Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
My parents were strangely always more into Star Trek than I was. I think they watched The Next Generation pretty religiously, but it (& kinda science fiction in general? save some of the major awesome works out there) always bored me. Then I saw the original series on TV randomly a few times and wondered a bit how this ridiculous, hokey, sexist pulp turned into the relatively clean-scrubbed, cinematic, ridiculous, hokey pulp TNG seemed to be. The answer seems to be the original movie (a much better route than the proposed "phase II" series) - and is it also the origin of the iconic orchestral TNG theme music (far cry from that deliciously absurd theremin-esque warbling). This movie is also what made Star Trek a big deal (from what I can see in my comfy retrospective crows nest), since TOS had lackluster ratings and only ran for three seasons before cancellation.
It's definitely an enjoyable movie, with its share of awe-inspiration along with the comically absurd ("I must try to mind meld with it!"), and this along with the likes of Serenity and Alien are making me want to keep more of an open ear to the genre (though those terrible SciFi channel movies aren't helping any...). Shatner and Nimoy were truly gods of their era. My geek wings will be more fully earned once I witness the Wrath of Kahn.
The Departed (2006)
A star studded intriguing double-double-agent crime drama, complete with a quite salty tongued Mark Wahlberg and a healthy body count. Gotta love Scorcese's abrupt startling music cues, making me think the copy I originally watched was an early cut or something. Long and dark but never torturous like a lot of Marty's work - very watchable. Only intermittently paid attention on this second viewing however.
The Rock (1996)
This kind of wham-bang action romp deserves only the most unhealthy of popcorns and largest bucket of soda, pile on that butter and make it a Garagantuan! Sean Connery is surprisingly more youthful and energetic than he acted in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (of course he had to play Harrison Ford's dad so I suppose that's understandable). Nick Cage manages to be unbelievably geeky yet not too annoying. Cars costing as much as small houses are obliterated, football games are nearly rudely interrupted, and the entire infiltration crew gets offed, leaving only the two leads, moments after said infiltration. Bruckheimer knew how to bring it then, though the Pirates and National Treasure sequels have me wondering nowadays. I did enjoy Michael Bay's Transformers very much, in case that was up in the air, and the sequel's Super Bowl trailer was impressive I thought.
======thejump======
There's a few new podcasts I've been trying to keep track of that I figure I should help spread the word on...
Adam Carolla has a new podcast thats been very very funny so far, with a new guest every weekday its seeming. He's being paid to do the show for a year to see where it goes after getting laid off from terrestrial radio last month, and so far he's setting new podcast download records all the time. Don't miss out!
Giant Bombcast is the creation of some ex-Gamespot guys - namely Jeff Gerstmann, Ryan Davis, & Brad Shoemaker. Always perferred Gamespot over IGN, maybe just because of that dark background? They bring the laughs and drink reviews along with the game chat.
A Life Well Wasted is 1up's Robert Ashley's new project, an insightful and artfully edited show about games that sounds like it should be on NPR or something. Great potential there!
Out of the Game is something I just
happened to catch on Twitter today - quite a gem of a first episode featuring:
Robert Ashley
N'Gai Croal
Shawn Elliott
Jeff Green
Luke Smith
(not typing all those Twitter links)
If you knew and loved the old 1up podcasts those names should excited you, especially notorious mayhemite Shawn Elliott.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
gameage - KILLZONE2, PRINCE OF PERSIA
Whew haven't updated in a while since I just got done moving...
Slogged my way through Killzone 2 - definitely grew on me as time went on. The controls were a bit of a problem at first but eventually I had them tweaked to near-COD4 standards. Now a game with bad controls is that F.E.A.R. 2 demo *shudder*
Didn't get stuck too often (except that last room/sequence - what a beast!) & I was playing on normal. The checkpoints were more spread out than I was thinking they should have been at the time. But that reminded me how much of wussies games today are making us
How hardcore those NES kids must have been in the last 80s - I mean of course I played NES as a kid but by the time I like remember anything of my childhood its already 1990 or maaaybe some of 89? So the NES was already on the way out, + my Nickelodeon & MTV induced ADD made sure I rarely stuck with a game that frustrated me, though I remember fondly playing the early levels of many games over and over. I'd like to think I don't suck at games as much as I did before my parents got me my first fixes, but a quick login to any online game will quickly remind me the suckage is alive and well ^^
Speaking of games being easy nowadays, after sending back Killzone 2 I managed to get Prince of Persia! The environments are quite beautiful, though the strange stylization of the character models, while somewhat cool, sticks out as a bit of a sore thumb IMHO. The controls are smooth and flowing for the most part, and the combat while annoying at times is holding up so far once you figure out the situation and perhaps glance at the surprisingly deep combo list. More on that later.
Slogged my way through Killzone 2 - definitely grew on me as time went on. The controls were a bit of a problem at first but eventually I had them tweaked to near-COD4 standards. Now a game with bad controls is that F.E.A.R. 2 demo *shudder*
Didn't get stuck too often (except that last room/sequence - what a beast!) & I was playing on normal. The checkpoints were more spread out than I was thinking they should have been at the time. But that reminded me how much of wussies games today are making us
How hardcore those NES kids must have been in the last 80s - I mean of course I played NES as a kid but by the time I like remember anything of my childhood its already 1990 or maaaybe some of 89? So the NES was already on the way out, + my Nickelodeon & MTV induced ADD made sure I rarely stuck with a game that frustrated me, though I remember fondly playing the early levels of many games over and over. I'd like to think I don't suck at games as much as I did before my parents got me my first fixes, but a quick login to any online game will quickly remind me the suckage is alive and well ^^
Speaking of games being easy nowadays, after sending back Killzone 2 I managed to get Prince of Persia! The environments are quite beautiful, though the strange stylization of the character models, while somewhat cool, sticks out as a bit of a sore thumb IMHO. The controls are smooth and flowing for the most part, and the combat while annoying at times is holding up so far once you figure out the situation and perhaps glance at the surprisingly deep combo list. More on that later.
Monday, March 2, 2009
street fighter IV & online gaming in general
Anyone who has tried playing SFIV online is sure to know what I'm talking about here - it seems just about any random match you happen upon will be against a Ken or a Ryu or if they're feeling extra resourceful an Akuma. All the easiest to learn characters that everyone knows how to use. And I don't really dare msging people after a match & suggesting "try some other characters" lest I get a "WELL I BEATURASS DIDN'T I??? I JUST PICKED THE BEST ONE GOPLAYFLOWERFAGG" (though I'd be more worried of such intelligent banter on xbox live).
No accounting for skill or finesse or enjoyment, just pick the easiest characters & rack up that win count. Even in unranked matches (though I can more often beat a persistent Ryu-er with multiple fighters, they'll still eek out a win almost half the time through sheer Hadou-/Shoryu-ken willpower).
Of course, daring to venture into ranked territory will get you a bit more variety, but you can only play one match at a time, & you're 80% more certain to lose. So you're stuck at a dilemma if you ever want any effing battle points - be cheap like everybody else & possibly still lose because they only play those characters so they're better with them than you, or be the sore thumb pain in the rear paladin about things & stick in there for the art of gaming'g sake.
I suppose one other option would be for me to train diligently with a single character & count frames & enter tournaments & pwn every time but then I'd quickly acquire a repetitive strain injury unless I get a $$$ pro arcade joystick (& even then).
Then again, I'm sure I'm taking this all too seriously, but this attitude in fighters & also FPS savants who have memorized every pixel of every map & every frame of every animation so they can winWINWIN because they only play one game. Why is every online game dominated by people who seem to only own one game & play it constantly & are obviously unemployed (or barely employed) and leeching income from family who they are neglecting by playing games online all the time... it's enough to sour one on the whole online gaming phenomenon in general. Yahtzee famously dislikes all multiplayer(?) partially because of similar gripes & also possibly xenophobia. Back to the xenophobia...
So in conclusion I'm just a bitter f-tard writing the millionth blog on this topic because I can't seem to find nor have the motivation to find friends who play the games I play at the same skill level. If I was more into online multiplayer I suppose I would have gotten an Xbox 360 (or at least kept that one I owned for 24 hours lol).
In other gaming news, I'm definitely putting Burnout Paradise in more often thanks to the new ability to -wow!- restart a race! Haven't touched Little Big Planet or Bioshock in awhile... Still not sure if I'll ever get into the supposedly wondrous co-op of Resistance 2 or Left4Dead... Wondering if I should setup a Paypal donation link to afford a Rock Band 2 drum set since my RB1 one's snare stopped working... I almost enjoy SF2 HD Remix more than SF4... Flower was fleeting but great, maybe I'll play it again... aaaand I should be plunging into Killzone 2 shortly as soon as the Gamefly comes hopefully tomorrow!
No accounting for skill or finesse or enjoyment, just pick the easiest characters & rack up that win count. Even in unranked matches (though I can more often beat a persistent Ryu-er with multiple fighters, they'll still eek out a win almost half the time through sheer Hadou-/Shoryu-ken willpower).
Of course, daring to venture into ranked territory will get you a bit more variety, but you can only play one match at a time, & you're 80% more certain to lose. So you're stuck at a dilemma if you ever want any effing battle points - be cheap like everybody else & possibly still lose because they only play those characters so they're better with them than you, or be the sore thumb pain in the rear paladin about things & stick in there for the art of gaming'g sake.
I suppose one other option would be for me to train diligently with a single character & count frames & enter tournaments & pwn every time but then I'd quickly acquire a repetitive strain injury unless I get a $$$ pro arcade joystick (& even then).
Then again, I'm sure I'm taking this all too seriously, but this attitude in fighters & also FPS savants who have memorized every pixel of every map & every frame of every animation so they can winWINWIN because they only play one game. Why is every online game dominated by people who seem to only own one game & play it constantly & are obviously unemployed (or barely employed) and leeching income from family who they are neglecting by playing games online all the time... it's enough to sour one on the whole online gaming phenomenon in general. Yahtzee famously dislikes all multiplayer(?) partially because of similar gripes & also possibly xenophobia. Back to the xenophobia...
So in conclusion I'm just a bitter f-tard writing the millionth blog on this topic because I can't seem to find nor have the motivation to find friends who play the games I play at the same skill level. If I was more into online multiplayer I suppose I would have gotten an Xbox 360 (or at least kept that one I owned for 24 hours lol).
In other gaming news, I'm definitely putting Burnout Paradise in more often thanks to the new ability to -wow!- restart a race! Haven't touched Little Big Planet or Bioshock in awhile... Still not sure if I'll ever get into the supposedly wondrous co-op of Resistance 2 or Left4Dead... Wondering if I should setup a Paypal donation link to afford a Rock Band 2 drum set since my RB1 one's snare stopped working... I almost enjoy SF2 HD Remix more than SF4... Flower was fleeting but great, maybe I'll play it again... aaaand I should be plunging into Killzone 2 shortly as soon as the Gamefly comes hopefully tomorrow!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
netflix barrage 005 - the sleepy
I must have been extra tired this weekend, cuz I kept falling asleep & having to rewatch stuff!
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
When I first saw a trailer for this movie, I groaned at what looked like another affable Michael Cera performance. Which is what this movie delivers, though I have usually enjoyed Cera's roles so I can't remember why this was a bad thing. I remember one review mentioning how the friends/bandmates were too stereotypical & annoying, but I thought they were good enough characters. Only letdown was the ending, but I guess it would have been not as good if it ended the way you expect it to. The cute indie soundtrack and the dazzling city lights at night will make you want to go for an uptown romp of your own.
P.S. I Love You (2007)
I always find it remarkable when one of these sappy sad kind of movies is written and directed by guys. At least it's based off of a novel by a woman. The concept is kind of interesting, if a good bit creepy and morbid, but at least we get to see lots of pretty wide shots of lush Irish countryside. Hilary Swank is a little hard to believe as the dense ditzy spoiled kind of girl, but I guess girls just wanna have fun in a role sometimes. At least the end brings some relief to the story, but much of the film dishes grief on the viewer that feels pointless and undeserved. At least this movie is fun to talk smack about the characters & imitate Irish brogues with your significant other.
Jackie Brown (1997)
I have always thought Pulp Fiction (and perhaps Tarantino in general?) was slightly overrated, if not great fun on repeated viewings to absorb some of the crazier dialogue. That plus the fact that I am unfamiliar with Pam Grier's glory days of blaxploitation, and the fact that Tarantino obviously is a huge fan of that, leaves this film somewhat underwhelming. Sam Jackson and DeNiro bring the laughs, and the WTF twists are some good fun, not to mention some interesting overlapping perspectives of a climactic later scene and a comically unsexy sex scene, and another good retro Tarantino soundtrack. Just the least fun subject matter in a Tarantino IMHO. Still looking forward to Inglorious Basterds, though I must see the original first.
Joe's Apartment (1996)
After much nudging by a friend, I finally checked this one out. Classic rude awakening of the out of towner arriving to the big city, eyes wide in anticipation, only to end up in one of the most roach infested buildings ever. But these roaches have celebrity voice actors (unfortunately pitched up beyond recognition) and they just want to help! You can tell its an MTV film (the first one ever, in 96?) since the ADD pacing never bores and keeps things moving. There are good laughs here, among the glamourously grungy depictions of city life and animated roaches.
-------------------------
So it looks like Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars this year, so I shall have to watch it, along with The Wrestler, Benjamin Button and maybe a few others. The Academy Award adorned DVDs should be coming out fairly soon now.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
When I first saw a trailer for this movie, I groaned at what looked like another affable Michael Cera performance. Which is what this movie delivers, though I have usually enjoyed Cera's roles so I can't remember why this was a bad thing. I remember one review mentioning how the friends/bandmates were too stereotypical & annoying, but I thought they were good enough characters. Only letdown was the ending, but I guess it would have been not as good if it ended the way you expect it to. The cute indie soundtrack and the dazzling city lights at night will make you want to go for an uptown romp of your own.
P.S. I Love You (2007)
I always find it remarkable when one of these sappy sad kind of movies is written and directed by guys. At least it's based off of a novel by a woman. The concept is kind of interesting, if a good bit creepy and morbid, but at least we get to see lots of pretty wide shots of lush Irish countryside. Hilary Swank is a little hard to believe as the dense ditzy spoiled kind of girl, but I guess girls just wanna have fun in a role sometimes. At least the end brings some relief to the story, but much of the film dishes grief on the viewer that feels pointless and undeserved. At least this movie is fun to talk smack about the characters & imitate Irish brogues with your significant other.
Jackie Brown (1997)
I have always thought Pulp Fiction (and perhaps Tarantino in general?) was slightly overrated, if not great fun on repeated viewings to absorb some of the crazier dialogue. That plus the fact that I am unfamiliar with Pam Grier's glory days of blaxploitation, and the fact that Tarantino obviously is a huge fan of that, leaves this film somewhat underwhelming. Sam Jackson and DeNiro bring the laughs, and the WTF twists are some good fun, not to mention some interesting overlapping perspectives of a climactic later scene and a comically unsexy sex scene, and another good retro Tarantino soundtrack. Just the least fun subject matter in a Tarantino IMHO. Still looking forward to Inglorious Basterds, though I must see the original first.
Joe's Apartment (1996)
After much nudging by a friend, I finally checked this one out. Classic rude awakening of the out of towner arriving to the big city, eyes wide in anticipation, only to end up in one of the most roach infested buildings ever. But these roaches have celebrity voice actors (unfortunately pitched up beyond recognition) and they just want to help! You can tell its an MTV film (the first one ever, in 96?) since the ADD pacing never bores and keeps things moving. There are good laughs here, among the glamourously grungy depictions of city life and animated roaches.
-------------------------
So it looks like Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars this year, so I shall have to watch it, along with The Wrestler, Benjamin Button and maybe a few others. The Academy Award adorned DVDs should be coming out fairly soon now.
Friday, February 20, 2009
consessions stand 001 - only a snack + flower impressions
A case of PBR can remove pants and loosen lips as good as anything, but of course its also good for bringing together some pals for pyramid construction and a possibly recurring trip to the local evil BB itself.
An American Carol (2008)
Personally, I'm not a Michael Moore hater - I find his films interesting and point-proving to my admittedly malleable noggin, though I don't bother to double check his facts like those internet hawks out there. Some people, however, wanna crucify the lard for being such a hypocritical d-bag, and I can understand that stance. Featuring Kevin Farley (Chris's brother), Leslie Nielsen, and Kelsey Grammar, Michael "Malone" gets run through the old Scrooge wringer, with a series of spirits pointing out the mistakes in his logic & presenting revealing histories and potential futures. Some good points are made regarding college professors and the film puts the recently highly revered Jimmy Carter in a very interesting light. I try to have an open mind, and I don't think I know enough about anything to have a political opinion worth mentioning, but I don't think I would have even given this a second glance without my more comedy-appreciative friend's insistence.
The Karate Kid (1984)
The case of PBR was about pilfered by the end of the first film, and the company was getting slightly out of hand, but even though I hadn't seen this before I think I gathered the gist of it, plus of course I knew the premise going in. It's definitely a good clean fun PG 80s coming of age flick with a good spicing of action. In particular I enjoyed the very neat, clever transition from slave labor to combat training. Fun fact - Pat Morita was a comedian in San Francisco, complete with slightly effiminate very American accent, and was originally thought to be a strange choice for the role, but the character he came up with seemingly out of nowhere is definitely one of those memorable father figures you won't forget.
-------------------------
I did conceed and buy flower (PS3 via PSN) today, and it's definitely more longevitous and enjoyable than the studio's predecessor flow. I'm only halfway through and it's already taken a strangely dark turn, and I anxiously await the hinted at meeting of the dual contrasting settings. Best sixaxis controls yet, I think. Now if I can just overcome the urge to trade in Soul Calibur IV for Street Fighter IV...
An American Carol (2008)
Personally, I'm not a Michael Moore hater - I find his films interesting and point-proving to my admittedly malleable noggin, though I don't bother to double check his facts like those internet hawks out there. Some people, however, wanna crucify the lard for being such a hypocritical d-bag, and I can understand that stance. Featuring Kevin Farley (Chris's brother), Leslie Nielsen, and Kelsey Grammar, Michael "Malone" gets run through the old Scrooge wringer, with a series of spirits pointing out the mistakes in his logic & presenting revealing histories and potential futures. Some good points are made regarding college professors and the film puts the recently highly revered Jimmy Carter in a very interesting light. I try to have an open mind, and I don't think I know enough about anything to have a political opinion worth mentioning, but I don't think I would have even given this a second glance without my more comedy-appreciative friend's insistence.
The Karate Kid (1984)
The case of PBR was about pilfered by the end of the first film, and the company was getting slightly out of hand, but even though I hadn't seen this before I think I gathered the gist of it, plus of course I knew the premise going in. It's definitely a good clean fun PG 80s coming of age flick with a good spicing of action. In particular I enjoyed the very neat, clever transition from slave labor to combat training. Fun fact - Pat Morita was a comedian in San Francisco, complete with slightly effiminate very American accent, and was originally thought to be a strange choice for the role, but the character he came up with seemingly out of nowhere is definitely one of those memorable father figures you won't forget.
-------------------------
I did conceed and buy flower (PS3 via PSN) today, and it's definitely more longevitous and enjoyable than the studio's predecessor flow. I'm only halfway through and it's already taken a strangely dark turn, and I anxiously await the hinted at meeting of the dual contrasting settings. Best sixaxis controls yet, I think. Now if I can just overcome the urge to trade in Soul Calibur IV for Street Fighter IV...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
netflix barrage 004 - the fun?
Who says my random little movie review blog has to be serious? Hpnotiq and a lil bottle of Jack Daniels accompany these viewings.
Say Anything... (1989)
John Cusack blunders & blubbers his way through this enjoyable 80s teen romcom. The representation of how a breakup affects a guy really ring accurate. The famous boombox-over-head scene , like many similarly famous scenes, is kind of stuck in there non-chalantly I think. Not to mention the song (In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel) he was playing has been burned out in my mind via work muzak. Also strange that the movie's title phrase is more often uttered by the girl to her father.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
Elrond aka Agent Smith aka Hugo Weaving in Drag. Wow, didn't expect that to be the first thing I saw in this movie (not sure what I Did have in mind though...). A definite interesting variation on the standard road movie. Unfortunately, I didn't see how this darkly comic (and just plain dark at times) romp through the Australian desert turned out, since I was very tired. All I can gather from wiki that I missed is some kooky plot twist. Cos I know pills are my favorite breakfast.
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Tim Burton masterfully crafts a cheesy, hilarious bloodthirsty alien apocalypse for our eyes, accompanied theramintastically for our ears by Danny Elfman. As if the quacky alien language wasn't funny enough, there's some great comic timing and suspense when the aliens tactfully pretend to be making contact peacefully, only to unleash all hell when least expected. Danny DeVito def doesn't deserve to be on the poster though - he has maybe 60 seconds of screen time?? President Jack Nicholson's death is downright iconic btw.
The Fugitive (1993)
Harrison Ford gets his serious face on for this roller coaster thriller. After laying down just a bit of exposition, the stuff hits the fan without warning, and the crazy stuff just keeps happening. US Marshall Tommy Lee Jones definitely earns his Academy Award for Supporting Actor with one of my favorite turns of his hard biting wit. The plot twists get a little out of hand towards the end but its a good solid action movie.
Next week!
Say Anything... (1989)
John Cusack blunders & blubbers his way through this enjoyable 80s teen romcom. The representation of how a breakup affects a guy really ring accurate. The famous boombox-over-head scene , like many similarly famous scenes, is kind of stuck in there non-chalantly I think. Not to mention the song (In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel) he was playing has been burned out in my mind via work muzak. Also strange that the movie's title phrase is more often uttered by the girl to her father.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
Elrond aka Agent Smith aka Hugo Weaving in Drag. Wow, didn't expect that to be the first thing I saw in this movie (not sure what I Did have in mind though...). A definite interesting variation on the standard road movie. Unfortunately, I didn't see how this darkly comic (and just plain dark at times) romp through the Australian desert turned out, since I was very tired. All I can gather from wiki that I missed is some kooky plot twist. Cos I know pills are my favorite breakfast.
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Tim Burton masterfully crafts a cheesy, hilarious bloodthirsty alien apocalypse for our eyes, accompanied theramintastically for our ears by Danny Elfman. As if the quacky alien language wasn't funny enough, there's some great comic timing and suspense when the aliens tactfully pretend to be making contact peacefully, only to unleash all hell when least expected. Danny DeVito def doesn't deserve to be on the poster though - he has maybe 60 seconds of screen time?? President Jack Nicholson's death is downright iconic btw.
The Fugitive (1993)
Harrison Ford gets his serious face on for this roller coaster thriller. After laying down just a bit of exposition, the stuff hits the fan without warning, and the crazy stuff just keeps happening. US Marshall Tommy Lee Jones definitely earns his Academy Award for Supporting Actor with one of my favorite turns of his hard biting wit. The plot twists get a little out of hand towards the end but its a good solid action movie.
Next week!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
netflix barrage 003 - the sickly
I think this is the order we saw them in...
All viewed under the influence of a killer head cold...
Rocky (1976)
Finally saw one of the all time great sports/human struggle movies. Grittier than expected, Philly must be a rough town. The early shot with the puppies in the pet store window could have been throw-away symapathy, but the script ties it in. Beginning and ending with the famous steps is a brilliant way to show progress in the training montage. Wonder how part 2 will be.
Raising Arizona (1987)
In this indeed worthy predecessor to the likes of The Big Lebowski, a brilliantly white trash Nicolas Cage narrates his escapades involving convenience stores, a purdy police-lady, and some more well off folk undeserving of their newborn quintuplets. Succulent comedy flows in the very blood of the script, even in the names! Hilarious, despite baby content. Coen-tastic, in a word. Miller's Crossing is next, I believe.
Persepolis (2007)
My second viewing, but her first. Great contrasts between national conflicts and an (extra?)ordinary girl just trying to grow up and how children interpret what they see on TV and hear from parents. Interesting details about how politics can affect people's everyday lives and how they cope. The monochromatic animation is quite dynamic, especially during surreal-er sequences and silhouetted depictions of war. Having only seen it in French with subtitles, I am interested to hear there is indeed an English dub (featuring Sean Penn & Iggy Pop??).
Groundhog Day (1993)
Been meaning to see this for a long time now. It's truly a unique kind of movie. The premise is a once in a lifetime. Bill Murray repeats that one day many more times than I had expected. Great script going through how he would gradually go from glee to remorse to self improvement & making the best of life. Some hint of an explanation why he was repeating the day would have left the film with a bit more closure at the end, though I read there was an explanation in one version of the script - his spiteful coworker casted a voodoo spell on him *facepalm* - so no explanation is better than that.
Where The Buffalo Roam (1980)
"Remember that line in the song Home on the Range? Gonzo's all about the search for the American Dream!" this film constantly badgers you, "Well here's another kooky twist!" . Neil Young's score is but one of many annoying parts of this shoddy Hunter S. Thompson... biopic? I'm happy to read that, as well as critics, Thompson himself hated the film and its "bad, dumb, low-level, low-rent script." Perhaps I should have been inebriated for this one, the producers apparently were. Bill Murray as this gun-toting, drug-experimenting maniac does have a few brief shining moments, but definitely shy towards the 1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. But once you do you can't go back to this.
The Machinist (2004)
An emaciated Non-F-Bomb-Dropping Christian Bale stars in this brooding thriller, one of those great ones that really turns everything on its ear in the final windup. The colors are (usually, unless the mood calls for otherwise) washed the heck out, loads of grit & grain all over the place, great style. Perhaps I should check out some of director Brad Anderson's other work?
Hmm... wonder what's next...
All viewed under the influence of a killer head cold...
Rocky (1976)
Finally saw one of the all time great sports/human struggle movies. Grittier than expected, Philly must be a rough town. The early shot with the puppies in the pet store window could have been throw-away symapathy, but the script ties it in. Beginning and ending with the famous steps is a brilliant way to show progress in the training montage. Wonder how part 2 will be.
Raising Arizona (1987)
In this indeed worthy predecessor to the likes of The Big Lebowski, a brilliantly white trash Nicolas Cage narrates his escapades involving convenience stores, a purdy police-lady, and some more well off folk undeserving of their newborn quintuplets. Succulent comedy flows in the very blood of the script, even in the names! Hilarious, despite baby content. Coen-tastic, in a word. Miller's Crossing is next, I believe.
Persepolis (2007)
My second viewing, but her first. Great contrasts between national conflicts and an (extra?)ordinary girl just trying to grow up and how children interpret what they see on TV and hear from parents. Interesting details about how politics can affect people's everyday lives and how they cope. The monochromatic animation is quite dynamic, especially during surreal-er sequences and silhouetted depictions of war. Having only seen it in French with subtitles, I am interested to hear there is indeed an English dub (featuring Sean Penn & Iggy Pop??).
Groundhog Day (1993)
Been meaning to see this for a long time now. It's truly a unique kind of movie. The premise is a once in a lifetime. Bill Murray repeats that one day many more times than I had expected. Great script going through how he would gradually go from glee to remorse to self improvement & making the best of life. Some hint of an explanation why he was repeating the day would have left the film with a bit more closure at the end, though I read there was an explanation in one version of the script - his spiteful coworker casted a voodoo spell on him *facepalm* - so no explanation is better than that.
Where The Buffalo Roam (1980)
"Remember that line in the song Home on the Range? Gonzo's all about the search for the American Dream!" this film constantly badgers you, "Well here's another kooky twist!" . Neil Young's score is but one of many annoying parts of this shoddy Hunter S. Thompson... biopic? I'm happy to read that, as well as critics, Thompson himself hated the film and its "bad, dumb, low-level, low-rent script." Perhaps I should have been inebriated for this one, the producers apparently were. Bill Murray as this gun-toting, drug-experimenting maniac does have a few brief shining moments, but definitely shy towards the 1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. But once you do you can't go back to this.
The Machinist (2004)
An emaciated Non-F-Bomb-Dropping Christian Bale stars in this brooding thriller, one of those great ones that really turns everything on its ear in the final windup. The colors are (usually, unless the mood calls for otherwise) washed the heck out, loads of grit & grain all over the place, great style. Perhaps I should check out some of director Brad Anderson's other work?
Hmm... wonder what's next...
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