Movie Reviews *may have spoilers*

Ladder 49: Quite a downer. Joaquin Phoenix portrays a firefighter in the Baltimore fire department. The movie starts in the present and has flashbacks to the past. We see the guy start out as a rookie (proby), and how he meets his wife and has a family. I won't give away the ending, but it's not upbeat. I was disappointed because I felt like I had seen this movie before, only with some other context. I can't think of which movie it was similar to, but I'm sure it will come to me. Don't bother renting it unless you like Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, or firefighting movies.

The Grudge: Ok, DH didn't want to watch this one, so I watched it alone (with all the lights blazing) on Monday night. Sarah Michelle Gellar is a household aide who goes to work for an American (?) family in Japan. She only takes the case because the regular aide didn't show up for work. There were some scary parts to this movie, similar to effects in the movie "The Ring," but it did not disturb me the way "The Ring" disturbed me. Our dog didn't like the meowing sound coming from the tv. Heh. Although the ultimate crime was somewhat predictable, I still got a good scare from watching this movie. I recommend this movie if you like scary films, but not gory films. It was rated PG-13.

Catwoman: This movie was not nearly as bad as reviews say it was. Yes, there was a little too much computer-animated action, but I liked the idea of the Catwoman finding her inner power. Also, it was about a half-hour too long. See it if you want to see what all the fuss was about.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Jessica Biel starred in this movie from 2003, a remake of the classic 1974 film. I haven't seen the original movie, so I can't compare them. However, R. Lee Ermey steals the show as a psycho sheriff. See it for that alone! This movie was quite gory, including a suicide by gun at the beginning. Alas, what ruined the scariness of this film for me was that I had already seen "Wrong Turn," which basically has the same plot. Watch this if you're interested in that kind of film. (FYI: The "massacre" is an urban myth. Tobe Hooper invented it all on his own. Go check out snopes.com for further info.)

Why don't they just fade into obscurity?

Mary Kay Letourneau and her beau are appearing in a new interview on Entertainment Tonight to discuss their relationship.

I feel sorry for her ex-family, especially her children, who have to revisit all the pain of her indiscretion. Why is it ok to take advantage of a little boy, but it's not ok to take advantage of a little girl?

It's not ok in either case. You'd think that she would just want to fade away into obscurity and start her new life with her man, but instead, the media has to feed on it. The couple must be getting paid for it.

The Oblivious Right

This opinion from the NYT is a wake-up call to those in power. I am not better off now than four years ago, nor do I expect to be better off in 2008.

Get a clue, all you Wag-the-Doggers. People know you are just promoting stupid bills, stupid stalemates, and other stupid policies to take our attention away from real issues.

Check out this poll. Popularity is a bitch.

I know there are no easy answers, but someone needs to stand up and tell the truth for once, instead of being a yes-man, or woman, as the case may be.

The average Joe Schmoe like myself supports both the poor and the rich with our taxes. We rarely get any breaks, with few wage increases or decent jobs. Our economy seems to have become one of service, but someday--sooner rather than later--there won't be anyone who can afford to buy the service.

Censorship is alive and well

Alabama Bill Targets Gay Authors

So this legislator says that this bill will "protect the hearts and souls and minds of our children." Who is going to protect MY heart, soul, and mind from HIS censorship? Thank the gods I don't live in Alabama.

He claims that books by gay authors or about gay cahracters promote a "homosexual agenda." WTF is a "homosexual agenda"? Preventing discrimination? Allowing people who love each other to live their lives the best way they see fit?

If you disallow these books, then let's disallow the Bible, since it's filled with sex and violence while you're at it.

I hate small-minded people.

Earth Day

So today is Earth Day. Earth Day has an "official" site, celebrating Earth Day on the Spring Equinox; there is also this site, which claims it is today. Take your pick. :)

This year is the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, and the theme is "Protect Our Children and Our Future."

Be sure to take the ecological footprint quiz. You'll be shocked. My results state that "IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 5.1 PLANETS." Thank the gods I don't drive an SUV. We should all strive to consume less.

If you care to see what the U.S. government is doing about Earth Day, check this website. Funny, Earth Day comes one day after the narrow passing of the new energy bill allowing oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Ah, but according to the NYT, "The House bill would also extend daylight saving time by two months, to reduce the need for electricity."

Kewl. Maybe my seasonal affective disorder wouldn't be so debilitating.

Star Treatment

Natasha Lyonne does not only have a warrant out for her arrest. A good (now-ex) friend of hers, Michael Rapaport, absolutely slams her as a tenant in the May (I think) issue of Jane magazine.

TV Turn-Off Week

Monday, April 25 through Sunday, May 1 has been designated TV Turn-Off Week.

Read more about here.

Too bad I'm hooked on "Lost" and "Revelations," not to mention I can't get by without my daily dose of the news.

Where Anne Died

60th Anniversary of Liberation of Belsen commemorated. She died only 6 weeks before the camp was liberated, if I recall correctly.

Lest we forget...

Anne Frank the Writer | An Unfinished Story

Speaking of Anne, look at this exhibit from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: Anne Frank the Writer | An Unfinished Story. Check it out, especially the links page. (via amanita)

www.one.org

www.one.org is a new campaign devoted to fighting global AIDS and extreme poverty. Check it out. I added a banner over there in the sidebar to help spread the word.

Sigh

WTF is blogspot doing to my template? It won't put the sidebar in the proper place, even if I choose another template.

SIGH

UPDATE: oopsie. Had something fouled up in one of the entries. All fixed now.

The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank

Peter Van Pels did not survive the concentration camps. Otto Frank was the only one of the 8 people who lived in the Secret Annex who survived. However, a new novel by Ellen Feldman says what if Peter had survived?

Could be an interesting book... I've always wondered about Anne herself. What would her life have been like? I doubt she would have the fame she has today, probably preferring to keep her diary private.

"Lost" Reruns

Over on blogcritics.org, some commenters posted that they are tired of reruns of "Lost." I am, too, but really, it's not that bad. In general, there was one new episode, then two of the previous episodes. That helps hook new viewers, and helps other viewers catch what they might have missed. Every episode holds details that sometimes show up in later episodes. For instance, the key that Jack has been wearing around his neck goes missing in a later episode. The key locks the attaché case that contains the guns the marshal brought with him.

I missed a lot of the Walt & Michael episode when it was first run because a friend of mine called to talk, but I got to see it in its entirety last night. ABC is baiting us, though, because it keeps showing clips from upcoming episodes, but then showing reruns. Sigh. Next week, it's another rerun in which Claire comes back to the camp after being kidnapped.

Stay tuned, loyal viewers. May sweeps are coming.

Revelations

On NBC last night, a new short series titled "Revelations" premiered. It's the story of a Harvard professor whose daughter has just been murdered by a cult leader. Strangely, a nun comes to visit him, saying that there is a girl in Florida, who, although brain dead, is speaking in Latin and writing maps. On the map is a picture of a donkey, and the professor realizes that his daughter used to make that sign on her notes to him. So he goes to check out the girl, and just as he is convinced it's all hocus pocus (she has silver fillings embedded in her medulla as a result of a lightning strike), the girl "dies." He takes her hand, recalling images from his own daughter's funeral, and suddenly, she squeezes it and her heart starts beating again. Meanwhile, a mysterious baby is the only survivor of a ferry accident in the Aegean Sea. It is taken to a Greek Orthodox cathedral where people go to see and touch the baby, hoping for miracles.

Let's just say it will keep me watching for the full six episodes.

I think some of it is hokey, such as the villain whose lord is Satan, and starts to preach his ministry in a maximum-security prison. I like apocalyptic fiction, but this might be too Xtian for my taste. In fact, it has a rather "The Stand"-ish feel to it.

What I find rather amusing are the people who believe that this series is not a work of fiction. Get over yourselves, people.

Blogger tries to defeat blog-spam

Captchas should now keep those nasty spam programs from generating blogs that are nothing but spam. Wahoo!

It's about damn time.

Pharmacists' Right of Refusal

On Metafilter, someone made a post about pharmacists who refuse to sell certain medications to customers, such as the emergency contraception pill or birth control pills.

I read about this issue recently and it's really annoying. First of all, if you are a pharmacist with moral compunction, go into business for yourself, or find a pharmacy chain that agrees with your stupidity. If you go to work for a large corporation, find out the duties for your job and then DO YOUR FUCKING JOB.

You, as a pharmacist, have no right to tell me that I do not need birth control or emergency contraception. Are you telling me that if I were raped by my brother (for instance), I would then be MORALLY OBLIGATED to have whatever child might result? What gives you the right to tell me how to live my life?

In the U.S., we have freedom for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You better bet your sweet bippy that I would stop patronizing your store and tell all my friends to do the same, not to mention write your bosses and the president of the corporation. I would slander your reputation all over the place, and not think twice about it--if you refused to fill my prescription. You tell me what to do; I take away your livelihood. That's fair, right?

If you own your own pharmacy, then go right ahead and don't stock whatever you find morally reprehensible. I won't shop there. Good luck with staying in business.

As far as whether the government should step in and pass a law requiring pharmacists to dispense medication, that is a rather iffy subject. Again, I think it's a corporate issue. Chain stores should have a policy regarding the sale of drugs that some pharmacists might find morally repugnant.

Make the choice with your consumer voice, people. Refuse to shop in pharmacies or at chain stores that refuse to fill prescriptions.

We have a right to control our bodies.

"A Culture of Death, Not Life"

Amen.

No wonder I am depressed all the time. Where is the life worth living? I would definitely agree with the article's author that our culture wallows in death. I especially like this point:

"When those leaders, led by the Bush brothers, wallow in this culture, they do a bait-and-switch and claim to be upholding John Paul's vision of a "culture of life." This has to be one of the biggest shams of all time. Yes, these politicians oppose abortion, but the number of abortions has in fact been going down steadily in America under both Republican and Democratic presidents since 1990 - some 40 percent in all. The same cannot be said of American infant fatalities, AIDS cases and war casualties - all up in the George W. Bush years. Meanwhile, potentially lifesaving phenomena like condom-conscious sex education and federally run stem-cell research are in shackles."

Guide to Rubber Bracelets

In case you want to jump on the trend, here is a link to a site all about rubber bracelets, popularized recently by Lance Armstrong.

March Madness

Even though I don't like sports, I fell into some of the March Madness of the 2005 NCAA basketball tournament. Although my team did not end up winning, I couldn't help but be drawn into the story. I watched (and rooted for) underdog teams as they beat nationally-ranked teams.

There was nothing else on to watch. There was nothing else to get my hopes up for. In the media, Terri Schiavo was dying, the Pope was on deathwatch, Jessica Lunsford had been kidnapped and brutally killed, more soldiers were dying each day in Iraq--all that crap makes you want to just give up, because things never seem to get any better.

But I found something within myself as I watched those sports teams give their all for their dreams of winning a championship: Never give up, never give in without a fight.

The madness of March is now over, but I will use its lessons wisely.

Marketing Mission

I dislike commercials, but I understand what they are for: they sell products. Lately, it seems that big pharmaceutical companies are the only companies advertising all over the airwaves. Products for impotence, high cholesterol, acid reflux disease, depression, adult attention-deficit disorder, social anxiety, allergies, toenail fungus, and rheumatoid arthritis assault us with every commercial break.

It's overwhelming. It makes a consumer think, "Maybe I need this product. Maybe my current blood pressure medication isn't good enough. Maybe I'm not good enough and I need something to help myself. Maybe this product is a magic pill and I will be magically cured." I suppose the companies are trying to get the brand names to the consumer, so that they can ask for it at the doctor's office.

For instance, I went to the site depressionhelp.com, touted by Lorraine Bracco, the actress, and it's nothing but an ad for the depression drug Zoloft. The ad seems to claim that if you go to the website, you will be able to get help for your debilitating depression, but in reality, there is a questionnaire you need to take to your doctor, and then--of course--ask to be put on Zoloft.

These companies are taking advantage of us. The scary part is that nearly every day, another drug gets taken off the market by the FDA because of side effects. I don't understand how these drugs are getting approved in the first place, unless the side effects are not completely studied, or else the FDA is covering its own butt.

Modern medicine is a wonderful advancement, but we need to use a little bit of common sense. Doctors are not infallible, and drug companies certainly aren't. Be aware of all the possible risks when taking medications, and don't go for the latest and greatest drug advertised on tv just because it's a brand-name.

F. Murry Abraham must have been desperate.

I watched the movie "Thir13en Ghosts" last night on the Sci-Fi channel. The movie stars Tony Shalhoub (of "Monk" fame, among other roles) as a math teacher who inherits a fortune and a weird mansion from his estranged uncle Cyrus (F. Murray Abraham). The trouble is that there are 12 ANGRY ghosts trapped in the glass house.

Much mayhem ensues, the most terrifying ghost being the Jackal (at least for me). This guy was creepy too. Here's a pic of all the ghosts together.

This could have been an interesting movie, kind of along the lines of "The Haunting of Hill House"; however, there was too much typical "scientist's dumb daughter" explanation while Shalhoub just looked confused during the telling. Not to mention it tried to be funny while still trying to be scary, which just made most of the funny dialogue seem stupid and out of place.

Of course, whatever nudity there was had been edited out for the tv audience, and the sounds and gore that people complained about in some of the comments at IMDB were not as harsh--although, there was plenty of gore for my taste. I say, thank the gods for commercials! It broke up the scariness for me.

Watch this movie only if you like these kinds of movies.

Death with Dignity???

So, not only did Terri Schiavo die an undignified, media-frenzied death, but now, her parents are going to release a list of donor names to a direct-marketing firm, at least according to the NYT.

Nice. Let's everybody make a buck off of her.

Commentathon for Breast Cancer Awareness

This site is holding a commentathon for breast cancer awareness, to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. He wants to earn $10,000.

Good luck with commenting. His blog denied my gmail address. :( I'll try again, though. It's an important cause.