So, right now, getting ready for bed, there's a huge mosquito just attached to the ceiling. Don't you just hate the feeling of a pest out-of-reach from you and when you turn out the lights, you know it's there? Yeah, I'm in that stage now.
Congrats to the Sharks, on their way to the conference finals after building up a 3-0 series lead on Colorado. The best part about the playoffs is their compactness. You get a game about every other day with each game taking advantage of the energy built up on the last. Contrast this to the NBA, where games are separated by a couple of days and the first round isn't supposed to end until May 4! That's also when hockey's second round is supposed to end.
Through my travels in the last few days, it's amazing to see the number of businesses headed into different ventures. 3 of the more interesting ones I saw last weekend. Curry in Hurry, yes, the Indian fast food joint with the awkward name, has closed for remodeling. Not a big deal except for the very small sign in front. Not only can you get your Indian food, but pizza and pasta is also scheduled to be put on the menu. Down the street at some cellular phone place, not only will you get a free phone with activation, you can also get a free caricature! Finally, in SJ, in that plaza near the Auto Row, a Vietnamese place opened up named Banh Me Beef Noodle. First, is the spelling wrong? I think it is. And second, the thing that cracked me up was the fact that under the grand opening sign was the fact that they were still selling burgers.
In an era when SAT scores are becoming obsolete, a new university is placing added importance on it. Organizers are planning Ronald Reagan University in Colorado, a 200-acre world-class facility in the Rocky Mountains with estimates of an opening in 2010 with 10,000 students and 2,000 faculty members and plans for medical, law, and public policy schools. But here's the kicker. One of the criteria for admission is a 1400 SAT. Isn't that a little harsh? "You've got a 1390? HAHA! Nice try!" Well, at least I could get in.
What happened? My standing was hurt in the eyes of Google. I'm down to 122 from 36 in a search for ranting. Maybe a link will help.
4/28/2004
4/26/2004
One of my guilty pleasures is Iron Chef on the Food Network. Watching the seriousness the chefs have in a cooking competition coupled with the overactive English dubbing puts me over the top. So boy was I excited when an American version was being produced. And it wasn't the crappy William Shatner version either.
Approved by its Japanese creators, Iron Chef America brought about 3 of the most popular Food Network Chefs: Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Wolfgang Puck. These would be the American Iron Chefs and their first two competitors would be two Iron Chefs from the Japanese show: IC Japanese Morimoto and IC French Sakai. But while watching the show, something smelled fishy, and it wasn't the massive amounts of seafood being used.
What was good about the show? The sharp pictures gave us a really good idea of what was being cooked. There were nice angles to document the action and it was much better than the handheld grainy pictures produced from Japan. The Food Network also deserves credit for sticking with as much of the Iron Chef aura as they could without actually being a carbon copy.
So what was bad about the show? Though they're words said it (here they went overboard with the constant references to Kaga and such), you could never feel the tension. Everyone was relaxed while cooking. No beads of sweat pouring down. No catastrophes to be seen. Even the countdown was nice and quiet. The announcer Alton Brown wasn't his eccentric self and his knowledge, as well as the reporter's, seemed to be lacking.
Finally, there was the judging. The dishes the Japanese chefs made probably would have produced a slam-dunk win in Japan. Yet, they lost, badly, to their American counterparts, which is inexplicable. Plating and originality was a dead-heat, but the Americans won tasting by at least 5 points, which seemed a bit excessive. As a result, Flay, Batali, and Puck won their battles.
The final battle was genius. It was a mixed doubles event with Batali and Sakai going against Morimoto and Flay. I didn't get to watch it but I saw the end and I really wanted Sakai to win one, he after all being the King of Iron Chefs, but he fell to defeat again, even after a summary that portrayed a negative light on the Morimoto/Flay side of things.
Approved by its Japanese creators, Iron Chef America brought about 3 of the most popular Food Network Chefs: Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Wolfgang Puck. These would be the American Iron Chefs and their first two competitors would be two Iron Chefs from the Japanese show: IC Japanese Morimoto and IC French Sakai. But while watching the show, something smelled fishy, and it wasn't the massive amounts of seafood being used.
What was good about the show? The sharp pictures gave us a really good idea of what was being cooked. There were nice angles to document the action and it was much better than the handheld grainy pictures produced from Japan. The Food Network also deserves credit for sticking with as much of the Iron Chef aura as they could without actually being a carbon copy.
So what was bad about the show? Though they're words said it (here they went overboard with the constant references to Kaga and such), you could never feel the tension. Everyone was relaxed while cooking. No beads of sweat pouring down. No catastrophes to be seen. Even the countdown was nice and quiet. The announcer Alton Brown wasn't his eccentric self and his knowledge, as well as the reporter's, seemed to be lacking.
Finally, there was the judging. The dishes the Japanese chefs made probably would have produced a slam-dunk win in Japan. Yet, they lost, badly, to their American counterparts, which is inexplicable. Plating and originality was a dead-heat, but the Americans won tasting by at least 5 points, which seemed a bit excessive. As a result, Flay, Batali, and Puck won their battles.
The final battle was genius. It was a mixed doubles event with Batali and Sakai going against Morimoto and Flay. I didn't get to watch it but I saw the end and I really wanted Sakai to win one, he after all being the King of Iron Chefs, but he fell to defeat again, even after a summary that portrayed a negative light on the Morimoto/Flay side of things.
4/20/2004
Responding to Steves' request for an opinion, I thoroughly enjoyed both parts of Kill Bill, but I don't think they are homages to Asian movies, rather, they just happen to have an Asian influence. Director Quentin Tarantino is a huge, huge fan of Japanese filmmaking and I wasn't surprised that he incorporated parts of that into this film. Saying that, Tarantino is no Kurosawa, the master of Japanese filmmaking. In fact, the Asian concept of filmmaking is a much different beast than its American counterpart, emphasizing a balance between dramatic storytelling and the vivid imagination. Hero, the Chinese film nominated for a Foreign Film Oscar last year, is by far superior to Kill Bill, but I won't officially say so until it comes out here in the fall. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon tried to bring this Asian concept to the American way and while it was quality stuff, I found it boring compared to the purely Asian features I have grown accustomed to. Hopefully, Crouching Tiger is the exception. American filmmaking certainly needs better movies. A quick check at Rotten Tomatoes shows 14 of the top 16 films at the box office are rotten.
In other news, the editor of Details magazine has apologized for the Gay or Asian piece mentioned earlier. No word yet on whether the author will apologize
The Bush Administration is utterly confused by what's going on in the economy. They see consistent GDP growth. Inflation is minimal. The economy grew by 300,000 jobs last month. Yet, overall satisfaction with the economy is still low. Why? People are micro in a macro world. They care about what they see. And what's that? Gas prices are up. It's pushing 1.80 in the country and it's 2.15 at the Valero down the street from me. Those Vietnamese who own the Shell on the other side of me are changing 2.30. And that's not the only thing putting people down. It is businesses closing, which is really evident in Berkeley. Pretty soon, it might be a ghost town. The takeover and proposed re-opening of the Shattuck Hotel is dead. Huston's Shoes is closed. Eddie Bauer is closed. Gateway is closed. Bath and Body Works (right across from campus, no less) is closed. Tower Records is on the verge of closing. And the people hurt by this are the lowly consumer.
The VSA Culture Show happened on Saturday, and taking into account the expectations for the show, it was a mild success. It had its technical problems but the overall content of the show was very good. Props go out to all those involved.
During the show, there was a pitch to find the next Vietnamese Idol. Yowza, that might be bad. But it's better than Superstar USA. Its purpose is to find the next William Hung, and really, one is enough, thank you. (Though ZERO is preferred.) Superstar USA seeks to find the worst singers out there. Talented people are thrown out in the initial rounds, leaving only the untalented to compete and become a superstar. Cover your ears and tape up those windows, becoming an idol is here to stay.
Lastly, in other TV news, NBC has a new movie coming out called 10.5. Scientists have denounced the movie, called it woefully inaccurate. First of all, it seems impossible to have an earthquake of 10.5. The largest one in history was a 9.5 in Chile. Then in the movie, atomic bombs are used to try to fix the problem. I don't know, but common sense seems to tell me that bombs would make things worse, no? Reached for comment, the producers claimed they checked the Internet for some facts about earthquakes before proceeding. Now that makes me laugh.
In other news, the editor of Details magazine has apologized for the Gay or Asian piece mentioned earlier. No word yet on whether the author will apologize
The Bush Administration is utterly confused by what's going on in the economy. They see consistent GDP growth. Inflation is minimal. The economy grew by 300,000 jobs last month. Yet, overall satisfaction with the economy is still low. Why? People are micro in a macro world. They care about what they see. And what's that? Gas prices are up. It's pushing 1.80 in the country and it's 2.15 at the Valero down the street from me. Those Vietnamese who own the Shell on the other side of me are changing 2.30. And that's not the only thing putting people down. It is businesses closing, which is really evident in Berkeley. Pretty soon, it might be a ghost town. The takeover and proposed re-opening of the Shattuck Hotel is dead. Huston's Shoes is closed. Eddie Bauer is closed. Gateway is closed. Bath and Body Works (right across from campus, no less) is closed. Tower Records is on the verge of closing. And the people hurt by this are the lowly consumer.
The VSA Culture Show happened on Saturday, and taking into account the expectations for the show, it was a mild success. It had its technical problems but the overall content of the show was very good. Props go out to all those involved.
During the show, there was a pitch to find the next Vietnamese Idol. Yowza, that might be bad. But it's better than Superstar USA. Its purpose is to find the next William Hung, and really, one is enough, thank you. (Though ZERO is preferred.) Superstar USA seeks to find the worst singers out there. Talented people are thrown out in the initial rounds, leaving only the untalented to compete and become a superstar. Cover your ears and tape up those windows, becoming an idol is here to stay.
Lastly, in other TV news, NBC has a new movie coming out called 10.5. Scientists have denounced the movie, called it woefully inaccurate. First of all, it seems impossible to have an earthquake of 10.5. The largest one in history was a 9.5 in Chile. Then in the movie, atomic bombs are used to try to fix the problem. I don't know, but common sense seems to tell me that bombs would make things worse, no? Reached for comment, the producers claimed they checked the Internet for some facts about earthquakes before proceeding. Now that makes me laugh.
The Alamo
Remember the Alamo? No? Nobody blames you. We lost anyway. In 1836, Mexican forces marched up to the Alamo, recently captured by Texans and Tejanos during a battle in December 1835. Led by General Santa Anna, the Mexicans vastly outnumbered the soldiers and militia stationed at the mission. Within the Alamo, there was a struggle for power between Jim Bowie, the militia leader played by Jason Patric, and William Travis, an unproven lieutenant colonel thrust into a leadership role. Indecisiveness and poor communication between the two heads led to the Texans firing the first shot against the Mexicans. For a subsequent 13 days, the Alamo was under siege by constant cannon fire and small sneak attacks by Mexican soldiers. Pleas for help went largely ignored. The few who did come to help are prominent in history. Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton), a congressman from Tennessee during this time, comes into the Alamo at the urging of Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid), who would continue the fight after the Alamo.
This story of American bravery is, by most accounts, historically accurate. But for films like this to be successful in today's marketplace, it must capture the emotion of the people who are being sacrificed and compel us to really feel for them. Glory and Gettysburg do this. The Alamo, sadly, does not. The film is filled with images of men fighting and conversing and in battle, but none of them are lasting. This lack of story from anybody reduces the characters to chess pieces, with the director constantly moving them along until one side is gone, in this case, the Texans. The only one who really stands out is Thornton's Crockett, who shows some fight in him from beginning to end. Quaid's fine character is largely missing from the film, a casualty of the cutting room floor in its effort to cut 1 hour from the 3+ hour film. Viewed as a historical, just the facts, sort of film, it pretty much excels in capturing the era and the battle scenes are on par to what we've enjoyed as filmgoers. But while students of history will remember the Alamo as the ultimate in sacrifice for lasting so long against a vastly superior Mexican army, people will remember "The Alamo" just as entertaining as listening to a history professor talk about the Alamo. 2 stars
Remember the Alamo? No? Nobody blames you. We lost anyway. In 1836, Mexican forces marched up to the Alamo, recently captured by Texans and Tejanos during a battle in December 1835. Led by General Santa Anna, the Mexicans vastly outnumbered the soldiers and militia stationed at the mission. Within the Alamo, there was a struggle for power between Jim Bowie, the militia leader played by Jason Patric, and William Travis, an unproven lieutenant colonel thrust into a leadership role. Indecisiveness and poor communication between the two heads led to the Texans firing the first shot against the Mexicans. For a subsequent 13 days, the Alamo was under siege by constant cannon fire and small sneak attacks by Mexican soldiers. Pleas for help went largely ignored. The few who did come to help are prominent in history. Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton), a congressman from Tennessee during this time, comes into the Alamo at the urging of Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid), who would continue the fight after the Alamo.
This story of American bravery is, by most accounts, historically accurate. But for films like this to be successful in today's marketplace, it must capture the emotion of the people who are being sacrificed and compel us to really feel for them. Glory and Gettysburg do this. The Alamo, sadly, does not. The film is filled with images of men fighting and conversing and in battle, but none of them are lasting. This lack of story from anybody reduces the characters to chess pieces, with the director constantly moving them along until one side is gone, in this case, the Texans. The only one who really stands out is Thornton's Crockett, who shows some fight in him from beginning to end. Quaid's fine character is largely missing from the film, a casualty of the cutting room floor in its effort to cut 1 hour from the 3+ hour film. Viewed as a historical, just the facts, sort of film, it pretty much excels in capturing the era and the battle scenes are on par to what we've enjoyed as filmgoers. But while students of history will remember the Alamo as the ultimate in sacrifice for lasting so long against a vastly superior Mexican army, people will remember "The Alamo" just as entertaining as listening to a history professor talk about the Alamo. 2 stars
4/17/2004
The VSA culture show is tonite. $12 at the door at 5:00pm and running for 3 hours. Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley.
Before I watched the sneak of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 in the city, there was predictably a huge line. Some wimpy security lady was concerned about the coiling line in the lobby and asked us to move it outside. It was cold and windy that night and many of us screamed that fact. So she left. 10 minutes later, she brought along a huge fat guy with a security uniform with the badge sewn on and told us to move outside. No one seemed to want to stand up to him so we did. And by then, it was raining, which sucked a lot since I left the apartment with only a shirt on.
My friend notified me of a site called pornolize.com, which is extremely funny. You enter in a site and this site will pornolize it for you. It looks like all it does is add nicknames to all the proper names it can find and replaces adjectives and verbs with porn adjectives and nouns. But it sorta keeps the structure of what they were trying to say and that makes it funny.
Heads up to the Iron Chef fans out there. Next week debuts Iron Chef: America on Food Network. Unlike the awful Iron Chef: USA hosted by William Shatner, this one has the approval of its Japanese creators and has helped by allowing Iron Chef French Sakai and Iron Chef Japanese Morimoto to compete against the best of the Food Network chefs, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Wolfgang Puck. It's sure to be quite the battle. It's on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday next weekend.
Watching the news, it's become apparent to me why Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger does all these causes. He wants a free jacket. The after school initiative, running for governor, Props 57 and 58, and now the workers compensation reform, every time he seriously campaigns, he has a jacket made for him specifically for this, always black and always with the message on the front and back. Quite shrewd on his part and you know what? He's never lost.
Anyone who's watched the Apprentice knows that Bill won and has decided to head up the construction effort of one of Trump's hotels in Chicago. So what of Kwame? He has the opportunity to work at KFC for a week! He could become Chief Sales Officer and try to come up with a new advertising initiative for its roasted chicken. He could also work for Mark Cuban. But is he worth it? My brother's friend went to Harvard Business School with Kwame and remarks that he is a tool.
Congrats to the Sharks for eliminating the Blues in the first round. It lets them focus on more legal matters. Mike Danton provided some spark in the Blues losing effort, but dejected from losing, he was bound to board a plane back to St. Louis until FBI agents arrested him on murder charges! This is too weird. Apparently, he caught wind of a hitman after him and consulted a friend to get a hitman to kill the first hitman, and in the process, offering $10,000 to do the job, along with the set-up (the house was supposed to be burglarized to cover it up). But the friend turned him in. Everyone sees the problem right? First, he needed to offer more than $10,000. No one in their right mind would do a job like that for a measly $10,000. The second is to cover your tracks. You needed the hitman to kill the friend as well, and then you need to finish the job by killing the hitman. By planning ahead with more money and ambition, he could be sitting pretty, but now, Mike Danton gets to sit pretty next to some jailhouse inmate.
Now that I'm number one when you search for the word ranting in many search engines including Yahoo, MSN, and Altavista, (How? I'll never know) the goal now is to become number one on Google. A quick check shows I'm number 36. I'll keep track of it on the sidebar.
Before I watched the sneak of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 in the city, there was predictably a huge line. Some wimpy security lady was concerned about the coiling line in the lobby and asked us to move it outside. It was cold and windy that night and many of us screamed that fact. So she left. 10 minutes later, she brought along a huge fat guy with a security uniform with the badge sewn on and told us to move outside. No one seemed to want to stand up to him so we did. And by then, it was raining, which sucked a lot since I left the apartment with only a shirt on.
My friend notified me of a site called pornolize.com, which is extremely funny. You enter in a site and this site will pornolize it for you. It looks like all it does is add nicknames to all the proper names it can find and replaces adjectives and verbs with porn adjectives and nouns. But it sorta keeps the structure of what they were trying to say and that makes it funny.
Heads up to the Iron Chef fans out there. Next week debuts Iron Chef: America on Food Network. Unlike the awful Iron Chef: USA hosted by William Shatner, this one has the approval of its Japanese creators and has helped by allowing Iron Chef French Sakai and Iron Chef Japanese Morimoto to compete against the best of the Food Network chefs, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Wolfgang Puck. It's sure to be quite the battle. It's on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday next weekend.
Watching the news, it's become apparent to me why Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger does all these causes. He wants a free jacket. The after school initiative, running for governor, Props 57 and 58, and now the workers compensation reform, every time he seriously campaigns, he has a jacket made for him specifically for this, always black and always with the message on the front and back. Quite shrewd on his part and you know what? He's never lost.
Anyone who's watched the Apprentice knows that Bill won and has decided to head up the construction effort of one of Trump's hotels in Chicago. So what of Kwame? He has the opportunity to work at KFC for a week! He could become Chief Sales Officer and try to come up with a new advertising initiative for its roasted chicken. He could also work for Mark Cuban. But is he worth it? My brother's friend went to Harvard Business School with Kwame and remarks that he is a tool.
Congrats to the Sharks for eliminating the Blues in the first round. It lets them focus on more legal matters. Mike Danton provided some spark in the Blues losing effort, but dejected from losing, he was bound to board a plane back to St. Louis until FBI agents arrested him on murder charges! This is too weird. Apparently, he caught wind of a hitman after him and consulted a friend to get a hitman to kill the first hitman, and in the process, offering $10,000 to do the job, along with the set-up (the house was supposed to be burglarized to cover it up). But the friend turned him in. Everyone sees the problem right? First, he needed to offer more than $10,000. No one in their right mind would do a job like that for a measly $10,000. The second is to cover your tracks. You needed the hitman to kill the friend as well, and then you need to finish the job by killing the hitman. By planning ahead with more money and ambition, he could be sitting pretty, but now, Mike Danton gets to sit pretty next to some jailhouse inmate.
Now that I'm number one when you search for the word ranting in many search engines including Yahoo, MSN, and Altavista, (How? I'll never know) the goal now is to become number one on Google. A quick check shows I'm number 36. I'll keep track of it on the sidebar.
Walking Tall
The Rock plays another macho guy beating people up in a remake of the original "Walking Tall". The Rock plays Chris Vaughn, a military man returning to his hometown to set up roots in the community. But the town he returns to is far different than the one he left. The old mill has closed down and a new casino has popped up, bringing with it sex, drugs, and a mafia-like organization to run it all. They're led by Jay Hamilton Jr. (Neal McDonough Jr.). Once Vaughn sees cheating going on at the casino, he decides to take action by standing up to the casino, but it only results in nasty scars on his chest. Then, when his nephew O.D's, he's fed up and trashes the casino. Afterwards, he's acquitted of the charges and soon learns that to stop the casino, he must replace the corrupt sheriff, which he ultimately does. Will that solve the problems plaguing the community?
The Rock has a lot of charisma going for him to become the next huge action star. But placing him in films like this are insulting. The whole thing reeks of implausibility and foolishness with a crazy set-up to its final ending. Johnny Knoxville brings some nice comic relief to the movie and The Rock is, well, The Rock, but other than that, he seems portrayed more as a dumb hit-man type person than the guy we were introduced to, close to his family and not willing to fight at the first opportunity. The film's short length probably produced this. A lot of dialogue must have been cut to showcase The Rock's active fighting scenes and ultimately, that's where the film was hurt. 1.5 stars
The Rock plays another macho guy beating people up in a remake of the original "Walking Tall". The Rock plays Chris Vaughn, a military man returning to his hometown to set up roots in the community. But the town he returns to is far different than the one he left. The old mill has closed down and a new casino has popped up, bringing with it sex, drugs, and a mafia-like organization to run it all. They're led by Jay Hamilton Jr. (Neal McDonough Jr.). Once Vaughn sees cheating going on at the casino, he decides to take action by standing up to the casino, but it only results in nasty scars on his chest. Then, when his nephew O.D's, he's fed up and trashes the casino. Afterwards, he's acquitted of the charges and soon learns that to stop the casino, he must replace the corrupt sheriff, which he ultimately does. Will that solve the problems plaguing the community?
The Rock has a lot of charisma going for him to become the next huge action star. But placing him in films like this are insulting. The whole thing reeks of implausibility and foolishness with a crazy set-up to its final ending. Johnny Knoxville brings some nice comic relief to the movie and The Rock is, well, The Rock, but other than that, he seems portrayed more as a dumb hit-man type person than the guy we were introduced to, close to his family and not willing to fight at the first opportunity. The film's short length probably produced this. A lot of dialogue must have been cut to showcase The Rock's active fighting scenes and ultimately, that's where the film was hurt. 1.5 stars
4/16/2004
So on campus, ASUC elections have been going on, now in the 5th step of a 6-step process. The first involves political parties and the in-fighting that ensues when trying to figure out who to announce in your executive slate. The second is this announcement of the slate and the anticipation of what these people can bring to Cal. The third is the campaign, which ranges from the political forums to shaking hands with the electorate or giving speeches in the middle of class. The fourth involves voting. Duh. The fifth involves in-fighting among the parties. They all accuse each other of dirty campaigning and sue each other to get them disqualified. Finally, the 6th is the announcement of who won the voting once all the lawsuits go away.
To review, the first went to the last minute as Cal-SERVE, the dominant party of the executive branch, did not announce until the last possible day. The announcement of the executive slates was met with surprise as a new, supposedly non-partisan, party formed called BEARS-United, Student Action turned to independent outsiders to fill its slate, and Cal-SERVE chose to use staffers of its top people.
Now, the campaign. As you know, I routinely stand up to the CalPIRG people because they are weak environmentalists who simply have clipboards and stickers and can easily be scared away. One of them was my friend, and well, not only was he weak, he was such an idiot I didn't know why they would give him a clipboard to begin with. ASUC campaigners are different beasts. They've got big signs with wooden stakes they can beat you with. So then it's a matter of staying away from them. To many, voting for these people involves personality, not the issues they're talking about. I've been here 4 years and I can honestly tell you I haven't seen ASUC do anything extraordinary. Only the things they're supposed to do like give out money to student groups, which they can't even do correctly. When my friend ran for, and won, Executive Vice President a couple of years back, he ran on some promises that never happened and even found himself in trouble with allocating money for food. Food! This is what the ASUC debates all the time??? Even the President that year had some ambitious One Campus idea to unite everyone as a force to bring about real change, but that never happened. The MLK Student Union sits in disarray. ASUC is in debt all the time now, being helped by funds it doesn't routinely tap and a small pardon from the University. Then during campaign season, empty promises are made to fix everything that is wrong, but by now, it's hard to believe them, which is why you'll see heavy campaigning in the dorms and toward freshmen. They're naive like that.
Once you get through the two weeks of that, you finally get the voting. Like ASUC, voting gets off on the wrong foot every year. The first year had paper ballots, no problems but awfully slow. It takes a long time for Cal students to count votes I guess. So some brilliant people had the idea to use computers. What an idea! But now, it seems that may be bringing more problems than their worth. Costs pushed $100,000 last year when they budgeted considerably less. Computers broke down, poll workers never showed up, etc. After a year of planning, this year's is not without problems either. Servers aren't being turned on, computers are breaking down again, students aren't getting authenticated because of their Tele-Bears status, etc. They extended voting but there's no count on how many were discouraged from voting.
So right now, we're at Step 5. It's the desperate step for many as party members accuse each other of campaign violations serious enough to disqualify entire parties in order to win. Even if it means everyone is disqualified and Squelch! becomes the dominant party on campus. This year, Student Action fired the first shot, charging Cal-SERVE with 4 counts of violations including taking advantage of an ASUC sponsored event, significantly blocking a students' right-of-way to class, and even simply flyering over other groups' flyers. Cal-SERVE is secretive on what they have, but we'll find out soon enough. It doesn't usually work but it almost did a couple of years back when Student Action was barred before the voting only to come back later on. More details can be found on Calstuff.
Step 6 is the results. And to those who win, congrats. You'll be inheriting an organization in such disarray, it will only be doing harm to your future political career.
To review, the first went to the last minute as Cal-SERVE, the dominant party of the executive branch, did not announce until the last possible day. The announcement of the executive slates was met with surprise as a new, supposedly non-partisan, party formed called BEARS-United, Student Action turned to independent outsiders to fill its slate, and Cal-SERVE chose to use staffers of its top people.
Now, the campaign. As you know, I routinely stand up to the CalPIRG people because they are weak environmentalists who simply have clipboards and stickers and can easily be scared away. One of them was my friend, and well, not only was he weak, he was such an idiot I didn't know why they would give him a clipboard to begin with. ASUC campaigners are different beasts. They've got big signs with wooden stakes they can beat you with. So then it's a matter of staying away from them. To many, voting for these people involves personality, not the issues they're talking about. I've been here 4 years and I can honestly tell you I haven't seen ASUC do anything extraordinary. Only the things they're supposed to do like give out money to student groups, which they can't even do correctly. When my friend ran for, and won, Executive Vice President a couple of years back, he ran on some promises that never happened and even found himself in trouble with allocating money for food. Food! This is what the ASUC debates all the time??? Even the President that year had some ambitious One Campus idea to unite everyone as a force to bring about real change, but that never happened. The MLK Student Union sits in disarray. ASUC is in debt all the time now, being helped by funds it doesn't routinely tap and a small pardon from the University. Then during campaign season, empty promises are made to fix everything that is wrong, but by now, it's hard to believe them, which is why you'll see heavy campaigning in the dorms and toward freshmen. They're naive like that.
Once you get through the two weeks of that, you finally get the voting. Like ASUC, voting gets off on the wrong foot every year. The first year had paper ballots, no problems but awfully slow. It takes a long time for Cal students to count votes I guess. So some brilliant people had the idea to use computers. What an idea! But now, it seems that may be bringing more problems than their worth. Costs pushed $100,000 last year when they budgeted considerably less. Computers broke down, poll workers never showed up, etc. After a year of planning, this year's is not without problems either. Servers aren't being turned on, computers are breaking down again, students aren't getting authenticated because of their Tele-Bears status, etc. They extended voting but there's no count on how many were discouraged from voting.
So right now, we're at Step 5. It's the desperate step for many as party members accuse each other of campaign violations serious enough to disqualify entire parties in order to win. Even if it means everyone is disqualified and Squelch! becomes the dominant party on campus. This year, Student Action fired the first shot, charging Cal-SERVE with 4 counts of violations including taking advantage of an ASUC sponsored event, significantly blocking a students' right-of-way to class, and even simply flyering over other groups' flyers. Cal-SERVE is secretive on what they have, but we'll find out soon enough. It doesn't usually work but it almost did a couple of years back when Student Action was barred before the voting only to come back later on. More details can be found on Calstuff.
Step 6 is the results. And to those who win, congrats. You'll be inheriting an organization in such disarray, it will only be doing harm to your future political career.
4/15/2004
Kill Bill: Volume 2
After 6 months of waiting, Quentin Tarantino's continuation of Black Mamba's (Uma Thurman) quest to kill Bill (David Carradine) is here. And it is worth it. After showing the massacre at the wedding chapel that started the whole thing, we catch up to events concerning Budd (Michael Madsen). Bill comes along to warn him about The Bride, but Budd re-assures him that everything will be okay if she wants to pick a fight. Also meeting Budd is the 4th member of the troop, Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) for a little exchange of goods. As a result, The Bride, as expected, comes along and has to deal with both of them. Once finished, the only one left is Bill. Standing in her way toward her ultimate goal though is the discovery of her daughter, B.B. (Perla Haney-Jardine).
After watching the first one, I felt then, and now even more so, that Tarantino's vision should have been realized by releasing this as one film of 4 hours than 2 of 2 hours. The first one hits us from all sides, introducing every major plot point in rapid succession while indulging in some of the bloodiest swordplay ever seen. In Volume 2, there's a contrast. Dialogue, slowed down by a lot, takes the stage as all the violence is held back, probably with the exception of the catfight between The Bride and Elle. You won't see squirting blood or body parts strewn about. Instead, you'll see the delicate balance of action and wordplay. That, along with a hilarious training sequence with Pai-Mei (Gordon Liu), makes for an enjoyable movie from beginning to end. It plays mind games with us with its long-winded speeches, constant glares where their eyes speak volumes, and the closeness we get to the characters, including some time in a coffin. Probably the only thing that disappoints is the soundtrack, which isn't as enjoyable as the Asian-influenced first one. But this can be overlooked by the events on screen, which doesn't need a soundtrack to move it along. 3.5 stars
After 6 months of waiting, Quentin Tarantino's continuation of Black Mamba's (Uma Thurman) quest to kill Bill (David Carradine) is here. And it is worth it. After showing the massacre at the wedding chapel that started the whole thing, we catch up to events concerning Budd (Michael Madsen). Bill comes along to warn him about The Bride, but Budd re-assures him that everything will be okay if she wants to pick a fight. Also meeting Budd is the 4th member of the troop, Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) for a little exchange of goods. As a result, The Bride, as expected, comes along and has to deal with both of them. Once finished, the only one left is Bill. Standing in her way toward her ultimate goal though is the discovery of her daughter, B.B. (Perla Haney-Jardine).
After watching the first one, I felt then, and now even more so, that Tarantino's vision should have been realized by releasing this as one film of 4 hours than 2 of 2 hours. The first one hits us from all sides, introducing every major plot point in rapid succession while indulging in some of the bloodiest swordplay ever seen. In Volume 2, there's a contrast. Dialogue, slowed down by a lot, takes the stage as all the violence is held back, probably with the exception of the catfight between The Bride and Elle. You won't see squirting blood or body parts strewn about. Instead, you'll see the delicate balance of action and wordplay. That, along with a hilarious training sequence with Pai-Mei (Gordon Liu), makes for an enjoyable movie from beginning to end. It plays mind games with us with its long-winded speeches, constant glares where their eyes speak volumes, and the closeness we get to the characters, including some time in a coffin. Probably the only thing that disappoints is the soundtrack, which isn't as enjoyable as the Asian-influenced first one. But this can be overlooked by the events on screen, which doesn't need a soundtrack to move it along. 3.5 stars
4/12/2004
Hellboy
In 1944, the Nazis were in the midst of bringing in some creatures from the depths of the unknown through a portal. The Americans swooped in just in time to thwart this operation, but not before a small baby demon comes through. The scientist on hand (John Hurt) cares for it and, with its red exterior and horns, promptly named him Hellboy. Years later, now fully grown and played by Ron Perlman, he's dispatched when the regular police will not dare to go. It's during this time when a new liaison is assigned to him (Rupert Evans) and delves into the world of the FBI's Bureau of Paranormal Research. Along with an aquatic sidekick and Selma Blair's pyro abilities, the group goes out to seek a Russian spiritualist who was on hand for the portal opening in 1944 and seeks to re-create his work in the present day to open another portal, but only with the help of Hellboy himself.
The film has a lot going for it. It has an extremely likable character in Perlman's Hellboy, able to stand up to any villain while making light of any situation. Yet the writers don't seem to know what to do with him. Is he a gung-ho protagonist willing to fight through any situation or is he a lover and a fighter all at once? Is he a tough man or comedian? Is he top-secret or can he just leave whenever he wants? This last question is particularly boggling since he's introduced as a bigfoot-type character with repeated denials of his existence by the head of the FBI, played with some effect by Jeffrey Tambor, and blurry pictures plastered in many newspapers, yet he walks through society as if he's just another person without being met with hostility and is able to sneak out to spy on his crush, Blair, which, while a delightful scene, doesn't seem to fit in all too well. Once they get a handle on who Hellboy is supposed to be, they've got a real franchise on their hands. Until then, enjoy the complex character that he is. Just don't try to put it all together. 2 stars
In 1944, the Nazis were in the midst of bringing in some creatures from the depths of the unknown through a portal. The Americans swooped in just in time to thwart this operation, but not before a small baby demon comes through. The scientist on hand (John Hurt) cares for it and, with its red exterior and horns, promptly named him Hellboy. Years later, now fully grown and played by Ron Perlman, he's dispatched when the regular police will not dare to go. It's during this time when a new liaison is assigned to him (Rupert Evans) and delves into the world of the FBI's Bureau of Paranormal Research. Along with an aquatic sidekick and Selma Blair's pyro abilities, the group goes out to seek a Russian spiritualist who was on hand for the portal opening in 1944 and seeks to re-create his work in the present day to open another portal, but only with the help of Hellboy himself.
The film has a lot going for it. It has an extremely likable character in Perlman's Hellboy, able to stand up to any villain while making light of any situation. Yet the writers don't seem to know what to do with him. Is he a gung-ho protagonist willing to fight through any situation or is he a lover and a fighter all at once? Is he a tough man or comedian? Is he top-secret or can he just leave whenever he wants? This last question is particularly boggling since he's introduced as a bigfoot-type character with repeated denials of his existence by the head of the FBI, played with some effect by Jeffrey Tambor, and blurry pictures plastered in many newspapers, yet he walks through society as if he's just another person without being met with hostility and is able to sneak out to spy on his crush, Blair, which, while a delightful scene, doesn't seem to fit in all too well. Once they get a handle on who Hellboy is supposed to be, they've got a real franchise on their hands. Until then, enjoy the complex character that he is. Just don't try to put it all together. 2 stars
4/10/2004
Avril Lavigne. Oh, where did everything go wrong?
A person who will remain nameless caught wind of a free concert by Avril at the Southland Mall in Hayward. And well, guess who was subject to the misery.
We arrived at 4 as scheduled. But signs pointed out things wouldn't start til 5. I suggested we hang out at the mall.
"NOOOO! We gotta line up and wait there!"
Umm, okay.
So we wait. And wait. And wait. The crowds started to form. Predictably, the young kids came out along with their parents. Spring Break, you know. Then the young teens came out. Though right next to me was this 20s looking fellow wearing all this black makeup and reading an Avril magazine. Quite disturbing.
Every once in a while, these AOL guys would come out (AOL was the sponsor of this little thing) to rile up the crowd with AOL chants and throw some AOL walker guy stuffed toys. Do those things have names?
As the time approached, the emcee walked out.
I really like that commercial from Southwest Airlines where the rapper goes "Thank you Detroit! We love you!" And then his bandmate next to him informs him that Detroit was last night. Well, this emcee came out and said "Heeeelllllloooooo San Francisco!!!" To which the entire crowd gasped in horror. This is Hayward. We're so far away from San Francisco. The emcee tries to correct himself by saying that he knows they're in Hayward but the two were close enough. Ehhh, no.
At 5:10, Avril walks out. Lots of pre-adolescent girls screamed at the top of their lungs creating a high-pitched noise that almost popped my ears. Sings a few songs, some oldies that were irritating, some newbies that were even more irritating. Best move by her? She sitting in a stool while playing a guitar and singing instead of standing like an idiot. The aforementioned guy next to me seems enchanted. Then with the snap of a finger, she's outta there. 5:30 and my feet hurt. So like her, I'm outta there as fast as I could, headed to the food court for some refreshment as I try to drown this experience away.
A person who will remain nameless caught wind of a free concert by Avril at the Southland Mall in Hayward. And well, guess who was subject to the misery.
We arrived at 4 as scheduled. But signs pointed out things wouldn't start til 5. I suggested we hang out at the mall.
"NOOOO! We gotta line up and wait there!"
Umm, okay.
So we wait. And wait. And wait. The crowds started to form. Predictably, the young kids came out along with their parents. Spring Break, you know. Then the young teens came out. Though right next to me was this 20s looking fellow wearing all this black makeup and reading an Avril magazine. Quite disturbing.
Every once in a while, these AOL guys would come out (AOL was the sponsor of this little thing) to rile up the crowd with AOL chants and throw some AOL walker guy stuffed toys. Do those things have names?
As the time approached, the emcee walked out.
I really like that commercial from Southwest Airlines where the rapper goes "Thank you Detroit! We love you!" And then his bandmate next to him informs him that Detroit was last night. Well, this emcee came out and said "Heeeelllllloooooo San Francisco!!!" To which the entire crowd gasped in horror. This is Hayward. We're so far away from San Francisco. The emcee tries to correct himself by saying that he knows they're in Hayward but the two were close enough. Ehhh, no.
At 5:10, Avril walks out. Lots of pre-adolescent girls screamed at the top of their lungs creating a high-pitched noise that almost popped my ears. Sings a few songs, some oldies that were irritating, some newbies that were even more irritating. Best move by her? She sitting in a stool while playing a guitar and singing instead of standing like an idiot. The aforementioned guy next to me seems enchanted. Then with the snap of a finger, she's outta there. 5:30 and my feet hurt. So like her, I'm outta there as fast as I could, headed to the food court for some refreshment as I try to drown this experience away.
4/04/2004
I'm shocked. I'm offended. I'm relieved that I don't dress anything like this.
Details Magazine ran this article wondering whether this person was gay or Asian. Nobody should be making this comparison in the first place. The magazine argues this is just another in a series of gay or fill-in-the-blank articles meant to highlight social stereotypes and that it wasn't their intention to offend. Really, how hasn't it? According to sites, Details has apologized, but to whom? Yes, the gay/lesbian community. As a result, Asian American groups are in an uproar and are planning protests at the magazine in a couple of weeks.
Click to enlarge.
Details Magazine ran this article wondering whether this person was gay or Asian. Nobody should be making this comparison in the first place. The magazine argues this is just another in a series of gay or fill-in-the-blank articles meant to highlight social stereotypes and that it wasn't their intention to offend. Really, how hasn't it? According to sites, Details has apologized, but to whom? Yes, the gay/lesbian community. As a result, Asian American groups are in an uproar and are planning protests at the magazine in a couple of weeks.
Click to enlarge.
4/03/2004
Today, the VSA holds their second poker tournament of the semester. Why this thing isn't getting shut down is beyond me. It's gambling! No, it's not. It's simply a tournament with an entry fee. In any case, it's at least for a cause, which is the VSA Culture Show occurring on CAL Day, April 17th at 5pm in Zellerbach. Interested parties should buy tickets early since they'll cost $12 at the door instead of the $8 for students who buy early.
Also coming to campus is Mitch Hedberg, easily one of the funniest stand-ups out there. His work takes time to get used to, both in the first time listening to him and even within a performance, but he wears on you and you can't help but laugh. Tuesday night at 8 in Wheeler. $10 for kids with a Cal ID, $15 for those without.
On Sunday, one sports season ends and another begins. Those keeping track to the left will see the Sharks as an improbable second-place finisher in the West. This after a second-to-last finish last year. Their season ends tomorrow against Los Angeles before the playoffs begin on Wednesday against an unknown opponent. Tomorrow night, the Orioles begin their quest for a World Series championship against the cursed Red Sox. The Orioles have gone a long way to improve their offense with the addition of Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro, but their crappy pitching staff (Ponson, and who else??) will lead to another disappointing season. Of course, I ask them to prove me wrong.
Chalk up MSN and Altavista as other sites where a search for ranting leads you here first.
Also coming to campus is Mitch Hedberg, easily one of the funniest stand-ups out there. His work takes time to get used to, both in the first time listening to him and even within a performance, but he wears on you and you can't help but laugh. Tuesday night at 8 in Wheeler. $10 for kids with a Cal ID, $15 for those without.
On Sunday, one sports season ends and another begins. Those keeping track to the left will see the Sharks as an improbable second-place finisher in the West. This after a second-to-last finish last year. Their season ends tomorrow against Los Angeles before the playoffs begin on Wednesday against an unknown opponent. Tomorrow night, the Orioles begin their quest for a World Series championship against the cursed Red Sox. The Orioles have gone a long way to improve their offense with the addition of Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro, but their crappy pitching staff (Ponson, and who else??) will lead to another disappointing season. Of course, I ask them to prove me wrong.
Chalk up MSN and Altavista as other sites where a search for ranting leads you here first.
4/02/2004
The Ladykillers
The Coen Brothers have been busier than usual lately. But since "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" a few years back, it hasn't really been high times for them. Intolerable Cruelty was big on ideas but short on execution. Bad Santa was a bit dark for people's tastes. And now, The Ladykillers. They even got Tom Hanks to do it. He is Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr Ph.D. He notices a room for rent sign at the house of Marva Munson (Irma Hall), a widower whose life revolves around the church. But Dorr has other plans for his new place. It's all part of an elaborate scheme to rob the nearby riverboat casino, which has its underground facilities in close proximity to the Munson house. Under the guise of a church music group, Dorr and his accomplices work to dig a tunnel to the casino, rob the counting room of its money and leave. Yet Munson knows a bit more than she lets on, leaving the group with a heavy decision to make.
The film for the most part is funny. Scenes like the planning of the heist, Munson trying to control the team making too much noise or doing something they aren't supposed to and the eventual resolution to the story are among the high points of the film. Hanks contributes a peculiar character that is a joy to watch. Sure, his accomplices are funny as well, but they are one-note characters. They do the same thing over and over again. It gets less and less funny. My economics education taught me that that's called the law of diminishing returns. Did we really need to hear about IBS about 4 or 5 times or see the General swallowing his cigarette 4 or 5 times? I think not. It was funny the first time, but not so much later on. With this, the film at times gets tired and it takes a smart-alecky line from Hanks to pick things back up, but that alone can't solve everything. The gospel music's good but never really finds a niche in the overall film. 2.5 stars
The Coen Brothers have been busier than usual lately. But since "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" a few years back, it hasn't really been high times for them. Intolerable Cruelty was big on ideas but short on execution. Bad Santa was a bit dark for people's tastes. And now, The Ladykillers. They even got Tom Hanks to do it. He is Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr Ph.D. He notices a room for rent sign at the house of Marva Munson (Irma Hall), a widower whose life revolves around the church. But Dorr has other plans for his new place. It's all part of an elaborate scheme to rob the nearby riverboat casino, which has its underground facilities in close proximity to the Munson house. Under the guise of a church music group, Dorr and his accomplices work to dig a tunnel to the casino, rob the counting room of its money and leave. Yet Munson knows a bit more than she lets on, leaving the group with a heavy decision to make.
The film for the most part is funny. Scenes like the planning of the heist, Munson trying to control the team making too much noise or doing something they aren't supposed to and the eventual resolution to the story are among the high points of the film. Hanks contributes a peculiar character that is a joy to watch. Sure, his accomplices are funny as well, but they are one-note characters. They do the same thing over and over again. It gets less and less funny. My economics education taught me that that's called the law of diminishing returns. Did we really need to hear about IBS about 4 or 5 times or see the General swallowing his cigarette 4 or 5 times? I think not. It was funny the first time, but not so much later on. With this, the film at times gets tired and it takes a smart-alecky line from Hanks to pick things back up, but that alone can't solve everything. The gospel music's good but never really finds a niche in the overall film. 2.5 stars
Jersey Girl
Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) seemingly had it all. A high-paying job as a publicist at a music company. A beautiful wife (Jennifer Lopez) with a baby on the way. Then it all came crashing down. The baby is born but the mom dies shortly after delivery. After a few short weeks, Ollie loses it in front of the press while trying to juggle his newborn with a Will Smith press event and gets fired. So he moves back to New Jersey with his father to raise young Gertrude. Fast forward seven years later, with Gertie (Raquel Castro) firmly planted in school and Ollie taking over his father's job as garbageman and street sweeper. Ollie though still yearns to get back into the publicity game, never turning down an interview. One night, he gets to know the video store clerk Maya (Liv Tyler) who learns of Ollie's story and starts to fall for him. Meanwhile, Ollie starts to get New York City on his mind again with a trip there with Gertie to see a Broadway play as well as the prospect for a job with his old assistant's company. But can he leave all that he's built up in New Jersey for the life he once led?
Yes, it's a cliched story, but I found that the pieces for success were there. You have the adorable kid in Castro, a scene stealer. You've got the beautiful love interest in Tyler. You've got great comedic support in George Carlin. Kevin Smith writes some good lines and directs a fine film. The group's theatre production in the end is hilarious. The problem? Affleck. In his career, he's never shown the talent and charm to be a romantic lead. Dramas and action flicks seem more his thing (Armageddon, also with Tyler, Good Will Hunting, Daredevil, The Sum of All Fears). Films where his romance seems to take a back seat to the more important things. In here, his demeanor doesn't seem to be one who can be caring or loving. This from a guy who is consistently funny outside of the movie spectrum (i.e. SNL). Without the convincing male lead, the film doesn't work. And Jersey Girl just barely works. 2.5 stars
Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) seemingly had it all. A high-paying job as a publicist at a music company. A beautiful wife (Jennifer Lopez) with a baby on the way. Then it all came crashing down. The baby is born but the mom dies shortly after delivery. After a few short weeks, Ollie loses it in front of the press while trying to juggle his newborn with a Will Smith press event and gets fired. So he moves back to New Jersey with his father to raise young Gertrude. Fast forward seven years later, with Gertie (Raquel Castro) firmly planted in school and Ollie taking over his father's job as garbageman and street sweeper. Ollie though still yearns to get back into the publicity game, never turning down an interview. One night, he gets to know the video store clerk Maya (Liv Tyler) who learns of Ollie's story and starts to fall for him. Meanwhile, Ollie starts to get New York City on his mind again with a trip there with Gertie to see a Broadway play as well as the prospect for a job with his old assistant's company. But can he leave all that he's built up in New Jersey for the life he once led?
Yes, it's a cliched story, but I found that the pieces for success were there. You have the adorable kid in Castro, a scene stealer. You've got the beautiful love interest in Tyler. You've got great comedic support in George Carlin. Kevin Smith writes some good lines and directs a fine film. The group's theatre production in the end is hilarious. The problem? Affleck. In his career, he's never shown the talent and charm to be a romantic lead. Dramas and action flicks seem more his thing (Armageddon, also with Tyler, Good Will Hunting, Daredevil, The Sum of All Fears). Films where his romance seems to take a back seat to the more important things. In here, his demeanor doesn't seem to be one who can be caring or loving. This from a guy who is consistently funny outside of the movie spectrum (i.e. SNL). Without the convincing male lead, the film doesn't work. And Jersey Girl just barely works. 2.5 stars
The Dreamers
Matthew (Michael Pitt) looked for enlightenment in the year 1968 and was attracted to France. But once he got there, he was hooked into French cinema and mostly stayed in the theatre. From this, he builds a relationship with Isabelle and Theo (Eva Green and Louis Garrel), twin siblings living with their parents, the father a famous author. These two grew up on cinema, especially on New Wave Cinema pioneered by Godard and others, and strike up fascinating conversations with Matthew, even inviting him to stay at their apartment. When their parents leave, Isabelle and Theo's innocent bond with Matthew soon becomes something more. Though movies are always foremost on their minds, with debates about the comedic stylings of Charlie Chaplin vs. Buster Keaton or the beauty of Greta Garbo, like most teenagers, sex affects them as well and with most of the film set in the apartment, it becomes inevitable what happens. The dream state the trio lives in soon meets up with the reality of the revolution happening just outside their door.
You get the nice feeling of nostalgia when you watch this film. Bertolucci intersperses a few scenes with clips of New Wave films like Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless and it really makes you yearn for the time when movies reached for a higher level. While that's not to say movies today don't, it's just that the quality seems a bit down. "The Dreamers" is visually striking to watch, both in the beauty of the cinematography and locale and in the shock value of all the sex that goes on between Matthew and Isabelle along with Theo watching from a distance. Yet, the sex acts as a distraction from the bond we are seeing growing before our very eyes. Instead, we fascinate as we see other things growing before our eyes. Along with an ending that doesn't get too much set-up throughout the movie, we're left with a mismanaged film; a bunch of scenes obsessed with the sex without all the value that comes from setting it all up. The foreplay, I guess. 2 stars
Matthew (Michael Pitt) looked for enlightenment in the year 1968 and was attracted to France. But once he got there, he was hooked into French cinema and mostly stayed in the theatre. From this, he builds a relationship with Isabelle and Theo (Eva Green and Louis Garrel), twin siblings living with their parents, the father a famous author. These two grew up on cinema, especially on New Wave Cinema pioneered by Godard and others, and strike up fascinating conversations with Matthew, even inviting him to stay at their apartment. When their parents leave, Isabelle and Theo's innocent bond with Matthew soon becomes something more. Though movies are always foremost on their minds, with debates about the comedic stylings of Charlie Chaplin vs. Buster Keaton or the beauty of Greta Garbo, like most teenagers, sex affects them as well and with most of the film set in the apartment, it becomes inevitable what happens. The dream state the trio lives in soon meets up with the reality of the revolution happening just outside their door.
You get the nice feeling of nostalgia when you watch this film. Bertolucci intersperses a few scenes with clips of New Wave films like Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless and it really makes you yearn for the time when movies reached for a higher level. While that's not to say movies today don't, it's just that the quality seems a bit down. "The Dreamers" is visually striking to watch, both in the beauty of the cinematography and locale and in the shock value of all the sex that goes on between Matthew and Isabelle along with Theo watching from a distance. Yet, the sex acts as a distraction from the bond we are seeing growing before our very eyes. Instead, we fascinate as we see other things growing before our eyes. Along with an ending that doesn't get too much set-up throughout the movie, we're left with a mismanaged film; a bunch of scenes obsessed with the sex without all the value that comes from setting it all up. The foreplay, I guess. 2 stars
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