Chaos as Civility

I wonder when the government will phase out money and switch completely to a credit and debit system? What’s forcing them to continue printing it? Our ignorance, most likely; they’re deviance, again, most likely.


I’m utterly anxious for the next stage. I survived pre-internet, I’ll survive the apocalypse.

How much further will technology go? How much more aggravating will our generations be? The Generation-WiFi is quite irritable and could use a little herd-thinning.

Smart phones, smart televisions; imbecilic owners. Machines are doing all the work these days; we don’t need so many people, particularly the intellectually stunted younger generations, on the planet. That’s a hell of a lot of people. Maybe the next global medical epidemic, the one that leaves Aids in the dust storm, is a message and a not a crisis.

Humans are the only, or at least a rarity of species that save the weak. Other species abandon them, ostracize them, or flat out kill them. Animals are awesome.

Alas, there are rules to follow; careers to exploit. Part of being civil - know when civility has run its course and a new plan is in order. What type of option is chaos? Depends on momentary conditions, one could think. That’s why I’ve kept my mouth shut about Trayvon in Florida. We haven’t heard everything. Every mother’s child is a saint when they’re dead, doesn’t mean he wasn’t a stick-shitter when he was alive. And stereotyping would be rude if it didn’t work the times that it did, and you know it does.

Nothing unites people like a good tragedy, not even swingers’ parties.

Mirageman - Movie Review

In 2007, when superhero movies were becoming the endless treasure trove that all of us geeks knew they could be, there was an independent flick from Chile making the rounds and I happened to catch the trailer for it – Mirageman.


Marco Gutierrez is a humble, private man whose only life companion is his tormented teenage brother Tito who has been in a mental hospital for ever since the their parents were murdered by men who savagely beat Marco and heinously raped Tito. Now, all Marco does is train in martial arts in his sub-complex apartment and work as a bouncer at a night club. His closest associates take advantage of him because he never stands up for himself, but his life changes when he saves the life of local celebrity news reporter Carol Valdivieso. She tells her story and Tito soon springs to a new life, inspiring Marco to use his fighting skills to become a full fledged crime fighter, even setting up an e-mail address for people to contact Mirageman.

Mirageman is one of the better superhero films I have seen in a long time. The film style is almost a documentary, even the costume looks homemade. Marko Zaror does an excellent job of doing much with little while playing Marco. He hardly speaks but his face tells it all and he is an outstanding martial artist. The laughs arrive when we see the difficulties of being a superhero – changing in public, losing your clothes, and Ivan Jara fits the comic bill well as his meek sidekick Pseudo-Robin. The drama builds when Marco receives a mauling at the hands of a gang that his guarding a rampaging child molester known as Red Pedofilia, and he yearns to grow closer to Carol but he doesn’t trust her to keep his secret since she is a cut throat reporter who wants ratings.

The fight scenes are paced nicely and shot cleanly. Thankfully director/writer Ernesto Diaz Espinoza doesn’t buy into the shaky cam routine which has ruined a plethora of potentially epic fight scenes in several movies like Christopher Nolan’s Batman series and the Jason Bourne series. The whole movie reminds of the late 1970’s live-action Spiderman series starring Nicholas Hammond has Spiderman/Peter Parker as Chile seems to have a natural 70’s vibe.

Mirageman is a good martial arts movie dressed up as a superhero flick. It is a well told tale and a well filmed independent movie; definitely worth viewing.

Who Saw Her Die? - Movie Review

A serial killer has emerged in France, murdering young children. Popular sculptor Franco Serpieri’s own daughter becomes a victim. He and his wife do their own investigating, digging themselves deeper into a chaotic dilemma that gets only more complex and more violent the deeper they pursue their grieving curiosity.


I’m not sure if I’ve been craving giallo or good giallo. Either way, Who Saw Her Die? nailed it for me. It had everything expected out of a giallo – colorful, animal references, face-cloaked killers; some bowchickabowwow….yeahyuh.

Oh yeah, kills too, but surprisingly none too explicit but filmed nicely.

This was one of a handful of Aldo Lado’s contributions to the grim genre which he executes formulaically, but I needed a fix, it worked for me. He incorporates the compact structure of the bayside city and its bleak scenery well into the story making for some intriguing imagery. There’s actually some higher quality acting as well, I mean, for an English-dubbed version; but their expression told the story, they sold it. There’s also a character that undoubtedly looks like Flounder from Animal House (Stephen Furst).

The soundtrack by Enrico Morricone is deliciously bizarre using off-tempo rhythms, with the killer’s theme being one that will stalk your mind for days on end.


I needed a giallo fix, Who Saw Her Die fixed me and left me craving more.

Happy Accidents - Movie Review

Ruby Weaver prefers boyfriends she can fix. Naturally, she foolishly gets repeatedly involved with the greatest losers. Her latest loser, Sam Deed, however, believes they are destined to be together because he is an illegal time traveler from the year 2470 and he saw her face in a picture. The more Sam reveals about himself the more his story develops holes and his quirky act may be more symptomatic or plain lies than sweetly innocent.


Marisa Tomei won me over again. She does that, but she’s not for everyone. Although, it is sonic porn to my ears when she yells, “motherfucker.” The schizo-specialist and all around excellent actor Vincent D’Onofrio taking a romantic turn yet again frolicking in the role of the mentally unbalanced. He’s a squeaky teddy bear in this one.

All of that comes from the mind and effort of Brad Anderson, the same one responsible for sweet ditties, like Session 9, The Machinist, and the shwiggity shweet Transsiberian. Much like those movies had flaws, so does Happy Accidents – mostly pacing, some hokey dialogue, but also like those others the flaws didn’t hurt the movie enough to make me walk away completely. Happy Accidents is a neat, geeky chick flick with intriguing, relatable characters.

Demons of the Mind - Movie Review

Try and keep up.


Afraid that his demented wife passed along a congenital disease before her suicide, a mad Baron Zorn keeps his incestuous son Emil and daughter Elizabeth drugged and imprisoned in their home. A brief escape leads Elizabeth to a village where local women are being murdered by what the paranoid villagers believe to be demons. A wandering religious zealot vows to rid the village of them while a scientist swears that his newest invention can cure the children of their sickness.

Yup.

There is quite the madness in Demons of the Mind. I really liked it; however, it let the madness smother the experience when it already had the right amount, but Robert Hardy is on full intensity as Baron Zorn and that, let me tell you, is entertaining. Gillian Hills is so wonderful to look at. A filling portion of violence and above average cinematography also helped make Demons of the Mind time adequately spent.

Crawlspace (1986) - Movie Review

A former Nazi surgeon obsessed with his control over life and death has turned his surgical skills into elaborate death traps for the women occupying his boarding house whom he spies on through the ventilation ducts.

Veteran character actor Klaus Kinski plays Dr. Karl Gunther, a power mad surgeon with a lust for killing. As usual Kinski outshines most of the cast. He has the visual appeal of a homicidal ice cream man with the attitude of a Howitzer cannon. The victims in Crawlspace are an upgrade from the typical teenage dingbats. These victims are adult, goal oriented women with a few of them trying to molt the dingbat image.

Crawlspace was a wonderful surprise from director/writer David Scmoeller who brought us other horror thrillers such as Netherworld and Tourist Trap. It is filled with grizzly shocks and adequate kills. The more you learn about Dr. Gunther the more you either hope the worst or damn if the demented elf doesn’t start growing on you.

Manning in Denver: As Rocky as a Rocky Mountaing Road Gets

It’s a good fit but there aren’t reasons to celebrate in Denver just yet. Manning can throw pads on and throw for as many YouTube hits and ESPN clips as he can but until he takes a manhood raping NFL quality hit will only the first of the many tarrying questions: How durable is the neck? How long until the rust shakes off completely?


A possible key factor in all of this is that quaint similarity between towns like Denver and Indianapolis. They’re family friendly with an extensive sports history, particularly football history. Manning eclipsed Johnny Unitas’s legacy; now, he’s walking into a similar scenario in Denver except the legend he’s replacing is going to be guiding him through the entire process.

Peyton Manning worships football. He still carries an unquenchable will to play. Maybe he feels like he’s being tested once again, but I don’t think anyone worth credible human DNA would have faulted him for retiring. Instead, he is walking into a quarterback-loving town to share a monumental experience with one of the best of the best.

There is a squadron of wide receivers that are chiefly ecstatic for several quarterback-styled reasons.

John Elway is a showman. He exceeded on a football field in the days when quarterbacks were fair game against and alongside some of the greatest players of all time. He’s someone Peyton surely idolized in his earlier years and bought whatever Elway was selling because of their united, almost vindictive desire to win games and championships.

The Tebow situation will handle itself. I truly believe it will be the best thing to happen for him and the team he goes to.

*cough* Miami *cough*

It looks like both sides are approaching contractual points wisely because this whole experiment could crumble with a single flail. No one is cheering easy victories just yet and they won’t be; maybe at first, maybe all season, but Denver keeps on giving people a reason to cheer.