what's left of the flag

I have to say I’m pretty psyched for tonight. Seeing Flogging Molly an Irish (via Los Angeles) punk band. Absolutely everyone who sees this band live becomes a fan. It’s a free show so I Imagine the crowd will be large and rowdy. Plus I’m going to appeal to the lesser angels of my nature and get a more than just a little tipsy before I go. This should be a fun night. No, fuck that. It WILL be a fun night. After all, it’s all what you make it isn’t it?. Carpe Diem, bastards!

modern classic

You know the best thing about The Dark Knight? It lives up to the hype. So many times we here today that everything sucks and it was done better before. Not so with this film. It is truly a modern classic and will easily go down as one of the best films of the decade. And yes, Heath Ledger’s Joker could prove to be one of the best on screen villains ever. It’s a dark film for sure, but it does give me a little hope that this pop culture machine still has some tricks up its sleeves.

stay frosty

What is it about a piece of art, be it literature, painting, film or any other medium, that makes it timeless? Aliens is a movie that is just as good to me today as it was when I was in 7th grade and watching my favorite parts over and over again. I can still recite almost every line in the same inflection and tone as the actors. The effects still look pretty damn great. Even the score still holds up to the test of time. Every time I open a book or sit down to watch a film I’m hoping for an experience like the one I got the first time I saw Aliens. Of course it hardly ever happens, but I still have hope..

you can't go home again

There’s something about the writing and artwork of Alex Robinson that makes opening one of his graphic novels like seeing an old friend. Too Cool To Be Forgotten is a no different. Telling the story of Andy Wicks – a middle aged man who goes to a hypnotist to quit smoking and ends up reliving his sophomore year of high school, TCTBF, is probably Robinson’s most bittersweet work. Andy confronts not only what was but what will be and struggles to change them. In the end Andy gets his wish, but probably not how you’d expect. This is definitely Andy’s story and very personal in a way that only comics can be. We hear his thoughts, we feel his awkwardness and his frustration with the mundane.. This can be read in one sitting and is well worth it.

I'm torn..

Anybody who has spent time in New York’s East Village over the past years knows it’s not what it used to be. From the Chipotle on St Marks to the sanitation of Tompkins Square Park the formally sketchy magic has been white washed and replaced with commercialized gleam only slightly better than the Disney vomit that Times Square has become. One of the biggest blows to the old East Village was the loss of CBGBS. John Varvatos has opened a store where CBGBS used to be. He has managed to keep as much of the original venue as he could. My knee jerk reaction to this is to hate it. But would I rather have the place gutted and forgotten? Maybe it’s better to have a museum disguised as an haute couture boutique than nothing at all. I guess in this changing city I’ll take what I can get.