Given the stuff that a 14-year-old can just walk into a theatre and watch these days, how can McCroskie expect us to move towards his family-friendly utopia if we can't actually monitor kids' reactions?…

Okay, as a story in itself, it might be fine, and it would make sense on page 5 or somesuch, as a straight bit of reportage.

But…

And the "hostages on the boats" thing was the whole point – that was the real conflict of the film, and it's where the Joker lost. Getting beaten up by Batman was pratically incidental.

That being the case, it shouldn't have felt like a post-script to the actual film. When…

Any any technique is "appropriate" if there's a purpose to it, and I'm not sure Foster had one. Apart from "action verite" being hip — and if you've got to try and be cool, you're not.

I agree. I felt Greengrass had a vision for his Bourne entries, that made…

Hamming it up as a sadistic psycho is the kind of flashy crap that gets people's attention

Couldn't have put it better myself. He was good. But Oscar good? Nah.

The 'shooting style' thing is an odd one. Few directors seem to have the confidence to step beyond the style…

Thrill! as he explains why Heath Ledger wasn't all that great, actually, and probably shouldn't be awarded an Oscar!

He should have won an Oscar — in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain, which in my view was a rather mediocre film (and I'm saying this as a huge Ang Lee fan)…

"First James Bond movie to take its title from an original Ian Fleming short story since The Living Daylights (1987), a gap of twenty-one years. It is also the first time since this movie that James Bond has visited the opera."

I seem to be the only person on earth who found The Dark Knight ludicrously over-rated and at least 45 minutes too long.

I thought it slightly overrated and about 10 minutes too long.

I didn’t have a problem with the action scenes in either of Nolan’s Batman efforts, except…

I seem to be the only person on earth who found The Dark Knight ludicrously over-rated and at least 45 minutes too long

Craig Ranapia is.....The Omega Man!

The sole survivor of an overblown marketing disaster that has left humanity as brainwashed zombies who think The Dark Knight was a…

You're right about Bond — it's a confidence trick played on the movie-going public every two years. Those are very ordinary action movies at best.

True. A largely overrated franchise that dates badly. Having said that, Casino Royale was better than average. It had some really good action scenes and…

All hail Peter Jackson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfkHkdu5IEI
I kick ass for the Lord

followed by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T8PWUgrVeA&feature=related
Zombie sex

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=1175

and I seem to be the only person on earth who found The Dark Knight ludicrously over-rated and at least 45 minutes too long.

One of my favourite lines from a movie review comes from James Berardinelli's take on Goldeneye.

Also, there's more action in Goldeneye than in previous 007…

You're right about Bond — it's a confidence trick played on the movie-going public every two years. Those are very ordinary action movies at best.

My point was that if I want a migraine I'll ring my mother — it's cheaper and takes less time. Marc Forster is a genuinely…

Or maybe it's just that the dynamic of modern zombie films pushes characters into isolation, rather than population-rich cities, for survival reasons?

As a big fan of George Romero movies (I haven't seen I am Legend) that's just simple Zombie er... physics.

Lots of people means lots of future zombies.…

But what about the christian zombies?? No-one ever considers them...

Precisely. After everyone else knocks each other off Zombie Jesus and his meek flock shall inherit the earth.

The only way they can defend their true christian lifestyle is to barricade themselves inside a huge concrete fortress and keep the outside world on the outside by use of superior firepower.

And from where, in time, the American civilisation will regrow from its (supposed) true source just as it…

would I Am Legend have done US$77m in its first weekend if it starred Joe the Plumber

The more germane question is whether it would have done that kind of business without a big ticket marketing that goes on. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't a trailer for…

Would I Am Legend have done US$77m in its first weekend if it starred Joe the Plumber?

It might have been more popular with Republicans.

In my opinion, there's a rather nasty sub-text to 'I Am Legend' anyway.

New York (i.e. the liberal east coast): A violent, dangerous place full…

would I Am Legend have done US$77m in its first weekend if it starred Joe the Plumber

It might have been more popular with Republicans.

Generally Steve you're right. But that Kidman film Australia is a different kind of movie and pitched at a different audience — older, women generally,…

I wonder the same thing as Mark. Hasn't the success of films like 300, Transformers, LOTR et al shown that you don't need big name stars to deliver at the box office?

'No-one knows anything' is your watchword for any of this stuff. And if you happen to be a…

And to bring it all back to Coddington — it would be nice if she'd tried to assess some of the films named in that NZFC report as art rather than judge them as commerce.

Hear hear. I'm happy with NZ movies making money and being a commercial success. I'm…

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/

then it's dominated by fantasy/comic-book adaptations aimed at teens, and not that star-dependent. Heath Ledger's profile might have made a small difference to The Dark Knight's BO (as Variety would put it) and Johnny Depp's to the Pirates movies, and Harrison…

...she's just insanely overpriced for what she can deliver, and most of the time she doesn't deliver.

Aren't they all?

I'm no great fan of Nicole Kidman, but I find it interesting that when a film she's in tanks she's "box office poison".

I woudn't actually go as far as to say she's box office poison – she's just insanely overpriced for what she can deliver, and most of the…

I'm no great fan of Nicole Kidman, but I find it interesting that when a film she's in tanks she's "box office poison". Her ex-husband, on the other hand, hasn't headlined a a break-even film this millennium that wasn't directed by Steven Spielberg, and he's running a studio. (Whose…

The Others, The Hours, Birth, Dogville, even Cold Mountain

I'll give you The Hours and The Others. The rest should have died in development. Cold Mountain also has the distinction of having not one, but two 'red light' actors in lead roles (actors whose names automatically kill the film -…

The last Nicole Kidman movie worth seeing?

Margot at the Wedding (2007) — she and Jennifer Jason Leigh play excruciatingly dysfunctional sisters.

And yet ... Margaret Pope, who wrote the speech (but not, obviously, its brilliant extemporising), was there on the night it was delivered, and subsequently lived with David Lange till he died, was totally okay with it, and thought that Lange would have been too.

I'm tempted to say it's…

Finlayson would actually do arts funding bodies (a favour) if he demanded they undergo a plain English audit, and didn't treat public scrutiny or criticism as some kind of Philistine mugging.

Craig – whether or not it was your intention, you've summed up something of Ruth Harley's approach as Film…

And yet ... Margaret Pope, who wrote the speech (but not, obviously, its brilliant extemporising), was there on the night it was delivered, and subsequently lived with David Lange till he died, was totally okay with it, and thought that Lange would have been too.

So it's not…

Also, 178,000 DVDs were sold of The Tattooist in the US.…

What Shaun said.

It is revoltingly tacky to use what is probably the finest speech made by a New Zealander – one that resonated around the world, making NZ and its inhabitants seem brilliant and rather heroic by association – to promote something that is the ugliest and most…

Sione's, No 2 and Second-Hand did better here but did no business overseas

That was in the back of my mind – the horror productions looking for overseas success a la PJ – is it possible the Ferryman could go this way?

Think the use of the Lange speech by a brewery is pretty tacky, both in terms of the constant (mis)appropriation of culture for commercial ends, but also using an acknowledged alcoholic to sell beer.

What Shaun said.

It is revoltingly tacky to use what is probably the finest speech made…

"Everywhere you look, a disgrace can be found. A little-known documentary, Trouble is my Business, was funded by the commission and made by a staff member."

That little-known documentary screened in Film Festivals in Auckland, Wellington, Chch, Hamilton and Dunedin…

It would have to be Proust of course.

Proust, in his first book, in his first book...

lol

I have a greater than average number of legs

And by the same token, most of us reading have a greater than average number of eyes ...

I bet you're a very popular fella.

... and the readership as a whole has a greater average number of male sexual organs…

We could do a controlled experiment, get twelve PAS readers and ask them to summarise the contents in 300 words or less

It would have to be Proust of course.

"According to statistics, in 1998 there were 318,000 women in the UK who said they were engaged to be married and 218,000 men who said they were engaged to be married" (anon)

Now see, that's just polygamy hopefuls waiting for a law change.

Geoff: I have a greater than average number of legs.

Wow. If it means in these here parts the same thing it means back home, I bet you're a very popular fella.

Ah, mixed feelings on the OU speech being used to flog beer (disclaimer: I work for a competing ad agency). I feel that that speech is a part of my growing up in NZ and that it's been cheapened by using it in this way.

Meh... I don't crack the…

Tell you what, though; considering how pained Craig is whenever Trotter makes an analogy to murder, he's going to go nuts when he sees this. ;)

Too bloody right — but I've got to agree with Steve Parks that it's a reasonable argument spoiled by rhetorical over-kill. Trotter comparing critics…

"86% of all statistics are made up on the spot" (Vic Reeves)

"If one foot is in a bucket of ice water and the other is in a bucket of boiling water, on average, you can be quite comfortable" (anon)

"According…

Reading a bit further on it was 1 in 20, 30-49yr old men who came from a group of 200 gay men who go to sexual health clinics, FFS.

If you ever run into someone quoting the stat that 20% of internet pornography is child pornography? That comes from a…

http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4777829a24035.html

Online "Study finds gay men most at risk of HIV"
In print page A4 "Study finds gay men most at risk of HIV with one in…

I'm just saying that if you did that experiment..... 4 of the 12 might choose to…

Another less sinister, and yet also likely one, is that both journalists were paraphrasing and condensing the same source material.

When I was in high school our Latin teacher use to hammer us with homework, four translations per week and they were no picnic. So my best buddy and I…

While obviously, near-direct copying is a likely explanation....

Another less sinister, and yet also likely one, is that both journalists were paraphrasing and condensing the same source material.

It's a story about a medical expert and their discoveries.... they have…

TVNZ marketing head Jason Paris said the move to bring back the pair was prompted by discussion about an appropriate Christmas message.

[Networks Manager, John] Howson said he was absolutely certain McCarthy's errors were "not intentional at all".

No mixed feelings here – travesty. Shit product, wasted cultural reference.

On the bright side, at least it doesn't fold, spindle and mutilate the language as much as the Harvey Keitel one. "When they said that Everest couldn't be conquered, you said no!"

Tell you what, though; considering how pained Craig is whenever Trotter makes an analogy to murder, he's going to go nuts when he sees this. ;)

The annoying thing is, the rest of Coddington's column is fair argument. That's not to say that I necessarily agree . . .

It's a bit depressing that until her departure from parliament in 2005 Coddington was about the only opposition politician taking any kind of interest in the off-the-rails…

The annoying thing is, the rest of Coddington's column is fair argument.

As a New Zealander this sort of rampant parochial xenophobia makes me rather squirm with embarrassment though:

another $20,000 as initial funding for a documentary on that "well-known New Zealander" Robert Fisk. Eh? A British foreign correspondent -…

Because if this kind of diabetic coma-inducing cack is seeing print on the watch of sober people, we should all be afraid. Very afraid.

Par for the course with that rag. Elsewhere today in the Herald:

On second thoughts, taking a stick to the [Film] commission is too good. [National's arts…

On the topic of journalism, a small interjection – I think the author of this Herald article wins some kind of award for Most Inappropriate Metaphor. Just, what.

Lucy: The oeuvre of Ms. Carolyne Meng-Yee is a pretty strong argument for compulsory random workplace drug and alcohol testing. Because if…

But he lost his job as assistant police commissioner

Lost? No, he resigned to avoid a Police disciplinary hearing the next day. I recall that really pissing off Louise Nicholas at the time.

"John Haigh has been a rock to me, to us, a great mentor and a fantastic role model. He is part of the reason why I wanted to do law... you know, that man epitomises integrity and honesty."

No comment.
Just- no comment.

is Noelle McCarthy's passing off sections of the work of others as her own inherently different from that for which Alexis Stuart lost her job?

I can't abide the NatRad afternoon show, so I'm not sure to what extent they're expected to be original, but my general impression is that…

headless chickens suck balls...

...end of story

goodnight:)

Sooo, is that good or bad?:)

...end of story

goodnight:)

Generation Y is taking the principle that information wants to be free to heart

And perhaps a subconscious realisation of that is driving (curmudgeonly) media interest in this instance of plagiarism that I'm reading is at the "lower end" of some scale.

It would have taken 30 seconds to rehash those sentences

Well, a bit longer. It's actually hard work paraphrasing without seeming to be merely reshuffling words and when you're just giving throwaway titbits on air, it's easy to slip into repetition. Storm in a bloody teacup, really, except to the…

Whether they really wanted to kill themselves, or to do themselves any real harm, is another matter

"Silliest bottom burp? Rik."

Young Ones fans will get it...

Seriously, I'm not being insensitive, really. I've had students who've tried to top themselves (and I've heard of some who've done more than…

The sound you just heard? That was me dropping my gloves.

Man. Those are really nasty gloves dude. No palm at all.

Just wondering if you would be able to tell us how the Chickens gig was either by review or a link to a review......am really annoyed I won't be able to see them due to being a hell of a long way away.....the children's hour gig in 2005…

In a threatening manner, old chap?

Is there any other manner?

dropping my gloves

In a threatening manner, old chap?

Okay: Anaheim fan, disrespecting my oral hygiene... I now officially hate you.

Said like a man whose team is running 24th out of 30.

The sound you just heard? That was me dropping my gloves.

Okay: Anaheim fan, disrespecting my oral hygiene... I now officially hate you.

Said like a man whose team is running 24th out of 30.

Russell can correct me, but isn't the usual process on student radio stations, who can't afford a news gathering team or even Reuters/NZPA, to source stories…

They are also describing a possible link between paracetamol use in children and later asthma.

And yet most doctors pretty near force the stuff on you no matter what you take your kid in for.

if you get my drift

I think I'm overdue for some flu.. :)

What's really sad are those who try to suicide by over…

Anyway, not to worry, if you get it wrong there's N-acetylcysteine (NAC) – the antidote (they could make paracetamol with NAC included, without affecting the analgesic effect, but it would be much more expensive). And if you don't get NAC in time there's always a liver transplant...

Great, you've put…

The McCarthy piece on dementia is out-and-out plagiarism, surely.

It wasn't Noelle McCarthy, it was Linley Boniface. And can I just say that I'm not alleging anything? I have enough trouble coming up with dentist money, I would like not to be sued. But I'm with you on the whole…

McCarthy piece on dementia is out-and-out plagiarism

Nope. That was The Listener.

Okay, now I'm scared out of taking Panadol. So, the guy who's going through a multi-session root canal should take what? morphine? I knew the day would come when I would rely on PAS for pharmaceutical advice...

The toxic range for paracetamol is close to the therapeutic range at approximately…

I recall a friend doing a pharma course being alarmed by the this-is-your-liver, this-is-your-liver-if-you-take-paracetemol-to-deal-with-your-alcohol-poisoning-induced-hangover pictures.

You only have to take a couple years of physiology to become horrified at the prospect of destroying any essential pathway in your body... and acetominophen (Panadol, Excedrin) or booze are both very easy ways…

I'm thinking that's all Noelle was doing, just in a less relaxed environment.

if you get my drift (wink wink!!!)

I'm a notorious not getter of drifts, but I might possibly make an exception.

Greater care of his teeth?

Okay: Anaheim fan, disrespecting my oral hygiene... I now officially hate you.

(Plus, to quote the Simpsons: no matter how you brush your teeth, you're doing it wrong.)

Good post about the Noelle business on Peter Hoar's new blog

Worth reading through to the end for the fish story (properly attributed I note).

So, the guy who's going through a multi-session root canal should take what?

Greater care of his teeth?

One day, they were sitting together in a doctor's waiting room when out of the blue Dorothy [Johnson] said, "Has our flight been called yet?" Garner was…

Okay, now I'm scared out of taking Panadol. So, the guy who's going through a multi-session root canal should take what? morphine? I knew the day would come when I would rely on PAS for pharmaceutical advice...

It's a shame that the painkillers that really work for the big jobs…

Then again I'm not a journalist and I don't know the subtleties of proper attribution.

I just had a look. Hmmm. I don't think I'd be comfortable with that.

But it can be difficult when you have a column-writing job that basically involves you synthesising interesting news and knowledge in…

The five dollars took a little bit of finding. I had been looking for the words as starting letters or code rather than a link in you'll.

I'm kicking myself... I so should have hidden underneath a w.

The notion of a panadol overdose i thought was just silly, but taken in large quantities it can certainly have that effect.

Not even that large – I've been strongly warned against taking even one extra tablet by an acquaintance in A&E, who should know. The clinically effective dose for paracetamol…

The handful of items she got caught on were certainly improperly attributed — she used whole sentences and turns of phrase from UK newspaper stories. That's at least sloppy.

Funny. I've been wondering about that since reading a health story in the Listener back in August which seemed heavily indebted…

Noelle's off air till Boxing Day, but back for Summer Noelle.

It probably wouldn't even have been that if John Howson hadn't blurted to the media before considering her case.

On Radio NZ (buggar their marketing), whos boyfriend did Noelle steal to get knocked off the air? Some Jurno student who still has their uni login to use turnitin ?

She had to apologise but she's still on air.

The handful of items she got caught on were certainly improperly…

Quite. It's amazing how many people actually are killed by ingesting paracetamol every year.

It damages the liver & kidneys. The notion of a panadol overdose i thought was just silly, but taken in large quantities it can certainly have that effect.

I don't think she passed any of the work off as her own, just starters for the afternoon chat, most…

turnups

I read turnips. It was a very strange moment.

For reasons of copyright, as well as those…

I don't think you read that right ...

Weeeell . . . "changes in visual perception" doesn't quite strike me as full-on living-colour 3d with surround sound hallucinations. For that you'd need something with suspected side effects such as minor brain damage – and, probably, zero antitussinal properties. Whether a…

Thanks for noticing Access All Areas: Headless Chickens Re-animated (more of Trevor Reekie's good work) and Bowie's Waiata as broadcast during Music 101 recently.

Just to let people know, the full version of Bowie's Waiata plays again tonight (Fri 28 Nov) at 7.30pm on Radio New Zealand National…

The five dollars took a little bit of finding. I had been looking for the words as starting letters or code rather than a link in you'll.

Do not use any syrup containing paracetamol – could be fatal.

Quite. It's amazing how many people actually are killed by ingesting paracetamol every year.

Surely morphine has even more severe withdrawal symptoms?

After extended use yes. If you're just on it for a couple of days then not so much.

DXM is the drug of choice in the US southern hip-hop scene.

Tussin'!

If you are fortunate enough to be using the Firefox browser, go to the…

and the second is, well, an advertisement

Yeah – but...!

Yes, I know.

and the second is, well, an advertisement

Yeah – but...!

Caffeine has not helped at all, and curiously, I also haven't felt like…

the good shit

It's a much over-looked point in the debate, but pseudoephidrine is a much better decongestant than phenylephrine. If you're pharmacist won't give you pseudo, there are a surprising number of other options, including most aphetamines and cocaine. Ritalin, LSD and psilocybin may also have some effect. Amusingly,…

I've been trying various medz too this week, having a horrible cold. Of the legalz, Coldral day/night has been most effective for symptom relief. I did have to say to…

. . . resist the temptation to make non-medical use of my cough syrup . . .

According to that link it sounds pretty resistable. You'd have to sink at least 250ml of vile-flavoured concoction just to reach the "fourth plateau", and still only experience stage one hallucinations, i.e. distortions…