Indulgences

I've been neglecting my prayers today — I've got all this writing to get done, and I chose to actually sit before my keyboard and move my hands and think with my brain, rather than calling upon the Lord to do my work for me. I've actually gotten a fair amount done.

Now comes the part where one might expect some heavenly reward for one's pious industry, but I don't believe in that, either. I'm going to have to do something myself … so here I come, Iron Man! We have a late night premiere showing of a first run movie in Morris, so of course I have to go.

It looks like a darned good action movie, too. Popcorn and some good clean late night fun sound like a better event than some po-faced piety at a local church, don't you think?

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I just hope that Jon Favreau doesn't show up and demand that you be removed from the theater :)

Enjoy and keep up the good work!

Wh00t! Iron Man! Hopefully It will be full of lots of commentary on the american military-industrial complex, as well as stuff getting blow'd up reall good.

I went to the first Marvel Comic book convention in New York when I was a little kid, and had tickets to have dinner with Stan the-man Lee. I was only a little kid and chickened-out, so I traded the tickets. Guess what for? A bunch of comics of course, one of which was the first Iron man. It was not actually an Iron man comic that he was introduced in, but some weird comic with two or three stories in it. Iron man was only one of them.

Speaking of indulgences.

The Vatican buildings (St. Peter's Basilica et al) were built using the money raised from the original multi billion dollar scam, the indulgence for absolution of sin.

It was this same church that stewarded the collected works of fiction we now know as the bible through the dark ages, and molded its teachings to suit its ends.

It should be no surprise they would be prone to cover up corruptions since that is their product.

By Andy James (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

You are starting to sound like Marti Luther there Andy...

I become jealous. I have to wait until the husband has time off from work this weekend (maybe Sunday?) to go--not because I am incapable of seeing a movie by myself, but because he would murder me and stuff me in a drainpipe if I got to see Iron Man before him.

Try not to get kicked of this one

Iron Man makes me Paranoid. :) :) :)

Well only if you can ignore two large discrepancies. I don't buy the premise that god exists, and I don't hate Jewish people.

By Andy James (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

After tonight, I'm only going to pray to Iron Man.

I had dinner with someone tonight who said "I can't wait until I see Iron Man." But I pointed out that since he turned down my suggestion that we see the 8 PM showing, in fact he already made the decision to wait to see Iron Man.

Years of anti-Creationist reasoning has left me a shallow, pedantic person. But a correct, shallow, pedantic person!

rottentomatoes rates Iron Man @95%!

that's the best rating for a new major release I've seen in quite a while.

what was the rating on Expelled, again?

oh, that's right:

6% when it opened, and the 2 good ratings were from biased xian rags.

0% if you looked at real critic ratings.

...yeah.

@ #2
you totally made me nearly spit my coffee out. Hilarious, thanks!

By architeuthis (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

I walked past a newsstand earlier, and saw this headline:

  • "Robert Downey shines as 'Iron Man'."

    Hmmm. I expect he'll be riveting.

  • Rottentomatoes says...

    Iron Man 95% (top critics: 90%)

    Expelled 09% (top critics: still running the table at 0%)

    I'll be going to see Iron Man this weekend (and I'll take a
    quick peek in the theater playing Expelled and laugh at the
    3 or 4 losers in there).

    By caerbannog (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

    Damn.

    I write up my little post at 12:23, do a quick preview, go get a beer, and hit the "post" button at 12:29 -- only to find out that Ichthyic has beaten me to the punch.

    Oh well.

    At least the beer was really good.

    By caerbannog (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

    At least the beer was really good.

    ...and that's what's really important.

    they just opened up a new Irish pub right next door to me...

    you guys might be seeing a lot less of me starting next week.

    jeffox...

    Did you know that Fairies Only Wear Heavy Boots of Lead?

    yea...you knew!

    By BobbyEarle (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

    Iron Man rocked. And Robert Downey Jr. has the role sewed up for all time.

    Iron man was awesome. Be sure to stay for the credits; there's a SWEET little after bit.

    If the producers let you in, of course.

    I'm so ready to see this. I may have to wait till Saturday.

    It looks like it's going to be awesome.

    By OctoberMermaid (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

    Enjoy, PZ. We'll be expecting a full review in the morning!

    By themadlolscientist (not verified) on 01 May 2008 #permalink

    I'm so glad that I have young progeny that will allow me to see this and retain a veneer of maturity.

    I just had the good fortune to see this. The fortune being that it's my first trip to the movies in two years. Kids tend to kill one's social life.

    Yes, I squandered a rare night out on a comic-book movie. All sonic booms, rawk track and CGI sheen. Not to mention the flip dialogue and Gwyneth Paltrow's lovely nose.

    It was like a great big hug, but with explosions. Consider me entertained.

    [sung to the tune of "Spider Man"]

    Iron man, iron man,
    Does whatever it is iron can!
    Builds a bridge, any size!
    Catches beams just like flies
    Look Out!
    Here comes the Ironman.

    Is he strong?
    Listen bud,
    He's got iron in his blood.
    He wraps cable into thread
    Take a look overhead
    Hey, there
    There goes the Ironman.

    [I've no idea where I'm going with this, someone take over]

    Bloke in the paper said Iron Man wasn't as intellectual as Transformers...

    also, where I come from, an ironman is a kind of triathlon.

    It so happens that I'm going to see that movie tomorrow, to celebrate my divorce. Brainless action should do the trick and set my mind to zero activity.

    Iron Man isn't as intellectual as Transformers? What, do they give you a parietal lobotomy right there in the theater?

    I saw the 9pm showing last night. It was fabulous! I'll spare you a personal review but suffice to say that I enjoyed everything about it except for the dumbfuck 8 rows in front of me who kept texting throughout the movie. I was ready to shoved his cell phone up his unmentionables! >:(

    By Wolfhound (not verified) on 02 May 2008 #permalink

    Best superhero movie ever made, bar none.

    Watch you don't get Expelled!

    If they were illustrating what you'd said, they'd use pleasant, non-religious events such as picnics, hikes, and great scientific moments.

    Cheesy hypocrites.

    BTW, speaking of hypocrites, did you realize that Dembski pulled a Haeckel and is either a huge hypocrite or has no sense of irony at all, since in public he blissfully unaware of it?

    Read comment #9, went to made some coffee, returned to seat and made a mess with the keyboard.
    Sorry.

    Oh man I felt like such a nerd because I have been secretly drooling over the iron man trailer since it came out. Nevermind the physical problems with a flying man-suit, I want to see it.

    I love the concept of keeping a dark story line light and airy. Plus RDJ is awesome, Gwyneth is awesome and the effects look amazing.

    "Nevermind the physical problems with a flying man-suit, I want to see it."

    I thought it was neat that they added the detail of various panels of the suit acting as ailerons and such during flight.

    Still not kosher vis a vis physics, but a nice touch.

    #18: Wi-fi? I know it's hard to write sometimes (if the light is bad or you've more than.. a few adult beverages), but that's why they made laptops.

    We going to get a godless movie review, PZ?

    I saw this Tuesday at a sneak preview, and enjoyed it very much. A decent translation of the character to the big screen, Jeff Bridges plays a great bad guy, action scenes are not overdone, and no particular attention to the laws of physics - What more could you ask in a superhero movie? :-)

    jeffox...

    Did you know that Fairies Only Wear Heavy Boots of Lead?

    yea...you knew!

    'cuz smokin' and trippin' is all I do, eh? :)

    Henry Rollins describes Iron Man getting busted. "...You uh, filled a lot of people full of dread back there."
    "Yeah, well. I've got these boots of lead."

    BTW, a good case has been made for the story of Iron Giant (the one Brad Bird adapted) being as much of an inspiration for the Sabbath tune as anything by StanTheManLee.

    followup:

    At least the beer was really good.

    ...and that's what's really important.

    they just opened up a new Irish pub right next door to me...

    you guys might be seeing a lot less of me starting next week.

    I went to my new Irish Pub this evening, really looking forward to catching the end of the Celtics-Hawks game, and arguing Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson with some local fans....

    The game wasn't on.

    there were 4 people in the whole bar.

    the bartender (an obvious red-haired Irish lad) didn't even know the Celtics were an NBA team.

    ...and the Guinness was stale, and 5.00 a pint!!!

    I think I'll have to go and burn that place down.

    *sigh*

    @#47 Ichthyic --

    I went to my new Irish Pub this evening, really looking forward to catching the end of the Celtics-Hawks game, and arguing Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson with some local fans....

    The game wasn't on.

    You obviously didn't pray hard enough for it.

    ...and the Guinness was stale, and 5.00 a pint!!!

    Truly, the fearsome wrath of an almighty God of Judgment! Repent!

    Truly, the fearsome wrath of an almighty God of Judgment! Repent!

    too late, judgement has already been passed, and now I am obviously living in purgatory.

    :p

    seriously, this is the ONLY Irish pub for 30 miles in any direction.