Regarding Sartre, I really don't have anything more profound to say than people who actually Study him. I think I Got this book, but maybe not. It's a somewhat poetic novel about a guy who's very busy observing others and their inane existence, struggling to cope with the fact that he himself exists as well while many of the 'good' things in his life pass him by. If I find myself digging into the deep deep depths of existentialism, I might return to this book with a Deeper understanding. As for now, my interest is limited.
Jiu Jitsu (feat. Nicolas Cage)
Cage plays the funny old guy in Jake's band of plot exposing chosen ones. He should be in the movie more, but I get it. He's not the most qualified martial artist in this bunch. At least he gets to be a hero, if not The hero. Mostly I'm disappointed that the longest and fastest-paced fights are between our actors and our cgi god of death. I really don't care about watching action scenes of cgi characters. Still, I like this kind of movie. I like kung-fu and pointless cape-wearing. It also reminds me of Mortal Kombat meets Predator, which is a good thing in my book.
- Raising Arizona
- The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
- Leaving Las Vegas
- Red Rock West
- Adaptation
- Pig
- Birdy
- Wild at Heart
- Joe
- National Treasure
- Guarding Tess
- Snake Eyes
- Mandy
- Dog Eat Dog
- Color Out of Space
- Mom and Dad
- World Trade Center
- Peggy Sue Got Married
- The Rock
- Zandalee
- Prisoners of the Ghostland
- City of Angels
- Willy's Wonderland
-
Jiu Jitsu
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin
- Bangkok Dangerous
- Drive Angry
- Army of One
- Lord of War
- Gone in 60 Seconds
- Matchstick Men
- Vampire's Kiss
- Con Air
- Face/Off
- Trapped in Paradise
- The Boy in Blue
- Honeymoon in Vegas
- Deadfall
- Amos and Andrew
- Moonstruck
- Tokarev
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Knowing
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
- Bringing Out the Dead
- The Family Man
- Stolen
- Season of the Witch
- It Could Happen to You
- The Wicker Man
- 8mm
- The Frozen Ground
- Left Behind
- A Score to Settle
- Pay the Ghost
- Primal
- Dying of the Light
- Grand Isle
- Looking Glass
- Arsenal
- Between Worlds
- Ghost Rider
- Trespass
- The Humanity Bureau
- Next
- The Weather Man
- 211
- Fire Birds
- The Croods
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
This is the first entry in one of my favorite scifi trilogies to date. It's about the end of humanity as we know it and how it came to be in a world of (of course) extreme capitalism with prestigious schools who specifially choose students who lack empathy and value for any life other than their own. It's a very fun, immersive trip with shades of clever social commentary tucked into every scene. I highly recommend it to anyone who isn't touchy about their privilege and social norms.
LaBrasca's Pizza of Columbia, SC
With a ratio of 2cr/3ce/4ch, we'll start with the good news. I give La Brasca's sauce a 5 out of 5. It is rich, thick, and sweet, tasting like the pizza of my childhood dreams. Like Show Biz pizza but better.
For style, I give La Brasca's a 4 out of 5. It's a no-frills, cozy place. Seat yourself in a very old booth with leather apolstry. Drink unlimited refills from a styrofoam cup with puffy ice. Get yourself a free side of Pizza Sauce with your pizza. And the pizza certainly has its own style while conforming to the acceptable format of dough, red sauce, and melted mozzarella. However, this isn't Florida. La Brasca's doesn't stand out much among other pizzas of middle america.
Now for the bad news. La Brasca's dough gets a 2 out of 5. Their crust is far too dense for the amount of sauce and cheese on it. In fact, everything fell off my first slice. If the dough had more yeast and more proofing, it would be fluffy and work for the fork eaters among us, bringing that 2cr ratio up to a proper 3 or 4. As is, the pie is difficult to eat. The dough doesn't taste as bad as a frozen pizza, but it has a similar texture. There were also some spots of burnt residue on the bottom which didn't taste good.
For overall quality, I give La Brasca's a 4 out of 5. It did taste very good all together, and I feel like I needed to bump up this score since I was a little harsh on the dough. I'm going to eat some cold slices for breakfast and I bet with the sauce and cheese cooled and properly coagulated, it'll be a glorious experience.
With a final score of 75%, I'd definitely recommend La Brasca's to anyone who wants the taste of down home South Carolina Pizza. I don't know what else the state is known for, foodwise. It seems like Georgia got all the cultural credit in that department. But I digress. I don't care how cool you are. You're not too cool for La Brasca's Pizza of South Carolina.
Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games by Sid Meier
If you don't know who Sid Meier is, he's a very famous game developer from the 8 and 16-bit era of computing. If not, you still might have heard of the Civilization series of games. They were originally designed and programmed by none other than Sid Meier. As an enjoyer of game-making with dreams of having some kind of success in the field beyond my little home office, I Have done some reading on the subject. How could I not? Sid Meier's story isn't especially unique aside from his eventual success. He got his start making games in contests hosted by small publishers and programming for boring companies until his own game studio took-off. Still I love the magic of game making, how one can take nothing and make something that will bring hundreds of hours of enjoyment to a player's life. I'm inspired by anyone who can achieve such a thing. So are you looking for inspiration? Look no further until you finish this one.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
I had a brief phase of reading dramatic, murdery thriller type things. And I think there's a new trope for stories told by mothers whose favorite children were murdered by their least favorite children. In this case the mother was the only witness and there is no proof. Even She questions what she suspects to have seen. But she cannot let go of this suspicion, causing everyone in her life to turn on her. The Push is a dark, juicy ride for sure.
On Book Reports
Okay friends. It's time to resume my book reporting. Just so you know, I'm not suddenly reading a way more books than normal, though I am reading less than I did in 2021 when I wanted to do a hundred books in one year. So if I schedule one book report per week, I should have enough posts to last for the next forever or at least get through my next lull if there is one. Hopefully there won't be, because I'm trying my best to fight depressive boredom.
You might be wondering. Why bother writing about a book you read two years ago? Don't you remember what happened in it? While I don't remember everything about everything I've read in the past couple years, I certainly remember more than I will in two more years. Of course I can read a summary on goodreads, but said summary will not contain my personal takeaways and emotional responses. If you don't like me posting book reports, please do comment your feelings and I'll try to focus more on the type of posting you prefer.
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
This book is a collection of editorials by one author, detailing the daily routines of famous, successful artists when they are and are not working on a project. Almost all of these people became rich and famous, giving them freedom pursue other interests while agents and managers set up work for them to do when it was time to do Art. Most of these artists also progressively drank more alcohol until they stopped creating things altogether. So it's not an especially encouraging read for anyone trying to form a strategem for becoming even more creative. Aside from that, you could read it if you want to stuff more information into your head.
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