OK - so - let me ask a question. Why is it that the commentators on Air America (my favorite radio station by the way - and im convinced that im their core demographic) say things like 'and they exposed her whole operation just for political gain' or what not - in regards to this whole affair... but when I call in to ask "what operation got exposed exactly - enquiring minds want to know.." the screeners just hang up on me?

And, if by "seven to eight months," you mean "hardly to anyone outside of a Kos comments section."

But other than that, yeah, sure, HUGE story, BIG deal. Right on. Yaaay, communism.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

P.S. Am I alone here in admitting that I routinely get confused and think Freddie Mercury was also the bad guy in the movie Commando? At the very least, separated at birth?

Seriously, I never got that movie. Ahnuld is supposed to be afraid of Nick Tortelli and Freddie Mercury?? Yeah, uh-huh.

P.P.S. Yes, I know that was also Wez from The Road Warrior. Ahhh, the wonders of makeup, and a neon mohawk.

Yes, it was pretty shocking that that guy was so imposing in RW and absolutely flabby and laughable in Commando.

You've got to have a guy as big as Arnold to present some sort of believable threat.

Little trivia: Jean Claude Van Damme was first cast as the Predator in, um, Predator, when the Predator was imagined as a lithe, acrobatic smallish alien hunter.

They closed down the movie for several weeks when they realized that just wasn't working. They needed someone bigger than Arnold.

Eventually, of course, they got it. Some nearly seven-foot-tall dude named Kevin Yeager or something.

And then it worked.

Terminator 3 is the exception that proves the rule. I never think female villains work, as they're not credible as a physical threat, but whoever that actress was really pulled it off.

Yup, I've heard that Predator story.

As for T3, Kristianna Loken was helped immeasurably by explicitly being a cyborg that could do all kinds of T-1000esque sort of things. Kinda makes up for being cast in the welterweight class.

And thankfully, Loken was a helluva lot easier on the eyes than that whole Chyna casting rumor from the films early pre-pro days. Yeesh, talk about Ivana Mandic. . .

Speaking of female villains/action stars. . . you're right that very few seem to work unless they are somewhat mannish (I'm thinking Sigourney Weaver/Linda Hamilton/Carrie-Ann Moss here). The moment they cast a hot chick who merely hits the pilates training (i.e. Angelina Jolie), it kinda falls apart on the credibility scale.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

As for T3, Kristianna Loken was helped immeasurably by explicitly being a cyborg that could do all kinds of T-1000esque sort of things

Yes, but it's easy for a script to claim that a woman is "genetically enhanced" or super-martial-arts trained or whatever. It's the performance that sells it.

Granted, she was just doing the "cyborg vacant expression" thing that had been done in the previous movies (the T-1000 was really good at it, better than Arnold), but she really nailed that inhuman blank deadpan that made her seem less like a woman and more like a machine.

I liked how she broke that a couple of times. During that great gigantic crane chase sequence, she thinks she's killed or at least badly damaged Arnold, and she lets the slightest grin come over her face.

The key to good cyborg acting is 1) the blank deadpan and 2) the false-seeming smile, when required, that comes just a split-second too late to be natural.

Again, the T-1000 (robert patrick? ) was really good at that.

That sort of Voight-Kampff delay in a genuine, as opposed to simulated, emotional response.

On the same day Wolff is claiming the Plame game is the story of the age at this nonsensical conference (and picked up by gossip columnists Rush and Molloy!) we've got real news, (complete with legs, and serious implications for national security) in the form of Able Danger.

Let's see him write something on that! I guess he's too interested in being seen on the gossip pages than doing serious journalism.

What, are you saying Kristanna Loken wouldn't help out a turtle? What do you mean she won't help out the turtle?!?

That's cold.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

Sorry about the shirt thing, Ace. Next time you sell shirts, put up one of those progress bar things like they have at the malls to show "percent of goal". A place in my college town did that to see which group would buy the most beer, and boy did they sell a lot of beer.

I never think female villains work, as they're not credible as a physical threat

Ace, are you telling me that you didn't quiver with fear when Pris squished Sebastian's head like a grape between her thighs in Bladerunner?

Quiver, yes. With fear? No.

Are you asking me that to determine if I'm a replicant, or if I'm a lesbian?

I thought we already established that Ace, like Deckard, *is* a replicant?

Or do we not want to get into that debate here?

I'm not a replicant. I have photos of my family. And a memory of an orange spider that built her web outside my childhood window.

I am not a replicant, damnit.

Now kiss me.

I don't think that quivering was caused by fear per se, but maybe that was just me.

Are replicants and lesbians mutally exclusive?

Doh!
Remeber kiddues, always hit refresh and then post.

Yeah, but what about the unicorn? Hmmm?

The only people who dream about unicorns are six-year-old girls, and replicants. And Andrew Sullivan, if he'd ever admit.

Speaking of which, who here finds it funny that Sully asked Dan "I love gay boom-boom AND licking door knobs (not a euphemism)" Savage to sit in for him during his break? What, Andy Dick wasn't available? Divine??

You can't make this stuff up.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

I've seen things you people would not believe - attack ads on fire off the shoulder of the dextrosphere. I've watched moonbats glitter in the dark near the Crawford Ranch gates. All those moments will be lost in time, like Cindy's tears in the rain.

...time to.. die...

HAH!!!

Was that the only movie where the director's cut was shorter than the released version?

Gotta go watch Total Recall Ace - you've been programmed with those memories.