I've been really boring. There's really no other way to put it. I work, I sleep, I eat, I play video games and watch movies in my free time, and I read a bit. Not much of the above is really blog-worthy. I think I'm in a sort of a funk, which happens periodically. No idea why it happens, but it's often followed by a surge of creative energy, so I look forward to that. In the interim, though, I probably won't blog much because I won't be doing much.

I've starting reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I'm not far into it, but it's really good so far. A co-worker recommended it to me. That's one of the perks of working at a bookstore- I get to hear about all kinds of good books and music.

I saw the movie The Punisher yesterday. It's a good thing I like the character and Garth Ennis's comic writing that was the basis for much of the action, because otherwise this could be a hard movie to sit through. It clocks in at a full two hours and change, and it seems that much of the movie could be edited and pared down to about 90 minutes. The test market screenings must have been really interesting, because I get the impression that the audiences weren't familiar with the comic book. Some genius along the way must have complained long and loud about a lack of nice, sympathetic characters. As a result, Garth Ennis's three neighbor characters (who were little more than scenery in the comic) are given more attention. With three social misfits and a psychotic loner all sharing a rathole apartment building it sometimes seems like Andrew Vachss directing a very special episode of Friends.

The script and visual design were peculiar as well. Some tinkering with the character's origin was perfectly acceptable, some of the changes were incomprehensible. Glaring foibles aside, though, there were some subtle touches added in that showed real intelligence and regard for the character's cinematic roots. The title sequence was inspired by the animated introductions to Sergio Leone's westerns. There are other great Leone scenes, too. One scene in a diner with an assassin who plays a guitar to Frank before attacking him is strikingly similar to the scene in Once Upon a Time in the West where the mystery protagonist "Harmonica" plays his trademark instrument to the men he intends to kill. Other more obvious elements are the high-noon style standoff in the bank lobby (guess who wins), and the way that all the nameless thugs are given a certain amount of individuality. There are even intentionally added nods to Othello. This could have been a better movie, but I'm satisfied with what I saw.

In other brutal-revenge-by-bloody-killing-spree news, I've just discovered that Sweeny Todd is now available on DVD. I don't buy very many movies, but I may end up owning this one before too long.

I'm in. First and foremost, I must post the good news that I have been accepted to the Ball State University Graduate School; to the Digital Storytelling program. This is thanks in no small part to the knowledge, support, and unwavering encouragement from Gerry. He's a one of a kind fool.

Now that that's out, let me back up a ways. I woke up unnaturally early this morning (sin-against-nature early) in order to tag along with Gerry and his family to BSU. We were going to peruse apartments, as Gerry has imminent need for a place to live while working at the college during the summer. I went along to get some idea of what I might be paying, assuming that I would be accepted for the fall. The van ride down to BSU was pretty much what I expected. Gerry and I sat in the back seat like a couple of eight year olds while the adults drove. Appropriately enough, we discussed comic books and cartoons, gazed out of the windows into the vast expanses of Hoosier corn and soybean wasteland, and lazily counted the exits until the iconic figure of Big Jack loomed on the horizon, marking the turnoff to go to Muncie.

Pulling into Muncie, Indiana is sort of like flipping through Dante's Inferno like a flip book animation in reverse. You start with nothing but more fields, then eventually come up on the fringes of the town marked by a Meijer and a Menards near the highway; two of the huge corporate megastores responsible for squashing and supporting almost every small town in the America. Within minutes, the remaining semi-independent businesses are revealed- a greasy steakhouse and a see-it-to-believe-it Goodwill store. Across the street lies a Wal-Mart Supercenter that is equal parts John Steinbeck and Steven King. Further on and a few turns later, at last, is Ball State. A misfit collection of drunkards and scholars, dullards and geniuses, and a diverse enough minority population to repopulate Epcot five times over. Everyone seems really friendly, though. It's the kind of mix of people that every good college should have.

The apartments we looked at were pretty much what one would expect for off-campus housing. Some were too large, some were too small, but one or two were just right. I'm not sure where I'll live, but I have time to talk to a few people I know to find out what the best deal for me will be.

After a morning spent exploring living options, we convened to the atrium dining area on the ground floor of the Journalism building. I had a grilled cheese sandwich, a familiar staple item from my previous college experience. While I was waiting in line, a young woman was talking to Gerry about something or other. Then, seemingly in mid-sentence, she turned to me and started telling me about how she uses Softimage (3D program) and how they're merged with Avid and how [sic] like everybody in the industry are using Softimage. She told me about a new 3D class in the architecture school that is trying to attract art students. It sounds like something I might get a kick out of if it fits my schedule. I also got to meet the legendary Moses, the Robin to Gerry's Batman for many a Halloween party. I feel like I should've prepared a little something to say for when I met him, but a hearty handshake seemed to suffice.

After lunch the whole group went on a little walking tour of the building, and on the way we encountered the very professor I needed to talk to in regard to grad school. He told me that he had everything that he needed from me and that I was accepted as far as he knew. Perplexed, I ventured off to the grad school office with Gerry as my Cardinal sherpa to find out what the heck was going on. I found the right office and explained my situation as best I could to the person on the other side of the desk. I failed to make any kind of sense, so she entered my social security number and figured out what the hell I was trying to say by looking at four different variables. All that was needed was written confirmation from the aforementioned professor. A ten second phone call later he had e-mailed an affirmative that I was accepted into the program. In less time than it takes to beat world 1-1 in Super Mario Brothers I went from confused to elated.

We departed for home after taking a nostalgic look at Gerry's old apartment complex. Not much to say there, really. We got back in town and made a spur of the moment decision to go buy comic books. Crazy fun indeed. Then I went out to a celebratory dinner at Biaggi's and stuffed my face with torteloni al forno.

In summary, today I got a new purpose in life, comic books, and good food. w00t.

If you're like me (which isn't likely) you've often wondered "how big is an Imperial Star Destroyer compared to, say, a 747, or the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man?" Even if the thought had never crossed your mind, this is still a good and valid question. I've been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and now I know the relative size of the big ship in Close Encounters. Check out this site for the comparative sizes of all sorts of sci-fi craft and Earthly structures.

"The monkey has shifty eyes."

Movies, movies, movies. That's been a theme for me this week. I watched Scarface and Vanilla Sky over the past few days, and I enjoyed both. I won't say anything about Vanilla Sky, just in case there are people in my small audience who haven't seen it.

I would like to say a little about Scarface, though. This movie is over the top; excessive. The whole movie is about excess. The colors are bright and garish, the music is loud, the profanity and the blood are equally flowing, and even quiet dialogue is delivered with gusto and force. My personal favorite line: "All I have in this world is my balls, and my word. And I don't break them for no one." The movie is all about the rise and fall of Tony Montana, whose final scene involves a mountain of cocaine, a Heston-class assault rifle, and the phrase "Say hello to my little friend!" As the credits roll, I got to thinking about how rich he was, and how I live at home under a mountain of student loan debt, and how diametrically opposed I am from this character. I'm kind of glad that I'm so boring now, given the alternative.

Tonight I went to the Cinema Center to see The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It's an old German silent film with some of the craziest and creepiest visuals ever committed to celluloid. The set design has a cool cubist style, and you can actually see the brush strokes in many of the scenery pieces, so the whole film is like a painting. The really cool part about the movie tonight, though, was the music. All of the music in the movie was performed live by three musicians. They had keyboards, guitars, drums, almost anything that would make a cool sound. The violin would play a sinister little tune every time the mysterious Caligari would come on screen, the sound effects were all instrumental, and everything fit the action perfectly. Apparently this is a touring company, and tomorrow they'll be in Chicago doing this show and a silent western too.

It's back to work for me tomorrow. It's been a little weird for me lately. I've befriended a Gap employee who comes into the store a lot. The other night we talked about Hellboy for a couple minutes. She likes my name and asks intelligent questions about good books, thus completely disrupting my hard and fast reasoning for not liking the Gap. Elsewhere in the mall, Victoria's Secret is offering a free Bob Dylan CD single. I'm not a huge Dylan fan, but it would be cool to get the free CD. This is foreign territory for me, though; a complete no-fly zone. When I walk past the store I always feel like a South Korean staring across the 38th parallel, not fully knowing what lies on the other side. If I could figure out a way to retrieve the item with a fishing pole, a la Wile E. Coyote, I'd be set.

Still no reply from Ball State.

Not every movie I watch is light-hearted, you know. For every happy action movie I see, I try to ballance with a less than jubilant selection, like Once Upon a Time in the West, or The Seventh Seal. I love having a comm minor- I get to be a card-carrying film snob whenever I want.

I'd like to recommend the movie I watched last night, The Man Who Wasn't There. It's the Cohen brothers take on film noir. The whole thing is black and white and the lighting is amazing. It also has almost every cool actor currently working- Billy-Bob Thornton, James Gandolfini, Scarlett Johanssen, and Tony Shaloub, just to name a few. Without giving too much away, the movie reminded me of The Stranger by Albert Camus. My brother would get that, but I don't know about anyone else.

The following is a joint blog post from Gerry and I. I can't guarantee that it will make any kind of sense, but it was a labor of love.
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Your two favorite bloggers, in one entry together!

It's been a little while since we hyped our joint blog…okay, it's been more than a little while. But at last, get ready for Gerry and Loyal's summer comic book movie preview of "The Punisher" and "Spider-Man 2" a.k.a. "Sony makes a hell of a lot more money."

For the past few years, Hollywood has maintained a precarious grip on the fervent and profitable fanboy audience with a series of comic book and literature adaptations. The most successful movies are the ones that stay true to the author's original vision. The Lord of the Rings movies, both Harry Potter movies, and most of the Marvel comics movies have been faithful and high quality. With such an unnaturally high rate of success, there is an unnerving feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. History shows that any time a genre enjoys a boom in its early years; it often crashes hard in the waning years. The American western, the old Hollywood musical, and other popular styles have bitten the dust in a significant way. Bearing this in mind, what does the future hold for the comic book genre? This summer will be the litmus test for the future direction of science fiction cinema.

So, enough screwing around playing in the street. It's time to preview two films that will capture America's attention and become water-cooler fodder—okay, maybe not. But work with us here.

Gerry: Actually, if Spider-Man 2 is anything like its predecessor, it will claim America's undivided attention. The original Wall Crawler flick not only generated more money than the national debt, it also received rave reviews and spawned a new era of Spidey merchandise. The new film features another baddy from the comic books, Doctor Otto Octavious, affectionately known as Doctor Octopus, or Doc Ock. Unlike the Green Goblin's Power Ranger costume in the last film, Doc Ock looks very sharp in his moody trench coat and four metal prosthetic arms, which would no doubt make him a great bartender. Of course, Doc Ock won't be serving up drinks, he will be serving up a healthy dose of mayhem, evil, and all-around annoyance for Peter Parker.

Peter has more to worry about than just the supervillain of the week—ol' redhead Mary Jane is causing our hero all sorts of romantic problems. It appears MJ is moving on to J. Jonah Jamison's son, who is an astronaut. Gee, I don't know why a girl would rather date an astronaut than a journalist. What a crazy way to go.

Loyal: Ah, Peter Parker, when will you learn? The double life is surely a rough one. Is it worse to be thrown off of a building with a bomb strapped to your head, or to discover that your camera will be in the shop for a week? Either livelihood is fraught with difficulty.

Gerry: You know, my computer, not camera, has been in the shop for about a week, and I can't scale buildings to burn off steam.

Loyal: Yeah, life is hard that way. Of course, there are worse ways to deal with problems. You could always forsake your current identity and go on a mad homicidal rampage against anyone with even a slight criminal bent. This would be the theme behind The Punisher, another comic book coming to the movie screen this summer. The title character is a grim fellow with every reason in the world to be angry, but no real moral justification for his methods. The Punisher movie will be loosely based on the recent comic book run written by Garth Ennis. I haven't read too much in the way of the movie plot, but I do expect a cool movie.

Gerry: Screw the Punisher. I wanna talk about Spider-Man. Is that okay with you?

Loyal: Of course, proceed. The world waits on pins and needles for your opinion of Spider-Man.

Gerry: Pins and needles? Sounds painful. Speaking of pain, I'm in agony waiting for Spider-Man 2 to be released. This flick is going to rock. The first film set up the characters nicely, and this will allow Spidey 2 to hit the ground running. Director Sam Raimi tells us to expect more humor, drama, and action, and I believe him. Doc Ock looks incredible, and everyone is anxious to see what develops between Peter and MJ. One just gets a sense this film is going to top the original.

Loyal: I'm looking forward to seeing a superhero movie without an origin story. The pacing of the movie will be better without having to explain everything to the audience. I've been looking forward to this movie since the representative from Sony Digital Imaging at the Siggraph convention two years ago promised more web-slinging action like the finale of the first movie. Spider-Man 2 will be one of the highlights of the summer.

Gerry: I can't say with confidence that The Punisher will be a summer highlight. I still have bad memories of the straight-to-video Punisher flick--

Loyal: La-la-la! Not listening! Never happened!

Gerry: --and John Travolta as a villain? Come on. The Punisher's popularity in the comic books tends to rise and fall. I don't know, something makes me nervous about this film. Maybe it's shipping our favorite black-clad gun-toting vigilante to Miami. What's he gonna do there, attend Marlins games?

Loyal: Agreed, it's never a good thing to monkey with continuity. It might work in this particular instance, but I'm afraid of what this could mean for comic book movies as a whole. As a genre, each summer's batch of releases lives and dies by the previous summer's successes and failures. With a questionable Catwoman title on the horizon—

Gerry: Questionable?! Questionable?! Catwoman will be terrible and you know it! Warner Bros. should be fined for making a mockery of the character, and…

Loyal: Yes, yes, I know. I reserve judgment until it comes out and I don't see it. Anyway, speculation aside, this summer is looking good for geek entertainment.

Gerry: And geeked out, we are. I am giddy with anticipation for Spider-Man 2, and I suppose I'll give The Punisher a shot. Until next time, make sure your utility belts are tight and your capes are pressed.

I discovered a couple of mildly interesting tidbits about the internet recently. One: my blog is finally a blip on the google radar. I tested this out of curiosity and found that there's even a cached version from a few months ago. Two: some photographs I took almost a year ago are up on a promotional website for the SACS music booster carwash.

A little follow-up from the other day's pants post. I decided to scratch my apparel buying itch and venture into the Buckle to look for something good. It turns out that there was a sale rack in the back, so my preternatural spider-sense for clothing sales wasn't just misfiring. I found a pair of pants that didn't look good on me at all, but I did find a shirt that I like, and I got it for %25 off. It wasn't the greatest deal I've ever gotten, but it was the only thing in the store I could see myself wearing with an ounce of self respect.

I'm still waiting for word from BSU. I know it will take awhile, and everybody tells me not to worry, but I'm getting a bit nervous.