What Are You Currently Reading?

Yes, I know Banned Books Week ends today ... all the more important to keep awareness of it alive for the other 51 weeks of the year.

So, with that in mind ... go here to get the basics.

Then, read a column about how "lucky" we are in this part of North Carolina not to have major issues with book banners and their ilk (ah, apathy ...).

For a good chuckle, enjoy the list of books that then-Mayor Sarah Palin supposedly wanted banned from the Wasilla Public Library (the laugh comes from imagining Palin actually reading even a tenth of these books that made the fake hit list).

And finally, in honor of Banned Books Week, here' s a quick quiz.

Born Under Punches

Glenn Erickson, the mind and voice of DVD Savant, recently posted his thoughts at film.com on the lost art of the fight scene in modern-day movie making. I agree with most of his sentiments (while The Dark Knight has much to recommend it, the action sequences are confusing and impossible to follow - I dare anyone to keep up with the opening conflict in the parking deck upon a first viewing), and his six choices for classic movie "fights."

My addition to his list of classics comes from the obscure 1980 thriller Defiance, with Jan Michael-Vincent. I caught this at the Bright Leaf Drive-In on a double bill and recall little of the plot (something about a gang of hoods trying to drive Danny Aiello and other hapless cast members out of their apartment building), but vividly remember the climatic brutal battle between Vincent's ex-marine and the head of the gang.

My friends and myself were amazed at how "realistic" it seemed when compared to most movie fights. The two were bloodied, uncivilized, and used an array of unsporting-like and simply mean techniques as they bashed each other ... even staying entangled down a flight of stairs. To this day, I can't think of being impacted by any other filmed fight in such a manner. Highly recommended, and worth tracking down for a look (which sadly is not on DVD, but readily available via bootleg).

Welcome To The Grid

Has your Internet been running slow as of recent ...? Click the graphic to learn about what might speed things along in the near future.

(Somehow, I sense my future is going to be spent buying new computer equipment and paying higher prices for faster connections ...).