The Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, minus the Sharks, Red Wings, Avalanche, Maple Leafs, and Blues. As I write this, the second round has started with the Stars and Mighty Ducks in triple overtime on the verge of a fourth one. The Ducks looked like they won Game 1 but their overtime goal was disallowed when a Ducks player slightly tipped the net upward as the puck entered the net. Geez, unless the net is knocked out of the way, that goal should have been counted. That rule is ridiculous. Remember that rule if you had your skate in any part of the crease, a goal would be disallowed even if you were away from the play? At least they fixed that. Hopefully, they'll fix this one.
I will say that the Ducks' goalie Giguere is a machine out there. He stops almost everything shot at him.
Even more amazing than the Ducks' run in the playoffs? The Orioles are one game above 500. Now that's shock and awe.
Speaking of the war, I guess it's pretty much over. What have we learned? Iraq gave up way too easily. None of the apocalyptic predictions of chemical weapons everywhere and oil wells burning. Instead, everything happened exactly how the Bush administration predicted, minus the discovery of weapons of mass destruction. Without that smoking gun, Americans will never figure out why we started this war except for the removal of Saddam Hussein, where evidence finally suggests he may have been killed. Now the President can focus on other problems, like the economy.
No wonder France and Germany were afraid of war. We've fought in Iraq twice. We may be going to Korea again. We're just going backwards in war history.
SARS is scaring the hell out of people. Masks are being worn. Obsessive hand-washing has temporarily become a sane activity. Just the mere talk of it scares people. We had a good discussion about it in Econ class (uh, it was about the economic effects) and right after, some student had a coughing attack. The looks on the other students' faces were just priceless. A bit of good news: one of CNN's anchors asked what countries were doing a good job in controlling the virus. First country out of the expert's mouth: Vietnam.
Berkeley mayor Tom Bates spent a night as a homeless guy, sleeping in the park down the street from where I live. Sure, the conditions were better than what a normal homeless guy would go through, but maybe it will be a wake-up call to provide more funding for the homeless, estimated at about 1,000 in the city.
My smart cousin has chosen Berkeley as her school of choice for the coming year. Okay, maybe not the smartest of moves but hey, whatever suits her. She'll be welcomed here and her parents will probably mention it every chance they get like my parents have, to great humiliation for the student.
Okay, that's it. Now, I'm off, $25 richer. My rent was actually lowered. I guess that's what I get for just getting a doormat from the landlord this year.
4/24/2003
4/19/2003
Bend It Like Beckham and Better Luck Tomorrow
Two movies released recently deal with teenagers and their new role in a changing society. One tries to break out of a strict regiment of culture and family values to pursue her dreams while the other takes advantage of the stereotypes forced upon him to wield power in order to identify who he is. Both are well-done.
In Bend It Like Beckham, Jesminder Bhamra is an Indian teenage girl who idolizes English soccer star David Beckham and dreams of playing in a soccer league one day. Holding her back are her parents, deep with Indian traditions while living in England, who opposes her soccer play and wishes she could focus more on home, family, and her future university studies. One day, while playing soccer with some of her friends, an English girl by the name of Jules likes her play and convinces Jess to join her team. She reluctantly agrees but is forced to keep it a secret from her parents, knowing how they'd react. But like all parents do, they find out and with Jess' sister getting married, they believe this is no time to be bothered by sports and forbids her to go with them. Even so, it doesn't stop Jess to continue on, eventually sneaking out to travel with the team to Germany and develop a crush on the Irish coach Joe. On the other side of the coin, the movie also follows Jules, whose mother is worried she won't grow up to be married and have a family because of her preoccupation with the game of soccer. While both excel on the field of play, the game of trying to convince their parents that soccer will better their lives leads to more arguments than appeasements.
First and foremost, it's a study of individualism and how far they can go until they are restrained. But the story is told with such lightheartedness and humor that it is an enjoyable film to watch. Director Gurinder Chadha gives her film a sense of authenticity by inserting the subtle nuances of the Indian culture and celebrates them instead of portraying them as a hindrance to Jess' dreams. It shows you too can have it both ways as long as both sides give up a little something in return. Sure, the formula for this kind of resolution seems to be a cliche in movies these days, but the execution in this film is nearly flawless and its humor makes it that more enjoyable to watch.
Better Luck Tomorrow has Asian teenagers also following their dreams, but no adult to keep them on the beaten path. It's expected of them to get into the Ivy League college of their choice and become a doctor or an electrical engineer and as long as they get the grades, they're free to do as they wish. And while that may involve playing tennis or joining the math club and devoting all other time to their studies, Ben Manibag and his group of friends decide to break the stereotype and use it to their advantage. What awaits them is a life full of freedom. After writing cheat sheets, dealing drugs, and collecting boxes full of cash, they're on a power high, among other highs. In Ben's case, his life has turned from a guy itching to get a perfect score on his SAT's, being Employee of the Month at the local hot dog shop, and trying to climb the ladder on his basketball team for the sake of his transcript to a life of cocaine, stealing, and sex. It also has brought all of them respect among their peers. Through it all, Ben has developed a crush on his lab partner, Stephanie, who is already in a relationship with Steve, a rich private school guy. Though Ben knows Steve's been cheating on Stephanie, he decides to keep quiet. With all of this stress, it soon catches up with Ben and he decides to get out of it. Instead, he was already in too deep as it was and all the power that he left behind catches up to him, with disastrous consequences for him and all closely connected to him.
With the pressures of schoolwork, it's hard to establish an identity in the world. Asians seem to conform with the expectation that all are educated and expected to be successful in the world. But without direction, young high schoolers like the ones in the movie suffer with not knowing why they are expected to do this. I'm supposed to be a doctor? So what? It's a great coming-of-age film showcasing the dangers of exploiting what they have to offer to the world without first examining the morality of what they're doing. Justin Lin exudes a sense of confidence in his direction, never breaking the pace while also teaching us a few vocabulary words along the way. The constant messages are pounded into us to convey that brutal honesty this movie gets across. But serious issues call for a serious movie, and though bits of humor, like the ones directed toward these Asian stereotypes, are funny to see, at other times, humor is used to break tension in a scene, getting some uneasy laughs from the audience. This humor also hides the troubling message of covering up misdeeds, which they are consistently successful at, including their final crime. A film that prides itself at painting a devastating honest picture on Asian may be stretching their luck a little.
The question trying to be answered is loud and clear throughout the movie: Who am I? The answer given? That's for you to find out.
P.S. If my high school had an academic decathalon club like the one depicted in the movie, I'd certainly sign up.
Bend It Like Beckham: 3.5 stars
Better Luck Tomorrow: 3 stars
Two movies released recently deal with teenagers and their new role in a changing society. One tries to break out of a strict regiment of culture and family values to pursue her dreams while the other takes advantage of the stereotypes forced upon him to wield power in order to identify who he is. Both are well-done.
In Bend It Like Beckham, Jesminder Bhamra is an Indian teenage girl who idolizes English soccer star David Beckham and dreams of playing in a soccer league one day. Holding her back are her parents, deep with Indian traditions while living in England, who opposes her soccer play and wishes she could focus more on home, family, and her future university studies. One day, while playing soccer with some of her friends, an English girl by the name of Jules likes her play and convinces Jess to join her team. She reluctantly agrees but is forced to keep it a secret from her parents, knowing how they'd react. But like all parents do, they find out and with Jess' sister getting married, they believe this is no time to be bothered by sports and forbids her to go with them. Even so, it doesn't stop Jess to continue on, eventually sneaking out to travel with the team to Germany and develop a crush on the Irish coach Joe. On the other side of the coin, the movie also follows Jules, whose mother is worried she won't grow up to be married and have a family because of her preoccupation with the game of soccer. While both excel on the field of play, the game of trying to convince their parents that soccer will better their lives leads to more arguments than appeasements.
First and foremost, it's a study of individualism and how far they can go until they are restrained. But the story is told with such lightheartedness and humor that it is an enjoyable film to watch. Director Gurinder Chadha gives her film a sense of authenticity by inserting the subtle nuances of the Indian culture and celebrates them instead of portraying them as a hindrance to Jess' dreams. It shows you too can have it both ways as long as both sides give up a little something in return. Sure, the formula for this kind of resolution seems to be a cliche in movies these days, but the execution in this film is nearly flawless and its humor makes it that more enjoyable to watch.
Better Luck Tomorrow has Asian teenagers also following their dreams, but no adult to keep them on the beaten path. It's expected of them to get into the Ivy League college of their choice and become a doctor or an electrical engineer and as long as they get the grades, they're free to do as they wish. And while that may involve playing tennis or joining the math club and devoting all other time to their studies, Ben Manibag and his group of friends decide to break the stereotype and use it to their advantage. What awaits them is a life full of freedom. After writing cheat sheets, dealing drugs, and collecting boxes full of cash, they're on a power high, among other highs. In Ben's case, his life has turned from a guy itching to get a perfect score on his SAT's, being Employee of the Month at the local hot dog shop, and trying to climb the ladder on his basketball team for the sake of his transcript to a life of cocaine, stealing, and sex. It also has brought all of them respect among their peers. Through it all, Ben has developed a crush on his lab partner, Stephanie, who is already in a relationship with Steve, a rich private school guy. Though Ben knows Steve's been cheating on Stephanie, he decides to keep quiet. With all of this stress, it soon catches up with Ben and he decides to get out of it. Instead, he was already in too deep as it was and all the power that he left behind catches up to him, with disastrous consequences for him and all closely connected to him.
With the pressures of schoolwork, it's hard to establish an identity in the world. Asians seem to conform with the expectation that all are educated and expected to be successful in the world. But without direction, young high schoolers like the ones in the movie suffer with not knowing why they are expected to do this. I'm supposed to be a doctor? So what? It's a great coming-of-age film showcasing the dangers of exploiting what they have to offer to the world without first examining the morality of what they're doing. Justin Lin exudes a sense of confidence in his direction, never breaking the pace while also teaching us a few vocabulary words along the way. The constant messages are pounded into us to convey that brutal honesty this movie gets across. But serious issues call for a serious movie, and though bits of humor, like the ones directed toward these Asian stereotypes, are funny to see, at other times, humor is used to break tension in a scene, getting some uneasy laughs from the audience. This humor also hides the troubling message of covering up misdeeds, which they are consistently successful at, including their final crime. A film that prides itself at painting a devastating honest picture on Asian may be stretching their luck a little.
The question trying to be answered is loud and clear throughout the movie: Who am I? The answer given? That's for you to find out.
P.S. If my high school had an academic decathalon club like the one depicted in the movie, I'd certainly sign up.
Bend It Like Beckham: 3.5 stars
Better Luck Tomorrow: 3 stars
Anger Management
Adam Sandler plays Dave Buznik, an executive assistant who has been content to keep his emotions bottled in for all his life. The person who cares about him most, his girlfriend played by Marisa Tomei, is obviously worried. A freak confrontation aboard an airplane and a court order to seek anger management force him to seek the services of Buddy Rydell, an anger management specialist played by Jack Nicholson. However, one session later, things go horribly awry that the judge sees it fit for Rydell to use intensive techniques. This involves bunking with Buznik and following his every movement while singing the words to "I Am Pretty." Eventually, he is forced to confront his boss, his childhood nemesis, and others to go through experiences he would have otherwise chickened out of. In the end, Buznik is better from it and everyone more or less ends up happy instead of angry.
As far as comedies go, this isn't a laugh-a-minute movie. It seems to try too hard in setting up and executing their jokes that it isn't as funny as it potentially could have been. Both Sandler and Nicholson seem to hold back on their comedic and psychotic potentials respectively. A more over-the-top performance by both instead of restrained ones probably would have made the film funnier. Tomei and most of the supporting cast are also vastly under-utilized. But they did get a lot of people to do cameos to make up for it including Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In the end, it's a funny movie with some good ideas that are probably hilarious when read in a script but just okay when you see the actors on screen performing it. 2.5 stars
Adam Sandler plays Dave Buznik, an executive assistant who has been content to keep his emotions bottled in for all his life. The person who cares about him most, his girlfriend played by Marisa Tomei, is obviously worried. A freak confrontation aboard an airplane and a court order to seek anger management force him to seek the services of Buddy Rydell, an anger management specialist played by Jack Nicholson. However, one session later, things go horribly awry that the judge sees it fit for Rydell to use intensive techniques. This involves bunking with Buznik and following his every movement while singing the words to "I Am Pretty." Eventually, he is forced to confront his boss, his childhood nemesis, and others to go through experiences he would have otherwise chickened out of. In the end, Buznik is better from it and everyone more or less ends up happy instead of angry.
As far as comedies go, this isn't a laugh-a-minute movie. It seems to try too hard in setting up and executing their jokes that it isn't as funny as it potentially could have been. Both Sandler and Nicholson seem to hold back on their comedic and psychotic potentials respectively. A more over-the-top performance by both instead of restrained ones probably would have made the film funnier. Tomei and most of the supporting cast are also vastly under-utilized. But they did get a lot of people to do cameos to make up for it including Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In the end, it's a funny movie with some good ideas that are probably hilarious when read in a script but just okay when you see the actors on screen performing it. 2.5 stars
4/18/2003
May's coming up really quick which will unofficially start the summer movie season. Here's a preview of the movies I'll probably be watching plus others that are making headlines this summer.
X2: X-Men United - It sure is a lame title, but the previews promise that this will be a more worthwhile adventure than its disappointing first outing. Professor Xavier's school finds itself under attack after a former military leader wants to get rid of all mutants. (May 2)
The Lizzie McGuire Movie - Hilary Duff has made it into the big leagues. Her whole career revolves around Lizzie McGuire from how she became famous to the start of her singing career. It's only natural that Disney wants to see how she does in the feature film market. She experienced mild success co-starring with Frankie Muniz in Agent Cody Banks and this starring role should perform even better, but please, someone tell her to stop singing. (May 2)
The Dancer Upstairs - John Malkovich's directorial debut starring Javier Bardem as a Latin American police officer with a mysterious ballet teacher by his side. (May 2)
Daddy Day Care - Eddie Murphy tries to forget a horrible 2002 (I Spy, The Adventures of Pluto Nash) by going back to family comedies, in this case, he starts a day care business. (May 9)
The Matrix Reloaded - The second part of what's going to be one of the best trilogies ever made. More humans are waking up from the Matrix and joining the resistance movement as Neo, Morpheus and Trinity lead the charge. (May 15)
Down with Love - Renee Zellweger chooses this as her follow-up to her Oscar-nominated performance in Chicago, starring with Moulin Rouge's Ewan McGregor in this romantic comedy. (May 16)
Pokemon Heroes - Remember when this used to be popular? Thought so. (May 16)
Bruce Almighty - Jim Carrey is God for a week. Hijinx follow. Jennifer Aniston co-stars. (May 23)
The In-Laws - Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas star in this comedy about a podiatrist and a daredevil CIA agent whose children are to be married. (May 23)
Finding Nemo - Pixar's latest animation creation about a fish finding its way home. (May 30)
The Italian Job - Edward Norton is in another heist movie, this time with Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron who steal a bunch of gold and drive away in a sea of green lights. (May 30)
2 Fast 2 Furious - The anticipated sequel to The Fast and the Furious finds the film without major draw Vin Diesel. However, the title itself should be enough to sell more than enough tickets. (June 6)
Prozac Nation - Christina Ricci's film of depression and drugs is finally released after languishing on the studio shelf. (June 6-Selected Cities)
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd - Where the original was dumb and funny, this prequel is truly dumb. (June 13)
From Justin to Kelly - American Idol's first finalists hit the big screen. Cover your ears. (June 13)
Hollywood Homicide - Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett team up to investigate the murder of a rap group on a concert stage. (June 13)
The Hulk - You remember him, big green guy. Always rips his shirts. Yeah, well, he gets a live action 21st century update by Crouching Dragon director Ang Lee. (June 20)
Alex & Emma - A Rob Reiner-directed romantic comedy starring Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson about Fyodor Dostoyevsky's love life. (June 20)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - The trio of ladies is back, this time with Bernie Mac as Bosley. In this adventure, someone has stolen a witness protection list and summarily eliminating people on that list. (June 27)
28 Days Later - From the director of Trainspotting comes a post-apocalyptic view of the world after a deadly virus hits. Timely subject matter, is it not? (June 27)
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde - Reese Witherspoon reprises her role to run for Congress and have her voice heard on animal rights. (July 2)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Out-of-work comedian on a worldwide tour who...oh wait, wrong Sinbad. This one is about the famous Arabian sailor who travels to the realm of Eris to prove his innocence, going through obstacles along the way. (July 2)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Terminator again. You thought he died in the second one? Ha. Well, now he's back and out to stop a highly advanced female terminator. (July 2)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Not just a Disney theme park ride anymore, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom try to stop evil pirates. (July 9)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - A band of fictional literary characters set in the Victorian Era out to battle evil. Sean Connery stars. (July 11)
Bad Boys II - Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles as Miami cops. Director Michael Bay is also back. The trailer makes this movie promising. (July 18)
Exorcist: The Beginning - The original, while excellent in its time, has gotten stale like the sequels it has spawned. This one will try to reverse the trend. (July 18)
Johnny English - Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) plays a bumbling English diplomat mistaken as a top-level spy. If it's half as funny as Mr. Bean, this will be a comedic success. The early reviews from England shows that this will be true. (July 18)
How to Deal - If its awful trailer is any indication, young teenage girls will just have to flock to this Mandy Moore starrer. (July 18)
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life - Angelina Jolie goes hunting for Pandora's Box. The original was pretty horrendous, so this can't be any worse right? (July 25)
Seabiscuit - With the 2004 Oscars coming a month earlier, Oscar season starts early with this film about a race horse based on the book with the same name. It's considered one of the early favorites for awards. (July 25)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over - The first movie had a story, but its sequel didn't, meaning its hook was the many gizmos they made up. The same will probably be true for this one, so the hook will be the 3-D glasses needed to see part of the film. (July 25)
American Wedding - A seemingly high-class title to describe the antics of American Pie 3. The gang reunites as Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) marry. (August 1)
Freaky Friday - A remake of the 1977 hit that starred Jodie Foster, now stars Lindsay Lohan (The Parent Trap) and mother Jamie Lee Curtis who switch bodies. (August 1)
Gigli - The first creation of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez is this film. Word has it there's no chemistry between the two but we'll be the judge. (August 1)
Matchstick Men - Nicolas Cage and director Ridley Scott team up in this film about an obsessive-compulsive con man whose life is turned upside down with the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had. (August 8)
S.W.A.T. - A high-profile young cast led by Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell sees L.A's S.W.A.T. team used to protect a high-profile criminal. (August 8)
The Fighting Temptations - Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles star in a drama in which Gooding must lead a gospel choir to success to earn an inheritance. (August 8)
Le Divorce - Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson in France looking for love. (August 8)
Freddy vs. Jason - Really, haven't we had enough of this? (August 15)
The Medallion - Jackie Chan uses a medallion among other things to subdue his enemies. Hey, at least it's not a tuxedo. (August 15)
My Boss's Daughter - Comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Tara Reid in which Kutcher tries to win the heart of Reid while he housesits the boss' house. (August 22)
Jeepers Creepers II - Mildly successful original leads to a sequel of the horror movie. (August 29)
Release dates subject to change.
4/15/2003
As the war winds down, it's hard to forget the moments of comic relief given by the Iraqi Information Minister. While the American media documented countless cases of coalition triumphs, the Information Minister flatly denied anything happened and insisted the Iraqis had fought them off and killed them in a last-ditch effort to inspire the Iraqis to rise up against the infidels who were invading the country. He hasn't been seen for a few days but his words will last for a long time.
Here a few choice quotes that to us here seem hilarious; a vast number more can be found at this link.
"Even those who live on another planet, if there are such people, would have condemned this action before it started."
"Bush, Blair and Rumsfeld. They are the funny trio."
Any apparent American gains, he said, were a cunning ploy by the Iraqis to lure the enemy into a trap. "Our armed forces, according to their tactics, are leaving the way open."
About Bush and Rumsfeld: "Those only deserve to be hit with shoes."
"Bush is a very stupid man. The American people are not stupid, they are very clever. I can't understand how such clever people came to elect such a stupid president."
"Those Iraqi fighters are slapping those gangsters on the face, and then when they flee, they will kick their backsides."
"We're going to drag the drunken junkie nose of Bush through Iraq's desert, him and his follower dog Blair...There are 26 million Saddams in Iraq."
"Iraqi fighters in Umm Qasr are giving the hordes of American and Brtish mercenaries the taste of definite death. We have drawn them into a quagmire and they will never get out of it."
"The United Nations....[is] a place for prostitution under the feet of Americans."
"It has been rumored that we have fired scud missiles into Kuwait. I am here now to tell you, we do not have any scud missiles and I don't know why they were fired into Kuwait."
"We will kill them all........most of them."
[On surrenders] "Those are not Iraqi soldiers at all. Where did they bring them from?"
"You can go and visit those places. Nothing there, nothing at all. There are Iraqi checkpoints. Everything is okay."
Here a few choice quotes that to us here seem hilarious; a vast number more can be found at this link.
"Even those who live on another planet, if there are such people, would have condemned this action before it started."
"Bush, Blair and Rumsfeld. They are the funny trio."
Any apparent American gains, he said, were a cunning ploy by the Iraqis to lure the enemy into a trap. "Our armed forces, according to their tactics, are leaving the way open."
About Bush and Rumsfeld: "Those only deserve to be hit with shoes."
"Bush is a very stupid man. The American people are not stupid, they are very clever. I can't understand how such clever people came to elect such a stupid president."
"Those Iraqi fighters are slapping those gangsters on the face, and then when they flee, they will kick their backsides."
"We're going to drag the drunken junkie nose of Bush through Iraq's desert, him and his follower dog Blair...There are 26 million Saddams in Iraq."
"Iraqi fighters in Umm Qasr are giving the hordes of American and Brtish mercenaries the taste of definite death. We have drawn them into a quagmire and they will never get out of it."
"The United Nations....[is] a place for prostitution under the feet of Americans."
"It has been rumored that we have fired scud missiles into Kuwait. I am here now to tell you, we do not have any scud missiles and I don't know why they were fired into Kuwait."
"We will kill them all........most of them."
[On surrenders] "Those are not Iraqi soldiers at all. Where did they bring them from?"
"You can go and visit those places. Nothing there, nothing at all. There are Iraqi checkpoints. Everything is okay."
4/12/2003
So there I was, in the middle of sleeping when all of a sudden, the phone rings. It's 8:00am, who would be calling at this hour? It's an old friend of mine from the hospital days. What the heck does he want? He's comin to Cal, and not surprisingly, comin to Cal Day and wants to hang out. Geez, he couldn't have called later, or earlier in the week? So even after I made fun of the poor souls who had to go to Cal Day, I myself made my way up the low incline to Ha-Haas to await for him to come out of the speech by the chancellor. Right when the huge crowd was starting to make their way out, a huge downpour started to fall. The crowd, predictably, was none too pleased. One girl who passed wondered when she could get to go to the Stanfurd day, or whatever they call it. The rest of the morning was just as dreary and all the booths I passed tried to stay cheerful as they tried to pass along their information or sell their stuff. One line empty was the bbq line where first of all, it's raining, and second, no one wants to pay $7 for a hamburger. Other than that, people were all too interested, even the math line, where people were fascinated in hearing about the math major. Along with the Cal spirit, no visit to Berkeley would be complete without a protest and there was a nice, loud one advocating the removal of the ROTC from the UC campus.
As the rain continued, places with roofs were very crowded. Library tours were packed. The cable cars were standing room only. The student store actually had people buying stuff. By noon, I left my friend, who was tired of the rain and saw all he needed to see. He saw the small dorms, bland Evans Hall, and all the construction going on. So it's either this or UCLA. Yes, the latter choice looks so much better.
As the rain continued, places with roofs were very crowded. Library tours were packed. The cable cars were standing room only. The student store actually had people buying stuff. By noon, I left my friend, who was tired of the rain and saw all he needed to see. He saw the small dorms, bland Evans Hall, and all the construction going on. So it's either this or UCLA. Yes, the latter choice looks so much better.
4/10/2003
And so ends another week and what a way to finish, two midterms! One was kinda OK and the other was better than last time, but still not very good. Hopefully, I'll luck out. I am way behind in every class so I'm staying here this weekend, but apparently I chose the wrong weekend to stay. This Saturday is CAL day, a time when all the little would-be freshmen get to come to campus and see what the best of Berkeley is, choosing to let them wait in suspense until the school year starts to see how bad things can get. From what I remember, Cal Day was a time to listen to the chancellor and walk around the campus. And that's about it. It's really for the kids. What does that mean for me? Crowded streets, crowded restaurants, lost people wondering where the heck Sproul Hall is. If you're rangled in to volunteer on this day, pray that you're stationed indoors and not on one of those walking tours.
Besides, I know all of you will be staying home to watch The Masters, right?
Or watching The Matrix: Reloaded trailer over and over and over and over and over...
One thing not going right are ASUC elections. As advanced as the Berkeley campus is, this is the first election where it's all computerized. As a result, there have been many glitches, so bad that they've extended elections until Monday. They don't even have enough computers to handle the demand. Come on, who would wait 30 minutes to vote in an election which elects people who have little or no power over anything?
Lizzie McGuire ads have been popping up all over the place. Is it humanly possible to stand on the top of your shoes with a bag in your hands?
Sean Penn's car was stolen in Berkeley in broad daylight. How weird is that?
Yasmine Bleeth was on Revealed the other night. Man, she's really let herself go.
"Holes: The book is now the movie." When was it a book?
There's something else I wanted to say but I've forgotten. Too much math stuff in my head. I'll try to remember it later.
Besides, I know all of you will be staying home to watch The Masters, right?
Or watching The Matrix: Reloaded trailer over and over and over and over and over...
One thing not going right are ASUC elections. As advanced as the Berkeley campus is, this is the first election where it's all computerized. As a result, there have been many glitches, so bad that they've extended elections until Monday. They don't even have enough computers to handle the demand. Come on, who would wait 30 minutes to vote in an election which elects people who have little or no power over anything?
Lizzie McGuire ads have been popping up all over the place. Is it humanly possible to stand on the top of your shoes with a bag in your hands?
Sean Penn's car was stolen in Berkeley in broad daylight. How weird is that?
Yasmine Bleeth was on Revealed the other night. Man, she's really let herself go.
"Holes: The book is now the movie." When was it a book?
There's something else I wanted to say but I've forgotten. Too much math stuff in my head. I'll try to remember it later.
4/08/2003
Time is short so here are some mini-reviews. For this weekend, go watch Anger Management and/or Better Luck Tomorrow. Both promise to be very good.
The Core
Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, Delroy Lindo, and others work to save the world from destruction after a secret experiment causes the earth's core to stop spinning. Plausibility aside, it's a well-intentioned idea that falls short. The special effects are hit and miss and the lines are a bit cheesy. Still, it acts as decent escapism for these trying times. 2 stars
Dreamcatcher
An alien gives powers to lifelong friends while the military led by Morgan Freeman aim to destroy them. How could many fine actors with a story written by Stephen King be involved with such a horrible movie? The ending just comes out of nowhere and you have no idea why various things have happened. 0.5 stars
Head of State
Chris Rock plays an alderman who's chosen to run for President. Good, funny jokes are found in this picture, but some of these jokes are distasteful and others are replayed over and over again throughout the movie. If you like Chris Rock's comedy, as I do, you'll enjoy the movie. 2.5 stars
The Core
Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, Delroy Lindo, and others work to save the world from destruction after a secret experiment causes the earth's core to stop spinning. Plausibility aside, it's a well-intentioned idea that falls short. The special effects are hit and miss and the lines are a bit cheesy. Still, it acts as decent escapism for these trying times. 2 stars
Dreamcatcher
An alien gives powers to lifelong friends while the military led by Morgan Freeman aim to destroy them. How could many fine actors with a story written by Stephen King be involved with such a horrible movie? The ending just comes out of nowhere and you have no idea why various things have happened. 0.5 stars
Head of State
Chris Rock plays an alderman who's chosen to run for President. Good, funny jokes are found in this picture, but some of these jokes are distasteful and others are replayed over and over again throughout the movie. If you like Chris Rock's comedy, as I do, you'll enjoy the movie. 2.5 stars
What does suspended license, no registration, and a drunk add up to? Accident. And the victim was my friend's car, innocently parked in front of his house. Jon's taking it pretty well, but people like these shouldn't be out on the streets to begin with. Luckily, the car wasn't totalled and it should be fixed.
Moving on, the Chronicle published an advertisment by a group calling for the impeachment of President Bush and his top advisers. This is just wrong. Sure, you have the right to voice your opinion, but now that we're in the thick of it, we need to be united on this country's cause or else we'll be divided and open to attack. Let's see how this plays out and if things turn out for the worse, the chances of which are diminishing rapidly, then you'd have a case for impeachment.
You know those Russian dolls that have like 6 figurines in one big figurine? Rumor has it that this will be the next bobblehead and be distributed by various sports teams in the coming months. When did going to sports events mean receiving children's toys?
The beginning of the end has arrived. ASUC elections are starting tomorrow. The weird campaigning will be over. ASUC articles such as the one about how parties aim to receive the most votes to win will be dropped in favor of other ones. But now, in the last hours of it, they've started making promises that they probably have no intention on carrying out. It seems to me that the ASUC exists solely to collect money and distribute it to groups. What does that have to do with stopping the war? I have no idea and I don't think one of the candidates would know either, even with his new position at the ASUC that he's running for. Fighting the fee increase? Every student hates to pay more, making this promise a no-brainer. A better promise to make is to try to lessen the cuts the UC must make that the fee increase is compensating for. Free or even discounted BART? Not in our lifetime. The 17% one-time discount per semester is already considered generous by the BART board. How will I vote? If I find time to, it'll be for the people who haven't bothered me during the campaigning.
Moving on, the Chronicle published an advertisment by a group calling for the impeachment of President Bush and his top advisers. This is just wrong. Sure, you have the right to voice your opinion, but now that we're in the thick of it, we need to be united on this country's cause or else we'll be divided and open to attack. Let's see how this plays out and if things turn out for the worse, the chances of which are diminishing rapidly, then you'd have a case for impeachment.
You know those Russian dolls that have like 6 figurines in one big figurine? Rumor has it that this will be the next bobblehead and be distributed by various sports teams in the coming months. When did going to sports events mean receiving children's toys?
The beginning of the end has arrived. ASUC elections are starting tomorrow. The weird campaigning will be over. ASUC articles such as the one about how parties aim to receive the most votes to win will be dropped in favor of other ones. But now, in the last hours of it, they've started making promises that they probably have no intention on carrying out. It seems to me that the ASUC exists solely to collect money and distribute it to groups. What does that have to do with stopping the war? I have no idea and I don't think one of the candidates would know either, even with his new position at the ASUC that he's running for. Fighting the fee increase? Every student hates to pay more, making this promise a no-brainer. A better promise to make is to try to lessen the cuts the UC must make that the fee increase is compensating for. Free or even discounted BART? Not in our lifetime. The 17% one-time discount per semester is already considered generous by the BART board. How will I vote? If I find time to, it'll be for the people who haven't bothered me during the campaigning.
4/03/2003
Phone Booth
"Who do you think you are?" asks the billboard behind the phone booth. Colin Farrell is forced to ask both a sniper and himself this question to try to get out of the nightmare he's put himself in.
Farrell plays Stuart Shepard, a hard-working publicist who lies and deceives his way into the big leagues. Now, he enjoys a nice life with many connections throughout the city and a loving wife at home. He's also seeing someone else, Pam, played by Katie Holmes in a very small role. This has made him a target of one particular sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) who preys upon people who have done bad things in their lives. After he enters this phone booth where he calls Pam to avoid his wife Kelly to see the calls on his cell phone, he receives a call from the sniper, and soon becomes the target. Things get more complicated when the sniper shoots an innocent bouncer in the street, something witnesses believe Stu did himself. What ensues is a dangerous game where Stu must negotiate his way out of the nightmare he's in with the sniper while the police surround him with guns in hand waiting for him to come out. All that the sniper wants is for Stu to fess up to all that can hear the sound of his voice, including Pam and Kelly who have now joined the scene and unknowingly have become targets themselves. How will Stu get out of this one? Only time will tell, and that's almost run out.
In terms of execution, the film is excellent. The action is non-stop and the tension is high. You can't take your eyes off it, eagerly awaiting what comes next. Credit director Joel Schumacher, who will get praise for this after duds like Bad Company, 8MM, and Batman & Robin. It's a simple story where every step leads to a more complicated situation. Will he step away? Will he use the gun and take matters into his own hands? One minor quibble is the motivation for the sniper to do this. Sure, having a mistress is bad to have, but is it really worth choosing life or death over it? There are far worse people he could be targeting. But still, it's all too riveting for someone to overlook this film. 3 stars
"Who do you think you are?" asks the billboard behind the phone booth. Colin Farrell is forced to ask both a sniper and himself this question to try to get out of the nightmare he's put himself in.
Farrell plays Stuart Shepard, a hard-working publicist who lies and deceives his way into the big leagues. Now, he enjoys a nice life with many connections throughout the city and a loving wife at home. He's also seeing someone else, Pam, played by Katie Holmes in a very small role. This has made him a target of one particular sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) who preys upon people who have done bad things in their lives. After he enters this phone booth where he calls Pam to avoid his wife Kelly to see the calls on his cell phone, he receives a call from the sniper, and soon becomes the target. Things get more complicated when the sniper shoots an innocent bouncer in the street, something witnesses believe Stu did himself. What ensues is a dangerous game where Stu must negotiate his way out of the nightmare he's in with the sniper while the police surround him with guns in hand waiting for him to come out. All that the sniper wants is for Stu to fess up to all that can hear the sound of his voice, including Pam and Kelly who have now joined the scene and unknowingly have become targets themselves. How will Stu get out of this one? Only time will tell, and that's almost run out.
In terms of execution, the film is excellent. The action is non-stop and the tension is high. You can't take your eyes off it, eagerly awaiting what comes next. Credit director Joel Schumacher, who will get praise for this after duds like Bad Company, 8MM, and Batman & Robin. It's a simple story where every step leads to a more complicated situation. Will he step away? Will he use the gun and take matters into his own hands? One minor quibble is the motivation for the sniper to do this. Sure, having a mistress is bad to have, but is it really worth choosing life or death over it? There are far worse people he could be targeting. But still, it's all too riveting for someone to overlook this film. 3 stars
The demolition of Stanley Hall in Berkeley has begun. It's not every day a building falls, but it's better in a controlled environment than in an earthquake. The building had been deemed very unsafe by earthquake experts. I only had one class in there but you could tell it was standing on toothpicks. In its place will be a brand new building devoted to scientific research, scheduled to be completed in 2006. The picture above links to a live cam of Stanley where you can track the progress of the bulldozers. They've actually started tearing it down on the other side of the building so it just looks like nothing is happening.
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