"I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room." - Ray Bradbury, via Richard Kadrey's Damn Tumblr
The Stories We Tell Ourselves | Mark's Daily Apple: "Think for a minute about the stories that you tell yourself – about you. Not necessarily the narrative you would like to tell about yourself (some meticulously crafted testimonial or eulogy). In fact, brush away all the public posturing and cocktail party introductions we all end up doing to some degree at least in certain situations. What is the real narrative you live each day when it’s just you and you. In other words, what inner tape ends up playing? What lens gets applied to the outer circumstances? What’s your role, and what characteristics describe this figure you walk around in each day?"
Nuthin' ta fuck with. Wu-Tang Clan Goes the Full Nine Rappers For 'Daily Show' Performance | Billboard:
dean trippe | moonbase one (Two Sentences): "I read a review of #GotG that said the movie didn’t have a plot, or that it was inexplicable without understanding of the Marvel Comics source material. As someone who has NEVER given two damns about the cosmic stuff in the Ol’ 616 until now, and was able to follow along fairly well, I figured I’d take a swing at breaking it down in two sentences.
1. Cosmic Hitler hires Space Bin Laden to retrieve a powerful weapon in exchange for wiping out SBL’s enemies, who have recently signed a peace treaty with SBL’s native world.
2. Five misfit criminals attempt to thwart the plans of these genocidal monsters, for selfish reasons at first, but through teamwork and friendship, find hope, heroism, and happiness.
Whew. One draft. Didn’t even break a sweat...
Second point, though: SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT
The same reviewer said the reveal of the present at the end was predictable and cheap, lacking in emotional heft. So, okay, no. Every screenwriting book in the history of screenwriting books would have made that a gift from Peter’s father. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. They set it up the whole damn movie, with big flashing lights, that OH SHIT THAT’S GOING TO BE SOMETHING FROM HIS SPACE DAD, because, every Joseph Campbell-regurgitating Hollywood mofo wants their hero’s journey to be about his dad. How many times do we have to hear about what good men Dr. Thomas Wayne and Jor-El were before someone gives Batman and Superman’s moms something to do in a movie? Yeah, well you know what Peter wanted? THAT GIFT. It’s the best emotional payoff I’ve seen in a film this year. The amount of bullshit studio notes that any other studio would’ve lobbed at the simplicity of that reveal would bury the Milano. Hugs and high-fives to Gunn and Perlman from another kid with a great mom."
Blame World War I For Whistleblower Persecution—And So Much More - Reason.com: "...the Obama administration, after bringing charges against Edward Snowden, "has used the Espionage Act more to go after whistleblowers who leaked to journalists not just than any previous administration, but then more than all previous administrations combined." The claim was subsequently endorsed by PolitiFact as "true." That's a shocking use of government power to punish those who would call government officials out for their misbehavior, but hardly an unaccustomed role for for a law passed during World War I and quickly used to muzzle critics of official policy...
In fact, the "war to end all wars" left a legacy of government dominance and intrusive power in its wake that officials still exploit, and from which the country continues to suffer. In its original form, the Espionage Act was used to prosecute Robert Goldstein for producing a movie about the American Revolution. The U.S. having recently allied itself with Britain against Germany, Goldstein's historically rooted portrayal of British soldiers as the bad guys was considered an attempt to hobble the war effort. He served three years in prison for his cinematic labors."
What I Learned about Atheists from God’s Not Dead: "If there’s one thing religion does well, it’s teach people to do as they’re told en masse. There’s so much I could say about suffering through this glorified youth group skit turned feature length film. Much has already been said by friends of mine and I could add far too much more myself. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving (just like heartburn). Even during my Christian days I’m certain I would have been nauseated by this terrible movie’s wooden dialogue, forced drama, and two-dimensional characters."
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