Speaking of superheroes...

While Superman Returns broke this past week, producers of another movie coming out this summer used it as an opportunity to promote their film. The way they set up their trailer was such that the viewer would think it was a trailer for Superman Returns as it began. Still the film looks very funny and I’ve no doubt I’ll want to see it when it is released:



Click here for trailer to My Super Ex Girlfriend.

The bastard son of Krypton.

I saw the new Superman movie and as these things go it was pretty good. Not surprising I imagine since Bryan Singer usually makes a good movie (see Apt Pupil which ranks just behind The Usual Suspects in terms of his best movies).

Following a mysterious absence of several years, Superman (Brandon Routh), comes back to Earth—but things have changed. While Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.

I had a few problems with the film. It was way long. Much, much longer than it needed to be (Running Time: 2 hrs. 34 min.). It could have easily clocked in at just under or over two hours and been a lot better movie. I can only wonder if there is a special edition DVD if they’ll have anything in the way of deleted scenes since it is so unbearably long it looks like they used everything. If you don’t believe me, see if you don’t find yourself wondering when the damn thing is going to end and fidgeting in your seat for the last half hour.

That said, Kate Bosworth was wonderful (although I have to admit to getting her confused with Kate Beckinsale), Kevin Spacey was just out and out excellent as always, doing probably the best turn as Lex Luthor I have ever seen. Even Parker Posey who is known for destroying pictures was good in this (oops I get her confused with Amanda Peet). Brandon Routh was excellent as the Big Red S!

Singer has also managed to take some of the better elements of earlier Superman movies and reuse them to best effect in this film (score, titles and the appearance of a certain dead actor). I’m trying not to ruin the thing for those who do go and see it.

What I did have a problem with (spoiler text below - highlight to read):

Not to be a prude but, the plot point of Supes trying to put the moves on an obviously attached and involved Lois Lane didn’t quite sit well with me. Not that it’s so racy or anything, just that it’s kind of at odds with the whole image of Superman being this white bread pure superhero. When he is making the moves on her it is very clear she is living with and for all he knows has a family with another man. Superman the adulterer? I’m just not sure if that’s the kind of message you want for this type of a movie. What subtle message are you sending there?

The bastard son of Krypton reference is towards Lois’ kid who midway through the second act they make very clear is the child of Lois and Supes. Superman does the dirty deed with Lois (without protection no less) and then leaves behind a pregnant Lois is very uncool. Faster than a speeding bullet but unable to wear a hat? Lois certainly has a right to be pissed. Again, it’s just this cutesy kind of thing I imagine they were trying to make the character more modern but, I really think someone made a wrong turn with that one. Take out the reveal of the kid having powers and leave him as the kid of Lois and her new man and Supes becomes a more heroic figure in my book.

Also, there was a certain amount of very subtle Christian iconography that was going on it seemed. A lot of the poses and the way Supes was shot seemed very reminiscent of some of the clichéd portrayals of Christ through the centuries - much in the way the figure was posed and the point of view.



Anyway, I’m curious to see how others found it so please leave your comments below!

But then again, we always knew that.

Osama bin Laden appeared to warn Iraq’s majority Shi’ite Muslims they were not safe from al Qaeda’s new leader in the country after a car bomb devastated a Baghdad market on Saturday, killing more than 60 people.

“It is not possible that many southerners violate, alongside America and its allies, Ramadi, Falluja, Mosul ... and that their areas remain safe from retaliation,” a voice like that of the Saudi-born Sunni Islamist said in an Internet recording.

It’s just final proof Al Qaeda isn’t fighting a jihad against non-Muslims - there is no room for compromise with a group like this. Theirs is a battle of absolutes and we must commit ourselves to the total eradication of such evil in the world. We must fight this battle on their terms as they leave us no choice. The zealots of Al Qaeda make no distiction in who is a justifiable target of their violence and as such they rank right up there with other scourges of humanity over the last 100 years. Regardless of whether or not we agree with the premises behind this conflict, we cannot hide from it as they will seek us out. Let us join together and wage a thorough and merciless campaign to eradicate them and their ilk from our midst - they are animals and deserve none of our compassion or respect. The sooner we send them to their final reward, the sooner we will make the world a better and safer place. Just like vermin, pestilence or disease we must not stop until they are obliterated completely.

Time for housecleaning.

Need to go through the sidebar and do some housecleaning on the whole link experience yet again. I have to show some link love for those who are linking to me and at the same time just update some things to make life more interesting for those who drop by to visit.

The best part of the fight between Star Jones and Barbara Walters.

Although I don’t care about The View, I don’t watch The View and what happens on The View has little or no impact on my day to day life. I will shamelessly admit to enjoying a good hearty belly laugh every time I see this video which is now in heavy rotation because of recent media events:

What would Ray Miland say?

I looked up at the calendar today, a Christmas gift from Mister Bruce and realized I hadn’t changed the thing over from May to June. Then as I thought about it, I’d just as soon forget June anyway. The month started off with me feeling crappy and here were closing in on July and I’m just hoping to feel better. I thought I was out of the woods but, the last few days were just brutal. Stuff got done this month, precious little though and not anywhere near what I would have liked to accomplish - I just want to feel physically well though! June has been more like a lost month than anything else.

Some things you still enjoy...

It’s been on a couple of times lately and every time I manage to see it I am reminded by what a good movie it is:



My Favorite Brunette is a 1947 movie spoofing movie detectives and the film noir style. Starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, it also features Lon Chaney, Jr. playing Willie, a character based on his Of Mice and Men role Lennie; Peter Lorre as Kismit, a comic take on his many film noir roles; and cameo appearances by film noir regular Alan Ladd and Hope partner Bing Crosby.

Really worth watching, reminds me very much of a certain era of Hollywood movie making.

You’ve got to give some people credit for thinking outside of the box.

“We think this goes with the central message of the gospel and Jesus loves you regardless of your profession,” the statement read. “This is not about shock tactics, this is about trying to get the word of God to places most say would be impossible but we have found a way to do it.”

The only thing I imagine I’m a little bit surprised is the name of the organization - xxxchurch.

It’s not imitation, it’s theft.

There have been a few instances over the last couple of days where I’ve seen my writing (my terminology) just wholesale swiped. It’s been a bit amazing, the places I’ve seen it happen. I guess I should be flattered but, I just find myself a bit pissed. Possibly part of the reason is the people doing the swiping aren’t ready to own up to it or at the very least give me the credit for the masterful weaving of words. The thieves in question whether they be strangers or friends just come along and basically pirate ideas as their own.

It’s nothing new. Years back I would work on story concepts, rolling the things over and over in my mind. As part of the process of working out a story, I’d talk about the concepts, settings and themes before they had fully germinated only to watch as another would come takes those unrealized threads and spin them into a hackneyed and bland cloth, full of holes and clichés.

There are a few very popular and well-known plotlines (in a medium I choose not to designate), I have no doubt were commandered from me. I know full well who committed the theft and how they came by the information. In one or two cases, I am glad it was done because the fact is when you take something still incomplete and claim it as your own, you had best be able to see it through. Even if a foundation is poured, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to build a strong and beautiful house. You need to be a skilled carpenter for that otherwise you end up with a shack. I guess it’s hard to imagine someone who finds it necessary to steal in such a way would be a skilled builder themselves.

Anyway, what I find amazes me though is that with the incredible wealth of ideas and words we are surrounded by, is it still necessary to steal? Are these thieves just f**kin’ lazy?

Never happens enough for my taste.

But always nice when comments do appear.

Your time is gonna come....

From Google video, a short from some foreign TV show of an excellent sight gag!

C’mon, if you lived here you already knew this.

Outscoring large cities in 35 countries, New York proved best in three tests of courtesy, according to the survey by Reader’s Digest.

Reporters for the magazine conducted a “door test,” to see who would hold open a door, a “document drop” to see who would help pick up dropped papers and a “service test” to measure if salesclerks said thank you for a purchase.

Speaking of crusades.

I came across this and thought I would pass it along, I think anyone who is over the age of 35 would rankle at this proposal and might want to take the time out to generate some response to it. Click on the paragraph to take a look:

Soon after the death of former President Ronald Reagan, the leader of the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project came up with the idea of removing Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill. According to him, Hamilton has no constituency, no one will care if he is gone. While it is important to honor our nation’s 40th president, doing so at the expense of one of our greatest Founding Fathers is unnecessary and inappropriate. Hamilton’s portrait on the $10 bill is the single most significant living memorial to the man who created the modern American economy. To remove Hamilton from the $10 is to debase American history and our common American heritage.

Conducting an experiment.

The old saw is that sex sells. I wanted to test that theory so, I posted one of the photos I had from a shoot I did around this time last year up on the Flickr stream.

It’s not a particualrly revealing photo and I have procrastinated about going through all the shots from the session, cleaning them up and adjusting the color on them. I thoroughly intend on posting the whole series eventually but I’ve been focusing mainly on the things I’ve shot with the point and shoot over the last few months rather than going back and adjusting the things I did with the big camera.

So, I put up this image as a teaser image more or less just to see what kind of traffic it will generate. Also, I was hoping to get an opportunity to work with some more people on the basis of the shoot itself - we’ll see what happens but here’s the shot in question. It’s marginally nsfw but it shouldn’t really be a problem since you can’t see more than you would at a beach. I imagine though the selection of outfit and the body art are what might make it a bit racy.



*Update - a mere four hours after the shot was posted, it has moved up to the #15 position on the basis of number of views and I would not at all be surprised if it doesn’t crack the top 3 before tomorrow! I guess there’s some truth to the statement!

*Update 2 - As predicted, not even up 24 hours and it cracked the top 3 - before the week is out it may even crack number 1!

This is for every fool.

Who has felt the need to stand in the overly long line at the Shake Shack waiting for their mediocre fare. You people really need to get out of Manhattan a bit more or at the vey least explore the island a bit. The Shake Shack line webcam.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane...

With the release of the new Superman movie right around the corner, when would there be a better time than to watch Robot Chicken’s Real World Metropolis! (Quicktime required - with the right plugins).

and if you can’t watch that, then why not solace yourself with the first new Beavis and Butthead short of Robot Chicken’s when Beavis and Butthead join the Teen Titans! (this thing isn’t even available on the DVD so watch it while you can!)

Dogs in space!

I came across this video through a link up on Dacia Ray’s blog (see Waking Vixen link in sidebar). People talk about animals being so expressive mainly because we attribute human emotions to pets but, I have to admit - I found the video tremendously compelling with the pictures of dogs over a driving techno soundtrack. Worth a look.

Getting the word out.

Sometimes you make new connections with people and then they want to share the things that are important to them with you. In that regard, I am just getting the word out on two things that were brought to my attention in the past few days.

First off was an appeal on the behalf of some homeless people up in Canada - take a quick look and if you would a moment or two out to maybe generate an email on their behalf.

Please I’m begging for your HELP! EVERYONE FROM CANADA AND THE WORLD!! Help my friends!!! (Please read all)

Please, I'm begging to you call the Mayor, David Miller 416-397-2489 and urge him to stop this eviction. Write him a letter and fax it to 416-696-3687 E-mail: mayor_miller@toronto.ca please watch this video too: homelessnation.org/node/1359 Please, this is a man that has been living on the streets for a very long time after a terrible accident. I met him 8 years ago when I was homeless myself and living in the same place he is still living now… I knew him as “Chris the penny guy” because all day long he was picking up pennies, and this is all he is surviving on. I remember I used to sit with him at Coffee TIme and help him count his pennies. I lived there for almost a year. Today he is still living off pennies, has build a house of his own, and doesn't bother anyone...

and also this appeal:

Dear friends who care about our earth,

Please take a minute to read and judge for yourself if you want to take action. In the Valle de San Felix, the purest water in Chile runs from 2 rivers, fed by 2 glaciers. Water is a most precious resource, and wars will be fought for it. Indigenous farmers in the region use the water, they provide the second largest source of income for the area and there is no unemployment.

Under the glaciers has been found a huge deposit of gold, silver and other minerals. To get at these, it would be necessary to break, to destroy the glaciers - something never conceived of in the history of the world - and to make 2 huge holes, each as big as a whole mountain, one for extraction and one for the mine’s rubbish heap.

The project is called PASCUA LAMA. The company is called Barrick Gold. The operation is planned by a multi-national company, one of whose members is George Bush Senior.

The Chilean Government has approved the project to start this year, 2006. The only reason it hasn't started yet is because the farmers have got a temporary stay of execution. If they destroy the glaciers, they will not just destroy the source of specially pure water, but they will permanently contaminate the 2 rivers so they will never again be fit for human or animal consumption because of the use of cyanide and sulphuric acid in the extractionprocess.

Every last gram of gold will go abroad to the multinational company and not one will be left with the people whose land it is.They will only be left with the poisoned water and the resulting illnesses.

The farmers have been fighting a long time for their land, but have been forbidden to make a TV appeal by a ban from the Ministry of the Interior. Their only hope now of putting brakes on this project is to get help from international justice.

The world must know what is happening in Chile. The place to start changing the world is from your own place.

We ask you to circulate this message amongst your friends in the following way. Please copy this text, paste it into a new email adding your signature and send it to everyone in your address book. Please will the 100th person to receive and sign the petition send it to noapascualama@yahoo.ca to be forwarded to the Chilean government.

No to Pascua Lama Open-cast mine in the Andean Cordillera on the Chilean-Argentine frontier.

We ask the Chilean Government not to authorize the Pascua Lama project to protect the whole of 3 glaciers, the purity of the water of the San Felix Valley and El Transito, the quality of the agricultural land of the region of Atacama, the quality of life of the Diaguita people and of the whole population of the region.

My first thought was that the email might be a misguided phishing email but as it turns out the Pascua Lama project is happening and is something of great concern for that region of the world. Instead of responding to the email if you want, you might just want to take the time out to write the people at Barrick Gold themselves and let them know how unpopular their pursuit of this project is.

It’s Hyde!

Last night on my way from work and out to dinner, who goes riding past me but That 70’s Show’s Danny Masterson. Everytime I manage a celeb sighting (and it’s a rarity just because of how oblivious I am to my surroundings), I am always amazed by how much tinier people are in real life than they appear on TV, just in terms of gauging their height and all.

Danny, riding against traffic down 10th Avenue over by Fifteenth Street (across from the back door of Chelsea Market) seemed quite happy to be enjoying his anonymity - until of course I yelled out, ‘DANNY, BABY!’ causing him to look around to figure out who was yelling at him (LOL).

That’s been the second celeb sighting I’ve had in the last few months, I was walking along 9th Street between 5th and 6th one beautiful day a few weeks back when I noticed this strikingly beautiful, if familiar petite girl walk past me. I was a few steps up the street when it suddenly struck me I walked by someone I had seen on TV or knew from TV even though I couldn’t quite figure out where. Sure enough, later on I checked and remembered it was from one of those shows that was really popular but I didn’t watch. Turned out the woman’s name is Keri Russell a very tiny but beautiful young lady.

Catches theives, just like flies.

If you are in and around Manhattan tomorrow (Sunday) - they will be filming Spider Man 3 in and around Madison Square Park. The posted signs say from 6am to midnight.