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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92116054028282178632017-11-23T23:12:44.838-05:00Zombots!THE ZOMBIE ROBOT UPRISING CANNOT BE STOPPED.DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-58002062639909284862017-11-23T23:04:00.000-05:002017-11-23T23:12:44.871-05:00Red Spring
Blood in the Snow Film Festival is an annual film fest held in Toronto with a mandate to support, promote, and exhibit independent Canadian horror, genre, and underground film.<o:p></o:p>

Opening the Blood in the Snow Film Festival was Red Spring, a vampire movie that plays like a zombie film. The first time I encountered this type of treatment was Jim Mickle's Stake Land. Personally, I thought it worked great and I'll admit I'm surprised the idea didn't catch on. That's good news for Red Spring because now it means Jeff Sinasac's movie doesn't play like just another vampire flick. <o:p></o:p>

The vampocalypse happened at some indistinct point in the past. Not so long ago that our heroes have settled into their new lives in the new world, but just enough time has passed that the government's failure to save its people is still a raw, open wound. After the vampocalypse, the few humans left in the world have to keep moving lest they become food for the undead. But life on the road is tiresome and ultimately pointless; there's nowhere you can go where the vampires won't eventually find you. This bleak outlook underscores much of the film, but thankfully stops short of being overwhelming nihilistic.<o:p></o:p>

The film beings with the aftermath of a vamp attack on a government shelter, in which dozens of folks were slaughtered. Enter Ray, who is looking for his wife and daughter, and who stubbornly chooses to believe they're not dead. Any other zombie film would follow Ray as he desperately searches for his family, risking everyone (and everyone around him) in the process. But Red Spring isn't any other zombie movie, and Ray leaves the shelter to join his fellow survivors in the relative safety of their van.<o:p></o:p>

Each person in the van has been given the opportunity to learn the fate of their loved ones, Ray being the last in line as his personal journey means traveling to Toronto, deep into vampire territory. The rag-tag group successfully books it out of town before sunset, and somewhere between Toronto and nowhere they pick up another survivor, Vicky.<o:p></o:p>

Vicky's headed to Kincardine, where she plans to wait out the end of the world, and she invites the others to stay with her. Vicky's reasoning as to why everyone would be much better off cooling their heels in Kincardine rather than freezing their asses off way up north is some of the best reasoning encountered in any contemporary vampire or zombie movie. Unable to counter her logic, self-appointed team leader Mitchel accepts her offer and the group settles in but not before an unfortunate run-in with a familiar gang of vamps.<o:p></o:p>

What happens next is all pretty straightforward, if a touch predictable at times, all of which reaffirms Red Spring's cinematic influences. Zombie films are tragedies, and Red Spring is no different in this regard. But rather than position its vampires as mindless, food-motivated monsters, creator Sinasac has bestowed upon them some brains. Vampires can drive and shoot, they can speak and write, and are capable of organized, linear thought. In fact, the vamps' high-functioning abilities are what led to the fall of civilization. Unfortunately, this vampocalypse backstory clashes somewhat with the vampires present on screen who appear to be little more than bloodthirsty pack animals.

That's not to say Red Spring isn't entertaining, and the film does succeed where so many others fail—it's sad when people die. Is it a touch too long? Yes. Does it deliver a better zombie-type plot than many zombie movies? Also yes. Red Spring's uncommon approach to the genre is a refreshing change for anyone who's tired of the same old zombie movie or vampire film or both.
<o:p></o:p>DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-46604657831635726942017-08-27T10:39:00.002-04:002017-08-27T10:39:23.041-04:00Death Note (2017)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Death Note. Except for, you know, everything.

Okay, to be fair, the film looks good (for the most part). It's well shot, properly lit, and nicely edited together, but all that style can't make up for the badly-told story that is the substance of Death Note.

I can sum up the film's problems thusly: Montauk is on the east coast.

Montauk, which is where L comes from, is a small community on Long Island. I know this because I spent a few summers there as a kid. It's a beach town, sandy and flat. The Montauk that appears in Death Note is deep in the forest, and the secret institution in which L was "born" is lies in the shadow of a mountain. Death Note was filmed in BC, and although I'm not intimately familiar with the province's geography, I'm pretty sure nowhere in BC could ever be mistaken for Long Island. And still no one thought to change this one minor plot point. The only reason L has to be from the east coast is so that Watari can waste his time traveling across the country (by train!). The clock is ticking, and Watari only has 48 hours to learn L's true name. Death Note is set in Seattle, but what the filmmakers don't understand is that it'll still take a while to get to Oregon or Idaho or the BC interior. Fuck, maybe even West Virginia--the geographic profiles are similar enough. Have any of them ever driven through the mountains? It takes time. But no, the film insists on trying to pass off west for east and this lazy oversight exemplifies why the movie--or more precisely, the story--kinda blows.

Another terribly-conceived moment comes right at the start of the film when Mia is smoking at cheerleader practice. Smoking. Even if her character did smoke (which I don't think she does because she never smokes again after this one scene), she wouldn't smoke during practice. I know I'm talking about unrealistic scenarios in a film about a magical killer book, but Death Note is set in the real world, and in this reality teens don't smoke on school property while practicing their sport.

Death Note starts off relatively strong, with the book quite literally falling out of the sky and into Light's life. He doesn't waste any time making good use of his new power, and movie hurtles along at a breakneck pace. And then everything comes to a screeching halt when L takes over the narrative. All that fun and exciting forward momentum runs up hard against L's investigation into Kira, and what could have been a tense thriller is instead a profanity-leaden PG13 drama.

Any sensible person in Light's situation would try to steer the investigation one way or the other, pitting their intellect against L's. Instead, Light lets himself get baited because this is no longer his story. To make matters worse, I'm not sure the movie itself is even aware that Light is no longer in charge. For the majority of the film's running time, Mia and L wrestle for narrative control, which is a huge problem for us because this film is really supposed to be about the moral ramifications of having power over life and death.

The whole thing comes to a head when Mia tries to strong arm Light into relinquishing the death note. One contrived chase scene later, we have our final showdown between the two teenaged lovers. Wait, what? Yeah, you read that right. The film ends not with Light and L facing off, not even with Light and Ryuk, but with a crazed girl lusting after power and her boyfriend's convoluted plan to undermine her. The film's eleventh hour attempt to give Ryuk some semblance of control over events is laughable at best. At worst, it's final proof that the filmmakers don't understand how to craft a story.

And what's with Light's hair? Either hire a blonde actor or commit to the dye job. Yeesh.DMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-55761915421830662432017-08-24T17:04:00.000-04:002017-08-24T17:04:10.302-04:00Map It! Canadian Mass MurdersCanada is no stranger to crime, including spree killers and mass murders. Zoom and click on the map to learn more about mass murder in the Great White North.

DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-73505727331113984302017-08-17T07:37:00.000-04:002017-08-24T17:04:36.375-04:00Map It! Canadian Serial KillersWhen most people think of Canada, they think maple syrup and Mounties. And yeah, it's got a lot of both. It's also got crime. Awful, international-headline-making crime. Like that guy who cut off that poor man's head. Or the maple syrup heist of 2012.

Learn more about Canada's dark side--specifically its serial killers--by panning, zooming, and clicking on the map below.

DMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-21568856955134578362017-05-17T16:58:00.001-04:002017-08-24T17:04:50.200-04:00Map It! Haunted TorontoI researched the top haunted sites in Toronto then plotted ten of them on a stylized map.

Explore the links below to learn more about Toronto's ghosts.

Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
Fort York
Keg Mansion
Old Don Jail
Old City Hall
Queen's Park
Regis College (Christie House)
Royal York
St. Michael's
University CollegeDMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-84314862461473151372017-05-04T00:21:00.000-04:002017-05-04T00:21:14.557-04:00Toronto Cons 2017A map of conventions taking place in Toronto this spring, summer, and fall.

DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-42614915207879821792017-03-11T21:42:00.005-05:002017-03-11T21:42:46.570-05:00Kong: Skull Island

When I first saw the trailer for Kong: Skull Island, I joked about how it looked like a cross between a monster movie and Apocalypse Now. Turns out I was right on the money.

Just days after Nixon announces America's withdrawal from Vietnam, a team of researches under military escrot heads to the mysterious Skull Island in the western Pacific Ocean. Shortly after their arrival, the Landsat and Monarch scientists get to work mapping the island's geology. Their efforts raise the attention and ire of Kong, a giant gorilla who makes short work of downing the team's squadron of helicopters. Split into two groups, the survivors are on different paths: the civilians want to get off the island; the soldiers want to kill Kong.

For being a big, dumb monster movie, Kong: Skull Island is surprisingly nuanced. That's not suggest the film is at all subtle about its themes (it isn't) but it successfully captures the politics and ideology of the era. Sure, it overstates things at times--to wit, the animosity between the anti-war photographer and the commander--but the film is as much about the folly of war as it is about giant monsters.

Which brings me to Apocalypse Now and its source material, Heart of Darkness. Instead of a half-crazed army colonel, Skull Island features an obsessive lieutenant colonel, a soldier without a war. Echoes of Conrad's Marlow are found in Lt.-Col. Packard. Packard finds an enemy in Kong and insists his mission is to kill the giant primate. Packard's self-induced obsession is similar to Marlow's mild obsession with finding and meeting Kurtz.

Complicating this reading of Skull Island is the presence of a character named Marlow who's been living on the island for the past thirty years, having been marooned during WWII. This Marlow is a jovial fellow who made friends with the natives and serves as a kind of guide to the newcomers. Although he would make a fine parallel for Kurtz (minus the insanity), he welcomes the opportunity to return home, and is really nothing like his namesake.

There's also a character named Conrad. Just in case you weren't sure about the whole Heart of Darkness thing. And then there's the Japanese poster which makes it absolutely clear we're dealing an Apocalypse Now-with-monsters scenario.

If, like me, you were disappointed with Godzilla's misunderstanding of its own subject matter, you'll be pleased to hear that Skull Island knows exactly why people go to see monster movies. The human drama drives the narrative, but doesn't overshadow the monster. Indeed, Kong takes up a lot of the screen and his fights--and there are many--are easy to watch an appreciate.

Godzilla "fans" will notice a tie-in with that movie, but the real treat comes at the end of the film where, in a post-credits scene, the audience gets a taste of what's to come.

I hesitate to suggest that Skull Island is better than it has any right to be but still it's more fun and entertaining than expected. The film's second trailer, released just days before the premier, is a master class in editing and the film manages to deliver on its promise of thrilling adventure. Skull Island itself is beautiful and terrifying, and director Jordan Vogt-Roberts' patience with the camera means we get to see and experience all of the island's wonders. Moreover, the movie is violent and gross in a really satisfying way; a true creature feature.

DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-65805160041959459422017-01-07T17:30:00.000-05:002017-01-07T17:30:22.799-05:00Horror Movies as MemoirsHorror movies re-titled as inspiring memoirs and self-help books.

A Mother's Love: A tale of grief and justice

Power Compels: Healing through faith

My Life as a Doll

Wishful Thinking: Overcoming Adversity with Hope

Confessions of an Unlikely Prom Queen

Retail Therapy: How to find your peace and place in the world through consumerism

A Long, Dark Night: Making sense of senseless evil

Swimming with Sharks

Sins of Our Fathers: Learning to live with my family's secrets and lies

DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-90860869801351948202017-01-01T23:13:00.000-05:002017-01-01T23:13:34.814-05:00The OA

So I'm watching The OA and it occurs to me (more than once) that I've seen something kind of like it before. After I watched the last episode I googled "movies about cults" and I wasn't at all surprised to learn the same two people who created The OA also made The Sound of My Voice in 2011.

The Sound of My Voice--the film that I kept thinking about while watching The OA--is about a woman who claims to be a time traveler, but is really just a con artist. Or is she? In it, Brit Marling plays Maggie, a cult leader who says she's from the future. Two documentarians manage infiltrate Maggie's cult but as they spend more time listening to Maggie, one of them becomes increasingly convinced she's the real deal.

In The OA, Marling is Praire, aka OA, a woman who disappeared seven years ago. Now back with her family, Prairie steals away at night to meet in secret with a small group people to whom she tells the fantastical tale of her captivity. Prairie spins a yarn about medical experimentation with near death experiences and angels, and convinces her listeners that she holds the key to transcending death.

From what I gather, people liked The OA, except for the end and in truth, the series doesn't end well. But I think that's more a factor of the series not being well paced to begin with. The OA's a bit of a slog; it starts slowly, the story isn't developed evenly over all eight episodes and when the end comes, it brings with it more questions than answers. The Sound of My Voice has similar problems, specifically with how it ends. Toward the end of the film, a question is posed to one of the documentarians but we never get to hear the answer. I believe it's because the filmmakers themselves don't know what Maggie does with the kid. Similarly, I'm not sure if Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij know exactly what happened to Prairie when she was held captive.

I'm inclined to believe her whole story was bullshit but maybe that's because I'm familiar with The Sound of My Voice, which her whole story really is bullshit. That doesn't mean the story itself isn't any less compelling, but it does mean the story requires some kind of context or backdrop to make it meaningful for the audience. Were The OA better developed, if Prairie was able to change or enrich the lives of all her acolytes, and not just one or two, despite her having told them lies, then maybe the series finale wouldn't have been such a let down.

Rooted in scifi but bordering on fantasy, The OA leans too heavily on ambiguity in its final moments, undercutting its own premise. Also, I think it kind of forgets about or looses track of some of its story elements. But then again, because Prairie never gets to finish telling her story, the series can get away with loose ends. Personally, I find this kind of sloppy, a lazy writing trick to deal with an unresolved plot. Sure, I could think up my own reasons as to why everyone had to leave their doors wide open, but that's not what I signed on for.

If asked, I'll tell people I liked half the show. Prairie's story, even if it's all made up, is really interesting. It's a good story about one man's obsession with the hereafter. But it's unfinished and that lack of closure is dissatisfying.

DMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-76162598905369624592016-12-31T20:34:00.000-05:002016-12-31T20:36:19.096-05:00Year in Review: 2016

So, 2016 is finally over and just to drive home the point that it wasn't the greatest year ever, most of the movies I watched over the last twelve months were either good but not great or fucking terrible. That having been said, there were some standouts on both ends of the specturm.

Things that make you go hmm: Amanda Knox
Eye-opening documentary about a young woman relentlessly persecuted for a crime she didn't commit.
Things that make you huh: The Phoenix Incident
Irritating mockumentary about four dudes who "went missing" but were really eaten by aliens and no one noticed even though it's all caught on tape.

Much-needed: Train to Busan
The South Koreans inject some new life in the tired zombpocalypse subgenre.
Unnecessary: Cabin Fever
An even worse remake of an already terrible film.

I wanted a magical adventure that's exactly what I got. With Mads Mikkelsen!

Intense: The Green Room
A punk band is under seige by neo Nazis, inside the skinheads' bar! Some of the best, if brief, gore effects.
Pretense: #horror
A terrible anti-bullying movie marketed as a horror film.

Success!: The Belko Experiment
Fun and tense Battle Royale-style free-for-all inside an office building.
Total failure: Suicide Squad
DC once again fails to get its shit together regarding the CU.

About time!: Deadpool
Ryan Renolds spent years trying to get this movie made, and it totally paid off!
Shoulda kept not seeing it: Silent Night, Deadly Night 2
Half new footage, half flash back, all crap.

Assault on Precint 13 meets Prince of Darkness.

Yay: The Wave
Disaster movie done right
Nay: Assassin's Creed
Videogame movie done wrong.

Everybody loves a clown: Clown
The best murderous evil clown movie to come along in a while.
Not be confused with a better British movie: Exeter
Marcus Nispel deals with his daddy issues.

For kids of all ages: The Witches
A Roald Dhal classic brought to life, but not in a creepy CGI kind of way.
For no one of any age: The Boy
A weird kid burns down a motel and it's SO BORING.

Omg wow: Nova Seed
Amazing labour-of-love scifi animated feature.
Omg: The Brain
Terrible bit of Canadiana about a giant brain.

Honourable mentions:
Phantom of the Paradise
I honestly don't know if it's good or bad, but I loved it anyhow.
Future Cops
Police from the future travel to the present for reasons. Began life as a live-action Street Fighter.

Maybe not for everyone, The Lure is something special.
DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-62008726178195069082016-11-25T13:20:00.001-05:002016-11-25T13:20:51.759-05:00Horror by the NumbersThe summer of 2016 saw a "resurgence" in horror, meaning a handful of studio horror films managed to garner positive reviews from critics. Whenever this happens, the mainstream media reports on mainstream horror like it's surprising or new. The fact of the matter is, horror always makes money (generally speaking), but it is unusual for mainstream horror to perform well both critically and financially.

I took a look at some of the horror releases of 2016 to see if there was anything else worth reporting.

At first glace, we can see that my Y-axes aren't properly formatted. That minor error aside, it's still obvious that horror movies make money. What might surprise some folks is that the smaller-budget films out-perform their more expensive counterparts. And while critics and audiences tend to agree on the films' merit, a movie's budget and box office aren't good indicators of critical reception. Crimson Peak, which cost more money than it earned, wasn't well liked, whereas The Witch completely outdid itself--and had a limited release.

More often than not, a film's budget is not a good indicator of how well it will perform. Crimson Peak, the most expensive film in the sample, did not meet expectations, pulling in $31m--that's a little over half its budget. On the flip side, Unfriended, which was in theatres for the same amount of time, made its budget 32 times over. Having seen both, it is my opinion that Crimson Peak is a better movie than Unfriended, but the latter is more likely to cater to younger audience members, even if most people who saw it don't appear to have liked it very much.

How important are the audience and critical response, and what impact do they have on a film's gross? That's a hard question to answer. As was mentioned above, there appears to be some correlation between reception and box office (better-reviewed films earn more money), but The Gallows, which wasn't well liked by critics or audience members, was still a financial success.

Movies with a longer theatrical run have the potential to rake in a higher gross than films with a short run or a limited release, but The Conjuring 2, The Visit, and Poltergeist, all of which were in theatres for 77 days, performed very differently. The Conjuring 2 earned 2.5 times more than its budget, The Visit a whopping 13 times more, and Poltergeist only made an embarrassing 1.3. Looking at the films' reviews, we see that Poltergeist--which performed the worst of the three--also had the lowest ratings at 31 and 22 from critics and audience members respectively, whereas The Conjuring 2, which didn't have the highest turn-around on its budget, had the highest ratings, scoring in the 80s.

Budget is in millions of dollars, US. Gross is domestic only. Critic and audience ratings are out of 100.

Data collected from The Numbers.

So what does it all mean? Disregarding the fact that we don't know how much of each film's budget is allocated to marketing and promotion, which will influence audience turn out, predicting which movies will and won't succeed is kind of impossible. It Follows came out of nowhere, cost very little to make, and did very well for itself, whereas both The Green Inferno and The Neon Demon were trading on the past successes of their makers (Eli Roth and Nicolas Winding Refn), neither movie appears to have lived up to expectations.

Looking at the top five movies from the summer, two were sequels, one was a sort-of sequel, and two were stand alone films. Sequels and remakes can always be counted on to do relatively well, and The Purge: Election Year, which suffered middling reviews, proves this point. The successes of Don't Breathe and Lights Out suggest that low-concept horror is more likely to appeal to a wider audience. Also of note is the absence of zombie movies, which might mean filmmakers and audiences alike are finally moving on from zombies*.

Horror's mainstream popularity ebbs and flows, and there's no real way to guess when the genre will see an uptick in mainstream media coverage. But when our preferred media outlets do turn their attention to horror, they would do well to dig just a little bit deeper to uncover how weird the genre truly is.

*Train to Busan is a notable exception. Everyone who's seen it loves it, me included.

DMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-8522197292391770382016-10-13T12:36:00.000-04:002016-10-13T12:41:01.590-04:00Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2016It's baaack! The Toronto After Dark Film Festival returns for its 11th year. The fun begins tonight and kicks off with Under the Shadow and Trash Fire. As to what I'm most looking forward to this year:

Under the Shadow
Because I can't resist any movie that's billed as "the scariest film ever." We'll see about that.

The Lure
A Polish horror musical about a man-eating mermaid? Come on.

Train to Busan
Normally, I don't get excited about zombie movies, but this one got rave reviews and I've enjoyed past zombie nights at TADFF.

The Stakelander
Although I'm usually wary of sequels, I'm curious to see how this one turns out. I really liked Stakeland, so here's hoping for more of the same. There's no trailer, so here's a short video announcing the sequel.

The Void
I backed this one on Kickstarter so of course I'm super keen to see it!

Bed of the Dead
In truth, I'm not looking forward to it in the sense that I'm excited to see it. Rather, I mentioned this film on TheAvod when discussing upcoming horror movies, and thought it sounded kind of, well, dumb. It reminded me a bit of Death Bed, The Bed that Eats, which is a famously terrible film, but the synopsis on the TADFF website paints a different picture. Still might be dumb.

DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-86744900294796181072016-09-13T20:41:00.002-04:002016-09-13T20:41:18.439-04:00Trailer Review: Ouija: Origin of Evil

For starters, I've now seen every scare in the movie. For seconders, I've now seen the whole movie.

Capitalizing on the success of other horror movies set in the 1960s and 70s, the good people behind 2014's paint-by-numbers teen horror romp Ouija have made good on their threat to spoon feed us more PG-13 tripe.

Set forty years too late, a family of spiritualists use a Ouija board to scam their clients. Upset by the family's perfidy, a cadre of ghosts take it upon themselves to teach the deceitful women a lesson they won't soon forget. Taking a page from Poltergeist, the ghosts possess the youngest daughter, but no one notices because she was already evil to begin with. Calling in a priest to help with the situation only makes things worse, and introduces an Exorcist vibe to the proceedings. Also, someone on the production really likes the film Skeleton Crew (not the Stephen King one), and has seen one too many films about a funeral parlor-cum-family home. In the end the evil is defeated, sort of, and everyone lives happily ever after. Except for the debilitating emotional trauma of having survived a ghost attack.DMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-37114265846555729262016-08-16T21:15:00.001-04:002016-08-16T21:15:20.423-04:00Suicide Squad

To Amanda Waller
Subject Re: Task Force X Review and Assessment

Details

Ms Waller proposed to organize a "team of very bad people who could do some good." Founded upon the supposed future threat of a metahuman whose ideologies run counter to our own, it is Ms. Waller's opinion that a task force of villains could be assembled to counter such a threat. (See Note 1)

After Ms Waller and her colleague, Sgt. Rick Flag, failed to maintain command and control of Enchantress, a metahuman who inhabits the body of Dr. June Moone, Ms. Waller proceeded with her plans to assemble and dispatch Task Force X. The task force's sole purpose was to extract a High Value Target (See Note 2) within Midway City; it was not to engage with Enchantress nor eliminate her. (See Note 3)

Task Force X did successfully locate Ms. Waller but their extraction plan was co-opted by Joker. This review board does not believe Ms. Waller had any reason to expect or anticipate Joker's actions, but is dissatisfied with her handling of the situation. This board sees no benefit in ordering the execution of Harley Quinn, and believes it to be a tactical error. Ms. Quinn's death would only raise the ire of Joker, and would have likely resulted in a second assault on Ms. Waller and Task Force X. The fact that Joker's helicopter was shot down does not forgive Ms Waller her error in judgement. (See Note 4)

No longer able to complete their mission, Task Force X took it upon themselves to engage Enchantress. Both Enchantress and her brother were destroyed, and Dr. Moone was returned to her original state. Although Task Force X proved victorious, it was due largely to luck and circumstance than to any strategic advantage the task force may have possessed. (See Note 5)

Final Assessment

This review board believes Ms. Waller acted in her own best interests when she deployed Task Force X. In addition, the board finds Ms. Waller put Sgt. Flag and his team in danger when she 1) failed to gather vital intel related to Enchantress' defenses, and 2) failed to act on new intel gathered in the field.

It is the board's recommendation that in the future a direct and specific need for Task Force X be established before the task force is assembled. This is to ensure the team members possess the proper skills and abilities to see their mission through.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Note 1

At no point does Ms. Waller address the issue of weather a group of villainous metahumans could, in fact, win a fight against an "evil" Superman. Superman is not human, and his strength and abilities are far superior to any known superhero or supervillain.

Note 2

Ms. Waller herself was the HVT that needed extraction.

Note 3

Ms. Waller specifically stated Task Force X would be created in order to deal with metahuman/superhuman threats to the United States' (and by extension, the world's) peace and security and/or to support the United States' efforts to combat terrorism. Ms. Waller provided an example of the proposed task force's benefit by using Enchantress to retrieve highly classified military documents from a foreign adversary.

The committee was impressed with Enchantress' abilities, but was dismayed by her unwillingness to withdraw and allow Dr. Moone to regain control of her body. Ms Waller displayed her ability to control Enchantress by stabbing her in her heart, which she keeps in a secure briefcase.

Note 4

Ms. Waller showed further errors in judgment when she called for a second helicopter. This review board believes that, after having witnessed the attack on Joker's helicopter, Ms Waller should have ordered a ground retreat. Such action would have, at the very least, forestalled Enchantress' attempts to capture Ms. Waller. By not ordering a ground retreat, Ms. Waller put herself, the United States, and the world in danger.

Note 5

The full extent of Enchantress' and her brother's powers were, and still are unknown. It is only happenstance that El Diablo was both present and able to fight the brother. Since Task Force X was assembled to counter metahuman threats in the abstract, there was no guarantee the members of the task force would be able to surmount any threats in reality. Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang provide no tactical advantage. Killer Croc proved to be a valuable team member, but Ms. Waller had no intention of attaching him to the underwater unit; Killer Croc took it upon himself to assist the underwater unit in their retrieval and detonation of an explosive device.

El Diablo proved to be, far and away, the most important member of Task Force X, but it was nothing short of pure luck that his special abilities were essential in securing a positive outcome. Since Ms. Waller did not know Enchantress' brother was a fire god, and she had no way of knowing El Diablo's pyrokinesis could manifest to such an extent that he would also become like a god, El Diablo's appointment to Task Force X and his subsequent victorious battle with Enchantress' brother is fortunate indeed.

It is of further note that El Diablo had outright refused to join the task force when asked, and that, while on mission, he continually refused to assist his team members. Despite his success, this board finds his appointment to Task Force X was an unnecessary risk which put the entire mission in danger.DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-3672608395701764252016-07-13T15:36:00.000-04:002016-07-13T15:36:56.396-04:00Unpopular Opinion: Zack Snyder is a Whiner Not too long ago, this article appeared in The Atlantic. In it, the author explains how the upcoming Justice League movie will be much lighter than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I never saw BvS, but I (as is my right, being a wag on the Internet) still have an opinion about it and its maker, Zack Snyder. The Atlantic article states that Snyder will endeavour to make Justice League more fun:

...Snyder seems to be directly responding to cricism by promising audiences more fun... [T]he Snyders are trying to sell the sense that Justice League will learn from its predecessors' mistakes, tapping more into the joyful spirit of the hugely successful Marvel movies.
That's all well and good, but let's take a moment to read a bit deeper into the narrative. On the surface, we see a man forced to come to terms with the fact that no one likes his version of the DC universe.

[I]n interviews about Batman v Superman, [Snynder] described that film's summary execution of its Jimmy Olsen character as the movie "having fun," which sums up both the film's oppressive bleakness and its creator's total misread of its audience. [...] "When [Batman v Superman] came out, it was like, 'Wow, off.' It did catch me off guard." Of the film's sequel, he told Vulture, "I have had to, in my mind, make an adjustment. I do think the tone of Justice League has changed because of what the fans have said."
This is a perfect example of how powerful are the meek. DC's fanbase was so outraged by BvS and the critical reviews were so overwhelmingly negative, that Snyder is now forced to do something about it. But are his efforts sincere? Does he even understand why his movie failed? Reading between the lines, it almost seems like Snyder is whining about having to cowtow to fan (and studio) pressure.

And if it's true, if Snyder is little more than a whiny brat, can we really blame him for getting upset about people getting upset at his movie? Of course we can. But he's in the unenviable position of having to account for his mistakes--no one likes to hear they've done a bad job--and it's largely Hollywood's fault that he's in this mess to begin with.

Zack Snyder is, more or less, an auteur. He's the primary (or only) creative force driving the movie, calling the shots on the film's look and feel and theme so that his movie reflects his personal creative vision. But here's the thing, Hollywood doesn't really like auteurs, not anymore. It wasn't always this way, of course. In the 1970s, the "new" Hollywood courted auteurs and these filmmakers were a driving force behind the Hollywood Renaissance. The love affair with auteurs petered out toward the end of the decade, although guys who'd made their bones in the latter half of the '70s were still doted upon in the '80s. The turn away from auteurship resulted in a new "theory" of collaboration, that film is a product of cooperative teamwork, the unspoken truth being that studios were getting ever more involved in different parts of the process.

There's an inherent hypocrisy in the way Hollywood today deals name brand filmmakers. On the one hand, studios rally against auteurs by meddling, manipulating, or micromanaging their projects, while on the other hand, they court certain directors specifically because their movies have a particular stylistic appeal.

In an interview with Movieline, John Woo spoke about the challenge of working in the American studio system:

In Hollywood it takes a much longer time [than in China] to set up a project. You have to take so many notes and so many meetings! But in China, they all want to make a good movie. I just walk into their offices and let them know I want to make a movie [...] I never need to take new meetings or notes from anyone. I just do what I want. So that's a little more simple. That's a big difference from Hollywood.
Of course, John Woo might experience more creative freedom than others, but his words nevertheless describe a system that's obsessed with control and in which everyone wants a piece of the pie. And still Hollywood pursues directors who've made a name for themselves as auteurs, hoping to strike gold. When they produce successful films, these auteurs are celebrated. When their movie flops, they're reigned in and locked down. There's no middle ground.

Snyder was hired on to "set the tone" for DC's new franchise and Man of Steel was reasonably well received, so he kept at it with, it appears, little oversight from Warner Bros or DC. What everyone failed to realize is that Snyder's "visionary" director status was meant to be taken literally. Look at Sucker Punch and 300: all spectacle with just enough story to tie all those dazzling set-pieces together. BvS is what happens when you hire a guy who doesn't fully understand narrative to make you a movie that relies heavily on story in order to drive the action that appears on screen. Never mind the fact that one of the writers, David Goyer, once dismissed the idea of a Batman vs Superman movie as "where you go when you admit to yourself you've exhausted all possibilities."

DC is chasing after Marvel, desperate to create its own cinematic juggernaut, but they just can't seem to get that ship to sail. What they don't understand--and what appears perfectly clear to everyone else--is that the MCU isn't unified through visuals or even tone. What holds the MCU together are the characters who populate that vast universe, and the b and c plots that run through the films. Put another way, Marvel's producing a serial while DC's making bottle episodes.

Christopher Nolan's Batman proved that audiences are open to a gritty and bleak re-imagining of the comic book superhero, but Batman lends himself well to that kind of thing, thanks in large part to the darkly sophisticated Batman; The Animated Series (itself inspired by Tim Burton's Batman). Superman, by contrast, is a godlike alien who's taken guardianship of Earth, and WB's Superman cartoon was brighter and shinier than BTAS, although it still dealt with some heavy issues (including one episode in which they hold a funeral for a supporting character). As such, a new Superman for a new millennium would do better if he were built upon the strong foundation laid by WB's DC cartoon, rather than trying to appropriate the look and feel of an entirely different character.

Snyder's complaints about having "to make an adjustment" and "change the tone" because the audience didn't like his movie are more than him whining. It speaks to a fundamental aspect of his character: he can't take criticism. It's one thing to make changes because you're being told to do so, it's quite another to understand why, and I don't believe Snyder fully appreciates what's happening. He's making his adjustments and changing the tone but without any self-conscious effort to learn from his mistakes and better himself because he doesn't believe that he's erred.

Will Justice League be a better movie all-round than BvS? Probably, but only because Snyder's auteurship is now under scrutiny. Still, WB would probably do better to just keep making animated features and one-offs for now, giving other filmmakers a chance to breathe new life into their heroes.
DMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-71073913341653158902016-06-13T23:49:00.000-04:002016-06-13T23:49:11.949-04:00Hitman: Agent 47

Some of the thoughts that flitted through my brain while watching Hitman: Agent 47:

Ha! This prologue makes no sense. "Man can only wage war. So we built super assassins." For what purpose? To stop war or to be the best at it?

Wait, I thought the Agents worked for the Syndicate.

I guess they're free agents? And Diana is Agent 47's agent?

Who puts out these contracts?

Is 47 the good guy or the bad guy? I feel like he's supposed to be the good guy but everything he's done so far makes him seem like the bad guy.

Zachary Quinto is the good guy.

Zachary Quinto is the bad guy.

This movie has structure problems.

Biogenetics. Not to be confused with non-biological genetics.

Where have I seen Dominic Friend before? This is driving me nuts.

Omigod, is everyone in this movie a hitman?

Yes. Yes, they are.

You know, the whole "you're locked in here with me" thing loses its punch when it's repeated back and forth like that.

Now Diana's talking to someone else? Is she also a free agent? A freelance free Agent agent?

You know what this movie needs? A training montage.

If all the hitmen are so smart, how come no one's been able to figure out where this dude is? They can track a woman through CCTV based on her earlobe, but they can't find an old white man in Singapore?

Holy crap, I hope that garden is a real place is real because I need to go there.

I don't really see the point of having a video phone in your desk. That's got to be the least flattering angle there is.

Where the hell is the other Agent? I'm sitting here, waiting for the mysterious other hitman to show up and he refuses to appear. Did the movie forget about him? I feel like the movie forgot about him. I really hope it's Timothy Olyphant.

Oh, don't give me that "you are what you do" bullshit. What he does is kill people. Ergo, he's a hitman.

I'm mildly impressed by this fight.

I'm less impressed by this denouement. Who called in this hit, exactly?

And who the fuck is that??

DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-89147307076906101832016-05-18T21:53:00.000-04:002016-05-18T21:53:00.375-04:00Terrible Moments in Taglining

"Putting the tea back in terror."

If this movie is putting the tea back, that would suggest there was a time when tea was ubiquitous in horror movies, as some kind of fixture or genre trope. Then filmmakers turned away from tea, perhaps dabbling in coffee or even pop. But now these guys are going back to horror's roots, and infusing their nazi zombie movie with a strong peppermint.DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-7980859816759835132016-05-03T10:42:00.000-04:002016-05-03T10:42:01.029-04:00Terrible Moments in Taglining

"Evil is only skin deep."

So we've got nothing to worry about from this guy.DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-28005679336659404892016-05-01T21:17:00.001-04:002016-05-01T21:17:44.367-04:00Morbid

Not pictured: What actually happens in the movie.

There is a penis at the end of this review.

Fellow horror blogger Chuck Conry made a movie. Good for him! And this is where the praise ends because Morbid is a badly written and poorly paced slasher throwback that fails to pay hommage to the genre.

The movie opens with two dudes engaging in a heated debate about the horror canon. It would be fun if it weren't a tired cliche. Moreover, the rest of Morbid isn't nearly as post-modern as this scene would have you believe. An attempt to invert the male gaze is undermined by the film's lack of shower scene nudity, and the interminable pacing of the kills--not to mention the action and blocking--suggests that Conry is better off behind a keyboard than a camera.

That having been said, Morbid's script is thin on plot. And pages. Clocking in at 72 minutes, Morbid is little more than a series of kills strung together and intercut with too-long scenes of people talking about teen melodrama. The story, such as it is, revolves around a post-game house party and a love triangle. The cops want to shut the party down and, well...that's about it. If you're wondering how a masked killer fits in, so am I. Only two victims have been found, and no one at the party either knows or cares about the double homicide, nor do they (or the cops) even realize the killer's still out and about. At no point do the party-goers know they're in danger, meaning there's no tension whatsoever.

The thing about the slashers of yor is that the killer had some connection, no matter how tenuous, to his victims, and that at some point the over-sexed teens realize (too late) their numbers are dwindling. This is what ratchets up the tension, when the suspense, which has been boiling under, boils over and all hell breaks loose. Conry, however, seems to have fixated solely on the gore, forgoing story and plot for body count.

And he's not the only one. The genre is chock full of no/low movies inspired by the slasher classics of yesteryear made by horror lovers who display more passion than talent. As good/bad as the inspirational source material may be, it still had some semblance of story--some reason why the movie is happening. This simple fact, this basic tenet of storytelling, seems to have escaped Conry.

Other things that escaped Conry include camera angles and perspective.

Unless, of course, I'm wrong. The possibility exists that Conry is a genius and I'm too dumb, too self-absorbed, or too elitist to see it. Maybe Morbid's total lack of story is a comment on the state of the genre today. The disparate and disassociative nature of Morbid's narrative is a direct criticism of story's diminished position among an audience that only cares for incident. That the town's Sheriff is more concerned about a kegger than a brutal killer is a wry dig at morality and a keen observation on slasher tropes.

Morbid is a horror comedy that isn't funny. None of the jokes land, with one exception, and it's more outrageous than hilarious. I also got a big kick out of what might be the worst rap ever, only because it was so bad as to be funny. I'm not sure if that was the intent. When I did laugh, I was laughing at Morbid, not with it, and that's a problem for a movie that's supposed to be funny on purpose.

Perhaps most annoying is the promise of an ending (I'm paraphrasing here) "as shocking as Sleepaway Camp." Granted, this part isn't Conry's fault; the DVD box suggests a surprising twist end I'll never see coming. So while I was fidgeting my way through the longest 72 minutes of my life, I was also trying to figure out the twist, trying to guess who's the killer. What I didn't realize is that Rue Morgue, who made the comparison to Sleepaway Camp, meant it literally. Meaning, there is a penis at the end of the movie.

A big one.

And much like the flaccid phallus that punctuates the film, Morbid lacks substance. Like all other no/low horror, it was a good effort, but this one falls way short of the mark. The film's technical problems not withstanding (matching, re-shoots, editing, not leaving the tripod in the shot when you're going handheld), Morbid's complete lack of narrative arc meant the project was doomed from the start.
DMhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-81575070672141468362016-04-20T12:51:00.001-04:002016-05-01T21:56:38.221-04:00Map It! Haunted Places and Ley LinesEver wonder what the relationship is between ley lines and hauntings? Of course you have. Everyone has. Well, I've taken it upon myself to map that relationship to prove that it doesn't exist.

Now, I'm not saying ghosts don't exist, nor am I claiming that ley lines are bs, but there are more sites on this map that don't really coincide with ley lines than those that do.

Where did I get my data? From the Internet of course! The thirty sites listed above are the "most haunted" or appear the most often on haunted house websites. The ley line data is, admittedly slightly less authoritative. The above map was redrawn from this one, chosen because it appears on more than one site, was at the right scale, and because it was the "cleanest."DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-39481921304749508132016-04-16T23:10:00.000-04:002016-05-01T21:56:50.313-04:004got10

4got10 is a curiously terrible movie. There is no good reason why it's as bad as it is. That having been said, there are a number of bad ones.

Bad Reason #1: The Script

To say the script for 4got10 is underdeveloped assumes a complete story to begin with. And assuming so makes an ass out of you. Not me, though. Because I know this story didn't get much past the idea stage before it was committed to videotape.

Brian wakes up shot and surrounded by bodies, with no clear idea of what's happened. The cops roll up and he pretends to be dead, eavesdropping on the Sheriff's plan to steal all the cash and blow on hand. Shortly after this scene plays out, Brian himself takes off in the van and drives...somewhere. He's following a route dictated to him by the van's satnav. When he get gets to his destination--which is some guy's house--he takes the guy and his wife hostage then sits down for a good think.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff is packing to leave town. He's in the shit after his foiled attempt to steal the van and is planning to get the hell out of Dodge. This plan is also foiled when Danny Trejo shows up at his house demanding to know who shot his son. Danny strikes a deal with the Sheriff: if the Sheriff deliver's his son's murderer and the stolen van with money and drugs intact, Danny will let him have some of the cash.

Meanwhile, Dolf Lundgren is a DEA agent investigating the shoot-out.

Meanwhile Brian has sex with the woman he's take hostage. Tuns out she knows him. Brian, of course, has no idea who she is.

It all comes to a head when the Sheriff arrives at the house where Brian's holed up. Shortly after he gets there, Trejo and his boys show up. A gun battle ensues. Brian survives, as does the broad. She takes off with a set of keys, keys that will open a locker at the bus station. It's where Brian hid the money before driving to the house.

Brian's too late to the bus station--the money's gone. But Dolf Lundgren isn't. He's in a parking garage, waiting for Brian. And now, finally, all the pieces fall into place. Or they would were this a better movie. Brian shoots Lundgren in the head and we're let in on the backstory.

Brian's an undercover DEA agent who brokered a deal with Trejo's lawyer's wife, aka the broad, to have her husband sent away. When Brian's in the middle of the big drug sale, Lundgren manipulates him into sparking the shoot-out. Lundgren shoots Brian with an aim to steal the money himself once everybody's dead.

If you're wondering what the lawyer has to do with any of this, you're not the only one. How and/or why the Sheriff and Danny Trejo show up at the lawyer's house is equally confusing. And at no point does Brian tell the broad where he stashed the cash--she just knows to go to the bus station. As does Dolf Lundgren.

4got10 wants to be this great twisted caper, with all these different characters and threads weaving an intricate web of deceit. But writing something like that requires time and patience, if not talent. 4got10's writer came up with the basic idea but stopped short of planning it out. So what should have been something along the lines of Lock Stock meets Get Shorty meets Once Upon a Time in Mexico, feels more like bad True Romance fan fic.

Bad Reason #2: The Cameos

Normally a cameo is a good thing. Or at least a surprising thing. 4got10 has three "big" "cameo" performances. In addition to Dolf Lundgren and Danny Trejo, Vivica Fox is in this movie, and only one of them has anything to contribute to the plot, such as it is. While Danny Trejo's drug lord character has a reason to be in the movie, Vivica Fox's DEA chief doesn't. Excise her from the script and you've freed up ten minutes that could be put to better use. That's not to suggest that Vivica Fox isn't good at her job, she just has nothing to do.

Most troubling of all is Dolf Lundgren. Clearly, he was only available for a couple of days but his character is more important to the plot and he should have more of a presence in the movie. If the script were better, it's likely Lundgren's DEA agent would do more, make more of an impact, but then he might not have been able to accept the role because he'd have to have been on set longer than a couple of days.

Bad Reason #3: The Spelling

Bad Reason #4: The Continuity

See that white van?

Here. I've pointed it out.

Now, take a look at this next photo and see if you can see it.

You can't because it's not there. Instead of a white panel van, there's a dark minivan parked in its place.

Note here the "braud"'s tattoo changes from one moment to the next.

And see how Danny Trejo is right-handed while his stand-in is a leftie.

Reason #5: The Budget

Normally I wouldn't hold a movie's budget against it. Unless we're talking about a billion dollar movie that looks like crap. Then yeah, it's a problem. But with low budget films, looking cheap isn't necessarily a strike against.

4got10 is low budget, and it looks pretty good, so that's a real accomplishment. But all that goodwill is undone by this one embarrassing prop:

How can a movie that can afford custom search engines and email graphics produce something so cheap as the evidence board seen here? There is no acceptable reason, no good excuse as to why this thing exists.

Like all the other terrible mistakes that found their way into this film, this awful bit of set dressing sums up all that's wrong with 4got10. It showcases a certain laziness on the part of the filmmakers, a lack of attention to detail and an inability to prioritize that completely undermines their efforts.
DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-1275541655170824312016-04-14T13:09:00.002-04:002016-04-14T13:14:11.611-04:00Map It! Unsolved Murders in the USMore murder data means more maps!

This map shows unsolved serial and mass murders in the US. Users and scroll, zoom, and click on the red circles for details. By no means an exhaustive study of unsolved crime, this map is more a sample, showing twenty-four murder mysteries. Each location has a link to click for more information, if you're into that kind of thing.
DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-33381927287658395952016-03-13T13:15:00.000-04:002016-04-14T12:57:02.872-04:00Map It! Murder by StateI like data and I like maps, so I thought it might be fun to map some data I've collected.

Note: The data have not been normalized. This map shows raw count data reported to the FBI, and represents a portion of all murders in each state for the years 2014 and 2015.DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-49000940937521489292016-03-12T19:28:00.000-05:002016-03-12T19:28:05.660-05:00Horror Movies as Academic Papers

For fun I like to read academic articles about horror movies. But what if the movies themselves were papers published in peer-reviewed periodicals?

Studying the Effects of Media Literacy and Self-Awareness on Quality of Life Among American Teenagers

Identifying and Coping with Cyclical Bodily Mutation and its Consequences

The Effects of Extreme Isolation on the Family Unit: A Case Study

Prioritizing Subaltern Narratives as a Method of Overcoming Prejudice Against the Poor in Rural Areas

Using Stress as a Motivator for Personal Growth: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Re-Examining Biblical Hermeneutics in Light of Post-Positivism*

Problematizing the Babysitter

Negating Mind/Brain Identity Theory: How Inter-Dimensional Space Travel Relates to Brain Function and Consciousness

"If it Bleeds": Assumption and Fact in Combat Situations Against an Unknown Opponent

Environmental Manipulation and its Effects on Group Dynamics: A Failure Analysis

Cooperative Disharmony in a Hostile Environment as an Indicator of Depersonalization and the Ultimate Loss of Self

Power Tools: Innovations in the Use of Forestry Technologies and Sustained Patriarchal Hierarchies in the American Southwest* DMhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-9211605402828217863.post-67911660077816985982016-03-04T09:27:00.000-05:002016-03-04T09:27:01.047-05:00Mr Jonesor, Everything That's Wrong With Your Movie Summed Up In One Image

That's Scott. He moved to the country to film a nature documentary. Periodically, he sets up his camera at this location to film himself indulging in self-pity. That lump in the middleground? The black thing on the rock behind him? That's his backpack.

This is the only time Scott dumps his bag in frame. Which means on this day, Scott set up his camera, walked into the middle distance with his bag, put it down, then hit his mark. Or maybe he dumped the bag first, then set up his equipment. Whatever the order of events, the point is Scott knows his bag is in the shot because he's set up this exact same shot a number of times.

And why is his bag in the shot? So it can get stolen.

By that guy, Mr Jones.

The theft of Scott's backpack kicks off the narrative--it's the inciting incident. His car keys are in there, and he needs to get them back. Why did Scott bring his car keys on a walk to his favourite shooting location? So he would have a reason to chase after Mr Jones. It's the same reason why he put the backpack on that rock, i.e.: to move the story forward.

Further to my point, this isn't the first time Mr Jones has shown up in this spot. He makes the briefest of appearances earlier in the movie, when Scott and his partner, Penny, are lounging on the rock. They don't notice him at the time, nor is it ever suggested they noticed him upon reviewing their footage--because they don't ever review the footage. Had Scott witnessed Mr Jones when watching the tape, he could have set up a sting in which he plants his backpack in the hopes it'll get stolen. That would have been acceptable, maybe even clever. But neither Scott nor his creator are clever, and nothing they do over the course of the movie is acceptable.

Nobody, no filmmaker, no matter how amateur would do what Scott does, and certainly not on the nth visit to this location. This is the worst kind of writing--a clunky, awkward kind of filmmaking. If your characters have to behave in counter-productive or counter-intuitive ways to get things rolling (or keep them rolling), then you're not writing hard enough. And Karl Mueller, the film's writer/director clearly didn't think this one through.

So there you have it. Everything wrong with Mr Jones (and a host of other films that follow a similar plot) summed up in one shot two shots.DMhttp://email@example.com


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06 Feb Meeting God (or something) with Mother Ayahuasca in the Amazon jungle
Here comes a drug report. But first some background.
Throughout history man has used different plants for healing and teaching purposes. Ayahuasca is a "sacred plant medicine" and it is generally consumed as a liquid made out of at least two plants. No one knows for how long it has been used by shamans (medicine men) in the Amazon jungle, but probably for at least 8 000 years. I have been told that when human settlers came to the area they observed how the local animals behaved to learn from them. Ayahuasca was found in this way, when Indians saw Leopards chewing the plant in the jungle. Since then the tradition of this plant medicine has been passed on from shaman to shaman for thousands of years.
Last winter I was in the Peruvian Amazon together with two friends for a 15-day shamanistic retreat using medicinal plants, one of them was Ayahuasca. My reason for doing this was to heal physical and psychological wounds and to discover and understand deeper layers of myself and the world around me. The retreat centre where we lived was peacefully located in the jungle by one of the hundreds of branches of the Amazon River. The only way to get there was by boat.
We were instructed by the experienced shaman to set an intention before the ceremony and we were also encouraged to spell out specific questions to "Mother Ayahuasca" before and also during the ceremony. The ceremony was to start at 9 in the evening and just before it I prayed and set the intention to be as honest and sincere as possible. My questions were about who I am beyond the person (the story about my life), what my purpose is in this life and what my main obstacle is. No small questions and of course I was counting on getting information about me being the savior of the world, like the next Jesus or something. 😉
The Ayahuasca brew is being prepared and we all get to drop some of the plant into it, bringing our intention.
The ceremonial room was circular, built in wood and surrounded by the vibrant jungle with mysterious sounds in all directions. The room was lit up by candle lights, beautifully decorated with paintings of wild animals and psychedelic patterns and there was a scent of incense. All participants, we were about 40 people from all over the world and of all ages, were sitting in a ¾ of a circle with our backs against the wall. Completing the circle were the two shamans and the son of one of them. They were sitting in wooden rocket chairs looking peaceful and a bit smart at the same time. I sat down on my mattress and arranged the pillows behind me so I could sit comfortable. From now on we were in silence since the Ayahuasca journey is something you do without interacting with others. I was excited and my main worry was that nothing would happen. What a disappointment that would be!
In order from the right to the left we went up one by one to the shaman to drink the medicine. I got a glass of perhaps 10 cl of green muddy liquid and drank it all. It tasted like shit! It was one of the most disgusting tastes ever. For perhaps five minutes I was mainly occupied in slow breathing and swallowing water to get the taste of my mouth without throwing up. When everybody had had their drink the party started… Or rather, the shamans blew out all the candles. It got pitch black and silent apart from the jungle-sounds. I waited and looked for any signs of changes in my consciousness.
I knew most people throw up at some point during the ceremony. It is considered an important part of the purification – to purge out toxins and other garbage built up over the years. After about 45 minutes I felt something was happening. It was a bit like being tipsy on alcohol when I was a teenager, but I also felt more awake and my senses seemed sharper than ordinary. At the same time the shamans started singing. It was some old song in their native language about Mother Ayahuasca and Nature that had been passed on from shaman to shaman for many generations. I loved it. Then they lit one single candlelight in front of them. I could see the contours of the room again.
"Perhaps I need to throw up to really get it going?", I thought to myself. I was starting to see subtle patterns before my eyes, but apart from that nothing much happened. Suddenly I felt a bit sick. Finally! (Strange to be glad for such a thing). I grabbed the bucket and put it in my lap. I purged. It was not much to through up since I had been fasting for most of the day, but the feeling was very intense and it felt like I was purging straight into a black whole in the universe. I saw visions at the same time of what I was getting rid of. I was disgusted to see my "Spiritual Ego", the new identity I had built up of someone who thinks he knows better in this particular area. I also felt like I was getting rid of shame and desires. After the purge I felt lighter and then the ride really took of.
I was flying in space, through tunnels decorated in amazing patterns with all the colours of heaven. It was incredibly scenic and I got a feeling I was travelling through dimensions always present, but obscured by our normal way of filtering and interpreting reality. I saw strange entities dancing and celebrating; it was like the Universe was enjoying itself through these countless forms and manifestations. However I had been recommended to not get too fascinated with the patterns, so I went back to my question "who am I".
After a while I was starting to feel incredible light hearted. I was like a child again, for some reason everything felt clear and I did not have a problem in the world. Then I started to see a white light in front of my inner eye. It was brighter than the sun, but not hurting the eyes and it was somehow communicating with me. I had never in my life up to that point felt so clear, so safe and so much at home. The light communicated love, but in a deeper and more profound way then the love I had previously experienced in my life. It felt like the source of love, the source of everything. It was obvious to me I was a part of it and I perceived it as equally obvious this was what all humans were looking for. Then I got visions of "the light", seeing it as the sparkle in the eyes of my friends when they were happily and lovingly smiling. I could see that this light was what we all had in common and that the joy and love we experience now and then are small glimpses of this ever-present light. It was like the light communicated to me that we were all taken care of, there was nothing to worry about. There were no questions, no-where to go, nothing missing. It was full, meaningful and complete in itself. I was laughing the most heartfelt laugh ever, I felt like an innocent kid – overwhelmed by pure joy and lust for life. It was the most amazing ecstasy and also total peace at the same time. I was at home.
I felt a desire to get closer to the light, to totally join with it and disappear in it. This seeking immediately made the light distant itself from me. The more I tried to get hold of it, the further away it seemed. Then I let go of it and instead saw people from my childhood appearing in front of my inner vision – almost like they were there and in some way I could communicate to them telepathically. It all made sense in some weird way.
Step by step I returned to the ordinary world and after about five ours I felt sober again, but I also felt different. The memory of seeing "The source", or whatever it was had made a deep impact on me. Somehow I felt changed. All those things I thought were so important before seemed less important. I went to bed and slept a deep, dreamless sleep.
Of course Babyface had to steal a hug from the Shaman's wife and daughter 🙂
What was all this? I guess for some I sound like a religious fanatic and to you I just want to make clear I do not know at all how this works, all I can do is to tell you about my experience as honestly as I can. So… Is it just a drug ride temporarily changing the brain chemistry, with no meaning to our ordinary lives? Not if you ask the shamans and besides, a professor in molecular biology that I know says that Ayahuasca physically expands the empathy centre of the brain. Sam Harris (author of Waking Up) also states that any experience you have on a substance is possible to have when you are sober too. Perhaps most interesting is that almost everyone experiences positive life changes after trying Ayahuasca, but it is very important to do it with a proper shaman. There are many scams out there.
You can read more about this online, for instance on Wikipedia, and there are also documentaries such as "DMT – The spiritual molecule", "Stepping into the fire" and "Vine of the Soul". Feel free to share below if you have any experience of this yourself!


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Biography Charlize Theron
|Charlize Theron
|Place of birth
|Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
|Sharliz Teron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is very remarkable actor because he is very skilled at playing a character in a film, because of its expertise, it deserves a great reward.
Charlize Theron Charlize Theron in the film plays a very anticipated by fans because he is an amazing actor and as a writer, I was very impressed with what Charlize Theron, hope Charlize Theron award nominations to organizations of this world.
Charlize Theron: Charlize Theron (born 7 August 1975) is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in the films The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). Theron received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), for which she won the Silver Bear, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award for Best Actress among several other accolades, becoming the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. In recent years, she has moved into the field of producing, both in television and film.She received further Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance in North Country in 2005, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in Young Adult in 2011. In 2012, she appeared in Snow White & the Huntsman and Prometheus, both of which were box office successes. Theron became a U.S. citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship.Theron was born in Benoni, in the then-Transvaal Province of South Africa, the only child of Gerda (née Maritz) and Charles Theron (born 27 November 1947). Second Boer War figure Danie Theron was her great-great-uncle. Her ancestry includes French, German, and Dutch; her French forebears were early Huguenot settlers in South Africa. "Theron" is an Occitan surname (originally spelled Théron) pronounced in Afrikaans as [tɜːron], although she has said that the way she pronounces it in South Africa is [θron]. She changed the pronunciation when she moved to the U.S. to give it a more "American" sound.She grew up on her parents' farm in Benoni, near Johannesburg. On 21 June 1991, Theron's father, an alcoholic, physically attacked her mother and threatened both her mother and her while drunk; Theron's mother then shot and killed him. The shooting was legally adjudged to have been self-defense and her mother faced no charges.Theron attended Putfontein Primary School (Laerskool Putfontein), a period she later characterised as not "fitting in". At 13, Theron was sent to boarding school and began her studies at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg. Although Theron is fluent in English, her first language is Afrikaans.


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"Rock-N-Roll Pumpkin" as written by and Green Jelly Green Jelly....
Rock-N-Roll Pumpkihn (Say it again).
Wouldja pop it in our keys?
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Slowdown in mainland loans as Xi Jinping stresses 'new normal' growth
Response from Beijing and Xi's 'new normal' growth indicate that the authorities are comfortable with the way the economy is performing
The amount of new loans extended on the mainland last month was lower than expected, indicating the authorities refrained from adding liquidity to spur growth despite a rapidly cooling property market that has flagged further weakness in the economy.
The lingering tightness in liquidity also reflects the regulators' efforts to rein in shadow-banking businesses to prevent systemic risks after several property trusts reportedly defaulted on their products. An approaching peak of property trust repayments is likely to test market stability, analysts say, with more than 120 billion yuan (HK$151 billion) worth of products expected to mature this month.
Remarks by President Xi Jinping during a visit to Henan province on Saturday that people should adapt to the "new normal" of economic development have been widely interpreted by observers as suggesting that Beijing remains comfortable with the pace of slowdown in economic growth.
Echoing Xi's message, People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan told a closed-door forum at the weekend the authorities would not easily resort to massive stimulus in response to short-term fluctuations in economic data, but policy fine-tuning would continue.
Aggregate social financing fell by 12 per cent year on year to 1.55 trillion yuan last month, PBOC said on its website yesterday. Trust loans rose 41.7 billion yuan year on year, only a fifth of the increase in April last year.
New yuan loans extended by banks reached 774.7 billion yuan last month, below the 880 billion yuan expected by analysts and also lower than the 1.05 trillion yuan issued in March.
M2, a gauge of money supply, rose 13.2 per cent at the end of April, accelerating from 12.1 per cent growth in March but slower than the 16.1 per cent growth in April last year.
"In the face of calls for stimulus, China's government appears comfortable with a continued slowdown in credit growth," said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist with London-based Capital Economics.
Some analysts have warned that the mainland's gross domestic product growth risks slowing further, after easing to 7.4 per cent in the first quarter from 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, if the government does not pump in liquidity in a timely manner to help companies, including property developers.
The real estate market has been cooling fast in the past few months, thanks to curbs on home sales and bank lending implemented by regulators in response to property bubbles. Land sales and home transactions fell in some cities while some developers are near bankruptcy.
China Vanke, the mainland's largest developer by sales, reported a 5 per cent drop in net profit - its first in more than a decade - in the first quarter.
Barclays Capital said the government was likely to tolerate further correction and "bad news" in the property market, but that it could announce more supportive measures including broad-based easing if house-price declines reach about 10 per cent.
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By ANNE DELANEY
Michelle Kaufman, a sports reporter and columnist at the Miami Herald, covered the World Cup for the sixth time last month in Brazil. But before Kaufman, a sports reporter and a columnist for the Miami Herald, watched Germany's 1-0 extra-time final win over Argentina, she had doubts if she'd be able to file stories.
The wi-fi connection at the venue in Rio de Janeiro went out 2 1/2 hours before kickoff, sending thousands of journalists to the brink of insanity.
"We were very grumpy," said Kaufman, who has been a sports reporter for 29 years. "I couldn't get my hotspot to work. I still don't know what happened. The entire area around the stadium had a blackout."
The wireless internet connection was restored, but the evolution of information technology at the World Cup isn't the only change Kaufman, a 25-year member of the Association for Women in Sports Media, has seen since she covered the tournament for the first time 20 years ago while at the Detroit Free Press.
"The biggest difference is the growing interest in the U.S.," said Kaufman, 49. "The national fervor for soccer, the numbers are ridiculous and off the charts and everything I write is read by more people. There is such a hunger for soccer in our country."
The Brazil tournament was the most watched World Cup ever in the United States. According to The Washington Post, an average of more than 4.5 million viewers watched the month-long tournament on ESPN and ABC.
The Germany-Argentina final drew 26.5 million viewers – the most ever for a soccer game in the U.S.
Yet of the 7,000 credentialed media, Kaufman estimated there were approximately 100 women in the press ranks. She said female sports reporters are a rare sight in international soccer. Kaufman said she and USA Today's Nancy Armour counted eight women in the expansive room at one press center.
"It's almost exclusively a male sport and when you're a woman covering it, it can be lonely," Kaufman said. "It's taken for granted in [the United States] that women play sports or cover sports. In other countries, it's unheard of. It really stands out for me when I go to the World Cup."
Kaufman's coverage included stories, columns, blogs (http://miamiherald.typepad.com/total_futbol/), video, polls and tweets. She met two Argentine men who went to Brazil with the promise of marrying their girlfriends if Argentina won. Kaufman reported the protest movement didn't live up to the pre-tournament hype; some Brazilians questioned the practicality of spending reportedly billions on the World Cup, but embraced the event once it began.
"Even in the poorest shacks, there were giant flags waving and people were wearing Neymar shirts," Kaufman said. "It's not like the nation was against the World Cup the way the media thought it would be."
The tournament also smashed social-media records and Kaufman saw a spike of 400 followers on her Twitter account, @kaufsports.
While Kaufman said she doesn't know if her new followers have staying power, she believes soccer has found a foothold in the U.S.
"In 1994, '98 and even 2002, there were still a lot of American journalists writing the 'Soccer is boring' column," Kaufman said. "Now any columnist who writes that today looks really stupid and old-fashioned and not current.
"Hockey is similar to soccer in that it's difficult to score. That's the beauty of it. That's the tension."


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Profile Created for Daughter , Last Logged In : 6th, September 2017
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Lives in India, Tamil Nadu,...
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This Profile is of My Relative Who is Simple and Good Looking. Our Mother Tounge is Tamil and Caste is Muthuraja.she is Currently Residing in India. She is M.e Holder Fashion Designer Partner Should Be Masters in Engineering Middle Class Family Ok. Sister Married Settled in Singapore. Her Brother also Married Working in Satheyam Mahaendra Tech. She is the Last Youngest.
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Meniscal Tears and Other Knee Cartilage Injuries - Causes
Patient is a certified member of
The Information Standard
Reviewed by:
Dr Helen Huins, 01 Feb 2017
The knee joint
There are four bones around the area of the knee joint: the thigh bone (femur), the main shin bone (tibia), the outer shin bone (fibula) and the kneecap (patella). The main movements of the knee joint are between the femur, the tibia and the patella. Tough connective tissue (articular cartilage) covers the ends of the tibia and femur and the back of the patella around the knee joint. The articular cartilage reduces friction between the bones of the knee joint and helps smooth movement between them.
Each knee joint also contains an inner and outer meniscus (a medial and lateral meniscus). The menisci (plural of meniscus) are thick rubbery pads of cartilage tissue. They are C-shaped and become thinner towards the middle of the joint. The meniscal cartilages sit on top of, and are in addition to, the usual thin layer of articular cartilage which covers the top of the tibia. The menisci act like shock absorbers to absorb the impact of the upper leg on the lower leg. They also help to make the knee movements smooth and help to make the knee stable.
When people talk about a cartilage injury to a knee, they usually mean an injury to one of the menisci. However, the knee also has tough connective tissue covering the ends of the bones in the joint - this is called articular cartilage - and damage can occur here as well. The areas of articular cartilage can be seen in the side view of the knee joint in the diagram above.
How do you tear your meniscal cartilage?
The knee is commonly injured in sports, especially rugby, football and skiing. You may tear a meniscus by a forceful knee movement whilst you are weight bearing on the same leg. The typical injury is for a footballer to twist (rotate) the knee whilst the foot is still on the ground - for example, whilst dribbling around a defender. Another example is a tennis player who twists to hit a ball hard but with the foot remaining in the same position. The meniscus may tear fully or partially. How serious the injury is depends on how much is torn and the exact site of the tear.
Meniscal tears may also occur without a sudden severe injury. In some cases a tear develops due to repeated small injuries to the cartilage or to wear and tear (degeneration) of the meniscal cartilage in older people. In severe injuries, other parts of the knee may also be damaged in addition to a meniscal tear. For example, you may also sprain or tear a ligament. See separate leaflet called Knee Ligament Injuries for more details.
Meniscal cartilage does not heal very well once it is torn. This is mainly because it does not have a good blood supply. The outer edge of each meniscus has some blood vessels but the area in the centre has no direct blood supply. This means that although some small outer tears may heal in time, larger tears, or a tear in the middle, tend not to heal.
How do you injure the articular cartilage?
Damage to the cartilage covering the end of the bones at the knee joint is called a chondral injury. If the underlying bone itself is also damaged, this is called an osteochondral injury.
Injuries to the articular cartilage usually happen in combination with other injuries to the knee, either to the meniscus (as above) or the knee ligaments or bones. See separate leaflet called Knee Ligament Injuries for more details.
Further reading and references
Englund M, Guermazi A, Gale D, et al; Incidental meniscal findings on knee MRI in middle-aged and elderly persons. N Engl J Med. 2008 Sep 11359(11):1108-15.
McDermott ID, Amis AA; The consequences of meniscectomy. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2006 Dec88(12):1549-56.
Sihvonen R, Paavola M, Malmivaara A, et al; Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus sham surgery for a degenerative meniscal tear. N Engl J Med. 2013 Dec 26369(26):2515-24. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1305189.
Knee pain - assessment; NICE CKS, March 2011 (UK access only)
Bark S, Piontek T, Behrens P, et al; Enhanced microfracture techniques in cartilage knee surgery: Fact or fiction? World J Orthop. 2014 Sep 185(4):444-9. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v5.i4.444. eCollection 2014 Sep 18.
van den Bekerom MP, Struijs PA, Blankevoort L, et al; What is the evidence for rest, ice, compression, and elevation therapy in the treatment of ankle sprains in adults? J Athl Train. 2012 Jul-Aug47(4):435-43. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-47.4.14.
Holzer LA, Leithner A, Holzer G; Surgery versus physical therapy for meniscal tear and osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 2013 Aug 15369(7):677. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc1307177#SA1.
Just a quick question for you ladies and gentlemen...is there some kind of card I have to get to explain why the alarms will go off going through security at airports ? I'm in UKPennypops
Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Patient Platform Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions.


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1M 3FT USB 3.0 Type A male to A male Cable Super speed 5Gbps for Apple Airbook White
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Photo highlights from the San Francisco Giants 2016 season.View gallery »
The San Francisco Giants are full of optimism in 2014 after a season to forget last year. Read »
Giants clubhouse manager Mike Murphy doesn't assign lockers at random, and there was no mistaking the designed decision to cluster Andres Torres, Ramon Ramirez and Angel Pagan.
The Giants gave Angel Pagan a four year, $40 million contract this offseason to be their centerfielder over the next few years. It's a gamble, but it's a relatively good one. Read »
The hot stove couldn't be hotter, and San Francisco needs another outfielder, but the Giants won't be chasing any "hot-ticket items" according to Brian Sabean. Read »
San Francisco Giants outfielder Angel Pagan spent Saturday at the Macy's Union Square men's store in San Francisco greeting fans and signing merchandise. Read »
The Giants do not plan to make a qualifying offer to any of their free agents by the 2 p.m. deadline on Friday, which means they would not receive draft pick compensation in the event Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro...
Taco Bell's World Series promotional give-away was Tuesday. Read »
Angel Pagan's steal of second base in the eighth inning means everyone in America gets a free Doritos Locos Taco from Taco Bell. Read »
Angel Pagan made an absolutely incredible catch in the eighth inning to double up Chase Headley in the rare 8-6-3 double play that helped the Giants pull off a walkoff win against the Padres. Read »


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|02 Dec 2011
windows 7 Professional
What's the benefit to Windows 7?
I "upgraded" to 7 about a month ago after using XP for several years, and am still wondering what's better about windows 7? It's slightly faster to boot, but most of the other changes are annoying at best, and it seems like this is just another excuse for Microsoft to extract more money from the public.
|My System Specs
|02 Dec 2011
Windows 10 Home 64Bit
Been using it for a year almost. I would say it's just awesome . A little patience with a new OS will get you used to it & make you aware of the lovely UI+features. If you remain annoyed, guess you have the option Clean install of back to XP.
|My System Specs
|02 Dec 2011
Microsoft Windows 10 Professional / Windows 7 Professional
I dumped XP the day Vista was released, installed the 64bit version and never looked back, since I'm a power user, big ammounts of ram is needed on a daily basis on my computer, my daily average memory load is about 8~12GB, so XP only dreams about handling that much memory, even XP x64 wasnt on par of my tasks. Now I run Windows 7 and as in Vista I never had a single problem about slowness, blue screens, etc.
|My System Specs
|02 Dec 2011
Kind of with Needles on this, "lovely UI features" dont justify a new OS or the cost.
|My System Specs
|02 Dec 2011
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
I "upgraded" to 7 about a month ago after using XP for several years, and am still wondering what's better about windows 7? It's slightly faster to boot, but most of the other changes are annoying at best, and it seems like this is just another excuse for Microsoft to extract more money from the public.
|My System Specs
|02 Dec 2011
Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit
+1 for pparks.
Windows 7 is a bit like an iceberg - there's the icing on top (pardon the pun) but most of the goodness is below the surface. Once you explore all the things 7 can do and all the various tools and components it offers, you'll appreciate it. As for the UI, don't worry, it's just a matter of spending time and getting used to the new changes.
We fully support Windows 7.
|My System Specs
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Any benefit in using my standard hd along with my ssd?
Before I installed the ssd, I had a 500GB Seagate running my OS and was using a Samsung 320GB hd to store a system backup image / paging file and temp files on. I have an external usb drive which I keep my backup images on now. Would it be of benefit to hook the Samsung drive back up and use it for...
|Hardware & Devices
what do software developers benefit ?
we know many of programs or softwares , like Messenger , Explorer , Yahoo , Whatsup , Photoshop , Realplayer , antiviruses ... etc the list goes on . as users we download them freely and use .. leave aside the paid softwares , there the matter is clear that the money you pay to get the software...
What's the benefit of UEFI and install Windows in UEFI mode?
I am not sure if this subforum is the right place, if not, pleases help me transfer to the right forum... I recently just build a new setup with Asus P8Z77-V LK, this motherboard comes with UEFI boot and legacy BIOS boot support. So I tested install windows 7 in both mode, and I didn't find...
|Installation & Setup
Would this PC benefit from Win7?
I have a technet subscription and I'm considering putting Windows 8 on a Dell Optiplex GX280 I have. Specs: 2 GB DDR2 Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz (with HT) 80 GB HDD nVidia Quadro FX 1400 128 MB graphics card Would this machine be any faster on Windows 7 than it is on XP? I've heard that Win7...
|General Discussion
Will I benefit from a new graphic card?
Accidentally I came across prices for graphic cards today. Turns out, for relatively small money, I can significantly upgrade my graphic card. At the moment, I am running ATI HD 2600 XT. The question is, what happens if I replace it by, say ATI Radeon HD 4650? Not top of the line (hence small...
|Graphic Cards
What is the benefit of Video conversion?
Hi I am new to computer. I wonder what is the benefit of video conversion? Like I converted video from flv to DVD (.vob), but I didn't find any difference in video quality. The same quality in larger screen as flv. OR I am doing something wrong? The only benefit I think is to convert large video to...
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The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Forecast - Low Clouds and Coastal Fog (1963)
Directed by Charles F. HaasRun Time - 60 min. |
Share on
Synopsis by Hal Erickson
When his car runs out of gas on an oceanside road, Manuel Sanchez (Christopher Dark) shows up at the beach house owned by Karen Wilson (Inger Stevens), begging Karen to look after his girlfriend while he goes for gas. Not believing Manuel's story, Karen refuses -- and shortly afterward, Manuel's sweetheart is beaten to death. Suspecting that the killer is one of her neighbors, Karen ends up seeking protection from her friends, a group of handsome surfers. But as it turns out, Karen's fate rests in the hands of Manuel Sanchez -- who may be disinclined to accept such an "honor."


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Do you love donuts and want to make your own from your own home? This video tutorial will provide recipes and guide you on how to make donuts from scratch.
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PLEASE BOOKMARK US (CTRL+D) AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS OF THE GLORY OF GOD. Enjoy and May God Almighty Bless You all in Abundance through this webpage.


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Would you like to work with CC and Mike? Let's do this!
What do we do? We design custom built homes. We renovate. We do home remodeling. We are a dream home builder who specializes in modern home design. We also do construction consulting.
Here are some more details because I know you're wondering…
Have you considered hiring an interior design company? Why not have CC help you update your space with a stylish modern home design? I can pick out some finishes, decorate a room or find the perfect furniture or art for you. I offer design boards, modern home design services, and if you would like to do a consultation or get a quote, hit me up!
Did you find your dream home in the school district and neighborhood you want to live in BUT it straight up has blue carpet, 1970's kitchen appliances, puke green cabinets, and tile in the bathroom? We've got your back. CC and Mike are now accepting home remodeling and home renovation projects. Go ahead and buy that fixer upper then let CC and Mike turn it into your dream home!
We are now accepting custom building projects. If you want CC and Mike to build your next custom home, let us know! And by CC and Mike, I mean Mike Miller builds it and I get to boss him around about finishes and what looks good and what doesn't, which I love to do.
Don't live in Tulsa but you want CC and Mike to consult with you about building your dream home? We can do that! Mike Miller can look over your home plans for you and point out any areas of concern. We can discuss any questions you may have about the building process and we can help walk you through the process.
Alrighty, that pretty much sums it up. If you want to work with CC and Mike, you can shoot us an email and we'll get the party started – carissa@ccandmike.


text:
Gk M.
Hornsby, Australia, 2145
Joined on November, 2010
Gender: Male
Average Rating:
Weekends at any time
Weekdays after 5PM
Weekdays after 5PM
Lives Near:
Can Meet:
Up to 20 minutes away for a flat fee
EducationB.Sc. (Class IIB) in Natural Sciences. Postgraduate student.
ExperienceNumber of years worked: 13 years
Number of years worked in universities: 12 years
Number of univesities worked: 4
Number of countries worked: 3
I am not a registered teacher. But, I have been giving tuition for more than 15 years now and in Australia for High School students for the last 4 years.
HobbiesPhotography, Cycling, Badminton.
Preferred Subjects
Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics
Inquire about this tutor
The tutor will respond if they are available/interested.