(identity 'myron)

Tue, 30 May 2006

The Lyrebird [/misc]

Once a blue moon there's actually something good on TV, and a few months ago, I happened to catch three minutes of some show about birds. The program host was talking about a bird that constructs mating calls by mimicking other bird calls... or really, any sound it's heard before. And so they go on to show one specimen that starts by reproducing first a few bird calls, then the sounds of a camera shutter, the sounds of a car alarm, and finally the sound of chainsaws. Words don't do it justice, though, and thankfully for us, it's on youtube.

It's one of those rare moments, a brief look in the mirror of sorts. Not to be missed.

// posted at 21:27. permalink   comments

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X-men III [/movies]

Went to see X-men III on Friday night, and boy what a load. Pacing problems, bad scripting, the usual shameless hooks at the end, and the action wasn't even that great. There are a few surprises in the movie if you think you know what's going to happen, but they're mostly liberties taken with it being the "last" stand. And yet before and after the credits roll they have no less than two hook scenes. Hmm.

The thing is that this storyline includes the most non-action scenes of the three movies. With the whole cure concept, they really bring the x-men as parable concept to the forefront. But even as they force hard decisions on the mutants, I found it impossible to feel for any of them, the writing is just that unmoving.

Three out of five of us came out disappointed, so I'm giving this a 6/10.

// posted at 06:56. permalink   comments

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