annihilation

Apocalypse Now is one crazy mother f*ing ride. I recently watched it again, I say again because it has been quite some time since my older brothers brought it home from the Hastings (a better version of Blockbuster) and my feeble mind trying to understand the beautiful complexities that incorporates the human psyche. I remember liking the music. I remember there was a surfer. I remember cannibals. And I remember thinking, "this is boring". What a difference nearly two decades can make.

Apocalypse Now is a brilliant film. Francis Ford Coppola (Outsiders, The Godfather Trilogy) somehow makes this horrifying scene of carnage into a magnificently choreographed symphony. Its eerie how well the music tracks stand in strong contrast to the hellacious images passing before our eyes. Or the fact that amidst a quick and bloody slaughter, the Cavalry Lt. Kilgore (Robert Duvall) can only think of finding a decent wave to surf.

The opening scene amazingly sets the tone of the film. A fixed image of a tropical forest, one you would see in the Vietcong. The Doors "The End" starts slow. Slow motion of a Huey making a pick-up in the immediate foreground. The dust blows and rolls. And as soon as the lyrics start to approve, "This is the end," the palms light up in a napalm drenched explosion still in slow motion. The subtlety of the music in agreement, but not screaming, or appealing. Its Jim Morrison's lethargic voice soothing our worries away.

I thought the Kurtz part was too fast. I wanted to see more crazy. I wanted to not understand his psycho bablings. What the hell was going on in those last scenes is the question that everyone should be asking themselves. If you think you know the answer then you are wrong. Coppola had a horrible time trying to close things up with a proper ending. Then he decided that there is no real understanding of everything that just took place so just end it.

This was a real piece of art. Ebert philosophizes about the film more here if you want to read his review.

Idiocracy

We have had a lot of anonymous people comment on the page, and say some pretty ridiculous things, and there has been some harsh rebuttles that left some people charred. I was reading an article in one of SLC's premiere magazines, "City Weekly" about blog commenting. Here is that article. He covers a lot of ground, but sticks to idiots who comment; trashing the articles with degrading put downs and corrective criticisms, but I say he can go screw himself. Why is he in a medium that displays his opinions to a scrutinizing public? If he cant take the criticism he should get the hell out of Journalism.
I personally feed off the trite garbage. If a commentor upstages me, which happens more often than not, then I say "Kudos". I love the anonymity. I was reluctant to post my profile picture because of the deep, warm curtain that being an anonymous nobody can provide. It lets a person let go of their inhibitions. Now I have posted about this before, but in the article he just cries like a big baby about people being mean. What a pussy.
No doubt people have left the page or just sit idly by, no comment to make because of the quick-witted consequential casting of stones that is a proud patent of croonies.com contributors. But fear not because of the old addage: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Here is the link to a great article from The Onion that is somewhat related. Here.

before suncrap

Im sorry, but Linklater is a wannabe. I hated every minute of his stupid film Before Sunrise, and now that I think about it, I dont like the way he looks.
I know that some of you out there think he is such a genius. Dazed and Confused was genius. I know that some of you were in high school when really his only two good movies came out, and you feel there is a special connection with Linklater, like he really knows who you are. He really knows what you are about. But in reality he is 10 years older than you. He is just observing you and making his commentary. But that isnt what I have against him...actually that is about the smartest thing I think he has done. What I really hate about him is the way he writes his dialogue. It always has to be so wordy.
This movie is particularly annoying because its just a quick glimpse into the lives of two people who meet on a train. I agree that this wouldnt normally happen, but I agree that movies are about extraordinary events so I cant complain about the premise. Its the dialogue that was just so drab and annoying. And Ethan Hawke looks like a retard, which is why Julie Delpy goes for him. His character, I imagine Linklater sitting down to write this character and trying so hard to be "cool" (90's cool doesnt say much), and even says what his own problem is, "trying to be pseudo-intellectual." Thats exactly what is wrong with Linklater. He makes these normally retarded characters into these classic art lovers, socio-economics, astro-physicists, know-it-alls. I bet Linklater was the Mike Newbury (Adam Goldberg in Dazed and Confused) and thats why he sucks. Three of the real "cool" guys (Wooderson, "Pink", and Slater) sued his ass after the movie came out because those were their real names. Obviously he wasnt friends with them.
Hes a wannabe pseudo-intellectual.

iPhone blogging

Sorry I've been away from a computer so my absense, I hope, can be pardoned. I'm writing this on my iPhone whilst driving south on I-15 home to Newport. I've talked to Ma, the Sheriff, ADHDenver, a lady I do business with, and Dr. J. During the ten hour drive I've stopped thrice for gas (once for a five gallon pit, once for a one gallon pit just to make it to Vegas for a 9.8 gallon fill-up, which should get me home), no times to defecate, and no times to eat. Usually I will pack a lunch and piss in a bottle for time efficiency, but I didn't due to lack of funding. But I'm chiming in to relay a message from corporate: the new site look has been approved and so have two of the four new pages. So look for those new links on the home page soon

movie party fun time

a new page coming soon. Because of recent promises from a certain blog commenter there will be some expansion of the site.
Shitty 70's movie of the week (self explanatory)
Picture Pages (where viewers can email any photo and it will be posted. User beware)
and hopefully we can get an original graphic novel soon.

Thanks for all the help and encouragement,
Croonie

The willies

toll booth Willie, groundskeeper Willie, willie nelson, Wile E. Coyote, Bruce Willis.
Toll booth willie is a character from an Adam Sandler CD.
Groundskeeper Willie is the Scottish janitor at the Springfield grade school on the Simpsons.
Willie Nelson is a country folk singer who refuses to pay taxes and smokes dope.
Wile E. Coyote adamantly believes in ACME brand products.
Bruce Willis was having sex with GI Jane, now he plays the harmonica.

Picture pages

I just posted these pics. Check em out here.

1. the mineral runoff of a cold water geyser just south of Green River, UT

2. Monumental pic of the green river through some reeds.

3. Night shot of a fire that turned out much more colorful than expected

4. The sleeper

5. Luninha gazing at the swans in SLC

6. a double exposure. I dont know what the background image is, but the apparent takeover is obvious.

7. Luninha onlooking as a Naval hovercraft launches

8. A sad day for little l. 

All these pictures were taken with the Holga camera. The exact same camera that I got for my sister-in-law a couple of Christmas' ago that she has still not pulled out of the box.