Oh, Rochester

I just came across a link to the online collection of the George Eastman House Musuem in Rochester, New York. A varied and eclectic list of photographers, of whom I am only familiar with a handful. Certainly an enjoyable way for any photography lover to idle away a bit of time.

The online collection can be viewed here.

The museum's website is here.


Robert Parke Harrison

Escher is my favorite MC

The San Jose Museum of Art is currently exhibiting a collection of the work of MC Escher.

It is an interesting exhibit that includes much of his early work, as well as the more familiar pieces that have graced many a dorm room wall over the years.

The official MC Escher site is worth a visit. There is a fairly extensive picture gallery and a download section with a free interactive puzzle.

Movie News

Coming Soon to a Theater near you

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodrigues team up again for the double feature Grindhouse. I'm sure this will engender as much debate as Kill Bill.

Coming Soon on DVD
Via DVD Journal

Our friends at The Criterion Collection have announced a two-disc release of Lindsay Anderson's 1968 If… starring Malcolm McDowell as hell-raising schoolboy Mick Travis — expect a new transfer from restored elements; a commentary featuring McDowell and film historian David Robinson.

If... is the predecessor and companion piece to Anderson's 1973 film, O Lucky Man! If... is the better picture, but the Alan Price soundtrack from O Lucky Man! is a classic.

Recent Viewing
The Departed and Hollywoodland are the two most recent DVDs that have found their way into my player.

As a longtime Scorsese fan, I am happy that he finally won the Oscar, and The Departed is definitely worth watching. The dialog, the performances, the story are all engaging and it is one of the fastest 150 minutes I've spent in a while. But it is not the film that Raging Bull or Goodfellas were. It feels a bit like a pity Oscar when you look at it in the context of Scorsese's earlier works, but it is a mile above the Aviator and is still worth watching.

Hollywoodland is the story of the death of George Reeves, TV's Superman in the fifties. Ben Affleck inhabits the vapid personality of Reeves and turns in one of his best performances. The film, unlike the over-the-top Black Dahlia, that came out around the same time last year, does not propose to offer a solution to the mystery of Reeves' death. A bit slow at times, but for lovers of tales of old Hollywood and fans of the old Superman series, well worth your time.

Schmaltz will clog your arteries

Leaky truck on Louisiana highway leaves trail of chicken fat.

Quick, bring me some chicken livers and a Ritz cracker.

Via SFGate.com read about it here.

The google led me to this site, a list of road songs on the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration web site.

Good fun.

All things Bob

Nice to see that, in a qualified sense, the current Pope has acknowledged that Bob Dylan is a prophet.

And here is Weird Al's version of Subterranean Homesick Blues done completely in palindromes.



In the words of friend George, who sent this my way, this is totally inexplicable. Dylan hears a Who!

Baby's got a Major-General

Gilbert, Sullivan & Sir Mix-a-lot



via Salon.com To irresistable not to share.

...into this

Charles Bukowski (dinosauria, we)



I was just in that kind of mood. Enjoy.