August 2006 Archives
I've seen this car in my neighborhood for a few weeks now and just had to share. For those not getting the point, check out the official site (NSFW -- language). My slackitude means that the owner already self-reported to Dan Savage... so I'm headed back to the corporate grind.
Two unrelated (or, perhaps, unintentionally and faintly related) cinematic experiences in the past two days... both affecting me enough to share while still desperately trying to keep pace at work.
Everything Is Illuminated (IMDB, Amazon) -- The movie based loosely on a novel that started out as a non-fiction senior thesis project... readily available via Netflix and likely finer movie rental establishments. A sublimely absurd search for meaning in the context of history -- in this case, the descendant of a Jewish Ukrainian who left his village days before the advancing German army wiped it off the map during World War II. The Flash-heavy "official movie site" (and easter eggs) don't really do justice to the movie, and I gather that the novel (despite its day-glo covers) takes everything to yet another two or three levels (something I hope to learn first-hand, assuming I ever find the time to read books again). Also of note, this film has an outstanding klezmer-fueled soundtrack -- my wife and I both commented on that fact (and usually we're trying to overlook soundtrack music).
When The Levees Broke (HBO) -- Damn. We're within one week of the first anniversary of the devastation of New Orleans, and Spike Lee has chosen to commemorate that event with a harrowing documentary look at what's happened in that year. The governmental incompetence remains mind-boggling, as does the depth and breadth of the suffering. I alternately cried and raged as it all happened in real time, and watching just the first evening of this 4-hour documentary brought me right back to that same place. Just hearing the context behind the amazing Ray Nagin / Garland Robinette interview (MP3 and transcript of the original experience) is justification for the price of my digital cable package. Lee admirably sticks to the facts, bringing multiple perspectives and avoiding the overt populist spin one might have expected. If Acts III and IV are anything close to the opening half, this effort should become required viewing in civics and emergency preparedness and U.S. history classes now and for years to come.
So now that World Cup Fever has mostly subsided, Deadly Tango will be (not-so) fashionably late to the party. Mostly, I just needed an excuse to share the following graphic found in the sports page of Washington Hispanic ... it speaks for itself even without text translation.
I saw this posted on a bathroom bulletin board and nearly busted a gut at the time. I guess pithy remarks (or bad puns -- take your pick) are not the exclusive province of the New York and London daily tabloids. Add to the festivities with the Philly "vs" NYC fun that is Badminton Stamps and their musical pun-ditry selections. Or hop on over to YouTube for the adidas "+10" commercials, and other sites for more on the song used in those spots, "Eanie Meany" by Jim Noir.
Going back to the first knockout round, I would agree with Cousin Creep -- although the man taking the dive was Fabio Grosso and not Francesco Totti (who converted from the penalty spot), the play at the end of the Australia / Italy game was likely the worst call I saw during the World Cup. Instant replay for the 2010 Cup, anyone?
Finally, some muted kudos to Bill "Sports Guy" Simmons for talking about football/soccer, despite his misguided need to badmouth the sport at the same time. What surprises me most about Simmons adopting a Premiership side is that he has previously disavowed himself of any interest in hockey.
The parallels are obvious -- the dump-and-chase bruiser styles exemplified by the Philadelphia Flyers and English national team, the "beautiful game" of speed and precision passing and puck/ball handling espoused by the Swedes / Finns / Czechs in the NHL and the Brazilians (when they're not mailing it it as happened this year), the pathetic "play not to lose" strategies sucking the life out of the game as exemplified by the neutral zone trap and the new World Champions, Italy. It's so clear that I'm waiting for someone to drop that science in a future Sports Guy Mailbag. Finally, I don't need Simmons' half-hearted justifications to his "manly" readership ("it's something to watch at 7:30am west coast time") -- stick to the game itself and keep working on getting relegation adopted in US major sports.
