Friday Afternoon Christmas Kitties!

Merry Christmas!







And, of course...

12 Days of Christmas: Die Hard

"Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho."

It's Christmas Eve at the Nakatomi Plaza in L.A. and for New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) it's going to be a long night.

Terrorists lead by Alan Rickman have seized the building and one of the hostages is McClane's estranged wife Holly.

Based on a novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever. The book itself was a sequel to Thorp's earlier novel The Detective which was made into a film starring Frank Sinatra.

John McTiernan directed Predator the year earlier and with this film secured his position as one the best action directors for a brief period. He followed this film up with The Hunt For Red October. It slowly went down hill for him there, Medicine Man, Last Action Hero, Die Hard: With a Vengeance, The 13th Warrior, The Thomas Crown Affair and then the terrible remake Rollerball.

The movie uses Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 throughout the film, terrorists hum it, and it plays through out several big scenes that I won't spoil.

Alan Rickman is brilliant as Hans Gruber, the leader of the terrorists and Bruce Willis is the perfect everyman action hero. He can get hurt (one particularly nasty scene has Willis pulling glass out of his foot) and he can crack wise with the best.

This film is one of my favorites and considered by many to be one of the best action films of all time.

Pick of the Day: Meander

Yeah, Central Library and the Dunlop Art Gallery are closed today. But if you happen to find yourself downtown*, and are in the mood to check out some art, you still can courtesy of this outdoor installation by Laura Hale. It's located in the sunken garden that's visible from the ramp that leads up the RPL's main entrance. With the assistance of students from Connaught Community School, Hale collected a pile of foiliage, leaves, berries and whatnot this fall which, during an early December cold snap, she integrated into a winding river -- or at the very least, creek -- of ice which she created in the garden.

Meander is part of the Dunlop exhibition Mind the Gap! (Dog Blog) which is on at the gallery's Central and Sherwood Village Library locations until Jan. 3. It won't close when the rest of the show does, though, but instead will remain in the garden throughout the winter and into spring. Like the prairie landscape itself, it will be subtly altered by shifts in the weather and the cycle of the seasons. Had Hale installed Meander last winter, it might well have lasted into May. This year, who knows what Mother Nature has in store for us. At the very least, expect Meander to survive into late March.

*I live downtown, so that's no problem for me. If, perchance, I wanted to go somewhere else though, big problem for me. I don't own a car. Cycling is my main mode of transport most of the year, but I don't bike in the winter. Besides, it's minus 37 windchill today. And there's no bus service today or tomorrow. Sunday, there's hourly service of a sort between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. So, short of dropping $30-$40 on a cab ride there and back, looks like I'll be sticking close to home this Xmas.

12 Days of Christmas: Life of Brian

Life of Brian or Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) is a damn funny movie. It's also an excuse for me to have a Monty Python movie on my list. And it sort pertains to Christmas.

Born in a stable a few doors down from Jesus Christ, Brian is mistaken for the messiah most of his life. He gets involved in all sorts of wacky situations, including getting a group of followers.

Brian: "Please, please, please listen! I've got one or two things to say."
The Crowd: "Tell us! Tell us both of them!"
Brian: "Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't NEED to follow ME, You don't NEED to follow ANYBODY! You've got to think for your selves! You're ALL individuals!"
The Crowd: "Yes! We're all individuals!"
Brian: "You're all different!"
The Crowd: "Yes, we ARE all different!"
Man in crowd: "I'm not..."
The Crowd: "Sch! "

And how can you go wrong with movie that has tag lines like

"A motion picture destined to offend nearly two thirds of the civilized world. And severely annoy the other third."

"See the movie that's controversial, sacrilegious, and blasphemous. But if that's not playing, see The Life of Brian."

"The film that is so funny it was banned in Norway."

"He wasn't the messiah. He was a very naughty boy."

The Python crew aren't pulling any punches in this satire of religion. The jokes fast and plentiful and nothing is spared. The film was banned in Norway for a year, Ireland for eight years, Burma, Bhutan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, South Africa, Vatican City and several towns in both England and the United States of America.

Despite all the controversy the film has endured over the years and it still has a huge following. Plus it's funny.

I Really Like Christmas

It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it. (Christmas, I mean.)



I don't think this song is nearly as good as the Pomplamoose tune I posted yesterday (which is still my new favourite xmas song ever and holy crap did you check out their other stuff like Hail Mary or Little Things or their cover of September which made me reevaluate my feelings for Earth Wind and Fire? No? You should because Pomplamoose is the real deal.)

So, no, Minchin is no Pomplamoose. But I still like him even if his lyrics tend to be waaaa-a-a-a-ay too preachy for my taste. But there aren't a whole lot of xmas tunes for rabid atheists like myself -- and the chorus is catchy -- and I agree with the sentiment -- so I thought it'd make for a worthy xmas eve post....

Oh, and if the whole drinking white wine in the sun line seems a little weird, it's because Minchin is from Australia so I imagine you do that sort of thing at xmas instead of, say, chugging mulled wine while shivering by the fire. Speaking of which... have to get back to the family.

Merry Xmas Dog Bloggers and Dog Blog readers!

Pick of the Day: Germs! Germs! Germs!

I'm not sure when the Saskatchewan Science Centre booked this travelling exhibit, but considering all the fuss there's been lately over the H1N1 pandemic, it certainly is timely. Germs is a pretty broad category, of course. In addition to viruses like H1N1, it also encompasses microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and protoza. All, apparently, are discussed in this show, which even features a short trip through a human intestine.

According to the Science Centre's website, even the healthiest of humans is home to 100 trillion bacteria (that's 100,000,000,000,000, or roughly ten times the number of cells in our bodies). As well, while many bacteria are harmful to humans (pictured, by the way, is a beaded art work by Ruth Cuthand from a series recently purchased by the MacKenzie Gallery which recalls how First Nations were ravaged by foreign diseases during European colonization of the New World), many others are beneficial, both in the preservation of our health, and in the production of foodstuffs like beer, wine, bread and cheese.

This being Christmas Eve, the Science Centre is only open noon-4 p.m. today. But if you're looking for something to do over the holidays, especially if you've got kids to keep busy, check it out. It's on until Jan. 10. To pique your (and their) curiosity, here's the trailer from the 1966 SF flick Fantastic Voyage. (YouTube)

GIVE A GOAT FOR XMAS, GET A SONG

This is my new favourite xmas song. And as anyone who knows me knows, I love xmas songs. And this one is, as I mentioned, my favourite so that's saying something.



And the great thing about this song is, as you'll have discovered if you watched to the end of the clip, the band, Pomplamoose -- who might be my new favourite band -- are offering free mp3s to everyone who gives a goat for xmas through the World Vision charity.

Give a goat. Get music. Works for me.

Six in the Morning

1. HERE COME THE CUTS: Harper is warning the big spending party is over and we can expect five frugal years as the Conservatives pull us out of a deficit that Harper's scandal plagued Conservatives got us into. No tax cuts are planned for the next budget so I'm wondering how're the Cons going to get themselves elected because they sure can't run on their fiscal management. Or their environmental record. And they aren't looking great on how they're handling Afghanistan. Oh, but Stephen will play us all a song on the piano and all will be forgiven. He's so dreamy when he tickles the ivories. (Globe and Mail)

2. IRAN CRACKS DOWN ON PROTESTS AGAIN: The funeral for Iran's most important dissident cleric erupted in violence as pro-reform protesters were beaten and teargassed by police. (Globe and Mail)

3. PEOPLE ARE SHOPPING, ALL IS WELL: Car and housing sales are up, GDP is growing. Depression cancelled. Capitalism works. As you were. (Globe and Mail)

4. QC PREMIER SLAMS HARPER'S ENVIRONMENT STANCE, CANADA COULDN'T CARE LESS: The CBC reports Jean Charest is tearing a strip off Harper and his scandal plagued Conservatives over their miserable and suicidal stance on the environment (which is, in short: do as little as possible). Meanwhile, the Edmonton Journal reports that the scandal plagued Conservatives climate change position isn't hurting them in the polls one whit. Yeah, way to give a shit about the planet, Canada. You deserve that Fossil of the Year award.

5. CONSERVATIVES FIND WORK INCONVENIENT: Harper's scandal plagued Conservatives are avoiding one of the many scandals with which their party is plagued -- specifically, the Afghan detainee mess -- by just not attending the hearings. They're saying tis not the season for negativity. (Globe and Mail)

6. SO MUCH NOISE: Balloon boy balloon boy balloon boy fuck fuck fuck don't care shut up Tiger Woods go away fuck shhhhhhh-h-h-h enough it's enough already okay now stop.

12 Days of Christmas: The Thin Man

The Thin Man is a 1934 comedy murder mystery based on a novel Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon).

Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are a happily married and wealthy couple. Nick used to be a detective but he retired when he married Nora. They travel around drinking and enjoying the good life. And drinking. Made just before the Production Code kicked in, Nick and Nora enjoy themselves a lot.

Nora Charles: "How many drinks have you had?"
Nick Charles: "This will make six Martinis."
Nora Charles: [to the waiter] "All right. Will you bring me five more Martinis, Leo? Line them right up here."

Nora Charles: [suffering from a hang-over] "What hit me?"
Nick Charles: "The last martini."

The film was made for the B movie unit of MGM by thrifty director W.S. Van Dyke. The movie was so popular it that they made five sequels, although they toned down Nick's drinking a little and Nora's to complete sobriety. Spoilsports.

The plot is complex. It's Christmas and a man named Wynant (the thin man of the title) has gone missing. He is then accused of multiple murders. Wynant's daughter Maureen Sullivan wants Nick to prove her father's innocence. Before long there's more bodies and suspects than anyone can keep track of.

Nick Charles: "I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune."
Nora Charles: "I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids."
Nick Charles: "It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids."

It's an extremely fun and enjoyable film, the kind they don't make anymore and I don't think they could if they tried. At the start of the trailer William Powell is playing his other famous detective Philo Vance (who Powell played in four films) who then engages in a conversation with Nick Charles. Both characters are essentially Powell being Powell but he does the stylish detective well.

What reporters covered, and what reporters missed

Salon and Project Censored come up with their year-end lists the stories -- over-rated and underated.

Here's Salon's take on the tmost bogus media frenzy stories of 2009 (Salon.com)

Project Censored's take on the top 25 most ignored stories by the U.S. media is here (projectcensored.com)

There's an American slant to this, since both are based south of the border, but if someone's looking to create a Canadian version, this would be a good place to start.