Movie Meme.

I've been meaning to get to this meme that Valerie tagged me with awhile ago. I am to list my favorite movies, which is very hard to do, so I thought I'd spin it a bit. A common cliche often heard is, "The movie is never better than the book." I say, that isn't always true. These are movies I love that I think are better than the books they are based on, in no particular order.

The Godfather. Arguably the greatest movie ever made. The book? Not so much. Sure, it's not a bad read, but at no point do you feel that it is the grand, sweeping indictment of our capitalistic system. Never does the book aspire to the Shakespearean heights, the examination of American royalty that the film does. None of the characters within the book rise to the level that Pacino, Brando, Cann, Duvall and Keaton elevate them to.'

Favorite quote. Michael: Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever.


Jaws. The book is a quality page turner, scary and compelling. The movie? A terrifying, modern retelling of Moby Dick. Utilizing the "less is more" Hitchcockian style of film making, Jaws dwells on the subject of revenge, and the struggle of man vs. nature. Still, when I look out on a large body of water, I think of this movie.

Favorite quote. Brody: You're gonna need a bigger boat.


Lonesome Dove. Probably the best book on my list, it won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In 1989 it was shown on CBS as a miniseries. Like I said, this book rocks. Historical fiction at it's best, it tells the story of the first cattle drive from south Texas to Montana.

What separates the film from the book for me? Two words, Robert Duvall. Duvall creates a character so rich and charismatic, even as an adult, I developed a strong emotional attachment to him. I didn't just wish I could meet him. I wish I could be him. There are many great characters like this in film history. R.P. McMurphy. 'Cool Hand' Luke. But I'd take Augustus MacRae over all of them.

Favorite quote. Gus: Here's to the sunny slopes of long ago.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. This is my favorite of the three film installments for the reason that it is my least favorite of the books. Most of the time I consider both a single thing. One book, one movie. But for the sake of this list I'll split them up. The film introduces us to a world so fully realized and beautiful, it's as if we have finally been given the gift of living and seeing the world Tolkien created. What is exposition in the book, and make no mistake I love it, is a visceral experience when watching the film.

Favorite quote. Gandalf: In the common tongue it reads "One Ring to Rule Them All. One Ring to Find Them. One Ring to Bring Them All and In The Darkness Bind Them."

Adaptation. I'll be honest with you, I haven't read the whole book. I've read parts, here and there, but not much. I couldn't get into it. I probably shouldn't compare them, the two being so different, but I think the film explores the pain of creation, the pain of being human at times, in a way the book doesn't. I also think this is another case of actors, at the top of their game, bringing us characters, people, living their lives in such a wonderful way with all the pain that that involves, that I'm not sure a book is capable of.

Favorite quote. Robert McKee: Nothing happens in the world? Are you out of your fucking mind? People are murdered every day. There's genocide, war, corruption. Every fucking day, somewhere in the world, somebody sacrifices his life to save someone else. Every fucking day, someone, somewhere makes a conscious decision to destroy someone else. People find love, people lose it. For Christ's sake, a child watches her mother beaten to death on the steps of a church. Someone goes hungry. Somebody else betrays his best friend for a woman. If you can't find that stuff in life, then you, my friend, don't know crap about life. And why the FUCK are you wasting my two precious hours with your movie? I don't have any use for it. I don't have any bloody use for it.

Charlie Kaufman: Ok, thank you.

Tagged!! My Current Favorite Seven.

I dared Flannery to tag me, and what does she do, she tags me!

Seven songs I've been into lately.

Victoria - The Kinks
Jesus, Etc. - Wilco
Simple Pages - Weezer
Pulled Up - Talking Heads
You Got Me (Featuring Jill Scott) - The Roots
Do You Realize - Beck and The Flaming Lips
Hung Up - Madonna
Good To See You - Neil young

Ten Years After Tag.

10 years ago------------------------------------

1.) How old were you? 23

2.) Where did you go to school? I was still an undergrad at I.S.U.

3) Where did you work? I think I was working at a men clothing store in a mall in Bloomington, Normal. J.Riggin's? Maybe? Those years were hard on my memory.

4.) Where did you live? A charming place called, The Bungalows. A four unit apartment complex dominated by I.S.U. theatre majors, in Normal, Illinois.

5) Where did you hang out? A bar called The Gallery. A coffee shop called The Koffee Kup. My porch.

6.) Did you wear glasses? If I wanted to live.

7.) Who were your best friends? Shelton, Dave, Tim, Quinn, Brendan, etc...

8.) Did you play any sports? Do theatre dept. softball games count?

9.) How many piercings did you have? Zero.

10.) What car did you drive? No car at this time.

11.) Had you been to a real party yet? Oh yeah, you don't get to your sixth year going to class.

12.) Had your heart broken? Yeah, but who's hadn't.

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Single/bitter.

----------------5 years ago----------------------

1.) How old were you? 28

2.) Where did you go to school? I was taking an acting class.

3.) Where did you work? A truly terrible place called, The Transcription Company, in Burbank, Ca. We created scripts from unscripted interviews, transferred hard copies of scripts to computer, among other things. If you are familiar with the play, The Adding Machine, it was kinda like that.

4.) Where did you live? In a scummy apartment complex, just north of Hollywood Blvd, on Whitley, Hollywood, California. Not good times.

5.) Where did you hang out? A dive bar called Fuel on Wilcox in Hollywood, or on Hollywood Blvd. begging for change.

6.) Did you wear glasses? See answer to Part 1, #6.

7.) Who were your best friends? See answer to Part 1, #7.

8.) Who was your crush? My pregnant fiance.

9.) How many tattoos did you have? One. My mother's family crest.

10.) How many piercings did you have? Zero

11.) What car did you drive? 1990 Oldsmobile.

12.) Had you had your heart broken? No, life had made it quite unbreakable.

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter? Engaged.

----------------------NOW------------------------

1.) How old are you? 33

2.) Where do you work? Jury's Bar in Chicago.

3.) Where do you live? Elmhurst, Illinois.

4.) Who are your best friends? See part 1, #7

5.) Where do you hang out? At home with the kids.

6.) Do you wear glasses? Yes, for the last time, I have to.

7.) Who is your crush? Just my kids.

8.) How many tattoos? One, see part 2, #9.

9.) What kind of car do you drive? 1999 Dodge Intrepid.

10.) Has your heart been broken? Not so much.

11.)Single/Taken/Married/Bitter? Married

Curious Phil

Flannery's UberCute post, and Megan's curious post, flipped a slow switch in my head. I used to occasionally ask people questions, sometimes drunk at a bar too. You know, conversation starters (read: annoying), like, "If you could have written any song, what song would it be?" A buddy of mine once said, without even thinking about it, "Surrender, by Cheap Trick."

I thought that was a pretty good answer. Rockin' song, kinda wise and fairly punk, plus I had never heard that answer before.

Me? If I'm anything, I'm cliche, so I'd say, "A Day In The Life," by The Beatles. I'm no expert, but to me, it's the perfect pop song. Universal alienation, modern existentialism. It's catchy, and you can sing along with it.

What song would you want to have written?

What's On Your Shuffle? (Does that mean my iPod only or all my music on iTunes?)

Thanks to Lulu for this one.

How many songs: 12,445

First song: Dreadlock Holiday - 10CC

Last song: SNL clip - Kevin Spacey doing Christopher Walken auditioning for Han Solo in Star Wars. (Truly inspired comedy.)

Shortest: 0:04 Who's Knocking On The Wall? - They Might Be Giants.

Longest: Symphony No. 9 - Ludwig van Beethoven 26:58

Five most played songs:

1. Catch The Wind - Joan Baez and Donovan
2. Victoria - The Kinks
3. Winnie the Pooh - Mike Curb Congregation
4. Pulled Up - The Talking Heads
5. Sweet Jane - The Cowboy Junkies

First song that comes up on "shuffle.” Welcome To The Terrordome - Public Enemy

Number of items that come up when searching for:

"sex": 58

"death": 37

"love": 653 (That's kind nice to see.)

"you": 1398 (My God, I'm obsessed with you.)

"me": 3054 (Not as obsessed I am with me. Lulu mentioned this, some of these aren't totally accurate do to things like this, (Simpsons - Homer arguing with Lisa about different meats) coming up for "me.")

"cry": 37

I Tag Dave.

Tag Again.... For The First Time.

Echo is tagging me again.

1. Popcorn or candy? Candy, usually Junior Mints or Dots. Sometimes Raisonettes. Always with a Diet Coke.

2. Name a movie you've been meaning to see forever. Brian's Song. I'm a huge Bears fan and I've never seen this movie.

3. You are given the power to recall one Oscar. Who loses theirs and to whom? I gotta tell you, I couldn't be less interested in the Oscars. Awards ceremonies really leave me cold. Anyway... Take Costner's for Dances With Wolves and give it to Scorcese for Goodfellas.

4. Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe. Easy, Darth Vader.

5. Your favorite film sex scene. In the car near the end of The Ice Storm.

6. Invite five movie people over for dinner. Who are they? Why'd you invite them? What do you feed them? George Lucas, The Coen Brother's, Martin Scorcese, Spike Lee. I just think they all have some good stories to tell. We'd play Pictionary and have Pot Luck.


7. What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater? Just toss 'em out.

8. Choose a female bodyguard: Sandra Bullock in Ms. Congeniality.

9. What's the scariest thing you've ever seen in a movie? I still think about Jaws when standing near any body of water.

10. Your favorite genre (excluding "comedy" and "drama") is.... Westerns. Uniquely American, the good ones teach us a great deal about ourselves.

11. You are given the power to greenlight movies at the studio of your choice for one year. How do you wield this power? With cynical disregard for others.

12. Samantha or Jeannie? Have I met them?

13. Is Gene Kelly annoying because it's obvious he was so full of himself and he was about 4'8"? Sorry, Gene Kelly is the man. You stand next to acouple movie stars and you discover, alot of them are pretty short. All of them are full of themselves.

Do You Tag?

The Fantastic Four

FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE

1. Waiter
   
2. Boom Mic Operator
   
3. Bread maker
   
4. Script Proof Reader
   

FOUR FICTIONAL JOBS YOU WISH YOU HAD

1. Superhero crime fighter
   
2. Jedi
   
3. Father Time
   
4. Auror
   

FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN

1. The Big Lebowski
   
2. Remains Of The Day
   
3. Kicking and Screaming
   
4. Swinger's
   

FOUR CITIES YOU'VE LIVED IN

1. Normal, IL.
   
2. Key West, FL.
   
3. Hollywood, CA.
   
4. Chicago, IL.
   

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH

1. Deadwood
   
2. Lost
   
3. The Wire
   
4. Professional Football Broadcasts
   

FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION/TRAVELED TO

1. Amsterdam
   
2. New York City
   
3. Grand Tetons, Wyoming
   
4. Gettysburg
   

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY

1. Espn
   
2. The Nation
   
3. Craig's List
   
4. Chicago Tribune
   

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS

1. Ice Cream
   
2. Dungenes Crab
   
3. Jury's Burger's
   
4. Jamaican Jerked Mahi-Mahi
   

FOUR THINGS YOU WISH YOU COULD EAT OR DRINK

1. I have no allergies, so I eat anything I want.
   
2. Unless something is prohibitively expensive, I eat it.
   
3. Human Flesh.
   
4. Human Souls
   

FOUR THINGS IN YOUR ROOM

1. PS2
   
2. College Diploma
   
3. Computer
   
4. Ironing Board
   

FOUR THINGS YOU WISH YOU HAD IN YOUR BEDROOM

1. Hot tub
   
2. PS3
   
3. Wet Bar
   
4. A Better Computer
   

FOUR THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW

1. Black T-shirt
   
2. White tube socks
   
3. Glasses
   
4. Wedding Ring
   

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW

1. Key West Fl.
   
2. Amsterdam
   
3. On a road trip
   
4. Velvet Goldmine
   

FOUR FICTIONAL PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW

1. The Bridge of the Star ship Enterprise D.
   
2. Endor
   
3. Xanth
   
4. Sodor
   

FOUR PEOPLE YOU’D REALLY LOVE TO HAVE DINNER WITH

1. Bill Clinton
   
2. Michael Chibon
3. Michael Jordan
   
4. Marlon Brando
   

FOUR FICTIONAL PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH

1. Peter Parker
   
2. Clark Kent
   
3. Dr. Bruce Banner
   
4. Prof. Charles Xavier
   

FOUR MORE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH

1. Let's call it a party and invite everyone.
   
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. 
   

I tag Johnny Yen....

The Password Is: Music

Echo's hands are everwhere. Tagging.

Like most people now-a-days, I have an extensive music collection. One of, I think, the best features of modern technology, along with Tivo and celebrity space travel.


1) Music That Has Changed Your Life: All the music I listen to changes me for the better, but the era of early '90's alternative music really got me "into" music. *Of course, the definitive example of this is Blockhead.*

2a) An Album That Has Stayed With You For More Than Ten Years (In a good way): Liz Phair-Exile in Guyville, Nirvana's-Nevermind, Beastie Boys-Paul's Boutique, the Pixies-Doolittle. The list is rather long.

2b) Music you're supposed to like, but you're embarrassed to say you never really did: I'm really only a casual fan of Hip-Hop. Bluegrass? Yeah, that's fun... I guess.

3) Music That Makes You Laugh: Before there was R.E.M. and U2 in the late '80's, Weird Al Yankovic was the voice of me and my generation. I still think he is hilarious. One of the best concerts I ever saw was Weird Al at I.S.U. in '94. Really puts on a great multimedia show.


4) Music That Makes You Cry: Usually this happens when a song reminds me of a time and place. If I haven't heard the song in a long time the impact is more pronounced. This happened recently when my buddy Dave made me a mix CD and on it was California by Luna. Not a great song. Not a great time in my life. But I was young and free.


5) Music You Wish You Had Written: Rubber Soul-The Beatles, O.K. Computer-Radiohead, Mutations-Beck, Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd, A Ghost is Born-Wilco...etc....


6) Music You Wish Had Never Been Written: All Musac remakes.


7) Current Music You Like: I tend to be exploring the masters that I have neglected. Otherwise, Wilco. Bright Eyes. Radiohead. Beck. The Flaming Lips.


8) Music You've Been Meaning To Hear: The latest Beck album. I also want to get to know more classical stuff.


Let's see. I TAG Dave at BadArtGlobal.


*Echo, correctly, points out I neglected to included Blockhead. Corrections have been made.

I promised myself I'd respond to every TAG.

Dirty Tagged Me.

1) Would you bungee jump? No. I just don't think falling is much fun.

2) If you could do anything in the world for a living what would it be? Quarterback the Chicago Bears.

3) Your favorite fictional animal? A Liger.

4) One person who never fails to make you laugh? My buddy Anita.

5) When you were 12 years old what did you want to be when you woke up? A lawyer.

6) What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? go to the bathroom.

7) Have you ever gone to therapy? No.

8) If you could have one super power what would it be? For a comic book fan, this is a difficult question. Probably invinciblity, there's just something cool about takeing a bullet with no problems.

9) Your favorite cartoon character? Another tough one, probably Bugs Bunny, despite his habit of cross-dressing.

10) Do you go to church? No.

11) What is your best childhood memory? Going on vacation to Wisconsin every year.

12) Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual? No. But I do think it's meaning is unique for everyone.

13) Do you own a gun? No.

14) Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? No.

15) Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people? Yes.

16) What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? If they smile or not.

17) What is your biggest mistake? Not taking better care of my credit.

18) Say something totally random about yourself... I eat about a gallon of Breyer's Ice Cream a day.

19) Has anyone ever said that you looked like a celebrity? Yes. Most common: Jerry O'Connell

20) What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you? Marry me.

21) Do you actually read these when other people fill them out? Sometimes, depends on my interest in that person.

I'll tag Megan over at By & By.

I got tagged and didn't realize it.

Sorry about this. I didn't notice Frank tagging me.

A Book That Has Changed Your Life: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. If you talk to friends they'll tell you that I like to indulge myself. I have attempted to recreate the opening paragraph to this book, and the contents as a whole, in Vegas on a couple of occasions. Honorable mention: One Knee Equals Two Feet by John Madden.

A Book That I've Read More Than Once: The Catcher In The Rye. When I was young it helped me feel like I wasn't the only kid pissed off all the time. As an adult it reminds me that kids are pissed off all the time. That's an oversimplification of course. Honorable Mention: Watchman by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons.

A Book That Makes You Laugh: Fargo Rock City. Deconstruction and defense for an era and musical genre that often get the short end of the stick. Honorable Mention: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard.

A Book That Makes You Cry: The 9/11 Commission Report. Much better written than I expected. Say what you want about it, it humanizes the events of that day better than anything I have read on 9/11. Honorable Mention: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Book You Wish You Had Written: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. The best "modern" American novel I have read. A grand historical-fiction about the origin of comics, the people who created them and America in the 20Th century. Honorable Mention: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.

Book You Wish Had Never Been Written: The Bible. I know the other religious texts out there have caused some trouble, but has any book ever written been the justification for more misery than the Bible. Honorable Mention: Dianetics by L.Ron Hubbard.

Book You Are Currently Reading: A People's History of The United States, 1492-Present. Excellent "alternative" history from the perspective of the oppressed throughout U.S. history. Thanks for the recommendation Chris. Honorable Mention: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Book You've Been Meaning To Read: The Bible. I should know more about it if I'm gonna criticize it so much. Honorable Mention: Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard.

I tag Dirty Laundry. And also Johnny Yen.