"The Godfather II, III"...damn its been getting hot lately. today will be the 3rd day in a row that it will be 37.7° C (100° F). actually the weather is forcasted to be 40° C (104° F) to be exact. most of the nation is going through an early heat wave. i have some outside work that needs to be done but since my a/c doesnt work in my car and my windows aren't tinted, there's no way in hell you're going to be getting me out in this heat during the day.last night i pulled a godfather marathon. i started watching the "godfather II" at 8 pm and finally finished "godfather III" at pretty close to 2 AM. from the moment i watched the opening scene, i was lost in another world and in another time. i soaked up every scene, my senses overwhelmed by the authenticity of it all. everything was perfect, the cinematography, the music. throughout all of the brutality, the godfather still showed so much love and devotion to his family. for a man in such high status, you never saw him cheating on his wife. i respected that. the first 2 godfathers seen back to back is such a powerful movie. the 3rd movie on the other hand was such a huge disappointment, the godfather quickly became a frail old man and grooms his nephew to be his replacement. andy garcia is one of my favorite actors and in most of his films he shows such great intensity. everything else i found a little flat. perhaps its just that the 3rd part takes place during the late 70's, thus losing some of its historical charm. the third part just had too much going on and didnt flow quite as smoothly. the forbidden love between first cousins, corruption in the church banking system. mainly i think it was due to the frailty of the godfather which doomed this movie. no one wants to see the godfather become a sickly old man. one scene i found memorable was when the godfather confessed his sins to a priest and breaks down emotionally. another thing i found memorable is the love for his ex wife and how he never re-married after their divorce. perhaps i like the movie so much because i admire so many of the themes that it conveyed. dedication to one's family, and loyalty. so many memorable scenes, such a powerful movie. have a wonderful day everyone. dear anonymous...dear anonymous,thank you for taking the time in providing a link to the source for the proof of your theory on america's reason to go to war in iraq. for the people out there that wants to read a little bit more about your source i have provided the link below so that everyone can see how biased the site really is. i mean what do you expect from a website that has a caricature of george w. bush holding a barrel of oil. again thank you for your efforts and have a nice day.... NOT! hahaha http://www.oiladdict.com/facts.asp
OilAddict :: oiladdict.com :: addicted to oil :: It
has long been acknowledged that in America the car is king. However,
America's car-orientated and car-dependent lifestyle goes beyond the
culture of fast cars and freeways. In Addicted to Oil, Ian Rutledge
explores the political, economic and social ramifications of the
motorisation of the US economy. He argues that America's dependence on
the car has created a lifestyle leading to oil needs which have heavily
influenced US foreign policy in the modern era. Rutledge traces the
origins of America's addiction throughout the twentieth century and
explains how America's relations with the Middle East were developed
through its quest for energy security. America's motorisation and its
consequent demand for oil at predictable market prices was and
continues to be an important influence on US policy towards Iraq -
especially given the uncertainties relating to what has so far been the
securest source of Middle East oil - Saudi Arabia. Ian Rutledge argues
that the war in Iraq was neither a war for 'freedom' or 'democracy' nor
was it a plot to 'steal Iraq's oil', but rather an attempt to establish
a pliant and dependable oil protectorate in the Middle East which would
underwrite the soaring demand from America's hyper-motorised consumers.
Addicted to Oil is the first book to undertake an in-depth analysis of
the motorisation of US society which explicitly links it to America's
foreign policy adventures, past and present. Addicted to Oil is
essential reading for an understanding of America's international
political priorities and its fraught relations with the Middle East.
"The 40 Year-Old Virgin"...i didnt realize that my last blog was going to start a such political debate. so anonymous hates the USA, big deal. take a number and wait in line like the rest of the world. i don't agree or approve of my governments actions in regards to world events and think that a foreign country should be responsible for governing and ruling itself. as for the US going into iraq only for oil is just rubbish theory. oil prices increased here because of the war and instability in the middle east. the billions of dollars spent on the war so far hasnt gained anything economically here back in the US. i respect your hatred for my country but at least back up your accusations with some facts.bleh! i said i didnt want to get into a political debate. now see what you made me do? hahaha. ok now onto the lighter side of things again. i recently watched "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and thought it was a hilarious movie. andy, the 40 year old virgin, was such a dork in the beginning. u had to kinda feel sorry for the guy cause all he does is stay at home and collect action figures and paint little toy soldiers. sometimes when he feels wild and crazy he'll play his baritone or with his game machine. a night out for him is hanging out with old people and watching "survivor" with them. his co-workers were a pretty weird group of people also. u had the black dude that was a real lady's man. a rocker type dude that was into kinky sex. a normal looking dude from the outside who is still obsessing after an ex gf even after 2 years of breakup. a pair of middle easterners that really cracks me up, especially the old dude who claims he has a new york accent even when speaking with a thick foreign one. the "i know why you're gay" jokes were really dead on and reminds me of when i was back in high school. i really recommend this movie because its just so stupid and doesnt take itself seriously. 2 thumbs up. here is a professional review below. Brian Lowry, Variety Carell plays Andy, an unassuming clerk in an electronic equipment store who gets drawn into a poker game with a trio of his co-workers. As the guys swap sex stories, it becomes painfully evident that Andy doesn't have any of his own, having given up on women after a couple of painful (and painfully funny) early miscues. That's right, as hard as it is to believe, a fellow who collects superhero action figures that fill his apartment and still rides a bike to work has managed to reach 40 without getting laid. So after subjecting Andy to some schoolyard humiliation, his newfound pals -- salesmen David (Paul Rudd) and Jay (Romany Malco) and stock worker Cal (Seth Rogen) -- make it their business to remove the scarlet "V" from Andy's resume. They begin with the easy stuff, coaching Andy on how to pick up "drunk *****es" in bars or prodding him to chat up customers, which leads to Andy's relationship with Trish (Catherine Keener), who runs a "store" that sells people's stuff via eBay. (It's one of several prominent product placements in the movie.) Trish wants to take things slowly, which is just fine by Andy, whose lack of experience has him dreading the moment perhaps more than anticipating it. Written by Carell and producer Judd Apatow, "Virgin" derives much of its humor from the non-virgins trying to lead Andy to the promised land -- three stooges who, each in his own way, are far more dysfunctional than he is. David, for example, hasn't gotten over a girlfriend he's borderline stalking, Jay chronically cheats on his soul-mate, and Cal is a roly-poly goofball full of moronic dating advice. "Be David Caruso in 'Jade,'" he says in one of the better obscure non-sequiturs in recent memory. Following his starring role in NBC's adaptation of "The Office" as well as first-class stints in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (which Apatow produced) and "Bruce Almighty," Carell is established as a possible addition to the ranks of comedy headliners, while pic wisely lightens his burden with an able supporting cast. Beyond the guys, that includes Jane Lynch -- a veteran of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy's "Best in Show"troupe -- as Andy's boss and Elizabeth Banks as another potential conquest who he chats up, with surprising success, using Cal's seduction tips. Although there are a few big sight gags -- highlighted by the hirsute Andy's extremely painful body wax -- most of the comedy comes from the quirky characters and their decidedly unenlightened views regarding sexual conquests. Rudd, the scene-stealing Malco (currently seen in Showtime's "Weeds") and Rogen (a veteran of Apatow's TV shows "Undeclared"and "Freaks and Geeks"are all dead-on, making the most of high school put-downs of the "You know why you're gay?" variety. As with "Wedding Crashers," "Virgin" is occasionally guilty of trying too hard, and there are a few dry spells that probably could have been cured by judicious editing. For all the cleverness displayed here, there's not quite enough gas in the tank to sustain what's nearly a two-hour running time. Still, there's an ample supply of inspired irreverence to amuse a younger audience, and pic closes with a catchy sequence that should stir even a slightly older demo into humming an especially appropriate song from the '80s -- "Just Got Lucky" -- as they head up the aisles. world madness...yesterday i was goofing off online and came across an article about the "killing fields" of cambodia. the khmer rouge thoroughly documented their victims prior to executing them. seeing the faces of the victims touched me in a way i never would have imagined. u could tell how frightened they were by the looks in their eyes. they looked like ordinary people. not soldiers. not troublemakers. just common people who were rounded up because they were educated, a member of the former regime, or related to any of the above. whole families were rounded up to prevent fear of retaliation down the line. women, children, babies. some of the methods used to kill children was like reading something out of the middle ages. to save bullets, children's heads were slammed against a tree. babies were thrown onto bayonnets. adults were killed by bamboo spikes penetrating their skulls, bludgeoned using logs, or gardening hoes. once murdered, they were dumped into mass graves containing hundreds of bodies in each pit. it was estimated that up to 2 million people were killed during the 3 year reign of the khmer rouge from 1976 - 1979. that wasnt such a long time ago. how could such a thing ever been permitted by the world? the topic of genocide has always fascinated me because i can't imagine how a people can kill their own countrymen on such a wide scale. serbia, bosnia, yugoslavia, even now in iraq where u have muslims killing other innocent muslims with suicide bombings. just yesterday terrorists in iraq abducted 24 passengers on a bus, bound them, then shot each in the head. they werent killed because they were soldiers, just innocent people living everyday lives.sigh... so much madness in this world. when will it ever end? "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"...This song was dedicated to Syd Barrett, written and performed by Pink Floyd on the "Wish You Were Here" album in 1975, and is one of my fav songs of all time. I have the original album on vinyl record in addition to the mastered recording album, not to mention the cassette and cd version as well. The album cover poster was hung on my bedroom wall for the longest time. As each passing famous person I know dies, it makes me realize how old that I am getting and leaves me with the feeling of great sadness. - Chol Title: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (part 1) Artist: Pink Floyd Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun. Shine on you crazy diamond. Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky. Shine on you crazy diamond. You were caught on the cross fire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze. Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine! You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon. Shine on you crazy diamond. Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light. Shine on you crazy diamond. Well you wore out your welcome with random precision, rode on the steel breeze. Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine! Syd Barrett....one of my all time fav group is "Pink Floyd" and i discovered a few minutes ago that one of its founding member recently died. late last year i was getting back into my rock mode and downloaded everything i could about Syd Barrett cause i had heard so much about his influence on alot of musicians. i thought his songs were ok but they werent really that special to me but what i found interesting about him was his transformation from a rock star into a very deranged and mentally ill person. i have many pictures of him from the early beginnings of his career when he was a cool looking dude to an old and weird looking old man during the latter stage of his life.i'm sure someone will make a movie about him pretty soon because his life story was very tragic. may you always rock on and finally rest in peace, Syd Barrett. Here's an article about his passing that i found online. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ADVERTISEMENT |
Syd Barrett, the brilliant, erratic catalyst for Floyd's early success, "died peacefully at home" last Friday at 60, according to his brother. The musician had been in ill health for years, battling type 2 diabetes, as well as stomach ulcers.
A singer and guitarist, and originally the band's principal songwriter, Barrett masterminded Pink Floyd's breakthrough album, Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, before being sidelined in the late 1960s by LSD-induced behavioral problems.
In a statement, the surviving members of the seminal band, said they "are naturally very upset and sad" at the news of Barrett's passing. "Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire."
Barrett teamed with bassist Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright to launch Floyd in 1965, deriving the name from two bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
Barrett fronted the band during its initial rise to fame, culminating with the 1967 classic The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which mixed jazz, rock and R&B with psychedelia--a template for the prog-rock sound the band refined in its 1970s heyday--and propelled Floyd to stardom.
But Barrett couldn't enjoy the band's triumphs. He began to suffer from increasingly severe mental problems brought on by his heavy use of LSD and mood-altering drugs, frequently faltering during concerts.
In January 1968, his Floyd mates invited friend and fellow guitarist-vocalist David Gilmour to take over playing Barrett's parts during live shows, but with the understanding that Barrett would continue writing and recording songs.
Ultimately though, as Barrett grew increasingly unpredictable and his musical output dwindled, he was booted from the band. Only one track he wrote, "Jugband Blues," made it onto Floyd's second album, 1968's A Saucerful of Secrets.
With Waters assuming band leadership, Floyd cemented its legendary status with a string of masterpieces, including 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, the 1975 tribute to Barrett, Wish You Were Here, which featured the epic track "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," and 1979's The Wall.
The post-Barrett Pink Floyd sold over 200 million albums and became one of the most mesmerizing live acts in music history. The band, Barrett included, was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
On his Website Tuesdsay, David Bowie recounted how he was influenced by Barrett. "The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the '60s will forever be etched in my mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter. Also...he was the first guy I'd heard to sing pop or rock with a British accent," said Bowie, who recorded a cover of the Barrett-penned Floyd song "See Emily Play" for his 1973 album, Pin Ups.
"I can't tell you how sad I feel...His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."
He was born Roger Keith Barrett, on Jan. 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England, the youngest of five children of a pathologist and his wife. Barrett studied music when he was a boy at the behest of his parents and acquired the nicknam, "Syd" as a nod to a local Cambridge musician named Sid Barrett.
After joining together, Barrett, Waters, Mason and Wright began by playing mainly R&B covers as did their contemporaries in the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who.
Eventually, Barrett and company began to improvise more and incorporate feedback and echoes into their live shows, drawing a passionate following at London's UFO club. The band secured its record deal based on the Barrett composition "Arnold Layne," and he wrote eight tracks on Piper, the most successful being the Top 10 U.K. single "See Emily Play."
After leaving Pink Floyd, Barrett recorded two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, both of which failed commercially. He subsequently exited the music industry altogether and became a recluse, spending the rest of his life living with his mother.
Barrett shocked his former band mates by paying them a surprise visit during recording sessions for Wish You Were Here.
According to Nick Mason's book, Inside Out; A Personal History of Pink Floyd, it was a sad reunion--Barrett had become virtually unrecognizable to the band, having gained weight and shaved his head and eyebrows. Barrett had also taken to randomly brushing his teeth and jumping up and down in place. The sight so upset Waters that he nearly broke down.
"Roger was in tears, I think I was; we were both in tears," Wright once told VH1. "It was very shocking...seven years of no contact and then to walk in while we're actually doing that particular track ["Shine on You Crazy Diamond"]. I don't know--coincidence, karma, fate, who knows? But it was very, very, very powerful."
That image of Barrett was later recalled in a scene in Pink Floyd's The Wall, Alan Parker's 1981 feature, when Bob Geldof also had his eyebrows shaved.
No immediate word on a public memorial, but Barrett's brother Alan tells the British music site NME.com that there will be a private family funeral in the next few days.
“The Island” stars Ewan McGregor as Lincoln Six-Echo, a man who lives in a perfect, yet very strict environment. His utopian world is filled with duties and routines which Lincoln begins to question. How does his perfect world actually operate?
The only real salvation that Lincoln and the people of his controlled world have is a daily lottery where winners are whisked off to the mythical paradise “the island” to live the rest of their lives in freedom. Where is this “island” and what do you do when you get there?
The more questions Lincoln raises the more he begins to doubt his surroundings until he learns that he is in fact living a lie and that he is a clone. Lincoln grabs fellow resident and his friend Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) and they begin to run for their lives. Together they will find out all the secrets that their world hides.
“The Island” is one of those films that the less you know going in the better the experience it will be. The problem with that kind of film is that it’s very hard to market especially when you have a high-profile director like Michael Bay at the helm.
The opening and experiences that Lincoln Six-Echo encounters while still within the utopian society are interesting and really draw you in. Director Michael Bay’s restraint here is actually impressive where we begin to see a story with real substance and he allows his actors to act.
I really enjoyed McGregor and Johansson as the leads in this film and the humanity they bring to their characters. McGregor is one of the most intriguing actors working in Hollywood today and this proves it once again. I can’t imagine what this film would have been like without him. Can you imagine a hack like Colin Farrell in this role? Perish the thought.
The production design and basic plot elements reminded me a lot of the sci-fi classic “Logan’s Run” where the utopian survivors begin to doubt that the outside world is contaminated and that their society is in fact a lie so they must run. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a direct remake but it does house a lot of the same philosophy.
The idea of replacing the whole “dated” nuclear holocaust angle in “Logan’s Run” with this cloning angle is actually very intriguing and seems a perfect way to bring that story into our world and deliver a similar impact it had back in the 1970s.
I was enthralled by “The Island” and started to believe it was the best movie of the summer. For over an hour, I was transfixed to the screen. Then the more the film moved along the more signature Michael Bay shots I started to see. Man stepping from helicopter in slow-mo with blades whizzing above him. A cluttered freeway crash sequence ripped right out of “Bad Boys 2”. And even more explosions and bellowing action stunts that are way, way over the top.
I liked Michael Bay a lot when he was restrained from using his signature stuff and I even believed for a second that he could be a great director if given the right material. But once I started getting hit with Michael Bay mayhem I started to lose touch with the story and the characters. Don’t get me wrong there was also some of the adrenaline junkie stuff I liked but it just seemed tiresome and routine especially the truck sequence.
Surprisingly the product placement in the film didn’t bug me as much as it has been talked about. There are some scenes where I did notice it but for me it wasn’t any worse than it was in “Minority Report”.
I liked “The Island” and a lot of what it had to offer but I think the film should have stuck more with the story and less with the explosions.I just don't know what to do. I feel as if I have to walk on eggshells with Kara. She's one of my best friends, and she says that I get her. But sometimes I really wonder. I can never tell what kind of mood she'll be in. And when I think she's in a good mood, she's not. And then there's me. I never know what I'll say will set her off. I don't try to hurt her, but in some way my words find some way to hurt her or make her mad. I spend my time thinking so hard before I talk to her, that it's hard to talk to her.
Like yesterday for example. I said something to her, just teasing. And she gets upset. And completely hangs up on me. I knew she was upset cause she always says bye and she didn't that time. So, I figured I pissed her off, and she needed some time to calm down. And later she calls me and apologizes for blowing up. She says it was her and not me.
She always says it's her and not me. So, if it's her, then why can't she do something about it. If she's the problema nd not me. Why can't she think before she speaks. I love her, she's one of my best friends. And I want to help her. But I just wonder if her attitude will end up destorying our friendship. I sure hope not. But that's my fear right now.
Not much else to say.
Ashley
| Free Web Polls - Free Hit Counter - Free Blogs Hosting - Free Message Boards - Free Guestbooks - Free Site Search |
| Free Web Polls - Free Hit Counter - Free Blogs Hosting - Free Message Boards - Free Guestbooks - Free Site Search |