Sabbatical

...and with that, year two draws to a close. 

What does this mean? 

Look at those two sentences. They're barely strung together. Every time the year rolls around, I look at where I am and evaluate. Not in the 'Oh God make a resolution and stick with it' sort way. More in the 'Where did I start and how did I get here and where am I going' kind of way. 

So. 

It's been another year. I've switched formats. Less daily writing, more reflective and personal. Less focused, more free wheeling. The reasoning behind it was fairly logical, if not practical. I couldn't keep up the established pace and I wanted to branch out into more personal subject matter. I examined my life a bit. I exorcised some anxieties. I confessed some things. I gushed about others. I bought a house with the love of my life. I learned about mowing the lawn and becoming a suburbanite. 

So where do we go from here? 

Another shift. I'm not certain how to execute this one as gracefully, though. Please allow me to explain. Establishing the blog was a means to work on my writing while spinning my wheels on a book I was writing while simultaneously sharing awesome things with the world. The tone and style shift came as a result of life's increasing demands and an exhaustible amount of enthusiasm. I was running low, frankly. 

Now, another year later, I'm taking a sabbatical. The scant free time I have to write these days is spent on the blog, where I would prefer to get back to the book. Pretentious  I know. But bear with me. Writing this blog has been a great pleasure but at the same time it becomes an obligation if I don't have something sufficiently noteworthy in mind. I don't want to waste your time and I want to make the most of mine. I want to get back to a larger project from which I've strayed, leaving it unfinished. It gnaws at me.

So here's what I'm doing. I'm taking some time away from the blog. I'm not going to post for a while and get back to the story I have yet to finish. When I feel the need, I'll come running back here. I promise. I love the feeling of doing this and I am always amazed anyone ever bothers to read it. I'm sure I won't be able to stay away. Just know that if you don't see a new post for a while, everything is still cool. I'll let you know what prevails, but I'm sure we'll have much to talk about. 

To explain the combination of pride and chagrin at taking a sabbatical (prigrin? charide?), here's a picture of me standing triumphant after a game of Charades last Christmas, ribbons and bows in my hair:

Know that I am grateful. Know that I appreciate you reading. I'll be back soon. If for no other reason than to remove that picture.

Cheers.

Year End

...and with that, we draw to a close.


It's been one insane year. I don't know about you, but I am about to start getting duded up for a costume party. Lots to do and miles to go, etc. I've really enjoyed writing for this site every day (or as often as possible, as the occasion would permit). Sometimes it has been a snap, when coming up with ideas. Other times I've had to push myself to get an idea out there. One little trick has been to keep a running list of things I want to cover and write about, in case the well ran dry or inspiration never struck. As a result, there have been some things I've wanted to do longer posts on but have never been able to fit in to the schedule. So rather than force a bunch of half-hearted ideas and arbitrary posts, I thought I'd just run through them all in one shot, to show what could have been. 


In no particular order, here are the ideas and things I wanted to write about and will be culling from the year's to-do file:


The Goonies - I wrote about the soundtrack, but never mustered the wherewithal to really dig into why I love this childhood staple so much. Still a favorite of mine, all these years later.


Despicable Me - Super fun and overlooked. An adorable, surprisingly funny movie with Steve Carrell and Jason Segel providing voice work. Mad scientists doing wacky stuff.


Ectopiary - A crazy, long running web comic that only gets better and better. Free and not for the faint of heart.


The Elephant Vanishes - A great collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors. Simply too overwhelming to attempt to unpack the myriad of ideas put forth.


Bioshock - This amazing game got me into the modern era of videogames after holding out for about five years. Astounding and groundbreaking in every way. A must play, if you missed it (like I did).


Earthbound - My favorite old school SNES game. The internet already had enough articles about this quirky and idiosyncratic masterpiece.


Lunds Sandwich - No joke. Didn't want to be another food blogger, but this thing had turkey, cranberry mayo, swiss and bacon on cinnamon bread. I was in heaven every time I had it. 


That about does it for 2011. It's been phenomenal for me. Thank you so much for reading. I'll see you on the other side. Happy New Year!

Where We've Been

Evening, gang.


If you're reading this, it's most likely Halloween where you are. I dig. I hope you're having as mega of a day as I am. I spent the previous day recapping the Saturday night hijinks, packing some boxes while watching spooky movies and opening a bottle of Cabernet to enjoy another Treehouse of Horror. Not bad, I have to say. My apartment has no kids, so no trick or treaters for me, to my dismay. I would have fun passing out candy. I would have fun with wine until I pass out, too, but that's not really a Halloween thing. I digress. This year I was a bull, my better half was a matador. Here's me:

Nice, right? Best of all - pretty darn cheap. Total cost? Five bones for the horns. All else was mine. Okay the leg warmers on my arms as hooves were courtesy of my better half. 


So I've written up and down about Spooky Month. I loved it. It gave me a chance to indulge in my spooky side and share some awesome Halloweenish things with the wider world. There are, however, some things that slipped through the cracks. These are the posts I wrote prior to Spooky Month that would have been totally appropriate to cut and paste if I had been short on time and creativity. In no particular order, you should check out:


The Thing and I - a genuinely creepy Treehouse of Horror installment, all set at night in a storm.
Silent Hill 2 - the most terrifying game I've ever played. An emotional trip, to say the least. HD collections for PS3 and 360 due out in January.
Cloverfield - A modern Gojira, my favorite monster movie. It's a crazy post-modern take on terrorist events.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors - An underrated gem for the SNes. A love letter to B Movie madness.
Crimson - Beautifully dark album from the Alkaline Trio. Lush and pulsing punk music to set the mood.
MST3K - The best way to enjoy old B Movies. Snark galore. Laughs abound. Legendary.
Old Boy - Not a horror movie, per se. Still a dark, twisted trip to the most tormented depths of humanity. Yeah.
Silent Hill - My love for a flawed, but well-intentioned cinematic adaptation of the video game series.
You Were Always On My Mind - Getting severely caught off guard by a creepy soundtrack.
Grabbed by the Ghoulies - A forgotten gem from Rare. Super fun and full of simple frights!
Maniac Mansion - One of the first great haunted house games. Packed with point-and-click antics.
House of Leaves - Watch a book eat itself like a snake swallowing its own tail.
World War Z - The definitive record of humanity's war on zombie-kind. A sprawling, epic tome.
I Hear You Calling - A great video by the band Gob with homages to Thriller.

So that about sums it up. It's been a month of scares and jumps, noises in the vents and things lurking around the corner. Hit up the Spooky label on the side bar for more goodness. Otherwise, come November 1st it's back to business as usual here. I've had a blast this past month. Hopefully you have too. I'll try to do more large scale themes in the future. Christmas Conundrum, perhaps?

Noses in Books

...and so ends Book Worm Week.

It's been a fantastic journey into the imagination, gang. I love reading, there's nothing quite like sitting down with a great book and whiling away an afternoon, especially when it's raining outside or if you've opened a nice bottle of wine. You just kick your feet up, sit back and get lost in a world that assembles gradually in front of your mind's eye, bit by bit. As much as I enjoy TV or a good movie, the written word is so simple and essential, such a vital part of being human that has such a profound effect on how we see the world. Books are able to transport us, both through stories and new ideas, to places we would never dream of. It brings me so much joy to know there are people out there who still love a good book. Hey, doesn't even have to be a book - the first thing I bought for a kindle was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, appropriately enough. Although I suppose my phone would be The Guide, instead of a kindle. Regardless, people (even American people) still love to read. To wrap up Book Worm Week here's everything I've posted about the written word:

Sleepwalk With Me - Mike Birbiglia's hilarious and touching stories about sleep disorders, interspersed with comedy.

Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis - a bizarre and super-fun comic that sees two great things mashed together.

Calvin & Hobbes - the smartest comic strip ever to grace the funny pages, in my humble opinion.

A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore at his best, in a tale of a man having to do horrible things to save the world.

The Stand - Stephen King's take on an American Lord of the Rings. Simply phenomenal.

Fluke - Another Moore novel, this time about whales and secrets and hidden evolution. Mind bending.

Sin Titulo - A free web-comic that tells a trippy and engaging story, absolutely worth a look.

Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami, the rock star of Japan, tells a sad and poignant tale of loss and love.

A Wild Sheep Chase - More Murakami, this time a surreal gum-shoe story about missing sheep.

Dance, Dance, Dance - The sequel to Sheep Chase, just as good and just as weird.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Still more Murakami, now even weirder and more emotional.

House of Leaves - The trippy meta narrative about a book about a book about a movie about a house.

Bossypants - Tina Fey's hysterical and insightful memoirs about being the boss of everyone.

Next - Michael Crichton's bleeding-edge look at a harrowing future full of ethical genetic dilemmas.

Batman: Year One - The best Batman comic ever, told in a believable fashion. Really. I swear.

The Long Halloween - The followup, which served as a basis for The Dark Knight. Phenomenal.

World War Z - The best damn book about Zombies and the end of the real world you'll ever read. I swear.

That is the full list of my verbal devotions. I love reading, as long as I have time for it. I hope you do, too. It feels like, when you really get hooked by a good book, you're feeding your brain, giving it sustenance that TV and pop culture can't. Then again, half of that list is comics and comedians, so what do I know? Regardless, I'm happy to know anyone would take a recommendation. Thanks for sticking out another themed week. Tomorrow it's back to the usual tricks. I'll see you on the flip side!

Console Nation

Kids, it's time we say goodbye to Video Game Week.


This most likely comes with a rounding cheer from a heart segment of my audience, while coming from a heavy heart. I really do love to apply analysis and critical thought to my gaming. Whether its the simplest indulgence, like button mashing and rhythm games, or the headiest, most convention defying experience to date, I love examining the phenomenon that occurs when we play games. I really appreciate the fact that anyone here would read my thoughts on a field that has no shortage of self-righteous essays and pretentious diatribes, not just from me but from much more talented, witty writers. 

I could honestly fill pages upon pages with content devoted to my love of gaming but in the interest of not shedding any more readers, I'll just round up the few posts on the subject that I have done and get back to what I do best - heartfelt examinations of the music that makes people tick. While there may be the occasional post on games in the future, they will much more sporadic, that's for sure. For example, I hardly mentioned the unsung hero of games - soundtracks. Someday, kids. Some day. 


Here's anything and everything I've written about button mashing:


Zombies Ate My Neighbors - an old post about a sublime SNES game, which is a love letter to B-Movies.
Silent Hill 2 - the scariest and most captivating experience I've ever had with a game, bar none.
Gamespite - a look at the most funny and intelligent gaming community I've seen, headed by Jeremy Parish.
S.T.U.N. Runner - a whimsical tale about lost memories from my childhood. And Chuck E. Cheese!
Scribblenauts - I wrote about this smart little game after a pre-flight happy-hour and some in-flight DS time.
Grabbed By The Ghoulies - Rare's black sheep that's really not too bad, worth the few dollars it goes for these days.
Maniac Mansion - a groundbreaking classic, as fun then as it is now. Another of many loving homages to Horror.
ToeJam & Earl - Co-op ahead of its time, a stealth masterpiece of the Sega Genesis.
Link's Awakening - The secret-best Zelda game which goes undeservedly neglected these days.
Dragon Warrior 4 - In which I wax nostalgic about exploring and having a curious mind as a child.
Virtual Bart - The hidden redemptive qualities of minigames and the mindless pleasures they afford.

That wraps up Video Game Week for me, kids. Starting tomorrow I get back on my grind with the more traditional music-based posts and articles. Down the line we'll have more themed weeks, like Book Worm Week and a special Halloween themed series. Until then, I'll see you guys on the flip side. Thanks for reading.

Movie Week Memoriam

Ladies and gentlemen, here we have it!


The sad yet poignant end to Movie Week. 


I've just arrived home from the premier screening of the locally made, insanely funny Wasted On The Young and I have to say - it is funnier than I could have ever hoped. I mean there were times I felt I should stifle myself, lest I ruin someone else's good time. I howled out loud, along with the rest of the sold out theater. Hell, the 9 pm show was sold out, too. I would love nothing more than to give a thorough recapping of the lovable indie film fresh from Paperback Productions, but do to my intimate involvement with the movie, objectivity is almost non-existent. That being said, I absolutely adored the scenes I wasn't in, relishing the performances of my friends and neighbors. It was also an amazing curiosity to see a motion picture shot entirely on VHS - the aesthetic was both unique and enjoyable. If you're interested, head over to the site and buy it for a single dollar. That's less than a sandwich! I won't say anymore at this point, to avoid accusations of shilling. What I will do, instead, is compile every post thus far on the subject of movies. See, I mostly just write about them, not act in them. So here goes:


Brick - a phenomenal, understated, modern day noir flick set in a CA high-school, starring the amazing Joseph Levitt.
Monsters - a quiet, evocative film on a shoestring budget about societal implications of aliens in Mexico. Awesome.
Cloverfield - the flipside to Monsters, wherein a Cthulian-esque monstrosity attacks NY. Very post-9/11.
Fan Edits - a look at the fascinating world of fan edits and how they change our perceptions.
Spirited Away - one of my favorite movies, ever. A beautiful, heartfelt tale of growing up. And ghosts!
The Matrix Trilogy - the groundbreaking series that looks even more impressive in hi-definition. A must see.
Moon - a moving but lonely and ultimately heartbreakingly human science fiction movie. Duncan Jones is a genius.
Mystery Team - the Derrick Comedy debut feature, an absurd take on Encyclopedia Brown, starring Donald Glover.
The Ride - the shorth film that accompanied 30 Seconds To Mars' single 'Kings & Queens. Heavy and gorgeous.
Inception - a look at how music shapes the experience of this phenomenal thriller. Heady, intelligent stuff.
MST3K - the absolute best of the worst. Manos, Hobgoblins, This Planet Earth. You name it. Yikes.
Akira - an examination of how scene and setting impacted my perspective of the Japanese breakout hit.
Terminator - some of the smartest science fiction movies ever, even if the continuity and quality tapers off.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs - surprisingly smart and funny, a great under rated and recent movie.
Oldboy - harrowing stuff, but some of the most original film-making I'd seen in years. Watch it with the kids! (Don't)
Wasted On The Young - Minneapolis-made movie makes moves. I'm so proud of everyone involved.
Pleasantville - see Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon before they were stars. It's a charming 90s movie.
Silent Hill - an uneven, but enjoyable horror flick I love more for the soundtrack than anything.
Chasing Amy - Kevin Smith's best work, an honest and moving look at relationships, with plenty of dick jokes, to boot.


There we are, kids. Quite a few, so feel free to peruse and see what you find. I plan on doing more on movies later, but I ought to get back to what I do best. In the future though, I'd like to branch out more, do more themes. Maybe books? Games? Lord knows the web is full of guys like myself writing about video games. Something more obscure....perhaps comedy? Who knows. Hey, I'm open to suggestions - drop a line and let me know what you think! 

Modern Sounds

Hello, hello.


This is it, friends and neighbors. My last round up before I start writing regular content again. I must confess it has been nice not to be under the perpetual self-imposed deadline of fresh, charming content every day. On the flip side, I've begun to itch, not having that full release of the creative mind. I've had a chance to reboot and restock. Watched a few movies, listened to some music, dl'ed some podcasts and am in the midst of another book. So starting tomorrow I'll be doing my usual columns on things you SIMPLY MUST KNOW ABOUT but may already be well aware of. At any rate, we will soon be back at equilibrium. Until then, feel free to look back at some of the more modern selections from the first 100 posts of sekrit awesome things:


Das Racist - The craziest post-modern, da-da rappers around. DL their mixtapes. NOW. 
Simple Science - The Get Up Kids return from the grave with renewed vigor!
Spoon - Their freshest single is a sick, sick mess full of off kilter drums. It's a knockout.
Sleigh Bells - Noise-pop electro duo from New York making some of the most popular music in some circles.
Atmosphere - Minneapolis' legends of hip hop put out a crazy good free album a couple years ago.
The Strokes - In light of their new album I offer a look back at the album that shaped the decade.
Childish Gambino - A look at the multi-talented career of Donald Glover and his musical exploits. Not long after that article was written he released a brand new EP. Check it out.
Gayngs - The mega-group has made huge waves in the music community this year. Find out why.
Analog Heart - American Idol winner David Cook made a phenomenal, hush-hush album before his big win.
The Gorillaz - Damon Albarn and Co. made an entire free album all on the iPad. It's a strange, beautiful thing.


That's it for now, kids. Like I said, I miss the regular grind even if the break has been nice. I just had to take a brief reprieve to build up a little momentum. Tomorrow we're back at it. Until then, read up and sweet dreams.

Gene Splicer

Evening. 


Way too late to be doing this. See how it gets when you let life happen? Things get re-ordered and priorities get in the way, and suddenly I'm frantically typing up a blog post just to get one up and tallied for the day. In the spirit of a frenzied feeling of harried crossed wires, the theme of today's roundup is posts on Mash-Ups and cultural jams, things that are spliced and resequenced for the sake of art. I think the reason I obsess over this concept is that it expresses the sheer possibility of infinite permutations, that even after a thing is created and labeled finished it can still be reconstituted and put into fresh context to become a new thing with new meaning. Peruse these pieces, won't you?


Kids & Explosions - A look at a fantastic mash-up album that doesn't just pair up songs, it creates whole new pieces.
Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis - Just as good as it sounds, honestly. Two great tastes that go great together.
Chronologically Lost - Why my brain melts at the idea of watching Lost in sequential, chronological order.
Star Wars Xmas Invasion - Nothing at all related to the horrible special you're thinking of. Just look.
Fan Edits - In which I fawn over the concept of new & improved versions of films perceived as flawed.
Jaydiohead - Hipster Gods meet Hip Hop Deity courtesy of Max Tannone.
The Hood Internet - Watch these artists reconstitute the amazing work of Felt via Electro records. As dope as it sounds.
Affiliyated - In which the relentless Doomtree re-grind the slow-burn slow-jams of Gayngs.
Girl Talk - The DJ who crashed the internet last fall with All Day, a sick party album.


See what I meant? All these posts are basically accounts of my brain shutting down over the circular, downward spiral logic of these meta-contextual works of art. Read 'em and weep. My brain is fried. Yours can be too, just read up. 

Local Love

Holy Hannah, people.


Super warm today.


Like, warm enough that there are real threats of thunder storms and bad weather. I love storms. Can't get enough of it. As long as it doesn't interfere with grilling, then it's all gravy. Spent the weekend getting things done. Paperwork, errands, cleaning, all that jazz. Spent last night watching Shaun of the Dead and poking around on my iPad. Fun way to watch movies, felt like I was researching it the whole time. But that's beside the point. The point, dear readers, is that you need, I mean NEED to know about Doomtree. These local musicians are masters at what they do. I went so far as to spend an entire week just breaking down their members and respective releases, all the while barely scratching the surface on what this amazing rap crew has accomplished. Talented to unfathomable depths, they comprise the best and brightest Minneapolis has to offer. Check out these posts to get a rough idea of who they are and what they've done:


Hand Over Fist - The unstoppable duo that is Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak.
Ipecac Neat - A look back at the rise of P.O.S. and his debut album.
Sims' False Hopes 14 - The stealth release of a fantastic artist whose ethic is relentless.
Dessa's Scattered Interlude - An examination of the literary genius of song-smith Dessa Darling.
Rebel Yellow Deluxe - How multiple versions of Cecil Otter's superb 2nd album makes an interesting extended mix.
DJ for MCs - The sublime nature of Paper Tiger's False Hopes and why it moves me.
Meatcleaver + Shotgun - MK Larada's Break In Two and some other details of the crew's work.
Affiliyated - A look into Doomtree's re-grinds on the mind-blowing Gayngs album Relayted. Read it.


Thus ended the week-long Doomtree Diatribe. They're abosolute favorites of mine, whose work and crazy live shows I evangelize to any and all who will listen. They made a massive splash at SXSW this year and now Dessa and Sims are embarking on a national tour, so be sure to check them out. I'm gonna cut here, as the temp has dropped a solid 15 degrees and I have a dinner to grill. Gotta beat the rain, son. Shrimp's waiting.

Not A Single Mention Of Flannel

Gang busters.


Been resting and pressing reset. Feels great but I am still mending. Lost my voice a bit but it's coming back. There's no misery like wanting to blow off some steam with a happy hour on Friday but not being able to due to sheer volume of consumed cold medicine. Oh well, if thats the worst I'm dealing with then my life is just fine. My better half and I spent the day running around and filing paperwork for Big Things and we're both exhausted. While she's heading out with her friends, I'm taking time to get stuff done around the apartment, so tonight's post is another roundup of previous posts. Tonight we look at the music from the turn of the century. It seems to be a period that I am particularly focused on, due in part to the impact it had on me as I grew up. Everyone loves the music they listened to when they were like 16-21 and I'm no different. That's probably why I proselytize so much about this awesome era of music that (thankfully) has yet to see an ironic resurgent ascension. Regardless, here are some amazing, if neglected, albums from that time:


Depresso - A tale of my joy in finding a lost gem by the Smashing Pumpkins.
Nirvana - A similar tale, only centering around a sekrit Nirvana treasure.
Portishead - Hands down the best Trip Hop music I've ever heard. Adds a film score to your life.
Siamese Dream - A definite desert island disc, one of my favorite albums EVAR.
Adore - The fascinating and underrated sea-change in the Smashing Pumpkins story.
Garbage - Remember when this band was the hottest ticket around? This was why.
Version 2.0 - In which Garbage one-ups their own sublime debut. Still fantastic.
Neon Ballroom - A sign of the great things to come from a young band, where Silverchair grew the beard.
Dust Brothers - A fantastic marriage of du-jour music and ascendant film style.
Foo Fighters - Before they were the best modern rock band around, they were just one man. Literally.
The Colour and the Shape - Foo Fighters sound even better as a full band. A phenomenal album.
Fiona Apple - Her sophomore album is a beautiful, bizarre thing that surely merits more praise than it gets.
Homogenic - I swoon for Bjork; this envelope-pushing album was years ahead of it's time.
Check Your Head - My favorite Beasties album, feels like a cohesive band wrote & played it because they did.
Is This It? - Wherein The Strokes changed the landscape for the next 10 years.
Can't Change Me - Chris Cornell's haunting, absolute tops single that was criminally under-appreciated.
Insomniac - When a band like Green Day feels persecuted, they go deeper into depression, with great results.
J.A.R. - How did this awesome single hit #1 and I never really heard it? I look into why this is.


There we go. As you can see, I have a bit of a fixation on this time period in popular music. I guess you write what you know. So it goes. You take a look through here and see if something doesn't strike your fancy. I've got an apartment to clean and a hungry self to feed. I'll see you tomorrow. Till then, kids. Till then.

Web Slinger

Friday, kids. Good gawd.


Took long enough to get here. It's quickly become patio weather here in MPLS and I've even seen more than a share of kids rocking the shorts already, despite the fact it's only 60 at the moment. Considering how cold out it was just 10 days ago, though, I'll allow it. Myself, I can never wear shorts. Just don't care for them, plain and simple. I know that sounds nuts. But that's me, not you. You should enjoy short pants all you want. You should also enjoy your Friday night. If, like me, you're still shaking off the grip of a nasty little virus, you might not be out and tearing it up tonight. That's just fine, I dig. To improve your Friday night entertainment options take a look at this collection of posts I wrote about online content. I put online content in your online content so your online content will...never mind. Just peruse at your leisure.


Webcomics galore - A series of absurd and hysterical webcomics, all highly respected.
Nerdist - The best podcast also has a fantastic site now! Go and see!
Gamespite - A repository for retro/2D gaming with a great community to boot.
The Ricky Gervais Show - Also available in podcast form. Witness the insight of Karl Pilkington.
WTF With Marc Maron - An amazing series of interviews with the best, most notorious comedians alive today.
Nostalgia Critic - Tearing apart the best and worst of your childhood entertainment
Think Geek - Coolest shop I've been on.


I think between these posts you should be able to find something funny or insightful to help you relax and unwind this weekend. Take a look and enjoy coasting into Saturday.

Film On The Surface

Hey cats.


100 posts. Has a nice round ring to it, huh? I think so, but maybe that's just our human nature to attach significance to even integers with zeros after them. Either way, I'm glad I've gotten this far and am so appreciative of the audience I have. Just knowing there's anyone out there reading about the awesome things I'm excited about makes me happy - that's the whole point, just to let other people know about some particular thing that is excellent but has little recognition nowadays. So, having hit a nice round, distant number (and once again feeling like crud after being crammed into an airplane twice in less than a week) I thought instead of simply taking a brief sabbatical I would compile some of the similarly themed posts for a few days. Nothing too long, just enough of a break to recharge my batteries and enable me to give you the best of my rambling brain. Today, then? Today we have the posts I've done about movies! Look at them:


Brick - see Joseph Gordon Levitt make his presence known in a great modern noir.
Monsters - a great indie film made for unbelievably little, very cool.
Cloverfield - why 'The Blair Witch Eats Manhattan' is actually pretty rad.
Fan Edits - In which I show my apologist leanings in favor of The Phantom Menace and the Matrix Sequels.
Spirited Away - one of my favorite movies, full of gorgeous, quiet moments.
The Matrix Trilogy - say what you want, but these were amazing to see on Blu Ray!
The Goonies - my secret love of Cyndi Lauper's black-sheep hit.
Moon - the most poignant, sorrowful and above all lovingly done sci-fi film of the last five years.
Mystery Team - the twisted take on Encyclopedia Brown/Hardy Boys starring Donald Glover.


Take a pass through these excellent movie-centric posts and get an idea for what to watch this weekend. I know you can find more than a couple of these online, ifyoucatchmydrift. I'm gonna go overdose on fruits and veggies. See you with another roundup tomorrow!