Desparately seeking.....
 

Yes. Buy none of them. You are about to give birth to a squirming, wriggling mass of perpetual motion. Didgital technology at the low to medium end of the price scale is too slow to get good action shots or freeze motion.

You're much better off with 35mm. You can get the negatives scanned onto a CD for about $4-5 wherever you get your film developed, and you're much more likely to get better pictures

Once Upon a Time Johnny Depp sold out
 

In order for me to even get to ignoring your movie recs, I have to ignore the "logic" in your posts.

Once Upon a Time is a fucking sequel. It is by definition derivative. Not only that, but it would be derivative if it wasn't a sequel. So rephrase your question so that it makes sense.

Although I hated the first one and haven't seen the second, I can't imagine it could match the furiousity of the first one without Vin Diesel. Just ask DS.

TM

The New/Old Soldiers Field
 

How do folks in Chicago feel about the new stadium? Last night was the first time I had seen it.

The New/Old Soldiers Field
 

I went to the "meet your seat" thing they had on Saturday morning with some season ticket holders, and the interior is pretty cool. One has to understand that Soldier Field was the biggest shithole of a stadium before this renovation. Any bathroom break required missing almost an entire quarter. They actually had port-a-potties in the stadium to try and fix this problem (didn't work). Plus, the old stadium SMELLED like a port-a-potty.

The new stadium's upper section is very steep. A friend made the statement that his father would come to one game and never come back b/c it's just too difficult getting up and down. It DOES feel like you could fall over and tumble down the seats. However, the steepness enables the fans to be RIGHT on top of the field. Instead of viewing the action from the side, you actually can see the field from a semi-bird's eye view.

As far as the outside goes, well, let's just say that the inside is nice. As one writer said: "I don't care how many architects tell me it's a wonderful fusion b/w past and present, it's just plain ugly." It looks like the "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" spacecraft was dropped into the collonades. Moreover, you can't see EITHER of the city's two best visible features while in the stadium: the skyline or the lake.

But, I think most people are just happy they can pee and/or get a beer in 10 minutes. B/c you need to drink A LOT of beer to watch the Bears play.

The New/Old Soldiers Field
 

Once you have a decent team, the sound cascades will be a powerful 12th man.

Now, it's just such a freakin eyesore from the outside. I remember passing the stadium on my trips to Chicago and being mesmerized every time by the stately columns and how beautifully the stadium integrated into the area.

lisa g
 

Crushing considering how important your opinion is to me.

I don't have a laptop, but the computer and tv happen to be in the same room. I've never answered a tv poll.

The New/Old Soldiers Field
 

Some wag properly said "why spend $600 million on a team that ain't worth a nickel?"

The New/Old Soldiers Field
 

I don't know. I sort of agree with this guy - http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/30/ar...OLD.html?8hpib

It may take a while to adjust to the new look, but at least it has its own distinctiveness and personality. Kind of hard to really appreciate The Ballpark at Arlington after being to Camden Yards because they are the same freaking place.

lisa g
 

I think Coltrane and I were at the same party since the lisa g comment above was made at least 3 times at the gathering I attended...

Easiest money anyone ever made was taking the Packers and laying the 4 (only 4?) points last night. Good thing I'm not really a Bears fan.

As for the stadium, the inside, for the 10-20 days a year it will be used for anything, is a state of the art marvel. The problem is we have to look at the outside of it the other 300+ days a year. An absolute garish monstrosity in a city with some of the best architecture you'll ever see...

The New/Old Soldiers Field
 

It was a beautiful shithole before. And you're right, if it stood alone it wouldn't be so unsightly. However, it's adjacent to (or part of) the museum campus, which incorporates mainly greek influences.

Once Upon a Time Johnny Depp sold out
 

I must admit I have seen neither. Vin notwithstanding, it is a fucking car movie and the very idea gives me Days of Thunder flashbacks. Car movies invariably suck. Gone in 60 seconds? Cannonball Run? Driven? Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang? Puh-lease. (Maybe I'll make an exception for Deathrace 2000.) However, I understand Vin was hilarious, delivering unbelieveably crappy camp lines with a straight face while obviously delighting in the cheeziness of it all. And, since that is the only good thing I have heard about either movie, I have to state my belief that the second just can't be as faster and furiouser as the first.

BR(note: I distinguish between car & car race movies, movies that have car chases in them (French Connection, Bullit) and road movies (Mad Max, Thelma & Louise))C

December RoTAF's trip to Chicago
 

http://www.salon.com/sex/col/tenn/20...ues/index.html

[spree: bio girls can't do sex like the trannies, does this make me gay? it's the salon advice column; no nudity]

The New/Old Soldiers Field
 

Well, some cities need architectural distinctiveness. They need something unique. This town does not. We have plenty.

Moreover, if they would have made the exterior out of concrete instead of glass and steel, it would probably be even MORE distinct. Who builds a stadium with doric columns as its focus nowadays?

Neuroses Test
 

Shrooms are still big. I buy them every single chance I see them. A few bottles of good champagne, a case of Amstel four or five good friends and a half ounce of mushrooms is still the best party going...

Like Jerry used to say, you have to eat a psychadelic at least a few times a year to "clean the pipes". Its a great form of therapy - reminds you to enjoy life a little more and realize just how insignificant your worries are in the greater scheme of things.

S(I'll eat em every chance I get until the day I die... best harmless party drug ever)D

The New/Old "Soldiers" Field
 

Speaking of disasters, other than the outside of Soldier Field and the Bears, who died and made Jim Belushi the supposed Chicago Goodwill Ambassador?? (O.k., I know who died...)

The guy just sucks. He's a true triple threat, can't act, can't dance, can't sing... Makes his living trading off his exceptionally talented dead brother's name. What's more, he's never here anymore, so his Chicago credibility is pretty limited. People are griping about this pretty hard on the radio here today.

If you need a celeb who can represent Chicago, is at least here a lot, and has some talent, give me Bill Murray, John Cusack, William Petersen (CSI), Gary Sinise or dare I say (gasp) Oprah...


Also on the disaster front, though this one is an import, did everyone catch Paris Hilton sitting in Brian Urlacher's box last night? Apparently he was seen with her in Vegas last week and they became "friends". She's been in town with him all week since, and has told local media that she just wants to be left alone and not draw attention. Which explains her sitting in a prominent, very telegenic spot at the game last night wearing a bright white Urlacher jersey...