I miss Phish. I listened to some of a recording of the last concert the other day and I cried… which means I’m a huge puss, I know. Thank you.
The fact that they’re not touring any more doesn’t really affect me personally, and the music they’ve written since coming back from hiatus hasn’t really excited me that much (Seven Below being the best of the bunch), and yet it still makes me sad.
Phish has been a huge part of my life for the past 7 or 8 years. Well, that’s not really an accurate statement. I listen to a lot of Phish. I wear Phish t-shirt every other day. People see me and assume I’m a pot-head because I obviously enjoy ‘hippie’ music. People make a lot of assumptions about me because I enjoy ‘hippie’ music.
I’m that guy. Although, it’s been some time since I’ve enjoyed being that guy. I wear Phish shirts now only because I own so damn many of them. And I always feel slightly uncomfortable when I wear them. I’d rather be wearing a button-down shirt, or an MST3K t-shirt.
I listen to a lot of Phish because I love music, and they made some of the best of it. I also listen to Slayer and Black Eyed Peas.
Last year and this year I went to see Phish at Alpine Valley because Ben & Kerry wanted to see them. I’m not saying I didn’t want to see them, but I wouldn’t have gone if I wasn’t going with them.
I guess I’m saying that Phish lately hasn’t been that big a part of my life. I’ll always enjoy them, and I’m looking forward to listening to every show I have at some point, but I’m also okay with them being done.
I’m talking myself into not being sad about it.
Anyway… I’ve watched a lot of movies lately. Let’s review:
The Girl Next Door: a movie about a high school kid who’s questioning his lifestyle when a hot girl moves in next door and turns his life upside-down. (she’s a porn star) They fall in love, he finds out she’s a porn star and freaks out; she leaves; he chases; she continues leaving; he continues chasing; and his buddies tell him to just fuck her already.
Despite my not-so-glowing description, it’s actually a pretty good movie. It’s fun to wonder how far they’re going to take the porn-star thing, and it does surprise you at times (both ways). There’s a lot of good music throughout the film, as well. 3.5 out of 5
Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen: a movie about a teenage girl who moves from New York to New Jersey and is… a.. drama queen. It surprised me a little bit, because I sort of expected the main girl to be a bitch who realizes it’s better to be a good person… but she’s not a bitch. She’s overly dramatic, but she befriends the geeky girl, and shuns the popular clique. Her favorite band breaks up and the middle of the movie is her adventure with her friend trying to get into the final show, and the afterparty.
One funny thing about the movie is that the main girl’s love interest is barely in it; they just sort of tack him on the end after everything is wrapped up. 2.5 out of 5.
Cabin Fever: A documentary about leprosy— er… a horror movie where a bunch of kids go to a cabin in the woods, and their skin starts falling off. The most appealing character in the movie is the first to die (well, almost the first), and the asshole survives… almost. It’s a really odd movie, but the fear is generated by a disease, and it’s so obviously leprosy, it just comes off as dumb. There’s nothing terribly mysterious about it (even though they NEVER explain where the disease originally came from), and the ending is supposed to be spooky in it’s ambivalence, but it’s not.
Two good things: Deputy Winston (and his theme music) are funny. And the Jerry Garcia-esque shop owner (and his rifle) are funny. Oh, and “PANCAKES!” is funny.
1.5 out of 5.
The Talented Mr Ripley: an overly long tale about a obsessive imitator in which Mr Ripley (played by Matt Damon) kills a man he’s fallen in love with, and then pretends to be him; then he kills another man who figures him out; then, when he almost gets away with it, kils another man he’s fallen in love with (at least, we’re led to believe so at the end of film; it’s kind of left up in the air). Matt Damon’s character is EXTREMELY creepy throughout, and the film tries to depict him as almost likable. I guess I’d call it a tragedy of errors. 2.5 out of 5.
Jersey Girl: Ben Affleck plays a man who’s wife dies during labor. He’s forced to quit his dream job and move in with his father to raise his new baby girl.
7 years later, he still dreams of going back to his old life…
The description makes the movie sound like an after-school special, and the plot could easily have become overly dramatic, but Kevin Smith did an excellent job of using humor to keep the movie mostly light-hearted. Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, and George Carlin all put in good performances, all of which were a bit overshadowed by the fantastic performance of the little girl. 4.5 out of 5