I recently asked a few boomers IRL how X-Men: First Class would've gone over if played at cinemas during the Cold War (say by mischievous or curious time travelers). Special effects aside, I'd think it would subvert Cold War propaganda in that both the US and USSR are seen a more realistic, morally ambiguous people driven by ideology and fear rather than pure evil or as brainwashed servants of the state, and ultimately both were facing common enemies, and then both allied together making them both bad guys (though even then they weren't portrayed as evil). While neither country was portrayed as the "evil empire" neither was portrayed in such a way as to be seen as unquestionably wise & just (thus making their authority questionable), either. I was curious how much it would screw with people's heads back then, and if it would've inspired an ideological moral panic.

Unfortunately, almost no one I asked (who'd be old enough to say) saw the movie, but of the very few who did had very different views (much to my surprise), and I thought I'd sum it up and offer it here for others to add their insights and opinions. My question was how would it go in 1969 (after the Hayes code was pretty much over) and also 1960 before the Cuban missile crisis, though it ended up going into how it would be perceived in the 80s as well. Summed up:

1960: One claimed all hell would break loose in a time that even MAD magazine got visited by the Feds for mocking the government and even It's a Wonderful Life came under FBI scrutiny for having the villain being such a wealthy individual (and thus promoting Communist propaganda instead of Capitalist propaganda). Also, it's possible that Jupiter missiles in Turkey weren't public knowledge at the time as even JFK didn't know about it until advised during the Cuban missile crisis (and Charles is accused of being a spy in the movie after he asks about them).

OTOH, Dr. No came out in 1962 and showed plenty of skin and fairly competent women. Also, Hugh Hefner's Playboy Clubs and the Playboy Mansion was a popular icon in the 60s and James Bond is shown as having some kind of card or key for it in I think Diamonds are Forever. Thus the film may not have provoked a moral panic (at least on non ideological grounds) and been popular, and just may have been seen as a popcorn flick with epic special effects.

1969: Everyone agreed that in the political turmoil of the time that this would've generated A LOT of hand wringing and screaming over this film and it would even be labelled as outright Satanic, but would also be a blockbuster hit that catapulted all the stars into international fame (this was the ONLY thing everyone I asked agreed upon).

In addition to subverting Cold War propaganda, it showed women being in control of their sexuality (and controlling men through it) as well as having brains and competence (while the male audience could still appreciate the skin showed), and it would also tap the racial turmoil of the difference between MLK Jr. (Xavier) and Malcolm X (Magneto), which would help make this film a huge hit while at the same time scaring the crap out of plenty of others for the same reason. In short, the movie would likely generate intense discussion & debate from the Cold War to race relations and feminism (all huge topics of the day challenging the status quo), which is why it would be intensely huge but at the same time reviled (especially by TPTB). And by this time, not only was the Hayes code over with, but Star Trek was (much more subtly) questioning the social order on TV (including with the character Chekov) and James Bond movies sometimes had a similar feel.

1980s: One said the Cold War was losing steam and she cited many movies (such as War Games to The Day After and even some James Bond movies), and popular songs (like Sting's Russians) that were saying both sides needed to take a chill pill and relax. Russia seemed a little less evil and kids in American schools started questioning Cold War propaganda (I previously heard how American schools started to phase out the teaching of critical thinking skills in the early 80s, which a few believe was Reagan trying to stem kids from looking at American propaganda with the same critical eye as toward Russian propaganda, too). So she thinks it would've just been seen as another over the top popcorn flick (with epic special effects of course).

But a guy said the Cold War was still going strong even in the 80s and cited Ronald Reagan's "bear in the woods" ad, and all too many hit movies capitalized on it, such as the Rambo and Missing in Action films, Rocky IV, Red Dawn, and a bunch of others I can't recall. So it was still a big deal (either that or guys just liked seeing bad guys blown up and blown away and Commies were convenient bad guys at the time), and even though The Terminator had a similar spiel of an unknown enemy exploiting the Cold War to crush the world and its social order to take over, the movie never humanized the Soviets as the X-Men movie did. So he believes that even in the 80s it would generate an ideological moral panic, or at least screw with how people were used to thinking. (He also claimed that when he saw Terminator 2: Judgement Day in 1991 that he felt shocked over the line of the Russians being "our friends now" as it was almost too much to take in.)

Because I got such strong disagreement I thought I'd put the question out on this board and see if anyone else wanted to add their own thoughts on the matter. (And before anyone asks, I was born in October of 1982. And growing up a girl my exposure to the war games was very limited, though I do recall pretending to shoot at Russian invaders while playing with the neighborhood boys once or twice.) Thanks.

Has anyone seen The Muppets? I recommend it highly. It was entertaining and funny, but it had a point. Its my favorite Disney movie since Enchanted! And I got the soundtrack for Christmas, which is exiting!

Not about "our" Paul.


Paul is the Alien. His spacecraft crashed down on Earth. Soon he was captured by the government. But one day he's escaped, then he met two tourists from England.

So you imagine this is like E.T.? That's yes, and no. Because two British tourists are Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
It's more like Galaxy Quest. Paul the Alien can speak English. He like tobacco, liquor, and dirty jokes.
This is very very lovely movie. Honestly, this is better than Super 8. I highly recommend this.

This is the last movie I saw in 2011. This year I saw 53　movies in a theatre.

Because I have watched "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" several times, Netflix apparently thinks I like movies about people being detained against their will. This includes films about institutionalization "Girl, Interrupted" and films about home invasion and now prison films.

Midnight Express is from the 70's I believe and I had never seen it, but damn...it is creepy enough to keep me from wanting to get locked up in a Turkish prison.

It is brutal, horrifying and based on a true story. The acting is top notch, the story of attempting to escape makes for an intense thriller and the tale of surviving under extreme conditions makes for great drama. It's many genres rolled into one but it is never boring and packs quite an emotional punch as well.

Has anyone else seen this?

hey guys! hope you had a great christmas. i have a question...i was cruising barnes and noble's website spending my gift cards and they have the pre order for nightworld on there already, but my question is, will there be a special edition from gauntlet press or borderlands? i really would rather an awesome book jacket and special edition compared to the crappy tor covers. just curious! have a great day and hope to hear some good news!

We just came back from seeing this (the theater was sold out too). GREAT MOVIE! I have seen all 3 of the original Swedish versions so I was a little hesitant about the American remake but they did an awesome job with it. They didn't just copy the movie word for word like "Let me In" vs "Let the Right One In". They changed a couple of things and added lots more from the book. I was surprised how much I liked Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist. I expected to not like him but he did an excellent job. Rooney Mara is just an awesome Lisbeth Salander. I loved Noomi Rapace but I have to give it to Rooney on this one. If you've seen the Swedish version you will enjoy this. If you've read the book you will really enjoy it since more is taken from the book. I give it 2 thumbs up!

Now they need to get their butts in gear and get the second one made! lol

(I moved this from Jpane001‎'s thread A Question Posed Against the First Age to it's own thread since his was already a couple of months old)

Hello all, I've been absent from the forum for a while, and figure what better thread to post my return than something relating to The First Age (one of my favorite topics, btw). Relating to Jpane001's original question, I have to ask another similiar question: If dinosaur bones were found even after the Great Cataclysm, then why weren't there any Q'qr fossils found as well? If any one has any theories as to why this is, I'd be interested in hearing them.

Also, I'm still reading The Dark At The End, and as always, F. Paul doesn't disappoint. I had to force myself to not read it all in one sitting. I also hope that once Paul finishes with his last set of YA Jack books, that he will consider writing some books about The First Age. I know, I know; I've mentioned it before. The First Age books would be along the lines of Fantasy/Horror, and give some more enlightening details about the trevails of Glaeken, Rasalom/The Seven, The Lady, Srem, and the Q'qr race, and perhaps even the Great Cataclysm.

And speaking of Srem, I found a new song that made me think of what her life may have been like. About her possible tortured existance as a cursed Cassandra, and being manipulated by the Otherness and the Ally due to her extraordinary Gift of Seeing.

Some of my favorite lines in the song can be found in my revised signature, but I've copied the lyrics in their entirety below. Musically, the song may not be for all, but I thought it fit Srem's haunted life (from what little we know of it) fairly well. The link to the song "Book of Dreams" can be found at the very bottom of the page.

Lyrics to "Book of Dreams" (by Witchbreed):

Slide and Slick as a Serpent
Unique and Mysterious
A danger for the Mind
The Greatest Gift You'll Find

Cursed and Long Forgotten
Lost and Left to Die
Cast Aside from your Kind
A Poison in My Eyes

Silence Divides the Way
Of Fire and Flesh Empire
Father Watcher, Ancient Eye
Disciple of the Night

Of Fading Lights and Shining Darkness
We dance and Spin
This Fragile Light You Spread Away
Like Tired Wings

I Walk Alone Born of Shadows
Heart Has Turned to Stone
I Walk Alone In the Shadows
My Heart is made of Stone

A Lightning Breaks the Mist
Embraces the Future Life
With Empty Hands of Hope
The Saddest Way to Die
Slave of Tyrant Dreams
A Walker of Endless Skies
Soulless Shade of Salvation
And This Silence Never Dies

I Walk Alone
Dark Soul
I never Die
Lost Dogs
I've learned the Lie

Amazon is providing 10 points for every dollar spent on digital downloads this month if you use an Amazon.com rewards Visa. Pretty good excuse to treat yourself, or fill in any holes in your collection.

If you buy a lot on Amazon, it might be worth looking into a rewards card. I love it. Anything that is sold directly from Amazon, not the marketplace, gives 3 points per dollar, everything else is either 1 or 2 points per dollar. And you can apply points as cash on your purchase right in the checkout process at the rate of 100 points per dollar.

Just read on comingsoon.net that "The Equalizer" is in pre-production. Figures it would make it to the screen before Repairman Jack would.

Really? A sequel to the movie that had sinking ice? Then I went, "Whoa, is that The Rock?"
[video=youtube;bSX2oxLdcWA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSX2oxLdcWA[/video]
And, "Holy shit! Was that Bruce Willis?"