Jonathan

Loggerheads Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Tim Kirkman's "Loggerheads". Tim is a graduate of NC State, and he was on hand for a Q&A session after the screening, so it was really interesting to get some insight into the film, and of course it is always rare to see someone from this area "make it" in the "business". As for the film itself, I was very skeptical going in, having been unimpressed by the trailer and synopsis, but I was extremely surprised by how well-crafted "Loggerheads" was. The film is quite slow paced, and driven one hundred percent by its characters, which means even the smallest mistakes stick out, as there is no high style and 'noise' to mask them. It works out very well, though, as the performances were extremely good, and the attention to detail outstanding. Kirkman weaves together three separate but interconnected stories, all taking place in North Carolina (one in the western mountains of the state, one in the middle of the state, and one in the eastern beaches). The film deals with such issues as homosexuality, religion, and suicide, so a delicate touch is required in making the actions of the characters believable. "Loggerheads" felt more "real" to me than any other film I have seen this year, but it could be the North Carolina locations and characters that made it seem that way. I doubt I would have connected with the film on the same level had it been set in another state, and I am not so sure viewers unfamiliar with North Carolina will fully appreciate some of the film's qualities. If anyone reading this (does anyone actually read this?) sees "Loggerheads", I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that subject. And I definitely would recommend seeing it. Help a NCSU grad out. 3.5 stars (out of 4)

Dr. Strangelove Because the post-nuclear war world would have a 10:1 female-to-male ratio, which would regrettably necessitate abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, as far as men are concerned. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race.

Certainly not one of the best movies ever, but I liked it a lot. I know most people would burn me at the stake for saying this, but I liked it better than Nightmare Before Christmas. Nightmare was more original, though.

A History of Violence Most of the people in the Raleigh theater that I was at were looking for a good way to have some fun on a Friday night. "Ah, that one has 'violence' in the title, it should be entertaining." Or maybe they just saw that it had "that nice young man with the long hair from the hobbit movie", and might be worth seeing. They never knew what hit them. I, however, had a secret weapon; a trick up my sleeve. I had seen a little film titled "Naked Lunch". I know David Cronenberg's game; you are searching for two hours of escapism, but what you get is a punch to the stomach, and in the end you leave the cinema scarred for live, yet for some reason wanting to go back and buy another ticket. Cronenberg brings his A-game with "A History of Violence", and the unsuspecting viewer will be shocked beyond belief at what they see. As the film unfolds, we find ourselves in the ultimate cliched rural small town; a "Pleasantville" style place where everyone knows each other and most people will spend their entire lifetime living in peace in the same house. But as anyone who has seen the trailer, read a synopsis, or probably even read the title of the film knows, one of the residents of the town has a background unlike any of the others. Viggo Mortensen's 'Tom' is that character, and through the duration of the film, we see the transformation that violence sparks in him, and others connected to him. And as you might expect, Cronenberg is not afraid to show that violence, front and center. The violence in the film was extremely realistic, and the shock that the audience experiences is equal to that of the characters in the film. When a character is killed, it happens fast. In the blink of an eye, it is over, but the characters that remain standing are stunned. They stand frozen on the spot, unable to turn away from the horrifying sight, and the audience's reaction is similar, as the theater falls deadly silent (no pun intended). While the violence is terrible, and immediately abhorred by both the characters in the film and the audience, some of the characters display an innate attraction to violence. Maria Bello plays Tom's wife Edie, and there are a couple of somewhat disturbing scenes involving her that highlight this. More than once during the film, a violent encounter sparked a sudden burst of laughter throughout the audience, followed immediately by silence, as the effects of the actions seen on screen sank in. The film seems to be making a commentary on violence in the world, and the reactions of the audience confirm the authenticity of the reactions of the characters on screen. David Cronenberg has managed to direct a film that serves as both a well-paced, immensely entertaining thriller, and a thought provoking character study. Every shot is crafted to perfection, and amazing performances are pulled from most of the actors. Viggo Mortensen has said this is the best film he has ever been in, and I would certainly affirm that it is his best performance. Ed Harris is phenomenal, and puts on one of the best supporting performances of the year. "A History of Violence" is shocking, disturbing, eye-opening, humorous, and engaging, and I certainly will not be surprised if it receives a best picture nod this winter. 4 stars (out of 4)

Obviously GTA: San Andreas is responsible for all gun violence in America.

I ordered some DVDs that were supposed to arive between October 1st and 6th, and they still aren't here. Good old USPS.

Welcome to the NHL Sid! Amazing home opener for the Hurricanes tonight, as Cam Ward made his first career NHL start, and made the winning save on Crosby in a shootout. I'm loving the way the game has opened up so far thanks to the stricter rule enforcement.

2,928 on my iPod (it's a 15 gig), and 5,547 in iTunes

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Bump. Need one more person!

Out of my thread

Before you can be there you need to sign up for the league.

If anyone on here is a hockey fan, I've got a free fantasy hockey league set up for this season, with the draft coming up Tuesday night (9 PM EST). It's not technically a TPR league, but I've only got 5 people in it right now (2 of which do actually post here). If you are interested: http://hockey.fantasysports.yahoo.com/ ID: 7381 Password: thrillspot

Yes, I have finally finished editing the Midwest Conquest videos, and Part VII is up for your viewing pleasure. It was an amazing week, and while Six Flags St. Louis on Saturday was a disappointment, Silver Dollar City and Celebration City on Sunday were perfect parks to end the trip. http://www.jonathan-hawkins.net/index.php/videos/ I hope everyone has enjoyed watching these.

Just a FYI, here is the original "Taking Care of John's House" http://whootah.com/archives/25

La Marche de l’empereur (March of the Penguins) The average person has absolutely no awareness of the spectacular journey that emperor penguins take each year in Antarctica (I sure didn't), so perhaps that explains why everyone has been so amazed by this film, as it has rolled to one of the most successful documentary runs in history. It is mind-boggling what the penguins go through each year to mate and raise their young, and it was nearly as mind-boggling for me that Luc Jacquet and his crew were able to film this documentary. A place where winds can blow up to 100 miles per hour and temperatures hit 50 below 0 is not exactly the ideal location to shoot a film. The dedication of the filmmakers to brave the elements and get the perfect shots paid off, as the footage throughout the 80 minutes is absolutely amazing. I was concerned a bit with Jacquet's attempts to simultaneously make the film a documentary and a drama, or even a romance I suppose. I am not too fond of montage being used to manipulate the viewer in documentaries, and there was really no need for Jacquet to force emotion into the audience, because the events on screen speak for themselves very strongly. However, the fact that this film was even made is a testament to its creators, and the 'march' of the emperor penguins is truly stunning. 3 stars (out of 4)

Hauru no ugoku shiro (Howl’s Moving Castle) From some of the discussion on "Howl's Moving Castle" that I have been reading, the most vocal opinion seems to be that it is not as good as Hayao Miyazaki's previous films, and is a rather poor adaptation of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. As for myself, I have never read the novel, have never seen any of Miyazaki's other films (although from what I hear I really should), and in fact, I've never really watched anime at all. So, naturally, I was floored by "Howl's Moving Castle". The animation and style of the film is beautiful, and there is clearly great imagination behind the images on screen. Miyazaki makes the characters truly compelling, and even if you cannot begin to comprehend exactly what is happening in the movie, you care for them. It is well-paced and extremely entertaining, as I was not quite expecting the large doses of humor that were supplied with the outrageous characters. The film really seemed to have personality, and at this point is the most engaging film I've seen all year. 4 stars (out of 4)

That was a better landing than most flights I've been on.

Didn't realize who you guys were, or I would have introduced myself. I've even met Corey before, and didn't recognize him. Ah well, whoops.. But yes, it was an awesome time, and if this event continues to be held I will do everything I can to come back. That's one of the things that I love about going to events and on trips with the RideWorld regulars; everyone just wants to have a great time, and makes the best of the circumstances.

Corpse Bride I realize that many will cry blasphemy, but I liked "Corpse Bride" better than "The Nightmare Before Christmas". In fact, "Corpse Bride" is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year. As expected, the stop-motion is amazing, and the film is stunning visually. I will conceed that the story is not as imaginative as "The Nightmare Before Christmas", but it is paced and executed very well. Like most of Burton's films, there are some very touching moments, and I also was not expecting it to be as funny as it was. The movie is packed with a ridiculous number of cheesy groan inducing puns (usually dealing with death); but that is not a complaint, as I really think it worked to the film's advantage. There is a lot of silliness that comes through the dark mood that Burton establishes, and as a result "Corpse Bride" is a lot of fun to watch. The vocal performances by Depp, Carter, and the rest of the cast are top notch, and it is clear that a lot of care was taken in bringing the characters to life. One of the best American animated films to come along in a while as far as I am concerned. 3.5 stars (out of 4)

I don't actually have a Costco near me, but I'll echo what BelizeIt said. Costco pays its employees an average of $15-$17 an hour, and also gives full benefits (health and dental insurance, 401k) to most of its employees. Despite the fact that they are one of the top 30 American companies in revenue, the CEO has a yearly salary of $350,000 (less than 10 percent of most other big company CEO's). They also have very low prices and their stock has risen 10% over the last year. So, I guess what I'm saying is, they've proven that you don't have to be completely evil to be successful in the American market.

The student body president here at NC State is a pirate. No joke. Due to a loophole in the elections system, he was able to actually place his name on the ballot as "The Pirate Captain". http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,153840,00.html I voted for him.

1) The Voyage, Holiday World (Santa Claus, Indiana) As already mentioned by nearly everyone here, this ride has the potential to be the best roller coaster in the world. It is one of the most ambitious wooden coaster projects I have ever seen, and has all of the ingredients to be flat out amazing. 2) Unnamed GCI Wooden Coaster, Beech Bend (Beech Bend, Kentucky) Having ridden Thunderhead at Dollywood, the last GCI coaster built, and the 2005 Golden Ticket #1 wooden coaster in the world, I absolutely can't wait to ride this. GCI has improved with every coaster they have built, and while it will be hard to top Thunderhead, I expect them to do an outstanding job with this. 3) Unnamed Intamin Wooden Coaster, Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey) This will be the first Intamin wooden coaster in North America, and having seen lots of footage of the two in Europe via this website, I am very excited about how this ride will turn out. Unfortunately, we don't know much about it yet since it has not been officially announced, but I'm confident that it will be a great ride. 4) Goliath, Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, Georgia) Six Flags Over Georgia is only 4 hours from my home, so I am very excited that they are building the first hypercoaster in the Southeast. I have been on all of the B&M hypercoasters in North America, and they were very fun, so I expect this to be an excellent ride.

Anyone on the internet who wants your personal information can get it, anyway. I did a whois of your domain and got your full name, email address, and home address. Just tell this guy to f*** off.

I'm a junior at NC State, and I decided to go here because of the great engineering school. Of course, I only stayed in the computer science department for a year and a half before tiring of it, and now I am in the college of management majoring in Business Management with a concenration in Information Technology. I'm doing a Film Studies minor just for the fun of it. In retrospect, I probably should have picked a different school, but NC State will do just fine, and I'm having a good time here.