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neurotwitch

Saturday, January 19, 2002

LOTR - PS

The sound sucked. What ever happened to actors acting like they were whispering instead of actually whispering? I'm very hard of hearing, but I can hear most movies. Directors, though, are increasingly forgetting that the tendency is for their audience to have less-than-perfect hearing. They forget whispering is an effect, not an actual event, at least in a well-crafted movie. And the conversations over significant background noise - ohmygod - older directors seemed to be able to handle this, why can't directors do this any more? They need to keep the sound above a minimum threshold. I'd rather imagine the theater was rumbling rather than actually feel it rumble - I'd rather be able to hear every word rather than try to read lips or give up. In the case of LOTR - I gave up. If I'd paid for the movie, though (we had free coupons!), I'd want my money back or at least the chance to hear it again with those godawful headphones. "The Other" is another example - a great movie ruined for me and any other marginally hard of hearing person because the sound was awful.
posted by lee on 01/19/02 at 12:16 PM

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LOTR - Finally!

We finally got a chance to see it last night. I must admit, Lord of the Rings was better than I expected it to be. I had a lot of trouble believing all the hype - what was real and what was just this nation of sheep bleating in unison.

That said, it was TOO LONG. A good 45 minutes could've been trimmed with no loss. Stanley thinks it was good as it is - he said it could've been longer and he would've been happy. I think trimming a minute or two here and there would've made it a more bearable movie since some scenes were interminable (the Ringwraiths chasing Liv Ullman, the canoe trip, the slogging through the snow, the length of time it took to get across the stone bridge in the tomb of the dwarves, the fight scenes -- all could've been trimmed significantly without ruining anything).

I listened as parents and other people explained what was going on to those (kids and others) who'd never read the books - the movie does not stand alone. It is very confusing unless the viewer is one of the initiated (no matter how long ago. In my case, I read the books about 30 years ago).

ca_isengard_800.jpg

It would've been better, too, if the movie weren't so patronizing of the Hobbits and treated them as the central, most important characters - the way they are treated in the books. It rests on Frodo's shoulders to save Middle Earth from The Shadow - no one else, not human, not elf, not dwarf, not wizard. That really bugged me.

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But the special effects were great - I loved, especially, the river attacking the Ringwraiths. I'd like to watch it again to see all the details I missed the first time around - the rock creatures embedded in the scenery, more of the background details, the stuff that lent all the texture to the movie in an almost subliminal way.
posted by lee on 01/19/02 at 10:30 AM

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Friday, January 18, 2002

Blog-surf traps

Twice today I got trapped in a blog frame when blog hopping. You know, that thing you do when you follow Blogsnob or other links just to see what else is out there. Anyway, I'd ended up on Scott Rubush's blog. Which has a number of links. I followed the Blogsnob link through several, maybe five or so blogs. I happened to glance at the address bar and saw Scott Rubush's http no matter where I was. I noticed that on another blog hop earlier today (I forget which one). This is REALLY ANNOYING. That's why I'm not linking his blog. Sometimes I like to pop the blog into my favorites to look at when I have more time. This blog hopping trap makes it impossible to do that.

Does trapping blog hoppers in an URL jack up stats or something? Increase the popularity rating somewhere? (And why would anyone care?) Why would anyone do this? If it's intentional and not something accidental because one is using Blogger or something, then this is just begging for a countermeasure. Such as ostracism, maybe, or something else ...
posted by lee on 01/18/02 at 02:20 PM

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Just one more use for those little yellow pad thingies

Well, I want to know how long it takes to SCAN one of these puppies ... Post-It Theater. While you're there, explore the whole site - it's a strange conglomeration of stuff.
posted by lee on 01/18/02 at 08:20 AM

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Old Postcards & more

James Lileks, a writer hailing from Fargo, ND, has put together a gallery of postcards from Motels - apparently of the 1950s and 60s. There's also a LOT of other stuff to explore on his website -- a time sink to enjoy. Maybe you could even follow the link to buy "The Gallery of Regrettable Food."
posted by lee on 01/18/02 at 07:13 AM

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Thursday, January 17, 2002

What my parents saw

GREAT collection of WPA posters via the Libe of Congress site. Wonderful for getting ideas for good retro designs.

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posted by lee on 01/17/02 at 04:37 PM

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X-Files Finally ending

Well, I guess its official: Fox to close ``X-Files'' in May.

It Jumped the Shark about four seasons ago, anyway, when Fox started taking himself way too seriously. It tripped over the shark when Dana was abducted ... this show was really starting to get on my nerves. I LIKE Robert Patrick as a replacement for Duchovny, a lot, but the show has taken itself way too seriously for too long now. Time to wrap it all up and enjoy those residuals.
posted by lee on 01/17/02 at 09:35 AM

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enron & ebay

Hopefully these people are employees making at least something to make up for their trashed pension plans ... Enron items garner high bids on eBay - Tech News - CNET.com
posted by lee on 01/17/02 at 06:49 AM

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Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Powell continues to suck up

What Mark Morford (SF Gate Morning Fix) wrote: "Secretary of State Colin Powell has agreed to participate in a global forum sponsored by MTV where he will answer pre-planned, safe, softball questions from pre-selected and entirely unthreatening young people around the world, so long as they don't ask him why he's become such a weak-kneed castrated namby-pamby Cheney sycophant who at one point seemed to have some mildly unique opinions and moderate intellectual stances but who has since been drained of all potential political nuance and now tows the GOP line like a good party lackey and speaks only in vague broad annoying platitudes. "General Powell, why is it the US as a global power feel it necessary to ramrod our puppet democratic frameworks and thinly veiled capitalist paradigms down the throats of poor bombed-out nations under the guise of egalitarian nations-building efforts, when in fact most everyone knows we're merely desperate to keep the billions flowing from the Saudi oil fields no matter the cost in human lives or socioeconomic instability?" said some kid named Tommy, 15, from Pasadena. "Oh sorry. I mean, what's it like being a neat-o general?" "

Which is about a thousand times more relevant/accurate than the actual story: Secretary of State Powell to participate in MTV global forum.

I used to respect Powell. But I haven't seen any evidence since he was named Sec'y of State that there's any Powell there. Too bad - this is a man I would have voted for for president. Not any more.
posted by lee on 01/16/02 at 04:32 PM

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Ooops

Plaque Meant To Honor Actor Insults Instead. Plaque meant for James Earl Jones has James Earl Ray engraved on it.
posted by lee on 01/16/02 at 02:00 PM

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