| Archives of Nolan's Pop Culture Review | ||
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 LA FLORIDIANA Doors Closing, Doors Opening. Part 2 by Will Moriaty | ||
THIS WEEK'S MOVIE REVIEW "A Sound of Thunder" by Mike Smith | ||
ODDSERVATIONS "Filthy" News .... Tampa Comic and Toy Convention....Oddservations Film Reviews: "Contact From Beyond", "The Incredible Comic Book Murder" by Andy Lalino | ||
CREATURE'S CORNER Tampa Bay Comic and Toy Convention....Hurricane Katrina by John Lewis | ||
MIKE'S RANT Judgement Day....Movie Notes....The Cable Guys....Sell Out....Passing On....Paging Major Healy....Photographic Memories....Jaws: The Story, Part 31 by Mike Smith | ||
Established A.D. 2000, March 19. Now in our sixth calendar year!
Number 284 (Vol. 6, No. 35). This edition is for the week of August 29--September 4, 2005.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Katrina Wreaks Havoc
Katrina As she skitted right over the southern tip of our state the western coast braced, waiting for that all important Viper Forecast shift (god bless Newschannel 8 and and their Storm Team!), one way or the other. Unbelievably, Katrina decided Florida was not to her taste, and let us be. Shockingly, she became a Cajun girl and slammed straight into New Orleans and points west and north, clocking in at an unbelievable Cat 5, downgraded to 4 and 3 before she was full of Cajun food and Dirty Blues. The pictures from the affected areas only serve to dredge up nightmares of the storms that went before: Camille, Andrew, Ivan, and all their "little" siblings that scarred the Gulf Coast for life. Is it possible that our luck is that bad? Is it possible that Mama Nature hates us this much? Is there anyway to help where it is needed most? And most importantly, we want to know our friends and families are safe. How will we keep from losing sanity until we find the answer to these questions? As Louisiana and Mississippi pick up the pieces, these are the questions we ask ourselves. And until we find the answers, we at Nolan's Pop Culture Review want you all to know our thoughts, good wishes, and prayers go out to those affected by the monster storm.
Managing Ed, note: As a fangirl, I just had to add this: Ann Wilson (of the band Heart) on Hurricane Katrina
Oscar Calibre? This year has seen some interesting choices at the box office, from fan favorites to quirky oddities. All serve to leave the Oscar Academy with quite a tough job ahead of them.
But perhaps, their job shouldn't be so tough. According to a recent article posted at MSN news,(Oscar bait: an early forecast - MOVIE OPINIONS - MSNBC.com), the list of contenders is predictable: Cinderella Man, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , etc. all gaining top nods. However, this fangirl's jaw drops at the --in my opinion--complete lack of sense their list makes; most of these, I've never even heard of let alone seen (but The Constant Gardner looks interesting, so who knows? There might be hope). But some commentary must be made. For instance:
What should not be... Overlooked, that is However, this list is imaginary, and only makes sense in a world where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and War of The Worlds would even be considered Oscar calibre; they hardly stand up to the shining lights of years past, such as Gandhi, Lawrence of Arabia, and Shindler's List. Let's hope next year will find that problem rectified.
A Wild Heart Stilled. Pay No Attention to that Girl Behind the Curtain hehe
Apparently, Nolan says I've got the readers wondering, who exactly is IN CHARGE this week? Wonder no more... well, maybe a little. Well, the pertinents aren't important, those who know me can probably guess the name of the girl behind the curtain. Most importantly to this endeavor, Nolan and I have been best friends for ... oh, roughly 20 years. And god knows we've seen each other through various levels of hell. So when he opened up this little workshop, I jumped in as best I could. I have contributed various movie reviews over the years and my most constant work was the Gilmore Girls reviews of 2000-2001, whatever year that was. Most of the time, I have my nose in a book, or on my own site (Raven Queen's Domain), half of which Nolan graciously houses here, somewhere in the Nether Regions of CFB. :) I'm married to the very sweet Count Who Shall Remain Nameless, and who, gods know, anchors the insanity of the combined Lauré-Nolan Tornado as much as it is possible for one man to do. ;)
Ah, but I do love Nolan like a brother, so when he needed my little overworked typing fingers, I donated them. I guess you may have guessed by now, fan commentary isn't exactly my main forté, but I have tried. I hope I have lived up to his expectations--and yours! Thank you all for your kindness and patience. I have learned more than I knew before, and have enjoyed reading your contributions, queries and fan mail. Nolan will be back in the driver's seat as soon as possible...Until then... the show does indeed go on!
A Message From Nolan Canova (This message is no longer available.)
PCR publisher Nolan Canova has been hospitalized this week with a severe infection. It is unclear at this time when he will be able to resume his work on PCR. However, his prognosis is good and he should be home by week's end.
We are endeavoring to keep PCR's publishing schedule intact. Please check back frequently for updates.
To all PCR writers:
You can send your columns in to Nolan's email account, so he gets a copy as per usual, but please also send a copy to me at grailmaiden@crazedfanboy.com. (Please, this week only, no MS Word or text docs. Just copy and paste your article into the body of the email.) It is I who will be formatting and uploading your articles.
Temporary Managing Editor and Webmaster,
Lauré Piper
by Lauré Piper
This time of year is always one of tension, for the Gulf Coast, particularly Florida, but with memories of Hurricane Season 2004 still fresh, the wounds still visably open, the battles still being fought, we find ourselves a little more reluctant to admit it is here; a little more eager to turn the calendar all the way to the frigid months of December, January and February. As we move into our third month of Hurricane season, we still watch and wait anxiously. When will the next be upon us? What kind of hell will we be faced with this time?
Fortunately, though the predictions have been dire, we in the Sunshine(?) State have gained somewhat of a reprieve. Be that as it may, each dreaded storm has been the cause of many a nervous tick; how is that we can feel such relief, with such fresh memories to give us vivid visuals of what our affected neighbors have been facing?
With the birth and rapid, unbelievable growth of Katrina, in the last few weeks, we once again worried. Where would she go, what would she do? Who would be affected? Did we need to get the Hurricane prepartions under way? Was it really time to consider that move to Antarctica we had been joking about all year?
by Lauré Piper
1) Cinderella Man: Haven't seen it as yet, but from everything I have seen, like last year's Million Dollar Baby, it's Rocky all over again... boring, nothing new, an overwarmed genre beating itself to death, and just waiting for the funeral to be arranged. Let's move on, shall we, dear Hollywood?
2) War of the Worlds: Tons of hype and media blitzed controversy to boot, plus the "Movie Star" Tom Cruise in the lead assured the success of this movie. And no doubt this will win in all categories, but undeservedly, in my humble opinion. The acting and script is mediocre at best; the ending, confusng and dead. Tom Cruise should seriously consider that alternate career as a high school janitor; it's long overdue. One wonders why the movie industry feels the need to spend such time and money on such remakes. If you miss one film this year, make it this one.
3) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Another loser, another attempt at capturing past movie magic by remaking a classic. This was just plain awful. In a word: Pointless. What was Johnny Depp thinking? I adore Johnny Depp, I even enjoy Tim Burton's movies, on ocassion, but this was a waste of both men's time. If you're really curious about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I bet the book is better than this theatrical attempt. Go read the book. If you really must see it immortalized on screen, go rent the 1971, Gene Wilder version. That's classic. This thing, this "based on the novel... reimagined by Tim Burton", thing, is just pointless. On your list of Movies to Miss, mark this down as #2
In my opinion, here's what an ideal list for this year would look like, were I in charge. Bear with me; movie tickets being insanely exorbiant (another rant, in itself), I can't afford the theatre, often enough.... much to Nolan's diasppointment.
1) Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The loose ends are all sewn up. The saga finally comes to its rip-roarin' end, and Anakin meets and accepts his fate. Absolutely fantastic ... finally made a Star Wars fan out of me.... and it only took 20 years to accomplish that feat.
2) Batman Begins: Fan-bloody-tastic! The dark feel of the late 1980s "Batman:The Cult" series finally hits a celluloid version of the franachise. It's about bloody time someone got it right. Much kudos to its director and cast; espcial kudos To Liam Neeson. His portrayal of Raz Al Ghoul rocks :)
3) Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Ah! Now, we're getting somewhere. This was actually rather enjoyable--aside from Brad Pitt's butt, ;) and all the "are they aren't they?" that the TV Tabloids run about Brad and Angelina. The story was interesting: a husband/wife spy team, out to kill each other, and unbeknownst to either, the target of an elaborate scheme, in their own right. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt shine, in this.
Sort of... Those who are fans of Stevie Nicks, those who have followed her, collected every piece she has given the world, will recognize the man to whom I refer; I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I find it noteworthy. On August 10, 2005, Stevie's beloved father passed away. Known to the Stevie fans for his intrepid backstage/onstage support of his daughter, spotted in more than a few Stevie concert openings over the years, he introduced her at many a tour-stop in her long solo career, and no doubt is nearly as recgonizable as his daughter. He will be missed. Our condolences go out to Stevie and her family.
Hi, I'm Lauré, long time listener, first time caller?
