Mr. Hakujin

^^ Yeah, The Roots as the house band is pretty cool, but how long do you think that'll last? Branford Marsalis lasted barely 2 seasons w/ Leno. I'd be surprised if The Roots stuck around past May. And Andy Richter is supposed to return as Conan's sidekick when he takes over the 11:30PM spot.

I side w/ Bob in the fact I've got waaay too much geek swag for my own good. I keep threatening to sell it all on e-Bay, but I'm too damn lazy to bother. So when my gf asked me what I wanted I told her nothing, but she's a typical female in that she loves to shop so she came back w/ a Mario T-shirt, some cool chopsticks, a bunch of Ramune soda, some Star Wars caricatures by this artist her sisters are gaga for (she didn't know his name, but his initials are RAK--I never heard of him), and a bag of green peanut M&Ms from the M&M store in Orlando. The only "celebs" they ran into at the convention were Lou Ferigno & Peter Mayhew (Hulk & Chewbacca)

^^ Yeah, I hear the original is a classic. It's on my "must see before I die" list, right behind Son of Rambow. ;) (that last bit was for Dr. Girlfriend)

The 2007 zombie party looked awesome. Too bad none of that went down this year. Maybe next year. My gf and her 2 sisters went to Megacon on Saturday and enjoyed it. But they mainly go for the merch and geek viewing than panels and such. Apparently she picked me up some cool stuff. Looking forward to seeing what swag I got tomorrow.

Outlander B Beowulf with a sci-fi twist. The Grendel monster design was unique and looked great on screen. The CGI was a bit weak in some scenes and Ron Perlman was sorely underused, but overall it was a well paced and entertaining take on the English language’s oldest adventure tale. Sex Drive [unrated] B- As the filmmakers point out in their tongue-in-cheek intro, this unrated version is more about making guys laugh and/or grossed out than any real plot. Gratuitous shots of naked women were added in random scenes and there’s even a few full frontal males thrown in for the ladies (or dudes into dudes…). They also incorporate adlibs and various alternate takes into the actual film rather than put them on the DVD as stand-alone “bonus features.” Sex Drive Unrated goes into familiar waters with it's subject matter and attempts at crude humor, but it separates itself from the other “teen seeking to lose his virginity” comedies and made for a truly “unrated” comedy experience. The Day The Earth Stood Still [2008] C- I’ve yet to see the original sci-fi film this one was based on, but it is hard to imagine it could be any worse than this snooze fest. The film’s pacing is tedious, the plot holes are gaping, and the main characters are annoying. (If you don’t hate Wil Smith’s son Jaden, you will by the end of this film.)

Nah, Nas wants to have the success of a commercial album, no doubt. But he also wishes to maintain his own self perpetuated image as some socially conscious "artist" while doing so. Unfortunately for Nas this has not worked out in his own favor and has resulted in him being relegated as a footnote in hip-hop--someone popular musicians in hip-hop can say they like so as to appear less than shallow in their own musical tastes. Or, in short... Nas=irrelevant.

Kanye West=Commercial Pop Music. 'Nuff said.

Role Models C+ Don’t you hate it when all the best lines of a comedy are in the trailer? Such is the case with this “buddy” comedy written by & starring Paul Rudd & various members of the 90s comedy sketch troupe The State. Despite Rudd phoning in his performance and some tiresome by the numbers directing & storytelling, this film did deliver its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments courtesy of a foul-mouthed kid and some heavy handed geek bashing. Choke C+ Sam Rockwell delivers a solid performance in a film that makes an admirable attempt at condensing the sex addicted, delusional messianic, self-loathing life of the novel’s con-artist slash colonial interpreter protagonist. However, the central theme of the novel is reduced to voiceovers and one throw-away scene rather than fleshed out in the film itself. One can’t help but wonder how the film would’ve turned out had it been in the hands of a more capable writer and director.

Yes, great comic. I wasn't ecstatic over the ending arc, but it was well worth the ride. And a bit of FYI for 'Y' fans: Y's writer also writes for the show LOST & Hurley was reading a Y: The Lat Man TPB before he boarded the plane in last week's episode of LOST.

The International D+ Director Tom Tykwer has come a long way since Run Lola Run, unfortunately it’s been in a downward spiral. The International has some great cinematography in beautiful locations and a stunning action sequence in New York’s Guggenheim Museum, but it lacks momentum, engaging characters, and most importantly for an action thriller—an interesting plot. Yes Man B- The premise is weak, but Jim Carrey delivers his same over-the-top brand of slapstick and he brings the funny more often than not in this un-edgy comedy. Ditto for Zoey Deschanel and her doe-eyed eccentric charm as a Vespa driving indie-rocker (not too much of an artistic stretch there for Zoey). Chocolat B- OK, so I’m late to the party with this sweetly sentimental and predictable romantic comedy from back in 2000. The French accents were terrible, but it definitely made me want to visit a chocolate store. Oh, and for the geeks it has Trinity, Doc Ock, and Sydney’s mom from the show ALIAS.

back in college every weeknight was letterman then conan. i haven't really watched a lot of conan in the past 4 years--he's own too late and i have to get up too early for work. i'm looking forward to possibly catching him agian now that he's taking over leno's spot. and i'm also curious to see what a prime-time leno will do--although it will likely suck as much as late-night leno.

Issue #58 was pretty good. Morgan and the fate of his son Duane is a bit of a "zombie cliche," I get the feeling this same sequence of events has even transpired before in this very series, but I thought the way it was written/drawn was very compelling. The tension Kirkman created it looks like Kirkman is rounding up a group of murderous mo'fos. This can only mean some truly fucked up shit is on the horizon....I hope.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona B- I had a hard time deciding if I liked this film or not. It’s definitely not a typical rom-com. If you can get around the whole pretentious, wealthy, educated and listless New Yorker aspect of the characters they are mostly intriguing as are the plot’s love triangles. However, there’s no real resolution to the film’s take on love and you do end up questioning what exactly this film is about. Perhaps that there are no real answers (or is it no “easy” answers?) is part of the film’s charm.

In Theaters: Frost/Nixon B Frank Langella’s performance gives scope and dimension to Nixon. The film focuses mainly on the sadness and loneliness of the man but also showcases his intellect, political prowess, and greed. And it is aptly titled as the film also paints an interesting character portrait of David Frost through the context of these career changing interviews. New In Town C As far as fluff filled rom-coms go this one was watchable. The film stars Harry Connick Jr. & Renee Z. and extols the virtues of small town life and Middle America while getting most of its punch lines from (playfully) mocking the people that hold those same virtues dear. On DVD: Forbidden Kingdom B- It’s The Last Action Hero for kung-fu films. If you didn’t like that film then you’ll probably hate this one as its half in Mandarin and the plot is a less engaging. However, anyone who is a 12-yr-old fan of kung-fu films (or one at heart) should find this film an enjoyable enough rental. Rock-N-Rolla B+ Guy Ritchie goes back to what made him famous with Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels. And like that film, this film balances laughs and violence with plot twists that center around a stolen antique, a group of small time London crooks in debt to a bigger crook, and characters with some major father/son issues.

IMHO the main villain in IM2 should be alcoholism. I could care less if there's another guy in armor he beats up. Just let him wail on more Mandarin fronted terrorists for action scenes. As long as they build upon Stark's guilt & self loathing from the first film, there could be some great character moments in IM2. Also, a drunken IM flying into the Chrysler Building or the Statue of liberty or something would be pretty awesome.

Christalmighty! Marvel hit it outta the park w/ Iron Man and now everything you hear coming out of IM2 seems to be one casting fuckup after another. Let's hope the bean-counters over at Mighty Marvel don't screw up the future of Marvel Studios...

Appaloosa C- Ed Harris directed this beautifully shot western that has one ridiculous plot turn after another. You get the feeling he was going for an old Hollywood type of Western film, but it just doesn't cut it in so many ways. For example, Viggo Mortensen's character was supposed to be this badass gunfighter but the film never has any badass gunfights. If you're craving a modern Western I suggest watching any two episodes of the HBO series Deadwood rather than wasting 2 hrs of your life with this film.

My current favorite OST: My all-time favorite OST:

That sounds more like a Garth Ennis story arc though. And Bendis tried that formula for SECRET INVASION but he forgot steps 1 & 3.

Yeah, I actually saw it a few weeks ago and posted a review in another thread, but she hadn't seen it so I went a 2nd time. Buuuuut, just for you dude: Slumdog Millionaire A Unsettling. Uplifting. Original. The story follows a Muslim boy growing up in the slums of Bombay (now Mumbai) and his journey to freedom. The closest film I can think of that made me feel the way this film did is Shawshank Redemption. Gran Torinio A- Clint Eastwood delivers another memorable screen character as Korean War Vet Walt Kowalski—a man who lets out more politically incorrect humor on his own than Black, Stiller, & Downey combined did in Tropic Thunder. You can definitely compare this to Eastwood's other Oscar winning low budget film about a faithless man mentoring a misfit--Million Dollar Baby. However, I found Gran Torino reminded me of a more somber and violent version of Karate Kid—characters from American & Asian cultures (here the other being Mhong) learn important lessons on life they couldn’t or wouldn’t learn from their own culture. Let The Right One In A- If Terrance Mallick was Swedish and decided to make a vampire/suspense movie starring two tweens it might’ve come out like this film. It’s quiet and slow paced yet never tedious. The cinematography & directing are both beautiful and unsettling, and the performances by the two child leads are compelling throughout. Bangkok Dangerous C- Nicolas Cage as a hitman who grows a conscious in Thailand. The directors (The Pang Brothers) desperately want to be the next Jon Woos, and action is OK, but the film had a seriously weak ending.

Taken B+ The most succinct way to describe this Luc Besson scripted revenge flick starring Liam Neeson is to picture what would happen if Jason Bourne retired and had his daughter kidnapped in Paris. However, this film is a revenge film and not a spy thriller, so don't go looking for any heavy character development or government mysteries. Nor does this film have a Bourne-sized budget, and some of the "bigger" action scenes suffer for it. What this film does have is Liam Neeson as a one man dispenser of asskickery who pistolwhips and throat chops more bad guys in one scene than Damon did in all the Bourne films combined. Maggie Grace (Remember her from seasons 1 & 2 of LOST?) does an amicable job as the daughter in distress, but the main attraction for action fans is seeing in what way Neeson's PO'd poppa is going to exact his brand of justice next.

Yeah, but come on, you gotta admit that will put some fucking years on ya healing factor or not.

When I read it I took it as the originals and not any successors. I try to keep that mindset, especially with stories I really get hooked on.

Not to sound like I wanna start hugging and singing kumbaya, but I read yours! I read your YES MAN & SPIRIT reviews. I think you're a much more forgiving reviewer than I am. I post these reviews on another forumz & a blog as well, and usually my grades aren't as high as they were for this batch. Although in the 3 yrs. I've been doing this I don't think I can recall ever giving a film an F...I've had lots of Ds though. I so knew you were gonna bring that up. Seriously, is the movie THAT fucking good?!?!? Right now I'm on episode 5 of True Blood (it's ok) and I'm taking the gf to see Slumdog Millionaire tomorrow, so it'll be a while before I get to any new films... It's NOT on DVD in the US yet. I think it comes out in March according to Amazon. However, it IS on teh Internets.

Yes, I know Baytor already does this in a much more detailed manner. Yes, I know I'm a n00b here at Hondo's and I'm adding to the clutter. Yes, I know there's another thread for this sort of thing. But damnit, my genius thoughts of, um, genius were being ignored and stifled there! It needs its own thread in which to grow and spread and blossom. I'm only being slightly sarcastic and marginally self-deprecating here, people. Plus my reviews are bite-sized (like my attention span) and have nifty letter grades. Huzzah! I rate films differently than some other reviewers. I'm a notoriously stingy bastard when it comes to my time and my money, so I tend to rate my movie watching experience in relation to those two main factors. The grading rubric is as follows: A+ = It's a classic; something I'll watch repeatedly; a shinning example of its genre. Examples of some A+ films for me are Silence of the Lambs, Godfather I & II, Toy Story, Fight Club, Shawshank Redemption, and the original Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes 4-6). A or A- = something I highly recommend seeing in theaters, and I will also probably want to own on DVD. B+ = Definitely worth a night at the theater and has a high re-watchability factor. B = Worth a night at the theater; I'd also likely rent it on DVD. B- = OK, not the best, but I don't feel cheated having seen it in a theater. I'll probably rent it if my 1st choice is not available at the vid store in 4 months. C+ = It's definitely a rental, maybe even worth catching again on a bored and lonely night if nothing else is on the TV. C = It had its good moments, but they were few & far between. I've no real desire to watch it again. C- = I could barley hang in there through the whole flick. I got up and went to the bathroom or surfed the Net while it was on, but it had that one good scene/performance that saved it from making me feel completely cheated out of my time. D+ = Worthless, but it had a hot chick in it. D = I have to pretend to not completely hate it b/c my girlfriend liked it. D- = I was willing to gouge out an eye to make it stop. F = God hates me for letting me be dumb enough to watch this movie. And here we...go! Man On Wire A This is a documentary about highwire artist Philippe Petit and his many extraordinary stunts he pulled off in the early 1970s leading up to his “dream” of walking a wire between the WTC Twin Towers. Petit and the band of men and women he managed to convince to help him pull off his stunts tell their story with such passion and enthusiasm the director almost doesn’t need to use actors to recreate the scenes leading up to that day in New York in 1974. It’s an engaging tale about wonder, beauty, and art that makes you feel proud to be human; a film that leaves you wanting more. My Winnipeg C+ This is another documentary, but unlike Man On Wire it doesn’t tell a tale of grand dreams, but of simple introspection. The director calls it a “docu-fantasia” and uses a lot of creative gimmicks (having his mother play herself in reenactments, shooting in black and white, narrating and cutting the entire documentary like an arthouse film) that are interesting in their concept yet ultimately fail to engage or entertain for the entire length of a film. Happy-Go-Lucky A- Actress Sally Hawkins is getting a lot of attention (and a Golden Globe award) for her starring role as the relentlessly cheerful character Poppy. It’s a comedy and character study filled with people you just want to watch. The film is about happiness, the search for it, how we try to maintain it, and the absence of it. And while it doesn’t have much of a plot and meanders (in an enjoyable way) there is a big payoff when the film culminates in a revealing scene between Poppy & her driving instructor Scott.