Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I Don't Put Charity Before Achievement

Yet somehow I manage to be charitable with my time and my income. How can that be?

"Men have been taught that the highest virtue is not to achieve, but to give. Yet one cannot give that which has not been created. Creation comes before distribution -- or there will be nothing to distribute. The need of the creator comes before the need of any possible beneficiary. Yet we are taught to admire the second-hander who dispenses gifts he has not produced above the man who made the gifts possible. We praise an act of charity. We shrug at an act of achievement."

Ayn Rand


In my periodic readings of such publications as the New York Times, and The New Yorker, Ms. Rand is portrayed as a writer of radical fiction. Fiction yes, radical absolutely not, Ayn Rand lived in the early Soviet Union and understood to progression of Socialism. In personal discussions on the topic, have have heard people who denounce Ayn Rand to later admit they have not read Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead or Anthem. This denunciation is often mimicry of Dimocratic rhetoric aimed at circumventing undeniable logic. I will say again, liberal mindset comes from deep seated self-loathing.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Superbad

Can't blame this one on the bride. Brother Scott was over and we all watched together. All I can say is that I glad my son and parents were not there.
The director for this movie was Greg Mottola, a veteran from television work on shows such as Arrested Development.
The writers for this movie were Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It did not take much effort, just imagine out the most perverse teen-aged thoughts you can remember.
The plot is pretty simple. Teenage outcasts promise to get alcohol for a party, trying to impress the women of their dreams, any women for that matter. What happens is sage of one stupid choice after another that connected by profane language and sexual frustration.

The actors were...
  • Jonah Hill as Seth, the nice boy who has a social anchor named Evan.
  • Michael Cera as Evan, Seth's best friend social jerk.
  • Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell,
  • Bill Hader as Officer Slater, Hader is a an SNL regular and quite amusing in this movie.
    Seth Rogen as Officer Michaels, double timing in this movie as the drunken police officer. Rogen has been very busy of late, acting in The 40 Year Old Virgin, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno . Today if it's crude Seth's in it.

I give this movie a rating of 13 of 50. Not too hot.

  • Character Development, 1 of 10, none, none what so ever.
  • Screenplay, 2 of 10. A X rating would have been more appropriate than R.
  • Acting, 4 of 10, the kid playing Fogell was pretty darned funny.
  • Photography, 2 of 10. Nothing special
  • Plot, 2 of 10, its a teen movie, tits, ass and swearing.

Parts of this were very funny, but I felt dirty for having watched it.

The Game Plan

The bride must have added this to my Netflix list because I have no recollection of such.

Rated G and released in 2007. Directed by Andy Fickman who is in the early stages of his career having directed another Disney the movie, Race to Witch Mountain.

Writers for the movie Nichole Millard and Kathryn .

The plot...

An NFL quarterback living life as a self-centered star and the dogmatic bachelor lifestyle discovers that he has a 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. And guess what, big surprise, the star changes and becomes the thoughtful prefect father.

The cast....

  • Dwayne Johnson in the lead as Joe Kingman star and NFL quarterback. Johnson and Fickman also collaborated in Race to Witch Mountain.
  • Madison Pettis as Peyton Kelly, Kingman's new found daughter.
  • Kyra Sedgwick as Stella Peck, Kingman's smarmy agent. I like The Closer a lot and I am glad she's doing different things, avoiding being typecast, but this is a little much.
  • Morris Chestnut as Travis Sanders, a moral compass and wide receiver on Kingman's football team. One of Chestnut's first roles was as Ricky Baker, Dough Boy's doomed brother in the seminal movie Boyz n the Hood.

I give this movie a rating of 13 of 50. Not too hot.

  • Character Development, 5 of 10, I guess that this was a movie about character development, but I don't buy is.
  • Screenplay, 2 of 10. Get the kids the popcorn and let them enjoy.
  • Acting, 2 of 10, a chance for Johnson to play the nice guy and show off his body.
  • Photography, 2 of 10.
  • Plot, 2 of 10, its a kid's movie.

My favorite part of the movie was during the credits, when the cast and staff dance and sing along with Elvis's "Burning Love".


Friday, June 12, 2009

I Owned GM Stock


Lost the wad, not too much but enough to be irritable about it. Two years ago GM was the favored buy amongst the big three automobile makers. So something I should have already known, right along with the UAW, stock brokers suck.
How the UAW managed to get in line in front of the preferred debtors is a tribute to the whores that our federal politicians are.
Tonight I was searching pictures on the Internet, and found some of one of my favorite characters in political history. If you know who's restaurant is at the header of my blog, then you will know who this is.

Applause to men who follow their heart, no matter how distasteful.
Crap on politicians that cater to the lowest common denominator.

Thursday, June 11, 2009