These are some of the films I've been watching. (I wrote a paper on horror movies, thus the genre overload.) Just thought I'd update you.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). silent German horror classic about a somnambulist. Pretty interesting for a silent film.
Dracula (1931), starring Bela Lugosi. So cool. I'll quote myself from an essay, "Lugosi is so graceful almost to the point of seeming delicate. " Watch it.
Frankenstein (1931), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), starring Boris Karloff. Fantastic. Boris is perfect, he's so good you feel sympathy for the monster.
Freaks (1932). One of a kind classic horror. There has never been another movie like it and there probably never will be. As someone said on the special features, anyone who sees Freaks remembers it forever.
Cat People (1942). It's the cat persons answer to werewolves. It's decent, but not as good as it could have been. The lady is adorable.
House of Usher (1960), based on Poe's story and starring Vincent Price. Vincent + Poe = good standard horror.
Night of the Living Dead (1968). Zombies are wonderful. It's the mother of all future zombie movies.
Rosemary's Baby (1968), starring Mia Farrow. It's not as scary as I thought it would be. Mia is adorable as always. It's a classic, sure, but I don't know if it was worth divorcing Frank over.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977). I assume the new one is better. This is amusing enough to watch but really lame.
Re-Animator (1985). Gross beyond reason. Killer zombie-cat is something worth seeing, though maybe not for the sensitive cat people. And if you don't want to see a detached head attacking a naked woman then this isn't the movie for you. However, if you see the disturbing humor in that, then by all means go rent it. I'd watch it again, but I need my pals with me to make fun of it. It's so wrong.
Willard, starring Crispin Glover. He's kind of becoming one of my heroes. He's so cool. He's can be sweet and adorable and psychotic all at the same time. Very Norman Bates. This movie overflows with rats and it's creepy, but I liked it.
Slither, starring Nathan Fillion. It's brilliant and it's gross. It's not quite up to Shaun of the Dead status, but it's still hillarious. If you like Nathan Fillion, the special features are a must to watch.
That's all for horror.
The Producers (new), starring Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Will Ferrell, and Uma Thurman. I haven't seen the original yet, but this one was pretty funny. You can smell the aura of Mel Brooks on it. Plus there's singing and dancing which is always fun.
Paper Moon (1973), starring Ryan and Tatum O'Neil. This is the big movie here in Hays because it was filmed in this area and you can see our own Main St. in one scene. Tatum is very cute and it has a pretty nice story. It's a whole father/daughter thing that I don't get, but it's cute anyway.
The Philadelphia Story (1940), starring Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn. This movie is a classic and it's hillarious. I have decided that Jimmy should always be drunk in movies, especially if Cary Grant is around. One of the funniest scenes I've seen in a long time involves those two.
High Society (1956), starring Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Grace Kelly. When I got this I had no idea that it was a musical remake of The Philadelphia Story. It's not the same, but it's still great because, hello, Frank and Bing. Louis Armstrong has a fun role too.
On the Town (1949), starring Frank, and Gene Kelly. Obviously anything with those two is worth watching. Frank is all young and adorable and I could watch Gene Kelly do anything all day.
Harvey, starring Jimmy Stewart. I remember watching this when I was little and of course it's cool because there's a giant invisible rabbit. Watching it now is different though. Almost everyone in the movie is a horrible person except for Elwood (Jimmy). The women should all be killed so they stop whailing and being pathetic. But it's still Harvey. It's a classic, you gotta watch it.
1941, "starring" Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Christopher Lee, and a handful of others from the SNL-type posse. Worst should-have-been-funny movie I have ever seen. It's worth watching for one scene...Dan Aykroyd with pantyhose on his head. There's maybe 30 minutes (out of the 2 and a half horrible hours) that's worth watching. I actually fast forwarded through a good bit of the second half because I couldn't take it anymore. Warren Oates, and Robert Stack make it even more tragic because they could have been awesome in a really funny movie but when Airplane, Stripes, and Animal House all get together they come up with a mentally handicapped child.
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, starring Steve Coogan. There's a bunch of cameos in here of some great people that I know and love and you probably wouldn't recognize. It was an OK movie. It should have been better with all the excellent comics they had but it gets a bit tiresome after a while. Not the worst ever, but quite disappointing.
"Little Britain", (TV). If you don't like BOTH Monty Python AND The Office (UK) then this might be a bit much for you. I think it's brilliant. It's that kind of humor where you beg them to stop because it's painfully irritating. It's very Python, but more updated. Anthony Head is a highlight of the show, no question.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Me, Me, Me
I discovered long ago that students are assholes. Some of you may be special, but not really in a good way. You're going to be really special in 30 years when you have an outline of a cellphone on your over-tanned face. I look forward to that. It's not goals that make students self-centered, it's just that we're so delicate. Oh you can do anything you want Johnny and Sally, just be better than everyone else and we'll still love you. And here's a car, and a cell phone, and why don't we do to the Gap while were out? Make sure you're mean to the kids who are less fortunate than you today! And certainly don't have any opinions of your own, that'll get you thrown in the pit. But find a way to be disrespectful to someone that doesn't deserve to be treated like crap.
(That last one is more for professors than students. Some of them are just as pathetic, usually only the men though.)
Thanks for making the rest of us look like crap you spoiled morons.
Study: College students more narcissistic By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer
Tue Feb 27, 12:32 AM ET
NEW YORK - Today's college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.
"We need to stop endlessly repeating 'You're special' and having children repeat that back," said the study's lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. "Kids are self-centered enough already."
Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006.
The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to."
The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students' NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982.
Narcissism can have benefits, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia, suggesting it could be useful in meeting new people "or auditioning on 'American Idol.'"
"Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others," he said.
The study asserts that narcissists "are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors."
Twenge, the author of "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before," said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others.
The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the "self-esteem movement" that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far.
As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in preschool: "I am special, I am special. Look at me."
"Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism," Twenge said. "By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube."
Some analysts have commended today's young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications.
Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies.
"Permissiveness seems to be a component," he said. "A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for."
The new report follows a study released by UCLA last month which found that nearly three-quarters of the freshmen it surveyed thought it was important to be "very well-off financially." That compared with 62.5 percent who said the same in 1980 and 42 percent in 1966.
Yet students, while acknowledging some legitimacy to such findings, don't necessarily accept negative generalizations about their generation.
Hanady Kader, a University of Washington senior, said she worked unpaid last summer helping resettle refugees and considers many of her peers to be civic-minded. But she is dismayed by the competitiveness of some students who seem prematurely focused on career status.
"We're encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way," Kader said. "I can see goals and ambitions getting in the way of other things like relationships."
Kari Dalane, a University of Vermont sophomore, says most of her contemporaries are politically active and not overly self-centered.
"People are worried about themselves — but in the sense of where are they're going to find a place in the world," she said. "People want to look their best, have a good time, but it doesn't mean they're not concerned about the rest of the world."
Besides, some of the responses on the narcissism test might not be worrisome, Dalane said. "It would be more depressing if people answered, 'No, I'm not special.'"
(That last one is more for professors than students. Some of them are just as pathetic, usually only the men though.)
Thanks for making the rest of us look like crap you spoiled morons.
Study: College students more narcissistic By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer
Tue Feb 27, 12:32 AM ET
NEW YORK - Today's college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.
"We need to stop endlessly repeating 'You're special' and having children repeat that back," said the study's lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. "Kids are self-centered enough already."
Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006.
The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to."
The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students' NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982.
Narcissism can have benefits, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia, suggesting it could be useful in meeting new people "or auditioning on 'American Idol.'"
"Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others," he said.
The study asserts that narcissists "are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors."
Twenge, the author of "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before," said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others.
The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the "self-esteem movement" that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far.
As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in preschool: "I am special, I am special. Look at me."
"Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism," Twenge said. "By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube."
Some analysts have commended today's young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications.
Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies.
"Permissiveness seems to be a component," he said. "A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for."
The new report follows a study released by UCLA last month which found that nearly three-quarters of the freshmen it surveyed thought it was important to be "very well-off financially." That compared with 62.5 percent who said the same in 1980 and 42 percent in 1966.
Yet students, while acknowledging some legitimacy to such findings, don't necessarily accept negative generalizations about their generation.
Hanady Kader, a University of Washington senior, said she worked unpaid last summer helping resettle refugees and considers many of her peers to be civic-minded. But she is dismayed by the competitiveness of some students who seem prematurely focused on career status.
"We're encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way," Kader said. "I can see goals and ambitions getting in the way of other things like relationships."
Kari Dalane, a University of Vermont sophomore, says most of her contemporaries are politically active and not overly self-centered.
"People are worried about themselves — but in the sense of where are they're going to find a place in the world," she said. "People want to look their best, have a good time, but it doesn't mean they're not concerned about the rest of the world."
Besides, some of the responses on the narcissism test might not be worrisome, Dalane said. "It would be more depressing if people answered, 'No, I'm not special.'"
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