(Reprinted from Short End Magazine)

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say up front that I’m a former World of Warcraft player. Player, not addict, because other than lack of sleep and a mild case of carpal tunnel, my hobby was never too detrimental to my life. I still worked, I still socialized, and I only occasionally missed meals due to eight hour gaming marathons. My habits didn’t differ from many other WoW players throughout the world, and yet it’s still alarming to think that at times I spent a full third of my day parked in front of my computer, absorbed in a make-believe reality. To others this might seem like extreme devotion to—or perhaps even an obsession with—a single hobby, but the way I saw it, I was only a casual player.
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(Reprinted from Short End Magazine)

Wesley Willis was my introduction into the world of outsider art. I was a college freshmen living in a dorm, and my high speed internet connection was a pipeline to all manner of media I never would have otherwise been exposed to. This was the Napster era, the golden age of file sharing where it became a mission to find and consume as much music as I possibly could.
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(Reprinted from Short End Magazine)

With all the problems facing us in the 21st century, it’s easy to forget about the struggles of the past and what we can learn from them. By weaving a complicated plot of supernatural thrills, historical and personal drama and political intrigue, Older Than America touches on one such issue, that of the treatment of Native Americans–both current and historical–in the United States.
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Listen to the Matador audio review

(Reprinted from Short End Magazine)

Bullfighting.

The word itself is enough to illicit a cringe of distaste in the average person, and outrage from your typical liberal-minded Westerner. Yet, for thousands of Spaniards, seeing a ritual killing is just good, old-fashioned popcorn fun. You could drop a few euro on the latest Sunday matinee, or, for even less, you could go see a raging bull or even a human being gored to death, live, and for real.

“Maria, the kids want to go to that new Van Damme flick where he kick boxes his evil twin.”

“Honey, we’re supposed to be saving money this month, you promised me I could get that veg-o-matic I’ve had my eye on, remember? Just take the kids to the bullfight, I’ve got coupons, and tonight it’s a triple-slaying.”

Maybe the Spanish just know the value of a buck.

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(Reprinted from Short End Magazine)

Finally, the world gets an answer to the question, “What can David Schwimmer do from the director’s chair?” The question is, who was asking?

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(Reprinted from Short End Magazine)

During a radio interview, the DJ asks two of the musicians behind Gorillaz what they think about people comparing them and their live multimedia stage show to Pink Floyd.

“With all due respect to Pink Floyd,” cracks Damon Albarn, “We’ve got tunes.”

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Austin’s 3rd Fantastic Fest offered hungry audiences a buffet of exotic cinematic treats from around the globe. From September 20-27, badge holders and the general public were treated to an expanded lineup that included some non-genre films while still delivering the signature horror and sci-fi staples the fest has become justifiably lauded for.

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Tarantino and Rodriguez need no introduction. The former is almost single-handedly responsible for revitalizing the fledgling crime genre, and for nearly ruining it (inadvertently) by spawning so many inferior imitators; it’s virtually impossible to watch a crime film these days without spotting some QT influence. Rodriguez is more prolific, if less consistent: for every DESPERADO he makes a ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, in a maddening pattern of transcending and then reverting to the worst indulgences of his B-movie pedigree.

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In this time of oil dependence, global warming, and volatile Middle Eastern politics, the simple act of riding a bicycle can be elevated from an enjoyable, health-conscious pastime to a revolutionary act. This concept is reflected in countercultural movements such as Critical Mass bike rides, which take on traffic snarls and reclaim public streets for joyous mobs of cyclists; in music, through bands with names like This Bike is a Pipe Bomb; and in film, such as Reg Harkema’s MONKEY WARFARE, which claimed a Special Jury Prize for Best Canadian Feature at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and recently screened at South By Southwest 2007.
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South By Southwest attracted thousands of artists and fans to Austin this week for a celebration of song and cinema unrivaled anywhere across Texas, and amidst the Bacchanalia of promo parties, prizes and prestige, they even got around to playing a few movies.

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