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!

tee, shrimpoluminescence....and donkeymonkeys

The King of Kong, with Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe. It was a lot more moving, than I expected, for one. And interesting - like, going into it, how interesting can a movie about Donkey Kong get? But, it's really...real, just real people, real emotion, real passions. And real douchebags, well set up to look all pleasant in the beginning, but then the true hero comes around, slightly autistic seeming and all. Of course, even he has his own (family-neglecting) kind of flaws, but, damn but if he isn't upstanding in every other way. I think it's worth seeing in taking some time to really view some real people dealing with stuff that's really important to them. Like a serious, and yet still kind of funny, version of a mockumentary.

Blue Harvest Uh, well, it's a Family Guy re-telling of A New Hope. Eeeeyup. That should about do it, explanation-wise. Pretty much standard for the cartoon - some really hilarious moments, but a lot of mediocre, too.

If Evolution's Shore actually comes about, I'm moving to Africa
-tangent to that, in Arthur Clarke being a source of inspiration for that novel

One might argue that pistol shrimp are like living flash-bangs (also, the term "shrimpoluminescence" is fun)

What's this Boskop Man business all about?

shrimpball

The real question is, what if one smacks right into your face, out of nowhere?

Article conferring Western science and yogic thought on lucid dreaming

crazy fruit art

What the hell is circular polarized..ing? light? Huh? What? Shrimp?

post Egg Day triviaball

Again from Brian - elephant cams. No, not like that kind of dirty cam, thank you. More, we have to find a way to attach a camera to Mattie. I'd say Tia, but all we'd get would be shots of food.

On Easter, in France (is there really a flying bell?)

A pretty awesome fighter, Tara Larosa [won for the US in grappling championships two weeks after her boyfriend died in Iraq, for example]

Wow, scientific extension of my favorite metaphor, the lotus as symbol of spirituality

I'll make a tshirt that says "dippily byzantine," because no one will get it

School for Scoundrels, with Bill Thornton and Jon Heder. And some girl from Real World? Eh, I could never get into those shows, however dippily byzantine. I don't know, Heder...I just don't see him as any sort of leading man, except in really dumb comedies. And this was just trying a little too hard to be not-so-dumb, and even went way too far as it got closer to the end, trying to suddenly make itself into a rom-com, what with the sweeping music. I suppose this film could have been better, but it was suffering from fragmented identity, trying to be too many things at once, when it probably would have been better served as just a straight up, stupid ass funny movie. Oh, and it didn't even pull off the interesting lessons contained within shady that Swingers did, considering it's kind of a parallel in subject - this was more just douchebaggery and sad-funny.

Shivaji seems like he was a gunslinger of a fellow

Hm, on combinations of food and digestion - alas, my beloved Brushfire combo of brisket and pork....heh, no, this requires experimentation and verification!

From Brian, a robot that would probably make me scream if it came upon me in the night in the forest. Especially if I tried to knock it over like that and it got back up....

seriously. not one thing up a butt.

Flesh Gothic, by Edward Lee. A strong showing by Lee, in his always grotesque-yet-fun slasher-novel style (like a slasher movie, but with more over the top sex and violence). But, not his strongest, I'd say, on a couple of counts. One, for as sexual as the premise is purported to be (the narrative more than revolves around it, it's fairly obsessed with it), there's just not as much actual sexy stuff going on, to match it. Though I will note some wide-eyed creative ideas near the end. But that's the other thing, the ending just kind of fizzles after a book's worth of buildup; I think the climax could have been, not to pun, fleshed out a lot more. Mmm, kind of double pun, there. Also, an issue I've had with Lee, though I'm sure he's kind of playing-to-audience, and this is really a complaint about all of similar genre, to be fair, I suppose, is that it's staunchly heterosexual throughout. Oh, there's a gay character....who's celibate. All told, it's just chauvinistic how nothing of equal craziness happens to the male characters in the novel, and there was plenty of opportunity for it in this one.

And to go along with that, some penile facts, for your enjoyment (that's a real adjective, right?)

Spice Islands has lots of interesting trivia on...well...spices

If only they'd taught us history this way....actually, the more I read, the more they're bloody hilarious (more here)

for Jake, on Trinity

Wow, never would have figured that name for that cactus...now I'll just smirk whenever I see one

As much as I adore geckos, the astronaut idea makes me blink (the video makes me more eager to see them when they come back in the summer, though)

I think if I saw a coconut crab in person and was not prepared I would scream like a little girl. And then eat it.

I want to try climbing a giant sheet now

The Gymnast, with Dreya Weber and Addie Yungmee. A lot better than I expected; well, to be honest, I was really just kind of going for a stuck-at-home-watching-movies-so-might-as-well-get-B grade-sexy. And lo and behold, it turns out to have twenty some awards from various sources, very little of anything actually too sexual, but even better, interesting characters in an interesting situation. And very graceful and lovely scenery, what with the trapeze act. Interesting to see relationship interactions played out almost verbatim from some things I've read lately, and that set within an interesting setting - I almost wish I had more of the characters' daily life to flesh it out even more, but I suppose it wouldn't really fit in a movie format, heh. I'm still torn on the ending, though. I appreciate the open ending of it, after all, one of my favorite authors is Frank Herbert, the kind of open endings...but in a romance, I wanted a romantic ending, dang it!

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel. Wow. This is going to take a couple more readings for me to really get the full weight of it. Written over the course of seven years by Bechdel, the author and artist of the great Dykes to Watch Out For, Fun Home is a thought provoking and depthful look at her relationship with her father, and that woven with the evolution of her identity in terms of sexuality, gender, and adulthood. The art is doubly interesting in that much of it was actually done from photo references, and yet retains Bechdel's clean and unique style. Between reading this, watching The Gymnast, and watching Secretary, I had a lot of similar themes to think about this weekend. Fun times!

From Ms Xuemei, badgers! Now we just need snakes and mushrooms.

Jim Loy seems to be something of a polymath - lots of short, interesting articles

I love ants, always so interesting

glass studded trivia ball

gerenuks look almost alien to me

whoa, go dolphin (and, animal intelligence/sentience plug!)

not sure anyone will get this, but to me alligators using their breath this way is an oblique commentary on humans using their own pranic vayu (the dimension of a person's manifestation that can be controlled with the breath)

how adorable are sunshine buddies? very. that's how much.

That's really what I should do with my gloves

vibrant

From a de Lint story, 'The Pennymen,' a pretty accurate description of what after-meditation feels like for a bit:
"...and made her feel that everything she looked at she was seeing for the first time. The art hanging from the walls was vibrant, the colors almost pulsing. The spiraling grain in the room's wooden trim, window frames, and wainscotting pulled at her gaze, drawing it down into its twists and turns. The smell of the turps and solvents from her studio behind her had never had such a presence and bite before. It wasn't so much unpleasant as so very immediate.

This, she realized suddenly, was what Jilly meant when she talked about the epiphany of experiencing magic, howsoever small a piece of the mystery you stumbled upon. It redefined everything."

Basically, we're looking at April 22 for ours

That is my philosophy on the matter. Yes.

renewed interest in transhuman(ism) triviaball

Does Pando creep out anyone else?

It's obvious, duh, he's a mutant, like in X-Men

I am the very model of a Singularitarian

I'm all about animal sentience/intelligence these days, and these little Aussie spiders are right up in that (also a tiny bit fae seeming, I'd say)

Reminds me, potentially, of the serafinas in MacDonald's Terminal Cafe; slash, this is Second Life we're talking about, when will they start having cybersex?

the random white circles and snowmen? perfect touch.

Swingers, with Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and that guy from Office Space. As the movie began, I reflexively had thoughts of not liking it - it seeming to be about one really pathetic character, as much as I've been nigh exactly where he was, I just didn't want to sit through another experience of it, and some of the people I normally consider rank asshats. I warmed up to it over the course of the movie though, on account of little things, like in-narrative callbacks, the bit of metafictional element, and the characters actually seeming to really care about each other, and their shallowness actually stripping them any maliciousness I might have ascribed. That is, their attitudes towards women and a sundry of other things were varying degrees of superficial or immature, but they seemed somewhat nice at heart. So it was kind of true to life, to me, except with relatively nice guys maybe trying to be kind of jerky because they think they have to, which is actually nicer than the more true jerks in real life.

Also, there are a lot of little lessons for social life in it, in a whole spectrum of painfully-bad to kind of jerky, with the nice ones in the middle. That is, I know it might be easy to knee-jerk pass it off as about guys trying to manipulate girls, and, well, some of it is. But there are little things like when the girl sasses or asks what car the guy drives, we immediately saw how the response could have been better as a sass back, or a rejoinder with mirrored disdain, because that's where the narrative directed our thoughts. Or the attitude of confidence to go into meeting a complete stranger with, say. Anyhoo, interesting.

Wow, the wife of the French president is gorgeous, who knew?

Lots of fun info in the Cloverfield FAQ

Dresken Codak = sweetacular.

For some reason I find these two leglocks kind of funny

What a weird toy; this about sea cucumbers seems somehow similar

List of terror attacks thwarted since 9/11, interesting

That's....actually kind of an accurate summary of that autobiography I just read

I'd be all over that if it was legal

'touchfood' is poignant and 'act my age' was a good whack upside the head; Jen Wang

Hee! Tiny Carl Jung! Ok I'm done linking that fun comic now.