April 10, 19102:

I finally got my "Joe Versus the Volcano" DVD today. Widescreen goodness at last.

For the uninformed, "Joe Versus the Volcano" is a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Joe and Angelica.

It did not do particularly well at the box office — probably because the groundlings were unwilling to accept a romantic comedy that didn't drip of saccarine or feature players that constantly sawed the air. (To illustrate, witness Ryan's relentless mugging in all her subsequent romantic comedies.)

Fortunately, it has become a bit of a cult favorite, attracting the affections of those who are able to appreciate its unconventional wit.

Notably, this following includes esteemed movie critic Roger Ebert who, in his review, said it best. [Update: New link.]

I realized a wondrous thing: I had not seen this movie before. [I]t is new and fresh and not shy of taking chances. And the dialogue in it is actually worth listening to, because it is written with wit and romance.

I am particularly enjoying the aforementioned widescreen format as well as the higher quality video and audio.

Patricia on The Big Woo.

After years of being suffocated in a slowly disintegrating VHS cage, the film is finally freed from its pan-and-scan Hell.

The advantages of the widescreen format are apparent immediately. In 4:3, Joe's workplace is claustrophobic and sickly — properly repulsive.

But on the DVD, one notices how cavernous this shithole actually is.

Yet despite its size, Joe's workplace manages to remain crushingly oppressive.

The incomparable Dan Hedaya as Mr. Waturi.

Waturi himself, previously just a hollow slimeball, is positively cadaverous on the DVD — it's beautiful.

If you're looking for more on "Joe Versus the Volcano," I found this site to be most excellent.

Patricia and Joe on a raft.

October 30, 19101:

I don't have any real artistic ability. I can't draw, paint, or sculpt.

One might theorize that the reason I occasionally spend my time creating poorly rendered bits of Photoshoppery and crudely dashed MS Paint drawings (such as this representation of a scene from one of my favorite movies) is in order to compensate for this creative deficiency of mine.

Why do I really do this? Damned if I know, Kemosabe.