Cuparius.com

December 2005, as you can see to the left, was not a bad month for updates. January 2006 promises to be a fair month, too, unlike the previous year when I skipped the month entirely. Will the content have any value? Probably not. Or will it?

Visitors here will be amongst the first to learn that I have accepted a fulltime position at the bookshop in Toledo, and will be leaving the job at the arts & crafts store in two weeks. This will be advantageous for numerous reasons, such as eligibility for insurance and vacation benefits, the potential for advancement, a certain amount of security, and days off. Some of you may know that I work six to seven days a week between my two jobs. It is tiring, and I really miss my free time.

In a quick roundup of recent movies watched, I rented The Fantastic 4 the other day and was very glad I didn't pay to see it at the cinema, although I bemoan the loss of $2.99 for the rental. Many of us who have enjoyed the tidal wave of great flicks based on Marvel superhero comics have wondered which movie will slow the Marvel momentum. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, X-Men, X2, Daredevil, Hulk, and Elektra were all, in my opinion, above average films for the genre they portrayed. Alas, Fantastic 4 is the dud I feared it would be: a cynical, soulless commercial for Pepsi and ESPN with no interesting characters, no interesting story, boring special effects, and an inexcusable miscasting and misinterpretation of one of my favorite Marvel supervillains, Doctor Doom. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

On Wednesday, I rented The Brothers Grimm. I haven't decided how I feel about it. It wasn't one of the best movies I've seen, but it wasn't the worst. I suppose I'd rank it 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. It certainly wasn't Terry Gilliam's best effort.

Before the end of the month, I'll offer my resolutions for 2006, but for now, I bid you adieu.

* With apologies to Mr. Ray Harryhausen. There is no Dynamation at the Cuparium, but someday, perhaps... someday...