Before trailers before "Diving Bell and the Butterfly". Glad I paid for
this! :\
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![]() ADVENTURES |
Technically any good? While made for kids, the director, one of Japan's answers to Walt Disney, Hayao Miyazaki, has the ability to create a real feeling of danger. He'll actually kill characters off, every once in a while, which is really surprising for a kids show. In fact, Miyazaki will put the 11 year-old lead character in incredibly dangerous, truly frightening moments and treat those moments with incredible realism for a show that I think is still perfectly safe for kids to watch. Yes, there are some typical anime and cultural cliches in this, but they are done well. The story keeps you guessing (for the most part) and is a total blast to watch even if you're an adult.
How did it leave me feeling? Wishing for a sequel series! There's just something about Conan's "never say die" spirit that I find incredibly inspirational. There are three things I think people should know about this:
1) The direct translation of the title is actually "Future Boy Conan." However, the series is about a boy in the future, not a time-traveling boy, as I assumed.
2) This show deals with a lot of black and white issues--sometimes blatantly so. The subtleties are in character, not in theme. In particular the evils of technology and the perfection of communism (!) probably would have gotten tiresome in anyone else's hands but Miyazaki's.
3) This series is not available on DVD in the US. I don't know why. Probably because of the handful of very scary scenes where Conan suffers physical violence. We Americans treat our kids too nicely, I think. Read more about Mirai Shonen Konan in its Wikipedia article.
Final Rating? FI - FIND IT! This show is a lot of fun and I think even the more cynical adult viewers will get sucked in after a few episodes.
I really hate their page. It honestly sucks.
So, I turned it off. I disabled it.
If you have the same issue and don't like it, you can disable that setting too. Here's how. Go to http://ww23.rr.com/prefs.php and choose "Disable" for the option labeled "Web Address Error Redirect Service: This preference allows you to opt in or out of Road Runner's non-existing domain landing service." Then click the "Save" button.
Check out this short, first impression review of Seesmic.com that I shot. It gives you and idea of how Seesmic works and how it doesn't and why I'll probably stick to Utterz.com despite the fact that there is at least one feature I like better on Seesmic.
Technically any good? Over all the movie was a good adaption of the musical, I think. Only a few things really felt missing (like the opening "attend the tale of Sweeney Todd" bit, which wasn't there) and of course, the talent. I think Johnny Depp and Mrs. Tim Burton are both fine actors, but I felt that neither were quite right for the parts or quite good enough in the singing-department. Maybe Bonham Carter, but she seemed like she was holding back. The acting was pretty awesome, however and the look of the film was SUPERB. I gasped at the final shot of the movie. I very rarely gasp.
How did it leave me feeling? Like this is Tim Burton's best movie so far--and the one that best reflects his talents. I've always felt that his films had so much more potential than he'd let them reach. Save for Beatlejuice, I think Sweeney is the film that he let his darkness run free. Good for him--I hope his next film goes farther.
Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - while this is a musical, don't think it's some popcorn crap-fest--this movie is very bloody, disturbing and is a tragedy. If you like disturbing, bloody tragedies, then you'll love this movie, I'd say.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23337804/
I know everyone is overreacting the same way they did when Don Imus made his racist comments, but if we don't overreact things will never change.
Yes, it's obvious O'Reilly wasn't really talking about stringing her up from a tree-branch, but the comment is still racist. However, it's not the right exaggeration to use when referring to a black person.
Also, if you take O'Reilly's most recent comments, combine them with the examples in the clip and you'll see that this is a man who makes his career off of being a horrible person. Should this guy have a show on one of America's most popular "news" channels? I don't think so. I'm not saying he should be silenced nor am I saying we should somehow force Fox News to fire him.
All I'm saying is that he should SHUT UP!
;)
Nooo, I'm kidding! Free speech is our most important right. However, what he was doing was threatening Michelle Obama's life figuratively for something she said--she was critical of the United States and O'Reilly threatened to figuratively hang her from a figurative tree.
That's quite an attempt to squash free speech in itself, isn't it?
So, do we shut the man up? No, not completely. If I were Fox News I'd have fired his ass a long time ago but this is a good straw to break the camel's back. He'll still be able to say what he wants on the Internet.
No one's censoring him--he'd just have his volume turned down.
And wouldn't everyone appreciate that?
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Technically any good? In nearly all movies there are things that I, personally, would have done differently. With this film none come to mind. The story, the script, the acting, the direction--all of them--are solid and impressive. In particular I was very moved by the film's interpretation of what creativity feels like from inside the head of a creative person.
How did it leave me feeling? Stunned and enlightened. Oh and entertained, too. If only we could have more movies like this to enjoy.
Final Rating? STM - See This Movie - it will pry your skull open and climb in and I mean that in a good way!
For a post on the state of American news sources, I was researching what the various mainstream news sources were reporting today. I was immediately struck at how LOLCatz-esque the graphic of Finkelstein is.
Why didn't they just go with "HAYT AMERICA, LUVN TERROR"?
Haven't had my caffeine yet this morning so apologies for the 4 minute post!
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UPDATED: http://thepete.com/nate-ritter-how-to-beat-time-warner-hi-jacking
Here's something I blogged on a while back--but recently stumbled across. It's a clip from the Daily Show that covered how (not) well Alaska Ted Stevens understood the Internet. Check out my original post on this from August 4, 2006: http://thepete.com/…lity-video
I tend to agree with Jon Stewart--seems to me the guy regulating the Internet should probably know what it is and how it works!
Or at the very least should know the difference between an "internet" and an "email."
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Technically any good? WAS IT EVER. On every level this movie did impressive things with itself. First off, the story was perfectly solid--granted, it's a little cliche, but it's done really well. The script was INCREDIBLE with no dialogue for a goodly chunk of the movie. Then, the acting was equally incredible by all involved--Daniel Day Lewis is the Caucasian Javier Bardem. INSANELY good he was in this. In fact, it was his voice in the commercials that made me want to see this movie in the first place. The direction, while GREAT is evident--as in, this doesn't feel like other movies. You sense a director's hand in this simply because it's so good. It's kind of like that amazing view of a mountain or an ocean that makes you think you're looking at God's handiwork. Not to say that PTA is God--I'm just saying it feels like an artist made it. This can be both good and bad, depending on your point of view. Personally, I'll take this kind of more obvious direction over any other kind any day.
Oh yeah and the music was great, too--minimal, for sure--but still great.
How did it leave me feeling? Stunned--I was really, really happy with this movie. Don't let me over-hype it, though. I'm sure some people found this movie jarring, disturbing and depressing--I know I did--but that's what art makes you do sometimes. This is the first movie I really wanted to see again in the theater.
Final Rating? STM - SEE THIS MOVIE - FIVE STARS!!! Don't wait for DVD! Go see it now!!
And once you've seen it, check out IDrinkYourMilkShake.com to see what other folks are saying about this movie.
And yes, those are my XO's little ears, listening for wifi, even though I'm just working on a script.
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Technically any good? The animation is beautiful--it looks better than the series. The voice acting (I'm referring to the original Japanese, not the dubbed version) is as solid and brilliant as it was in the series, but sadly the story ends up being on the weak side. Sadly, just too many of the interesting story-arcs from the series have already been tied up, so the few things left to do aren't quite enough to make this a worth-while follow-up.
How did it leave me feeling? Satisfied, but not overly so. Ultimately, it felt like a last grab at cash for the folks that made the series. Still worth seeing if you're a fan of the series--just don't expect your mind to be blown or anything.
Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It - A bit too intense for little kids, remember, Japanese Animation is often NOT for children. This is NOT Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh--this is WAY better and much easier for us adults to enjoy, though I recommend the series if you're looking for REALLY good story.
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OK, so, replacing the lowest end of the iPod line isn't that exciting, but hey, I like cheap tech! And who knows? Maybe the replacement will come with a display screen or maybe we'll see the Nano drop in price to $79, which is really how much a video player with a screen that tiny is worth.
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UPDATE: Whoopsie pants! Turns out they've already announced a new 2GB Shuffle for just $69. Ah, well. So much for the idea of an uber-cheap Nano! Read more at TUAW.com here: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/19/shuffle-price-drop/