Once in a while, once in a lifetime, Once has earned a spot among my favorite films of all time. I’m not saying it’s the best film I’ve ever seen, just saying that it belongs on the same shelf as the best of the best.
It’s so rare that I am so completely blown away by a movie, much less one that cost a mere 160K and starred musicians that had never acted before. The credits were the shortest I’ve ever seen… this was a shoestring budget film that was so blessed and perfectly crafted. Props to all of the film makers for making a true diamond in the rough.
The music is a huge part of this film and it is also a remarkable accomplishment. Check out the wikipedia entry on this film for some great details about the making of Once.
I found this gem of an item ok a coworkers desk. It's one of my favorite shows so I naturally had to snap a pic. It weighs a lot more than I expected; about as heavy as a typical paperweight.
Beck and I went out to see Flogging Molly tonight. It was the best FM show I’ve seen (it was my third). The best part was that after the show, I got to meet Dennis Casey, the lead guitarist of Flogging Molly, my favorite band. How awesome is that?!
For their final song, Seven Deadly Sins, Dave brought up a kid from the front row. The kid was about 12 or 13 and clearly a huge fan of the band. He was wearing a kilt, bright green all-stars, a flat cap, and a Flogging Molly scarf. Dave let the kids dance and sing along and when he realized that the kid knew every word of the song, he just let the kid sing the song all on his own. Sweet finale if you ask me. The audience was crazy!
Heroes was terrific as always. The season 2 premiere didn’t seem long enough even though there were fewer commercials than usual. I think Hiro is going to become the very warrior he idolized, literally. Noah Bennet (Claire’s dad) is my favorite character and I think he will turn out to have a power, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
The synergy between Noah and Claire’s attempts at being normal and unnoticed is cool, especially since her dad broke first. I expect that many of the heroes will burst out of their shells towards the end of the season, kicking the show into full-on super hero comic levels. At some point, one or more of the heroes will be seen by the media and their secrets will be revealed, potentially causing many others in the world to come out of hiding as well. That would make a powerful ending to Season 2.
I’m not too excited about the introduction of two more characters though. I barely get enough time with the current ensemble… in fact, we didn’t even see Niki, Micah, or Sylar at all in the premiere.
A real surprise was how great Chuck was. It had great style and struck a perfect balance between comedy, geekdom, and spy action. I had low expectations and was absolutely pleased with it.
Being a prime example of the persona they are representing with the main character, I was impressed with their use of computers, geek lingo, and general culture. The comedy was actually funny and spaced well in between excellent “Bourne” style spy action. Just when you think the show is taking itself to seriously, they flip back to hilarity and remind you that it’s a comedy.
Naturally, because I like Chuck, it will be canceled after four episodes. Here’s hoping this show has the ratings to keep in coming to my living room.
Today we went to the Owajimaya Japanese Festival to see our friend Satoko’s band, A-Key Kyo. They play Japanese Anime cover songs and were very entertaining. Because I am not a huge anime fan, I thought that I would be somewhat disconnected from the music, but they are talented musicians and it ended up being very enjoyable. I will definately go see them again! Check out more pictures of the band.
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