News for today's 2018

EUROPE'S ISLAMIC FUTURE

5:01 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEfaufBoaESdGXExsx0ooCf27tLt27_XCpu3jFOJDNhVai7zK_SG0wVVE8ZWUPvqktulgN7s3S9GRL0jfOvqXx7rd8xJ7pvIiY8BQzjGuhs2sIjbgm0AmqzBt5cMs4pgz1jE-UYGyGeS2/s1600/eurabia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEfaufBoaESdGXExsx0ooCf27tLt27_XCpu3jFOJDNhVai7zK_SG0wVVE8ZWUPvqktulgN7s3S9GRL0jfOvqXx7rd8xJ7pvIiY8BQzjGuhs2sIjbgm0AmqzBt5cMs4pgz1jE-UYGyGeS2/s320/eurabia.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IF CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS PERSIST, EUROPE WILL BE MUSLIM BY CENTURY’S END </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">originally published on this blog 18 Dec 2011</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Islam is on its way to become the most practiced religion in EUROPE. In a book published by the University of Leuven, “The Iris and the Crescent,” sociologist Felice Dassetto says that Muslims will comprise the majority of the population of Brussels by 2030. The title of the book refers to the yellow flower symbol of Brussels’ region and to the Islamic emblem: While the first is decaying, the second is growing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MUSLIMS NOW MAKE UP ONE-QUARTER OF THE POPULATION OF THE CAPITAL OF THE ENLIGHTENED EUROPE</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and they are asking to use the empty churches for Islamic prayers. Since 2008, the top seven baby boys’ names in Brussels were Mohammed, Adam, Rayan, Ayoub, Mehdi, Amine and Hamza. Mohammed is also the most popular name for baby boys in Belgium’s second-largest city, Antwerp, where an estimated 40% of elementary school children are Muslim. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Antwerp is also home to BELGIUM’S first Islamic Sharia law court.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet BELGIUM is not an isolate case in fact there are warning signs looming on the horizon that Europe risks being “overrun” by Islam. According to a recent report of the US Pew Center, Islam is already “the fastest-growing religion in EUROPE,” where the number of Muslims has tripled over the past 30 years. One third of all EUROPEAN children will be born to Muslim families by 2025. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ISLAM IS THE MOST PRACTICED RELIGION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thus the UK government anti ISRAEL stance comes as no surprise, as well as the tremendous support for arming the SYRIAN rebels.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In London, more Muslims attend mosques on Friday than do Christians church on Sunday. The Oude Kerk, the oldest church in the city of Amsterdam, where the kings of HOLLAND were crowned, is now a museum. The only “church” in the largest DUTCH city that is crowded is the church of Scientology, a six-story building in the thick of the city center. Only 7% of DUTCH Catholics now go to Sunday Mass and 16% of children are baptized. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">EURABIA</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In AUSTRIA, which was 90% Catholic in the 20th Century, Islam will be the majority religion among AUSTRIANS aged under 15 by 2050. The FRENCH case also shows that the often exaggerated “EURABIA” threat is more a quality phenomenon of religious attendance than of demographic takeover. In FRANCE, there are now more Islamic mosques being build - and more frequently so - than Catholic churches, and there are more practicing Muslims than practicing Catholics in the country. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2hGw-MTZNMDplXNQHk0dPI4JNO03-ko34kn16-mzqwWGrN4l8_17L3-3mn_8RCs3awK8bwgj4m_quiXMkR97qH3zbAgi_fehjvu9amNZFhOIEmBwz_1SvrcF3KuILwSyhGaFb4U4F3P1/s1600/20110720_EuropeIslam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2hGw-MTZNMDplXNQHk0dPI4JNO03-ko34kn16-mzqwWGrN4l8_17L3-3mn_8RCs3awK8bwgj4m_quiXMkR97qH3zbAgi_fehjvu9amNZFhOIEmBwz_1SvrcF3KuILwSyhGaFb4U4F3P1/s320/20110720_EuropeIslam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 300px;"> <tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">  <td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><br /></td> </tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Overall, the total number of mosques in FRANCE has already doubled to more than 2,000 in the last 10 years. The best known FRENCH Islamic leader, Dalil Boubakeur, Rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, recently suggested that the total number of mosques should double yet again, to 4,000, to meet the growing demand. </span> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in FRANCE had only 20 new churches built in the last 10 years, and formally closed more than 60 churches, many of which became mosques, according to research conducted by the FRENCH Catholic daily La Croix. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Princeton University’s Bernard Lewis once told the GERMAN daily Die Welt that “EUROPE will be Islamic by the end of the century.” At the time, Brussels’ political and cultural elites expressed outrage at the alarmist prediction. Yet if the current trends persist, Mr. Lewis may yet be proven right. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Article written by Giulio Meotti </span></div>

EUROPE'S ISLAMIC FUTURE

IF CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS PERSIST, EUROPE WILL BE MUSLIM BY CENTURY’S END originally published on this blog 18 Dec 2011 Islam is on i...

Matt Said, Jay Said...Memorial Day 2013

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHiVnx0gRZMk4VIjci3tP7c-4UU2DaVVCmQqq8BFVH_p_g7KeotB1zXcZUKmHZvZPYt7ore-7nQqWo_j1VgjuiC01sKud7PMIt3wfPeRfID5iJUsrhtBFoYgJ4DdfeLK_ddnkp-hJSuY/s1600/G.I.+Jane+Demi+Moore+Naked+Sexy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHiVnx0gRZMk4VIjci3tP7c-4UU2DaVVCmQqq8BFVH_p_g7KeotB1zXcZUKmHZvZPYt7ore-7nQqWo_j1VgjuiC01sKud7PMIt3wfPeRfID5iJUsrhtBFoYgJ4DdfeLK_ddnkp-hJSuY/s400/G.I.+Jane+Demi+Moore+Naked+Sexy.jpg" width="286" /></a>Matt bugles…Jay trumpets…You sing, Taps.<br /><br />Matt:  Bagwine residence, lady of the house speaking.<br />Jay:  Helloooo?  Helloooo?<br />Matt:  Helloooo?  Is this Jayman, the famous international internet radio star?<br />Jay:  You know it…Is this Matt-Man, the guy who prances around in Schmoop’s underwear?<br />Matt:  You had to go there, didn’t you?<br />Jay:  Of course, because not only is it funny…it’s HOT!!<br />Matt:  Word.<br /><br />Jay:  So…Memorial Day weekend, what should we talk about?<br />Matt:  The Joy of Mayonnaise.<br />Jay:  Y’know…I love how you are so damn topical. Maybe this Christmas we can talk about Labor Day. <br />Matt:  I’m kidding.  I’m kidding.<br />Jay:  Alright then.  Can we be serious here?<br />Matt:  Yes we can.  Memorial Day <i>HAS</i> to be the topic.<br />Jay:  I know, because if we don’t honor the military early and often, we are sub-par radio hosts.<br />Matt:  And Communists<br />Jay:  And Troglodytes<br />Matt:  Don’t you mean, Trotskyites?<br />Jay:  Of course, that too.<br />Matt:  Uh-huh.<br /><br />Jay:  So I was thinking we could honor those who gave all for our country.<br />Matt:  Sounds great, and as we should.<br />Jay:  But of course, do it in the light-hearted and jocular fashion that only IWS Radio can.<br />Matt:  Damn right.  Sometimes people take a person dying in defense of this country far too seriously.<br />Jay:  IKR?  It’s not like the fallen soldiers didn’t want to.  They were patriots and heroes; it’s in their blood.<br />Matt:  It’s in their DNA!!<br />Jay:  Exactly!!<br /><br />Matt:  This show sounds as though it truly needs comforting words of prose from Paul Piatt.<br />Jay:  And the calming tones of Bobby Kraft speaking on wars and heroes gone unnoticed.<br />Matt:  And perhaps a weather report from Kirk Douglas so Americans can plan their cook-out schedules.<br />Jay:  Kirk will soooooo be there.<br /><br />Matt:  We picked up a new sponsor for this week as well.<br />Jay:  Oh really?  Who?<br />Matt:  <span style="background-color: black;">Incestry.Com</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqlf62MhzERG_cLGisBG7Yy6_6dotuWturwOUBjmpYnVee5PkGEORTV38_hkj9GIlQBftiwJw3pGpAxbMuprfYTZy-MrfM9-tjdcjwM1Isc20c03BhnsCP8EsrGlo-1VB3Roj1tLEwLU/s1600/Memorial+Day+Graves+Flags+Decoration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqlf62MhzERG_cLGisBG7Yy6_6dotuWturwOUBjmpYnVee5PkGEORTV38_hkj9GIlQBftiwJw3pGpAxbMuprfYTZy-MrfM9-tjdcjwM1Isc20c03BhnsCP8EsrGlo-1VB3Roj1tLEwLU/s400/Memorial+Day+Graves+Flags+Decoration.jpg" width="400" /></a>Jay:  That’s fucking funny!!  That adds a smile to the bittersweet and heartfelt solemnity of our show.<br />Matt:  That’s what I thought as well, I mean…<br />Jay:  You mean, it is right and dutiful to grieve for our fallen soldiers, but…<br />Matt:  But man?  Two hours of that shit?<br />Jay:  Exactly!!<br /><br />Matt:  And speaking of fallen soldiers, we should also touch on exactly what Memorial Day is.<br />Jay:  Damn right.<br />Matt:  A day to honor those who died in battle.<br />Jay:  Yep.  Not those who came home alive…They have Veterans' Day.<br />Matt:  Nope, and not those currently serving.<br />Jay:  Oh hell no…Last Saturday was<i> their</i> day.  Armed Forces Day.<br /><br />Matt:  And certainly not a day to honor those who design tree looking clothing for the soldiers to wear.<br />Jay:  Oh hell no, we celebrate those people on Arbor Day!!<br />Matt:  Word.<br /><br />Jay:  So…I think we are ready for this week’s<span style="color: blue;"> <i>I<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/05/26/some-gave-all" target="_blank">WS Radio Memorial Day Show</a></i>.</span><br />Matt:  Damn right.  We may even go, <i>A Bridge Too Far</i>!!<br />Jay:  Or end up cutting ourselves off, <i>Midway</i> through!!<br />Matt and Jay:  Oh Hell Yeah Baby, we’ll be talking war movies as well!!<br />Matt:  See you on the radio Sunday from Noon-2 PM ET LIVE.<br />Jay:  You know it big boy.<br /><br />To catch this Sunday’s moving, yet hilarious IWS Radio show LIVE from Noon-2 PM ET, click <i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/05/26/some-gave-all" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">HERE!!</span></a></i></div><br /></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said...Memorial Day 2013

Matt bugles…Jay trumpets…You sing, Taps. Matt: Bagwine residence, lady of the house speaking. Jay: Helloooo? Helloooo? Matt: Helloooo? ...

Fast & Furious 6: Still accelerating

6:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Fast & Furious 6</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/fastfurious6/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, and somewhat generously, for intense and relentless violence, action and mayhem, along with occasional profanity and sensuality</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 5.24.13</b></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>            <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Longest...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...airport...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...runway...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...<i>ever</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <i>Fast & Furious</i> series has long been known for physics-defying stunts that strain credibility, while nonetheless inspiring well-deserved admiration for the way so many of these crazy chases and assorted skirmishes look (somewhat) authentic, as opposed to the obvious fakery of computer-enhanced sweetening. (Make no mistake: CGI plays an important role in these films, but much of the driving is real.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUB1dlpuAXRAVDE9dCBQwb3p9pMvRLiaSs10cCVnCXKcFDQLVUdiVXNqZ0WPoui-9Q5p-oZqMnNlPToBCtUWOMzS050ULMxAKgEeLysqd-k0cDVW1u_eJBSZCL0MgaPsqqGgYv-NG0lY/s1600/Fast+&+Furious+6+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUB1dlpuAXRAVDE9dCBQwb3p9pMvRLiaSs10cCVnCXKcFDQLVUdiVXNqZ0WPoui-9Q5p-oZqMnNlPToBCtUWOMzS050ULMxAKgEeLysqd-k0cDVW1u_eJBSZCL0MgaPsqqGgYv-NG0lY/s400/Fast+&+Furious+6+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">When a high-speed pursuit veers badly out of control, thanks to the bad guys wielding<br />a vehicle-crushing tank, Dom (Vin Diesel) realizes that one of his team is seconds<br />away from certain death. The only possible solution? An insane leap from his speeding<br />car, of course!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even by those standards, however, <i>Fast & Furious 6</i> boasts audacious, jaw-dropping set-pieces that are just plain nuts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But they’re also tautly edited, reasonably suspenseful and quite entertaining. As comic book movies go, this series delivers ingenious thrills ... even if they <i>are</i> guaranteed to make mechanical and aerospace engineers snort with laughter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Director Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan deserve considerable credit. They’ve collaborated on four of these films now — all but the first two — and they have the formula down cold. Take an ever-expanding “family” of familiar characters, grant them plenty of interactive banter, season with vehicular chases every 15 minutes or so, and blend with aggressive punching matches between good guys and bad guys, usually one on one, but sometimes two on two. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toss in a James Bondian “head villain” with an equally malevolent sidekick, spice with babe shots — because under-dressed women are <i>such</i> an essential part of street-racing — and call it a movie.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yes, before you ask: Morgan already is scripting <i>Fast & Furious 7</i> for new director James Wan (<i>Saw</i>, <i>Insidious</i>), which will add Jason Statham to the mix when it roars into theaters next summer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s all absolute and utter nonsense, but thrilling and adrenaline-pumping nonetheless. No doubt responding to demands for bigger and better, Lin and Morgan have customized <i>6</i> with road-rage chases involving all manner of souped-up cars, not to mention a tank and a massive Antonov 124 cargo plane (!). And yes, the latter eye-widening melee, during which half a dozen four-wheeled vehicles try to prevent said plane from lifting off, occupies 15 climactic minutes, during which the accelerating plane magically never runs out of runway.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heck, even allowing for the cross-cutting needed to show simultaneous action on the ground and inside the plane, I figure that runway must’ve stretched at least 20 miles. Land must be cheap in Spain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br />  <div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lin gets plenty of capable help from cinematographer Stephen F. Windon and editors Christian Wagner and Kelly Matsumoto, all series veterans; they definitely make a winning team. One also has to smile at the massive <i>thunk</i> sound designer Peter Brown inserts, every time a racing driver shifts up or down. This may be popcorn nonsense, but it’s slickly made nonsense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With previous entries having exhausted locations in Los Angeles, Miami, Tokyo, Mexico and Rio de Janeiro, this time the action is based in the UK — London, Liverpool and Glasgow — with a few supposed visits to Spain (actually studio work). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following their successful heist in <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2011/04/fast-five-over-revved.html">5</a></i>, our crew of anti-heroes has settled around the world. Brian (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) are new parents in the Canary Islands, with Dom (Vin Diesel) and Elena (Elsa Pataky) living close by. Han (Sung Kang) and Gisele (Gal Gadot) are enjoying Hong Kong; Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) is in Costa Rica; and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) jets to exotic locales when the mood strikes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All concerned are saved from succumbing to boredom when tough-as-nails federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) confronts Dom with an assignment he literally cannot refuse. A paramilitary-trained criminal mastermind — Luke Evans, as Shaw — has been committing high-profile thefts throughout Europe, aided by a most unlikely sidekick: Dom’s former main squeeze, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But wait, I hear you cry: Didn’t Letty die two films back?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, yes, but this series has a comic book habit of reviving characters deemed too popular to abandon. Sung Kang’s Han already enjoyed such a revival; he perished in the third installment (<i>Tokyo Drift</i>) but has reappeared in each of the subsequent films, a seeming impossibility explained by the fact that <i>4</i>, <i>5</i> and this new film take place before the events in <i>Tokyo Drift</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so, similarly, we may have <i>thought</i> Letty got killed in <i>4</i>, but it ain’t necessarily so ... as folks who watched the post-credits tag scene at the very end of <i>5</i> already knew, based on a photograph handed to Hobbs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The so-called plot here is incidental and perfunctory: Shaw needs to steal a whatzis — in order to combine it with other whatzises (whatzi?) he stole earlier, before this movie started — so that he can build a vile thingamajig capable of knocking out the electrical and computer grids of an entire <i>country</i>, which obviously would be a valuable item to have, were a neighboring hostile government planning to invade.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because Shaw has accomplished his earlier heists with a team of skilled drivers, Hobbs decides to fight turbo-charged fire with more of the same, and hence our team is reassembled once again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One must take attempts at “serious dialogue” with a grain of salt, as when Mia “understands” that Brian must join the gang, despite his earlier promise to settle down and be a sedentary doting father. Morgan fills such moments with howler lines such as “This is what we do,” and of course that’s all the explanation we get.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some women are apt to scoff, however, when Elena generously insists that Dom has to find and confront Letty: certainly the most unselfish lover <i>I've</i> ever encountered in fiction. But, then, we don’t watch these films for credible relationship dynamics; we really just want sight gags, droll one-liners and wry double-takes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But only in between action shots starring a Who’s Who of new and old American and European muscle cars: a 1969 Dodge Daytona (Dom) a 1971 Mark 1 Ford Escort (Brian), a 1970 Jensen Interceptor (Letty), a 2002 Enzo Ferrari (Tej) ... not to mention a few motorcycles — a Harley (Han) and a Ducati Monster (Gisele) — not to mention a lethal “flip car” and even a 2012 Aston Martin DB9 (Shaw, who apparently stole it from James Bond).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The highest-profile human newcomer is mixed martial arts fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano, who turns up as Riley, Hobbs’ second-in-command. Carano might be remembered from her starring turn in director Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 spy thriller, <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2012/01/haywire-trust-nobody.html">Haywire</a></i>, but I must note that, two years further along, the term “actress” remains generous. Carano gets her lines out, but she hasn’t a shred of the easy, jocular presence displayed so effortlessly by everybody else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that’s what it comes down to. Even the best-choreographed car chases would pale, if we weren’t enjoying the characters. Bridges and Gibson are a hoot as Tej and Roman, and I still chuckle at the veiled-brow, don’t-mess-with-me intensity that Diesel gives even an innocuous line, such as “Pass the salt.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Johnson continues his equally engaging, action-hero ascent, and his scenes with Diesel — Dom and Hobbs have a prickly relationship, at best — are quite droll. Rodriguez remains the baddest girl on the planet, with a sneer that could freeze blood at 50 yards, and Gadot is a spunky, perky yin to the yang of Kang’s more serious Han.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walker has the white bread contingent covered, while poor Brewster continues to play the token gal in distress ... but only sometimes. Push come to shove, Mia gets to drive just as aggressively as Letty and all the boys.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 130 minutes, <i>Fast & Furious 6</i> is one car chase too long; the third act, in particular, flirts with overkill. And speaking of that, I didn’t appreciate the casual collateral damage inflicted on scores innocent civilians who get crushed — inside their cars — during the tank sequence. That’s needlessly, unpleasantly callous for this sort of lighthearted fare, and certainly not funny, although Lin obviously stages the scene as if expecting laughs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the <i>Fast & Furious</i> flicks probably qualify as guilty pleasures, at best, but I can’t ignore the formula that keeps me coming back for more ... particularly now that Morgan’s post-credit bit in <i>this</i> film seems to have “caught up” with <i>Tokyo Drift</i>, therefore granting Dom & Co. the opportunity, in next summer’s <i>7</i>, to seek some anger-fueled vengeance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, <i>6</i> is guaranteed several victory laps at the box office.</span></span>

Fast & Furious 6 (2013) • View trailer 3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, and somewhat generously, for intense and relentless violence, acti...

The Hangover, Part III: Out with a whimper

3:03 PM Tukiyooo 0

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>The Hangover, Part III</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thehangoverpartiii/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>2.5 stars. Rating: R, for pervasive profanity and vulgar humor, some violence, a bit of drug content and some fleeting nudity</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>            <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The third — and presumably concluding — entry in this franchise is nothing like its two predecessors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is quite bizarre. And likely to irritate Wolfpack fans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6772uJqtdE4jXL6qZ6zOI6mCP6Z3QmJqnzYqEpc5IAtvPAwQlCxEJG6G9QJDIM7SVP63Hi9TMNuRtOoRLzJ6e-OEC0JbIrrGDd2QGHONRsJQANu4mvqhpT5PfslVOVcwJNzPKQZ-0s4/s1600/Hangover+3+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6772uJqtdE4jXL6qZ6zOI6mCP6Z3QmJqnzYqEpc5IAtvPAwQlCxEJG6G9QJDIM7SVP63Hi9TMNuRtOoRLzJ6e-OEC0JbIrrGDd2QGHONRsJQANu4mvqhpT5PfslVOVcwJNzPKQZ-0s4/s400/Hangover+3+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Having reluctantly agreed to follow Leslie Chow's (Ken Jeong, center right) scheme for<br />breaking into his own house, the Wolfpack members — from left, Phil (Bradley Cooper),<br />Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Stu (Ed Helms) — study an elaborate model and prepare<br />to add breaking-and-entering to their already checkered résumés.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I appreciate writer/director Todd Phillips’ desire not to do the same ol’ stuff yet again; in that sense, it’s refreshing to see him try something different. But this particular case of “something different” utterly abandons all the hallmarks that made the two previous films so popular with arrested adolescents.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No abandoned babies or monkeys this time. No out-of-control bachelor parties or Bangkok benders. No chipped teeth, no tattoos. Nothing, in fact, that embarrasses, humiliates, physically tarnishes or debases these guys to <i>any</i> degree.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what fun is <i>that?</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nobody gets hung over, either ... not from booze, not from drugs, not from anything else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must note, in fairness, that a brief post-credits tag scene delivers everything that's missing from the film itself ... so don't depart too quickly. But that's much too little, far too late.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which makes this film’s title a betrayal, along with its plotline. Phillips and co-scripter Craig Mazin have slipped their characters into the parallel universe of a heist comedy: a detour that, ironically, probably will be viewed as more satisfying to folks who prefer not to wallow in sleaze.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But wallowing in sleaze is the Wolfpack job description. Phillips’ detour here is akin to discovering that one’s most disreputable local fraternity has transformed itself into the epitome of Christian civility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, no; things haven’t gotten <i>that</i> pure. This film’s R rating is well earned for pervasive profanity, because these guys still drop F-bombs the way most of us use descriptive adjectives. And yes, there’s a bit of violence and drug content. And one burst of nudity at a rather unexpected moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a ghastly incident involving a giraffe. And a low freeway overpass.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that said, though, this still feels like Wolfpack Lite.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br />  <div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years have passed since the events detailed in the previous film. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are happily married and enjoying their blissfully uneventful lives. Disaster magnet Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) is half a world away, rotting in a Thai prison.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, “calm” isn’t a satisfying state for the Wolfpack’s final member, the petulant, self-centered and eternally out-of-synch Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Once again off his meds and prone to ill-advised impulses — such as purchasing that giraffe — Alan has become even more of a loose cannon than usual.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Actually, the incident with the giraffe — and its tasteless climax — would have been right at home in the first two films. It’s almost as if Phillips decided to tease us with this cringe-worthy hiccup, before subsequently defying all expectations.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A family crisis sends Alan even further over the edge, at which point the rest of the gang stage an intervention. The proposed solution: a road trip, after which Phil, Stu and Doug will deliver Alan into the tender (?) hands of some well-staffed facility for the terminally bewildered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Craving any excuse for quality time with his best buds, Alan agrees. He doesn’t get an opportunity for second thoughts, because the guys get kidnapped by a highly irritated crime boss — John Goodman, as Marshall — who has his own history with the maniacal Leslie Chow. Millions of dollars’ worth of gold in history, in fact, which Chow apparently stole from Marshall, a few years back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cue a brief recap of events from the first two films, with this new incident involving Chow and Marshall’s gold deftly worked into the fringes of what we’ve previously seen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marshall is seriously angry. He wants his gold back, and word is that Chow has escaped from the aforementioned Thai prison. Wisely assuming that prior association should count for something, Marshall releases Phil, Stu and Alan, with orders to locate Chow and “detain” him. Doug will be held as insurance, and failure will result in a bullet to the young man’s brain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it turns out, finding Chow isn’t all that difficult. (No surprise there; we wouldn’t have a movie otherwise.) Recovering the gold proves harder; Chow knows where it is, but getting it will require an elaborate scheme, etc., etc. Naturally, things go awry, with subsequent events bringing our heroes back to Las Vegas, where their lives first went astray back in 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along the way, they re-unite with Jade (Heather Graham), the escort with a heart of gold from the first film; they also meet a new friend, an irritable pawnshop dealer named Cassie (Melissa McCarthy). Irritable, that is, to everybody except Alan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The heist issues and complications with Marshall and Chow notwithstanding, this film’s core concerns Alan’s journey toward manhood. I’m not persuaded Galifianakis has the acting chops for this supposed personality shift, but Alan certainly becomes easier to endure. Indeed, his encounters with Cassie reveal a softer, smitten side. Galifianakis and McCarthy are quite funny together, and they have a great bit with a shared lollypop.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alan’s reunion with Jade’s son — the good-natured infant toted around, back in the first film — isn’t nearly as satisfying. Phillips and Mazin apparently intend this Zen-like encounter to be spiritually uplifting for Alan, but Galifianakis’ blank expression simply doesn't convey the necessary emotional subtlety. Rather than some sort of epiphany, this useless scene drags the film to a brief standstill. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, personalities always have been a problem with this series. Cooper, so engaging and credible with the wild mood swings of his Oscar-nominated character in <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2012/11/silver-linings-playbook-heart-of-gold.html">Silver Linings Playbook</a></i>, still can’t get a handle on Phil. At times he’s thoughtful and kind; at other times he’s impatient and quite callous. Granted, Phil is the strong, handsome and outwardly polished member of the Wolfpack, but in terms of emotional stability, he’s just as unpredictable as Alan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From one moment to the next, Phil’s attitude toward his friends is completely random; we never know whether the next words will come from Nice Phil or Toxic Phil. Cooper obviously is capable of much better, so we have to blame Phillips for inconsistent writing and clumsy direction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Helms, on the other hand, has always been consistent with his handling of Stu, as the eternally put-upon victim. All the worst stuff typically happens to Stu, although “worst,” in this film, amounts to little more than verbal brow-beating from Alan. Even so, Helms’ exasperated expressions are marvelous, as are his frantic attempts to depict Stu as a Guy In Control, when in fact he’s almost <i>never</i> in control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bartha is little more than a tag-along, as always has been the case. He depicts Doug as a pleasant guy, but spends most of his time here as an off-camera hostage. Very little chance for character depth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jeong is fearlessly crazed, as always, as the loose-cannon Chow. A little of Jeong goes a <i>very</i> long way, though, and he wears out his welcome as this flick progresses. Spontaneous bits of nonsense — a tuneless karaoke performance, slurping up dog food from a bowl on the floor — aren’t nearly as funny as Phillips and Jeong seem to assume.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodman, on the other hand, is memorably brutal as the vengeful Marshall, and Mike Epps makes a brief but droll return as “Black Doug.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This third <i>Hangover</i> clearly is an effort to bring closure to the Wolfpack, complete with the equivalent of a final-scene walk into the sunset, accompanied by flashbacks to earlier group strolls that took place under unhappier circumstances in the two prior films. But this is a flat and unsatisfying send-off: a clumsily plotted escapade obviously mandated by financial desire, and not at all by artistic necessity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a certain disappointment to fans who wanted more of the coarse behavior that put Phil, Stu and Alan on the map.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>

The Hangover, Part III: Out with a whimper

2013 Bradley Cooper Ed Helms Heather Graham Jeffrey Tambor John Goodman Justin Bartha Ken Jeong Melissa McCarthy Mike Epps Sequel Series Vulgar Zach Galifianakis The Hangover, Part III: Out with a whimper

The Hangover, Part III (2013) • View trailer 2.5 stars. Rating: R, for pervasive profanity and vulgar humor, some violence, a bit of dr...

WHY DO BROAD BASED COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IN A PLACE LIKE LAS VEGAS

1:34 PM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><div class="MsoNormal">We have more social problems than we can count here in the Las Vegas Valley. But there is one core problem that causes or contributes to all of them. That same problem keeps us powerless to do anything effective about the other problems.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is our core problem: We are disconnected. So many people come to Las Vegas intending to be here only a couple of years that they don’t make connections. They don’t join anything. They don’t know anyone very well and no one knows them very well. 20 years later, they are still here, but they still plan to move on in a year or two. So they still don’t connect. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When people do connect, it’s in relatively small groups, like our congregations. But the congregations don’t cooperate with each other. They don’t cooperate across interfaith lines. They don’t cooperate across ecumenical lines. They don’t even cooperate with congregations of their own denomination. I won’t name any denomination other than my own. But even around Nevada, even around this state where fragmentation and alienation abound, they talk about Las Vegas. They say, “Those Episcopal Churches in Las Vegas don’t work together. They don’t even know each other.” Now I won’t name any other denominations that have this problem. But I do talk to your leaders and I can say this: We Episcopalians are not the only ones who are disconnected, living in our own little congregational silos.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What comes of this? People here are disconnected from each there. Because they are disconnected, they are disempowered. Acting alone, they cannot change their environment. They cannot influence the government, the schools, the businesses. They have no influence over the forces around them that shape the quality of their lives. Because they are disconnected, they are disempowered. Because they are disempowered, they are in despair. Because they are in despair, they drink, drug, gamble, commit domestic violence, get divorced, drop out of school, run away, etc. etc. etc. Disconnection may not cause all of our social problems but it contributes to them. It exacerbates them. And it paralyzes us to do anything about them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nevadans for the Common Good is engaging some of the social problems. And that’s good. The issues are important and we are doing good, effective work. We are making a difference. But that’s not the main thing. The main thing is the relationships we are forming in the process of addressing particular problems.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our core project is to build a network of relationships. We call them” public friendships,” which means we may or may not be personal friends, but we know each other and are able to work together for shared goals. We are building a network of relationships that will reconnect and re-empower people, lifting us out of our collective despair, our “what can I do about it?” sense of helplessness. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The human network of relationships we are building is like an energy grid to deliver power where it’s needed to make positive change for people living in this Valley. 20 years from now, when new social problems arise, problems we cannot now foresee, this network of relationships will be in place. It will be in place to share stories and identify the problems as the affect our members. And the network will be already up and running, ready to act constructively and creatively to improve the situation.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But there’s more to be gained even than the building of a network among our congregations. There is strengthening the network inside our congregations. There are skills and methods we use to build the network, to construct this power grid we call Nevadans For The Common Good. The people we train can take those skills and methods back into their congregations to build relationships there. Congregations who engage in this work grow stronger within themselves. And that in itself will make a better community.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

WHY DO BROAD BASED COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IN A PLACE LIKE LAS VEGAS

We have more social problems than we can count here in the Las Vegas Valley. But there is one core problem that causes or contr...

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WHY DO BROAD BASED COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IN A PLACE LIKE LAS VEGAS

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