Now I know I'm not supposed to like "The Spirit" but... aw hell I'll go ahead and do it anyway.

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Finally got around to watching "The Spirit" on dvd. Though it was roundly panned as a bad movie because of lousy acting, too many characters not enough plot, Miller directing, etc... I actually liked it.

First off: It was gorgeous to watch if you like that style of mixing Black/White graphic novel like shots with gritty real action. If you liked Sin city it's more of the same with similar effects but stood on it's own. It didn't seem quite as violent (or at least violent in a different less graphic way somehow) than Sin City. I actually did think Sin City was great.

Second: I didn't take the movie too seriously going in. So it was all a pleasant surprise when it did work well. There were laughable parts by design and then others that I just found amusing or funny by myself. But then I sometimes laugh at the damnedest things. I found this movie entertaining. Not the first or last time I will like something others don't. Reviews don't really tell me if I'll like it or not. They just don't pay folk like me to review movies... (now there's a surprise right?)

Third: No one in this movie is hard at all to watch. Eva Mendes as Sand Saref was a knockout (all the women in this movie were lookers...) Spirit was okay and Samuel Jackson (Octopus) was good. Yes, the characters were a bit shallow but pleasing to watch. They had to work with the lopsided dialog they were given and sometimes it was well... silly while angling for that dark noir, detective, thriller, angsty action pulp process.

If you like graphic novels, gritty stuff like the first Batman movie and thought the way they shot (and pieced together) Sin City was amazing then go ahead and buy or rent The Spirit. It won't knock your socks off by a long shot and I wouldn't skip anything truly important to watch it but... you likely will enjoy it. Perhaps a guilty pleasure to be had whilst complaining of all those reasons to not like it so you don't have to say "Yup. I liked it" to anyone.

And yes, I admit the running moody narrative of the Spirit himself got mildly annoying at times and didn't add much really to the, er, plot but oh well. Trying to add to the overall picture of the pained psyche I suppose.

I doubt Eisner would have been exactly crazy about The Spirit but most movies aren't perfect or even remotely perfect.
The artist in me that would love to put some of her stories into graphic novel format likes watching these movies a lot.
I can understand however why many people wouldn't have liked it. It isn't a fantastic movie but it's definitely watch-able.

Don't go by me though, I loved The Crow, Sin City, Pulp Fiction and thought Kill Bill was somewhat amusing.
Hopeless eh?

G'night,

Laura

How good is The World of Goo? Pretty darn good.

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I'm not much of a computer/game platform player, I'm more a logic puzzle person. The last games I completely finished on my own were Myst, Riven, and I loved Time Lapse.

My sons tried to get me to play Gran Turismo but I kept running into things, spinning around, driving off cliffs and into oncoming traffic. I wasn't doing it on purpose either, I just couldn't race. I would start laughing so hard while trying to play I had tears streaming down my face and then I'd just get worse. I wouldn't even be able to see the screen clearly which would make me laugh even more. Needless to say they gave up on me.

I also tried to play Tomb Raider because along with the action there are problems and puzzles to solve as you progress through the game. Alas right in the beginning you have to defeat wolves in order to actually get into the tomb to explore and I was killed every single time (I laugh a lot trying to play things like that). Once I got inside but then I was continually killed by a very angry bear. I gave up. I'll never make a quick enough shooter for those types of games. I did get to help on the puzzles parts though which I enjoyed.


My favorite interactive game of all time is still The Neverhood put out by Dreamworks with clay scenery and creatures.




I loved every minute of that game and Klaymen rocked! As I said before I love puzzles. Neverhood's claymation was wonderful and there hasn't been any other games that could come close to it. The background music was fantastic and refreshingly different too. I think there's actually a Neverhood cd of the music.


At best I sit watching others play through things like Silent Hill, Diablo, Halo and whatever game is the current one being played around the house in marathon fashion.

I stick to CSI type games where speed and dexterity isn't necessarily going to win the game it's thinking and piecing things together that saves (or solves) the day so to speak.

At any rate, I was given this game "The World of Goo" by 2d Boy for my mac and told I'd probably like it. It won a number of awards for best game so figured I'd see what it was like. I tentatively poked at it and found it became rather addicting. Some of the "levels" are hard and require some trial and error before you figure it out and I'm not great at physics of building bridges and things but it was fun and kept changing as you went. It's fun and doesn't hate you when you fail... you can redo, skip a little around, and there's no time run down to stress you out.

The creatures (Goo) are unique and make little noises. There really isn't any dialogue. The attributes of the Goo changes in different places and it's fun to figure out what you have to do to progress along. Even I wished it was a much longer game so I imagine a real gamer who spends hours playing something would be done with it much faster than I was. I only worked on one or at most two puzzles at a time. This is a great interactive, people friendly game and quite interesting. It's rated E for everyone though I don't know that really young folk would be able to do some of the levels. The background music/ambience grows on you and the goo well it kind of giggles for lack of a better word. My only complaint was that the end came too soon and was a bit anti climatic but I still liked it.






Again I'm not a gamer by a long shot but "World of Goo" was a lot of fun and not terribly expensive at all. Kindof like a wild version of living tinkertoys. You can download a free level or two online if you want to check it out at:
World of Goo game

I'm working on a game now on the Nintendo DS I borrow from Charl sometimes called "Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars." It will likely take me a while since I rarely have the time or desire to play for longer than an hour here or there.
Try the World of Goo, it's worth the time!

G'night,

Laura

Can you contain your excitement now that Teabagging Day is finally here... Wait what did I say?

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If you don't understand by now why the term teabagging has most of the news commentators hard pressed (sorry) to try and keep a straight face while reporting on conservative teabaggers planning teabagging parties, then please look it up in Wikipedia or something.

I was surprised by how many newsfolk (and others) didn't know the double-entendre value early on while they blissfully encouraged teabagging across the nation in tax protest. The news suddenly became a hysterically risqué fun house to many people.

One such humorous report from MSNBC did a segment that just cracked me up. It was deliberate of course, tongue in cheek so to speak.
It was titled: GOP's taste for teabagging
While the anti-tax "tea parties" are officially toothless, conservative teabaggers are full-throated about their goals. They want to give President Obama a strong tongue-lashing and lick government spending; spending they did not oppose when they were under Presidents Bush and Reagan.

If that doesn't at least make you crack a smile, listen to Rachel Maddow report after she totally gave up on trying to report for days without laughing. Most reporters as the days went on gave up trying to hide the linguistic challenge.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I found myself these last few weeks reveling in the hormone fueled sexual humor of a teenage boy, which is an amazing feat since I've never been a teenage boy. I found myself laughing out loud at accidental and deliberate statements like:
April 15: The teabaggers' seminal moment. The GOP bones up on teabagging the nation. We even have Dick Armey teabagging. Tea bag Obama and Pelosi. The conservatives are hoping the government feels the full thrust of the bottom up grass root teabagging campaign.

Ah, comeon, I know it's juvenile, I really do but...
All I can find myself saying is "Happy teabagging on tax day... but why stop there? Seems to me teabagging is a great new way to protest the government. Wait, not that new, I hear it went on during the Boston Tea Party. You are partaking in a great national tradition.

Knowing the alternative definition of teabagging turned even the more serious newscasts into political satire of sorts. It made such easy sport of Glen Beck and others. I guess teabagging was seen as an innocuous enough word that there couldn't be anything wrong with using it. There really should be a lot more vetting going on before choosing terms and people it would seem.

Yes, I'm smiling.
But now I'm leaving before I get in even deeper hot water...
Gulp.

G'night.

Laura
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Alan Moore's "Watchmen" in a movie: not fantastic but not bad either

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Finally decided to see “Watchmen” in the movies tonight.
I wasn’t at all sure that I really wanted to see it.
You see I was one of the few people out there that wasn’t crazy over the “V for Vendetta” movie though I really liked the graphic/comic series. The story and actors were good, and the movie wasn’t bad but it wasn’t what I wanted it to be.
Alan Moore wasn’t at all behind the Hollywood production of “Watchmen” so…
By the way Alan Moore is really rather odd but damn good at writing interesting series and being himself I suppose. He’s in “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman” as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve been a long time “graphic (for lack of any better term) novel” reader, though not a fanatic.
Couldn’t afford to be one. Started with comics, and underground comics, Heavy Metal before it turned into well… whatever. I still have the first 3 years worth saved around here somewhere and a few Fat Freddy’s Cat too. Began reading comics and graphic novels early on (Once upon a time I wanted to be an illustrator and went to college for Advertising Art and Design) and never stopped loving the comic/graphic medium to this day.

Unfortunately I got rid of all my comic books (girls weren’t supposed to read them: grow up and all) so when I moved out of parents house they were all given away.
Based on my reaction to the comic book tables at a few I-Con/Otacon visits I’ll never go to a comic-con I’d just sit and cry. Sadly, I had just about everything all the original stuff.
It’s not their monetary value that I get upset about it’s just that it makes me want them back to read and have. I loved comic books with a passion. It would have been better if I realized my interests were mine before I tried to “grow up” and be someone that I wasn’t as comfortable with.
Ah well, water under the bridge.


Back to Watchmen: I had mixed feelings about this movie. Yes, I enjoyed it and it followed the story all right… It wasn’t as gory as it could have been, yet not too watered down either.
Full frontal male nudity sort of (it’s CGI of course). Though Dr. Manhattan was done fairly well and the other characters were fine, I found something lacking in the movie. Maybe it’s because I enjoyed the comic series? I think I’ll have to see it again to fully decide if I really liked it or not, sometimes I have an attitude towards a movie and it effects the viewing. Certainly entertaining enough.

The distraction problem I had with the movie was that I couldn’t get Zena Warrior Princess out of my head (not that Laurie/Silk Spectre was anything like zena really I think it was her haircut, dark with bangs, or something)
Now Zena alone wasn’t too bad if it wasn’t coupled with a strange association in my mind between the unmasked Night Owl (Dan Dreiberg) and Chevy Chase of SNL/Fletch era. I know that’s weird and I seriously don’t get it myself but it took me more than half the movie before I wasn’t distracted by it. Don’t know why Chase got in my head but it definitely wouldn’t have even occurred to anyone young anyway. It’s just weird, maybe it was the glasses, or his mannerisms, no clue.

I’ll watch it again at some point, to give it a fairer chance.
Thumbs up I guess… but with reservations. Btw: semi-gratuitous comic book sex is thankfully far shorter than the silly Night Owl/Silk Spectre scene in Watchmen (seriously hitting the fire button… really lame) Don’t listen to me however, go see it whether you read the comics or not, you’ll probably like it… It was reasonably violent though so if you don’t like blood, etc., you might not. Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian were pretty good castings.

Some comic/graphic novels make better cross overs for movies than others especially if you’ve read them previously: for instance I loved Sin City and thought The Crow was absolutely stunning.
Pretty hard to compare with The Crow, at least in my mind.

I’ve said before that I have odd taste in movies and reading materials for a female it seems.

G’night,

Laura

President Obama on Jay Leno mostly good but for one gaffe.

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I have to give President Obama credit. He has been one of the most visible (and talkative) presidents in my memory. He tried to explain the AIG and banking problem, why it happened and what we might be able to do. It does help, we're so used to the government being secretive, manipulative and treating us like we're dumb children.


Leno asked some good questions like is it fair to target one group with high taxes and does that mean other groups can be taxed for a "good" reason? I was wondering about this myself. It seemed he assured us that no that wouldn't happen, this was a special case but at the same time he didn't exactly seem behind that 90% tax. Hmm.

Obama backed Timothy Geitner once again stating he has faith in him and pointed out again that he takes responsibility for being the president and for his cabinet. Refreshing, it's been a while (taking responsibility that is). Obama stated that the pattern in Washington is that everybody's always trying to find someone to else to blame for things and he wants to end that.

They talked about electric cars and wind power which I hope bodes well for getting into the doing rather than talking stage. Solar too.

Said Air Force One is cool... yup, already knew that from Harrison Ford.

The only gaffe seemed to be that when Leno asked him if he would be taking out the bowling lanes and Obama said he'd been practicing: "I bowled a 129." He said it was a bit special olympics but he was making progress. Though many reporters or talk show hosts have said things like this, because it was the President people will be fussing about it tomorrow I imagine. Obviously he didn't mean to disparage anyone that takes part in the Special Olympics but he should have been a little less free with his candor, though we all have said things that don't sound right but we don't have the whole country picking at everything we say. (Thank God right?) Might be he's been spending too much time around Vice President Biden. Gotta watch those gaffes they might be contagious.

Obama stated that he'd be getting "roll on hoops" for the tennis courts so there would most definitely be basketball going on.


Then came the important question: When's the dog coming? Very soon, it's coming very soon and then quipped:
"They say if you want a friend in Washington- get a dog."

Ah, how true, how true.

I thought by now I might be tired of seeing Obama talking everywhere or that it would get repetitive if he talked too often, but so far it's been okay. At least he talks to us, otherwise we'd only have the constant barrage 24-7 of pundits and Lord knows they do get repetitive and predictable. lol.

G'night,

Laura
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The Talking Ann Coulter doll… everyone should have at least one.

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Can you believe there is a talking Ann Coulter doll? I’m not sure why you would you want one, but there it is.
The Ann Coulter an “America’s Real Action Heroes” figure clothed in her trademark minuscule black dress.

Ann Coulter talking right wing barbie doll

Now I realize that you might be saying to yourself “so what, it’s not surprising that Ann has a doll” and you would be right except for what this amazing little talking doll actually says…
You have to go to the site where they sell it to listen, and I recommend doing just that right here:

And she talks too, listen up…

I think it would be far better if it was a talking bobble head doll.

Other “talking action figures” include:
George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Donald Rumsfeld, Dr. Laura, Kinky Friedman and Elvis Presley.

Now I understand Bush, Clinton, and Reagan but a talking Donald Rumsfeld? Why? Bad enough the real one talks.
Here’s another odd one. Though I would think if it was true to the real Dennis Miller’s character the doll should be called a “ranting” rather than a “talking” doll. I don’t think it looks much like Dennis, actually it’s just a little scary, get that smile.


Wait, shouldn’t there be a Rush Limbaugh doll if there’s one of Dennis Miller? Rush probably controls his franchise and wouldn’t approve of it. Should be one dressed in black that flaps it’s arms, and hops up and down while it talks.
You can view and listen to all of them here:

Talking Action Figures


Absolutely amazing what one can not only find but actually buy out in cyberspace.
Not quite sure what these dolls say culturally about us or as a society. Hmm.


G’night,

Laura
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Jon Stewart's Daily Show: The all Jim Cramer edition... not exactly a battle.

Wow, watching last night’s Daily Show was like the complete discomfort of having to sit through a six course dinner with a dysfunctional married couple who in two days are going to announce they are getting divorced or one of them is a pedophile. I never expected the whole show to be dedicated to the Cramer/Stewart dispute.
Jon truly tore into Cramer and it was more like a bizarre talk show exposé-slash-beatdown than a regular Daily Show installment. There were a few jokes made at CNBC and Cramer’s Mad Money’s expense as you would have expected. It just didn’t have any realistic aura of good natured humor or comedy.
It was fairly harsh, now maybe Cramer deserved it, but it was almost unsettling to me to watch as it unfolded.

Cramer was rather subdued, nervous, and looked almost like he wanted to cry once or twice.
He was so totally not wild or even “mad.” A decaffeinated toned down quieter version of himself.
To give him credit he sat through it all and short of the cross, he was crucified but not set on fire. Ouch.
It surely won’t help his Mad Money career at all.

Jon took Jim to task for things he said in the past and pretty much for not exposing the banks/stock market’s greed. Which isn’t completely fair (and it doesn’t have to be) but it’s based in a valid point of fact. It felt as if it went on for way too long. We got it (the point) after segment one and if not, most assuredly by segment two… but then there was segment three. So, I guess it was good um, investigative reporting by a entertainer/comedian, which is an odd forum for that sort of thing.
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Stranger than fiction.

At the site http://www.thedailyshow.com/ They’ll post the episode if you missed it, or if you want to watch it again because you still are wondering wtf exactly happened.

They shook hands and Jim was contrite but damn… he apologized numerous times over different things looking a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. A tranquilized deer at that.

It will be interesting to see how NBC reports on this and I wonder what FOX will have to say (because FOX always has something to say).
I don’t know why Cramer went on the Daily Show, he really didn’t have to.
If it was to show he was a good sport or could admit a mistake, he did do that I suppose but-
it was in a far more submissive way than I really wanted to see.

Let’s go back to the regular, less bitter tasting, usually very funny Daily Show now for a bit. Please?

Jon’s clip of Cramer on the Martha Stewart Show beating up dough with a rolling pin talking about Jon Stewart was amusing since she was convicted and jailed for her false statements, conspiracy and obstruction of justice in relation to a stock sale.

Again just stranger than fiction!!!

G’night,

Laura
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Jim Cramer vs Jon Stewart: The Smackdown

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I have to admit the news recently has been fun to behold.
We had Octomom, Limbaugh, and Bill Maher vs Ann Coulter at Radio City Music Hall.
But the Jon Stewart vs Jim Cramer feud is completely engaging, I can’t stop watching (and laughing).

It boils down to this: The Bull Vs the Bear.
Cramer’s the Bull of course and Stewart’s the Bear.
If you picture a leathery Jim Kramer with a ring through his nose and smoke coming out of his flared nostrils next to Stewart’s big cow eyes in a fuzzy koala suit right here: then you’ve successfully channelled my sad, sorry little mind. Congrats!
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Background as I see it: It’s easy in a stock market bubble to recommend buying stocks especially strong stock. Cramer’s show is in the “business” of “stock market entertainment” whether he sees it that way or not. However CNBC gives it’s stamp of approval on it with the slogan “In Cramer we trust.” Why they do I don’t know. I don’t trust anyone trying to sell me on parting with any of my money, especially on tv shows with gongs, horns, music and exceptionally angry wild people telling me what to do while looking like they should be taking xanax or valium by the barrel full. If I wanted “crazed” advice I can go down to the street corner in almost any city and find that format. I still wouldn’t listen, but I could find it.

As anyone that recently follows the stock market knows, it’s even easier to predict the rise or fall of stocks when you have insider information. Of course that’s illegal, just ask Cupcake Stewart and while she makes you a wreath made from old socks and walnuts she’ll tell you all about it. No one in the field will admit to inside info but they sure do have miraculously strong gut instincts based on extensive research and years of stock market experience (wink, wink) that they pass on with the devotion attributed to any good evangelical minister.
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Jon Stewart on the other hand is a comedian. He’s also a news junkie with a rather sarcastic viewpoint that shows clearly through in the social commentary of what he finds in the news stories. I completely sympathize with the sarcasm and enjoy it. Jon likes to show videos of what people say or do and take them to task for it using humor. Often these clips speak for themselves even without Jon’s commentary and visual effects. I understand Cramer himself is going to be on the show tonight. It will be interesting to see how that goes- if it happens. (Same Bat time, same Bat channel)

This is the last clip on Cramer from Jon’s Comedy Central show:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis

Enter Cramer who clearly over time has made mistakes… especially the past year in particular, so it’s not surprising at all that Stewart took him to task for his very visual and repeated recommendations of Bear Sterns. It was almost too easy and he was fair game. Cramer’s righteous indignation is almost as amusing as Stewart’s skits. He should have tried to quietly take his lumps, admitted a “mistake” while hoping the story would fade away and be forgotten. Better men than Cramer have taken Stewart’s jabs with either anger, humor, or they didn’t care at all. But for the most part they didn’t go on a celebrity tv tour bleating about the unfairness of it all. At some point mad seems like whining when, um, how to say this nicely Jim… you were wrong. How dare Jon Stewart pick on you? Seriously Jim, let it go, pack up your tent, go back to your show and maybe toot a few less horns for a while. A long while.
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Mix into this brewing stew of video clips and words NBC’s Scarbourough, Vieira, and anyone who else will listen and put Cramer on the tv and you realize that it’s all entertainment and boy does celebrity rule!

Any normal Stock Broker has backpedalled away from this market mess, minced their words and taken losses along with their clientelle (unless of course they’re running huge ponzi schemes). But they did it quietly not with a tv show that’s glitzy, revved up hype that runs on hopefully just caffeination and the personality of a crazed stock man.

Cramer's Book

I rest my case.
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Stewart keep up the good work.
It’s sometimes a dirty job but someone has to do it.
By the way, anyone that can talk directly to Dora the Explorer is a God in my mind.
Jon, I’d buy you lunch any day of the week in a New York minute, it’d be a really cheap lunch but hey…
I bought Bear Sterns stock.

G'night

Laura
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Ann Coulter and Bill Maher lecture series at RAdio City Music Hall.

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This was fun. Of course in NYC the audience was a bit more balanced to the more liberal Obama crowd than Coulter’s group but it was nice. A little too much shouting out of audience members thoughts but not too bad as long as they weren’t too near to you. Happy to see shushing taking place on both sides.

Here are some photos that I took along the way.
The weather was perfect, missed the rain totally in city. Fairly warm and comfortable didn’t seem like March.








Not great photos only taken with my rather simple cell phone but gives the feel of it.

Bill was in reasonably good form, subjects ranged from Limbaugh, Iraq and Afghanistan, Liberals, science, religion, Bush, Obama, Economy, Madoff, 2012 elections, Palin… and more. Ann was not as loud as she often is, made a few good points but sometimes her facts are a bit off and she gets a bit confusing compared to others. Of course they’re both rather opinionated!


Was quite interesting and entertaining. I think the only other place this pairing in the lecture/debate series can be seen is in Chicago. So fun can’t be had by everyone. Glad I got to see it.
I enjoy trekking around the city alone, good exercise and plenty of things to do!
I think I fell asleep on the train home...

Karl Rove and James Carville debate moderated by Charlie Rose… that should be a good one. ha.

Well, G’night,
And have a pleasant tomorrow, er, today!

Laura

Perhaps Tonya Harding is what's wrong with the economy?

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As I've said before, I relax on Sundays and catch up on the news both written and video that I've missed.

And tucked between the endless "news" tales of the "villainous" Octomom and Rush Limbore's emphatic ill-spoken rantings...
was a little jem that was like a visit from an unwelcome ghost of winter's past.



The clip most definitely inspired a SNL Seth Meyers "REALLY!?!" moment for me... but to quote her own phrase "What the hell was she thinking?"

The only person pulling a Harding there is Tonya herself.
Ain't "celebrity" amazing?

Speaking of Seth Meyers this is the SNL Michael Phelps clip: REALLY!?!



I fell behind on this week's news, so I'm spending the evening digging. Putting on my hip boots, work gloves and grabbing the shovel... or maybe the pitch fork- to get through the endless loops of same s**t different day news stories... sifting for truth.

Can't watch another economy based show or my head will explode today. I just can't. My mind is in a full blown recession that hopefully won't turn into a depression anytime in the near future. Will rejuvenate my mood tomorrow night at the Bill Maher/Ann Coulter speaker series at Radio City Music Hall in the city. Probably sold out now. Should be a real pip.

G'night all,

Laura
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