to say that the style of this film is almost comic book in nature. The lighting is very stark and solid in it’s choice of colors and the characters are almost ripped from the pages of a Dick Tracy comic book, albeit a more modern one.
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April 7, 2003

Lifestyles Of The Techie And Aimless

After browsing some of the other weblogs out there, such as Leo Leporte’s Leoville and Chris Pirillos’ C:PIRILLO.EXE, I decided to add a section called WebCam. There you will find my webcam as well as my desktop cam, so you can see what is running on my desktop. It’s a bit voyeuristic and a may be a little too Osborne-ish, but I figured I’d give it a shot for the time being and see how it goes. I hope you like it. :s

April 6, 2003

There’s Gold In Them Thar Low Hung Jeans

Gold Jeans Nothing Quite Like Alienating Your Target Demographic. When I see articles like this one, I just can’t help but get pissed off. First off, let me explain that I don’t think Napster is necessarily the greatest thing to happen to the music industry and that all music should be free. However, I do think that the music industry is the first entertainment industry to feel the brunt of the digital age. The fact that they have responded to this change so poorly is their own fault and not the fault of 3 college kids with access to a few computers.

Back in 1996 I read a book by Nicholas Negroponte entitled “Being Digital.” The basic tenant of the book was that for all the talk of the world entering the “Information Age,” the reality was that the information age was over and that we were actually entering the “digital age.” The difference being that anything that could be delivered digitally would be and that any industry that was not aware of the change and prepared for this change would face severe hardships.
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April 5, 2003

American Pie 2

Director: James B. Rogers
Writer(s): Adam Herz, David H. Steinberg
Category: Comedy
MPAA: R
Runtime: 104 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Year: 2001
Tagline: “This Summer It’s All About Sticking Together.”

Plot: Jim, Oz, Kevin and Stifler are back — and hornier than ever! After their first year of college, the gang reunites and rents a beach house for the summer. Jim (Jason Biggs) prepares for a reunion with Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), but finds he’s falling for band camp maven Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). Substitute Super Glue and a porno tape for the apple pie from the first movie, and you’ve got a helluva sticky situation. Continue Reading

April 5, 2003

They Walk Among Us

I was just watching Conan O’ Brian on TV and they had Vin Diesel as a guest. He was promoting his new movie A Man Apart. The first time I remember seeing Vin was in Pitch Black, which I thought was an ok movie, but Vin’s performance was pretty cool. Then I saw him in The Fast And The Furious. The movie was ok and his performance was so-so, but it was XXX that did it in for me. That movie was complete garbage. So, my overall impression of Vin Diesel was pretty low.

April 4, 2003

Yoga And My State Of Zzzzzzzzzen

Zzzzzzz Yesterday I was quite adventurous and decided to ride my bicycle to the gym. 11 miles later I arrived at the Maryland Farms YMCA feeling pretty good about the ride and in high spirits that my cycling is improving. I was there to attend the 6:30 Gentle Yoga class taught by Bliss Wood. It’s a great class and Bliss is really good about giving alternative poses for those of us that are as limber as Frankenstein. She’s even beginning to push us just a little bit by giving us some more challenging asanas.

I arrived there feeling all loose and ready to tackle the class having cycled for the last hour and a half. Of course that’s not the ideal state of your “body mind” when you enter a yoga class :P, but I was still breathing a little heavy and cruising on the adrenaline of accomplishment. The class is an hour long and as the class progressed, I was feeling more and more relaxed, but still getting a good workout from all the poses. Towards the end of the class, she leads us in a bit of guided meditation. It’s one of the best parts of the class because you really feel open and relaxed and mellow. At the end of the meditation, she rings a little bell and then has us sit up as she closes the class. Continue Reading

April 3, 2003

Stretching It Out

I rode to the Maryland Farms YMCA today. Good ride overall. My legs were in MUCH better form. I only walked one hill – due more to fear than anything else. I’m still not 100% used to the SPD clips and I was in rush hour traffic on Old Hickory Blvd with no shoulder. I […]

April 2, 2003

Two More Days Of Rest

Well, I haven’t worked out at all, or cycled for the last two days. I’ve simply been in too much pain. Not unbarable pain mind you, just simple muscle fatigue and overall soreness. By this afternoon however, my legs are feeling much better and I think I’m going to try and ride tomorrow morning. That […]

April 2, 2003

A Few Changes Here And There

Since I’m doing more activities like yoga and now cycling, I thought it might help to have a separate dedicated section. Thus recreation has been added to the site. I plan on using this section mostly as a workout log, detailing some of the recreational activities I’m involved in. Besides, I think you’d get tired of reading about my posterior pain all the time. 😛

Month / April 2003