weapons of massdistraction

Sometimes my brain is capable of connecting the dots. But it can take a little while. I’ve just realized something about my latest 5-minute crush. I knew that Henrik Ruben Genz, the director of Terribly Happy (which I have yet to see but really want to) - also directed 2005’s excellent Kinamand. But I hadn’t realized he was the same force behind one of my all-time favorite films, 2003’s indie gem Someone Like Hodder (En Som Hodder)…which is still absolutely impossible to find. As it turns out Terribly Happy is being remade in English already, with Genz at the helm. My initial knee-jerk reaction was one of disgust (Let the Right One In is also being remade in English BOOOOOO!) but then I read this interview with him:

IMO: Had you thought about allowing another filmmaker to take the film on, or was that out of the question?

Genz: To see another director doing it would hurt my heart.

Fair enough. So at least he’ll be the one responsible for whatever comes out of this endeavor. Hopefully it won’t hurt my heart. How about five good things for this Monday?

• Our Saturday plans wound up being scaled back a bit. But after accomplishing quite a lot at home (I made multiple meals in the morning while thoroughly cleaning out the fridge, snapped some macro shots of new toys, and the boyfriend made dinner in my kitchen that evening) and some errand-running we went into party people mode. Good times.
• Oddball Adidas/Star Wars commercial: The film is a creative re-edit of one of the most famous Star Wars movie scenes, the Mos Eisley Cantina, and features David Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer, Snoop Dogg, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Ciara, Jay Baruchel, Daft Punk, DJ Neil Armstrong, and not to mention Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and Obi-Wan Kenobi. View it here.
• In other intergalactic news I give you “Mars”, an animated short about human interplanetary exploration by Joe Bichard and Jack Cunningham (via Laughing Squid).
• Stumbled across info about the first Chinese black metal band, Be Persecuted. From the Aquarius Records site: ‘Strange song titles like “Painful Assemble” and “Be Resented For Livelihood” barely hint at the strange mournful melancholia inside. Beginning with a very Eastern style synth intro, the band launch into some blasting buzzing super grim classic sounding black metal. But then the keyboards surface, and for the rest of the record seem to always be lurking in the background giving the sound a very creepy sorrowful vibe. And the distortion. Not sure what these guys use for distortion pedals, but holy shit, it’s some of the harshest and thickest fuzzy hiss we’ve heard in ages. Like Darkthrone and Burzum if they ran their guitars through a thousand hair dryers set on high.’ That is the best description ever!
• While exposing the boyfriend to Archer the other night (which he enjoyed) we saw an ad for a new horror-themed animated sitcom called Neighbors From Hell. “It revolves around a family of demons who move to Houston, Texas from the underworld on a mission to destroy a drill that can dig to the Earth’s core, and they face a culture shock trying to fit in with humans” - with the tagline Seem Normal Fit In. Looks promising, and it premieres tonight on TBS. Plus Patton Oswalt does the voice of the hellhound!

Friday night was a mild failure, but still enjoyable. The boy and I made it to the top of the Witch’s Tower, only to find my camera battery was fully dead. I did take one iPhone pic but will just have to try to remember the amazing view. Like my son says, “write it on your brain!” In other news, tonight’s Gastro Non Grata event is on the patio at Sea Change, with my friend Sheridan Fox playing the part of a strolling minstrel. Sounds fantastic, but I can’t afford a sitter these days, after ponying up for summer camp + bonus extra fun car repairs slated for tomorrow. Hoping that doesn’t totally break the bank. Maybe I’ll have enough leftover to catch a showing of the epic Korean western/action/adventure film The Good, The Bad, The Weird - showing this week at St. Anthony Main. And weekend plans will be done on the cheap. Thankfully it’s peak BBQ season in Minnesota! I’m always game for cheap (or free) outdoor fun, when it’s this pleasant out.