but i guess it applies to much of your post too, Headthump, which i largely agreed with, although I heartily hope you are wrong in saying "her work is quite good for today's standards".

Maybe I've just been lucky in everything else I've recently read, but if Harry Potter is good by today's standards then i should be able to get on the bestsellers list by drinking 10 pints of imported lager and then pissing my novel in the snow. 

But that would get you credit with the nihilistic artist crowd. 

trilogy. I'm not familiar with it but you make it sound very interesting. Thing is, I could never relate to kids especially when I was a kid. At ten my favorite book was a collection of Tolstoy short stories. I was much smarter and more intellectual then (peaking at the age of twelve, downward spiral sense).

By the time I became an adolescent and teenager however, my taste changed to pretty much what they are today.

My three smug little nieces all read Harry Potter the way Rabinical students read the Talmud. I don't get it, I didn't like the two Potter books that I did read.

I think it may have something to do with the 'elitistic' concepts in the books. The idea of the muggles. It is an elitism they can wrap their itty, bitty little brains around and adopt as their own way of seeing things and looking down their upturned noses at those who are not in on it.

That to me, I believe is its real appeal. 

you might be on to something. But if they wanted to do elitism right, why didn't they just create a Func_ account? 

It is my niece Rhonda who lost my Mission Pack CDs. She had a hand-me-down PI from me for years so it was one of the few games she could play; a little speedrunner devil at one time. Now her system is better than mine and it is loaded with nothing but Sims crap. What a waste. 

Rowling does seem to be poking sly fun at both the English class structure with her "muggle" talk, but also apartheid as well. Mind you, I couldn't read the damn books without wanting to cloud wizard-dom about its collective ears and drag it kicking and screaming into the modern era. 

starbuck your jokes are even better after the 3 months away. ;) 

Voices from a Distant Star.

Unlike Vampire Hunter D, which used multiple media (at the back end) in delivering an awesome anime experience. 'Voices' uses different techniques in the same media. Some of the scenes are literally mere sketches, some fully worked up set pieces. The whole thing hangs together brilliantly, with the simple but well crafted soundtrack acting as subliminal glue.

Hire it, watch it, cry, be at peace. 

...might've had no balls in the literary sense, but the film was excellent. It did introduce some new elements (girl-power Hermione was a scream) but more importantly the director and cinematographer have finally opened up the vista to big screen dimensions. Visually, the first two now seem "made for television".

Did anyone else think "I'm going to use that" when the youngens where descending the divination tower and passed by the window with a stair on the other side of the tower heading upward? Cool!

...and eratum in the previous post: that should be Voices of a Distant Star. 

I think donnie darko was a kickass movie and i loved the six foot tall bunnyrabbit named frank he was so evil looking.The idea of time travel i thought was pretty cool. 

echo and the bunnymen, the church, tears for fears, joy division... the cover of mad world was good too. 

was the perfect fit at the end. 

Brilliant Movie

The vacant, happy zombie expression on the leads face during the ENTIRE movie definitely leaves an impression. 

not only was mad world the perfect end, but i think putting 'The Killing Moon' at the beginning was just as good a choice. Great atmosphere, that movie... captured a familiar but obscure mood/feeling very well. 

agreed.

I'm looking forward to checking out the re-relase of the movie in the Director Cut format. Most these DC's dont really do much, but it could be interesting in this case. 

Was a blast. Sure, it's science fiction that's more heavy on the fiction, but it's a romp -- full of decent effects, sleek production and that foxey merc that somehow got lost in the shuffle (hope she shows up in the third movie -- which they damned well better have, btw, judging by the end of this one). 

Haven't seen Riddick, but the presence of the shockingly talentless Thandie Newton is enough to put me off. I'll probably catch it on DVD.

On another note, I've just downloaded the Aliens vs Predator trailer. I remember before this was announced, getting teased with rumours of Cameron's Alien 5 - but no... looks like we're gonna have to suffer this sci-fi-channel-grade shlock with Paul W S "Everything I touch turns to crap" Anderson at the helm. 

his parents must have been CRUEL 

blessed with precognitive ability 

As much as I desire everything with Anderson's name attached to it to tank miserably at the box office, I kind of want AvP to do well, because at least that should greenlight the above-mentioned Cameron project. 

I'm sure everyone would agree Cameron is the ultimate Alien films director, and he should not only do another, but make a new one every year to satisfy my craving. I'm sure if he wanted to do one it'd get greenlighted immediately, wouldnt it? I hope so. 

also expressed intentions to revisit the alien franchise if there is a good enough script. 

so he's not coming back then. 

Chucky's little demonling kid is voiced by none-other than Billy Boyd of LOTR. 

is apparently working on a huge project. He is being very secretive about it, but says that it's a) inspired by ROTK, and b) a sci-fi set in the future.

I have two theories - either this is the rumoured 'His Dark Materials' adaptation, or it could be an epic set in the Aliens universe, i.e. Alien 5. I'm hoping for the latter.