financial aid and rants and raves

Another week in June, another vacation. Aside from torturing my tax paying friends, there is little better than a 12 day vacation ending with a 4 day camping trip near Lake George. Better yet, I go back to the office for 2 1/2 days and then bug out for an additional 10 days capped off with another camping trip. Groovy? You bet. Still, all this is just prep time for the brewing storm on the distant horizon. Actually. let's drop this topic for now, and instead take a trip down memory lane. I'm here at White Plains Border's doing the wi-fi thing, and I'm geeking out for the Superman 3D early show here in WP. This is a fine time for geek nation, and I'm hoping the movie will get rid of the taste in my mouth left by X3. I just caught the teaser trailer Spiderman 3, and that look like it will kick an unholy amount or ass. I even read an interview with Gary Gygax celebrating 30 years of AD&D. Considering I've been playing since '79, these milestones mke me smile. It's amazing how much impact gaming has had on the culture, and geek properties (comics, role playing, video games, etc.) are huge money makers. They always were, but just like porn makes more money than Hollywood (as does video games), the acceptence from the mainstream simply wasn't there. Part of this change is Gen-X starting to run the show. These were and are our cherished childhood experiences. The difference is most striking in the tome of the geek movies made by Boomers vs. X-er's. We seem to take the characters much more seriously. Case in point? Batman Begins vs.... Batman and Robin. Your honor, the prosecution rests. Moreover, the Internet prevents much of the silliness of previous movies. The most famous case fo this was the aforementioned Batman and Robin. Aintitcoolnews.com had spies trashing the movie from here and Hell and back. Rightfully so, BTW. Anyway, the site blew up, and ruined the opening weekend. Warner Bros. knew the flick was shit and were looking for big opening pop, but the early buzz was so bad, the movie tanked in historic fahion. Ishtar is more fondly remembered. Anyway, the site also posted a review of one of the early Superman Returns scripts, and trashed it for making Jimmy Olsen gay, and trying to cast Beyonce Knowles as Lois Lane. The reaction was so bad the movie was delayed by 1 1/2 years to redo the script. **this post is interupted by the fact I need to go get my seat** I'm back. Anyway, the movie was sort of mixed bag, with the main problems of a little too much nostalgia and the kid. I really don't want a Superboy flick. I did like some of it, and Brandon Routh does a good job as Clark Kent. I dug it. Next up? Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Probably the best movie of the summer if the early buzz is any indication. We'll see.