JINGLES.......ATTACK!!



I've done my homework, and I think I can trace her lineage back to a family of pirahnas in the Amazon.

So yeah, nice weekend here at the old D(r)acula home. Kind of windy...no, wait, VERY windy...so didn't get tons of stuff done out in the yard or anything. On Friday, Eric and some folks from Athens came over and we went to the Mall of GA to see a movie. Sin City. Wow, I'm still not exactly sure what to think about this movie. All I know is that it was a bloody, gory mess start to finish. With that said, it was really well done. The casting was really good, but not without its hiccups. For instance, Brittney Murphy should never be cast in a role that doesn't have giggling throughout 90% of her scripted dialogue. She just can't be taken seriously, and she can't act seriously. Jessica Alba also should have kept her mouth shut, not because of her acting abilities, but mainly because her squeaky little voice didn't fit the lines coming out of her mouth.

Bruce Willis was the obvious choice for his role...well, actually, it's not even a matter of obvious, it's just an impossible role for anyone else except him. Really good job there. Clive Owen was, however, maybe a little tougher to single out for his role, seing as how there are a handful of folks out there who can handle the role of revenging boyfriend. Nonetheless, he made it look good. And then there was Frodo Baggins...er, Elijah Wood. What a creepy character. No speaking lines, just....well, that'll change his niceguy typecasting.

I could go on and on about this stuff, but the real kicker was the overall set design, editing, costumes and writing that made you feel like pictures jumped off of a comic book (oh, sorry, "graphic novel") page and into your brain. Good job on that. My whole "I don't know what to think of the movie" statement has a lot more to do with the aforementioned start-to-finish death and destruction. Their redemption there was that most of the blood was glowing "whited-out," partially to complete the black-and-white effect, but I'm sure also just to get the movie through the MPAA.

This movie is by no means intended for anyone under the age of 21 or over the age of 40 (heart conditions, you know...). Really, there is about 2% of the global population that will truly enjoy this movie, and then there are film critics and aficianados that will appreciate the technical aspects. Everyone else will either boycott it, walk in the theater by accident and leave after the opening scene or just flat out never even hear of this film. If you go see it, lemme know what you think.

On Saturday, Eric and I jammed in the garage on some SCAP tunes and other stuff. Had a good time, but man did we suck. Well, I'll just speak for myself, cause Eric sounded pretty good, all things considered. I remembered most of the songs, but I just didn't play them nearly as fluidly as I used to. It's weird, because I spend a few hours a week in the mornings just playing some of the stuff on my own, but I guess playing with someone else changes the flow a little. So I tripped on some chords and solos, and forgot a verse here and there. All told, we did great. A couple of beers later, we forgot how bad we were.

And in other news, Pope John Paul II died this weekend. I'm not Catholic, but I appreciate anyone who does good works in the name of the Lord, and this guy definitely did. Say whatever you will about the Catholic church, Christianity in general, or this Pope specifically. It's plain as day that his intentions were good, his efforts thoroughly planned and genuine, and his devotion to God greater than many. I've heard people complain to no end about this Pope and some of the things he did and said. I could say my part, too. However, when you spend decades in the service of God (or anything else for that matter), you are bound to have a few missteps, if you're worth your salt. These are the exceptions, not the rules. May he rest in peace for an eternity to come.