Master/Slave 

Paul T. Anderson's The Master, just after The Dark Rises, may be Hollywood's most anticipated film of the summer.

I've seen the trailer, showered praise on the sumptuous teaser poster (see above; why are the teasers so much better than the real thing?) I've read the buzz, Katie and Tom are breaking up, which are all signs that this highly anticipated film will live up to its billing. The Master depicts a fictional cult leader who creates a fictional religion that sounds a whole lot like the nonfictional Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard. I just can't get enough of "bringing down a questionable new world religion". I'm sure Paul Haggis will give respectful props to Mr. Anderson (say that like Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith from The Matrix and it sounds better) all the while thinking, "Hey, I called 'dibs' on that ages ago. Bit rude."

Also, how did I miss this:



I've just become a big fan of this British series, The Inbetweeners so I'll probably seek out the film on DVD.

Oh and a new season of Breaking Bad pretty much cements my summer viewing.

So much for biking a century, running 16 KM or swimming 1600m. …and my figure? Good-bye form-fitting cycling shirts, hello fat pants.

To the Cape & Back 

A tour operator's wet dream; views, breezes and whales

Duration 2:36:35 hr
Distance: 54.4 km
Max Speed 65.3 km/hr
Avg speed 20.2 km/hr

Like many people, I am a creature of, nay, a victim of inertia. Like Newton's First Law: every object continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless compelled to change that state by external forces acted upon it.

When you spend too much time sitting at a desk, you continue in that state; when working hard earning a living, you continue in that state; when lying on a couch after a holiday meal, you continue in that state. That's why I sometimes find it hard to do anything on a day off. You can get stuck doing errands or in front of a television watching a game but I didn't want to do either. Thankfully Mike has an "extra" bike of some quality so when the opportunity came up to do a challenging ride with another person, I was up for it.
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Shelter from the Storm 

Michael Shannon as the troubled Curtis in Take Shelter, image via Mubi.com

“money is an illusion”

I thought quite a bit about the ending of the film Take Shelter and threw out the idea that it was what it was. If you've heard anything about the movie, you might know the ending is a head-scratcher, other than knowing that, I think I avoid all "spoiler alerts" here. The storm was allegorical, an existential angst, if you will. Curtis, played by Michael Shannon, suffers an irrational anxiety about future events and everyone thinks he's crazy. Then, everyone sees what he's seeing, and he doesn't seem quite so crazy anymore. I guess I thought that way because I'd just heard an episode of Ideas on CBC radio about "idolatry". At one point, they talk about money as the world's greatest religion, but one man, Daniel Suelo, came to realize "money is an illusion". He told his friends this and they thought he was in need of help. In 2002, he took his remaining $30 out of his pocket, set it on the ledge of a phone booth and hasn't touched money since. He lives in a cave, scavenges for wild onions and grocery store dumpsters for food. He's lost teeth and gets clothing from charity but hasn't touched money in 10 years.
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A Word or Two on Memory 

There was something about Moonrise Kingdom that felt familiar beyond just Wes Anderson's well-established oeuvre. It brought to mind Camp Kildevil and Mint Brook Camp and even CBC television's 1960s series The Forest Rangers. I guess anyone who had been to summer camp would have seen those similarities but it bothered me enough to try and figure out why it felt like that.

“…sweet nostalgia for a time that never was, when what we remember is so much sweeter then how it ever could be”

Cast photo of Moonrise Kingdom, image via Mubi's Daily Notebook


The 1960s CBC series with Gordon Pinsent, The Forest Rangers
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Seen in June

"He's flown the coop!" - from Moonrise Kingdom

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
The documentary of Conan O'Brien's comedy tour after his Late Show fiasco with NBC reveals O'Brien to be hard working, often gracious and very funny. In fact, O'Brien seems funnier in his off the cuff remarks and behind the scenes moments that make up this film than he is on his own program. That said, this is probably only of interest to O'Brien fans and people interested in how funny people are funny.

Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson's fable of love and belonging (I guess. Does it matter?) If a film could be a model railway town, this would be it. The plot, two twelve-year-olds, one a loner in a passionless home, the other a loner without a home, is as simple as it gets. Yet it's the tone of the film that sticks with you. I might be more susceptible to Anderson's sentiment and nostalgia-for-a-time-that-never-was for some reason. If you were a fan of the mid-sixties CBC series Forest Rangers you'll know what I mean.
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Where the Sun Don't Shine

Usually you are told if a headache persists for more than three days, to see your doctor, yet as I've had this head ache for a few days, and I'm not dead and these are the same days that we were to have thunderstorms, I've concluded it's environmental.

Scientists say there's no connection between air pressure and migraines but my guess is those scientists don't get migraines. I think they tried to find a connection between air pressure and migraines and found none, but most people believe it's the "change" in air pressure, not the number itself that is important. Either way, I've found that after there's been a thunderstorm and the air smells weirdly metallic afterwords, that's when a headache you have might alleviate, or when you don't have a headache that's when you'll get one. For awhile I associated that smell as a symptom of the headache – it was that strong a connection, only to realize that it wasn't just me. Many people report that smell of metal - like after scrubbing an aluminum pot with steel wool (ions in the moisture in the air or something?)

Apparently - there is a connection between higher temperatures or quick temperature changes that trigger migraines (like a 5-8 degree shift) which makes sense and that may have to do with hydration as well. Either way, rest, ibuprofen, water, heat pad are the only tools I've got. It's weird, but I still have a mild headache right now.

See the original article: http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/when-weather-makes-migraines-worse/