Zombie Invasion

Brandon, it's interesting to see what horror movies bring out in us; I can understand the appeal with that in mind. And I think you give me too much credit...I probably only know Todd and Jesse from that group. Having said that, I'm sure if I met some of the other dudes who were watching the movie with them, I imagine we'd get along. But I still stand by what I said...I don't know how you can react to the film in that way. I guess some horror fans put themselves in the shoes of the victims (like Jason)  and others are so removed from the characters that they can revel in every nasty little thing that happens to them.

And yes, it's not as if these guys witnessed this kind of thing happening in real life and did nothing to stop it. They were just watching a movie and knew it was a movie. Still.

I guess when I pictured these guys in my head, I envisioned the type of people who think that certain women are asking to be raped based on what they're wearing. There are a ton of fucked up people (men) in our society.

There are a handful of horror films that I enjoy and would recommend to others. It's refreshing when someone comes along and makes a great horror film, one that really challenges the audience. I'm a big fan of The Others, too.

I know that every market is flooded with shite. With horror, the shite meter is at about 90%. As a result, certain critics/fans lower their standards.

I think at one point I overheard John and Jeff or Brandon and Jeff talking about whether or not there's nudity in the American version of Funny Games. In the Austrian version, the camera stays on the boys while the wife undresses; there isn't that much of a payoff for the perverts of the world.

Oddly enough, I think that only the film snobs will walk away with a better understanding of what Haneke is trying to say. The morons will bask in the violence and the sex without thinking about what the film is about--the film only exists to feed their twisted vices.

It kind of reminds of Chappelle's Show and one of the reasons why Dave stopped doing the show. The people who weren't racist laughed at the jokes and understood the ideas behind them. The racist assholes only laughed at the slurs and stereotypes while entirely missing the point.

The sweet tooth seems to be much more sweeter among the morons.

Switching gears...

Yes, "Blackwater" was one hell of an episode! Obviously George R. R. Martin has a better understanding of the characters than anyone else, but you really got a strong sense of that with last week's episode. That was far and away Lena Headey's best performance (as Cersei). Huge turning point for The Hound - great stuff. Jon Snow and Daenerys haven't been up to much lately; I'm hoping something interesting will happen to both during the finale. Peter Dinklage is brilliant; I listened to the commentary on the pilot and Benioff and Weiss said that he was their only choice to play Tyrion. Perfect casting. Lastly, I'd be heartbroken if Jaqen H'ghar didn't show up again for the rest of the series - not including his scene with Arya in the season 2 finale.

I will watch The Innkeepers eventually. I just hate that uneasy feeling.

No doubt The Avengers is better than most of the summer blockbusters, but I see that as both praise and something that is easily achievable. But to be clear, I don't think it's a bad movie. I had a fun time watching it with a friend of mine...even though he kept ripping on Captain America. Don't tread on Cap!

I, too, have my qualms with vigilantism. Of course there's a great Simpsons episode that tackles the issue (season 5, Homer the Vigilante). I also think back to The Ox-Bow Incident.

That's a great John Ford quote. In fact, as I was watching Red River, I started to reflect more on John Wayne's performance. It's one of the best I've seen him give, that's for sure.

I need to start watching The Wire...and Deadwood. After I finish the second season of Downton Abbey, I think I'll start one of the two. There are a lot of great characters on the Abbey. I've become quite fond of the show in recent weeks.

Lisa, Following was a good pick. As Jeff said, it's not your fault that the discussion was lacking. I was glad to have an opportunity to watch it again...and John needs to confront his Nolan hate. It would seem that I'm with John and Ben when it comes to District 9. Zodiac is phenomenal, though, we agree on that. Hmm, I've never seen The Blues Brothers and I don't know that I've ever seen Caddy Shack in its entirety. I guess I was too busy watching Coneheads and Stay Tuned when I was younger.

John, you should get a medal for completing six seasons of Smallville. Hopefully we can see a movie together soon. I need to get that beer to you as well.

Jason, my have you been busy. It's been fun reading through some of those reviews. Maybe I'll find something in there to argue with you about.

Ben, I definitely agree with the little bit that you wrote about Moon. I need to re-watch that one again soon. Also, there's some guy pretending to be you on Facebook.