eFilmCritic

[Jack Sommersby]

Well, you knew it was just a matter of time before the conservatives started bashing Hollywood over the Virginia Tech shootings as the obvious scapegoats at the root of it all. A commentator on Fox News this morning questioned a psychologist -- this is in reference to Cho's disturbing writings -- where the line is between a possible future Hollywood screenwriter and a mass murderer. And the ever-myopic gang over at the ever-conservative National Review came up with this honey today:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ODdhNjYwNWEzY2UxMzAwMzVmMjA3NGVjNjRjYWNlZDk=

Yeah, if women just stapled shut their vaginas and movies like Kill Bill were abolished, life would just be so full of "moral values" -- like lying a country into a full-fledged, illegal war -- it'd just be pouring out of our asses.

And I've written this before and I'll write it again: Republicans decry Hollywood so much yet in Republican-dominated neighborhoods you see the parking lots of cineplexes packed to the gills every damn weekend. So they hate Hollywood yet pay out of their pocket to enrich Hollywood's pocket. And we're not talking about paying for a need but a want. So, of course, the 'ol Hollywood-is-evil argument is bollocks tenfold.
_________________
"Joe the Plumber -- you can quote me -- is a dumbass." -- Meghan McCain

[Kand El]

With the Republican mindset in mind, should we not be invading North Korea for this?

[Alex Paquin]

I am always amazed how such events lead to the worst possible reflexes in American society (not the event itself, mind you, which is grave enough).

I was reading in one of the French papers that to prevent such events from happening again the firearms lobby was arguing not to restrict access, but to grant all students firearms so they could shoot down the killer in case such stuff happens again!

Right.

Blaming H'wood, the old canard. You might want to go featurey with that, considering the timeliness of the subject. This is a film site, ain't it?

However, Hollywood is one thing, video games is another. Film offers no interaction, whereas video games is all about immersion and interaction. And although I am quite sure that killing Nazis in a WWII game will not make you want to bring a semi-automatic to school (unless you're schizophrenic or something), I am concerned with game models (arcade style) that put a weapon replica in the player's hands and might almost teach anyone to be a sharpshooter -- doesn't even the army use such games to train its soldiers?

Also of interest will be what people make out of the Virginia Tech killer's motivations; from what the papers said, he already had morbid fascinations and had once been committed back in 2005. But I can't wait to see, since he was East Asian, someone play the race card -- again -- to justify his actions. From what I read, however, it seems more like a social class issue -- hated rich kids, apparently. Race might play a role, but not to the forefront.

[Alex Paquin]

Also, I am getting tired of the rhetoric that such incidents are recent phenomena, if we consider this, which apparently still constitutes "the deadliest act of mass murder in a school in U.S. history". Not perpetrated by a student, true, but that's like making a distinction between terrorists who plant bombs on airplanes and those who crash them into buildings.

[laura]

So St. Edwards University, nearby, shut down due to a bomb threat! And so did some other university. Agh!

Considering that I go to the university that previously held the record for the biggest school shooting (though the culprit wasn't a student), all this is extremely annoying.

But anyways, that's off topic on this off topic topic. All I want to add is that liberals are going to exploit this too, making it about gun control. Isn't the gun control issue really about dealers being naughty, and not necessarily the licensing process? But meh, lasjdf
_________________
http://www.myspace.com/laurjane

[laura]

And the logic with the whole firearms lobby goes...

...if the bad guys are going to get guns illegally -- and use them -- then the good guys should have guns, too, to protect themselves...

Doesn't seem a silly idea to me.
_________________
http://www.myspace.com/laurjane

[David Cornelius]

You could just not make guns in the first place. That'd save a lot of debate.

[laura]

great, so I just got an email:

[Rob Gonsalves]

[Alex Paquin]

[UDM]

[laura]

Uh, all I know is my kids won't be playing violent video games. Especially ones that stereotype certain races, and those do indeed exist.
_________________
http://www.myspace.com/laurjane

[laura]

[David Cornelius]

Stephen King on writing, violence, and crazy morons.

It's a short piece, but a nice one.

[Alex Paquin]

[Kand El]

Ironically, in King's Bachman Books back in the 70's he (as he mentioned briefly in his article) had high school shootups (Rage) AND an airplane taking out a skyscraper (The Running Man). On the "Still to come" front, he also had futuristic gladiatorial-style games (Running Man, The Long Walk) that dehumanized the participants and played to the very worst in humanity- all they have to do is shoot the runners up of American Idol and Survivor in the head, and we're there.

Lord but I love Stephen King.

[the Grinch]

[Kand El]

What you are is a fucking douchebag.

Christ. This place used to be beautiful. Now we have rats running around a junkyard.

Fuck you Hua or whatever the fuck your nonsensical shill name is. Nobody's home.
_________________
I am L. Pete Morton.

[Big Ole Badass Bob]

Bob's gonna have to second that, Kand El.

Used to be beautiful, yes. Let ole Bob have a run at the douchebag shills.
_________________
A hole is a hole.. as long as there's some heat up in it, I'll throw a fuckin' on it.

[Kand El]

Yes.... yeeeeesssssss... yes I can't think of a finer solution. Genius. Beautiful in its mathematical simplicity.

Yes. Giveth the shills unto Bob. Oh yes that's match point.

They want to play? Let them explore the vagaries of the Dookie Pounder tm

Yes. I Marc "Grandma Dynamite" Kandel invoke whatever Hollywood Bitchslap powers I have left to hereby ordain Big Ol' Badass Bob Efilmcritc Forum's "Minister of Enemy Relations". He won't give a shit, but might as well formalize it.

Yes. Yes Robert bring it. We shall make a very fine road on their bones.
_________________
I am L. Pete Morton.

[JaySeaver]

Yes. Next time a golf club shill shows up here, I want screenshots of BOBB wreaking havoc on that company's forum or blog. It could be glorious.

(The photo evidence of whatever else Bob does... Well, I don't need to see that. It might make me an accessory.)
_________________
Blogs: Jay's Movie Blog, Transplanted Life, The Trading Post

[Thumb the Toad]

Dookie-pounding. God I miss this place.

[Big Ole Badass Bob]

Bob's gone a week.. and misses out on quite a few things.

People actually saying Dookie Pounder™, his new position, and the glorious return of Thumb?!

Damn it, son.. Bob's missed you. You a good man!

And by the way, Bob charges for his destructive services, guys.
That'll be 12 cases of Hooch™, and 3 fresh Mexican whores.

Sort of left the last batch in the Whore Dungeon™ for a few months and forgot about them.
_________________
A hole is a hole.. as long as there's some heat up in it, I'll throw a fuckin' on it.

[Kand El]

Well, all that pop-up ad revenue had to go towards something. might as well be flesh and wine.
_________________
I am L. Pete Morton.