Category Archives: General

Mostly pop culture rants. Usually without reason or spell chekin.

What’s In The Suitcase? Day Four

Dead Robot January 4, 2010 General

Other than white, I think this is my only T-shirt without any writing on it. I realize that sometimes people need a break from “the noise”. I do like the retro complimentary collar ‘n cuffs.

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What’s In The Suitcase – Day Three

Dead Robot January 3, 2010 General

I think it’s important when you travel, to let people know where you’re from. Being Canadian a few years back meant that you were either smiled at, as if you were the “slow cousin” at a holiday dinner, or you were given a big hug of “Thank God You’re Not American”-ness. Seeing how our ever sensitive Prime Minister cocked up the whole Geneva/Global Warming seminar thingy, I’m not too sure how Canadians are perceived these days. Probably somewhere on the same level as Bolivians and New Zealanders. Anywhoo… SharkBoy got me this shirt since all the Official CANADA Winter Olympics tees are unavailable. I like this one better, purely because it’s felt and it’s 10000% different from the rest.
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Until next time, Travellers!

What’s In The Suitcase – Day Two

Dead Robot January 2, 2010 General

What do I christen this trip with? Don’t get me wrong, I got some fantastic clothes from SharkBoy this holiday, but I have to be selfish here and say the best t-shirt I got was from… me!

I know. I’m a pig.

Over on Red Bubble, superiorgraphix (re)imagines logos from popular Sci Fi movies and TV shows and lovingly places them on t-shirts for you. I couldn’t pass up the chance to be one of the doomed crew of the ship Nostromo

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‘Til next time, travellers!

What’s In The Suitcase? Day One

Dead Robot January 1, 2010 General

We’re 43 days away from our trip to the US/Caribbean and with all the hoopla going on with what you can and cannot bring with you, either on board or in your luggage, I’m going to save some inspector a lot of time by documenting everything I am putting in my luggage. One day/one shirt/one short at a time. Sit back and pack with me! Remember to click to embiggen!

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You have to start with a good case. By the looks of this one, you’d say I’ve had it years and years. Actually it’s only been on three major trips. The brunt of all those scrapes you see is from my first trip with it – damaged greatly by some overzealous handler inbetween Florida and Ontario. Imagine my dismay when it rolled down the ramp at Miami Airport after it’s inaugural flight, all bunged up and such – words from all of our Moms echoing in my head: “We can never have nice things!!” Now, I relate each scrape as a travel battle scar. Much like the oatmealy lumps on my ass.

Avatar – a 10 year review

Dead Robot December 20, 2009 General

Hey Kids! Shelly Here!

To quote Fortress of Solitude: “James Cameron opened his bag of film cliches and threw them all on the table.” It’s true. Every single movie he’s made before showed up in Avatar, including digging up Sigorney Weaver (which by the way, I have to say I loved seeing as a blue 9ft tall Pandorian – girl you got it going ON!). Story-wise, there ain’t anything new here and at 2hrs 45 min, Avatar is like eating the best junk food you’ve ever tasted. Good going in but oh the guilt as it settles in your gut.

But you’re not there to see Othello, aren’t you? Yes the visuals are stunning. He’s managed to create CGI characters that don’t look like puppets. He’s broke the “dead eye” barrier and has created extremely lifelike virtual actors on screen. But to say that Avatar is “the Star Wars of this generation” is some PR wizard wanking in your face. I would say story-wise, it’s “Battle Beyond the Stars”. Yeah the story is that much of a rip off of Braveheart and Dances With Wolves.

Is Avatar “game changing” as so many fanboys spew out on their blogs? Technically yes – it’s entirely possible to resurrect life-like actors from the grave (the voice might be worrisome – hence why this year’s surprise and uncredited performance of a young un-wrinkly Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator Salvation) . Cameron’s use of 3D wasn’t gimmicky or overwrought, he knew his depth and when to use it, but if you saw Pixar’s “UP” this year you saw how 3D could be used without resorting to “spears in the lens” tricks to remind you about the 3D. After 15 years of gratuitous CGI, we’re learning that the effects can’t prop up a good story. It has to work with it to make a great movie. And this is where Avatar fails. Like George Lucas, someone has got to wrestle the pen from James Cameron and let someone else do the writing.

I say go see it – the visuals are that good. But have fun. Comment loudly about how awful the story is.