Dashing thru the snow

I am the first to admit I'm a cold weather baby. I would prefer it be bitter cold than stiflingly hot. I am already not looking forward to Minnesota and its new trend towards 90+ degree Julys. That said, yesterday was some fucked up shit. As pretty as all that fluffy snow was, it really messed up The Kid's evening.

My coworkers started bailing really early because some of them don't have the good sense to live in a real city like Minneapolis (or St. Paul) or even the near-suburbs. These are people who live in places like Savage and St. Peter who drive aaaaaall the way here 5 days a week. Others left slightly closer to closing time. I tried to allow myself some leeway by leaving a mere 5 minutes earlier in the hopes of catching an earlier bus than usual. And I could well have done so....if said bus hadn't gotten stuck at the bus stop. I thought about how much hell the 94 was going to be, plus how crowded the next 94 would be with all the people from the stuck bus trying to clammer on to it (it was an accordian bus that got stuck) and decided I'd try my luck with the 53 which travels down Lake. I waited for about 15 minutes, but that didn't show, so I decided to wait for the next 94. I waited another 15 minutes for that one and it didn't show. When I finally saw the 53 coming I stayed at the 94 bus stop because I THOUGHT the bus headed our way was a 94. It was not. When I saw the next 53 I tried to run for it, but it took off. I waited another 10 minutes at the stop when I saw a 54 which is a limited stop bus from St. Paul to Mall of America. I figured I'd hop the train at MOA and I'd be home free.

Oh my GOD. I probably boarded that bus at about 5:15 and that ride is normally about 30 minutes. We didn't reach MOA until 6:45! We were crawling for what seemed like ages. And then! I JUST missed the train when we got to the mall. But that wasn't really a big deal because the trains were running every 10 minutes. So I decided to go inside and grab something to go since I was starving and very likely not going to want to cook a damn thing when I got home. When I got up to the 3rd level I remembered that I wanted to go to Best Buy and see if I could find an adapter for my keyboard so I could use it with my laptop. See, now that I'm doing the dual screen thing, I have my laptop sitting on top of my printer and it's a little tough to type. I still have my old computer and figured I can just plug that in except is uses and S-thingy and I don't have an S-thingy hook-up-a-bob on my laptop. I wanted a converter so that I could plug it into one of the USB or UBS or whatever it's called spots.

Aaaaaaaanyway, so I go to Best Buy and cute, little BB guy showed me the adapter and it was thirty damn dollars for this little ole thing. And I was like, "Shit, how much is a new freakin' keyboard?" And he showed me a cheap keyboard for just $22. I decided to hold off and think about it, maybe check at Radio Shack or try to get to one of the broke-down Circuit Citys and see if they might have one, even though I'm pretty sure CC has just marked up prices on a lot of stuff then slapped a XX% off sticker on it.

So after that I went to the food court and decided I need a Whopper Jr. with cheese and some onion rings with some Zesty sauce. I figured I had just enough time to catch the next train only to find out that buses were now running every 15 minutes and I had another 11 minutes to wait. Fortunately, I only had to spend 5 of those standing out in the cold with my chow because I could heat my tootsies in the next train leaving. I find a seat and even though I don't really care for eating on the bus because it's kind of gross and rude, I was really hungry and onion rings are not good cold so I started to chow down. What in the devil did BK do to the Zesty sauce? It tasted like really bland hot mustard and I mean really bland. Boo on your new Zesty sauce, BK!

Anyway, luckily it was an uneventful ride home without obnoxious, loud teenagers like the LAST time I rode. Did I tell you about them? Oh man, I generally think most kids of all ages are just so cute, but I wanted to choke these little bastards. They were loud and they were eating food and left a pile of garbage right on the floor in the middle of the train. One gentleman actually had the balls none of the rest of us had to say something to them and one little shit stepped back on the train and threw something at him. Once the door closed on his punk-ass he kept trying to get it to open again and the driver had to tell him to get away from the train over the P.A. These are the kids that make people hate teenagers.

Anyway, I finally made it to Minneapolis at about 8:10 and got a 6 fairly quickly and was home and flopped out on the couch by 8:40 watching QVC try to sell me trashy jewelry. I was so pooped I slept like a log and actually only woke up because I had a scary dream that I was Laurie Strode and I knew Michael Myers was coming after me and I was trying to prepare for the attack. Creepy.

Today, it's pretty mellow at work. One interesting thing is that one of my CoWs informed me that another has been ratting me out to my boss. Not that I've done anything terrible, but on days when I work my 2nd job, I will leave 5 minutes early to catch the bus. She is also the one who will run to my boss and whine about my "attitude" when I don't say hi to her in the morning. I don't like her and she knows it and I quit pretending like I did about 3 months after I started here because she is a ass-kissing, gossipy bitch and I got no truck with people like that. Anyway, I told this other CoW that I already knew (another of my less odious CoW had already informed me since she sits not too far from our boss and has heard her in there talking trash about other people) and that I honestly don't give a shit. I refuse to get into office politics and such. They can get into their little gossip circles and compare cube sizes and complain about who got a new chair all they want to. I'll be just fine with them thinking I'm a stuck-up bitch while I rock out to Judas Priest and ignore their sorry ass. If it ain't work-related, don't fucking bother me. We are not that cool.

Okay, my lunch break is over, but I had to get all that off my chest. My complaints about the snow storm in no way indicate that I am looking forward to summer, but I wouldn't balk at a change to April showers soon.

What to do

I have about 4 days to decide if I want to sign a new lease on this apartment or not. Actually, I already know that I really don't want to, but I have to really figure out if I can afford to move at the beginning of May. Moving is not a cheap activity and coming up with deposits and application fees and first month's rent is not something I can do right now. But also I don't really want to keep paying nearly $700 a month to live in a place where I want to punch my surrounding neighbors for being noisy assholes. Decisions, decisions.

Getting things done

Life without cable is only slightly more productive than life with cable was. Actually, the only thing I did that I said I was gonna do was pick up my cable box (for my Music Choice channels) and watch 3/4 of my Friday the 13th box set. I was so confused about what was on Friday and Saturday, I watched QVC and Home Shopping Network. QVC had this lady that looked straight out of the Sopranos trying to hawk stretch denim bell bottom jeans. These came in a variety of COLORS like grass green, crayon yellow, and lipstick red. They were atrocious, all high-waisted and colored denim is WRONG!!! Plus, how are we already back to bell bottoms? I would swear skinny jeans only started last year. Why are we leaving the 80s and going back to the 70s? Shouldn't they be bringing back 90s fashion? (Did I ever mention here that Sabrina and I saw a Zubas kiosk at the Rosedale Mall about a month ago?) Door-knocker earrings, bike shorts (with no bike), Hammer pants, Cross Colors. Come ON!

Anyway, apparently Paula Abdul has a line of jewelry (which she kept pronouncing jewlery which is such a pet peeve of mine; that and pronounce realtor as relator). It was like weekend at Paula's because she came on HSN at like 11 p.m. on Friday and seemed to be there all day Saturday, or at least every time I flipped past.

I watched the first two F13s on Saturday and 4 others (plus Jason Goes to Hell which I had never seen) on Sunday. It's funny watching those movies now. I can be so much more critical than when I was younger. I noticed so many plot holes and continuity errors that just didn't matter when I was 15 or 16. For instance, Pt. 2, 3, and 4 are supposed to be happening on consecutive days, yet characters have all sorts of information and newspaper clippings about Jason. One character allegedly had a run-in with Jason a couple years before, but apparently, she's the only other person. And if he didn't drown, what WAS he doing while his mother was killing folks to avenge his death?

Doesn't matter. Those movies are still alot of fun and seeing them only cements my distaste for the remakening. I thought I had over-glorified the old movies but no, the new one is still an ass sandwich.

Gotta go.

How I spent my first evening w/o fancy cable

I watched a movie I remembered quite fondly from my youth. "Love At First Bite" used to come on practically every day when I was younger and we would watch it EVERY TIME. I wondered if it would maintain its humor many moons later, so I decided to Netflix it. It was the shortest of the movies I got from Netflix, so I popped it in last night. Man, the things nostalgia can do.

The movie isn't bad. I still laughed out loud at a few of the jokes, but honestly, a number of the things that were hi-larious when I was young are actually really offensive. I want to chalk it up to "the times", but that's b.s. At least I know that I've grown up now.

Once that was over, I played around on the computer for awhile before crawling into bed. It's a bit weird not being able to watch those Forensic Files reruns before I drift off to sleep, but I actually went right off into dreamland.

The real test comes this weekend, but then again, maybe not. Having seen that crappy remakening of F13, I'm all about revisiting the old Jason, so I think I'm gonna hangout on my couch, eating microwave popcorn, and watching my box set.

Whatcha watchin'?

I just downgraded my cable, y'all. I was gonna ditch it all together and just use that fancy digital converter box thingy, but when I saw that maintaining my current internet service alone was almost the same price as having basic cable + my current internet, I decided to go for the latter combo plus the digital channel offerings suck balls. Maybe I'll use it on the bedroom TV. Fortunately, I was able to negotiate a lower price for my internet for the next 6 months. Maybe by the time that deal runs out, the city-wide internet thing will be working. I see it now and then, but it always says "coming soon".

So, yeah, I'm a little traumatized. I've had cable since forever. I didn't think I could live without it, but then I really analyzed what I have been watching on cable and I really don't think I'll miss much. I can watch "Burn Notice" and "The Closer" either on Hulu or on the network website. "Medium" is on regular telly. When CourtTV became TruTv, they added a ton of crappy reality shows like "Ocean Force" and "Ski Patrol" and they air the same episodes of "Forensic Files" like every other day.

And you know what else? I forget that just behind my laptop is this 19" computer screen. It has been collecting dust for ages because I don't use the computer it's attached to anymore, but I actually know how to hook it up to my laptop. I can actually watch stuff on there if I want a bigger picture. And I kind of think I know what I need in order to hook my laptop up to my TV.

Oh, and you know what else? For just $1.10 a month I can rent a box and have access to pay-per-view stuff and the fancy music channels. Now, I don't care so much about pay-per-view, but I love those cable music channels. I don't think I would ever have heard the blues great "That Baby Ain't Black Enough" if not for those channels. I'll be picking up my box this weekend.

So I have to make some adjustments. I have Netflix and I own a gazillion tapes and DVDs, so I am sure I can entertain myself, but this might be a tough couple weeks until I get used to it. Good thing I'm doing this on the verge of spring. I

Tuesday the 17th

So I went in for my much-anticipated interview with the Sheriff's Office yesterday and totally screwed it up. I mean, bad. I got all gussied up and kicked ass on the typing test and totally bit it in the interview. I couldn't think straight. I kept repeating myself and saying 'um' and ending my sentences in 'so, yeah' which is bad. At one point I realized just how badly I was doing and mumbled (possibly loud enough for the interviewers to hear), "Oh, god!" I knew my interview skills were rusty, but holy christ. I could barely explain to them what I do at my current job. That was my third interview with Hennepin County and I am almost positive at least two of the three women interviewing me yesterday had been in one of the previous interviews. I think I might just hang up my Hennepin County resume. Perhaps it's time to consider the private sector. There is a posting for a position with the BCA but it's not on the same "pay grade" as me, so I can't apply for it yet. I think it's actually lower than me, but frankly, I would take less money to not be working here. Hindsight is indeed 20/20 and in hindsight, I really wish I had taken more advantage of the time I did work there.

To drown my sorrows, I decided to go to the mall and see My Bloody Valentine again. It wasn't quite as cool as the last time because there was one other couple there (sitting in my spot from last time). Seeing it for the 3rd time did give me a chance to really look at some of the plot flaws of the movie. (It's spoiler time right here...............you were warned.) Like Tom supposedly locking himself in that cage after killing that one guy. Um, exactly where did he have his "Harry Warden clothes" because he was in a regular jumpsuit before. And where did he put the stuff since the flashback shows him taking it off in the case. How about that pickaxe he used to jam the lock on that cage?

There is also the ridiculousness of the girls at the store. First of all, which part of "killer roaming about town" don't you get? Why are you going to investigate some random noise you heard in the store? Your husband is the goddamn sheriff. Get the hell out and call him and his cop buddies to investigate.

Yeah, there a few plot holes in this movie, but I didn't love it any less. The 3D still kicked ass. I still jumped at some spots. I still had more fun watching the credits for this movie than sitting through all of the F13 remakening.

Lunch breaks over. Back to the grind.

BTW, in yarn projects, I'm working on a cute little mousy hat for baby Dominik.

The Jolly Roger

Look what I did!!!

This is not my movie weekend apparently

After the non-horror of yesterday's Friday the 13th experience, I thought I'd wash that from my brain by going to see MBV again. The Knit-Out is happening this weekend and since I like yarn and stuff, I thought going to MOA would be a swell idea. Yeah, not so much. There were a billion people out there and the lines for the free swag were stupid-long. Since I got there two hours before hoping to check out some knitting stuff before my movie, I had to kill some time, so I ducked into Barnes & Noble and read the Encyclopedia of How We Die. I headed up to the theater about 10 minutes before the start time. Apparently, everyone decided to see a movie this Saturday afternoon. Even though I figured most of them were probably going to see F13, I wasn't feeling it, so I just came home.

I still had that movie itch, so figured I'd check out my new Friday the 13th Pt. 3 3D. I popped it in, slipped on the glasses, suffering a papercut on my ear from the damn things, and pressed play. Oh, boy. This DVD looks absolutely atrocious. The old red/blue 3D has never looked amazing, but I don't remember everything looking like it was in doubles. That movie is not one of the best in the series, so the only reason I bought it AGAIN was for the 3D. I want my $10 back. The box set version of the film at least has a funny commentary track!

Things got a smidge better later. I watched My Name is Bruce. This is not a good movie, but I'd rather watch it on a constant loop for 24 hours rather than sit through Friday the 13th the redux even one more time. Oh, I'm sure there will be a special uncut DVD edition that comes out, but I think I might even pass on that because it would require at least another 2 hours of footage to make it worthwhile and I'll have none of that. Oh, look at me! Complaining about F13 again.

So back to Bruce. Again, not a great flick, but it is funny and well, it's Bruce Campbell and even with his paunch he's still dreamy. At no point was I bored nor was I ambivalent about any of the characters. Hell, it even had better kills (even it they were kind of all the same) than F13. Can you tell I'm really mad about that movie? Not Zombie's Halloween mad, but still mad.

Well, that was...a waste of money

I really wanted to like the new Friday the 13th movie. I had been so excited about it, especially after finally seeing a good horror film in My Bloody Valentine 3-D. Alas, I am among those who found the film disappointing. Everything about it seemed really slap-dash. I know most horror films don't flesh out characters very well, but this was ridiculous. These people were just vapid idiots. I imagine the actors were told their roles as such, "You play a rich jerk", "You play a stoner", "You play a black guy in a horror movie". I did jump once and I was surprised that one character I thought would survive didn't, but overall the movie really just kind of sat there. I didn't care about the characters I was supposed to care about and I couldn't even muster up enough dislike to root for anyone to die. Well, except the kid at the campfire who told the "legend of Jason" story. He must have been the "Shelly" of the film, but way less endearing and that's pretty freakin' low. I didn't even like most of the kills. Jason spent a lot of time grappling with people, flinging them around when the old Jason was all about the quick dispatch. It was clear that a few of them were meant to be homages to kills in previous F13s, but half of them were filmed so choppily and/or so darkly that you could barely tell what was going on. And I don't really care about these things, but the boobs we saw were pretty clownish. The group of teenagers behind LAUGHED at the first set shown because they practically had a price tag still hanging from them. They were like Barbie's boobs with pencil erasers attached. And the ENDING! Was DUMB! What the hell? Why would anyone do what happens at the end. Oh, I want to spoil it because I really think this movie is a totally wait for DVD, but I won't because I know people will see it regardless of what I say and I'd rather not wreck the film (any more than Platinum Dunes did) for those folks. At the end of the film, the same set of kids that laughed at the clown-tits loudly echoed my sentiments, "That's it? That blew!"

I also watched "His Name Was Jason" which is a documentary about the F13 series. I don't know what I was expecting, but I had hoped it would be more entertaining than it was. It was actually really boring. I don't think I learned anything about the story of Jason and the films that I didn't already know. Clearly, this is just a long commercial for the new film. The fact that they actually included actors from the new film perpetuates that idea in my mind.

I did finally get my F13 3-D DVD. I hope watching that tomorrow will cleanse the bad new movie from my mind.

Chris Brown & Rihanna

I don't follow most of this pop culture bullshit intentionally. I really don't care that much, but I haven't been able to avoid the coverage of the alleged incident involving Chris Brown and (maybe?) Rihanna.

Here's the problem I have with it: everyone has leapt to the conclusion that he is indeed guilty of the assault and many people keep proclaiming "you don't hit women". I'm still old-fashioned enough to believe in the whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing. Crazy, I know! Trust me. I do not like the way many will come to the defense of certain entertainers. I am speaking here specifically of members of the Black community who will try to paint individuals like Mike Tyson, Kobe Bryant, R. Kelly, O.J. Simpson, and even Michael Jackson as victims who are being persecuted by the man because they are Black men. That is some ripe BULL SHIT! Even worse is that these people will often come to defense of these individuals at the expense of women and children. To read some of the things people said about the girl in the "R. Kelly" tape was sickening and sad. The fact that people actively sought to reveal the identity of an alleged rape victim in the Bryant case was appalling. I don't even need to tell people what was done to Nicole Simpson Brown. While only one of the five individuals I just named were actually found guilty of the crimes they were accused of, the leap to their defense by many in the public was barely based on any real facts about the cases.

That said, the Chris Brown situation is sort of the opposite, at least from the sites I've read. Granted, one of those sites is Jezebel which is chick-friendly to say the least. The commentors however are practically calling for his head. They demand this be the end of his career and contrast this with the Michael Phelps case. I will not pretend that am okay with domestic violence. My mother went through that shit. I do not, however, by into the "man can't hit woman" thing. While most men are generally physically larger and stronger than most women, that is not always the case. While one would generally lock down on a large man who hits a smaller guy, would one feel that way if the smaller guy picked the fight, if he threw the first punch? Why should there be an exception for women? This "women are delicate creatures who can't be harmed" business serves to further double standards that are in place in other areas of our lives.

But my real beef with all this is the assumption of guilt. We have become a hysterical, Nancy Grace society where the minute a newsperson says someone has done something, then it is deemed true. Individuals are tried and convicted in the public eye based on such flimsy evidence as, "he hired xyz attorney" or "he won't leave his hotel room". I missed the part where hiring a lawyer when you are arrested and charged with a crime was a bad thing. I missed how being hounded by reporters asking you if you beat your girlfriend makes you want to go for a stroll in the park.

I have to get back to work, so this incoherent little rant must stop here. The gist of it is that I really hate people rushing to judgment about things they don't have all the facts on. Oh, but one more thing, the other piece is people acting like Rihanna now HAS to become this spokesperson against domestic violence and that by not doing so, she is furthering the victim-shaming that is implied by not discussing it. Oh, my god because why on earth would she possibly NOT want to talk about something so very personal? Ugh! The things people think celebrities owe them are beyond ridiculous. If she chooses to speak on it (assuming this is all true, that is) bully for her. However, if it is easier for her to deal with this privately then more power to her.

I'm gonna take some deep breaths, calm down, and get back to work.

Nice going once again, Texas

BOOOOOOOO!

I'm really glad this young man's name was cleared, but a fat lot of good that does him now. I hope his family sues the shit out of the state for wrongful imprisonment. No, Texas isn't the only place where this sort of thing happens, but it has become the shining example of what happens when law enforcement rushes to judgment. I don't necessarily believe that cops and prosecutors want to put people in prison for crimes they did not commit. However, I think especially in the cases of the poor and minorities, authorities are too quick to assign guilt and to attempt to make their evidence fit their case. Too often you hear cops and prosecutors saying they still believe they got the right man after someone has been exonerated. That unwillingness to admit mistakes even in the face of evidence to the contrary does not bode well. And then there are the assholes who decided that even if someone is innocent of one crime, the time he spent in prison wasn't really a waste because he was probably guilty of something. The number of times I saw that mantra during my CJ classes is astounding. Don't you feel great knowing people training to go into law enforcement now don't give two shits about the law?

MBV Compare & Contrast cont....

I didn't forget about you. I just had to take a little time off to do my taxes, curse my Internet connection, and watch a couple of crappy Final Destination movies. (Boo on you Pt. 2 and 3!)

So on to the remake of MBV (in RealD 3D). Okay, we know that Tom the owner's kid caused the mine accident. We learn through headlines (shown over the opening credits) that Harry Warden survived the incident but remains in a coma. It is later learned that he killed the others with a pickaxe to preserve his own air and the town’s sentiments quickly turn against him.

One year later, Harry, lying comatose, has a flashback to the accident. He wakes up and kills everyone in the hospital and escapes. Meanwhile, the local youths are having a party at the mine…as you do. Axel and his girlfriend, Irene, meet up with Sarah who is awaiting the arrival of Tom. Axel does not like Tom and is among the many in town who blame him for the mine accident. When Tom shows up, Irene tries to get everyone to be all nice-y and take a photo. Axel refuses and acts all put-out while Irene takes a pic of the two of them. He then urges Irene into the mine. Tom can sense that he isn’t wanted and almost begs off, but Sarah convinces him to stay. He sends her into the mine while he heads back to his truck for beer.

Inside, Sarah tries to catch up with Axel and Irene. She comes across a few random people, then a guy jumps out and scares her. As he laughs it up, someone pickaxes him through the eye. That someone is Harry Warden all decked out in his miner’s gear. He chases Sarah who can’t find her way out. Luckily, Axel grabs her and pulls her into a hidey-hole he and his girlfriend have found. As Harry searches for her, some random dude comes in asking if his friend “Jason” (heh heh clever) is trying to play a trick on him. He gets good and killed for his trouble, exposing the others’ hiding place in the process. They run, but Axel trips and has to fight off the killer. As they exit the mine, Tom comes in. They try to get him to run, but he stands in shock as Harry confronts him and knocks him down. Axel is trying to stuff the girls into his truck, but Sarah doesn’t want to leave Tom. After Harry lobs a pickaxe into the windshield, Axel revs up the truck and books it out of there, leaving Tom behind.

Tom manages to get up and run deeper into the mine. Harry catches up to him and the two battle, but Harry gets the better of Tom. Just before he can land his death-blow, the sheriff (whom happens to be played by Tom Atkins) and another cop come in and shoot him up. Despite being hit numerous times, Harry manages to escape. Tom is left all sorts of traumatized.

Ten years later, Axel is now the sheriff of the little town and is married to Sarah who runs the local grocery store. They have a little boy together, but Axel is also having an affair with a local chippy who works at his wife’s store. Tom apparently disappeared from town after the mine incident and hasn’t been heard from since. Recently his father has recently died and he is now back to sell off the mine. No one is exactly thrilled to see him. Even worse, some guy in a miner’s get-up starts going around killing mo-fos and ripping their hearts out.

First up is Irene, whom we find, um, taking care of business with a trucker at the local no-tel. She finds out the trucker has been secretly taping their trysts and demands the tapes. He dumps her and strolls out of there with his camera (still recording oddly). She pulls a gun from her purse and goes out to confront him. He blows her off and is about to get in his truck when he takes a pickaxe to the top of the head. The killer then chases Irene into the motel where she hides under a bed. After he dispatches the no-tel manager, he finds her under the bed and kills her. She is later found with her heart ripped out.

Meanwhile, Tom shows up at the grocery store to see Sarah. She is all moony-eyed, but Tom sees the picture of her and Axel and their son. He takes off. He then heads over to a local tavern where he meets up with an older guy, Ben Foley, who his “helping” him with the sale of the mine. The locals are none to pleased to see him and he gets in a fight with one guy. Tom Atkins, now retried, steps in and demands he leave. Tom rants about people making everything that happened his fault. Tom tells him he won’t save his ass again.

Later, Axel is at home reviewing the trucker’s videotape. Sarah comes in and he confronts her about seeing Tom. She tries to play it down, but he whips out a picture of her and Tom that she’d taken out earlier and oogled all over. He then shows her a shot of Tom outside the window of the no-tel room where Irene was killed.

The next morning, Tom shows up at the grocery store before it opens. He and Sarah go for a stroll to discuss their old relationship and how selling the mine will ruin the town. Sarah calls him out for leaving town without a word. She gets all heartfelt and tells him he’ll destroy the town if he shuts it down and then walks away.

Since this is a fairly new flick and I know some folks like to wait for DVD, I will stop there before I start spoiling stuff.

This movie has little to nothing to do with Valentine’s Day. Like in the original the mine accident happens on Valentine’s Day, but it isn’t as integral to the plot in this film as it was in the original. The killer does leave hearts in Valentine candy boxes, but that’s about all the connection to the holiday we really see. The killer’s motivation is also different in this film, but I won’t go into that because it is spoiler-y. This movie does emulate some of the kills from the original, but this is not a shot-for-shot remake. Also, we get a similar love triangle, but it isn’t played quite the same way. If it had been done by better actors, I would say it was actually more believable than the triangle in the original film.

I know many horror fans have been panning it. Some think the film is no better than recent remakes such as Prom Night and April Fool’s Day which have only the title’s in common with the originals. I have not seen either of those films, so I can’t say. I guess I can kind of understand the disappointment since I am still bitter about Zombie’s Halloween (and I must admit that after listening to the Hollywood Saloon’s fucking BRILLIANT Halloween podcast, I might even consider re-evaluating Zombie’s film, trying my damndest to not think about John Carpenter at all). I didn’t think MBV 3-D did a disservice to the original. Despite a bit of bad acting, I thought the story was good. Some parts were a little clunky (what was with the attempts to make a certain someone a red herring?) and people occasionally did just plain stupid shit (um, apparently some ladies didn’t get the memo about a crazed killer in town…don’t go looking to see if someone is in the store), but overall it was a really fun ride and I had a great time seeing it.

(Aside: I especially enjoyed seeing the film the 2nd time around. I was the only person in the theatre which gave this a much spookier edge. I must admit that I had to look behind me a couple of times when I thought I heard a noise.)

As for the 3-D, well I only have two things to compare it to: the old blue/red action of the 80s (still waiting on my F13:III DVD from Amazon) and a trailer for Coraline that was shown before this movie. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. It was better for me the 2nd time as I was able to sit closer to the screen which limited side-eye distractions. Some of the CGI was damn obvious, but I it still looked good in my book.

Overall, I have to give this movie a rousing thumbs-up, so much so, that I am pretty dang sure I will buy the DVD when it comes out.

MBV: Compare and Contrast the old and the new

Warning! This will be kinda long, so go to the bathroom before you settle in.

I went to check out MBV 3-D on opening weekend. I thought it was pretty awesome and it felt really good to see a horror movie in the theatre again for the first time in it seems like forever for me. I think the last horror flick I remember seeing in the theatre was The Descent, but my memory ain’t what it used to be so I’m probably wrong about that.

Yesterday, Dana called and said she was sick and that I didn’t have to work that night, so I checked that evening’s TV listings and saw that jackshit was on, so I decided maybe I should see a movie. I had kind of been itching to see MBV again, so I picked the MOA theatre to check it. After a harrowing bus ride in which some fat, pregnant chick tried to sit on my damn arm, I made it just in time for the F13 trailer. I’m stoked for the movie, but I was not happy to see Jason take a little running start at someone. Jason doesn’t fucking run! (Okay, I think he kind of jogs a little bit in Pt. 2 when he’s being chased by the sheriff, but whatever.)

This viewing was actually even better than the first time. I was the ONLY person in the theater and it was one of the screens WAAAAAAY in the back of the whole cineplex and I sat in the last row the first time about 6 rows back from the screen. This made the movie creepier.

As I mentioned before, I also recently acquired the special edition DVD of the original MBV and watched it again. As I previously stated, nostalgia had lifted that movie a lot higher in my mind. Seeing it again, it actually comes off as quite cheesy because of the love triangle business and the acting is atrocious. Still, it is a genuine 80s horror film. There are funny moments, but mostly it’s because of bad fashion. This shit is straight-up horror with a genuinely frightening killer (The Miner) and the ending is pretty sweet.

The premise of the new film is slightly changed from the original. They both start out with a similar angle: a mining accident causes several men to be buried alive for several weeks. When the rescuers finally reach them, they find only one survivor, Harry Warden. Things start to differ right about here. I’ll go over the original first and come back to the newer version later.

It seems that Harry had to cannibalize his fellow miners in order to survive. We learn the accident occurred on Valentine’s Day and the town has a big dance scheduled. Because everyone is trying to rush off to the dance, someone fails to bleed the methane lines (or something) which causes an explosion.

Anyway, Harry is batshit crazy after his experience, so he’s carted off to a mental hospital. The next year around Valentine’s Day again the town plans a big dance. Harry manages to escape from the hospital and kills the two big bosses whom he blames for the accident. He cuts out their hearts and leaves a message that the town must never hold any Valentine celebrations again or he’ll be back.

The town heeds his warning, but 20 years later the town elders decide it is well-time to bring back the dance. The local sheriff and the mayor are hesitant, but are goaded on by Mabel the owner of the town launderette. Meanwhile, the young local mine workers and their girlfriends are pretty excited about the dance. One of those excited couples is T.J. and his girlfriend, Sarah. They all hang out at the local watering hole where some of the older folks talk about the legend of Harry Warden and why they think the dance is a bad idea. The younguns blow them off. (I must pause here to clarify that I call them younguns but they really aren’t all that young. These aren’t your typical teenagers or even college kids. They are 20-somethings Joe Six-Packs trying to earn a living in a small, blue-collar town)

The subplot side dish gets served up in the form of a love triangle that starts when Axel comes back to town after a 10 year absence. It seems Axel used to be Sarah’s beau, but he thought he was too good for a mining job and decided to leave for the West Coast (the Canadian equivalent of Hollywood, I imagine) without a word to anyone, including Sarah. We learn that he failed pretty miserably at whatever he was trying to do “out there” and has now come crawling back to work in the mine like everybody else. Problem is that he thinks that he should get Sarah back as well. T.J. is none too pleased with Axel all up on his girl. IMO, both guys act like dicks in the way they treat Sarah like she’s some special trophy. She doesn’t exactly help mattes by being all Olive Oyl about things for, like, forever. I kept thinking, “Get some backbone, honey, and dump both their possessive sorry asses!”

Anyway, as everyone is planning for the dance someone starts killing folks. He rips out the hearts and leaves them in candy boxes with little notes about how the dance is Bad Idea Jeans. After Mabel bites it, the mayor and the sheriff decide to cancel the dance without telling folks why (they cover up Mabel’s death as a heart attack and claim the cancellation is out of respect). The younguns are bummed and decide to go ahead and have their own party.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Axel go have a talk about their relationship. She scolds him for leaving without telling her, but ultimately decides she still wants to be with him. She doesn’t know how she will tell T.J. Boohoo.

So later, the younguns go to some local spot not far from the mine. It looks like a VFW, or whatever the Canadian equivalent would be. They bust out the Moosehead and turn up the transistor radio for some good times. The sheriff, during all this, is trying to find out if Harry Warden is indeed back and responsible for those bloody valentines. (Yeah, I went there.)

Sarah shows up for the party with T.J., but Axel is also there. Everyone is having a good ole time, until Axel starts pressing Sarah to give T.J. his ticket to Dumpsville. Sarah isn’t too hyped about doing so at the moment, it being Valentine’s Day and them being surrounded by all their friends and everything. Axel and T.J. end up throwing down. The other yokels break it up and T.J. runs off. Axel acts like he’s won, but Sarah tells him off and he leaves too. Now, Sarah’s all pouty.

Elsewhere, a couple of partiers have gone into the locker room of the mine to make out. The guy decides to go back in for some beer leaving his squeeze in this dark, foreboding room all by herself. She hears a noise and goes to investigate (natch). Suddenly the showers come on, then the mining suits hanging from above start dropping down around her, which is actually really fucking creepy, yo! Then the killer in his own mining outfit appears. He chases her into the shower room and kills her.

Inside the party, Sarah’s friend is trying to cheer her up. She gets the bright idea to have her boyfriend take them and a couple of others down into the mine. He’s hesitant, but she professes it will “cheer [Sara] up”. Yes, when I’m torn between two lovers, I love to be driven into dark, dangerous caverns with a bunch of drunks. Sarah doesn’t really want to go, but Friend convinces her “it’ll be fun”. Sara is reluctant, but ultimately agrees to go. Needless to say, she will regret that decision pretty soon.

I will stop here so as not to spoil the movie because it is totally the awesome and highly recommended. Yeah, part of that is nostalgia talking, but even with the dumb triangle and the bad acting it’s still a pretty intense story. And with the added footage (about 9 minutes), it’s sufficiently gory.

Wooooh! That was long. Perhaps I will pause here and gather my thoughts and post the second part of this tomorrow

Okay, what the f**k?

This is wrong! Rape is wrong too, but a life sentence to a 13-year-old for that crime is also wrong. Doesn't surprise me one iota that this is based in freakin' Florida. That whole state just sucks AND blows. How many violent asshats have committed far worse crimes at older ages and already been released from prison? I just can't fathom what it is about some people that they would advocate throwing children into prison.

On the move again

So I've decided to move again. This isn't that shocking. I've been living here two years, so I was bound to start hating it soon. I was so happy with the place in the beginning and then it just seemed to get noisier and noisier. And it's dark and the carpet is gross and it's ugly, but mostly it's really expensive, especially for what it is. I am clearly paying for location, if one considers this a good location. I mean, it rocks being close to so many quicky bus stops and an SA and my second job and my Walgreens pharmacy. The neighborhood isn't inherently sketchy, but I need my rent to be reduced by at least $75 possibly $100. It's gonna be tough coming up with security deposits and first months rent plus people to actually help me move. It wouldn't be so bad if I could actually drive the damn truck myself. And I will likely have to move on a Friday, although I would be willing to pay for a couple of extra days so I can do it on Saturday and come back and clean. This isn't a firm decision (I have until the end of this month to give my notice), but I'm pretty sure. I just can't keep paying at this rate.

I'm also more than likely going to get rid of my cable, even though that is gonna be HARD! I bought an antenna at Best Buy on Saturday (and got another one from Rebecca that same evening) and was finally able to hook up the converter box and get channels yesterday. All these years of cable have me spoiled rotten. Regular programming kind of blows, but I can always watch stuff on-line (I might even one day figure out how to hook my laptop up to my TV) or up my Netflix subscription with the money I'll be saving on cable.

In other attempts at money saving, I am probably going to ditch my cellphone service when my contract ends and do the pay-as-you-go thing because at this point barely anyone calls me except bill collectors. I might also get a weak landline so I can ditch cable internet for cheap-ass NetZero. That's still questionable.

I just wrote down all the major furniture in my apartment to try to figure out how big a truck I need. It never seems like a lot of stuff until you're humping it up and down the stairs on a hot day.