As promised...
Here you go: The trailer for Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Promising, indeed...
oh, right. Sorry, non-Mac users. Almost forgot you. Here you go.
« July 2004 | Main | September 2004 »
Here you go: The trailer for Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Promising, indeed...
oh, right. Sorry, non-Mac users. Almost forgot you. Here you go.
When Planetarium referenced Buffy as "everybody's favorite vampire slayer", someone offered the witty rejoinder that Blade II was their favorite slayer. So, in the spirit of fair play, and also in the spirit that this trailer looks fucking righteous, we offer you all the trailer for Blade:Trinity. Enjoy.
Hey all, we don't do this often, but there's another blog out there that's actually worth your time. He's a newbie, and you can find him here at Filament. Offering a literary perspective, and a recent arrival in Ann Arbor, natch. We'd especially recommend the posting about the group of bees that got him free cable.
Oh, man, you've gotta see this to believe it. Never say that Planetarium doesn't enjoy a good laugh at the expense of Christians....so take a little trip with us to WhereChristiansmeet.com, where, according to the email we received, young hot Christian girls are waiting to meet US!
We especially like the part where, in the survey, it asks your income range, and the fine print reads "Minimum $25,000 Required".
Okay, so the man has been sounding great lately, if you actually hear any of his speeches or appearances. But of course you'd never know this if you watch/read the news. So why doesn't he grab some good-for-him, bad-for-them headlines by making some good political hay out of the anti-black-vote initiative Republicans are cooking up? Answer: they're still dumb. Very, very dumb.
From a recent MoveOn press release:
Last month John Pappageorge, a Republican state representative in Michigan, told a journalist that the Republicans would do poorly if they failed to “suppress the Detroit vote.” Detroit, of course, is 83% black.[1]Democratic officials expressed their outrage, and Pappageorge eventually apologized for his words, but his statement spoke to a bigger truth: Republicans continue to actively suppress black and minority votes in order to win elections through intimidation, misinformation, and tampering with voter rolls and records. In 2000, the black voters who were not allowed to vote would have almost certainly swung the election in Al Gore’s favor. And the practice continues: a recent report from the NAACP and the People for the American Way Foundation documents suppression tactics in use right now.[2]
The Republican Party's continued silence is shameful. We’re joining with Julian Bond, Chairman of the NAACP*, Reverend Jesse Jackson, President of the Rainbow/Push Coalition*, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and others to demand that the Republican Party abandon these racist, unfair, and undemocratic tactics and condemn anyone in their ranks who uses them. Please join us by signing the petition below.
So learn more (or sign the petition), hit up MoveOn.org. Now, if they would just stop having quite so many damn emails sent to us...
sorry for the pause in updates- Bad news in Planetarium's personal affairs. Anyways, something to kick you into the weekend. New Krugman-
Normally, we just tell you there's a new Krugman editorial out today and say "Go!" And that's still true. But we had to make a small comment- it's astounding, at points in this new essay it almost sounds like he's channelling Jesse Jackson or something. The downside: this week's is a real only-if-you-already-agree-with-me piece for him.
Apologies to everybody's favorite vampire slayer. We offer a bow of the head in response to the realizaton that in yesterday's rundown of the more exciting upcoming films, we neglected to include Sarah Michelle Gellar's forthcoming The Grudge (click on link for the trailer). Not only did they manage to snag original director Takeshi Shimizu, but they filmed in Japan, good folks. And with Sam Raimi producing, we smell success. And scary goodness.
Alright, since it's the weekend, and the end of August is fast approaching, like a crowd of soccer moms at a new Ikea store, we here at Planetarium thought it might be time to offer a heads-up on some of the more promising-looking films that will be hitting the screens over the next couple months. We've added links to trailers when possible. (Oh, and BTW- we will admit that we misjudged AvP. Sorry folks, even we get it wrong now and then. Mostly then.)
Leaving aside films that have a gosh-cool-but-it'll-probably-suck factor already added in (paging Sky Captain), we thought the first intriguing film to delve into the cyber-noir - other than Code 46 - will be The Final Cut, the debut film from Omar Naim, about a world of implants that allow for recording memories, which can then be assembled and viewed post-morten by others. Early word is that audience reception has been kind and critical reception is....not. Most Likely Reason it Could Suck: Robin Williams is in it.
More likely to reel in Planetarium, talent-wise, is the quickly appproaching The Forgotten. No, not a film about Howard Dean; the movie stars the lovely Julianne Moore as a woman who wants her son back, the only problem being nobody else seems to think she ever had a son. Early TV clips seems to promise a classicly elegant thriller, something in rare breed these days, and Moore kicks ass, so here's hoping. Most Likely Reason it Could Suck: The ending was re-shot last month. That's rarely done because the movie is too awesome, and they want to make it less so.
Next up is something that looks so crazy, it just might work. We're referring to David O. Russell's latest, I Heart Huckabee's (click to see the trailer). We're not sure Fox Searchlight knows how the hell to market this thing, and that can often mean good things for a film's quality. It's just that, well, it really looks crazy. But given Rusell's track record (Spanking the Monkey, Three Kings), we're gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. Most Likely Reason it Could Suck: The film seems to involve existential detectives. Anyone remember A Life Less Ordinary?
Now, on to something we're excited about. What would you expect if you combined Nicole Kidman with director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast)? Answer: nothing remotely like Birth (click for trailer- it's zipped), a movie that is apparently about a young boy claiming to be Nic's reincarnated dead husband. Color us fascinated, especially given the controversy already brewing over a bathtub scene. Props to Ms. Kidman for continuing what's shaping up to be an impressive winning streak. Most Likely Reason it Could Suck: Well, it does sound kind of silly.
Another film that will quite probably kick all sorts of ass: John Sayles' Silver City (click for the trailer). This political satire opening a month or so before the elections becomes even more beguiling when you learn that Sayles asked his star, Chris Cooper, to intentionally model his dimwitted politician character after George W. Most Likely Reason it Could Suck: Hmmmmm.........nope, nothing yet.
And finally, we want to offer something for you dark weirdo movie lovers out there, as well, so look out, 'cause here comes The Machinist, starring Christian Bale as a factory worker who, after years of barely sleeping, begins to doubt his own sanity. Bale's at his best playing these fucked-up creepy types, and the movie have received generally positive buzz out of Sundance, so it might be a must-see for you arty thriller types. Most Likely Reason it Could Suck: Christian, there aren't any dragons you and Matt McConaughey have to fight in this, are there?
We thought the New Yorkers who regularly read Planetarium might enjoy reading this particular tract by cartoonist Ted Rall. A sample:
The Republican delegates here to coronate George W. Bush are unwelcome members of a hostile invading army. Like the hapless saps whose blood they sent to be spilled into Middle Eastern sands, they will be given intentionally incorrect directions to nonexistent places. Objects will be thrown in their direction. Children will call them obscene names. They will not be greeted as liberators.
Man, Atrios was on fire today. Here's one more lovely back-and-forth he unearthed:
Scott McCellan: "I do think that Senator Kerry losing his cool should not be an excuse for him to lash out at the President" [White House Press Briefing, Crawford Middle School, Crawford, Texas8/20/04]Marc Racicot: "I think they have comepletely unhinged. Senator Kerry, Tad, although I've certainly had time to get to know him, he looks to me to be wild-eyed." [CNN, Inside Politics, 8/20/04]
...from Kerry communications director Cutter:"Mr. McClellan needs to understand that John Kerry is not the type of leader who will sit and read `My Pet Goat' to a group of second graders while America is under attack."
From a tip brought to our attention by Eschaton:
Kerry press release (Excerpt): Bush Campaign Busted Passing Out “Swift Boat Veterans for Bush” Flyer Washington, DC - Despite constant denials, the Bush-Cheney campaign today was busted coordinating with the “Swift Boat Veterans for Bush” in their smear campaign against John Kerry. The following press release was issued this afternoon by the Florida Democratic Party. The evidence is attached.“Bush Campaign Caught Promoting "Swift Boat Vets for Truth"
While National Campaign Denies Coordination, Campaign in Florida Promotes Rally
Tallahassee -- On the same day that the Bush-Cheney campaign repeatedly denied coordinating attacks with the anti-Kerry group "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," the Bush-Cheney campaign in Florida was caught promoting a rally in Gainesville for the group.
How about a big round of applause for the Republican machine, which managed to get the stupid, lumbering Democratic machine to take the bait and have THIS be the story in the media for the past two weeks. As John Stewart suggested the other day, "perhaps the democrats could use some..............nutsack?"
Here it is, your first look at the next Wes Anderson flick...The Life Aquatic. His trailers never say much, so it's hard to tell, but nonetheless, intriguing. Would you agree?
In Quicktime or
We're not sure about all our readers, but where Planetarium lives there's a raging debate about whether or not to ban smoking in bars and restaurants. We're a little ambivalent about it, kind of like we are on how to fix schools. On a purely personal level, we're very glad if it passes; less smokey grossness at bars. But we've also heard good arguments about the strain on small bars (hiring an extra person just to deal with all the people out on the sidewalk smoking, and so forth). But we've also heard the weird "secondhand smoke isn't bad for you" argument, put forth by very intelligent people who assure Planetarium there is NO evidence to support ill effects of 2nd-hand nicotine. We weren't sure, so we did a little research in our free time, and it just so happens that today, the Pioneer Press posted stats remarkably similar to what we've found. Which IS:
- 400,000 annual deaths from smoking in the U.S.
- $2.6 billion annual cost of tobacco-related illnesses to Minnesota in medical bills and lost productivity.
- 38,000 annual U.S. deaths from secondhand smoke exposure.
- 35,000 heart disease deaths of nonsmoking Americans each year attributed to secondhand smoke.
- 3,000 lung cancer deaths of nonsmoking Americans each year attributed to secondhand smoke.
- 90% of Americans exposed to secondhand smoke regularly.
- #3 would be the rank of secondhand smoke as the cause of preventable death in the United States.
So. There you have it. The National Institute of Health apparently contests the claim that secondhand smoke is relatively harmless. Whoops.
Once again, good ol' Steve Perry has the right stuff when it comes to an accurate analysis of the current anti-Kerry attacks. He not only points out the obvious, i.e. Bush and co. are the "greatest recruitment tool Osama's got", but chides the Kerry campaign for very stupidly not hammering home this "loss of safety interntaionally" theme with the media quietly for the past few months, instead letting themselves get hit with things like this with no retort. Planetarium was one of the first to call bullshit when the press tried to portray the Kerry campaign as "anemic" in the past when thhey were actually energized, but now the charge is sounding a little more appropo.
Planetarium is happy to take it one step further than Mr. Perry and point out a logical step for all of us: time for some letters to the editor saying exactly this talking point. The old saw one letter = ten people still holds, and more than a few papers of note have taken cues in the pst from a bevy of letter writers. So get to it. You're already online; it takes mere minutes.
Of course, it would be a Democratic governor who comes out as gay. Those Republicans are so darn good at hiding in the closet. We're curious to see how the right-wingers spin this. What do you think- will they justify their homophobia, or will they tie it to a Clinton-esque sexual cover-up mentality amongst Dems, or what? It's like a game: how fucked-up can we paint this poor guy, and how can we offend queers at the same time?
Planetarium, as is well known, is not shy about going on the record (repeatedly) to express our disappoint with De La Soul's 2002 album Bionix. It's the sound of a group treading water, content in their reinvention from the previous outing Mosaic Thump, the first of the still-unfinished Art Official Intelligence trilogy. It was sad for us true fans to behold such a sight with a group that had, previously, never been content with ANYthing. De La Soul repeatedly pushed hip-hop forward, so to watch their musical boulder roll back down the hill, so to speak, was disheartening.
But now comes news that their third and final installment is due out in the next month, so here's a fervent hope that they got bored with being the Kings of the Hill, and decided to scale a new one. On that otherwise misspent last record, there were two tracks that hinted at the greatness that lay untapped. "Held Down", featuring Cee-Lo, provided a glimpse of the kind of things De La should be tackling- the concerns of people who look around and realize that, at some point, the lights come on and the party ends. It's a beautiful, haunting track, perhaps hitting its zenith when beatmaker Posdnous describes his young daughter looking at the TV during the ethnic cleansings of the turn of the century, and when she asks "why those people were lyin' on the floor, covered in red/ I tell her they went looking for God, and found religion instead."
The closer, "Trying People", is equally powerful, as though the group discovered that they have something to say before the album ends, frantically attempting to cram in the statements that carry the most weight, the grooves with the most pull. If they choose this path for the new one, things could be very good, indeed. Here's hoping for the bullies to find their pulpit.
A short round of applause is perhaps overdue on this site for John Stewart, host of the Comedy Central regular "The Daily Show". True, this gets stated elsewhere, but how often do you believe the New York Times when it something something is the wittiest, or cleverest, or what have you? But you CAN believe us, because, well, we're very smart. And so is Mr. Stewart- the trenchant eye for biting sature, in the best tradition of Jonathan Swift, is alive and well in this man, and he deserves a fucking country, let alone an Emmy, for what he does each day. So go watch it- it really is that good.
We can't believe we missed this when it first came out. After smacking ourselves repeatedly first, Planetarium now presents Bruce Springsteen's first-ever direct call to arms, at least in a media forum. He's been sprinkling his live performances with shit like this for years (in this last tour, he exhorted fans during a breakdown in "Born in the USA" to 'impeach the President!'), but he finally threw his hat in the ring. Good man.
Hey, the New York Times is even slapping Bush in the face in its cover story today. "In the face of paltry numbers on job growth, President Bush's new slogan, 'we've turned the corner', sounds premature at best."
Damn, we sure do love Steve Perry here at Planetarium. He's one of the most astute pundits in the country, with a prediction-comes-true ratio that outstrips just about anyone we can think of. Over at Bush Wars, he further elucidates the "we win if we're right, we win if we're wrong" tactics of the Bush administration's terror-mongering.
TCB today offers us a lovely bit of info on Team Bush's racial fears.
Also, it appears that both of our local papers are less than completely confident about the motives behind the Democrat mayor's endorsement of George W. Bush. Can't imagine why. Pretty scathing for a coupla usually weak-ass papers of note, however.
Firefly: The Movie has an up-and-running website. yee-ha!
Folks, I think we have a movie. The world is indeed a scary place right now, lots of frightening goings on everywhere you look, Bush might be President again, and someone has finally responded. That's right, there is a film out there that dares to tackle all the big names, left and right, and try to rescue the Earth from certain destruction in the meantime. It's coming out in October, but in the meantime, the trailer has just been released. So, please, go take a look at the upcoming Team America: World Police.