"Can you bring me the gun of Rambo?"

Updates will be sparse this week as I am once again working on a paper. In the meantime, here's a link to the trailer for the upcoming movie Lord of War, which stars Nicolas Cage as an arms dealer. The movie looks to be a comedy- action- satire type thing, and the trailer has me wanting to see it, but what I really like is this poster:

You can download a PDF file at the above link, as well, that gives you an even closer look at the image.

"I'm feelin' thankful, for the small things today"

Something awful happened yesterday. Awful, yet not entirely unexpected. On July 27th, at 12:00AM Pacific Standard Time, I turned 30. The event was somewhat unexpected in that I never imagined myself getting this old. The oldest I could ever picture myself being was 27. Everything since has been a bit of a surprise. Sure, logically I know that I’m going to be 45 one day, 50, 65, and so on. But knowing and believing are two entirely different things. In turning 30 I’m confronted with the fact that I am indeed going to keep aging, and that eventually I will die. For the first time in my life I am confronted in a very real way with my mortality.

That’s right, I put the “happy” in “happy birthday.”
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Let’s work out just how old I am.

I am old enough to remember when Gary Coleman was the biggest star in the world.

I am old enough to remember when Jean Grey was dead (the first time).

I am old enough (as my friend Paul likes to frame it) to have seen Public Enemy in concert while they were still relevant.

I am old enough that this is the first comic I remember buying off of the rack:

I am old enough to remember when cell phones were a novelty.

I am old enough to remember when VCRs were a novelty.

I am old enough to be your father, provided that you are between the ages of zero and ten.

I am old enough to know better.

I am old enough to remember when the Transformers cartoon premiered on TV.

I am old enough have to have seen eight-tracks sold in stores.

I am old enough to remember when Trudeau retired.

I am old enough.
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Thanks to everyone who called, wrote, or came out yesterday. And to everyone who helped fill me with the demon liquor last night, you’ll get yours you bastards.
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Note to John: I don’t care what you say, telling people that we became friends when we worked together in a counter-espionage unit in the Yukon is a bad lie, no matter how you look at it.

Yell "Yeee-haaa!" and floor it

The amount of anticipation I have for this movie can’t be healthy.
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On the other hand, Crazy Cooter doesn’t want you to go see it:

Sure it bothers me that they wanted nothing to do with the cast of our show, but what bothers me much more is the profanity laced script with blatant sexual situations that mocks the good clean family values of our series. Now, anybody who knows me knows that I'm not a prude. But this kind of toilet humor has no place in Hazzard County. Rather than honoring our legendary show, they have chosen to degrade it.

Well, la-de-da Mr. Park Avenue manicure. Cooter hasn’t been any fun since he got himself all citified. I guess by “the good clean family values of our series” he means running moonshine and evading the police in reckless high-speed car chases punctuated by crashes and explosions.
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If you really want to get into the heads of the Dukes, click on the link to take the Brunching Shuttlecocks’ Hazzard County Driver’s Test.
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There’s another countdown going on right now too, and it’s entering the final hours. More on that tomorrow.

Domo arigato...

On his blog, Peter David mentioned going to Animal Kingdom at Disneyland with his daughter, and seeing “an audioanimatronic velociraptor named 'Lucky' who actually free-range walks down the streets of the AK's Dinosaur section.” I hunted down some images and video clips, and while “velociraptor” may be a bit generous, this robot does actually walk around on its own (radio controlled by puppeteer). This site has a video clip, and you can find more if you click on the image below and scroll midway down the page.


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As I was searching around for video of Lucky, I came across “Troody,” a robotic version of a Troodon dinosaur developed by M.I.T.’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, in the Leg Lab section. This site has an older video of the little robot walking slowly, and being controlled through a cord.



The robot has apparently progressed to a faster walking speed and been made cordless since that video, but the Leg Lab’s Troody site isn’t working, so I can’t find recent footage. I’m sure we’ll get a better look once the robots have taken over and these little bastards are in charge of exterminating us.
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While I found the walking dino-bird robot cool, this humanoid robot just creeps me out.



He doesn't look like much, but follow this link to see videos of him in action. The walking video isn’t so bad, but for some reason the video of it getting up from lying prone on the ground gives me the willies. Those scientists are crazy; knocking robots to the ground is our only weapon against them. If you teach them to get up we’re screwed!

Taste my despair

I was telling a friend last night about Despair.com, a site where they sell parodies of the motivational posters you’ve seen around. I know it's old, but I've got it on the brain, get off my case. Most of the posters are funny, but this one in particular really strikes a chord with me:


Ouch. That may be hitting a little close to home. See more at the link; click on the sidebar under "Individual Designs".
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Speaking of despair…

The V for Vendetta trailer went online today, and though only the movie will tell, the preview looks good. At least some of the political message from the comic appears to have been retained, and if nothing else, the action promises to be visually interesting.

A couple of quibbles (because I’ve got to complain about something): the dystopian future they portray looks a little too clean and stylized. I read the series again recently and, as always, like with a lot of early 80s British comics, I was initially put off by the art before getting into it and seeing how essential it is to the feel of the story. The claustrophobic panel grids are a precursor to the approach Moore and Gibbons took on Watchmen, and the griminess adds to the atmosphere of hopelessness. I always imagined that while a film version of this story couldn’t capture the feel of the comic page, it would instead have the same crappy aesthetic of 70s and 80s English TV drama. However, the director has gone with something that looks very contemporary, and that might work fine, as well.

Also, I question the wisdom of putting a “name,” and more importantly a “face,” actor like Hugo Weaving under the mask. I like Weaving as a performer, but having him be V leads to the temptation to show his face on screen, which would diminish the story greatly. What’s just as bad, though, is that even if they don’t show his face, we already know what he looks like. Among other things, if they show Evey’s parents, then we know for certain whether V is her father or not, thus answering one of the questions the original story deliberately left vague. I don’t know if there’s any way around that, since no matter who the actor was you’d know his name and see him in interviews, but it’s one of the drawbacks of adapting this comic to film.

But both of these are mild criticisms, and I’m looking forward to seeing this movie. I’m glad they kept the English setting, and I hope they don’t delay the release, as Rich Johnston suggested they might, in wake of the London terrorist attacks.
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Speaking of D’Spayre:


(image courtesy Bring on the Bad Guys)
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Speaking of despair…

Well, at least of dark futures. The Pulse has a great interview with Paul Pope about his upcoming Batman project, Batman: Year 100. Pope’s work is hit or miss for me, but I like reading his thoughts on comics, and here, his thoughts on Batman. A few choice bits from the interview:

“I try to play Batman as Howard Hughes with the brains of Thomas Edison and the body of David Beckham, pretending he's Nosferatu."

"I tried to approach the concept of a Batman as that of a terrorist cell," Pope said. "What is the minimum number of people required to make something like a Batman work? I approached my Batman concept more as that of a theatrical performance. What is the minimum number of people you need to put on a death-defying feat? So I approached his Batman Family the way you might think of a theatrical set up and clean up crew on any stage production. There are three people Batman uses. This is a very fast-paced and visual story."

"There's a lot of Batman tricking people. I'm empathizing the theme by playing up the superstition versus technology factors. Batman wants people to think he's a supernatural creature."

“Yuko Shimizu said to me one night and it's true - if anything, money is Batman's superpower."

“The idea of one lone vigilante fighting crime and the appeal of that is somewhat challenged by the thought of a suitcase bomb that could kill a million people or infect a city with botulisms or something like that. I wanted a new way to fit a superhero into this sort of post September 11 world, where there really is mass terror going on."

I like that he’s exploring the practicality of Batman from an urban terrorist angle. Batman is a conspiracy; how many people would need to be involved? As well, that idea of Batman being intensely technological, but for the aim of appearing supernatural is an interesting observation too. Pope sells me on the project when he talks about what a great visual jumping rooftop to rooftop is, something that I would have liked to have seen in the Batman movie. Go read it, it’s a good interview, even if he keeps saying “empathizing” when he means “emphasizing.” (Shut up, I’m an English student; it’s my job to make fun of people for mistakes like that).
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And finally, speaking of despair:


I’d think it was a one-off, a dumb, isolated plot point, but the solicitation text combined with Jeph Loeb's track record make me worry:

There's nothing more incredible than the debut of Batwoman and Superwoman! Guest-starring Superlad!

Note to Jeph Loeb, please stop hurting comics.

It kicks ass to be Davinder

I’ll be honest, I just got in from the pub and I’m a little drunk as I type this. Whether that makes this missive more or less interesting is up in the air.
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I took this photo out by the Toronto airport today and it’s the cheesiest shit I’ve seen in a long time.


Seriously, who eats at this restaurant? I remember watching an episode of Blind Date (shut up, I don’t judge your TV watching habits) where they had this guy who was in love with Zorro. He kept asking his date, “Tell me, do you like… Zorro?” He seemed like a nice guy, but, dude, get over Zorro already. And stop telling your date she looks like Catherine Zeta Jones.
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This is a link for my friend Paul, who likes paying winos for rimjobs. It’s a hobo porn name generator.
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I find this morbidly entertaining. Click and drag to fling the body when it gets stuck.
(via BoingBoing)

"In this life I've seen everything I can see, woman"

Here’s a link to the little 2MB video clip I made from the boat at Niagara Falls yesterday. To get the full experience, just imagine this with thunderous noise, the boat tossing beneath your feet, the spray hitting you like rain, and the nagging feeling that you are about to die. There. I just saved you a trip.
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I started looking for a job yesterday- seeing as I don’t have any way to pay rent come fall- and I quickly remembered just how much I hate looking for work. I always come away feeling demoralized, thinking that I’m underqualified for everything, and wondering why I didn’t do a marketable degree like computer science or business.

After I was done, I walked around feeling like crap, until I listened to ELO's “Do Ya,” which put me in a good mood again. I'm easily distracted like that. The song also got me thinking that I don’t use the word "woman" as a way of addressing people enough, and that I should remedy that.
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Here’s something funny, the Xbox controls for Tom Cruise:



(via The Hot Blog)

It's been five times, and I'll bite your nose off if you say differently

I haven’t updated in a few days as I’ve been trying to finish The Brothers Karamazov. It’s the last book I have to read for the course I’m in right now, and once I write a paper on it I will be finished my Master’s. I’ve also been busy because my uncle and his family, in a bit of spectacularly bad timing, have chosen to visit this week, so I’m playing tour guide too.

Over their complaints about the heat, we visited Niagara Falls yesterday. Since I moved here eleven months ago, I’ve seen the falls five times (shut up John), which is more than anyone should have to. Granted, yesterday was the first time that I’d taken the Maid of the Mist boat tour, which takes you in a boat right up to the falls. I hadn’t been too impressed with the falls up until now, but any experience is more interesting when you might die. I’ll see if I can post the video tomorrow.

Side note: every time I go to the falls I think of the scene in Superman II, when the kid falls over the railing ("Look at me, Mom") and Superman flies down and saves him. Now, does that make me a comics nerd or a movie nerd?
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A guy in Australia bit off the tip of another guy’s nose in an argument over the merits of the Sin City movie. I can believe that, I know some Australians and they're savages. I’ll have to remember biting someone's nose off as a method of emphasizing my points, though.

(via BoingBoing)

More yammering about Batman Begins

Went to Batman Begins again last night with my friend John, who hadn’t seen it yet. (Minor spoilers ahead)

My opinion of the movie didn’t change too much, and I liked and didn’t like most of the same stuff as before. One thing that I noticed this time was how good Liam Neeson was. Last time, I think I was distracted by the way his character deviated from the comics version, so I didn’t appreciate his performance as much. The character seemed much cooler on a second viewing, though. More importantly, he was the only actor who could sell the elevated language that everyone was speaking in. I noticed it most of all in the scene before he burns Wayne Manor down, when he’s talking to Christian Bale in the hallway. Bale’s delivery seems slightly wooden, but Neeson saves the scene. And really, every scene he’s in. The little praying motion he does right before he dies is a great piece of acting that would’ve seemed cheesy if a lesser actor had done it. The conversations in the early scenes when he’s training Bruce Wayne, particularly the swordfight on the ice, are the best parts of the movie. Neeson disappears into every role he plays so well that I tend to take him for granted, but this movie, oddly enough, convinced me of his talent.

I hated the same stuff as last time: the gliding on the cape; Gotham as the center of civilization; and of course, the crap around the Batmobile (guy looks into his coffee cup after the car drives by, the car smashes into a compact car parking spot, “At least tell me what it looks like! [car drives by]… Forget it”) oh, so funny, stop, you’re killing me. But the cowl didn’t bother me as much. The only scene where it doesn’t work is when Batman is talking to Gordon on the island in the midst of the fear gas riot. During this scene I kept thinking they’d crammed pudgy Alec Baldwin and his big chin into the costume.

I was more bothered by the fight scenes this time around, as the choppiness just seemed like bad storytelling. I kept thinking that something like the fighting in the lobby scene in the first Matrix would have been nice. Not the wire-fu, but just pull back a little and let us see what’s going on. Batman in a fight would be so much cooler than Keanu Reeves. I’ve been watching bits and pieces of Bale in Equilibrium lately, so maybe I’m just comparing with that.

The movie is a good baseline for what superhero movies should be. That said, I don’t think I’ll ever watch it again. I don’t think that there are any subtle nuances that I missed, or scenes that need to be reexamined. The movie was entertaining, but had very little in it that felt new.
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An article here about people in Hollywood who make their livings dressing up like fictional characters so tourists can take photos with them. The article focuses on a guy that dresses up like Superman, and while the bits where they talk about the other actors seem kind of sad, I found the Superman parts genuinely touching.

The B12 of anger must be wearing off.
(link via Superfrankenstein)

"Rage... taking over"

So I took my computer in on Friday because my CD writer wasn’t writing. I’d taken it in a few weeks ago for the same thing, but they told me it worked fine and they gave me a CD with files they’d burned off of my computer, just to show me that I was a idiot. I spent last week trying to burn CDs, knowing that the burner worked, and that if I couldn’t work it the problem was with me. Finally I gave up and took it in, and after treating me like an idiot again for a while, they told me that that the writer wasn’t working. So they took the CD ROM out to send to the manufacturer, and gave me my computer back.

Should have been fine right? Except when I got home, my computer wouldn’t turn on. So back to the store and they keep it and tell me the next day that my motherboard is unstable, so they’re sending that out too. My options are to wait for the motherboard to come back, which could take three to four months, or to pay for a new one and get a refund when the old one comes back. So I pay for the new one, and an extra ten bucks because they tell me my computer was running hot and they cleaned the heat sink. I get it home, happy that it runs, and happy that it’ll be running cooler. After about ten minutes I see that instead of running at 55° like it was before I took it in, my CPU is running at 70°. And the temperature goes up quick if I put any sort of load on the computer.

I’ve had it for a few days now because I’ve been working on a paper, but I’m done the essay so I’m taking the machine back in tomorrow.

I’ve taken my computer in more than ten times since I bought it last year. Most of the time it works fine, but when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. Computer troubles are almost as bad as car troubles.
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I’ve been on a really short fuse all week and I can’t figure out why. I'm constantly on the verge of ripping someone's head off. I’m getting mad at the things I’d normally get mad at (like this shit with the computer), but instead of letting go like I normally do, I’m carrying them around with me. I’ve been trying to avoid human contact as the types of snide comments I make when I’m like this tend to be friendship breakers. I read a funny word on a website the other day that sums it up perfectly, I think: manstruation. I’m manstruating. I think it started after I got a B12 shot last Wednesday, but I looked it up and B12 is supposed to make you feel better, not worse. Whatever it is, it’s fading as the days go by. I guess I should be glad I didn’t kill anybody.
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Alright, if you’ve stuck with me through all the complaining, here’s a Tom Tomorrow strip from a while ago that is all of a sudden relevant again. And it’s comic related.

We are experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by

I've had to take my computer in to get it looked at, so updates may be spotty over the next few days.

In the meantime, take a look at a little strip by Mark Millar and Sean Phillips, posted here by Phillips. It's a conversation between Bush and Blair, made somewhat more interesting by today's events.

"You were the chosen one!"

I think I may have created a monster.

I’ve been loaning comics to my non comic reading friend John over the past few months, and a couple of days ago we sat down and watched a few episodes of Justice League Unlimited. I phoned him last night and had this conversation with him:

John: Hey, I downloaded a few more episodes of Justice League.
Davinder: Oh yeah?
J: Yeah. So who do you think the hottest superheroine is?
D: What?!
J: I think it’s the Huntress.
D: Dude, they’re drawings.
J: Come on, I won’t tell anyone. Who do you think the hottest superhero girl is?
D: What the fuck? Shut up! How did this happen?

The conversation went in circles from there, and nothing was resolved. I’ve lost him to the dark side. Soon he’ll be buying slabbed, foil enhanced variant covers and nobody will be able to stop him. I think I’ve got to quit giving that guy comics. And maybe kill him.

Another helping of reviews

Sean Collins at Attentiondeficitdisorderly Too Flat has some complaints about Batman Begins, and I agree with most of them. In one or two places I think he’s being a little too nitpicky (which is saying something coming from me) but overall he outlines most of my problems with the movie.

However, despite seeing the same defects in the film we arrive at completely different conclusions. I thought that for all its faults the movie was a better interpretation of Batman than I ever thought would reach the screen, and that it had enough innovation and good parts to distract me from the bad parts, if not make up for them. Sean, though, concludes that he doesn’t like the movie and is troubled that the acclaim surrounding it will encourage the filmmakers to make another one just like it. I can understand that, I suppose, but what surprises me is that he considers the first Burton Batman a great movie. I think the Burton movie was far more flawed, on a superficial and a fundamental level (for example, when Batman detonates a bomb in a factory full of henchmen), than the new movie and I’m surprised that a Batman purist like Sean thinks otherwise.
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Another relatively busy week at the comic store last week, another comic came out that we only see rarely. Between Hellboy, Astro City, and Supreme Power last week, and Planetary this week, I figure the apocalypse is clearly on the way.

Planetary #23- I want more issues of this comic to come out, and I don’t, because every issue means we’re that much closer to the end. I had mixed feelings when I realized that this issue was the origin of the Drummer, as I believe that sometimes you don’t need to know where a character comes from, but Ellis and Cassaday do such a good job with it that I can’t complain. The excesses of past issues are kept in check, and the pseudo-scientific exposition is relatively restrained, so the issue reads well and sticks to the story. Cassaday’s art is only getting better, and I particularly liked the facial expressions in this issue. I remember thinking Cassaday’s art was great when he started this series, but if you go back you can see how much he has improved. The stuff he’s doing now makes his old stuff look like chicken scratchings. DC has a PDF version of the first Planetary story that you can read for free, so you can take a look and compare.

Runaways #5- I want to like this comic, I really do, but I just don’t care anymore. Nothing in particular is wrong with this issue, or with this series, but nothing grabs me either. The revelation of Victor’s father seems to have come rather easily, and I’m not really impressed. I guess you could call that character an A- list villain, but I think you’d be reaching. I mean, he only ever fights the Avengers. I guess Kang does too, so maybe that’s not a good argument, but I just wasn’t bowled over. The revelation wasn’t the status quo change suggested by the premise. Anyways, nothing in the writing really sparks in this issue, and the absence of Alex continues to leave no entry point to the story. I’m not saying that this is a bad issue, I’m just left completely apathetic by it. I don’t think I’m going to be picking up any more.

Green Lantern #2- This issue was more interesting than the first. Pacheco’s art is better, and he seems to be clicking with the character a little more. The plot, while still moving slowly is drawing me in a little. However, while I really, really want to like this comic, a lot of little things are keeping me out. For example, I believe that the de-greying of Hal Jordan’s hair was meant to make him look less like an old man and have him be more relatable. Despite that, Hal walks around in an outdated aviator’s jacket and a tucked in shirt. And Pacheco draws Hal’s face kind of like Joe Staton does, which makes him look old and somewhat gaunt. A younger presentation of Hal would make the character more accessible.

Also, the design of the new Manhunters is quickly cast aside for a look that is indistinguishable from the old design. The choice to retain the old look seems like a wasted opportunity.

The rebuilt Coast City is another as yet missed chance, as instead of exploring the interesting setting that an empty city provides, Hal spends all his time elsewhere. Finally, Johns’s writing leaves me cold, and I’m not connecting with anyone in this book or their situations. I haven’t read anything by Johns that has bowled me over so far, but like I said, I want this book to work, so I hope he has his successes here. I’m in for a couple more issues, I think.

XIII #1- I’m loathe to buy anything that has the openly homophobic Mike S. Miller attached to it, even if only as "Executive Director" of the publisher, but somehow I justified this purchase to myself at the store. Maybe it was the 75 cent price tag added to the fact that this reprints a French comic book that as far as I know hasn’t been available in translation until now. One of my French friends raves about this book and its labyrinthine plots, and the first issue has plenty to draw the reader in. The art clearly marks this as an older comic, but the storytelling still works. I am intrigued, but I won’t be picking up any more due to the aforementioned gentleman’s involvement.

Solo #5- Ever since I first heard about Solo as a project, this is the issue I’ve been waiting for. Darwyn Cooke is one of my favourite writer/artists, and I seek out his work wherever I can find it. My response to last year’s New Frontier wasn’t as enthusiastic as everyone else’s seemed to be, but I did like that book quite a bit. This issue is the best comic I’ve bought in a while. All the stories are good, and Cooke uses a variety of drawing and colouring styles to make each one distinct. I wish we’d gotten a Catwoman story, but the Batman piece is an excellent substitute. My favourite story, though, is the Slam Bradley framing sequence. Others have mentioned how good a Slam Bradley series by Darwyn Cooke would be, and I agree; I’d buy that in a second. The only piece in here that doesn’t quite work for me is the story with the vacuum cleaner. The joke wears thin, and I lost interest way before the end. The art is still nice, though, so it’s not a complete wash. Very good, and well worth the bigger price tag.

JOIN THE COPS! kick some ass!

I'm not really up for the usual frivolity today. I just read this account of the immigrant owner of a gay nightclub and his family being assaulted by the Toronto Police Department, and it's knocked me right out of the mood.

they ran behind the bar where i was still on the phone with 911, and as i screamed for help the phone dropped and i was pummelled to the ground. i was continuously punched in the face, kicked in the ribs, and twisted. i thought at first that they wanted to arrest me, so i loosened my arm for them to handcuff.

instead, my arms were stretched out so i would be out of fetal position while i was viciously assaulted. one officer grabbed me by the hair and started smashing my head on the tile floor while another officer was smashing my neck, face, shoulders, and knees with his boot, pounding it down on my face, neck and shoulder.

they said things like,” you had to be a fucking smartass didn’t you.” , “we’re so gonna fuck you up. oh boy, your gonna wish you were dead when we’re through with you.”

they kept on saying stop resisting arrest while i wasn’t resisting arrest. when i realized they wanted more than to arrest me, is when i tightened up. i really didn’t know what to do anymore. i thought somebody was going to die - either my mother on the couch or me getting pummeled by 8 huge 300lbs gorillas who were very much enjoying the festivities. i could feel them enjoying it. i could hear what they were saying. and yes, i do speak & feel in english.

i repeatedly asked them to stop. i told them i wasn’t resisting. “please don’t hurt me.” i begged them to stop, but they all wanted to get a punch or a kick in.

finally, when it ended, they hand-cuffed me and took me out to the police car waiting outside.

What a terrific way to follow up Canada Day, with a reminder that thuggery is as alive here as anywhere else. What's worse, the assault happened, of all times, on Pride Weekend.

The full letter is at this link. Go read it. Get angry. Send an email. Try not to feel hopeless. In that order.

Angelina Jolie, comedy, guns, and Angelina Jolie. What more could you ask for?

Went to the movies the other night with the intention of watching Batman Begins again, but decided in the lineup to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith instead. I thought the trailers for this movie looked good, so I was disappointed by the so-so reviews that it got when it opened. The mediocre reviews were misleading, however, as the movie wound up being a loud and fun piece of entertainment.

(As usual, no spoilers, except the text in white)

A lot of the credit for the movie’s success goes to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Both leads are charismatic and attractive, so they’d be entertaining to watch even if they did nothing. The bonus in this movie is that the two are clearly having a good time, especially Pitt. The scene in which he’s kicking Jolie’s character behind the couch is gut bustingly funny. The movie is full of subtle facial expressions, clever physical acting, and knowing smiles, all of which made me smile throughout.

The reason the actors are having so much fun is because of the material they’re playing with. The overall plot is somewhat predictable (me and my friend John joked that this movie was True Lies times two, but decided instead that True Lies is this movie minus Angelina Jolie), but the script is clever. In comics, people say that bad inking can make excellent penciling look mediocre, but excellent inking can make bad penciling look good. In this movie, excellent acting and directing make a decent script seem great.

However, what really made this movie work for me was the action. To use (I think) Warren Ellis’s word, this movie delivers with the explodo. Both actors are good action stars in their own right, and seeing them blow stuff up together is very entertaining. As in the best action movies, the action scenes are not a break from the story, but rather they push the story forward. Also, while the action scenes here are part of the comedy, the movie never descends into the ridiculous. The movie walks the fine line between exciting and implausible, and a lot of the violence is almost cartoony. Brad Pitt beats a guy over the head with a golf club, and while the audience winces, we’re laughing too. The main entertainment in this movie came from the creative mayhem the main characters engage in. Sure they get up and walk around after hits that should incapacitate them, but the audience is having too much fun to get upset about the unreality.

If you liked the trailer, then go see this movie. I had a great time despite the row behind us being full of loud, drunken sixteen year old assholes, and that’s as ringing an endorsement as I’ve ever given. Mr. & Mrs. Smith is the most fun I’ve had at the movies in a while, and I recommend it without reservation.

Disclaimer: If you go to the movie and don’t like it as much as I did, then something is clearly wrong with you.

Our home on native land

A happy Canada Day to all. Just as everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, today everyone’s a Canadian, so go smoke some marijuana and marry someone of the same sex. If the cops give you any trouble, tell them I said it was okay. Or cross check them with a hockey stick, whichever you feel is appropriate to your situation.
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The Canada Day issue of Maclean’s magazine arrived at our house the other day, and as I was flipping through I came across an article by Fox News commentator and all around asshat, John Gibson. In the article, Gibson looks at anti-US sentiment in Canada, or at least that’s what he says he’s going to do. Instead Gibson uses the article to address Canadians with a series of loosely strung together straw man arguments and condescending remarks intended to bait a response. This paragraph in particular got up my nose:

By the way, despite your huffing about “national sovereignty,” if the North Koreans fling a missile toward New York and the U.S. air force can shoot it down over Canada, no American authority is going to call to ask for permission if there is even a chance you would say no. We’ll just shoot it down and you should watch out for falling pieces. That’s just reality.

Really John? If that’s true, then if I didn’t hate the US before, I sure do now. Thanks for the heads up.

I understand that he wrote this article just to get a response, after all the bigger the outcry, the more attention he gets, but I’m bothered that he will get a response because of the forum he’s speaking in. If he’d posted this online, he’d be dismissed as a troll. I suppose that by talking about him I’m just giving Gibson what he wants, but I’m of two minds on this issue. On the one hand, the way to make a troll go away is to ignore him, but on the other, malevolent stupidity like this needs to be dragged out into the light so it’ll wither up and die. So go ahead, Mr. Gibson, wither up and die.
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And just so I don't end on that note, he's a nice image of Captain Canuck from Kaare Andrews: