Da Dominion: Home of DOMINIONCAST!

Part of being in your thirties is that advertisers are aiming at you so there a sea of media tailor made for you. Monday is nerd night for the big three networks featuring House, 24, Heroes, Big Bang Theory (lame), How I met your Mother and Chuck - all geared for us. That’s not even factoring the cable options - like The Princess Bride, Malcolm X, and the Transporter all on tonight, but if you haven’t seen those by now you deserve a Jason Statham grade ass whup’in.

Tonight, I choose Chuck - without 3D glasses. I see three dimensions everyday, and no presentation can surpass the best use of this optical effect shown in JAWS 3. You’d think such an obvious rip off of the 40-year-old Virgin starring a clone of Jim Halpert from the Office with a splash of Alias would suck, but remember all those things individually aren’t bad.

I like how Chuck (Zachary Levi) is a fish out of water that isn’t really hampered by his geekness because his challenges are worthy of international intrigue -anyone would get owned by a real ninja. Another asset is the cast outside of the hero and his love interest. Every character is uniquely funny from the past geek prime lush loser Jeff to super anti-nerd Devon to John Casey (a name with the same feel as Jane Cobb as is played by Adam Baldwin, whom played Serenity‘s Jane Cobb) being a shadow version of Chuck - a bad ass plunged into mediocrity for his cover.

Yvonne Strahovski’s agent Sarah Walker, Chuck’s protector/faux girlfriend/kinda crush, I’m not quite feeling. Oh, my eyes feel her. Even to the point of forgiving them for not dying her brunette to complete the proper effect of the Hutt bikini. The pathos of her mysterious background seems a bit out of place with the core comedy of this show. I do very much appreciate the professionalism of her character in not falling for Chuck - as though he were in her league - yet having a friendly appreciation for his naiveté.

I got to check out its competitor, Fox’s House one of these days. Is it too late to try to jump into fifth season? Does its drama with dark comic relief compare to Chuck’s reflection of comedy with dark tension? Speak Citizens.

Thought I wasn’t gonna post today?
“It’s the King Holiday, Digg is Black, they’re allowed to be extra lazy today by law right?”

Yes, we are - but being a labor of love, da Dominion doesn’t count as work, although stomaching our Truth can be a trial for the ignorant or tasteful.

Also, I’m pretty sure that Dr. King would approve of our multi-ethnic ideas intermingling here on what he might call the “electronic world congregation” that is the internet. He would’ve been 80 today, therefore mostly unaware of the porn and filth that saturates the web - or a secret connaisseur of German hardcore.

What? Just because he’s Black means he’s got to subscribe only to Hood Booty Hunters or similar niche sites?

So many dozens of biopics that have been made about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have portrayed him in the blindly gleaming veneer of modern sainthood, but few get at the actual man. Although it was about Malcolm X, Spike Lee’s X briefly touched on the rumors of his philandering. Unsubstantiated they remain rumor. I’m more fascinated by the sense of humor of the man. Such a dangerous and trying campaign against a violently resistant society has got to lead to comic relief in some form. Being an eloquent speaker you’d think he would be quite capable of lifting the morale of his people when their spirts got dark (pun not intended).

The MLK One-Liner

Given this picture, comment a funny line Dr. King would say to raise the spirits of his beleagured civil right crusaders or to commemorate this holiday or regarding the inauguration of our first Black president tomorrow - assuming the Secret Service succeeds at it’s greatest challenge. *fingers, toes and eyes crossed*

When I write about a movie with nerdy appeal, like The Transporter or Kevin Smith’s latest, it’s done wearing the metaphoric cloak of a geek that likes movies. Other times when I write about just good or bad movies, it’s done donning the cap of movie geek - a cinephile that’s foaming about some new celluloid submission. The immediate question one may ask is: How many articles of role clothing do I own and wear? Lounging in my boxer shorts of casual nonchalance, I’m not sure of the exact number.

In previewing the newest Clint Eastwood drama Gran Torino, I wear the cap of cinephile. If you thought this was about the racing game Gran Turismo, I’m sorry but I haven’t played that yet. Patronize our sponsors and I’ll be sure to get it, or send me a copy and I’ll review it - pinky swear. Until then, I’ll point out that a 1972 Ford Gran Torino is the prize possession of Eastwood’s protagonist Walt Kowalski - the most grizzled old racist and embittered Polock war vet you may ever grow to admire.

I’ve long held that Eastwood can’t make a bad movie and this one fulfills my claim yet again. It’s like the Karate Kid in reverse actually. Old white man teaches misfit Asian nerd how to be an American man - complete with racial epithets for friends and ballsy bravado. The remarkable thing is the distance he covers from his start as gook hating Korean War veteran that just wants to be left the hell alone.

Tao is played sufficiently by newcomer Bee Vang (first I’ve ever seen him, but he could be the Haley Osment of his native land, Fresno, California). The young fellow has problems with a neighborhood gang ran by his cousin - a chigger, like a wigger but Chinese. Actually they’re Mung, but Eastwood just calls the slopes the whole movie so fuck if I’m going to make a distinction. He doesn’t come to Eastwood to learn boxing of course, these dudes got guns - not to mention Clint’s penchant for euthanizing injured young athletes. He tries to steal the car to impress the thugs but ends up getting caught, dishonoring his family and getting called a pussy for the entire movie while doing chores to atone.

I like most their relationship that grows in a very realistic way. There’s no grandfather/grandson sappiness, but lots of insults and posturing that are a welcome relief from the apparent feminization of dudes in media. He becomes a neighborhood hero for his take no shit from anyone grit, but still wants to remain a solitary figure in his declining years. There is a conservative amount of ass kickage, but it’s satisfying when it occurs in defense of his young buddy Tao - and not buddy in a Brokeback way. We learn that Kowalski is moved by his execution of a young Korean prisoner and is making amends for a burden he’s carried for forty years. In the end, his efforts to protect Tao lead to his dramatic redemption, which one could see coming but is nonetheless moving.

What Unforgiven was to the typical western, Gran Torino is to the Death Wish series.

I’ve always been a genre purist. It seems to me that when you mash up two different settings it’s a cop-out for not being able to do one right by itself. If you’re good a making breakfast, but a new lady friend asks you to make her dinner and you make her an egg and cheese loaf. A nice cheese omelet formed into an artery-choking vomit-like brick of greasy yellow. Better hope you’ve got some other charm to fall back on - dexterously dazzling cunnilinguistics.

It can be done well. I’ve spoken on how Buffy didn’t appeal me in the past - kitsch dark occult, NAH - but do love Firefly, Joss Whedon’s Western Sci-Fi mix redemption. Another example is Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novel series - actually I‘ve only finished listening to the debut novel Storm Front but if the writing holds through out the series it‘ll be gravy. Not egg gravy. The story inspired a single season series on Sci-Fi Channel, but in the tragic tradition of Farscape, it too was canceled before its prime. Wasn’t a great showing with its Mulder and Scully love tension between Harry Dresden and his cop contact Murphy, but it did magic a bit differently than normal.

Butcher did a lot upfront to soothe my suspicions. Many setting leave me wondering why magic has to be underground. Why doesn’t science absorb it? Methane is flammable, shit can produce methane, and therefore bat guano could maybe produce the twenty-foot radius fireball of fantasy lore. It would take a lot of bats on a prune diet, but you can work with that as an author. Many don’t because it seems to take a bit of work and talent, which they don‘t have or choose to showcase. Geeks like sexy sexy detail, duh!

Butcher shows why this can’t be in his world. Magic operates by a symbolic science, although it’s used the same way as the forensic sciences on CSI - but far less cheesy. The forces are often fueled by dark energies - not the “dark” as in extra creepy but the kind that requires demonic orgies, hatred and lightning storms to power. If it became mainstream the world would be hell given this cheap form of energy. White Council that enforces laws to protect our civilization although it isn’t a part of it checks the potential for power abuse. There’s a practical reason why it shouldn’t become more popular - although they’re not uber secretive about it. Main protagonist Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden advertises in the Yellow Pages and is on police retainer.

Dresden’s tale is a gritty film noir detective story that simply adds credible magic. He broke as fuck - would you hire a wizard? Instead of paying crackhead informants, he’ll pump a faerie for information - no homo. He lives an old fashion life not from some hokey style but because dealing with magic ruins machinery. Yet, he still packs a revolver since it’s a simple mechanism and guns are fuck’in handy. There laws of magic like those of physics, which are too numerous to exposition dump, but Harry, our hero and first person narrator, has no problem explaining them in simple terms as they come up without sounding like lecture.

I could very well be disappointed later on the series, but so far so magically delicious.

I’m joined by Rib, Aaron and lovely Lira for a discussion of the action flick genre. Defining what makes a good action movie with time examples. Comparing directorial styles and admitting to classics we’ve yet to see. Rib hasn’t seen Star Wars … really … forgiveness is work. We conclude with a discussion of the big action flick of the week The Quantum of Solace and seek to discover who the second best Bond is.

Dominon Cast 16 download (67 mins, 61MB)span>

Music from the Autour d’Around by Oursvince

Sponsored by Steard’s Ginger Beer and Miller Genuine Draft, Aaron takes a Stand, Lira the Dream, Job gone & Hustle’in, Rib got Daytime TV.

The Training Day comprimise
Action is Drama, with guns, boobs, explosions and death
Strong Heroines
The Manly Movie type
The Everyday Hero
Pose Fu fights Rapid Fu
Birth of a Genre: The Last Dragon?
Hong Kong Classics
Bond’s Bonafides
Generations of James