rrodscott

Alright, most of the bad reviews are linked to the fact that this movie isn't an attempt by a studio to duplicate a single Rice book on film. However, this film takes some of the more interesting aspects of two Rice books and uses those elements as the basis of a movie. If someone made accurate movie representations of "The Vampire Lestat", and "Queen of the Damned," and then released a two-hour enhanced highlights feature that described both movies, this movie would be the highlights version. Fans of the books will remember that Lestat was a kind of musical trickster who didn't agree with how he was described in IV, and this movie shows a completely different aspect of his character, while at the same time introducing viewers to some of the more interesting characters in Rice's Chronicles. Aaliyah, Townsend, Moreau, Perez and especially Lena Olin all managed to use their screen time to create memorable and mostly genuine representations of Rice's characters, which wasn't easy in a movie that as as free-form as this one. I think people who watch this movie will be drawn to Rice's books in an effort to better understand these characters, instead of the other way around, and that's not a bad thing.

This show isn't a survivalist show. Live Free or Die refers to how the participants choose by different degrees to simplify their lives in a way that allows them to be free from debt and free from the anxiety caused by reliance on a consumer lifestyle. In 2008, the participants probably watched the world's economy almost collapse because lots of people bought lots of things that they really couldn't afford. Millions of people lost their jobs and all they owned because the bankers wouldn't loan unless we consumers (the government) agreed to assume the banks' "toxic assets." There isn't much difference between these people and more "normal" people who strive to be debt free by repairing a car instead of buying a new one, or raising a few chickens and putting in the equivalent of a victory garden. Fun, informative and entertaining.