|
|---|
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Just wanted to remind you all that Dark Worlds Issue 5 is still available for purchase. Here is a sampling of the excitement that awaits you between its pages:
You can purchase a print copy or an electronic copy by visiting www.lulu.com/ragemachinebooks.
Ventrilo Harassment Again
Chicken Attack
I actually found this one rather amusing. Gotta love Nerd Rage.
Phil Davidson vs. Pissed Nerd
Why use the N-word?
By the way, I want to meet this Mr. Davidson guy, because he’s been watching too many wrestling events.
Armored
What happens when armored car guards decide to take the very money they’re sworn to protect? Well, a slightly below average heist movie that goes nowhere fast.
Armored is easily one of those middle-of-the-road movies that can be watched, but quickly forgotten. It does handle certain tension scenes extremely well, especially the scene where a police office confronts the guards. Overall, the movie is down right middling.
The story isn’t that by the numbers, but that it feels like a second draft of script instead of a polished piece of work. Compare this to Spike Lee’s Inside Man and you’ll see the difference.
The other problem is that actors are completely wasted in the film. With the exception of Ty Hackett (Columbus Short), we really don’t get any insight into why these people have set aside their morals and decided to rob the bank cars. Laurence Fishburne is completely wasted as the off the rails guy in the group, we never get into why he’s the one with the hair-trigger. Amaury Nolasco is supposed to be the one that feels guilty about his actions, but we never get a build up of his guilt, and the fate of his seems poorly tacked on. Jean Reno isn’t really a factor at all.
It’s sad that a great cast like this is wasted.
So, what does fill up the movie’s time?
We get a bunch of scenes with the bad guys banging the hinges off the armored doors. I wish I could make that up, but it is the truth. We don’t even get much in the way of the main bad guy trying to convince Columbus Short to leave the locked bank car.
Director Nimród Antal just doesn’t have the flair here to make the scenes that compelling. Yet, he should be commended for not making it a shaky-cam mess like Michael Bay either. Antal simply does a TV director’s job here. I am not making fun of TV directors, but they are brought in to get the job done and fit their directing styles firmly into the format of the TV shows. Antal seems to not really have a signature to make him stand out, but he is still a new director and still has room to grow.
Armored could have ended being so much more, but just comes across as dull and uneventful. It is not a bad movie, but it feels like a sequel to the remake of Assault on Precinct 13. If I know a heist movie doesn’t have the budget for action scenes, then I want a deeper character piece. We don’t get that here.
Grade: C
 |
| Ten years later, the Matrix has Morpheus’s grown daughter Montana Fishburne doing adult movies. The machines are cruel. |
*with apologies to the Barenaked Ladies
I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
MC Hammer “No Stopping Us”
Yes, this “patriotic” song is really bad, even by later MC Hammer standerds. MC will change his style to anything that is popular at the time, and this misguided song is no different. I remember a friend of mine told me about this MC Hammer petriotic song, and I didn’t believe him. I’m all for positive songs, but this song just seems wrong.
While rap and Hip-hop are mainstream, they embrace the counterculture. This just seems like a cheap latch onto the mindset of many people at the time.
~Yes, we get the smybolism, Hammer. Enough with the church stuff and you in a military uniform.
~The pimp fur coat and the American headband just doesn’t seem to fit.
~Watching a bunch of stiff Congress people attempting to dance is terrible. Stick to making terrible laws, Congress. And, let washed up hip-hop rappers do the dancing.
~The music sounds like it came out of the early 90s instead of 2001.
I love women in boots. To that end I must point you all to an inspiring story about just that topic. It was written by my buddy Cal and you can read it here.
Go ahead. I'll wait.
Did I mention I loved women in boots?
I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Random Things
~On a serious note, it has been a few months since my dog has passed away and I just feel empty and lonely. This is coming from a guy that spends most of his days away from human contact by choice. I spend most of my time far off riding my bike with no one around or writing for school or blogging. I'll somehow get through this bout of depression.
~Star Wars 3D: Uh, I want to see the Star Wars movies in 3D, but I am not sure starting out with your weakest film Episode One is a brilliant move on Lucas' part. This goes back to Lucas trying to shove the prequels down our throats even if we don't want to.
~Britney Spears music on Glee?: Unlike the other acts and music on Glee, does Britney deserve the same treatment as Madonna or even Lady Gaga? Is her music even that memorable? Like her popularity, her music just hasn't aged that well.
~Fox proves it again: They canceled a new show called Lone Star after two episodes. The show did receive a lot of critical props, but given the state of Network TV ratings, nothing is safe anymore. So, this isn't Fox's fault really, just the big four networks combined. They keep staying with the safe formula and thinking outside of it. They deserve it.
I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio
Monday, September 27, 2010
Elisabeth Moss (AKA Peggy Olson from Mad Men) is a Scientologist ?
0 comments Posted by madich at 7:43 PM
Elisabeth Moss (AKA Peggy Olson from Mad Men) is a Scientologist ?
I really like the progressive character of Peggy Olson in the great drama Mad Men. Moss has an unconventional look to her that I find attractive, plus her is really interesting to watch.
While going through some research into Scientology for my paper, Google had a recent story up there about Moss divorcing her husband SNL cast member Fred Armisen. Some people close to the couple say the split may have been over Moss's relationship to the Space Church, Scientology.
I always pegged (pun intended) the woman play Peggy to be a little sharper than being a member of group that believes in the Overlord Xenu. When is her next auditing session?
 |
| "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper, 1942 |
I was sitting at the counter of my favourite diner in Greenwhich village. It's right at the corner of Mulry. You remember? The one with the big curved window? It's not there anymore, of course. It's just a vacant lot now, but back in 1942 it was a diner, one of the best in New York in my opinion.
I was sitting in my usual seat finishing a cup of coffee and waiting for Danny to come up with my bowl of chili. Danny made good coffee, and decent sandwiches, but he made a great bowl of chili.
Anyway, there we were, me and Danny, late on a Tuesday night when this couple walked in. I remember the fella was a tall drink of water with deep set eyes under the brim of his fedora and a long, pointed nose. The woman was a looker -- red hair and a red dress -- a nice shape, but pale.
They paused in the doorway, like they were assessing the place. Then theyy they walked in together. Not arm in arm but slowly and in step. They had to pass behind me to get to the seats that they wanted. As they passed I breathed in, trying to get a whiff of the woman's perfume. Nothing. No odour whatsoever.
They walked all the way around the angled counter to the two furthest seats in. They sat quietly and said nothing. The man reached into a pocket and pulled out a single cigarette, then leant forward, his elbows on the counter and he stared ahead, seemingly at nothing. He made no move to light the cigarette. The woman was holding a compact in front of her face. I remember it because it was bright green and shiny. She made no move to open it. She just stared at it.
"Coffee?" Danny asked. The man nodded -- a barely perceptible dip of his head -- and Danny set them up.
Danny is dead now. H was an old man back then, but you wouldn't know that to look at him. He had a full head of hair and his smile was one of the most youthful I'd ever seen. He was quick with a joke and went out of his way to make sure everyone in his place was happy. "Late night or early morning?" he asked the couple. It was something he often asked late-night patrons.
The man regarded Danny with a look of confusion. The woman didn't look up at all.
Danny's expectant smile faded in the face of the man's stare. Danny dropped his eyes and turned away, catching my eye as he did so. I gave an slight shrug, as if to say It takes all kinds.. and Danny topped up my coffee. "Where's that chilli, Dan?" I asked.
"It's comin', Mike. Keep your shirt on." Danny tried to smile, but he seemed a little rattled.
Two minutes later Danny placed a piping hot bowl of chilli in front of me. He handed me utensils and crackers, gave me a smile and a wink, wiped his hands on his apron and then went into the back of the diner, through the swinging door with the little porthole in it.
The steaming bowl smelled incredible as usual and I dug my spoon in eagerly. Before I could get it to my mouth the man in the fedora piped up:
"The towers will fall," he intoned. His voice was deep and seemed to come from deep in his chest and the sound of it sent a chill up my spine.
I looked up to see him staring at me, his deep set eyes seemed to be trying to burn their way out of his skull. "Sorry?" i managed, my voice a little weak sounding in my ears.
"First one tower, then the other. They will fall in fire and smoke." The man just kept staring at me from under the brim of his fedora. I blinked. I wasn't sure what to say or do. "What towers?" I asked.
The man blinked then and turned to the red-headed woman. The woman gave him a look and then went back to consulting her compact. This time the man seemed interested in it as well. The man scowled and the woman pursed her lips. She touched something inside the compact and then both of them vanished into thin air.
I froze, my mouth hanging open and my eyes goggling at the place that the strange couple were a few seconds ago and then suddenly weren't.
Danny came back behind the counter and saw that the couple were gone. He went over and picked up the still full coffee cups, looking for payment on the counter and finding none. He turned to me. "Did they say anything?" he asked, then furrowed his brows at my expression. "What's the matter with you?
I shook my head. "Nothin'" I managed. "They didn't say nothin'"
I don't know why I didn't want to tell Danny what the man had said or how they had vanished. Maybe I was afraid that Danny would call the guys in the white coats. For a moment I was almost afraid that I really would need to be taken away.
I felt a cold chill all over and I just wanted to forget it ever happened.
Danny took the cups and dumped them in the sink. "Lousy chiselers", he muttered.
I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio
Katy Perry’s Boobgate continues
Okay, I am starting to like Katy Perry now. I never hated her as much as Gaga or anything. She was just a pretty face and nice body to look at. I neither hated nor liked her music. But, I am starting to see the light (or cleavage) in her sense of humor. She really seems to get the joke in this whole Sesame Street thing.
She showed up on SNL in a very tight and revealing Elmo shirt and the skit loosely made fun of the “banned” Sesame Street skit.
For now, until it gets taken down, you can watch the very bouncy skit on youtube below.
I haven’t watched SNL in a while, but I have to say I laughed at this bit a few times.
Nicely done, Katy Perry.
 |
| Must not say something tasteless... |
 |
Hi there, Montel Williams here for Oxy Clean! |
Monday early morning, I kept the TV on as I wrote my paper and noticed Montel Williams on TV. This is what I saw…
Montel, what are you doing?
Remember when Montel Williams had one of the hottest talk shows in syndication? While I was never a huge fan of his old Montel Williams Show, his show was different than the trash TV that was on during the time period. It was more of a positive show that tried helping the guests on the show than making fun of them like the other daytime talk shows did.
His new “show” is called Living Well with Montel. What is sneaky about this format is that the infomercials are disguised as talk shows. Plus, you can tell he’s really not that into it.
Now, he’s a poor man’s Billy Mays. He basically is using a similar model as Billy Mays too, except he doesn’t shout at the screen.
So, how did he get from being a talk show host to an infomercial host? The Fox Company (?)
From his Wiki page ((On January 30, 2008, Variety reported that CBS TV Distribution terminated The Montel Williams Show when key Fox-owned stations chose not to renew it for the 2008-09 season.[5] It has been alleged that this resulted in part from an appearance on the show Fox & Friends in which Williams criticized the media's lack of coverage on the Iraq War, and took the hosts to task for their excessive coverage (along with the media in general) of the death of actor Heath Ledger, contrasted with the sparse coverage of U.S. soldiers dying in Iraq[citation needed]. Some have noted that one of the segment's hosts told viewers that Williams would return for further conversation after a commercial break, but that Williams was no longer on the set when the commercials ended. On May 16, 2008 the last episode of The Montel Williams Show aired ))
Isn't it strange that the show he made his Iraq statement on was Fox and Friends and then all the Fox channels dropped his show? Hmm.
I wonder what a younger Montel would say if he saw his future self peddling useless shit in the late hours of TV?
HeathMaster ad…
Sunday, September 26, 2010
I wanted to add my remarks to some of the shows on the list.
FlashForward: Starting out the gate, I was really interested in the show. Despite the fact Brannon Braga was involved, I gave the show a chance. But, I started to lose interest as the show went on.
Defying Gravity: I have never heard anything about this show. I’m surprised about that too, given the premise. The trailers look absolutely horrible. How could they maintain a series premise like this over a couple of years?
Dinotopia: I remember critics ripping this show and miniseries apart. When it morphed into a TV show, it only lasted about six weeks. What makes Steven Spielberg think his Terra Nova show change people’s feelings about a dinosaur show? Terra Nova is already getting a lot of behind the scenes drama stories. Did I mention the horrible writer Brannon Braga is involved?
Journey Man: Now, that sounds like a cross between Early Edition and Quantum Leap. I’ve heard some good things about this show.
Bionic Woman: I never understood why someone thought it was a good idea to remake the old spinoff show, but not at least try to bring back the The Six Million Dollar Man the spinoff is based on. The remake failed. NBC is really becoming the FOX network of the new era.
Knight Rider: Do I really need to go through this one again? The show was just plain bad. And, it seemed NBC refused to let this failing show go. Then, they very quietly pulled it off the schedule. This was probably one of the reasons Zucker was fired.
Life on Mars: I watched a few episodes here and there. I enjoyed the concept, but really hated the way it ended. The ending is so far left field that it even confused me. The story ends literally ends on “Living on Mars”.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Katy Perry Sesame Street controversy
Wow, some parents are calling this video controversial because of Katy Perry’s chest. Did they even watch the same Sesame Street video I just watched? Maybe I am wrong, but I saw nothing sexual about the video or Perry’s dress.
Sesame Street producers caved in and took the Perry video off their show, but let it stream on Youtube. From Reuters, ((But after a segment of the show appeared online on Monday Sesame Workshop, which produces the show, decided not to air it.
"In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on YouTube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers," the show said in a statement, adding it valued the opinions of viewers, particularly parents.))
Did these concerned parents watch her more adult music videos? I remember her California Gurls video has her floating in cotton candy clouds totally naked and she squirts whipped cream from her bra. The video above is basically G-rated.
Have we solved all problems in the world that that a modest dress is considered wrong?
Racist Joke?
From Blog City Pages, ((Lake Crystal Tribune Editor Don Marben wrote a delightful anecdote about a golf course that replaced it's caddies with robots, only to find that their metal surfaces reflected sun in the golfers' eyes.
When golfers suggest painting the robots black, a course employee responds "We did. And four of 'em didn't show up for work, two filed for welfare, one robbed the pro shop, and the other thinks he's the president."))
Well, it was kind of racist, but I really only had a problem with the Obama jab. In private, we have all tell these off color jokes before. Most people that know me personally are aware that I make small jokes like this because people stereotype with race. I do it out of preconceived notions of what white and black people think of each other.
But, throwing an Obama jab into the criminal and lazy jokes is just little bit too wrong. Say whatever you want about Obama, but don’t lump him in with criminals or lazy folk. And, did this off color joke need to be in a newspaper?
I came home for lunch yesterday and found my wife wearing this outfit. It started out as just something comfortable to wear around the house but I told her it looked like some of the clothes she used to wear back in the '80's. I told her to try on some of the boots that she had and we both thought these just made the outfit.
I wish I could say that she wasn't wearing the outfit for long, but you know we're a respectable middle-aged couple and don't engage in that sort of spontaneous activity the way young people do. ;) ;).
Nevertheless I was inspired to paint it. Had to do it from memory as the outfit is now in the wash. I think it's a good likeness but you'll have to take my word for it as my wife has forbidden me from posting photos of her on the interweb (a wise precaution, I think).
I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ines Sainz and her prefect ass…
Now, I’ve been trying to stay away from this story because I didn’t want to get myself in trouble. But, the fact that Ines Sainz keeps showing up on TV shows and other news blogs that I had to add my two cents.
First, yes, Miss Sainz has a prefect body and a pretty good face. She is very pleasing to the eyes.
Second, yes, she does have a point that these players need to behave a little better around women professionals.
Third, if you dress in a skin-tight pair of blue jeans like the picture above, you should expect some catcalls from a bunch a locker head sports guys. That’s just how they’re build.
I’m all for women dressing in whatever manner they feel possible. If you have a great body, wear some revealing clothing. Hell, I am straight guy and I like to look. But, don’t expect the same treatment when you’re in a professional situation. Remember, I’m the guy that sided with the woman that wore the short skirt on a Southwest flight and got kicked off.
When you’re in a locker room with a bunch of sweaty muscle guys, they’re going to say something when you show up in your skin tight jeans and nice booty. She made a big stink about the whole experience and the media fire storm began.
Yet, now Sainz seems to be changing her tune on the matter.
From Fanhouse.com ((Sainz has given conflicting statements since the issue came to light. She initially indicated on her Twitter account that she was embarrassed by what had happened,. However, in subsequent appearances on various media platforms, Sainz has said that she was not bothered by either the practice incident or the locker room conduct.))
So, I’m not sure exactly where she stands on “the incident”. She’s now attacking the Association of Women in Sports Media.
How do you feel about her?
 | ||
Hmm, No comment... |
 |
| Come on really? |
Roger Rabbit 2 test footage finally revealed? (1998)
Over at Big Fan Boy, they have video embedded into the story that is supposed to be screen test footage of the abandoned Roger Rabbit 2 project. In that project, they wanted to update Roger Rabbit with CGI models that interacted with real people instead of regular animated models. From what I read, the project was fairly into pre-production before everyone lost interest in it.
From what I can gather, the test footage is legit. Now, I still looking for story boards to Roger Rabbit 2 as well. I really liked what I saw in the video, and I am impressed with how well it looks for something out of the 90s.
I listed this web site before that will give you further insight into the history behind the failed attempt at a Roger Rabbit sequel. (http://www.filmbuffonline.com/Features/RogerRabbitII.2.htm )
Side note: There is supposedly more footage than the few seconds we have here. From Film Buff Online, (( The test scene consisted of two animated weasels bursting into the office of a Hollywood agent to “persuade” him to audition their friend Roger. Roger then bursts into the room and proceeds to cause the kind of havoc only a `toon like he can. The test was designed to see if traditional animation and computer-generated images could be successfully combined with live action footage of the agent and his office. Roger and the weasels were realized through traditional animation while the weasels’ Tommy guns and a table that Roger breaks were rendered through CGI. Unfortunately, the result was not as successful as hoped for, so another test was ordered. This time both characters and props were animated with a computer and produced a much better result. ))
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Digital Underground (The Way We Swing and other songs)
DU has always been one of my favorite hip-hop groups ever. I think they have the 70s vibe that Outkast had in their later albums.
The Way We Swing.
This is the remix that came out after the first version. This version was released on their EP Album “This is an EP Release”. This version is much faster than the other first version. Plus, there aren’t any of MC Blowfish vocals in the remix either.
Make sure to listen to live version too.
Arguin’ on the Funk
I always laugh at this comedic bit. Basically Shock-G and Humpy-Hump are the same person, and he’s arguing with himself.
Tie the Knot
Tie the knot, tip-tip-tip tie the knot. I love this one too. They had a version of this song for that movie Nothing But Trouble.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
