A staggering 496 films have been released in 2003 and of the 74 I've watched, these are the top 10 of the year. Of course, as I finish watching the year's movies, this list as well as the worst list will be updated accordingly.
1. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - A triumphant end to one of the best trilogies ever made.
2. Finding Nemo - All you can ever hope for in an action adventure with the added bonus of great animation.
3. Lost in Translation - Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson masterfully show off their acting chops as they discover Japan with both hilarity and romanticism.
4. In America - The immigrant experience has never been so moving as this was.
5. Seabiscuit - Great performances from a great director document the grand horse named Seabiscuit.
6. Bend it Like Beckham - This soccer crowd-pleaser gives us both entertainment and lessons to learn in life.
7. Big Fish - Tim Burton's imagination runs wild with fantastic results.
8. Elephant - The most thought-provoking film of the year sets the stage for a discussion of how school shootings occur in the most innocent of places.
9 The Last Samurai - Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise turns in a decent performance as a Civil War soldier but Ken Watanabe's role as Katsumoto is the star of the show.
10. School of Rock - The funniest comedy of the year will have you dancing in the aisles with the music an aged rocker and school kids can make.
Of the films I have seen, these are the 10 best films of the year according to a composite ranking from 228 critics compiled by moviecitynews.com.
1. Lost in Translation
2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
3. Mystic River
4. Finding Nemo
5. In America
6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
7. 21 Grams
8. Kill Bill: Volume 1
9. Cold Mountain
10. Elephant
Armed with the same list, these are the 5 best films I haven't seen yet, but probably will.
1. American Splendor
2. Capturing the Friedmans
3. City of God
4. The Station Agent
5. House of Sand and Fog
12/31/2003
12/30/2003
Of the 70 films I've watched this year, these 10 have been judged as the worst of the year by combining the spring, summer, and fall movie rankings and seeing who fell to the bottom. Of course, I haven't seen all the movies of this year just yet and some might fall the cracks to this list soon. The top 10 can be found tomorrow.
1. Gigli - I don't know what was worse: the awful dialogue (gobble, gobble) or pretty boy Ben Affleck trying to play a tough guy.
2. The Real Cancun - Was that really the real Cancun or some sick guy's wet dream?
3. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd - When the creators and the original stars want no part of this fiasco, that really tells you something.
4. Dreamcatcher - How could so many fine actors, and a fine author in Stephen King, been involved in such crap?
5. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Like Sean Connery in the film, we're still waiting to be impressed.
6. Freddy vs. Jason - Typical slasher material leads into an awfully short "epic" battle.
7. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - The thing makes no sense and only serves as eye candy, presumably enough to satisfy some people but not this one.
8. Alex and Emma - While Kate Hudson is a beautiful presence on-screen, someone needs to get her some better material.
9. Hollywood Homicide - The funny thing about this buddy-cop comedy was that the film was at its best when the duo was separated.
10. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde - Simply changing the scenery from the first one is not the way to make a sequel.
Of the films I have seen, these are the 10 worst films of the year according to a composite ranking from 67 critics compiled by moviecitynews.com.
1. Gigli
2. Bad Boys II
3. Dreamcatcher
4. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
5. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
6. The Matrix: Revolutions
7. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
8. Alex and Emma
9. The Hulk
10. Daredevil
Armed with the same list, these are the 5 worst films I haven't seen yet and probably never will.
1. The Cat in the Hat
2. Boat Trip
3. From Justin to Kelly
4. Beyond Borders
5. The Life of David Gale
1. Gigli - I don't know what was worse: the awful dialogue (gobble, gobble) or pretty boy Ben Affleck trying to play a tough guy.
2. The Real Cancun - Was that really the real Cancun or some sick guy's wet dream?
3. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd - When the creators and the original stars want no part of this fiasco, that really tells you something.
4. Dreamcatcher - How could so many fine actors, and a fine author in Stephen King, been involved in such crap?
5. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Like Sean Connery in the film, we're still waiting to be impressed.
6. Freddy vs. Jason - Typical slasher material leads into an awfully short "epic" battle.
7. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - The thing makes no sense and only serves as eye candy, presumably enough to satisfy some people but not this one.
8. Alex and Emma - While Kate Hudson is a beautiful presence on-screen, someone needs to get her some better material.
9. Hollywood Homicide - The funny thing about this buddy-cop comedy was that the film was at its best when the duo was separated.
10. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde - Simply changing the scenery from the first one is not the way to make a sequel.
Of the films I have seen, these are the 10 worst films of the year according to a composite ranking from 67 critics compiled by moviecitynews.com.
1. Gigli
2. Bad Boys II
3. Dreamcatcher
4. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
5. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
6. The Matrix: Revolutions
7. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
8. Alex and Emma
9. The Hulk
10. Daredevil
Armed with the same list, these are the 5 worst films I haven't seen yet and probably never will.
1. The Cat in the Hat
2. Boat Trip
3. From Justin to Kelly
4. Beyond Borders
5. The Life of David Gale
12/29/2003
During the lull that is the days between Christmas and New Year's Day, I hope you've had a fullfilling holiday. Receiving gifts and seeing long-lost friends like Ak and Steve and Jimmy has been the story of these holidays for me. For my birthday, I even got a cell phone. I can't even believe it. I swore I'd never get such a thing since I'm broke and I don't want people to get a hold me whenever they wanted. Since this phone is being paid for, then I don't mind if they can track me, I'll just turn the damn thing off when I want to. Don't worry, I'll try to leave it on when I can.
But amidst the DVD's and money I got for Christmas was the noteworthy gift from my friends Alex and Hai who always want to give such a, let's say, thoughtful gift. Before, I've gotten a piggy bank and a piggy pillow (erm, sleeping buddy like the tag writes) and now they've turned away from the pig theme and seeing as how I'm a math major, given me slippers of the Count from Sesame Street. And like I promised, I took a picture of the slippers, with a cameo appearance from the piggy.
As New Year's approaches, I'm working on the annual best/worst lists for movies in 2003. Contrary to popular belief, I've only seen 68 movies so far with a few more remaining until Oscar nominations roll out at the end of next month. The lists should be published within the next couple of days.
But amidst the DVD's and money I got for Christmas was the noteworthy gift from my friends Alex and Hai who always want to give such a, let's say, thoughtful gift. Before, I've gotten a piggy bank and a piggy pillow (erm, sleeping buddy like the tag writes) and now they've turned away from the pig theme and seeing as how I'm a math major, given me slippers of the Count from Sesame Street. And like I promised, I took a picture of the slippers, with a cameo appearance from the piggy.
As New Year's approaches, I'm working on the annual best/worst lists for movies in 2003. Contrary to popular belief, I've only seen 68 movies so far with a few more remaining until Oscar nominations roll out at the end of next month. The lists should be published within the next couple of days.
12/28/2003
Big Fish
Edward Bloom (Old: Albert Finney, Young: Ewan McGregor) led a remarkable life. But you wouldn't know it if you talked to his son, Will (Billy Crudup). To him, the stories his father told blur the line between reality and fiction and he is confused on what is true and what is false. His father's failure to be up front about his past soured the relationship between the two, at one point not talking to each other for a few years. Soon, Edward is dying, a combination of old age and cancer, and Will tries one last time to communicate with his father and, with his journalistic mentality, searches for the truth and patiently waits for the real Edward Bloom to please stand up.
Director Tim Burton has always been a genius in using the screen to transform his imagination to reality for all the world to see. With the free-wheeling script he's been given, Burton runs wild with enthusiasm to create wondrous stories out of Edward Bloom, a man whose stories are truly unbelievable, but, with its scenes re-created, making us believe as well. Wondering about whether the events Edward goes through are true or what his motives were shouldn't be really important; the question to ask when listening to Edward is whether he can capture your attention. Like Will's pregnant wife midway through the movie when she becomes enchanted with Edward's storytelling, particularly telling how he wooed his wife-to-be, which by the way showed off the beauty of Alison Lohman, I became mesmerized by the stories Burton told which resulted in a very enjoyable film to watch. 3.5 stars
Edward Bloom (Old: Albert Finney, Young: Ewan McGregor) led a remarkable life. But you wouldn't know it if you talked to his son, Will (Billy Crudup). To him, the stories his father told blur the line between reality and fiction and he is confused on what is true and what is false. His father's failure to be up front about his past soured the relationship between the two, at one point not talking to each other for a few years. Soon, Edward is dying, a combination of old age and cancer, and Will tries one last time to communicate with his father and, with his journalistic mentality, searches for the truth and patiently waits for the real Edward Bloom to please stand up.
Director Tim Burton has always been a genius in using the screen to transform his imagination to reality for all the world to see. With the free-wheeling script he's been given, Burton runs wild with enthusiasm to create wondrous stories out of Edward Bloom, a man whose stories are truly unbelievable, but, with its scenes re-created, making us believe as well. Wondering about whether the events Edward goes through are true or what his motives were shouldn't be really important; the question to ask when listening to Edward is whether he can capture your attention. Like Will's pregnant wife midway through the movie when she becomes enchanted with Edward's storytelling, particularly telling how he wooed his wife-to-be, which by the way showed off the beauty of Alison Lohman, I became mesmerized by the stories Burton told which resulted in a very enjoyable film to watch. 3.5 stars
Paycheck
Not wanting to be known as an amnesiac man, Matt Damon passed on this role as a man who loses his memory to his friend Ben Affleck. And in his hands, you just know you're in for something action-packed. Whether that means the explosions of Armageddon or the bomb that was Gigli, we just have to wait to find out. In here, Affleck plays Michael Jennings, a reverse engineer who makes existing products better. The kicker is once he's done, his memory is erased from the time he started the project to protect the company's secrets. Once he finished his latest project, Jennings is contacted by his friend Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) who wants to recruit him for a long-term assignment. With a stock option payoff, Jennings can't refuse. He succeeds in inventing a device that sees into the future, but with his memory wiped out, he's helpless as he finds his options forfeited and the FBI after him. Only 20 clues sent to him figure to be the only way to get out of this mess and prevent a catastrophe of worldwide proportions.
If you don't think about the movie's obvious plot holes, you're in for a real treat as director John Woo keeps the action high and Affleck gives a credible performance. (However, Woo's traditional dove should have been integrated into the movie a little better instead of flying out of thin air.) Uma Thurman also does well playing Affleck's love interest while kicking some butt. But as any science-fiction fan will tell you, messing around with a story about seeing into the future can be a tricky thing. The most important question raised is if you have 20 items that Jennings has provided, how do you know using one item won't render the other 19 useless? A device that only sees into the future can presumably be only based on current events, not future variables that can be changed at will. So say once he uses the glasses, how do you know he would need the paper clip in the next scene? A whole new future would have been created, right? Geez, I guess they hadn't thought this one through either. But the pacing is quick, except for its less-than-stellar ending which drags, especially the bullet, and I did enjoy how all the items were accounted for in Jennings' little quest to save the world. On a side note, it was funny to see how all the men either were balding or had my haircut, especially Eckhart's. 2.5 stars
Not wanting to be known as an amnesiac man, Matt Damon passed on this role as a man who loses his memory to his friend Ben Affleck. And in his hands, you just know you're in for something action-packed. Whether that means the explosions of Armageddon or the bomb that was Gigli, we just have to wait to find out. In here, Affleck plays Michael Jennings, a reverse engineer who makes existing products better. The kicker is once he's done, his memory is erased from the time he started the project to protect the company's secrets. Once he finished his latest project, Jennings is contacted by his friend Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) who wants to recruit him for a long-term assignment. With a stock option payoff, Jennings can't refuse. He succeeds in inventing a device that sees into the future, but with his memory wiped out, he's helpless as he finds his options forfeited and the FBI after him. Only 20 clues sent to him figure to be the only way to get out of this mess and prevent a catastrophe of worldwide proportions.
If you don't think about the movie's obvious plot holes, you're in for a real treat as director John Woo keeps the action high and Affleck gives a credible performance. (However, Woo's traditional dove should have been integrated into the movie a little better instead of flying out of thin air.) Uma Thurman also does well playing Affleck's love interest while kicking some butt. But as any science-fiction fan will tell you, messing around with a story about seeing into the future can be a tricky thing. The most important question raised is if you have 20 items that Jennings has provided, how do you know using one item won't render the other 19 useless? A device that only sees into the future can presumably be only based on current events, not future variables that can be changed at will. So say once he uses the glasses, how do you know he would need the paper clip in the next scene? A whole new future would have been created, right? Geez, I guess they hadn't thought this one through either. But the pacing is quick, except for its less-than-stellar ending which drags, especially the bullet, and I did enjoy how all the items were accounted for in Jennings' little quest to save the world. On a side note, it was funny to see how all the men either were balding or had my haircut, especially Eckhart's. 2.5 stars
The Cooler
Ever wonder what causes the flunctuations between good luck and bad? Well, here's one: the cooler, a man filled with so much bad luck, he spreads it to all who is around him. In this case, Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is the best among the worst. He's on the payroll of Shelly Kaplow's (Alec Baldwin) Shangri-La Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas as the cooler in order to cool off the hot winning streaks in the casino. Kaplow is an old timer when it comes to gambling, believing in some of the oldest tricks in the book such as the cooler and a casino without the glitz and wholesomeness of the new Vegas being built outside for the families. Profits are coming in, but the owners like the ideas of a new consultant (Ron Livingston) to make the Shangri-La more profitable and are trying to convince Kaplow, albeit unsuccessfully. Lootz meanwhile has caught the eye of Natalie (Maria Bello), a young waitress who grows attached to Lootz and it seems his luck begins to change. The effects he has over people now have the opposite effect. Kaplow soon begins to see his little empire crumble and begins to take steps to rebuild and the first thing to do is to put Lootz back into his bad luck streak.
While the film gets stuck in the usual cliches most gambling movies have been known for, you can't help but root for Bernie as his luck begins to get good and he works to stay there. This is helped along by the performance that Macy gives, one of his best to date in his storied career. Baldwin also gives in a good, dark performance for most of the movie but by the time he's done, his acting becomes a bit overdone. You seem to get a little bit of everything in this picture from the joys of winning to the lows of losing, from the euphoria of getting on a winning streak to the tough handling of cheaters wanting to take a few bucks. But in the end, seemingly all, for better or worse, craps out. 3 stars
Ever wonder what causes the flunctuations between good luck and bad? Well, here's one: the cooler, a man filled with so much bad luck, he spreads it to all who is around him. In this case, Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is the best among the worst. He's on the payroll of Shelly Kaplow's (Alec Baldwin) Shangri-La Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas as the cooler in order to cool off the hot winning streaks in the casino. Kaplow is an old timer when it comes to gambling, believing in some of the oldest tricks in the book such as the cooler and a casino without the glitz and wholesomeness of the new Vegas being built outside for the families. Profits are coming in, but the owners like the ideas of a new consultant (Ron Livingston) to make the Shangri-La more profitable and are trying to convince Kaplow, albeit unsuccessfully. Lootz meanwhile has caught the eye of Natalie (Maria Bello), a young waitress who grows attached to Lootz and it seems his luck begins to change. The effects he has over people now have the opposite effect. Kaplow soon begins to see his little empire crumble and begins to take steps to rebuild and the first thing to do is to put Lootz back into his bad luck streak.
While the film gets stuck in the usual cliches most gambling movies have been known for, you can't help but root for Bernie as his luck begins to get good and he works to stay there. This is helped along by the performance that Macy gives, one of his best to date in his storied career. Baldwin also gives in a good, dark performance for most of the movie but by the time he's done, his acting becomes a bit overdone. You seem to get a little bit of everything in this picture from the joys of winning to the lows of losing, from the euphoria of getting on a winning streak to the tough handling of cheaters wanting to take a few bucks. But in the end, seemingly all, for better or worse, craps out. 3 stars
12/26/2003
It was a strong performance by the Golden Bears in a see-saw game that saw many lead changes and plenty of excitement. In the end, Cal won 52-49 over the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Insight Bowl. Beforehand, we knew it would be high-scoring and fairly close, but we didn't know how dominating each offense would be. Virginia Tech ran and passed with ease in the first half while Cal in the second half short played the Hokies defense to death while once in a while hitting them large with an opportune play. It was 7-0 Cal, then 28-14 VT, then 42-28 Cal. VT eventually tied it up at 49 with a special teams letdown on the part of Cal with a punt return TD from VT's Hall. But quarterback Aaron Rodgers, poised and brimming with confidence, led the team down to the 18 yard line of VT and set up Tyler Frederickson for the game-winning field goal. Great game by all.
12/24/2003
On this day before Christmas, I wish you and yours a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, and in general, happy holidays.
I still have to buy one more present and if you're in need to get one too, I have one suggestion. Browsing through Toys' R Us recently, I stumbled upon the best DVD cover there is.
Surf Ninjas is the story of Ernie Reyes, Jr. who discovers he is royalty and tries to woo a teenage princess, played by a young Kelly Hu. But for some reason, with the help of Rob Schneider, Reyes must defeat ninjas led by Leslie Nielsen. And it all involves surfing! That's as great as Sylvester Stallone's touching tale of child custody set against the backdrop of arm wrestling.
Again, the cover tells the whole thing. It's hilarious. Sometimes I wonder why I haven't seen such quality films as this one. Was this up for Oscars?
Contributing to the Christmas spirit, it's front page news on Yahoo! that a reindeer tackled a new reporter in Alaska.
Poor lady. Too bad reindeer don't fly. It leads into a description of the job Santa does on Christmas night from the math/physics point of view. It's really old and distributed by many now. Some people have tried to disprove this, but come on, it's a fun read anyway.
1) No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not COMPLETELY rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.
2) There are 2 billion children (persons under 18) in the world. BUT since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist children, that reduces the workload to 15% of the total - 378 million according to Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there's at least one good child in each.
3) Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house. Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false but for the purposes of our calculations we will accept), we are now talking about .78 miles per household, a total trip of 75-1/2 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us must do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding and etc.
This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second - a conventional reindeer can run, tops, 15 miles per hour.
4) The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that "flying reindeer" (see point #1) could pull TEN TIMES the normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine. We need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload - not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. Again, for comparison - this is four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth.
5) 353,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this will heat the reindeer up in the same fashion as spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Per second. Each. In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force.
In conclusion - If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's dead now.
I still have to buy one more present and if you're in need to get one too, I have one suggestion. Browsing through Toys' R Us recently, I stumbled upon the best DVD cover there is.
Surf Ninjas is the story of Ernie Reyes, Jr. who discovers he is royalty and tries to woo a teenage princess, played by a young Kelly Hu. But for some reason, with the help of Rob Schneider, Reyes must defeat ninjas led by Leslie Nielsen. And it all involves surfing! That's as great as Sylvester Stallone's touching tale of child custody set against the backdrop of arm wrestling.
Again, the cover tells the whole thing. It's hilarious. Sometimes I wonder why I haven't seen such quality films as this one. Was this up for Oscars?
Contributing to the Christmas spirit, it's front page news on Yahoo! that a reindeer tackled a new reporter in Alaska.
Poor lady. Too bad reindeer don't fly. It leads into a description of the job Santa does on Christmas night from the math/physics point of view. It's really old and distributed by many now. Some people have tried to disprove this, but come on, it's a fun read anyway.
1) No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not COMPLETELY rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.
2) There are 2 billion children (persons under 18) in the world. BUT since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist children, that reduces the workload to 15% of the total - 378 million according to Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there's at least one good child in each.
3) Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house. Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false but for the purposes of our calculations we will accept), we are now talking about .78 miles per household, a total trip of 75-1/2 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us must do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding and etc.
This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second - a conventional reindeer can run, tops, 15 miles per hour.
4) The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that "flying reindeer" (see point #1) could pull TEN TIMES the normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine. We need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload - not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. Again, for comparison - this is four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth.
5) 353,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this will heat the reindeer up in the same fashion as spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Per second. Each. In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force.
In conclusion - If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's dead now.
12/20/2003
On this the date of my birth, I thought it'd be a good idea to see who was born on this day. Being just one day out of 366 in a year, I can't expect every famous person to be born on this day, but it seems they stayed away from December 20.
In historical terms, the most important it seems was Harvey Firestone. Firestone started the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1900 and was friends with Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. The doctor who aided John Wilkes Booth after assassinating Abraham Lincoln was also born on this day.
Perusing the list of B-movie stars and porn actresses who share my birthday on IMDB, I came upon the name Dick Wolf as the most famous celebrity who was born today. I know you've never heard of him, but trust me, you know his work. Ever seen Law and Order? Yeah, he made that. And those distractions SVU and Criminal Intent. Really, there's too much of them going on at one time, many heads will explode if they watch all of them. He also created the new Dragnet, produced Miami Vice, and wrote Hill Street Blues.
Other actors include John Spencer, the chief of staff on one of the greatest shows ever made before being ruined this season "The West Wing," Michael Badalucco, fat Jimbo on "The Practice," and Nicole DeBoer who didn't do the character Dax much justice on Deep Space Nine. There were many more names, but I don't think they could be described as famous, celebrities, or famous celebrities.
The only other database I could find on the subject was a sports one and while such illuminaries as Rich Gannon, Aubrey Huff and Cory Stillman are mentioned, the name Jan Caloun stands out as a former Sharks player. He scored 4 goals on his first 4 shots in his career, a remarkable feat.
On this day in history, the Louisiana Purchase became official, the U.S. invaded Panama and captured Manuel Noriega (I actually remember that), Ho Chi Minh began to fight the French, and South Carolina seceded from the Union before the Civil War.
So as this list can tell you, my actual birthday isn't lame, but the date of my birthday is. Hopefully, your birthdays are much better than this one. At least a lot more people have December birthdays, like Jon (earlier in the month) and Alex (later in the month). Coincidentally, they seem to be the only ones reading this crap. So, umm, happy birthday to you both.
Thanks to all who have wished me a happy birthday, almost all suspiciously without gifts.
In historical terms, the most important it seems was Harvey Firestone. Firestone started the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1900 and was friends with Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. The doctor who aided John Wilkes Booth after assassinating Abraham Lincoln was also born on this day.
Perusing the list of B-movie stars and porn actresses who share my birthday on IMDB, I came upon the name Dick Wolf as the most famous celebrity who was born today. I know you've never heard of him, but trust me, you know his work. Ever seen Law and Order? Yeah, he made that. And those distractions SVU and Criminal Intent. Really, there's too much of them going on at one time, many heads will explode if they watch all of them. He also created the new Dragnet, produced Miami Vice, and wrote Hill Street Blues.
Other actors include John Spencer, the chief of staff on one of the greatest shows ever made before being ruined this season "The West Wing," Michael Badalucco, fat Jimbo on "The Practice," and Nicole DeBoer who didn't do the character Dax much justice on Deep Space Nine. There were many more names, but I don't think they could be described as famous, celebrities, or famous celebrities.
The only other database I could find on the subject was a sports one and while such illuminaries as Rich Gannon, Aubrey Huff and Cory Stillman are mentioned, the name Jan Caloun stands out as a former Sharks player. He scored 4 goals on his first 4 shots in his career, a remarkable feat.
On this day in history, the Louisiana Purchase became official, the U.S. invaded Panama and captured Manuel Noriega (I actually remember that), Ho Chi Minh began to fight the French, and South Carolina seceded from the Union before the Civil War.
So as this list can tell you, my actual birthday isn't lame, but the date of my birthday is. Hopefully, your birthdays are much better than this one. At least a lot more people have December birthdays, like Jon (earlier in the month) and Alex (later in the month). Coincidentally, they seem to be the only ones reading this crap. So, umm, happy birthday to you both.
Thanks to all who have wished me a happy birthday, almost all suspiciously without gifts.
12/18/2003
Pieces of April
Yes, it's a little late to be talking about this, but this movie is about Thanksgiving dinner. Katie Holmes is April, a rebellious girl living in the Big Apple. With ties to her family severed, she thought the holiday of thankfulness would be a good time to see her family and let them see the new life she leads. The matriarch of the family, Joy (Patricia Clarkson), is suffering from breast cancer while her husband (Oliver Platt) and other children seem to suffer along with her. All of them are suspicious of April's invitation and try to find reasons not to go, but if Joy, as sick as she is, can wake up early and sit in the car and wait, by golly they're gonna go. Thanksgiving arrives and with a little jump-start from her boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke), April gets started on dinner. But a broken oven and last minute changes to the menu threaten a Thanksgiving where quite possibly, no one will show up at all.
This is a very top-notch movie. It's, well, a joy to watch with lots of funny moments as April prepares the dinner and her family try to get out of it, or at the very least, make up lines to describe how good the food will be. You can tell April is in the act of growing up further with her experiences with neighbors from different walks of life, but it's hard to tell if April's life was truly affected by this day. She smiles for the camera, but what's to stop her from not talking to her mom for a long period of time again? At 75 minutes, the film is awfully short and could have focused more on explaining what caused April so estranged from her family. Instead, we get some storyline involving Bobby getting new clothes. Okay, he gets beat up but his minutes on-screen seem to only serve the purpose of scaring the family once they arrive. By the end, the film is ultimately satisfying with a family that really needed something to be thankful for get it on the right day. 3 stars
Yes, it's a little late to be talking about this, but this movie is about Thanksgiving dinner. Katie Holmes is April, a rebellious girl living in the Big Apple. With ties to her family severed, she thought the holiday of thankfulness would be a good time to see her family and let them see the new life she leads. The matriarch of the family, Joy (Patricia Clarkson), is suffering from breast cancer while her husband (Oliver Platt) and other children seem to suffer along with her. All of them are suspicious of April's invitation and try to find reasons not to go, but if Joy, as sick as she is, can wake up early and sit in the car and wait, by golly they're gonna go. Thanksgiving arrives and with a little jump-start from her boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke), April gets started on dinner. But a broken oven and last minute changes to the menu threaten a Thanksgiving where quite possibly, no one will show up at all.
This is a very top-notch movie. It's, well, a joy to watch with lots of funny moments as April prepares the dinner and her family try to get out of it, or at the very least, make up lines to describe how good the food will be. You can tell April is in the act of growing up further with her experiences with neighbors from different walks of life, but it's hard to tell if April's life was truly affected by this day. She smiles for the camera, but what's to stop her from not talking to her mom for a long period of time again? At 75 minutes, the film is awfully short and could have focused more on explaining what caused April so estranged from her family. Instead, we get some storyline involving Bobby getting new clothes. Okay, he gets beat up but his minutes on-screen seem to only serve the purpose of scaring the family once they arrive. By the end, the film is ultimately satisfying with a family that really needed something to be thankful for get it on the right day. 3 stars
I took a final today and all I got was a lot of struggling and a huge headache. I don't think watching Lord of the Rings at midnite was such a good idea after all. Sure, it was a great movie, but I didn't get back until 5 am and I was on such a buzz, I wasn't down until seven. This after getting 3 hours of sleep the night before, and now another 4 hours Tuesday night. That was enough to get me through office hours for my last final on Thursday and Wednesday night would be full-blown cramming.
So I got home at 5, made dinner, checked my email, and started to read the material. As expected, I was fast asleep at I believe 8 pm. Not as expected was how long I'd sleep. I woke up at 8 am. Savvy math majors like myself can figure that was 12 hours of sleep. It led up to more cramming and a final at 1230. It wasn't too bad, but I didn't have a clue how to do part of the major essay question and there's the normal self-doubt one has after a test. And now I write to you, major headache killing my head and no Tylenol in sight.
I get home tomorrow. On Saturday, my age makes a blackjack. I don't feel that old, but I guess I certainly look the part. Thinning, greased-up hair while wearing polo shirts, and whatnot.
So I got home at 5, made dinner, checked my email, and started to read the material. As expected, I was fast asleep at I believe 8 pm. Not as expected was how long I'd sleep. I woke up at 8 am. Savvy math majors like myself can figure that was 12 hours of sleep. It led up to more cramming and a final at 1230. It wasn't too bad, but I didn't have a clue how to do part of the major essay question and there's the normal self-doubt one has after a test. And now I write to you, major headache killing my head and no Tylenol in sight.
I get home tomorrow. On Saturday, my age makes a blackjack. I don't feel that old, but I guess I certainly look the part. Thinning, greased-up hair while wearing polo shirts, and whatnot.
12/17/2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The third film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy finds the main characters in the same situations. Frodo and Sam (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin) are ever closer to Mount Doom to destroy the ring. However, their guide Gollum along with his alter-ego Smeagol have other ideas for the duo. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd), fresh off their victory with the trees, are joined by Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and the forces of Rodan. In a crystal ball containing the eye of Sauron, Pippin sees a vision of a burning Gondor. Gandalf afterwards decides to bring him along to Minas Tirith in Gondor to see what he could do to help. When there, they find an increasingly mad leader in Denethor still dealing with the loss of his favorite son Boromir, much to the chagrin of the other son Faramir. Gandalf soon begins to take control of preparations to fortify Minas Tirith and the men of Rodan begin to mass and march to Gondor.
Seeing that their force was small compared to the army of Orcs that lay ahead, Aragorn seeks the help of the dead, who will only be led by the king of men. They agree and all converge on Gondor. Hearing word that Frodo and Sam were close to completing their mission, our male leaders lead an assault on the Black Gates to distract the eye and the Orc forces to hopefully allow the hobbits to pass through the valleys and up the mountain and into the fire.
The other bally-hooed trilogy of the year was The Matrix, which ended by leaving fans awfully disappointed. In contrast, Lord of the Rings will also leave fans wanting for more, but only after sitting through the best movie of the trilogy and quite possibly the best movie of the year. Never before has a simple tale between good and evil been so exquisitely told with such epic storytelling and exhaustive detail. Its story, as long as it takes to be told, moves along with authority and passion as we learn the fates of our main characters. With so many to keep track of, it's amazing it strikes the balance that it did. But two characters stand out from the crowd: Gandalf, who refrains from using his powers as a white wizard to lead the forces of Gondor as a military wizard, and Sam, whose loyalty is tested to the extreme and never fails his friend Frodo on his trek to destroy the ring.
The battle is more amazing this time around with 3 battles to keep track of. The city of Minas Tirith was very pretty to look at, but to see it destroyed stone by stone was also an amazing achievement. The battles also take numerous cues from other famous cinematic battles including Aragorn's William Wallace speech complete with a moving horse and the takedown moves needed to stop the elephants were similar to the takedown moves of the walkers in the last two Star Wars films.
Director Peter Jackson still has a problem of his lingering camera, staying with shots that could easily be edited out and reduce the 200 minutes of airtime this movie gets. Case in point: on Gandalf's ride to Minas Tirith, a 7-level complex, we spend more than a minute watching Gandalf ride up the complex. OK! It's a big place! We get it! But this problem, and Jackson's obligation to detail that created the 6 or 7 endings for the movie are very minor points to a concluding chapter that stands as the best in a trilogy that stands among the great trilogies of all-time. 4 stars
The third film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy finds the main characters in the same situations. Frodo and Sam (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin) are ever closer to Mount Doom to destroy the ring. However, their guide Gollum along with his alter-ego Smeagol have other ideas for the duo. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd), fresh off their victory with the trees, are joined by Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and the forces of Rodan. In a crystal ball containing the eye of Sauron, Pippin sees a vision of a burning Gondor. Gandalf afterwards decides to bring him along to Minas Tirith in Gondor to see what he could do to help. When there, they find an increasingly mad leader in Denethor still dealing with the loss of his favorite son Boromir, much to the chagrin of the other son Faramir. Gandalf soon begins to take control of preparations to fortify Minas Tirith and the men of Rodan begin to mass and march to Gondor.
Seeing that their force was small compared to the army of Orcs that lay ahead, Aragorn seeks the help of the dead, who will only be led by the king of men. They agree and all converge on Gondor. Hearing word that Frodo and Sam were close to completing their mission, our male leaders lead an assault on the Black Gates to distract the eye and the Orc forces to hopefully allow the hobbits to pass through the valleys and up the mountain and into the fire.
The other bally-hooed trilogy of the year was The Matrix, which ended by leaving fans awfully disappointed. In contrast, Lord of the Rings will also leave fans wanting for more, but only after sitting through the best movie of the trilogy and quite possibly the best movie of the year. Never before has a simple tale between good and evil been so exquisitely told with such epic storytelling and exhaustive detail. Its story, as long as it takes to be told, moves along with authority and passion as we learn the fates of our main characters. With so many to keep track of, it's amazing it strikes the balance that it did. But two characters stand out from the crowd: Gandalf, who refrains from using his powers as a white wizard to lead the forces of Gondor as a military wizard, and Sam, whose loyalty is tested to the extreme and never fails his friend Frodo on his trek to destroy the ring.
The battle is more amazing this time around with 3 battles to keep track of. The city of Minas Tirith was very pretty to look at, but to see it destroyed stone by stone was also an amazing achievement. The battles also take numerous cues from other famous cinematic battles including Aragorn's William Wallace speech complete with a moving horse and the takedown moves needed to stop the elephants were similar to the takedown moves of the walkers in the last two Star Wars films.
Director Peter Jackson still has a problem of his lingering camera, staying with shots that could easily be edited out and reduce the 200 minutes of airtime this movie gets. Case in point: on Gandalf's ride to Minas Tirith, a 7-level complex, we spend more than a minute watching Gandalf ride up the complex. OK! It's a big place! We get it! But this problem, and Jackson's obligation to detail that created the 6 or 7 endings for the movie are very minor points to a concluding chapter that stands as the best in a trilogy that stands among the great trilogies of all-time. 4 stars
Stuck on You
The Farrelly Brothers, Peter and Bobby, were on their way to becoming one of the best comedy teams ever. They made "There's Something About Mary" and "Dumb and Dumber" plus they directed "Kingpin". Then there was dud after dud after dud. "Outside Providence", "Me, Myself, and Irene", "Shallow Hal" (okay, but nothing amazing), and "Osmosis Jones". The Farrellys probably hoped "Stuck On You" would mark their triumphant return, but alas, no.
The film stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins Bob and Walt. Successive burger joint owners, Bob and Walt were the talk of the town of Martha's Vineyard. But Walt has dreams of becoming an actor and convinces Bob to make the trek to Los Angeles to see if he can make it big. It was also an excellent time to meet Bob's penpal, May, who doesn't know about their condition. After moving in to a shady apartment and meeting a neighbor, namely Eva Mendes, they soon try to get to as many auditions as they can but are shut out. At the same time, Cher herself is trying to get out of a TV pilot and figures the only way to do it is to get Walt in as the star. She figures there's no way the network will let a conjoined twin be the star. But they do and it's a big success. With their diverging needs and wants, Walt figures it's time to separate, something Bob has been reluctant to do since it would harm Walt. But it seems Walt won't take no for an answer.
The movie is humorous but results in very few belly laughs, something the classic three had plenty of. By highlighting the condition of siamese twins, the jokes make it seem like we're laughing at them instead of with them, making it look mean instead of funny. However, Damon and Kinnear show excellent comedic chemistry together. Their timing is impeccable; ha, like their twins or something. If only they had better material to work with, it would have been even better. 1.5 stars
The Farrelly Brothers, Peter and Bobby, were on their way to becoming one of the best comedy teams ever. They made "There's Something About Mary" and "Dumb and Dumber" plus they directed "Kingpin". Then there was dud after dud after dud. "Outside Providence", "Me, Myself, and Irene", "Shallow Hal" (okay, but nothing amazing), and "Osmosis Jones". The Farrellys probably hoped "Stuck On You" would mark their triumphant return, but alas, no.
The film stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins Bob and Walt. Successive burger joint owners, Bob and Walt were the talk of the town of Martha's Vineyard. But Walt has dreams of becoming an actor and convinces Bob to make the trek to Los Angeles to see if he can make it big. It was also an excellent time to meet Bob's penpal, May, who doesn't know about their condition. After moving in to a shady apartment and meeting a neighbor, namely Eva Mendes, they soon try to get to as many auditions as they can but are shut out. At the same time, Cher herself is trying to get out of a TV pilot and figures the only way to do it is to get Walt in as the star. She figures there's no way the network will let a conjoined twin be the star. But they do and it's a big success. With their diverging needs and wants, Walt figures it's time to separate, something Bob has been reluctant to do since it would harm Walt. But it seems Walt won't take no for an answer.
The movie is humorous but results in very few belly laughs, something the classic three had plenty of. By highlighting the condition of siamese twins, the jokes make it seem like we're laughing at them instead of with them, making it look mean instead of funny. However, Damon and Kinnear show excellent comedic chemistry together. Their timing is impeccable; ha, like their twins or something. If only they had better material to work with, it would have been even better. 1.5 stars
Mystic River
Jimmy, Sean, and Dave were three Boston boys who did everything together. Yet when Dave was kidnapped and molested for a period of several days. Things were never the same after that. Sure, they lived in the same area but they never did get around to seeing each other as often as they once did. They each went on to lead different lives. Jimmy (Sean Penn) runs a small grocery store and has three daughters, his oldest, Katie, from a previous marriage. Sean (Kevin Bacon) is in the midst of a separation and is a homicide detective. Dave (Tim Robbins) became a handyman and has a son. Their lives became closely intertwined once again when Katie is reported missing and later found dead in a park. Sean becomes the lead investigator and is partnered with Whitey Powers (Laurence Fishburne). The wild-card here is Dave who last saw Katie in a bar and later in the night, showed up at home with a knife wound and blood on his hands.
The film is masterfully directed by Clint Eastwood who shows all the experience and appreciation to detail one can show with a number of award-winning films under his belt. But like any mystery, the story gets interesting when there are clues to quench our thirst to find the truth. And for a time in the beginning, clues are found few and far between, leaving the storytelling stuck in neutral as everyone gives their best sob performances. It isn't until all signs point to Dave when the story's true brilliance and conflict comes to light and presents us with a struggle of emotion. That being said, Robbins probably gives the best performance of the movie, balancing a cold demeanor with the potential truths he is hiding. Penn also gives a quality performance, but it's not something that he hasn't done before; same with Bacon. Underused in the film are the wives as they are barely seen; the exception being Marcia Gay Harden who does her best dealing with Dave through her facial expressions. It all ends poignantly, leaving you guessing what happens next. 3 stars
Jimmy, Sean, and Dave were three Boston boys who did everything together. Yet when Dave was kidnapped and molested for a period of several days. Things were never the same after that. Sure, they lived in the same area but they never did get around to seeing each other as often as they once did. They each went on to lead different lives. Jimmy (Sean Penn) runs a small grocery store and has three daughters, his oldest, Katie, from a previous marriage. Sean (Kevin Bacon) is in the midst of a separation and is a homicide detective. Dave (Tim Robbins) became a handyman and has a son. Their lives became closely intertwined once again when Katie is reported missing and later found dead in a park. Sean becomes the lead investigator and is partnered with Whitey Powers (Laurence Fishburne). The wild-card here is Dave who last saw Katie in a bar and later in the night, showed up at home with a knife wound and blood on his hands.
The film is masterfully directed by Clint Eastwood who shows all the experience and appreciation to detail one can show with a number of award-winning films under his belt. But like any mystery, the story gets interesting when there are clues to quench our thirst to find the truth. And for a time in the beginning, clues are found few and far between, leaving the storytelling stuck in neutral as everyone gives their best sob performances. It isn't until all signs point to Dave when the story's true brilliance and conflict comes to light and presents us with a struggle of emotion. That being said, Robbins probably gives the best performance of the movie, balancing a cold demeanor with the potential truths he is hiding. Penn also gives a quality performance, but it's not something that he hasn't done before; same with Bacon. Underused in the film are the wives as they are barely seen; the exception being Marcia Gay Harden who does her best dealing with Dave through her facial expressions. It all ends poignantly, leaving you guessing what happens next. 3 stars
12/14/2003
In breaking news sure to disappoint Jon, the Orioles have lured Miguel Tejada away from the A's with a 6-year $72 million contract. Talented he is, but probably not worth this much, no? With the prospect of signing Vladimir Guerrero and a star catcher (Ivan Rodriguez or Javy Lopez), the Orioles will be about 20 guys away from fielding a decent team to compete.
Meanwhile, the A's have lost Tejada and closer Keith Foulke to other teams with only high-priced but limited talent free agents and inexperienced minor leaguers left to fill their spots. The Giants are in the same boat, losing Rich Aurilia, Benito Santiago, and Tim Worrell while their only prized pickup is rumored to be...Darren Oliver? Whew, this looks bad.
Meanwhile, the A's have lost Tejada and closer Keith Foulke to other teams with only high-priced but limited talent free agents and inexperienced minor leaguers left to fill their spots. The Giants are in the same boat, losing Rich Aurilia, Benito Santiago, and Tim Worrell while their only prized pickup is rumored to be...Darren Oliver? Whew, this looks bad.
Saddam Hussein proved not to be as elusive as Bin Laden has been as Hussein has been captured after eight months of hiding. What a great day this must be for Americans, Iraqis, and the world. I don't know about you, but if I was dictator of a fairly large country, rich beyond my wildest dreams, yielding some major weapons (nuclear? chemical? biological? uhh, no comment), yet forcibly taken out of power by the most powerful country in the world, I would not stay in that country. Yet, that's where they found Hussein, right near his hometown too, sure, in a tunnel and with a fairly long beard. Judging by the picture, he may look old, but he looks healthy (he was smiling in the tape!) and all those news reports that he had plastic surgery were completely false. See, without an open media in Iraq, he couldn't get an Extreme Makeover, or at a lower level, not even a makeover with a queer eye.
Though most likely, Saddam would have executed the guy with a queer eye before allowing him to do anything.
Politically, it's a boon for President Bush, up for re-election in ten and a half short months. His administration has been getting dogged by doubts that the military can handle the escalating situation in Iraq, the rising death toll, the money being invested, the exclusive contracts to Halliburton and others, etc. This news should quiet the critics for at least a little while, especially his Democratic rivals, where this is their only issue they can effectively fight President Bush in the face of an improving economy. Sure, they could talk about the environment, and the new Medicare plan, and all those tax cuts, but the two major issues facing the country is the economy and Iraq. That being said, unemployment is dropping, albeit SLOWLY, GDP growth is lightning fast, Iraq is supposedly on its way to self-government according to its timetable, and the insurgents don't have a leader to look up to. Saddam has been captured. Now Bush must be dying to see what message his rivals will approve of next.
Though most likely, Saddam would have executed the guy with a queer eye before allowing him to do anything.
Politically, it's a boon for President Bush, up for re-election in ten and a half short months. His administration has been getting dogged by doubts that the military can handle the escalating situation in Iraq, the rising death toll, the money being invested, the exclusive contracts to Halliburton and others, etc. This news should quiet the critics for at least a little while, especially his Democratic rivals, where this is their only issue they can effectively fight President Bush in the face of an improving economy. Sure, they could talk about the environment, and the new Medicare plan, and all those tax cuts, but the two major issues facing the country is the economy and Iraq. That being said, unemployment is dropping, albeit SLOWLY, GDP growth is lightning fast, Iraq is supposedly on its way to self-government according to its timetable, and the insurgents don't have a leader to look up to. Saddam has been captured. Now Bush must be dying to see what message his rivals will approve of next.
12/10/2003
I'm coming to you live from the Doe Library as finals week has begun in earnest. Lucky or unlucky me, as the case maybe, I've got finals in the first group, the last group, and the one on Saturday. As a result, the first one was this morning, a deceptively easy one if I may say so. Deceptive since the professor's exams have always been easy but the class always seems to stumble on it.
It's been awhile since my last post that was non-movie related. But honestly, not much has happened since then.
I went to two new-age Asian restaurants. Those Americans trying to run Asian restaurants are the weirdest bunch. We heard they had decent food, so we decided to try it out. The first was P.F. Chang's. It's a Chinese bistro. The first thing that sticks out is the supposedly authentic decor, with statues of Chinese soldiers and lots of artwork. Too bad the waitress was not the same. Her first mistake was not noticing that we were Asian to begin with. Through her talk, you can tell she incorrectly assumed that we've never been to a Chinese restaurant before. She lectured us on their "unique" concept of family-style cuisine, what the dipping sauces were, etc. I'm surprised she didn't tell us how to use chopsticks. (Haha, no worries, there are forks galore.) The food, overpriced as it was, was not half-bad, though I wouldn't have minded going to a cheap dollar place instead.
Then there's the case of the Straits Cafe, located in SF and Santana Row. It's nearby that Asian decor shop where my brother likes to point out that crappy oil paintings that sit collecting dust in my grandfather's garage could probably sell for tens of thousands of dollars here. Straits serves Malaysian food, which is a collection of a whole bunch of cuisines in the Southeast Asian area. One difference between this and P.F. Chang's? The table has a lazy susan. Other than that, it was predictable fare. A combination of Indian and Thai food in my opinion. And a small amount of calamari for $10. In terms of decor, they don't even try to make it authentic. It seems utterly American. The music made it seem like one of Jeanette's online music shows.
In other news, I had the windows replaced on my apartment. My parents were afraid the contractors might come in and steal my credit card numbers or something, but that wasn't the case. The search for a roommate continues as my landlord has slashed the rent offered to $475 from $500 before and the $550 I'm currently paying. Now she calls almost every day wondering if I've found a person to move in. So now I have to make another ad. I sincerely hope no one responds. It's nice having at least a little privacy.
Finally, could someone explain to me how Steve, he of the Oakland bunch, has come to be president of the Berkeley VSA? I can see it now. No fundraising needed...they all should be able to make the money they need through trips to Cache Creek.
It's been awhile since my last post that was non-movie related. But honestly, not much has happened since then.
I went to two new-age Asian restaurants. Those Americans trying to run Asian restaurants are the weirdest bunch. We heard they had decent food, so we decided to try it out. The first was P.F. Chang's. It's a Chinese bistro. The first thing that sticks out is the supposedly authentic decor, with statues of Chinese soldiers and lots of artwork. Too bad the waitress was not the same. Her first mistake was not noticing that we were Asian to begin with. Through her talk, you can tell she incorrectly assumed that we've never been to a Chinese restaurant before. She lectured us on their "unique" concept of family-style cuisine, what the dipping sauces were, etc. I'm surprised she didn't tell us how to use chopsticks. (Haha, no worries, there are forks galore.) The food, overpriced as it was, was not half-bad, though I wouldn't have minded going to a cheap dollar place instead.
Then there's the case of the Straits Cafe, located in SF and Santana Row. It's nearby that Asian decor shop where my brother likes to point out that crappy oil paintings that sit collecting dust in my grandfather's garage could probably sell for tens of thousands of dollars here. Straits serves Malaysian food, which is a collection of a whole bunch of cuisines in the Southeast Asian area. One difference between this and P.F. Chang's? The table has a lazy susan. Other than that, it was predictable fare. A combination of Indian and Thai food in my opinion. And a small amount of calamari for $10. In terms of decor, they don't even try to make it authentic. It seems utterly American. The music made it seem like one of Jeanette's online music shows.
In other news, I had the windows replaced on my apartment. My parents were afraid the contractors might come in and steal my credit card numbers or something, but that wasn't the case. The search for a roommate continues as my landlord has slashed the rent offered to $475 from $500 before and the $550 I'm currently paying. Now she calls almost every day wondering if I've found a person to move in. So now I have to make another ad. I sincerely hope no one responds. It's nice having at least a little privacy.
Finally, could someone explain to me how Steve, he of the Oakland bunch, has come to be president of the Berkeley VSA? I can see it now. No fundraising needed...they all should be able to make the money they need through trips to Cache Creek.
12/06/2003
Runaway Jury
The widow of a murdered lawyer, shot by a madman with a semi-automatic weapon, does what any widow would do in this situation: sue the gun manufacturer of course. So she hires Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) and proceeds to sue Vicksburg Firearms. The company is obviously worried about the outcome of the case and hires a jury consultant led by Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman). But this is no ordinary jury consulting firm (Jeremy Piven seems to play this role for the plaintiffs). Armed with high-tech equipment, manpower, and unlimited sources of information, they can pick and choose jurors while manipulating the swing jurors their way through other means. Enter Nicholas Easter, played by John Cusack. By an unknown motive, he gets on that jury, allowing girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz) to offer the jury to either side for a price of $10 million.
Based on the John Grisham novel and directed by Gary Fleder, this movie provides solid entertainment but nothing truly remarkable. While it has the addition of a juror's point of view and the tampering of said jury, "Runaway Jury" hits with the same level of impact of a "Practice" episode. Not even a good one, just an average one at that. It even got Dylan McDermott to cameo as the murdered lawyer. The plot holes in the beginning and the preaching at the end didn't exactly help. Hackman's scenes as a forceful manipulator, not as the helpless fool, really worked well. But other than that, the performances by some big name stars were underwhelming, especially Hoffman, who as a principled attorney, sticks to his guns and as a result, doesn't get the juicy scenes Hackman and Cusack get. So watch the first half for the interesting parts but by the time the case gets rolling, you know what exactly will happen. 2.5 stars
The widow of a murdered lawyer, shot by a madman with a semi-automatic weapon, does what any widow would do in this situation: sue the gun manufacturer of course. So she hires Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) and proceeds to sue Vicksburg Firearms. The company is obviously worried about the outcome of the case and hires a jury consultant led by Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman). But this is no ordinary jury consulting firm (Jeremy Piven seems to play this role for the plaintiffs). Armed with high-tech equipment, manpower, and unlimited sources of information, they can pick and choose jurors while manipulating the swing jurors their way through other means. Enter Nicholas Easter, played by John Cusack. By an unknown motive, he gets on that jury, allowing girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz) to offer the jury to either side for a price of $10 million.
Based on the John Grisham novel and directed by Gary Fleder, this movie provides solid entertainment but nothing truly remarkable. While it has the addition of a juror's point of view and the tampering of said jury, "Runaway Jury" hits with the same level of impact of a "Practice" episode. Not even a good one, just an average one at that. It even got Dylan McDermott to cameo as the murdered lawyer. The plot holes in the beginning and the preaching at the end didn't exactly help. Hackman's scenes as a forceful manipulator, not as the helpless fool, really worked well. But other than that, the performances by some big name stars were underwhelming, especially Hoffman, who as a principled attorney, sticks to his guns and as a result, doesn't get the juicy scenes Hackman and Cusack get. So watch the first half for the interesting parts but by the time the case gets rolling, you know what exactly will happen. 2.5 stars
12/04/2003
The Last Samurai
This past Thanksgiving, I got reacquainted with the films of Akira Kurosawa, the master of Japanese cinema, by watching his best colorized film, "Ran", a Japanese version of Shakespeare's King Lear. His balance of still imagery and the realistic bloody scenes of the samurai truly describes the visionary he was. Kurosawa and a variety of other films influenced director Edward Zwick's latest creation, "The Last Samurai".
In it, Tom Cruise plays Captain Nathan Algren, a Civil War soldier now doing nothing in the year 1876 except for being a spokesman for the gun company Winchester for $25 a week. An opportunity arises to train the Japanese army into a modern fighting machine and Algren is forced to take it. Japan faces a civil war pitting the forces who want to modernize and plan ahead for the future with guns and trade agreements against the traditionalists, namely the Samurai. The emperor is loyal to both and is reluctant to commit to either side. With a couple of weeks training, the unprepared army is rushed into its first battle and is easily vanquished. Algren is taken prisoner by the leader of the samurai, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). For the next 6 months, Algren is witness to a highly disciplined society and soon learns the ways of the samurai as well as the Japanese language. As compassionate as he is for them, he is returned to the other side as Katsumoto travels to Tokyo to try to negotiate peace. He ultimately fails and he and Algren return to the village to prepare for a fight that will decide the fate of Japan's military future.
One of the best movies of the last 15 years is Zwick's "Glory" with the similar storyline of a white man surrounded by a black army. And for the first hour, it seemed this would be the same, straight down to Algren forcing a soldier to shoot with the sounds of gunfire in the air. After Algren was captured, the movie grew into something more. We come to appreciate the Japanese way of life as Algren had. We see some in Japan turning into their American counterparts, technologically superior with money as their language of choice. And we see the distinguishing qualities of being honorable and being dishonorable.
The movie, though long at almost two and a half hours, moves quickly with a fast pace to its story. Even at its most tender moments, especially the culmination of the budding romance between Algren and his caretaker Taka, the pacing is just right, not too fast we would miss it nor too slow that it drags. Cruise is solid in his role but the real star is Watanabe, whose silence speaks volumes and otherwise does a lot with the words he speaks and the leadership he shows. The film though is guilty of placing a lot of 20th-century references into a 19th-century period piece, from some of the phrases being said to battles and situations we've seen in countless movies before. So what sets this movie apart with those countess movies? "The Last Samurai" is the complete package, full of emotion, action adventure, and a few moments of humor, including a small homage to Cruise's dance in "Risky Business".
No, it doesn't reach the level of Kurosawa, but, in this day and age, what can? 3.5 stars
This past Thanksgiving, I got reacquainted with the films of Akira Kurosawa, the master of Japanese cinema, by watching his best colorized film, "Ran", a Japanese version of Shakespeare's King Lear. His balance of still imagery and the realistic bloody scenes of the samurai truly describes the visionary he was. Kurosawa and a variety of other films influenced director Edward Zwick's latest creation, "The Last Samurai".
In it, Tom Cruise plays Captain Nathan Algren, a Civil War soldier now doing nothing in the year 1876 except for being a spokesman for the gun company Winchester for $25 a week. An opportunity arises to train the Japanese army into a modern fighting machine and Algren is forced to take it. Japan faces a civil war pitting the forces who want to modernize and plan ahead for the future with guns and trade agreements against the traditionalists, namely the Samurai. The emperor is loyal to both and is reluctant to commit to either side. With a couple of weeks training, the unprepared army is rushed into its first battle and is easily vanquished. Algren is taken prisoner by the leader of the samurai, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). For the next 6 months, Algren is witness to a highly disciplined society and soon learns the ways of the samurai as well as the Japanese language. As compassionate as he is for them, he is returned to the other side as Katsumoto travels to Tokyo to try to negotiate peace. He ultimately fails and he and Algren return to the village to prepare for a fight that will decide the fate of Japan's military future.
One of the best movies of the last 15 years is Zwick's "Glory" with the similar storyline of a white man surrounded by a black army. And for the first hour, it seemed this would be the same, straight down to Algren forcing a soldier to shoot with the sounds of gunfire in the air. After Algren was captured, the movie grew into something more. We come to appreciate the Japanese way of life as Algren had. We see some in Japan turning into their American counterparts, technologically superior with money as their language of choice. And we see the distinguishing qualities of being honorable and being dishonorable.
The movie, though long at almost two and a half hours, moves quickly with a fast pace to its story. Even at its most tender moments, especially the culmination of the budding romance between Algren and his caretaker Taka, the pacing is just right, not too fast we would miss it nor too slow that it drags. Cruise is solid in his role but the real star is Watanabe, whose silence speaks volumes and otherwise does a lot with the words he speaks and the leadership he shows. The film though is guilty of placing a lot of 20th-century references into a 19th-century period piece, from some of the phrases being said to battles and situations we've seen in countless movies before. So what sets this movie apart with those countess movies? "The Last Samurai" is the complete package, full of emotion, action adventure, and a few moments of humor, including a small homage to Cruise's dance in "Risky Business".
No, it doesn't reach the level of Kurosawa, but, in this day and age, what can? 3.5 stars
Bad Santa
Christmas always brings a sense of joy to all who celebrate it. It's no different for Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) and Marcus (Tony Cox). Every Christmas, Willie plays a mall Santa and Marcus his elf and they go around to a different mall each year and robs them on Christmas Eve. One Christmas, Willie believed it was the right time to call it quits but with his empty pockets, he's forced to do it again for one more Christmas, this time in Phoenix with an inquisitive mall manager (John Ritter, in his final role) and a know-it-all security chief (Bernie Mac). It now seems Willie has hit rock bottom. Barely able to stand up straight with all the drinking he does, he barely gets through the day, just waiting for the holiday season to end. A few nights in, he meets a fat kid who truly believes he is Santa Claus. At first Willie exploits him, but soon a connection develops and he becomes a father figure in his life. As a result, Willie is forced to balance good and bad, leading to a showdown in the end.
I never saw "Crumb" but I did see Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World" which I thought brought a fresh view of outcasts growing up in a new world. Zwigoff again brings his sense of style to change what we know about dark comedies, "Bad Santa" being one of the darkest comedies I've ever seen. Every minute is filled with something offensive and every minute is filled with a laugh, some out loud, others just a chuckle. But a comedy needs to have its limits and this one doesn't have any, which really turned me off. It hit rock bottom when Willie starts to beat up children. Sure, it's to defend his new friend, but come now, that's pretty low. There's also some missed opportunities. Ritter seems to disappear after the first half of the movie and Cloris Leachman is the grandmother who either sits in her recliner or makes sandwiches. Still, the movie's pretty damn funny. 2.5 stars
Christmas always brings a sense of joy to all who celebrate it. It's no different for Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) and Marcus (Tony Cox). Every Christmas, Willie plays a mall Santa and Marcus his elf and they go around to a different mall each year and robs them on Christmas Eve. One Christmas, Willie believed it was the right time to call it quits but with his empty pockets, he's forced to do it again for one more Christmas, this time in Phoenix with an inquisitive mall manager (John Ritter, in his final role) and a know-it-all security chief (Bernie Mac). It now seems Willie has hit rock bottom. Barely able to stand up straight with all the drinking he does, he barely gets through the day, just waiting for the holiday season to end. A few nights in, he meets a fat kid who truly believes he is Santa Claus. At first Willie exploits him, but soon a connection develops and he becomes a father figure in his life. As a result, Willie is forced to balance good and bad, leading to a showdown in the end.
I never saw "Crumb" but I did see Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World" which I thought brought a fresh view of outcasts growing up in a new world. Zwigoff again brings his sense of style to change what we know about dark comedies, "Bad Santa" being one of the darkest comedies I've ever seen. Every minute is filled with something offensive and every minute is filled with a laugh, some out loud, others just a chuckle. But a comedy needs to have its limits and this one doesn't have any, which really turned me off. It hit rock bottom when Willie starts to beat up children. Sure, it's to defend his new friend, but come now, that's pretty low. There's also some missed opportunities. Ritter seems to disappear after the first half of the movie and Cloris Leachman is the grandmother who either sits in her recliner or makes sandwiches. Still, the movie's pretty damn funny. 2.5 stars
21 Grams
At first glance, the three people we get to know in this movie have absolutely nothing in common. One is a math professor who's facing heart failure with a wife who is desperate to have his baby before he dies. Another is a reformed housewife with a loving husband and two kids. She used to do drugs. She still does, but she used to too. Finally, there's the ex-con who has turned to Christianity for guidance in life and believes God has a hand in everything he does. Yet, a tragic accident brings together the lives of Paul (Sean Penn), Cristina (Naomi Watts), and Jack (Benicio Del Toro) and sends each of them on a journey through pain and pleasure, love and loss, and desperation and death.
Look closer and you'll find a wonderful film. The thing most people will notice is the non-linear format of the film, something that can blow up in the face of an inexperienced director. But even though the film really is directed (and written) by an inexperienced director Alejandro Inarritu, he shows off the skills of a professional, making us wonder about the characters while we know in the back of our minds what's going to happen though it's disorienting at first. But in fact, by the ending, it all hits us with equal, if not greater, impact than it might have been chronologically. The performances are also key to this film's success. Penn is his usual angry self and Watts is a sight to see, but the best performance comes from Del Toro. Though his character is the least featured of the three, you can really sense the passion he exudes in his role and the transformation he's forced to go through, from one who believes in the word of God to one who questions them; from reformed criminal to criminal; from a nice family guy to a loner forced to separate from his family. The jumbled scenes portray these characters on a downward spiral but in the end, we realize we all have our roles in society and there isn't much we can do about it. 3.5 stars
At first glance, the three people we get to know in this movie have absolutely nothing in common. One is a math professor who's facing heart failure with a wife who is desperate to have his baby before he dies. Another is a reformed housewife with a loving husband and two kids. She used to do drugs. She still does, but she used to too. Finally, there's the ex-con who has turned to Christianity for guidance in life and believes God has a hand in everything he does. Yet, a tragic accident brings together the lives of Paul (Sean Penn), Cristina (Naomi Watts), and Jack (Benicio Del Toro) and sends each of them on a journey through pain and pleasure, love and loss, and desperation and death.
Look closer and you'll find a wonderful film. The thing most people will notice is the non-linear format of the film, something that can blow up in the face of an inexperienced director. But even though the film really is directed (and written) by an inexperienced director Alejandro Inarritu, he shows off the skills of a professional, making us wonder about the characters while we know in the back of our minds what's going to happen though it's disorienting at first. But in fact, by the ending, it all hits us with equal, if not greater, impact than it might have been chronologically. The performances are also key to this film's success. Penn is his usual angry self and Watts is a sight to see, but the best performance comes from Del Toro. Though his character is the least featured of the three, you can really sense the passion he exudes in his role and the transformation he's forced to go through, from one who believes in the word of God to one who questions them; from reformed criminal to criminal; from a nice family guy to a loner forced to separate from his family. The jumbled scenes portray these characters on a downward spiral but in the end, we realize we all have our roles in society and there isn't much we can do about it. 3.5 stars
12/01/2003
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