How to Train Your Dragon
Go see it. That is all. I have exam tomorrow. Haha.
But really, this movie made me feel younger again. Nothing like flying sequences in 3D with majestic landscapes and epic soundtrack to make you feel alive again.
The adult world with all its institutions and rules will never kill my youth!
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I can't wait to break free from this busy shuffle and let my imagination run wild. And just be myself again. 12 days.
RIP Brittany Murphy
Wow, this year has been especially unkind to celebrities. =(
8 Mile and Sin City are two movies that I know her best for. She also did voice work in Happy Feet.
Up in the Air
"Now this is gonna be a little difficult, so stay with me.
How much does your life weigh?
Imagine for a second you're carrying a backpack.
I want you to pack it with all the stuff you have in life.
You start with the little things that is on shelves and drawers and knick-knacks.
Then you start adding larger stuff: clothes, table-top appliances, lamps, your TV...
Backpack should be getting pretty heavy now.
You go bigger: your couch, your car, your home.
I want you to stuff it all into that backpack.
Now, I want you to fill it with people.
Start with casual acquaintances, friends of friends, folks around the office...
And then you move into the people that you trust with your most intimate secrets.
Brothers or sisters, your children, your parents, and finally your husband, your wife, boyfriend, your girlfriend.
You get them into that backpack.
Feel the weight of that bag. Make no mistake, your relationships are the heaviest components in your life.
All those negotiations and arguments and secrets and compromising.
The slower we move, the faster we die. We weigh ourselves down until we can't even move.
Make no mistake, moving is living.
Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime.
Star-crossed lovers, monogamous swans - we are not swans. We're sharks."
I want this to be either proven wrong or proven right. 'Cause not knowing the answer is an even worse burden. I can keep trying without reciprocation or I can let go and be freed of what I thought was important and move forward. It's easier if this is right but with that is the fear of never having a home to return to.
'Cause home is where people are thinking of you.
District 9 – “Armond White is a Troll”
On Roger Ebert's personal blog, he calls Armond White a troll. This weekend, White was the first to post a rotten "review" - if you can call his writing that - of District 9 after 49 other critics have posted favorable reviews about the film. When I saw the meter drop to 98% after being 100% for so long, I knew it had to be him. Since then, his review has garnered 575+ comments (even after removing comments of physical harm and racism, this has to be a new record for him). With 575+ comments and Roger Ebert writing about him, I think this issue with White is reaching critical mass and it's time Rotten Tomatoes did something.
On Thursday night I posted in entry in defense of Armond White's review of "District 9." Overnight I received reader comments causing me to rethink that entry, in particular this eye-popping link supplied by Wes Lawson. I realized I had to withdraw my overall defense of White. I was not familiar enough with his work. It is baffling to me that a critic could praise "Transformers 2" but not "Synecdoche, NY." Or "Death Race" but not "There Will be Blood." I am forced to conclude that White is, as charged, a troll. A smart and knowing one, but a troll. My defense of his specific review of "District 9" still stands.
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I agree completely. Ebert's original defense of Armond White was retracted when his case fell apart upon closer examination of White's reviews. If you don't know who White is, he is the guy who posts rotten reviews to popular and critically-acclaimed films on Rottentomatoes.com.
Yes, I am feeding the troll by writing this post. Yes, so did any of those who commented. But counting such reviews from a contrarian whose sole intention is to gain publicity by playing the game of "me against the world" only serves to discredit the Tomatometer. For as long as this guy is allowed to be factored into the Tomatometer, no popular movie no matter how much of a masterpiece it is will ever get a fair chance at 100%. This is especially true for Pixar's films who in the past has successfully achieved this.
How can someone not like The Wrestler, Up, The Dark Knight, Star Trek, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, and all movies of the Harry Potter series but at the same time give Transformers 2, Dance Flick, Termination Salvation, Transporter 3, and Confessions of a Shopoholic positive reviews? I mean, some films are indisputably better than another within the same genre; this guy deliberately picks the one that is worse. He agrees with the meter 50% of the time but often times, when he does agree with the meter is when the movie is foreign or limited release (case in point: You, the Living, which caused Ebert to say "WTF?").
Rotten Tomatoes is a site for film critics who actually review the films they have seen. Armond White does not review films but plays the Tomatometer and everyone for his own publicity and probably for the New York Press, which probably no New Yorker reads. I hope the owners of Rotten Tomatoes realize that White is hurting the site's credibility, and thus, their bottom line.
The following is the image that caused Ebert to retract his defense of Armond White:
(Image by Wes Lawson)
As for me seeing the film, which I have yet to do, I plan on it being the next time I hit the theatres. 
Upcoming Film: The Hurt Locker
I really want to see this film after seeing the trailer on Apple's website. It's been a long time since we've had a good action-packed war epic. Shot in Jordan, the film captures the new face of war today.
"Iraq. Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb." -Film synopsis from imdb.com
Indeed, the "enemy" today isn't so clearly defined anymore when anyone can be called a "terrorist" or "suicide bomber", appear out of civilian crowds, and any object can be a bomb.
Interesting trivia: If Armond White gives this film a positive review, it must be that good. If you don't know who this guy is, look him up on Rotten Tomatoes. He gives 90%+ movies rotten reviews and often gives terrible movies fresh reviews. He is a contrarian; it's rare to see this guy agree with the meter for a legitimately good movie. Case in point: Star Trek vs. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Rotten Tomatoes link to The Hurt Locker | Armond White's Reviews
Adventureland
Finally got around to seeing this but I'll keep this short since I have much work to be done.
This is a movie set in 1987 and tells the story of a recent college grad having to take a crappy job at an amusement park and meeting a girl there. Both have their problems in their lives and both have their little adventures together in a coming-of-age story.
I suppose one way I could describe this movie is a mix of Superbad and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist set in the 80s. The movie trailer and the marketing campaign for this film was way off as comedy is not its primary genre. It has its few funny moments but this is really more of a coming-of-age romance.
The thing I like about this movie is that all of the characters do not fit the stereotypes of hot guy/hot girl, nerd, jock, etc. etc. Each character has something more to them than meets the eye.
There were so many things touched upon in the film that many people can relate to (hence the lack of stereotypical characterization): screwing up relationships, guys thinking with their dicks rather than their brains, the value of virginity and the pressure to lose it, infidelity, religion and relationships, standing up for your friends, how guys often get a "free pass" while girls will look like whores, alcohol and marijuana, and making due when life's adventure takes a wrong turn.
Kristen Stewart did an amazing job portraying a girl who is not only vulnerable and emotionally damaged with a dysfunctional family but also a girl with a strong resilient heart, which makes her likeable to the audience.
Jesse Eisenberg's performance may remind you a lot about Michael Cera and to some, it may even be indistinguishable. However, there were sensitive and awkward guys in films before Cera came along. And if Cera takes this role, it'll probably further solidify his typecasting that's happening now. (Honestly, Cera is only playing himself in every film. Do you not see it!?).
Only thing I didn't like as much as the rest of the film is the end, which felt a bit rushed and had some plotholes that could've been filled with a few more seconds of footage.
Thus, I give this a 4 out of 5. IMDB link
Independence
As America celebrates theirs, many other countries fight for theirs and some have no hope of achieving it. It's been three weeks since #IranElection made top trending topic on Twitter and it is still going strong. The grassroots movement has become an inspiration to me and to the world and the outcome will have a lasting impact. It seems the Iranian theocracy has failed to protect the rights and freedoms of its people and by allowing innocent blood to be spilt, it has lost its legitimacy.
As much as I'd like to remain in blissful ignorance and denial, I can't help but draw connections. Global security to oil prices, fundamentalism to democracy, the conflict over there is tied to a lot. As 29 innocents stand to be executed, the conflict is a reminder to us why we keep religion and the state separate.
Though, I believe the Green movement will win. It's only a matter of time. The younger generation wants change and as long as they resist being indoctrinated with the old ways, the older generation will fade away clinging to tradition. Even now, the current regime has lost a lot of support internally and on the world stage, which they cannot afford in this age of "post-globalization".
North Korea continues to fire missiles with no concern to others. Iran recently launched a satellite and continues to enrich uranium. Add those two technologies together and you eventually have the capability to nuke any location in the world.
Don't even get me started on "climate change". We've heard it all before. I just hope we don't resort to that drastic measure of pumping sulfur/water vapour into the atmosphere to cool Earth down in the event of severe global warming.
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I recently saw Watchmen again and despite being a comic book movie, it really does beg the question: is humanity really doomed to destroy itself?
I used to be quite the humanist, believing we have the capacity to basically take care of ourselves. But now, as I see more and more of the world, is Watchmen is right? We absolutely need to live in fear of God's wrath? Are we inherently flawed and destined to destroy ourselves? Do we need a "common enemy"? Too often we focus on our differences only to forget we are all human.
"Five minutes to midnight," they say. With a push of the wrong button or the turning of two keys, the world's institutions, governments, and infrastructure could all collapse as everything turns to dust. That degree hanging on my wall and the money in my wallet will all mean nothing in a land turned cold and lawless as everyone fends for themselves. What a bleak future.
I can draw many parallels of what I saw in the film to the world today. Giant squid monster aside (if you've read the graphic novel), perhaps it is true that a great calamity - depending on your beliefs, either by God or by our hands - is what will unite us and save us from a greater tragedy. The lives of millions to save billions. Or maybe, to be an optimist, that will never be necessary and we never were on the path to self-destruction.
I'll close with this thought though. As much as the media loves to instil fear by bombarding us with the above stories, I still keep hope alive that we will do better. The future looks gloomy but the future can change and I hope our world leaders never stop trying. I cherish every moment I have now and shared with others. For that, every day isn't so "emo" and pointless.
Chinese Hackers
I commend the relentlessness of my fellow "brothers" and their technological prowess. However, I wish they'd give it a rest on my site. I'm not THAT important to advertise garbage "medicinal" products (though at the rate the numbers I'm seeing, it might be possible in the future). Nonetheless, there's nothing I can say or do since it's mostly automated and by banning one group of IPs, another takes its place within days.
They certainly kept me on my toes but I turned my back on the computer software path of life long ago when certain individuals failed to instil interest in the field. And along came biology and the wonders of medicine...
I can tell The Time Traveler's Wife is going to be a popular movie cause many people are Googling lyrics for the song used in the trailer and landing on that post that mentions both the song and the movie. I would provide the MP3 but then that'd get me in some trouble.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Michael Bay does what he does best: blowing things up. Though I feel this sequel was better than its predecessor, I found myself eventually falling asleep amidst the explosions. I'd say 50% of the $200M budget went towards explosions, 40% on CG, and 10% on everything else.
The plot is simple: stop the bad guys from destroying the world. Now throw in a long cat-and-mouse chase with jet fighters, bombs, tanks, soldiers, machine guns, random mortars, and a rail gun. Next, add some slow-mo and have the duo, Shia LaBoeuf and Megan Fox, run through all of the above for their lives. Key shots of said slow-mo include Megan Fox's boobs bouncing as she runs and dodges explosions to keep the male audience awake. That's pretty much the entire 2nd and 3rd acts of the film: one giant clusterf**k of explosions and fights for you to decipher. Though I thank Bay for limiting the use of shaky camera so I can see what's going on most of the time.
In very short reprieves between explosive and destructive sequences, you have cheesy and cliche dialogue and at one point, John Turturro in a thong with his bare ass all over the big screen. When a character falls, I felt nothing because of the piss-poor character development in the first act. There was nothing to get attached to for the characters - just a whole lot of stereotypes (especially black ones as seen in the twins and those of an elderly). Sam's mother wasn't funny and was plain annoying to watch. The relationship between Sam and Optimus Prime takes a 180 so fast it's unbelievable.
And so much dialogue was used to explain why the Decepticons are doing what they are doing and why the Autobots need Sam's help. Good directors show us the plot, not make us sit through boring dialogue.
I knew what I was expecting walking into a Michael Bay film. I did leave my brain at the door. If this mini-review forgave the abysmal storytelling, as awesome as it may have been in Bay's eyes, even endless huge explosions and jet fighters screaming through the sky in the name of America got boring after a while.
Nonetheless, the film has posted huge box office numbers and probably ensured a sequel. In fact, Transformers 3 is already in the works. Revenge of the Fallen was made to satisfy existing action-oriented fans and not bring new ones in.
2 out of 5. One point for Megan Fox. Another point for mindless action. Still can't honestly say to someone else, "I liked it."
Yes Man and Doubt
Yes Man was alright. I give it a 3 / 5. Some scenes worked and some didn't when it comes to making me laugh. The overall point about saying "Yes" to every opportunity that presents itself has some major flaws but that was addressed in the movie at the end. (SPOILER ALERT - do not read the rest of this paragraph) Indeed, the whole point about saying Yes to everything at the beginning is because he said No to everything and it was to get him started to actually want opportunity. Then he started saying Yes to important issues that required careful consideration and commitment, which lead to him being insincere and hurtful. So the moral of the story is to actively seek out and accept opportunities that present themselves but only if you want to? Wut.
Doubt was probably very interesting to some people but it wasn't for me. The performances byMeryl Streep as Sister Aloysius and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Brendan Flynn carried the movie. Without them, I think the movie would have sucked. (SPOILER ALERT - do not read the rest of this paragraph) There are some witty moments such as the scene between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius where Flynn decided to give a sermon about "intolerance" after hearing Aloysius depiction of Frosty the Snowman as heretical. Anyway, the movie has some majorly complicated themes and I really don't want to get into the whole bit about whether Flynn is guilty or not. I originally wrote points about why he's guilty or innocent but the whole point is that you're never sure based on what's shown in the film. It was never revealed with certainty (e.g., caught in the act). And that is what Doubt is. I'll just stop here.
For people who know me, I can be analytical when it comes to movies ('cept for movies where I know I should leave my brain at the door) and my personal entertainment value factors into that analysis. It just wasn't that entertaining to sit through. I guess I'm not the kind of guy who can sit through over an hour and a half of dialogue. I give Doubt a 3 / 5 as well.
