Songs category pick for the week of 8/18/08
Here's what I said then:

There was this song, randomly downloaded from Lime wire by me due to a mislabeling, and it became an obsession. In it, energetic kids scream/sing about having a boyfriend in Spanish. It is fun and fast and amazing, and in the six years it's been in my ipod (labeled simply at Belle and Sebastian) it has never failed to life my spirits.

I have never been able to put a name to it, however, until this very week. I have found out through the miracle of the internets, that it is called Toma Que Toma and the version I love is from an album called All the Children in School.

A band called Los Ninos also covers it (as do tons of other Latino bands) and they have a video that is flat out awesome. Big headed clay kids melting into the sand and blinking their eyes the way only a claymation kid can, it's a bit of surreal summer sunshine madness that I think we can all appreciate amidst our own surreal summer thunderstorm madness.

Runner Ups:
Strawberry Letter 23
Goonies R Good Enough
Darling Be Home Soon
Get Me Bodied
Bongo Bong

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Posted on November 3, 2008

Movies category pick for the week of 3/24/08
Here's what I said then:

The Spirit of the Beehive, the beloved debut 1973 film by Victor Erice, stars Ana Torrent and Isabel Telleria as two unspeakably adorable doe eyed young sisters in a remote Castillian village. It is a highly praised film, though it's fame and recognition is not as widespread as other comparable masterpieces. It was released on Criterion a few years ago, so hopefully new audiences will emerge.

The story is simple and secondary to the imagery and emotions conjured. It is, in fact a nearly silent film with the scenes of the adults being particularly quiet and elusive. The world the sisters, their mother, and grandfather inhabit is a remote and bleak one, but through the imaginative eyes of the children, it becomes fantastic; through the eyes of the (going blind) cinematographer, Luis Cuadrado it is magical, exquisite, gorgeous! – likely one of the most stunning films you are likely to ever see.

Before you are mislead that this is a cutesy coming of age story of two little girls in a picturesque town, though, it is important to note this film is as painful as it is beautiful. Ana and Isabel's making sense of a brutal and unfair world, particularly their understanding of death, is not sentimental or movie like. It is at once ethereal and full of dread.

It is largely considered the best Spanish film ever made and I would go so far as to say it is also one of the best films made from a child's point of view. It is slow moving, but never boring, and worth the effort. This movie will amaze you.

Runner Ups:
Let's Scare Jessica To Death
A Few Dollars More
Gosford Park
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Badlands
No Country For Old Men

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Posted on November 3, 2008

Clearly a girl with a sense of humor, Linnea Quigley forged a lengthy career with D grade horror schlock, starring in almost a hundred movies including (the only one I've seen) Silent Night, Deadly Night, Nightmare Sisters, Creepozoids, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Assault of the Party Nerds, Virgin High and more.

Straight out of the tongue in cheek, Elvira inspired age of monsters mixing with humor, the scream queen, sports confusing spiky pony tails, artfully ripped tees tied at the belly, and studded bras and panties. The attempts at laughs are cheesy and I can't imagine anyone benefiting from the languid, off rhythm exercise routines. But personal health was probably not the main objective of this project, as you can clearly see from this clip in which she writhes around on a brown carpet in front of a fireplace, bending in butt raising positions, doing stomach crunches as if she were in the throws of passion and worships her crotch by air petting it.

In another scene she has a bizarre sleep over with grown women that devolves into a long impromptu exercise party headed by a seemingly stoned or very sleepy Linnea. It's got enough crotch and butt shots to send a pre pubescent lover of Fangoria into a state of ecstatic shock and an (almost) synchronized pelvic thrusting bit that could simply destroy that same kid. and not to be crass, but it also features the biggest camel toe I have ever laid eyes on.

The entire video with a probably fairly unbearable sixty minute running time is hard to find, but thanks to fans who've posted bits on youtube you can get a taste of the bad taste, if you like what you see and you probably will if you're a horror movie nerd in the mood for a little masturbation, The Manchester Morgue has a link to download the entire video. It might really be worth checking out as the Bloody Good Horror blog describes the opening credits: “They're all super imposed over her boobs as she soaps them up in the shower”

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Posted on October 27, 2008

You would expect a website called 365 Halloween to be fairly useless, one of those all advertisement pages that links to overpriced online cheap costume sites. However, to my delight, the blog is extremely helpful with clever recipes like this gross out bleeding intestines and these adorable breakfast mummies and link to great craft ideas like these from The Swell Life.

There are neat, spooky things to buy like this illustrated t-shirt from The Mighty Squirm, and easy to put together costume ideas that go beyond the norm to include Heavy Metal Parking Lot, Spy vs Spy, and these excellent yip yip (from Sesame Street) costumes.

The site, as you may have guessed is updated year round, but it's most helpful in these days leading up to the big day.

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Posted on October 27, 2008

For someone that couldn't think of anything greater than seeing amazing fashion in person, I've realized that it's a shame i don't make it over to the museum at FIT very often. It's a fairly modest space compared to The Met or Cooper Hewitt.?The Gothic Show, much publicized and the reason for my visit, for example lurked behind very un-grand doors and the kind of stairwell young women think twice about going down alone at night. They certainly do a lot with a little though.

The exhibit begins with an appropriately darkened room that features a great Givenchy wispy, tattered dreams dress and the collections few non contemporary pieces: two black Victorian mourning gowns. A red and black intricately folded gown by Yoshiki Hishinuma (an exciting new name for me) and the red dress from Bram Stocker's Dracula designed by Eiko Ishioka were other favorites. On the opposite wall, an impressive and desirable case of exquisite jewelry includes a chain purse from 1900 with a golden bat and outstanding pieces from Mark Walsh and Leslie Chin for Rodarte.

The room's nice but it doesn't prepare you for the grandeur of the main exhibit, an overwhelming display of incredible works. One wall features a trick mirror, where slowly a collection of the cheaper side of things (think high end Hot Topic) stuff lies another wall holds a huge lovely backdrop, another a projected full moon with black clouds drifting before it. The center area is surrounded by a cemetery gate. It's whimsical and witty.

The show went way beyond my expectations. Among the many, many inspiring pieces there is a sleek, beautiful black velvet Derek Lamb gown with a white ruffle peekaboo bottom, enough McQueen and Mugler to keep me satisfied and excited, some unreal creations by Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy (again) including a billowing tulle dress that (if I could have whatever I wanted in the world) I would have done up in white and get married to Jim all over again in it.

The real treat, though in a room filled with them was seeing John Galliano's work up close. From a pouffy red frock inspired by the French Revolution, to a spectacular black coat dripping with sparkling skulls at the hem, to the wild and fun cinco de mayo dress with sequins over dress and puffy bone shirt, his pieces stunned me. No photos ever do his work justice and these are worth the trip alone.

Fortunately for all of us they are accompanied by dozens of extraordinary pieces. The show is up until February 21, and unlike most museums, they are open until 8 on weeknights for us working folk.

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Posted on October 27, 2008