prodromus

Real Ale is awesome!

2010-01-03T00:26:41Z

I love the beers from Real Ale Brewing Co. in Blanco, Texas. First they made the Brewhouse Brown Ale, the Rio Blanco Pale Ale, and the Full Moon Pale Rye Ale:

Then came the Sisyphus Barleywine Ale and the Firemans #4 Blonde Ale:

And now we have the Shade Grown Coffee Porter and the Phoenixx Double Extra Special Bitter:

Real Ale is awesome!

Alan Davis

2010-01-01T17:06:59Z

Alan Davis has always been one of my favorite writers/illustrators in the comics field. His two runs on Excalibur enchanted me when I was younger, and they're finally seeing publication in graphic novel form. Reading these has gotten me back into his other work. If you get the chance, read his other work, including Killraven, The Clan Destine, and JLA: The Nail, as well as plenty of other comics you can read about on his website.

And Happy New Year!

Championship, baby!

2009-12-08T18:51:42Z

It was very close, but they did it! The Texas Longhorns will play in the College Football National Championship. Hats off to Nebraska for their incredible effort.

Hook 'em Horns!

It's time!

2009-11-25T22:31:04Z

Let's beat these fools!

To boldly go . . .

2009-11-17T15:21:17Z

Out today on DVD --

-- 'nuff said!

I'm getting closer

2009-11-10T21:35:30Z

I'm finally done with the major edits for my book. As soon as I type up all the corrections, I can print up some chapbooks to send to a select number of readers. After that, the real work begins.

But I feel like I am possibly one step further along in the process.

King of the World

2009-11-06T17:07:20Z

Rex Mundi is a cool series of graphic novels. From Wikipedia:

The series is a quest for the Holy Grail told as a murder mystery. It is set in the year 1933, in an alternate history Europe, where magic is real, feudalism persisted, and the Protestant Reformation was crushed by a still politically powerful Roman Catholic Church.

The sixth book should be out in early 2010, but the first five are available everywhere. Get 'em, read 'em, and check out the website.

Beat the hell out of OU!

2009-10-16T17:53:46Z

Enough said!

Lost

2009-10-14T16:31:06Z

I love this show. And I can't wait for the final season.

I like comics

2009-10-08T22:20:34Z

Bryan Talbot is one of my favorite authors and illustrators, and he is considered to be one of the leading figures in the British comics scene. His graphic novel The Tale of One Bad Rat is perhaps the best place to start, though the subject matter is quite heavy, dealing with sexual abuse. The Adventures of Luther Arkwright is a challenging read, but it is generally credited as being the first British graphic novel. Its sequel, Heart of Empire, is a far superior read, combining the intricate storytelling of One Bad Rat with the sprawling nature of Arkwright.

His masterpiece, though, is Alice in Sunderland. An enormous work, it combines every medium available to create something that mixes history, sociology, mystery, narrative, and the absurd. It is, by far, the greatest achivement in comics that I have seen.

Mr. Talbot's newest book, Grandville, was released this past Tuesday. Check 'em out.

It's here (finally!)!

2009-09-02T14:24:24Z

College football starts tomorrow, and the Texas Longhorns have their first game this Saturday night against the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Expectations are extremely high this year, so we'll see what happens. I can't wait to watch the game. Hopefully, Colt McCoy and the gang can get it done this year.

Hook 'em!

This movie . . .

2009-08-31T21:22:16Z

. . . was good. Ignore what you might have heard -- this is not 'Jewish revenge porn'. The critics who have suggested as much have, in my (ahem) humble opinion, missed the point.

Coming soon . . .

2009-08-27T14:15:05Z

New Transatlantic, out October 27th.

*excited*

Next Summer

2009-08-24T21:19:48Z

Madrid, Valdepeñas, Paris, Antwerp, Bremen, Hamburg, Tübingen, Basel -- here we come.

Push the little daisies and make 'em come up

2009-07-21T21:20:04Z

At the top of my list of "Favorite Recent Television Shows That Were Cancelled Way Too Soon" are only two shows. One is the brilliant Arrested Development, which ran for three seasons and will now continue on in a movie.

The other is Pushing Daisies. Bryan Fuller's third series (following Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me) is a hilarious, ironic, and very clever comedy. Amazon.com's Kira Canny says,

"Pushing Daisies is many things at once: detective show, romantic comedy, whimsical fantasy and above all, a story about a guy who bakes pies and has the ability to bring dead people back to life. Somehow all of these things come together to make one of the most enjoyable, funny and bittersweet shows to come along in a long time."

It was cancelled after only two seasons, but apparently will live on in a 12-issue comic book.

The second season comes out on DVD and BluRay today.

Vacay Part Two

2009-06-21T22:48:37Z

This Friday, I'm heading to Topsail Beach, North Carolina with Anne and her family. We're driving, so I'll get to see parts of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina as well, states I've never seen. I can't wait to go, but I've got so much to do before then -- it seems like a really far way off. Also, I've been nasty sick for the last week or so, but I think I'm finally to the tail-end of that. Beach house, here I come!

Summer is here!

2009-06-03T18:20:45Z

And with it comes new music! The four albums I'm eagerly awaiting are, clockwise from the upper left, Black Clouds and Silver Linings from Dream Theater, Wilco (The Album) from Wilco, Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimo Vomini from Secret Chiefs 3: Traditionalists, and Octahedron from Mars Volta. June looks to be a lot of fun!

Finally

2009-05-28T19:46:40Z

Mouse Guard #6 out today!!!!

Yay!

I love the nightlife

2009-05-20T17:49:24Z

Seattle is a really cool city, and Anne and I had a lot of fun. I got back late Monday night and, after tooling around on the interwebs, found out that The Criterion Collection had announced their upcoming releases for August.

Lo and behold, one of my favorite movies ever, The Last Days of Disco by Whit Stillman is finally getting a proper release on DVD. Stillman's other films include Metropolitan and the awesome Barcelona. Also, he's finally going to direct another film, though this will be the first he directs from someone else's script. He's adapting the novel Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley.

Exciting times for fans of Stillman.

Busy as a bee

2009-05-08T21:06:10Z

Well, this week has been a lot busier than I expected due to preparations for my trip to Seattle. I haven't really had time to post much. I might try to post something on Monday or Tuesday, but if not, I will see all zero of you readers in about a week and a half.

The ship's been spotted . . .

2009-05-04T20:35:12Z

The progressive rock supergroup, Transatlantic, is apparently reforming. Exciting and totally unexpected news on a blah Monday.

Use the force

2009-04-30T15:46:33Z

Another of my favorite directors is George Lucas. This might surprise some people, having seen my previous posts, but those who know experimental film (and me) will understand how Lucas fits in perfectly with the other directors.

My favorite film of his is THX 1138, but I'm a big fan of all his work. He's produced a lot of different things, but his directorial credits are actually few. THX was followed by American Graffiti and Star Wars: A New Hope, and he didn't direct again until the Star Wars prequels (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith). Many have relegated him to irrelevancy, but I disagree. Certainly, the newer Star Wars films have their flaws, yet to view them in a different light than the original trilogy is both unfair and impossible. All six movies form a giant narrative, and I doubt anyone could have pulled off this feat of cinema in a better or more entertaining way.

However, I'm excited that Lucas is moving on. In addition to a couple of TV shows and movies he's producing, he has stated that he will return to directing small, experimental films, similar to THX 1138.

I cannot wait.

Zee Germans!

2009-04-29T21:19:19Z

Because of my studies in German, I've seen a lot of German films. My favorite German director is Volker Schlöndorff, the master of the adaptation. He has directed a number of American productions, such as Death of a Salesman, The Handmaid's Tale, and Palmetto, but his earlier films gained him more acclaim (Die Blechtrommel [The Tin Drum], Der Fangschuß [Coup de grâce], and Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum [The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum]). He's still directing films, releasing almost one every year, but he receives very little attention compared to the other directors who were part of the New German Cinema movement of the 1960s. Cineastes are likely familiar with Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, or Rainer Werner Fassbinder -- huge figures in this movement.

In my opinion, Schlöndorff beats all of them out. Go see his movies.

And his beard kicked ass . . .

2009-04-27T17:15:51Z

Stanley Kubrick is another of my favorite directors. This is how I rank his films (excluding his shorts and his first film, Fear and Desire, which I haven't seen):

12. Killer's Kiss
11. Lolita
10. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
9. The Shining
8. The Killing
7. Spartacus
6. Full Metal Jacket
5. Paths of Glory
4. A Clockwork Orange
3. Barry Lyndon
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
1. Eyes Wide Shut

He died much too early at the age of 70, but he left an enormous legacy and vision behind. If you haven't seen most of these movies, get started!

One-Man Band

2009-04-24T16:34:32Z

My favorite director of all time is Orson Welles. The best online resource for his various work in film, radio, television, and theater is Wellesnet.com. Veteran stage and film actor Simon Callow has written parts one and two of a great biography and analysis of his works, with a third and final part in the works. Many of his films are available on DVD, though some of his best (The Magnificent Ambersons, Chimes at Midnight, and Othello, for example) are sadly missing.

He was a one-of-a-kind, a one-man band, and a truly creative human being. Check him out.