Issue #4

It's Thursday, and what better way to mark that than with another issue? The Facebook page is past 100,000 people now, so hopefully a few of them are reading this blog.


FILM: The Good, The Bad, The Weird
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0901487/

I will often look to Asian film to see something entirely new, and I'm rarely disappointed. Sometimes I'll catch a film so entertaining and inspiring that I'll have to systematically hunt down all of that director's past work, to see if lighting struck twice. Korea's Ji-Woon Kim is such a director, and this is definitely such a film. A bizarre, action-packed hybrid of western and comedy, the film follows 3 bandits as they fight over the possession of a treasure map (which is also being pursued by Mad Max-styled desert pirates and the Japanese army). Fans of Korean film are bound to recognize lead actor Kang-ho Song (The Host, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), and he puts in another entirely engrossing performance here. What really got to me was the scope of the film, and the absolutely-insane stuntwork on display. This flick will have you on the edge of your seat, grinning like a school-kid, and laughing yourself to the floor in equal doses. If you like this, make sure you check out two of the director's past films: A Bittersweet Life and A Tale of Two Sisters. Check out the trailer below (it's in Korean, but enjoy the pretty images):





TV: Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1299897/

If there was any justice in the world, Adult Swim's brilliant pilot Korgoth of Barbaria would have been picked up for a full series. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Luckily, Comedy Central's Krod Mandoon came along and filled the gap (if only slightly). At times the show can be a little too low-brow for my tastes, but for the most part it's consistently hilarious, with Matt Lucas stealing every scene he's in as the bumbling but evil Dongalor. If you are a fan of early Zucker Bros., Monty Python, and general slapstick humour, you owe it to yourself to see this series. Check out the trailer below:





BOOK: Cat's Cradle (by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)

To many, Vonnegut is an author that needs little introduction. A legend in post-modern fiction, and the inspiration for countless artists that came later, Vonnegut's writing is extremely hard to classify. While most of his books are very good, Cat's Cradle is among his strongest work. While writing a book about what important Americans did the day Hiroshima was bombed, the protagoist of Cat's Cradle becomes involved with the children of Felix Hoenikker, a fictional physicist that helped develop the bomb. He ends up with the family on a Carribean island named San Lorenzo, in which the exclusive religion of Bokononism is practiced, and a dictator runs the country with brutal control tactics. The story is many things, but mainly it's a criticism of organized religion and government, mass-psychosis, and the depths of human-selfishness, even when the fate of the entire world is at stake. To say more would spoil it for the reader. This book is highly recommended.





MUSIC: Polkadot Cadaver
http://www.myspace.com/polkadotcadaver

Don't let the name throw you, this is well-worth the listen. Comprised of members of the criminally under-appreciated (and now defunct) band Dog Fashion Disco, these talented musicians have only one goal in mind - to make good music. To that effect they throw everything but the kitchen sink into their unclassifiable debut album, Purgatory Dance Party. Weaving seamlessly through elements of rock, metal, R&B, acoustic-balladry and much more, this album defines progressive. If you like what you hear, definitely check out their live show if they come to your area - you won't regret it.





UP AND COMING: The Road
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/

For me, this is one of the most anticipated films of the year. The book, by Cormac McCarthy (No Country For Old Men), is one of the best things I read last year. Add to that a director that made the great western The Proposition, a phenomenal cast, music by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, and we have a recipe for what I hope will be a very memorable cinematic experience. The trailer below definitely seems faithful to the source material, though they do play up the action a lot more than I expected:





YOUTUBE: American Suicide

The sketch-comedy show The Whitest Kids U Know can be hit and miss at times, but one thing they aren't is restrained. This is a clip from a recent episode, and fits the shot in the face theme perfectly. It's also hilarious:




BONUS: Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
http://www.smbc-comics.com/

As an added treat this week, I have to spread the word about this absolutely twisted web-comic. Click the link above for hundreds of comics that make The Far Side look like Family Circus. Here's a sample:




While we're on the topic of things better than being shot in the face, how about this: Hepto-macrophelia. Loosely defined, it's the fetish built around sexual desire toward Godzilla and other giant lizards. Macrophelia is just giants (like the Japanese crushing videos). I suppose that would mean Mecha-Hepto-Macrophelia is wanting to fuck Mecha-Godzilla. And Mecha-Macrophelia is the desire to violate a Transformer. Optimus Prime-piece-of-ass. In any case, probably better than being shot in the face.

Until next week, stay bullet free! Or at least get some free bullets.