Box Office Quotes

Well, Hero has managed to snag the top place but really, that should have been expected. When your main competition is a sequel to a bad creature movie and a teen comedy's third week... well, you can do the math. The other story here is how Suspect Zero scored only 100k more than Baby Geniuses 2 is fairly telling of how good Suspect Zero probably is. I'm sure Paramount is very pleased with this turnout.

1. HERO $17,802,000 $17,802,000
2. ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID
$13,200,000 $13,200,000
3. WITHOUT A PADDLE $8,700,000 $27,857,000
4. THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT
$8,068,000 $75,050,000
5. EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING $6,735,000 $30,821,000
6. COLLATERAL $6,300,000 $79,988,000
7. OPEN WATER $5,000,000 $23,502,000
8. ALIEN VS. PREDATOR $4,800,000 $72,065,000
9. THE BOURNE SUPREMACY $4,605,000 $157,708,000
10. SUSPECT ZERO $3,400,000 $3,400,000
11. SUPER BABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2 $3,300,000 $3,300,000
12. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE $2,830,000 $59,003,000

The Killers Concert

Yes, I have a spare ticket for the Killers concert this Friday. Whoever contacts me first (and pays for it of course) is more than welcome to join me... or kick me to the curb and take my other ticket and go without me. Either or...

(Waits by phone patiently...)

First Listen: Jimmy Eat World - Futures

You can tell in less than 1 minute that J.E.W. has dug deep and delivered an edgier yet more polished follow up to their Bleed American album. Futures rocks in the purest form of the term. The ballads are more soaring, the emotions more barred, and the anthems demand you stand and raise a flag in response.

I have only listened to the album 4 times so far all the way through. It remains to be seen if it becomes overplayed to me in the same way Bleed was, but even so, the songs have a more refined quality to them that gives me the impression that I will want to come back to them again in time.

The CD opens with the guaranteed hit, Futures. Catchier and more riffy than Bleed American, this song has Top 40 radio written all over it. What I love about it is how the chorus doesn't just go balls to the wall rock as many do these days, instead, songwritting skills were shown and it gets more powerful by rising above the rock... and its an awesome view from up there.

The next track, Just Tonight..., has a chorus that brings to mind Pearl Jam's Jeremy. The "whoo whoo whoo whoo" in the background is all that is really similar, but for some reason that's the song that comes to mind. Definately a higher tempo on this one mind you.

The CD then veers from edgy rock to poppier songs that call to mind their 50/60's rockers from Bleed, yet these are hardly as "pop"ish... They have alot more edge but are still Z friendly. I think it's a good mix.

In the end, I give this album a solid recommendation. Definately worth a listen.

The Dawn of Fall

Did anyone else feel summer crawl away into a dark hole this week? Something about this time of year makes me feel that warm tingly feeling like you are sitting next to a fire with a nice warm blanket and a big bowl of popcorn while the TV is playing your favorite show. Even better (tho never experienced this for myself yet), you share this cuddly moment with your special someone. Sigh. Such is the wonder of the dawn of fall. This is totally my favorite time of year... just wish it didn't coincide with the return to school.

Hope you all enjoyed your summers.

Review: Hero

I just got back from seeing Hero at Metrotown. I have to say that all comparisons to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are very apt when you look at the action sequences. The only difference there is the lack of blood in Hero. There are very few shots of any red substance (not that there was much in CTHD either mind you.)

What is different is the story and how it is presented. I now fully understand why Quinten Tarintino paid the money to bring this movie over. The film takes a twist on his disjointed time-line style of film-making. I can't say much more without giving away some of the movies twists, but just know that the trailer for the film is very misleading. It is far from a conventional revenge tale.

The action sequences are spectacular and the cinematography throughout the film is flat-out stunning. The use of colors and natural surroundings puts most films to shame. One standout scene takes place in a small grove where one character uses wind to blow leaves into her attacker's path. A simple concept but it is executed with such grace that it is a treat to behold.

The overall effect of this movie was positive although I found the movie's overall message somewhat disturbing. I left wondering if people would draw connections from the film to current events as a way of justifying certain things. (Again, details withheld to prevent spoilers)

Linking to the world

Hey folks, I did some tinkering and have got a few new tricks up my sleeves. If you want to get a link put to your website or blog from here, add a comment to this thread and I'll see what I can do.

I will be tinkering a fair bit over the next week or two since I'm basically spinning my wheels at work lately. If the site blows up, that's why.

Not again...

American Pie 4 is currently going through pre-production. The rumour mill has been cycling for the last few days but now a report from a potential cast member has been posted online. The story will focus on Stiffler's younger brother. Older Stiffler has hit it big with producing Girls Gone Wild videos. Young Stiffler decides to follow in his brother's footsteps and decides to go to Band Camp to film "Bandies Gone Wild." Hilarity ensues...

Sigh. We call this milking the money cow.

Blog Envy

I got a post from Dave from the UK. I went to his blog and dag nabit, he's got COOLER TOYS on his site! I have now entered the 2nd phase of blog-fanboy living... blog envy. Everyone else's blog is cooler than mine. I also am feeling shame for using Blogger since it is apparently a noob-only blogging tool. Sigh. It's like I was born on a Mac and thought it was great while others were being raised on PCs... (should get some good flames on that post!)

Anyhoo, if anyone knows of better blog-hosting or upgrades/tricks to bring this blog up to speed... please let me know!

ps- Dave, cool blog. I'd add a link to it on here but I don't know how! Email me and let me know how you did that... please... I need to be more uber-nerdish.

Why Kerry Won't Make A Difference

It is the hope of all Democrats in America that GWB will get voted out of office and John Kerry will become the next President of the United States. Sure, this is probably a good thing. Well, no, it IS a good thing. The world does not need another four years of policy directed by close-minded right wing ideology. But will Kerry be able to bring the "war on terror" to a halt without looking like a coward?

Think about it. Kerry gets elected. Military brass say, "We need to deal with Iran now. Let's bomb them." Kerry asks, "Why?" MB says, "Cuase they are bad. We are good. Do it now." Kerry, "No. That's stupid. We should try to use diplomacy first and war as a last resort." MB, "Pansy." That night CNN and FOX will both air "Terror Alerts" on how Iran is a threat and that Kerry is ignoring it.

Once this happens, you can bet that every republican pundit will be out in force demanding that Kerry start "acting like a president." Actual news will be overlooked and Iran will become the next "big threat." Then comes the true test of Kerry's character. If he is like most democrats, he will cave and bomb the hell out of Iran. (ie: Clinton bombing Sudan and Yugoslavia... woot)

But on the other hand, he could rise up against the powers that be and say no to the plan. Then two things could happen. 1) Four years comes around and he's gone and we are back where we started. 2) The Military Brass goes JFK on him.

It should be apparent that the only way to effect change in the system is not through a simple replacement of leader, but through complete regime change. ;-) Here's a good list on how to do that...

1. Remove FOX news from the airwaves
2. Require equal time for representatives of both parties on national news
3. Extend debate past political party lines. (ie: invite fringe parties and independants into debates)
4. Educate the public with facts instead of simple editorial commentaries.

Will this work? Probably not. Meh. Worth a shot...

Which OS are you?

I just took a short quiz over at BBspot.com. Apparently, if I was an operating system, I would be OS X. Sure I'm a little peeved I'm a MAC OS, but at least I'm not Windows ME. To post your results, just copy the little text box of output they give and paste it into the Edit HTML window in the posting window. Click the compose tab to make sure it works.


Which OS are You?

Review: Collateral

Michael Mann has always managed to win me over in his films by his style of storytelling alone. Collateral is no exception. The story begins with a slow simmer and some of the most extraordinary cinematography I have seen of a city in a long time. Huge wide-angle shots of sky-scrapers with the taxi in the foreground in the corner. Aerial shots of city streets viewed from high above. This expansive view creates the sense of insignificance that is built upon later in the film.

Jamie Fox is set to launch his career as a certified marquee player this year. This role alone would have possibly done it, but later this year he will show up again in Ray. Oscar talk regarding Ray will be of little surprise in my opinion based on what I've seen from the trailer. This guy is on fire.

Tom Cruise drops the good guy shtick and shows up as a hitman with a busy night ahead of him. Drapped in a gray suit, Cruise's character is later found to be similar of a lone wolf crossing the street later in the film. The predator nature of Vincent then seems to really become clear.

The film doesn't dabble long in the area of plot development, although it does more than it needed to. I walked out with a solid thumbs up and feeling satisfied with the conclusion of the film. I was hoping that the film would avoid the common "coincidence" plot line that plagues most semi-realistic films, but even so, this film did it in a way that one could simply say, "I guess that makes sense..." The one saving grace is that for once, you really aren't sure which way the movie is going to end until it does leaving you with a sense of actually being entertained rather than simply waiting for the enevitable.

Still looking for a foothold, but I did find something

I would like to report that I may not have found the "answers" to my questions, but this last weekend showed me the other side of the coin I had been dismissing up to this point.

In a search for a rational truth, intellectuals dismiss all things that cannot be properly documented, studied or cataloged. This is called scientific study. Yet, if one is trying to analyze the spiritual world which is possibly (quite actually) beyond our realm of understanding. Therefore, some amount of guesswork would have to be part of the final solution.

This is why I had dismissed God and the church for the past four months. Relying on "faith" seemed as logical as "trusting" someone I never met before. Not that trust is an issue, far from it actually. The problem is that I didn't want to align myself with a belief without a reason. People in the last few days have told me amazing stories of how they became believers (you know who you are) and they were deeply touching. I could easily just hold onto their stories and that could be enough for me, but then I would be cheapening the experience of life.

To get a little deeper, this whole problem started when I realized my whole faith had been built on the testimony of other people. This is in no way a knock on their stories, but where is my story? How can I honestly build a faith in something that I never truly interacted with? At least, in a way that seemed that there could be no other possibility.

To explain, I have had many instances where the involvement of a higher power is more than likely. The most potent one has to do with the day my mom died. We were standing by the sink making dinner when she rested her head on my shoulder. Then she leaned into me. I caught her just before she fully lost control. I laid her down to the floor and began coaching her to breathe. The words, "Be still and know that I am God" came out of my mouth over and over. To this day I don't know if they were meant for me or for her.

But does this qualify as God talking to me? Through me? A skeptic could easily point out that I was acting on instinct and that is why I never thought the words myself. A believer would flip that and say that instinct may actually be God working within us. An interesting conundrum that I still hold as unsolvable.

This past Sunday I was playing guitar for our church service and was given the task of leading a song. It had been at least a year since the last time I had lead a song at church. I had purposely pulled away from the position when I started to ask questions that had no answers. I felt it was hypocritical to be in a position of leadership when I was possibly "unfit" to lead. There was a natural feeling to leading that song. Everything just fell into place without any effort on my part. It was an extremely peaceful experience.

I may still have doubts about the logic and the intellectual side of Christianity, but I can say with little doubt that there is something there. I can't say what that is, but I am more than willing to take the time to find out.

UBC = The Devil

So I decided that I should figure out how much I need to pay UBC for my first term of education this fall. I almost choked when I saw the tally. $3089 for ONE TERM with FIVE COURSES! Gah. My total for the year will be nearly $6000 and that doesn't include textbooks. :-\ Fortunately, it DOES include transportation thanks to the wonderful U-Pass.

Also on the good side, my scholarship from the Legion is going to be uber handy as without it I would be nearly flat broke after paying tuition. With the extra cash in hand, I should be able to live comfortably until next summer. At that point, I will be trying to crawl back into Intrinsyc for another work term to get enough money to cover my final term of school... which will probably cost $6000 on its own if the Liberals don't stop this tuition spike.

Sigh. Priority one is never to fail a course again! $425 per course is a good incentive.

Closing your eyes to what's right in front of you...

I was talking with my pal Don last night and the discussion quickly veered into my current religious ideas / thoughts. We covered a fair bit of ground about theology in particular. Theology is interesting as a concept since it keeps changing yet the God(s) it studies stay the same. Theology is not a way to find God... Rather it is a way of explaining God to ourselves. It is man made and thus prone to flaws and failures of logic.

In reality, we are all theologians when we even ponder ideas about God and the Bible. Some of us are, of course, better at it than others. Not that I'm trying to turn this into a war of intellectuals or anything, but sometimes people go a little over the edge with their beliefs.

Case in point. There is a book series known as Left Behind that is written by two Christian guys about the end days and the rapture. For those who don't know, the rapture is the time that God (supposedly) will come down and take all the people who have accepted Jesus as their personal savior and leave behind (heh, now you see the cleverness of the title!) the non-believers. This is supposed to wake them up to His presence and they can then choose to start following Him or reject Him forever.

Anyhoo, even those these books are some of the worst novels ever written (in technical terms... 3 chapters of people doing nothing and driving places is NOT exciting... and no character development occurs in this span either... sigh) they managed to become insanely popular and regularly dominate the New York Bestsellers List. What is funny is how far people take the story.

Soon after the first book was finished, a video was produced by the authors with the intention of being viewed by (you guessed it) people left behind after the REAL rapture. This I can deal with. If you believe it could happen, it would be kind of mean to not leave behind a little clue for the others.

Now, the problem comes when you try and get your fiction to line up with reality and make people focus on stuff that may or may not mean anything. If you go to the website for the books (link above), you will notice in the bottom right of the page a section detailing links between prophecy and current events.

Here are this weeks "postings..."
• Pray for Jerusalem (Part 1)—What "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" means to a Christian Zionist.
• Pray for Jerusalem (Part 2)
• The Next WMD Crisis—Contributing editor Mark Hitchcock examines Iraq's nuclear ambitions in light of prophecy.
• Gay Marriage Denied—A look at some recent victories for those who oppose gay marriage, but the battle is just heating up.
• Prophecies Fulfilled in the Church Age (part 6 of 8)—A Bible study based on Tim LaHaye's Prophecy Study Bible.

Clicking on the link to the "Prophecy Club" takes you to a suspicious looking banner with an F-16 in front of an American flag with the Earth and some fire photoshopped into the shot. The page says that it is unclear what part America will play in the end times. That being said, it definitely implies that America will be on the good guys side. Hmm...

I find this all fairly amusing since I don't see how anyone can honestly claim that America has the world's best interests at heart. Just go back and do some reading and see how our friends to the south have fought for "freedom and democracy."

Chile - 1971. CIA operatives under direct supervision of Henry Kissinger are told to sponsor an attack on General Rene Schneider in an effort to keep the socialist presidential candidate, Salvador Allende, from being elected. The men hired to kidnap Schneider botched the job and ended up killing him. Allende became the president regardless but was later overthrown in a bloody coup. Why? Because socialism is evil. Even when the population votes for it. What is socialism? Well, social programs for the people offered by the government of course. If you like free health care, support services for the unemployed, publicly owned companies (how BC Ferries, BC Hydro, and BC Rail USED to be) then you are a socialist. You should kill yourself quickly for being so evil.

This is a small and insignificant example compared to other atrocities done around the world by just ONE of the many culprit nations. Even Canada has done some nasty profiteering under the guise of humanitarian work. (For more detail on Chile and another case study in Congo, click here to read my Political Science paper on it.)

Well, that was a long digression... back to me and Don...

Don mentioned how the Left Behind guys had put up a million dollars for this Prophecy Club thing to get it started. I joked that maybe they should hired a few hundred non-christians to work for the company so if the Rapture occured they would still be able to operate and bilk the chaos for money. Hmm...

My Current Playlist...

I just threw my iTunes into random and picked out a few songs you may never have heard that I think you should. Download/preview/beg for a mix disc... whatever it takes. These songs are wicked. (title/artist/style)

1. In the Waiting Line - Zero 7 (chilled space pop)
   
2. La Mer - Nine Inch Nails (instrumental jazz)
3. Teotihuacan - Noel Gallagher (trip/hop space pop)
4. Shine - Imogen Heap (trip hop)
5. Lightness - Death Cab for Cutie (shoegazer pop)

Why not post your current five song playlist?

First Listen: Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First

I just listened to the first half of the new Bad Religion cd and I have to say I was impressed. This is definately much better than the last few albums they have put out. The tunes are catchy and the politics are urgent and relevant.

The first single (which probably won't get much airplay anywhere) is Let Them Eat War. So far it is easily my favorite track on the disk. Here is an excerpt from the lyrics...

From the force to the union shops
The war economy is making new jobs
But the people who benefit most
Are breaking bread with their benevolent hosts

You never stole from the rich to give to the poor
All he ever gave to them was a war
And a foreign enemy to deplore

Let them eat war
Let them eat more
That's how to ration the poor
Let them eat more
Let them eat war

Definately worth a listen.

Just when you thought Creed was dead...

Sure, Alter Bridge is hardly news now (little slow to the party on this one) but the point remains. We all jumped for joy the day Creed called it quits. There were parties everywhere and even Jen Hollit (muchMusic's most evil VJ) made fun of it by asking members of Default where they were when they heard the news. (Chuckle...)

But our safety is again in jeopardy and the Music Threat Level has been elevated back to Orange. Why? Cause the founding members of Creed minus Scott Stapp on vocals has been rebranded as Alter Bridge. Using genetic engineering, they were able to create a new lead vocalist with a strangely familiar voice. Hmmm... Didn't they just legalize cloning in the UK?

Well, surprisingly, AB doesn't suck as hard as I hoped it would. Actually, I find myself impressed with Mark's guitar work and the sound seems to be rougher than their previous endevours. Sure, it's all about the money for these guys, but if they get paid for making decent tunes, I have less of a problem with it.

But in the end, formulas become old and overdone, and this one has been done MANY times over. I just find it ironic when bands copy themselves to the level that Alter Bridge just has.

Why I hate the church sometimes...

Click here. See how christianity has gotten such a bad rep. I don't see any effort on their part to "love the sinner" at all.

What would Jesus do?

How to throw a party

The most complete guide to throwing an alcohol-laced party can be found here.

Enjoy.

Review: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle

No, I didn't pay to see this. God bless Bit-torrent.

I laughed a few times during this odd teen/gross-out comedy, but nowhere near as much as I thougth I would. There was some serious hype that this would be an above average comedy. 73% at RottenTomatoes.com can be very misleading.

The story is just as it sounds. Two stoners want to go to White Castle. Along the way, problems ensue. Probably the highlight of the film is when Neil Patrick Harris shows up and steals the car to go find some loose ladies. Bizarre, but it was laugh-out-loud funny.

The chracters are interesting but I felt they were underdeveloped. More importantly, the clever racial commentary that comes out from time to time could have been used more often to much greater results. These parts of the film are easily the funniest and don't stoop to the level of gross-out humour found in the American Pie movies. If you've seen one scatological joke, you've seen them all. Well, maybe not until you've seen two girls play "Battle-s***." If that peeks your interests, maybe you'll enjoy this more than I did.

Marginal recommendation... but you could do better with little trouble. GO SEE GARDEN STATE!!!!

Speaking with God

So, here is part two of what will probably be one of the many main threads of this blog. I have been a Christian since I was born but have recently began to re-evaluate my faith to figure out WHY I am a Christian. The previous post as well as this and future ones deal with these questions.

A recent poster brought up a topic of hearing God speak. I personally have huge issues with this concept altho I sometimes wonder if it can possibly occur. Let me explain.

Last summer, my girlfriend and I are talking after a BBQ. She tells me that she feels that God is telling her to break up with me. She didn't want to talk to me about it sooner because "I probably could convince her to change her mind." Riiiight. Funny part of the story is that I thought I had heard God saying "Don't let her go." Who was right? Well, either a) I heard God wrong or b) It wasn't God.

This opens a funny paradox. If we don't know if it's God or not, ... well, yeah... how the hell are we supposed to know???? I could be dead wrong and say, "God told me to tell you to give me $20." You couldn't really argue with me because you couldn't disprove me. And arguing with me would mean arguing with God (notice again the subtle shift of responsibility to God...)

Personally, I don't believe God speaks outloud. Whenever I hear people say, "God said to me..." I get really edgy and nervous. Warning lights go everywhere just like if someone said, "I was abducted by aliens." Is this rational behavior for someone who is open to the existence of God? Ponder the following.

A close family member told me that she heard God speak to her one time in her life. She believes it was God since it didn't sound anything like the normal voices in her head. This was loud and clear... audibly. The "voice" told her to give this guy a chance. A guy she didn't really feel she wanted to date. They ended up falling in love and are now happily married. (awwwwww)

I trust this person a great deal and take her statements very seriously cause she isn't a "right-wing nutjob" but rather a very liberal minded Christian. It's not a far out claim either. I would have to say that I believe her.

But then I am left wondering why I haven't heard crap all from the big man. Sure, the mythology of Christianity says that God doesn't speak to us in the same way. He definitely hasn't burnt into any stone tablets or talked through any burning shrub lately.

No, I would lean on the idea that maybe God speaks to us through our ingrained consciousness. You know, that voice inside that always argues for you to do the "right" thing. Like when you see someone drop a box full of stuff and scrambles to pick it, the voice tells you that maybe you should help. Or when a street-person asks for change that we can easily afford, and the voice says to go above and beyond that and simply take them some place for food that only costs a twoonie.

This voice is guided by reason and common sense. Two things that were given to us by God (if the Christian line of thinking is true anyways...) Why would God give us these skills if he didn't want us to use them?

Back to my original story... It turned out that my girlfriend actually had reasons that she felt the relationship should end. I won't go into much detail, but she felt she was using me by staying in the relationship even though she knew we weren't going to work out. I was glad to hear that and finally understood her position. Yet, I was still angry about how she couldn't take responsibility for her decision and placed it on a higher power.

I'll leave this open to posts. Feel free to add your experiences of talking with God (or lack thereof).

Review: Garden State

Run, now, to Fifth Avenue theater and watch Garden State. This is easily one of the best films of the year and has lept onto my ten best films of all time. Feeling like a lighter American Beauty (with MUCH less cynicism), Garden State is an excellent take on the "entering adulthood" genre and conveys actual intimacy and feeling through its characters. Natalie Portman and Zach Braff shine in the lead roles they were born to play. Each taking characters with realistic and human quirks, they make us believe that life is more than something we just pass through. I left the theater with the urge to do something with my life and enjoy myself rather than sit numbly through existance.

Braff not only starred, but wrote and directed this film which I would highly recommend to anyone. His sense of comic timing and visual layout is a sign of a wonderful career. I can't wait for his next picture. Maybe I should watch Scrubs more often...

A little porn is good for you?

Alright, this is just kind of bizarre, but apparently it's newsworthy. Click here to read how some Australian government types are arguing that porn should NOT be banned from the internet. Oddly enough, their arguments (in my humble opinion) make "some" sense, but I don't think they would convince many people who disagree already. Personally, banning porn from the internet would be an impossible endevour without a complete restructuring of the foundation of the internet. How does one stop a kid from loading Kazaa, typing in a search for "School Play" under video files and downloading a file like "Young school girls play.mpg"???

I hate when non-techies try and legislate technical matters.

Ash Tuesday?

All I can say is, "Wow." My dreams have come true. I never thought it could possibly happen, but it has. And it is coming soon... Click here to read how Ash will be involved in the next Freddy vs. Jason flick tentatively titled, "Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash."

I'm giddy.

Al-Qaeda's Hard Drive or More Mis-information?

Click here to read an article from the net of this reporter who claims to have aquired a computer used by an Al-Qaeda terrorist. Not sure whether or not to believe this, but reading the supposed emails doesn't fill me with a sense of evil incarnate. No, they read more like people who are methodically planning to carry out a mission. Sure, its an evil mission that will result in many innocents dying... but it's a mission they believe is just.

I find it ironic that when the CIA does stuff like this in foreign countries it is in the name of national security and is NEVER thought of as terrorism. Of the wonderful bliss of being the top dog.

Wimpsters, and the threat they pose to society

Beware! Wimpsters are everywhere and could lure in unsuspecting women into truly caring relationships involving, *gasp* NICE GUYS!

I recently read an article posted on MSN.com (ph33r the corporate powers!) from the Washington Post (the source of truth in America) about a new strain of male known as "Wimpsters." Following the proto-types of Moby, John Cusack, and Ethan Hawke, these sensitive males apparently are using the ploy of wearing their heart on their sleeve to lure women in. Once they have trapped their prey they suddenly become the evil slimey creeps all men must be.

Strange, I thought women were always complaining how no guys are nice. Funny how nice guys have now been all branded as manipulative creeps. Guess we should all give up and just start slapping girls butts and telling them to make us sandwiches. Seems like those guys are never without companions.

Review: Alien Vs. Predator

Crap.

Better than Alien Resurrection and Predator 2, but much worse than Alien, Aliens or Predator. Alien3, well, I'm still undecided on where it fits in with the others... But this movie creates as many plot holes as the opening five minutes of Alien3 so I would probably say I liked AVP more just on a logical scale... ?

Crappy dialogue ("This is starting to make sense..." yes... it is... it's starting to feel like crap)

Crappy script ("I have 2 kids... hope I don't die..." dies.)

Crappy acting (I am a tough female action hero... but good luck remembering anything special about my chracter a month from now)

Crappy action (Predator kills alien. Alien kills predator. Human watches and says, "Damn, I better use an Alien head (???acid???) as a shield and it's tail as a spear and hope for an airlock to kill the queen... ooooooo! Maybe that big water tower DOES have a use!)

Sigh.

I could go on, but I have more important things to do... like nothing. This movie could have been so much better in the hands of a GOOD filmmaker ie: James Cameron or Riddley Scott. There actually was a rumour that the two of them would be interested in making this film if it were to contain no humans and no dialogue at all. Just Aliens and Predators. I'm sure that film would have been, at the absolute worst, much more intelligent than this one.

God and Responsibility

So here's my beef. What's with christians saying things like, "I think God is telling me to do (insert something here) because (insert reason here)." Now, I'm not drawing issue with whether or not God is truly in control of our lives or if he allows certain things to happen to get us to do things (however, it does seem incredibly against the idea of the "non-interventionist" god...). No, the real issue here is responsibility.

By claiming to the fact that God is in fact telling you to do something, what you are really doing is removing all responsibility from your actions and putting it on an "imaginary/distant/real" (depending on perspective) entity with whom direct communication (at least to me) seems very limited to one way only.

For example. Sally is dating Stan. Sally begins to doubt that she should stay in the relationship (reasons not crucial). Instead of simply accepting her decision, she claims that God is telling her to do leave BECAUSE of the forementioned non-crucial reasons. This subtle word play now puts Stan in an awkward position. Should he argue/discuss the non-crucial reasons with Sally? Well, this is hard since God has apparently told Sally through the "reasons" and then arguing apon that would mean arguing with God. Since God is infalible, Stan is therefore unable to "win" the discussion.

This tactic is used in many other ingenius ways. George W. Bush said that God told him to strike at Al Queda in Afgahnistan so he did. He then later said that God told him to strike at Saddam in Iraq. Now, I don't like to judge (but I do it often ;-) ) but I don't think of GWB as a prophet of any kind. And seriously, if God wanted Dubya to strike at Iraq, don't you think he would have hinted at where the WMD would be? Just a thought...

Conclusion for the moment: Take stock of how often you truly accept responsibility for your actions. See how many times you attribute something to someone else (ie: That's not my mess, I heard Ebert say this movie is good, the Bible says that we should..., God exists because Jenny believes in him etc)

To summarize, examine this quote from Immanuel Kant
"Immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in the lack of understanding, but in the lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another."

Let's see how this goes...

I'm not sure if I'm going to keep using this, but it could make for easy updating than my old website. Sigh. Time will tell. As for now, keep checking for posts as I should be much more inclined to use this since a) it's new and I like new and b) it takes me less time. :-D

Cheers