Monsters vs Aliens

Hi, I'm Bob."

Looking forward to this movie. With House, Jack Bauer, Elle Woods and Colbert, how can you go wrong? (famous last words...)

Rotten Tomatoes Best Animated Films

Here's an interesting take on the 50 Best Animated Films of all time. But really...Snow White #2? Really? With that grating little-girl voice that Snow White has? And don't get me started on her singing! I can't really argue with #1, although I think some of Pixar's later efforts are better.

My own personal top ten:

1. Spirited Away (#13) - an amazing ride through traditional Japanese folklore, subtly providing life lessons for both kids and adults. I must've watched this about a dozen times.
2. The Incredibles (#11) - superheroes! Pixar! What can possibly go wrong? It also helps that one of my former co-workers looks like Edna Mode, and is married to someone who looks like Mr. Incredible.
3. Flight of Dragons (not in the list) - why can't they put this on DVD?
4. Transformers: The Movie (not in the list) - what thirtysomething geek can't quote at least one line from this movie? Heck, Dirk Diggler knew "The Touch".
5. Howl's Moving Castle (#41) - another Miyazaki film. Dude's a genius.
6. Finding Nemo (#6) - I love the ocean and all the creatures that reside in it. Also, as a dad, this movie always makes me tear up *sniff*
7. Lilo and Stitch (#42) - some people probably don't like Stitch and find Lilo annoying. I don't; I find the titular characters extremely funny. I'm probably in the minority.
8. Sleeping Beauty (#45)- probably the best of the "classic" Walt Disney. It's a bit annoying though how they keep re-releasing it as a super-duper-deluxe-edition. Enough already!
9. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (#18) - stop-motion animation at its best. The Wrong Trousers was better, with the malevolent penguin, but this was still quite entertaining its own way.
10. Akira (#35)- yeah, it's a bit overrated. But the storyline is pretty cool, and is quite the cautionary tale.

A bit hard to whittle it down, and some I can interchange (Toy Story, The Iron Giant, Kung-Fu Panda). Heck, I'll probably have a different list tomorrow.

Wii Fit!

So after months of giving up on ever getting a Wii Fit until the girls began dating, I managed to find one at Target. I actually saw the Wii Fit in the display case on Friday, but the salesperson refused to sell to me, telling me to come back on Sunday. Well, Sunday came, and I woke up late. I went to Target, thinking it was impossible to find one there; fortunately, I was successful. I was probably the fifth person there, and managed to snag one. Hooray!

What did irk me was the fact that there must have been six or seven people there, all related, buying a Wii and/or a Wii Fit to later sell for profit. Must have been frustrating for the manager, as it was a way to circumvent the "one unit per customer to prevent eBaying" rule. Oh well.

I think Nintendo's beginning to produce a bit more of the Wii Fit, in anticipation of the holidays. So keep hanging around Targets if you want to get one!

Sinfest on the US Elections

Linkie: Like Putting Lipstick on a Pig

Sometimes I'm really impressed by Tatsuya Ishida's work; he can gently poke fun at everyone--Christians, athiests, politicos--without really insulting anyone. Here he's in fine form--he sure does give that whole "lipstick on a pig" farce a new meaning, huh?

Stupid Girl (redux)

We were watching the season premiere of Sarah Connor Chronicles today and heard someone who sounded suspiciously like Shirley Manson singing over the action in the opening sequence.

Sure enough, it was her. Not only that, she now has an important role in the series! Huh.

Unfortunately, age has taken its toll, so she's not quite as attractive as she was during her Queer/Stupid Girl/Only Happy When It Rains days. In fact, her face looked a little bit...stretched. Her acting skills also left a bit to be desired--she was a bit wooden, a bit...robotic, if you will. Right now she's the weak link in an excellent ensemble cast.

Maybe she'll improve, though. After all, Lena Headey was pretty bad in the first couple of episodes too, but she gradually grew into her role.

Oh, and Summer Glau still rocks, and is strangely hot, despite the forehead.

ABBA Twins, Part 1

Somehow, the girls have become huge fans of ABBA, after watching the movie "Mamma Mia!". We can't go anywhere now without them requesting that we play the CD. Here's a clip of them singing the title song.

Of Phelps and Tinfoil Hats

Phelps finally won his eighth gold today, but everyone's still talking about the seventh race. One person has even gone so far as to create a website called 001ofasecond.com to decry the "Phelps Conspiracy". As with most tinfoil wearing denizens, he cherry picks his evidence. That leading photo? Taken from the fourth photo in SI's "Frame By Frame" sequence. What he conveniently left out was the fifth photo...oh, and don't forget the sixth photo, a blowup of Cavic's hands not quite touching the pads.

I personally think Phelps won...because of his freakish wingspan. But that's just one man's humble opinion. I'm certainly not going to go and create a website to proclaim it. No, I'll just blog about it! =P

Yet Another Dark Knight Review

A lot of times you get so worked up about a movie, only to find that it doesn't quite live up to the hype. Generally, I try to avoid reading about a movie I'm interested in, because I'm worried about being disappointed, but in this case, you couldn't avoid stories about how great this movie was.

Unfortunately, I wound up being disappointed. Just a wee bit, but disappointed, nonetheless.

Oh, it was a good movie, don't get me wrong; Calai was right, Ledger's performance was so utterly convincing that you forget that he actually did something as silly as First Knight. Ledger's Joker was funny, creepy, frightening...everything Nicholson's version wasn't. I also loved how he was prepared for everything and how Batman wasn't (thus turning the Internet meme on its head); heck, I found myself applauding how successful his plans were; if he wasn't truly and utterly amoral, I may have rooted for him to actually win over the dour and brooding Batman. I especially loved how he had a different story about how he got his scars, depending on who he was accosting at that point.

So what was the problem? I wasn't completely drawn into the movie. Part of it was my fault; I was bothered by Batman's raspy voice for one thing (get a cough drop already!), but this was due to the fact that several people had already pointed this one out. Another thing that jarred me was Richard Alpert playing the mayor--I kept thinking he needed to go back to the Island. Consequently, I saw Christian Bale playing Batman instead of seeing Batman. I saw Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Maggie Gyllenhaal instead of Two Face, Lucius Fox and Rachel Dawes. Fortunately, Ledger, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine disappeared into their roles, so it wasn't a complete loss. Then there was the running time. It dragged in a couple of places, causing me to wonder when it was going to end, which is typically a bad sign for a movie.

It wouldn't be difficult for me to say that Ledger saved this movie. Without him, this would've been Just Another Superhero Movie, despite it being Batman; I actually liked Iron Man
better.

As for the third film? Well, if they could bring The Dark Knight Returns (Batman vs Superman!) or Knightfall (Azrael!) to the big screen, I would be a very happy man. It'll be hard to top Ledger's performance, though.

(oh, and that wasn't Kingpin, Calai. Kingpin is from Daredevil; I think they just wanted the image of a big, menacing figure with a conscience)

Angus Young Would Be Proud

I'm glad that I don't have to wear a tie to work. I never understood the reasoning behind it anyway--sure, it might be good for lawyers and power brokers, but for a programmer or a DBA? What's the point?

Anyway, seems like times, they are a-changin'...wearing shorts to work? With a coat and tie to boot? Wha? Heck, the last time I wore a tie and shorts to work, it was for Halloween.

Sure, it looks good on some guys, but it would be horrifying to look at on others.

Please, no!

Earthquake!

Experienced a pretty big (5.4) earthquake here at work, with the epicenter around 15 miles from where I live (!). Whole building was shaking, and I could see the glass windows appear to be bowing outwards. Scary sight.

Had to do the duck and cover thing (heh) underneath my desk. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and the kids are okay. Unfortunately, my Marvel Super Squad figures fell off the bookshelf, but they're PVC anyway.

Bad news is that we've had around 35 aftershocks in and around the original epicenter. Hopefully there's not a bigger one coming around...

Incredible Machines

Remember The Incredible Machine? This was a PC game way back when where you had to use different objects (cannons, gears, what-have-you) to guide a ball to its goal. Fascinating game, but one I haven't really kept up with too much.

Now there's a new web game called Fantastic Contraption (*winkwinknudge*) which is pretty much the same concept: guide an object to its goal. A slight variation to the concept is that you really only have a set of three gears and two connectors to accomplish your task--build a contraption (be it a catapult, a series of levers, or a tank) to get an object to its goal. Having a good grasp of physics is a BIG plus.

Unfortunately, I nearly failed physics, so I solved most of the levels using brute force. If you're a bit better at it than I am, though, you'll probably have an easier time of it. The game's quite addicting, but can get frustrating at times.

Three-fer Thursday Review: Kung Fu Panda, Juno, Iron Man

Three movies, five stars each.

Kung Fu Panda was an instant classic. Avoided the Shrek pop-culture in-jokes and just told a darn good chop-socky story, in the style of Kung-Fu Hustle (which was one of the inspirations). Jack Black dialed it down a bit and wasn't overly annoying. It was funny, had lots of action, and the animation was great (the dream sequence was especially clever, with hints of Samurai Jack. Bonus was the kids loved it too. Now you can't find the toys anywhere (fortunately, I was sneaky and got the toys before the movie came out). Viper and Oogway are particularly hard to find.

Juno is, of course, a bit different, and definitely not for kids. Still, though, it's charming in its own way. The titular character is a bit strange, but in that cool way that draws you in. Well cast, and well acted. A very touching film, with an ending that's heartbreakingly bittersweet.

Iron Man. Robert Downey, Jr is Tony Stark. Damn. Best Superhero movie I've seen to-date--better than Spider Man, better than any of the X-Men films, better than Batman Begins. Talk about perfect casting! Unfortunately, it suffers a bit from "Margot Kidder" syndrome--they could've picked a better-looking Pepper Potts (okay, I'll admit that Gwyneth is pretty in her own way). Nice set up for other movies too. Makes me wonder if they're leading up to an Avengers movie...

So far it's been a great movie-watching experience--three great movies in a row! Unfortunately, the next movie I'm watching is Jumper. Let's see how that turns out...

...and It's OVER!

Ha! Take that, Vic The Brick! Take that, "Machine"! Take that, bandwagon-Laker-Fan-flying-those-stupid-flags!

The Lakers quit once the lead got past 10 points. Kobe quit as well--he kept passing and didn't really try to assert his will.

Hey, my prediction was off by one game, but who cares? And "Machine"? Karma sucks, don't it?

Let's Get It Started

Well, I was right with my NBA Finals prediction. What did I say?

"Anyway, if you believe the NBA is rigged (or, as I believe, "influenced"--see Game 6 of Lakers/Kings, where a Kobe elbow to Bibby's nose was deemed "incidental contact", and the Lakers shooting 27 free throws in the fourth), it's going to be Lakers-Celtics in the Finals. I think it'll be a Lakers-Spurs WCF, and a Celtics-Magic ECF, followed by the Dream Matchup. In this case, I think the NBA "influences" the series to a Game 7, where the NBA lets them play (after all, they've already won in terms of $$$)..."

What happens? Lakers-Celtics in the finals, with a couple of games having highly suspect calls --to the point that the NBA found it necessary to apologize for that blown call in Game 4 of the Spurs--at least it gave us a great Back to the Future reference from Brent Barry:

"That's awesome," Barry said, "because Doc Brown is waiting for me outside, and we're going to get in the DeLorean and fire up the flux capacitor and we're going to go back and shoot a couple of free throws."

I also said that I was hesitatingly going to root for the Lakers. But after hearing Vic The Brick blabbering about mu and no self and no ego; seeing Sasha "The Douche Machine" Vujacic shooting that bush league three when the game was over; seeing all those stupid Laker flags on cars; hearing fans claiming that Lamar Odom would absolutely destroy KG...I think I'm putting on the Celtic Green for this one, my disdain for the Pats notwithstanding.

Celts in seven. Because I believe in karma for that Sasha shot, and because I want to hear a grown man cry over the radio. Again.

Viva La Vida

I first heard this in an ad for iTunes during the American Idol finale. Personally, I think Coldplay began to show heavy U2 influences with their X&Y album, but that's just me. This one's a little bit of Annie Lennox (the strings on Walking on Broken Glass) and a little bit of U2 during their Unforgettable Fire days.

Coldplay – Viva La Vida

(via last.fm)

Catchy as heck, though. The lyrics are also interesting.

There Can Be Only One

Oh...my...stars and garters.

They're planning a reboot of Highlander!

The first (and only true) movie is easily one of my favorites of all time, cheez-tastic as it is. Come on, where else can you see The Fabulous Freebirds and hear Queen singing one of the greatest movie soundtracks of all time? How about a Frenchman playing a Scot and a Scot playing a Spaniard (okay, an Egyptian)? How about the concept of immortals fighting and beheading one another?

(What, they're aliens? There is no second movie. That never happened. NEVER!)

Yeah, it's not high art. And yeah, in all probability this reboot will probably suck.

But I can't wait to watch it.

I Want My (LCD) TV

After almost a year of procrastinating and saving my pennies, I finally gave in to my inner jock and bought a Samsung LN46A650. This thing is freaking gorgeous; I watched American Idol on HD for the first time last night, and I was able to see Archie's moles (moley-moley-moley) and the highlights on Cookie's hair. I could also see Sheesh-a's frown lines (as she put on a brave front, knowing she was thrown under the bus) and the disaster that was Fantasia. Ugh.

Okay, maybe that last one is an argument against HD. But I digress.

I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet (waiting for the special PS3 bundle with MGS: Sons of Liberty), but I did get an upscaling DVD player. Beowulf was gorgeous on screen, despite being a so-so movie (Yowza on Angelina). Yup, I could get used to this...

Unfortunately, one of the kids decided to leave her handprint smack-dab in the center of the screen. I suspect Amelie, but it could be Camille. Who knows...

I Am, I Said

Awww...so Brooke is finally gone from American Idol. Not qutie sure what I'll watch for now. Everyone left is so boring to me (except maybe Jason, who's isn't boring but actually seems to be bored by the entire thing. Duuuuude);

Despite all of Brooke's flaws, she was an interesting singer. I don't quite get the hate of some people towards her. It's like she ate babies or something (even worse--she's never seen an R-rated flick! The horror! She's trying to brainwash us! Quick, No Country For Old Men on or something!)

Well, Top 5 ain't bad. And maybe we'll finally get to see what kind of album she'll come out with.

P-p-p-playoffs!

Geez, it seems like it was just last week when I came up with my predictions as to how the NBA playoffs will shape up. This was what I predicted:

WEST:
(1) Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Jazz, Rockets, Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers
(2) Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Rockets
(3) Mavs, Spurs
(4) Spurs

EAST
(1) Bulls, Pistons, Celtics, Wizards, Heat, Magic, Nets, Cavs
(2) Bulls, Pistons, Celtics, Heat
(3) Bulls, Celtics
(4) Bulls

FINALS
(1) Spurs, Bulls
(2) Spurs

Hoo-boy, was I off or what? Bulls in the finals? I guess I was thinking that Kobe would get traded. Instead, we have the Lake Show as the #1 seed throughout the playoffs. Yikes.

Anyway, if you believe the NBA is rigged (or, as I believe, "influenced"--see Game 6 of Lakers/Kings, where a Kobe elbow to Bibby's nose was deemed "incidental contact", and the Lakers shooting 27 free throws in the fourth), it's going to be Lakers-Celtics in the Finals. I think it'll be a Lakers-Spurs WCF, and a Celtics-Magic ECF, followed by the Dream Matchup. In this case, I think the NBA "influences" the series to a Game 7, where the NBA lets them play (after all, they've already won in terms of $$$).

A Lakers-Celtics finals would be hard for me. Normally, I'd be on the Anyone-But-The-Lakers bandwagon--except for the fact that this particular edition is so darned likable (Gasol, Farmar, Turiaf). Having grown up a Celtics fan, I should be rooting for the green uniform all the way--except I'm currently sick of all things Boston right now, because of the obnoxious fanbase.

So I'm torn. Heck, maybe I'll root for the Lakers just this once--after all, I did root for Jordan and Da Bulls that one time against the Sonics. Or maybe Shaq is the missing link for the Suns after all.

Star Wars in the 'Hood

Came across this set of photographs on /film. I especially like the first one with the Storm Troopers on Dewbacks and the last one with Jabba the Hut.

They're all photos by Cedric Delsaux, with the whole set on his site (click on "Series" once you enter his flash site).

Mariah Does American Idol (heh)

Just had to pop-in and say that:

1. Looks like we're approaching the end for Brooke. Poor Brooke, looks like she couldn't take the pressure and has completely lost her confidence; where's the woman who sang "Say Goodbye"? Hopefully she'll be a bit more settled down in the recording studio.
2. DCook's "Always Be My Baby" sounds unfinished; polish it a bit and I can see myself actually liking this song...it sounds a lot like something Lifehouse would put out.
3. ...while Jason's "I Don't Want To Cry" reminded me of "Careless Whisper" by Wham!
4. Everyone else was meh. Archie especially.

Apple takes on The Big Apple

So Apple is fighting New York City over their logo for the GreeNYC campaign (pictured below, taken from the GreeNYC site), claiming that it "infringes on its trademark", and "are causing mass confusion and ruining Apple's good reputation." What?


Honestly, who in their right mind would even think that this is the Apple logo? I can argue that it's an infinity symbol made to look like an apple, calling to mind New York's nickname, The Big Apple.

The only thing ruining Apple's reputation is Apple itself, with such silly things as this. It's not another computer company calling itself Apol with a similar logo; it's a freaking city! How on earth will people confuse the two?

Late April Fools joke, you think?


via Wired Magazine

American Idol, Season 7

I'm not commenting much on this season, since it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Archie will win. It's like they upgraded the DeGarmo-bot and unleashed him to the unsuspecting public; he sings technically well, but watch his eyes--they're empty. He doesn't seem to connect to the world. But the tweens love him, so he'll probably sell a zillion records and then be on a future episode of VH1's Where Are They Now. Kinda like...

Carly. Um, if she only sold 378 copies of her debut album, why does she think she'll win this thing? Especially with that awful sleeve she has (did she really tattoo her own face on her arm?).

Anyway, I'd probably consider buying a Brooke White album. Maybe. She just reminds me of Liz Phair, if Liz Phair sang about puppies and rainbows instead of sex. I thought Brooke's EBYT was pretty good, even with that first misstep.

Alas, poor Ramiele. We hardly knew ye.

RIP Arthur C. Clarke

A day late, but RIP Arthur C Clarke. I'll always remember devouring his books when I was a kid, especially Rendezvous With Rama. Clarke, along with Asimov and Heinlein (who he joins in the great big scifi convention in the sky), pretty much defined the type of books I would be reading until today.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -- Arthur C. Clarke

Super Smash Bros Brawl!

I got this game the day before it was released, and I still haven't played it as much as I wanted. First, I tried playing it just with the Wii controller, and developed cramps in my fingers. I didn't even want to attempt playing it using the controller/nunchuck combo, so I had to go and look for an old GameCube controller. Which of course, was expensive ($25!), so I wound up getting a 3rd party MadCatz controller for $10. I got two in case anyone ever comes over and wants to play.

Then there's also the problem of not having a TV to play the game on, because (a) people watch TV downstairs and (b) the kids watch DVDs upstairs where the Wii is plugged in. Arrggh. So much for being King of My Castle.

Then there's the fact that I suck.. I play primarily as Mario, and a lot of times I just fall off the stupid arena and can't recover. Stupid game.

In case anyone wants a punching bag to beat up, send me your friend code. I'll try to post mine as soon as I manage to get the TV away from the kids.

"B" is for Bert

Thanks to Kathy W for this one.

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you lovable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

RIP Gary Gygax

Legendary Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax passed away today. I have fond memories of D&D, from trying to play a campaign with Benjor, Neil and some other guys (and then having it dissolve into an argument about interpreting the rules--good times) to reading the different AD&D sourcebooks (the various Monster Manuals and the Deities and Demigods were my favorites) to just trying to draw the blocky TSR logo and the stylized dragon ampersand. It also led to a love of epic fantasy, both in written form and in computer games.

Perhaps Penny Arcade said it best: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/04

At the Movies: Dragonlance

Yikes, it's even worse than the trailer!

Remember Panday, the animated series? Remember how bad it was? Well, the animation here is about on par with it. They cheaped out on every possible way--the character drawings were horrible, the movements were jerky (as if they cut the number of animation frames in half) and the CGI was atrocious.

It's as if they spent all their money on the talented voice cast (Keifer, who nails Raistlin, Lucy Lawless, Michael Rosenbaum) and cheaped out on their animators (animated in...India?!? What the hell?); it would've been better to cast no-names and spent the money on some talented animation studio; heck, what I wouldn't give to have Studio Ghibli do this.

What a wasted opportunity.

Super Tuesday

Voted for the first time here in the US today. It was...interesting, different from when I voted last back in Manila. I was a bit disappointed in the fact that the voting booths were not touch screen, instead relying on dials and buttons; what was also weird was that my ballot was then printed out. What? No going to some database? I suppose it's all for security's sake, but that does seem a bit antiquated.

Also disappointing was the fact that they didn't even bother asking me for an ID, relying on my knowing my home address for verification. I could've been faking! Then again, it was evening already, so the volunteers might've just been wanting to go home.

Superbowl XLII: Of Sore Losers and Lousy Ads

*sigh* All is well again. Gee, that Belichick is sure a good loser, isn't he?

The game was classic. The commercials...not so much. I think I only liked three:

Coca Cola: "It's Mine!" (Stewie! And an aww shucks moment at the end).



Budweiser: "Rocky" (Budweiser never disappoints)



E*Trade: "Banking Baby" (If only for the last line...about clowns!)

MacBook Air: A Mini Review

I found myself at the mall today and decided to take a hands-on look at the MacBook Air. There was a crowd of people around the three that were on display; one was being hogged by two teenagers who were goofing off on YouTube; another was being demoed by a "Genius" to a couple (I wanted to tell them to get a MacBook Pro if they were inclined to go Mac), and the third was running GarageBand.

The third one freed up pretty quickly, and so I got a chance to take a quick look at it. My impressions:
1. It's thin, but it feels pretty sturdy. Actually, it feels just about as solid as our Lenovo T61.
2. With that said, it still feels a bit bulky. How do I explain it? Um, some people are touting this as an "ultraportable". It doesn't feel like it. It feels just like a regular notebook (see #1).
3. I think the Titanium PowerBook is still sexier than this one.
4. Keyboard/Trackpad: Trackpad was nice and wide...but I kept catching myself trying to avoid resting my palms on it to type on the keyboard. Also, the "multitouch" thing they tout seems like a useless gimmick to me. It was cool on the iPhone, but not on this one. Gimme the T61 "nipple" any day.
5. Performance seemed snappy. Then again, I didn't try to load anything on it--just started up iPhoto, went to a couple of websites, and played a bit with GarageBand.

Overall, the impression I get is that it's a nice-looking piece of hardware, but it doesn't really do anything that the far cheaper MacBook doesn't do. I guess I'm not the "target audience".

How Many Five Year Olds...

I was listening to Kevin & Bean on KROQ this morning, and they mentioned a site called "How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take In A Fight?" This is so wrong on so many levels, but funny nonetheless. The segment then degenerated into Psycho Mike and Ralph yelling at each other due to Psycho Mike's claim that he could take down 50 kids easy.

Me? Well...

14

Soul Calibur IV: "Play This One, You Shall"

I played Soul Calibur II when it went on the bargain bin--hey, who wouldn't like a game which featured the first Pinoy heroine (Talim) in a video game, for crying out loud!

I didn't play the next one, but I did like watching the trailer. Thus, when I saw the trailer for Soul Calibur IV, I was prepared for more Taki and Ivy goodness, but at 1:02 of the trailer...

I did not see that one coming.



(Click here for the 720pHD version. Requires DivX player, though)

At the Movies, 2008: Cloverfield

This movie made me sick.

Literally. It's all based on the "handheld-camera" idea, much like Blair Witch. So, what is this movie about? You've probably already seen the trailer with the head of the Statue of Liberty landing on the street. You've heard everything from Cthulhu to Voltron (huh, that would've been cool).

It's not Cthulhu or Voltron, I can tell you that. It is along the vein of Godzilla (in terms of giant monster attacks port city), although it's not our favorite Tokyo monster import. Yes, it's a monster movie, but without the usual cliches, like using a Mac to inject a virus into aliens. Well, okay, ONE cliche, the one about the attractive twentysomethings in DANGER. And you do have to check your disbelief at the door (that's a pretty indestructible camera, don't you think?). Oh, and Pepsi, Sephora and Nokia must've paid a pretty penny for product placement.

Despite those small flaws the movie on the whole is pretty darn good. It's tightly written, much like any JJ Abrams presentation, grabbing you and not letting go until the end. The monster is cool, and the different shots of the military attacking it are awesome. I wish, though, that the DAMN CAMERA WILL STAND STILL FOR MORE THAN TEN SECONDS. Because it nearly made me throw up.

Go and see it if you're not prone to motion sickness. I thought I wasn't (I never get seasick, even when fishing in a bangka for papacol in Cavite with huge waves around us), but this one made me contemplate running to the bathroom.

Sequel? Probably. Maybe they'll find the five lions and we'll get Voltron after all! I just hope it's not this handheld camera bit again.

Where Are They Now: Calvin and Hobbes

I finally got the Complete Calvin & Hobbes set for Christmas. It's still sitting on the table, unopened; I'm almost afraid to open it--yes, I'm one of those people who are obssessed with reading a book without breaking the spine.

Anyway, found this comic strip through the Dope: http://www.uclick.com/client/sea/lio/2008/01/20/index.html

I bet Watterson's not amused...

Nothing But Air

Today was teh Steve's Keynote at MacWorld 2008. While I'm not really a fan of Apple, I'm always curious about what the Next Big Thing is. This time around it was the MacBook Air.




Jobs calls it "the thinnest notebook ever", tapering down to .16 inches. 13.3" screen, aluminum, with a multi-touch trackpad. Fits in a manila envelope (pet peeve: stop spelling it manilla, bloggers! Geez.) as you can see in the ad. People should be lining up to get it, except...

1. It starts out at $1,800, which gives you an 80GB, 4200rpm PATA drive. S-L-O-W. You can opt for the 64GB SSD drive, but be prepared to pay $3,100.
2. It has no optical drive. No watching DVDs on this one! Installing stuff? Well, you can "borrow" the optical drive of another computer. Unfortunately...
3. It has no ethernet port. So you're stuck with wireless, which can be slow (unless you get an ethernet dongle and attach it to a USB port, except...).
4. It has only one USB port. So a USB hub is a must (along with a Bluetooth mouse).
5. The 2GB memory is non-upgradeable. Yup, you're stuck at 2GB.
6. The battery is non-removeable. Battery dies and you're nowhere near a power outlet? Tough.

In effect, this is pretty much the "Missing Link" between an iPod and a MacBook. Okay, I'm reaching with that one.

Despite its limitations, I'm sure people will buy it; some have called it "executive jewelry". I'll reserve judgment until I can drive down to the nearest Apple store and play with it. I'm pretty sure I won't buy it, though; I'd rather spend the money on a new TV.

Details from engadget, wired and apple.com

Happy Smurfday!

Happy 50th birthday, Papa Smurf!  You too, Smurfette.  Oh, and you, Brainy.  Can't forget you, Vanity--you look mah-velous with that flower, dahling.  Jokey, Grumpy, Greedy, Dreamy, Clumsy, Hefty,  Handy, Baby...all of you (even Gargamel and Azrael).  Happy Birthday! 

Still alive and kicking after all these years, and not wussified like the Care Bears (if only Benjor could get around to publishing the Care Bear Massacre, I'll be happy).  Heck, I even saw some Smurf figurines when I was at Universal Citywalk last year. 

Now, how 'bout them Snorks?
                                                                                                                                       

At The Movies, 2008

It's not even February yet, and we've already watched a lot of movies, both in theaters and on DVD. A lot of it is due to the writers' strike, meaning nothing on TV.

Resident Evil: Extinction. Curiously, we watched this 11pm on New Year's Eve, stopped briefly to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and then finished it 2008. Pretty much paint-by-numbers, but it was good enough, I suppose. Milla Jovovich is pretty attractive, as usual, and looks better as she seems to have gained weight. Ali Larter pretty much plays Niki, a supposed tough gal who weeps a lot.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The first one was better, as it had more puzzle-solving and a longer tour of American History. Still, though, this one's not bad, and is a nice way to spend two hours at the movies. I always enjoy Nicolas Cage's acting, even if it is a bit hammy sometimes.

Shoot 'Em Up. Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti go for the paycheck. It's fun, true, but it's stupid fun. Although Clive Owen gets to play BMW Driver again. Monica Bellucci is always a plus, although she's getting a bit long in the tooth.

The Simpsons Movie. Funny, funny movie, although the middle part (the one where they go to Alaska) is quite strange, as everyone starts acting out-of-character (especially Homer). Other than that, this was a hilarious movie. Best (throwaway) line belongs to Ralph Wiggum: "I like men now!"

Rush Hour 3. Always nice to see Paris again, but this could've been a TNT original movie and I wouldn't have to waste a rental on it.

authoroftheweek: Brandon Sanderson

Upon hearing that Brandon Sanderson had been chosen to complete Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series, I immediately went to the library to check out his work. Sanderson had released three novels: Elantris, a standalone, and the first two books in the Mistborn series: Final Empire and Well of Ascension

I tackled the Mistborn books first. I'm glad I did. Final Empire was extremely well-written, with a realized world, a unique magic system and fleshed-out characters. It tells the story of a group of people trying to take down a tyrant. Several of them are Allomancers, people who have the ability to "burn" a certain metal that enhances a certain ability. For example, "Thugs" have the ability to "burn" pewter in order to enhance their strength. Then there are the special people, Mistborn, who have the ability to "burn" all metals; in effect, they have all the different Allomancer powers. The main protagonists are Mistborn; unfortunately, the empire they aim to destroy also have their powers (Steel Inquisitors), while the tyrant is the most powerful one of all. Exciting book with a somewhat steampunk feel. A must read, even if you didn't know about the Wheel of Time stuff. This one's five stars, easily.

After eagerly finishing the first book, I went on to the second one Well of Ascension. We get to see the world fleshed out even further, with the introduction of more creatures and some more insight on how the world came to be. Unfortunately, the book suffers a bit from sequel-itis, and gets a bit bogged down in political discussions and philosophical debates. It's still a good yarn, however, and the last couple of chapters are pretty exciting, with one of the best fight sequences I've ever read. This one rates four stars.

Elantris was the last book I read, and was the first book that Sanderson wrote. It shows. The book reads a bit like a sixties/seventies SF novel (down to the cover), with the Elantrians coming across a bit as refugees from the Age of Aquarius, complete with disco balls and shiny robes and go-go boots (sorry, that was the imagery that came into my head). Yes, it's a bit cheesy. An okay read, but it's obvious that Sanderson was still trying to find his voice with this book. Three stars.

If I had only read Elantris, I would be nervous. Fortunately, the quality of Sanderson's work took a quantum leap with the Mistborn books, so I'd say the last book in the Wheel of Time cycle is in good hands.

Some People...

You know how when a register opens up, they call the next person over to be the first person in that new line? Well, I was the person behind that next person, and I had moved over to the new register when this woman runs up with her cart and says "EXCUSE ME".

The heck? She thinks she's next in line? Despite the fact that I was already there behind the first person? Talk about cutting in line!

I didn't argue the point, and went back to my old line, muttering Gordon Ramsay's favorite words and mouthing off about female dogs. Yes, it was loud enough for her to hear. May karma bite you in the ass, I thought.

Turns out it did. I actually got checked out faster than if I had moved to that new line, and was out the door before the person in front of her was even done! I actually whistled quite loudly as I was strolling away with my cart, knowing full well she could hear my whistling and could see the smirk on my face; heck, I should've shouted "Victory is Mine!", Stewie style.

The nerve of some people.