writhaus

With little better to do on the Memorial Day holiday after finishing my tutoring, I decided to head to Pasadena and see Waitress. I had heard a lot of positive things about the writing and acting. This left my interest piqued.

There was a good crowd for the afternoon showing, which skewed older than I’d expect but was probably normal for a weekday afternoon.

Keri Russell, TV’s Felicity, plays Jenna, a woman married to an asshole who feels trapped in her small town because of lack of money to leave him. She works at Joe’s Pie Diner and creates all the day’s delicious pies. Almost immediately, Jenna discovers she is pregnant and is consoled by her fellow waitresses, Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (writer/director Adrienne Shelly). She doesn’t want be a mother and isn’t the least bit enamored with the news.

She schedules an appointment to see her doctor only to find out the lady has semi retired, turning her practice over to Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion). The two share a connection that quickly grows into something more.

The performances are all quite well done, especially Andy Griffith as Old Joe, although the faux Southern accents do tend to grate a bit. Shelly definitely found her muse and cast with this film, which makes her passing much more tragic.

The narrative is not without faults, in my opinion. In particular, the ending is rather pat and feels ultra feminist. The message it offers is marginal at best. In fact, it annoyed me enough that I skipped a planned second movie because of it. Not wanting to spoil the film for anyone, I am saving that conversation for my own Web site. You can link to that discussion here.

Overall I was happy with the film until the climax. It damaged what came before enough that my whole outlook of the film was skewed. In the end, the film until the delivery of the baby is a solid, if low-key film. With the ending, it’s much less enjoyable and leaves more questions than it answers.

I need to switch. I must be crazy if I don’t! Here I am renting through both GameFly and Netflix to feed my multimedia habits. Netflix I’ve had for about two years, and my affair with GameFly probably lasted about nine months. Why dump them both? For a while, they seemed like good deals, especially Netflix, but I think they secretly know that people will get their movies or games but won’t be able to watch or play them right away. Hence, it’s highly unlikely they will go through several discs in a month. With GameFly I’d be surprised if customers rented more than two discs in 30 days. Between both services I was spending $33 a month. As time went on this felt like less and less of a deal.

Now I am considering enrolling in Blockbuster’s online service. The fee is $17.99 a month, and I can have up to three movies out at a time. Plus I get to have one free movie or game in-store rental a month. With the way my schedule is (and the handful of games in which I am interested for the 360) this seems like a better fit. Five days with a game that I am ambivalent about purchasing should be enough to help me make up my mind, and three movies out at a time should be more than enough filler between summer blockbuster releases. The only thing that worries me, though, is the offering when it comes to anime, documentaries, and foreign films. Netflix seems to have THE selection when it comes to variety.

Of course, Brian had to step in with his two cents. He urged me to avoid Blockbuster like the plague. While he was living in Delaware, a state with no sales tax, he noticed that Blockbuster charged a sales tax on its service anyway. So where is all the money going generated from this phantom tax? Sure, it would be big of me to take a stand on principal, but by leaving Netflix and GameFly and going with Blockbuster, I’ll save about $13 a month. With gas prices continuing to rise, I am going to take the savings where I can find them.

When first I heard that this was a major update, I thought it would clear up compatibility for those few discs that didn’t work, and that would be that. I mean, I had read about the Children of Men troubles as well as problems with Video Essentials. Heck, I had my own problems with the Discovery Atlas Australia Revealed disc.

When I saw what all was changed afterwards, I was shocked.

Sure, all those discs play fine now (at least for me!) and that would be worth the update in and of itself. You get more, though.

Apparently the HD DVD drive was stuck in “Night Mode” where audio range was compressed. That’s now selectable. Again, if they just added the compatability and this, whew, job well done, right?

There is one more huge thing, though.

A primer, first, though: For digital audio, Dolby Digital has a lower bitrate than DTS, so much so that in the early days of DTS DVDs, the discs would end up dropping features to accomodate the beefier space requirements of the sound mix. This problem was alleviated somewhat when DTS introduced a lower-resolution codec. DTS still benefited from having that higher ceiling for their bitrates, though. Without getting too technical, this update allows you to set the HD DVD drive to pass all audio through as DTS, thereby giving you every bit of the audio you can have from the drive short of Microsoft enabling it to support the new lossless codecs.

The benefits are apparent with any of the spiffy titles such as Batman Begins or M:I:3.

Now, you have read about these changes. How do you access them, you might wonder. While watching a movie, access the display console. There is an Audio Options button. Tap it and voilà, your settings are revealed. All in all, this update is an A+. The bug fixes are awesome and are all I was expecting. The DTS audio options, though, are a work of art. I am very happy to see Microsoft invest the time and resources adding such a great feature!

3 stars

Chances are you heard of Arctic Monkeys before you heard Arctic Monkeys. Their 2006 debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, was the most hyped record since The Strokes‘ Is This It in 2001. And it delivered. It is a post-punk masterpiece that was my favorite album of 2006. Arctic Monkeys’ sophomore effort, Favourite Worst Nightmare, however, is a disappointment.

The record starts off with a bang. The opening to “Brianstorm,” which is one of the best tracks on the disc, is explosive. Many of the songs that follow feature catchy grooves, but the album is missing much of the attitude that came with their debut. The lyrics mostly deal with messed-up relationships and sex. They’re edgy and biting, but they’re not quite as edgy and biting as the lyrics on the first album. The same thing goes for the music. Also, some of the songs lack structure. A few tracks feature lots of tempo changes and melody changes. It’s as if the band wrote some of the songs without their Ritalin.

It’s obvious Arctic Monkeys wanted to experiment a little with Favourite Worst Nightmare. Given the title of their debut record, it seems important for them to reinvent themselves. Unfortunately for them, this record is at its best when it sounds like the first one. Despite this, Favourite Worst Nightmare is by no means a failure in the grand scheme of things. And at their worst, Arctic Monkeys sound much better than most other bands sound at their best.

Standout tracks include “Brianstorm,” “Teddy Picker,” “D Is for Dangerous,” “Fluorescent Adolescent,” “This House Is a Circus,” which is my favorite track on the record, “Old Yellow Bricks,” and “505.” You can miss “Balaclava,” “Only Ones Who Know,” and “The Bad Thing.”

Scale:
0. Shoot yourself
1. Poor
2. So-So
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Instant classic

4.5 stars

Welcome to a world where politicians like George W. Bush prevail. Welcome to Year Zero. Nine Inch Nails‘ newest record is a concept album about a dystopia in the near future. The world is ruled by a military state that does not allow anyone to think for him or herself. It’s similar to George Orwell’s account of the future in 1984. Trent Reznor, who basically is Nine Inch Nails, wrote, performed, and co-produced the record. He came up with some astounding music to go with his concept.

The record is war and the destruction of freethinking mankind put to music. The astonishing sound of the music is mostly computer-generated. It’s unlike anything out there right now. Indeed, Year Zero is the most revolutionary record since Radiohead’s OK Computer blew our minds in 1997. The computerized, futuristic soundscapes are the most notable in “Hyperpower!,” “Vessel,” and “The Great Destroyer.”

My favorite song on the album is “Capital G.” The lyrics are from the point of view of a neo-conservative whose new god is George W. Bush. The greedy warmongerer describes his rebirth: “Well I used to stand for something/Now I’m on my hands and knees/Traded in my god for this one/He signs his name with a capital G.” It’s a scathing attack on neo-conservative doctrine that claims to be Christian but acts in very un-Christian ways. Never before has Bush-bashing been quite so dark. It’s implicit this concept of converting from Christianity to Bush’s and the late Jerry Falwell’s version of Christianity has to do with the title of the record, given our present calendar is based on Jesus‘ birth.

Another tremendous track on the record is “The Great Destroyer.” This song is in the spirit of The Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” in that it is more a work of art than a rock song. Some of the sounds are not exactly pretty, but it’s about a subject matter that’s not so pretty. You can picture the destruction of the world during the last part of the song. “The Great Destroyer” is followed by the quiet, minimalist, and heartbreaking instrumental, “Another Version of the Truth.” After that comes “In This Twilight,” which is the only song on the record that offers any hope.

Year Zero also has some cool things that are not related to the music. The CD is a thermo-chrome heat-sensitive CD that turns from black to white when you play it. Also, the CD case has a fictional warning from a fictional agency, the USBM (United States Bureau of Morality). It gives a toll-free number that is pretty amusing to call. It’s 1-866-445-6580.

Despite the fact that Year Zero is a cutting-edge record with a theme, much of the music actually is quite accessible. If you like Nine Inch Nails, you probably will like this record. I highly recommend this record to anyone, though. You owe it to yourself to check this out.

Scale:
0. Shoot yourself
1. Poor
2. So-So
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Instant classic

4.5 stars

Bright Eyes have amassed quite a cult following, and their latest release, Cassadaga, should satisfy every fan they’ve earned. This album is brilliant, and anyone who has never heard of Bright Eyes owes it to him or herself to give it a listen. Singer/songwriter Conor Oberst is perhaps the best lyricist in indie music today. Oberst is the only songwriter I would feel comfortable with putting in the same sentence as Bob Dylan. There, I just did it.

Cassadaga is a spiritualist camp in Central Florida. The opening tracks says, “Cassadaga might be a premonition of a place you’re going to visit.” The themes of travel, wandering, uncertainty, and exploration are prevalent throughout the record. Vagabonds aren’t the only ones who will relate, though. Critics of monotheism have their time: “The Bible is blind. The Torah is deaf. The Qur’an is mute. If you burned them all together you’d get close to the truth.” “Classic Cars” is a great track about a struggling artist coming to terms with his life and work. “Cleanse Song” offers just the right imagery for someone trying to cope with a post-9/11 world. “No One Would Riot for Less” ponders a soldier’s mortality. My favorite track on the record, “Soul Singer in a Session Band,” is full of heartwrenching and brilliant imagery about a washed-up performer.

Though the lyrics are what make this album excellent, the music is very good, too. Band member Nate Walcott arranged some great orchestra parts, and for the most part, the updated-for-the-21st-century folk music is solid. Every track on this album is a work of art. Cassadaga is not to be missed.

Scale:
0. Shoot yourself
1. Poor
2. So-So
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Instant classic

A few nights ago a friend mine came over to visit the family. We don’t get to see much of each other because of our busy lives, so it’s a pleasant surprise when he stops by. We all were chatting about the usual stuff: work, relationships, and health. While on the subject of health, he decided to share that he had started seeing a psychiatrist and was recently diagnosed with ADD. We were stunned. By most definitions, he’s reached a high degree of success as executive management with a U.S. high-end retailer. Besides having a demanding job, he also has been through some other life-changing events. How could someone like him be diagnosed with ADD in his late 40s? Wouldn’t ADD serve as a severe obstacle? Contrary to what we believed, that’s not always the case. I began to wonder whether some of my behavioral traits are that of someone with ADD. I plan on consulting everyone’s favorite M.D.: the Intarweb!

Lately I’ve noticed that when I am working (I am fortunate to work from home) I tend to busy myself with other things, which is the norm for me. Whether it’s surfing the Web, writing, reading, playing a casual game, or doing other secretarial stuff, it’s as if I insist on having more than one thing to do at a given time. I have caught myself sitting down to do one thing and then beginning another mid-task. While writing this, I started watching The Real Deal on TLC. Other times I’ve felt as if I lack the focus to see projects through to completion. More than two years ago, I started studying for the A+ exam, abandoned that, and started collecting materials for the GMAT. I prefer an actual class rather than trying to complete these types of projects on my own. A deadline or having a grade at stake keeps me accountable.

Does it happen all the time? Nope. Guitar Hero II has my full attention
when playing “Thunderhorse”! When I am driving, I avoid using the cell. But I think we live in a culture that puts a premium on folks who can do several things at once, and it’s bleeding over into our personal lives, making us less focused.

Seeing a psychiatrist has worked well for my friend. So far he’s looking less burdened and more upbeat. A trip to a shrink is probably something we all could benefit from. I remember while in college feeling burnt out and unfocused many times. I considered going to the local counseling services, but I figured I’d just deal with it on my own. During that time in my life, I had a few friends, but they were busy with their own college careers, a sister in the Air Force, and a family so full of problems that I didn’t think they had time for me. Looking back, I do regret deciding not to seek counseling. I probably feared the stigma attached to it. Fortunately, as I’ve gotten older (and wiser) I’ve become more open to seeking out a sounding board. If the time ever comes again, I think I’ll be less shy of the realm mental health.

3 stars

I somehow missed Clinic, even though through doing research for this review, I found they were one of the first bands in the recent post-punk revival, a movement that I love and have followed for six years or so. I must say, though, I’m not very impressed with Clinic’s fourth album, Visitations.

The Liverpool-based band (didn’t another band come from there?) has some of the brooding darkness of Joy Division, some of the bluesy garage rock of The White Stripes, and some of the bounciness of The Rapture, but they’re missing something. It’s nearly impossible to decipher many of lead singer Ade Blackburn’s lyrics, but it’s more than that. There’s a feeling of disconnect and an inability to connect with the listener. They seem to keep the listener at an arm’s length. This lack of intimacy is symbolized by the fact that the band wears their trademark surgical masks in the album art, hiding their faces. The inaccessible quality definitely detracts from the music, which, in general, is very good. There’s some good guitar work and catchy riffs.

Standout tracks include: “Family,” “Harvest (Within You),” “Children of Kellogg,” and “If You Could Read Your Mind.”

Scale:
0. Shoot yourself
1. Poor
2. So-So
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Instant classic