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Dryw Keltz
Eva Knott
Thomas Larson
Ken Leighton
Matthew Lickona
Mike Madriaga
Bill Manson
Scott Marks
Bob McPhail
Walter Mencken
Joseph O'Brien
Sheila Pell
Ian Pike
Matt Potter
H.G. Reza
Dave Rice
Elizabeth Salaam
Jay Allen Sanford
Julie Stalmer
DJ Stevens
Matthew Suárez
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shizzyfinn
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Flying Solo
Your falling back on the cell phone confirms my theory that people who whip their phones out while alone in public are often doing so solely to fight off the fear that comes with potentially being talked to by a stranger, which very well might have turned out to be a pleasant experience - especially in an environment like a playhouse, where the strangers in attendance likely share at least one common interest with the solo flyer. Next time, try to stick it out without resorting to the mePhone - that is, iPhone. You just might enjoy an interesting and fresh conversation, while helping make the world that much more friendly a place.
— August 26, 2009 2:23 p.m.
A Threat from the East
Refried, you ought to pick up Brizz's "Wirecutter" off Amazon or some such source. I grabbed a copy a while back - just a few bucks, used - and enjoyed it. Ultra-hard-boiled PI mystery set in San Diego, with a heavy Mexico theme. Might be right up your alley.
— August 26, 2009 1:41 p.m.
District 9
Bullets fly and dozens of lives are graphically lost in this heart-pounding and stomach-twisting shoot-em-up, which comes bundled with extremely caricatured humanitarian overtones. Highlights include gorgeous shots of the stranded alien mother ship quietly hovering above Johannesburg, as well as rip-roaring battle scenes that quite ably transport viewers into a first-person-shooter video game in which participants don't just get shot, but lose arms and heads, and often completely explode. And the CGI, when employed, isn't obviously CGI, a feat so many other movies of similar subject matter can't seem to accomplish. Still, moments of intense cheesiness abound, like when an alien who we're supposed to root for just happens to have a cute little baby, or when a human prepares to fly an alien spacecraft across the galaxy without a minute of training, or when elite soldiers can't seem to shoot their machine guns straight enough to hit unprotected good guys. And the plot sometimes feels less than airtight, like when the mysterious fluid coveted by the aliens proves to have two critical but completely incongruous functions. Or when the unwelcome aliens, who purportedly are trusting to a fault, are revealed to have spent 20 painstaking years hiding the fact that they might just have a way home after all. But if you appreciate a non-stop blend of action and gore, and aren't a stickler for the finer details, District 9 will likely entertain you from start to finish. Take it from the boy of about 13 seated in the row behind me, who, as the credits rolled, turned to his family and proclaimed, "That movie was awesome."
— August 26, 2009 11:27 a.m.
Cold Souls
A must-see for fans of Paul Giamatti, who occupies almost every frame. Most other moviegoers, however, can safely avoid this flick. The concept - Giamatti, playing an unhappy version of himself, visits a doctor who separates people from their souls - is initially intriguing (though the doctor's quirky specialty and his smiling secretary are a little too reminiscent of Lacuna Inc., the memory-erasing small business featured in Charlie Kaufman's incredible Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Dina Korzun also entices early as a Russian soul smuggler who seems troubled by an unhappy past. But as Cold Souls unfolds, its dark laughs don't come frequently enough, and more importantly, its study of souls and their roles in our lives proves unsatisfying. Giamatti's character sets out experiencing life sans soul; by the time his journey concludes, the audience has experienced a film with little soul of its own.
— August 26, 2009 9:49 a.m.
Pedicab Crackdown
I can't believe no one has commented on this article's picture, which is truly awesome. Storm Trooper Dude is hanging on to the pedicab with one hand, and has a blaster in the other. Awesome. Not to mention that most guys I know would consider it poor form to be seen in a pedicab without a lady sitting next to them. But Storm Trooper Dude obviously plays by his own rules.
— August 24, 2009 8:25 p.m.
Seven Year Itch
I'm skeptical of the cliche of communication as the key to lasting relationships. Do happy couples really share everything with each other? Or is it that, because they're happy, they don't really have anything juicy to share? "Honey, I'd really like to sleep with my new friend at work, who I've been fantasizing about the last few times you and I got busy. In fact, sometimes I find myself thinking my life would be more enjoyable if I was single again, because I would be free to pursue a broad range of currently off-limits experiences, such as occasional sex with some of the many other people who I find attractive." "Thanks for sharing that with me, babe. Hearing about your wanderlust fills me with dread, and I'm equally dismayed to learn that you've contemplated the joys of being single. But it's sure better than if you had kept it all to yourself. I'm so glad we communicate!"
— August 23, 2009 10:30 a.m.
Party Time?
Let's not forget another huge policy where America looks like a dunce compared to many other countries: health care. The typical American citizen pays about twice as much for health care as the typical citizen in other OECD countries, yet gets a shabbier product in return. Makes us look as sharp as bowling balls.
— August 23, 2009 10:13 a.m.
San Diego Police's Serial Inebriate program
Add me to the chorus of people saluting this top-notch article. Kudos to the author, Joe Deegan, for shedding light on the Serial Inebriate program with such an interesting and engaging writing style. I'm happy to hear that the program is succeeding in helping many who are tormented by alcohol addiction. And I hope Robert, the conservative curmudgeon who seems to root against the disadvantaged, learned a little something, too. Robert, you have a right to complain about how your taxpayer dollars are spent, even if it turns out you're complaining about expenditures that actually result in savings in the long run. But empathy doesn't cost a dime, Robert, so I can't figure out why you keep yours locked up so tight.
— August 22, 2009 1:11 p.m.
Funny People like John Hughes
The Breakfast Club = cinema's finest ode to detention Ferris Bueller's Day Off = perfect in every scene, every character, every line Planes, Trains, and Automobiles = starred Steve Martin and was therefore pre-destined to be painfully unfunny The Hangover = really really really overrated Funny People = looking forward to checking it out
— August 10, 2009 3:35 p.m.
Fleas
Growing up, I had a friend who had a number of dogs and cats, and a house overrun by fleas. He wanted to do his school science project on the best way to kill fleas - whether it was tearing them in half, drowning them in soapy water, spraying them with Raid, et cetera. The school said no, reasoning that his proposed project represented cruelty to animals.
— July 29, 2009 2:11 p.m.
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Eva Knott
Thomas Larson
Ken Leighton
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Flying Solo
Your falling back on the cell phone confirms my theory that people who whip their phones out while alone in public are often doing so solely to fight off the fear that comes with potentially being talked to by a stranger, which very well might have turned out to be a pleasant experience - especially in an environment like a playhouse, where the strangers in attendance likely share at least one common interest with the solo flyer. Next time, try to stick it out without resorting to the mePhone - that is, iPhone. You just might enjoy an interesting and fresh conversation, while helping make the world that much more friendly a place.— August 26, 2009 2:23 p.m.
A Threat from the East
Refried, you ought to pick up Brizz's "Wirecutter" off Amazon or some such source. I grabbed a copy a while back - just a few bucks, used - and enjoyed it. Ultra-hard-boiled PI mystery set in San Diego, with a heavy Mexico theme. Might be right up your alley.— August 26, 2009 1:41 p.m.
District 9
Bullets fly and dozens of lives are graphically lost in this heart-pounding and stomach-twisting shoot-em-up, which comes bundled with extremely caricatured humanitarian overtones. Highlights include gorgeous shots of the stranded alien mother ship quietly hovering above Johannesburg, as well as rip-roaring battle scenes that quite ably transport viewers into a first-person-shooter video game in which participants don't just get shot, but lose arms and heads, and often completely explode. And the CGI, when employed, isn't obviously CGI, a feat so many other movies of similar subject matter can't seem to accomplish. Still, moments of intense cheesiness abound, like when an alien who we're supposed to root for just happens to have a cute little baby, or when a human prepares to fly an alien spacecraft across the galaxy without a minute of training, or when elite soldiers can't seem to shoot their machine guns straight enough to hit unprotected good guys. And the plot sometimes feels less than airtight, like when the mysterious fluid coveted by the aliens proves to have two critical but completely incongruous functions. Or when the unwelcome aliens, who purportedly are trusting to a fault, are revealed to have spent 20 painstaking years hiding the fact that they might just have a way home after all. But if you appreciate a non-stop blend of action and gore, and aren't a stickler for the finer details, District 9 will likely entertain you from start to finish. Take it from the boy of about 13 seated in the row behind me, who, as the credits rolled, turned to his family and proclaimed, "That movie was awesome."— August 26, 2009 11:27 a.m.
Cold Souls
A must-see for fans of Paul Giamatti, who occupies almost every frame. Most other moviegoers, however, can safely avoid this flick. The concept - Giamatti, playing an unhappy version of himself, visits a doctor who separates people from their souls - is initially intriguing (though the doctor's quirky specialty and his smiling secretary are a little too reminiscent of Lacuna Inc., the memory-erasing small business featured in Charlie Kaufman's incredible Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Dina Korzun also entices early as a Russian soul smuggler who seems troubled by an unhappy past. But as Cold Souls unfolds, its dark laughs don't come frequently enough, and more importantly, its study of souls and their roles in our lives proves unsatisfying. Giamatti's character sets out experiencing life sans soul; by the time his journey concludes, the audience has experienced a film with little soul of its own.— August 26, 2009 9:49 a.m.
Pedicab Crackdown
I can't believe no one has commented on this article's picture, which is truly awesome. Storm Trooper Dude is hanging on to the pedicab with one hand, and has a blaster in the other. Awesome. Not to mention that most guys I know would consider it poor form to be seen in a pedicab without a lady sitting next to them. But Storm Trooper Dude obviously plays by his own rules.— August 24, 2009 8:25 p.m.
Seven Year Itch
I'm skeptical of the cliche of communication as the key to lasting relationships. Do happy couples really share everything with each other? Or is it that, because they're happy, they don't really have anything juicy to share? "Honey, I'd really like to sleep with my new friend at work, who I've been fantasizing about the last few times you and I got busy. In fact, sometimes I find myself thinking my life would be more enjoyable if I was single again, because I would be free to pursue a broad range of currently off-limits experiences, such as occasional sex with some of the many other people who I find attractive." "Thanks for sharing that with me, babe. Hearing about your wanderlust fills me with dread, and I'm equally dismayed to learn that you've contemplated the joys of being single. But it's sure better than if you had kept it all to yourself. I'm so glad we communicate!"— August 23, 2009 10:30 a.m.
Party Time?
Let's not forget another huge policy where America looks like a dunce compared to many other countries: health care. The typical American citizen pays about twice as much for health care as the typical citizen in other OECD countries, yet gets a shabbier product in return. Makes us look as sharp as bowling balls.— August 23, 2009 10:13 a.m.
San Diego Police's Serial Inebriate program
Add me to the chorus of people saluting this top-notch article. Kudos to the author, Joe Deegan, for shedding light on the Serial Inebriate program with such an interesting and engaging writing style. I'm happy to hear that the program is succeeding in helping many who are tormented by alcohol addiction. And I hope Robert, the conservative curmudgeon who seems to root against the disadvantaged, learned a little something, too. Robert, you have a right to complain about how your taxpayer dollars are spent, even if it turns out you're complaining about expenditures that actually result in savings in the long run. But empathy doesn't cost a dime, Robert, so I can't figure out why you keep yours locked up so tight.— August 22, 2009 1:11 p.m.
Funny People like John Hughes
The Breakfast Club = cinema's finest ode to detention Ferris Bueller's Day Off = perfect in every scene, every character, every line Planes, Trains, and Automobiles = starred Steve Martin and was therefore pre-destined to be painfully unfunny The Hangover = really really really overrated Funny People = looking forward to checking it out— August 10, 2009 3:35 p.m.
Fleas
Growing up, I had a friend who had a number of dogs and cats, and a house overrun by fleas. He wanted to do his school science project on the best way to kill fleas - whether it was tearing them in half, drowning them in soapy water, spraying them with Raid, et cetera. The school said no, reasoning that his proposed project represented cruelty to animals.— July 29, 2009 2:11 p.m.