I think, in the future this period of time will be described as the Baudrillardian age. Our movies, all the stories we tell over and over seem to be posing and reposing the idea of a dream or a copy being more real than the original. Reality has been evicted from its former palace of glory. In Inception characters are conned and conned over again as to the nature of the real. Do we as audience members ever learn the real truth? No, the camera cuts away before we know for certain.

Movies are really the perfect medium for discussing these double, triple, let us just say multiple feints. One character says to another, do you remember how you got here? Of course (s)he does not. We just cut to this scene. Why would a film show a character getting to a cafe? what would be the sense in that? We assume that (s)he walked or drove, or rode a bike, or jumped on the back of Aslan the lion, or whatever. Characters are placed in scenes carefully crafted by the set designer, the writers, framed by the director and the camera man, and so on. What was I doing just before this scene? I was getting hair and makeup done and before that I was at the Craft food services table. Why?

I think though a current audience is much more able to accept a discussion of what is real now because their idea of what is real has been whittled away at by the internet for a decade or more. Who are your real friends? The people you hang with in meat space or your friends on Facebook, the ones you tell all your secrets to? I don’t know myself and I think rather quickly people’s ideas of what is just so won’t be just so any longer.

I haven’t spoiled anything. Go see it.

I got to see X-Men Origins yesterday. Actually thought we were going to see Star Trek but it was sold out. Looks like plenty of other folks had the same idea. I had wanted to see Wolverine too so I was happy with a last minute substitute.

Like the other X-Men movie offerings, Wolverine gathers all manner of various and sundry characters in the Marvel Universe and puts them all together hoping that they will all blend and make the movie great. Some of the characters are kids, some are adults. Characters introduced in the 80’s and 90’s appear with older, original characters. The more I watch the Marvel movies the more convinced I am that they occur in a universe separate from any of the comics. Sure it’s completely geeky, but it helps me to overlook inconsistencies with some of the Marvel comics. But really characters are re-written all the time. The movies aren’t any different.

Still, I liked seeing Gambit, a long time favorite character of mine. Though I was a little disappointed that his Cajun accent was so thin.

Really though no matter how bad these X-Men movies get, though this wasn’t terrible at all, I will probably still watch them.

This one has probably pissed all the fan boys off already. There are a lot of characters who will be confusing for the rest of us.  I spent a good couple hours just looking them all up. I’m sorry I don’t know every single Marvel character by heart.

A small note about the “bone claws”. I had always thought the claws were installed, not part of Logan’s mutant power. If they were already there and bony as shown in the movie they would have still have been bony looking but with a metal finish. Anyway, minor details really.

The good part is that as unbelievable as Wolverine is as a character, Hugh Jackman is still as believable as ever as Wolverine. 

I made a Bond Quiz for my the men in my family. We were afforded some time to see the Quantum of Solace in the movie theater. Beforehand we went to Trader Vics in Emerville. I had some tiki drinks that were pretty good and mostly everyone else had Martinis.

I do know my brother in law had a scorpion bowl for one. I may have to try that soon.

Below the fold I have submitted to you my reader the test in its entirety. Answer in comments if you believe you know any of the answers.

I never really thought I would see something quite like this. Now that I have, I’m not sure what to think.

I saw it.
I liked it.
It was scary.
A little too long, why did it have to have seven endings, just talking for the last 1/2 hour?
No more Heather Ledger. A shame.
Please do not take your kids to this movie. Its not for them. While your at it, take away your kids copy of GTA: San Andreas.
I was told there was none of the Graphic Novel The Dark Knight Returns in this movie. There is definitely some though you have to look for it.
There you are. Did you like my Batman doodle? No? Well too bad. It’s staying.

More Later,

OK, here is a little puzzle for both of you miceland readers. Just saw a movie and recognized a sample that Big Audio Dynamite had stolen from it. You listen to the sample and tell me if you think you know what movie it is from.

Here is a sample from Big Audio Dynamite’s Union, Jack. I’ll give you clues if you want.

New clue after the fold.

Here is a list of movies available for rent on Netflix that I deemed horrible, bad bad not bad good.

They are in alpha order sorry.

1 9 1/2 Weeks (1986)
2 A Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973)
3 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
4 Alien Species: Director’s Cut (1996)
5 Along Came Polly (2004)
6 Anger Management (2003)
7 Bad Boys II (2003)
8 Batman & Robin (1997)
9 Batman Forever (1995)
10 Battlefield Earth (2000)
11 Black Mask (1998)
12 Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
13 Bring It On (2000)
14 Bringing Down the House (2003)
15 Centre Stage (1992)
16 Child’s Play (1988)
17 Cool Runnings (1993)
18 Crimson Wolf (1994)
19 Daylight (1996)
20 Die You Zombie Bastards! (2005)
21 Don’t Go in the Woods Alone (1982)
22 Dragonheart (1996)
23 Event Horizon (1997)
24 Faces of Death / Fact or Fiction? (1999)
25 Female Vampire (1973)
26 Flesh Gordon (1974)
27 Friday the 13th: Part 8 (1989)
28 Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
29 From Dusk ‘Til Dawn 3 (1999)
30 From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
31 Girls School Screamers (1986)
32 Heat (1972)
33 Highlander 2: Renegade Version (1990)
34 House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
35 Hugo Pool (1997)
36 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
37 Icebreaker (1999)
38 Ichi the Killer (2001)
39 Iron Chef USA (2001)
40 "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)"
41 Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
42 Lost in Space (1998)
43 Love’s Labour’s Lost (2000)
44 Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas Live (1997)
45 May (2003)
46 Meet the Parents (2000)
47 Mortal Kombat: The Movie (1995)
48 Multiplicity (1996)
49 My Beautiful Laundrette (1986)
50 My Little Eye (2002)
51 Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell (1991)
52 Pacific Heights (1990)
53 Piranha (1978)
54 Please Save My Earth (2000)
55 Pootie Tang (2001)
56 Rat Race (2001)
57 Requiem for a Dream (2000)
58 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
59 Ringu (1998)
60 Risky Business (1983)
61 Rocky (1976)
62 Saludos Amigos (1943)
63 Sam Kinison: Why Did We Laugh? (1998)
64 Scary Movie (2000)
65 Screamers (1996)
66 Screaming Dead (2003)
67 Sense and Sensibility (1995)
68 Sinful Nuns of St. Valentine (1973)
69 Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
70 Star Wars Animated Adventures: Droids (2004)
71 Stepmom (1998)
72 Superchick (1973)
73 The Abyss (1989)
74 The Best Man (1999)
75 The Black Stallion (1979)
76 The Haunting (1999)
77 The Last Starfighter (1984)
78 The Lawnmower Man (1992)
79 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
80 The Naughty Stewardesses (1975)
81 The Return of Spinal Tap (1992)
82 The Shining (1980)
83 The Three Caballeros (1942)
84 The Waterboy (1998)
85 Top Gun (1986)
86 Twister (1996)
87 Vampire Blues (1999)
88 Waiting for Guffman (1996)
89 What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
90 Wind in the Willows (1999)
91 Witchcraft IX: Bitter Flesh (1997)
92 Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood (2000)
93 World’s Greatest Animation (1994)
94 Young Guns (1988)
95 Zero Effect (1998)

Any that you feel are worth watching here? Maybe there is something that you feel should be added to this list. Chime in if you like.
I crossed out some ones that were kinda good. Not sure why they only got one star.