simply wow.

I know there are differences between this and the origional, but the idea is interesting in and of itself… like one comment said, the notes are flat. which makes sense because wind instruments are played with blowing and there is a computer regulating the air which would make the air very accurate… inhumanely accurate… so ..

just thought you may enjoy this… and the fact that our robot overlords will be taking us over soon.

P.S. this is a quote from Engadget. Famous forum quote that is brought up everytime a movie of a robot doing something very human like appears on the web.

P.S.S. I need to start working out. Mary has complemented me several times at looking cute these last few days, but i need to shed a few pounds before the robots come in and take over, they need healthy strong slaves. So i need to get a few weights… maybe some wii weights to make working out a more virtual obsession.

and yet I’m still not exactly hopeful as to long term conclusions that can be reached. I suppose I’m cautious. The article isn’t entirely optimistic regarding North Korea’s changes, but I guess progress must be demonstrated in some way.

I like this article.

The question of course is whether Libby lied on the stand. Woodward’s unfortunate testimony is to support the fact that Libby didn’t leak Plame’s information, that in fact the then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage informed Woodward of Plame’s identity. I’m a bit dissappointed about this, becuase Woodward is one of my favorite characters. I like what he has done for the country in terms of journalistic integrety, and I appretiate the fact that he has been equated to what a journalist should be.

It is odd to see him testifying about a leak in the administration in reference to supporting the a white house official. Makes me feel wierd, but then again he would have been subpoenaed no matter what to testify.

Let me begin this semi-professional review with a discourse on reviewing etiquette. If you don’t like political dramas, then by all means do not review movies like “The Last King of Scotland” and “Syrian”. The material can’t compare cross-genre. It is my feelings that force me to confront my own personal biases when reviewing movies like Pan’s Labyrinth.

I hate horror. I have despised the genre from the beginning. I am a firm believer in the idea: “Just because technology gives us the tools to demonstrate things of a egregious violent nature, does not mean we should indulge in their uses.” Let me begin by listing what I believe to be the major flaws with the film,

A:) The movie was exceptionally blatant as to its plot progression. This isn’t a horrible flaw. In fact it is a flaw that most fairy tales suffer from. You know what is going to happen in the story far before it actually occurs. For individuals like me, it gives you a massive power to know when exactly you should avert your gaze. I think this has to do with the fundamental plot points that must happen to maintain fairy tale status. You must have points A, B, C, an D in order to have a plane, and so you must have a standard plot progression to have a fairy tale: usually originating from the real and moving to the super-natural/fantastic.

B:) Visual Assault. I read several reviews before watching the film, and to be honest this feature was one of the major reasons I’ve put off watching the film. There are a lot of scenes that made me so uncomfortable as to want to stop watching the film. I endured through the film, but it was tough. Of course everyone has their own definitions of what thresholds exist as for violent content and gore.

C:) Mary pointed this out, the translations we saw were slightly eschewed and made me wonder how the original language interpretation differed from the story. You see even the title invokes a possible perception alteration. I know a lot about Pan and how the image of Pan has been distorted during the Christian “indoctrination” and “re-definition” of religious artifacts. minor primer: Pan was not evil originally and in fact a lot of the negative interpretations to his character was adopted to give the religions that used Pan as a figure would be discredited as worshipers of a false (evil) religion. This led me to automatically distrust the Satyr/Faun. Which wasn’t necessarily wrong in retrospect, but could have given a very distorted view of the story. I also would like to interpret the “ending” of the movie in terms of Christian stories. The father looks very god like on a beacon in the center, whereas the mother has the suckling babe in her arms which is exceptionally iconic of the Virgin Mary to his left. And where is Christ’s seat? at the right hand of god. at least Christ was female in this story.

Ok so the above points are not all necessarily negative. The movie is gorgeous by far, and the acting is as dead on and passionate as I could ever expect. There were no suspension of disbelief issues, and the story itself was very beautifully written. I certainly don’t regret seeing the movie, I just have my own personal issues with the film as a whole.

I always have problems rating movies like these because i tend to give them more credit then they should possibly get because their subject matter is so incredibly relavent to our culture. Let me begin by saying that the movie was not as disturbing as I thought it would be. They case a light on Amin (dictator, played by Forest Whitaker) that gives him a very human and very real personality. His character is defined in such a way as to give an understanding behind his actions that I find difficult to contradict.

In fact that is the biggest success of the movie, defining the situation in such a way as to make the horror seem secondary. I think the main character (played by Nicholas Garrigan) was written and played very well. The character was necessary for the story to be told as it was told. You see that is the beauty I have been hinting at. Without ruining the movie, i guess i can simply say that the situation is constructed in such a way as to teach everyone about the Ugandan situation. Like father, like son. As Britain, so America.

Here we go. This is what I want to see. Could this blow up in the administration’s face? I’d love to find out Bush mechanistically puppeteered (sp? word?) this entire facade from the top. Its not going to happen, but it would be nice if they at least got Cheney on the stand and he testifies that “We do what we do to keep you safe…. you want us in the oval office… you need us in that oval office… You sleep better at night knowing men like me have.” Perhaps he will even throw in a “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”

SO!

Libby lied under oath… that put a young woman’s life in danger… in protection of a war… that is still going on… and is still unfounded as it was when the war began. I love it. I only wish the government would begin investigation proceedings for potential impeachment. I wish Libby would confess that “It isn’t my fault, I did what I was told to do.”… I just wish that the war would be Bush’s Monica Lewinski. I forgot that Clinton got impeached. He was officially impeached.

Only after he was successfully impeached, was he acquitted.

I’m so confused as to what the president’s job is. Protect and serve the populace in honesty and clarity of action, or maintain fidelity to his/her wife/husband. It has been said before a million times, I am more afraid of a person who lies at his job then a man who lies about his personal life.

I have a lot of stuff I need to do this weekend. My list of movies that i must watch has gotten longer. I’ve not seen a good movie in such a long time. Let me catalogue the movies i plan on possibly watching this weekend: (you can never strap me down to a locked in date)

1) Last King of Scotland. (I know I know, I’ve been preaching about this movie for a long time and how I need to see it. I will watch it soon.) 8/10 see later entry.
2) Pan’s Labyrinth (self-explained) 6.5/10 see later entry.
3) The Illusionist (I’ve been on the fence about this. Even if the script is bad (which I heard it may be) can Edward Norton be bad? I think not.)
4) The U.S. Vs John Lennon…. This may be on hold.
5) The Good German
6) The Painted Vale
7) The Death of Mister Lazarescu

there are more but I can’t remember them and they are currently at home SO!. I must stop.

I resurrected my past over the week. It was a gruesome process that cost me 87 dollars. I purchased a game I’ve not played for a long time, and that I had thought was lost to me due to the hurricane. Recently I learned that the discs for the game survived, but the case and manuals have been chucked (as they should have since they probably reeked of swamp sweat.)

All the same the reason for this recent project in necromancy is a direct result of the last few weeks or so. For Christmas I got FFXII, which I have to say is one of the most engaging and theatrical presentations for the final fantasy series. Meanwhile i’ve been playing FFXII and Mary has been watching me play the game and perform various other tasks*. I’ve always been enthralled with Final Fantasy Titles. The series is one of the few that makes engaging story telling linked directly with contextual game play. They are challenging and are also engaging and enjoyable.

So in my deluded vision of the present, I decided to purchase Final Fantasy V, VI, and VII. I may post a later post about my love of each game in its entirety, but that could very well alienate a large portion of my readership. Which includes maybe two or three people total? Is that even considered a readership? more like reader(s). 😉

P.S. Love note to Mary: FFV and VI are 2 player………. woot woot woot….

*Other tasks include: baking cookies and running the tv when a FMV sequence begins (rare, perhaps twice she did this), Knitting (recently given up on), Reading (!!! More about this later, she is reading a book I’ve been trying to get her to read for a long time.), watching and cuddling (very big enjoyment factor), laughing and joking about the characters on the screen (we both do that. Vaan is soooooooo Gay, not to mention ignorant. Not that there is anything wrong with the first part, but he should just come out and say it. On the other hand, the second part should be avoided), etc.

I so want to play a game like this.

And the chinese language is just the language i’d love to pick up. Because then i could have a gateway drug into that whole side of the world. And perhaps learning a language wouldn’t be such a pain in the arse.

Pictures of our newly upgraded apartment 2.0.

with a nice hdtv television and a wii

the wii is hidden under papers.

 this is the infamous television and clutter

more television and an attempt at interior decorating. Mary did well eh?

right of the television: cds, kitchenware, books, boardgames, dining.

left of thetelevision: exit, urban traffic, gangsta wannabees.

but this is the television.

mary’s stereo… and records.. nicely decorating the wall.

mary’s monkey’s. Beautifully carved from Kenya via a little store in Lafayette.

hell hath no furry like a kitty scorned.

All in all i think the room turned out very well.

did i mention the television?

only cost me and mary 400 bucks also. I’m proud of that fact.

Probably the last tv i buy for a long long time.

Dad: “did you get cable yet?”

Me: “No”

Dad: “when you gonna get cable? why have a tv and no cable?”

Me: “Never.”

Dad: “thats a shame.”

Me: “I watch movies on it and it has a beautiful picture for films, and not to mention i play games on it. It isn’t like the tv is just there unplugged.”

Dad: “I guess…”

I’m an idiot.

This is what i should have linked from the begining.

now that just makes me… cry.

A comic i can usually give or take has this really great strip.

punchline, “Jesus has come back and He’s a phone now.”

Its a funny line. Ok i need to start saving money for this 900$ behemoth. not to mention i need to start selling my body on the street aparently.. or at least my soul. Maybe a lawfirm will pay a lot for me to shat out my ideals.