Doomsday...Horribly Awesome or Awesomely Horrible?

So, this is a blog I’ve been meaning to write for awhile, but for whatever reason I never have. It probably isn’t much use for you now that it is not in the theaters, but hey, my advice would have been to just rent it anyway…so here goes:

DOOMSDAY


Wikipedia gives the following synopsis (although this is a partial so it does not reveal to much) of the film:

In 2008, a lethal plague ("Reaper") has infected Scotland. As the country is walled off by the government to quarantine the infected, a young girl, Eden, is amongst the last to be airlifted out. In 2033, a fully-grown Eden (Rhona Mitra) leads a police task force, the DSS. Reaper has spread to England, and the Prime Minister (Alexander Siddig) orders an excursion into Scotland to locate a Dr Kane (Malcolm MacDowell), who the PM hopes will be able to find a cure.

I cannot even begin to explain to you how ridiculous this movie is. I went to a midnight showing the night it was released, and there were probably about 15-20 of us in the theater. I’ve never been to a film that was so awesome and yet so bad at the same time. We’re talking like Snakes on a Plane awesome (yet, maybe not THAT awesome). Which brings us to the plot itself. The storyline, along with the action, music, and acting, is all WAY over the top. But much like Snakes on a Plane, it knew it was over the top, and thus it did not take itself too seriously. Therefore, it went from being awesomely horrible, to maybe, just maybe…HORRIBLY AWESOME!

The film starts off in a 28 Days Later style infection film, morphs into a Resident Evil -esque mission around people with infections film, take a b-line into a film akin to Mad Max (a.k.a. Warped Tour 2030), and then, when you least expect it…IT TURNS INTO A KING ARTHUR KNOCK OFF. WHAT THE FUCK?! I seriously laughed out loud at one point in the film when all of the sudden knights in shining armor showed up. It was so gloriously bad. I was on the sticky ass floor, doubled over with laughter…I was in convulsions.

The film, itself, had quite a bit of gore, and more action than anyone could ask for. Car chases, knight fight sequences, police style raids, cannibalistic burnings at the stake, so on and so forth. Don’t believe me about the action? Check this clip:


It was graphic and had a female main character who kicked so much fucking ass (both literally and figuratively). I wish they had showed the end of this clip (hint: she beheads the woman she is fighting), but if this isn’t enough to get you to watch, then damn, you must not like horribly bad action films (that are really quite great)!




Go rent this movie, especially if you have a nice surround sound system…the DVD comes out in July! SO you better Netflix it!

Circus Contraption @ Neumo’s (26 April 2008)

On Saturday night, Liz and I headed over to Neumos to see this band called "Circus Contraption." If you haven't seen them yet, I think you probably need to. Really, they are more than a band...they are an experience. Sprinkle together 1/3 circus freak side show, 1/3 macabre horror, and 1/3 big band jazz…and you might even begin to describe the show.


Here is a short clip of one of the songs they performed (this is not at the show we were at, but what I could find on YouTube):


There were no jugglers, stilt walkers, or fire-eaters, but still great. For another taste, check out this music in this clip:


So, we headed over to the show, bought our tickets, and then ran over to the Maharaja to get some cheap, yet strong, libations. We made it back just in time to catch most of the set of the band “Awesome.” I know Kate is a huge fan of theirs…and I did enjoy them, but since I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I think I was a little let down. I liked their music fine, their harmonizing was awesome (pun intended), but lyrically they seemed to be lacking.

Circus Contraption, however, far exceeded any expectations I might have had. There were some weird people in the crowd (like the older woman with perma grin who kept literally pushing into Liz because she was “in her spot” well before the band even went on or the girl with the horrible tribal tattoos who kept trying to do stripper moves), but then there were the weirdos (people dressed up like they were part of a circus) and I thought those people were kinda cool.

For this show the band consisted of the following members:
Armitage Shanks (although as the ringleader, not a butcher)


Dexter Mantooth


Pinky d’Ambrosia


Chameleo


Shmootzi the Clod


Bunny LaMonte


And a few other souls I cannot identify at the moment…But we had keys/accordion, and another member of the brass section. They all played a ton of instruments, so its hard to narrow it down for you (for example, the Ringmaster, at one point, was simply playing sandpaper). For example, Sally Pepper made an appearance.

They started out with 3 older songs, and then played their newest album, for which this was a record release show, all the way through. It was very good times, other than the fact that it was so hot in there that during one slow song we actually had to go outside for a few minutes. Liz was a little bummed they didn’t play more old stuff.

What is really exciting, however, is that they have a new show, with the FULL CIRCUS, that they will be performing in Fremont starting in May.


As they put it:

The SHOW to End All SHOWS presents a traditional American circus as it romps joyfully toward oblivion. featuring Pink Poodle Girls, A Ball-Balancing Seal Boy, A Real Mermaid, and an original music score by the incredible Circus Contraption Band!
Previews run May 16-18, and the show runs May 22 through June 22 at our new space in Fremont.

And that the show…

imagines a family-owned circus with all of the glamour and glitz of the 70’s and 80’s. The time, however, is now, and the glamour shows signs of decay. A sense of imminent destruction looms as things begin to go awry under the tent. The Ringmaster insists upon the willful denial of their world’s demise by not only his progeny, but also the audience. This twisted take on Americana tells the story of the show that must go on, despite all evidence that the show, and maybe even the world, will be extinguished before the closing act.

I’ll be there…WILL YOU?!

México contra China en fútbol en el campo de Qwest

Nate and I headed over to Qwest Field this evening to watch Mexico battle China in a friendly soccer match. And this has to be the best match I have ever seen in America. Generally, games here are kind of anti-climactic. However, even though this was a meaningless friendly, you would never have known it!! The 56,416 fans in attendance roared in a way that was reminiscent of Seahawk fans in that stadium (If you don’t think they weren’t a 12th man à la the Seahawks, check out what the coach of China said: “For us it was very difficult…I think the public for Mexico is like a 12th player.”) The atmosphere was so electric, I thought I was back in Paris in 2000 watching Paris Saint-Germain take on Bayern München all over again. In the end, Mexico topped China 1-0, as 19-year-old Cesar Villaluz scored in the 14th minute. By the end of the game, the entire stands had devolved into one giant party, with the fans barely paying attention to the play on the pitch. All in all, this made me very excited for the upcoming MLS team here in Seattle.

Before I get to the pictures from the match, I do want to comment on one absolutely appalling thing I saw outside the stadium, at the Fútbol Fiesta (an outdoor area where all sorts of booths were set up). At the Home Depot booth they had a game where you could win a prize if you won a race they had set up. I wish I had taken a picture of this, because just thinking about it, it is almost unbelievable they would do this…they had two astro turf grass strips set up, and you were supposed to race a mini lawn mower (like a toddler would play with…even made out of the same kind of plastic as a big wheel) around cones to one end of the area and back to the start. Somehow, this seemed really racist…but maybe it was just me (which it wasn’t, because Nate was equally uncomfortable).

Let me know what you think of the pictures…