DM of the Rings

TLOFR seen by RPG players who know nothing of Tolkien's work.

Dune, mini-series by John Harrison, 2000.

Summary: Based on the novel Dune by Frank Herbert. As the human Universe revolves around the use of spice, only produced on the sand planet Dune, a political battle engages between its most powerful leaders for its control.

Comment: Longer and thus more faithful to the novel than David Lynch's film, it is also more easy to follow for those who have not read the book. However, as the budget was lower, it lacks in visual impact. Moreover, it is more of, at least from my point of view, an explanation or a depiction of the events rather than a truly inspired work. Plus, some characters were not casted that greatly and they acting lacked a bit. So if you already like Dune, you might stick to the book, as this series does not provide anything more than the novel; if you don't know Dune and don't want do read the book, you can try it up. It's not bad. Just not... Dune.

If David Lynch's vision and budget had met John Harrison series's length and explanations, the novel Dune could have had a cinematographic true equivalent and (out)matched films such as the Star Wars franchise. I dream about that at night.

Mars Attacks! by Tim Burton, 1996

Summary: When alien ships are spotted surrounding Earth, the president of the USA has to decide how to face such a situation. Are they a threat, or a hope for greatness, for a better world, for change? But then they kidnap a chihuahua, a fried pidgeon and a journalist.

NB: the Cast is amazing! I'll quote wiki-wiki on that -"Mars Attacks! stars an ensemble cast, which includes Jack Nicholson, Lukas Haas, Annette Bening, Jim Brown, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Glenn Close, Martin Short, Jack Black, Natalie Portman, Danny DeVito, and Christina Applegate."

Comment: All I knew about this film was: "funny looking aliens invade Earth and are killed by country music"; so I thought it was a comedy. Oh-My-God it's so NOT a comedy.
Filled with black humour, maybe. With plenty of candy-like sceneries and B movies references. But it is also an horror movie where Martians look like death with a brain and where you never know who's going to die, a satire of human behaviours and beliefs, a kind of philosophical questionning ("are 'advanced cultures' really peaceful?" or, "are our cultures really 'advanced'?", or "is 'Do Martians have two sexes, like we do?' such a relevant question?). The coolest feature of this movie would be that we still don't know why aliens act like they do. We don't understand (quite litteraly). It is a real clash of civilisations. Or maybe, just an invasion as seen from the losing side -just as, among many examples, the invasion of America by the Europeans, when many indian people offered peace and only met death and cultural devastation.

The specials effects have aged, but that's no reason to avoid this movie -because the story and feelings and absurdity it conveys is of a must-be-seen category. I recommend to watch it once (and of course more if you want too).

Dune, David Lynch, 1984

I saw this movie once when I was a kid, and the Harkonen terrified me; and I can say now that I've rewatched it that I'm still heavily disgusted by them now, even though I don't scare that easily in front of fake screen-monsters.

Also, I had read and loved the book before watching the movie, so I was a bit disappointed it wasn't perfectly following it (I love the book so much I wanted to see it ALL on screen). Still, it's a good adaptation of it, even though the story might get a little confusing for those who have not read it.

On the bad Side: 

• What's wrong with your Fremen clothing? You're in the freaking desert, wear some sort of a hat, damnit!
• I'm not fond of off-voices explaning stuff, and there is one here... whose part is HUGE.
• The story, at times told in quick, explanatory flashes, is often confusing.
• I am not crazy about the way it's shot, even though it only bothered me at times (static, or not underlining enough the mind flow of the characters), but it's a matter of taste, and some scenes are plain amazing.

Paul Muad'Dib.

On the good side:

• Sure, the special effects and blue screen have aged, but they were not used that much and, where their support the story, it is not a bother. 
• Gorgeous designs, beautiful setting, a real treat to the eyes; the atmosphere is splendidly rendered, even the clothing is fit to the mood of the scene or character (like Jessica's hair).
• As in the book, where most of the fights are battles of mind, many of the dialogues are actually thoughts.
• Kyle MacLachlan is too old for Paul, but is still making a very good job out of his character; moreover, the cast fits the original characters quite well.

Little Alia and the Gom Jabbar

General opinion: a beautiful film (can I stress that enough?), that Dune readers will enjoy but which could be a bit difficult for those unaquainted with this amazing universe (but why would anyone NOT read Dune ?!). 

Paul again (yes, I like him)

Maybe someday, if we're very very lucky, Dune will be blessed with a decent adaptation as a series, like Game of Thrones, or a string of movies like the Lord Of The Rings. 

The challenge then would be to transmit the atmosphere of the book where much happens in the mind of the characters and allows us to see reality from a subjective point of view (like when, in the movie, Lady Jessica reads Dr Kyle's mood), and still render the epicness of it all.

Also, the choice of subtle actors would be crucial, as most of the characters have utter control of their body and tend to restrain their expressions. We could see that in some scenes of this film, but it wasn't fully exploited. 

That being said, good day to you, I'll be in my emo closet, daydreaming about a perfect Dune adaptation. Or rewatching this one!

Breakfast Interrupted by Bruton Stroube Studios

Breakfast Interrupted by Bruton Stroube Studios 

Kony 2012

Kony 2012 is a moving viral video made by Invisible Children, an association who wants to make people aware of the crimes commited by Joseph Kony in Africa, which would eventually lead to his arrest and trial.

What does that mean?

If Kony was arrested, his kidnapping and turning kids into slaving soldiers would stop (among other things). But if this is done through violence, many of his bodyguards and soldiers would fight and be killed -yes, the children ones (among other things, too).

So let’s face it, arresting Kony is not going to be pretty.

To have further insight, you can read articles which criticize the Kony 2012 campaign, such as Let’s keep it about Joseph Kony, by Grant Oyston (ou ici une critique en français), and of course the response of Invisible Children on their website (here).

Making people aware of the Kony situation might also make them more aware of African issues in general, which is a good thing. Still, keep in mind that Invisible Children are an association for awareness about Joseph Kony, not direct aid.

Here’s how, according to them, the donations they receive are used:

So if you want a positive result, here’s what I suggest (and I’m flawed):

1. Do something (because a result only comes from an action)
2. If you don’t want to waste time, pass on this video with the comments.
3. If you have time to spend, find out information about Kony and make out your own opinion. 
4. Act accordingly, at your level and through what you’re good at -reblogging or commenting on the Net, maybe? Not all of us are geniuses/famous/millionaires…

Remember that peace starts at home. They are Konys evewhere, from dictators to mere bullies, even if they’re not all as destructively powerful. Maybe you can’t help with that, but you can help with one thing: don’t behave like a Kony.

When I say peace starts at home, that means peace starts with you.

That being said, thank you for your time, I hope you’ll have a nice day : )

Why I Am A Male Feminist by justtracey

And I wonder: we (women) all have fathers and brothers and boy friends that we might know or trust, and all men are fathers or brothers or friends that can be known and trusted- so why are we always so afraid?

Is it because we've all expericenced a kind of sexual assault -on any level- why would men do that to us? Why do they forget about their mothers, their sisters, their girl friends? How do they?

“The following day, I attended a workshop about preventing gender violence, facilitated by Katz. There, he posed a question to all of the men in the room: “Men, what things do you do to protect yourself from being raped or sexually assaulted?”

Not one man, including myself, could quickly answer the question. Finally, one man raised his hand and said, “Nothing.” Then Katz asked the women, “What things do you do to protect yourself from being raped or sexually assaulted?” Nearly all of the women in the room raised their hand. One by one, each woman testified:

“I don’t make eye contact with men when I walk down the street,” said one.

“I don’t put my drink down at parties,” said another.

“I use the buddy system when I go to parties".

“I cross the street when I see a group of guys walking in my direction."
“I use my keys as a potential weapon.”
The women went on for several minutes, until their side of the blackboard was completely filled with responses. The men’s side of the blackboard was blank. I was stunned. I had never heard a group of women say these things before. I thought about all of the women in my life — including my mother, sister and girlfriend — and realized that I had a lot to learn about gender.” 

—

Why I Am A Male Feminist Posted on June 15, 2011 by justtracey