December 2009

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Sherlock Holmes and the Conflicted Reviewer

December 29, 2009 in Books, Movies, TV by faltarego | 1 comment

When I first heard that Robert Downey, Jr. was going to be playing Sherlock Holmes, I was seriously conflicted. I mean, this is Sherlock Holmes we're talking about here, a much-loved, much-interpreted character firmly embedded in our collective literary consciousness. Is the recent Tony Stark really the right choice for a resurrection of this classic character?

But on the other hand, this is Robert Downey we're talking about here. One of the great actors of our time. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but I mean that in all sincerity. The man has serious chops. I'd watch him as a Teletubby.

Well, I've just come home from watching the movie, and it's the damnedest thing. I'm still conflicted.

I really don't know what to make of this movie. It was a spectacle, for sure, and it looked gorgeous, and Downey was fabulous, and Jude Law was fabulous, and there were lots of funny lines and lots of action and lots of brainy deduction going on.

But it all felt a bit off for me. There was something about the whole thing that just didn't ring true. It was all a bit… um… artificial, I guess, is the word I'm looking for.

One of my friends on Twitter posted a less-than-140-character review of Sherlock Holmes a couple of days ago, saying that the film tried too hard. I think that's a good and apt summation. I'll expand on that slightly by saying that this was a film that was entirely too stylish and clever for its own good. Read the rest of this entry »

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Green World? Or Just Mondegreen?

December 15, 2009 in General, Humor, Internet, Music by faltarego | 2 comments

I've been thinking a lot about mondegreens lately. It happens every few months or so. I get a few of them stuck in my head, and then I go off to Google to search for more.

Don't know what a mondegreen is? Well, friend, let me fill you in:

A mondegreen is a lyric or phrase that has been misheard. Misheard lyrics are the most prevalent examples, but I often derive great pleasure from realizing that I misheard something that someone said. It usually only takes a fraction of a second for my brain to correct the error, but in that fraction of a second… tremendous potential for hilarity. Read the rest of this entry »

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Peace for Christmas? … Maybe?

December 11, 2009 in General, Mind, Technology by faltarego | No comments

Okay, so I'm really into Christmas this year. Like, crazily, goofily, wackily into it. I put the tree up before November was over (yes, it's artificial) and put lighted garlands around a couple of the doorways probably a week later. The ornaments have been finding their way onto the tree (and other parts of the abode) in dribs and drabs over the last couple of weeks.

I've even got a lot of my shopping done. This is uncharacteristic of me.

And oh, yeah. I, um, also decorated the blog. Like I said, goofy, wacky…

As the song says, "We need a little Christmas…"

2009 has been, not to put too fine a point on it, The International Year of Crap. Stress, disease, death, and bad news have appeared at every turn. Yes, I exaggerate. Yes, I do it on purpose because… hello… that's what it felt like.

So, Christmas is incredibly important to me this year. I'm going to make the most of the season and basically enjoy the hell out of it. Read the rest of this entry »

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Keeping It Real

December 9, 2009 in Blogging, Mind, Writing by faltarego | No comments

So what's the deal with me anyway?

I embarked on this blogging thing back in August with guns blazing and pedal squashed to the metal. I wrote a blog entry every day for seven weeks without so much as a hiccup (a couple of cheats, but no hiccups). I was on a roll, baby. I was smokin'. I was in the zone. I was—

You get the idea.

And I was professional about the whole thing. I wrote movie reviews, music reviews, book reviews, superhero reviews, and the occasional thoughtful or humorous blurt.

Life was good.

Or was it? Read the rest of this entry »

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Is There a Doctor in the House?

December 8, 2009 in Science Fiction, TV by faltarego | No comments

I just finished watching "Planet of the Dead", the fourth-to-last episode of Doctor Who featuring David Tennant. Or the third-to-last story, if you prefer, since the last two episodes will make up a two-part story. I'm actually glad that I don't get to see them as they're aired, because if I did, I'd have seen this one months ago, and I would have seen the next one last month, and I'd be that much closer to grieving, because I absolutely adore David Tennant and think he made a smashing Doctor.

But, for the moment, I have three episodes (two stories) remaining to watch, and I'm in no hurry to gobble them down. I don't want this ride to be finished just yet, thank you very much.

I knew very little about Doctor Who until the Space Channel started airing the really early episodes about eleven or twelve years ago. Because I had heard a lot about the show from someone who was a very enthusiastic fan, I was intrigued and more than happy to sit down and watch the black-and-white adventures of William Hartnell as the First Doctor. It was cheesy, it was campy, and it was often lame, but it was great fun, and, while I didn't exactly get addicted, I certainly kept watching. Read the rest of this entry »

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Hmmm… Now, That Strikes a Chord…

December 7, 2009 in Internet, Movies, Music, TV by faltarego | No comments

I've recently begun playing my guitar again. I can't play for long periods of time yet, because my chording hand is still rebuilding the calluses on its fingertips, but it feels good to get back to it. It's actually quite relaxing to strum or pick away at a familiar song or just noodle around with fingerings and rhythms.

While I'm no virtuoso, I can play a few songs reasonably well and entertain myself for a while. I have a few music books and pieces of sheet music, but I also find chords for popular songs on the internet. There's a wealth of resources out there for budding guitarists, and I've delved into quite a few of them.

Every once in a while, I'll be trying out a chord pattern or sequence, and it will remind me of something I've heard before. The other day, a couple of chords I played brought to mind the song "'39" by Queen. It's a great song with a lot of acoustic guitar in it, so of course I immediately set out to find the chords for it.

And find them I did. Read the rest of this entry »

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Life Lessons from the World of Sport

December 6, 2009 in Humor by faltarego | No comments

I caught a bit of figure skating on television today. You know, it's a lovely sport to watch, even though I'm dead uneducated about it. I can't tell the difference between a triple axel and a triple scoop of rocky road, but it's still quite exhilirating to see these lean, athletic people flinging themselves across the ice at breakneck speeds without, well, breaking their necks.

The costumes can be quite beautiful, and the music is usually dramatic and sweeping, and the commentary… well, never mind the commentary. I don't know how these analysts can tell what kind of jump the skater just did, let alone whether or not it was a good one. Even in the slow motion replay, I just shake my head and say, "Yeah, well, it looked good to me." Unless they fall on their arses, I can't really see the mistakes.

But then, that's why I'm not a figure skating commentator and they are.

But, you know, as beautiful as it all was to see, I found myself wondering at various points throughout the proceedings, "Are these really useful life skills I'm seeing here?" Read the rest of this entry »

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