What In Tarnation?!?!?

This review is going to be a little odd. I’m not going to go into all the mechanics behind the movie; what I liked and didn’t like. Instead, I am going to focus on my movie going experience that I had while watching The Ring because is was one of the oddest I have ever had (fits with this review).

The movie theater was packed the Friday night that I went to see The Ring, as a result I was separated from my movie-going group (so separated, in fact, that two of the group ended up in another movie entirely). I found a comfortable seat between two young, dating couples. Within the first 5 minutes, one of the girls was pleading with her boyfriend to take her out of the theater. Normally I would find that really annoying, but that night it was quite amusing. Fifteen minutes into the movie, the same young lady was grabbing and yanking on my arm at regular intervals. At one point I think I loudly whispered: “Your boyfriend is over there.” She tried to escape from the theater on two separate occasions, the first attempt her leap over her boyfriend proved to be too short making the attempt unsuccessful. The second attempt she got all the way out to the lobby only to be forcefully drug back into the theater. With every passing day in the movie, she would yell, “MICHAEL, SHE’S GONNA DIE! LET’S GET OUTA HERE!” Unfortunately, he finally gave in and they left about ten minutes before the movie was over. (NOTE: Do NOT leave early from this movie!)

With the other couple, the roles were reversed, or the guy was a second grader in disguise. In my experience as a second grade teacher, I found that if, while watching a movie, there is a particularly tense or suspenseful, a second grader will begin flapping his arms around in the air, excitedly. This movie, in parts, is tense and suspenseful. During these sections, the guy beside me would push his girlfriend away from him and yes, you guessed it, start flapping his arms around in the air excitedly, narrowly missing me several times.

It was an interesting night to say the least.

Entertainment/Artistic Grade: B-

Worldveiw: There are some pretty grotesque scenes in this movie of mutilated bodies, though they are very quick, many may find them disturbing. The film also deals with (Inviso-text on:) child abuse and neglect which I found particularly disturbing. Cursing abounds like normal, no complete nudity, there is discussions of a sexual nature.

For those who have seen the movie, I had a missed call on my cell phone when I got out to the car. Today would be day 6.

ScreenIt: The Ring
Read the discussion at Christianity Today (You will need to scroll down a bit.)
Read the review in Entertainment Weekly

It’s back and a little bit better than it was before. Roller Coaster Tycoon was one of my favorite games and consumed much of my time until Windows XP came out. After the release of XP the old RTC would not work on the XP system. It has been over a year since the last time I played RTC, and I was defiantly due for another round. This is a strategy game that allows you to build your own theme parks, change what you want, do what you want, and watch the peoples reactions. You have to build your park and manage it including hiring janitors, security guards, and technicians. It is a fun game for the whole family.

WHAT IS NEW?
RTC2 works on XP as well as the older systems. The graphics are the same, and most of the stuff works the same way with the exception of some added animations and a few system corrections to make things easier. There are new rides, bigger parks, and new building tools. Another added feature of RTC2 is some of the Six Flags rides and Theme parks that you can play. You can build bigger parks and taller rides. There is also a new Coaster designing engine so that you can design your own coasters before you play any of the scenario’s and then use your latest creations in your games.

The new features include:
- There are 25 different Six Flags coasters and 5 different Six Flags parks, including Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Great Adventure.
- There is also 150 different rides and attractions in the game itself.
- There are new themes, including Giant Garden, Wild West, Pirates and more.
- You can also trade your designs with other Tycoons on the web!

System Requirements
Operating System: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Processor: Pentium II 300 MHz or equivalent
Memory: 64 MB RAM (128 Recommended)
Hard Disk Space: 120 MB free (200 MB Recommended)
CD-ROM Drive: 4X or higher (8X recommended)
Video: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP-compatible video card
Sound: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card
DirectX: DirectX version 8.1 or higher

Entertainment Value:A
Any RTC game is highly entertaining and addicting. You spend hours playing and designing and doing things differently. If you are into strategy games and making your own stuff then this is the game for you. If you are bored, this is defiantly a game that will waste away the hours for you and if you are to busy already then maybe you shouldn’t get this game…and maybe I need to take my copy back to wal-mart. *sigh*

The Upgrade Value: C
I will have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in the fact that none of the graphics looked new. The game looks the same as and plays the same as the other RTC games and really outside of the fact that you have new coasters and new features, it is the exact same game as the others. The only problem is your forced to buy RTC2 if you own XP because the others will not work on the XP system. Basically saying that all the money you jacked out for Roller Coaster Tycoon, Loopy Landscapes, and corkscrew follies is just a waste because you can’t use them unless you stick with your old operating system. Instead you have to spend $30.00 on the new one for XP, and all you get is a few new features, but virtually you have the same game. I think $30.00 is a little steep for basically the same amount, if not less, of new stuff you would get in an expansion pack.

Worldview: A
This is a game that is fun for the whole family. There is really no objectionable information in the game, other than the customers throwing up after they ride a really fast coaster, but hey what are janitors for if there isn’t anything for them to clean up, right?

Begin e-mail forward:

Guess our national leaders didn’t expect this, hmm?

Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee’s sub-committee.

What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert!

These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:

“Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.” “The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field.

The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart. “In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA.

I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent.”

“I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy-it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room.

Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. “I wrote a poem that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:”

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage,
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question “Why?”

You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

“Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reek havoc. Spiritual influences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.

What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties.

We do not need more restrictive laws.” Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that will not be squelched! We do not need more religion. We do not need more gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do not need more million dollar church buildings built while people with basic needs are being ignored.

We do need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God!” “As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, He did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right!

I challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA- I give to you a sincere challenge.

Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”

Do what the media did not… let the nation hear this man’s speech.

I have checked the validity of the e-mail. See the official transcript at http://www.house.gov/judiciary/scot0527.pdf (This is a PDF file)

I probably won’t be blogging for the next few days, I have parent/teacher confrences that I need to focus on. In the mean time, amuse yourself with the following Today’s Special Links (what fond memories).

+Today’s Special with multimedia links!
+Classic Nick’s Today’s Special Page
+Today’s Special at Yesterdayland

Hocus Pocus Alimagocus

Mr. Wright, out!

“The surest path to high self-esteem is to be successful at something one perceived would be difficult. Each time we steal a student’s struggle, we steal the opportunity for them to build self-confidence. They must do hard things to feel good about themselves.” -Dr. Sylvia Rimm

I used to think that self-esteem is stressed too much. We have to make everyone feel good about themselves. There are no losers. The danger of these attitudes is overinflated egos. People who think too much of themselves. My question has been why can there be no losers? That is not preparing students for real life, because in real life there are times when we “win” and when we “lose.” The quote above got me thinking. The danger is not too much self esteem but the kind of self esteem. We should be encouraging self esteem for overcoming hardships and chanllenges, not for beating the other guy. Looking back over the past months, I can think of several occasions were I have reduced the challenge for some of my kids to the point where an activity is pointless, to easy. Sometimes it is hard to know when something is too difficult and needs to be adjusted to help a child achieve success and when the child just needs a little prodding.

This of course is all in the context of education. I don’t find my self esteem in beating the other guy or in overcoming adversity. I find it in Jesus Christ. You see, self esteem can fluxuate wildly when it is tied to things like those listed in the above paragraph. What if you don’t overcome the challenge, what if you loose? Self esteem take a nose dive. However, when esteem is found in Truth, there is no need to worry about low self esteem.

Class dismissed!

I recently parted with another $5.00 of my paycheck to go see the latest exploits of everyone’s favorite serial murdering psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, in the movie Red Dragon. I have to admit that my warped sense of entertainment had me really looking forward to this movie. Obviously, my sentiments were shared by a host of others who showed up to wait in a line 3 miles long on the films opening date.

Red Dragon is a movie based on the Thomas Harris book of the same name that precedes the blockbuster hit The Silence of the Lambs. Having read the book before seeing the movie, I must say that I was pleased with how this movie was done. Fortuantly, somebody learned their lesson from the making of Hannibal (ick) and decided not to repeat the same mistakes in Red Dragon. They got Ted Tally (screenwriter for The Silence of the Lambs) back for the screenplay and kept director Ridley Scott from getting his dirty little paws all over it. Although the movie deviates from the book in some places, I felt that the changes were appropriate and in some cases made the movie even better……..such as the ending. After finishing the book, I was left so depressed from the meloncholy ending that I didn’t eat for three days straight and just in my room staring at a cobweb on the ceiling. The movie didn’t leave me in that shape.

Overall, I was impressed and entertained by Red Dragon though I still like The Silence of the Lambs better (but heck, it beats Hannibal). Was it the best movie I’ve seen all year? Well, no, but I still enjoyed it. Ralph Fiennes does a good job of playing the villian, Francis “The Tooth Fairy/Red Dragon” Dolarhyde, and as always, Edward Norton Jr. and Anthony Hopkins deliver a star performance.

Now, a note about content. This would be a good movie to check out at screenit.com before you go to see it. While I said that I enjoyed the movie as a whole, I did not enjoy some of the content. Take the kids to see Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie instead.

Entertainment value: B

World View: D

October 10, 2002
I Like President Bush…
…but this is a funny picture.

So much for reading being fundamental. Mr. President, you could work on those book handling skills.

Class dismissed!

UPDATE: It’s a fake. Thanks to Rachel for giving me a site debunking the altered photos. Here is a real photo.

A Review, Tips, and Tricks for Super Smash Brothers Melee on Nintendo Gamecube.

I have never owned a video game that has as much stuff on it as this one. I cannot get my mind around all of the different cool things that POP up on this game as you continue to play it. The more things you do the more characters and stadiums you can unlock. This game is packed with secret characters, levels, trophies and more stuff that you can shake a jigglypuff at. I give this game an A for it’s creativity, large amounts of content, and it’s extreme ability to entertain the snot out of me and my friends.

For tons of tips, tricks, and cheats for this game go to gamewinners.com.

Firefly - The next series from the creator of Buffy and Angel is this series about a ragtag crew of a Firefly class spaceship. The crew of The Serenity is quite diverse: in addition to the captain, pilot (and his wife), and engineer, there is also a doctor and his sister, who goes insane occasionally (apperently someone has done some kind of tests on her and now they want the test subject back), a pastor, and a companion (read: prostitute.) The earth is no longer inhabital and humans have moved out into the solar system. You won’t see any aliens in Whedon’s universe, only humans. The thing that I really like about this series is that it is truely a “space western.” In fact, I think that it is more western than sci fi space show, from the music to weapons, to the way some of the actors talk. Joss may have done it again. A- Worldview: I think the pastor and prostitute cancel each other out.

Angel - The season started out okay, not really what I wanted though. And who is the idiot that put Lilah in charge at Wolfram and Heart? Her track record is not the best, though the death of her boss was cool! B+ Worldview: I think it is only going to get worse this season. I think we will see much more sleeping around this season. This season may also be very uneven. They lost mastermind and showrunner, David Greenwalt to another show. His replacement left weeks after being hired. With Joss and Tim Miner tied up with Firefly who knows who will the showrunner for Angel.

John Doe - This show is just like one of my canceled favorites: The Pretender. B Worldview: Why in tarnation do we have to see this guy’s bare butt every episode? Ugh!

The West Wing - This show, which saw some lows last season, is hitting its marks this season. Bartlett’s reelection campign has given new life to the series. The season opener found Bartlet and the gang on the campign trail, some where left behind. The show was thoughtful and very funny. Barlett has also found himself in yet another crisis stemming from an assassination that he ordered at the end of last season. I can’t wait to see what happens. B Worldview: The administration are liberal democrats, this doesn’t help the worldview catagory.

I’m not done, part III to come.