geekent's Buy Nothing Year

Viewed: In theatre
Release Date: June 27, 2008
writer: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas
director: Timur Bekmambetov


The bulk of Hollywood's output from the past decade has been derived from source materials, whether they be novels, TV shows, remakes of (or sequels to) old movies, or comic books. Adapting or updating a story is always a tricky business, because what made the original work a success can't always be duplicated, sometimes it's a bit of right-place/right-time, and sometimes it's the medium in which the story is told. A TV show tells a story differently from a novel which tells a story differently from a comic book which tells a story differently from a movie. In most cases, fans of the source material will invariably like the source material more than the film, because, as necessitated by the medium (and the audience), changes have to be made. Successful translations tend to pare in on what made the original work, and distill that upon the screen. Unsuccessful versions tend to only superficially replicate the source without understanding the heart or message or characters.

In this case, Wanted is a unique beast. A comic book mini-series created by writer Mark Millar and artist J.G. Jones, it was a high-concept "villains win the day" set-up (a rejected pitch, originally intended as an alternate timeline story for DC Comics) (my review of the graphic novel). In the comic, the bad guys rule the world, but there's in-fighting, and the titular character, Wesley Gibson, must fulfill his destiny as the son of the greatest supervillain of all. The movie dispenses with the which very geeky needling of DC archetypes which comprised the bulk of Millar's story and instead turns into a story about a league of assassins, complete with it's own built-from-scratch intricate policies and curious history.

Continue reading "Review: Wanted" »

Posted by graig kent on July 6, 2008 9:06 AM to Cinema and Reviews

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Semi-finals round 2 of Last Comic Standing aired last night, and the "reality show" is a freight train of bullshit. Unlike last week where I was incredibly annoyed by who they didn't pick, this week I'm incredibly annoyed by who they did.

Esther Ku is a cutesy, young, 20-something Korean American girl who plays up her cheekiness to the Nth degree and seems to have someone convinced that she has some sort of talent (maybe for giving BJs to the producers?) Her act is overly-dependent on making painful "observations" about her Korean heritage, which essentially serve as mockery and perpetuation of stereotypes. Talking about her police officer brother she questioned what was so intimidating about someone saying "Ricense and legislation preese"? "Celebrity Guest Panel" Richard Belzer and guy from Sopranos both praised her, even though it was obvious they weren't amused. I'm guessing some sort of producer edict said "we're putting her through, so don't say anything mean". Earlier in the show, Belzer chided a comic (Heath Hyche) whose act had him playing a 1940's Japanese pilot and speaking in Engrish, but said of Esther Ku's same Engrish that it was okay for people to poke fun at their own ethnicity. Sure it is, if there's something more than just perpetuating the same racist cliches for the sake of an easy laugh. There was nothing Esther Ku did that was funny or edgy in discussing her ethnicity, it was, instead, mockery and insulting. (The Japanese pilot bit would have been fine if the "joke" wasn't so plain... "he fry rike Tom Cruise?" bleh).

It's a problem I have with a lot of LCS contestants and comedians in general, people who use their ethnicity as a crutch. We're not talking Dave Chappelle or Chris Rock or Margaret Cho here, people who are able to discuss their race intelligently and insightfully without resorting to denigrating their people. Those are people who can use cliches against the audience to provoke humour, as opposed to Esther Ku who says, in essence, "I'm not white, isn't that funny?"

Oh and Esther Ku also makes fun of fat people (with lame jokes like, "Guys always wanna buy me dinner. Do I look hungry? I have a friend who's heavy, and nobody wants to buy her dinner. She looks like she's already full.") How does that work Belzer, can you make fun of fat people if you're not fat?

Then there's Papa CJ, a comic from India who doesn't denigrate his country or his people, but he spurts out joke after joke that reference the most basic elements of Indian culture, or at least what Americans know of it (large population, belief in reincarnation, call centers). Indian-Canadian comics like Russell Peters and Shaun Majumder have something to say about themselves, about their upbringing, about their heritage... Papa CJ is trying to tell jokes that have nothing to do with himself, they're just jokes, and poor ones at that. Now, Papa CJ doesn't come from a culture where there are a lot (any) of stand-up comedians, so respect to him for giving it a go, but he's hardly pioneering anything. Watch some Richard Pryor or George Carlin (RIP both) and take notes.

Continue reading "Last Content Standing" »

Posted by graig kent on July 4, 2008 3:37 PM to Tele

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Viewed: In theatre
Release Date: June 27, 2008
writer: Andrew Stanton
director: Andrew Stanton

WALL-E is not a flawless film. There are gaps and/or leaps in logic that, if focussed upon, could hinder one's complete enjoyment of the film. Don't let it, because by and large, the latest Pixar film is an absolute wonder, a marvel of digital animation and a deceptively complex sci-fi fable. Sure, superficially WALL-E is a kid's movie, but it contains undercurrents that will resonate more with an adult audience. The marvelous thing about the film, though, is it's absolutely entertaining without putting any thought into it beyond the surface story, but if you do, if you look deeply at the various concepts and ideas that the creative team have strewn throughout, there's a commentary, perhaps a warning, about how human society is advancing (or in some respects, regressing).

The opening shot of WALL-E descends through smoggy clouds upon a metropolis filled with skyscrapers. The closer we get, we realize that not all of these buildings are what they seem, but rather hundred-storey tall piles of compacted garbage cubes, intricately and impossibly stacked like futuristic pyramids. As the camera descends amidst the surface of the city, it's utterly devoid of life (fauna or flora), and is virtually colourless, hues of steel grey, dirty umber, tarnished silver and red rust coating the landscape comprised mostly of garbage. The camera's passage through the city tells a story, as every billboard, every building is branded with the only colour in the city, a large logo sporting "BNL" or "Buy And Large". The billboards tell part of the story, noting that humanity need not worry about the garbage, just leave the earth on BNL's luxury space liners, and BNL's WALL-E units will take care of the trash in the meantime. It's obvious that whatever the plan was went awry some time ago, as those robots are now themselves garbage littering the cityscape. Eventually the camera settles on the only movement, a lone cube-shaped robot, the titular droid, and his pet cockroach. We watch as WALL-E performs his duty, collecting garbage, putting it into his belly and compressing it, spitting out a perfectly shaped cube which he stacks on a building.

For the first 10 minutes we bear witness to WALL-E's solitary life, as he performs his duty during the day, races home (the back end of a maintenance truck) to avoid dust storms at night, feeds his pet cockroach (BNL-branded Twinkie-like substances, not so improbably still good 700 years later), adds to his various collection of Zippo lighters and other curiosities, and watches with fascination a tape (channeled through an iPod, viewed through a magnifying glass) of Hello Dolly (marveling at the dance numbers and the romantic plot). WALL-E passes his days, until a massive spaceship descends upon the city, dropping off an egg-shaped, Apple-influence robot before departing again. Perhaps it's the new robot's sleek design or his own loneliness but the little droid falls hopelessly in love. Though the egg-shape seems to dismiss him, instead focussing on her directive, but WALL-E eventually befriends her, learning her name (EVE) and showing her his home, his favourite film and his collection. But when he shows her the small green plant he found, EVE returns back into directive mode and calls for pick-up.

Continue reading "Review: WALL-E" »

Posted by graig kent on June 30, 2008 4:14 PM to Cinema and Reviews

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I got a lot of stuff in June... I also paid down my debt to within an inch of it's life. I will slay that dragon in July, once and for all. I got another lung inflammation which are becoming problematic for me and my physique. I drank a lot in june... making some wikkid sangria (3:1 wine, 1:1 fresh squeezed OJ, 1:1 triple sec, 1:1 ginger ale + chopped up fruity bits (apple and grapes and strawberries)). Oh June, so good and so bad.

Continue reading "Aquisitions - June" »

Posted by graig kent on June 30, 2008 2:21 PM to Acquisitions

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I have a schedule for this blog, going as such: Monday is TV day, Tuesday music, Thursdays are for movies and Fridays are for comics (all other days are freebies to post about whatever). I came up with this "schedule" about 2 months back and from the moment I did, I didn't adhere to it. I burned out. I'm still burnt out. It doesn't mean I don't have anything to say, just that I'm too tired to say it. This blog is supposed to be about consuming, whether it's reviewing things I've just consumed, reevaluating the things I've previously consumed, talking about how I came to be such a big consumer, discussing my hypothetical lack of consumption, or just geeking out about consumables... well, I've not been doing a very good job of sticking to theme, primarily because I haven't been writing a lot at all. The shift from personal blog to topic-focussed means I don't get to blog all the curious and wonderful little thoughts that come to mind each day (most of them in the shower or on the toilet where it's hard to blog anyway, mind you), and yet I like the idea of a focussed blog. I just wish I had the energy to devote to it that I once did. Life certainly has changed... not for the worse, mind, just priorities are far different today than they once were.

Anyway, today is "Comics Friday", but since I spend a lot of time during the week administering Rack Raids (where right now you can read about Starman-writer James Robinson's return to comics on Superman or Grant Morrison's latest, Final Crisis #2 or any of my 300 hundred other comic book reviews from the past two years) I figured I'd talk about the *other* comics, you know the stand-up kind.

Yes, I just did a Last Comic Standing write-up on Monday, but the first semi-final showdown aired last night, and there were, to my surprise, some very, very good performances. Even more surprising was the format of the showcase. Essentially, 16 comics performing about 3 minutes of material each before 1000-seat theatre in Las Vegas before some guy from the Sopranos and Richard ("Detective Munch") Belzer as "celebrity judges".

As I noted on Monday, the purpose of the "Celebrity Judge" is for show, as the real decisions are no doubt made by the producers, and producers, if you've ever read any stories about them (in general), are notoriously out of touch with what's actually quality, much more concerned about money and returns. (from wikipedia: "It was revealed that a panel of four producers were also casting votes in the process, assuring that unless all four celebrity judges cast the exact same ten votes, their voting power could be usurped by the four unanimously agreeing producers.... It was also revealed that some of the finalists who advanced were clients of the producers or directors of the show.") On the casting process of the show: it appears that (and I've been told this about a lot of "reality TV shows" from Next Top Model to the current How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?) that certain contestants are encouraged to try out for the show, with the near guarantee that they'll make it on the show. "Anyone can line up and be seen by producers, but top agents were given a number of spots to give out to clients who got a specific call time."

Continue reading "Comics Friday" »

Posted by graig kent on June 27, 2008 2:37 PM to Tele and This Site

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Viewed: In theatre
Release Date: June 20, 2008
writer: Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember
director: Peter Segal


The Sunday prior to this film's theatrical release I spent about a half hour slouched on the couch, remote in hand, with my carpal-tunnel-inflamed thumb hovering over the "recall" button (you know, the one that takes you back to the previous channel you were on?). On AMC (acronym for "American Movie Classics", a station name which is only 2/3rds correct) was the year 2000 production The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, while simultaneously over on Showcase (a channel once known for it's artful and refined sense of international and independent movie selections) was the 2005 cinematic version of The Dukes of Hazzard. While my sense of good taste and comfort wouldn't let me watch either for any prolonged period of time, my sense of curiosity and fascination with the horrid had me flipping between the two films every two minutes or so.

I loved the original programs both films were based on when I was a kid, and the first thing a television-to-film adaptation will play upon is nostalgia. Of course it does, why wouldn't it. There's almost no other reason to be watching it, am I right? That is unless you're a bit of a masochist or genuinely intrigued by whatever the marketing department might have sold the film on (that wasn't nostalgia). Dukes, from what I saw, played out near exactly like an extended, big-budget version of the TV show (and the TV show was pretty horrendous). Rocky and Bullwinkle was a bizarre Roger-Rabbiting mash of animation and real world storytelling... about on the level of other such kiddie adaptations like Scoobie-Doo, Inspector Gadget and Underdog (I suppose, I like apparently everyone else on the continent, never saw the latter), which is to say not very good at all.

Continue reading "Review: Get Smart" »

Posted by graig kent on June 27, 2008 10:54 AM to Cinema and Reviews

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With Lost on it's 8-month hiatus (and the NHL two months away from another season), I have no regularly scheduled TV to watch, except that I'm kind of watching Last Comic Standing. I've watched this show irregularly since its inception about six years ago, because, well, I love stand-up comedy (correction, I love good stand-up comedy). However, LCS isn't so much stand-up comedy as it is a reality TV show, since it's more interested, at least in the onset with showing drama and American Idol-style scenarios of hopefulness and heartbreak rather than the goods of the plentiful comedians who bother to show up to these things. And no doubt about it, most stand up comics who don't already have an HBO or MTV show or some recurring role on a Fox or CBS sitcom will be standing in line to audition, because stand up comedians earn shit for a living. Only the most successful of stand-ups (RIP George Carlin) will actually see the fame that they seek, and most not by way of their stand-up... there will be more than a few who succumb to their dark place first (Richard Jeni, Mitch Hedburg, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks). So it's no surprise that stand-ups will reduce themselves, like regular attention-seeking gutterfolk (like me), to the sordid world of "reality" TV.

I don't blame a single comedian for jumping at the chance to achieve (compared to their current status) the massive exposure that LCS provides. Moreover, the truly good comics deserve a shot at more prominent notoriety, and not for being the sidekick on a "chubby guy-hot wife" sitcom. Although the reward from winning Last Comic Standing has diminished since the first season (where the winner got a first-look, pricey television deal as well a stand-up comedy special) so too has the hoops the show makes the cast degradingly jump through (the first season wound up big-brother style with the comics having to perform stupid tasks and embarrass themselves on TV stirring up drama with one another). This season and last, it's more focussed on material and performing, although I'm not sure if they've eliminated the inane tasks altogether.

They've begun casting the show internationally, last year actually going to different cities in the world, this year cheaply hosting an international try-out in Miami, but also heading to Canada to check out the talent there. Last year they turned up in Montreal, where I noticed a lot of the Toronto scene had descended. Familiar with a lot of the comedians I knew who would work and who wouldn't work for the American show almost immediately, and was generally pleased with their picks last year (Deborah DiGiovanni was absolutely my top pick and cudos to her for making it deep into the final rounds). They did however, through editing, make more than a few really talented comics look foolish (crickets anyone), which is the tragic part of the show.

I missed this years showcase in Toronto, but I see that Sean Cullen - a personal favourite since his classic Corky and the Juice Pigs days back in the early '90's - has made it through to the semis. Sean is a storm of funny, and probably the biggest talent that show has ever had on it. Sean has appeared on Mad TV, the Americanized version of Fawlty Towers (with John Larroquette), has had his own CBC radio show for many years now, has had his own six-episode CBC TV series, and more than a few gut-bursting Comedy specials on CTV/Comedy Network (not to mention a starring role in the Toronto casting of The Producers, and other stage work locally). He is a force to be reckoned with, he can improvise like no one else and his sense of surreal and bizarre are often unparalleled. Will he win Last Comic Standing. I don't see how he can't. But then again, he's not a fat black man or a redneck, so I don't know if the common American audience will connect with him. Doesn't matter though, if he keeps his cerebral A-game up, he's going to land himself some crazy production deal on Showtime or something.

The thing that annoys me about the selection process on LCS is the obvious intervention of the producers. I think that all the semi-finalists should be decided by the crowd in the clubs where they perform. Unfortunately, the producers select the finalists (not the two celebrity judges that are trophied in the room) and they do so based on "demographic appeal" or "quirkiness" rather than talent. The inexperienced cute Asian girl from New York... well, she got picked because she's a cute Asian girl. That tattooed comic book geek version of Rich Little... he got picked because he does really good impressions, even though he's absolutely not funny. That weird British guy they chose in Miami... totally not funny, just very weird, and British, and not in a good way. About 1/2 the picks for finalists the producers were obviously looking for "interesting" and not "talented". As an aware viewer it's maddening.

I'm looking forward to actually seeing some full sets from the finalists, even though the bulk of them are mass-audience pap-comedy producers whose angles and punchlines you can see a mile off.... but I do like the surprises. Plus I want to see Sean KILL. Fingers crossed for that (he certainly has most of them at a disadvantage)... oh and cudos also for choosing God's Pottery. I don't think enough people will get the joke, but they're great. Also... very disappointed to see Bill Bellamy back. With all the talented comedians in need of work out there (even former contestants), why him?

Anyway... in Canada, more specifically Toronto, if you need some quick cash you audition for Video On Trial, a show on much music which scams the VH1 Best Week Ever formula of having comedians riff on news stories, and has comedians poke fun at music videos. It sounds cheap and easy, and it is, but it's sometimes deliriously entertaining. This past weekend they took on teen sensations, including a classic Menudo video, and I cried. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time. Of course I was a bit tipsy and over-tired but nevertheless, hysterical stuff. Always worth watching when there's nothing worth watching.

Posted by graig kent on June 23, 2008 5:28 PM to Tele

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Titles: Marvel Boy tpb; JLA: Earth 2 HC; Seaguy #1 - 3; JLA #1 - 44; Fantastic Four: 1, 2 ,3 ,4
Source (purchased/given/borrowed/the wife's):all purchased, except Earth 2 which is the wife's.
Date Purchased: 1995 - 2003
Previous Reviews:
JLA 17 - 18 - extra nerdy review

Thoughts/Memories/ Remembrances: Grant Morrison brings something fresh to the table every time. The man is certifiable, but certifiably ingenious much of the time. Unlike some writers who love and embrace comic book history and nostalgia (Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek, James Robinson), Morrison is able to take his fondness for a character, a story, a team, a book, a universe and distill it down precisely to the bare core of existence and then rebuild them for a modern age, rather than just perpetuate or refine. His non-superhero work, like the Invisibles, the Filth, We3, The Mystery Play etc. show him to be utterly inspired in his ability to weave complicated narratives while also imbuing a natural sense of excitement and kinetic action. But it's in his superhero work, from Animal Man starting back in 1987 through to his Batman work today that he really cuts loose, strangely enough. In the culture of corporate entities where the overlords are watching their properties and investments very closely, Morrison has earned their trust and is able to play with their toys as he sees fit... because they know that if he breaks them, he's going to fix them so that they're better than they ever have been.

Marvel Boy was the first breakout Morrison book for me, the one where I fell completely under his sway. I hadn't been reading Marvel comics for years, and his was one of the first that brought me back into the fold (the other was Busiek's Marvels). Though my younger mind didn't quite grasp everything that Morrison was doing (my thoughts were more concerned with how the book fit in with Marvel continuity) but in a post-Matrix world where it became evident that movies could deliver pretty much everything a comic book could, it was Morrison who was able to match and top it in a comic that didn't play with Marvels' toys, so much as make radical copies of them for his own amusement. It's still a high point for me in his very distinguished careers.

Morrison was given the reins to the Justice League for a few years, and his initial impulse was to construct the team from DC's big players. It was such a logical approach that you had to wonder why it had never been done before. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman, all in the same pages, DC's most recognizable and most powerful characters. If there's a team that supposed to defend the Earth, they should be on it. When Morrison first approached the book I kind of balked at his idea. I was a fan of the Giffen era of Justice League, a comedy-action book where the team was comprised of basically no-hitters that functioned like a dysfunctional family more than a super-team. The Justice League to me was not the big guns, each who had a title or two (or five) to their name, but characters who couldn't hold their own book but form a strong title together. I did eventually (after 5 issues with thunderous praise) climb aboard the JLA bandwagon, but it didn't resonate with me as strongly as others of Morrison's work. I was too entrenched in the DCUniverse at the time and the first four issues of the series in trade didn't make me a fan, because Morrison went too big, but also too narrow. I'm not fond of storylines that impact the planet as a whole, but that's where Morrison repeatedly went, in his first JLA story and his last. They're incredible stories, absolutely massive in scope, and I think I had a hard time wrapping my head around them then.


After JLA, over at Marvel, he was handed the keys to the X-Men, giving an intense, exotic and mind-blowing run that was pretty much counteracted once he left. Off to the side, he produced a small story about the Fantastic Four, and for once his typical sense of characterization felt... off. Perhaps it's because I don't care about the Fantastic Four very much, but I found 1, 2, 3, 4, frankly, boring when I first read it. Morrison abandoned his usual knack for paring back and rebuilding characters and instead chose to examine them as flawed individuals, using their most prominent enemies to expose their greatest weaknesses Channeling Reed Richards, Morrison's usual big, out-of-the-box action was sidestepped for more character-centric story and a cerebral confrontation, which was unexpected and atypical.

Marvel Boy was intended to be the first of a trilogy that's been left sadly unfinished. Sea Guy on the other hand, is a trilogy that looked like it was going to remain incomplete, but the second mini-series was recently announced. Sea Guy is set in a universe of Morrison's own imagination, where all the superheroes died saving the Earth and society now exists in an uncommon tranquility where the bizarre is commonplace and there's no need for heroes. Sea Guy wants to be a superhero and searches out adventure and action, but is completely incapable of handling it when he finds it. As Morrison has said of him, he's as much a superhero as you would be if you put on a wetsuit. I found Sea Guy confusing upon first read, but so incredibly stimulating, a magic within that can only come from someone channeling pure imagination.

Continue reading "Re-Review: A Grant Morrison Quintet" »

Posted by graig kent on June 20, 2008 4:10 PM to Comics and Floppies and Graphic Novels and ReReviews

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Oh, remember how I was on a certain "food boycott", or "moratorium"? Yeah, I'm not sure there's anything on there that I haven't broken in the past months:

- Pop aka Soda aka Coke: compared to some people I know (compared to some people that live in my basement) I don't drink a lot of pop... however... ginger ale has become a staple in my liquid intake... (see immediately below)
- Booze aka Alcohol (excluded wine): well, I've certainly been drinking wine, but I'm also back on the drink again, taking much pleasure in the mixing of libations. Rye and ginger ale is a perennial favourite, as is Cran-Grape and Vodka (I've had my first taste of potato vodka and I loves it), and of course Gin and (apple) juice (especially the good Tropicana fresh-pressed apple juice...yum). Oh, and chocolate martinis (equal parts vodka and creme de cacao on ice), served with a nice herbed havarti or smooth goat cheese. Yum. I don't drink a lot, or often, but I do so like it
- Potato Chips (also includes nachos, tortilla chips and corn chips): there was a period there where I just said "fuck it" and gorged myself silly. I've stopped that (for) now.
- French fries (mainly forcing me into the salad route): I have had french fries maybe 3 times in the past 3 months, but only a few at a time. I still always choose the salad option.
- Chocolate: I dipped into the little guy's Easter chocolates a few times, but each time I find it quite unsatisfying. I did also buy a Bounty bar a while back to curb some cravings but overall, I'm good at staying away (primarily because I quite object to paying over a dollar for a chocolate bar).
- Hamburgers (because I've been having terrible indigestion with them lately): oh... oh, it's been a bad, bad time of late. I had a hamburger a few weeks ago, and I had really strange dreams that night. I've also eaten hamburgers every day this week for the past four days (had a big father's day BBQ at the in-laws and we were sent home with too many leftovers). I'm now officially off burgers for another, let's say, six months.
- Fast food (the bad ones... Pizza and subs and Mediterranean is okay): still avoiding the fast food joints like the plague. The wife pulls me into a Harveys from time to time, and it's not a beautiful thing, let me tell you (I usually choose chicken or veggie burger... money not well spent)
- Mayonnaise: apparently Miracle Whip isn't mayonnaise. I have had a couple of sandwiches at restaurants come with mayo, but I've not personally requested or added Mayo to anything
- salad dressing: I've nipped into some oil and vinegar SD on occasion, and some restaurants serve their salad with house dressing even if you ask for "no dressing". For the most part, salad consumption is way, way up, and generally dressing free.
- candy covered nuts: (a strange item for the list, but yeah, I've avoided them) - anything with trans fat: what? Cheese has trans fat? NoooooooOOOOOOOooo! I still eat cheese. Anything else with trans fat, though, out of the diet as much as humanly possible.
- donuts: I was doing so good, that is until we went to SilverCity Yorkdale, the only movie theater with a Tim Hortons in it that I've been to (and they don't hyper-inflate their prices...crazy!). The craving overtook me and I had some. Then Kevin and Nat brought a couple boxes of donuts over for my birthday (evil) and left them behind (evil). I'm off donuts again. I gained a lot of weight on my birthday week. Yowza.
- Cinnabons (but not all cinnamon buns): we bought some incredibly trashy raspberry filled danishes off the discount cart at the grocery store at the end of May (I told you, I ate like crap then). Not cinnabons, but nasty, tasty stuff.
- chicken wings from Pizza Pizza: actually quite easy to avoid those travesties of cuisine
- onion rings: I've had a few, mostly from Aden/my Harvey's visits.
- packaged cookies: I'm sure I've had one or two, but I've purchased none, and I usually decline any offers (and regret it immediately if I don't decline)
- ice cream: all of it, contains trans fat. bad.
-Yoplait Yoptimal yogurt: actually the only yogurt I buy now is Western Dairy no-fat plain (for putting in the morning smoothie). It's got 2 ingredients, and is awesome.
- Pogos: not a one
- Pre-packaged mac and cheese: we made this recently (Master's Choice white cheddar) and my bowels screamed in protest. You see the amount of sodium in that stuff?
- Frozen waffles: some getting plenty freezer burned in the freezer (duh) right now. They'll stay that way

So I've been very, very awful in staying totally away from the moratorium foods, however... and this is a big, huge, gargantuan however... I'm eating probably 80% healthier than I was last year. I tend to have a fruit smoothie every morning (made with mostly organic fruits from our farmshare... more on that in a second) and the cereal we're eating is, mostly, on the low side of the ingredient count. That is to say plenty of shredded and/or puffed wheat. Things with less than five ingredients... we check labels diligently now.

Ah yes, the farmshare. As noted in the In Defense of Food review, we signed up for the community-shared agriculture via Plan B Organic Farms. Click the link and read all about it... but if you're lazy, here's the gist:

- you pay up front for a "share" of the farm's yield
- you can buy a half-share (10ish pieces) or a full share (18 pieces) and you get 20 weeks (starting 1st week of June) of fresh, as-the-land-provides produce from a local organic farm
- As opposed to "organic baskets" all the veggies are locally sourced, and in most cases coming from one farm (diversified crops)
- A fruit share is also available and contains fair trade, organic fruit (always locally sourced where possible)
- pick up shares weekly at the local community depot drop-off

We bought a 1/2 share of veggies and a fruit share, and today is our third week. We've been loving it, even though we've got more parsnips than we know what to do with (what do you do with parsnip anyway). The difference in quality of spinach or greens or cucumbers is noticeable compared to store-bought. The general price for us with both the half-share veg and the fruit share is about $40/week and is more than worth it. Getting our shares every week, we make a concerted effort to eat the fruits and veg as opposed to thinking about what we want to eat the coming week and buying it at the store and letting it go to waste. In fact we've not spent more than $80 in groceries the past three weeks (when our typical bill was about $120/week). It's a different way of thinking about our food and diet, but it's also a better way, I think. I definitely been eating much better meals than ever before thanks to it.

If you can't get to the local farmer's market (which is the best way to get your fruits/veg/meat, I suggest you go this rout. Supporting local farms and farmers not only provides them with a living but provides you with the best (nutrients-wise) and freshest food possible, equally minimizing the impact of transportation/shipping on the environment and the budget.

If you don't live in Toronto, try doing a search for "community-supported agricuture + [your town]" or consult this list

Posted by graig kent on June 19, 2008 3:40 PM to Food and Moratorium

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Viewed: In theatre
Release Date: June 6, 2008
writer: Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris
director: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger


Is "kid-flick", like "chick-flick", and actual genre of filmmaking or is it simply a measure by which we can simply identify the intended audience for the movie? I ask, because although Kung-Fu Panda is indeed a kid flick, it's more in its heart an American-bred, animated version of 70's kung-fu cinema, owing a tremendous debt to Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. Should I judge it as an entrant into the annals of chopsocky entertainment or as the latest in the tremendously long line of CGI-animated children's movies?

How about both? Eh, why not...

Continue reading "Review - Kung-Fu Panda" »

Posted by graig kent on June 19, 2008 2:19 PM to Cinema and Reviews

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It's been 6 months of "buying nothing" in the comics front and, well, it's been tough, primarily because I've been the showrunner of Rack Raids and it's hard to run a comic book review website without, you know, reviewing comics. I had planned on just reviewing freebies I received from publishers, but I've found reading PDF comics difficult to say the least. I have to fight with myself to do it. If only there were electronic paper and I could read digital comics on the subway. Alas, until futurescience catches up with my petty needs I'll have to keep coming up with excuses to get store credit at the Snail for my weekly batch of acquisitions. So far, I've received credit for Christmas (thanks wife!), worked for credit, sold comics for credit and put some birthday money towards credit (which, essentially, will have to last another 2.5 months... it'll be tight). By the time the September comics come around I should have plenty more work-for-trade after working behind the booth during the Con. Given that my actual weekly purchases now range from a maximum of three books to a hefty single paperback collection, I should be able to carry that store credit through to the end of the year. Then, in 2009, shopping spree!

No, actually, in 2009 I'm going to really restrict myself in my purchases. I've tried it before, maximum 5 titles and 1 trade in a week, but this time I mean it. No side purchases either at the Con or from other sources (much of which I still haven't waded through many years later). Come 2009, I can buy up to 5 titles a week (no banking) and 1 trade paperback (provided I've read the previous week's trade... if not, I can't buy anything new). If I've learned anything this year, it's restraint, if not outright discipline. Of course I'm out of debt in a few meager weeks and once I actually have disposable income my... reservations/hesitations may no longer apply.

Oh, and my idea for 2009, in terms of returning to purchasing CDs and DVDs is I can't buy anything until 6-months after it's release date. It's the only way I can ensure that I actually want to listen or watch or indeed buy it. That should prove pretty easy since I'll have such a backlog of things I've not purchased from 2008 that it'll be easy. Plus, a lot of DVDs and CDs and whatnot will be in the cheapo bins after 6 months, which should save me at least $5 per disc, if not much much more. Hmm... maybe I should do that with graphic novels/tpbs as well...

Still to do this year... sell sell sell. Review review review. but now: September comics:

Continue reading "What I won't be buying (comics for September)" »

Posted by graig kent on June 17, 2008 10:44 AM to Comics and Debt Spiral and The Rules and The Want List

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preamble: Whoo, burnout. It's been four weeks since the last one of these re-review tryptycs from my CD collection. Work has been excessively busy so I've only (barely) been keeping up on my Radio Free GAK podcast and fatigue and excessive gorging at home have resulted in low interest levels. Sporadic blogging aside, I'm going to tweak the Re-Review format (excising the "remembrances" part, primarily) to get things done quicker, such that I'm not having to do so much work.

Albums: Oukast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below; Huevos Rancheros - Get Outta Dodge; Under The Influence mixed by DJ Spooky that subliminal kid
Date(s) Purchased: - 2003/2000/2001
Original Review (s): - Hey Ya commentary

Continue reading "Re-Review: Outkast/Huevos Rancheros/DJ Spooky" »

Posted by graig kent on June 10, 2008 12:23 PM to CDs and Music and ReReviews

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Viewed: received as gift
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Date(s) acquired/borrowed: June 1, 2008

I first posted about Flight of the Conchords last November, quite some time after many people had heard of them, still earlier than most. I'm not as concerned with being *the first* to champion something anymore, I think more than anything what I'm championing should be something I'm willing to continue supporting after the initial rush of first contact has worn off. With Flight of the Conchords, "New Zealand's no.4 folk-comedy novelty duo" (right behind the no.3 ranked Flight of the Conchords tributed band) my affection for their pithy, dry comedy has only grown, after spending much time on YouTube and receiving their "The Distant Future" ep.

The Kiwis made their way to America by way of the United Kingdom, having had a 6-episode BBC radio series before snagging their own HBO series Stateside. That they are novelty comedy might hinder their longevity if not for the fact that they're really damn good musicians and their song craftsmanship is tight and catchy. Their HBO show actually moves them beyond just songsmiths and takes them into genuinely fine comedic actors as well.

The 12-episode series finds Bret and Jemaine as landed immigrants in New York City, living Bert and Ernie-style in a cramped (barely) 1-bedroom, 2-bed apartment trying (though far from desperately) to live the American dream. They want to be rock stars, but they have no pretensions about themselves or their ambitions. When success eludes them, they take it as a given. They are ineptly managed by the "Deputy Cultural Attaché" of the New Zealand consulate, Murray (who seems to be focused more on managing the band than performing whatever duties the consolatory is supposed to service), and they have only one fan, Mel, who is absolutely stark-raving obsessed with them. The boys don't really like Mel's stalker-ish behaviour (often dragging her lapdog husband, Doug, along), but accept her and rely upon her more often than they'd like. Eugene is their building's ineffective (and creepy) super, while Dave is their American "best friend" (and pawn shop operator) who gives them nothing but horrible advice on fitting in, dating and anything else they need help with.

Continue reading "Review - Flight of the Conchords Season 1" »

Posted by graig kent on June 9, 2008 3:06 PM to Reviews and TV on DVD

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Date: June 5, 2008
Location: Massey Hall, Toronto

There aren't many superstar comedy troupes... the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, The Kids in the Hall... erm... that's about it. Sketch comedy is, like any good comedy, an art form which it takes some pretty innovative (or demented) minds to have any lasting effect. Even then, comedy is so subjective that even great troupes like Stella, Codco or The Goons aren't as widely recognized or appreciated. Ensembles like Second City and Saturday Night Live get most of the glory, although those sketch com shows aren't built on the backs of years of refinement and touring as a collective, but assembling disparate talent to appeal to as wide a base as possible (with regularly effective results, mind you).

Comedy troupes, like rock bands, have a hard time sustaining quality and cohesiveness, leading to friction within and diminishing quality over time. Egos can build or ideologies can change, hence why most troupes, once reaching some form of success on TV tend to split up and attempt to forge out as individuals (with middling success). For Monty Python, they officially disbanded after Graham Chapman's death. For the Kids In The Hall, they officially disbanded after a huge falling out in producing their (underappreciated) 1996 film Brain Candy.

Of course the Kids have had some minor successes as individual actors/directors/writers, but overall nothing any of them has done alone has reached the heights of their sketch comedy together. They reunited in 2000 for a tour ("Same Guys, New Dresses"), re-presenting primarily their old material with some new skits, and again in 2002 with "Tour of Duty" as well as the occasional assembly for charity events. But after continued lagging careers (Kevin's primarily a voice actor, Scott's dipped into the realm of "celebrity personality", Mark does a lot of quality Canadian TV and cinema, Bruce directed some horrible hollywood films and created a failed ABC TV series, and Dave, well... he had Newsradio, but also Celebrity Poker), the Kids have reunited once again, but not to relive old glories, but to forge ahead once again, a dozen years older, and perhaps not as fresh as they once were, but with a renewed vigor to work together.

The first result is this highly successful 40-show tour of all-new material (well, mostly new), ending with the June 5th hometown show. And how did it fare? Well, I'll give a sketch-by-sketch rundown:

Continue reading "Review - Kids in the Hall: Live As They'll Ever Be" »

Posted by graig kent on June 8, 2008 11:43 AM to Theatre

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(its been a while since we ["we"?] last had a Short Rounds [the mini-bar within which I place my more ... economical reviews] here at the geekent, but with all the craziness and laziness I've fallen behind and it's time to get back into the game or else abandon it altogether, n'est pas? With not further adios, let's we go:)
Raiders of the Lost Ark - re-review DVD
X2: X-Men United - re-review DVD
Carnal Knowledge - on TV
Manhattan - on TV
Melvin and Howard - on TV
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - In Theatre
Treed Murray - on TV
Superman/Doomsday - gift DVD
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms - borrowed DVD
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - in Theatre

Continue reading "Short Rounds vol.20 - cinema catch-up catch-all" »

Posted by graig kent on June 6, 2008 10:48 AM to Cinema

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