Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or was the idea Indiana Jones vs. The Aliens? I can’t really decide which one it was. I know there was a crystal skull in the mix, but there was a good bit of aliens as well, not to mention a wooden performance by none other than the one person you wouldn’t expect it from, Cate Blanchett.

With Blanchett playing Spalko, this time a Russian and NOT a German, in search of the skull and as it comes out knowledge you would expect the actress nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild awards, BAFTA and SAG, a stellar performance, but this time around it was as though she forced the role way too much, made it unbelievable.

In fact Blanchett was the only real beef I had with the film. That, and possibly the cinematography. Slap me and call me nostalgic but I prefer the look of the older films, there was more depth of field in the old movies, in this one, well everything is thinner, its a finner focus, and I think that’s one of the things that made me a little eh about the film.

Another thing that I was not so much bothered with, but not enthused about was the score for the film. It’s almost as though Williams didn’t do much extra work, it’s almost an amalgamation of all the scores combined with maybe one or two new themes.

The one humorous, and there are quite a few moments of comedy in the film, was the transition from the famous Paramount Pictures logo to the opening scene. As we have seen in past films they always transition to a piece of landscape or scenery, In Raiders it was a jungle mountain top, in Temple of Doom it was a picture on a Chinese gong, and in Crusade it was a desert mesa point. This time around it was… a prairie dog hill. Yes that’s right the mighty Paramount Pictures logo transitions into a prairie dog hill. And I know it was meant as a cinematic joke and most of the audience did as well, getting scattered laughter here and there.

The one thing I was sad not to see was Marcus Brody, Dr. Jones Sr. or Sallah. The former characters were explained, both having died before the fourth installment takes place. And though Brody doesn’t play an actual role in the film, a statue of his character does. But we have to remember that Demholm Elliot pasted away in ‘92. As for Connery and Rhys-Davies both are alive and kicking, they just didn’t return to the saga, which in many ways was a shame. But, as a consolation prize we got the fiery Karen Allen, much older now, but just as good as she was then, if not ten times better. I say better because her comedic timing is spot on, especially with the DUKW/Tree/Cliff scene in the movie.

I mention humor because it stands out more in this film. From the scenes with prairie dogs to finding out that Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) is actually the son of Jones and Ravenwood, but what did you expect, got to carry on the legacy somehow right?

The over all scenery of the film was great, from flat desert planes to dense jungles of the Amazon. And two scenes really stand out to me, the atomic bomb going off at the beginning and the final large scene view, which will remain a secret until you see the film yourself. All in all I enjoyed the film, I thought it was a fitting end… so far as we know it, and Ford basically confirmed it will be his last Indy film, he’s hanging up the fedora and whip guys, wipe your tears away and just remember the fond tales of “Henry… Jones… Jr.”

Is this the end of Gormagon? (spoiler)

OMFG, Ok so maybe I'm the only one laughing at my pun, but tonight's season finale on Bones was a little unexpected. Gormagon is revealed, and I know there has been plenty of speculation on who it is. I personally couldn't decide who I  thought it was, I kept flip-flopping between different characters. My girlfriend thought it was Sweets, and kept on pointing out his big teeth, in fact she has been saying it was Sweets since last season. I've been waiting since last week to find out if Booth was dead, and sure enough he was, for five minutes. I thought it was going to be a season finale hanger, and we would have to watch next season to find out. Didn't happen, he was undercover at his own funeral to catch somebody unimportant. The real twist was finding out that Zach in fact Gormagon's apprentice. Zach seemed innocent, not innocent I-didn't-do-it innocent, but childlike, as if he didn't know better. "Gormagon" had approached him several months back at a symposium and recruited him. He had convinced Zach with logic that what he was doing was just. At least Zach didn't eat anyone. I was just glad that it wasn't Hodgens.

Are you fed up with the high price of fuel?

Unless you live in Venezuela, where gas is less than 30 cents per gallon, Im sure you are feeling the pressure of the ever rising gas price. It seems as if the price of gas going up is never-ending, and with rising gas prices comes the increased cost of everything around us. As bad at all this seems, I think this is just the beginning. I heard on CNN that as long as supply and demand, stay consistent with current trends, fuel prices will continue to go up indefinitely. Don't loose hope, there is a bright side, the oil companies are forcing us to find a better way. Right now there isn't an easy fix, but the fact that people are making a stand is the important thing. Kids at their high schools are running their cars on the used oil from their cafeteria. More and more people are switching from SUV's and luxury-type cars to smart fuel efficient  hybrid vehicles. hydrogen fuel cells, solar power and wind energy, this is the future. Thanks to the rising price of oil, more and more people are committed to the development of alternative energy sources.

Happy "Sweet 16" Internet, we love you!

It's hard to believe that the internet is only 16 years old. Now I know there were other versions of the internet before then, but 1992 was basically the birth of the internet that we use today. I was in high school when the internet became popular, but it was outrageously expensive. My neighbor was paying for internet use by the minute, on a 486 computer with 14.4 kbps modem, can you imagine how slow that is. Well I guess that was before flash and java and the graphic interfaces we use today, so it may have been sufficient; I cant really remember, but his mother payed close to $200 a month for us to play around and and "chat" with people we didn't know. The internet has made people rich and it has also destroyed lives. The internet allows anyone to become famous, as long as you spend enough time on MySpace. A person can run a business on ebay from any place in the world. The internet allows anybody to be a writer, and be published. It is truly amazing what is possible today, and how many lives have been changed because of the internet.

What if the internet was suddenly gone? I know it's not very likely, but what if? How would you go on? Would you be able to live in a world that was much slower, having to scour through books manually to do research. Do you take all this technology for granted? The apex of modern communication and technology was basically given to every one of us, and we (as a collective) were told to do with it as you will, that is an amazing responsibility. What will the internet be like in another 16 years?

Creativity Wanted!!!!!

I am currently seeking creative people to "guest blog" on this site. I am open to any suggestions you may have on creating a worthy blog. If you have any interesting tips and tricks you would like to share, or any tutorials feel free to contact me.  I am also looking for people to do reviews, books, music, movies, gadgets and gizmos, even video games. If you feel like you are up to the challenge, contact me Subspeciez  with your ideas.

p.s. Although I am a political minded individual, I do not wish to post my personal political opinions on this blog. However if you are well informed and articulate and you have fascinating information I can be persuaded to allow such posts.

~Subspeciez     Admin.

             

   

It's not trendy being green.

Ok so this might be the biggest trend since adopting 3rd world children, or the tickle me elmo doll of years past. So how do you find out which trends are trends, and which ones are helping reduce our footprint on the ecosystem. Since it is cool to be eco-friendly now, it is time you get educated on how to live green.

Now I don't want this to get boring so I will get right to the point.

1. Recycle, stop sending unnecessary things to the landfill.

Also there is a cool website called Freecycle, where you can post things you are giving away, and people will take them from you, and you can also get things that you may need as well. These things are kept out of a land fill and you get something useful. Everybody wins!

2. Stop buying bottled water. It's ridiculous to pay a dollar or more for 20 ounces of water that was filtered from a tap. Every year an average of 38 billion water bottles end up in landfills, instead of being recycled. Plastic bottles take 700 years before they begin to decompose in a landfill. Instead buy a filter for your home from Brita or PUR , and use a refillable water-bottle like SIGG instead of the more convenient but earth-destroying disposable kind.

3. Use energy star rated products. Of course it is not easy to convince yourself that you need new appliances, but be keen when you do. By using energy efficient products, you reduce your electric bill and less energy means less carbon based emissions going into our atmosphere. Plus the money you save on your electric bill will eventually  pay for your product, hows that for getting something free?

4. Stop driving as much. Park that big SUV and take the bus. Plan your trips to town, you may decide to start paying bills online instead of in person; and do your shopping on your way home from work. Plan bike rides at the park with your kids. It's a great way to get active and spend time with your family.

5. Replace your old light bulbs with the florescent energy savers, they last 5 years and save on energy consumption. Also use power-strips for your computer and entertainment center. Besides the surge protection they provide, there is also a master switch where you can cut the power to everything plugged in. No more paying the cost for your electronics to be on standby.

This is just a short list of things anyone can do, weather you own your home, or live in an apartment. Feel free to add any clever ideas you may have.

Jumpstart Your Blog (how to get more traffic to your blog)

Do you want to get traffic to your blog?

Do you have some real pearls of wisdom?

Well get in line, because everyone wants the same thing.

1. People need to know you are out there, so get involved with other blogs.

2. Be interesting, don't blog about the same thing everyone else is ( I can be excluded because all the other lists are B.S. although I haven't read them all,  its just a guess.)

3. Be a faithful blogger, be current and be continuous, in order to have a successful blog  you need to build a base.

4. Make friends with other blog sites. keep up with them and they will be keeping up with you.

5. Be relevant, have something to say, I know you have an opinion, use it.

6. Link from other blogs, borrow some of their traffic. just hope you can keep them interested.

feel free to link your blog to mine, or add any suggestions you may have for getting traffic.

Check out Tips for New Bloggers, it is probably the best website I've found, with plenty of tips and tutorials.  

Also visit Seth's Blog for  more ways to increase traffic