Sunday, February 20, 2005 :::

Constantine was good. That's all for now.

-aj

::: posted by AJBrotz at 12:51 AM

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Friday, February 18, 2005 :::

For the love of GOD - I can't hear the difference between 192 kbps and 320 kbps. I feel inadequate.

230,958,723,947 comparative listenings to the same song encoded at different bitrates; all for nothing(?)

I've been trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to reload songs onto my MP3 player at 320 kbps instead of 192.

Can't hear any difference warranting change, so I'm gonna' stick with 192.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It is, without question, one of the most impressive films I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Quite heavy the first time around, but Jesus, what an accomplishment! Masterful in every sense of the word. Films like this demonstrate how wonderfully an intensely rich story can be translated cinematically; the creative storyline was matched and perfectly complimented by appropriate inventive filmic techniques. Everyone gives huge credit to Charlie Kauffman - undoubtedly the chief influence and contributer to the movie - but it's evident that everyone involved in the creation of this film was on top of his/her game. I can only hope that the team behind ESOTSM rejoins forces in the future to create more amazing quality cinema. 5+ Stars.

Damn bitrates.

HOLY SHIT - I just exchanged virtual words with one Francis Costa. I feel...cleansed? We can all rest a little easier now with the knowledge that Frank is still an animate object - although he did end our convo to go see an object with much less animation - Keanu Reeves. Constantine looks pretty rad, though, so I'll let it slide. This time.

Until we meet again, keep it at 192 kbps.

::: posted by AJBrotz at 7:05 PM

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Friday, February 11, 2005 :::

Finally saw the movie everyone's been raving about since its release - The Grudge.
Not bad, but there was absolutely no substance to this film. - Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. For what it was - a simple, creepy horror flick - it was above average. It just doesn't warrant repeated viewing. And I didn't think that it came close to the effectiveness of The Ring. The Grudge was kind of a hodge-podge of jumpy scares and creepy images, all tied together by an extremely simplistic haunted house story. The Ring was more than that. Anyway, Japanese (turned American) horror is still drastically better than m0st of the stuff the US has been putting out; it'll be nice to eventually see these scare tactics put to use with stronger plots. The Ring 2, anyone? *crosses fingers*

Caught a pretty awesome flick on Cinemax tonight called Wishcraft. I'd have to describe it as a mixture of Scream, Drive Me Crazy, Wishmaster, and Can't Hardly Wait. Trust me, it's damn good entertainment. Stupid, exciting, grab a beer entertainment. A solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. Enjoyed it more than I did The Grudge. If you dug Club Dread, you'll probably dig Wishcraft.

Enjoy the weekend...

::: posted by AJBrotz at 3:14 AM

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Friday, February 04, 2005 :::

Wow. See, this is what I get.

I opted to abandon www.rottentomatoes.com and all other sources for movie reviews in an effort to distance myself from preconceptions - which, occasionally, were misconceptions.

WELL.

The previews looked halfway decent - some of them good, even - and ultimately convinced me that Boogeyman was worth the $6.50. Needless to say, www.rottentomatoes.com is once again a link on my blog. Don't be a sucker. Stay the hell away from this incredibly terrible movie. Jesus.

The only thing worse than the movie was the audience. Is it as bad down in Orlando, or wherever you are? I realize that this was opening night, but DAMMIT. Absolutely ridiculous. People laughing at random things throughout the movie...laughing at parts that in no way warranted laughter...talking about the movie...talking about random shit...trying to warn the characters...playing with phones...yelling... - it's sad. And I know that it's "just the movies," but dammit, it's NOT. It's a reflection of society, dammit. Wanna' go hang out and chat with your friends? Go to a fucking club. God knows that we have enough of them here in Gainesville. Someone needs to make a movie about moviegoers who die when they talk during a movie. Seriously. I know it wouldn't solve the problem, but it would be a step in the right direction and it would make me feel a little better. For the life of me, I just cannot understand how people can manage to be as inconsiderate as they are. But I guess if everyone is being inconsiderate, then there's nothing to worry about. Maybe I'm the one with the problem.
Nah, fuck that. I'll just have to avoid peak times for drama and horror flicks. Comedies, action movies - fine. Cheer, laugh, have sex - whatever. People, vent with me on this. Lemme know how you guys manage to cope with the sad state of today's theatrical environment.

The Keane concert was superb. The boys played wonderfully. My only problem was the crowd.
...See, I wasn't even intending to make a connection there. Dammit people. Show some respect! You paid good money to see great entertainment - let them entertain you, and stop entertaining yourselves! I swear...Keane played some excellent new quiet material, but I could hardly hear it because of the fuckers throughout the House of Blues who wouldn't shut the fuck up. I could ignore the couple in front of me that made out for hours during the show. One might even consider that to be romantic. Whatever. But loudly bullshitting with friends while exceptional music is attempting to be heard is...so fucking unfortunate. I really just do not get it. What's a guy like me (and you, I hope) to do?

For now, I guess I can only change the subject.

Said to the tune of the Merita White Bread slogan: "The new Green Day album really is good."

New Anberlin is great. The band can do no wrong. They've begun to spread their creative wings, which is nice. Already looking forward to the next record. Rock and roll.

Stumbled upon Jamie Cullum. Very good stuff. Nice to hear that jazz is still alive in young musicians. Check out his latest album Twentysomething. Very smooth tunes. He even covers "High and Dry" (Radiohead) and *GASP* "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" (the late great Jeff Buckley), among other classics.

Finally saw Ray. Great biopic... - it has me wishing for a more upbeat sequel, heh - primarily because Mr. Charles seemed so jovial in his later days. But tragedy earns $ and awards... It really was a good movie, though.

Not much else to report. Miss you all...leave me some of your dirty love...

::: posted by AJBrotz at 11:12 PM

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