January
2008
By Douglas Kent, 11111 Woodmeadow Pkwy #2327, Dallas, TX 75228
Email: doug of
whiningkentpigs.com or diplomacyworld
of yahoo.com
On the web at http://www.whiningkentpigs.com – or
go directly to the Diplomacy section at http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/. Also be sure to visit the new Diplomacy
World website at http://www.diplomacyworld.net
All Eternal Sunshine readers are encouraged
to join the free Eternal Sunshine Yahoo group at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/eternal_sunshine_diplomacy/
to stay up-to-date on any subzine news or errata.
Quote Of The Month – “You could've killed somebody. I don't know, maybe you did kill somebody.
Should we turn on the news and see? Should I check the grill to see if there's children or small animals?” (Joel in “Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”)
Welcome
to yet another issue of Eternal Sunshine, the official subzine
of the Xmas Witch (visit www.xmaswitch.com
for more information, once I get around to putting some stuff up there). I hope you’re enjoying the last bit of 2007,
and getting ready for 2008. Isn’t 2008
the Year of the Yak or something? I’ve
never quite figured out how the Chinese New Year thing works, and it’s been a
while since I ate at a Chinese restaurant, so I haven’t had occasion to look
over one of those placemats lately. I
know I was born in the Year of the Dung Beetle, but other than that it’s all
too confusing for me to get straight.
Considering
how long the last few issues of Eternal Sunshine have been, this one is more of
a relaxed abbreviated version, with not much writing. I’ve been trying to focus on prison stories
again, in an effort to collect enough to approach a literary agent with a
completed project, instead of three or four which are only half-finished. And while I am including a couple of wedding
photos, we still haven’t finished with our full photo selection, so many of the
wedding details aren’t included here either.
Really, I’m not sure the wedding itself makes for much of a story. It was nice, and I was very happy that
Heather could have the Halloween wedding she wanted instead of being forced to
conform to the typical wedding guidelines of society. But there aren’t any really fun anecdotes to
tell. Instead, I’ll stick a couple of
photos in the next few issues, along with any details that come to mind (for
example, I’m going to give you the list of the songs we put on our wedding
CD’s). Here’s a picture of the happy
couple (to be specific, in the photo, I’m
happy that I am lucky enough to be married to the most wonderful woman in the
universe, while Heather is happy to have the ceremony over).
Wedding Music
Heather
and I wanted to burn our own CDs for the wedding music instead of using what
the Carpenter House had on hand. The
idea was to combine some of our more romantic favorites (or certain songs that
hold special meaning to us, either from our time together or the months we
spent apart while I was incarcerated) with songs that carry a Halloween or
witchy feel to them. Many of the songs
were requested specifically by Heather, and then I added in some surprises of
my own, set an order, and finished everything up. I think it came off rather well, and I
managed to avoid a few of the most obvious Halloween songs in the process (like
Monster Mash). “Thriller” was a special
request by Heather’s daughter, and while I wasn’t 100% pleased with that
choice, it was better than her original request, Avril
Levine’s “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend.”
For
before the ceremony, we simply had them put on the first disc from the Amadeus soundtrack. The ceremony itself was “Secret Marriage”
from the Braveheart soundtrack, repeated 3 or 4 times, and
then no music. Our “introduction” as a
married couple was to Etta James’ “At Last.”
The list that follows contains the songs for the party afterward. We did get a couple of compliments so it couldn’t
have been ALL bad!
Unforgettable
– Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole
Kiss
Me – Sixpence None the Richer
Time
in a Bottle – Jim Croce
It
Had to Be You – Harry Connick Jr.
Black
Magic Woman – Santana
Lucy
in the Sky With Diamonds - The Beatles
People
are Strange – The Doors
Sharing
the Night Together – Dr. Hook
Respect
– Aretha Franklin
Season
of the Witch – Donovan
Bad
Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival
We
Belong – Pat Benetar
Don’t
Change – INXS
Thriller
– Michael Jackson
No
More Lonely Nights – Paul McCartney
Some
Kind of Wonderful – Grand Funk Railroad
Lips
Like Sugar – Echo and the Bunnymen
Miracles
– Jefferson Starship
Everything
– Alanis Morisette
Crystal
Ship – The Doors
You’re
My Best Friend – Queen
Your Song – Elton John
Feels
Like Home – Chantal Kreviazuk
You
Know that there Are – Cat Stevens
When
I’m 64 – The Beatles
Near
You Always - Jewel
She’s
Always a Woman- Billy Joel
Let’s
Call the Whole Thing Off – Harry Connick
Jr
Black
is the Color – Marcy D’Arcy
Witches’
Song – Juliana Hatfield
Shining
Star – The Manhattens
Witch
Queen of New Orleans – Redbone
Rock
and Roll High School – The Ramones
Fat
Bottomed Girls – Queen
Air
That I Breathe – The Hollies
Imagine
– John Lennon
Lovesong – The Cure
All
You Need is Love – The Beatles
Female
of the Species - Space
Bizarre
Love Triangle – New Order
How
Much I Feel – Ambrosia
Everything
– Alanis Morisette (yes, that’s in there twice)
Romance and
Cigarettes
– Originally scheduled for release in 2005, writer
and director John Turturro had to fight many battles
along the way to finally get this bawdy musical-drama in theaters. Produced by the Coen
Brothers, the film is a combination of pulp fiction, working-class malaise, over-the-top
comedy, and some touching dramatic moments.
It isn’t for everyone, least of all those who might be easily offended
by sexual humor, but Mr. Turturro succeeds in walking
the fine line between original entertainment and pointless foolishness.
The film stars “The Sopranos” James Gandolfini as Nick Murder, a 1970’s New York bridge
worker. Married to Susan Sarandon, and
with three teenage daughters, Nick is also conducting an affair with British
lingerie saleswoman Kate Winslet. When Sarandon discovers the affair, she calls
in assistance from her cousin (Christopher Walken) to
punish the mistress. Meanwhile, she
stops speaking to her husband altogether and hopes to make his life as
miserable as he has made hers.
There are a number of minor subplots, including one
daughter (Mandy Moore) wanting to get engaged, and some of the films funniest
moments involve conversations between Gandolfini and
coworker Steve Buscemi, who is considered an expert
on women and sexual topics. In the end,
the plot takes a few dramatic twists, and even manages to churn up a moral or
two.
The musical numbers are a combination of the actors
singing and dancing (along with unnamed people on the street who appear and
disappear at random) over original or remake versions of the sixties and
seventies songs, in an effort to express the characters inner desires and
emotions. Songs like “A Man Without Love” or “Piece of My Heart” are given new life, and
some of the production numbers (most notably those with Christopher Walken) are wonderful and hilarious at the same time.
Gandolfini and Sarandon both play their roles well, balancing their displeasure in
the marriage with the 70’s Catholic attitude of sticking it out regardless of
what happens. Kate Winslet
is at one moment devilishly seductive, dancing in a red latex top with flames
surrounding her; and later is seen as insecure and needy as everyone else, as
she wonders if she and Gandolfini have a future
together despite his wife and children.
Always coming close to going too far, the script
and music somehow teeter on the edge without tipping, always returning to the
quieter, grounded moments where a couple who never loved each other much to
begin with discovered they may have picked up some feelings for each other
along the way. Consider the Murders a Tevye and Golde for a new
generation. Besides, its almost worth the price of
admission alone to see Ms. Winslet in her fishnets or
red dress, or to listen to her manic obscenity-laced dialogue.
Margot at the Wedding – Considering personal
history, a movie about an intelligent but neurotic, unstable, and likely-alcoholic
mother has the potential to cut right to my heart. Add to that a cast including Nicole Kidman,
Jennifer Jason Leigh and John Turturro, and it sounds
like a guaranteed recipe for success.
Sadly, I found this film to be utterly lacking and heavy-handed.
Yes, Kidman does a rather admirable job as a writer
who vacillates wildly between a doting mother and a spiteful harpy, as does
Jennifer Jason Leigh as her sister, engaged to Jack Black. Black is an unemployed musician who spends
his free time painting abstracts and writing letters to music magazines. He, and much of the script, are the weakest links in the chain of this movie.
In some ways the two sisters would have made a much
better story on their own, as their relationship is a wonder of anger and
co-dependency and betrayals minor or major.
Both spend tremendous energy struggling to gain the approval of the
other half the time, and to prove their superiority to the other in typical
sibling rivalry fashion in the other.
Instead the film suffers from an erratic, irritating, and stale
performance from Black. It also suffers
from “trailer syndrome,” where all the best or funniest lines of dialogue are
revealed in the movie trailer. In fact,
most of the plot point were at least alluded to in the
trailer I saw, so the actual movie provided very few surprises.
Given more to work with, I believe this could have
been a tremendous movie. Jack Black
aside, the cast is strong (including Zane Pais as
Kidman’s 12-year-old son Claude, who suffers through his mother’s erratic
changes of mood and direction). In fact,
a closer and more isolated dissection of their relationship would have made for
a more rewarding film as well. Instead,
after watching it, I am left wondering exactly what I missed in this movie that
other reviewers singing its praises saw.
Sweeney Todd – I have to admit
that Sweeney Todd had let-down written all over it. A gruesome musical story (filled with Stephen
Sondheim’s offbeat and morbid songs), Johnny Depp,
Helena Bonham Carter, the wonderfully wicked Alan Rickman, and Tim Burton
directing; it sounds like too many good things.
Actually, while I did enjoy it, I didn’t quite enjoy this film as much
as I hoped I would.
The
fault certainly does not lie with the story.
A generally faithful adaptation of the Broadway musical, Depp plays Sweeney Todd (a pseudonym), a barber once
sentenced on a false charge by an evil judge (Rickman) in order that he might
possess Depp’s wife and infant daughter. Now Todd has returned to exact his
revenge. Along the way he is reunited
with an old acquaintance Mrs. Lovett, who runs the meat pie shop below the
barber shop. In penny-dreadful fashion,
we’re soon treated to slit throats, blood spewing like geysers, and bodies
devoured in Mrs. Lovett’s suddenly-popular pies. A few side stories exist, among them Rickman’s
sexual fascination with his ward (Todd’s daughter) and a young sailor’s desire
to rescue her and run away.
Burton’s
London is dark, smoky, depressing, but still alive, which matches the London
described in Sondheim’s lyrics. The only
real flaw in this movie involves the casting of Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs.
Lovett. While she looks the part
perfectly – pale and gray and both sensual and decrepit at the same time – her
singing is too weak to carry her part. Depp does a decent job of maintaining the melody, but
Carter is too quiet, too much of a whisper to balance him, and the role would
benefit from casting someone more over-the-top and boisterous, in the manner of
the role Angela Lansbury made famous.
She is simply too fragile.
It
doesn’t ruin the movie by any means, but it takes what could have been a
magical thrill and instead reduces it into an enjoyable ride. You should still see Sweeney Todd, especially
if you are a fan of either Tim Burton or the musical…just don’t expect to lose
your head over it.
Seen
on DVD
– Citizen Ruth (B-, a few good
laughs and a goofy plot in this send-up of both sides of the abortion issue), The Life of David Gale (C, I simply didn’t care about a single
person in this entire film), Crash (A-,
I missed the hype for this movie while I was locked up, so coming into it fresh
it was a real pleasure).
Jamie McQuinn: I quote Doug Kent: "The goal is to pick something that fits the category and will be the "most popular" answer."
So, are we playing "pick the answer that wins" or "pick the answer I believe in, even if my opinions are completely out of whack with the rest of the universe, so I'll never score any points".
Which game are we playing? In one sentence you say the "goal" is this, then in another, lament that we don't do something count-productive to the goal?
Mostly, you just can't handle the fact that Andy and
I kick ass!
Actually, I don’t mind at all that Andy is kicking
ass…it’s just your success which bothers me.
Tom Swider: Glad you had a great time on your honeymoon. I hope that Heather
brings you good luck and a happier future. The pictures were really nice. I
forgot how nice some parts of Texas are. On occasion, I found myself in New
Braunfels and Canyon Lake. Boerne's kind of nice as well. Also enjoyed Barton
Springs in Austin (has a nice hot spring).
Even the drive west towards El Paso can be beautiful
in parts. But the wind on those roads is
terrible. Granted, my view on various
parts of Texas is clouded by my experience driving for AmeriFleet
in 2002 and 2003. Once you’ve spent some
time on the road moving fleet vehicles, your first memory of any city is the
bus station or the expense of local cabs, and your opinion of a place is
greatly influenced by how often Greyhound runs through it.
Brokeback Mountain wasn't boring but then again it's
not an action flick. I think it worked as a film adaptation of a rather
minimalist short story. The short story is a difficult medium because there
isn't time for a lot of character development, though good writers fit that in.
Brokeback did suffer from overhype.
Still haven’t seen it, and that sort of overhype
kills most of my desire to see many films.
In "By Popular Opinion", I think I'm
proving myself to be one who doesn't court popularity. I'm toying with the idea
of using it at work as something fun to break up the work week (send out the
questions on Monday, deadline on Thursday, and publish on Friday).
You know who to include in that if you do!
Andy
York: Glad to
hear the wedding went off well, as did the honeymoon. I've not been to
Jefferson, but it sounds like a good place to go to get away from the hustle
and bustle - get a little downtime. I do hope you can find the time to return
and see everything you missed the first time while revisiting those places you
enjoyed the most - such as the clothing selection in the candle/curio store.
Heather wrote a neat thank you note. As she
mentioned, one of these I hope we get to meet! Did you find any good
books/videos yet?
Oh we do some serious damage when we visit Half
Price Books, believe me.
You're right, an odd paring of stories. It's good
you're finding it within yourself to relive these events and I hope that this
allows you to put them in their proper place in your life and your mind.
Turning to movies, I skipped "My Kid Could
Paint That". The previews didn't interest me. On the other hand, I'm
waiting on the arrival of "The Rape of Europa"
in Austin. The book was an amazing and eye opening read - from your review, the
movie does it justice. The last one doesn't ring a bell. Just saw "No
Country for Old Men" - violent, but very good themes and reflective
commentary.
Without question we want to see “No Country For Old Men” but it didn’t make it to a theater we like to
go to, so either we’ll see it during a wider rerelease after Oscar season, or
else we’ll put it on our Netflix list.
Wow, I'm winning [By Popular Opinion]? OK, pinch me
and wake me up. To answer your question, as you know, I'm choosing the
"popular" choice, not necessarily my favorite which I put into my
commentary.
It isn’t that I think people should pick their true
favorites – I just like to learn what they are, so via commentary is the
perfect solution.
So, are the next BPO categories going to be
political – best Republication and best Democratic Presidential and
Vice-Presidential Candidates, Who would you like to see run that isn't in the
race? Might open a BIG can of worms and lots of letters/commentary that you wouldn't
want!
Yeah, you know me, I hate controversy!
Diplomacy (Black Press): Graham Wilson, Brad
Wilson, Chris Babcock, Melinda Holley, Alexander Levinson, needs just two more. Getting close, who wants to join in the fun?
Balkan Wars VI (Black Press): Signed up: Jack
McHugh, Graham Wilson, Brad Wilson, Brendan Whyte, needs two more. Rules and map on request, or you can find
them online within Paul Bolduc’s Boris
the Spider site at: http://members.aol.com/prbolduc/boris/hrules/BW6.html
7X7 Gunboat Tournament (No Press): Three signed up, needs
four more. I would publish the results
without maps most likely, although I might email maps to the players. Anybody interested?
By
Popular Demand
Credit goes to Ryk Downes, I believe, for inventing
this game (although his original version had the GM supply the starting letter
as well). The goal is to pick something
that fits the category and will be the "most popular" answer. You
score points based on the number of entries that match yours. For example, if
the category is "Cats" and the responses were 7 for Persian, 3 for
Calico and 1 for Siamese, everyone who said Persian would get 7 points, Calico
3 and the lone Siamese would score 1 point. The cumulative total over 10 rounds
will determine the overall winner. Anyone may enter at any point, starting with
an equivalent point total of the lowest cumulative score from the previous
round. If a person misses a round, they'll receive the minimum score from the
round added to their cumulative total. And, if you want to submit some
commentary with your answers, feel free to.
The game will consist of 10 rounds.
A prize will be awarded to the winner.
