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Tex -USMC-

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Posts posted by Tex -USMC-

  1. Posted

    I heard about this a few hours ago.  And as one could imagine my reaction was that of utter disbelief and feelings of shock.  It was the same reaction I had when I learned that Fred Rogers died.

    And although I was not old enough to know him as a president when he was one.  From what I do know about him and have learned through parents and growing up, absolute reverence and respect cannot descripe my view of this man.  He was a great man, and I have always thought that he was one of the few men born on this earth to be one of the handful of great men of our time.

    Noone else can compare to him, ever.

    This is a very very sad day.

    This is what I'm talking about. Give me a good reason why any of the above is true.

  2. Posted

    That's all it is.  I think you all are reading too deep into some little jokes that the writer snuck into the movie.

    Honest to God, you are the best poster on these forums. Here are segments of an interview with Paul Verhoeven, the director of Starship Troopers:

    Quote[/b] ]Q- You’re receiving the Lifetime Achievement award here, and they’re showing some of your films, including Starship Troopers. It’s amazing to see how that movie is being received now, compared with some of the reviews it got when it first came out.

    A- Yes! After being accused of being Fascist, or Nazi I would say, a correction has taken place I think, to a certain degree. And fortunately so, because it was very disappointing when the film came out that I was attacked. Less in England, I must say, but in Europe very much so, and also in the United States based on an article in the Washington Post, where in an editorial the film was discussed as being done by a Nazi.

    Q- And now?

    A- People have understood that it was about American politics.

    ............

    Q- Even now, though, some people still describe Starship Troopers as a silly bit of science fiction about giant bugs?

    A- That’s true – there has always been a pleasure of me to work in the B-genre and elevate that, or use that as a vehicle for other thoughts. It’s like the paintings of Karel Appel, our Dutch guy, who was copying all these children’s paintings. That was a heavy influence – or you could even look at Dada. It’s a normal thing in art, to use the ‘mediocre’ and the ‘banal’ to make a statement. That kind of sophistication in art is rare in film-making.

           If you look at painting or even in music – especially at the beginning of the 20th century. Even the titles of some of these pieces: ‘Musique en forme de poire’ by Satie. Using the banal – something that is everyday, which is used in a different way. This is normal in a lot of the arts, only in film-making it isn’t, because of the high entertainment value, where everything has to be immediately understood. It’s rare, and if you use that, this method of hyperbole and irony and alienation, it’s very difficult for the audiences and even for the film critics to see through that. Often they are not even basically educated in the other arts, so they can only look at movies in the same way they’ve been looking at movies for the last fifty years or so.

    .......

    Q- With Starship Troopers and Robocop, you’re dealing in media satire. Now we’re perhaps seeing the satire become reality, post September 11th. Do you watch CNN and think ‘I made that 15 years ago?’

    A- Other people say that. It’s more Starship Troopers than Robocop. With Robocop the ironies are about urban situations, Starship Troopers is more to do with foreign politics. It’s about propaganda, and the function of propaganda versus reality, and how it spins reality, and et cetera. Robocop is mostly about the idiocy of American television. These kind of people that flip-flop between extreme sadness, and fun, and a commercial. I always thought that Robocop was my reaction to being thrown into American society, and looking around with wide eyes, thinking ‘this is completely crazy’.

           That’s all in Robocop. A lot of what we could call the ‘sociology’ was already in the script – this was something that the American writers have brought in. Starship Troopers was more more me reflecting on American politics – to a certain degree, domestic American politics. There’s a lot of parallels with what happened after September 11, of course – not just in the obvious way of shooting rockets in tunnels at the Taliban, or the ‘arachnids’ in the movie – but also in the function of propaganda and spinning. In some ways it’s a pleasure that it all became true, but on the other hand there’s not much pleasure that it came true…

    ....

    Q- Do you think you could make a movie about this change of atmosphere, in America?

    A- Well, if I didn’t already do that with Starship Troopers, then basically I don’t think so. Not at the moment – it would be impossible to get it off the ground. The American studios are already asked by the government to be as patriotic as possible, and to participate in this ‘fight against terrorism’. It would be very difficult to make a critical movie. If I would do it, it would be extremely critical of that.

    Q- But you could do it, by making a movie that seemed patriotic but in fact is a critique.

    A- If I found something, I would try to do that. But during the period I was making Starship Troopers there were six different regimes at Sony, and the film always ‘switched through’, so by the time people started to realise what the movie was about it was too late! Then the new people came in, and they would only stay for three or four months, one after the other: Mike Medavoy was there, then Mark Platt, then Mark Canton, then Bob Cooper, then Jon Calley. So there was five regimes, during one movie.

    Q- The rumour was that Calley was such a fan he wanted to do a sequel, even though the box office wasn’t so great for the movie. Is that true?

    A- I strongly doubt that. But at least he supported it. He’s always been a little bit of an outsider, in a way that he has done quote-unquote ‘dangerous projects’, also when he was with other studios. He was a good friend of Kubrick, of course. He is one of the few people in the industry who are more willing to take risks or do something a little outrageous. Unfortunately Sony has not been doing so well, and this has forced the whole regime into making movies that are not representative of the ideas that Jon Calley, or Amy Pascal, really have in the minds, and would have liked to do. They have been frustrated, because the movies that were, in the beginning, when they started in that direction, those movies didn’t work.

    He's Dutch, by the way.

  4. Posted

    What are you talking about??

    Starship Troopers was exactly that.  A simple summer action flick.  What undertexts?

    And what the hell is a "B movie"?

    I love you, Icefire. You make my life worth living.

    Hellfish, that's what makes fascism so damn seductive- it hooks you with the service and the duty and the honor, and then it smacks you over the head with the jackboots and the lebensraum.

    I really need to go buy a new copy of that book... mine is an old hardback that's missing several pages and half the dustcover. sad_o.gif

  5. Posted

    I didn't think it was a fascist book - I think the idea of service before self is a noble one. That's half the reason I enlisted. Is it fascist that one should be able to obtain benefits by putting the greater good before one's own interest?

    No, but including a dissertation on the advantages of flogging as a form of punishment is. tounge_o.gif

  6. Posted

    The difference is that Heinlien advocates such a system in his book, while Verhoeven takes the opposite view.

    I tend to think he was more conflicted on the subject than that. Although his understanding of fascism certainly tends to spring more from classical examples like Sparta, rather than the contemporary fascist states. The subtext of the book tends to come down rather against fascism, but that may just be me projecting- it certainly is an excellent piece of playing the devil's advocate.

    Quote[/b] ]Edit: For the record, I havn't read the book so I don't know what I'm talking about smile_o.gif

    biggrin_o.gif You hide it well

  7. Posted

    @ June 05 2004,01:36)]It certainly does satirize B movies as well, but that doesn't change where its roots are.

    Well, it depens on how you look at it. According to the IMDB it had a budget of $95,000,000 which is the equivalent of more than 95 B-productions.

    If you are on the other hand refering to the cast, then certainly. But I'm not sure that a high-budget movie mimicing a low-budget movie can be classified as a b-movie.

    My momma always told me B movie is as B movie does. smile_o.gif

  8. Posted

    Quote[/b] ]I prefer the book.

    Needs the book... crazy_o.gif

    In plot terms, the book is much different from the movie, but in terms of its theme it is very similar. Heinlien paints a picture of a fascist culture which is functional, effective, and utterly soulless. Great read. Funny side story- I did a book report on it in fourth grade and got a 'C' tounge_o.gif

  9. Posted

    It wasn't a B-movie. It was a first class satire of B-movies.. or regular Hollywood productions and American culture. It's one of my all-time favourites.

    I remember when I watched it the first time... after the first 10 minutes I was pissed off at what kind of crap I was watching.. Then after a while, I started noticing things like ..hmm..those insignias look a bit Nazi don't they... and more and more.. After 20 minutes I was really enjoing the movie. It's superb satire and the most amusing part is that so many people completely missed the point of the movie and watched it like it was just another crappy Hollywood action/teen movie.

    There's a good part on the DVD extras where the director Paul Verhoeven tells with amusement how he chose the actors because they didn't see the undertext of the movie. They thought they were doing an action movie. They didn't get the fascist undertones and that the movie was a big foot up the ass to mainstream "patriotic" Hollywood movies.

    It's very much a glorified B movie, but the fact that it used its status as such to do a commentary on fascism et al is why it's one of my favorites. It certainly does satirize B movies as well, but that doesn't change where its roots are.

  11. Posted

    Yup, if they're on your side they're patriots and if they're not they're terrorists.  Or something else bad.

    smile_o.gif I wrote an essay once about how the OPFOR/BLUFOR system in America's Army is actually a subtle commentary on the relativism inherent in so many of today's world events, with an addendum concerning the detachment from the overarching issues that those at the sharp end feel- why the hell are we trying to take this bridge anyway?

    I should probably look around for it and do some revising, maybe try and get it published.

  13. Posted

    In one scene, some of the characters get chased down a hallway by... I kid you not... cold. I.E. everything is freezing behind them, and they're running away. And then they get to a door and close it behind them, and they're safe.

    So take that as you will.

  15. Posted

    It is not me who is saying speculation has driven up the price of oil. If you look I gave links to sources where as you have only supplied your invaluable opinion.
    Quote[/b] ]According to NPR, one of the forces driving up gasoline prices are speculators in the oil futures market.

    That's the only thing in the entire post that backs up what you said.

    Quote[/b] ]All available exess capacity for refining oil to petrol for use in the US if it needed it is supplied by Saudi Arabia. It would only need it if the US requirements were to increase.

    Not true- all refining of crude intended for the US takes place, get this, in the US. The cost of refining product overseas and then shipping it here would be prohibitive. As such, any significant changes in refinement capacity would come from domestic changes in output and efficiency.

    Quote[/b] ]US requirements might increase if Tax on gas guzling ATVs were decreased thus increasing waste of petrol it would take a spectacularly stupid US administration to do that risking electricity blackouts etc.

    Of course, but you're ignoring the fact that our requirements go up at this time of year anyway. It happened last year, it happened the year before that, and even the year before that. Even years when oil is spectacularly cheap (and the domestic industry, along with all its attendant local economies, is being decimated by unfairly low-priced foreign competition that mysteriously fails to draw the same anti-free trade outcry as job outsourcing does), the price goes up during the summer. It's simple supply and demand, Intro to Econ stuff. Supply stays constant while factors of demand pile on top of each other. The fact that the oil futures market is bidding so high right now is more a result of rising prices than a cause of them. Shit, with the Middle East as it is and domestic demand as it is (not to mention with the June 30th handover date for Iraq mysteriously coinciding with the bidding at $50 oil), I'd be kicking these investors in the ass if they weren't piling on. I mean come on, I'm an idiot with a high school diploma and even I can tell you that this is what the oil market is supposed to be doing- if I was a trader right now, I have every confidence that I'd be making a killing.
    Quote[/b] ]
    Quote[/b] ]Saudi Arabia has pledged to a world already sensitive to surging oil prices to keep crude flowing in the wake of Saturday's hostage-taking.

    The state-run Saudi Aramco - responsible for 95% of Saudi oil production - has stated it is as committed as ever to "providing a reliable supply of oil to meet world energy demand".

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3763129.stm

    All in all there is no reason on earth for barrels of oil to be above the 25 to 30 dollars that OPEC supply it at. That increase in price to 40 dollars plus and the expectation that the speculators look for 50 dollar barrel for late June comes purely from speculators.

    Bullshit there isn't! When there's a a war going on just north of OPEC's breadbasket, and another of OPEC's top five producers is clocking in at one coup attempt every two weeks, plus the world's largest energy consumer is demanding more and more, I'm surprised that oil isn't even more expensive already.
    Quote[/b] ]
    Quote[/b] ]Speculators betting on $50/barrel oil by summer

    Reuters, 04.30.04, 2:14 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Speculators banking on crude oil prices going much higher than already lofty levels now, perhaps hitting $50 a barrel by summer, are raising the ante, bets in the crude oil options market showed Friday.

    Those speculators, playing on the potential of oil supply being disrupted with violence in the Middle East on the rise, have bought crude oil options with strike prices of $40 and $50 on the June to October contracts, data from the NYMEX Web site show.http://www.forbes.com/newswire/2004/04/30/rtr1355431.html

    I wonder what makes them feel it will rise to 50 dollars?

    What other nasty crap have they seen comming over the horizon for late June?

    Oh gee, I don't know, that might be the date of handover for Iraqi sovereignty? Just a guess. I mean c'mon, this is elementary stuff. Not to mention June and July are two of the most active months in the US for travel via automobiles. Plus amped up air-conditioning costs in the south and west coupled with what is projected to be one of the hottest summers in decades here in America, etc, etc.

    What your problem is is that, when confronted with the problem of high gas prices, you go for an exotic solution when all the evidence points toward an entirely more ordinary explanation. In short, when you hear hoofbeats, don't think zebras, go ahead and think horses.

  16. Posted

    Holy shit- someone bet on people killing each other in the Middle East? I think maybe we should call Detective Columbo. And the idea that the oil futures market is driving prices to these heights is a ridiculous theory, and anyone with more than a superficial knowledge of the petroleum business will tell you so. Besides walker, if your own personal (and completely unfounded) accusations were to be borne out to their logical conclusions, then the oil futures market would be completely unnecessary for these villains of capitalism to make money off of this 'oil war', because their holdings pre-war represented an enormous block of infrastructure in both the petroleum and military-industrial complexes. The idea that these robber barons would engineer a war just to piddle around in a futures market is fastidiously idiotic.

    The summer oil price spike is nothing new, but for some reason, every summer all the Chicken Little's come out to declare that the sky is falling. The fact is that it is simple economic factors: increased demand in America due to increased driving + increased energy use because it's so bloody hot in some of America's most populous regions + a full-blown shooting war on the back stoop of the world's largest producer + uncertainty over Venezuela's ability to maintain production levels due to having a crazy-ass megalomaniac in power + America's rampant inability to cut back on anything (because it isn't the commercial sector that's causing this spike) = higher prices. It's not refineries underproducing. All the indicators I've seen show that refineries in America are running right where they always are this time of year: right at capacity. However, you don't hear a clamor for more refineries because the folks in charge of their operation are not laypeople who only get acquainted with the subtleties of the petroleum market for 2 weeks in the summer every year. An increase in the number of refineries would require a massive investment of capital, one that is not justified by a temporary price spike. This is also the time of year when people continue to forget that building a new refinery represents a time lag of at least a year, more likely a year and a half- show me a businessman who is willing to take that kind of risk and I'll show you an example of inbreeding.

  20. Posted

    I am buying soldner, as already stated twice, I will be your "ginea pig" if that is what you wish. Of course it will be rejeceted like all games because it isn't flashpoint.

    No, because it's boring, unrealistic and silly. IMHO wink_o.gif

    What do you mean "like all games"? IL-2, Lo-Mac, Silent Storm, Combat Mission, to name a few have all been pretty popular around here. rock.gif

    What the slightly disturbing looking Finn said.

  22. Posted

    Akira, you really should go to hear him speak.  I had some doubts and attended a speech.  That cleared everything up.  The media with its sound bites and slants has painted the portrait of Kerry that they want you to see.  In person, he is a much different/better man.  Don't buy what the media tells you about either candidate.

    Kerry has a lot of good ideas and stands strong on a lot of issues, and the media refuses to show it because a tighter race insures better ratings and advertising revenue.  It's really a shame how badly we are manipulated by our corporate controlled information sources.

    I finally caught one of his speeches in toto on C-Span the other day. I have to say, I was impressed by not only his ability to recite a complex paragraph without stuttering, but also his national security platform. Still fairly unspecific, but he's saying all the things I need to hear: rebuilding alliances, exercising other options besides military, consolidating our intelligence apparatus (at least to a degree). His domestic platforms are a little nebulous, but all I'd really be interested in would be a Clinton-era status quo: centrism driven by both sides of the aisle, not one or the other (even if it means gridlock at times).

  23. Posted

    And I get sick of hearing this "war on teror". This is like calling WWII "war on Blitzkrieg"!  tounge_o.gif

    For some reason 'War on Islam' didn't go over so well with the focus groups.

  24. Posted

    Question, do you guys have Walmart?  If so, then its already started.  Line up for the nascar bedsheets and canned beer.

    I know Walmart bought out a bunch of different chain grocers around Europe- read about it in an Economist from a few weeks back. They don't actually have the big W itself though, just wholly owned corporate subsidiaries.

  25. Posted

    I think we should export joe and jane sixpack to Europe.  You Euros don't have enough hicks, rednecks or hillbillies.  We've given you everything else that represents the worst our culture has to offer, why not send over gene pool pollution and ignorance too?

    And NASCAR. We should send them NASCAR too. And maybe a couple Dale Earnardt bumper stickers.

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