Pure Thinking

Cool Swedish Vampire Movie

Let The Right One In isn’t your typical vampire flick. There’s no leather pants, Chinese fighting stars dipped in lead, shotguns, discos with laser light shows, or post-punk bands butchering the soundtrack. Instead, you’ll find lots of space; sparse, well-placed dialogue; an excellent cast; and an effective director with a great novel to work from.

It’s the 1980’s and twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) lives in the harsh, wintery blackness of Sweden. There’s something not quite right about Oskar. It could be that he picks knife fights with trees, is fascinated with violence, is continually bullied by his schoolmates, or maybe those long Swedish nights are just draining a bit of his soul. Regardless of Oskar’s bad state, a savior appears in the form of Eli (Lina Leandersson), a two hundred-year-old vampire that has settled in to graze on Oskar’s sleepy town.

Beautiful Losers film

In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of like minded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture.

Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth.

Has anyone seen this film?

Ranting about word use and expressions of speech.

Here I go again about the degradation of the English language in written and spoken form. Many erroneous common use expressions are so ingrained that we believe they are true.

 Here’s one: Tax Refund. I bet you just couldn’t wait for your tax refund check. Wrong, tax refunds do not exist, tax overpayments do. You overpaid and what you got back was yours in the first place. It’s all so very taxing, I can’t think about it anymore.

Here’s another: Rebate. Look it up in the dictionary. You paid too much in the first place and the retailer is just sending you back your own money. It would be a lot easier to just pay a fair price in the first place.

 Try this one: Customer Service Representative. By my personal definition that is the person I really wanted to talk to in the first place when I called the xxx phone company or xxx credit card company and went through entering my account numbers, made a selection from four different options given me by the computerized voice only to have the so called customer service representative ask me for the account number again along with a series of other questions. Doesn’t the xxx company have computers that give them all of the info that they just asked me?  Why do companies think for a second that they are providing Customer Service?

Or this one: Lifetime Warranty. Whose life are we talking about? My lifetime or the lifetime of the company making the offer, seems to me they should be specific.

One more: As seen on TV. Is this to be taken as some form of endorsement of a product, or could it really mean: watch out you are about to be very disappointed and ripped off? Just go buy one of those upside down tomato plant grow things and then tell me which.

Mike 

Wedding Day Clatter

Just when you think that it's all been done, you come across an idea proving there's potential novelty in just about any form of advertising -- even the kind that has been done and re-done for centuries.  Case in point, the wedding invitation.  Check out this one that delivers the nuptials message, then attaches to the happy couple's car for a proper send-off.  Read more about it here.  Thanks, Carmel for the heads up.

-- Gregg

Couldn't resist...

After all the comments I received from my last post on America's hatred of Duke, I saw this photo and knew what I had to do. We are the 2009 National Champions. And Duke is not. Ha.

(Thanks, Hillary!)

Words are worth a thousand pictures!

Random thoughts about the evolution or degradation of our American language…without photos or video because words are pictures.

Anyways, a pervasive plural use that evidently means many directions. No, that’s not it because anyway means many ways. Now I’m really confused as I listen to conversation and statements beginning with anyways with the implied meaning of (determined by the tone of voice):

Whatever

Listen, I’m continuing my statement and there is more to the story.

Who cares?

Does the use of the word “wanting” in a sentence bother you like it does me? They are wanting to do a big campaign. She is wanting to go to the movie. I am wanting to provide the information. It all sounds like they, she and I are all needy, pining, yearning for something. Just plain want works for me.

Some people just never know where they are when they make statements in the home or office, “I’m going to bring it back to the store”.  No your not, you are going to take it back to the store.

Ya-No. I really like this one because the person saying it is taking the middle ground of answering both yes and no. My problem is I still don’t know the answer.

The word “like” has become as common as the old overused thought bridge “ya know”.

 Like is everywhere in every conversation among the younger set. I asked some teens to see if they could hold a conversation without using the word like.  Ya know, they could not do it.

P.S.

If you are inhibited or uninhibited, what is it you have or don’t have? My guess is it’s hibits!

Mike

Facebook Idiocracy

Need I say more? - Todd

Happy Fat Tuesday

Here’s a fun little game traveling around facebook and no, it doesn’t require you to enter 25 personal facts that no one cares to read. It has nothing to do with Fat Tuesday, except that it’s fun. And you can eat while you do it, although I can’t, since Google thinks I need to work out to get down to a size 6…

To play, go to Google and type in your first name and the rest of the phrase. Don’t forget the quotation marks!

1. Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search:
Kate needs a shave

2. Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search:
Kate looks like Mary-Kate Olsen’s juicy legs

3. Type in "[your name] hates" in Google search:
Kate hates back-combing

4. Type in "[your name] goes"
Kate goes disco

5. Type in "[your name] loves" in Google search:
Kate loves a mystery

6. Type in "[your name] eats" in Google search:
Kate eats up the CPU while writing

7. Type in "[your name] has" in Google search:
Kate has a hoof!

8. Type in "[your name] works" in Google search:
Kate works out to get down to a size 6

9. Type in "[your name] lives" in Google search:
Kate lives it up topless

10. Type in "[your name] died" in Google search:
Kate died on Sunday

11. Type in "[your name] will" in Google search:
Kate will be able to spend her hard-earned cash as she desires and take pride in the fact that no taxpayer can complain that she is wasting their money

Scraper Bike?

Here is a creative endeavor for you. The Scraper Bike! Don't ask me why they're called this (I have my assumptions), but with over 3 million combined hits on YouTube these Trunk Boiz have hit on something interesting (and hella funny). Maybe it has to do with everyone going green these days, or not. I think I saw one of these made out of our Schwinn cruiser bike that went missing driving by our office. - Todd

Shepard Fairey speaks

Shepard Fairey Interview

From the mean streets as a graffiti artist to winning Presidential campaign artist, Shepard Fairey talks about his influences, inspiration and DIY attitude that got him where he is today. An outlook and attitude that continues to evolve and influence generations to come. - Todd