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| 112708 Happy T-Day!!! |
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.. . . . . .From me and mine, to you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving!!! Eat 'till you 'splode and tip your glass around the world.
.. . . . . .-Nate |
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| 112408 Being disabled has its perks, like annoying paperwork. |
.. . . . . .I don't usually post about boring personal stuff but in an effort to remember some of the more annoying trials that pop from time to time I decided to write about my recent attempt to renew my drivers license and register my van. Also, I have become obsessed with taking wide-angle panoramic photos for no apparent reason. Above is one of my first successful attempts. Anyway, back to the DMV stuff. So, I am disabled and to see me for 5 seconds is to know that clearly I have various physical ailments that force me to use a wheelchair to get around. I have always used either crutches or a wheelchair to get around and from birth it was always evident that I am disabled. This comes into play because recently when I went to register my van, I got a rather cryptic letter back from the town I just moved to saying they encountered an “error”. They offered almost no explanation what the sam-scratch that meant and instead gave me a number to call. I wrongly assumed that was a number for the town hall and only discovered after I called that it was the number for the state DMV. They turned out to be quite helpful and explained to me that when my license expires I have to re-validate my handicap license plates. To do so, I had to have my doctor fill out a form that says yes, I am disabled and no this hasn't been some elaborate rouse, put on for the past 29 years to gain access to handicap parking. Great.
.. . . . . .So, I go to my doctor's office and drop off the form. My doctor was out so a fill-in would be completing my form. The following week I went back and picked up the form. I made the mistake of not actually looking at it until later that day. When I did look at the form I saw that the doctor had clearly stated that my condition is “temporary”...... He said that I only get a 6 month parking permit as after six months I will no longer have my condition.... WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I'm cured!!! Once I realized that my 6 month permit would cure me I went on a 2 week bender, after which I woke up in a seedy motel in Bangkok. One of the transvestite prostitutes looked at the form and told me that I had been mislead. That, in fact, the doctor made a mistake and I was not to be cured in 6 months. After I got out of detox back here in the States, I called up my doctors office and they told me that the fill-in doctor had been completing all paperwork in a “temporary” fashion because he was a temporary replacement and did not want his name on any permanent records. Great.
.. . . . . .I went back to my doctor's office and they were nice enough to have the form re-filled out by someone else while I waited. I sent the correctly completed form in to the DMV and now I am waiting to find out if everything is all set. I did get my license renewed which was thankfully free of any issues. However, I still don't know about the registration (to say nothing of getting my van inspected which always seems to mean at least $500.) I can't wait until I get pulled over and try to explain all this to the officer. So that is my whining for the day, I apologize to everyone who has had to hear about it a million times already. Ok so maybe I embellished a little bit, maybe the prostitute wasn't a transvestite.
.. . . . . .-Nate |
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| 112108 New review of PC game ‘Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway’. |
| .. . . . . .Here is a review of the PC game ‘Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway’. The last in a series of first person shooters that have a dose of strategy injected into them. See the review HERE. -Nate |
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| 111808 New Star Trek Trailer..... duuuuuuuuude.... |
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.. . . . . .The new trailer for the upcoming 'Star Trek' film is out and looks pretty cool. So, it is a good trailer but it doesn't really give a sense of what the film will be like. Plus, there is a silly looking part of the trailer showing Kirk as a kid. Still, J.J. Abrams is certainly talented and here's hoping it will be a fun sci-fi flic'. Plus it has a strong cast. I'm especially psyched to see John Cho as Sulu and Simon Pegg as Scotty (they are wedged in the back of the |
| above picture.) To see a shorter version of the trailer that drops the silly Kirk intro, view it from IGN HERE. If you want to see the full trailer go to the official 'Star Trek' site HERE. -Nate |
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| 111508 There is a new 'Watchmen' trailer on the loose. |
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.. . . . . .I am just so psyched for Zach Snyder's upcomming adaptation of the comic 'Watchmen'. I posted about it already back in July. Now, a new trailer has been released and it just looks too cool. See it in small HERE, medium HERE, and large HERE. You can find the official 'Watchmen' site HERE.
-Nate |
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| 110708 Go to your weekend with some goo. |
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.. . . . . .As I said, go to your weekend with some goo!! 'World of Goo' is a great little game, available for the Nintendo Wii, PC now just released on Mac as well. 'World of Goo' is a fun puzzle game and the most impressive part is it was almost entirely made by just two guys! The game can be purchased for $15 to $20 and is well worth it. I must say, I can't promote this game enough, it is better than a lot more expensive games on the market. To the left you can see 'World of Goo' in action. You can also try a demo on the official site of the company behind the game 2D Boy, HERE. I ended up getting both the Wii and PC versions and $35 it still seems like a bargain. Anywho', check out my review HERE.
-Nate |
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| 110408 Obama makes history. |
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.. . . . . .I usually don't post about things political but I just had to mention the election. Obama has made history and I can't help but feel a sense of excitement. I will leave most of the political commentating to the numerous political sites and my friends at the blog 'The Best Way to Have Good Ideas is to Have Lots' HERE. It was almost impossible not to get wrapped up watching both McCain's concession speech and Obama's acceptance speech. Both were moving and Obama never missed a beat while delivering a powerful acceptance. As silly |
| as it may sound, I am thankful to have someone who will be the leader of our country who is, if nothing else, a positive and charismatic figure. Obama was at his best this evening/ early morning and as I started this post by saying, I can't help but be excited for the future. -Nate PS. Even to read back part of his speech gave me a rush: |
.. . . . . .“To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."
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| 110308Start your week off with a 'Gran Torino'. |
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.. . . . . .There is just something about Clint Eastwood.... I'll watch just about anything that he is in and I find that I generally enjoy films that he directed. 'Unforgiven' is a favorite film of mine and 'Mystic River' is pretty darn close (not to mention 'Dirty Harry' and 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'.) Hell, even 'The Outlaw Josey Whales' holds up quite well and is a bit underrated in my opinion. Currently, the Eastwood directed 'Changling' is making its way through theaters. While I'm sure I will see the film sooner or later, for whatever reason 'Changling' just doesn't do it for me. The film has gotten mixed notices and I don't know, I just don't have a huge itch to see it.
.. . . . . .However, the upcoming film 'Gran Torino' looks like something I really want to see. Eastwood produces, directs, and stars in the film that looks to be an enjoyable melodrama. The trailer plays well but I suppose this is the sort of thing that could be either really enjoyable or really hammy. Eastwood stars as an elderly, gruff, war veteran who doesn't seem to be too popular in his neighborhood. When he crosses paths with a gang that has begun to entangled his neighbor's children. Threats are made and then the stakes get heightened when gun play erupts. The titled gran torino is a prized possession of Eastwood's grizzled veteran and I am not exactly sure what the significance of the car is.
.. . . . . .The official website has a more succinct description. It reads: “Clint Eastwood stars in the drama 'Gran Torino', marking his first film role since his Oscar-winning 'Million Dollar Baby'. Eastwood also directs the film in which he plays Walt Kowalski, an iron-willed veteran living in a changing world, who is forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his own long-held prejudices.” Actually, that makes it sound not as cool as the |
| trailer looks..... I am certainly hoping this will be a strong film and am totally psyched to see it. I am hoping 'Gran Torino' |
will be more of a crime-drama and less of a weepy-melodrama. Anyway, the official site for 'Gran Torino' can be seen HERE. Now that the official trailer for 'Gran Torino' has been released you can see it on the official website. You also can see the trailer for 'Gran Torino' in a view sizes: small HERE, medium HERE, and large HERE.
-Nate |
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| 103108 Happy Halloween!! |
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.. . . . . .This one's for Denise! Here we go hun, start your Halloween with a trailer for the 'Friday the 13th' remake. I have to admit that Jason does indeed look intimidating in the brief clip of him charging at a victim. Maybe this will be a raw slasher worth checking out. The trailer is kinda spiffy but I do have a complaint, the trailer says this film is from the director of 'The Texas |
| Chainsaw Massacre'. Yeah, that's great except this film is NOT directed by Tobe Hooper, the director of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. 'Friday the 13th' is directed by Marcus Nispel, the director of the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' |
| REMAKE. Would that have been too hard to say? I mean honestly, poor Tobe Hooper, thanks to modern marketing campaigns he is no longer the director of the film franchise he started!! What a gyp. Alright, I am off |
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| my soapbox now.
Plus, I have to admit that I still have not seen 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' remake nor its sequel. Sooner or later I'm sure I will see them and since Denise is psyched about the 'Friday the 13 th' remake, I can bet I will be |
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seeing it at the theater. Anyway, have a great Halloween one and all!!!! May your baskets be full of candy and boobies! 'Friday the 13th' opens on February 13th 2009. Check the official site for the 'Friday the 13th' remake HERE. See the 'Friday the 13th' trailer in small HERE, medium HERE, and large HERE.
-Nate |
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| 102308 The first Real Political Face Talk interview goes live! |
| .. . . . . .The worlds first Real Political Face Talk interview has arrived. Filmmaker Alex Vlack did me a huge favor and answered some questions for an interview about his upcoming film 'Still Bill'. The film looks at musician Bill Withers who has been away from the music scene for quite some time. 'Still Bill' is currently slated for release sometime in 2009. As a fan of Mr. Withers and his music, I was 'pyched to see that there was going to be a film about his life and career. What is even better is Mr. Vlack sounds like a genuine fan of Mr. Withers and 'Sill Bill' seems like it is a true labor of love. You can see the official website for the film HERE. No more babble is necessary from me, go and check out the interview HERE. -Nate |
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| 101708 Head into the weekend with the teaser trailer for the upcoming Bill Withers documentary 'Still Bill'. |
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.. . . . . .I am a Bill Withers fan and sadly, his official website has had no new updates for awhile now (see his official site HERE.) I hadn’t been able to find any real current news about the man for some time. So, imagine my surprise when I was reading about Mr. Withers on wikipedia and I noticed a mention of a documentary about him called: ‘Still Bill’. The film is listed on wikipedia as being released this year but I was unable to find any information about when or where it will be showing (you can see the wikipedia page HERE.) The official website doesn’t offer much help and so far the film is not even listed on IMDb.com. ‘Still Bill’s official site lists a “teaser” which is actually a seven minute preview for the film. It looks like a very enjoyable documentary and now I’m dying to see it. At the end of the teaser, the clip mentions the documentary as well as a tribute concert and soundtrack in “winter 2008”. I guess that is all there is to go on for now. If you are interested in the man and the film too than make do until an official release date by checking out the teaser at the ‘Still Bill’ site HERE. -Nate |
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| 101608 Happy Birthday Tom Sutpen! |
| .. . . . . .Ok, so I made the sad news post below which was made possible thanks to the work of Mr. Tom Sutpen (see below post for details) and then I realized it was the guy's birthday today! That was just way too much of a downer to let stand on his birthday. Hence, my Happy Birthday message to Mr. Sutpen! Thanks for all your great work on 'If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats'! To see what I am referring to, jump on over to the great blog 'If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats' HERE. -Nate |
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| 101608 William Claxton and Neal Hefti passed away. |
| .. . . . . .Shame on me for not mentioning the sad passing of photographer William Claxton and musician Neal Hefti. Calxton was primarily known for his photography of jazz musicians. I was particularly found of his photos of actor Steve McQueen. I was by no means an expert on Hefti but I was aware of his work and enjoyed what I heard of it. Here is the crazy thing: I guarantee you have heard his work too. In addition to having worked with some of the greats (like say Count Basie for example,) the man wrote the theme for 'The Odd Couple' (and the 'Batman' TV-series.) Leave it to the great Tom Sutpen to post when I should have on both counts. He also linked to an obituary. You can see his post's on the blog 'If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats' blog. Rest in peace gentlemen. See Sutpen's post about Claxton HERE and Hefti HERE. -Nate |
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| 101508 Just a quick announcement. |
| .. . . . . . If you happen to be checking out tonights political debate, take a cruise on by the blog “The Best Way to Have Good Ideas is to Have Lots”. My friend's John and Venice will be doing some live blogging during the debate. Despite being called “Real Political Face Talk” this site rarely touches on anything political but John and Venice post on the subject all the time. There should be a good show put on that will only be aided by “The Best Way to Have Good Ideas is to Have Lots”. Check it out HERE. -Nate |
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| 101008 'Blu-ray Special or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blue-ray' |
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.. . . . . . What we have here is a short article on my jump to Blu-ray. I love the format and am glad it is around but there are some problems you may want to be aware of before you take the leap. I am certainly no expert but if you are thinking about getting a player, check out this short write up before you do. I've also included some brief reviews of Blu-ray friendly PC software on the off chance someone else out there is thinking of playing their Blu-ray flics' on a PC. To check out the article go to the random page HERE or go directly to the 'Blu-ray special' HERE. -Nate |
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| 100208 'Another Way to Die' by Alicia Keys with Jack White from the upcoming Bond film 'Quantum of Solace'. |
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.. . . . . . I have been meaning to post about the new Bond film 'Quantum of Solace' forever but the release of the Alicia Keys/ Jack White music video (play to the left) got me off my lazy butt. I have to give credit where credit is due. The website that is more addicting than crack, 'The Superficial', is where I read about the video this morning (check out 'The Superficial' HERE.) Marc Foster is directing the sequel to the 2006 restart of the Bond franchise 'Casino Royal' (reviewed HERE.) The trailer makes the film look pretty sweet to me and Keys/ White song is catchy so hopefully this will be a strong follow up to 'Casino Royal'. I enjoyed Foster's film 'Monster's Ball' (although not as much as some seem to) and I also enjoyed his little seen film 'Stay' (reviewed HERE.) |
| 'Quantum of Solace' has a catchy theme, a solid director, and a cool looking trailer. The film will be released in the USA on November 14. For those that haven't seen the trailer yet you can see it in small HERE, medium HERE, and large HERE. The official site can bee found HERE. -Nate |
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| 100108 Start October with a 'Feast'. |
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.. . . . . . Apparently I am the only one that loved the third season of 'Project Greenlight'. The show was a reality based TV series that followed filmmakers competing to create a feature. The end result was the horror film 'Feast'. Two writers, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton and one director, John Gulager (son of actor Clu Gulager) won the contest and their efforts (as well as others) resulted in the bloody, fun, film 'Feast'. Since then, I've been hoping the show would get a release on DVD whilst following the three winners to see what they did next. Dunstan and Melton continued writing and penned two of the 'Saw' sequels. They are both listed on IMDb as writing a film called 'The Midnight Man' that Dunstan will also direct. Gulager has not helmed a film since the 2005 'Feast' but this year he is listed on IMDb as being attached to a 2008 film: 'The Neighbor'. Not only that, but he is listed as directing two 'Feast' sequels that Dunstan and Melton wrote. The first sequel, 'Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds' goes straight to DVD on October 7th. The third film 'Feast 3: The Happy Ending' will come out later this year (I'm assuming.) While I have no idea if the film will be any good or not, I must admit I'm psyched to check it out. If nothing else I became fans of Gulager, Dunstan and Melton from the show and would love to see them continue to get work. The pieces of Gulager's work that were shown on 'Project Greenlight' made me want to see more of his |
| work. Plus, it was cool to see the senior Gulager still acting. He has a role in one of my favorite movie openings: the beginning of Don Siegel's 1964 made for TV movie, 'The Killers'. The first ten minutes or so of the film could exist by itself |
| as a short film. The sequence follows Gulager and Lee Marvin as two hitman that make their way through a school for the blind, terrorizing anyone who crossing their path. I know it doesn't sound like much but trust me, it is great stuff. Anyway, those of you who might want to see one or both of the Feast sequels can check out the trailer via Myspace by clicking the title card to the right. The DVD release lists a couple of special features and I have got to say I'm looking forward to the one called "meet the |
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| Gulagers". There is not much in the way of official web pages to send you to. All that there is can be found at the Dimension Extreme page HERE. John Gulager has an official Myspace page, that only has a small amount of info and can be found HERE. -Nate |
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You can see old updates in the "Old News " section of this site.
Contact Real Political Face Talk: rpftwebmaster (@) hotmail (.) com |
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