End of Summer Lazy Days

Yes, it looks as though I've neglected the blog of late, doesn't it? It's because I have! I usually take it easier in the summer, but this year I've really thrown caution to the wind. And since the unofficial end of summer is Labor Day weekend, I've been taking it seriously by not blogging. I hope to get up a Blast from the Past and maybe a few other posts on Monday evening. But until then, I'm putting my feet up!

Happy Labor Day.

Lazy Weekend: Mad Movie Roundup

So, over the last three weeks, I've been binging on the J.J. Abrams series, Fringe. Yes,  a Fringe binge.  But, I basically wrapped that up, early on Friday. 100 episodes in three weeks. I loved the show, and I'll seriously miss it, but that's a lot of the same thing in a short period of time, isn't it?

But the funny thing about a binge like that, is once it's done, you don't quite know what to do with yourself. It's summer, so there's mostly crap on actual TV.  So, should I start a new binge? Too soon. No. Need a breather, I think. So, what then? Well, one thing I really ought to do is use all of the crazy amount of media I'm paying for, whether I use it or not. So, I thought I'd go ahead and use some. The Other Half was away for most of the weekend, and I had no particular obligations.

I managed to do my chores, get some errands done, and watch some stuff I don't usually get around to. But just wait to see the bizarre choices I made. . .

1) The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011) - Having seen the intensely bad original, I knew I was what I was in for, or thought I did. This is one of those things you watch just so you can say you did. I didn't expect much. What I got, was a desensitizingly awful film that renders all further horror/gore films moot. It covers just about every awful thing that could happen to a body in every disgusting way, but told in the most grindingly boring way possible.

I should clarify, I grew up in the era of the Mom 'n' Pop video store, where VHS rentals were mostly either bad horror movies, or porn. I saw 'em all (the horror movies, silly), and so I have a soft spot for the odd gore fest. This one though? It goes so far, for so long, that it leaves you with the inability to be further shocked. One thing I liked: our demented killer in this one is not a skilled surgeon, so his methods are decidedly messier than what happened in the first film. It leant a small amount of credence to an otherwise incredible story.

2) Devil (2010) - Another horror film, but one that was a bit more mainstream, Devil almost plays like an extended Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents kind of episode. It feels too small to be a feature film. It was all right, but light weight. I love Chris Messina, and liked seeing Jenny O'Hara. I guess it's an okay Netflix viewing, on a slow weekend, like I had. But don't make it a main event.

3) The Evil Dead (2013) - I suddenly remembered that I had this on a shelf, and thought, "why not?" Well, as it turns out, after The Human Centipede 2, this movie just has no punch. And after The Cabin in the Woods, the tropes are just too obvious. Plus, I kept thinking, "Hey, it's the girl from Suburgatory!" It's a gore-fest, it's not an improvement on the original, and it's just kind of pointless. Plus? Human bodies don't take that kind of punishment, and still allow you to function as these people functioned. At the point the protagonist pulls her hand off to escape, and then manages to wield a chainsaw? I'm just like, "really?"

4) Scary Movie 5 (2013) - This movie series was burning out either on part 3 or 4 (and part 2 sucked), so, I didn't expect much with this one. And I didn't get it either. The first Scary Movie was a Wayons Brothers effort that was way over the top, but hilariously funny. Part 2 had a very different tone, and a creepy Chris Elliott. It wasn't funny. So, Part 3 brought in David Zucker, 1/3 of the Airplane!/Naked Gun team. It was scatter-shot, but--seemingly accidentally, if you watch the outtakes--quite funny. Part 4 barely had a laugh. This one is worse. Don't bother.

5) V/H/S/2 (2013) - This is the second part of a horror anthology series, kind of a modern day Creepshow, with the conceit of "found footage" from video cameras, and still with a linking story around the vignettes. The first part was kind of headache inducing, but it had a couple of standout segments, so I gave this a view. And you know what? It's kind of fun! I mean, it's very low budget, and you won't confuse this with quality film making. But if this is the kind of movie you're looking for? It's not too bad! Most of the gore and scares come off as gags, more humorous than scary.

6) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) - I never read the trilogy of books behind this film, but did watch part 1, so thought I'd give this on a go. It was actually pretty good. It is hamstrung by the same problem as part 1 though, the fact that they expect you to have read the books. There isn't much to let you know where or when this dystopian world is. Is it Earth? Is it the future? A little research via Wikipedia spelled it out a little for me, and filled in some blanks. I've got to think that if you have some of that knowledge going in, that you'll enjoy this film a lot more. But it's clearly a quality production.

And that was my after Fringe binge movie binge! I realize that the last one in particular doesn't really fit, but that's the way I roll. In all I can only recommend the last one, and only if you're into that sort of thing!

Product Placement: People of Walmart, Forever Lazy

For people who have just given up, and given in.

So, What's Been Going On, Y'all?

This is just a quick post to say "hey" to any blog readers who may have dropped by. If you've been here before, you may have noticed a distinct dropoff in posts on my part of late. Broadly, it's because I've been up to a lot of things that have kept me away from the news, so I'm not really sure what's going on! I mean, what can I bitch about when I don't know what's up? Oh, I've managed to glean quite a lot about Wisconsin, and have been hearing the buzz on some of the Middle Eastern protests. I even managed to catch a little of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on the radio machine. I don't recommend that.

So, my intent is to do a little current events immersion, and then come back with anything interesting that I might find. I will have new, fresh posts up for Tuesday, I promise! Or if I completely fail at the task, I will plumb my archives, and I will bring back some gems from there. Either way, I'm going to make up for a little lost time!  More to come. . .

Rant: Predatory Lending, Tricks and Traps

Several years ago, when I was still in debt, I got a check for $3,000 in the mail from Beneficial. At that point, I wasn't aware of just what sort of company Beneficial was (they are now apparently out of business). I was just vaguely aware of people I've known in the past who used their services. Anyway, when I got this check, using it seemed very tempting, because I was deeply in debt. But using it would have made the problem worse, because the interest (which was in the very fine print) was about 33%.

The Other Half found the phone number in the other small print, called them up and asked the lady on the other end, "how can you sleep at night?" Of course, the lady wasn't responsible, but she was working for a predatory lender. And upon reflection, the people I'd known in the past that had used their services were also people who "rented-to-own," who were chronically late in paying their bills, and who were hiding their cars from the repo-men.

Of course, I tore up the check, just like I have with the hundreds of credit card offers over the years. But there is a new influx of junk mail, a new "tempting" offer that is probably fooling people into signing up for all kinds of stuff.

I bought a "PediPaws" pet nail care device through the internets for my brother, who is one cat away from being a crazy cat lady. Well, he's short a couple of ovaries too, but you get the drift. This item cost $19.99! But wait! There's more! For just $9.99, I could buy him a whole set of pumice stones for the thing. And by the time I clicked the purchase button, I found out that shipping was more than $20, making the total investment over $50. Just great.

You would think that PediPaws would be happy with suckering me out of $50 for something that will probably show up at Big Lots or the dollar store, but no. I've now gotten my second "check" from them, this time for $8.25. It looks very much like a rebate check, or some sort of cash-back reward. It would be very easy to disregard the very boring looking supplemental material, and simply detach the check and deposit it.

That is what they are counting on. Because if you cash this check--apparently because you gave PediPaws (or whomever the company in question is) your credit/debit card information--you now belong to "CompleteHome," a "money saving" service. Oh, and they will immediately charge you $129.99 for these amazing "$1,500 in savings" you'll get in the form of coupons. What a deal, right? They're hoping you don't read that part. They just want you to cash the piddly little check.

This reminds me of the old "Columbia House Records" scam, that gives you 12 LPs for a penny, on the hopes that you'll get lazy or forget to live up to your "obligations" so that the real money can be made off of you. Any business that relies on its customer base to be lazy and/or stupid just can't be a good company, in my opinion.

So just watch out. This trend toward signing people up for things that they are unaware of seems to be widespread. It's not just PediPaws. It can be from anything you order online. I've even heard of people who've signed up for "free" services online, only to find out that they have "service charges" now attached to their phone bills. For services they don't remember signing up for, and usually don't even know how to use. They're counting on that too.

And don't even get me started on the "expired vehicle warranty" scam phone calls. . .

Happy President's Day!

I got an unexpected day off today from work, and have used it the best way such a day can be used: I slept late, and am still in my jammies at 1:30! Unfortunately, I skipped the blogging thing so far, and now have an engagement to get to. . .

So, very light posting, until later in the evening. Add this to yesterday, and it's probably the lightest posting I've done since June. But, I'm still here! Enjoy the rest of your holiday, everybody.