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	23 April 2004 PHOTO DIARY. Today's Newman's Own Alphabet Cookies word is: CNBIG, or "Seein' big."   Back to main 22 April 2004 CALIFORNIA ARCHITECTURE. There's this ordinary-looking apartment building near home that, when viewed from the side, looks pretty nifty. That's about the extent of my architectural criticism vocabulary: It looks pretty nifty. Other buildings normally leave their flanks bare, since future development will probably directly abut the property, but this one has been carved into jumbled-up terraces. Which is, you know, kinda nifty. I think of it as a poor man's Getty Center. The Getty is awesome, by the way.   Back to main PHOTO DIARY. In the course of doodling on the whiteboard, Debbie found herself drawing her imaginary childhood companion Morgan (the Magical Unicorn), completely from muscle memory. I noted Morgan's similarity to Godzilla. Morgan has no body, so we gave the unicorn an "Add To Favorites" button instead.   Back to main 21 April 2004 PHOTO DIARY. So I've been using Vaseline lip balm to counteract the dryness caused by my Accutane medication. The back of the tube states that if my condition persists, I should consult a doctor. That's some good advice. Vaseline lip balm contains white petrolatum and, um, flavor.   Back to main 20 April 2004 PHOTO DIARY. Josh invited a bunch of us to go see a screening of Jim Jarmusch's newest movie, entitled Cigarettes & Coffee, at the Arclight Theater in Hollywood. The film is a collection of skits shot in black and white that star unexpected pairings of celebrity friends of his (i.e. Wu Tang Clan and Bill Murray discussing alternative medicine). It's a good collection of treats that strides confidently among hilarity, tedium, absurdity, and poignancy. Jarmusch appeared for a Q & A session afterwards. He's such a respected artfilm auteur that he can pretty much call up any A-list actor and have them agree to do a shoot, sight unseen and script unread. Or unwritten, in some cases. Sitting in the audience among us were still more celebrity buddies of his, including Wim Wenders and Eddie Izzard. Big fun.   Back to main 18 April 2004 MOVIE: YING XIONG ("HERO", 2002). A super-bad ass warrior (Jet Li) defeats three also-super-bad-ass warriors in an attempt to get close enough to a mean-ass warlord in ancient China. Nicki and I were inspired to watch this after we saw a preview for it. Looks like it's coming to the States after debuting in Asia two years ago. Ray lent us the DVD via Josh in Shanghai last year. It's been sitting on our shelf the whole time. We're dumb for not having watched it sooner. It's a gorgeous movie, with dream-like battle scenes set to a delicate Chinese violin sountrack. As in: armies of thousands launching swarms of arrows onto a beseiged calligraphy school; red-robed female warriors fighting mid-air in a golden ginko forest; an epic standoff between staff and sword in a rainy chess pavilion. Remember to bring a bib to drool in. Our DVD crapped out on us, dissolving the movie into a crackly pixelated mess before we could get to the end. But that's okay--we'll be able to see it on the big screen soon enough, right here in the US. In the meantime, your homework is to re-watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.   Back to main MOVIE: KILL BILL (2004). Quentin Tarantino finishes off his two-volume epic Kill Bill, in which our nameless female hero ("The Most Dangerous Woman in the World") faces off with her nemesis Bill. It's nowhere near as outrageously violent as Volume 1. That's okay though: it's more of a western than a samurai sword-fest. There's more of Tarantino's trademark rambling dialogue. Unfortunately, much of it isn't terribly interesting. Mixed media, clever predicaments, and numerous homages to classic Hollywood film kept me entertained as hell. The sequence where Uma Thurman's character trains with a master in China delighted me the most. Every kitschy camera move from every afternoon of Kung Fu Theater is lovingly reproduced with endearing clumsiness. Kill Bill is a love story at heart. I think of it as the same sort of wacky, ultra-violent blender of emotions as first seen in True Romance, only aged to a smoother, more subtle perfection. Tarantino's not just a virtuoso film geek; he's got plenty of heart, too. See it on the big screen.   Back to main Archives. 17 August 2003 — 24 August 2003 — 31 August 2003 — 07 September 2003 — 14 September 2003 — 02 November 2003 — 09 November 2003 — 16 November 2003 — 23 November 2003 — 30 November 2003 — 07 December 2003 — 01 February 2004 — 08 February 2004 — 15 February 2004 — 22 February 2004 — 29 February 2004 — 07 March 2004 — 14 March 2004 — 21 March 2004 — 28 March 2004 — 04 April 2004 — 11 April 2004 — 18 April 2004 — 25 April 2004 — 02 May 2004 — 09 May 2004 — 16 May 2004 — 23 May 2004 — 30 May 2004 — 06 June 2004 — 13 June 2004 — 20 June 2004 — 27 June 2004 — 04 July 2004 — 11 July 2004 — 18 July 2004 — 25 July 2004 — 01 August 2004 — 08 August 2004 — 15 August 2004 — 22 August 2004 — 29 August 2004 — 05 September 2004 — 12 September 2004 — 19 September 2004 — 26 September 2004 — 03 October 2004 — 10 October 2004 — 17 October 2004 — 24 October 2004 — 31 October 2004 — 07 November 2004 — 14 November 2004 — 21 November 2004 — 28 November 2004 — 05 December 2004 — 12 December 2004 — 19 December 2004 — 26 December 2004 — 02 January 2005 — 09 January 2005 — 23 January 2005 — 30 January 2005 — 06 February 2005 — 13 February 2005 — 20 February 2005 — 27 February 2005 — 13 March 2005 — 20 March 2005 — 27 March 2005 — 03 April 2005 — 10 April 2005 — 17 April 2005 — 24 April 2005 — 01 May 2005 — 08 May 2005 — 22 May 2005 — 29 May 2005 — 05 June 2005 — 12 June 2005 — 19 June 2005 — 26 June 2005 — 03 July 2005 — 10 July 2005 — 17 July 2005 — 24 July 2005 — 31 July 2005 — 07 August 2005 — 14 August 2005 — 28 August 2005 — 04 September 2005 — 25 September 2005 — 02 October 2005 — 09 October 2005 — 30 October 2005 — 06 November 2005 — 13 November 2005 — 20 November 2005 — 27 November 2005 — 04 December 2005 — 18 December 2005 — 01 January 2006 — 08 January 2006 — 15 January 2006 — 22 January 2006 — 05 February 2006 — 26 February 2006 — 12 March 2006 — 19 March 2006 — 26 March 2006 — 02 April 2006 — 16 April 2006 — 23 April 2006 — 30 April 2006 — 07 May 2006 — 14 May 2006 — 21 May 2006 — 04 June 2006 — 18 June 2006 — 25 June 2006 — 16 July 2006 — 23 July 2006 — 06 August 2006 — 13 August 2006 — 03 September 2006 — 17 September 2006 — 01 October 2006 —