coconuts1977

[QUOTE=Balinese][FONT=Comic Sans MS] Side note: Ritalin is approximately one molecule chemically different from illegal methamphetamines. chew on that a bit.[/FONT][/QUOTE] On the contrary, it's quite different. Methamphetamine is actually still legal, I don't know the name of which it is called, but I do know they use it. If you're going by medications used for ADHD Dexedrine is the closest to methamphetamine. Dexedrine is dextroamphetamine. Ritilin is also a much more complex molecule than that of Adderall/Dexedrine/other amphetamine based stimulants.

I didn't think Gothika was TERRIBLE per se. It just fell to peices in the end though. It's sad really, I adore the director. I loved him in Amelie as Nino and I thought his direction in the French film The Crimson Rivers was very very good. With what the actors had to work with, I think they did an overall good job. It's just that the script got very messy.

The EYE was pretty intense. I thought the American Ring was more shocking and scary than the original Japanese one. In Japanese Ringu the people that died from the video looked TERRIBLE. They just had their mouths open and thats it. I also agree with you Semjaza about Cabin Fever. It was a delightful new twist to the teen horror movie. It wasn't so much shocking, it just made me think. The only point where I got scared was when I imagined if I were to ever be in that situation. It was very well done though, I especially enjoyed seeing 'Sean' from Boy Meets World all grown up.

[quote name='StarShine'] he takes clonodine at night to help him sleep. I'm worried that he might be on too much medication, but we really can't control him when he doesn't take his pills.[/quote] Hm, Clonodine. That's a tricky one. It's probably the best choice if he was having trouble getting to sleep because of his ADD/ADHD medication. Clonidine is an anti-hypertensive that regulates the adrenal glands. It's pretty safe taking into terms just plain old sleeping pills. I have ADHD. I take Adderall XR and sometimes Dextrostat at night and on Sunday. They can help a lot. They give me the ability to study if I choose to. Some people, I think, think that stimulants MAKE you study. That is not the case, you still have to have the self control to begin studying. Another thing...just because you are able to concentrate better and stay alert better when you take Ritilin/Concerta (methylphenidate) or Adderall/Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) DOES NOT MEAN that you have ADD/ADHD. Anyone who takes those meds will find their concentration and attention span to be increased, it is just more of a markedly evident change in those who have ADD/ADHD. Oh, by the way, I'm really against meds like SSRI or Tricylics for people to take. I'm even more against anti-psychotics. Part of me wants to go back to the old days when they didn't have all this ****. I think a lot of people are just brainwashed into thinking they have a problem. We're overmedicated and that's the bottom line. Media and other sources have just made hundreds and hundreds of 'disorders' for people who the pharm. companies can sell drugs to 'fix these problems.' I'm actually sorta hypocritical about it, but not really. A drug that's coming to mind right now is Valium. It, and the other drugs in it's class, are pretty miraculous. I take Valium every now and then when I get super stressed and it calms me right away. There are always people out there who abuse it and screw the few who might actually need it over. Then again, I think it's always handy to have some Valium around, never know when you're going to get a little stressed. (anyone read Valley of the Dolls or heard the Rolling Stones' song 'Mothers Little Helper'?) I'm getting off on a tangent, and I apologize. I'm just really on the fence. I do think though that 75% of the people out there that are on psycoactive meds, don't need them. In fact, I know from experience that a lot of the drugs out there will just make your problems worst.

In response to some of the comments I read in a previous thread about bad films, I decided to make this one. Forgive me if it has already been done before. Before I share mine I have to say that I am picking them on their overall quality, which includes story, characters, acting, directing, and and some piss-in-your-pants horror. It can all be pretty subjective though, so I'm expecting responses (if any) to cover a broad range. Anyways, here are mine: [b]1. The Silence of the Lambs [/b] I know some people are going to say that this isn't horror, that it fits in the suspense/drama/ (heaven forbid) comedy department, but this film had the direction, acting, story, and shock value to make it one of my favorites. There are horror films that just use 'jump put at you' shocks, while others use tension and scenery to add the horror. I had goosebumps the whole time watching this film, the first time and everytime. [b]2. Scream & Nightmare on Elm Street [/b] I think Wes Craven is one of the true horror masters. Scream was clever and witty, but at the same time had some genuine chills. The opening has got to be one of the best horror film beginnings of all time. Scream makes the list mostly because of it's clever script, but everything else about it was good. Nightmare on Elm Street is a great 'slasher' flick. It really toyed with something interesting, the whole killin in your nightmares thing. (I assume most everyone is familiar with the story) The directing was a bit crude at some points, but the special effects (esp. for the small budget it had and the time it was made ...I'm assuming) The lead actress, Heather something, I thought did a great job and Johnny Depp did fairly well too. [b]3. The Shining [/b] I seriously like, shat my pants (Ew, okay, well not [i]seriously[/i]) when I first saw this at the tender age of 9. Then it shocked me with it's horror, when I viewed it recently it not only freaked me out with it's horror again but also by the direction and acting. I think the direction verges on genius (like all Kubrick films, I think) and the isolation bit REALLY adds to the tension. This, like the first film I mentioned, builds up rather than just having shock after shock. [b]4. Fatal Attraction [/b] This one goes especially to the guys out there. There is nothing freakier than having an affair (which, you probably shouldn't have done/do in the first place) and having that psycho ***** stalk you, [spoiler] boil your kid's rabbit, and try to kill you. [/spoiler] It contained taut direction, wonderful acting (especially the deliciously devilish Glenn Close), and some really tense moments. There aren't really any shocks, [spoiler] save the ending scene in the bathroom [/spoiler] but it did something else. I'm actually finding it hard to describe right now, I'm actually in my mind relating the horror in the film to having your balls kicked. (Sorry if I offend anyone by that) Well, that's my list. It seems to change frequently, but that's my list as of this moment. AH! WAIT! Let me insert a few honorable mentions: Halloween (the 1978 original), Carrie (Sissy Spacek rocks), Hush Hush Sweet Charolotte, and Misery.

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]In my opinion, any show with more than 60 or 70 episodes is more than likely to be crap. ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] Well, they start to have 'filler' episodes. I think that if you were to take these so-called 'filler' episodes out of several different series it would make them much more enjoyable. The one I'm thinking of right now is Sailor Moon. It was an amazing series, I think it might have been even better though I had only watched the first 3 episodes of every season and the lsat 3 episodes of every season. My vote for the worst anime I have ever seen definately goes to Narutaru, PlanetES (or whatever it's called), and Wedding Peach. I would rather watch some sick hybrid of the Roseanne show and American Gladiators than watch any of these.

[QUOTE=rttocs77]This is a thread for people to discuss, or for me to discuss myself if it comes down to it, my favorite author-- Bret Easton Ellis. Most of his novels (all but 1) deal with overly privileged teenagers and adults. They are dark dark comedies about the emptiness of their lives. The books he has written are: Less Than Zero The Rules of Attraction American Psycho The Informers Glamorama All of which have been turned into a movie, except The Informers. Glamorama is in pre-production. I've read all of them. I generally love all of them. Sometimes I hate all of them. It's like you have to be in the 'zone' for them. I did not finish American Psycho though, because it got too vulgar and gross...even for me. Has anyone else read any of these?[/QUOTE] I had a very difficult time in reading American Psycho also. I think the violence went overboard and actually took away from the story. It could have served a purpose, but it was just overkill. I think Ellis writes interesting stories, however his ideas are pretty far from original. I read in some interview that his biggest influence was Ernest Hemingway and if you read 'A Farewell to Arms' there is an exchange in dialogue between the protagonist and his lady friend. During the exchange, they both seem to be missing each other completely, but at the same time connecting. I think Ellis uses this well, at first, in 'Less Than Zero,' but then begins to rely on it to heavily. I think it really depends on whether or not these are actually good books. They aren't written well gramatically and the syntax is terrible, but I guess reading about emptiness can sometimes be fulfulling. Pretty philosophical, neh? :glasses:

I absolutely love this book. I especially liked the imagery used when they drove through the tunnel and the kid was sticking his head out. I thought it got pretty depressing at some points, but it was a nice read. The main similarity I can find between Catcher and Wallflower is that both have protagonists that don't know where they are going. I related to both of them, and loved both novels. I especially liked the character Patrick in Wallflower. (It's been awhile, he was [spoiler]the gay one right?[/spoiler])

I'm not going to bother seeing it. The ending has already been spoiled for me. :grumble:

That 24 hour pic just ended up that way lol. I have very few pics on my comp to go by. Here is another one I edited in photoshop. I Kinda like the color on black and white. I forget what the technique is called though. This one is called "The Exigent Brazen Flag"

Thanks a lot. I appreciate it. Here is another one (I'm very low on photos now, must take more) of a simple one that I just edited in photoshop. I'm a novice at it, Dagger helped show me the ropes though. This really isn't called anything....well, maybe "Testing Testing"

I consider myself a patron to the arts, mainly film and photography seeing as how I can't draw. I only have a few photos on my comp now. I'll try to take more soon though, but for now I can't because I lost the memory stick for my camera. Here is one of my favorites, it was taken at the exit escalators from the Metro at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. I'm tentatively calling it 'Modern Gates'