Rob: Right. But let's just say that I hadn't seen it. And I said, "I haven't seen Evil Dead II yet." What would you think?
Barry: I'd think that you're a cinematic idiot and I'd feel sorry for you.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Monday, July 11, 2005
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Wow
As stupid as it sounds, I was never that worried about terrorist attacks in this country. Even after the atrocity that was 9/11, I always felt that there was a gulf between America and England, measured not by oceans but by importance. I dunno, I always thought we were like a minor target compared to the might of the US.
Today, about six or so bombs went off in London. Tube stations mostly. One blew up a double-decker bus. The pictures of it are frightening. It looks like it was made out of paper. Like a child's cardboard toy, blown away by a gust of wind. I'm lucky enough that I live about two hours out of London, and everyone I know there is safe. I guess if they did come to Bristol, they'd have to get past the drug dealers and muggers first.
I work for one of the UK's biggest banks, so naturally, because of the tendency for terrorism to disrupt financial institutions, we went straight into red alert mode. One of my co-workers had her sandwich bag searched. It's all so weird, so surreal. It's hard to see what happens after this. This was a relatively small scale attack, especially compared to the WTC. Does that mean there'll be more in the future? In places other than London?
Who knows.
Today, about six or so bombs went off in London. Tube stations mostly. One blew up a double-decker bus. The pictures of it are frightening. It looks like it was made out of paper. Like a child's cardboard toy, blown away by a gust of wind. I'm lucky enough that I live about two hours out of London, and everyone I know there is safe. I guess if they did come to Bristol, they'd have to get past the drug dealers and muggers first.
I work for one of the UK's biggest banks, so naturally, because of the tendency for terrorism to disrupt financial institutions, we went straight into red alert mode. One of my co-workers had her sandwich bag searched. It's all so weird, so surreal. It's hard to see what happens after this. This was a relatively small scale attack, especially compared to the WTC. Does that mean there'll be more in the future? In places other than London?
Who knows.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Oh Yeah,,,
BATMAN BEGINS was a big disappointment. Christ, I thought with someone like Nolan we really had a shot at it. Oh well.
Damn That Movie Was Long
My weekend was fine. Half of it was spent at barbecues and fairs and malls, and we had chinese food. The other half was spent watching movies, including a couple I either hadn't seen before or hadn't seen in a long time.
MARY POPPINS
I bought the 40th anniversary DVD of this a while back, and I'm not sure why. I remember seeing it as a kid, and it had animated penguins. I also think the Simpsons episode with Sherry Bobbins influenced my purchase greatly, because it is a total classic, so much that while watching the flick, both me and my other half were singing lines from the episode over the songs in the film. Anyways, it's really long. Like 134 minutes. I know that's like only half of LOTR, and only a tenth of TITANIC, but it drags so much. The first forty-five minutes or so is pretty funny. Julie Andrews has a certain milfness to her, even if she does spend the entire flick cockteasing Dick Van Dyke. But the woman can certainly sing, the kids are appropriately cute, the husband is funny in a stiff Englishman way, and the whole women-in-power-who-hide-their-propaganda-from-their-male-oppressor/husbands subplot is amusing. But, I dunno, it just seems real long.
It's a charming film, no doubt. Andrews is certainly great in the role, and she has a killer voice. But then you get musical numbers that roll on for like twenty minutes, and twenty minutes of DVD's inane grin is a lot to take in. That tap/dance routine on the chimneys seemed like it was longer than THE PHANTOM MENACE. And I should know, I saw that flick thirteen times on the big screen.
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE
All I can say about this flick is that it's the best movie featuring an animated Alec Baldwin fighting a sponge on the hairy legs of David Hassellhoff I've ever seen. That pretty much sums up the flick. Surreal as fuck, and absolutely hilarious.
MARY POPPINS
I bought the 40th anniversary DVD of this a while back, and I'm not sure why. I remember seeing it as a kid, and it had animated penguins. I also think the Simpsons episode with Sherry Bobbins influenced my purchase greatly, because it is a total classic, so much that while watching the flick, both me and my other half were singing lines from the episode over the songs in the film. Anyways, it's really long. Like 134 minutes. I know that's like only half of LOTR, and only a tenth of TITANIC, but it drags so much. The first forty-five minutes or so is pretty funny. Julie Andrews has a certain milfness to her, even if she does spend the entire flick cockteasing Dick Van Dyke. But the woman can certainly sing, the kids are appropriately cute, the husband is funny in a stiff Englishman way, and the whole women-in-power-who-hide-their-propaganda-from-their-male-oppressor/husbands subplot is amusing. But, I dunno, it just seems real long.
It's a charming film, no doubt. Andrews is certainly great in the role, and she has a killer voice. But then you get musical numbers that roll on for like twenty minutes, and twenty minutes of DVD's inane grin is a lot to take in. That tap/dance routine on the chimneys seemed like it was longer than THE PHANTOM MENACE. And I should know, I saw that flick thirteen times on the big screen.
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE
All I can say about this flick is that it's the best movie featuring an animated Alec Baldwin fighting a sponge on the hairy legs of David Hassellhoff I've ever seen. That pretty much sums up the flick. Surreal as fuck, and absolutely hilarious.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Friday, July 01, 2005
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
I've always felt weird about THE MOTION PICTURE. I've been a Trek fan since I was yay high, and I remember loving THE WRATH OF KHAN as a kid, and shouting to my mother that they had blown up the Enterprise after seeing THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. But TMP has always been a strange one.
I appreciate it for a few reasons, mainly the idea. I love the concept, and the whole 2001-style plot. But I watched it recently and I feel it could really be a lot stronger with more work on the script and direction, even coming from someone like Robert Wise. The dialogue really sucks, and it's pretty flabby. There's some good moments of awe, but they're pretty much ruined pretty quickly. Probably the best sequence in the whole movie is the first shots of the Enterprise, and that's probably because there's little to no dialogue.
It's a shame. It really is. It's such a different concept to any of the other movies, and I appreciate that it doesn't go for the action-adventure. But it still needs a hell of a lot of work. Hell, maybe it could be remade with Picard. I'd see that. Or make it.
The best things about the film are Jerry Goldsmith's score and the brand new refitted Enterprise. The Enterprise is a beautiful piece of design. I dig that Trek has a different design aesthetic than something like Star Wars, and the Enterprise refit shows that it can still look as great. The music is amazing. Not only that great main theme, which is the only time that I've never been pissed off by a theme being repeated ad infinitium during a movie, but the other stuff too. The weird V'Ger shit, Ilia's music. It's greatness. 79 was a banner year for Goldsmith, what with ALIEN. Top, top shit.
Just cause it's fucking cool:
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