emotional weather report

As forseen by the title, I watched Little Miss Sunshine tonight. I thought it was rather fantastic. It's that dry type of humor that I find especially satisfying. All the performances were well acted, I liked Alan Arkin's Grandfather and Steve Carell's Frank characters. The plot makes you feel good at the end, but the movie isn't really sunny; it's actually rather dark. I won't divulge into any specific details, but just know that there are a lot of....well, perverted laughs would be wrong to say, but subject matter that shouldn't be funny. Ah! I noticed numerous times during the movie that it almost parallels with As I Lay Dying (by Faulkner, if you haven't read it, do your self a favor and get on it). Like AILD, there are things in the plot that shouldn't be funny, but they are (and are supposed to be). I would suggest renting it, maybe even a buy. I don't know what you like.

Also. If you like punk(ish) music, then I would suggest listening to Bad Religion. Although the name may suggest some nefarious plot to poison the Pope, rest aside. The singer, Greg Graffin, is a PhD in Biology (I think) from Cornell. And the lyrics are about the government and the falsity of religion and that sort of thing. When I was younger, I used to believe whole-heartedly in what the words meant, but now that I am older, I just enjoy the harmonies, which are excellent. It's punk music with a brain; it doesn't call for you to burn down your local ROTC building, but it just challenges you to think for yourself and not succumb to all the influences that pull you in every direction. And the harmonies are fabulous, as I mentioned before. If you are interested, listen to these three albums (in this order): The Empire Strikes First (2004), (1987) and Suffer and Recipe For Hate (1993). I would listen to Empire first, because I feel that it culminates all the elements that make BR so great; it's fast paced, the singing and lyrics are great. I guess what I mean to say is that if you are on the road by yourself or with company who appreciate BR, you will drive faster and sing very loud. One of my favorite bands that only gets better with time.

Till next time.