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There was a midnight viewing of The Shining last night (this morning?) at The Lyric theater. I imagined the place would be packed, given the Halloween weekend, but the reality was that maybe 40 people sat in their clusters around the otherwise barren theater. This was a new movie for me and I expected a lot because 1) it is by Kubrick and 2) it is a horror film shot long before the advent of shock-scare tactics. Two really good examples of the movies prior to shock-scare would be The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho (both of which I can actually watch multiple times, contrary to most horror films). These films succeed so completely because they build up suspense without needless violence or nightmare-inducing grotesqueness. Shock-scare is an easy method for frightening an audience because it causes your “primitive” instincts to kick in - a directorial maneuver designed to attack your subconscious levels that you otherwise haven’t exercised enough in your lifetime to have a regimented control over. Shock-scare frequently leads to or encourages nightmares because our typically “civilized” world is practically rid of frightening run-for-your-life-or-die scenarios. And we have air-conditioning. So, you know.

The Shining was truly amazing. Suspense, dread, absolute fear. I really enjoyed that movie. And, perhaps for the first time, I didn’t walk away looking over my shoulder. Maybe because the film revolves around an inward destruction that becomes externalized, rather than a nutcase intent on needless slaughter. If you haven’t seen it, and aren’t keen on scary movies, then I would actually recommend this since it is less likely to stick with you, as modern horror films are wont to do.

I rode just shy of 60 miles this morning in some cold weather. But, on my grocery run tonight I absolutely froze. What happened to autumn? And where are my earmuffs…

In an effort to have The Most Complete and Most Awesome Digital Archive of My DVDs™, I have ripped most of them at an unnecessarily high bitrate, along with discrete, 6-channel audio, if that is an option. I officially would like to thank Western Digital for fulfilling my storage space needs; their cool-running, multiple-platter, 3.5″ drives are coming in handy.

So, with all of this media available to me, and with the lazy afternoons prodding me to explore my past film favorites, I have begun browsing some of these long-lost classics. For instance, my current focus is to push through the Indiana Jones trilogy in the coming week, the first already having been marked off my to-do list.

At the completion of Raiders of the Lost Ark, I noticed a strange scenic similarity to another Lucasfilm production. If I were a betting man, I’d say George Lucas has a certain penchant for Tunisia - as, in fact, Wikipedia would concur.

The plot of Raiders has numerous similarities to The Empire Strikes Back, so much so that certain Harrison Ford dialogues with the lovely ladies could be interchanged without a single audience member discovering the swap. The most interesting part of this is that my Lucasfilm-loving, adolescent self never discovered this. It should be no surprise that my complete incapacity to remember film dialogue was off-duty with my love of Star Wars - a sign the Lucasfilm dialogue could be lacking, so elementary that my feeble memory actually grasped it concretely. But still, I had never uncovered the unsophistication, despite the obviousness.

Anyways. All of this Lucasfilm is taking me back to the days when I wrote the strangest stuff in computer lab in middle school, while everyone else spent time playing Oregon Trail. Not that I missed my chances to lose a family member to typhoid fever. I just was more interested in writing, those days. Anyways.

I don’t watch television, but I will occasionally watch television programming on DVD. The commercialization of regular t.v. is enough for me to have a total distaste for sitting down in front of the tube. Thus, the DVD approach is a bit more reasonable, when I have the time. Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of my favorites but several people had recommended, due to my Curb love, that I check out Arrested Development which no longer airs. In the past week, I have sat through the first 6 episodes of that series and it is amazing. It flows more like a film than a t.v. show; this is partially why it was cancelled - new viewers were unable to catch the humor since it alluded so heavily on past events. The pace of the show is ample and the camera angles give you a personal perspective - eye-level shots and often things get in the way of your view. And many more reasons to love it, of course.

There is a significant chance I will finish the entire three seasons worth of episodes before the semester is out. That’s a lot of not-so-television for me.

Then, then, then there was Pandora which was recommended to me by two very different people over a course of two days. Wow. This is internet radio at its finest, or near finest. KCRW Music is great because you hear the deejays voices on occasion, but the automation of Pandora is brilliant. Currently, I am listening to tunes that have similar “modal arrangements”. Fascinating!

With a stomach full of spinach, thanks to my fellow staff in this residence hall, I will take an easy afternoon with minimal homework to concern myself over. Lazy Sunday.

Were George Lucas directing his fantasy of Star Wars just two decades earlier with a few less capital ventures under his belt, so to speak, he would have been known as Ed Wood. I just finished watching Lucas’ first Star Wars, so full of errors, mistakes, unedited scenes that I can’t help but analogize his efforts to Ed Wood’s neverending array of theatrical flops (some of which I have also seen recently enough to recall details).

Ed Wood didn’t have money; Lucas was able to pull together a meager but ample stream of income for his film, but was by no means doing well. Ed Wood was able to get the assistance of a famous [burnt-out] actor, Bela Lugosi, while Lucas opted for no-names (something Wood also had to pull together throughout his career). Both directors had chimeric epiphanies for gigantic epics. Were Lucas doing his work in the 1950s like Wood, the two directors would be indistinguishable.

Lines like, “Visits? That would indicate visitors!” and “Get in there, you big furry oaf! I don’t care what you smell!” both reek of second-guessing scripting. Times when actors gaze off into the distance while waiting for their respective director to cut the scene flood the films. Neither director had much sense in trying to work out their epic (granted, not many do), apart from the passion to fulfill it. Lucas had the edge on film editing and special effects technology, yes, but his work doesn’t show the expected results to differentiate his movies from Wood’s.

I used to be enamored with Star Wars and there was a time in middle school when I played those VHS tapes weekly (pre-Episodes I, II & III). But after revisiting the film that enraptured me through a tumultuous time in my life, I ask myself if this was the source of my ensuing insanity. Or, at the very least, some of my awkward writing from that time period must have reflected the bent-genius of Lucas as he pursued after something unattainable, yet pursued with an unquenchable fire.

Right now, this realization of my hero-turned-ragamuffin is comical, but it actually makes me want to watch the other films. Things can only get better right? (Just wait until I watch Return of the Jedi again; I may cry in shame).

I’ve spent the last two days interviewing for a prospective university position that could last me until I graduate. I would be tempted to lie here and say it was for research into something exotic like “human interface positioning systems” or “the environmental effects of general human stupidity” but the position is considerably more lax than that, although the management of which is still significant.

I am applying to be an RA, a resident advisor. After my freshman year, I had applied, but I wasn’t very adamant about the job, and truly just wanted a room to myself. This time, after I’ve dwelled on the idea of being in a position like an RA, I am considerably more adamant about having those responsibilities and roles. When I mentored freshmen engineering students, I gained an appreciation for helping a few people specifically in a small role. While I am teaching at the Math Emporium, I am applying an enjoyment for trying to do what I can to satisfy the minds of many people and put them at ease over insignificant mishaps and faults. All of sudden, I am excited about the potential of being an RA and… well, making sure no one vomits in the halls, keeping peace between volatile roommates, and filing tedious paperwork for the discovery of illegal drugs in the bathrooms.

That was humorous, of course, but I am looking forward to this possible job. My group interview was a smashing success, as well. Were the general crowd of applicants all featuring the same professional caliber of my group, I may be in for a challenge to get a spot. But, all the same, I had a great time meeting a few candidates and talking to higher-ups in the ResLife staff.

The only way to follow up that endeavor was to watch a film of extraordinary genius. Ed Wood is SO good, and there is no reason why I haven’t seen Plan 9 From Outer Space in almost two years now. The history behind the deranged director is hysterical; his genius was so, so self-fulfilling it’s difficult to believe he actually lived among us. Watch Ed Wood when you get a chance. Please.

It was the day before Christmas, then Eve, now - though, it is early morning, yet all the same - it is Christmas. Before I get rolling… Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I wish you all the best and hope there is excitement and memorable treasure in whatever form is best.

I’m simultaneously indulging in two Christmas wishes. One is the Trilok Gurtu & Robert Miles album that I have been coveting for almost two years now. I first heard of Miles_Gurtu from a free iTMS track in early 2004. I sought out and purchased a few of the other tracks from that album and have been hooked. There seem to be no end to the appropriate applications of this music for me. My typical music categorization works by either mood or weather or daily activities - hyper moods get exciting music (maybe house or dance); my mellow moods found when walking about Blacksburg get softer tunes (usually ambient or easy electronic); and etc.). Miles_Gurtu, or what I had bought prior, was played on my iPod without any second thought or hesitance towards sticking to my usual patterns. There are few albums I’ve desired so much to actually own a copy of rather than just buy the iTMS tracks. New age jazz sounds sooo good.

The other Christmas indulgence is the food. But (shh!), be quiet about that one. Santa might be bumbling around the neighborhood and if he sees I’m sneaking treats, there’ll be some trouble.

Far, far and most unrelated from previous prattle, I used the great commendations of Rianna and Jeremiah to go see Narnia. They said it wasn’t a kids movie and that I should expect good things. Well, I went with my sister and brother-in-law today, and I expected very good things, particularly good due to the source of the recommendation. However, despite Ri & J’s appreciation, and the fervent admiration witnessed in this SNL skit, I did not really enjoy the film. Yes, I’ll admit part of it had to do with my expectations which can sometimes be flawed or too expectant, but I was shocked at how kid-tailored this film was. And, granted, that this is a C.S. Lewis adaptation and the novel itself isn’t very enthralling for me, I was still hoping for more. Was wishing for more, frankly. I just didn’t get the Chronic from The Chronicles of Narnia. I will concede, as was reinforced by my brother-in-law, the computer graphics were far from an interference in the fluency of the film - some films overdo that feature and some don’t bother enough to really implement it well enough; Narnia does a stand-up job with the CGI and I must applaud the work and results.

But don’t mind my humbug. We are in the holidays! And again, I wish you the best. Do take care. Eat something sweet for me, right!