This is so awesome I had to share....

I've had a pretty shitty day...

And tomorrow will probably be no day at the beach (boy does that sound nice), but I saw this and it made me smile. Go check it out: Improv Everywhere.

CORALINE in 3-D!!!

Look, I'm a sucker for stop-motion animation/clay animation. I don't know why, but I find it MUCH more interesting that CGI (yes, even more than the fab PIXAR stuff).

Maybe because it's so tactile and real.

Anyway, I also LOVE 3-D movies (even though I've only seen a few). CORALINE, which is based on a novel written by Neil Gaiman and directed by the dude who directed THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, is both stop-motion and (in certain locations) in 3-D.

Slam-dunk.

The flick is creepy and moody--not quiet suitable for kids under 8-10 years old. The art direction is wonderful. The plot, while dark, is no darker than the 1,000's of Fairy Tales adults have been shoving down our throats for eons. CORALINE features a smart, resourceful, and ultimately brave FEMALE protagonist (something I wish wasn't so rare). Even though she's getting older, I think it's the kind of film my baby sister should see--only because it is so female-centric. Not only does Coraline save herself but (mild spoiler) she saves her parents and defeats a terrible monster.

So how was the 3-D? It was good. Unlike the 3-D re-release of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, CORALINE was filmed in 3-D. That means there were more shots filmed with the explicit intent to wow in 3-D. The glasses are polarized, so they're not the lame "blue-and-red" 3-D from our youth. They fit over my regular glasses just fine (in case you were wondering). The theater we saw it in was packed, and I was sitting next to a little boy who--like much of the audience exclaimed whenever something would "lash out" at us.

Hell, even some of the previews made good use of the 3-D.

Being the inquisitive youth that I am, I did take my glasses off for a second just to see what the picture looked like (it looked like a blurry mess). I recommend this movie because:

1. The style is unique and deserves to be revered.

2. The story focuses on a young girl, one that does not conform to stereotypical convention--Coraline is a regular girl, but she kicks ass and chews bubble gum when things get crazy. And I like that. I wish ALL OF US male pigs would figure it out more often that chicks can do more than be helpless.

3. The 3-D effects are pretty damn cool. It's still a novelty, but one that's (almost) worth the extra $4 and the noisy little kids (and the crowds). If I owned a cinemaplex, I'd demand my theater show 3-D movies. We went out of our way just to see this film in 3-D. Meaning: I changed my habits just to enjoy this added perk. Take note Hollywood!!!

So go see it.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary! THOUGHTS OF A LIMEMONKEY is three years old! Wow, I can't believe I've wasted so MUCH time. Oh well.

Here's to three more!

Retirement.

So I took the dog out tonight. That may not seem like much of a big deal to most of you (any of you) reading this, but it was a big deal...

So I took the dog out tonight, and while I was out there I got to thinking. Have you ever had one of those quick "thinks"? They happen to me, sometimes. You go over a lot of information in a sudden flash/burst. I had that. I thought about all the stuff I've done thus far in my life.

I said it was quick.

Anyway, I realized that I've done everything I set out to do:

Work in a bookstore. Check--
Work as security guard. Check--
Go to/graduate college. Check--
Visit Hawaii. Check--
Write a novel. Check-- (though you could argue I haven't quite finished that little endeavor)
Fool some girl into marrying me. Check--

You know what I realized? I'm done. I've done everything I wanted to do. I'm ready for retirement. Golden Pond here I come.

Now, I know what you're going to say: "Jason, your life isn't over yet! Silly boy, you need more goals. You should want more out of life."

Well aren't you a fucking joy-kill.

I think you're just jealous that my "to-do" list is resolved, while yours remains (it's probably still growing isn't it?). That sort of list making leads to heart-attacks and brain aneurysms. You should sit back, have some jello and take a sponge bath with me. In retirement. I'm ready to retire.

Neil Gaiman is CREEPY

Can't wait to see CORALINE (hopefully in 3D!) this weekend!

AGAINST THE DAY (again)

I'm currently making my second attempt at AGAINST THE DAY. I just crossed the 100th page today in the bathtub. Already Pynchon's novel of a 1,000 characters has introduced four times as many people than the cast of my entire novel.



It's daunting, but I'm determined to finish it this time. How am I so confident? Well I broke down and bought the damn thing, as opposed to trying to finish it in the time the library gives you. I still think it'll take me a month (or longer!) to read it.

Still, it's been very good...

First 8

Well I've slogged through the first eight chapters. The editing is going about like it did LAST time I did this--slowly. I find myself at times amazed at my brilliance and embarrassed by my short comings as I read. The rough patches have all been work-able, and other than one or two paragraphs, nothing major has been slashed.

But dear God it's coming. There was one section that I'm dreading (BESIDES the ending, which still needs work). I remember thinking "this is going to need some revisions" as I was writing this one section, somewhere after page 250.

Editing sucks but I know I need to do it. My manuscript is physically split in half so I figure I'll edit (with a pen) one half then go back and transfer my corrections to the electronic file before heading into the second half.

Ugh. It's hard.