[scifinoir2] 'Battlestar Galactica's' trip to the United Nations
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/03/battlestar-galactica-united-nations-olmos-moore.html Originally posted: March 18, 2009 'Battlestar Galactica's' trip to the United Nations It seemed fitting that the rag-tag fleet's journey ended at the United Nations. Since the debut of Battlestar Galactica, which ends its run in spectacular style on Friday (8 p.m. Central, Sci Fi; four stars), the drama has depicted the remnants of humanity in a desperate struggle for survival. During the course of four seasons, they not only endured the worst that their Cylon enemies had to dish out, they discovered the darkest impulses that lurked in their own hearts. As a method of resistance, they used suicide bombers. To get information, they tortured Cylons. When they suspected treason, they turned on each other and tossed traitors out the ship's airlock. They constantly struggled to balance human rights with the precarious security of the fleet, which started out with around 50,000 survivors but lost thousands along the way. We saw good people making really ugly choices, moderator Whoopi Goldberg said near the end of Tuesday's two-hour panel on the show at the United Nations. The panel, which included executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick and stars Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos as well as four U.N. officials, was organized by the U.N. as part of a new effort to link the organization's concerns to the creative community. It was held in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, an imposing room full of rows of delegate seating facing a dais on one end of the room. In the audience were fans of the show, network executives, members of the media and more than 100 high school students, who were there representing Think Quest NYC, an educational outreach project. The audience members sat in the seats reserved for diplomats and delegates, but instead of nameplates listing the names of real countries, signs in front of each seat said Caprica, Gemenon, Picon and the names of the other nine colonies seen on the Sci Fi show. The overall effect made you feel as though you'd stepped onto one of the show's sets; perhaps Battlestar's president Laura Roslin (McDonnell) was about to pacify the restive Quorum of the Twelve Colonies. But this wasn't a set. And despite the fact that Battlestar Galactica is set in a fictional universe, the United Nations representatives on the panel praised the show for its depiction of the ways in which war, torture, deprivation and terrorism affect real people. Robert Orr, an anti-terrorism expert and the U.N.'s Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning, pointed out that a few months ago, in that very room, victims of terrorism attacks told their harrowing tales to an array of diplomats. Their stories had an effect: Orr talked about seeing those officials throw out their talking points and began to take seriously the idea of linking basic human rights to their nations' anti-terrorism efforts. Orr spoke after the audience was shown a Battlestar clip in which military leader Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan) defended the use of suicide bombers against the Cylons. In that episode not for the first time -- the show put viewers in an uncomfortable position. The grizzled Tigh is one of the show's best-loved characters, yet here he was advocating terrorist tactics and telling the president he didn't have time for her pieties. We don't like to confront these tough issues in our world. But they are oh so real, Orr said. If a show like `Battlestar Galactica' can get us think about it and can get us talking about it It isn't easy. I've heard these words from people. But they weren't actors. Craig Mokhiber, deputy director of the New York office of the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights, talked about how the show, via the human-Cylon struggle for dominance, examined this idea of the Other defining human beings as being the Other so that we can dehumanize them and ultimately destroy them. We are all entitled to a social and international order in which all of the rights and freedoms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be fully realized, regardless of race, sex, language or religion, Mokhiber. Linking the quest for basic human rights to the Battlestar characters' search for Earth, he said, I would suggest that this is the mythical Earth for which we are all searching. Soon after that statement, Olmos' gravelly voice rumbled across the hall. You should have never invited me here, he chuckled. While praising Mokhiber's efforts, he objected to the use of the word race as a cultural determinant. We've made the word race a way of expressing culture, Olmos said. There's only one race, and that's what the show brought out that is the human race. Period. After expanding his point on how the construct of race had been used to justify oppression, he repeated loudly, There is but one race! So
Re: [scifinoir2] Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee
justin, that was funny! --- On Fri, 3/20/09, Justin Mohareb justinmoha...@gmail.com wrote: From: Justin Mohareb justinmoha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 9:24 AM I guess they just assumed everyone in the audience would have seen one before. Justin On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 8:17 AM, ravenadal ravena...@yahoo. com wrote: I thought the most disconcerting thing I would see this year was Tom Cruise playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg with one hand and one eye (which he kept popping in and out) but boy was I wrong! What's up with Dr. Manhattan and his magical/digital wee-wee? Geez Louise! I don't wanna see that thang - especially when he's the Incredible 50 Foot Tall Naked Blue Super Hero. And, as long as I am on this rant, why did Dr. Manhattan wear a (digital?) diaper sometimes while (most) other times he was in his full magical/digital glory? Perhaps I am just suffering from blue penis envy (especially when the good doctor is 50 feet tall) but why oh why was that thing waving like cyan waves of grain? ~(no)rave! -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy .livejournal. com
Re: [scifinoir2] Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee
Rave, first congrats on the article! way to go. as 4 dr. manhattan, if u remember, when he was behind closed doors, his diaper disappeared. it only appeared when he was out in public. since he was so far beyond humanity, i think the putting the diaper on was probably what silk and the government told him he had 2 do when out in public. as 4 the penis envy, i wish i could have the.2 quote the old school teddy riley and guy the New Jack Swing! Fate. --- On Fri, 3/20/09, ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com wrote: From: ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 8:17 AM I thought the most disconcerting thing I would see this year was Tom Cruise playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg with one hand and one eye (which he kept popping in and out) but boy was I wrong! What's up with Dr. Manhattan and his magical/digital wee-wee? Geez Louise! I don't wanna see that thang - especially when he's the Incredible 50 Foot Tall Naked Blue Super Hero. And, as long as I am on this rant, why did Dr. Manhattan wear a (digital?) diaper sometimes while (most) other times he was in his full magical/digital glory? Perhaps I am just suffering from blue penis envy (especially when the good doctor is 50 feet tall) but why oh why was that thing waving like cyan waves of grain? ~(no)rave!
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight
I will agree with that. They told Elba that the audience just wouldn't get his British accent. I agree that is ridiculous, and shows how American TV continually dumbs itself down. But still, Elba was fun, despite that handicap. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 8:01:56 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight If anything, I'm marking this as *another* reason I'm never watching The Office. Why *not* let him use his *native* British accent? on two of the eight jobs I've had in my life, I've had a British supervisor. It's not an odd occurrence. But then, NBC is the outfit that owns Skiffy. Dangit! I'm going to have to find another derogatory nickname for them, with that name change. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:16:17 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com This ought to be interesting. If you get time, listen to Elba's interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It's pretty long, about forty-five minutes, and quite informative. For example, Elba really wanted to have his native London accent in The Office, since he's so often asked to have an American accent in his work. The showrunners at first said yes, but later changed their minds, to his disappointment. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101780271 Fresh Air from WHYY , March 12, 2009 · Actor Idris Elba is best known for his stint on HBO's acclaimed drama The Wire , where he played Russell Stringer Bell, a drug dealer and aspiring real-estate mogul. Although Stringer never made it in the corporate world, Elba will soon be donning a suit: Starting next week, he'll play Michael Scott's new boss in NBC's popular prime-time comedy The Office . The trade journal Variety reported in January that he'll be with the show for a six-episode arc, playing a no-nonsense hire at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office who will throw Michael Scott into turmoil. Elba, 36, was with The Wire from 2002 to 2004. He's also appeared in many movies, including American Gangster , 28 Weeks Later , and Sometimes In April . He's also a DJ and a singer. The London-born actor stars in the thriller The Obsessed , due out later this year. He talks to Fresh Air 's Terry Gross about his work in music and movies, and about life after The Wire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight
You bet. I'm probably one of the few people who never watched The Wire, primarily because I got rid of premium cable years ago, and could never figure out the order of those frustrating reruns on other channels. They show up all over the map, often at 2 or 3 am, and I could never find a rhyme or reason as to when they were shown. I loved Homicide: Life on the Street, count it among my top 10 shows of all time, and I hear The Wire is from many of the same creators, so I know I need to watch it. It's on my list of DVD buys, along with Deep Space Nine... As for Fresh Air, I subscribe to it through iTunes, and listen to it on my iPod when I'm at the gym or working around the house. They archive shows for months. Speaking of that, did you hear the interview with soul singer Bettye LaVette a few months ago? She sang at the Inauguration Celebration. LaVette's one of those many, many, many singers who's more talented than most of those who ultimately make it, but who didn't catch those breaks herself. But decades later, she's getting some love. Check out Terry's interview with her, it's fascinating: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99777150 Fresh Air from WHYY , January 23, 2009 - If you've never heard of Bettye LaVette, the soul singer who belted out A Change Is Gonna Come with Jon Bon Jovi at the Inauguration Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan 18., you may be wondering why. There's a good reason: After a promising start in the early 1960s, when LaVette had a couple of singles that became RB hits, things just didn't work out for her. The 1972 album she recorded for Atlantic that was supposed to be her breakthrough wasn't released until 2000 when a French producer licensed it from Atlantic and started her comeback. She released her most recent CD, The Scene Of The Crime , in 2007. - Original Message - From: ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:52:15 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Thanks for the heads-up. I love Fresh Air but, due to a change in my employment, often miss it. I am also a fan of Alba, especially his run on The Wire - even though eye was not a Stringer Belle. I will fire up the webcast. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: This ought to be interesting. If you get time, listen to Elba's interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It's pretty long, about forty-five minutes, and quite informative. For example, Elba really wanted to have his native London accent in The Office, since he's so often asked to have an American accent in his work. The showrunners at first said yes, but later changed their minds, to his disappointment. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101780271 Fresh Air from WHYY , March 12, 2009 · Actor Idris Elba is best known for his stint on HBO's acclaimed drama The Wire , where he played Russell Stringer Bell, a drug dealer and aspiring real-estate mogul. Although Stringer never made it in the corporate world, Elba will soon be donning a suit: Starting next week, he'll play Michael Scott's new boss in NBC's popular prime-time comedy The Office . The trade journal Variety reported in January that he'll be with the show for a six-episode arc, playing a no-nonsense hire at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office who will throw Michael Scott into turmoil. Elba, 36, was with The Wire from 2002 to 2004. He's also appeared in many movies, including American Gangster , 28 Weeks Later , and Sometimes In April . He's also a DJ and a singer. The London-born actor stars in the thriller The Obsessed , due out later this year. He talks to Fresh Air 's Terry Gross about his work in music and movies, and about life after The Wire.
Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net?
Yeah, they show silent films every Sunday night/Monday morning starting at midnight. I saw Metropolis a few months ago. I understand there are actually a couple different versions of that film, not sure if what I saw was closest to the director's cut. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and a host of other silent stars have been showcased on TCMs late night show. It's great stuff, but my only complain is the wisdom of showing silent films primarily late night on Sunday. Not only do many people miss it because they have to get up Monday to go to work, but it's a bit hard to watch a film where one *has* to focus on reading the screen that late at night. Silent films are all visual cues and clues, and I'm often too tired to give them the attention they deserve at that time. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 7:57:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Only about a third of it, I'm afraid. The meds kicked in about then and kicked me right off the cliff into Nod. If memory serves, TCM's had it submitted for cleanup and remastering, because that's one of only a dozen prints left of the movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:54:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Didja by chance catch Nosferatu late Sunday night on TCM? I'm not sure if that was a remastered copy, though I seem to remember it was. It still looked old too, though I wonder, how easy is it to remove all the video scratches and noise from a film, even with advanced digital processing? Still a great film, and makes me wish all the more that Hollywood gets back to the old concept of the vampyr as a frightening, repulsive beast, and give this romantic, angst-filled hunk angle a rest for a while. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:16:51 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Lavender, they would almost certainly have to remaster a few. A few nights ago, I watched Lost Horizon on TCM, and their copy, digitally remastered and barely a few years old, is already showing signs of wear. And, right now, I'm watching an oldie called Drums from 1938, which appears to have been freshly redone. Not sure if they could resist the lure. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:25:09 -0400 From : Rouge To : It would appear to do something of that type of undertaking would take years to do. Would they for example do original episodes that are in black and white or the ones that were digital re mastered? --Lavender From: Tracey de Morsella Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:43 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com ; cinque3...@verizon.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? 17 March 2009 2:35 AM, PDT The founder of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website has envisaged a time when all of the 1.3 million titles indexed on the site -- movies and TV shows -- can be streamed to its users with the click of a mouse. As reported by CNET News, Col Needham, in a speech delivered to the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX, acknowledged that the task will be formidable (and in some instances impossible, since prints of some of the films listed on the website no longer exist). Developing a relationship with rights owners also could prove to be challenging, he said, but it has already begun, with IMDb currently providing access to 14,000 TV episodes and about 2,000 movies, as well as 120,000 videos including trailers, interviews and featurettes. People may lie, but the evidence rarely does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Watch The Watchmen
Great review, as always. But your very last paragraph could be a spoiler for those who've never read the book. Fortunately I finished it last week! :) - Original Message - From: ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 2:40:56 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Watch The Watchmen http://blackplush.blogspot.com Watchmen is big and gorgeous with plenty to say and the misanthropic chutzpa to say it. Rarely has such a fully realized alternative future reached fruition on the big screen. I gloried in the opening montage where cherished cultural touchstones were embraced even as they were twisted and perverted. I howled inside when Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous V-J Day in Times Square photograph was subverted by the sailor being replaced by the super butch super heroine Silhouette (Apollonia Vanova). The use of such hoary but hilarious devices as the ersatz but dead nuts on John McLaughlin Group (featuring a faux Elenor Clift and a fake ass Pat Buchanan) to advance story and provide context is inspired. Every frame of the movie is chocked full of information (if ever a movie would reward frequent viewing, Watchmen is it). Watchmen is the movie The Dark Knight is reputed to be. While The Dark Knight is just a big fat comic book, Watchmen is true to its lineage as the first graphic novel to win the Hugo award. And while I loved it, that is not necessarily a good thing. A real movie about real guys in tights, Watchmen doesn't show any inclination to don super suits. Which is kind of a problem, this being a superhero movie and the first rule of Superhero Club is to dispense with the exposition and cut to the chase. Not only does Watchmen violate that rule, it trammels it, exposition leaking out of every sweaty, blood soaked pore. Built on the simplest and most sturdy of narrative chassis, Watchmen opens with a splashy murder and then follows a sad sack detective - Jackie Earle Haley in fedora and rumpled trench coat - on a lonely but relentless search for the truth and justice (if not the American Way). Haley is a revelation as Rorschach the human ink blot. He inhabits his deeply flawed, psychologically damaged but relentlessly moral avenger with a steely humanity that is often thrilling. His one man against many stance while incarcerated is an exhilarating set piece. His mission statement: I am not in prison with them; they are in prison with ME! is tattooed on my consciousness. In many ways Haley's performance is as impressive as Health Ledger's turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight. Equally impressive is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian and Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan. The blue-skinned Dr. Manhattan is a marvelous construct and Morgan's sweaty, hormone oozing, cigar chomping, pure id performance as an opportunistic soldier of fortune with a heart of lead is the messy glue that holds this dystopian narrative together. The duplicity and complicity of Morgan's character both informs and illuminates. His and Dr. Manhattan's jingoistic stomp through the killing fields of Viet Nam won my heart and my mind. At its core, Watchmen is a Superman movie where Lex Luthor (Matthew Goode as Ozymandias, the smartest human on earth) wins. It also takes the notion of the all powerful superhuman to its inevitable conclusion. And, frankly, it's more than a little disconcerting.
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight
I think they wanted a Stringer Bell as your boss vibe and it worked somewhat. I loved that he thought Jim was an a$$hole and treated him as such. The women fighting over his scarf at the end was priceless. If you want full on Idris Elba in all his British glory check out RockNRolla. He and Gerard Butler are insanely funny in it. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I will agree with that. They told Elba that the audience just wouldn't get his British accent. I agree that is ridiculous, and shows how American TV continually dumbs itself down. But still, Elba was fun, despite that handicap. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 8:01:56 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight If anything, I'm marking this as *another* reason I'm never watching The Office. Why *not* let him use his *native* British accent? on two of the eight jobs I've had in my life, I've had a British supervisor. It's not an odd occurrence. But then, NBC is the outfit that owns Skiffy. Dangit! I'm going to have to find another derogatory nickname for them, with that name change. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:16:17 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com This ought to be interesting. If you get time, listen to Elba's interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It's pretty long, about forty-five minutes, and quite informative. For example, Elba really wanted to have his native London accent in The Office, since he's so often asked to have an American accent in his work. The showrunners at first said yes, but later changed their minds, to his disappointment. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101780271 Fresh Air from WHYY , March 12, 2009 · Actor Idris Elba is best known for his stint on HBO's acclaimed drama The Wire , where he played Russell Stringer Bell, a drug dealer and aspiring real-estate mogul. Although Stringer never made it in the corporate world, Elba will soon be donning a suit: Starting next week, he'll play Michael Scott's new boss in NBC's popular prime-time comedy The Office . The trade journal Variety reported in January that he'll be with the show for a six-episode arc, playing a no-nonsense hire at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office who will throw Michael Scott into turmoil. Elba, 36, was with The Wire from 2002 to 2004. He's also appeared in many movies, including American Gangster , 28 Weeks Later , and Sometimes In April . He's also a DJ and a singer. The London-born actor stars in the thriller The Obsessed , due out later this year. He talks to Fresh Air 's Terry Gross about his work in music and movies, and about life after The Wire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Syfy big deal for EnnBeeSee
Lavender, i totally agree with u. and i am so tired of hearing 'ghost hunters' and 'ghost hunters international' - WE NEVER SEE ANY GHOST. it is a total waste of an hour of time. Fate. --- On Thu, 3/19/09, Rouge wlro...@aol.com wrote: From: Rouge wlro...@aol.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Syfy big deal for EnnBeeSee To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009, 6:21 PM I remember the very first day when the sci-fi network came out. I was so excited. I thought that this would be a network that would show those old sci fi black and white movies. I was so disappointed when it showed neither that at all. I think the thing that makes me wonder about the network is that the shows that are truly sci-fi in nature are the ones that are not getting any promotions from the network. I can care less about wrestling. If I really wanted to see something like that I can go to Spike. The network for men--or so they say. My point being, back in the 90's there were the Action Pack Hour. Shows like Xena and Hercules. Lets not forget Cleopatra 2525. Don't get me wrong, I love sports and action but if we are going to do wrestling lets at least try to make it sci-fi in nature. --Lavender From: Keith Johnson Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 10:28 AM To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Syfy big deal for EnnBeeSee Agreed. Like I said, I find myself spending more TV time with Cartoon Network's lineup (Star Wars, Secret Saturdays, Batman, Ben 10: Alien Force, Camp Laslo), Nick, NToons, and Boomerang. I do like the Enterprise reruns, and the occasional Jeremiah marathons, but other than that, very little appeals to me. I knew all was lost when ECW and those wretched Ghost Hunters programs got so much love from the network... - Original Message - From: Daryle Lockhart dar...@darylelockha rt.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 8:08:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Syfy big deal for EnnBeeSee This would be a good time for an OMNI channel. Because now that I see what Skiffy is planning under their new name, which is more of the same stuff that is not sci-fi and every once in a while, Galactica, I don't see why we even need it. There's more sci-fi on Showtime every week than on this channel. I'll bet that I could get more original hours of weekly sci-fi programming based on webisodes alone than SyFy will have in June. On Mar 18, 2009, at 7:55 AM, Martin Baxter wrote: LMNAO!!! And it's funny that you should go here, rave. In another forum where I post, a friend there suggested that we should protest Skiffy's decision-making process in general by staging an all-out e- mail blitz, using weird misspellings like the ones you pose. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Syfy big deal for EnnBeeSee Date : Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:01:39 - From : ravenadal ravena...@yahoo. com To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com What's next? The Phood Network? The Travville Channel? See Enn Enn? http://www.jsonline .com/entertainme nt/tvradio/ 41341807. html Sci Fi becoming Syfy is a big deal for its owner, Enn Bee See Posted: Mar. 16, 2009 Sci Fi Channel, with one of the simplest and most recognizable brands in TV, is going and making things complicated by changing to the ridiculous moniker Syfy. What's next? The Phood Network? The Travville Channel? See Enn Enn? The July 7 name change for the NBC-owned cable outlet is described as phonetically identical to Sci Fi. And those are among the dumbest two words you'll see strung together in a press release. Unsaid in that release is that this is designed to clean up the nerdy image of a cable outlet for guys with pocket protectors who spend too much time at the comic-book store. The new brand broadens perceptions and embraces a wider and more diverse range of imagination- based entertainment, according to the formal announcement, which goes on to talk about the money reason behind the silly name: It also positions the brand for future growth by creating an ownable trademark that can travel easily with consumers across new media and non-linear digital platforms, new international channels and extend into new business ventures. Another great press release word: ownable. Not all these name changes are silly. Last week, Nickelodeon announced it was renaming its sister channels to fit in to the bigger Nick brand. In that change, which kicks in this fall, Noggin becomes Nick Jr. and The N will become TEENick, with everybody being tied together in the nick.comWeb site. That name change not only makes good sense; it's not annoying. --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, Amy wrote: ahar...@... scifi channel changing name What an incredibly dumb move!
Re: [scifinoir2] Watch The Watchmen
Spoilers! Write Spoilers! in case some of the gang haven't read the book! - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 10:36:30 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Watch The Watchmen this is by far, the best review that i have read of The Watchmen. it hits all the points that i made 2 my circle of friends who were/are wavering on seeing it. the only thing that is missing was the dynamic in the relationship between Silk Spectre I and II. and what about the Comedian being the person who actually killed President Kennedy? brilliant! Fate. --- On Fri, 3/20/09, ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com wrote: From: ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Watch The Watchmen To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 2:40 AM http://blackplush. blogspot. com Watchmen is big and gorgeous with plenty to say and the misanthropic chutzpa to say it. Rarely has such a fully realized alternative future reached fruition on the big screen. I gloried in the opening montage where cherished cultural touchstones were embraced even as they were twisted and perverted. I howled inside when Alfred Eisenstaedt' s famous V-J Day in Times Square photograph was subverted by the sailor being replaced by the super butch super heroine Silhouette (Apollonia Vanova). The use of such hoary but hilarious devices as the ersatz but dead nuts on John McLaughlin Group (featuring a faux Elenor Clift and a fake ass Pat Buchanan) to advance story and provide context is inspired. Every frame of the movie is chocked full of information (if ever a movie would reward frequent viewing, Watchmen is it). Watchmen is the movie The Dark Knight is reputed to be. While The Dark Knight is just a big fat comic book, Watchmen is true to its lineage as the first graphic novel to win the Hugo award. And while I loved it, that is not necessarily a good thing. A real movie about real guys in tights, Watchmen doesn't show any inclination to don super suits. Which is kind of a problem, this being a superhero movie and the first rule of Superhero Club is to dispense with the exposition and cut to the chase. Not only does Watchmen violate that rule, it trammels it, exposition leaking out of every sweaty, blood soaked pore. Built on the simplest and most sturdy of narrative chassis, Watchmen opens with a splashy murder and then follows a sad sack detective - Jackie Earle Haley in fedora and rumpled trench coat - on a lonely but relentless search for the truth and justice (if not the American Way). Haley is a revelation as Rorschach the human ink blot. He inhabits his deeply flawed, psychologically damaged but relentlessly moral avenger with a steely humanity that is often thrilling. His one man against many stance while incarcerated is an exhilarating set piece. His mission statement: I am not in prison with them; they are in prison with ME! is tattooed on my consciousness. In many ways Haley's performance is as impressive as Health Ledger's turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight. Equally impressive is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian and Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan. The blue-skinned Dr. Manhattan is a marvelous construct and Morgan's sweaty, hormone oozing, cigar chomping, pure id performance as an opportunistic soldier of fortune with a heart of lead is the messy glue that holds this dystopian narrative together. The duplicity and complicity of Morgan's character both informs and illuminates. His and Dr. Manhattan's jingoistic stomp through the killing fields of Viet Nam won my heart and my mind. At its core, Watchmen is a Superman movie where Lex Luthor (Matthew Goode as Ozymandias, the smartest human on earth) wins. It also takes the notion of the all powerful superhuman to its inevitable conclusion. And, frankly, it's more than a little disconcerting.
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight
Truth all the way in that, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:59:19 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I will agree with that. They told Elba that the audience just wouldn't get his British accent. I agree that is ridiculous, and shows how American TV continually dumbs itself down. But still, Elba was fun, despite that handicap. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 8:01:56 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight If anything, I'm marking this as *another* reason I'm never watching The Office. Why *not* let him use his *native* British accent? on two of the eight jobs I've had in my life, I've had a British supervisor. It's not an odd occurrence. But then, NBC is the outfit that owns Skiffy. Dangit! I'm going to have to find another derogatory nickname for them, with that name change. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:16:17 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com This ought to be interesting. If you get time, listen to Elba's interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It's pretty long, about forty-five minutes, and quite informative. For example, Elba really wanted to have his native London accent in The Office, since he's so often asked to have an American accent in his work. The showrunners at first said yes, but later changed their minds, to his disappointment. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101780271 Fresh Air from WHYY , March 12, 2009 · Actor Idris Elba is best known for his stint on HBO's acclaimed drama The Wire , where he played Russell Stringer Bell, a drug dealer and aspiring real-estate mogul. Although Stringer never made it in the corporate world, Elba will soon be donning a suit: Starting next week, he'll play Michael Scott's new boss in NBC's popular prime-time comedy The Office . The trade journal Variety reported in January that he'll be with the show for a six-episode arc, playing a no-nonsense hire at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office who will throw Michael Scott into turmoil. Elba, 36, was with The Wire from 2002 to 2004. He's also appeared in many movies, including American Gangster , 28 Weeks Later , and Sometimes In April . He's also a DJ and a singer. The London-born actor stars in the thriller The Obsessed , due out later this year. He talks to Fresh Air 's Terry Gross about his work in music and movies, and about life after The Wire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight
LMNAO @ the truth! -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:05:31 -0400 From : Daryle Lockhart dar...@darylelockhart.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com It's early, so I'll forgive you guys for not making the connection. George Lucas has taught us that british accent = authority. Black + Male + Authority + NBC show = does not compute. On Mar 20, 2009, at 8:01 AM, Martin Baxter wrote: If anything, I'm marking this as *another* reason I'm never watching The Office. Why *not* let him use his *native* British accent? on two of the eight jobs I've had in my life, I've had a British supervisor. It's not an odd occurrence. But then, NBC is the outfit that owns Skiffy. Dangit! I'm going to have to find another derogatory nickname for them, with that name change. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:16:17 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com This ought to be interesting. If you get time, listen to Elba's interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It's pretty long, about forty-five minutes, and quite informative. For example, Elba really wanted to have his native London accent in The Office, since he's so often asked to have an American accent in his work. The showrunners at first said yes, but later changed their minds, to his disappointment. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101780271 Fresh Air from WHYY , March 12, 2009 · Actor Idris Elba is best known for his stint on HBO's acclaimed drama The Wire , where he played Russell Stringer Bell, a drug dealer and aspiring real- estate mogul. Although Stringer never made it in the corporate world, Elba will soon be donning a suit: Starting next week, he'll play Michael Scott's new boss in NBC's popular prime-time comedy The Office . The trade journal Variety reported in January that he'll be with the show for a six-episode arc, playing a no-nonsense hire at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office who will throw Michael Scott into turmoil. Elba, 36, was with The Wire from 2002 to 2004. He's also appeared in many movies, including American Gangster , 28 Weeks Later , and Sometimes In April . He's also a DJ and a singer. The London-born actor stars in the thriller The Obsessed , due out later this year. He talks to Fresh Air 's Terry Gross about his work in music and movies, and about life after The Wire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight
Yeah, it explains why many shows --The Office itself being an example--have to be remade instead of simply ported directly from Britain. I remember getting into discussions with friends who always told me Monty Python was stupid and extremely unfunny, but who'd then extol the virtues of Benny Hill! Slapstick trumping wit, alas... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:27:41 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Truth all the way in that, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:59:19 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I will agree with that. They told Elba that the audience just wouldn't get his British accent. I agree that is ridiculous, and shows how American TV continually dumbs itself down. But still, Elba was fun, despite that handicap. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 8:01:56 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight If anything, I'm marking this as *another* reason I'm never watching The Office. Why *not* let him use his *native* British accent? on two of the eight jobs I've had in my life, I've had a British supervisor. It's not an odd occurrence. But then, NBC is the outfit that owns Skiffy. Dangit! I'm going to have to find another derogatory nickname for them, with that name change. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Actor Idris Elba Starts Run on The Office Tonight Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:16:17 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com This ought to be interesting. If you get time, listen to Elba's interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It's pretty long, about forty-five minutes, and quite informative. For example, Elba really wanted to have his native London accent in The Office, since he's so often asked to have an American accent in his work. The showrunners at first said yes, but later changed their minds, to his disappointment. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101780271 Fresh Air from WHYY , March 12, 2009 · Actor Idris Elba is best known for his stint on HBO's acclaimed drama The Wire , where he played Russell Stringer Bell, a drug dealer and aspiring real-estate mogul. Although Stringer never made it in the corporate world, Elba will soon be donning a suit: Starting next week, he'll play Michael Scott's new boss in NBC's popular prime-time comedy The Office . The trade journal Variety reported in January that he'll be with the show for a six-episode arc, playing a no-nonsense hire at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office who will throw Michael Scott into turmoil. Elba, 36, was with The Wire from 2002 to 2004. He's also appeared in many movies, including American Gangster , 28 Weeks Later , and Sometimes In April . He's also a DJ and a singer. The London-born actor stars in the thriller The Obsessed , due out later this year. He talks to Fresh Air 's Terry Gross about his work in music and movies, and about life after The Wire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Re: Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee
Nauseated, personally... 8-O -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Re: Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:31:49 - From : ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com umm...YOU've seen a THREE foot BLUE one? Up close and personal? Scared of you! ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Justin Mohareb wrote: I guess they just assumed everyone in the audience would have seen one before. Justin On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 8:17 AM, ravenadal wrote: I thought the most disconcerting thing I would see this year was Tom Cruise playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg with one hand and one eye (which he kept popping in and out) but boy was I wrong! What's up with Dr. Manhattan and his magical/digital wee-wee? Geez Louise! I don't wanna see that thang - especially when he's the Incredible 50 Foot Tall Naked Blue Super Hero. And, as long as I am on this rant, why did Dr. Manhattan wear a (digital?) diaper sometimes while (most) other times he was in his full magical/digital glory? Perhaps I am just suffering from blue penis envy (especially when the good doctor is 50 feet tall) but why oh why was that thing waving like cyan waves of grain? ~(no)rave! -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy.livejournal.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net?
Again true, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:58:01 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, they show silent films every Sunday night/Monday morning starting at midnight. I saw Metropolis a few months ago. I understand there are actually a couple different versions of that film, not sure if what I saw was closest to the director's cut. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and a host of other silent stars have been showcased on TCMs late night show. It's great stuff, but my only complain is the wisdom of showing silent films primarily late night on Sunday. Not only do many people miss it because they have to get up Monday to go to work, but it's a bit hard to watch a film where one *has* to focus on reading the screen that late at night. Silent films are all visual cues and clues, and I'm often too tired to give them the attention they deserve at that time. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 7:57:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Only about a third of it, I'm afraid. The meds kicked in about then and kicked me right off the cliff into Nod. If memory serves, TCM's had it submitted for cleanup and remastering, because that's one of only a dozen prints left of the movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:54:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Didja by chance catch Nosferatu late Sunday night on TCM? I'm not sure if that was a remastered copy, though I seem to remember it was. It still looked old too, though I wonder, how easy is it to remove all the video scratches and noise from a film, even with advanced digital processing? Still a great film, and makes me wish all the more that Hollywood gets back to the old concept of the vampyr as a frightening, repulsive beast, and give this romantic, angst-filled hunk angle a rest for a while. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:16:51 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Lavender, they would almost certainly have to remaster a few. A few nights ago, I watched Lost Horizon on TCM, and their copy, digitally remastered and barely a few years old, is already showing signs of wear. And, right now, I'm watching an oldie called Drums from 1938, which appears to have been freshly redone. Not sure if they could resist the lure. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:25:09 -0400 From : Rouge To : It would appear to do something of that type of undertaking would take years to do. Would they for example do original episodes that are in black and white or the ones that were digital re mastered? --Lavender From: Tracey de Morsella Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:43 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com ; cinque3...@verizon.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? 17 March 2009 2:35 AM, PDT The founder of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website has envisaged a time when all of the 1.3 million titles indexed on the site -- movies and TV shows -- can be streamed to its users with the click of a mouse. As reported by CNET News, Col Needham, in a speech delivered to the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX, acknowledged that the task will be formidable (and in some instances impossible, since prints of some of the films listed on the website no longer exist). Developing a relationship with rights owners also could prove to be challenging, he said, but it has already begun, with IMDb currently providing access to 14,000 TV episodes and about 2,000 movies, as well as 120,000 videos including trailers, interviews and featurettes. People may lie, but the evidence rarely does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee
Neither have I seen a six foot tall breast before. Yet I managed to keep from freaking out at either. Justin On 3/20/09, ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com wrote: umm...YOU've seen a THREE foot BLUE one? Up close and personal? Scared of you! ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com, Justin Mohareb justinmoha...@... wrote: I guess they just assumed everyone in the audience would have seen one before. Justin On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 8:17 AM, ravenadal ravena...@... wrote: I thought the most disconcerting thing I would see this year was Tom Cruise playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg with one hand and one eye (which he kept popping in and out) but boy was I wrong! What's up with Dr. Manhattan and his magical/digital wee-wee? Geez Louise! I don't wanna see that thang - especially when he's the Incredible 50 Foot Tall Naked Blue Super Hero. And, as long as I am on this rant, why did Dr. Manhattan wear a (digital?) diaper sometimes while (most) other times he was in his full magical/digital glory? Perhaps I am just suffering from blue penis envy (especially when the good doctor is 50 feet tall) but why oh why was that thing waving like cyan waves of grain? ~(no)rave! -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy.livejournal.com -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy.livejournal.com
Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net?
Yeah, Nosferatu, for example, is very dim in quality in many places. Most wild is the use of a bluish background to differentiate night from day, since I guess they couldn't actually film in darkness way back then. So it really makes you focus on every little detail of the screen, and that's hard to do at 1 am. I love TCM, especially when they show those race movies from the 20s and 30s, featuring all-black casts. Those are great. And I love when they break out the decades-old cartoons as well. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:29:46 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Again true, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:58:01 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, they show silent films every Sunday night/Monday morning starting at midnight. I saw Metropolis a few months ago. I understand there are actually a couple different versions of that film, not sure if what I saw was closest to the director's cut. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and a host of other silent stars have been showcased on TCMs late night show. It's great stuff, but my only complain is the wisdom of showing silent films primarily late night on Sunday. Not only do many people miss it because they have to get up Monday to go to work, but it's a bit hard to watch a film where one *has* to focus on reading the screen that late at night. Silent films are all visual cues and clues, and I'm often too tired to give them the attention they deserve at that time. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 7:57:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Only about a third of it, I'm afraid. The meds kicked in about then and kicked me right off the cliff into Nod. If memory serves, TCM's had it submitted for cleanup and remastering, because that's one of only a dozen prints left of the movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:54:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Didja by chance catch Nosferatu late Sunday night on TCM? I'm not sure if that was a remastered copy, though I seem to remember it was. It still looked old too, though I wonder, how easy is it to remove all the video scratches and noise from a film, even with advanced digital processing? Still a great film, and makes me wish all the more that Hollywood gets back to the old concept of the vampyr as a frightening, repulsive beast, and give this romantic, angst-filled hunk angle a rest for a while. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:16:51 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Lavender, they would almost certainly have to remaster a few. A few nights ago, I watched Lost Horizon on TCM, and their copy, digitally remastered and barely a few years old, is already showing signs of wear. And, right now, I'm watching an oldie called Drums from 1938, which appears to have been freshly redone. Not sure if they could resist the lure. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:25:09 -0400 From : Rouge To : It would appear to do something of that type of undertaking would take years to do. Would they for example do original episodes that are in black and white or the ones that were digital re mastered? --Lavender From: Tracey de Morsella Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:43 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com ; cinque3...@verizon.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? 17 March 2009 2:35 AM, PDT The founder of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website has envisaged a time when all of the 1.3 million titles indexed on the site -- movies and TV shows -- can be streamed to its users with the click of a mouse. As reported by CNET News, Col Needham, in a speech delivered to the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX, acknowledged that the task will be formidable (and in some instances impossible, since prints of some of the films listed on the website no longer exist). Developing a relationship with rights owners also could prove to be challenging, he said, but it has already begun, with IMDb currently providing access to 14,000 TV episodes and about 2,000 movies, as well as 120,000 videos including trailers, interviews and
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee
What about in Attack of the 50-Foot Woman? Or how about that super-villain in Justice League who grows to colossal size, or the late Janet van Dyne of the Avengers, who had the ability to grow large in addition to wasp-size? - Original Message - From: Justin Mohareb justinmoha...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 1:23:39 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Dr. Manhattan and his magical (digital) blue wee-wee Neither have I seen a six foot tall breast before. Yet I managed to keep from freaking out at either. Justin On 3/20/09, ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com wrote: umm...YOU've seen a THREE foot BLUE one? Up close and personal? Scared of you! ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Justin Mohareb justinmoha...@... wrote: I guess they just assumed everyone in the audience would have seen one before. Justin On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 8:17 AM, ravenadal ravena...@... wrote: I thought the most disconcerting thing I would see this year was Tom Cruise playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg with one hand and one eye (which he kept popping in and out) but boy was I wrong! What's up with Dr. Manhattan and his magical/digital wee-wee? Geez Louise! I don't wanna see that thang - especially when he's the Incredible 50 Foot Tall Naked Blue Super Hero. And, as long as I am on this rant, why did Dr. Manhattan wear a (digital?) diaper sometimes while (most) other times he was in his full magical/digital glory? Perhaps I am just suffering from blue penis envy (especially when the good doctor is 50 feet tall) but why oh why was that thing waving like cyan waves of grain? ~(no)rave! -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy.livejournal.com -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy.livejournal.com
Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net?
They just don't do enough of the cartoons for me, Keith. Before I ran out this afternoon, I re-sent myself notifications for the Chuck Jones-fest this coming Tuesday. It's been a long time since I last saw Haredevil Hare and, even though I already have What's Opera, Doc? on my HD, there's nothing like standing in front of my set, crowing, KILL THE WABBIT! KILL THE WAAABBT! Martin (Yo-ho-to-OH!) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:33:14 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, Nosferatu, for example, is very dim in quality in many places. Most wild is the use of a bluish background to differentiate night from day, since I guess they couldn't actually film in darkness way back then. So it really makes you focus on every little detail of the screen, and that's hard to do at 1 am. I love TCM, especially when they show those race movies from the 20s and 30s, featuring all-black casts. Those are great. And I love when they break out the decades-old cartoons as well. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:29:46 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Again true, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:58:01 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, they show silent films every Sunday night/Monday morning starting at midnight. I saw Metropolis a few months ago. I understand there are actually a couple different versions of that film, not sure if what I saw was closest to the director's cut. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and a host of other silent stars have been showcased on TCMs late night show. It's great stuff, but my only complain is the wisdom of showing silent films primarily late night on Sunday. Not only do many people miss it because they have to get up Monday to go to work, but it's a bit hard to watch a film where one *has* to focus on reading the screen that late at night. Silent films are all visual cues and clues, and I'm often too tired to give them the attention they deserve at that time. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 7:57:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Only about a third of it, I'm afraid. The meds kicked in about then and kicked me right off the cliff into Nod. If memory serves, TCM's had it submitted for cleanup and remastering, because that's one of only a dozen prints left of the movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:54:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Didja by chance catch Nosferatu late Sunday night on TCM? I'm not sure if that was a remastered copy, though I seem to remember it was. It still looked old too, though I wonder, how easy is it to remove all the video scratches and noise from a film, even with advanced digital processing? Still a great film, and makes me wish all the more that Hollywood gets back to the old concept of the vampyr as a frightening, repulsive beast, and give this romantic, angst-filled hunk angle a rest for a while. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:16:51 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Lavender, they would almost certainly have to remaster a few. A few nights ago, I watched Lost Horizon on TCM, and their copy, digitally remastered and barely a few years old, is already showing signs of wear. And, right now, I'm watching an oldie called Drums from 1938, which appears to have been freshly redone. Not sure if they could resist the lure. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:25:09 -0400 From : Rouge To : It would appear to do something of that type of undertaking would take years to do. Would they for example do original episodes that are in black and white or the ones that were digital re mastered? --Lavender From: Tracey de Morsella Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:43 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com ; cinque3...@verizon.net Subject: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? 17 March 2009 2:35 AM, PDT The founder of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website has envisaged a time when all of the 1.3 million titles indexed on the site -- movies
[scifinoir2] Re: Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net?
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter truthseeker...@... wrote: Only about a third of it, I'm afraid. The meds kicked in about then and kicked me right off the cliff into Nod. If memory serves, TCM's had it submitted for cleanup and remastering, because that's one of only a dozen prints left of the movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:54:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Didja by chance catch Nosferatu late Sunday night on TCM? I'm not sure if that was a remastered copy, though I seem to remember it was. It still looked old too, though I wonder, how easy is it to remove all the video scratches and noise from a film, even with advanced digital processing? Still a great film, and makes me wish all the more that Hollywood gets back to the old concept of the vampyr as a frightening, repulsive beast, and give this romantic, angst-filled hunk angle a rest for a while. Hollywood might not, but if you search other countries still put out the ocassional very good vampire film. I recently saw the foreign film, Let the Right One In It doesn't have the high budget of most Hollywood films, but it handles vampires right. None of that Twilight pablum that got all the media buzz. This film slipped through the cracks, but it is a superior vampire movie in every way. Should be out on DVD as I write this. People may lie, but the evidence rarely does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Knowing
Just watchec a sneak preview of the new Nicholas Cage film, Knowing. It is a SF disaster movie for all intents and purposes, but somewhere along the 3/4 mark, I started to get a very strange sense of deja vu about where the filmmakers where going with it. To go any further before the movie officially opens would have to include spoilers, but I encourage everyone to catch a matinee, and then discuss how this movie went so wrong (at least from my perspective).
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] OT: Talk Show Host Criticizes McCain's Weight Along with Her Views
Amen, brother! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:09:26 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] OT: Talk Show Host Criticizes McCain's Weight Along with Her Views So pathetic that it surpasses the bans. If I were a religious person, I'd be on my knees, praying for Ingraham. Funny thing? She probably *is* a regular church-goer. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] OT: Talk Show Host Criticizes McCain's Weight Along with Her Views Date : Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:27:47 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Wow, it just keeps coming. So this lady disagrees with McCain, and instead of a rebuttal, decides to attack her weight? But then, what do you expect from the folks who brought the he's a Muslim attacks against Obama, or who elevated the likes of Joe the Plumber to torture us on the telly every day? I really believe one of the biggest problems nowadays is the out-of-proportion weight given to anyone with a mic or TV show who can bluster unceasingly about anything that ticks them off. I've often railed about how even the supposedly professional outfits like CNN are now populated with so-called pundits who seem more intent on expressing an opinion and getting exposure than actually analyzing and intelligently debating the issues. So much nowadays is grandstanding, yelling, insulting, defaming. Broken record here, i know, but again, this is why I watch the Jim Lehrer News Hour, listen to Bill Moyers' Report, and watch Charlie Rose. At least there's no name calling and fist pounding on their shows. This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic and disturbing. I'd like to dismiss this as just the rantings of a lady I *never* listen to, but it's people like her who unfortunately are feeding and feeding off the minds of so many angry Americans nowadays... http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/a-conservative-pundits-plus-size-remark/ Criticizing a woman’s weight is one of the “last frontiers of socially-acceptable prejudice,” says Meghan McCain, the daughter of Senator John McCain. Ms. McCain, who calls herself a progressive Republican, was responding to remarks by conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. It all started when Ms. McCain, 24, criticized Republican pundit Ann Coulter for her extreme views in an online column and an interview with talk show host Rachel Maddow . That enraged Ms. Ingraham, who responded on her radio show by mimicking Ms. McCain, using a caustic “Valley girl” voice. (The blog ThinkProgress has the audio .) Among her remarks: O.K., I was really hoping that I was going to get that role in “The Real World,” but then I realized that, well, they don’t like plus-sized models. Ms. McCain, who would be considered normal weight by most standards, responded in The Daily Beast with a highly personal column called “The Politics of Weight .” I have been teased about my weight and body figure since I was in middle school, and I decided a very long time ago to embrace what God gave me and live my life positively…. I am a size 8 and fluctuated up to a size 10 during the campaign. It’s ridiculous even to have this conversation because I am not overweight in the least and have a natural body weight. But even if I were overweight, it would be ridiculous. I expected substantive criticism from conservative pundits for my views…. My intent was to generate discussion about the current problems facing the Republican Party. Unfortunately, even though Ingraham is more than 20 years older than I and has been a political pundit for longer, almost, than I have been alive, she responded in a form that was embarrassing to herself and to any woman listening to her radio program who was not a size 0. In today’s society this is, unfortunately, predictable. Everyone from Jessica Simpson to Tyra Banks, Oprah and Hillary Clinton has fallen victim to this type of image-oriented bullying. Recent pictures of Pierce Brosnan’s wife, Keely Shaye Smith, on the beach in her bikini raised criticism about her weight and choice of bathing suit — as if the woman should be wearing a giant muumuu to swim in the ocean. After Kelly Clarkson’s recent appearance on “American Idol,” the first commentary I read on the Internet was about her weight gain instead of her singing. My weight was consistently criticized throughout the campaign. Once someone even suggested I go to a plastic surgeon for liposuction. Afterward, I blogged about loving my body and suggested critics focus their insecurities about women’s bodies elsewhere. On the other side, my mother was constantly slammed for being too skinny, so the weight obsession of the media and our culture goes both
[scifinoir2] Re: Knowing
Hey James: Welcome to the list. Aren't all Cage Scifi Movies Disaster's lately. I'm so disappointed. The wig doers not help his cause either. Sorry... I'm just being catty. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, James Nelson Smith goldenboy...@... wrote: Just watchec a sneak preview of the new Nicholas Cage film, Knowing. It is a SF disaster movie for all intents and purposes, but somewhere along the 3/4 mark, I started to get a very strange sense of deja vu about where the filmmakers where going with it. To go any further before the movie officially opens would have to include spoilers, but I encourage everyone to catch a matinee, and then discuss how this movie went so wrong (at least from my perspective).
[RE][scifinoir2] Re: Knowing
James, I welcome you to the group as well. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Re: Knowing Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:47:58 - From : tdemorsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Hey James: Welcome to the list. Aren't all Cage Scifi Movies Disaster's lately. I'm so disappointed. The wig doers not help his cause either. Sorry... I'm just being catty. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, James Nelson Smith wrote: Just watchec a sneak preview of the new Nicholas Cage film, Knowing. It is a SF disaster movie for all intents and purposes, but somewhere along the 3/4 mark, I started to get a very strange sense of deja vu about where the filmmakers where going with it. To go any further before the movie officially opens would have to include spoilers, but I encourage everyone to catch a matinee, and then discuss how this movie went so wrong (at least from my perspective). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Jack Bauer, and the series 24
James, with thought processes like that, you're going to fit in here like a gladiator at the Coliseum in Rome... And no, I doubt that a Black Jack Bauer would've flown too well in the American mindset. Even though a man of color resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave SW, Blacks, a Black man using that level of violence to achieve his means, even in the name of the greater good, would run into all sorts of visible disfavor. I recall an incident a few years back, involving movie posters for two different movies, one featuring a Black actor (whose name unfortunately escapes me - my memory is showing wear and tear these days, apologies), the other Christian Slater, both holding a gun. The Black actor's poster came under intense criticism, and was eventually pulled and redone, while Slater's still exists to this day. (His movie I remember, Kuffs.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Jack Bauer, and the series 24 Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:40:49 - From : James Nelson Smith goldenboy...@hotmail.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I'm been intending for some time to take this blog thing seriously, but I didn't really want to just throw anything out there for public consumption. I'm of the Harlan Ellison mind that everyone is not entitled to their opinion, they are entitled to their informed opinion. I especially think this is true when it comes to people of color. We truly do need to do more critical thinking. So I'm studying the essay form (something I hated in school, and destested just as much in college) and I'm trying to come up with interesting essay ideas, many about media and culture from a black perspective, and because my major as an undergraduate was film production. While walking around outside it occurred to me that the character of Jack Bauer is really the kind of ideal white guy that white men in particular want to be. Even though the show was progressive enough to portray a black man as president of the U.S. the underlining message was Sure, you made president, but if it weren't for Jack Bauer your administration would fall, and the country would collapse. It's really a more sophisticated version of the Black story told from white viewpoint protagonist's perspective that we generally get from Hollywood aka Last King of Scotland, Amistad, Glory, ad infinitum. I also wonder would Jack Bauer or 24 even been as popular as it is if the character of Jack Bauer had been Black? Just curious if I'm on to something, or if the topic is really worth exploring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Re: Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net?
That it was, James. I'm waiting for Let The Right One In to make it to my Blockbuster. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Re: Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:45:07 - From : James Nelson Smith goldenboy...@hotmail.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter wrote: Only about a third of it, I'm afraid. The meds kicked in about then and kicked me right off the cliff into Nod. If memory serves, TCM's had it submitted for cleanup and remastering, because that's one of only a dozen prints left of the movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:54:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Didja by chance catch Nosferatu late Sunday night on TCM? I'm not sure if that was a remastered copy, though I seem to remember it was. It still looked old too, though I wonder, how easy is it to remove all the video scratches and noise from a film, even with advanced digital processing? Still a great film, and makes me wish all the more that Hollywood gets back to the old concept of the vampyr as a frightening, repulsive beast, and give this romantic, angst-filled hunk angle a rest for a while. Hollywood might not, but if you search other countries still put out the ocassional very good vampire film. I recently saw the foreign film, Let the Right One In It doesn't have the high budget of most Hollywood films, but it handles vampires right. None of that Twilight pablum that got all the media buzz. This film slipped through the cracks, but it is a superior vampire movie in every way. Should be out on DVD as I write this. People may lie, but the evidence rarely does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net?
Yeah, one of the best 'toons ever, that operatic one is! I love the cartoons from waaay back. The old black-and-white ones with very sharp looks and characters you never see anymore. A couple of years ago they did a Christmas themed show, and one of the toons dealt with the standard objects-coming-to-life them. The host of the program had to warn viewers that some of the scenes might be offensive. That was because there were some black characters named Sambo as part of the group. Still, great toon. I'd really like to own all those old 'toons. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 3:22:20 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? They just don't do enough of the cartoons for me, Keith. Before I ran out this afternoon, I re-sent myself notifications for the Chuck Jones-fest this coming Tuesday. It's been a long time since I last saw Haredevil Hare and, even though I already have What's Opera, Doc? on my HD, there's nothing like standing in front of my set, crowing, KILL THE WABBIT! KILL THE WAAABBT! Martin (Yo-ho-to-OH!) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:33:14 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, Nosferatu, for example, is very dim in quality in many places. Most wild is the use of a bluish background to differentiate night from day, since I guess they couldn't actually film in darkness way back then. So it really makes you focus on every little detail of the screen, and that's hard to do at 1 am. I love TCM, especially when they show those race movies from the 20s and 30s, featuring all-black casts. Those are great. And I love when they break out the decades-old cartoons as well. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:29:46 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Again true, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:58:01 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, they show silent films every Sunday night/Monday morning starting at midnight. I saw Metropolis a few months ago. I understand there are actually a couple different versions of that film, not sure if what I saw was closest to the director's cut. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and a host of other silent stars have been showcased on TCMs late night show. It's great stuff, but my only complain is the wisdom of showing silent films primarily late night on Sunday. Not only do many people miss it because they have to get up Monday to go to work, but it's a bit hard to watch a film where one *has* to focus on reading the screen that late at night. Silent films are all visual cues and clues, and I'm often too tired to give them the attention they deserve at that time. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 7:57:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Only about a third of it, I'm afraid. The meds kicked in about then and kicked me right off the cliff into Nod. If memory serves, TCM's had it submitted for cleanup and remastering, because that's one of only a dozen prints left of the movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Date : Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:54:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Didja by chance catch Nosferatu late Sunday night on TCM? I'm not sure if that was a remastered copy, though I seem to remember it was. It still looked old too, though I wonder, how easy is it to remove all the video scratches and noise from a film, even with advanced digital processing? Still a great film, and makes me wish all the more that Hollywood gets back to the old concept of the vampyr as a frightening, repulsive beast, and give this romantic, angst-filled hunk angle a rest for a while. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:16:51 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Every Movie Ever Made On The 'Net? Lavender, they would almost certainly have to remaster a few. A few nights ago, I watched Lost Horizon on TCM, and their copy, digitally remastered and barely a few years old, is already showing signs of wear. And, right now, I'm watching an oldie called Drums from 1938, which appears to have been freshly redone. Not sure if they could
