What is the general consensus on Babylon A.D.?
Also, here is a new sports thread for you. Both my teams managed to lose today, although I like that Bowden got to go out on top.
This post is in: Open Threads
What is the general consensus on Babylon A.D.?
Also, here is a new sports thread for you. Both my teams managed to lose today, although I like that Bowden got to go out on top.
Comments are closed.
JenJen
I’m reading thru this invaluable NFL Playoff Scenario piece in the New York Times. I’m obviously thrilled the Bengals have clinched, but I’d like us to be a 3rd seed, for example, and we need a little help.
And quit giving me palpitations, Buckeyes! Dammit.
firebrand
I have no idea what the consensus on Babylon A.D. is. All I can tell you is just from my experience alone: Run away from this movie. Run FAST.
demkat620
Stuck inspired me. I am watching District 9. Great movie. Is Babylon AD that Vin Diesel thing? Cause that sucked.
John Cole
I already turned it off. It is pretty bad.
jeffreyw
Babylon A.D.? Never heard of it. Let’s talk about something else.
arguingwithsignposts
@John Cole:
wow. now that’s a recommendation!
Yutsano
@jeffreyw: Mmmm…nothing beats baked penne on a winter’s afternoon.
jeffreyw
@Yutsano: The cheeses really worked well.
Jason Bylinowski
@demkat620: District 9. Yes. Great movie that I was told I would like, which naturally made me skeptical. I’m not sure it was the movie of the year, but it was certainly one of the most fun, with some great characters and great visual effects in an age where I usually get all cranky when they throw in the CGI stuff.
Michael D.
@jeffreyw: That actually looks very tasty. Sometimes when things don’t turn out the way you expect, it is because they turned out better.
Yutsano
@Jason Bylinowski: The smoothness of the CGI in that movie astounded me, especially when you consider the budget that film had to work with. One of the (many) things that excited me about that movie was that Johannesberg just entered on the List of Places to See Before I Die.
John Cole
@Yutsano: pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes all mixed together and mopped up with cornbread and washed down with ice cold diet root beer.
Yutsano
@John Cole: You had me until the root beer. I’m gonna stick with my venti espresso truffle obtained from that evul Starbucks. We stole their CFO to be my company’s new CEO so it takes a little edge off the guilt.
BeccaM
I’d rather watch Star Trek V than inflict Babylon AD on myself again. Although to be fair, I didn’t watch the whole thing; lasted about 20 minutes then switched off.
El Cid
Babylon A.D. sucked.
JenJen
The Broncos playoff scenario is complicated. It’s like looking at a DNA Helix, figuring this thing out.
Violet
@John Cole:
Spicy black-eyed peas. Yummy.
Yutsano
BTW never seen Babylon A.D.. Now not gonna bother.
jeffreyw
@Michael D.: Ah, but it did turn out about like I expected. The title reflected the assembly ala the classic lasagna dish everyone knows.
Violet
Don’t even know what Babylon, A.D. is. Doesn’t sound very appealing based on these reviews.
Comrade Mary
I had my usual breakfast of veggie and cheese frittata around 3 PM, along with a few leftover chocolate chip cookies, and I’m still not hungry now. Must be the last of the cold.
Sarah
John, I hope one of your teams was Northwestern.
Notorious P.A.T.
“Babylon AD” was an interesting idea but not a great movie, I thought.
MattR
@JenJen: Hopefully this is a beat easier to understand.
If Denver wins, they are in if (a) either Baltimore or the NY Jets lose AND (b) either Houston wins, Pittsburgh loses or the other team from part (a) loses.
If Denver loses, they need 4 of the following 5 things to happen: NY Jets loses, Pittsburgh loses, Houston loses, Baltimore loses, Jacksonville ties or loses.
Citizen Alan
@El Cid:
That’s impossible. Vin Diesal is the Laurence Olivier of his generation.
PaulW
Mater is an Auburn alum, so we went to the Outback Bowl in person this morning/afternoon…
And, it rained. Welcome to sunny Florida!
And, the referees sucked. Biased as hell. Half the calls they pulled on Auburn were questionable. They nailed the Tigers for two excessive celebration penalties, but whenever the ‘Cats celebrated (a guy on the sidelines crossed the whole field to hug a teammate? AHEM) nothing, nada, garrrrrrh.
I can only hope the refs at tomorrow’s Toronto Bowl are more impartial (Go Bulls).
El Cid
Alternative: Free Yes Men movie on Hulu. Not the recent movie, but still very satisfying, and free.
Punchy
So his wife’s not into that kinky stuff, huh?
Yutsano
:: Showing off my massive band nerd side ::
I just about shit myself when they announced the director of the Oregon marching band. I’ve known him since he was a TA at my school. Really glad he’s got a good gig now.
Rob
You didn’t want PSU to win?
donovong
Well, since my team has already won (Go Clemson!) I will share my dinner menu – hot cornbread, black-eyed peas and collard greens.
I am not the least bit superstitious, but by god, it is certainly true that NOT eating those isn’t going to help the financial situation. So, what teh heck….
Gravenstone
@John Cole: Impressive, no wasting two hours for you when you can call it at 10 minutes.
D-Chance.
well, they’re good kids, good kids…
arguingwithsignposts
@El Cid:
Saw that one earlier. Very cool. Lots of good stuff on NetFlix. Might I suggest “Top Gear” season 10 if you like high-end cars. “Doubt” if, like me, you think Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the bomb (also Meryl Streep).
xxxevilgrinxxx
I think your time would be better spent reading Babylon Babies by Maurice Dantec, which is what the movie is based on.
That being said, the movie isn’t bad, it’s just terribly edited (Damn you, FOX!) Some neat shots. It’s not a bad movie, it’s just not a terribly good movie, which is a shame because the Toorop character has incredible depth. It’s such a waste that it couldn’t be explored. I wouldn’t view it as time wasted though.
D-Chance.
BTW, do you think Kobe and Shaq ever had to pack heat when they were teammates?
Punchy
Spicy black guy pees? Isn’t this racist?
Violet
@Yutsano:
Did they show the Ohio band at all? I get really annoyed at all the chatter during halftime when all I want to do is watch the bands.
@Punchy: Only if you can’t read.
The Grand Panjandrum
Bwahahahahahaha … Someone edited Mike Allen’s Wikipedia entry.
(Via Sully)
D-Chance.
@donovong: I always go with turnip greens (unseasoned) instead of collards.
Add a small chub of country ham and some sweet tea and that’s the annual 1/1/xxxx dinner.
Yutsano
@Violet: They did. Only time they show the bands during halftime. Both sounded dammn good, though I swear OSU’s director is older than Broder by now.
Yutsano
@The Grand Panjandrum: Dammit. Someone caught it and edited it back. Oh well guess it was fun while it lasted.
El Cid
@arguingwithsignposts: Already into Top Gear season 14: their journey through Bolivia. Great.
Violet
@Yutsano:
Yeah, I just saw it. Their director is old. Did they do the script Ohio? I love watching that. They didn’t show it from what I saw, but not sure they did it. Or do they do it every time?
Karatist Preacher
I lost any respect for Bowden after the ESPN story about how many of his players were functionally illiterate if not borderline retarded.
Yeah, it goes on at other places but FSU came across as particularly scummy.
Ruemara
utter crapulence on crapcrackers with crap filling and cheesy crap on top. When even a dreck scifi watching geek like myself can’t stand it for half an hour, you are one hell of a bad movie.
The Grand Panjandrum
@Yutsano: I’ve got the screen capture and I’ve still got the tab open and haven’t refreshed it yet.
demkat620
@arguingwithsignposts: I love Top Gear. That show is great. Did you ever see the one where the bulit the amphibian cars for the lake? Not the Channel one. That is hilarious.
I can honestly say I never expected to like a car show but that one is great.
demkat620
@El Cid: The trip through Vietnam was good too.
Darryl
Just saw the one where James May drives a caravan mounted under a zeppelin. Sweet.
In other news, religion just keeps on being awesome.
Darryl
I have to find the trip through Vietnam. Everyone keeps telling me about that.
I thought the trip through the american south was humiliating, but not surprising
demkat620
@Darryl: Oh, its on scooters and Jeremy hates scooters. Really worth your time.
Darryl
My girlfriend went to high school with a guy who later played for FSU. She says his nickname in high school was “Reinard the Retard”.
anticontrarian
i didn’t think it was that horrible, but then, i watched it during a period where any distraction was good distraction. can’t say as i remember much or even anything about it, except that, like somebody upthread said, it was terribly edited. you could kind of pick out the story and some character development, if you squinted and looked really hard, but some studio jackass decided that the people wanted action! and so it just turned out to be pure spectacle. unfortunately, almost everything they tried to do has been done better.
in all, you probably haven’t lost anything by shutting it off.
arguingwithsignposts
@demkat620: didn’t see the one on the lake, only the one on the channel (the other isn’t available on view instantly, unfortunately). Heard about the show from a colleague.
Yutsano
@Violet: Script Ohio is traditionally done during pregame. Plus it takes awhile to set up and the halftime during the Rose Bowl is really short. Trust me I’ve done it twice. :)
MattR
Anyone else excited for not just one, but two, episodes of Better Off Ted after the Rose Bowl? You can’t be less excited than me.
Elie
@John Cole:
Brazilian black bean feijaoda with linguisa, ham, rice and all the trimings including sweet orange slices to cool the tongue from a little back note heat from the linguisa…
Happy New Year to a community like an alternate family and weird but cool friends to me! May the next decade be much better than the last.
Looking forward to many great conversations…
Violet
@Yutsano:
Ah! I didn’t know that! That’s cool you were in the band. I think Script Ohio is one of the coolest college traditions out there. It’s cool to watch, no one is making money off it (unless rich band alums give money), and everyone can appreciate it no matter who your favorite school is.
Yutsano
@Violet: It really is something you do because you enjoy it. The perks are few (free football games and trips depending on how much the AD gives you or if you’re part of the music department and can squeeze the dollars out of them) but we really make our own rewards. Band people have a thousand inside jokes, we bond together like nothing else I’ve seen in college, and, well, EVERYONE in band gets laid.
Anya
Does anyone have any personal experience with the health care system is Denmark?
arguingwithsignposts
OT: but she’s vicious, I tell you, vicious. Smudge tries to eat my finger! (video!)
:)
MikeJ
@Anya: I can tell a hawk from a handsaw.
ajr22
I would really like to see Ohio State pull this one out. That was a ruff loss for Northwestern, but I really respect what Fitzgerald has done there. It’s nice to see the Big Ten playing good football. Have we had a movie of the year/decade debate around here? My movie of the year choice goes to Hurt locker. Ebert chose “Synecdoche, New York” as his film of the decade, which I thought was an interesting selection.
Yutsano
@ajr22: QUACK!! (although 7 minutes until you get your wish.)
arguingwithsignposts
@ajr22:
Wow, that would be a tough call. I’d have to see a list of all the movies that came out since 2000, because I know there have been some good ones. There will be blood, doubt, no country for old men, etc. I think it would depend on the genre.
BTW, I think the announcers are too Ohio State oriented at this point, especially Brent Musberger, whom I’ve never been impressed with.
ETA: I thought Wisconsin did a good job the other night in their game.
Yutsano
@arguingwithsignposts: Don’t you know there is no football west of the Mississippi unless you play for the University of Spoiled Children? Seriously, they think the reason the Pac-10 sucks is because no one team consistently dominates like the SEC. We all lose and beat up on each other so going undefeated in the Pac-10 is a near impossibility. But that’s seen as a weakness. It’s total bullshit.
Sly
If anyone’s looking for a good laugh, you can look back on National Review’s predictions for 2009. The ones from Goldberg are, unsurprisingly, particularly hilarious. My favorite:
“By the end of 2009, the biggest problem facing the U.S. economy will be rampant inflation.”
Mark S.
Ouch. Oregon should have gone for it there.
Ked
+4 This Jameson stuff is okay, but I wish I’d gone with real bourbon.
Wasn’t Babyon AD a bad remake of a really bad anime? Or maybe I’m mixing it up – there seems to be a fascination over there with… no, wait, I’m thinking of Babel. Grr. Better just stop thinking and turn the Mythbusters marathon back on.
+5
Yutsano
@Mark S.: Ugh. At least the Ducks aren’t going down lightly.
mcd410x
I feel like it’s fairly obvious that, even with some fun games, this is a down year for talent in college football.
South of I-10
If it is clear where you are, walk outside and have a look at the moon. I hope it is as beautiful there as it is here.
Milo Johnson
They should have made another Riddick movie, because that is just a poorly done Riddick flick. I guess they don’t have to pay the original creators that way…
Yutsano
@mcd410x: I think, however, we can say, with confidence, no one can cry like Jesus Boy.
ajr22
I haven’t seen it on many list, but City of God is an amazing picture that is a must watch for any true movie fan.
arguingwithsignposts
@Yutsano:
those helicopters … were not … crying.
ETA: Brent Musberger should be told not to keep kissing OSU ass at this point. It’s really unbecoming. “No one wants it more than Coach Tressel” ORLY?
Violet
@ajr22:
I thought The Hurt Locker was really good, and it definitely stuck with me. I’m not sure it’s film of the year, but I haven’t seen a lot of movies this year.
*****Warning: Possible Spoilers for The Hurt Locker******
I found Ralph Fiennes appearance to be really jolting. It took me completely out of the film. As in, “What is Ralph Fiennes doing in the desert?” type of jolt. I think a less well known actor would have worked a lot better there. It’s not like the part was big or had need of his acting ability or name.
Also, when they found the place where the bombs were made, and the boy, there was that explosion outside. Who the heck puts an IED outside your own secret bomb-making building? Isn’t that asking for trouble? It didn’t make any sense from a “how things would really be” standpoint, although it worked in the story.
*****end spoilers*****
Other than that, I found it exceptionally compelling, a great story, and it felt very real to me as to how it is to be there.
GregB
Sly,
The idiocy on parade in that list of rightwing nutty-magic thinking is truly stunning.
They get nothing right.
And K-Lo predicting that Joe the Plumber will return as Newt Gingrich’s running mate is jaw dropping.
They are children in fantasy land.
-G
mcd410x
@Yutsano: As someone who lives two hours away from Gainesville and is forced to watch His Every Move: that made me so happy.
ETA: I’d really like Him to get drafted by Seattle or Oakland — somewhere far, far, far away.
Brick Oven Bill
Today, in addition to exposing the corrupt, steaming pile of excrement that is the New York Times, and demonstrating how dumb Fancis Fox Piven is, I have made seven large calzones, to feed a group of people, who might support a sports team.
There are:
(2) Spinach Calzones;
(3) Meat Calzones; and
(1) Cheese Only Calzone
The other Calzone (meat) has been partially eaten by me. It is very good. I sometimes impress myself. So perhaps I will now start drinking.
Yutsano
@mcd410x: Heh. Tebow holding Hasselsack’s clipboard. Somehow I’d really enjoy that. That or watching him deal with the Crypt Keeper in Oakland.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Yutsano:
Where’s you at? DH is a Medford High School grad.
Yutsano
@Litlebritdifrnt: Washington state, which is also where I went to college. Might be angling for a move to the Seattle area in the spring but we’ll see how that plays out. Medford is a cute little town though I’ve only really driven through it.
Yutsano
Tressel just gave mad props to the OSU band. Life is sweet even if the Ducks just got spanked.
ajr22
@Violet: I think it was a down year for high quality movies. I found the scene in the truck with Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie towards the end of the film to be deeply moving. Also the image of Renner in the grocery store has really stuck with me.
Litlebritdifrnt
@Yutsano:
MIL lives in Poulsbo. Needless to say DH haz a sad that the Ducks lost.
mcd410x
“You expect me to believe this is a straight stalker case?!?”
There’s Something About Mary. On FX, now.
What a great flick! And Shirley Bassey!
Mark S.
All right, who is everyone rooting for in the Interim Bowl?
edit: Oh, I guess Meyer is coaching tonight.
Violet
@ajr22:
Yes, the supermarket scene was fantastic. I really liked the interactions between all the main characters. It felt very real and they were all distinctly different in personality and style. Overall, I think it’s a profoundly affecting film and I can see why it’s getting lots of buzz. I just think there are things that are wrong with it that I haven’t seen mentioned.
jeffreyw
@South of I-10: Wow, glad I did, South.
Anne Laurie
@arguingwithsignposts:
YES. Stunning work all round in that movie. We’d actually seen the play shortly before the movie came out, and I thought Shanley did a master-class-worthy job of re-writing his original work. DOUBT, the play, is a stunning piece that uses the minimalism of live theatre (four actors, bare sets) for great power through intimacy. DOUBT, the movie, uses 85% of the same script, opened up for the movie-based advantages of panoramic settings and highly specific period placement. In the early 1960s, I was a primary-aged student at a parochial school on the other end of the Grand Concourse; I know how right they got every little detail.
Speaking of details, one of the play-to-movie changes I really enjoyed is that Shanley has inserted his own 12-year-old self into the film, not obtrusively. One of the classmates of the boy central to the DOUBT controversy is a Rosencrantz who slips along the edges of several scenes and finally, heartbreakingly, takes his own first step away from ‘the Mother Church’ near the climax of the film.
Hot dang, Netflix has DOUBT available on ‘Play Now’. I may just go do that very thing!
arguingwithsignposts
@Anne Laurie:
I never saw the play, but it was the “Play Now” feature where I was first able to see it. Loved that movie. I’ve seen it at least three times. Powerful stuff.
ajr22
Ahhhh, that guys arm is not supposed to bend like that.
Yutsano
@Litlebritdifrnt: I went to high school just south of there in Siverdale. Poulsbo is a very cute little town very proud of its history as a Norwegian immigrant colony. In fact that was the place where I got my first (and last!) taste of lutefisk. No nastier food in existence IMHO.
Yutsano
@mcd410x: Speaking of Jesus Boy, watching the Sugar Bowl right now. I will admit when Tebow is on he’s on, and he seems to be firing on all cylinders in this half at least.
arguingwithsignposts
@Anne Laurie:
BTW, the most powerful scene in the movie to me is when Meryl Streep confesses “I have doubts” to Sister James in the garden. That’s the crux of it to me.
Yutsano
Bleah. Sugar Bowl commentators are all Florida all the time. Someone should check their tongues after the game to see just how blue and orange they are.
Comrade Kevin
@Yutsano: They sounds like they’re intimately familiar with Tim Tebow’s anus.
Jason Bylinowski
@Yutsano: I know this is hours (and several drinks) later, but yeah I agree with you about Johannesburg, and all of South Africa is on my list of places to go before too long. I saw Invictus two nights ago and was instantly in love with the place, as you get to see a great deal of the country in that movie (all the rugby playoff events were held in the various cities). I really didn’t so much like the movie (Matt Damon did well on his accent (AFAICT), Morgan Freeman kinda got lazy there, bu the material was B-Reel in my opinion. Not a bad story to tell, but some of the dialogue was just fucking scary bad. The ending dialogue between Damon and Freeman on the winner’s podium was the pinnacle of bad writing. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, because yeah, it’s still worth watching. Like I said, the scenery is great, the history is real and worth knowing, and Matt Damon is getting slowly but surely past his meathead reputation as an actor.
+4 Luksusowa FTW
freelancer (itouch)
@GregB:
Did you see that she also predicted that Jeb Bush would run for Senate. In 2009.
Yutsano
@Jason Bylinowski: This is a sort of six degrees of separation thing, but I have a good friend wose husband’s sister is married to a South African. I haven’t met him (met her and she’s a sweetheart) but heard a few stories about him and his homeland. They’re unfortunately too poor to go back (she’s a student, I’m not entirely certain what he does) but I think that would be an awesome trip, not to mention something that not a lot of Americans can claim.
Bill H
I realize this is a bit nit-picky but “general consensus” is redundant. A consensus is by definition general, so using the adjective is not needed. I don’t know why, but that phrase always rather jars me more than most other English misuse.
asiangrrlMN
@jeffreyw: You know what? For once I am not jealous of your fabulous cooking.
Nethead Jay
@Anya: Yup, got some experience with the Danish health care system. I can be reached at jayhey -at- Googles mail service.
celticdragon
@Notorious P.A.T.:
I agree. The movie did not live up to the interesting premnise. The end (yeah, I stuck it out to the end) was utterly incoherant.
William
Babylon AD was a really good bad movie. I recommend a minimum blood alcohol level of 0.20% and your snarkiest friends. By the end we were openly laughing in the theater.