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MOVIE: ROCKNROLLA

2009-04-06T10:18:00.005-04:00

Written and Directed by Guy Ritchie the overall movie follows Ritchie's distinct style and tone, which I can personally never grow tired of. It's witty, hilarious, mind-boggling coincidences and action packed.

ROCKNROLLA starts with the explanation of the booming London real estate market, and a gentleman named Lenny Cole. Lenny will help you speed up the process of approving a building for renovations that should take many years, and make it happen in months.

So, he takes up the offer a Russian developer, Uri Omovich, for 7 million Euros to help him make his stadium go through without any hitches. Unfortunately Uri has an accountant (Thandie Newton) who is interested in making money on the side. So she hires One Two (Gerard Butler) to steal the money from Uri mid-transaction. Now here's the twisted part... One Two works for Lenny.

If you still don't get it, it's like this: One Two owes Lenny money, and he has till such time to get that money. Lenny makes a deal with Uri. Uri is about to courier the money to Lenny, but One Two who has no idea the money is for Lenny, is stealing the money... to give to Lenny. Get it?

If you like Guy Ritchie's style (NOT Swept Away) you'll enjoy this one, but it doesn't beat out Snatch. I feel as though it was lacking in something, but you'll still laugh and cringe at some great jaw dropping twisted moments.

MOVIE: Dead Like Me

2009-03-23T12:55:00.003-04:00

Yup, you read it right. MOVIE. For you fans of Dead Like Me out there you can head on over to your Netflix "Instant View" and check out the movie, right now!

Dead Like Me picks up five years after the 2nd season ended. The group of reapers are standing outside of the burnt down waffle house. A limo driver calls out their names and drives them to a fancy hotel for breakfast. They find out Rube has been called to the light and their new leader is a slick businessman who doesn't care how the job gets done, as long as it's done.

So, out with the signature yellow Post-It's and in with the new palm pilots. For awhile it seems everyone is reaping on the benefits of their flashy new boss, but George. After a glitch in her palm pilot, that gave her the wrong time for the reap, she reconnects with her younger sister. In the end the crew realizes the importance of Rube and his views on how to do their job, while learning the balance of their job and living.

Meh. I liked where it was going with George's storyline, but with everyone else it fell kind of flat, and then completely ridiculous. Didn't feel it was true to the essence of the way the show was. And I HATE the new Daisy Adair (Sarah Wynter). The original Daisy (played by Laura Harris) was really dainty and very romantically dramatic. But the Sarah's version is nowhere close to it. She's loud, and drunk and a big mess and.. you just don't like her.

Again, George's storyline was interesting. I won't get too much into detail about it, but she connects with her younger sister again and helps the sister deal with her death and someone elses. But I am confused about the ending.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
The ending shows George waving to her sister and then asking the open-ended question "Who's going to be our new head reaper?" or something like. Then from the sky she gets rained by Post-It's. Does that mean George is the new leader?

It's worth checking out but dont' expect anything fantastic and jaw-droppingly good.

MOVIE: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

2009-03-09T16:12:00.002-04:00

Two strangers through mutual friends spend the whole night in various unfortunate, hilarious and awkward situations to hunt down the elusive and very popular band, Where's Bunny. Nick (Michael Cera) was dumped by Tris (Alexis Dziena) an egotistical man eater, and to win her back he's been making mixed CD's for her, which her friend Norah (Kat Dennings) has been listening to.

After his performance with his two gay bandmates, he meets Norah and finds out she's friends with his ex. Hoping that Nick would get out of his slump, his loyal friends encourage the two to hang out for the night in search of "Where's Bunny" secret location performance. The two come to discover they have a lot more in common aside from their deep passion for music.

First off, I absolutely LOVE movies that take place in short spans of time (events all take place in one night. Some great examples are Clerks I & II, Can't Hardly Wait, Collateral, Jurassic Park, Superbad... you get the picture.

Back to the movie... How can you NOT love any movie Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) is in? Although I do wonder how many more movies he can pull off the really innocent, awkward role in? Kat Dannings is fantastic as the bitter yet hopeful Norah who is trying to make her own place, and be her own character while being in her dad's shadow, the owner of a very famous music studio.

What I love besides the main characters are the friends. Caroline (Ari Graynor), Norah's best friend is a comedic genius as the drunk girl who gets lost in the city, while Nick's friends Thom (Aaron Yoo) and Dev (Rafi Gavron) aid this poor drunk girl to get home, so that their friend has a chance to get out of his slump. In one scene Caroline is passed out drunk in the back of their van, on their way to drop her off, and she comes unconscious. She can't remember where she is and immediately assumes she got kidnapped.

It's an absolutely fun movie to watch when you're in the mood for something funny and cute to watch. The soundtrack is absolutely fantastic, but Garden State is still by far my favorite.

TV: Tin Man

2009-03-09T13:49:00.001-04:00

Tin Man, originally aired on the SciFi Channel in 2007 as a 3 part mini series. It follows DG (Zooey Deschanel) as she is whisked off to the O.Z. (Outer Zone) by a... you guessed it, a tornado. But the story is not what you think. It's not so much a remake of the original Oz, but more of a spin-off.

The costumes, and overall tone of the movie is so entertaining and just enjoyable to watch. It's a more modern and mature view of things in the O.Z. For example the "Tin Man" is an ex-cop who spent much of his life imprisoned in a metallic suit watching a hologram of his wife and son being captured.

Zooey Deschanel is adorable as D.G., who goes through the O.Z. trying to figure out who the woman with the purple eyes in her dreams is and why the O.Z. looks so familiar. As her memory starts to slowly comes back she learns of her own family secret that could save the strangely familiar world from the grasp of the evil witch, who is looking for the green emerald.

Alan Cumming plays "Glitch", the former advisor to the Queen who had his brain removed when he refused to give up the plans for a very powerful machine. Neal McDonough plays the "Tin Man", an ex-cop out for revenge, who helps the group find their way while he finds the compassion for others again. Raoul Trujillo plays "Raw" a special group of species that is being hunted by the evil sorceress for their mystical powers of reading the emotions of whoever they are in contact with.

This is so entertaining and short. You won't waste any time getting through this series.

TV: American's Best Dance Crew

2009-03-06T14:47:00.002-05:00

Well slap me silly and call me an ass. They actually won. I really really thought that Beat Freaks would win.

Well CONGRATULATIONS to the boys! Totally deserving.

TV: America's Best Dance Crew

2009-02-27T10:56:00.004-05:00

It's down to the final two crews, and if I remember correctly I predicted that Beat Freaks is going to be one of the final teams. It's down to Beat Freaks and Quest. It's an all out boy vs. girls team.

I have been rooting for Beat Freaks since the beginning, only because they have been consistently good and you definitely don't see girls doing headspins in any type of dance performance. But at the same time Quest, the all boys group have been phenomenal throughout the show, and the judges have been giving them a REALLY REALLY hard time. JC (gag!) claims they do too much "posing" and not enough transition. Okay "bubblegum pop" boy... let's see you come up with YOUR OWN moves without using choreography. Anyway, I'd be really surprised if the boys end up winning.

The judges/producers really really want a girl team to win. Don't get me wrong... they would be totally deserving of the first group to be all girl, winning a dance crew contest. But I would hate for them to win because they were a pretty good girl dance crew versus a phenomenal girl dance crew, against Quest. Because to be quite honest, overall I find Quest to be so much more fun to watch, and so creative in their routines.

Last night's performance was.... bleh. The challenge was incorporate different styles of street into their routine. Beat Freaks was a flatliner. I felt they hardly fulfilled the challenge and even without the challenge their routine was just boring. There was no "wow factor" to it. If you were to go on last night's performance they shouldn't win. See for yourself:

MTV Shows

Quest on the other hand... WOW! Fell out of my chair a couple of times with the stuff they pulled. It was sharp and absolutely fun watching them have fun doing what they do. Can't say enough about them. They even received a standing ovation from the judges. Check it out:

MTV Shows

MOVIE: Burn After Reading

2009-02-20T12:11:00.002-05:00

Burn After Reading starts with Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) who works for the CIA on a non-threatening level. Osbourne Cox quits after they demote his position. When he tells his rigid uptight wife, Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton), she puts together divorce case without his knowledge. During this case she makes a copy of all his financial/personal records onto a disc to give to her attorney. The attorney's secretary loses the disc at a gym.

Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) are best friends who work at this gym. Frances is a dopey lovable, overly hyper questionably gay guy friend. Linda is an insecure plastic surgery obsessed lonely, chronic Internet dater. When they discover the disc, they find out it belongs to Osbourne and attempt to blackmail him. Things really don't turn out quite as planned, and through a series of miscommunication and unfortunate events help to unfold the story.

I honestly didn't know what to make of this story, except I was left just as confused as the writers were. The movie didn't know what it was. The movie thought it was a dark comedy, then a drama, then a romantic comedy, then a suspense thriller. It was bipolar is what it was.

If the Coen brothers had left it as specifically a drama or a specifically a comedy it would've been really great. But because you confuse the viewers by trying to throw everything into one big pot, it's just a big mesh and you can't distinguish one taste from the next, so you sacrifice a great potential.

And the ending. Oy! Do not even get me started. It was a half-ass ending of "We don't really know how to tie this up, so let's just kill everyone."

MOVIES: Mamma Mia

2009-02-16T12:35:00.002-05:00

Mamma Mia an ABBA themed musical, set the day before Sophie's wedding. She reads her mother's diary to hopefully find out who her father is. Instead she discovers that she has 3 possible fathers, so without her mother's knowledge or permission, she invites all 3 mysterious men, whom her mother hasn't seen in 20 years.

I love musicals. Fantastic examples are Chicago, Moulin Rouge, Grease, Newsies, etc. (not listed in any particular order) If it's done right it's just a really big music video. The dancing and songs especially are what I love about this genre. You are already emotionally involved in the story and music always helps to amplify that emotion the character is conveying.

Mamma Mia was... corny, at best. The transitions of acting to singing just didn't come off well. The scenes were choppy and the songs and dancing weren't really well done. No doubt that Meryl Streep has a good voice, but she's going in her 50's(?) skipping and jumping around in an overall. I like her better as Miranda Priestley in Devil Wears Prada.

The whole movie came off amateur. The songs went on a bit too long, or maybe that's because it just wasn't really that enjoyable. Muriel's Wedding was a better ABBA themed musical then this. I actually fast forwarded through the movie only to discover a very predictable ending.

Again I don't know if this movie is just bad, or if it was a bad translation to film like Rent was. (God, that one was just as awful, if not more, because I loved the Broadway version so much.)

MOVIE: Coraline

2009-02-09T16:25:00.002-05:00

Coraline is based on the books by Neil Gaiman.

Coraline Jones moves to a new house and on top of feeling sad and alone from the move, her parents ignore her completely. They are both writers and incredibly involved with their work, and the mother especially is annoyed everytime Coraline is in her presence. Upon exploring the house, she comes across a door that has been wallpapered over. After pestering her mother to help her find a key, they find one, with a button as a handle. With her mother present, they open it, only to find that it's a brick wall.

During the night she is awoken from her sleep and sees little white mice leading her to the door. This time it leads to a tunnel. On the other side is the exact opposite of her mother... with buttons as eyes. At first all seems to be an ideal world.

I'm a HUGE fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, so without a second thought I went to see this one. (FYI: It seems a lot of people are confusing this little fact that Tim Burton DID NOT direct Nightmare Before Christmas. He wrote and produced it.)

I was kinda disappointed with this one. There wasn't much else to the story. It wasn't a story where it had a beginning, middle and end. We dont' know how that door got there. We don't know why the evil woman on the other side captures little children. We just know she's there and Coraline went through it and defeated the evil woman.

The story wasn't really captivating enough for me, which is a shame because the animation was simply fantastic.

TV: The Wire

2009-02-09T15:14:00.004-05:00

For the handful that have actually been reading my blog, I've been absent because I've been OBSESSED with The Wire. It's 5 seasons centered around the Baltimore, Maryland criminal, judicial and media system.

The overall writing and events are so raw, compared to the filtered crime shows on the network, such as Law and Order, or CSI. You get to see the detectives working the case getting personal in certain situations or just joking around amongst the guys.

Season 1: The Streets
Probably my favorite season, it revolves around the drug dealings on the street. You see the interaction of business being handled from the corners where the transactions take place. The market depends on the addicts staying addicted to the product. Avon Barksdale leads the most prominent gang in Baltimore and follows an old school code and takes his business seriously. The group of investigators trailing to capture Avon involves Jimmy McNulty, a black sheep in the police who constantly breaks rules and burns bridges by not following the chain of command. Through the investigation you see the frustration as the unit doing the investigation is constantly challenged with obstacles that the Police Commissioner and the justice system puts out, as well as trying to be one step ahead of the gang, by putting wire taps on the pay phones being used.

Season 2: The Docks
They step away from the streets and focus on the blue collar section of Baltimore. A family works cohesively to steal shipments coming in from a certain ship, overseas. The stolen products range from electronics to various items that could be sold for profits. But the case takes an interest when a cargo arrives and a secret compartment of dead girls is discovered. McNulty who was demoted to patrol the docks joins his old team to help solve the case, which turns out to be the importing of the drugs to sell to the dealers for the streets.

Season 3: The Streets Part 2
We focus back on Avon's crew, but this time we see the dynamics higher up in the food chain. The story of seeing the pressure between Avon and his second in command, Stringer Bell, is all too familiar. You have two partners in a business that don't see eye to eye anymore. Stringer, a business man at heart, attends business classes at the local community college, and tries to apply real world economics into the street business. Avon, struggles with his partner's idea of trying to apply them to a business that isn't conventional. Stringer's investments with the political circle leads you into a world of dirty politics, where money does make the world go round. Avon would rather use the old and ancient form of making the world go round: guns and power.

Season 4: School System
We follow 4 kids entering a school system where the education system is in a deficit of $54 million dollars. The school's main concern is to meet the minimum requirements of the state to receive the funding, meaning, each student really only has to show up to school at least once a month. ONCE A MONTH! After that it doesn't matter whether these kids pass the school, they usually will advance to the class most appropriate to their age group, known as "social promotion". Test scores are bumped and adjusted to meet the requirements. The relationships between the frustrated faculty who do want to make a change, and the kids who have no other choice but to work the streets is heartbreaking.

Season 5: Media
We all know the media is a powerful tool. It controls the world. They choose what you see, and what you don't, how you should feel, etc. This season parallels with an investigation where McNulty makes up a serial murder case, to divert funding to those that need it, when the new mayor backs out on his promise to focus on crime prevention and instead routes the money towards the education debt. We follow one reporter who starts out by embellishing quotes, and then all out making up quotes, which eventually leads to making up stories. When his editor discovers this and shares it with his editors, the reporter is instead rewarded because his stories make up the front page. We get to see why something makes the front cover, and why something gets pushed back further into the paper. We see why some stories get more coverage and why others are cut down.

I don't feel I did any justice explaining the show, but it's definitely high on my recommendation list. I'm not going to lie and say that this show is just as fun to watch then it is to talk about... it does move along slow. But much like the real world, the stories are there. It's subtle and hidden beneath another story. Everything ties in together, and each character is going to have you hate them and love them from minute to minute. Then there are the other characters you'll be pleasantly surprised you'll be rooting for.

TV: America's Best Dance Crew

2009-01-23T09:55:00.003-05:00

Week2: Workout
Thursdays @ 10pm on MTV

This week the challenges were Workout. Each dance team had to incorporate some form of workout move into their routine. I won't get into a detailed account like I did the previous post, but some teams seemed repetitious while others really surprised me. You can check out the each team's performance here, courtesy of MTV.

Quest started the show with their routine, "kickboxing". I really thought these theme was obvious one for them, and didn't expect to be blown away by their performance as I was. You just had absolute fun watching them perform. They used the theme of "video game fighting". Among the 7 crewmembers, 3 were dressed in red, and 3 in blue, while 1 stood in the middle acting as referee. I can't do it justice explaining so please check it out.

Now as for the judges... especially Lil' Mama and JC (gag)... WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!?!??! They called Quests's performance mediocre and unimpressive. In fact JC said it was too "Tae-bo" for his taste, and that it wasn't choreographed enough. My only guess is he was googling himself to see how much unpopular he's been getting instead of paying attention to the show.

Worst off was that Lil' Mama agreed with him. Rightfully the audience booed them and their so called judgement. Shane West, probably the ONLY opinion that really matters, since he's an actual choreographer, retaliated by asking the two "are we watching the same show?" He was just as blown away as the rest of the audience and crediting them for many a fancy footwork and innovative moves.

If the judges continue to butcher the judging, this show is going to have to go on my axe list.

TV: America's Best Dance Crew 3

2009-01-16T15:30:00.003-05:00

Season 3 • Thursdays @ 10pm on MTV

I caught the first season, where Jabbawockeez, came off as the well-deserving contenders. Season one was really hot and set the stage as to what the future contestants should live up. Unfortunately season 2 didn't really catch my attention and I found it uninteresting and not as entertaining to watch.

Season 3 kicks off with 9 crews and this season looks as if it might be a repeat of season 1... in a very good way. The edginess is back and the crews look really hot. Here's the rundown on each crew:

Beat Freaks: An all female group that I had doubts about, simply because most female groups are stereotypical in that they perform a dance routine (like in cheerleading). There's nothing wrong with just a simple dance routine but compared to the breakdancing, pop and locking, drill, etc. it really doesn't stand out all that much. But Beat Freaks really really really blew everyone away, and even received a standing ovation from the judges. They pulled off breakdance moves that are rarely seen with girls. They're one of two of my favorites and I seriously think they have a chance at making it in the top 3.
Boxcuttuhz: Lead by Lando, who assembled this team while teaching dance classes on the side throughout the country, they came on to the stage with little stage presence. I felt that they had really great moves, and there wasn't really anything horrible about them, but there was still something lacking. Lydia, the only female in the crew did a great job of keeping up with the crew with 6 other guys.
Dynamic Edition: Uh... They're cloggers, from the midwest. I really don't want to discriminate against them or clogging, but I put them with the same category with girl dance teams. There really isn't much to them, and you can only clog your way through the competition so far.
Fly Khicks: All girl dance team, that fits the stereotype I mentioned in the post with the first team. They're strictly just dance that does the occasional cartwheel and backflip while throwing in random sexy butt shaking moves. Oh, and don't forget the scantily dressed girls. *Yawn. Nothing we haven't seen before.
GOP Dance: Out of Puerto Rico they made it to the states for this competition. Unfortunately they were the first to be eliminated. I didn't think they were worthy of being the first team designated as the losers, but what do I know right? They were okay. They had some fancy movies, but for the most party they just seemed disorganized. Felt like they were saying, "Okay! We have 3 minutes to show what we have so let's squeeze everything we know into those 3 minutes, without any real routine."
Quest: My absolute favorite contender for this season. Probably because I've seen one of their dancers "Hok" from Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." This guy alone is phenomenal, but you put him on a crew and you are blown away by their creativity and insane style. Can't wait to see what's to come from them for the rest of the season, and would love a dance off with them and Jabbawockeez.
Ringmasters: Straight out of Brooklyn these guys have a different style of dance, flexing and contorting their bodies in ways that should not be possible. One guy twisted his arm a full 360! I'm more grossed out rather than impressed though. They're style is too wild and disorganized looking.
Strikers All Stars: Dance crew specializing in stepping, they all met on their college campus and came together. Stepping is impressive but it gets a little repetitive for me after awhile. Unless they can make up for it with creativity they're gonna make it about halfway.
Team Millenia: I put them on the same tier as Fly Khicks. Obviously they were good enough to make it on the show but compared to the likings of Ringmasters or Quest, they really don't stand a chance, unless they have a secret weapon. Really great dance moves, but nothing to put them apart. Between them and Fly Khicks, I'd go for Team Millenia. You can't win with sex appeal when it's up against hard hitting, street style dance moves.

You can check out the team performances here via MTV.

MOVIE: Lars and the Real Girl

2009-01-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

Lars is 27 years old and works a 9 to 5 job while he shares a cubicle. He goes home to the garage of his brother and sister-in-law's house. He doesn't have any friends. He hates being touched.

One day he decides to buy a lifesize sex toy and calls her Bianca. He doesn't use Bianca for the purposes as intended by the website. Instead he uses her as a companion. Toting her around everywhere on their dates, shopping, parties, etc. Their relationship grows and progresses and helps Lars to be more social and not so introverted.

Oddly enough the entire town comes together and helps to welcome Bianca. When Bianca becomes more independent they invite her to the hospital to read to the children. She goes out shopping with the girls.

By any means this movie should've been a comedy, or the new genre of "dramedy" (drama + comedy = dramedy). Look at the cover. It even suggests that there's a hint of comedy or dark humor in there. I've never been so depressed more in my life. Scratch that... I was more depressed watching Sideways, but you get the connection.

Watching Lars hit a delusional state by finding companionship in this sex doll was sad... in a really depressing pathetic way. Ryan Gosling's performance didn't help either. He just came off as a creepy delusional lonely guy, when he should've came off simply the lonely guy, you feel really bad for, for not having anyone in his life, and being abandoned by his older brother, when their father died. How do you screw that up?

I just couldn't connect to this movie. First I was sympathetic towards Lars, even when he got the doll, and the psychiatrist suggested to his family they play along, until he figures things out. But after awhile, it just got ridiculous and not at all enjoyable to watch.

Ryan Gosling can be placed in the large pool of actors/actresses who have the acting range of a teaspoon. He plays the same cocky, awkward, bored looking character almost everytime.

MOVIES: Tropic Thunder

2009-01-12T12:30:00.005-05:00

Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) is an A-List actor on his way to becoming on the D-List.

Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) is a comedic actor making fart movies, playing all of the characters in the movie in a fat suit.

Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) is an award winning method actor known for fully involving himself into each character he is casted in. 'Nuff said.

All three were actors were hired to play as a unit of soldiers based on the book pretty much Saving Private Ryan. But when the antics of the actors caused the movie to be behind production by a month (3 days into shooting) and over budget $100 million, the Director tries to get them to be more in character by dropping them off in the middle of the woods and scaring them with special effects to act more like soldiers.

Something goes horribly wrong and Tugg and his actor friends are caught by a gang of drug dealers and they still thing it's part of the movie.

By all means this movie should've been fucking hilarious. Like I should be rolling on the floor laughing, busting a gut. There were moments that were funny, and they should've used that as a momentum to lead up to something funnier than the one before, but it was a stop and go comedy. You'd chuckle here, then wait for it... wait for it... Chuckle. Nothing was absolutely hilarious. The previews were better than the movie in it's entirety.

However, there are only two things about this movie that are absolutely worth seeing. First is the opening sequence. They're mock previews and upcoming trailers of the actors in Tropic Thunder. Brilliant. Then there's the closing scene of Tom Cruise, as the Jewish investor, doing his ghetto money dance. 'Nuff said.

MOVIE: Oldboy

2009-01-12T10:52:00.007-05:00

How am I going to explain this one...?

Based on the reviews, this is going to be one of those films that you're either going to absolutely love, or absolutely hate.

Dae-Su Oh was kidnapped and held captive for 15 years without knowing a clue as to why or who would do this to him. He lived for 15 years in a hotel room with nothing but a television and fried dumplings for meals. He was occasionally gassed to be knocked unconscious not knowing what was being done or why. He was however framed for the murder of his wife. Samples of his DNA and fingerprints were collected from his cell and then planted at the scene of the crime. His daughter survived.

Just as he was captured randomly, he was released randomly one day. Upon receiving a phone and a wallet from a random beggar, he meets a woman sushi chef, Mi-Do, and then receives a call from his captor stating he had 5 days to find out the reason why he was held captive, where he then promises to commit suicide if Dae-Su completes the challenge.

For the next 5 days, Mi-Do helps him uncover the disturbing secret of why her love, Dae-Su was kidnapped. An honest and immature mistake made back in high school.

First off, the style of the movie came off a bit odd to me, and upon some research discovered it was originally a manga, and then it made perfect sense. The movie is part of a three part series originally done in a Japanese manga. This is the second installment of the revenge themed series.

Director Chan-Wook Park delivers a disturbing but addicting film. You are deeply bothered by the underlying message of the film but are still drawn to each character, who are all dynamic and fucked up. I can't rave enough about the storyline. It's so original and captivating and haunting and pulls on all of your emotions. By the end of it you are left just as emotionally exhuasted as Dae-Su and anguished upon the final reveal which can never be replicated. It puts the Sixth Sense's ending to shame.

Beyond the sexuality and violence and sometimes dark humored moments, this film defies what makes a great film. This movie ironically carries the perfect formula for what makes a great film that will have you raving about it time after time. The camerawork, the direction, the pace, the characters, etc. In every aspect of it, this was absolute work of art.

The direction was a great pace. You were left at the edge of your seat waiting for the secret to fold out, but absolutely involved in each character wondering what will come of them next. Even the villainous Woo-Jin Lee, responsible for the imprisonment of Dae-su for 15 years. I have to say when you find out why Woo-Jin hired to have Dae-Su kidnapped, you can't help but to think, "Over-react much?" But I suppose you when you grow up to have money and power at your disposal, eccentricity follows.

Korean style of film is very different than American film. As are most movies done outside of the US. There aren't restrictions or "safety nets" set up on the topics or scenes of what can be in the movie. It's pretty much free reign. So it can be understood when some of the reviewers can't enjoy a foreign film when a certain topic/direction is introduced into a movie, that has never seen the light of day in American theaters. As long as you can watch this movie with an open mind and let go of the boundaries of where a movie can/should go, then you can definitely appreciate this film for what it is, and hopefully others. You'd be surprised at how safe and "G-Rated" American films are compared to outside of the box.

I'm hoping the rumors that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are attempting the remake are false. I have no idea how they're going to pull this one off and I can't think of two more wrong people for this project. IF this were to be redone on American soil it needs to be done by Guy Ritchie/Richie (can't remember spelling, and too lazy to look up), Robert Rodriguez (based on works done in Sin City) and... David Fincher.

To All You Sports Fans:

2009-01-07T13:33:00.002-05:00

I got into football last year while dating someone. I figured I used to be kind of a jock, why not learn to understand the most popular sport in this country? I was hooked. Then of course it was narrowed down to picking which team to root for. Like counselors/mentors, my fellow male co-workers each rounded up a list that was acceptable to say I was rooting for. Well, it didn't matter... being a former New Yorker, it was going to be the Giants.

What a year that was. They weren't doing so well previously and by some magic turnaround, they made it into the play offs in I don't know how long, and then by miracle of miracles... won the goddamn Super Bowl! I was deemed the Giants lucky charm by all fellow fans. So now I've converted to being a die hard fan.

Enough about that. My now ex was and is a die hard Jets fan (snicker). With the latest events surrounding the ever so famous Favre and his media circus he conducts... it's no surprise he ran his mouth better than he ran the game. When he first announced he was joining the Jets, my ex proudly stated that this would change the team. I stated that yes he is a great quarterback, but one man cannot change the dynamics of a team that much. They wouldn't make it into the play-offs. With bated breath I watched their final game. I'll admit, I thought they stood a chance.

Now what? After a humiliating season (most interceptions in one season), Favre is yet again warming up to do his media dance. I imagine him in a field of daisies plucking petals out going "Should I retire... Should I not retire... Should I retire..." He should've retired last year when he was with the Packers. He made it into the play-offs with a great team. His actions reflect the character of someone with low self-esteem trying to prove himself and everyone that he's fantastic. Dude... we know. Get over it.

This article hilariously accounts what is going on in dear old Favre's career as well as what to expect. Great read.

MOVIE: Day the Earth Stood Still

2008-12-26T19:17:00.004-05:00

I reluctantly saw this one on Christmas. I was with mom and her boyfriend and kinda felt bad. I hardly see them and they were begging to see Valkyrie but I had already promised to see that with someone else. Feeling cornered I very reluctantly agreed to see emotionless Keanu Reeves act as an alien trying to teach us a lesson.

I gotta say... I was WILDLY surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I sat in the theater being a hardcore fan of the original and was expecting a bomb, but at the very least I still remained open-minded, which is how you should view this movie if you want to enjoy it. The graphics are phenomenal, even though I thought GORT was a little over the top.

The storyline changed quite a bit. The general tone of the movie was very different as well, but it was very fitting for something that would be likely happen today. When Klatu mysteriously arrives he is welcomed with scientists in hazmat suits, tanks, cops, guns pointed at him, helicopters, etc. Basically the movie sends the message that we're trigger happy Americans who want to shoot down anything that threatens it may be far more superior than we are.

This movie is worth checking out. The acting isn't spectacular but it isn't horrible. Who else would you cast to play an emotionless alien who doesn't understand the concept of human feelings. You're basically watching Neo, from Matrix, in a different environment and script. So if you have an interest in seeing this please go with an open-mind. If you're going in expecting an homage to the original you will be disappointed. This is more of an update on how it would spin if it were modern.

MUSIC: "Chasing Pavements" -Adele

2008-12-23T14:39:00.000-05:00

People have dubbed her to be the next Amy Winehouse, but I think she's better. Her voice is fantastic with the husky old style jazz voice. The video is beyond anything creative/ingenious I've ever seen.

Can't make up my mind on which I'm more blown away by... the video or the song. Love both equally but together they make one powerful collaboration.

Enjoy!

Adele - New Music - More Music Videos

COMIC: Jeff Dunham

2008-12-18T12:25:00.003-05:00

Jeff Dunham is a ventriloquist. Jeff Dunham is a comedian. Put the two together and you get one hell of a show.

He works with ventriloquist dummies with 5 very different personalities. My favorite is Peanut. The purple headed, green haired looking muppet. He's the annoying sibling everyone has had. But by the end you can't help but to cave in and keel over from laughing so hard, because the stuff they do is so ridiculous. Gets in your face about everything and pesters you with the "song that will never end", but extremely lovable.

Surprisingly his jokes aren't all that "edgy", and not in a bad way. And I say that it's surprising simply because these days stand-up comedians have to be talking of such issues that are more adult related, like Chris Rock or Richard Pryor. The fact that he can tell these jokes without having to go extreme is a talent in itself.

Jeff Dunham brings a refreshing presence to the act. His characters are well put together, as is his interaction with his characters, like Achmed for example. The suicide bomber who failed out of school because he was "practicing" for his test.

Random FYI: I HATE Dane Cook. He's SOOOO not funny. Takes freaking forever to deliver the punchline. That's all. Just wanted to share.

:D

Rumors/News: Batman's Ugly Rumors

2008-12-18T09:35:00.002-05:00

There's an ugly rumor going on the net right now that Eddie Murphy has been cast as the Riddler, in the sequel to the Dark Knight. Ewwwwwwwwww and no no no no no no no no! The rumor was posted by the Sun, and the whole article reads as either really bad journalism or great hoax.

They ended the article with, "Everyone’s excited to see what he does as the Riddler." Really?!? Who?!? The 5-year old's who loved Daddy Day Care?

Word is that Johnny Depp (Surprised? I'm not) is a strong candidate to being the Riddler. I'm afraid he's gonna bring another Jack Sparrow to the screen and then it's just a waste. I'm going with my original submission that I think Jude Law would be fantastic.

Another rumor is Shia Labeof, which has also been discounted as being just a rumor. I like Shia, but I'm not too crazy with him as Robin. Actually I have no idea who a good Robin would be. I'm thinking someone sliiiiightly younger than Shia. Shia seems a bit too old for the role.

And the last rumor set by the Sun, is Rachel Weisz... as Catwoman. Meh. Hoping this one is a rumor too. I voted for Jennifer Connelly or Charlize Theron even. Maybe even Milla Jovovich.

Video: Kingdom Hearts 3

2008-12-11T15:39:00.003-05:00

I'm hoping that this segment of the trilogy will be a lot better than KH2. I feel the developers made a big mistake making the version that came out on the GameBoy a prerequisite to play, in order to understand KH2. It was a bloody nightmare! I had to have my sister on standby to understand what was going on, and even then I'm left with a lot of questions.

My other complain with KH2 was the fact that there really wasn't a lot of action. I wanna say 40% of the time was spent reading.

Upon viewing the trailer for KH3, it seems as though they're taking a different direction. Rumor's are that it's Riku's side of the story. But the graphics and artwork are a lot darker (go figure) and very true to the Final Fantasy style. The only thing that throws it off is the Disney side. Hahaha. You'll see what I by the end of this trailer. Fair warning: It is about 6 minutes long, but very very worth it, I promise:

Market Appeal

2008-12-11T11:56:00.003-05:00

I had an interesting conversation with a coworker at job2. She was excitedly telling me she bought a new 8MP digital camera for $300. When I scowled at her news she asked why. I politely informed her she doesn't need 8MP, unless she's a professional photography.

Yes it's true when taking photos, the more pixels you have the better the quality. But the average point and shoot camera user doesn't need that amount. What're you going to do with all those extra pixels?

I have a 2MP camera. (I never got around to updating my camera.) With 2MP the highest quality print I can print is roughly a 5"x7" print. 8MP will get you bigger than a movie poster print. What average person actually prints their photos from the photo machine, or at home for that matter at that big of a capacity? And so, the manufacturing companies have made profits on the idea that more is better. In reality, it's really unnecessary, further proving that we're a country that likes being overly indulgent.

My next case is the HDTV's. 720p vs 1080p. I've gotten into countless debates with people about this. It's the same concept as the digital cameras. Getting a 32" HDTV with 1080p is POINTLESS. You will never see the difference. NEVER. Just because you have more pixels in a smaller screen doesn't mean it'll increase the quality of the picture. If anything it should make it more fuzzy because there's too much for the screen to handle. But it does sound cooler saying, "I have a 32" HDTV with 1080p", right?

To drive the point even further home, I had a conversation with an honest salesperson (hard to believe, I know) one time, and he even said that regular television won't catch up to the 1080p standard until years later. The only way you'd be able to actually SEE the quality of 1080p is on Blu-Ray.

I stumbled across this article which gives really informative easy-to-understand concepts on the whole HDTV thing. As for the digital camera thing, there really isn't much you can do. These days the market only sells what's the highest available. But given the option you should spring for the clearance items of the lowest #MP camera available.

TV: Whale Wars

2008-12-08T15:50:00.007-05:00

Animal Planet on Fridays @ 9pm

Attempting to kill time I went through my ON Demand and stumbled upon this show.

It's about Paul Watson and his staff aboard the ship the Sea Shepherd. Aboard the ship they circle Antarctica to chase off the Japanese whale hunters. Paul Watson is the co-founder to Greenpeace, and was later voted out for being too aggressive in his fight against whaling, poaching, shark finning and habitat destruction.

For several years, Watson's group of staff and volunteers have engaged in a campaign almost every winter to find and stop Japanese ships that hunt whales in the name of research, attempting to stop them by any non-violent means necessary. The eclectic group — labeled activists, heroes and/or eco-pirates — leave port in Melbourne, Australia for a two-month campaign that is dangerous, controversial and has garnered international media attention. Sea Shepherd's dedicated, international crew have spent their holiday the last several years and risked their lives at the bottom of the Earth to save whales. -Source

This show is really compelling. Compelling enough that my sister and I looked at each other with the opening sequence and contemplated going vegetarian, after seeing the inhumane manner in which these majestic creatures are being slaughtered for monetary... err.. "scientific" purposes.

The Japanese have used the loophole that whales can be hunted under the restrictions that only a certain number are killed for the purposes of scientific research. Each of their ships have "RESEARCH" painted on the side as to make it okay. As they kill them they hold up signs for the helicopters that say things like "We are collecting samples for DNA". Really? You need the whole body for DNA?

Okay, enough with the ranting, back to the show.

My only complaint about the crew is that well... they're not the best decision makers in the world. It's frustrating to watch them stand around and have the passion to do what they want, but not really have the structure or guidance. For example:

The captain is nuts, and the boat is filled with the worst decision makers... EVER. I'll give him credit for being gutsy and going out and doing what he does but he takes the term of standing what he believes in to the core. They find the location of a whale hunting ship and after several attempts to make contact with them, he comes up with the plan to send two of his crew members aboard the ship so they can be held captive, then he can call the media and say the Japanese ship has two of his crew members kidnapped. Great marketing strategy but otherwise extremely risky.

It did work. But the two guys were held on the Japanese ship for about 2½ days. During those days negotiations reached diplomatic proportions. The government got involved when an agreement couldn't be made on how to return the hostages. The Australian Coast Guard stepped in to pick up the hostages and return them to their home ship. The captain decides to get some shut-eye because he's been up for 56 hours.

While he's asleep they see in the horizon the Japanese ship. They feel it's taunting them and vote whether they should make an attack. A crew member advises they just got done negotiating to get their fellow crew members back, to make an attack against them before the dropoff would be counter-productive. They vote against her, and she suggests they ask the captain what to do. The captain says it's up to the first mate, and goes back to the sleep. The attack goes into action.

They send their little boat after the ship, and the helicopter hovers over keeping watch. He notices they are going in the opposite direction. He lets the ship know, and they try getting radio contact. No response. After repeatedly trying to get their attention the helicopter has no choice but to turn back. The boat is missing for about 2 hours. The first mate doesn't wake up the captain. The communications officer comes in the midst of all this and organizes a search and rescue, also suggesting they call the coast guard. The first mate is furious that he even organized such a thing without going through the chain of command.

The boat does come back. They forgot they had the SAT phone. SERIOUSLY?!?!? Anyway the communications officer gets demoted in the morning when the captain hears what happened.

The whole feel of this operation feels like a bunch of college students who are naively pursuing a cause. Great, but it just doesn't feel well thought out most of the time.

Movie: Collateral

2008-12-04T09:47:00.006-05:00

I swear it was purely coincidental that I got another Netflix movie with Tom Cruise in it. Or maybe I went through one of my crazy movie binges and picked all the movies with a certain actor I was thinking of at that time.

Anyway this move was pretty good. I liked going through it.

My friend and I agreed that it was impossible to get over the image of Tom Cruise in gray hair. It just seemed... too MUCH like a character. Maybe it was the "cheap" gray suit. Something about his costume design just wasn't well thought out and we couldn't figure it out. Usually they will do it on purpose to portray some characterization, but in this case it just seemed like a bad wardrobe job.

This is the type of action movie I usually end up cringing at in the end. You have Jamie Foxx who is a meek cab driver throughout the entire movie, and when he finds out the woman he has a possible love interest in is next on the hitlist, he magically becomes a great action hero. I hate when they go realistic for three-quarters of the movie and then get all fantasy for the last quarter. Throws me off.

I also feel like there were chunks of this movie missing. They didn't put much thought into the script at all. Vincent (assassin, played by Tom Cruise) has this complex job description and they don't really go into depth about him at all. I personally would like to know how he started getting into this line of work, and why? Nevermind the why, that's obvious. Father issues.

To wrap it up, this movie was alright. Not great, and not bad.

Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-12-03T15:50:00.003-05:00

Waste. Of. Time.

This movie was a big joke. I actually thought this would at least be fun/amusing to watch at the very least but I got robbed of 2 hours.

Good thing is the movie moved along really fast. But the damn thing moved so fast, there really wasn't anything to follow along with. He runs into the son he didn't know he had. Helps him get his mother and old colleague out of danger by helping the Germans find a legendary lost city to return a crystal skull to get ultimate power of it, blah blah blah.

And that's it. Oh wait, I forgot, there's a car chase scene in the jungle.

The ending to the whole thing was just comical. Aliens?!? After the skull is restored to the body, they all condense into one live alien and the ship comes out of the ground and returns home...