• 30Jun 09

  Film in 2009: First Half

  Another night I can't stay asleep (fell asleep at 10:30 just to wake up at 1:40), another blog. You know the drill and format, since we're (already) halfway through the year and since of the MGM releases (movies, games and music) movies are the only ones I've seen enough to really merit a blog's worth, figured let the words spill.

  Gran Torino

  Okay, technically the film came out last year, but it wasn't released here in the States till the beginning of the year. Though I'm ashamed to admit that the only Eastwood films I've seen outside this one thus far are Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, I'd have the say this film got me interested to check out his earlier work soon. I saw this film with my father in law when I wasn't exactly in the best of moods and it managed to turn me back around nicely, it was comical but not so much that it got in the way of the film's serious nature during points as well. Eastwood makes for an very (though ironically) likable character who sees himself having more in-common with those he initially reviles than his own family. Probably the one universal complaint the film has seen, however, is the acting from the supporting cast, which I personally digress (for the most part). Regardless, I think most can agree that it's a solid film and any film that's semi-serious which can make me feel better after having a down day is at least worth praise in my books. 4.25/5

  The International

  Here's one of the few times I saw a film without having much interest in it beforehand (my friend and his father wanted to see it, and the previews looked decent enough so I joined), which, in this case didn't turn out to be a particularly wise choice on my behalf. The International is a film which has all the fundamentals of a solid movie present but the final, released product just turns out to be an uneven, unsatisfactory viewing. Arguably the big interest-grabber for the film, the plot, is handled with so little passion that the film spawned plenty of yawns from me. The points in the film where the potential shows signs of coming through are seldom, with the only real exception being the very nicely directed main action scene in the middle of its runtime. Solid sufficiency buried under an uneven package. 2.25/5

  Watchmen

  One of the many highly anticipated films of the year, I for one had little to no clue of the film going in, having not read or heard anything of it beforehand. That said, the previews did have me interested (if only for the musical piece at the beginning and the Smashing Pumpkins song), and when I went to see the film I'd say it about met my expectations. Obviously Rorschach was the film's highlight, playing what I'd call a vigilante version of Heath Ledger's Joker. But my main issue with the film is, as with many others, the runtime and how it cuts in too much, especially during the middle and end. All told it was a solid film, but not one that left much of a marking on me (or my memory). 3.5/5

  Fast & Furious

  Though I obviously can't call the series "good", I'd still say I've enjoyed the Fast and the Furious films enough to consider myself a light fan (well, 2 Fast 2 Furious being the clear exception). It was a little odd thinking of what the film would be like going in, since it was coming from the director of Tokyo Drift but looked like it was trying to satisfy fans of the first film more than anything. Thankfully, the film turned out to be a mostly solid viewing, though it's easily forgettable. The premise was decent enough and handled fairly, performances by the main characters were adequate (Walker being the best) and the action was satisfying enough. While I'm sure whenever the next film comes out (since it doesn't exactly end on a conclusive note) I'll see it with others, I'll likely just say that the franchise feels like it's being overproduced for only average rewards. 3.25/5

  The Soloist

  This, at the time, was my most highly anticipated film of the year, the trailers made it look like something I'd very easily love and enjoy. Sadly, this film just managed to be a big letdown, I wanted to like it but ultimately it amounted to little more than two solid performances in a weak film. Downey Jr. and Foxx managed to fit into their roles very well, almost Oscar nomination-worthy but not quite there. The film missteps too many times, however, namely in the plot progression and detailing of Foxx's character (backstory segments were either adequate or too inconsistent, with the multiple simultaneous voices detracting too much). While I'd say the film is at least passing, I'd be a pretty big liar if I said it warrants a recommendation. 3/5

  X-Men Origins: Wolverine

  The second film released in theaters this year which I saw without intending to beforehand. Since my friend really wanted to see it I figured I'd go see it with him. Now, I've never been a reader of the comics (of anything for that matter), so I had little to hold it to save for the previous X-Men films With that in mind, I'd still say this was a weak film, but it was also entertaining. Jackson once again managed to be likable as Logan/Wolverine, and while his character's struggles feel too streamlined here, he managed to work into his role very well once again. Other characters were fair at best, with half of them feeling like inclusions just for the sake of being included, which did lead to more flaws than benefits (just look at Gambit, film ends with him and Wolverine taking off, so where was he in the original films then?). While I and anyone else could easily complain about the film and its shortcomings, I'm at least glad I was entertained despite all this. 2/5

  Star Trek

  I have to be honest, until this film came out and started getting good critical reception, I had no intention of seeing it. But after hearing how it was so great and a good starting place for new Trekkies in-the-making, I figured I'd give it a shot. Boy was I glad I saw it, since I was highly entertained throughout. While some have argued that the film is too comical for its own good (which is true to an extent), this is also part of why I enjoyed the film so much: it managed to be light-hearted with enough seriousness scattered throughout to appeal to series newcomers. The action scenes were also very nicely shot, looked great, and the cast of characters was very likable (Simon Pegg was great). If/When Abrams directs and releases a sequel to this film, count me in. 4.25/5

  Terminator Salvation

  A clear candidate for most surprisingly enjoyable film this year in my books, I thought for sure that I'd hate Terminator Salvation; the previews looked like they'd ruin the series for me. And after seeing it, despite being similar to X-Men Origins in that it's a weak film, I'm relieved and thankful to say that it didn't ruin the series for me and was entertaining. That said, I'd still consider it the weakest film in the now quadrilogy, mainly due to a lack of a strong plot, solid characters (Bale just wasn't that great as John Connor, Worthington and Yelchin were the only real characters as far as I'm concerned) and feeling like a completely pointless addition to the films. Though I might see the film again when it comes out on DVD, it's not one that I'll be buying. 3.5/5

  Up

  I might as well get this out of the way: Up IS the best film I've seen this year so far. In fact, it actually marks the first full film I've seen in 3D (unless you actually count the T2 3D attraction at Universal Studios), which was a good choice and a joy to see. Many have dubbed this Pixar's best film, which, while not what I'd argue (I'd say Wall-E deserves that award), is still not too much of a stretch; I'd say it's their second best and ties with Ratatouillefor my third favorite with Wall-E and Cars being my personal favorites. As with just about every Pixar film, this one has a lot of charm and down-to-earth honesty amidst its great comedic scenes to make it lovable by just about anyone. Glad I picked this for my first 3D film. 4.5/5

  The Hangover

  Another film I wasn't so sure of seeing beforehand, but after my friend kept swaying me and seeing high critical reception I gave it a shot, and man was this film a riot. The last time I had a great comedy theater experience like this was back when I first saw Superbad (though Zack and Miri Make a Porno gets a strong honrable mention), which is really saying something for me. Random is definitely that word that can easily be used to describe the events in this film, with the ever-so likable cast going through some...interesting experiences. Crude and deadly like a Jude Apatow film. 4.25/5

  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

  I saw this film during a midnight showing after I got off work on Tuesday night, and after sticking around to hear what the general reception is, I'm pretty much calling this the second coming of Alien 3 critical reaction-wise. This film has been generating so much hate that I actually find it silly, especially the accusations some have of it being racist (robots talking street slang=racism?). What's odd is that everyone I know personally who's seen the film all enjoyed it and agree it's better than the first film. Granted, it's still severely flawed (plot progression, acting, runtime dragging on, some unnecessary charcter inclusions, sudden ending, the lsit goes on), but the very much improved action sequences, greater sense of urgency, more substantial (though poorly implemented) plot and more screentime given to the transformers all helped the film be entertaining and feel better than the first. 3.75/5

  That's all for now folks.

  • Posted Jun 30, 2009 12:18 am PT
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• 27Jun 09

  The Fallen & The Nostalgia

  Tuesday after I got off work a few minutes early I wound up walking to my nearest movie theater (car had a flat) to see the midnight showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. My thoughts? I'd say it's better than the first even though it's still severely flawed (me and my friends pretty much agree unanimously). If you want my full thoughts, you check out my review here:

  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1055369/usercomments-159

  I also decided to go buy two more games that I used to play all the time a few years back: NFS Underground 1 & 2. I originally bought both for the Xbox but had to get the first one on the PS2 since only the second one is compatible with the Xbox 360. I managed to beat the first game in just a couple sittings, and it managed to be an almost exact re-living of when I had the game...both in the good and bad ways. On one hand, the game is very exciting, the visuals still hold up relatively well and the car customization is still very satisfying. However, it also exhibits practically every problem I have with every racing game (well, arcade racing games anyways). The traffic is always in the worst areas (coming out in a scripted fashion during drag races, very horrible design choice), some of the circuit races drag are just too long for a game of this nature, and the rubberband AI is so uneven and at times horrible (one crashed into my from behind so fast that I literally got a good scare from it). The AI is either a complete joke or just becomes impossible to keep up with (though these points weren't too often they still stood out); I'd put out a whole tank of nitrous and still be the same distance behind an opponent (who, when ahead of you most of the time never make any mistakes) and too many times (as with other racing games) they decide to make a boost ahead of me during one of the last laps (for what I always say "procrastinating, are we?").

  Outside of that though, the game is still fun but I'll likely spend more time on Underground 2 since it has more customization and, if I remember correctly, had a longer single player mode.

  Me and my friend also decided to rent and watch a film last night (shamelessly): Love Actually. I remember first seeing it when it came out on DVD a few years ago and I still liked it as much as then, lightly comical and very charming, love the cast too, we both enjoyed it. I also decided to buy The Sandlot since it's one of my childhood favorites and it was only $5. Talk about a steal.

  Anywho, I'm listening to some Amorphis and anything else that comes up, long live metal and music in-general!

  • Posted Jun 27, 2009 3:38 am PT
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• 23Jun 09

  Purchase Contemplation

  Now that I'm free of college for (close to) two months, my hours at work are almost guaranteed to increase to the point where I can see myself heading back to the $200-ish weekly pay I had at this point a year ago (when I worked 1-12 one night and then 5:30-2:30 the very next morning/day). And since I've been able to (barely) make it with $90-$110 a week the past year I've actually been thinking of a possible upcoming purchase before I start my second Fall semester. Currently I'm left weighing in on one of the following options:

  PSP-3000

  I've strangely been wanting to buy a PSP for the past few months (I did own two back when it first launched but not many games or movies on it enticed me at the time, now it's changed a little). I do remember it being a very nice, nifty device and, had it not been for the fact I was less than as tech-knowledgable as I am now, likely would've never sold it. What mostly has me drawn to it right now is that it's a nice-looking device (obviously), has seen plenty of (supposed) improvements since its first generation, more content has been released for it and, again, I'm a bit more tech savvy than before (though I'm not much better with tech than I am with cars, mostly what I know are basics, little else). Of the options I'm giving myself, this would be the cheapest.

  And to answer the question I'm sure anyone reading this might have, I don't by any means intend to buy a PSP Go, it simply has too many shortcomings in my eyes. For one, I don't like the way it looks when you slide the control pad out, it doesn't have a second analog nub, Sony really haven't made any promise/guarantee that previously released content will be available for purchase on it (whether via download or off UMD transfer), and 16 GB of memory isn't very much since UMD's can hold close to 2 GB each. Though if I don't make a purchase by the time it's released and it yields good reviews I might look into it but as of now, I'm not enticed.

  iPhone 3G S

  Similar to the PSP, I've gradually been getting curious of the iPhone, only difference is that I've never owned one before. What's drawn me to this model is that it's far cheaper than the iPhone was when it was first released, the features are starting to appeal to me a bit more now, its touted speed improvement got my attention and, given the almost universal critical praise, it does seem like a worthwhile purchase. That said, I have yet to actually get my hands on one of these babies and touchscreens are something I haven't been too keen on idea/concept-wise and feature-heavy devices like these don't hold very much space, which is gradually becoming more prominent for me (one reason I bought a new Zune a few months ago was because it holds 120 GB). If I do decide to get an iPhone/iTouch it'll be a risky purchase from my current viewpoint.

  Zune HD

  I'm sure just about anyone reading this will tell me that the Zune HD should be my last option, since about everywhere I go everyone bad-mouths Zune products. Granted, I've never exactly been much of a Microsoft fan, though they do tend to make the products I wind up sticking with the most, so I guess that says something (in both a good and bad way). Right now not too much has been revealed of the Zune save for features, but what might make or break it for me is the price and storage. As I already mentioned, storage is important to me and, if something like a Zune, iPod or iPhone doesn't have at least 30 GB then I'm going to have a hard time looking at it for a purchase (and even 30 GB is small for me). As for price, well, it's pretty obvious with these economic times and one reason I immediately looked away from the iPhone when first released was the absurd $499-$599 price range. I've had some low points with the three Zunes I've owned in the past (namely battery life issues), but all told I've found them good products, which is part of why the Zune HD has my attention.

  It's a tough call of which if the above I'll buy, if at all, which is why I posted this blog, I'd like to know from anyone reading this which of these I should get if I do get the spare change or if I should just ignore all of them.

  Let me hear it.

  • Posted Jun 23, 2009 1:10 am PT
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