Rule 32: Enjoy the little things in life.

theindiegeek on: Six-String Samurai

I love netflix, I really do.  But more on that in a future post.  Over the weekend I watched a (seemingly) random movie that was recommended to me because I liked the following movies:

• Doctor Who
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
• Brick
• A Nightmare Before Christmas
• A Scanner Darkly

Quite an interesting list to recommend a movie with.  Although those five movies are all pretty awesome, have to say.  It sounded quite interesting.  Here’s the premise:

After the Russians lob an atomic bomb at the United States in the late 1950s, survivors flock to the neon lights of “Lost Vegas,” where Elvis Presley is a bona fide king of music and men, but when His Majesty dies unexpectedly, the city’s shiny throne is up for grabs. Armed with a six-string in one hand and a samurai sword in the other, rock ‘n’ roll hipster Buddy (Jeffrey Falcon) vows to make it to Sin City in time for his coronation

What part about that is not awesome?  I’ll admit, it does sound a bit over the top, and at points it is, but in a good way.  The story follows a young boy who’s fleeing across the wasteland with his mother when they are attacked by raiders.  Buddy (the titular Six-String Samurai) steps in but not before the boy’s mother is killed.  The boy starts following Buddy, much to Buddy’s dismay, as the wasteland is no place for kids, and time is short for a guy who’s got a gig in Vegas to get to.

If you know me, you’ll know that I love dystopia/wasteland stories and video games (see earlier post on Fallout 3).  Not that there’s too many of them, but when I find ‘em, I generally love them. (On a side note, if you know of any, please tell me!).  I love seeing how different people see post-apocalypse life carrying out.  The whole thing combining samurai swordplay with rock and roll is too awesome.  Truth be told, it was the kind of concept that could have failed horribly in many different ways.  But on the large part, I think they succeeded.  I very much enjoyed it.  There’s a good soundtrack, and the action is great.  Jeffrey Falcon, who starred and made a good deal of this movie, was formerly a stunt man, in Chinese action movies, so the action is very much akin to that genre.  Now, something needs to be said about the title character.  I think he’s pretty much made of awesome.  Wearing a black and white tux, glasses, stubble, and a samurai sword duct taped to the back of his classic guitar.  One of those characters where most things out of his mouth could be considered badass one-liners.  Seeing the character in action was my favorite part of the movie.

I will admit, this is very much a niche movie and cult classic.  It’s not for everyone, but if you’re at least a bit like me (and if you’re visiting this site, I would hope you are), please check  it out.  The relationship between the boy and Buddy quite reminded me of the relationship between Jake and Roland in The Gunslinger (Dark Tower book 1), and seeing a guy wield both a katana and a guitar is just too awesome to pass up.

–theindiegeek

Happy Thanksgiving from theindiegeek!

Last Sunday my pastor prayed a prayer that really hit home.  I don’t remember it word for word, so here’s how it hit me.

I am thankful for my student loans, because it means I have an education.

I am thankful for my car repair bill, because it means I have transportation.

I am thankful for my long drive to work, because it means I am employed.

I am thankful for my taxes, because it means I have an income.

I am thankful for having to take my dog outside at 3AM in the rain, because it means I have companionship.

I am thankful for long lines at the grocery store, because it means I am able to eat.

I am thankful for chores, because it means I have a place to live.

I am thankful for my alarm clock, because it means I have something to wake up for.

I am thankful for annoying relatives, because it means I have a family.

Happy thanksgiving, everyone.

So last night I attended a show at Front Porch Music.  Our entertainers for the night was a local jazz/fusion band called Freek Johnson.  Comprised of Waz Fox (a former piano instructor of mine) on key, Buddy Pearson (a fellow FPM teacher) on bass, Marco Villarreal on guitar and Bill Romer on drums.  Despite having known half the band for several years, this was the first time I’d heard the band.  And I was blown away.

What I think impressed me the most was how in tune with each other they all were.  For example, towards then end of the show, there was a song with a particular phrase that Marco would play, then Buddy would play the same phrase on his bass, then Waz would play, and then Bill would do it on the drums.  Around and around it went.  Most excellently.

The other thing was that it was just fun to listen to.  They had a great sound that was fun to listen to, and as with all good jazz, the music simply flowed extremely well.  It was hard not to get lost in it an find yourself tapping your foot, or keeping time with your hand.

One thought I kept having was that these guys should be way more popular and famous than they are.  Northwest Indiana (NWI) and the greater Chicago area is too small for Freek Johnson.  I’ve heard quite a few popular songs on the radio that were half as good as any Freek song.  Makes me wonder about some people taste.

All in all, a wholly fantastic show.  Me and a friend hung around a bit after the show, talking with the band.  A splendid night was had for all.  Remember: SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!!!

–theindiegeek

theindiegeek on: Dollhouse’s Cancellation

So I’m sure by now that everyone’s heard about Dollhouse’s cancellation.  Now, I enjoyed Dollhouse, but I wasn’t terribly surprised that it didn’t get a third season.  To be brutally honest, I was surprised it got a second season to begin with.  Ratings weren’t that great, and I’m not sure what it was, but to me it didn’t feel as strong as Joss’ other shows.  (Note, I am currently watching Angel and absolutely loving it).

So what was it about Dollhouse that made it different?  Well it certainly wasn’t the cast.  I would like to give special mention to Fran Kranz as Topher, Dichen Lachman as Sierra, Amy Acker as Dr. Saunders and Enver Gjokaj as Victor.  All around outstanding performances from them, not to say the rest of the cast was bad either.  Also, the cameos were fantastic,  Joss really pulled from his past shows and brought in many of his friends: Alexis Denisof, Alan Tudyk, Summer Glau, Felicia Day, etc.

The narrative also had great promise.  The evil Rossum corp enslaving people by wiping their personalities, and yet the leader of the titular Dollhouse, Adelle DeWitt still believe herself a great humanitarian, and the actives Echo, Victor, and Sierra with whom things aren’t just status quo.  Also, probably due to the nature of the characters involved, I quite enjoyed the backstory with Alpha, Echo, and Whiskey.

So if it wasn’t the characters or the narrative, what was it?  I can’t speak for anyone else, but here’s why I didn’t fall in love with Dollhouse as I did with Angel or Firefly.

Joss Whedon’s shows generally start off slow, but with Dollhouse, it really took a while to see where they were going.  The pacing wasn’t right.  Sometimes it fell quite slow, and other times there were plot twits every 5-10 minutes.  There’s a fine line between keeping the audience on their toes, and losing them.  Also, when you have characters whose whole personality changes every episode, it’s hard to form attachments to them, as you don’t really know what they’re like.  The time slot didn’t help either.  Late Friday evening?  When the target audience is mostly out doing stuff?  Not good.  Again, to be brutally honest, I just didn’t like the premise as much as that of Angel or Firefly.

That being said, I would like to specifically mention the episode “Epitaph One”, the last episode in season one.  This episode has been on of my favorite episodes of any show.  Partially due to the fact that I love dystopias,  I absolutely loved this episode.  It shows what can happen when technology goes too far (even beyond that of the dollhouse).  It takes place several years after the rest of the series and the technology has turned the world into ruins.  A group of survivors led by Felicia Day seeks refuge and finds the dollhouse, and with it several memories of the rest of the cast.  These are flashbacks (such as Topher’s first day) and flash-forwards (which I won’t spoil).  Although I must say there is one particular scene with Topher and Adelle that choked me up quite a bit and still does just thinking about it.  And I don’t think I would have enjoyed that episode as much not having watched the rest of the season.  It is worth watching the first season for that episode alone.

So the dollhouse is closed, props to it’s cast and crew on thier accomplishments, and know that fans will continue to follow Joss Whedon and the his crew onto whatever they do.  Dollhouse, you had a fine run.  Too short perhaps, but fun while it lasted.  Cheers!

–theindiegeek

So incase you hadn’t noticed, I have recently brought another living thing into our house.  At least this time it was intentional.  Quinn has been with us since last Saturday.  He is a seven month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  And he is awesome.

I’ve always liked Corgi’s.  They’ve been on my list of favorites breeds for a long time, up there with Shepards of all nationalities and Collies.  From Ein in Cowboy Bebop, to my friend’s Josh’s corgi, I’ve always thought they were very cool dogs.  So, come graduation and apart from a job, guess what my next priority was?  No, not moving out of the house.  Not getting married (SeeThe Bro Code by Barney Stinson for why not).  Nope, my priority was getting a dog.  And not just any dog, a world-class (or at least midwest-class) Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  That was May.

Now fast forward to October.  The timing was finally right.  Got a steady job, a steady car, steady room at the folks house.  Came time to get a dog.  So I started calling breeders.  Allow me to interrupt myself for a second for a PSA.

When buying a dog, never go to pet shops.  The majority of dogs in pet shops are from puppy mills, which are really terrible things.  You all have heard the stories about chickens on farms.  Like that but much worse.  Go to a breeder or rescue service.  I decided to go with a breeder.

So I started calling breeders.  And I called breeders.  And I called breeders.  And I emailed breeders.  And I emailed breeders.  And I called breeders.  And I emailed breeders and I called breeders.  Get the picture?  Found a few pups, but either wrong color, too far away, too expensive, etc.  Eventually I found a breeder over by Ann Arbor that had (at the time) a six month old red and white male.  She was going to show him, but because of a small defect she couldn’t show him.  See, Quinn had the amazing ability to pull one of his testicles up into his body cavity (past tense, he’s fixed now).  Really, an amazing dog.

So we worked out the details, and agreed to meet midway in Grand Rapids where she had show for some of her other corgi’s (including Quinn’s mother).  Drove up there early on a saturday morning, listening to Guster and Something Corporate on the way.  Sneaked into the show, (really, no joke), and looked for the proper area.  Picked him up, payed, drove home.  This time it was Rilo Kiley and more Guster on the way home.

Then came the week of adjusting.  Y’know, taking him outside every hour or so, feeding him, getting him to not eat our other dog’s food, hoping they play nice, hoping they don’t kill each other, etc.  But really, it’s been great.  He’s a fantastic dog.  Been alot of fun. Very friendly, great looking, probably better looking than me.  He’s like me, but prettier and awesomer.  So yeah,

–theindiegeek (and themightyquinn) out.

Here are some pics of Quinn, my new Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  He’s 7 months old.

On the Kitchen Floor

Mom's got a treat...

Searching for food...

Look at those ears!

Quinn

Look at that face...

Going for the treat...

Everyone pays attention when there's treats around