Last night, after shooting a little pool at Jillian's, Anthony, Greg, Mike, and myself headed up to see The Producers, which is one of the movies on my fall checklist that isn't playing in some tiny hole in the wall in an expensive part of Boston.  I love the original film and I'd been following the musical on Broadway, so I was pretty excited to see the movie version of the musical.  From the start, I wasn't too sure if the movie would be able to transition from stage to screen.  The first couple of scenes are performed almost exactly as if you were watching it on stage, and Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick's performances seemed from the get-go that they were going to fall flat without an audience for them to feed off of.  But soon enough, The Producers manages to shed that almost boxy feel to reveal some great entertainment underneath.  The songs are all cleverly written and it appears that everyone was actually singing, which is something that's bugged me about most movie musicals.  You can always tell that the song has been dubbed in from a master recording, and although I am sure that's the case in this movie, you can't tell.  Chances are, there's a couple of numbers that were indeed done on the set, but there's some bigger ones where it's probably impossible to pull that off.

Nathan Lane delivers the best performance as Max Bialystock, pulling off as much great physical comedy as he does one liners, etc.  Broderick is great, too, but really makes the character of Leo Bloom his own, so if you are a big fan of the Gene Wilder rendition of the role, leave those expectations at the door.  It's not worse, it's just different.  Will Ferrell does Franz justice, as he's just as huge as the original.  Uma Thurman isn't the prettiest gal on the block, but she's certainly got the body and the voice to pull of Ulla.  And that about does it for the people you'll immediately recognize (other than some bit parts from Jon Lovitz and Michael McKean, among others), as I believe everyone else in the picture was probably from the Broadway cast.  I could be wrong, but I really don't know.  Still, it's a great cast all around.  Go check this one out if you're looking for a good time at the movies in the next week or two.

I'd also read a while ago in Newsweek about the iPod's "Shuffle phenomenon," in which people seem to wonder if the Shuffle Songs feature isn't really as random as it's supposed to be.  I've experienced this myself, as I have noticed that mine likes to constantly play songs by Gorillaz.  I've performed this experiment three times already and Gorillaz songs play even more than White Stripes songs, which you'd expect more of.  The ratio of Gorillaz to White Stripes on my iPod is 2 to 5 albums.  Of course, this is out of the first twenty or thirty songs you hear.  Shuffle is supposedly 100% random, and I believe it.  But, each time you hit "Shuffle," it resorts the songs.  The truth of the matter is that people tend to pick out patterns in everything, even in things that are chaotic in nature.  So if I keep hearing "Feel Good Inc." and wonder why I'm still not hearing "Hotel Yorba," it's because I haven't listened to the Shuffle session all the way through.  And now that I'm nearing 500 songs, that could take me a while.

I know I mentioned a while back that I was planning on a video review of King Kong, but I decided against it because of how impressed I was with the film.  I intended on doing a Gene Shalit-style review that would use as many cliches about apes as possible, including "barrel of monkeys," "500 pound gorilla," "going ape" and "going bananas," etc.  I think it would still be fun to do, but it really wouldn't do the movie justice. 

That's all from here.  I have to get working on any and all improvements for the site in 2006 soon.  I'll probably post one more blog before then, so I'll see you again soon.

For one thing, the story is great.  It's the same story from the original 1933 film, but just retold.  There's plenty more development and attention to characters, and it's done so with loving care.  You can tell that Peter Jackson, as he did with Lord of the Rings, took his time to find the perfect way to honor the source material, even by fitting in a short tribute to the original film by mentioning original star Fay Wray and original director Merian Cooper.  But this version is on its own plane of existence.  As much as I love the original (and I'm not just saying that, because I do), this version is its own creation.

The performances are excellent.  Naomi Watts gets high marks for her portrayal of Ann Darrow, as she shows a real connection with Kong that must have seemed like a very difficult task.  She's also drop dead gorgeous, which is a good thing because half of the movie the camera is fixed on her face.  Jack Black brings an Orson Welles quality to Carl Denham while also making him the ultimate smarmy showman.  I mean, why couldn't Jables pull this sort of thing off?  One thing that I loved about watching him in this role is that I was immediately drawn to him because his charisma is always apparent.  I'm often on Denham's side, even when he's still rolling film on his camera as dinosaurs are closing in, because I know that if I were in his place, I'd be trying to get the shot as well.  A couple of scenes later you look at him with disdain as he puts our heroes in danger one more time.  Adrien Brody, who I have enjoyed watching thus far, is great as Jack Driscoll, the playwright who comes on the voyage and falls for Ann Darrow.  I've noticed that his performances are very natural, and his strained devotion might seem like a distraction from the real love story of Kong and Ann, but when you see the look of determination to find her in his eyes, you believe every ounce of it.

And that brings me to Kong.  Andy Serkis, who helped perfect the art of the CGI character as Gollum in LOTR, gets to play the ape in question.  He delivered motion capture, body language, and facial expressions that Jackson's amazing effects team assembled to give us what might be the best CGI character created yet (in the same year that gave us a very convincing CGI Yoda).  Kong's expressions and actions are amazing.  You understand everything he is thinking and feeling; the attention to detail is almost shocking.  There's too much to say about him in this review, and I might spoil some of the film's best moments if I go into too much detail here.

The running time of the film might be three hours, but it's never boring.  Everything moves at a great pace, even in the earliest parts of the film.  When the action begins to pick up on Skull Island, it never lets up.  It's one amazing sequence after another, from encounters with very freaky natives to pitfalls to Kong rampaging with Ann in hand, and everything in between.

There's really too much to mention about this movie that I loved because on the whole it's an amazing picture.  I'd go on, but it would only ruin your experience.  At three hours, it's actually worth ten dollars of your time!

Not that it's a perfect movie, though, don't get me wrong.  For one thing, the music was lacking.  Jackson swapped conductors a few months before release, and in doing so, we probably lost out on a better soundtrack.  Still, it has an old-timey movie feel to it, so even though it's not like a "modern" musical score, it's at least period-appropriate in a way.  The effects, while amazing for the most part, weren't always spot on.  From time to time, it almost looks like old-style rear-projection, especially during the dinosaur stampede scene.  Again, though, I'll defend it because rear-projection was about as big as it got in special effects for a long time, so it once again gives the film that classic feel.  Another thing I didn't like is one of Jackson's staples, which is to use a slow motion technique that is basically slowing down film that's been recorded at regular speed.  It bugs me.  He's done it forever, but I've never liked that style personally.  It's more of an asthetic/personal choice issue than anything else.  Also, there's a scene in which our heroes are attacked by hundreds of huge, photorealisitc CGI insects that had me weirded out beyond all belief.  Even though it was masterfully shot and the bugs were a testament to the effects team's skill, I would have preferred to go without it.  But like everything else in this movie, it has its place and isn't just thrown in there simply because Jackson could do anything and everything.  Just don't invite my sister to watch this scene, she'll hate you for life!

So that's about all I have to say for Peter Jackson's King Kong.  An amazing feat of filmmaking that I really can't wait to see again.  Hopefully, the Academy will smarten up and throw some real nominations their way (screenplay, director, picture, actors, etc.).  Hail to the King, baby.  KONG RULES.

The rest of the issue is actually really good.  The article on Arcade Fire (Breakout Band of the Year) assures me that I'm not the only person who's fallen thoroughly in love with them and their music.  A great review of the Strokes' new album (coming in January) had me laughing and looking forward to hearing it even more.  They even got SNL's Fred Armisen and Interpol bassist Carlos D to sit down and review the year's top singles.  There's also a big write-up on the current crop of "rock star stand-up comedians" that I will have to read after I am done with this post.  But ultimately I have to say that this really has been a bizarre year in music.

Christmas shopping is almost done.  Well, I guess it is.  Like I said before, it's been a tricky year.  Not to mention the fact that I've loathed shopping this year.  I try to do a lot of it online, but it doesn't feel right if you don't get out there and rub elbows with other people who might be just as grumpy as you.  I'll be happy when it's over and I can enjoy Christmas with my family, and who knows, maybe even some friends!  Ahem.  I'd throw a party but I suck at throwing parties.

King Kong on Wednesday night?  I sure hope so!  I'm going to do a VIDEO REVIEW of it because I know it's going to be pretty kick-ass.

I'm going to get my license renewed in a couple of days, which should be a joy.  I was looking at my current photo, which was my first, and marveled at the amount of hair I had.  I'd kill to have it  back.  I was reviewing the tape Mike and I made to record the cable contrack negotiations and I couldn't take my eyes off of my damned bald spot.  If I had all that hair I'd try to look like a rock star.  Actually, no I wouldn't, I hate it when my hair gets anywhere near "slightly long."

Here's a list of programs I've recently begun to use, and you might like to try:

Mozilla Firefox - The best browser around, baby.  After being smacked by the "WinFixer" adware disaster, I dehacked it out of Internet Explorer and finally sprung for this fancy alternative browser that the kids seem to enjoy so much.  Now I can see why... it's a whole lot like IE, only the presentation is a little better and it's got Google Toolbar built right in.  That's what I like.  You can even customise the Google Toolbar to also search A9, Wikipedia, etc.  Do yourself a favor and grab it, even if it makes NP1 look just a little bit funky.
iTunes - Okay, you probably have iTunes, but I just started using it because I've become completely fed up with Windows Media Player for music.  It eats too much memory and if you don't click something just right you will probably open some sort of evil portal to Microsoft and download more freakish programs that haven't been tested yet.  iTunes plays songs back with much better sound quality, as well.  I have yet to burn any CDs but I can tell it's a finer piece of technology simply from MP3 and CD playback.  Buying songs (just a dollar a pop) is also much too easy for its own good on iTunes, as I grabbed that EP of David Bowie playing with Arcade Fire (which is outstanding) only a day after intalling.. 
Gaim - An alternative to AOL Instant Messenger that does everything AIM does, not to mention ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and even IRC to some extent (I couldn't get IRC to work, but I'm a n00b).  The great thing is that you don't get those damned ads, stock tickers, Netscape homepages, mystery toolbars, and the demonspawn of AOL Explorer.  I suggest everyone just dumps using the AIM program and get Gaim to save themselves the grief.
Diablo - Okay, so I've been playing the glorified dungeoncrawl clickfest that is the original Diablo again.  So sue me.

I guess I really should get to making that football video soon.  I haven't had much time to sit down and start editing, but I'll probably finish it by the end of the week.  Sit tight, you vultures.

Two television programs have come to my attention in recent times that have similar themes with different execution.  The first is Stranded with Cash Peters, which follows a goofy British man (coincidentally named Cash Peters) as he tries to survive a weekend in different parts of the world with no money or idea of where he is.  Usually, Cash ends up in anachronistic towns like Solvang, CA, or Deadwood, SD, and even Transylvania, and we follow him as he learns about the place and tries to make friends with the natives.  He's an incredibly funny and loveable guy, constantly hugging people he meets, but not before he manages to make fun of whatever town he's in in such a way that makes you wonder, "Yeah, why is this town so great in the first place?"  And since he's got no money (an ironic twist to his name), Cash has got to depend on the people he meets to hook him up with a meal or a place to stay for the night.  It's always done with a lighthearted tone and usually ends on the note that for the most part, people are always ready to give someone a helping hand when they need it.  Check it out on the Travel Channel on Monday nights, 9 and 9:30. 

The other show I've been turned on to is Survivorman, which makes Cash Peters look like the biggest wimp on the planet.  The Survivorman in question is Les Stroud, a Canadian roughneck aficionado who attempts to survive a week in secluded parts of the world with little supplies.  Not only does he have to try to catch his own food, find water, build shelter, etc, but he has to film the whole thing by himself..  So you'll see him walk for what seems to be about five miles only to come back to get the camera.  I find this amusing, but it reminds you that yes indeed, this guy's the real deal.  The only problem I have with watching this show is that I often get very hungry and/or thirsty while I watch it.  It can result in a lot of money spent at Chopsticks.  If you wanna check out Survivorman, check out the listings on the Science Channel.  I'm not sure what time it's on.

That's all from here for now.

I'm really quite excited to see the new version of King Kong.  I'm usually quite perturbed by the popular notion that everything needs to be remade these days, but I'm thinking that Peter Jackson's got something great in store.  I love the original film, and the remake from 1976 was probably the best example of why classic films should never be remade.  It's also one of those movies that gets thrown into the "I can't watch this since 9/11" pile because he climbs the World Trade Center in that version.  I'd put Escape from New York into that category as well, but it's too cool a movie to skip over. 

Anyhow, I'm really pumped for Kong.  Jackson did an amazing job realizing Lord of the Rings, so you already know that he has a love of both great special effects and entertainment on the grand scale.  I happen to share in these interests, so it should be a lot of fun.  The cast looks great, too.  Jack Black will likely make me want to laugh through most of the movie, even though he's going to try his best to be serious.  Naomi Watts is gorgeous and can actually act, and Adrien Brody has the look of a Thirties movie hero anyway.  Plus, Kong looks great in all of his CGI glory.  And to top it all off, he's climbing my favorite building in the world.  What more can you ask for?

Today's Woody Allen's birthday, if you didn't already know that.

To finish up, I'd just like to point out once again the Boston Bruins have no idea how to manage their team, as they've opted that instead of firing their coach or general manager, they should trade one of the best players in the game for three guys who aren't worthy of sharpening his skates.  Because let's face it, trading away Joe Thornton will obviously get the Bruins on the winning track, right?  RIGHT?  They've traded great talent in the past, but they've gotten good players back.  In this case, they sent Joe off to the Sharks for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart, and Wayne Primeau.  Sturm is fast, but the Bruins already have speedy guys, and Stuart and Primeau aren't exactly top-tier talent.  But Thronton was the team captain and face of the organization, and now he's been traded without any warning, which will likely alienate most of the Bruins' already disenchanted fans.  I'm one of them.  It's likely that the only Black and Gold I'll be rooting for this season will be Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This reminds me of an idea I had for an article a while back but decided to shelve.  I was trying to come up with ways to make the Bruins more fun to watch, and I came up with these ideas:

• Have newly-retired Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson play goalie.  Ted's a huge guy, whereas Andy Raycroft is only about 5'10".  With the new restrictions on the size of goalie pads, signing bigger goalies is the key, and Ted's already a fan favorite.  I bet he doesn't know how to skate, so it's probably best he stays in the crease rather than play a position.
• Bring back Cam Neely.  It's always been a dream of the fans to bring Cammer Bammer back to the team, but his many injuries forced him out, even after a comeback attempt.  So the only solution to this problem is to turn Neely into a half-man/half-cyborg with enhanced legs made from adamantium. 
• Put P.J. Stock on every line.  He's undoubtedly the most popular guy on the team, and putting him out all game is likely to make more opportunities to see him beat the crap out of someone.  (Then again, P.J.'s not really signed by the team right now.  What a surprise.)
• Make the penalty killers play without sticks.  This might be more of a rules thing, but it would certainly make things more interesting and likely bring down the rate of penalties in the game.

I had other ideas, but they were stupid.  These were the good ones.