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Quote:I concur - Rhona Mitra not up to the task at hand, though Bill was on particularly good venom-spitting form.The 3rd one (the prequel) was not very good at all, but the first two are enjoyable as guilty pleasures.
(Speaking as an Orthodox Jedi, I have a great deal of trouble with prequels/reimaginings of any colour. Yes,meesa still bitter. Gungans. Midichlorians. Heresy, I tell you. Makes me question my faith sometimes,really does.)
However, can't believe we've got this far without namechecking the granddaddy of 'em all...
Nosferatu - by German silent director FW Murnau - is an unlicensed take on the Dracula mythos, with only the names changed (the villainous "Count Orlok" preying on "Thomas and Ellen Hutter"), and a few subtexts dropped.
But it does a heck of a lot better job than the Oldman/Keanu "Bram Stoker's" version. Dig it up via Netflix/LoveFilm and be amazed at how many directors have homaged or outright stolen shots, angles and visual cues over the years. -
If you can get hold of it, try and find the original Channel Four (UK) series Ultraviolet, which is rather good (and absolutely nothing to do with the Milla Jovovich movie). Their vamps, or Code Vs, are smart, tech-savvy, well-organised and well-entrenched in society. You could see it as one of the spiritual parents of Underworld and the global-vamp-conspiracy paranoia of the recent Blade and True Blood canons. The hunters are also equally smart and tech'd up, mind, and it owes as much to classic Brit procedural sci-fi like Quatermass or Doomwatch as Stoker.
If you like the Hammer Studios films and want to go beyond the Cushing/Lee canon, keep an eye out for Captain Kronos-Vampire Hunter, which blends a Van Helsing backstory and 70s vampsploitation cheese with some quite cool ideas.
Finally,have to admit to a soft spot for Kate Beckinsale's Underworld movies, partly for the outfits, partly for the likes of Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy and Derek Jacobi cheerfully chewing the scenery, and mainly because they're superb Saturday night popcorn flicks. And there's nothing wrong with that. -
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Quote:Your best (T for Teen-rated) geeky gags please..
"Guys, all this talk about the Kardashians is really alienating for people who don't even watch Star Trek. Is this a new species in the second movie?" -- Jon Headington -
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I've been asked to inform you all that my partner is terrified of slugs. Which means I have to throw out any that come in after the cat's food. It also means I can't watch Slither, which has Nathan Fillion it and should therefore be awesome.
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Quote:Narf.
(also: Barrowman. Nom.)
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Quote:Same. I've stood on the edge of really tall things (Grand Canyon, skyscrapers) unsupported, and quite bored flying these days, but can't stand vertical drop rides (if my feet aren't on anything solid).I'm really uncomfortable around heights, but it's more from a fear of falling. Not sure why I am, but I've been that way since I was a kid.
So perhaps not a fear of falling so much as hitting the ground. Which is perfectly logical. -
Posted a Halloween message on the blog this morning:
Quote:About 2 minutes later, I received this reply:"We have nothing to fear but fear itself. And evil clowns. Don't forget the clowns."
--Franklin D.Roosevelt (full version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_U4d0OyCE4
...much as I'd like to run screaming from the Web and hide in an old, creepy, disused corner of DARPAnet, I think it'd be better to talk it out.
I am a quite genuine coulrophobe, and to a lesser extent afraid of kids' costumed characters in general. No idea why, other than an incident with the Honey Monster when I was small. (Paraphrasing Bill Hicks: to you, it's a cuddly cereal character: to me, it's an eight foot hairy thing with massive bloody teeth that clearly wants to eat me).
How afraid? Well, having been in a fight or two, nearly drowned a couple of times, and caught up in the 7/7 terrorist incident and dealt with that calmly, yes, more scared of clowns than scraps, big waves or terrorists.
So, as we're celebrating the Season of the Witch, what thing / movie / situation terrifies you beyond the capacity for rational thought? -
I foresee many Ood Boogie .gif avatars - also the animated Adipose were pretty groovy
(Also, had slight sniffly moment spotting Lis Sladen bouncing along in there...) -
Please view the following,as it will improve your day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s4Czla6tXc -
A comet that was no threat to Earth, whatsoever, and in no way would have obliterated all life on Earth or required the assistance of Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi and Aerosmith to destroy, is now entirely safely broken up. Really.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10...nin_breaks_up/ -
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Bad idea. If observing a thing changes the nature of the thing, then by observing younger non-evil me, our time traveller:
- could either prevent the future by simply giving me an alternate career path
- has already CAUSED the alternate timeline by telling me it's a possibility, so I might in trying to prevent the timeline cause it by accident, or work my *** off to achieve it out of sheer bloody-mindedness.
In any case, the minute their back's turned I'm pulling a Biff Tannen, nicking the time machine, downloading the next ten years' National Lottery results and quietly retiring to a private island. -
Seems to have been wiped - anyone know anywhere else I could see it?
However, did find The Consultant on DailyMotion.. "it's scheduled for demolition on Thursday" *grin* -
Was actually fairly convinced that most Simon Cowell products are replicants. Hence the guaranteed 5-year career lifespan.
Of course, it was Disney that perfected the technique first... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZgXg_7kVI8 -
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If we looked at it as a CoH team:
THOR: Hammer/Elec Brute
IRON MAN: En/En/Munitions Blapper (reminds me a lot of a few loons I started out with...)
CAPPY: SS/Shield Scrapper
SCARLET(T): MA/Ninja stalker with tons of gadgetty temp powers
HAWKEYE: Archery/TA Defender
NICK: Soldiers/Traps MM
...needs a healzor. Hmmm... *phones Whedon*
But speaking of Whedon, hopefully Scarlett comes across as the seasoned pro player trying to cope with an indisciplined mob of diva tanks. -
I *liked* Casino Royale, but Quantum - other than Daniel Craig's presence - didn't do much for me at all. We still need a Big Bad with a Big Damn Laser (or has at least a Big Damn Scary Plan) who needs a Big Damn Hero to stop him.
And gadgets.
Lots of gadgets.
*ponders applying to be Q* -
Lara Croft is currently out of the spotlight ("You used to be big." "I AM BIG. It's the processors that got small.")
Have a feeling SIRI will be the next big celeb if ever she gets an animated, Cortana-style avatar.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/siri.html
Siri also has a sense of humour (Q:"What is the meaning of life?" Siri:"42", Q:"Will you marry me?" "Sorry, marriage is not covered in my EULA. Would you like me to recommend a dating service?")
Mind you, still wondering if she's going to get jealous if you ask her to handle too many messages from other AIs or girlfriends... "Have you been playing with that GlaDOS again? Psycho hussy. She'll wind up killing you one of these days.." -
Joss is Boss. That's all there is to it.
*performs Dance of Honour* -
Still like the original Flash Gordon (which was recreated for the so-bad-it's-wonderful Dino De Laurentiis film...)
1936: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B707Ava4wrY
1980: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Kx4XIs2tU
BTW, I own Queen's Flash Gordon album, and The Hero is part of my workout set. And set Brian Blessed's laugh as a custom iPhone tone for a particularly insane ex-boss. -
Quote:Ah, Festivus (aka National Stripper Appreciation Day - hence the branches missing off the tree and the silver pole).Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to go and shop for a new aluminum pole...
Personally, even as an orthodox Jedi (ie: the three prequels are heresy and never happened), I happen to like Christmas. It's a big shiny gaudy feast in the middle of winter with lots of fun, lots of laughs and nephews and nieces to overfeed and send back to their parents loaded with caffeine and sugar.
I dislike the pressure to give bigger/better gifts every year-much as I'd love to give nephew #2 the Lego Millennium Falcon, I'm not shelling out £120+ for it. Besides, I'd want to keep it.
So.. have as much fun as you want, decorate how you want, eat what you want, ignore everybody else's pressure, and call it what you want.
Just not Life Day.
That never happened either. -
I'm already asking nephews and nieces for choices before prices go through roof and stuff sells out..
Oh and how come no-one's brought up Jack Skellington for Halloxmas yet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7ftU2vxIC0