Well what the hell have you seen/read lately?

I read Hubert Selby's Last Exit to Brooklyn. And all I have to say is, what the hell? Where are the quotations? Has anyone else read it? Was Selby trying to get some point across about Brooklyn by not using quotation marks? The story didn't really have a running plot, it was just many little stories about people who lived in Brooklyn, and occassionally, they would interact. But I wish I would'nt have wasted my time with it.

I actually just read (believe it or not, for the first time) Invisible Monsters. I enjoyed it, loved the constant twists and turns, but in the end, the message, the meaning, wasn't as close and strong as Choke, which is my favorite Chuck book.

I also saw Old School with some friends, pretty stupid yet funny movie. I saw Daredevil which was way believe my expectations, but Bullseye rocked; Colin Farrell is the new Brad Pitt: great actor, and the girls love him.

I am currently in the process of reading The Toy Collector by James Gunn, which I happen to like a lot; the book is very honest, very meaningful, and fucking funny as hell. I am also in the process of going to rent Boondock Saints as soon as possible to see for the first time. I hear its great and really want to see it. I ALSO just finished downloading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, for multiple reason. A) I still haven't seen it, its directed by fucking Terry Gilliam!, C) it starts Johnny fucking Depp!, C) it costars Benicio del fucking Toro!, D) its been highly reccomended as an "awesome," "fucked up," "fun for the whole family"- type movie (okay, maybe not, but I couldn't resist), E) because I feel obliged to as a Chuck fun and member of these forums, and finally, F) because I still haven't seen it.

Plus, i have a list of books I want to read, including House of Leaves, Crash, American Psycho (I loved Glamorama, loved the movie Rules, and semi-liked the movie American Psycho, but I hear the book is a millllllllion times better, so I want to read it), any Tom Robbins book, I want to re-read A Clockwork Orange (and rewatch it), and I can't remember what else I want to read or see other than both new Matrixes (can. not. wait.) and I still haven't seen Equilibrium, so I guess I'll see that when it comes out on DVD sooner or later. Btw, the first half of Signs was good, second was subpar. WHY'D THEY SHOW THE ALIEN!!!! Damn that pissed me off.

note: PsychoKeety is [URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/3L6PBWXSJ5YV9/ref=cm_lm_dp_l_1/002-9761889-0476838]this[/URL] by you? I found it browsing Chuck's books on Amazon.

oh yes, Fear&Loathing rules.........

insanity- ive recently seen Gangs of NY (ace), Jackass:the Movie (ace-er) and Rules of Attraction (ace-est!)
and 24 hr party people, is almost here. i cant wait. march 20 i think. woo!

and i cant wait for '24hr Party People' coming from [URL=http://us.imdb.com/Name?Winterbottom,+Michael]Michael Winterbottom[/URL] , a truly excellent director. Check out [URL=http://us.imdb.com/Title?0171865]Wonderland[/URL] if you want to see a film shot on hand-held that actually makes a good point for using the method. Quite a bit more meaningful than random Dogma films.

Just read "The Gold Cell" by Sharon Olds, a collection of poems.

Reading "The Boys of My Youth" by Jo Ann Beard

Last night, I finished Cat's Cradle by Vonnegurt (sp).

It´s Vonnegut dear X

Vonnegurt, like yogurt, but much more deadpan.

And Cat's Cradle is splendid.. I have to rebuy that sometime. Read it a few years ago on a borrowed copy, and didn't have the heart to steal it.

But, I just finished Gun's, Germs, and Steel (Something something something about the fate of mankind)

Decent book, though it's definetely a concentration game. In the end it answered way more questions than I thought it would... and now I want to read a bunch of History-of-a-Country books.

Edumacation is fun, be smart!

I just read Chelsea Horror Hotel by Dee Dee Ramone. Pretty good actually. And...I just saw When Harry Met Sally(ha-ha) and From Dusk Till Dawn. From Dusk till Dawn had a good cast too: Quentin Tarantino, George Clooney(who was actually ok), Juliet Lewis, Harvey Keitel etc.

I've been reading Gene Wolfe's [I]Book of the New Sun[/I], and I'm thoroughly impressed. Not your typical sci-fi.

Donnie Darko is the only film I've watched properly over the last while (seeing as I was in a semi-comatose state for Way of the Gun) and it was fanbloodytastic. I mean, God almighty, what a cool film. Especially the six-foot rabbit.

As for books, I've just finished reading Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, which was surprisingly serious for a Discworld novel (though the last few have been heading that way) and quite possibly my new favourite. Before that I was reading Crime and Punishment, which was godawful (to put it mildly), and before [i]that[/i] I read The World According to Garp, which I enjoyed no end even though the plot is less focused than I usually like. I'm now in the middle of About a Boy by Nick Hornby, a most excellent piece of literature indeed. So far, anyway. Though I can't shake the image of Hugh Grant, which will probably have unfriendly repercussions by the time I've finished it.

Listen:
That's weird. I started and finished Cat's Cradle last night too. Great book, I liked Slaughter house five better. Slapstick was pretty funny. with the church of the kidnapped jesus and all. Vonnegut is one of those writers I've been meaning to get into for awhile. Now that I have, I can't get enough.

I just finished PREY by Mike Crichton. The first third had me hating
it, but then it gets so much better later in the book and I ended
up loving the hell out of it.

Shanghai Knights was surprisingly good. A well-written comedy,
and that's saying something.

There is absolutely no way it was as funny as Jackass: The Movie, which was the most suprisingly funny movie in a long time.

I just finished reading Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel, and waiting a few days to read it again.

Also read Ghosts and Grisly Things by Ramsey Campbell...mostly good. Weird stories, even though I don't like short stories all that much.

I watched the extra little thing on The Ring this morning before work. Strange.

Few days ago I saw Rules of Attraction and loved it. After that, the same night, we watched Stealing Harvard. God what a horrible movie. Especially after ROA. I think Jason Lee played the EXACT same character in Stealing Harvard and A Guy Thing. Weird.

Right now I'm reading Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death by Jessica Snyder Sachs. Very interesting so far. I'm also doing it as part of my research for a story/book I want to write.

i watched the original japanese version of the ring last night. i guess it was pretty creepy, but the most common response to it is "it made me shit my pants," and there was no way it was that intense. still haven't seen the US version...i wonder what the toll of americanization is on that one.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by bdw [/i]
[B]Listen:
That's weird. I started and finished Cat's Cradle last night too. Great book, I liked Slaughter house five better. Slapstick was pretty funny. with the church of the kidnapped jesus and all. Vonnegut is one of those writers I've been meaning to get into for awhile. Now that I have, I can't get enough. [/B][/QUOTE]

YAA!! Someone else read Cat's Cradle besides my dad!

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by plastic [/i]
[B]i watched the original japanese version of the ring last night. i guess it was pretty creepy, but the most common response to it is "it made me shit my pants," and there was no way it was that intense. still haven't seen the US version...i wonder what the toll of americanization is on that one. [/B][/QUOTE]

I hated the japanese version. Everyone says it's better. No way.
The American one is a hell of a lot scarier.

Bowling for Columbine...

reading cat's cradle for the millionth and first time. about to read bluebeard for the millionth time. unfortunately, i've been reading to teach them and have been unsuccessfully attempting to be brilliant.

i'd suggest punch drunk love and solaris as the two best films of the year.

this year, i actually spent some coin (20 bucks) and registered with the golden razzie people so i could cast my votes for the worst of hollywood. i don't know how voting's going to go, but i was pretty split between j-lo, brittney (sic) and madonna and sort of evenly spread my vote around those three films. i did give xxx the most blatant teen film of the year vote.

ADAPTATION WAS THE BEST MOVIE OF 2002! Even Dennis(god) agrees with me!

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by twosmokingbarre [/i]
[B] [SIZE=1]*Im currently working on a few avatars from the film[/SIZE] [/b] [/B][/QUOTE]

Heres the first one. Many more to come.

Yesterday, I watched this movie what I think was called " Picture Perfect" which had Jennifer Aniston playing this modern woman who had men-problem. Needless to say, watching this movie was like liquid orgasm sprayed into your eyes.

I Recommend it.

Movies just doesn´t get any better than this.

I also watched "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" from another channel, but it was too scary.

They are orgasm's that aren't liquid?

I'm so glad lots of people have read Cat's Cradle.

I just saw the funniest ! ( also lamest ) Christopher Lambert film ! the Swiss-American king of B-grade action! its called 'the Hunted', and the story is thin to say the least- but teh action is nothing short of brutal.

eg. the scene where 7 ninjas sliced up about 100 people on a bullet train! so hilariously bad!

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by plastic [/i]
[B]i watched the original japanese version of the ring last night. i guess it was pretty creepy, but the most common response to it is "it made me shit my pants," and there was no way it was that intense. still haven't seen the US version...i wonder what the toll of americanization is on that one. [/B][/QUOTE]

Well, there's a whole thread semi-devoted to the topic of the Ring in the Lullaby section. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time with the American version. While some people (see: murderkitchen) seem to think it was at least decent, I thought it was laughable.

As for stuff I've seen/read lately, I have a problem with books. I have to read more than one at a time, so I'm currently in the middle of Geek Love, The Orchid Thief, The Things They Carried, and Dante's Divine Comedy (two of which are written by women and are still pretty damn good, to bring in another thread). They're all so different it's pretty easy not to get things mixed up. Recently finished American Psycho, At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom, and something else. I can't remember the title right now. Anyway, all of these are quite good
As far as movies are concerned, the last movie I saw was Adaptation which was brilliant. I need to see it again sometime soon because I keep getting these ideas about it and need to verify them with my own eyes. Amazingly constructed film. I also watched Battle Royale recently, and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. I'm thinking that I just don't have a taste for Japanese movies. The ones I've seen are just a little too weird and random for me. Anybody have any suggestions that would make me change my mind? I don't own a tv or vcr, so it'd be best if DVD suggestions were made. The City of Lost Children, a kooky french film, is waiting for me, so maybe I'll make an update later.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by XChuck [/i]
[B]They are orgasm's that aren't liquid? [/B][/QUOTE]

Yes, I understand what you mean....
But I was going for that Feeling called Orgasm and I didn´t think it that way.

And Rents: Try Ichi the Killer. Very good japanise movie, I myself, didn´t like BR that much btw.

Heh, I just started reading Cat's Cradle for the first time the other day.

Movies I've seen recently:

Gangs of New York: Total disappointment. Was extremely boring and long. The only redeeming part was the Butcher, he was frickin bad. Nice setting and costumes and all, but the acting was pretty crappy and it was just so uneventful and there wasn't any interesting drama to keep it going. Blaaaaaaaaah. Terrible movie.

Life of David Gale: Pretty good, Spacey was great, as expected. Otherwise, kind of boring. It was alright, though. Don't care for Kate Blanchet too much.

Harold & Maude: AWESOME! Absolutely fantastic movie. Everyone needs to go see it as soon as possible, please. It's beautiful. Also quite funny.

Daredevil: Actually better than I expected. Of course, my expectations were pretty low, so that's not saying much. Never was into the comic, so I don't have much to compare it to. I thought it was okay, plenty of corny parts, but I would suppose that's what happens when you make a movie based off a comic book. (With the exception of the -first- Batman. Best comic-based movie ever.)

Narc: Never even heard of this, kind of accidentally saw it. Was surprisingly good. Nothing amazing, but it wasn't bad at all. Some of the camera work was annoying though, mainly the opening scene.

Chicago: Way cool. Fun movie, and Catherine Zeta Jones is sooooooo sexy in it. Awesome time period, too. Loved it. It's great. Go see it. Now. Thanks.

Hey Wesly i have seen "The Hunted" also and i thought it was pretty good. I love the graphic violence, like on the train. I love the part in the hospital when the ninjas are shooting at christopher from the other building. Terrible story but if you like martial art violence then watch it.

I just got Tim O'brian's "The Things They Carried". I havent got time to start reading yet because i have so much school work. I just finished Moby Dick for the first time for one of my class and i did not like it. Also read "To Kill A Mocking Bird" which was suprisingly good. I am currently reading "Catcher in the Rye" which i have read before but i love the book.

In my critical theories class for lit we just read a piece by Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno and i have to say that it talks a lot about the same things that Fight Club talks about. It isnt fiction but it is very interesting reading. I recommend it if anyone wants to read it.

Just got "The Rules of Attraction" the other day on DVD and i love it. I cant wait to see Glamorama.

My friend also gave me a book by Jay McInerney called Bright Lights, Big City and i wondered if anyone can give a review of it for me.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by plastic [/i]
[B]i watched the original japanese version of the ring last night. i guess it was pretty creepy, but the most common response to it is "it made me shit my pants," and there was no way it was that intense. still haven't seen the US version...i wonder what the toll of americanization is on that one. [/B][/QUOTE]

I've never found a movie that was as intense as other people say. The american version was at least one of those movies you forget where you are (even w/ someone kicking the back of your seat) and the entire theater is silent (mostly). I haven't seen the Japanese version yet, but the american was good to me at least. Not the best I've ever seen, but it wasn't horrible.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Rents [/i]
[B]Anybody have any suggestions that would make me change my mind? I don't own a tv or vcr, so it'd be best if DVD suggestions were made. The City of Lost Children, a kooky french film, is waiting for me, so maybe I'll make an update later. [/B][/QUOTE]

I am unsure if you mean only current Japanese films which I am pretty unfamilar with but in terms of old [i]Rashomon[/i] and [i]Ran[/i] are must sees. Some would also recommend [i]The Seven Samurai[/i] but I am one of the 1% of those who have seen it and hate it.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by disx [/i]
[B]Gangs of New York: Total disappointment. Was extremely boring and long. The only redeeming part was the Butcher, he was frickin bad. Nice setting and costumes and all, but the acting was pretty crappy and it was just so uneventful and there wasn't any interesting drama to keep it going. Blaaaaaaaaah. Terrible movie.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Please explain how the Butcher was "frickin bad" and how the acting was bad? Daniel Day-Lewis(the Butcher) is the one of the best actors around today his perfromance was memorizing and comparable to another near perfect performance by Maria Falconetti in [i]Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, La [/i]. That transition when he talks about the "poor little rabbit' was amazing. And probably consaidered textbook. He just moved it along so well and fluently. Also I finally enjoyed Leonardo and the rest of the cast had no flamboyant flaws. Enlighten me.

I would also question why you thought it long but the film tricked me also. They make you think they're ending it but it goes on for another 40 minutes or so making it seem extremely long. But in truth it was an interesting look into a small portion of the history and birth of then United States greatest city. Very eventful only poorly edited.

I have to agree with you twosmokingbarrels. Gangs of New York was amazing. I think Daniel Day Lewis was near perfect. He is a very gifted actor and anything he does is good. I thought that Leaonardo was going to be bad and i expected him to ruin the movie for me but i was pleasently surprised by him. I thought he was to much of a pretty boy to do a movie like this but he exceeded my expectaions. I thought even Cameron Diaz, who i think is not that great of an actress, threw in a good performance. I knew that this movie was going to be good because of Scorcese (sp) but i did not think that it would be as good as it was.

I think what he meant by "Frickin' bad" is Fuckin' good. But the other bads, are actually bad.

Oh, ebonics, how we loathe thee.

I am very much midstream on gangs of new york. It was a mite bit too long, and it would have helped it to have a bit more [I]riveting[/I] of a story, as opposed to interesting. But. And a very large but. Daniel Day Lewis' portrayal of The Butcher, was just about the most amazing, and riveting character portrayal I've seen in a while. Not only was I amazed during the film with how "Cinematic" and great he was, but afterwards, when I saw Daniel Day Lewis out of character a few times, it really hit how talented he is. He looks like a slightly anorexic neurotic tortured poet... and yet he put out a [I]perfect[/I] over-the-top ultra-violent but still respectful Butcher.
Everyone elses role in the movie was great, acting wise. To be honest, the casting picks weren't the best on a few, but they did their best.

It was an interesting watch to me, and if not for anything else, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to actually learn good acting, JUST for the Mr. Butcher.

I'd recommend Battle Royale for the double nad-stabbing. God almighty, that was nasty.

Gangs of New York was good if a bit drawn out. The first time I the Butcher was in it I thought the performance was a bit over-the-top, but for the rest of the film he was bloody good.

I still haven't seen the Ring. Or Insomnia. Or One-hour Photo. Or lots of other films. Feh.

As much as I want to love it, Gangs of New York was ruined in the editing room. And from what I hear, it wasn't Scorcese's fault; the producers and people from Miramax kept pestering him and telling him to change things he saw fit.

And the only movie that was as intense as people ssaid it was (or maybe even more intense) was Requiem for a Dream. And as much as I love the movie, it gets me every time.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and don't see Insomnia. Definitely isn't worth it. It's not even half as good as Memento. Its boring, long, and considering I saw it the same day as Amelie (which was amazing), it was too slow and boring.
One Hour Photo, on the other hand, is much better than Insomnia. But if you see any version, see the workprint, not the final theater or DVD version. Just try getting a bootleg or downloading the workprint, it's that much better. The music that was put as a stand in beats the score anyday. And music played near the end is Winter Overture from Requiem for a Dream, which gives off a "everything is falling apart" vibe, unlike the score, in which it sounds like "everything is going to be alright."

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Eponymous [/i]
[B]I think what he meant by "Frickin' bad" is Fuckin' good. But the other bads, are actually bad.

Oh, ebonics, how we loathe thee.[/B][/QUOTE]

Oh ok, completely misread that. I ahvent heard that sort of slang in awhile.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Leonardshelby[/i]
[b]As much as I want to love it, Gangs of New York was ruined in the editing room. And from what I hear, it wasn't Scorcese's fault; the producers and people from Miramax kept pestering him and telling him to change things he saw fit.

And the only movie that was as intense as people ssaid it was (or maybe even more intense) was Requiem for a Dream. And as much as I love the movie, it gets me every time.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and don't see Insomnia. Definitely isn't worth it. It's not even half as good as Memento. Its boring, long, and considering I saw it the same day as Amelie (which was amazing), it was too slow and boring.
One Hour Photo, on the other hand, is much better than Insomnia. But if you see any version, see the workprint, not the final theater or DVD version. Just try getting a bootleg or downloading the workprint, it's that much better. The music that was put as a stand in beats the score anyday. And music played near the end is Winter Overture from Requiem for a Dream, which gives off a "everything is falling apart" vibe, unlike the score, in which it sounds like "everything is going to be alright."[/b][/quote]

Yes, Miramax ordered a cut on the film. It was originally closer to four hours i think. And [b]I will finally see Requiem![/b]. Im going to pick it up this weekend.

[color=red][b]Have you seen the original [i]Insomnia[/i]? It is much better. Scandanavians can make films(they got 2 films nom'd out of the 400 submitted in the oscars).[/b][/color]

I want to see the original Insomnia, and I also want to see...ugh what is it called...the European movie where the guy's girlfriend gets kidnapped at a gas station and he goes looking for her and there are parts in the kidnapper's point of view, and you never know what happens/ed to the girl until the end, and its supposed to be one of the most unsettling movies with one of the most depressing endings ever that has given people nightmares for weeks (its not a horror movie its suspense). I forget what it's called but I want to see it and I hear that there's an American remake of it that sucks awefuly (what a surprise).

Yeah, I meant the Butcher was great. 'Frickin bad' is not ebonics, though. At least I would never call it that. I hate ebonics, heh. =\

Slang? Yes. Ebonics? No.

Okay... Maybe I'm wrong, but ah well.

Back to Gangs, though. I think Cameron Diaz is an absolutely terrible actress and Leonardo is and was completely unimpressive. The Butcher was fantastic, as you have explained yourself... I like the setting and the time period, but it just came off as very uneventful. And yes, the thing about the trick ending made it seem longer than it really was, and that's what I was getting at. It just felt like I sat there forever and nothing happened. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it just wasn't interesting enough to carry it without something happening.

If it had been a lot shorter it wouldn't have been half bad.

Also, I think the fact that I had such huge hopes for it before I saw it had a lot to do with my dislike of it. I went in expecting to be THE movie of the year... Or something... Ah well.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by leonardshelby [/i]
[B]I want to see the original Insomnia, and I also want to see...ugh what is it called...the European movie where the guy's girlfriend gets kidnapped at a gas station and he goes looking for her and there are parts in the kidnapper's point of view, and you never know what happens/ed to the girl until the end, and its supposed to be one of the most unsettling movies with one of the most depressing endings ever that has given people nightmares for weeks (its not a horror movie its suspense). I forget what it's called but I want to see it and I hear that there's an American remake of it that sucks awefuly (what a surprise). [/B][/QUOTE]

Spoorloos and the remake is no where near.

Well, bad is a derivative of slang used primarily by african americans (doot doo, ebonics) during the mid-80's, then copped mercilessly by various white people/rappers during the 90's and now everyone does it.

Technically, it's slang and ebonics. Let's call it a draw.

Ok, in my experience, 'frickin bad' is more of a punk rock type phrase. *shrug*

Not that I'm "punk rock". But oh well....... D=

the original insomnia was quite good, i liked it.
hmm... what movies have i seen recently?
not many, which sucks for me, but i got the boondock saints DVD recently, and i've watched it more times than i can count. amazing movie.
gangs of new york wasnt as great as i thought it would be, or as everyone said it was. daniel day lewis (the butcher) is great though.

Hey imitation is suicide, you should go to [url]www.houseofleaves.com.[/url] It's a giant forum made by Mark Z. (I know this because he said so in an interveiw). If there is ever a code you can't crack, someone on the forum already has.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Eponymous [/i]
[B]Well, bad is a derivative of slang used primarily by african americans (doot doo, ebonics) during the mid-80's, then copped mercilessly by various white people/rappers during the 90's and now everyone does it.

Technically, it's slang and ebonics. Let's call it a draw. [/B][/QUOTE]

Aren't words such as "biznitch" and "shiznit" considered ebonics? Or the phrase "schizel my nizel?"

Biznitch and shiznit, is ebonics. The other thing sounds like snoop dogg speak, and I don't know what the hell that is.

Fo shizzle straight up the hillyvizzle.

It took me ages to get through Catch-22. It's too haphazard, there's no real plot to get caught up in. There are some great moments though, and I suppose it gets fairly story-driven in the last few chapters. Excellent ending...

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Eponymous [/i]
[B]Biznitch and shiznit, is ebonics. The other thing sounds like snoop dogg speak, and I don't know what the hell that is.

Fo shizzle straight up the hillyvizzle. [/B][/QUOTE]

I dont really know. Theres a whole annoying pack of pasty faced wanto to be gangsters at my school. They say that kind of stuff all the time. I only rebuke them with scottish slang courtesy of Irvine Welsh.

I'm slowly working through "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling. There isn't any real plot to speak of, but i still enjoy it. Very slow, though. I dunno what's next on my reading list. Maybe Choke, maybe Trainspotting, or maybe I'll re-read Catch-22.

the culture of fear by barry glassner. very enlightening.

now i'm slogging my way through a behemoth of a book, "pity the nation" about lebanon.

i tend to read a lot of truly masochistic nonfiction.