Robert Jones

Guess Im not an ordinary man then. And thanks for translating into sci-fi terminology, but the only sci-fi I like is Cyberpunk. So Rodenberry et al is not my taste. And one thing... I dont exactly understand how a Catholic can also be a deist.... is not the concept of a personal God (rather than a deistic 'force of nature' type God) integral to Catholicism? 1. Good. Look what happened when all those ordinary Russians and Chinese became atheistic communists. Frightful! 2. I am a Thomist, which is the branch of Catholicism named for St. Thomas Aquinas, who attempts to square the Bible's theology with Aristotle's philosophy. Also, I am a "Cafeteria Catholic." That is, I became a Catholic because while I believe in God, I believe that God must have taste, and that pretty much put American Protestantism out of the picture. Catholics: Leonardo da Vinci, El Greco, Lorenzo Bernini Protestants: Thomas Kincade, Norman Rockwell, Chick Comics Catholics: Cesar Franck, J.S. Bach, Carl Orff Protestants: Jessica Simpson, Stryper, Resurrection Band Catholics: Thomas a Becket, Pope John Paul II, St. Thomas Aquinas Protestants: Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, John Hagee That just about says it all!

WWMD: "What Would Mencken Do?" It's a play on the wristband WWJD ("What Would Jesus Do?")

God:

Don't forget Lubitsch's "To Be Or Not to Be": Jack Benny and Carole Lombard are perfect in this one, and I just wish Lombard could have been with us a long while longer. She was beautiful AND a great comedienne.

Reform Jews only self-flagellate with their mothers' constant hectoring. "Why don't you eat more? Are you still seeing that horrible shiksa? Will you two give us grandchildren before we're in our graves?" But, these tortuous rituals are atavisms. Mostly, religion is good nowadays for reminding us we are not animals, as Dennis Prager would say. Until I find an atheist (Rand included) who is as rational, reasoned, learned and cool-headed as Dennis Prager, I'm going to stay religious (even though Prager is Jewish, and I'm Catholic). Mostly, I'm a Deist, but what Nietzsche said about the ordinary man needing religion as his source for moral guidance is true. Morons need something to keep them from running amok, because they are too thickheaded to do it themselves, and because their quite fallible human authorities have such obvious foibles, it's much better to scare them with the guy in the sky on the big white throne. Now, of course, Moslems could do with a LOT LESS religion, that's for sure! The problem with the Moslems is that their religion is a plagiarism of a sequel of a plagiarism. In the beginning, there was Judaism Then follower of Jesus Christ became their own sect Then the Roman Empire co-opted the Christians and founded the Holy Roman Catholic Church Then the illiterate Mohammed discovered Judaism and Christianity and came out with a new book his ghost writer penned called "The Koran" In Sci-Fi terms: On the first day, Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek Then, renegade George Lucas came out with a thinly-veiled ripoff called Star Wars Roddenberry oversaw a schism in the franchise, announcing to the world a Next Generation Some desparate afficianados (Whose names I can't recall) out of jealousy grafted The Trek and the Wars together, and called their own creed Babylon 5 BTW, while I will defend most religious people in general, who are quite rational, I find it highly interesting that no-one here has asked me what my signature means. It means "What Would Mencken Do?" That should give you some context to the level of my religiosity. I do, however, believe that God is an Englishman. Winston Churchill, to be precise.

See, that's the genius of "Galaxy Quest": 1. You called Allen "Shatner"; He was really well-written, and, 2. I actually liked Tim Allen for once. You know, comedy is a really tricky thing, because one man's funny is another man's yawn. I have never found Tim Allen funny, but he was so well-written as the straight man, he was quite funny in this role. 3. Alan Rickman wasn't just Spock, he was also Data! He was totally deadpan and a scream! 4. Ah, Tom Servo and Crow! What's you're fave MST 3000? My two are "Red Zone Cuba" and "Kitten With a Whip" (an example, as you say, of a 'good' one -- I saw it without MST overdub and it was actually a great trashy flick. Douglas Heyes, the director, actually did some "Twilight Zone" episodes. P.S.: I still haven't seen "Passion of the Christ," but I have seen "Apocalypto." There was more gore in that movie than "An Inconvenient Truth."

Thanks for your comments, too, Judith, Greybird! I'm glad to get a laugh out of anyone, so thanks Angie! I can 't help it: Like the South Park boys, I relate to everything through "Star Trek." I remember one episode of South Park where one of them says something like "and as it said in the Bible, 'sometimes the good of the many is more important than the good of the few.'" and Kyle replies, "no dude, that wasn't the Bible, that was Star Trek." Beautiful observation on how Star Trek has become a modern religion. BTW, you gotta see "Galaxy Quest," a spoof on the whole Trekkie convention phenomenon that turns into a great adventure flick!

Thanks for the plug, Robert! YES, go out and subscribe to TNI! Like, now!!!

That reminds me of an e-mail I got from a guy, who once told me he went to movies and/or rented, or not attended/rented based on my reviews. But, I never intended to be a "thumbs-up/down" gatekeeping troll like those two hacks in the pay of the studios. ;) So, you're right, we can not only agree to disagree, we can agree not to disagree and just have a good time, which is what movies are all about. I LOVE bad movies, or bad in my estimation at least: When a movie goes sour for me, it's MST 3000 time!

Ha ha! I remember those! Here's one I got last Christmas

How monstrous RELIGION is? Talk about painting with a big bloody brush!

Barbara, Steve, Ed: Another great movie is Billy Wilder's 1961 movie "One, Two, Three," a farce about the Berlin Wall, starring Jimmy Cagney.

Trumbo wasn't just a blacklisted Hollywood writer, he was a blacklisted fire-breathing, card-carrying, Mother Russia lovin', dyed in the wool communist Hollywood writer. Despite that fact, man he could write a great yarn! While I liked "Spartacus" a lot, I loved his screenplay for "Papillon," which I consider Steve McQueen's best role and performance, a great escape that tops even "The Great Escape," and a paean to the indomitable human spirit that refuses to go through life in chains.

Frodo, you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you at the inn, I don't want you near my castle. When you see our Queen, I want to know a day in advance, so I won't be there. You understand? *** I did not seek out these movies, because I never could get into D&D costume flicks. I suppose that the closest I came to being a potential reveller in these movies is that I am a fan of Ronnie James Dio's album "Killing the Dragon," but that really is quite a stretch. First of all, the cinematography is gorgeous: Lots of light streaming in nooks and crannies and crevices. A lot of muted tones of pewter, forest green and cobalt blue -- it made me wonder why Peter Jackson didn't have it filmed in black and white; that would have made more sense, but most people have an irrational aversion to black and white, particularly those who are big budget movie fans. The costumes and sets were very good and very believeable, as were the special effects. Lots of Indiana Jones stuff, but -- sadly -- without Indiana Jones. Mostly, though, my chief complaint is with the script and the acting. I'm sure glad that there was more than one reviewer about to tell me that this trilogy was about good and evil. I sort of got that from Elijah Wood running aroud everywhere toting this gold ring which has supernatural, but very unlucky powers. He really wants to get rid of it bad, sort of like a Medieval "Talking Tina" doll. There's only one way to totally get rid of it, though, and that's why what otherwise would have been a half-hour "Twilight Zone" episode has been turned into a mini-series Renaissance faire that's longer than Wagner's (coincidentally) Ring cycle. Actually, this plot would have been better as a Star Trek episode. After an hour of the ring causing Tribbles in the cargo hold and invading Klingons, Jim Kirk could have soliloquy'd: "Got....to....get....rid...of...Ring," whereupon Spock would have replied, "Captain, the logical course of action is to send it back to the jeweler, and get a refund. It's still under warranty." However, this collection of celluloid deals with nerds before the advent of daily bathing, though I often wonder, "did this fellowship of crusaders get their perfect 21st century teeth because the Ring comes with a comprehensive dental plan?" The main weakness of this movie is the acting. Sure, Sir Lord Knight Ian MacKellen gives a believeable performance as the Old Guy in the Witch's Hat. The rest of the movie, however, consists of a bunch of pretty fair haired lads and lasses who whisper inscrutable piffle to each other in the form of deeply profound sounding monologues, delivered in a deeply anesthetizing monotone. Everything is so gosh darned deep and weighty, but when these folks lock their glassy Jim Jones Unification Church eyes, we in the audience are sure to know: "Ah ha! Here comes another clue! Now we can get out our Little Orphan Bilbo decoder rings to try and figure out just what in Hades they're talking about!" Now, this may be my fault. When I was in high school, I scoffed at the D&D playing, "Chronicles of Narnia" reading, Hobbitry nerds. I was a more socially well-adjusted nerd, belonging to the far more sensible backgammon club and into new wave music like Devo and Duran Duran. So, I can't exactly relate to all this knights of the ringtable esoterica. So, if you're inclined to be one who's into this sort of thing, I'm sure it will have you on the edge of your seat, comparing the movie to the book. But, for the unconverted, I really wish that the actors had been primed for these pictures by being forced to watch movies by Errol Flynn, Charlton Heston, Ronald Colman and Orson Welles, to see how to breathe some freaking LIFE into their anemic performances. My God, it was as though the whole cast somnambulated their way through the script on Prozac. Heston wouldn't have done it that way. Oh, no: He would have had a "damn it all to hell, you damn dirty apes are all made out of soylent green!" moment or two. Orson Welles would have waddled through the enchanted forest, drawling in Southern dialect about how the ring could be bribed and corrupted, and the dashing Flynn and wry Colman would have swashbuckled away the dragons and flying monkeys from Wizard of Oz without even getting a run in their tights. But, that would have been seen in this sophisticated era as less profound and more entertaining. Entertaining don't get Oscars nowadays. I was about to request my commanding officer put me in for a Purple Heart for having to endure all three segments of this yawn-inducing folderol, but a buddy of mine informed me I had only watched one segment. I guess this series does have a kind of magic going for it: I could have sworn I sat through all nine hours. What I did manage to see was so lifeless and dull, I had to keep a defribulator at the ready. Just in case. P.S.: Victor: Not ripping you off on the Heston quote; I wrote this a few years ago. I guess it's just that great minds think alike, or some such. R.

Ok, Ed, I would be willing to do it for The Day the Earth Stood Still---but I *did not* get caught up in the Ring movies. Sorry. :turned: Ditto. It was like watching the grass grow. I kept yelling at the television screen "learn to PROJECT, damnit!"

It is one I still have on my "must see" list.

Chris: Although Citizen Kane is not to me the greatest film ever made, it IS great. However, and I although I can't say for sure what you're basing the above on, I would like to disabuse readers of the notion that the screenplay to "Citizen Kane" was mostly the work of Herman Manckiewicz. Both writers had excellent lines to contribute, but the urban legend that Kane was almost all Manck with a dash of Welles thrown in was a rumor started by film critic Pauline Kael, who had it in for Welles. Welles has written some blistering lines, in many movies, to include "The Lady from Shanghai," "The Magnificent Ambersons," "The Stranger," "Mr. Arkadin," and "Touch of Evil." Orson Welles suffered from, among other of his appetites, being ahead of his time, and taking his time in the editing room, which drove producers mad, and was the main reason he was labelled as an "irresponsible" director.

You folks really think this? The lady is a highly regarded Muslim and has taught Islam at the University of Chicago. She is being published by an official Islamic publisher. Do you know of other people with similar credentials, say, any other authors of Kazi who have been killed or had fatwas issued against them? Take a look at their catalog and see where she is being published. That house would not publish a book if they thought it was blasphemy. Rushdie is a whole other animal to the Islamic culture. He is an outsider. Michael What I am getting at is this: Despite who her publisher is (and the U Chicago connection is irrelevant), IF this woman's word catch fire to a significant degree, AND if she becomes part of the true moderation movement, exemplified by the likes of Rushdie, Irshad Manji and Kamal Nawash, she is living on borrowed time. Other than that, yes, this is a good sign, but I am NOT convinced that it is a sign of anything beyond what it is. These people are zealots: If Mohammed said so, it passes muster; if Mohammed said no, you are punished to death. This woman falls under the third category called "If Mohammed was unclear." In that case, she is allowed the short leash of interpretation. The fourth category, "where Mohammed was silent" can be used to account for the bizarre phenomenon in Iran of homosexuality being severely punished, yet since Mohammed was silent on the subject of sex change operations (which, obviously, he could not have fathomed the possibility of) has created a loophole for homosexuals to get sex "changes," and then engage in their sexual preferences, which, thanks to the miracle of the knife and hormone treatments, has magically been rendered heteroseuxal. On the subject of Salman Rushdie's atheism: He is not an outsider the way you and I would be for choosing not to believe in God (for the record, I DO believe in God, but believe He had the good taste to be Roman Catholic). Rushdie was born into a Moslem family, and thus his renunciation of Allah and all that goes with, has made him an outsider of the most hated variety; Rejecting God in the Moslem world is akin to renouncing La Cosa Nostra: In for a penny, in for a pound -- there's no getting out.

This part of your post, sadly, is wishful thinking. It is just a matter of time before the fatwa is issued, and the lime pits are dug. If she becomes famous, what happened to Rushdie will happen to her.

Yeah, I know what you mean. Remember when he had that talk radio program in the 1990s, and he tried to look JUST LIKE Howard Stern, long hair, jeri curls and all? I can't find that photo on the web, but he looked so goofy with the radio headphones. Here is the closest one I could find to Lenny Peikoff as Joey Ramone:

I believe you have my stapler! Yeah. And I need you to come in on Saturday. At a recent conference I was at, I was chatting with another attendee. He was telling us that his major in school (some HR field) was basically to be a "Bob". It was the best way for him to explain his career. He was going to be doing the same basic thing as the "Bobs" in Office Space (in a positive way, not a negative way. I think.) My wife just had me watch this one. I can't believe I missed it -- I am a huge fan of "Beavis and Butt-Head" as well as "King of the Hill." I loved this movie! It's why I can't work in an office, the kind of bullshit politics that goes on in these places, no matter where you go.

Cycling is my sport. I can't stand exercise if I don't go from point A to point B.

I like Dim Sum.

Please do! Would be interested to see your choices.

I, as a responsible movie reviewer, NEVER tell people not to see certain movies, so by all means. I'm no "gatekeeper." However, if you want to see a real talented student film with zero plot and shock effects for the sake of shock, then "Eraserhead" is your best bet.