I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59

I bought this a while back and finally got around to reading it. I got through it pretty quickly, as it was really well written. Douglas Edwards was the 59th employee hired at Google, and was pretty much the man behind Google's voice. He provided the words that supported the brand. So he bloody well better be a good writer!

Edwards has a very easy-going style. The story flows along at the perfect pace. He's very learned and has a great vocabulary, but most importantly he knows how to use it to great effect. Intelligent and conversational. Perfect.

I'm Feeling Lucky is very freakin interesting. It's a great peek behind the curtain of one of the most important and successful brands in the history of...history. It's not quite open kimono, but it's a great insight into their decision making process and product development, nonetheless.

Anyone who considers them a student of business should definitely give this a read. It's definitely thought provoking, if nothing else. It's great for learning about and discussing strategy. Highly recommended to anyone interested in business, innovation, or tech.

By the way, thanks to stock options I think Edwards is worth about 100 mil now. Yeah.

Le Mans

Last time I watched this was about five years ago. I needed a refresher so I purchased the Blu-Ray and watched it last night.

God damn, it's even better than I remembered. There isn't one line of dialogue in the film until about 40 minutes in. You could literally fit the entire script on to one piece of 8.5x11" paper. Honestly. It's a very sparse film, but in the best of ways. I loved it.

The movie is total car porn. Steve McQueen making love to Porsche for two hours. It's amazing. It's definitely been elevated in my list of all time favorite films after watching it again. The attention to detail is fascinating. The realism. The score. It's just a truly amazing film for any gearhead.

While Grand Prix is my favorite car movie, this is my second favorite. They're very, very different, but very similar, too. Grand Prix is Monaco, big budget, glamour, etc, and Le Mans is just straight up RAW. But both are undeniably car porn. Undeniably beautiful homages to racing cars and the men who drive them.

Mandatory viewing.

12 Angry Men

Wow. Can't believe I'd never really heard much about this flick. A trusted co-worker loaned me the DVD and I watched it tonight. It's fucking awesome. Almost brought a wee tear to my eye.

I knew it ruled from the opening few frames. Great cinematography and framing. Incredibly Hitchcockian in style and content. Hitch' loved "the wrong man" plot device, and was big on the camera telling the story. The camera often took a POV perspective and would focus on exactly what the viewer was supposed to see. Almost child-like in its simplicity. It just followed what needed to be followed. Clearly meticulously story-boarded. That's how this film rolls. The intro also kinda reminded me of Robert Bresson's "Pickpocket."

So I definitely loved the beautiful blocking and framing. Very well thought-out.

Acting was top class. The movie also reminded me of Jacques Becker's "Le Trou," in its intensity, singular setting, and character development. Another absolutely jaw-dropping film. Prison film from France. How can you argue with that?

Anyway, this movie is about a jury deliberating a murder trial. It focuses on 'reasonable doubt,' prejudices, and logic. It's 100% dialogue driven. 99% of the film takes place in one room.

It ruled hard.

Only Death Is Real

Bazillion Points Publishing rules. I have a lot of their books and they're always exceptionally well made. Such great production value. I bought this when it came out about five or six years ago, and hadn't re-read it since then. So I gave it another reading. It was so fucking good second time though. Practically just as awesome as the first time. 

Only Death Is Real recounts the brief history of Hellhammer in pretty incredible detail. I have such a shitty memory, I have no idea how Tom can remember all this crap. It took place over 30 years ago. But I'm glad he documented it because it makes for a really inspiring read. 

Like I said, the quality of the book is absolutely top notch. But the content is what set it apart. Tom writes earnestly and honestly. It's a very passionate story of young outcasts coming-of-age in a society they shunned. A lot of people who are deeply into punk or metal have that understanding. That kinship and shared experiences that arises out of hating the world and taking solace in music. It's all right here. Doesn't matter if you like Hellhammer. I don't. I love Celtic Frost but Hellhammer doesn't do anything for me. Makes no difference. It's about the tale, the drive, the perseverance, and the triumph (of death). 

It's a very inspirational book for anyone in band especially. Great read. I really can't recommend it enough. If you've ever believed in something or wanted something that other people didn't believe you could accomplish...this is the book for you. 

The Jesus Trip

I don't have a ton to say about this cuz the transfer was so bad that it was hard to freakin' watch. I'm sure it was a crap movie, but it was made even worse by such an awful transfer. It looked like the whole movie was shot day for night. But it wasn't. I don't think any of it was.

The copy I have looked incredibly purple with yellow accents. Contrast was very high. Lots of darkness. We had to adjust the brightness on the TV to 100% in order to make it even somewhat viewable. Sometimes you didn't know if it was a dude or a chick on screen. That can get awkward. And you weren't sure who was talking.

The funny part about the overall darkness and heightened contrast made it look like it was an art house flick. An unintentional Bergman shot in Texas with shit actors.

It's a 1971 biker flick, so no surprises on the content. Cops vs bikers with a twist ending, like many of them have. It's never over til the fat lady sings. You learn that quick when you've seen enough biker flicks of this vintage. The unique flavor for this particular biker flick is the inclusion of a nun-on-the-run, and a scene where the crooked cops bury some bikers up to their necks in sand and leave them for dead in the desert.

Tippy Walker played the nun. She was pretty freakin hot in this flick.

Stephen Fry Live: More Fool Me

Grew up watching Stephen Fry in Britain. He was a household name. Very funny dude. Incredibly smart and articulate. Sharp as hell.

Watched some of his stand up the other day. He was doing a quick bit to promote his most recent book, More Fool Me. The stand up included him reading a passage from said book.

I think the book would be super funny and engrossing. The movie was good, but I think the problem is that is wasn't full on stand up and it wasn't a full on book reading. So it was kinda hard to figure out what to make of it. I dunno. Not a great introduction to a brilliant man. If you don't know Stephen Fry I'd probably start elsewhere, most notably Blackadder.

The Girl on the Train

Marie picked this book up when we were up north, if I recall. It was described as a Hitchcockian thriller, and I LOVED the typography on the cover, so I figured I'd give it a read after Marie.

I wouldn't call it Hitchcockian. Let's get that out the way. The characters are a far cry from anything Hitch would have created. But that aside, I found it a worthwhile read. It really built and built to a satisfying crescendo. The last 100 pages really picked up the pace and the final 50 were total edge of your seat stuff.

Enough characters and twists, but not too many. It kept you speculating, but didn't serve up so many red herrings that you just threw your hands up in defeat or frustration. A very easy read. Very well paced.

The thing that struck me right off the bat was how feminine the writing was. I gravitate towards male authors, just as Marie gravitates towards female authors. Sometimes it can be a jarring change when you read the opposite. The first couple pages seemed unlike anything I'd read in a long time. The characters were from a totally different perspective. I wouldn't like to read a lot of what I would deem overtly feminine writing, but it's good every once in a while. The problem is that it's less relatable as a man. But I got used to it and it stopped being as noticeable or as 'problematic' as I quickly got into the story. It's just interesting to see the differences. A man would have written this story very differently. Not better, just different.

It seems like the kind of novel that would adapt really well to a movie...and lo and behold it's already been shot and is due for an October release this year. I'll watch it.

If you like mystery/suspense/thriller type of stuff, then this is definitely worth a read.

Cool Hand Luke

God damn, this movie is so fucking good. It's been a couple years since I've watched it I really felt in the mood for it the other night.

Right off the bat you know it's awesome because of the editing and cinematography. Sam O'Steen edited the likes of Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown, so that kinda speaks for itself. It's incredibly artistic and evocative. Powerhouse Lalo Schifrin provided the score. Top class collaborators.

I'm sure you've seen Cool Hand Luke. Incredible performances by the whole cast. It really is a timeless, flawless movie.

The interesting thing that came to my attention this time was a lot of the religious aspects. Cool Hand Luke is famed for its Christian symbolism. If you do some research on the web you'll see a lot of people interpreting it as a very affirmative movie promoting God and denouncing the worship of false idols. But I've also read a review proposing that it was the ultimate rejection of God. And it was all about being an individual. Of course, you see what you want to see. I prefer to view it as the latter. A monument to self-reliance and absolute rejection of the Christian mythology. But the truth is that it's probably the former stance. Who cares. The themes don't get in the way of the brilliance of the story and the way it's told.

Hard not to put this in the top 10 movies ever. Gotta be a contender. The car washing scene with Lucile? Gimme a break. You're RIGHT THERE with the prisoners. You're going nuts. It's amazing.

On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter

So I already wrote about On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter about a year ago. PJ brought over the blu-ray and I checked it out. However, since we started up a new season of Motorcycle Movie Night, I decided to share it with the whole group.

We watched it on the Chief's glorious big-ass TV and it looked fantastic. It's a very visually stimulating movie. It's got a real chill vibe. Very Cali. Very down to Earth and friendly. The Browns are big on the positive and familial aspects of motorcycle culture. It's not about 1%s and 'freakin' out the squares.'

There's some very inspirational footage of disabled and deaf riders absolutely tearing it up way harder than I'll ever accomplish.

I'm not gonna write much more about it cuz you can just click the link above and see what I wrote the first time around. It all still holds true.

Life of Ryan

I followed up Class of '92 with Life of Ryan. It's a very similar documentary that tracks Ryan Giggs' ascension to management after David Moyes was sacked with four games left in the season. Giggs ran the show for four games and then as you know Rudy van Gaal took over. Although he's about to get sacked now, too, right? Jose Mourinho tipped to take over? I'm out of the loop. Too much time on F1.

Anyway, it seems like it was made by the same company as Class of '92. Not sure if it was. Can't be bothered checking. The Cantona interview is the same one.

This is very revealing. If you're into football then this is a great peek behind the curtain. Check it out. If you don't like football then you'll find it boring.