tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51552142012-02-07T17:41:17.687-08:00<strong> in my NOT so humble opinion </strong><br>My rants, raves, comments and criticism—movies, games, politics or the weather. Whatever strikes me at the time.Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.comBlogger6111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-24179381077550424432011-12-02T22:22:00.001-08:002011-12-05T08:24:16.653-08:00

Or, as I like to refer to it, the best movie I've ever almost walked out of.* A day later and I'm frankly fascinated by this movie. It starts with the 3D. 3D's seen a lot of abuse since Avatar and, while I enjoy seeing films in 3D, some are more worth the price of admission than others. In Hugo, Scorcese shows everyone how it should be done in the opening minutes, and keeps it up throughout the

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-68488065886950998122011-11-09T21:05:00.000-08:002011-12-05T08:24:32.963-08:00

I'm a sucker for Three Musketeers movies. It's one of my favorite books — I've read it numerous times, and have delved into several of the sequels (and yes, I knew the full list before looking it up. I own them all.) By far my favorite film versions are the Richard Lester ones from the 80's: The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers. (Shot together, they were released one year apart.) Funny,

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-46084991613014958042011-10-30T17:46:00.001-07:002011-11-18T22:01:12.200-08:00

Sidney buys a fucking gun.

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-67250348709026694592011-10-29T13:59:00.000-07:002011-11-18T22:01:25.087-08:00

File it under exercises in futility (or remnant Catholic self-flagellating tendencies), but after succumbing to the need to own the Blu-ray version of the Star Wars saga, I'm now forcing myself to sit through said 'saga' from the beginning. Now that I've completed Episode 1, I have to suggest that (while I'm sure I'm hardly the first person to make this observation) it's really unfortunate that

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-15014002158671862882011-07-08T22:38:00.000-07:002011-12-05T08:25:15.754-08:00

I grew up fascinated by our space program… in love with the idea of space exploration and the possibilities inherent in that notion. Star Trek was my grail, and the Apollo astronauts were the heroes of my day. The interest, and hero worship, waned over time… not incidentally as NASA's agenda was redirected from space exploration to near-earth exploitation (I don't mean that with any negative

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-70529135796684210372011-07-04T17:42:00.000-07:002011-12-05T08:25:59.782-08:00

Last year about this time I was speculating about Frank Herbert's motives when he wrote Dune Messiah. I had decided to read the entire series — starting with Frank's books then circling back to read Brian's. I got sidetracked briefly by Paul of Dune*, but have continued on with the original series… with some dismay, I have to admit. The last time I tried reading the Dune series I got as far as

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-59335033956568645202011-05-21T09:00:00.000-07:002011-11-18T22:02:01.808-08:00

'Judgment Day' predictions threaten to be a bust - CTV News

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-53072849503282577052011-05-19T21:15:00.000-07:002011-05-19T21:15:36.806-07:00

No need for comment or editorial. Read the article, and the link back to the comments that got him kicked out of Cannes. Lars Von Trier Responds: 'I'm Not Mel Gibson' | The Wrap Movies

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-32260781528442716702011-05-08T20:33:00.001-07:002011-05-22T22:03:06.018-07:00

I seem to be obsessed with the endings of stories… movies, books, TV series. (That last one's rough, since I'm convinced Dani has a thing about ending a series — we have yet to see the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel, for instance, and I've lost count of the other series that've dropped off our recording queue once we know the end is nigh. One of these days, I am going to have

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-55457270755325487022011-05-04T06:53:00.000-07:002011-11-18T22:02:14.350-08:00

I gave up wearing t-shirts that said things years ago… it just encourages random strangers to strike up conversations I have no interest in. But I may have to own this one: "Sorry it took so long…"

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-24791533317047197232011-04-28T07:30:00.000-07:002011-04-28T07:30:25.552-07:00

My first reaction on hearing that Obama was releasing the long-form version of his birth certificate was that Trump needs to be careful he doesn't pull something, patting himself on the back like that. This was quickly followed by wondering what he and the tea-baggers are going to foam at the mouth about now. I shouldn't have worried. Donald's now off on a rant about Obama's school records (I

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-35877089463259730562011-04-23T20:32:00.000-07:002011-05-08T22:14:00.271-07:00

Nearly three months since my last movies post? I must be slipping. I'm sure I've seen more movies than this. But then, not all of them have been memorable, have they? Rango My first real favorite for 2011. I'm a sucker for Looney Tunes cartoons, and there was a DEFINITE Looney Tunes vibe here. (The golf scene had me in tears, for instance.) And then there were the movie references. I'm pretty

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-2325489145236372852011-04-01T17:23:00.000-07:002011-04-01T17:23:08.532-07:00

They've been playing the first single from this album on KROQ for the past week or so, and all I have to say is "YES, I must have it." I'll be hitting iTunes soon, but for those with a CD fetish, here's the Amazon link. Enjoy!

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-21325547488017074542011-01-29T22:40:00.001-08:002011-02-10T07:45:43.717-08:00

Roads to hell, good intentions, blah, blah, blah… I started this post two weeks ago, thinking I'd do one every week. I see a lot of movies and it seemed to make sense. Funny how life gets in the way of our intentions. Not that that's going to stop me from (finally) posting this, of course. Boogie Woogie I sometimes suffer from the conviction that I have art-house sensibilities. Movies like

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-46572588869422076792011-01-06T22:00:00.000-08:002011-11-18T22:02:33.971-08:00

I debated a lot of different titles for this post before settling on the one that most succinctly summed up my reaction to today's reading of "the Constitution" by House Republicans. (Read the Slate article below to understand my quote marks.) What House Republicans left out when they read (parts of) America's founding document. - By Dahlia Lithwick - Slate Magazine Aside from their selective

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-77250966796414076682010-08-29T13:00:00.000-07:002010-08-29T13:00:22.114-07:00

I'm only speculating, of course, but I'm beginning to wonder whether Dune Messiah was Frank Herbert's "I Am Not Spock" moment. (Maybe I should take the more literary path and suggest it's his Arthur Conan Doyle moment?) I started rereading Herbert's Dune novels recently and have just finished Dune Messiah. I've read Messiah before (at least twice that I remember), but I've never been struck by

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-44181121344841634552010-06-10T21:20:00.000-07:002010-06-10T21:20:09.178-07:00

A dictionary and a link to Wikipedia would work wonders here. NAACP calls Hallmark graduation card racist I really can't adequately express my contempt for everyone involved in this story.  

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-45745861437907094122010-06-03T22:48:00.000-07:002010-06-04T22:45:03.970-07:00

I'd stopped reading comics long before they grew up in the 90's, but Batman had always been one of my favorite comic book heroes. I've been rediscovering his darker side ever since learning about Frank Miller's Dark Knight comics several years ago, and have been regularly picking up graphic novels and compilations of Batman comics since then. Some good, some not so much, they've all been fun

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-68811123442407359962010-05-30T23:38:00.000-07:002010-05-30T23:38:50.777-07:00

I've driven in Southern California my entire life and, while I am aware of the law requiring drivers to pass on the left, I'm also well aware that this is a law most often "honoured in the breach" than the observance. (Frankly, I'm as guilty of this as anyone, happy to zip past slower moving traffic in the right lane whenever things bog down on those inside lanes. [Let's face it… I've probably

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-46173205442651120702010-05-13T22:40:00.000-07:002010-05-13T22:40:13.999-07:00

Heard about this article on the radio earlier this week. Apparently, along with Bella, Jacob and Barack (yes, you're in fine company there, Mr. President), one of the more popular baby names this year is Messiah. I don't know… seems like you're putting an awful lot of pressure on your kid with that one. I'm just sayin'.

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-60692109984256586592010-03-30T18:18:00.000-07:002010-03-30T18:18:52.632-07:00

Seriously… it's 10 questions. Who are you, how old are you, what race are you, what kind of home do you live in and how many people live in your house. Did I miss something? Last week I listened to a radio segment with people sure that the census was going to be used to round up and deport [select your minority group of concern here], to take your guns away (I thought that was gun registration)

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-78759152557715330412010-03-19T21:34:00.000-07:002010-03-19T21:36:18.872-07:00

I have to say, I am SO tired of the lame "how difficult is it to order coffee at Starbucks" shtick. Comedians have been riffing on it for years and Steve Martin mocked that whole coffee culture vibe in L. A. Story in 1991. So now, since it's no longer comedy fodder, it seems to have moved into the realm of the anti-elitist, "don't go thinking you're better than me 'cause you drink expensive

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-35021258007815873152010-03-16T23:07:00.000-07:002010-03-16T23:07:18.102-07:00

I'm not the most social person. Not that I think I'm anti-social… I'm just not the guy going out of his way to strike up a conversation with total strangers. Hell, I stopped wearing t-shirts that said things years ago, because I realized that they encouraged people I didn't know to think I was interested in talking to them. And yet, somehow, I seem to put out this "come talk to me" vibe at the

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-48475142828810493132010-02-06T22:42:00.000-08:002010-02-06T22:42:00.436-08:00

A few months ago, the random question "I wonder if my blog has been bad for my writing" ran through my head. I'd started blogging several years ago as an answer to journaling. I've never been very good at keeping a journal… I tend to start them under duress ("you're a writer, you're supposed to keep a journal!"), continue plugging away at them for a short while (usually measured in weeks…

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-58855813630256497082010-01-20T21:31:00.000-08:002010-01-20T21:31:44.717-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Dani and I had just finished the annual post-Christmas stuff-everything-back-in-boxes-and-move-it-out-to-the garage ritual, and were sitting back to watch a little TV. No sooner had we found something to watch, then Athos (Dani's 85 lb. half-Rottweiller "lap dog") jumps up into her lap to make himself comfortable. He's a talkative dog, so we're used to him expressing

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-67895158562531300392009-12-04T14:59:00.000-08:002009-12-04T14:59:30.189-08:00

(From WordSpy: Birther. Deather. Truther.) 3 synonyms for moron? Let me just observe that Google's spell-check recognizes all three words. (Yeah, I know… nearly two months without a post and I come back with something snarky? All I can say is that anyone who's surprised by this probably hasn't read much of my blog.)  

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-44222087195873313122009-10-07T22:00:00.000-07:002009-10-11T11:55:55.329-07:00

(Or, a lesson in not judging a book by its cover.) Lately I've been having a tough time finding something to read that holds my attention for more than a couple of chapters. Apparently I'm jaded when it comes to science fiction and nothing new has captured my imagination. Vampires, one of my stand-by genres, have been taken over by Romance and YA authors (with a few notable exceptions), and

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-49266297693310935152009-10-04T00:02:00.001-07:002009-10-06T21:26:45.084-07:00

Three movies in two weekends is hardly surprising for me… I love going to movies and will indulge pretty much any time I get the chance. Finding only one out of the three that I really liked is a lower average than I usually manage, however. I wasn't terribly surprised to find Jennifer's Body lacking (pun intended). Reviews have not been kind, and its ranking on Rotten Tomatoes simply reinforces

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-87281404286998147242009-09-13T19:40:00.000-07:002009-09-13T19:41:27.489-07:00

I'm really rather impressed by the almost universal misunderstanding of "9". 9 - Rotten Tomatoes Even the reviewers that liked the movie seem to find the plot uninspired, or the characters lacking in, well, character. Comparisons to Terminator 3 abound (apparently no one's able to find any other post-apocalyptic reference point), and there's more than a few references to the movie's

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-9876303335289789512009-09-09T23:02:00.000-07:002009-09-09T23:02:36.128-07:00

I am an obsessive reader. I hate not having something to read when I'm standing around waiting, or when I'm doing something relatively mindless like eating. I always have a book or magazine in my backpack, and my PDAs and phones have been a godsend in recent years. But, in times of desperation, I've been known to read the backs of cereal boxes and other household paraphernalia. (This is how I

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-72956777218115394702009-08-28T22:46:00.000-07:002009-08-28T22:46:00.152-07:00

I'd never heard of Delia Bacon prior to reading Bill Bryson's "Shakespeare: The World as Stage". There's a chapter towards the end of the book where Bryson talks about Delia, and her obsession with Sir Francis Bacon… the man she believed to have written Shakespeare's works. Turns out that, prior to Delia's ravings (she was eventually institutionalized for her obsessions), no one had ever

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-45675486364047569922009-08-23T22:13:00.001-07:002009-08-23T22:37:52.034-07:00

Gotta love sensational headlines like this one:Gamers Are 35, Overweight — And Sad, CDC saysAbout the fifth paragraph in, the article notes: "The study, based on a 2006 online survey of 552 people … who were living in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington state…" (Emphasis is mine). Pardon me for noticing, but isn't the Seattle-Tacoma area known for its above average per-capita depression rate?

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-22476287066025129262009-08-21T08:08:00.000-07:002009-08-21T19:18:05.548-07:00

Gotta admit, it's hard to disagree with this list:Moviefone: Worst Blockbusters EverThe only one I might quibble about is the DaVinci Code. Calling it one of the worst blockbusters ever is almost giving it too MUCH credit. It was a mediocre, forgettable take on a pretty decent book, but "worst ever" anything seems like hyperbole to me. But the rest of that list? I think they nailed it! 

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-9275859867153646502009-08-15T11:13:00.000-07:002009-08-15T12:50:06.270-07:00

Am I alone in seeing the name Subaru WRX, making the cognitive leap from "WRX" to "wrecks" and thinking "wow, what a bad name for a car!"? At the very least, it seems an inauspicious association. Kind of a "Bummer of a birthmark" moment, you know? 

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-18398653678981263302009-08-11T22:29:00.000-07:002009-08-11T22:44:17.251-07:00

Bacon seems to be undergoing some bizarre cultural renaissance lately. How else can you explain bizarro products like bacon-flavored salt, bacon-flavored vodka, bacon-flavored mints and bacon-flavored diet coke? A quick Google search is bound to reveal countless other ways you can infuse bacon into your life. It's like we've all suddenly rebelled from all the 'healthy diet' rhetoric that's been

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-19791506177865278602009-08-01T15:59:00.001-07:002009-08-05T07:17:28.697-07:00

It's possible Eve was right when she asked me what I was going to rant about after Bush left office. My rate of posting has certainly declined, and most of the time it's been pretty "safe" stuff… I certainly haven't gotten involved in any long debates about "the Digital Macarena", "SyFy" or the "2010/010" question, for instance. Admittedly, I've been stupid busy at work of late, and less inclined

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-19666433489037956482009-07-15T21:51:00.000-07:002009-07-15T22:49:54.196-07:00

I've never been particularly… fond of the Sci Fi Channel. Partly it's due to the name. I've spent enough time reading science fiction, and reading about science fiction, to know the difference between Sci-Fi (a generic term used mainly by those unfamiliar with science fiction, or those relatively new to the genre) and SF (as it's generally referred to within the science fiction community). By

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-63787570636872311822009-06-29T22:08:00.000-07:002009-06-29T22:13:36.933-07:00

Bernard Madoff gets 150 years in prisonI'm just wondering if giving Bernie Madoff a 150 year sentence is supposed to feel like justice has been served? At his age, wouldn't a 20 year sentence amount to the same thing? (You're gonna die in prison, Bernie. Enjoy.) Not that I think they were too harsh on the guy. Just seems kinda pointless.  

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-70225771775498582172009-06-25T23:33:00.000-07:002009-06-26T20:37:21.578-07:00

Due to the nature of the business around here, we're ALWAYS talking about stuff happening in the future. In the past few weeks, I've lost count of the number of times I've heard someone refer to something happening "in '010'. And I've just gotta ask, is it REALLY that much easier than "2010"? This isn't just me being anal here… '010 is meaningless! It only "makes sense" because this is 2009. 2008

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-35642703103623225562009-06-22T07:33:00.000-07:002009-06-22T09:57:28.045-07:00

The Chris Brown/Rihanna trial starts today. News reports state the defense may argue that she started the fight, hitting him first before he retaliated. Have you seen the photos of Rihanna, post-beating? I just want to know what playground these jackholes are living on where "she started it" is an acceptable reason for beating the crap out of a woman. Here's hoping they throw the book at Chris

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-36872613788630704922009-06-05T22:13:00.000-07:002009-06-08T22:32:28.327-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Joel McHale (The Soup) referred to Twitter as "…the digital macarena." An amusing observation, with more than a touch of truth to it, I think. I can't remember the exact statistic (so I may be misquoting here), but I recently heard that something like 2/3 of new users on Twitter never log in again after their first month. I wouldn't be surprised by that number, frankly. I'm

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-36860980796158958572009-05-23T00:27:00.000-07:002009-05-30T10:00:45.473-07:00

You know, it's kind of gratifying to hear the President say the same things you've been thinking (and saying) for years. Obama vs. Cheney: Contrasting views on the war on terrorismPresident Obama:Brutal methods like waterboarding… undermine the rule of law. They alienate us in the world. They serve as a recruitment tool for terrorists and increase the will of our enemies to fight us. As for

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-79555453293662638492009-05-14T07:12:00.000-07:002009-05-15T00:40:55.626-07:00

Now, before you go organizing that lynch mob, bear with me while I explain my theory. As any of the Mac faithful will (vehemently) inform you, Apple makes some great technology. The Mac is an excellent computer with a stable, impeccably user-friendly operating system (as a PC user, trust me, I recognize the value of that statement). It loves video, photographs and audio and Apple's brought a

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-66243516692371726422009-05-10T22:44:00.000-07:002009-05-12T20:43:08.197-07:00

I just saw that S. Darko, a direct-to-DVD release sequel to Donnie Darko is coming out this week. I have to ask, "How?" And, perhaps more to the point, "Why?" Without having seen the movie, I can hardly speak to its quality (or lack thereof — though its direct-to-DVD status should say something), but it seems like the first movie pretty much covered that particular story, and any sequel has got

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-44971641525005022762009-04-30T13:43:00.000-07:002009-04-30T13:45:54.859-07:00

'cause it can't be spoken about without the attending panic, of course. My favorite headline of the week…Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mildTake a deep breath, everyone, and step away from the abyss.

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-46599361131237452002009-04-23T21:52:00.000-07:002009-04-23T22:19:53.886-07:00

Years ago (more years than I'm willing to cop to today), a couple of my more paranoid friends went off on a RANT about the evils of the Trilateral Commission — this "secret world government" that was responsible for all the evils we, "the common man", experience at the hands of government and big industry. They selected who was going to be elected, what their policies and practices would be, who

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-52281449186463632712009-04-10T17:25:00.000-07:002009-04-10T17:59:11.006-07:00

Last summer, for about a week and a half, Doomsday played in theatres. All I really remember was a really crappy trailer that left me totally uninterested and wondering why anyone bothered with another tedious Mad Max clone.But several times in the past few months, I've heard people talking about this movie and how great it was and, while I assumed it was something in the "great cult film" genre,

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-14538143600464653642009-03-22T00:16:00.001-07:002009-03-22T21:16:29.752-07:00

A friend of mine took me to task last week for not commenting on the House passage of a bill levying a 90% tax on bonuses granted by companies receiving the Federal banking bail-out funding. I had to admit to him that I hadn't been paying much attention to the news recently, so knew nothing about it till he grilled me about it. But I also opined that, since it was directed at those particular

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-47192295322905852642009-03-20T20:33:00.000-07:002009-03-20T21:58:03.054-07:00

I first read Watchmen a couple of years ago, after hearing for many years previous what a groundbreaking, genre redefining, award winning novel it was. I read it, enjoyed it, and realized it was probably a lot smarter, deeper and challenging than I was giving it credit for. I also knew I was going to have to read it again, now that I knew the story, to really get to the meat of it… those things

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-51020113130389518802009-03-19T15:36:00.000-07:002009-03-20T22:00:49.335-07:00

I was asked recently what I was going to bitch about now that we don't have Dubya to kick around any more. I told them I was sure I'd find something, but here it is, nearly a month since my last post and I've got nothing to show for it. Admitedly, there have been things that have caught my attention… the continued BS surrounding the banking bailouts (I'm sorry, I don't care what your

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-72597816877247856322009-02-25T20:38:00.000-08:002009-02-26T08:02:22.687-08:00

Last week, the New York Post ran an editorial cartoon showing a pair of cops shooting a chimpanzee. The caption on the cartoon was "They'll have to find somebody else to write the next stimulus plan". When challenged about the racist tone of the cartoon, the Post denied any racism and the cartoonist observed that, since it talks about 'writing' the stimulus plan, if it was about any politician,

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-625343156699269712009-01-31T13:03:00.000-08:002009-01-31T20:15:35.317-08:00

No, this isn't some philosophical post as I transition from one life-state to another. Just that I've seen a bunch of movies in the past month or so with really lame endings, and I felt the need to comment. I've already talked about the unimpressive ending to the equally unimpressive Day the Earth Stood Still remake. Then I saw The One while channel-surfing one night and was left completely

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-3769153929013374532009-01-25T13:16:00.001-08:002009-01-31T20:19:07.866-08:00

For the past week or so, I've been hearing a radio spot for Pepsi Max, touting its man-friendly image, letting guys know that there's a new diet drink in town, safe for them to drink in the company of their compadres. I had no idea, prior to this campaign, that diet drinks suffered from such a crisis of confidence. Are we really afraid to drink diet sodas when we're out with the guys? Or is it

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-79126735184971017752009-01-20T21:25:00.000-08:002009-01-20T21:44:44.613-08:00

Got a little of that "The King is dead, long live the King" thing working here. After yesterday's post, I kinda need a little closure to bring it all full circle. I don't have much to say that hasn't, I'm sure, been said to great length and probably more eloquently elsewhere. I watched the Inauguration this morning; the first time I've ever watched a Presidential Inauguration, I believe. I

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-54835656229380813122009-01-19T08:49:00.000-08:002009-01-19T10:42:13.675-08:00

Nothing quite like an inflammatory headline to grab attention, huh? [A quick note on "respect" before I get started. I absolutely agree that the office of the President of the United States is deserving of, and should command respect. But I also, fundamentally, believe that no individual can command respect. No matter who you are and what your office or title, it is your actions and your

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-62759868928675045502009-01-16T19:29:00.001-08:002009-01-16T20:00:00.331-08:00

The "Bush Legacy Tour" (as MSNBC has been referring to Bush's appearances since the elections) has been working really hard at the "we never tortured anyone" rhetoric. "We don't torture, we don't condone torture, waterboarding isn't torture…" we've heard all of it for years, but it's a more concentrated message in these waning days of the Bush Administration. (That and "you may not agree with us,

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-22981057997524824652009-01-16T14:51:00.000-08:002009-01-16T19:54:04.430-08:00

Gee, I wonder what's inspiring him?A time will come when a politician who has wilfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own. —H.G. Wells, writer (1866-1946) [From today's Wordsmith.org A Word A Day email]

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-14544854294299941792009-01-15T10:34:00.001-08:002009-01-15T13:27:59.083-08:00

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. —John Kenneth Galbraith, economist (1908-2006) [From today's Wordsmith.org A Word A Day email] 

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-44865998537337143132008-12-22T10:14:00.000-08:002008-12-22T14:45:15.482-08:00

Last week on MSNBC we heard the head of the Senate "Bailout Oversight Committee" (or whatever they're called) talking about the questions they're only now getting a chance to ask (such as, how's the money being spent, for instance), and expressing some concern that we may have rushed to get this bailout approved without fully vetting the whole plan. (At least, that's my take on what she was

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-69441369081933586752008-12-15T17:43:00.000-08:002008-12-16T18:21:24.511-08:00

About the 90 minute mark or so, I was thinking to myself that at least some of the negative/mixed reviews for The Day the Earth Stood Still must stem as much from an (arguably understandable) overly-reverential appreciation for the original as it did from any faults of the new movie. 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still is, of course a classic piece of 50's sci-fi. But it's not Citizen Kane, so a

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-56000895474023230462008-12-12T17:06:00.000-08:002008-12-12T17:21:31.780-08:00

Let me get this straight… We're okay with writing a blank check for $700 billion dollars to bail out Wall Street, no strings attached (no prohibitions on ludicrous bonuses, no salary caps on multi-million dollar CEOs — who certainly seem to be earning those salaries and bonuses — not even a 'maybe you shouldn't have those executive retreats this year' suggestion). But when it comes to bailing out

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-58628712017647290962008-12-12T10:03:00.000-08:002008-12-12T10:33:12.836-08:00

We moved out of Hollywood several years ago when it came time to buy a house. Short of winning Lotto, selling that screenplay that's been moldering on my hard drive for years, or getting discovered doing waiver Shakespeare, there was no way we were buying in our neighborhood at that time.When we moved, we expected we'd miss a lot of things. The cool neighborhood we lived in, the coffeeshops, bars

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-68647683679303760972008-12-11T12:20:00.000-08:002008-12-12T10:01:33.631-08:00

Really, all I need here is a link…Clean Coal Carolers from an Industry Run By Morons : TreeHugger'nuff said.  

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-53804409893105554112008-12-09T12:08:00.000-08:002008-12-12T10:00:59.163-08:00

Merrill Lynch CEO Thain eyes $10M bonusI don't care what his argument, if your company lost $10 billion dollars this year, and is only surviving thanks to a massive government bailout and last minute bank merger, telling the world you think you deserve a $10 million dollar bonus because "at least you're still in business" puts the "ch" in chutzpah. (That's the choking sound you have to make to

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-67479385977256452082008-11-27T08:57:00.000-08:002008-12-06T16:54:38.275-08:00

Originally, I was amused by the name Quantum of Solace. (Admittedly, I was hardly alone in this.) Then I heard that there was a new villainous organization in this new Bond film, that it had actually been hinted at in Casino Royale, and that the title reflected the name of this new organization. And I thought "well, that could work… SMERSH, SPECTRE, SOLACE. Kinda has a 'Bondian' ring to it. (And,

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-19564341599290944232008-11-23T22:18:00.000-08:002008-11-24T06:20:18.927-08:00

On this past week's episode of Chuck (Chuck vs. the Fat Lady), one of the characters, in describing her ex-boss's paranoia, says that "the log-on for his computer was a randomly selected word from a piece of Vogon poetry." I'm pretty sure that may be the geekiest moment in TV this season. (Which, when you consider you've got both Chuck AND The Big Bang Theory competing in this arena, is really

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-25952779384255898002008-11-06T08:17:00.000-08:002008-11-07T08:22:16.484-08:00

I've been batting the phrase "paradigm-shift" around for a while now. With all the changes we've experienced in the past 20 years, with the changes imminent on the horizon — both for good and ill — the concepts, problems, ideas and beliefs that simply didn't exist 15, 10, even 5 years ago (when did you first hear the word Google?), could we be in the midst of a paradigm shift? (I am HARDLY alone

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-46376108270800613612008-11-05T11:28:00.000-08:002008-11-07T08:20:51.318-08:00

Repudiation was something of a minor buzz-word for a couple of weeks after the last Obama/McCain Presidential Debate. McCain took Obama to task for not repudiating inflammatory remarks made by a Democratic senator, then MSNBC took McCain to task every chance they could for his not stepping up and repudiating similar remarks aimed at Obama during campaign stops and other Republican events. As with

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-71704054620141023852008-11-03T17:02:00.000-08:002008-11-06T22:51:13.131-08:00

Well, not so much, really…No candy for Obama fans | Otago Daily Times OnlineYou've almost got to respect that kind of crazy. Or maybe just be afraid of it.  

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-88032253331266351122008-10-22T16:41:00.001-07:002008-10-22T16:57:10.305-07:00

Is it too much to ask that the woman running for Vice President understand what the job really entails? Palin Claims The Vice President Is ‘In Charge Of The U.S. Senate’Apparently she's mistaken "President of the Senate" as meaning she gets to be the boss. (Or maybe it's a more ominous example of her latent megalomania coming to the fore.)Whatever the case, I really wish she'd do a little more

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-82224813107086716592008-10-21T11:51:00.001-07:002008-10-21T12:25:30.985-07:00

You know, there was a time when I despised the notion of 'small town values' being somehow better, but at least I understood the argument, much as I might disagree with it. But our small minded Republican VP nominee has extended that notion to mean that the only true, real Americans are from small towns. Maybe that's because that's the only place she relates, and is relating to her. Maybe it's

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-69770441425783605832008-10-21T10:03:00.000-07:002008-10-21T12:25:25.067-07:00

No, not that one. The "Save as Draft" option in Blogger. Just makes it too easy to start a post, and forget to publish it. Since I'm writing as much for myself as for anyone that MIGHT be reading this, I'm going to go ahead and publish the last couple of posts, even though the topics themselves might be a bit "old news" by now. (Yes, that's hyperbole.) 

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-5950153718012151472008-10-18T16:14:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:41:16.955-07:00

Wednesday's debate, seemingly, was all about Joe the Plumber, some guy I assumed was just a hypothetical that John McCain threw out to question Obama's tax plan. Turns out that Joe was a "real" guy (you'll understand the quotes soon enough), and the media's been all over him ever since. Joe apparently braced Obama at one of his campaign stops, telling him about the business he's worked for and

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-86035826841402408632008-10-17T22:32:00.000-07:002008-10-21T12:25:19.602-07:00

Masochism, I suppose, is what's prompted me to watch the last couple of debates between John McCain and Barack Obama. It's not like I'm still looking for that magic bullet that will help me decide who I'm voting for, like the undecideds the networks keep trotting out on stage after each debate. (Really, at this point in the election, how the hell can you still be undecided? I can understand not

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-32437533415580248182008-10-13T12:28:00.000-07:002008-10-21T12:25:10.278-07:00

See, look at me getting all biblical (sort of) here. I've spent most of the last week or two watching, with a mixture of horror and amusement, as Sarah Palin showed off her ignorance of things inconsequential (Achilles' Heel, anyone? Buehller?) to critical (you know, that pesky Constitution)*. But late last week I started seeing videos of Palin's appearances and the crowds she's drawing. Seems

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-59023139733080889812008-10-02T10:25:00.000-07:002008-10-02T15:32:54.432-07:00

'Blindness' provokes blind activists nationwideSeriously. I can't even being to express my contempt for this kind of crap. Refusing to see the movie's use of blindness as an allegory is either simple "I'm right and you're wrong" arrogance, or even simpler ignorance. I'll opt for the former, since I doubt that the leaders of National Federation of the Blind are actually ignorant. I don't know

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-69937606691584527632008-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:002008-09-25T13:23:44.939-07:00

Old news by now, but it's taken me this long to even try and get my head around this headline. Tab for financial bailout: $700,000,000,000Then again, Bush was all over the place yesterday, assuring everyone the sky was falling and we're all going to hell in a handbasket if we don't pass his bailout bill. So I guess I haven't missed my chance to rant. What's truly staggering about this plan isn't

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-50094383700284119342008-09-24T12:11:00.000-07:002008-09-24T12:24:42.522-07:00

From the "KNBC Noon News Update" email I just received:Lohan Confirms She's Dating WomanClay Aiken: 'Yes, I'm Gay'A) These stories cannot possibly be considered "news" to anyone. At best, they are confirmation of long held assumptions. That's not NEWS. B) It's six weeks before the next Presidential Election; the current lame-duck tries to further dismantle the Constitution as he attempts to "

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-88004178981249647072008-09-19T11:48:00.000-07:002008-09-19T11:52:01.888-07:00

Just because I can always appreciate a little hyperbole…McCain-Palin: 15th Century Solutions for the 21st Century.Of course, it doesn't hurt that I agree with the cause. 

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-79596152308670414322008-09-18T12:38:00.000-07:002008-09-19T11:51:30.331-07:00

McCain Rips Obama Over Lohan SnubSeriously? It's already this stupid? At least I like Obama's spokesman's reply.

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-84173125091096511102008-09-12T09:21:00.000-07:002008-09-13T00:21:12.147-07:00

I guess, after 8 years of Bush, Rove & Cheney, I should learn never to underestimate Republican tactics. But I obviously didn't think this one all the way through last week. My initial reaction to the Sarah Palin announcement (along with that of many of my friends) was to view it as a cynical attempt to counter the Obama ticket… "Oh yeah, you're running an African-American? Well we've got a woman

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-76636380771238915922008-09-11T10:37:00.000-07:002008-09-11T12:59:55.109-07:00

So Obama makes a remark to the effect that adding Sarah Palin to the Republican party ticket may 'pretty up' the ticket, but that you can put lipstick on a pig and you'll still have a pig. Now the McCain camp is up in arms, accusing Obama of calling Palin a pig. Without debating the accuracy of that particular denigration, can we please GROW UP now? No one with a modicum of sense believes he was

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-37999148827917157532008-09-08T08:40:00.000-07:002008-09-09T09:38:15.763-07:00

If you use a PC* today, you likely know this person. You've probably got at least one friend that's in the cult of Apple, and mocks your bad decision-making on a regular basis. The Mac faithful are quick to extol the virtues of their chosen platform and gleefully seek to enlighten you as to why you should agree with them. (Of course, sharing articles like this one with those Mac faithful tend to

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-44582872798107568342008-09-02T08:44:00.000-07:002008-09-02T16:24:13.486-07:00

So McCain's VP choice was announced on Friday, and everyone's abuzz with his choice… either it's a daring, enlightened choice, or smacks of desperation, depending, I assume, on your political inclinations. (Though judging by this story, that may not be quite so clear a distinction this time around.) Then, over the weekend we find that his new VP's daughter is 17 and pregnant, but we're assured

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-85215347080913181962008-08-27T09:41:00.000-07:002008-08-27T09:49:47.031-07:00

I really think it's time for a "thin the herd" clause on the whole concept of media responsibility. We saw Death Race this weekend, and at the end of the movie, there's a legal disclaimer to the extent that all stunts were handled by professional drivers on closed courses, yadda, yadda, yadda. And I kinda think that, if you're stupid enough to think that you can mount automatic weapons (working

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-1931678735094577762008-08-22T09:03:00.000-07:002008-08-27T09:32:50.641-07:00

So when I first heard this report…US Pushes Troop Immunity, Flexible Deadline in Iraq PactMy first reaction was a simple 'what the fuck?' If we're supposed to be "the good guys" here, aren't we supposed to hold ourselves to a higher standard (damning photographic evidence to the contrary aside). So shouldn't the concept of "immunity" run counter to that? Don't we need to step up and take

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-30309220186855035832008-08-13T12:18:00.000-07:002008-08-13T22:37:32.486-07:00

I started a rant about this yesterday, then realized that I was complaining about the wrong thing. Dozens protest at 'Tropic Thunder' premiereIt's not the protest that bugs me… you've got a problem with the use of the word "retard" in Tropic Thunder, protest away. Where I'm having problems lately is that there's no gatekeeper on this stuff. Anyone that wants to make noise about something is

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-9043394926264305852008-08-08T20:54:00.000-07:002008-08-08T21:52:01.185-07:00

In a blatant display of bandwagon-jumping (something I try diligently to avoid) I've been reading a lot of graphic novels in recent years. I always enjoyed comics when I was a kid, and have rediscovered a taste for them as they've matured into the graphic novels of today. But I noticed something recently, when I was reading previews of The Dark Knight and The Watchmen. The Dark Knight article

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-48388249761908101872008-08-07T12:13:00.000-07:002008-08-07T12:57:50.711-07:00

Do we really need to know this?No Cue: Paris Hilton Memorized McCain SlamPerhaps more to the point, do we care? (And, while I'm questioning things, since when does the notion that Paris is capable of memorizing her lines equate to her being able to f'ing ACT? You're gonna need Olympic long jump stamina to make that particular leap in logic.) And finally, and perhaps the most cogent question, how

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-27015318182539800322008-08-04T13:09:00.000-07:002008-08-04T13:48:54.194-07:00

It's no secret I'm no fan of our Governor. From his "Vote for me because I'm Arnold" campaign, to his attempt at governing by decree (how else to interpret an attempt to sidestep the legislature by putting all the plans they've rejected onto the state ballot), his style tends to resemble his movies… a lot of noise and heavy on the action, but not the most thought provoking content. (And I like

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-3883932671912468242008-07-30T09:08:00.000-07:002008-08-01T17:13:57.861-07:00

So this was announced earlier this week:A "Marvin the Martian" MovieYou'd think I'd be excited to hear about a Marvin the Martian movie… I'm a big Looney Tunes fan and Marvin was always one of my favorite characters. But there's this little tidbit from the article: The project will blend live action and CGI.Presumably, 'classics' like Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action must lead them to

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-66686798845052725122008-07-23T10:25:00.000-07:002008-08-04T12:02:51.138-07:00

Another day, another batch of truly annoying commercials to subject myself to, every time I turn on the radio. There's a school of thought that argues that it doesn't matter if your commercial is annoying… that annoying can be a positive, since what really matters is that your commercial gets noticed, and annoying gets noticed. But these have got to go…Accuvue 1 day disposable contact lensesThis

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-25054110651666123762008-07-21T11:09:00.000-07:002008-07-22T17:05:37.749-07:00

It's hard to believe, but lately there've been court decisions that actually make sense to me! The proverbial "you could knock me down with a feather" moment. Court tosses FCC 'wardrobe malfunction' fineCan we drop it now? Can we PLEASE stop listening to the Parent's Television Council and others of their ilk? They lost any credibility with me, back in the day, when they tried to label Loony

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-17518045449194812542008-07-18T11:33:00.000-07:002008-07-22T17:04:13.988-07:00

You hear them all the time… "parents advocacy" groups, screaming about how something is "bad for the kids!" (Never mind that what they're complaining about was never intended for their little tykes in the first place. Nor that they're really just using that argument because "I think this is offensive and you should too!" won't get them anywhere — that pesky Constitution, you know.) But they're

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-57598842885557851532008-06-30T11:33:00.000-07:002008-06-30T12:21:57.087-07:00

One new and one old, but I had a couple of thoughts to share. Donnie DarkoI finally got around to watching this one over this past weekend. Dani's out of town and I figured I'd catch up on stuff she's not interested in or already seen. This one came up first on Netflix, so it was the winner. I've got to admit that my first reaction, when the credits rolled, was "Seriously? That's IT? I've been

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-20334774104075898182008-06-29T23:57:00.000-07:002008-06-30T11:32:41.163-07:00

I've never been a big fan of serial killer stories. I understand the appeal, from a procedural level. There's a lot of good, juicy stuff for the storyteller, as you dive into the killer's madness and concoct the scenarios that fit his madness. The problem I have is that, from a classical sense, they're not good drama. There's all the buildup and suspense you could want, as your hero stalks the

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-81056346940676377282008-06-25T09:54:00.000-07:002008-06-25T21:54:27.472-07:00

We're in the middle of a drought here in Southern California. Again. (I've read recently that, judging from geological records, we may not actually be in a drought… it's more like this is what the climate in this region is normally like, and we've just been experiencing wetter weather than is the norm for the past century or two.) Whatever the case, it's been pretty dry. The Metropolitan Water

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-89620657058170067532008-06-22T23:43:00.001-07:002008-06-22T23:51:55.593-07:00

I was at the airport today when someone walked past me with a shirt that said: May the F = m a be with youAnd all I could think was, "what… may the force be with you didn't seem geek enough?" 

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-11536661580467605322008-06-09T21:44:00.000-07:002009-01-15T10:38:19.832-08:00

This is one of those quotes that I always seem to WANT to throw at someone, and yet can never remember at the time. So now I'm posting it here 'for eternity'. Maybe I'll remember next time. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.A great person does not have to think consistently from one day to the next. This remark comes from the essay “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155214.post-29135953930059426362008-06-07T23:59:00.001-07:002008-06-09T21:26:42.421-07:00

For the past few weeks, I've seen a billboard off the 105, featuring a rather plastic-looking blond, advertising the upcoming Eye Candy Expo, and each time I see it I can only think, "Seriously?". Are we (and I'm referring to my entire gender here) so desperate for a look at hot chicks in skimpy outfits that we need an entire weekend at the convention center dedicated to that idea? (The

Louis Espositohttps://profiles.google.com/114787649811704990754noreply@blogger.com0