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At The Movies . . . Glasgow Film Festival 2014
by Laura Maxwell / March 7th 2014 / No Comment
Every year, in the city responsible for Ewan McGregor, James McAvoy, and of course, the deep fried Mars Bar, movie enthusiasts come together to enjoy what the silver screen has to offer in the way of cult classics, foreign film and homegrown talent; also known as The Glasgow Film Festival.
2014 proved to be a massive year; not only was it celebrating its 10th year, but its most successful festival to date, with record breaking admissions and half the shows sold out, I have learnt to buy tickets early or miss out completely.
Armed with popcorn, kleenex (Wuthering Heights was on my me viewing agenda) and my undivided attention (subtitles!), I'll take you through the best of my Glasgow Film Festival . . .
The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears
What a way to "open the curtains", so to speak. The first film on my agenda required an ice pack after. "Strange" isn't even the word. There were giggles around the theatre as the lights went up and everyone spotted their own perplexed expressions reflected in other's faces. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani's psycho horror feels like a bad acid trip; vivid flashes of colour, murder and sex can only take you so far before utterly confusing your audience. Apparently, the murder mystery unravelled eventually. I say "apparently" because even though I stayed until the end, I have no clue who killed who or why and, like waking from a bad trip, I was just glad it was over.
Of course, there is method in the madness with this movie; I'll need to spend more money to see it again, just to try and make some sense of it!
Witching and Bitching
I knew this was my favourite 5 minutes in. Jesus, a toy soldier, Minnie Mouse and Spongebob Squarepants pulling off a gold store robbery: need I say more? For those of you who don't bother with foreign films because the subtitles require a lot of attention, give it a try. I swear you will be reborn. What I was detailing was just the opening scene! There's still the crazy and sexy cannibalistic witches, a not-so-sexy and embarrassingly graphic monster and the unbeatable banter. Borrowing a cast and perhaps a few laughs from his mentor, Pedro Almodóvar, Director Álex de la Iglesia is Spain's answer to Tim Burton . . . if he teamed up with Billy Connolly.
You couldn't get more classic than this; Laurence Olivier, the wild, windy moors, pride in the way of love, that inescapable feeling that you should be taking notes for an essay . . . This is the 1939 adaption from Director, William Wyler shown 75 years after the original premiere for those who enjoy reliving movies over and over again, those who can't wait until it's shown on TV at Christmas, and those, like myself, seeing it for the first time. With the confusing nostalgia for a time you never knew that is only accomplished by old movies, Wuthering Heights did its job of breaking our hearts.
Benny & Jolene
Twee. Very twee, but just what the doctor ordered after "Wuthering Heights". "Submarine" star, Craig Roberts and "Fresh Meat" actress, Charlotte Ritchie star as a duo trying to survive the fickle world of pop music, while denying any romantic feelings for each other. The Welsh comedy was directed by Jamie Adams and shot for only £12,000. It was one of the simpler choices from the schedule, but sometimes that's a welcome break (especially for the brain).
Don't despair if you missed it. Gems from the Glasgow Film Festival such as prison drama "Starred Up" starring "Skins" bad boy, Jack O'Connell and Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" with The Dark Lord himself, Ralph Fiennes, will be shown in cinemas across Britain in the coming weeks.
And, of course, there's always next year.
in Gutter UK, Movie Reviews tags: Glasgow Film Festival Cinema Film
by JMG / December 21st 2012 / No Comment
I'll be honest, I went into Tom Cruise's new film, Jack Reacher, with the smirk of condescension and was planning on writing a snark review. I came out very satisfied and with a new respect for the controversial "closeted", Scientologist. Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie's throwback action flick.
I can honestly say that Reacher, based on a crime novel series by Brit author Lee Childes, is the last great action movie of the year.
I'm a sucker for old schol 70s -80s action flicks with little CGI, car chases, political intrigue and pay phones. Reacher fits the bill on all accounts.
In the film, Cruise, much shorter than his 6'5 literary counterpart, plays an off the grid drifter and former Military Police investigator who is called back into action by a wayward sniper accused of shooting 6 random people in Pittsburgh.
The first ten minutes of the film are the most tense, and for me scary moments in any film this year. There's no music. A sniper sees the world through his scope and watches people go on about their day as he picks his targets. In America, we are all at the end of a sniper scope. We never see it coming. Get up, go to work, and never make it home again…
The accused sniper, played by Joseph Sikora, was hunted and arrested by Reacher when the both were serving in Iraq. Sikora's Mike Barr shot and killed five military contractors before he left the country for home. Reacher, then a major, caught him before he reached the States. Though he got off, Barr knows the Reacher is the only man who can clear him now as he swears his innocence in the Pittsburgh shootings.
What ensues is a twisty old school style political thriller not seen since the 70s. Reacher rolls into town and takes over the case after a pleading (and hot) defense attorney, Helen played by three characters, Brit actress Rosamund Pike and her ample breasts (who should be nominated for Best Supporting Actresses). Once on the case, Reacher is set up, framed and warned of as is common in political thrillers.
As we find out pretty early on, the villain The Zek which means "prisoner" in Russian and played with non-ironic menace by batshit crazy director Werner Herzog, who apparently chewed off his own fingers in a Soviet Gulag, is pulling the strings over a land deal.
The film has quite a few twists which I won't give away here and by the end you totally buy Cruise as the drifter action hero.
I want to talk a little bit about Cruise. I don't care about his sofa hopping, gay rumor, Scientology, bad dad life. I care about my him making my two hours in a theater worth my money. And with VERY few exceptions, Cruise brings it every time.
Now lets talk about that old schoolness. I'm a SUCKER for a classic car chase. Bullit, The Rock and especially Ronin with Di Nero and Jean Renaud. Reacher returns the non-CGI car chase to the big screen. Loved it.
McQuarrie, who was REALLY auditioning for Mission Impossible 5 with this flick, has an excellent command of suspense and action beats. HIs fight sequences were tightly choreographed and believable.
If Reacher had any drawbacks, it would be in some of the loopholes in the plot and Cruise's sometime TOO sarcastic treatment of what apparently is a dour character. In the end, it's a good, unexpected popcorn trip that will make you crave a sequel.
in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized
Down the Hobbit Hole
by JMG / December 14th 2012 / No Comment
Our guest reviewer Alex Hewett took a trip down the Hobbit Hole…
Peter Jackson is a true visionary. You may or may not like his directorial vision of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." I indeed did like it very much. I was lucky enough to view the 3 hour spectacle that was shot using a new format, 48 frames per second and in 3D. Most films audiences are used to seeing are shot 24 frames per second. What does this mean? This higher frame rate produces smoother motion and a clearer image. I guess it's like watching High Definition TV for the first time. Everything looks different. The friend I attended the film with commented that the make-up was more visible with this new film technique and he found that distracting. Most people are resistant to change. I have heard so much criticism towards Peter Jackson for introducing this new format. I do agree it is something to get used to, but for me it added to the fantastical world of Middle Earth. According to Entertainment Weekly "The Hobbit" will be released in a variety of formats: 48fps in 3D, 24 fps in 3D and old-fashioned 24fps in 2D. The 48fps version of The Hobbit will only be shown in 3D and will be limited to roughly 450 handpicked theaters nationwide." I can go on and on about the technical aspects about the film, but I went to see the movie for the story. So I am going to tell you about the story.
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) was quite content living in his comfy Hobbit Hole, until one day, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) shows up on his doorstep and asks him to join him on an adventure to reclaim Erebor, the lost Dwarf Kingdom. Gandalf explains there is also a horrendous dragon Smaug and he cannot guarantee that he will return alive from this journey. Bilbo refuses, saying adventures make one late for dinner. Slowly, one by one, 13 Dwarves show up at Bilbo's doorstep, making themselves at home, eating his food, belching, and causing merry havoc. Their leader is the very strapping warrior, Thorin Oakenshield, (Richard Armitage) and he has no faith in Baggins, but Gandalf does, saying he gives him courage. Next we know Bilbo Baggins is jauntily sprinting out of his village and off on a journey.
The Dwarves and the Hobbit encounter creepy Goblins, horrendous Orcs, scary Wargs, and what I was dreading to see in 3-D, Giant Spiders. Thank you Peter Jackson, for your sense of suspense, showing us giant webs and only hints of shadows of arachnids outside a window, for the 10 years old me slept with her lights on after reading about these spiders in the book. So I am telling you if you do not like seeing creepy crawlies in 3-D, you will not be freaked out by this film. But there are epic battle scenes and more battle scenes and Dwarves in constant peril.
Gandalf believes in Baggins, but Thorin does not, telling another Dwarf that he doesn't think Bilbo belongs with them, that he is in the way. Bilbo overhears this and starts to leave the group and along the way he runs into the brilliance that is Gollum (Andy Serkis). This is where The Hobbit finds his courage and he also finds the RING. This is my favorite scene in all of the film, Riddles in the Dark. I would love to get Gollum and his precious in the therapy room.. he is deliciously evil and yet sweet for a spilt second, like he's your feeble great grandfather, but then in the next split second, you think he may tear you to pieces and eat you up.
There are more battles, and the Elfin Counsel complete with Saruman (Christopher Lee) the breathtaking Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and battles and more battles. Wait, where's the dragon? Oh, yes, The Hobbit is going to be a trilogy, so there are at least 6 more hours of adventure to follow where we may see a dragon… and hopefully not Giant Spiders!!!
Sadly, I found the score to be very predictable and traditional. If you are going to present a film using this new amazing technology, why not spice up the music? My friend whispered to me during the screening, he wanted the bad guys to have heavy metal music as their backdrop. This suggestion had me hankering for some ACDC or Metallica to blast me out of my seat
Stepping out of your Hobbit Hole may do you some good. Bilbo discovers who he is, what he is capable of, and what it means to trust someone. What is home? Is it your comfy chair and Grandma's table? Or is it friends that may be outcasts to the world, but to you, they are your family and they trust you to join them in life's adventures and struggles, but may not be able to explain why
in Movie Reviews tags: hobbit, movie, movie review
Reality bites. And stabs. And burns…
by JMG / October 12th 2012 / No Comment
There are scenes in Sinister, a new film co-written director by Exorcism of Emily Rose Scott Derrickson and Aint it Cool News writer C.Robert Cargill that burrow into your brain and stick with you long after the credits roll.
With his new film Derrickson takes the popular, so-called "found footage" genre and turns it around on its head.
Blocked true crime writer Ellison Oswalt, expertly played by slacker god Ethan Hawke (Reality Bites, Before Sunrise), moves his family, though unbeknownst to his wife (semi-new comer Juliet Rylance), into a home of a family who were hung from a tree in their own backyard. The branch is still laying in the back yard.
As they're moving in, Oswalt is met by the local Sheriff, played with Southern glee by Congressman and former Presidential candidate Fred Thompson, who gives the "pack up your things and go speech" from chapter 8 of Horror Films for Dummies.
It seems that though the hanged family's youngest child is still missing, Sheriff Foghorn Leghorn believes that she's dead and that the Oswalt should take his book idea elsewhere and let the town get on with their lives.
It's at this point that the film made me wonder what it really must be like for the families of real true crime writers. Later in the film wife Rylance gives an impassioned speech about not being able to go to the grocery store and the kids getting bullied at school and you start to think about these writers that go from town to town to write some exploitation murder of the week book.
Back on point. After settling in, Oswalt finds two things in the attic. A scorpion and a box of ironic titled snuff films.
thankfully Oswalt gets right to setting up the provided projector and firing (heh) up the films.
These quick, 16 mm home movies is where the strength of the film lies. Though its never been proven, I imagine that a snuff film looks exactly like the ones in Sinister; grainy, free of sound and seriously disturbing.
WHO is filming the families as they burn, drown and dangle to death, it the real mystery. This is when the film takes a turn from softcore torture porn to an occult film. It seems the hand behind these murders, where the youngest child disappears, is some sort of pagan god.
The death metal fan doubling as a the god Baal pops up in all the snuff footage observing the families' last gasps.
I'm not going to spoil any more of the film. If you have half a brain, you'll figure it out about half way into the film.
Sinister cleverly steals from better, more established films like Ringu of Japan and The Devil's Backbone of Spain and is a great pre-halloween jumpy-scare romp out.
But there are some problems. Thankfully, acting is not one of them. The domestic scenes between Hawke and Rylance crackle with the reality of a couple who's at their wits end. The problems are smaller more niggling details.
The prosthetics on several of the supporting characters looks amateurish and heavy handed. And then there's the ending…
I'm going to go wayyyyyy out on a limb here and suspect that the suits got their grubby hands on the end of the movie.
There were several chances to end Sinister on a chilling/ambiguous note, but no..studio execs are notorious for thinking that American sheeple crave a hackneyed "scary ending." My advice is to leave the movie after the ax falls (you'll get it when you see it) and you'll have a better taste in your mouth than if you hang on till the last frame which is so laughably bad that it ALMOST negates the clever film before it.
Like Insidious last year, Sinister is an original horror film not based on a franchise and deserves a look before the neverending story of suburban psychosis Paranormal Activity 4 hits the theaters in a few weeks.
3 out of five stars.
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in Movie Reviews tags: horror, movie, movie review, review, Sinister
Gutter's 3rd Annual Maryland Film Fest Picks
by JMG / May 2nd 2012 / 1 Comment
Yeah, we know. City Paper pretty much owns the film fest with their awesome (and hardworking) coverage. But every year we try to treat our small crew of readers to our picks which are, we hope, more in line with theirs!
So lets just get right to this shit:
WANDA (Presented by John Waters)
Directed By: Barbara Loden
Hosted/Presented By: John Waters
Legendary filmmaker John Waters has selected a favorite film to present within each Maryland Film Festival since their launch in 1999. This year he's chosen Wanda:
Wanda was the only feature film (alongside a small body of shorts) directed by Barbara Loden. Loden began her career as an actress, perhaps best known for her stage and film roles for director Elia Kazan (Splendor in the Grass, Wild River), whom she later married. In 1970 she wrote, directed, and starred in this drama, raw and direct in its style, portraying a coal-town Pennsylvanian housewife who runs away with a criminal. Tragically, her life was taken by breast cancer in 1980, leaving us to guess what another feature film from Loden could've been.
Wanda premiered at the 1970 Venice Film Festival and played Cannes in 1971, and its reputation in film circles only continues to grow. Taken by many as emblematic of the renegade energy and open-minded exploration that characterizes the best of 1970s cinema, it stands today as an inspiration to a whole new generation of filmmakers.
It's been a few years since Waters shared with us a film from the era when his own film career was in its incipient stages. As always, we can't wait to hear what he has to say. (Eric Allen Hatch)
U.S.A. • 1970 • 102 minutes • 35mm
Lovely Molly
Ok. We'll give Ed Sanchez (Blair Witch Project) one more chance. We weren't big on his last entry Seventh Moon, we're willing give him the benefit of the doubt. He's an amazing talent, just had a bad run post-Blair Witch. So we're going to reccy his new film, Lovely Molly.
Fraught with suspense and psychological tension, Lovely Molly uses western Maryland as its setting and frankly, it's never looked so creepy. Returning to inhabit the family home in which she grew up, Molly (Gretchen Lodge) is an ex-addict trying to stay the course of recovery by moving back to the country and away from temptation. The recently wed Molly and her husband Tim (Johnny Lewis) embrace the opportunity for peace that country life provides, but that peace is short-lived. There is something lurking deep inside this old house that has other plans for Molly.
The film is anchored by an urgent and unsettling lead performance by newcomer Lodge, with equally excellent performances from her supporting actors Alexandra Holden (as Molly's sister) and Johnny Lewis. As only experts of the genre can, Sanchez terrifies, titillates and thrills without resorting to the cheap shorthand of buckets of guts and gallons of blood. (J. Scott Braid)
U.S.A. • 95 minutes • digital
Vito:
We're super excited for this doc on a gay activist pioneer.
Vito Russo was a true hero of the GLBT struggle, best known as the author of The Celluloid Closet, a co-founder of GLAAD, and an outspoken member of ACT UP. Despite leaving behind an amazing legacy, his story has been for years under-sung, a wrong finally corrected by this stirring and inspirational documentary.
Russo first came to prominence in the 1970s as a film lover who cultivated an encyclopedic and unprecedented knowledge of the treatment of gay and lesbian characters in cinema history from the silent era forward. That material coalesced first into a travelling lecture and eventually into 1981's definitive volume The Celluloid Closet. Russo struggled for years to get his work published, a fight validated when it ultimately became a massive bestseller and the basis for the award-winning documentary of the same name. Simultaneous to his film scholarship, Russo became a passionate and unapologetic advocate for gay rights, AIDS awareness, and the goal of a strong and distinct (rather than assimilated and passive) GLBT culture. Brilliantly crafted by Jeffrey Schwarz (MFF 2009's Spine Tingler! and the forthcoming I Am Divine), Vito is a heartfelt, informative, and emotional triumph. It stands alongside We Were Here (MFF 2011), The Times of Harvey Milk, and yes, The Celluloid Closet at the upper echelon of essential documentaries about the gay experience in the United States. (Eric Allen Hatch)
ANY OF THE SHORTS PROGRAMS IN THEATER 3!
WUTHERING HEIGHTS:
This is prob our most anticipated film of the fest. We've been dying to see this version since hearing a review on the now defunct Guardian Movie Podcast. DEF a must see!
Andrea Arnold strips Brontë's story down to its essence, and in the process relieves us from the showy, overly costumed and overly sappy adaptations that have been undertaken in the past. In addition, casting two actors of color (James Howson and Solomon Glave) in the role of Heathcliff (playing the character at various ages) teases out an element of racial tension only hinted at in the book, one that underlines the themes of class and social standing already explored throughout the story.
Excellent performances from both the younger and older versions of Heathcliff and Catherine (Shannon Beer and Kaya Scodelario) flesh out Brontë's characters in a way previously unseen on the screen. The heartbreak Heathcliff feels is palpable, as is Catherine's uncertainty at her decision. Setting is a key player too, with the harsh weather of the English moor providing the perfect backdrop for this tragic romance.
A tough, uncompromising look at the choices one makes between true love and comfort, and the consequences of those choices, Arnold's Wuthering Heights (like its source material) possesses a fierce emotional impact that is hard to shake even when you've left the theater. (J. Scott Braid)
U.K. • 130 minutes • digital
We're giving love to The Windup Space who's hosting numerous films this year. Get off Charles St. and peep this film at the popular bar/venue
Wild in the Steets:
Many centuries ago in the town of Ashbourne (in central England), the Shrovetide game developed. The two sides of the town, which is divided by the Henmore Brook, play each other in this grueling, two-day, mass football game which has nary a rule. One team is comprised of those that live north of the Henmore (Up'ards) while the other team is comprised of those living south of the Henmore (Down'ards). Starting on Shrove Tuesday and continuing on Ash Wednesday, the game rages in the streets from afternoon deep into the evening, only stopping for a quick pint at the local pub when a goal is scored.
This glorious tradition is explored in-depth in this thrilling and endlessly fascinating look at the Shrovetide Football phenomenon. Ashbourne is a community that truly functions as such (a rare bird in this day and age) and Wild in the Streets illustrates the importance that this tradition plays in maintaining and even strengthening this community's bond. (J. Scott Braid)
U.K. • 82 minutes • digital
Yeah. One constant we look forward to is the 3D film on Saturday. This year, we get a musical….ummm…we'll wait on our judgement.
Those Redheads From Seattle:
Amidst the Alaska Gold Rush, Mrs. Edmonds (Moorehead) arrives with her daughters Kathie (Fleming), Pat (Teresa Brewer), and Connie and Nell (the Bell Sisters)—all redheads except for one, all arriving from Seattle. Their arrival is met with some bad news, resulting in the women taking jobs in a saloon, typing, running a newspaper, and doing seamstress work. Drama, romance, and musical numbers ensue, all coming at you in 3-D.
There is a common misconception among film historians that Kiss Me Kate is the only 3-D musical, but Those Redheads From Seattle not only belongs on that short list, it was released a month earlier, making it the FIRST 3-D musical. (Skizz Cyzyk)
U.S.A. • 1953 • 90 minutes • 35mm
ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA:
Istanbul-born Nuri Bilge Ceylan has emerged as a master of world cinema with such titles as 2003's Distant (which won the Grand Prix at Cannes), 2006's Climates (a personal favorite of this programmer), and 2008's Three Monkeys. His films take place over the course of dark nights and stormy days, during which men brandishing easily-bruised egos travel desolate roads in search of some personal truth that may or may not be found.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia takes Ceylan's aesthetic to the next level, adding what at first appear to be film noir notes as a police convoy transports a confessed murderer to the scene of the crime. They're making the trip to collect a misplaced corpse, and wry comedy begins to rear its head as the countryside proves maddeningly homogenous, especially at night, and the convoy continually fails to find the right field, the right tree, and the right stream by which the body should still be located. Meanwhile, the various characters along for the ride – several policemen, a chief, a medical examiner, a prosecutor, and the accused – deal with the evening's monotony by gossiping and teasing each other, as well as trading trivial tips about food, drink, smoke, and other indulgences.
As the evening threatens to turn to morning, comparisons to Kafka and even Waiting for Godot feel apt. And yet these characters and these visuals could only come from one person. Ceylan has created a cinematic world all his own, and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia may be its most rewarding realization yet. (Eric Allen Hatch)
Turkey • 157 minutes • 35mm
TCHOUPITOULAS:
Non-fiction film can take many different forms, with the boundaries that define it continually expanding via the invigorating visions of a new crop of filmmakers. The Ross Brothers excel at re-staking the boundaries of the form. Rarely does one encounter as fresh and vital a non-fiction film as this epic odyssey of discovery through the New Orleans night.
Second-time feature directors Bill and Turner Ross (of the extraordinary 45365) show us NOLA as we've never seen it before. Three young brothers set out from their home on the outskirts of the city, on a quest to visit that city's heart. Given their age and the fact that their neighborhood is geographically isolated from the city's core by the Mississippi river, the downtown area has remained largely off-limits for exploration, until now. The three embark on a ferry ride across the river to explore this forbidden land, affording us the privilege of accompanying them as they discover the exotic and restless inner life of the city they call home.
Although documentary at its core, this film enters a realm usually inhabited by great literature and the finest of narrative filmmaking. It is an American adventure akin to those of great writers like Mark Twain, and one that also possesses a savvy modernism. With Tchoupitoulas, the Ross Brothers have crafted a poetic ode to a recovering city and its people. (J. Scott Braid)
COME BACK, AFRICA
Hosted/Presented By: Amy Heller and Dennis Doros of Milestone Film & Video
This is a little gem that needs to be seen. 🙂
Zachariah (Zacharia Mgabi) is a black laborer with the simple goal of finding a job and bringing his family to the city. It's 1959 in the black township of Sophiatown, and the racial-segregation policies of Apartheid permeate and stifle South African society. Zachariah's uphill battle is compounded by convoluted permit requirements, leaving even sympathetic white employers reluctant to take a chance on him. He moves from the horror of the gold mines to construction work, spending his free time in the "shebeen," semi-legal drinking spots where voices of dissent and the songs of Miriam Makeba are proudly heard.
The helplessness and frustration of Zachariah's struggle is captured in a filmmaking style that's been labeled "docu-fiction." Director Lionel Rogosin (director of 1956's On the Bowery and founder of Bleecker Street Cinema) cast non-professionals in key roles and creatively incorporated footage of miners at work, street musicians performing, and real citizens expressing social discontent. Rogosin and his South African collaborators duped the South African government into believing that their project was a commercial film about "happy Africans" singing and dancing. In so doing, they covertly created a beautiful and moving film about a culture at a pivotal point in the process of transforming itself.
Now vividly restored by Milestone Films, Come Back, Africa has earned accolades from such cultural figures as Harry Belafonte, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, and Charles Burnett. The breakthrough appearance of Miriam Makeba propelled her to international fame, and contributed to her being banned from South Africa for 30 years. (Eric Cotten)
U.S.A. / South Africa • 1959 • 85 Minutes • 35MM
We've been waiting to see this "scary movie" since it premiered at Sundance. It's gotten great reviews and is a perfect horror film for a late Saturday night.
Made by a group of America's most daring young directors,V/H/S frames its component films within an over-arching story of a group of petty criminals who are commissioned by a mysterious "client' to retrieve an all-important VHS tape from an eerie house. After they break into the house, they find a cache of macabre home videos which they hope holds the tape they seek. As the larger group searches the house, several of the burglars take turns watching the videos. The tapes (each one comprising a segment of the film) mesmerize these ne'er do well viewers with gruesome footage of unspeakable acts, granting them unusual access to the darkest side of human nature. The initiation of each of the felons into this dark realm of spectatorship may hold dire consequences, beyond the potential legal wrangles for breaking and entering.
Each segment is thrilling on its own and proves even more so within the framework of the anthology. Each segment is thrilling on its own and proves even more so within the framework of the anthology. The over-arching story is directed by Adam Wingard (cinematographer of MFF 2011's Art History), while one of the most wild and entertaining segments, The Strange Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger is directed by MFF uber-alum Joe Swanberg (director of MFF 2011's Art History and Silver Bullets), working for the first time from a script which he did not author. Rounding out this chilling collection are 10/31/98 directed by the collective known as Radio Silence, Amateur Night directed by David Bruckner, Tuesday The 17th directed by Glenn McQuaid, and last but certainly not least Second Honeymoon by Ti West (The House of the Devil).
V/H/S is not just a fresh take on the omnibus film, it's a generous helping of modern horror at its best. (J. Scott Braid)
U.S.A. • 115 minutes • digital
Sun Don't Shine:
LOTS of buzz about this 16mm film. Here's hoping it lives up to it!
Festival favorites Kentucker Audley (MFF 2011's Bad Fever) and Kate Lyn Sheil (also of The Comedy, Empire Builder, and V/H/S, all screening within MFF 2012) star as a young couple pushed to the brink by extreme circumstances. As they drive through the sweat and murk of Florida, it becomes clear that they're on the run—perhaps from their own miasma of ever-escalating jealousies and paranoia as much as from a shared terrible secret.
Every aspect of this production is top-notch, from the perpetual-motion-machine performances by Audley and Sheil to the moody and evocative 16mm cinematography. As with the beautifully abrasive provocations that are The Brown Bunny and Frownland, Sun Don't Shine seems to spring simultaneously from some ecstatic 1970s cinema wasteland and the present-day vanguard, even as it mounts a winning case for its own timelessness. Recently revived cinema treasures like Zulawski's Possession and Loden's Wanda (John Waters' pick for MFF 2012) are other rare anchors of orientation for this free and unfettered work.
Fresh from its world premiere at SXSW 2012, Sun Don't Shine is a film that needs to be seen and discussed. (Eric Allen Hatch)
The Black Balloon:
Ahhhh…Sunday morning couldn't be any nicer thanks to this collection of shorts.
In a remarkably short period of time, Josh and Benny Safdie have built a rich and distinct body of work. Perhaps best known for Daddy Longlegs (MFF 2010), their films are characterized by a deep reverence for independent film history, wonderfully offbeat humor and characters, and an uncanny ability to capture on film the overpopulated bustle and rugged individualism that is New York City life.
All of these traits are very much at the fore for their sublime new short The Black Balloon, the story of a balloon accidentally set loose by its owner, launching a majestic and comic journey across a metropolis.
The Safdies have curated a program of classic, balloon-themed shorts, appropriate for all ages, that compliment their latest work. Included in this program are:
The Black Balloon (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2012, 21 minutes)
The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956, 34 minutes)
The Balloonatic (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline, 1923, 22 minutes)
The Pincushion Man, a.k.a. Balloon Land (Ub Iwerks, 1935, 7 minutes)
Program Running time: APPROX. 84 Minutes • 35mm
Yeah. If there's one thing the MDFF does that is truly awesome, it's choosing a closing night film. Miss The Hurt Locker? We did and had to wait almost a year to see it on the big screen. This year looks to another a home run.
Directed By: Todd Solondz
Hosted/Presented By: Todd Solondz
Starring: Jordan Gelber, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow, Christopher Walken, Justin Bartha, Donna Murphy, Mary Joy
With two back-to-back masterpieces, Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) and Happiness (1998), Todd Solondz established himself as the new standard-bearer for American dark comedies—or, as he calls them, "sad comedies." Bold, provocative, and hilarious, his body of work finds humor and insight in our deepest neuroses, pains, and misdeeds. With Dark Horse, Solondz has delivered not only his greatest film since those twin '90s classics, but his most accessible work yet.
Abe (Jordan Gelber), is a petulant and selfish man-child who, firmly on the far side of 30, still lives at home, working for his father and collecting toys. Deeply lonely yet full of blustery delusions of grandeur, Abe aggressively pursues troubled beauty Miranda (Selma Blair). In a moment of weakness, she goes along with his advances, built around his grandiose vision of a life together in his room full of collectibles. This stroke of good fortune surprises no one more than Abe's long-suffering parents (a note-perfect pairing of Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken)—until, that is, things begin to unravel.
With great pride, Maryland Film Festival presents Dark Horse as its 2012 Closing Night selection. It's a hilarious new vision from an American film master that playfully interacts with his earlier films even as it boldly paves new ground. (Eric Allen Hatch)
Whelp, that's about it for us! Enjoy the fest and get your tix here! Support the Maryland Film Fest :).
in Art, Movie Reviews, Uncategorized
Black Magic Warlocks…
by JMG / April 13th 2012 / No Comment
photo by: a.b. moore
One of the city's BEST new bands is Dee and Warlocks. We had the chance to catch up with the yung'uns awhile back before their Bell Foundry show. The interview is HERE.
Whelp, they've grown up! We HIGHLY recommend that you check out their album release party tnght at Golden West. We're SO convinced that you're going to like this show that it's the only event we're writing about today.
They're teaming up with Baklavaa (who are also releasing an album), Big Mouth, and Human Host (another Gutter Fav!).
Don't miss this. 🙂
Have some free samples!
Tix here:
http://sonartoo.thundertix.com/orders/new?performance_id=122555
or a fiver at the door.
Golden West Cafe
1105 W. 36th Street.
in Art, Gutter FR, Gutter UK, Movie Reviews, Music


text:
(it's just 'enum' backwards)

## Installation
`npm install mune`

## Usage
```js
var Enum = require("mune");

// can create from an array
var DYNAMIC_LANGS = Enum(["JavaScript", "Python", "Ruby"]);

DYNAMIC_LANGS.JavaScript // => "JavaScript"

delete DYNAMIC_LANGS.JavaScript // => throws error
DYNAMIC_LANGS.Julia // => throws error
DYNAMIC_LANGS.Clojure = "Clojure"; // => throws error
DYNAMIC_LANGS.Ruby = "Ruby!!!" // => throws error
Object.defineProperty(DYNAMIC_LANGS, "PHP", {
  value: "PHP"
}) // => throws error

// can also create from an object
var EXTENSIONS = Enum({
  ".js": "JavaScript",
  ".rb": "Ruby",
  ".py": "Python"
});

EXTENSIONS[".js"] // => "JavaScript"

delete EXTENSIONS.JavaScript // => throws error
EXTENSIONS.Julia // => throws error
EXTENSIONS[".clj"] = "Clojure"; // => throws error
EXTENSIONS[".rb"] = "Ruby!!!" // => throws error
Object.defineProperty(EXTENSIONS, ".php", {
  value: "PHP"
}) // => throws error

```

## Why?
Enums are a handy way to store and reference strings and numbers that have particular semantic meaning in an application. For example, see how [error messages are handled](https://github.com/nickb1080/mune/blob/master/lib/index.js#L65-L71) internally.

Most other enum implementations in JavaScript have one or both of the following issues:

1. Too complicated. The values are wrapped in a strange way to make them `instanceof` their containing enum, or some other such nonsense. Alternately, there are a ton of superfluous methods addressing obscure use-cases that I never seem to run into.

2. They are functions that you call with a string or whatever to ensure something is a member. Aesthetically, I'm not a fan.

ES6 [proxies](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Proxy) give us the ability to hook into many fundamental operations. This allows us to create enums that work with simple property access, and throw errors if an attempt is made to add, change, or delete a property.

Besides being able to throw when accessing an undefined property, this is better than just a [frozen](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object/freeze) object, because messing with frozen objects just fails silently unless you're in strict mode.

## Caveats
Well, one, you need to have a Proxy implementation available. `harmony-reflect` is used here to patch old, non-compliant versions. Also, calling `JSON.stringify()` on an enum will error out becuase it tries to find a `.toJSON` method on the object.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


(0.8 ha) This small camp had four gates defended by external tituli on all but the north side with an additional internal clavicula on the eastern gateway. The east and west gates were offset to the south on a ratio of roughly 2:3; on this evidence the camp very likely faced south.
Page Citation: Kevan White (2018) "Roman Britain: BARROCKSIDE CAMP"


Here is look at even more Dodgers cards found in packs of 2016 Topps Tier One Baseball. Last week I shared pics of the Breakout, Clear One and Dual autographed cards. This week we take a look at the Prime Performers and several of the other Tier One inserts that are available. Later on this week I'll have a handful of photos of the scarcities.
Of note, there is also a triple relic card for both AGone and Kersh available. They are both numbered to 25 copies. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a pic of either one.
Of note, there is also a triple relic card for both Kersh and Seager available. They are both "1 of 1" cards.


text:
The perfect day trip to Emeryville, from…
The perfect day trip to Emeryville, from restaurants to murals and Pixar
Classic cars, Pixar, windswept views and new public art make a 2022 visit lovely
A giant jellyfish hovers above a cyclist pedaling past Sea Walls mural "Smoke on the Water" in Emeryville, Calif. Created in 2022 by ORLUarts, it is one of more than a dozen ocean-advocacy murals completed under the coordination of the PangeaSeed Foundation. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
By John Metcalfe | jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
In the 1960s, as if directed by a single frequency, people began arriving at Emeryville's tidal mudflats for an extremely strange project. Using driftwood, scrap metal, broken glass and moth-holed fabric, they erected structures resembling totem poles and spacecraft, a crooked windmill and a Trojan Horse with rabbit anatomy. This ramshackle sculpture garden, a California College of the Arts archivist later wrote, "became a mysterious cultural landmark of the San Francisco Bay" that "exposed the populace to a radical form of public art."
The installation evolved for decades — until the late 1990s, when Caltrans helicoptered out the dilapidated structures and a mountain of mucky garbage. But cultural traces still pop up, most recently in a painting of a wooden windmill at the corner of Horton Street and Park Avenue. Executed by San Francisco artist Ricardo Richey, aka Apexer, it's one of a dozen-plus murals that appeared in Emeryville last month highlighting marine preservation and local animals like otters and endangered Delta Smelt.
"As a kid, I was always fascinated by the sculptures in the mudflats. I wondered who made them and how they did it," says Richey. "The mudflat sculptures are part of the reason I paint public art today."
A Sea Walls mural by Apexer covers a wall on Horton Street in Emeryville, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 6. 2022, recalling the wood sculptures that used to appear on the nearby shoreline in the '60s. It is one of more than a dozen ocean advocacy murals recently completed under the coordination of the PangeaSeed Foundation. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The mural campaign reflects how far Emeryville has come from its early-1900s notoriety for brothels and bootlegging. Alameda County district attorney (and later U.S. Chief Justice) Earl Warren once famously deemed Emeryville "the rottenest city on the Pacific Coast." Now it has a progressive population of young professionals and artists and a mayor who posts stuff like: "Every time someone tweets about how they hate sharing the road with bicyclists, I choose another street parking space to eliminate."
Industrial-looking buildings loom left and right, and hidden inside are designer lofts with two-story ceilings and manicured gardens. Born of a lawless, seedy energy, Emeryville is now a place to experience modern art, bike a greenway, sample world cuisine and sip craft cocktails. So where to begin?
Pixar is a good start, though not for reasons you might expect. The studio isn't giving public tours – and don't try to slip the guard your script for "Bing Bong Is Living at a Farm Upstate," they don't take submissions – but it's fun to snap a picture at the iconic sign. There are also sculptures of the hopping desk lamp and (perched on a building ledge) a seagull from "Finding Nemo." Now, turn around to meet a real-life cast of "Cars."
Fantasy Junction has the name and nondescript facade of an erstwhile Emeryville bordello. But step inside, and you'll find a showroom of shiny, classic cars, ranging from 1950s Ferraris to 1930s sports saloons you'd expect to see bristling with gangsters' tommy guns. It's all for sale but feels and acts like a museum – many of the cars are extremely rare or have exciting racing histories, and the friendly staff give you informational material to peruse as you wander about, pondering a second mortgage.
'We Were Here, We Will Return,' a mural of an otter by Taylor Reinhold of Santa Cruz and Petaluma's Evan "ESK" Wilson," graces a wall in Emeryville on Oct. 5, 2022. It's part of the PangeaSeed Foundation's Sea Walls Project.
For art of a different sort, head down the road to check out the new murals beautifying old warehouses.
"We're right on the water, but I think there's a big disconnect because of Highway 580," says Alexandra Underwood, who co-directed the mural project in collaboration with Hawaii's PangeaSeed Foundation. "And Emeryville has such a history of pollution, so we thought it was the perfect place to educate people about the water and the estuary and the amazing creatures that live there."
One striking piece by Oakland's Liv Losee-Unger (aka ORLUarts) – who as a kid spent hours staring at the sea nettles at Monterey Bay Aquarium – shows a jellyfish floating through a noxious vapor cloud emitted by the Port of Oakland. "This mural aims to celebrate the beauty of those animals," she says, "while also expressing the magnitude of the ongoing and intensifying disaster of ocean warming, acidification and pollution."
Another is a gorgeous ode to otters, hunted to near-extinction during the fur trade. "The gold calligraphy of the piece reads 'We Were Here, We Will Return,' which is a message of hope for the return of the sea otter, who scientists now believe could be successfully reintroduced to their historical Bay Area home," says Taylor Reinhold of Santa Cruz, who painted it with Petaluma's Evan "ESK" Wilson.
You could spend a day exploring Emeryville's art scene: The Compound Gallery, for example, has coin-operated "artcade" games and a pinhole gallery named for Admiral Dot, a San Francisco little person who performed for P. T. Barnum. And the 36th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition just debuted with almost 100 local artists (it runs until October 30) – it's at the Public Market, which also happens to be a nice spot to grab lunch.
To get there, consider using the South Bayfront Pedestrian Bicycle Bridge, which spans the train tracks. Before it opened in December, to get to the other side you had to hop the Amtrak California Zephyr to Sacramento, change to a train heading back to Emeryville… well, not really, but it wasn't pleasant. The bridge was recently selected for an American Society of Civil Engineers award and has glowing Google reviews like, "Love waving to the passing trains! Hooray for people-focused infrastructure!"
The market is a place to try, well, a whole bunch of stuff. There's above-average ramen including a cold and delightful soy-milk variant, rosemary fried chicken and barbecue, Korean and Indian, coffee and cashew-based ice cream. One of the newest arrivals is Calypso Rose Kitchen, whose owner, Verna McGowan, was author Alice Walker's personal chef. A star here is the Guyanese oxtail pepperpot, tender and gelatinous in a deeply spiced gravy, but don't miss the UFO-shaped beef patties and sumptuous sticky-toffee pudding.
The mudflat sculptures may be gone, but the coast remains one of the best reasons to visit Emeryville. On a hockey-stick spit of land is the marina, which achieves the interesting balance of being chichi while utterly pummeled by the Bay weather. Sunset views here are legendary. One suggestion on how to enjoy them: Have a rummy cocktail at Trader Vic's, which originated the Mai Tai in nearby Oakland and has big windows overlooking bigger yachts.
Once properly warmed, head out on the walking trail to a short loop with rocky shorelines, pounding surf and swooping seabirds. Here you can lean into the wind and admire unbeatable vistas of San Francisco and Marin, while imagining a future when you might glimpse among the waves a reintroduced sea otter, munching a Delta Smelt.
Fantasy Junction: 1145 Park Ave., Emeryville; fantasyjunction.com
Sea Walls murals: Info and map at seawalls.org/activation/emeryville-usa
The Compound Gallery: 1339 61st St., Emeryville; thecompoundgallery.com
36th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition: 5905 Shellmound St., Emeryville; emeryarts.org
The Public Market: 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville; publicmarketemeryville.com
Honor Kitchen: 1411 Powell St., Emeryville; honoremeryville.com
Townhouse: 5862 Doyle St., Emeryville; townhouseemeryville.com
Trader Vic's: 9 Anchor Dr., Emeryville; tradervicsemeryville.com
A Sea Walls mural by the Last Ones (left) and Apexer (right) are one of more than a dozen ocean-advocacy murals recently completed under the coordination of the PangeaSeed Foundation in Emeryville.
Bay Area Travel
John Metcalfe | Features reporter
John Metcalfe is a features reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times, covering nature, food, the arts, and notable things to do in the Bay Area for the Eat Drink Play section. He lives in Oakland with no pets unless you count a thoroughly embedded family of backyard raccoons. Follow him on Twitter at @citycalfe or at Facebook/EatDrinkPlayBayArea.
jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com
Follow John Metcalfe @citycalfe
Synopsys cuts more than 100 Bay Area jobs as tech layoffs widen
Music |
Review: Two rising hip-hop stars showcase their talents in mighty ways
SF Beer Week kicks off in Silicon Valley with Feb. 11 gala

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What's happening in the WordPress world – new WordPress update, advanced WordPress firewall, a plugin that is strongly advised to delete and new research in web application vulnerabilities about 2018.
WordPress 5.1 Beta 3 got published yesterday, but at this moment it's not recommended to run it on a production site. WordPress suggests considering setting up a test site to play with the new version.
TinyMCE has been upgraded to version 4.9.2.
The block editor has had a couple of bugs fixed.
A few differences in behaviour between the classic block and the classic editor have been fixed.
When adding rel attributes to links, ensure the value isn't empty, and that it works as expected with customizer changesets.
Developers of Total Donations plugin have gone missing, leaving former customers open to attacks. It's strongly advised to delete the plugin from the servers to prevent hackers from exploiting an unpatched vulnerability in its code and take over affected sites.
It is said that the plugin contains an AJAX endpoint that can be queried by any remote unauthenticated attacker. The AJAX endpoint resides in one of the plugin's files, meaning that deactivating the plugin doesn't eliminate the threat. Attackers could simply call that file directly, and only removing the plugin in its entirety will safeguard sites from exploitation.
The zero-day affects all versions of Total Donations.
Research has revealed that in 2018 the overall number of new web vulnerabilities elevated by 23% compared to 2017. The most common vulnerabilities in 2018 were injections with a 267% increase from 2017.
Cross-site scripting bugs also continued to grow throughout the year, becoming the second most common vulnerability.
WordPress vulnerabilities have increased by 30% since 2017. Its popularity in the CMS category has motivated more attackers to develop dedicated attack tools and try their luck searching for holes in the code.
Almost all of the WordPress vulnerabilities are related to plugins, which extend the functionality and features of a website or a blog. The top ten WordPress plugins with the most vulnerabilities discovered in 2018 include Ultimate Member, Event Calendar, Coming Soon Page and GD Rating System.
Only in this week, WebARX WordPress firewall has blocked more than 170 000 attacks targeted to WordPress sites.
In essence, what has been shown by this research is that more protection and security is needed to protect web applications. The best way to do this is to deploy a web application firewall, which can either be on-premises, in the cloud or a combination of both.
You can read more about the research from informationsecuritybuzz.com.
Create groups and assign firewall modules to policies. What's even better you can create your own firewall rules and modules.
The new firewall engine provides first and foremost more flexibility and adjustment options. So, from the next version, you'll be able to link the security rules you really need for each website or group of websites.
Additionally, you can choose between Log, Block and Redirect action, when the rule has been hit. This gives you greater flexibility and customisation options for even the most complex PHP applications.
Also, you will be able to create security measures and whitelist rules yourself. When creating your own rules, you have the ability to log, block, or redirect the user as well as defining the IP address for which that rule will apply. The new feature will be available for WordPress firewall and PHP firewall at the beginning of February 2019.


A police tasing incident turned deadly for one Columbus teen Monday morning. Officials say that teen tried fleeing after a high speed chase came to an end.
A Columbus teen was reported missing Friday when she didn't come home after school. Mercedes Mims Nwogbo, 14, was last seen getting on the school shuttle at Edgewood Student Services Center where she attends an alternative school.
Columbus Water works in conjunction with Ft. Benning received three awards as part of the Plant of the Year award from the Georgia Association of Young Professionals.
The company behind embattled "cheating" website "Ashley Madison" says everything is fine despite a massive hack that revealed the identities of its users.
Saint Francis Hospital has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed against it by a former perspective buyer, Community Health Services.
You can count the days until the games return on one hand. South Carolina and Vanderbilt start play Thursday night, but not against each other. The real action gets going Saturday.
A Connecticut woman was arrested after she allegedly keyed two peoples' motor vehicles, but misspelled the insult.
The Auburn Police Division is investigating a burglary that occurred Saturday, August 22 at residence located in the 900 block of W. Magnolia Avenue.
Meriwether County Sheriff Chuck Smith said that law enforcement have made three more arrests in the murder of Kenneth Michael Spice.


Lovely 2 bed 1 bath newly renovated close to everything in Carrollton home. Sits on a large lot a stones throw away from Carrollton parks/ green space. This home has an open and fresh feel, lovely floors, newly tiled bath with granite counters, soft close cabinets, new finishes, new electric cook top oven, fresh paint throughout and light pouring in. A great place for the value.


text:
To Joel Piñeiro's Mom: Please Do Not Read This
By Nico Jan 6, 2007, 10:36am PST
Share All sharing options for: To Joel Piñeiro's Mom: Please Do Not Read This
Folks, we need to have a serious talk about Joel Piñeiro, whom the Boston Red Sox signed, Thursday, to a one-year deal worth up to $4,000,000. You see, Piñeiro's "Suckitude," a stat measured by taking a pitcher's Suckosity and dividing it by his Suckability Factor, can only adequately be conveyed by unleashing a relentless barrage of embarrassing statistical observations that will end with a question I wish to pose to Theo Epstein.
Piñeiro, who sported a 4.67 ERA in 2004, and a 5.62 ERA in 2005, boasted (and I may have chosen the wrong word here) a 6.36 ERA in 2006. Do you see a trend over the past three seasons? Opposing batters, who hit .265 against Piñeiro in 2004, then .300 against him in 2005, enjoyed themselves to the tune of a .311 average in 2006. You may notice a pattern.
Granted, Piñeiro was not as bad in 2006 as he may have seemed to A's fans because Piñeiro was 0-5 with a 10.73 ERA against Oakland. But Piñeiro's grave (and I'm pretty sure I chose the right word here) difficulties against the A's--a low-average team that batted .400 against Piñeiro--only begins to tell this sad tale of a man who pitched 166 innings last season and struck out only 87 batters...
Piñeiro's ERA every 15 pitches looked like this:
Pitches 1-15: 6.21 ERA
Pitches 15-30: 5.16 ERA
Pitches 90-105: 3.29 ERA
So if you could somehow stomach Piñeiro's first 90 pitches, he really wasn't bad at all. Piñeiro's main problem, along with all the other ones, was that he not only let lots and lots (and lots) of people get on base, but he didn't strand them very well either. With runners on base, Piñeiro's ERA was 11.03. With runners in scoring position, his ERA was 15.67. And with 2-outs-and-runners-in-scoring-position, his ERA was 38.12. Oops.
Piñeiro did keep his pitch count low in 2006 by basically running an incentive-based program, where you had great incentive to swing. Because if you hit the first pitch, you batted .410. Why wait around?
Now if you'll forgive me for making a slight understatement, the above stats do not highly recommend a pitcher to serve as a major league closer. Which is precisely the role Boston is rumored to have in mind for Piñeiro--a guy who gives up tons of hits, especially when they could drive in runs, doesn't miss bats (and the feeling is mutual), and who only abandons his Jason Marquis imitation on about his 91st pitch.
Oh right, the question: MY GOD, THEO, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING???


text:
A collection of PRTG scripts to monitor key metrics and status of NetScaler health.

This sensor library relies on the [NetScaler PowerShell module](https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/NetScaler) written by Brandon Olin.

## Discussion
[https://itrandomness.com/2018/01/monitoring-netscaler-with-prtg/](https://itrandomness.com/2018/01/monitoring-netscaler-with-prtg/)

## Included Scripts
- NetScaler-AppliancePerformance.ps1 - Monitor general NetScaler perfomance stats.
	- CPU utlization
	- Packet engine CPU utilization
	- Management engine CPU utilization
	- Disk usage
	- Memory usage
	- Network throughput (RX/TX)
	- SSL transactions per second
- NetScaler-AllvServer-State.ps1 - Monitor state and health of all instances of all vServer types.
	- Health % for each vServer
	- State (Up, down, maint) for each vServer
	- Note: includes Load Balancing, AAA, VPN (Gateway) and Content Switch vServers
- NetScaler-LBvServer-State.ps1 - Monitor state and health of all instances of Load Balancer vServers.
	- Health % for each vServer
	- State (Up, down, maint) for each vServer
- NetScaler-CertExpiration.ps1 - Monitor days until expiration for all SSL server certificates.
	- Days until next certificate expiration date
	- Days until expiration for each server type certificate
- NetScaler-ConfigSavedState.ps1 - Monitor for unsaved configuration changes.
	- Unsaved configuration change status
	- Time since changes were saved

## Configuration
1) On the PRTG Server open a Powershell (x86) prompt as admin and run:
	- Install-Module -Name NetScaler -scope AllUsers
	- Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
	- Note:  This MUST be done in the (x86) version of powershell
2) Create a user on the NetScaler with the read-only Command Policy
3) Copy all .ps1 files to C:\Program Files (x86)\PRTG Network Monitor\Custom Sensors\EXEXML
	- Directory may vary with PRTG install path
4) Copy all .ovl files to C:\Program Files (x86)\PRTG Network Monitor\lookups\custom
	- Directory may vary with PRTG install path
5) In PRTG go to Setup > Administrative tools:
	- Reload lookups
	- Restart core server (optional, run if PRTG has issues finding the script)
6) Add a NetScaler device in PRTG.  Set the hostname or IP to the NSIP address.
7) Edit your NetScaler device in PRTG and set the Linux credentials to the new read only account
8) Add a new EXE/Script Advanced type sensor to your NetScaler device
9) Set the following options on the sensor
	- Name - Set a descriptive name
	- EXE/Script - Choose the desired script
	- Parameters - Enter: %host %linuxuser %linuxpassword
10) Select continue

## Notes
- If you have IP Reputation enabled, the NetScaler will also update the reputation database ever 5 minutes (default).  When this happens, the "Last Config Changed Time" time will be updated.  This will cause the "Time since changes were saved" counter in NetScaler-ConfigSavedState.ps1 to be inaccurate.

## Screenshots
![alt text](Screenshots/Performance.png "Performance Sensor")
![alt text](Screenshots/ConfigState.png "Configuration Sensor")


text:
Suppa kan syfta på:

Geografi

Finland

 Suppa (ö), Mellersta Finland, Jämsä,

Italien

 Suppa (ort), Kampanien, Provincia di Caserta,

Robotskapade Finlandförgreningar
Robotskapade Italienförgreningar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Mother of little boy embroiled in H&M race row speaks out
H&M apologised after Liam, 5, modelled a hoodie with the slogan "coolest monkey in the jungle".
Jan 12, 2018 9:18am
By Lorna Gray
The mother of the little boy caught in the H&M race row has spoken out about the image of her son that's gone viral the world over.
Liam, 5, hit the headlines when he was pictured in an H&M ad wearing a hoodie with the slogan "coolest monkey in the jungle".
The image, which appeared on their UK website, was widely circulated on social media with many outraged Twitter users saying it was racist.
Terry with Liam. Source: Facebook
Liam's mum Terry Mango took to Facebook to address the accusations he was a victim of racist discrimination.
"Am the mum and this is one of hundreds of outfits my son has modeled," she wrote according to The Daily Mail. "Stop crying wolf all the time... unnecessary issue here. Get over it."
When she received backlash herself, the Nigerian native, who is currently living in Sweden, defended her comments:
"I really don't understand not coz am choosing not to but because it's not my way of thinking."
Famous names also called out H&M for the image. Musician Questlove posted this message to his 1.1million followers on Instagram:
And Grammy award-winning singer The Weeknd conveyed his disgust too, hitting out at the retailer to his 8.4million Twitter followers:
H&M issued an apology after receiving severe backlash.
"We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print," the company said in a statement. "Therefore, we have not only removed the image from our channels, but also the garment from our product offering globally."
Fashion NewsBeyoncé furious at H&M for photoshopping her curves
Racism,
undefined: Lorna Gray


Tuition Details: I am looking for a well known institute to learn Urdu Language. I am looking for a well known institute to learn Urdu Language.
Want to learn urdu, reading & writing & speaking.
I want a well known institute to learn urdu language.


text:
Skechers GORun Wins 2014 Boston Marathon
Skechers GORun ambassador and America's #1 marathoner Meb led the pack of elite runners to the finish line in the 2014 Boston Marathon in his high-performance Skechers GORun shoes.
Meb's victory became a feel-good story in the running community, following the devastating bombing incident in last year's Boston Marathon as he is the first American to win in the prestigious Boston Marathon after three decades with a new personal-best time record of 2:08:37.
Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing for Skechers Performance Division Rick Higgins said, "We are so proud of Meb and his monumental accomplishment on what was clearly a very emotional day...if [he] can do it in Skechers shoes, so can you."
"With the support of the Skechers Performance Division by my side every step of the way, I have won for the city of Boston, and for the entire U.S.," said Meb Keflezighi ("Keff-Lez-Gee") at his Boston Marathon presser.
The Skechers Performance Division first signed Meb in 2011 to represent the Skechers Performance Division as it launched its new footwear line. The Skechers GORun is designed for speed with its innovative M-Strike Technology to promote a mid-foot strike (two-point step: mid-toe), allowing more fluid and powerful strides than a heel strike (three-point step: heel-mid-toe).
Meb transitioned from a heel strike to a mid-foot strike runner with Skechers GORun, giving him an effortless and faster take off. Since that time, Skechers M-Strike Technology's influence on the improvement of Meb's PR (personal record) has been evident.
At 36, he ran in the NYC Marathon in Skechers GORun back in 2011 and posted a personal-best time in finishing sixth in New York that day, and then lowered it again in winning the U.S. Olympic trials just two months later. Meb also won more than five key races, including the U.S. Half Marathon Championship in Houston in January 2014, and the U.S. Olympic Trials in Houston in 2012.
While his winning the 2014 Boston Marathon might have come as a surprise to many given his age during the race was just two weeks before Meb turns 39, he attained greater achievements and established his personal best time record, running like a blur ever since he shifted to Mid-foot Strike Technology with Skechers GORun.
"It's a pretty massive deal for a non-traditional running shoe company," said Eric Smallwood, senior vice president of Front Row, a Philadelphia marketing and analytics company focused on sports. "If you're a runner and you get a PR (personal record) in a new pair of shoes, you're sticking with those."
Are Skechers Performance shoes any good? Smallwood's say: "They win marathons don't they?"
Labels: Official Announcement, Press Release