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WARNING: "SILENT HILL" SPOILERS.

Wow. I'm still amazed at how well the director captured the spirit of that game in the movie. When I say curse of bad movies based on video games, I relate it to the ones that I HAVE seen. I've yet to watch "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" or "Advent Children" (and have heard mixed things about both), but up to this point, every game-based movie I had watched had sucked ass to one degree or another.

First of all, excessive gore notwithstanding (although disturbing imagery is a Silent Hill trademark, so I'll happily accept it this time), the cinematography in this was quite good. I saw it with a friend of mine and his brother, and my friend's brother noted that there were very few shots (almost none) that were less than five seconds (an annoying trend in most action scenes today). The overhead shots at the beginning were especially eerie. Once they got to the town itself, it looked beautiful. Right out of the game. The soundtrack also appeared to have been lifted right out. One of the things I loved about the game's soundtrack was that it was mostly comprised of ambient noise, blended together in a very musical way. I noticed that one of my favorite musical themes from the game (two striking notes on the organ, repeated in such a way so as to create something that sounded like a heartbeat) and expanded upon it in the movie. Of course, so many of the characters looked lifted right out of the game. Dahlia looked like she was lifted right out of the game. Cybil at first looked a little too much like the T-1000, until she lost her helmet and jacket. The way that the nightmare version of the town was put together was as disturbing as it was in the game, and looked almost dead-on. In fact, Rose's initial glimpse into the mightmare version of the town was simply fantastic. There were a lot of little details the director slipped in for fans of the game.

A few shortcomings: The movie did not need to be as long as it had to be. The dialogue scenes between Rose and Cybil were a little cheesy. I was also not expecting to see as many people alive in the town as there were. In the school, we established that whenever the townsfolk see the birds behaving oddly, they know the darkness is about to come, and so they head for the church as fast as they can. But as we saw, the three people Rose encountered in the school couldn't get there in time, and so they were killed. I don't know if that sort of thing happens often (people being unable to get to the church), but if it did, I would have expected fewer of them to be alive. Speaking of the darkness, the fact that it was a physical manifestation of Alessa's negative thoughts and feelings was never made completely clear. Fans of the game would know this to be the case, but other moviegoers might be confused. It also would have been nice to know if there was any connection between the fire in the hotel and the coal mine fire that wound up leaving Silent Hill a ghost town. It seemed there could have been a better way, one more related to the darkness, that would make Silent Hill deserted. But other than that, revenge stories are a guilty pleasure of mine and I am a fan of the game. So I thought that the movie kicked ass. Visually and thematically, it's the best I've seen so far.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Saturday, April 29, 2006 01:07:44 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

AirTools Online Store Site
Borgo - [teeldjskdld@hotmail.com]
New York, NY, united states
Saturday, April 29, 2006 11:40:33 AM
IP: 72.9.236.50

"The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh."

Wow. The curse of lame movies based on video games has at last been broken! I'll go into more detail after I've eaten and rested, but for now, let me just say that "Silent Hill" kicked mother-fucking ass! I can only hope I don't dream tonight...
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Friday, April 28, 2006 10:05:05 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

What's up with the forums at the Gathering Website?

I ran into the following error when trying to load the page:

Warning: odbc_connect(): SQL error: [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified, SQL state IM002 in SQLConnect in \\NAWINFS04\home\users\web\b2908\rh.gathering\phpBB2\db\msaccess.php on line 55
phpBB : Critical Error

Could not connect to the database

DEBUG MODE

SQL Error : ErrorPHP Warning: odbc_connect(): SQL error: [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified, SQL state IM002 in SQLConnect in \\NAWINFS04\home\users\web\b2908\rh.gathering\phpBB2\db\msaccess.php on line 55
dph
ar, usa
Friday, April 28, 2006 06:12:25 PM
IP: 63.232.223.36

Ed: Take your time, my friend. I'll be waiting (and watching, I suppose) to get some thoughts on "Someone to Watch Over Me."

And yes, my wording was intended to be a joke.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Friday, April 28, 2006 06:43:15 AM
IP: 69.174.3.196

Greg: And do you subscribe to get this 'out' delivered to your e-mail, or can you get it on a website?

I know I still have replies to make to posts from a week or so back. Those will be forthcoming... er... at some point...
Ed
Thursday, April 27, 2006 07:59:48 PM
IP: 213.187.38.51

Greg B. : You're right about that.
Spen
Thursday, April 27, 2006 07:05:32 PM
IP: 216.248.119.208

SPEN> Sounds like you need to get out more.
Greg Bishansky
Thursday, April 27, 2006 02:48:53 PM
IP: 68.202.14.214

Harvester : Well, I practically live in the archives, and re-read that conversation just a couple of weeks ago. Plus, I have a good long-term memory.
Spen
Thursday, April 27, 2006 12:18:01 AM
IP: 216.248.119.208

Spen: Well, it's just that I can't even remember ninety percent of what I did last August, much less the conversations I had with people. Well, I remember a few, but they were really good ones.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 09:46:24 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

Harvester : What?
Spen
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 07:04:42 PM
IP: 216.248.119.208

Spen: Good God! Now you're scaring me, and I live in darkness and steal the windows of creatures's souls.

DPH: Haven't gotten any e-mails. Should I be on the lookout for them? Frankly, I think we should band together into tribes and start hoarding reservoirs of fuel. The gas must flow!
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 06:30:49 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

Starsinger - Shhh. We're trying to break the record for longest period in tgs cr history where the tgs cr worked and there wasn't a post. ;)

If I count the number of final exams that I have to take this semester, subtract one, square the result, and then add one, I get . . . the same number of final exams that I have to take this semester, which is a big relief since the number of classes that I'm taking this semester is equal to the number of final exams that I have to take squared.

In an attempt to get this cr back into the doldrums, anybody think the latest email going around for suggestions to cut gasoline prices isn't stupid?
dph
ar, usa
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 02:16:04 PM
IP: 63.232.223.145

Heard some interesting news this morning. They are planning on filming a live action Transformers movie at White Sands in southern NM this May.
Starsinger
Tuesday, April 25, 2006 05:01:09 PM
IP: 209.240.205.61

It was a good day. I had to work for five hours, but I got brownies and a chocholate cake, goodies, mom and the family took me to Olive Garden and another cake. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Starsinger
Sunday, April 23, 2006 10:21:11 PM
IP: 209.240.205.61

On the actual day this time, happy birthday, Starsinger!

Coyote and Ravyn : Welcome back! Incidently Ravyn, last August, someone named John P. was asking about you. Just in case you didn't know.
Spen
Sunday, April 23, 2006 07:29:06 PM
IP: 216.248.119.208

Happy birthday, Starsinger!

Todd: I haven't watched too many episodes of "Buffy," so I'll have to take your word for it.
Harvester of Eyes
Sunday, April 23, 2006 12:18:56 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

Happy Birthday, Starsinger!!! **hugs** Hope all is well with you, and have a great day!
Coyote the Bando & Ravyn Maza
Sunday, April 23, 2006 11:14:16 AM
IP: 4.157.44.185

Golf Store - all for golf.
Sara - [golf-store.info@sigaret.net]
New York, ME, united states
Sunday, April 23, 2006 01:02:57 AM
IP: 67.15.188.23

HARVESTER - One other thing that I forgot to mention about "Wolves", but which I found amusing, was people speculating about Mary being a vampire because of her pallor and only showing up at night. Come to think of it, the picture of her defending Merlin in that story really does make her look rather "vampire-ish". (Except that she dresses much too chastely for the part.)
Todd Jensen
St. Louis, MO
Saturday, April 22, 2006 08:48:57 PM
IP: 4.244.214.201

Todd: Don't worry about it. Overall, the story was good. A lot of great emotional moments, and then it was just, "hey look, it's Wolf."

And I guess Lust would have to be the touchiest one to deal with (no pun intended).


Anyway, I've got some more comments. These would have to be directed at Ed, I think.

It seems kind of late in the game for the Illuminati to finally be making a move, but I guess it just took Singleton a long time to successfully set something up behind Duval's back. Duval strikes me as someone who watches the other members of the society very carefully.

Recently, I chatted with Greg B about the old TGS Casting List that he printed in the CR a few weeks ago. One of my issues with it was Walter Koenig as Doctor Goldblum. We both felt that Koenig would be better suited to playing a villain. After reading "Someone to Watch Over Me," I now have him pegged as a potential Simon Barnes (him or Robert Carlyle). The scenes between Arthur and Simon were very interesting, especially because of the dilemma it now raises. Arthur felt that he betrayed the trust of friends, something that might count against him in the Grail quest. But he doesn't remember doing it, since he lost part of his memory. That's really what makes it interesting. If he doesn't remember doing it, he might be in for a nasty surprise as they get closer to the end of the quest. That, and I'm not sure what his attitude towards Lancelot is, but their parting in "Choices" leads me to believe that there might still be some comeraderie. Which, again, makes it interesting that his reason for giving up information was to save other people he cared about. It should be interesting to see what becomes of this.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Saturday, April 22, 2006 02:54:55 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

HARVESTER - Yes, the first time that I'd read your post, I misread it by mistake and thought that you were disapproving of the scene where Arthur almost killed Wolf; after I posted my response, I looked over that scene again and realized that you actually approved of it. Dreadfully sorry about that.

My assumption was that Wolf had simply wandered off temporarily from the rest of the Ultra-Pack and was living off the sheep for the time being.

Incidentally, moving back to my comment on the Seven Deadly Sins presence in Pendragon Season Four, Wolf could serve as the representation of Gluttony in this story (maybe a little weak, but we came up with the Deadly Sins notion after plotting out the episodes). (I already mentioned whom we saw as signifying Pride, Wrath, Sloth, and Avarice. Envy was represented by the subordinate Illuminati members, such as Powell and Singleton - whom I can now safely name here because, if you've read "Preservation", then you must have read "Someone to Watch Over Me" as well - that wanted to replace Duval. As for Lust, to Ed and myself, it was a toss-up between the White Knight in "Flight from the Enchanter" and Nyctimus in "Preservation".)
Todd Jensen
St. Louis, MO
Saturday, April 22, 2006 07:45:59 AM
IP: 4.244.209.146

Film Cameras Store - shop on sale audio video of the equipment.
Vladimir - [film-cameras-store@takoe.com]
New York, NY, united states
Saturday, April 22, 2006 06:34:36 AM
IP: 70.84.193.98

Todd: Yes, I did understand the significance of Arthur's actions. What I'm saying is that I felt that it was a great emotional moment, which might have been made more powerful if the perpetrator had been, say, some casualty of the Unseelies, an innocent bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and afflicted by their magic. Instead, it was Wolf.

Hopefully, if we ever see Season Four of Gargoyles, one of the stories will explain just what Wolf was doing up in Canada.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Saturday, April 22, 2006 06:07:34 AM
IP: 69.174.3.196

HARVESTER - The bit about "Arthur almost forgetting himself" - I assume that you're referring to the moment when he almost slays Wolf - came from the fact that Wolf's actions had led to the girl whom Arthur had come to view as a daughter - and now also his close friend and mentor - almost being killed; with that in mind, it would be all too easy for him to waver on the brink of temptation. That's what I had in mind when I wrote the outline. (Kind of like Goliath's response to Angela getting almost killed by the Hunters - of course, Goliath's more prone to savage fury than Arthur is.)

And I'm glad that you liked Merlin's sacrifice for Mary. (It was mildly influenced - when I wrote *that* part of the outline - by the scene in "Buffy" where Willow heads off for Glory in full fury after Glory had drained Tara's sanity, prompting Glory's line when Willow shows up of, "All right, who ordered the apocalypse?" Of course, since Merlin's goal was to protect Mary rather than to avenge her, the tone wasn't quite as dark.)

Looking forward to your comments on "Preservation".
Todd Jensen
St. Louis, MO
Friday, April 21, 2006 09:59:50 PM
IP: 4.244.214.158

And I just wanted to add that I just finished reading "Preservation." I'll have more to say later on everything I've read so far, but for now, I just wanted to say that I'm looking forward to reading the finale. Especially with everything that's been hinted at so far.
Harvester of Eyes
Friday, April 21, 2006 09:11:07 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

Todd: No arguments that it's logical. Still, I just couldn't think of a reason for Wolf to be there. And after all the talk about the villagers' obvious encounters with Unseelies, I guess that made the fact that it was just Wolf seem a little anticlimactic. Especially after Arthur came very close to forgetting himself and his virtues, and also that very moving confrontation with the villagers, in which he manages to talk them down from letting mob justice rule the day.

But as I said, there was plenty to cancel it out. Most notably the way Merlin knew that his actions would likely accelerate the poison, and he did it anyway to save Mary. That was a very nice moment. Looks like things are reaching some sort of proverbial head.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Friday, April 21, 2006 08:34:40 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

Oops, mis-read the archives. Sorry about that.
Spen
Thursday, April 20, 2006 07:16:50 PM
IP: 216.248.119.208

Thank you Spen, it's sunday the 23rd.
Starsinger
Thursday, April 20, 2006 07:26:17 AM
IP: 209.240.205.61

Happy birthday, Starsinger!
Spen
Thursday, April 20, 2006 01:05:18 AM
IP: 216.248.119.208

Gunjack - That quote, if you're unaware, was from Susan Ivanova in Babylon 5. I have a host of great quotes from that show which was added to the list I used to post at the end of my CR comments.
Josh
Fremont, CA, US of A
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 01:26:42 AM
IP: 69.107.2.55

Lady Mystic - I sent you an email about the spam in the tgs cr. I haven't received a response yet.
dph
ar, usa
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 12:31:53 AM
IP: 63.232.248.143

Gardening Tools Store - all for pleased gardening.
Gardens - [gardening-tools-store@sigaret.net]
New York, ME, united states
Tuesday, April 18, 2006 11:37:32 PM
IP: 205.234.145.223

HARVESTER - I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy Wolf's role in "Wolves". It struck me at the time that I came up with the outline as logical; after all, this is a Gargoyles Universe story where the antagonist is a wolf-like being.

Ed Reynolds and I had some general plans for Pendragon's fifth season, but until you've finished reading the fourth season, I'd rather not say anything about them here.
Todd Jensen
St. Louis, MO
Monday, April 17, 2006 09:23:08 PM
IP: 4.245.22.150

And I spelled hiatus wrong.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Monday, April 17, 2006 09:18:05 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

Sorry, been on haitus for a while. When I haven't been dabbling in my own fic, I've been immersed in Philip K. Dick's "The Game Players of Titan." Anyway, I've finally found time for more comments.

To be honest, I felt a little cheated that the werewolf in "Wolves" turned out to be Wolf. I mean, there was a rather nice tapestry of events that got woven around the presence of this wolf-man, and then the revelation at the end felt like a little throwaway thing.

But there was some good stuff in here, as well. Most notably, Mary's role. It was nice to see both the compassionate side of her, as well as that little bit of desperation. The illustration of her with the brick was very cool. She was definitely kicking some ass. Plus, I also wonder if anything was actually mapped for the aborted Season Five. It seemed kind of late in the series for Arthur to be getting another knight, although it is cool that he now has one in America. Honestly, I felt that in this story, the "cause" was a little weak, but the "effect" (or effects in this case) really made up for it.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Monday, April 17, 2006 09:17:27 PM
IP: 69.174.3.196

*shrugs* why not? 10th!
Anonymous
Monday, April 17, 2006 08:41:51 PM
IP: 64.12.116.135

9th, and yes I still exist...
Annie
ID
Monday, April 17, 2006 08:37:04 PM
IP: 134.50.75.127

8th!!
dph
ar, usa
Monday, April 17, 2006 07:02:44 PM
IP: 63.232.251.51

Lucky Number Seh-Vahn!!! *Ps. that last post..erhm...I curse AOHELL for jumping the gun on me* And what's up with this...it's like almost four pm where I'm at and the top ten isn't done yet?
Dahammmmmnnn.

Luminous Aphrodite
USA
Monday, April 17, 2006 06:39:45 PM
IP: 207.200.116.200

...
Luminous
Monday, April 17, 2006 06:38:25 PM
IP: 207.200.116.200

Sixth! Ye gods, this is a slow race.
Spen
Monday, April 17, 2006 06:31:54 PM
IP: 216.248.119.208

Gimme a fifth, doesn't matter much of what.

So in an attempt top pin down certian dates in the history of our relationship, I've been forced to dig through the CR archive, looking for dates and times of my visits to canada and such. This is not much fun, as the CR archive is, to me, largely a minutely detailed record of misery. Still, there were a few shining gems, like this one:

"So, who are you voting for?"
"I think I'll vote for Marie Crane. .. I do not like Santiago. I always thought that a leader should have a strong chin. He has no chin and his vice-president has several. This, to me, is not a good combination."

-Via Hyperion.

Peace, Love, Dope, for old times' sake.
Gunjack "Herkimer Jones" Valentine
Monday, April 17, 2006 04:47:45 PM
IP: 205.250.215.79

The fourth is mine.
Starsinger
Monday, April 17, 2006 07:31:38 AM
IP: 209.240.205.61

Three like Pfhor eyes.
Harvester of Eyes - [Minstrel75@gmail.com]
Monday, April 17, 2006 06:03:23 AM
IP: 69.174.3.196

#2 with a clue -- yes it looks like room reset.
silvadel
Monday, April 17, 2006 03:56:31 AM
IP: 24.149.178.180

Did somebidy wipe the room, or is the room just not loading...

o.O
Lynati
Monday, April 17, 2006 03:16:32 AM
IP: 70.249.47.118