Mood:  bright

Like some crazy combination of Josie and the Pussycats zaniness with Amelie's visuals but better than both of them and all revolving around girl gangs in Japan, Kamikaze Girls was a hilarious ride (and if you don't remember how I feel about Josie and the Pussycats, you should read about it)   It was one of those movies that starts amazingly and leaves you expecting the rest of the movie to try, pitifully and unsuccessfully, to live up to it (like Ghost Ship).  But Kamikaze Girls didn't fail to live up to the first fifteen minutes.  Brimming with asides, some animated, Kamikaze Girls has created a hole in my DVD collection just by not being there, a hole I never knew existed.  

Kamikaze Girls is the story of Momoko (Kyôko Fukada), her obsession with Roccoco and sweet Lolita style, and her encounters with Ichigo (Anna Tsuchiya), a local gang member.   You could say this was a film about two young people discovering who they wanted to be with the help of a chance encounter, or perhaps it revolves around two outsiders presented with the valuable opportunity of belonging who decide to eschew established life paths and venture out on their own.  Until I began typing I didn't think about the intended message because the story and the way it was presented was so fascinating and entertaining.  So, there you have it.

Mood:  a-ok

So, how do get that sparkling glimmer behind the glasses of a tired and busy librarian?  In all reality, I think it has something to do with kittens, but if you're booky in your own right then this news is for you!

Sage publications is making access to its journals online free till Halloween (LIS News).  Not familiar with the offerings?  American Politics Research, Cross-Cultural Research, The Diabetes Educator, Gender & Society, and Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus are just a smattering of their over 500 titles.  Don't have a research project that would help you take advantage of this amazing information access offer?  Kingwood College library has a nifty list of issues in the news today.  

Following up on the DRM issue (on the Bean), the No Shelf Required post about Springer publishing's no DRM and ebooks with ILL rights is thoughtful and curious.  I wouldn't have imagined that an ebook publisher would have non DRM material with ILL rights.  Perhaps without DRM, but ILL of electronic media is pretty complicated most times.

Another hurrah for the non-academically hooked-up, the Journal of Distance Education has made all of its archives available online.  (LIS News via the Distant Librarian) Though most people have access to a library that can get them access to a lot of databases, I always silently celebrate when the walls are torn down--at least for searching citations sake.  I mean, if these academic providers don't get on the ball soon their entire potential non-affiliate public audience is only going to rely more and more heavily on Google and strides the giant is making to cover all information trafficking.

And of course, everybody has already seen Jay Walker's library -- the crazy collection that reminds me of the subterrainian library in The Librarian.

Mood:  bright

If you were looking for a long list of recommended Halloween listening, then I have just fulfilled your desires.  Over at The Expense of the Listener, I have posted the Great Halloween Playlist. 

Update on our Halloween TV programming:

Adams Family- The first one begins with Christmas and ends with Halloween, making it a perfect movie for both holidays :).  The second just naturally follows.

Tweeny Witches - Previously untried anime that ended up being pretty entertaining.  Although there are some pretty obvious cheats in animation, the art is good.  It doesn't really have anything to do with Halloween though.

Angry Beaver's Halloween Special - "How are your ankles?" - "Well, they're broken but they're better."

Garfield's Halloween Special - a favorite from childhood.

Mood:  chillin'

By the time I had turned eight there was a nice little selection of vampire comedies the likes of which has never been made again (although Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992 was hilarious).   My Best Friend is a Vampire ('88), Once Bitten('85), Love at First Bite('79), and Vampire's Kiss ('89) all revolve around the slow transition or perceived transition of a normal guy/girl from healthy happy youth to a vampire.  Aside from the main character's fears, there is very horror or terror involved, just fluffy campy goodness.  And while I have to admit a fondness for Queen of the Damned, Interview with a Vampire, Dracula 2000, John Carpenter's Vampires, and lots of really bad toothy movies, these four have a vampire wholesomeness that makes them perfect for a Sunday afternoon, and that's why I love them.

Once Bitten made it on our October viewing list because of the included Halloween party.  We are trying to restrict the movies to titles that have made the marathon list before, and movies with Halloween scenes.  Not all horror or monster comedy can be Halloween worthy after all.  Eventually I will compile my own list of the very best October viewing.  

Mood:  chillin'

In our attempts to have something Halloween-like to watch every night of October, we turned to Netflix and sundry online recommendations and lists.  Witches in Stitches was the first previously un-experienced cinematic experiences to come of this.  

Even though this animated flick was made in 1997 (by an animation studio in Indianapolis) it has flavors of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.  The trick-o-treating scene took place on a street that had to have been inspired by Charlie Brown.  The witches and some of the character interaction reminded me of The Point.  

Oh, it was bad.  But it was bad in the way all those Halloween specials were bad when they used to take over all access TV between 6 and 7p.m.  I miss those days.  Now, even with cable, Halloween specials are few and far between.  Gone are the hour long tributes to trick-o-treating by every popular cartoon on the air.  In their place stand Horror movie marathons on the SciFi and FX channels.  And in a house that has horror movies all the time, Halloween needs more special programing than that.  Any way, Witches in Stitches, buy it here.

A look at the special Halloween programing in my house so far:

Transylvania 6-5000 - totally saturated with classic monsters, although not really.

Hellboy - because the first half of the movie takes place during a Halloween party.

Hocus Pocus - self explanatory

Bewitched - awesome Halloween scene with trick-o-treating witches

Corpse Bride - because Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie damnit!

Once Bitten - Halloween ball and dance off!

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown - again self explanatory

And that's all you get right now, just know this:  we are saving a lot of really awesome stuff for closer to the day itself, and I'll probably watch Charlie Brown again.

Mood:  a-ok

I have been reading the genius of the Art of Manliness blog for a little while now.  Usually I take the easy way out and simply 'share' items from my Google reader, but the Art of Manliness really deserves better treatment.  The posts are thorough, thoughtful, and poignant and applicable to men and women alike although they are written with a male a reader in mind.  I think that the art of gentlemanliness, chivalry, and quiet strength is largely lost in the world.  We have become too careless with one another and ourselves.  The Art of Manliness fills a void in instructional media that mainstream magazines and television have long since abandoned for more lurid and sensational empty content. 

So I encourage you to check out the blog, subscribe to the RSS and read the ebook:  Guide to Being A Gentleman in 2008.

And also:  The Art of Manliness Cook Book  - contributed to by readers as a group writing project.

Mood:  bright

I, for one, am tired of current cinema's sequel addiction.  Though I honestly didn't mind all of the released Harry Potter's, and did head to the theatre to put more money in Batman's pockets, I could have done without the extra Spiderman, Traveling Pants, Mummy, Saw, Bourne, Rambo, Indiana, Star Trek, Madagascar, and X-Files.  Have we lost our edge?  Are producers so afraid of rocking the boat that they'd rather hang on to the tail of something moderately successful than try a movie adaptation of any of the millions of awesome books out there.  I mean, with books the story is already written and its popularity can be tested by its sales.  This isn't even taking into account the mountains of amazing scripts that Joe Schmo Public will never see because they are never made!  

More hideous than a sequel addiction is our re-make addiction of late.  And yeah, I use the all encompassing our, because they give us what we buy because we buy it after all.  I suppose it might be painful to see a remake of a movie when you know you could have done so much better and have the means to do so, but it's not really a reason to remake the thing again.  Or wait, was Hulk supposed to be a sequel?  On the more delinquent hand, we all know that American's can't stomach reading sub titles, right?  So, let's all just pirate good ideas from other countries and remake them with English speakers while making wads of cash in the process!  Yeah!......  This opportunistic judgment was passed on too many excellent movies for my taste.  Can the U.S. really not read, or is there some greater xenophobia at work here?

I did enjoy The Ring and Dark Water (Honorurai mizu no soko kara) remakes, but not any more than I enjoyed the originals when I saw them.   The one thing The Ring really did have going for it was a scariness that I did not see in Ringu.  Personally, I have no interest in seeing the English remake of Pulse, Shutter, The Grudge, The Eye, One Missed Call, Suspiria, Tale of Two Sisters, or Tomie.  I liked them all just fine even though I had to read while I watched.  

And could someone please explain to me why it would be a good idea to remake the Rocky Horror Picture Show?  I mean, since the movie is still raking in the moolah this is just a grab at the purse right?  

Please excuse my sarcasms, I found it impossible to help myself, but I'm stopping now.  Love, LeE.

Mood:  happy

The Halloween entertainment began last night with Bewitched, so chosen because of the trick-o-treating scene, and ended in a failed attempt to ascertain if season 4's episode 40 of Garfield and Friends was actually a Halloween episode.  While I didn't get my Garfield administered Halloween fix, I was reminded why I liked the show so much, especially in the later seasons.  Garfield and Friends, just like Ghost Stories (another one of my favorites) is so self referential it hurts, and for some reason this is an excellent way to get into my good graces. 

G&F ep. 40:  "I hear they're gonna do a funny version of Ren and Stimpy."

Considering that Garfield and Friends was aired on TV in this country, there's a strong possiblity, even with the modern ubiquity of anime, that you know about it but not Ghost Stories (Gakkô no kaidan).  For shame!  From the varied bits of story that I was able to pick up, ADV picked up this show and wrote a hilariously nontranslation script for the English dub and the script was approved by the show's owners to the horror of fans.  What few fans the original show had, 'cause really, I've watched it subbed and its a snoozer.  The new and improved dubbed version garnered a bunch of its own fans however and now its part of our DVD collection.  Just some fair warning, it is silly, offensive, and incrementally more insane as the series continues.

Mood:  happy

I love looking at beautiful furniture, and since I've decided that Curbly is one too many social networking sites for me to handle, I'm going to forcibly share with you instead.  I kind of feel like round-ups are cop-outs, though, I suppose, its more for the chance that you'll see one or two things you like and will follow them to blogs and shops beyond.  Sounds good right? 

The terrible thing about online decorating news is that so much new stuff is absolutely un-gettable because it is new and fresh in another country.

Francesco Rota's collection for Paola Lenti (via Apartment Therapy), Alcove Collection (via Design Milk),  Schoolhouse electric replicates over a hundred light fixtures using original cast iron molds.  (via Apartment Therapy),  Boutique sofa at CIBONE (via Design Milk)

Empire rocker from fawn&forest (via i suwannee via the SCOOP), Octopuss by Nathalie Lete (via Apartment Therapy), Jaroslav Jurica's wall mounted drawers (via Apartment Therapy via Dezeen),  WIS Design’s Decades chest of drawers (via Inhabitat),  Tom Dixon's new collection (via MoCo Loco),  Shelves from Primative (via Apartment Therapy)

So, now you know I like tall things, and colorful things, and odd storage, and that if I got my way and could guiltlessly refurnish my whole house I would be living in something akin to a fabric candy land.

Mood:  cool

I found out a little too late last year and set a calendar reminder for this year's National Novel Writing month in November.  And now I'm reminding you too.  Ever wanted to write a novel, but just needed a little kick in the butt to get going?  Well, here's your kick.  Participants will begin writing on November 1st and promptly stop November 30th with a goal of 50,000 words.  The haste is meant spur you beyond your fears of failure and your tendencies to get hung up on the details.  At the end of the month, you, YES YOU, will have completed a novel!  How many people can say they've done that?

So go, and declare your committment for November.  Now you will have all of October to program your TV to record your shows because you will be very busy, my friend.

Mood:  happy

I do not consider myself an indiscriminate fan of musicals even though several such movies are among my favorites.  I'd like to think that the Music Man is so good that it could make people reconsider their aversion to the singing, dancing cinema--I've seen it happen on one occasion.

Anyway, beyond the "ye gods," "great honks," and bold face awesomeness of this film are two amazing comedic actors that barely get the hunk of screen time they could have made magic with.  Thankfully they both had pretty thriving careers outside of the Music Man--too thriving to mention in entirety here.

Firstly, the lovely lady on the left is Hermione Gingold, and she especially caught my attention for her role in Gigi.  Her list of films and television appearances is long and varied from 1932 to 1984.  She was a well loved story teller and had early on been trained as a singer.  Her unfinished autobiography, How to Grow Old Disgracefully,  was published after her death in 1987. 

The lady on the right is Mary Wickes, also seen in White Christmas, and much more recently in the Sister Act movies.  Mary Wickes showed up in movies and television shows from 1938 to the 1996 animated hunchback of notre dame, which came out after her death.  She was good friends and neighbors with Lucille Ball and well known for stealing scenes whenever she was in front of the camera.

Previously on the Bean Christmas in July's White Christmas.

Mood:  cool

There isn't much explanation as to what this show is about, but I am entranced by the huge, floating, bloated, somewhat disgusting baby things that can sprout mechanical parts at will.  I will be waiting for this show to become available to us poor region 1s.  Anime Innovation Tokyo has a short blurb on this that lists it as in production.