So I finally got around to seeing KILL BILL VOLUME 2 last night. I've been so hella busy lately (I know, it's the 34th time I've used that excuse) that it's been hard trying to get out and see anything. Honestly, I can count on one hand the number of films I've seen theatrically since 2004 began, and it's killing me. Most nights during the week I work a second job, so the only time I have to run errands is on the weekends. And on top of that, weekends have been pretty booked too, and if they're not, I generally just want to take the opportunity to veg out and play some old 8-bit NES games.

But back to the subject, I went to see the film at Atlanta's very own Plaza Theater on Ponce De Leon Ave. The Plaza is a really old theater stuck in the middle of a strip mall. It only has two theaters, one of which seems like an afterthought, shoved upstairs in a cramped room. But lately, it's where I've seen most of the movies that have come out lately. Now, a couple of years ago, the Plaza was Midtown's bastion for piddly little art films. Want a stuffly little French drama? Go to the Plaza! Well, that's not the case as much anymore. Within the last year or so, the old Midtown Regal theater where I saw such blockbuster popcorn flicks like MINORITY REPORT, SPIDER-MAN, and TERMINATOR 3 on opening night has been sold to a theater company called Landmark. Landmark quickly promoted itself as the "Midtown Art Cinema", but was still showing stuff like DELIVER US FROM EVA and THE HULK. But after a facelift and a few months later, it really is an arthouse theater. But it isn't just some hole-in-the-wall theater with two screens, it's an honest-to-goodness 8-screen mini-multiplex that plays documentaries and European comedies and has had THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE in rotation for like six months now. But as a result, it's cornered the market on art films in the northeastern side of the city. So the Plaza has reverted to playing more mainstream fare such as STARSKY AND HUTCH and ELF. Other theaters that leaned toward the artsy side, like The Tara Theater on Cheshire Bridge, have also started moving toward the mainstream side of things. But still, the Plaza and Tara have tended to avoid the big-time popcorn flicks for the most part. Nowadays, when I want to really see a big piece of fluff, I have to drive to the suburbs like Decatur or Norcross (or worse yet, hit one of the theaters in Buckhead.) Definitely interesting to watch the demographics switch around so much.

And on another note, the last film I saw at the Plaza before last night was THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, almost two months ago. Problem is they still managed to play the same trailers they did at that time last night. This gets a little ridiculous when you see some of the things they're advertising as "Coming Attractions." I mean, isn't SECRET WINDOW well on its way to DVD by now?

- posted by Noel @ 8:39 AM

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People sometimes ask me why I don't update my Blog more often. The reason is because Blogger fucking sucks and if I don't forget to save what I write in notepad first, it's bound to lose it. LIKE IT JUST DID.

Back in 1987, Motley Crue sang a song in which they talked about "Rockin' in Atlanta at Tattletales". This weekend, while entertaining Jason Royal of Completing the Square on his bachelor party, I discovered one ugly truth: Several of the women there have indeed been around since Vince Neil first uttered that immortal line.

In other news, I also learned this weekend that motor scooters are not designed for off-roading, and I have the scrapes to prove it.

- posted by Noel @ 12:16 PM

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Bootleggin' pays off, I guess.

This week, I was contacted by Wizard Press in regards to using some of the items featured in MCFTR's Bootleg Toy articles for coverage in their upcoming Spider-Man Mega Special this summer. Initially, they asked about just the fantastic Spider-Man Guitar you see here, but I've also sent along some of the other gems such as the Spider-Man laser gun and Spider-Man telephone. Everyone needs to check out the issue when it hits stands, I'm sure it'll be good for some chuckles.

So, yeah, I finally saw JERSEY GIRL. I actually had like no time to see it, with my weekend pretty much full, but I rushed out and saw an early showing because I'd been dying to see it (and needed to get a review up of something at some point.) And, well, I didn't like it. I know, I know...I'm too hard on Kevin Smith. Whatever. Fact is, I went in to the theater determined not to pick it apart, but it was just so...well, just read my review and see what I mean.

If this weekend has confirmed anything, it's that BILLY MADISON is still one of the funniest, most surreal movies ever.

- posted by Noel @ 2:56 PM

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New Poll. It's for the geeks.

And while I'm on the subject of geeks, I was thinking of a conversation that I had a few weeks ago in which I was discussing different levels of geekdom with a couple of other contributors to this site. We determined that there were five basic levels of geekiness that can be achieved, based upon the geeky activities performed by that person. Here's the basic gist of that conversation:

LEVEL ONE: A level one geek is really not much of a geek at all. This is your average, everyday citizen who may have enjoyed a BATMAN movie or two and might have developed a crush on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer at some point. Not much to worry about here.

LEVEL TWO: A level two geek is a slight step up, but still a relatively functional member of society. A level two geek probably has seen STAR WARS at few times in their life, and may even occasionally pick up a random comic book every now and again.

LEVEL THREE: A level three geek is probably the level that most of us here at MCFTR fit into. A level three geek might read comics fairly regularly, generally seeks out comic and sci-fi films, and probably has a collection (DVDs, comics, toys, etc.) of some sort. Still, a level three geek can still interact with normal members of society.

LEVEL FOUR: This is where it starts getting scary. A level four geek doesn't just enjoy the things a level three geek does as recreation, but generally focuses on these things as a lifestyle. Level four geeks may also write fan fiction for their favorite geeky stories, and may also dress in costumes for fantasy conventions. You can often find level four geeks wearing black T-shirts with pictures of wolves on them. I'm not sure why that is.

LEVEL FIVE: Okay, this is where intervention is necessary. A level five geek not only focuses on the geeky, they obsess on it. And a level five geek is defined by one particular phenomenon: Live Action Role-Play. This is the sort of person you will want to steer clear of at all costs.

What many fail to realize, however, is just what kind of things a geek might follow. Sure, there's the obvious: STAR WARS, Star Trek, comic books, anime, action figures...but there's some geeks out there that just blow other geeks out of the water. For instance, take the Full House geek. Go no further than FULL HOUSE FOREVER, where you can find everything you ever wanted to about the Tanner family...and more! Want to know the whereabouts of Jodie Sweetin? It's there! Need an update on the Full House reunion rumors? They're there! Yes, there's even Full House Fan Fiction.. If only there were a section devoted to Full House LARP.

By the way, if anyone out there is in fact into Full House LARP, please let me know. Wait, hang on, no. Actually, if you are into Full House LARP, kill yourself.

- posted by Noel @ 10:52 AM

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