The Credulity Strain
Posted on | June 2, 2008 at 6:18 am | 2 Comments
I watched the A&E mini-series remake of The Andromeda Strain the other night. I remember liking the original movie a lot when I was a kid. Though I probably only saw it once or twice, it left an impression on me, as it was the first out-of-control virus epidemic movie I’d ever seen. It really scared me. I think I read the book too.
I was looking forward to the mini-series even though it was garnering mostly negative reviews. It did have its problems. One reviewer I read commented that Benjamin Bratt looked like he wasn’t even trying to act, and I have to agree with that. No matter how dire the situation, his character was always smiling and talking in the same flat tone. He was sort of having a romance with Christa Miller’s character, but the two had no chemistry and it just came off as creepy. Ricky Schroeder was the least convincing hardcore military gay doctor ever portrayed, and I just kept flashing back to his 24 character. Daniel Dae Kim was totally wasted as another doctor. Andre Braugher was okay, but his military general character kept changing in a not very convincing way.
But the big problem was the plot. They took what was a fairly simple concept and added wormholes and time travel and sulfur-eating undersea bacteria and all sorts of other complex concepts to stretch it out to four hours. I’m pretty sure none of that was in the original book or movie. There was a subplot involving Eric McCormack as a drug-addicted investigative reporter that pretty much went nowhere. His character never really met up with anyone important and he spent most of the movie on the run from some government conspirators. I think it was all just an excuse to show him shirtless.
And there were plot holes galore. The fact that the virus could mutate quickly meant that they could have it do anything they wanted at any time, as the script called for. But it just made the narrative seem jumbled. And there were all sorts of plot holes. One in particular that really bothered me was that at one point the general cut off all external contact to the scientists investigating the virus in their super secret huge underground lab, because he didn’t want them leaking any info out. The problem with that is that they couldn’t even call out to the people in charge to report their status, and had to jury-rig something so they could talk to the general and blackmail him into restoring their communication privileges. It just made no sense. I guess no one really cared if they found a cure or all wound up dead. The whole government conspiracy angle seemed unnecessary (and, again, tacked-on) and didn’t add anything to the story. And the whole bit with the two survivors from the town, the baby and the old man, was just kind of dropped before the last act. I remember it being more important in the movie/book.
But the biggest problem of all is that they didn’t even include the best scene from the original movie. I still vividly remember that part where a laser beam drilled a hole in the doctor’s hand as he was trying to get to where he could switch off the self destruct sequence. The closest thing we got to that in the mini-series was falling debris and hot steam in the central core shaft. What a waste! Where are my lasers???
So, thumbs down from me, though I can’t say I wasn’t entertained at times. In general, there was less suspense than in the original, probably because it was stretched out too long. (And yet… the book didn’t seem too long, from what I remember.) I probably would’ve graded it higher if there were lasers. Give me lasers!
Latre.
Freedom Rider
Posted on | June 1, 2008 at 9:08 am | 4 Comments
Here’s an update on a couple of the traffic-related pet peeve things I’ve written about lately.
First: Red light cameras, which I last blogged about here. The city of Denver is definitely going through with installing the cameras and increasing the yellow light times. I’ve seen them installing the camera at 6th & Kalamath, and it sounds like it will be going online in a few weeks. I haven’t noticed if they’ve increased the yellow light times yet, but I’m going to try to pay more attention to that. I think I would notice a change from 3 to 4 seconds, but I’m hypersensitive.
Second: Hybrid cars being allowed to use HOV lanes, which I brought up here. Looks like the state is going through with this plan, although they are limiting it to 2,000 hybrids by lottery, and will probably only include certain models. I’m sure my Prius would make the cut. I went ahead and submitted an application online, so we’ll see what happens. It would be nice to be able to use that HOV lane on Santa Fe during rush hour when I go to visit my dad at his nursing home after work. But that’s probably the only time I’d need it. Usually when I’m near other HOV lanes, I’ve got someone else in the car anyway and so can use the lane.
Latre.
Poignant Search Term Of The Day That Led To This Blog: “what can i do to keep from wearing bifocals”.
E.T.I. (ExtraTerrestrial Idiocy)
Posted on | May 31, 2008 at 7:01 am | 3 Comments
Colorado is in the spotlight again for something weird. I’m sure you’ve all heard by now of this dude Jeff Peckman, who is sponsoring a ballot initiative to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission in Denver. He says he’s got a video showing an alien which helps to prove there’s extraterrestrial life out there. He’s not releasing the video to the public, but he has screened it for journalists. Here’s a live blogging account of the screening which took place yesterday in Denver. I love how he and his film expert claim that it would take Hollywood special effects experts like $50K to produce a video like this (money which the purported video shooter didn’t have), and yet a debunker group in Denver was able to recreate the film for $90 in a couple of hours.
I guess Denver has its share of wackos just like any other big city, but there’s something about the altitude or whatever that makes them especially serious out here. It’s not like he’s totally crazy: I don’t really believe in UFOs full of aliens buzzing around the countryside abducting people and peeping through our window, but I think the chance of extraterrestrial life out there somewhere is pretty great. I don’t think they’ll make it to Earth though, and I don’t think the city needs a commission to deal with the potential invasion. That should be a federal matter.
This of course comes at a time when Denver is preparing to take national center stage due to the Democratic National Convention in August. (Can’t wait for those traffic disruptions around the office!) I’m not surprised the crazies are coming out of their closets seeking their time in the spotlight. And boy, is this guy getting his 15 minutes. The media loves him. I’m sure the whole thing will die down pretty quickly and be forgotten by the end of summer, if not sooner. Although, I don’t know… that Steve Horner guy who keeps enacting the Ladies Night Lawsuits still pops up from time to time in the news.
As for the aliens… I guess I’ll keep a glass of water next to my bed whenever I’m sleeping, just in case.
Latre.
Poignant Search Term Of The Day That Led To This Blog: “phobia of formal occasions”.
One Of Our Islands Is Missing
Posted on | May 30, 2008 at 8:13 am | 2 Comments
[Spoiler Warning]
Last night was the fourth season finale of Lost. I predict that some people will say this is where the show jumped the shark. (Although I was almost saying that at the end of last season, thinking the Flash Forwards would ruin the show; they didn’t.) But now we’re at the point where the show is unabashedly science fiction. The spatial and temporal displacement stuff is a dead giveaway. Okay, there have been strong hints of that all season, especially in that Daniel/Desmond “time travel” episode, but somehow that’s not the same thing as seeing Ben turn a giant wheel under the island and have the whole thing just disappear in front of witnesses with a wave of water rushing in to fill the void.
Generally, I liked it. There was a lot of suspense and a lot of revelations. I had already begun to suspect it was Locke in the coffin, so that didn’t surprise me much. But the whole thing around the freighter explosion kinda had me scratching my head. What about all those other people on the ship who supposedly went down with it (and with Jin)? At least some of those were 815 survivors brought there by Daniel. Everyone was running around with those life vests, but did they really know what was going on? Why didn’t more people try to get onto the helicopter? Just how many non-major cast 815 survivors are left on the island? They’ve been dropping like flies the last several episodes.
But there were a lot of intriguing things set up for next season (which seems like a long ways away). Is Sun really working against the rest of the survivors because she blames them for Jin’s death? We know she’s at least in good with Hurley from a previous Flash Forward. Will the Oceanic Six be able to find the island and make it back there? Will Locke come back to life, and what killed him anyway? What have the people on the island been up to? Will Jack ever shave off that godawful beard and will Kate stop crying and whining like a little girl? Tune in next year…
Latre.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 50°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Naked In The City Again” (Hot Hot Heat)
- “Red Rose” (Alphaville)
- “The Loss Adjuster (Excerpt 2)” (Jarvis Cocker)
- “Freedom Rock” (Frank Black)
- “For Awhile” (The Feelies)
- “Don’t Stop Now” (Crowded House)
- “Heatwave” (Fay Ray)
Poignant Search Term Of The Day That Led To This Blog: “sticky stuff screen”.
Why Do Americans Hate To Leave Their Cars?
Posted on | May 29, 2008 at 6:17 am | 16 Comments
Add to the List of Things I Don’t Understand: The popularity of drive-thru fast food. Are we, as Americans, so lazy that we can’t get out of cars to pick up our giant-sized mega burgers and super bowls? Are they that much more convenient than just parking and going inside?
I stopped at Taco Bell on the way home yesterday, since I had a hankering for a Cheesy Beefy Melt (which they apparently don’t make anymore and which the clerk couldn’t find on the register, but that’s another blog entry). There was an immense line for the drive-thru: 5 or 6 cars. So I parked and went inside to order. I was the only one in line. I got my food and was out of there in the space of time that it took maybe two cars to get through the drive-thru, if that. Suckers! I just don’t understand the appeal. Not only do you have to wait, but fiddling around for the wallet can be a real pain. And you use up gas and pollute the air. Doesn’t anyone care about saving gas these days? If you go inside, you can swap coupons and fun stories with the other people in line. And you can grab all the condiments you want. And you can pour your own drink with the proper amount of ice.
I see the same thing when I drive past Starbucks in the morning – a long automobile line for coffee, when the people hunkering down inside those cars could just as easily face their barista in person and probably get their $7 coffee faster. Maybe they take that time in line to do their makeup and read the paper?
The only downside to going inside is that sometimes the workers will be so focused on the drive-thru that they won’t even notice there’s a walk-in customer. I notice this most at Wendy’s. Once, N and I had to wait like 10 minutes to get waited on, even though I’m sure the employees saw us and ignored us. (She finally bellowed, “Hey! Waitin’ for some service up here!”)
So, someone please explain to me – what’s the lure of the drive-thru?
Latre.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 49°F). Leg felt better. But the iPod was out of juice.
Maybe They’ll Name A Bridge After Me
Posted on | May 28, 2008 at 10:03 pm | 1 Comment
C’mon, admit it – you go ego-surfing every once in a while. Everyone does it. Heck, that’s why I picked a pseudonym that’s (mostly) not a real word. It’s easy to Google. You can find some pretty interesting things that way.
So I was indulging myself today, and came across this page, which uses a photo of mine that I posted on my Flickr site (it’s the third photo down on the page).
From what I can tell, the website is a Hungarian one that seeks to educate international travelers about our fair country, state by state. My photo appears on the page about the state of Delaware. The only problem is that I’ve never actually been to the state of Delaware, though I’ve come very close to it. Whoever put the page together thought the photo was of Wilmington, Delaware (which is evidently a suburb of Philadelphia), but it’s really from Wilmington, North Carolina. I concede that it’s partly my fault for putting “wilmington” as a tag and not specifying the state. But really, I didn’t even know there was a Wilmington in Delaware (or that it was a suburb of Philadelphia, which I have been to). Geography is not my strong suit. Still, the description under the picture mentions the “Cape Fear River”, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t run from North Carolina to Delaware. Those wacky Hungarians! Stephen Colbert was right about them.
I know I should let them know about the mistake, but I think it’s kind of cute. And I like having my picture up there.
Latre.
Jogged Today: No – my leg has suddenly been hurting for the last 24 hours or so, even though I didn’t injure it, afaik.
Pet Peeve of the Day: Really bad day at work!
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