Posts by Craig Ranapia
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Pity about Marlene exploding - she was about the only interesting character.
Yup - and that was the point when my willing suspension of disbelief faltered. The only reason I can see why she was hustled behind the screen was to avoid the film getting slapped with an R or (even worse) NC-17.
I've got my bones to pick with New Zealand's censorship framework, but the MPAA's Classification and Rating Administration is hardly a great argument for industry self-regulation. The process is secretive, and I've got to wonder what objective criteria ends up with __A Dirty Shame__ being rated NC-17 (not exactly in the best of taste - but what the heck do you expect from John Waters?), while Mel Gibson's horrendous piece of Jesus snuff gets an R? Don't know about you, but anyone who'd take their children to see The Passion of the Christ makes me nervous.
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Sort of ambivalent about Cloverfield - it's a bit too generic 'monster-attacks-people-flee' and the monster was just a boring monster.
Yup, seeing it in daylight at the end was a bad, bad move. 'Gollum with 'roid rage' went through my mind, which I hope wasn't the intended effect. And the second time around, being the thorough buzz-kill that I am, I couldn't help but wonder if Rob's personal development really justified a body count.
Guess it doesn't help to overthink things: Enormous numbers of people got slaughtered in inventively ghastly ways. (Though nothing gross enough to draw an R or NC-17 from the MPAA, which would have put quite a dent in that US$40+ million opening weekend.)
At less than 80 minutes it (just) avoided outstaying its welcome. Really, another couple of minutes of grainy seizure-cam and I'd have started bleeding from the eyes too.
Anyways, re Trek. Urban as Bones - and Pegg as Scotty - how's that for stunt casting?
Pegg I wouldn't call stunt casting, but he's definitely one out of left-field that makes more sense as time goes by. (He wasn't half bad in MI3, and Hot Fuzz rocked. He's got a range beyond the amiable doofus he does so well.) Urban... meh. Not a bad actor, but I'm not seeing it yet. Still, will be nice to see our Karl in a film where impeccably Aryan cheekbones aren't a reliable indicator of character.
I should just be emerging from my 5-disc Blade Runner-induced state of nerdvana.
I bow before the geek-master general. The rather nice (and indecently cheap) two disc edition of the Final Cut is all I really need. (But isn't it spooky to see Joanna Cassidy has barely changed over twenty five years. Spooky.)
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Try having a fiery, but literal-minded, AS teenager, who has perfected the vowel-less "fuck"
Must try that sometime... I used to be quite fond of the 'obscenity-saver', which Terry Teachout explains much better than I could:
Kingsley Amis introduced the concept of the "obscenity-saver" in his extremely funny novel Girl, 20. Obscenity-savers (which also have a more pungent title that I can’t print here) are cant phrases you find so irritating that it’s almost as satisfying to snarl them out loud as it is to actually talk dirty. Some of the obscenity-savers used by Sir Roy Vandervane in Girl, 20 include "school of thought," "Christian gentleman" and "sporting spirit." So perhaps I’ll try throwing around an obscenity-saver or two the next time I get in a mood to emulate Mr. TMFTML. Oh…stream of consciousness! Tonal nostalgia!! DIFFERENTLY ABLED!!!
It works rather well, untill you're snarling 'carbon neutral! national identity! Kiwi icon!' and realise the better half is in the bathroom counting your pills.
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Speaking as a regular OIA user, IMHO it is hyperbole.
Well, Idiot/Savant, I'm glad you've had a good experience and to be fair, most government departments and local bodies keep their noses fairly clean. I said "I don't think its hyperbole" because I've talked to far too many people over the years who have a less rosy tale to tell - and they're not folks who are prone to hysterics and/or National Party researchers on fishing expeditions either.
Call me a crank if you must, but I'd just like the public service to be just that -- and observe a pretty basic (if not flawless, but that's a whole other can of worms) mechanism for public scrutiny and accountability. Even by those pesky opposition parties I'll be danging to heck if the election result is to my liking. :)
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They maintained that Brits were very polite - I assured them that that politeness simply meant they didn't like you very much. Stiff upper lip = fuck off out of my face type of thing.
I have a firned who works in Japan, and he said after a while it's was interesting to pick up on the subtleties of Japanese social codes and business etiquette and see just how much disdain you can show for someone without quite crossing the line into outright discourtesy. It's fascinating to hear about, but must be hell to live in.
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Fran Lebowitz
What is she doing nowadays - Lebowitz seems to have turned into a more sociable Salinger, which is a shame. How can you not adore someone who once wrote an essay titled 'When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes... Shut Them', containing this observation:
I understand, of course,, that many people find smoking objectionable. I would, I assure you, be the very last to criticize the annoyed. I myself find many -- even most -- things objectionable. Being offended is the natural consequence of leaving one's home. I do not like aftershave lotion, adults who roller-skate, children who speak French or anyone who is unduly tan. I do not, however, go around enacting legislation and putting up signs. In private I avoid such people; in public, they have the run of the place. I stay at home as much as possible, and so should they. When it is necessary, however, to go out of the house, they must be prepared, as am I, to deal with the unpleasant personal habits of others. That is what public means. If you can't stand the heat, get back in the kitchen.
Which is true (or should be) as far as it goes. A counter is that there are numerous 'unpleasant personal habits' most of us at least try to restrain in the public sphere. I can't get excited about people who wander around their own homes naked -- especially on a crapulously muggy day like this -- but it would be nice if they at least put their underwear on if we're going to be sharing a bench on the bus.
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Meh. I'm not big on being offended by profanity. Either they're not trying to be offensive, and don't deserve it, or they ARE trying to be offensive, and shouldn't get the satisfaction.
Indeed - and you may have noticed I'm not exactly shy when it comes to the use of the vernacular. But if I'm going to be offensive, I prefer to be a little more focused about it. The likes of Brian Tamiki and those Family First numptys deserve to be offended at every opportunity, but why do it by mincing down the street in a 'Jesus is a C**t' t-shit? The overwhelming majority of people I pass in the street everyday have done precisely nothing to me or mine -- and walking down Queen Street is not quite the same thing as a comment on a blog or an episode of South Park, or a stack of copies of 'The God Delusion' in Borders.
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the extreme politicisation of the process, which sees the majority of OIA requests made by Opposition MPs and their staff, to be presented in a hostile and selective fashion (Labour did the same thing in Opposition).
I keep hearing that argument, and have a tiny grain of sympathy for it. But in my view, if Ministers of the Crown don't like the operation of the OIA then they should propose amendments, put them on the Order Paper and make their case through the usual legislative process. The bill either passes or fails. It seems to work reasonably well with every other piece of legislation on the books.
Until that happens, its really not that complicated. The civil service has a basic obligation to fully comply with the OIA as it stands - and ensure that sufficient staff and resources are allocated to do so.
I can't find the clause in the OIA or LGOIMA that makes actual or potential political inconvenience and embarrassment grounds to decline a request.
Nor do I see a discretion allowing anyone to decide that only the right kind of person who will use information in an 'appropriate' manner should have access to public information. Perhaps us peasants can be trusted to assess the credibility of media outlets and politicians of all stripes for ourselves?
I guess the line between soliciting information to be "presented in a hostile and selective fashion" and holding the government of the day to "proper scrutiny and accountability" runs through the middle of the debating chamber.
Its not as if Ministers don't have considerable resources and staff to get their counter-spin out there. Somehow, I doubt Kathryn Street is going to be spending much time this year in her office surfing Trade Me and tweaking her Bebo profile. :)
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There is a very cute little clip somewhere on youtube of a guy at last year's BDO, turning his tshirt right way out. He'd worn it inside out so as not to offend anybody on the way in. It said 'how about a nice hot cup of shut the fuck up'.
Heh... words to live by. :) Last night at the movie, I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt that said 'My anger management course is really f***ing me off' (asterisks in original) which was sorta funny in a cringe-inducing way, if that makes any sense at all.
And if you're really a sucker for punishment, as a good market liberal, there's a company called Foul Mouth Shirts that deserves a prize for truth in advertising, if nothing else. I considered posting a link, but even Russell has limits. Google it yourself, and be warned the site is definitely not NSFW and even made me blush. Really makes my 'Dykes for Bush '04' tee look like church-wear.
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I guess I’m the only one who would find a tee shirt with Old C**t on the front and Old Coot on the back fun.
Probably not, but I'd leave it at home come the next PA System barbie. I can't imagine bing given a F2F ticking off by Deborah, Emma, Robin, Jackie, Fiona and Tze Ming would end anywhere except behind the couch, curled up in the fetal position and twitching. :)
And I'm quite a fan of clothes covered in 'Japlish' -- though they tend to be more surreal than unintentionally kinky. And before anyone pings me for being ever-so-slightly condescending and racist, I'll admit I won't be visiting Japan until my language skills are rudimentary rather than non-existent.
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