DISQUS

I sort of struggled a bit with the ending - it felt right within the tenor of the film, though. Once you're cursed, you can't get away. I sort of liked that Christine didn't get away at the end, whether she deserved it or not (partially because that would've been predictable). Demons don't care whether their actions are just or not.

But I kind of agree with Troy - except for her decisions not to give the button (or what she thought was the button) to anyone in the diner, everything Christine does is for selfish reasons. She doesn't deny the bank loan because it's in the bank's best interest, but because it's in HER best interests. When she finds out that making an animal sacrifice might work, she doesn't only go against her own stated beliefs (suggesting that they, like many other things about her) are a sham, but she kills her own pet.

Also, I think the curse was motivated more out of a sense of wronged dignity than the loan denial. Ganush doesn't curse Christine after being denied the loan, but after Christine freaks out and calls security on her. Christine is so focused on her own career path, her own desire to get the promotion and presumably the money that comes along with it, to get away from her own (shameful to her) past that she never figures out that her actions brought shame to Ganush - a serious offense in gypsy culture. She never saw Ganush as anything other than a stepping-stone or an obstacle - even when she sort of took responsibility for denying the loan, she still didn't understand the real, personal issue.

But even with all that - does Christine DESERVE eternal hell? Maybe not. But people don't always get what they deserve. Sometimes they get what they're cursed with.

Pagination also lets the page load faster - it's not necessarily a click-getting scam. I'm not a huge fan of pagination myself, but for 400+ comment threads, I kinda like it.

And re: the burying, that depends more on the commenters than the commenting system.

#20 is cool once or twice. I swear BSG did that for like EVERY EPISODE for a while, though, and it got really annoying.

Amen on #2,3, and 10. It's okay for people to die and not come back sometimes. Really. I promise. cc that to every sci-fi/fantasy type show in existence.

Also, you liking Neko Case as much as you do, I don't think you could help liking Jenny. They kind of hit the same groove, especially since Jenny's gotten more alt-country on Acid Tongue.

ralph, there you go, adding to my shame at missing Beirut! I'll definitely try harder next time they play anywhere in my vicinity.

Andrew, yeah. They kept staggering the bands I wanted to hear on different stages, so to hear both I would've had to hear two songs, run a mile, then hear two songs. Argh. And I didn't miss Band of Horses! Heard their whole set, and enjoyed it - I just didn't take pictures. Re: Jenny Lewis, cool! I'm glad the .mp3 I finally picked did its job. I seriously had the title track from Acid Tongue in there until the last second. Only took it out because it's slow and intimate, and it would've been the third slow one in a row in the post, so I picked something more upbeat. She's brilliant - frontwoman and co-songwriter/lyricist for Rilo Kiley, which I obliquely mentioned, but didn't really spell out.

I'd love for this to be good. On the other hand, I'd have to probably buy a PC again in order to play it, which could get expensive...

But I'm super-curious as to how they're going to make an MMORPG have a full-on narrative. I loved the KOTOR games so much.

ralph, it's certainly one of my favorites, and one of the best in my game-playing history. The scope and depth are fantastic (not to mention the graphics).

Jonathan, yep, the most recent DLC was Pittsburgh. I forgot there was an earlier DLC expansion set in Alaska, Operation: Anchorage, as well. I haven't gotten to that one, either. :) If you're a big fan of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, you're going to love Fallout 3. Oblivion was my favorite game, and Fallout 3 is very similar in style and gameplay, but with less fantasy and fewer glitches.

Yeah, I heard the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album is pretty awesome. And I can see the "Metric as tamer YYY" argument, too. I just like Emily's voice a whole lot better than Karen O's (except on Maps, which I love to pieces)...I can only listen to the YYY when I'm angry or driving very fast. And pretty much once through an album and I'm done. They're just a little too manic for me most of the time. Except on Maps. And sometimes Pin. As you can see, I actually don't have the album between "Fever to Tell" and "It's Blitz!" either.

Matt, I can't seem to get into Emily Haines' solo stuff. I love her songs with Broken Social Scene, but I listened to one of the solo albums, and...I dunno. I think it's that her breathy voice combined with Metric's (or BSS's) driving instrumentation makes a good counterpoint; when she doesn't have Metric's backing, it's all just too mellow and for me.

I pre-ordered Fantasies from ilovemetric.com the other day and got the immediate digital download - it's fantastic. You should definitely pick it up. I've now got all four albums on shuffle/repeat, and am in heaven. :)

Marina, really? Interesting. I liked both of the last two episode a lot. It's finally starting to feel like a Joss show. But maybe that's what's turning people off, which is kinda sad. For me and you and other Whedonites, anyway.

Andrew, I think the turning point is the ep after the religious cult episode - that's where the overall arc really kicks in.

Okay, maybe my wording was wrong. That point kinda ties into my e) point. Let's say I hang out at FriendFeed a lot (and I do), but it could just as easily be any other social site. When I'm away from my computer for long periods of time, it's much easier to stay in touch with FriendFeed people on Twitter because the Twitter integration with mobile phones is much better than FriendFeed's (or any other online communication platform, really). So I'm much more likely to respond or contact people through Twitter when I'm away from my computer.

Similarly, the third-party clients for Twitter are much better than for most any other site. So if for whatever reason I can't have FriendFeed/Facebook/whatever open in a browser, it's much easier for me to keep tabs on Twitter than anything else, via Twitterfox or Twhirl or Tweetdeck. Maybe the very idea of being connected to people online turns you off - but I'd be that way anyway, even if Twitter didn't exist. It'd just be harder.

And I don't get why it's not really communication. I talk about the same stuff on Twitter that I talk about in person, just with a broader range of people and with people who aren't near me in person. And asynchronously.

Yep, me too. Although, obviously not in Vancouver.

Jonathan, the way the people in the video use it can be rather stupid, agreed. But it's been great for a) keeping in touch with my friends after I moved, b) adding another layer of communication with people I met on other social media sites, c) finding out about new technology and events early, d) networking with people especially in tech, but also in film and music, e) staying both up to date and connected with things when all I have is my phone, etc.

Curious - do you think social media in general is not useful, or just Twitter specifically? I know a number of people who are active social media users and just think Twitter isn't as good a tool as FriendFeed/Facebook/Pownce/Tumblr/Rejaw/etc. I get that.

What if you remember when Twitter broke out among the early adopter crowd at SXSW TWO years ago? Does that make me a Twitter great-grandmother?

This is a funny video, though I'm not a huge fan of the "Twitter is stupid" vibe it gives off. It focuses on only one way that Twitter can be used, and only on compulsive Twitterers. Still. Funny. :)

Kurt, I got Blacklisted the other day, and it is AWESOME. I've been trying to think of how to describe it, and the best I've come up with so far is...lived-in. It feels dirty, and real, and like there's a wealth of history and background behind the songs. And atmospheric like whoa.

Andrew, Fox Confessor next, I promise.

I set my DVR this week! Don't know when I'll have time to catch up on the first two eps, though. It'd be really nice for the show to hang on for a while, if only so Fillion could lose his reputation as a show-killer.

That's a very good point, Jonathan. Gotta capitalize on that, and the popularity of Slumdog. She's not really my fave style of music, but I'm sort of excited to see her anyway.

I was just thinking, like, yesterday that an "undo send" button option would be awesome on email. Of course, Google read my mind again.

Um, not that I actually sent an email yesterday I regretted. But for some reason I was thinking of email improvements.

And then there's this torrent: http://sites.google.com/site/sxsw2009torrent/, over 6GB of sample tunes from roughly 1400 SXSW showcasing artists (one song from each). I'm trying to work my way through it now, but I'm only at about 5% so far. It's pretty epic. Already found some new bands I really like, though.

Oh, I love Wilde - his writing anyway. That's what I meant, that if you started going through Wilde's work pulling out quotes, you'd have more than enough for the whole month.

I like Dorian Gray, but I prefer the plays for pure entertainment. I got more out of Dorian Gray after taking courses that taught me the background of Victorian culture and late 19th century Decadence and Aestheticism.

If you start in on Wilde, we could be here all month. :)

This sucks - I still had it marked down as coming out a couple of weeks ago, and then I was like, where did it go? I guess this is where. And any film that in any way makes people bring up Brick has to be worth me checking out, even though I can do without Mischa Barton.

Ha, I always use the Mutiny, I Promise You video to demonstrate how delightfully whacked out indie rock music videos are. That, or anything from Of Montreal.

You should come to Coachella. *nods* Although, is Lolla only $100 for the whole thing? That's cheaper than Coachella...

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs just put up the video for their new single "Zero." But I disappointedly found out that they're going to be at Coachella the day I'm skipping, so I won't get to see them. Boo. Although the friend I'm going with doesn't like them, so maybe it's for the best.

ralph, I go back and forth on female/male singer biases. My current favorite is bands that have BOTH. My current least favorite is solo singers, unless I knew them first from a band (Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley or Neko Case/The New Pornographers, for example). That's a stupid bias, but I can't seem to shake it.

COUNTRY NOIR? I am there. Putting on my to-get list immediately.