"Tell him something pretty"

Reading this user review on TV.com of the HBO show Deadwood just makes me want to go back and watch all three seasons.

That show stuck in my head in the same way as the Lord of the Rings novels did. I found that I would word things differently, perhaps a little more poetically, when I was involved with them. No the cussing, mind (of which there is plenty to go around in Deadwood).

I used to love writing short stories in my high school days, just for my own entertainment. There was always some fantastical tale I wanted to tell (the bulk of each usually plagiarised from whatever popular movies or TV shows where showing at the time). Unfortunately I'm very bad at finishing my own projects (stories, programs, web sites... conversations!), so I'd never think to take it up again; but I love the idea or writing in verse or other interesting ways.

I learned a new noun today: iambic pentameter. It's the poetic style that Deadwood has been written in. It is (by some definitions) poetry, literally. For me, it triggers those brain centres that just capture my attention and inspire me - like something as simple as the rhythm of a beat or clever song lyrics. It just sticks with me - and I used to find myself trying emulate the pattern of speech (again, minus the cussing!).

...Even if I didn't understand half of the meaning of what is being spoke. Then again, the same could be said of most people's understanding Shakespeare.

Halo 3 E3 2007 "Montage"

Usually I'm beyond hyped when I get a new Halo trailer... Not so much this time. It's a Campaign montage, instead of a cinematic trailer. Like the Halo 2/3 announcement trailers, or the recent Digital Domain-created Halo 3 TV Spot. They were all non-gameplay though.

This new "montage" is just a collection of 3-second chunks of combat strung together. Didn't help that the encoding quality of this new video was pants. Looked like it had been upscaled from VHS.

Okay now I can comment on the good stuff in the trailer:

• Yes some of the scenes look detailed
• the Pelicans ducking between battlecruisers
• scenes with Arbiter/Master Chief/343 Guilty Spark/Cortana in the same room...
• new Scarab looks cool! might be boardable/destroyable...?
• Covenant drop-ships now seem to be destructable too
• levels DO look laterally huge
• MC putting a pistol to Arby's throat :)

There's too many scenes that show muddy textures and goofy, cartoon-style animation. Brutes are huge! They shouldn't be moving like ninjas.

Embodies the internet

Fun, addictive, and totally pointless

Other people like Transformers, too

BOOM

I've seen it a second time now, and I have to amend my review. It improved. The more I think about it, the more the "bad" melts away. This is a film that's really stuck in my head.

Now I must go and drum up interest for people to go see it a 3rd time :)