<$BlogRSDURL$>

An avid movie collector reviews movies, games, and TV shows for the common man, among other things. Spoiler Free

Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Top 5 Shows on TV Right Now

1. Mythbusters



This show has it all, its deeply intelligent and scientific, hilarious, and will always deliver a moment of greatness such as an explosion. I couldn't design a show to be more interesting to me, this has captured my every desire. Who would have thought that the Discovery Channel would top the best show list?

2. The Chappelle Show



The funniest show on T.V. hands down. The show was funny last season, but it wasn't perfect. But the chemistry is perfect now and Dave Chappelle is at his best in the career. I watch the show all the time, and the replay value has yet to diminish. And the quotability is endless.

3. 24



It's finally back after a month off the air and it was so nice to see it again last night. The month off though hurt its ranking in the list. This show as we know is a drug, and a month of forced withdrawal is a torture like no other.

4. Late Night with Conan O'Brian



Conan's self-depreciating humor never gets old. I watch the first half of the show, which is his opening comedy, the first guest and then his comedy portion before the second guest. A wonderful daily dose of comedy.

5. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart



The show has found its niche in politics, and I am digging it. But you can't beat the fake news segments, I laugh out loud during every episode. Getting me to laugh out loud is my guage for all comedy. This show gets an "A".

I watched the new South Park tonight, and I was really disappointed. I was actually going to write a blog on how I thought the show was getting really intelligent with its satire, but the episode tonight on The Passion was just stupid. I was hoping it would be smart and clever as I know they are capable, but it was so dumb I lost respect for Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Taking Lives



This movie was entertaining, but afterwards I felt empty, and I couldn't imagine watching it again. Much of it was because the movie was too similar to many other movies, and because I went into the movie expecting a few things that were not as they were shown in the previews. The misconceptions led to some surprises but I would have liked things better had they been as they were advertised, because it was the reason for me watching the movie. I don't want to give it away because it will ruin the movie, but you'll be disappointed. Angelina Jolie was good, but mostly due to her absence in movies that I like. I think I really wanted to like this movie and couldn't do it despite myself. I wouldn't recommend it, maybe as a rental in a few months, i'll see how it ages in my mind.

Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Supporting Actor of the Week

Pruitt Taylor Vince



He's the creepy fat guy. If you saw a creepy fat guy it was probably him. Identity was probably his best role yet, but he's been in movies all the way back to K-9 with James Belushi. I saw him today in City Slickers 2 while flipping through the channels and thought he deserved some honor in my blog. For his best work check Identity, Trapped, Nurse Betty, and The Cell. Recommended viewing will be Trapped because that movie was decent and it got blasted in the theatres and such, plus we all love Kevin Bacon.

Friday, March 26, 2004

Welcome to Dean’s third Conservative (Christian) Bashing

I hate to bash my own kind again but recent events have gotten me mad to the point where once again I punish all of you with my thoughts. I have two connecting points of contention.

1. In case you haven’t heard the world of Radio and Television is going through many changes in relation to content, mostly due to Janet Jackson’s Half-Time special and Howard Stern. The new plan will make the fines for foul language and the like astronomically high and they will increase per infraction. On top of that multiple infractions can cause the FCC to strip away the Radio/Tv station’s license to broadcast. I.E. good bye Howard Stern. Howard Stern will most likely have to move to XM radio eventually because of the new rules, and many of you are glad. I am not. See, I loved the “listen to what you want” theory of radio. If you don’t like Howard Stern don’t listen to him. If a tree falls in the woods and Howard Stern has lesbians have sex on it, if you don’t know about it who cares? I like Freedom of Speech and although I don’t use it as he does, I don’t want to infringe on my rights to shut him up. I have been blissfully unaware of his actions for a long time, and I could continue for as long as he exists. I will conclude further below.

2. Bush has stepped out and called for an Amendment to the constitution to forbid gay marriages. Although Biblically viable, it is legally ridiculous. Although I am a Christian I must point out that this government is not a Theocracy (God as Ruler) and it shouldn’t be. My beliefs as a Christian are protected by the First Amendment, and under that same Amendment Gay people should be protected to love and marry each other. I don’t think its right (morally), but legally I see no ground to forbid it. If we pass an Amendment that gives the Government the authority to make judgment calls that can forbid such beliefs we are endangering many of the beliefs we hold dear. Now we have a Conservative Christian in the office of the President, but 20 years from now when a strict Atheist takes office, do we want the precedence of an Anti-Gay Amendment at his disposal? Christians cause all kinds of trouble, I could put together a law to shut us up. And I could make it sound good too, and the consequences would be awful. Both of these instances are the beginning steps toward disaster, and if I didn’t think about the ramifications I could maybe stand behind them. As for language on the TV I feel more strongly about properly educating people how to use this language we call English instead of hopelessly trying to protect them from words we use everyday. And for Gay people, I don’t agree with their lifestyle but I would fight for their right to live it, since the principles on which it is based are so important to me. It is not our place to judge these things, and if we want to get to Bible thumping Amendments, if we want to get strict we could outlaw getting drunk and premarital sex, and worshipping other gods, being Unitarian etc etc etc.

WWE Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain for PS2

Bottom Line – Best Wrestling Game Ever

I don’t watch Wrestling, I haven’t since Hulk Hogan wasn’t the biggest thing around. But Wrestling games…that can be fun, although the games are almost always ruined by the worst control schemes you can possibly imagine, where you fought with only 3 moves at you disposal. One game I played only to create characters, I never fought with them (WWF Warzone N64). The only Wrestling game that I liked up to this point was WCW Revenge for N64. Alright, take all the good things about that game (Control System, Fun) now add the best Create-a-Character builder I have ever seen, add custom entrances and music, and a storyline mode more fun than any evening of Raw has ever been, and you get Here Comes the Pain. THQ (who made Revenge) made this game so the controls are an evolved version of the ones that appeared there. It is diverse enough that you could not repeat a move if you didn’t want, and easy enough to remember so you aren’t fighting with random attacks. I love the story mode the best, I created myself Dean “The Master” McCarthy and have since had female managers fight for the honor of representing me, won the Tag-Team title, and even created my own faction in the WWE universe. The series is totally open to using your created characters which enhances everything, so my girlfriend Julie is my manager, and be careful she wrecks more house than my character does (High Heels…man do they damage). The story is also always evolving off of your decisions and outcomes of matches so on subsequent playings you would probably have a whole different experience, kind of like a Choose-your-own-adventure journey through the wild drama of Wrestling. I am hopelessly addicted to this game, and when Champions of Norrath shows up I am going to be all messed up. *Buy* you have to, and if you don’t own a PS2 get one.

For additional pleasure Dave (see link on right) came up and we created George Bush and Saddam Hussein. Since then it has been a near daily ritual to have them fight each other controlled by the computer, it is the best waste of 5 minutes I can think of. The two are tied at the moment with 2 wins each, and the best of 5 battle will have to be momentous. Although, I think Bush is going to win, because he fights dirty…and because Saddam dances too much.

Dawn of the Dead Review



I am still keeping up with that list of movies, although I am going to skip Scooby Doo 2 and Lady Killer officially.

Dawn of the Dead was excellent, and undoubtedly the best zombie movie since its precessor with the same name. I went in to this looking for only a few things and all of them were delivered.

Thing 1. A period of safety and bliss within the mall. This is important because it is the crux of the whole zombie dream which I will expound upon later.

Thing 2. Ving Rhames with a Shotgun. Brilliant.

The Action was precision, the tension and suspense was exceedingly high, and the zombies were delicious. The movie took just what it needed from the original, the mall and zombies, and then took it to all new places. The characters were all done well, either to make you love them or love to hate them. I felt the movie was near flawless until the end. The movie closes and then during the credits it pisses all over the wonderful ending. I'd tell you to quickly run away and avoid it but not even I would listen to that advice, just start telling yourself it isn't real and you can walk home happy. I have decided to delete it from my mind as soon as I finish this review, so don't remind me of it should we meet. Overall, it was very entertaining, and the suspence was thrilling, catch it in the theatre.

I am especially interested in zombie movies because it is an important part of my dream world to fight zombies. The original movie has always been my favorite because it cuts right to the kind of things that I would do should we be overtaken by Zombies. I do have working strategies on zombie defense and combat, and although not a single part of me believes it could happen, I do know exactly what I would do if it did. I dream of zombies a lot, and I was telling Dave and Julie that I would love to play a video game where you are given a building and a few supplies and you have to build a zombie-proof fortress. If any video game producers read my site e-mail me, I think this game could work. Because I can't be the only one...and if I am don't tell me.

P.S. - Nothing is better than an intimidating man with a shotgun, and I felt it would be good to remind everyone of Ray Liotta in Narc. He rocks it out just as well as Ving, although he is scarier. Enjoy these pictures.





Also, my apologies to everyone who complained about my Delroy Lindo blog. I didn't mention that he was in Gone in 60 Seconds and I got a lot of flak for it. I will mention that I don't list actor's entire filmographies in the Supporting Actor post, but I will try to mention some of the more popular pieces that they appeared in. Sorry Delroy.

Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Game Reviews

My Girlfriend Julie was in Japan for about 8 years, I mean 2 and a half weeks. During this time I wept and played video games. All of my pathetic exploits are explored below. Enjoy.



Max Payne 2 for PS2



I felt that this game was a great noir story wrapped in crappy gameplay. I really wanted to see the story play out but I couldn’t stomach the controls and the lousy gameplay elements. The game should have been great because Max Payne 1 was good, with just some control issues. Max Payne 2 fixed the main control issue (Aiming, although not entirely) and therefore should have been excellent. But the action and such wasn’t there. I kept playing levels where I am jumping from ledge to ledge and things that just don’t belong in a Max Payne game; the gameplay doesn’t support such things. If I want to ledge jump I’ll play Prince of Persia. There was a really cool sequence where I am playing in a dream and the world is really trippy and plays with your mind. Other than that Max Payne 2 was a disappointment. But I only bought it to trade it in for more so I feel no pain. *Avoid*

Prince of Persia for Gamecube



I really liked the gameplay in this one, and would have loved to play it some more. But Jon deleted my game on accident (so he says) and now I don’t have the desire to start over. But trust me the words “run” and “walls” really do belong together. I never got tired of running up walls, along walls, jumping off of walls to cut open some Persian with my Azeem blade. Plus, the time control element was pretty cool. When you die you rewind time and then try not to suck so much, and therefore avoid the dying. I would have beaten this if I wasn’t so distracted by other games, and had the unfortunate deleting. *Rent*

Metal Gear Solid 2 – Substance for PS2



This is probably the best stealth game available for any system, and the gameplay has almost no problems at all. This is one of the few games where I have any interest at all in playing after beating it. Most games only hold my attention until I beat them (if even that long) and then they are gone, but this one will be replayed. My only complaint about the game is the story, which was overdone. I know millions will disagree with is considered “The Best Storyline in Games” but I felt like it was overdone is almost everyway. I’ll compare it to the Matrix. The first Matrix movie was excellent because you had just enough information to dream and imagine the rest of the world, but then in the sequels you get all your dreams shattered by too much information, most of it stupid anyway. So the interesting premise, after being all spelled out makes you think “Wow, this is stupid”. Same with Metal Gear. The 3 hour cut-scenes of inane story and data ruined what was an interesting and compelling premise.


(Courtesy of Penny-Arcade) See Link -->

I won’t discredit the game entirely for the storyline though, I find that I enjoy a “less is more” storyline universally when it comes to games, I want a cool premise and then I run with it. “I’m a ninja who kills people with a sword” That’s enough for me, wrap some story around that and I’m game. Overcomplicate it and I won’t want to be a ninja anymore. Let me live out my ninja dreams. Storylines are to drive the game and supply cool cut-scenes, beware anything beyond that. You know what else over did the story while I’m on subject? Final Fantasy X, I’m sure to piss off another million people (like that many read my site) but it was terrible. You go through the same drama 300 times by the end of the game, “I have to die to save the world” and “We don’t want you to die!” Repeat that a thousand times and that’s the story to FFX, but it is still an excellent game. OK back to Metal Gear.

Metal Gear gets lots of points for its secrets and humor elements. There are tons of things that I want to do on a replay that are going to be hilarious, like tricks you can pull on guards, and funny dialogue that you can cue up from doing random stupid things. Like calling your Colonel while standing in front of a urinal, etc. My next challenge is to beat the game getting all of the dog tags from the soldiers I come upon. I have to hold each one up and then scare them into giving them to me, some requiring that I put a rocket-launcher in their mouth. Overall, an excellent game, and on my replay I don’t have to listen to the story I can just play. *Buy*

Champions of Norrath for PS2



I rented this because it was supposed to be “Gauntlet, plus RPG elements” i.e. co-op hack-and-slash with custom characters. This concept is liquid gold. And so is the game. Me and Jon played this one for quite a bit before I had to return it, but I know I want more. If you have ever played Diablo for computer that’s a good picture of how the RPG elements play out, and the hack and slash is better than Gauntlet as is the graphics. I have almost no complaints about the game, and I wish I was going to be living here with roommates long enough to justify buying it. Maybe I will become one of those online gamers…right. *Buy* if you need co-op lovin, if not *Rent*

True Crime: Streets of L.A. for PS2



This game’s premise was Grand Theft Auto as a Cop plus Karate. Although not as good as GTA, this is a definite renter. The gameplay is really fun, and although you have to be good (unless you want a “Bad Cop” rating) the driving and fighting is quality. The game can be beaten somewhat easily, and the open-endedness of the game is heavily debatable but I think the promise of playing as Snoop Dogg might get me to play it some more. For variety you can’t do much better than this game though, you have stealth, shooting, racing, and fighting levels, random police encounters, and various trials like Gun Training and fighting practice. How many games can boast that? *Rent*

Coming Soon – Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, Silent Storm, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, WWE Smackdown: Here comes the Pain
Supporting Actor of the Week

Jason Lee



Made famous by his work with Kevin Smith on Mallrats and Chasing Amy (although not as famous as Ben Affleck who showed up in both of those Jason Lee has moved on to many other roles that utilize his comic power. I was a big fan of Kissing a Fool (although most people couldn’t get past David Schwimmer) and I even liked Stealing Harvard (once again his co-actor ruined its popularity, Tom Green). His movie with Julia Stiles and Selma Blair wasn’t amazing (A Guy Thing), but his dramatic turns were. He played more serious characters in Dreamcatcher, Mumford, Vanilla Sky, and Almost Famous and it worked. For those of you who are hard core followers of the ViewAskew movies you might have seen Drawing Flies which is a black and white movie of a gang who go to find Bigfoot. Jason Lee was even good in that, much better than Jason Mewes who wasn't playing Jay. Ultimately, few things on this planet are funnier than Jason Lee yelling, so I recommend Chasing Amy this week, for the hilarious sketch scene.


Monday, March 15, 2004

Supporting Actor of the Week

Jeanne Tripplehorn



Jason’s mom finally gets honored on my blog. Jason, I would have done it sooner but I can’t show favoritism. You all know her as the woman who gets the business end of an oar in Waterworld. But I know her as the woman who brought Jason into this world and still had time to make Basic Instinct with Sharon Stone. That’s pretty impressive. I liked her in The Firm, and apparently she is in Mickey Blue Eyes, but I never made the time for that one. She is featured in a bunch of Romance movies that my girlfriend hasn’t asked me to see yet, so I have little else to say about her, but if you watch the first season of Mr. Show she shows up in the Jeepers Creepers skit to hit Jack Black with a rock. And birthing a friend and hitting someone with a rock is good enough to make it on this list, not to mention the whole oar thing. So watch Waterworld and honor Jeanne Tripplehorn.
(Note: Jeanne Tripplehorn did not actually spawn Jason, she just looks frighteningly like the woman who did.)



A few thoughts on Music

Have you heard the new Nickelback song? It is awful. Nickelback up to this point was a decent band, they weren't particularly unique or talented but they released some good rock hits. But now all of that has been erased by their new song that is actually disgusting. You see, many songs are written about sex every year. But somehow most artists find a way to be creative in their song about it, or at least subtle in their depiction of its events. Nickelback decided to scrap all that and lay out the step by step process of having sex. I have lost all respect for the band, I am hoping they fall off the map to be replaced by another generic rock band.

Something is wrong with me because I like the new Britney Spears song. The video is god-awful, in that it is visually abusive, but the song is catchy. But the song apparently is difficult for DJ's to play with because the two DJ's I heard go at it made something that tore at my soul, as they looped insignificant pieces of the verses and generally screwed it all up. But on top of this Britney thing, I haven't heard a Hillary Duff song I didn't like, scratch that...love. Her songs are really good, and for some reason I feel dirty liking the 16-17 year olds songs. This same thing didn't apply when I enjoyed Mandy Moore's songs, maybe because I see more dirty old men talking about Hillary Duff than I did when Moore was chart topping. Hopefully I will work it out.

Rap

Justin Timberlake in a somewhat recent Source article said that he felt that Rap was becoming Pop. The magazine was flooded with angry letters, stating that this was not at all the truth, and blah blah blah. But, in all honesty it is absolutely true. I understand the frustration though, Rap began as such a powerful thing and we aren't too far removed from those days. And to see your heralded "voice of the urban world" to become subject to the world of Pop is somewhat insulting. I feel that pain, but reality indicates just as Justin said. When was the last time a rap song was more than Booty Blasting and partying? There are artists who have a voice, but they aren't on the radio. Mos Def and Talib Kweli both are heavily political in their songs (and although I don't always agree) I respect them for doing something more. The only thing that you get anymore is "The police are after us" message which has been done since the beginning of Rap. And although I will admit ignorance to this problem, the instance in the Black Eyed Peas "Where's the Love" video was bull. If you do something shady and then run from the police car I would say they are justified in paying you mind. But back to subject. Radio Rap isn't the beacon of free-speech (Eminem aside), or the voice of the urban community it once was. It is the funkiest way to glorify the shaking of the rear, and the spelling of Pimp. Rap is so good.

Friday, March 12, 2004

My New Signature

Jon made me a signature which you can see above. It doesn't quite match the color scheme, so he might make a new one with more Blue. But I think it is cool, and if you take a close look, it is animated. That's right...I'm Cool.

OK, so instead of making a new signature I decided to destroy my whole site and rebuild it to match it better. Actually, I didn't plan that. So...all my links need to be redone. I added a few and I can't remember which ones I had before. But hopefully we will be back to normal here shortly. Hopefully...

Jon has a site devoted to his custom Signatures check it out here

Check these two out.



Thursday, March 11, 2004

Starsky and Hutch Review



I felt very compelled to see this, despite the fact that I seldom go to comedies in the Theatre. And I must say that it was very funny, and one of the funniest movies I have seen at the theatres in a long time. For the first two-thirds of the movie you are laughing almost non-stop, and the last third is no slouch either. I went in hoping for something as funny as Zoolander and this is even better, so if you liked that one you have to catch this. The acting was good, Owen and Ben are as good as usual and their play off of each other is only getting better. Snoop Dogg was hilarious making this the best role of his career. Plus, good performances from Will Ferrell (hilarious), Juliette Lewis, Vince Vaughn, Fred Williamson, Carmen Electra, Amy Smart, and Jason Bateman. The only thing I didn't like was the original Starsky and Hutch cameo, it was a bit corny and usually you try to work them in more subtle than they did here.



I am going to instititute my new rating scale today, which is "Buy", "Rent", or "Run". It is pretty simple. If I really liked it I am going to buy it, and you can take that as a vote of confidence from me. If it was worth watching but not owning, its a renter. And if it damaged me to watch it I will tell you to run as I wish I had. This one is a "Buy". Actually, I want to watch it again. There were too many laughs in the first half to fully absorb, I might need another pass.




My new problem is that I want to see almost everything that is coming out in the next few months. So many that I will make a list.

March 19th - Dawn of the Dead (Does it get any better than this??)
---------------- Taking Lives (Finally, an Angelina Jolie movie I want to see, plus Keifer)
March 26th - Scooby Doo 2 (I liked the first one, remember by weakness for feel-good movies)
---------------- Lady Killers, and Ned Kelly are possibilities, but because of competition I probably will skip them
April 2nd ---- Envy (Another Ben Stiller movie, but this time with Jack Black, I have been waiting)
April 9th ----- Walking Tall (I love The Rock, not because of wrestling, but I think he is better than Schwartzeneggar was and is, because unlike Arnold he has the comic ability, and lacks nothing in physical prowess)
---------------- Whole 10 Yards (Debatable, I own the first, and it was good. A good trailer might spin me)
April 16th --- Kill Bill vol. 2 (I need resolution)
---------------- The Punisher (I could be wrong, but I think this might rule. Don't write it off because of John Travolta)
April 23rd and 30th - Finally some weeks off, probably to catch up on what I missed from above
May 7th ----- Van Helsing (Every time I see the trailer I want to dream of killing vampires, this will be the fruition of my dreams)
May 14th --- Troy (A grand scale action movie, I think by May I will have recovered from LOTR, and wanting some more)
May 21st --- Shrek 2 (Nah, this will probably suck) Week Off
May 28th --- Day After Tomorrow (I can't remember the last disaster film I watched, I'm due, and this looks good)
June 4th ---- Harry Potter (Julie won't have to drag me to this, I want to see it too)
---------------- Mindhunters (I never heard of it until now but listen LL Cool J, Val Kilmer, and Christian Slater...Potential)
June 11th --- Chronicles of Riddick (I loved Pitch Black, and I'm sold on the promise of a sequel)
June 18h ---- Might be a week off, but Around the World in 80 Days, and Dodgeball might vie for my viewing pleasure)
June 25th --- Maybe Garfield (but I think that will be a rental first)
July 2nd ----- Spiderman 2 (You can't deny this)
July 9th ------ Anchorman (Might attract me, but probably not enough) Week Off
July 16th ---- Week Off, although I haven't seen anything about I, Robot. It might spike in interest.
July 23rd ---- Catwoman might grab me, but doubtful. And The Bourne Supremacy angers me. Week Off
July 30th ---- The Village (M. Night is back and so am I)
August 6th -- Collateral might work, but probably another week off.
August 13th- Alien Vs. Predator (I have waited so long...)
August 20,27th - Weeks off. August Sucked, except Alien vs. Predator of course.
Sept 3rd ----- Another week off, ugh.
Sept 10th --- Resident Evil 2 (Excellent)
The Rest of the Year hasn't fully shaped up but it looks dismal. But man, I am going to drop a lot of coin on movies this year.

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Supporting Actor of the Week

Delroy Lindo



One of the best black supporting actors to have in your movie, Delroy is excellent in dramatic, action, and even some comedic roles. I like his action roles with Jet Li best (The One, Romeo must Die) but he was perfect as the strangely moral drug dealer in Clockers. He excels at the sympathetic yet powerful character mostly due to his facial acting, namely his eyes which do brilliant work. For some other good showcases of skill check out The Core, Heist, The Last Castle, Ransom, and Malcolm X. Delroy Lindo is another supporting actor who I would love to write into a movie; because he enhances any scene he is in. Recommended viewing this week will be The One, so you can get your dose of Jason Statham and Jet Li as well.




This week in the Buzzbin

The Good

Serenity - The Firefly Movie has been officially greenlit. And the whole cast has signed on. This is all good news.

Logan's Run - The wonderful Brian Singer might be remaking the classic Logan's Run in which a Utopia is made where everyone is young and attractive. But when you reach 21 its time to go. Should be good since Brian is an excellent director.

Prince of Persia - The popular video game has spawned a movie, and the prospect is actually kind of cool. I think the sequences where he manipulates time ought to be beautiful.

Spiderman 3 - Has been put into production, and although I haven't seen the second one, I am sure this series will be worth watching.

Troy - I am looking forward to this one, we haven't had a good Braveheart scale action movie (other than LOTR) so this should be enjoyable.

The Day After Tomorrow - The world is nearly destroyed in Tsunamis and a near artic freeze. This movie shows what it is like after the destruction. It looks like this one might be brilliant.

Batman Begins - This one gets better every week. Just listen to the casting pics. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman. Cap it off with Christopher Nolan as director and this is going to be magnificient.

The Bad

Hellboy - I don't think this one will do well. It looks like a cheap League of Extraordinary Gentleman and we all know how that one did.

Hairspray - I like the idea of Mel Brooks remaking his own Producers but this musical we can live without.

Saved! - Mandy Moore satires Christianity. I doubt that they will satire in a healthy or intelligent way, I see this being vile and stupid.

This was a good week not many bad picks. The others I don't know how to feel about them yet. Although the choice of Benecio Del Toro as Moe in the upcoming Three Stooges movie has me intrigued.


Sunday, March 07, 2004

Movies that Bombed...but were good.

I think I might make this a weekly feature, because there is tons of material to write on. So here are three movies I deeply enjoyed yet did awful at the theatres.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within


(She's Animated, I know I usually refrain from the seductive pictures but I think it is funny that Maxim put her in their Hot 100 list.)

I have written on this movie several times during my blogging, and I am still upset that it bombed. First, the death of this movie led to the death of the movie making career of the company that made it Square. So because this one didn't do well we will now never receive great movies from this company again. This is now the only full length creation that will remain. Did you see the first animated segment on the Animatrix? You know the one that kicked all the other one's tails all over the place? Yeah, thats what we could have had on an annual basis if this movie had done better. BAH. Anyway, this movie was good besides the excellent animation, but its Eastern sensibility killed it in the U.S. Well, now I'm sad.

Buffalo Soldiers



I just watched this one and thought it was Excellent. Joaquin Phoenix stars as a darker Sgt. Bilko type character who goes to war against the new inspection officer (Scott Glenn). Ed Harris plays the Bird General in charge of the complex, and Anna Paquin plays the inspection officer's daughter. The acting was good especially from the increasingly awesome Joaquin, and the consistently good Ed Harris. I really liked this one, and will most likely purchase it.

Death to Smootchy



Hilarious. This movie is exceedingly funny, and I think the concept scared people off. But I doubt people who saw it didn't like it because it is too funny not to like. Probably, one of Robin Wiliiams' funniest performances and Edward Norton's best comedy role yet (although it might be his only). Robin Williams plays Rainbow Randolph who after some scandal had his kids show cancelled. Edward Norton is the hot new kids character Smoochy, but Randolph and some others are quick to try to destroy him to return to the dirty business deals that existed under Randolph. If you missed this one make it happen this week.

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Adobe Photoshop

I always loved downloading the custom Wallpapers that people made in Photoshop, and after watching my roommates make stuff I realized that I could actually do it. So I got Photoshop and after playing around a bit I built some custom backgrounds for myself.

This one began as a Resident Evil one, but I wanted to bring in Ash from Army of Darkness and then I thought "How about the cool black guy from Dawn of the Dead?" So it became a universal zombie killing collage. This is my first completed work, so if you don't like it, keep it to yourself.



This is my Firefly Collage, because I love that show and the Wallpapers made from it are scarce. So here is my own. I still want to tweak a few things, but this is pretty much finished.



Also, I got PowerDVD which lets me grab screenshots from movies so check out this shot from Desperado which will appear in a future El Mariachi wallpaper.

Monday, March 01, 2004

Ah yes, back to The Passion

I forgot to blast the whole Jewish hoopla about the movie, how dumb am I? The criticism was entirely unfounded for three reasons.

1. It's a recorded fact that the Jews took part in the Crucifixtion (Roman Historical Documents, The Bible)
2. Mel Gibson showed two Jewish leaders up and leave during the questioning of Jesus, so he showed that not all Jews are evil (which he didn't have to do).
3. He showed the Jewish leaders kind-of repent at the end (which he didn't have to do).

All of these make for an inoffensive film in terms of Anti-Semitism. However, the hoopla probably helped it make more money so hooray for whiners.


In case, you didn't realize already I like random pictures. I was hoping for a grumpy picture like the "My Brain Hurts" Monty Python guy. But this was too strange not to post. Actually, I'll put up the brain hurts guy too.



I picked up Lost in Translation and Once Upon a Time in Mexico today, and I also borrowed a copy of Buffalo Soldiers (Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Ed Harris). Expect reviews in the days to come.

P.S. - Wasn't Charlize Theron in Reindeer Games? Wouldn't that make her ineligible for an Academy Award? Someone should notify the Academy.
I'm SO Sorry,

See the Oscars came and went and I gave you nothing to read about it. Well the reason being is that I didn't see any of the nominees except LOTR. I have Mystic River and Lost in Translation on reserve at the video store, Cold Mountain looked like garbage, and Monster couldn't draw me to the theatres. However, I did predict all the main category winners, and I am disappointed as I thought I would be with Bill Murray losing and Renee winning. However, politics deemed that these actors who have been repeatedly denied the award would have to get it. Renee was nominated every year for the last 3 years, and Sean Penn puts out a good movie like every other year. But Bill this one's for you.



This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?