Ok. I feel that I have to address this movie since I am a long time fan of Indiana Jones. I have heard from several people who do not like the movie because they think it was ridiculous saying, "He lives through a nuclear blast." My response to that is hello people...it is Indiana Jones! Did you also think it was plausible to fall into a room full to the brim of poisonous snakes and not get bit because he just swings a torch at them? Or, how about ripping a guys heart out because of voodoo magic...or being just a few feet from boiling lava and not catching on fire. I hear a lot of people saying that aliens and russians were stupid but I think that people have forgotten about what makes Indy movies. Didn't he also try to rescue magical Shankara stones that glowed when put together and gave life to a city? How bizarre is that? Just about as bizarre as aliens I think. These movies are just meant to be enjoyed and I think that the harsh critiques show how much our society has forgotten about the good old Indy franchise over the years. Aside from my ranting and raving I will get back to the movie. The movie was really enjoyable and brings in some of the mysticism of the books as well as having a more 50's feel to it. The artifact is REAL, including the speculations on the origins of the crystal skulls hence the reason why they added what they did into the movie. I'm not saying that I believe in the origins, I am just saying that the artifact really exists. The movie has more of Temple of Doom feel to it rather than a Raiders or Crusades which is probably what turned most people off. I wouldn't say it was the best in the Indiana Jones series but I also think that it has earned the privilege to be among the others in the franchise. The only thing that I would have changed in the movie is taking longer to solve the puzzles. Definately not the riding into the sunset ending from Crusades but enjoyable nonetheless. Harrison Ford still has it and will always be Indiana Jones.
Yes. The word 'MEH' has now made it to the dictionary. The dictionary defines it as:
"The expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place in the Collins English Dictionary after generating a surprising amount of enthusiasm among lexicographers." -Associated Press London
Way to go Simpson's for adding a word to the English Language! We love all of you. Including Ralphie.
Here is a link to the article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081117/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_new_word
I have not posted anything on this subject as it is a sensitive issue. However, when I read this article today on how Proposition 8 is affecting the industry that I am in, which is advertising, I was fairly upset. The link to the article is below.
http://adage.com/bigtent/post?article_id=132525
This is a recent ad created by the "No for 8" group. I am ashamed that someone in the advertising industry would do this.
In my response to the article in AdAge today I tried to inform people that I do belong to the "Yes on 8" group but that it is a matter to be weighed heavily. I tried to look at it from both groups perspective. My intention with this article is not to offend but to inform people about what is happening in the advertising world and my view point of it. This is what I wrote:
'This is definitely a story that has been weighing on my mind. My initial reaction was, "Sure let's give them same-sex marriage if that will make them happy." In my initial thought I never realized how far the government would take this action.
I am glad that people from many churches took the time to educate me about this issue. I did not realize that, as stated by Trevor from Vancouver, where same-sex marriage is already legal,
"(It) forced same-sex literature into the libraries of our children's schools and allowed same-sex education a forum there as well, but has given the platform for some authorities to push an agenda that would force churches to mandatorily perform same-sex unions despite religious convictions, or risk their tax-free status."
That is what truly bothers me. Taking away any churches freedom to practice union ceremonies how they believe, seems wrong to me. Considering the fact that we came to this country for that religious freedom.
What I just can't get over is how the same-sex communities advertising response is "hatred". This should not be allowed through any respectable ad agency. To make Utah a "hate state" is just plain ridiculous to me. The majority of citizens there are not even of the Mormon religion. Due to the desecration of religious buildings and hatred, I can only describe these actions as disgraceful.
And yes, I would be upset if this was overturned and I was same-sex oriented. However, these actions have given me ill feelings towards the same-sex community that were not there before. And while I don't agree with everything said by Jeff from Idaho, his concluding statement is starting to ring true, "Don't you find it a bit ironic that the same people who are asking for tolerance for their lifestyle seem to show very little tolerance for those who disagree with their viewpoint?"
All I ask is for the same-sex community to be considerate of others as well. I am sure their day is coming and that a compromise will eventually be reached. However, sending hate messages and desecrating buildings is not the answer. Please market yourselves better. You are better than that.' -Will Sharp
After I posted that someone posted the statistics on the vote and really makes you wonder why only the Mormons are being targeted with this. Their comments are as follows:
I'm Mormon and I find it despicable the lows that No of 8 supporters are resorting to - nearly all against Mormons who donated. People are losing their jobs, bomb threats against sacred Temples, death threats to supporters of 8. If the same means were exercised against gays and lesbian organizations, people would be arrested for hate crimes.
Just a little more information for those targeting the "Mormons".
Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total proposition 8 vote.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims – all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. The Mormon faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. Who's targeting them? If this really was about equal rights don't you think they of all people would have voted No. Why are there no protests in South Central?
Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is supporters simply did what Americans do – they spoke up, they campaigned, and they voted.
People shouldn't be persecuted for being active in the democratic process. If this hate speech against supporters continues it could potentially deter other Americans from becoming active in the democratic process for fear of retaliation.
D. Hunsaker| Orange County, CA – D Hunsaker | Costa Mesa, CA
I know this is a long post but it is one that deeply concerns me. It doesn't make sense. Why fight "perceived" hate with hate? And why is a minority group targeting another minority group to vent their hatred?
This movie is not for grown ups. That being said it was an OK movie that I could see children around the age 8-10 really enjoying. I enjoyed it myself, but I wish that I could have enjoyed it much more. The story line has so many loopholes and at some points bad filmography. At one point they all leave their backpacks and in the next scene around the corner they all have them again...odd. Also, many of the things that happen are not even plausible by any standards (i.e. falling straight down in a cave for well over a mile and then landing in water and being ok). You get the idea. We all get a good amount of Brendan Frasier and his one liners, so if you are not a Brendan Frasier fan I wouldn't watch this movie. I however, have enjoyed his other movies like the Mummy and George of the Jungle (you can make fun of me later) so it wasn't too bad to hear all of the one liners. I know that some will say that this is a fantasy movie so it doesn't need to be believable and while this is mostly true, they could have pulled this one off to be more believable and it was very disappointing that they didn't. We didn't have the 3D glasses and I wish that we would have because it is obvious that they made it to be that way with the scenery and effects. In summary, watch it in 3D and if you can't, don't say I didn't warn you about the rest. The 3D is what really would have made this movie and unfortunately not the story line. 3/5.
Where do I begin? JRR Tolkein most certainly was a brilliant person and most definitely one of the most creative people of our time. This is manifest in his first installment of the Lord of the Rings. He has created an entire world and with that world an entire history (when I say history I mean more than 2,000 years of it). This is very apparent as the book will pause at times and reference historical moments of their own all throughout. The result is an incredibly believable world of tangible characters that you really care about. If you know me and what I usually read...or lack thereof, you will know that I am a very action driven kind of person and descriptions usually bore me and make me want to skip pages or not read at all. However, this is not the case with LOTR. Tolkein has created a world so rich and majestic that it transcends the awkward barrier of writing descriptions that bore. I am one that has always had this book on my list of books to read and now I wish that I had read it SOONER. To those who say, "I have already watched the movie there is no point to read the book now," I whole heartedly disagree. The book fills in many of the gaps that the movie could not, due to Hollywood's time constraints (because let's face it, we wouldn't watch a single movie that was over 4 hours long). If there were ever times in the movie that you were thinking to yourself, what? how did that happen? where did that come from? I don't think they explained that too well... Then please read the book and it only enriches the movie. A definite 5/5!!!
So, I have always had nostalgia for the Metroid games clear back to the original Nintendo. While we never owned these games growing up I remember trying to play them at friends/relatives houses as well as the game station in the Sears store (the only relief to shopping for a young boy in the mall...you know what I am talking about). Anyways, I never really caught onto what the story was but man was I in for a treat. I bought this game for $6 at a local Game Stop in California during pest control over a year and a half ago and thought that I would give it a try. This game looks like a First Person Shooter game (for those new to this lingo, it means the view point of a Doom or Halo game). What I found after 4 hours though was a very confusing planet and controls that I didn't understand and ultimately got frustrated with. A couple of months ago I put the disc back into the Wii to give it another try. I finally learned about a tool in the game to scan the environment for clues. Holy Cow!!! Much much better now. Once I caught on to this new idea of gaming controls everything ran much smoother. I was able to find where I needed to go and the story line actually became very intriguing. While I will not ruin the story line here I do recommend this title for play mostly to the male audience of our family. The more I played the game however, the more of a Zelda feel it had with puzzles galore. Overall I give it a 5/5 and highly recommend this title to those who like Zelda or the previous Metroid games in the series. Metroid Prime 2&3 are definately going to the Christmas wish list so that I can finish out the trilogy.
I realize that it will be rare to get a visitor to this blog, but I feel it will be a fun adventure for me. This will more than likely turn out to be a blog that mostly guys will read as it will only consist of media that I consume. In other words: music, movies, video games, board games and an occasional news article. It will log what I am doing and should be exciting for at least the guys of the family to follow. Who knows maybe some of the girls in the family will like it too.
Hi my name is Will and this blog is dedicated to the various forms of media that I consume on a regular basis to help inform others of their benefits or detriments. I hope you enjoy this venture with me.
