The Films of Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) was an American film director, producer and writer who created some of the most memorable movies in his five decade career. He created a style of his own and his films have truly stood the test of time. Stanley is one of the most accomplished and innovative filmmakers in the history of cinema.  Although he took his time perfecting his craft, there is no doubt his body of work has had an unmatched influence on the industry.

There are so many details to pick out of each of Stanley's films, each viewing bringing out something new to pick apart and dissect.  His meticulous attention to detail, originality, working under no boundaries and visual style in each of his films are trademarks.  He brought out the best in every aspect of his productions, from the writing/producing and screenplays to the unforgettable acting and soundtracks.

Also of note, I can't think of another director who made so many great films in so many different genres - war, historical drama, science fiction, horror, and even comedy.  And then of course there are the films themselves, all classics in their own right - of note: Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket and The Shining.  Many of these mentioned are among my favorite films; Stanley was a true visionary, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time!  And so, here is a nice compilation of the films of the legendary Stanley Kubrick:

"One man writes a novel.  One man writes a symphony.  It is essential for one man to make a film."

Craig Gordon - Save of the Year Candidate

Ok, so maybe not the "save of the century" as mentioned in the clip, but Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon showed amazing reflexes and timing to make this save against Bolton in their English Premier League match.

Four of the Best Songs of 2010

These are four of my favorite songs of this year (alternative genre and probably overall): First is the stunning Helicopter by Deerhunter, off of their Halcyon Digest album. Incredible song, maybe THE best of the year!



Next is the title track from Band of Horses' newest release, Infinite Arms - great song and one of their best in my opinion.



Another solid release this year from Arcade Fire, The Suburbs had many great tracks to choose from. I'm going with Ready To Start...



And finally, another excellent album - this one came out of nowhere! Gorilla Manor by Local Natives is superb throughout. Again, tough to pick just one, but I have to go with Sticky Thread as the best of the bunch (no actual video for this one, but absolutely worth a listen anyway!)...

Mogwai - 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong (Live 11-8-01)

Here is an amazing live version of Mogwai's 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong, an instrumental track from their Rock Action CD (2001).

Mogwai are a five-piece post-rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. They have been around since the early nineties and have released six albums. Their compositions are normally lengthy instrumental pieces that incorporate many different contrasts, sound changes, distortion and effects. 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong is an nine-minute plus epic and most likely my favorite Mogwai song to date. The song features various instrumentation, including guitars, bass, drums, brass and banjo. Vocals are also included using a vocoder and chanting can be heard towards the end on the album version. It's truly a great achievement for the band and most certainly gets better with each listen.

I strongly suggest checking out their entire catalog, including the great-sounding live album Special Moves (2010). In my opinion they are at the very top of their genre and I am anticipating another strong effort when they release their forthcoming CD, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, on February 15, 2011.

2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Final - Trailer

Here is the official preview for tomorrow's K-1 World Grand Prix Final, which is being held this year at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan. Eight fighters have qualified for the Finals by winning various Regional Elimination Tournaments...only one will become World Champion on December 11.

K-1 is a global kickboxing organization that is based out of Tokyo, Japan that combines the stand-up techniques of martial arts such as Muay Thai, kickboxing, Karate, western-style boxing, Taekwondo, and others. It is quite similar to kickboxing except that in K-1 rules, knees are allowed; not so in International kickboxing rules.

This trailer takes a look at the finalists for this year's tournament - here are the 8 fighters vying to become K-1 World Champion:

Peter Aerts (The Netherlands)
"Mighty Mo" (USA)
Semmy Schilt (The Netherlands) (reigning champion)
Kyotaro (Japan)
Alistair Overeem (The Netherlands)
Tyrone Spong (The Netherlands)
Daniel Ghita (Romania)
Gokhan Saki (The Netherlands/Turkey)

A Few Random Lenny Bruce quotes...

Lenny Bruce was a legendary stand-up comedian and satirist. He was a pioneer in the industry and influenced countless comedians that followed him. Lenny also became well-known for his use of profanity during his acts, as well as his ramblings on a variety of themes that would become staples in his career, among them: politics, religion, freedom of speech, race, drugs and even his own troubles with the law.

Here are some of his most famous quotes...

“The kind of sickness I wish Time had written about, is that school teachers in Oklahoma get a top annual salary of $4000, while Sammy Davis, Jr. gets $10,000 a week in Vegas.”

“All my humor is based upon destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I’d be standing on the breadline right in back of J. Edgar Hoover.”

“Communism is like one big phone company.”

“Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God."

"In the Halls of Justice the only justice is in the halls."

PRIDE FC - Legendary

The atmosphere was always electric at every event, like nothing I've ever seen (still wish I would've had the chance to attend one in person). The crowd hanging on every move, whether the fight was standing or went to the ground. The immediately identifiable theme music that led off each event. The pageantry and introductions of the fighters at the beginning of their cards was truly captivating. The 90-minute (!) war between Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba. Fedor's rise and reign of dominance, as well as Wanderlei Silva's unmatched title defenses and newly discovered talent like Takanori Gomi and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua. There are just too many memorable moments to mention.

This was THE MMA event every fan wanted to see. From devastating KO's and all-out wars/grudge matches, to incredible submissions never seen before, each PRIDE FC event delivered the goods and then some. Everything was an eye-opening experience for the viewer, from the extravagant entrances and intros done by outstanding ring announcer Lenne Hardt, to the informative and exciting fight commentary (including the legendary Bas Rutten), to its dedicated and rapid fan base, PRIDE events had it all.

PRIDE FC hosted its inaugural event in 1997 at the Tokyo Dome and would eventually hold over 60 MMA cards in Japan. They signed the most skilled and diverse fighters from every corner of the globe, whose expertise covered every discipline imaginable - including jiu-jitsu, muay thai, wrestling (freestyle, catch, greco), boxing, kickboxing, judo, sambo, etc.

Their PRIDE GP (Grand Prix) tournaments were legendary (and of course their traditional New Year's Eve cards, the Bushido series, and the numerous title fights!) and made superstars with each passing event. And then there were the fighters themselves, now household names in the world of mixed martial arts, who became legends during PRIDE's 10-year run: Fedor Emelianenko, the Gracies - Royce, Rickson, Royler, Ryan, Renzo, Rodrigo, 'Big Nog', 'Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn, Kazushi Sakuraba, Mark Coleman, Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson, 'Rampage' Jackson, 'Shogun', 'Ninja', Ricardo Arona, Anderson Silva, Takanori Gomi, Murilo Bustamante, 'Minowa', Sergei Kharitonov, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gary Goodridge, Heath Herring, Mark Hunt, Hidehiko Yoshida, Semmy Schilt, Gegard Mousasi, Amar Suloev, Kevin Randleman, Kazuyuki Fujita, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Mark Kerr, Enson Inoue, Carlos Newton, 'Lil Nog', Akihiron Gono, Yuki Kondo, Hayato 'Mach' Sakurai, 'Hellboy' Hansen, Kazuo Misaki, Kazahiro Nakamura, Luiz Azeredo...and many more.

I'll be posting more of these fighters, their fights and PRIDE events in general, but for the time being here is an excellent retrospective of the greatest MMA organization in the history of the sport - long live PRIDE!

"The Madness of a Lost Society"

"...this, is what Americans care about..."

The Dyatlov Pass Incident - "A Compelling Unknown Force..."

In 1959, nine experienced cross-country skiers (all students) led by Igor Dyatlov head into Russia's northern Ural Mountains but never returned. After several months their bodies were finally found, under very mysterious circumstances to say the least.

In the middle of the night, in sub-zero temperatures, the skiers all suddenly fled their tents into a thick forest...no signs of struggle thought their tents were torn from within, and then the injuries: two victims with broken ribs, one with a fractured skull, and another who was missing her tongue! Their clothing also apparently contained high levels of radiation. At the time, Soviet investigators had determined that an "unknown compelling force" had caused their deaths, then closed the case and filed it as 'Top Secret'.

So what exactly was this "unknown force'? Were the Soviets conducting military experiments? After over fifty years, the case remains unsolved. This is one of the most interesting unsolved mysteries I have ever encountered, one that most certainly needs more investigating.