Uh oh, I pissed off psycho guy at the store.

He came in earlier this week and as usual we called the police because we're trying to get a no trespassing order on him but we can't unless him, the police, and we are all at one place at the same time.

The police arrived eventually and when we gave them his license plate number the officer said he'd visit his house.

I assume the officer talked to him because when I got to work the next day the employee told me that he had come in twice that morning really pissed off and looking for "the young guy." That would be me.

I reviewed the security footage and saw that he was pretty pissed. I feared for my life the rest of the day. You can imagine how pissed off my dad was when I told him what had happened. He freaked out and made some comment about putting a bullet between the psycho guy's eyes.

We called the police again. This is insane...

The officer also gave us his full name which, Scott Whittemore. Just for fun I googled his name and discovered that a Scott K Whittemore had run for Mayor in 2001 but had failed to submit a photo, video, or any sort of statements. He was just on the ballot and ended up getting about 300 votes total. I wouldn't be surprised if that was him. He's seriously insane and needs to be locked up, I've never encountered anybody quite like him.

Somebody save me.

If you're ever in the Seattle area and you need a keg visit our website at www.kegs2go.com.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is playing at the Seattle art museum tomorrow night as part of the Twin Peaks festival which is held in North Bend, WA every year. Some of my friends and I are going. It's going to be hella cool. Hopefully.

Posted by Ben at 9:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"We also ran a few numbers on which restaurant is the cleanest. The winner in the mom-and-pop-type eatery category is K's Deli on Leary Way in Seattle: seven inspections in two years with zero violations."

-KiroTV

Woohoo, that's our store!

Click the quote for an article about dirty restaurants in Seattle.

Posted by Ben at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Work is starting to get old... I'm surprised that it took this long but I'm becoming more and more easily irritated by annoying costumers. Going back to school will be a relief.

I'll be back in New York on August 23rd...

I haven't bought my ticket yet but that's when I'll be back.

I've started reading Alain Robbe-Grillet's The Voyeur and I love it so far. He's a French writer that was writing around the same time all the French New Wave filmmakers were doing their crazy stuff. Not to be outdone, this book is pretty crazy. Not subject matter wise but structurally.

It's hard to keep track of where you are and whether you're in the past present or future. He jumps back and forth in time without warning in the span of a single paragraph. It took some getting used to at first but once you grasp it it just becomes hella fun to read. Yes, hella fun to read. I've never read anything quite like it before and I'm taking a liking to it.

I'm about a third of the way through it and hopefully I'll be able to come back in a couple days and continue raving about it.

Posted by Ben at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"btw, i saw that piece of shit known to the most pretentious among us as 'elephant'. the movie industry finally proves that the depths of its banality are indeed infinite. i have half the mind to have Van Sant snuffed just so i could film it slow motion and sell it to the masses of bullshit loving critics. it's really an example of how a movie shouldn't be made."

-Alex Sanchez ()

I couldn't have said it better myself. Bravo Alex!

Posted by Ben at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just finished reading Marguirite Duras' L'Amante Anglaise (The title is a play on "English Mint" and "The English Lover"). It's basically about a murder that happens in a small town. It's told through a series of three interviews. One with a friend of the murderer, one with her husband, and one with the murder herself. While it could be classified as a mystery there's not much mystery because you pretty much know everything that happened early on. What made the book so much fun was just reading the interviews and learning about the different people through what they have to say. Duras is a very observant writer and she reveals things about the characters in a very sensitive and effective way. She provides deep insight into peoples minds and wraps it all up in an engrossing novel.

The ending is haunting (what a cliche word to use for a review) to say the least.

I think her script for Hiroshima Mon Amour is my favorite work of hers thus far but this was really good as well.

Now if only that damn giant squid book would arrive...

Posted by Ben at 12:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Me: Can you check if you have a book for me?
Jerkface: Absolutely not, we don't have an inventory of all... etc. etc. etc.
Me: Okay, well this is it then. Do you do student discounts?
Jerkface: Yes.

*I show him my NYU ID*

Jerkface: Well, usually it's only for U-Dub students but I suppose I can do it for you.

*blah blah blah typical procedure to buy stuff*

Jerkface: What was the book you were looking for?
Me: The Search For The Giant Squid by Richard Ellis.

*He looks at me like I'm stupid*

Jerkface: Interesting... We don't have it. Is it actually about giant squid?
Me: Yeah.
Jerkface: Hm...

What a jerk. I understand that they don't have an inventory since the store is like Strand Books in NY but he was just such a prick... the way he said it... oh well, I ended up going to Barnes and Noble to look for it and they didn't have it either. I think I'm just going to have to order it online! I must find the giant squid!!!

While I was at Half Price Books I bought Marguerite Duras' L'Amante Anglaise and Sergei Eisenstein's The Film Sense. Yesterday I finished reading Duras' The Lover which was great. She's also the screenwriter of Hiroshima Mon Amour so I've taken a liking to her writing very much. The latest book of hers that I got involves a series of murders and body parts being dropped from railroad ducts onto the trains underneath. Cool.

Today was the hottest day in Seattle in the last six years. That's not saying much since our summer aren't too bad but 95 degrees is still damn hot. The store was really busy today and we sold a ton of kegs and ice. It being so busy made the time go by much faster.

*edit*

My mom wanted me to find a book for her on Amazon.com so while I was at it I got The Search For the Giant Squid and Aquagensis: The Origin and Evolution of Life in the Sea. Undersea creatures are so badass.

*edit again*

Oh yeah. I watched Capturing the Friedmans yesterday. It was good. Upsetting and disturbing, but good.

Posted by Ben at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Martin Scorsese is remaking Infernal Affairs with Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. That is one of the stupidest things that I've EVER heard in my life.

Matt Damon is playing Andy Lau's character while Leonardo DiCaprio is going to try to fill in for Tony Leung. Leonardo DiCaprio... Tony Leung... Tony Leung should sue Martin Scorsese, that's just insulting.

Ugh.

Posted by Ben at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

*drool*

Posted by Ben at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It would be nice if the construction people would actually do some work on the road instead of just tearing it up then not touching it. Business is painfully slow right now...

I watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas yesterday. It was okay...

Posted by Ben at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I spent most of my day after work reading today. I finished Catcher in the Rye which, believe it or not, I had never read up until now. I enjoyed it but I also think that I would've enjoyed it much more had I read it in highschool.

Posted by Ben at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My birthday is August 1st

Posted by Ben at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lately I've been listening to a lot of MF Doom, Sonic Youth, and Belle and Sebastian. I've listened to almost no Radiohead whatsoever. I don't know what's going on...

My friend sent me the new Interpol album that has yet to be released. I was worried that it would sound the same as their first one but it didn't. They're progressed a little bit and his voice is toned down a little too. I like the album so far.

Sonic Youth's latest album is just brilliant. Possibly better than Daydream Nation, definitely better than Murray Street. The iTunes exclusive song they released, Kim's Chords, is also excellent.

My website is pretty much non-existent at the moment. I was going to update it but then couldn't decide what to update so instead I just removed it. I'll think of something and put something up within the next couple months hopefully. Especially since I just renewed the damn thing for a year...

Posted by Ben at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today I got to sleep in which I was nice.

Afterwards I fixed myself a sandwich and watched three movies.

I watched A Decade Under the Influence which is about American cinema in the 1970s. The seventies was by far the best decade for American cinema and this was a decent look at the films of the time and what made them so great. It's a time that's so rich in great art though that at a little under three hours it still felt too short.

I also watched a Korean film called Samaria by Kim Ki Duk. It's about child prostitution but it's not graphic at all which was a big surprise considering his previous films. It was very good and I loved the lead actor. I think it might be my second favorite work of his behind Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Lastly, I watched Bad Santa which was absolutely hilarious. I was at home alone laughing out loud for most of the film. The writing is great and Terry Zwigoff just has a knack for making audiences fall in love with eccentric characters, even when they're alcoholics who swear at little kids.

I would love to write more about each of these films but I'm just too lazy to do that so too bad.

Posted by Ben at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The DJ on the radio at work just called Radiohead, Radioheads... ... ...

In other news, I saw Sonic Youth on Wednesday. They were awesome. Wolf Eyes was great as well.

Posted by Ben at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Empire Rising: A Satirical History, Part I

Empire Rising: A Satirical History, Part II

Empire Rising: A Satirical History, Part III

These are by the Seattle p.i. editorial cartoonist David Horsey and they are very funny.

Posted by Ben at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continuing my streak of going out to see a movie I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind yesterday at the Crest. For those of you that don't know, the Crest is a second run theater that plays lots of foreign and indie film while also playing big budget Hollywood films. The past part is that tickets are only three dollars.

Anyway, the film was very good. Jim Carrey does a good job and seems to be making good progress in his journey to becoming a serious actor. Kate Winslet as his lover/ex lover/lover is great.

The cinematography was a little weird. The picture was very murky and if I remember correctly from an article about it in American Cinematographer they shot most of the film with available lighting. I think most of it was handheld as well so the movie had an interesting look reminiscent of postwar European cinema, a similarity that's further exemplified through the editing which is very nouvelle-vague. (Hhahahahahahahaha I can't believe I just typed that, you all can wipe the looks of disgust off your face now... please?)

As always with a Charlie Kauffman film, the writing was fantastic. The narrative is a bit disjointed and hard to follow at moments but much of it involves running around inside a persons brain so that's to be expected. As implausible as the story is it doesn't really matter because it's just a movie and because it's so effectively told that you're immediately sucked into a very bizarre yet beautiful world. I think the most effective parts were watching the Jim Carrey reliving some of his happiest memories as they fall apart around him. Michel Gondry, who's always the innovator, was a good choice to direct the film because of the unique vision he seems to bring to all the work he does. Watching Carrey run from memory to memory as they disintegrate around him was both beautiful to watch and devastating. Poor guy...

There were some other plot elements such as one involving Kirsten Dunst that I could've done without but overall I enjoyed the film a lot. It was much better than Adaptation (as a whole, although the first half of Adaptation is awesome...) but I haven't decided whether I like it more than Being John Malkovich.

Anyway, I've just woken up and the Sears guys are going to be delivering my parents' mattress in about forty-five minutes so I better take a shower. I don't want them to think I'm a slob!

I have a day off because I have to stay home for the mattress guys. I think I'm going golfing later today and tonight maybe I'll watch Kill Bill vol. 2.

Posted by Ben at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I saw Spider-Man 2 today and was very pleasantly surprised.

I have to agree with all the critics that have said that this is the best comic book film that they've ever seen. Yes it slips into moments of cheesiness and it's very over the top but it's a comic book movie! What'd you expect!?

Kirsten Dunst thankfully didn't ruin the movie. Her character is somewhat likable. Tobey Maguire is perfect as Peter Parker and the rest of the cast is good. Sam Raimi did a great job eliciting very stylized performances from the actors that lended much of the film a more comic book feel.

What I liked best about the film was that so much of it was dedicated to Peter Parker and not Spider-Man. Unlike Batman, Superman, and a lot of other superheros, Spider-Man's alter-ego is actually interesting. Peter Parker is a character that you actually become involved with. Instead of just waiting around anxiously for him to throw on his costume and fight evil you actually want him to figure out the problems plaguing his life first.

There are some really funny moments, especially in the elevator, and the action scenes are great as well. If all summer event films were this good I'd spend a lot more money at the theater but alas...

Yay for Spider-Man and yay for Michael Moore too. Two times to the theater in two days. Yesterday being the first time I've been in a theater for awhile too.

In other news, the city is doing construction on the main road next to our store. They've torn up the entire middle lane. That means for about four weeks all the traffic heading towards Seattle can't turn into the store. That's pretty messed up. Business is not good at all at the moment. Grrrrrrrr...

Posted by Ben at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today I saw Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

I think the film was much better than Bowling for Columbine was. Moore decided to set his ego aside for once and instead deal with the issue at hand only appearing in the film a couple times. The few times that he is in it he refrains from being obnoxious and self glorifying.

While some parts weren't as effective as others, the ties between the Bush and Bin Laden family being one of them, the film as a whole was very effective. The introduction about the election and the fiasco that followed is especially well structured and absolutely heartbreaking.

Rarely have I been so frustrated and infuriated while watching a film. Typically you can always tell yourself that it's just a movie and it's not really happening. There was even a moment where I was so dumbfounded and the things happening were just so unreal that I told myself "good thing it's only a movie" only to remember a split second later that it's not only a movie.

The film was very powerful at moments and it's even good for some laughs. While a lot of the information won't be that shocking to some I think the film is important because it hopefully will persuade some people, who normally wouldn't, to go out and vote and try to put an end to the ridiculous government that's in power right now. While not a great documentary in a cinema studies sense, it is a very good persuasive essay and important work.

Although I think Oldboy is the superior film I have few qualms with this film having won the grand prize at Cannes. It's important, well crafted, well meaning, and should be seen by as many people before the election as possible.

Posted by Ben at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I watched I Am Trying to Break Your Heart and Hell House yesterday. Both were very good.

Posted by Ben at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I played 18 holes at Walter Hall yesterday and shot an 84. Nine over on the front nine and three over on the back. I could've played better but I'm still happy since this was the best round I've ever played. I had a really nice chip in on a par five from behind a tree for birdie. A random person watching from the balcony of his apartment nearby walked down and even told me that of the thousands of shots he's watched from his apartment that mine was the best he's ever seen. It was nice.

Today I'm going to relax and watch some movies.

Posted by Ben at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This list takes a lot of things in to factor including just how much I enjoy it regardless of filmmaking. That's why No Retreat No Surrender is so high up.

This list was also made very quickly and is subject to change by the minute depending on my mood...

1. In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar Wai
2. The Thin Red Line - Terrence Malick
3. Band of Outsiders - Jean Luc Godard
4. George Washington - David Gordon Green
5. The Passion of Joan of Arc - C.T. Dreyer
6. Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford Coppola
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Stanley Kubrick
8. Raging Bull - Martin Scorsese
9. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - Park Chan Wook
10. Hiroshima Mon Amour - Alain Resnais
11. Aguirre the Wrath of God - Werner Herzog
12. Il Posto - Hermano Olmi
13. Chinatown - Roman Polanski
14. Nights of Cabiria - Federico Fellini
15. Oldboy - Park Chan Wook
16. Annie Hall - Woody Allen
17. No Retreat, No Surrender - Corey Yuen
18. Chungking Express - Wong Kar Wai
19. The Heart of the World - Guy Madden
20. The Godfather I and II - Francis Ford Coppola
21. Roman Holiday - William Wyler
22. Dr. Strangelove - Stanley Kubrick
23. Days of Heaven - Terrence Malick
24. This is Spinal Tap - Rob Reiner
25. Badlands - Terrence Malick
26. McCabe and Mrs. Miller - Robert Altman
27. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Blake Edwards
28. Five Easy Pieces - Bob Rafelson
29. 8 1/2 - Federico Fellini
30. Jules and Jim - Francois Truffaut
31. Happy Together - Wong Kar wai
32. Blade Runner - Ridley Scott
33. Citizen Kane - Orson Welles
34. Touch of Evil - Orson Welles
35. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Sergio Leone
36. Rosemary's Baby - Roman Polanski
37. The General - Buster Keaton
38. The Turning Gate - Hong Sang Soo
39. The Last Temptation of Christ - Martin Scorsese
40. Persona - Ingmar Bergman
41. Taxi Driver - Martin Scorsese
42. Memories of Murder - Bong Joon Ho
43. Fitzcarraldo - Werner Herzog
44. The Conformist - Bernardo Bertolluci
45. L.A. Confidential - Curtis Hanson
46. Blue Velvet - David Lynch
47. Rushmore - Wes Anderson
48. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring - Kim Ki Duk
49. Duck Soup - Leo McCarey
50. Princess Mononoke - Hayao Miyazaki
51. Sunset Boulevard - Billy Wilder
52. Dancer in the Dark - Lars Van Trier
53. Un Chien Andalou - Luis Bunuel
54. The 400 Blows - Francois Truffaut
55. High and Low - Akira Kurosawa
56. Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee
57. Mean Streets - Martin Scorsese
58. Breathless - Jean Luc Godard
59. Ghost in the Shell - Mamoru Oshii
60. The Shining - Stanley Kubrick
61. Ran - Akira Kurosawa
62. Delicatessan - Jean Pierre Jeunet
63. M - Fritz Lang
64. Hoop Dreams - Steve James
65. The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman
66. Red Desert - Michaelangelo Antonioni
67. The Day a Pig Fell Into a Well - Hong Sang Soo
68. Heat - Michael Mann
69. Blow Out - Brian DePalma
70. Harold and Maude - Hal Ashby
71. Some Like it Hot - Billy WIlder
72. Breaking the Waves - Lars Van Trier
73. Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo
74. On the Waterfront - Elia Kazan
75. Wild Strawberries - Ingmar Bergman
76. Eyes Wide Shut - Stanley Kubrick
77. Picnic at Hanging Rock - Peter Weir
78. Week-End - Jean Luc Godard
79. Being There - Hal Ashby
80. Wild at Heart - David Lynch
81. Toy Story - John Lasseter
82. Y Tu Mama Tambien - Alfonso Cuaron
83. Oasis - Lee Chang Dong
84. La Strada - Federico Fellini
85. Amelie - Jean Pierre Jeunet
86. Pyscho - Alfred Hitchcock
87. Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick
88. Airplane! - Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, etc...
89. Full Metal Jacket - Stanley Kubrick
90. L'Avventura - Michaelangelo Antonioni
91. Dracula: Pages from a Virgins Diary - Guy Madden
92. A Clockwork Orange - Stanley Kubrick
93. City of Lost Children - Jean Pierre Jeunet
94. Boogie Nights - P.T. Anderson
95. Visitor Q - Takashi Miike
96. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Frank Capra
97. Babe: Pig in the City - George Miller
98. The Sweet Hereafter - Atom Egoyen
99. Storytelling - Tod Solondz
100. Being John Malkovich - Spike Jonze

on the bubble:

The Deerhunter
Ghost World
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Whale Rider
Pulp Fiction
Cinema Paradiso
Incident at Loch Ness
12 Angry Men
The Graduate
Network
Singin' In the Rain
The Wild Bunch

Posted by Ben at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I went golfing yesterday for the first time in over a year. I played nine holes at Lynnwood Golf Course and shot a 41 which comes to 8 over. Five of those strokes were on the first 3 holes though. Once I had settled down I played much better and had a ton of fun. I can feel myself slowly becoming obsessed with the sport again... uh oh?

Posted by Ben at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)