Ok. Before I forget I'll mention this rather heartwarming article from New Straits Times, which is another one of my favourite papers. As I drag myself exhaustedly to the end of 2004, the article is very timely. Go ahead and read it.
I went on an unintentional hiatus from the Internet the last few days. I haven't downloaded anything, haven't gone surfing much and haven't been doing much blog related activity. Sometimes, it's good to take breaks. Even from your hobbies. It can get a bit much, considering some of the things I've been posting.
So what caused this away period ? Well, there was that party I went to on Saturday night. Then there were a number of friends with PC problems and questions that needed attending to. Then there's the oil change for the car. And other life stuff. It's good that I was busy, I would've been extremely depressed if I wasn't. Again considering the stuff I've been posting.
I had a DVD fest throughout Sunday. I watched Resident Evil : Apocalypse, which turned out to be not bad despite all the bad reviews. I enjoyed this a lot, especially the ending. I hope there's a sequel. I watched White Chicks, which was just so-so. Typical seasonal feel-good comedy. The Wayans brother are hilarious as usual, but nothing much stood out.
And I watched The Grudge, which managed to scare the heck out of me despite the fact that I've watched the Japanese originals and knew what was going on. I love the bus scene, that was totally unexpected. It was great. Sarah Michelle Gellar was as hot as ever but her role didn't stretch her abilities by any amount. The woman's got so much more dramatic range than this. She should do an ensemble drama like The Hours or a historical epic. She would rock ! And she should do a romantic comedy, to raise her profile. She can do comedy, no problem.
Which reminds me of one or two rather unpleasant things I've noticed on forums, like the IMDB one. Some people embrace pseudo-intellectualism like it's some kind of religion.
You can spot a pseudo-intellectual easily by noticing their dismissal of any film that does well at the theatres as "pop culture trash", their dismissal of people who enjoy mainstream entertainment as "sheep" or "mindless" or having no taste, the fact that many their arguments don't hold any water when cross-checked and the how they resort to name calling when challenged.
Personally, I think it's probably some kid who wants to be "different" and tries to put him/herself above his/her peers by being "analytical" and "cultured". See ? Some people try to be different because it's can be trendy to be considered so. Paradox ? Yes. But true. Think about it.
And what better way to pass off as an "intellectual" than to put other people down as mentally inferior. Especially if you know big, big words and the titles of "art" movies, the names of obscure indie bands and Classical era philosophers. What can I say ? People have issues, some more whacked than others.
Having said that, I do enjoy those stupid internet arguments. Therefore I lurk around and laugh at the IMDB board and the Guitar.com board. I wish I had some links. There are some classics like the "Blade vs Angel" thread at the IMDB Blade Trinity forum. That was hilarious. I also
remember a "gear snob" thread at Guitar.com years ago.
What's a gear snob ? In the guitar sense, it is someone who insists that in order play seriously and skilfully, one must spend thousands of bucks buying top quality gear and all other lesser mortals who are broke and cannot afford to do so are amateurs and not to be taken seriously.
This long, long thread was settled when someone posted an mp3 file of himself playing a perticularly technical solo on a beat up electric guitar costing about USD100.
It's a pity. Some of us absolutely have to put someone else down just to be able feel good about themselves. It's sad when people need to judge themselves and others by their possessions instead of what they are.
People are weird like that.
No comments:
Post a Comment