Trivia that matter
I got impatient and downloaded a raw of Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace. It looks beautiful, and the story moves briskly along. What that story is, though, I only vaguely understand. Will someone please license this for North America, or, failing that, fansub it?
There are a few screencaps below the fold. Steven has a bunch more here, though my favorite image from the movie is here.
There’s a lot of bluegrass metal around these days. Perhaps that’s not so strange; bluegrass has been called “acoustic shred,” and sometimes that definition fits. Here are a couple of examples, the one above from Finland and the other possibly from somewhere ‘way down south.
And now for a bit of culture. You’ve heard of The Red Shoes? Here’s the red pocketbook. There’s a cow, too.
Before there were sequencers, there were player pianos. The American Fotoplayer also incorporated a forerunner of the drum machine.
There are many more examples here.
(Via the Borderline Boy.)
“101 Dalmatians”
A wealthy woman attempts to do her impoverished school friend Anita a favor by purchasing some of her many dogs and putting them to sensible use. Her generosity is repulsed at every turn, and Anita foolishly and irresponsibly begins acquiring even more animals, none of which are used to make a practical winter coat. Altruism is pointless. So are dogs. A cat is a far more sensible pet. A cat is objectively valuable. —No stars.
“Mary Poppins”
A woman takes a job with a wealthy family without asking for money in exchange for her services. An absurd premise. Later, her employer leaves a lucrative career in banking in order to play a children’s game. —No stars.
There’s more here.
Some years back I read Novala Takemoto’s Shimotsuma Story, published in English as Kamikaze Girls. I wrote about it here. I finally watched the movie based on the book this evening. Some of the humor was overly broad, and there were some gratuitous crudities early on, but overall this movie about a very odd couple was watchable and often very funny. Kyoko Fukuda and Anna Tsuchiya were plausible as Momoko the lolita and Ichiko the yanki. The story was necessarily simplified, but it was generally true to what I remember of the book.
There are more screen captures beneath the fold. Click the pictures to see the details of Momoko’s garb.
I’m slightly relieved that The Interview won’t be coming to theaters near me. ((It’s not really a great concern, though — there aren’t any theaters near me.)) It’s one less failed comedy to avoid. Still, I’m just a wee bit uneasy about possible consequences. I’m not entirely sure that a chubby North Korean with a bad haircut is the ideal guide for western culture, even if his daddy was a wacky Daffy Duck aficionado.
Perhaps I should investigate the early history of Captain America. I did order a copy of Team America for my library, lest that also be withdrawn.
So Green Day is worthy of the Rock and Roll Hall of “Fame” but Johnny Winter (ELP, Yes, Fairport Convention, Roy Buchanan, King Crimson …) is not. Bah.
What do you get in a $450 bottle of wine?
This is breathtaking stuff, incredibly complex on the nose, where it features hints of vanilla, clove, cinnamon, cassis, pepper and asphalt.
Ten years ago Sitemeter was a useful tool for seeing who links to you. Nowadays it’s a liability. A month ago, and again yesterday, sites I regularly visit were hijacked with domain redirects most likely piggybacking on Sitemeter code. If you use Sitemeter, please find an alternative as soon as possible.
Memo to the hijackers: Kirika would like to see you.
Update: The Bayou Renaissance Man recommends StatCounter.
This recently appeared across the street. I suppose it’s preferable to gang symbols, but a blank wall would look better.
A footnote to Kevin Williamson’s recent piece on Wal-Mart and watches:
For reasons that no one can explain, my office is on the Hollywood Reporter‘s mailing list, which recently published an edition all about celebrity watches. Here are a few of the highlights.
What does this mean: “A concentrated blend of horological innovations, the Classique Chronométrie 7727 with its balance fitted on magnetic pivot and operating at a frequency of 10Hz achieves an average rate of -1 to +3 seconds per day”? If that is to say that it might lose a second or gain up to three every day, then my cheapo Timex watch is a better timekeeper than one costing $40,000.
Today it’s Ian McLagan, keyboardist for the Small Faces half a lifetime ago.
Kenji Nakamura‘s Kuuchuu Buranko is finally available to American viewers. If you thought Gatchaman Crowds was trippy, make an appointment to see Dr. Irabu.
Those following Madan no Ou to Vanadis might find a map of its world useful. I found a couple at a wiki devoted to the show. (I tweaked the contrast of the first to improve readability.)
Advice to cartographers: Legibility trumps stylishness. Pseudo-black letter might look pretty on the page, but it’s a pain to interpret. Please stick to plain fonts such as Helvetica or Times Roman.
Thanksgiving is over, and another Christmas season is at our throats. I won’t be going near any shopping center until January. Here’s a token seasonal song that you can sing along with if you’re feeling nostalgic.
If only Hamilton had said: “No citizen of the United States should refrain from grilled trout on Thanksgiving Day.”
