Saturday, March 18, 2006

Go see 'V for Vendetta'.
Don't read reviews, don't investigate who's in the movie, don't read up on it.
Just go see it and let the fun of wondering who's behind it all put you in league with the characters of the film.

The guys who made the Matrix movies delivered this. It's not Matrix, but if you liked the premise of the first Matrix, you will enjoy V. Great acting, wonderful vibe of "what's coming next?" throughout, and the Matrix-ey message of empowering people to not fear challenging the world they're handed by the powers that be in charge.

A great line that reflects the main theme: "People should not fear their government, the government should fear it's people."

It's a smart, engaging, sophisticated ride. Portman is great in it. The masked character is master class acting - like Boba Fett doing Shakespeare. So fun.

Don't ruin it and read who's in the movie. Just go see it and enjoy.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Please find another planet NASA

A perfect example of where Goerge Carlin got the idea for his bit that suggested a good reality-based political campaign slogan would be "People Suck. Fuck Hope."

This piece of shit family launched a disturbing campaign to tarnish the funerals of fallen soldiers. They get other like-minded shitheads to tailgate military funerals with signs that read "Thank God for IED's" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."

They say the soldiers are fighting for an army that represents a country that accepts homosexuality. So in their mind the best answer it seems is to harass the mourning families of soldiers who died and act glad that they lost their kids.

Fucking morons. I hope they get run over.
But, Check it out to see the gang of people harassing against them. The universe hates a void, holes left get filled (in this case with intelligence). Actions get equal opposite reactions.

*( Btw, I swear because they deserve it. Resolution this year was to swear only in deserved situations.)

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Oscar Recap

I think Michelle Williams was the prettiest woman of the night, regardless of the big bird dress. In terms of "Wow, she glamored up really great." Plus she didn't have that look in her eyes of "it's incredibly important that I come off as obviously knowing that I'm at the Oscars and looking glamorous." In other words, she wasn't being Nicole Kidman.

Yes, Jake is a class act, as Datawhat.com mentioned in his great recap.

I felt Clooney would get at least one Oscar. Hollywood was going to thank him somehow just for being GC - taking on O Riley, hitting issues, and being a good dude about it all. 'All' being, like, everything.

Hate to say, I think Jon Stewart not so much bombed as he more perilously landed the plane with one wheel, on fire, and got himself and his (writing) team off before it exploded. No one really died, but the CO probably won't think he's got the right stuff for the same mission next year. Though I think he does and should get to host again.

The timing/delivery of the opening monologue was, imo, filled with pregnant pauses of "Wow, I knew this would be like no other room I've played to before, but holy shit!, the vibe in here is more overwhelming than I imagined." The order/calibur of the jokes was weighted towards the end of the monologue, which in one perspective was great because it saved him when he needed it.

The Jon Stewart we love recovered and relaxed into the timing and flow we're used to as the night went on. I think if he gets a second hosting chance, he'll kill next time from Minute 1. He's gonna study his game tapes and learn from it. He admitted in press interviews beforehand that he was intentionally being careful because, "hey, it's the Oscars and I'm not here to piss anyone off" basically. Maybe being so aware that with such topic-heavy movies and themes abound, and knowing he was made host because he really skewers hot topics and themes well, he was worried that he could easily go too far perhaps? I don't think from the years doing the Daily Show that he's seriously undertook the exercise of pulling his own reigns back. Why would he/when would he have to? The Oscars were that first exercise.

He played it safe, and for good reasons I think. Maybe too safe for Stewart fans and Oscar watchers. You could see it in his eyes, hear it in his cadence. IMO, the killer instinct he definitely has for doing 'the Jon Stewart thing' was tempered juuuust a bit too much. I'd bet someone an ice cream that as I type this, he has or will share a drink at the after party with Ben Stiller to chat/ask about how Ben learned to be fearless at the Oscars. Every bold comedic personality had to find that fit of their personae with the Oscar night. From Jim Carrey to Whoopie, the first times they let loose their thing, they had hopeful/scared eyes. Dreading that moment of silence after a joke that screams telepathically from the audience "Um, this is the Oscars, and we're not giving you points for that one. See the signposts and drive a little better now please." We've all seen that moment. Now it's old hat to them.

All Jon needs is his first Oscars after party to sense and receive the real feedback from the celebs. Next time he'll be fine. And his good buddies will be honest with him when he's drinking with them this week to decompress from Oscar week. And share with his closest buddies how hot such and such is in person and how much a dick such and such dude is. And how gay so and so is and how everyone knows it but keeps it on the d/l.

To get off that topic, I thought I'd check Drudge to see how the smug extreme Right would bitch and comment about the Oscars. Unfortunately Ann Coulter's Oscar picks were actually pretty close, though I don't care for the commentary.

I gotta say...when I read it, her attitude and personality that comes through in her writing brings to mind the image of the desert Sarlaac Pit from Return of The Jedi, that Jabba tried to throw Luke and the boys into. The original Sarlaac pit I'm talking..., before it was re-edited to diminish the "angry vagina lined with fangs" characteristics. Get the drift? (The first re-edit for home video Sarlaac- before the special edition's extra tentacles and Dune sandworm mouth.)

Great, Dave...send yourself off to bed with that imagery...

Joy'll need a water glass to wake me out of it -
"I was being yelled at by a leggy aryan-like Sarlaac Pit in an Ally McBeal suit. It kept berating me with "Whuuuut... does little Lukey Liberal need a hug?"And Boba Fett was agreeing with it and rooting it on, though bound by tentacles to the inner cheek of the thing like the old man in the dungeon in Pythom's Holy Grail. In a disappointed Outback Steakhouse voice thru his headset "Shtupid woynee Jed-oi... they's what's pussifoy'en this galaxy..."