Mynx

Went to see Die Hard 4.0 this weekend and I have to say I am very impressed. I enjoyed all of the previous Die Hard films but - as with any sequel these days - was more than a little worried about this one. I'm happy to say my fears were never realised as I had a freakin' blast. Bruce Willis still rocks it as John McClane all these years down the track, and his supporting cast were generally pretty damn good, with my favorites being Mac Guy (I'm never going to learn his name) as teh hacker sidekick, Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock, if you're a Deadwood fan) as the bad guy, and an entertaining cameo from Kevin Smith. As always with any action flick, you have to suspend your disbelief to truly enjoy the film, but there were also some nice touches of realism to the situation that I appreciated (like, for example, why one person hostage situations rarely work). If you're a fan of the franchise, I probably don't need to tell you to go see it in theatres, but if you're on the fence, I highly advise it. The explosions look so much cooler on a big screen. Going out a little bit on a limb here, but with the exception of maybe the Transformers, I'm going to dub this one the best action flick of 2007. Yippy Ki Aye, M***** F*****

Ok well I'd like to set up a signup now, but since I'll probably have to give it a couple of weeks to get enough people to join, and the week after *that* I'm going away... Everyone happy to wait about a month? Or does someone else want to step in first?

The Saw trilogy is based around a character by the name of Jigsaw. He's not a serial killer, because he has never murdered his victims. No, instead he takes them and places them in situations where only their inactivity will lead to their death. He takes those who don't appreciate life and tests how much they really want to live. I want to use the theme of the second movie. A group of strangers wake up trapped in a house full of traps. They've been poisoned, and in order to get the antidote they need to solve the traps. The wolf would be an agent of Jigsaw's, coaxing victims into the right rooms and ensuring they don't survive the test. It will be violent, and gorey, but I can restrict myself to not be any worse than Vannacutt Point or Skielah...

I *think* things have calmed down enough that I could probably run a game in the near future... But I still want to do my Saw theme and I know a lot of you aren't enthused about such a...psychotic plot... So...would anyone actually be willing to play?

I've seen the Simpsons, Wyv. It's pretty good. Not outstanding, but...look at it like looking at a new season. Some parts/episodes might not be as good as others, but you'll still watch and get reasonable enjoyment out of it. So I'd say see it - but if you wait for the DVD rather than pay for theatres, it's no great loss.

A beautiful and emotive piece, Peredhil Thank you for sharing *hugs*

William held his mother close as she wept against him, struggling against his own tears that blurred his vision. He'd warned Olayna about going out at night, about going out alone. She never listened to him, but now William felt the knot of guilt in his stomach. He should have tried harder to protect her! He should have been able to do...something? He didn't know. The grief was destroying his concentration. Glancing up at the crowd, William frowned slightly as he recognised the baker, Friederich. Hadn't he been spouting rumours that Olayna was the wolf? And now she was dead. William's insides went cold as he wondered if there was more to the situation than mere coincidence... OOC: Accusing Friederich/Mithrandin

William stifled a yelp and only just managed to avoid Mario as he careened down the street with his sword in hand, yelling something about finding and catching the wolf. Lunatic, William thought as he shook his head and continued home in the darkness, heart still pounding from the fright. Who was that old pirate accusing? Giles? It didn't seem likely...but before he knew it the thought had been installed in William's mind, and he began to wonder at the possibility of such an accusation ringing true... OOC: Vote for Giles Jordan

Congatulations!

William sighed heavily as he packed up his tools for the day. Business was picking up as everyone wanted more tools and weapons for their own protection, but it was hardly something to be glad about. Especially as it means I'm finishing after dark these days, William thought heavily. Even without his own unease at having to walk home in the dark with that beast around, his mother fretted constantly. And then there was his damned sister to look out for, who would stay out as late as she was brave enough to manage for (Willian suspected) the sole purpose of worrying him and making his mother panic. Damn it, Father! William gritted his teeth as he felt a sting of threatening tears. I'm too damned young for this! After a moment of struggling with his anger, William succeeded in swallowing it for now. Taking a lamp and a heavy hammer, he left his shop for the night and began to make his lonely way home, mind wandering over who could possibly be this cursed beast. OOC: no vote just yet

William Nolan, male, 15. Blacksmith. Became the man of the house a year ago when father was gored by a boar during a hunting trip. Takes the responsiblity of having to look after his mother and two younger sisters seriously, partly in an attempt to 'make up' for the anger he feels at his father for leaving him in such a position. Average height, but strong from smithing work. (if anyone wants to play one of his sisters, feel free)

I'm in but need to think of a character Will update this tomorrow

Transformers Having grown up on the original cartoon (and wept bitterly as it was horribly remade for the Jap-Anime generation), I have to admit I approached this film with some level of fear. Was it unjustified? I'm not sure... I'm not weeping for my childhood, that's for sure. The CGI was amazing, and all of the transformers were fantastic in their design and execution (it was so freakin awesome to hear the original voice actor for Prime return for the film), and in general the film was enjoyable. But Michael Bay cannot direct a humans only scene to save his life. Once the transformers were in the picture, this wasn't a problem, but there were some bits at the beginning that were rather hard to sit through. ("Sit in my lap there's only one seatbelt"?!) Most of the acting was pretty good. There were some characters I disliked but I'm blaming the script and not their acting skills. All in all, this movie is all about the explosions, the effects, and the transformers themselves. Humans aside, I had a good time. Considering this movie has been overshadowed by skepticism since its conception, I'd have to say it was a pretty damn good execution.

If you like Shaun of the Dead, track down the DVDs of the British tv series Spaced, and the film Hot Fuzz - made and starring the same crowd. Made. Of. Win.

Taken a Bengal tiger for a walk? Listened to it talk? Held a white lion cub in your lap while his brother played around your ankles?

Speaking on behalf of Ayshela - RL emergencies have dragged her away from the Pen... *bows head*Congrats, Tanny

Kittens Guns or Swords?

Heh - the birthday itself was devoid of finals...the days after not so much Ah well One down, two to go... Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes both here and elsewhere it was a lovely thing to read before my Accounting final And Patrick - I still have a ton of cupcakes if you want to fly here and get them

Happy belated birthday Patrick! *smiles tiredly and hugs*

28 Weeks Later Considering this is an American sequel to a British original, I'm very impressed. Hell, the movie creeped me out, and that's not an easy thing for movies to do to me. Self explanatory title - 28 weeks after the Rage virus was released, quarantine has deemed it safe to start filtering people back into the UK. All is going fine until the virus is accidentally released again and all hell breaks loose. There are plenty of moments where you can hold a heated debate with someone over 'what you would have done' in the same situation. I even heard that one of the actor's wives was not impressed with his character's decisions. And I think what creeped me out the most is the fact that, on the one hand I was disturbed by the decisions being made, but on the other I would have done the exact same thing in that situation. It's kind of worrying to see people the movie makes you bond with suffering for a decision that you can justify. Really good film though. There were moments of annoyance at stupid people doing stupid things, but not many, and the rest of the film negated the small annoyances. Utter lack of steady-cam, like the original, and the new director captured the same mood of the original film but took it in a fresh direction. I'm expecting 28 Months Later now...

Rargh Not as happy with the new installment as I'd like to be, but I had to get it posted for my mental sake before my paranoia made me delete it *shrugs* Enjoy

Wow I like this, Nyyark It's wistful and sad and fits the way I feel when Meloncholy returns Really nice Thank you for sharing *hugs* Good to see you writing here again

Watched a man put pieces of onion in his eyes in a desperate attempt to cry? Slipped in fake vomit? Watched a man nearly get knocked out by an 18 month old kid? Tried to follow a strict list of directions to get home, and only succeeded when you threw out the list? Had your actions narrated by a director trying to illustrate the method of scriptwriting to someone? Watched a man eat the same breakfast more than twenty times in a day?

What I've heard in regards to further sequels is that there will almost definitely be more PotC movies, but it is unlikely that they will continue to focus around our trio of Sparrow, Turner and Swan. So maybe we'll get a little more insight into Barbossa, or Mr Gibbs (though I can't see them making an entire movie about him), or one of the other Pirate Lords. For what it's worth, At World's End was satisfying for me. I loved the first and was slightly frustrated by the second, what with the now common trilogy method of one stand alone film to test the economic waters and two and three linking together like a two part show. This third tied up the trilogy nicely for me and didn't leave any angst behind. I still think they should have left it at one, but I'm pleased with how the trilogy turned out, as I'd had doubts going into the theatre. Plus, you get to meet Jack's dad! Highly entertaining

It is also the Glorious 25th of May, a date Pratchett fans will recognise from one of the Sam Vimes books... *cuddles a lavender coloured towel*