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mineofilms · 1 year ago

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Club Satan

This is a response about an article posted on my Facebook feed on an ‘after school Satan Club’ at a Memphis elementary school, and now at a local elementary school in my town for elementary school students. The article’s headline: “Satanic Temple plans ‘After School Satan Club’ at another elementary school…”

1st and foremost I do not support or favor any religion in general. If you ask me what I think happens when we die? That talk will be about 2.5 hours and using so many references, from science, to science fiction, fiction in general, philosophy, logic, critical thinking, sacred geometry, astrophysics, politics, numerology, etc. One or many wouldn’t even grasp most of these concepts at the beginner/novice level, let alone, understand the lack of general awareness that religion, in all its glory, is the number one killer of human beings in all the history of mankind. Not by predators, not by an asteroid strike in our distant past, not AIDS, not heart disease, drug addiction, cancer, the black plague, global wars or diabetes, hunger, lack of drinking water. Nope… Religion has killed more people than all these combined. So you will have to excuse my lack faith in religion as an ideology that benefits all of mankind. You will never see me say the opposite, ever…

It’s been suggested human beings have roughly been on Earth in our current form for around 300,000 years. While Christianity’s history is around 2,000 years old, give or take a few decades. That is a huge gap, over two orders of magnitude (2.18) older than the Christian faith. One can insert just about any history they would want with that gap of time. Plenty of time for interpretation, telling of stories that miss details or include details that never happened. The Bible very well could be the first science fiction novel ever written for all we know. Movies like; "Prince of Darkness," directed by John Carpenter in 1987, centers around a group of scientists investigating a mysterious cylinder filled with a pulsating green liquid discovered in an abandoned church. The film explores the notion that early humans misinterpreted profound forces as benevolent when, in reality, they embody darkness and destruction. As they study the liquid, they uncover disturbing revelations about its extraterrestrial origin and its connection to an ancient evil force that transcends time, space and reality as we know it. As the liquid is studied by the group, it is suggested that our ancestors, grappling with incomprehensible phenomena, crafted a narrative (Christianity) that skewed the reality of these entities. Portraying God as a symbol of life, love, and light rather than the “Anti-God,” a malevolent, primordial entity with the potential to bring about apocalyptic consequences. That we never know what this energy actually is, but it can only be described in Christian terms of “Satan’s Father” or the “Anti-God.” The “Anti-God” is not a being of life, light, and love but a force of death, darkness, and destruction, shedding light on the possibility that humanity's early interpretations were shaped by fear and misunderstanding rather than divine revelation. "Prince of Darkness" and other films that attempt to challenge viewers to reconsider established beliefs and contemplate the origins of religious narratives. That is just one example of how creativity and attempting to look at religion with an analytical mind over blindly accepting what is written as literal gospel/truth/facts.

In the article, the Satanic Temple clarifies its mission, “presenting itself as a non-theistic entity that interprets Satan as a metaphorical symbol, separate from the supernatural associations often assumed. The club's curriculum, contrary to misconceptions, focuses on science-based and inclusive activities, aiming to foster benevolence, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, creative expression, personal sovereignty, and compassion among participating children.” https://www.live5news.com/clubsatan

Just because the group says we do not teach about Satan in terms of religion doesn’t mean it isn’t about Satan. This one quote from the article destroys any credibility that the Temple may have had about what its mission and goals are with this club. I support the first amendment, but if we cannot have Jesus in public schools then there isn’t any room for Satan either. If a public school is gonna allow Christian-theme clubs in their school then based on the first amendment Satan should also have its say. The Jesus-Karens’ wanna cherry-pick when it is ok or not ok to break the law, as they always tend to look at the law as silly when compared to the laws in the Bible, which to me, is just as silly. These same people will openly break the law when it suits them and always point to the Bible as the one true law.

Now that is fine and dandy, but if we all have to follow the law, so do Jesus-Karens’.

The question of whether it is fundamentally wrong to teach religion of any kind, including topics like Jesus or Satan, in public schools:

• Separation of Church and State: Teaching religion in public schools “may be” seen as a violation of our 1st amendment rights as outlined in the constitution of the United States.

• Religious Diversity: Every individual in that school and every public school has their own personalized belief structure. It would be fundamentally wrong to choose one and make that the standard for everyone. Hence, why ALL separation of Church and State exists to begin with.

• Parental Rights: The responsibility for religious education lies with parents and religious institutions, not public schools. Public Schools across all of the United States has taken a bigger interest with our children the last decade or so. They have been fighting with lawmakers during this time attempting to gain rights’ to kids without their parents being notified. This subject can be a blog all by itself. Giving them free spaces to teach and practice “progressive” values, that are hardly progressive, in terms of progressing forward in a direction of enlightenment. However, what I see “progressives” doing isn’t going forward, which is what the word actually means. Instead, “progressivism” steers human thinking backward, under the pretense of moving forwards. Even if it is after school and 100% voluntary there is still pressure to promote these concepts and for kids to accept the invitation or be told “they are on the wrong side of history.” It is why Separation of Church and State and Religious Diversity above exist in the first place. This is the part I think the schools lack the most. There is pressure by people for them to help promote it and pressure for kids exposed to it to join. Where they are supposed to be spiritually safe…

• Focusing on Academics: Public schools are primarily institutions for academic education, and introducing religion diverts resources and time away from core subjects. How we can expect our kids to know Math, English, History if we have them confused about what comes after this life or not. Can kids be kids and worry about this garbage when they have real stress in their lives? My only real acceptation to the rule about religion in public schools is if religion is mention in Historical Context. I can give a pass on that, but that would be more for High School level kids learning about world history in a classroom for historical context. Not religion as the subject, but merely part of the story that is world history.

Parents shouldn’t have to be in this spot of being angry about this particular thing to begin with. When we send our kids to school. We trust they are safe: Mentally, Physically, Emotionally, Sexually and Spiritually. Let’s not forget the incident by the original Jesus-Karens in the 1980s when Al Gore and his wife tried to cancel Heavy Metal due to it promoting Satan and they lost, BIG, and were humiliated on live TV. When we buy a CD and it has the “Parental Advisory” sticker on it, that is their contribution to pop culture, gate keeping, and heavy metal.

If a school was a religious boarding school or something specific, a non-public school, then I’d get it why religion is in school, but public schools, na… I have no issue with some things about religion in schools like the pledge of allegiance and God being mentioned in it. I always interpreted the word “God” to mean “whatever creation myth one believes in,” and creation itself is a myth, not a fact but a myth.��I believed this at 8-years-old.

I have three different categories for defining God and it is based on how we spell God. God (any and ALL Gods of religion) • GOD (The Universe itself is GOD, not a conscious being, just everything encompassed into one big thing called the Universe/GOD) • god (Sacred Geometry Spirit Energy, Nature, not necessarily a conscious entity).

The word “God” to me never meant solely the Christian God, just “god.” The pledge is fine how it is. As far as promoting Satan goes, I feel the same way. I joke about hailing Satan, but that is all it is, a joke. It is utterly ridiculous, just like thinking more than God just being an imaginary friend for grownups. I am actually making fun of Satan here not hating on Christian faith, specifically. I am a metalhead. Always have been. I never associated Satan worship with metal music, but there are subgenres of metal music that focuses on the worship of Satan and the destruction of all Catholicism. I think all faiths are part of the clown show. It doesn’t have a place in public schools, whatsoever, for just the few reasons I specified here. However, they probably are different for you and absolutely different for most other people.

I am an agnostic, which is just a fancy term for saying; "I do not possess the information to make an informed decision on whether or not the One-God-Creation-Myth is more than just a myth and if any of this is actually tangibly real in our reality." Agnostic is just saying we do not know enough to say God does or doesn’t exist so we just do not have a stance on it in the terms that believers and non-believers have their stance. By default both sides tends to label us as either believer or non-believer, which is why we are agnostic to begin with. Agnostics tend to not believe in binary information systems about reality.

That not everything is as simple as positive and negative…

“In the status quo of trial by social media; the facts have nothing to do with anything. No matter what you do, no matter what you prove, no matter what you dismiss, logical approach or common sense thought or thoughts about a topic, there is always going to be people on a keyboard that will project the reality that they would like, that most fits with what they want to believe and have that all based on hurt feelings and sentimental opinion on every issue. Every issue is split in half or binary nowadays. There are no winners in this and the lives that are directly affected by it will never be the same.” ~me, September. 2023.

Every topic is so polarizingly binary: yes/no, us/them, good/evil, right/wrong, left/right, zero/one, gay/straight, black/white, man/woman, Jew/Muslim, Life/Death. You get the idea. Sources are biased, especially ones from the great religions of the world, the legacy news media from both left/right sides. Both spin their takes as pandering of right/wrong vs what right/wrong actually are. Both sides always paint the other side as: wrong, bad, evil, while always labeling themselves as correct, good and just. In binary information systems both sides cannot be these things. They must be one or the latter, ALWAYS…

The great flaw I see here with Jesus/Satan in public schools is we cannot have one without the other. If you have pro-Jesus after school programs in public schools then one or many must allow the latter that same respect. I have written at length this year about binary information systems and how they formulate, shape, our opinions and positions in reality. They are not what they are supposed to be, but the point I am making here is in public schools both should not be allowed. I agree with most that Satanism is just as much a religious faction as Christianity is even though they are saying in the argument that they are “presenting itself as a non-theistic entity that interprets Satan as a metaphorical symbol, separate from the supernatural associations often assumed. The club's curriculum, contrary to misconceptions, focuses on science-based and inclusive activities, aiming to foster benevolence, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, creative expression, personal sovereignty, and compassion among participating children.”

If you are a Christian parent and you want to protect your children from teachings that go against your faith, the public school system would probably not be trustworthy places to safeguard those concepts for your children. The public school systems are working to strip rights from parents so they can teach your kids what “they” value, not what “you” value…

Should be noted that just because I personally loathe religion of any kind, I do not hate people for choosing a religion/faith. It is your entitled right to choose what you want to believe. My only, real, issue with any of it is the forcing the beliefs on everyone and shunning those that choose not to listen.

Religion, to me, are the original Karen's of civilization, but I am not going to trash my brothers/sisters, family and friends for believing. I encourage freedom of choice, freedom thinking and being free to believe in what you want to believe. That is the beauty of this country and the beauty of the greatest document ever created, the constitution of the United States of America. It is the projecting of religious concepts over the Bill of Rights onto other people that tends to rile me up on the subject.

I have said this before about religion and religious folks:

"If one or many make religion/faith about them, internally, and not about empathy, love and support for others then the message they believe in and support is the wrong one. You have missed the point if you ever think this is all about you… The second you do that, the battles and wars you wage in the name of that faith are perverted, fundamentally and logically wrong. If you believe in hell, you are more than likely already on that ‘one-way ticket to midnight, call it, Heavy Metal…’”

Club Satan by David-Angelo Mineo 12/15/2023 2,417 Words

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sunntownn · 2 years ago

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To Taste The Stars

Chapter Five: Soulmark Freakout & Government Affairs

hello! little author's note :3

hi! if you didn't already know, my name is sunny ♡ just wanted to let you guys know that ive had such a hard time writting this specific chapter because it focuses more on politics, and I, am in fact, not educated on politics,, at least not make believe alien robot / human affair politics,,,

im literally going to college for art i am so outta my comfort zone here,, so if this chapter seems a little choppy and not as put together as previous chapters, that is why, and im sorry 😭

it has been edited some to try and make more sense, so hopefully its not too bad!

thank you all for reading and the amazing support! your positive feedback fills me with creative motivation and just makes my heart swell

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Optimus Prime was having an internal crisis when his degsenation was called, followed by the young translator that looked as if he was dehydrated by the sheer amount of sweating his body was doing. "Igetis ton Autobots, Optimus Prime, pou ekprosopei ta Autobots."

He stood slowly as the peering eyes of Earth's sentient, primary species watched him curiously and skeptically. His chest plates continued to softly ache and almost seemed to be trying to push him in the direction of YN- YN.

That was her name, he mused silently to himself. When they announced her presence the Prime had a difficult time to not gawk at her. He kept his feet planted this time, not willing to have the Mother Stars throw him to the ground once again and embarress Agent Fowler more than he already has.

As much as the space dietys adore the romance that their gift to the universe brought to life, they were going to wait until after the meeting. He refused to let his optics wander in her direction until he sat back down.

Several other names were called and Optimus payed upmost attenetion to each human in the room, nonetheless, the Prime still would catch glances of the Greek woman across the room who sported what he beleived to be expensive and elegent, white fabrics- suits, as the kids had informed him once- each time with her gaze either at the person of the name who was called, or at the desk in front of her sorting through various notebooks and files. She was fiddling anxiously, that much he could tell. Perhaps it was because of his meer presence. Humans did have a negative perspective of exterestrail species, via syfi films.

Miko had made the team watch the film "Alien" from 1979 a few months back, as well as the "Predator" film made in 1987. That, among dozens of other alien-based horror franchises.

Ratchet and Arcee were not amused. Bulkhead and Bumblebee, however, were horrified.

Not to mention "Terminator."

Wow, Optimus mused to himself, wow, maybe this meeting is not going to work out.

Genral Bryce stood after roll call had offically been wrapped up, he smoothed out the front of his suit, medals gleaming under the florescent lights above. They made a soft clinking noise as they hit each other with every step he took. He cleared his throat, "Good afternoon gentalmen," he said, peering around the room as he made his way down the isle and to the front of the room.

"As you now know, we have called you all here today to address an exterestrail threat, as well as allies. And before we dive deep into the issue at hand, I wish to introduce you all to a program put together by the United States Department of Defense; the Autobot Protection Program."

"Thirty years ago, a space craft crash landed into the side of a mountain in Colorado, where a civilian made first contact with Optimus Prime. They were wounded and critically low on supplies. After the USDOD made their appearance, we of cource, had our doubts about the trustworthiness of these machines."

Bryce paced back and forth across the front of the room, making hand gestures that Prime didnt quite understand that point of. The translator kept up pace with the Genral's quick mouth.

Optimus then noticed, that Greece's repreentives were seated all on the left side of the room, as they all kept their eyes on the translator rather than General Bryce himself.

YN was on the left.

"There were only six of them at the time. All soldiers. All armed with advanced weaponry and tech. We had every reason to be cautious of these alien mechs. But even after alliences were made, the Autobots gave us no reason to doubt their honor, their honesty, nor kindness, and they most certainly did not give us any reasons to be afraid."

Bryce took in one deep breath. "So, I hope that you all will keep that in mind when making your final decisions on the outcome of this meeting."

Fowler quickly took the floor as Bryce sat himself down. "The Autobot Protection Program was set in place three months after their crash landing in Colorado. They came here for fuel. Similar to how we, as humans, eat foods to survive, Cybertronians need a specific kind of crystal to survive. A crystal that our planet just so happens to be rich with. They call it Energon. And while Energon is good for Cybertronians, it is very toxic and harmful to us."

"According to the Autobots, the Civil War of their planet made Energon rare to come by. They had no choice but to come here to mine and harvest it for their own survival. The Autobot Protection Program was made to let them do just that without being exposed to the public eye. This kept up for thirteen years.

However, when the Decepticons reached Earth's atmosphere, things got a much more complicated."

Fowler looked to Prime before sweeping his gaze back over to YN, who had a notebook and folder open that she had activly been reading through during the speech. She gave Fowler an encouraging grin and thumbs up. The Greek translator continued to keep up efficiently, only pausing for a moment to breath.

"The Decepticons, led by Megatron, had and have very little regard for human life. They see us as inferior. They do not care for keeping themselves unseen by human eyes, which had been leaving the USDOD very busy cleaning up their messes. The Decepticons are not few in numbers. They came here with a war ship and an army."

"These sentient exterestrails are much bigger than us, they have advanced weaponry, and their intelligence outways ours over seven hundred precent. The Decepticons will eventually become desperate to execute the last of the Autobot's Resistance, and will most likely endanger civilians in order to achieve that goal. They have already started targeting children. But the Autobots are here to protect us. Optimus Prime made a vow to do so. They did not intend for Earth to get involved in their civil war and are here to put a stop to any schemes Megatron has to harm Earth and it's inhabitants in any way. And I must say, he has proven himself time and time again to be capable of doing so. He has saved my life more times that I can count." Folwer took a breathe, watching.

Whispering unease and silent panic warmed the room with the fact that these aliens were targeting children. The same children who are the lifeline of their futures and their planet's future. Innocent children. How many? Why?

"If you'd all take a look at the files that have been left infront of you, you can skim through mission logs, team roles, and the children that are involved's personal files. We assure you, that these kids are safe. The Autobots take them to and from school, extracurricular activities, jobs, and they spend most of their free time at the Autobot secret base. While yes, they are in danger of encountering Decepticons, they are fully protected with individual guardians- soldiers who are more than capable of taking down a few Cons and getting their charges to saftey."

YN had flashed him a horried expression at the mention of kids being involved in a fucking alien war. That had not been mentioned in any files he gave her before hand or mentioned during they're catch-up outings. Her glare calmed throughtout the explanation, but Folwer still flinched under her hard stare.

William forgot to mention it, obviously, too busy trying to both prepare a room of people to meet a giant metal alien, along with making up from lost time with his old University buddy, because, ya know, he faked his death.

He's ganna have to add another thing to his interal list of reasons he's pissed off YN. Yikes.

"The Autobots have been our only line of defense for the last thirty years. But we can no longer operate in secret. Which is why the United States Department of Defense and Optimus Prime have asked you here, in hopes of signing a treaty that will allow Autobots to operate in your country and retrieve one of their ancient alien relics, to which we have evidence of being in your lands."

The room regarded this information cautiously.

Optimus caught the anxious glace he sent to YN across the room, who, under further investigation, seemed to be murdering him with her optics.

The room was hushed with whispers and judging expressions. Perhaps mentioning the kids wasnt the best idea, but they were already on the mission files in front of everyone, so there was no point in ignoring the subject. Fowler waited patiently in front of the room while the crowd spoke in a language he didnt fully understand.

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After forty long minutes of various questions being tossed around the room with both frightfull and genuinely curious tones, a break finally put a pause on all current activities and allowed everyone to stretch their limbs and roam around.

I had marched straight to the nearest restroom before William could catch up and give me a worse headache then the one already making my forehead throb.

I really needed a brain break from politics and aliens, trying to force myself to think of other things while I rubbed at my palms.

Virginia is nice, I suppose. The beach is not nearly as clean nor clear as the one outside of my house. The humity makes my hair frizzy and makes me sweat in temperatures I should be used too. There are many historical sights, some I plan on seeing before my departure back to Greece. One of the first thirteen colonies and all that jazz.

On the ride from the hotel to the Pentagon I saw a mother and daughter walking out of a bridal shop holding into a protected wedding gown with the goofiest and most joyful smiles I had seen all week. She had found her soulmate and witnessing such a sweet moment brought a smile to my face as we road past.

I was hungry, too, daydreaming of soups and sour breads. Perhaps I'll look around near my hotel for a restaurant and grab something to eat before my plane ride home tomorrow. But I did see some goodies on a table right outside the room were having the meeting in. I could snatch a few of those before this little break was over.

I missed my own bed, five star hotel or not, I preferred my own mattress and my own blankets. I specifically missed the calming sound of ocean waves crashing onto the shore right outside my window. I also missed my cat, and all her mischievous glory. I hope shes not scratching the doorframes again. I'll have to call Mom later to see how everything is going over there. I should bring her something back from America, as a thank you for watching my house and evil cat and all that fun stuff.

Turning off the tap, I flick my hands to get the access water off before grabbing a paper towel and drying off.

Fowler had finished explaining everything. The aliens, their cause, their war, their alliance with the United States, the child endangerment, he explained "Groundbridge"s, of which I'm still not positive is actually a thing, and he explained why they believe that the object they're looking for is under Ancient Greece.

Now it was my turn. Well, not now. But when this pause was over, I was to take the stage and convince my country to allow exterestrails to dig through our history to find. And then I have to explain the object, of which I was given limited intel on. Fun times. Coolio. No stress. Of course, I have my own qualifications that I can use to sway the majority. But this is still a room of men. Old, white, cranky men, who think women belong in the kitchen and a buncha other mysonistic bullshit.

The tile floors are squeaky clean and the white noise of the restroom is sort of calming However, that calm did not last long.

Tossing the crumpled up paper in the bin, I go to pull my sleeves back down before the expensive fabric starts to wrinkle. This suit was a rental and I didnt feel like messing it up and having to pay extra.

"Holy hell," I squeaked.

Damn!

Shit!

Fuck!

I hadn't been paying my wrist any attention for the past couple days, rightfully so. Too stressed to pay anything else any attention. I mean god damn! I'm in a meeting with a fucking alien car. I'm a little preoccupied.

My timer is gone.

Looking up from my wrist, I catch my own panicked face in the mirror. Eyes wide and jaw slacked. Now? Of all the times for this to happen, it had to be right now?!

Trying to recall the last time I remembered seeing it clearly on my wrist, biting my lip and pulling down my sleeves.

It was on my wrist when I was putting on my suit this morning. I believe it was there when I grabbed breakfast in the hotel lobby. But that was the last time I remember have a countdown on my person. At least, one hundred precent sure.

So, from leaving the hotel at eleven in the morning, to now, sometime around four in the afternoon, I have either walked passed or have had contact with my soulmate. And I didnt even notice.

Fuck.

#transformers #tfp #transformers x reader #decepticons #autobots #transformers optimus #transformers prime optimus #optimus #tfp optimus #optimus prime #to taste the stars #sunntownn writes

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stewblog · 2 years ago

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Prey

It’s taken more than 30 years, but we finally have a Predator sequel that feels worthy of standing next to the stone-cold classic that is the 1987 original.

Predator 2 has its defenders (though I am only marginally among their ranks). Predators is decent but too overcrowded. The less said about The Predator the better. (The same goes for either Alien vs. Predator movie.) Any merits found within the follow-ups to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s definitive first outing all arrived with a huge asterisk next to them. Until now, that is. Prey joins the envious ranks of “outstanding sequels decades in the making” alongside Mad Max: Fury Road and this summer’s Top Gun: Maverick.

Amber Midthunder (a member of the Fort Peck Sioux Tribe) plays Naru, a young Comanche woman living with her tribe on the Great Plains in 1719. She is a skilled healer and tracker and is anxious to prove herself as an equally capable hunter. She lives in the shadow of her brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers), the tribe’s favored son and newly adorned war chief. Taabe sees Naru’s potential but believes she’s far from ready to complete a hunter’s final trial. But when no one believes her descriptions of a mysterious beast tearing through tribe members and mauling bears, Naru becomes tested in a way she could have never dreamed.

What makes Prey work where every other sequel has faltered is that director Dan Trachtenberg and his co-writer, Patrick Aison, understand the essence of the original. Predator is a movie about survival and adaptation. It is an action movie, yes, but its central tenet is that simply being a big, strong muscle man armed to the teeth isn’t an advantage. It’s only once Schwarzenegger’s Dutch is isolated and stripped down to his most elemental, instinctual capabilities that he truly becomes a force to be reckoned with against the alien. Until Prey, subsequent films drew further away from this essence. Prey embraces it fully. Naru is a heroine thrown head-first into a crucible, forced to embrace her instincts, her skills and her resolve.

There has been no shortage of wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding Prey and its diminutive heroine somehow managing to go toe-to-toe with an apex predator like the, uh, Predator. But what’s remarkable about Prey is the way Trachtenberg and Midthunder so thoroughly extinguish any doubt that someone like Naru could not only survive, but dominate. Like any worthy prey, her success is determined by her wits and resolve, qualities that Naru has in excess. She’s not stronger, she’s smarter.

Though even taking Naru’s cunning into account, Prey manages to thread the needle of showing why these aliens are a credible threat while also acknowledging they’re the extra-terrestrial equivalent of people who travel to Africa and pay to shoot an elephant with a massive hunting rifle so they puff their chest out and pretend to be a Big Game Hunter. Sure, these aliens have impressive tech, but how skilled can you actually be when you’re going up against people fighting you with literal sticks and rocks. Trachtenberg hits it right on the nose when he has Taabe scream “CHEATER” when the Predator re-activates his cloaking device mid-fight.

That said, while the Predator may be a less-than-honorable warrior, by contrast Naru is a wonderfully compelling character played to steel-willed perfection by Amber Midthunder who imbues her with the perfect balance of grit, determination, vulnerability and guile. The original Predator may reign as the more classic film, but Prey may ultimately be a better film because it is propelled by a far more compelling lead. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s work as Dutch is endlessly quotable and iconic, but Midthunder’s performance as Naru provides a much more relatable and sympathetic lead. In a just world, this would be a star-making turn for her.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is Trachtenberg’s direction. His most notable work prior was two episodes of television, a no-budget fan film based on the video game Portal, and a mostly effective spin-off of Cloverfield. In other words, nothing that would signal he’s capable of delivering a movie that often stands toe-to-toe with one of the most revered sci-fi action movies of all time. And yet that’s precisely what he accomplishes. One of the hallmarks of Predator is how quickly it establishes the characters, the environment and the stakes. It’s one of the leanest, most efficient action movies ever made, a lesson Trachtenberg learned well and applies it superbly to Prey. But rather than simply aping the more claustrophobic feel of Predator’s South American jungle, Trachtenberg wisely leans into the gorgeous expanse of the Great Plains. Rarely do action movies allow such stunning natural sights to linger, but they provide a memorable contrast to the bursts of no-nonsense violence that erupt when the Predator goes in for the kill. I would never be so gauche as to compare Trachtenberg’s direction to that of infamous naturalist Terrence Malick, but it’s clear Trachtenberg has taken note of how Malick luxuriates in the natural world and had enough vision to apply that to his monster action movie.

He also understands the importance of set-ups and payoffs. While there may be few surprises here for anyone who’s either seen a Predator movie or even just pays half-attention to how movies are structured, the satisfaction with which Trachtenberg and Aison’s script pays off every early set-up cannot be overstated. It’s not quite the efficient marvel that Steven De Souza’s original Predator script is, but it’s within spitting distance.

More than anything I’m sad this likely will never be seen theatrically. It was clearly filmed, acted and directed in a way that was meant to be seen as big a screen as possible. Its magnificent score by Sarah Schachner feels and sounds big, clearly intended to be blasted from a huge surround setup. I may understand why it wasn’t put in theaters (thanks to a dangerously diluted brand after decades of poorly received sequels and spinoffs), but that doesn’t make me any less salty about missing out.

Prey is currently streaming for all Hulu subscribers.

#prey #amber midthunder #predator

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shadowron · 5 years ago

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Why Seattle is the setting for Shadowrun

Why Seattle?

The first edition of Shadowrun was published in 1989. This was before Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991) kick-started the Seattle grunge scene, before Singles (1992) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993), before even Starbucks started to spread like a delicious caffeinated rash across the world. At the time, Seattle’s claim to fame to the rest of the country was being mistaken for the capital of Washington. Why pick this city as the nexus of Sixth World action?

Because with the lights out, it’s less dangerous

Some of the more probable candidates had already been claimed by other cyberpunk/sci-fi products. California was taken, with Los Angeles in Bladerunner, San Francisco in Cyberspace, and Night City (between LA and SF) in Cyberpunk 2020.

Chicago would have been the natural candidate, given that FASA was headquartered there, but out of a perverse sense of humor, the writers not only blew up the Sears Tower and destroying The Loop, they later detonated a nuclear bomb in their company building.

May it rest manage its intellectual properties in peace.

So of course, the next choice would be New York. But as someone who is not from New York, I have to say: Frag New York. They already get to be the setting for EVERY MOVIE AND TELEVISION SHOW. Frag them right in the drek-hole.

So, what does that leave?

Looking into the metaplot gives some clues: the major event, the Awakening (2011), happened all over the world, but the influence of Native American practices and the formation of their eponymous Nations was a driving force behind the new geography of North America. Given the population density of America, if you were going to excise any pieces of it, the Western United States is the natural candidate, as present day American Indian Reservations are concentrated here.

However, in order to get the (largely Anglo) player base a more familiar entry point, you’d want to set the game in a city that is adjacent enough to the NAN so that you make their inclusion seamless. Denver would be a good place, and in fact, with the Treaty of Denver, and the Denver boxed set, it is really the other premier Shadowrun city in the game.

The other influence, of course, is Japan. Cyberpunk is the West’s appropriation of (at the time) neo-modern Asian culture in general, as highlighted in Neuromancer.

I may have mentioned it before.

This was why California cities were snatched up first by the properties mentioned above, and Shadowrun could have just redone it to their liking, but I’m glad they didn’t. They did make California a Free State and later have San Francisco be literally invaded and occupied by new Empire of Japan, really driving home the point.

So, looking north along the Pacific Coast, you have Portland, Seattle, Vancouver really as the last candidates left. Portland, like Seattle, had not yet achieved its present visibility for its quirky progressiveness, and Vancouver, of course, is in Canada, so Seattle it is.

Sorry, Canada.

Appendix

In looking up release dates for the movies mentioned above that are set in Seattle, I found two that predate the publication of Shadowrun and whose influence should not be discounted:

WarGames (1983), with Matthew Broderick as the first big screen teen hacker who lived in Seattle.

Harry and the Hendersons (1987), featuring the eponymous Sasquatch, native to the Pacific Northwest forests. Probably a spike baby...

#shadowrun #seattle #neuromancer #cyberpunk #bladerunner #starbucks #sleepless in seattle #wargames #harry and the hendersons #singles #nirvana #nevermind #fasa

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musicprincesslikestorock · 6 years ago

Text

DEAR MEDIA, DEAR LYING MONEY SUCKERS, DEAR IGNORANT PEOPLE. THIS ONE’S FOR YOU.

This is why I left the journalism school after 3 months! The biased, corrupted media will try to brainwash you, steal your focus on important things. Journalism is dead. What the media has been doing to Michael Jackson (for years) is breaking every sense of human rights to me. Michael Jackson’s personal space has been invaded since he was a child, there have been the most bizzare things written about him without any proof or base or anything at all. Why has the media never reported all the charity work Michael Jackson did? Why has there been no report about him literally saving children’s lives? The media disgusts me and that’s why I don’t believe anything they try to sell. By the way your beloved Oprah is the biggest hypocrate in the showbusiness. She’s been trying to ruin Michael’s reputation for years while she’s hanging out with the real sexual predators (Weinstein for example).

And now this bullshit Leaving Neverland. Wade Robson and James Safechuck...God sees all and don’t expect mercy when you’ll beg for it. You two are lying, money grabbing con artists that are trying to destroy a reputation of a man who gave you careers and helped you many times. The real monsters here are you two. Why none of you ever mentions Robson testified under OATH and defended Michael Jackson? Why didn’t Robson apologize to victims of sexual abbuse for lying under oath? Wade Robson tried to sue The MJ Estate after he didn’t get a job at Cirque de Soleil and failed and the allegations against MJ were made after that. Why did Wade and his family desperately wanted to go to MJ’s funreal (Taj posted screenshots of conversation between him and Wade-he wanted VIPs). Safechuck said Michael didn’t want him around women and abandoned him after puberty while there is clear picture of MJ, Lisa Marie Presley and Safechuck at the History shooting. Safechuck claims Michael took him to EuroDisney in late 80s while Euro Disney was opened in 1992. He claims he spent Thanksgiving in 1987 with Michael at his home. Michael was on tour in fucking Australia. And why the hell is none of these bloody journalists paying attention to the FBI files? FBI investigated Michael Jackson for 10+ years and guess what they found? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

EDITED: CAN WE ALL TALK ABOUT TRAIN STATION THAT SAFECHUCK WAS “ABUSED” IN? YEAH THAT SAME TRAIN STATION THAT WASN’T EVEN BUILT WHEN SAFECHUCK CLAIMS HE WAS ABUSED?

Nothing matches. There is zero evidence, just made up stories. I would have never ever stand behind a pedophile. Michael Jackson isn’t one. I educated myself and didn’t let any of the manipulative media lies get through my head.

And to all the people that still refuse to believe the REAL FACTS; your mind is led by emotion, you want to believe MJ was a freak because you don’t like his looks, you don’t like his success, you hate that people defend him, maybe you even hate that he’s an African American and most of all you want drama around him cause he’s the biggest fucking star of all time. Yes he was different and could seem a bit weird if you don’t actually pay attention and try to understand why he was wearing masks, why his skin got lighter, why he did this and that. But just because he is different doesn’t mean that he’s a monster. He is a beautiful, kind, generous man that we all took for granted. He used his platform and helped, saved and protected many lives.

Today I’m playing Michael Jackson’s songs louder. You should too.

If you’re an open minded person and you’re willing to learn about the real Michael Jackson here’s what you can watch or read:

-https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rgSbSotJgUY

-https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qb5UVMwTC5g#dialog

-https://youtu.be/6Cn1xQZ-IFc

-https://youtu.be/UueTjdViN_s

-https://youtu.be/4BetCnNjN3k

-https://youtu.be/amLrvHn6BS8

-https://youtu.be/EhTf4IFS3Zs

-https://youtu.be/Aa5MLu-3isk

-https://www.mjvibe.com/michael-jacksons-unfair-trial-by-social-media/

-https://youtu.be/7JkvGJYbfvI

#michael jackson #mjinnocent #King of pop #mj

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alwayysmichael · 6 years ago

Text

Michael Jackson and me.

I was a boy in Michael Jackson’s life, and nothing of what he’s being accused of in this documentary happened...

I wanted to write and post this before Leaving Neverland premiered at Sundance last Friday. After all, I had a close relationship with Michael Jackson growing up and nothing of what he continues to be accused of has ever happened to me. I decided to wait because I was curious to see if the film would get any wings considering Wade Robson’s volatile and unsuccessful claims against Michael Jackson in the past. Sure, let him tell his story again. Truth and justice will prevail as they have. Soon after it premiered, I quickly Googled “leaving neverland” to discover news articles stating that the four-hour documentary received a standing ovation. In disbelief, I searched the hashtag on Instagram to see Story footage from the theater and there they were — Wade Robson, James Safechuck and the film’s director Dan Reed — on stage in front of an applauding audience at their feet. I’m not sure if the audience was doing so because they were perceived as survivors making a public appearance, or if the film was actually good in their eyes, or both; but all I could think about was that their strategy, unfortunately, worked.

Raising awareness about child abuse and providing a safe community for others to speak their truth is vital, but using Michael Jackson as a vehicle to do so is simply wrong. In order for any story to be valid, there has to be an element of trust and I do not trust the people associated with this film. Let’s be clear: Michael Jackson showed up. He faced public interviews, he answered difficult-to-stomach questions, he agreed to interrogative documentaries, he withstood a 10-year FBI investigation, and he appeared in an eighteen-month criminal trial until he was acquitted having been found not guilty on all fourteen child molestation and abuse-related accounts. The fact that twelve years of criminal investigations and government legal proceedings can be completely overruled by the media due to a manipulation of the same stories once told before by a select few, especially by those who were initially on the defense, is deeply concerning. Maybe even horrifying.

I haven’t seen the documentary, but it “focuses on two men… who allege they were sexually abused by the pop star Michael Jackson as children” (Wikipedia). Everyone is entitled to his/her/their story and I believe that each story should be told in truth to the best of his/her/their ability, but my issue with Leaving Neverland is the heavy reliance on one side, especially when that one side is comprised of only two people. On top of it all, those two people happen to know each other. So what we have is a product comprised of two acquaintances’ stories who were in Michael’s life as boys that has been glorified in a 236-minute documentary. Remember that the film would mark Robson’s second attempt to tell his story. He told the same, truncated version of his story publicly in 2013 and simultaneously filed suit against the Michael Jackson Estate, which the court later dismissed. This was eight years after he testified twice under oath explicitly stating that Michael did nothing wrong during a criminal trial in which the jury delivered a verdict of not guilty. It’s clear that this film’s intention is to position Michael as a child predator, but I find that the entire Leaving Neverland saga is really, in turn, a predation on a man of power and wealth now almost 10 years dead and thereby defenseless.

I was part of Michael’s life from the day I was born in 1987 until 2001. The last time I was literally close to him was backstage at the Staples Center when his casket wheeled past me. I knew him well because my mother, Janet Zeitoun, his sole hairstylist during the time, knew him even better. One could say that they might as well have been siblings. In fact, my mother was one of the few non-family members invited to the private memorial service at the cemetery hours before the public one in Downtown LA. Michael felt so comfortable with my mother because she made him laugh unlike anyone else, let alone the fact that she’s incredible at her craft. Michael even said in writing that she’s the “Michelangelo of hair.”

From the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, my mother has been around the globe with Michael. She’s been by his side doing his hair on sets, in dressing rooms, backstage at his concerts, at his home, on planes, in hotel rooms, in cars, and yes, even at Neverland. When my mom was pregnant with me in ‘86, Michael told her that she’d be having a boy; and on the day of my birth, Michael sent a limo to our home filled with gifts. And from then on, my single, hard-working mother who wanted to spend as much time with me as she could often brought me to work with her. So I grew up on the sets of Michael’s music videos, I played with my toys on the floor of his dressing rooms, and he sometimes came over to our house to get his hair done. As I got a bit older and could walk on my own two feet, I became the boy responsible for making sure Michael got candy in between some of his concert rehearsal sets. Michael would make everyone stop and patiently wait for me to wobble my way on stage to him. I even remember singing “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” to him in his trailer (so embarrassing!) but he gave me his undivided attention and smiled. I went to Neverland, several times of which Michael was there and he gave us the full tour of his home. I remember my favorite golf cart to get around had a Peter Pan emblem on it. I remember his movie theater concession stand being filled with candy that you could go behind the counter and take to watch whatever movie you wanted. I remember riding the big steam engine train that would take you from one end of the ranch to the other. I remember a big pot-bellied pig named Petunia and that I could name a newborn deer and rabbit. I chose Cuddie and Thumper, respectively; original, I know, but Michael loved the names.

Unlike Robson or Safechuck, I wasn’t in the public eye with Michael. The only sort of public thing that happened was him publishing a photo of us in the centerfold of his 1995 tour book. Fourteen years later, the caretaker of his children recognized me backstage at the Staples Center during his memorial service and told me that the photograph was one of Michael’s favorites, and at the time in 2009 was still framed on his grand piano in Neverland.I remember leaving Neverland a happy kid who couldn’t wait to go back.

I remember telling my mom that I wanted to have another birthday party there or that I wanted to hang out with Michael again at the ranch. The bulk of my experience with Michael was during the 90s right when the FBI investigation began on account of child molestation allegations. Knowing that this was happening and that these charges were set against him, I don’t think my protective and well-aware mother would’ve allowed me to continue hanging around Michael or head up to Neverland had she not trusted him.

I firmly believe Michael did no wrong. You don’t have to take my word for it, though; know that his truth was proven in a court of law. The stories being presented in Leaving Neverland are incredibly one-sided. This film is merely the Wade Robson & James Safechuck Story because I, too, remember leaving Neverland, as does my mother, and as do many people in his life who’d be glad to have a say in a film so generically titled; now wrongfully entitled to depict Michael’s life and his misunderstood relationship with children. Any credible director of a documentary seeking truth on the matter would do his/her/their due diligence and present the full story from a carefully chosen and meaningful variety of sources. With four hours of film time to spare, I’m sure there could have been room. This is why I’m deeply disappointed in HBO and Channel 4 UK for picking it up with plans to air it later this spring. The networks snagged a falsity and will be responsible for disseminating a poorly researched film based on the highly skewed opinions of a select few that many of its subscribers will conclude as true.

Leaving Neverland is connecting because Robson and Safechuck’s well-acted stories are similar to those of true survivors watching the film. It’s a smart, yet corrupt way to capitalize on an entire community’s vulnerabilities. It’s also connecting because their stories are bolstered with a compelling medium to tell them as well as an accredited establishment like Sundance to premiere it. It’s riding the wave of an important #MeToo and #TimesUp movement, and it poorly validates a shortsighted equation that many people think they already have the answer to: Michael Jackson plus always being around children must equal child molester. The result? A byproduct of lies smeared with a thin layer of credibility intended to enrage the general media and side with self-proclaimed victims. And because the people behind these forms of media have a following (or not), perhaps they’re employed by some “greater” masthead and their information is muffled with journalists who actually seek the truth, the general population slowly becomes convinced, valuing information by ease of access which has really been served to them by algorithms designed to showcase what individuals only want to see. This is where destruction escalates. This is where the snowball gains its mass. This is why I’m stepping in with my story now.

I urge you to make it your undying responsibility to seek truth and acknowledge all sides in your consumption of how Michael is being depicted in this film. The capitalization of circumstance, divisive use of content and manipulation of media — all combined with rising false senses of entitlement — can quickly nullify a verdict and forever challenge truth to favor the other. This is the loophole with our digital ecosystem that actually determines one’s fate and this is the precise mechanism Leaving Neverland is using, especially when money is at stake. It will ultimately destroy his family, defame his legacy and eradicate his artistry. If you think this little loophole won’t take it that far, well, for starters: it’s already killed Michael Jackson.

Michael signed a letter to me on Neverland letterhead once. It read: “from your protective and older brother, Michael Jackson.” Now I find it my turn to protect him by telling my story because I solemnly swear that this kind-hearted, genius-of-a-man is innocent. I probably would have known otherwise. - Talun Zeitoun

#michael jackson #talun zeitoun #if u dont read all read what i grifed ♥#this is the most beautiful thing #♥#thank u for the truth #mj #mjj #*#im in tears #rares #personal

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noramoya · 6 years ago

Text

I WAS A BOY IN MICHAEL JACKSON’S LIFE AND NOTHING HAPPENED...

“I wanted to write and post this before Leaving Neverland premiered at Sundance last Friday. After all, I had a close relationship with Michael Jackson growing up and nothing of what he continues to be accused of has ever happened to me. I decided to wait because I was curious to see if the film would get any wings considering Wade Robson’s volatile and unsuccessful claims against Michael Jackson in the past. Sure, let him tell his story again. Truth and justice will prevail as they have. Soon after it premiered, I quickly Googled “leaving neverland” to discover news articles stating that the four-hour documentary received a standing ovation. In disbelief, I searched the hashtag on Instagram to see Story footage from the theater and there they were — Wade Robson, James Safechuck and the film’s director Dan Reed — on stage in front of an applauding audience at their feet. I’m not sure if the audience was doing so because they were perceived as survivors making a public appearance, or if the film was actually good in their eyes, or both; but all I could think about was that their strategy, unfortunately, worked.

From the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, my mother has been around the globe with Michael. She’s been by his side doing his hair on sets, in dressing rooms, backstage at his concerts, at his home, on planes, in hotel rooms, in cars, and yes, even at Neverland. When my mom was pregnant with me in ‘86, Michael told her that she’d be having a boy; and on the day of my birth, Michael sent a limo to our home filled with gifts. And from then on, my single, hard-working mother who wanted to spend as much time with me as she could often brought me to work with her. So I grew up on the sets of Michael’s music videos, I played with my toys on the floor of his dressing rooms, and he sometimes came over to our house to get his hair done. As I got a bit older and could walk on my own two feet, I became the boy responsible for making sure Michael got candy in between some of his concert rehearsal sets. Michael would make everyone stop and patiently wait for me to wobble my way on stage to him. I even remember singing “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” to him in his trailer (so embarrassing!)but he gave me his undivided attention and smiled. I went to Neverland, several times of which Michael was there and he gave us the full tour of his home. I remember my favorite golf cart to get around had a Peter Pan emblem on it.

I remember his movie theater concession stand being filled with candy that you could go behind the counter and take to watch whatever movie you wanted. I remember riding the big steam engine train that would take you from one end of the ranch to the other. I remember a big pot-bellied pig named Petunia and that I could name a newborn deer and rabbit. I chose Cuddie and Thumper, respectively; original, I know, but Michael loved the names.

Unlike Robson or Safechuck, I wasn’t in the public eye with Michael. The only sort of public thing that happened was him publishing a photo of us in the centerfold of his 1995 tour book. Fourteen years later, the caretaker of his children recognized me backstage at the Staples Center during his memorial service and told me that the photo was one of Michael’s favorites, and at the time in 2009 was still framed on his grand piano in Neverland.

I remember leaving Neverland a happy kid who couldn’t wait to go back. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to have another birthday party there or that I wanted to hang out with Michael again at the ranch. The bulk of my experience with Michael was during the 90s right when the FBI investigation began on account of child molestation allegations. Knowing that this was happening and that these charges were set against him, I don’t think my protective and well-aware mother would’ve allowed me to continue hanging around Michael or head up to Neverland had she not trusted him.

Leaving Neverland is connecting because Robson and Safechuck’s well-acted stories are similar to those of true survivors watching the film. It’s a smart, yet corrupt way to capitalize on an entire community’s vulnerabilities. It’s also connecting because their stories are bolstered with a compelling medium to tell them as well as an accredited establishment like Sundance to premiere it. It’s riding the wave of an important #MeToo and #TimesUp movement, and it poorly validates a shortsighted equation that many people think they already have the answer to: Michael Jackson plus always being around children must equal child molester. The result? A byproduct of lies smeared with a thin layer of credibility intended to enrage the general media and side with self-proclaimed victims. And because the people behind these forms of media have a following (or not), perhaps they’re employed by some “greater” masthead and their information is muffled with journalists who actually the seek truth, the general population slowly becomes convinced, valuing information by ease of access which has really been served to them by algorithms designed to showcase what individuals only want to see. This is where destruction escalates. This is where the snowball gains its mass. This is why I’m stepping in with my story now.

— TALUN ZEITOUN, JANET ZEITOUN’S SON , MJ’S HAIRSTYLIST ...

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

Link

The Case of the Disappearing Cicadas There are four periodical cicada broods currently in Long Island, all timed to emerge in different years. There as elsewhere, females lay their eggs in tree crevices. In midsummer, newly hatched nymphs crawl down the trunks, burrow into the soil, and find a root to suck on. There they grow larger, noting the changing seasons until 17 winters have passed — their cue to come back up. Often, though, the world above is less patient. Roads and buildings can literally trap whole populations underground — one Long Island location where the insects once thrived is now “a Walmart with a big parking lot,” Dr. Simon said. Even before they find themselves sealed in by asphalt, the clear-cutting of trees they rely on for food generally dooms them. For this reason, they also find it hard to survive in places that have been turned into golf courses, playing fields and cemeteries. In the past century, news outlets tracking Brood X’s impact on people on Long Island have also illustrated how land use there changed over time. In 1919, farmers in Farmingdale and Massapequa reported cicada damage to their fruit trees. Seventeen years later, in 1936, The Times warned motorists that the cicadas coming up from roadside forests might clog their radiators. By 1987, Long Islanders were quoted expressing wonderment — along with concern for their lawns — as the insects erupted from their yards. Farmingdale and Massapequa “are no longer farmland and open space,” said Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, an entomologist at Cornell University and a Long Island resident. “They’re just home after home after home.” Pesticide use and pollution might have contributed to the declines as well, she said. Once numbers drop, the final blow can be dealt by predators — including introduced species, which often lack predators of their own and can throw food webs off balance. In 2016, Dr. Bonaros watched nonnative European starlings and English sparrows go after the dregs of Brood V, also disappearing from Long Island. “They really tear into them and demolish them,” he said. As with insect declines more widely, experts still find some elements of Brood X’s depletion mysterious. For instance, Dr. Simon said she was unsure why it has largely disappeared from Connetquot State Park, which has been untouched by development. But it’s probably the same combination of known and unknown factors that already drove two other Long Island broods, Brood I and Brood IX, to extinction before the 1980s. And based on its latest performance, Brood V, previously recorded closer to the island’s North Fork, may also fail to emerge in the near future, she said. Source link Orbem News #Case #Cicadas #Disappearing

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atlasgaveup · 7 years ago

Text

Don't you know communism has killed millions?!"

DEATHS CAUSED BY CAPITALISM:

Native American Genocide, 1500s-1900s (direct killings and death from plagues; North, Central, and South Americas combined): 100 MILLION [x]

Atlantic Slave Trade, 1500s-1900s (princessbuggie helped with this one): 4 MILLION [x]

September Massacres, France, 1792: 1,200 [x]

Famines in British India, 1837-1900: at least 165 MILLION [x]

Potato Famine/Great Irish Famine, 1845-1852 (an anon helped with this one): 1 MILLION [x]

Cholera Outbreak, Industrial London, 1849: 15,000 [x]

United States Civil War, 1861-1865: at least 600,000 [x]

Building First Transcontinental Railroad, United States, 1863-1869 (princessbuggie helped with this one): at least 1,200 [x]

Belgian Occupation of the Congo, 1886-1908: 10 MILLION [x]

Spanish-American War, 1898: 17,135 [x]

United States 20th Century Coal Mining Industry: 100,000 [x]

Courriéres Mine Disaster, France, 1906: 1,549 [x]

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, 1911 (vivianvivisection helped with this one): 146 [x]

World War I, 1914-1918: 16 MILLION [x]

Building the Hoover Damn, United States, 1922-1936: 112 [x]

Shanghai Massacre of 1927: at least 5,000 presumed dead [x]

United States Intervention in Latin America, 1929-1987 (progressivefem helped with this one): 6 MILLION [x]

The White Terror, Spain, 1936-1975: at least 100,000 [x]

World War II, 1939-1945: at least 60 MILLION [x]

Benxihu Colliery Explosion, China, 1942: 1,549 [x]

Burma Railway, Thailand-Burma, 1943-1947: 106,000 [x]

Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1945: at least 245,000 [x]

Bodo League Massacre, Korea, 1950: at least 100,000 [x]

Vietnam War, 1955-1975: 2.3 MILLION [x] [x]

Guatemalan Civil War, 1960-1996 (an anon helped with this one): 200,000 [x]

US Intervention in the Congo, 1964: 1,000 [x]

Indonesian Anti-Communist Purge, 1965-1966: at least 500,000 [x]

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1965-2013: 21,500 [x], 1,000 more Palestinians have been killed in 2014.

Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988: at least 315,000 [x]

Bhopal Disaster, Madhya Pradesh, 1984: 16,000+ [x]

United States Railroad Workers Killed on the Job, 1993-2002 (princessbuggie helped with this one): 1,221 [x]

Rwandan Genocide, 1994: 1 MILLION [x]

United States Deaths Attributed to Cigarette Smoking, 2000-2004: ~1.7 MILLION [x]

War in Afghanistan, 2001-present: 57,457 [x]

Darfur Genocide, 2003-present: 10,000 [x]

Iraq War, 2003-2011: 55,034 [x]

Mexican Drug War, 2006-present: at least 100,000 [x]

United States Workers Killed on the Job in 2012, as reported by OSHA: 4,628 [x]

Hunger (un-feuilly-de-papier helped with this one): 21,000 per day [x], 16,000 of them children [x], 3,000 of them children specifically in India [x].

Worldwide Occupational Deaths: 6,000 per day [x]

Poor shelter, polluted water, inadequate sanitation, often from homelessness (sideeffectsincludenausea helped with this one): 50,000 per day [x]

Occupational Asbestos Exposure: 107,000 per year [x]

International Sex Trafficking: 30,000 per year [x]

“Communist Death Toll,” according to The Black Book of Communism: 94 million

Capitalism Death Toll: 369 million (369,790,731), according only to the statistics I could get sources for. This number doesn’t even scratch the surface.

But, guess what? Tomorrow, we know for sure that capitalism will kill at least 77,000 more people.

You know what? No. Fuck this. I’m sick of clueless young Westeners undermining the deaths under communism to further their argument. My parents lived trough this shit. My grandparents lost half their families during Mao’s reign, were sent to labour camps and beaten and worked half to death and I’m sick people like you ignoring their lives in favour of some cheap argument to prop up communism.

You can argue against capitalism and I won’t say a word against it - but if your argument is based on the idea that communism is somehow the “lesser evil”, thereby completely disregarding the government-sanctioned genocide, famine, violence and oppression that actual people suffered, then you can take several fucking seats - especially if you’ve never experienced that violence, never lost family members to that violence and never seen first-hand what it drives people to.

Because you’re using statistics from over 500 years and across the globe (60 countries going by your stats) to compare to the death toll of what occurred over 50 years and in 11 countries.

95 million is an extremely all-inclusive number and it’s been debated about the historical accuracies and how broadly covers. Even so, a majority of that number is spread out to a few countries in under fifty years.

Now obviously, more than eleven countries have been communist states - but going by the ‘95 million’ statistic, most of the these numbers are split between China under Mao, USSR under Stalin and Cambodia under Khmer Rouge. The rest are rough estimates from about 262 000 to 1.1 million which were under North Korea, East Germany, Romania, Hungary, North Vietnam, Ethiopia.

Communism may have killed less, but the death toll is far more saturated. To break this down a bit. Coming second to none is China:

an estimate of 42 million died in China during the three-year famine of 1958-1961. Historians dispute over the actual number; 15 million is official government numbers but unofficial estimates vary between 23 mil. (Peng) to 46 mil. (Chen), but the closest and most recent estimate is about 45 million by Dikötter, who included deaths from suicide, militia executions and violence.

sidenote: according Yang Jisheng, who estimated 30 million dead from famine, another estimated 40 million ‘failed to be born’, making about 70 million in population loss.

This happened during 3 years. in one country.

and oh yeah, there was also another 92,000 Tibetans killed under Communist Government from Mao to current and another estimated 1.2 million died during the Cultural Revolution from labour camps, prisons, murders and executions (‘61-‘69).

Now, lets look at Russia, coming second place.

not including war casualty, 20-30 million died under Stalin from 1924-1953. Again, numbers vary - some estimates go as high 60 million.

Of those, 1.2 million were from the Great Purge of ‘36-39 (including invasion of Mongolia and purge of XinJiang because guess what, communism doesn’t magically erase a white dude’s sense of imperialism).

Then there were from gulags, deportation and ethnic cleansing (of Jews, Slavs, Romani, Poles, among others).

The rest were deaths from from famine from ‘26-‘38. If we add deaths that occurred during deportations, POW died under care, and death in other Soviet countries during Stalin’s rule, then the average number gets closer to 30 mil.

Not to forget:

2.2 million were killed in Cambodia during Khmer Rouge’s rule, 1975-1979. Half were from famine/disease, half were executions.

Red Terror in Ethiopia: 30,000-500,000 (‘77-‘78)

Collectivisation in Romania: 60,000 to 190,000 (‘47-‘64)

North Vietnam land reform: ca 172,000 (some estimates btw 200,000 to 500,000) (‘53-‘56)

North Korea has no an ‘official’ number, but calculated deaths from 1948-87 were about 1 million. 240,000 to 420,000 people died as a result of the 1990s famine.

The death toll during Mao’s Famine during the Great Leap Forward would be an estimated 52,000 per day, going by 40 million death-toll estimates - and that from one country alone.

During Stalin’s Great Purge, executions were calculated to be 1000 per day.

And you want to compare this to a world-wide conglomerate?

And before you put words in my mouth, I’m not saying a damn thing in defense of capitalism.

You can denounce capitalism all you want, but you need take several steps back and reconsider if you’re going to do so on the backs of people who actually suffered through an oppressive, abusive, totalitarian regime by devaluing their suffering and using it as an example of how communism is the “"lesser evil”“ - especially if you have never lived through it, lost family members or felt the fear of such a regime.

Don’t attribute the death toll to Stalinism or Maoism or say it was ‘wrong form’ of communism. You do not get to cherry pick your flavour of totalitarianism so that it suits your social stance. You do not get to undermine, appropriate and white-wash the human atrocities and genocides committed in the name of communism so that you can cover up the ugly underbelly of how these regimes will work, has worked and is currently working.

These are not statistics for you to brush under the mat so that communism can seem ‘less evil’. People who deported, sent to labour camps, starved to death, sold out by the colleagues, murdered by their students are not collateral fucking damage for make-believe, Westernised idealistic communism.

(and another side-note: the Anti-communism cleansing in Indonesia had fuck-all to do with capitalism and everything to do with anti-Chinese sentiments. These were all tied in with the historical socio-politics at the time, such as the foreign policy of CCCP, the relationship and influence of the Chinese government under Zhou Enlai , and the state of Indonesia’s militarisation under Sukarno that was helped by China. To use their complicated and brutal political and social history that literally nothing to do with Western capitalism and everything to do with East Asian international relations to back your argument is really fucking imperialist.)

I would’ve got an aneurysm trying to elaborate on everything wrong with OP’s post and how it’s stuffed with smug Western imperialism and US-centrism. (So now, all the deaths in Europe and Asia in WW2 were just about ‘capitalism’? Not, I dunno, some ideas of German and Japanese ethnic and racial superiority? Unless you want to tell me racial and ethnic tensions that long-predated capitalism somehow were caused by capitalism? Fuck that bullshit.)

And slavery as a system has been present in human societies long before capitalism was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye. It can exist in a non-capitalist society. And let’s just say there were plenty of forced labour camps and gulags in Communist regimes. I mean, if I recall correctly, didn’t the ostensibly “”Capitalist”” World War 2 in Europe begin when Nazi Germany AND the Soviet Union invaded Poland? Maybe because imperialism isn’t tied strictly to a capitalist society though the two can reinforce each other. Or no empires would have existed before the modern era.

TBH I’ve no more patience for people who love glossing over the complexities of the violence suffered by our families just to fit their agenda, especially when these people are trying to appear Oh So Progressive but it’s just Western imperialism on steroids.

My reply to anyone that wants to argue the point that communism is better, is to tell them to pack their bags, denounce their citizenship from the country they despise and ask for asylum in the country of their choice that is currently under communist control. North Korea would be happy to show the wealth of their people. Venezuela would be happy to keep you safe from crime and show the wealth of their people. Name your destination, as long as it’s the communist dictatorship you want. I’ll buy the one way ticket.

there are only two groups of people who desire Communism:

1. Those who never lived under it, and

2. Those who lived under it and had power over others.

That should tell you something, but you’re a fucking idiot.

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justanothercinemaniac · 7 years ago

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #201 - Predator

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) There is very little in this film to make it a sci-fi movie (because for the large part it isn’t, but more on that later), but the very first scene of the alien ship sending down SOMETHING leaves no doubt as to the origins of the Predator. It’s not demonic, it’s not a government experiment gone wrong. It’s extraterrestrial, plain and simple. Which means the film can jump right into the story past sci-fi exposition.

2) This initial “hand shake” between Dillon and Dutch really shows the very basic conflict at the heart of their relationship. A conflict of strengths, each needing to be better than the other. Arnie has fun with it but Dillon seems to be a bit more insecure. It is this conflict which is at the heart of their relationship.

3) Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch.

Dutch is actually my favorite character played by the legendary action performer. Upon first meeting Dutch you easily understand who he is as a character. There’s a sense of honor and morality, a strength to him (both physical and - you can sense - emotional), and he’s not eager for a fight. This last one is important. Dutch is the leader of rescue team. He’s not looking for a life, he’s not looking to take life. He’s looking to save it. But he will do what is necessary to save his objective. Dutch is also able to keep a straight head constantly and work through bad situations, something which will save his neck more than once. The thing that transcends Dutch above other Arnie characters for me, like The Terminator for instance, is that he just feels unique from those other characters. It’s a little more than just Arnold Schwarzenegger while also being very full of life and just interesting.

4) When you are working with an ensemble cast in a 107 minute runtime, you have to establish things quickly and you have to establish them well. The chopper ride into the jungle gives the audience a clear sense of not only the team dynamic but each character as an individual. They transcend basic stereotypes to be unique. You understand their sense of humor (or lack there of), their relationship with each other, their bravado, you just get who they are.

Language warning: use of f****t.

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5) There is a simple base difference between Dutch and Dillon which speaks greatly to the conflict they will have.

Dillon [about the mission]: “Never knew how much I missed this, Dutch.”

Dutch: “You never were very smart.”

Remember, Dutch isn’t itching for a fight. But Dillon is. Dillon is very much a hit first kind of guy, while Dutch is a hit second but hit hard kind of guy.

6) The first scene in the jungle and later the skirmish between Dutch’s men & the guerrillas does well to establish how tough/capable they are. How dangerous they really are. The scene with the guerrillas in particular does this in an entertaining action movie way, but more than anything else it helps to also establish how deadly the Predator is. It takes a LOT to take this guys out, as we see in these two scene. They’re not some drunken teenager at a cabin in the woods, they’re fucking killers. So the fact that the Predator ends up killing pretty much all of them speaks greatly to how dangerous IT is.

7) The skinned victims is our first indication about how fucking deadly the Predator is. These weren’t random people in the jungle, at least one of them was a green beret. It creates a greater sense of tension and fear, while Billy’s analysis of how the fight went (they fired in all directions but there’s no blood or tracks) continues to set up a great sense of danger.

8) The Predator’s heat vision is akin to the point of view shots used in Jaws. It builds suspense by giving the audience info the characters don’t have (that the Predator is near and could easily kill them) while also playing into our fear of the unknown. We know it can see them but we don’t see it. We don’t know what the Predator really looks like for most of the film.

9) Ah, cheesy 80s one liners.

According to IMDb, this was improvised by Arnie.

10) This is…I just…I laugh at this every time but maybe I shouldn’t.

(GIF originally posted by @drivingmradam)

Poncho: “Huh…okay.”

Like, it’s kinda stupid and even Poncho knows it! Like what kind of hyper masculine bullshit is, “I ain’t got time to bleed?” But it’s so fucking awesome in how fucking ridiculous it is! This is one of the most iconic lines from the film and it’s just…it’s a lot. I’m laughing as I write this! I love that stupid line!

11) I really like this film but I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out it had literally only one female character who doesn’t pass the sexy lamp test. She’s basically an exposition device (and not a great one) who acts as an obstacle for the guys more than a character.

12) Carl Weathers as Dillon.

Weathers plays Dillon REALLY interestingly. You understand that you’re never seeing the whole picture with Dillon. There’s something always beneath the surface. Something always mysterious about the character. He plays the part with a wonderful amount of snake-likeness and gives the strongest performance outside of Schwarzenegger. He’s just really good to watch.

13) Fun fact: that’s 80s screenwriter and current writer/director Shane Black as Hawkins.

Producer Joel Silver wanted Black close around to review the script in case there were issues. Black didn’t have to make any edits though I think, liking the script as it was. He is currently directing the sequel/reboot of the series with The Predator (coming out in August of 2018).

14) Sound design is a surprisingly important aspect for the Predator’s design. Not only the vocals provided by legendary voice over actor Peter Cullen (best known as Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise), but the way he plays with soundbites from other characters to creep the audience out. It works really well.

15) The tone shift once the Predator kills Hawkins is striking and powerful. You know shit just went sideways as the tension skyrockets. This is no longer an action movie with a war setting. This shit just got scary.

16) Predator really isn’t a typical action or sci-fi film. It doesn’t concern itself too much with space jargon or big explosions (although the film does have some of the latter). The bet way to label the film would be as a survival movie above all else. Through heavy elements of suspense and still the inclusion of solid action, we know what the goal of the movie is for these characters: to live through it. And that works really freaking well.

17) SAVE SOME FREAKING AMMO GUYS!

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Poncho: “We hit nothing!”

The look on Dutch’s face and how scared shitless all these badass military dudes are upon hearing this continues to set up just how bad a situation this is. These guys don’t scare easily, if at all.

18) So after Blain dies Mac freaking loses it.

Mac: “He was, um, my friend.”

THIS IS PURE HEADCANON BUT I think Blain and Mac were dating. People on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum weren’t allowed to serve in the military in 1987, so they have to stay closeted (which would also explain why Mac talks so passionately about his sexual appetite with women on the chopper; he’s overcompensating). The hesitation in Mac’s voice before he says, “friend,” makes me think they were more than just friends. And we get a sense of just how incredibly deep their relationship was as the film progresses, with Mac talking to the sky alone thinking Blaine is looking down on him and going so passionately after the Predator which killed his love. It’s probably NOT this, I’m probably just looking for a little more gay in my movies, but I think I’m just going to head canon it this way because it’s fun.

19) Survival isn’t an easy thing, not in the circumstances set up by the film. But there is always that possibility. If there’s no hope this wouldn’t be a movie about survival, it would be a movie about death.

20) Tension comes from slowing things down not speeding them up. A scene which represents this idea well is when the surviving party is waiting for the Predator to fall into their trap. The tension is so raw, so intense. It could be watching them already for all they know. And just when the film lets the tension relax just a little bit THAT’S when the figurative bomb drops.

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21) A similar scene which gets high tension out of slow pacing comes from when Mac and Dillon move in on the Predator. It’s slowly paced and the audience never knows quite what to trust. If the voice of Mac calling to Dillon is really him of the Predator’s recording. It all just works very well.

22)

Dutch: “It didn’t kill you because you’re unarmed. No sport.”

Then why are you all carrying around your weapons? (Below is “How Predator Should Have Ended”.)

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23) I don’t know why, but this line has become super iconic with time. I think it’s Arnie’s accent.

24) Every good movie has a low point. A place where there’s no clear way out. Dutch laying in the mud, waiting for the Predator to kill him, and the audience totally expecting that to happen, is this film’s low point.

25) The design of the Predator.

It’s at this point in the film when we start getting good looks at the Predator (albeit not its face, but more on that later). There is a nice almost tribal look to it, with the mesh and the way the armor looks on its body. When you see it you just understand that this is a hunter above all else. These elements help to differentiate the Predator from other movie aliens (like the Xenomorph from Alien or the invaders of Independence Day). It’s striking, simple, elegant, and above all else memorable. THAT’S what works.

26) The climax of this film works well because it does away with sci-fi and action film tropes. Gone are the blasters and big machine guns, no more explosions (until the very end), it’s all very old school and analog. It takes what the story is most basically about - survival - and boils that idea to its core. That’s what Dutch is fighting for right now, that’s what is at stake. Not the planet, not a war, not for ideals. He is fighting for his right to live.

Beyond just what the scene is about, it’s wonderfully paced. With strong tension through and through, it’s born from a clear visual palette and (again) slowed down pacing. But it picks it up when necessary, throwing in the surprise and monkey wrench into Dutch’s plan as well (such as when the Predator approaches from behind Dutch). It just really fucking works.

27) It is worth talking about that the Predator is not some mindless, purely animalistic creature. the Predator IS a character. There is a personality and flavor to its actions. A sense of pride in the way it hunts, a sense of honor. There are multiply times where it can EASILY key its prey but it has to be done right. I always got a vibe that this was a younger Predator too, although I can’t explain why. This feels like more of a right of passage than a trip to a game reserve. It makes mistakes, which I think makes it a little more inexperienced. It’s incredibly important that it succeed at its task and to me it’s so it can be considered an adult now.

28) The face of the Predator.

The reason the face of the Predator works, why that reveal works, is because it matches perfectly what we know about the character while still being surprising. Its large teeth represent its viscousness, its eyes are fierce and piercing, the whole thing just FEELS threatening.

28.1) It’s worth noting that the Predator mandibles were James Cameron’s ideas.

29) Tying into note #27 about how the Predator is a character, that final laugh it has before killing itself is so wonderfully freaky. It is the honorable thing to do, taking its own life so this “lesser” being can’t. And the laugh is because it believes that by killing itself Dutch will die too, completing the task it set upon itself. Even when it loses you feel like it’s still a threat.

30) Is it me or do these end credits feel like the opening credits for a cheesy 80s show?

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Predator is an excellent gem in the sci-fi/action genre. By doing away with many of the tropes which define both of them, we are treated to a richly suspenseful story of survival. There is a wonderful sense of pacing to the film which supports its suspense, while its elegantly simple plot (survive) is a clear motivator for the characters. The Predator itself is an amazing monster to grace the screens of cinema, but the human characters are nothing to sneeze at. Not when you have performers like Schwarzenegger and Weathers throwing their hats into the ring. All in all, Predator is just a really great film.

#Predator #Arnold Schwarzenegger #Carl Weathers #Predator 1987 #Shane Black #Jesse Ventura #Gay Headcanon #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Movie #Film #GIF

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c-institute · 6 years ago

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Ecological entanglement (part 2 of 3)

Part of the slow uptake in systems sciences, have various underlying causes, chief of which is our “default-mechanistic thinking protocol”. In other words, being trained and schooled in mechanical linearity, we have produced neural pathways or search patterns that seeks out quick fixes and simplistic answers. A model and mindset that only works for simple problem types, not complex or wicked type problems that confront us today. This deeply ingrained, flawed response further support a major misconception that our problem solving skills have improved. This is clearly not the case if we look at global poverty, joblessness, inequality and the destruction of our oceans, soil, and air1. We have yet to admit that our developmental challenges are indeed wicked in nature. The fluidity of global socio-ecological problems reveals a gap between our environmental problems and our abilities to solve them5. Add, to this, our known limitations regarding wicked, messy, fluid type problems1, then the delusion is even clearer (e.g. mechanical leadership suggesting we grow ourselves out of poverty and inequality1, 10). The concept of constant or continuous growth defy our basic scientific laws (2nd law of thermodynamics), and as such, is a fairy-tale, to expect the global economy to “grow” itself out of poverty, inequality, and environmental ruin9, 1. Just consider that earth have finite renewable and non-renewable resources – a fact that remain absent from economic models? – reveals the scale of our dilemma. Economic activity is directly dependent upon earth’s ecosystems, underscoring the ignorance of searching for perpetual growth? Renewable resources have limited regenerative capacities (renewal abilities), a key underlying limitation making continuous growth impossible10, 11. Earth’s natural dynamics have intrinsic limits, like the maximum number of trees that can possibly grow, thus dictating maximum photosynthesis volumes. We are already using 25% of global photosynthesis8, which suggest a clear path toward self-induced extinction – literally growing ourselves to death. We must re-learn the vitality of Biophyllia and living within our natural boundaries10. Biophilia relates to our innate biological drive or desire to connect with nature14 since it is allied to human wellbeing and survival. Biophilia hypothesis explain the human need and desire to associate with biological or life processes14.

Since we are systemically linked to natural boundaries, much like predator-prey relations – i.e. the cyclic linkages between interdependent systems where over-feeding or exploitation by one, can lead to the extinction of both species. We must genuinely value systemic exploitation models and build the assurance that harvest rates will never equal regeneration rates; and also that our waste does not exceed the natural assimilation thresholds11. Such systemic integration holds multiple rewards like equality, and being sensitive to environmental limits12. Economics of Happiness12, is another systemic effort to undo the negative effects of globalisation, where conceptions of our apparent inferiorities serve selfish, gluttonous consumption motives. Constant messages to buy and consume now cover our entire life-spectrum, from cradle to grave - how we understand (education), to how we look (appearance), keenly turning us into mindless consumers1. This synthetic commercial culture is prolifically exported and deeply entrenched everywhere, the costs of which are known to damage the environment, whilst causing stress and illness in humans. To reverse these effects, researchers are investing in systemic-based solutions, like economic localisation, which bring economic activity closer to home, by supporting local communities versus distant and faceless corporations12. These efforts aim to change the structural flaws of industrialisation. It advances real, close contact between producers and consumers, which creates social cohesion and a sense of community, linking directly to happiness. Important, is the connection to nature, as a key factor influencing happiness. Research suggest “nature deficit disorder” (NDD), to describe humans deprived from contact with the living or biological world due to our constant technological exposure - computers, TV’s, smartphones, etc.

References:

Udemans, F., 2008, The golden thread: escaping socio-economic subjugation, an experiment in applied complexity science, Authorhouse UK;

2. Vanbergen, G., 2017, The crises of trust in Democracy & Globalisation, The European Financial Review, July 26, 2017, http://www.europeanfinancialreview.com/?p=1726; Smith, J.W., 1989, The World’s Wasted Wealth: the political economy of waste, New World’s Press, 1989, pp.44,45;

3. de Puydt, P.E., 1860, Panarchy (http://www.panarchy.org/depuydt/1860.eng.html), first published in French in the Revue Trimestrielle, Bruxelles, July 1860; Etymology of Panarchy, http://www.p2pfoundation.net/Panarchy_Etymology, from James P. Sewell and Mark B. Salter, "Panarchy and Other Norms for Global Governance: Boutros-Ghali, Rosenau, and Beyond", Global Governance, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 373-382, 1995;

4. Folke, C., 2016, Framing Concepts in Environmental Science Online Publication Date: Sep 2016, 10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.8, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science; (Folke, C., 2018, The Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University);

5. Berkes, F., Colding, J., Folke, C., 2003, Navigating social-ecological systems: Building resilience for complexity and change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK;

6. Holing, C.S., 2001, Understanding the complexity of economic, ecological and social systems, Ecosystems, Spinger-Verlag;

7. Biggs, R., Schlüter, M., Schoon, M.L., 2015. Principles for building resilience: sustaining ecosystem services in social-ecological systems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781316014240

8. Vitousek, M.P., Ehrlich, R.P., Ehrlich, H.A., Matson, A.P., 1986, Human Appropriation of the Products of Photosynthesis, BioScience, Vol. 36, No. 6, June, 1986, page 368-373, University of California Press, American Institute of Biological Sciences Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1310258;

9. Wahl, C.D., 2018, Building Capacity for the Re-design of our Economic Systems, Gaia Education, 16 March, 2018;

10. Daly. E.H., 2017, Sustainable Growth: An Impossibility Theorem, Gaian Economics: Living Well within Planetary Limits, Second volume, Gaia Education, Four Keys to Sustainable Communities series; https://medium.com/@gaiaeducation/sustainable-growth-an-impossibility-theorem-d78178dcac9c;

11. Brundtland et al, 1987, Brundtland Commission, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BrundtlandCommission&oldid=847324915;

12. Norberg-Hodge. H, 2007, The Economics of Happiness, Gaian Economics: Living Well within Planetary Limits, Volume 2, Gaia Education’s Four Keys to Sustainable Communities series; The Economics of Happiness By Helena Norberg-Hodge Printed in Resurgence magazine 2007; http://www.skalaecovillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Gaian_Economics.pdf#page=162;

13. Korten, D., 2006, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, Berrett-Koehler Publishers,2006; Gaian Economics, Volume 2, Gaia Education, Four Keys to Sustainable Communities series; Korten, D., 2006, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, Ready for a Change?, The Case for Earth Community, YES! A Journal of Positive Futures Summer 2006 17, 206/842-0216, www.yesmagazine.org;

14. Lumber R, Richardson M, Sheffield D, 2017, Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty are pathways to nature connection, PLoS ONE 12(5): e0177186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177186;

#globalwarming #globalisation #systemsscience #appliedcomplexityscience; ecosystem; systemscience #gigamaps #C-institute; The golden thread; Rich-poor; Socio-economic empowerment;

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rob-blog1234 · 7 years ago

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BUMPER CHRISTMAS EDITION TV HOT FILM PICKS!

Welcome to my Christmas film round up!

14 Days of TV trawled - Friday 22nd through to Jan 4th.

196 films. 42 HOT PICKS! for all your festive film needs and more.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Let's put the telly on. I think there's a film on somewhere.

FRIDAY 22nd DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

BBC1 @ 1345 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) *****

The LAST Crusade. The third and last of the Trilogy. No fourth… Nope, definitely the Last Crusade… (weep). Spielberg! Why!?! You should have took advice from your own film title. A funnier and action packed END to the TRILOGY.

Film4 @ 0025 Source Code (2011) *****

Duncan Jones is a fantastic Director. After the great success of his 2009 directorial debut Moon, I was hot on his trail and looking forward to his next film. Source Code has bigger ambition and is an extremely entertaining film, it’s just not as Sci-Fi pure as Moon. Source Code is a complex, compelling and a great mystery. Not sure of the idea of the recent Warcraft film as there’s only so much Orc special effect extravagance a man can take, but I’ll still give it a pop based on his previous work.

Jake Gyllenhaal is Captain Colter Stevens, a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man on a train, here begins the mystery of who he is and why he is here. Gyllenhaal is fantastic and Jones drip feeds the story and keeps the mystery running with great skill. This is one of my Top 10 films of 2011…. and I thought it was very believable… until Captain Colter Stevens used Bing as his search engine. :)

Best of the rest:

TCM @ 1740 The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) ****

5* @ 1855 Dirty Dancing (1987) ***

Film4 @ 1905 Men in Black (1997) *****

Syfy @ 2250 The Signal (2014) ***

Quest @ 2300 The Omen (1976) *****

SATURDAY 23rd DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

TCM @ 1305 What's Up, Doc? (1972) ****

Why it took me so many years to see this gem of a comedy I simply do not know. It’s also responsible for a serious crush on Barbara Streisand. This is a crazy comedy caper that really doesn’t take itself seriously. It almost verges on slapstick at some points. Its main strength lies in the interactions between the 2 leads - the situations they get themselves into and the carnage that ensues - it is a pleasure to watch. You’ll have a laugh on your lips and a smile on your face throughout. Classic screwball comedy.

Gold @ 1325 It's a Wonderful Life (1946) *****

This is one of the greatest Christmas films ever made - it defines Christmas. It is a feel good film - plain and simple. A perfect Christmas film. No matter how you are feeling - It’s a Wonderful Life is sure to lift the spirits. Merry Christmas!

Best of the rest:

TCM @ 0855 The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) ****

C4 @ 0900 The Boxtrolls (2014) ***

ITV3 @ 1305 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) *****

Film4 @ 1305 The Book of Life (2014) ****

ITV1 @ 1335 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) ****

ITV1 @ 1630 Despicable Me (2010) ***

ITV2 @ 1910 Gravity (2013) *****

ITV1 @ 2000 The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Armies (2014) ***

ITV4 @ 2100 The Fugitive (1993) ***

Film4 @ 2315 High-Rise (2015) ****

C4 @ 2320 Gladiator (2000) *****

TCM @ 2340 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) ***

Film4 @ 0135 The Big Lebowski (1997) *****

CHRISTMAS EVE SUNDAY 24th DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

C4 @ 1830 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) *****

Check out the Muppet’s take on the Christmas Carol. I adore this film, it’s full of all the great Muppet characters you know and love as they re-tell this classic Christmas story Muppet style! I dare you not to shed a tear during the rather emotional scene concerning Tiny Tim. It’s full of stunning sets and a host of great musical numbers, this is perfect Christmas film for the whole family to enjoy.

TCM @ 2210 Gremlins (1984) *****

Gremlins is a classic comedy horror. When a father gives a rather unusual pet to his son as a gift for Christmas he got a lot more than he bargained for. Billy has to stick to three important rules with his new pet. Don’t feed it after midnight, keep it out of bright light and keep it well away from water. When he inadvertently breaks these rules, his new pet multiplies and these new additions to the family prove to be quite a handful indeed. Madness, Mayhem and destruction quickly descend on the town as these “Gremlins” go on a rampage the town will not forget in a hurry.

It’s funny, sharp and with some splendid animatronics, Gremlins is a great fantasy adventure with almost slapstick style comedy that always gets a laugh. The stair lift scene will hold its crown as one of the best comedy death scenes put to film. Joe Dante has directed some brilliant films. This is certainly one of my favourites.

Film4 @ 2255 Predator (1987) *****

30 YEARS OLD! Amazing.

According to Letterboxd I’ve seen this outstanding film 18 times in the last 4 years. That’s not even taking into account the early days on VHS and the many wonderful times on TV where it was dubbed and cut to oblivion. It is one of my all-time favourite films and... I think I have a problem. I can’t stop buying it! I have 5 copies now: VHS, DVD, DVD double set with Predator 2, Blu Ray, and now 3D Blu Ray Steelbook. I am an addict. Why? Well - It's goddam awesome. That's why. Everything in this film works so wonderfully together. All I need now is the 3D Blu Ray in a life size Predator head box set to fulfil my crazy addiction. So, the film…

I watched it in 3D for the sixth time. The 3D doesn't really bring anything new to the film, as a conversion it still looked a little flat, I was hoping the jungle would really come alive and take me. But it did not detract from my enjoyment one little bit and I will admittedly always grab the glasses for a slice of 3D action if there is ever a choice.

This classic Arnie Sci-Fi Action-er is ultimately re-watchable. You’ve seen it hundreds of times, you quote each line seconds before they happen, you even know the sound of each and every gun shot and explosion as they are about to occur. This is my most quoted film, at least once a week I shoe horn a Predator quote into my everyday life: from “I’m gonna have me some fun” to “I wouldn’t wish that on a broke dick dawg” … Amazing.

The music is completely iconic. Alan Silvestri’s score is right up there with the greatest scores in film. Coupled with some fabulous sound effects. It’s quite simply perfect. It’s so apt and effective, driving the film forward with an urgency like no other. It gets your blood pumping and puts you right in the jungle maze with them. It’s as if the Jungle just came alive and took him… Sorry.

This is Arnie’s finest hour. Yes he’s fantastic in Total Recall but here he is doing what he does best. Big, bold, mumbling muscle. Wielding a gun as large as a child in one hand and with a list of one liners at the ready, he storms this performance. He is together with a crack team of commandos - an eclectic mix of characters played by an equally eclectic mix of actors. Carl Weathers has either been airbrushed within an inch of reality or is wearing so much make up at the start of this film. His face is just too smooth, almost like he’s made of putty or like the jungle came alive and paint shopped him. Jesse Ventura’s larger than life character just fits right in here. And of course the late and great Sonny Landham as the ju-ju bag fondling tracker whose lines are just amazing, such a mix of muscle must have been hell for McTiernan to direct, but boy did he do well! In such a difficult terrain he pulled it out of the bag in momentous style.

This crack team go on a rescue mission in the Central American jungle. The mission goes from bad to worse as they soon realise a dangerous alien predator is hunting them down one by one. It’s tense, fast paced and full to the brim with enough action and bullets to take down a small country. It has got some great shocks and splattered with some well-placed gore as the team gets picked off in an array of bloody violent ways. It’s ultimately thrilling and will always stand tall as one of the great Action Sci-Fi Thrillers of all time!

“GET TO DER CHARRPARR!” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

Film4 @ 0105 It Follows (2014) *****

Don’t miss David Robert Mitchell’s superb modern Horror on Film4. After a sexual encounter - Jay can’t escape the feeling something is after her. Something relentless. So - yes, it’s probably some statement about safe sex.. but it’s so much more! It’s not often I throw 5 stars at a Horror movie. This one pushed all my buttons. So… why so good? Well, in the eternal struggle of the genre to produce new ideas that move away from either pure paranormal jump scares or intensely shocking gore-fests - It Follows steps confidently to one side with a suspense filled, tension busting, atmospheric, and 80’s saturated thriller. The awesome soundtrack keeps the film bubbling over literally all the way through… I need to buy this soundtrack. It’s bloody fantastic! It’s all wrapped up in such a stylish way, I can’t wait to watch it again. Hit Record!

Best of the rest:

C5 @ 0920 Gone with the Wind (1939) *****

More4 @ 1245 The Jewel of the Nile (1985) ***

ITV1 @ 1255 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) ***

Film4 @ 1500 Jingle all the Way (1996) ***

C5 @ 1615 Scrooge (1951) ****

Spike @ 1630 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) ****

ITV2 @ 2100 Casino Royale (2006) ****

Film4 @ 2100 Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) ****

Syfy @ 0100 Akira (1988) *****

CHRISTMAS DAY MONDAY 25th DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

BBC1 @ 1320 Toy Story 3 (2010) *****

Another great success for Pixar, they really know how to pull the heart strings of an audience both young and old. Toy Story 3 lives up to the hype with its wonderful characters who we know and love gallivanting through the superbly written story with plenty of drama, comedy, laughs, thrills and, of course, heart wrenching emotion that concludes this great trilogy.

Woody and Buzz are put through their paces when they are accidentally packed off to a nursery, here we are introduced to a host of new characters that all have great merit, especially Ken, Mr. Pricklepants and Chuckles the Clown, who all add some great comedy moments to an already funny film. However I was a little creeped out by Big Baby and the cymbal banging monkey - a little intense for the younger of viewers… and of course me. All the characters are once again excellently voiced by a huge list of equally huge names - but most importantly they become the characters completely - so you are never detracted from the film with the realisation of the voice behind the character which can so often mar the full immersion into an animated story.

As soon as our favourites decide to escape we are thrown into their action packed ride to freedom. The direction, animation and pace are all top notch, never does the story lose pace or interest.

I originally watched this in 3D - which I must add is not a necessity. I thought it would have been another film that suffers with the whole “being created specifically for 3D” and it almost becoming the driving force behind various scenes but I am thankful that Pixar focused purely on the film and didn’t sell out for an obvious 3D showcase.

I was looking for a reason to not give Toy Story 3 the full 5 stars but I could find no such reason. It’s a great success, my favourite of the trilogy and has once again proved the Pixar team are masters of animation and storytelling.

C4 @ 1435 Scrooged (1988) *****

One of my favourite Christmas films of all time: Scrooged. In the pilot seat of this version of the Christmas Carol is the hilarious Bill Murray. He plays the bitter and twisted film executive Frank Cross who is in charge of the TV networks big Christmas Day TV program. He gets visited by three rather different takes on the Christmas Ghosts, from the cigar smoking foul mouthed taxi driver Ghost of Christmas Past to the angelic looking but rather violent Ghost of Christmas Present, you are in for a brilliant ride through Frank’s life. The characters really make this film a success - all of them are perfect, backed by a fantastic script and great directorial vision from Richard Donner - he’s squeezed in enough jokes, tenderness and a hell of a lot of heart that will certainly get you in the Christmas spirit.

C4 @ 1750 Home Alone (1990) *****

Macaulay Culkin accidentally gets left behind by his family over the Christmas holidays and defends his house against two of the worst burglars in history. No matter how annoying the little rascal is and whatever time of year, nothing can ruin this classic family adventure. It is Christmas after all!

Horror @ 2100 Big Trouble in Little China (1986) *****

If I’m ever in doubt of what film to watch to put a huge smile on my face and forget about the woes of the real world then I always reach for Carpenter’s classic Big Trouble in Little China. Most importantly this film is a whole lot of fun. It’s full of laugh-out-loud moments with an absurdly funny script and always raises smiles.

Kurt Russell is Jack Burton, an all American action-hero-wannabe. He’s a fast talking, macho, gambling, truck driver with tons of gloriously cheesy one liners. He agrees to help out an old friend by driving him to the airport to meet his fiancé who…guess what… gets kidnapped… from here Jack gets tangled up in a web of martial-art-fantasy-madness in San Francisco’s China Town.

This is one of the most entertaining Carpenter films that somehow manages to walk the very fine line of cheesy-but-good. It somehow walks this line so well it’s become a true cult classic. It quite simply cannot be missed.

…Okay. You people sit tight, hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if we’re not back by dawn… call the president.

Film4 @ 2100 Kingsman: the Secret Service (2015) ****

On release I wasn’t too fussed about this and let it pass me by unwatched. A film that on the surface looked like - just another Spy movie rehash, with a chavvy kid ultimately redeeming himself - it just felt a bit off. Then on recommendation I caught up with it on Blu Ray release - and was very happy I did too!

Matthew Vaughn - who we have to thank for Kick-Ass, Stardust and X-Men First Class - bring us into the crazy world of Kingsman - a Secret Spy organisation here to save the world. It unashamedly mimics the likes of Bond - constantly referring to itself as being “not that kind of movie” and has such huge set pieces and layered with tons of action - you will be hooked from the out. It’s funny too - it has plenty of comedy that made me chuckle. It’s sometimes silly but keeps its feet on the ground just enough to stay credible. It was a riot on my first watch and it holds up to repeat viewings. Need some fun on TV tonight? Get this on the telly.

Best of the rest:

ITV1 @ 0925 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) ***

Film4 @ 1100 Arthur Christmas (2011) ***

C5 @ 1305 Singin' in the Rain (1952) *****

ITV1 @ 1510 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) ****

C4 @ 1630 Dumbo (1941) ****

TCM @ 1655 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) *****

Film4 @ 1700 Romancing the Stone (1984) ****

More4 @ 1800 Miracle on 34th Street (1947) *****

TCM @ 1855 Gremlins (1984) *****

ITV2 @ 1945 Skyfall (2012) ****

ITV4 @ 2100 The Dirty Dozen (1967) ****

5* @ 2100 There's Something About Mary (1998) ****

Sky1 @ 2200 The Rock (1996) ****

Film4 @ 0120 The Warriors (1979) ****

ITV1 @ 0145 The Dam Busters (19540 ****

Sony @ 0225 Little Miss Sunshine (2006) *****

BOXING DAY TUESDAY 26th DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

Film4 @ 1455 Paddington (2014) ****

Who would have expected a live action / CGI cross over of the much loved story of Paddington would work - but it absolutely does. It’s charming, heart-warming and walks the line of sentimentality that never goes too far, it honours the original material and brings an altogether joyful experience to all that watch it. A sure hit with children and adults alike, with enough sequences of absurd action and moments of effective comedy that keep the flow continuously. A truly lovely film. Don’t miss it.

ITV1 @ 1530 ET the Extra Terrestrial (1982) *****

This magical story of a boys love for a lost alien is truly heart-warming and one of Spielberg’s finest films. The family dynamic works wonderfully addressing really grown up themes with a rich and realistic platform that springs an unmissable story of friendship, love and loss. A childhood adventure full of heart and accessible to the whole family. It’s amazing that after all this time that little plastic turd like creature still makes me shed a tear.

BBC1 @ 1545 Mary Poppins (1964) *****

A truly magical story. One of my all-time favourite Disney films. The songs are all iconic and always inspire a sing-a-long. After watching the very impressive Saving Mr. Banks and learning more about this films difficult transition to the big scene, it seemed rude not to immediately watch Mary Poppins. It's big, bright and bold sets, larger than life characters, amazing songs and choreography and most importantly a very strong story, give this Disney a real edge over its peers. Magical for kids and adults alike.

C4 @ 1800 Back to the Future (1985) *****

Numerous filmmakers have attempted to construct a story and explain the most difficult and almost incomprehensible subject of Time Travel but the one that manages to nail it with surprising ease is Robert Zemeckis in this family action packed adventure Back to the Future!

This is my all-time favourite film and is complete cinematic enjoyment. We follow the unlikely friendship between school teenager Marty McFly and the eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett Brown. As Doc reveals his latest experiment, the iconic nuclear powered DeLorean time machine, things turn dangerous as the gun-toting terrorists Doc ripped off to get the plutonium, arrive on the scene. In an attempt to escape Marty jumps in the DeLorean and is sent back to the year 1955. We follow Marty’s adventures as he attempts to get back home to 1985.

Oh - and check out my Christmas Jumper! Secret Santa WIN. Thanks Rebecca Carver. :)

ITV1 @ 1840 Jurassic World (2015) ****

I could watch Bryce Dallas Howard running across rough terrain in her heels all day long. Welcome to Jurassic World - in a universe where previous massive disasters at creating dinosaur parks are completely ignored... again. It's a bigger, better and more exciting park but the money mad corporate suits want bigger, scarier and more dangerous. What could possibly go wrong? Well it does - obviously and Star Lord and our ginger high-heeled Howard go about saving the day. With enough nods to the amazing original it keeps the show on the road, by no means reaching the standard of Jurassic Park it is still a lot of fun and very worth a gander.

TCM @ 1910 Airplane! (1980) *****

Essential comedy viewing. Airplane! stands tall as one of the funniest classic comedies to date. Yes - it’s politically incorrect in parts but this 80’s comedy has hundreds of reasons to be forgiven. Leslie Nielsen’s ability to dead pan jokes was phenomenal. This disaster spoof is one of the best comedy greats and will surely remain up there with the best for many years to come… and don’t call me Shirley.

Film4 @ 2100 Ex Machina (2014) *****

I can’t believe this was Alex Garland’s directorial debut. He was the writer on 28 days Later and Sunshine - so here’s his directorial debut and it’s unmissable. It’s hard to even think this is his first film at the helm. The film oozes beauty in every shot - the clinical setting and awesome camera work produce some fantastic visuals in what is in essence a very tight and small set with 3 main characters in the most part. Ex Machina is one of the best Sci-Fi films to come out in recent years. It follows Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, a 26 year old coder for the world’s largest internet company. He wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain retreat of the company CEO - Nathan (Oscar Issac). Nathan is a recluse and the social interactions between the two are fascinating. Caleb finds out that he is to participate in an experiment interacting with the world’s first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl played by Alicia Vikander. This is true Sci-Fi. It could very easily be set right now. It’s only a matter of time before one of the big players launch something truly stunning. Thought provoking, brilliantly story telling that keeps your eyes glued to each interaction and the wonderful script wraps its way right through you. It lingers long after the credits roll. Don’t miss this. Look out for the trailer for his next step into Sci-Fi that I for one am very excited about… Annihilation.

Best of the rest:

TCM @ 0855 Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) *****

ITV1 @ 0925 Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) *****

C5 @ 1150 Chariots of Fire (1981) ****

TCM @ 1215 Singin' in the Rain (1952) *****

TCM @ 1415 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) *****

ITV2 @ 1435 A Bug's Life (1998) ****

TCM @ 1615 The Dirty Dozen (1967) ****

C4 @ 1620 The Little Mermaid (1989) *****

ITV2 @ 1640 Despicable Me (2010) ***

ITV2 @ 1900 Uncle Buck (1989) ****

Sky1 @ 2100 Minority Report (2002) *****

W @ 2100 The Beach (2000) ****

Syfy @ 2100 Serenity (2005) ****

More4 @ 2100 The Green Mile (1999) ****

Sony @ 2100 A Few Good Men (1992) ****

5* @ 2100 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) *****

C5 @ 2200 Dirty Dancing (1987) ***

C4 @ 2310 Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) ****

Film4 @ 2310 X-Men: First Class (2011) ****

Horror @ 0040 They Live (1988) ****

Film4 @ 0145 The Breakfast Club (1985) ****

WEDNESDAY 27th DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

Film4 @ 1100 ParaNorman (2012) ****

Check out this impressive stop motion animated adventure from the makers of the dark and quirky Coraline. I was immediately taken aback by the sheer detail - it is beyond comprehension. With Norman having over 40,000 different printed facial expressions you can see the level of detail they were aiming for here. You’d be forgiven for not realising this is stop motion animation. With a cracking script and great balance of comedy, horror and drama this is definitely one to stick on your watch list.

Norman is an 11 year old boy who can see, hear and talk to the dead. We follow him on his personal journey against adversity and ultimately on to saving the town.

This is an extremely well presented animated feature. Slightly scary for very young viewers but a welcomed darker side to the genre.

C4 @ 1630 Back to the Future Part II (1989) *****

Check out this wonderful vision of the present day in BTTF2. An amazingly ambitious paradox filled second film in the trilogy. Equally intelligent and makes time travel easily accessible to all ages, one thing of note is what the first film had in amazing character credibility the second focuses heavily on style. It’s all about a visuals. However you feel this compares to the amazing original - it still stands strong as a brilliant, solid, fascinating and downright exciting sequel in one of the greatest adventure trilogies put to film.

ITV4 @ 2205 Jaws (1975) *****

The birth of the blockbuster. Spielberg’s suspense filled thriller is packed with shocks and surprises. Such a simple premise executed perfectly. With such iconic music, both kids and adults alike can’t stop themselves humming the tune as they creep up on someone in a swimming pool with their hand on their head like a rudimentary fin. Classic. One of the best. Perfect holiday film fodder.

Best of the rest:

TCM @ 0955 The Dirty Dozen (1967) ****

BBC1 @ 1420 Shrek 2 (2004) ****

BBC1 @ 1610 Big Hero 6 (2014) ****

Film4 @ 1635 Scrooged (1988) *****

C5 @ 1655 The Guns of Navarone (1961) ****

Film4 @ 1845 Super 8 (2011) ****

E4 @ 1930 I, Robot (2004) ****

Syfy @ 2100 Waterworld (1995) ****

ITV1 @ 2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) ****

5* @ 2200 Django Unchained (2012) *****

C4 @ 2305 East is East (1999) ***

TCM @ 2325 Apocalypse Now (1979) *****

Horror @ 0055 We are Still Here (2015) ***

THURSDAY 28th DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

5* @ 1505 The Burbs (1989) *****

Tom Hanks is in his comedy prime starring as Ray Peterson in this hilarious 80’s comedy classic. It’s way up there in my favourite Hanks comedy performances.

Ray is on holiday from work and to the annoyance of his wife decides to spend his vacation investigating the odd goings on of his creepy new next door neighbours: The Clopeks. When an old man who lives at the end of the street appears to be missing, Ray, together with some other neighbours in his street, are certain the Clopeks have something to do with it. They go on a mission to find proof.

It’s absolutely hilarious throughout and the characters are all nothing short of superb - from Rick Ducommun’s “Art Weingartner”, the childish, gossip-mongering buffoon, to Bruce Dern’s “Rumsfield”, the paranoid ex-Army, flag flying Lieutenant. It really is a neighbourhood full of quirky and interesting characters that fill this film with top class comedy situations, both verbal and physical - I adore the scene at the beginning of the film where Art is eating all the food in Ray’s house and accidentally eats some dog food. Subtle and priceless physical comedy. It’s perfectly timed and laugh out loud funny. It’s just one example of this films comedy credentials.

This film always hits the spot and shows Tom Hanks at his very best. It’s a great bit of fun, ultimately re-watchable, and so very quotable. This is a film guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Watch this.

TCM @ 2140 Full Metal Jacket (1987) *****

I’ve had many discussions regarding people’s favourite War movie? …and this is mine. Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket is superb. It’s full of classic Kubrick shots and some stellar performances making this a true bonafide classic. The film has 2 clear parts; the first part of the film goes through the marine training from day one of their induction, with a powerful opening scene of each character getting their heads shaved, removing their identity. This training part of the film is bar far the highlight of the movie. The second part, although different is extremely complimentary and deals with their introduction to real army life out in their new various roles, specifically focusing on “Joker” in his role as war correspondent for the Stars and Stripes publication. The film shows the Vietnam War from their perspective and how their lives are consumed by it. It is full of interesting characters, particularly Private Pyle played by the brilliant Vincent D'Onofrio. Lee Ermey’s wild eyed and aggressive drill instructor is almost cartoon in his extremes and pushes the new recruits to the very limit of their capabilities… and in some cases beyond. Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket is a triumph of cinema and a much watch film. Like War films? Love this.

BBC2 @ 2330 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) ****

I’ve always been a fan of Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge, and here we get him in a feature length comedy, packed full of genuinely funny, well written, splendidly timed jokes. The film follows Alan as he gets mixed up in a hostage situation at his local radio station after a corporate take-over pushes a DJ over the edge. Laugh out loud comedy whether you are a fan of Partridge or not - this will get you smiling from ear to ear.

Best of the rest:

BBC1 @ 0900 Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists! (2012) ***

Film4 @ 1100 Jingle all the Way (1996) ***

BBC1 @ 1420 Shrek the Third (2007) ***

BBC1 @ 1610 How to Train your Dragon 2 (2014) ***

TCM @ 1815 The Lord of the Rings: the fellowship of the Ring (2001) *****

ITV1 @ 2000 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) ****

ITV2 @ 2100 Casino Royale (2006) ****

Spike @ 2100 Enter the Dragon (1973) ****

Sony @ 2100 Little Miss Sunshine (2006) *****

ITV4 @ 2105 The Fugitive (1993) ***

C4 @ 2305 About a Boy (2002) ****

Sony @ 0130 A Few Good Men (1992) ****

FRIDAY 29th DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

BBC1 @ 0900 Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009) ****

I originally watched this purely to get a 3D fix and yes the 3D is excellent as it was made around that concept. I didn’t expect much but I really quite enjoyed this film - mainly down to the tons of movie references packed into this and there were some surprising laugh out loud moments. The one liners from Seth Rogen, Will Arnett and Stephen Colbert are great. It’s definitely no Pixar and really works when watched in 3D and as a 2D film it still holds up well.

BBC1 @ 1425 Up (2009) *****

Yet another amazing Pixar. I really don’t know how they keep doing it. They have set their standards so high that although you don’t want them to - you kind of expect them to fail…. This is definitely not the case with the bizarre story of Up. Amazing animation - a great score and most importantly a great story makes this a top class animation. I was concerned about its bizarre premise but the story is close to perfect and has a great balance of fun, hilarity and the classic Disney sadness / tragedy from loss. Full of smart dialogue and the addition of “Dug” the dog is comedy at its best. This sad at times Pixar is both tender and funny. A classic Pixar success.

ITV2 @ 2000 Skyfall (2012) ****

Skyfall succeeded as it did not feel the need to carry on the story of its previous films - as it kicks off with an amazing car chase we know we are in for a treat. This film does not disappoint and it’s a darker more realistic Bond film that has kept up nicely with current times. After we all witnessed the fantastic Bourne Trilogy our tastes for this style of film got a bit more grown up. Mendes does a sterling job with Skyfall and has reassured me the franchise still has a lot of life left in it. Admittedly it does go a bit “Home Alone” towards the final act but I love the fact Bond films have almost no CGI. A great entry to the Bond franchise.

ITV1 @ 2000 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) ****

If you want big battles, wizardry and spell bounding excitement - you do get a couple of crowd pleasers but this instalment of the Potter films focuses more on relationships. It's full of teenage crushes, giggling looks, teenage kisses and romance which was funny in places but also a little more for the teenage audience. In fact the scene where Ron’s sister kneels down to tie Harry’s shoe lace is pure awkward hilarity.

I have not read the books and I did feel the need for certain clarifiers to some partly explained and explored sub plots. There is a hell of a lot going on in this film. It just about gives enough of everything to keep confusion at bay. It is one of the more busy Potter films.

As always it looks amazing, today’s standard of CGI has allowed for this wonderful fantasy world to feel completely real. The young cast have all grown into their roles and give this film quality clout. I was also particularly impressed with Daniel Radcliffe in this film, especially during the scene where he took the luck potion - It was nice to see something different from him.

Although originally this was not one of my favourite Potter films it was more than good enough to keep the buzz alive, but now after numerous watches this Potter holds strong, and what small things frustrated the first time round, now seem altogether more whole and this has become a quality instalment to the Potter series I always enjoy returning to.

Best of the rest:

ITV3 @ 1030 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) *****

Film4 @ 1100 Rango (2011) ****

C5 @ 1320 Labyrinth (1986) ****

TCM @ 1515 The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring (2001) *****

Film4 @ 1630 Arthur Christmas (2011) ***

C5 @ 1710 Footloose (1984) ***

ITV2 @ 1755 A Bug's Life (1998) ****

TCM @ 1840 Bullitt (1968) ****

More4 @ 2100 The Green Mile (1999) ****

Spike @ 2100 Fury (2014) ****

Horror @ 2100 The Mist (2007) ****

BBC1 @ 2115 Gone Girl (2014) ****

TCM @ 2255 Black Hawk Down (2001) ****

Film4 @ 2300 Predator (1987) *****

ITV4 @ 2320 Total Recall (1990) *****

SATURDAY 30th DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

5* @ 1335 Teen Wolf (1985) *****

Teen Wolf always holds a place in my heart�� I love it a little more than it deserves, but who cares. Michael J. Fox is Scott Howard, an average kid who plays for his unsuccessful school basketball team and works part time for his Dad in the local Hardware store. He is fed up of being so average and craves for excitement and success, but he could have never prepared for what happens next. Scott soon realises he comes from a family of Werewolves as one night at a party he begins to go through changes that alter the course of his school life, basketball success and relationships with his family and friends, forever. Teen Wolf is a great bit of 80’s family fun; Michael J. Fox is in his prime and really makes this film a success. With a great 80’s soundtrack and a superb story, Teen Wolf has everything you need for Weekend film escapism. It’s great fun, full of comedy and certainly has the feel good factor.

BBC1 @ 2000 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) ****

Whedon managed to cram in a shed load of oldies but goldies, a fair few newbies and a shed load of robot Ultrons and somehow still made this a coherent and enjoyable MCU spectacular. Well done Whedon. It stuck to the age old Marvel formula resulting in a huge over the top sky battle of world ending CGI nonsense - but it was very good wasn't it. You know you loved it. Expectations were set to ridiculous levels and it still came out relatively unscathed by critics and fans alike. In more recent times I am happy to see the MCU films taking on new directions - with Thor Ragnarok and Deadpool taking a step out of the box is a refreshing change. Avengers: Age of Ultron was a fantastic sequel to a fabulous first film.

Film4 @ 2310 The Guest (2014) ****

Adam Wingard dished out a very entertaining romp with 2014’s The Guest. It leans on my love of the 80’s and combined with a cool synth-filled-soundtrack and some nice visuals this hits all my spots.

A soldier arrives at the home of the Peterson family and claims to be a friend of their son who died in action. He is welcomed into their home but soon suspicion arises in the household and some seemingly accidental deaths are coincide with his arrival. Its twists may not be the subtlest but it all gels rather nicely with some good quality action and tension. Watch this.

Best of the rest:

5* @ 1525 *batteries not included (1987) ****

ITV3 @ 1545 The Wizard of Oz (1939) *****

TCM @ 1645 Bullitt (1968) ****

ITV1 @ 2000 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) ****

ITV2 @ 2100 Bridesmaids (2011) ***

W @ 2100 The Beach (2000) ****

Film4 @ 2100 Men in Black 3 (2012) ***

TCM @ 2100 Black Hawk Down (2001) ****

Sky1 @ 2200 Minority Report (2002) *****

Syfy @ 2250 Serenity (2005) ****

ITV1 @ 2300 The Mask (1994) ****

Spike @ 2305 Enter the Dragon (1973) ****

C4 @ 2320 Speed (1994) ****

ITV4 @ 0005 The Dirty Dozen (1967) ****

TCM @ 0000 Goodfellas (1990) *****

Film4 @ 0115 Taxi Driver (1976) *****

NEW YEARS EVE SUNDAY 31st DECEMBER

HOT PICKS!

C5 @ 1700 The Lego Movie (2014) ****

Hilarious, heartfelt a wonderful story of the underdog reaching his true potential. It's a machine gun gag reel of monstrous proportions, you will struggle to keep up from laugh to laugh. Excellently visualised - albeit quite frenetic - Lord and Miller have created something that instead of being an overly long toy advertisement - is a re-watchable comedy classic. This is NOT just for kids - it bridges the age gap amazingly and this should not be dismissed as a simple kids film. Get it on your watch list. The Lego Movie is responsible for me shouting "SPACESHIP" whenever there is mention of a spaceship or in fact any situation involving hysteria. Its fallen short for me many times with strange sideways glances - but for fans of The Lego Movie - one of my favourite scenes is Spaceman redemption. I will continue to shout it until I'm old and grey. Awesome.

ITV1 @ 1950 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) *****

A very satisfying final act to one of the greatest film franchises ever. A suitably grand vision for this final chapter with spectacular action sequences. Everyone gets their moments here and all that troubles me now is how many different types of elaborate limited Blu ray box sets I’ll be wasting my money on… I already have 2!

Film4 @ 2335 An American Werewolf in London (1981) *****

It’s only in the last 7 years that I saw this film for the first time and I was concerned that I had missed the boat and it would be horrendously outdated, but I was pleasantly surprised. It barely shows its age at all!

The story begins with two American back packers on the remote moors of England that lose their way as they turn to a local village for help they find a rather unaccommodating group of villagers and they soon realize they are well and truly on their own. As they cross the moors they are attacked by a huge wolf like creature! The villagers appear to be covering up the true horrors of their encounter.

It has a real interesting mix of horror and comedy that is really quite subtle. The lighter moments offset the horror in a real complimentary way and the 80’s “moon” related soundtrack seemed rather odd to start with but adds yet another layer to the overall experience. Unlike today’s heavy reliance on CGI, director John Landis had to rely on physical effects and make up when putting together the transformation scene. It is an absolutely amazing job - every elongation of limbs and warping of body parts is done with amazing skill that looks very realistic and quite horrifying even to today’s standards.

Overall, the film is based on a very simple idea but is executed in a very accomplished way. If you haven’t seen this film, push it to the top of your to do list.

Best of the rest:

C4 @ 1355 We Bought a Zoo (2011) ***

Film4 @ 1420 Scrooged (1988) *****

C5 @ 1455 Groundhog Day (1993) *****

Syfy @ 1800 Waterworld (1995) ****

Film4 @ 1855 Home Alone (1990) *****

E4 @ 1900 I, Robot (2004) ****

5* @ 2100 There's Something About Mary (1998) ****

Film4 @ 2100 Kingsman: the Secret Service (2015) ****

TCM @ 2100 Goodfellas (1990) *****

ITV4 @ 2200 Total Recall (1990) *****

Sony @ 2305 A Few Good Men (1992) ****

TCM @ 2350 Airplane! (1980) *****

Film4 @ 0130 Quadrophenia (1979) ****

NEW YEARS DAY MONDAY 1st JANUARY

HOT PICKS!

ITV2 @ 1900 Uncle Buck (1989) ****

John Hughes has given us some fantastic 80’s films and here’s one of my favourites: Uncle Buck. John Candy plays Buck, who gets called in to look after his niece’s and nephew due to a family emergency. This unlikely Baby Sitter struggles with his new family role but it always ends in comedy results. It’s lovely, light-hearted, laugh out loud funny with some really memorable scenes - particularly the mole scene. John Candy is comedy gold and I just adore Amy Madigan as Buck’s girlfriend. Need a comedy to watch? Watch this.

Sony @ 0055 Sunshine (2007) *****

Don’t miss Danny Boyle’s splendid venture into the space Sci-Fi genre: Sunshine. I love this film. It pulls from so many influences from Science Fiction greats such as Alien, 2001, and even Event Horizon. The film is set 50 years in the future, a team of astronauts are sent on a mission to reignite the dying sun. They are Earth’s last hope of survival.

Sunshine relies heavily on the quality of the cast to drive this through and they all do a sterling job. Particularly Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans. They all capture the essence of how 16 months cooped up in a confined space must make you feel. The mission takes a turn when they find the original lost ship from a failed mission in a decaying orbit around the sun. This is the beginning of a string of unfortunate and strange events that put not only their lives but their mission to save the world as well.

Boyle dishes out some seriously tense scenes and towards the end of the film it changes from Sci-Fi to Horror as certain things are revealed. Although not everyone welcomed these changes, I think they worked really well and it was a good twist ultimately carrying film to conclusion. Sunshine is a thrilling and very gripping Sci-Fi feast from a great British Director. A must see film.

Best of the rest:

ITV1 @ 0615 Flash Gordon (1980) ***

ITV1 @ 1310 Hugo (2011) ***

ITV3 @ 1315 The Wizard of Oz (1939) *****

Film4 @ 1435 Paddington (2014) ****

5* @ 1700 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) *****

ITV2 @ 1705 Despicable Me (2010) ***

C4 @ 1730 Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) ****

E4 @ 1900 Titanic (1997) ****

ITV1 @ 2000 Spectre (2015) ***

5* @ 2000 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) ****

Dave @ 2200 Kill Bill: Vol 2 (2004) ****

Syfy @ 2200 The Thing (1982) *****

TCM @ 2310 Blade (1998) ***

TUESDAY 2nd JANUARY

HOT PICK!

Spike @ 2300 Fury (2014) ****

There are plenty of war films with the same old formula, and this film does follow a rather formulaic approach, but here we focus solely on a U.S. Sherman tank crew. Not since the amazing Kelly’s Heroes had I seen a film focus on these tanks. A history lesson in itself for the ignorant and uneducated - the Nazi Tiger tanks they are up against completely and utterly out gun them and with armour so strong - the Sherman’s found it extremely difficult to stop them. Comparatively this film is nothing like the almost light hearted, satirically barbed Kelly’s Heroes, here we have a film attempting to capture the realism of war, the death, the squalor and the sheer inhumanity. It does this very well.

It’s dark, rich colour palette and beautifully framed cinematography certainly keep your eyes glued to the screen. The poor Sherman crews did not have much hope. We are taken deep inside the belly of “Fury” the Sherman tank with crew of 5 led by Don “Wardaddy” Collier played by Brad Pitt. Never before have I seen such oddly perfect hair styling in a war zone since Clint Eastwood’s barnet in Where Eagles Dare.

The claustrophobia of the tank is captured really well but it also somehow creates space with every odd angle when we see times where this crew felt secure in their new found home. The performances are the icing on the cake here with everyone pulling out performances to be very proud of. Not a film that will survive a re-watch mainly down to its bleakness, but never the less a film I am very pleased to have seen.

Best of the rest:

Film4 @ 1445 Antz (1998) ****

Film4 @ 2100 Die Hard 2 (1990) ****

TCM @ 2100 Blade (1998) ***

WEDNESDAY 3rd JANUARY

HOT PICK!

Comedy @ 2100 21 Jump Street (2012) ****

I’m a difficult customer when it comes to comedy but 21 Jump Street hit all the right notes for my difficult tastes. What a great surprise this film was! The trailer looked a little silly, Channing Tatum has had a fair share of negative press, everyone is getting a bit fed up of Jonah Hill these days - it just seemed like a dud from the start. I was very wrong indeed - Even on repeat watches it still stands up really well. Tatum and Hill are a hilarious pairing and they bounce the equally great script around with great comedy timing. It has 100’s of quotable one liners but most importantly it’s all wrapped up with real heart.

THURSDAY 4th JANUARY

HOT PICKS!

Film4 @ 1245 Rango (2011) ****

An absolutely stunning animation. You can certainly see why this won an Oscar. It’s visually flawless. This clever Western is packed with references to the greats and still manages to deal an original and always entertaining animation. It’s thick with interesting characters driving the story, Rango packs an emotional punch. One for adults to enjoy that will also keep the kids entertained.

Film4 @ 2310 Stoker (2013) *****

Park Chan-Wook’s first English language film is a stunning success. Mysterious and beautiful - I was completely hooked to the story at each and every perfectly placed turn. The amazing visuals are nothing short of breath-taking. Chung-Hoon Chung’s eye for Photography cannot be matched and this film seriously showcases his talent. The films pace is refined, almost cautious, never rushing the audience, always delicate and thoughtful, and thanks to the fantastic central cast this very simply story always seems thick, lush and robust to the very end. Experiencing this at the cinema was fantastic and it immediately became one of my favourite films of the year. After then seeing all the average reviews and even some negative press I approached my Blu ray re-watch with baited breath. This was all the more rewarding the second time around. Now on multiple watches I just become more appreciative. The use of sound is fantastic and as important as the visuals. This really is a feast for the senses. It firmly stamped its mark as number 2 in my top films of 2013. I always just want to stay right there and watch it all over again.

Best of the rest:

5* @ 1600 *batteries not included (1987) ****

TCM @ 1630 The Cruel Sea (1952) ****

Film4 @ 1855 Men in Black 3 (2012) ***

ITV2 @ 2100 22 Jump Street (2014) ****

TCM @ 2300 Mad Max (1979) *****

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years ago

Text

DGB Grab Bag: Draisaitl's Deal, Icing the Rules, and the Devils Get Dramatic

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: Phil Kessel. Good lord. This isn't Kessel dunking on the haters. This is him dunking on them, shattering the backboard, tearing off the rim, and then using that rim to teach cute little hoop-jumping tricks to their puppy, which immediately follows Kessel home because it loves him more now.

The second star: Phil Kessel. Look, the whole "Phil Kessel eats too many hot dogs" thing has been done to death, as has the backlash and then the backlash to the backlash. But this is next-level stuff. Seriously, take a minute to appreciate what's happening here.

The first star: Phil Kessel. He went and took the one thing that's come to symbolize everything the critics, cynics, and bullies have ever thrown at him and literally ate it out of the greatest accomplishment you can achieve in his line of work. Then he took a photo of it. Then he went back and took a better photo of it. Phil Kessel wins. Again.

(By the way, this is the second time in Grab Bag history that one person has swept all three stars with one shot. Go ahead and guess who the other one was.)

Outrage of the Week

The issue: The Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl finally signed his contract extension this week, locking in for the maximum eight years on a deal that totals $68 million and carries a cap hit of $8.5 million.

The outrage: Wow, that seems high.

Is it justified: Yes. Draisaitl is a very good player, but he's not some sort of generational talent like teammate Connor McDavid. That means we have plenty of similar players we can use to determine fair value for a comparable situation, and by virtually all of those measures this contract is way too high. The deal the Oilers signed was well above what even their most loyal fans were projecting as fair value.

Remember, this is just Draisaitl's second contract—he wasn't eligible for unrestricted free agency for four more years, so aside from the longshot chance of an offer sheet, he really had no leverage here. Other players who recently received monster contracts, like Patrick Kane, Carey Price, Steven Stamkos, or Anze Kopitar, were all within a year of UFA status, meaning they could plausibly threaten to walk away from their teams for nothing. Draisaitl was years away from that kind of negotiating power, but the Oilers panicked and paid him top dollar anyway.

So yes, the deal is way too high. But also: No, it isn't.

When you're going after the big bucks. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL has a well-established system for paying star players. You work cheap on your entry deal, you get a better number on your second (and maybe third) contracts, and then you get the big bucks once you're nearing your UFA years. That system is fundamentally broken. It doesn't make any sense to pay top dollar to guys who are in their late 20s—those players are already past their prime. Most forwards, for example, have their most productive years between the ages of 22 and 25. It doesn't make any sense that players are expected to play at a steep discount during those seasons and then make it back years later when they're already in decline.

So what the Oilers are doing here makes sense. Unlike the Kane or Kopitar deals, they're actually paying top dollar for their player's best seasons. (Presumably, of course. We can never know for sure how a player's aging curve will play out, but as far as projections go, it's the most likely scenario.)

So which is it? Did the Oilers screw up because they overpaid based on how the market operates? Or did they get it right because they paid a fair price based on how the market should operate? It can't be both.

But right now, it kind of is both. That's because we don't know what kind of impact, if any, Draisaitl's signing will have on the way teams think about these deals. It's the kind of contract that could shift the market, leading other teams to pay top dollar to stars just entering their prime while shifting money away from older players approaching UFA status. If that happens, the Oilers will look like they were ahead of the curve, and Draisaitl's deal will probably turn out to represent decent value.

On the other hand, maybe the league shrugs and goes back to the old way of doing things. If that happens, the Oilers will have missed out on an opportunity to exploit a market inefficiency. Even if Draisaitl plays well enough that the deal represents fair value, it will still be a bad contract because the market dictates that he should have been underpaid.

Right now, we just don't know. It's Schrodinger's contract. But with Jack Eichel still waiting on an extension and Auston Matthews up for one next summer, we probably won't have to wait long to find out.

The NHL USA Hockey Actually Got Something Right

Recently, we found out that USA Hockey's development program will be making a fairly substantial rule change for players ages 14 and under. Starting this season, teams will no longer be allowed to ice the puck when killing a penalty. Doing so will now be treated as regular icing, with a face-off in the defensive zone. The move is meant to encourage young players to think through situations and handle the puck rather than just automatically flinging it down the ice.

It's a smart change, one that will hopefully encourage a little more creativity in a sport that so often lacks it. Youth hockey is all about having fun and learning, after all, and playing with the puck on your stick instead of reflexively dumping it down the ice serves both those ends. So kudos to USA Hockey for the change.

Now on to the bigger question: Should the NHL follow suit?

"I volunteer." Photo by Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Not immediately, of course, but is this something that the pros should be looking at doing someday? After all, it seems odd to penalize a team for an infraction but then give it a special set of rules that makes the game easier. If we're trying to increase scoring—and we should be—then a reasonably simple rule change to make it tougher to kill off a penalty seems like low-hanging fruit.

On the surface, it makes sense, but there are two problems with the concept. Let's start with the obvious issue, one pointed out by at least one former NHLer: Most teams would probably just keep icing the puck anyway.

Today's coaches are relentlessly conservative. It's not hard to imagine them deciding that killing off 10 or 15 seconds of a two-minute minor is worth an occasional face-off in their own end. Sure, players would try to execute a 180-foot flip that would fall just short of the icing line, but coaches would probably be fine with taking the icing a man down, just as an increasing number of teams seem fine with it late in the game when the other team has its goalie pulled. And that would mean fans being treated to more whistles, more milling around the face-off circle, and less momentum.

The other issue is one that I've raised before: Efforts to increase scoring should be focused on changes that will help at five-on-five, too. That's how most of the game is played, and we don't want to train fans to sit around and wait for powerplays. There's also the risk that officials who've been told for years not to decide a game will be even more reluctant to call penalties if they know that powerplays are more effective. It would likely be a small influence, but it could be enough to cancel out most of the offensive gains we'd otherwise see.

None of that means the NHL shouldn't explore making the change. Maybe they will someday. But it's not the slam dunk it should be for youth hockey, because in the NHL, the law of unintended consequences is always waiting just around the corner.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

This week's obscure player is winger Doug Brown because, well, we'll get to that in a bit.

Brown was a Boston College star who went undrafted before signing with the New Jersey Devils in 1986. He got a quick look in the NHL that year, and then made the full-time roster for the 1987-88 season, scoring 14 goals as a rookie and earning one second-place vote for the Calder Trophy. That lone vote left him tied with Ulf Dahlen for sixth, just slightly behind 51-goal-scorer Joe Nieuwendyk.

Brown was a useful piece for the Devils until 1993, when he signed with the Penguins as a free agent and got to play with his younger brother Greg. Like everyone else in the Mario Lemieux era, he had the best offensive season of his career in Pittsburgh, putting up 55 points. It wasn't enough to keep him out of the following year's waiver draft, where the Detroit Red Wings grabbed him.

He spent the last seven years of his career in Detroit, although the Predators did take him in the 1998 expansion draft before immediately trading him back to the Red Wings. He was part of two Stanley Cup winners before hanging his skates up in 2001.

As far as career highlights go, well, he scored the first playoff overtime goal in Devils' history in 1988, and had two goals in the Red Wings' Cup-clinching win in 1998. But let's face it, none of those come close to being the best Doug Brown videos you can find on YouTube. Meet me in the next section.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

It's tough time for the New Jersey Devils these days. The team is rebuilding. The team is rebuilding, they finished 27th last year, they may not be all that much better this year, and they just found out that Travis Zajac will miss a big chunk of the season. But hey, New Jersey fans can always look back on the glory days. No, not the three Stanley Cups. I mean the time the Devils were on General Hospital.

Yes, that actually happened. I'm sure it will be good wholesome fun for the whole family. Let's watch.

This clip appears to be from 1989. The Devils were coming off of their first ever playoff appearance a year earlier, one that involved dramatic overtime heroics and also referees getting called fat pigs. It was a mixed bag, but apparently it was enough for the producers of General Hospital to say, "Let's get those guys on daytime television."

Our scene begins with several young nurses rushing in to volunteer for duty. Apparently "one of the hockey players" has been injured and is coming to the hospital for treatment. Given how excited everyone is, I bet it's one of the team's big stars like Kirk Muller or Sean Burke.

Nope, it's our old friend Doug Brown. See how these sections all link together? That's called synergy, kids.

Brown's in the middle of his sophomore season, one that saw him post 25 points. That may not sound like much, but give the guy a break—as you can see, he was playing through a serious wrist injury that required a visit to the emergency room.

Can we just point out that Brown is walking around in full uniform?

At this point, things get a little awkward between Brown and one of the nurses. It's very subtle, but if you can get past the porn soundtrack that starts playing in the background, it's implied that they might be flirting.

So let's address the elephant in the room: Why would you cast Doug Brown of all people in the starring role for this? It's not like there weren't any more famous Devils available, as we'll see in a minute. But they went with Brown. Why? Here's my best guess: He was the only player on the team who could string three words together. Seriously, have you ever seen hockey players try to act? It's not pretty. The pantheon of everyone who has ever tried is basically Basil McCrae absolutely nailing it and then dozens of guys doing variations of this. You take what you can get.

"I'm counting my blessings," says the nurse, before hanging a bright red "NO VISITORS" sign on the door. Like I said, it's very subtle.

We skip ahead, as an elevator opens to reveal two gentlemen who look a lot like Ken Daneyko and John MacLean if you CGI'd hair onto their heads. It is indeed them, as pointed out by one of the off-duty nurses. She also makes sure to mention that MacLean made the All-Star team, while Daneyko just gets labeled as "the big guy." Defensemen, man—they get no respect from anyone.

Daneyko and MacLean are here to pick up Brown and drive him home from the hospital. You know, the way NHL players do. But instead they immediately get to work hitting on the nurses, presumably because they both have a thing for 1980s sweaters and Kelly Kapowski haircuts. Which I'm not judging them for, just to be clear.

"I'll drop my defenses for you anytime." I think she likes them, you guys.

She also asks them how they skate backwards, but before Daneyko can answer, "Actually, it's the 80s, so most of us still can't," Brown returns from his examination. "You guys should try to get on the injured list," he tells them, before going in for a kiss on his nurse friend.

Can we just point out that Lou Lamoriello was running the Devils by this point? What do you think his reaction to all of this was? I think we may have found the genesis for his whole "never talk about injuries" policy.

The other nurses demand to know what happened in there, but Brown's companion refuses to answer while, um, rubbing her throat. I guess we'll never be able to crack the code. It will remain a mystery forever.

And that ends our clip. Tragically, the Devils missed the playoffs that year. Brown stuck with the team until 1993, but never had the kind of breakout season fans were expecting. For some strange reason, he never managed to go an entire season without getting injured.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected] .

DGB Grab Bag: Draisaitl's Deal, Icing the Rules, and the Devils Get Dramatic published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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amtushinfosolutionspage · 7 years ago

Text

DGB Grab Bag: Draisaitl’s Deal, Icing the Rules, and the Devils Get Dramatic

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: Phil Kessel. Good lord. This isn’t Kessel dunking on the haters. This is him dunking on them, shattering the backboard, tearing off the rim, and then using that rim to teach cute little hoop-jumping tricks to their puppy, which immediately follows Kessel home because it loves him more now.

The second star: Phil Kessel. Look, the whole “Phil Kessel eats too many hot dogs” thing has been done to death, as has the backlash and then the backlash to the backlash. But this is next-level stuff. Seriously, take a minute to appreciate what’s happening here.

The first star: Phil Kessel. He went and took the one thing that’s come to symbolize everything the critics, cynics, and bullies have ever thrown at him and literally ate it out of the greatest accomplishment you can achieve in his line of work. Then he took a photo of it. Then he went back and took a better photo of it. Phil Kessel wins. Again.

(By the way, this is the second time in Grab Bag history that one person has swept all three stars with one shot. Go ahead and guess who the other one was.)

Outrage of the Week

The issue: The Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl finally signed his contract extension this week, locking in for the maximum eight years on a deal that totals $68 million and carries a cap hit of $8.5 million.

The outrage: Wow, that seems high.

Is it justified: Yes. Draisaitl is a very good player, but he’s not some sort of generational talent like teammate Connor McDavid. That means we have plenty of similar players we can use to determine fair value for a comparable situation, and by virtually all of those measures this contract is way too high. The deal the Oilers signed was well above what even their most loyal fans were projecting as fair value.

Remember, this is just Draisaitl’s second contract—he wasn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency for four more years, so aside from the longshot chance of an offer sheet, he really had no leverage here. Other players who recently received monster contracts, like Patrick Kane, Carey Price, Steven Stamkos, or Anze Kopitar, were all within a year of UFA status, meaning they could plausibly threaten to walk away from their teams for nothing. Draisaitl was years away from that kind of negotiating power, but the Oilers panicked and paid him top dollar anyway.

So yes, the deal is way too high. But also: No, it isn’t.

When you’re going after the big bucks. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL has a well-established system for paying star players. You work cheap on your entry deal, you get a better number on your second (and maybe third) contracts, and then you get the big bucks once you’re nearing your UFA years. That system is fundamentally broken. It doesn’t make any sense to pay top dollar to guys who are in their late 20s—those players are already past their prime. Most forwards, for example, have their most productive years between the ages of 22 and 25. It doesn’t make any sense that players are expected to play at a steep discount during those seasons and then make it back years later when they’re already in decline.

So what the Oilers are doing here makes sense. Unlike the Kane or Kopitar deals, they’re actually paying top dollar for their player’s best seasons. (Presumably, of course. We can never know for sure how a player’s aging curve will play out, but as far as projections go, it’s the most likely scenario.)

But right now, it kind of is both. That’s because we don’t know what kind of impact, if any, Draisaitl’s signing will have on the way teams think about these deals. It’s the kind of contract that could shift the market, leading other teams to pay top dollar to stars just entering their prime while shifting money away from older players approaching UFA status. If that happens, the Oilers will look like they were ahead of the curve, and Draisaitl’s deal will probably turn out to represent decent value.

Right now, we just don’t know. It’s Schrodinger’s contract. But with Jack Eichel still waiting on an extension and Auston Matthews up for one next summer, we probably won’t have to wait long to find out.

The NHL USA Hockey Actually Got Something Right

Recently, we found out that USA Hockey’s development program will be making a fairly substantial rule change for players ages 14 and under. Starting this season, teams will no longer be allowed to ice the puck when killing a penalty. Doing so will now be treated as regular icing, with a face-off in the defensive zone. The move is meant to encourage young players to think through situations and handle the puck rather than just automatically flinging it down the ice.

It’s a smart change, one that will hopefully encourage a little more creativity in a sport that so often lacks it. Youth hockey is all about having fun and learning, after all, and playing with the puck on your stick instead of reflexively dumping it down the ice serves both those ends. So kudos to USA Hockey for the change.

Now on to the bigger question: Should the NHL follow suit?

“I volunteer.” Photo by Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Not immediately, of course, but is this something that the pros should be looking at doing someday? After all, it seems odd to penalize a team for an infraction but then give it a special set of rules that makes the game easier. If we’re trying to increase scoring—and we should be—then a reasonably simple rule change to make it tougher to kill off a penalty seems like low-hanging fruit.

On the surface, it makes sense, but there are two problems with the concept. Let’s start with the obvious issue, one pointed out by at least one former NHLer: Most teams would probably just keep icing the puck anyway.

Today’s coaches are relentlessly conservative. It’s not hard to imagine them deciding that killing off 10 or 15 seconds of a two-minute minor is worth an occasional face-off in their own end. Sure, players would try to execute a 180-foot flip that would fall just short of the icing line, but coaches would probably be fine with taking the icing a man down, just as an increasing number of teams seem fine with it late in the game when the other team has its goalie pulled. And that would mean fans being treated to more whistles, more milling around the face-off circle, and less momentum.

The other issue is one that I’ve raised before: Efforts to increase scoring should be focused on changes that will help at five-on-five, too. That’s how most of the game is played, and we don’t want to train fans to sit around and wait for powerplays. There’s also the risk that officials who’ve been told for years not to decide a game will be even more reluctant to call penalties if they know that powerplays are more effective. It would likely be a small influence, but it could be enough to cancel out most of the offensive gains we’d otherwise see.

None of that means the NHL shouldn’t explore making the change. Maybe they will someday. But it’s not the slam dunk it should be for youth hockey, because in the NHL, the law of unintended consequences is always waiting just around the corner.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

This week’s obscure player is winger Doug Brown because, well, we’ll get to that in a bit.

Brown was a useful piece for the Devils until 1993, when he signed with the Penguins as a free agent and got to play with his younger brother Greg. Like everyone else in the Mario Lemieux era, he had the best offensive season of his career in Pittsburgh, putting up 55 points. It wasn’t enough to keep him out of the following year’s waiver draft, where the Detroit Red Wings grabbed him.

As far as career highlights go, well, he scored the first playoff overtime goal in Devils’ history in 1988, and had two goals in the Red Wings’ Cup-clinching win in 1998. But let’s face it, none of those come close to being the best Doug Brown videos you can find on YouTube. Meet me in the next section.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

It’s tough time for the New Jersey Devils these days. The team is rebuilding. The team is rebuilding, they finished 27th last year, they may not be all that much better this year, and they just found out that Travis Zajac will miss a big chunk of the season. But hey, New Jersey fans can always look back on the glory days. No, not the three Stanley Cups. I mean the time the Devils were on General Hospital.

Yes, that actually happened. I’m sure it will be good wholesome fun for the whole family. Let’s watch.

Our scene begins with several young nurses rushing in to volunteer for duty. Apparently “one of the hockey players” has been injured and is coming to the hospital for treatment. Given how excited everyone is, I bet it’s one of the team’s big stars like Kirk Muller or Sean Burke.

Nope, it’s our old friend Doug Brown. See how these sections all link together? That’s called synergy, kids.

Brown’s in the middle of his sophomore season, one that saw him post 25 points. That may not sound like much, but give the guy a break—as you can see, he was playing through a serious wrist injury that required a visit to the emergency room.

Can we just point out that Brown is walking around in full uniform?

At this point, things get a little awkward between Brown and one of the nurses. It’s very subtle, but if you can get past the porn soundtrack that starts playing in the background, it’s implied that they might be flirting.

So let’s address the elephant in the room: Why would you cast Doug Brown of all people in the starring role for this? It’s not like there weren’t any more famous Devils available, as we’ll see in a minute. But they went with Brown. Why? Here’s my best guess: He was the only player on the team who could string three words together. Seriously, have you ever seen hockey players try to act? It’s not pretty. The pantheon of everyone who has ever tried is basically Basil McCrae absolutely nailing it and then dozens of guys doing variations of this. You take what you can get.

“I’m counting my blessings,” says the nurse, before hanging a bright red “NO VISITORS” sign on the door. Like I said, it’s very subtle.

We skip ahead, as an elevator opens to reveal two gentlemen who look a lot like Ken Daneyko and John MacLean if you CGI’d hair onto their heads. It is indeed them, as pointed out by one of the off-duty nurses. She also makes sure to mention that MacLean made the All-Star team, while Daneyko just gets labeled as “the big guy.” Defensemen, man—they get no respect from anyone.

“I’ll drop my defenses for you anytime.” I think she likes them, you guys.

She also asks them how they skate backwards, but before Daneyko can answer, “Actually, it’s the 80s, so most of us still can’t,” Brown returns from his examination. “You guys should try to get on the injured list,” he tells them, before going in for a kiss on his nurse friend.

Can we just point out that Lou Lamoriello was running the Devils by this point? What do you think his reaction to all of this was? I think we may have found the genesis for his whole “never talk about injuries” policy.

The other nurses demand to know what happened in there, but Brown’s companion refuses to answer while, um, rubbing her throat. I guess we’ll never be able to crack the code. It will remain a mystery forever.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you’d like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected] .

DGB Grab Bag: Draisaitl’s Deal, Icing the Rules, and the Devils Get Dramatic syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

0 notes