I bought this noir book a while back and just finally read it. I didn't want to get hooked when I had too much on my plate. So now that it freed up a bit I was ready to plunge the needle.
Looking at the artwork for the cover of the first book, and you wouldn't be retarded for thinking this was a Sin City knock-off. Thankfully the hard-boiled criminal noir stands on its own. The characters don't have that glamorized, archetypical Bukowski element that you'd expect. This is Chicago. This is now. These are "gangstas" not "gangsters." There are no "dames," only "chicas" and "bitches." You get where I'm going.
Speaking of dialogue...I'm not totally sold on it. Sometimes it kind of reads like a honky trying to "speak ghetto." Feels a bit freakin stereotypical. A bit cheesy and forced.
The art is solid. It has its own style. It's tight and detailed, yet expressive. I dig.
The story is unfolding into an interesting idea. The first installment seems like it's a bit repetitive, but I'm interested to see how it ties into future books as the characters intertwine.
I'll probably try picking up a bunch of the books used on Amazon or something.
Again, here's some music I like, not sure if anybody else will. Kvelertak are from Norway and their name roughly translates to chokehold. They have some elements that remind me of Turbonegro and American Nightmare. Yeah, I know those points of references are straight from the 00s, but if you listen to them, I think you will agree.
The first movie in a long time I felt like recommending. It's based on a true story. I'd heard of the novel but I never knew what it was about. I'm definitely going to check the book out now.
So yeah I highly recommend this adventure movie. Especially for the scene below involving a parrot, a shark and two bad ass Norwegians.
I picked up the 4-Hour Body a while back, read it cover-to-cover and really dug it. I only practiced a minute amount of what he discussed, but that's neither here nor there. He does a lot of body experiments in that book and they're not things you can just do lightly. They require a lot of bullshit (read: supplements). But I gleaned some useful exercises and some insights on workout theory. It's a good reference book, especially if you plateau and want to try something different. It's just good to have around.
I liked his style of writing. Very informal, but informed. No pretense.
So, seeing as I'm always into reading about different work theories, management, etc, I knew I had to read his first book, the 4-Hour Work Week.
It wasn't quite what I expected. Although I honestly don't know what I expected.
The subtitle is pretty accurate, upon reflection. That's what it's about. There're definitely things you can try to do. Things to make you money. And things to free yourself from your cubicle. But I'd say this is heavily swayed toward the entrepreneur. Or people wanting to become entrepreneurs. It's less helpful for people who enjoy their office job or whose job simply wont allow them to work remotely. For instance if you're a teacher...you kind of need to be at work. (I know some classes are taught remotely but you're hardly gonna convince your principle that you can work the whole year...abroad.)
I have tried experimenting with some of the ideas, though. Most specifically I've contracted a Virtual Assistant at work. He lives in India and he will do my bidding so long as it doesn't require him to get off of his chair. I.E. he'll do whatever I ask as long as he doesn't have to go somewhere. It's all executed virtually. Via email, Skype, phonecall, smokesignals, whatever. So far it's been more of a success than I anticipated. I haven't found a ton of stuff for him to do yet, but what has been sent his way has been executed perfectly. I think it's something we're going to be able to scale. So even if I gain nothing else, the Virtual Assistant thing has been a cool experiment.
I bought the 4-Hour Chef for Marie for x-mas. She hasn't read it yet, but I read a couple chapters. Even though I don't cook (ever), it seemed like it may be the best book of the three. And I'm going to read it, too. It's just the theories and concepts he explains. The experiments. They're eye-opening and intriguing.
So, while I don't think Tim Ferriss's books will impact my life in a huge way, they're definitely fun to read. And that's why you pick up a book anyway.
I know Hammer of Doom has seen this before. He said it was worth watching. So years later I'm checking it out.
It's pretty good. I agree with his assessment. While it's worth watching, you won't be raving about it like William Monahan is the second coming of Guy Ritchie.
London Boulevard has a strong English cast. Lots of staples. I was stoked to see Sanjeev Bhaskar with a small roll, too. He's a funny bugger.
The film sort of walks the middle-path. There are ups and downs, but they could have been much higher and deeper if Monahan had pushed the audience. There's a lot of implied gruesome violence. A lot happens off screen. And while I'm not saying gratuitous violence makes a film better, in this case I think some more visceral shots could have heightened the tension even more.
I dig the plot. It's pretty damn simple. Ex-con trying his best NOT to get caught up in the life again. Ex-con with a heart of gold. Ex-con with a past he just can't escape. Ex-con who's way of life catches up to him. Lots of stereotypical contemporary English lads and gangsters. Del Boy for the 21st century.
I haven't been neglecting the blog. I just haven't finished a book or film in a while. Uncharacteristic, but I think bands, bikes, and good weather have gotten the best of me. Actually, I've been reading a lot of magazines, reading two books concurrently, and watching some TV series...so that accounts for it, too.
So, I finally put the Kill Bill Vol. 2 disc in my blu-ray player and fired it up last night. I should have watched them even closer together for an apples to apples comparison. I THINK I preferred Vol. 1. It's more of a Japanese samurai / Hong-Kong kung-fu flick, with some spaghetti western elements. Where as Vol. 2 is the opposite. And I HATE westerns, so that gives the nudge to the first part.
There were some real class scenes in Vol. 2, though. The buried alive thing, and the Pai Mei sequence were outstanding.
Anyway, upon re-watching both Kill Bill's, I definitely like them more than when I saw them in the theatre. BUT they're still at the bottom of Quentin's pile. So, if Kill Bill is the "worst" movie you can do...you're about the best Director out there. Cuz they still piss all over most Director's best output by a mile!
So out of all the media I 'consume', music is far and away number one on the list. So I thought I would start posting more about bands that I'm into at the moment or have been listening to for awhile. My musical tastes are all over the place, so bare with me. Right now, I'm pretty excited about Raspberry Bulbs. They've got the lo-fi post punk sound with some elements of black metal. Although, the black metal sound is more evident in past releases. Raspberry Bulbs use to be a one man band/solo project of He Who Crushes Teeth, now it features Nick from RORSCHACH on guitar. Have to respect that.
So comic books, err graphic novels, I don't know where to start... I want to love comic books the way that I want to love video games. I feel that both mediums have so much potential and yet in most cases, don't seem to follow through. Now, I'll be honest, I've played more video games than I've read comics. I like to read the Walking Dead, because I love zombies, and I've read the Watchman, because it's supposed to be the best comic ever. Both are good, but I wouldn't say great. That said, the Prez is always talking about comic books and how much he digs them. So I decided to get in on the ground level with a new(ish) series called 'Saga'. It's by the same dude who did 'Y: The Last Man', which I'm told by reputable sources, the Prez included, is incredible.
Saga is a sci-fi story about two warring planets of two different, for a lack of a better term, alien races. A couple (one from each planet) fall in love and have a baby. The main characters are looked upon as defectors, and are hotly pursued by both armies and some bounty hunters. The story is simple, but intriguing enough to keep me reading. The artwork is beautiful, and uncensored, which I can appreciate.
I really enjoy science fiction when it's really well done. It's a genre that I don't think gets enough respect (Side note: I can't wait to see Elysium). And while Saga isn't the thoughtful, sophisticated sci-fi story I crave, it fills a void for me. This is the first comic that I've read where I'm invested enough in the characters to keep reading. I found this to be a fun read and I am looking forward to reading future volumes.
This one was hotly anticipated. After the mindfuck of issue 100...god damn. What's Rick's plan?
"What Comes After" delivers the goods. There are some really grim moments in this one. It's got a lot of action. Some crazy shit happens. I dig the current situation they're in. It's a rough one. But the characters are interesting. There's a lot of tension as things unfold. What exactly is Rick's gameplan? Gotta wait and find out...
I feel like there's a lot of twists and turns jammed into this particular volume. Some real dark territory. After issue 100 I don't think anything's off the table.
Some lazy-ass artwork at times. Annoying that such a high-profile comic has some real lazy drawings.
