Pavlish: I think the whole part of these kids being unsympathetic tossers is part of the satire of the whole movie, really... that's how I read it.
/Z
52 2013-09-03 06:40:17
Re: Attack the Block (72 replies, posted in Episodes)
Teague wrote:
Oops. Sorry, Zap. I must have been thinking of Switzerland.
You probably did - however, googlinating the statistics of this taught me that we have WAY more guns in Sweden than I knew of, and that we actually rank in the top 10 (or top 5, depending on who's counting!!) of gun ownership. Tefuk!? I thought we were the "no guns anywhere pacifist laid back people"?
Yes, lots and lots and lots and lots of hunting rifles. But still. Damn.
We gots that much gunses?
Dayum.
/Z
53 2013-09-02 10:20:08
Re: Attack the Block (72 replies, posted in Episodes)
Oh and wait what?
WHAT?
Teague must have me mixed up with someone else.... LOL.
We don't have that much guns in Sweden... And they aren't reall "handed out"....well....apart from when we do our military service (which isn't even mandatory any more).... but oh they absolutely take them back when they send you home. 
Owning a gun is a ton of red tape and headache. You need a licence to own a weapon, and getting it is tricky, unless you can motivate the gun for hunting or sports (you can never motivate it for defense, since it's not legal to use for defense).
As far as I know... using a gun against a human is strictly forbidden unless you are a police officer, under pretty much any circumstance .... There is some leeway for "self defense", but basically you must absolutely be in absolutely doubtlessly deadly peril with absolutely no other option whatsoever...
Must sound very Alien to an American, but.... yeah.
EDIT: Having said all the above, I should add that my brother has a bunch of guns and actually volounteers as keeper of a shooting range, and it actually turns out that Sweden - to my own surprise - ranks surprisingly high in "gun ownership" according to the interwebs. Interesting... most likely due to our hunting tradition and I'd guess 90% of these are hunting rifles.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co … _ownership (Frankly I think the statistic seeming high comes more from the fact that there are only 9 million of us, rather than there being a lot of guns...)
/Z
54 2013-09-02 10:01:55
Re: Attack the Block (72 replies, posted in Episodes)
Honestly.... I much rather not find something deadly in my toilet myself.
/Z
55 2013-09-02 09:41:22
Re: A Breaking Bad Conversation Thread w/ *SPOILERS* Up the Wazoo (297 replies, posted in Off Topic)
I'm rooting for.... Universal Healthcare
/Z
56 2013-09-02 09:34:24
Re: Attack the Block (72 replies, posted in Episodes)
C'mon guys, Moose aren't THAT scary. I had some in my backyard the other night... but unless you hit them with your car, and unless you walked in on their kids... they run from you. Very shy.
Well.
Generally.
/Z
57 2013-09-01 07:11:32
Re: Breaking Bad (77 replies, posted in Off Topic)
Rob wrote:
If the point is that it is itself alarming and sort of fucked-up that I've taken this long to hate Walt, then we agree. I've engaged in pro-Walt apologetics for far too long, no doubt (at the time, I even rationalized Walt's actions w/r/t the whole Jane Margolis thing; I was shameless). So, yeah, I plead guilty to being in love with the character from day one, hating the sins but loving the sinner. I have no excuse.
SPOILER
Hah, I'm a further Walt-apologist than you, then. It was really only shooting Mike that made me go "seriously, man". Plus the "lets kill everyone in the span of 2 minute" slaughterfest made me go "Okay, so I think you deserve a slap on the wrist my friend".
Hah, I'm a further Walt-apologist than you, then. It was really only shooting Mike that made me go "seriously, man". Plus the "lets kill everyone in the span of 2 minute" slaughterfest made me go "Okay, so I think you deserve a slap on the wrist my friend".
But then he made the DVD. And that was just awesome.
I'm probably an Evil person.
*mouhahaha*
/Z
58 2013-09-01 06:50:39
Re: Breaking Bad (77 replies, posted in Off Topic)
Actually I checked with the current pricing and exchange rate, and assuming the series depicts less than a year, Walt *AND* Hank would have paid $769 combined in health care.
In Sweden, you pay $20-$40 for a doctors visit, and about $30 per night you need to stay in a hospital (doesn't matter if that is a triple bypass, hip replacement, or an ingrown toenail being polished).
When your costs reach $165 during a year, any care for the rest of the year is free.
Prescribed drugs are not free, but for them there is also a a "per-year ceiling", so anything beyond $330 is free.
Non-prescribed drugs - you are on your own. But they are reasonably cheap (and you need a prescription for almost anything more complicated than aspirin anyway).
Dental care is free until you are 20, after which it is a bazillion dollars per second.
/Z
59 2013-08-30 17:14:25
Re: Breaking Bad (77 replies, posted in Off Topic)
"Breaking Bad" is what happens when you don't have Universal Health Care.
In Sweden, Walt AND Hank's total medical bill would probably not go above $1000 ... combined.
/Z
60 2013-08-29 05:58:45
Re: Contagion (21 replies, posted in Episodes)
sellew wrote:
to Matt Damon's character, who we spend, relatively speaking, a lot of time with, but who is a terrible protagonist.
If you don't get that is the point of the movie... you will probably never "get" this movie.
I'm in Trey's camp. This movie is for me, just because it bulldozes all the tropes to the ground. The fact that Damon pretty much is useless... is the point. He just happened to live. For no reason. With no magical sideffect like "Oh look we made a serum from Matt Damons blood, we can now cheat death". He lived. By luck. For no reason. With no consequence. End of story.
Brilliant.
/Z
61 2013-08-28 19:38:54
Re: Contagion (21 replies, posted in Episodes)
Trey, could you elaborate on your statement "Book of Eli can't possibly be about what people say it is about"...?
/Z
62 2013-08-21 09:33:15
Re: The Wizard of Oz (62 replies, posted in Episodes)
Well say Hi from me when you see him next, willya?
/Z
63 2013-08-21 07:03:36
Re: The Wizard of Oz (62 replies, posted in Episodes)
I was so psyched to hear Ian on this! Awesome.
Except of course, he couldn't get a word in Edgewise, poor guy!
But still. Ian. Man.
Any more Dynamo coming soon? 
/Z
64 2013-08-13 11:45:48
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
Don't get me wrong guys. I'm not advocating doing ANY of the above in a MOVIE THEATRE. That's not what I am reacting to. I punch people who do myself (and as said, our local theatre frowns quite heavily on it).
The *issue* I am having is the surprise at this (in my perhaps biased Swedish eyes - we are in the top 3 internet using populations in the world) kinda "unconnected" attitude, that is almost held as some kind of hipster "I use my phones to make calls" attitude? I just find it odd... since we ALL met as "netizens", it .. .just kinda surprises me. People who use SMS texting with any frequency.. is just... odd... to me.
That is all... mkay?
Don't... everybody sleep with their network connected phone under their pillow to stream your Spotify "sleep gently" playlist, or the latest DownInFr^H^H^H^H^H^HWAYDM podcast!?!?
No?
Nobody!?
Okay I guess I am wierd then.....
/Z
65 2013-08-13 04:03:30
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
I wasn't aware it was even possible to buy a non-smartphone in 2013...!?
/Z
66 2013-08-13 03:55:44
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
Trey wrote:
We don't all live on Elysium.
Haha.
But sort of - you do. It's just that you are using your pocket med-pod for storing your golf clubs.
/Z
67 2013-08-13 03:54:27
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
But it is NOT a phone. It's a pocket computer. It happens to have a chip that connects to the mobile phone network, and an app that happens to be able to interface that in such a way to make "phone calls".
But it is just stupid to actually call it a "phone". We just do it out of habit/convenience. It most certainly actually *isn't* one.
My last phone ran Linux. No not just a tiny linux *kernel* like both iPhonies and Androids do, actual linux. To the point of being able to download any Linux app sourcecode, and compile and run it on the phone.
/Z
68 2013-08-13 03:23:37
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
Oh you "texting" luddites. I'm amazed. Really? It's 2013!!?? And you make *calls*, with a measurable frequency? Wow.
Wow!
And no, I am definitely *not* under 21.
The main use for my "phone", by unit of time?
ABSOLUTE top: Podcast streamer and Audiobook listener.
After that comes email and skype, and then twitter/facebook/googling.
After that comes photography, video capture and editing.
After that comes managing the audio streaming in my house via SqueezeBox controller.
After that comes code development (yes, on the phone), remote desktoping into my home system when out.
After that comes painting / sketching.
After that comes "other"
And then... comes making a phonecall.
And last.... comes sending an actual oldschool "SMS" text message.
/Z
69 2013-08-12 19:11:00
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
BigDamnArtist wrote:
MasterZap wrote:"Texting" (or sending SMS, as is the technical term) is not what you do on your phone 99.995% of the time. The only thing you do MORE seldom than text on your phone is calling.
The primary function of my phone is for texting, the only reason I use the actual phone part more than once a month lately is because of my new job.
My plan gives me unlimited texting, but I have to pay per mb of data, they are in fact 2 separate things. Which is why I try to not use my data as much as possible.
That's the thing - here it is the reverse. I have flat rate data. I pay $10 a month for 5 Gb, and when that runs out, it just slows down (from 6 mbit to 0.3 mbit), doesn't actually stop. I don't know of a flat rate texting plan ....tho I have free "in family" texting, I never use it much at all, with a few tiny exceptions. The benefit of using skype chatting is that it reaches me (or anyone in the family) wether one is on the phone or on a computer.
A thought: At a 10 cents per text you are paying $7000 per megabyte....
/Z
70 2013-08-12 18:32:18
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
Btw, all theatres in Sweden (that I know of, I should add) are assigned seating, and frown quite heavily on cell phones up during movies (they actually have cameras checking that, and if someone is waving one more than a quick look, they have come in and told 'em off, actually pausing the movie.
That said, if the theatre would prohibit me to be tweeting up to the *second* the main feature starts, or from the second the movie ends, I'll kick someone. I.e. I wouldn't want to sit in a "faraday cage" theatre.
Sorry.
Maybe I'm just more of a Net-o-holic than any of you guys, but it's my constitutioinal right to be online. (I think it has "human right" status in Sweden by now, or if not yet, it has soon).
/Z
71 2013-08-12 09:43:13
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
Maybe this is different coz in Sweden you pay per minute talking and are charged per text so you minimize that (with some special exception, like we have a family plan where in-family texts are free, we still use skype chat anyway coz texting is such an ancient technology, and not multi-platform, etc.)
/Z
72 2013-08-12 09:10:16
Re: Texters and Shushers (123 replies, posted in Episodes)
Okay, can we get a moratorium on calling what people do on phones "texting".
"Texting" (or sending SMS, as is the technical term) is not what you do on your phone 99.995% of the time. The only thing you do MORE seldom than text on your phone is calling.
What you do on your phone is googling, facebook/twitter/g+-ing, skype-chatting [closest thing to "texting"] etc. I.e. using data services.
And if a *store* blocks my data reception? Not going there in like ever. A movie theatre is fine (I hate the bright screen problem). But a store? (This "Trader Joe's" of which you speak). Sorry, but THERE my constitutional right to network(data) connectivity totally overrides anything in the galaxy, really. Would never be there ever. Sorry.
/Z
73 2013-08-05 08:39:29
Re: Pacific Rim punchup (3 replies, posted in Pitches, Fixes, and Rewrites)
Agree. I loved Pac Rim, but there was something illusive... "missing".
One problem for me, was it was taking itself too seriously. The comedy sidekick scientists and Ron Perlman segment tone didn't quite mesh with the über-brooding main characters tone. It's exactly as I predicted in an earlier thread... that GDT can't really do "tone" properly. Not a single GDT movie have had the right "tone" for me, the funny hasn't been "right" funny, and the "serious" hasn't been the "right" serious, and the mix has always bee.... off. He is so close the whole time, but never there.
I would have loved kinda a Han Solo character, who was sarcastic about the whole thing.
The lead could have been more of a reluctant ass-kicker guy, who didn't obey the rules, causes major win by doing this, then later causes major TRAGEDY by doing that, he doesn't wanna fight no more, and is slowly won back. Then ends up in a very similar situation where he has choice "obey orders, or do what makes sense in the situation". Major tensions hangs on "which is he gonna choose". Last minute, he picks an The Best Option(tm) and has a major win and voila.
Somesuch.
Dunno.
It's hard to put my finger on ... what was wrong.
/Z
74 2013-08-02 07:51:50
Re: Doctor Who is awesome, yeah? (985 replies, posted in Off Topic)
Codename of new Doctor is "Houdini". So clearly, it's Rupert Grint
/Z