Up with Geography: Cyprus

Country Name:
Cyprus

Capital:
Nicosia

Continent:
None - it's an island in the Mediterranean Sea; closest continent is Asia.

Map:

A close-up of Cyprus. I chose not to include the UN Buffer
Zone that divides Turkish Cyprus in the north from Greek
Cyprus in the south.

Neighbors:
The nearest neighbors are Turkey to the north, Syria to the east, and Lebanon to the southeast.

Water Border:
Mediterranean Sea

Total Area:
3,572 square miles

Five Largest Cities:
Limassol, Strovolos, Nicosia, Larnaca, Lakatamia

Famous Geographical Point:
Troodos Mountains

Famous Person:
İsmet Vehit Güney, artist, teacher, & creator of the Cypriot flag

Book Set In/About:
The People in Between: A Cyprus Odyssey by Gregory S. Lamb

To connect with the heritage she barely knows, a woman travels to Cyprus, where she learns about her family's history & the conflicts that have plagued the country for decades.

Movie Set In/About:
"Akamas" (2006), directed by Panikos Chrissanthou

Spanning two decades of Cypriot history (1950s-1970s), it's the tale of a Greek (Christian) Cypriot and a Turkish (Muslim) Cypriot who fall in love and get married, facing opposition at every turn. The Cypriot government banned this film from being shown in Cyprus.

Headline of the Day:
"Cyprus Reunification Talks Restart, Tough Challenges Ahead" in The Seattle Times.

Sci Fi Top 100, #37: "Primer" (2004)

Movie Stats:
Released 2004 (USA)
American, in English (minimal, mostly non-translated, French)
Director - Shane Carruth
Stars - Shane Carruth, David Sullivan

Plot Summary:
Friends Aaron (Carruth) and Abe (Sullivan) accidentally create a time machine and eventually clash over its best application.

Warnings:
Very minor violence; even more minor gore; very minor blue language.

Bad Stuff:
It’s difficult to follow.

The production values are quite obviously very low.

It’s mostly just a lot of (often quite technical) talking.

Good Stuff:
Despite the low production value, I thought the acting was good.

It’s nice to see a cerebral entry on the list.

I liked the concept (I think). This is not your standard time travel story. I appreciate that the characters were aware of, and tried to compensate for, the time travel paradox.

The Verdict:
I’m not entirely sure that I know WTH just happened. Two guys make a machine and they talk a lot and then they have a falling out over the machine. The end. I did enjoy how the tale grew more and more sinister as it went along. I liked that it was short (nothing worse than a story with too much filler). Overall, the film had a realistic feel. I think that I liked it, although it’s hard to say, given that I still don’t quite understand it. In the end, it felt like a film my husband (who prefers more cerebral stories) would have liked more than I did.

I give it 3 stars.

Sci Fi Top 100, #38: "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978)

Movie Stats:
Released 1978 (USA)
American, in English
Director - Philip Kaufman
Stars - Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy

Plot Summary:
After landing on Earth, aliens quickly begin to take over by cloning the human race. Sutherland stars as health inspector Matthew Bonnell; Adams as his co-worker, Elizabeth Driscoll; Goldblum as Bonnell’s friend, Jack Bellicec; Cartwright as Bellicec’s wife, Nancy; and Nimoy as Bonnell’s other friend, Dr. David Kibner.

Warnings:
Violence; gore; drug use, both consensual and non; brief male nudity (butt only, and it’s covered in mud, so it’s more of a sort of); female nudity (breasts only).

Bad Stuff:
The main characters suffer from a serious case of what I call "the horror movie stupids.” [SPOILER-y] For example, if you send someone into a room to look at a dead body and that person comes back and is like, “Nope, no body there” and sure enough, you check and the body’s gone, maybe that person is a bad guy who did something with the body? Or, if pretty much the whole city has been cloned, including the government, then I think it’s safe to assume the taxi drivers have been turned and maybe you shouldn’t get into that cab. [SPOILER]

The soundtrack is overbearing.

The plot is a bit weak, lots of "people running around without a game plan."

Good Stuff:
It has some genuinely creepy moments, especially in the beginning.

The special effects have held up well.

I like the idea of it. At one point, when Matthew and co. are trying to figure out what’s going on, Jack openly scoffs at Nancy’s (correct) assessment and she says, “What did you expect, metal space ships?” (Side note: I liked Jack’s response, “I didn’t expect anything!” I don’t either, friend.) So many alien invasion movies are all violence, war, and explosions. I enjoyed the insidiousness of the takeover. These aliens a less-violent, less technological Borg.

The Verdict:
In the beginning, I liked it. The pacing is good. It got right to the point. I enjoyed the tension of the characters slowly beginning to figure out what was happening as the noose tightened around them. I also enjoyed how creepy the aliens were until they learned how to fake human behavior. However, once things finally came to a head, I felt like the movie flailed around quite a bit, like it couldn’t figure out how to end. The characters never seemed to make sensible decisions. It was frustrating. While I did like how things eventually wrapped up in that rather famous way (I think most of us have seen the clip), I have a hard time getting over the tiresome portion of the film that felt like filler.

I give it 3 stars.

Up with U.S. Geography: Louisiana

State Name:
Louisiana

Capital:
Baton Rouge

Date of Entry:
April 30, 1812

Maps:

Map of USA. Louisiana outlined in dark ink, shaded &
with name written on it.

A close-up of Louisiana & its neighbors.

Neighbors:
Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas

Water Borders:
Sabine River/Lake, Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico

Total Area:
50,000 square miles

Five Largest Cities:
New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Metairie, Lafayette

Famous Geographical Point:
Lake Pontchartrain

State Nickname:
The Pelican State. The brown pelican is the state bird. Presumably they have a lot of them.

Famous Person:
Louis Armstrong, influential jazz musician, composer & singer

Book Set In/About:
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

During the late 19th century, a young woman with increasingly feminist views struggles against the constraints of her time/place.

Movie Set In/About:
"A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), directed by Elia Kazan

Down on her luck and mentally unbalanced, Blanche Dubois (Vivien Leigh) goes to live with her sister Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter) and her brother-in-law Stanley (Marlon Brando). Tension ensues and Brando lights up the screen.

Headline of the Day:
"Poll: Louisiana Residents Largely Support Criminal Justice Reform Proposals" in The Advocate.

Sci Fi Top 100, #39: "Dark Star" (1974)

Movie Stats:
Released 1974 (USA)
American, in English
Director - John Carpenter
Stars - Brian Narelle, Dan O’Bannon, Dre Pahich, Cal Kuniholm

Plot Summary:
Four men on a deep space mission experience a series of setbacks. It’s intended to be a spoof of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Narelle stars as Lt. Doolittle; O’Bannon as Pinback; Pahich as Talby; and Kuniholm as Boiler.

Warnings:
Violence.

Bad Stuff:
Nearly everything: acting, writing, special effects, cinematography, plot, score, sound effects, etc. I saw the director’s cut, which opens with a Star Wars-like scrolling intro that explains extensively that the movie is a comedy but that no one seems to “get it.” Sorry, Mr. Carpenter (director) and Mr. O’Bannon (writer), it’s not that I don’t “get it,” it’s that I found most of it painfully unfunny.

Good Stuff:
It’s only an hour and ten minutes long (felt longer).

[SPOILER-y]
I liked the idea of a man trying to talk an intelligent bomb out of blowing itself up. That was interesting and mildly funny.
[SPOILER]

The Verdict:
Several years ago, a friend was leaving the country for a long stretch of time & had a going away party. At it, he showed the movie “Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter.” Ever since then, it’s been my go-to anecdote for “worst movie I’ve ever seen.” I think “Dark Star” might replace it. At the very least, there was more that I found entertaining in “Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter.”

I really hated this film. Even if the intro hadn’t told me that it began as a student movie, I would’ve been able to tell. It’s very bad. Most of the time, I didn’t even understand what was happening. I didn’t chuckle or crack a smile once. In fact, by the end, I just felt angry that I watched it at all. I’m appalled that it’s on this list, let alone at #39.

I give it .5 (half a) star.

Sci Fi Top 100, #40: "WALL-E" (2008)

Movie Stats:
Released 2008 (USA)
American, in English
Director - Andrew Stanton
Stars - Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight

Plot Summary:
In the distant future, after Earth has been overrun by garbage and abandoned, WALL-E (Burtt), a trash compacting robot with a personality, finds a plant and, with it, hope. Knight provides the voice of EVE, WALL-E’s love interest.

Warnings:
Minor violence.

Bad Stuff:
[SPOILER]
I don’t believe that a group of humans who’ve spent their whole lives in space being pampered, who’ve never exercised, and who lack both critical thinking skills and knowledge, would be enthusiastic about building a society on a planet that is barely habitable. Even if they were enthusiastic, I don’t believe they could do it.
[SPOILER]

Anachronisms. For example, 900 hundred years from now, are they really going to still have fire extinguishers exactly like the ones we have now?

Good Stuff:
It’s sweet and adorable and fun.

I love the soundtrack.

It’s clever, imaginative, and funny. There are many scenes that make me chuckle.

Stunning visuals.

The Verdict:
I like this movie. I’m having a difficult time imagining why anyone wouldn’t. WALL-E is an extremely likable protagonist. The story is simple and, for the most part, makes sense. It’s pretty to look at, it’ll make you laugh, and you’ll have the catchy songs stuck in your head for days. Do I have some quibbles? Sure, but this is a kids’ movie, and I tend to give those a little more leeway. This is the kind of film that’s so enjoyable that you’re likely to watch it more than once. I know I have. Side note: Going to see this movie with a friend is one of the last things I did before I left Portland for good. It’s still a little bittersweet for me.

I give it 4.25 stars.

Sci Fi Top 100, #41: "They Live" (1988)

Movie Stats:
Released 1988 (USA)
American, in English
Director - John Carpenter
Stars - Roddy Piper, Keith David

Plot Summary:
Homeless, unemployed drifter Nada (Piper; the character is actually never named in the film but is in the credits) uncovers a vast alien conspiracy and decides it’s time to kick some ass. David co-stars as Nada’s new pal, Frank.

Warnings:
Violence; gore; extreme blue language; brief sexy times; brief female nudity (breasts only).

Bad Stuff:
The pacing is a little slow.

Character building isn’t very good. I realized this as I considered Nada’s reaction when he discovered the aliens. “That seems inconsistent,” I thought. But as I pondered it deeper, I decided that his reaction made sense. I feel like I shouldn’t have to work that hard to understand my movie characters. By the end of the film, we still know virtually nothing about either Nada or Frank.

The sex scene/nudity was extremely gratuitous. Not necessary for the plot at all. It’s like Carpenter suddenly remembered it was an 80s film and decided to toss in some naked boobies.

Good Stuff:
For a movie that’s nearly 30 years old, it sure feels uncomfortably relevant, especially all the “rich people band together to screw over poor people” stuff.

It’s quite funny/entertaining.

I really enjoyed David’s performance. I’m just now realizing that he’s in everything (he has 260 acting credits on IMDB and he’s only 60).

The Verdict:
First, a story. I regularly attend a trivia night. Each week, there’s a themed visual round. One week, I don’t remember the theme, this movie was one of the answers. At that point, I hadn’t seen it in 20 years, so I didn’t immediately recognize it. “I think that’s ‘They Live,’” one of my male teammates said. “I haven’t seen it, but I’ve seen the fight scene.” Later, when one of our other male teammates arrived, we asked if he recognized the picture. When we told him that we thought it was this movie, he said, “Oh yeah! I haven’t seen it, but I’ve seen the fight scene.” LOL.

To be fair, now that I’ve seen it again, I have to agree that it’s a very memorable fight scene.

I do like this film. I think it’s a different, refreshing take on the old “alien invasion” trope. I like the open ending. It’s got some great pithy one-liners. There’s a good mix of action and intrigue. It’s not nearly as cheesy as one might expect. Plus, how can you go wrong with a glorious mane like Roddy Piper’s?

I give it 3.75 stars.