Hey people!
How are ya? As most of you know out there, Hurricane Irene is moving up the north east as I write this post. I live in New York City, and we are not expecting Irene until tomorrow morning (Sunday).
We should be expecting stronger winds and heavy rain starting later this evening. Every news channel and meteorologist is painting this storm to have a major destructive impact on the city. So far the hurricane is still a category 1 and winds exceed 80 mph. That's still pretty serious. With tall skyscrapers, the wind will most likely reach higher then 80 mph.
The mayor has order evacuations of certain parts of the city in anticipation of flooding. On top of that, there is also a possible risk of power and water loss. So, people are preparing and stocking up on provisions as they should. However, there are those that are taking this advisory too seriously and buying goods as if they were preparing to take shelter in a bunker for a month!
Come on people! Think more reasonably. I mean, yeah, this storm is a real threat for the fact that we are not used to, or know how to prepare, for natural threats/disasters if they were to strike. I mean, we all freaked when that earthquake from Virginia reached us here in NYC and further up the coast. Sure, the west coast laughed at us for how we reacted, but how else were we supposed to react? Stuff like this doesn't happen here!
The mayor has also suspended train and bus service until possibly Monday! WOW! No mass transit at all. that is a first. But Bloomberg is over-compensating for that fact that he screwed up in January when we were buried in several feet of snow. To some degree it is understandable, but sometimes I feel like we are going way overboard. The other thing is the fact that the news media keeps "reporting" or how I view it "hyping" this situation to the point that people begin to believe that Irene will be far worse then what is expected. Mayor Bloomberg keeps having news conferences every hour, practically, and it doesn't really add anything to the situation. It's still the same. Irene is coming and nothings going to stop it. Maybe I'm being too optimistic in thinking that this will get here and things will be fine after, but who knows now!
I'll be fine, rest assured. I live near one of those "zones" but there is no need to evacuate my entire neighborhood. I'll keep you posted on how things go or change. I will hopefully have some pictures after and I'll try to put some video up on my youtube channel and link them here.
So, stay safe or I hope you are doing fine, if you live in the north east! Post comments and thoughts and this storm and the situation.
Take care people. Until next time!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Conan the Barbarian (2011)...I'll Take A Pass.
I wish I had taken a pass on this, but I saw it and I can never get those 2 hours back.
I've been away from here for a bit. I know, I know. Before you start complaining that I don't spend enough time with you let me just say.... Yeah, you're right!
Anyway, here I am again to bring you a short review, or more specifically, my thoughts, on the remake of Conan the Barbarian. Remake?! Yeah, that seems to be the trend these days in Hollywood. Either remake something from the 80's or make a movie out of some TV show from the same time period.
Firstly, let me start by saying that I never really listen to what critiques say in their movie reviews, but they were right to give this 1 star!
Back to the movie! I have to say that I was really disappointed with how this film turned out. I was expecting more of a competent story but instead received a film where Conan seemed to juggle between seeking revenge for his father's death and getting caught up in some other distraction that served as plot. I use the word "plot" loosely just to give the actions that happen in this film a title, but in reality an actual "plot" ceased to exist after Conan's father is killed. Well, he actually kills himself! OOPS, spoiler!!! Sorry, but I don't give a damn at this point!
I mean, don't get me wrong, the film did follow the traditional movie formula of beginning, middle and end. Father gets killed, son seeks revenge, becomes ruthless conqueror/killer, meets girl, loves girl, girl gets captured by arch-nemesis... you know where this is heading! And that is exactly it! The original 1982 Conan followed a similar formula, but I felt there was more meat to the story compared to the 2011 version. Yeah, how can I compare the out-dated 1982 version with the superior modern approach and special effects of the 2011 version?
Simple. The original Conan had a story which showed us how Conan grew to become the savage barbarian that we know. Viewers saw the child put into slavery and become the monster that conquered all later. More importantly, young Conan witnessed his mother get killed before his eyes. That traumatized him and gave us a reason to sympathize with him. Granted that Arnold's portrayal of Conan is tamer compared to Jason Momoa 's more savage portrayal of the character. Now, while I understand that the more savage approach is accurate for this type of character, I felt no sympathy or connection to him in Conan 2011. It just felt like this was a movie that showed us - this is Conan, now watch him go berserk in the name of vengeance.
My friend and I both felt that there were many unanswered questions that could have provided some clarity to what and why certain things were happening. Why was Khalar Zym and his daughter Marique searching for the mask? Maybe the movie did explain it, but I missed it because I became comatose after the first 20 minutes. Seriously the movie dragged at first and never seemed to pick up after that. At one point, Conan's first encounter with Khalar, it did seemed like things got exciting but that must have been because I needed someone to get killed already. However, after that it went flatline again. I also thought this version would follow the original's storyline. I wanted and was hoping to see a more modern version of Thulsa Doom, the snake king played by James Earl Jones, but this version followed a different storyline entirely.
Either way, I was expecting a climatic end fight between protagonist and antagonist. The fight was intense but the pay-off was so anti-climatic. Khalar just falls to his doom. WTF! However gruesome the original's pay-off was (Conan decapitates Thulsa's head after a few hacks) it was more satisfying compared this version's conclusion. Oh! Speaking of conclusions. The remake didn't even have the infamous scene of Conan sitting on his throne pondering his next course of action, which "is a tale for another story." I think that's how it goes. My friend and I thought this movie was so bad that maybe it needed Red Sonya to appear and maybe add some more intensity to the movie. Hey, it would have been fun to see a red haired amazon cross blades with Conan.
Man, I would've loved to see Red Sonya appear that way she would have been captured and Conan would then have to rescue her. He would've gotten his ass handed to him and maybe his arms cut off in an uber ridiculous battle. All that just so I can say:
"Yeah, you know what? There was a point where he would had his arms all cut off, and he was on a hospital bed, and he was flaying around these little useless fucking knobs, and he was screaming and crying his fucking ass off going, 'aarrgh, aarrgh, put that Lin Kuei robot shit on me! I need to go save Sonya!'"
***$20 to whoever can guess where the above quote comes from!***
Hmm... I may have to think about the $20, but if you can figure it out then you and I are on the same wavelength or something. Ha! I just love where that line comes from and it fits right there so nicely that I couldn't resist. Have fun with that!
Well, honestly, I felt disappointed and confused at times as to where Conan the Barbarian 2011 was getting some of its references from, where it was going, how is he getting there, etc., etc. I felt like I lost almost 2 hours of my life watching this and I'll never get them back. Well, maybe if I watch the original I can reverse the damage. It's a thought.
Okay, that's all of now. Feels good to post a new entry! I guess I just needed to ad my two scents on Conan the Barbarian 2011. I'd pass on it. Save your money. Unless you want to see a mindless tale of revenge.
Until next time!
I've been away from here for a bit. I know, I know. Before you start complaining that I don't spend enough time with you let me just say.... Yeah, you're right!
Anyway, here I am again to bring you a short review, or more specifically, my thoughts, on the remake of Conan the Barbarian. Remake?! Yeah, that seems to be the trend these days in Hollywood. Either remake something from the 80's or make a movie out of some TV show from the same time period.
Firstly, let me start by saying that I never really listen to what critiques say in their movie reviews, but they were right to give this 1 star!
Back to the movie! I have to say that I was really disappointed with how this film turned out. I was expecting more of a competent story but instead received a film where Conan seemed to juggle between seeking revenge for his father's death and getting caught up in some other distraction that served as plot. I use the word "plot" loosely just to give the actions that happen in this film a title, but in reality an actual "plot" ceased to exist after Conan's father is killed. Well, he actually kills himself! OOPS, spoiler!!! Sorry, but I don't give a damn at this point!
I mean, don't get me wrong, the film did follow the traditional movie formula of beginning, middle and end. Father gets killed, son seeks revenge, becomes ruthless conqueror/killer, meets girl, loves girl, girl gets captured by arch-nemesis... you know where this is heading! And that is exactly it! The original 1982 Conan followed a similar formula, but I felt there was more meat to the story compared to the 2011 version. Yeah, how can I compare the out-dated 1982 version with the superior modern approach and special effects of the 2011 version?
Simple. The original Conan had a story which showed us how Conan grew to become the savage barbarian that we know. Viewers saw the child put into slavery and become the monster that conquered all later. More importantly, young Conan witnessed his mother get killed before his eyes. That traumatized him and gave us a reason to sympathize with him. Granted that Arnold's portrayal of Conan is tamer compared to Jason Momoa 's more savage portrayal of the character. Now, while I understand that the more savage approach is accurate for this type of character, I felt no sympathy or connection to him in Conan 2011. It just felt like this was a movie that showed us - this is Conan, now watch him go berserk in the name of vengeance.
My friend and I both felt that there were many unanswered questions that could have provided some clarity to what and why certain things were happening. Why was Khalar Zym and his daughter Marique searching for the mask? Maybe the movie did explain it, but I missed it because I became comatose after the first 20 minutes. Seriously the movie dragged at first and never seemed to pick up after that. At one point, Conan's first encounter with Khalar, it did seemed like things got exciting but that must have been because I needed someone to get killed already. However, after that it went flatline again. I also thought this version would follow the original's storyline. I wanted and was hoping to see a more modern version of Thulsa Doom, the snake king played by James Earl Jones, but this version followed a different storyline entirely.
Either way, I was expecting a climatic end fight between protagonist and antagonist. The fight was intense but the pay-off was so anti-climatic. Khalar just falls to his doom. WTF! However gruesome the original's pay-off was (Conan decapitates Thulsa's head after a few hacks) it was more satisfying compared this version's conclusion. Oh! Speaking of conclusions. The remake didn't even have the infamous scene of Conan sitting on his throne pondering his next course of action, which "is a tale for another story." I think that's how it goes. My friend and I thought this movie was so bad that maybe it needed Red Sonya to appear and maybe add some more intensity to the movie. Hey, it would have been fun to see a red haired amazon cross blades with Conan.
Man, I would've loved to see Red Sonya appear that way she would have been captured and Conan would then have to rescue her. He would've gotten his ass handed to him and maybe his arms cut off in an uber ridiculous battle. All that just so I can say:
"Yeah, you know what? There was a point where he would had his arms all cut off, and he was on a hospital bed, and he was flaying around these little useless fucking knobs, and he was screaming and crying his fucking ass off going, 'aarrgh, aarrgh, put that Lin Kuei robot shit on me! I need to go save Sonya!'"
***$20 to whoever can guess where the above quote comes from!***
Hmm... I may have to think about the $20, but if you can figure it out then you and I are on the same wavelength or something. Ha! I just love where that line comes from and it fits right there so nicely that I couldn't resist. Have fun with that!
Well, honestly, I felt disappointed and confused at times as to where Conan the Barbarian 2011 was getting some of its references from, where it was going, how is he getting there, etc., etc. I felt like I lost almost 2 hours of my life watching this and I'll never get them back. Well, maybe if I watch the original I can reverse the damage. It's a thought.
Okay, that's all of now. Feels good to post a new entry! I guess I just needed to ad my two scents on Conan the Barbarian 2011. I'd pass on it. Save your money. Unless you want to see a mindless tale of revenge.
Until next time!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Transformers 3, Here Goes...
I thought about whether or not I wanted to write something about this movie. In the end I just gave in because, well, who cares, right? It's Micheal Bay's next and hopefully last installment to Transformers. A lot of this stuff is to be expected, and at times it comes out as my own personal rant. Be warmed, there are spoilers, so if you planned on watching Transformers 3 don't read this. If you don't care then read on!
Okay, what can be said that hasn't already been said about Michael Bay's consecutive summer blockbuster, action and explosions ridden, robots from outer space franchise Transformers?
Absolutely nothing. Why? Because even if we bitch and complain at how agonizingly bad their story, pacing and continuity is, we continue to flock to them so we can be awed by the big screen treatment. Now I'm not saying that Transformers should not have been brought to the big screen. I think it should have been given a more competent direction and handling. I know that Transformers has always been about big robots, Autobots and Decepticons, battling each other for superiority, but the inconsistent plot, explosions and visual effects extravaganza that has been fed into our retinas and mental consciousness seems to replace all evidence or clue that there was even a story to begin with.
Now I know some of you will say that, "Well, that's Micheal Bay for you." Yeah, I know, I've said it too. But, you know what? Shame on you for expecting any less, especially those of you who have, like me, been long time fans of the original cartoon series. I would expect nothing less from Bay with other films like Pearl Harbor or Bad Boys, but this is friggin' Transformers!! I'm not taking anything away from Pearl Harbor because at least that was visually and historically accurate for the most part; I mean, it had to be. Still, this is no excuse for Bay or the writers to take the entire series' history and dump it in the trash. This might be harsh, but it's the truth when you see these films.
So here begins my grip with Transformers 3. Oh, and this will be a first! SPOILERS ahead. I'll try to keep them at a minimum but who knows.
So how come nothing that happened in the previous films seems to mean or have any real significance in this third installment? I mean, Sam (Labeouf) subsequently saved the Autobots and humanity on two separate occasions from either new or returning villains. In each, he put not only his own life in danger but those of the people/robots around him. So, why is he not more recognized or given a higher position of status in life/society/government? I'm mentioning all of these categories because Sam has affected or been affected by these in some way, shape or form. I mean, for Christ's sake, he died in Transformers 2 and went to that hilarious and inconceivable realm know as robot heaven! He came back, brought the Matrix of Leadership with him and resurrected Optimus Prime, IN FRONT of everyone that meant anything on those films! So, why he is treated like dirt at the beginning of this film?
Why isn't he recognized by anyone as the one who saved the earth on two separate occasions? Yeah, I know, you can argue that the Autobots took credit for everything to protect him, sure. But, why in the hell would the government and military just let him wander on his own AGAIN when he's the principle reason that crap happens? Everytime the Decepticons went after him to start some kind of ruckus. Wouldn't the government have figured it out that maybe they should have put this kid under some kind of protection? Or in a sound proof box to avoid hearing his hyper high-pitched screaming voice. Although it wouldn't have matter because the writers would have found some way to get him in danger again.
I'm going to start pointing to things at random here now, so bare with me, ha!
The pacing of Transformers 3 was so unmerciful. The movie lasted about 2 1/2 hours but actually felt like 4 hours. This was due to the fact that so many pointless scenes that were intended to develop character accomplished none of that. Take for instance, Ken Jeong and John Malkovich's cameo appearances. These two characters were meant to develop Sam's awareness that something was brewing, but their delivery was so awkward that it felt unneeded and out-of-place. Seriously here, Ken Jeong's performance only served to showing viewers how he drop his pants to give Sam a bunch of folded papers he kept in his underpants. To his credit, Ken did deliver his performance with that hokey, erratic behavior that we saw from his performance in The Hangover, but here it served no other purpose. He was there to literally give Labeouf papers that he had tucked in his underwear. And, John Malkovich only served to play Sam's ego power driven boss. Malkovich had maybe about ten minutes of screen time and that was it!
Rose Huntington-Whiteley. All I'm going to say is that Megan Fox gave us a better performance as Sam's love interest and our eye candy. Man, never have I seen someone look so lost and more out-of-place then she did! There was something about her face that didn't sit right with me, and it irritated me to no end how she could get away with most of her scenes based solely on her looks. Where was the acting? Oh wait, there was no acting because, and correct me if I'm wrong, she can't act! She's a model, and based on what I read, Michael Bay only placed her there because she could walk in high heels and look good doing it.
Half the time the pacing of this movie just dragged and dragged. A friend of mine went as far as saying that the human scenes were so boring and dried up rehashed versions of interactions from the previous movies that Transformers 3 could have been better and shorter without them. To some degree, I agree because those interactions and dialogue just kept going and going that during several occasions I forgot what I was watching. If that weren't enough, the level of contradiction and inconsistency was aggravating. I couldn't get a sense of where they were going and felt lost. How can stopping Sentinel Prime become such a convoluted plan and at the same time so grossly planned out that it still works but with no rational or logical foresight. It's like everyone said screw planning let's just go head first into certain doom. And, from a militaristic point-of-view, how can a troop of soldiers be so gung-ho about invading a crumpled and Decepticon refortified city of Chicago only to back down when you're right at their doorstep? If you're part of a military, group don't you strategically and tactically plan out an attack or determine if a plan is conceivable? Why would you travel all the way to the enemies front door and then back out?!
Oh, but when the Autobots reappear from their non-deaths, you all-of-sudden grow balls and go in! Jeez!
And while we're on Sentinel Prime, as far as I have been made aware, a Prime doesn't switch sides so easily without a probable reason. Yet, he still betrays the Autobots who brought him back to life, kills Ratchet and whole bunch of other Autobots and soldiers to honor some pack he made with the Decepticons. To make this plot even more illogical is the fact that Sentinel Prime does it even after knowing that Cybertron is a waste land and that the war to save their race is over! Oh, and here's the real kicker. Fifty years ago, humanity made a deal with the Decepticons to allow them to take over earth.
Yes, earth's governments, specifically the United States government thought is was a good idea to join forces with a race of evil robots. I mean, WTF!! Hasn't humanity learned from every past movie alien invasion in history? Why would you trust an alien race for anything? As humans, we can't even trust ourselves, ha! So how can we trust an alien race that's stronger then us? Oh, because they gave you some of their alien technology to build nuclear reactors and thus the A-bomb. I love how the movie weaved Transformer influence into our world history and used it as the primary reason why bad things happened. I give it to the writers there because I enjoy "what if" scenarios. However, this whole idea and subsequent back-story, from the writers, that the U.S. government made a pact with an alien race in return for some advanced technology seems so contrived and pretentious that it feels a bit like a slap in the face. Was this your big "secret" movie?
Man, I felt like all my prior alien invasion movie watching experiences got shot in the face after this. I mean, they didn't see past the possibility that these robot beings could betray our feeble trust. According to Transformers 3, world governments put their entire faith and technological progression in the hands of big robots that could and eventually do blow us, or at least the city of Chicago, to rubble. It just occurred to me that the movie's writers could have gone has far as to say that the Transformers were involved in the Kennedy assassination! OMG! You know what, they could have been! It would explain that ridiculous "magic bullet" theory, ha!
The only thing that seemed to save this movie were the robot battle sequences but then they too were blown out of proportion and dragged out. Every robot action sequence was subjected to the visual effect of Matrix-style slow motion acrobatics. Visually they were beautiful to look at but run-time wise they took to long. My friend and I both agreed that it seemed to take a page out of the Dragonball Z book of action pacing. For those of you that know Dragonball Z, you know what I'm talking about! It's the equivalent of three episodes of screaming before Goku throws a single punch or special attack. And how does the appearance of Cybertron right between the Earth and the Moon not affect Earth in any way, shape or form?
It must be said that I still enjoyed the action sequences even if they were mostly implausible and over-the-top. It's what we crave as an audience living in an age where we expect 100% sensationalism when it comes to movies about big robots. Yeah, it not only just expected from the news media, but from anything that Micheal Bay directs as well! Yup, I love mass destruction on an epic scale just as much as the next guy, but is it too hard to ask for continuity and a logical plot?
Wait! I know I said this will hopefully be Bay's last Transformers movie, but with other baddies still lose out there in the world and other possible threats, wouldn't there be a possibility for a 4th? I mean, the city of Chicago was left in ruins, so couldn't that mean... dare I say it - Autobot city aka Metroplex! Oh man! No, let me stop there before I raise my hopes up for something I might regret like Devastator.
There are so many other things I could point out, but then this post will be forever long and I'm too tired to go on, ha! Again, Transformer 3 was visually stunning as always but flawed by plot and pacing problems. I mean, well, what do we expect from the king of explosions? Did I expect anything less, of course not. Did I want something more, but of course! But, if Michael Bay put more that would mean less screen time for helicopters flying at dawn, guy chasing after a superficial love interest, and, oh yes, explosions!!! Long live BAYSPLOSIONS!!!
Okay, what can be said that hasn't already been said about Michael Bay's consecutive summer blockbuster, action and explosions ridden, robots from outer space franchise Transformers?
Absolutely nothing. Why? Because even if we bitch and complain at how agonizingly bad their story, pacing and continuity is, we continue to flock to them so we can be awed by the big screen treatment. Now I'm not saying that Transformers should not have been brought to the big screen. I think it should have been given a more competent direction and handling. I know that Transformers has always been about big robots, Autobots and Decepticons, battling each other for superiority, but the inconsistent plot, explosions and visual effects extravaganza that has been fed into our retinas and mental consciousness seems to replace all evidence or clue that there was even a story to begin with.
Now I know some of you will say that, "Well, that's Micheal Bay for you." Yeah, I know, I've said it too. But, you know what? Shame on you for expecting any less, especially those of you who have, like me, been long time fans of the original cartoon series. I would expect nothing less from Bay with other films like Pearl Harbor or Bad Boys, but this is friggin' Transformers!! I'm not taking anything away from Pearl Harbor because at least that was visually and historically accurate for the most part; I mean, it had to be. Still, this is no excuse for Bay or the writers to take the entire series' history and dump it in the trash. This might be harsh, but it's the truth when you see these films.
So here begins my grip with Transformers 3. Oh, and this will be a first! SPOILERS ahead. I'll try to keep them at a minimum but who knows.
So how come nothing that happened in the previous films seems to mean or have any real significance in this third installment? I mean, Sam (Labeouf) subsequently saved the Autobots and humanity on two separate occasions from either new or returning villains. In each, he put not only his own life in danger but those of the people/robots around him. So, why is he not more recognized or given a higher position of status in life/society/government? I'm mentioning all of these categories because Sam has affected or been affected by these in some way, shape or form. I mean, for Christ's sake, he died in Transformers 2 and went to that hilarious and inconceivable realm know as robot heaven! He came back, brought the Matrix of Leadership with him and resurrected Optimus Prime, IN FRONT of everyone that meant anything on those films! So, why he is treated like dirt at the beginning of this film?
Why isn't he recognized by anyone as the one who saved the earth on two separate occasions? Yeah, I know, you can argue that the Autobots took credit for everything to protect him, sure. But, why in the hell would the government and military just let him wander on his own AGAIN when he's the principle reason that crap happens? Everytime the Decepticons went after him to start some kind of ruckus. Wouldn't the government have figured it out that maybe they should have put this kid under some kind of protection? Or in a sound proof box to avoid hearing his hyper high-pitched screaming voice. Although it wouldn't have matter because the writers would have found some way to get him in danger again.
I'm going to start pointing to things at random here now, so bare with me, ha!
The pacing of Transformers 3 was so unmerciful. The movie lasted about 2 1/2 hours but actually felt like 4 hours. This was due to the fact that so many pointless scenes that were intended to develop character accomplished none of that. Take for instance, Ken Jeong and John Malkovich's cameo appearances. These two characters were meant to develop Sam's awareness that something was brewing, but their delivery was so awkward that it felt unneeded and out-of-place. Seriously here, Ken Jeong's performance only served to showing viewers how he drop his pants to give Sam a bunch of folded papers he kept in his underpants. To his credit, Ken did deliver his performance with that hokey, erratic behavior that we saw from his performance in The Hangover, but here it served no other purpose. He was there to literally give Labeouf papers that he had tucked in his underwear. And, John Malkovich only served to play Sam's ego power driven boss. Malkovich had maybe about ten minutes of screen time and that was it!
Rose Huntington-Whiteley. All I'm going to say is that Megan Fox gave us a better performance as Sam's love interest and our eye candy. Man, never have I seen someone look so lost and more out-of-place then she did! There was something about her face that didn't sit right with me, and it irritated me to no end how she could get away with most of her scenes based solely on her looks. Where was the acting? Oh wait, there was no acting because, and correct me if I'm wrong, she can't act! She's a model, and based on what I read, Michael Bay only placed her there because she could walk in high heels and look good doing it.
Half the time the pacing of this movie just dragged and dragged. A friend of mine went as far as saying that the human scenes were so boring and dried up rehashed versions of interactions from the previous movies that Transformers 3 could have been better and shorter without them. To some degree, I agree because those interactions and dialogue just kept going and going that during several occasions I forgot what I was watching. If that weren't enough, the level of contradiction and inconsistency was aggravating. I couldn't get a sense of where they were going and felt lost. How can stopping Sentinel Prime become such a convoluted plan and at the same time so grossly planned out that it still works but with no rational or logical foresight. It's like everyone said screw planning let's just go head first into certain doom. And, from a militaristic point-of-view, how can a troop of soldiers be so gung-ho about invading a crumpled and Decepticon refortified city of Chicago only to back down when you're right at their doorstep? If you're part of a military, group don't you strategically and tactically plan out an attack or determine if a plan is conceivable? Why would you travel all the way to the enemies front door and then back out?!
Oh, but when the Autobots reappear from their non-deaths, you all-of-sudden grow balls and go in! Jeez!
And while we're on Sentinel Prime, as far as I have been made aware, a Prime doesn't switch sides so easily without a probable reason. Yet, he still betrays the Autobots who brought him back to life, kills Ratchet and whole bunch of other Autobots and soldiers to honor some pack he made with the Decepticons. To make this plot even more illogical is the fact that Sentinel Prime does it even after knowing that Cybertron is a waste land and that the war to save their race is over! Oh, and here's the real kicker. Fifty years ago, humanity made a deal with the Decepticons to allow them to take over earth.
Yes, earth's governments, specifically the United States government thought is was a good idea to join forces with a race of evil robots. I mean, WTF!! Hasn't humanity learned from every past movie alien invasion in history? Why would you trust an alien race for anything? As humans, we can't even trust ourselves, ha! So how can we trust an alien race that's stronger then us? Oh, because they gave you some of their alien technology to build nuclear reactors and thus the A-bomb. I love how the movie weaved Transformer influence into our world history and used it as the primary reason why bad things happened. I give it to the writers there because I enjoy "what if" scenarios. However, this whole idea and subsequent back-story, from the writers, that the U.S. government made a pact with an alien race in return for some advanced technology seems so contrived and pretentious that it feels a bit like a slap in the face. Was this your big "secret" movie?
Man, I felt like all my prior alien invasion movie watching experiences got shot in the face after this. I mean, they didn't see past the possibility that these robot beings could betray our feeble trust. According to Transformers 3, world governments put their entire faith and technological progression in the hands of big robots that could and eventually do blow us, or at least the city of Chicago, to rubble. It just occurred to me that the movie's writers could have gone has far as to say that the Transformers were involved in the Kennedy assassination! OMG! You know what, they could have been! It would explain that ridiculous "magic bullet" theory, ha!
The only thing that seemed to save this movie were the robot battle sequences but then they too were blown out of proportion and dragged out. Every robot action sequence was subjected to the visual effect of Matrix-style slow motion acrobatics. Visually they were beautiful to look at but run-time wise they took to long. My friend and I both agreed that it seemed to take a page out of the Dragonball Z book of action pacing. For those of you that know Dragonball Z, you know what I'm talking about! It's the equivalent of three episodes of screaming before Goku throws a single punch or special attack. And how does the appearance of Cybertron right between the Earth and the Moon not affect Earth in any way, shape or form?
It must be said that I still enjoyed the action sequences even if they were mostly implausible and over-the-top. It's what we crave as an audience living in an age where we expect 100% sensationalism when it comes to movies about big robots. Yeah, it not only just expected from the news media, but from anything that Micheal Bay directs as well! Yup, I love mass destruction on an epic scale just as much as the next guy, but is it too hard to ask for continuity and a logical plot?
Wait! I know I said this will hopefully be Bay's last Transformers movie, but with other baddies still lose out there in the world and other possible threats, wouldn't there be a possibility for a 4th? I mean, the city of Chicago was left in ruins, so couldn't that mean... dare I say it - Autobot city aka Metroplex! Oh man! No, let me stop there before I raise my hopes up for something I might regret like Devastator.
There are so many other things I could point out, but then this post will be forever long and I'm too tired to go on, ha! Again, Transformer 3 was visually stunning as always but flawed by plot and pacing problems. I mean, well, what do we expect from the king of explosions? Did I expect anything less, of course not. Did I want something more, but of course! But, if Michael Bay put more that would mean less screen time for helicopters flying at dawn, guy chasing after a superficial love interest, and, oh yes, explosions!!! Long live BAYSPLOSIONS!!!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Pixar's New Film...
Is a breath of fresh flowing red hair!
I recently found out that a teaser trailer for Pixar's next film Brave was released with Cars 2. I stumbled upon a bad bootleg copy of the teaser on the Internet and saw what Princess Merida would look like as a moving, breathing character. Needless to say, the bootleg kept me from fully appreciating her character, but when I saw that an official version was up on Youtube, I became excited!
I have to say that although only a teaser, I am already interested, engaged, enamored with Merida! Yeah, I said it! Enamored!!!!
It's the red hair, I tell you! They have a name for it, I think it's called a "Ginger!" I didn't even know that? People refer to redheads as gingers? All that curly flowing red hair just speaks to me! Yeah, I know, it's weird, crazy but I like it - right next to, dare I say it, blonds? Honestly, sometimes a little added color to a straight blond or brunette does catch my attention. Add some color and style to that hair!!! Oh, and those cheeks!
Where did it come from? I have no idea. The only other red head characters I can think of off the top of my head that interested me were Noriko from Heavenly Sword, Red Monica from Battle Chasers for more then her hair, female Ranma from Ranma 1/2, Shanna from Shakugan no Shanna and there are some other ones, but I can't think of them right now. Wow, that's quite a few!
Okay, let me stop before I begin to sound creepy.
Back to what I was talking about! Oh yeah, Brave, the teaser trailer for Pixar's next film. I'm excited and very much looking forward to this!! So, no more talking and check out the teaser below and make up your own minds.
I recently found out that a teaser trailer for Pixar's next film Brave was released with Cars 2. I stumbled upon a bad bootleg copy of the teaser on the Internet and saw what Princess Merida would look like as a moving, breathing character. Needless to say, the bootleg kept me from fully appreciating her character, but when I saw that an official version was up on Youtube, I became excited!
I have to say that although only a teaser, I am already interested, engaged, enamored with Merida! Yeah, I said it! Enamored!!!!
It's the red hair, I tell you! They have a name for it, I think it's called a "Ginger!" I didn't even know that? People refer to redheads as gingers? All that curly flowing red hair just speaks to me! Yeah, I know, it's weird, crazy but I like it - right next to, dare I say it, blonds? Honestly, sometimes a little added color to a straight blond or brunette does catch my attention. Add some color and style to that hair!!! Oh, and those cheeks!
Where did it come from? I have no idea. The only other red head characters I can think of off the top of my head that interested me were Noriko from Heavenly Sword, Red Monica from Battle Chasers for more then her hair, female Ranma from Ranma 1/2, Shanna from Shakugan no Shanna and there are some other ones, but I can't think of them right now. Wow, that's quite a few!
Okay, let me stop before I begin to sound creepy.
Back to what I was talking about! Oh yeah, Brave, the teaser trailer for Pixar's next film. I'm excited and very much looking forward to this!! So, no more talking and check out the teaser below and make up your own minds.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
The Green Lantern with Good Friends
So,
I went to see Green Lantern last night and I must say that it was fun! I never really followed the comic series, so I was completely oblivious to the superheroes' origins or history. Yet, even without that lack of background knowledge, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it was. The characters were nicely and adequately fleshed out for the purposes of this film.
Yeah, I know, in the past, movies based on comic book superheroes tended to be very bad, but during the last few years, comic book movies have had a very successful impact! Perfect examples: Chris Nolan's Batman series, which has one more installment coming, and Jon Favreau's Ironman films. To be honest, comic book movies are really starting to take a more serious, dramatic and honest place in the film industry. They are just not hokey or poorly filmed adaptations that remind you of that uncle you want to forget ever existed.
Anyway, back to the Green Lantern!
Well, in a nut shell, the film is about Hal Jordan who is entrusted, or chosen to replace a fallen Lantern member. Hal has to adjust himself to his new responsibilities while dealing with a cosmic threat and his own human shortcomings. I'm being very vague with this plot, but it pretty much tells you what you are in for without spoiling any surprises or the story. Visually the film was pretty and it captured the large scale of an immense universe of cosmic energies and contrasted it to how a single character takes the responsibility of one form of that energy and defines himself through it. Whew! That felt like a lot to describe, but believe me when I say that it was well presented and visualized!
What made the evening most enjoyable was being with good friends, meeting new ones, and recapping moments from the movie afterward while touching base with what was comic canon and film modification. It's always cool to talk about what shined and what sucked after, even if you didn't follow the source material. However, I must say that the real fun began a few hours before we headed out to the theater. Catching up with old friends I had not seen in a bit and playing a few rounds of whatever fighting game we had available brought laughs from trash talking and hilarious YouTube videos.
Seriously, Jay, you are going to have to forward that Beastie Boys battle video to me, Ha! Man, I'm still laughing about that!
To summarize, the night was young and we were out and about walking through the streets, under the bright lights of downtown without a single care except to be at the theater on time to catch a late showing of the film! This is only the second time I saw a movie on opening night and it has it ups and downs. Damn, like that woman who brought her kid that wouldn't stop crying throughout the entire film. I mean JEEZ!! That turned into an interesting shouting match at least three times. The good stuff I tell ya!
Well, it was fun, the company was cool, and the film was entertaining! I would've written this last night, but I got home after two in the morning and I just hit the hay. But, I got my two cents in now so I hope you enjoyed.
I went to see Green Lantern last night and I must say that it was fun! I never really followed the comic series, so I was completely oblivious to the superheroes' origins or history. Yet, even without that lack of background knowledge, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it was. The characters were nicely and adequately fleshed out for the purposes of this film.
Yeah, I know, in the past, movies based on comic book superheroes tended to be very bad, but during the last few years, comic book movies have had a very successful impact! Perfect examples: Chris Nolan's Batman series, which has one more installment coming, and Jon Favreau's Ironman films. To be honest, comic book movies are really starting to take a more serious, dramatic and honest place in the film industry. They are just not hokey or poorly filmed adaptations that remind you of that uncle you want to forget ever existed.
Anyway, back to the Green Lantern!
Well, in a nut shell, the film is about Hal Jordan who is entrusted, or chosen to replace a fallen Lantern member. Hal has to adjust himself to his new responsibilities while dealing with a cosmic threat and his own human shortcomings. I'm being very vague with this plot, but it pretty much tells you what you are in for without spoiling any surprises or the story. Visually the film was pretty and it captured the large scale of an immense universe of cosmic energies and contrasted it to how a single character takes the responsibility of one form of that energy and defines himself through it. Whew! That felt like a lot to describe, but believe me when I say that it was well presented and visualized!
What made the evening most enjoyable was being with good friends, meeting new ones, and recapping moments from the movie afterward while touching base with what was comic canon and film modification. It's always cool to talk about what shined and what sucked after, even if you didn't follow the source material. However, I must say that the real fun began a few hours before we headed out to the theater. Catching up with old friends I had not seen in a bit and playing a few rounds of whatever fighting game we had available brought laughs from trash talking and hilarious YouTube videos.
Seriously, Jay, you are going to have to forward that Beastie Boys battle video to me, Ha! Man, I'm still laughing about that!
To summarize, the night was young and we were out and about walking through the streets, under the bright lights of downtown without a single care except to be at the theater on time to catch a late showing of the film! This is only the second time I saw a movie on opening night and it has it ups and downs. Damn, like that woman who brought her kid that wouldn't stop crying throughout the entire film. I mean JEEZ!! That turned into an interesting shouting match at least three times. The good stuff I tell ya!
Well, it was fun, the company was cool, and the film was entertaining! I would've written this last night, but I got home after two in the morning and I just hit the hay. But, I got my two cents in now so I hope you enjoyed.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Yeah!
Been a long time, I know.
I got lazy, then forgot I had this blog, and ignored it at some point too! Well, about two months since my last post, I'm back but who knows how often I'll post. Can't make any promises.
Well, let me start by saying that my third semester of grad school came to an end, and my semester project wrapped up beautifully, so I'm glad for that. I put a lot of work into it and it paid off in the end. Who knew Japanese manga could be so fascinating and rich in history, culture and also provide a very tangible pedagogical resource through the understanding of visual media as a interpretative form of prose.
Yeah, it sounds like WTF? but it was worth the invested research and time. Even with what I did manage to include into the final paper, there was so much more to include, but in the end I just wanted to finish. I still felt proud with what I had accomplished and my mentor had been a great help and such a supportive drive to reaching my goal.
And speaking of Japanese. I started my second 3-month course of Japanese instruction at the Japan Society. I started in June and continue until August. It still a lot of fun, but the material is getting harder this time. It's a follow up course, picking up from the last course I took, so many particles and sentence structure elements are slightly being tweaked with additional usage and meaning. Miyashita sensei is still my instructor, and she continues to be a hoot, ha!
It's really intense at times because she wants us to become comfortable with fluency and drills us every class with rapid fire repetition. Of course, she'll also calls on us individually at random to repeat phrases. So we are all on edge at times, but it's still fun and everyone enjoys the experience. I'm actually pretty good with pronunciation and/or articulation, but remembering grammar structures and appropriate particle usage still hinders me, a bit. I just need more practice.
Well, that's it for now. More stuff coming soon, but not sure when.
Peace, ja ne!
I got lazy, then forgot I had this blog, and ignored it at some point too! Well, about two months since my last post, I'm back but who knows how often I'll post. Can't make any promises.
Well, let me start by saying that my third semester of grad school came to an end, and my semester project wrapped up beautifully, so I'm glad for that. I put a lot of work into it and it paid off in the end. Who knew Japanese manga could be so fascinating and rich in history, culture and also provide a very tangible pedagogical resource through the understanding of visual media as a interpretative form of prose.
Yeah, it sounds like WTF? but it was worth the invested research and time. Even with what I did manage to include into the final paper, there was so much more to include, but in the end I just wanted to finish. I still felt proud with what I had accomplished and my mentor had been a great help and such a supportive drive to reaching my goal.
And speaking of Japanese. I started my second 3-month course of Japanese instruction at the Japan Society. I started in June and continue until August. It still a lot of fun, but the material is getting harder this time. It's a follow up course, picking up from the last course I took, so many particles and sentence structure elements are slightly being tweaked with additional usage and meaning. Miyashita sensei is still my instructor, and she continues to be a hoot, ha!
It's really intense at times because she wants us to become comfortable with fluency and drills us every class with rapid fire repetition. Of course, she'll also calls on us individually at random to repeat phrases. So we are all on edge at times, but it's still fun and everyone enjoys the experience. I'm actually pretty good with pronunciation and/or articulation, but remembering grammar structures and appropriate particle usage still hinders me, a bit. I just need more practice.
Well, that's it for now. More stuff coming soon, but not sure when.
Peace, ja ne!
Friday, April 15, 2011
An End of a Week!
Hey, all,
Well, another week has or is coming to an end, depending on where you are when you read this. It's been a fairly good week. Nice warm weather in the 70s one day and 50 degrees the next day. Yeah, it's still crazy like that, and it drives me insane.
I going to complain - when will the weather stay constant and warm! Ha!
Besides that, I have another update to give. This past Monday marked the end of my first 3-month Japanese class. I can't believe how quickly those three months went by and how much material my class learned. My instructor, Miyashita sensei, taught us and guided us through 16 lessons that covered simple sentence structure, positive-negative and present-past verb and adjective conjugation.
She covered time, asking questions, and setting up meeting places. These are just a small fraction of all the material that we learned, but it felt like a long and fun semester!
I really enjoyed it and my understanding of the Japanese language grew just a bit more. I will probably register for the next 3-month cycle which will begin soon, but for now its review time because I'm forgetting a lot of what I learned at the beginning of the course. Ha!
Stay well out there, and until then!
Well, another week has or is coming to an end, depending on where you are when you read this. It's been a fairly good week. Nice warm weather in the 70s one day and 50 degrees the next day. Yeah, it's still crazy like that, and it drives me insane.
I going to complain - when will the weather stay constant and warm! Ha!
Besides that, I have another update to give. This past Monday marked the end of my first 3-month Japanese class. I can't believe how quickly those three months went by and how much material my class learned. My instructor, Miyashita sensei, taught us and guided us through 16 lessons that covered simple sentence structure, positive-negative and present-past verb and adjective conjugation.
She covered time, asking questions, and setting up meeting places. These are just a small fraction of all the material that we learned, but it felt like a long and fun semester!
I really enjoyed it and my understanding of the Japanese language grew just a bit more. I will probably register for the next 3-month cycle which will begin soon, but for now its review time because I'm forgetting a lot of what I learned at the beginning of the course. Ha!
Stay well out there, and until then!
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