Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Movies, Movies, Movies
Avatar - Thought it was okay. Probably, maybe would'a got more of a "Wow!" effect had I seen it in Imax 3D, instead of just 3D (maybe it was digital 3D, I dunno). At times I even found it difficult to stay awake. It's pretty much The Last Samurai, but with tall blue people. The effects were good, but they were so good, that I often took them for granted, which might be what a director would want if he had something else going on (District 9). The Navi could just have easily been people with make-up (and digital trickery ala Lord Of The Rings) rather than CGI constructs. Stephen Lang was pretty awesome, though. We don't get enough Stephen Lang in movies, or TV (or maybe I watch the wrong movies and TV). Thought I spotted John Amos for a second, too, but that couldn't have been him. I was probably half asleep. I didn't care much for the story or how it was presented. The cinematography was pretty weak, I thought. Especially as far as exploiting the the 3D. I had a similar problem with Monsters Vs. Aliens. In that film, the shots with the giant woman often just made everything around her seem small, rather than the small bits making her seem larger. I'm pretty sure that it's partially the View-Master effect of these 3D movies, and partially the director's and/or cinematographer's inability to compensate for it. Then again, I'm not a film-maker. Whadda I know? I don't recall this problem with Bolt, or Up.
My brother thought it was pretty good and it's raking in the bucks (one of the biggest moneymakers of all time), so I guess James Cameron is doing something right.
Let The Right One In - Vampire movie from Sweden. I kinda liked it and kinda didn't. A lot of it was just watching this kid take shit from other kids at school which got old kinda fast. The other stuff was interesting. I kept wondering why the vampire girl looked so... Semitic (everybody else was Nordic looking, it being Sweden and all that). What was the filmmaker getting at?
This blogger, Exoskeleton, gets at it; "For some reason I haven't heard that mentioned, but it's quite obvious. It's in the convention of the vampire movie (Dracula is of course an anti-semitic figure, Nosferatu emigrates etc). The first page of any monster text: it's about the foreign/other etc. And this movie makes it quite explicit. It's in the very title, it's in the choice of actors (Eli is played by a darkish actress and Oskar is played by a super-blond boy), and of course it's in the plot (a vampire and her strange dad shows up in the suburbs of Stockholm)."
Comes close to answering a question I had about ten years ago. I had been fascinated with the idea of a link between antisemitism and vampire legend after reading about the Blood Libel in an editorial about the Crown Heights situation that blew up a while back.
I had an idea once which would play with elements of antisemitic legends and mix them with vampire-esque concepts (and other stuff). Still might get around to it one day. But it was kinda funny seeing how uncomfortable I felt seeing it played out here.
I plan on reading the book it's based on, and maybe revisiting the movie as well. New pressings of the blu-ray has surfaced which contain the theatrical subtitles, which are preferred over the ones previously used on video. I saw the movie streamed via Netflix. I don't know which subs were used. I didn't have any issues with the dialog, but many thought that the subs were dumbed down, when released to home video.
Just found out an American remake is coming this year, called Let Me In.
Birth Of A Nation - Had this in my Netflix queue for a while. When I came down with a cold about three weeks ago, it was a perfect time for me to explore this noted classic. I see why the movie is highly regarded despite it's issues. It's quite engaging and some of the photography is downright brilliant. Towards the end even I'm on the edge of my seat hoping the Klan will get there in time to save the day. More than anything else, I'm bothered by the film's attempt to assert itself as a representation of history, rather than the historical fantasy it really is. However, this was a version of history and the Ku Klux Klan that some people held to, before this movie was made. I was also confused by the positive representation of Abraham Lincoln. I thought southerners didn't care for him. An uncle in Texas once noted there were no streets named after him.
District 9 - Awesome movie, but kinda tough (emotionally) to watch at the beginning. It's obviously a special effects movie with all those crawfish aliens walking around and whatnot, but the effects are (like Avatar) done so well, you don't think about how the creatures are created, about FX, just about what they are doing and what's being done to them. I can't accurately break down the suspension of disbelief while watching it, but for a little while I actually felt like I was watching a documentary.
Belly - This one's about a decade old. Somehow I managed to avoid it in all that time. Critics didn't like it and neither did friends. Knowing that it came from '90s music video director Hype Williams (Puff, Biggie, Busta), I couldn't help but wonder what a crime movie would be like shot entirely with fish-eye lens, with slow motion dollar bills "raining" in the clubs and views of light bulb arrays reflected off of the giant sunglasses of our protagonists. This curiosity was never strong enough to get me to rent or buy the movie, though. Finally I "found" a hi-def file online, downloaded, and still took several months before I could bring myself to watch it.
Narratively (not a word according to my spell check) speaking, it's every bit the turd everyone says it is. The saying goes that a polished turd is still just a turd, but I don't think that applies here. This movie manages to be an awesome viewing and listening experience despite the horrid writing. Was it even written? Maybe the whole thing was improvised, just made up on the spot as they moved from scene to scene and then put together in editing. Doesn't matter. I was enthralled. And no, I don't smoke weed nor anything else, but the experience itself was pretty psychedelic. I especially enjoyed the use of audio effects in the rear speakers. Sometimes the previous scene would continue to reverberate for minutes after it ended in the background of the current scene. The blu-ray is on my to buy list. I wonder if the Jamaican patois is subtitled? Not that I really need to understand what that guy was saying. Might be fun to read.
Dammit! Why hasn't Hype Williams made more movies?
The Hangover - I liked it, though not quite as funny as I expected.
Bells Of Death - I thought I rented on VHS back in the eighties, but this late sixties Shaw Bros. revenge epic seems completely new to me. Not a great movie, but good. Thought I recognized a young Wu Ma in one of the lesser roles (he goes to warn his "uncle" that he's being targeted). The VHS back in the day had a great print of the film compard to other, later kung fu movies on tape. As great as one could look on a 19" tube TV, but appeared to have all of the fight scenes edited out. At the time I wondered if they were filmed at all, not knowing anything about kung fu movies made before the 1970's. This copy was also a rental, one of the remastered Shaw DVDs that's been coming out fairly regularly for the last few years. My memory isn't good enough to know whether or not this was the same Bells Of Death I saw years ago.
Inglourious Basterds - I dug it, but don't have anything to say about it. I'm ma watch it again, though.
There Will Be Blood - I spent much of this movie asking why. Why are you (the director) showing me this? Like I was being escorted by one of Dickens's Ghosts of Christmas past. I kept waiting for the famed "I drink your milkshake" scene. Thought I was gonna get it when Mr. Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) took his son to that restaurant, but it didn't happen there. Had to wait just about til the end of the movie for it, but it was kinda worth it. Overall, I didn't think that much of the movie.
Garoojigi - A Korean sex comedy that takes place... well, a long time ago. I don't know Korean history. Anyway, there's this guy who's the laughing stock of his village's female population cuz he has a tiny pecker. One day after doing a good deed, he's directed to a hidden potion that will solve his problem and told not to drink too much, which, of course, he does. Now he's the man and his penis becomes legendary. He's called upon to defend his country against the west in contest of cock strength against their champion, who of course, is a large Black man. There's a bit more to this movie than that, but not much. I think I recall some kung fu. If there was it wasn't a lot.
Gamer - Another fun movie from the guys who made the Crank flicks, though if you hated Crank 1 and 2, you'll hate this, too. I can see this not aging too well, though.
My brother thought it was pretty good and it's raking in the bucks (one of the biggest moneymakers of all time), so I guess James Cameron is doing something right.
Let The Right One In - Vampire movie from Sweden. I kinda liked it and kinda didn't. A lot of it was just watching this kid take shit from other kids at school which got old kinda fast. The other stuff was interesting. I kept wondering why the vampire girl looked so... Semitic (everybody else was Nordic looking, it being Sweden and all that). What was the filmmaker getting at?
This blogger, Exoskeleton, gets at it; "For some reason I haven't heard that mentioned, but it's quite obvious. It's in the convention of the vampire movie (Dracula is of course an anti-semitic figure, Nosferatu emigrates etc). The first page of any monster text: it's about the foreign/other etc. And this movie makes it quite explicit. It's in the very title, it's in the choice of actors (Eli is played by a darkish actress and Oskar is played by a super-blond boy), and of course it's in the plot (a vampire and her strange dad shows up in the suburbs of Stockholm)."
Comes close to answering a question I had about ten years ago. I had been fascinated with the idea of a link between antisemitism and vampire legend after reading about the Blood Libel in an editorial about the Crown Heights situation that blew up a while back.
I had an idea once which would play with elements of antisemitic legends and mix them with vampire-esque concepts (and other stuff). Still might get around to it one day. But it was kinda funny seeing how uncomfortable I felt seeing it played out here.
I plan on reading the book it's based on, and maybe revisiting the movie as well. New pressings of the blu-ray has surfaced which contain the theatrical subtitles, which are preferred over the ones previously used on video. I saw the movie streamed via Netflix. I don't know which subs were used. I didn't have any issues with the dialog, but many thought that the subs were dumbed down, when released to home video.
Just found out an American remake is coming this year, called Let Me In.
Birth Of A Nation - Had this in my Netflix queue for a while. When I came down with a cold about three weeks ago, it was a perfect time for me to explore this noted classic. I see why the movie is highly regarded despite it's issues. It's quite engaging and some of the photography is downright brilliant. Towards the end even I'm on the edge of my seat hoping the Klan will get there in time to save the day. More than anything else, I'm bothered by the film's attempt to assert itself as a representation of history, rather than the historical fantasy it really is. However, this was a version of history and the Ku Klux Klan that some people held to, before this movie was made. I was also confused by the positive representation of Abraham Lincoln. I thought southerners didn't care for him. An uncle in Texas once noted there were no streets named after him.
District 9 - Awesome movie, but kinda tough (emotionally) to watch at the beginning. It's obviously a special effects movie with all those crawfish aliens walking around and whatnot, but the effects are (like Avatar) done so well, you don't think about how the creatures are created, about FX, just about what they are doing and what's being done to them. I can't accurately break down the suspension of disbelief while watching it, but for a little while I actually felt like I was watching a documentary.
Belly - This one's about a decade old. Somehow I managed to avoid it in all that time. Critics didn't like it and neither did friends. Knowing that it came from '90s music video director Hype Williams (Puff, Biggie, Busta), I couldn't help but wonder what a crime movie would be like shot entirely with fish-eye lens, with slow motion dollar bills "raining" in the clubs and views of light bulb arrays reflected off of the giant sunglasses of our protagonists. This curiosity was never strong enough to get me to rent or buy the movie, though. Finally I "found" a hi-def file online, downloaded, and still took several months before I could bring myself to watch it.
Narratively (not a word according to my spell check) speaking, it's every bit the turd everyone says it is. The saying goes that a polished turd is still just a turd, but I don't think that applies here. This movie manages to be an awesome viewing and listening experience despite the horrid writing. Was it even written? Maybe the whole thing was improvised, just made up on the spot as they moved from scene to scene and then put together in editing. Doesn't matter. I was enthralled. And no, I don't smoke weed nor anything else, but the experience itself was pretty psychedelic. I especially enjoyed the use of audio effects in the rear speakers. Sometimes the previous scene would continue to reverberate for minutes after it ended in the background of the current scene. The blu-ray is on my to buy list. I wonder if the Jamaican patois is subtitled? Not that I really need to understand what that guy was saying. Might be fun to read.
Dammit! Why hasn't Hype Williams made more movies?
The Hangover - I liked it, though not quite as funny as I expected.
Bells Of Death - I thought I rented on VHS back in the eighties, but this late sixties Shaw Bros. revenge epic seems completely new to me. Not a great movie, but good. Thought I recognized a young Wu Ma in one of the lesser roles (he goes to warn his "uncle" that he's being targeted). The VHS back in the day had a great print of the film compard to other, later kung fu movies on tape. As great as one could look on a 19" tube TV, but appeared to have all of the fight scenes edited out. At the time I wondered if they were filmed at all, not knowing anything about kung fu movies made before the 1970's. This copy was also a rental, one of the remastered Shaw DVDs that's been coming out fairly regularly for the last few years. My memory isn't good enough to know whether or not this was the same Bells Of Death I saw years ago.
Inglourious Basterds - I dug it, but don't have anything to say about it. I'm ma watch it again, though.
There Will Be Blood - I spent much of this movie asking why. Why are you (the director) showing me this? Like I was being escorted by one of Dickens's Ghosts of Christmas past. I kept waiting for the famed "I drink your milkshake" scene. Thought I was gonna get it when Mr. Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) took his son to that restaurant, but it didn't happen there. Had to wait just about til the end of the movie for it, but it was kinda worth it. Overall, I didn't think that much of the movie.
Garoojigi - A Korean sex comedy that takes place... well, a long time ago. I don't know Korean history. Anyway, there's this guy who's the laughing stock of his village's female population cuz he has a tiny pecker. One day after doing a good deed, he's directed to a hidden potion that will solve his problem and told not to drink too much, which, of course, he does. Now he's the man and his penis becomes legendary. He's called upon to defend his country against the west in contest of cock strength against their champion, who of course, is a large Black man. There's a bit more to this movie than that, but not much. I think I recall some kung fu. If there was it wasn't a lot.
Gamer - Another fun movie from the guys who made the Crank flicks, though if you hated Crank 1 and 2, you'll hate this, too. I can see this not aging too well, though.
Labels: everybody's a critic, moments of incoherency, movies, youtube and other video
Monday, January 04, 2010
Well.... This Is Weird.
Was looking for some I'd posted a while back, and found a page with a segment of my blog translated into Chinese.
From there I had Google translate the page back into English and found some fun bits (reminiscent of an old Saturday Night Live sketch, I barely remember) ;
不多，但我一直在做了一段时间。 Not, but I have been doing for some time. 就像是我的主题曲。 Is like my theme song. 一个由火花来比较新的专辑， 名为 hello 年轻的恋人 ，这是在波希米亚狂想曲符合肉饼 ，虽然不是真的有点儿方式badass。 By a spark to compare the new album, called hello young lovers, this is consistent with meatloaf Bohemian Rhapsody, though not really a little way badass. 认为那些家伙只是从20世纪80年代新波群，但目前的数量要远远超过他们。 That those guys only from the 20th century, 80 years a new wave group, but the number of far more than they. 依稀记得一个老周六夜现场的外观，在那里我认为我的键盘手，被命名因为对工具的突出标志罗兰 。 Vaguely remember an old Saturday Night Live appearance, where I think my keyboard player, was named because the tool was marked by Roland. 还记得他们的电影权麦，女孩的心理 ，他们也gonna使它成为音乐剧导演徐克 。 Still remember the movie rights to their wheat, girls, psychology, they are gonna make it a musical director, Tsui Hark. 个想法吓坏了，当时我，但现在我希望它得到的。 Is the idea terrified I was, but now I want it to get. 知道他们一意孤行，写的任何歌曲。 Know that they acted willfully, to write any songs.
仍然挖坏脑'建设一个国家 。 Still digging the bad brain 'the building of a nation. 比较喜欢的坏脑的想法比我更多的记录。 More like a bad idea of the brain more than my record. 在他们已经有了一个专辑的朋克值得/雷鬼乐队，尽管现在它更重摇滚，朋克相比，在我看来。 They already have an album worthy of punk / reggae band, though now it is more heavy rock, punk compared to, in my opinion.
Based on this post:
Pretty much what I've been doing for a while. This is like my theme song. Comes from a relatively recent album by Sparks, called Hello Young Lovers, which is badass in a Bohemian Rhapsody meets Meatloaf, though not really kinda way. I thought those guys were just a new wave group from the eighties, but there's way more to them than that. I vaguely recall an old Saturday Night Live appearance, where I thought the keyboardist was named Roland because of the prominent logo on the instrument. I also recall they had the movie rights to Mai, The Psychic Girl, and they were gonna make it a musical directed by Tsui Hark. The idea frightened me at the time, but now I wish it got made. Wonder if they went ahead and wrote any songs for it.
I'm still digging Bad Brains' Build A Nation. I used to like the idea of Bad Brains more than I did their records. Now they've made a album worthy of a Punk/Reggae band, though now it's more heavy rock, than punk, in my opinion.
From there I had Google translate the page back into English and found some fun bits (reminiscent of an old Saturday Night Live sketch, I barely remember) ;
Issue 6, October 20, 2007
“我现在要做的就是迪克两面” "I have to do now is dick both sides"
不多，但我一直在做了一段时间。 Not, but I have been doing for some time. 就像是我的主题曲。 Is like my theme song. 一个由火花来比较新的专辑， 名为 hello 年轻的恋人 ，这是在波希米亚狂想曲符合肉饼 ，虽然不是真的有点儿方式badass。 By a spark to compare the new album, called hello young lovers, this is consistent with meatloaf Bohemian Rhapsody, though not really a little way badass. 认为那些家伙只是从20世纪80年代新波群，但目前的数量要远远超过他们。 That those guys only from the 20th century, 80 years a new wave group, but the number of far more than they. 依稀记得一个老周六夜现场的外观，在那里我认为我的键盘手，被命名因为对工具的突出标志罗兰 。 Vaguely remember an old Saturday Night Live appearance, where I think my keyboard player, was named because the tool was marked by Roland. 还记得他们的电影权麦，女孩的心理 ，他们也gonna使它成为音乐剧导演徐克 。 Still remember the movie rights to their wheat, girls, psychology, they are gonna make it a musical director, Tsui Hark. 个想法吓坏了，当时我，但现在我希望它得到的。 Is the idea terrified I was, but now I want it to get. 知道他们一意孤行，写的任何歌曲。 Know that they acted willfully, to write any songs.
仍然挖坏脑'建设一个国家 。 Still digging the bad brain 'the building of a nation. 比较喜欢的坏脑的想法比我更多的记录。 More like a bad idea of the brain more than my record. 在他们已经有了一个专辑的朋克值得/雷鬼乐队，尽管现在它更重摇滚，朋克相比，在我看来。 They already have an album worthy of punk / reggae band, though now it is more heavy rock, punk compared to, in my opinion.
Based on this post:
Saturday, October 20, 2007
"All I Do Now Is Dick Around"
Pretty much what I've been doing for a while. This is like my theme song. Comes from a relatively recent album by Sparks, called Hello Young Lovers, which is badass in a Bohemian Rhapsody meets Meatloaf, though not really kinda way. I thought those guys were just a new wave group from the eighties, but there's way more to them than that. I vaguely recall an old Saturday Night Live appearance, where I thought the keyboardist was named Roland because of the prominent logo on the instrument. I also recall they had the movie rights to Mai, The Psychic Girl, and they were gonna make it a musical directed by Tsui Hark. The idea frightened me at the time, but now I wish it got made. Wonder if they went ahead and wrote any songs for it.
I'm still digging Bad Brains' Build A Nation. I used to like the idea of Bad Brains more than I did their records. Now they've made a album worthy of a Punk/Reggae band, though now it's more heavy rock, than punk, in my opinion.
Labels: blogs, China, fun, funny-ass shit, moments of incoherency
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wow! Hootie???? Good For You, Dude!
Just walked in a little while ago, turned on the TeeVee, flipped through a couple of channels and was staring at the Michael Jackson looking lady next to Wynonna (sp?) Judd. Country Music Awards. Kept staring. Is that Wynonna's mom? They read off some names. Darius Rucker! Hootie? Oh, yeah. He tried R&B for a bit and now he's a Country guy. And when they read his name people were more excited than for the previous two, maybe not more than the fourth. He wins! Yay, Hootie! For best new artist. What? Hmm. I'm not really a country fan, so whatever, I guess. It was cool, though. I don't think he really got the respect he deserved as a rock singer.
Labels: moments of incoherency, music, odd, tv
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Crapload Of Mojo Nixon For Free
Been going on for about three weeks and about to expire, I think. Saw on Lightning Deals that Elvis Is Everywhere was offered as a free download. Cool! I remember that song. Not what it sounded like, just that I liked it. Downloaded it, and then searched Wikipedia for Skid Roper cuz I'm just starting to realize that I can answer the questions I like to ask myself or others like "Whatever happened to...?" (though I still ask questions like that cuz they're good conversation fillers). I move on to Mojo Nixon, cuz I don't really know what he's been up to either. A few song titles sound familiar, but I don't remember what any of them sounded like. Then there's a passage about a bunch of albums given away free on Amazon in October 2009 and I'm like, "Wait, it's still October 2009." So I look, and yeah, there's a crapload of Mojo Nixon albums at Amazon for free and of course I download all that shit, even though I don't remember what any of this stuff sounded like. Just that I liked some of it and thought it was amusing at the time...
Gotta love those song titles. Wonder if he inspired Primus?
Mojo Nixon's home page.
Gotta love those song titles. Wonder if he inspired Primus?
Mojo Nixon's home page.
Labels: fun, good deal, moments of incoherency, music, nostalgia, online retailers, The Sell Out?
Friday, September 04, 2009
Alan Moore On Marvel's Purchase Of Marvelman
Here.
No surprise that he wants his name taken off any reprints which may be respected according to his talks with Neil Gaiman's lawyer. That Gaiman is still in the picture probably confirms the long stated intention for him to continue his run on the character with Marvel Comics. That's good news as well as the prospect for reprints. Hopefully in hardcover, and I would hope for that short Science Gestapo story that acted as a prologue in the first Eclipse issue. It was left out of the first volume paperback collection I have. I feel it does a good job of setting up the premise, though it wasn't a part of Warrior #1.
My wish for the Chuck Austin chapters to be re-drawn will probably never happen. I haven't read those in so many years, they may not be as bad as I remember. It would probably be too much to ask that the Warrior run be reprinted in it's original black and white, also. Ditto for Moore's V For Vendetta.
There are mixed reactions to the prospect of Marvelman being introduced into the Marvel universe. I personally don't care as it would be separate from the Moore and Gaiman stories. Those stories make it impossible to factor in a team-up with Spiderman or the X-Men, unless Gaiman himself (and I just thought of this) were to include some sort of wormhole/travel to an alternate universe/past type deal at the conclusion to his run. That would be kinda fucked up. If some other hack did it later on, I could just ignore it as I do 99% of comics.
On the question of whether or not these reprints and subsequent use of the Marvelman character will be worth what Marvel paid to creator Mick Anglo (at the ripe old age of 93), the answer to that is movies. And maybe some sort of theme ride, now that Marvel got sold to Disney.
Warner or some studio is going ahead with a Captain Marvel movie, based on the character that Marvelman blatently ripped off, because the UK publisher ran out of reprints of the popular comics after DC sued Fawcett out of existence, cuz they believed "The Big Red Cheese" was a rip-off of Superman. DC bought the rights to Captain Marvel in the sixties, so Marvel comics rushed there own Captain Marvel to the stands, establishing their trademark and forcing DC to call their Captain Marvel comicbook Shazam. When Eclipse presumed to have the rights to Marvelman in the eighties, Marvel's lawyers pressured the company to rename the character Miracleman. All this to say that I can't imagine that Marvel will want to stand idly by while DC/Warners (or whatever studio) puts out a movie featuring someone called Captain Marvel (even if the movie itself has to be titled Shazam) without responding with their own. There's Marvel's own Captain Marvel, but I'm not sure his story is as ready for Hollywood as Marvelman's. Plus coming out with a Captain Marvel movie after a Shazam film has come out... I dunno. Marvelman kinda builds on Captain Marvel while deconstructing that concept. It would'a been better for DC to acquire the rights and incorporate Alan Moore's revisions to their Captain Marvel (for the movies), but I doubt CC Beck would appreciate that (if he still lives). Ditto Alan Moore.
On the Shazam film, it seems Dwayne Johnson (formerly The Rock) is playing Black Adam, the villain rather than the lead role. Though he's never made a movie I've liked (at least what I've seen - aside from Saturday Night Live, which he was great on), I can't think of a more perfect actor to play Captain Marvel as he was depicted in the 1950s (Fawcett) and early 1070s (DC).
No surprise that he wants his name taken off any reprints which may be respected according to his talks with Neil Gaiman's lawyer. That Gaiman is still in the picture probably confirms the long stated intention for him to continue his run on the character with Marvel Comics. That's good news as well as the prospect for reprints. Hopefully in hardcover, and I would hope for that short Science Gestapo story that acted as a prologue in the first Eclipse issue. It was left out of the first volume paperback collection I have. I feel it does a good job of setting up the premise, though it wasn't a part of Warrior #1.
My wish for the Chuck Austin chapters to be re-drawn will probably never happen. I haven't read those in so many years, they may not be as bad as I remember. It would probably be too much to ask that the Warrior run be reprinted in it's original black and white, also. Ditto for Moore's V For Vendetta.
There are mixed reactions to the prospect of Marvelman being introduced into the Marvel universe. I personally don't care as it would be separate from the Moore and Gaiman stories. Those stories make it impossible to factor in a team-up with Spiderman or the X-Men, unless Gaiman himself (and I just thought of this) were to include some sort of wormhole/travel to an alternate universe/past type deal at the conclusion to his run. That would be kinda fucked up. If some other hack did it later on, I could just ignore it as I do 99% of comics.
On the question of whether or not these reprints and subsequent use of the Marvelman character will be worth what Marvel paid to creator Mick Anglo (at the ripe old age of 93), the answer to that is movies. And maybe some sort of theme ride, now that Marvel got sold to Disney.
Warner or some studio is going ahead with a Captain Marvel movie, based on the character that Marvelman blatently ripped off, because the UK publisher ran out of reprints of the popular comics after DC sued Fawcett out of existence, cuz they believed "The Big Red Cheese" was a rip-off of Superman. DC bought the rights to Captain Marvel in the sixties, so Marvel comics rushed there own Captain Marvel to the stands, establishing their trademark and forcing DC to call their Captain Marvel comicbook Shazam. When Eclipse presumed to have the rights to Marvelman in the eighties, Marvel's lawyers pressured the company to rename the character Miracleman. All this to say that I can't imagine that Marvel will want to stand idly by while DC/Warners (or whatever studio) puts out a movie featuring someone called Captain Marvel (even if the movie itself has to be titled Shazam) without responding with their own. There's Marvel's own Captain Marvel, but I'm not sure his story is as ready for Hollywood as Marvelman's. Plus coming out with a Captain Marvel movie after a Shazam film has come out... I dunno. Marvelman kinda builds on Captain Marvel while deconstructing that concept. It would'a been better for DC to acquire the rights and incorporate Alan Moore's revisions to their Captain Marvel (for the movies), but I doubt CC Beck would appreciate that (if he still lives). Ditto Alan Moore.
On the Shazam film, it seems Dwayne Johnson (formerly The Rock) is playing Black Adam, the villain rather than the lead role. Though he's never made a movie I've liked (at least what I've seen - aside from Saturday Night Live, which he was great on), I can't think of a more perfect actor to play Captain Marvel as he was depicted in the 1950s (Fawcett) and early 1070s (DC).
Labels: comics, moments of incoherency, movies, nostalgia
Friday, August 07, 2009
When I Was A Kid...
G.I. Joe had velcro like hair, so I just assumed he was Black. Even the skin-tone was more light skinned Blackman than White. Though seeing it now, he looks more like an Israeli commando.
The movie coming out is based on the 80's cartoon version, which I didn't like (Okay, I was in high school). I feel having a cartoon where people shoot each other constantly, but no body ever gets hurt is way more detrimental to kids, than some of the R rated films I got to see as a kid. I have the same problem with marketing Wolverine to children (via the X-Men cartoons). The idea that some guy can run around with what amounts to six switchblades and nobody ever gets so much as a paper cut is a worse example to set than the bloodbath served up in the recent video game.
I might've bought the comics for a short while, but I don't remember what they were like, except they were written and drawn by Larry Hama and Herb Trimpe. Trimpe got thrown at a lot of licenced characters back then. He also did Marvel's take on Japanese giant robots (Mazinger Z and a couple of others) called Shogun Warriors and Marvel's version of Godzilla.
All this just to say that I might actually want to see the new G.I. Joe movie out today.
More vintage G.I. Joe here
Also not Black? Count Dante, The Most Dangerous Man Alive.
Labels: moments of incoherency, movies, nostalgia, Toys
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Death Of The UMD? I Hope So! PSP Stuff.
I've had a PSP since about the end of 2005. The multimedia device has been an indispensable companion on my lunch breaks, long walks, commutes, and various situations involving waiting. Music, Wu-xia TV episodes, eBooks, Youtube videos (to show to unconnected friends/associates), music-making, and of course games. Some of these activities required hacking the thing. Other than that, I've had not too much to complain about.
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I was never a huge fan of the UMD format. Back when even 1 GB memory sticks were expensive, the disc format made some sense as there were games that came close to or exceeded the 1 GB mark. Dual layer discs could hold 1.8 GBs. So, it was fine for a while, for games. I never bought movies in the format. As I've stated a number of times, watching a feature film on a handheld just isn't my preference for a variety of reasons. UMD movies were never gonna happen for me. That they started out priced like DVDs ensured they never happened for a lot of people.
There were some rumours that Sony is about ready to unveil the PSP 2. Perhaps, the PSP Go! Aside from the slim models that followed the original and were only slight modifications, this one may offer a reason to upgrade. That it may ditch the UMD drive completely, is something that excites me as well as the notion that the media for it will be completely downloadable, and that it'll have a bit more internal memory (8-16 GB flash). The PSP-1000 (phat) constantly ran out of memory when web browsing.
Game downloads could cut down on piracy as I think (and I could be wrong) that downloadable games from the Playstation Store are more secure than UMD versions. For example, when I saw copies of Echochrome online (a while back), they were all European versions which I think were released on UMD instead of the PSN download that got released in the U.S.
Though not opposed to piracy, entirely, I bought the game, having enjoyed the demo immensely. Also, the ten dollar price was just right.
Playing games on the memory stick saves some battery life as well as physical space. Multiple games can be stored on the card rather than having to carry multiple discs. I mostly use an 8 GB.
The long desired 2nd analog stick will not be part of the upgrade. Too bad.
Some are worried about the lack of backwards compatibility that'll come with a UMD-less PSP. I'm not sure I care that much.
If a new PSP is to debut this year, then it'll probably be announced at next month's gaming event, E3. Looking forward to what other features may be included, and what will eventually be left to hackers and such. Also, whether or not Microsoft announces their entry into the gaming/multimedia portable market.* More competition is good.
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Or maybe I should just get this.
Nah.
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I came close to replacing my PSP at the end of last year, when the audio output jack got all statiky and eventually failed altogether. I opted to get it fixed at TechRestore instead of getting a new one. It cost about 70 or 80 bucks, but they did a great job and sent it back pretty quickly.
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Like many, I had some trouble playing games purchased through the Playstation store/network, which was related to the custom firmware I'm using (5.00 M33-6, currently). Though it took me a while to get around to it, a fix was found easily enough;
"You have to disable the GAME plugins In the recovery menu go to Advanced - Advanced configuration, and Game plugins and disable it. Simple" - oxxMUDxxo
That done, I was able to get the Echochrome expansion and Everyday Shooter, which I play way more of on my PSP than on the PS3 (hardly ever). I have Everyday shooter on both.
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* The Zune-X? I doubt it, but we'll see.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was never a huge fan of the UMD format. Back when even 1 GB memory sticks were expensive, the disc format made some sense as there were games that came close to or exceeded the 1 GB mark. Dual layer discs could hold 1.8 GBs. So, it was fine for a while, for games. I never bought movies in the format. As I've stated a number of times, watching a feature film on a handheld just isn't my preference for a variety of reasons. UMD movies were never gonna happen for me. That they started out priced like DVDs ensured they never happened for a lot of people.
There were some rumours that Sony is about ready to unveil the PSP 2. Perhaps, the PSP Go! Aside from the slim models that followed the original and were only slight modifications, this one may offer a reason to upgrade. That it may ditch the UMD drive completely, is something that excites me as well as the notion that the media for it will be completely downloadable, and that it'll have a bit more internal memory (8-16 GB flash). The PSP-1000 (phat) constantly ran out of memory when web browsing.
Game downloads could cut down on piracy as I think (and I could be wrong) that downloadable games from the Playstation Store are more secure than UMD versions. For example, when I saw copies of Echochrome online (a while back), they were all European versions which I think were released on UMD instead of the PSN download that got released in the U.S.
Though not opposed to piracy, entirely, I bought the game, having enjoyed the demo immensely. Also, the ten dollar price was just right.
Playing games on the memory stick saves some battery life as well as physical space. Multiple games can be stored on the card rather than having to carry multiple discs. I mostly use an 8 GB.
The long desired 2nd analog stick will not be part of the upgrade. Too bad.
Some are worried about the lack of backwards compatibility that'll come with a UMD-less PSP. I'm not sure I care that much.
If a new PSP is to debut this year, then it'll probably be announced at next month's gaming event, E3. Looking forward to what other features may be included, and what will eventually be left to hackers and such. Also, whether or not Microsoft announces their entry into the gaming/multimedia portable market.* More competition is good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or maybe I should just get this.
Nah.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I came close to replacing my PSP at the end of last year, when the audio output jack got all statiky and eventually failed altogether. I opted to get it fixed at TechRestore instead of getting a new one. It cost about 70 or 80 bucks, but they did a great job and sent it back pretty quickly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like many, I had some trouble playing games purchased through the Playstation store/network, which was related to the custom firmware I'm using (5.00 M33-6, currently). Though it took me a while to get around to it, a fix was found easily enough;
"You have to disable the GAME plugins In the recovery menu go to Advanced - Advanced configuration, and Game plugins and disable it. Simple" - oxxMUDxxo
That done, I was able to get the Echochrome expansion and Everyday Shooter, which I play way more of on my PSP than on the PS3 (hardly ever). I have Everyday shooter on both.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The Zune-X? I doubt it, but we'll see.
Labels: Anticipay-yay-shun..., downloads, moments of incoherency, possibilities for creative expression, PSP, video games, youtube and other video
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
The King of Pop's Jew hating and bubblegum white supremacy
So, we're back to Mikey and the Jews, eh? The first time this came up, like ten years ago or so, I gave him some slack. "How's Michael Jackson gonna learn to hate Jews? He lives in Neverland." Then he answered the charges. I'm not sure, but I think it was in that hostage video he shot, where he wore especially long eyelashes for the event. He was also firing back about some pesky child molestation accusations, too. I might be getting two scenarios confused, I dunno. Anyway, when he answered the Anti-Semitism charge related to the song "They Don't Care About Us" ("sue me, Jew me" or some such nonsense), he related that some of his best friends were Jewish. Uh, oh. Then he named them by occupation; lawyers, bankers, doctors... Uh, oh. Even then, I thought "He can't realize just how stupid he sounds right now. He lives at Neverland."
So a decade later we find out that older brother Jermaine is now made of plastic and is also a member of the Nation Of Islam, those fine promoters of brotherhood and tolerance. I know one or two NOI members, they're fine gentlemen and the subject of Jews hasn't been brought up between us. Thankfully. Anyway, we have a connection to where he might've been exposed to such ideas, but perhaps it's wrong to assume that Jermaine X hates Jews, or has anything to do with what's happening in his head.
MJ is clearly a white supremist, or is it supremecist? I should check dictionary.com or something. We can see that from what he has done to himself. Or perhaps someone as simpleminded as he is simply needs to interpret the douchebaggery he has encountered in showbid'ness into a form he can understand. "Those guys who wronged me are Jewish. Therefore, Jew bad." I've known people who think like that, and no, they aren't in the NOI.
So supposedly, there are phone recordings of Michael going off on the Jews. This time, not in a song. "They suck them like leeches." Good thing he's in Saudi Arabia or wherever. Over there he's probably getting patted on the back.
My question is, and this has nothing to do with Jew hating, if the King Of Pop gets caught with his hand on the royal pecker of a young Prince, does he think he'll get the same kind of justice there, that he got here? Does he think we'll come and rescue him?
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Speaking of white supremacy, a new singing duo has been getting a lot of press lately. They're called Prussian Blue. At first I thought it was some kind of joke. Two bubblegum pop princesses with cute little Hitler smiley buttons. Big deal. Then I find out they're kinda serious. I'm thinking; "this is great!!" Kids writing bubblegum pop with nice beats and harmonies about Rudolf Hess? Count me in!!!"
I figured I'd check Torrentz.com, first. I also wanted to see if I could find actual audio of the Michael rant mentioned above as well as a song or two by the girls, but I can't seem to connect. So I go to usenet. No Michael rant, but there are some Prussian Blue videos. I download two; Bleed 4 U (Prince inspired spelling? That should be a no no, no?) and Near The Lane. Both are incomplete but I get the gist. Unfortunately, this sounds like bad coffee-shop folk, only sung by kids who aren't quite that good. On the plus side, one of the girls plays her own guitar. With a halfway decent producer, there's no reason these kids couldn't outshine the likes of Jessica Simpson or even her sister, Ashley. Now who's brave enough to put some polish on these Nazi tunes?
So a decade later we find out that older brother Jermaine is now made of plastic and is also a member of the Nation Of Islam, those fine promoters of brotherhood and tolerance. I know one or two NOI members, they're fine gentlemen and the subject of Jews hasn't been brought up between us. Thankfully. Anyway, we have a connection to where he might've been exposed to such ideas, but perhaps it's wrong to assume that Jermaine X hates Jews, or has anything to do with what's happening in his head.
MJ is clearly a white supremist, or is it supremecist? I should check dictionary.com or something. We can see that from what he has done to himself. Or perhaps someone as simpleminded as he is simply needs to interpret the douchebaggery he has encountered in showbid'ness into a form he can understand. "Those guys who wronged me are Jewish. Therefore, Jew bad." I've known people who think like that, and no, they aren't in the NOI.
So supposedly, there are phone recordings of Michael going off on the Jews. This time, not in a song. "They suck them like leeches." Good thing he's in Saudi Arabia or wherever. Over there he's probably getting patted on the back.
My question is, and this has nothing to do with Jew hating, if the King Of Pop gets caught with his hand on the royal pecker of a young Prince, does he think he'll get the same kind of justice there, that he got here? Does he think we'll come and rescue him?
------------------------------------->
Speaking of white supremacy, a new singing duo has been getting a lot of press lately. They're called Prussian Blue. At first I thought it was some kind of joke. Two bubblegum pop princesses with cute little Hitler smiley buttons. Big deal. Then I find out they're kinda serious. I'm thinking; "this is great!!" Kids writing bubblegum pop with nice beats and harmonies about Rudolf Hess? Count me in!!!"
I figured I'd check Torrentz.com, first. I also wanted to see if I could find actual audio of the Michael rant mentioned above as well as a song or two by the girls, but I can't seem to connect. So I go to usenet. No Michael rant, but there are some Prussian Blue videos. I download two; Bleed 4 U (Prince inspired spelling? That should be a no no, no?) and Near The Lane. Both are incomplete but I get the gist. Unfortunately, this sounds like bad coffee-shop folk, only sung by kids who aren't quite that good. On the plus side, one of the girls plays her own guitar. With a halfway decent producer, there's no reason these kids couldn't outshine the likes of Jessica Simpson or even her sister, Ashley. Now who's brave enough to put some polish on these Nazi tunes?
Labels: Fucking Idiots, fun, funny-ass shit, moments of incoherency, music
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