2012: JUN
2012-JUN-10 [SUN] 05:53 PM
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
[Fellowship of the Ring (2001)]
[The Two Towers (2002)]
[The Return of the King (2003)]
As we mentioned at the end of our
MARCH BLG entry:
http://www.amystrange.org/BLG-2012-03.html#17-1212
J.R.R. Tolkien (the original source for this trilogy) wrote a prequel to it called "The Hobbit" that, in Dave's opinion (not mine, I don't care one way or the other), should have been included as part of the trilogy which would then ultimately make it a four book trilogy. But, as the "official" story goes:
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien
"The Hobbit
"Tolkien never expected his stories to become popular, but by sheer accident a book called The Hobbit, which he had written some years before for his own children, came in 1936 to the attention of Susan Dagnall, an employee of the London publishing firm George Allen & Unwin, who persuaded Tolkien to submit it for publication. However, the book attracted adult readers as well as children, and it became popular enough for the publishers to ask Tolkien to produce a sequel.
"The request for a sequel prompted Tolkien to begin what would become his most famous work: the epic novel The Lord of the Rings (originally published in three volumes 1954-1955). Tolkien spent more than ten years writing the primary narrative and appendices for The Lord of the Rings, during which time he received the constant support of the Inklings, in particular his closest friend Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set against the background of The Silmarillion, but in a time long after it... "
Anyway that aside, we finally got the first movie of the trilogy (LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring) from Netflix; so this weekend we're going to watch them in a row and blog our thoughts and post our notes as we watch them. Hope you enjoy this extra-special LOTR movie-trilogy blog.
2012-06-17 [SUN] 03:48 PM
CAST:
Elijah Wood
Sean Astin
Ian Holm
Ian McKellen
Christopher Lee
Orlando Bloom
Billy Boyd
Liv Tyler
Cate Blanchett
Sean Bean
Brad Dourif
Bernard Hill
Viggo Mortensen
Miranda Otto
John Rhys-Davies
Bruce Spence
Karl Urban
Hugo Weaving
David Wenham
DIRECTOR:
Peter Jackson
I've never read the books, nor seen any of these movies and neither has Dave, but he has read all four of the books, although he doesn't remember any of the details at least not until we see the movie anyway.
I have read the beginning of the Hobbit and it is funny, but these three movies take place after the first book (or maybe it's before, we don't know for sure), but not haven't read "The Hobbit" shouldn't detract from this trilogy, but I do recommend getting "The Hobbit" and at least reading the first two chapters.
Before we get to watching the movies, here is a select quote from Wikipedia about the author, and his novels:
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings
" ...The work was initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set, with the other being The Silmarillion, but this idea was dismissed by his publisher. It was decided for economic reasons to publish The Lord of the Rings as three volumes over the course of a year from 21 July 1954 to October 1955, thus creating the now familiar Lord of the Rings trilogy. The three volumes were entitled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Structurally, the novel is divided internally into six books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material included at the end of the third volume. The Lord of the Rings has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into many languages... "
And about the trilogy of films:
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_film_trilogy
" ...The films were directed by Peter Jackson and distributed by New Line Cinema. Considered to be one of the biggest and most ambitious movie projects ever undertaken, with an overall budget of $285 million, the entire project took eight years, with the filming for all three films done simultaneously and entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand. Each film in the trilogy also had Special Extended Editions, released on DVD a year after the theatrical releases. While the films follow the book's general storyline, they do omit some of the plot elements from the novel and include some additions to and other deviations from the source material.
"Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the three films follow the hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) as he and a Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, and thus ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. The Fellowship becomes divided and Frodo continues the quest together with his loyal companion Sam (Sean Astin) and the treacherous Gollum (Andy Serkis). Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), heir in exile to the throne of Gondor, and the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) unite and rally the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, who are ultimately victorious in the War of the Ring... "
We are watching the above mentioned "Special Extended Edition" for the first movie, but are watching the regular theatrical releases of the final two.
Also, here is one quote about the making of "The Hobbit", soon to be released (according to Wikipedia, and as of this writing):
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_film_trilogy
" ...A two-part prequel based on Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit is currently in production, slated for release in 2012 and 2013.... "
We had to go do laundry first, just got back, and are READY to Rock and Roll:
(NOTES) 2012-06-17 [SUN] 03:51 PM
==================================================
(2001) "LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring"
A Wingnut Films Productions.
"The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth.
I smell it in the air
[...]
"It began with the forging of the great Rings. Three were given to the
elves. Imortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings. Seven to the
dwarf-lords: Great miners and craftsmen of the moutain halls. And
nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of men; who, above all
else, desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength
and will to govern each race.
"But they were all of them deceived. For another ring was made. In the
land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron
forged in secret a Master Ring to control all others. And into this
ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate
all life.
"One Ring to rule them all. One by one, the Free Lands of Middle-earth
fell to the power of the ring. But there were some who resisted... "
AND THIS IS HOW THE FIRST MOVIE BEGINS
A great war of resistence, a last alliance of men and Elves, began.
When victory was near, Sauron (and the power of the ring) arrived.
When all was almost lost, "Isildur, son of the king, took up his
father's sword. Sauron, the enemy of the Free Peoples of
Middle-earth, was defeated... "
But since the hearts of men were easily corrupted, the ring was not
destroyed but lost.
"History became legend.
Legend became myth... "
The ring, lost and forgotten, was found by Gollum and taken to the
Misty Mountains.
Bilbo Baggins (a Hobbit and an unlikely intention of the ring) then
finds the ring. Bilbo originally appeared in the original tale,
"The Hobbit".
He sits down to write "A Hobbits Tale". Beginning with:
"The 22nd day of September, in the year 1440 (by Shire
reckoning)... "
Gandalf (to Frodo Baggins, "You're late.") as he arrives for Bilbo's
birthday party: "A wizard is never late Frodo Baggins, nor is he
early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
Bilbo: "Old Toby. The finest weed in the Southfarthing."
Weed? Is this a tobacco like plant, or something else... Hehehe.
The fireworks at Bilbo's BD Party are pretty awesome.
Magical to say the least.
One scene with two teen Hobbits trying to light a firework inside a
tent is hilarious, as the tent goes up into the air with it.
Bilbo (the best double talk we've ever heard): "Today is my 111th
birthday! But alas, eleventy-one years is far to short a time to
live among such excellent and admirable Hobbits. I don't know half
of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of
you half as well as you deserve.
[...]
"I regret this is the end. I'm going now. I bid you all a very fond
farewell."
He then disappears. One of the qualities of the ring he found.
Reappearing in his home with Gandalf soon to follow, Bilbo tells him
the ring is in an envelope, but it's not. It's in his pocket, and
he doesn't want to let go of his "precious". A good scene follows
where the evil hold the ring has over it's possesor is displayed
quite well.
Even Gandalf seems enchanted (while smoking "Old Toby" it seems to us)
when he gets the ring back from Bilbo who drops it as he leaves.
Finally regaining his senses, he hands it to Bilbo, "Along with all
his possesions, the ring is yours now."
After we see Gandalf researching the ring in his library, he finds a
reference to it, "The year 3434 of the second age. Here follows the
account of Isildur, High King of Gondor and the finding of the Ring
of Power"; the scene then shifts to a great castle on a moutaintop,
and the cinematography (along with the soundtrack) begins to get a
darker tone to it.
Frodo is then told by Gandalf (after an insane-like state of anxiety)
of the rings power, and what he has to do with it.
FRODO: "There are markings. It's some form of Elvish. I can't
read it."
GANDALF: "There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor,
which I will not utter here."
F: "Mordor!"
G: "In the common tongue, it says:
'One Ring to rule them all.
One Ring to find them.
One Ring to bring them all.
And in the darkness bind them.'
[...]
"The Ring has awoken. Its heard its master's call."
F: "But he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed."
G: "No, Frodo. The spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is
bound to the Ring, and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned. His
Orcs have multiplied. His fortress [the castle on the mountaintop
we mentioned earlier] at Barad-dûr is rebuilt in the land of
Mordor. Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands in a
second darkness. He is seeking it. Seeking it. All his thought is
bent on it. For the Ring yearns above all else to return to the
hand of its master. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord.
Frodo, he must never find it.
F: "All right. We put it away. We keep it hidden. We never speak
of it again. No one know's it's here, do they? Do they Gandalf?"
G: "There is one other who knew that Bilbo had the Ring. I
looked everywhere for the creature Gollum. But the enemy found him
first. I don't know how long they tortured him. But amidst the
endless screams and inane babble, they discerned two words:
'Shire!
Baggins!'"
F: "Shire. Baggins. But that would lead them here!"
[...]
"What must I do?"
G: "You must leave. And leave quickly."
F: "Where? Where do I go?"
G: "Get out of the Shire. Make for the village of Bree."
[...]
"I'll be waiting for you at the Inn of the Prancing Pony."
THIS (41m29s) is where the movie really starts to take off.
"Prancing Pony", Dave really loves that name. He's pretending to prance
around right now as I write this. What a maroon (old Bugs Bunny
insult). Ha ha.
Samwise Gamgee, caught evesdropping by Gandalf (a very funny scene), gets
roped into joining the high adventure. This is the stuff for which
video games were originally designed.
In the next scene we see Gandalf consulting with and finally fighting
his mentor Saruman, because he chose to follow the wisest path.
Joining Sauron. Gandalf is overpowered and it looks like the old
wizard is a goner for sure.
We next join Frodo and Samwise as they begin their journey in what
looks like a cornfield, not knowing what is happening to Gandalf.
Merry and Pippin join the party when they bump into Frodo and Sam
while they are crossing the cornfield. Pippin explains why he thinks
they are being chased by the owner of the field, saying that, "He's
clearly overeacting," about a few stolen carrots, cabbage, and
potatoes.
But, it's not the owner of the field that is chasing them (or so it
seems to us anyway) as a fine chase scene follows. Short but sweet.
They get away and end up at the "Prancing Pony", inquire about
Gandalf, but no one has seen him for six months.
This made me feel sad, but Dave comforted me by saying, "This part
reminds me of 'Star Wars'. You'll see what I mean." This is a reference to
I remember what happened in that movie so I felt a little better
although not by much.
Anyway, some fight scenes, and Frodo gets stabbed in one when the "Dark
Spirits" try to take the Ring away from him, although we haven't
figured out why Frodoo isn't affected by the Ring, and figured it was
because he was on the way to meet Sauron which was the Rings intent
to begin with.
We then see Gandalf releasing a moth (who still looks like he's on
death's door), and this is where we will end our virtual play
by play of the rest of the movie, which would be considered spoilers
by more people than we care to admit, but thus far, should give you
a good idea of what this movie (and generally the LOTR trilogy
novels) are all about.
==================================================
The LOTR trilogy is considered not only the first high adventure of its kind, but also the inspiration for a 1970's phenomenon called "Dungeons and Dragons", and ultimately (more or less) has been the basic (unwritten) rule book for high adventure games and novels, even to this day.
First there's the quest, next are the characters and their powers and what they can get away with and can't, and finally there's the magic. Gandalf the Wizard is almost a universally reveried character in the world of high adventure.
UPDATE: Fodor (over the angry and almost violent bickering voices of opposing forces) proclaims he will depose of the Ring. His friends (Pippens, Sam, and Merry) vow to join him.
This is where DISC NUMBER ONE (of two) ended.
Back to games, like we said above, there is the quest (the objective).
And second, the characters (besides knowing what they can and can't do) must be almost equal to those they oppose. This is important, because it sets the stage for believing that either side can win. Who would play a game you can't win?
Dave (in his own inimatable arrogance) tells me, "A game you can't win is better than any game that's easy to win."
"Whatever," was my reply.
But I've played games and as much as I hate to admit, he's "sometimes" right.
UPDATE: The fight with the octopus-like thing is very well done (meaning either CGI and/or special effects, etc.); it was all good). So was the fight at the bridge, the highlight being Gandalf proclaiming with his staff hitting the ground like thunder, "You shall not PASS!" As Dave said, "Good STUFF!!!"
I couldn't help but add, "WHOA! AWESOME!!" But started crying, and so did Dave.
Watch the movie and see why.
The fight at the end with the (obvious bad guy) demon was well choreograph. Aragon, one of the good guys, is definitely one of my favorites in this movie. He promises to his dying friend that he will not give up on "Our People".
A dying debate about the difference between "your people" and "our people" made Dave sad. I brushed away a tear myself.
A good movie because you can't help but care about the characters and what happens to them.
2012-06-17 [SUN] 11:08 PM
CAST:
Elijah Wood
Viggo Mortensen
Ian McKellen
Sean Astin
Andy Serkis
Orlando Bloom
John Rhys-Davies
Dominic Monaghan
Billy Boyd
Christopher Lee
Liv Tyler
Cate Blanchett
Bernard Hill
Brad Dourif
Miranda Otto
David Wenham
Karl Urban
Hugo Weaving
DIRECTOR:
Peter Jackson
We started watching the first part of the trilogy at around four, but now it is past eleven at night. This is obviously going to be an all night affair.
This episode begins with a recap of Gandalf's death.
It's almost confusing unless you've seen the first of the three-movie trilogy.
(NOTES) 2012-06-18 [MON] 05:01 PM ================================================== (2002) "LOTR: The Two Towers" Mr. Frodo? Samwise called Frodo Baggins that. Just weird. They capture a weird creature who swears to protect those who hold the "precious" (the Ring of power). They don't believe him, of course. Would you? Surprisingly to us, this weird little creature is the infamous Gollum. As told in the first movie, he was the one who had the ring before Bilbo Baggins found it. The "Two Towers" refers to Sauron and Saruman. The first movie was weird, but this one took it one step further. For example, there is a scene where Pippin and Merry are almost attacked and eaten by some of their captors, because all they have left to eat is moldy bread, and don't those Hobbits look tasty. One of their other captors says no and beheads one of the creatures who eyed Pippin and Merry tastily, and then everyone jumps on him, and (reminiscent of "Night of the Living Dead") devours him with bloody intestines flying everywhere. One of the themes running through this movie (I just picked up on this, but it hasn't hit Dave yet), and that is how many scenes where someone is thought to be killed, but shows up again a few scenes later. That is all I'm going to write about that. Hint. Hint. Wink. Wink. Nod. Nod. Ha ha. He just picked up on it too. We also learn that Gollum's real name is Sméagol. About halfway through the movie, a force of over 10,000 men begin marching on Rohan and then Gondor (the last free land of Men) to unite them all under one evil Ring of Power. The rest of the movie we hear references to this force as it draws closer and closer while Middle Earth prepares for these two final and decisive battles for control of all Earth. And finally, the first battle begins and ends with a victory for Frodo, Gandalf and their friends and allies, but as Gandalf says shortly after (paraphrasing), this may be the end of the battle for Helms Deep, but it's only the beginning of the battle for Middle Earth. At the very end of the movie, we see Frodo and Samwise meet up with Gollum (Sméagol) who is ready to show them the way to where they have to go, but just before he does this, we see him talking to himself in that split-personality way that we've seen on and off almost since Frodo and Samwise met up with him and decided to use him as a guide. The "evil" Gollum is vowing to kill Frodo and take the ring from him. The "good" Gollum steps out from behind the tree and waving them down, and then the three of them leave together and THAT is how the movie ends. ==================================================
2012-06-19 [TUE] 05:41 PM
CAST:
Elijah Wood
Viggo Mortensen
Ian McKellen
Sean Astin
Dominic Monaghan
Billy Boyd
John Rhys-Davies
Orlando Bloom
Ian Holm
Christopher Lee
Liv Tyler
Cate Blanchett
Brad Dourif
David Wenham
DIRECTOR:
Peter Jackson
The movie begins with a young Sméagol and his young friend, Déagol, fishing, finding the Ring, and fighting over it; with Sméagol killing Déagol over it.
(NOTES) 2012-06-19 [TUE] 06:25 PM ================================================== (2003) "LOTR: The Return of the King" For some reason, Dave tells me, he has always thought of Gandalf as a fearsome and quite stoic personality that neither laughed or even smiled. These movies gave Dave a different perspective on the Wizard then he had before. Yes, Gandalf can be serious when he needs to be, but he also knows when and how to relax and enjoy himself. I remember the name Gandalf, but mostly from a "Friends" episode where Ross and Chandler are to meet up with this "Gandalf" character who (I think) they call a "Party Wizard", so I'm not exactly sure where he got "fearsome and stoic" from? I guess I just have to read the books. Anyway, catching up. Samwise catches Sméagol plotting to kill them for the Ring, but that sneaky little shit somehow convinces Frodo that he's not and Samwise is the real evil one. The Stewart of Gondor (a kind of substitute for the King, but not really the King) doesn't want the real King to return. The real King is Aragon (long story), who just before the final battle for Gondor takes off for reinforcements, an army of the dead, and arrives back just in time to save his Kingdom. Frodo finally wakes up to what Sméagol is really doing, almost gets eaten by a GIANT spider (thank you Sméagol), fights with Sméagol, then flips him off a cliff. You can hear him scream all the way down, so I don't think he's coming back from the dead like a lot of other people in this movie. An aside about the Stewart of Gondor, me and Dave thought we recognized him, but finally we did. I was the first by a fraction of a second. He (John Noble) now plays the Mad professor (Walter Bishop) on "Fringe". ==================================================
All in all considering that all three movies together were around nine hours total, I liked it. I don't like war movies so much, they bore me, but this one had a lot of interesting characters and was funny and serious, and although the plot was kind of complicated not really as difficult to follow as I thought it would be. The ending was a hell of a nailbiter, but definitely well done. I was wrong about one thing though, Sméagol did return from the dead, sleazy little shit. Ha ha.
Dave agrees with me on most of my review, except maybe about war being boring, but that's his problem. He does admit though that he doesn't remember how this movie compares to the books. He doesn't remember most of what he read, except for the beginning of "The Hobbit", which really isn't in this movie, except maybe for Bilbo's birthday party at the beginning of the first movie. He says kind of did remind him a little of the beginning of "The Hobbit". This, I agree. It reminded me too of the beginning of the book.
Anyway, as a second to final word, Dave's favorite part was towards the end of the second movie when the tree lords (Etans) arrive to help vanquish the enemy. The tree person in charge screams, "Release the RIVER", and helps rip open the dam, water exploding out and swept away everyone (and everything) in its path, but somehow the river mostly only sweeps away the enemy, but why quibble. I liked that part too.
But, my personal favorite part, of all three movies, was towards the very end of the third movie when the soldier that no man can kill is killed... by a woman. Doesn't get any better than that.
Until next time...
2012: MAY
2012-MAY-31 [THU] 11:59 PM
The problem with suicide cases is twofold.
It isn't that suicides aren't horrible enough in and of themselves; the emotional and psychological cost to both family and friends is beyond calculation, but worse, what if it wasn't a suicide. What if it was murder? This is where the conundrum lies.
This conundrum begins with Law Enforcement (LE), and it's really easy to put all the blame on them, but the real blame belongs with their budget.
LE doesn't have an unlimited budget so when someone "seemingly" commits suicide, they can't afford to throw unlimited manpower at it; and unless there is obvious evidence indicating otherwise, they will very rarely declare it otherwise. This is only the first of the two part conundrum surrounding suicides.
The second is related to the first conundrum; because it's so easy to make a murder look like a suicide, when LE decides to declare a death a suicide, not only are the families frustrated in getting real closure, but it also allows someone to get away with murder. Which brings up the possibility of a worse case scenario, what if the murderer is a serial killer?
Continue reading
HERE
at our "Sucide" webage:
http://www.amystrange.org/SEK-suicide.html
2012: APR
2012-APR-04 [WED] 13:02
"STAND YOUR GROUND" Law
Me and Dave weren't there that night (obviously), so it would be presumptious of us to draw any real conclusions as to who really was at fault here. Unfortunately, more people than we care to count are more than willing to take sides. Most of the ones condemning Trayvon have come to the conclusion that Zimmerman was within his rights as a direct result of the "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida.
Basicly, this law allows Floridians the option to use force to defend themselves when they feel threatened (or fear for their lives) rather than just avoid a confrontation by running away, which (theoretically) is the only legal option in many other states without "Stand Your Ground" laws.
And thus, if you want to look at this situation from the point of view of a critical thinker than you have to ask yourself; who was more in fear for their lives, the person with a gun or the one without one? As the accepted version of the story goes, George told the police that he shot him because Trayvon had attacked him while trying to take his gun away, all the while promising to kill him when he finally got it.
Which brings us to the next logical question, if someone were to pull a gun on you, what would you do to stand your ground, run or try to take the gun away from them?
If your answer is run, then you can't honestly decide that George Zimmerman had the right to stand his ground while Trayvon Martin didn't. If you DO decide this, then we have to wonder what your ulterior motive really is for deciding that George was within his rights while Trayvon wasn't. Is it because of Martin's race, the hoodie, or both or maybe it's for some entirely different reason which had nothing to do with the other two reasons?
Just remember that Martin is dead and can't defend himself anymore, which is why he deserve the benefit of the doubt more than Zimmerman who is alive and has every reason to lie so he can avoid going to jail for something that might have mistakenly been done during the heat of the moment.
Nor should Zimmerman's status as a neighborhood watch volunteer be the deciding factor either. How was Martin suppose to know this, or how does this even begin to give him the right to pull a gun on an unarmed individual?
We're not saying George is lying, but we are also not willing to ignore the other side of this issue just because Trayvon was black and wearing a hoodie. These should NEVER be good enough reasons for anyone to lose their lives.
LATEST NEWS:
MAY-18-2012
More details emerge in Trayvon Martin investigation - FL USA
updated 4:59 PM EDT, Fri May 18, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/18/justice/florida-teen-shooting/
"(CNN) -- Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, talking to him on
the telephone, heard the teenager saying "get off, get
off," in the moments before his cell phone cut off and he
was shot dead, according to a recording released Friday of
the girl's interview with a prosecutor... "
APR-23-2012
Florida city commission rejects police chief's resignation in Trayvon Martin case - FL USA
updated 7:38 PM EDT, Mon April 23, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/23/justice/florida-teen-shooting/
"(CNN) -- City commissioners in Sanford, Florida, voted Monday
to reject the proposed resignation of its embattled police
chief, who has been under fire for the handling of the probe
into Trayvon Martin's death in February... "
Police chief in Trayvon Martin case to resign - FL USA
updated 3:12 PM EDT, Mon April 23, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/23/justice/florida-teen-shooting/
"(CNN) -- George Zimmerman pleaded not guilty Monday in the
Trayvon Martin case as Sanford's police chief prepared to
resign... "
APR-20-2012
More details about Zimmerman emerge during bond hearing - FL USA
updated 7:22 PM EDT, Fri April 20, 2012
By Michael Pearson, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/20/justice/florida-zimmerman-details/
"(CNN) -- For nearly two months, George Zimmerman has been
largely a cipher, a riddle whose voice has been heard only in
911 calls reporting a young man acting 'real suspicious... '"
APR-19-2012
Task force to consider 'stand your ground' after Trayvon Martin death - FL USA
updated 2:56 PM EDT, Thu April 19, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/19/justice/florida-teen-shooting/
"(CNN) -- Florida authorities have picked 17 people to tackle a
heated question brought on by the killing of unarmed teenager
Trayvon Martin: whether the state's 'stand your ground law'
should be changed... "
APR-18-2012
Judge disqualifies herself from George Zimmerman case - FL USA
updated 3:37 PM EDT, Wed April 18, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/18/justice/florida-teen-shooting/
"(CNN) -- A Florida judge Wednesday approved a motion to
disqualify herself from the criminal case involving a
neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old
Trayvon Martin, according to the court... "
APR-16-2012
Miami-Dade Firefighter Brian Beckmann's Facebook Post Blames
Trayvon Martin Situations On 'Shitbag' Parents - FL USA
Updated: 04/16/2012 2:21 pm
Posted: 04/16/2012 7:45 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/miami-dade-fire-captain-brian-beckman-facebook-investigation-trayvon-martin_n_1428013.html
"A Miami-Dade Fire Department official is under investigation
for a personal Facebook post that claims 'failed, shitbag,
ignorant parents' are to blame in cases like the shooting death
of unarmed Miami teen Trayvon Martin... "
APR-15-2012
Cosby: Trayvon Martin Case Should Be Focused More On Guns, Not Race
April 15, 2012 1:07 PM
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/04/15/cosby-trayvon-martin-case-should-be-focused-more-on-guns-not-race/
"WASHINGTON (AP) - Actor and comedian Bill Cosby says the debate
over the killing of Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch
volunteer should be focused on guns, not race... "
RELATED ARTICLES:
Timeline of events in Trayvon Martin case
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/11/justice/florida-teen-shooting-timeline/
'Stand Your Ground' Law Under Fire in Wake of Trayvon Martin Case - FL USA
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/04/06/tand-your-ground-law-under-fire-in-wake-trayvon-martin-case/
(Go HERE to read our ARCHIVED copy of the above article, in case it disappears)
2012-APR-14 [SAT] 08:45
8 Terrifying Places Horror Games Should Visit
Posted by Adam Dodd on December 01, 2010 @ 3:32am
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/121649/8-terrifying-places-horror-games-should-visit/
"Unless you're new to the world you're probably fully aware of just how insanely fucked up this lovely place we all call home really is. Murder, war, poverty and Justin Bieber are only a few of the things that plague us every single day and the sad thing about it is there's a very good chance everything will continue to get far worse before they get any better (or before a meteor or nuclear holocaust wipes us all out)... "
The Catacombs of Paris
The Sedlec Ossuary
Waverly Hills Sanitorium
Ilha da Queimada Grande
Poveglia Island
Poenari Castle
Cachtice Castle
Aokigahara Forest
Eight More Terrifying Places Horror Games Should Visit
Posted by Adam Dodd on August 31, 2011 @ 4:26am
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/122432/eight-more-terrifying-places-horror-games-should-visit/
"Last November I took your hand and we went on an unforgettable adventure to eight of the scariest goddamn places in the world. We visited some of the darkest and most depraved corners of the world, but some of you wanted more. Your insatiable lust for this sort of thing unnerves me a little, because when most people prefer tropical cruises, backpacking abroad, or camping in the wilderness, you'd rather take a stroll through these locales. I suppose part of me understands, I mean, who wants to get sea sick, or fight off thirsty mosquitoes? I saw those Hostel movies and those flicks pretty much guaranteed my ass won't be visiting any part of Europe without an armed escort. Lucky for us, we can visit these places through the magic that is lots and lots of words (and a few pretty pictures)... "
Overtoun Bridge
Kowloon Walled City
Izu Islands
Centralia, PA
North Sentinel Island
Machecoul, France
The Hill of Crosses
Isla de Las Munecas
Eight Terrifying Places Horror Games Should Visit, Part 3
Posted by Adam Dodd on April 07, 2012 @ 12:53am
"If the thought of leaving your house to get groceries, go to work, check the mail, etc. doesn’t instill a deep sense of fear that's on par with the fear someone experiences before they die horribly and very painfully, then I really haven't done my job. I want you to be terrified to go anywhere, and I'm talking about a level of fear you experience when you look into the wide crazy eyes of that guy or girl you just brought back to your place after a swell first date and you realize they're a total psycho who's about to fucking eat you alive... "
Hellingly Asylum
Helltown
Matsuo Ghost Mine
Mines of Paris
The Icelandic Phallological Museum
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
Unit 731
Detroit
Mountain of the dead:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident
"The Dyatlov Pass incident resulted in the deaths of nine ski
hikers in the northern Ural mountains on the night of February
2, 1959... "
The 5 Creepiest Disappearances That Nobody Can Explain
http://www.cracked.com/article_19765_the-5-creepiest-disappearances-that-nobody-can-explain.html
6 Famous Unsolved Mysteries (With Really Obvious Solutions)
http://www.cracked.com/article_16671_6-famous-unsolved-mysteries-with-really-obvious-solutions.html
The 5 Creepiest Urban Legends (That Happen to be True)
http://www.cracked.com/article_15628_the-5-creepiest-urban-legends-that-happen-to-be-true.html
Pumapunku, Bolivia
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumapunku
"Coordinates: 16"33'42S, 68"40'48W
"Pumapunku also called 'Puma Pumku' or 'Puma Puncu', is part of a large temple complex or monument group that is part of the Tiwanaku Site near Tiwanaku, Bolivia... "
Pumapunku is in Tiahuanaco (AKA Tiwanaku), Bolivia, which is approximately twenty miles west of La Paz, which is the largest city near Lake Titicaca, which also borders Peru. Just did a quick fact check, and think it's one of the (if not "the") highest lakes in the world at over 3,800 meters (12,000 feet) or just a little over 2.36 miles above sea-level.
This is not really a scary place, at least not technically anyway, but it does make you wonder and while you're wondering maybe you'll think outside the box a little bit.
Probably the most amazing thing about Pumapunku is how exact the rocks are carved there.
NAZCA LINES, Peru
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Lines
400 km South of Lima, Peru (in South America) between Nazca (Nasca) and Palpa, Peru.
2012-04-22 17:25 [SUN]
==================================================
"King Arthur and the 'Age of Chivalry'"
Wise king named Arthur
at a place called Camelot
Merlin
Gweneveire
Lancelot
1,500 years ago
No common language
late 5th Century
Celtic victory
credit a warrior named Arthur
until 700 years later
the stories began taking shape on paper
1138
Geoffrey of Monmouth's
History of the Kings of Britain
Fifth of the book dedicated to King Arthur
Idylls of the King
Tennyson
2012: MAR
2012-MAR-10 [SAT] 10:18 - Trilogy NOTES
It's the third month of the year, and so we
thought; what better time to do a couple blog post about trilogies
than March? Well maybe September, but that would be a trilogy multipled by
itself. We don't even know what that means, a trilogy of trilogies, or
maybe a trilogy about trilogies? Dave says he'd pay to see that. Yeah
right!
Ha ha, but don't you fret my pretties, just sit back, relax and enjoy this
month's post about two of our favorite trilogies:
We watched an unusual kind of movie trilogy Saturday. It was unusual because, most times when you say movie trilogy, most people think you are referring to something like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
This was not that kind of trilogy. These were a trilogy though, if for no other reason than because it involved three movies about the same monster, and that monster was introduced to us in the first movie (in the trilogy that) we watched, which was made in 1951 and called, "The Thing from Another World". One of the more interesting trivia factoids about this movie was that James Arness, an unknown actor at the time, played the monster.
Most of you younger folks (like me) might not remember who James Arness was, and who he is famous for portraying; but Dave remembers back when there were essentially only three major national television broadcasting powerhouses at the time. Long before the advent of cable, one of those powerhouses, CBS, had an hour long-running western drama on called "Gunsmoke".
James Arness (of "Thing" fame) played Marshal Matt Dillon on that long-running TV series:
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunsmoke
" ...Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West.
[...]
The TV series ran from September 10, 1955, to March 31, 1975, on CBS with 635 total episodes. The first twelve seasons aired Saturdays at 10:00, seasons thirteen through sixteen aired Mondays at 7:30 and the last four seasons aired Mondays at 8:00.
[...]
As of 2010, it is the fifth globally, after Doctor Who (1963-1989, 2005-), Taggart (1983-), The Bill (1984-2010). James Arness and Milburn Stone portrayed their Gunsmoke characters for 20 consecutive years, as did Kelsey Grammer as the character Frasier Crane, but over two half-hour sitcoms... "
Getting back to our theme for this month, I guess you could also call the three movies we watched a kind of "remake" trilogy too, because not only did we follow the original 1951 movie (mentioned above) with the 2011 Prequel to the original 1982 remake by John Carpenter, we also watched the 1982 remake last. Here are the notes we took as we watched all three:
Produced by Howard Hawks "Who [also] gave you: 'I Was a Male War Bride' 'Red River' and 'Sergeant York'" (some of) THE CAST: Nikki ------------------ Margaret Sheridan Captain Patrick Hendry - Kenneth Tobey Dr. Carrington --------- Robert Cornthwaite Scotty ----------------- Douglas Spencer Screenplay based on the story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr. Anchorage, Alaska Seattle is mentioned within the first five minutes. Scientist at North Pole are holding a convention and Dr. Carrington is the head Scientist. He calls for a rescue plane to help survivors of a possible crash up at the North Pole. Seismograph readings indicate the possible crash (of something weighing around 20 thousand tons) occured approximately 48 miles away. At the same time a kind of radar device that, clicked on automatically when radioactivity was detected and, tracked the object just before it crash landed. The blip moved parallel to earth and then up and finally down. Air Force 191 responds. It looks cold Brrrrrrrrr Dave remembers the warehouse scene in the beginning on the way to Dr. Carrington's office at about 10 minutes into the movie. They find a rudder sticking out of the ice. They spread out to figure the size and shape of the ship. Almost a perfect circle. A sidenote, this is allegedly what you see in the 1982 remake when they show a black and white photo of the original scientist trying to measure the size and shape of the craft they found buried in ice. In the photo, the shape of the landing path looks the same, but where the scientist stand don't look the same. The scientist in the 1982 remake look like they are standing in the snow, while in this movie, they are still on the ice. Thermite melt the ice in 30 seconds explosion looked fake but the exploding ship looked better there's a reference to Air Force Bulletin 629-49 item 6,700 extract 75,131 explaining the reason why the Air Force had discontinued the investigation of UFOs. You see the monster for the first time at about 57 minutes into the movie and the second time at 1:10. Very quick look the first time, but you can see that it is James Arness. The movie tells a very good story that builds on itself and becomes more suspenseful as the movie goes along without any CGI or other high tech special effects. watch the skies
Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. Kate Lloyd - Mary Elizabeth Winstead Carter ----- Joel Edgerton Adam Finch - Eric Christian Olsen This is the prequel to the John Carpenter 1982 remake of the 1951 horror classic. We decided to watch the original first, then the prequel (this movie) and finally the 1982 remake next. The original took place at the North Pole while this one takes place in Antartica There's a structure in Antartica and we need a paleontologist (paleontology: study of prehistoric life) wrap it up in a couple days nasty storm coming up Damn good special effects. The monster is different in this movie. In the original it was a vegetable. Someone even compared it to a carrot. In this prequel to the remake, it is made of weird cells that devour, take over and then imitate the original cells. It can also divide up into little arm like creatures. Very gory and also very suspenseful. And one of the best things of all, the ending leads directly into the 1982 beginning. Very well done overall.
Directed by John Carpenter. He also directed the original 1978 movie "Halloween". THE CAST: Kurt Russell Wilford Brimley T.K. Carter David Clennon Keith David Richard Dysart Charles Hallahan Peter Maloney Richard Masur Donald Moffat Joel Polis Based on the story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr. Antartica, Winter 1982 It makes for an interesting and satisfying experience if you watch the 2011 prequel before this one. The movie begins with a helicopter chasing after and shooting at a running dog. If you watched the 2011 prequel first, you'll know why. Another interesting difference betweeen this remake, the prequel, and the original is that in the 1951 original, they actually tracked the UFO as it landed with a radar tracking device that was triggered by the radiation coming from the craft. In the remakes, the craft (where the thing is found) is guessed to be about 100,000 years old. The special effects for the 1982 movie are comparable to the 2011 film. "You got to be fucking kidding me." That moment in the movie (actually, a couple minutes before that line) took us both totally by surprise also. No spoilers, just get this movie and watch for that line of dialogue or fast forward to the 1:17 point in the movie. This movie is definitely worth watching all the way through, if for no other reason than to see what the cutting edge special effects looked like for that time.
2012-MAR-17 [SAT] 12:12
by STIEG LARSSON
Since we're on the subject of trilogies, here's one of our newest favorites.
Dave started reading the "Dragon" trilogy by Stieg Larsson a few months ago. It starts with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", book. This was just before the Americanized version of the movie had been released by Hollywood. He told me that I, "had to read this book".
"Whatever," was my reply, but than a week later, I noticed he was crying. Crying? What the hell, I thought and said so outloud.
"This book, you have just got to read this book."
I was already deeply immersed in one of our many UFO books and comparing the facts to real science and didn't want to be bothered, "No thank you. I already saw the movie."
"You know that the books are almost always better than the movies. That's why I had to read this book. If the movie was awesome, I can just imagine how good the book (it's based on) must be.
I unfocused my eyes from the two books I was reading and focused on the title of his book, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", and thought for a minute, "Oh yeah that's the movie we watched a while back with subtitles that (despite the subtitles) I actually liked."
I hate movies with subtitles. Dave does too. He says, it's like reading a movie. Might as well read the book and screw the movie. Although he agrees with me in principle, he himself introduced me to some of the best subtitled movies ever. This movie was one of the latter for sure.
Anyway, the trilogy revolves around a very weird girl named Lisbeth Salander. She's, at the most, five feet tall and a brilliant computer hacker and able to kick ass when she needs to and can take care of herself in some pretty gawd-awful difficult situations. I hate to say this, but if I ever needed a hero or someone to look up to or worship, Salander would fit the bill quite nicely.
The movie we watched was not only a foreign film, but also filmed in the native language of the author, Stieg Larsson, who is Swedish, and even though we had to read the subtitles, we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dave had decided to add it to our "Queue" about a month before while watching the previews of coming events, at the beginning of another rental from "Netflix" that I think was another foreign film also, I think. After that, it sat around in our "Instant Queue" for about a month until late one Saturday night, late last year, we watched it.
The other two books in the series have already been made into foreign films. Hollywood has finally gotten on board. Sometimes, we Americans are too slow for our own good.
Soon after that, we started noticing trailers for the Americanized version. It didn't look bad either, and I've noticed that (just as I'm writing this) the DVD comes out this month too. We're looking forward to watching it soon.
After we saw the subtitled movie, Dave had to get the book, and then he had to get the other two books of the trilogy. And finally, he didn't want to watch the other two foreign versions until he had finished reading the whole trilogy.
After seeing him cry, I had to at least read a couple chapters. Needless to say, I was hooked. Dave has finished the third book and he is now waiting for me to finish. I'm a faster reader so having to wait for him to finish a book always irritated me, but I chalked that up to my aggressive nature and not because I hated Dave. Ha ha.
Hopefully, I'll finish before we watch the new American version, but if not, too bad for me.
The story itself is complicated and thus why it is spread out through three novels, each one way over 500 pages in length.
Each novel can be read separately and independantly of each other, or in sequence, and it's still easy to follow along with the complicated plot line.
One of the things that caught my attention was something that happened in the second novel. You have to remember these novels were written before 2004 when the author died. Why is this important? Because in the second novel, Lisbeth Salander is accused of a triple murder and somehow gets labeled a "lesbian satanist" by someone in the press and the resulting media frenzy that followed was eerily prophetic of what would happen to Amanda Knox a few years later.
2012-03-25 13:12 [SUN] ================================================== (2011) "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
THE CAST
-------------------------------
Lisbeth Salander - Rooney Mara
Mikael Blomkvist - Daniel Craig
To begin with, we were wrong about it being an Americanized version, because according to a blurb from Netflix, It is an English adaption:
"David Fincher directs this English adaption of Stieg Larsson's novel."
The first thing we noticed (I say we, but I noticed it first) was that the same actor (Daniel Craig) who played the last James Bond (in his 2006 debut "Casino Royale", and the 2008 sequel "Quantum of Solace") and then the lead opposite Harrison Ford in the 2011 movie called "Cowboys and Aliens". I like the guy. He just exudes sexuality. Dave... ha ha, he's a guy. He doesn't care either way, but he has admitted that Dan was a good looking guy, and he didn't complain when we found out who was playing Mikael Blomkvist.
Blomkvist, along with Salander, are the two central characters in this trilogy. Both lives intertwine as he (Blomkvist) is hired on to investigate a 40 year disappearance. The rest you can find out about by either reading the books or watching either versions.
I personally enjoyed the opening credits, the cinematography was pure eye candy (it literally reminded me of melting chocolate) while the background music sounded vaguely familiar, and that's when Dave pointed out that it was a cover of Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" performed by Karen O and Trent Reznor (according to a review blurb at Netflix. It's on his iPod and he played it for me after the movie was done. He's a huge Led Zepplin junkie, so it surprised me when he agreed that this version was pretty darn good.
The rest of the movie was also pretty darn good too. We've seen reviews condemning it for being a rip off of the Swedish version, but that's just plain silly, because the same can be said that the Swedish version is just a rip off of the book. We personally believe it's comparable to the original version and thus also the book. It's obvious to me though that the "English adaption" was made with both the book and the original in mind. In both movies, Salander breaks the cryptic code surrounding a list of names and numbers in Harriet's bible, while in the book someone else discovers the secret code. It could just be a coincidence, but I think it's a reasonable assumption that this part, in the newest version, was taken from the Swedish version rather than use the book version. Not that it's a bad thing. Usually, when we've watched movies from books we've read, there are many things that don't make it into the movie. Time is usually the reason. An actual scene by scene replication of the book would probably (at the least) double the movie length by two times.
The movies were pretty fathful to the book. The actors and actresses for both movies were outstanding and good choices. Each breathed a different kind of aspect into their character. Each actress played Salander differently, and even though they approached them differently, they were both equally successful in what they were trying to do. In my opinion, her calm but angry anti-social attitude and disgust were plainly evident and believable for both actresses. I liked the English version of Salander better, while Dave liked the original Swedish version.
All I can say is watch both the Swedish trilogy and the current English movie, but most of all read the books.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
(Arranged in chronological READING order)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The
Girl Who Played with Fire, The
Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, The
Our next trilogy is another movie trilogy and of course what else could it be but the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The one based on J.R.R. Tolkien's series of books by the same name. According to Dave though, there are actually four books to this trilogy; the first, "The Hobbit" is not as widely discussed as the other three that are more well known.
In Dave's opinion anyway (me, I don't give a hoot one way or the other), "The Hobbit" is important to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, because it introduces two of the most important characters of the series, and because the opening chapter of the book is simply hilarious. I've read the first chapter and I agree, but still don't give a hoot. Yawn. Anyway that is why, even though it is well-known as a trilogy, it really isn't.
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien
"The Hobbit
"Tolkien never expected his stories to become popular, but by sheer accident a book called The Hobbit, which he had written some years before for his own children, came in 1936 to the attention of Susan Dagnall, an employee of the London publishing firm George Allen & Unwin, who persuaded Tolkien to submit it for publication. However, the book attracted adult readers as well as children, and it became popular enough for the publishers to ask Tolkien to produce a sequel.
"The request for a sequel prompted Tolkien to begin what would become his most famous work: the epic novel The Lord of the Rings (originally published in three volumes 1954-1955). Tolkien spent more than ten years writing the primary narrative and appendices for The Lord of the Rings, during which time he received the constant support of the Inklings, in particular his closest friend Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set against the background of The Silmarillion, but in a time long after it... "
2012: FEB
2012-FEB-12 [SUN] 11:00 AM
It can be (and most probably already has been by now) successfully argued, that the Shakespearean quote "To be or not to be... " is the most quoted (if not the most recognized) Shakespearean quotation of all time.
The actual quote is just the beginning of what we think is one of the greatest soliloquies ever written.
We found, including this work, that thare are many phrases that we (either all use or at least know what they mean and) thought were "modern" sayings, but really are from Shakespeare:
FROM:
http://www.literary-quotations.com/s/william_shakespeare.html
"The play's the thing, Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the
king."
--Hamlet, Act II, scene ii
"I wish you all joy of the worm."
--Clown, Act V, scene ii
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be:
"For loan oft loses both itself and friend."
--Polonius, Act I, scene iii
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
--Marcellus, Act I, scene iv
AND MORE HERE:
http://www.literary-quotations.com/s/william_shakespeare.html
Dave (not me, I was bogged down in real life) watched the movie
"Anonymous"
and that's where this particular blog blot came from which I
originally thought, WTF?, but then I mellowed, but it
didn't matter, I still thought WTF? Ha ha
But still, the research was fun.
ANYWAY, here is the "To be... " soliloquy in its
entirety:
FROM: "HAMLET"
HAMLET: To be, or not to be--that is the question:
by William Shakespeare
SOURCE: http://www.monologuearchive.com/s/shakespeare_001.html
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--
No more--and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--
To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprise of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. -- Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia! -- Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.
2012: JAN
2011 <<<< 2012 >>>> 2013