Vanity Fair.com's Rebecca Keegan is reporting that two days ago in Washington, D.C., Avatar director James Cameron "convened a meeting of more than 20 scientists and engineers in Washington to brainstorm fixes for the Gulf of Mexico oil leak."
"'I know a lot of smart people who regularly work a whole lot deeper than that well,' says Cameron, referring to BP's 5,000-foot gusher. 'I figured this group of top sub guys and deep-ocean scientists and engineers could maybe come up with something constructive.'
"The director did not, as many news outlets reported, respond to a call from the Environmental Protection Agency, but rather organized the meeting himself , and invited government bodies including the E.P.A., the Department of Energy, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard to participate.
"Cameron says he first contacted BP a month ago, but was told they had the crisis handled. 'I didn't want to be another well-meaning idiot with a bunch of suggestions,' Cameron says. 'But when the situation went on without a resolution, I figured the guys I knew had to be as smart as the engineers at BP, so it was time to sound the horn.;
"Tuesday's 10-hour engineering brainstorming session included representatives from the federal agencies, as well as Anatoly Sagalevich, the Russian Mir sub pilot who first took Cameron to the Titanic; oceanic explorer Joe MacInnis, who participated in Cameron's deep-sea documentary Aliens of the Deep; professors from the Universities of California at Berkeley and Santa Barbara; Navy salvage contractors; and Cameron's brother, Mike, an engineer with whom the director built a pair of mini remotely operated underwater vehicles (R.O.V.) that explored the Titanic wreck.
"The group made recommendations to various agencies, which will funnel them to BP. 'It was fertile,' Cameron says."
How can Big Hollywood spin this and the Penn/Haiti story negatively? There must be some way. C'mon, Nolte -- this is what you're good at.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 3, 2010 at 9:28 AM
comment #1
Markj74
says ...
I hope Cameron took Ed Harris along, this is a job for Bud Brigman and his crew.
Posted by Markj74
at June 3, 2010 10:02 AM
comment #2
York "Budd" Durden
says ...
I've been stunned that in the coverage of Cameron's efforts, not once has any article I've seen mentioned The Abyss, which happens to be set (ahem) on a deep water oil drilling platform.
Posted by York "Budd" Durden
at June 3, 2010 10:04 AM
comment #3
cdvilla
says ...
I'm glad that someone with smarts and smart contacts is pulling something like this together. 45 days is a bit too long for something this devastating to continue on unabated. I wish them the best of luck in finding a good solution.
Posted by cdvilla
at June 3, 2010 10:27 AM
comment #4
Snoop Marlo
says ...
Who has the bigger market cap these days? Cameron or BP?
Posted by Snoop Marlo
at June 3, 2010 11:12 AM
comment #5
Travis Crabtree
says ...
I say let Cameron and his motley, multi-culti, rag-tag group of lovably unkempt rock 'n rollers go in there with their disheveled, patched-together submersibles and get this bitch done!
Screw these stuffy, stiff-collared corporate assholes and their matching black, military-funded fleet of armed oil rig repair machines.
Posted by Travis Crabtree
at June 3, 2010 11:15 AM
comment #6
Eloi Wrath
says ...
He will plug his hair braids into the ocean to defeat the oil.
Posted by Eloi Wrath
at June 3, 2010 11:19 AM
comment #7
jtagliere
says ...
What Cameron said: "Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing."
What major news organizations and the web at large is reporting he said:
"Over the last few weeks I've watched with growing horror and heartache thinking "Those morons don't know what they're doing".
The first leads into why he covened the meeting; the second gives the conotation that Cameron said he has all the answers. The media is going to write whatever spin they want on the man who called himself "King of the World", the truth be damned.
Posted by jtagliere
at June 3, 2010 11:23 AM
comment #8
jtagliere
says ...
Link to the video of his actual answer
http://d8.allthingsd.com/20100602/d8-video-james-cameron-talks-bp-and-the-complicated-problem/
Posted by jtagliere
at June 3, 2010 11:28 AM
comment #9
George Prager
says ...
"'Do you want Paul Verhoeven to plug this motherfucker?"
Posted by George Prager
at June 3, 2010 11:56 AM
comment #10
Zach
says ...
this reminds me of the South Park episode where the government gets Kurt Russell to go through the Stargate thing.
"Excuse me, why am I here?"
"Because you were in that movie that was sort of like this."
Posted by Zach
at June 3, 2010 12:09 PM
comment #11
LexG
says ...
Horrible admission that'll get me placed on the Eloi list forever. I know that JW and most here are pretty sensitive about the environment and all that, and I'm pretty Zen about politics and to each their own, and even though he'll be roundly mocked, Cameron's heart would surely be in the right place etc etc etc...
But once in a while (actually all the time), there's some big national news story "crisis" that I simply could not care less about, which affects me in absolutely zero way whatsoever, leaves me entirely unmoved and I zone out INSTANTLY when it comes up.
This BP spill is the best example of that in forever. I 100% tune out, don't care, have no frame of reference for it, they could leave that sludge in the water for six decades and it wouldn't lessen my opinion of Obama or BP or anyone involved... I don't live near there, I don't mind paying a shitload for gas, I don't hate oil companies... I am totally, utterly indifferent. This story comes on, and I shut down and think of female toes or something.
I say all that because, well intentioned as our eco warriors are, passionate as guys like Wells or Maher (to cite two examples of people I follow and generally agree with on things) are about the environment and green and conservation, etc etc--
It's an impossible issue to get support behind because it's like fighting an invisible bogeyman. You're never going to make global warming or depleting resources or spilled oil a "sexy" issue with a scary "villain," in the sense that 12-year-old kids firing off Uzis in your neighborhood is scary.
Posted by LexG
at June 3, 2010 1:47 PM
comment #12
George Prager
says ...
"The best thing about Marilyn in bed was..."
"What are your views on mattresses?"
Posted by George Prager
at June 3, 2010 1:58 PM
comment #13
maxfm
says ...
Thousands of ideas about stopping the flow have been thrown around and submitted to BP.
However, there are viable CLEAN-UP options (other than chemicals) that need serious attention now.
Costner's project was briefly discussed, but a company out of Mississippi called Hydrasep is itching to show BP and local governments that its oil-water separator technology is viable, economical, easy-to-use and ready to roll.
It's very interesting. Check it out:
www.hydrasep.com or look 'em up on Facebook.
Posted by maxfm
at June 3, 2010 2:19 PM
comment #14
bluefugue
says ...
>It's an impossible issue to get support behind because it's like fighting an invisible bogeyman.
Well, for the sake of the species, let's hope enough people get used to the idea of fighting invisible bogeymen.
>Thousands of ideas about stopping the flow have been thrown around and submitted to BP.
I can't help envisioning the Sea Captain from "The Simpsons" entering some BP exec's office with a totally crackpot plan and a miniature model of an 18th century diving bell, or something.
"Arrrr... I'll need ten strong men, four fathoms of rope, and three acres of narwhal hide!"
Then he walks away and Professor Frink comes in
Posted by bluefugue
at June 3, 2010 2:24 PM
comment #15
cdvilla
says ...
@george prager: In all fairness Verhoeven might be able to convice Elizabeth Berkley to thrash around in the spill zone until all the oil is effectively dispersed.
Posted by cdvilla
at June 3, 2010 2:32 PM
comment #16
The Bandsaw Vigilante
says ...
At some point, maybe Obama will ask him just what the fucking hell is holding up The Abyss Blu-Ray?
Posted by The Bandsaw Vigilante
at June 3, 2010 2:37 PM
comment #17
televisiontears
says ...
Lex, why on earth do you need five paragraphs just to say that you don't care?
Posted by televisiontears
at June 3, 2010 2:42 PM
comment #18
bluefugue
says ...
>Lex, why on earth do you need five paragraphs just to say that you don't care?
Hey, he needs 40 pages to say Kristen Stewart is hot. This is pretty restrained.
Posted by bluefugue
at June 3, 2010 2:51 PM
comment #19
LexG
says ...
Because much like the mighty Houdini, I am a consummate showman.
Jerk.
Posted by LexG
at June 3, 2010 3:03 PM
comment #20
televisiontears
says ...
I'm not being a jerk, it just seems pointless to comment at all on a subject you have no interest in.
I think it's being a jerk to use a massive environmental crisis which is killing animals by the fuckload and threatening the existence of an entire American City to talk about yourself.
You don't care, okay. Lot's of people don't care about anything other than what affects them in direct and very tangible ways. That doesn't earn much respect in my book, but I'm not saying if you're not constantly worried about huge issues then you're a terrible person. You've got to live your life first, and if you don't stay connected to the bigger picture, something even as disastrous as the BP spill can seem pretty pointless. Fine.
What irks me is that you rationalize your indifference. Your not informed at all, your completely ignorant of the problem and go on to claim there's a good reason that you don't care.
You know how worked up and frighteningly emotional you get when someone here so much as expresses indifference towards fucking Kristen Stewart? Imagine if Kristen Stewart actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. That's how your comment made me feel.
Oh, and here's some photographic evidence of your "invisible boogeyman":
http://i47.tinypic.com/4uhpg5.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/wpgtd.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/dopb1d.jpg
Posted by televisiontears
at June 3, 2010 3:42 PM
comment #21
cm65
says ...
Crabtree, I don't deal in cliches, so I'll get right to the point. I'm not sure just what you and this Cameron asshole think you can actually accomplish here, but after what I've heard today...Look, all I can offer is my two Ph.D.s from M.I.T. and my two flat feet, but by God, if you'll have me, count me in! And that goes for my whole team! Let's kick that well's ass!
Posted by cm65
at June 3, 2010 4:03 PM
comment #22
DeeZee
says ...
Lex: It'll affect you if you have to ration your drinking water.
Anyway, another shitty weekend.
Oliver does Bolivia.
Why make a DTV sequel to a movie which originally bombed?
Eat Pray Love managed to buy a new rating.
Bender manages to get new gigs.
Via Digital Bits, Redbox goes blue.
Flipped trailer.
Twilight 3 featurette and tv spot.
Isn't this basically Tideland?
Thor cosplay.
Sam Mendes plans to make a woman out of Mulligan.
Philip Morris once again got cock-blocked.
Pretty sad when you name yourself after an HBO softcore comedy.
Anyone want a SATC prequel?
The Bucket List, the Brit version.
More on Emmerich's National Treasure wannabe.
Weaver to be Lautner's shrink.
Thank you for being a friend.
Robert Pattinson's before picture.
Posted by DeeZee
at June 3, 2010 4:12 PM
comment #23
TimDG
says ...
Prager loves him some Friedman comix.
Posted by TimDG
at June 3, 2010 4:28 PM
comment #24
Markj74
says ...
What The Bandsaw Vigilante said. Not even a sniff of a 20th anniversary edition last year.
Posted by Markj74
at June 3, 2010 4:33 PM
comment #25
John M
says ...
Jesus, Lex will just rationalize his apathy into eternity, won't he? He'll be late for his own funeral.
Maybe this will help--look at these pictures:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.htm
Do you care yet, Lex?
televisiontears power.
Posted by John M
at June 3, 2010 5:38 PM
comment #26
Zach
says ...
If someone tosses Kristen Stewart in the oil maybe Lex will care.
Posted by Zach
at June 3, 2010 6:11 PM
comment #27
bluefugue
says ...
He'd envy the oil.
Posted by bluefugue
at June 3, 2010 6:44 PM
comment #28
Gordn27
says ...
"I say all that because, well intentioned as our eco warriors are, passionate as guys like Wells or Maher (to cite two examples of people I follow and generally agree with on things) are about the environment and green and conservation, etc etc--
It's an impossible issue to get support behind because it's like fighting an invisible bogeyman. "
Lex - then how do you explain the fact that the hole in the O-zone layer has been getting smaller since we started doing things about it?
Posted by Gordn27
at June 3, 2010 7:04 PM
comment #29
Gordn27
says ...
oops, obviously, that should be 'ozone"
Posted by Gordn27
at June 3, 2010 7:05 PM
comment #30
Ponderer
says ...
"I am totally, utterly indifferent. This story comes on, and I shut down and think of female toes or something."
As has been pointed out by more than one source, this is a problem where friggin' nuclear weaponry has been discussed as a *solution.* If that doesn't cure your apathy, I both despise and salute you.
Posted by Ponderer
at June 3, 2010 7:18 PM
comment #31
DeeZee
says ...
New Expendables trailer.
Jack Black IS Gulliver.
American dick-sucking.
Le gay cowboy eating Big Macs.
Posted by DeeZee
at June 3, 2010 8:30 PM
comment #32
LexG
says ...
I do like animals-- more than people most of the time, and I sometimes give money to animal causes and stuff, though not recently. So, yeah, I feel bad for the birds and I'm not one of those anti-environment blowhards on the right who thinks it's the height of shock hilarity to mimic blowing away caribou so I can drive my monster truck or anything.
I am, however, a RAGING narcissist and probable sociopath, and thus my empathy for every- and any story that ever makes the news, ever, was probably used up sometime around junior year of college. I should think most people would have enough problems of their very own to go around carrying the burden of the PLANET as a worry in one's day to day life.
So if you're talking about this spill, yes, I guess it's blithe to write it off... but as with anything on the national scene that you can't control, some of you guys are going to give yourselves heart attacks worrying about a crisis where your voice isn't going to be heard no matter how loudly you shout it (on a movie blog.)
I mean, do you guys weep and join the Peace Corps every time there's a volcano that goes off in Mongolia?
But let me take it wider than BP and Cameron (hey, if he signs on, at least I'll know of somebody involved, rather than just some poor pelicans)...
With regards to the ENVIRONMENT as some all-encompassing, galvanizing issue: Assuming it's probably not going to happen in YOUR lifetime, maybe not even your kids' lifetime: Why do you care? Words of Han Solo, repeat after me: BETTER HER THAN ME.
The split second I shuffle off to Buffalo, whenever that may be, I could NOT give less of a damn what happens to ANY other person on the planet, or the planet. Why do you? I honestly suspect you really don't, and this whole greenpeace eco-warrior sensibility is a way for guys to appear sensitive to get chicks.
If it could be proven CONCLUSIVELY that world is going to literally end-- like Earth will explode-- in say, 2070. Would you care? You're not gonna be here for it anyway. Like, Bill Maher FOAMS AT THE MOUTH over this, but come on... the guy's what, 56, 57? He's got twenty, thirty more years, maybe more.... the earth isn't going to spontaneously combust in that time, and he's an atheist anyway, so WHO CARES.
Posted by LexG
at June 3, 2010 8:56 PM
comment #33
bluefugue
says ...
>If it could be proven CONCLUSIVELY that world is going to literally end-- like Earth will explode-- in say, 2070. Would you care? You're not gonna be here for it anyway. Like, Bill Maher FOAMS AT THE MOUTH over this, but come on... the guy's what, 56, 57? He's got twenty, thirty more years, maybe more.... the earth isn't going to spontaneously combust in that time, and he's an atheist anyway, so WHO CARES.
I'd care -- I wouldn't want the one known outpost of consciousness in the universe to be extinguished, whether or not I was there to witness it. Nor does being an atheist enforce indifference (I'm one too).
Also, assuming you aren't totally incapable of social connections, you may have friends or family who will live on after you. Humans are wired to be concerned about people in their circle, even if they don't invest emotional energy in the lives of strangers.
Nonetheless, you are right that there are more distant, uncontrollable catastrophes out there at any given moment than any person can keep track of, much less get upset about. In the Congo for the past few decades one of the most horrific wars in the history of humanity has been going on, and of those few here who know about it, fewer still care.
Most necessary 'tis that we devote most of our psychic energy to ourselves and to our close circle and to the business of getting through the day. That requires plenty energy enough. That said, I'm not sure what hobgoblin of consistency impels you to embrace indifference quite so rapturously as you affect to do.
Posted by bluefugue
at June 3, 2010 10:23 PM
comment #34
Markj74
says ...
ewfwgrrg is almost as annoying as DeeZee.
Posted by Markj74
at June 4, 2010 1:14 AM
comment #35
televisiontears
says ...
"I could NOT give less of a damn what happens to ANY other person on the planet, or the planet. Why do you? I honestly suspect you really don't, and this whole greenpeace eco-warrior sensibility is a way for guys to appear sensitive to get chicks."
Fuck. That. And fuck you, Lex. In spite of your pointed provocation, this is the only thing you've ever said that's truly pissed me off. You are so mummified in your private fantasy world that you have no idea how the rest of the world operates. So, instead of trying to come to terms with that or attempting some reconciliation, you idealize your own worldview and paint anyone who doesn't fall into that self-absorbed sphere as bullshit-artists.
Fuck. That. I care about the oil spill because eleven men died during the creation of a disaster that would kill a ridiculous number of animals (who were probably thinking "I could NOT give less of a damn what happens to ANY other person on the planet, or the planet.").
And guess what? Hurricane season is gonna rear its ugly bitch head this year. (You can tune out right now and go back to using your selfish tears as lube while jerking off to K-STEW's toes because THIS DOESN'T AFFECT YOU.) Of course this shit's not gonna be cleaned up by the time a major storm comes, so that means FLAMMABLE HURRICANES. Yup (or "yep yep", right? Because girls?), it's likely that a storm will sweep up the oil, catch fire and destroy everything and everyone that comes in its path.
But you're two thousand miles away so who cares, right?
The fact that you say I pretend to care about this to "get chicks" makes want to punch you in your self-pitying face. Sorry I'm getting so worked up about this, but your pride in apathy is endlessly infuriating.
Stick to talking about movies, son. You can't be an expert about not being an expert.
Posted by televisiontears
at June 4, 2010 1:37 AM
comment #36
ivavi
says ...
Mr. Wells, please put a permanent IP ban on the asshole known here as LexG.
Posted by ivavi
at June 4, 2010 3:13 AM
comment #37
LexG
says ...
Well, sorry to disappoint you or to make you that angry. As you said, I should've probably just shut the fuck up about it and not just jumped at yet another opportunity to seize on the most tangential of issues as an opportunity to work some shtick.
For what it's worth, I was serious in that I'm enough of a dumbass I haven't followed the story, so I honestly didn't know any humans had died. And I acknowledged that I feel bad about the animals and birds, being a big animal fan and supporter.
Blocking it out almost entirely, I thought it was like the Exxon Valdez thing, which I similarly paid little attention to, but at the time just seemed like some nearly-laughable faux-crisis where a little oil was in the water in some far-off barren ocean not really doing any threat to any actual people, and it went on forever and ever because nobody really cared.
Obviously if FLAMMABLE HURRICANES are around the corner threatening lives, property and local American economies, that's an entirely different issue. So again, I didn't know any of that because I haven't paid attention.
Actually when they said it was in the "Gulf of Mexico," I barely knew where that was, assuming it was in the farthest reaches of the ocean hundreds of miles south of, say, Louisiana and no threat to any people.
Yeah, I obviously learned what and where the Gulf of Mexico is once upon a time, but it was like 25 years and a trillion bottles of booze ago, so to me the story might as well have been "case of Gatorade accidentally falls of boat 7000 miles from Saipan, accidentally chokes a few tuna." Didn't realize any of this stuff. But in my defense, I'm sure probably millions more Americans are as clueless as me than they are informed like you on the matter.
Posted by LexG
at June 4, 2010 3:20 AM
comment #38
York "Budd" Durden
says ...
LexG hits a new low of amoral vapidity here. This thread, this is the one. Mark it zero, dude.
Even if this is just more of your internet-persona nonsense, the fact that you've done so much typing of indefensible nonsense makes you the BIGGEST LOSER in the history of humanity itself, much less the universe of lonely and pathetic internet trolls.
Of course, you often admit how sad and pathetic you are, so maybe I'm just piling on, stating the obvious, etc etc etc
Posted by York "Budd" Durden
at June 4, 2010 5:01 AM
comment #39
Science Adventure
says ...
Boy, you guys are sensitive.
Posted by Science Adventure
at June 4, 2010 6:13 AM
comment #40
raygo
says ...
Lex ... have you ever been to New Orleans or the Gulf Coast of FL? Enjoyed fresh seafood? Walked on a clean (mostly) sandy beach? Living in California, I can imagine that you've experienced at least two of the above. Now imagine the possibility that you would not be able to enjoy your local seafood or your local beach for the next few years, maybe even a decade.
Posted by raygo
at June 4, 2010 7:25 AM
comment #41
Gordn27
says ...
"Humans are wired to be concerned about people in their circle"
Also, humans are wired to care more about future generations than their own, because survival of the species matters more evolutionarily than survival of the individual.
I don't feel too bad making a joke about the correlation to Lex being lonely, since he already accused everybody who cares of doing so only to try to get laid.
Posted by Gordn27
at June 4, 2010 2:06 PM
comment #42
LexG
says ...
"Also, humans are wired to care more about future generations than their own, because survival of the species matters more evolutionarily than survival of the individual."
Whoa, whoa, WHOA. I wasn't gonna chimed back in here, feeling like a right asshole for commandeering a serious issue to drop some standard-issue nihilism without having done the research, a classic tool move for which I apologized.
BUT Gordon are you fucking serious? What kind of communal, socialist, Utopian, tent-living acoustic guitar we-are-the-world bullshit is THAT? Or is it the opposite, that super-jingoistic "I'D DIE FOR MY COUNTRY" right-style thinking?
I am an INDIVIDUAL. In my own mind, I AM GOD. Everyone else and everything else are EXTRAS in MY WORLD. I don't give a FUCK about the collective, I don't have hometown pride, I'm not especially patriotic (though I'm glad I was born here), I don't ROOT FOR TEAMS, I don't have a religion, I don't keep in touch with 99% of anyone I'm related to, I don't take pride in my job, and I don't see myself as ANYTHING other than one lone wolf roaming the world like fucking Mad Max.
If I'm not here, I couldn't give less of a fuck blows up in an instant. I SURE AS SHIT don't care about future generations, and I don't know why anyone would. I realize this makes me a lousy "patriot" and would probably annoy my esteemed friend John Nolte, but I don't get "I would die for my country" either, which is essentially what you're arguing-- "I would die for my planet." Fuck that, I'll move to France and still be, you know, ALIVE.
Posted by LexG
at June 4, 2010 2:14 PM
comment #43
LexG
says ...
I should qualify that I DO care about Megan Fox, Kristen Stewart, Amanda Seyfried, Dakota Fanning and Taylor Swift. And Michael Bay.
That's about all.
Posted by LexG
at June 4, 2010 2:20 PM
comment #44
BurmaShave
says ...
Well Lex, imagine Kristen, Amanda, Dakota and Taylor (and Emma Roberts) are walking along a beach and suddenly their feet get covered by crude oil. Now do you see the stakes?
Posted by BurmaShave
at June 4, 2010 3:02 PM
comment #45
JohnCope
says ...
"Also, humans are wired to care more about future generations than their own, because survival of the species matters more evolutionarily than survival of the individual."
I was just going to make the point that this is a deterministic falllacy but Lex went ahead and made it for me.
Posted by JohnCope
at June 4, 2010 3:03 PM
comment #46
Gordn27
says ...
"What kind of communal, socialist, Utopian, tent-living acoustic guitar we-are-the-world bullshit is THAT? Or is it the opposite, that super-jingoistic "I'D DIE FOR MY COUNTRY" right-style thinking?"
It's neither. It's basic evolutionary science.
Posted by Gordn27
at June 4, 2010 10:37 PM
comment #47
Gordn27
says ...
Ack, I hit post too soon.
A species where the individuals are hard-wired to care more about individual survival than the survival of the species will burn out over time, because that is by definition a bad trait for the long-term survival of the species.
In contrast, a species where the individuals are hard-wired to care more about the survival of the species than the survival of the individual will thrive over time, because that is by definition a good trait for the long-term survival of the species.
Posted by Gordn27
at June 4, 2010 10:38 PM
comment #48
JohnCope
says ...
"In contrast, a species where the individuals are hard-wired to care more about the survival of the species than the survival of the individual will thrive over time, because that is by definition a good trait for the long-term survival of the species."
The point is he doesn't have to give a shit about that and he clearly doesn't.
On another note, I can assume I know what Lex must have thought of Children of Men given his logic. I'm partially with him on that one, though for me it had more to do with disdain for the film's lack of confidence in that basic scenario's ability to satisfy fatalistically (hence all the extra sources of chaos) and the absurdly impoverished philosophical imagination behind its supposed comprehension of art as embodied in the Danny Huston character. That stuff never fails to grate my nerves.
Posted by JohnCope
at June 5, 2010 2:00 AM
comment #49
CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts
says ...
One of the very basic rules of HE -- perhaps even #2, right after never take anything DZ has to say either seriously or sincerely -- is to never assume you know what Lex thought of a movie.
Because he'll frustrate those expectations almost each and every time. He'll find the most tangential reasons to like a movie, or the nit-pickiest reasons to hate it. And I mean this in a good way, actually (usually).
As for Children of Men, I think it's possible to disagree with its politics/philosophical worldview, and still respect it as a piece of cinema.
You used a lot of big words awfully pretentiously above, so I can't claim to say I actually understand your exact issue with that film. Does it have more to do with the incredibly selfish, egomaniacal way the people act when they realize there's no hope for the future, or how quickly and extremely their behavior changes when they see a tiny glimmer?
I think it's a little heavy-handed, sure, but most epic, BIG IDEA s.f. movies are, including the great ones (i2001, Brazil, etc.). I might even go as far as to admit it's slightly unrealistic, but even that admission brings two important problems to the forefront: a) the movie's a conceit, so I would argue that the ideas & feelings that it brings to the surface are far more important than any sense of wouldTHISactuallyhappenTHISway?, and b) obviously a situation like this has never actually happened before, so this idea of it being "unrealistic" has far more to do with personal speculation and individual philosophical bias than any concrete scientific data or facts.
Posted by CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts
at June 5, 2010 6:52 AM
comment #50
Gordn27
says ...
"The point is he doesn't have to give a shit about that and he clearly doesn't."
Well, yeah, individual mutation and all that. Lex himself has pointed out that he is a sociopath. Did you think he was kidding? You should read more of what he says.
Posted by Gordn27
at June 5, 2010 10:14 AM
comment #51
Gordn27
says ...
"I was just going to make the point that this is a deterministic falllacy"
Wow, two people willing to debate evolution without *any* understanding of one of the most basic concepts. Listen, I know morons on the Internet like to throw around "big" words that they learned in college to feel smart but there's no deterministic (sic) falllacy (sic) there. Everything that we have and are has to have been evolved. Most people have no trouble believing exactly what I wrote (though they may attribute it to God) because they've had the experience of looking at a child and feeling those instincts kick in.
Posted by Gordn27
at June 5, 2010 10:32 AM
comment #52
JohnCope
says ...
Yes, thanks, I get that. But I would suggest that you're missing my point by overlooking the context of that point. My initial response was to your response which, as far as I could gauge at the time, did not sufficiently allow for the kind of "mutation" which Lex evidently exemplifies. Later, you did allow for that to a point so my initial comment was, evidently, unnecessary.
Posted by JohnCope
at June 5, 2010 11:01 AM
comment #53
Gordn27
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"My initial response was to your response which, as far as I could gauge at the time, did not sufficiently allow for the kind of "mutation" which Lex evidently exemplifies."
well, my "initial response" was not to Lex, it was building off a generalization somebody else had made. Further, the generalization to which I was responding was far truer than the generalization Lex had initiated the conversation with. And, for a third, and final point, I actually *did* make the distinction in my initial post that the "general rule" to which I was referring obviously did not apply to Lex.
So, really, I still don't see the point of any of your posts in this thread yet.
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