Star Trek Retrospective: Episode 6 Mudd’s Women
Star Trek was great about a lot of things including race relations, nuclear weapons, war, and the future of technology but the one area where it seriously lagged was in gender equality. The show dripped misogamy like a Sparklets jug shot with a shotgun drips water and no episode was as bad as Mudd’s Women (although Turnabout Intruder was a close second. Ironically both episodes written by Gene Roddenberry. Take from that what you will). Essentially the story is of women willingly selling themselves into chattel and using drugs to enhance their appeal in only the most superficial and sexist ways possible in order to attract men who’s only quality is being rich.
I suppose an argument could be made that the minors on Rigel XII saw past the girls hideous appearance once it became obvious what good cooks and house cleaners they were (another step forward for women’s liberation!) but I noticed Kirk never managed to see past the ugly to the inner beauty. This episode preceded the City on the Edge of Forever so even the argument that he was pining away for Edith Keeler holds no merit.
I am in almost all ways proud to be a Star Trek TOS fan but when faced with the women being treated more or less like short skirted door mats in every episode I do have to give props to the Next Generation. They were infinitely better in this one area. I’m pretty sure it was never Roddenberry’s intention to be so sexist but that the behavior was so ingrained that he just assumed it was normal. 
It makes me wonder what things do we consider just normal today that will look lame and ridiculous in 2054. (Whenever I talk about sexism in Star Trek I feel compelled to pull an image from one of the Wonder Woman t shirts to balance it out. Not sure if that works but I do what I can)
the Infamous Dave Inman
Dumb and Dumber To Review part 3
The story. It’s now 20 years after the last film and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) has been in a comatose state for the entire time. Harry (Jeff Daniels) has been visiting him and helping change his diaper but then finds out that it has all been a long practical joke (no spoiler there. That is one of the three really good jokes that were played in the trailers). Harry needs a kidney and when they find out he has an illegitimate daughter they go seeking her. Some roundabout circumstances lead them to her adopted parents who send them on a cross country trip in an amusing vehicle to deliver a mysterious sealed object to a girl. If that script sounds a lot like the story of the first Dumb and Dumber then I acknowledge your pattern recognition ability.
Other stuff happens too. Rob Riggle goes along with them for some reason and they end up at a science conference but really just rewind the first Dumb and Dumber on the movie screen in your mind and you have seen this film.
2 of 5 Meh.
So worth seeing? Well, normally no but thanks to the giant wrecking ball known as Mockingjay there is literally zilcho coming out lately so sure. Any port in a storm I guess. If you were a fan of the the first one you will probably enjoy it but if not the 109 minutes will drag on with glacier slowness. The good news is this film does not really require a lot of higher brain function so if you are looking for a film to get really stoned and/or drunk before seeing you have found your muse. Personally I think Nightcrawler is both better and in a weird way funnier. Date movie? Not unless she likes excrement jokes. Bathroom break? Nothing really stands out as “must see” for this film. Maybe the scene where Harry and Lloyd are trying to get into the science con but don’t dawdle as the scene with Stephen Hawking is one of the funnier ones. 2 out of 5 phasers.
the Infamous Dave Inman
PS I just heard that they hired to do the new Wonder Woman move Michelle MacLaren. She did a bunch of work on Breaking Bad and Walking Dead so that’s pretty cool news. I don’t know why I just put that in here. I guess it’s kind of exciting plus a chance to show off this great Wonder Woman t shirt.
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Gone Girl Review Part 1
Good but not as great as everyone else seems to be going on about.
mi·sog·y·ny (məˈsäjənē) noun – dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.
mi·sog·a·my (məˈsäɡəmē) noun – the hatred of marriage.
I’m starting my review with these two definitions due to the fact that if you have ever been on the fence about being either a misogynist or misogamist this film will push you over into the miso yard. If you have ever had a reason to distrust a woman, your wife, or the idea of marriage but are trying to get over it do not see this film. You will walk out seriously distrusting your wife, your mother, your female friends and relatives, the girl who serves you coffee at Starbucks, and any mammal lacking a Y chromosome (and possibly certain female birds and reptiles).
Not to say it’s a bad movie. It’s actually quite good. Compelling story, fun twists, great characters, excellent acting, very good pacing, and overall a truly flowing story. It even has a couple of very positive female characters in the sister and the cop. It is by David Fincher, director of my all time favorite film Fight Club and as such I would expect it to be at the very least masterful and it is. 
Of course the only female character in Fight Club is a sex crazed borderline personality ball busting kleptomaniac so it seems clear that Mr. Fincher has never planned on building his career through the uplifting of the female stereotype. (I did feel the need to show a better female stereotype so I pulled this image from the Wonder Woman t shirt category)
However to see a positive role model male or female is not why you go see a David Fincher film. He is the master of the flawed protagonist and this film definitely falls into that slot. Therefore it is not the issue I have with the film. The problem I can’t seem to get past is the fact that at one point about 3/4 of the way through the 149 minutes of the film a scene that was supposed to be both horrific and pivotal had most of the audience (including myself) laughing uproariously and the suspension of disbelief, which had been hovering nicely at the 12-14 ft mark, shot up to the upper stratosphere and left us all gasping for oxygen. The last 1/4 of the film stopped being a gritty and realistic crime drama and turned into a fantasy with comedic overtones that were really hard to take seriously.
I will be dropping spoilers shortly and will most definitely give you warnings ahead of time but for a minute I want to talk about plot holes. A plot hole is like a pot hole; some are bigger than others and some streets might have one or two or be covered with them like a teenager with acne. Sometimes you can drive past them or even swerve to avoid one that you see coming. Sometimes they are small enough that you drive right over them with just a little bump and sometimes there are so many packed together that the street is more pot hole then asphalt and you can move along at a slow pace with a steady vibration through your seat.
Sometimes, however, you can be driving along a perfectly smooth street with no sign of anything and all of a sudden hit a gigantic pot hole that bottoms out your car and bends your axle, leaving you driving along listening to the sound of your tire rub against the side of your wheel well. That’s what happened for me. Smooth ride for almost two hours and then bang! Gigantic plot hole (see what I did there?).
(continued)
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A Guide to Nerd Guys Meeting and Dating Women: How to start talking to them Part 7
So you have the conversation started, reached the two minute point, and she hasn’t maced you yet. Kudos. Now what are you going to talk about?
Again, the main thing should be her. You need to seem honestly interested in her (and, to be honest, actually be interested in her). However, if she is somewhat reserved you will have to find some things to talk to her about.
One of the best things you can do to keep a conversation moving is give her a compliment of some kind. However, be aware there are good compliments and bad compliments. Most women are more or less looking for a reason to get rid of guys bugging them and the first thing you say that they can choose to interpret negatively is their rip cord and for the most part they will pull it.
So, as always, I will start with what NOT to compliment her on.
1. Any part of her body, especially breasts, legs, or more or less any part thereof. Even something as innocuous seeming as her hands is a huge land mine. Women are for the most part massively insecure about a lot of stuff you wouldn’t believe, and something as innocent as “Your hands are very slender and clever looking” can easily trigger her pathetic self contempt for her skinny fingers. Also, mentioning any part of her body that can be interpreted as a sexual turn on (and for most guys, that can be any part of her body) will put you permanently into the creep category. Stay away.
2. Most of her clothing. There are a few exceptions to this, but most women use clothing to hide the things they feel insecure about and mentioning it will only reminding them about it. Also, complimenting a woman on her dress is an open invitation to throw out a “Does this dress make me look fat” trap for which there is no good answer.
3. Any observed perception of what you think her religion, politics, or other agenda may be. This is all fodder for the first and second date. Don’t mess around with it.
Ok, so what can you safety compliment her on? Here are a few items.
1. A very general appreciation about her looks if she looks dressed up. “You look fabulous.” Don’t get into specific items.
2. Shoes. Women love shoes (I have a theory on this, but won’t get into it today). They seem to love compliments about their shoes, especially if it looks a little different from what every else is wearing. In my experience, if a woman is wearing boots of some kind (especially if they are unusual color boots or have tassels or something hanging off them) she is fishing for compliments on her footwear. Don’t disappoint her.
3. Jewelry. This is another category of things women wear to get compliments. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings are all open to comment. HOWEVER, if she is wearing a pendant that is combined with a really plunging neckline and some good cleavage comment on her earrings.
Hey, Diana. Nice bracelets!
(image courtesy of the Wonder Woman t shirt)
4. Handbag. This is a weird one, in that some women love handbags and will literally spend thousands of dollars on a single bag whereas others don’t really care much at all and throw their stuff into whatever sack they have lying around. However, in general the smaller the bag, the more worth of a compliment. Also, it is worth your time to go to a high end department store and learn what the logo’s of the higher end bags looks likes and compliment her on her bag by name (“Is that a Prada bag?”). If a woman is carrying around a $3500 handbag she is most likely so desperate for a compliment on it your comment will feel like the first breath of air after being trapped under the ice, if you know what I mean.
5. Hair. Women spend a lot of time on their hair, and for the most part appreciate a good compliment on it. Color (as long as it’s not gray) comments are generally well received if it is obviously an artificial color (“Your hair has the coolest green highlights”) but stay away if it looks like she is attempting to look natural, even if it is painfully obviously not her natural color.
6. Any apparent ability she has, especially if it something “fun”. Tell her she is a great dancer, runner, drinker, or whatever (“Wow, you can really hold your own on these Jager shots”). Everyone loves being noticed for some kind of ability.
That’s some good guidelines. As always, remember that things are all situational, and keep in mind that two minute rule.
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