Multimedia

This morning I had a message from the Godfathers over on my Myspace page. (They're the band from the 80's that I've always loved and they reunited and are playing in Chicago on Valentine's Day, for their traditional St. Valentine's Day Massacre show.) The note was from Peter, the lead singer, and he said that after the show at the Metro, they're going to have an after-party. He and maybe some of the other guys in the band will be DJ'ing, and there will be pizza and beer. He invited me and anyone who is with me--how awesome is that?! Free beer! Ha ha! Seriously, what a nice thing of them to do for their fans, and how cool to sort of hang out with them. I hope it works out that we can do that, but of course, I won't be the one driving. That is still to be determined, but it will probably be either Ken or Shane.

Okay, that's the music portion of our program, now on to TV/films.

Ken and I were rather disappointed that "My Own Worst Enemy" on NBC tanked and was canceled so quickly. We really like Christian Slater, and really liked the show. But things are looking up, as we seem to have found another one that we're both really digging: "Lie to Me," which is on Fox, right after "American Idol," and stars Tim Roth.

The premise is that this doctor (a psychologist, I guess, played by Roth) assists law enforcement in solving crimes with his expertise in body language. It's kind of an interesting area to me, and I enjoy reading things about body language and "tells." (That's big in poker, because everyone has a "tell.") For me, what really sells the show is Tim Roth. I don't know that much about him, other than that he's English, and I've liked him in everything in which I've seen him. I may not like his character, because he plays a lot of slimeballs, but I think he's a great actor. Quentin Tarentino does, too, and put him in "Reservoir Dogs" (as Mr. Orange) and "Pulp Fiction" (as Pumpkin, the robber in the opening scene).

I thought this was a good description of him: "With lean hangdog looks that make him a natural for the criminals and fringe dwellers he usually plays, Tim Roth has the uncanny and incredibly effective ability to make sleaze look sexy, or at least raggedly photogenic." (Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide) I'd say that he has that sort of intensity that I always enjoy seeing in an actor. The show gives rise to some funny moments, too, when he reads his colleagues or they try to read him. Can you imagine working with or being around an expert on body language, where you know that every little muscle twitch or minute eyebrow movement is being noticed and analyzed? It would certainly make me feel self-conscious!

So if you get a chance, I hope you'll give it a try. I think it's interesting and a lot of fun, and I hope it does well. Hey, I just saw you raise your eyebrow! Does that mean you're interested? Or disdainful of my endorsement? You think the show will fail, don't you? You think I'm silly for liking it.

Yeah...I got your number. I've got you pegged. You can't fool me.

Vamps revisited

The day after we watched "From Dusk Till Dawn," we watched "From Dusk Till Dawn 2 Texas Blood Money." I won't say that it was unwatchable, but it totally did not grab me. It was just kind of blah. It even had Robert Patrick in it (the liquid metal terminator), but really...yaaaaawn.

Last night we watched "From Dusk Till Dawn 3 The Hangman's Daughter." Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! It goes back to Mexico (remember, the Titty Twister strip club in the first movie was in Mexico), but is set about 100 years ago. We find out pretty quickly that one of the main characters is none other than Ambrose Bierce!

I was delighted! I've written about Bierce before, and my interest in him. He lived in Elkhart County for a while (one county east of us) and they have some of his things at my sister's museum. Bierce was a fascinating character--his satirical writing style was similar to Mark Twain's, but much more acerbic--and although his body was never found, it is believed that he traveled to Mexico to fight with Pancho Villa, and perished there. And that's where he comes into the story of FDTD3--he's on his way to find Villa and join up with him.

But the course of a revolutionary is never easy, and in a small town, he witnesses an execution gone awry. The bandit about to be hanged has an unexpected shooter who helps him escape, and the bandit grabs the cruel hangman's beautiful daughter on his way out of town. Bierce gets out of town on a stagecoach, where he encounters a pious couple determined to save his soul (considering how Bierce felt about religion, this was a nice touch).

Bierce: They say when a man drinks, he develops certain... powers.
The husband: What kind of powers?
Bierce: Clairvoyance. Second sight.
The husband: My wife is right, Mr. Bierce. You ought to take better care of yourself.
Bierce: This is a preservative, and I'm pickling myself for your great... beyond.

The escaped bandit and his gang believe the stagecoach is carrying a fortune in gold, so they ride after it and rob it, only to find there is no gold aboard. The bandits take the horses, and Bierce and the pious couple trek through the desert until they find a building.

It turns out to be a bar, as well as a house of ill repute. Things get bad for the pious couple when he leaves her in their room to get her some water, and he decides to cut loose a bit. The bandit and the hangman's daughter travel through the desert and also end up at the bar, and we find that the hangman's daughter and the madame of the house have a connection.

The bloodbath soon begins, and Bierce and the bandito end up fighting together to try to defeat the evil that thrives in the desert.

As lame as the second movie was, this one was top-notch! Not quite as fresh and exciting as the first one (and no George Clooney), but still very, very good. Interestingly enough, it seems that those involved in writing (Quentin Tarentino) and directing (Robert Rodriguez) the first one had very little to do with the second one, with both of them listed as executive producers. In the third one, they both also get executive producer credits, but Rodriguez is also listed as one of the writers. Although he didn't direct it, I think he must have steered it back in the direction of the original.

I love it that they included a historical figure in this, especially one as intriguing as Bierce. A very cool and interesting twist!

A quick spoiler for the first and third movies

One of the coolest shots in both movies comes at the very end, when the backs of the Titty Twister and the bar in the third movie are shown. We see that the front is only the tip of the building, and the back goes much further down; in fact, it appears to be a Mayan temple, and the two bars are actually the same building. It makes me wonder what birthed these nasty creatures, and what their exact origins are. Cool idea.

End of spoiler

When watching all these guys get lured in by beautiful women in the first and third movies, it made me think about how classic that scenario is. I'm not sure exactly how far back that theme goes, but the one that I think of the most is the Sirens in Greek mythology, who sang so sweetly from their island that sailors were lured to their deaths upon the rocks in trying to reach the women. I suppose that falls under the "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" umbrella. She doesn't want your hot self. She wants your money...or your blood.

Vampin' it up

One of my Christmas presents was the set of all three "From Dusk Till Dawn" movies. Nothin' says Christmas like a good vampire movie! We watched the first one the other night, and I had forgotten how good it is! It's always been one of my favorite vampire movies, and it was fun to revisit it after a few years.

Spoilers ahead, along with some language

George Clooney and Quentin Tarentino play a couple of brothers, Seth and Richie Gecko, who are crooks and killers, and need to get to Mexico to meet a guy for a "business" deal. They hijack the motor home of a preacher named Jacob (Harvey Keitel), and his two kids. They make it to Mexico, and get to the meeting place, which is a biker bar and strip club called the Titty Twister. As the evening progresses, they find out that these girls really suck...and not in a good way!

This movie is just a heck of a lot of fun. There is plenty of subtle humor, as you can see in this exchange between Jacob and one of the bikers:

Jacob: Has anybody here read a real book about vampires, or are we just remembering what a movie said? I mean a real book.

Sex Machine: You mean like a Time-Life book?

I told Ken that all the great horror movies have a touch of dark humor. I liked this conversation, where Seth has just been through a very rough night:

Carlos: So, what, were they psychos, or...

Seth: Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don't give a fuck how crazy they are!

End of spoilers

I was surprised to see that this movie was made in 1996--I thought it was quite a bit earlier. This was made during George Clooney's "ER" time period (1994-2000), so it was when he was just starting to make the transition to movies and away from TV. Even though his character is a killer, you can't help but like him, because he ends up doing the right thing and being a bit of a hero. It's hard to dislike George, though, isn't it? Quentin Tarentino is great as the slimy Richie, and I always like Harvey Keitel--remember The Fixer in "Pulp Fiction?" I'm not a big fan of Juliette Lewis, but she was good in this, and Cheech Marin plays not one but three roles (the hawker outside the club is a riot). The guy who plays Sex Machine is Tom Savini, the legendary horror movie makeup and special effects guy who went on to act and direct.

We may have George Clooney in this movie, ladies, but the guys have Salma Hayek and her dance. I told Ken, "I'm a girl and even I have to admit that's hot!"

It's not a movie for the faint-hearted, because there is plenty of foul language, lots of blood and decapitations, melting, gooey vampires, and junk like that. It also has a totally kickass soundtrack, which I think I'm going to have to look for. This is a modern classic vampire movie, ranking right up there with "The Lost Boys." Hey, now that I think about that movie, there were a couple of brothers in that one, the Frog brothers. In "From Dusk Till Dawn," we have the Gecko brothers. I wonder if that was an homage?

Here's the trailer, and if you like this kind of movie, this is a great one. Thanks for the present, Honey!

Getting back to normal...or what passes for it

I'm up earlier than I usually am, because this morning my piano is being delivered! It's been at my niece's house, and we finally have a place to put it so we made arrangements to have it moved over. Mom and Dad gave it to me many years ago, but I ended up in an apartment that didn't really have a place for it, so it ended up with my sister, then her daughter and her husband bought their house from them, so poor Mr. Piano has been around the block, and lonely for a long time! I'll write more about it later. I think Mom and Dad wanted me to have it because I'm the one who played it the most. Diana was already out of the house, and Susie was in nursing school, so I probably spent the most time with it.

Hey, the black bean soup turned out great! Ken put more chili powder in his, but it was just right for me. The blend of flavors was really good. I'll have to find another soup to try!

We finished watching "Hostel II" last night. I can't remember when I last said this, or IF I've ever said it, but...don't see this movie. I found nothing whatsoever that would redeem it in any way, shape, or form. It is a vile piece of cinematography. It was almost unwatchable, and there were a couple of times where I almost said I couldn't watch any more of it. I soldiered through, but I absolutely cannot recommend this to anyone. In fact, just the opposite. I recommend that you NOT see it. Yes, it was that bad. Quentin Tarentino made one of my favorite movies, "Pulp Fiction." Now it seems he has made one that is probably my least favorite, "Hostel II." Jeez, find some middle ground, will you, Quentin?

Milwaukee Dan #3 left me a comment about my political letter to my undecided friends. He wrote that he'd be glad on Wednesday when he can stop by here without wincing and ducking. Ha ha! I wrote back and said that frankly, so will I, and I thanked him for being a good sport. My brain is just about fried from all this stuff. Yesterday, I took an "election quiz" that was on AOL. Here are my results. That's right, a perfect score. That tells me that I'm probably a little too caught up in it all, and I'll be happy to leave the anxiety behind. There's definitely excitement there, too, but it's time to be done.

In fact, that letter to my friends was probably the last thing I'll write about it, until results start coming in tomorrow. It was sort of my closing argument. Unless something really big happens today, like we find out one of the candidates is an alien or something. (And I'm not going to speculate on who I think might be an alien! But her name kind of rhymes with alien. Hahaha! Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

I'm really looking forward to getting back into reading for fun, and I've got plenty to occupy me. Books, magazines, and getting back into the book club (I took a hiatus during the election season). There are letters to be written, piano to be relearned, songs to be sung...! Scratch that last one. Anyhoo, I feel like I'm getting ready to rejoin the human race. How exciting!