tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65129629719639210002024-03-13T02:06:15.309-07:00Iceberg Sex PartyExplorations of the super 70s, Nintendo memories, kung-fu movies, and songs I likeRobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-17035200199929849932011-02-17T11:19:00.000-08:002011-02-17T11:25:00.339-08:00Thoughts on Watson: the Jeopardy robot Part III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTfpI4YWsTXaazWy0qUwGD6Gnkx47lp5N_N97bzAJWYgxRwnAX7ak1oa_4H3Z-vMUZTCcEIY2geKYoqzRrg5NUcQXlwkQUkLqKuV7oWjFsmXsLiFRzvuEbQoc9lNa4HoeuMdEUBBbrBkL/s1600/hamilton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTfpI4YWsTXaazWy0qUwGD6Gnkx47lp5N_N97bzAJWYgxRwnAX7ak1oa_4H3Z-vMUZTCcEIY2geKYoqzRrg5NUcQXlwkQUkLqKuV7oWjFsmXsLiFRzvuEbQoc9lNa4HoeuMdEUBBbrBkL/s320/hamilton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
OK. Watson won. He won kinda big time, and I was gonna post a picture of a chain-link-fence-holding Sarah Conner engulfed in flames on judgement day, but it was sort of gruesome and anyway I don't really feel that way about this particular robot triumph. That said, burying an arms cache in the Mexican desert and maybe learning a few tips on how to outsmart logic-beholden machines via a re-read of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1921265676">Asimov's </a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Robot-Isaac-Asimov/dp/055338256X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1297968184&sr=8-2">I Robot</a></i> might not be a terrible idea. (no, watching the movie won't help)<br />
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Before we get into the gloomy excitement of computers getting really really smart all of a sudden, let's quickly discuss the saving grace for humanity here which is: Ken Jennings managed a (reasonably funny and certainly appropriate) Simpsons reference within his final jeopardy answer!<br />
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We're still good at something! Being funny! Take that, machines!<br />
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In case you're not a Simpsons nerd, see the classic Kent Brockman clip below.<br />
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Maybe IBM's next challenge should be to develop a robot that wins Last Comic Standing. No, seriously, give it a shot, IBM. It's even OK if it uses props, or ventriloquism, or a redneck-y catch phrase, but I think your best bet is to have it write 45 minutes about the quirks of being robotic, then stock the audience with robots. But perhaps I digress.<br />
<br />
Back to the show. What can I say except to ask more questions about how Watson works? I find this stuff sort of endlessly fascinating. <br />
<br />
<i>Why does it seem like Watson's so much better at Double Jeopardy than Single?</i><br />
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<i>Does Watson benefit from any sort of momentum of confidence factor after a series of correct answers (like a human would)? (Presumably not...so, followup question: Would that be an inherently bad thing to build into a computer's programming? Discuss)</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>How did Watson put together Moldavia and Wallachia to get Bram Stoker but not get the Chicago airport question?</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Let me jump into that one.</span></i><br />
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</span></i><br />
As a reasonably intelligent human being, I gauged both of these (final jeopardy) questions as fairly easy, although I would agree that the Chicago one was a little tougher. Although the inherent difficulty of any question is debatable and of course skewed by whether someone knows or does not know the answer, I feel my opinion is at least somewhat founded in objective analysis and also supported anecdotally by the fact that both human players got both questions correct.<br />
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I'm being presumptuous about how Watson thinks through these questions, but what the hell (bbq). To get to last night's final Jeopardy solution (clue paraphrase: "<i>So and so's published anthropological survey of Moldavia and Wallachia was the inspiration for this author's most famous work</i>"), I feel Watson must have had to throw "Moldavia" and "Wallachia" into the gears and realize (quickly) they were a reference to Romania. (Wikipedia informs me that these comprise the north and south historical regions of what is now modern day Romania). From there the path gets a little murky though. The category was "19th Century Authors". So now Watson must filter through a list of authors with whom Romania is associated? Or does he, in his geographical search come up with keyword "Transylvania"...which when filtered through the category title yields "Bram Stoker", author of <i>Dracula</i>. Perhaps "Dracula" has to occur first to Watson but I sort of doubt it. This all seems pretty reasonable, except if this type of database list generation and subsequent list cross referencing is how Watson arrives at answers...<br />
then why not nail that Chicago airport one?<br />
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Pull up a list of major airports, filter by US cities (or don't, even) and cross reference with cities with 2 airports. Even without the US filter (or if the US/American filter includes all of the cities in the Americas) this ought to yield a fairly short list. Then filter by historical names, and see which are associated with WWII. As I mentioned, Toronto's airport is Lester Pearson International (YYZ), but he's got no direct association with WWII (that I can see). A good but incorrect guess would have New York City (because of JFK)<br />
I find all this puzzling, is all. Hopefully we'll get more coverage and learn more about how Watson ticks in the near future. For now I'll take our triumphs where we can get them, but more pertinently...where's my holodeck?Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-35657947562633285352011-02-16T15:00:00.000-08:002011-02-16T15:02:23.787-08:00Thoughts on Watson: the Jeopardy robot Part IILast night was sort of hard to watch, right? Watson mopped the floor with the humans and went out to a $20,000 lead. Last night Watson got both Daily Doubles and eventually played in Final Jeopardy. The main question I want to ask is:<br />
<br />
<i>How does Watson decide what to wager?</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Presumably it's an algorithm based on a simple (quick) examination of Watson's stores of info on any given category, crossed somehow with the game's current scores and score gaps, etc... Does Watson (actively) take into account the remaining board squares' monetary values when deciding what to wager? Does Watson learn about playing styles as the game goes on? In other words, does Watson know he's winning and is likely to continue to win, or only that he's currently ahead in points?<br />
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What jumps out to me most about last night was the final Jeopardy clue. The category was US Cities, and the clue had to do with airport names. Paraphrase is "what US city's largest airport is named for a WWII hero and second largest named for a WWII battle?" Ken, Brad, and I came up with the correct answer as 'Chicago' (references to airports O'Hare and Midway) but Watson flubbed it pretty big with "Toronto".<br />
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For starters, Toronto's not in the United States....so it seems genuinely strange to me that Watson could try to pass that one off as correct, even as a shaky guess. Secondly, Watson only wagered $947 bucks on the clue. One obvious explanation of that could be that Watson was way way ahead in the score, so oftentimes players in that position won't jeopardize (ha!) the guaranteed win in a gambit to accumulate money...however those helping normal human contestants give them a series of scenarios (at least, this is my understanding as a viewer) to help them decide how much to wager. <br />
<br />
Watson was almost $20,000 dollars ahead, so he could have bet almost 20 times as much and still ensured his overall win in this round. Watson did no such thing, at least in part because the two day game is cumulative and so he must have it in his programming to generate as much money as possible...<br />
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This is all a roundabout way to get back to what made the category "US cities" appear daunting to Watson, and why he guessed incorrectly on a clue that at least three humans got easily. Why be intimidated by this category, and then furthermore why get it so wrong? It seems a cursory cross reference of major US airport names with WWII associated people would have quickly yielded the Chicago answer. Also note that Toronto's largest airport (YYZ, the one Rush wrote the song about) is called Lester Pearson Airport after a Canadian prime minister.<br />
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More questions than answers...looking forward to the conclusion.<br />
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"too clever is stupid, dude."<br />
- Icepick (from Skate or Die II)Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-33322063186484320952011-02-15T10:08:00.000-08:002011-02-16T15:02:12.304-08:00Thoughts on Watson: the Jeopardy robot Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrm3Vy-ZOWwzmTa7msqx9UPbvAEy3qYmItk75oY3pty7Dzs8jwEd5OuC8XaWewKrGT4L3UOTT4O87GC_QeOzhRwyJoP1OXo9Mj_9hKSt3enaombLrqF69yrj2d51SSxcQKS4xKjQaFEfl/s1600/jeopardygame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrm3Vy-ZOWwzmTa7msqx9UPbvAEy3qYmItk75oY3pty7Dzs8jwEd5OuC8XaWewKrGT4L3UOTT4O87GC_QeOzhRwyJoP1OXo9Mj_9hKSt3enaombLrqF69yrj2d51SSxcQKS4xKjQaFEfl/s320/jeopardygame.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Last night was part 1 of 3 for the competition between IBM's Watson and the two Jeopardy wizards only as known as Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. I've been anticipating it since I first heard it was happening late last year, but I gotta admit I hadn't really thought that hard about it beyond a standard "holy shit' feeling.<br />
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I've long been a proponent of Star Trek style technology, despite it's inherent evilness and capability to trap us inside Agatha Christie trains or make us obsessed with gaming technology. I've publicly stated that I'll have the matrix plug installed as soon as it becomes available (read: covered by insurance) because once that thing exists, who knows what's what in any real sense so why not jump on the jelly wagon post haste and ride it to freedom (or slavery). Watson appears to be an important step in this lineage.<br />
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Watson takes the questions and spits out answers in plain (question-oriented) english after ringing in on the buzzer. I had been under the impression it would be analyzing Alex's actual speech in order to receive the clue info, but apparently that's not the case. Trebek said Watson receives the clue as a text file simultaneously to it being revealed to the player. That's slightly less impressive--(but still cool) and it brings up a couple questions that weren't answered last night:<br />
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<i>Does Watson get the text file entered at the moment the question gets "revealed" on TV (and presumably to the contestants as well) or immediately after Alex is finished reading it?</i><br />
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My guess is the former, which slants the game significantly in Watson's favor, since it's reading speed has got to be worlds faster than any human. In reality, the time it takes Alex to read through a clue is almost an eternity for a machine so gosh darn sophisticated. But OK, still pretty cool.<br />
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Here's another relevant question though:<br />
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<i>How does Watson receive the category information?</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
This is more vague, I guess. Watson presumably receives the categories as text files at the same time as contestants, but this point was not specified. It's important, I think, because as soon as you hear the categories your (human) brain is priming it's internal filing cabinet for what might come up in the context of said category. So assuming Watson gets them simultaneously with the humans. I wonder how the programming parsed that information specifically, or if Watson chooses how to move through the board based in part on a perceived wealth or paucity of information in any given category. Maybe tonight's broadcast will reveal more of this type of stuff.<br />
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A couple other observations I'm hoping to explore after seeing more of the game:<br />
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I noticed that in one instance, Ken Jennings answered something incorrectly (in the "what decade?" category) and then that Watson rang in and gave the same (incorrect) answer directly afterward. Did Watson's developers miss a fairly obvious aspect of the game with this, or was this instead an extremely difficult programming obstacle? Or perhaps they are scrambling as I type to fix this glitch.<br />
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The visualization of Watson's thought process was pretty intriguing. The concept of a confidence threshold was covered and then presented as a bar graph on the screen. Although Watson was typically quite confident in the answer (and subsequently correct) there were a few instances where Watson wasn't particularly certain which of three top answers to select. Here's one thing it made me wonder:<br />
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<i>Does Watson's option weighting and/or overall confidence in any given answer correlate to what us humans might call "the overall difficulty" of the question? </i><br />
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Although Jeopardy works hard to weight the difficulty of the clues accurately with a monetary value, it's easy to agree that this is a flawed system. What makes question difficult? (besides not knowing the answer).<br />
Example: In the "Literary Villains APB" category, the mid-level clue was indicating the villain from the Harry Potter series: Voldemort. Watson incorrectly surmised "Harry Potter" and the confidence bars indicated a degree of confusion (although the threshold was not met). Two pieces of information in regards to that are worth thinking about: 1. the clue didn't mention "Harry Potter" and 2. "Voldemort" is (somewhat) rarely referred to by his actual name in this series of books.<br />
Watson must be using a sort of "fill in the blank" algorithm which correctly identified other words in the clue (like Hogwarts) as being related to Harry Potter, while also correctly identifying that "Harry Potter: himself did not appear in the clue. This may be an interesting, somewhat non-intuitive piece of the "what makes a clue difficult" puzzle.<br />
The second point however, speaks more directly to what it means for a question to be difficult. There is simply less information connecting that particular answer to the clue, less repetition of the specific idea, fewer linguistic bridges.<br />
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I'd like to get more into this avenue of thought after I watch Double Jeopardy tonight. Right now, Watson is tied for the lead at $5000. Humanity still has hope, and the Holodeck may still be a ways off I guess.<br />
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Note: wanted to get my thoughts down first, without reading others' take...but now that I did here's <a href="http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2011/02/ibms-watson-tied-for-1st-in-jeopardy-almost-sneaks-wrong-answer-by-trebek.ars">another article</a>, which makes mention of an interesting contextual aspect of correctly answering that I didn't recount above--very interesting stuff...referred to as "leg-gate" in the comments.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-60960333286368591422011-01-25T10:33:00.000-08:002011-01-25T12:46:05.629-08:00Chinese vs Japanese / Man vs Robot<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgn83n73BNzV4KG8nTZ8OlidF4jLl4Piy6GmsUlLLCEXAWWf5PSyl-_IAY4gyto-XNlB2hohyphenhyphenmGnLG0YB5AMcvUSK0VId3VN_rApQTDQRWDvaHYsKb84cIUmR-OP3ULifx6-Ub-f3E2PI/s1600/ipman4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgn83n73BNzV4KG8nTZ8OlidF4jLl4Piy6GmsUlLLCEXAWWf5PSyl-_IAY4gyto-XNlB2hohyphenhyphenmGnLG0YB5AMcvUSK0VId3VN_rApQTDQRWDvaHYsKb84cIUmR-OP3ULifx6-Ub-f3E2PI/s400/ipman4.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;">OK, first the bad news. I re-watched <i>The Matrix: Reloaded</i>. When the original Matrix came out I was a sophomore in college and I went to the Newark shopping center to watch it with my bros. The ad campaign for the film had been a really good example of creating actual intrigue in regards to a blockbuster movie with the whole "What is the matrix" tagline. Anyway we were stoked to finally see it and the movie wrecked shop on our 19-year old brains and didn't disappoint at all.</div>Of course years later when the 'trilogy continued' I was only cautiously stoked (at best)...but paid up to see more slo-mo ass kicking and 360 bullet dodging. Everyone knows it sort of sucked...at least relative to the original film, and I hadn't forgotten this but the other day I was in a position to pick out a mindless movie to watch while I was completely immobilized for about 3.5 hours doing leukophoresis (white blood cell donation) and so I was thinking "why not? this movie had some cool fights in it and I like those". And to be fair, <i>The Matrix: Reloaded</i> held my complete attention while my entire blood volume was drained, filtered, and then put back into my bod on the other side.<br />
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The Matrix films are basically very high concept/high budget martial arts movies, so on to the kicking people in the face part. The coolest fight in the movie is probably the one where Neo fights like hundreds of Elronds all dressed up for the white house press correspondents' dinner.<br />
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I realize that Neo is supposed to be <b>seeing</b> everything in slow motion, but he also kind of kicks in slow motion, which isn't really so cool. Anyway--like lots of kung-fu movies of yore, this one employs lots of physically impossible wire trick stuff but also makes copious use of that patented (they wish) slow down and strafe camera work. Difference is, this isn't even trying to look particularly real, which works great for Keanu. When he gets the pole out and goes all tether ball it's pretty awesome regardless.<br />
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<b><u>Diagnosis:</u></b><br />
This movie makes very little sense, and when I saw it the first time I recall thinking: it's a windup for the next movie...hopefully 'Martix: Revolutions' will swing hard and hit it out of the park. We all know that didn't pan out (maybe I'll go ahead and rewatch that one soonish as well), so this movie just seems jumbled up unnecessarily. I think it would have worked better if they dropped a little of the over-reaching hero quest narrative and focused on what I'm seeing as the primary (read: most interesting) plot driver of the movie which is the following: given that this thing called the matrix exists, check out all the weird alt-programs that float around inside of it (including, as the climax indicates, Neo himself).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaPCcBJL30HHHB9Mkiy30a1RXTBr8IZMqobh0BqI8OD-eUCmP8_Q3QhI6sOT3sXILvUy0UsOqK_Lx7Z-5ZAx0-9eSWlheDf4oi0WtZUMzgUVkoRjfGSra5XIuorho-7O1wf9S61DWIhb6/s1600/caverave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaPCcBJL30HHHB9Mkiy30a1RXTBr8IZMqobh0BqI8OD-eUCmP8_Q3QhI6sOT3sXILvUy0UsOqK_Lx7Z-5ZAx0-9eSWlheDf4oi0WtZUMzgUVkoRjfGSra5XIuorho-7O1wf9S61DWIhb6/s400/caverave.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Perhaps the most misguided/mistakenly hilarious scene of all is the notorious "cave-rave" pictured above. The part that really tickled me was right before the Zion-techno-oontz starts bumping where Morpheus announces (triumphantly) 'let us shake this cave' in righteous defiance of the robot overlords that will soon consume and enslave us. Youtube wouldn't let me embed this one (the line is at about 1:30)</div><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5ZWNOm4r2k&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5ZWNOm4r2k&feature=related</a><br />
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So amongst such original ideas as twin albino badasses, orgasm cakes, keymasters who unlock secret stuff (<a href="http://benaxelrad.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/moranis-crazy.jpg">wait a sec...</a>), and having Harold Perrineau being able to steer a ship straight and true despite being in a weird non/ultra reality, this movie is probably worth about:<br />
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.56 of the 1<br />
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sidenote for any science-types reading this: when Neo 'reaches inside' Trinity to kickstart her heart <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indiana_Jones_characters#Mola_Ram">Mola Ram</a>-style at the end, all I could think was "terrible sterile technique, dude."<br />
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<i>1/24/11 topical update: Keanu, please don't make anymore of these.</i><br />
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--<br />
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I also watched a modern kung-fu film called Ip Man. It's on Netflix streaming and you should watch it. It's much more of a "film" film than most martial arts movies, but the fighting in it is really really kickass. (see below)<br />
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This may be old news to some of you because I believe they already released a sequel to this bad boy...but in quick summary, Ip Man is a real guy who lived in southern China during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War">second Sino-Japanese war</a>, and was the first to teach <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_chun">Wing Chun</a> style kung fu. He had tons of students the most famous of whom is Bruce Lee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyTfoKiLojoLgD_SjbrweBjUtjtt0NLV2b_ugzJ9tXAWgh6KuOmAzX-T7z2nClxjOsh7S-1CDwiJ96U0uczKVcuJCxxSHatTR4bfS4ldjrqNbPXD7jHEUaO4B-J7kQcHQ6qln9zN1IbKZ/s1600/bruce-lee-yip-man-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyTfoKiLojoLgD_SjbrweBjUtjtt0NLV2b_ugzJ9tXAWgh6KuOmAzX-T7z2nClxjOsh7S-1CDwiJ96U0uczKVcuJCxxSHatTR4bfS4ldjrqNbPXD7jHEUaO4B-J7kQcHQ6qln9zN1IbKZ/s400/bruce-lee-yip-man-b.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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The movie is set during a time of Japanese occupation, and Ip Man is the old standby peaceful man character who doesn't really want to fight, but holy crap look out when his blood gets angried up.<br />
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Though this scene below is only about half way through the movie...it's probably the coolest fight scene. The setup: Japanese soldiers are challenging all the Chinese guys to come fight them, to prove that Japanese martial arts is better or whatever, and because they're an occupying army they're bullying them into it big time, and being dicks in general. Ip Man's all like "I choose not to fight" etc.. and that's part of how you know how unbelievably badass he is, because he's super calm about it and everything. But then...well, you know.<br />
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Were you digging all the multiple rapid punches and painful limb breaks like I was?<br />
You should watch this movie for more of the same. Netflix streaming, like I mentioned. Do it.<br />
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9 out of 10 japanese guys with broken legs and multiple face bruises agree.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-72158137140237372842011-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:002011-01-02T12:22:46.197-08:00Year in ReviewSo what did I do this year? Let's recap in a slapdash way that romanticizes minor occurences while downplaying major ones and adds a sheen of coolness to basically everything.<br />
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I started 2010 watching fireworks on a couch in Kuala Lumpur, and ended it just now at a karaoke bar somewhere in the LA outskirts belting out "Alive" with two Japanese dudes I just met. Pretty solid on both counts.<br />
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I played the last show with an old band and the first show with a new one. I took two GREs. I got engaged. I soaked in a Japanese mountain hot spring and walked on the great wall. I turned 30.<br />
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I saw Arcade Fire in Berkeley, and a Broadway production of <i>South Pacific</i>. I went to the symphony a couple of times. I bought Guess Who and Dvorak records. I ate a fried Oreo.<br />
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I drank some wine from 1910 and made eggnog from scratch. I watched <i>The Sound of Music</i> for the first time, and ran into Tom Waits at the Hotel Utah in SF. I had a surprise birthday party and was completely surprised.<br />
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What comes next?Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-5314822609969662202010-11-18T09:48:00.000-08:002010-12-13T15:44:15.832-08:00The Sweet Science (of Nintendo)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7LkysTIaqE6TBeR07tjFSfXPtkgIBbrQbOSJBbDZWthLdmkM6CypxjRTeQvnY-moAk1Tj7iwnBzR64Y_34W4RIoHhFy_NArp-t_Fh9z2gt5gl1XD5XpZkT6fGAQoet8sh_ceUvL3ICQ9/s1600/soda_popinski_bigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7LkysTIaqE6TBeR07tjFSfXPtkgIBbrQbOSJBbDZWthLdmkM6CypxjRTeQvnY-moAk1Tj7iwnBzR64Y_34W4RIoHhFy_NArp-t_Fh9z2gt5gl1XD5XpZkT6fGAQoet8sh_ceUvL3ICQ9/s1600/soda_popinski_bigger.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I've started sparring recently, and as you might imagine I'm sort of terrible at it. That's primarily because, although I've been learning how to properly punch and kick for the last two years, the actual dance of boxing is totally separate from drills and forms training. It's completely exhilarating though, and spikes up along this raw dimension I sincerely forgot I had.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>As I'm learning the basics of the sweet science...a retro-nerdy thought occurred to me: Punch Out was pretty right on.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Hear me out, because there are several aspects of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out that are brutally unrealistic to boxing, among them the idea that plumbers can be referees or that pink sweatsuits are acceptable workout attire. But dig all these ways that the boys at NES got it right: </div><div><br />
</div><div>1. It's all timing</div><div><br />
</div><div>Strength is sort of overrated. I've got a decent natural amount of it because of my size, for instance, but speed and finesse and timing are really the keys to the fortress. In Punch-Out, when you "stun" a guy with a hit, the gameplay subsequently emphasizes a rhythmic series of punches to maximize your attack strength. No rhythmic punching, less success</div><div><br />
</div><div>Also, in general, the game focuses less on wild punching right from the get go than does, say, Wii Boxing...and rather emphasizes watching, waiting, blocking and dodging in time.</div><div><br />
</div><div>2. And endurance</div><div><br />
</div><div>Little guys fight hard and sometimes even win, and it's mostly because of this. Strength can only take you so far, and in many situations will simply fail in the face of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan">persistence</a>/ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)">belief in a just cause</a>/ or just plain old <a href="http://www.seizurechicken.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/rockyy.jpg">heart</a>. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Underestimate your opponent only at your peril, dude. Little Mac is scrappy. And he wants it bad...hence he's able to train harder and hold up longer.</div><div><br />
</div><div>3. And speed</div><div><br />
</div><div>Pretty obvious, but the big swinger knockout star punch that Little Mac puts all of his weight behind won't accomplish anything if Sandman sees it coming. </div><div><br />
</div><div>4. And patience (fighters usually have tells)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Like everything else in life, your first approach to a new situation should be to lay low and keep your mouth shut and observe what's going on. Though the fighter tells are obviously exaggerated in Punch-Out, it still makes for a fairly accurate representation of how fighters follow patterns and have weak spots or give consistent openings.</div><div><br />
</div><div>5. Judging the distance from your target is probably the most important aspect of a punch</div><div><br />
</div><div>Epitomized by Little Mac's series of fights with Bald Bull, Punch-Out is subtly communicating perhaps the most vital "technical" skill of boxing...which is the weird dance of distance. Couldn't possibly overestimate the importance of being the correct distance from your target-it's everything. Constantly staying in the "goldilocks zone" of perfect distance from your opponent (out of his reach, and then quickly stepping into the sweet spot to strike) is basically what boxers are trying to do the entire time they're fighting.</div><div><br />
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</div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-64399785930104067852010-05-24T08:03:00.000-07:002010-05-24T12:42:43.694-07:00LOST is telling us to relax<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0haqZe7E8_fuAol-UA2gRNht1OqNOXGutL55PNwKlmZlGHh3Z_LecNbJZQDlh1kZIlW4jSmfnxkKmUd7U0fG8Voc39SCkE4jN6zNdzxv2JGyb2wTrlJcuw0uUMuKhVJbFX4hOyKHg087/s1600/miles.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vfBRZphXXSVA8f5XzaGgEaurWoSgLmTKKxOWVw9P7w2iJ70c5KQuo4neRzuBD9GfYQXBqA3jAafqvpmCLVPCiEv-Z195vbXcdBRHjx4pNWtv1qx2yh7uQkmkZvvlsIyTpbF1HHUJSsGs/s1600/jack.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vfBRZphXXSVA8f5XzaGgEaurWoSgLmTKKxOWVw9P7w2iJ70c5KQuo4neRzuBD9GfYQXBqA3jAafqvpmCLVPCiEv-Z195vbXcdBRHjx4pNWtv1qx2yh7uQkmkZvvlsIyTpbF1HHUJSsGs/s320/jack.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474894346255093058" /></a><br />LOST ended last night, and hundreds (if not thousands) of analyses will soon be written and posted. Before I go ahead and read any of those (notably: Noel Murray's from the <a href="http://www.theavclub.com/">A.V. Club</a>, who I've been following pretty consistently but haven't read in a couple weeks) I thought I'd make some comments of my own. Majors spoilers to follow.<div><br /></div><div>In quick summary, what happened last night was this: they killed Smokey after pulling out the earthquake plug, then Jack put it back in and left Hurley in charge before keeling over in the bamboo forest where the series began. Sawyer, Kate and "the rest" were last seen taking off in the Ajira plane to escape. But more importantly (at least, in the context of this post) they wrapped the alterna-timeline with Jack realizing he (and everyone else) is dead, and that they've basically constructed this reality in order to ease their passage onto the next stage of the afterlife game. In other words, alterna-LA was purgatory, but the island was real life.</div><div><br /></div><div>The crowd I was with last night gave it an immediate (and knowingly hasty, half-joking) thumbs down. I've always been of the opinion that LOST is the type of show you either decide to like or decide to be frustrated by, and after making up your mind about this what actually happens on the show is of small consequence. Having of course chosen the former, I've always been slightly confused as to why the latter continue to watch religiously each week. In any case, the common complaints about the show (it's slow, it's cheesy, no answers, or the plot's too ridiculous) have always puzzled me as well, since it seems to me these are actually the foundations the show has been built on and has managed (somewhat impressively) to stay consistent to throughout. Also I've never found it "slow"at all (except maybe season 3) but I think that's just a difference of opinion on what the word "slow" means in this case.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>He's aiming at Chris Tucker <b>and</b> Jackie Chan</i>!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0haqZe7E8_fuAol-UA2gRNht1OqNOXGutL55PNwKlmZlGHh3Z_LecNbJZQDlh1kZIlW4jSmfnxkKmUd7U0fG8Voc39SCkE4jN6zNdzxv2JGyb2wTrlJcuw0uUMuKhVJbFX4hOyKHg087/s320/miles.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474894409095811730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>On to the analysis: I've digested it a bit and as predicted I've been liking this ending more and more. On the one hand, they've managed to tie up their gambit with the alterna-timeline and package it as an epilogue of sorts, albeit a psychological one. Secondly, they've stayed consistent with the show's own format of outlining characters lives past, present and future. And finally, they've reinforced one of the major themes of the show which is "letting go of old shit so you can move on".</div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout the season I found the alterna-timeline interesting but also exhausting. Like past LOST story arcs and secret methods, I couldn't see where it was going and so it was easy to be frustrated with it. It didn't appear to be moving the plot forward at all or serving the show as a whole other than perhaps continuing to question the relative nature of time-space and fate versus free will, while also (now it's easier to see) not so subtly pushing the "let it go" philosophy. The end has Jack finally coming to terms with (basically) his own death, then embracing the most important people in his life one last time before letting go and moving on. It was a nice way for the audience to see the characters interact again (even post-death, I mean) and within a more subdued and calm reality (read: LA after a safe landing). It also helped a lot in rinsing our mouths of the potential evil-Locke aftertaste by showing the Locke we love triumphing (finally!).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>would anyone care for pie?</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-mzZfKYY3E8sniixO91OAavSYvpWTbj3fX_60ewJ7j8j-MtVpXtxmuA9fSIaDsqGfLcflfJFTJO4hWOhYPOlq5ay8Hog2tP2dLI7cUvw6qt5vkytwXHdztl61yLcbH9jAyJbetJPVeDu/s320/locke.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474894729463022146" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Certainly one way the show will be remembered is by its sometimes overly direct, occasionally delicate interaction with the blogosphere. It strikes me as the first show with writing and story arcs being directly affected by nerds analyzing and discussing the show. Clearly this was a curse and a blessing, but all in all I believe Darlton handled it quite well. I think a lot of people will be saying that the whole "purgatory" idea may have originally been planned as the conceit of the entire show (like, the island isn't a real place) but that because of speculation and direct questions to that effect early on in the series, the producers had to change their plan a bit and then come back to the purgatory concept in a roundabout way. I could definitely believe that, but let's leave it aside and just say the show got to where they eventually wanted to go. </div><div><br /></div><div>The show's always been about the details of the characters lives. At the outset, they accomplished this through a creative flashback structure. Later they used flashforwards, and now, as it's finally been revealed, we even get the characters' post-death stories. Think about that for one second. There's a completism there that is admirable, if nothing else. We got very full stories for our 6-10 major characters.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've got a soft spot for material that suggests death as another birth, so my immediate reaction was to like this approach. I'm a scientist and an atheist, but find these ways of thinking are completely compatible with the possibility of an afterlife. In fact I dislike the idea that belief in an afterlife is seen as synonymous with belief in god (why's the universe gotta be a dictatorship?), and notice how the non-denominational church in LOST is basically saying we all end up the same, regardless of our beliefs...but anyway this is a digression. The alterna-timeline showed us how the characters all eventually came to terms with what's really the most significant thing humans have to come to terms with: their own mortality. Perhaps it also showed the characters as their own ideal manifestations of themselves (Sawyer's on the right side of the law, Jack's well-adjusted, Hurley's lucky, and Locke has his shit together, sort of). It was pretty uplifting, really, not only because of the suggestion that we can meet up with lost loved ones (so they're not "lost", are they?) but also because it helped put in sharp perspective all the "real life" events of the show, which brings me to my final point: LOST is telling us to relax.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the island being a real place and the events and struggles therein being very real, the purgatory storyline about letting go makes it seem a bit allegorical to the unnecessary stress and out perceived importance of everyday life. This is accomplished two ways, I think: first, the obvious juxtaposition of a relatively calm and simple purgatory/afterlife with the breakneck pace and life or death/save the world shitstorm of (on and off) island life, and second by leaving so much to the imagination in the real timelines' conclusion. Ambiguity was a great move here. We can just assume that Kate and Sawyer made it home to their (sorta) kids and Desmond somehow made it to Penny and Hurley stayed on as protector with Ben as his number 2 (also alluded to in a line from Hurley to Ben outside the church), but also, I don't really care so much. We all end up dead sometime, and the wheres and whens seem a lot less important in retrospect, right? (The other purpose of this was to highlight that the show is really about Jack and that he's the one who get's the most complete arc, and the last shot of the show gave it nice wrap around as well, etc...).</div><div><br /></div><div>More importantly, everything on the island was put through a prism of black and white, all or none, won or "lost". Every event was seen as having (potentially) grave consequences toward the fate of the universe and each individual's specific importance (and special status) was reinforced again and again. I keep thinking that one of the major issues in the world is so many people seeing life this way (in other words, in terms of the extreme). In truth, nothing is black and white, and realizing this has a remarkable ability to calm people down. Our lives and actions aren't the going to make or break the entire world (see: fate vs free will and the Faraday debate of "details"). We, as individuals, aren't terribly important (see: the shifting candidate list). So in the end LOST is trying to put a fine point on how even through some serious struggles the black and white conception of the world is a fantasy. It's something we dreamed up so that games like backgammon make sense, but you simply can't apply it across the board (ha ha). So seriously, everybody: relax.</div><div><br /></div><div>post script: I could say more but this seems like plenty</div><div>post post script: I also just got back from Japan yesterday, so I'll write about that soon.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Check the Fahey!</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFR0ZpytySuxAeBoSv3JyJAXBHBb0rzgLQ7QBWJqzRrgUhVw8R5ZfoTpLxcAiBB-AapCbF8v8XuqF8ZOQ1rUj8dy_g-Q_Q-QRYCQPCDehVYY69iZIAoz9qTxEl4TJjqWkfWL8YN9j0kRt/s320/fahey.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474894265942678642" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 318px; " /></span></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-11351526652653998752010-04-25T13:17:00.000-07:002010-04-26T13:17:22.065-07:00Record Review Time Machine! Thin Lizzy - JailBreak<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsF0deDO5eJudehTKDo4jKzpwqh13XvFK9NTyKBiWaC5noPpXbVwiB1tlQFqArSr9lJlLjE1pVJeEwu3dNvPxNwgIZzDqcIkr2_PH-wNnCkAHHzTYhUclexmPQFo6Xcuc1QWe7L0Fc-nH/s1600/phil-lynott.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 372px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsF0deDO5eJudehTKDo4jKzpwqh13XvFK9NTyKBiWaC5noPpXbVwiB1tlQFqArSr9lJlLjE1pVJeEwu3dNvPxNwgIZzDqcIkr2_PH-wNnCkAHHzTYhUclexmPQFo6Xcuc1QWe7L0Fc-nH/s400/phil-lynott.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462355212279909714" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkZskc5KUI9JGW0Vs9rU4IVC7UaTKS0XZKXvH9V9Stx6BxzFdErro9sbJdP94M1u3bKRJgHpEgOBPtfI8emMEbIhL95HPXMP3UhCIa_rw2jFuPsxYEhmyVBlUucFNK8tICMljvfKwGmJh/s1600/jailbreak.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFBshDXdsGXtbjzychdqk-c7tFq40JjppSYRKCyagcVkxMMdrmdmvdlwry6-0Dg1wvlbwJh5ZzvAL3FhDJnY0EkdCsjtuC3tRE8-XzeSCyQ-kL1FMehRqqrGwMGXuwFb982ELhYDWiH21/s1600/kiefer.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><i>It's been established: I love old records. I know track numbers, album chronologies, and who played what solo where and the circumstances under which they played it. I will now focus that love into writing recommendations and reviews about albums that came out when "pitchfork" was still primarily known as a tool of satan and when, in most cases, I was yet to begin taking poops and breathing air. Yes, I'm one off those dudes who still goes to the record store and, wait for it, makes physical purchases.</i></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Thin Lizzy is still fairly new to my worldsphere. Apart from knowing the basic beats of their massive radio hit 'The Boys Are Back in Town," they were near completely unknown to me before about a year ago. This didn't prevent me from stubbornly holding an opinion about them based almost solely on their band name which I now find quite incongruent with their actual sound...but perhaps it's just a trick of my own memory acting up here. Justin slammed me with some Liz a way's back and shortly after I purchased both a CD and vinyl copy of "Jailbreak" which it turns out is typhoid sick with the heavy rock stylings of 70s Dublin.<br />Thin Lizzy stuck out, soundwise, immediately. They've got Phil Lynott in the front, swaggering through the tracks and doling out the lines like they were some thick glugs of Canadian maple syrup. Then there's that other sure fire way to hook me in...the sweet twang of harmonized electric guitar, which Thin Lizzy has in spades.<br /><br />The first track (also the title track) on this record really nailed me to the nuel post, and I was in love thenceforth. They come out of the box on 70s rock fire. I liked it immediately.<br /><br />"Jailbreak"<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/01_Jailbreak.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br />You could overlook the fact that it's a concept album about a futuristic criminal element (the band members) running amok in the buzzing techtropolis, except for that cover art. Oh, and the liner notes with paragraph after paragraph of backstory.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkZskc5KUI9JGW0Vs9rU4IVC7UaTKS0XZKXvH9V9Stx6BxzFdErro9sbJdP94M1u3bKRJgHpEgOBPtfI8emMEbIhL95HPXMP3UhCIa_rw2jFuPsxYEhmyVBlUucFNK8tICMljvfKwGmJh/s400/jailbreak.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462354848082134578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not much for the theme angle, which is loose at best. That said, the record doesn't really have any clunkers. I mean there are singles which stand out but nothing I feel the need to skip. Plus it's concise enough that I've listened to it all the way through a whole mess of times. Another highlight is "Cowboy Song" which starts quiet and gets loud like a rock song should.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />"Cowboy Song"<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer2" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=2&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/08_Cowboy_Song.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br /><br /></div><div>"The Boys are Back in Town" is also on this record, situated as the Side 2 opener, and though I've always liked the tune anyway, I feel like it sounds much better in album context, after the Thin Lizzy sound and style have been established. Give it another listen as it follows "Warriors", which could easily be a <a href="http://www.myspace.com/pegataur">Pegataur</a> groove plus lyrics. This one is really solid and recommended for just about anybody with a heartbeat (see my official rating below)</div><div><br /></div><div>In summary, Thin Lizzy fill that crucial gap between Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix that you didn't even know you needed filled (like a micro-cavity!). But you did, kid. You most certainly did.<br /><br /></div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I quite like all the records I'm going to talk about here, so instead of rating these on a standard linear system, I'll instead be likening them to the career trajectories of actors who appeared in the 1986 film '</i><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Stand By Me,</i></span><i>' all of whom are pretty awesome in their own regard.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFBshDXdsGXtbjzychdqk-c7tFq40JjppSYRKCyagcVkxMMdrmdmvdlwry6-0Dg1wvlbwJh5ZzvAL3FhDJnY0EkdCsjtuC3tRE8-XzeSCyQ-kL1FMehRqqrGwMGXuwFb982ELhYDWiH21/s320/kiefer.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462354571862493202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px; " /></span></div><div>By that scale, I gotta rate this record a solid "Kiefer Sutherland". It was badass from the get go, and it remains ever-badass. Whether Kiefer is playing a spiky haired young ruffian like Ace or doing the old Jack Bauer, the man takes no slack. No slack! The sound and feel of Phil Lynott and the Liz say it's my way or the stinking gutters of Galway, brother. A heavy right out of the box who keeps swinging despite the inevitable not-quite-hits and/or DUI arrests.</div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-86477744663996264832010-04-20T15:54:00.000-07:002010-04-21T16:10:55.383-07:00The Hottest Chip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNzoVCkxaJhURXiZLOSGkI_X2Z9kmUpxOCEJxrq8hG04eKXjK9by3kaDyjdb73aNAFstFyAsDT2zCIYSVm1MPYop3uV8rMLM0q-MR8zV-MKy_EfzrgqSgTyCnXOgzH1yl417-w8SlQThP/s1600/hot-chip.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNzoVCkxaJhURXiZLOSGkI_X2Z9kmUpxOCEJxrq8hG04eKXjK9by3kaDyjdb73aNAFstFyAsDT2zCIYSVm1MPYop3uV8rMLM0q-MR8zV-MKy_EfzrgqSgTyCnXOgzH1yl417-w8SlQThP/s320/hot-chip.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462361491187018898" /></a><br />John complained that I should write more, and since I always listen to John, here's some thoughts on the <a href="http://hotchip.co.uk/">Hot Chip</a> show I went to last Friday.<div><br /></div><div>As I was dancing along to Hot Chip at the Fox Theater in Oakland last Friday night, having myself a grand old time, I found myself thinking a somewhat startling thought: "If I could be in any band working right now, it'd be this one". Now, I'm not really given to hyperbole over bands (particularly modern ones) and although in the sober light of day I've been rethinking this impulsive opinion a bit, I still find it interesting that this happened to occur to me. Allow me to examine it a little.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite <a href="http://www.facebook.com/whatthehellbbq?ref=ts">Justin Martin's</a> ridiculous opinion that music and dancing are somehow mutually exclusive, non-related entities, I continue to believe that dancing (in its many forms which I will delve into shortly) is both one of the finest ways to compliment as well as to appreciate music. That said, I'm no conneissour of dance music and don't really even like it that much. My complaints tend to be in the drum machines, which by their nature would appear to remove the human element (the part I like!) from music and rhythm. But there are exceptions of course and Hot Chip is one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>First off, Hot Chip plays with a full band (including real drummer, even though they use lots of drum samples on their recordings). They are a sort of dance song band who are both making fun of other dance song producers but also being deadly serious about producing linoleum thumpers with enough kick to throttle a giraffe. Totally danceable, but also kinda goofy. (check). However, with a real drummer and full band setup (albeit with three keyboards) they can really <b>rock it hard</b> (check). Above all, the guys on stage and on the records look and sound like they're having fun. This is an element I feel I'm always looking for. Having fun (check). All this (to me, anyway) totals an awesome band. Way to go, lads.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote about <a href="http://thechoprocks.blogspot.com/2008/09/three-keyboard-minimum-is-strictly.html">how I was introduced</a> to them at the 2008 Treasure Island Music festival, and how they sort of did the unthinkable which was rock a mid-afternoon festival crowd and get me to like songs I didn't know beforehand, in a genre I don't tend to be into. After that, I snatched up their records and got pretty into it, waiting patiently for them to come back to the Bay Area (it took a solid year and a half). Realistically, there existed a moment at the very apex of my interest in Hot Chip's records, somewhere around December of 2008, when I could have had even more fun at this show...but with touring bands, having them show up in your far away town right at this moment is rare for sure. That said, the show was awesome. They played all the songs I wanted to hear from new and past records and the crowd (although packed like sardines) was pretty into it and there were plenty dancing along like myself.</div><div><br /></div><div>In recorded form, Hot Chip is a perfect example of music best enjoyed on headphones, not just for the standard nuance and better bass response reasons that make pretty much all music better on headphones (read: not earbuds), but because it makes you want to walk along in step with the songs and walking with your headphones on and a nice beat backing you is most assuredly a form of dancing (I told you I'd get to it!). (Think on it. Apart from working out to music (specifically running, wherein you can lock in to certain song rhythms and get that "70s carwash-size endorphin sponge is being squeezed over my head" feeling*), it's one of the best methods of music ingestion. It's also the easiest, most socially acceptable form of dancing, and you should probably go try it. Right now).</div><div><br /></div><div>So yeah, it's fully confirmed. Hot Chip rounds out the full package by being a high energy, fun-loving, hard-rocking live band. Maybe my impulse was correct. High energy plus headphones plus dancing plus rock plus lots of harmonies plus melody plus fun plus <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhASu2OjEcQ">Batman references</a>. (by the way, Astralwerks (and others) won't let you embed videos anymore, because I guess this is one way musicians are continuing to earn <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5453042/open-letter-from-ok-go-regarding-non+embeddable-youtube-videos">labels money</a>? It's complicated but (I think) generally supportive to the arts to click that and watch the video(s) on youtube.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Also <a href="http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/musicvideo/4152-hot-chip-i-feel-better-astralwerks">Pitchfork</a> has their brand new video for "I Feel Better"...which is pretty bizarre (and cool), and features a Mr. Burns-as-drugged-up-glowing-alien-like figure.</div><div><br /></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-32903941203479668432010-01-28T10:40:00.000-08:002010-01-29T14:06:50.987-08:00Kung-Fu Cinema: Flag-waving<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_Ugv80Q2OseyRVC4aie2f1OvD90OsCXhyVdSA1QJZIB_xgnrlplhmlwbwybRi7xa0__DoORKQRb0AWyAkDKHJaOovgPFto9__3yRPiXeo-SrF4VYx_8nCyuBNFJZrUZdN8Fl_iVRAiuA/s1600-h/kwok.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_Ugv80Q2OseyRVC4aie2f1OvD90OsCXhyVdSA1QJZIB_xgnrlplhmlwbwybRi7xa0__DoORKQRb0AWyAkDKHJaOovgPFto9__3yRPiXeo-SrF4VYx_8nCyuBNFJZrUZdN8Fl_iVRAiuA/s320/kwok.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432275267812883874" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Phil!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">A little while back I decided that I wanted to get into kung-fu movies. Straightforward enough...yet deceptively complicated, because damn there are a lot of them, released under numerous aliases and with various crappy original language and dub audio tracks. I started <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/kungfu-movies,28785/">here</a>, an article I found very helpful as a primer...the legend continues, as they say. Keep in mind that I'm speaking about these films from a perspective of almost no prior knowledge and experience. So far I'm just working with what Netflix has available...</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I watched Flag of Iron last night, another Shaw Brothers' film about a couple warring clans of fighters with different styles. My quest and interest in kung fu films is slowing down but on the plus side, watching them is making my Mandarin's improve; only, apparently it's golden oldie Mandarin, since most of the movies take place like 500 years ago and they use expressions that no one uses anymore. Also sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on the occasionally hilarious english dub tracks (I did half and half for this one)...but the language absorbtion thing seems more important than finding out where Wu-Tang samples originate.<br /><br />This jam starred Philip Kwok. Most of these martial arts actors have already shown up in multiple films, and I recognized this this dude as Lizard in the Five Deadly Venoms. He plays a good guy again, name of Iron Panther (nice!). He's part of the Iron Flag clan, who fight with long flagpoles and get into a dispute with the Eagle clan (bunch of pusses). The story works so that he becomes a fall guy for his clan over some legal nonsense and goes into exile, only to eventually come back and topple a mini-conspiracy a year later.<br /><br />Along the way he kills 9 deadly assassins who were sent to kill him who all have different fun names / styles. One's called the butcher because that's his job when he's not assassin-ing. Another goes by Iron Axe, etc..<br /><br />The coolest part of the movie, and really the part that sort of redeemed it, was the final fight scene, where one dude throws a flagpole and impales another guy, whereupon the flag unfurls from the pole drenched in blood. This happens about 2 minutes into the clip.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mUCld8eU69o&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mUCld8eU69o&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />One thing that cracks me up about kung-fu movies (like this) is the complete lack of resolution after the climax. The film ends literally 3 seconds after this scene (above). Typical end of kung fu film: they fight it out and then one guys dies and then there's a brief shot of the winner, and then the "the end" pops up. No tree topper on this party boat. They get it done and they roll the credits.</div><div><br /></div><div>Analysis:</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the choreography in this movie was cool, and it's always fun to watch them fight with new weapons (in this case, a flag), but the plot and the fight sequences were pretty standard issue. The movie was bloodier than a bunch of the others I had watched, but the main thing that stood out about the film was the emergence of a new (to me) character archetype in "The White Rambler." </div><div><br /></div><div>This guy, pictured in the clip above in white, is an assassin for hire who's just "in it for the money" and doesn't get too involved with the politics of the situation. He's laid back and slick with the babes. He's kung fu Dolemite. Han Solo with a headband and a spear that's spring-loaded and shoots the tip off (and afterward a handful of nails). His dub-voice actor is even doing half a John Wayne impression which sort of clinched it when I flipped over to the English soundtrack halfway through. Carbonite thick.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other than that, I was sort of bored.</div><div><br /></div><div>Iceberg Rating: 5 out of 12 parsecs for the Kessel Run</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-56268853582342881162009-11-13T09:01:00.000-08:002009-11-13T09:42:13.080-08:00Record Review Time Machine! Elvis Costello - This Year's Model<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3514EPPVZw808bF_BidVcoxFMyNtJIZKhwFAQ4KjUruipfo2-mLctT0O8CNWkHaqRfdJHy-FlTMCd2b8jrihr1-k2_oES5kEZ4IR7w2J6Q1hEVh8GYUweZ1g__F7dFNEiM0InKn-6S7O/s1600-h/this-years-model.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrF0yVHC39K86D2H6DJivpd-NwPiHCi_T_OLqZLvWC3AiO-l2C94jXsFf2GHG3DMl1HpRbzpAx-Fi0dLLoWlYRnWFgtimehi6KpFRLzLGI32E_wE0YuZYL2Gi6jlGWoL3fZj8AXpZiO0y/s1600-h/Elvis+Costello.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrF0yVHC39K86D2H6DJivpd-NwPiHCi_T_OLqZLvWC3AiO-l2C94jXsFf2GHG3DMl1HpRbzpAx-Fi0dLLoWlYRnWFgtimehi6KpFRLzLGI32E_wE0YuZYL2Gi6jlGWoL3fZj8AXpZiO0y/s320/Elvis+Costello.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403641498340575970" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">It's been established: I love old records. I know track numbers, album chronologies, and who played what solo where and the circumstances under which they played it. I will now focus that love into writing recommendations and reviews about albums that came out when "pitchfork" was still primarily known as a tool of satan and when, in most cases, I was yet to begin taking poops and breathing air. Yes, I'm one off those dudes who still goes to the record store and, wait for it, makes physical purchases.</span></div><div><br /></div>Elvis is forever underrated. I don't care how high you rate him, still the underrating persists. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> This Year's Model</span> is his second record, and is an absolute must hear on headphones for anyone who likes songwriting, rock and roll, or insanely awesome rhythm sections that don't make you feel like you're listening to jazz fusion. The bass and drums here are nothing short of tremendous.<div><br /></div><div>Check out the opening track. It's a tight little pop song, but the drummer is just going bonkers. Listen to it LOUD.</div><div><br /></div><div>"No Action"</div><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/01_No_Action.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br /></div><div>I'd swear Pete Thomas never settles into a discernible beat, yet somehow this song stays together. Tight like Prefontaine's laces.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the album roasts a calf and a half. The first thing that I noticed when I listened to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">This Year's Model</span> was the songwriting. The living Elvis is angry and nervous and clever in this heavenly balance that makes the lyrics and melodies really sting. You have felt these feelings before, you've just never been able to articulate them like Mr. Costello does here on the tape. Solid work, Declan. He's all wrapped up in paranoia and excitement...even the hit songs that I've heard a thousand times still smoke my earholes. "Pump It Up" is young man sexual frustration under guise of stadium applause to beat the band. "Radio Radio" is a sweet pop gem of a rallying call about the state of broadcasting, modern censorship, and the ever-shortening attention span of the world. "Living in Paradise" predates "Every Breath You Take" by a solid 6 years for creepy stalker-y pre-post punk. As this album cover suggests...Costello is definitely watching you</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3514EPPVZw808bF_BidVcoxFMyNtJIZKhwFAQ4KjUruipfo2-mLctT0O8CNWkHaqRfdJHy-FlTMCd2b8jrihr1-k2_oES5kEZ4IR7w2J6Q1hEVh8GYUweZ1g__F7dFNEiM0InKn-6S7O/s320/this-years-model.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403641999221062962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 279px; " /></span></div><div>Among many other feats of rhythm on <i>This Year's Model</i>, I think a favorite is the drum fill that opens "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea".<br /><br />"(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea"<br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer2" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=2&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/08_I_Dont_Want_To_Go_To_Chelsea.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br />The song that follows is dark and angular and really shows the Attractions firing on all cylniders. The bass/organ/guitar parts on this one are all scene-stealingly classic.</div><div><br /></div><div>I quite like all the records I'm going to talk about here, so instead of rating these on a standard linear system, I'll instead be likening them to the career trajectories of actors who appeared in the 1986 film <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Stand By Me</span>. By that scale, I rate This Year's Model a solid River Phoenix. Eternally cool even when playing a dork (or a male hustler, or a teenage archaeological enthusiast) and even though the drums pound hardest earlier, there are spots of brilliance throughout the tracklist. Finally, after a brief foray some seriously nonsensical shit (see: Lipstick Vogue lyrics / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095736/">A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon</a>) the record achieves full redemption in the end by "biting the hand that feeds" it on "Radio Radio" in near direct parallel to River's last major role in the perennially awesome "Sneakers".<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiMNAmYVzT5Pwyx1EgQ6po0nlJI2ToUuvvza10UWp3WGshTUUx9qNRVrVB52TOn2kkjAIbVndrdGiJnOV-5CwQQ9tzuqw69D8-Oouys2Q8hjhqRxA3QFI0f4eZC2oNkKsLP5caKgUnnFa/s320/river+phoenix.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403641140328659906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 320px; " /></span></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-51842587414753527642009-10-02T12:02:00.000-07:002009-10-05T15:50:49.133-07:00Kung-Fu Cinema: Legend Status?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1iFFNnOzcSIinwv40J7j-nGuizo9aCGNXqlIsFn-NkYXvZ7Q4T8eMtSs-hK2MN-hk-IZSJ0fZY3E6Q-cj6QF4KPJv0lcitKaDuAjeWLZ7Dt7gJBhQJM6TsyFPf5G7YHdXK4lRs6f86Ra/s1600-h/kungFuHustle1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1iFFNnOzcSIinwv40J7j-nGuizo9aCGNXqlIsFn-NkYXvZ7Q4T8eMtSs-hK2MN-hk-IZSJ0fZY3E6Q-cj6QF4KPJv0lcitKaDuAjeWLZ7Dt7gJBhQJM6TsyFPf5G7YHdXK4lRs6f86Ra/s400/kungFuHustle1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388121252949373410" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyuVS3LV5DxUqhfcqoBENjvMn6mSCf_eNiw1gVQonTQ0TweRNNuibqt1r2fdTgKOaI9i9DKYjH1W5sIb0biupFhuLfaZMPZND4clRpKni3XrH2NKX60x3H35Z6GUIPXJm4E3D83_vb_W9/s1600-h/Tat_Mau_Wong2.jpg"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">A little while back I decided that I wanted to get into kung-fu movies. Straightforward enough...yet deceptively complicated, because damn there are a lot of them, released under numerous aliases and with various crappy original language and dub audio tracks. I started <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/kungfu-movies,28785/">here</a>, an article I found very helpful as a primer...the legend continues, as they say. Keep in mind that I'm speaking about these films from a perspective of almost no prior knowledge and experience. So far I'm just working with what Netflix has available...</span><br /><div><br /></div><div>OK so I have to admit I'm slowing down. I sense my excitement over the genre growing a little thin. Maybe I'll be rejuvenated when I eventually watch <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Shaolin vs. Vampire</span> (one of a series of kung-fu-fighter-versus-classic-movie-monster films!).<br /></div><div><div><div><br />I watched Kung Fu Hustle. It's a modern kung fu flick, popular enough that I had heard of it already, and it was pretty awesome. </div><div><br /></div><div>Premise = standard issue. Backwater Chinese village contains some serious kung fu masters that only show their true skill after the bitter melon hits the wok when a bunch of gangsters start harassing them something fierce. </div><div><br /></div><div>Execution = masterful. The flick is something like a cross between the Matrix and classic Looney Tunes, which is gotta be something one rarely says about a film. Stephen Chow (actor, writer, director) plays a wannabe kung fu gangster who gets all tangled up in the townspeople and the oppression being inflicted thereupon...</div><div><br /><div><div>A lot of kung fu movies (I'm now finding) have a strong element of magic to them...the implication being that really killer kung fu allows for impossible physical manipulations and wire tricks during the heat of combat. This movie is all about crazy CG-effect wackness and inconceivable-to-the-point-of-hilarious fight techniques. I reckon Stephen Chow was trying to poke fun, pay tribute, and to modernize the stuff he dug as a kid (sorta like the QT <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Grindhouse</span> thing, or <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Kill Bill</span> for that matter). Here's a cool example scene where some badass assassins are sent to lay daisies over some other (some might argue equally badass) dudes...</div><div><br /></div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wVjf5CccAwY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wVjf5CccAwY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><div><br /></div><div>Kung Fu Hustle is a really fun movie. It pays homage to the older stuff but also has a lot of fun with modern special effects during the (numerous) fight sequences. I was consistently reminded of Super Smash Bros. in an extremely fond and pleasant way. Very watchable. Rent this now.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Iceberg rating = 1950/1951 Rabbit Seasons</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44NEhh0oDfcYfBFlSeRALFmbNr18F2EU5KIV52yrJ1lCqjlA47B7ATwQvpLOb-vU0slg4f8NxdI-HAnHV65pL2p3NJ4OelDt4_vvUxjsFpIK9L8KqHV19_BQEnVr8xFFPgjShJ9kef1DT/s320/250px-Rabbit-fire-1951-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388114398263881394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 188px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Next up, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Legendary Weapons of China. </span>This one's about a sinister emperor who's looking for sammies with kung fu so clutch they can stop bullets to the chest. However in this film the magic isn't really working out so well and basically a bunch of good fighters are just being executed on some maniacal imperial whim. Then one of the trainers decides it's all for nought and disowns the practice of shooting painstakingly well-trained guys point blank in the chest and watching them die, so some assassins get sent out to look for him and kill him for his treasonous conscience. The fight sequences center around the various uses of the <a href="http://www.arachina.com/culture/bujyutu/bingqi.htm">18 "legendary" weapons of china. </a></div><div><br /></div><div>I was excited about this film cause I knew that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-section_staff">3-section staff</a> would get a workout.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyuVS3LV5DxUqhfcqoBENjvMn6mSCf_eNiw1gVQonTQ0TweRNNuibqt1r2fdTgKOaI9i9DKYjH1W5sIb0biupFhuLfaZMPZND4clRpKni3XrH2NKX60x3H35Z6GUIPXJm4E3D83_vb_W9/s320/Tat_Mau_Wong2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388120783592509666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I know this guy! </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div>Again the plot centers around people not being sure which person is a kung fu master and which ones are just schlubs going about their thursday. Gordon Liu is in this (from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">36 Chambers</span>) and that made me happy, but he's more of a minor player here. It was fun, but sort of long and needlessly complicated. Maybe it's because I watched it on Saturday morning though when my brain was half in the bag. Anyway...the coolness is definitely in the fact that they make use of all the weapons on the list, particularly in the final fight scene. There's also some interesting choreography where one fighter is being controlled via voodoo doll from the sidelines.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Iceberg Rating = 1.7 out of 3 sections on that staff<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40mMRcIodZk2iTIijNvSP6G2nKzjtY-tSPtWubBFT8rFHu2l_gEoaCUW8433ToEjfGDKyn1Ki-sa76KB5jXVBJAf39997871ivjVgUfOY_wqfvCieCx5Px6oylA1LxDdXXcgb4Txh4xoK/s320/LegendaryWeaponsofKungFu.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388120893616761138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 222px; " /></span></div><div>Next Up: ?????</div></div></div></div></div></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-66055100586446896462009-09-24T10:04:00.000-07:002009-10-05T15:50:03.843-07:00RodGab show review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzATwp7NenXkjeGtLFZp7WLrCfMaeIOwSLSKeOgrcX4hx6_qSNLUUTfZHf9-3SYAKn2aZ7pguq9Dhx_RP4nL2K6PrihnLbAY3NFaNHzHX0Dat2aRtug4sJuHBiKZCLN5eEEPlxRVN5p2yq/s1600-h/gabriela.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzATwp7NenXkjeGtLFZp7WLrCfMaeIOwSLSKeOgrcX4hx6_qSNLUUTfZHf9-3SYAKn2aZ7pguq9Dhx_RP4nL2K6PrihnLbAY3NFaNHzHX0Dat2aRtug4sJuHBiKZCLN5eEEPlxRVN5p2yq/s320/gabriela.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385126687624212018" /></a><br />I was at the <a href="http://thefoxoakland.com/">Fox Theater</a> in Oakland to see Rodrigo y Gabriela last night. If you haven't been to the (newly renovated) Fox Theater you should buy tickets post haste. It's wicked majestic like vanilla pudding should be and they get all the really great acts coming through. Seriously, step up and embrace Oakland.<br /><br />The show was iocaine deadly. They rocked harder than most rock bands I've ever seen. These two can really shred, particularly Gabriela, who uses her right hand like an armada of conga players let loose on a Santana live DVD circa 1968. The music is very rock and roll...which is sort of amazing considering the only instruments are two acoustic guitars. The crowd was all souped up like a Def Leppard show. All Rodrigo had to do was lift his hands and he got a huge roar in return. One clap in rhythm and he had 75% of the crowd clapping in rhythm. I felt like we were in Estadio Azteca a couple times (this is hyperbolic but you get the drift). RodGab had us hynoptized. I have to admit a thought that kept running through my brain was "I can't believe this music is <span style="font-weight:bold;">this</span> popular." The show was sold out and all these people are here to listen to instrumental guitar music? Anyway, it was just one of those mild double-takes when moderately dorky but very cool things you like are accepted en masse...don't mistake me though: these guys definitely warrant lots of public attention.<br /><br />Here's a highlight from their first (self-titled) album:<div><br /></div><div>"Diablo Rojo"<br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/02_Diablo_Rojo.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br />These are the fastest guitar players I've ever seen live...definitely reminiscent of that classic John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, Paco de Lucia record "Friday Night in San Francisco." I notice RodGab gives them all individual "shout out" tracks on their new record 11:11, which is supposed to be a tribute to eleven musicians that have inspired them. Seeing as how you're about 29 years late on that John/Al/Paco tour...this is about as close as you can expect to come to that style of guitar wizardry.<br /><br />Rodrigo is the showman. Dude is jumping around, controlling the crowd, and playing lead primarily. He is crazy fast. At one point he used a beer he was drinking as a slide for some really sweet out-over-the-soundhole melodic stuff. Gabriela is mainly rhythm, but don't get thrown off track as she's likely the more insanely talented one (of two insanely talented people). She uses all five fingers and knuckles and her palm to simultaneously strum the hell out of the guitar while also keeping crazy polyrhythms all over the body. They have it mic'd up so that a flat hand slap sounds like a big bass drum, and she fills out an entire rhythm section on her own with absolutely no problem...the type of stuff usually accomplished by 3 people. Their intense strumming patterns combined with their multiple percussive guitar hits and near supernatural command of dead strings make it sound (as I said) way more rock and roll than most "indie rock" bands I've seen in recent years.<br /><br />Check this little video of them teaching you some of their (right hand) moves...still this does not do the rock justice:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8KX1dmhLiMo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8KX1dmhLiMo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br />Although I thought the show ran a little long...I'll forgive them that since the crowd was seriously eating it up. Long Dick Dale dead string slides up the board, a little "Master of Puppets" on command, and a one and half second "More Than Words" tease...the show was a flying guillotine to the headstock on a Wednesday morning at the cupcake factory.<br /><br /><br /></div></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-42967935990376388492009-09-17T13:29:00.001-07:002011-01-25T12:52:58.554-08:00Beatles Top 25 - Fun Activity<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgpKnDaK2mmlqKxg2oKfiUGW9MCpFTS0OrZ78vFI0HmtcEqUyzSZzjiFkNR_YXLtgG5QyIT26owsm3lNnejmHVRbiTIWXGOjLSmMpgmVrHMoSkgxgeMKwSBZwc9ByrcHBUv6jXN7-0Glr/s1600-h/beatles+landscape.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382561820427376338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgpKnDaK2mmlqKxg2oKfiUGW9MCpFTS0OrZ78vFI0HmtcEqUyzSZzjiFkNR_YXLtgG5QyIT26owsm3lNnejmHVRbiTIWXGOjLSmMpgmVrHMoSkgxgeMKwSBZwc9ByrcHBUv6jXN7-0Glr/s400/beatles+landscape.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 264px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Dear Babe-braham Lincoln,<br />
<div><br />
<div>There's been much buzz this week and last about The Beatles. The main approach (from a snide internet commentator's standpoint) has been to pretend you've never heard of them or take the tack that yeah, they're played out but are still secretly good. Eff that. The Beatles are full-on, front page, 2009, PLO-style, beyond thunderdome awesome with no disputes entertained ever. Go back to Russia. (wait, wait...there's even something for you!)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now dig this. I don't do modern videogames (not a dis...I just don't happen to be up on current era video games...but please know that I hold the opinion that they are smash-cut-to-us-throwing-hundred-dollar-bills-in-the-air-and-not-even-caring-where-they-land awesome and that I really wish my friends with Xbox's and the like would invite me over for an epic sesh now and again and preferably serve those little hot dogs rapped in air-compressed Pillsbury dough or barring that some Totino's pizza rolls). Long story made even longer by my own prolixity and use of superfluous parenthetical asides, I haven't played Beatles Rock Band and I probably won't (I totally would though).</div><div><br />
</div><div>Secondly, although I am one to occasionally buy an actual physical CD from a non-virtual storefront...my sound quality nerdiness has not reached a level where I care much about repackaged/remastered material. Hence, I will not be hearing this box set.</div><div><br />
</div><div>However in order to stay in The rebooted Beat-maniacal theme of the now, I want to introduce you to a fun Beatles-based activity that my friends and I developed. (I think the idea came originally from Tom...but I can't be sure.)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Introducing my fun activity for music nerds and Beatles fans:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> The Beatles Top 25 Mix CD. </span></div><div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnY4qdfY2U_jBYQCo84ggtPT5LEvZpfoh75ZaBvy3j_PrnlpfSqNiDn2Nu7YySOgnUA995Y01L8M4AYqiJQgbBj8INF1e1QrMTezOtbBVviZgF9c2_iCIF_P7etpIJQCGn6tpYIKPNJUq/s1600-h/beatles__butcher_cover.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382567827952610738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnY4qdfY2U_jBYQCo84ggtPT5LEvZpfoh75ZaBvy3j_PrnlpfSqNiDn2Nu7YySOgnUA995Y01L8M4AYqiJQgbBj8INF1e1QrMTezOtbBVviZgF9c2_iCIF_P7etpIJQCGn6tpYIKPNJUq/s320/beatles__butcher_cover.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 318px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Take a look at your entire Beatles collection, and actually rank your top twenty five songs, in order, on a CD. The Beatles didn't record a lot of lengthy songs so 25 will fit, almost definitely. The Beatles are sort of an interesting case for a band for this reason: most "fans" of the band are familiar with pretty much every song they recorded. Get at least one friend to do the same.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Once you've (painstakingly) trimmed the fat and made an "official" list of your favorites <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">in order</span> (no cop outs or ties, and yes I realize it's extremely difficult..just shut up and decide) then order the CD starting with your number 25 pick 1st. In this way, the mix CD functions like a countdown with track 25 being your desert island, canyon of the crescent moon pick for your personal favorite Beatles song ever! Ever! </div><div><br />
</div><div>Choose wisely. The best part is listening to the mixes your friends made, since you're not privy to their tracklist and will be on the edge of your earbuds waiting for the countdown.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Part of the fun is actually forcing yourself to decide which songs you like best. I sometimes hate how no one picks favorites anymore (myself included). I made one maybe 5 years ago (when we originally enacted the idea) and I am working on a follow-up now. While I don't have an exact list of my original countdown tracks, I can remember a lot of it and this time around my tastes have shifted a good bit. I'd say as much as 35% different songs right now from the old to the new mix (I won't be publishing my tracklist since I feel that completely defeats the purpose of the activity, which involves listening to an unknown Beatles-countdown on CD made by one of your friends). I haven't worked out my number one just yet...and I'm wondering if I'll stick with my original pick or change it up. Thrilling, yes?</div><div><br />
</div><div>So in summary, here's the deal: You should make one of these, then we can exchange. Email me or call me or whatever and let me know you're into it. I would be happy to exchange these with as many people as possible, and I even can instruct you on an easy way to make a CD envelope for your mix CD that you can just drop in the mail (to me) with just one stamp on it. It really doesn't get any easier than that, does it?</div><div><br />
</div><div>Final thought: I've been noticing a resurgence in love for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Magical Mystery Tour</span> and a corresponding (very minor) downgrade of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Sgt. Pepper </span>in the overall catalog. Discuss.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382561998731199634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcyxAV1iby-euBandbwIfINPZ0Oj0XWWZGfF50VdsXlbZzNcXBRogXTNsL_jU7T1_hzk8rrB2KeFJz_cS8jmraCxPL9tgx27edxMy7W_MMSi3yOPyadPakGKPz1ICw-tVzTefRjHVUpWP/s320/RIngo+-+make+it+small.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 317px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></span></div><div>(ed. note - I love Ringo. I think Ringo-bashing is plain old dumb. A goofy but loveable scamp amongst and overshadowed by some serious super-talents? yeah, probably...but he's solid as nitrogen on neptune. Recognize!)</div></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-86987824274941938042009-08-26T11:27:00.000-07:002009-08-26T13:44:35.929-07:00Kung-Fu Cinema: gaining momentum<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkNzGTRxxJPeQsASV057SUr774aDLohPQwF4E5KjFMg2EnAkxFjHfGRpRr2Uvp9Ql2K15jMfst_2KPg_K815n68MQKNzZkn9zzEXLU5qDHih6DUs17rOKTeHPaQIwuwSPWBC17evWCI9r/s1600-h/masterguillotine.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgvwL-gkYrU2dj7tgoidl-oz4gqYGkzf4H9oyGO_ta9uj31N3jEC8jKgViyDeBV9c92DPzUNsAOEz-NqgKDV3ppGieJUasVb1kj45mqQlDP_XRrxrZhomDrQwe3HfX1ZBqRjZo-3ZcaX3/s1600-h/drunken_master.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 181px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgvwL-gkYrU2dj7tgoidl-oz4gqYGkzf4H9oyGO_ta9uj31N3jEC8jKgViyDeBV9c92DPzUNsAOEz-NqgKDV3ppGieJUasVb1kj45mqQlDP_XRrxrZhomDrQwe3HfX1ZBqRjZo-3ZcaX3/s400/drunken_master.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374037175266049362" /></a><div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">A little while back I decided that I wanted to get into kung-fu movies. Straightforward enough...yet deceptively complicated, because damn there are a lot of them, released under numerous aliases and with various crappy original language and dub audio tracks. I started <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/kungfu-movies,28785/">here</a>, an article I found very helpful as a primer...the legend continues, as they say. Keep in mind that I'm speaking about these films from a perspective of almost no prior knowledge and experience. So far I'm just working with what Netflix has available...</span><br /></div><div><br /></div>First up, 1978's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Drunken Master</span> with Jackie Chan. Being such a novice, only Jackie Chan's later work in American action films (read: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Rush Hour</span> series) was familiar to me. This movie was one of his first films, and was basically my first introduction to his body of work as a martial artist. Jackie Chan is the "Harlem Globetrotters" of Kung-fu. There's a sizable element of slapstick comedy in this movie, present in almost every fight or training sequence. Much less serious than the previous films I watched...but in a very satisfying way. Jackie is an almost freakishly talented acrobat, and there was a lot of really nice fighting choreography in this film. </div><div><br /></div><div>The story follows a young rapscallion (Jackie Chan) who displeases his father so much that dad hires a legendary bad-ass oldman (who loves to booze) to train the shit out of sonny for a year. Son is reluctant at first, hates training, etc...then eventually comes around. The B story has this villain named ThunderLeg (with some killer 'Vince Noir' hair and a 'stache worthy of its own melon stand) who enters the picture and kicks a bunch of ass.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtw1HIvF0oaBpPJp3UzqvSzcL4M0k41sbJg6DkNkx8fumCpsY79vdHD6cGUMU8uBrdasOQALForrDnhy8xK4o4ZFic9WYxC2V9bT4C0geh-W6ngLDyMmkTxzZzlnvOcXWNgx2nuAZ_EE9/s1600-h/mustache.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtw1HIvF0oaBpPJp3UzqvSzcL4M0k41sbJg6DkNkx8fumCpsY79vdHD6cGUMU8uBrdasOQALForrDnhy8xK4o4ZFic9WYxC2V9bT4C0geh-W6ngLDyMmkTxzZzlnvOcXWNgx2nuAZ_EE9/s200/mustache.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373992130244634626" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><div>Drunken Master was a lot of fun to watch. I would definitely recommend it. It's sort of long, but it's got quite a lot of cool hand-to-hand fighting with an element of sillyness that I dug and they touch on a bunch of different fighting styles (drunken style, obviously, or stuff like monkey style and also this one style where a dude has a really hard skull and just rams people with it like Juggernaut) and it has a bunch of creative but comical training sequences. I looked around for a sweet clip of the movie, but the only decent one I could find was the final fight scene...and I figured you should have to work a bit to see that.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Iceberg Movie Rating = <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">46 out of 50</span> ways to leave your lover. Extra points awarded for hilariously brutal training exercises.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkNzGTRxxJPeQsASV057SUr774aDLohPQwF4E5KjFMg2EnAkxFjHfGRpRr2Uvp9Ql2K15jMfst_2KPg_K815n68MQKNzZkn9zzEXLU5qDHih6DUs17rOKTeHPaQIwuwSPWBC17evWCI9r/s1600-h/masterguillotine.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkNzGTRxxJPeQsASV057SUr774aDLohPQwF4E5KjFMg2EnAkxFjHfGRpRr2Uvp9Ql2K15jMfst_2KPg_K815n68MQKNzZkn9zzEXLU5qDHih6DUs17rOKTeHPaQIwuwSPWBC17evWCI9r/s400/masterguillotine.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374037899792569330" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 152px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next up I watched <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Master of the Flying Guillotine. </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Netflix bills it as a favorite of Quentin Tarantino and "the most notorious weapon to ever appear on film". The weapon being referred is pretty gnarly (see picture on the right). This old blind dude with some future classic eyebrows throws this "hat" on a chain at you and it hooks onto your skull. Then he gives it a Duncan tug and your dome done been shuck clean off the stalk, jellytoes. Not exactly a guillotine, but you get the idea. This movie reminded me a bit of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Enter the Dragon </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">as the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">p</span>remise in both movies is a big fighting tournament where a bunch of dudes from different lands come to compete.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The titular character is an assassin hunting down the "one-armed boxer" who took out his two proteges. My careful research tells me that this is actually a sequel to a 1971 film called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">The One-Armed Boxer, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">which sets the stage for this one and is also </span>written, directed by, and starring Jimmy Wang Yu (aka the "one-armed boxer")<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I feel like they were really stretching their wings with this one on the special effects front, from the numerous decapitations to guys with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhalsim">Dhalsim</a> extendo-arms and on to dudes fighting each on top of a "forest" of upturned swords.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Check out the trailer:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></span></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RmdP1qTjGZY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RmdP1qTjGZY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><div><br /></div><div>This was a cool one...not as satisfying as <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Drunken Master</span> or<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 36th Chamber, </span>but worth watching for some of the odd weapons and fights.</div><div><br /></div><div>Iceberg Movie Rating = <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">75 out of 99</span> red balloons</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming Soon:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Kung-Fu Hustle</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Legendary Weapons of China</span></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-24402700188090298852009-08-21T10:00:00.000-07:002009-08-21T12:54:14.114-07:00Record Review Time Machine! Bob Seger - Stranger in Town<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nos1uucJDFQFe_W_CqQ_7DRKRDHWI7wcG96srF2Xjpxo05hVvSMvR1Uu4Rj9AO1LuGnbGtp_27BeAzuGZHl-tCmLTAiayxGEIY4w4swYKLUxmBt76UlUD4lHGNXiqwBsphQyH6-WLAc4/s1600-h/Cruise.jpg"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">It's been established: I love old records. I know track numbers, album chronologies, and who played what solo where and the circumstances under which they played it. I will now focus that love into writing recommendations and reviews about albums that came out when "pitchfork" was still primarily known as a tool of satan and when, in most cases, I was yet to begin taking poops and breathing air.</span><div><br /></div><div>This week I'm recommending a classic rock gem from 1978: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Stranger in Town.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">First off...just dig this album "art". Seger looks so darned huggable, more cuddly than Aslan/Jesus or any single Gummi Bear. Even the most liberal among us feels the urge to yell "get a haircut, hippie" but he definitely doesn't look one ounce of dangerous. It's difficult to believe that this shot would ever have seemed fashionable, even in the Super 70s. Cover photo gets 2 out of 10...but don't let that dissuade you from the highly accessible piano rock that awaits you inside the sleeve.</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJcA4GZHnZ3e4yjv_DSz4EmZT35WFQX_S4ad9cFOZEbNloL1Jky7pjuk_pulEpPQp0ambw14rOsuxx6LdfhMjJFuRlzXbZe2JeRElUqwYg_rPlcJJsJjquruEaTqP8qEvoM0et6-RdBbI/s400/stranger.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372452861702223922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 394px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Bob Seger is burned into your consciousness, whether you like it or not. Somewhat quietly, perhaps even sinisterly, a couple of his songs have slipped in and been played on repeat in your brain. The one you most definitely have an opinion about already is "Old Time Rock and Roll" because of its association with the underwear dance scene in "Risky Business" and the overflow of parodies that followed. Despite being overplayed, it's a quality jam that I've always had a fondness for. Simple tune, simple message, and an awesome execution. It's actually a cover of a George Jackson song that Seger didn't think much of: he released it as the fourth single on the album, and even though he rewrote everything from the original except the chorus lyrics, he was in a hurry and didn't bother taking writing credit. Boosh. Not only did that mistake cost him tons of dough...but he wasn't even able to control how it was marketed and that's how it ended up burrowing so deep into your ektochrome like those <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Wrath of Khan</span> bugs that zonk Paul Winfield and Walter Koenig. So you don't want need to hear that again, nor judge this album by that track. Forget I mentioned it.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nos1uucJDFQFe_W_CqQ_7DRKRDHWI7wcG96srF2Xjpxo05hVvSMvR1Uu4Rj9AO1LuGnbGtp_27BeAzuGZHl-tCmLTAiayxGEIY4w4swYKLUxmBt76UlUD4lHGNXiqwBsphQyH6-WLAc4/s320/Cruise.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372461560371834866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "></span></div><div><br /></div><div>But besides that--it's quite possible that this record passed right through you like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ghost Dad</span> at the multiplex. Time to right this wrong, dudes. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Stranger in Town</span> starts off with "Hollywood Nights", the best driving song this side of Golden Earring's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Greatest Hits.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>"Hollywood Nights"</div><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/01_01_-_Hollywood_Nights.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Way to lead off with a bang, Seger. Archetypal tale of "midwestern boy goes to Hollywood and becomes disenfranchised" with lots of backup singing and "huuuhh-ing." Instant classic. Swaggertown, USA. </div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout the record, the Silver Bullet Band sounds tight and Seger's writing is poppy and accessible with a particular affinity for piano (think E Street Band in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Born to Run</span>-era). For a kid raised (30+ years late) on Creedence, this was right up my alley when I discovered it earlier this year. Seger is half small town and half Detroit scuzz. Less squeaky clean than the Boss (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Nebraska</span> = exception) but just as firmly rooted in the screen doors and thunder storms that Springsteen pines over. Add to that some Michigan-area Motown influence (sweet female backup singers and nice horn arrangements) and a little extra soul from the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm section (who play on several tracks). On top of all that he writes a hit song about California, like he's trying to cover all four american compass directions.</div><div><br /></div><div>The other standout track is "Still the Same," a mellow but catchy ballad that follows "Hollywood Nights". The melody really snuggles in between the sideburns and sticks there indefinitely.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Still the Same"</div><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer2" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=2&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/02_02_-_Still_The_Same.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object></div><div><br /></div><div>I guess these (three) must have all been singles in their day...so you've probably heard all of them on rock radio at some point. This was probably the case with me, hence their seeming so damned familiar. I picked up the vinyl (for something in the neighborhood of 4 bucks) and put on Side 1 like 50 times in the first month I had it. The second side doesn't really kill it as hard, and there are a couple of bland tunes on it...but the good definitely outweighs the bad. Seger rocks. Just ask Metallica.</div><div><br /></div><div>Naturally, I quite like all the records I'm going to talk about here, so instead of rating these on a standard linear system, I'll instead be likening them to the career trajectories of actors who appeared in the 1986 film <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Stand By Me</span>. By that scale, I rate <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Stranger in Town</span> as a solid <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Feldman</span>: i.e. peaks a little too early but leaves behind a really solid body of work (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">the burbs</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">the</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">goonies</span>, etc...), despite being later tarnished by drug addiction and/or whoring out of his brand via reality TV, or in this case numerous Ford commercials featuring "Like a Rock"</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOofLkJ-JbBOscmy7QUK9VzLx7m8FvSM91dMXUNMOPmp0rXiTVNRq28e7UuYvaHUi5ceTl8-_9k3C7DcFIPFrut4m7Bedw1_0qp8wTU-lNEOol8cvbPEhm-dNgPVmt4f54jqNI2ayVyBg/s400/Corey-Feldman-Stand-by-Me.8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372460792411325682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 138px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-51389704286675712252009-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:002009-08-26T22:41:52.691-07:00Kung-Fu Cinema: one man's quest for knowledge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FhAsNRt8fCT3F6J6Sm2NVCTvSLsvRAF5JadGmoeXxp8myXHfGw7ruo7TzMr-0rziW6sQrTEQviBZKVuDo0VdA9KUsDpGyRxY0CXaRSy1UzsyovWM44ZjUmKLpneq82xdqSMjfAJ22JwJ/s1600-h/FiveDeadlyVenoms.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcp-JpY944r-BwvO8VfifR5l5rMR9U4hy3f6JRrG690QzlcLdHSm6H3yv51WLB6FFIkzchXm5rRbewBDkYX1tj42yp6GUBTOjmuwXSPyobXoxQfMoU_nAIIQyxuLCoJPZ4WhhJ-1A9XEb/s1600-h/36th_CHAMBER_OF_SHAOLIN-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcp-JpY944r-BwvO8VfifR5l5rMR9U4hy3f6JRrG690QzlcLdHSm6H3yv51WLB6FFIkzchXm5rRbewBDkYX1tj42yp6GUBTOjmuwXSPyobXoxQfMoU_nAIIQyxuLCoJPZ4WhhJ-1A9XEb/s400/36th_CHAMBER_OF_SHAOLIN-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369503237659515746" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A little while back I decided that I wanted to get into kung-fu movies. Straightforward enough...yet deceptively complicated, because damn there are a lot of them, released under numerous aliases and with various crappy original language and dub audio tracks. I started <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/kungfu-movies,28785/">here</a>, an article I found very helpful as a primer...the legend continues, as they say.</span><div><br /></div><div>As per the "Gateways to Geekery" article above, the first movie I watched was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The 36th Chamber of Shaolin</span> with Gordon Liu. I had gotten myself pretty immersed in Wu-Tang Clan's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">36 Chambers</span> album last year (hip hop still presents an almost wholly undiscovered frontier of music for me, and this is the very first hip hop album I embraced fully). The Wu is obsessed with kung-fu movies, and they sample them all over their record (as well as discuss them in "sketches" and name their group/album/selves after them). </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">36th Chamber of Shaolin</span> was truly awesome. I would recommend this flick to anyone who's even vaguely interested in action sequences, training sequences, or film-making generally. I was quite taken with it right away (as my first movie of the genre) but also can now look back after having watched 5 or 6 and definitively say it is a quality piece of work. You can get that shit on Netflix so do it. In quick summary, it's set in 12th century(ish) China and everything is pretty fucked in Gordon Liu's little village so he hightails it outa there and winds up learning kung-fu from the monks of Shaolin on top of a mountain. Awesome line early in film, upon realizing that some jerk-face badasses are brutalizing their little town, one of Gordon's friends says "I wish we had learned kung-fu instead of studying calligraphy". Nice foreshadowing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Something like half the movie is him training through the 35 chambers (training sequences of great variety and increasing difficulty). It also has that really sweet martial arts-movie theme of doing a bunch of training stuff that doesn't seem to have any direct connection to fighting...like when Danielsan gets all huffy about sanding the deck and Miyagi's like, "i've been training you all along, son: recognize" and then starts punching him. Eventually, Gordon invents and masters the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_section_staff">three-section staff</a> and creates the 36th chamber (the goal of which is to train the populace in the ways of kung-fu)..seriously boss hog. A must see.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvygdGcpMaeG4G8v2mFtWWoxMwrwIiQuBdIEuO0eFK8ppiqNcmCArz0zduQlTuKOD8ZelLannKCN2exTSKVAfQs2KOgIAn2fcMOR_qyk8L2yD2GreX7fhDPnGnby_PxCEo3NcP0gRxN7V/s400/36chambershaolin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369503304419504258" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 237px;" border="0" /></span></div><div>Here's some Wu-Tang to get you in the mood:</div><div><br /></div><div>"Shame on a Nigga"</div><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/02_Shame_On_A_Nigga.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br /></div><div>Movie Rating = 36 out of 35 Chambers of Shaolin </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FhAsNRt8fCT3F6J6Sm2NVCTvSLsvRAF5JadGmoeXxp8myXHfGw7ruo7TzMr-0rziW6sQrTEQviBZKVuDo0VdA9KUsDpGyRxY0CXaRSy1UzsyovWM44ZjUmKLpneq82xdqSMjfAJ22JwJ/s400/FiveDeadlyVenoms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369503659092730386" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 400px;" border="0" /></span></div><div>Next up I watched the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">5 Deadly Venoms</span>. Kill Bill owes a pretty clear debt to this one about a "sick-ass clique" of 5 fighters who train in five different styles (centipede, snake, scorpion, lizard, and toad) and call themselves the "Poison Clan". Thing is some are bad and some are good, and they all trained with masks on all the time so they don't know who's who out in the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think the concept was pretty cool, and the finale 5 guy free-for-all fight scene is pretty good, but in general the film's execution is only so-so. This one's way more violent than <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">36 Chambers</span> as well, there's use of an Iron Maiden at one point. Decent, but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">36 Chambers</span> set the bar pretty high...although extra points cause one of my favorite Wu tracks samples this movie's English dub ("Toad style is immensely strong and immune to nearly any weapon...when it's properly used, it's nearly invincible").</div><div><br /></div><div>"The Mystery of Chessboxin'"<br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer2" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=2&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/06_Da_Mystery_Of_Chessboxin.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Movie Rating = 28 out of 40 ounces of malt liquor (extra points awarded for reminding me of Wu-Tang.)</div><div><br />Next installment of Kung-Fu Cinema:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Drunken Master</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Master of the Flying Guillotine</span></div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512962971963921000.post-81644876447330938532009-08-06T14:24:00.000-07:002009-08-21T11:25:25.429-07:00Steely Dan at the Beacon NYC (7/31/09)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJ3E9VAe6iUSwaPxg_GW852RE4iUaS3NU_bqLF18-xNwdtVhi6thPB97b-by63CJ17sgrE90m8NtZgOFZ6JAfufdl8gHxHWdDn07bCh6YqIc0oZf1-dFH6Oh5NfV968yTN8e8-BSWOQnM/s1600-h/steely_dan_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 235px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJ3E9VAe6iUSwaPxg_GW852RE4iUaS3NU_bqLF18-xNwdtVhi6thPB97b-by63CJ17sgrE90m8NtZgOFZ6JAfufdl8gHxHWdDn07bCh6YqIc0oZf1-dFH6Oh5NfV968yTN8e8-BSWOQnM/s320/steely_dan_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368380406183932610" /></a><div><div>Last Friday night Steely Dan killed it in New York City during one of a slew of shows they're doing across the country where they play entire albums live and/or do some fan internet set-request thing.<br /></div><div>I got really excited when I heard about this little tour which they've dubbed Rent Party '09 even before they announced which albums they'd be performing (or where) and I knew I had to make it to one of these shows. Thankfully, they opted to do my personal favorite record, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Royal Scam</span>. Unfortunately the closest they were coming to my San Francisco apartment was LA, and the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Scam</span> show was on a Monday down there...which seemed unreasonable on a number of levels.</div><div>Instead I decided to pay an exorbitant amount for a plane ticket, fly to the East Coast, do a little family visiting, and hit up the NYC show with my old friend and desert island <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Royal Scam</span> concert buddy, Phil.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Royal Scam<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "> (1976) is, to me, the quintessential 70s guitar record. All Steely Dan records have blistering solos and complicated changes making use of weird jazz substitutions and augmented 13 chords, but this one stands out as being particularly guitar-volutionary. The solos are mind-melting. I discovered this one back in college. It was my second Steely record (after </span>Can't Buy A Thrill<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">) but this one struck me square in the spank and I was in love with the Dan from that point on.</span></span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOUk8mxFqQbfcNINzk5PpjhwxGAJsFRiVYx8rp880ltgx5IRf55f5QdXtte4g-GCdgeQP-326vLwjAYJPhm2RaDkuU_RsEarKbgX3C999eAX8018DAywm8nxipJdZGBhoxAC3FlqBqsUN/s1600-h/Fagen.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOUk8mxFqQbfcNINzk5PpjhwxGAJsFRiVYx8rp880ltgx5IRf55f5QdXtte4g-GCdgeQP-326vLwjAYJPhm2RaDkuU_RsEarKbgX3C999eAX8018DAywm8nxipJdZGBhoxAC3FlqBqsUN/s320/Fagen.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368383071398507570" /></a></div><div>On to the show itself on 7/31/09: It's no secret that the dudes in Steely Dan (Walter Becker and Donald Fagen) are sort of uber-dorks (which I'm totally into) and though I'd seen some DVD stuff, this was my first time seeing them live. They're a bit goofy, but their arrangements are rad as hell.<br /></div><div>Fagen looks something like a vampire doing a Ray Charles impression, with the dark sunglasses and a flappity flap muppet jaw, but he (still) sounds unbelievable. "Sign in Stranger" was a real stinger, with Fagen brutalizing the verse licks and the piano solo. </div><div>Here's the album cut, which is already really amazing:</div><div><br />"Sign in Stranger"<br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/04_Sign_In_Stranger.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I had heard they had to cancel the show two nights prior because of Fagen having some voice-loss issues, so some people were saying he was taking it easy on Friday night...but I didn't really notice him holding back. That said, he's got three really spot on females backing him up throughout so I suppose it may be difficult to tell...but basically it didn't feel like anything was missing vocally.</div><div>The show in general was murderous, but one truly bizarre thing that happened was this: Becker and Fagen got up and left the stage for "The Fez" They just got up and walked off and the remaining band played the tune all the way through. I'm not up on all the Dan lore...but apparently Steely Dan simply does not play this song. It was slightly disappointing because "The Fez" is maybe my second favorite track on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Scam</span> (after Kid Charlemagne) but even stranger is that this live arrangment was really only lacking Fagen's vocals over top of the chorus (there is no verse), a part which is also covered by the backup singers. So in reality, the song didn't change much at all, although they definitely rocked it out a lot less than the songs that bookended it. Still, with no concrete explanation for all this, I am pretty puzzled as to why the boys refuse to perform this. As my friend Tom pointed out, since Becker and Fagen are the only two official members of "Steely Dan," I did not see Steely Dan play this song. Dig the Vegas synth...</div><div><br /></div><div>"The Fez"</div><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer2" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=2&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/05_The_Fez.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br /></div><div>After that though...they carried on shooting silver-chocolate arrows of medical grade thorazine directly into my A-frame and the rest of the night was amazing. "Green Earrings", "The Royal Scam" (the song), "Aja", "Home At Last", and "My Old School" were all highlights.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4khPZyOJutCAz_juFdCJVXYrjmR-wKCdo5c6O9RIgIkJLvzewbVRhG9SqBgyFD-FiUNe_uBaQ-OVZrIAATjn5vcRHGZAIgt76ROo7mZKXnR7VHOEt7pzE_14XGfoW5SrossSKihEMhMOW/s1600-h/Royal+Scam.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4khPZyOJutCAz_juFdCJVXYrjmR-wKCdo5c6O9RIgIkJLvzewbVRhG9SqBgyFD-FiUNe_uBaQ-OVZrIAATjn5vcRHGZAIgt76ROo7mZKXnR7VHOEt7pzE_14XGfoW5SrossSKihEMhMOW/s400/Royal+Scam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368383582987071730" /></a>Finally, a word about guitar-playing wizardry:</div><div>There were three (awesome) guitar players on stage. There was Becker, a hired-gun younger dude (name=Jon Herington), and legendary session player Larry Carlton. Carlton was the special surprise for the night...he only played a couple dates this tour and he's the actual soloist on a bunch of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Royal Scam</span> record, notably playing the solos on "Kid Charlemagne", "Don't Take Me Alive", and the song "The Royal Scam". The hired-gun young guy (who Fagen introduced as the musical director - i.e. dude's in charge when Fagen/Becker don't make rehearsal, which I'd reckon is pretty often) was really good. As in, his technical prowess was at a very high level...and he played most of the solos direct from the records as written with a bit of stylistic fiddling. Becker: same deal; really skilled, played the solos, and improvised well through maybe 15% of the songs...but he was mainly backing up the Gunslinger. Then there's Larry Carlton. It was really a treat not only to see this guy play...but also to be able to compare him directly to these two other beasties on stage at the same time. Carlton is a technical monster as well...but to my mind his individual style really surpassed the other two guys by a mile. I mean...listen to the Kid Charlemagne solos from the record (which were takes 2 and 1, respectively, of his guitar track). Mythical shit going on here, enough oatmeal to choke a hippo.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Kid Charlemagne"<br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf" id="audioplayer3" height="24" width="290"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/files/player.swf"><br /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=3&soundFile=http://www.thechoprocks.com/media/mp3/01_Kid_Charlemagne.mp3"><br /><param name="quality" value="high"><br /><param name="menu" value="false"><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /></object><br /><br /></div><div>Killer show all around. We were among the youngest gents there and it was definitely worth our effort. Super 70s lives on.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>Note to Walter Becker: strongly recommend keeping the soup-cooler permanently closed while on stage. I'm sure you have tons of other strengths, chief (see above-referenced guitar playing), but please let Donny do both the talking and the singing...</div>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533719633392399839noreply@blogger.com0