Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Ari Shaffir vs. Damienne Merlina

Ari Shaffir vs. Damienne Merlina
Well, I am really torn about this story. Basically, Ari did a stand up gig on Comedy Central and mentioned Marlina by name and proceeded to attack her really badly on the special. This video was her response. I actually feel for her and you can tell it really hurt her.
However, we're trending on dangerous water when we're talking about banning the special because someone's feelings were hurt. Comedy should be all sort of things from rude/crude/silly to light humor. Everyone gets attacked in comedy. I don't like Andrew Dice Clay, but I am not going to call for his banning.
But, Ari went a bit too far with the bit, because he mentioned her by name and seemed to make it personal. He should have just made it a generic person just to get the point across. It just seems a bit vindictive to me. While I hate that we throw the word “bullying” around too much, she does have a point in this case. He did use her full name. This was clearly sour gapes on his part and he had an axe to grind. Say horrible stuff all you want in a comedy retinue, but when stating a real person's name, that is just a bit too far for even me
I just think you can still get the point across without the name of the person.
Marc Marion had this to say about the issue via twitter (sigh) and I agree with him.  ((You have the freedom to say whatever you want. Some of it might not be necessary though. You decide.))

Side Note: Ari and Howard Stern had a bit feud. Stern is in the wrong in this case. I shouldn't say this, but traditional radio is dead.  

Going Clear HBO Special

Going Clear HBO Special

-L Ron Hubbard is painted is a very bad light, probably worst he's been in since the movie The Master. They actually dug up a few things I wasn't aware of in his early life in the military. He was released from duty in 1945. He dropped depth charges on phantom enemy subs. He then fired weapons on a Mexican island, thus pissing off the country.
-Dianetics gets a good amount of time in the special. The book is the basis of Scientology, but some people say it contradicts Scientology too.
-Mark Bunker: I was hoping they would give a shout-out to Mark Bunker. They sort of did with the YouTube video interview with Jason Beghe . I still love that YT video. Jason Beghe rips into them in the HBO special too.
-Paul Haggis has get a lot credit for pulling away from the Space Church and ripping into them too. Haggis also notes the anti-gay issues the church has, which is one of the reasons he left the church. Haggis also mentions that he got to see the Xenu papers. Oh, boy was he upset about that.
-Operation Snow White: They touch on it a bit. This was one of the biggest spy operations in history against the US government.
-IRS vs. Space Church: I had no idea this happened. They dug up everything they could on the IRS and the IRS caved in. This was a huge victory for the Space Church.
-Nicole Kidman: They really reveal a lot about the attack against Kidman. They went after her so much that Kidman won't address it almost never. And, her adoptive children will not talk to her. So, sad.
-John Travolta gets a lot of time...being a fool. I could go on with all the staying in the closet stuff.
-That award that Tom Cruise got and the interview. 
 

A Millions Ways to Die in the West

A Millions Ways to Die in the West
 After Ted, I really wanted to like this western comedy. After reading and watching the reviews coming in, I knew there something really wrong with this movie. It became clear that the comedy is dull and underwhelming. After witnessing the movie firsthand, I agree with most of the criticisms aimed toward it.
Seth MacFarlane is a rancher/sheep herder that is major coward. He also hates being in the wild west and in a town where people die in random fashions. He loses his girlfriend and meets up with an outsider in the form of Charlize Theron. Theron teaches him how to be a hero...kind of.
It's time for another western comedy in the likes of Blazing Saddles, but this is not that movie. To be fair there are a few good jokes and cameos that energize this dull movie. There are two cameos that put a smile on my face and they both are references to better western movies. (Stay after the first set of end credits)
The script needed better jokes and an overall story. And, I wanted this movie to work too. There's just not much here to laugh at, where as the Blazing Sadles is full of jokes that work.
-Amanda Seyfried's big eyes: Okay, that is a funny joke. And, it is a nicely paid off.
-Charlize Theron : She's great as the mystery woman that teaches the “hero” how to shoot a gun. Theron is trying here, but there isn't that much for her do because of the weak script. I needed more from her.
-Liam Neeson : Completely wasted. He's the main bad guy and he's barely in the movie. And, I did catch the Star Trek II reference with the one black glove. Liam, I wanted to see more of you other than your ass. Yes, we get to see Neeson's butt. That's not what I wanted.
-Doc Brown cameo: They should have never given away that cameo in the TV ads, because it is one of the few nice moments in the movie.
Like the rest of the movie, the ending just sort of happens and the movie sort of stops. A Million Ways to Die in the West is a movie that had potential, but never quite gets there due to the poor script. Here's hoping Ted 2 is better.  There are some funny moments, but they're only moments.  
Grade: D+

Pew Die Pie: I don't "get it"

Pew Die Pie
On YouTube, I keep getting suggestions to subscribe to his channel.  I guess it is because I have a lot of Let’s Play videos to watch and tons of VG music videos.  I laugh every time he gets suggested because I can’t stand him.  I find him very annoying and not funny. 
He’s just not my cup of tea.  I might be too old for his shit.  It’s like the brony thing; it’s not for me.  I love random strange humor, but his stuff doesn’t connect with me. 
I'm too old for this shit?  

Monday, March 30, 2015

Random Things

Random Things
~I am a bum with no job?: My uncle asked me the most strange question. He asked me how long I've worked at my current job. He asked me because his close friend Shannon was convinced that I didn't have a job and never really worked. Uh, I've worked at one company for 18+ years and worked at another place for five years. I've been working since I was legal age to work. My uncle told me she views men in a bad light and is convinced all men are bad or bums. I'm not angry, but amused that she thinks I don't work considering I generally hate every minute I'm at my job. Supposedly, she had some really bad times with grown men and view them all as being evil or lazy. Hey, I am lazy but I still have a job. 
 ~That Indiana anti-gay law: Man, this pisses me off to no end. This religious freedom law is a major setback to gay rights everywhere. I just find it disburbing that a bussiness can now turn away people based on if they're gay or not. I also am a little upset that there wasn't more outcry from people more worried about a cover on DC comics than a freaking state actually making a law against a section of people. Certain segments of twitter-verse needed to put more focus on this issue where is a basically a law that supports harassment and is very much like the Jim Crow laws. Let's stop with the hashtags against boobs and comic book covers and work against something really happening. It's only a matter of time before Kentucky passes something similar. This is a very bad law, folks. 
 ~Bill Cosby, it is time to take some time off: Stop touring. With nearly 40 women calling you out about rape and drugging, that's too many voices to discount. There is clearly a pattern here. And, it is a very bad pattern. Also, there is something really wrong about how his wife is a part of this story. Anyway, it is troubling that Cosby was a hero of mine growing up. Actually, most educated black people saw Cosby the person that promoted black people to bring themselves up and to get into college. Cosby was sort of that voice for us suburban blacks and called out the ratchet nature that has plagued our inter-city areas. Now, he's a really bad person. F' you, Bill.
~Speaking of bums, I was pulling into a Kroger store in the east end of Louisville. I saw no one in the parking lot. I gather a bunch of change I had in my car in order to get a drink. Right as I stepped out of the car, boom a homeless drunk came out of nowhere and started to bother me for money (dollars). I was shocked and upset, because you don't see too many homeless people in the east Louisville. I was also caught off guard because he came out of nowhere. It is like homeless people have some bum-magic that makes them invisible until they want you to see them. I've been caught off-guard so many times that I should be use to it. I wasn't going to give him my dollars, but I gave him the change I collected in my car that barely made up a dollar I'm sure.
Looking disappointed, he said, “God bless you.” He clasped the collection to his ashy hands.
I didn't say anything back because I wanted him away from me. I can't stand people getting close to me. And, homeless seem to really get in your face.
~BTW, when you type in "bum" into Google Images with the filters off, you get a lot of pictures of women's...butts (and guys butts and junk) instead of homeless people.  That might be a nice turn of events for you.  
My type of "bum"...

Sunday, March 29, 2015

MØ - Walk This Way

MØ - Walk This Way
At the gym I go to, they play this music video all the time. I started to listen to it and I started to dig the song. As I listened to it on spotify, I noted the musical references to pop songs from the 80s. While MØ says her influences are the 90s, I think most of her music sounds more 80s than 90s. Anyway, I like pipes on this Danish singer. She has some talent and the song is catchy. Check out the rest of her music on YouTube. 
  For me, I find her attractive. I know some don't, but I have a rather wide range of taste in women. 
  -Watch the red-headed girl on the left when they line up to dance. She really gets into the dance more so than any of the other girls. I always laugh at this. I am wondering if the director did this on purpose. Camera seems to focus on her at the end of the video.
-MO's hairstyle is very strange in certain shots. How did they do that?
-MO's goofy dance moves are kind of funny.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Trailer

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Trailer
I loved the last two movies in the series, partly because JJ was producing them. He's producing this one too. They felt like ensemble movies the way they should because it supposed to be a team of IMF people working together. 
 A secret organization infiltrates the US government that sounds real (cough cough Operation Snow White)
Anyway, the trailer looks impressive indeed. It seems IMF has been disbanded by the US government. And, the Rogue Nation are the main bad guys that are just like IMF.
-I love the remix of the Fugees song “Ready or Not”. It actually works for the MI concept.
-MI theme (New?): I am almost certain we are hearing the new version of the Mission Impossible theme. Joe Kraemer is writing the music and I am certain we're hearing his version of theme.
-Alec Baldwin a bad guy or just a confused guy that hated IMF? We'll see.
-Ving Rhames has been in every movie.


Friday, March 27, 2015

Memories of Green Cover

Memories of Green Cover
I came across this amazing piano cover of Chrono Trigger's Memories of Green. It is one of my favorite tracks from the game and this soft remake is very good and deserves more views.

Travel Through Time with Terry Gilliam (Guest Blogger)

Another guest blog with the subject matter of Terry Gilliam.Gilliam is one of those directors that has made some strange movies that I still remember fondly today. Time Bandits is one of those under the radar movies that still freaks me out today, especially that creepy ending. Gilliam is able to hand dark and comedic material within the same movie. He is certainly an unique voice. By the way, Gilliam was born in 1940. Wow. 
Anyway read below the guest blogger's post about Gilliam.
Travel Through Time with Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam is one of the few American directors who most completely deserves the title of "auteur." Ever since his early days as the sole colonial member of the legendary Monty Python troupe, Gilliam has brought his unique and uncompromising vision to the screen in a variety of ways.
Gilliam first came to international attention with his quirky cut-out animations for Monty Python. From there he directed his first film, the uproarious and imaginative short The Crimson Permanent Assurance. This seven-minute epic opened one of Monty Python's most popular revue films and introduced the world to his chaotic, sprawling visions. Most recently, the Syfy channel premiered a television adaptation of his film 12 Monkeys (you can find full episodes on the Syfy website and DTV).
Gilliam's first full-length feature film is not for all tastes. Jabberwocky is a Monty Python picture in all but name, and those who participated in the unruly production remember it with great fondness. However, it was his second film that found its target. Time Bandits became an international sensation, and it was instantly apparent that Gilliam was a force to be reckoned with. However, he was also beginning to forge a reputation for contentious relations with the studio that would follow him for his entire career.
Hits like Brazil, The Fisher King, and 12 Monkeys followed in quick order. Each film cemented Gilliam's ability to make uncompromising works of cinema outside Hollywood’s “system.” His movies have grown increasingly unconventional with the passage of time, with complex masterpieces like The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Tideland aiming too high for many audiences. However, his most recent film, The Zero Theorem, drew strong parallels to his earlier work and conjured images of an implicit “future gone wrong” trilogy. Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, and The Zero Theorem were all made at widely different times in cinematic history and feature different conceptions of the future. However, despite their obvious dissimilarities, these films create a coherent vision of a dystopian world to come. Gilliam refers to these movies as his "Orwellian triptych," and consciously included themes and motifs that bridge all three. Even though Brazil came out in 1985, 27 years before Zero Theorem, Gilliam's visual style was already fully realized at that time.
Twelve Monkeys, Gillam’s most commercially successful picture, was heavily influenced by the experimental French short La Jetée, which premiered in 1962. La Jetée was largely a stylistic exercise in sci-fi, but the story of doomed love that lies at its core became the emotional heart of Twelve Monkeys. Gilliam made his film into one of the most beautiful time travel pictures of all time, telling the tale of a lonely man who strikes out desperately from a dystopian future to save the woman that he loves. Although his underground world is only glimpsed tangentially, it serves as an entirely congruent bridge between the crushing Kafkaesque despair of Brazil and the delirious neon whirlwind of The Zero Theorem.
The major unspoken difference between the three movies arose from the real technological revolution that overtook the film industry. Computers were barely a curiosity when Brazil came out, and the information processing machines in the enormous dystopian bureaucracy were actually typewriters with magnifying lenses glued to them. The special effects were all done with models, miniatures and mirrors. Twelve Monkeys came along in 1996, when computers were making their first blinking incursions into our everyday lives. The massive balls of televisions and flashing screens of the future, bedizened with christmas lights and LEDs, would soon complete their transformation into the world-devouring computer simulations of Zero Theorem.
This continuous evolution of Gilliam's vision of the future has been tremendously influential to other people who wished to depict the world of tomorrow. Futuristic directors including Rian Johnson, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Luc Besson and David Fincher have all cited him as a primary source of ideas and inspiration. The world that Gilliam sees will hopefully never come to pass, but his compelling vision has undoubtedly enriched our imaginations.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

No Blacks in a Restaurant.

No Blacks in a Restaurant.
Fortune Cookie says, "Get out."
There was a Chinese restaurant that had a “No Blacks” policy...Kenya. Huh? Keep in mind that the entire country only has 1% non-African population. By restricting your customer base, you're really screwing up your business.
The only way “blacks” were allowed into the restaurant was to be accompanied by Chinese, European or Indian folks. You heard that right...in Kenya. The place was shutdown and the owner arrested.
From PRI.org, ((The paper quoted restaurant manager Esther Zhao, saying that the “no Africans” policy was based on security concerns. “We don’t admit Africans that we don’t know because you never know who is Al-Shabaab and who isn’t,” she said in reference to the militant group that’s been active in Kenya and neighboring Somalia. ))
Now, the Chinese owners are saying it is because of the extremists and they are not sure who is a member. I don't buy that.
While I don't agree that the own should have been arrested, but there should be laws in place for this sort of thing to NOT happen given the history of countries in Africa. From Metro.co, ((Officials have today charged co-owner Zhao Yang with not having a licence, which is widely seen as a way of punishing him for the no Africans rule. ))
How does something like this happen given it IS an African country?

BTW, they named the Chinese Restaurant simply Chinese Restaurant. That's remarkable.  

F' My Little Pony, these ponies are heroes.

F' My Little Pony, these ponies are heroes.
I would probably poop my pants if I saw a boar charging toward me. I really hate these things because they always seem angry/mean. Have you ever seen a happy boar? Anyway, I do believe the ponies did come to the rescue because horses/ponies are very close to humans/owners. They probably heard the woman's yelp and came over to chase the boar away.
I can just hear the ponies saying, “Get the f' out of here, pig.”

Side Note: I've been doing some research on boars. I've read you should keep your dogs away from them.
  

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

#ChangeTheCover: My thoughts


This controversy has rippled through comic book fans through the Internet. I personally don't think this is the Gamergate of comic books because it is just a variant cover. Let's get into it.
The reason why this cover is so important is because it calls back to an important story in the Batman history, The Killing Joke. In that twisted story, the Joker gets loose and shoots Barbra Gordon in the spine and kidnaps Commissioner Gordon. He tortures Gordon and Gordon can longer walk. People attack that story for attacking women, esp Barbra. However, the Barbra thing is a tool to show that Batman still won't kill the Joker even though he's gone too far.
Bad things should happen to our heroes/characters as long as it is appropriate for the context of the story and makes logical sense. Showing our heroes rise from their issues, such as Batgirl (in the original continuity) becoming a super hacker despite her disability made her an amazing character to look up to. She became Oracle, a hacker that helped out ALL of the DC heroes including Superman. She became a powerful character after her horrible ordeal.
When the DC universe rebooted, for a fourth time, she ended up becoming Batgirl again. However, everything that happened in the Killing Joke was still part of the New 52 (IE DC reboot) history. In this new universe, Barbra healed from her ordeal and was able to walk again. She went back to being Batgirl. (It gets a little messy with reboots and history and stuff.
While I like the old Barbra Gordon arc because it gave a good role model for people with disabilities, I can see why the new rebooted (sort of) Batgirl is a good role model for women and girls. But, we can't take away the fact that the Killing Joke did happen to this version of Barbra too. And, it shows that horrible things CAN happen to people and people can heal mentally and physically. (Note: She was still Oracle in the new universe too.)
She is a victim survivor that turns herself around and becomes a hero again. She is a strong female character because of what she's been through.
As the cover shows, she has to get over her fear of what the Joker did to her in the Killing Joke. If she defeats the Joker, it makes her a stronger character. This is where I have a problem with the SWJs getting all up in arms over the cover. There is history behind this cover and there is even more history behind the Joker just fucking with people.
Side Note: The Joker once poised Lois Lane and claimed the cure was in his blood. He told Superman he'd have to kill him to get the cure. Batman actually had to talk Superman down and let Lane die instead just so Superman wouldn't throw away his principles. Come to find out, the Joker was lying and the poison harmless disappeared from Lois' system. That's what the Joker does.
Since it is just a variant cover, it really doesn't matter. I'd be up in arms if DC had changed the storyline due to pressure. So, this is really just more or less hot air to me. I just believe every super hero man or woman needs a nemesis that is one of the worst of the worst. The Joker is that character. And, I just want the people that protested the variant cover to know there is a long history behind that cover.
Characters are supposed to rise and fall and then rise again despite their gender, race or religion. That's what makes them compelling.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Purge: Anarchy

The Purge: Anarchy
 Purge 2 is what passes for a profound-smart movie, but doesn't quite make it in that department. It doesn't even come close. When a movie tries so hard and messes up its own message, plot and concept, it just makes it worst. It does get points for digging deeper into the world of the first movie tried to creature. It works when it uses that concept. However, the movie completely loses interest in its own concept and switches gears at least three times to something completely different. So, there are two gaping problems in the movie that make the movie look amateurish.
The story comprises different groups left out during Purge night when everyone is allowed to cause acts of violence against anyone else. It's a green card for killing each year. All the “good guy” groups get together and fight through way through Purge night, or at least that what the original concept was before the movie changes its mind.
Let's talk about the good points...
First off, Frank Grillo is very good as the anti-hero/hero. I really liked his character. He's basically channeling Snake from the Escape from New York movie. He's prepared for battle during the Purge. He has the right weapons and equipment. And, his character works for that reason.
Second, the concept of the Purge, while extremely flawed, does work for the first act of the movie on a basic zombie level. You have a group of people trying to survive the night from mobs of killers just like a zombie movie or and an end of the world movie. It's too bad the writer/director loses interest in the fight or flight movie by the end of the second and beginning of third act.
Why not keep making the story from the first act?
While the notion or idea of the Purge is an interesting one, Star Trek did an episode with this concept back in the 60s, the manner the movie and the writer make people act out to be is completely wrong. People seem to turn into blood thirsty murders once the Purge clocks in. It seems ALL rich people are instantly killers once the Purge starts and some of your fellow co-workers are creepy assholes that want to do horrible things to you. Would a lot of people partake in the Purge like this movie tries
This is a huge problem with the movie. Every “bad” character loves the Purge and feels like it cleanses them in almost a religious fashion. They come across as cartoon characters. And, it sort of cheapens the overall concept of this violent movie.
Generally, people are good until they need something or their life is on the line. People aren't going to start killing and hunting down people to fulfill their blood lust, not in a massive manner like the world of the Purge tries to convey. It is a little bit too far for me to deal with. And, it gets more silly when the rich people start to get involved.
Heck, I get upset when I have to honk at someone.
It is at this point the movie takes a left turn and shifts to a different movie. The zombie like movie turns into a darn first person shooter. The rich people gather up people from the Purge and hunt them down. This is a different movie entirely and it doesn't mesh with the rest of the movie. It felt like the writer/director wanted to shoehorn a message into the movie involving these rich people hunting down normal people. However, why abandon your other concept/message involving the government hunting down people and using the Purge as a cleaning tool?
Then, it gets even sillier when one character changes on a dime and wants to “purge”. Despite all the problems this character has, I can't see her change into a purge-person. It almost made me want to turn off the movie.
Then, the movie changes again into a moral story about revenge, which seemed to be part of the first act's storyline. Why introduce the rich people story then?
The Purge 2 has a few things going for it, like showing us what happens outside, but it loses interest in its own concept in order to shoehorn in another message/story that should have waited for sequel instead. The Purge movies want to be profound, but they feel like someone trying too hard to be profound. This is is frustrating with it shifts in storyline. Stick with your interesting concept. The way people behave in the movie isn't believable even in the world of the movie.
Grade: C-

Monday, March 23, 2015

Monica Lewinsky TED Talk

Monica Lewinsky TED Talk
She comes across rather smart and charming. I was never a huge fan of her because she represented the problem of taking focus away from other news stories. I hated that the far right used her as a political tool and she sort of kept quiet. I can only imagine my full name becoming a verb.
Monica starts to break down halfway through the speech. And, you can tell its real. She actually believes in what she is saying. I can see her point, but she seems to take a turn too much to cyborg-bullying. She sort of went into hiding in England if I remember correctly.
I really don't have a problem with her now. But, you can't mix slut-shaming with a guy that was secretly recorded having without his permission. One is a woman taking a nude selfie or web video for public consumption and the is a being embarrassed beyond comprehension.
Can you really stop this type of click-baiting given how powerful sites like Gawker Media is now and others like Fox News? Nope, probably not.

Anyway, she looks good.  

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Brain Tyler's Iron Man 3 theme

Brain Tyler's Iron Man 3 theme
One of the weaker aspects of the Marvel movies are that theit hero themes aren't as strong as the DC movies themes. That's always been a problem for these movies. It seems odd because there are some good composers in that stable of movies. However, Brian Tyler has a very strong theme for Iron Man 3. It uses metal clanking on metal to give it that industrial sound and the theme is very powerful.
I also like the end titles version of the theme (Can You Dig It)
It is clearly in the same style as the 60s themes. And, I love how its edited with the 80's style end titles in the movie. Very cool.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Skate Man/Jim Sterling Saga: It keeps getting better and better...

Skate Man/Jim Sterling Saga: It keeps getting better and better...
At this point, I am sure this IS the Tommy Wiseau of gaming. Jim's fans uncovered the wonderful website from Digpex Games. I couldn't find anything on it. But like a bad case of warts, the site turned up and it is...retro(?). The games look like pre-PS1 3D games. I would post some pictures, but I don't want Digpex to come after me claiming I am a bully. 
Make sure and go there and marvel at the games coming up. 
From Kotaku via the dev's reply, (("I know he got the law on his side and little followers," said the developer. "some of the greenlight developers too have contact me that saying that does how he do use the law and He will get the the video back running. but that does not mean He will continue to enjoy the HARD WORK of the Indie Game Developers videos forever. " ))
Yeah, he knows that he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Since it was a “trailer/demo” it falls under promotional material. My problem is why isn't there a penalty against people who do false copyright claims? YouTube really needs to clean this portion up. And, shouldn't YT also reinstate the video now that the dev has come clean about the false strike?
YT really needs to revamp this, because it is getting out of hand.

Man, I needed a good laugh and this story keeps getting better and better.  

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Update on that Sterling thing...saw the video.

Update on that Sterling thing...saw the video.
Well, I just witnessed Stake Man Intense Rescue, the one that Jim Sterling got a copyright strike for.
You can check out the video mirror here. It might be one of the funnest thing I've seen in a long time. This game might very well be VG version of The Room.
Shirtless guys with wings.
Dogs on skateboards
All of the voice acting is done through a computer voice speech.
5-10 frames per second....
WTF? I needed a good laugh and this video did it.

Jim Sterling receives a false DMCA (Skate Man)

Jim Sterling receives a false DMCA (Skate Man)
Yeah, this is total bullshit. This pisses me off when a copyright holder decides they don't like what you have to say. Sterling is a reviewer so he has every right to rant or rave about any product that gets put out there for public consumption. If a VG review site wrote a re review for a game, the dev/publisher doesn't have a right take down that review. Yet, we keep hearing about VG devs hand out copyright strikes to people that rag on their games.
If you want to really piss off most gamers, this is the way to do. Digpex Games, you are in a world of shit. And, I hope no one buys your game Skate Man.
I might not agree with everything that Sterling has to say, but this is completely wrong and an abuse of copyright claims. They're shielding criticism under the guise of copyright. The fact the dev is threatening him with court appearances I want to see this company fail completely now.
Now, I want to see his video on the game.

Bad Words

Bad Words
Okay, I like being rude and stand off-ish, and this movie's main “hero” is that kind of person. Jason Bateman that hero for me. Yes, his character is doing what he doing for personal reasons and ruining it for other kids, but I like that about his character. Bad Words isn't the best (bad person) comedy in this “bad” genre. It isn't a bad movie either. It gets a little lost in the third act as it starts to lose focus a bit. However, I love that we have a movie based on an anti-hero.
Guy Trilby (Bateman) is a slacker that decides to go across the US and enter into children spelling bees and win the prizes. He has a real reason for doing this, but it isn't revealed in the first act. It is only hinted at throughout the first two acts.
While the voice-over is a little cliched, it does have a meaning in the third act. It has a funny moment at the end. I feel these independent films rely on VO narration a bit too much, but it actually has a meaning here. I do like that Bateman's character doesn't tell us or the people around him why he's doing what he's doing.
I can actually understand why the parents are pissed off this grown adult is in a children spelling bee. That's part of the fun of the movie.
Guy does some horrible things to cheat his way to the top, usually involving manipulation of the kids beside him. One scene involves Guy using ketchup on a girl, that's all I am going to say. While these scenes are very mean, it shows that the character isn't a hero and he's entered the spelling bee for personal reasons.
He's a nerd version of a bully and I love his character for it. However, he is an intelligent guy and he does know his stuff.
He also has a rather funny relationship with a female Internet journalist. Kathryn Hahn is great in that stuffy nerdy hipster way. I laughed every time they interacted, and I love a certain thing they do together.
The biggest relationship that comprises most of the movie is this little kid played by Rohan Chand. Chand's character is also in the spelling bee too. He's cute and native and we're supposed to feel that way too. Guy starts to fall for him too and they begin a friendship.
Somewhere in the third act, I think they ditch this relationship and the movie does seem to lose focus. I can't put my finger on it. It gets kind of silly.
Bateman has directed TV shows before, but this is his first feature movie. He does a workman's job, but nothing stands out, which is probably his roots in TV directing. The story works up until the third act and loses steam.
Bad Words didn't make enough money to break even. Overall, the movie is pretty funny despite some messy third act hijinks. It is still funny for a smaller movie. And, it is refreshing to see an anti-hero as the main lead and Bateman fits that bill.
Grade: C+

 
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