As is my wont, I was cruising Metacritic to look at reviews. Eager to find like-minded people, I read a couple of negative reviews of Capitalism: A Love Story.

I do not like Michael Moore; I don't like the man, I don't like his politics (assuming he means what he says, and that is a significant assumption), and I don't like his films. Upon first ( Read more... )

Dear Mad Men,

I get it, okay? I've read The Feminine Mystique, and even before I did, I knew the early sixties were extremely patriarchal. So yeah, you can stop making entire little set-pieces to remind the viewers--"Holy shit, Martha, we're really patriarchal"--I half-expect Peggy to shrug at the camera then next time someone asks her to do ( Read more... )

My interest in videogames tends to wax and wane, roughly in inverse proportion to my interest in anime (read: Macross). At the moment, it's waxing.
I got a free Gamefly trial account (under an assumed name, because I had already used up my free trial) and so help me, I think I'll pay for a at least a couple of months of service. So far, I've tried ( Read more... )

I have decided to re-cast the Watchmen movie. Make no mistake, I understand why the filmmakers opted not to use my preferred casting--the budget constraints alone would have been crippling, let alone the contract negotiations--but I nonetheless submit the following for your consideration.

(Watchmen spoiler warning, I guess, but if you haven't read ( Read more... )

I spent some time watching videos of Lil C krump yesterday, and I have a vision.

In this vision I learn to krump, and then begin an epic voyage across the world to learn from and battle acclaimed krump masters. It is not easy, as I face prejudice and stereotyping due to my being a bespectacled white (former, I guess) philosopher. My travels, and my ( Read more... )

I remember thinking that there wouldn't be any salient difference between cassettes and CDs, other than a marginal increase in sound quality. It took me some while to recognize the manifest superiority of the medium. Even after that, I was skeptical about DVDs, which in retrospect was quite foolish, given that the improvement from VHS to DVD was ( Read more... )

I remember during the election saying that no matter who won, McCain or Obama, America would at least reap two benefits: an improved stature internationally (due to the occasionally justified and occasionally irrational hatred of Bush abroad), and an improved human rights record. Although it is too early to definitively evaluate either, it would ( Read more... )

Yes, it sounds like the title of a dissertation no one wants to read.

I've been watching a fair bit of So You Think You Can Dance lately (yes, I love the show), and it reminded me of something I abhorred when I was a performer and when I was a student. A number of the judges on the show (Mia Michaels especially, but many of the judges now and then) ( Read more... )

There's a scene in High Fidelity that I remember very well; John Cusack's character (a record store proprietor) says, "I will now sell five copies of The Three E.P.'s by The Beta Band." He proceeds to play a clip of Dry the Rain, and many of the patrons in the crowded store take notice. So did I at the time I first saw the movie--I thought the song ( Read more... )