Please Don't Feed The Trolls

I am sure many of you already know what I am talking about but for those of you who don't: "a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion. [1]"  I am also sure that you have ALL run into one at least once.  These people seem to strive on annoying the heck out of others, going on fan communities and the like to write their verbal graffiti.  I know maybe I shouldn't let them bother me as much as they do.  I should ignore them, as they are getting out of me EXACTLY what they intended... a reaction.  The thing is, it seems like lately they are becoming more and more prevalent.  I am seeing their signs in more places. I just wonder what is driving this phenomenon.

For an example on a thread concerning the movie Alice In Wonderland, someone posted up, "That movie sucked".   That's it.  Now I am all for people expressing there likes/dislikes about movies.  I believe you have a right to your opinion and can state that... but... you should also post up the WHY you feel a certain way.  Otherwise you are just saying it for no reason.   Other than, of course, to annoy the rest of us.  So how do we get rid of these bottom feeders..  I guess ignoring them is the best policy..  The theory being if they don't get any attention perhaps they will go else where.   Not very satisfying though.. :-)  It's too bad it's not possible to swat people long side the head.. virtually speaking of course.  Anyways that's just me...  thoughts??

Great Sense Of Humor

I must say I love a good sense of humor.  Especially when it comes to sarcasm and politics.   I was out for supper this weekend at Jack Astors and upon receiving the bill I was tickled to see the labels on the tax section of the bill.  The Dalton Food and Liquor taxes and the Harper tax had me rolling in my seat.   Anyways maybe some people don't find this as funny as I do.. but to me its a riot.

How To Train Your Dragon

Alright... BEST MOVIE of the year so far, by far.  I LOVED this movie...  and everything about it.  First off the story line.  It was original and engaging.  The characters were deep and you become attached to them very quickly.  You come to believe that IF there was such things as dragons during the time of the vikings that they very well could be like this.  The voice acting was superb...  fitting well with the characters.  Listen for Gerard Butler... yes from 300 as the voice of the father and lead viking.  Now to the 3D.  In my review of Alice In Wonderland, I stated I was dissapointed in the 3D.. .and I was.   Avatar had set the bar SO high that when I saw Alice it was a let down.  Much to my surprise Dragon is on par if not better even, than Avatar, if you can believe it. It is THAT good.   You definitely NEED to see this movie.   As for kids... it will totally depend on how sensitive they are.   There are a few pretty intense scenes that could scare them...   but there is no deaths or other disturbing situations.   Adults will like the sophisticated story line and fantastic imagery. (6.0/6.0)

Cat Unexplained Mystery #001

I have always wondered why a cat that has HUGE water dishes on every floor of my house decides that the water on the bottom of the shower is so MUCH preferable.  Every morning its the same.. Sam can't wait for me to open the door so he can get at this intoxicating vintage.  I guess I shouldn't complain too much.. as he isn't a toilet water cat.   Thank heavens.

The Bounty Hunter

This was a great light hearted romantic comedy, which was thoroughly enjoyable in my opinion.  Some critics said that there was no chemistry between Aniston and Butler but I would have to disagree.  I thought they played very well together.  The story line was intriguing and was able to keep my interest throughout.. and the ending was nice but not too sappy.   (4.0/6.0)

Repo Men

So  I have mixed feelings about this movie.  On one hand there is several things wrong with the film.  The first being that it was extremely slow to get started.  They spent alot of time in the beginning establishing character and taking you through the time before Law's character gets in trouble and begins being chased for repossession himself.  Now there is nothing wrong setting up your character but in this case it was excessively wrong.  On the other hand the storyline was extremely clever.  I haven't seen such an intriguing idea in a long time.  Especially for a science fiction / action movie.  The twist at the end made me think and contemplate the whole movie for a while after I left.  That being said... I did NOT like the ending.  I know that not all movies are supposed to make you feel good... but what can I say.. I prefer it that way.  On the whole I have to say that I am coming down on the side of dislike in this case.  It's a strange feeling to know you have seen a good movie but still not liking it.  Oh well...   (2.5/6.0)

Green Zone

So Matt Damon does it again... in this intelligent and actionable movie about the "Desert Storm" war.  Damon plays a Chief Warrant Officer in charge of sniffing out the supposed WMD's that caused the whole war.  Frustration sets in when every place he is sent to look turns up empty.   Suspecting something fishy is going wrong with the intelligence reports and the U.S. supposed source.  Damon takes on the task of locating the source and getting to the truth.  Directed by the same people who did the Bourne movies you can see that they are well familiar with the action genre.  Matt Damon of course is well versed in this type of role and plays it well.  I must say I like Matt Damon.. and think he is a top notch actor much better than many of he supposed "stars" of Hollywood.  4.0/6.0

The Ghost Writer

Not many people have heard of this movie.  Which is a shame.  This "art film" by Roland Polanski has a fantastic story line that twists and turns through out.   This is definitely a thinking movie as opposed to a thriller or action movie.   It's a mystery at heart.   It draws you in, getting you to invest in the characters, and then at the end it gives you a good twist.. which I will not spoil for you.  Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor are there usual selves..  very good actors.. but nothing fantastic.   Look out for James Belushi... he has a small part... not comedic... that surprised the heck out of me.   I hardly recognized him when I first saw him.  It took me a moment to recognize his voice and then it hit me.   The cinematography was quite good for this type of movie.  Moody and wet...   Definitely one of the best mysteries in a long while.  4.0/6.0

Alice In Wonderland

Well Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have done it again.  Which isn't surprising as they must be able to read each others minds after working together so much.  Alice is a visually stunning movie with a intricate story line on par with Lewis Carolls books.   It's like Burton took all the insane imagery of the books, added a plot, for the movie and then through Depp in the mix.  This makes for a wild ride that doesn't stop from start to finish.  Of course, some purists, might not like some of the liberties that Burton took.. but I don't mind.  I've always been of the mind that a movie is a movie and a book is a book.. and you can't compare one against the other. Now to the 3D.   I really don't think it added much to the story.  Yes it was interesting but I could have watched in 2D and been just as happy.   I guess after watching Avatar, which set the bar insanely high, I am a bit spoiled.   Not that the FX in this movie aren't excellent..  but in comparison they are lacking.   Still the movie as a whole was WELL worth the price for admission.. even in 3D.  IMAX on the other hand...  I think you would be over paying.   4.5/6.0

Survivor: Best Blind Side Ever

All right...  THAT was the best blind side I have ever seen on Survivor in all the seasons that I have been watching.   If not the best then the most satisfying that is for sure.  Cerie TOTALLY didn't see it coming which is great... I remember, in one of the beginning episodes she was saying that "as long as it WASN'T her she didn't care who went".  If she would have stuck to her strategy last night she would still be there.  Instead she made the mistake of sticking her head out and making a play for Tom and Colby.  Not knowing that J.T. was listening.   In the end her manipulation cost her.  I think the best part was when Rupert and her started giggling when Tom played his immunity idol.  Little did she know that the joke was on her.   I LOVED every minute of it.  Man I love it when the cocky get humbled.

OH Canada...

So driving in this morning, I heard on the news that once again our politicians are thinking of changing the wording of our national anthem to make it more "Gender Neutral"  Their complaint is in the stanza: "For thine sons command".   GRRR..  Sometimes I feel that people have WAY too much time on their hands now days.  It is ONE word in a song that has been around for centuries.  Okay so when the song was first created women weren't allowed in the military so the line made more sense.   Does that mean we NEED to change it to fit with our modern times OR do we just leave it as it is as part of our heritage.   People are intelligent enough to realize that things are different now in the modern age... without having to be reminded by our national song.   In other words, just because we sing "For thine SONS command" doesn't mean we think that ONLY the male gender is appreciated by our country.. FAR from it.   You only need to look at the Olympics this year where are women KICKED BUTT to see how great Canadian females are...   and THEY sang the anthem as is..  Just my two cents.. :-)

King Samuel The Hunter

All hail King Samuel the great orange hunter.  In the risk of giving him an even bigger swelled head I have decided to post about Sam's big accomplishment this morning.  On coming downstairs I noticed that he was sniffing at the hall closet acting strangely focused.   When I opened the door he immediately dove right in and started rustling around.  It wasn't long when he came out mouse in hand... errr in mouth.   Needless to say he didn't EXACTLY want to give up his new prize to me... so he immediately bolted to the basement.   Wanting to get the mouse OUT of the house I was quick to pursue. You KNOW??   When a cat doesn't want to be caught they are pretty effective at avoiding us lumbering giant humans.   Anyways I finally was able to catch the doofus and get the, somewhat worse for ware, mouse and put him outside.   I swear Sam's EGO is a mile high right now.  In his mind he is on par with any KING of beasts out there.

That will teach 'em to trespass on Sam's Domain..