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Today the third installment of the Harry Potter film franchise is released nation wide. Nine tenths of the critics are raving about it- with dissenting views coming from places like “The Arizona Daily Star.” I think that it is now timely to point out to those few remaining people who think that there is something wrong with Harry Potter that they ought to give it a rest.
No, this story is not the most intellectual thing you will ever read or see, you are not going to impress that girl at the coffee shop by reading Harry Potter spine up (but lets face it, you weren’t going to impress her with Wittgenstein either). Since when does entertainment always have to be enlightening? buy suhagra online gilberteyecare.com/wp-content/themes/twentytwentyone/inc/php/suhagra.html no prescription
Harry potter is to literature what Outkast is to music, or Friends is to television. buy premarin online gilberteyecare.com/wp-content/themes/twentytwentyone/inc/php/premarin.html no prescription
It is not the most profound thing available, but it is a well-crafted story with interesting characters. It is amusing, lighthearted, with a decent amount of suspense. buy vardenafil online gilberteyecare.com/wp-content/themes/twentytwentyone/inc/php/vardenafil.html no prescription
What J. K. Rowling is creating is essentially the perfect piece of pop art. Like that silly song that makes you tap your foot subconsciously, these stories suck you in before you realize what has happened. That said, if you have ever watched reality TV, or watch any situational comedies, get rid of your presence and go see this movie. |
Category: Uncategorized
What can we get for ten dollars?
There is now a Stanley Kubrick Retrospective in Germany, which will hopefully make it's way to the States in the near future. Kubrick saved enough costumes, props, and notes from all of his movies to fill up 10 rooms of his estate; this stockpile of memorabilia was all raided to fill up the exhibit.
The article linked above brings up many of the questions that are left behind with Kubrick's death. Did he actually finish Eyes Wide Shut before his death?
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What would A.I. have looked like if he had actually helmed it? What was going on in 2001: A Space Odyssey?
(the best answer I've seen for that last question phrases it in light of 60s pop-images of future technologies: computers would change mankind as completely as the tool changed our ancestors into a new type of being, which is of course bogus – see notably ginandtacos.
com hero Louis Menand's sharp take on it here)
These are all fair and good questions, but deep in my heart the only question that needs answering is "What was the look on the guy's face when he first heard 2 Live Crew's 'Me So Horny'?"
For those of you who don't know, the chorus ("me so horny (x3) me love you long time") and the intro are both sampled from Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Someone had to sit down with him and play him the song. Can you even picture it?
Manager: "Stanley, these rappers from California sampled part of Full Metal Jacket in one of their songs."
Kubrick: "Interesting. I wonder if they are singing about the large number of Africa-Americans who were forced to fight in Vietnam for a country that wouldn't even recognize them. Perhaps they have an entirely different take on the themes of dehumanization presented in the film."
::cue song::
Luke Skyywalker: "Sitting at home with my dick hard / so I got the black book for a freak to call"
::and Kubrick wept::
Live Music on Thursdays in Champaign
And the GOP says….Call Talk Radio!
Yes, the choir is about to be preached to!
Anyone who has switched their radio band to AM in the last couple years will have noticed that neocons dominate the airwaves. Being an official ginandtacos.com liason to conservative talk radio is a thankless and often masochistic task. However, it is not without its rewards.
Time and time again you are amused by the circular rhetorical techniques employed by hosts. You become amazed at how the same sentence can get rephrased several hundred times to make a three hour program essentially consist of on statement. You are dumbfounded by a host responding to reasonalble critisism with a louder statement of the original position.
Beyond all else, I am continually amazed by the depth of callers who seem completely oblivious to reality, and yet have such a firm grasp of conservative talking points. Previously I answered this apparent enigma with the conclusion that callers are simply repeating statements they heard on other talk shows.
Imagine my surprise when I found that this is actually an endored campaign technique both the Republican National Commitee and the Bush campaign themselves. Accepting the fact that if you are a Bush supporter you clearly gave up on the concepts of original thought and logic four years ago, the George W Bush website not only gives you tips on how to get on the air, what programs to call, but also exact quotes to say.
- Winning the War on Terror.
After September 11, 2001, President Bush acted decisively to rout Al Qaeda from their hiding places, and America is safer as a result. The global war on terror continues to be waged with focus and determination.- Defending Against Weapons of Mass Destruction.
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Our military proceeded with skill and bravery to liberate the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, and ensure that weapons of mass destruction never find their way into the hands of terrorists.- Supporting Our Military.
President Bush has increased defense spending in all of his budgets, giving our servicemen and women the resources and the advanced technology they need to face today’s threats.
I am a bit confused. There was no mention of all the jobs George Bush has created.
Republicans Hate Al Gore.
They really do. Talk radio personality Sean Hannity does not seem to be able to bring up Al Gore without using discriptive terms such as "shrill" or "insane." In fact, on his website, Sean Hannity asks the question: Is Al Gore losing his mind? The truth of the matter is, Al Gore very well might be insane.
He very well might be losing his mind. Does anyone really care? Does anyone actually listen to Al Gore anyway? Democrats barely cared about him in 2000.

Despite the fact that even democrats believed him to be lacking even the vaguest shred of charisma during the last election, republican pundits in 2004 seem to be labeling him as the great democratic spokesman. Other than the 45 college students who are there to see him speak, the only people who hear what he has to say are viewers of Hannity of Limbaugh.
The truth of the matter is not that Gore speaks for the democratic party, but rather that he is a living breathing conservative talking point. Everytime he gives a speech republicans get to say the following.
- The Democratic party is desperately trying to regain the power that they previously had despite the fact that it is not what the american people want.
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-common Limbaugh sentiment- Is the tone of Al Gore really befitting an ex-vice president -common Hannity statement
- Is it appropriate for prominent democrats to align themselves with Moveon.org, an organization that compared Bush to Hitler? -also Hannity
- And most intriguing of all… Everytime Gore speaks he gives conservatives another excuse to blame everything on Bill Clinton. "We'd stop talking about Clinton if they would just shut up." -Mark Levin on Hannity and Combs.
So to put it bluntly, everytime Al Gore opens his mouth, even if it is to address 27 people on some college quad somewhere, it gives conservatives justification to say things like. "Look at the lengths the democrats are willing to go to in order to win," and "Why didn't Bill Clinton kill Bin Laden when he had the chance?"
The truth of the matter is, this is just another example of how 2004 is becoming one of the most pathetic presidential elections this country has seen since the American people had to choose between Barry Goldwater and Lyndon Johnson. Democrats are being forced to vote on how much we hate George Bush and not any affection for John Kerry. Republicans are flooding the airwaves with rhetoric condemning any statement against Bush as "inappropriate in a time of war," and "John Kerry is playing politics with national security" – yeah, as though they aren't.
We could go on like this forever. If you are interested in becoming exceptionally annoyed with the lies and half-truths are are becoming this campaign on both sides go to slate.com's doonesbury daily dose and read the line on the top titled "todays mudline" for all the up to date mudslinging in the presidential race.
A new excuse not to TIVO your commericals…
The Senate race in Illinois is shaping up to be one of the most watched elections this year.
An important Republican seat is going up for grabs, and with the Illinois Republicans in complete disarray from scandal the Democratic primary winner, Barack Obama, looks like he is in great shape.
However, his Republican opponent, Wilmette's very own Jack "please seal my divorce records, please" Ryan, is going to put up a fight. After recently polling 16% behind Obama, he has hired media consultant Scott Howell to change the tone of his campaign.
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I had no idea why that would have been a big deal, until I just read that Howell was the one of the main guys behind the attack ad against Senator Max Cleland, who went on to lose the seat in 2002.
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If you remember, the Republicans went on the offensive in 2002, with Bush going to all the big battleground states to lend a helping hand. Back then Iraq was full of people who wanted to embrace America, and you couldn't walk 5 steps without running into a mobile-train WMD lab – and the Republicans were going to bring freedom to the region. As such, even though the country was in a deep recession, the campaigns went to issues of 'national security.'
In what has turned out to be one of the most cynical attack ads ever, Howell and co. put images of Hussein and Osama Bin Laden before an image of Senator Cleland, questioning whether or not he wanted national security (see image on the left). This ad is, of course, horrid. First, Cleland had lost both legs and an arm while fighting for America in Vietnam – so if he hasn't suffered enough to prove himself to America I don't know who has (presumably he didn't get the chance to leave 6 months early for business school). Second, even if he was to the left of Ralph Nader, to compare him to Bin Laden is beyond offensive on it's face. And third, he had been an author on the Homeland Security bill, and voted for Bush's tax cuts AND the Iraq war, making him not all that liberal of a liberal. So if Cleland, who has more or less supported Bush's policies, can get compared to Bin Laden in TV ads, I'm really curious as to whom Obama, a pretty liberal African-American from the South Side, will get compared to when the ads start rolling. |
In order to start the ball rolling, I've created a small ad below for the Ryan campaign to start using against Obama, in the style of the above Cleland ad. Mr. Howell, if you are reading, you can use it free of charge.

2nd City.
If it always seems like Chicago is fighting for the respect of the title 2nd City, well, it's because it is.
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Here's a good sign though: the people at The Gothamist have spun out a sister site, The Chicagoist. The Gothamist is one of the better weblogs that covers all of the things to come out of New York – seeing the format adapted to Chicago is a bit surreal.
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Mostly because Chicago has none of the fashion/celebrity-fucking culture that seems to dominate the NY weblogs. Are they going to give Lisa Madigan's wardrobe a smackdown?
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Anyway, go support them. Chicago needs more things like this.
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Some more information on Drinking in Champaign
Today the Champaign bar reviews recieved a much needed overhaul.
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There are four new reviews, a somewhat different introduction, and a comments on bar patronage.
UofI Rush Week Theme 2004: Abu Ghraib Style Prison Torture
As of three weeks ago, ginandtacos.com has a weekly column in Champaign-Urbana's independent newspaper "The Hub." All three of us here have attended the University of Illinois at some point (Ed for a year, I as an undergrad, and Erik as an undergrad and currently as a grad student), so it's a natural fit. We'll soon put up the columns that we have written so far, but until then hunt down the newspaper.
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As part of last week's column about the abuse of POWs in Iraq, titled "We too are unfamiliar with the Geneva Convention", we examined arguments proposed on the right, notably by Hannity and Limbaugh, that what happened at Abu Ghraib is no worse than what goes on at fraternities.
Since none of us have ever been in one, we were caught a little off guard. Glow-sticks? Attack dogs? That didn't sound like rush week, but what did we know?
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As journalists we took advantage of UofI's strong greek presence and wrote a letter to the Interfraternity Council asking them about the link:
An open letter to the Interfraternity Council.
As they have yet to respond, we can only assume the worst.
chicago's weekend
1) Go and ask George Romero why he's so cool at the Movieside Film Festival. Jack Hill, the director of such exploitation classics as Foxy Brown and (Tarantino's favorite) Switchblade Sisters, will also be on hand.
2) Mexican Wrestling Macbeth is amazing beyond belief, both as a take on campy 50s luchadores movies and radio drama as a whole. The two actors who do the radio voiceover need to be seen to be believed.
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And it's BYOB.
3) The Constantines play at the Empty Bottle on Wednesday (but start late, so you can still see the series finale of Angel). Also, head's up: The Thermals are at the Fireside Bowl a week from Sunday (the 23rd). They have a new album out Tuesday.
4) In response to our Save Wilmington Campaign, the staff recieved all kinds of emails complaining about Wilmington being a fuddy-duddy North Side elite who can't enjoy a good ol' fashioned entertaining movie. The arguments sometimes pointed south of I-290 towards Ebert/Roeper, critics of the masses, as being the true speakers of chicagoland.
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Well I hope you all know that Wilmington gave Troy 4 stars and loved it. Even better, cinephile Rosenbaum over at the Reader gave it his critic's choice. Here's the funny part: Ebert panned it by taking the cinema high ground, even referring to the story not being fit "for a multiplex audience":
"Great films like Michael Cacoyannis' "Elektra," about the murder of Agamemnon after the Trojan War, know that and use a stark dramatic approach that is deliberately stylized. Of course, "Elektra" wouldn't work for a multiplex audience, but then maybe it shouldn't.
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"
Slow down there Ebert! Who will defend the south side against Wilmington if you take the 'epater le patrons of mall cinema' stance?
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Also: SAVE WILMINGTON!
