How Not to Stay Neutral on Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality has been an issue of great concern to people who work online. The end of it may likely mean an end to those smaller operations, or new ideas looking for a place to blossom. It has also been of great concern to corporate interests and the Telecomms, who all look to cement their control on what we see and use. It all comes down to how neutral we will see information and services online treated.

FCC after Dark - from College Humor

But the FCC (Federal Trade Commission) is eyeing an end to neutrality. Not surprising from a collective largely made up of former and future executives of the Telecomm Industry. And the head of the FCC thinks it makes perfect sense to end neutrality, but make a caveat that all access must be kept at least at the levels they currently are at.

That would be great if time and technology stood still. But that's the point of the statement from the FCC. Sound good, mean nothing. Throw out a platitude while handing the power, wealth making potential, and speed to their corporate friends.

These Assholes - By College Humor

After that, we are all left to the whims of Internet Service Providers, and to the select online services that have paid up large sums to run suitably. And for many in power, that is how the world should work. You shouldn't have things if you can't pay up a nice size fee for it. Schooling. Water. Knowledge.

Well, that is garbage. The Internet is supposed to be a marketplace of ideas, amusement, and disappointment.


Among those trying to advocate for no neutrality think that not all sites deserve to be treated equal. Money should buy access. The Internet should operate like many other areas of business where the barriers to entry should be high. For many of them, Net Neutrality is a regulation. And that means taxes. And, "The government will control the Internet!!!".

The attitude is that they fear/hate the government, but tolerate/respect the old boy network of corporate elite making decision on this.

I don't, obviously, trust the people at the FCC. We need a better quality of regulator there. But if I have to choose between the power being in the FCC's and the Telecomms grasp, I pick the FCC. Whipping the FCC into shape is easier. And, once industry has it's way with the Internet, we'll have to wait a decade or more to right things.

We rely on regulation by government for a good reason. Industry rarely does a fair to decent job of watching over itself.

Friday the 13th on Sunday the 13th (Kinda) - Episode 10 - Tales of the Undead

The 13th comes again, and I'm stuck travelling. Still, that don't mean nothing. At least we can start the episode.

So, let's look at Friday the 13th the Series.

The episode is...

"Tales of the Undead"

Meeting of Minds: John Oliver and Pepe Julian Onziema

John Oliver had a sober and sarcastic look at Uganda and it's anti-gay laws. In the US many of us have been interested in what has been called the Kill The Gays law. But, as we do, we got bored with all of that. And then most of us deleted most of our anger, opinions, and facts of the law from our heads. John Oliver nicely reintroduces us to the matters.

For instance, while Uganda had some social and legal issues with gay people, the last several years has seen a significant and hateful uptick. What started with uptight British colonials is now a matter of American Conservative intervention. The Religious Right has worked to motivate the local religious communities hate, and pushed them to make changes to the law.

And then we had those freaking politicians. Another topic you may have decided to forget about is C Street and The Family. People like Jeff Sharlet did solid work bringing out the truth of this group of politicians who were tied by their religious zeal and interest in making hateful law. They've screwed people over in this country, but always have time for other countries.

So preachers and politicians have worked to bring about their dream of a hateful and homogeneous society. Not to leave out the elements of Uganda society eager to embrace hate and fear.

If you've followed news and conversations in Uganda, you've seen the fear, hate, and ignorance spread about being gay. (Stephen Fry spent some time their and showed the outright ignorance of the anti-gay advocates in his Out There documentary.) They repeatedly claim all gay people are "converting straight people. And, on having sex...You have to doubt they even understand sex between males and females.

But for a mix of stuff that will make you laugh, scream, curse, and try to hope, have some John Oliver. Also, get to know the fascinating and brace Pepe Julian Onziema, an open LGBT advocate in Uganda. He's quite a remarkable man.


From Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:



And in addition to the show, some more of their conversation presented online.

Penny Dreadful Review - Episode 2 - Seance

The next Penny Dreadful is hot off the presses. Have you got your penny?

Good. It's time for...

"Seance"


What Came Before? 

Well, it seems that our Dr. Frankenstein has been hard at work on his extra curricular activities. He's eager to pierce "the tissue that separates life and death." And it appears he's been inching closer and closer, until he's now finally succeeded.

"You know? Some nights it's like you're not even alive."

And there stands his creation. Bloody. Scared. Scarred. And, in need of answers.

"Daddy?I think I made a boom boom."

The Horror Of...Writing in June

Sigh.

Well my effort to start reviewing Penny Dreadful weeks ago did not go to plan. I did want to find a way to start the reviews as the show started, and then by the halfway point...And here we are approaching the season finale.

Still, the first episode review is available now. For the next 6 episodes? ...I have a cunning plan.

I have wanted to think of ways to make reviews less a trek and more a jaunt. I've been working towards some brevity, but this is a chance to really work at cutting things down for quick turnaround. It may yet be a horrible disaster.

The plan is to address (until I have reason otherwise) key questions:

• What Came Before? - How the last episode ended.
• A Deathly Cold Open. - Does the episode have a cold open?
• And Now! - Does the episode continue follow on from the ending of the last episode?
• Enter Stage Right! - Are there any new outstanding characters to note?
• To Smile and Smile, and Still... - Are there new baddies to notice or remember?
• ...And Heard No More. - Are there fatalities to mourn this episode?
• Revelations! - Are there any plot points we just have to remember?
• Thoughts? - ...And the rest!

Yeah. I often feel the need to give things quirky names. It's not weird!

We'll see how that works. We'll also see if I can get anywhere near episode 7 of Penny Dreadful by Sunday night. Even if don't finish them all by then, I'll continue with this layout until the penultimate episode.


Also, I finally have finished the look at much of what leads up to Dracula (1931)... And between that and Penny Dreadful, I need a break from the vampires. So I will look at some zombies for The Horror Of... And to try and rap up June, and to start off July, let's go to the prom! ...Well, some schools actually run to the end of June (Good lord!). Also, I have no recollection of when prom occurs in a school year. So let's head to the Dance of the Dead! Woo!

Penny Dreadful Review - Episode 1 - Night Work

Another horror series? A show that will make use of various Victorian and Gothic settings, characters, and ideas? A penny dreadful motif? ...You have my attention.

Of course, they are now getting to their...season finale? ...So I am a little behind. As I mentioned elsewhere, I've had some technical, among other, issues. Still, if you haven't heard about the show, or are undecided on watching it, enjoy.


In case you've never come across the term before, Penny Dreadfuls were beloved pastime of Victorian London society. A penny each issue, they were a cheap and popular periodical of the day. They covered various lurid tales. Monsters preying on the citizenry. Murderers brutally killing God fearing families. Dark tales of the criminal life in London, from the thieves to the opium dens. The more dark and terrible the story, the better, as that brings people back looking for more. I looked a little at this in reviewing the origins of Dracula, and the penny dreadful tale of Varney the Vampire.

Penny Dreadful examples - the super natural Spring Heeled Jack and
murderous Sweeney Todd

As a source, they are quite rich. They have given us, or made us of such notables as Varney the Vampire, Spring Heeled Jack, and Sweeney Todd. The output of the penny dreadfuls were wide reaching. A developed fictional world taking advantage of these ideas is bound to be horribly fantastic.

Also, Victorian horror as a whole is a heady source. The works of Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, Robert Louis Stephenson, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Oscar Wilde, and others...What a menagerie! Maybe we'll get a bit from Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle as well?

But will it be fully taken advantage of?


The series has been created by John Logan. That may be a good or bad thing depending on your mood. He's written Star Trek: Nemesis, The Time Machine (2002), and Skyfall. He's also written Gladiators, Sweeney Todd, and Rango. It all depends on your love and hate for these individual movies. I can't say I hate any of them. But I do note that he's written a take on Sweeney Todd, a story that came from the Penny Dreadfuls that inspire this show. It shows a previous interest in the topic.

From the look of the show, this seems to be a labor of love. He even preemptively constructed a show bible for the story and character. There is some passion here.

But to be honest, when I did first see his name tied to this project, I was paused. But, maybe we shouldn't be too quick to judge.


Let's see what Penny Dreadful does to entice us to buy into this first chapter of their lurid tale.

Dracula Rises from the News

It seems Dracula just can't keep out of the news. As good a time as any, I suppose.

For Sale By Owner, Crypt Newly Refurnished.

Dallas and John Heaton/Free Agents Limited/Corbis

Word is that Castle Dracula is for sale. It's a nice deal at around $80,000,000.

Granted, it's not the actual Castle Dracula, or rather we are talking about the very human Vlad Tepes. Also, it isn't the caste from which he ruled. Rather it's a castle where he was kept prisoner...allegedly.

Still, nice deal, especially as a surprise birthday present....Of course renovation and heating would kill you. So it'd actually be a horrible gift.


Dracula slept here, because this is where we buried him.

It also seems that they've found the final resting place of Drac...Vlad. It's in Naples at Santa Maria La Nova. Apparently the hypothesis is that while Vlad was imprisoned by the Turks, his daughter (a secret one) in Naples paid a ransom for his freedom. He then lived out his final years in Naples.

Trouble is, there's no actual evidence that this is true. Just speculation and interpretation. The historically accepted version of Vlad's fate is that he died fighting to retake his land of Wallachia.


This is all an issue with Dracula, or any notorious figure from history. So many tales emerge. So many claims. So many opportunities to make a tidy sum.

And Bran Castle is one of many spots in Romania that have become tourist spots. They've even tried and failed to get a Dracula Theme Park open. And now, Santa Maria in Naples is drawing in tourist.

It's enough to make Dracula roll over in his sarcophagus.

The Horror Of...Dracula Through the Ages - All of the Posts

"Hey! ...You aren't sleeping are you? I'm bored. Wanna
talk?"

With a finish to the extended cursory overview trek into Dracula and his progenitors...that's a lot of words...I thought it would be nice to put them altogether in one post.

"Well I thought it was a good idea!"

From legends to Penny Dreadfuls to novel to Bela.

"How are you getting 4G here?"

• From Folklore and History

• The Literature That Came Before

• Stoker's Tale

• Beyond Books

I won't be updating this for the movies as I look at various Dracula movies. Of course that's why there's the Dracula label. This is also part of the look at Universal Monsters overall, started here.

"Damn it! Get to my movie already!"

Meeting of Minds: John Oliver and Dr. Stephen Hawkings

As if usually the case, adding a scientist to anything makes something better.

Try some Stephen Hawking with your John Oliver. Extended version even.

From Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:

The Horror Of...Dracula through the Ages - Beyond Books

Stoker's Dracula novel had it's day in the light, but it did not cement Stoker's place among writer's of his day. People shifted to other stories soon enough. While much of the public moved on from Dracula, it did stick in some people's head. It latched on. Dracula would not rest.

Dracula did not make the Stoker's economically comfortable. They struggled. Late in life Stoker had to try for grants to support his family. It wouldn't be until after Bram Stoker's death that the Stoker family would see real returns from Dracula.

It would take a new medium. Theater.

So how is it still okay to use some racial slurs?

I am always fascinated by how society deals with it's racism. Some parts advance, see where mistakes were made, and attempt recompense. Others get angry and talk about tradition or over sensitivity. And others just star ever harder into their smart phone and don't want to get involved.

We have activities that we wouldn't dare do, for fear of offense. We have words we won't say, knowing how disgusting they are...Though, even using the N-word or blacking up are things some white folk are completely fine doing. So people are just assholes.

Still, their are words and activities that maintain active support among a larger part of society, like co-opting other cultures for amusement. One culture that many people find no trouble "borrowing" from is the Native American culture (by which I mean the broad caricature of the many many cultures that predated European colonization of the Americas). Headdresses. Outfits. Dances. Props. Calls. Slurs.

Years back I remember when one issue among these activities arose. It involved the baseball team, the Atlanta Braves (which is in reference to Native Americans). They had a fan chant and hand action, the Tomahawk Chop. I remember a point in the 1990's when people were complaining about the fact a mocking cry and the act of whacking away with an ax is insulting to...the people you are trying to mimic. It's a faux-Native American dance/chant.

I actually thought, not paying a lot of attention at the time, that it had been done away with for at least the reason it is so damn tacky, if it offensive. But no, it is still around, along with those foam tomahawks.

That's not good.

But it pales in comparison to the football team of Washington D.C. the R-words. You know, we have a college football team called the Fighting Irish, and I have always looked at that as such a weird choice. But even that isn't an overt racial or ethnic slur.

Now some defenders say that the name was done in honor of a respected early coach. They say the phrase wasn't offensive back in the day. Some even say it isn't that bad know.

Guys? Take the damn offensive, insulting, tacky ass name off that team. Teams change names for lesser reasons than this. Show some social awareness. Show an ounce of compassion. Show you aren't this stupid a group of businessmen.

Get. A. Clue.

Luke Skywalker meets the Joker

Mark Hamill is just an enjoyable guy. For me, the most fun with him has come from his work as a voice actor. He has really cemented The Voice of The Joker for a lot of people.

But if you've ever wondered what would happen if Luke Skywalker met the Joker...




I am also quite fond of a movie he once made years back, Comic Book: The Movie. (So, yes, this is partly an excuse to bring this movie up.) Hamill constructed a movie that allowed him to blend his own love of comic books with the combined talents of many of his friends and colleges in voice acting.

On Father's Day

Spending time with dad.

On Father's Day we try and make an extra effort to remember, or connect with, our dads (or father figures/single moms/etc). Sometimes there isn't enough time in life to appreciate everything about your relation. Sometimes that relationship is a complicated one.

When you look at that relationship over your life, it is complicated. You start out strangers. You grow to admire and be in awe. Then you get credulous. If you have a good relationship you then grow to understand them, their flaws, their hidden assets, and the fact they are a being separate from you that made all those years of efforts for you.

Dads and moms (Though we are focused on dads today because. But that doesn't mean all of this isn't true for our relationships with them as well.). Parents. They go through a lot of garbage for us. Scrimp and save. Sacrifice. Re-prioritize. All for the sake of the next generation.

And I could go into the long list of reasons that biology and nature make those sacrifices occur. But it's like talking about the biology of love. Who the hell cares? Parents take those steps for us.

They get us through to adulthood, and they even still love us (Who knows why?). Even when you screw up. Even when you fight. Even when you push them away.

That is our bond, and it can mean so much.

From Louis C.K., a look at how special and worthwhile fatherhood is:

"I found out that I am a pretty bad father. I make a lot of mistakes. I don't know what I am doing. But my kids love me."

And I love my dad to.

Parenthood is not for everyone, but those that take on the epic quest, thanks.

That stuff you say? Yeah, it is obnoxious.

Sometimes people in a dominant group can become oblivious to some odious and tiring casual racism. It's tiring to deal with. Also it can be annoying to watch someone think they are being friendly, supportive, and positive in being like this.

So enjoy seeing things from the other side.

From Buzzfeed:

Frozen, How It Should Have Ended

The folks at How It Should Have Ended give fans a lot of enjoyment as they poke holes in a wide range of movies. It is all in good fun, and even when it's a movie I do enjoy a good deal, I can still laugh along.

But one recent release of theirs is particularly fun. So please enjoy "How Frozen Should Have Ended".

From How It Should Have Ended:

Am I the only one that kind of feels sad the Elsa isn't an X-Men suddenly?

Friday the 13th on Friday the 13th - Episode 9 - Root Of All Evil

Hmm. What day is today?

Thank you, convenient movie caption.

Oh, right! GTK

So that mean it's time to move on from boxing to gardening...Wait, that sounds iffy.

But it's Friday the 13th the Series, come on!

And this time we are facing

"The Root Of All Evil"


We've had creepy dolls and murderous scalpels. I am sure this month's cursed item will be great...

...a mulching machine...Really? You're killing me here, TV show from the 80's.

Nostalgia - Network Movie Premieres, Trailers in Short

Sometimes us olden folk like some nostalgia. It's a homesickness for the past.

It's like when I was away from home in my first year of college. I had some VHS tapes of shows I'd recorded, and at times, there was a strange sensation on a low day to see ads and channel call letters from home. For moments you're home. (And if you need a refresher course on VHS and VCR's, please look here.)

But we can't go home to the past. We can relive it. We can get stuck in it. We can drown in it.

So let's do a quick toe dip, okay?

One thing that sticks somewhere in the back of the mind are ads. Different places and times take on ads and promotions in their own unique ways. We don't do things like we used to, for the better and the worse. And what can I say, I am a little bit of a sucker for old fashion hype.

Something that we used to have that has long become defunct is ABC/CBS/NBC having MOVIE PREMIERES. ...I mean, between Pay Per View, Netflix, Cable TV, etc...Why do it? No one is clamoring for it. Once though, most people just had the Big 3 Channels, and PBS and some small time local channels. Even when Cable TV became a thing, it wasn't that common. Most people couldn't afford, or didn't bother with, cable.

Antennas, man! That's the future!

So let's look back at the day of the BIG WEEKLY MOVIE PREMIERE ON THE TV BOX!!!

And among those that really liked to get in with a big show was ABC.

The World Cup and FIFA 2014...Not the video game.

The World Cup is about to start!

What's the World Cup? The greatest sports spectacle in the world. The meeting of national teams of football/soccer players who compete until one nation stands victorious!

It's the big time...outside the United States. ...Come on, America!

Still, it isn't without issues. It's run by FIFA, a massive multinational institution. And it pulls in a lot of cash.Some of it legit, some of it far from legit. (A lot of these issues are the same problems the IOC has.)

And they are showcased right now in Brazil. Around 3-4 miles around each stadium is more or less under the direct control and authority of FIFA; they are Fifalands.

In Brazil it's illegal to sell or have alcohol at a stadium. In Fifaland, it's encouraged and branded. Will that be happening in Qatar to in 2018?

In Brazil there are a lot of street merchants selling food and other items. In Fifaland, they are barred for miles around each stadium. So much for that financial return to those further down the Brazilian economic ladder. Not to worry those at the top are making a bundle.

In the 2014 South African World Cup a certain company produced a massive number of bright orange overalls for Holland fans, and the fans loved the garish representation for going to games. But that company was not one that paid to be present, so all the overall were banned and taken away.

Presidebt Rousseff defends Cup and
FIFA.

And this year in Brazil there has been a lot of unrest among people angry that in the midst of poverty and need in the country vast amounts of money are being spent for this spectacle. It is contentious. It's to the point that the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, had to come out and ask Brazilians to unite and support the World Cup.

It's a flawed and troubling process all around. It needs reform. It needs changes.

But...It's the freaking World Cup!!! And I want to watch! I want to celebrate the sport. I want to enjoy it.

And the Ents march.

Still, while I will watch, I want to be aware of the severe problems and injustice tied to it. We shouldn't hide from the problems in the things we enjoy. I want things to get better.


So if you want to laugh some, learn some, and get a little revved up...\

From Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:

Net Speak: Me Talk No Good. LOL

Is the language of the Internet killing society, language, literacy, and...stuff?

Probably not.

This may well just be part of language and social communication flexing, growing, and experimenting. Language needs to get taken out once in awhile and exercised. It's not the family silver.

So, yes, if you fret that language isn't used the way you like, you are a Margaret Dumont character.

From Critical Lit:

Dressing up like other cultures. Really?

Wearing the skin of other races. Why do we do it? I know, for a long time it was no big deal to "us". Co-opting another culture for aesthetic, or amusement, was our thing. Throw on a mustache and a sombrero. Throw on a "Native Warrior" costume. Throw on some brown or black face paint and...wait, that's been B.S. for decades now (Yet I can point you to SO MANY examples from the last few years of privileged white asses doing black face.).

But people hem and haw about not mimicking and mocking other cultures still. Really, people? You did hear it's the 21st century?


From Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:

Climate Change Denialist and Their Denial

At this stage it should be getting hard to disagree about the impact of our treatment of the global environment. The negative changes are slowly creeping into place. Difficulties are growing. Tension slowly mounts.

But, hey...

Source

False truths in Astronomy, with Dr. Pamela Gay

From her talk at Balticon 2012 (Skeptics Track). Dr.Gay talks about some of the inaccurate and ridiculous claims about space, the stars, and our doom that we all end up hearing about in our day to day lives.

Hackers and Hollywood

We've all watched it for years. We've all seen how ridiculous it's gotten. But it seems writers in Hollywood are only growing less technologically savvy.

But computers are magic, aren't they? At least that's what my new computer keeps telling me...

From Cracked.Com:

5 Stupid Things Movies Believe About Hacking -- powered by Cracked.com

TWIB's A Black Show

The team at TWIB have been working hard at expanding their brand and shows, while engaging with it's audience. In an effort to give Elon James White, the founder of TWIB, a heart attack, they've moved into producing a weekly TV show. A Black Show (#ablackshow). It's every Friday at 8 PM (PT) on the Free Speech network.

Like everything they do, it offers a look at politics and society, with a unique view and sense of humor. They also bring in a number of different voices to discuss topics.

Here's a little from the show, you can find more here. Also, if you can't see it on Free Speech TV, or miss it, they have the latest episodes available on iTunes.


#GrayRacism

Women, Rape Culture, and Boyce Watkins

DC Comics does Reading

Saw this set of reading aids via DC Comics characters on Tumblr. They are ridiculous and silly.

Of course we have all seen this one.

It's long since become a meme.

Trilogy of Horror B-Days

As will happen in any attempt to group, this week has given us a trio of horror great birthdays. These three fellows spent decades scaring, thrilling, and amusing their fans.

From House of Long Shadows - Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, and Peter Cushing
-- And a John Carradine bonus!

The Horror Of...Dracula through the Ages - Stoker's Tale

Having enjoyed some folklore, having taken in some other literature, it's time for the main act.

It's time to get to the book most know. You know the book. Bram's Stoker most remembered tale.

Dracula (1931) Promo Photo

DRACULA

Puppies need your love.

Dogs. What can you say? Most of us love and adore them. But not every dog gets the affection it deserves in it's life. ...Made you sad?

How about a couple of tales of dogs getting a second chance? How about some sad dogs that are given a reason to wag their tails enthusiastically about life?


A blind stray dog finds love, home, and sight.




Caged Beagles discover grass, and fun.




There are a lot of services and facilities around the country that work to help out stray dogs and cats, or those that are exploited, or those that are in need. Consider donating time or money to help out.

Game of Thrones: 1990

Imagine if Game of Thrones was not a 2010's show, but a 1990's show. The 90's music. The smiling, earnest, or forlorn montage. And those 90's title effects. Oh, yeah!

From Cracked.com:

If 'Game of Thrones' Was Made in the '90s -- powered by Cracked.com

The Horror Of...Dracula through the Ages - The Literature That Came Before

From folklore and rumor, we go to the tale on the page.

Let's get into the literature that led into and inspired Dracula. After all, while Dracula inspired many, it was also born from earlier work.

Many of the works that helped cement the more modern view of the vampire, and formed the basis of Dracula, came early in the 19th century.

The Horror Of...Dracula through the Ages, From Folklore and History

In the dark, down through the ages, we have been stalked. From the shadows we can feel it, but never can we escape it. Our dreaded myths and legends will never let us be.

That which hunts us has gone by many names, and has had many forms. Folklore. Legend. Myth.

And among those mythic visions is the vampire. The creature of the night. The creature of the tomb. The creature of blood.

While we've grown comfortable with a particular vision of the vampire it hasn't always been limited by one set of rules. Different cultures have had their beasts. Beasts that feasted on blood. Beast that feast on flesh. Beast that won't stay put in their graves. Dracula may be synonymous with vampirism, but he isn't the Alpha or Omega.

Le Vampire Engraving - R. de
Moraine - 1864

The vampire has had it's forms and predilections. An amorphous form with tentacles. A hopping corpse that can go rabid. A ghoul. A ghost. Detachable parts. A creature that spreads sickness. A being that stalks up behind lords in their halls and bashes them over the back of the head, using a bucket to catch up all the best bits.

Another aspect often at debate is just who can become a vampire. Generally, it was the dead who would turn; unless we are talking of tales of naturally preternatural being. Sometimes a person who was wronged would not stay still in their grave; no peace found. Other times it was a vile criminal who Hell could not hold. As you can imagine the ideas intersected a great deal with the ideas of other beings, like ghosts.

That is just how folklore works. It changes, from person to person, from culture to culture, and age to age. Changing. Morphing. It finds it's new niche.

Transitioning from word of mouth the vampire became a useful force in written stories. They would appear in different forms from time to time in different cultures.

Let's get into the some tales that at least partly step out of folklore and into reality. Some historic events also marked future tales of vampires.

The Horror Of...Scheduling, May 2013

Hello, again. It has been awhile since I've done an update.

But this seems like a worthwhile time.

Friday the 13th on Almost Tuesday the 13th - Episode 8 - Shadow Boxer

The 13th has come again, who could have seen that coming...

Okay, I didn't. I've been distracted the last week. I was haunted by the idea that there was something I wanted to get done, but nothing clicked. But something needed to dealt with, and I had no bills due. And then it finally hit me Tuesday. ...Which is apt with the story of this episode.

So it's time to move on from bad doctoring to bad pugilism in this episode.

Let's take a look once again at Friday the 13th the Series.

Time to get into the ring with "Shadow Boxer".

Trailers in Short - Speedsters, Mystics, and Detectives. Oh My!

Well if the rounds of superhero movies isn't enough, we seem to be in store for a whole range of TV series based around comic book heroes. (Okay, we often have various superhero series these days. But let's all pretend, like the media does.)

So let's see all the DC Comics and Marvel Comics offerings coming this year. (And maybe some movies. We are obliged.)

Let's start with The Flash (he always races to the front of line). He's a favorite of mine in comics. And I am always pleased when he gets some press or representation. (And maybe they'll finally finish a Flash video game. The one that almost came out before looked lovely.) And I do love a speedster.

The Real Climate Change Skeptics

Image from Roberto_Rizzato

"I can't hear you over the weight of scientific consensus!"

Climate Change is one of the issues that, despite conservative media claims, is pretty well established. Much of it is human made. And the human made portion is having a clear negative impact on humanity. The world is less hospitable to us.

It's an undeniable consensus now.

And if we find a trail of evidence that leads another way, I'll be surprised, and scientists are ready to hear about it. But like in dealings with religious apologist and Creationist, there is NO new data against human made Climate Change to consider.

Galling in this issue, are people opposed to accepting the impact Climate Change. They call themselves skeptics often. They are skeptics in much the same way as guys who call themselves demonologists and skeptics, or antivaxxers and skeptics. (And, yes, we have seen some famous people who call themselves skeptics who mocked the idea of Climate Change. And they deserve to be criticized for the bad analysis.)

The Simpsons - McBain: The Movie

Sure, The Simpsons has a movie. They also have another movie, embedded inside their TV show.

Everyone remembers McBain, right? We keep seeing bits of his movies throughout the series. Who doesn't have the occasional urge to shout out, "Mendoza!"

All those clips, scatter through The Simpsons, actually fit together into one semi-logical (as far as action movies go) story line. The story of one cop, who doesn't play by the rules, who is out to stop the sinister Senator Mendoza.

Watch.

Ever since learning this existed, I keep having to look back at it. It's classic 80's action, with the awkwardly bad or boring in between scenes excised out.

Penny Dreadful - New show, Victorian horror

Penny Dreadful is officially starting tonight on Showtime. A Victorian Horror Series that brings together a number of archetypes and characters of the era's horror, it offers what the potential to sate one's Sunday night horror needs.

It's already an overstuffed night, with Game of Thrones, Veep, Last Week Tonight, Mad Men, etc. So I thought I'd take a quick look at the show's opener to tempt anyone looking for something new.

Now to be clear, this is a Showtime show. So that means, blood, gore, and sex will be included. I know most of us assume any drama show that appears on Showtime or HBO will have this stuff, it is worth reminding people who are bothered by that.

So to begin, Josh Hartnett has the question to ask as Penny Dreadful starts.

Some People Say We Have To Leave It There

Upton Sinclair

I was pleased to see this quote on Chris Hayes's show a few weeks back.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

It's from Upton Sinclair in 1935, about his failed run for the California governorship, I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked. I believe Greg Mitchell has written some on it.


And Hayes was looking at this in regards to climate change, were it is apt. But it clearly goes beyond that. The media and conservative politics have a vested interest in not paying serious attention to many serious issues.

Elections, infrastructure, voting access, any scientific consensus, etc.

For the GOP it's more important to redefine a situation to fit and agree with their decades old ideological stances. No matter the state of the economy, the answer to improve things will be a series of tax cuts. No matter how much need there is in the country for aid, the answer will be to cut the social safety net. No matter the national security standing of the nation, increased expenditures are needed. And actual understanding is irrelevant to these politicians jobs.

And even when their once was agreement about the facts and the problem, new pressure from the old guard means that it's better to no longer agree with yourself. The future of environment will no longer be a problem. Access to birth control becomes controversial. They may have had some common sense, but that common sense isn't worth losing their jobs, or paychecks over.

It's all sports, particularly for the media. Who sounds better? Who's more convincing? Who's more popular? Who had the biggest blooper this week?

For the media, if it wants to talk about some blatantly ridiculous fact free position of a political party, it will only get them "labelled". And that seems to scare the media. They won't get invited to all the parties. Press flacks won't rush to them with the latest spin. So it's better to not rock the boat, unless everyone already agrees on the topic. Then it's a lot easier.

They learn to not be controversial to the wrong people.

So media becomes ridiculous, often playing it safe. Often not digging beneath the surface. Often just repeating what others say, without questioning the validity. It's not worth risking that salary to look closer.


Former Secretary of State (and future presidential candidate) Hilary Clinton had this thought on the state of media:

"A lot of serious news reporting has become more entertainment driven and more opinion-driven as opposed to factual," she said. "People book onto the shows, political figures, commentators who will be controversial who will be provocative because it’s a good show. You might not learn anything but you might be entertained and I think that’s just become an unfortunate pattern that I wish could be broken."

And I can't disagree. There are some good venues still out there. Some that are interested in a real discussion or real analysis, but it's mostly fluff you could fast forward through and miss nothing.

Honestly, how many shows bring on a round table that spout off the obvious? So little new information comes out. So it's come to the point that news channels need to have constant ALERTS and BREAKING NEWS.

They may be stating the obvious. They may be repeating information you already heard earlier in the day. But you get a flashing words at the bottom of the screen.

We need people who understand what they are doing, and care about what they are doing. And it wouldn't hurt if they cared about serious discussions and debates.

Trailers In Short - Monsters Don't Respect Boundaries Edition

Flipping monsters. Always stomping on your house, eating your friends, being racist caricatures, or arresting you. They are such bores.

You see this, monsters?

Source

That's class in a large and respectful being. You can carefully walk over something without destroying it. Learn something!

But would it be Summer without our monsters? We will never know. So let's look at the terror to come this Summer. Nymph. Transformers 4. Godzilla. Wolfcop.

Trailers In Short - Dystopic Battle Jam

In a world where movie voice over guys rule the world...One man has all the answers, and has chewed all the bubblegum. One woman wishes it was Tuesday, so she could take the day off. And one plucky kid better get off the computer before his parents ground him...Looking at you.

Dystopic futures. Grim battlegrounds, war torn cities, and nasty heartless governments...I am talking about the future, right? ...Still, it's always an option for movie makers, as long as some urban center in the world is suffering an economic downturn. And this year we've have a new dented rusted batch...From the crappy future! Edge of Tomorrow. The Purge: Anarchy. Battle of the Damned.


Edge of Tomorrow



I was going to have good things to say about this trailer. The first 80 seconds made me hopeful. (Even with Cruise warning he has important news, and the fleet of planes flying, I was avoiding ANY Scientology jokes.) It starts with a future war. And Tom Cruise is playing a recruit is looping through time, again and again.

That could be interesting. A man out of time. Stuck in a grim war. A horrible loss coming. But this odd loop he's in may hold the answer to ending the conflict. Interesting Science Fiction premise.

Then it starts turning into a action packed "Run! Tom! Run!" movie. It feels duller by the end of the trailer. A tacked on romance to boot. It is such a Tom Cruise movie.


The Purge: Anarchy

The first teaser came out and I was underwhelmed. The first movie didn't do much. And the new teaser suggested a story about a couple running through a city gone wild...But...There was a flurry of clips near the end that showed a wider view of this Purge world. And you had to wonder.



So this movie is looking more and more complicated, if we're lucky. It might actually be a series of experiences from different perspectives that are drawn together in the narrative. It could actually give an interesting look at this world, and how it really functions. Hunters. Prey. Rich. Not rich. People out for vengeance. People who order take out victims.


You know, in the first teaser, there was a quick clip that looked like some rich people readying to kill a family member. It made me wonder. What if you did a country manor murder mystery in this world. All these rich people lock themselves away, safe from the rabble. Then someone is killed. It wouldn't say much about this world, but it would be an odd play on this concept.


Still, this movie may be a good sequel. Or it may be a poorly made mess. I hope to hear good things.


Battle of the Damned



Dolph Lundgren fights zombies. ...What? Do we need more reason to watch a movie?

Okay. Did I mention the robots? They also fight the zombies.

Dolph. Zombies. Robots. Fighting.

Come on! How do you not rent that at least once?

Sure, he's on a rescue mission in a cut off city. It's borrowing heavily from Escape From New York, but...Dolph, Zombies, and Robots...?

I think nothing more needs to be said.

Trailers In Short - Brains Don't Work That Way Edition

So many Go To's in science fiction fantasy. Among them is the magic of the human mind. It can do anything. Get Uploaded. Get Downloaded. Time Travel. Make Heads Explode.

So let's look at some new movies that take up two of these tropes. Lucy and Transcendence.


Lucy



Hey, it's Johansson in a solo superheroish movie...but still not a Black Widow movie.

So she gets infused with some magic drug, and becomes super focused and agile. Okay. It makes you think she might be super cool spy type for the movie. Then it gets weirder.

She starts warping reality, hacking the Matrix, and discovers that Love really is a dirty word (Maybe not the last one.) ...And all because, we all only ever use 10% of our brains. Sigh. We actually use all of our brain. We may not look like it, but we are making full use of our noggins. We don't have secret super powers locked away, like were video game characters. It's so silly. I know it's a trope, but it's a trope that used to sell people on stupid ideas and products in the real world.

That is just not how our bodies work...

Anyway, while she has amazing new perceptions, an altered brain, and world altering powers, she's still focused on getting at the people who did it all to her. Think bigger.

But, hey, Morgan Freeman's there to mentor her along the way. That's requisite these days, right?


...Speaking of Morgan Freeman...


Transcendence



Johnny Depp gets uploaded onto the Internet.

Apparently, if you try and copy a person, it works fine. Imagine that, it's ALL there? Memories? Sure. But, psychology? And what about all those other different aspects that make up the mind? It would be a perfect replica?

Better yet, would it be you? Sure, why not? Shame on you for doubting it! Blasphemer!

But better, once you are Of The Internet, you get superpowers. You get to be superior, or better.

It's a movie that feels like a bad movie. It's a shame, much of this feels like it is an over long episode of The Outer Limits (the 90's version). The 60% of that show about people being afraid of technology, rightly or wrongly. It would be interesting if this movie looked at what makes one human or something else. What is gained or lost in "transcendence". It could be a fascinating topic.

But movie producers are a little leery of that stuff. More boom, less hmm.

But, hey, at least you get some fanatical Luddites as a counterpoint to the technology questions!

What? A Right Wing Hero Who Is Racist? *UPDATED*

I think you have the wrong flag up.

As I'm sure shocks us all, Cliven Bundy (I guess I've been calling him Clive.), of "Get Off My Lawn And Your Lawn To" fame, has shown off a new facet of his charm offensive. Racism.

Now this has stymied some of us. How could he be like this? He's seemed so informed and level headed up to now.

Would someone whose openly said:

• He doesn't recognize the United States government as existing.
• He wanted the local sheriff to disarm the Forest Service officers in the area, and then have those weapons handed to him.

...seem like a person that would spout idiotic racist patter?


Being serious, most of us aren't surprised. Another Right Wing hero tosses out casual confident racism. Somehow people who obsess over a past, where white people were king (Well, more kingly.), look back at how black people were treated, and see it as right and good. It is the sad outcome of their conservative philosophical process. Women back in the house. Blacks and Hispanics working in the back.

Conservatism has become defined by these regressive ideas. But the one lesson most conservative leaders learned is how to couch their horrible ideas in coded language, and pseudo intellectualism. (Clean Air Act, Academic Freedom, Trickle Down Economics, Kenyan)

And that is what is galling about Bundy, and others like Todd Akin and Phil Robertson. Bundy talks like the GOP's many failed candidates, going off on blacks, gays, or birth control.

But they all still share common thinking with the rest of the conservative movement. They are hostile to gay rights, to civil rights, and to reproductive rights. But it's all supposed to be coded. People like Paul Ryan work to hide it. They try and sell "urban" as an innocent and honest. It's really racist and disingenuous. People like Bundy screw up the strategy, by plainly speaking the bigotry and contempt.

The Horror Of...Universal Monsters and Shock Theater

From Screen Gem catalog.

Following my look at Universal Monsters in general, I wanted to consider how these characters emerged. Sure, they had their premieres, and found fans. But what happen in the decades to follow, to help keep them in the public's mind? I wanted to look at where those creatures went in the 1950's. And the answer is...

Shock Theater! (or Theatre, if you like)

In 1957 Universal made the decision to release 52 of it's horror movies in a package called SHOCK! It was part of a deal made with Screen Gems. (They also sold packages of other genres.) The idea was to syndicate these movies, and share them on television.

It was an important moment, as it allowed these movies to be more easily accessed by a new generation of potential fans. Like the young kids that never got to see these movies the first time around. Also those that remember seeing these movies in a different time. It was a chance to be taken back to their youths.

Among this package of movies was Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and The Mummy. Most of what would be called the Universal Monsters. (Obviously Creature from the Black Lagoon was still a too recent movie for them to offer up.) Also many of the sequels were also offered up. And other interesting films, like The Black Cat.

And then in 1958 a second batch of 20 movies were released. SON OF SHOCK. It included more of the Universal Monster sequels, including Bride of Frankenstein.

It all created quite a stir with TV viewers, and inspired new merchandise and new media.

Bundy Ranch: The Takers Come Home To Roost

The most patriotic anti-American patriot ever.

...I probably should have made that a cattle reference. Still, Clive Bundy doesn't make much of any sense either.

A rancher in Nevada, Bundy has taken it upon himself to skip out on paying grazing fees for his cattle over the past 20 years. These fees were being paid by his neighbors as needed, and by any other rancher in the country.

It's a simple enough idea. You want additional grass and scrub for your cattle. So you can make a deal with a neighbor, to allow your cattle on their land for awhile to eat. As part of the deal you may agree about how long they can stay, or you can pay for the use of the land.

It seems very friendly and simple. It seems rather capitalistic.

But not to Bundy. He seems to have decided that since the land is owned by the government, he can use it at will for whatever reasons he decides. And when he's asked to pay his fees, he refuses. And when he goes to court looses, he still refuses. And when he looses again in court, he refuses...You see how this is going.

He's a cheat. He currently owes around one million dollars. (Imagine how nicely you'd be treated if you refused to pay that amount of money to the government.)

Trailers in Short - Superheroes Are the New Black Edition

Here come the heroes! ...Well, it's a summer time thing now, isn't it? But as a fan of myth and comic books, it's a good thing. ...Well, it can be a good thing, when you get decent movies.

So let's see where Hercules, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Turtles, Spider-Man, and Batman take us.


Sadly, it took so long to get to this that I missed the opening of the new Captain America movie. So I offer this in recompense.

Source

Trailers in Short - Animals Want To Eat Your Face Edition

Welcome to the world of animals. As a rule, animals are awesome. Tiny bugs building a megalopolis. Whales or Sharks herding prey. Birds navigating vast distances. Dogs giving up their derp face.

And then there are the movies. Forget all that stuff above. Animals. Want. To. Eat. Your. Face.

Big Ass Spiders! Zombeavers! Squirrels!

...And more, of course.

Trailers in Short - Horror Rises On the TeeVee

Isn't it time for some horror? It feels like that. So let's look at some upcoming shows to that mysterious medium of television. Some Victorian Penny Dreadful, angsty Salem, and...something a but lighter.

...Okay, it's Gravity Falls.