dimland radio 1-31-15 show notes

 

Pedantic Moment

I talked about how it bothers me when people state that you can watch something "free on Netflix." You cannot watch anything free on Netflix. Netflix charges a monthly fee. If you watch lots of stuff it can make the per viewing cost awfully low, but it ain't free!

 

 A Little More On Quantum Of Solace

Mainly, I discussed the substandard 'Quantum of Solace' by comparing it to the far superior 'Skyfall' (my movie recommendation for this week, see below). I compared the scaffolding fight from 'Quantum' to a fight on an empty floor in a swanky office building. The 'Skyfall' fight is staged and presented so much better than that scaffolding fight (see last week's show notes for the link).

Never Found In The 80s: The Waterboys

 

My guest blogging for the Stuck in the 80s blog returned with a post on UK's The Waterboys. You can read it here.

The Bullet Does What?

I did some more movie talk. I touched on 'Monster's Ball' and the sex scene with Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry (ahem). But mostly I talked about another action film that is very good.

 

I talked about 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' which is the most recent of the X-Men movies. It's really good. The action sequences, the story, and a nearly naked, blue Jennifer Lawerence were very entertaining.

 

However, the movie did pull a page from the conspiracy theorists' bible. The Magic Bullet. Twice Prof. X referred to the bullet's path curving. THE BULLET DIDN'T CURVE!

 

Conspiracy theorists (and the makers of this film) do not take into account the way Kennedy and Connally were actually seated in the the convertible. If they did they would know it was one bullet and it wasn't magic. This should make it clear.

 

Speaking Of Conspiracy Theories

Local boy comes to a sad end.

On Facebook the other day I saw the image above and thought, "Hmmm, I wonder what the actual story is."

 

The story is of a filmmaker who was found dead in his home, along with his wife and daughter. They were victims of what has been ruled a murder/suicide. But the graphic seems to be hinted at a more sinister event.

Crowely was making a fictional film about an oppressive government being resisted by a citizen uprising. It seems as though Crowley may have been trying to warn us, but the shadow government (or whomever the conspiracy types would blame) rubbed him out.

A Facebook friend shared this image and voiced his suspicions. I countered by letting him know what was being reported and that the known facts were pointing toward murder/suicide. I also applied Occam's Razor.

 

Maybe he got the idea.

Well, We Can Get A Picture Of This Rare Animal

A rare animal was captured on a trail camera. No, it wasn't bigfoot or Champ or Nessie or the Moth Man. It was a Sierra Nevada Red Fox (big dummy!). I used this item to talk about special pleading. Specifically, as to why we don't have a similar photo of bigfoot.

 

Bigfoot is super smart and can avoid cameras. Bigfoot is camera shy. Bigfoot is naturally blurry. That's all special pleading.

 

But, a Facebook friend rightly pointed out the pictures like those of the Sierra Nevada Red Fox (big dummy!) will tend to bolster belief in cryptids. I think she has a valid point.

 

Movie Recommendation: Skyfall (2012)

 

MGM/Columbia Pictures

As I mentioned earlier, the action sequence of this film were far superior to its predecessor. It is also a return to more of the familiar elements of the Bond films of old. Q, the gadget, "Bond. James Bond" are all back. Judy Dench is great as M and Daniel Craig makes a good rugged, but still cool James Bond. And, in Hi Def, the nighttime cityscapes are breathtaking.

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'Fisherman's Blues' & 'The Whole of the Moon' by The Waterboys
Second ad break bumpers: 'A Pagan Place' & 'And a Bang on the Ear' by The Waterboys

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

 

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 1-24-15 show notes

Colonoscopy Talk

Most this show was dedicated to my resent colonoscopy. I turned 50 last November and the doctor said it was time for a look-see. So, in the interest of public service, I thought I'd promote this procedure and let my listeners know what happened to me. It weren't all that bad and I got a clean bill of health.

 

And, let's face it, who doesn't like a story that features some personal discomfort and lots and lots of bowel evacuating?.

Dave Barry's Experience

 

As a primer of what to expect, friend of the show, Chris Brown sent me a link to an article by American Humorist Dave Barry. In 2008, Barry wrote about his experience. He had put it off, because he didn't like the idea of the anal intrusion, but when his brother was diagnosed with colon cancer, the probing became less of a concern. Cancer will do that.

Here is his humorous take.

My Colonoscopy Has Its Own Theme Song

You'll have to listen to the show, because I don't want to give it away here. But it's pretty funny and I think you'll agree there aren't many songs that would be more fitting. Or do I mean inappropriate?

 

"Baby?" "Baby." "Baby?" "Baby, Baby." "Baby!"

Unfortunately, I can't find the clip, otherwise I could show you what I mean. You'll just have to take my word for it, or maybe you saw it, too. A TV spot for the film "American Sniper" featured a scene in which Mr. Sniper was on the phone with Mrs. Sniper. He was calling from Iraq and she was back in the States. It was an emotional scene in which he was telling her he was ready to come home.

 

Ok, fine, what's the big deal? Well, they must have called each other "baby" 93 times in that ad. I've never been one to call my wife "baby". And she doesn't call me that either.

 

"Baby" just seems too silly and infantilizing. We're Honey Bunnies, not babies!.

 

More Movie Talk

I recently watched the James Bond thriller 'Quantum of Solace'. The film was not well reviewed when it was released and it wasn't well reviewed by me, either.

 

The action sequences were so poorly filmed and edited it was nearly impossible to tell what was going on in them. There is one scene which you can watch here, in which Bond is fighting with a bad guy on some scaffolding. The scene is less than a minute and half and, yet, there are nearly 100 edits. Yes, I counted. At times, it is difficult to know which is Bond and which is the bad guy.

 

Judging from this effort director Marc Forster is not good at action. I see he has directed 'World War Z'. I haven't seen that one yet. This doesn't bode well.

 

Movie Recommendation: Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)

 

20th Century Fox

This week's recommendation, however, gets its action sequences done right. And they're filled with apes, but I never lose track of who is who. And we all know how all apes look alike, right? Is that racist?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this one and I think it is even better than the very good Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). It takes place ten years after the "rise" and shows just how human the apes really are. Is that racist?

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'She Never Said' by The Church & 'River Euphrates' by Pixies
Second ad break bumpers: 'This Charming Man' by The Smiths & 'Baby Have Some Faith' by 54-40

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

 

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.