Just Saying

• If we're going to lose our AAA credit rating anyway and we know it's a fallacy that we can't make our payments, I say don't raise the debt ceiling. Force Obama to cut spending in order to pay the bills each month till we have a balanced budget.

• Seems like the end of the world guy was wrong, according to CNN and MSNBC the world will end Aug 2nd id the debt ceiling isn't raised.

• Did anyone else not know Amy Winehouse was Jewish until her funeral?

• Funny how Obama has taken such a huge interest in the "debt crisis" over the last 4 weeks, I seem to remember posting about it here 4 months ago.

• McDonald's caved to the First Lady's crazy power and is now including apples in their Happy Meals instead of french fries. I guess they should change the name to Pissed Off Kid Meals.

• The Norway shooter/bomber's max jail sentence is 21 years, if we could see into hell right now we'd see Timothy McVeigh jumping up and down saying WTF?

• I saw Captain America today, it was pretty good. Nice to see a pro-America movie. *Spoiler*- At the end Cap superman punches Obama... Wait maybe I fell asleep.

• Republicans always talk about how important "Business Experience" is and how "politics as usual" messes thins up, so how come they are so quick to dismiss Herman Cain as just "some guy that worked in a pizza place"?

• Democrats are funny, when you bring up Reagan they say how much they hate him and everything he did and stood for. Until they want to compare Obama to how great he was. Make up your minds!

Seeing RED

Saw the movie "RED" yesterday, Bruce Willis topped an all star cast including John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. I guess you could describe "RED" as a AARP version of "Expendables", in a good way. The premise was a group of retired CIA operatives who are brought back into the spy game when they are put on a list to be terminated. I'm not gonna give away anymore, you should go see this movie, it was action packed, loads of fun and while the violence was extreme the language was pretty clean (one f-bomb) and no sex or nudity. Safe for your teens, but I'd leave the little ones home.


But this is not a movie review, it's politics people. Back a few post I mentioned how hollywood has been trying to force feminized heroes on us (Scott Pilgrim and the like), "RED" was just more proof that we don't want girly heroes. Bruno is getting close to sixty and he is our go to tough guy. I like "Live Free Die Hard" but the thought that Bruce is signed to do two more is disturbing. Is there really not a MAN under 40 that can be an action star (sorry Michael Cera doesn't count)? We have some prospects, Chris Pine (the new Kirk from "Star Trek") is taking on the role of Jack Ryan handed down from another aging action anchor Harrison Ford.


The feminist movement has destroyed chivalry and ruined true feminism. Not to mention at least two generations of boys. Boys who were drugged by schools when they showed signs of being boys. Dodge ball was deemed unsafe and tag-you're it was halted cause no one should be put on the spot and be called "it". God forbid a boy want a toy gun, what happened to GI Joe? Who is going defend this country if we turn all our boys to girls? Masculine responsibility for the civilization’s survival is replaced by womanish dreams maneuvering for trouble to be wished away. Such peoples no longer know how to defend themselves. They instead argue themselves to impotence.

New Superman's Not Super Or A Man

DC Comics is producing a storyline for the seventy two year old hero called "Earth One". But this is not the Superman you grew up with, this superman is a emo, hooded sweatshirt wearing boy with disheveled hair and a brooding look complete with glowing eyes. It's being said he's the superman for "Twilight" fans. Brought to us by artist Shane Davis and writer J. Michael Straczynski

The stories Straczynski says, were never intended to become stagnant. "They are interpreted and reinterpreted for every generation. I guess DC wanted more young girls reading Superman, next you'll see him sparkling in moonlight or something. Let me be clear, this is only one storyline, stuck in one hardback graphic novel. The cape wearing "Superman" is till out there in other story lines. 


"We wanted to tell a story that's hip, sexy and moody," said DC Comics' co-publisher Dan DiDio. Of course sexier means less imposing. He's shorter, skinnier and obviously less muscular. Basically taking all his manliness away. This superman identifies with America because he was raised here, but he doesn't stand for the "American Way" that would give an unfair advantage that could lead to war! The low-rise, skinny jean wearing "hero" is more of a worldly type. In a world were Michael Cera's "Scott Pilgrim" is some kind of nerd hero, I guess this version of superman fits right in. But think about movies that won big in the last year or so, "Gran Torino" saw Clint Eastwood even in his golden years acting the tough guy role. Not to mention the actionfest that is Sylvester Stallone's "Expendables", it seems America wants more from it's heroes not less.  

...And The New Batman Movie Title Is?

"The Dark Night Rises"... OK so not mind blowing, but it's growing on me already and I just learned it ten minutes ago, from the LA Times. I do appreciate putting some thought into the titles, it's better than Batman 3 or "Batman Forever". Chris Nolan has done great things for the Batman franchise, and I have high hopes for what will no doubtingly be Christian Bale's last time dawning the cape and cowl. Other news in the article was Nolan putting the squash on "The Riddler" being the big bad for the movie. Last week Nolan was started the search for a female lead, obviously Bats is gonna need a new love interest and the rumor is she'll have claws.

In Supernews Zack Snyder has been talking about not having a centralized villain at all in the new "Man of Steel" movie. I'm not sure how that will play out with the fanboys, but that would mean you would get some good Supes does in some good old fashioned bad guys. While you could probably go that route with Batman as well, coming off of the late Heath Ledger's "Joker", Batman is gonna need one hell of a fight to have the third measure up to the Second.

One last thing, because you didn't feel sick enough hearing the news that George Lucas is going to re-release all 6 "Star Wars" movies in 3D, he has also announced the next "Indiana Jones" flick will also require the stupid glasses. Sorry to wreck your day...

Iron Man 2 & America

When Iron Man 2  hit theaters I was in Israel and though there was a theater in Jerusalem I didn't have the money to waste on movies. Shortly after I got back the cheap "$1" theater near my house got Iron Man 2 and finally saw it. Jump to a few weeks ago when I was visiting with friends for another friend's wedding and we popped Iron Man 2 into his BluRay player.

Overall it was a good movie, almost as good as the first and that's a tough thing for sequels. Like the first there were many scenes that went from science to science fiction and that I don't mind. It's a movie after all and if you can't let the mind wander into fantasy at the movies then it's probably not a great movie. The acting was good, RDJr. has really made an amazing comeback from the drug addled days of his youth and emerged as a captivating and enjoyable presence at the movies. The surrounding cast also does well, I am not a fan of Gwenneth Paltrow, I usually don't see movies she's in and when I do I'm not happy, this is the exception that proves the rule. Don Cheadle was a good replacement for Terrance Howard, Rourke makes for a good villain even with the dumb accent though Sam Rockwell was mediocre at best. He hasn't done a good movie since HGTTG.

There is one part that got me thinking and here comes the tie into politics. Early in the movie Tony Stark is brought before a congressional committee and is told to turn over his property to the government, and in today's America that doesn't seem to far off. A couple of post back I touched on scandal during hurricane katrina where police and military were going door to door and collecting legally owned firearms from the good people of Louisiana. Then there is the Obama Administration which continually brings up mandatory govt service.

Much like Tony Stark said no and one of my post a couple back, we to have to say no! No to the suspension of the 2nd Amendment when the wind blows and no to the Obama Admin's call for mandatory service. Most of all we need to say NO to the govt takeover of all the different private industries in our great nation. The lesson we can take away from Iron Man is that the answers to our biggest problems lie in the people, not the government. To borrow a line from the Iron Man movie; That's how dad did it and that's how America does it!

Who's the "S"?

I don't know if you are all aware, but I am a huge Superman fan. From the comics, cartoons, TV, movies and even books. Superman has been merged with American culture over the last fifty plus years. Becoming the basis for books, music and even terminology. Everyone's heard some sort of reference and who hasn't tied a towel around their neck and zipped around their house pretending to fly.

We know now that Zack Snyder is helming the newest Superman movie, but the question on my mind and I bet many others is who is going th play the Man of Steel? With movies like Sucker Punch, Watchmen, 300 and Dawn of the  Dead  under his belt I think The Man OF Steel (tentative title) has a lot of promise. I am linking all the potential names to a picture so you can get an idea of how they would fit in the tights, of course one of them is actually in them so no imagination necessary. 


Who has the stuff to play Superman? The Christopher Reeves standard was set at six foot four, blue eyes and somewhere in the two hundred and twenty pound range. Now I know that is a small window for the guys but to play a larger than life character like Superman you are going to have to be a big guy. The rumor mill is alive and well with names like Armie Hammer, the return of Brandon Routh, the Smallville lead Tom Welling and even Mad Men star Jon Hamm  (who has officially squashed the rumor by the way). While any of these guys minus Hamm, too short, could fill the red boots with ease, Routh and Welling are a longshot if any at all, Armie has the best shot of this bunch.


Let me throw some other names in the hat, these two have the chops and the fit that I think would be great for Supes. 


First everytime I see Jared Padaleki on Supernatural I think get that kid a haircut and he would be a great Superman. Second is Chuck star Zachary Levi. I know they do a good job of making Zach look like a nerd for his role but if you have seen the show recently you know Zach can turn on the action when he needs it. While Zach will need some contacts for the blue eyes, they both meet the Reeves standard and has proved their acting range on their respective shows, I've seen them funny, serious, thrilling and stoic. 


This may seem like overkill to the not so interested, but to the fans whoever wears the yellow, red and blue is a big deal. Think about this, for a short while years ago Nicholas Cage was on the top of the superman list, WTH?


Just in case you haven't seen 300, here you go, enjoy...

Back To The Caprican Future?

So Back To The Future, one of my favorite moves, is twenty five years old and the new anniversary edition has footage of Eric Stolz (Caprica) in his five week run as Marty McFly. I knew Eric was the first choice but I had no clue there was film. Robert Zemeckis shot the five weeks with Stolz, but wasn't getting the laughs he wanted. He showed the footage to Spielberg and they decided to take the chance on a different lead actor. That was of course Michael J. Fox. Take a look at the Stolz McFly;



When the trilogy first came out on DVD I bought it. Everyone needs to see these movies. You can imagine how peeved I was when someone stole my copy. But I replaced it fast and watch them religiously. The only movie I watch more is Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I can't imagine what the movies would have been like with Stolz in the lead. If it truly wasn't funny then maybe it wouldn't have garnered such a huge following and who know what kind of cosmic changes that would lead to? I wouldn't want to live in a world without BTTF!



One of the highlights of the new Piranha 3D movie is Christopher Lloyd as the scientist who has all the answers about the evil fish. He's aged a bit but is still awesome. Also if you want I am gonna link this post to the Fox Foundation for research into Parkinson's Disease. http://www.michaeljfox.org/

Movie (and More Movies) Reviews

I saw a flurry of movies in the last couple days, five to be exact and I wanted to touch on a few things. Overall, they were all good, in their own ways, but some thing stood out and this is as good as any a place to talk it out.

First off the throw aways, "Vampires Suck" and "Piranha 3D". Now I know throw aways sounds bad, but I just mean they were exactly what you should be expecting. In the parody version of "Twilight" Vampires was as cheese packed as it could be and in the days of parodies like "Epic Movie" and "Scary Movie" it was exactly what you'd expect it to be. The acting was par and the jokes keep you awake, and that's pretty much it. Same goes for Piranha it's a remake of the late 70's cheeseball horror flick. Packed with nudity, face ripping gore and buckets of blood. Some would even say a distasteful amount of each.



Next is "Toy Story 3" and "Despicable Me" ( I know it rhymes shut up). TS3 was cookie cutter at best and formulaic to the extreme. We all know at tis point Disney is just putting these out to make a buck. Nothing new in the CGI department and the same characters made it a snooze fest for me. But the kids in the theater seemed to like it.  DM is pretty much the same except it throws in some butt and fart jokes along with some dark scenes that are barely appropriate for the target audience. But again it garnered some chuckles from me and the kids liked it.






Last is "Salt", the Angelina Jolie actioner. Let me get out of the way up front, I still think Angie is an attractive woman, she even gained a few pounds since "Wanted" and looks healthier. Beyond that Salt is a sold action flick with the good old Russians as the baddies. While I know Angie tends to lean center left this movie was surprisingly patriotic and America wasn't the ultimate villain. I can't say too much more without doing some major spoiler damage but I will say Salt keeps you guessing throughout and the twists are fun. Per the usual you have to suspend disbelief for the extremes of the action, but that's Hollywood. Overall it's exciting and keeps you involved beginning to end. I will be buying Salt in the near future.

HP6 Fun Movie or Evil Movie

I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last week. I have been a Potter fan for many years now, read all the books and enjoy the movies. Potter much like Jurassic Park is a much better book but the movies are fun. Now to the titular question. Is Harry evil exposing kids to witchcraft or what?

I'm going with or what. It's no secret I am a Christian and have been involved with Churches working with youth for half my life. So with that knowledge I think I am in a good place to say Harry Potter is not going to drive kids to witchcraft. I see Harry Potter and I see a story of the importance of friendship and family. The struggle between good and evil and the internal fight we all have inside us to choose the good. If you look closely you even see how govt intrusion hurts society and the importance of freedom.

The witchcraft in the movie is no different than the wizardry used by Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings or C.S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia. Now I understand that J.K. Rowlings in no C.S. Lewis but that doesn't change the fact that Harry is wholesome story that will at the most have a small child waving a stick like a wand saying Aloha Mora (a spell to open a locked door {I think}).

Megan Fox; Shut Up and Act!

This is couple weeks old but it deserves some screen time. I was hooked till this leftist dirt bag opened her trap. Where classic Hollywood mostly held their activism to advocating for their causes, too many of today’s classless breed defines their activism through the hurling of rhetoric at the other side – at 50% of the customers. They do it up on the screen and they do it while hiding behind a Hollywood media-machine owned and operated by nut roots who mostly agree. I can live with passion, humor, disagreement and debate, that’s what Big Hollywood is all about, but ad homonym that dehumanizes is the tactic of a new generation eager to fit in with the A-list.

Today we have “Transformers” star Megan Fox, joining a growing club — spouting this hateful nonsense:
“Transformers” bombshell-cum-uninhibited philosophizer also contemplates — reluctantly — what she would say to Megatron to keep him from destroying the world. “I’d barter with him,” she muses to the July, issue Total Film UK, “and say instead of the entire planet, can you just take out all of the white trash, hillbilly, anti-gay, super bible-beating people in Middle America?” (H/T- Big Hollywood click the heading)
Um, those so-called white trash, hillbilly, anti-gay, super bible-beating people in Middle America are the ones who dole out $12 to see your films, you bimbo.
Well, they used to, anyway.

Any consequence is predictable. Worse case, if it looks like her display of ignorance might become a distraction in the coming “Transformers” hype-machine, Fox will apologize/explain on some venue like the “Tonight Show.” But the bottom line is that there will be no consequence within a community that finds that kind of talk about “those kinds of people” all okey-dokey. Will someone please tell Megan that pretty people should be seen and not heard? Besides, if she “thinks” too often, she may suffer an aneurysm where her brain should be. Of course this wouldn't be the first time I've been disappointed an a hot starlet... Jessica Alba!

The Saga Continues

I've been giving you all a running list of my health problems and it hasn't subsided yet. I came off of my chest cold right into a head cold. It's got my ears clogged and my throat a mess so the cough is still with me. On top of that I've been poisoned to the tune of pink eye. That was something I was over being the ripe or past ripe age of thirty, the last time I had it was 2003 after being doused at Universal Studios Jurassic Park ride. At least than I had a cool excuse. So it's March so I am going through my 4th month of being sick. Safe to say I am sick of being sick. While it's not getting me down like it was before I still really really want to be over this.

Of course if there's one thing uglier than my health it's the stock market. Down 3000 points since November we are at levels not seen in a dozen years. Now I won't say that this is all Obama's fault but he is not giving us much hope between the stimulus and the largest budget in American history.

Last thing I wanted to comment on is the remaking of almost every movie made in the last 50 years. Classic or not. Poltergeist, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure , The NeverEnding Story, Child's Play, The 39 Steps, Adventures in Babysitting, Footloose, The Evil Dead, Pet Cemetery, Oh, God!, Predator, Porky's, RoboCop, Spies Like Us, Sharky's Machine, Smokey and the Bandit, Vanishing Point, The Stepfather, Romancing the Stone, Weird Science and Total Recall. Some of these I've never heard of much less want to see remade.