QUOTE OF THE DAY : "It's one of life's great tragedies that the permanent brand of your own stupidity ends up on the backs of the people you love the most." -JJ

SONG OF THE DAY : The Roots : Quills

LINK OF THE DAY : Funny site that let's you sub-title Bollywood movies.

Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,
That I, the son of a dear father murder'd,
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,
And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,
A scullion!



Did you know that Aqua Man in Spanish is El Hombre Del Agua ? I like random facts like that.

I've added a song of the day thingy to my post, and will do so hence forth. Friend of mine introduced me to The Roots, they have some quality stuff, they bridge the gap between hip-pop and underground rap. Check them out.

Religion : Cause of ; and Solution to All of Life's Problems.

I personally, am not a religious person. I am Roman Catholic in name only, I did the whole baptism, first communion thing... but I'm not a devout Christian. Cool guy , that Jesus... he has some good ideas. I have no qualms with JC, it's some of his more zealous followers I have a problem with.

"God, please save me from your followers!" -Bumper Sticker

I don't want to get started on the Christian Right.... I could rant all night about them. I'll just say one thing : Hate disguised with Religion is one of the worst things in this world.

I've looked into other religions, Buddhism and Islam. Buddhism is too pacifist for me, Islam is just a little too rough around the edges. Christianity falls right smack dab in the middle of these two. Take the Crusades for example, War in the name of God.... oh gee that makes it ok. When infact the Crusades were mostly about gold and expansionism.

Zen Buddhism is some cool stuff. All about you. Improving yourself through belief in a fat guy.... it's just the whole karma thing that doesn't float my boat. I'm like Neo... I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life, and I'm a deadpan actor with a shitty band.

And Islam, though intriguing.... is too... how shall I put it... aggressive? I don't know. It's one of those 'our way or the highway' religions. Be like us or we'll Jihad on your ass ! No insult intended, the moderate Muslims far out weigh the Islamists--- The extremists like Al Qaeda, Ansar Al Islam, Hamas etc. Again using religion as a cloak for hatred... a hatred for western civilization ... the US in particular. I do agree with their whole "Down with the USA" attitude though.
Though if the US goes, they're taking all of us with them... so maybe I don't agree hehe.

Haven't really considered Judaism... it's like Christianity Senior. It shares most of the ideas... they just don't accept Jesus as the messiah that Christians do. Good for them.

Ah Jesus... you died for peoples sins etc.

Don't you love how I summed up the remainder of JC's accomplishments with etc.

I'm just kiddin'... mad props Jesus !

Oh no... I'm stirring up controversy in the words of Looq. Oh no I've offended religious people... sue me.(Please Don't)
So the point of this post, was to say... I have no idea where I stand religiously, and to inadvertantly insult and alienate as many religious groups as possible.

*Wink and the Gun*

-Will





   Thursday, September 25, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : “Watching people meet each other can show you just how you don't have anyone to meet. A lesson less learned but felt, over and over.” - Max Hazen

LINK OF THE DAY : Hamsamich: Gavin's Blog

How all occasions do inform against me,
And spur my dull revenge! What is a man,
If his chief good and market of his time
Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more.



My life is boring right now.

Always the dull repetition of the day: Wake, Shower, Eat, Walk, Sit, Chill, Talk, Play, Watch, Eat, Walk, Work, Walk, Chill, Read, Write, Sleep. Repeat; replace work with karate every other week day, replace work with party/bar-hop/gentlemen's club on Friday and Saturday.

I really need a change of pace, this has been my life for the past year and a half. School is upon me, and I want it now.
It's the life-shift I've been seeking.

I just want to do something, anything is better than the current state of affairs.

My trip to Europe will be another welcome change. New places and faces everyday. New experiences and stories to tell the folks back home with every sun-rise. Yes the times for Will are a changing. For the better, and the good of us all.

Reflecting on my life makes me anxious, excited and sad all at once. Where I've been and where I'm going are far different places I hope.

This was my attempt to be Max-like in my blogging. I'm sure I failed miserably, and it makes me respect your deep ramblings even more my friend.

I must return to my regularly scheduled program.

-Will


   Tuesday, September 23, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "And you will know My name is the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon thee." - Ezekiel 25-17

LINK OF THE DAY : Snaps Blog

I will speak daggers to her, but use none;
My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites;
How in my words soever she be shent,
To give them seals never, my soul, consent!



I was reading another blog on this site... just one I found randomly. The guy was talking about an experience he had at a coffee shop. After buying a coffee he suddenly had the urge to toss the hot coffee in the clerks face. Isn't it odd how sometimes, a sudden irrational, nearly overpowering desire to harm others comes over us ?

I've experienced this feeling before. It must be some sort of instinctive behaviour left over from our hunter/gatherer days. Or are some of us just psychos ?

I don't think I'm psycho, in all the instances that this feeling has come over me... I immediately say to myself...
"Okay... WTF was that?"

I'm sure all of you have experienced something similar to this.

We all seem to think we're rational, civilized beings... but under the surface... just barely under the surface: we're animals.

We're designed to prolong the species at any cost. The savage inside of us will not hesitate in using acts of violence as a means to protect itself and it's interests. You see it in the animal kingdom, a pack animal will feel threatened for whatever reason by another member in it's pack. It will attack, start a fight, for no other reason than to prove itself to others and eliminate a rival. Do these same instinctive behaviours exist in us ? Or has violent media just warped our fragile animal minds ?

Deny it all you want... but why do you think we take a certain pleasure in violence ? Wrestling, Boxing, Racing, Violent movies, violent video games... there are reasons these things give us so much joy. We're violent creatures by nature.

We take joy in the suffering of others, even if it it's just a movie. We are the only species on the planet to do so.

This is by no means an original concept, and I don't claim otherwise... I just wanted to discuss it.
I hope I've provided sufficient intellectual snack food for you to chew on.

Comments are appreciated.

-Will


   Monday, September 22, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Opportunities multiply as they are seized."
- Sun Tzu

LINK OF THE DAY : Hot or Not?

Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.

Where are all the girlies ?
No worries, I'm sure there's gonna be some fine ladies over in Europe.



I'm annoyed with myself. Yesterday some friends and I went to Canada's Wonderland. For those of you who don't know Canada's Wonderland is our countries largest amusement park... and it's a hell of a good one. Anyways the reason I'm pissed at myself is because I threw up. It was ride induced vomit... I've never done that... and never want to do it again.

I'm the kind of guy who loves rides, I've never even had my stomach upset by a ride... and yet yesterday I felt queasy after almost every ride. It may of had something to do with the fact that we went on as many rides as possible in an incredibly short period of time... but what the hell is wrong with me ? As whoever reads this page as my witness... it will never happen again.

And what the fuck is wrong with that Charlie's Angels 2 movie ? McG the director should be shot. I was only able to watch about 5 minutes and then I walked out in disgust. At least I didn't have to pay to get in, I work at the theatre. But people actually paid to see this film. It's amazing, the shit people will subject themselves to.

Good times

-Will

   Sunday, September 21, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!" - Dr. Strangelove seconds before the world is destroyed.

LINK OF THE DAY : The Smoking Gun.

No, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damn'd defeat was made.

Originality : The Lost Art.

Media in general has been going down the toilet for the past decade or so. Sure... there have been some excellent and original films made in the past 15 years... but think of all the schlock that's come out too. Studios are just churning out movies like clockwork, most of which are incredibly bad and unoriginal.

I'm not saying it's easy to turn out original content. It's very hard. There is a statistic somewhere that says there are only 125 basic plots a movie or story can have. That can't make it easy.

What I don't get is why they just keep turning out the unoriginal content. It's obviously just about the money. Logic would say... if it's not original don't make it. But when have logic and capitalism ever gone hand in hand.

Making shitty movies is one thing... but remaking movies is much worse. Especially when you remake a classic and turn out a piece of crap. There are too many examples of this to name... but here's the most recent attempt to remake a classic.

The Manchurian Candidate.



This classic 1962 John Frankenheimer film starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh is considered by many to be one of the top 100 films ever made.

I've seen it, it's a great film. It's about a Korean War veteran Raymond Shaw, who returns from the war a decorated hero, the odd thing is the other members of his platoon can't really remember what he did to win his medals. Several of his platoon mates start having strange nightmares about being captured and brainwashed by the Communists in Korea. This leads them to investigate Raymond's current activities... and a sinister plot begins to unravel.

It was a very controversial film at the time, given the tension between the US and the USSR, and was a very relevent film for the time.

The new film... the remake.... will star Liev Schreiber, Denzel Washington and John Voight, and will be directed by Jonathan Demme. Make no mistake these are all talented people... who have made excellent films in the past. But I say... Why fuck with a good thing ? There is no god damned reason to remake this film other than to make a quick buck on a marketable name.

Of course the idea of remaking this film would have been unthinkable even 5 years ago... it's only happening now because John Frankenheimer and Frank Sinatra happen to be DEAD! They'll be rolling in their graves soon enough.

There have been good remakes... Cape Fear comes to mind. But there have also been many bad remakes. Get Carter, Psycho, Mr. Deeds. The list goes on. It's just a damn shame to see the originals sullied by shitty remakes.

I can't stop Hollywood from remaking movies. All I ask is that they do the originals justice or don't even bother... Don't even consider it if you can't do it justice.

This is almost as bad as when MGM had plans to remake the Seven Samurai. And they still might... which sucks.

Do yourself a favour and check out The Manchurian Candidate, it's a quality film that really gets inside your head. Hope you can handle it though... it's in black and white. I know some people who won't watch black and white movies because they are in black and white. Just FYI it was made this way on purpose, they had color movies in 1962, but this was the way the director wanted the movie to be. Anyways my rage towards B&W haters will have to wait for another post.

It's a disgrace.

-Will   Friday, September 19, 2003

  Just added a new comment thingy. If you are offended by what I say or disagree, please feel free to comment. That's what it's there for.

Anyways this isn't a real post, hence the lack of Quote of the Day and Link of the Day.
But I'll leave you with this: a picture of this hilarious ape.



Vaya Con Dios (Go with God)

-Will   Thursday, September 18, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?"

LINK OF THE DAY : Bushisms: Adventures in Dubya-Speak.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die.

All this political jibba-jabba is tearing us apart ! Can't we all just get along ?

Yes that's right I said jibba-jabba, little shout out to the man... Mr. T.



So I'm finally going to school.
That's right ... I, your humble narrator will be attending college in January. I have to write an English assessment next week and that will be that. hehe I said ass.

It's just an essay. It's just basically to insure that
a) You speak English.
and
b) You're not illiterate and can write a decent essay.

Should be a fairly simple matter. I have to write it in the registrars office because my Europe trip means I will not be present for the formal testing sessions. So once I have that out of the way, I'm in the clear until January. Exactly the way I want it... because my Europe trip will be one of an indefinite nature. I don't know when the hell I'm coming back... I'll just wing it. Could be a month, could be two... I just don't know.

As long as the money lasts I guess.

It should be good times. I'd like to get down to Italy if I can, and to the south of France. Apparently some cousins of mine in the UK have a beautiful house in Southern France... and if they're there... well looks like I'm going to have to visit them hehe.

Yes it will be a great trip.

And now if you'll excuse me... I have a bed to catch.

-Will

   Thursday, September 18, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "I'm a follower of American politics." - George W. Bush

LINK OF THE DAY : Bush or Chimp?

Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once.

Met my Dad for lunch and a beer this afternoon. Had chicken quesadillas and Keith's India Pale Ale. Quality meal, Quality Beer... Those who like it... like it a lot. Again with the media-whore-isms.

After lunch I went up to the Passport office to get... yep you guessed it... My Passport. My ticket to the world.
I'm looking forward to using it for the first time.

In other news,

Siblings are like assholes... most people have 'em and damned if they don't spew a lot of shit. Apologies for the graphic introduction but it had to be said.

Image Removed at Brother's Request.

Meet Evan... my younger, less debonair brother. He's 15 years old... truly a wonderful age... yes that's the ticket.
Make no mistake, I love the kid... but god damn can he be annoying. I'm sure he feels the same way about me... but I don't go out of my way to piss him off.

My brother will do stuff purely out of spite.... if I like something he won't have any part of it based purely on the fact that I like it. It's absolutely fucking retarded. I've tried to explain the logic to him ... or lack thereof; The logic of his teenage angst and apathy towards everything, but of course you can't explain that to a 15 year old.

If you read this Evan... which I doubt you will because you refuse to even look at my blog... this is not meant as an insult... you will undoubtedly see it as one. But it's not... it's just to help make you aware of your own idiosyncracies.
Be my guest and do the same for me.

And don't be pissed that I posted the picture of you. You're in a real classy pose and it's a good picture of you. Thank god you cut off that long goonish hair.

I can't believe people say we look alike though. Some mysteries are better left unsolved I guess.

Guestbook Response

From Max

I wasn't going to write in this, but I'm pissed. Please for the love of god, take back that part about supporting the "WAR ON TERRORISM" You sissy, take a stand. We all know its shit and thats that. Lets just stop thinking about it. Good site will...haha

That's my opinion and I'm sticking by it. Fifty Canadians were killed on 9/11, that's reason enough for me to want to see Osama's head on a pike. 3000 dead... less that 4 hours drive from my house... I'll see those terrorist sons of bitches pay for what they did. And you want me to take it back ? When I say War On Terrorism I mean hunting down Al Qaeda etc... not the more recent Proto-Colonialism the US has ventured into with Iraq.

I have spoken.
Good day to you sir.

-Will


   Wednesday, September 17, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "That's not true... That's impossible...... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRGH !!!" -Luke Skywalker, upon learning Darth Vader is his father.

LINK OF THE DAY : The Happiest Website in the World.

Who can break from the snares of the world
And sit with me among the white clouds?



Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Crazy shit huh ?

Just sitting here listening to Radiohead. Good band. For some reason I used to hate them... Now I see how good they really are and love their stuff. I recommend you check them out if you haven't heard them before.

I'm going to try and avoid the long winded political soliloquies like yesterdays post. Just had to get some of that shit off my chest. If any of my American friends were offended... I'm sorry but I only speak the truth.

Anyways... I figured I would review Gozu, but now I've decided I won't. Well I'll just tell you a bit about it.

It was good, but made absolutely no sense. Very David Lynch'ish. It could only be categorized as a Yakuza/Crime/Horror/Drama/Comedy hehe. It's all over the place. Just so you know Gozu means CowHead in Japanese... And when the titular character shows up... You're not surprised by it at all. You're just like... "Oh... A cow headed guy... What do you know." Hope that gives you an idea of how fucked up the movie is. And that barely scratches the surface. Personally I liked it, thought it was a real mind fuck, and disturbingly hilarious. May not be everyones cup of tea though. Takashi Miike is a crazy guy... To say the least.

Well... I just did exactly what I said I wouldn't... Which was review the movie. Doh.

Meeting my Dad for lunch tomorrow, should be good... We will trade witty anecdotes, and discuss life, school, and the future. It will be good times.

And that as we say... Is that.

-Will



   Tuesday, September 16, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY : "It's better to burn out than to fade away."

LINK OF THE DAY : My Brother's Live Journal

I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing.



Finally feeling better. This god damned upper respiratory infection is on the run. My cough is almost gone, and I feel a hell of a lot better. Only been what... 2 friggin weeks !

I felt like such a jackass going to all these movie premieres at the Film Fest and coughing constantly throughout every movie. Oh well... it wasn't like I could help it. I had a right to be there... regardless of health... well unless I had SARS !

That's one thing that annoys me about Toronto's image. Whenever I speak to people in the US or elsewhere in the world... and I tell them I'm from Toronto. They immediately think of SARS. Admittedly SARS was here in Toronto, people in our fair city died from it. But we weren't dying in the streets... it wasn't running rampant... we weren't wearing masks.

The US media totally exaggerated it... like most things these days it seems. And what the US media does, the world follows. Hence, Toronto was known as the SARS capitol of North America, to be avoided at all costs. People actually thought if you go to Toronto you'll die. This was the perception in the US and the rest of the world.

You think the US reaction to SARS was bad... it's nothing compared to how they react to terrorism. You've all seen how they react. Admittedly with good reason... but they go way overboard with it.

Just what the world needs. The only remaining superpower in the world... scared shitless.

I watched all the 9/11 Second Anniversary stuff the other day. Very interesting, very depressing. The world is a different place. After one special presentation was over on CNN we were told we could buy a copy of this program. Titled : The Day The World Changed.

Bullshit.

3000 people died. Most of them Americans, and about 40 Canadians. An incredible tragedy... that changed my life. This was an unfathomable event in Western society that many deaths at once. Somehow it seems that an American life is valued above all others. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in Africa in the past year. Brutal genocides take place while the world stands idly by. BUT WAIT ! 3000 North Americans were killed... we can't let that stand. Obviously we can't let that stand, and I support the war on terrorism. It's just the notion that my life is somehow worth more than a person Africa's life that bothers me. I support the war on terrorism, I do not however support the Bush Doctrine.

9/11 was the day we got to see what a real American looked like. Please do not interpret this as anti American in any way.

The US is a frightened dog. A pitbull, on steroids, backed into a corner and surrounded. At least this is the perception by them.

September 11th gave them an excuse to extend their interests around the world. Sadly many innocent people have died and will die as a result of this Bush-Doctrine.

The Bush Doctrine gives the US the right to pre-emptively defend their interests around the world. This means that if you're a country the US deems a threat... even if you haven't actually done anything... they can go in and "liberate" your people and oust the leadership.

We've seen it in Afghanistan, Iraq and we'll more likely than not see it again in the future. *COUGH* North Korea.

The world is better off without the Taliban, and without Saddam Hussein. And it will be better off without Kim Jong Il. But what gives the US the right to "liberate" these people ? Well they give themselves the right. Protect American freedom at any cost. If that means hundreds of Iraqi citizens die... so be it.

An example of this will be North Korea. Oh it will happen. Bush's Axis of Evil is down to two nations. Iran and North Korea. I don't think anything will happen with Iran in the near future. But the US is actually considering a military option with North Korea. This is absolutely insane. And I'll tell you why:

1. The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, hence forth known as The DPRK, has one of the largest standing armies in the world. That's all they do over there basically... all the money goes into the military. It is a militarized nation.

2. The DPRK has more than 100,000 troops and massive artillery less than 30 KM's from Seoul South Korea. It's more than likely that if the US attempts a military solution, the DPRK forces will have bombarded and invaded the city of Seoul the capitol of South Korea... causing massive civilian casualties.

3. The US has said it themselves... The DPRK has at least 2 or more nuclear weapons. They also have missiles capable of hitting any city in Japan(A close US ally) and potentially have missles capable of hitting the continental United States.
I don't want to see the smoking crater that used to be Tokyo or Los Angeles. We're talking hundreds of thousands of casualties.

4. The only way to win this kind of war is with tactical nuclear weapons. Tokyo or San Francisco get nuked... and the US ain't going to hesitate to use these things. That happens and the US has violated numerous nuclear weapons treaties it has signed. Other countries like Russia and China see this... what do they think ? Well hey if the US can use tactical nukes so can we. Next thing you know Russia is nuking Checnya, China is nuking Taiwan... India and Pakistan see this... and say well hey everyone else is doing it. That's World War 4* people !

Plus North Korea and China are pals... so you have the potential of the US going to war with China after that. Hmm... 300 million versus 1.5 billion people. Who would you pick to come out on top ?

Wow. how the fuck did this go from a conversation about my lung ailments to World War 4 ? Damn... gotta love my crazy train of thought. I hope this made a little sense to people.

I apologize for the length of the post, but it is a subject that I have thought a great deal about.

Let's ride

-Will

* Recently the general consensus among war historians, intelligence agencies and politicians is that World War 3 has infact already taken place. It was the Cold War. And if you think about it, it's true. Two sides, NATO and the Warsaw Pact in a stale mate for 50 years. The battles of World War 3 were fought through other nations. Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Afghanistan and all over the middle east and South America. Both sides of these conflicts were funded by either the US or USSR. They never actually fought eachother, but rather made other people fight their battles for them.

   Monday, September 15, 2003

  TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW
PART II : UNDERWORLD



An Exercise in Heavy Metal and Vampire/Lycan Love.

Half the fun of a film festival is the experience. The people you meet, and the good times in line.

The other half of the fun are the films.

Underworld is an example of a fun film. Not bad, Not Great. But entertaining none the less.

Len Wiseman's first directorial effort is a success at what it is. A Romeo and Juliet-esqe tale about a war that has been raging between vampires and werewolves for hundreds of years. Best desribed as a mix of Blade 2 and The Matrix, it has all the makings of good summer entertainment.... but wait it's September, seems like it should have been out a few months ago.

Kate Beckinsale does a bang up job as Selene. A vampire death dealer who's obsessed with wiping out the Lycans(werewolves) who killed her family hundreds of years prior. Scott Speedman is decent as the confused human caught in the middle. He spends most of his time writhing around, he's either tied down, being bitten by someone, or chained to something for most of the movie.

Good god though... Shane Brolly who plays Kraven ... is terrible. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but his acting is pretty mediocre in this film. He sticks out like a sore thumb.

The action scenes are pretty good. Very remincent of The Matrix. Lots of slow-mo, jumping and gunplay.... just not done as well as The Matrix.

Overall I thought it was... okay. I'm sure it will do pretty well in theatres.

I would give it a B- , 2 and Half Stars.

God damn ultra-nerds who stayed for the Q&A... ask a fucking relevant question instead of badgering the director about why the vampires had reflections.

Will "RoninKengo" Perkins   Tuesday, September 09, 2003

  TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW
PART I : ZATOICHI



I was so psyched to see this movie, I woke up at 8 AM. It was Saturday and this was an unusual occurance for me.

I was going to see Zatoichi at 2:30 PM at the Elgin Theatre in the heart of downtown Toronto. Yes, it would be a good day.

I arrived at the Elgin at 12:15 PM, and was pleased to discover I was the first person in line. For anyone who was there, I was the fly bastard in the Scarface T-shirt and aviators. Several hours of waiting and some poutine later, they opened the doors.

Though I was first in line I still sprinted down the hallways of the Elgin, afraid some usurper fanboy would rob me of my rightful seat. Thankfully this did not happen, and I wasn't forced to drop kick anyone off the balcony. Front row centre on the balcony, perfect view, truly the best seats in the house.

After a short introduction, and a word from our sponsors the film began.

I don't want to give you a plot synopsis, instead I'll outline some of the reasons you should see this flick.

If you are a fan of Japanese cinema, samurai flicks, the original Zatoichi or Takeshi Kitano ... it is your duty to see this movie. I went to see it with two guys (Craig and Chris) who'd never seen a Kitano film, and little... if any Japanese cinema... and they were floored by the movie.

The action scenes are some of the coolest sword fights EVER put on film. Remember to bring water because your jaw will be on the floor during every fight scene. That's the only way they can be described JAW DROPPING.

The swordplay is lightning fast, bloody as hell and incredible to behold. You really get to see what a sword is capable of in the hands of a master like Zatoichi. Get ready for flying limbs and the sound of steel cutting through flesh and bone. The violence is by no means cartoony; but stylized and brutally realistic. Ah the Japanese and stylized violence... they're so good at it. I found myself disturbed and in awe all at once.

Brilliant action sequencecs aside, this movie will also have you laughing your ass off throughout. The humor is subtle at times, and slapstick at others. Kitano's deadpan wit as Zatoichi is classic. There is also an excellent comedic performance by Taka Gadarukanaru who plays the gambling addicted nephew of Oume.

The plot ain't bad either... dare I say a little Yojimbo/Sanjuro-esque. But hey it's a good example to follow. Rival gangs bossing meak townspeople and farmers around, Two mysterious and incredibly skilled swordsmen find themselves embroiled in the conflict and on opposite sides. With the entire film building up to their climactic duel. This is essentially the plot, but there are many twists and substories that make it more than standard fare. The premise may seem a little formulaic but it's execution is far from it.

With several subplots involving everything from revenge, honor, family and even sexual identity the movie is far from boring. Information about characters is revealed through slick flashbacks that work well with the rest of the film.

Takeshi Kitano is a very gifted director, but you don't need me to tell you that. Many scenes have little or no dialogue and instead the audience is given a simple beat or rhythm that builds into a full fledged score. Kitano's use of sound in this movie is superb.

The farmers pound the field as Zatoichi slowly trundles by, the beat of the farmers pounding continues and adds to the clang of armor and weapons as a group of soldiers marches past.

These rhythms then evolve into music and so on and so forth. It's a very cool effect, and Kitano uses it well in many scenes.

I also must mention the stellar badass that Tadanobu Asano (Who aslo stars with 'Beat' in Taboo, for those of you who didn't see it because you were afraid of gay samurai) plays in this film. The stoic ronin Gennosuke Hattori is a good man who has just had a streak of misfortune. He is a dishonored masterless samurai, with a sick wife and no means to support her. He is forced to do bodyguard work for the local gang. He doesn't want to do it, but if he has to kill a few people to help his wife get better... so be it. A stand out performance by Asano in this film.

A few criticisms though... The CGI used during the fight scenes is amazing for the most part, but there are a few instances where you can really tell it's a fake sword blowing through some hapless bastards chest cavity. Most of the time though the action is too fast to notice these small problems anyways.

As well... the big dance number at the end... went on a little too long I think. But that's just me... I'm not a song and dance guy... so sue me.

A few points of interest: WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD.

One of the Geisha assassins is a man, baby ! If you couldn't tell pretty quickly... well maybe it's time you reevaluate where you stand sexually.

They don't call Pops and Gramps... Pops and Gramps for nothing.

The final confronation between Zatoichi and Gennosuke is lightning fast and Gennosuke gets his ass whooped !

END Spoilers

This movie was so much fun... I highly recommend you catch it if you can.

A+, Two Thumbs Up, Four Stars !

Will "RoninKengo" Perkins   Sunday, September 07, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Advertisements Have Us Chasing Cars And Clothes, Working Jobs We Hate So We Can Buy Shit We Don't Need." -Tyler Durden, FIGHT CLUB

LINK OF THE DAY: DaveZdyrko.com

Nothing Is As Perfect As You Imagine It.

Kind of bummed out right now. I'm really concerned for someone I care deeply about. She shall remain nameless, but I'm sure people know who I'm talking about.

She's got herself into something and she can't get out of it. I've tried to help her, but she's a very headstrong woman... and wants to sort it out herself. I'm just really frustrated by the fact that she won't let me help her. Anyways that's too much for you people to know about my personal life.



Imagine seeing a tractor trailer turn into a 40 foot tall robot ! In live action !

Just read an article about a live action Transformers movie they're planning on making. I believe I'm not the only one that wants to say "HOLY SHIT ! IT'S GONNA BE SWEET!". But on the other hand... if they fuck it up... I'll kill them. Transformers is so engrained in my childhood... that a bad live action version would destroy me.

Again... I am the media whore I swore I would never become. Bah I never took that oath... oh well.

Let's roll out !

-Will

   Thursday, September 04, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY: "A witty saying proves nothing." - Voltaire

LINK OF THE DAY: Max Hazen's Blog

Clambering up the Cold Mountain trail the path goes on and on.

Got my tickets for some of the film festival movies today. Had to be up at 6:45 AM but it will be worth it. Purchased tickets for Zatoichi, Underworld, Gozu, however I was unable to get tickets for Wonderland, due to it being sold out. Oh well.

People are crazy though, we thought we would be early by arriving at the box office at 7 AM, but there were already about 250 people in front of us. Some had been there over night. Crazy fanboys.

The one movie I really want to see at the Film Fest is Zatoichi. It's a samurai flick, about a blind swordsmen. Directed by and Starring 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, it's up for the top prize at the Venice Film Festival... so it has the potential to be very decent. Here are some pics from the movie... a little before and after collage I made.



Anyways, while we were in line to get the tickets this morning my friend Craig and I met these 2 people from Germany. They were in town on vacation, and wanted to see a movie playing at the film fest. I hope the 4 hour wait was worth it for them. They were headed to the Jays - Yankees game tonight... and we had to explain the rules of baseball to them. My explanation probably confused them further... but hey... it was worth a shot.

So we told them about things to do in Toronto, and they told me about things to do in Germany... since I'm going to be there in 3 weeks. Gonna get me some schnitzel and brautwurst.

Ich Bin Ein Berliner !
Erst prufen sie Einen... Peugot !
Nein, sprechen Sie kein Deutsch.

That is the extent of my German. One is a famous saying, one is an ad for Peugot Bicycles, and the other is the most useful phrase of all:
I don't speak German.

Yep I'm screwed.

-Will


   Wednesday, September 03, 2003

  QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte

LINK OF THE DAY:The Bear's Den

Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!



Why did Madonna have to ruin a perfectly good pop princess lesbian stage show ?

Personally I like my version of the MTV VMA opener, a lot better. That took me 45 minutes to do... so you'd better like it. I know I do.

As expected the show opener caused quite a stir, and with good cause. It actually kind of grossed me out though. If it had been what I photoshopped...well the gods would have been smiling on us. But no.... it was a disturbingly muscled 45 year old uber-ho putting her wrinkly lips all over the virgin who can't sing and the incredibly talented slut. It just wasn't called for.

Use your head MTV next time you plan a quasi-lesbian publicity stunt... make sure you get the hot ones to kiss. What the fuck ?!

Oh no... I'm the media whore I promised myself I would never be. MTV's gambit payed off... they have Will Perkins talking about their awards show.
You win this round Viacom !!!

Shake harda' boy !

-Will

   Tuesday, September 02, 2003

  LINK OF THE DAY:The Bear's Den

Show Me POTATO SALAD !!!

Wow. 300 and something hits. People actually read this crap ? I must say I'm impressed. Sorry for the lack up updates, but I've been busy doing nothing.

How can I test this ? Hmmm... someone who I don't know personally ... email me. To prove that people are actually reading this stuff.

I'll update when I get back from work. So in the mean time I give you this:Caught On Tape: Fainting Goats

And with that I bid you adieu.

-Will   Monday, September 01, 2003