zerogstudios

Me
I know I love you cause I just told Mihoko I can’t let her sleep over if she comes to NY for the weekend.

Girlfriend
She can sleep on the couch if she doesn’t mind hearing us fuck in the next room.

Conclusion
Love is a funny thing.

I hadn’t been to the ballet in over fifteen years and forgot how wonderfully spectacular an experience it can be. Perhaps it’s my new found appreciation for the human form or just the splendor that is dance but watching the dancers bound across the stage was inspiring.

I’ve included a video below of the show we saw but I don’t think it does a very good job of capturing how special an evening it was. I guess something is better than nothing?

Before Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann directed what I consider to be one of the best dance / romantic comedies / guilty pleasures ever made. Strictly Ballroom is a quirky and charming peak  into the world of competitve ballroom dancing.

Scott Hastings is a champion caliber ballroom dancer that believes in dancing “his own steps”. Fran is a beginning dancer and a bit of an ugly duckling. Together, these two try to win the Australian Pan Pacific Championships and show the Ballroom Confederation that they are wrong when they say, “there are no new steps!”

Be warned that this movie is only for people with a love for dance or a soft spot for movies like Dirty Dancing.

What should have been a guilty pleasure rental from Netflix turned into a Friday night at the theater. So, why did I pay full price for a movie I knew wasn’t going to live up to my expectations? Simple, I love the 80′s and I’m not ashamed to say it. Add to that my deep admiration for John Cusack’s early work (Say Anything and Better Off Dead) and you can begin to understand my deep desire to plunk down $27.

So, was it worth it? Yes and no. The movie itself isn’t very good and most of the jokes fall flat but somehow seeing it in a theater with a bunch of like minded individuals made the whole experience a lot more gratifying. That said when you finally receive it from Netflix, kick back a few drinks invite a few friends and prepare to have a good time.

A few weeks ago I got into a discussion with my girlfriend about leaving in the middle of a bad movie. I argued that movies, like any medium, need to be examined and digested as a whole. She in turn asked me to list some examples.  This turned out to be harder than I thought.

Thankfully a few days later I sat down to watch Up in the Air, a perfect example of my theory. The first hour of this film is all character development and might be considered boring by today’s standards. Suddenly the movie takes a massive turn and sucker punches the audience, elevating a simple plot into something greater.

Do I think this film was Oscar worthy, no. Is it a good movie that displays storytelling expertise not often seen in movies today, yes. .

What starts out as a clever and funny look at why no one has ever tried to become a costumed superhero slowly devolves into a boring poorly paced movie that has one hilarious moment and two great action sequences.

1. Nicholas Cage shooting a kid in the chest. Which I saw online a month before the movie was even released.
2. The scene where Hit Girl saves Kick Ass and her dad, Big Baddy.
3. The final fight scene which reminded me a lot of La Femme Nikita. You know the scene in which Nikita is trapped in a kitchen behind a counter as bad guys plan to blow her up with a rocket launcher… wait a minute.

I don’t understand why people think this is a great movie or why they say it is uber violent. I often times feel like I am out of touch or just a fucking film snob.

Have I Read the Comic Book?
NO, but from what I’ve read and heard that might be a good thing.

In a previous blog post I mentioned how I was planning n purchasing a Montare by Gary Fisher. Sadly I have come to the conclusion that this may only be a pipe dream when I factored in my living space. Unless I plan on sleeping with my bicycle I better invest in a folding bike.

I know that most folding bicycles suck but I need to make a concession. Or do I? Introducing my new dream bicycle the Montague Paratrooper.

At a glance

If it’s good enough for United States Paratroopers it is good enough for me.

Not the shitty Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, and Jennifer Lopez remake. I’m talking about the original film, “Shall we dansu?” I admit to never actually seeing the remake but the truth is no matter how faithful or creative the remake was it can never capture the Japanese social awkwardness and quirkiness that makes “Shall we dansu?” so fucking amazing.

Perhaps someday if I am flipping channels and I come across the remake I will see it but till then believe me when I say “Shall we dansu?” is a superior film that oozes charm and wit.

Came across this trailer and decided to give it a try. Lets hope this isn’t just pretty pictures devoid of substance. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a really good anime series.