Friday, December 22, 2006
A New Place for Personal Stuff
Well, I decided to branch out from my news posting and put down some personal thoughts and opinions about things. I will be posting my movie reviews and product reviews here. I also will put some day to day stuff here as well. Hope you enjoy this stuff.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Casino Royal Movie Review
I just saw this movie on Wednesday (11/29) and I have to say that Daniel Craig makes a great Bond. He is the badass Bond that wouldn't use his watch to shoot a laser but instead use it as a brass knuckles to bust someone open with. Craig has this insane stare that would curdle your blood. He has these piercing blue eyes, a set jaw, and a menacing expression that all say you mess with this guy and your dead. I have read some reviews that Craig harkens back to the Sean Connery Bond and I have to agree with them. I would love to see a remake of From Russia With Love and see what the Craig Bond would do against 'Red' Grant. Now that would be a fight scene for the ages.
Well, this movie pretty much highlights the very beginning of Bonds career. However instead of being set in the 60s it is set today's time. The movie has the requisite exotic locations like the Bahamas, Montenegro, and Venice and lots of expensive cars and ritzy scenery. Also the Bond girls were kind of mediocre for the most part. I'm sorry but Eva Green isn't my idea of a hot Bond girl. She has racoonish eye makeup throughout the movie and has a kind of skinny Nicole Richie-like boys body that is not very sexy. She is no Halle Berry coming out of the water I can tell you that.
Also this Bond also makes all sorts of mistakes and actually pays the price for them. He ditches the wife of a minor villain after almost having sex with her only to have her turn up tortured and murdered. If Bond spent the night with her she probably would have survived and the guys that came to kill her could have led Bond right to Le Chiffre (the main villain.) Instead he chases after her husband to Miami only to see that guy murdered before Bond can question him.
Also the Craig Bond seems to get fooled a lot. He trusts the wrong people throughout the movie and of course pays the price for it. He also doesn't think about his actions all of the time and that gets him into trouble as well. In one scene after chasing this bomb maker guy through all kinds of narrow scrapes and death defying cranes in stuff he follows him to the embassy. Instead of a quick and stealthy extraction or calling in backup the Craig Bond raises all sorts of hell and nearly blows the whole place up after killing the guy they were supposed to capture.
He is even poisoned in this movie because he was too focused on the poker game to notice that people there probably want him dead. He just sucked the drink down because things were getting dicey at the table and he wasn't paying attention. This isn't the infallible Super Agent that was the Brosnan Bond.
Also there is no mention of Q in this movie at all. I have a feeling that Q will probably make very few appearances in future Bond movies. It seems like the Craig Bond isn't the kind of guy that will banter with Q and flirt with Moneypenny. You won't see the Craig Bond remote controlling any BMWs with his watch like the Brosnan Bond did. I can see the Craig Bond running down minions with that BMW though. I also liked the line where the bartender asks him if he wanted his "martini shaken or stirred" and Craig responds "do I look like I give a damn." This is a Bond that would fit in well the Transporter, Bourne, Jack Bauer or any of the other badass heroes made in the last few years.
Being a badass is the hallmark of the Craig Bond. He is a ruthless, coldblooded killer when it comes to the badguys. He is the kind of guy that will shoot a guy in the leg and then step on the wound to get information on where the villains hideout is. He would then beat the villain to death with his own Super Weapon. I would love to see what the Craig Bond would do up against Doctor No, Scramanga, Goldfinger, or even Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
And that is the last point I would like to see come out of the Craig Bond. It would be cool to see him in stuff like a remade Dr. No or Goldfinger. This time they should make the film follow the books more closely and not just be a remake of the movies. I would be interesting to see the old films redone in modern times with a badass Bond in there blowing things up and beating the crap out of people. I had my doubts about the so called Blond Bond but they have been erased by seeing Casino Royal. What a way to resuscitate the franchise and take it into the future. I will be buying the DVD and not just Netflixing it.
Well, this movie pretty much highlights the very beginning of Bonds career. However instead of being set in the 60s it is set today's time. The movie has the requisite exotic locations like the Bahamas, Montenegro, and Venice and lots of expensive cars and ritzy scenery. Also the Bond girls were kind of mediocre for the most part. I'm sorry but Eva Green isn't my idea of a hot Bond girl. She has racoonish eye makeup throughout the movie and has a kind of skinny Nicole Richie-like boys body that is not very sexy. She is no Halle Berry coming out of the water I can tell you that.
Also this Bond also makes all sorts of mistakes and actually pays the price for them. He ditches the wife of a minor villain after almost having sex with her only to have her turn up tortured and murdered. If Bond spent the night with her she probably would have survived and the guys that came to kill her could have led Bond right to Le Chiffre (the main villain.) Instead he chases after her husband to Miami only to see that guy murdered before Bond can question him.
Also the Craig Bond seems to get fooled a lot. He trusts the wrong people throughout the movie and of course pays the price for it. He also doesn't think about his actions all of the time and that gets him into trouble as well. In one scene after chasing this bomb maker guy through all kinds of narrow scrapes and death defying cranes in stuff he follows him to the embassy. Instead of a quick and stealthy extraction or calling in backup the Craig Bond raises all sorts of hell and nearly blows the whole place up after killing the guy they were supposed to capture.
He is even poisoned in this movie because he was too focused on the poker game to notice that people there probably want him dead. He just sucked the drink down because things were getting dicey at the table and he wasn't paying attention. This isn't the infallible Super Agent that was the Brosnan Bond.
Also there is no mention of Q in this movie at all. I have a feeling that Q will probably make very few appearances in future Bond movies. It seems like the Craig Bond isn't the kind of guy that will banter with Q and flirt with Moneypenny. You won't see the Craig Bond remote controlling any BMWs with his watch like the Brosnan Bond did. I can see the Craig Bond running down minions with that BMW though. I also liked the line where the bartender asks him if he wanted his "martini shaken or stirred" and Craig responds "do I look like I give a damn." This is a Bond that would fit in well the Transporter, Bourne, Jack Bauer or any of the other badass heroes made in the last few years.
Being a badass is the hallmark of the Craig Bond. He is a ruthless, coldblooded killer when it comes to the badguys. He is the kind of guy that will shoot a guy in the leg and then step on the wound to get information on where the villains hideout is. He would then beat the villain to death with his own Super Weapon. I would love to see what the Craig Bond would do up against Doctor No, Scramanga, Goldfinger, or even Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
And that is the last point I would like to see come out of the Craig Bond. It would be cool to see him in stuff like a remade Dr. No or Goldfinger. This time they should make the film follow the books more closely and not just be a remake of the movies. I would be interesting to see the old films redone in modern times with a badass Bond in there blowing things up and beating the crap out of people. I had my doubts about the so called Blond Bond but they have been erased by seeing Casino Royal. What a way to resuscitate the franchise and take it into the future. I will be buying the DVD and not just Netflixing it.
Monday, October 30, 2006
The Prestige: Movie Review
I really enjoyed this movie although the people I went with did not. It was basically a tale of two magicians that hated each others guts so badly that they would go to any length to destroy one another. It was a great morality play and was well acted, staged and directed. Lots of great costumes and sets too to make you feel like you were actually seeing something happening in the late 19th early 20th century.
In many ways it was a truely Victorian story which had many rivalries in which one man tried to destroy another at any cost. In this movie we see Edison vs. Tesla (who was played by David Bowie) which was a real life rivalry that kind of mirrored the one between the characters played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. All morality and restraint is thrown out the window in their quest for revenge. Even when they get their revenge it still seems kind of hollow since they get a sense that they wasted their life getting back at their rival and they have nothing to show for it.
This movie also had one of the best plot twists that I have seen in years. I won't give it away but it is the kind of thing that bewilders you and leaves you with the feeling that you don't know what will happen next. I was on the edge of my seat at the end of the movie and that is kind of a rare feeling in movies nowadays.
This movie also had a pretty cool machine cooked up by Tesla that enabled someone to supposedly teleport from one place to another through some kind of powerful current. The machine even had a kind of Lovecraftian twist because instead of the machine transporting the person it would actually make a double of them. This harkens me back to the Philidelphia Experiment which was supposed to be influenced by Teslas work. This machine was a really nice way of putting forth the theme that real magic and science were one and the same during the Victorian period.
The acting was superb all the way around with Hugh Jackman mostly stealing the show. He was excellent in the role and he made you feel bad for his character even though he does quite alot of underhanded stuff. Even Bales character was not thoroughly unlikeable but I guess you can consider him the villian of the movie. The sad part is that much of what they do seemed to be very real reactions and not a stretch as the plot unfolded. I mean Bale did kill his wife even though it was an accident and Jackman did blow off Bales fingers trying to kill him.
I felt Scarlett Johansson could have been in the movie more but I guess she was just supposed to be a supporting actor and not one of the main stars. She played a mainly airheaded magicians assistant that is a pawn in the game between Bale and Jackman. Michael Caine played the only character that was likeable throughout. He did a great job of playing a grizzled vet that wants one more shot at the big time and latched onto Jackman to do it.
All and all it was a great movie that will probably go into my permanent DVD collection. If you like well acted period pieces that had great plot twists then this movie is for you.
In many ways it was a truely Victorian story which had many rivalries in which one man tried to destroy another at any cost. In this movie we see Edison vs. Tesla (who was played by David Bowie) which was a real life rivalry that kind of mirrored the one between the characters played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. All morality and restraint is thrown out the window in their quest for revenge. Even when they get their revenge it still seems kind of hollow since they get a sense that they wasted their life getting back at their rival and they have nothing to show for it.
This movie also had one of the best plot twists that I have seen in years. I won't give it away but it is the kind of thing that bewilders you and leaves you with the feeling that you don't know what will happen next. I was on the edge of my seat at the end of the movie and that is kind of a rare feeling in movies nowadays.
This movie also had a pretty cool machine cooked up by Tesla that enabled someone to supposedly teleport from one place to another through some kind of powerful current. The machine even had a kind of Lovecraftian twist because instead of the machine transporting the person it would actually make a double of them. This harkens me back to the Philidelphia Experiment which was supposed to be influenced by Teslas work. This machine was a really nice way of putting forth the theme that real magic and science were one and the same during the Victorian period.
The acting was superb all the way around with Hugh Jackman mostly stealing the show. He was excellent in the role and he made you feel bad for his character even though he does quite alot of underhanded stuff. Even Bales character was not thoroughly unlikeable but I guess you can consider him the villian of the movie. The sad part is that much of what they do seemed to be very real reactions and not a stretch as the plot unfolded. I mean Bale did kill his wife even though it was an accident and Jackman did blow off Bales fingers trying to kill him.
I felt Scarlett Johansson could have been in the movie more but I guess she was just supposed to be a supporting actor and not one of the main stars. She played a mainly airheaded magicians assistant that is a pawn in the game between Bale and Jackman. Michael Caine played the only character that was likeable throughout. He did a great job of playing a grizzled vet that wants one more shot at the big time and latched onto Jackman to do it.
All and all it was a great movie that will probably go into my permanent DVD collection. If you like well acted period pieces that had great plot twists then this movie is for you.
Red Cross to Overhaul Itself
It looks like they are trying to push through some much needed reforms. I did not know they had a 50 member board. It must have been like a meeting of the UN general Assembly every time they had a board meeting. Here are the other reforms that they are trying to impliment:
_Explicitly delegating responsibility for day-to-day operations to the Red Cross' full-time professional management, with the board focusing mainly on longer-term strategic oversight.
_Reducing the board of governors to between 12 and 20 members by March 31, 2012. An interim goal is to have no more than 25 members by 2009.
_Creating a single category of board members. Now, most are elected by local chapters, some are elected by the board, and others, including the chairman, are appointed by the U.S. president.
_Shifting seven of the presidentially appointed governors — all but the chairman — into a newly created Cabinet Council that will be merely advisory.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Movie Review: Marie Antoinette
Mein Gott was this movie slow. It was a long, languid sort of film with lots of different mood shots and not much movement in the plot. We have endless shots of Dunst running down the hall like a robot in a corset or waking up surrounded by French courtiers. We see her change her clothes over and over and basically ends up looking bored some of the time and then frustrated at others. We also get a scene after scene of her walking slowly in the grass, drinking with her other royal relatives, trying to get the King to sleep with her, etc.
We do get a sense though that the French Court of Louis XVI was totally out of the loop when it came to world events. We get a little smattering of the American Revolution and a barest hint of the buildup to the French Revolution. I guess this was intentional but it left the movie in a sort of limbo where we were forced to care about this poor Austrian girl surrounded by opulence who's only goal in life was the have a child with uber-dork Louis XVI.
It was basically a coming of age teen drama set in Pre-Revolutionary France with a rock beat. Kind of like The OC with beautiful dresses, gilded bedrooms, and real princesses. Also everyone seemed to have an American accent and only the child playing her daughter actually saying anything in French. It could have been filmed in Santa Barbara or South Beach for all we know.
One thing that was positive about the movie was the costumes and sets. They were 100% spot on from all of the stuff that I have read about the period. The food arrangement was also top notch with lots of different little French cakes and weird cooked pheasants or meat towers and things. It's kind of sad to say that a movie is so slow that you are noticing things like the cakes and the costumes more then the plot.
In my book it seemed like I was waiting for the payoff pitch for the entire movie. I thought they would show her finally going to the guillotine as the picture of composure; stoic to the very end. It would have been the perfect bookend to the movie and would be a nice play off of the languidness of the earlier parts of the film. All of the chaos of the Revolution and the uncertainty of her fate (to people that haven't studied history) would have really have given nice motion to the end of the movie.
It would have been exciting to see the confinement in the Tuileries with everyone scared, stoic, crying, etc. Then they could have had the escape attempt with lots of suspense about whether they would be caught etc. These scenes would have made for a great climax and finale of the movie. Instead we have some stuff about her affair with some Swedish dude and the climax turns out to be when she gives birth to the new Dauphin. The last scene is her saying goodbye to the other princesses and then her saying goodbye to good old Versailles one last time.
We do get a sense though that the French Court of Louis XVI was totally out of the loop when it came to world events. We get a little smattering of the American Revolution and a barest hint of the buildup to the French Revolution. I guess this was intentional but it left the movie in a sort of limbo where we were forced to care about this poor Austrian girl surrounded by opulence who's only goal in life was the have a child with uber-dork Louis XVI.
It was basically a coming of age teen drama set in Pre-Revolutionary France with a rock beat. Kind of like The OC with beautiful dresses, gilded bedrooms, and real princesses. Also everyone seemed to have an American accent and only the child playing her daughter actually saying anything in French. It could have been filmed in Santa Barbara or South Beach for all we know.
One thing that was positive about the movie was the costumes and sets. They were 100% spot on from all of the stuff that I have read about the period. The food arrangement was also top notch with lots of different little French cakes and weird cooked pheasants or meat towers and things. It's kind of sad to say that a movie is so slow that you are noticing things like the cakes and the costumes more then the plot.
In my book it seemed like I was waiting for the payoff pitch for the entire movie. I thought they would show her finally going to the guillotine as the picture of composure; stoic to the very end. It would have been the perfect bookend to the movie and would be a nice play off of the languidness of the earlier parts of the film. All of the chaos of the Revolution and the uncertainty of her fate (to people that haven't studied history) would have really have given nice motion to the end of the movie.
It would have been exciting to see the confinement in the Tuileries with everyone scared, stoic, crying, etc. Then they could have had the escape attempt with lots of suspense about whether they would be caught etc. These scenes would have made for a great climax and finale of the movie. Instead we have some stuff about her affair with some Swedish dude and the climax turns out to be when she gives birth to the new Dauphin. The last scene is her saying goodbye to the other princesses and then her saying goodbye to good old Versailles one last time.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Hand Crank Radio into Perpetual Motion Machine?
I was just day dreaming about these devices earlier today. And I was wondering if it were possible to have the power source that powers the radio power the crank instead. So you would just have to crank it a little while and it would power itself. I guess something gets lost in the action of cranking the radio or maybe the power generating part so it won't actually be perpetual. It sure would be cool though to crank a radio for a while then the radios crank slowly turns on its own powering the radio after that. I need to e-mail a physicist to see if this is actually possible.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Sour Candies
I have always loved Sour Candy since I was a kid. Even to this day I still love to eat Sour Candy more then Chocolate candy fi I get a choice. These are the types of Sour Candies that I remember eating back in the day. Some of them I still eat.
Nerds:
These are not the most sour of candies but I have always enjoyed them. They have a tangy quality that can't be beat. They color your tongue as well. Also by providing two different flavors in one box so your mouth doesn't tired of eating one thing or the other. My favorite brand of Nerds will have to Apple Coated Watermelon/Lemonade Coated Wild Cherry pictured above. These are great and I always try to buy some when I see a Crack Seed Store. The only gripe I have is that the box is kind of small so you have to ration them. They need to sell them in a nice Whoppers Milk Carton.
Sweet Tarts:
These are the perfect combo of Sweet and Sour tastes. I have eaten these for quite a while but one tube lasts quite a long time to me. They are sometimes hard to eat in a large quantity because after a while the acid from them wears down the layer of skin on the insides of your cheeks. I can only eat about 20 or so before I can't enjoy their flavor anymore and I have to take a break. I guess you could probably eat alot more if your crunched them instead of sucking on them until they are totally gone.
Sourpatch Kids:
These are my preferred movie theatre snack. They have a nice sour coating that makes your mouth pucker and then a nice sweet gummy flavor after a few seconds. They are fairly small so the gummy doesn't get stuck in your teeth. Also they come in assorted flavors so you don't tire of just one taste. The best part of them is the pure sour sugar at the bottom of the bag. It is very similar to a really sour Pixy stick. I could eat an entire bag of this sour sugar if I got the chance.
Lemonheads:
I haven't had these in a long time since they are fairly rare in Hawaii. I remember them being very sour at first and then getting sweeter after a while. They are also kind of chewy and get stuck in your teeth quite easily if you aren't careful. Looking at the website they have all sorts of different flavors and should offer them in a rainbow assortment.
Nerds:
These are not the most sour of candies but I have always enjoyed them. They have a tangy quality that can't be beat. They color your tongue as well. Also by providing two different flavors in one box so your mouth doesn't tired of eating one thing or the other. My favorite brand of Nerds will have to Apple Coated Watermelon/Lemonade Coated Wild Cherry pictured above. These are great and I always try to buy some when I see a Crack Seed Store. The only gripe I have is that the box is kind of small so you have to ration them. They need to sell them in a nice Whoppers Milk Carton.
Sweet Tarts:
These are the perfect combo of Sweet and Sour tastes. I have eaten these for quite a while but one tube lasts quite a long time to me. They are sometimes hard to eat in a large quantity because after a while the acid from them wears down the layer of skin on the insides of your cheeks. I can only eat about 20 or so before I can't enjoy their flavor anymore and I have to take a break. I guess you could probably eat alot more if your crunched them instead of sucking on them until they are totally gone.
Sourpatch Kids:
These are my preferred movie theatre snack. They have a nice sour coating that makes your mouth pucker and then a nice sweet gummy flavor after a few seconds. They are fairly small so the gummy doesn't get stuck in your teeth. Also they come in assorted flavors so you don't tire of just one taste. The best part of them is the pure sour sugar at the bottom of the bag. It is very similar to a really sour Pixy stick. I could eat an entire bag of this sour sugar if I got the chance.
Lemonheads:
I haven't had these in a long time since they are fairly rare in Hawaii. I remember them being very sour at first and then getting sweeter after a while. They are also kind of chewy and get stuck in your teeth quite easily if you aren't careful. Looking at the website they have all sorts of different flavors and should offer them in a rainbow assortment.
My Fantasy Team
This is my Team for Fantasy Football. They are known as the Hedge Funds:
Starters
D. McNabb
(Phi - QB)
B. Roethlisberger
(Pit - QB)
P. Burress
(NYG - WR)
D. Stallworth
(Phi - WR)
E. James
(Ari - RB)
C. Portis
(Was - RB)
T. Heap
(Bal - TE)
J. Kasay
(Car - K)
Pittsburgh
(Pit - DEF)
Bench
C. Dillon
(NE - RB)
T. Green
(KC - QB)
Ro. Smith
(Den - WR)
J. Horn
(NO - WR)
C. Frye
(Cle - QB)
D. Huard
(KC - QB)
Cincinnati
(Cin - DEF)
Starters
D. McNabb
(Phi - QB)
B. Roethlisberger
(Pit - QB)
P. Burress
(NYG - WR)
D. Stallworth
(Phi - WR)
E. James
(Ari - RB)
C. Portis
(Was - RB)
T. Heap
(Bal - TE)
J. Kasay
(Car - K)
Pittsburgh
(Pit - DEF)
Bench
C. Dillon
(NE - RB)
T. Green
(KC - QB)
Ro. Smith
(Den - WR)
J. Horn
(NO - WR)
C. Frye
(Cle - QB)
D. Huard
(KC - QB)
Cincinnati
(Cin - DEF)
Monday, April 10, 2006
Kanye West Hawaii Concert Review
Well, I saw the Kanye West show last night in Hawaii and boy was I entertained. I am not his biggest fan but I decided to go as part of my "try new things" campaign. I was really pleasantly surprised and I really enjoyed everything even though I can't hear very well out of my right ear. This is all told from a R&B concert newbie POV.
I have no idea how to dress for something like this so I was apprehensive at first. I don't know if Kanye is a shorts and T-shirt act. I also figured he wasn't an aloha shirt act either. Well, I was thinking about buying a new button down shirt of the concert but ended up going with a regular collar shirt and cargo shorts thing. It seemed like a good choice since almost everyone was wearing pretty much the same thing as me. Just an A&F shirt and jeans or cargo pants.
There was a massive line the stretched out past the parking garage but lucky thing we got in about the middle of the line since it was General Admission. The people waiting in the line seemed to be a mix of Army guys with short hair, college kids with preppy clothes, and groups of teenagers, and 20 something girls in pretty conservative clothes. For some reason I thought it would be more girls in club clothes (ie low cut and tight) but I was wrong.
Well the concert was set up with risers along the sides and a big open space in the middle. You couldn't bring food into the general admission floor but I smuggled in some macadamia nuts and pecans that I bought at this Fresh Roasted Nut stand. I ate the pecans and immediately felt thirsty. Luckily my friend had some gum so it wasn't so bad. We sat on the risers on the right side so we were stage was to our right. It got packed quick and I felt lucky that we got there early to get decent seats on these risers.
The opening act sucked monkey nuts though. They were some local Hawaii rap band called Extreme or Immersed or something. They could have been called Submerged for all I care. They pretty much ran at top speed around the stage and shouted rap lyrics at the top of their lungs in a barely intelligible manner. I don't mind rap if it has a good beat and the lyrics are easy to understand but this was just a joke. I really hope I never have to hear this loud, obnoxious band again.
Well after that audial assault I was really looking forward to Kanye. I pretty much only heard his Golddigger song but I really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to it. He started off fairly quickly with hard rapping songs that got the people in the right mood. Everyone was flashing the Diamond Dallas Page sign for some reason. I guess that is somehow connected with Kanye but I'm not sure how.
He goes into quite a few songs that I never heard before but were very up tempo and cool. He also ran around the stage and mostly delivered his lyrics with his left hand back and his body facing sideways to the audience while kneeling with his head down. He looked like he was bowing low to the audience or he just needed that stance to get out his pretty rapid fire songs. I was also struck at how big his body and head were. He had a giant melon and had monster hands even though he looked about 5'8" or so. At one point he jumped on top of a speaker and the crowd went wild.
He was backed up by an all-woman classical instrument band with one woman wearing white and playing a violin like a crazy person. He also had a very talented DJ that played his turntables in a very good solo to a Lil Jon song. Kanye played various songs from his albums one after another mostly playing older stuff at first. During the show he ran off the stage 4 times and changed clothes. I guess he sweats like Patrick Ewing and needed a fresh shirt every now and then. He also towled off several times with a black towel that he threw into the audience.
He also had a part where he rested and played some songs that inspired him. He even played "Take on Me" from Ah-Ha and even did the dance from the song. That got the crowd laughing pretty well. He also played some songs where that he wrote the beats for and performed parts of them. That really got the crowd cheering as well.
Finally his 3rd to the last song was Golddigger and the entire crowd went ape when he started singing it. They also sang along to every part of it and the sound was quite deafening. He then sang a newer song Touch the Sky. Then he sang Jesus Walks for the encore. Everyone had a great time and were leaving with big smiles on their faces. As we were leaving we saw several groups of people passing out flyers fro Junior Marley, for a Ultimate Fighting thing, and for some Lounge or something. I think that was a pretty good idea since you have all these similar people all together at one time so you can promote your events fairly easily.
I have no idea how to dress for something like this so I was apprehensive at first. I don't know if Kanye is a shorts and T-shirt act. I also figured he wasn't an aloha shirt act either. Well, I was thinking about buying a new button down shirt of the concert but ended up going with a regular collar shirt and cargo shorts thing. It seemed like a good choice since almost everyone was wearing pretty much the same thing as me. Just an A&F shirt and jeans or cargo pants.
There was a massive line the stretched out past the parking garage but lucky thing we got in about the middle of the line since it was General Admission. The people waiting in the line seemed to be a mix of Army guys with short hair, college kids with preppy clothes, and groups of teenagers, and 20 something girls in pretty conservative clothes. For some reason I thought it would be more girls in club clothes (ie low cut and tight) but I was wrong.
Well the concert was set up with risers along the sides and a big open space in the middle. You couldn't bring food into the general admission floor but I smuggled in some macadamia nuts and pecans that I bought at this Fresh Roasted Nut stand. I ate the pecans and immediately felt thirsty. Luckily my friend had some gum so it wasn't so bad. We sat on the risers on the right side so we were stage was to our right. It got packed quick and I felt lucky that we got there early to get decent seats on these risers.
The opening act sucked monkey nuts though. They were some local Hawaii rap band called Extreme or Immersed or something. They could have been called Submerged for all I care. They pretty much ran at top speed around the stage and shouted rap lyrics at the top of their lungs in a barely intelligible manner. I don't mind rap if it has a good beat and the lyrics are easy to understand but this was just a joke. I really hope I never have to hear this loud, obnoxious band again.
Well after that audial assault I was really looking forward to Kanye. I pretty much only heard his Golddigger song but I really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to it. He started off fairly quickly with hard rapping songs that got the people in the right mood. Everyone was flashing the Diamond Dallas Page sign for some reason. I guess that is somehow connected with Kanye but I'm not sure how.
He goes into quite a few songs that I never heard before but were very up tempo and cool. He also ran around the stage and mostly delivered his lyrics with his left hand back and his body facing sideways to the audience while kneeling with his head down. He looked like he was bowing low to the audience or he just needed that stance to get out his pretty rapid fire songs. I was also struck at how big his body and head were. He had a giant melon and had monster hands even though he looked about 5'8" or so. At one point he jumped on top of a speaker and the crowd went wild.
He was backed up by an all-woman classical instrument band with one woman wearing white and playing a violin like a crazy person. He also had a very talented DJ that played his turntables in a very good solo to a Lil Jon song. Kanye played various songs from his albums one after another mostly playing older stuff at first. During the show he ran off the stage 4 times and changed clothes. I guess he sweats like Patrick Ewing and needed a fresh shirt every now and then. He also towled off several times with a black towel that he threw into the audience.
He also had a part where he rested and played some songs that inspired him. He even played "Take on Me" from Ah-Ha and even did the dance from the song. That got the crowd laughing pretty well. He also played some songs where that he wrote the beats for and performed parts of them. That really got the crowd cheering as well.
Finally his 3rd to the last song was Golddigger and the entire crowd went ape when he started singing it. They also sang along to every part of it and the sound was quite deafening. He then sang a newer song Touch the Sky. Then he sang Jesus Walks for the encore. Everyone had a great time and were leaving with big smiles on their faces. As we were leaving we saw several groups of people passing out flyers fro Junior Marley, for a Ultimate Fighting thing, and for some Lounge or something. I think that was a pretty good idea since you have all these similar people all together at one time so you can promote your events fairly easily.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Footballers Wive$
I have recently borrowed this series from Netflix and I am really having a good time watching it. I was supposed to go to bed early last night after I finished my Federal Taxes but I just wanted to watch one episode before I went to sleep but ended up watching 3 of them. This show is really addictive and I am glad they are still making it in the UK. Also Zoe Luckner the main character is one hot Brit:
Inside Man Movie Review
Well I went to see this Spike Lee film and I have to say that this one is his best. I liked Malcom X too but this one is better. It follows Dog Day Afternoon fairly well with a group of bank robbers dressed as painters go into a very upscale bank and take everyone hostage. The opening scene kind of made me think of that scene in Heat where they knock over the bank. I have to rewatch it to find out why it made me think that way.
We are then introduced to Denzel Washingtons character and I was blown away by him. He was dressed like a Fancy Dan with a fedora and a starched suit. Kind of a quirky detective that I guess New York seems to create. He has a great interplay with his partner the same guy that was the interpreter in Amistad. The scenes with them together are outstanding. Denzel's character is fighting some kind of bribery rap so he may or may not be crooked. He seems like an okay guy and this hostage thing is his big chance.
So we go through the plot and you are thinking who the bad guys actually are and how they are going to get away with it. In the course of events we get introduced to a bunch of Spike Lee style characters. There is a Sikh guy with a turban who is released from the bank who is humliated that he is though of as an Arab and his turban is taken. We also have a Brooklyn style guy who is grabbed off the street that knows Armenian which is what the cops are picking up from the bank on a bugging system. We then see his wife who trades her bag of parking tickets in to help the cops. There is also an obnoxious Italian girl (who I thought was pretty hot), a Jewish woman who would rather be shot then disrobe, and another Jewish guy who is a diamond merchant of some kind. Just a melting pot, slice of life, New York style.
We also get introduced to Willem Defoe and Jodie Foster. Defoe is kind of underused and is pretty much just a cameo role. But Jodie Foster does a great job as an ice-queen bitch corporate fixer who is working for the bank president. She exudes a menace and polished confidence in everything she does. It is a great roll that I wanted to see more of in the movie.
There are a bunch of twists and you can see that the plot is very well developed with the acting performances holding everything together. There is a nice twist at the end that I really liked and has the "fight the system" vibe that most Spike Lee movies give off. All and all it was a very well done movie that I will probably end up buying the DVD of.
We are then introduced to Denzel Washingtons character and I was blown away by him. He was dressed like a Fancy Dan with a fedora and a starched suit. Kind of a quirky detective that I guess New York seems to create. He has a great interplay with his partner the same guy that was the interpreter in Amistad. The scenes with them together are outstanding. Denzel's character is fighting some kind of bribery rap so he may or may not be crooked. He seems like an okay guy and this hostage thing is his big chance.
So we go through the plot and you are thinking who the bad guys actually are and how they are going to get away with it. In the course of events we get introduced to a bunch of Spike Lee style characters. There is a Sikh guy with a turban who is released from the bank who is humliated that he is though of as an Arab and his turban is taken. We also have a Brooklyn style guy who is grabbed off the street that knows Armenian which is what the cops are picking up from the bank on a bugging system. We then see his wife who trades her bag of parking tickets in to help the cops. There is also an obnoxious Italian girl (who I thought was pretty hot), a Jewish woman who would rather be shot then disrobe, and another Jewish guy who is a diamond merchant of some kind. Just a melting pot, slice of life, New York style.
We also get introduced to Willem Defoe and Jodie Foster. Defoe is kind of underused and is pretty much just a cameo role. But Jodie Foster does a great job as an ice-queen bitch corporate fixer who is working for the bank president. She exudes a menace and polished confidence in everything she does. It is a great roll that I wanted to see more of in the movie.
There are a bunch of twists and you can see that the plot is very well developed with the acting performances holding everything together. There is a nice twist at the end that I really liked and has the "fight the system" vibe that most Spike Lee movies give off. All and all it was a very well done movie that I will probably end up buying the DVD of.
Larry the Cable Guy Movie Review
I went to see this movie with my Dad and I found it alot better then I thought I would. It is basically one long fart joke with Larry acting like a big slob throught the movie. The humor was my kind of thing with lots of sight gags and Larry acting like the same Redneck character from his comedy act. If you like his act (which I do) then you will probably like this movie.
The plot is basically some stuff about someone is poisoning the contestants at some kind of Food Festival, Iron Chefs type of thing. You think it might be the Mayor played by Joe Pantoliano with wierd-assed eyebrows. Larry is matched up with an uptight partner that looks like of like a man and who Larry thinks is one throught the movie. You get introduced to various goofy characters but Larry is pretty funny throughout. There is an extremely funny blooper reel at the end similar to There's Something About Mary . All and all the movie is funny if you like Larry the Cable guys comedy act. If you don't then it will probably suck ass.
The plot is basically some stuff about someone is poisoning the contestants at some kind of Food Festival, Iron Chefs type of thing. You think it might be the Mayor played by Joe Pantoliano with wierd-assed eyebrows. Larry is matched up with an uptight partner that looks like of like a man and who Larry thinks is one throught the movie. You get introduced to various goofy characters but Larry is pretty funny throughout. There is an extremely funny blooper reel at the end similar to There's Something About Mary . All and all the movie is funny if you like Larry the Cable guys comedy act. If you don't then it will probably suck ass.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Mariah Carey at the Grammys
She is really filling out nowadays. I was watching the Grammys last night and she looked quite a bit bigger then she normally does. She looks great to me but I have a feeling that Leno may replace Kirstie Alley with Mariah in his fat jokes.
Great Eating Site for Hawaii
This is a great site for finding restaurants in Hawaii. I really like how many of the restaurants have menus and contact information. Good stuff.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Glory Road: Movie Review
This was a very good movie in the Coach Carter/Remember the Titans mold. It had all the tropes of its genre and did a good job of presenting them. The movie is about the 1966 Texas Western vs. Kentucky game and the season that led up to it. It is the story of how 7 black players overcame prejudice and end up playing a game that stood up for their entire race. There were many things that made this movie work in its genre.
The coach was tough but fair and he was hard on the players when he needed to be. Josh Lucas did an outstanding job as far as I am concerned and has entered the pantheon of great sports movie coaches. There were several great scenes of him reacting to how Seattle beat Texas Western and spoiled their perfect season. I also liked a scene with him seeming over matched when he met Adolph Rupp for the first time.
John Voight does an outstanding job as Adolph Rupp. He had the voice and mannerisms down pretty well and really kind of looked like the Kentucky Coach. The part where he is giving a pep talk to the team when they were down was outstanding IMO. They could have portrayed him as the mean old racist guy but Voight gave him a likeable quality. In the movie Rupp surrounds him self with racists and they uttered most of the slurs and not Rupp. I think they did this with an eye toward protecting Rupps sizable legacy in Kentucky.
Haskins wife who was played by Emily Deschanel the woman from the Bones TV show was kind of a low point in the movie. She played the generic supportive wife and didn't say or do very much at all. The movie would have really been solid if she was played by an actress that had a little more to give to the role. I think the scene where they get the death threats could have been outstanding if it was done by an actress with a lot of dramatic range. Deshanel just looked kind of wide-eyed and freaky most of the time.
The Kansas game was well handled and it made it seem like Western Texas got in because Jo Jo White stepped over the line out of bounds line before he launched the game winner. It was kind of like if not for the after the buzzer referee call then Kansas would have played Kentucky in the final. What was interesting is upon checking CBS sportsline it looks like Utah was totally omitted from the movie. I guess they were running short of funds or something.
The final payoff game wasn't a fake nailbiter like they usually do in this genre. They pretty much stuck to what happened in real life but I read in Sports Illustrated that Kentucky did not lead at all in the first half. It also implied that Pat Riley was the center and not a guard/forward like he actually played. Riley and Dampier were the star players on Kentucky though.
Well, all and all this movie was great and I will probably watch it again if it pops up on HBO some time in the future. It deserves a place with Hoosiers, Coach Carter, Remember the Titans and other great sports movies. It was a credit to the genre.
The coach was tough but fair and he was hard on the players when he needed to be. Josh Lucas did an outstanding job as far as I am concerned and has entered the pantheon of great sports movie coaches. There were several great scenes of him reacting to how Seattle beat Texas Western and spoiled their perfect season. I also liked a scene with him seeming over matched when he met Adolph Rupp for the first time.
John Voight does an outstanding job as Adolph Rupp. He had the voice and mannerisms down pretty well and really kind of looked like the Kentucky Coach. The part where he is giving a pep talk to the team when they were down was outstanding IMO. They could have portrayed him as the mean old racist guy but Voight gave him a likeable quality. In the movie Rupp surrounds him self with racists and they uttered most of the slurs and not Rupp. I think they did this with an eye toward protecting Rupps sizable legacy in Kentucky.
Haskins wife who was played by Emily Deschanel the woman from the Bones TV show was kind of a low point in the movie. She played the generic supportive wife and didn't say or do very much at all. The movie would have really been solid if she was played by an actress that had a little more to give to the role. I think the scene where they get the death threats could have been outstanding if it was done by an actress with a lot of dramatic range. Deshanel just looked kind of wide-eyed and freaky most of the time.
The Kansas game was well handled and it made it seem like Western Texas got in because Jo Jo White stepped over the line out of bounds line before he launched the game winner. It was kind of like if not for the after the buzzer referee call then Kansas would have played Kentucky in the final. What was interesting is upon checking CBS sportsline it looks like Utah was totally omitted from the movie. I guess they were running short of funds or something.
The final payoff game wasn't a fake nailbiter like they usually do in this genre. They pretty much stuck to what happened in real life but I read in Sports Illustrated that Kentucky did not lead at all in the first half. It also implied that Pat Riley was the center and not a guard/forward like he actually played. Riley and Dampier were the star players on Kentucky though.
Well, all and all this movie was great and I will probably watch it again if it pops up on HBO some time in the future. It deserves a place with Hoosiers, Coach Carter, Remember the Titans and other great sports movies. It was a credit to the genre.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Popozao Lyrics Dissected
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Okay this is obviously a product plug to Toys-R-Us or possibly the Toyman the Superman villain. K-Fed is rumored to be a big Superman comics fan or possibly believes he is Superman.
Gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo,
gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo.
What the hell does this mean!
In Portugese it means “bring your ass”,
Oh okay now I get it.
on the floor, and move it real fast.
I want to see your kitty and a little bit of titty.
Wait I thought you wanted to see her ass? Does Britney know you are scoping Brazilian women's butts/breasts/feline pets. Do not cash your meal ticket K-Fed.
want to know where I go when I'm your city?
No absolutely not. I don't even want to know if you are in my city at all. And if you did tell us you are in Honolulu. Please, please, don't tell us it is someplace weird like a certain public toilet on a certain night and freak us out.
Girl, don't you worry about all the dough,
Is this the dough you got from Britney? I think you need to be the one worrying K-Fed.
because a cat is coming straight out of the know,
Where is this cat coming from? I have a feeling that this is a misprint and the song says the cat is coming strait out of the nose. Then it makes perfect sense.
ready to rock those shows all the way to Rio.
Bring that Brazil booty on the floor.
So the cat is coming out of the nose, rocks the shows all the way to Rio, then has this Brazilian man/woman bring his/her booty and sit on the floor. A very talented cat indeed. I wonder if this was the "kitty" that he wanted to see earlier in the song.
Up, down, all around:work that shit to the funky sound.
I wonder if he is talking about the cat or the Brazilian man/woman that he wanted to sit down.
Going to see where I'm going, oh?
Ah this is an obvious reference to Sandra Oh the star of Grey's Anatomy. Hmm, I wonder if K-Fed wants to cheat on Britney with Mrs. Oh. Is this a ubiquitous shout out to Mrs. Oh. Or perhaps Sandra was just curious on where K-Fed would go and he will be telling her soon enough in the song.
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo,
gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo.
This Portugese phrase is obviously where Mrs. Oh is supposed to go. Perhaps this is some kind of special meeting place. Gatinha sai do chao may be Brazilian Restaurant in LA or possibly Las Vegas. Who knew that Sandra Oh knew Portugese.
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
More references to Toyman. I really hope he doesn't have some sort of fascination with the Toyman. Or perhaps just with a certain part of that characters anatomy. Just the mere thought of Toyman's thing should make one scream in fright. And the thought of *all* of said thing being "put onto" K-Fed in some awful way would turn even the stoutest individual into a gibbering sanity-robbed bag of protoplasm.
[repeats]
I really hope not.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Okay this is obviously a product plug to Toys-R-Us or possibly the Toyman the Superman villain. K-Fed is rumored to be a big Superman comics fan or possibly believes he is Superman.
Gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo,
gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo.
What the hell does this mean!
In Portugese it means “bring your ass”,
Oh okay now I get it.
on the floor, and move it real fast.
I want to see your kitty and a little bit of titty.
Wait I thought you wanted to see her ass? Does Britney know you are scoping Brazilian women's butts/breasts/feline pets. Do not cash your meal ticket K-Fed.
want to know where I go when I'm your city?
No absolutely not. I don't even want to know if you are in my city at all. And if you did tell us you are in Honolulu. Please, please, don't tell us it is someplace weird like a certain public toilet on a certain night and freak us out.
Girl, don't you worry about all the dough,
Is this the dough you got from Britney? I think you need to be the one worrying K-Fed.
because a cat is coming straight out of the know,
Where is this cat coming from? I have a feeling that this is a misprint and the song says the cat is coming strait out of the nose. Then it makes perfect sense.
ready to rock those shows all the way to Rio.
Bring that Brazil booty on the floor.
So the cat is coming out of the nose, rocks the shows all the way to Rio, then has this Brazilian man/woman bring his/her booty and sit on the floor. A very talented cat indeed. I wonder if this was the "kitty" that he wanted to see earlier in the song.
Up, down, all around:work that shit to the funky sound.
I wonder if he is talking about the cat or the Brazilian man/woman that he wanted to sit down.
Going to see where I'm going, oh?
Ah this is an obvious reference to Sandra Oh the star of Grey's Anatomy. Hmm, I wonder if K-Fed wants to cheat on Britney with Mrs. Oh. Is this a ubiquitous shout out to Mrs. Oh. Or perhaps Sandra was just curious on where K-Fed would go and he will be telling her soon enough in the song.
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo,
gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo.
This Portugese phrase is obviously where Mrs. Oh is supposed to go. Perhaps this is some kind of special meeting place. Gatinha sai do chao may be Brazilian Restaurant in LA or possibly Las Vegas. Who knew that Sandra Oh knew Portugese.
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
More references to Toyman. I really hope he doesn't have some sort of fascination with the Toyman. Or perhaps just with a certain part of that characters anatomy. Just the mere thought of Toyman's thing should make one scream in fright. And the thought of *all* of said thing being "put onto" K-Fed in some awful way would turn even the stoutest individual into a gibbering sanity-robbed bag of protoplasm.
[repeats]
I really hope not.
Worst Song Ever Made K-Fed's Popozao
I was watching the Conan O'Brien show the other night and they were making fun of the new Kevin Federline song PoPoZao. I did not realize how bad this song was until I heard it all of its stomach churning glory. Check it out from this site. This blog has the awful, awful lyrics of the song.
[random screaming, laughing and grunting]
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo,
gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo.
In Portugese it means "bring your ass",
on the floor, and move it real fast.
I want to see your kitty and a little bit of titty
want to know where I go when I'm your city?
Girl, dont you worry about all the dough,
because a cat is coming straight out of the know,
ready to rock those shows all the way to Rio.
Bring that Brazil booty on the floor.
Up, down, all around:work that shit to the funky sound.
Going to see where IÂ’m going, oh?
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao,
PopozaoPo, Po, Po, Po,
Popozao, Popozao
Gatinha sai do chão,
vai descender popozão,
gatinha sai do chão,
vai descender popozão.
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
[repeats]
[random screaming, laughing and grunting]
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo,
gatinha sai do chÃo, vai descender popozÃo.
In Portugese it means "bring your ass",
on the floor, and move it real fast.
I want to see your kitty and a little bit of titty
want to know where I go when I'm your city?
Girl, dont you worry about all the dough,
because a cat is coming straight out of the know,
ready to rock those shows all the way to Rio.
Bring that Brazil booty on the floor.
Up, down, all around:work that shit to the funky sound.
Going to see where IÂ’m going, oh?
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao,
PopozaoPo, Po, Po, Po,
Popozao, Popozao
Gatinha sai do chão,
vai descender popozão,
gatinha sai do chão,
vai descender popozão.
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Po, Po, Po, Po, Popozao, Popozao
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
Toy all your thing on me, baby.
Toy all your thing on me.
[repeats]
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Mariah Carey pose
It seems she really likes this pose for some reason. I guess it is better suited to showing off her butt. Or maybe she spilled food down the front of that dress and doesn't want to camera to see a chicken leg sticking out from between her boobs.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Casanova: Movie Review
Well I saw this movie the night before last and I was somewhat disappointed. I really wanted to see the Producers but they were having some sort of party for the Sony Open in Hawaii. They had a red carpet that was blocked off and half the theatre was shut down with a massive black tarp blocking it off from the rest of the place. I peeked behind the tarp and saw they had all kinds of good food and even some sort of Ketel One vodka display. So we ended up seeing the Casanova instead.
The movie was a fairly straitforward romantic comedy with lots of mistaken identity and people masquerading as one another. I just really disagree with the reviewer who said it was similar to Shakespeare in Love. That movie was head and shoulders better then this one.
The story is about how Heath Leger playing Casanova falls in love with Sienna Millers character Franchesca Bruni. They have several bits of mistaken identity and people concealing themselves but it all just came off as a bunch of crappy sight gags and people acting like fools.
One of the bad things was that the two actors did not have any chemistry at all and you didn't understand why they fell for each other. Bruni didn't like Casanova at first but she falls in love with him even though he is a womanizer and such. He also lies to her and pretends he is different people over and over but she doesn't seem to care about that. I guess she falls in love with him because he decided to put himself on the hook for heresy. Whatever the case it all felt ham-handed and false for some reason.
Another thing I didn't like was both Oliver Platt and Jeremy Irons characters. They both were terrible even though you know they are both great actors. Oliver Platt played a baffoonish Genoan lard merchant that was supposed to marry Bruni. He is big and fat complete with a giant, fake belly. A fat lard merchant see funny funny stuff. He was basically a poorly written clown character.
While Irons really gets a raw deal. He plays a Papal Inquisitor who is supposed to be menacing but came out stupid. I know Irons could have really done a great job if was in a role that was put together decently. I guess that is more a fault of the script then anything else. They should have written him as a very deadly no-nonsense sort of character to play off of the light hearted baffoonery that surrounded him. Then you would have feared for the life of Casanova if you had any emotional investment in the character. Instead Irons was just embarrassing in the role.
As a whole the movie could have done with some script editing to make the story flow a bit better. I think in the right hands this movie could have been a real gem. I liked the basic outline of the plot and some of the twists were pretty interesting. But all in all the movie was very disappointing and I was expecting better.
The movie was a fairly straitforward romantic comedy with lots of mistaken identity and people masquerading as one another. I just really disagree with the reviewer who said it was similar to Shakespeare in Love. That movie was head and shoulders better then this one.
The story is about how Heath Leger playing Casanova falls in love with Sienna Millers character Franchesca Bruni. They have several bits of mistaken identity and people concealing themselves but it all just came off as a bunch of crappy sight gags and people acting like fools.
One of the bad things was that the two actors did not have any chemistry at all and you didn't understand why they fell for each other. Bruni didn't like Casanova at first but she falls in love with him even though he is a womanizer and such. He also lies to her and pretends he is different people over and over but she doesn't seem to care about that. I guess she falls in love with him because he decided to put himself on the hook for heresy. Whatever the case it all felt ham-handed and false for some reason.
Another thing I didn't like was both Oliver Platt and Jeremy Irons characters. They both were terrible even though you know they are both great actors. Oliver Platt played a baffoonish Genoan lard merchant that was supposed to marry Bruni. He is big and fat complete with a giant, fake belly. A fat lard merchant see funny funny stuff. He was basically a poorly written clown character.
While Irons really gets a raw deal. He plays a Papal Inquisitor who is supposed to be menacing but came out stupid. I know Irons could have really done a great job if was in a role that was put together decently. I guess that is more a fault of the script then anything else. They should have written him as a very deadly no-nonsense sort of character to play off of the light hearted baffoonery that surrounded him. Then you would have feared for the life of Casanova if you had any emotional investment in the character. Instead Irons was just embarrassing in the role.
As a whole the movie could have done with some script editing to make the story flow a bit better. I think in the right hands this movie could have been a real gem. I liked the basic outline of the plot and some of the twists were pretty interesting. But all in all the movie was very disappointing and I was expecting better.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
5 More Reasons to go to Florida State
If I knew that the FSU experience was this good I would have passed up University of Hawaii. Wow! Oh and I'll go with reason number one with the green bag why I would choose FSU for my education dollars.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
New Year's Resolutions 2006
Well here are the things I am going to try to do this New Years:
1. Get down to 175 lbs.
2. See my abs.
3. Get more sleep either through naps or going to bed earlier or a combination of both.
4. Get more exercise each week through joining a gym and actually going this time
5. Be more assertive
6. Be less lazy when it comes to everyday things
7. Read at least 5 books before the year is out
8. Be nicer and more caring to people in general
9. Don't talk trash about people (stamp out the gossip!)
10. Gain at least 7% in the Stock Market.
1. Get down to 175 lbs.
2. See my abs.
3. Get more sleep either through naps or going to bed earlier or a combination of both.
4. Get more exercise each week through joining a gym and actually going this time
5. Be more assertive
6. Be less lazy when it comes to everyday things
7. Read at least 5 books before the year is out
8. Be nicer and more caring to people in general
9. Don't talk trash about people (stamp out the gossip!)
10. Gain at least 7% in the Stock Market.
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