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Hollow Man
General information
Movie Length: 108 minutes
Category: Thriller
Year: 2000
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Language: English
Country: United States
Extras: Yes
Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Caine
Elisabeth Shue as Linda McKay
Josh Brolin as Matthew Kensington
Kim Dickens as Sarah Kennedy
Greg Grunberg as Carter Abbey
The film is about Sebastian Caine who along with his team are conducting experiments with the ultimate goal of making people invisible. It's a top secret project funded by the Pentagon and the team has some success with an invisibility serum and manage to successfully turn an ape invisible. Under pressure from the government to make the serum a success on humans Sebastian tries it on himself. It works but there are consequences with Sebastian playing god and the results are irreversible and cause Sebastian to become violently insane. He leaves the facility and begins to stalk his colleague Linda who is his ex girlfriend he is still in love with and her new lover who is also another scientist working on the project with deadly intensions.
Acting Performance
The performances are generally quite good in this movie. You have the role of Sebastian Caine played by Kevin Bacon an investigator who becomes obsessed with his work. He starts off as a nice guy who becomes more aggressive and violent and Kevin does this with ease showing all the rage Sebastian has. Elizabeth Shue plays his ex girlfriend another scientist and iv always liked Elizabeth and here her considerable acting talents are put to waste playing a generic character but as usual she shines when on screen.
There are some extras on the DVD include commentary from director, Kevin Bacon and writer Andrew Marlowe. They give great background on the creation of the movie and fit well together none of them continually talking over the other as is want to happen sometimes. In addition there is also an extra on the DVD containing interviews with actors and a look behind the scenes during filming. Another extra is 3 deleted scenes with commentary by the director. A fun extra is the possibility of the entire soundtrack to listen to because this is also on DVD although its not that great to be honest.
My opinion
The big selling point of this film is the special effects which are done really well especially the way they do the invisibility. It's a big dumb b movie with a good cast but is never going to win any awards for quality. The direction is good for an action movie but the script lets it down as it is full of clichés.
No one is going to watch this for the script though and as a fun popcorn movie on a Friday night then it's ideal.
A rare miss by the usually reliable director Paul Verhoeven, Hollow Man stars Kevin Bacon as a molecular biologist who develops a serum that can turn him invisible in a plot that is essentially a vacous, modern update of H.G. Wells' classic tale 'The Invisible Man'. Bacon puts in a reasonable if unremarkable performance as the power-mad molecular biologist in question, but the rest of his team are made up of non-descript actors who put in some decidedly unmemorable performaces all round.
The plot, though promising, quickly descends into the usual B-movie slasher flcik nonsense, doing away with the interesting psychological question of what one would do if one was invisible (essentially what would you do if you knew you could get away with it) by deciding that every man would of course instantly change into a murderous, psychopathic rapist. This transition in Bacon's character is not in the least bit believable, and as a result the film feels lightweight, vacuous and not particularly engaging as we watch the rest of Bacon's team try to defend theimselves from their invisible assailant with little in the way of real conviction up on screen.
The film uses a mixture of blue-screen and CGI special effects that work moderately well, but possess none of the charm or invention of earlier black and white interpretations of Wells's tale, and all in all there is little to differentiate Hollow Man from the swarms of other brainless slasher flicks out there.
Hollow Man
Year: 2000
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Written by: Gary Scott Thompson, Andrew W. Marlowe
Kevin Bacon
Elisabeth Shue
Josh Brolin
Sebastian Cane (Kevin Bacon) and his team of sophisticated and very intellectual scientists try to conquer invisibility. After an amazing breakthrough it all comes together. As soon as they find they can make animals such as primates turn invisible and back again to normal without any major harm and defects Sebastian wants to take it to the very next level and undergo the experiment himself.
After a successful transformation making Cane invisible tests are carried out for his safety, but after an unsuccessful attempt to turn him back to normal everything start falling apart. Knowing he is invisible Sebastian Cane takes advantage of the situation and sees what limits he can push in his day to day life.
What would you do if you were invisible?
Whilst there is plenty of action there are many aspects of a thriller film in Hollow Man. However this is not a strong message in comparison to a typical thriller and simply just adds tension throughout the film, which I must say I love. There are plenty of scenes of action, ranging from general fighting to the more extreme.
The special effects are like none I have seen before in a film. Trying to pull off the effect of someone being invisible is a hard job I can imagine, especially when you want to portray water droplets coming off the invisible body. This is done magnificently, as well as scenes where smoke shows the outline of an invisible human. Also the transformation of primates and humans in the film from normal to invisible is a very well shot scene full of special effects such as organs from within the bodies. To me these look very genuinely and definitely shock some audiences.
The film is very exciting to watch keeping the viewer on edge throughout, wondering 'what if' many times and how things will end. I've seen this film a few times. It's exactly a monthly watch for the entertainment. Once you've seen it then that is kind of it, but whilst watching its defiantly a film you can enjoy throughout!
Hollow Man is a entertaining that threatens an element of horror without taking it too seriously. With a selection of well-known actors giving good performances, it approaches molecular biology from an experimental and hormonal point of view, and gives what is quite a frenetic and intense hour and a half.
Sebastian Caine is an incredibly gifted molecular biologist, obsessed with trying to perfect the development of complete invisibility. When it works on a gorilla, Caine decides the next step is to explore the possibilities of it being used on humans, and puts himself forward as the guinea pig. However, he hasn't banked on the hormonal and behavioural side effects of the experiment, and things start to get out of hand.
The special effects are top notch in this film, with the appearance of the invisibility around things such as water and smoke being very well delivered. The same thing goes for the various outfits worn by Caine once he is invisible, and the cinematography, angles of filming and the score all add to what is a very powerful film in more ways than one.
Paul Verhoeven directs the piece very well, and he seems to trust the cast enough for them to allow their strong acting personalities to come through. Bacon is very strong, as are co-stars Elisabeth Shue and Josh Brolin. The brief cameos from various unknowns make the film that much more believabel, especially seeing as the subject matter is very advanced, scientifically, with the potential for it to all fail ever imminent, yet never realised. This is down to how careful all are in front of and behind the camera, with all angles examined and carefully explored with the special effects elements.
Overall, I found it a very enjoyable film, and while it doesn't particularly do anything special in terms of making me want to watch it again, it does get a thumbs up from me, and I do recommend watching it at least the once. It's an entertaining thriller with some jumpy moments and a an element of horror. A watch once, but enjoy whilst doing so sort of film.
note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room
Hollow Man isn't high art, but it doesn't pretend to be - it's a fun, unpretentious, violent sci-fi yarn that's loosely based on H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man (and I mean loose!). Although it's no classic of the genre, it's a fun and visually impressive outing (that recieved an Academy Award nomination), that's got a deliciously demented performance from lead Kevin Bacon.
Dr. Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon) is a molecular biologist who, whilst undeniably skilled at his job, is overzealous and a little egotistical. He is obsessed with the idea of synthesising an invisibility serum for the U.S. Military. However, he is also obsessed with his ex-girlfriend Linda McKay (Elisabeth Shue), who is a scientist herself, and currently dating Matt Kensington (Josh Brolin).
Eventually, though, the serum works on a gorilla, and so Caine attempts to use it on himself. Whilst it is eventually successful, it also results in him becoming even more egomaniacal, and ultimately psychotic, taking out his frustrations on innocent women, and trying to get his ex girlfriend back. What's more, the material used to identify Caine when invisible is torn away by him, making him untraceable to the human eye without the use of thermal imaging. Thus, he fully exploits his new abilities, going on a spree of murder and mayhem.
Sure, it's a scientific farce, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film, namely the transformation of Bacon's character from an adjusted man to a monster. Bacon is a great character actor who sadly has never really received the high profile roles that he deserves, but here he proves that he has staying power as a leading man, and is accompanied by some stunning visual effects and impressive action sequences, if it is a bit of a cheesy B-movie.
Just when you thought it was safe to forget Hollow Man, revere does an op that puts it back in your head.
Those of you with sense in your bodies may want to quit reading this. I'm going to use a rude metaphor. I'm going to... stop reading... right.
You know that expression 'You can't polish a turd'? This is the highest polished turd I've ever seen. Man, this is a turd you could eat your dinner from. You can see your face in it. Unless you're Kevin Bacon. Or invisible like Kevin Bacon.
Studio executives must have thought this was a great idea. Paul Verhoeven, the crown prince of polished turds, wants to direct a movie with a budget the size of Bolivia and special effects of viscera and ape musculature. Cool! Way cool! Just sign the cheque, Harvey! Give the man the money! When what they should have done was weep for the world.
It's hard to fault Kevin Bacon. Given his excellent turn in 'Stir Of Echoes', he clearly does have good judgement. Maybe he was drunk when he signed for this. Maybe they threatened his family or something. Either way, he does an admirable job in adverse circumstances. To whit:
The plot sucks. Man spends life trying to find invisibilty formula, man is confident he has succeeded, man turns invisible, man goes mental. The whole thing's just plain old predictable. You know what he's going to do: attack those who oppose him, and ogle naked chicks, so it comes as no surprise when he... attacks people and naked chicks. Even if the story wasn't part of Hollywood and literary lore by now, you'd figure it out in less time than it takes to say 'so how do I shave if I'm invisible?'
The aforementioned effects are indeed special. People and animals dissappear by degrees, revealing the circulatory systems of a great ape and the interior workings of Kevin Bacon's genitals. His invisible self is covered in all manner of goop including latex and water, and the walking through steam is particularly cool. But the problem is, you're so caught up in the effects you forget there's actually supposed to be a movie going on under them.
Verhoeven is well known for this sort of thing. Joel Schumacher, another uberhack, butchered the Batman franchise (...& Robin, ...Forever,) and blamed it on pressure from the studio for action figures etc. TRY USING THAT EXCUSE, PAUL! WHO'S GONNA BUY AN INVISIBLE DOLL? HUH? ANSWER ME!
And so we're left with a great movie for those who thought American Beauty was about super-strength marijuana. Me, I was happily surfing about when I accidentally came across a Hollow Man fansite.
Paul Verhoeven: King of Shiny Poo.
This movie stands out for its special effects but not for its story,this movie is very predictable.Kevin Bacon is playing the main lead in the movie.He has discovered the secret formula to invisibility but his fellow workers are not able to bring him back from invisibility.Kevin is not allowed to go out of the premises as the group of scientists don't want anyone to know about the experiment,he somehow cheats the security and moves out to his apartment,he decides to have some fun and sneaks into the apartment of a girl who lives in his neighborhood.All the other scientists move out to look for him and have a big trouble getting hold of him.Kevin Bacon uses his invisibility for all the wrong purposes.This is a little insight into the story,I wont reveal much.It has great special effects and the performances are ok.You can watch it once if you want,so its a fifty-fifty recommendation from me.
I was not a huge fan of this movie. It was really freaky, I mean a killer that is invisible is a pretty freaky thing. It makes you think about the kind of character you really have. I mean, if you were invisible and couldn't be caught because you couldn't be identified because...well...your invisible, would you obey the law if there was no chance you would get caught?? This is a great question that will truly test the content of your character. That is exactly what this movie deals with.
This is a science fiction thriller that stars Kevin Bacon who plays the scientist Sebastian Caine who is working on a super secret military experiment that can make a living being invisible. They have tested this concoction on a gorilla. The results of this testing have concluded that the gorilla is definitely invisible, but the longer she stays that way the more aggressive she becomes. The scientists backers decide that the invisible serum is still not right yet and it is too dangerous to test on a human being because of the aggressive affects that it has had on the gorilla so the men with the money decide they are going to shut the operation down.
However, Sebastian will not let go, and after the meeting he goes back to the underground secret lab and tells his fellow colleagues, including Linda McKay, played by Elizabeth Shue, also Sebastian's ex girlfriend, and Matt Kensington, played by Josh Brolin, that they have permission to progress to the testing of the serum on humans. Since there is not much time until he might be shut down by the head men, Sebastian volunteers to be the test subject for this serum.
While his colleagues are timid and unsure about this decision, Sebastian is adamant about his decision and will not take no for an answer. So, Sebastian is injected with the serum and he turns invisible. However, Sebastian soon finds that being invisible is completely liberating and begins to blur the lines of what is right and what is wrong because there is no way for him to be caught because he is invisible and he doesn't have to look himself in the mirror anymore and feel guilty for his crimes. The aggression that the gorilla experienced also begins to take Sebastian over and his colleagues are scared to death of this invisible man who seems to be losing his mind.
This story has a ridiculously scary concept. I mean, I would be terrified if there was an invisible killer running around. They could be right there with you and you wouldn't even know it until it was too late. This wasn't the greatest movie I have ever seen, but it definitely gave me a scare if that is what you are looking for.
Dutch director Paul Verhoeven was never known for subtlety and reserve. His CV reads like a history of violence, glamour and sex (Basic Instinct, Robocop, Showgirls need I go on?). Hollow Man is typical Verhoeven, and contains all these things. But the criticism was too much for the director who subsequently turned his back on Hollywood and returned home to Holland.
The concept of the Invisible Man idea has been used on and off in cinema films for many decades, but the developments in cinematic special effects of recent years meant that a modern-day remake of the concept seemed rather inevitable. Hollow Man is The 21st Century Invisible Man and in my opinion, is a relatively competent piece of dumb cinema. For many, however, it was too dumb. Rather ironically, the plot is somewhat hollow in itself, and you cant help wondering whether the makers couldnt have come up with something a little more interesting.
Kevin Bacon stars as a brash government scientist, who has been seconded with a small team of specialists to conduct research into identifying the means to make animals and human beings invisible. When the viewer joins the film, Bacons team has successfully rendered a number of primate test subjects invisible, but has yet to crack the code which will allow the invisible animals to become visible again. Late one night, Bacon finally identifies the chemical formula, and the main test subject (a female gorilla) is successfully (although not without difficulty) brought back from an invisible state. Despite his success, Bacon decides not to disclose the breakthrough to his military sponsors as he fears that he will be disposed of once the military has the secret in its grasp.
Bacon controversially decides that in order for him to capitalise on the success of his research, the only solution would be for the team to move into phase three (testing on humans) without advising the military of their plans. His immediate peers reluctantly agree, and Bacon decides that the experiment will be completed on him in the first instance. The first phase of the test is successful Bacon is converted to a completely invisible state. The problem comes when Bacons team attempt to restore visibility to Bacons body the process fails upon the first attempt, and Bacon is left in invisible state. As Bacons team works furiously to uncover the means to return him to his natural state, Bacon is left to adjust to his new form, both physically and mentally and very soon the whole exercise transcends into something altogether more sinister .
It would be very difficult to comment on this film without focusing on the special effects employed throughout. There is no doubt about it; some of the sequences within the film are visually quite staggering. The basic principle of the invisibility transformation relies on the injection of a chemical into the subjects blood stream, which gradually renders each layer of the body invisible, as the solution is pumped around the body by natural blood circulation. The visual result of this is a breathtaking reconstruction of the body organ by organ, layer by layer. In the reverse of the process, it would appear as though the body is actually dissolving right before your eyes and either way the effects really are outstanding. Once Bacon is invisible, the use of effects to re-create the invisible human form is also excellent. The attention to detail is very impressive, and I have to say I was extremely impressed. This is not a film for those with a sensitive disposition though. It will come as no surprise that there are some quite nasty sequences; the first few minutes of the film are a good example of this.
Character performances in The Hollow Man were uninspiring. Kevin Bacon plays the lead with relative aplomb, although given that he is invisible for two thirds of the film, his role would seem relatively easy. Bacon always treads the line between nice guy and nut case, and this film is no exception. Having read articles elsewhere, I understand that Bacon was required to wear expensive body suits for large sequences of the film, but whatever the physical requirements, Bacon cannot help but be upstaged by the special effects in use. There were no other performances worthy of mention (hunky good guy, blonde assistant doctor etc etc.) but then Hollow Man was never going to be an exercise in Oscar nominations.
Verhoeven successfully develops a feeling of tension right from the start of the film. Not having read any detailed reviews of the film, I was unsure of what was going to go wrong but it was obvious that something clearly was going to go wrong. The film very quickly descends into a completely different level though. Initially, I thought the film was going to explore the potential consequences for an individual who was completely invisible to the world. There did appear to be some thought behind this (for instance, if your skin was invisible you would be very sensitive to light, because your eyelids would not stop any light). Unfortunately, this sort of idea was never really explored in any depth, and the film very quickly became formulaic, as Bacon started to lose his grip on reality.
Before long, the whole thing had ultimately descended into one of those Hes behind you! kind of Hollywood pantomimes that really do nothing for the intelligent viewer. Please rest assured in terms of the top ten silly things to do in a crisis the cast of Hollow Man did them all. Despite the fact that the only way they can see Bacon is through heat sensitive goggles, youll be amazed at how long it takes them to actually put them on and keep them on. All I can say is this I want to be a bad guy. They seem to be able to take relentless beatings, submerging and burnings, and still have energy to grab your ankles.
I am sure that most sensible viewers will ultimately feel quite cheated with this film. The idea was promising (after all, what would you get up to if you were suddenly invisible?) but Im afraid the more original ideas were not really explored anywhere near as much as they could. I would also suggest that animal lovers would find the film hard-going. Despite the fact that no real animals were harmed in the making of the production, the suggestion of vivisection and cruelty to animals was too strong for my liking.
The Hollow Man is more evidence that special effects do not a great film make. I would recommend this film for one of those evenings when there really is nothing else to watch and someone else is paying for the rental.
Hollow Man is a movie which I reeeeeally wanted to see after catching a minor TV spot around the time of its release. I loved the 30's film version of The Invisible Man starring Claude Rains and was looking forward to seeing more of the same ideas explored with all the additional benefits modern day special effects technology might add in the eye-candy department. James Whale's 1933 classic tracks the slow decent into madness of a man trapped in a world of shadows, saying much about the human condition along the way and leaving much to ponder upon and it's fair to say I was looking forward to more of the same but without the naivity of 30's cinema from Hollow Man. Unfortunately, despite some of the claims to the contrary on the DVD commentary, Hollow Man appears absolutely uninterested in exploring anything other than its special effects technology and a one dimensional theme of sex and violence. Paul Verhoeven directs and yes, this is arguably a typical set of Paul Verhoeven themes (although usually with some kind of intelligent undertone which is lacking here) but it's a crying shame as the concept demands much more. I should say that this is perhaps in no way a re-working of the classic The Invisible Man story despite my pre-amble above but more of a typical Hollywood thriller with an invisible bloke at the centre. Hollow Man presents us with a secret Pentagon funded research project involving a small team of scientists working on an invisibility formula. Head of the project is Dr. Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon), a brilliant but arrogant scientist with a god complex who has lead his team through several successful invisibility tests on animals and now wants to try it on himself before the Pentagon take the project away from them as they know they soon will. The serum is applied and Caine does become invisible as expected but for some reason the process to transform him back fails on him leaving him trapped in invisibility without a cur
e seeming anywhere close... Of course, it couldn't quite be that simple could it? Caine's god complex goes into overdrive as he sees the possibilities for his new found omnipotence are endless. Well, they're endless to the viewer but to Sebastian Caine his invisibility is the perfect opportunity for him to run around raping and murdering without a chance of being caught. Which is my main problem with this movie. The ideas frankly stretch no further than the special effects work which is, undeniably, ground-breaking and superb to watch but other than that they're entirely devoid of anything other than sex and violence. Given the gift/curse of invisibility all Caine can think of doing is raping his neighbour, killing his boss and fondling his co-workers. This perhaps says more about the man behind the camera than anything else but c'mon, could it be any more shallow??? The best parts of Hollow Man occur during the extended phase of initial exposition, arguably, the most shocking scene occurs in the first few seconds for that matter! These initial scenes introduce us to the ideas at play and you can watch in awe at the special effects work as the invisibility serum is applied. No expense is spared here and it's all very impressive. The top special effects work continues throughout and in that sense the movie is great fun. I won't describe any of the effects simply because they are the most fun part but suffice to say you can forget floating coffee mugs and disembodied voices, Hollow Man doesn't cop out in that way but instead goes the whole hog wherever possible. It is after Caine is actually invisible and starts his psychological 'decline'(more of a leap actually) that things become less interesting. Given that the character is invisible for at least 50% - 70% of the movie, you really need something to latch on to in order to keep things interesting. The initial 'wow factor' of the special effe
cts will subside after 20-30 minutes(as it always does) and leave you looking for something more which Hollow Man doesn't offer, not through the boring one-dimensional characters who surround Caine, nor through the events which unfold before your eyes. Hollow Man simply doesn't make any attempt to craft a decent story but rather jumps from 'gone invisible' to 'gone around raping and killing' with little exposition in between. It is almost as if Verhoeven et. al. felt we would fully empathise with Caine's actions and therefore wouldn't need to see what drove him to it. I neither empathised nor cared when it became apparent this was the only direction the movie was going to take. Adding to the 'don't care' factor are the amazingly one-dimensional characters. You learn nothing of these people other than what you can read from their credits billing. Can you really care that much for dull strangers? The only character to get any kind of development is Caine himself...and he's invisible most of the time! Added to this is the sense that some scenes only exist to show off a new special effect, three of the six main effects only exist in one 2 minute scene for example... The bottom line with this movie is that if you are impressed by cool special effects then you'll probably like this but if you actually like something of a storyline to go along with your eye-candy you'll be well advised to look elsewhere. Verhoeven has done worse(well, I guess Showgirls was unintentionally amusing) but he has also done an awful lot better as well. • The DVD So then onto the DVD features. As you would undoubtedly have come to expect from the DVD release of a new Hollywood production, picture quality is pretty faultless. I'm no eagle-eye when it comes to picking up problems in this area and so far as I'm concerned colours seem fine, picture seems fine, there is no sign of colou
r bleeding or edge sharpening etc. and frankly I'd be enormously surprised if there was. By the same token the sound quality leaves nothing to pass comment on either. Subtitles come in an array of languages if you need them whilst it should be noted that, oddly enough for an English release, you only get Dutch subtitles on the extras. There's also a Hungarian soundtrack on here too if you're really bored. I will pass comment on the menu briefly for those who bought the movie blind. I'll never have a satisfactory explanation of why companies feel the need to do this but once again, the menu of this movie comprises several minutes of cut scenes from the movie featuring all the best special effects moments. Considering the 'ooh and ahh' effect of seeing the special effects for the first time are pretty much the movie's sole selling point this is a bit of a slapping offence in my opinion. Navigation is pretty unintuitive as well as the icon to move to the next page moves around the screen, changes shape, gets added to picture frames and other things which pretty much disguise its existence! (I missed quite a few extra features before writing this review) • Extras As is usually the case, if you watch the extras before the movie then you'll have your enjoyment of it spoiled, that's pretty much taken as read for DVD buyers BUT in the case of this one you don't even want to look at the titles of the extras either unless you want to know what happens to half the characters(including the ending). Do take that into consideration. In terms of the extras alone Hollow Man would however be rated at impressive 9 out of 10. Extra features include: • VFX Picture-In-Picture Comparison An interesting little collection of three scenes from the movie played both as you saw them in the film and how the production crew saw them during the shoot. It's offers a little more
unravelling of the mystery behind just quite how all the special effects work was done on the movie and if nothing else, because I know a lot of people couldn't give a rat's butt how they do the sfx work, you can have a giggle at Kevin Bacon painted head to foot in luminous green paint... I always enjoy this kind of thing and the picture-in-picture comparison showing how it looked on screen juxtaposed with the real-life shots on the set are a nice touch above the usual straight docu-footage. • Fleshing Out The Hollow Man A series of 15(!) mini documentaries featuring behind the scenes footage and words from the cast, crew and director, all around 1 - 6 minutes in length. The first is in the format of a TV spot featurette showing 'Hollywood's Mad Scientist' director Paul Verhoeven at work and giving you a little insight into what makes him tick...although, as you'd expect, it's not particularly objective in its approach. It is fascinating to note just how involved and how erm, 'manic' the guy is on set which does much to show why his movies do have so much energy. The rest are all to do with the 'how' behind the various special effects used in the movie and all are absolutely fascinating if you ask me...as well as being not long enough to become boring lol. Oh and amongst them is a really interesting picture-in-picture comparison of the movie's storyboard representation to the final movie footage. The documentary footage here is very dynamic, it moves quickly between cast and crew picking up snippets of info. from each whilst showing a lot of the action both with and without the effects work applied so it grabs and holds your attention and never once becomes boring. Scenes have been re-edited as well to show how the scene looks both with and without the sfx work, switching seamlessly between what the camera sees and what we eventually saw in the movie all during the same shot. All tho
se involved are very animated and eager to explain their work and their reasoning behind the action taken and the enthusiasm is infectious. Fascinating stuff, trust me. • Hollow Man: Anatomy Of A Thriller Undoubtedly a made-for-TV featurette - y'know, one of those extended docu-trailers designed to sell the movie with cast and crew commentary but which you really want to avoid unless you like to see virtually the entire movie played out before you lol. Watched after the movie it might give you a little more insight into some of the ideas Verhoeven was playing with and some of the torment Kevin Bacon went through so that he could be 'removed' from each scene, amongst other things. • Commentaries There are two commentaries on the disc: In the first Verhoeven, Bacon and screenwriter Marlow discuss the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of the film. You'll either be interested or you won't - that simple. It fills in some of the blanks and gives a few whys and wherefores to certain scenes but it's pretty much an extended version of the five special effects commentaries if you ask me. Like I said, there isn't a whole lot going on plotwise so pretty much all they can talk about is the effects work again. The second features the isolated score run through of the movie with commentary from Jerry Goldsmith. Erm, I survived 10 minutes for the purpose of this review but well, let's be honest, there are going to be very few who this interests and sorry, I'm not one of them. • Deleted Scenes Well I found these after wondering where the seemingly obligatory trailers were lol. Sometimes DVD menus flumox me y'know. There are three scenes, 2 very brief snippets and one of around 5 minutes which shows the effects of Sebastian prowling around the city which I would have prefered to have seen in the movie to be honest. • Other Stuff Well, there are two trailers, a teaser trailer and a theatrical trailer to look at. Interesting to see how the theatrical trailer pretty actually shows the closing scene of the movie which is pure genious lol. You also get "Talent Profiles" to read through for Elisabeth Shue, Paul Verhoeven, Kevin Bacon and Josh Brolin, which is limited to a few stats and a 'selected' filmography. And that's yer lot. • Overall I think the DVD package can not really be faulted. If you like the movie then you've got more than enough on this DVD to keep you happy..you may struggle to find everything if you're as inept with menus as I am but it's all here and it's a great package! The movie itself didn't really live up to my expectations, playing more along the lines of a typical Hollywood thriller but with the invisibility of the central psycho replacing any attempt to craft a decent storyline or inject any suspense into the proceedings but you might be more enamoured with it than I am. Thanks a lot for taking time to read this review. prodigy_techus
Decades ago human invisibility was explored in films by having a man wrapped in bandages a wearing shades, he was clearly not invisible but the idea was there. Of course he was only truly invisible once his hat danced around seemingly in thin air despite the fact that were lines doing the work. Hollow Man takes the invisible man approach but brings it into the 21st century with CGI effects. Dr Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon) is a great scientist but he's also very cocky and arrogant. His work is conducted deep underground for the defense department. Here he has successfully taken apes and made them invisible before bring them back into vision again. Now he moves on the next stage and begins human testing, the first test subject will be himself. The experiement is a success but Caine's team then can't bring him back. These leaves Caine isolated in the underground lab where he slowly starts to go a little crazy. Before you know it he is taking advantage of his invisibility with some horrific results. At first glance Hollow Man is an amazing idea and on some levels the film is a huge success. This is a film that shows the full extent of what CGI effects can do and how this didn't win an oscar I'll never know. The pure attention to detail is outstanding as you see Caine disappear first with the muscle structure going on to the organs before Caine's skeleton slowly disappears. It's horrific stuff but amazingly fascinating at the same time. The same can be said for the ape experiment. You'd swear there was a real ape there. Once Caine is up an walking it's still amazing as you can see right through the openings in his rubber mask and through to the other side. I don't know how they did some of the special effects in this film but they work tremendously. But on the other hand the film's story never really reaches the heights it promises, things start off well but you never really go fully into Caine's
descent into complete madness. It's just something that develops quite quickly. I also has some questions such as is Caine was invisible then surely his body would still be intact, yet he has no eyelids and can't close his eyes to sleep. If this was the case then surely he's have no genetalia etc. I don't know maybe I'm looking too deep into it. The acting is decent enough. Kevin Bacon does well in the lead role and I'd imagine it was a real painstaking process to go through the special effects involved in the making of the movie. Elisabeth Shue is also decent as a strong female lead in the film, the supporting characters may as well have dead printed on their foreheads. Obviously the films big sell is it's effects and that's primarily why this is still an entertaining romp. Director Paul Verhoven doesn't skimp on the violence throughout and there are some truly nasty moments during the final act. It may actually put some people off but it's quite comic book in style and oddly dark in humour. Sure the story could be better but this could have been far worse as well. If you haven't seen the film then it worth a look, its not the greatest film in the world but it's far from the worst either.
Another weekend in LOL! Short of cash and having just finished another day in the office, I decided to rely in my old faithful, never let me down Sky Movies. Having trawled through the listings I came across the much debated and reviewed "Hollow Man", premiered on Sky Premier Widescreen. Well, there wasn't exactly a lot more on offer on Saturday night, so I thought "what the hell, let's give it a go". The results were, shall we say, interesting to say the least. ~~ CAST ~~ Sebastian Caine - Kevin Bacon Linda Kay - Elizabeth Shue Matthew Kensington- Josh Brolin Carter Abbey - Greg Grunberg Frank Chase - Joey Slotnik Janice Walton - Mary Randle Dr. Howard Kramer - William Devane Directed by - Paul Verhoeven Running time - Approx 1hr 40 mins Rating - 18 ~~ STORY ~~ The film begins in a quite gruesome way. We are "treated" to a scene where a laboratory rat is picked up, and quite violently has its neck broken by an "invisible" hand. Nice eh? Take it that this is not going to be a romantic comedy then (excuse the sarcasm). We are introduced to Sebastian Caine, a wonderfully gifted scientist who seems apparently obsessed with the notion of being able to make animals invisible. Problem is, he is having a rather more pressing problem of not being able to make them visible again. Perplexing eh? Coupled with this, he also is suffering with the fact of recently being dumped by fellow scientist Linda Kay ( the rather tasty Elizabeth Shue ). It's hard being a scientist. In the middle of the night, Caine stumbles across what he has been looking for – the process to revert from invisible to visible. Excited to say the least, he races down to his laboratory in his rather nice Porsche convertible (perk of the job, didn't you know) to test this groundbreaking piece of science
. His subject matter? An invisible gorilla. After initial panic, the formula he has devised works, bringing dear old Isabel (the gorilla) back to her normal self. Hurray! Ain't science wonderful? Well, yes and no. You see, unfortunately, Caine is a bit, well, manic to say the least. Apart from his obvious arrogance (well he is a genius after all), Caine looks on himself as God! Probably why he is called Caine (think about it! LOL). Another problem is the fact that the work he is doing is for the US Government, who are about to pull his funding once he has completed his work. So he's not about to release his new found miracle just yet. Instead he decides to test the formula himself, by firstly making himself invisible. This however is where things begin to go a little pear shaped. Apparently it works fine on animals, but human DNA just won't take it. Caine finds himself in a race against time, stuck in a transparent world, with no readily available antidote. The film starts fairly well, but unfortunately it does not progress as well as it could have done. The plot could have offered so much, but fails to deliver. After about 30 minutes it is fairly obvious to all where this is all going. Caine is the archetypal mad genius, intent on making mankind a better place in his eyes. He is dominant, and, well, of his trolley basically. He is also not happy that his ex-lover (Elizabeth Shue) is now knocking off one of his fellow colleagues, who he is convinced is trying to steal his thunder. Caine is a jealous, paranoid man, crossing the line from genius to a psychotic with relative ease and gusto. Kevin Bacon portrays the character in fine form, although it would have been difficult not to, given the script. Very easy to follow. Elizabeth Shue does not exactly have to tax the old brain cells to play her part either. Which is a shame as they are both good actors. The bulk of thought seems to have gone into the special effects u
sed throughout the film. They are very, very good. Maybe we should not expect much more from a film directed by Paul Verhoeven. All effects, little plot. Remember Robocop? Similar situation here I'm afraid readers. Yes the effects are good, in particular during the scenes where Caine is now "The Hollow Man", invisible to everyone. Some of the detail to movement is exceptional, and the use of computer imagery is very apparent but cleverly designed. But that's your lot. It's one of those film that you watch just to say that you've seen it. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't race out to HMV to but on DVD or video (taped it off Sky instead, he hee!). I think you get my drift. Give it a go, you may enjoy it for it's sheer novelty value. Regards Paul © 2002-04-15
At the end of this movie I was wondering what had become of director Paul Verhoeven that he would sink to the depths of a movie like Hollow Man. Then I realised that he has never actually been that good, but got lucky occasionally such as with the o-so-campy action flick Robocop. That had a certain charm with its tongue-in-cheek handling of a bizarre concept, whereas Hollow Man takes itself all too seriously and falls flat on its invisible face. It is not an update to the H. G. Wells classic The Invisible Man, with our invisible guy, Keven Bacon, not attempting to surpass the genius of Claude Raines in the original translation of that novel to the silver screen. That is one creepy classic of a movie and definitely one which I would recommend despite its crumbling reels and great age. It is still vastly superior to Hollow Man. This movie falls foul of something which movie makers do not seem to be able to get through their thick skulls: SPECIAL EFFECTS ALONE DO NOT A GOOD MOVIE MAKE!!! Are you listening Mr. Spielberg? Do you hear me Paul Verhoeven? No of course not, and whilst you lot keep pouring into the cinemas on the basis of an exciting looking trailer then of course they'll keep churning out Independence Day, A.I., and movies like Hollow Man. Of course you can get real, stick up two finger to the next scriptless, plotless piece of special effects driven trash which they puke onto our screens and they might get the message... *Minor Rant Over* Yes I know its not going to happen and apparently a few of you liked this movie, but the general consensus appear to agree with me so...HAHAHA! Anyway, should you decide to rent this movie, which is at least entertaining in parts, you'll get Kevin Bacon playing a scientist who is not only sure about his genius status, he is also rather too convinced about his God-like status as well. He, along with a small band of others have created a serum which makes living creatures
invisible. so far it has only been tried out on animals - as seen through the great opening sequence where something invisible slaughters a rat - but he is all too keen to have it tried on himself............ To deal with the good points of the movie first there really is no argument to be had over the quality of the special effects. This is eye-candy at its most impressive and most compelling but you have to ask yourself is it worth shelling out cold hard cash and sitting through a two hour movie for 5-10 minutes of decent special effects? Sure, you do gets to see the skin stripped away to reveal pulsing muscles beneath, and they too are stripped to reveal the internal organs throbbing and pulsing with blood as Bacon becomes invisible. You do get some great 'invisible guy effects' and the opening kill of the rat is a compelling start to the movie, but there is no way that this is enough to carry the entire movie - however impressive. The main problem for me comes in two neat packages - characters and plot. Characters: There is no faulting Kevin Bacon once more in his role although for most of it he is nothing more than a special effect and a disembodied voice(much as Claude Raines was in the 1930's version of The Invisible Man. He gives a solid performance as always and there is certainly no fault to be aimed in his direction here. The problem is that we end up rooting for him as the movie progresses - we end up sticking up for the murderer/rapist/psycho because the other characters are so dull, lifeless and unlikeable. The two lead good guys are played by Elizabeth Shue and Josh Brolin. Shue has given us a few good performances before but nothing too exciting, whilst Brolin is...well, I can't remember seeing him before but he is nothing short of plantlife here and I hope I never get to see him again in a major motion picture. These two are so unheroic and wooden that its difficult to care what happens to them whilst Bacon brings
life and falir to his own character...hence you end up caring more about the villain living than the good guys. Plot: The plot starts off so well, thats its a crying shame that it decends almost into the realms of exploitation with the levels of gratuitous violence to which it sinks. You have to ask youself too why our self-possessed scientist genius now given the omnipotent power which he seems to think that he always deserved decides that the best use to which he can put this is to give him the ability to become a peeping tom, rapist and murderer! This is hardly the thought process of a genius, but very much the thought process of a rather unintelligent director whose previous work has basically involved rapists murderers and general violence for the sake of it. The level of gore and violence in this movie is only unacceptable because it is basically so unnecessary to the plot, trust me I love horror movies and I have no problem with either in the right place but a movie like Hollow Man is not the right place. It actually becomes almost humorous in parts because the mayhem is so out of place and just plain silly... Hollow Man fails to achieve what its 1933 predecessor acheived so well. Yes they may be different movies altogether but the premise is the same. Whilst The Invisible Man emphasised the tragic nature of the lead character finding himself in a world of shadows, and going insane because of his new found omnipotency, Hollow Man goes for a special effects over-kill and slaughters any of the beginnings of a good movie. It starts off so well, collapses in the middle and then disintegrates by the abysmal ending. Its impossible to care for the hideously boring hero characters, none of the cannon fodder secondary cast members are very interesting either and the only real talent in the movie is invisible for most of it!! Personally, I found it nice to look at, at best, and at worst...just plain boring. If watching a 2 hour movie for 10-15 minute
s of good special effects sounds like your thing, then by all means check out Hollow Man, otherwise wait for it to come out on terrestrial television...shouldn't be too long now...
Is it just me, or does Hollow Man share many qualities with another Kevin Bacon classic, Flatliners? Let's examine the evidence for a moment... In Flatliners, Bacon plays one of a small group of enthusiastic medical students - very cool, but very keen to "advance science". In Hollow Man, Bacon plays an enthusiastic scientist, very cool, but... In Flatliners, the experiment is incredibly exciting at first, but leads to frightening complications. Hollow Man, ditto. It goes beyond that - it seems the reaction to the experiment is linked to the length of time underwent in the experiment. ____________________________________________ Anyway, enough of that, and on to Hollow Man itself. I've read mixed opinions and reviews, both on Dooyoo and elsewhere. I think all opinions are valid, because, quite frankly, this film has strokes of pure genius, and moments of utter rubbish. First, the story. Dr Sebastian Caine (Bacon) and his team of similarly young and gifted scientists discover how to make people and animals invisible. Having struggled to make them visible again, Caine finally finds a solution, and then volunteers himself as the first human subject. Unfortunately, the reversal serum doesn't work, and Caine remains invisible. The story then follows Caine as he first resents, then begins to enjoy his invisibility. In my view, the film cleverly shows Bacon's decline into insanity - I think most of us would admit to losing the plot a bit if we were invisible. However, the second half of the film degenerates into a standard "trapped underground with a mad murderer" scenario, which I feel wasted the opportunity given by the concept. And, as with so many similar action films, the end is rather abrupt and "generic", so you know exactly what's going to happen (if not how). Special effects in the film are, in my view, the best I have
ever seen in any film. To be honest, I was happy to pay for the DVD purely for the opening 20 minutes. As a Doctor, the anatomy of the disappearing and reappearing human was, if not entirely accurate, very close. And maybe the half-visible body resembled an anatomy textbook, rather than a real body (very clean and colourful), but, hey, I'm being a bit picky! I thought the visual effects generally were incredible, and, in a way, made the film (not necessarily a good thing!) Concept and themes. Director Paul Verhoven is well known for tackling psychological undertones head-on, which generally gives his films a clever "layered" approach. Having said that, characterisation was rather weak, and you never really connected with any of the characters. Bacon's move from spying on naked women (as a man, I believe a perfectly understandable reaction to being invisible), to raping and murdering was quite sudden, as if Verhoven got bored with the suspenseful build-up, and similarly, the ending seemed rather rushed. Verhoven is also known for the eroticism in his films, which was shown to a degree in Hollow Man. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Personal choice I guess! _____________________________________________ The DVD Hollow Man has a great selection of bonus features crammed into the DVD. As well as being able to watch the film in English or Hungarian, there are subtitles in 16 languages. Other features include 2 trailers (what's the point when you've just seen the film), detailed and interesting Special Effects featurettes, 3 deleted scenes (to be honest, these don't add much interest), 2 feature-length commentaries (one by Verhoven and Bacon, and one by the music composer, Jerry Goldsmith), and a storyboard comparison, showing the film alongside the original storyboard artwork. Even the menus are animated, and themed to match the film. A nice touch, I thought. All in all,
a good film, with slightly flimsy storyline, and potential to be so much more. But worth seeing for the effects.
After waiting for ages to see this film the video was released and assured as I was that his would be a excellent film I went out and bought it (MISTAKE). Having seen the previews to this film I thought it looked really good. Kevin Bacon plays the lead scientist in a project about making people invisible, but un until recently the test has only been carried out on animals with varying degrees of success/failure (Animal testing BIG BOO). So Keving Bacon decides the time has come to try the project out on a human namely himself. What follows is kevin Bacon basically turning into a psychotic git, who rapes a girl, kills a dog and basically goes mad. In all honesty I thought the film was rubbish and am trying to give the video away as I won't watch it again. The overall storyline was weak, and disjointed and some things I think took away from what potentially could have been a good film I mean was it really necessary for there to be a scene in which a dog is bashed against a cage till it's dead? The good thing about the film was it did have fantastic special effects like when the gorilla is being made revisible and you see it being built up. Overall though this film is a Turkey.
In Paul Verhoeven's appropriately shallow Hollow Man, Kevin Bacon plays a bad-boy egotistical scientist who heads up a double-secret government team experimenting with turning life-forms invisible. How do we know he's a bad boy? Because he (a) wears a leather overcoat, (b) compares himself to God, (c) drives a sports car and (d) spies on his comely next-door neighbour while eating Twinkies. Sadly, this is the most character development anyone gets in this undernourished action/sci-fi thriller, which boasts some phenomenal, seamless and Oscar-worthy computer effects and some amazingly ridiculous plot twists. After experimenting rather ruthlessly on a menagerie of lab animals, Bacon finally cracks the code that will turn the invisible gorillas, dogs and so on back into their visible forms, and promptly volunteers as a human guinea pig. Sure enough he is rendered invisible, organ by organ, vein by vein, and then proceeds to spy on his female co-workers in the bathroom and molest his comely next-door neighbour. Soon, Bacon is thoroughly psychotic, and it's up to Elisabeth Shue (Bacon's co-worker and ex-girlfriend) and hunky Josh Brolin (her current snuggle bunny) to defeat the invisible man, who's picking off the science team one by one. You'd think this would be a prime opportunity for copious amounts of cheesy sex and aggressive violence--which Verhoeven served up so well and so exuberantly in Starship Troopers and Basic Instinct--but if anything, the director seems to tone down the proceedings, and really, who wants a muted Paul Verhoeven movie? --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com On the DVD: In the audio commentary with director Paul Verhoeven and star Kevin Bacon, Hollow Man scriptwriter Andrew Marlowe reveals that the story had been in development for some nine years before it got made, and that he had worked on it for "a number of years". An amazing revelation, given that the main attraction of this DVD is surely the cutting-edge special effects and the fascinating behind-the-scenes deconstruction of them. The DVD viewer cannot help but wonder how anyone could have spent years on a script that looks like it was cobbled together over a weekend as an excuse to play around with some really neat CGI effects. The various documentary features on the disc break down all the key FX scenes in exhaustive detail, showing the creative blend of live action and CGI and all the painstaking methods by which it was achieved. Director Verhoeven is appropriately profiled as "Hollywood's Mad Scientist" in the "Anatomy of a Thriller" featurette (in the commentary he makes a comparison with Hitchcock's Rear Window that only serves to underline the gulf between his ambitious vision and its execution). Elsewhere, legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith provides a commentary to his music, which gives hope to fans that he will now do the same for some of his better scores. There are deleted scenes, trailers, storyboards and a really neat menu interface to round off an enjoyable DVD package. Anamorphic picture and sound quality are impeccable. --Mark Walker


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text: I just got a HTC Velocity 4G (which I have been told is the Australian version if the Vivid) and one thing I have noticed is that when inputting text, either messaging or browsing the internet etc, is that I can't get the magnifying glass to popup to accurately edit text in a misspelled word. If you long-press a word all it does is highlight it and give you cut and paste options (or in Handcent pop up with an editing menu) This wouldn't be such a problem if it had the navigation arrows underneath the keyboard (like the Desire HD which I used to have) but it doesn't have those either. So my question is this: is there a way to enable the magnifying glass to zoom in on words to edit mistakes, as I can't find an option to enable it. The Velocity 4G here is at the moment specific to Telstra and running Android 2.3.7 with a planned upgrade to 4.0 in the near future so I am also curious as to whether it is just missing from 2.3.7 and will be re-implemented in 4.0. Any help would be greatly appreciated Thanks


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Member since 1/24/2013
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Recent comments from carowel
I got one and I have've had good result w/dermawand. Sagging skin between the brows look tightened. The more you use it the faster you'll see results and you won't want to stop. READ COMMENT
Girl try it and judge for yourself. I did and I love the results. READ COMMENT


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Pearson Hall Classroom with Benches
Pearson Hall Classroom with Benches
Phillips Academy
Pearson Hall began its existence as Bartlet Hall and later Bartlet Chapel. Completed in 1818 for the Theological School, it originally sat between what is now Bartlet Hall (second version) and Foxcroft Hall (originally called Phillips Hall). The large clock tower was added 1875, and the original cupola was restored in 1922 after it was moved to its present site. The benches from this classroom are currently stored in the attice of the OWH Library.
Phillips Academy -- Buildings
Phillips Academy -- Pearson Hall
Collection :
Citation :
"Pearson Hall Classroom with Benches," in NOBLE Digital Heritage, Item #15925, http://heritage.noblenet.org/items/show/15925 (accessed September 20, 2017).


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Teen rider makes mark with 'volt'
Eighteen-year-old amateur FMX rider Davi Johnson's dreams of a professional freestyle motocross career are closer to becoming a reality. Having moved from Odessa, Texas, to Temecula, Calif., late last year, he spends the majority of his days pushing out reps with Charles Dao of Icon Sports Fitness and digging himself out of his foam pit. Laziness and giving up are not in the vocabulary of the rider better known as Davi J as displayed by signature graphics and T-shirts.
After competing in the 2011 DBK Amateur FMX Contest Johnson spent every day thinking about what he was going to do next that would help set him apart from the rest of the competition and ultimately make a name for himself. Well, a few months back the idea of pulling off the "volt" trick popped into his head.
Only a few riders have attempted the trick, so tackling a goal like this is no easy feat. And so began the countless hours of dedicating himself to beating up his body in the foam pit and receiving a couple of concussions along the way. After six weeks of attempting it in the foam pit, he was confident that it was time to take it to dirt.
The volt is only performed by a handful of people who also are among the top riders in FMX. It's a technical trick and to be good at doing it you really have to be comfortable with the front end of your bike floating out from under you in a washing out manner, similar to what it feels like when you wash out the front end coming into a turn. This trick is definitely a technical one that takes tons of commitment and dedication to pull it off in competition.
All that risk was no match for Johnson's determination and will to master the trick. He's looking to work his way up in the FMX community and pulling the volt trick several times at this year's 2012 DBK amateur contest was a major step He now has his sights set on riding X Games and X-Fighters, the crown jewels of FMX competitions.
I have no doubt he will work hard and do everything in his power to get there. For now, though, getting as much experience as he can is key and in time he should find his way there.
After the DBK amateur contest I talked with Davi J about the process of dialing in the volt.
ESPN.com: When did you start thinking about doing the Volt?
Johnson: I started thinking about doing the volt trick around three months before the DBK event. I was just brainstorming one day and thought it would be really cool if I could land the volt and pull it off.
So from the point you actually started trying it in the foam pit to the DBK contest, how long was that? Ummm, it was probably a month and a half of going straight into the foam pit, ramp to foam, ramp to foam, 9-5. It was a fun thing to figure out
Why the volt trick?
It's a trick only a handful of people are doing and when you do it, it's the greatest feeling in the world.
In your first attempts at the volt how close were you to getting around and back on the bike?
My first attempts going into the pit were basically letting go and ditching the bike so I could see how the rotation was going to feel and figuring out what I needed to do to get back on the bike.
How long did it take for you to get it dialed in the foam pit?
Probably took me about three weeks to get it into the foam pit. I really beat myself up, I messed my foot up, my wrist, my hand, my head, my whole body. It really made me relearn everything, like how to take a hit.
Did you have it dialed to dirt before you got to the contest or was the DBK contest your first attempt to dirt?
Yeah, I probably did it 45 times to dirt before the DBK contest.
That's a lot of times you landed a technical trick.
Yeah, I landed it 45 times [laughs].
What does it feel like to actually be doing a volt in the air?
I don't know. I guess I'm feeling the adrenaline rush coming up to the ramp and it's all or nothing, so I twist my hips and spin and once I'm doing that it's kind of a weird feeling that you're just floating through the air. It's weird! A good explanation is you're floating through the air. Once you start to come back around, you start to see the bike and your heart starts pounding and it's the greatest feeling in the world to land on both wheels.
Yeah, I bet landing on both wheels [is] a good feeling!
[Laughs] Yeah, it is! I just can't do too many back-to-back because I start to get dizzy.
What happened at the DBK contest, I know you had a mishap in the final?
Practice and qualifying went perfect. And coming down to the main I was going to go for the volt on the first jump, and when I was spinning the sun kind of got in my eyes and I couldn't see the bike. I got on the bike as much as I could see and held on for dear life, hit the ground and got knocked out but I'm doing good.
No broken bones?
Yeah, no broken bones, so it's all good, It's a good day!
Anyone you'd like to thank?
I'd like to thank Troy Lee Designs, Mom, Dad, my friend Brendan Smith who got me out of the foam pit each and every time.
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text: Newly formed Orange County, CA based act I Am War have joined Razor & Tie's label and publishing rosters. The band is led by Atreyu frontman Alex Varkatzas on vocals and Brandan Schieppati of Bleeding Through on guitar and vocals. I Am War's debut album is set for a spring 2012 release. Check out a demo version of "The Poisoning" below.


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Daily Wrap-up: Wells Fargo, Rd. 3
Round 3 Recap: Wells Fargo Championship
In the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship, Nick Watney shot a 1-under 71 and shares the lead with Phil Mickelson.May 04, 2013
Rank Player Score Total T1 Phil Mickelson 73 -8 T1 Nick Watney
71 -8 3 George McNeill
72 -7 T4 John Senden
68 -6 T4* Ryan Moore
71 -6 *Four other golfers finished Round 3 at -6
SCORES: See the complete leaderboard
TEE TIMES: Who's with who in Round 4
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Phil Mickelson's ball was just above the edge of the cart path, slightly below his feet, when he decided to hit a hard fade around the trees toward the green. The shot went out-of-bounds and cost him the outright lead Saturday in the Wells Fargo Championship, and Mickelson was angry about his decision.
He felt he should have hit driver instead of 3-wood.
In the group ahead of him, new leader Nick Watney hit a semi-shank with a 6-iron on the par-3 17th, the ball flying toward a hospitality tent. He made double bogey, and pulled his cap over his face when the round was over to hide a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
And these were the co-leaders going into the final round at Quail Hollow.
A series of blunders in the last hour of the third round shook up the Wells Fargo Championship, and the only consolation for Mickelson and Watney is that they were atop the leaderboard going into a final round that features a forecast of rain.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The periwinkle blue cap with the flat white brim pulled over his face said it all. Better to not hear what Nick Watney actually was muttering after he squandered a two-shot lead on the 53rd hole of the Wells Fargo Championship.
Watney will undoubtedly take his share of grief in the locker room for the shank -- yes, we said it -- that produced a double-bogey on the 17th hole at Quail Hollow. When he sheepishly arrived at his ball, Watney still had 78 yards to the green. On a 207-yard par 3, no less. And his third shot didn't find the green, either.
But when the embarrassment subsides, and it will, just ask us mere mortals so well-acquainted with golf's ultimate gaffe, Watney must focus on the fact that he's still one of the men to beat in Sunday's final round.
"I can't remember really the last time I did that in a tournament, so it was a bit unsettling," Watney acknowledged. "But big picture, I'm tied for the lead, and I would have taken that on Thursday morning. Probably wouldn't have liked the way ... if you told me that was going to happen. Unfortunately, I can't change it now, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Read the full story here
Shot of the Day: Woodland
Gary Woodland holes a 161-yard eagle approach shot
on the par-4 18th hole.
@RickieFowlerPGA: 77 that's golf...phone is even rocking 77 right now...% that is #batterylife
--Fowler shot a 77 in the third round and will not play on Sunday.
@BradFritsch: I think they broke out the rollers last night at Quail Hollow...putts were flying past the hole today! Fortunate to be playing tomorrow.
--Fritsch made four bogeys, one double bogey and just one birdie on a tough Saturday.
@SirDoubleL: Rooting for @gards76 this weekend. Guy is golfing his ball while probably missing a belt loop and different socks. Such a beauty
-- Luke List explains why he's pulling for Scott Gardiner this weekend.
"It's tough to run away on this golf course. I think the
greens are dictating that with a pretty good bunch.
Nobody's going to get streaky and shoot a 62 I don't
think. It will be a case of playing solid tomorrow and
giving yourself chances and taking opportunities when
you can with it."
--Lee Westwood on the tight leaderboard
"I'm sure the officials will go out there and set the golf
course up accordingly. They're usually pretty good about
that. But it's supposed to be windy as well, so it's going
to be a fun day. Kind of like a British Open versus a Wells
Fargo, but I guess we'll get out there and figure it out
when we get there."
--George McNeill on planning for a rainy final round
Amanda Balionis and Tom Werme with SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio preview Round 3 of the Wells Fargo Championship
1 - Nick Watney has only missed one cut this year in 11 starts.
2 - Number of wins George McNeill has on the PGA TOUR.
5 - Watney's win total on the PGA TOUR.
15 - How many starts Phil Mickelson has made in North Carolina. He's never won in the Tar Heel state.
22 - Number of events (out of 36) that Mickelson has won when leading or sharing the lead heading into Round 4.
24 - Age of Rory McIlroy, who celebrated his birthday during Saturday's third round.
26 - Mickelson's made 26 more feet of putts than the next best player through three rounds.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Granted, Robert Karlsson and Ryan Moore each gave a stroke back as they played Quail Hollow's tough three-hole finishing stretch nicknamed "The Green Mile."
But as the leaders were teeing off in the Wells Fargo Championship the two veterans were living proof birdies were to be had on Saturday. Moore birdied five of his first seven holes while Karlsson, the Swede who now lives in Charlotte, made his move up the leaderboard with a 69 that included five birdies.
The two are tied at 6 under, as a result, with John Senden, who shot 67; Derek Ernest and Lee Westwood, who shot 72s, and David Lynn, who birdied the last two holes for his 71. Even better, they are only two strokes off the lead.
"I got off to a hot start," Moore acknowledged. "It was a pretty tough, blustery, windy day and the course is playing long. So you had a lot of long irons, hybrids and even fairway woods into the par 4s. So obviously to get into a off to a hot start like that was great.


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Dear Reader, Baby, Sweetheart,
Here's a tasty, dream-killin', Wikipedia-provided truth: Everything comes full circle -- and Dave Matthews-listening, ice-luge-blistering, hot-wings-finger-licking-in-between-videogame-control-clicking dudes are omnipresent:
Mr. Lif's pseudonym comes from a Phish song.
That he liked.
Seriously. A quick check of Wikipedia will kill your spirits.
Mr. Lif is hitting the open road for the hip-hop-you-don't-stop Paid Dues Festival. He may or may not spark up a doobie with da' boyz from Phish after the show.
You buy a Dutch Masters cigar and peel off the paper, I'll roll us one... Oh, can that chick you're bangin' pick us up some Natty-light?:


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What about your washing routine?
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 939
Monday, May 13, 2013 at 02:29PM
How many times a week do you wash your hair and why?
I wash my hair once or twice a week. Once a week seems to be how long it takes for the light oils in my products to build up and when my scalp starts to itch (sensitive scalp). I'll wash twice a week when I'm playing rugby because I get dirt and god knows what in my hair.
Do you co-wash/low-poo/something else and why have you made this decision?
I low poo only because I have low porosity hair. I don't like many conditioners in my cleanser. I'm looking for a cleanser to take all the gunk off my hair, not add anything to it. As long as I'm not over stripping my hair or coating it, I find my hair doesn't get as dry as it used to before CG.
I don't co-wash in between because I have an incredibly dry scalp. I have dry skin and get rashes and eczema on my body, so you might believe my scalp doesn't produce oil. Since my scalp doesn't get oily, I don't feel a need to co-wash. I just wet and condition my hair daily.
I don't use sulfates because I don't need to. I'm -cone free, heavy oil free and the non-sulfate cleansers in my low poo work effectively.
What washing techniques (so things like warm/cold water, etc) work particularly well for you? Why have you opted for them?
I always use warm to hot water. Once again, being low porosity I'm generally trying to open my cuticle for as long as I can. By the time I'm dried off and out of the shower it seems to be fairly closed and squeaky smooth.
The most important thing is massaging my scalp. Since going CG and staying away from ingredients I'm allergic to, like aloe and mint, I haven't had ANY dandruff what so ever. I use very little poo. I actually try and place it as close to scalp as I can. I massage first, then wet my hair to get more of a lather, and let the suds run down the length of my hair. When I'm done I rinse.
If I low poo I can also skip clarifying, which is nice, cause I can over do it.
Last edited by Jessiebanana; 05-13-2013 at


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Squinting into what looks like beige cotton candy in a vain search for the nearby Sierra Nevada, it is easy to understand the anger of pollution control officials here in California's agricultural heartland, the Central Valley.
Though known for sunny days and verdant farms -- particularly now, as thousands of acres of fruit orchards burst into bloom -- the valley suffers from both sprawling growth and severe smog, almost as bad as Los Angeles's.
As much as the local officials say they are doing to contain it, a significant portion blows in from an area that, by reputation at least, is a bastion of environmental sensitivity: the San Francisco Bay region. So earlier this month, saying they had tired of waiting for assistance, local officials sued to force the state to tighten auto smog standards in the Bay Area.
The reaction was not what one might have expected.
Environmentalists long ago embraced lawsuits as tools to improve air quality, but this is turning into one occasion when they are questioning the strategy. No one doubts that the Bay Area could do more to help its neighbors in the valley, but even officials here concede that the smog that blows this way makes up only a modest part of the problem.
The concern among environmentalists is that the lawsuit is, in effect, a diversionary tactic, an effort to avoid tough controls on things like farm equipment, trucks and oil facilities, which could hurt businesses and farms. But officials here hint that such criticisms represent snobbery on the part of city people used to looking down their noses at this deeply conservative region.Continue reading the main story
''For all their talk, for some reason they're stalling,'' said Phil Jay, the general counsel of the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, an eight-county agency that filed the suit against the State Air Resources Board. ''We just got tired of their inaction.''
Mr. Jay pointed out that the Bay Area was the only urban center in the state where car owners were not subjected to a stringent smog check, but instead needed only a cheaper, less rigorous version.
''It's a matter of equity,'' he said.
That is not the view of most environmentalists.
''What I say is, Let's clear up the 90 percent of the problem that we cause and then I'll be the first one on the train to San Francisco to complain about them,'' said Kevin D. Hamilton, a respiratory therapist who has studied the soaring rates of asthma here.
''But my concern is I don't want to get distracted from what we need to do here,'' Mr. Hamilton added.
Kevin Hall, a local volunteer with the Sierra Club, took a visitor along a pleasant country road lined with fruit orchards, known this time of year as the blossom trail because of the puffy white halos around the trees. Then Mr. Hall noted that a new freeway, the latest in several extensions crisscrossing the area, would soon be built right through this stretch of farms, bringing yet more cars and more smog.
''The Bay Area needs to do their share, absolutely,'' Mr. Hall said. ''Their attainment of the air quality goals is inadequate, but ours is worse, and that has got to be the focus.''
Mr. Jay pointed out that the Bay Area sent roughly 8 to 11 tons a day of nitrous oxide downwind, a main component of the acrid chemical soup known as smog. But he conceded that the Central Valley, a flat, sun-baked, 275-mile-long stretch down the center of the state roughly from Sacramento to Bakersfield, needed to eliminate something like 300 tons of nitrous oxide pollution a day to meet federal clean-air standards.
For years, the Central Valley, also known as the San Joaquin Valley, was what people in the Bay Area drove across to get to vacation spots like Yosemite National Park or Lake Tahoe. The two areas were culturally different worlds. The Bay Area, with its tie-dyed politics and New Age movements, was viewed with suspicion by people in the valley, the home of the state's political conservatives.
But under the influence of heavy immigration and the explosive growth of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, the once-sleepy towns of the valley have grown up fast, some as virtual suburbs, bringing knots of freeways and heavy traffic. The eight-county pollution control district now has a little more than three million residents, and the state finance department says that number could more than double in the next 40 years.
Making matters worse is the fact that the valley, like Los Angeles, is a perfect smog-creating zone, since it is bordered on three sides by mountains, allowing pollutants to eddy over the cities, particularly in the still summer months.
Ellen Garvey, the chief air pollution control officer of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, said that in principle her district was willing to do more if various legal hurdles to the tougher smog checks were removed. But Ms. Garvey said that filing the lawsuit seemed like a relic of the old days of mistrust between the two regions, more than a real effort to solve the smog problem cooperatively.
''I think it's no secret that we do transport some of our air pollution downwind and that, with some legislative changes, we could do more,'' Ms. Garvey said. ''But this suit just hit me blind. I had no idea this was coming. It makes us wonder what it's about.''Continue reading the main story


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TV Guide has released a list of what the top television stars earn, and while the recession and lower revenues have forced networks to pay some stars less, looking nice and pretending to be someone else on camera still beats the hell out of that master's degree you got in social work just to make $40,000 a year.
Oprah leads all on-air talent by making a staggering $315 million annually, followed by — WHAAA? — Judge Judy? Judge Judy somehow makes 45 MILLION DOLLARS. Per year. I am completely baffled by that.
Other notables: Ryan Secrest gets $15M a year for "American Idol," Charlie Sheen $1.25M PER EPISODE for "Two and a Half Men," Jon Cryer $550K/episode on the same show, Hugh Laurie $400K+ for "House," and the four main stars of "Desperate Housewives" — Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria Parker, Marcia Cross, and Felicity Huffman — all make $400K an episode. Across a 22-episode season, that's $35.2M in salary for a lousy excuse for a comedy, which is more money than I can fathom. I couldn't spend thirty-five million dollars on hookers and drugs if I tried. But man, would I love to try.
Full list after the jump.
Drama (per episode)
Hugh Laurie (House) $400,000+
Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) $395,000 (each)
David Caruso (CSI: Miami) $375,000
Marg Helgenberger (CSI) $375,000
Mark Harmon (NCIS) $375,000
Laurence Fishburne (CSI) $350,000
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) $350,000
Denis Leary (Rescue Me) $350,000
Gary Sinise (CSI: NY ) $275,000
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) $250,000
David Boreanaz (Bones) $200,000
Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) $200,000
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife ) $175,000
Dana Delany (Body of Proof ) $150,000
Lauren Graham (Parenthood) $150,000
Jada Pinkett Smith (HawthoRNe) $150,000
Jimmy Smits (Outlaw) $150,000
LL Cool J (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Chris O'Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains) $125,000
Jason Lee (Memphis Beat) $125,000
Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) $125,000
Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods) $125,000
Michael Weatherly (NCIS) $125,000
Matt Bomer (White Collar) $100,000
Nathan Fillion (Castle) $100,000
Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds) $100,000
Jon Hamm (Mad Men) $100,000
Cole Hauser (Chase) $100,000
Alex O'Loughlin (Hawaii Five-0) $100,000
Timothy Olyphant (Justified ) $100,000
Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-0) $80,000
Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles) $75,000
Anna Paquin (True Blood) $75,000
Blair Underwood (The Event) $75,000
Zachary Levi (Chuck) $60,000
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) $40,000
Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) $40,000
Ashley Tisdale (Hellcats) $30,000
Late Night/Talk Syndication (per year)
Oprah Winfrey $315 million
Judge Judy Sheindlin $45 million
David Letterman (The Late Show) $28 million
Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) $25 million
Conan O'Brien (The Conan O'Brien Show) $10 million
Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) $8 million
Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live) $6 million
Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Lately) $3.5 million
George Lopez (Lopez Tonight) $3.5 million
Reality (per year)
Ryan Seacrest (American Idol) $15 million
Joel McHale (The Soup) $2 million
Piers Morgan (America's Got Talent) $2 million
Kate Gosselin (Kate Plus 8) $250,000 per episode
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (Jersey Shore) $30,000 per episode
Comedy (per episode)
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men) $1.25 million
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) $550,000
Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) $400,000
Julie Kavner (The Simpsons) $400,000
Tina Fey (30 Rock) $350,000
Jeremy Piven (Entourage) $350,000
Steve Carell (The Office) $297,000
Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men) $250,000
David Duchovny (Californication) $200,000
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) $200,000
Adrian Grenier (Entourage) $200,000
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) $180,000
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) $175,000
William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) $150,000
David Spade (Rules of Engagement) $150,000
Ed O'Neill (Modern Family) $100,000
Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement) $85,000
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) $75,000
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Ty Burrell (Modern Family) $50,000
Jane Lynch (Glee) $50,000
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) $40,000
Matthew Morrison (Glee) $30,000
Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) $30,000
Dylan and Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) $20,000 (each)
Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) $15,000
News (per year)
Matt Lauer (Today) $16 million +
Katie Couric (CBS) $15 million
Brian Williams (NBC) $12.5 million
Diane Sawyer (ABC) $12 million
Meredith Vieira (Today) $11 million
Bill O'Reilly (Fox News) $10 million
George Stephanopoulos (ABC) $8 million
Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) $7 million
Shepard Smith (Fox News) $7 million
Wolf Blitzer (CNN) $3 million
Christiane Amanpour (ABC) $2 million
Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC) $2 million
Eliot Spitzer (CNN) $500,000


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Philadelphia • Nick Foles threw for 298 yards and ran for a touchdown, LeSean McCoy had two TDs rushing and the Philadelphia Eagles snapped a 10-game home losing streak with a 24-16 victory over Washington on Sunday.
A year after finishing 4-12 under Andy Reid, Chip Kelly's Eagles (6-5) are first in the NFC East. They're a half-game ahead of idle Dallas (5-5).
The Eagles hadn't won at the Linc in 413 days since defeating the New York Giants on Sept. 30, 2012.


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Bartlesville, OK — Shelby Graham scored 15 points, all from three-point range and the Oklahoma Wesleyan University women's basketball team cruised to a comfortable 84-43 victory over Central Baptist in their MCAC South Tournament Semifinal on Friday.
The Lady Eagles, who are the top seed in the tournament, will now face College of the Ozarks in the final on Saturday.
The No. 5 NAIA ranked Ozarks knocked off Southwestern Christian, 51-69 in the opening game of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Graham shot 5-of-8 from three point range for her 15 points and six rebounds for the No. 15 ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Nichole Tate contributed 14 points, four steals and four rebounds, while Megan and Delaney Jones both finished with 11 points apiece.
Megan also pulled down seven boards, while Delaney had five.


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I love my Jvaderm and Botox however this last time I had Juvaderm in my cheeks something weird happened. When the doctor put in the filler in my left cheek I got this really sharp stinging pain and then it felt like there was a hair in my eye on the same side as the filler. Today is the next day and my eye is able to move and I can see fine however when I went to put on my cream if I press on the area that still stings a bit I get that sensation of a hair in my eye. Is this something I should be concerned with?
Why Do I Have a Weird Feeling in my Eye Above the Cheek I Had Juvederm Injected?
Doctor Answers 6
Juvederm and Botox - weird feeling in eye
This is an unusual complication. Likely the needle hit a small nerve. I would definitely go back to your doctor and let him or her know what you are experiencing.
Dr. Cat Begovic
Sensory changes after injection of juvederm
More than likely a sensory nerve was "tweaked" a bit when the injection process took place. If this persists, you may want to see your doctor.
Learn more: http://www.stevenwallachmd.com
Nerve injury after Juvederm will go away.
The needle must have hit a small nerve, giving you this weird feeling. It may take weeks, but it will go away.
You might also like...
You mentioned both Juvederm and Botox. You described the juvederm but not the botox , where was it injected/
you need to see your DOCTOR who injected you. And see an ophthalmologist for a complete exam of the eyes and the muscles of the eye.
A weird sensation in the eye after Juvederm injection in the cheek
Most likely a small skin nerve twig was injured during the injection.
If the only symptom present is a sting when you touch the area, and it is improving, most likely this will resolve. I recommend that you give your doctor a call and make him/her aware of the situation.
Because it's been only 24 hours after the injection, applying ice to the area for 5 minutes every 2-3 hours may help the sensation.
This is an unusual outcome. What I would suspect is that this is neuropraxia. There are countless sensory nerves and branches in the face. When one of these is bruised or injured, as it may have been during injection, it can lead to stinging or an electrical sensation, among others. Some gentle massage of the region may help. I don't suspect that this will be permanent.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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Movies & TV / Columns
Alternate Takes 12.08.12: Comic Book Knockout, Week 5
Welcome to Week 231 of Alternate Takes, my name is Shawn S. Lealos and you have entered my world.
- Follow Shawn S. Lealos on Twitter
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- The Official Website of Shawn S. Lealos
Week 4 Results
No. 4 "Sinestro Corps War" beat No. 13 "The Death of Jean DeWolff," 153-89
No. 4 "The Judas Contract" beat No. 13 "Avengers Forever," 113-105
No. 4 "V for Vendetta" beat "The Kindly Ones," 183-53
No. 4 "Kraven's Last Hunt" beat "From Hell," 228-43
There were no upsets this week and the only disappointment was that Sandman's final storyline was beaten so bad, but it was against "V for Vendetta."
On to this week's matchups.
No. 5 "Under Siege" by Roger Stern vs. No. 12 "The Death of Superman" by Various Writers
5. "Under Siege" – This is going to be an interesting matchup. Back when I ranked the top Avengers stories of all-time, most people seemed to love "Under Siege," most calling it their best storyline. However, this week it has a mountain to overcome and the question is which will win – the beloved storyline or the important storyline? In "Under Siege," the Masters of Evil lay waste to Avengers mansion, beat the hell out of Jarvis, almost beat Hercules to death and come closer than almost anyone to beating the team once and for all. It was gripping stuff and definitely one of the best stories in the team's history.
12. "The Death of Superman" – I'll admit that I undersold "Death of Superman" in the previous paragraph. Yes, it is one of the most important stories in comic book history, but it is also well done. While I don't care for "The Reign of Superman" that followed (although you all did when you voted it over "The Great Darkness Saga"), I thought this death story was very well done. The affect that Superman's death had on those around him was even greater than his defeat. This was one of the best death stories in comic book history.
No. 5 "E is for Extinction" by Grant Morrison vs. No. 12 "Marvels" by Kurt Busiek
5. "E is for Extinction" – Grant Morrison is a polarizing figure in comic books, people either love him or hate him. "E is for Extinction" was the first story arc he wrote when he joined the "X-Men" title and he renamed the comic "New X-Men." In this story, a being named Cassandra Nova uses Sentinels to massacre almost everyone in Genosha, with the exception of Emma Frost, and the X-Men have to find a way to beat Cassandra. It all ends with Cassandra witching minds with Professor X, just as Emma Frost shows up and snaps her neck. It was the daring start of a new direction for the team under the guidance of Morrison.
12. "Marvels" – Alex Ross brought his work to Marvel comics and teamed with Kurt Busiek to work on "Marvels," a special run storyline that features superheroes from the point of view of one man, Phil Sheldon. It starts in 1939 when the Marvels first began to appear (Human Torch, Namor) and society feared them. It moved on to the '60s when more Marvels began to appear, including the X-Men who people feared. Then, later in the '60s, Galactus attacked earth and people even feared Marvels after saving them from this threat. Sheldon takes it upon himself to prove these Marvels are heroes, but after Spider-Man fails to save Gwen Stacy, he finally gives up and plans to retire, knowing that the public will never accept the heroes that protect them. It is strong stuff.
No. 5 "Civil War" by Mark Millar vs. No. 12 "Batman R.I.P." by Grant Morrison
5. "Civil War" – I ranked these based on reality, and not on my personal bias, because I absolutely hated "Civil War." However, it was a huge event and completely changed the Marvel landscape. After a group of young heroes screws up and the result is an explosion that kills a number of children, the government decides there needs to be regulations concerning superheroes. Tony Stark agrees and sets up the superhero registration act, where all heroes much register in order to continue fighting. Young heroes need to be properly trained. However, the problem comes when those who don't want to register their secret identities and become possible pawns of the government become wanted outlaws. Captain America was one of these outlaws. This led to heroes fighting each other and ended with Captain America's death and Iron Man exiled. It was a momentous event that was slightly devalued when it turned out the Skrulls had a hand in the problems.
12. "Batman R.I.P." – The second Grant Morrison story of the week comes from his long run on the Batman titles. The story opens with Joker warning Batman that some bad people want to hurt him. This has Batman battle the Black Glove organization, who is set out to destroy Batman and decimate Bruce Wayne's reputation as well. They go as far as to demean the name of Bruce's parents and break him down mentally and physically, until the series ends with the death of Batman. This led into the "Battle for the Cowl" series where the former Robin's raced to become the new Batman.
No. 5 "The Galactus Trilogy" by Stan Lee vs. No. 12 "Final Crisis" by Grant Morrison
5. "The Galactus Trilogy" – This matchup is old school vs. new school. First up, we have Stan Lee's introduction of Galactus to the Marvel Universe in the pages of The Fantastic Four. The background for this issue is that the world has become fearful of superheroes, despite the fact that they have always protected them. During this, a new being named the Silver Surfer races to earth and attacks the Fantastic Four. He is the herald of Galactus and is bringing the godlike being to earth to consume it, destroying all life on it in the process. It is up to the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer to stop this from happening. Interestingly (and not meant on purpose), to see this from a regular human's point of view, check out "Marvels."
12. "Final Crisis" – For the new school, here is a comic series that ties into another series in this week's competition (again, not on purpose) with "Batman R.I.P." This was a huge DC crossover event that Grant Morrison wrote as a sequel to "Crisis on Infinite Earths." The enemy was Darkseid and the New Gods, and the series featured the death of both Martian Manhunter and Bruce Wayne. It is a huge and dense story that remains one of the most intense works of the modern era of comics.
|January 29, 2013
The Dark Knight Returns Part 2
|February 1, 2013
Bullet to the Head
Directed by Walter Hill
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Sarah Shahi, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
|May 3, 2013
Iron Man 3
Directed by Shane Black
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pierce, Cobie Smulders, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, William Sadler
|June 14, 2013
The Man of Steel
Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Christopher Meloni, Lawrence Fishburne
|June 28, 2013
Kick-Ass 2Directed by Jedd Wadlow
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Morertz, Nicholas Cage, John Leguizamo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Clark Duke
|July 19, 2013
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Bridges
|R.I.P.D. is an upcoming action-comedy crime film set to be directed by Robert Schwentke, based on the comic book Rest In Peace Department by Peter M. Lenkov. The film will star Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as Nick Walker and Bo, respectively.
|July 26, 2013
The Wolverine
Directed by James Mangold
Starring Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Rila Fukushima, Tao Okamoto, Brian Tee
|August 2, 2013
Red 2
|August 2, 2013
300: Rise of an Empire
|September 13, 2013
I, Frankenstein
|October 4, 2013
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
|November 8, 2013
Thor 2: The Dark World
|May 2, 2014
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
|July 18, 2014
X-Men: Days of Future Past
|August 1, 2014
Guardians of the Galaxy
|May 1, 2015
The Avengers 2
|November 6, 2015


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Ugh. Well, I've been attempting to post for the last 30 minutes and I've missed a lot. So, let me see where we are.
Stephen Colbert won for best comedy. I thought he was the host but was wrong. Rooted for Kathy Griffin but either way, it's more celebrity material for her.
Record of the Year goes to Kings of Leon. KXT overloaded me with them so this is a bit meh for me.
Robert Downey Jr. doesn't understand overexposure and introduces The Soloist costar Jamie Foxx. Foxx was anything but when a slew of people I couldn't recognize (save for Slash) recreated a Parliament/Funkadelic live show.
I have a Ke$ha joke somewhere but can't find it .


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THE Bromyard and District Local History Society is staging two events next week.
On Wednesday, November 9 Iain Carter will give a talk on Lower Brockhampton in the Conquest Theatre from 7.30pm. Entry is free for members and £2 for non-members.
Then on Saturday, November 12 the monthly family history workshop at the Local and Family History Centre, in Sherford Street, could offer the chance for people to research their roots between 2pm and 4pm. To book a place for £5 call 01885 490269.