Toa Maiden in the Cavern of Wonders

aka
my living room floor

Tale of the Toa Maiden: The Wormhole in the Rocky Defile

wormhole

Funny IM Convo

Clash Heroin wrote:
check this out
Slick video demo

Kyle.Beatty wrote:
It may be the best thing since sliced bread but it is being touted in exactly the wrong way. I am strongly reminded of the protracted hypefest that surrounded video-goggles. Lots and lots of promises + a cool demo != good.

·the demo is awesome
·the promises are abundant
·?
·profit!

Clash Heroin wrote:
Very true, but you have to admit it is still cool

Kyle.Beatty wrote:
I think maglev is cool but I can't take one to the commuter station where my flying car waits to fly me to Jetson Towers and my robot housecleaner.

Clash Heroin wrote:
rofl

Kyle.Beatty wrote:
And my moon shuttle trip was canceled due to lack of room at the Lunar Hotel because they forgot to build the future. And now I have a name for all my disappointment: Jeff Han. It's his fault. That Steve Jobs wannabe demo-giver Jeff Han.

Earthquake near former stomping grounds

I can see my house from here!

2B1: The Children's Machine - OLPCWiki

2B1: The Children's Machine - OLPCWiki: "laptop.org"

It's adorable!

Inherit the Wind

Dimetrodon, played by Fedric March, is run to ground by naked ape with giant brain (Spencer Tracy). Genetic selection ensues.

Director Kramer stacks the deck against William Jennings Bryan, but so did reality, so I guess it's allowed.

Wallace Beery, who has maybe three lines, almost steals the show.

A mule for clones

Mule as the expression is used in Serenity

From 20070303

Logitech threatens to sue software author

I've been using Logisphere for a good long while and their software only made me appreciate the logitech gear more. This type of corporate boorishness is just depressing. Happily, Abelcam works with a variety of cameras and PTZ equipment. So I am not tied to to the bullies. Hooray for choice!



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My Darling Clementine

'My Darling Clementine' is not perfect. John Ford didn't finish his edit, one of the characters is named 'Chihuahua,' and the always aggravating Victor Mature in a main role, but the overall effect is really good.
Tipping it into classic status is Walter Brennan's performance as the profoundly amoral, bestial and depraved Pa Clanton. No bad guy has ever approached such complete villainy. Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter aren't a patch on Pa Clanton with their misguided loyalties and effete savoir-faire. Henry Fonda was probably channeling Brennan while he performed in 'Once Upon a Time in the West': as bad as Frank is, Pa Clanton makes him look like a mere victim of a difficult childhood with parental issues to process. Sauron could learn a few things about ruthlessness from Pa Clanton. At least the Old Testament God didn't let Abraham sacrifice Isaac. Pa Clanton is not subject to such lily-livered distractions.

The Awful Truth

It is screwball, yes, but it has a little more edge than 'Bringing Up Baby,' say. Lots of great comebacks and raised eyebrows. Performances are not restrained but the action never descends to pure slapstick. OK, the dog and mirror gag is not really all that inspired or necessary, but it's brief and painless. Most of the direction is really smart.

The Long Ships

Apologists for this movie aside, this is dreadful schlock. That Jack Cardiff directed this childish travesty so soon after his DP work on the great 'The Vikings' is difficult to understand. Everything that is good about 'the Vikings' is mocked in 'the Long Ships.' One element belongs to 'the Long Ships and 'the Long Ships' alone: Sidney Poitier's coif must be seen to be appreciated. High marks for enthusiasm all around but did they make it up as they went along?

The Ox Bow Incident

Earnest social message does not blunt impact of this morality tale. William Wellman manages to hint at some of the darker possibilities in Henry Fonda's screen persona (e.g. 'Frank' from 'Once Upon a Time in the West.') Dana Andrews almost steals the show.

Destroy All Monsters

Stone soup approach to giant Japanese monsters is not a great success. English language narration is especially inept but amusing. More shootouts between alien-controlled zombies and intrepid spaceship crews than is expected in a movie with Godzilla.

In the Dust of the Stars

Production values perhaps a thousand times that of 'Target Earth' don't quite rise to level of not ridiculous. European style goings-on never quite gel into any kind of sense. Peculiar parallel to Britt Ekland's dance number from 'The Wicker Man.'

Target Earth

Ludicrous labor of love is merely an object of ridicule. Yeoman efforts of professionals are no match for cardboard sets, costumes, effects and meandering, pointless plot.

Kwaidan

High production values serve powerful ghost stories. Recklessly veers from unnerving to nervous jollity frequently.

The Frightened City

Sean Connery utterly dominates entire production with pre-Bond charisma. Even the characters in the story seem to know that their roles are lost in the glare of a god among men.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Polished with no slickness. Guiness is in practically every scene after he is introduced. There is hardly any action to speak of but it is full of tension. Supporting performers are uniformly strong.

Coffy

Hey! No one told me that this was soft porn! It's soft porn with a message, though. The message is, "Do not mess with Coffy."

T-Men

Dennis O'Brien and Alfred Ryder dupe a gang of counterfeiting morons. If I tell you Alfred Ryder is the married one then do you know who is doomed?

Underworld: Evolution

Well, it may have evolved into a more successful movie organism, but it's not an improvemnet over the mostly inept first 'Underworld' go-around. Good use of bat-wings, though.

The Holy Mountain

Duller than it sounds. Lili Reifenstahl toys with the affections of two skiers. I was unable to slog through.

Life With Father

Disappointing print doesn't distract from amusing performances by all. Elizabeth Taylor's assay of a spoiled ingenue was a bit too close to the bone, though.

Pitch Black

A pleasant surprise after the bloat-fest that is "The Chronicles of Riddick."

Barbary Coast

Interesting performance by Walter Brennan. A trial run for his bravura performance in "My Darling Clementine."

Appleseed

The plot that informed "Ultraviolet," apparently.

Genghis Blues

I was saddened to discover that the principal westerners in this documentary had passed away since it was released. Not too surprising as their precarious health was a large part of the story. I now know where Tuva is. I have no idea how throat-singing is accomplished.

Stray Dog

Kurosawa must have made Mifune run 500 miles during the making of this movie. Fascinating all around. Post-war Tokyo is more like post war Paris than one might have thought.

Inuits blame U.S. for climate change

Inuits blame U.S. for climate change

Simon Nattaq hunts in the Arctic with prosthetic feet. Sometimes being alive in the 21st century is pretty neat. Except for the feet-losing, global-warming part. That sucks. But "Simon Nattaq hunts in the Arctic with prosthetic feet" sounds like a line from a William Gibson novel.

Hawking to make zero gravity flight

Hawking to make zero gravity flight

I really hope Hawking also makes a flight in Branson's sub-orbital plane. That would be a good thing.