From IMDb

Anheuser-Busch Reprimanded Over Website

The attorneys general of 23 states are frothing over Anheuser-Busch’s website, Bud.tv, claiming that the beer company has not done enough to prevent minors from gaining access to it. In a letter to the company, it noted that while the company uses software that checks the identification of those trying to access the site, youngsters can defeat the system simply by using an adult’s ID. Moreover, once in, they can copy the company’s videos and post them on sites such as YouTube. The letter said, “We feel strongly that, since you are creating the programming and controlling the Internet-based network, not just advertising on it, you have a higher responsibility to ensure that youth are not exposed to the marketing on your site.”

Jesus Christ monkey balls!  Do people have nothing better to do?  I’ve been to a number of alcohol sites where all they ask you for admittance is what your date of birth was. Since I just happened to be born on January 1st, 1901, that process is fairly simple.   At least with Bud.tv you have to register and be smart enough to use your parents name instead of your own.  I’m having a little problem understanding what Budweiser should do to remedy the problem, ask for a webcam shot of you holding up your id along with a piece of your bone to perform a carbon dating test on?  Apparently these 23 states don’t have any problem with minors accessing pornography, which, so I’ve heard, is fairly easy to find.  Most sites, so I’ve heard, don’t even ask for your date of birth or name.  There’s even a couple sites, SO I’VE HEARD, that are based entirely around the idea of getting girls drunk and then having them strip and perform various sexual acts. If these attorneys go after those sites, it’d be like killing two birds with one stone.

I’m not a fan of Sci-Fi television shows, they just never appealed to me. So upon hearing that there was a movie coming out based off of Joss Whedon’s canceled show, Firefly, my initial reaction was, “Joss who? Firewha?” I managed to steer clear of the hype that surrounded Serenity and Firefly for over a year. I didn’t even click on the thread where Douchey McBag went balls deep in someone while walking out of the movie, though I did hear about it from various places. After hearing some unignorable praise from some trusted friends, I happened to come across the Firefly series for cheap. I warily made the blind buy, confident that even though only ten episodes ever aired, they wouldn’t have made a movie if the show had been bad. Despite this assumption being insanely foolish, it was right and Firefly won me and my wife over before the first episode finished.

Before we finished the series I ran out and bought the Serenity movie. I wanted to see what Whedon and Co. could do with a respectable budget, and a running time that more suited the nature of the show (I felt that most episodes resolved rather abruptly). Since I was familiar with the history of the show, and the fact the series would not be resurrected, I went into the movie knowing that it would be the final chapter. As such, it lived up to my expectations. While the movie doesn’t tie up all the lose ends that the show left scattered around, it does provide some back story and resolution to the main character arc of the show, River’s. The film reveals a lot of the events from the show, but does it in such a way that it doesn’t feel forced. It balances on that fine line between letting the non-fans in on what’s going on, while ensuring that the fan’s aren’t rolling their eyes going, ‘We know this already’ The film also introduces a new antagonist, in the form of an assassin sent by the Alliance sent to kill River. This is a welcome change from the creepy government types that were after River in one of the episodes, with their bizarro brain melting machine. ‘Two by two, hands of blue’ as they were referred to, came across more like the Agents from The Matrix wearing the same blue ambyl nitrile gloves that I use when I draw blood at work. The assassin in Serenity comes across as human, which makes the things that he does all the more tragic. Also, we are introduced to the Reavers. While the show often mentioned the Revears, they were never actually shown seemed more like bogeymen than an actual threat.

While the end of the movie wades into the depths of ridiculousness, it’s hard to notice any flaws in the plot when the rest of the film is so dang fun. Whedon might play with filters and lighting too much, but all can be forgiven when the action starts. When River goes into full weapon (or kick ass) mode the camera, thankfully, backs up and lets us see what is going on. Most fight scenes consist of quick cuts of fists and feet hitting faces. You can’t make out exactly what is going on but you’re given the impression that a fight is taking place. With Serenity, we actually get to watch the whole fight, and it makes you believe that a 90 pound girl can take out a whole bar full of thugs.? Whedon also managed to surprise me with a full fledged space battle.? For a TV show that took place on a spaceship, there wasn’t any space combat.? Considering the dilapidated condition of the ship Serenity, this is understandable, it would quickly lose in any space battle.? This also was part of the charm of the show, though.? Instead of resorting to space battles to deal with every conflict, Mal and his crew would usually have to come up with some ingenious plan.

Serenity also gives us chance to really praise Mal for what he does, the whole end of the movie revolves around a quest to spread ‘the truth’, yet at the same time hate him for how he does it.? While there is definitely a method to his madness, that method often comes across as being the biggest prick alive.? While Mal was never the warm and fuzzy type, you could at least understand what he was going for when he went into drill-sergeant mode and could at least forgive him in hindsight.? In Serenity, it’s hard to forgive him even after you figured out what he was up to.

All told, Serenity was exactly what I wanted it to be, a fitting end to the series.? While the ending leaves you wanting more, with the idea that a new universe is being born, and the future of a space pirate/cowboy being far more uncertain, the demise of certain characters ensure that if there were a continuation of Firefly the dynamic would be changed.

I’m a little late. Sorry.

SotW this week goes to The Red Mead Construction Set. If any of you read the Onion, you know that Red Meat is the rather bizarre comic that appears in back. It’s got a large cast of characters and is a very acquired taste.

Words of the week

1. favonian: of or pertaining to the west wind; mild or favorable; propitious (I’ll never use this.)
2. punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure; strictness or exactness in the observance of formalities or amenities. (Interesting)
3. interregnum: The interval between two reigns; any period when a state is left without a ruler; Any breach of continuity in an order; a lapse or interval in a continuity. (I like this one, I could use it in my novel.)
4. hinterland: A region situated inland from a coast; A region remote from urban areas; backcountry; A region situated beyond the major metropolitan or cultural centers. (never use it)
5. chimerical: Merely imaginary; produced by or as if by a wildly fanciful imagination; fantastic; improbable or unrealistic; Given to or indulging in unrealistic fantasies or fantastic schemes. (I like this one. It’s very snooty sounding)
6. sunder: To break apart; to separate; to divide; to sever. (I think this was used in The Wheel of Time series a lot. As a result, the word sunder leaves a bad taste in my mouth.)
7. uxorious: Excessively fond of or submissive to a wife (This sounds so much better than pussywhipped.)

The teaser for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is out. I never saw the original, but from what I’ve heard, it’s horrible, so I was a bit surprised that it actually made enough money to warrant a sequel. While the special effects leave a bit, okay, a lot to be desired and the really poor attempt at humor in at the start, the actual chase was interesting. I’d imagine that if I actually cared about the characters, the sight of Johnny Storm being dropped back to Earth from a few miles up would be fairly alarming. It’s funny, but that image actually has my interest piqued enough to think about possibly considering watching it. The only reason I watched The Day After Tomorrow, besides a couple of my physics buddies ripping on it, was the image from the trailer of two hikers in the snow dwarfed by ice encrusted New York skyscrapers.

However, there is another part of me that wants to see this movie fail, just for the similarity of titles between it and Van Wilder: Rise of Taj

I’d like to apply for a job writing for IMDb.com. I don’t consider myself the best writer, or even a very good one, but I do know that I can do a helluva lot better than whoever wrote this:

Among this month’s “movies for adults,” Children of Men from director Alfonso Cuarón is receiving much four-star praise. The movie, set in a worn-torn 2027, is being called a masterpiece by not a few critics. One of them is Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe, who comments: “This is an extraordinary artistic breakthrough from a Mexican director who was already fearlessly good to begin with.” Gene Seymour in Newsday writes that it “offers inventive energy, ferocious intelligence, and yet, affirmation of life against the most calamitous circumstances.” Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post credits Cuarón for creating “the most deeply imagined and fully realized world to be seen on screen this year, not to mention bravura sequences that bring to mind names like Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick.” Geoff Pevere in the Toronto Star calls the movie “sometimes astoundingly effective” and “a formidably distinguished piece of pop filmmaking.” And Manohla Dargis in the New York Times observes that Cuarón’s film “is a gratifying sign that big studios are still occasionally in the business of making ambitious, intelligent work that speaks to adults.”

I’d like to think that writing two sentences introducing a movie, and then stringing together a bunch of review excerpts wouldn’t be that difficult. I actually had to read through the first few sentences a couple of times before I actually figured out what the author was trying to say. While the phrase ‘not a few’ is technically correct, it comes across as cumbersome and confusing. I’m not really one to talk about typos. I hardly ever proofread anything that I type, but you can bet that if writing for one of the more popular websites was my job then I might consider scanning over my own work.