Hot Fuzz (****)

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(2007) dir. Edgar Wright – w/ Simon Pegg as the dutifully over-efficient constable, Nick Frost as his bumbling partner in the country, and a slew of other notables: Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Edward Woodward–the Equalizer, folks!–, Timothy Dalton as the unctuously murderous supermarket magnate, Cate Blanchett with a mask over her face, and Peter Jackson as a crazed mall Santa. What’s not to love?

Synopsis: Nicholas Angel has only ever wanted to be a police officer–except that brief moment where he wanted to be Kermit the frog–and for his diligence, efficiency, and excellence, his fellow officers are made to look lazy. So of course he’s promoted to the countryside, where things are quiet, he arrests his would-be partner for drunk driving, and a swan’s on the loose. Of course, things are never quite so bucolic and peaceful as they seem at first glance…

Review: Hot Fuzz is, in a word, brilliant. It parodies the big budget American cop film, but in a different way than a parallel universe American counterpart would. (It’s not a straight parody, for starters.) Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg possess a strange intuition of when going overboard suits the film, and when playing it straight holds everything together. The quips and puns are packed to an absurd density, but that doesn’t prevent the citizens of this fine movie from being earnest from time to time. Except Timothy Dalton, whose character really doesn’t have an appropriate moment to be earnest. And a couple other people. But it’s a lovely movie. Full of explosions and sight gags and self-referential humor and blood. Something for everyone. It’s kind of like ‘Lethal Weapon’ meets ‘The Full Monty’, though of course there are a few differences.

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Rating: [••••] out of [•••••] – (4/5)

by on May 21, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on May 21, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/hot-fuzz/

How to know you’re on the right track

In Alaska, a child saves a life by dialing 911 — thanks to the teachings of one of his favorite books, It’s Time To Call 911 – What To Do In An Emergency.

The real question, though, is how a child raised on Captain Underpants And The Preposterous Plight Of The Purple Potty People would have fared in the same situation?

I hope we’ve all learned our lesson for the day.

by on May 18, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on May 18, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/how-to-know-youre-on-the-right-track/

Why it’s a good thing baby whales aren’t the size of goldfish, or, Alligator v. Python

Not exactly breaking news, but Burmese pythons are setting up shop in the Everglades, and–apparently–they quite like it.

Each year a significant number of Burmese pythons – like the snake on sale in a pet store here – are taken home by people who never quite understand the presale warning.

They are told point-blank that their 20-inch “baby” will probably grow into a 20-foot adult and live for 25 years. That’s a lot of mice, rats, rabbits, and chickens to feed an adult snake capable of quickly dispatching other beloved pets, children, or even adults.

Authorities in South Florida suspect that many frustrated or frightened Burmese python owners have been releasing their snakes into the nearby Everglades rather than trying to find a new home in captivity for them.

…

In 2005, 95 snakes were captured in the Everglades. So far this year, more than 154 have been picked up.

But Python Pete is on the job, along with plenty of good-natured humans. Despite this, the battle’s far from over, and the outlook isn’t particularly rosy:

“We have been remarkably unsuccessful in eradicating any firmly established alien species in Florida,” says Richard Bartlett, a reptile expert in Gainesville, Fla.

(Christian Science Monitor: “Gators Beware: Pythons Moving into Everglades,” by Warren Richey [Dec 19, 2006])

by on May 9, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on May 9, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/why-its-a-good-thing-baby-whales-arent-the-size-of-goldfish-or-alligator-v-python/

Rats for a cause

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As it turns out, David Lynch directs public service announcements much the same way he directs feature-length films. Which is to say, strangely. Look at Lynch’s anti-littering PSA over at WFMU (as well as some others).

(via WFMU’s Beware of the Blog)

by on May 4, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on May 4, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/rats-for-a-cause/

Also, she had more tails than you’d expect to find, on a woman

A woman with three crocodiles strapped to her waist was stopped at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after guards noticed that she looked “strangely fat,” officials said Monday.

(CBS/AP: “Woman Has Crocodiles Strapped To Body.” [Mar 26, 2007])

by on March 26, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on March 26, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/also-she-had-more-tails-than-youd-expect-to-find-on-a-woman/

The Dark Side of movie trivia

Dark side, or alternate reality, or something: NotStarring, the searchable database of actors who were almost cast in the movie roles you know and love. Like: David Bowie and Sean Connery in Lord of the Rings. Or: John Candy as Louis in Ghostbusters? And Eddie Murphy as Winston? Hours of totally useless movie trivia await you (yes, even more useless than your average movie trivia–if you can imagine that).

(Although, if it really matters to you, you should be warned that the database isn’t anything like 100% impervious to rumor and blatant untruths, as far as its verification scheme goes. But you knew that already, right?)

(via WFMU’s Beware of the Blog)

by on March 24, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on March 24, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/the-dark-side-of-movie-trivia/

Turn up the volume…

…on soil remediation!

Researchers have developed a prototype that cleans soil by making mud of it and blasting it with ultrasound:

Sound waves travel through water as a series of high pressure waves with low pressure areas in between. The low pressure causes the water to boil and form microscopic bubbles. The high pressure then forces the bubbles to collapse, generating a shockwave that produces localised temperature flashes of more than 4000°C and pressures of about 1000 atmospheres. That is more than enough to break down any complex molecules in the water, Sosa Pintos says.

Trials look to have been involving a “simplified” soil medium, so it’ll be interesting to see if the technique is as successful in the field.

(NewScientist: “Sound blaster cleans contaminated soil,” by Tom Simonite [Sept 6, 2006])

by on March 20, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on March 20, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/turn-up-the-volume/

The fountain of youth

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Or not so much youth as longevity. Winning the Nobel prize apparently adds years to your life, maybe:

“Status seems to work a kind of health-giving magic. Once we do the statistical corrections, walking across that platform in Stockholm apparently adds about 2 years to a scientist’s life-span. How status does this, we just don’t know.”

There’s not enough info listed in the article to really dig your teeth into, but the first and likely most obvious question I have is, hello Mr. Correlation v. Mr. Causation? Say what you want about “deserving work,” but what if Nobel prize winners are simply more driven than their nominated, non-winning peers? Ignoring the notion of a status effect, it would make sense that people who are more driven would have more cause to live, and be more likely to keep going when others would give up an wither away.

Just wondering.

(EurekAlert: “New research says winning a Nobel Prize adds nearly two years to your lifespan.” [Jan 16, 2007])

by on March 18, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on March 18, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/the-fountain-of-youth/

Like a lot of people we like tasty food that isn’t full of pesticides and mad cow disease

Concert riders can be laughable for any number of reasons–stupid demands, silly specifications, and so forth–but Iggy Pop’s concert rider is pretty much just comedic genius. Maybe genius is a bit too strong, but decide for yourself. It’s stupid, ridiculous, and hilarious, and totally aware of this.

The fact that the specifications for Iggy’s dinner includes the phrase “local cuisine is acceptable, or steak/chicken, endangered species [excluding moths or anything really cute]” tends to make the whole thing worthwhile.

(via TSG)

by on March 18, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on March 18, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/like-a-lot-of-people-we-like-tasty-food-that-isnt-full-of-pesticides-and-mad-cow-disease/

Something Completely Different

…and so while looking for a dessert recipe, I discover, incidentally, that Wendy Carlos (yes, that Wendy Carlos) is a serious solar eclipse buff who’s traveled all over the world and seen something like 18 of them. Her page on eclipses (the relatively straightforward-named “Wendy Carlos Eclipse Page”) includes quite a few interesting images, and some anecdotally interesting narrative.

by on March 16, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted by Ben on March 16, 2007

https://www.swordbilled.com/something-completely-different/

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