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".