I've been listening to a bunch of Erasure lately. They've been a favorite of this straight American for years and years.
I try to discover
A little something to make me sweeter...
What do I like about the EU? I like that the EU has really tried to pull Europe together to avoid the nationalistic strife that has plagued them with war for centuries. Unfortunately they are having monetary difficulties that seem to be dragging down the world economy, but their intentions were in the right....oh, wait....wrong room!
darth_ender said:
Treated by my sister-in-law and her hubby, I went to see the new Mission: Impossible movie. I'd seen M:I and M:I2, but I never saw the third and had little desire to see this one. Hearing it was directed by Brad Bird of Pixar fame gave me higher hopes, but still I had concerns. You see, I am a big fan of the original Mission:Impossible series from the 60s, and seeing the first two movies handle it the way they did was just not what I wanted: instead of a clever team that was always one step ahead of the bad guys, it was a clever, ever arrogant Tom Cruise performing super human feats with a tiny bit of help from his "team." Oh, and there was one mask "surprise" after another after another.
Ghost Protocol really did it for me. It showed real teamwork, it was frightening. It had surprisingly good humor and even seemed to poke fun at the overused mask plot device: the good guys never use any. The opening even was a modern take on how the original series used to open. The whole movie was a far more true to the source material, while still being modern and showing an extremely athletic (but not overly unrealistic) Tom Cruise. My only gripe was the slower final act, which would have a hard time following what preceded it. It was a surprisingly good and exciting movie, and pleased the true M:I fan inside me.
doubleofive said:
You might like 3. It was a lot more down to earth than 2, but I haven't seen 4 yet. Anything with more Simon Pegg (who was featured in 3) is great in my book.
Mr. OFive--I finally took your advice. I watched M:I3 last night. That was a very exciting movie. Still not the real Mission: Impossible formula I really enjoy, but a very exciting and enjoyable action flick in my mind. As you said in our discussion on this back in December, it is very dark, and Hoffman, who is not really physically intimidating at all, makes a frightening antagonist. He really comes off as truly ruthless. The action was quite exciting, and there were times where I felt desperate watching them. In spite of others' protestations, Abrams is still a good director in my mind.
So my official order of the four films:
Ghost Protocol (light-hearted, somewhat self-parodying, action, and closer to the true M:I formula)
M:I3 (very exciting, a few nice surprises, frightening at times)
M:I (an adequate action flick, with no true Mission: Impossible times in spite of its sanctimonious desecration of the sacred character Jim Phelps)
M:I2 (40 mask "surprises" + front wheelie while shooting out gas tanks x pointless white dove trademark = stupid movie)
Yeah, all you naysayers! Check it out!
I hear there's lots of sand there.
In all seriousness, that's really cool! Whatever you're up to there, good luck, and I hope you make a difference! Try not to indoctrinate them with any British singer nonsense ;)
My daughter keeps calling me cute names: Swiper, Papa Bear, and other fun characters from shows she likes. What an imagination!
One of my favorite names though is not even intentional. She keeps starting to call me Mommy, then remembers that she's talking to me and changes halfway through to Daddy. The result sounds like 'Mahdi'. I could interpret myself as the Twelfth Imam, but I prefer to think of myself as the Savior of Arrakis :)
^*sigh* ;)
*sigh*-smic charge.
(Wait! How can a seismic wave occur in a vaccuum?!?!?!)
It's only a model.
Look at the *sighs* of that thing!
DominicCobb said:
Quiz Show 9/10 = great
Adaptation. 9/10 = great
Fido 7/10 = horrible, barely watchable
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 10/10 = fantastic
Lost in Translation 10/10 = fantastic
Clarified that a bit fer ya.
Thinking about Warbler today :)
Yes, well, it is a bit of a tease. Superman has always bugged me, as he really seems to be more a a reactive hero, while Batman (my favorite) actually is a step ahead of the bad guys and is quite proactive. And at least in the films he falls for some ridiculous traps to be truthful. My apologies for offending those who adore Jor-El's boy.
I did forget to mention something that is common in both comics and the films based on those comics, and it's something that is really starting to annoy me:
Far too many villains hold the same capabilities as the hero. Iron Man faces a bigger Iron Man suit. Spider-man faces Venom. Wolverine faces Lady Deathstrike. Iron Man faces another guy who mimicks his technology but has some crazy whips and a bunch of robot Iron Men. Hulk faces Abomination. Thor faces Loki (not quite as bad, given the more reasonable backstory to both of them). All of them are two sides to the same coin, cast from the same mold, and in too literal a sense. Batman's polar opposite is Joker, and many could say they are reflections of one another, but the backstory and parallels are far more interesting. Superman and Lex Luthor are quite different, where one is a noble, fantastically-powered moron who is continually outwitted by a normal human with some critical thinking skills. I enjoy this interplay between protagonist and antagonist far better. Even if the comics do utilize a similar character as the bad guy, the films should probably lean more on other villains, or else find a more unique way to introduce the parallel villain.
Fourth trailer came out today.
I have not yet watched it, but not doing so is like not taking a leak until July 20. I have a feeling it's fantastic, but I'll let you be the judges...then you can tell me if I am an idiot for waiting to see it.
I finally have seen all the films leading up to The Avengers, a bit out of order I admit, since I'd only seen Iron Man 1 and Captain America beforehand. Iron Man is of course a good flick, as most agree. Capt. America was a bit weaker, and while we get a good sense of this character's nobility, we never really get to see him be as cool as he was in the comics. Iron Man 2 was full of cliche and it just felt off in a lot of ways. And I can't get over their replacing Terence Howard with Don Cheadle (a better actor in my opinion, but with nothing in common with Howard other than being African American). Thor was a film I had no desire to see, but after seeing the Avengers, I had to give it a go, and liked it better than expected, though it was still cheesy. I mentioned once before in this thread that its greatest strength was an interesting antagonist, better than he is conveyed in Avengers IMO. And last night I completed The Incredible Hulk. This movie really lacks character development, but it was miles ahead of Ang Lee's Hulk in terms of effects, my ability to suspend disbelief, action, and all-around fun. Despite the fact that I don't really ever feel like I got to know Bruce Banner, I still really liked the movie. William Hurt as Ross was really the best actor/character, I feel. All in all, not a bad set of films leading up to Avengers.
TV's Frink said:
darth_ender said:
Anchorhead said:
Personal favorite of the Pentology; Voyage Home.
This thread is now about humpback whales.
This happens to be a pair of males necking.
I hate to break it to you, but that happens to be a single image fail.
Arg! A brilliant joke ruined by bad hotlinking! Fixed for a salvage.
Anchorhead said:
Personal favorite of the Pentology; Voyage Home.
This thread is now about humpback whales.
This happens to be a pair of males necking.
FanFiltration said:
darth_ender said:
...indicating that while Nolan is done with the franchise, Bale is willing to participate in a fourth film if WB decided to take it that far (please don't).
*End potential spoiler*
Sounds like a Red Herring to me...
I forgot to respond to this. You could be very, very right, though I hope you are very, very wrong. If you are correct, then it tells me that far too many cards were tipped in the marketing campaign, as the speculation has run pretty rampant at this point. This could be an opportunity to try and save the surprise.
My mistake. But few realize the importance of the Jedi Law:
On my honor, I will do my best
to do my duty to the Force and the Republic,
and to obey the Jedi law.
To help other people at all times,
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake and morally straight
The last statement about being "morally straight" is a subtle reference to Star Trek, i.e. humpback whales--I believe there has been some controversy regarding this statement, as some demand that the Jedi allow such whales into their ranks, while the other side wants nothing to do with Star Trek.
^Is that why you got those scars?
Ha ha, it's a joke! Why so serious?
It was a happy Father's Day for me. I'm proud to be a dad.
Today's picture comes with a story (not composed by me):
Most people nowadays think it improper to discipline children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have had one of 'those moments.'
Since I'm a pilot, one way that I have found very effective is for me to just take the child for a flight during which I say nothing and give the child the opportunity to reflect on his or her behavior.
I don't know whether it's the steady vibration from the engines, or just the time away from any distractions such as TV, video games, computer, iPod, etc.
Either way, the kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our flight together. I believe that eye to eye contact during these sessions is an important element in achieving the desired results.
I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique...
(scroll down)
Ah, here it is:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
The Jedi Code is:
Join the Jedi, see the Galaxy!
(See your local recruitment office)
Oh, wait, I think that's their advertisement slogan. Where is that dang code?
Gotta be better than Zorba Zumba.
Frink and Xhonzi comin' over?
