Showing posts with label US. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US. Show all posts
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Eep Crood reaches for the light. Shoulders like a linebacker, but so cute. Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]
I just wasn't prepared for watching The Croods, the Dreamworks 3D animated comedy about a prehistoric family, which was released into theatres this last March, 2013. I didn't have any tissues, or a paper bag to breathe into -- nothing. By about the 54 minute mark, when the entire clan reach what looks like an ocean, and go swimming -- I was all teary-eyed, and giggling uncontrollably, and just plain shocked by how emotional I was getting. At that point I surrendered, and let the film have it's way with me.
It was an emotional, button-pushing rollercoaster. Hard to single out any single aspect for praise, which is good. Emma Stone's voice work on Eep was wonderful, as was Eep's character design, and the way she was animated, but the story, the dialogue, the voice work, and animation was fabulous across-the-board -- it was all of a piece -- the entire movie. Even Nicholas Cage impressed! Apparently I enjoy his work as long as I don't have to watch him doing it (he was mostly hidden in costume in Hit Girl). But, while I think The Croods is a great time, I don't think it's quite as good as Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, released in 2012. Mad' 3 astonished me with it's wall-to-wall, end-to-end zaniness. Compared to Pixar, I still feel Dreamworks bakes too much sugar and high fructose corn syrup into their animated confections, but they are definitely perfecting their recipe.
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My dark mocha looks funny! Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]
Red hair and freckles must test well with focus groups; how else to explain the prominent flame-haired heroines in a spate of recent animated films: Merinda in Pixar's Brave (2012); Captain Chantel DuBois in Dreamworks Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), and Eep Crood in Dreamwork's The Croods (2013). I don't mind in the least, I think ginger makes everything better.
I pondered this while sipping a decidedly brown haired, extra hot dark mocha at the Waves coffee shop at the corner of West Broadway Avenue and Spruce Street.
Eep Crood reaches for the light. Shoulders like a linebacker, but so cute. Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]I just wasn't prepared for watching The Croods, the Dreamworks 3D animated comedy about a prehistoric family, which was released into theatres this last March, 2013. I didn't have any tissues, or a paper bag to breathe into -- nothing. By about the 54 minute mark, when the entire clan reach what looks like an ocean, and go swimming -- I was all teary-eyed, and giggling uncontrollably, and just plain shocked by how emotional I was getting. At that point I surrendered, and let the film have it's way with me.
It was an emotional, button-pushing rollercoaster. Hard to single out any single aspect for praise, which is good. Emma Stone's voice work on Eep was wonderful, as was Eep's character design, and the way she was animated, but the story, the dialogue, the voice work, and animation was fabulous across-the-board -- it was all of a piece -- the entire movie. Even Nicholas Cage impressed! Apparently I enjoy his work as long as I don't have to watch him doing it (he was mostly hidden in costume in Hit Girl). But, while I think The Croods is a great time, I don't think it's quite as good as Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, released in 2012. Mad' 3 astonished me with it's wall-to-wall, end-to-end zaniness. Compared to Pixar, I still feel Dreamworks bakes too much sugar and high fructose corn syrup into their animated confections, but they are definitely perfecting their recipe.
Why are redheads suddenly so animated?
[caption id="attachment_3044" align="alignright" width="150"]
My dark mocha looks funny! Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]Red hair and freckles must test well with focus groups; how else to explain the prominent flame-haired heroines in a spate of recent animated films: Merinda in Pixar's Brave (2012); Captain Chantel DuBois in Dreamworks Madagasgar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), and Eep Crood in Dreamwork's The Croods (2013). I don't mind in the least, I think ginger makes everything better.
I pondered this while sipping a decidedly brown haired, extra hot dark mocha at the Waves coffee shop at the corner of West Broadway Avenue and Spruce Street.
Here's a really good blog post about seeing the film, and what's behind John Cleese's writing credit ►
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The recently revealed Prism program has civil rights advocates up in arms, and conspiracy wingnuts hunkering in their tinfoil hats. Click image to enlarge.[/caption]
The United States' National Security Agency, tasked with gathering, and assessing signal intelligence from, well, everywhere on Earth, is once again looking all Big brother-y, with revelations about a massive, ongoing domestic surveillance program, targeting cell phone users. by the millions. the unofficial Czar of all US counter-terrorism activities, since 9-11, Nicola Machiavelli, has been unavailable for comment. However, he has previously been quoted thus:
The US, intelligence apparatus doesn't bother too much with friendlies, and un-friendlies -- every other country is a competitor, and economics is war by a different name -- Canada too follows this model. Don't ask how Canada is involved in Prism; history suggests we'll be both a signal intelligence target, and collection asset. Where Canada is concerned (Woof!), the US doesn't respect -- it expects.
Privacy and civil right groups see Prism as more erosion of the American citizen's rights; the FBI will see it as more erosion of their rights -- they are the agency officially constituted to deal with crimes on US soil, but, the 9-11 terrorists toppled their rep also.
I think people protest too much. The Hoi Polloi, is givin' away what the NSA is supposedly taking. The Social Media business model is all but built on privacy violation.
And, how many of the cell phone conversations, particularly those containing embarrassingly personal information, will have been yelled out in public places -- people don't mind if everyone in a two-kilometre radius hears their side of a painful argument -- but it's a violation of their privacy if it make that extra effort, and reaches Langley, Virginia, and the NSA.
The recently revealed Prism program has civil rights advocates up in arms, and conspiracy wingnuts hunkering in their tinfoil hats. Click image to enlarge.[/caption]The United States' National Security Agency, tasked with gathering, and assessing signal intelligence from, well, everywhere on Earth, is once again looking all Big brother-y, with revelations about a massive, ongoing domestic surveillance program, targeting cell phone users. by the millions. the unofficial Czar of all US counter-terrorism activities, since 9-11, Nicola Machiavelli, has been unavailable for comment. However, he has previously been quoted thus:
"In actions of all men, especially princes, where there is no recourse to justice, the end is all that counts. A prince should only be concerned with conquering or maintaining a state, for the means will always be judged to be honourable and praiseworthy by each and every person, because the masses always follow appearances and the outcomes of affairs, and the world is nothing other than the masses. The few do not find a place wherever the masses are supported." ►
The US, intelligence apparatus doesn't bother too much with friendlies, and un-friendlies -- every other country is a competitor, and economics is war by a different name -- Canada too follows this model. Don't ask how Canada is involved in Prism; history suggests we'll be both a signal intelligence target, and collection asset. Where Canada is concerned (Woof!), the US doesn't respect -- it expects.
Privacy and civil right groups see Prism as more erosion of the American citizen's rights; the FBI will see it as more erosion of their rights -- they are the agency officially constituted to deal with crimes on US soil, but, the 9-11 terrorists toppled their rep also.
I think people protest too much. The Hoi Polloi, is givin' away what the NSA is supposedly taking. The Social Media business model is all but built on privacy violation.
And, how many of the cell phone conversations, particularly those containing embarrassingly personal information, will have been yelled out in public places -- people don't mind if everyone in a two-kilometre radius hears their side of a painful argument -- but it's a violation of their privacy if it make that extra effort, and reaches Langley, Virginia, and the NSA.
I could've just used this wallpaper as illustration, but that's cheating. ►
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