I Am Serious, and Don't Call Me Surly

I can't say that I've ever been the subject of an open letter, but a reader was kind enough to not only school me on history in the hope of making the point that maybe all is not lost for America, but to then send me a link to his work.

I'm the first to admit that it's really unfortunate that I've been feeling this way lately about our politics and our culture, but maybe it's true that I'm only able to see it all through the prism of my own experience or through the events of my lifetime.

Either way, the lesson is appreciated.

The Gloomy Historian: An Open Letter To Mr. Pazienza/10.8.13

By the way, am I really finally at that place where I need to be referred to as "Mr. Pazienza?"

Jesus.

Kill Joy

So I finally got around to seeing Doomsday -- director Neil Marshall's largely overlooked killer virus cum action splatter movie from earlier this year.

Holy shit is it a blast.

From exploding bunnies, to barbecued British guys, to an overall feel that's unapologetically derivative of 80s b-movies (for God's sake, the titles are lifted directly from Escape from New York), to the best use of Adam and the Ants' Dog Eat Dog and Siouxsie and the Banshees' Spellbound ever, to Rhona Mitra (the no bullshit sexiest woman alive) kicking ass in a skin-tight black bodysuit -- this is the best shut-your-brain-off picture I've seen in quite a while.

Add it to your Netflix queue and make sure to crank it up real loud so it shatters the cosmo glasses of the girls next door who've gathered to watch the Sex and the City movie on DVD.