Scrivener

quote: Just imagine if next week I went to see AvP and it turns out to be a love orgy between the predators and the aliens. I'd be pissed. Well, based on the early previews I've talked about and the recently-announced PG-13 rating, you might not be too far off there...

Using some other mods too - 1) Extreme Quality Mod - Improves the way shadows interact with characters) 2) Ultra Gore Mod - Increases the ammount of blood and prevents bodies from dissolving. Unfortunately, blood still fades in the current version. 3) Duct Tape Mod - Adds a narrow-beam high-powered flashlight to the shotgun and machine gun. Would prefer the normal flashlight, but it's better than nothing. DLing the Beefy Sound Mod right now. Thanks for the pointer, CB.

And that's precisely the reason most people never talk about their experiences ;[

quote: Hey, Scriv!! lol! I just read that. Posted a reply in this thread. Takvah, Bandus - I'm always happy to discuss this stuff. I just don't normally share this stuff in a public environment because folks can have some pretty strong reactions sometimes. Anyhoo, my AIM username is IDONOUS and my e-mail is [email protected] . I'm almost always on between 10pm-1am, the only time of day I'm absolutely garaunteed to never have work or school.

Thank for saving me a lot of time, Hellbinder =) Anyhoo, that's why I don't use the term 'Bigfoot' in serious paranormal discussions. The legends of bear-men/hairy giants are as old as time and are present in virtually every ancient culture. Many indiginous peoples (South America/Africa/India/Tibet/Alaska) not only have legends, but claim that these creatures still exist and are quite active. But as I've said before - they're not as physical as you might think. What do I mean by that? According to many native american legends they are spirits of the forest; Almost never seen as much as they are heard. Anyway - there are hundreds, if not thousands, of UFO pranks/hoaxes every year. Hubcaps, paper plates, etc - nevertheless they exist. I've seen them - more than once - with my own eyes. If I pretended to be George W Bush, would that mean he never existed? Edit: I might also add that they are often capable of projecting fear. The kind of idescribable fear that you simply can't imagine until you've been there. This goes for many different kinds of paranormal phenomenon. It sounds like you were being chased away - based on the testimony of many people like yourself, these creatures are VERY territorial. [ 08-07-2004, 03:07 PM: Message edited by: Scrivener ]

This Duct Tape mod allows you to duct tape the flashlight to the shotgun and machine gun. Game enjoyment rises 500% http://ducttape.glenmurphy.com/

That's pretty sad. Good thing I got my copy of DVD XCopy Platinum a while back. Every time I buy a new DVD I immediately make a copy, file away the DVD, then file away the copy on an alphabetized rack. Much safer that way, no lost or damaged discs since I made a habit of it. Really, it is a sad day for consumer rights.

Totally agree. Despite the impeccable storytelling, it almost falls apart at the end to give you a weak, predictable hollywood ending. But that's the only weak point and the rest of the film almost makes up for it. While I have faith in Tom Cruise, I went in expecting Jamie Foxx to ruin the movie. Much to my surprise, Cruise and Foxx are GREAT together! Yeah, who woulda thunk it? Anyhoo, Collateral reminds me a lot of Man Bites Dog... only with less infanticide... and more color 8.5/10

In on it in the sense that he figured it out - not that they let him in on it.

I really hate buzz-words. Buzz words, or popular media titles, vary widely based on culture, location, and time period. Bigfoot, for example, also goes by the names Yeti, Sasquatch, Windigo, Meh Teh, Bearman, Bushman, Windman, Almast, Arulataq, etc and the list goes on. People don't often think of Bigfoot in the same terms they think of ghosts and aliens... paranormal animals have their own category among paranormal researchers - cryptozoology. This area of study merely catalogues the more beastly seeming creatures, but I assure you that they are cut of the same cloth. There is a great many entities to cover and they all have their own distinctive characteristics - but they also share certain aspects. Bigfoot is no animal - he is very much a spirit of the forest. He is seen when he wishes to be, and when he thinks it will serve his purpose, which is more often than not to scare off those tresspassing on his land. You generally don't have to worry about them, they just want you to go away. Ghosts can be strikingly similar - only they, for the most part, have no problem setting up shop closer to civilization. They are less cautious with their appearances as well - but can be as intangible as a wisp or as solid and tangible as the friend standing next to you who just pissed himself of fright. But wait, there's more - Aliens are closely related to the incubus/succubus phenomenon. There are plenty of entities that enjoy meddling with humans and creatures and some of them work in tandem. These 'aliens' aren't from outer space at all - just like the rest of the creatures I've mentioned - they're extradimensional for lack of a better word. There's also more obscure subjects - like Mothman. Whenever I get into a discussion on that topic I get very uneasy (for no explainable reason) so I won't go too far into it. However, *that* entity has been recorded by more ancient civilizations than almost any other - you may have also heard it called Thunderbird. Now keep in mind that none of this is completely absolute - entities are as varied and divers as the human race, if not moreso... and many are shapeshifters. Keep in mind that just researching this stuff alone is a dangeroud buisness, and can trigger Pandoras Box phenomenon. It's very possible that something as simple as accidentally speaking a name can do the trick. At the very least you could wind up getting that beings unwanted attention. As for the demon hypothesis - it's *almost* right - but it's not what you think. When you say the words 'angel' you think of a beautiful man or woman in a long white flowing gown with white wings - you don't think of a hideous wingless beast with the head of a goat, the body of a man, and eagles talons for hands... do you? Likewise when I say 'demon' you are most likely to envision red skin and pitch forks - not a shining prysmatic ball of light. Faeries, ghosts, bigfoot, aliens, shadow people - these things are real. BTW - yes, I am serious about founding my own research group - even though I think such a group would end in disaster. After all, "Your not supposed to tell anyone." >;[ As for this video? Don't think I'm going to make a call. I'll just add the location to my list of places to check up on - right after Black Star Canyon. You can believe or not, but there's no way to convey the full breadth of what I believe without spending lots and lots of time making my case for the multitude of issues the topic encompasses. Friends, family, and coworkers are unfortunate enough to have spent enough time around me that I freak them out when I start talking about it. They know I'm serious Anyhoo, most people who I talk to come to the conclusion that they're better off NOT knowing the truth. And I'd have to agree - hence Pandoras Box. You'll have a much happier life the less you know. But if you're like me, your lust for knowledge outweighs any cost. [ 08-03-2004, 09:03 PM: Message edited by: Scrivener ]

SPOILER WARNING * * * * * * * * BTW I figured that Noah was in on the little secret because of the way he acted - all giddy when everyone else was frightened. He just seemed like one sadistic bugger - so I also assumed that he was the one skinning the animals too (That's why the council was launching those inquiries - they knew that a lot of this stuff wasn't one of them). I never bought the 'real creatures' argument - and when the one appeared in the forest chasing Ivy I thought it could only be two people - the upset Council woman or Noah guy. If Noah hadn't been locked up I would have guessed it was him trying to get her... after all, Noah didn't have the mental faculty to deduce that Ivy can't see him anyway... it's something his character WOULD do - especially after the beating Ivy gave him. But he was locked up. *shrugs* I never really felt duped, the signs were all there (so to speak) - but if the movie had been edited so that we see Noah's parents reaction (but not the revelation that he escaped and took the costume) before he shows up in the forest, that scene would have been much more effective. Hence the 1pt dock in my score.

I guess this settles it. It's one of *those* films, now. I havn't seen or heard any middle ground on this one. You either loved it or hated it. Most of the folks at my school loved it - we're talking graphic design here. My friends, however... they sound like SC =) This qualifies as a Cult Film/Art-House Movie. Make your decisions accordingly.

Been playing the game for a couple hours. It's neat and all, but not the most astounding thing you've ever played. Pretty much a straight-forward FPS very much like Half-Life, but on Mars. So far my one complaint - and for me it's a big, big issue - is that bodies disintigrate right before your very eyes the instant you kill something... even innocent miners that you can kill before the whole hell invasion thing happens. I hate hate hate hate hate the whole vanishing bodies thing in video games - especially when you have a computer like mine. I'd like to have the option to keep bodies around until I leave, thanks. And the effect is kinda silly too. They turn into a skeleton and then dissapear one giant pixel at a time (like the crappy dissolve effect from Powerpoint). Other than that, it's very much "Space Station of the Living Dead" with only the best graphics you've ever seen in a game. But for heavens sakes, Id, give me the option to keep the bodies!

I'm actually working on founding a kind of club/organization that does paranormal research. There's plenty of those out there already, I know - but most of them are just clubs for bullshyte artists. I've had my own share of bizarre experiences (and no, they're not *small* experiences either, these are the kinds of stories you'd usually only hear about in movies) so you can't debate with me on the existence of ghosts/aliens - that's about as useful as trying to convince me that I'm a woman. Anyhoo, someday I'll get around to doing AlienReligion.org and writing a book about my theories (the lost history, etc). I'll leave you with a couple chilling facts, though: Ghosts and aliens are not only real, you are in constant contact with them even if you don't know it. Furthermore, they are very closely related. These creatures can be very territorial - most are malicious, but some just want to be left alone. Oh yeah, and ghosts aren't dead people... at least, not *human* people. Yes, I'm deadly serious. Oh yeah - and identifying/calling on them is very, very bad. There are actually forms of a magic based around spirit calling/binding. Getting involved with this stuff can result in something I call the 'Pandoras Box Phenomenon.' Once you open yourself to that piece of reality, you will be dealing with it for the rest of your life... sometimes longer (as the phenomenon can pass down several generations in certain circumstances). As intrigued as I am by this topic, talking about this stuff always makes me feel uncomfortable. Funny that. Thanks for the sleepless night!

With Doom 3 appearing in stores early all over the country, I figured I might as well start the official Doom 3 thread. So, anybody got it yet? Ours wont be arriving in the store till around 7pm tomorrow ;[

quote: So basically, what they did was disguise a chick flick to get the guys to go see it. I wouldn't call it a chick flick - it's more like people coping with the sad crap life throws at them. quote: I went to see a thriller/horror because they pitched me on a thriller/horror. That I can understand. It's actually one of reasons I was so pleasantly surprised... but then again, I'm wierd that way. It was so very un-Shayamalan. I understand that he was really getting boxed in creatively, and most likely wanted to do something that would flat-out piss people off based on their expectations. Sort of like throwing a kid into water to teach him to swim, as if to say "You ruined it for yourself." *snic* Yeah, I know that's pretty mean - but I actually respect him quite a lot more for it. I went in expecting the same old shlock and was quite happy that it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Anyway, this is a breakaway movie. It's meant to stir up the pot and sift out some of the mass market audience - likely paving the way for something more niche in the near future. What's happening here is that Shayamalan is building his fan base the way he wants it... and he dosn't want people to feel like they know what to expect out of him. He's too pop culture right now, and I think this movie is doing exactly what he wanted it to do. OT: That scene with Noah and Lucious - god, that was perfect! That said, under close scrutiny The Village is an experiment in testing his own creative range. It's really destined to become a cult phenomenon. I have no doubt that when the controversy cools off and people start to give this film a second chance with renewed understanding, they'll begin to see how good it really is. Anyhoo, the same thing happened with Fight Club and Donnie Darko if you remember. People just need some time to cool off.

I'll start off by saying that I am NOT a fan of M Night Shayamalan. I figured out 6th Sense in the first 5 minutes - same goes for Unbreakable. Signs had some holes in logic so big you could drive a truck through them. The point is this: if you *liked* those pretentious pieces of cinematic crap, then you will HATE The Village. Really, the movie is a victim of it's audiences own preconceptions. The fact that it's being advertised as a thriller/horror dosn't help one iota. There's no twist, no gimmick, no great revelation. The story is carefully revealed piece by piece rather than in one giant exposition like Shayamalan's other films. If you've read the reviews then you've heard the same thing over and over "Night spoils the twist and so you are just waiting for the movie to end." THERE IS NO GOSH DARNED TWIST FOR HEAVENS SAKES!!! This is a movie about love, hope, and overcoming great obstacles in the name of good. Walker spells it out quite clearly in his speach to the council - The Village is place where people can hope for a better future... and you should do everything to nurture that hope. What's this? A REAL MOVIE with REAL VALUES from M Night Shayamalan? *GASP* By now I think it's safe to say I absolutely LOVED The Village. It's Shayamalan's best work. It pays off for those who are paying attention to details. This is not a sit-and-watch film - you have to be actively engaged and paying attention. When you walk into a movie called Death to Smoochie expecting something akin to carebears, and instead get Reservoir Dogs - you're bound to be upset (I remember people bringing gangs of kids to that movie, it's the same story here). Well, when you walk into The Village expecting Sixth Sense - you're not going to happy. Go into this movie expecting a drama/suspense/love story - not a supernatural thriller. It really has more in common with Anne of Green Gables than The Thing, but there's plenty to love if you know how to look at it. SCORE: 9/10 - marked down a point for an overdone running-through-the-woods scene. SPOILERS ENSUE - I believe going into the movie with this knowledge could drastically enhance your appreciation of the film. Knowing this, you will spend less time trying to figure out the nonexistant 'big secret', and actually watch the movie. . . . . . . . . . . There are no 'real' monsters - they are a story perpetrated by the council, who founded the village on the idea of creating a crim-free society. The Village is hidden in a modern-day forrest and disguised as a wildlife preserve - paid for by Mr. Walker who is one of the richest men in the world. The village does have one bad apple, however... some of the younger ones were raised in The Village, and grew up being told stories about the creatures in the woods. They have no reason to doubt. Noone is allowed to leave the village - not even for medicine, to protect their way of life - mostly to keep the world outside from intruding into their little world. When something bad happens, one person has to venture through the woods and into the world outside for medicine, that person has a hard time coping with the years of lies they grew up with and still partially believes in the creatures. But will they get the medicine and make it back in time? . . . . . . . END SPOILER See the Ebert & Roeper review. Roeper *got it*, Ebert didn't. Again, I give The Village a score of 9/10.

Skree, it's because most of humanity is retarded. When garbage like WarCraft 3 outsells games as stupendously brilliant as The Longest Journey... well, I need not elaborate. Apparently they want the Freespace franchise to rot in the hell of nonexistence for all eternity. It seems like people today frown on games more complex than drawing stick people on the wall with a crayon. I remember the complaints about Gothic's fighting system - the groups of people demanding that it play more like, get this, Diablo. I'm glad the boys at Piranha Bytes ignored those fools, I always loved Gothic's fighting system.

While on the phone with a coworker, Anthony S. Jones was overheard giving advice to friend playing GTA: Vice City saying "No, there's a bomb in that building." The next day the police arrested Jones for "Making a false report about planting a bomb or explosive." He is being held pending a 15 year maximum prison term for the 2nd-level Felony. Please sign the petition to free Anthony S. Jones: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?anthony&1

Who else is keeping track of the ilovebees alternate reality game? If you'd like a good collective source for information and discussion, Unfiction.com is a very good place to start.

It has the CDs, normal cases and manuals in an extra large box.

How do you make one of the most mind-smashingly fantastic movies of all time even better? Well, Richard Kelly figured it out. For the uninitiated, Donnie Darko is a bizarre, twisted, mind-numbing puzzle of a movie. The first time you watch it it sticks with you, haunting you for days - sometimes weeks. Was Donnie crazy? Was he sane? WTF is going on? How does all this work out? That aspect alone intrigues some viewers, upsets others, and baffles most. Those with the fortitude to slog through the cryptic maze of insanity that is the Donnie Darko website are rewarded with yet more puzzle pieces with which to build an understanding of the movie. I'm one of those people - and I thought I had it figured out. I didn't. For those who couldn't figure out what the first movie was *about* - this cut makes it quite clear that there is a puzzle to be solved. The difference here is that you are given many more pieces of that puzzle - previously only available to those who uncovered the secrets of the website... or purchased the neato coffee table book. So following the movie I sipped a delicious Java Chip Frappuccino and discussed all the new minutia with the only friend of mine who can deign to be called a member of my beloved film culture. It was during this session that I had a breakthrough - a revelation - I completely figured out Donnie Darko beyond a reasonable doubt. So I wont spoil anything right now, I'll wait a few posts. Suffice it to say there some new little tidbits that make the discussions on God, time travel, and destiny much more clear (all of which were very big issues in the first film). I've seen the first film DOZENS of times. But seeing it on the big screen... and with the new music, extended scenes, and new footage... it was like seeing it for the first time. I laughed, I cried, I almost yelled at characters on screen. Even after repeated viewing this movie jus grabbed onto me and wouldn't let go. This new Director's Cut is FANTASTIC and if it's playing anywhere even remotely near you then YOU SIMPLY MUST SEE IT. 12/10!!!! BTW - I drove 40 miles to Hollywood to see this movie - can you believe there's no-one playing it in Orange County? I need to move to Seattle, bigger film culture there.

quote: AVP AVP AVP AVP!!!! Thats what I am waiting for! Yeah baby!!.. Then in september the ULTIMATE movie i have been waiting for. Oh man, I can't believe I didn't post about that yet. Some of my friends at the Art Institute went to a preview showing a few weeks ago. The unanimous consensus was that AvP was a steaming pile of crap. One said, and I quote: "If you took Freddy vs. Jason, and replaced those characters with Aliens and Predators... and replaced the kids with even worse no-name actors - but with one of them trying to be a black Ripley - then you have AvP. It hurt, Matt - it was like a physical pain." Upon asking for a comparison to Alien 3 (which I consider the be the worst of the Alien movies by a long shot) they replied "Alien 3 is like Citizen f***ing Kain next to this crap." Sorry, but I doubt it changed much in the month since that preview, especially since they only picked people for the focus group who thought the movie was the best thing since the invention of sex. Focus groups like that got us King Arthur and Catwoman.

Havn't seen this one yet, maybe tomorrow... but they'd better not screw up the Foundation movies like they've been screwing up all the other good scifi properties as of late. IMO, the Foundation series needs the LOTR treatment - not the I,Robot/Minority Report/Matrix/AvP/Paycheck treatment. That would just be a sin against the gods of moviedom. Edit: Same goes for The Watchmen & Scanner Darkly. A damn shame they threw away the Charlie Kaufman script for the latter.

I was right. It's part fact, part fiction. Contrary to my guess, however... option 2 turns out to be the case. Shayamalan got sick of the interviews so the documentary people did some dramatization using miscelleneous facts to make it seem more authentic - a la The Da Vinci Code. http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/17/b...x.ap/index.html