Ben Stein, actor, game show host, economist and White House speechwriter has embarked upon a heroic and, at times, shocking journey in the new documentary Expelled to confront the world’s top scientists, educators and philosophers, regarding their 'persecution' of the academics who support the non-science that is Intelligent Design.
Evolutionary science is a wide discipline with differing theories as to the mechanics of how it happened, but when one resorts to a theory that there was a creator to fill the gaps in the theory of evolution rather than look for evidence, study that evidence and hypothesize then you've stopped being a scientist and have become a fantasist.
Australian farmer David George was forced to take drastic action after having stumbled into a crocodile infested swamp.
He survived for a week up a tree with only two meat sandwiches to sustain him. Sounds much like the myth of Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee that brought journalist Sue Charlton to Walkabout Creek to interview Mick in the movie Crocodile Dundee.
Researchers have found they can use drugs to wipe away single, specific memories while leaving other memories intact. By injecting an amnesia drug at the right time, when a subject was recalling a particular thought, neuro-scientists discovered they could disrupt the way the memory is stored and even make it disappear.
Ironically I think I've blogged about this before but I can't really remember if I have or not. It seems to me to be a kind of drug assisted Neuro-Linguistic Programming and if effective could help many people deal with traumatic events they may have suffered.
This movie was probably designed to be a wonderful mix of Psycho, Peeping Tom, Wolf Creek and Breakdown but it fails to come anywhere close to any of its' antecedents. It's not even the bastard child of those movies it's the runt of the litter of bastard children.
Don't bother with this one I found it to be only mildly disturbing and though it's just 80 minutes long it barely held my interest. It was a very pedestrian example of the genre and they seemed to waste a number of opportunities for shocks along the way.
Saw Zodiac yesterday and I'm in two minds about it.
Part of me thinks that it was really tedious but another part thinks that it is magnificent extremely well made film. Perhaps it is just that it's a magnificent extremely well made tedious film.
I will definitely have to see it again and next time hopefully without an audience that is full of teenage boys who were obviously bored off their tits having been expecting something more along the lines of Seven or something.
It is wonderfully intricate and almost overly obsessive about the minor details. David Fincher the director seems as obsessive about the details of the case as his protagonist Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal).
I think Procedural Harry is a very apt description. In many ways it feels like the cinematic equivalent of something like The Wire and perhaps would have benefited from the wider scope that 10 hours of television gives so that the lives of the characters outside of the confines of the case could be more widely explored.
But then these are not just characters in a film they are real people with real lives they may wish to keep private, nevertheless I would have loved to have seen much more of Mark Ruffalo's character David Toschi.
I'm almost certain this is a masterpiece but it will need further viewing for me to decide.
SEOUL, South Korea - They came from all over the world, poles in hand, and feet ready to inch more than half a mile across a high wire strung over the Han River in a spine-tingling battle of balance, speed and high anxiety.
As part of its annual city festival, the South Korean capital staged Thursday what was billed as the world's first high-wire championship, drawing 18 contestants from nine countries for three days of supreme feats of concentration.
Each acrobat must navigate the 1.2-inch-thick wire that spans the river, with the top prize of $15,000 going to the person crossing it fastest.
As well as the Rapist figure (which is the likeness of Tarantino as he portrays said character in the movie in one of his customary cameo appearances) action figures of other characters such as Cherry and Dakota are available to buy.
She seems mostly concerned that it is being marketed by the name Rapist No.1 doll but that is just the name of the character in the movie and to my mind is no different than a Freddy Krueger action figure. It's not as if the figure is even depicted in an act of rape and can hardly be considered glorifying rape or fostering an attitude that rape is acceptable.
I haven't seen Grindhouse yet but I would imagine if Tarantino's previous movies are any indicator that this rapist character meets a gory and well deserved end. I think there is a debate to be had about the depiction of rape in movies and on television and the trend for the sexualisation of female victims of rape in them as opposed to the depiction of male rape victims. Also there is a disturbing trend (in comics it is referred to as the Women in Refrigerators Syndrome) for using violence against women as a plot device and motivating factor for the hero protagonist of the story to whom the victim is connected.
I think that Bitch Ph.D has picked upon the wrong thing for her argument here.
I don't see the appeal myself for these action figures designed for adults and they are very much a niche product that as opposed to movies have little to no impact on society at large. I believe that had she not written about it then virtually the entire readership of Bitch Ph.D would never have known that such a thing as a Rapist No.1 action figure even existed.
Just finished watching Children of Men. Fucking fantastic movie that was tightly paced and wonderfully directed. A beautifully rendered dystopia. Great performances by the actors and I didn't even hate Clive Owen in it which makes a change.
It occurred to me also that V for Vendetta should have been filmed this way. Far more convincing portrayal of a future totalitarian British dystopia.
A trailer for Robert Rodriguez Quentin Tarantino's new baby Grind House
Looks like insane, violent and gory. I can't wait.
The bit for the fake trailer of Machete starring Danny Trejo as the eponymous character looked fucking awesome as well. I'd watch an entire feature film of it based on the seconds of footage I saw herein.
It's very silly and hugely inaccurate but I do love the movie Shanghai Knights.
I find the bit where Lin kills Jack the Ripper very funny and Aidan Gillen as Lord Nelson Rathbone makes a very wondefully sadistic villain. It is one of my favourite Jackie Chan movies.
The producers clearly have a lot of respect for the material but they simply cannot have an understanding of why it works so well if they believe they can turn it into a movie.
I think it is basically unfilmable as it is impossible to capture the essence of it in any other form that that for which is was written.
They will no doubt be able to get the basic story on celluloid but what makes the comic so great will almost certainly be lost.
I was trying to explain it to my brother and it is basically that there are certain pieces in various different media that in transferring from one medium to another would lose their essence.
Un Chien Andalou for example could not possibly work as a short story.
The words of Zack Snyder director of 300 who has also been lined up to direct Watchmen give me some comfort.
I want to make this movie, it’ll be awesome to make it but I need to be convinced that it will be worth making, that we have respect for the thing. I’m going to wait and see right now – I’m the biggest sceptic!
But don’t read too much into that - the hope is to start filming next year, once the screenplay has been cracked. “I haven’t seen anything yet that makes me think that we’re any closer to it,” added Snyder. “Everyone says ‘I respect the source material’ but I think what Hollywood misses and what we need to think about is what is the book about? What does it mean? It’s easy to get caught up in the mechanics of the script and the mechanics of the movie.
I believe that it might be possible to make a wonderful adaptation of Watchmen but I have no idea how that can be accomplished and have no faith that anyone will be able accomplish it.
It would I believe require complete deconstruction of it and then for it to be utterly rebuilt from the ground up with the narrative techniques that are unique to comics replaced with some film making techniques.
Watchmen is an analysis of what it is to be a superhero but also a deconstruction of what comic books about superheroes are. Perhaps a movie version could be a deconstruction of superhero movies in some way. I'm still not convinced that we are going to get anything like that, this will probably be yet another awful adaptation of a Moore comic but there is a one in a million chance that it might be a movie masterpiece.
A satirical comedy on the machinations of the tobacco industry it stars Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor a spin doctor and spokesman for the The Academy of Tobacco Studies.
Aaron Eckhart's character is brilliant he almost had me convinced that I should buy a pack of cigarettes when I left the cinema.
The great state of Vermont will not apologise for its cheese!
Brilliantly black comedy. I love the way that you never actually see anyone smoke in the movie as well.
I also watched Russian Ark yesterday, well about half of it. Jeez that's a fucking boring piece of pretentious bollocks. I think my major problem with it was the character of the French diplomat, he was incredibly annoying and sapped any enjoyment I may have had.
I was wondering whilst watching a video of the movie Men at Work, which my brother had bought for £1.99 at Oxfam, what the hell is Emilio Estevez up to these days?
Well apparently he's working on a movie which like Men at Work he's written and directed.
Bobby is the story of the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, on June 6th, 1968, which centers around 22 people who were at the Ambassador Hotel where he was killed.
I've been fascinated by this assassination to an even greater extent than that of his brother.
But unlike Men at Work it does not appear to star his brother it does however star his father amongst many others.
It really is an amazing cast list. Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Elijah Wood, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy and Christian Slater.
Plus teen favourites like Joshua Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBeouf and Lindsay Lohan possibly seeking a bit of prestige by starring in a serious movie like this.
This is an amazing coincidence that my brother finds a cheap video of a film we enjoyed as teenagers and it leads me to look up what Emilio Estevez is up to only to discover he's doing a movie about a subject that really interests me.
I was a huge fan of pinball machines back in the mid-nineties when I was a university student. I even had a rivaly with a guy I never ever met as we would hold the top spots on the high score tables of the various tables in the university bar and try to best the other's scores.
But it was not to last. The machines were played less and less often and eventually started to disappear from the bars and pubs that I used to frequent until they were no more.
The documentary The Future of Pinball explores the demise of the pinball machine and how the management of manufacturer Williams Electronic Games instructed their pinball designers to come up with something new in order to save the company.
Management said, "we need to make pinball profitable. The world has changed; nobody wants what you guys are doing. Invent something new. We've put layer upon layer of ramps, we have convoluted rule sets, we have video modes, we have all this stuff, and guess what? It's not making a difference!" And management says we've got to come up with something or pinball is done.
— George Gomez, Pinball Designer, Williams Electronic Games
This resulted in a startling innovation that was controversial amongst pinball purists but was a hit until the plug was pulled on production of the machines. A trailer for the documentary is available here.
Odd film, a comedy musical starring James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi and Christopher Walken amongst others. It didn't completely work but the acting and characterisations were great. Some laugh out loud moments particularly some of Buscemi's and Walken's lines.
I'd recommend people see if they get the chance but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it, particularly if like me you have a crush on Mary-Louise Parker she's dead sexy in it.
I've been very up and down about the movie adaptation of the classic graphic novel V for Vendetta. It's one of my favourites and so I was initially enthused to hear it was being adapted for film, but then the thoughts of other film adaptations of Alan Moore's comic book work took the shine off somewhat.
But then hearing of the involvement of the Wachowskis and seeing the photos of the production design made me think that actually it could turn out really well. But then there was the Eggy in the Basket news which brought me back down again.
But with the movie posters that were recently revealed which I loved and now this trailer I'm very much looking forward to it again. It's looking great.
What the fuck planet you been living on lady? Have you never heard of the book let alone managed to miss the media blitz that has happened about the new movie starring Tom Cruise.
Of course I didn't say that but I am constantly astounded that I have to explain what the big summer blockbusting movies are. I'd understand if it was some obscure European movie and I'm quite happy to describe what they are about, but when it is a movie that is advertised many times a day on television, is on magazine covers and is being indirectly promoted by articles about Tom Cruise and his recently announced engagement to Katie Holmes I'm almost literally struck dumb.
See also: The official movie website. I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie as it is a favourite book of mine and although Spielberg does tend towards schmaltz he is a very able director.
Dark Horse The War of the Worlds comic adapted and abridged by Ian Edginton with art by D'Israeli. This looks damn good as well, D'Israeli's art is beautiful.
There has been a slew of War of the Worlds adaptations in recent years, there has been another movie this unlike Spielberg's set in the original period and there was the Alan Moore comic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2, which was an intersting twist on the original.
Our screening of the movie "What the Bleep do we know?" for the Silver Screen (our special show for Senior Citizens) elicited more comments than usual in our comments book.
"What the Bleep....." great film I love this cinema. Thank you. Fxxx
Dear Manageress thanks for being capable and cute, and do enjoy what the Bleep XX
June 14th Silver Screen 'What the Bleep do we know' I cannot believe that this film would be chosen for the Silver Screen, it is without doubt the worst thing it has been my misfortune to view. No plot, no dialogue that is understandable Absolutely Awful!!! Where on earth did the producers get the money from to make this? when a lovely little English Film could have been shown. At 75 I want to be entertained.
June 14th What the Bleep... Great! Inspiring! Just what we old folk need in Bath. Good to see a film that gives science a look-in on the emotional/spiritual side of existence. It was serious, stimulating, educative, entertaining, provocative... but not trivial, so it won't please everybody.
It appears from the second comment that one of the old folks is trying to flirt with my female colleague.
I agree with the third commenter this movie is absolutely awful. It's pure New Age Cargo Cult science, they go through recognizable motions of science without understanding the true principles. There's seems to be a lot of that going on at the moment.
SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON enters IAN MCDIARMID'S CHAMBER.
SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON Ian, you're under arrest for being a manipulative motherfucker.
IAN MCDIARMID I got a threshold, Jedi. I got a threshold for the abuse I'll take. And right now I'm a race car and you got me in the red. I'm just saying that it's fuckin' dangerous to have a racecar in the fuckin' red. It could blow.
SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON Oh, you're gettin' ready to blow?
IAN MCDIARMID I could blow.
SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON Well I'm a mushroom-cloud-layin' motherfucker, motherfucker! Every time my fingers touch my lightsaber I'm Superfly TNT. I'm the Guns of Navarone.
Suddenly, IAN pulls out his LIGHTSABER. He moves toward the JEDI, pulls his arm back, aims at a Jedi, kills him, pulls his blade out, moves toward another, and slowly kills him too, all while SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON twirls his lightsaber around pointlessly behind them. Once only SAMUEL is left, they DUEL. IAN makes silly faces and is eventually beaten. HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN arrives.
SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON Let me read to you from the book of Ezekiel for a--
Suddenly, IAN unleashes some force lightning on SAMUEL, which he absorbs into his lightsaber and somehow pushes back onto IAN, which causes him to grow old, apprently.
I love this parody so much it freaks the hell obnoxiously!
In another story of a comic book fan railing against the injustices of the world we have from one of my local haunts of Straight to Hell the tale of Tom Willecome.
Resident punk rock legend (and angry..oh so angry..Welshman), Tom Willecome has become infamous around our forum for his oft-heard chants of "Piece Of Shit" whenever the subject of the upcoming Hellblazer movie, "Constantine", is broached.
With that in mind, Tom has decided to vent his rage in a positive manner, hence TOM's Constanteen Charity Challenge to raise funds for the Lyomphoma Association.
Based on the final total raised for the Lyomphoma Association , Tom will, for...
£100 - attend the movie with another forum regular...
£250 - ...write a review...
£500 - ...with no swearing....
£1000 - ...as if he'd never heard of John Constantine before.
So go on I urge you to torture Tom a little and force him to watch Constantine, if not for charity then in revenge for the Welsh rugby team's recent victory over England.
It looks like the movie adaptation of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's seminal comic book series V for Vendetta will be going ahead with Natalie Portman in a leading role.
The film will be produced by the The Wachowski Brothers and Joel Silver, the creators and producer of the revolutionary, $1.6 billion-grossing Matrix trilogy and directed by James McTeigue.
I'm feeling very positive about this production and I'm confident that the Wachowskis will deliver a truly excellent adaptation of one of Alan Moore's works as the previous movie adaptations, From Hell and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have been below par.
I have just returned home from having seen the amazing documentary by Errol Morris titled The Fog of War(IMDB entry) which tracks the career of Robert McNamara concentrating on his role as the Secretary of Defence for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. I was deeply troubled by having seen it and it has left me feeling quite pessimistic for the future of humanity.
I've never thought of McNamara of being an evil man but there are those that do who blame him for the Vietnam War. I was confused how the man that had had a major part in the prevention of the Cuban Missile Crisis turning into a Nuclear War could have been an instigator in the start of the conflict in Vietnam.
In the light of this and the parts in the film where McNamara is talking about General Curtis LeMay I am reconsidering my views on many world leaders particularly of Bush and Rumsfeld. Not that I am in favour of their policies now just that I no longer considering them evil just wrong. This however does scare me that there are rational people in the world - leading the world even that are capable of making very bad decisions.
Understanding your enemy is a crucial point that has been recommended all the way back starting with Sun Tzu but is continually ignored or not fully explored by military leaders today. US involvement in Vietnam was born out of a paranoia about the spread of Communism and they were fighting for the freedom of the South Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese however didn't understand this and were convinced that the US were a colonizing power that they would fight till the last man in order to remain free from becoming slaves to the Americans. In turn the US didn't understand that even if Vietnam was to go Communist they would never ally themselves with China because they considered China to be their biggest and oldest enemy.
There are lessons to be learned here that apply to the current situation in Iraq particularly the motives of the insurgents. What do the insurgents believe of the intentions of the US government? I think it possible that far from being haters of democracy or some such tripe that has been used to describe them that they may in fact believe that the US is really there to steal their oil and colonize their land. They may well believe themselves to be freedom fighters endeavoring to throw of the shackles of a foreign power.
Pixar have released the trailer for their new animated feature The Incredibles. To be honest I didn't like it as much as the teaser trailer, but then I was totally blown away by that.
The teaser was a beautiful masterpiece that could have stood alone as a short animated film. If Pixar are cunning they should submit it for the best short film at the Academy Awards as well as submitting the full movie for the Best Animated Feature award.
I saw this on Wednesday and loved it, the idosyncratic writing of Charlie Kaufman really gels with me. The film is a bizarre romantic comedy in many ways and Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet make a great couple in a difficult and turbulent relationship.
If only Carrey could make more films like this and Man on the Moon and I would be a very happy man.
The supporting cast were great as well particularly Elijah Wood who escapes from his hobbithood by playing a slightly creepy guy who is trying to seduce Clementine by using stuff from her memories that have been erased.
Again questions are raised in my mind concerning memory and the importance of integrity of the memories in your head. Losing parts of your memory robs you of more than you might imagine. I think you lose a part of your personality with everything that is erased.
Initially reaction is Constant-een (WTF I've always pronounced it Constant-I-ne) but then I got into it, I quite liked it.
But if I had seen it and not known what is was supposedly based on I would never have guessed it had any connection to Hellblazer.
Rachel Weisz's character seems pregnant, is it with the Devil's child I hope not. It's becoming more like a remake of End of Days rather than an adaptation of Hellblazer.
The Passion of the Christ is bringing the weirdos out of the woodwork at my cinema.
Quote: My husband and I haven't been to the cinema in 30 years but we'll be sure to come and see it.
I am left wondering if they have any idea of what the movie will actually be like.
Customer: Can I have a ticket for Passion of the Christ.
Cashier: I'm afraid it isn't playing yet. It starts on Friday 9th April.
Customer: I must be drunk then.
For some strange reason the movie Mazes and Monsters popped into my head today. I'd seen it on TV as a kid and only vaguely remembered it but I was finally able to track it down at the Internet Movie Database. Bizarrely the lead character is played by Tom Hanks which I did not remember.
Nine Queens is a great film, somewhat similar to Mamet's House of Games but in my opinion superior. Two conmen who just happen to meet are trying to make a score from the sale of nine rare stamps the 'Nine Queens' of the title. If you haven't seen it then I insist you rent out from your local video store.
Goodbye Lenin! is another great film. A German comedy and no that is not an oxymoron. Set just after the Berlin Wall has come down in East Germany a young man whose mother has just come out of a coma must pretend that they are still living in a communist country because the shock of the truth might kill her.
