Being done with school and having a job with no consistent schedule to speak of, I've been able to go and see quite a few summer movies. I figure I'd rate 'em here, and I'd like to get back into reviewing recently viewed movies during the fall and winter.
The A-Team: 7.5/10
Toy Story 3: 9.5/10
Inception: 9.5/10
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: 8.5/10
Piranha 3-D: 8/10
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Top 10 Movies of the Year
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Star Trek
3. Avatar
4. Moon
5. (500) Days of Summer
6. District 9
7. Watchmen: Director's Cut
8. The Hurt Locker
9. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
10. Terminator Salvation/The Hangover
Honorable Mention: The Road.
Note: I have not yet seen the following from this past year: Where the Wild Things Are, Away We Go, Zombieland, Paranormal Activity, Up, 9, Sherlock Holmes, Funny People, Drag Me To Hell, Up In The Air, A Single Man, Invictus, Brothers, Precious, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, An Education. I'll update this list accordingly as I start to make my way through these films over winter break.
2. Star Trek
3. Avatar
4. Moon
5. (500) Days of Summer
6. District 9
7. Watchmen: Director's Cut
8. The Hurt Locker
9. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
10. Terminator Salvation/The Hangover
Honorable Mention: The Road.
Note: I have not yet seen the following from this past year: Where the Wild Things Are, Away We Go, Zombieland, Paranormal Activity, Up, 9, Sherlock Holmes, Funny People, Drag Me To Hell, Up In The Air, A Single Man, Invictus, Brothers, Precious, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, An Education. I'll update this list accordingly as I start to make my way through these films over winter break.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Top 10 Albums of the Year
1. AFI - Crash Love
2. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
3. Muse - The Resistance
4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Them Crooked Vultures - s/t
6. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
7. Megadeth - Endgame
8. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
9. Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Lining
10. The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
Honorable Mentions to Owl City - Ocean Eyes and Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
I'll do a top 10 movies of the year once the year is officially over. I can tell you right now that if Avatar doesn't completely blow my brain wide open Inglourious Basterds is going to be #1.
2. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
3. Muse - The Resistance
4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Them Crooked Vultures - s/t
6. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
7. Megadeth - Endgame
8. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
9. Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Lining
10. The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
Honorable Mentions to Owl City - Ocean Eyes and Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
I'll do a top 10 movies of the year once the year is officially over. I can tell you right now that if Avatar doesn't completely blow my brain wide open Inglourious Basterds is going to be #1.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Assorted Movies Reviews
Now that I've finished watching Six Feet Under (most emotionally gut-wrenching show ever by the way), I decided to catch up on all the movies I've meant to watch and never got around to. There are a lot of them, so I figured that every 6-10 movies I'd do a post with mini-reviews and ratings for what I watch. I'm trying to vary them by genre, so odds are it will be six reviews of very different genres.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: 4/10
If not for the fact that it's X-Men, this would have been like a 2 or 3. For such a good cast, they really missed the mark here. The action is boring, the story is ridiculous (which is ok, it is a comic book movie after all), but worst of all, the special effects are atrocious. I'm talking fresh-out-of-film-school-low-budget bad. For a movie with a pretty sizable budget, I am appalled that the effects were as terrible as they were. Obvious and poorly modeled CGI, terrible use of green screen, even the goddamn environmental bullet hits looked bad. I didn't think it was possible to make a bullet hitting dirt look bad, but they succeeded. Here's hoping X-Men Origins: Deadpool is better.
Sidenote: The unnecessary cameos by a few fan-favorites (Gambit, Emma Frost) were just garbage. Poorly integrated, made no sense, and miscast.
The Girlfriend Experience: 6/10
Steven Soderbergh's low-budget art house movie about the life of a high-class New York call-girl. This is a total non-movie. No plot really to speak of, very wooden acting (which was probably on purpose), no resolution, just a camera following this call-girl and her boyfriend through a few days in their lives. However, it kept my interest for the whole thing and is definitely worth watching once. It is short enough (72 minutes) that you wont feel like you wasted your time. Had it been longer, it probably would have been boring, but somehow it was not.
Hellboy: 5.5/10
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army: 6.5/10
The first Hellboy is plagued mostly by a weak-ass, incoherent story and an inability to flesh out a bunch of interesting characters. Guillermo del Toro still hasn't found his visual style yet either, so the visual design isn't all that great either. Still fun to watch and really, really well-casted.
Hellboy 2 on the other hand, pretty much goes the opposite direction. Characters are fleshed out much better, the plot is interesting and easy to follow, and the visuals are phenomenal. The set and character design this time around are cool as hell (one particular scene shot with leaves falling constantly is amazingly well-done). However, the cast isn't nearly as good. David Hyde Pierce is sorely missed as the fish-dude Abe, especially considering how much bigger Abe's role is this time. John Hurt is missing this time around (for obvious reasons) and his lack of presence is felt as well. There are way too many scenes were I thought "oh man, this is good, but would have been so much better with [some other actor]. Still a big improvement over the first.
Observe and Report: 4/10
I honestly don't know how I feel about this movie. It wasn't really funny, but I don't know if it was necessarily supposed to be. It wasn't very compelling either. The characters were mostly stereotypical (sans one awesome character, a food court cashier) and for the most part the movie was pretty boring. Maybe I just didn't get it, but I don't have much to say about this movie.
Friday the 13th (1980): 6.5/10
A classic slasher movie that I never got around to seeing. It feels a bit dated today and isn't really scary, but it creates a good atmosphere, the kills are cool and the twist is pretty damn cool (even though I had been spoiled ahead of time). If I had been alive in 1980 and seen the movie then, it probably would have scared the pants off me. The only thing that hurts the rating is the desensitization of today's youth.
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Fun as fuck/10
I feel like I can't give this movie a numerical rating, due to the fact that it has flaws that I couldn't care less about and that I watched the movie wearing nostalgia goggles. Despite a stupid love story (that is the 3rd or 4th most important story, so it stays in the background), the movie is balls-to-the-wall, in-your-face, over-the-top and completely ridiculous, which is exactly what I wanted from a movie based on a series of toys from the 80s. Why this succeeds where Transformers fails (and oh boy does Transformers fail) is that the lameness of this movie is the correct kind of lameness: over the top acting, ridiculous and asinine weapons and gadgets and Dennis Quaid. Transformers had sex jokes. Way to go Michael Bay. The casting in this movie was perfect. Absolutely perfect. It really felt like GI Joe should and I had a blast watching it. Oh hell, I give it a 9/10.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: 4/10
If not for the fact that it's X-Men, this would have been like a 2 or 3. For such a good cast, they really missed the mark here. The action is boring, the story is ridiculous (which is ok, it is a comic book movie after all), but worst of all, the special effects are atrocious. I'm talking fresh-out-of-film-school-low-budget bad. For a movie with a pretty sizable budget, I am appalled that the effects were as terrible as they were. Obvious and poorly modeled CGI, terrible use of green screen, even the goddamn environmental bullet hits looked bad. I didn't think it was possible to make a bullet hitting dirt look bad, but they succeeded. Here's hoping X-Men Origins: Deadpool is better.
Sidenote: The unnecessary cameos by a few fan-favorites (Gambit, Emma Frost) were just garbage. Poorly integrated, made no sense, and miscast.
The Girlfriend Experience: 6/10
Steven Soderbergh's low-budget art house movie about the life of a high-class New York call-girl. This is a total non-movie. No plot really to speak of, very wooden acting (which was probably on purpose), no resolution, just a camera following this call-girl and her boyfriend through a few days in their lives. However, it kept my interest for the whole thing and is definitely worth watching once. It is short enough (72 minutes) that you wont feel like you wasted your time. Had it been longer, it probably would have been boring, but somehow it was not.
Hellboy: 5.5/10
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army: 6.5/10
The first Hellboy is plagued mostly by a weak-ass, incoherent story and an inability to flesh out a bunch of interesting characters. Guillermo del Toro still hasn't found his visual style yet either, so the visual design isn't all that great either. Still fun to watch and really, really well-casted.
Hellboy 2 on the other hand, pretty much goes the opposite direction. Characters are fleshed out much better, the plot is interesting and easy to follow, and the visuals are phenomenal. The set and character design this time around are cool as hell (one particular scene shot with leaves falling constantly is amazingly well-done). However, the cast isn't nearly as good. David Hyde Pierce is sorely missed as the fish-dude Abe, especially considering how much bigger Abe's role is this time. John Hurt is missing this time around (for obvious reasons) and his lack of presence is felt as well. There are way too many scenes were I thought "oh man, this is good, but would have been so much better with [some other actor]
Observe and Report: 4/10
I honestly don't know how I feel about this movie. It wasn't really funny, but I don't know if it was necessarily supposed to be. It wasn't very compelling either. The characters were mostly stereotypical (sans one awesome character, a food court cashier) and for the most part the movie was pretty boring. Maybe I just didn't get it, but I don't have much to say about this movie.
Friday the 13th (1980): 6.5/10
A classic slasher movie that I never got around to seeing. It feels a bit dated today and isn't really scary, but it creates a good atmosphere, the kills are cool and the twist is pretty damn cool (even though I had been spoiled ahead of time). If I had been alive in 1980 and seen the movie then, it probably would have scared the pants off me. The only thing that hurts the rating is the desensitization of today's youth.
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Fun as fuck/10
I feel like I can't give this movie a numerical rating, due to the fact that it has flaws that I couldn't care less about and that I watched the movie wearing nostalgia goggles. Despite a stupid love story (that is the 3rd or 4th most important story, so it stays in the background), the movie is balls-to-the-wall, in-your-face, over-the-top and completely ridiculous, which is exactly what I wanted from a movie based on a series of toys from the 80s. Why this succeeds where Transformers fails (and oh boy does Transformers fail) is that the lameness of this movie is the correct kind of lameness: over the top acting, ridiculous and asinine weapons and gadgets and Dennis Quaid. Transformers had sex jokes. Way to go Michael Bay. The casting in this movie was perfect. Absolutely perfect. It really felt like GI Joe should and I had a blast watching it. Oh hell, I give it a 9/10.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Music of the Year - Quick Summary
This is a quick overview of my top albums of the year thus far. I might do a more in-depth write-up once I get some more time at the end of the year.
1. AFI - Crash Love
Absolutely brilliant. Their best album and Davey Havok's best vocal performances. How many singers can say that about their 8th album, 14 years after their debut release?
2. Muse - The Resistance
Phenomenal album that is dropped to #2 by Matt Bellamy's weak vocals, which are normally stellar. Still probably Muse's best album.
3. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Sophomore release from California rockers does everything their debut release did but better. Frontman Brian Aubert's riffs will burn your goddamn ears off (and they did when I saw them live from the front row this past August. Not kidding, just about went deaf), and his vocals have only gotten better.
4. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Mastodon moves towards a more melodic metal style and in the process crafts one of the best metal albums of the decade. It's really too bad that there were other career-defining albums this year, otherwise this would probably be #1.
5. Megadeth - Endgame
Asinine, albeit hilarious lyrics drag this one down a few spots, but Endgame shows that Megadeth can still shred their asses off, unlike another certain 80s thrash metal band with a semi-recent record.
6. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
Third Eye Blind's fourth effor evokes images of their self-titled debut, which was one of the best albums of the 90s. The single, Don't Say A Word, plants itself among their best songs.
7. The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
Great album from one of the better modern metal bands out there.
And the two most disappointing albums of the year were Pearl Jam's Backspacer and Paramore's Brand New Eyes.
1. AFI - Crash Love
Absolutely brilliant. Their best album and Davey Havok's best vocal performances. How many singers can say that about their 8th album, 14 years after their debut release?
2. Muse - The Resistance
Phenomenal album that is dropped to #2 by Matt Bellamy's weak vocals, which are normally stellar. Still probably Muse's best album.
3. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Sophomore release from California rockers does everything their debut release did but better. Frontman Brian Aubert's riffs will burn your goddamn ears off (and they did when I saw them live from the front row this past August. Not kidding, just about went deaf), and his vocals have only gotten better.
4. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Mastodon moves towards a more melodic metal style and in the process crafts one of the best metal albums of the decade. It's really too bad that there were other career-defining albums this year, otherwise this would probably be #1.
5. Megadeth - Endgame
Asinine, albeit hilarious lyrics drag this one down a few spots, but Endgame shows that Megadeth can still shred their asses off, unlike another certain 80s thrash metal band with a semi-recent record.
6. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
Third Eye Blind's fourth effor evokes images of their self-titled debut, which was one of the best albums of the 90s. The single, Don't Say A Word, plants itself among their best songs.
7. The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
Great album from one of the better modern metal bands out there.
And the two most disappointing albums of the year were Pearl Jam's Backspacer and Paramore's Brand New Eyes.
Monday, July 02, 2007
A Little Bit of Everything, Part 1
What's up bloggers? It's been a while since I've updated, but I'm getting better... right? Well, in light of the 4th of July being right around the corner, I thought I would do a "Half-Year in Review" sort of post, commemorating what I think has mattered for the first half of 2007. I'll split it up into categories so you can skip the stuff you don't care about. Here we go.
Movies:
This year has been pretty.... well, weak when it comes to movies. I have only seen 5 films in theaters this year, down from my usual 10 or 15 by this time of year, and I've only missed 2 or 3 that I wanted to see but wasn't able to (Knocked Up, 28 Weeks Later and TMNT). I'm hoping the second half of the year is better, as there are a few films that have me positively excited (3:10 to Yuma, There Will Be Blood and American Gangster) and a few that have me mildly interested (The Simpsons Movie, The Bourne Ultimatum and National Treasure 2). However bleak the rest of this year looks, looking ahead, 2008 looks to more than make up for it, with sequels to Batman Begins (The Dark Knight), The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Prince Caspian) and the 4th installment of the Indiana Jones adventures coming to theaters. Now, in the interest of reviewing (that is what this post is all about), here are the ratings (out of 10) for the 5 films I have seen this year.
300: 7.5/10
Hot Fuzz: 9.5/10
Spider-Man 3: 6/10
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: 9/10
Live Free or Die Hard: 8.5/10
Music:
Now, my musical tastes are somewhat limited, so I'm going to stick with mini-reviews for the new albums by some of my favorite bands. Also, be sure to check back in mid-August when I review at least 3 of the shows I will have attended. Now, onto the reviews.
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
When people think Queens of the Stone Age, they think "No One Knows", "Go With the Flow", and "Little Sister". This album contains a bit of each, with "Sick Sick Sick" echoing the heavy riffs found in NOK and GWtF and the stand out track, "3's & 7's", echoing the solo heavy LS. The rest of the album mixes just about any type of music you can imagine QotSA playing, and they do it with a flair I still haven't found in any other band.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Stand Out Tracks: Sick Sick Sick, I'm Designer, Misfit Love, Make It Wit Chu, 3's & 7's, Run Pig Run
Velvet Revolver - Libertad
A great break from their earlier sound in Contraband, Libertad manages to blend a few more styles of rock into its formula while still maintaining to guitar heavy rock that they are known for. Only listened to the album a few times, so I can't really comment on individual tracks just yet.
Initial Impression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
One of those most anticipated reunion albums in recent years, the Smashing Pumpkins (despite the exclusion of James Iha and D'Arcy or Melissa Auf der Maur) are back. The new album stays true to the framework laid down in Machina and Machina II, incorporating much heavier and straightforward songs than they had in previous albums. While the album does kind of peter out at the end, this, I would argue, is a much better use of that framework, and frontman Billy Corgan really wasn't kidding when he said he missed the band. The emotion missing from his side project Zwan and his solo career are back in full force on this new album, and I only hope this means many more years of The Smashing Pumpkins are ahead of us.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Stand Out Tracks: Doomsday Clock, Tarantula, United States, That's the Way (My Love Is)
The rest I didn't really spend a whole lot of time with, so I can really only give them star ratings based on my initial impressions.
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos: 3 out of 5 stars
The White Stripes - Icky Thump: 4.5 out of 5 stars
And since this post is much longer than I thought it would be, I will save the other stuff (politics, law, etc) to another day, hopefully later this week. Enjoy the 4th of July!
Movies:
This year has been pretty.... well, weak when it comes to movies. I have only seen 5 films in theaters this year, down from my usual 10 or 15 by this time of year, and I've only missed 2 or 3 that I wanted to see but wasn't able to (Knocked Up, 28 Weeks Later and TMNT). I'm hoping the second half of the year is better, as there are a few films that have me positively excited (3:10 to Yuma, There Will Be Blood and American Gangster) and a few that have me mildly interested (The Simpsons Movie, The Bourne Ultimatum and National Treasure 2). However bleak the rest of this year looks, looking ahead, 2008 looks to more than make up for it, with sequels to Batman Begins (The Dark Knight), The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Prince Caspian) and the 4th installment of the Indiana Jones adventures coming to theaters. Now, in the interest of reviewing (that is what this post is all about), here are the ratings (out of 10) for the 5 films I have seen this year.
300: 7.5/10
Hot Fuzz: 9.5/10
Spider-Man 3: 6/10
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: 9/10
Live Free or Die Hard: 8.5/10
Music:
Now, my musical tastes are somewhat limited, so I'm going to stick with mini-reviews for the new albums by some of my favorite bands. Also, be sure to check back in mid-August when I review at least 3 of the shows I will have attended. Now, onto the reviews.
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
When people think Queens of the Stone Age, they think "No One Knows", "Go With the Flow", and "Little Sister". This album contains a bit of each, with "Sick Sick Sick" echoing the heavy riffs found in NOK and GWtF and the stand out track, "3's & 7's", echoing the solo heavy LS. The rest of the album mixes just about any type of music you can imagine QotSA playing, and they do it with a flair I still haven't found in any other band.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Stand Out Tracks: Sick Sick Sick, I'm Designer, Misfit Love, Make It Wit Chu, 3's & 7's, Run Pig Run
Velvet Revolver - Libertad
A great break from their earlier sound in Contraband, Libertad manages to blend a few more styles of rock into its formula while still maintaining to guitar heavy rock that they are known for. Only listened to the album a few times, so I can't really comment on individual tracks just yet.
Initial Impression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
One of those most anticipated reunion albums in recent years, the Smashing Pumpkins (despite the exclusion of James Iha and D'Arcy or Melissa Auf der Maur) are back. The new album stays true to the framework laid down in Machina and Machina II, incorporating much heavier and straightforward songs than they had in previous albums. While the album does kind of peter out at the end, this, I would argue, is a much better use of that framework, and frontman Billy Corgan really wasn't kidding when he said he missed the band. The emotion missing from his side project Zwan and his solo career are back in full force on this new album, and I only hope this means many more years of The Smashing Pumpkins are ahead of us.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Stand Out Tracks: Doomsday Clock, Tarantula, United States, That's the Way (My Love Is)
The rest I didn't really spend a whole lot of time with, so I can really only give them star ratings based on my initial impressions.
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos: 3 out of 5 stars
The White Stripes - Icky Thump: 4.5 out of 5 stars
And since this post is much longer than I thought it would be, I will save the other stuff (politics, law, etc) to another day, hopefully later this week. Enjoy the 4th of July!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Summer Politics
Well, summer is here, and with it come the worst several months for entertainment as a whole. Summer is notoriously lacking in the video game department (the only 3 I plan on purchasing are Mass Effect for the Xbox 360, Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's for the PS2 and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for the Wii), the TV season is over and the wait for the new season in October has begun. Granted, summer is the big movie season, but as far as I'm concerned, aside from Transformers, the big movies have come and gone already (Pirates 3, Spider-Man 3, etc).
So why, you ask, am I updating my seldom updated blog? Well, it is because of something that Jon Stewart has perfectly described as "Clusterfuck to the White House". That's right, the presidential primaries have me interested for the first time ever. Nearly 20 candidates are vying for the White House from just the main two parties alone, but according to the ever inane media, you would only think that there are 6 possible candidates (John Edwards, Hillary "the Devil" Clinton and Barrack Obama for the Dems and Mitt "Kerry 2" Romney, Rudy "9/11" Giuliani and John McCain for the Republicans). Predicting this race is about as hard as picking a name out of a hat, since at this point that's the only way to determine whose going to be our next President. It's really too bad that the media has already picked their front runners (and hell, they're even giving more importance to two people who aren't even officially in the goddamn race yet, Fred Thompson and Al Gore), because closely examining a field of nearly 20 candidates instead of narrowing it to the popular 6 could yield us a much more competent, intelligent and well rounded president.
Unfortunately, the absolute best candidate in the running is not getting the publicity and respect he deserves. That would be Representative Ron Paul from Texas, who is a straight up Libertarian that knows how to play the game and maximize his chances for getting elected (he realizes that the system is controlled by the Dems and Republicans, so thats why he's running as a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and not a Libertarian). He's for market freedom, legalized competition in every single aspect of life that the government currently controls, and is just an all-around intelligent man. I am very happy he was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart earlier this week (and I recommend everyone seek out the episode or a clip of Representative Paul's segment), because it will get his name to the youth of America, of whom a boatload get their political information from Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I fully support this man's run to the White House, and I want to give him my full support in the Republican primary (and hopefully later in the national election).
I encourage everyone of all political leanings to pay close attention to this particular race to the White House, as the next president will more than likely define the entirety of the post-Bush United States. Ignore the media frenzy surrounding the Big 6 (as the 3 Dems and the 3 Republicans are pretty much exactly the same when it comes to the issues) and dig for information regarding the other 14 candidates. Everyone needs to get politically educated and get active. This election is too important to sit idly by and watch it happen.
So why, you ask, am I updating my seldom updated blog? Well, it is because of something that Jon Stewart has perfectly described as "Clusterfuck to the White House". That's right, the presidential primaries have me interested for the first time ever. Nearly 20 candidates are vying for the White House from just the main two parties alone, but according to the ever inane media, you would only think that there are 6 possible candidates (John Edwards, Hillary "the Devil" Clinton and Barrack Obama for the Dems and Mitt "Kerry 2" Romney, Rudy "9/11" Giuliani and John McCain for the Republicans). Predicting this race is about as hard as picking a name out of a hat, since at this point that's the only way to determine whose going to be our next President. It's really too bad that the media has already picked their front runners (and hell, they're even giving more importance to two people who aren't even officially in the goddamn race yet, Fred Thompson and Al Gore), because closely examining a field of nearly 20 candidates instead of narrowing it to the popular 6 could yield us a much more competent, intelligent and well rounded president.
Unfortunately, the absolute best candidate in the running is not getting the publicity and respect he deserves. That would be Representative Ron Paul from Texas, who is a straight up Libertarian that knows how to play the game and maximize his chances for getting elected (he realizes that the system is controlled by the Dems and Republicans, so thats why he's running as a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and not a Libertarian). He's for market freedom, legalized competition in every single aspect of life that the government currently controls, and is just an all-around intelligent man. I am very happy he was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart earlier this week (and I recommend everyone seek out the episode or a clip of Representative Paul's segment), because it will get his name to the youth of America, of whom a boatload get their political information from Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I fully support this man's run to the White House, and I want to give him my full support in the Republican primary (and hopefully later in the national election).
I encourage everyone of all political leanings to pay close attention to this particular race to the White House, as the next president will more than likely define the entirety of the post-Bush United States. Ignore the media frenzy surrounding the Big 6 (as the 3 Dems and the 3 Republicans are pretty much exactly the same when it comes to the issues) and dig for information regarding the other 14 candidates. Everyone needs to get politically educated and get active. This election is too important to sit idly by and watch it happen.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Console Wars Part 2: A Rant
Yet when it comes to gaming, Xbox 360 users are serious, Mr. Rodman says. Six out of 10 Xbox 360 users use Xbox Live, Microsoft’s online gaming service.
“We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing,” he said. “We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/technology/28xbox.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
Well Mr. Rodman, I can safely say that I am a Wii and Xbox 360 customer, and it is statements like these that make me hate these idiots and wish I didn't buy their product. Ignore the fact that everyone, everyone's family and everyone's grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and acquaintances are buying up the Wii at a record pace (last I checked most of those people weren't 13). I am sick and tired of Microsoft (and Sony) thinking that there is this "Elite" class of gamer out there that is going to eat up every piece of bullshit that M$ and Sony feed them, while proverbially shunning the "kiddy" Wii. Face up to the facts Micro$ony, people can (and will) enjoy multiple systems whether you fuckheads think so or not. Just a few weeks ago another Sony CEO blamed the "cheap Americans" on the PS3's lackluster numbers in the United States... he actually had the audacity to blame the consumer for not buying Sony's product. What a load of shit.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Xbox 360, my Wii and I would probably like a PS3 if I ever had any intention of buying it, but the people who run these companies just refuse to get their foots out of their mouths and their heads out of their asses (making for an awfully painful contortion, but they somehow manage it) and just own up to the fact that the Nintendo is going to kick their collective asses in console sales and stop insulting the customers who might consider another system alongside their Wii.
PSWii? Wii60? These are the most likely combinations of consoles gamers are likely to purchase, but Micro$ony can't stop and see that an alliance with Nintendo would be a better business decision than constantly picking fights with the company that is producing a cheaper, wider-reaching, more innovative gaming system that is still impossible to find, while Xbox360s and PS3s sit on the store shelves, collecting dust. PSWii or Wii60? If Microsoft and Sony have their way, it will be PS"fuck you" and Xbox"you are a dumbass if you buy anything else". Mark my words, Nintendo is going to win in console sales, and until Sony and Microsoft can finally realize that they are just going to keep alienating the gamers they are so halfheartedly trying to court.
Morons.
“We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing,” he said. “We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/technology/28xbox.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
Well Mr. Rodman, I can safely say that I am a Wii and Xbox 360 customer, and it is statements like these that make me hate these idiots and wish I didn't buy their product. Ignore the fact that everyone, everyone's family and everyone's grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and acquaintances are buying up the Wii at a record pace (last I checked most of those people weren't 13). I am sick and tired of Microsoft (and Sony) thinking that there is this "Elite" class of gamer out there that is going to eat up every piece of bullshit that M$ and Sony feed them, while proverbially shunning the "kiddy" Wii. Face up to the facts Micro$ony, people can (and will) enjoy multiple systems whether you fuckheads think so or not. Just a few weeks ago another Sony CEO blamed the "cheap Americans" on the PS3's lackluster numbers in the United States... he actually had the audacity to blame the consumer for not buying Sony's product. What a load of shit.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Xbox 360, my Wii and I would probably like a PS3 if I ever had any intention of buying it, but the people who run these companies just refuse to get their foots out of their mouths and their heads out of their asses (making for an awfully painful contortion, but they somehow manage it) and just own up to the fact that the Nintendo is going to kick their collective asses in console sales and stop insulting the customers who might consider another system alongside their Wii.
PSWii? Wii60? These are the most likely combinations of consoles gamers are likely to purchase, but Micro$ony can't stop and see that an alliance with Nintendo would be a better business decision than constantly picking fights with the company that is producing a cheaper, wider-reaching, more innovative gaming system that is still impossible to find, while Xbox360s and PS3s sit on the store shelves, collecting dust. PSWii or Wii60? If Microsoft and Sony have their way, it will be PS"fuck you" and Xbox"you are a dumbass if you buy anything else". Mark my words, Nintendo is going to win in console sales, and until Sony and Microsoft can finally realize that they are just going to keep alienating the gamers they are so halfheartedly trying to court.
Morons.
Monday, March 26, 2007
The Console Wars: Month 17
Long time no see... all 2 of you that read this ill-maintained blog of mine.
Nintendo's Wii and Sony's Playstation 3 have now officially been out for 5 months and have finally started cutting into Microsoft's marketshare (The Xbox 360 launched 17 months ago). The Wii has exploded onto the scene as this year’s hottest Christmas gift and Wii consoles are still impossible to find, while the PS3's sales have been struggling amid a whopping $599 price tag. The Xbox 360 still owns the market, selling almost 11 million units (Wii is at just over 5 million and PS3 is still slightly under 2 million).
This generation looks like it’s going to be a split between Nintendo and Xbox 360, with the main question still hovering over the Wii's ability to last for the duration (the next wave of consoles is expected in 2010 or 2011), but as of right now it’s still too early to tell. The PS3 started quickly, selling out the first shipment within the first hour of its release (but what new console doesn't?) and has since tapered off, mostly due to a relatively high price tag in comparison with the other two consoles and a general dislike of the console by much of the gaming community, not to mention the fact that Sony execs still refuse to own up to their own mistakes and keep sluffing the blame for everything on the consumers. Blaming the Customer, always a good way to win the hearts of the masses….However, there have been a few new developments that have the capacity to really shake things up. Microsoft is poised to keep the sales crown, with the unveiling of the Xbox 360 Elite, a black 360 with an HDMI port and a 120 GB hard drive. They stay poised to win the battle of games as well, with one of Sony’s AAA titles, Devil May Cry 4, officially going multiplatform, and rumors of a second AAA game, Final Fantasy XIII, also going the route of DMC4. Exclusive support for Sony’s console is dwindling, and other than their first party companies and a resilient Konami, most publishers are eager to put their games on multiple platforms. Ex: Capcom (DMC4), Square Enix (FFXIII), Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed), Electronic Arts (Mercenaries 2), just to name a few of the formerly exclusive games that the PS3 has lost, not to mention Sony’s idiotic business decision last generation not to continue their exclusive contract with Take Two/Rockstar, the creators of GRAND f***ing THEFT AUTO. Gee, what could have made Sony let a franchise that sold better than any other PS2 franchise get away? Just another stupid business decision by a company plagued by stupid decision makers.
Nintendo execs, on the other hand, have been business geniuses, giving us the first system everyone and their grandmothers want to play (literally, nothing is more satisfying that seeing your 70 year old grandma own everyone else in your family at Wii Bowling). While the post-launch drought for the Wii has been pretty bad (Wario Ware: Smooth Movies, WiiPlay and SSX Blur are really the only titles we have received since launch), but upcoming games should bolster the Wii’s otherwise flaccid lineup (ba dum ching!). Super Paper Mario releases in a week, followed by summer/fall/winter releases of Nintendo-developed titles Mario Party 8, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, not to mention a myriad of other games from dev’s other than the Wii’s creator. After that, however, the future looks pretty murky for Nintendo’s “new way to play” console.
Final Sales Predictions for the 5th Generation:
Nintendo Wii: 27 million
Microsoft Xbox 360: 25 million
Sony PS3: 15 million
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Oh the Dog Days of Summer
My days at the 'Depot have finally dwindled to two, and I couldn't be happier to get out of that God-forsaken place and back into the greuling classes at the U of M. Boo Sociology and Environtmental Policies, Hooray American Political Thought and Japanese! Enough of my status, onto my Musings of the Day!
Sports:
The Twins - 5 games out of first place? Wha?! What in the bowels of hell has happened to this team? Our starting pitching staff has rotated approximately 573 players since the season began and only one is a completely reliable starter, but somehow we are 50 and 19 since the All-Star break. Morneau would be a contender for the Triple Crown if not for his dismal start, and Joe Mauer is baseball's favorite hometown hero.
The Timberwolves - Mike James + Kevin Garnett + Randy Foye = Championship? Hell no, not with Kevin McHale still at the helm of that disagrace of an organization. The slew of mistakes leading up to this season culminating in Kevin Garnett's newly found God-complex just makes me sad. The amount of squandered talent on my formerly beloved TImberwolves is astounding, and I fear for Mike James' bright future now that he has alligned himself with this organization. Management changes are sorely needed, and if the 2005-2006 season wasn't the last straw for Glenn Taylor then we can kiss our once-great Timberwolves team goodbye.
Entertainment:
The Emmys - TWENTY FOUR!!!!!!! Now that the snub-fest is over and Keifer and 24 finally have their Emmys I can quit my bitchin' about the greatest show on television getting screwed over and over and over again (4 years in a row to be exact... well, 3 if you discount that abysmal 4th season). I fear for its chances next year with the eyeball-explodingly great line-up of new shows premiering this year, including NBC's Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Kidnapped, CBS's Smith, Jericho and Shark and ABC's The Nine, along with continuing powerhouses like House, Lost, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, The Sopranos, Grey's Anatomy and Boston Legal, I believe 24's wins to be at an end, although Keifer Sutherland should still be able to acquire another acting Emmy or two.
At The Movies: Fall of 2006 - Oscar seasons beings a little early this year. Its time for a breakdown of the must-see movies for the fall of this year:
Hollywoodland - Releases on September 8th
A stellar cast including Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins should help first-time movie director Allen Coulter's crime drama about the murder of "Superman" actor George Reeves. Hype for this film is high, despite the fact that Ben Affleck is one of the top-billed actors.
Excitement level: 2.5 out of 5
The Black Dahlia - Releases on September 15th
Brian de Palma, director of crime classics such as Scarface, The Untouchables and Carlito's Way, at the helm of a James Ellroy (the writer of L.A. Confidential) story? What more can a movie aficionado ask for? Oh, I seem to have forgetten the absolutely amazing cast consisting of Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Hillary Swank, Mia Kirshner and Scarlett Johansson. Here's hoping the explosion of young talent in veteran de Palma's hands helps make this crime thriller a future classic.
Excitement level: 5 out of 5
The Departed - Releases on October 6th
Martin Scorsese directs Jack Nicholson, Leo Dicaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin in this undercover crime thriller. Scorsese's resume should automatically ignite fierce hype for this film, but its the addition of the superb ensemble cast that is going to truly make this film great.
Excitement Level: 4 out of 5
The Prestige - Releases on October 27th
Christopher Nolan (or as I like to call him, "The Man Who Can Do No Wrong"), director of the wildly entertaining and amazing films Batman Begins, Memento and Insomnia, is helming this drama set amongst competing stage magicians in the 1870's. Nolan, a directing genious and who I believe is destined to be remembered as one of the greatest film makers of all time, has assembled yet another great cast, including Christain Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlet Johansson, Michael Caine and, yes, David Bowie. This is a film that ought to keep even the most astute of viewiers guessing and should prove to be one of the best films of the year.
Excitement level: 4.5 out of 5
A Good Year - Releases on November 10th
Ridley Scott directing a romance film with Russel Crowe? I am there. Ridley Scott's venture into new territory is enough to get me excited about this film that follows a New York business man who inherits a family property in Provence.
Excitement level: 2.5 out of 5
Casino Royale - Releases on November 17th
The fact that this is a new Bond film already ups the excitement level, but the casting of Daniel Craig as James Bond and the return of director Martin Campbell (director of the greatest Bond film, Goldeneye) pushes my excitement to all new heights. This return-to-the-roots Bond film ought to bring a lost glory back into the series and revitalize it for many years to come.
Excitement level: 4.5 out of 5
Babel - Releases on November 17th
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directs this film following three seperate stories taking place in Japan, Morocco, Tunisia and Mexico. Inarritu is an amazing visual director (showcased in 21 Grams and Amores Perros) and he loves weaving his complex story webs. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star, leaving Inarritu little work in the actor-directing category. My understanding is that language barriers will have a huge impact on the events of the story, which intrigues me fully.
Excitement level: 4 out of 5
And to close, some quick ratings for my most recently viewed films:
Snakes on a Plane - 6.5 out of 10
Silent Hill - 6.5 out of 10
Miami Vice - 7.5 out of 10
Lady in the Water - 7.5 out of 10
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - 8.5 out of 10
Superman Returns - 4 out of 10
These musings would normally be much more varied in their content but since I have made this post ridiculously long I will end here. Goodnight and farewell.
- Maverick
Sports:
The Twins - 5 games out of first place? Wha?! What in the bowels of hell has happened to this team? Our starting pitching staff has rotated approximately 573 players since the season began and only one is a completely reliable starter, but somehow we are 50 and 19 since the All-Star break. Morneau would be a contender for the Triple Crown if not for his dismal start, and Joe Mauer is baseball's favorite hometown hero.
The Timberwolves - Mike James + Kevin Garnett + Randy Foye = Championship? Hell no, not with Kevin McHale still at the helm of that disagrace of an organization. The slew of mistakes leading up to this season culminating in Kevin Garnett's newly found God-complex just makes me sad. The amount of squandered talent on my formerly beloved TImberwolves is astounding, and I fear for Mike James' bright future now that he has alligned himself with this organization. Management changes are sorely needed, and if the 2005-2006 season wasn't the last straw for Glenn Taylor then we can kiss our once-great Timberwolves team goodbye.
Entertainment:
The Emmys - TWENTY FOUR!!!!!!! Now that the snub-fest is over and Keifer and 24 finally have their Emmys I can quit my bitchin' about the greatest show on television getting screwed over and over and over again (4 years in a row to be exact... well, 3 if you discount that abysmal 4th season). I fear for its chances next year with the eyeball-explodingly great line-up of new shows premiering this year, including NBC's Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Kidnapped, CBS's Smith, Jericho and Shark and ABC's The Nine, along with continuing powerhouses like House, Lost, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, The Sopranos, Grey's Anatomy and Boston Legal, I believe 24's wins to be at an end, although Keifer Sutherland should still be able to acquire another acting Emmy or two.
At The Movies: Fall of 2006 - Oscar seasons beings a little early this year. Its time for a breakdown of the must-see movies for the fall of this year:
Hollywoodland - Releases on September 8th
A stellar cast including Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins should help first-time movie director Allen Coulter's crime drama about the murder of "Superman" actor George Reeves. Hype for this film is high, despite the fact that Ben Affleck is one of the top-billed actors.
Excitement level: 2.5 out of 5
The Black Dahlia - Releases on September 15th
Brian de Palma, director of crime classics such as Scarface, The Untouchables and Carlito's Way, at the helm of a James Ellroy (the writer of L.A. Confidential) story? What more can a movie aficionado ask for? Oh, I seem to have forgetten the absolutely amazing cast consisting of Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Hillary Swank, Mia Kirshner and Scarlett Johansson. Here's hoping the explosion of young talent in veteran de Palma's hands helps make this crime thriller a future classic.
Excitement level: 5 out of 5
The Departed - Releases on October 6th
Martin Scorsese directs Jack Nicholson, Leo Dicaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin in this undercover crime thriller. Scorsese's resume should automatically ignite fierce hype for this film, but its the addition of the superb ensemble cast that is going to truly make this film great.
Excitement Level: 4 out of 5
The Prestige - Releases on October 27th
Christopher Nolan (or as I like to call him, "The Man Who Can Do No Wrong"), director of the wildly entertaining and amazing films Batman Begins, Memento and Insomnia, is helming this drama set amongst competing stage magicians in the 1870's. Nolan, a directing genious and who I believe is destined to be remembered as one of the greatest film makers of all time, has assembled yet another great cast, including Christain Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlet Johansson, Michael Caine and, yes, David Bowie. This is a film that ought to keep even the most astute of viewiers guessing and should prove to be one of the best films of the year.
Excitement level: 4.5 out of 5
A Good Year - Releases on November 10th
Ridley Scott directing a romance film with Russel Crowe? I am there. Ridley Scott's venture into new territory is enough to get me excited about this film that follows a New York business man who inherits a family property in Provence.
Excitement level: 2.5 out of 5
Casino Royale - Releases on November 17th
The fact that this is a new Bond film already ups the excitement level, but the casting of Daniel Craig as James Bond and the return of director Martin Campbell (director of the greatest Bond film, Goldeneye) pushes my excitement to all new heights. This return-to-the-roots Bond film ought to bring a lost glory back into the series and revitalize it for many years to come.
Excitement level: 4.5 out of 5
Babel - Releases on November 17th
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directs this film following three seperate stories taking place in Japan, Morocco, Tunisia and Mexico. Inarritu is an amazing visual director (showcased in 21 Grams and Amores Perros) and he loves weaving his complex story webs. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star, leaving Inarritu little work in the actor-directing category. My understanding is that language barriers will have a huge impact on the events of the story, which intrigues me fully.
Excitement level: 4 out of 5
And to close, some quick ratings for my most recently viewed films:
Snakes on a Plane - 6.5 out of 10
Silent Hill - 6.5 out of 10
Miami Vice - 7.5 out of 10
Lady in the Water - 7.5 out of 10
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - 8.5 out of 10
Superman Returns - 4 out of 10
These musings would normally be much more varied in their content but since I have made this post ridiculously long I will end here. Goodnight and farewell.
- Maverick
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