ILL WILL HUNTING

And then I went to the cinema. And then I thought, “That’s bloggable.” Etc.

Predators

I should confess up front – if this didn’t have Robert Rodriguez’s name on it, I wouldn’t have bothered. None of the Predator franchise sequels have ever lived up to the original, and it has to be said that even the original was at heart an excuse for Arnold Schwarzenegger to do Big Dumb Bare-Chested Violence for 90 minutes. It was classic 80s Homoerotic Big Dick Action War Pr0n with a gratuitous alien and even more gratuitous Jesse Ventura. It was also good, but it’s hard to make something like that work more than once.

So even with the new film's premise of humans being abducted to a Predator game preserve, I went in with relatively low expectations. I need not have worried – Predators is the worthy sequel we’ve been waiting for all this time.

Which isn’t to say it’s as good as the original. Two things Predator had going in its favor – besides Jesse Ventura with a General Electric M134 Mini-Gun – was the element of mystery. You weren’t quite sure what Arnold et al were dealing with, and when you found out, the film had suddenly shifted genres. With Predators, you already more or less know the situation and what they’re up against.

That said, director Nimrod Antal and the screenwriters do a good job of reworking the basic premise without simply copying it, and adding in a couple of new elements that promise to take the franchise in an interesting directon, though they may be pushing their luck. And while I think they could have taken a few more chances with the material, at least they had the sense to pretend all the other sequels never happened.

Credit also to Antal for putting together a decent cast of characters, and for knowing how to direct an action scene with a Steadicam. If we have to have more Predator films, this is a good start.

I’m game if you are,

This is dF

CAUCASIAN ADVANCED VER.

I get emails.

Sometimes they’re sexy. Sometimes they’re hilarious. Sometimes both at the same time.

And often unintentionally.



Yes, I know, it’s my problem.

Over 38 points of articulation,

This is dF

YOU JUST MADE MY LIST

ITEM: Utah officials identify at least two state workers who allegedly accessed confidential documents to create a list of 1,300 purported illegal immigrants that was mailed to law enforcement officials and the news media to have them publically outed and deported.

So, a few things about this:

1. This case highlights the problem of how yr confidential personal data is handled and protected, and how it can be used against you if it falls into the wrong hands – someone with a political agenda, for example.

2. Note also that the case implies that this was essentially an inside job – the personal information was collected by people who either had direct access to it, or knew which channels to go through to get it. That’s important because when people think about their data being stolen, they picture people from outside the system breaking in. But data can be stolen from the inside as well.

3. I hope the people responsible do jail time for the reasons cited above. The fact that they thought they were doing the cops and America a favor by identifying “lawbreakers” is irrelevant to me because this is not just an illegal immigration issue – it’s about politically motivated people putting together a vigilante hit list with confidential information.

Everyone – regardless of immigrant status – has precious little control over their personal data as it is. The last thing we need is individuals entrusted to that data deciding to use it against us in some righteous outburst.

That said, I do find it amusing (and telling) that some conservatives are hailing the listmakers as heroes, considering that many of the same people were presumably freaking out this time last year over President Hussein Obama’s healthcare enemies list and his plan to use the census to put Republicans in concentration camps.

Which just goes to show.

Too much information,

This is dF