Ugh. One post in close to two weeks? Sorry folks, just got hit with a perfect storm -- a pitch of another complex adaptation to a studio, developing another outline, going back in today to work on Eureka (with David Greenwalt, pretty spiffy), rough work on a maybe-book about 4GM, and multiple meetings to close the deal on maybe, just maybe, moving a camera about a bit.
When I was a complete newbie, I once asked a DP, "In simple terms, what is a Director of Photography?"
"Our job is to stand next to the director, lean over and whisper ... 'You don't want to do that.' "
Heh. Also, my wife was out of town for a week, and I've now been married long enough that when that occurs I do not exactly implode, but my fuel mix is spiked.
So, when clear of this -- the morality play essay, more on working on Eureka, and some book reviews. In the meantime, it turns out The Crazification Factor made it to the final rounds of the Koufax Awards. If it amuses you, please help push it over the top. Oh, and vote for Fafblog for Most Humorous Blog. It's the only thing on the Web that consistently makes e laugh at things that should make me cry.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
V for Vendetta
Faithful Assistant actually had the two men beside her get up and leave after 35 minutes, because of the "politics". Which, all in all, was a good thing, because they were talking nonstop, and were therefore fuckwits.
So it has come to our attention that some people are not able to get past the "politics" of V and enjoy the flick. Which is odd, as the "politics" consist pretty much of "Fascism is bad." I'm not one to make blanket judgements, but you cannot simultaneously root for Luke Skywalker and be offended at V without revealing something ... curdled in your understanding of your self and your relation to the world around you.
But, for our friends who find it absolutely ridiculous that a Western government would suspend posse comitatus, set up secret prisons, engage in torture and attempt sexual/cultural control, please substitute the following monologue for Natalie Portman's opening speech:
"In the year 2015, the Vartususians came.
Led by the United States, the world fought against the alien invaders bravely. But their Quadtronic Quantum Tambabulator technology was too much for us.
The aliens are gone now, off to enslave other worlds. But they left behind a government of cowardly collaborators, all implanted with alien brain-parasites. The traitors to the human race now rule the earth at their galactic masters' command. The people are too timid to rise up, as they believe the human government is there to protect them from the Vartusians.
If only someone, someone who'd read, say, a lot of Thomas Jefferson, would lead the fight."
There. There will still be a few rough edges, but you can zip past them thoughtlessly enough.
So it has come to our attention that some people are not able to get past the "politics" of V and enjoy the flick. Which is odd, as the "politics" consist pretty much of "Fascism is bad." I'm not one to make blanket judgements, but you cannot simultaneously root for Luke Skywalker and be offended at V without revealing something ... curdled in your understanding of your self and your relation to the world around you.
But, for our friends who find it absolutely ridiculous that a Western government would suspend posse comitatus, set up secret prisons, engage in torture and attempt sexual/cultural control, please substitute the following monologue for Natalie Portman's opening speech:
"In the year 2015, the Vartususians came.
Led by the United States, the world fought against the alien invaders bravely. But their Quadtronic Quantum Tambabulator technology was too much for us.
The aliens are gone now, off to enslave other worlds. But they left behind a government of cowardly collaborators, all implanted with alien brain-parasites. The traitors to the human race now rule the earth at their galactic masters' command. The people are too timid to rise up, as they believe the human government is there to protect them from the Vartusians.
If only someone, someone who'd read, say, a lot of Thomas Jefferson, would lead the fight."
There. There will still be a few rough edges, but you can zip past them thoughtlessly enough.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Geek Monday
Some days just wind up like that. Right behind a mention of CGI greatness, I point out for our dice-rolling brethren that the site for Green Ronin's universal d20 system True20, is up. This will make sense to precisely nine of you, but Steve Kenson has stripped out all the sacred cows and built the system GURPS should have been (if you dig point-buy instead of level-based, go drink in Mutants & Masterminds instead, soon to be all-genres thanks to the upcoming Masterminds Manual.)
Return to your character sheets and go about your business.
Return to your character sheets and go about your business.
Final Fantasy Advent Children
Fine, it didn't make any sense. But DAMN that was some fine fight choreography, and just a laundry list of camera moves to "borrow."
I didn't even know most of those characters, but the "reunion fight" in the second act -- that's how you introduce characters. Think Giles zapping Dark Willow, but five times.
Worth it for the spectacle.
I didn't even know most of those characters, but the "reunion fight" in the second act -- that's how you introduce characters. Think Giles zapping Dark Willow, but five times.
Worth it for the spectacle.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Intelligent De .. Never Mind
You know our motto here at Kung Fu Monkey: "Everybody who wants to live in the 21st Century over here. Everybody who wants to live in the 1800's over there. Good. Thanks. Good luck with that."
Every now and then, when I go off on intelligent design, some people I ordinarily consider bright will say "Come on, you don't know what the truth is. And shouldn't we teach all the theories?" it is very very hard not to punch these people at this moment -- but I do not, because I must remember that such a statement reflects, with all due respect, complete and utter ignorance of how science works. Or even what science is.
Not that these people are stupid, no, not by any means. But this is the exact equivalent of me standing behind my car mechanic, hood up, and saying "well, you know, just make it go way faster. And just convert it over to the switchgrass stuff." Although I understand the general concepts behind internal combustion and the four stroke engine, I still don't know what the fuck I'm talking about.
Annnnnyway, nice interview here with one of the expert witnesses at the Dover trial, interesting not just for how she clearly and patiently explains how ID is a sham, but she does so by also very clearly and patiently explaining what science is, along with some very good points on why politicizing science is a bad thing.
Every now and then, when I go off on intelligent design, some people I ordinarily consider bright will say "Come on, you don't know what the truth is. And shouldn't we teach all the theories?" it is very very hard not to punch these people at this moment -- but I do not, because I must remember that such a statement reflects, with all due respect, complete and utter ignorance of how science works. Or even what science is.
Not that these people are stupid, no, not by any means. But this is the exact equivalent of me standing behind my car mechanic, hood up, and saying "well, you know, just make it go way faster. And just convert it over to the switchgrass stuff." Although I understand the general concepts behind internal combustion and the four stroke engine, I still don't know what the fuck I'm talking about.
Annnnnyway, nice interview here with one of the expert witnesses at the Dover trial, interesting not just for how she clearly and patiently explains how ID is a sham, but she does so by also very clearly and patiently explaining what science is, along with some very good points on why politicizing science is a bad thing.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Giff at Newsarama
One of those articles that reminds me how lucky I am to have Giffen schooling me in the four-color world.
Worth saying again, though, as I still see this confusion in both my comments and Newsarama. We did not kill Ted Kord. Ted did not die so they could introoduce a new Blue Beetle.
The DC Ed board though it would be a meaningful death for the storyline. It was after the plot was worked out, Dan Didio was talking to Keith and said "Hey, you know, the Scarab is still out there. If you had free reign, what would you do?" Keith called me up, and away we went.
Just, you know, for those of you still nursing emotional damage over the poor treatment of a person who never actully existed.
Also, and I believe Waid is putting this in the new DC History, Kord was secretly stealing the Birds of Prey's panties. So not the cool guy you all think.
(EDIT: *sigh* The Powers That Be Wish me to make it perfectly clear, that Ted Kord being a panty-sniffer is not part of official DCU canon. So don't look for it in the backup pages of 52. Although I personally meant that Ted was wearing them. You're the ones who turned it from a perfectly normal way to feel pretty and safe into something weird.
People, people, I myself am a 39 year old man who shops for comics every Wednesday, knows the difference between an SM/Ruin and Dark Pact 'lock, and has a DMG on my bookshelf. But we have got to lighten up a bit if we're to hang at the Kung Fu Monkey House. I mean, I was pissed, too, but c'mon.)
Worth saying again, though, as I still see this confusion in both my comments and Newsarama. We did not kill Ted Kord. Ted did not die so they could introoduce a new Blue Beetle.
The DC Ed board though it would be a meaningful death for the storyline. It was after the plot was worked out, Dan Didio was talking to Keith and said "Hey, you know, the Scarab is still out there. If you had free reign, what would you do?" Keith called me up, and away we went.
Just, you know, for those of you still nursing emotional damage over the poor treatment of a person who never actully existed.
Also, and I believe Waid is putting this in the new DC History, Kord was secretly stealing the Birds of Prey's panties. So not the cool guy you all think.
(EDIT: *sigh* The Powers That Be Wish me to make it perfectly clear, that Ted Kord being a panty-sniffer is not part of official DCU canon. So don't look for it in the backup pages of 52. Although I personally meant that Ted was wearing them. You're the ones who turned it from a perfectly normal way to feel pretty and safe into something weird.
People, people, I myself am a 39 year old man who shops for comics every Wednesday, knows the difference between an SM/Ruin and Dark Pact 'lock, and has a DMG on my bookshelf. But we have got to lighten up a bit if we're to hang at the Kung Fu Monkey House. I mean, I was pissed, too, but c'mon.)
Thursday, March 09, 2006
The Ministry
Warren's got a column going, and I found this week's rather interesting. Go let him infect your brain.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Mike Alan Nelson's SECOND WAVE
Apparently I can just quit this comic writing business now, because all my base are, etc.. etc. to Mike Nelson (via BOOM!):
"the story unfolds in a way that captured my interest and the art was fully capable of rendering the mass destruction the tripods caused. This looks to be a promising series." -- Ain't It Cool News
"...promises to be an extremely hot title, and I advise you to pick it up before it sells out like so many other Boom! books before it." -- Stephanie Mangold, Silver Bullet Comics
"This comic ends at a point where I wanted to toss it across the room in frustration, because damn it, I wanted to know what happened next now. That’s the sign of a good comic, in my opinion." -- Andrea Speed, of COMIXTREME
"I was going to simply say that this issue was pretty much set-up for the rest of the series, but then I realized that Nelson managed to summarize Wells' well-known story without appearing stale. That's not a bad piece of work. And, I'm looking forward to the second issue. The second wave of the Martian invasion has plenty of potential." -- The Comic Treadmill
"Boom! Studios has gotten a lot of media attention in the past few months. Why? Because they keep doing everything right. Take this book, for example." -- Fanboy Planet
"Another fine release from Boom! Studios... Well done, and I look forward to seeing what happens next." -- Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin
"...just the latest in a series of recent gems from the upstart publishing company Boom! Studios." -- Dave Moran, Silver Bullet Comics
"This is one of those rare comics that deserves all the pre-release hype it's been getting." -- Postmodern Barney
I told you to read Dingo.
Bastard'll be writing Blue Beetle by issue #7.
"the story unfolds in a way that captured my interest and the art was fully capable of rendering the mass destruction the tripods caused. This looks to be a promising series." -- Ain't It Cool News
"...promises to be an extremely hot title, and I advise you to pick it up before it sells out like so many other Boom! books before it." -- Stephanie Mangold, Silver Bullet Comics
"This comic ends at a point where I wanted to toss it across the room in frustration, because damn it, I wanted to know what happened next now. That’s the sign of a good comic, in my opinion." -- Andrea Speed, of COMIXTREME
"I was going to simply say that this issue was pretty much set-up for the rest of the series, but then I realized that Nelson managed to summarize Wells' well-known story without appearing stale. That's not a bad piece of work. And, I'm looking forward to the second issue. The second wave of the Martian invasion has plenty of potential." -- The Comic Treadmill
"Boom! Studios has gotten a lot of media attention in the past few months. Why? Because they keep doing everything right. Take this book, for example." -- Fanboy Planet
"Another fine release from Boom! Studios... Well done, and I look forward to seeing what happens next." -- Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin
"...just the latest in a series of recent gems from the upstart publishing company Boom! Studios." -- Dave Moran, Silver Bullet Comics
"This is one of those rare comics that deserves all the pre-release hype it's been getting." -- Postmodern Barney
I told you to read Dingo.
Bastard'll be writing Blue Beetle by issue #7.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Innocent Abroad
Kevin Drum was nice enough to host a series of articles by a young man who just visited Kurdistan. The series wraps up today, great stuff.
Pull-Out in 2007
Dear Fellow Gen-X'ers:
I hope this is true, and everybody gets to come home soon from a war that in my opinion was a bad idea to start with -- and regardless if you agree with me on that, any reasonable human will agree the post-war was spectacularly poorly run from soup to nuts by the Half-Assed Administration.
But I swear, I swear, if thirty years from now I see the new Century Rambo movie, where some beefcake pretend-IraqWar veteran plaintively asks his CO "Do we get to win this time?", and then the slow, pathetic, motivated-by-crotch-ular-insecurity-shift to believing the party that controlled the White House, Congress and the Senate were somehow foiled in their righteous crusade, that the War would have gone great if only those goddam liberals hadn't kept pointing out inconvenient facts ... coupled with the reappearance of the Usual Suspects, the way the Nixonian ganks somehow resurfaced in this Administration ...
Basically, I'm saying that if we somehow echo the insane choices of the Baby Boomers and somehow thirty years from now base our entire electoral process and governmental identity on refighting a Lost War from our youth, I will -- from my underground bunker in Canada, where the gay-marriage pot-smoking parties are only intensified by real beer -- release the Fusion Powered Nano-Swarm Death Bees I am spending every waking moment between now and then perfecting.
They are legion, and they are pointy.
My only advantage is that this time, the idiots are blogging. I know where the next Generation of Overcompensators will come from.
The Bees will have list.
You think I'm kidding.
I hope this is true, and everybody gets to come home soon from a war that in my opinion was a bad idea to start with -- and regardless if you agree with me on that, any reasonable human will agree the post-war was spectacularly poorly run from soup to nuts by the Half-Assed Administration.
But I swear, I swear, if thirty years from now I see the new Century Rambo movie, where some beefcake pretend-IraqWar veteran plaintively asks his CO "Do we get to win this time?", and then the slow, pathetic, motivated-by-crotch-ular-insecurity-shift to believing the party that controlled the White House, Congress and the Senate were somehow foiled in their righteous crusade, that the War would have gone great if only those goddam liberals hadn't kept pointing out inconvenient facts ... coupled with the reappearance of the Usual Suspects, the way the Nixonian ganks somehow resurfaced in this Administration ...
Basically, I'm saying that if we somehow echo the insane choices of the Baby Boomers and somehow thirty years from now base our entire electoral process and governmental identity on refighting a Lost War from our youth, I will -- from my underground bunker in Canada, where the gay-marriage pot-smoking parties are only intensified by real beer -- release the Fusion Powered Nano-Swarm Death Bees I am spending every waking moment between now and then perfecting.
They are legion, and they are pointy.
My only advantage is that this time, the idiots are blogging. I know where the next Generation of Overcompensators will come from.
The Bees will have list.
You think I'm kidding.
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