Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis

Last month, Tom Waits released a new 3-disc collection entitled Orphans. I haven't heard it yet, but I believe I plan to make it my own. Listed below are some reviews that I've read of the album and they basically make me want to jump in feet-first. Thanks to DMK for pointing out that on this album Tom does a rendition of Disney's "Heigh Ho." If that doesn't have potential for multi-layered oh-so-wrongitude and oh-so-rightitude, I don't know what does.

Reviews of Orphans:
Boston Globe
Chicago Tribune
Harp
New York Times
Rolling Stone
South Coast Today

Harp's December 2006 Tom Waits article/interview

One of my favorite old stories of Tom's is listed at the very end of this
random yarn-spinning from Tom back in 1993. Here's to growing stronger and stranger every day.

In a deep and dark December

Things I've learned this week:
1. Sometimes people don't look to see where they're going when they are driving in reverse.
2. Small, cute little cars are no match for Escalades, even in low-speed collisions.
3. Never underestimate people's ability to be inconsiderate. Especially around the holidays.
5. Restaurant parking lots are private property and are therefor not subject to police enforcement of the rules of the road.
6.a. Police patrol cars have hard (not cushioned) backseats.
6.b. If you see someone you know in the backseat of a patrol car, don't necessarily assume that he or she is there for misbehavior. He or she might just be getting a ride home because his or her only means of transport just got smashed into indrivability.

Ungallantly

A 12/14/06 article from George Will re: 2008 presidential elections. Not that I find the content and its direct meaning irrelevant (because it is relevant) but I also find a well-crystalized description of a situation that had ruffled my feathers a while back. Anyway, read on.
Four reasons Obama should run for president in '08

Feeling Grinch-y?

For those of you who just aren't quite feeling the holiday spirit, I bring you this nugget of humor: reindeer hotdogs. No wonder Rudolf looks a little surprised there.

Also, a little note about the proper and efficient functioning of the Postal Service as it relates to letters to a certain S. Claus.

I love hats

I love hats. You love them too? (or you just want to be in the know with some fairly obscure fashion vocab)... read on!

haberdasher (hab'@r dash'@r; often hab'@ dash'-) n. [[ ME haberdashere, prob. < Anglo-Fr hapertas, kind of cloth ]] 1 a person whose work or business is selling men's furnishings, such as hats, shirts, neckties, and gloves 2 [Brit.] a dealer in various small articles, such as ribbons, thread, and needles
haberdashery (-dash'@r e¯) n., pl. -eries [[ ME haberdashhrie ]] 1 things sold by a haberdasher 2 a haberdasher's shop

milliner (mil'i n@r) n. [[ < Milaner, inhabitant of Milan, vendor of bonnets and dress wares from Milan ]] a person who designs, makes, trims, or sells women's hats
millinery (mil'i ner'e¯) n. 1 women's hats, headdresses, etc. 2 the work or business of a milliner

When I think of ladies wearing hats, the first thing I think of is the Kentucky Derby. Read more about my interest in the Derby on previous posts on a previous blog:
• 11/14/06: "As if I didn't already want to go..."
• 05/08/06: "Down the stretch they come"

What is the coolest name for a hat ever? Why, "porkpie," of course (rocked by Joliet Jake in the pic below). Don't count out its variation, the porkpie stetson, however.

Favorite Words

Here's a list I keep of my favorite words, mostly based on their pronunciation rather than meaning. I will likely update this as more words occur to me.

appeal
batch
beach/beech
celerime [latin]
charter
cheek
cisalpine
cisatlantic
cram
example
fishhook
market
palliative
parts
peel [specifically when used as utensil for removing bread from ovens]
picture [as said by my kindergarten teacher]
preparation [especially when spoken in an old commercial for some sort of Time Life recipe collection]
rapscallion
razorblade
sample question [ah, good old standardized tests]
snick
Stamp Act
storybook
Sugarloaf
Tortuga
transalpine

Letterman and the Holidays

Thanksgiving evening, as my mother and I hurried back to the hotel to get to our room in time to catch The Late Show with David Letterman, it struck me that it has become part of my holiday tradition to watch certain holiday traditions on that show.

Thanksgiving (my favorite Letterman tradition): The segment with Dave's mom live via satellite from Indianapolis, during the course of which Dave has to guess the types of pie his mom made for Thanksgiving dinner. It really is amusing to watch Dave interact with his mom. If she says "Now, David..." in that sort of scolding voice, that just makes it even cooler. Lately they've added to the tradition by showing what Dave's mom has in her fridge, which is pre-stocked to be funny. This year it was full of cans of Old Milwaukee beer and nothing else. Classy all the way.

Christmas (1): Paul Shaffer doing his impression of Cher singing "Oh Holy Night."

Christmas (2): Darlene Love singing "Baby Please Come Home."

Random fun fact: I noticed recently that my hands look awfully similar to Letterman's. Check it out.

Unlikely design inspiration

hmm...is it wrong that I see a similarity between a Bloch pointe shoe and an A-380? Truth is, I couldn't find an image of the A-380 that was quite like my impression from seeing it at the Toulouse assembly plant from the ground level looking up. But nose-on, it looked a lot more like the pointe shoe pic, I guarantee.

Film Scores

Back on 1/22/06 I posted on my former blog that film soundtracks/scores comprise 35% of my cd collection. I suppose my reasoning for that purchasing pattern is that I want to be reminded of films that I've enjoyed and a good score will transport the listener to the specific headspace and heartspace occupied by the film it represents since it should be intimately tied to the generation of that same emotional space. I say "score" because I think that while some compilations of songs used in a film (what I call soundtracks, such as that used for "Great Expectations") can be evocative in this way, it is harder for them to be quite as successful as a score composed specifically for a film and intended to tightly correlate.

Scores can also be manipulative of their audience because of this. I read an article about "Gladiator" (one of my favorite movies) in which the director was quoted as saying that he chose Lisa Gerrard to work on the score in order to create an emotional backbone to the story and specifically to draw female viewers into the rather violent storyline (and presumably to rake in more cash at the box office as a result). Music is a useful storytelling shorthand when executed successfully, so scores can be a way to gloss over some shortcomings in the writing or acting. They cannot save an inherently flawed script or inexpertly-helmed directorial effort, but it can elevate a sword-and-sandals epic or space opera or fantasy to something more.

This all makes me wonder about the most recent movie I've seen that has captured my attention temporarily. The score for "Casino Royale" is perhaps trying to be emotionally manipulative, or perhaps it is attempting to elevate itself. The string-reliant romantic themes are not as corny as those of the old Bond flicks, but then, the romance in this movie isn't as corny either so it is appropriate within its own context and I don't feel badly manipulated or "tricked" into liking the film. The composer lapses into some generic action music, but the opening sequence with the construction-site parkour chase is pretty craftily scored, sonically tied to the location albeit in a somewhat trite or obvious way (drums symbolizing Africa? wow, that's original). But it works, so I'm not complaining. I think the mysteriously suspenseful current running through parts of the film is also supported well in the music. But really, what is suspenseful music? What is generic action music or corny romantic music? It is sort of fascinating that as humans in a certain culture, we can pick up on those cues intended by the composer and director. We do have a sort of common musical vocabulary from which emotional messages are created, delivered, and received. As someone interested in languages, this in intriguing to me.

And, superficially (it all comes back to superficiality with Bond, doesn't it?), who doesn't like to strut around with the Bond theme in her head? Adds a rather devastatingly dashing straight-from-the-catwalk swagger to my gait. It's like I'm Bond and the Bond girl, all in one.

tectosilicate

So a long time ago, a friend giggled in chemistry class because of the word: silicate... sounding a bit like my name, with "silly" tacked in front of it. So I imagine how funny I found it when I stumbled across this word while looking for something else on the online OED: tectosilicate

At least life never ceases to be amusing.

Casino Royale: post-viewing commentary

How does "Casino Royale" stack up to previous Bond movies?
***warning - spoilers throughout***

1. Bond theme - I'd rate it above average. Chris Cornell's theme is definitely rough and rocky, not at all like the smoothies of Shirley Bassey and, more recently, Garbage. It does work for the new angle on Bond though. A bit more like Moby's "Extreme Ways" used for the closing credits of "The Bourne Identity" but not so techno-y. Initially I didn't think too highly of the theme, but I think that's because the rest of the movie that followed was good enough to make me forget much of anything at all about the song. Opening credit sequence fairly... lame. But that's all that's lame about the film, so I'm ok with that.

2. Bond gadgetry - not so much featured in this movie. In fact, we're missing a key character associated with said gadgetry. But I think the movie doesn't suffer too much from the lack.

3. Bond villain - secretes blood from his tear duct. Other than that, not particularly noteworthy.

4. Bond "girl" - I will say Eva Green's Vesper Lynd is the best Bond leading-lady of them all. She actually has a character, instead of just a body and a pretty face.

5. Bond himself - Daniel Craig is... well... he's second only to THE Bond, Connery. Not particularly polished. He's physical, raw, and wickedly powerful-looking in even Bahamian linen. And in this, the "prequel," he has something of a heart.

6. Overall, one of the best films in the franchise.

A little personal Bond history: The most recent Bond movie that I've seen is Goldeneye. It was 1995 and I was... well, I was young. My parents and I went to see Goldeneye projected in a theater particularly known for its sound system. Once the shooting started in the Russian research facility (early in the film), I was a cowering mess huddled down as far as I could go into my seat. Can't handle the mass killing with firearms. I guess it left a bad taste in my mouth because three more Bond movies have been released since then and I've not come anywhere near seeing any of them. But even so, I was indignant when I heard the Bond powers-that-be had opted for a blond actor to carry the torch, and out of protest I mentally refused to see "Casino Royale" long before it even was released. Idly checking out movie reviews for this weekend (and nursing a hope somewhere deep inside that the Bond series would get some life injected back into it somehow)... I clicked on Roeper's review, liked that it was favorably compared to Bourne, and after checking out a few Google Images results (bonus: Eva Green!), made up my mind to see the film immediately. My point: instead of tons of extras getting dispatched with automatic weapons fire, this Bond is brutal and very personal. Quite a lot of hand-to-hand combat and close-range violence going on. In this way more than anything else does Bond resemble Bourne. One thing that I noticed about myself however was that I was not looking away at first, but my mom sort of looked over at me and I realized that I wasn't looking away from the violence as per standard operating procedure. So I proceded to look away. But I wonder if I'm getting de-sensitized, and what in me is fascinated by this glorification of slick if slightly more realistic violence.

So. This Bond gets dirty and bloody. A more believable Bond, if there is such an animal. As several reviews have pointed out, "Casino Royale" is more character-driven, which I think draws in female viewers. There were some slyly funny parts... everyone loves to stick it to snooty presumptuous asses, and Bond is no exception. Any time an on-screen poker hand receives scattered applause from a movie audience, it has to be good (hint: it rhymes with "crate blush"). And I thought it was hilarious that several people in our audience reacted with mutterings to the effect of "well, you can kiss *her* good bye" when our leading lady inspires Bond to express a very particular kind of intent or emotion. That's the beauty of prequels - lines that normally would mean very little are imbued with more significance as a kind of wink to the audience member who is familiar with the franchise. On a slightly down note, even I found it over the top that three lines of dialogue were used to call attention to Bond's watch (actually, three lines and more obnoxiously, a deep and lingering reflective pause that followed them). I suppose it wouldn't have been too evil to call it by name, but the following comment made by Vesper (and even more annoyingly) the pause that followed it, was too much. This coming from me, who loves men's watches a little too much, and even I couldn't stomach it. However, any film that uses Italy as a shooting location is A-Ok in my book. Just found it a little distracting (well, for me, very distracting) that part of the film was on location at Villa del Balbianello in Lake Como, the same site used for the Anakin-and-Padmé-falling-in-love-on-Naboo scenes from "Attack of the Clones." I was thinking: "I recognize those geranium planters and that breathtaking lake view behind them!" A sentiment that was rapidly followed by thoughts of lame pick-up lines comparing a love interest to sand. One thing's for sure, Bond is unquestionably more successful with the ladies than Vader-to-be.

Casino Royale: pre-viewing commentary

***warning - possible spoilers***

"The James Bond franchise is born again in 'Casino Royale,' or should I say Bourne again, for Daniel Craig's compactly built, coldly efficient, stylish killing machine is more reminiscent of Matt Damon's Jason Bourne than the middle-aged bounder played by Pierce Brosnan..."

That line from Richard Roeper's review of "Casino Royale" made me feel all wobbly inside. I love "The Bourne Identity" and I feel I must cop to a kind of love-hate (or perhaps better said, lust-distaste) feeling for the Bond series. Combine the two, and now all of a sudden I can't wait to see the new movie, even though mere weeks ago I was dreading its release and wondering why they couldn't just give up the ghost on the tired franchise, or at least have the decency to cough up a non-blond Bond. In a sense though, they do appear to have given up that ghost, since many reviews refer to this movie as turning a new leaf in Bond-dom, reinventing the material, and dragging the character into the 21st century.

Superficially, I'm looking forward to a gorgeous Aston Martin and detailed menswear. And Eva Green's pretty face. Also, this Daniel Craig fellow looks to have quite an intriguing roughness to him. The movie also apparently covers quite a lot of ground with shooting locations. (check out the metromix review for more.)

Not-so-superficially, I have to wonder why I'm attracted to men who don't appear to give a damn, or in some (ok, many) cases are not even realistically in my life at all. I mean, it can't get much more emotionally unavailable than that.

As a random aside/hunch/spoiler: One review I’ve read mentions that “Casino Royale” shows some of the background to why Bond behaves the way he does in later films and one would kind of have to assume that his behavior vis-à-vis women would be included in this revelatory backstory. I’ve also read that since the writers tried to give both Bond and Vesper (Eva Green) some psychological depth and since Vesper is portrayed as Bond’s equal, they’re getting at suitability and stability in a romantic relationship. Since we all know Bond doesn’t exactly settle down, I’m assuming Vesper gets written out somehow, and I’m guessing that a milquetoast-y “going their separate ways” isn’t going to cut it in this case because of the whole “well-matched equals” point they’re trying to drive home. It would need to be a break-up of a more permanent variety. My thought – it’s going to turn out very “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” for the lovely accountant.