tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post4987416165858078642..comments2023-12-03T02:23:12.272-06:00Comments on BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com: NRA's Absurd Scapegoating of Violent Movies, Video Games Doesn't Hold Up to ScrutinyMarc McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-203419453882453892013-01-11T02:48:57.704-06:002013-01-11T02:48:57.704-06:00Hi Anon, thanks for your comment. Yes, as you ment...Hi Anon, thanks for your comment. Yes, as you mention, there is a screening process, but it is fatally undermined by the gun show loophole.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-5184297767858315542013-01-10T10:08:56.215-06:002013-01-10T10:08:56.215-06:00The USA screens buyers as well with a background c...The USA screens buyers as well with a background check known as the NICS. It ostensibly prevents the purchase of felons and mentally ill people. I acknowledge that with the widespread availability of guns (and the gun show loophole) it makes little difference. However there is a screening process.<br /><br />I only mention it because your post is very strong over all but seems to come of the rails in the last paragraph, cheersAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-43377264182022489092012-12-26T01:25:38.562-06:002012-12-26T01:25:38.562-06:00Hi Larry, thanks for stopping by and for your comm...Hi Larry, thanks for stopping by and for your comment. I hope you had a great holiday season.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-21618777055653386142012-12-25T13:47:07.490-06:002012-12-25T13:47:07.490-06:00Hey, Marc.
Thanks for the post. It reinforces the...Hey, Marc.<br /><br />Thanks for the post. It reinforces the point that for some (surely various) reasons the US is almost uniquely violent.Lotushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774266443353774752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-86984550675850119502012-12-24T01:29:45.316-06:002012-12-24T01:29:45.316-06:00Hi Frank, thanks for the comment.
I watched "...Hi Frank, thanks for the comment.<br />I watched "Vengeance is Mine" a while back. I enjoyed it, but then again, I'm a big fan of all things Japan. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone who wasn't a big Asian film fan. I recall it as a very bleak and disturbing film (but that's never put me off a movie). As long as it is smart, I don't mind if art is depressing. :)<br />"Tokyo Gore Police" was on Netflix streaming at one time. Hopefully it will be back.<br />It's one of those mind-bending films that has you shaking your head in disbelief at what you're seeing on the screen. I've had that sensation several times while watching Asian extreme cinema (as well as a few French extreme horror/thriller type films, such as the notorious "À l'intérieur").<br />I saw "Dead Snow" was available on Netflix, I'll have to check it out.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-31410109010858075302012-12-23T21:57:49.885-06:002012-12-23T21:57:49.885-06:00As much as I know Japanese cinema, I agree. That m...As much as I know Japanese cinema, I agree. That much is just a handful of movies and then everything (I think) Akira Kurosawa ever did. Of course, there is a natural bias toward foreign films because bad foreign films tend not to make it outside the country. Of course, there are exceptions like the Gammera films. I do like certain aspects of Japanese culture, at least as far as I can tell. I recently watched <i>Vengence Is Mine</i>. I was really taken with the sexual politics of it inside the context of a film about a serial killer. It is supposedly true, but I don't know how far that goes.<br /><br />I searched for <i>Tokyo Gore Police</i> on Netflix and it offered up <i>Mutant Girl Squad</i>, which looks amusing, but gives a "best guess" rating of 2.6 stars. In general, I'm not that into gore. On the other hand, I loved <i>Dead Snow</i>. Of course, I'll put up with a lot to see Nazi zombies.<br />Frank Moraeshttp://www.franklycurious.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-2714021653169865852012-12-23T20:55:39.775-06:002012-12-23T20:55:39.775-06:00Hi Frank, thanks for your comment.
You make a grea...Hi Frank, thanks for your comment.<br />You make a great point about men who wear ear rings.<br />re:<br />>>I'm afraid that i'm kind of<br />>>stuck in the 60s<br /><br />That's actually a great place to be stuck in. :)<br />A lot of the best movies, music, art and culture ever made, IMO.<br /><br />re:<br />>>I'm intrigued by the films you<br />>>mentioned<br /><br />I have to admit, I'm biased, as I love all things Japan related. I watch a lot of Japanese films, as I'm learning the language. I'm not sure how enjoyable a lot of these films would be to an American who wasn't a Japan-o-phile. But I do know I love them.<br />One thing that intrigued me about "Tokyo Gore Police" is that I had such low hopes for it, going in. I was only halfway paying attention, when, a few minutes in, it really grabbed my attention.<br />As I mentioned, I only started watching Japanese films to help me learn the language. But after watching dozens of Japanese films, I've come to realize that that nation's cinema is one of the best in the world. In fact, I've come to believe that the very best of Japanese cinema (the 1953 masterpiece "Tokyo Story" for example) is the equal of anything ever released by Hollywood.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-13157385706853278302012-12-23T16:19:46.281-06:002012-12-23T16:19:46.281-06:00I'm very struck by the NRA taking down their F...I'm very struck by the NRA taking down their Facebook page. This goes along with my general belief that men are generally cowards. They secretly fear they aren't "real" men so they pretend to be what they think real men are. (Think: Moose in <i>The Amateurs</i>.) I'm not suggesting that a lot of men aren't into guns and weight lifting. It is just that too many are into the exact same things.<br /><br />(I'm very interested in these boys who are wearing bit fake-diamond ear rings. I have great respect for the first boys who did that. That took courage. Wearing them now just strikes me as pathetic.)<br /><br />I'm intrigued by the films you mentioned. I'm afraid that i'm kind of stuck in the 60s. I recently watched <i>Three Outlaw Samurai</i> and thought that <i>it</i> was pretty violent. Of course, I still haven't completely gotten over that last scene in <i>Sanjuro</i>. Should I stay away?<br />Frank Moraeshttp://www.franklycurious.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-8453858922769279022012-12-22T23:51:50.230-06:002012-12-22T23:51:50.230-06:00Thanks for your comment, Jack. Sadly, here in Texa...Thanks for your comment, Jack. Sadly, here in Texas, virtually everyone I know is a big gun fan and NRA supporter.<br />Interestingly enough, there's only one exception among the people I know personally. He is an Iraq war veteran and he is sick and tired of violence. (He's also the only person I know personally who served in Iraq). All the other people I know who are big gun nuts never served in the military.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-43333504794617291222012-12-22T08:09:09.012-06:002012-12-22T08:09:09.012-06:00LaPierre, like the rabid paranoids who comprise th...LaPierre, like the rabid paranoids who comprise the vocal wing of the NRA, are disgusting examples of the worst this country can produce. I am ashamed both of and for them!Jack Jodellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465017098355576489noreply@blogger.com