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A couple of weeks ago, thanks to an article in Entertainment Weekly defending Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I went back and watched the film again and realized that, no matter how much the article wanted to argue that Temple was a better film than most people give it credit for, I still thought it was a mediocre film in general, and a bad Indiana Jones film. The problems with Temple of Doom can be summed up simply enough: Short Round, and slapstick. (One must also point out that Kate Capshaw's one-note — i.e. a high pitched squeal — performance didn't help.) I've already ranted about why adding smart-ass kids to action adventure films are NOT the cinematic version of "you got chocolate in my peanut butter" (two great tastes that taste great together, if you somehow don't get the reference). So I won't belabor the point any further here. The other problem (the slapstick issue) became clear to me as I watched Temple of Doom and its painfully drawn

The other day I got an email, asking for money to help put this ad on TV. Before I say anything else, you'll need to check it out here. (Go ahead, I'll wait). California Yacht Party Well, did you watch it? If not, whatever I say next is going to make a hell of a lot more sense if you've actually watched the thing, so take a minute and check it out. OK, so I assume you've watched it now. Got any idea what the hell it's trying to say? I know, because I read the email that came with the link to the ad. But do you? 'Cause, after I watched it the first time, I really wondered if anyone watching this cold would have any idea what the message was. (Yachts are bad? Republicans are into potlatch? Pretty people like to bathe in champagne?) Knowing, as I did, the point of the video going in, you would think I wouldn't have had to watch it twice to see if I could find the message. After that second viewing, I realized that the extent of that message was in the title car

Must be my hater week, I guess. Last year, when CompUSA was shutting down all its local stores (it's nearly 100% online only these days), they were selling stuff off at some pretty deep discounts. Current software was going for 40% or more off, so it made sense to pick up Windows Vista at that time. I wasn't in any great hurry to upgrade, but knew eventually we would and I wasn't going to see any discounts like that any time soon. (Hell, they're still selling full installs of XP for nearly $200. I got the Vista upgrade for less than that.) So when I was rebuilding my PC a few months ago, I figured 'what the hell' and installed Vista. (AND XP. I may be brave, but I'm not dumb.) Shouldn't be too surprising to find that I'm still using XP for the vast majority of what I do, but I do mess around in Vista occasionally. Besides, Vista's the only way to get DirectX 10 graphics, and Bioshock DOES look incredible in Vista. But DirectX 10 graphics are har

Generally, I like living in (and around) LA… there's a ridiculous selection of movies available every week, theatre to be found any time I feel the inclination, the beach nearby, and great restaurants and entertainment options in every direction. (The fact that I may only take advantage of a very few of these things in any given month does not obviate the fact of their existence, or proximity.) And the smog, traffic, idiot/irate drivers and other annoyances that come with living in LA are simply part of the 'cost of doing business' here. I'm a city boy at heart. But sometimes… I hate LA. The last time I felt this was when we last visited Seattle, and I discovered the Elliot Bay Book Company . Here, in the heart of Seattle, was this massive, multi-level book store, filled with books. Old books. (And new books, as well.) But a bookstore dedicated to the idea that reading is cool and that, if you look hard enough, you're going to find something you like. There was a hu

This could end up a VERY long list, as I find myself less and less tolerant of stupid things seemingly every day. But you've gotta start somewhere, right? (And yes, I'm well aware that 'ending a sentence in a preposition' could well be on other peoples "tired of" lists, but "Things of which I am Tired" simply wasn't going to do it for me. But that's a discussion for a whole 'nother post.) There's an annoying trend I've noticed lately in radio advertising, which I 'affectionately' refer to as "idiot advertising". It's the kind of ad campaign where the 'spokesperson' or main character or what have you is obviously an idiot, and the real reply to every question he (inevitably it's a male asking the moronic questions) should be "you're an idiot. Hang up now and stop wasting my time." A recent airline ad featured a guy calling up to ask about the 'extra leg room' the airline offer