[Music] A.R. Rahman - Musuam and Escap (Slumdog Millionaire OST)
I know I haven't posted to this blog in a terribly long time, but I need somewhere to collect my thoughts on a movie review I'm writing. I want to get everything out of my head so I can cull it down for posting on the KUHF website. Here we go:
PUSH.
(Summit Entertainment. 1 hour, 51 minutes. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking. Directed by Paul McGuigan.) Chris Evans (Nick Gant), Dakota Fanning (Cassie Holmes), Camilla Belle (Kira Hudson), Djimon Hounsou (Henry Carver). Music by Neil Davidge.
Division, a government agency that specializes in weaponizing people with psychic powers, produces a drug that enhances said powers, though it kills most of its recipients. When Kira, the lone surviving test subject escapes to Hong Kong with a sample, three groups race to claim the drug: Division, a local gang and our heroes Nick Gant and Cassie Holmes, two American ex-pats with their own scores to settle with Division. Capable performances, a furious pace and a nicely executed setup combine to form a very competent action film. Evans seems right at home, having previously played Johnny Storm/the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films, and Fanning shows a nice bit of range, driving the story and providing exposition without grinding the proceedings to a halt. Hounsou's Carver is calm, ruthless and calculating, which is a nice respite from the typical scenery-chewing that these types of movies attract. Good performances from Nate Mooney, Ming-Na and Cliff Curtis round out a very competent cast. The action sequences are well-choreographed and cool to watch, though some suffer from overly enthusiastic camerawork. The plot introduces the "world" of the film ably, giving us enough information to keep track of the proceedings while withholding or obscuring enough to keep things interesting. It will keep you guessing, though it does get a little murky in places. However, a good chunk of the film involves two people who can see the future trying to outwit one another, which has a way of complicating things. This leads us naturally to the best part of the film, the psychic powers.
The best way I can think to describe the powers on display is to imagine the X-Men, if, instead of the unique abilities, their powers fell into distinct categories. The categories are well-defined and given punchy names: Movers are telekinetic (can move things with their minds); Pushers can push thoughts or orders into other's minds (the power of suggestion); Watchers can see glimpses of the future; Shifters change the appearance of objects; Sniffers can see the location and history of an object or person through scents; and Shadows can mask people from detection. There are several others that are mentioned but never explained, such as the Bleeders, while a couple of others are demonstrated but never really explored, such as the exact nature of the powers of a lady simply named Stitch. (As a sidebar, watching two Movers have a fistfight is pretty visceral and very entertaining.) The film gives us enough information about the powers it presents, but it left me interested enough in the setting and the unresolved plot threads to make me wish for a sequel. That is not to say that the plot doesn't attain some modicum of closure, but the film could have stood to be a tad longer, giving it time to tie up a few things (I'm really curious about Dakota Fanning/Cassie's mother). All in all, I can easily recommend this film.
**EDIT** The film's website does shed some light on the powers, such as the Stitches and the Bleeders. Granted, the pretty laggy and poorly designed, but informative nonetheless.
Okay, I think that about wraps it up. Now to edit that down.
February 06, 2009
April 17, 2007
Nnnnnnerdgasm!
[Music] The Decemberists - The Mariner's Revenge Song
Such a good song. Chilling.
Anyhow, it's been a while, hasn't it now? Two months? Sounds about right. We finally replaced our PR manager at work, so now I get to focus exclusively on the web. It's really odd, actually, since I'm leaving all of my old job behind. This also means I've gotta get on the stick and start learning new stuff (JavaScript is gonna take a bit, I can feel it), but that's fine. It's about time I committed to something and saw it through. Still writing DVD reviews for the site, and I should have a couple more up in the next day or two. That's fun. Also, I've been using some of the moneys that have been given me to replace a few things. Now I've got a couple of slick flat-panel LCDs and a brand new Wacom tablet. Whoo yeah. Then, after I pay down some credit card badness, I get to look into getting a new car. Mmm, it's like music to my ears. Granted, David beat me to the punch with his new Infiniti G35 Coupe (teh sex), but still. It'll be nice to drive something other than my old Saturn. Social life will still be thin and frail, but dammit, I'ma have a nice ride.
As for the title, I'm sure it's no secret how much I like animation in general. But I found out some fun things over the last two days. 1.) The second season of the Venture Brothers is coming out on DVD tomorrow (I've already got my copy ordered). 2.) The third season of Teen Titans is out on DVD. And 3.) One Piece is finally getting a fair shake in the states! No more shitty dubbing and rampant editing! Well, there will be some editing on the TV version, but the DVDs will be uncut, unblemished pirate bliss. I could go into the many ways 4Kids tried to destroy the series, but I believe my earlier self said it well enough. Thank goodness for FUNimation.
And that's about it. Wow, an entire post about buying stuff. Gotta keep an eye on that.
Such a good song. Chilling.
Anyhow, it's been a while, hasn't it now? Two months? Sounds about right. We finally replaced our PR manager at work, so now I get to focus exclusively on the web. It's really odd, actually, since I'm leaving all of my old job behind. This also means I've gotta get on the stick and start learning new stuff (JavaScript is gonna take a bit, I can feel it), but that's fine. It's about time I committed to something and saw it through. Still writing DVD reviews for the site, and I should have a couple more up in the next day or two. That's fun. Also, I've been using some of the moneys that have been given me to replace a few things. Now I've got a couple of slick flat-panel LCDs and a brand new Wacom tablet. Whoo yeah. Then, after I pay down some credit card badness, I get to look into getting a new car. Mmm, it's like music to my ears. Granted, David beat me to the punch with his new Infiniti G35 Coupe (teh sex), but still. It'll be nice to drive something other than my old Saturn. Social life will still be thin and frail, but dammit, I'ma have a nice ride.
As for the title, I'm sure it's no secret how much I like animation in general. But I found out some fun things over the last two days. 1.) The second season of the Venture Brothers is coming out on DVD tomorrow (I've already got my copy ordered). 2.) The third season of Teen Titans is out on DVD. And 3.) One Piece is finally getting a fair shake in the states! No more shitty dubbing and rampant editing! Well, there will be some editing on the TV version, but the DVDs will be uncut, unblemished pirate bliss. I could go into the many ways 4Kids tried to destroy the series, but I believe my earlier self said it well enough. Thank goodness for FUNimation.
And that's about it. Wow, an entire post about buying stuff. Gotta keep an eye on that.
February 10, 2007
Ooooomens are Spooooky
[Music] The Decemberists - When the War Came
Have you ever gotten the feeling that your surroundings were trying to tell you something? Had a creeping suspicion that mine were trying to deliver a message earlier. Around 10:45, David, Nima, Evan and I decided that we wanted to go play some miniature golf, and the only place we could think of that was close and open until midnight was this place called The Putting Edge over in the Marq*E center off of Silber. So, we set off on 610 North, only to pass a burning building. The building? Golf World. Strike one. Unshaken, we pressed on, found that the exit onto I-10 West was closed, and that we would have to drive almost up to 290 to be able to turn around. Strike two. We finally looped around and got back to I-10, only to find that the exit for Silber takes you two streets too far down, forcing us to make another U-turn. Strike three. If we had been paying attention, we would have gone home by now, but nope, we were determined to get our putt-putt on. When we arrived, what did we find? The Putting Edge hadn't been paying their lease, so they had closed up shop and gotten the hell out of Dodge. Single-minded determination is good sometimes, but I guess you gotta pull your head out from time to time.
At least we did get to go bowling, so the night wasn't completely wasted. Silver lining.
Have you ever gotten the feeling that your surroundings were trying to tell you something? Had a creeping suspicion that mine were trying to deliver a message earlier. Around 10:45, David, Nima, Evan and I decided that we wanted to go play some miniature golf, and the only place we could think of that was close and open until midnight was this place called The Putting Edge over in the Marq*E center off of Silber. So, we set off on 610 North, only to pass a burning building. The building? Golf World. Strike one. Unshaken, we pressed on, found that the exit onto I-10 West was closed, and that we would have to drive almost up to 290 to be able to turn around. Strike two. We finally looped around and got back to I-10, only to find that the exit for Silber takes you two streets too far down, forcing us to make another U-turn. Strike three. If we had been paying attention, we would have gone home by now, but nope, we were determined to get our putt-putt on. When we arrived, what did we find? The Putting Edge hadn't been paying their lease, so they had closed up shop and gotten the hell out of Dodge. Single-minded determination is good sometimes, but I guess you gotta pull your head out from time to time.
At least we did get to go bowling, so the night wasn't completely wasted. Silver lining.
February 07, 2007
Report of My Demise Have Been Few and Far Between.....Wait, I Meant Premature
[Music] Great Big Sea - The Mermaid
It's late, so I'll try (and fail) to keep this short. Not much has been going on in my neck of the woods. Still rooming with David, still working at the radio station, still driving my crappy old car. But, times they are a-changing. I've been dealing with the bureaucratic mess that is the university's HR department, and as of next Monday, I will officially be a full-time web developer for KUHF Radio. Yes indeedy. Got the official offer today and everything. And you know what this means...new stuff! Yeah, I can finally buy stuff without having to feel guilty about it! I can get a new car! I can replace the monitor on my computer! I can take vacation days! I get health insurance! It's gonna be hell of awesome.
Speaking of a new car, I think my current car knows that I'm contemplating seeing other vehicles, and it's getting petulant. The CD player stopped working for one (and only one) night. The alarm sometimes rearms itself while I'm driving, or refuses to arm at all. The noises it makes might actually be getting louder. It's odd little things. Hopefully, it can make it for another couple of months so I can pay down some stuff and start amassing funds for the new vehicle.
I picked up Guitar Hero 2 last month, and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. My initial assessment was correct: while playing, you look like an absolute dork, but it's really fun, so you don't care. I've bested Easy and Medium modes, but Hard is presenting a problem, namely that I now have to use more buttons on the guitroller (guitar + controller = guitroller) than I have readily available fingers. Practice might help. So yeah, whee!
Been picking up some new music such as the Decemberists, Royksopp and Great Big Sea. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to all of what I have gotten, but so far they're pretty awesome in their own rights.
Oh, and speaking of music, I upgraded my MP3 player. Ever since I upgraded the firmware and all, my Zen Xtra was acting kinda wonky. So, after scouring your nascent webs, I discovered that I could easily replace my player's hard drive. Now that little sumbitch can hold 80 gigs of music. Sweet, no? The best part is, the upgrade cost me $75. Compare that to an 80GB iPod, which will run you about $400. Now I just have to finish reorganizing my music collection so I can dump it wholesale onto my player with plenty of space left over! Mwa ha ha ha! I did find the warning on the page about how opening up the player will void my warranty, which would be a concern if the warranty hadn't expired over a year ago.
Finally, I am now on NetFlix. Since I'm going to finally have some positive cash flow going, I figured that now was a good a time as any. Oh, and within about 20 minutes of signing up, I already had about 45 movies in my queue. What can I say? I've got a lot of catching up to do. Can't call myself a proper movie nerd without having seen the movies, right?
And now, I sleep!
It's late, so I'll try (and fail) to keep this short. Not much has been going on in my neck of the woods. Still rooming with David, still working at the radio station, still driving my crappy old car. But, times they are a-changing. I've been dealing with the bureaucratic mess that is the university's HR department, and as of next Monday, I will officially be a full-time web developer for KUHF Radio. Yes indeedy. Got the official offer today and everything. And you know what this means...new stuff! Yeah, I can finally buy stuff without having to feel guilty about it! I can get a new car! I can replace the monitor on my computer! I can take vacation days! I get health insurance! It's gonna be hell of awesome.
Speaking of a new car, I think my current car knows that I'm contemplating seeing other vehicles, and it's getting petulant. The CD player stopped working for one (and only one) night. The alarm sometimes rearms itself while I'm driving, or refuses to arm at all. The noises it makes might actually be getting louder. It's odd little things. Hopefully, it can make it for another couple of months so I can pay down some stuff and start amassing funds for the new vehicle.
I picked up Guitar Hero 2 last month, and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. My initial assessment was correct: while playing, you look like an absolute dork, but it's really fun, so you don't care. I've bested Easy and Medium modes, but Hard is presenting a problem, namely that I now have to use more buttons on the guitroller (guitar + controller = guitroller) than I have readily available fingers. Practice might help. So yeah, whee!
Been picking up some new music such as the Decemberists, Royksopp and Great Big Sea. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to all of what I have gotten, but so far they're pretty awesome in their own rights.
Oh, and speaking of music, I upgraded my MP3 player. Ever since I upgraded the firmware and all, my Zen Xtra was acting kinda wonky. So, after scouring your nascent webs, I discovered that I could easily replace my player's hard drive. Now that little sumbitch can hold 80 gigs of music. Sweet, no? The best part is, the upgrade cost me $75. Compare that to an 80GB iPod, which will run you about $400. Now I just have to finish reorganizing my music collection so I can dump it wholesale onto my player with plenty of space left over! Mwa ha ha ha! I did find the warning on the page about how opening up the player will void my warranty, which would be a concern if the warranty hadn't expired over a year ago.
Finally, I am now on NetFlix. Since I'm going to finally have some positive cash flow going, I figured that now was a good a time as any. Oh, and within about 20 minutes of signing up, I already had about 45 movies in my queue. What can I say? I've got a lot of catching up to do. Can't call myself a proper movie nerd without having seen the movies, right?
And now, I sleep!
January 16, 2007
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