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Tag: Pop Culture

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Posted on March 4, 2011October 17, 2022 by David Barker

My name is Dave and I am a Disneyholic…Hello, Dave. Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself and your struggles with Disney addiction?

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Missing the Mark by banning Money For Nothing

Posted on January 14, 2011October 17, 2022 by David Barker

It seems that every week plays host to its very own censorship controversy. Last week, it was an American publisher proposing to replace Huckleberry Finn’s 219 instances of the word “nigger” with the word “slave”. This week it’s the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council nixing the word “faggot” in the Dire Straights 1985 single, “Money For Nothing”.

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Dear Disney, about that Tron Legacy flick …

Posted on December 28, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

Dear Mr. Disney, I went to the local movie theatre and saw your latest offering called Tron Legacy. Part way through, I had to pick the wax out of my ears. Did I hear what I thought I heard? Did you have your main character, played by Jeff Bridges (the older one), say: “Information wants to be free?” WTF?

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Barney’s Version: Novel vs. Film

Posted on December 28, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

Barney’s Version, this afternoon. Yesterday, I finished rereading Mordecai Richler’s novel. Now, I’m sitting here with a glass of 14 year old Oban single malt scotch whisky and am toying with the idea of lighting a Montecristo while I reflect on the differences between the film and the novel.

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The Future of Books (according to Philip K. Dick)

Posted on November 24, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

Sitting at the breakfast table this morning, coffee in one hand, e-reader in the other, I discovered a passage about books in Philip K. Dick’s Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep, his 1968 sci-fi novel which served as the inspiration for Ridley Scott’s film, Blade Runner.

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Art of Time Abbey Road Concert

Posted on October 24, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ Abbey Road released on September 26, 1969. To celebrate, the Art of Time ensemble had performed a concert that went track by track through the album.

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Ghostbusters – a Privatization Propaganda Film?

Posted on July 27, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

On planet Dave, there is a special governmental agency called the Department of Epidemiology and Immigration. I’ve come to regard these two disciplines as sub-specialties of the same concern.

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Canadian Vinyl Asbestos Planks

Posted on July 20, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

While searching through memorabilia, I found a magazine the hospital staff gave my mother when I was born (© 1959 by J.S. Hunt Publications Limited). The first item inside the front cover is a syrupy verse titled “God’s Masterpiece.” Yup, that’s me.

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America’s Next Top Stick Person

Posted on June 10, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

Apparently there”s this show on TV, hosted by Tyra Banks, which celebrates eating disorders in America. I’d love to watch it sometime, but it’s only on during my designated times when I lock myself in the bathroom and make myself puke into the toilet. It’s this after-dinner ritual I have.

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Dissing the Oscars – Wrap Up

Posted on March 8, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

I feel so dirty, like I’ve been watching porn against my will. Now it’s time to step into the shower and wash away that disgusting feeling that comes from watching a multi-billion dollar industry laud itself on making record profits during the most significant economic recession since Academy Awards were instituted.

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Dissing the Oscars – Up

Posted on March 7, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

At last I look at the 10th and final film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the esteemed Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Up, an animated feature film from Disney’s Pixar Studios.

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Dissing the Oscars – An Education

Posted on March 5, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

Lone Scherfig’s An Education is the 9th of the Best Picture nominees I consider as I gear up for the Academy Awards this Sunday March 7th. Like another nominee, The Blind Side, this film is based on a true story (Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Lynn Barber’s memoir).

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Dissing the Oscars – The Hurt Locker

Posted on March 3, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

The worst review I could find of Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker comes from Variety. Nevertheless, it is better than the best review of The Blind Side (I am still incredulous that The Blind Side has been nominated in any category).

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Dissing the Oscars – The Blind Side

Posted on February 27, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

The Blind Side is the fifth Best Picture nominee I consider in my quest for the worst movie review of an Oscar contender. I have to confess that I made a mistake when I wrote about Avatar, suggesting that it might win an award for the most heavily dissed film. The Blind Side is the clear winner.

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Dissing the Oscars – Avatar & District 9

Posted on February 24, 2010October 17, 2022 by David Barker

In my continuing quest for negative reviews of 2010 Best Picture Academy Award nominees, I turn now to the science fiction nominees. First up is James Cameron’s Avatar, the Rupert Murdoch financed 3D sci-fi extravaganza that has grossed more than $2.46 bn as of this writing.

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