6stringsamurai

I didn't watch this cheeseball movie because by the time it was announced on the minisode, it was already out of the theater and I sure as hell wasn't about to drive all over the damn state looking for it. However, what did occur to me as I listened to the podcast was that the whole point of the xXx program was to take seemingly unrelated (and arguably useless) fields and shoehorn them into intelligence assets that miraculously fit into the plot. You know, skateboarding, soccer, DJ-ing, and so on. This idea sounded really familiar to me. Where had I seen something like this before? Let's see... unrelated sports field... secret mission for shadowy government organization... then it hit me. xXx is really a sequel to Gymkata! It all makes sense. A pommel horse in the middle of a medieval village placed just so, ski poles on a jungle mountain placed just so. Do you see the pattern here?

It's the story of a robot dog. Starring Conrad Bain and Valerie Bertinelli! Check out the preview:

They absolutely need to do this film. It was such a piece of shit, and I totally loved it as a kid.

Regarding Malequin, I think we need to take it to a whole new level. The opportunity for a male mannequin was in Mannequin 2, but that time has passed. Everyone would just say you're copying Ghostbusters with the whole gender swap thing anyway. I like the idea of bringing back Kim Cattrall and Kristy Swanson, but this time, we make it a revenge/horror movie. Instead of yet another romantic comedy using the same old gimmick, you have the two mannequins bring about the end of the world. They use the same magic that transformed them into mannequins to create their own mannequin army of doom. It should end with all the headless, armless and legless mannequins coming to life and exacting their revenge on the human race. All the spare arms and legs would jump off their shelves and throttle their masters! The hand mannequins (handequins?) that are used for displaying jewelry and watches spring to life like Thing from The Addams Family! Our cities would be laid to waste! Our malls, no longer a refuge from the rampaging hordes! Oh, the humanity! (Sorry, I just finished watching Re-Animator for the Canon. I think it's affected my brain.)

I'm sure it's been said, but the original Mannequin takes place in Philadelphia. In fact, film critic Dan McQuade wrote: So, I guess we ought to take the Rocky statue down from in front of the art museum and put up a mannequin of Kim Cattrall instead.

Did anyone else notice that C-3PO was blinking in the cartoon? This was so weird. I mean, he's a droid, right? He essentially has cameras for eyes. Why would he be blinking? The live action C-3PO didn't blink. It's not a goof- like if an actor's blinking eyes were showing up behind a robot mask- this was a cartoon. Every blink was a deliberate choice by the animator. I guess animating on a diet of blow and quaaludes doesn't work.

You guys wondered what the point of having a wheelchair that could "only stand up" was. The thing is, there's a lot of uses for such a chair, and there are many manufacturers out there who make them. They are widely reported to improve quality of life for those who use them. A standing or elevating wheelchair has many uses when you consider how much of our world is designed for the standing population. There's the everyday things- like shelves, counters, fridges, sinks, stoves, cabinets, dressers, etc. These are minor things to most people, but to someone who can't stand, it becomes a whole new challenge. More importantly, there is the human interaction factor. Spending your life in a chair means people constantly looking down at you (literally and sometimes figuratively). Standing allowed you to meet people face to face, instead of staring at people's crotches. There are also medical benefits as well, including improved circulation, urinary health, bowel function and bone density.