So for those of you who haven't yet seen "Shaun of the Dead", let me climb to the top of my tower and scream at you from on high, "Do it now!"



Now, if you are already a huge fan, your assignment is to check out the brit series, "Spaced".If you own a region free dvd player, Amazon.co.uk is just a click away.If you need a region free dvd player, its the perfect time to get one. Amazon is selling this model for 60 bucks,free shipping.It plays everything you put in it.Even avi movies in Divx format, saved on cdrs!



If you're interested in Spaced, yet are broke email me and maybe we can arrange a media trade.

I can hook you up with a dvd rip.



Ok, so about 3 months ago a buddy of mine who works at a video game company heard a buzz around the office that the next day they were going to pass out free tickets to a special San Francisco preview-screening of Shaun of the Dead.

Not only was this to be over a full month before public release, but the director Edgar Wright, and main star, Simon Pegg (also main star of "Spaced" were to be in attendance, with Q and A afterwards.

I couldn't believe it.

The place that had the tickets turned out to be my favorite neighborhood sci-fi specialty bookstore, Borderlands.

Come to think of it, its the only sci-fi specialty bookstore in the city.



The next day Sean and I were there before they opened .



Tickets secured, we had only to wait 'til the end of the week to cash them in.

Finally, Saturday came and we got to see it in all its gory glory.

The Q and A was awesome, and Wright announced "One more Question"...

I sheepishly raised my hand, not fully ready to sound like the total fanboy I've become. I told him how much my friends and I dig "Spaced", and he seemed glad to have such a strong American following.

I asked him about a series I had read about called "Asylum".

He brightened, and said, "Thats actually the first project Simon and I worked together on. Its about an insane asylum where comedians are locked up.It was actually on this project that we came up with the idea to do the Spaced series"



I asked "So is this ever going to be available on dvd?"

"Probably not", Edgar said.

Simon Pegg took the mike and said deadpan, "He'll send you the tapes."

the crowd laughed.

"I'm serious." he said.

I quickly said "I'll find you guys after this"



Afterwards I did. I gave him my email and snail mail address written on the back of a receit, and gave it to him.I immediately had the image of Wright looking through his pockets, seeing an old receit and chunking it in the trash.



About 2 weeks ago I got an email from Edgar Wright:



Apologies for the belated response.

I am looking into getting you a copy of Asylum. I hope PAL is okay as it's expensive otherwise!

Give me your address again.

Hope this finds you well.



Edgar



I resent my address, and I am now the proud owner of Asylum, the complete series....



on PAL vhs.

(doh!)



So I now had to look into how to get these puppies converted to NTSC (American video format).I called around and the lowest I found was 110 bucks.So I looked in to just buying a multisystem vcr.

I scored one for just 30 bucks more than the conversion would be, brought it in to work (where we have a dvd recorder) and in about an hour more, I'll have the shit on dvd.

How cool is that?



Asylum party anyone?

The Annual San Francisco Asian Film Fest kicked off its first film tonite with "Ju-On (The Grudge)".

Its a horror film that boasts, "Sam Raimi says its one the scariest film he's ever seen."



So its official.



Sam Raimi is a pussy.

Now, I love the man's films...The Evil Dead Trilogy alone is enough to deify him.

But the fact remains, he is indeed a pussy.



This film tries to capture the dark, heavy tension that is so common in modern japanese horror these days (ie Ringu.Dark Water,Audition,St. Johns Wort,etc.)It succeeds in creating tension, and has some incredible camera work.We see glimpses of spirits in mirrors, and reflections that give you just enough to make you feel they're always there in empty space.

The actual scare-payoffs however are more bizarrely humorous than frightening.

A gurgling demon-ess crawling around wide-eyed, and a catatonic kid spirit, are the two headliners of the film.



Sadly when I bought tickets to the festival this year, I pre-ordered all of them.

So I'm the owner of a non refundable ticket to "Ju-On 2" closing night.

Wonder what Raimi thought of that one?

I've been a bit of a recluse lately.

..and I can't say I feel like I'm missing much.

I've been reading tons, watching dvds hungrily, and dabbling in art projects.

I just finished "Diamond Age, or a young lady's illlustarted primer" by Stephenson. I really dug it.

Much better than Snow Crash.

If you pick it up, do force yourself through the first chapter or so...(the intro to the layout of the city almost caused me to chunk it back at my friend Katherine, who let me borrow it.)

I'm so glad I stuck with it.

It follows an awesome invention called "The Young Lady's Illustrated Primer". Which in short is a sort of A.I. infested book that bonds, and interacts with its reader.(Stephenson was obviously inspired by the fantasy game in Card's "Enders Game".(which I highly recomend as well)



The Primer was conceived by a man named Finkle MGraww, because he wants his 4 year old grandchild to grow up to be a subversive like himself...and is disgusted with the public school system. So he takes matters into his own hands.

Well, the book accidentally winds up in the hands of an poor,abused four year old girl named Nell.

"Diamond age" takes us through Nell's life, her adventures, and slow transformation into a lady.

Its fuckin rad.



I've also recently picked up where I left off 2 years ago with my quest to watch every one of the xfiles.

An old roomate of mine had them all on tape, and I got to season 3 before I had to move.

A quick check on netflix and sure enough they're all there...4 episodes per disk.

Aww yea.



So I was watching an episode called "The field where I died"...that touches on reincarnation...and it really hit me. Its such a beautiful concept. If I could choose any sort of continuation of my life it would be that.

Being able to choose who you surrounded yourself with in your next life...having all the same people close to you over and over in different roles to learn. I suppose its concept helps to satisfy our need for control in a world where we have so little of it.

So I've been on a huge BBC miniseries kick for the last few months.

My roommate used to open my netflix envelopes before I got home and watch them. Now he just asks, "More stuffy, British movies?" Ha. My latest find is an incredible 2 disk miniseries called The Singing Detective (The 3rd disk is just extras).By the way this is not to be confused with the horrid remake that Paramount is releasing.



It is a hugely entertaining story of a has-been, pulp detective author, bedridden in a hospital that escapes into his mind. The film itself transports us from hospital scenes,into his hallucinations,into his past, and back. The humor is dark,scathingly sarcastic, and cynical. Really funny,and engaging.



The pick that started it all was I,Claudius. I won't waste space trying to convince you to rent it. Just do it. One of the best things I've ever had the pleasure to see. John Hurt plays Caligula. Je-sus,is he incredible.



I also recommend the BBC productions: House of Cards, and Foyles War.



God bless the Queen,

U.M.

So, the other night I saw a really depressing image. I was walking home from a coffee-run to the local 7-11, and it was about 3 am. Clement street is ghost-road after all the barflies have left.

Its an urban equivalent to walking in a forest. So, I was feeling very content, and meditative when my eye suddenly caught movement down the street. There was a compost bin (those of you in less progressive cities will just have to imagine what those are :P) that had been tipped over, and its contents spilled on the street. A tiny riff-raff, street kitten was hungrily gnawing at something. I slowly continued forward, and inevitably the ultra-honed hearing of feral cats alerted him to my presence, and he shot me a panic-struck look, and bolted.....

So I walked up to where he was eating to see the vittles he had scored.



It was a piece of uncooked broccoli.

I consoled myself with the concept of survival instinct.

That and "Maybe cats do like broccoli."



On a lighter note, my cat Elvis took a big shit in my room last night.

He's such a smart cat and hasn't ever done it before.

I spanked him and felt so guilty afterwards.

His poor little meow was like "Why man, Why?"

I put him outside, and he immediately starting puffing out his fur and made a

threatening cat yowl...cowering back against the closed door all the while.

I deduced that he is petrified of going outside at night when my roomate's

demon cat is out there.He panics consistently now when I take him even close to the cat-door.

So, I bought a damn kitty litter box,some gravel,and a scooper.

I wanted the cashier to say something like "Got a cat?" so bad.

I was gonna say "Naw, man its for me."

Anyway I'm gonna spell out his name in sequins on it.

He is Elvis, after all.