Ctrl*Z would be funny too, except it's not really a funny situation

Top Secret!, with Val Kilmer in his first role and Lucy Gutteridge (and Omar Sharif, oddly). Kind of like the latest incarnation of Harold and Kumar, stupid, but in a way that's actually hilarious. Amazing in what they could get away with in the 1980s, too, in terms of sexual jokes and boobage, for PG. Actually, what's most interesting is how much this movie has stood the test of time, in terms of, its jokes aren't temporal-context based, I think it would be funny regardless of when it's watched - old school slapstick, which is what a lot of the banal comedies being made now are missing.

Man, I can't read many more articles like this about Palestine. Though, interesting commentary on modern grafitti, on a wall on the road to our mom's hometown, "Control*Alt*Delete." (from Wyatt)

And from an email reponse to Wyatt asking what I would do:
I'd like to say I'd try to follow what I learned in reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography (re: a successful response to a similar situation), but the trick is, as a Palestinian, I don't think they have the same access to education that would allow them to put together that kind or response - they just aren't even aware of its existance. And without that education, like even me reading that book, I'd guess my only response would be....well, to fight, someway, somehow.

But, the trouble is, even as that would be my honest response, like the Palestinian official in the article points out, that does the opposite of helping. Mandela did eventually (and reluctantly) resort to using violence in South Africa, but very very intensely controlled violence, only targeting military and governmental institutions where there would be no loss of life or even injury if they could help it. Of course, more extreme elements of their movement developed that they could not control to that extent, but they tried their hardest to, recognizing that the more indiscriminate violence only led to riots and retaliation (just like the Israeli retaliations). Even Gandhi sanctioned violence in certain cases, saying that if a certain group could not honestly take a nonviolent approach with honest hearts, then do what they needed to...but again, not in a way without discernment, something like, "Be angry, yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger."

But, again, that's me speaking from my perspective that has access to all this information. I remember before I started to get into yoga, when I had a stupidly bad temper, yeah, I'd be all over stupidly fighting, and that's where I think a lot of them are at.

Caballerismo vs Machismo

also, some seriously gross moments

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, with John Cho, Kal Penn, NPH, amazingly hot bottomless girls, that cute redhead....and so on. I was expecting this to be so stupid I'd have trouble sitting through it, but was pleasantly surprised. It was kind of a nicely, "American" movie, we decided - it covers all sorts of modern American cultural topics, in hilarious ways, while using and (and even, in a shallow, fun kind of way) developing its main characters, returning to everyone from the first movie in logical ways, even. I'm totally all about the idea of a bottomless party, offhand. In fact, I will now spend a while imagining girls I know in such a context. Not guys, though. Because it's my imagination, dang it. So there.

Anyway, aside from the bad guy who was a bit too over the top (those were the only scenes I sighed at), definitely worth a see and a laugh.

Hoax, with Richard Gere and Alfred Molina. Well, I can't really seriously review this, as I fell asleep through most of the second half. But, what I did see seemed of high quality in terms of acting and cinematography, just...the characters didn't really have any redeeming qualities. Hence, my falling asleep more easily than not, I think, like the movie Sideways, enough of characters like that and I stop trying to get something out of observing them and so, just stop caring.

I could see this working, and also causing accidents more than cameras

Because honeybees are awesome, and in mortal danger

Hm, we need more homeless people like this, I think, that we could actually call a holy person, who prepares tea for people

if only she had a bit more curve, she'd be an 11

Run Fatboy Run, with the incomparable Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton, who I can only ever imagine as the chick in Mission Impossible II. Also, oddly directed by David Schwimmer, of all people. And, more importantly, with a role for India de Beaufort, whom I now have a crush on. Yowza. If the movie had a lot more of her, I'd give it a 10 out of 10, no questions asked. India....can I has ur babies?
Aaaanyway, we thought this movie really is in a category of its own - not a comedy, really, not a romance, but not really failing in that common way of trying too hard to be both, it was just....sweet. And not great in that, not bad, good, just...sweet. Which I guess is like Schwimmer, kind of, but better and less whiny. Also, I am going to complement girls by calling them tree frogs from now on. Poisonous and pretty. Thank you little five year old.

I raise my eyebrow at this. And can't decide who would win that last fight, Subzero or Batman.

The funny thing is, scallops do have eyes

he has good facial expressions

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J. K. Rowland. Gah! Time travel! Actually, this was probably some of the most decently done time travel I've yet come across, my reflexive distaste aside. It was kept quite simple, and the rest of the little details of story and wizarding culture were more than interesting enough to outweigh that one small part. Actually, now that I think about it, a helluva lot happens in this book. Not bad at all.

Interesting tree and fruit

“You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood."
"What mood is that?"
"Last minute panic."

Very nsfw ads on the page (as we hilariously learned, especially when opening with IE), but ASL vs Marilyn Manson is pretty cool

I have Justin Timberlake stuck in my head.

Addendum to 30 Days of Night, kind of spoilerish, but note the point in the narrative where the "become the enemy to win" trope I keep pushing comes up....

Hee, dorky charity (I liked the Fire guy best, back in the day, though he was dumb)

Interesting words learned in a twop - ontogeny and phylogeny...in the same page, an interesting brush upon self-validation vs Gaius Baltar

Also, Lumpenbourgeousie just sounds funny

screeech click inhale-noise SQREEUAK

30 Days of Night, with Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. Off the top of my head, I'd say the vamps (yes, I am going with the shortened appellation, any sarcasm aside) are up there with the Blindsight vamps...not quite as good, but that's still saying a helluva lot. That is, they're pretty awesome - just the kind of human-but-oh-so-not-human-at-all that I enjoy. Their language was a wonderful touch, in that. The shots were very well set up, light and shadow and some top-down perspectives being used to great effect, and though some of the characters were kind of interchangeable (we'll call it, say, 'generic Alaskan guy with slight facial hair'), some of the others were pretty well set up, even with only sparing development. Only thing was the climax was a bit contrived, but I'd say, it's arguably sensical given the situation.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J. K. Rowling. I wonder what her initials are for....John Kevin, and she's a transy, perhaps. Actually, the book was much better than I expected. It was good light reading when I needed it. Also good in that I don't hardly remember the movies very well, so could still be surprised by things. But seriously, how many people die in Quidditch? Iron balls chasing you? Really now. Also, I think they should make a cookbook based on the setting.

They've got to use artificial lightning in a movie, now, somehow.

It's obviously a Cloverfield monster. Duh. And how fun would a Cloverfield scenario be in Civilization?

because the same joke over and over and over is hilarious.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, with John Reilly and Jenna Fischer. Oh man. Big waste of time. I think they were actually trying to make the main character someone you were supposed to kind of care about...and were we supposed to actually get into the music? I think if they'd really went all out into making it stupidly funny through and through, I would have enjoyed it. As it was, it was a parody that was trying to be an actual movie, practically. And as such, my mind was wandering prolifically.

Here we are; maybe, animals see in three dimensions, we add a fourth dimension - time - and Cylons see in one more dimension than that

Wow, sordid, international, political - Roxelana

I was all "WHOA!" But girlfriend was sleeping, so was outwardly all, "...whoa."

A River Runs Through It, with Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt. Yes, it's a pretty slow movie, but that doesn't mean it isn't very engaging. Some of the Montana vistas are so beautifully shot they're heartwarming, and the narration and even some of the dialogue is simply downright poetic, if not profound. Come to think of it, the family narrative is something of a parallel to the Prodigal Son story I'd been struggling to understand today. Anyhoo, it's also interesting in kind of a secondary way in subtly being a nice period piece, of early 20th century rural life.
-"Each one of here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding."

Elantris, by Brian Sanderson. At first, I was kind of leary, as it seemed overly simple writing. Then, when themes of self-development and self-reliance picked up, I thought, hm, this would be good for teens or such to read. Then, I realized how complex and, yes, even exciting the politics in the novel had gotten (exciting politics, well played, mr. author). There are a couple turns near the end that were pretty jarring, like going from Harry Potter to Hostel in the space of a page, but then the ending was one last-minute save, heroic action, and plot twist after another. Like the multiple endings of Return of the King, but you don't want them to stop, because they're crazy awesome. And there's a fun index of pretty runes that are central to the story, bonus.

Wow, Mavia seems right up there with Boudicca.

Somewhat nsfw snazzy ink

Hmm, brings whole new angle to gender-switched behavior patterns

Tee, a children's book version of the origin of Spawn!