It's Alright, I Guess

During this year's Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, I'm highlighting things more people should know about. For the most part, I'll be ignoring the most popular and widely known items (and sometimes my personal favorites) in order to promote the unfamiliar and underappreciated.

Let's kick this thing off right...

FILM

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Robert Downey Jr.'s best film. Val Kilmer's best film.¹ A small-time crook who lucked into an acting job (Downey) is on a stakeout with a P.I. (Kilmer) to research his role when they stumble into the middle of a murder investigation involving his childhood crush. Fantastically witty, dripping with sarcasm, and playing on traditional action movie clichés, this film is perfect for when you've had enough drama for one day.

TELEVISION

Kids in the Hall
Sure, most of you probably already know of this five-man sketch comedy show. But I contend they're underappreciated, because they've been off the air for 18 years, and because they're Canadian. Besides, arguing with me won't do any good; if you try, I'll just crush your head.²

GAME

Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magical Carrot
Warning: This game is not for serious gamers. Try to kill your opponents' bunnies with weapons like European Robotic Titanium Termites, Bittersweet Chocolate-Covered Anti-Matter Raisins, and Ebola. Try to keep your bunnies alive with the Magic Spatula or a Large Prune Danish. And even if your bunnies survive till the end and you've collected the most carrots, it may all be for naught, for the winning carrot is chosen at random. Because it's not about winning. It's about how you play the game.³

MUSIC

Kaiser Chiefs
They're a band from Leeds (that's in Britain, for my geographically challenged readers) named after a South African (that's in Africa) football (as in soccer) club (something to beat people with). It's fun Britpop with great energy, and why am I still describing it? Have a listen and make up your mind for yourself.

LITERATURE

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Todd Hewitt can hear other people's thoughts. But then again, so can everyone else in town. When he gets close to finding out a terrible secret they've been keeping from him, he flees with his dog (who also thinks aloud), and comes across an eerily silent creature: a girl. The first he's ever seen. He's scared by her silence, she by his noise. But they must work together as they run for their lives. This is the first in a trilogy, and surprisingly, each book is better than the one preceding it. Ness gives us such nuanced, duplicitous characters,⁴ and such neat plot twists, the books are practically unputdownable. What? It's a word.

¹ I say it edges out Iron Man and Top Secret!, respectively. You may disagree, but I don't care.
² I also contend that 1994-95 saw the end of nearly all great sketch comedy on TV. That time saw the exit of (in my opinion) the last cast of SNL worth watching, as well as the end of Kids in the Hall, Exit 57 (my E show), The Vacant Lot (a similarly short-run affair), and another favorite of mine I'll be covering on S day. What's come since... Mad TV? Meh. Portlandia? Pass. Its-a-Sketch? Imaginary. I rest my case.
³ And, how many bunnies you kill. With the Nuclear Warhead, for instance, you might be able to take out every bunny on the board. Including your own. Good times.
⁴ Plus, twice in the series he made me care for a character I'd disliked originally, only to cause me even more pain. Novelists could learn a thing or three from him.

A Way of Walking

During this year's Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, I'm highlighting things more people should know about. For the most part, I'll be ignoring the most popular and widely known items (and sometimes my personal favorites) in order to promote the unfamiliar and underappreciated.

Just five juicy tidbits...

FILM

JCVD
Yeah, you read that right. I'm recommending a John-Claude Van Damme film. In which he plays himself. Amidst tax problems and a custody battle, Van Damme gets caught in the middle of a bank robbery, and the robbers try to use his presence to their advantage. It's more drama than action (with touches of comedy), he gets to speak in his native tongue, and for once, he's not playing a one-dimensional character. The only Van Damme film ever worth watching.

TELEVISION

Jeeves and Wooster
Long before Hugh Laurie adopted an American accent and a limp, he used to hang out with Stephen Fry a bit and have a laugh. One such instance was this little show, based on the short stories of P.G. Wodehouse. Wealthy layabout Bertie Wooster (Laurie) would always find himself in a spot of bother, and his trusty valet Jeeves (Fry) had to bail him out. Absolutely fabulous.¹

GAME

Jaipur
If you're the first to sell a type of good, you make more money. Thus, you want to sell early. Yet, if you sell a larger amount of that good, your profit's even greater. Thus, you want to wait to sell until you've acquired more. It's a tough balance, especially when your opponent is vying for the exact same goods (and hoarding all the camels). A fun little card game for two players.

MUSIC

Jars of Clay
This Christian rock band is best known for their one mainstream hit, "Flood",² but despite little secular success, they're no one-hit wonder. Eight studio albums later, and they're still going strong, singing sweet melodies with great hooks and lyrics that consciously "shy away from... traditional religious literature." As a Jew-ish atheist, I applaud them, both for this sentiment, and for their wonderful music.³

LITERATURE

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Collins
An 8th-century king escapes regicide, meets the goat-god Pan, falls in love with an Indian girl, and then masters immortality. A waitress in modern day New Orleans obsesses over recreating a fragrance from a 300-year-old bottle of perfume. Some other stuff happens, and then it all comes together at the end (as books are wont to do). And excellent book.

¹ And also far, far better than Absolutely Fabulous.
² You get it? Flood? Main stream? Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all month. Try the veal... and the loaves and fishes.
³ For those of you keeping track at home, I do realize this is the second Christian group I've listed so far, yet I've given no props to the home team (i.e. Judaism). Where oh where have all the Jewish bands gone? (Answer: They're all at home doting on their mothers, like the good boys they are.)

The Window to the Soul

During this year's Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, I'm highlighting things more people should know about. For the most part, I'll be ignoring the most popular and widely known items (and sometimes my personal favorites) in order to promote the unfamiliar and underappreciated.

I Spy (With My Little I) Edition!
A kids' book somehow snuck its way onto today’s list, but it fit so well, I didn't even notice.¹

FILM

Infernal Affairs (Mou Gaan Dou)
The mob has a mole within the police. An undercover cop has infiltrated the mob. And each one is trying to identify his counterpart without blowing his own cover. If this premise sounds familiar, then you’ve probably seen the remake, a little movie called The Departed. But, in my opinion, this is the better film. Perhaps it’s because I feel the Hollywood version was weighed down by the personalities of its all-star cast, whereas the Hong Kong cast could give more understated performances. Or perhaps I just prefer the original ending (and originals to remakes). Well, whatever the reason, it’s worth a watch.

TELEVISION

Invader ZIM
A down-on-his-luck banished alien invader and his trusted insane robotic assistant (who sometimes disguises itself as a green dog) come to Earth to prepare for invasion. Only one person knows what Zim is up to, but no one will listen because he doesn't have any evidence is an annoying kid with a big head. If the show had aired on Cartoon Network or Comedy Central instead of Nickelodeon, it would have flourished, but alas, it lasted only a season and a half. It's quirky and clever and bizarre in all the best ways, and Gir (the robot, who loves pigs, tacos, and putting bacon into soap) is perhaps my favorite TV character of all time. Best. Invasion. Ever.

GAME

Ingenious
You get points for a color by placing tiles on a hexagonal board to make lines of that color. The more you have in a row, the better. But here’s what makes the game Ingenious: You don't win by getting the most total points or most in one color. You win by getting the most points in your worst color. Thus, you want to adopt a balanced approach; you could conceivably score all 15s except a 9 in yellow, and lose to someone who has 10s across the board. It may be hard to convince yourself to play this way, but with this game, sometimes the best offense is a good defense. (Plays up to 4.)

MUSIC

Itzhak Perlman
He may seem an odd pick for this list, since if you’re at all familiar with modern orchestral music, you’ve heard of him. But this time, it’s personal. When I was 3 or 4, I saw him perform on Sesame Street, and I was hooked. Over the years, I may have dabbled with the clarinet and the bass guitar and the kazoo,² but deep down I’ve always been a violinist. I have now played for 29 years, and it’s all because of this man. Thank you, Itzhak.

LITERATURE

Intensity by Dean Koontz
I went through a Dean Koontz phase in my early 20s, reading perhaps a half dozen of his novels. Each book began with an intriguing premise, but by the end I was always disappointed as the story devolved into dullness or utter peculiarity, possibly involving radioactive monkeys. And then: Intensity. The chapters swap between the perspectives of a serial killer and the young woman tracking him, trying to save her kidnapped friend. And the title fits perfectly: Neither the pace nor the stakes drop the entire way. The only work by Koontz I ever recommend.³

I Want My Hat Back by John Klassen
Bear has lost his hat, and no one seems to have seen it. Bear believes he may never see his hat again, but then he thinks back to his conversation with Rabbit... I'll have you know this is the only children’s book which, the moment I finished it, I had to own. It might not be my son’s favorite, but it is mine and my wife’s. Downright hilarious.

In closing, I like these items, and I hope you do, too. But feel free to share recommendations of your own, if you feel so inclined.


¹ What’s that? You say I must have noticed, since I’m mentioning it in today’s intro? That’s exactly what the book said you’d say! Now it’s obvious you’re the spy!
² And the spoons.
³ Also, the last work of his I’ll ever read. Usually I don’t know when to stop (as my garage door will attest), but for once, I quit while I was ahead. I should do that more often.

Jesus, Initially

During this year's Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, I'm highlighting things more people should know about. For the most part, I'll be ignoring the most popular and widely known items (and sometimes my personal favorites) in order to promote the unfamiliar and underappreciated.

Here's what I have...

FILM

Harold and Maude
Harold is obsessed with death. He drives a hearse, attends funerals, and fakes his suicide in increasingly elaborate ways (to the detriment of his mother, and to the young women she keeps trying to set him up with). He and 79-year-old Maude (the fantastic Ruth Gordon) are drawn to each other by their mutual interest in death, but it’s through her carefree attitude and love for life that Harold finally learns to live. It may chronicle a May-December romance, but I’d watch this dark comedy any time of year.

TELEVISION

Herman's Head
In truth, I don’t remember much about this show beyond that I liked it, and that the opposing aspects of Herman’s psyche were personified (by actual persons!) whenever he had a thought. (Oh yeah, it also starred Lisa Simpson Yeardley Smith and Moe Szyslak Hank Azaria). Yet, despite its bizarre premise (and the fact that it aired on Fox), it somehow lasted 3 seasons and 72 episodes, more than every other show I’ve highlighted so far this month.

GAME

Hive
Kind of like chess, but without the board. Ants move around the edge of the hive; spiders move exactly three spaces per turn; grasshoppers jump over other tiles; beetles can climb on top. You win by completely surrounding your opponent’s queen, while protecting yours from the same fate. An excellent abstract strategy game for two players.¹

MUSIC

The Hold Steady
Craig Finn doesn’t look like your typical lead singer. He doesn’t sound like one either. In fact, more often than not, his singing sounds more like talking than singing. But combine his lyrical storytelling (about drugs and relationships and redemption and the like) with some fantastic classic rock-inspired orchestration, and this Brooklyn-based indie rock band shines.

LITERATURE

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
This is like the Inception of books, only not in a way that will appeal to a mainstream audience. In this tome by Mark Z. Danielewski, a young man (Johnny Truant) presents a manuscript by a dead man (Zampanò) describing a video by a missing man (Will Navidson) about the inexplicable mysteries surrounding his new house (which may or may not have actually existed). Each narrator gets his own font, Truant gives his own story in the footnotes, and his editors sometimes chime in, too. And oh, the footnotes; this book has footnotes within footnotes within footnotes.² It gets more and more difficult to read (physically), as the narrator(s) — and the book itself — spiral into madness.

Well, that’s nearly all I have for you today. But I can’t leave without once again sharing my own short animation beginning with the letter H: The Hunt.

full desription | list of Easter Eggs⁵

Okay, now that’s all I have. Huzzah!


¹ Although, without a board, it’s not nearly as satisfying to sweep all the pieces away in anger when you lose.
² Within footnotes.^3
3 Within footnotes.^4
4 In fact, some pages are nothing but footnotes, in different sizes, placements, directions, etc. You might not believe it, but I, Footnote Grandmaster and Three-Time Reigning Champion, overdosed on them.
⁵ Alas, this is not a list of the eggs your family hid over the weekend. But I do have a tip on how to avoid having your home reek of utter rottenness in a month’s time: Move.

The Most Common Willikers

During this year's Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, I'm highlighting things more people should know about. For the most part, I'll be ignoring the most popular and widely known items (and sometimes my personal favorites) in order to promote the unfamiliar and underappreciated.

Here we go...

FILM

The Good, the Bad, and the Weird
It's the Wild West in the Far East: A "kimchee western." Three Korean gunslingers fight over a treasure map in WWII-era Manchuria, pursued by the Japanese army, their Manchurian counterparts, and a gang of Chinese bandits. Pays homage to the classic westerns while adding its own quirky flair to the genre. Weird? Perhaps. Good? Absolutely.

TELEVISION

The Great American Manhunt
I can guarantee you've never seen this one; it doesn't even premiere until April 19. Each episode, three experts will try to locate a mystery person somewhere in the U.S., working only from forensic tests of that person's anatomy, clothes, and mind. A pretty intriguing premise, right? See, I'm not just hyping it because one of the experts is my cousin.
(Airs Thursdays at 9pm on the National Geographic Channel starting 4/19.)

GAME

Guillotine
We’re back in the time of the French Revolution, and you've got three days to collect the most valuable heads you can. You heard me: heads. Each round, a dozen nobles are lined up before the executioner, while you and your friends vie for the best of the bunch. Use an action card to rearrange the line and claim Marie Antoinette instead of the lowly piss boy. Stick an opponent with the martyr, or even steal a head right out from under her nose. Great fun for the whole family! (No, really.)

MUSIC

Get Set Go
If there's one thing Get Set Go isn't, it's politically correct. Their music is so catchy and uplifting... and then you hear the lyrics. GSG’s songs are populated by hatred, murder suicide, death, and even improper sentiments regarding Lincoln and Mother Theresa. Dark lyrics combined with such joyful music (such as in their semi-hit "I Hate Everyone") make for a wry sense of humor which never fails to lighten my spirit.¹

LITERATURE

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
It's one week till Armageddon, people. The four horsemen motorcycle gangs of the apocalypse are on their way, and the forces of Good are amassing: Everything is going as planned. That is, until they realize when Good and Evil each sent an emissary to sway the Antichrist to their side when he was born twelve years ago, they got the wrong kid. The real Antichrist is out there somewhere, on his own, completely unaware of the power he's about to yield. The end of the world has never been so fun.

Well, I gotta go. That's what I've got for today. But if you have a recommendation for me, I'm game.


¹ Nor does their song about how when lead singer Mike TV grows up, he wants to be a fire truck.

Stop With the Camera

During this year's Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, I'm highlighting things more people should know about. For the most part, I'll be ignoring the most popular and widely known items (and sometimes my personal favorites) in order to promote the unfamiliar and underappreciated.

Feast your eyes on these fine five...

FILM

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
It's a farce. It's a musical. It stars Zero Mostel. With that, some of you are already sold... whereas others are undoubtedly thinking, "Who the hell is Zero Mostel?"¹ Anyway, Mostel plays Pseudolus, a lazy Roman slave who wishes to buy his freedom. He hasn't the money, but he has managed to work out a deal: If he can unite his master and the young courtesan with whom he is smitten, he shall be free. But of course, in the movies, nothing is ever that simple. (Useless Trivia: This also marks Buster Keaton's last film.)

TELEVISION

Fawlty Towers
Like yesterday's selection, this show also ended after 12 episodes. And frankly, I'm surprised it lasted that long. Not because it wasn't good — on the contrary, it's hilarious — but think about it. If you put John Cleese in charge of a hotel, would you expect it to still be standing weeks later?²

GAME

Fluxx
When this card game begins, the rules are "draw one, play one," and there's no way to win. But then you start playing rule and goal cards, and the next thing you know it's "draw two, play five" and you're about to win by making chocolate cookies, only your opponent plays a card forcing you to swap hands. It's a game that can take two minutes or twenty, and themed versions (such as Zombie Fluxx and Monty Python Fluxx) are even more fun (and even more insane).

MUSIC

Five Iron Frenzy
Yes, this Jewish atheist is touting a once-dead Christian ska band recently resurrected. What can I say? I'm a sucker for horns. Their songs overflow with energy and cover topics from consumerism to hypocrisy to video games to turning 29. And yeah, they mention God once in a while, but they do it with a snazzy tune, so who am I to judge?³

LITERATURE

Feed by M.T. Anderson
Titus has grown up with the feed: TV and internet all rolled into one and implanted into his brain. Yet when he and his friends are hit with a virus during a trip to the moon, he's forced to face reality. (For a few hours, anyway.) It's there he meets Violet, a weird girl who thinks for herself and causes Titus to begin to question the world around him for the first time. Feed is a biting satire of our media- and consumer-driven world, a superb blend of humor and seriousness. Seriously.⁴

And even though I didn't choose a French film... Fin.
(Do you have some suggestions for me? Fire away.)


¹ Among other things, he's been known to produce.
² Even more astonishing: The kitchen only served the egg part of the SPAM SPAM SPAM egg and SPAM.
³ Hi, I'm Nate, and my rulings are tough but fair. For embracing their religion, FiF's penance is to watch Flags of Our Fathers and throw six Hail Marys.
⁴ For even crazier humor, try M.T. Anderson's excellent Whales on Stilts! (complete with fake interview in the back). For even more serious fare, pick up his Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation (vols. 1 & 2).

The Gad Preceder

During this year's Blogging From A to Z April Challenge, I'm highlighting things more people should know about. For the most part, I'll be ignoring the most popular and widely known items (and sometimes my personal favorites) in order to promote the unfamiliar and underappreciated.

E is ever so evil. It took me forever to settle on these first few...

FILM

An Evening With Kevin Smith
Admit it. Some of you scoffed when you saw this pick. Others may have even guffawed. Don't worry, I get it. Although fanboys adore him, and airlines love him twice as much, most find his movies a bit too sophomoric (and they're not wrong).¹ But here's something you might not know: Smith is funnier — and more insightful — than his movies. And this compilation of Q&A sessions with the director of Clerks, Dogma, et al. proves it. If you like any of his films, or simply enjoy hearing directors discuss their craft, take an hour (or four) and check this one out.

TELEVISION

Exit 57
I've only seen multiple episodes of 3 shows that begin with E. One was far too popular for this list, one is going strong in its fifth season, and one was cancelled after a dozen episodes. (I'll give you three guesses as to which one this is.) Sketch comedy is always uneven, so of course some skits were better than others, but this is the show that started the careers of Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris. Alas, you won't find it on DVD (or even VHS) anywhere, but luckily for us, we have the Tube of You.

GAME

Euchre
Of all the E games I've played (that's E games, not e-games), I've only played one more than twice in the past 15 years.² And that's Euchre. It's quite popular in some areas (such as where my wife grew up) and completely ignored in others (such as where I did). Played with the 9s through Aces of a standard deck of cards, it's a trick-taking game wherein the Jack of the trump suit is the highest card, and the Jack of the same-colored suit the second highest. Easy to learn the basics, but the strategy... yeah, that could take you a little while.

MUSIC

Eels
What better for today than a band fronted by a man named E? They've been around for a while, but other than a couple minor hits and some play on soundtracks, they've remained on the fringe of mainstream. How to describe their music? Quirky, catchy, crazy, wonderful. Among my favorite tracks: "Fresh Feeling", "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues", and "Saturday Morning".³

LITERATURE

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
In this alternate version of 1985 Britain, dodos still exist, the Crimean War rages on, and minor characters have started disappearing from books. But when Jane Eyre gets kidnapped and her story starts to unravel without her, literary detective Thursday Next must go into Brontë's novel to set things straight. This is the first of a series, and Fforde is a master at messing with the English language.⁴ Whether you're a fan of English lit or offbeat humor or crazy wordplay, or even if you simply like to chuckle at disposable characters with names like Kannon and Phodder, you're in for quite the treat.

The End. Got any E's for me?


¹ Penis.
² If I'd said 16 years, Egyptian Ratscrew would have also been on the table. That's why I didn't say 16 years.
³ The music video for this one started with a guy making dozens of pancakes in a shack in the woods, and ended with him surrounded by dancing zombies in the back of an 18-wheeler. True story.
⁴ He makes my wordplay look like Child's Play. You know, that movie with the murderous doll. Yup, next to Thursday's, my attempts at grammatical wit are bloody horrible.