Ugh.
Much longer trip than expected. We hoped for 16-17 hours driving and ended up with about 20 hours. Not really fun after a while. Tomorrow will be okay.
I have yet to really sleep. I navigated, had the option to sleep and then stopped being tired so I stayed up. Apart from the occasional cat nap I've been awake for over a day.
The wifi is currently down so, if they don't fix it, any further entries this week may be brief. The place we're staying at is nice and not at the same time. I wasn't sure what to expect and we're not sure it's what we wanted.
Oh well, it's about the parks. Like I said, tomorrow will be okay.
10 January 2009
09 January 2009
Just in Case
For awhile I was under the impression that everyone I knew was reading this blog. When I started repeating stories I told here while in conversation and they were treated as new to the listener, I grew to feel that almost no one read this thing, which was relaxing in a way. Wednesday I had two people at totally different times reference this thing so I've started to swing back to the thought that I might actually have a slight audience. Which is nice.
One of my goals has always been to post something daily, even if it's not a lot of text, but just something to keep it a habit. I've lost track of the last time I failed to post so I consider that to have been pretty successful. With that said, forgive me if I fall off the rails regarding that goal for the next week or so. I'm going on vacation.
I don't go on vacation often and even less so for a week at a time. I've had this scheduled and mostly paid for nine or ten months ago, it got rescheduled a couple of times, and, while there's part of me that questions what I'm taking vacation from, a lot of me also argues that there's no overwhelming reason not to go.
I should have the laptop with me and am expecting an internet connection so if time and energy permit there will be no interruption in service. If there is, now you'll know why. Because I'm warm. In Florida. Visiting with the Muppets and Spider-Man. Not at the same time of course. Ooo, but if I did, that would be fun, wouldn't it?
One of my goals has always been to post something daily, even if it's not a lot of text, but just something to keep it a habit. I've lost track of the last time I failed to post so I consider that to have been pretty successful. With that said, forgive me if I fall off the rails regarding that goal for the next week or so. I'm going on vacation.
I don't go on vacation often and even less so for a week at a time. I've had this scheduled and mostly paid for nine or ten months ago, it got rescheduled a couple of times, and, while there's part of me that questions what I'm taking vacation from, a lot of me also argues that there's no overwhelming reason not to go.
I should have the laptop with me and am expecting an internet connection so if time and energy permit there will be no interruption in service. If there is, now you'll know why. Because I'm warm. In Florida. Visiting with the Muppets and Spider-Man. Not at the same time of course. Ooo, but if I did, that would be fun, wouldn't it?
08 January 2009
My fun day
All times are 'ish'.
9:00 - Settling down for my morning Internet surfing, everything goes dark. The power is out in the neighborhood. Great. At least I've got some comics to read.
11:00 - Tired of reading. I'll get some work done on my writing.
11:10 - Power comes back on. Imagine that. Forget it, I'm still gonna write for awhile.
12:00 - Head for my main computer to catch up. The light blinks on and then shuts off immediately. Reseat power, change outlet, let it sit unplugged and try again. Nothing. Go super pissed which does nothing positive for my back. Try to pull the backup Mac Mini into the big league but find out that it's not compatible with my big monitor or speakers. Great. Become too mad to think straight. Sit for awhile, eat, shower, anything to relax a bit.
14:30 - Start doing a little digging online. Find a reset button inside the case. Take deep breath and push button using pencil. Plug in power and monitor, nothing else. It works.
15:00 - Start plugging in other stuff. Successfully connect to Internet again. Relief starts to set it. Get text telling me that other computer work I did last week is still successful. Start to feel like a relaxed genius. Been awhile.
So, it could have been worse.
9:00 - Settling down for my morning Internet surfing, everything goes dark. The power is out in the neighborhood. Great. At least I've got some comics to read.
11:00 - Tired of reading. I'll get some work done on my writing.
11:10 - Power comes back on. Imagine that. Forget it, I'm still gonna write for awhile.
12:00 - Head for my main computer to catch up. The light blinks on and then shuts off immediately. Reseat power, change outlet, let it sit unplugged and try again. Nothing. Go super pissed which does nothing positive for my back. Try to pull the backup Mac Mini into the big league but find out that it's not compatible with my big monitor or speakers. Great. Become too mad to think straight. Sit for awhile, eat, shower, anything to relax a bit.
14:30 - Start doing a little digging online. Find a reset button inside the case. Take deep breath and push button using pencil. Plug in power and monitor, nothing else. It works.
15:00 - Start plugging in other stuff. Successfully connect to Internet again. Relief starts to set it. Get text telling me that other computer work I did last week is still successful. Start to feel like a relaxed genius. Been awhile.
So, it could have been worse.
07 January 2009
Review: 'The Next Doctor'
The Christmas Specials tend to be a bit simple in plot and very whiz-bang. In that, this was no different. I thought the plot worked. The mystery part of it is not too hard to figure out once you start getting pieces to the puzzle but it wasn't obvious either. Even after it's figured out, there's still a bit more to piece together, so it worked nicely.
I didn't really care for the Cyber-animals or whatever they sort-of called them. I'm for simple effects but this looked like someone tossed a rusty Cyber helmet on a beat-up bearskin rug and told someone else to go run around in it a bit. The whole concept seemed rushed. How intelligent were they meant to be anyway? It never feels very defined.
As goofy as it was, I liked the 'ship' at the end. But of course, it's known that I like such things.
On his way out, Russell gives us a present. In a moment that makes sense in the story, we get to see all ten Doctors in a row, from Hartnell to Tennant. Which was nice.
Thumbs up.
I didn't really care for the Cyber-animals or whatever they sort-of called them. I'm for simple effects but this looked like someone tossed a rusty Cyber helmet on a beat-up bearskin rug and told someone else to go run around in it a bit. The whole concept seemed rushed. How intelligent were they meant to be anyway? It never feels very defined.
As goofy as it was, I liked the 'ship' at the end. But of course, it's known that I like such things.
On his way out, Russell gives us a present. In a moment that makes sense in the story, we get to see all ten Doctors in a row, from Hartnell to Tennant. Which was nice.
Thumbs up.
06 January 2009
More about the Archive
More cleaning in the archive. I've started to move onto 'do I really want all that?' which is a nice way of looking at the DC stuff in my collection.
As my friends know, I'm a Marvel guy. DC, not so much. I pick up the occasional series or a creator's run, but nothing much. I'm not completely sure why this is. I certainly watched DC cartoons as a kid and have a couple Batman and Superman comics from being a kid but they didn't spark me into buying comics like the Marvel comics I read did. Maybe it's because my buddy Matt had mostly Marvels when he lent me books to read so that's what I was more familiar with. Or maybe I just liked the Spider-Man cartoon better.
Whatever clicked in my head to make this happen is less important than the fact that it happened. As I dug through my DC comics today, I considered how silly it is in a way. I mean, no one watches a movie trailer, sees the MGM logo and goes 'I tend not to like MGM movies so I probably won't like this one either'. To a degree, that's what I do with DC comics. It's not wrong or inaccurate, it's just weird.
If you're thinking this is going to end with me resolving to be more interested in DC and give them more of a chance, well, no. I scraped away about half of the box.
What? I said I don't like them as much. If I hated them, I'd get rid of all of them. That's the sign of progress.
As my friends know, I'm a Marvel guy. DC, not so much. I pick up the occasional series or a creator's run, but nothing much. I'm not completely sure why this is. I certainly watched DC cartoons as a kid and have a couple Batman and Superman comics from being a kid but they didn't spark me into buying comics like the Marvel comics I read did. Maybe it's because my buddy Matt had mostly Marvels when he lent me books to read so that's what I was more familiar with. Or maybe I just liked the Spider-Man cartoon better.
Whatever clicked in my head to make this happen is less important than the fact that it happened. As I dug through my DC comics today, I considered how silly it is in a way. I mean, no one watches a movie trailer, sees the MGM logo and goes 'I tend not to like MGM movies so I probably won't like this one either'. To a degree, that's what I do with DC comics. It's not wrong or inaccurate, it's just weird.
If you're thinking this is going to end with me resolving to be more interested in DC and give them more of a chance, well, no. I scraped away about half of the box.
What? I said I don't like them as much. If I hated them, I'd get rid of all of them. That's the sign of progress.
05 January 2009
Distracted by a Commercial
So Geico has, what, three mascot type commercials now? The gecko, the cavemen, and the pile of money with eyes on it, right?
And the money with the eyes on it is just creepy.
And the money with the eyes on it is just creepy.
04 January 2009
Ssh! I'm hiding!
Another 'Snapped' marathon, another day where paranoia starts to grip me and it's time to hide from womenfolk.
To be fair, there's been crazy guys in this waves of episodes as well. Still.
Did you know that when spousal murders occur than women are 3 to 4 times more likely to use a knife than a man is? I do now and I can't unlearn that. Hopefully the beer will erase that or I'll find it hard to ever relax in a kitchen again.
To be fair, there's been crazy guys in this waves of episodes as well. Still.
Did you know that when spousal murders occur than women are 3 to 4 times more likely to use a knife than a man is? I do now and I can't unlearn that. Hopefully the beer will erase that or I'll find it hard to ever relax in a kitchen again.
03 January 2009
And the new Doctor is...
... Matt Smith.
Yes, I know, who? Very funny.
More interesting is my continued influence on Doctor Who. Don't think so?
I released 'Time for a Change' earlier this year. In it the Doctor masquerades as ... 'Matt Psmith'. The P is silent like in Ptarmigan and Ptolemy.
Hmph.
Yes, I know, who? Very funny.
More interesting is my continued influence on Doctor Who. Don't think so?
I released 'Time for a Change' earlier this year. In it the Doctor masquerades as ... 'Matt Psmith'. The P is silent like in Ptarmigan and Ptolemy.
Hmph.
02 January 2009
Bad Dream
Were there drug dealers? Police? Lions? I lose track but I know hiding was important. That's why we were hiding in the large hidden area of this building. We were a strong group, assailed on all sides by enemies out to stop us. Considering we were crazy, that was not a bad thing.
I was undercover you see but couldn't blow my cover completely and just go 'Hey, we're here.' I had to be kinda sneaky with what I was doing to stop the group I was in. When the leader type gal declared it time for a suicidal sarin gas attack, I had to act fast. I quietly sabotaged the mix of the gas. I slipped outside and provided information to the cops outside so that they could stop the approaching release. I held the cell phone to the leader's face so that she could scream a defiant 'You lead us to this!' message to her mother, which wasn't really helping stop anything. I laughed inside as she left this verbal suicide note as I knew I'd already outsmarted her and all would be well. Unfortunately I dropped my cell phone down a crack in the floor and heard it fall to the gym below. I had to get it. As I started to push my way through the crowd to get to the stairs, I noted to myself that leaving was a doubly good idea as even the reduced strength gas would interact poorly with my Time Lord personage.
Wait, what? Time Lord? When did I become the Doctor? I am wearing the trenchcoat so I must be him. Probably have been for awhile and not noticed.
I went around a corner, past my brother and some other people I know, made it down a few crowded steps until I reached a maintenance level and ducked in there. Now it was just a matter of getting to the area underneath the crack, getting my phone, and stopping everything. No problem.
I walked through dirty hallways, past tables with tools, through one room and out another. Running through the map in my head, I realized I was close. Carefully stepping on the stacks of vinyl records so as not to break them, I made my way into the room, working towards my destination. A maintenance worker had left his radio on so I could hear the live news broadcast from outside the building. It acted like a timer, helping me keep track of when I was.
Then, in mid-climb, it happened. She cheated and released the gas early. There was panic, tragedic words. The power of the gas had been reduced but not as much as I thought. People were dying but apparently only in the hidden room. Oddly enough the newscaster even reported my death, the loss of intergalactic crusader the Doctor. How did they know I was in there? Even though technically I wasn't really.
In a daze I returned near the hidden room, waiting to get back in. I was met by a fellow investigator, who explained that a crack in the wall by the water fountain I was looking at had killed the young man using it when the gas was released. For some reason, I was under the impression that only a handful of people had died, likely the ones right by the release, due to suffocation. I was wrong; over 50 people had died. I had a sudden mental picture of the hidden room, the bodies stacked up, looking innocent. I had failed. I had failed them. Grief staggered me. I moved down the hallway, towards the hidden room to see for myself, to bet forgiveness for my failure.
And that's when I woke up.
I was undercover you see but couldn't blow my cover completely and just go 'Hey, we're here.' I had to be kinda sneaky with what I was doing to stop the group I was in. When the leader type gal declared it time for a suicidal sarin gas attack, I had to act fast. I quietly sabotaged the mix of the gas. I slipped outside and provided information to the cops outside so that they could stop the approaching release. I held the cell phone to the leader's face so that she could scream a defiant 'You lead us to this!' message to her mother, which wasn't really helping stop anything. I laughed inside as she left this verbal suicide note as I knew I'd already outsmarted her and all would be well. Unfortunately I dropped my cell phone down a crack in the floor and heard it fall to the gym below. I had to get it. As I started to push my way through the crowd to get to the stairs, I noted to myself that leaving was a doubly good idea as even the reduced strength gas would interact poorly with my Time Lord personage.
Wait, what? Time Lord? When did I become the Doctor? I am wearing the trenchcoat so I must be him. Probably have been for awhile and not noticed.
I went around a corner, past my brother and some other people I know, made it down a few crowded steps until I reached a maintenance level and ducked in there. Now it was just a matter of getting to the area underneath the crack, getting my phone, and stopping everything. No problem.
I walked through dirty hallways, past tables with tools, through one room and out another. Running through the map in my head, I realized I was close. Carefully stepping on the stacks of vinyl records so as not to break them, I made my way into the room, working towards my destination. A maintenance worker had left his radio on so I could hear the live news broadcast from outside the building. It acted like a timer, helping me keep track of when I was.
Then, in mid-climb, it happened. She cheated and released the gas early. There was panic, tragedic words. The power of the gas had been reduced but not as much as I thought. People were dying but apparently only in the hidden room. Oddly enough the newscaster even reported my death, the loss of intergalactic crusader the Doctor. How did they know I was in there? Even though technically I wasn't really.
In a daze I returned near the hidden room, waiting to get back in. I was met by a fellow investigator, who explained that a crack in the wall by the water fountain I was looking at had killed the young man using it when the gas was released. For some reason, I was under the impression that only a handful of people had died, likely the ones right by the release, due to suffocation. I was wrong; over 50 people had died. I had a sudden mental picture of the hidden room, the bodies stacked up, looking innocent. I had failed. I had failed them. Grief staggered me. I moved down the hallway, towards the hidden room to see for myself, to bet forgiveness for my failure.
And that's when I woke up.
01 January 2009
Well, that's done
I've finished watching the Ric Flair shoot interview today. I took it in bits and pieces so that I wouldn't be done with it too soon. It was four full DVDs, hours and hours worth of Natch talking about all sorts of things. Very interesting and very in-depth. Fascinating if you like that sort of thing and I do.
I kinda want more. If not more Natch then another shoot interview. They can be very interesting. I know where I can get more.
Thankfully I managed to avoid visiting the website last night when I was drinking. I've spent enough money for awhile.
Still, couldn't hurt to look and see what's there, right?
I kinda want more. If not more Natch then another shoot interview. They can be very interesting. I know where I can get more.
Thankfully I managed to avoid visiting the website last night when I was drinking. I've spent enough money for awhile.
Still, couldn't hurt to look and see what's there, right?
31 December 2008
What's in a Name?
As someone who tries to write fiction, do you know what I find really tricky? Naming characters.
If I pick a name from someone who's a friend of mine, am I writing that person as that character? Probably not but my subconscious might pick up and use part of that person's personality in the character and then it looks like I did use them as a character base.
Or lets say I'm naming a female character and I choose the name of a friend of mine or a name that sounds close to their name. Does that mean that comments I make regarding the character should be directed to that real life person? No.
As I've noted here before, I have written stories with characters based on people I've known. That's different and may be why I'm more concerned about this than I should be. Most people I know are reasonably clever and can tell the difference between reality and fiction.
I guess I'm just worried about the people that aren't so clever. Is that reasonable on my part?
If I pick a name from someone who's a friend of mine, am I writing that person as that character? Probably not but my subconscious might pick up and use part of that person's personality in the character and then it looks like I did use them as a character base.
Or lets say I'm naming a female character and I choose the name of a friend of mine or a name that sounds close to their name. Does that mean that comments I make regarding the character should be directed to that real life person? No.
As I've noted here before, I have written stories with characters based on people I've known. That's different and may be why I'm more concerned about this than I should be. Most people I know are reasonably clever and can tell the difference between reality and fiction.
I guess I'm just worried about the people that aren't so clever. Is that reasonable on my part?
Great. just great
Yesterday I grumbled about one order I'd placed online and today I get to grumble about another.
I ordered some electronic equipment from another establishment and said order arrived yesterday. Hot dog!... only one of the items was incorrect. Instead of being an inexpensive camera type toy that I figured I could play with, I was sent a cheap camera type toy that might not be worth playing with at all.
I'm sure it was just a minor error and I've started the process to fix the error but it's just annoying.
I ordered some electronic equipment from another establishment and said order arrived yesterday. Hot dog!... only one of the items was incorrect. Instead of being an inexpensive camera type toy that I figured I could play with, I was sent a cheap camera type toy that might not be worth playing with at all.
I'm sure it was just a minor error and I've started the process to fix the error but it's just annoying.
30 December 2008
Short Notes
Went to Half Price Books today with a box of stuff to sell. Turned it into other stuff rather than just taking the money. Nice to see that streak is still alive.
Caught up on my typing yesterday which is more work than you'd think. I can only sit for so long before I get fidgety or have to shift or something. That normally means a number of 'brief' typing sessions with breaks in-between. The tricky thing is keeping the breaks as breaks and not as distractions that turn into doing something else.
Amazon UK sent my order in two packages: one had all my DVDs in it and the other held the lone CD I ordered. The CD was shipped second so of course it arrived first. Don't get me wrong; I'm pleased to have it, but it's built the expectation in me that the DVDs would arrive soon after. They have yet to show. It irritates me a little. I'm concerned that my momentum to watch the items will fade if they take too long to arrive. That happens to me a lot.
Back to cleaning.
Caught up on my typing yesterday which is more work than you'd think. I can only sit for so long before I get fidgety or have to shift or something. That normally means a number of 'brief' typing sessions with breaks in-between. The tricky thing is keeping the breaks as breaks and not as distractions that turn into doing something else.
Amazon UK sent my order in two packages: one had all my DVDs in it and the other held the lone CD I ordered. The CD was shipped second so of course it arrived first. Don't get me wrong; I'm pleased to have it, but it's built the expectation in me that the DVDs would arrive soon after. They have yet to show. It irritates me a little. I'm concerned that my momentum to watch the items will fade if they take too long to arrive. That happens to me a lot.
Back to cleaning.
29 December 2008
Just being twitchy, don't mind me
I feel I've had some issues of late being focused. It's not that I haven't been accomplishing things or making progress with projects because I have. I've got a nice chunk of new story sitting in a notebook that's starting to make it's way to typed up. The problem is that I've been working on a number of projects all at once, I continue to consider new projects, and I'm forced to wonder if I'm using my time as well as I could.
A lot of this is just nerves. I know I need to work on earning some money soon and the idea of going some other place on a regular basis in order to do things to earn said money, well, it will take me away from all these projects I'm working on.
Anyway, it'll all work out. I'm working on stuff. For the moment, that's what's important.
A lot of this is just nerves. I know I need to work on earning some money soon and the idea of going some other place on a regular basis in order to do things to earn said money, well, it will take me away from all these projects I'm working on.
Anyway, it'll all work out. I'm working on stuff. For the moment, that's what's important.
28 December 2008
Football
I doubt I've got any Detroit Lions fans reading this but, if for some reason those people yet exist and one is reading this please don't misunderstand me when I say I'm glad the Lions went 0-16 this year.
For one, I'm glad the Lions didn't beat the Packers to go 1-15 and that's solely cause the Packer season was crummy enough and didn't need that stigma attached to it as well.
Mostly I'm glad because 0-16 makes it a spectacular failure. Any team can go 1-15 but to go 0-16 is special, something that will get remembered. I know it's not a good memory to have but at least it's something.
Also it prevents management from looking at a win in the final game of the season and going 'See, we just starting jelling this organization back together. We can't make more changes now.' There's no excuse to not burn things down and start over.
I saw 'burn things down' in a figurative, not literal sense. I know how excitable Detroit can be.
Now, how long before Brett Favre becomes a Minnesota Viking and incurs the wrath of Wisconsin?
For one, I'm glad the Lions didn't beat the Packers to go 1-15 and that's solely cause the Packer season was crummy enough and didn't need that stigma attached to it as well.
Mostly I'm glad because 0-16 makes it a spectacular failure. Any team can go 1-15 but to go 0-16 is special, something that will get remembered. I know it's not a good memory to have but at least it's something.
Also it prevents management from looking at a win in the final game of the season and going 'See, we just starting jelling this organization back together. We can't make more changes now.' There's no excuse to not burn things down and start over.
I saw 'burn things down' in a figurative, not literal sense. I know how excitable Detroit can be.
Now, how long before Brett Favre becomes a Minnesota Viking and incurs the wrath of Wisconsin?
27 December 2008
Yawn
Have had a mild sinus issue this past week and it built to not quite sleeping right for a couple nights. This led to tired and napping throughout the day. Last night I determined that part of the problem was a lack of beer. A couple of those and I slept all sorts of nice.
Still tired though. Need to catch up a bit.
Still tired though. Need to catch up a bit.
26 December 2008
Thanks a lot Jay
Wednesday during the conversation at the comic book store, my buddy Jay recommended a show called 'Snapped'. It just so happened that there was a marathon of the show on yesterday. Once I sampled it, I could not turn away. I left it on the entire day.
The premise is simple really. These are real life stories of women who finally take one step over the line and snap, generally by killing their husband. What I found interesting about the show is that it doesn't always side with the woman involved. If the story isn't cut and dry thanks to the evidence, the story gets told rather evenly. If it's clear the husband was some sort of rat bastard, you tend to feel sympathetic for the wife, even though she went too far. Sometimes the woman's just no good and the show turns on her.
There are shootings, plotted killings, wrenches to the head, poisonings, and I saw an axe murder yesterday. Good grief! You might not want to watch it while you eat either as there were some nasty looking crime scene photos on display.
Of course now I'm convinced that women are out to get me. Thanks a lot Jay.
The premise is simple really. These are real life stories of women who finally take one step over the line and snap, generally by killing their husband. What I found interesting about the show is that it doesn't always side with the woman involved. If the story isn't cut and dry thanks to the evidence, the story gets told rather evenly. If it's clear the husband was some sort of rat bastard, you tend to feel sympathetic for the wife, even though she went too far. Sometimes the woman's just no good and the show turns on her.
There are shootings, plotted killings, wrenches to the head, poisonings, and I saw an axe murder yesterday. Good grief! You might not want to watch it while you eat either as there were some nasty looking crime scene photos on display.
Of course now I'm convinced that women are out to get me. Thanks a lot Jay.
25 December 2008
It's good to have goals and find ways to meet them.
This past weekend I made a remarkable discovery while curled up hiding from the snow: 'Caddyshack' is a wonderful cure for writer's block. I've seen it so many times that it makes for excellent background noise while I work. I've used it three times now to great success. I'm hoping it will last a bit longer at least.
Afterall I am trying to write a book here.
Afterall I am trying to write a book here.
24 December 2008
Review: '24 Hour Party People'
Part of my problem with 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' may be that I watched it a few days after watching '24 Hour Party People'. Both are movies based on real life events. Both are trying to cover decades of time within a two hour window. Both are covering entertainment that I have an interest in. One movie was affecting, drawing me into the movie and the stories it told and one didn't. Since I already said yesterday that 'Confessions...' didn't drag me in, well, the math is pretty simple on this one.
'24 Hour Party People' is the story of Factory Records, a Manchester based company headed by television presenter Tony Wilson. The story follows him despite his insistence that the bands are the important part of the story, that he merely happened to be there. While Factory released albums by a number of different artists, the movie covers the rise and fall of only two: Joy Division (and New Order that spun from Joy Division so technically three I suppose) and the Happy Mondays.
While based on real events, the movie was largely improvised by the cast, which gives the movie more of a documentary type feel, as if this was captured, 'behind the scenes' type footage. The fact that this can lead to details being altered or misremembered by the original participants is addressed within the film in a manner that I found clever and funny at the same time.
See, since Tony Wilson was a television presenter, his character within the film (played by Steve Coogan) also narrates the film to us, as if he was presenting his life on television. He pops in and out of presenter mode as the film progresses and it's always very clear as to what's happening. After a particularly sad moment in his personal history, Tony walks past a man but the camera stays on said individual rather than following Tony. The individual turns to the camera and says something to the effect of 'That's not really what happened.' Narrator Tony explains that this is the real person involved in the scene and goes to point out other cameos of the people who lived this experience including the real Tony Wilson.
Even being pulled out of the reality of the movie like this, the acting is quality enough to make it affecting. When Bad Things happen, I got sad. When Funny Things happened, I smiled. The DVD box touts it as a comedy but that's not really fair to the movie. It's amusing, light hearted when it can be, but it's not really funny as such. It may interest and amaze you how people that could be so bright at times could also be so stupid. Hmm, sounds like I'm talking about myself now. At least that's what my parents and teachers and supervisors have told me in the past.
I must note, in all fairness, that I have a 2007 BBC4 documentary on Factory Records that provides the same information found within the film only for 'real'. I've watched that a few times before seeing the film and that familiarity with the story may have helped my enjoyment of the film somehow. The information in the movie did largely match up with the documentary and seeing that accuracy might have built my appreciation. Really, the movie should be re-released on DVD with that documentary as it is very well done. It's made me want more BBC made entertainment related documentaries so it did it's job as well.
Recommended. The movie is clever enough that I think it will hold the interest of those unfamiliar with the music involved.
'24 Hour Party People' is the story of Factory Records, a Manchester based company headed by television presenter Tony Wilson. The story follows him despite his insistence that the bands are the important part of the story, that he merely happened to be there. While Factory released albums by a number of different artists, the movie covers the rise and fall of only two: Joy Division (and New Order that spun from Joy Division so technically three I suppose) and the Happy Mondays.
While based on real events, the movie was largely improvised by the cast, which gives the movie more of a documentary type feel, as if this was captured, 'behind the scenes' type footage. The fact that this can lead to details being altered or misremembered by the original participants is addressed within the film in a manner that I found clever and funny at the same time.
See, since Tony Wilson was a television presenter, his character within the film (played by Steve Coogan) also narrates the film to us, as if he was presenting his life on television. He pops in and out of presenter mode as the film progresses and it's always very clear as to what's happening. After a particularly sad moment in his personal history, Tony walks past a man but the camera stays on said individual rather than following Tony. The individual turns to the camera and says something to the effect of 'That's not really what happened.' Narrator Tony explains that this is the real person involved in the scene and goes to point out other cameos of the people who lived this experience including the real Tony Wilson.
Even being pulled out of the reality of the movie like this, the acting is quality enough to make it affecting. When Bad Things happen, I got sad. When Funny Things happened, I smiled. The DVD box touts it as a comedy but that's not really fair to the movie. It's amusing, light hearted when it can be, but it's not really funny as such. It may interest and amaze you how people that could be so bright at times could also be so stupid. Hmm, sounds like I'm talking about myself now. At least that's what my parents and teachers and supervisors have told me in the past.
I must note, in all fairness, that I have a 2007 BBC4 documentary on Factory Records that provides the same information found within the film only for 'real'. I've watched that a few times before seeing the film and that familiarity with the story may have helped my enjoyment of the film somehow. The information in the movie did largely match up with the documentary and seeing that accuracy might have built my appreciation. Really, the movie should be re-released on DVD with that documentary as it is very well done. It's made me want more BBC made entertainment related documentaries so it did it's job as well.
Recommended. The movie is clever enough that I think it will hold the interest of those unfamiliar with the music involved.
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