Never Again for Forever 21

I’m all about giving things second (even third and fourth) chances, but enough is enough when it comes to FOREVER 21 in Chicago Ridge Mall (aka Westfield Shopping Center Chicago Ridge).

Here I was with the wife as she’s looking for a shirt she just saw a couple of days ago, which ironically she can’t find, so I tell her to just ask one of the MANY people that work there doing pretty much nothing (as usual). She tells me: “Why, when they can see that I’m looking through their clothes and saying how I can‘t find what I‘m looking for, can’t they ask me if I need some help like every other store we go into. I guess that they are to busy giving us dirty looks.”

At first I had I failed to notice the looks. But once pointed out it was pretty clear. Granted, I’m probably not their target audience (teenager), but I would of thought that would have been anyone willing to spend money. Guess I was wrong.

So the wife settles on another shirt she liked just the same, but if we would have found the original one we were looking for we would bought that one too. So they would have had two sales- and when we get up to the counter, the girl working (who looked right at us as we made our way there) walks away just before we arrive. And as we stand there, another girl (who I think is going to wait on us) walks over looks then calls out the others name as she walks away. Not only that, but the “manager” (which I say loosely) is just standing there herself on the phone -as in her CELL. Busily in conversation with her girlfriend talking about some dude her friend liked that hadn’t called her back. And the whole time NOBODY acknowledged our existence much less even made eye contact.

Nice.

Needless to say that after about a minute or so of being ignored my wife threw the shirt she had across the check-out desk and we walked out.

I mean, what the hell, the employees here act like their doing US a favor and letting US spend OUR money on THEIR clothes, and it‘s Chicago Ridge for Christ Sake. Suburbia hell. It’s not like they are selling PRADA.

So with that said, I think I’ll save the headache and shop and spend my cash elsewhere.

My new movie Project.

WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP

A story about three couples who are out for a weekend outing doing wine tasting right form the source: the wineries themselves. As the group enjoys their time drinking it regrettably catches up with them in the form of stupidity as the group happens along an old abandoned junk yard. And since they are strong with drink the guys decide to go exploring and against their better judgment the girls go with them.

Unfortunately they are not alone…

My review for 2011 "THE THING"

Well I went and saw it, even though I said I probably wouldn’t. I mean at first it started out as a remake then somehow became a prequel. I mean how can anyone remake that classic, which is, ironically a remake of it’s own. The move I talk of is: “The Thing”.

Set as a prequel to John Carpentar’s ’80s version, we find ourselves following the events that took place at the Norwegian Antarctic base, (or the Crazy Swedes as MacReady liked to call them) as they uncover under a hundred thousand years of ice an alien space craft. Unbeknownst to them, and fully known to those have seen the 1982 version, the jubilation that the Norwegian Scientists feel on the discovery of not only the craft itself but what appear to be the remains of an alien life form frozen in the ice, will come to a horrifying end.

A lot of this film seemed familiar, with iconic visuals from the ’82 version filling up the screen and it definitely had the feel that this version was originally intended to be a remake and not a sequel.

My biggest fear, however, on seeing this version was, other than the fact that the producers (Dawn of the Dead remake) didn’t readily attempt to get the SFX wiz, Rob Bottin; to try and coax him back to film and away from real estate, and over use the CGI. While there was an abundance of CGI use, surprisingly there was actual SFX make-up when it came to the alien. The SFX team did, thankfully, keep the LOVECRAFTIAN aesthetics that made the Thing one of a kind.

Another surprise, was that the practically unknown cast (with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje from LOST fame be the most notable) carried off the film extremely well. I was ready to walk out of the theater hating this movie. The Carpenter version is one of my all time favorite horror films, and one that still stands the test of time when it comes to story and SFX. Will this one have the same effect thirty years removed from it’s opening? Doubtful, but the 2011’s “The Thing” is still a fun film to sit in a darken theater and see.

I give the “The Thing” 3 severed heads out 5.

Something I put together out of shear boredom.

Spare Some Change

If it isn’t bad enough that you have some asshole with a piss and water filled squirt bottle in one hand and a crinkled up dirty news paper that he probably uses to wipe his ass with in the other trying to wash your windshield or that poor dirty guy with a sign telling the world that he’s hungry at just about every on/off ramp that takes you into just about any city?

But now it almost seems if you can’t go anywhere anymore without running into another kind of beggar, a “corporate” beggar or some school or kids sports team at just about every stop light and almost every store you come out of. And with the approach of the holiday season there are going to be twice as many out there asking you to spare some change, trying to make you feel guilty that you say no.

Well I say: “Fuck You!”

I’m done with giving every fool (with the exception of the Vets) anything any more. I mean, Jesus. Who has job nowadays? And you expect me to hand out what ever change Obama and crew hasn’t stolen from my pocket yet.

Then you have the idiot media feeding into there woos with news story upon news story (especially during Christmas) on how no one’s giving anymore. We have all become selfish bastards, think of the children.

So please, just please can we have a year that I don’t have to deal with it. The answer will be no, I already know. And people are going to tell me I’m a heartless jerk. That’s fine. But I’m a heartless jerk because I’m broke. Where’s my hand out?

“So. Can you spare some change? I need to pay for my kids school and Christmas”

Gotta Love the Irony

Ah the irony of it all.

I have to laugh at what has become “The Year of the Protest”. Whether it’s the rise in the Arab world or the Anti-Wall Street protester that have seized upon the financial district; the Arabs and thier hate of almost anything Western (I’m not saying all of them or even most, they just happen to be the loudest), and the those that call themselves “Occupy Wall Street” and their hatred of corporate America, Big Business, and Billionaire CEO’s, of how the two groups have spread their word (Arabs) through via the (Western) internet and when you see the protesters along the streets of New York large portions of them have their iphones glued to their ears or are texting/tweating their agenda. I mean, really? If you hate corporate America I think the last product you want to use would be anything Apple, the corporation that happens to come out with a new version of the phone they are on every six months or so. Isn’t that feeding into the greed you are supposed to be protesting about?

And lets not forget the terrorists anti America/Western Society agenda that they spread through their Facebook/Twitter accounts.

I mean if you are so against all these things why use them. I can understand the terrorists, how they are using our technology against us, but with the “Occupy Wall Street” people I just don’t understand how they can stand there lecturing me or anyone else on the evils of corporate greed all the while having their iphone or Android or Tablet or whatever the latest tech happens to be in their pocket or bag or even sitting at home.

Not to say that I am totally against everything they stand for. I’m completely against the government propping up the banks and businesses with our tax dollars all the while we toil with high unemployment and foreclosures with nothing more than a song and dance and a pat on the back by the Administration. But I do have a problem with how this so-called “Grassroots” group can continue to support the Unions that wholeheartedly helped put us in the mess we now face with unsustainable contracts that they refuse to budge on when it comes to trying to negotiate something new. How can we continue to pay for people the kind of money they are getting in retirement. I’m not talking the 9 to 5 guy that put in his time busting their ass. No, I’m talking about the ones that didn’t and don’t that reap the same benefits.

Also I find it absurd that “Occupy Wall Street” isn’t put into the same category as another “so-called” grassroots group of the “Tea Party“. I mean when they came on to the scene that were vilified as racist -even though there are many ethnic supporters, and terrorists that have held the country “hostage”. What a fucking joke. So far I’ve seen far more Wall Street protesters arrested in the last couple of days than I have Tea Partiers ever. And I know for a fact that both the Parties have all kinds of skeletons in their closets. Not that I’m saying I like them either. Far from it. They seemed to be loud mouths like everyone else seems to be (with me included…lol).

There are no easy answers to the mess we are in. Obama has said so countless times already and will continue to do so until the next election where he and his party will blame Bush (again and again) for the problems that they have helped along for the last four years while the Republicans will blame the Democrats when they haven’t the slightest idea of how to fix as well. I just happen to find it funny from the irony of it all and of all of these groups of fools that say they know better than I do.