I never got around to seeing the original Ghostbusters, so it’s hard for me to understand why keeping it a precious, stand-alone trophy is so very important to certain critics. (I mean, I was just as outraged by the indecencies Disney committed against one of my iconic creators with the first Jungle Book, but I was still in middle school then.) This is pretty funny, though: In McSweeneys, Samuel Priest explains “No, I Don’t Dislike the New Ghostbusters Movie Because I Hate Women — It’s Because I Strongly Believe In Hollywood Finance Reform”…
… Of course we’re ready for a comedy-action movie with female leads. And of course, we’re overdue… but I think we need to wait for the RIGHT new Ghostbusters movie, not just ANY Ghostbusters movie. The women in the new Ghostbusters movie have a lot of good comedy experience, yes, of course. But over the last 20 years, I can find a few examples of them not being funny, especially when you take those moments out of context.
Now, if Elizabeth Warren and Jill Stein and Michelle Obama make a new Ghostbusters in a hypothetical four or eight years from now, I could get behind that idea. That vague notion that wouldn’t hold up under any scrutiny for a variety of reasons is CLEARLY a better option than this new Ghostbusters movie made by competent people that’s seemingly ready to be shown any minute now.
I also know a couple women who would agree with me on the things I’m saying, so again, I think that proves I’m not sexist or misogynist. This new Ghostbusters movie just isn’t for me and I think everything should be for me. Will this movie just existing inspire young women to get involved with making their own Ghostbusters movies at state and local theater levels? I don’t know, is representation in media and government even important?…
And you can tell it’s unbiased and nonpartisan, because it was written by a man.
Baud
Reposted from dead thread.
Is $300 for a 16 GB iPad mini 4 a worthwhile expense?
Mike in NC
My wife pitched a fit when I told her they were remaking “Ben-Hur”.
Baud
It’s the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, not Wo-man.
dmsilev
@Baud: Depends on what you need and what sort of discretionary budget you have. I mean, is it worth spending the rent/grocery money on? No. Is it worth spending this months ‘electronic gadget toy budget’ on? Well, maybe.
Edit: Also, take a look at Apple’s refurb store. They often have current models for sale at 10 or 15 percent off list. The refurbs come with full warrantees, etc. Availability of specific models comes and goes, so you have to keep checking back if you’re after something specific.
Amir Khalid
A note perfect send-up of the sexist opposition to the Ghostbusters remake and the red herrings it likes to deploy.
Baud
@dmsilev: This is discretionary. That’s why I’m struggling. I don’t enjoy buying frivolous things. I’m hoping it’ll be useful if I actually get it.
The Other Chuck
Was this … really written without irony? Is the author 14 years old, or just that naïve? Yeah, I have a black friend too.
This is the sort of incoherent prose that is typically written by the completely stoned. I would know.
[EDIT] Oh. it was a spoof. Poe’s Law, once again.
gogol's wife
@The Other Chuck:
I think it’s a parody of a man explaining why he can’t vote for Hillary.
Anne Laurie
@The Other Chuck:
Please recalibrate your Snark Meter; this political season has been putting great stress on those useful little devices.
Baud
@Anne Laurie:
No kidding. There’s no telling anymore.
EBT
James Rolfe posted a fairly embarrassing video complaining on the sanctity of his childhood memories.
The Other Chuck
@gogol’s wife: Now that you spell it out, it’s obvious. Two levels of satire going on, one aimed at sexist assholes, the other Bernie-or-Busters. Oh wait…
Ivan X
@Baud: Possibly, but only if you plan on not downloading many apps, or any video, and you don’t plan on having pictures on it. In practice, 16 GB is a really low ceiling, so it’s best suited to web, email, and streaming use. And that ceiling might get even lower when iOS 10 is released, later this year; even if it’s capable of doing what you want now, a higher capacity model is a better hedge against the future.
gogol's wife
@The Other Chuck:
Maybe it’s easier for me to recognize because I hear the original of the parody all the time.
The Other Chuck
@Anne Laurie: My snarkometer has been broken for nearly a year now. Thanks, Obama.
Luthe
@gogol’s wife: With elements of GamerG*te thrown in.
Keith G
Whether it is Star Trek, Star Wars, Ghost Busters, James Bond, or whatever is next, I usually assume the same small percent of the audience has issues with a reboot, or other significant change from the past.
Who cares?
For some, being able to gripe gives meaning to an otherwise diminished life.
LAO
@Baud: I have a mini 3 (which I got when the 4 came out) and I love it. I would replace it if it died.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Baud: What is it to be used for?
I got a Galaxy Tab S 8.4 a little over a year ago, and got a Bluetooth keyboard/case thingy for it for $20 or so. It was handy on our vacation last year, when we had access to WiFi, and a lot less clumsy to carry around than a laptop. But mostly, it just sits on the shelf.
I paid $300 for it, it’s $360 there now.
Whether any tablet is worth $300 depends on what you use it for and what the alternatives are.
We had an original iPad v1 with the cellular radio. We used that occasionally on trips, too, but it was mostly a toy otherwise. It had so little RAM that it would refresh the browser page (eating data) whenever one did much of anything, so it was a “last resort” compute for me. They’ve got more RAM now, but it’s almost impossible to know how much because Apple wants to keep that from you (ya gotta look for a decent technical review).
Check Apple’s refurbished store, also too, if you’re interested in their stuff. I don’t see any v4 Minis, but they’ve got v3 Minis, and have some others for as little as $229 (if you’re in a qualifying group).
My $0.02. HTH a little.
Cheers,
Scott.
nutella
Heh. Just like all those men who really had nothing at all against women running for office but HRC was just the wrong one and they would totally have supported Warren if only she had run instead. Just holding out for the right woman who somehow is never the one who’s running now.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@dmsilev: GMTA. ;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Anne Laurie
@gogol’s wife: @gogol’s wife:
The Warren/Stein/MObama paragraph was the ‘tell’.
It’s been a rich season for manbabies educated beyond their intelligence, hasn’t it?
eclare
@The Other Chuck: Took me two reads to get the message. Subtle, but very effective send up of supposed “reasons” not to vote for Hillary.
Ultraviolet Thunder
Sweet hopping Jesus on a cotton candy jag it’s a movie not a cultural landmark. Anyone seriously disturbed that sci fi comedy about the supernatural is being made again for a new generation to laugh at is far too needy.
Anne Laurie
@Keith G:
I have a pinback button that says “The more you complain, the longer God lets you live.”
(No, it was not a gift.)
? Martin
I thought this was a pretty good breakdown of the situation.
Suzanne
@Baud: I would recommend a full-size iPad.
It is 109 degrees outside, sayeth my weather station. By Monday, it should hit or come within a degree of 120.
Sob.
Baud
@Ivan X:
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:
@LAO:
Thanks. I don’t think I’ll download a ton of videos. Not sure about apps yet because I don’t know what I’d be interested in in the app store. I’d probably mostly use it for reading, streaming, web, and email.
Anne Laurie
@? Martin: And there you have the “If I can’t vote for Sanders, I’m voting for Trump” demographic in a nutshell. Or should that be ‘nutsack’?
the Conster, la Citoyenne
They filmed scenes for the movie outside my office building in Boston’s financial district. I didn’t see the actors since they were filming at night, but the crews were all out setting up the lights etc. I think it’s supposed to stand in for New York, and I’m looking forward to seeing it. Melissa McCarthy is hilarious. The Heat, another Boston based movie, is my favorite of hers.
Baud
@Suzanne: Thanks. I don’t want spend that much and I want something more portable. This is a splurge for me. Not anything I need.
nutella
@? Martin:
And that’s why they want to Make America Great Again, that is, take all that stuff they’re damn well entitled to back. With violence, if necessary.
JPL
@Suzanne: Isn’t there a trump rally in your area?
trollhattan
@Suzanne:
Weather that kills. Thanks Obama. I’ve been to your fair city in August to experience the perversity that is monsoon season. I don’t know why anybody lives there.
low-tech cyclist
@Ultraviolet Thunder:
Bingo. The original Ghostbusters was a lot of fun. It’s not some sacred, untouchable moment of cinema, just fun. If this remake is a lot of fun as well, then we’ll all have a good time watching it, which means it will have succeeded. If not, then it will quietly disappear into the oblivion that movies that flop disappear into. It really isn’t any more complicated than that.
And yeah, men shouldn’t get to hog all the good roles. And there isn’t a reason in the universe why the leads of Ghostbusters must be men.
jl
The name’s Bond… Jamie Bond…
Edit: The name’s Bond… Jacoba Bond
Yeah, that sounds more suave and lethal.
Edit2: not sure what would be best beefcake for her to seduce, though.
Baud
@efgoldman: Probably. But did they predict the fascism?
Betty Cracker
@Baud: Second the recommendation to check out the Apple refurbished store. I got my MIL a full-sized iPad for the same price. If you want a mini, I’m sure they have those too, and perhaps cheaper.
Do you have a largish smartphone? I ask because I have an iPad and an iPhone 6S, and I’m not sure a mini would be all that different from the phone since it is a pretty big phone. But if you have a smaller phone, it probably would be useful to you. I love my iPad for reading, sketching, browsing, etc.
LAO
@Baud: that is exactly, what I use mine for. There’s not much difference between the 3 and 4, so that might make more sense for a splurge.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Baud: Tablets are good for “consuming” – watching videos, reading, etc. They’re not good, IMHO, though Apple and MS want you to think otherwise, at “creating” stuff. In many ways, they’re glorified big phones. Cutting and pasting is a pain. Grabbing something from one app and using information there in another app is a pain. Even with a Bluetooth keyboard, it’s often a pain to get information into tablet apps (you still have to use your fingers on the screen a lot of the time).
Tablets are great when you’re traveling because they’re light and the battery generally lasts a long time. And sometimes they can sorta do the job of a bunch of other stuff that you might want to bring. I’ve seen lots of people using iPads and the like as cameras on trips. But they’re still young devices with lots of compromises.
If you’re mainly using it to read novels or something, a Kindle might be better.
If you’re mainly using it to read web newspapers, they can be pretty good for that.
If you’re mainly using it to post one-liners on B-J, they can be pretty good for that.
If you’re thinking of using it for arguments with Brad DeLong or someone at Crooked Timber, and want to post links and quotes and so forth, I would get a Bluetooth keyboard to go with it. But it might be more pain than one could tolerate for long (compared to a real PC or Mac).
If you’re not sure what you would do with it, and it’s more than you would spend without thinking about it too much (e.g. dinner and a fancy show with someone special), then maybe think about trying a cheaper, older one off the AppleStore first. If it doesn’t work out, you could probably resell it and get most of your money back (there’s a 14 day return policy at Apple).
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
low-tech cyclist
@Anne Laurie:
I think you just won your own thread.
Feathers
@Baud: I got a full iPad because I’m doing an online degree. Had resisted previously. I also picked up a bluetooth keyboard. The laptop now stays at home, I get just about all of my writing done on the iPad with Pages. It is also a bit much of a distraction, but that may be me.
@Mike in NC: Ahem. Remaking Ben Hur again. Went to a screening with live accompaniment years back. Went with some friends who did not realize silent movies had nudity in them. They were no prudes, handled contemporary raunch just fine – but this was SHOCKING. Too much fun. Ben Hur is played by Ramon Navarro, an homme fatale of the Rudolph Valentino ilk, who was fairly open about his homosexuality (not to the public, of course). It is a very different film.
Bruuuuce
@efgoldman: I forget whether The Onion did or not, but in 2000 The Simpsons did — and they had President Trump bankrupting the country. Comedy kicks news’ coccyx, as usual.
Suzanne
@JPL: Yes, but it is too hot for going outside, even to give Donald Trump shit.
@trollhattan: Monsoon season is great. It gets a little bit cooler, we get wrath-of-God-type storms that are really fun to watch, especially haboobs. And we get the perverse entertainment of laughing at the people on the news who drive into flooded washes and need to be rescued from the roof of their SUVs. It’s this time that’s worse. Hotter, drier, brighter. And yes, people die.
Villago Delenda Est
Do you all remember the poutrage over the casting of Idris Elba as Heimdall in Thor?
The Ghostbusters remake outrage is more of the same thing.
Steeplejack
@Baud:
If you’re not Android-averse, a new 32GB Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, successor to the model mentioned upthread, is only $299. (It has an 8" display.) And you can stick a microSD card in it for more storage.
I have a first-generation Nexus 7 that I bought a few years ago to dip my toe in the tablet waters. I have liked it and used it more than I thought I would, but it has gotten slow with the newer versions of the Android OS. I have thought about getting a new tablet and have wondered about an iPad Mini, but I’m nowhere near serious shopping. Full-size tablets feel too big to me, but I wonder if that’s just because I haven’t fondled one enough.
WaterGirl
@Baud: I am seeing the iPad mini 4 for $399 on the apple store, so $300 would be a really great price. If you won’t be taking a lot of photos or videos, it sounds like you could get by with the 16 GB model. If you’re going to use it to comment on BJ, you might want to consider a keyboard case.
When I got my iPad 18 months ago, I went back and forth between the mini (so I could pretty much always have it with me) and the bigger screen. I went with the bigger screen, not sure I made the right call on that.
P.S. Damn you for making me go to the Apple Store and see that there is an iPad PRO that I am now lusting for. grrr.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: No. Try this: Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. You get an SD-card slot which you don’t get on the iCrap.
Baud
@Betty Cracker: My smartphone is a little over 5 inches. I use it a a lot. I also have a small windows tablet computer, which is the main reason I don’t need an iPad. The real benefit of an iPad over my tablet would be better quality screen for reading and streaming, more apps, a little faster, and slightly more portable.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Oh, and definitely get Apple Care. You won’t regret it. I don’t usually get extended warranties, but I do get Apple Care with every Apple device I buy.
Mnemosyne
@Baud:
16GB is way too small and will drive you nuts very quickly. It’s better to hold out for more memory.
Baud
@BillinGlendaleCA:
@Steeplejack:
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Thanks. I have an Android phone, which I like, but I heard the gap between iOS and Android for tablets was pretty large.
@WaterGirl:
Thank you. I think I’ve decided to pass. I think I’m convinced that I’ll regret the 16 GB.
Suzanne
@trollhattan: And as for why people live here…..it’s because you can buy a 2500 SF house for under $250K in many pretty nice places to live, and most people commute 30 minutes or less. The nature stuff is pretty good in terms of hiking, rock climbing, off-roading, etc. We may be moving within a year, but everywhere we want to go is a step up in cost of living.
I will say….seeing Betty Cracker’s posts about Florida have me asking why anyone lives THERE. Holy shit. I don’t even want to change planes in the state.
Baud
@Mnemosyne: Yeah. I’ve decided that’s the clincher, given the price.
Baud
Thanks for the advice everyone.
Splitting Image
My main objection to a Ghostbusters reboot is that the plot of the original involved an End of Times cult trying to bring about the end of the world. That didn’t bother me much at the time, but after thirty years of Left Behind knockoffs pushed out by people who take that sort of thing seriously, I’m pretty tired of the genre. Not big on The Omen or The Walking Dead either.
Remakes also have a poor track record, especially when the original depended on the chemistry of the original cast as much as Ghostbusters did. On the other hand, this one deserves as much benefit of the doubt as any of the others that have been done recently*. I might not be the intended audience, but if it’s good, it’ll find one.
*A remake of The Princess Bride, on the other hand, would be doomed from the get-go. And blasphemous.
debbie
@Baud:
My iPad mini has been great. Not one problem in the almost 2.5 years I’ve had it, and I use it a lot.
SiubhanDuinne
@Suzanne:
That’s inhuman.
It’s been really nice in the ATL today. Temps in the 80s, which feels nice and cool after the recent stretch of mid- to high 90s, and a pleasant breeze. Wish it would stay like this for a while.
JPL
@Baud: Advice is what you can count on from us.
Baud
@debbie: I used to have a iPod touch. Very high quality devices.
SiubhanDuinne
@Splitting Image:
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You remade my movie. Prepare to die.”
Mike J
@Mike in NC:
There’s only one Frances X Bushman. Shouldn’t screw with the classics.
JPL
@Suzanne: Take care.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Steeplejack: I’ve got quite a few tablets and I think 8″ is the perfect size.
@Baud: You have an Android smartphone, right? If you have apps that you have purchased(and/or) like on Android most of those apps will also run on an Android tablet. That would not be the case with an iCrap.
Ultraviolet Thunder
@jl:
Charlie Stross did a gender swapped Bond scenario in one of his Laundry Files books. The agent thinks he’s the hero but can’t figure out why he’s just sitting in a room waiting for things to happen while the woman is tearing around wreaking mayhem. Turns out he’s the obligatory sex object and she’s the ‘star’ in the operation.
guachi
A general reason to be upset at a remake of Ghostbusters is so many ’80s movies have had really bad remakes. So. Many. Bad. Remakes. People in their teens and 20s in the ’80s are now in their 40s and 50s, so prime age to complain, anyway.
Another reason is that the casting of all female Ghostbusters reeks of being a gimmick. And women shouldn’t be cast in a movie as a gimmick.
Remakes of ’80s movies worse than the original:
Annie
Arthur
Can’t Buy Me Love
City of Angels
Clash of the Titans
Conan
Evil Dead
Fame
The Fog
Footloose
Karate Kid
Nightmare on Elm Street
Poltergeist
Prom Night
Red Dawn
RoboCop
Star Trek (at least I thought the reboot and sequel were awful)
The House on Sorority Row
The Stepfather
Total Recall (honorary remake fail as it’s from 1990)
There are two movies that are continuations of a movie series from the ’70s/’80s that I’ll give very high marks to and are exceptions that prove the rule –
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I found both to be outstanding movies with Mad Max being the best pure action movie I’ve possibly ever seen.
Baud
The Next Ten Commandments:. Let My People Go … Again!
trollhattan
@Suzanne:
I’d be okay October through March, maybe April but I’d need an escape hatch.
You could match the housing cost in, say, Modesto and be a quick drive to Yosemite and less quick to the ocean. It gets hot but comically less than what you’re going through. I’m too lazy to move and the kiddo has picked her high school, so my advice is suspect.
Baud
@BillinGlendaleCA: I mostly use free apps. I’ve purchased only a couple. (Precisely because I don’t want to be locked in.)
trollhattan
@guachi:
There was no particular reason to remake it other than the chronic paucity of new film concepts and the desire for an easy payday. The cast is irrelevant to me, my issue is it represents some worthy movie unmade.
Ryan
“I also know a couple women who would agree with me on the things I’m saying, so again, I think that proves I’m not sexist or misogynist.”
Why, some of my very best friends are women!
Suzanne
@SiubhanDuinne: It’s so brutal. I am hiding inside with the curtains drawn and the lights off.
It’s really hard on the kids. For most of the country, summer vacation from school is not in the severe season, so they can play outside a lot more. I won’t let mine go outside for more than walking across the parking lot between 10am and 3pm because of the UV exposure, and they get cooped up inside. After 3, they will go swim some days, and we have indoor playplaces, but those cost $$$ and they have to be driven there. Keeping them from getting antsy is a struggle every year.
Ultraviolet Thunder
Remakes are almost always judged poorly by people who saw the original. But this doesn’t take into account modern tastes. Younger audiences react to different things and tastes change. Yeah, it won’t be the same and it shouldn’t be. It’ll be relevant for a new generation of viewers, and not for the older.
trollhattan
@efgoldman:
That would be a real coup for the Donald if he did…don’t you dare hire Bernie’s people, the Donald, don’t!
guachi
@trollhattan:
Yeah, there really wasn’t a particular reason to remake it. At least a movie like Footloose could have a reason to be remade by updating the conflicts to modern times. It just wasn’t good.
I still can’t believe they never remade Back to the Future in 2015 as 2015 was the Future in BttF 2. They could go back in time 30 years like the original only this time they’d end up in 1985, the year the first BttF was released. There are a large number of jokes and references that could be updated but, no, a movie begging for a remake doesn’t get remade.
Suzanne
@trollhattan: Modesto isn’t a big enough city for me, though. I want to stay in a top-25 city so I can work for a good company.
My in-laws keep trying to get us to move to Fayetteville, AR. Great big pile of NOPE.
Anne Laurie
@efgoldman: You’re not a manbaby, and your intelligence more than matches your education, IMO. :)
JPL
@Suzanne: Atlanta is not bad, and you can find good schools and affordable housing, but you have to commute. Fulton County voted for the current President twice.
trollhattan
@Suzanne:
San Diego? I’m in the Sacto metroplex but we’re pretty sprawly, although living in the city itself resolves the traffic issues. It’s (checks) 79 degrees ATM.
Villago Delenda Est
@efgoldman: While standing in line for Titanic with some friends, I very loudly said “half way through the movie, it sinks!” and the friends were all, in sarcastic voices, berating me about no spoiler warning.
guachi
@efgoldman:
I culled the list from Wikipedia (because there is a page for everything) and was surprised at how many horror movies were remade. I guess I would respond by saying: how could they have been worse than a movie with near zero budget?
Suzanne
@JPL: Yeah, Atlanta isn’t awful. Definitely the only place in the Old Confederacy I’d ever consider. But I miss cold weather so bad. We’re looking at Denver, Seattle, etc.
Rick Taylor
@Baud: Sounds like a good deal to me. I have an iPad mini 4, and use it for holding nearly all my books (some in pdf format).
You could get a mini 2 refurbished from Apple for even less. The mini 2 isn’t as good as the mini 4; it’s not as sprightly, and may become obsolete earlier, but it’s working currently. I would not consider a mini 1. The mini 3 is not much different than the mini 2, so only worth getting if the price is the same as the 2, or you really want touch id.
I prefer the iPad mini over the full iPad, as it’s so portable, but that’s a matter of personal preference; plenty of people feel the opposite. The mini might not be a good one to get if you have trouble reading smaller text.
16GB is a bit tight on RAM, but workable.
If you want GPS (which is very nice), you’ll need to get an LTE model.
? Martin
@BillinGlendaleCA:
You make a persuasive, fact-filled argument that really helps him with his decision.
JPL
just delete
eclare
@Suzanne: That is a definite downside I had not thought of. Ugh. Where I live it gets nowhere near what you get, but the past several days the heat index has been around 110. Today feels cool, it’s 88, feels like 93. Where is my sweater? What chaps me is that this is the time of year it stays light late enough to do stuff outdoors after work, but you can’t (unless you have a pool, which I don’t).
Keep yourself and the kids safe.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
ObOpenThread – Atrios reminds us to be skeptical of stories on current events:
Surprise!! :-/
It was kinda clear pretty early that it wasn’t Daesh, wasn’t it? Daesh doesn’t attack some place because they “saw a couple of guys kissing” (as his father supposedly put it). They want to cause chaos in capitals and important economic sites – a bar in Orlando doesn’t fit.
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
JPL
@Suzanne: I don’t know for how long, but we do have four seasons. The mountains are close, and offer a respite from summer heat.
I assume they are televising the Trump thing, but the size of the crowd is rather small link
trollhattan
@Suzanne:
Don’t know about Denver but Seattle is very costy now and has phenomenal traffic issues. I love it, grew up there, but never worked out how to return without impoverishing myself.
JPL
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: During the first few days after Columbine, the motive was different than after investigation.
rikyrah
My Kindle Fire just died on me.??? I wanted to update to a newer model….guess this is the sign that I should.
Steeplejack
@Suzanne:
What about Portland, OR? Twenty-sixth largest U.S. city by population, 23rd largest MSA (metropolitan statistical area), according to Wikipedia. I used to travel there quite a bit and think it might be preferable to Seattle now.
BillinGlendaleCA
@? Martin: That construction was for your benefit Martin. I’m happy you noticed?
SiubhanDuinne
@Steeplejack:
But, but, BiP!
trollhattan
@Steeplejack:
Not to be forgetting big chapter Friends of Vlad and a Das Kapital book club (spoilers strictly forbidden).
Omnes Omnibus
Generally, I would say the only reason to remake an “iconic” movie is because one has a different take on it. A all female cast definitely is a different take, so I would say that this remake has more justification than most.
Steeplejack
@SiubhanDuinne:
Touché.
Suzanne
@Steeplejack: I loooove Portland. It’s on the list of possibles for sure. Only downside is that there aren’t actually a lot of big architecture offices there, because the big firms have most of their regional offices in Seattle.
@trollhattan: Yeah, I know it’s bad. My mom grew up there, and the house she lived in is now about $750K. Ludicrous. Everywhere we’re looking at is a higher cost of living. Phoenix is a rarity….6th largest MSA in the country and much more affordable than everywhere else in the top 20 save Minneapolis.
different-church-lady
@guachi:
How could the remake of The Fog be worse than the original? The original was the worst movie ever made.
gwangung
@Suzanne: Yeah, but the elephant in the room is water…the growth is going to bump up into some uncomfortable facts on available water…
Villago Delenda Est
@Steeplejack: “Last year, 35 children fell off their bikes in Oregon.
And drowned.”
Bruuuuce
@different-church-lady: Waterworld!
? Martin
@BillinGlendaleCA: Well, make it for Baud’s benefit. He’s the one asking for help.
Villago Delenda Est
@efgoldman: Yooge, classy, bigly seasons!
OT, but Teh Donald has sent out an emergency beg for 100k to counter Hillary’s ad blitz. Puhleeze…
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Suzanne: Chicago?
You’ve got SOM, you’ve got water, you’ve got lots of land, you’ve got culture, great universities, etc., etc.
Yeah, it can be expensive inside the city itself, and yeah, it’s going through issues with insanely high levels of gun violence, and yeah, there’s Chicago (and IL) politics that seems to be stuck in the 1800s in some cases.
But there’s lots to recommend the midwest, still.
Good luck with the heat, and with your decisions.
Cheers,
Scott.
different-church-lady
@efgoldman: Worse. Far worse. Worse than even “Legends of the Fall”.
Emma
@Villago Delenda Est: 100k? Jeez. The guy who said Donald was living on credit was spot on.
Suzanne
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Chicago is definitely an option. We’re not looking seriously for about another year.
@gwangung: No kidding. I am keenly aware of our incoming waterpocalypse. The desert part of the state has technically been in drought conditions for thirty years.
Suzanne
@different-church-lady: Legends of the Fall featured Brad Pitt and Aidan Quinn at their sexiest, though. SPLASH.
debbie
@Suzanne:
Despite the fact that it’s in Ohio, Columbus is supposed to be a pretty good city. It would be in your price range, has lots of creative/architecture-types, a fair number of good school districts, some great neighborhoods (German Village, Short North, Clintonville, to name a few), too many sports, etc. And since the weather changes every freakin’ 5 minutes, you’re sure to get the weather you want, many times.
trollhattan
@Suzanne:
Lake Mead sure is interesting these days.
OTOH we buy flood insurance so I figure we’ll always be able to brush our teeth.
Lurking Canadian
@guachi: They did make that movie. It was called Hot Tub Time Machine.
The Lodger
@SiubhanDuinne: Hey, I live in Portland, and it’s not that bad. I hardly ever see Bob.
Except, of course, for his face on all the posters.
Mai.naem.mobile
@Suzanne: have you looked at the Research Triangle Area in NC. We have family friends who moved there a few years ago and say living costs are similar to Phoenix. Also too Las Vegas. I was in Vegas earlier this week. I haven’t been there in a few years and it seemed nicer than I remembered. It’s a bit cooler than Phx.
Suzanne
@trollhattan: Yeah, it’s really bad. I know.
@debbie: Mebbe. It’s kind of small, I think. We’ll see. Ohio is way better than AZ, for sure. Denver in my top choice right now. I love snow sports.
Geoduck
@guachi: Maybe the new Mad Max and Star Wars flicks were helped by the fact that they weren’t remakes, but sequels/continuations of the originals. With the new Ghostbusters, the fact that they are women is fine. But if you’re just going to rehash the original’s plot, complete with –[SPOILERS]– Staypuf Marshmallow Man –[END SPOILERS]– .. blech. Make it a sequel, have any of the original castmembers appear if they want, and have the new gals reviving the long-defunct franchise in-universe with or without the original team’s blessing. Have Murray cameo with something like:
“Doctor Venkmen! We’re reviving the Ghostbusters, and we would love if you-”
[Venkmen silently closes his door and locks it.]
boatboy_srq
@Anne Laurie: It’s 2016 and a crazed racist, sexist, xenophobic Neanderthal Thenardier is the GOTea presumptive nominee. Snark meters require hourly calibration this year.
Suzanne
@Mai.naem.mobile: Not Vegas. Eff Vegas.
The Lodger
@Suzanne: Yeah. Being an architect in Vegas is like being a chef in Ohio. You have to go out of town to find anything with taste.
Omnes Omnibus
@Suzanne: Columbus is bigger than Denver.
Mike J
@Omnes Omnibus: Denver metro area is about a million more than Columbus metro.
Mnemosyne
@Geoduck:
IIRC, you are correct and it’s supposed to be more of a sequel/extension than a true remake. Sort of like the recent “Vacation,” which had Ed Helms as the grown-up Rusty trying to re-create a memorable family vacation. The movie wasn’t very good, but at least they tried to be more than a remake.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike J: I tried to stay out of the suburbs when I lived in Columbus.
ThresherK
@Mike in NC: Big Ramon Novarro fan, I take it?
Mike J
@Omnes Omnibus: Denver got hemmed in by a multitude of towns surrounding it. They ran out of unincorporated county to take long before it stopped growing.
Columbus proper is bigger than Boston, which is a much, much bigger metro area.
trollhattan
“My metro area can beat up your metro area!”
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike J: Okay. My only real point was that the Columbus area is not all that small. If I were looking for reasons to dismiss it from consideration, I would go with other reasons.
Ruckus
@efgoldman:
I stopped complaining. No one listens anyway so the thing I had most o complain about was that no one listened. A useless game of round robin. With myself.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ruckus: Think of it as isometric complaining.
Gelfling545
@Baud: I got one last winter and get a lot of use from it. Through a concatenation of circumstances (lap top key pad going squirrelly and just being old, old Nook giving up the ghost and a planned trip to France) I decided that an iPad was the way to go as I wasn’t ready to break the budget for a new MacBook and the iPad was easier, smaller, lighter for travel. Mine is the 16 gig and it’s been all I’ve needed. You do not actually keep a lot of data on an iPad. Photos are in iCloud, music on iTunes and I keep documents on Google Drive because I use their word processing app. I read my Nook books, listen to music, do photos, email, messaging & internet stuff all on the iPad. It’s not something you’ll do big projects on but for entertainment & convenience purposes I like it quite well.
Ruckus
@Omnes Omnibus:
Complaining and retorting at the same time? Seems a little like fap, fap, fap………
Anne Laurie
@Ruckus: “Don’t knock mental masturbation — it’s social intercourse with someone I love!”
satby
@Baud: how about a Kindle Fire? I love mine so much that when one of the dogs chewed a corner a few years ago I got another one.
Ruckus
@Anne Laurie:
The perfect response! LOL
BTW I’ve seen that someplace before and wondered if anyone would come back with it.
satby
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: @Suzanne: Chicago is wonderful. But then I’m biased. If I could I’d move back in a heartbeat.
Tehanu
@Suzanne:
We went to Phoenix last year to see a couple of spring training games and have a little vacation. Had a perfectly nice time, but you couldn’t pay me to live in a place where one of the biggest signs we saw on the freeway was “Best Exterminators in Arizona — Scorpion Control.”
Bobby Thomson
You didn’t miss anything. Possibly the most overrated movie of the 1980s. Certainly one of the most overrated comedies of all time. Not funny.
redshirt
@Mnemosyne: I wonder why they didn’t use the actual grown up Rusty?
Bobby Thomson
@guachi: I can’t disagree those remakes were worse, but a lot of the originals were crap anyway.
redshirt
@Bobby Thomson: Terminator is better than Terminator 2.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
I don’t think the original was all that good and it had an all star A list comedy cast. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis was very funny (as was Sigorney Weaver though they didn’t give her the best comedy lines).
So they put together another really good cast – I think Amy Poeher, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, are all proven hilarious in movies, and Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are both very funny on SNL so there’s hope there too. My concern is that the premise is flawed so this one won’t be that funny either, which would be unfortunate because a female driven action-comedy can be hilarious. The Heat was really funny and I’ve only seen part of Spy but that part was hilarious.