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11/18/2004
EAR PLUGS, or lack thereof
My photos from last week's burlesque show at the Star Bar didn't turn out so
hot. We got this new digital camera a while back and it has far more settings
and options than our previous camera, so I may actually have to open the fuckin'
manual. When all else fails, read the instructions…
So instead of putting together our usual pictorial pleasures, we did a major
overhaul of the Degenerate Press vaults. If you're familiar with our archives,
you won't notice the difference, but behind the scenes things are a lot more
organized so I'll be motivated to update them more often moving forward. Check 'em
out, if you dare:
http://www.degeneratepress.com/vault
There are probably a few broken links in there from all the moving around,
dusting, hammering, etc. so if you find something missing or out of place please
let us know.
Meanwhile, we still haven't had any grand ideas for New Year's Eve. As many of
you know, I consider the other fall/winter holidays just the hurdle between me
and the good times New Year's offers. For some 15 years we threw our own parties
but lack of space and attendance led us to other pastures back in 99/y2k. So
these days we search out some spectacle to enjoy, sometimes at home, sometimes
abroad. I doubt we'll top last year's voyage to Amsterdam, since money and
vacation days are restraining factors this year. We considered New Orleans,
until we realized the Sugar Bowl is New Year's Day there and town will be
overrun by… well, the type of people that would go to the Sugar Bowl. Currently
we're looking into Orlando for a Disney New Year's, since SW has never visited a
Disney park and it's within reasonable driving distance. But we're flexible -
any ideas? Hell, we'd even stay in town if there was something worth sticking
around for...
FILM FLAM
We caught National Treasure last night at a sneak preview, a perfect film for
the drive in but unfortunately we saw it at a hardtop. I enjoyed it, since it
delivered everything I expected of a film in which you know going into it
there's an invisible treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence
- lots of explosions, predictable twists and turns, hammy acting, the works.
After-movie discussions with other degenerates led to a myriad of ideas of how
the film could've been improved and if you're interested in seeing it you should
probably skip the rest of this 'cause there's gonna be some spoilers here.
They start the film off giving you the whole backstory, something that shouldn't
happen in a mystery movie. And Nick Cage's acting doesn't provide the humanity
that made Raiders of the Lost Arc so charming. And the plot holes come so fast
and gaping that you barely have time to forget the last one before you're thrown
another - not only is the map invisible, but it can only be seen by glasses
invented by Ben Franklin, through which the map appears in vivid 3D, and that's
just one example. In the end, I expected to be told that the treasure itself
didn't exist, but that it was spent to fund the American revolution, so the
treasure is really our country itself, but that was one of the few expectations
the film didn't feed. They DO find the treasure and somehow it's disappointing.
They tried to tell you through the movie that the quest was all about the quest
and not the payoff, then turn around and give you the payoff.
But it's exactly what I wanted. I laughed, I heckled, I enjoyed the spectacle
and walked out smiling. A lot more than I can say for most films, but then I
don't go into most films -expecting- cotton candy for the brain.
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