DJ AM
Aug 31, 2009 music
I was at work Friday night when my mom called from the beach at Cape Cod, to ask me about DJ AM. She said he was dead and I spent 5 minutes explaining the plane crash with Travis and the fact he survived. As I was speaking to her I googled him. And was shocked. I didn’t know him, or really even follow him, but the more I read, the more intrigued I became. The guy was clearly in recovery, for a period of time, but more importantly understood the idea of “you can’t keep it unless you give it away.”
The closest I came to meeting him was at last year’s Philly DJ Day, but days after the plane crash, he was obviously not able to make it, but his presence was felt and a show of love was made by many rocking DJ AM t-shirts.
Here’s Pase Rock and DJ AM practicing, AM with an il strings section:
[youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCL0EXu2ipo]
I started writing a piece I may shop around (about addiction and perceived hypocrisy), but in the meantime, I read two heartfelt tributes to him. One is from Dante Ross, the other from Paul Rosenberg. I have been a fan of Dante’s for a minute (and occasionally hit him up when I’m in one of my “track down Bonz Malone” moods) and I wondered about how Adam was connected to Em’s manager (when I saw a pic of AM signing paperwork in Paul’s office).
Adam Goldsteins passing seems to me at this point surreal like a slow motion dream of sorts. Not really sure what to make of it. I didn’t know Adam all that well but what I did know was that he was a sweetheart of a man who always had a hug and a smile and a kind word or two when we crossed paths. He helped a bunch of people I know get and stay clean and sober which I highly respected. He was also the best technical DJ I have ever seen hands down. He once DJayed Bill Spectors and my birthday 5 years ago and played the greatest Dante Ross set I have ever heard which might have been the highlight of a very uneven birthday. I was always psyched at how far he had taken the craft of DJaying, how far he had come as a artist and how well he handled himself. I dug how his sobriety was part of his being and seemingly was some of the inspiration for his DJaying prowess.
Whether or not you dug his style of DJaying, pre Serato he helped pioneer a genre of DJaying that is prevalent to this day. Post serato he was on steroids. The guy was a musical genius and he hooked up a lot of his fellow DJ brethren. He was a rock star as a DJ sans the attitude and ensemble cast. He was in actuality really down to earth no matter who he was seen in People magazine with. He was consistent something I value highly and something you don’t see that often. We all know his triumphant tale of redemption, his surviving a tragic plane crash last year that killed 4 people and his battle with weight etc,etc. He overcame all that and more and that’s why this loss is that much harder to stomach.
He was a good man end of story.
His loss is really tragic and unfortunately the media’s gonna turn it into some sensational baloney by the looks of it. He was cool with all DJays of merit from the big to the small and I literally saw him propel a few friends careers a few times. He was always supportive of the homies. I don’t think I ever heard him say a bad word about anybody. I always dug how selfless this was considering the cut throat world of DJ politics. He was for all purpose and measure the DJays DJay. No one could ever front on his skill level love or hate his selection and crowd. He also had a amazing sneaker game right up there with Emz, Bobbito and people like Ben Baller. Besides all that he was a really good dude, a true BBoy at heart, a culuralist and a progressive thinker as a musician. He will be missed immensely by his friends, his family and by people that didn’t know him at all ,people who met him once, who just heard him spin for a few minutes and DJays everywhere even if they don’t know it.
He also just plain shredded.
Adam you were loved and you will be missed. Thanks for the memories you were one of the greatest who ever did it!
Dante Ross
NYC
As I compose this post, I’ll admit that I’m still probably in a bit of shock and/or denial about what happened. Maybe it’s because of just that- I don’t really know what happened. I can’t really comprehend it. It doesn’t compute. It doesn’t make sense. It just doesn’t seem possible.
I first met Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein through mutual friends some time in the early 2000′s. I’d heard tales of how incredible he was on the turntables from Shecky. Alchemist and Neil told me about their boy, “AMG” (as he was known then) and what a great talent he was. First time I heard him actually play I think was when we (via Chris Clancy) hired him to spin at the LA record release event for The Eminem Show. Coincidentally, this was also the first night that Marshall and I met 50 Cent. I loved AM’s set, and told him how glad I was that he was killing it. I’d see Adam out and about here and there, and would come to his various gigs in Vegas when I could. We developed a friendship, and eventually I became his co-manager with L.V. some time in 2006.
There’s a few artists that I’ve worked with over the years that I really believe posses an element of magic. I can’t really explain it precisely, but the best way I can put it is that there are times, even to this day, where I hear Eminem rap and I say to myself “how the FUCK did he do that?”- even after all these years. Travis Barker does the same thing on drums- I still stand there in awe when he plays his solos, even when I’m behind the curtain helping set it up. AM had the same ability. It was truly a magical event when he was going-off in the club, everyone that has witnessed it knows what I mean. He was blessed with a gift to take records, mix and scratch them together, and ultimately make something out of them like nobody else can. And there was no explanation for how he did it time after time… it was truly extraordinary. High art. Genius. Science. MAGIC. I often joke with my partner L.V. that we manage the best rapper (Eminem), the best drummer (Travis Barker) and the best club D.J. (A.M.)… how do we top ourselves?
I never knew Adam when he was using. I met him, in his “heavier” days still, when he had about 5 years of sobriety under his belt. I heard horror stories from various friends about A.M. when he was a crackhead, never leaving his room except for when he had to go do his $200 deejay gigs. But the guy I knew was very different. A.M. was vigilante in his sobriety. He would talk about how important it was to him constantly. He’s attend meetings in whatever city he was in while travelling to maintain himself. Also, literally almost everyone I know in Los Angeles knows someone or had heard about someone or was someone that A.M. helped get sober (or at least he tried to). He would accept the challenge whenever it was requested of him: “no problem, just have them call me”. People he didn’t know, or people he had never heard of. He just wanted to help them, because he was so grateful for his sobriety that he constantly wanted to spread the gift. Adam never asked for anything in return, he simply wanted to help. It was his kind way.
AM had a encyclopedic knowledge of music. He cherished it and worshipped his favorite artists and their records. He was particularly fond of late ’80s and early-to-mid ’90′s hip-hop. He loved ’80s pop. He really liked big ’90s rock hits. He was super-into Daft Punk and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. His tastes were hyper-eclectic. And this is what you heard every time he spun, a mix of the brightest and best of his and everyone elses favorites put together in a way that almost seemed like a celebration of the best records blended into one long song. And he did it all with a smile, humility and energy that can’t be matched.
Last year after AM and Travis were in that horrible accident, AM always was mindful of staying sober and not slipping up. We even partnered with MTV to produce a television series with AM where he would do just that- help people get sober. He was open and honest about his addiction, and whenever he would struggle with it he would talk to his friends and family constantly about it. I remember him recently telling us that his hands were shaking in fear and nervousness after he entered a corner store in Hartford, CT to purchase drug paraphernalia as part of the show in order to demonstrate how prevalent the problem was. But he broke the glass stem and moved on, never giving in to his fight for sobriety.
Being sober was who Adam was. He spent the better part nightly of the past 10+ years working in clubs, temptation in his face each night, never to stray nor swerve off of his clean path. I’d heard him talk about drugs, about how much he liked them, how much he hated them and about how much he feared them. I’m not exaggerating when I say that out of everyone I know, he is one of the last people I would have ever expected to pass away the way he did. To say he will be missed is an understatement I can’t even begin to describe. Maybe one day this will make some sort of sense. Until then, I’ll cherish my memories of AM the DJ and Adam my friend. With love, forever.
Tags: Dante Ross, death, DJ AM, overdose, Paul Rosenberg
Death Penalty
Aug 30, 2009 etc.
The death penalty has long been a topic that has fascinated me. It has also mystified me and enraged me. On so many levels, the death penalty just does not make sense, or even seem remotely justifiable.
The idea that the government can kill it’s own citizens is baffling.
The barbaric idea of an eye for an eye is antiquated.
It is not an effective crime deterrent.
It is not as cost effective as believed.
The suggestion that it is beyond the realm of possibility that we are, and have, executed innocent people has been blown out of the water over the past few years, thanks to DNA evidence, scientific advancements, and the tireless work of people like Barry Scheck and his Innocence Project. He wrote an editorial on HuffPost about an upcoming article in the New Yorker that investigated the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, executed despite DNA evidence.
More facts about the death penalty here and here.
Pennsylvania’s Nick Yarris is an example. After 8,057 days on Death Rom, he was exonerated.
241 people have been exonerated post-conviction from DNA evidence.
17 of those had served time on death row.
3,005 years is the total amount of time served by those exonerated.
And when all else fails, as people usually do when they have run out of resources to back up their position, they try and go for an emotional jugular. So to put that to bed, even if my mom, sister or Jill was raped and/or murdered, no, I would not want the person who did it to face the death penalty.
Words…
Aug 30, 2009 etc.
This sort of stuff fascinates me.
I also have a book called Dubious Doublets that has been on my shelf I have been meaning to get to.
Longest Words
Cabbaged and fabaceae, each eight letters long, are the longest words that can be played on a musical instrument. Seven letter words with this property include acceded, baggage, bedface, cabbage, defaced, and effaced.
Aegilops, eight letters long, is the longest word whose letters are arranged in alphabetical order. Seven letter words with this property include beefily and billowy. Six letter words include abhors, accent, access, almost, biopsy, bijoux, billow, chintz, effort, and ghosty.
Spoonfeed, nine letters long, is the longest word whose letters are arranged in reverse alphabetical order. Trollied is an eight letter word with this property. Seven letter words with this property include sponged and wronged.
Cimicic and Cimicid, each seven letters long, are the longest words that are exclusively made up of Roman Numerals.
Nonsupports, eleven letters long, is the longest word in the English language made up of only letters in the second half of the alphabet. Ten letter words include prosupport, soupspoons, and zoosporous.
Overnumerousnesses, eighteen letters long, is the longest English word that consists of only letters that lack ascenders, descenders, and dots in lower case. Overnervousnesses is seventeen letters. Sixteen letter words with this property include curvaceousnesses and overnumerousness. Fifteen letter words with this property include erroneousnesses, nonconcurrences, overnervousness, and verrucosenesses.
Lighttight and lillypilly, each ten letters long, are the longest English words consisting only of letters with ascenders, descenders, or dots in lower case.
Tittifill, nine letters long, is the longest English word consisting only of letters with ascenders or dots in lower case. Eight letter words with this property include libidibi and tikitiki.
The only English words that consist entirely of letters with descenders in lower case are gyp and gyppy.
Honorificabilitudinitatibus, 27 letters long, is the longest English word consisting strictly of alterating consonants and vowels. An eighteen letter word with this property is epicoracohumeraler. A seventeen letter word with this property is hypovitaminosises. Sixteen letter words with this property include aluminosilicates, depolarizability, and supererogatorily. Fifteen letter words with this property include cytomegalovirus, heterozygosises, hexosaminidases, paramyxoviruses, pararosanilines, parasitological, tenosynovitides, tenosynovitises, unimaginatively, and verisimilitudes.
The Rot13 method of encrypting text is performed by rotating the alphabet by thirteen characters. Because there are 26 letters in the alphabet, the decryption process is the same as the encryption. The longest words to form other words when Rot13 encrypted are the seven letter words abjurer and nowhere, which become each other.
Letters
Dermatoglyphics, misconjugatedly, and uncopyrightable, each fifteen letters long, are the longest English words in which no letter appears more than once. Fourteen letter words with this property are ambidextrously, benzhydroxamic, hydromagnetics, hydropneumatic, pseudomythical, schizotrypanum, sulphogermanic, troublemakings, undiscoverably, and vesiculography.
Esophagographers and unprosperousness, each sixteen letters long, are the longest English words in which each of their letters occurs at least twice.
Esophagographers, sixteen letters long, is the longest English word in which each of its letters occurs exactly twice. A fourteen word with this property is scintillescent. Twelve letter words with this property include happenchance and shanghaiings. Ten letter words with this property include arraigning, concisions, intestines, and horseshoer.
Sestettes is a word in which each of its letters occurs three times.
The word chincherinchee is the only known English word which has one letter occurring once, two letters occurring twice, and three letters occurring three times.
Ultrarevolutionaries is a word in which each of the five main vowels occurs twice.
Eunoia, six letters long, is the shortest word in the English language that contains all five main vowels. Seven letter words with this property include adoulie, douleia, eucosia, eulogia, eunomia, eutopia, miaoued, moineau, sequoia, and suoidea. (The scientific name iouea is a genus of Cretaceous fossil sponges.)
Caesious, eight letters long, is the shortest word in the English language that contains all five main vowels in alphabetical order. Nine letter words with this property are acheilous, acheirous, aerobious, arsenious, arterious, autecious, facetious, and parecious.
Suoidea, seven letters long, is the shortest word in the English language that contains all five main vowels in reverse alphabetical order. Other words with this property are scarce; they include the ten letter words duoliteral and unoriental, the fourteen letter word subcontinental, and the fifteen letter words neuroepithelial and uncomplimentary.
Facetiously, eleven letters long, is the shortest word in the English language that contains all six vowels in alphabetical order. A twelve letter word with this property is abstemiously. The fourteen letter words adventitiously and sacrilegiously have this property but also have repeated vowels.
Twyndyllyngs, twelve letters long, is the longest word in the English language without any of the five main vowels. An eleven letter word with this property is the singular form, twyndyllyng. An eight letter word with this property is symphysy. Seven letter words with this property include gypsyfy, gypsyry, nymphly, and rhythms.
Strengths, nine letters long, is the longest word in the English language with only one vowel.
Strengthlessnesses, eighteen letters long, is the longest word in the English language with only one vowel repeated. A seventeen letter word with this property is defenselessnesses. A sixteen letter word with this property is strengthlessness. A fifteen letter word with this property is defenselessness. A fourteen letter word with this property is degenerescence. Thirteen letter words with this property are degenerescent, disinhibiting, effervescence, handcraftsman, kinnikinnicks, philistinisms, primitivistic, retelemetered, and whipstitching.
Euouae, six letters long, is the longest English word consisting only of vowels, and, also, the English word with the most consecutive vowels. Words with five consecutive vowels include cooeeing and queueing.
Archchronicler, catchphrase, eschscholtzia, latchstring, lengthsman, and postphthisic each have six consonants in a row. Borschts has six consonants in a row in just one syllable. Words with five consecutive consonants include angstrom, angsts, birthplace, dumbstruck, eighths, heartthrob, lengths, postscript, strengths, thumbscrew, twelfths, warmths, and witchcraft.
Hotshots consists of the same four letters repeated. There are other eight letter words with this property, but none are common: beriberi, caracara, chowchow, couscous, froufrou, greegree, guitguit, kavakava, lavalava, mahimahi, and matamata.
Abcaree, abchalazal, abcoulomb, crabcake, and drabcloth are among the only words in the English language that contain “abc.”
Hydroxyzine is the only word in the English language that contains “xyz.”
The longest alphabetic sequences to appear in English words are “mnop” and “rstu.” Mnop appears in such words as gymnopaedic, gymnophiona, gymnoplast, limnophilous, prumnopitys, semnopithecus, somnopathy, and thamnophile. Rstu appears in such words as overstudy, overstuff, superstud, and understudy.
You and ewe are pronounced the same but share no letters in common. Eye and I is another such pair. Oh and eau is yet another.
Subbookkeeper is the only English word with four pairs of double letters in a row. Assessee and keelless are the shortest words with three pairs of double letters. Cooee is the shortest word with two double letters.
Only a few words (not counting three letter words) start with the same three letters they end with. They include: aftershaft, anticipant, anticoagulant, anticonvulsant, antiformant, antioxidant, antiperspirant, calendrical, entablement, entanglement, entertainment, enthrallment, enthralment, entrapment, hotshot, ingesting, ingratiating, ingrowing, ionization, microsomic, nicotinic, physiography, phytogeography, phytography, redeclared, respires, restores, restructures, tormentor, and underground. As a special case, six letter words with this property are atlatl, bonbon, booboo, bulbul, cancan, chichi, dumdum, grigri, motmot, murmur, pawpaw, pompom, tartar, testes, and tsetse.
Fewer words (excluding four letter words) start with the same four letters they end with. These include uricosuric and the nonsense word abracadabra. As a special case, eight letter words with this property are beriberi, caracara, chowchow, couscous, froufrou, greegree, guitguit, hotshots, kavakava, lavalava, mahimahi, and matamata.
Typewriters
Aftercataracts and tesseradecades, each fourteen letters long, are the longest words that can be typed using only those letters normally typed with the left hand. Twelve letter words with this property include aftereffects, desegregated, desegregates, reasseverate, reverberated, reverberates, and stewardesses.
Johnny-jump-up and niminy-piminy, twelve letters long, are the longest words that can be typed using only those letters normally typed with the right hand. Eleven letter words with this property include hypolimnion and kinnikinnik. Nine letter words with this property include homophony, homophyly, monophony, nipponium, nonillion, pollinium, and polyonomy.
Leptothricosis and leucocytozoans, each fourteen letters long, are the longest English words that are normally typed using strictly alternating hands. Thirteen letter words with this property include antiendowment, antisudorific, autotoxicosis, dismantlement, leucocytozoan, and neurotoxicity. Twelve letter words with this property include authenticity and suspensorial.
Postmuscular, twelve letters long, is the longest English word that is normally typed by switching hands every two letters.
Rupturewort, eleven letters long, is the longest word that can be typed using only those letters in the top row of a typewriter. Ten letter words with this property are pepperroot, pepperwort, pewterwort, pirouetter, prerequire, pretorture, proprietor, repertoire, repetitory, tetterwort, and typewriter.
Shakalshas, ten letters long, is the longest English word that can be typed using only those letters in the middle row of a typewriter. Nine letter words with this property include flagfalls, hadassahs, and haggadahs. Eight letter words with this property include alfalfas, galagala, galahads, and haskalah.
Deeded, hummum, muhuhu, and muumuu, each six letters long, are the longest English words that are normally typed with just one finger. Five letter words with this property include ceded, mummy, unnun, and yummy.
Symmetry
CHECKBOOK, nine letters long, is the longest word in the English language composed entirely of letters with horizontal symmetry in upper case. Eight letter words with this property include BEDECKED, BOOHOOED, CODEBOOK, COOKBOOK, DOBCHICK, EXCEEDED, HOODOOED, and KEBOBBED.
HOMOTAXIA, nine letters long, is the longest word in the English language composed entirely of letters with vertical symmetry in upper case. Eight letter words with this property include AUTOMATA, AUTOTOMY, MOTIVITY, MAHIMAHI, MATAMATA, MYXOMATA, and THATAWAY. Seven letter words with this property include AUTOMAT, MAMMOTH, MAXIMUM, TAXIWAY, WITHOUT, and the proper name TIMOTHY. Hyphenated terms with this property include HOITY-TOITY and MOUTH-TO-MOUTH.
HAH, HOH, HUH, MA’AM, MOM, OHO, TAT, TIT, TOT, TOOT, TUT, and WOW are several words which, when written in upper case letters, have vertical symmetry.
I, OHO, and IHI’IHI are the only words in the English language that, when written in upper case letters, have horizontal and vertical symmetry and consist entirely of letters that have both horizontal and vertical symmetry.
ZOONOSIS, eight letters long, is the longest word in the English language composed of letters with 180 degree rotational symmetry. Six letter words with this property include NINONS, ONIONS, and SOZINS.
MOW, SIS, and SWIMS, when written in upper case letters, have 180 degree rotational symmetry.
COUSCOUS, eight letters long, is the longest word in the English language such that one cannot tell visually if it’s been written in all upper case or all lower case letters. Four letter words with this property are COCO, COOS, COWS, CUSS, SCOW, VOWS, WOOS, WUSS, and ZOOS.
Anagrams
Conservationalists and conversationalists, each eighteen letters long, are the longest non-scientific English words that are anagrams of each other. Internationalism and interlaminations are sixteen letter anagrams of each other.
Basiparachromatin and marsipobranchiata, each seventeen letters long, are anagrams of each other that have no more than three consecutive letters in common. Thermonastically and hematocrystallin are sixteen letter anagrams of each other that have this same property.
Nitromagnesite and regimentations, each fourteen letters long, are anagrams of each other without any consecutive letters in common.
Interrogatives, reinvestigator, and tergiversation, each fourteen letters long, are the longest three non-scientific English words that are anagrams of each other. They have no more than three consecutive letters in common with each other.
Monday is the only day of the week that has an anagram, which is dynamo. March, April, and May are the only months of the year that have anagrams, which are charm, ripal, and yam.
Earth, having the anagrams hater and heart, and Mars, having the anagrams arms and rams, are the only planets with anagrams.
Contained Words
Thitherwards contains the most English words spelled consecutively within it: a, ar, ard, ards, er, he, her, hi, hit, hithe, hither, hitherward, hitherwards, I, it, ither, the, thither, thitherward, wa, war, ward, and wards, totaling twenty-three words. Therein, seven letters long, contains twelve words: er, ere, he, her, here, herein, I, in, re, rein, the, and there.
Ushers contains the most personal pronouns spelled consecutively within it: he, her, hers, she, and us, totaling five pronouns.
Syllables
Scraunched and the archaic word strengthed, each ten letters long, are the longest English words that are only one syllable long. Nine letter monosyllabic words are scratched, screeched, scrounged, squelched, straights, and strengths.
Rugged is a two syllable word that can be made one syllable by adding letters to it to make shrugged. The two syllable word ague can be made one syllable by adding letters to make it vague or plague.
Are is a one syllable word that can be made into a three syllable word by adding just one letter to make area. Similarly, came can become cameo, gape can become agape, and lien can become alien. Adding a letter to the middle of smile becomes the three syllable word simile. Similarly, whine can become wahine.
Io may be the shortest two syllable word in the English language. Other candidates are aa, ai, and eo, but there is some dispute over the pronunciation and legitimacy of these words.
Iouea, five letters long, is the shortest four syllable English word. Oceania, oogonia, and oxyopia, each seven letters long, are the shortest five syllable English words.
Chasm, dirndl, massacring, rhythm, sarcasm, and vrbaite have more syllables than pronounced vowels. Contractions and words that end in ism and ithm also have this property. Proper names with this property include Edinburgh and Hamtramck.
Articles
Sometimes redundancy creeps into accepted usage when terms are translated from one language to another. Rio Grande River is redundant to a speaker of both English and Spanish, as is Sierra Mountains, but, when addressing an English speaker, the extra English specification makes sense.
Tags: words
Where in the world is Evan Ratliff?
Aug 30, 2009 etc.
Wired recently ran an article questioning what it really takes, or if it is even possible, these days to really disappear. To remove any digital fingerprint.
The author of the article, Evan Ratliff, decided to see if it was possible to make himself vanish. Anyone who finds him can win five grand. Various clues are also put online.
It’s both a pretty interesting question and a very intriguing contest.
Tags: contest, Evan Ratliff, Wired
Fantasy Football '09
Aug 29, 2009 etc.
So today was our fourth or fifth fantasy football draft.
Pete B. hosted.
Every year I always get the fourth or fifth pick. Stuck in the shitty middle.
This year, number one slot.
Here’s my results:
QBs:
- Tony Romo
- Carson Palmer
RBs:
- Adrian Peterson
- Marion Barber
- Ronnie Brown
- Cedric Benson
- Le’Ron McClain
WRs:
- Greg Jennings
- Bernard Berrian
- Hines Ward
- Laveranues Coles
TEs:
- Chris Cooley
- John Carlson
D/STs:
- San Diego Chargers
- Arizona Cardinals
K:
- Rob Bironas
Pretty happy about the results, but I am convinced that it’s really half skill and mostly luck.
Having said that, I came in second last year behind rookie Walt.
We are doing an office one too.
Draft in a week.
Go Fluffy Pink Bunnies!
On another note, I got a company email about this years football pool. Same stuff, except, they are removing all the Eagles games from the schedule so people who are offended by Vick’s signing don’t get upset. Weak. I am in the process of composing an email about why I am offended by the inclusion of all the other teams. Washington Redskins: offensive to Native Americans, Giants: offensive to midgets…
Tags: fantasy football, work
Raekwon's OB4CL2 release party(s)
Aug 29, 2009 music
So first this one was announced and I got tickets:
Then this one was announced:
I hit up Kid Capri to be put on the list and instead he invited me to a show he is filming for HBO tomorrow night, where Big Daddy Kane, Rakim and KRS-1 are judging.
Real talk?
I’m trying to make all three…
Tags: Beanie Sigel, Big Daddy Kane, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface, Kid Capri, KRS-1, Lyfe Jennings, Method Man, OB4CL2, P. Diddy, party, Raekwon, Rakim, Slick Rick, Talib Kweli
Funny ass sites…
Aug 29, 2009 etc.
When things get mundane in the porn world and I am bored at work, here’s a few of the blogs I check out to break the monoteny.
- http://thisisphotobomb.com
- http://whythefuckdoyouhaveakid.com
- http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com
- http://www.textsfromlastnight.com
- http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com
- http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays
Movies
Aug 24, 2009 movies
So apparently, I have been going to and seeing a bunch of movies with all this new found free time. (Side note: we are doing an issue, so it may get get busy again for a minute…) Over the past week or so.
I thought I would do a brief recap.
The Cove
How could you not want to see a movie that was tagged as, “A cross between Bourne Identity and Flipper”? Someone else thought it was a mockumentary, but in reality it’s a straight documentary. I thought it was pretty good. Pretty crazy. The lengths the Japanese go to to continue a practice of unnecessary dolphin slaughtering, and the lengths the film maker and crew went to uncover it. In the end, you still walk away thinking, “Sucks, but seems sort of low on the priority list.” Sorry.
Inglourious Basterds
Definitely not Tarantino’s best, but still really fucking good. Didn’t even realize it’s 2.5 hours long. Not nearly as bloody (I did say as bloody. There’s still a good amount of gratuitous, over the top, bloodshed.) as all his other movies. Some pretty classic scenes, and Brad Pitt does the whole, not-a-ton-of-dialog-but-still-delivers thing.
The Soloist
I liked. Like Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, and the story was good and well acted, if not a little sappy, but it did make me want to pick up the book. It struck a chord with the whole “journalism can make a difference/ change lives” thing. In today’s economy and state of media, I will take a little juice where I can get it.
Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi
Wow. Powerful. Makes you look at and think about war and war reporting in a new light and with a whole new respect. Humanizes Afghanis. Very interesting look inside a foreign correspondent’s process for gathering information, doing interviews, etc. Again, provided a little journalistic fire. Unfortunate it has to come from such a sad place.
The Trials of Ted Haggard
I guess I would say worth watching, considering at the end I felt empathy for a homophobic, philandering meth-head. Haggard seemed pretty contrite and blamed himself, while still admitting attraction to guys. The film made him kind of… human. Go figure.
Tags: Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi, Inglourious Basterds, The Cove, The Soloist, The Trials of Ted Haggard
Pill: Trap Goin’ Ham
Pill recently began getting major attention recently after being mentioned in a NYT article (for UN & PW click here). The the interwebs are going crazy not just over Pill, but arguing over who had talked about him first years ago. The rest of the world is arguing exploitative or realism.
Pill back in Pink City:
Tags: Killer Mike, NYT, Pill
