The Last Action Hero

First of all, I know I've been slacking about new blog posts, and I apologize. I've just been a little sidetracked lately and haven't gotten around to posting. But that's not the point of this post, so I'll stop rambling and get to the gist of it. The other day at lunch, a particularly redundant saying which I don't quite remember made me think of a long-forgotten favorite movie: 1993's often-overlooked The Last Action Hero. Not only had no one at my table seen it, but neither had the one person who I was sure would love it if he had, a black belt and likely future BASE jumper himself, was unfamiliar with it too. Troubled, I went to IMDb only to find that users gave it a rating of only 5.6/10. Hence this post. The Governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, stars in this humorous parody of the action film genre, which also borrows from the "play within a play" aspect of Hamlet. The story follows young Danny, who receives a magic ticket originally from Harry Houdini, which allows him to enter the world of any movie he watches. He enters the realm of Jack Slater IV (Slater being a character portrayed by Schwarzenegger, who also appears as himself later on), leading to his frantic and comical efforts to get back to the real world and an effort to stop the Jack Slater villain from altering the "real" world to his benefit. This isn't the kind of movie meant to compete for Academy Awards or move the hearts of millions; It's not The Godfather or Schindler's List. But if you want a fun, exciting, unique film to kill time with on a rainy day or on a similar occasion, then by all means consider this movie.

The beginning of a blog and the end of the world

This is the end... my old friend, the end......

Actually, this is more like the beginning, but people who listen to the Doors will get the reference. Anyway, I know that it's doubtful anyone will read this blog, but I don't really care as long as it gives me a new hobby and a new creative outlet. What was the point of that little virtual singsong above, you ask? The point was to foreshadow the main point of this post, which is to share a cool website. Exit Mundi is the first (and so far only) site I've come across which catalogs almost every possible apocalyptic scenario you could imagine, as well as some that are too bizarre to make up. Sure, we've all heard about meteors, little green men, and tidal waves, but have you ever wondered if female DNA, the seed of life, will kill us all? If you watch the news, you'll see that humanity seems to get dumber every day: what if we all went nuts one day and wiped ourselves out? The site covers all of this and more, explaining even the most complex physical theories in terms which the average person can understand and topping it all with a dark, Vonnegut-reminiscent sense of humor. (Don't worry, religious people, there's even an entire category for the perspectives of different faiths on the apocalypse.) While this site is probably not for the faint of heart, it's definitely a worthwhile read for those who are into this kind of thing. Don't get too crazed over what you find, though, because I'd hate to leave a reader awake all night trembling in their pajamas with a shotgun in hand, waiting for the end of days to come!

P.S. I haven't yet delved too deeply into the Exit Mundi creator's other site, "The Other Bible", yet, but perhaps I'll make it the subject of a future post.