andy

Congradulation again.

Soon you'll need to start dressing the boys as such

and watch everything in the house get broken.

A loudmouthed Aussie who is regularly pissed to the gills on beer...never seen one of those before.

Oh, and Andy, I have no objection to Gong Li's role being that of a professional woman portrayed by someone over 35. I just have a problem with Gong Li. I have liked her in many of her native language roles but her casting here was nothing but a gimmick because she couldnt do her dialogue for shit. It was distracting at best and a total detriment to understanding the movie at worst.

I understand and that's certainly a valid complaint.

First, I'd ask if Hizbollah is even an accepted form of spelling....?

Hizbollah is the more correct spelling to how the Party of God is pronounced in Arabic but of course when Romanizing the Arabic language there's not any one definate way of spelling.

Well the original show does not hold up as a realistic police drama compared to the cop shows of the 90s and 00s. And the film keeps the hyper-realistic nature of the show. I actually think the darkly bizarre last couple of years of the original show were a precursor to the prime time surealism of Twin Peaks.

But as for the film I did have trouble understand some of Gong Li's lines but frankly I was glad that the main love interest was over 35 and a professional woman instead of some Jessica Alba clone.

Like I said it's by no means a great film but one worth checking out if such types of movies have an appeal.

Miami Vice is basically an R-rated version of the television series. And I mean that as a compliment. The 1984-89 show was for the most part a great show. The film keeps much of what made the series different from other cop dramas...the moral ambiguity, the stylized surealism, the downbeat endings, etc. As a film Miami Vice isn't going to get into each character's life as a television series will but frankly to enjoy it as a film all one needs to know is the basic premise of cops going undercover and to just sit back and accept the rules of the film's world.

Some things which distracted me was Colin Farrell's accent which was all over the map. I kept hearing his Irish lilt come through when he was attempting a Southern U.S. accent which often became some unknowable dialect.

I did respect Michael Mann's decision to use mostly incidental music for the film which goes against the original series use of modern pop music. The few instances when the film did use Audioslave songs became a distraction. I wish the film had just used the moody background music for the entire film.

I do wish Eddie James Olmas has reprised his Lt. Castillo role but I can certainly understand why he turned it down as the character has little to do in the film and the guy who plays the Castillo in the film is pretty much ineffective.

I'm not going to say it's a perfect film but it is one worth checking out either at the theater or on DVD.

A book I've really wanted to read for many years now is Andre Malraux's biography of T.E. Lawrence he supposedly wrote in the late 1940s. Allegedly parts of this book have been published in French throughout the years though I'd like to see some of this translated into English at some point in the future.

I don't think they were supposed to be used as postcards and I'm surprised it wasn't totally mangled in the mail but I figured I may as well send one out and see what happens.

I may not see either of them today as I have a lot to get done but if I don't I shall definitely be going to see The Passenger tomorrow.

So I assumed you saw The Passenger...What did you think? Pretentious twaddle or one of those films that change your life?

For me it's the latter. I'm not quite sure why but that film along with Dead Man and The Sheltering Sky really strike a chord with me.

I just remember you talking about possibly going to Iraq and since you've not posted in a while I assumed you were over there. Anyway back to the buzzing in your ears.

Hey Sesshoumaru, did you do a tour in Iraq?

Well the record companies are needing to add extras to their overpriced CDs now that the dowloading revolution has occurred. I'll no doubt purchase the "enhanced" CD of Modern Times in part for the DVD and since I think "Things Have Changed" is one of Dylan's better songs.

I have high hopes for this new release. I don't actually think Dylan will make any specific references to current events but instead will continue to speak in that Old Testament/bluesman language and let the audience make any tenuous connections they want such as was done with Love and Theft's "Highwater".

According to Amazon the release date will be on November 28, 2006.

Interesting to see that there will be both a new writer and new editor on Hellblazer soon.

And is Tim is insinuating he'll be doing the interiors of an upcoming all new Hellblazer HC trade? :unsure: (This is how rumors get started)

 

 

Only a month to go.

 

Obviously, I'd be tremendously excited

Regardless, but in light of the fact that his

Last two albums are among the best he's ever

Made, and advance reviews are

Suggesting that this is a more-than-worthy successor,

This has the potential to be something

Really rather special.

By the track listing below, the new album looks like it should be interesting at least. I could say it looks like it'll be Dylan's comment on the "post 9/11" world except that Dylan's always had a good deal of apocalyptic preacher in him.

1. Thunder On The Mountain

2. Spirit On The Water

3. Rollin' and Tumblin'

4. When The Deal Goes Down

5. Someday Baby

6. Workingman's Blues #2

7. Beyond The Horizon

8. Nettie Moore

9. The Levee's Gonna Break

10. Ain't Talkin'

11. Blood In My Eyes

12. Love Sick

13. Things Have Changed

14. Cold Irons Bound

I especially love the Preacher set. It's great that Praedestinatio actually carried around a fake mug of beer.

You must have been buning up in that black leather jacket.

Did you all enter any costume contests?

I always thought the movies were much funnier than the tv show. It's hard for me to watch the show nowadays as they've rung that series dry with constant repeats and memorials.

The dude just over Bonnie Corinthian's shoulder looks genuinely alarmed!

It looks like he's doing his "Eddie Murphy look" but he was probably just on senses overload like everyone else.

"For Andy with love, appreciation, and misery...from John..ya twat" is how Tim signed my print which cracks me up every time I read it. 8-)

Sorry Charlie but I despise Rush. I can't stand Geddy Lee's screechy voice and I kind of find their lyrics somewhat pretentious.

But in reality I think I dislike them becuase in High School in the mid-80s, Rush were still considered "Cool" in my backwards school and those same freaks who thought Rush and Van Halen were the coolest bands ever gave me shit for liking The Beatles.

And on to the new Hellblazer cover artist, Lee Bermejo. This photo didn't come out to well mostly because I tried to take it myself which is why my face looks all scrunced up and the latest issue cover which he signed with black ink is cut out. It was also the first time he saw the actual issue itself.

Speaking of Tim, here he along with myself, money in hand, purchasing one of his fine prints:

Nice to see John Shirley's Subterranean with art by Tim Bradstreet get some promotion:

It's super'girl':

A pic of Bonnie as the Corinithian...

This may have been posted before but apparently there are Cats That Look Like Hitler!

I finally got to meet Tim Bradstreet today and get that print of HB #202 which I've wanted since I first saw it. I also briefly talked to Jonathan Vankin about Hellblazer which he says is doing fine sales wise and will "run forever." He also said the next writer is lined up but wouldn't tell me who it is of course. He asked me how I was liking Denise Mina's run so far to which I honestly replied that it felt like it was mostly all mood except for the last issue which was too much confusing information. He told me to "stick with it."

I also saw some rough clips of the Simpsons movie which looked pretty similar humor wise to the show.