Daily Awesome Blog: February 2010

The Crazies (2010)

"Is it a crime for me to say I liked this remake more than I did the original?"

TITLE
Sub-Genre- Killer Virus/Infected

In Attendance- Me, Machine, and Ms. Machine.

Cast Members of Note- Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, and Joe Anderson.

What's it About?- The small town of Asscrack Iowa is turned on its ear and ravaged by a nasty little virus that turns its residents into pissed of, zombie-like killing machines, and it's up to sheriff Bad-Ass to save the day. He's up to it too, don't let his kind smile fool you. He will make a hand knife and rock your world!

Oh, someone's ass is sooo getting kicked!
It's not long before the government shows up in creepy containment suits, separating the healthy from the sick, and herding them on buses which are going to take them all to "Safety." Luckily for his wife, sheriff Bad-Ass realizes that "Safety" means "Were going to kill you", and he stages a one man war against the man, determined to get his wife to safety!

"We're here to help."
Things go from bad to worse as the sheriff and his posse of survivors try to find a tractor or something to get them out of dodge, to no avail. Who will live? Who will die? Will the government prove to be evil and self-serving by covering their blunder up, or do the right thing and own up to their mistake and help. Ha. We all know the answer to that last one.

Let's see,who is going to live, and who is going to die...
The Good- This was pretty entertaining. I thought it was darker and a bit more sinister than the 70's original, and that's a good thing. Bloody, nasty and pretty intense, The Crazies made the most of the "infected" sub genre, and managed to make me squirm a few times. It reminded me an awful lot of 1988's The Blob, in tone and feel; small town, evil government, raging contagion... although the absence of Brian Flagg was obvious.

You will always be my hero, Brian Flagg!
Timothy Olyphanrt is a hell of an actor, and he was great in this. He has this likable quality about him and an underlying aura of bad-assery that is a perfect mix. Radha Mitchell is a hot little Aussie actress that is quickly becoming one of my favorite genre stars. She can also act her ass off too, and very naturally, which makes her doubly dangerous on screen.

The Bad- Stay here? A virus has driven the entire town stark raving mad, the government is running around killing anyone they find alive who isn't in a containment suit, the local hillbilly militia is doing the same thing, and you want me to stay out here in the dark while you run off to "check things out?" Go to hell. You know you're going to come back and I'll be gone. Do you want me dead? UGH!

This is what "stay here" gets you!
The Downright Horrendous- Again, an otherwise good horror movie has to sue the dreaded jump scare music cue to elicit scares... This movie had enough tension and creepiness about it that I didn't need to be told every 5 minutes that something was scary, and especially by a suddenly loud and sharp musical cue. Maybe I bitch about it too much, but it's a cheap tactic that IS NOT necessary. Especially in a movie like this.

The Gory- There's a fair amount of blood and violence in this one, and some of it was fairly surprising and fun. By fun I mean messy and nasty, which is what we consider fun. All I have to say is the part with the scissors in the hand may be my favorite scene so far this year. Ouch. And the guy with the pitchfork was really creepy, and really liked to use it. A lot.

The Naked- Nope. Not that kind of horror flick. However, Radha Mitchell can be seen naked in a bunch of her other movies. She also seems partial to doing lesbian sex scenes on camera. That, coupled with her past genre roles, accent and hotness, makes her a legitimate Horror Hottie on the rise.

What did we learn?- Don't drink the water. Also, whenever someone tells you "stay here", tell them to go to hell and follow them wherever they go. Splitting up is just silly.

The Master Says- B (7.0/10) The crazies was a good remake that despite the issues I had with it, left me satisfied and even curious to see it again. Timothy Olyphant is way underrated as an actor, as i the hot, hot , hot Radha Mitchell, and I think they were perfectly cast in this. You won't be remiss spending your dough to see this one, unless you really don't like the whole "infected" sub genre. Check it out.

Final Thoughts- Two hotties in this one makes for very happy horror fans!

Traffic jam in Anandpur Sahib

Sanget Goes to Holla Mohalla

Holla Mohalla - Langer on the way to Anandpursahib

Holla Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib

Holla Mohalla - a Sikh festival is celebrated every year in the month
of March, a day after Holi. Hola "Mohalla" derives its name from
Punjabi word "Mohalla" implies an organized Procession in the form of
an army column accompanied by war drums and standard-bearers, and
proceeding to a given location or moving in state from one Gurdwara to
another.

he festival was started by the tenth Sikh Guru – Guru Govind Singh who
had tried to gather Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles
after Holi. This has now become a traditional annual festival of Sikhs
held at Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab. The festival also
marks the New Year as per lunar Nanakshahi calendar of Sikhs. It is
celebrated over three days and it retains the character of fun and joy
of Holi which concludes a day before.

Even today, Sikhs celebrate this festival joyfully by watching and
performing in martial arts parades, led by the Nishan Sahibs of the
Gurdwaras. Which is then, followed by poetry readings and music
competitions. But viewing it closely might be risky for spectators as
the participants who perform Holla Mohalla fight hard with one another
even though they do not fight in reality. The celebration has been
recognized as a National Festival by the Govt. of India and it is
being celebrated in the state of Punjab since 1701

Rabb Rakha

South Delhi Godman Busted for Sex Racket

NEW DELHI: From earning a meagre Rs 2,000 to raking in a princely Rs 5
lakh every month, Shiv Murti Dwivedi alias Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji
Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale (39) has come a long way in the past 22 years.
Dwivedi, a self-styled godman, was arrested by south district police
on Friday for operating a high-profile sex racket. It involved former
airhostesses and students.

Starting as a security guard at a five-star hotel at Nehru Place in
1988, he landed in the middle of a prostitution racket in his quest
for quick riches. He was first arrested in Lajpat Nagar in 1997 for
running a prostitution racket with a massage parlour as a facade.

Dwivedi had himself worked at a massage parlour in the same area in
1990 where he was earning a monthly salary of Rs 3000. He also used to
get Rs 20 for every massage. Here he came in contact with pimps and
had soon picked up tricks of the trade. Within a few months, Dwivedi
had started his own massage parlour during which he came in contact
with pimps like jailed Kanwaljeet and Sonu Punjaban to whom he even
supplied call girls.

After his arrest, he changed tack, turning to Shirdi Sai Baba and
meditation. He used to meditate at a Badarpur temple and soon
attracted a string of followers. With their help, he bought land in
Khanpur's C-block in 2000.

"Dwivedi had more than a lakh devotees and in 2002 bought another plot
of land in Khanpur where he built a three-storey house which has
nearly 14 rooms," said a senior police officer. The temple had CCTVs
installed inside with the control room in his private chamer. He even
built a tunnel inside the temple.

Dwivedi, according to the cops, has garnered assets worth several
crores in the past 12 years. Besides a 20-acre plot in Chitrakoot
where he was building a hospital and a temple and the temple and house
in Delhi, Dwivedi had also rented three government flats in different
areas of south Delhi. He used two of these for running his racket
while one was used as a temple rest house.

DCP (south) HGS Dhaliwal said, "Dwivedi was also arrested in a stolen
property case in 1998. He called himself Ichchadhari Sant Swami
Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot and claimed to be a disciple of Sai
Baba." Police said he also ran a security agency at Khanpur.

On Saturday when Times City visited the temple in Khanpur, all the
flats were locked. Locals said their complaints to the cops had gone
unheard all these years and the Baba and his cohorts have been
threatening them. "They always had politicians and businessmen
visiting them," said Rajendra Kumar, a resident of the area.

The police say Dwivedi organised several pravachans and satsangs
involving politicians. A couple of prominent politicians have,
meanwhile, denied any links with Dwivedi, saying they knew him only as
a disciple of Sai Baba.

Dwivedi had recently delivered a sermon in North Avenue which was
attended by several prominent MPs and MLAs. The racket was busted when
the police received a complaint regarding his activities. The cops
found that he had floated a website. A decoy customer was sent and a
deal stuck after which the police nabbed him and six women.

Sunday Inspirations: Pray for President Barack Obama

Soulclap to Denise Johnson for reminding us that we should not stop praying for this man. Let's also visualize him congratulating congress for coming together and reforming the health care system in America in a manner that brings honor to everyone. Let's see Republicans and Democrats shaking hands and pledging to work for the people to create a better world. Ahh... Abundance Health and Harmony in all our thoughts about our government. Let the Universe figure out how... our job will be to visualize the end results being one to celebrate.

Villagers, If you have not noticed ... few Presidents have ever worked this hard for our country, having to deal with such hatred and ill-will. Many wonder, does he ever sleep? Only God can sustain such energy, knowledge and person.

Will you please join in this prayer?

Lord,

We pray for optimum health, mental clarity and political prosperity for President Barack H. Obama. We pray that what he lacks in political 'experience' you make up for with supernatural wisdom and power.

We also pray that when his enemies come upon him they will stumble and fall; and that your love will fill his heart to the end that 'Your will' be done through him.

We pray mightily for his protection. As we plead the Blood of your son, Jesus, over him and his family. We reverently ask you to dispatch legions of angels to protect them from all hurt, harm, danger as he serves as the President of the United States of America .

We thank you and praise you for answering our sincere prayers, in Jesus’ precious name,

AMEN

The Graves (2010)

THE GRAVES
Sub-Genre- Supernatural backwoods survival?

Cast Members of Note- Jillian "yum yum" Murray and Clare "I'd do her even if she had a penis" Grant play the Graves, and genre veterans Bill Moseley, Tony Todd and Amanda Wyss play creepy people.

What's it About?- The Graves sisters are a pair of hot, sassy riot grrrls that are having a last weekend of fun together before the oldest sister, Megan (mmm), goes off and leaves innocent little Abby behind in favor of a job in another city. How cold is that? You know that Abby can't survive on her own. She's too sweet and vulnerable and... Oh hey, I really like your shirt. Is that an extra small?

I dare you to look at anything other than her boobs. Even her sister is checking them out on the sly!
... and so they drive off into the Arizona desert together (?) and become lost. Instead of turning around and trying to figure out where the hell they are, they decide to pull over at the old abandoned Skull City mines which is now a tourist attraction (??), pay $7 each, and take the tour. Huh??? Who does that? Maybe you stop at a strip club when you're lost, to ask for directions. Maybe. Even then you'd better have a few hundred dollars on you for... I'm getting sidetracked again...

Taking the tour of Skull City doesn't seem like such a brilliant idea now, does it girls?
... and of course the mine is run by a group of homicidal and quirky maniacs who quickly set upon the girls intent on killing them because they answer to a higher power that demands it. That's really the whole thing in a nutshell. Hot, dumb chicks travel to the middle of the desert, tour a makeshift murder complex, and suffer for their blunder.

"How you liking the tour, bitch?"
A battle for survival ensues the likes of which you've seen dozens and dozens of times before in cheesy horror flicks. Hundreds even. Will the girls survive Skull City? What in the hell is rocking in that chair? Will Bill Moseley ever get tired of playing twisted and witty psychopaths? I don't know. All I really want to know is when is Clare Grant going to do porn? Even soft core. I'm not picky.

"Question my career moves again, horror boy, and I'll bleed you with a fucking butter knife."
The Good- Aside from most of this movie being an overly familiar and run of the mill survival horror, I did really like the whole invisible "higher power" thing. They didn't really focus on that aspect of the movie much, which may be why it intrigued me so much. I want to know if it was a demon, spirit, or jsut an invisible guy that likes being worshiped. I guess we will find out in the sequel? Yes, "Return to Skull City" is happening.

Jillian Murray and Clare Grant. Sure, you know I'm going to say how hot they are, talk about their boobs, and make some sort of sexual innuendo in an attempt to be clever, but wait, there's more... they can actually act. In fact, their on screen charisma was about all that saved this movie from being unwatchable at times.

"We did good?"
Genre veterans Bill Moseley and Tony Todd make an appearance here, playing the same characters they normally do, only not as interesting. Still, it's always fun to watch Bill, and I like Candyman, so Tony Todd is cool with me too. And what a surprise to see Amanda Wyss (Tina from A Nightmare on Elm Street) in this one. And is that the singer from Lamb of God playing one of the town psychos? This movie is packed with odd cameos. Neat.

The Bad- Wow, is that Tina, from A Nightmare on Elm Street? How old is she now? I was all about her back when I was a hormone filled 14 year old, and she wasn't... 52? 55 maybe? Such a shame. Hot or not ladies, this is what happens to you all, so make sexy hay while the sun shines because someday, you will be not hot anymore.

The Downright Horrendous- If I'm ever hopelessly lost in the middle of a desert, the LAST thing I'm doing is stopping at a place called Skull City to see the sights. If you're two lost, hot girls in the middle of nowhere, you don't stop at some place that looks like it exists only to provide a quiet place to "hide the bodies." How fun can it be touring an abandoned mining complex anyhow? Now if I ever came across a place called Vagina Village...

The Gory- There's some pretty good gore in this one, although CGI blood is really obvious to me and annoys me to no end. Some of the death scenes were pretty cool too, though there weren't a ton of them.

The Naked- I'm going on record right now as saying that not showing Clare Grant naked in this movie may be the worst blunder mankind has ever endured. Ever. It is a travesty to hide she has with clothes, and not share her carnal bounty with any and all. She's special. Jillian would look good sans shirt too, I'm sure.

"Take it off!"
Best Line- "They all beg."

What did we learn?- The sisterly bond is very strong. Also, visiting a place called Skull City is never a good idea.

The Master Says- C- (5.0/10) This is a barely average flick that was made watchable thanks to its talented and hot lead actresses. Had it not been for Clare Grant and Jillian Murray, this would have been another one of those movies that made a lot of us hit the FF button on the DVD player, or stop it all together. It's a mindless good time in a way if you don't mind the same old thing done not as well as it usually is, just be prepared for an odd feeling of DEJA VU.

Final Thoughts- What can I even say about Clare Grant, other than I think I'd watch her in just about anything.

Obama's Weekly Address: The Olympic Spirit, the Spirit of Bipartisanship, and Health Reform

The President takes a moment to congratulate our Olympic athletes. Discussing the unity and pride Americans feel in cheering them on, the President relates that sentiment to his own desire for bipartisanship in Washington. He praises the recent bipartisan meeting and talks about moving forward on health reform.

What was your taken on the past week's activity in the Olympics, Health Reform or Bipartisanship?

Brian Davis and Gary Parker, Taser-Killing East Grand Rapids Cops, Cleared in Murder of Matthew Bolick [Video]

Matthew Bolick was tasered four times by Sgt. Brian Davis and Ofc. Gary Parker. The entire incident is on videotape. Bolick didn't have any drugs in his system. He was simply an angry young man. Now he's dead ... and nobody is being held responsible. The powers-that-be are calling it 'excited-delirium'.

Four times the police shot this young boy up with 50,000 volts of electricity ... he died less than an hour later ... and they don't see the tasers has being part of his murder.

Watch the video and you decide: