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Thursday, August 22, 2013
Colin Powell: Republican voting restrictions turn off blacks
At the end of a forum for CEOs, former Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized North Carolina's new voting restrictions as stopping people from voting especially when it comes to minorities. He said, "I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote. ... It immediately turns off a voting bloc the Republican Party needs. ... These kinds of actions do not build on the base. It just turns people away.” Here's Chris Matthews of Hardball discussing the nationwide trend by Republicans to restrict voting.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Global warming is real
A new United Nations report is saying that global warming is real. Here's a great Chris Matthews piece from Hardball on it. Professor Michael Mann of Penn State University tells us there is overwhelming scientific opinion that global warming exists. That includes the U.S. Academy of Science which was founded by Republican President Abraham Lincoln founded.
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Those Crazy Birthers, Part Thirty Two
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was born in Canada to an American mother. He claims he can be President. Now Section One, Article Two of the Constitution says one must be "natural born." Okay. Then why all the nonsense about President Obama? I mean we know his mother was an American citizen. If he was born in Kenya, then he's just like Cruz. Where are the Tea Pariers? Oh, I get it. Obama is black. Cruz is white. Here's Chris Matthews of Hardball with an excellent video piece.
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Do the Republicans want to extort the country to stop Obamacare?
Chris Matthews at Hardball is reporting that the Republican right want to default on the national debt to stop Obamacare. It's like this. The debt ceiling is not about more spending. It's about allowing the United States pay it's debts that have already been incurred. Sorry Republicans, Obamacare is the law of the land. Not raising the debt ceiling is a scorch the earth policy. It's worldwide economic Armageddon. Here's Matthews' report.
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Monday, August 19, 2013
Have a good life, Danielle
When I play the jukebox at a local bar, I'm asked by a friend to play certain jazz songs. Some of my selections are from Eliane Elias, a Brazilian jazz pianist and singer. I usually play "So Nice" a bossa nova classic. This always gets the angry white guys mad. "Play something American", they say. Took that for a whole Friday afternoon.
But then came Saturday. About three days before, I ran into an old friend, Danielle. She's charming, smart and beautiful. She lives in California so it's rare to see her. I haven't seen her in years. So, it was great to see her on Saturday at an Irish Pub. She returned to California on Sunday. So, Danielle, for you here's the song I play that pisses off the angry white guys. I think it's lovely like you. Have a good life, Danielle.
But then came Saturday. About three days before, I ran into an old friend, Danielle. She's charming, smart and beautiful. She lives in California so it's rare to see her. I haven't seen her in years. So, it was great to see her on Saturday at an Irish Pub. She returned to California on Sunday. So, Danielle, for you here's the song I play that pisses off the angry white guys. I think it's lovely like you. Have a good life, Danielle.
The Power of Alice Eve's Underwear, part 2
The Las Vegas Star Trek convention has just ended. And on day two, Stat Trek Into Darkness' Alice Eve who played Carol Marcus made an appearance. She commented on the "infamous" underwear scene. First she noted that Chris Pine had a shirtless scene. But this is what she had to say about being in her undies,
"I didn't know it would cause such a ruckus. I didn't feel exploited. She's very smart and she's very fit. Heaven forbid if she has it all."
Now I've written two stories about this. (Alice Eve's Underwear sets Internet on fire; The Power of Alice Eve's Underwear) And I've fought online with radical feminists and the political correct (PC) police. Get this? I'm a liberal who supports many ideas of the feminist agenda. Pay equity, right to choose, etc. Anyway, I say to the radical feminists and PC police, case closed. She did not feel exploited. Why don't you guys work on something worthwhile, like increasing the minimum wage.
"I didn't know it would cause such a ruckus. I didn't feel exploited. She's very smart and she's very fit. Heaven forbid if she has it all."
Now I've written two stories about this. (Alice Eve's Underwear sets Internet on fire; The Power of Alice Eve's Underwear) And I've fought online with radical feminists and the political correct (PC) police. Get this? I'm a liberal who supports many ideas of the feminist agenda. Pay equity, right to choose, etc. Anyway, I say to the radical feminists and PC police, case closed. She did not feel exploited. Why don't you guys work on something worthwhile, like increasing the minimum wage.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Stephen Colbert goes over President Obama's plan for transparency
Stephen Colbert goes over a group that will survey the country's surveillance programs. The guy who will pick the group's members? Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. The guy who lied to Congress about whether the NSA was collecting information on Americans. Funny stuff from Colbert.
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Stephen Colbert takes on fracking and gas companies use of money to gag victims
Here's Stephen Colbert's take on fracking and the gas companies attempts to gag victims of fracking with money. The problem arises when the companies try to gag children.
The Colbert Report
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Colbert on the Obama rodeo clown
You had to know Stephen Colbert would cover the rodeo clown wearing the Obama mask. Here's his funny piece.
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Saturday, August 17, 2013
John Oliver says goodbye to hosting "The Daily Show"
Thursday, John Oliver said goodbye to part-time hosting gig of hosting The Daily Show. He did take time to thank a gift from the comedy gods. Anthony Weiner. Here's his funny video, thanking everyone for a crazy summer.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Las Vegas Star Trek convention movie poll is meaningless
If you hang around Star Trek websites, posters have been talking about the Las Vegas convention Star Trek movie poll. The Trekkers voted the recent Star Trek Into Darkness as last of the franchise films. They even rated the non-Star Trek movie Galaxy Quest (1999) ahead of it. So before you J.J. Abrams fans cut your wrists, let me explain why this poll is absolutely meaningless.
First, let's go over the results.
13. 'Star Trek Into Darkness'
12. 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'
11. 'Star Trek Insurrection'
10. 'Star Trek Nemesis'
9. 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'
8. 'Star Trek Generations'
7. 'Galaxy Quest'
6. 'Star Trek'
5. 'Star Trek: The Search For Spock'
4. 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'
3. 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'
2. 'Star Trek: First Contact'
1. 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'
So does this mean that Star Trek Into Darkness is universally hated by Trekkers? Absolutely not. Here's why.
1. The Las Vegas poll was non-scientific.
The most accurate report on how the poll was taken is from David Faraci of Bad Ass Digest. Now if you read the story, he does not like Star Trek Into Darkness. More importantly the poll seems to be taken in forum at the convention. Note there are no numbers on the vote count. So were all the Trekkers at the convention polled or just the ones in the room? Faraci uses the number of one hundred. Here's the story. So there you have it. A majority of one hundred Star Trek fans hated Star Trek Into Darkness. It's not a poll of worldwide fans done by Public Policy Polling folks. And you can't take a Star Trek movie poll seriously when you have on the list Galaxy Quest.
2. The only poll that counts is the box office.
I think we can all agree that the people who went to see Star Trek Into Darkness were Trekkers. They may not be hardcore, they could have been light and medium type fans. Yeah, some who went to see the movie might have been new or not fans but most of the people that went to see it like Star Trek.
As of this article, Star Trek Into Darkness is the highest grossing movie of the franchise. Wikipedia. Those Trekkers didn't hate the movie because they came out and maybe saw the movie more than once. Case closed. The majority of Trekkers liked Star Trek Into Darkness. Folks, the Las Vegas Star Trek movie "poll" debunked.
UPDATE 8-19-2013:
Two reports about how the poll was done further debunks the Las Vegas Star Trek poll story. The official site for Star Trek seems to indicate that the poll was done applause style. "Much heated debate ensued. Insurrection elicited some cheers, prompting Hoffman to crack, "A lot of F. Murray Abraham fans in the house." Fans came to the microphone to plead for the placement on the list of their favorites... or least favorites." Then there was this comment to the Convention costume record at Trekmovie.com,
"Re: The poll – which seems to be the primary topic of conversation – it wasn’t a poll. I applaud Jordan Hoffman and the StarTrek.com group for engaging those who were able to make their OneTrekMind sessions in spirited discussions, but the attendees could not hope to represent the fan universe and there were no ballots; no counts. Jordan and crew offered up Galaxy Quest and while it was supported by the Okuda’s it did not originate from the group. The “scoring” was based on a Gong-show type assessment of the audio response to Jordan’s placements. Accuracy was subject to where Garyyou were seated in the room. Seated in the room, there was clearly a group that hated STID. A clear majority – I’m not so sure. So, great fun – yes! Meaningful at a level that merits the preceding discussion – no."
Gary Seven @ 92. http://trekmovie.com/2013/08/13/terry-farrell-helps-vegas-fans-recapture-world-record-for-most-star-trek-costumes/
So the Las Vegas Star Trek movie poll was done as an applause type poll. It was done in a forum with approximately one hundred Trekkers present I say shame on the news organizations that printed this as a story. Regardless, I can say with certainty the Las Vegas Star Trek poll story is debunked and the poll is meaningless.
First, let's go over the results.
13. 'Star Trek Into Darkness'
12. 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'
11. 'Star Trek Insurrection'
10. 'Star Trek Nemesis'
9. 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'
8. 'Star Trek Generations'
7. 'Galaxy Quest'
6. 'Star Trek'
5. 'Star Trek: The Search For Spock'
4. 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'
3. 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'
2. 'Star Trek: First Contact'
1. 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'
So does this mean that Star Trek Into Darkness is universally hated by Trekkers? Absolutely not. Here's why.
1. The Las Vegas poll was non-scientific.
The most accurate report on how the poll was taken is from David Faraci of Bad Ass Digest. Now if you read the story, he does not like Star Trek Into Darkness. More importantly the poll seems to be taken in forum at the convention. Note there are no numbers on the vote count. So were all the Trekkers at the convention polled or just the ones in the room? Faraci uses the number of one hundred. Here's the story. So there you have it. A majority of one hundred Star Trek fans hated Star Trek Into Darkness. It's not a poll of worldwide fans done by Public Policy Polling folks. And you can't take a Star Trek movie poll seriously when you have on the list Galaxy Quest.
2. The only poll that counts is the box office.
I think we can all agree that the people who went to see Star Trek Into Darkness were Trekkers. They may not be hardcore, they could have been light and medium type fans. Yeah, some who went to see the movie might have been new or not fans but most of the people that went to see it like Star Trek.
As of this article, Star Trek Into Darkness is the highest grossing movie of the franchise. Wikipedia. Those Trekkers didn't hate the movie because they came out and maybe saw the movie more than once. Case closed. The majority of Trekkers liked Star Trek Into Darkness. Folks, the Las Vegas Star Trek movie "poll" debunked.
UPDATE 8-19-2013:
Two reports about how the poll was done further debunks the Las Vegas Star Trek poll story. The official site for Star Trek seems to indicate that the poll was done applause style. "Much heated debate ensued. Insurrection elicited some cheers, prompting Hoffman to crack, "A lot of F. Murray Abraham fans in the house." Fans came to the microphone to plead for the placement on the list of their favorites... or least favorites." Then there was this comment to the Convention costume record at Trekmovie.com,
"Re: The poll – which seems to be the primary topic of conversation – it wasn’t a poll. I applaud Jordan Hoffman and the StarTrek.com group for engaging those who were able to make their OneTrekMind sessions in spirited discussions, but the attendees could not hope to represent the fan universe and there were no ballots; no counts. Jordan and crew offered up Galaxy Quest and while it was supported by the Okuda’s it did not originate from the group. The “scoring” was based on a Gong-show type assessment of the audio response to Jordan’s placements. Accuracy was subject to where Garyyou were seated in the room. Seated in the room, there was clearly a group that hated STID. A clear majority – I’m not so sure. So, great fun – yes! Meaningful at a level that merits the preceding discussion – no."
Gary Seven @ 92. http://trekmovie.com/2013/08/13/terry-farrell-helps-vegas-fans-recapture-world-record-for-most-star-trek-costumes/
So the Las Vegas Star Trek movie poll was done as an applause type poll. It was done in a forum with approximately one hundred Trekkers present I say shame on the news organizations that printed this as a story. Regardless, I can say with certainty the Las Vegas Star Trek poll story is debunked and the poll is meaningless.
The mess in Egypt
If you're wondering what is going on in Egypt, Rachel Maddow did an excellent summary of what happened and what is going on now. In short, the people of Egypt overthrew Hosni Mubarak. A few years later they elected Mohamed Morsi. Now before you get excited, he's a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. A group that wants to have an Islamic theocracy. Let's just put it this way, they don't believe in freedom of religion unless you're a Muslim. Anyway, the people complained of the crackdown on civil liberties by Morsi and he was overthrown by the military. Now Morsi's people are taking to the streets and the military is putting them down with loss of life. It's a a mess for us. Supporting the military would be to endorse a coup. What Egypt needs is a Bill of Rights. Here's Rachel's piece.
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Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The Daily Show takes on New York's Stop and Frisk policy
New York mayor Micheal Bloomberg has vowed to appeal a court's ruling striking down the city's Stop and Frisk policy. It's a policy that seems to be directed at poor and minorities as they are the ones usually frisked. Thank goodness for the Daily Show for some satire and a comment that maybe they should frisk Wall Street bankers for their criminal activity. Good comedy from host John Oliver and Jessica Williams.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Colbert on Sanjay Gupta's change over legalizing medicinal marijuana
Stephen Colbert looks at Dr. Sanjay Gupta's change of heart over medicinal marijuana. He was against legalization of medicinal marijuana. Check out how Colbert uses old Gupta video to show Gupta's munchies. Funny stuff.
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Saturday, August 10, 2013
American Warships review
It's Battleship vs. American Warships! (2012) I just watched American Warships on Netflix. Here's my review of the mockbuster.
In the Pacific, the American aircraft carrier Enterprise and her escorts are sunk by a mysterious stealth ship with advanced weaponry. Meanwhile in the vicinity is the battleship U.S.S, Iowa on her way to be decommissioned as a floating museum. Commanded by Captain Winston, (Mario Van Peeples)he's joined on board by historian Dr. Julia Flynn (Nikki McCauley) and intelligence officer Lt. Caroline Bradley. (Johanna Watts) Winston orders the Iowa to investigate. The stealth ship sends missiles into South Korea making the United States believe that it is coming from the North Korea. The stealth ship also attacks North Korea which leads its ally, China to accuse the United States of an attack. Okay. Got it folks? Somebody is trying to start World War III. Guess who? Dick Cheney. I kid. I keeeed the former Vice President and super neo-con. Big surprise, it's aliens. No, not the illegal ones from Mexico. The ones from outer space.
Look the big budget Battleship was one of the dumbest movies ever made. So I'm thinking that the low budget mockbuster has got to be dumber. And I was mildly surprised. Don't get me wrong. American Warships is not a good movie. The acting from the main characters is not bad. Great to see Carl Weathers again as a grim faced and worried General McKraken. But everybody else is putrid. The extras look and act like they got them off the street. Hey kid, wanna be in a movie? This problem is with the director and writer, Thunder Levin. Thunder Levin? Is that this guys real name?
Levin has an idea on how to direct. Seriously. He's got sweeping shots of jet fighters and navy ships. Did he use stock footage? And he knows how to build excitement in a movie. But he lets small things get in the way. There's a romance between Winston and Bradley that comes out of nowhere. Why? The movie's got an alien invasion. Making out during the middle of the battle is the definition of silly. It would be best to leave this romance out, maybe write her out of the script and save money for better special effects. Then the civilians who work on the ship happen to be sexy women. Look, if we're going to go there, just have a gratuitous sex scene. Then there is a meddling admiral aboard. Okay, was there a promise to an investor that he could star in the movie? The guy's not needed and bad to boot. It's the small things that sink this battleship.
As for the technical aspects. The CGI effects run from good to horrible. Jet fighters look pretty good. The alien ship looks good. The aliens look ludicrous. Okay, I appreciate that they are not humanoid. But they float around like a flying octopus. And they're badly rendered. And boy when the aliens fire their ray guns, does it look fake, especially with the fake alien explosions. Uniforms for extras look like they belong to employees at an auto shop. At least the musical score by Chris Ridenhour was good.
With a movie like this, one must look for dumb scenes for fun whether they're part of the story or part of the production. American Warships has a few. Navy SEALs blow an alien hatch with explosives and stand virtually next to the explosion. And what are Navy SEALs doing on the soon to be decomissioned Iowa? The aforementioned make out scene between Winston and Bradley. I mean he rescues her from a piece of debris and they're on the deck kissing during the middle of a sea battle! Best or should I say worse mistake. Crew members pick up debris from a destroyed alien drone. They clearly are standing on a wooden dock not a part of a battleship. My guess, is that since this was filmed on the U.S.S. North Carolina, that this scene was captured on a dock mooring the ship.
American Warships is just as bad as Battleship. Maybe that's a compliment. It's not boring but not very funny either. For that, we might have to look to Levin's screenplay for Sharknado. The grade is D.
In the Pacific, the American aircraft carrier Enterprise and her escorts are sunk by a mysterious stealth ship with advanced weaponry. Meanwhile in the vicinity is the battleship U.S.S, Iowa on her way to be decommissioned as a floating museum. Commanded by Captain Winston, (Mario Van Peeples)he's joined on board by historian Dr. Julia Flynn (Nikki McCauley) and intelligence officer Lt. Caroline Bradley. (Johanna Watts) Winston orders the Iowa to investigate. The stealth ship sends missiles into South Korea making the United States believe that it is coming from the North Korea. The stealth ship also attacks North Korea which leads its ally, China to accuse the United States of an attack. Okay. Got it folks? Somebody is trying to start World War III. Guess who? Dick Cheney. I kid. I keeeed the former Vice President and super neo-con. Big surprise, it's aliens. No, not the illegal ones from Mexico. The ones from outer space.
Look the big budget Battleship was one of the dumbest movies ever made. So I'm thinking that the low budget mockbuster has got to be dumber. And I was mildly surprised. Don't get me wrong. American Warships is not a good movie. The acting from the main characters is not bad. Great to see Carl Weathers again as a grim faced and worried General McKraken. But everybody else is putrid. The extras look and act like they got them off the street. Hey kid, wanna be in a movie? This problem is with the director and writer, Thunder Levin. Thunder Levin? Is that this guys real name?
Levin has an idea on how to direct. Seriously. He's got sweeping shots of jet fighters and navy ships. Did he use stock footage? And he knows how to build excitement in a movie. But he lets small things get in the way. There's a romance between Winston and Bradley that comes out of nowhere. Why? The movie's got an alien invasion. Making out during the middle of the battle is the definition of silly. It would be best to leave this romance out, maybe write her out of the script and save money for better special effects. Then the civilians who work on the ship happen to be sexy women. Look, if we're going to go there, just have a gratuitous sex scene. Then there is a meddling admiral aboard. Okay, was there a promise to an investor that he could star in the movie? The guy's not needed and bad to boot. It's the small things that sink this battleship.
As for the technical aspects. The CGI effects run from good to horrible. Jet fighters look pretty good. The alien ship looks good. The aliens look ludicrous. Okay, I appreciate that they are not humanoid. But they float around like a flying octopus. And they're badly rendered. And boy when the aliens fire their ray guns, does it look fake, especially with the fake alien explosions. Uniforms for extras look like they belong to employees at an auto shop. At least the musical score by Chris Ridenhour was good.
With a movie like this, one must look for dumb scenes for fun whether they're part of the story or part of the production. American Warships has a few. Navy SEALs blow an alien hatch with explosives and stand virtually next to the explosion. And what are Navy SEALs doing on the soon to be decomissioned Iowa? The aforementioned make out scene between Winston and Bradley. I mean he rescues her from a piece of debris and they're on the deck kissing during the middle of a sea battle! Best or should I say worse mistake. Crew members pick up debris from a destroyed alien drone. They clearly are standing on a wooden dock not a part of a battleship. My guess, is that since this was filmed on the U.S.S. North Carolina, that this scene was captured on a dock mooring the ship.
American Warships is just as bad as Battleship. Maybe that's a compliment. It's not boring but not very funny either. For that, we might have to look to Levin's screenplay for Sharknado. The grade is D.
Elysium review
Director and writer Neil Blomkamp's first movie District 9 (2009) was a science fiction tale with a contemporary message on race. It was a critical success and was nominated for the Academy Awards' Best Picture. District 9 was also a huge financial success. When Blomkamp talks, the Hollywood suits are going to listen. So, his follow up to District 9 is Elysium.
Elysium takes place in 2154. The rich or Mitt Romney's people have fled earth and live on a gigantic space station called Elysium. The rest of humanity live on the overpopulated, heavily polluted earth and speak Spanish. These are the poor or the 47 percent who won't vote for Romney. I kid Mitt Romney. Anyway the rich live like kings, speak French and oh yeah, have futuristic health care courtesy of a medical pod that can heal major illnesses, and injuries. I'm talking about things like cancer and having your face blown off by a grenade. These medical pods only work for the citizens of Elysium. So the rest of humanity is on the Republican health plan which is to die quickly. Okay, that's from Rep. Alan Grayson. (D-Fla.) Link. I kid the Republicans. Now, the unwashed masses want to get to Elysium to use the medical pods. But Secretary of Defense Delacourt (Jodie Foster) won't let that happen. Foster is fascistic and cold. The illegal immigrants are rounded up when they land to Elysism. Delecourt even uses lethal force with a stealth assassin named Kruger. (Sharlto Copley) She orders him to shoot them down. One thing about Kruger. He's seriously mentally ill. Read that to mean he's crazy. Copley's portrayal borders on comedy.
Matt Damon plays Max. From flashbacks, we find out that as a child he has a dream to go to Elysium. The nuns tell him that he will do something great. So he writes and stars in a movie with Ben Affleck and wins an Oscar. Okay, that last part isn't in the plot. Max is a ex-felon, working man who builds robots. You see robots in the future will be cops, medics and parole officers that can detect sarcasm. Also from the flashbacks, we find out that he has a childhood love named Frey. As an adult she's played by Alice Braga. She's a nurse and has a daughter who is dying of leukemia. Both do an excellent job of portraying two poor people trying to make ends meet.
One day at the robot factory, Max is involved in an accident. He's exposed to lethal radiation and has five days to live. His only chance is to get to Elysium. He makes a deal with an underworld criminal. Hack the brain of a brain of Max's boss to steal his secrets. The data would be stored in Max's brain. Oh, yeah they'll put an exoskeleton on Max so he can do cool super human things like rip the heads off robots. Problems arise for the people of Elysium when it's realized that Max's boss has codes that will rewrite society. Delacourt also wants those codes so she can take over Elysium.
If you don't get the metaphors in Elysium, you've been living under a rock or in Canada. Yep, the medical treatment on Elysium, is a metaphor about health care. Those that can afford it and those that can't. Scenes of illegal immigrants hoping out of ships on Elysium is commentary about illegal immigration. And the rich living on a huge space station is akin to the rich living in a gated communities separated from the poor. That's about wealth disparity. I appreciate the ideas but it's a little heavy handed.
But there are major problems with Elysium. A science fiction movie has got to be logical. The first thing that bothered me was if it's virtually impossible to die on Elysium wouldn't they have a population problem? And if things are so bad on earth, why was it overpopulated? I mean all the sick people would die. There are a number of flashbacks to Max's childhood. These sap the movie's dramatic drive. Finally, the character of Kruger nearly brings down the whole movie. First, Copley plays him with a heavy South African accent. When he says a word that sounds like "wahf" and it takes you a couple of seconds to realize he said "wife", then you've got major communication problems with the audience. Then using an insane guy as an assassin that's out of control makes no sense. Kruger engages in a fight with Max on a transport is just illogical. I mean why risk killing Max when he's got that important information in this brain? When Kruger snaps in the last third of the movie, you ask yourself, "Where are the robot cops?" And why does Kruger want to take over Elysium?
Thankfully, Blomkamp knows how to direct a film. He's got a great sense of visuals. On the surface of the planet, there are slums. Above, the earth is a beautiful blue. Elysium reminds me of The Citadel in the video game Mass Effect. Clean. Civilized. Ships look like they really exist. One can thank the legendary artist Syd Mead (Blade Runner, Aliens, Star Trek: The Motion Picture) for some of the design of the movie. Blomkamp generally handles the action scenes well. But he's like many modern directors. The editor has too much control here. Some of the battles are confusing. There are times you can't tell what's happening.
Elysium is a good film not a great one. It's got major problems in the area of the character of Kruger. The grade is B.
Congressman Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) highlights the Republican health care plan and the model for the future of earth and Elysium.
Elysium takes place in 2154. The rich or Mitt Romney's people have fled earth and live on a gigantic space station called Elysium. The rest of humanity live on the overpopulated, heavily polluted earth and speak Spanish. These are the poor or the 47 percent who won't vote for Romney. I kid Mitt Romney. Anyway the rich live like kings, speak French and oh yeah, have futuristic health care courtesy of a medical pod that can heal major illnesses, and injuries. I'm talking about things like cancer and having your face blown off by a grenade. These medical pods only work for the citizens of Elysium. So the rest of humanity is on the Republican health plan which is to die quickly. Okay, that's from Rep. Alan Grayson. (D-Fla.) Link. I kid the Republicans. Now, the unwashed masses want to get to Elysium to use the medical pods. But Secretary of Defense Delacourt (Jodie Foster) won't let that happen. Foster is fascistic and cold. The illegal immigrants are rounded up when they land to Elysism. Delecourt even uses lethal force with a stealth assassin named Kruger. (Sharlto Copley) She orders him to shoot them down. One thing about Kruger. He's seriously mentally ill. Read that to mean he's crazy. Copley's portrayal borders on comedy.
Matt Damon plays Max. From flashbacks, we find out that as a child he has a dream to go to Elysium. The nuns tell him that he will do something great. So he writes and stars in a movie with Ben Affleck and wins an Oscar. Okay, that last part isn't in the plot. Max is a ex-felon, working man who builds robots. You see robots in the future will be cops, medics and parole officers that can detect sarcasm. Also from the flashbacks, we find out that he has a childhood love named Frey. As an adult she's played by Alice Braga. She's a nurse and has a daughter who is dying of leukemia. Both do an excellent job of portraying two poor people trying to make ends meet.
One day at the robot factory, Max is involved in an accident. He's exposed to lethal radiation and has five days to live. His only chance is to get to Elysium. He makes a deal with an underworld criminal. Hack the brain of a brain of Max's boss to steal his secrets. The data would be stored in Max's brain. Oh, yeah they'll put an exoskeleton on Max so he can do cool super human things like rip the heads off robots. Problems arise for the people of Elysium when it's realized that Max's boss has codes that will rewrite society. Delacourt also wants those codes so she can take over Elysium.
If you don't get the metaphors in Elysium, you've been living under a rock or in Canada. Yep, the medical treatment on Elysium, is a metaphor about health care. Those that can afford it and those that can't. Scenes of illegal immigrants hoping out of ships on Elysium is commentary about illegal immigration. And the rich living on a huge space station is akin to the rich living in a gated communities separated from the poor. That's about wealth disparity. I appreciate the ideas but it's a little heavy handed.
But there are major problems with Elysium. A science fiction movie has got to be logical. The first thing that bothered me was if it's virtually impossible to die on Elysium wouldn't they have a population problem? And if things are so bad on earth, why was it overpopulated? I mean all the sick people would die. There are a number of flashbacks to Max's childhood. These sap the movie's dramatic drive. Finally, the character of Kruger nearly brings down the whole movie. First, Copley plays him with a heavy South African accent. When he says a word that sounds like "wahf" and it takes you a couple of seconds to realize he said "wife", then you've got major communication problems with the audience. Then using an insane guy as an assassin that's out of control makes no sense. Kruger engages in a fight with Max on a transport is just illogical. I mean why risk killing Max when he's got that important information in this brain? When Kruger snaps in the last third of the movie, you ask yourself, "Where are the robot cops?" And why does Kruger want to take over Elysium?
Thankfully, Blomkamp knows how to direct a film. He's got a great sense of visuals. On the surface of the planet, there are slums. Above, the earth is a beautiful blue. Elysium reminds me of The Citadel in the video game Mass Effect. Clean. Civilized. Ships look like they really exist. One can thank the legendary artist Syd Mead (Blade Runner, Aliens, Star Trek: The Motion Picture) for some of the design of the movie. Blomkamp generally handles the action scenes well. But he's like many modern directors. The editor has too much control here. Some of the battles are confusing. There are times you can't tell what's happening.
Elysium is a good film not a great one. It's got major problems in the area of the character of Kruger. The grade is B.
Congressman Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) highlights the Republican health care plan and the model for the future of earth and Elysium.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Stephen Colbert and celebrities "Get Lucky"
On Tuesday, Stephen Colbert unveiled this video with him dancing to Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." It came about because VH1 took his music act Daft Punk from appearing on his show. Anyway, he gets previous celebrity guests to do very funny cameos. It's all reminiscent of Saturday Night Live's skit of the Roxbury Guys grooving to "What is Love?" Check his hilarious piece below.
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Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Viacom's list of naughty terms that are approved for basic cable use
Stephen Colbert is reporting that the four broadcast networks, CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox want the FCC to loosen restrictions on content that they can broadcast. You see they're losing out to basic cable which can broadcast edgy material. Oh by the way, we're basically talking about sex. Well, Colbert with the help of actor Hugh Laurie go over the naughty words that broadcast company Viacom approves for basic cable. Hilarious stuff.
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Stephen Colbert takes on A-Rod's doping scandal and combat juggling
Here's Stephen Colbert's Sports Report. He takes on the A-bomb dropped on A-Rod by major league baseball for the most recent doping scandal. Later. he takes on the sport of combat juggling.
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Stephen Colbert on the useless terror alert
Okay for the last week, we've been on a high terror alert. When? Where? How? We don't know. And that means what kind of precautions do we take? Here's Stephen Colbert with a very funny piece on the new terror alerts.
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The 2016 Republican Presidential circus is here
It's only 2013, and people are lining up to run for President. I love talking about the Republicans because they're usually funny. Michele Bachmann. Rick Santorum. Crazy, crazy Herman Cain. Tea Party darling Ted Cruz. Hold on. He wasn't born in the United States. Hey you birthers, what about Cruz? Oh yeah, he's white. And finally the hope for great comedy in 2016, Donald Trump. Here's The Daily Show's funny piece.
Wild trailer for Machete Kills
When I reviewed the first Machete (2010), I thought the announcement of sequels called Machete Kills and Machete Kills Again were joke names for sequels. Well, Director Robert Rodriquez liked the joke names so much he's named the upcoming Machete sequel, Machete Kills.
Just saw the latest trailer for Machete Kills. And WTF?!!! Charlie Sheen aka Carlos Estevez plays the President of the United States who obviously likes um... three ways and I'm not talking about Skyline chili. Amber Heard is the beauty queen spy handler. Danny Trejo is back as the title hero. He's the one with a face that's so scarred it looks like the surface of the moon. But wait there's more. Sofia Vergara has a huge armored bra that fires bullets. There's Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and Michele Rodriguez. Antonio Banderas. Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga?! And for good measure, add Mel Gibson. I hope he gets his comeuppance for all those racial rants. All we need for this movie is Carlos Danger aka Anthony Weiner. Anyway, here's that wild trailer that I was talking about.
Just saw the latest trailer for Machete Kills. And WTF?!!! Charlie Sheen aka Carlos Estevez plays the President of the United States who obviously likes um... three ways and I'm not talking about Skyline chili. Amber Heard is the beauty queen spy handler. Danny Trejo is back as the title hero. He's the one with a face that's so scarred it looks like the surface of the moon. But wait there's more. Sofia Vergara has a huge armored bra that fires bullets. There's Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and Michele Rodriguez. Antonio Banderas. Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga?! And for good measure, add Mel Gibson. I hope he gets his comeuppance for all those racial rants. All we need for this movie is Carlos Danger aka Anthony Weiner. Anyway, here's that wild trailer that I was talking about.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Stephen Colbert takes on stripper bears
It's time for Stephen Colbert's latest Threat Down. In this hilarious piece he covers erotic fiction loving terrorist and his favorite threat, bears. This time the bears like to rub against trees. So Colbert puts stripper music to the video for comedy gold. Check it out.
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Bill Maher: Rich liberals must throw their money at politicians
Bill Maher on his last New Rule wants rich liberals to put their money where their mouths are. He wants them to make political contributions to support liberal politicians and their Super PACs. Amen. Check out his funny piece here, courtesy of HBO and Mediaite.
Stephen Colbert's Oppressed White Male Alert
Stephen Colbert gets an Oppressed White Male Alert on his show. The oppressed white male? It's Democrat and San Diego mayor Bob Fillner. Here's Stephen Colbert to give us the lowdown on this alert.
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The Colbert Report
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The 2016 Presidential race has begun
It's only 2013 and the 2016 Presidential race has begun. You've got Chris Christie and Rand Paul feuding. Now you've got the mysterious visit by Hillary Clinton to President Obama causing rumors. Thank God for The Daily Show to make sense of it.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
I'll give Dads a chance
Fox is coming out with Dads. I'ts a sitcom created by Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. It's co-produced by Seth MacFarlane. If those names don't sound familiar, they brought you the riotous movie comedy Ted. (2012) But Dads comes with some baggage as critics have savaged the pilot for racism when it comes to Asians.
I'm an Asian American male. Having dealt with racism my whole life, I can detect racism versus satire. Stephen Colbert can make funny Asian jokes but he does if from a view that is not trying to stereotype. He tries to make fun of racism. Archie Bunker in All in the Family played a prejudiced buffoon but the point was not to support his ignorance but to learn about how some white males treat minorities. If Dads is there to support some white male prejudicial stereotype about Asians then it's racist. If it pokes fun at Asians, but is not some type of system to support white male superiority then that's okay. If it makes fun of prejudice then even better. That's satire. I liked Ted so I'll give Dads a chace. Besides MacFarlane is a Trekker like myself.
Trailer for Dads.
I'm an Asian American male. Having dealt with racism my whole life, I can detect racism versus satire. Stephen Colbert can make funny Asian jokes but he does if from a view that is not trying to stereotype. He tries to make fun of racism. Archie Bunker in All in the Family played a prejudiced buffoon but the point was not to support his ignorance but to learn about how some white males treat minorities. If Dads is there to support some white male prejudicial stereotype about Asians then it's racist. If it pokes fun at Asians, but is not some type of system to support white male superiority then that's okay. If it makes fun of prejudice then even better. That's satire. I liked Ted so I'll give Dads a chace. Besides MacFarlane is a Trekker like myself.
Trailer for Dads.
Stephen Colbert on shorter games for shorter attention spans
I rant about Hollywood catering to teenagers and their short attention spans. Well, here's more proof of that in regards to another entertainment industry, board games. Manufacturers have been releasing shorter version of board games such as Monopoly. How do they do that? Well, for Monopoly, they got rid of the Go to Jail spot. And as Stephen Colbert points out in this funny piece, it's kind of realistic if one looks at Wall Street.
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Stephen Colbert on the feud between Republicans Rand Paul and Chris Christie
Two Republicans who are probably going to run for President, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) and New Jersey governor Chris Christie have been feuding lately. This nasty fight is turning personal. And it's great comic fodder for Stephen Colbert.
The Colbert Report
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The Daily Show mocks right-wing Kentuckians
It doesn't take much to mock right-wingers. Just film them discussing their illogical and ignorant views. The Daily Show did a piece on Kentucky state law makers and their attempt to "nullify" Federal laws they don't like. By the way, it's patently illegal to do so. Something about the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. In brilliant satire, The Daily Show demonstrates what happens when states and individuals decide to disobey laws. Don't these Kentucky law makers realize they look like idiotic yahoos to the rest of the country?
The Daily Show takes on another big Weiner story
Hey, The Daily Show and I can be fair and balanced. So, when two Democrats get in trouble and it's funny, expect us to comment on it. New York City mayoral candidate and former disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner has been making news. First, he won't drop out for the recent disclosure that he was sexting last year. This coming after he was driven from office in 2011 for the same thing. Weiner has stiffen his resistance. Then his communications director had some unflattering things to say about an intern. Then there's San Diego mayor Bob Filner whose being accused of all kinds of sexual harassment. Thank God for The Daily Show and John Oliver for making some sense of it in a funny way.
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