Musing...

Salt

2010-09-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

Angelina Jolie is the best female action hero since Sigourney Weaver was playing Ellen Ripley. Her dramatic work has been fine, but every time she starts beating people up and running from bad guys, her charisma is twenty times higher. She manages to be gorgeous while also not being afraid to get dirty. She spends most of this film covered in some sort of blood and dirt, yet when she pauses to smile at someone, you can see why the other party is seduced. When have we had such a perfect blend of sexiness and badass? Salt is her best action film to date, a movie that, while utterly preposterous, manages to work on pretty much every level. Most exciting of all, it’s a thriller that actually keeps us guessing, with action scenes that actually keep us on the edge of our seat, and hand-to-hand combat that actually made me cheer. CGI is minimal, asses kicked are maximum, and with such a perfect and compelling lead, Salt is easily one of the most enjoyable films of the *pun alert* season.

No plot can possibly be revealed– only the set-up. Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a spy for the CIA, married to a German spider expert (August Diehl) and preparing for her anniversary. A Russian man named Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) comes in with information for the CIA: there will be an attempt on the Russian president’s life by a Russian mole planted in America. As Salt tires of his stories and leaves, he reveals the mole’s name: Evelyn Salt. Whaaaa? Salt’s long-time colleague Ted (Liev Schreiber) is sure the man is lying, but counter-intelligence officer Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is not convinced of Salt’s innocence. Salt is immediately concerned about her husband’s safety and decides to run to try to get to him. But running from the CIA is rarely something that the CIA smiles upon. Will she rescue her husband or get killed trying? Plus, how did her name get into that Russian’s head?

Kurt Wimmer’s script and Philip Noyce’s direction take the usual action thriller and avoid the usual trap: a more amateurish film would have had a “twist ending” where Salt would be the woman that the Russian says she is. This movie acknowledges that cliche and instead deals with it upfront– her behavior is the behavior of a guilty woman, yet she’s wrecked with thoughts of her missing husband. We get all of the necessary character development, but her motives are left unclear throughout, so that even as we root for her, we wonder whether these actions are of the hero or the villain. This could have become a device that tries an audience’s patience, but Noyce’s action scenes are so engaging and every moment is so tense that we never get a chance to dwell too much on it. It’s hard to overthink a scene while balancing delicately on the edge of your seat. Here is a film that realizes watching people fight hand-to-hand combat in long shots is often better than effects-fests or movies that chop their footage to hell before reassembling them into rapid-fire sequences. If we watch Salt run down a hallway, we know we’re going to see the full combat. Plus, Salt has so many tricks, such as throwing an empty gun at a man’s Adam’s apple and using a human as a silencer, it’s hard to not jump out of your seat if you’re an action aficionado.

Then, there’s Angelina Jolie. Schreiber and Ejiofor do solid work, but this movie rests solely in her hands– she’s in nearly every shot. It’s hard for most actors of any gender to pull off the kind of gritty stunts that Jolie has to do in this film, much less a woman (call it sexist, but name the legitimate action hero women in movie history and get to double figures, I dare you). Quiet as kept, although Brad Pitt carries the reputation for being a mainstream star with a taste for the subversive, Angelina Jolie has no problem getting gritty and dirty for a film. Jolie spends a lot of time sporting unflattering hats and hair, unflattering cuts and bruises all over her face, and doing traditionally “manly” things. Plus, while most A-grade star actresses would be completely unconvincing beating up massive scores of Secret Service agents, Jolie somehow sells the whole thing. Then, in between the dirt and grime of being an action star, she’ll flash that movie star smile, and although that’s what reminds you she’s gorgeous, you realize her charm is even stronger when she’s killing henchmen and blowing stuff up. Could there be a viable action movie franchise starring a woman action star? Tomb Raider never really took off, but if Salt is any indication, Angelina Jolie is more than up for the challenge. She’s the best action star of the most fun action movie thus far this year.

Toy Story 3

2010-07-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

I don’t cry at movies easily. Yes, as those close to me will tell you, I am a bit of a softie at heart, and I’ll get choked up at a film or an especially moving TV show. Perhaps you may even see a tear roll out of my left eye– I’ve found that when a movie brings me to tears, my left eye is usually the weaker of the two. However, as Toy Story 3 came to a close, I realized this film accomplished what no other movie has to date: it made me cry from both of my eyes… for an extended period of time… in a crowded movie theater. Me! The hard-hearted movie critic! How, pray tell, could this have come to pass? Simple. Pixar knows that you must tell a story well, and you must care about the characters. From concept to execution to nostalgia for the previous films, you have a perfect storm built to conjure emotions without resorting to cheap manipulation. It’s all earned. It’s also, without question, one of the best movies of the year.

I’ll give only the most basic plot details, because the less you know, the better the experience will be for you. After a dazzling opening sequence, full of references to the opening sequence of the first film, Andy has graduated from high school and is off to college soon. Now comes a dreaded moment of growing up: Mom wants the room to be emptied out, so Andy needs to decide what toys are going with him to college, what toys are going up to the attic, what toys are being donated to Sunnyside Day Care down the street, and what toys are being thrown away. The numbers have depleted in Andy’s room– several toys have long since been given away, and only Andy’s favorites remain… but as they lament, they haven’t been played with in a long time. Woody (Tom Hanks) reminds them all what their purpose is: to remain there for Andy whenever he needs them, regardless of how long they have to wait or if they have to reside in the attic for years and years. The others have their doubts, but they follow their leader.

Through a series of circumstances not to be revealed here (including a hilarious blink-and-you-miss-it cameo by an old adversary), the toys end up going to Sunnyside, despite the fact that Andy was going to take Woody to college and put the rest in the attic. It seems heavenly at first, and they meet several nice new toys, led by Lotso (Ned Beatty), who explains to them why the day care is so great. Every day, all year long, the playrooms are filled with kids who want nothing more than to play with the toys, and after a year passes, a new batch of kids comes in. No growing old, no attics, no neglect– you stay loved forever. Everyone is happy… except Woody, whose loyalty insists that he leave and return to Andy. Woody’s adventure takes him to another house, while those at Sunnyside soon realize that their new residence is not as ideal as it seemed.

Remember how I said this movie made me cry harder than I’ve ever cried in a theater? Think about this: I was crying because Pixar has made me care about inanimate objects more than I care for all other human characters in the history of cinema. I know toys don’t get up and have private lives when I leave the room. Logic dictates that this is only a film. Yet their emotions are human, their friendships are human, their joys and fears are all relatable. How many people haven’t felt they need to stand up for a friend? How many people haven’t felt the betrayal of those closest to you not siding with you in a moment of adversity? How many people haven’t gone into something difficult feeling reassured, because you know those you love are by your side? And these toys, these pieces of plastic, capture these emotions more vividly than any real living actor can do on celluloid in years. Is that a compliment to Pixar… or an insult to the quality of live action films produced by Hollywood these days?

The idea that there was something moving in your home, something that you had no control over, something that you couldn’t see but you really wanted to. Toy Story captures that vivid imagination of a child. Everything that you thought and suspected and hoped might be going on in your room actually came true. Not only that, but it’s a secret legion of loyal friends, fully dedicated to making your life better. It’s wish fulfillment, for any child or anyone who remembers what it was like to be a child.

There are two moments in the final twenty minutes of the film that pulled my heartstrings like none other. One is a moment in which our heroes face their final fate, and they respond in a way that only the hardest of hearts wouldn’t respond to. The other, the one that I suspect anyone over the age of eighteen would sympathize with, is the moment in which Andy finally decides what to do with his toys. It’s both heartbreaking and utterly satisfying. I’m sure if anyone leaves comments, they will be riddled with spoilers, so do yourself a favor and skip them until you see the film. It’s the type of scene that after watching it, you realize you’ll remember it forever– it’s been fifteen years with these characters, and discovering what seems to be the end of one chapter of their “lives” has an emotional impact rarely found in film. If this is the end of the Toy Story saga, it is literally the best ending to a trilogy in the history of cinema.

Individual moments are all great. Each sequence seems as clever as the one before it. Unlike Toy Story 2, which I felt forcefed us some new characters, everyone we’re introduced to here fits wonderfully into the world, including Lotso, Ken (Michael Keaton), Trixie (Melanie Schaal), Chuckles (Bud Luckey), Chatter Telephone (Teddy Newton), and my personal favorite, Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton). Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head have a lovely rapport, and Buzz and Jessie appear to start striking up a romance of their own. These characters are growing and developing themselves, just like Andy. I was concerned when I saw the trailer, replete with poop jokes and Spanish Buzz Lightyear, thinking that perhaps the gimmickry that bogs down normal sequels (including, to a degree, Toy Story 2) would claim the legacy of one of the finest films of the past two decades. Instead, this film is a marked improvement over Toy Story 2 and serves as a worthy bookend to the original. It’s not a landmark in cinematic history like the first, but it’s a landmark in strong emotional storytelling, something not seen nearly often enough in today’s multiplexes. I hope this is the end of the Toy Story journey, but if they can keep coming up with ideas this wonderful and execution this flawless, then they can feel free to take this franchise to infinity and beyond.

Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin

2010-07-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Lesnar defeats Carwin via Submission - Shoulder Triangle Choke at 2:19 of Round 2 and retains the UFC Heavyweight Championship title!

At UFC 116, Brock Lesnar submitted the previously undefeated Shane Carwin in a tough battle that was hard fought from the bell.

Lesnar manned through a couple of Carwin's tough shots to end up cradled in the fetal position, a maneuver Lesnar himself has made many of his opponents resort to in the past.

Now, though, the man who was once the most hated fighter in the UFC has made a fan of everyone as he weathered through untested waters, submissively hung on for dear life and came back victorious.

This fight with Carwin was something representative of Lesnar's battle with diverticulitis. Here a massive, once seemingly unstoppable force of a man was thought to be the unbeatable archetype that all heavyweights sought to dethrone.

Then along came Carwin.

Carwin landed one of his signature uppercuts to Lesnar, and probably the only reason he was able to man through Carwin's offense at all was due to his horse-like stature and indomitable will.

Lesnar pulled what was representative of Ali's rope-a-dope, although to what extent this was intentional is uncertain and practically futile as this was more than likely out of reaction than strategy.

Still though, Carwin gassed, and not only did Lesnar break a record by lasting past round 1 with Carwin, he came back to take Carwin down, mount him and transition to side control to finish the fight with a beautiful arm triangle.

Merely one year ago, Brock Lesnar's doppelgänger infiltrated the Octagon in a pure demolition of Frank Mir. Lesnar dominated Mir in the fight and pursued a battle of ego after the match was finished.

Now, though, after spending this past year looking death squarely in the face, Lesnar deserves this hard fought victory, one which he may not have survived had he not been so severely humbled by illness.

Lesnar was quick to thank his family, friends and God after his victory, and he sent a message to all UFC fans everywhere: this victory was not about him.

A year ago, one might have never thought it possible that all fighters could learn a big lesson from Lesnar, no matter how dominant they are. Yet the lesson persists: in order to overcome true adversity, one must first overcome himself.

Well, perhaps with all this evolution of the martial arts going on in MMA, the lessons rather than the techniques have persisted.

Tonight, Lesnar showed us how a true champion accepts a victory, and there's no doubt that he earned it by defeating Carwin.

One thing seems sure: these two will meet again some day, and hopefully it will be as good a battle as it was at UFC 116. Lesnar clearly proved to be the better man, though judging from the first round, Carwin can make even the biggest guys cower.

Being that Lesnar has fought through life-threatening illness and a barrage of punches from Carwin, who is probably the hardest hitting man the UFC has ever seen, he undeniably deserves to retain the championship belt and the title of heavyweight champion of the world.

Congratulations, Brock Lesnar. Fans everywhere look forward to seeing more of you in the future.

Kobe Bryant has the index finger of an 83-year-old man

2010-06-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

(from Ball Don't Lie, A Y! sports blog by Trey Kerby)

We all remember Kobe Bryant's (notes) 6-24 shooting performance in Game 7 of this year's NBA finals. It was not a very good shooting performance, obviously, as he did not make very many shots but continued to take shots. Basically, it was the very definition of a bad shooting performance, and I heard that Kobe Bryant's face will be added next to that phrase in a completely nonexistent dictionary of basketball terms.

However, while Kobe's shooting wasn't so great, it's pretty easy to forget that he was playing with a severely injured right index finger, also known as the finger most important to shooting. When you remember that little factoid, making any shots with a completely retooled release is impressive. But that's Kobe Bryant for you — doing whatever he can to perform at a high level.

As it turns out, that dedication might have cost Kobe a finger. No, it's not like he's going to lose it, but it's definitely going to be a pain in the hand for the next 50 years of his life. The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding has the tragic tale of the damaged digit.

For Bryant, the sacrifice for success could well be visible for the rest of his career in the form of something that is not another championship ring to go around his finger.
He might never play again without wearing support for his damaged right index finger.
The middle knuckle on that critical finger on Bryant's shooting hand is so debilitated by arthritis after the past season of misuse and overuse that there may be no real way to fix it. Bryant will consult with specialists in July to figure out his options, but arthritis is not a problem that can just be cleaned up with arthroscopic surgery or wished away with a little rest.

Yikes. The old broken finger that turns arthritic is never fun, especially in the two very similar fields of NBA basketball and blogging. We've lost a lot of good men out there, mostly from arthritic fingers.

Seriously, though, playing through an injury is hard enough for anyone in any sport. But playing through an injury to your index finger on your shooting hand in a sport that requires constant use of that finger and hand? That's definitely not amoré, Dino. That's constant pain 82 times a season, plus the playoffs, for another five years, at least. Like I said before, yikes.

[Photos: See NBA champion Kobe Bryant in action]

So when Jordan Farmar (notes) leaves the Lakers this summer, don't be curious as to why. Just remember that he's the one who threw the errant pass that led to Kobe's busted knuckle. We know Kobe holds grudges, so it's only logical to assume his finger does too.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

2010-06-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

For a film that looks so much like a video game, I’ve watched scenes from video games with better storylines and special effects than Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Its leads lack charisma, its story lack suspense, its dialogue lacks wit, and its effects lack realism. It took a bunch of parts from better movies and sewed them together into a Frankenstein-like creation. The only difference between this film and the Frankenstein creature is that the Frankenstein creature was given a brain. Summer blockbusters can have a thin premise and still be fun if there is intelligence in the execution. Unfortunately, this film is even worse than unintelligent—it assumes its audience is unintelligent, and as a result borders on the insulting.

A young rebellious Caucasian orphan named Destin saves a child from the king of Persia’s guards and proceeds to fight back admirably—so admirably, in fact, that the king rewards him for his nobility and adopts him. No word comes on whether the king’s guards were punished for being the opposite. No word, also, on why there seem to be an abundant of young white orphans running around Persia… although most of the Persians in this film appear to be Caucasian, so perhaps I’m digging too deep. Being the most Caucasiany of all, Destin (Jake Gyllenhaal) is obviously going to show that’s he’s better than his brothers in every way, be framed for some foul crime that the gorgeous Jake Gyllenhaal couldn’t have possibly committed, fall in love with the most gorgeous princess (Gemma Arteton) who couldn’t possibly love any character that looks more ethnic than Jake Gyllenhaal, and save all of Persia from his villainous uncle (Ben Kingsley).

How can we tell the uncle is evil? (1) He’s played by Ben Kingsley. (2) Anyone who’s seen any movie before knows because the king’s brother who is also his chief advisor is the most obvious villain possible. Even children who have only seen Disney films know that a king’s brother is liable to want the throne (The Lion King) and the king’s chief advisor is usually the one with the power to hurt our hero (Aladdin). (3) The movie pretends for so long that Ben Kingsley isn’t the villain that everyone in the theater is likely to start shouting at the screen, “For the love of God, isn’t it obvious?” It’s as if the director of a Dudley Do-Right cartoon zoomed in on Snidely Whiplash twirling his mustache as an evil musical sting played… and then proceeded with the story as if the audience still thinks that Snidely is the only person Dudley can trust.

Let’s also ask: why did a Hollywood studio think that Jake Gyllenhaal would be a good action hero? Gyllenhaal’s strengths have always been playing emotional characters, characters with a deep sense of longing or mourning—he’s made his career doing this. In Prince of Persia, Gyllenhaal adopts an unfortunate British accent and does his best action movie hero impression. There doesn’t appear to be anything at stake other than future action movie paychecks, and there doesn’t appear to be any notable character trait other than glistening muscles and maybe an overwhelming sense of familiarity, like we’ve seen this role played before by many actors more suited to the role. Even a younger Vin Diesel or The Rock would have been more convincing. And less obviously white.

Why did they cast a bunch of white people in all the main heroic roles? Would it have killed them to include one or two Persians? Or, assuming that Americans are idiotic enough to accept the blue-eyed Jake Gyllenhaal as any sort of Middle Easterner, would it have killed them to include a couple of actors with darker skin? Outside of throwing Gemma Arteton into a tanning bed for a few days, it doesn’t seem that they cared at all that Persia is actually a real place. Instead, they seem to think it only exists in video games, especially by the way the film is shot. A character will announce where they are going, and the camera will suddenly be zooming around tracing the path the character must take, as if the audience member is holding a joystick and will have to help Destin retrace the path that was just revealed to us. It’s an inordinately strange visual technique that seems designed to remind us that this is, in fact, a video game.

Why couldn’t they have provided better visual effects? Sure, the shots that aren’t edited and chopped to hell are pretty, but anything involving CGI looks like something I’d see as an intro to a Playstation 2 game. Actually, that’s unfair to Playstation 2 games, some of which take great pains to deliver engaging effects and usually have an interesting story. Any time that a character pushes the button on the dagger containing the Sands of Time, we are instantly transitioned away from reality and into a special effects world that reminded me distinctly of The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns. That’s not a good thing. Also, the big effects sequences that should inspire awe, such as a giant landslide during which a fake Jake Gyllenhaal hops around like a frog, are instead cartoonish at best and boring at worst. They try to incorporate parkour into the proceedings to show Gyllenhaal’s gift as a warrior (no one else in Persia was capable of doing parkour?), but because they show multiple shots of him leaping farther than any human is capable of, let alone Jake Gyllenhaal, it takes us out of any sequence that we might have believed Gyllenhaal was actually doing. There’s a thrill in seeing an actor do his own stunts that they robbed us of by removing any attachment to a sense of reality.

Why couldn’t the premise have been more airtight? Destin is given a robe which he presents to his father. The robe is poisoned in an obscure Medea-esque way that causes the king to melt… or something. The story as it has been told to this point dictates the following: (1) The brothers know Destin isn’t in line for the throne, and thus wouldn’t have motivation to kill the king. (2) The brothers trust one another, and while they might envy Destin, they certainly wouldn’t think he’s plotting against them. (3) Destin didn’t find the robe, he didn’t handle the robe, and he didn’t even want to be the person to deliver the robe in the first place, so he couldn’t have poisoned the robe. (4) The uncle has been telling his children a story of how he saved his brother’s life as a child for their whole lives, which should tell the brothers that the uncle envisions a world where his young brother dies and he becomes king. Plus, he’s played by Ben Kingsley. (5) Brave noble Destin would have immediately afterward revealed who handed him the robe in the first place. It’s the obvious thing to say. Of course, these five points must either be conveniently ignored or deliberately spat in the face of in order to make this movie have the paper-thin plot it has, so the king dies, the brothers believe with lightning speed that Destin is making a play for the throne, and Destin immediately starts beating up guards and escaping.

Why is the main romance so completely lacking in chemistry? One could blame the terrible dialogue, which mostly consists of “women can do things just as well as men!” and “I don’t find you attractive… but secretly I do.” This is the type of dialogue that Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn excelled at. Yet, those scripts were written with wit and realism, and those actors were far superior to the ones we have here, and 50-60 years after Tracy and Hepburn, we’ve seen that type of dialogue so often (also recently spotted in Robin Hood) that it’s played out. Also, Gemma Arteton, who was so bland and lacking in charisma in Clash of the Titans, is equally terrible here. She is quite easy on the eyes, but not nearly easy enough on the eyes to forgive the made-for-SyFy-movie performance she gives here. If they had made her character a sexy, midriff-baring mute, the movie would have been ten times better, if only because we would then have cut all that bad dialogue, and we could have wondered if the character had depth rather than hearing what she says and realizing she doesn’t. We might also have been spared the silliest action movie cliché of all: the characters kissing at an inappropriate moment of extreme danger when there’s a deadline that you must meet in order not to die. This cliché (also recently spotted in Robin Hood) happens TWICE here.

The final question I have after sitting through this is… who asked for a Prince of Persia movie? Was there a big demand in the videogame community to make this happen? I realize that it’s damn near impossible for a film to be made without having some sort of marketable brand name—and that Disney in particular has come out and said they will not be making any original films until the economy turns around—but what kind of irreparable damage are these people doing to otherwise fine franchises? Of course, I realize that as a reasonably intelligent moviegoer, perhaps it’s easy for me to sit in my ivory tower and say these franchises are getting damaged, with the mediocre Alice in Wonderland being the highest grossing film of the year and the mediocre Clash of the Titans and mediocre Robin Hood not far behind. Prince of Persia didn’t have an established name in the film community like the other three, and now it never will. It’s one of the worst Jerry Bruckheimer produced films ever (a feat), because it manages to be a fast-paced action effects bonanza that bores its audience.

Mayweather-Mosley Live Blogging Updates

2010-05-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

UPDATE May 1, 2010 11:21 PM ET: Floyd Mayweather Jr. won via Unanimous Decision! He retained his Welterweight Championship. Well, it would be much exciting if there will be a match between Pacquiao and Mayweather!

Mayweather-Mosley Live Blogging Updates

2010-05-01T21:24:00.001-07:00

UPDATE May 1, 2010 11:15 PM ET: The fight is on its last round. Who do you think will win this fight?

Mayweather-Mosley Live Blogging Updates

2010-05-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

UPDATE May 1, 2010 10:48 PM ET: The fight is already in Round 5. Mosley rocks in this fight!

UPDATE May 1, 2010 11:08 PM ET: Mayweather is dominating the fight. It is currently on Round 10.

Mayweather-Mosley Live Blogging Updates

2010-05-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

UPDATE May 1, 2010 10:16 PM ET: Chris Brown just sang the National Anthem. Mayweather and Mosley is coming to the boxing ring now.

UPDATE May 1, 2010 10:36 PM ET: Round 1 has just finished. Round 2 began. The fight looks very exciting. Crowd shouts for Mosley!

Massive earthquake strikes Chile

2010-02-28T01:58:00.000-08:00

A large trembler has strike executive Chile and killed at slightest 214 people, the interior apportion says.

The 8.8 upheaval caused drawn out damage, destroying buildings, bridges and roads in most areas. Electricity, H2O and phone lines were cut.

Chilean President Michele Bachelet pronounced which exactly dual million people had been affected.

Several Pacific countries were strike by waves aloft than common after a tsunami was set off by the quake.

In French Polynesia waves 6ft (1.8m) tall swept ashore, but there were no evident reports of damage.

Detailed map of quake

Tsunami spreads by Pacific

In Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand, residents in coastal areas were warned to move to aloft ground.

Hawaii after carried the tsunami notice after waves measuring only underneath 1m (3ft) tall struck but caused no damage.

The trembler struck at 0634 GMT, 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the collateral Santiago. It is the greatest to strike Chile in 50 years.

At slightest 85 people died in the segment of Maule alone, internal reporters there said.

Many deaths were additionally in reported in the regions of Santiago, O’Higgins, Biobio, Araucania and Valparaiso.

Television cinema showed a vital overpass at Concepcion had collapsed in to the Biobio river.

Rescue teams have been anticipating it formidable to strech Concepcion since of repairs to infrastructure, inhabitant air call reported.

Aftershocks

In Santiago, where at slightest thirteen people were killed, multiform buildings collapsed – together with a car fool around ground where dozens of cars were smashed.

A glow at a containing alkali plant in the hinterland of the collateral forced the depletion of the neighbourhood.

POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES

Haiti, twelve January 2010: About 230,000 people die after shoal 7.0 bulk quake

Sumatra, Indonesia, twenty-six December 2004: 9.2 magnitude. Triggers Asian tsunami which kills scarcely 250,000 people

Alaska, US, twenty-eight Mar 1964: 9.2 magnitude; 128 people killed. Anchorage really bad damaged

Chile, south of Concepcion, twenty-two May 1960: 9.5 magnitude. About 1,655 deaths. Tsunami hits Hawaii and Japan

Kamchatka, NE Russia, 4 November 1952: 9.0 magnitude

‘Everyone fears aftershocks’

In pictures: Chile quake

Chileans discuss it of upheaval terror

Chile good prepared

Damage to Santiago general airport’s depot will keep it sealed for at slightest 72 hours, officials said. Flights have been being diverted to Mendoza in Argentina.

Ms Bachelet spoken a “state of catastrophe” in influenced areas and appealed for calm.

She said: “We’re you do all we can with all the forces we have.”

Tsunami waves reached the Juan Fernandez island group, reaching median in to one inhabited area. Local media contend which 5 people died there and multiform others have been missing.

Two assist ships have been reported to be on their way.

One proprietor of Chillan, 100km from the epicentre, told Chilean air call the jolt there lasted about dual minutes.

Other residents of Chillan and Curico pronounced communications were down but using H2O was still available.

Many of Chile’s headlines websites and air call stations have been still not accessible.

In Washington, President Barack Obama pronounced the US had assist resources in on all sides to muster should the Chilean supervision ask for help.

Obama says US ready to assistance Chile

The US Geological Survey (USGS) pronounced the trembler struck at a abyss of about 35km.

It additionally available at slightest 8 aftershocks, the largest of 6.9 bulk at 0801 GMT.

The USGS pronounced tsunami goods had been celebrated at Valparaiso, west of Santiago, with a call tallness of 1.69m on top of normal sea level.

One publisher vocalization to Chilean inhabitant air call from the city of Temuco, 600km south of Santiago, pronounced most people there had left their homes, dynamic to outlay the rest of the night outside. Some people on the streets were in tears.

Chile is rarely exposed to earthquakes as it is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, on the corner of the Pacific and South American plates.

Chile suffered the greatest trembler of the 20th century when a 9.5 bulk upheaval struck the city of Valdivia in 1960, murdering 1,655 people.

The Blind Side - A True Story

2010-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Blind Side is not a great movie, but it is a smart and tasteful one. Unlike other inspiring true life stories where benevolent white people have their lives changed forever when they reach out to help an underprivileged black child with a haunted past, it dodges most of the easy manipulation pitfalls and manages to earn its engaging demeanor. Plus, it doesn’t limit itself to trying to please only one demographic. It’s about a woman, but there’s plenty of sports for the men (and Sandra Bullock has never looked better). Its heroes are conservative, charitable Christians, yet the movie doesn’t ignore the hypocrisies inherent in their lifestyle, thus placating liberal viewers. Finally, the story itself doesn’t just stop at a high school championship or a “big game”– it’s not merely a symbolic victory, it’s a rags-to-riches tale that ends with the NFL Draft, when the hero becomes a millionaire and up-and-coming star in the league.

Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) never had a bed of his own. He was taken from his mother by child services early in life, and then never settled with another family. He was big and athletic, but his GPA was non-existent and his background was troubled to say the least. A football coach at a private Christian school pushed for his acceptance on the principle of Christian charity (though the struggling football team might have contributed). At the same school, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) notices Michael waiting until the end of volleyball games so he can pick up half-eaten bags of popcorn for his dinner. She takes him in and begins helping him by buying him new clothing, getting him a bed, and encouraging him to try out for football. When his talent becomes evident, she hires him a tutor (Kathy Bates) to help him qualify for NCAA admission.

The thing I admired most about the film is that it didn’t turn the characters one-dimensional for the sake of establishing “good guys,” “bad guys,” and the like. At a certain point in the film, an NCAA official investigates the Tuohy family, seeing if they pressured their new adopted son into going to their college alma mater for personal benefit, and quite frankly, she has a point. Leigh Anne’s friends are all skeptical of a big black man staying at the Tuohy house, because her teenage daughter might be vulnerable to the stereotypical sexually aggressive black man, and Tuohy herself the first night she takes in Oher wonders aloud if he’s going to steal things. The “Christian charity” the school exercises is an obvious front for their own athletic department’s benefit, and the movie acknowledges this. Even Oher’s mom, in a very sad scene, meant well and was simply dealt a bad hand, unable to control her addictions. It neither condemns or condones the conservative Christian lifestyle of Tennessee, instead merely showing the benefits and the close-minded thoughts that those folks have simultaneously, letting us make our own choices about the proceedings.

Bullock does strong work in what might be her best “serious” work to date. She’s a strong mule-headed woman, who is always seen looking gorgeous in heels and tight dresses (and Bullock wears them well). Aaron gains sympathy without playing Oher as too dumb or too desperate. A few of the supporting roles do become one-note, such as Tim McGraw as the supportive husband who does what his wife tells him to do, and Jae Head as the youngest Tuohy son. He is portrayed as the archetypal cute little white kid with freckles and bad teeth, who always has something clever to say. The element of the film which rang most false is everything between the young boy and Oher, especially when the son helps coach Oher during football training. It’s a cheap ploy for laughs, and to gain cheap sympathy points for the big scary black man by painting him as a gentle giant who befriends cute quippy kids.

Still, I’m reminded of Radio, the Ed Harris/Cuba Gooding Jr. film also based on a true story about a struggling homeless black man with no education who is taken in by a football team in a racist Southern town. I felt it was one of the worst films of the year, with its depiction of the two types of white people– “true Christians” vs. “one-note malicious bigots.” Without complexity, the film can no longer claim to be based on a true story. Also, Radio’s lack of intelligence was played for laughs. Tell me, does watching a mentally handicapped man dance like a happy fool tickle your funnybone? In The Blind Side, there is a moment or two where the film comes dangerously close to toeing that line, but for the most part, Aaron plays him as having a quiet intelligence and dignity. Finally, when the heroic moment of a football drama is merely the state championship, then the level of inspiration can only soar so high… but here is Michael Oher, who went from homeless, wandering, a GPA of below 1, and nothing to his name other than one or two ratty polos. He not only led his team to the state championship, but he brought his grades up, got offers from several universities, did well in college, graduated, and was a first round draft pick in the NFL Draft. That’s far more touching to me than one shining moment– this is taking a human life where nothing went right, setting it on the right track, and now nothing goes wrong. The execution is a tad pedestrian, and it suffers from some of the same cliches that other inspirational dramas based on true stories suffer from. Yet it’s hard to turn a blind eye to this one being much better than others.

Some of My Favorite Bands/Groups

2009-08-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

The Black Eyed Peas is an American hip hop/pop group based in Los Angeles. The group is composed of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie. Since their breakout album Elephunk in 2003, the group's hip hop/dance pop-oriented style has sold an estimated 18 million albums worldwide and 9 million singles. The group is one of only eleven artists to have ever held the number 1 and 2 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. With 19 consecutive weeks at No. 1, the Peas tie Usher's record for most consecutive frames atop the Hot 100 (Usher did it with hits "Yeah!" and "Burn" in 2004). The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" is No. 1 this week, and if it stays put next week, Usher's record will be overtaken.

Their currently popular hits:
I Gotta Feeling
Boom Boom Pow

MYMP is one of the acoustic band acts in the Philippines, which consists of 5 members. Their career started when Raymond Ryan, a station manager of iFm watched their gig and met up with a producer to produce their 2003 debut album, Soulful Acoustic, which is now Certified Platinum Record.

Sponge Cola is a Filipino rock band formed in 2002. The current members are Yael Yuzon, Gosh Dilay and Erwin Armovit. Unofficial members include Wendell Garcia of bands Archipelago and Pupil, and Tedmark Cruz who plays drums for bands Happy Meals and The Out of Body Special fill in as sessionists. Drummer Chris Cantada left the group due to his worsening health condition.

Please support our local OPM artists by buying their original albums @ your favorite music store

GI JOE: Rise Of Cobra

2009-08-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

This film will inevitably be compared to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen– the explosions are plentiful, the monuments are destroyed, the gadgets are on display, and the characterization is limited. However, while Transformers’ terrific special effects got bogged down by the films’ seriousness, this movie’s cheesy special effects are elevated by the film’s sense of fun. This is the type of film where a shootout is taking place in an empty room, save two barrels… so when the bad guys get shot and their bodies are blown backwards, guess where they land? If a detail like this bothers you because it’s corny and lame, then stay away. However, if this is the type of film where you can imagine yourself grinning shamelessly with a big bag of popcorn, enjoying everything that “serious-minded cinemagoers” will deem corny and lame, then this movie is a breath of fresh air for you in the midst of consecutive summers of serious action films in desperate need of editing. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is non-stop popcorn bliss.

We open with a title card that says, “France, 1641.” (If the fact that the film based on toy soldiers opens this way doesn’t already has you smiling, prepare for 100 minutes of smiles.) We see a ranting Scotsman named McCullen vowing vengeance on the world via his future generations who has a metal mask welded to his face. This helps us in the audience, even those completely unfamiliar with GI Joe, gather two key facts: 1) The next Scottish person we see will be a villain. 2) At some point, he will have a metal mask on. The next scene shows us Scottish weapons designer McCullen (Christopher Eccleston, known to sci-fi heads as Dr. Who), who has enlisted Army soldiers Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) to lead a team protecting the transport of warheads filled with nanomites, robotic bugs that eat everything in its path and don’t stop until deactivated. The Baroness (Sienna Miller), known for her skintight leather outfits, and Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee), known for his white samurai outfits, attempt to steal these warheads, but a team of special forces stops them.

We are then introduced to the GI Joes in their insanely enormous underground lair, called The Pit. We are also introduced to McCullen and his evil plot, in his insanely enormous underwater lair. Unless you have an insanely enormous hidden lair, you simply can’t keep up in the international wargame biz. The Joes are mostly humorless, so the swagger of Duke and the wisecracks of Ripcord throw a wrench into their works, especially Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), who hates Ripcord so that later she can fall in love with him. The villains use nanomites to control henchmen, make them fearless, and reject injury from hurting their body. This is shown by a crony reaching his hand into a box with a king cobra in it, getting bitten on the arm, and then watching the venom slowly ooze backwards out of the wound. If you’re going to be sticking your arms into cobra boxes, nanomites sure would come in handy.

Is that the cobra of the title? No, it’s a cobra owned by The Doctor, who we can deduce will be the Cobra who Rises. We can also deduce that he’s being played by a heavily made-up Joseph Gordon-Levitt. How do we know this? Because Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a well-known actor playing a very small part earlier in the film, as the Baroness’s brother and the friend of Duke. Duke also has a past romance with the Baroness, which will clearly come into play when she has a conflicted moment where she can stay committed to a life of villainy or save her former love’s life.

I’m not spoiling anything here. The plot isn’t where the fun lies. The fun is in the gadgetry, the earnest performances of actors having fun chewing into their lines, and the action scenes which are skillfully directed. Sommers lets the camera follow the actors (or their CGI replicas), not succumbing to the rapid cutting that is a staple in so many other action films. There wasn’t a single performance that I didn’t like in this film, from Dennis Quaid stoically barking every line as General Hawk, to Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Mr. Eko from TV’s Lost) as the cool British Joe named Heavy Duty, to Saïd Taghmaoui as Breaker, the sincere technology expert. Sienna Miller seems especially suited to this genre (despite expressing a distaste for it in recent interviews)– she plays the Baroness as a high-class villainess, who shoots a machine gun to clear people out of a room, yet still takes the time to tell an exiting lady, “Nice shoes.” Sommers photographs her form-fitting outfits lovingly.

My favorite characters were Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes (Ray Park). Snake Eyes never reveals his face and never speaks, which makes him immediately more intriguing than any of the other characters. When he first encounters his evil counterpart, Storm Shadow greets him, “Hello, brother.” They share a deep understanding of one another– at least, as deep as any kung fu adversaries do. They reveal flashbacks to their childhood. At one point, Snake Eyes stops pursuing the bad guys’ van. The Baroness: “Looks like he gave up.” Storm Shadow’s face turns to immediate panic. “He never gives up.” The van immediately gets hit by an oncoming train, explodes, and does superfluous barrel rolls. My favorite line of dialogue in the whole film is Storm Shadow’s final line to Snake Eyes during their final epic swordfight. I wouldn’t dare spoil it here– plot twists in this film are a dime a dozen, but the fun cheesy lines that the actors have fun with are treasures.

Fans of The Mummy will note three appearances by Stephen Sommers favorites. Brendan Fraser plays a commander in the GI Joe camp, and it’s not a Cannonball Run-esque reveal, “Oh my God, it’s movie star Brendan Fraser!” He actually plays a supporting role, and has a funny line or two. Arnold Vosloo, who played the villainous Imhotep, is Zartan, the master of disguise, who is especially vicious and loves whistling “The Bear Went Over The Mountain” as he commits foul deeds of villainy (shadows of Peter Lorre in M?). Finally, in a short scene, Kevin J. O’Connor, hilarious as Benny in The Mummy and Igor in Van Helsing (and deeply moving as Daniel’s “brother” in There Will Be Blood), is the nefarious Dr. Mindbender, who will hopefully play a larger role in the sequel.

Frankly, I hope there is a sequel. There are few films that I can say give me unrestrained B-movie pleasure, and this delivers. There are some action sequences, especially a chase through Paris using some nifty acceleration suits, that deliver the pulpy goods. The only guilt I feel after seeing a movie like this is that I can only give it two and a half kernels– it’s not *quite* as good as The Mummy (which was funnier and more of a love letter to its genre), and some of the special effects are Sci-Fi Channel quality, so putting it at three kernels would be letting my grin do the reviewing and not my brain. Many of you will likely hate it. The fact that movies like this get openings of 4,000 screens while much of America still hasn’t seen Moon or The Hurt Locker is depressing. This film is short on witty dialogue, character development, and true tension. But as far as mindless summer action films go (and let’s face it, sometimes those too can deliver pleasure), GI Joe rises to near the top of the list.

Are You Dateable?

2009-08-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

So often when there is something we decide we want, we spend all of our focus and energy on the flow of getting it. Unfortunately, what we don't realize is that with an attentive eye focused on ourselves we will find the answer to our quest. If you've ever wondered why you may be finding it difficult to find your perfect match, it may be time to analyze what it is you are offering. The following questions are aimed at helping you discover your dateability.

Are you happy?
People pick up on unconscious thoughts. If you're not happy, it is pretty safe to say you are permeating the air with your negativity. Find out what would really make you happy, and do it! Positive people are people magnets. Find yourself and you may also find the other half you are looking for.

Do you say "my ex" more than 5 times a day?
What's done is done. If you want a potential partner to remain interested, don't give off signs that you're still emotionally committed. Allow yourself the freedom to be free. Sometimes it is easier to cling to the past than to face what is right in front of you. Don't let thoughts of an ex hold you back from enjoying your future.

Do you have future goals, dreams or desires?
A dream is an aspiration for something greater than you have now. It could mean improving yourself, visiting a foreign land, or even owning a rare collector's piece. Whatever your dreams and goals are to you, it is important to have them, and have plans to achieve them. A person who is trying to achieve a goal or dream is showing that they are willing to grow as a person. It can also show your ability to make something happen for yourself and possibly for a potential partner.

What are you doing for you?
If you aren't engaged in any hobbies, self-improvement or other interests you may be giving signals that you will be overly dependent on a potential partner. Furthermore, having independent interests will help you keep your personal identity in a relationship, which at times can feel like a thing of the past.

Do you know what went wrong in your past relationship(s)?
The first step to overcoming a problem is to realize there is one. If you haven't already, take an objective look at your past relationships and find out how you contributed to their demise.

Do you know what you want in a new partner?
If you haven't taken the time to narrow this down, this could very likely be the reason you are without. When creating your list, be sure to include things you do not want as well. Mark off which things are red flags and which things you can live with. If you find an interest entering a red flag zone, do yourself a favor and look for someone else.

Ways to End a Relationship

2009-07-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ending a relationship is never easy, even when you’ve truly had enough and you’re ready for freedom. But there are ways to make the deed go as smoothly as possible. If you only remember one thing, let it be this. Break up with others as you would like to be broken up with. Other than that, here are some break-up methods.

1. Be honest
Whether he ends up believing you or not, being honest with whomever you’re breaking up with is the best way to go. Tell him why you need to move on and answer any questions he may throw at you as honestly as you can. Think about the times you were dumped with no reason. How did you feel? It probably frustrated you wondering why, when things appeared to be going so well, he decided to end it. Be fair and be honest with him.

2. Pick the right time
Some poor choices include at a party or any other social gathering, in the car or doing a mundane yet domestic task together such as grocery shopping. Chances are, he’ll be caught off guard no matter when you break the bad news, but if you do it in the frozen food section, he may have a much stronger reaction that if you do it at a café or in your neighborhood park. There is never going to be a perfect time to break up with someone, but try to have as much control over the time as you can, rather than blurting it out over brunch with friends.

3. Do it in a public place
This minimizes the chances for chaos. If you’re in a restaurant and there are people around, he will be less likely to fly off the handle and cause a scene. If you’re alone and he freaks out, you might be more likely to cave and call the whole thing off. Being in a public place may give you the confidence you need to follow through. Plus, when it’s over you can just walk away, rather than trying to get him to leave you place.

4. Do it in person
Do not be that person who ends a relationship electronically. Breaking up with someone via text, email or even over the phone is totally disrespectful. Even if you can’t wait to be rid of him, at least have the courage to look him in the eye as you dump him.

5. Make sure you are absolutely ready to do it
Not being totally sure of your feelings when you go to end a relationship can mess with your heart and his. If you’re not completely certain that it’s the right thing to do, you’ll confuse him and make him feel like he still has a chance, or worse, you’ll lose him when you still have feelings for him. Be totally ready to cut the ties or risk more heartache than necessary.

6. Take the high road
Chances are if he doesn’t see it coming, he won’t be happy with being dumped. He will curse at you, call you every name in the book, and make you feel like hauling off and punching him in the face. Restrain yourself. You’re leaving anyway, so just take a deep breath, nod politely and then walk away. You won’t gain anything by goading him on or giving him the satisfaction of knowing he upset you.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

As the teens in Harry Potter mature, so do the films. The first two were pieces of fluff, kid flicks filled with a sense of wonder. Too bad the mediocre special effects don’t convey that wonder to the audience. The next two jumpstart the series, giving it worthy effects, top-notch action, and introducing the events that lead to Voldemort’s return. Think of the third and fourth film as the Star Wars to the fifth and sixth film’s The Empire Strikes Back. Both the fifth film, The Order of the Phoenix, and the sixth film, The Half-Blood Prince, were directed by David Yates. They are the best two films of the series, and they are setting up for a truly whizbang finale. Yates has an astonishing eye for visuals, his color palate is unparalleled out of all the Harry Potter directors, and he gets terrific work out of his young actors– he is the true headmaster of Hogwarts, and his magic has elevated this series to new heights.

The beginning of the film sets the stakes perfectly– the Muggle world is starting to suffer the effects of Voldemort’s return, while wizards continue to live in fear of the Death Eaters. No one is safe, and everyone thinks their time could be next. Yet when we see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) for the first time, he is busy noticing a girl at a coffee shop and flirting. To be sixteen again! The world is ending all around you, and all you can think about is that cute girl who just smiled at you! Back at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) suspect that rascally Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is up to no good, and perhaps Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) is in cahoots with him. Meanwhile, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is encouraging Harry to get close to the new Potions teacher, Professor Slugworth (Jim Broadbent, a fantastic addition), to learn some secrets he may hold about Voldemort’s past. And all around, romance and heartbreak lingers in the air with each awkward pubescent silence.

What Yates has achieved that the other films were lacking is the sense of urgency– teenagers think that everything is the end of the world, so imagine the teenagers who were truly in charge of trying to prevent it. Without losing curiosity, these kids also have achieved a certain jaded quality to the twists and turns of the magic world by their sixth year and have shifted their interests towards each other. A lesser film would have continued to try to ram effects down our throat, but instead, Yates takes his time, letting us witness love triangle layered upon love triangle. It’s a realer depiction of teenage hormones than most non-fantasy films about teens. Some of the scenes are so suggestive, in fact, and the action so frightening, that it’s startling and pleasantly surprising that the MPAA would give this film a PG rating– nothing is so unnerving that an 11 or 12 year old couldn’t handle it, but it’s unlike the MPAA to give children’s abilities of deduction the benefit of the doubt.

Visually speaking, this is the best of the series, with some truly terrifically conceived shots that fluidly take us around Hogwarts and from scene to scene. In particular, a scene stands out in my mind that follows Ron and his girlfriend up a tower, gliding past windows that allow us glimpses of their flirtatious ways, turns to reveal Malfoy pensively staring out into the night on his balcony, subtly shifts downward to reveal the next morning’s sunrise, and tracks into a hallway to reveal Ron telling Harry about the previous night’s (*ahem*) activities. It’s a beauty of a shot, and there are countless examples that could be recounted in this review. How did the producers know David Yates would be so perfect for this series? Having seen parts of the BBC miniseries State of Play and his TV movie The Girl in the Cafe, it’s safe to say there is nothing within that could have hinted at the ability to stage effects-heavy action sequences with great realism or the sweeping grandeur of his camera movements.

Finally, the acting is top-drawer, containing the funniest and most natural performances from the three leads to date. Rupert Grint has shown a flair for the snappy one-liner, but Daniel Radcliffe manages some very funny moments and interesting line reads here; the theater experiences are paying off, as Radcliffe improves with each film. Michael Gambon lends his brand of British gravitas to Dumbledore, though the twinkle in his eye from the previous installments does get to be on limited display. The most important two performances in the film are the expanded ones, those of Tom Felton and Alan Rickman as Malfoy and Snape. Rickman naturally strikes just the perfect chord– I struggle to think of a single disappointing Rickman performance in his entire career– but Felton is most surprising, giving enormous dimension and even a sliver of sympathy at times for the previously one-dimensional schoolyard bully. There are times when the script asks him to be gut-wrenchingly human, then to snap back into villain mode quickly in order to protect himself, and Felton delivers.

The only slight criticism one can have is that it ends right before it begins: the last film was more successful in achieving an operatic battle to close out the chapter, whereas the events that take place here are changed somewhat from the book, and no such operatic activity is to be found. Instead, the film takes the subtler road, letting some horrifying events go by rather quickly, which seems right given the new set of urgent circumstances the characters find themselves in at the end of the film. One of the few series in cinema history that gets significantly better with age, the last four Harry Potter films have been immensely enjoyable, with the most recent two tiptoeing close to brilliance. With Yates at the helm, this franchise can do no wrong. They treat action and teenage relationships with the earnestness and respect they deserve. Nowadays, finding someone who can achieve that is pure magic.

Date Night: T-Shirt Decorating

2009-07-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fun indoor date night idea? Try something personal and creative like decorating T-Shirts! You can make shirts for each other, shirts you'll wear for a specific occasion, or a little something fun to sleep in. The ideas for this date night are endless.

What You'll Need:

T-Shirts
fabric paint and/or markers
hard surface
cardboard to put in between the back and front of your shirts so the paint doesn't bleed through

Getting Started:

Decide what your goal in making the shirts is, if any. You could also create shirts with an agreed-upon theme.

Set up everything before the date begins.

You might want to experiment with some of the paint on a scrap piece of fabric first to test how the paint looks and applies. Having a decent-sized piece of fabric for testing will ensure you don't use anything on your shirt that will make it look bad.

Make sure to have some snacks and drinks available and have a fun, upbeat playlist picked out to listen to while you work.

Keeping It Romantic

Make shirts for each other to wear to bed.
Create a little contest for "Best Artist." Winner gets a 20-minute massage.
Design matching T-Shirts to wear to a couple's night activity, such as bowling or a game night, or on a vacation.

Additional Ideas:

You can use fabric paints and markers on anything made out of fabric. Don't limit yourself to just T-shirts. Try tote bags, hats, sweatshirts, cotton pants, undergarments, pillows, pillowcases or blankets.

Add another dimension to the fun and make some iron-on transfers as well. You can make transfers of pictures, phrases, images... basically anything on your computer you that you can print. You just need iron-on transfer paper for your printer which can be found at most office supply or discount stores.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009-07-05T23:54:00.001-07:00

This was a surprise. I enjoyed the first two Ice Ages due to their cartoony visuals, their occasional witty banter, and Scrat, the Chuck Jones-inspired prehistoric creature always after his acorn. However, they both had their deficiencies, since their simplistic stories usually led to wasted characters or dragging pace. The new Ice Age installment, on the other hand, introduces new characters, a new world, and new levels of wit, action, and quality of animation. When you also factor in that this Ice Age has the funniest Scrat interludes as well, this is easily the best Ice Age film and deserves to be mentioned alongside Kung Fu Panda as the closest rival studios have gotten to Pixar to date.

Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) are preparing to have a baby mammoth. Diego (Denis Leary) feels this domestic life is making him lose his predatory instincts and has decided to hit the road. This leaves Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) all alone, feeling some pangs of desire for parenthood in order to have what Manny has. He falls through some ice into a dark cave and finds three eggs. Ignoring common sense per usual, he draws faces on them and calls them his babies (“I’ve named them Eggbert, Shelley, and Yoko,” he proudly announces). When they hatch and turn out to be dinosaurs, most creatures in the Ice Age are confused—until Mama T-Rex comes to town and claims her babies back, taking Sid with her. Our heroes follow the dinosaur into the cave, and find a new world underground, where dinosaurs still roam. With the help of an eyepatch-sporting weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg), they try to find their friend. And yes, Scrat’s acorn falls into the cave too, where he wrestles over it with Scratté, a lovely female Scrat.

The movie was obviously going to be funny from the beginning when Scrat and Scratté first interact. The movie was obviously going to be great after a sequence in which Sid’s three eggs roll down a long snowy hill and he races after them, trying to grab them with his hands and feet. It’s one of the most effortlessly fun action sequences this summer. Unlike past Ice Age films, this movie throws a great deal at you to build the tension. There’s the coming baby. There’s Sid’s mortal peril. There are dinosaurs lurking around every corner, especially Rudy, a legendary lizard that makes T-rex look like a kindergartener. Finally, there’s the end of this world, a lava river that turns to a waterfall, where all of the characters (including Rudy) seem to be convening at once. It’s good storytelling, full of lovable characters with a lot to lose.

The animation is also on another plane this time around, since the new world challenges the animators to create a background that is more than just snow, and action sequences that are more inventively staged than in the past two outings. Finally, Buck must be mentioned, as he is an enormously valuable addition to the crew. He’s a completely loose cannon, capable of doing or saying anything at any moment, and his flair for the dramatic causes the camera to dramatically zoom towards his face at choice moments. Voiced by Simon Pegg, he gets a laugh with nearly every one-liner and tells a riveting flashback tale of his battle history with Rudy. He also gets to parody some of my favorite action movie clichés. When a plant is drowning him in digestive fluid, and in order to escape, he has to cut either the blue or red wire-like tendril, you’ll laugh. When he’s flying a pterodactyl, and he screams, “We’re losing altitude!” and you see the eyeball of the dinosaur spinning around like the needle in the altitude gauge in any airplane crash you’ve ever seen in a film, you’ll laugh. Combine all of this with some of the smoothest use of 3D in a film to date. It’s a fun, action-packed film that will put a smile on your face. Other movies sink in their vain efforts to please. This one (dino?) soars.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

2009-07-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

The pros:
This was bigger, louder, and funnier than the first. Considerably more adult in themes and language, which I enjoyed, with some really funny new characters and the unexpected return of an old character. Amazing special effects, way more robot death matches and a nasty "tongue lashing." I also LOVED the "warrior goddess" routine with the tiny Decepticon and that they brought back the traditional relationship between Starscream and Megatron, something for an old school fan that was sadly lacking from the first Transformers flick.

The cons:
The special effects were still not as promised. The director was stating the robot scenes in this would be considerably slowed down and easier to view. A lot of them were still very quick to the point where you couldn't tell what was going on. I also didn't like that they had almost 0 character development other than The Twins, two new Autobots. They got 90% of the robot screen time and lines leaving great characters like Prime, Ironhide and Bumblebee (and the many new Autobots that were introduced whose character ideas came from the original cartoon) to languish in the background and only pop up for a few action scenes.

Overall I would give this five stars at first viewing, because it is MASSIVELY entertaining and the flaws (aside from the too-fast action scenes) aren't really evident until you are considering the film later. You are too busy oohing, ahhing and laughing.

And if you don't like Transformers, then you get Megan Fox, so it's a win-win. LOL!

Angels and Demons

2009-05-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

The DaVinci Code was a hit book turned into a boring, joyless, and silly film. Now, here we are with a boring, joyless, and silly sequel, and while Ron Howard has taken big steps in making it (slightly) less boring, he has made up those steps in the direction of preposterousness. It’s a challenging art to make a dumb summer blockbuster, finding that perfect balance between earnestness and tongue-in-cheek– see Star Trek for one of the rare successes in this regard. However, if you don’t have some good one-liners, some killer action sequences, and a sense of fun, then you better be making a “smart” film. Howard’s film lacks all of those traits, and smarts on top of it. The crucial mistake made is that the film wants to be taken seriously– and while the narrative and plot twists themselves are silly, the deadpan tone takes the silliness into the stratosphere.

Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) just got done exposing that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’s lover, and that his partner in The DaVinci Code is his descendant. However, aside from a vague reference or two to the Vatican not being his biggest fan, none of this seems to have affected his life at all. The Vatican now needs his help: the Pope recently died, and a group calling themselves the Illuminati have kidnapped the 4 cardinals most likely to take the position from their chambers (no one protects these guys?). They will kill one cardinal per hour on the hour, and detonate a bomb made of anti-matter– don’t ask– at midnight, which would take out the Vatican and most of Rome to boot. Langdon, through a lot of exposition… constant, droning, neverending exposition… explains that statues will point the way to the churches where these men will be killed, and at the end of the path will lie the bomb. Thanks for the convenience, Illuminati!

I always have trouble in films and TV when our hero finds a pattern in five minutes that no one else has been able to figure out for centuries. Langdon is apparently the only person in the world who knows anything about the Illuminati– the only one who has ever studied them, and the only one who has ever been interested in them for four centures– because he must be called in from Harvard to save the Vatican. No one locally ever read his book, or any other books on the subject? Ewan MacGregor, as the previous pope’s #2 man, certainly lets this one-time arch-nemesis of the papacy into the Vatican Archives without much resistance– which makes even less sense once you start to watch the events unfold.

I WILL NOW GO INTO SPOILERS. SKIP THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH IF YOU WISH TO LEAVE THE OBVIOUS PLOT TWIST A MYSTERY TO YOU.

When you see an actor of Ewan MacGregor’s stature cast as what seems to be a character outside of the main action of the narrative, you can immediately assume he’s the villain. I knew this from the trailer. It becomes more obvious when he’s the only one getting in the way of the conclave trying to select the new pope. It becomes even more obvious when the “Illuminati kidnapper”– one man, by the way, so I’m quite impressed he stole four cardinals from their rooms with zero resistance– begans speaking in religious terms, praying for forgiveness of sins. It becomes painfully obvious when he becomes a hero two hours in (in one of the most laugh-out-loud dumb sequences in a film this year), and the conclave begins saying that Ewan MacGregor should be the new pope. The only problem with this painfully obvious resolution is that it makes zero sense. He seems to have ambitions to want to be the new pope… but he says he’s only interested in ensuring the success of the Catholic religion as is… but that contrasts with a speech he gave to the conclave saying the Catholic church must marry science and religion to survive… but that contrasts with why he killed the previous pope due to his weakening stance against scientific progress. He also gives Langdon permission to access the Vatican archives (twice!)… but he follows Illuminati mythology to the T, making him the only other person in the world except for Langdon who knows where all these events should occur… but he doesn’t tell his assassin to kill Langdon, and the assassin actually lets him escape alive (three times!) for no reason… but he tries to kill Langdon by taking the oxygen out of the archives while he’s inside. Poor MacGregor. I can’t think of a more poorly written villain, full of contradictory beliefs and behavior.

SPOILER DISCUSSION OVER. RESUME READING SPOILER-FREE HERE.

The bottom line is that this film was clearly adapted from material that never should have left the page. Hanks has no character to play, because he constantly is spouting from his vast reservoirs of exclusive knowledge, so there’s very little time for things such as human behavior or feeling. Other actors are given less than nothing to do (Armin Muehller-Stahl is the only one who comes close to transcending the material). Writers David Koepp (who certainly knows dumb, with his screenplays for Secret Window, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones 4) and Akiva Goldsman (the king of hack writers, responsible for vehicles like Batman and Robin, Lost in Space, I, Robot, and The DaVinci Code– how does this man have an Oscar?) should be proud that the silliness of the book was not lost in their faithful adaptation. Finally, there’s Ron Howard. After some of the most inspired and controlled direction of his career in Frost/Nixon, here his work feels stagnant at best and clunky and laughable at worst. In terms of films about scholars following archaeological clues, this falls far behind the National Treasure films– in enjoyability and, surprisingly, intelligence.

Note: there are a select few who should be proud of their work: those responsible for making the film look like it was shot in the Vatican. Not once did I ever think I was watching something filmed on a set. But maybe I was simply being distracted with trying to fill the gaping plotholes.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

The X-Men series has been the most consistent comic book franchise to date. The first film was flawed at the end, but had a fantastic beginning and a great cast, especially in the key role of Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. X2: X-Men United is in my opinion the best comic book superhero film of all time– it is virtually flawless, full of great characters and unbelievable action (the opening sequence with Nightcrawler is easily the most outstanding beginning to any film in the past decade). X-Men 3: The Last Stand had the impossible task of living up to X2, and it tried admirably, but didn’t have as much soul as the first two– it was still packed with impressive action sequences and special effects. Now, we come to Wolverine, a film that not only is the worst of the series, but comes painfully close to sweeping the legs out from under the future of the franchise.

We begin with young versions of Wolverine and Sabretooth, who are brothers (a fact not mentioned in the original X-Men movie, where Sabretooth looks and acts nothing like the one in this film– oh well!). There are two quick deaths and some atrocious child acting, including a kid looking to the sky yelling, “Noooo!!” as the camera pulls back–photo of this embarassing scene follows this paragraph. The film quickly tries to earn our respect back with a terrific credits sequence, and a cool action sequence where we see Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) working for William Stryker (played in X2 by Brian Cox, here by Danny Huston) alongside several other mutant assassins. Among them is sword specialist Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), teleporting John Wraith (Will.I.Am), immovable Fred Dukes (Kevin Durand), and electricity-controller Chris Bradley (Dominic Monaghan). Wolverine quits the group when the murder and mayhem becomes too much for him and goes to live in Canada with a beautiful woman (Lynn Collins). When Sabretooth comes and kills her– not a spoiler in the least, I assure you– Wolverine sets out for revenge.

The plot gets more complicated than that. In fact, there’s far too much plot, to the point where it’s upsetting how other potentially interesting characters are getting the short end of the straw. I could also spoil the whole thing for you and you wouldn’t be that upset, since nothing very surprising happens in the film. It got to the point where my girlfriend would lean over and predict the line of dialogue that would come next, and she’d be right– and she doesn’t see a lot of action films. The script is working on that level of mediocrity. In a fun action film, a bunch of outstanding action sequences can save a clunky script. Unfortunately, many of these sequences are shot in the dark (to cover lousy CGI work, no doubt) and edited to smithereens. There are only two legitimately neat action scenes in the whole film that held any sort of suspense, but none are on the level of anything from the first three films. The CGI work is wildly inconsistent during the film– some special effects are terrific (Wraith’s teleportation, Wilson’s swords deflecting bullets, a young Scott Summers’ optic blast), while other shots look godawful. A scene where Wolverine examines his metal claws made me notice how fake they looked, something I never had a problem with in the previous films. How can a seemingly easy special effect look so phony? I suppose it was because it was one of the few not shot in the dark and chopped into half-second shots.

Poor Hugh Jackman. He was incredibly optimistic while making this film, and was an advocate of making it a return to form for Wolverine as a gritty badass character. However, he spends so much time mooning over his girlfriend and shows such an aversion to death and destruction from the get-go that when he has lines like, “You told me to embrace the animal within. You’ve got it,” you don’t REALLY believe him. He’s a charming, good-looking leading actor, with a long career ahead of it in many genres including action. This film did not deliver on pretty much every element he’s discussed wanting in the film. In fact, it endangers the future of the series. You know certain characters won’t die since you see them later (which kills some suspense throughout the whole film, it’s the problem of prequels on the whole), and other interesting likable characters do die before you get to know what you want from them. Characters like Wade Wilson and Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) are cast well and portrayed well, but they have such limited screen time and are given such hollow characterizations it’s hard to imagine investing an entire movie budget around them. It seems that 20th Century Fox has found a way to make another franchise with limitless potential look completely out of steam. This film is perfectly cast and could’ve given an X-Men 4 several fantastic elements to work with, had they not killed them off and/or disregarded any semblance of continuity with the other films in the series.

Final note: most bad superhero films involve characters who can leap enormous distances with little difficulty– I guess it’s an easy special effect to achieve. However, is this a mutant power, to jump from building to building like in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or can everyone in this world do it? When a government agent jumped a tall chain link fence and stuck the landing, I felt the X-Men movie series jumping the shark at the same time.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-01-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

Despite the hubbub about its striking similarities to Forrest Gump (also written by Eric Roth), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a far grimmer affair. It reeks with the inevitability of death—even though Benjamin’s mother constantly repeats, “You never know what’s comin’ for ya,” it’s evident that we know do. While the film is too long and feels disjointed by its episodic nature, the performances keep us hooked, and the final hour is so bleak and haunting that it stuck with me even though I kept checking my watch for the first ninety minutes.

The story, if you choose not to watch the video linked in the above paragraph, is about a child that is born an incredibly old man and who ages backwards. He is taken in by a black woman (Taraji P. Henson) who runs a home for the elderly in New Orleans, and named Benjamin (Brad Pitt). At a young age, he meets Daisy (played as an adult by Cate Blanchett) and we know they are destined for each other. We know since our tale is being narrated by Daisy that they will end up together, and they do when their ages meet in the middle. Around that time is when the characters, and we in the audience, realize that Pitt will begin to get younger quickly as she gets older, and what began as a somewhat fantastical tale of a special manchild’s life becomes a tragic march to the grave.

As with any film of this nature, we meet the same people as Benjamin and see how they shape their life. In particular, I enjoyed Jared Harris as the tugboat captain who had aspirations of becoming a tattoo artist, who teaches Benjamin about women, booze, and instills in him the desire to explore the world. It strikes just the right note of scenery-chewing, and carries the type of natural charisma that helps us understand why Benjamin would attach himself to this man. These types of performances are what make a 3-hour episodic epic float rather than sink, especially one as gloomy as this. Taraji P. Henson also gives a fierce unconditional love to her scenes as the mother.

I suppose we can’t ignore Pitt’s performance through the special effects—it is noted that Pitt doesn’t actually appear on screen for the first fifty minutes. I tend to admire the effects artists and makeup artists more than Pitt for this (the makeup in this film really is among the best old age makeup I can recall seeing in film), but his performance ably carries the film. David Fincher’s direction is surehanded, even if the pacing is more uneven here than in his previous lengthy film, the terrific Zodiac. What stuck with me after the film ended was Blanchett’s performance in the last forty-five minutes or so, as she lives with the reality of Benjamin’s devolution. The late scenes in which she’s walking and holding toddler Benjamin’s hand, or when she’s cradling baby Benjamin, are unsettling as can be. These could be creepy and played with some deep love for an adult in a baby body, but Blanchett plays them with a perfect ambiguity. How is she the only one of the main characters without an Oscar nomination? Her performance is the best of the bunch and the heart of the film— instead of wondering what it would be like to age backward, we leave the theater wondering what it would be like to care for someone who ages backwards. Either way, the last third of the film makes up for the creaks and drags of the first hundred minutes and makes the epic worth the time spent.

Oiuja

2007-08-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

"Sayang ang pera ko"…not because it’s not good but because most of the time,my eyes were closed! hahaha! The movie was really scary, (for me!) This is the first tagalog film i watched in big screen. And i’m glad it didnt disappoint me. All thumbs up to the actors and people behind the movie. A must see movie.

Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix

2007-08-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

I read all 6 books and am anxiously awaiting the 7th. I am a fan of the latter two of the first 4 films, especially the 3rd. So obviously i was very excited to see this adaptation, seeing as this particular text left so much great climactic action and more than enough emotional angst and growth in the characters to be adapted. The 900 page book had so much in it, and in the end that factor was the major downfall of this film. It was so commited to showing the audience the many events that occur in the book that it almost completely forgets to mention why we should care (or for that matter even understand at times) why these events are occuring! Simply put the audience is thrown into event after event with out much depth given to any of them. We are shown that Harry has a brief relationship with Cho but dont really find out anything about it. We are shown that there is an order of the phoenix but we dont really find out anything about them. We know that umbridge is a villanous character but we never find out anything about her… even that she called the dementors to Harry which is a key detail. We know Harry is angry but we dont really see that raw emotion… we dont even really get a full explanation of the prophecy which is the most important plot point of the entire story. when was it made, who made it, why does voldemort want it so much? Reading the book i already know but had i not read it i would be left shrugging at the quick, emotionless, half hearted explanations given to every plot twist in this film. Unfortuntely none of these jumbled events were treated with any care… and thats a shame.

The Simpsons

2007-08-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

This about 10 years too late. That being said- This is still funnier than the last 6 seasons of the show. Most of the jokes are hit-or-miss, with gags being thrown a mile a minute. But I laughed…alot. So that’s good. It feels like they went all out with this, which is also good, with a bigger scale of animation, and a couple of pull-no-punches jokes, but it’s still not quite the level of what South Park or even Beavis and Butthead did with their big screen debuts. All in all, better than expected.

Transformers I

2007-08-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Good action flick but like many i hated the length of the movie that had great potential but lost it to futile love connections and character formations.Needed more robots,more fighting ,more one on ones and megatron should have started the movie and not be defrosted at the end.Those annoying small robots should have tried being less funny.Section seven thing was unbelievable.Since 1934 they had that thing and still they don’t have an effective weapon against the robots…come one.don’t think the freezing stuff was really plausible but some kind of Emp field or something would be more plausible.