The Blame Game: Virginia Tech

I’m not really much for voicing my opinions on politics, but I’ve decided to give it a go–on the VA Tech tragedy.

Of course, ever since the shooting happened, the news has been trying to delve into what led Cho to do such a violent and deadly act. So. They’ve brought on experts or other various guests and advocates to help shine some light on things. In fact, I think the mainstream news media has been behind the bulk of this. Even the Daily Show on Comedy Central hasn’t gone near the topic that much, and only yesterday did they begin to mention anything indepth about it. And some good points were raised, too.

All right, on the one side you’ve got the grieving familes and students, on the other side you’ve got gun control advocates and beyond that you’ve got the anti-gun control advocates. The latter two sides are now duking it out over the entire thing. Gun control advocates say this is an example of why guns need to be controlled or banned. Anti-gun control advocates are blaming the media for its violent portrayals in video games, movies, and TV–that guns aren’t to blame.

Well, unfortunately, they’re both sort of right on the subject. However, I doubt it would have mattered much either way in the argument. Cho, who was obviously bent on getting what he felt were his frustrations out on society, would have been able to get a gun even with strict gun control laws. He was that serious and determined about it. But, on the flip side, if guns weren’t so readily available it would have made it a lot harder for him to get one in the first place.

I’m not against hunting or anything, but why does one need a handgun to go hunting? The answer is you don’t. Of course, the other argument here is that you can use a handgun for protection. That may be. However, it’s all a moot point in the end because if nobody, not even the police, had handguns there wouldn’t be a need for them at all. I think, in our minds, here in America, we are led (or want to believe) that we’re still in the frontier days. And, you know what? Maybe we are. We’re in the frontier days of Humanity.

After all, with escalating violence in Iraq and no hope of a pull-out soon, we’re faced with a big challenge. And maybe with all that violence going on–a car bomb a day–we kind of just tune it out. I know I do. We become desensitized to it. It’s hard to fathom that level of death. And when we see something like this happen here, it leaves us dumbstruck. But, let’s just hope that some good can come of it. A terrible tragedy it was, indeed.

Night at the Museum

I’m not really a big Ben Stiller fan, but ever since I saw the trailors for Night at the Museum I thought it looked kind of cool. And…it was, albeit a little short. The storyline is rather simple: a man down on his luck with no job opportunities and only dreams suddenly lands a new career at the Museum of Natural History as a night time security guard. The museum is downsizing and has decided to get rid of their three elderly security guards that are making much more salary than the museum can afford to pay out. However, there’s a twist.

At the beginning of the movie, past the typical setup, Ben’s character, Larry Daley, finds himself suckered into a job he’s not too sure about. Cecil, Dick Van Dyke, the ex-security chief, simply gives Larry the keys and the “manual” and tells him he’ll be fine–but to be sure he follows each step in order and does each quickly. Why? Well, Cecil neglects to tell him, but everything in the museum actually comes alive at night because of some ancient Egyptian tablet, the Tablet of Ahkmenrah.

The first clue Larry gets that something isn’t quite right is when he begins to hear strange noises while sitting at the desk in the lobby. He gets up to investigate, honing in on the sounds, and ends up in a hallway with a very-much-alive t-rex, except it’s all bones. It chases him around for a bit before he scrambles back to the desk to get the manual. I liked the first line: throw the bone. LOL So…he does just that. Then, he gets chased by Atilla the Hun, accosted by Mayan savages, and eventually is captured and tied to a pair of railroad tracks by minature cowboys led by Jedediah, Owen Wilson.

After one crazy night and having had a toy train slam into his head, Larry is about to give up and call it quits when his son arrives saying how cool it is that he works in a museum. Cecil tells Larry that he should read up on his history and that it might help. So, taking the advice, he follows Rebecca, the museum’s beautiful female guide played by Carla Gugino, as she gives a troop of school children the tour. He keeps interrupting her and eventually she confronts him and he asks her if she wouldn’t mind joining him in a cup of coffee. She agrees and he learns all sorts of useful information.

That night he tries the job again and this time things begin without any hitches. However, things start going awry and he ends up losing parts of the displays. The next morning the museum curator, played by Ricky Gervais of The Office fame, threatens to fire him, but Larry is able to talk him out of it. That’s when Larry gets the idea of inviting his kid, Nick, over to see to the museum at night to see firsthand what happens. The only problem is Cecil and his comrades have other plans.

When everything is supposed to come to life…it doesn’t. Nick gets extremely upset and thinks his dad is acting extremely strange, and might even have gone a little…crazy. However, we soon learn that Cecil and his crew have decided to steal the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. Why? Because, the magic in it also gives those around it superpowers–such as longevity and super-strength. Cecil and his pals want it so they can continue on using its powers.

Through determination and planning, Larry stops Cecil’s plans and gets the tablet back along with the museum’s various inhabitants. For a comedy-adventure flick it isn’t bad, though I’m not sure I’d want to see it more than a few times. Personally, I think the best acting in the entire movie was Robin William’s portrayal of Teddy Roosevelt–he looked and acted just how one might think the 26th president would have. Overall, the special effects in the movie, particularly the miniaturezation of Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan (Octavius) were very convincing. However, the DVD release leaves a lot to be desired. The picture quality is good but the lack of any extras beyond commentaries kind of leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Night at the Museum is good, don’t get me wrong, but it does have a multitude of flaws. A) The character backstories are lame. B) Ben Stiller’s sense of comedy is as usual…so, so. C) The plot wasn’t as good as it could have been.

LOST: Catch-22

LOST was interesting last night. It was a Desmond episode and, as usual, anything involving him is generally interesting. Now, I’m not going to give an outline on the episode, of course, I’m just going to do things the Ogre-way.

Des, it turns out, was once a monk…well, a monk-in-training that is–I think we’ve seen some of that before, but I’m not too sure. However, we definitely didn’t know he almost got married to some girl before he met Penny. It’s apparent to me that Desmond had a problem with commitment. And anytime he got near such he turned and ran. Gee. That sounds like me. Anyway.

I was impressed by the opening sequence. It was well planned and executed. I’ve been giving the writers hell lately about lackluster storylines. Well, this time I’m pleased to say I think they might be back on track. Charlie getting the spear right through the throat got me. Then, I realized it was just one of Desmond’s premonitions. Still awesome, though.

Penny falling from the sky was even more awesome Well, except that it wasn’t Penny. Big shocker. And, a helicopter? What the heck? How could a helicopter fly all the way to the island? My guess is it probably didn’t. It either came from a support ship or was already there. I guess we’ll find out in the next few episodes. I’m really stoked, too, for the upcoming Charlie episode, Greatest Hits. Oh, I almost forgot, I think I glimpsed the “box” briefly in the “upcoming” trailor. It looked like some sort of weird vault.

By the end of this last episode, though, I felt I had a lot in common with Des. LOL I mean, I was saying: “hey, that’s just like me!”

Top Five: Worst Movies I’ve Seen

There’s a ton of top five and top ten lists out there…I thought I’d just make my own.

You know, I’ve seen a lot of bad movies, ones that cause your stomach to want to empty itself all over the movie theater floor. I think we all have. That’s part of life. I suppose. Anyway. I’ve decided to list the top five worst movies I’ve ever had the displeasure seeing.

5. The Quick and the Dead

I’m, of course, refferring to the one with Sharon Stone. There’s no feeling. No emotion. And plenty of bad acting. In fact, it just leaves a sour taste in your mouth (probably the bile rising from your stomach). Sharon Stone, in my opinion, isn’t all that hot anyway. I’ve never really cared for her. And in this film the only think happening is a whole bunch of shooting. Heck, it’s one sick and warped pseudo Western.

4. A Scary Movie

This was supposed to be funny? Right…I don’t think so. I don’t like horror films and I thought this movie–which was supposed to be a parody on the genre–would be, well, funny. However, I was so let down. As you watch it you feel your IQ slowly draining out through your eyes and ears. And the sequels to it weren’t much better. Let’s face it. It was really just a warped soft porn film that sucked. Yeah. Sucked on your brain for dinner.

3. Eragon

Decent book, bad movie. Eragon had shoddy acting. That was its biggest flaw. And it was down right confusing at times, too. Plus, the big action sequences didn’t happen until towards the end. I just wasn’t all that impressed. I’m really sorry it had to make the list.

2. Johnny Mnemonic

After Speed and before The Matrix, there was Johnny Mnemonic…unfortunately. Keanu is, um, OK as an actor, but this film really gave him no justice at all. He’s not that bad. Now, I can’t say the movie didn’t have a decent premise. It was sort of cool and inventive. However, it was just executed all wrong. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been so…bored.

1. Last Action Hero

What was Arnold thinking? This truly has to be the WORST film I’ve ever seen. There really was no plot. The only thing good that came from it was the soundtrack. In fact, after filming this one, I’m surprised anybody ever hired Mr. Schwarzenegger for another film. I don’t get how producers could have messed up this bad.

A Whole Lotta Roll and Coast

I had heard that a group of developers and investors had gotten together to build a park near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a few years ago. However, I didn’t know they were going to team up with Hard Rock to build a Hard Rock theme park. It really surprised me. And it’s going to open in 2008! Plus the park is approximately 140 acres in size. Yet, I must say the biggest surprise is the signature attraction.

Led Zepplin - The Ride. Yeup. Looks like one of my favorite bands is going to be properly honored as rock gods with their very own custom-designed steel roller coaster. Awesome! The ride is going to be 150 feet tall with several inversions. And my favorite part is that, like the Rock N’ Roller at Disney’s MGM, the trains are going to have their own sound effects and music systems built-in. The music they’ve chosen for this ride is Whole Lotta Love

Supposedly, there’s going to be over 40 rock-and-roll-themed attractions. Led’s coaster is going to be the big gun, though, so to speak. I’m really excited about this. South Carolina has never really had a theme park. And with the departure of the much-loved Pavilion, I think this is a more-than-worthy replacement. Not to mention the Hard Rock theme park would be the first major theme park constructed in the United States in about ten years.

I doubt that Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, or John Bonham ever thought they’d have a roller coaster named and themed after their band. Nor would it have been thought it’d be constructed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I’m sure. Bible belt. LOL Just wait until they open AC/DC’s power-launched roller coaster named Highway to Hell. That’ll really stir up some trouble. Of course, I’m merely giving suggestions here

Here’s one of the comments from the USA Today article:

“This is so different than the image the band was displaying 30 years ago. I remember seeing Led Zeppelin in Greensboro, NC on 2 seperate occasions. We were stoned out of our gourd and listening to some of the greatest music of all times. Now, “Been a long time” is a Cadillac commercial and there is a ride a Myrtle Beach for “Stairway to Heaven”. What is next? A cemetery for “Our time of dying.”"

LOL Yeah, obviously that was a user comment on the site Stoned out of our gourd. I bet. They can’t even get the song titles right. It’s Rock and Roll, not Be a Long Time–the beginning words to the song.

Yeup. Led Zepplin has changed their opinion on certain things. The music was always their thing, and they wanted to protect it from greedy corporate middlemen by keeping it as uncommercialized as possible. Now, though, (with their fortunes waning) the guys have changed their tune. Still. If any band were to get a roller coaster named after them, I’m glad it was Led Zepplin. Rock on!

Check out Hard Rock Park…

Me and Cable

You know, it takes a lot for me to start, well, getting mad. I’ve never screamed or yelled at anybody before in pure rage, but I was pretty close last night. Why? I was just in one of those loud, obnoxious moods. You know how ogres in general can be It was a compounded thing, really. The cable problems just sent me over the top. Luckily, I reigned myself in just as I was about to pick up the phone.

It all started at about eight o’clock when I got home last night from work. Here I was, sitting in front of the boob tube, wanting to watch some TV, and guess what happens? The cable starts screwing up. The picture’s going snowy and fuzzy and then it came miraculously back to a sharp crispness that was unbelievable. It kept doing this: snowy, crisp, snowy, crisp. And, guess what happened when the picture went snowy? All digital services went down, such as the phone, digital cable, and internet.

You know, it’s a lot of money every month for cable. $122! And that’s with the promotional rate. Outrageous! Anyway. Billing aside, I expect top-quality, top-notch service for my hard-earned money. Now, the thing is, I’d not be so upset if this were the first or second time that this has happened. No. In the past month, I’ve seen this occur, at least, five times. In fact, my parents, who live just a short distance up the road, have been having problems like this for years. They’d call and the cable company would send out a technician. He’d replace splitters, cabling, you name it, and would have some very good results for about a month and then the same thing over again. Something isn’t right.

It just infuriates me. They won’t look into what is really causing the problem: the infrastructure. The cables on the poles, heck, they’re over twenty years old now. Sure, they can carry high-def, digital signals. But, they need to be looked into. I mean, it’s worse than the power company–and that’s saying something. There are lines going every which way, and most of them are sagging with patches and signal boosters. Hmm. Gee, you think that might be the problem?

My house is brand-new. The cabling is brand-new. It tests out fine. It’s obviously something to do with the equipment on the poles. I just wish they’d look into it. I’m calling the cable company today. I’m calmer, now, so I won’t cuss anyone out who answers the phone. I mean, I’m not really an ogre, I just want things to work! Please….

People Like Free

I’m all for the word free. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And it makes me want to dance What the hell am I talking about?

Well, I’m talking about two of my favorite subjects: free and roller coasters. Believe it or not, some smart PR guy at a local Atlanta radio station and another over at Six Flags Over Georgia thought it’d be a good idea to offer free admission to the park between 6-9AM. The promotion, titled “Ditch Work”, didn’t go as they had planned. Guess what?

People started lining up at the park well before 6AM. Some people had arrived at 3AM! Parents had even dropped their kids off. It was pandamonium as you can imagine. Fights broke out. There were massive traffic jams on I-20–like it needs more of those. It was chaos from what I read. Crazy!

I love free, and others apparently do as well. And I sure as heck love roller coasters. Combining the two, though, is a recipe for disaster. The funny thing is: these people could give a flying you know what about going to Six Flags. They only went because it was free. Now, granted, admission prices have been outrageous as of late. So, I can’t blame them on that. It just irks me that these people only went because it was free. The nerve

I just thought this was hilarious, though. Free admission. What the hell were they thinking? Yeah. That’s a great idea. I mean, I could see free parking or drinks. But, they should have known they’d almost start WWIII with free admission. LOL People just like free. I know I do