Category: Fun

The Weirdest Thing About the Poker in Casino Royale

Poker is rarely portrayed accurately in films. And that’s not really a big deal, considering that poker is not usually the driving force of a film’s plot, and is more likely used as a dramatic tool or maybe even just as a vehicle for a joke.

But even in films where the poker is central to the story, for some reason it’s a game that filmmakers struggle to get right.

Even in the cult classic poker movie Rounders, starring A-listers Matt Damon, Ed Norton and John Malkovich, there are laughable moments – most notably main character Mike’s story of a successful preflop 4-bet against Johnny Chan (following an hour of not playing a single hand) that is supposed to indicate his innate poker prowess, but instead shows that the writers probably haven’t played much live poker before.

So if a movie all about poker doesn’t get the poker right, what hope do other films have?

Continue reading “The Weirdest Thing About the Poker in Casino Royale” →

The Noumenon-Numinon Nominum

The terms “Noumenous” and “Numinous” have both been used to describe the psychedelic experience, despite having etymologically distinct origins.
 
Noumenon is a term popularised by Kant to be contrasted with the term “phenomenon” – interpreted either as meaning “that which is thought” (as opposed to “that which is perceived”), or as the “unknowable nature of things.” It is derived from the Greek “noûs” meaning “mind.”
 
Numinous means “spiritual, mystical or religious in nature,” but can also be interpreted to mean a form of knowledge that can only be evoked through direct experience (rather than rationalisation or objective learning). It is derived from the Latin “numen” meaning “a deity or spirit residing over a place.”
 
These two words could arguably be sorted into the same Nominal (derived from the Latin “nomen” or “name”) category, since they both describe common facets of the psychedelic experience.
 
The “Noumenon-Numinon Nominum”

A sense-themed movie pitch

From the creative minds that brought you Birdbox, Hush, and A Quiet Place:

“unBEAKable”

A new psychological thriller set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness where SMELL IS THE ENEMY. Could you survive being pursued by a mysterious presence that YOU CAN’T DETECT WITH YOUR OLFACTORY SYSTEM?

Would YOU be able escape the forest and avoid a SCENT-LESS SLAUGHTER?

Starring Adrien Brody and Claire Danes.