7/13/03
got my new TV (priced low... $219)... and a good working universal remote. Fortunately, I had Danny to play mule to lug it into the house. To reward him for his kindness, I treated for lunch and a movie (The least I coud do, he drove from Davie...) We were spotted by Cathi, Dave and Mayah... the little girl is getting so big! It looks like they are going to get the corner house for fixing up and moving in. We chitty-chatted for a bit before we had to bold due to timetables. I want to get together with them soon and just goof off a bit.. it looks like they just picked up a new DVD player.

Following the dropping of the TV off at the house, we went to go out to lunch at Subway, where I discovered that I didn't get my debit card back. Fortunately, we were still near the store, and I was able to retrieve it with a minimum of fuss... (it was still in the imprinter, and I had to ask the guy twice to look in it before he could bother to lift up the device. I am really kicking myself over leaving it behind... a really retarded moment. Well, no harm done, and now I'll know to keep a closer eye on it.

Afterwards, we saw LXG, and despite my back acting up, it was a good show. I think it was a little too much activity, out and about though. I'm home now, happy to have my legs elevated. I do know that this confirms that I couldn't handle a commute or an 8-hour day ina boca office where I have to get up and chase people around yet.


I went into The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with mixed emotions. The graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill managed the nearly impossible task of being a ripping adventure yarn and biting social satire, and it was a safe bet the second half of that equation would be wiped out. But I had hoped they would manage to keep at least the odd feel of the story intact, along with the vaguely "steampunk" sensibility. Beyond that I tend to view a summer film like lunch at Taco Bell: it'll do until dinner comes along, and I hope I don't get ill.

I left with mixed emotions, too.

The film is about the formation of a Victorian-era "superhero" team, comprised of characters from popular fiction of the day. They are brought together in the service of Her Majesty's Government to defend the world from a criminal mastermind, the Fantom. Beyond that it's your standard action movie/superhero format, but with funny clothes.

This doesn't mean it's a bad movie, however. As light summer fare goes, it's a hoot. Sean Connery chews the scenery well, and the set designs are generally quite good, which in a movie that substitutes style for substance is very important indeed. And of course the special effects are good, which is pretty much a given in any major film these days.

My quibbles with the film are fairly petty, given my low expectations. Not only is the plot thin, it's got some significant holes in it, and manages to get a bit knotted-up without accomplishing anything. While I like some of the designs, the "auto-mobile" left me cold... I seldom cared about the characters, which is surprising given their pulp-fiction beginnings. As far as the characters go? I was impressed with how they worked with many, though Mina wasn't nearly as sexy as she could've been, for a victorian vampire-chick. She struck me as terribly bland overall, in fact. There are some surprising continuity problems, too, but nothing really glaring. And lastly, it quickly turns into non-stop action, and I mean non-stop. By the end of the film I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the (seemingly) hour-long fight scene.

There was a fair amount of good stuff, too. Like I said, the set design was pretty good, and the use of the League's special abilities was handled well. There was witty dialogue in places, and a couple of noticeably good lines sprinkled here and there. It is different than most of the crap we're handed each summer, and that's worth some support, just by itself.

So can I recommend the film? If you like action/adventure films, and want to try something with a slightly different flavor, give LXG a shot. If you have read the graphic novel, and are demanding that level of subtlety and nuance, save your $10 and re-read the books. For me, it's a 7/10, for most, probably will rate a little lower.

Here's a little tidbit about the Disney-owned Stepford called Celebration, Florida. It seems that during the end of year holidays they make it snow. (And they use paper leaves to create a false autumn, too.) (warning, link has a little potty-mouth action)

This is a test.

hover over the word test, above.

Can I insert text formatting here? Why, yes!

unrelated -

Malaysian man severs, cooks and eats own penis
Sun Jul 13, 1:11 AM ET Add Offbeat - AFP to My Yahoo!

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - A 34-year-old Malaysian man, believed to have been high on drugs, severed, cooked and ate his own penis, local media reported.

The man, who was previously diagnosed as mentally unstable, is said to have done so after having taken drugs and awoke in the middle of the night hearing voices telling him to do so.

"The man then wrapped his penis in a piece of cloth, burnt and ate it," a police spokesman was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

He said the man realised something was wrong when he saw blood flowing profusely from his severed private part.

The man woke up his mother and was then rushed to hospital for treatment.

"The man is said to be in stable condition, but was facing problems urinating as the urinary tract has been severed," he said.

Meanwhile, the mother said her son had been "mentally disturbed" since returning from a drug rehabilitation centre recently.

"My son took hallucinatory pills before the incident. He once tried to commit suicide by using a pair of scissors to stab his head, but was saved," she was quoted as saying.

"He also often keeps to himself in his room," said the woman, who declined to be identified.