Monday, July 25, 2005

Life is boring when you're small

Sorry but really, I'm at a loss. Nothing really exciting is happening except my work is being bought by Optus. Which I guess is a good thing. I mean they've said they're not going to break us up or assimulate us borg style. But who knows what will happen. As long as I have a job I shouldn't care too much. But then I find myself caring for this place and my place in it. You get attached. It feels like a second home we spend so much time here.

And sometimes it makes you feel small when you get swept up with the wave of it all. The company gets sold without you having anything to do with it. Makes you feel like one of those proverbial grains of sand swept along with the tide. Lets hope is a good surf!

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

The Farcity of it all

Ok, before I launch into my tirade about the movie industry let me just explain my title. I'm not talking about a city that is far away, I'm talking about the 'farce'-ness of it all.

Ok, now I will continue my rant...

The other night I was rung up on the phone by some market research people. Now normally I would insist that now was not a good time, nor was any other time (as the usually try to tee up another time to harass you!), but in this instance the caller was neither indian nor malaysian or any other nationalality that insists on outsources english speaking call centres! Secondly the market researcher was asking about movies, something that interests me. So for a change I gave the person the time of day...or night as it was.

Turns at, during the course of the questions that I realized that this market research was infact the bread and butter of the movie industry today. The questions were about the upcoming Die Hard 4 movie that according to IMDB was in preproduction (ie writing the script) stage. I was being asked questions about the plot, would it be good to have this, or that. How important was this, or that.

Seems to me that Hollywood no longer bothers trying to come up with a good story, they just milk the preexisting ones. Not only that, they can't even replicate a story without asking people if they will go and see if before they've even written the script!! Interestingly enough the market reasearcher told me the plot involved Bruce McClain and his son whilst IMDB spoke of a father/daughter team that save America from the evil terrorists attacking the countries infrastructure. I mean geez, where did they get that idea from?

Makes you wonder how guillable we really are? I mean, perhaps these types of movies are subtlelly crafted works designed specifically to boost the American moral after years of economic downturn and increasing paranoia levels! I'm sure the movie will end with America being saved yet again from the evil terrorists!!

When will someone make a movie about the evil American terrorists that invide and take over contries without even so much as a reason.

Oh well, at least I know, when we officially become a state of the USA, we won't wont for moral boosting drivel.