Resident Evil: Degeneration (Or, the problem with CG movies.)

Last night I watched "Resident Evil: Degeneration". I played the first one and a half games using cheat codes because I suck at these kinds of games, but love the atmosphere. So I'm not a hard core Resident Evil/Bio Hazard fan. But I do love a good zombie flick and sci-fi action rocks, so I knew I'd have to check this one out.

It had a few good things going for it, but not enough to make it a purchase. Some great visual designs and creature stuff provided nifty eye candy and a few of the action sequences scratched the itch for me. Where the movie falls short is, like so many of its kind, in the motion capture.

Now, I have to say very quickly and with great stress, this is not the fault of the mo-cap actors. I emphasize that because after watching the credits I discovered that the mo-cap actor for Claire Redfield was played by one of my and my wife's friends. I felt her performance was solid and one of the strong points of the film. Even before discovering her name in the credits I thought in one scene, "the mo-cap actor's movements are really selling this scene for Claire." I came to my own conclusions about the quality of the film before seeing the credits, so I believe I maintain my objectivity.

So what do I mean about mo-cap being the weakness? I'm talking about the technology. It hasn't reached the point where we can capture the subtle emotional tells in a person's face. With only a few dozen capture points in use, we just can't capture the facial performances like we need to. And if there IS technology available to track eye and eyelid movement, it hasn't successfully translated those movements to the screen yet. We can do large limb and joint capture pretty well. Even hands aren't too bad. But anything smaller and the performance is lost.

On the DVD for this movie, you can even see a live comparison from the actors and the capture they produce and there is just a lot missing from the get go.

Until we master mo-cap, I think it is best used for action sequences only. That's why films like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Beowulf, and this one, will always produce characters that feel wooden. In the making of "The Incredible Hulk" they used a new mo-cap process where they spray florescent paint onto the actor's faces, allowing them to pick up MUCH more detail. But this still didn't result in very believable CGI. And without those believable performances on the screen, dialogue and "character driven" moments fall flat and are just plain boring to watch. That's why I didn't feel I could do a full and fair review of this movie. After awhile, I ended up fast-forwarding through a few dialogue scenes.

Resident Evil was great in it's action sequences, but it spent too much time trying to convey 3 dimensional characters with real emotions, given that the technology just isn't up to the challenge yet. A film in this format that succeeds like no other is "Final Fantasy: Advent Children". Compared to the other "all CG" films I've mentioned, this one really played up the strength of CG by giving us a 90 minute action-fest with crazy camera work and "stunts" that can only happen in a CG film. Advent Children doesn't waste alot of time trying to give great character performances. It plays up the strengths of CG and downplays the weak points.

I would LOVE to see a sequel to Resident Evil: Degeneration that utilized this strategy a little more. That, or one that waits to be made until the technology can translate the performances to screen that these actors and directors put so much time and thought into.

A Geek's Thoughts On Football

Yesterday I went to my first Professional League Football game with my Dad and two "brothers-in-law". Not being a fan sports (football maybe least of all) I brought two fantasy novels, two RPG books, some "Descent" rulebooks and materials I might need to construct a character. I had to condense my reading materials a bit when they turned me away at the door for having a backpack.

Once finally settled into my nosebleed seat, I found that I actually enjoyed watching the plays. I rarely looked at the jumbo screen, since that felt like watching football on tv, which I loathe. (I record the Superbowl and later fast-forward through the game to see the commercials.) Despite the distance from the players, watching the game in action was pretty neat. These guys obviously have a level of skill and physical ability that I will never come close to in this life. However, I've got a few suggestions that I would like to now address to whoever is in charge of football's continued existence:


Dear Mr. Football People,
I think your game is very cool when it is being played. I'm not very fond of all the stopping and starting, however. Would you please consider eliminating all the stopping from the game and just allow the players to continue in their quest to get the deformed ball across that line on the far side? I know you are probably stopping for what you feel are good reasons. There are rules and things, right? That actually brings me to my second point.

I'm not sure I can ever allow a fan of football to tell me that role-playing games are too complex ever again. Your point system is inconsistant. One point here, 7 points there. It's really pretty messy. I'd like to suggest that getting the ball over the line is worth 1 point. And let's just get rid of the big letter Y at the end of each side of the field. Basketball players have a much smaller margine for error and seem to do just fine. I know it might be hard to see through those helmets, but your giant Y is so big that it's a bit of an insult to these fantastic athletes. Give them a chance with a basketball hoop on each end of the field and you might have something really special on your hands.

Now, this is just an observation, but if you are allowed to tackle somebody, why have all these rules about what parts you can and can't touch? These are big tough men, not wimpy little gamers like me. They can take it. Put on a just a little more padding and tell them, "Anything goes. Just get it across that line." This will streamline your rules system and also eliminate those boring stops mid-game. Additionally, without all the resting that the players get now, by the end of the game I think they'll really feel a greater sense of accomplishment.

Thanks so much for your time and consideration,

Paeter

Emmanuel

EMMANUEL
by paeter frandsen

Emmanuel. "God with us"
Beautiful words, but have we forgotten their meaning?
Consider the implications of God being with us.
The concept alone should leave us searching for words.
The Cosmic Creator of limitless power became a fragile human being.
A dirty little village held the conduit to eternity.
Its darkened streets concealed the God of all the universe.
His eternal nature might have shattered time by His mere presence.
With only a thought, His infinite power might have ripped apart the building blocks of reality.
This being, who is the sum of every hope and every fear mankind can think of, laid down His infinite might.
Why? To be closer to you.
And now, restored to his infinite glory, He waits. You have only to ask, and He will once again rip through the fabric of space and time, just to be near you.
Because, Emmanuel isn't just His name on Christmas. It's His name every day of our lives.

See you here next Monday!
Have a Truth Centered Christmas!

Paeter's Picks: The Good and Bad Comics of 2008!

Booster Gold- The Greatest Hero the world has never known. This series hit its stride in issue 6 as the loser hero turned secret savior of time and space Booster Gold tries to undo the death of his frriend Blue Beetle. The whole arc had the sense of character and nostalgia that Geoff John brings to the books so well. The arc went through issue 10, plus a zero issue and finished with Booster Gold 1 million. At this point, Chuck Dixon took over and while the art remained great, the stories became more isolated and episodic. They also added a sister character for booster that felt all wrong and interrupted their arc with a starro story that I didn't pick up. These elements led to me losing interest in the book altogether. If they make a trade of the first arc, get it. Otherwise skip it.

Batman And The Outsiders- Or should we call it Batgirl and the Outsiders. Unless you're a fan of Batgirl, this year hasn't been a very memorable one for this book. Despite the great idea of bringing Batman to the book, he runs things from behind the scenes and doesn't have the character presence he should to have his name in the title. Despite this, writer Chuck Dixon has brought Geo-Force back on the scene and handled him well so far. There was a great issue focusing on Metamorpho that stretched the limits of his powers in a very creative way. There was also a death in the team the was hyped on the cover, but it was such a minor character that I'm not even sure he qualified as a real "Outsider". The book also loosely tied into the Batman RIP story, but not near enough to be given the crossover promo banner on the cover. Good thing I was reading this book anyway. I like it enough from month to month because it gives me exposure to more characters in the DCU, but it is far from the best Team book out there right now.

Blue Beetle- 2008 brought a great story arc to a close for this book. We learned of Blue Beetles connectino to the alien race known as the Reach, giving us greater insight than ever into the Beetles suit. After this arc, the book floundered just a bit in shorter stories, but has started a new story arc dealing with the sensitive political issue of illegal immigration. Beetle is expected to uphold the law, but he is also Latino, making him partially sympathetic toward those who want to have a better life in America. This story isn't finished yet, and the book remains charming. Hopefully it won't change into a political soapbox, as I love this new take on Blue Beetle. Bit now that he is appearing regularly in Teen Titans, I don't need this book to get a BB fix. So a word to DC. Don't screw this one up.

The Brave and the Bold- This book traded a six issue arc format for a 2 issue arc format this year, and although any change was welcome after the bland and kinda weird "challengers of the unknown" arc, I miss the story developing over a longer period of time, being passed off to different characters while still moving one plot forward. When the book was introduced, it was kind of like having an ongoing summer crossover event. The current stories are not as memorable, but the character interactions are fun. The ccreators seem to pride themselves on pairing up characters that you would never expect to see together. Supergirl and Raven, Green Arrow and Deadman, Superman and Catwoman. But has the character interaction made up for the storytelling? We'll see. My suggestion would be to shop around for new regular art talent to give the book a less compact Perez style (perex hasn't done the whole run, but the book still hasn't "opened up") and maybe see if Geoff Johns wants to do an arc in it to help editorial get a better sense of what might be done with this one.

Ex Machina- Mitchel Hundred continues to advance in his career, although he may have passed his peak in this book. This year an anarchist villain has been introduced that provided antagonism, but nothing terribly new. And with the latest issue including an appearance by the creative team, it seems they may be running out of ideas. This book is on borrowed time with me.

Final Crisis- Some major screw-ups have led to parts of this story being published out of order, as if Morrison's writing wasn't confusing and directionless enough. Maybe he IS a genius, and in the end this will all be a great read. But a word to DC, keep Grant Morrison on graphic novels, not monthlys. If I can't read his story arcs in what sitting, I'm afraid his "genius" is confused with the phone book in my small, small brain. They both seem to carry the same amount of purpose in their plots at this point.
And I also notice that none of the other ongoing titles seem to reflect the events of Final Crisis. If DC REALLY wanted o shake uip the status quo, how about two issues where Darkseid takes over the world, then a year of stories set in the totally screwed DCU before cleaning this up again?
That said, I'm enjoying Final Crisis: Revelations and their take on the Spectre, and Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge was incredible gratifying after the misuse of those characters in the ongoing "Flash" title.

Speaking of "Flash"- I stopped buying this book last March. This was HUGE for me. Since Infinite Crisis, the Flash property has been screwed up so bad that only Geoff Johns can fix it. Good thing he will! Early in 2009 we will witness "Flash: Rebirth". I don't care if it's Wally, Barry, or even Jay. Just give me a Flash with a personality I can enjoy and invest in (unlike Barry, historically) who, if he IS a dad, doesn't let his kids run around in superhero costumes (Wally). Yeah, I know, they're dying and he wants them to "live life" while they can. I don't care. I do not like stories where children are empowered. I don't feel like investing in two new hereos in this book with lame "speed based" powers, and if I want to see the Flash in a team book, I'll read Titans or JLA. Give me a Flash book about the Flash. Supporting cast is fine, but he's the hero of the book. Not his kids. Lame. Fix it Johns.

Green Lantern- I'll admit, even though Geoof Johns is writing this book, I was leary about another retcon for Hal's origin. And with some good reason. The Secret Origins story arc this year deleted continuity established in Emerald Dawn and Emerald Dawn 2. These were both really good stories and still stand the test of time in most respects. Johns could have worked around them if he wanted to and I'm dissapointed that he didn't. DC may regret that since the upcoming GL: movie is heavily based on Emerald Dawn's plot. That said, it was a great story that gave new life to Hector Hammond and Black Hand. The art continues to be great and it's still an awesome time to be a GL fan. Get this book!

Green Lantern Corps- While not as character driven or solid in the art department as the main GL book, this title continues to expand the GL universe and keeps the action coming fast and furious. It has the militaristic overtones I always knew would work back in the Kylke days when I could only dream of a GL Coprs returning. Though not for everyone, if you like the GL concept, this book should be on your list.

Justice League Of America- Dwayne McDuffie was one of the writers on the fantastoc Justice League animated series, but the book has suffered with his presence. There used to be a philosophy about the JLA. Everyone loves that book, so if you want a character to get noticed and become somebody, put them on that team. While McDuffie doesn't bring new character to the team, he does bring has-beens to the forefront, and without the finesse that Geoff Johns does. His Red Tornado story was interesting, but focusing an entire story arc on VIxen and Animal man was way off target. I kept wondering when the Big Guns were coming back. I'm still wondering that. For all his current flaws, Grant Morrison re-invented this book by putting the "Big Seven" all on the same team and not cluttering it with third stringers. I realize it's a challenge to write for those characters month after month, but it was the interaction between the "Big Seven" of the DCU that mesmerized me in the first story ar of JLA. The art is wonderful and McDuffie is a good writer, he's just making some poor choices.

Justice Society of America- I don't understand why everyone is so lin love with the Waid/Ross Kingdom Come story. It was painted, cool. The writing was good, too, but do we have to keep worshiping it by revisiting it over and over? When JSA started going in that direction, I was skeptical. I still don't think it's the best JSA story ever. But it's good, and I am enjoying it. Some great moral dillemmas have popped up that make it a consistantly interesting read. But this will also be John's last arc in this book, so I'm in "wait and see" mode regaring its future in my collection.

Superman/Batman- After about a year of so-so stories, 2008 returned this book to much of its former glory. An awesome stroyline involving the attempted eradication of all Kryptonite on earth showed us more of who these characters are and what their friendship means. The art is fantastic and the constant comparison between these two characters never gets boring. If you're a DC fan, you should be getting this book. I'd even consider dropping each of these heroes monthly titles and just catching these characters here.

Titans- Judd Winick has brought the original Titans together again with some pretty solid results. In the first story arc we're reintroduced to Raven and her character's mythology. It's a worthwhile story, since she is not among the well recognized DC characters, but the antagonists were disappointing. The concept of demons and procreation has some real limits for me, even in fiction, and they were up against three or four of Raven's demonic siblings. The current storyline about Jericho is more promising, although I've recently learned that Jericho's major stauys change is explained in part four of a mini-series I have no interest in, so hopefull they'll rehash it here. I'm als waiting for the other shoe to drop. Winick has two pet causes. Homosexuality awareness and HIV/AIDs awareness. I admire his compassion for both homosexuals and those with HIV or aids, but these elements have become such predictable elements in his writing that I'm now waiting to find out who is going to be gay or have HIV. I've seen both of these elements (gay characters and HIV) handled by other writers without the heavy-handedness that WInick uses, but he doesn't seem to be learning from them and the result can be a pretty significant detour from the kind of stories I buy comic books for. I'm enjoying this book cautiously.

Teen Titans- Although well written and enjoyable, this book has suffered the McDuffie effect. Third strong characters have been added to the team and given too much attention. This year we saw stories focusing on Red Devil, Ravager, and Miss Martian. (Who? Yeah, exactly my point.) The death of superboy in Infinite Crisis has negatively affected this book, as well as the characters who loved him. Bart Allen also "grew up" and became the flash for a few days before he was killed, so no more kid flash either. These two changes took a bite out of the team that they were almost forced to fill with third stringers, since the DCU is running out of teen heroes. Blue Beetle is a no-brainer addition to this group, and they should hang on to Supergirl as well. Not sure how to fill the "Kid Flash gap", but maybe Geoff Johns will amaze us all and figure out a way in "Flash: Rebirth" in 2009. Keep truckin' Teen Titans!

In 2009 I'm excited to follow a few books-

The Greatest American Hero- This modern adaptation of the 80's TV show features the same characters, even using the actor's likenesses. The shows producer is involved and William Katt is one of the writers. Only one issue out so far and it's got some good points and bad. The characters are grounded in reality, as they should be, but there are hints of a stranger underground cult that Raplh will likely be fighting soon. The weakness of the show was when Ralph went up against villains. I'm hoping they'll stick to the strengths, which involved moral dillemmas and finding ways to use the costume without having to parade around in it. Those charming bits of realism made the show great until studio execs mucked things up.

Flash: Rebirth- Geoff Johns found a way to rescue Hal Jordan from some of the messiest artistic choices in all of comic book history. Now that Flash has been through some even worse ones, we can be excited that Johns is returning to the scarlet speedster to clean things up. I'm recommending the same solution here as I do for the Superman Movie franchise. "You didn't really have kids. They are evil synthetic robots made by brainiac! (Or Abra Kadabra, for Flash.) Then you get a tear jerking, dark storyl;ine where the hero ends up killing his "children" and gets really screwed up over it, and we don't have the botched attempt at a family superhero book staining the franchise. Either way, good luck, Geoff! I can't wait for 2009!

The Greatest American Hero Comic Book!

I just picked up issue #1 of this new series today and although I haven't read it yet (I'll review it on this weekend's podcast) I've flipped through the art and read a few panels and I'm pretty stoked.

What made the tv show of the 80's so great was that it took a non-Alan Moore approach to the question :What if a real guy got superpowers?

He wouldn't suddenly have great abs or possess conveniently ripped body before getting powers. He'd still be a skinny or flabby guy, but with abilities akin to Superman.

When the show failed, I believe it did so (as do the creators) because the studio execs wanted more traditional "superhero action" instead of the more philosophical moral dillemas the show dealt with in a few of it's best episodes. (With a splash of humor for good measure.)

If it's executed according to the original vision of the tv show, this will be one comic I'll pick up every month!

Up, up and... oh crap I lost the instruction book!

Joining The Dark Side

So last night I came to a crucial moment in Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic where I have to choose between the woman I love and remaining a force for good.

I've been basing my characters decisions off of one of the characters in "Spirit Blade" who "walks the fence" a bit. As a result, I've spent much of the game making both good and bad choices, and trying to convince one of my closest friends that I will not betray him by joining the dark side.

And now I've done it. I've crossed the line and joined the dark side. Before I knew it, things got way out of hand and I ended up killing two of my friends in cold blood. It's making a for a gut-wrenching story and I'm really glad I made several copies of my game save before making that final, evil choice. Once I've beaten the game this way I'm gonna have to go back and beat it again on the other side of the fence. I've played RPGs using darker character choices before, but it's never led to anything that feels this..."icky"!

The Day The Earth Stood Still (Movie Review)

Last night, for the first time, I sat down and watched "The Day The Earth Stood Still" and today I went out to see the remake.

The film has a suitable dark tone and while Keanu Reeves doesn't offer anything terribly new, his performance style fit the role of alien visitor "Klaatu" well enough. Jennifer Connelly plays a microbiologist recruited by the US military to help them understand what they are dealing with in Klaatu.

Times have certainly changed and this movie is a constant reminder. The re-imagining of the deadly protector, Gort, draws heavily from the original film, but leaves behind the clunky "man in a suit" in favor of a streamlined massive CGI creature. Gort is a silent, powerful and eerie presence through most of the film and goes through an interesting change late in the film that is a departure from the original movie.

In general the special effects work well, although they are unremarkable. This is true of the movie as a whole. It works, it's just fairly forgettable.

The movie becomes much more interesting as a vehicle for conversation.

PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!

The original film acted as a warning to humanity, identifying us as people bent on violence and hatred toward each other. That message still rang true when I watched the original last night. But for some reason, producers of the remake saw fit to change the warning to reflect the current issue of global warming. While Klaatu gives lip service to humanity's violent, hateful nature, his primary concern is for "the earth", and not humanity. Earth is valuable in the galactic economy because it can sustain complex life forms, a very rare trait. And yet it is the "complex life forms" of earth that are left behind as the aliens collect sampels of all living creatures in preparation to wipe out all life on the planet. Scorpions, snakes and squids all make it onto the "ark", but humans are left to die. What does that say about the worth of a human life?

The message of the film is a little mixed. There is certainly a "green" agenda, but the film also points out our tendency to hurt each other. Thankfully, the film is not as heavy-handed in its tree-hugging as "The Happening", but I think the film would have served itself better by focusing on one theme from humanity's evil: Selfishness. It is our self-serving "learn to love yourself before you can love others" mentality that leads us into lack of love for others and a carelessness toward our resources. But if you have to choose one or the other, I think our hatred of each other is a more timeless theme than our poor management of fossil fuels.

Either way, this movie says something that Hollywood doesn't often say. It says we are bad. People are naturally bad, not good. Diplomacy and responsibility are last resorts, both in our politics and personal relationships. This movie presents the concept of final judgment in sci-fi packaging that atheism and pop-spirituality will be more receptive to. (Because aliens coming to judge the world makes much more sense than God doing it, right?)
There is a beautiful metaphor midway through the film. Klaatu talks to another alien that has been undercover on earth for 70 years. This alien says that humanity is hopeless. That Klaatu shouldn't even bother talking to them because they won't listen. And yet, this alien says that he wants to stay and die with them when they are destroyed. He says that despite the fact that we will destroy each other, their is another side to us. And that he loves us.

My wife told me that tears came to her eyes when she watched that scene. Intentional or not, it was a depiction of God's love for us. Left to our own devices, we are bent on serving ourselves and destroying others. We have our good moments, but in the end we will fail. Despite all of this, God made us to resemble him in some way. We are beautiful to him and he loves us. He was even willing to die as one of us.

Although this movie is no artistic masterpiece, it offers plenty worth talking about.

Quality: 8.0

Veracity: 9.0

Punisher: War Zone (Movie Review)

Producers set out to create a Punisher movie with a "hard R" rating, and they succeeded. But did they do much better this time in overall movie making? Depends on what you buy your ticket for.

Although I'm a huge comic book geek, I've never followed the Punisher. I know the basic concept. A man sees his family killed and so dedicates his life to revenge, utilizing lots and lots of guns. In a sense, the Punisher is a lethal take on the Batman concept, but without the theatrics. His psychology is more straight-forward than Bruce Wayne's, although my understanding is that Frank Castle has some religious background (specifically catholic, I believe) that makes for some interesting potential.

My review of this movie is not from the perspective of a "Punisher fan" but from a comic book geek with limited knowledge of the source material. I can't compare it to the comics, but I can decide on whether or not I thought it was a good movie.

Ray Stevenson give us a solid if unmemorable performance. He's got a strong Steven Segal vibe(when he's not talking) that turns me off a bit. I kept looking for a little ponytail behind that slicked back hair.
The direction of the film is handled well and the film more than earns its "R". It is brutally violent with plenty of blood, although not "action packed". Despite lots of guns and explosions, it doesn't feel like a full-on action flick. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Punisher is merciless and efficient, and you'll see a number of shocking deaths that will make you cringe or recoil. Not for the weak stomach.

The film doesn't do a complete reboot of the franchise and could be enjoyed as a pseudo sequel to the Thomas Jane movie. Although this film is more true to what I know of the source material in terms of its dark feel. (This Punisher wouldn't use a popsical. He'd really fry the guy!)

There's some potential for drama in the script, but I never really became attached to any of the characters. This made the action less exciting. Frank is one bad mamma-jamma, but since I rarely feared for his safety, the brutality of the action was the only interesting part. Good for a one time shock, but not much replay value.
If you have a dark sense of humor, there are some great moments in this flick that will probably leave you laughing out loud. In several instances, Frank does what we always want the hero to do in other movies, instead of being the "good guy". An overall enjoyable flick, but one that can probably wait for a DVD rental.

In terms of Veracity, this movie can definately lead to conversation of value. The concept of Justice runs through the entire film, though not by name. We all know that it is wrong to take the law into our own hands, and yet when we see Justice brought about by vigilantism when nothing else is working, there is something inside of us that says, "Yes! That's how it should be."

Despite our desire to downplay the wrathful part of God's personality, we yearn for judgment when evil goes unpunished and mocks Justice while escaping. There's a part of us all that sees the wrong things in this world. The evil that seems to go unchecked. So when we see someone in a film like this taking control and bringing justice, there is something satisfying about it. At one point in the film, Frank also says, "Sometimes I'd like to get my hands on God." In light of the themes of the film you can take that conversation where you will. It will probably make for an interesting one.

Quality: 8.0

Veracity:8.0

Happy "Life Day" Everyone!

Batman Bake-a-thon!

It's that time of year again! Several Christmases ago, I picked out and tried a very simple recipe for making "peanut clusters" (chocolate covered peanuts in cookie size "clusters"). I had also slowly developed the tradition of watching my favorite "Christmas Movie", BATMAN RETURNS every December. (In case you've forgotten, the movie takes place during the Christmas season in Gotham.)

Before long, I combined both traditions into an afternoon of baking Peanut Clusters and watching Batman Returns, along with several Christmas themed episodes of the Batman, Superman and Justice League animated tv shows.

Sometimes I'm joined by friends, but I've discovered I'm just as content to do it all by myself. Tomorrow afternoon will be this year's celebration of Batman and chocolate.

I'd better go buy my ingredients!

Expanding The Terminator Mythos

While "Legend Of The Seeker" makes some improvements and "Heroes" struggles to recapture lightning in a bottle, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" continues to be a solid show.

Week after week it deals with the darker emotions and themes you would expect when telling stories about a mother and son constantly trying to escape unstoppable machine assassins.

They are also expanding on the Terminator Mythos in ways that respect the original material. I thought Monday's episode would be a turn in the wrong direction. I was afraid we were about to watch the tired formula of telling a story about the main characer's ancestors, but using the lead actors to play them.

Instead, we learned more about what a terminator is capable of, how long it is able to operate on its internal power source and a little more of who Cameron is.

SPOILERS!

I loved that at the end of the episode, despite Cameron developing a "friendship" with the late night librarian, when he was gone, she went right on to using the person that replaced him, showing no interest in where the previous guy had gone and whether or not he was okay, given his cancer. Cameron is a machine. And just when I'm scared they're going too far in the "does Data have real feelings" direction, they wisely remind the audience that "Nope! She doesn't!" (And let's keep it that way, okay? It's MUCH more interesting when she FOOLS people into thinking she has emotions. We've been the "Data" route too many times already.)

And poor John Connor. Just when it seems he's found a relationship that can give him an escape from the world he's in, she turns out to be from the future as well. Can't wait to see the ep. when he finds out!

I also am curious about the recurring Biblical themes. I'm not sure if the writers are ultimately trying to say something, but they don't seem to be borrowing exclusively from the book of Revelation, an all too common cliche for apocalyptic stories. There are references to other parts of scripture that make me wonder where things are headed. I really doubt any heavy-handed preaching will show up. But the hints continue to keep me interested.

I can't wait for Monday!

How often can any of us say that?

The Christmas Tree Massacre

Last year, I didn't get my tree to the appointed deposit location in time to be disposed of properly. Instead, I spent some time on and off on weekends, almost through February, sawing our dead tree into smaller bits to be thrown out in our green "lawn and garden" trash bin.

That was a real pain in the butt. I vowed that I would never make that mistake again.

So I made a brand new one instead, which has also resulted in a vow. From now on, I will always let the guys at the "tree purchasing place" cut a little off the bottom of the trunk. We've only been getting real trees for a few years and usually they just do that automatically. It has something to do with allowing water to get into the tree and keeping it alive longer. Whatever it does, I'm told its important. But I didn't know that until after we got home yesterday after I foolishly declined having the bottom cut.

So I took two hammers, two saws and a flathead screwdriver into the back yard, where I mercilessly beat and hacked at the bottom of this tree until I was able to re-expose the bottom. A very merry 30 minute ordeal that never should have happened. And it never will again... (grrr.)