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First, things in 1984 start coming true.
Now, things in A Clockwork Orange are coming true.
The speculative fiction of the past is rapidly becoming the fact of the future — and the UK is where it all starts. -
Nice to see the commentators aren't clueless, either. Israel has been in the wrong–and particularly so since 1967.
February 2010
Monthly Archive
February 28, 2010
February 28, 2010
VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Clive Barker’s The Plague (2006)
Posted by Claire CJS under Carolyn, Clio, Media, Movies, People, Reviews, Video[6] Comments
[IMDB link] [Netflix link] Children as “zombies”? How terrifying. Do we get to see a bunch of children killed?? That’d be awesome.
LIMERICK REVIEW:
A Clive Barker zombie movie where every zombie is a kid.
Turned out not to be the greatest horror movie bid.
The movie’s title was The Plague.
Let’s try the writer at The Hague.
The value of this film isn’t even a few quid.
HAIKU REVIEW: A failed horror film:
Zombie kids should be scary.
Too ambiguous.
PEOPLE: James Van Der Beek, who I haven’t seen in a movie since the *incredible* Rules Of Attraction. Ivana Milicevic (Paycheck, Jerry Maguire). Brad Hunt. Joshua Close. John P. Connolly (someone else who looks familiar, but I don’t know why — his IMDB has nothing I’d know). Brittany Scobie (who I’d like to see more of). Mostly nobodies.
QUIRKS: Zombies that are kids. On the same day, all kids under the age of 9.000 fell into a coma. With synchronized seizures and everything. New births were born comatose. Ten years later, all of the age 0 to 19.000 year olds wake up and wreak havoc on society.
BAD STUFF: And then what? Where’s the action? Where’s the conclusion? The conclusion makes no sense. They read this page a preacher wrote about his dream at least three times in the movie, but it doesn’t drive the point home. The point is completely missed. Who did this? What was the coma? What are the kids? What’s with the soul absorption? What’s with the conclusion? Did she die? Were the zombies placated? Are they still evil?
Expect no answers… To anything!
CONCLUSION: IMDB: 5/10. Netflix: 3/5 stars. And that’s only because we were entertained during a lot of the movie. Overall, it left us pretty unsatisfied.
The best part were the two “19.001 year old” characters. Born on the cusp of the coma-age, the zombie children thought they were young, and therefore zombies as well. Especially the girl. She was kind of an emo, so the zombies thought her one of them. They were probably the most interesting characters… But in the end, their uniqueness did not serve to advance the plot AT ALL.
The movie was interesting. Then it left you completely unsatisfied. You almost feel tricked, because you were interested for such a long period of time, without receiving any proper answers. I hate movies that make me feel like this. (No Country For Old Men was one of them… But this one is far more unsatisfying of an ending.)
Also: This had WAY less gore and action than one should expect from ANY zombie movie.
RECOMMENDATION: Skip it, unless you’re a zombie or Clive Barker completist!
SIMILAR MOVIES: Most zombie movies. (more…)
February 27, 2010
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I shall quote a fellow SubGenius: "Dear this girl: I hate you."
Really though… WHAT THE FUCK. I hate you.
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An article about [what THEY consider to be] the 5 most overrated and underrated Ween songs.
and WOW — look how angry the Ween fanboys got at him for daring to have an opinion! Amazing. I had to leave a comment in his defense!
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Breakdown of IMDB ratings. The weighted average is 9.4/10, which is just about the highest rating I've ever seen for anything on IMDB. Especially given that there have been over 19,000 votes.
Consider this an endorsement of one of the best series that ever aired.
If you do undertake watching this series, MAKE SURE to watch the pilot first.
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No specific link to it, but Putz took 5 videos from Dirk's funeral, which are at this link. The funeral was so packed — and the podium so poorly placed — that a lot of us could not even tell who was speaking. Definitely will have to watch these, as the camera had a better view than we did. It was a beautiful service.
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They thought he was drunk. They "allegedly" threw him to the ground. They "allegedly" kicked him. They "allegedly" tried to handcuff him, but couldn't, due to the limited mobility of cerebral palsy. They "allegedly" slammed him against a car hood. They "allegedly" tied his legs together.
The charged him with resisting arrest, and 2nd degree trespassing. Charges were dismissed. Blood tests showed ZERO alcohol, but even if he were drunk, this is completely unacceptable. It's unacceptable that the officers aren't named, either.
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A guy writes software that creates classical music that audiences are unable to discern from Bach, Mozart.
And yet, a lot of people are mad and furious that he's done this, and are offended by the results.
You see, people don't like it when their humanity can be reduced to computer code. People want to believe we are so special that our attributes can't be reproduced.
People are wrong. And prideful. This is just a new group of neo-Luddites.
I still remember reading a murder mystery in the 1980s that was written solely by a computer. Shit happens. Art isn't all so special that it can only come from a human brain — though artists would love to perpetuate this myth in order to starve less.
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Yup, after all this: He's still working. He was never taken off duty, even as his own officers tased him for being a dangerous drunk driver. Thin blue line at work.
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The World Court has ruled that all the settlements Israel has built in occupied territory are illegal. America has told them to stop. But they don't care. Driven by religion, they will do anything to have "their" holy city, even when they already have half of it.
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Dedicated to Dirk's Family and Friends
Saturday, February 20th 2010 :: Annandale, VA
Videos by Todd & Jennifer. -
Really. It's a public statue visible in public space. You don't get to control who publishes that image. Nevermind that the "artist" supposedly being "protected" died in 1961. This is just more bullshit from the Catholic church.
Two bullshit concepts teamed up for double-douchebaggery: Religion, and intellectual "property".
I wonder how Brazilians tithing their income to the church feel about their money being used to pay lawyers to try to censor movies? All in Christ's name, right? But wait! Christ was a pirate! He made unauthorized copies of fish, to feed a whole crowd! ;)
February 26, 2010
POLITICS: Speculative debunking of at least one argument against socialized medicine.
Posted by Claire CJS under PoliticsLeave a Comment
obesity = economic opportunity?
One of the favorite things I hear people who are in support of our capitalist medical system (the only one remaining in the modern/westernized world) is that, “If we had socialized medicine, all our good doctors will leave for another country where they will make more money.”
What country would that be? We spend more on medicine per capita than most of these other nations, and yet are less healthy than many nations (Cuba, UK) who spend far less per person. So my question is: Where will doctors go and make more money?
Also, if doctors automatically flock to wherever they get paid the most — wouldn’t that mean that (because we are the country that spends the most, and has a capitalist system) a lot of shitty doctors from other countries are actually coming here to make more money? Hell, we could end up getting other country’s shitty doctors!
I kind of think bad doctors are far more likely to come here for our money, than good doctors here leaving us to go to — where? Where do doctors make more money??? Unless you’re doing a private practice for the rich (who live everywhere), you’re probably going to make more money in America than anywhere else. This is why people come to America (in general).
So yeah. Until someone cites some real numbers with their argument, I am no longer going to believe this anti-socialized medicine argument as being necessarily valid.
If he were alive today, he'd probably rescind some of his quotes, after seeing the behavior of corporations today. Charters had only begun to fall out of popularity near the end of his life. Corporations didn't get the same rights as people until after his death.
Read The Birth Of The Corporate I for a big picture view at what corporations once were, and what they became after Lincoln’s death.
February 26, 2010
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A scathing (and long) look at the ineffectiveness of antidepressants, and the lack of accuracy in the entire psychological industry. This is a topic covered on this blog in the past — and that past coverage is mentioned in this article.
1 out of every 10 americans has a prescription for an antidepressant? Wow. That's a pathetic metric for any society. Drug us up; brave new world. Let's breed a new generation that can't function without corporate support. [/sarcasm]
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$5 in 1910 is $114 today. Find out crap like that by entering it into this website. Good stuff.
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ANOTHER Facebook group dedicated to Dirk. Why can't there just be one group, so everyone can get their message out to everyone? Splintering one person into groups doesn't really help anyone.
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Fortunately when I did this shit in high school, I quoted the Supreme Court rulings, and my teacher knew better than to fuck with me.
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Packed funeral. Longest procession ever. The bagpipes and "My Way" really got to me.
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The continued tyranny of the majority to control what activities consenting adults do in private establishments.
I guess they thought the lapdances were "taking away their choice" to go somewhere wholesome? (Like, uh, strip clubs that don't offer lapdances? haha)
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Maybe a real god would want hateful cunts like her put to death?
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An important whistleblower site, up for 14 years, has been taken down because Microsoft filed a DMCA complaint against them for posting a leaked document.
Like Wikileaks, the corporations [and governments that work for them] do not want whistleblower sites. They want us to entrust all our data to them, but they do not want us to have all their data. They want to use technology against us, but not have us use technology against them. The great double-standard of the corporation. And we have intellectual property laws driven by record companies to thank for making this possible. (Are the artists being protected yet? Hah!)
More bullshit from Microsoft.
February 25, 2010
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Another article about Dirk's violent death. This one contains the most details yet about what may have happened that night.
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Putz's pictures of Dirk's wake, which lasted 26 hours and had 600 attendees. Definitely the biggest house party I've ever been to. RIP, Dirk.
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Fuck you, God. You murdering, son of a bitch. These bible-worshipers are causing millions of people to die of aids. Just look at what they've done in Africa. Now, the Catholics are trying to spread the God+Aids virus to the Philippines.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE CONDOMS, DON'T FUCKING WEAR ONE. Maybe you'll get AIDS, die, and do us all a favor.
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An article about Dirk's wake, which lasted 26 hours and was attended by about 600 people.
The funeral was standing room only with multiple overflow rooms.
The procession was the longest I've ever seen in my life.
Fairfax County Police have done an amazing job in a) not messing with the wake or shutting it down, b) helping out with the procession.
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Drag the state to where it belongs. On my first try, I had an avg error of 25 miles per state. But that also included a couple embarrassing mistakes.
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Makes priest rape easier to get away with if it's legal…
February 24, 2010
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Police run rampant, complaints are ignored. Illinois has some of the most corrupt police forces in the country (I'm looking at you, Chicago and Detroit.)
A judge has to call officials into a court, because they aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing? Our tax dollars at work, again. Used against We The People in an apparently unaccountable way.
Go Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr.! At least SOMEBODY is doing something about this!
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Wow. All displayed out in a table.
0% of the 4 animal studies found anything bad with marijuana.
27% of the human studies found something bad with marijuana, while 38% found positive aspects.
But only 10% of double-blind studies found something bad with marijuana, while 52% found positive aspects.Sounds like the bad results are only when it's used by humans in a non-double blind fashion, where scientists can "adjust" things to get the results they want. (cough Gabriel Nahas cough)
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A 3rd Facebook group in tribute of Dirk.
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Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have an objective section in mine? heh heh
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Useful information for anyone who's ever been a victim of police conduct.
I've seen them lie to get my friends car auctioned off, rough up minors, been assaulted for wanting to make a statement as a witness to another assault (by Maryland RennFest security), and had a gun pointed at me for 14 eternities for trying to ask for directions. Fuck pigs, and use this guide to fuck them into the bacon sandwiches they deserve to be.
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My universe is shattered.
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Did I ever mention this blog? It's run by another SubGenius, Bunny Day. Check it out.
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Did I ever mention this blog? It's run by another SubGenius, Dildo Valerie. Check it out.
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Wow. What a rant!!!
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):
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Seriously — this is the type of SUPER STUPID SHIT that only a Republican can say.
And wow, he wants to stop funding for Planned Parenthood? I guess me & Carolyn should have had a baby in high school, 'cause that's who paid for our birth control.
The world would be a better place without idiots like this.
Oh, and the Network Of Politically Active Christians can drink a bowl of Satan's cum.
February 23, 2010
VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: The Number 23 (2007)
Posted by Claire CJS under Carolyn, Clio, Media, Movies, People, Reviews, Video[8] Comments
[IMDB link] [Netflix link] [Wikipedia link]
PLOT SUMMARY: A man reads a book that seems to be about his own life.
LIMERICK REVIEW: There once was a man named [Walter] Sparrow.
who lived a life that seemed straight as an arrow.
Then events started relating to the number 23 —
There was actually a deeper secret to see:
A fate that could not even be predicted by Tarot.
HAIKU REVIEW: It’s not possible
to create a twenty-three
syllable haiku.
UNCOMFORTABLE PLOT SUMMARY (inspired by this): [highlight for spoilers]→ Murder cover-up leads to complications.
PEOPLE: Jim Carrey, in a strangely serious role. I think this put off some people by causing them to think there would be comedic elements in this movie, or causing them to not be able to take Carrey seriously. Also with Virginia Madsen (Sideways, Dune, Candyman) as the wife, Logan Lerman (What Women Want, The Patriot) as the son, Danny Huston (X-Men Origins:Wolverine, The Aviator, 21 Grams), and smaller parts with Lynn Collins (Silverfox from X-Men Origins:Wolverine, 13 Going On 30, 50 First Dates) and Rhona Mitra (Underworld:Rise Of The Lycans, Doomsday, Sweet Home Alabama, Hollow Man, Beowulf, Boston Legal/The Practice), who I often mistake as Kate Beckinsdale. [I have lately learned to tell them apart, but when I showed selected parts of the movie Doomsday to John The Canadien, he still insisted it was Beckinsdale until I fast forwarded to the credits :)]
Directed by Joel Schumacher, who brought us the passable movies Flatliners, Falling Down, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin, the much-loved non-sparkling-vampire film The Lost Boys, and the excellent psychological thriller Phone Booth. Of everything he’s ever done, I think this and Phone Booth are the best.
QUIRKS: Numerology. Obsession. Conspiracy. Finding a book that seems to be about YOUR life.
The number 23 has a pseudo mystical history behind it, relating to William S. Burroughs, and found in all kinds of interesting places. The latest album by The Church is actually titled “Untitled #23”, based on the mysticism of the number 23.
This album was released on Carolyn’s birthday, February 23rd. The movie actually takes place in February, too.
VISUALS: Awesome! A lot of the movie delved into the fantasy world of what happened in the book “The Number 23” (the book that Jim Carrey is reading in the movie). These shots were very artfully done, adding a visual layer that doesn’t exist with most modern-day suspense movies. Pretty much noir, but in color.
MORALS: Beware of apophenia.
BAD STUFF: Everybody hated this! Why?!?
8% on Rotten Tomatoes? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a rating so low!
Jim Carrey got a Razzie Award for Worst Actor? I think that speaks more of people wanting to typecast Jim Carrey, than of Jim Carrey’s acting. Much like how everyone hated Steve Carrell when he was serious in “Dan In Real Life“. (Which was an awful movie, but not because of Carrell.)
I blame some peoples’ bad ratings on the fact that they can’t deal with Jim Carrey in a serious role. In fact, I blame these people for typecasting in general. Probably the reason actors get typecast into specific roles is because people go crazy with the hate when someone dares to do something different from what they’ve previously done. “Even though he’s trying not to be, I can’t help but think of him as ____.” (insert whatever they are typecast as into blank)
This movie has twists. Perhaps, if people figure out the various twists in the movie ahead of time, that they wouldn’t enjoy it as much. But I still find that a fault of the viewer, not of the movie. Carolyn & I sure as hell didn’t know any of the twists ahead of time. I happen to think it’s very counterproductive to one’s viewing enjoyment to destroy your ability to be surprised by nurturing an ability to predict everything you watch. It’s absolutely unhelpful.
People might also have hated the fact that it could be considered a horror movie where everyone is running away from … a number. Not exactly the scariest beast to be avoiding!
And it sort of ambiguously straddles the genres of psychological horror and occult/supernatural horror. That ambiguity pisses off people and makes them perceive aspects of the movie as plot flaws, when they are actually deliberate ambiguities.
CONCLUSION: Out of the 25 horror/thriller movies we’ve watched so far in 2009 (It’s October 2009 as I write this), this is our favorite!
The movie Live! comes close, but not quite, to beating this. But Live! live isn’t quite a horror movie–it’s more sensational, whereas this was more creepy and psychological. But there’s an occult aspect to this movie, as well, which makes it even creepier.
Prevailing opinions disagree, but I actually found this to be a much better numerology movie than Pi, though Pi has less occult/supernatural aspects to it.
I think their choice of Jim Carrey as the leading role put off a lot of people, and should not have. This movie was absolutely amazing, both visually and cerebrally. And it all seems to piece together with most questions answered, if you just pay enough attention. Had I missed some things, I might not have liked this as much. But I did. We both freakin’ loved it!
RATINGS:
Clint: Netflix: 5/5 stars. IMDB: 9.5/10. Tho only reason I can think of to not give this a 10 would maybe be that the first 10 minutes seemed kind of boring. It’s still rounding up to 10 on my IMDB vote.
Carolyn: Netflix: 5/5 stars. IMDB: 10/10.
The native public rating for this movie is Netflix: 3.1/5 stars (3.8/5 stars for people who rate like me–apparently Netflix predicted that I would like this more than most people). For IMDB, the native public rating is 6.2/10.
RECOMMENDATION: If you avoided this because people said it sucks, you might not want to believe them. But if you can’t swallow Jim Carrey in a non-comedic role — or if you’re the type of person who, in general, can’t watch movies with certain actors in them because you hate those actors — then you should just avoid this movie. If you’re someone who is entranced more by the story, than the players in that story, then I would find it really hard to find fault with this movie.
*** MAKE SURE YOU GET THE UNRATED VERSION. *** Differences are here (with spoilers): differences.
SIMILAR MOVIES: Pi. A Beautiful Mind. [highlight for spoilers]→ The Machinist. The Usual Suspects.
MOVIE QUOTE: “I once read that the only philosophical question that matters is whether or not to commit suicide. I guess that makes me a philosopher.”
COINCIDENCES: (Wonder Woman, The Number 23) 2 movies in a row with Virginia Madsen. And it took us 3 days to watch both those movies. [cue spooky music]
FRIENDS’ RATINGS: Daniel H & Orpheus Stain said it was a great movie. J. Walter Swartz really liked it. Benj liked it. Christie didn’t like it. Chris H/Lisa hated it. WTF.
This is one of the most underrated movies in years, in terms of it drawing out a lot of harsh criticism from people who think it had absolutely no value and was an utter piece of shit. (It’s IMDB rating of 6.2 isn’t too shabby. But the people who love this movie aren’t really speaking out about it; most reviews are negative.)
Here’s a funny YouTube video making fun of it, “The Number 47”:
(more…)
February 23, 2010
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One of 2 groups dedicated to the passing of Dirk.
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Latest CityPaper article about Dirk's death.
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Tribute website to Dirk.
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One of 2 facebook groups dedicated to Dirk.
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Why would one believe conspiracy theories? Because they exist. Our government has, many times, conspired to hurt its own people. Here is yet another in a long litany of examples. Something forgotten from the era of prohibition.
With the levasimole-tainted cocaine going around the states, you have to wonder if our government has been involved. It's not like the CIA hasn't had plenty of cocaine adventures in the past: Iran-Contra, anybody?
And then there's the whole Paraquat thing. . .
Isn't it great what our tax dollars are used for?
February 22, 2010
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breaking news: I agree with the Catholic church on something.
Politics makes for strange bedfellows? Even a stopped watch is right twice a day?
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A Firefox add-on to help you not lose all your tabs… I hate losing my tabs.
February 22, 2010
VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Underworld 0: Rise Of The Lycans (2009)
Posted by Claire CJS under Carolyn, Clio, Media, Movies, People, Reviews, Video[4] Comments
[IMDB link] [Netflix link] A sequel that’s a prequel.
PEOPLE: From the director of Underworld, I Am Legend, Silent Hill, Pitch Black, Independence Day…. And Super Mario Bros (The Movie)??? Patrick Tatopoulos sure puts out a lot of movies.
Starring Rhona Mitra (Beowulf, Sweet Home Alabama), who I just kind of assumed was Kate Beckinsdale, which was pretty stupid considering they don’t look like each other side by side. They’re both really hot, though. Except Rhona can’t pull off short hair at all. Also starring Michael Sheen as Lucian, Bill Nighy (aka Davy Jones from Pirates Of The Carribean, also in Hot Fuzz, The Constant Gardener, Shaun Of The Dead) as the incredibly evil Viktor.
QUIRKS: Vampires. Werewolves. Lycans. Castles. Slaves. Fights. Yup, it’s definitely another Underworld movie! With NO modern world at all, since it takes place in the past.
VISUALS: Excellent fights, though it is apparent that most of what is going on is CGI. Still, without CGI, what would we have? Puppets?
MORALS: Monarchs often care about loyalty more than love or true morality. Central authorities SUCK.
BAD STUFF: It’s a bit generic. And the c’oup de grace at the end? Should have been more. But obviously, given the “next” two movies… It had to be this way.
CONCLUSION: Rated this 4/5 stars on Netflix — though truly, it’s more like 3.5 stars. Rated 7/10 on IMDB. The crisp CGI visuals give us savage werewolf fights the likes of which aren’t usually seen on most movies, making it a cut above generic. But the movie isn’t really that deep. It’s basically a forbidden love/Romeo & Juliette movie with werewolves and vampires.
RECOMMENDATION: If you watched the first two Underworld movies, this is worth seeing. If you haven’t seen the first two — you should probably actually watch this first. This is more of a typical fantasy movie, because it does not take place in the modern world.
MOVIE QUOTE: Viktor: “I gave you life.”
Lucian: “You gave me chains.”
Viktor: “I thought you would have learnt by now; you cannot have one without the other.”
WILHELM SCREAM: There was one, but I didn’t notice it.
COINCIDENCES: Not really a real coincidence, because we knew it was a werewolf movie going in, buuut: Conan The Barbarian and this movie both had Werewolves. [NOT adding this to my master coincidence file.]
FRIENDS’ RATINGS: (more…)
February 20, 2010
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Obituary for Dirk.
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Another discussion about Dirk's shooting. The comment at "February 18, 2010 04:07PM" included some "information" I hadn't yet seen…. She had a former husband who died under accidental circumstances? Is this a pattern?
Still obviously upset and distraught about this. See you all at the wake tonight.
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Oh Sarah, you're such a fucking idiot! Thank you for helping the Republicans lose the election in 2008.
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It's always been a mystery how a GOVERNMENT-RUN, TAXPAYER-FUNDED PARK, by, of, and for the people — could turn around and deny people their rights as defined by the SECOND [and 2nd most important] amendment of the Bill Of Rights.
Now we will all be safe from bear attacks [which don't really happen that much, actually]. Actually, the real problem — redneck attacks :)
A good clue that this was the right decision: The Fraternal Order Of Police was against it. Police and other oppressors love an unarmed citizenry. Hitler & Mao Tse-Tsung & Stalin were all big gun control advocates.
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Yet another Obama lie: That the raids would stop. They did for awhile, and BAM. Raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in TWO DIFFERENT STATES by the DEA.
Change? Hope? Not with the Democratic party. Recall record marijuana arrests under Clinton, despite Clinton having smoked it. Both parties are hypocrites. Obama did cocaine, but that's not going to stop them from handcuffing people in wheelchairs. Makes him a bigger hypocrite than Clinton.
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A place that will sell you custom-cut foam, in case you want to replace couch cushions rather than buying a whole new couch.
February 19, 2010
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Does anyone really doubt that Israel deliberately performed a targeted assassination using stolen passports? UK halted all Israeli Mossad ties in 1986 when they did the exact same thing before.
Targetted assassinations: How Cheney of them.
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Cops came for complaints over loud music, because of course the rights of the 1 person who wants to sleep [NOT a constitutional right] trumps the rights of 50 people to peacefully assemble [1st amendment].
so they pepper-sprayed party goers, and said one threatening them with a gun.
But oops. No gun was found. Charges were dropped. And the guy they seemingly tried to frame for a gun crime he didn't commit? OOPS! HE WAS A COP! Which means his words carry enough weight to fight the law and win.
And he did. To the tune of $275,000.
But would he have won if he wasn't already a cop, protected by the thin blue line?
I'd venture no. And neither would you. We are a state by the police, of the police, and for the police.
Officers John Dougan and Officer Matthew Wood? You're scum. Go find a new line of work. You don't deserve to protect and serve.
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"In 2002, then-drug czar and rabid medical marijuana opponent, John Walters said, “The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research is currently conducting scientific studies to determine the efficacy of marijuana in treating various ailments. Until that research is concluded, however, most of what the public hears from marijuana activists is little more than a compilation of anecdotes.”
Well, the research has concluded. A statement like the above simply can't be made again while being accurate. One more nail in the coffin of drug prohibition.
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Another article about Dirk. You will be missed.
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Big Brother is watching you. Literally. And they said the events of 1984 wouldn't pass? A student was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home"! What. The. Fuck?!
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As much as I hate the Democrats, here's something they'd never do in a million years: Repeal laws that protect people from discrimination. Thank you, backwater redneck virginians.
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Best comment: "The main consequence of these "laws" will be the development of cryptography and anonymous browsing. As a result, real criminals will have better tools to hide their activity. Normal people will just lose a part of their liberties."
Censorship is wrong. Even if you do it for the right reasons. The road to hell is paved with good intention. You want to protect kids? Let people post child porn, so you can hunt them down and arrest them. Driving them underground doesn't actually make children safer, it just makes nanny-loving liberal-types feel all warm inside.
February 18, 2010
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Why would a man locked out of his house, married to a wife that doesn’t allow him to have guns, be holding a gun? I believe the cops are lying here. Police routinely don’t turn in confiscated illegal firearms, and keep them in their trunk so they can plant them on people when necessary. Since a cop’s weight holds more than a civilian’s weight in court, they can get away with this close to 100% of the time.
Why would someone locked out of their house suddenly have a gun and be combative with the police? There’s simply no reason.
This was taxpayer-funded, state-sponsored murder. Shoot first, ask questions later. Oops, it wasn’t a burglar. It was the homeowner. The family should get a multi-million lawsuit about this. It’s the only way shit like this will stop.
Funny how this kind of shit rarely happens to white people. If it did, the conservatives would be whining about Obama’s gun control.
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Watch out for “AminoSweet”. It’s the same shit.
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Told ya so.
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Yup. The little piggie that couldn’t, Officer Joey Oliver, is now fired for beating the shit out of someone who committed no crime, was doing nothing wrong (sleeping is not illegal!), and was not arrested. Probably because he knew he was in the wrong, he tried to cover events up by not filing a use of force report.
Oops. The police Chief Tony Lewis, who actually seems like a good man, summarily fired him for this. We need more chiefs like this. But will the union step in and force them to re-hire, as so often happens?
February 17, 2010
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Many people lost a good friend today. RIP, Dirk. You will be missed.
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Amazing. I did not know that the US had prosecuted Japanese soldiers (and a Texas sheriff) for waterboarding. Then we turned around and did it ourselves. (Oh, and while on the topic of Japan, we put our own Japanese in concentration camps.)
Amazing how hypocritical our country is. We only believe in freedom for those we agree with.
It’s also a big fail of the Obama Administration to purposefully look the other way and not prosecute that. I hope all you 2-party voters who voted for hope and change have finally realized that as long as you vote for 2 corrupt parties, there will be no substantive hope OR change.
February 17, 2010
VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Conan The Destroyer (1984)
Posted by Claire CJS under Carolyn, Clio, Media, Movies, People, Reviews, Video[5] Comments
PEOPLE: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mako (Aku from Samurai Jack) reprise their roles. Olivia d’Abo (the older sister in The Wonder Years, TAK in Invader Zim, Wayne’s World) as the sexy virgin princess with heaving breasts. Her first film. Wilt Chamberlain as the insanely tall Bombaata. Grace Jones as Zula, the scary black chick warrior. She *totally* should have played Storm in an X-Men movie. Halle Berry was sooooo wrong for that role. Tracey Walter (Erin Brockovich, Man On The Moon, City Slickers, Batman 1989, Repo Man) as the comedic relief — a thief who was kind of annoying. Sarah Douglas as the bitchy queen. She played Una in one episode of Gargoyles, was in V, Space:1999, and was Ursa in Superman 1 & 2. Also, there was an uncredited part played by Andre The Giant!
No James Earl Jones, or Sandahl Bergman… [highlight for spoilers]→ But that makes sense, since they died in Conan The Barbarian. But hey, here’s some Sandahl Bergman for you anyway:
and:
^^^ the confusing effects at the beginning are basically what a lot of Tim And Eric Awesome Show,Great Job! makes fun of!!
QUIRKS: Epic fantasy quest! Horny virgin! Magic, fire, and ice! Resurrection of evil gods!
VISUALS: Really good fantasy world visuals for a movie made in 1985.
SOUNDTRACK: Well… I recognized a song as being from the first movie. There wasn’t exactly a noticeable soundtrack other than that.
CONCLUSION: I actually pretty much liked very close to as much as I liked the first one. Sure, we don’t get the childhood origin story, but that’s really true for any sequel, and it’s a bit unfair to count that against the movie. The bad guys aren’t as cool as James Earl Jones, or those demons in the night, but it was still a “fantasy quest that I really liked”. Some of the set/settings reminded me of The Dark Crystal for some reason.
RATINGS: Netflix: Clint: 4/5 stars, Carolyn: 3/5 stars. IMDB: 7/10.
RECOMMENDATION: If you saw Conan The Barbarian, you should definitely check this out.
MOVIE QUOTE: Jehnna: I suppose nothing hurts you.
Conan: Only pain.
COINCIDENCES: (Conan The Destroyer, Super Capers) In the same night as watching Conan with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Super Capers had a robot that sounded like Arnold Schwarzenegger, including saying “I’ll be back”.
FRIENDS’ RATINGS: Jordan really liked it. Parthena liked it. Ian didn’t like it, and I’d like to hear why, even though I would disagree :) (more…)
February 16, 2010
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PrintScreen just saves the visible space. Why not be able to save an entire long webpage as one image? Well you can, with this addon.
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The official blog for the PFFR show Delocated, which will soon be airing Season 2.
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Another resource courtesy of Metal Chris.
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Good stuff. There's no excuse to not know which songs they will be paying at 9:30 Club this March — they've made their setlist known! How nice of them. Thanks to Metal_Chris!
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Unmarked cars & plainclothes officers blocked a family's car in and drew guns on the family. Thinking they were being robbed, they did the sensible thing and drove away. Mommy got shot, with a bullet permanently in her arm. They actually charged daddy with child endangerment, for trying to save his children from robbers.
When he told police he thought he was being robbed, how do you think they responded? With sarcasm: “I guess you thought a big bunch of white guys was going to rob you.”
Charges were finally dropped, and a lawsuit now ensues. If there is any justice in the world, they will receive a hefty settlement for having ATTEMPTED MURDER committed against them.
And another judgment for having child endangerment charges filed when IT WAS U.S. MARSHALL JAMES HALBLEIB who probably should have been charged with that.
February 16, 2010
VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Conan The Barbarian (1982)
Posted by Claire CJS under Carolyn, Clio, Media, Movies, People, Reviews, Video[10] Comments
[IMDB link] [Netflix link] We watched the Special Edition with Parthena, who owns the original DVD. I thought I’d seen this before, but no. Don’t think I had. Carolyn thinks she has, though.
LIMERICK REVIEW: There once was a boy named Conan,
who grew up to be quite a ronin.
With revenge on his mind,
his destiny he would find.
Meanwhile always seeming to get the woman.
alternate last line:
With enough violence to make me go “Whoa, man.”
HAIKU BY PARTHENA, PRIOR TO DRIVING OVER: The clock is ticking;
I am on my way to watch
Arnold swing a sword.
PEOPLE: Arnold Schwarzenegger. James Earl Jones (once again claiming to basically be someone’s father, more or less) … And damn is he an evil douche in this movie! …And Mako! We immediately recognized Mako’s narrating voice as Aku from Samurai Jack. And later, he came on-screen — our first time seeing his face. Sandahl Bergman as the blonde-haired brown-eyed Valeria (too bad her career went to the crapper… I’ll have to keep an eye for her in Airplane 2). She lost a fingertip to a sword while filming. Gerry Lopez, a famous surfer, as Subotai.
QUIRKS: A fantasy world with demons, giant snakes, swords and sorcery. Gladiator fights, extreme violence, camel-punching, organized cults, and a quest to be fulfilled. A quest for revenge. Arnold sure gets laid a lot in this movie. Though, one of these is best described as lycanthrocoitus interruptus.
VISUALS: Damn good, visually, for something made in 1981/1982. This movie was years ahead of its time, apparently. Director John Milius, whose directing career is over, but also brought us Red Dawn (the first widely distributed PG-13 movie ever) — should really have been allowed to have made more notable movies.
MORALS: Revenge is yummy! If someone kills your parents and your village — and gets away with it… There’s nothing wrong with spending a few decades to make sure they pay! Justice is a bitch!
FUN TRIVIA: The fake blood used in the film came in the form of a concentrate, which had to be mixed with water prior to use. Due to the cold weather, it was mixed with vodka (as an anti-freeze) instead. In the scenes in which the actors were supposed to spit the blood, they would swallow it instead, then go back to the special effects man for more.
CONCLUSION: 4/5 stars on Netflix. 8/10 on IMDB. A solid fantasy/adventure/action/revenge flick. It loses a few points for being a bit incoherent and all over the place, but that might have just been the alcohol in my system.
RECOMMENDATION: Fantasy lovers, violence lovers, action lovers… Even Ahhhnold lovers should really see this. It’s good entertainment! I’m totally going to watch Conan The Destroyer now!
I also did not realize there was a TV series or a new movie to come out in 2010.
MOVIE QUOTE: Valeria: Do you want to live forever?
FRIENDS’ RATINGS: Parthena & Jordan loved it. Christian D really liked it. Ian liked it. Glen didn’t like it (unsurprised). Benj was not interested in it (surprised). Dave O rented it but needs to rate it :) (more…)
February 14, 2010
VIDEO: MOVIES: REVIEW: Avatar (2010)
Posted by Claire CJS under Carolyn, Clio, Media, Movies, People, Reviews, Video[5] Comments
[IMDB link] [Netflix link] Seen in [fake] IMAX 3-D, on the day it was announced to be the highest grossing movie of all time. (Jan. 30, 2010)
PLOT SUMMARY: 3-D blueness. Actually, that’s the visual summary. But this is a visually-driven movie. That’s kind of the point of seeing it.
LIMERICK REVIEW: There once was a planet named Pandora–
The polar opposite of Sodom and Gomorrrah.
Our corporations had no qualms
about covering it with carpet bombs…
What a horrible waste of glowing flora!
HAIKU REVIEW: Bad corporation!
Stop stealing those resources!
Leave those Smurfs alone!
UNCOMFORTABLE PLOT SUMMARY (inspired by this): [highlight for spoilers]→ Cripple assists in interplanetary genocide, then betrays his own race.
PEOPLE: Everybody knows this is James Cameron, of Terminator / Alien / Titanic / Dark Angel fame.
Starring Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation), Zoe Saldana (Uhura from the new Star Trek reboot), Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters, Be Kind Rewind, The Village, Galaxy Quest), Stephen Lang as the douchebag military guy, Joel Moore (Grandma’s Boy, Dodgeball), Giovanni Ribisi (Lost In Translation, Lost Highway, The Postman, and Phoebe’s brother Frank in Friends).
QUIRKS: Sci-fi with alien encounters — the best kind.
VISUALS: 3-D blueness. A whole planet that looks like a head shop, or the back of a Spencer’s Gifts (HT Arlo). Hands down, this was about the best visual experience I’ve ever seen in a movie. A big part of that was seeing it in 3-D, and seeing it in [fake] IMAX, instead of the smaller screens that are usually there.
MORALS: Nature, environment, indiginous people.
POLITICS: Don’t fuck with indiginous people. It’s never good. (And yes, this counts Palestine.)
Oh, and did you really have to cut the sex scene? Fucking Americans.
BAD STUFF: It’s not the most original story in pure plot terms. But let’s face it: The uniqueness of the plot is not the selling point (or enjoyment point) for something. Jack London sold plots for $5, because they don’t matter. The same story can be told 1,000 different ways. Having a complex plot is only one of many ways a story can succeed in being enjoyable. Didn’t he tell us in advance that this was inspired by every sci-fi book he read in his youth, so it’s supposed to appeal to a wide audience?
It’s also very long. 2 hours and 40 minutes. I think this is good, but if you hate the movie, that will draw it out. Of course, people at the theatre clapped when it was over. But a lot of people are haters. [They should probably learn to find a new hobby they more consistently enjoy!]
CONCLUSION: Blown away. Sure it might not be an original story… But it’s the voyage, not the destination. And the voyage here totally kicked 3-D IMAX ass.
RATINGS:
Clint: Netflix: 5/5 stars. IMDB: 9/10.
Carolyn: Netflix: 5/5 stars. IMDB: 9/10.
Lauren W: Netflix: 5/5 stars. IMDB: 9/10.
Ian H: Netflix: 5/5 stars. IMDB: 9/10. “One of the better fantasy movies I’ve ever seen plot-wise… Kept me engaged from start to finish… And I’m sure it goes without saying that the visuals were worth the hype. There were definitely points during the movie when I felt as if I were *in* Pandora.”
Chris Z: Graphics: 8-9. Preaching: 7. Tactics: 3.
Eve C: “Less generous” than Chris Z.
The native public rating for this movie is: IMDB: 8.6/10 (currently in the Top 250 as #42), Netflix: 4.4/5 stars (Netflix‘s predicted rating for us was 4.5/5 stars).
RECOMMENDATION: See it in 3-D. Only see it in 3-D. See it before it’s too late. Blu-ray just won’t be the same.
SIMILAR MOVIES: It’s more Pocohantas than Dances With Wolves.
MOVIE QUOTE: Jake Sully: “Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream.” Yes. That aspect was a good one too. Going into your Avatar was almost like a Strange Days experience.
FRIENDS’ RATINGS: Jordan loved it. Ian & Glen really liked it.
The RedLetterMedia review of Avatar is both scathing and hilarious! I’m just glad I’m not as jaded as the reviewer. To be someone who wants to watch movies, yet can’t enjoy them, seems like a curse straight out of The Twilight Zone S1E1. Anyway, here they are:
Did you know there are over 1,000 *pages* of topics in the IMDB discussion for this movie? And 1975 reviews? That’s insane! The best IMDB topic? “Did they get a guy with AIDS to play Jake’s legs?” Ohhh, that’s mean. Haha. (more…)
February 13, 2010
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$50?! Too bad they aren't actually making this. But a prototype that lasers mosquitos to death.
It is so precise that it only targets the females. It 'listens' for their wingbeats to be the correct frequency.
It can kill 50-100 a second, if told too. Which is kind of scary.
Made from laser printer and camera parts!
Great idea for preventing malaria. Or just.. camping. Assuming you don't "laser up" a forest fire somehow.
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A search engine to search files on sites such as MegaUpload and RepidShare… Stuff that isn't on bittorrent or any proper p2p network.
Good idea. The cesspools of the internet often have unique gems in them that cannot be found on the silver platters of the internet.
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Australia wants to censor the internet? Well, the internet is fighting back! 4chan and ANONYMOUS are vigilantes, and they are doing the right thing here. Making your government's webpage unavailable for days on end highlights an issue far more than signing a petition.
Let's hope ANONYMOUS keeps the Aussie-gov websites down for as long as possible. The governments of the world are gradually trying to control what we see and hear on the internet. The people need to fight back, using any and all available means.
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Very interesting social networking picture theory based on OKCupid data.
Claire's blog 