Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 274

June 14, 2018: Discover your new favorite artist!

One of my favorite handles to follow on twitter (next to, of course, @AwardsDarwin and @TVNetworkNotes) is @41Strange which highlights an amazing array of unique artwork ranging from the awe-inspiring to the delightfully bizarre, introducing followers to an eclectic mix of artists and art styles.

Here are just a few of the recent postings that caught my eye.  Click on the links for more information on the individual artists…

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The Dark Artworks of Russian Artist Stray Child.

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Polish contemporary painter Daniel Pielucha.

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Artwork by Chinese illustrator Yang Xueguo.

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Artwork of Russian artist Alex Andreev.

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Artwork of Dutch artist Levi van Veluw.

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Tiny worlds inside toilet paper rolls by French artist Antassia Elias.

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The works of British sculptor Laura Ford.

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Jolly Green Giant sculpture by Korean artist Dongwook Lee.

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The works of contemporary American painter Aron Wiesenfeld.

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Artwork of Japanese painter Masaaki Sasamoto.

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Oil paintings by Beijing-based artist DU Kun.

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Artwork by illustrator Daniel Danger.

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The Robot Paintings of illustrator Brian Despain.

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The “Moss People” sculptures by Finnish sculptor Kim Simonsson.

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The paintings of Polish artist Tomasz Alen Kopera.

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The foam-made cloud-like works of Japanese artist Kohei Nawa.

June 13, 2018: Week’s Best Comic Book Covers!

These were my favorites!

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A Walk Through Hell (cover art by Andy Clarke, Jose Villarubia)

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Bloodshot Salvation #10 (cover art by Kenneth Rocafort)

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Domino #3 (cover art by Greg Land)

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The Beauty vol. 4 (Jeremy Haun, Jason Hurley)

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The Mighty Thor vol. 5 (cover art by Russell Dauterman)

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The Punisher #226 (cover art by Clayton Crain)

So, which were your favorites?

June 12, 2018: Happy Dark Matter Day!

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I didn’t realize today was Dark Matter Day until fans pointed it out on twitter. Yes, hard to believe it was three years today that Dark Matter premiered, launching its glorious 5 season 3 season run.  I miss the cast, the crew, and seeing the fan reaction to all of the twists, turns, shocks and surprises we’d dish out on an episodic basis.  Still, it’s heartening to see that fandom remains just as strong and passionate, as evidenced by the continued support for the show online – and the awesome fan art that continues to be produced (like the We Are The Raza masterpiece pictured above c/o @radiolaires).

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Thanks to all of you who continue to keep the show alive like longtime fan Tom Gardiner who, among his many selfless acts in support of the series, had the temerity to criticize its cancellation – and ended up getting blacklisted by the syfy for it.  Tom, you have an open invitation to come visit the set of my next show. Also, thanks for the above posted gif which neatly sums up what the series was all about.

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If you take away nothing else from your experience watching Dark Matter’s three season run, let is be this: Despite the challenges, and against all odds, We Are Family.

Also, syfy hates you.

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June 11, 2018: How do YOU read?

Being the voracious reader I am, I tend to source my books from a variety of sources…

1 – Bookstores.  To be fair, I bought a lot more while I was living back in Vancouver because I truly loved the independent bookstore (The Book Warehouse) I used to frequent on a regular basis, often picking up some of the staff picks suggested by their employees (as opposed to titles,  ordained by the head offices of big bookstores, disguised as staff picks).  Unfortunately, I have yet to find a good bookstore here in Toronto, so my purchase of actual print books has fallen off considerably.

2 – The iBook store.  This one is, admittedly, the easiest.  I’ll just search out the title I’m looking for or get something interesting from the Limited Time: $4.99 or less selection (Sara Perry’s The Essex Serpent for only $1.99!).  This is fast becoming my preferred way to read as I can do so late at night without need of a bedside lamp.  Instead, I just fire up the screen brightness to maximum, making it easy on my eyes while, at the same time, unfortunately, slightly irradiating my girlfriend sleeping beside me.  I especially like the fact that iBooks let me know exactly how many pages remain in a given chapter, giving me something to look forward to.

3 – Kindle.  Amazon also offers great deals on books, although you’ll be hard pressed to find them unless you know exactly what you’re looking for.  I mean, is it just me or are the “deals” offered on Amazon Prime the equivalent of bargain bin remainders?  After months of emails notifying me of the great prices on crap books I would never read, I just had to unsubscribe.  On the bright side, purchasing digital editions through amazon also allows me to read on my desktop kindle which is slightly less preferable than iBooks.  It doesn’t let you know how many pages remain in the chapter you’re reading and, occasionally, instead of offering an overall page count gives you a location number four digits deep that, presumably, can be translated into actual pages should one care to run the math.

4 – Scribd.  They call this the Netflix of books and, while not altogether true, it has come a long way since the days you could only read a maximum of three books a month.  THREE BOOKS???   I read that much in a single weekend!  Recently, however, the monthly subscription service allows you to read as many titles as you like from their vast library.  Granted, 75-80% of the titles in said library are crap, but there’s enough to choose from in the remaining 20-25% to keep you busy.  I like the fact that, like iBooks and kindle, I can read on my desktop.  Also, like iBooks, it lets you know how many pages you’re committing to when you start a chapter.  The only drawback with scribd is the paucity of new titles.

5 – The library.  About a month ago, I got my first library card in years.  Now, I can hop online and borrow digital books, everything from old classics to new releases. There’s no limit to the number of books I can read (although the total number I can borrow at any one time is capped at a very reasonable 30) and, best of all, it’s free.  For someone who probably spends $200-250/month on books, this is most appealing.  The only drawback here is that the limited number of digital books available force you to place a hold on the more popular titles, leaving you bound to the leisurely pace of slow readers.  I mean, holy shit, look at this –

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I’ve been first in queue, waiting on that short story collection, since last week.  I almost want to call the library so they can contact whoever has the books to make sure they’re okay.  Meanwhile that Gilbert King novel?  I won’t be reading that until summer of 2019!  I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Your wait time/placement on a library‘s ebook holding queue should be directly proportional to how fast you can read.

Anyway, a nice variety of sources ensures my reading habit gets fed in a consistent and timely manner.

So, how do YOU read?

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June 10, 2018: Hereditary and Housecleaning!

This past Friday, I caught yet another matinee – Hereditary, proclaimed by many critics to be the scariest movie ever made!

There were, admittedly, some great scares.  Also, some real head-scratching developments.  My thoughts…

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If you see the movie, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Also, I’m on a role.  What should I check out next on the big screen?

Today I hand in (what I assume will be) the final draft on two projects after which…who knows?  I’m taking the month of June to wrap up a number of things (including the move) and then, starting in July, I’ll be doing another, uh, housecleaning of sorts.  Time to recharge and refocus!

June 9, 2018: The Sunday Report!

When we first bought this new place, we figured it was in good enough shape that we could just move right in – only to find out, after closing, that those paintings the former owner had hanging were not so much wall art as they were obfuscating shields concealing all sorts of imperfections ranging from chips and scratches to gaping maws of exposed wiring.  So, we decided to have the place repainted.

When the painter asked us what color we wanted to go with, I figured a simple white would do but, as it turns out, there is nothing simple about choosing a wall color.  There must have been almost sixty different shades of white to choose from! Eventually, after much consideration, Akemi narrowed it down to these twelve favorites:

White Walker White

Snow Monkey Milk White

Calf’s Brain White

Bleached Desert Corpse Bone White

Toilet Bowl White

God’s Beard White

Shirako (cod sperm) White

Network Lead’s Smile White

Light At The End Of The Tunnel White

Whites Of His Eyes White

Anemic Ghost Child White

Chantilly Lace

In the end, we decided to go with Chantilly Lace.  But it was close!

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Well, look who it is!  No, no.  The guy BESIDE former Dark Matter Co-Executive Producer Ivon Bartok.  It’s former Stargate/Dark Matter director extraordinaire Will Waring who is in town for the next five months or so working on a big budget horror movie (You know the one).  I expect many more cheeseburgers and lattes with this guy before winter rolls around.

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Noticed this interesting bottle of bourbon at my local LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) retailing for $387.30!!!  Granted, that’s Canadian, but a quick online search shows this bottle going for roughly $130 US south of the border.  That’s quite the mark-up – and, I suppose, to be expected from one of the most draconian and restrictive government-controlled liquor monopolies in North America.  The selection is poor and you can expect to pay roughly 4 TIMES the original retail price for anything you want to import.  That’s one thing I do miss about Vancouver: their private liquor stores.

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KitKat has a pop-up shop in downtown Toronto.  It’ll be around until the end of the month, offering up unique flavors like Caramel, Popcorn & Almond, Expresso, Cookie & Hazelnut, and the KitKat Ruby made from rare Ruby cocoa beans mixed with the blood of unwary hitchhikers.  They also offer the option of creating your own signature KitKat.  Of course, when we walked by last week, there was a huge line-up.  Here’s hoping that, by this time next week, the locals will have lost interest in the varied exotic flavors, allowing me to sweep in and have my pick of the remaindered selections: Tomato and Feta Cheese in a Delicious White Chocolate Base!

Tomorrow, I am ALL OVER those script and series overview revisions!  Also, some Peking Duck and dim sum!

June 8, 2018: Anthony Bourdain

Very saddened to hear of Anthony Bourdain’s passing.  While I’ve never considered myself a “fan” of celebrities, he was one of the few Akemi and I genuinely loved for his honesty, cutting sense of humor, and the obvious empathy he had for others.

Anthony always had a way with words.  These are my favorite Anthony Bourdain quotes:

“Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t have.”

“And chicken is boring. Chefs see it as a menu item for people who don’t know what they want to eat.”

“I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure”

“I don’t have to agree with you to like you or respect you.”

“To have a child is to give fate a hostage.”

“Assume the worst. About everybody. But don’t let this poisoned outlook affect your job performance. Let it all roll off your back. Ignore it. Be amused by what you see and suspect. Just because someone you work with is a miserable, treacherous, self-serving, capricious and corrupt asshole shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying their company, working with them or finding them entertaining.”

“A proper saute pan, for instance, should cause serious head injury if brought down hard against someone’s skull. If you have any doubts about which will dent — the victim’s head or your pan — then throw that pan right in the trash.”

“It’s very rarely a good career move to have a conscience.”

“These are the end products of the Masterminds of Safety and Ethics, bulked up on cheese that contains no cheese, chips fried in oil that isn’t really oil, overcooked gray disks of what might once upon a time have been meat, a steady diet of Ho-Hos and muffins, butterless popcorn, sugarless soda, flavorless light beer. A docile, uncomprehending herd, led slowly to a dumb, lingering, and joyless slaughter.”

“The food was what you might expect to find on Air Uganda tourist class:”

“I compared it to taking my first acid trip: Nothing was ever the same for me. I just wanted more of it. If I had to agree to live in one country, or even one city, for the rest of my life, never leaving it, I’d pick Tokyo in a second.”

A sad, sad day.

June 7, 2018: Reviews! Solo: A Star Wars Story! Avengers: Infinity War! That bean recipe!

As my various development projects, I’ve decided to catch up on my movie matinees.

First up was Solo: A Star Wars Story.  As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I got off the Star Wars train partway through Return of the Jedi, right about the second the ewoks danced across the big screen, blindsiding my love for the franchise.  Decades later, I’m reading all sorts of wildly conflicting reviews for the latest installment, Solo.  Some absolutely love it.  Others absolutely hate it.  So, of course, I had to find out for myself.  Akemi passed on accompanying on the grounds that: “Impossible to beat Deadpool.”  True enough.

So, what did I think of Solo?  Well…

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Next up is Avengers: Infinity Wars, a movie I heard very good things about…but wasn’t convinced.  There was a time when I saw every superhero movie ever made – and then, I sat through Avengers: Age of Ultron, a movie that – like Return of the Jedi destroyed my love for Star Wars – it killed my love for comic book movies.  Akemi, who fell asleep during Age of Ultron (Oh, how I envied her), also passed on this screening.

So, what did I think of Infinity War?  Well…

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Finally, thanks to everyone who took the time to upload their advice, condolences, and best wishes on that bean recipe.  After considering all of your great suggestions, we ended up…

Soaking the beans for almost 40 hours, changing the water and giving them a rinse, then boiling on high for 30 minutes.  After that, we added tomatoes, a vidalia onion, two green onions, half a clove of garlic, two bay leaves, thyme, chiles, and a seared smoked pork chop, brought the whole to boil, then let simmer for two hours.  We seasoned with salt and pepper (and, in my base, a sprinkling of powdered ghost pepper/carolina reaper) before serving.  The results?   Deeeeeeeelicious!

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Thanks to all who weighed in.

So, what’re we making/seeing next?

June 6, 2018: Week’s Best Comic Book Covers!

My favorites…

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Batman #48 (cover art by Mikel Janin)

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Black Bolt vol. 2 (cover art by Christian Ward)

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Death Or Glory #2 (cover art by Bengal, Julia Totino Tedesco)

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The Immortal Hulk #1 (cover art by Alex Ross)

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The Beautiful Death vol. 1 (cover art by Mathieu Bablet)

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Weapon X #19 (cover art by Rahzzah)

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Shipwreck #6 (cover art by Phil Hester)

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Jasmine: Crown of Kings #2 (cover art by Deivis Goetten)

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Lady Mechanika vol. 4 (cover art by Joe Benitez)

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Olympus Mons vol. 4 (cover art by Pierre Loyvet)

Which were your favorites?

June 5, 2018: I need you to do me a favor! No, forget I asked! Wait, maybe if you’re willing to hear me out… No, never mind. I’ve already taken up too much of your time. Then again, on the off-chance you can do me this solid…

Okay, guys.  I don’t ask for much.  Maybe the occasional steady commitment to a t.v. series.  Sporadic support for an online campaign.  Help choosing episode titles. But, today, I need you to do me a solid.  I realize it may be a lot to ask and many of you may feel uncomfortable, so, please, don’t feel like you have to respond.

No, forget it.  I’m imposing.  Forget I mentioned it.  I’ll just find a way to muddle through it.

Of course, it would be A LOT easier if one of you were able to help.

But it’s too much to ask.  I’m being a bother.

Then again, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to throw it out there.  Still…

Okay, okay.  I’m going to ask anyway and, if any of you feel I’ve crossed a line, tell me.  Or, better yet, ignore this request.  Delete this blog entry from your consciousness like not so much as any residual memories of Movie 43.  Deal?

Fine.  I’m asking…

Anyone have a good bean recipe?

The last time Akemi made beans, they remained rock solid after some six hours of cooking.  We’re looking at preparing butter beans with smoked pork chops, garlic, and bay leaf.  Mom’s navy bean recipe calls for bringing the beans to a boil, then allowing them to simmer overnight.  Does that sound right to you?  Anyone have experience cooking dried white beans?  Any insider secrets you’d care to impart?

Was that too much?  Did I overstep the bounds of our online friendship?  If so, apologies.  If not, do you think adding salt during the cooking process will harden the beans?

Maybe I should start a patreon for butter bean recipes.