According to Rachel Maddow (video below) this is not just crazy Newt's idea. But other Republicans want to repeal certain child labor laws. She notes Republicans in the states of Maine, Wisconsin and Missouri as the ones that are targeting child labor laws.
Last July, Marcus Bachmann's Christian counseling clinic was caught trying to convince a gay man to basically "pray away the gay." Bachmann is the husband of conservative Republican Michele Bachmann who's running for president. Marcus Bachmann also called gays "barbarians." Well a clever group of protesters decided to form a flash mob outside Bachmann's clinic and perform Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" in barbarian garb. God bless 'em. Check it out. And as a bonus, I've got the hilarious Stephen Colbert piece on Bachmann.
Stephen Colbert's funny pieces on Marcus Bachmann from last July.
Now that the final Harry Potter movie is on Blu-Ray, it's time to countdown to the best of the complete film series. And as I have said before, there are no clunkers in the bunch. They're all good, with the top five of the series really getting their A grades.
8. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002) The problem with this one is first, Ruper Grint's over the top acting as Ron Weasley. His screaming and crying drove me nuts. Then there's the end in which Tom Riddle aka Voldemort literally describes how the basilisk is going to destroy Harry. Annoying, though I wish more description were available for "Half Blood Prince." Grade is B.
7. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005) The school called "Beauxbatons", the French all girl academy, in Triwizard competition sets back feminism two hundred years. If you have ever coached against an all girl school team, you would know in this century that the girls do not act in this frilly and demure manner. Grade is B.
6. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" (2009) I love the pacing and the dialogue. It doesn't pound you in your seats with constant action. However, this movie is literally too dark. There's no need to drain the movie of color, at least from this Muggle's view. It would have helped during Harry and Dumbledore's mission in the cave to describe how they are going to get the Horcrux. Is that Harry shoving Kool-Aid down Dumbledore's mouth? Grade is B.
5. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part One"(2010) The dark forces of Lord Voldemort have taken over the world of magic. Harry and his friends are on the run and looking the remaining Horcruxes. It's tense and exciting. The grade is A-.
4. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007) Got to love that wonderfully filmed wizard fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore. It's organic and elegant and quite believable. The grade is A.
3. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001) This film offers true magic. One believes that Hogwart's exists. Everything from Quiditich to John Williams' brilliant score to a small scene of Christmas at Hogwart's exudes wonderment. The grade is A.
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part Two" (2011) This is the final confrontation between Harry and Lord Voldemort. It's basically a war story. Riveting. One wishes it was longer. The grade is A.
1. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004) While this is the beginning towards a darker Harry Potter film, it's the most mature. There's real warmth between Harry, Prof. Lupin and Sirius Black. This is the best mixture of comedy, action and emotion. The grade is A.
You knew this day was going to happen. Cincinnati Bengals QB rookie Andy Dalton aka "The Red Rifle" was going to have a rookie day. He threw three interceptions against the Baltimore Ravens. Bengals lose 31-24. Okay, it was more than Dalton. The defense gave up big plays. Bad call by referee on a touchdown by tight end Jermaine Gresham eliminated that TD. And in the final two plays, the offensive line gave into three defensive linemen for a grounding penalty and a sack.
At least you can say the Bengals showed they cold fight back. They were down by seventeen points. And Andy Dalton led the team back within the last minute right before the goal line. All this was done without Dalton's favorite weapon, wide receiver A.J. Green who was hurt.
Is there such a thing as moral victories? Hard to say at this point. But in the NFL, it's wins that count. Season is not over yet. But Bengals need help to make the playoffs. Next up, the Cleveland Browns at home. If its brown, flush it down.
Martin Scorsese has directed Hugo in 3-D (3D), so does that mean the technique will get respect from serious filmmakers? Will there be an Academy Award for Best Picture for a movie that was filmed in 3D in the future? Hard to say since a writer at Slate thinks 3-D is on the way out.
Yeah, I've complained about 3D movies as being too dark. But it's an interesting day in the history of film when you have a great and serious artist such as Martin Scorsese direct a movie in the medium of 3-D. So let's see if we can dig up the ten best 3-D movies for the last ten years. Note that there are no true conversions, i.e. movies filmed in 2D but converted to 3-D. That's because those movies are too dark since the director prepared his movie in 2D lighting without making up for the polarization. Also the effects suffer. In essence conversions stink. Also note that I like movies that really use the medium even if that means the director throws things at you. Use it or lose it. So let's countdown to the best 3D film.
10. Up (2009) A great CGI animated Pixar film without the 3-D. It only enhances the best movie of 2009.
9. Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) James Cameron in this documentary explores the real life Titanic, the subject of his 1998 blockbuster. It's a captivating look at the ship in IMAX 3D.
8. Aliens of the Deep (2005) Director James Cameron in this documentary explores the deep ocean and films some strange creatures for IMAX 3D. A precursor to Avatar.
7. Beowulf (2007) After directing The Polar Express (2004) Robert Zemeckis made this CGI animated film of the old English epic poem. Best use of motion capture so far.
6. Tron: Legacy (2010) In IMAX 3D, the medium added to the coolness of the film.
5. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) This bad movie is actually made better by the 3D. Add to that, it's a hybrid, i.e. part of it was filmed in 3D. Anyway the 3D effects were spectacular. It makes me wonder if they're considering filming the next Star Trek in 3D and what it will look like.
4. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) I was watching this movie the other day. What I find impressive is that director Eric Brevig skillfully stages almost every shot for the medium. For example, you'll notice he has the actors not standing next to each other but most of the time they're staggered. That enhances the 3D effect. Of course, there are many money shots where things are thrown at you and where it emphasizes depth.
3. Despicable Me (2010) A delightful CGI animated family comedy. With a wink of an eye, the movie pushes the 3D to absurd proportions. That makes it a lot of fun.
2. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) From the hair on the fur of the Vikings to the exciting flying sequences, this CGI animated feature is a beautiful in 3D. It's also a great movie.
1. Avatar (2009) The film that launched the craze. The move takes off when Jake undergoes his training with the Na'vi. Great sequences feature dragon flying, alien plant life and the final battle with the humans. The mixture between live action and CGI is seamless. It's Cameron's crowing achievement for his work in 3-D. If you get a chance, see this movie in IMAX 3D.
Hanging out at TrekMovie.com, sometimes you will get to chat with screenwriter Bob Orci. (Star Trek) You find out that Bob likes Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. Well, I thank Bob for reminding about the comic stylings of Trimuph. You'll also note that I occasionally use one of Triumph's catchphrases. "I keeed. I keeed." Anyway, Triumph took on the Occupy Wall Street protesters. It's very funny. Check it out.
I've complained about the movie Star Trek (2009) as being shallow especially when you look at the pedigree of the Trek TV series. Star Trek should be intelligent science fiction. Well, three of the people behind the movie, director J. J. Abrams, writers Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci created the television series Fringe three years ago. This series is smart and deep whereas Star Trek was shallow.
Tonight's episode "Wallflower" is why you should be watching Fringe. The Fringe team of the FBI must investigate the murders of men who lose all their pigmentation when they die. The force behind it is an invisible man that resembles the cloak you saw in Predator. (1987) It's reminiscent of The X Files. And for good reason. Fringe was inspired by that show.
But the reason why you should watch this show was demonstrated in this episode. Interesting science fiction. Emotional moments. Three dimensional characters. Great acting, especially by John Noble. (Walter) He's a one man acting class. The surprising denouement of this show will leave you with a warm feeling. The only problem with the show is the serial nature of the episode. While the mystery of the episode is resolved, the show ends with a cliff hanger. I know that today's modern television wants to hook you but the difficulties of serial television are that episodes don't end and if the plot arc stinks, it wrecks the separate episodes and maybe the whole series. See Lost. The good thing is that Bob Orci, and Alex Kurtzman didn't work on Lost.
But if you love good science fiction and are looking for it on television, check out Fringe. It's one of the best television series, science fiction or not.
Sarah Palin described bloggers as people in their pajamas sitting in their mother's basement. Well, Sarah I sometimes blog in my pajamas. Your comment has inspired a great name for this blog. Thanks, Sarah.
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