Saturday, June 30, 2007

Lost with Grace

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8z_zVROAdLU

I was never aware that Maggie Grace, from LOST, actually showed up in an Internet LOST parody. While I generally hated her character on the show, I have to give credit to her for showing up in a rather funny clip. Does this mean she has that Shannon Rutherford outfit in her closet at home?

I loved the fact one of the guy’s goes too far with the ‘role playing’.

Invasion U.S.A.

Only one thing stands between total chaos and destruction, and that's Norris with his extremely tight pants and buttoned down, sleeveless, blue jean shirt. Okay, we're all doomed.

Okay, Mayren and MC have made posts about Chuck Norris, so I feel like I need to get into the action as well. Before he won the hearts (and pacemakers) of all the old folks with the really bad Walker, Texas Ranger and his bad cartoon show, Chuck made really bad 80's action movies. Norris’ movies were complete rip-offs of better action movies. One of the worst ones was called Invasion U.S.A. And it was a stinker. You have to wonder if the White House funded this movie, okay I'm joking. Take away the political crap and you're left with a poor man’s Die Hard movie.

This is taken from Imdb.com

((A terrorist, Rostov, is planning to unleash a reign of terror on the U.S. but before he does he decides to go after, Matt Hunter, a former CIA agent, who lives in Florida, who once had Rostov's life in his hands but on orders took him alive, and now Rostov is plagued by nightmares of Hunter killing him. So Rostov goes after him but misses, so Hunter, who has already been approached by his former employers to go after Rostov, after initially turning down the job, cuase he believed that they should have let him terminate Rostov when he had the chance, decides to go after him. But he is only one man and Rostov has hundreds of men ripping the country apart, so how will he stop it.))

Now, add Chuck Norris' wonderful acting to the plot.

The movie is bad, but don't take my word for it. Watch this

Throw someone out the window day

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_uOYYDixwkU

Comment: To show how bad the villain is, they show the main bad guy throw a hooker out the window, after shooting a guy between the legs point blank. Big deal, this happens all the time in major cities. Show me a villain that doesn’t throw hookers through windows and shoot guys in the junk, and I’ll be very surprised.

Same Guy goes crazy with a rocket laucher in the Suburbs.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iexeWoJcRBE&mode=related&search=

Comment: What kind of tactic is this? Then again, if he tried this in ‘da hood’, he’d probably get people firing back at him. Dope Dealers and Gang Members generally get pissed when you try to bring down their corner.

The Big Chuck Norris moment!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=d55RUgUbW3g

Comment: The entire movie builds up to this moment and Norris simply says, “It’s Time.” At least Arnold and Willis came up with better one-liners that this remark.

The famous Invasion USA trailer!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PzsSsZIpCOU

Comment: Isn’t the beginning a completely different take from the actual scene in the movie? Well, at least the voiceover guy didn’t say, “In a world.”

Friday, June 29, 2007

Diet Coke takes your top off

Diet Coke wants you to take your top off, really.

http://www.shockinghumor.com/videos/4428/Taking_Your_Top_Off

Note: This Ad would have never been shown here in the US. We can show Jack from 24 torture people left and right, but we can’t have ads like this.

Note: I am going to have to try this trick on a hot woman.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Chris Benoit: the story goes on

More and more strange things are coming out of this Chris Benoit murder story.

Someone updated his Wikipedia entry 14 hours before it was announced that his wife was killed.

http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272614403.shtml

((Chris Benoit bizarre twist - A Wikipedia entry for pro wrestler Chris Benoit was updated a full fourteen hours before it was announced that his wife was killed a report from Fox News claims on Thursday. The entry noted that he missed the pay-per-view match for the WWE because his wife had died and was reportedly updated from a computer in Connecticut. That is where the WWE headquarters is located.))

So, who made the update? Was it Chris Benoit doing the edit himself?

This whole story is getting more and more confusing everyday. Read on

The Police raided Benoit’s personal doctor…

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070628/benoit_raid_070628/20070628?hub=TopStories

((Police in Georgia have raided the office of Canadian professional wrestler Chris Benoit's personal physician, authorities said Thursday.

Federal drug agents and sheriff's deputies began carrying out the raid Wednesday night and concluded early Tuesday, reports the Associated Press. ))

In the words of Biff, “What the hell is going on here?”

You want more strange connections? Here ya go

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,287194,00.html

((In related news, FOXNews.com also has learned, through widely posted Web reports, that former pro wrestler Sherri Martel, who was found dead on June 15, was linked to former wrestler Kevin Sullivan — ex-husband of Nancy Benoit.))

Where in the world is Waldo

When Waldo attacks

http://www.layercake.net/2007/06/26/waldo-will-uck-you-up-no-he-will-its-true/

Comment: Who knew Waldo was such a f’ing badass? I don’t want give away anything else about it, just watch.

Think The Blair Witch Project, but with Waldo

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Sonic the Hedgehog Music Bonus clips

Sonic the Hedgehog Music Bonus clips

Tom Vrab does the beats to the Sonic games

Tom Vrab Sonic Drums (part 1)

Tom Vrab Sonic Drums (part 2)

Tom Vrab Sonic Drums (part 3)

This guy’s facial expressions are priceless, plus he’s really good. Watch his reactions to the music.

Case 2: Pop Culture Supreme Court

In the current media environment, are radio personalities being held to a different and tougher standard than their peers in print and on television?

I’m going have to say yes they are generally held to a tougher standard. However, I believe it is because of the environment and history of radio that makes it that way. Yet, there is another factor we have to consider too. Unlike TV and movies, there isn’t a rating system in place for radio. There are only FCC guidelines, which vary. Yet, given the live nature of radio, I don’t see how there could be. Do we really want more regulation from the government on what can be said and not said on the radio? Can we trust the government to oversee this?

Radio personalities do seem to take more flack than say your run of the mill cable network people.

Let me dig a little deeper.

The Shock Factor

After Howard Stern blew up, every radio station wanted to get their own shock jocks. That’s mainly because radio doesn’t know how to create new ideas, and simply clones whatever is marketable. I like raunchy and dirty humor as the next person, there does come a point when it does cross the line.

When the shock factor was then marketed and cloned throughout the US, It would be only a matter of time before someone caused some major trouble.

The Imus Factor

When the Don Imus controversy erupted, I was just a little angry, but as I heard more about the situation. I remember hearing about it not from the Internet, but a local hip-hop station. The DJ, who was a black woman, was really angry, and I understand why. Yet, even after the Imus thing started to settle down a bit, there were discussions about what could be said and what couldn’t.

Looking back on the entire situation, I wished the networks didn’t fire him, not because he was right, but because now anyone can come under fire and lose their job for a mindless remark. Being a black man myself, I know fully well how hurtful the phrase Imus made really was. The remark is generally a way to belittle black women, almost as much as the N-word. Yet, Imus probably should have never lost his job, because I don’t think he was fully aware how cruel the remark was. Imus should be held responsible and apologize, and watched what he said in the future.

Here are some general notes

1. People should demand better radio programming than some of the mess that is out there in the radio industry. We should demand a higher standard of programming.

2. There needs to be a wider range of entertainment and news on radio. When Imus was considered daring and shocking, you know there needs to be better programming. You want to shock people? Force them to think and discuss issues.

3. It’s time to clean up radio, not in content, but by bringing in new blood to change the way radio is run.

Internet notes

The Greaseman Incident.

Opie and Anthony church incident: Why did they think this would be funny? Does this even have an entertainment value?

Howard Stern: Just read his bio.

So the verdict is: Yes, radio personalities are held to a higher standard.

Head over to http://popculturecourt.wordpress.com/ and read the other responses.

Up up and away Part 1

Sean over at the Film Junk has written an article about the Five Reasons Why Comic Book Movies are Bad for the Movie Industry. Now, I can see his angle, but I disagree with most of his points. Now I don’t want to completely rip apart his post.

Problem #1: Tying Up Big Name Filmmakers for Extended Periods of Time

((Essentially we’ve got some of the most creative and visionary directors dedicating all their time to making popcorn movies… perhaps this sounds snobby, but isn’t it a waste of talent? I mean, there’s no question they’ve upped the bar for these comic book flicks, in some cases made them more than mere fluff, but what else are we missing out on?))

Popcorn movie? I generally feel that Superman I and II, X2 and Spiderman 2 are not popcorn movies. The marketing folks might want them to be, but they’re telling a bigger story with characters we care about. Popcorn movies are not this. I personally want the best and the brightest directors making superhero movies not the Ratners of the world. I want a director that understands the character and is there because he loves the comic book stories. Yes, there’s art in these types of movies, despite the studio wanting to sell millions of goofy toys. It all comes down to the director’s decision.

Problem #2: Studios Are Only Interested in Franchises Right Now

((Since the series name can carry itself in a lot of cases, they don’t even need to maintain the same creative team from movie to movie. And now a lot of studios are starting to evaluate all of their projects using the same mentality. They’re not interested in one-off stories, they want something that they can become a franchise to guarantee them a limitless pool of money down the road. Sequels are fine, but in the movie world, stories need to be self-contained. Not every story is (or should be) continuable.))

Again, I have to disagree. I think we can have both a stand-alone story and plot threads that carry over from the one movie to the next. I find it for more interesting when certain threads aren’t completed in the first movie, but dealt with over time. I think it gives the movies a richer connection than say Die Hard. I don’t think they should be like the Lord of the Rings, but remember Superman I did this carry over with the three villains. And, I thought it was brilliant. I’d much rather a character thread or subplot carried throughout the franchise. Think X1-X3.

Problem #3: Studios Are Concentrating All Their Efforts on a Few Blockbusters

Okay, I can see his point here. However, this has to do with Studio managers not being able to see past a few movies that make money. This has been going on way before superhero movies became big. This is a problem with the way studios think.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The Music of Sonic I-II-III: A look back Part 2

Mystic Cave

Sonic 2 Music: Mystic Cave Zone (2-player)

Sonic 2 Music: Mystic Cave Zone (1-player)

Comment: Yeah, the 2 player one is better, but I do like the clown music in the 1 player mode too.

Competition Select (Sonic 3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcJTTbIJgx8

Comment: Listen to the base line and tell me you can’t hear Michael Jackson’s musical touch. You can just hear it.

Casino Night Zone

Sonic 2 Music: Casino Night Zone (2-player)

Comment: I like this one a lot. I don’t really care for 1-player song though.

Emerald Hill Zone

Sonic 2 Music: Emerald Hill Zone (2-player)

Sonic 2 Music: Emerald Hill Zone (1-player)

Comment: 1-player’s song was never as good as Green Hill Zone,

Launch Base Zone

Sonic 3 Music: Launch Base Zone Act 1

Sonic 3 Music: Launch Base Zone Act 2

Comment: This has a bit of MJ’s vibe in it too. You have to wonder if that’s Jackson’s voice in beat. Act 2 is faster than Act 1.

The Music of Sonic I-II-III: A look back Part I

Sonic The Hedgehog some Music Part One

I always enjoyed listening to the nice tunes from the early Sonic games. The songs were something special, when you consider the Big N had cutesy songs for their mascot. Sonic’s music had techno and R&B roots to it, which made you want to play the next stage to hear the newest tune.

Before I begin, I liked to say old school Sonic music kicked Mario Brothers’ ass.

Ice Cap Zone Stages one and two (Sonic III)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obKFRzGK-jw

Comment: As I’ve posted before, many people believe Michael Jackson did many songs for Sonic III. One of the coolest things about Sonic III’s music was that they would have the same theme from in the area, but from Stage I to Stage II or III they would give you a remix of that tune. Listen for MJ’s voice in this song. This is my second favorite song from Sonic III.

Carnival Night Zone (Sonic III)

Sonic 3 Music: Carnival Night Zone Act 1

Sonic 3 Music: Carnival Night Zone Act 2

Comment: This is my favorite song from Sonic 3. It certainly has that hip-hop vibe. Act I is faster than act II, but I like the remixed style of Act II.

Spring Yard Zone

Sonic 1 Music: Spring Yard Zone

Comment: This has a very RB feel, but most of Sonic 1 songs have this feel.

Star Light Zone

Sonic 1 Music: Star Light Zone

Comment: This is another one that I really enjoyed when I first played Sonic I. It also has a very 80s R&B vibe. Listen for the ring sound used in the music, very clever.

Green Hill Zone

Sonic 1 Music: Green Hill Zone

Comment: Ah, yes the classic. Take that, Mario.

Sky Chase Zone

Sonic 2 Music: Sky Chase Zone

Comment: I like the middle section.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Smokin’ Aces

Smokin’ Aces

While I really liked the all the actors in the movie, I’m not certain I like the movie that much. I’m just not certain at all. The movie is about all these hitmen going after a guy named Buddy 'Aces' Israel (Jeremy Piven), which includes the government that wants him to testify against the Mob. The movie is bloody and deserves it R-Rating, and I’m not complaining at all about the intense violence. Yet, there’s something missing from the story. It feels incomplete somehow.

Yet, you have some really good actors in the film such as Ray Liotta and
Andy Garcia. Maybe I didn’t care enough for most of the characters and it turned into a shootout between people I didn’t care about.

Alicia Keys is lovely, sexy and pretty good in her first movie role, which is interesting because she has a great deal of screen time. Matthew Fox is almost unrecognizable in his small part, and I can’t believe what Jason Bateman did in the movie.

So, if you want to see some pretty good shootouts, but not a deep or meaningful movie, this might be okay for you. I’d see it for Alicia Keys if I were you.

Grade: C-

That Bunny Head might be a Silent Hill reference. It’s true; there are many bunny suits in the Silent Hill series, bloody suits.
_________________________________________________________
So, is he a Jedi?
__________________________________________________
Semaj: “Look, Alicia Keys, I just asked for your phone number. You didn’t have to get all ‘Pulp Fiction’ on me.”

Knocked Up

Knocked Up

This movie was able to mix the raunchy stuff from the 40 Year Old Virgin and mix it with a somewhat delightful relationship story. The story is about a one-night-stand between two completely different people that goes wrong when the woman ends up ‘knocked up’. With this relationship comedy, Judd Apatow is able convey the completely different worlds these two characters live, and yet somehow they have to learn to live together.

While I found Apatow’s 40 Year to be funnier, Knocked Up has more heart. I am a guy who generally hates babies and kids, but yet I even found this story to have a kind of a nice message. It’s a message about making a relationship work and we have to give a little away to make it work. Don’t get me wrong; this movie is dirty, hell really dirty. There are a lot of boob shots and nudity from both males and females. There’s also a gross out shot of the ‘birthing process’ thrown in for good measure, but I think nearly everyone has seen actual footage of a woman giving birth not to be too shocked by it.

There is a great deal of witty dialogue in this movie that is even better than some of the sight gags. Apatow knows how to let the actors read his lines, but add their own mark to the material. In a strange way, some of it reminded me of Kevin Smith’s work. And, I think the way these characters speak to each other is one of the stronger portions of the film. Seth Rogen’s friends speak a certain way and Katherine Heigl’s people another.

Probably, what will start to get on people’s nerves is the long running time for a comedy. Comedies generally have a shorter running time. I felt the last 20 minutes started to get stale, and didn’t have the wit the rest of the movie had. But, don’t let that scare you away. (Note: another negative is the multiple Spiderman III mentions. Did Spiderman III know it was going to get this much promotion within the film?)

Grade B+

Note: I really hate Ryan Seacrest, but his cameo and rant about young Hollywood was one of the best scenes in the movie. I loved seeing Seacrest make fun of himself.

Note II: There’s a crack at Matthew Fox in the film too.

Movie Announcer Voice Guy: “In a world where One Night Stands are dangerous, and one couple defies a corrupt society where a mad man is President…”
________________________________________________________
You the know Housing Market has really taken a hit when you see this picture.
___________________________________________________________

Katherine Heigl: “They say the Men in Black use this device to wipe out short term memory.”

Leslie Mann: “Do you believe that?”

Katherine Heigl: “Only one way to find out.”

She presses the button and a white flash comes out.

Katherine Heigl: “They say the Men in Black use this device to wipe out short term memory.”

Leslie Mann: “Do you believe that?”

Katherine Heigl: “Only one way to find out.”

She presses the button and a white flash comes out.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Timberlake vs Old School Jackson

Here's a pretty good Mash-up video and remix with Justin Timberlake and Micheal Jackson's songs Don't Stop Til You Get Enough and Rock Your Body.

Timberlake's songs generally have MJ vibe to them anyway. This guy did a pretty good job mixing the two.

50 Good Things About Return of the Jedi (31-40)

31. When Luke turns himself in to the Empire: I really enjoyed seeing the AT-AT and Vader turning on Luke’s new saber. This entire scene has a whole new meaning when you watch the entire six films. When you watch all the Ewok shit and compare it to this stuff, you can see that most of the Ewok stuff is pure garbage.

32. It’s a Trap!: I loved when the rebel fleet flies into the system, thinking they have the upper hand, but they soon discover it’s a freaking trap. The FX of the ships breaking away from the force shield is amazing to see.

33. The swarm of Tie-Fighters: “There’s too many of them.” The shots are fast and neat to watch. When I was a child, I was really into this entire scene. You get the sense how vast space is with the different angles the ships take.

34. The meeting between the Emperor and Luke: The music works and the directions in the scene are subtle. I enjoyed watching the Emperor try to convince Luke to join the dark side. Check here for more insight into the subtext of the interactions between Luke, Vader and the Emperor. There's more going on here than meets the eye.

35. The Emperor unlocking Luke’s handcuffs: There is a hint here that this crumpled old man has more power than he lets on. It is small, but a foreshadowing moment.

36. That Thing is fully operational!: Man, just seeing the Death Star take pot shots at the larger ships in the rebel fleet is a great and shocking moment. Some really good FX shots of the rebel ships flying away from the exploding ships are also worth noting

37. Vader is fast: Just as Luke grabs his Light-saber, Vader already has his out, and ready for battle. I also like when Vader throws his saber to knock down an entire platform. Note: I love the way James Earl Jones says, “A sister…”

38. Cannon Fire from the bigger ships: When the rebel fleet engages the Empire’s fleet, if you look closely, you can see the ships firing cannon like shots at each other from the sides. Lucas wouldn’t forget this and add it to Revenge of Sith for the big battle at the beginning. So, he wasn’t pulling this stuff out of his ass.

39. The Explosion of the shield base/The Fighters enter the Death Star: I generally hate most of the stuff on the planet, but when they blow up the entire base, it is a nice explosion. It gives us a nice look at how big the base was. I like how it switches to the space battle and we see the fighters enter interior of the Death Star. This whole sequence is very detailed and fast. Plus, we get to see once again that Tie-fighter pilots suck at flying with one of them crashing into a pipe. “Copy, Gold Leader.”

40. “So be it, Jedi.”: The whole bit with The Emperor switching his attude on a dime was a nice treat. Watch his face. The lightening bolts owning Luke were well done too. Listen to the sound when they hit Luke. “Father, please…”

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Ham Tyler

Remember V: The Final Battle? This was the second mini-series in this very cool show. In the beginning of the second mini-series, they introduced two very dark characters one of them being Ham Tyler, played by Michael Ironside. Ironside played as a sort of anti-hero with a shady past. And whenever you have a revolution, you generally have to ally yourself with these types of shady people in order to get something done.

One of the best scenes with Ham was when they rebels defeat a Visitor base and Ham stands over the alien leader and pours this red dye right in his face, thus killing him in a slow and painful manner. It was a very cool moment.

Ham Tyler’s introduction

Just having Ham show up at the end of this scene is cool

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hYkrW4je4GY&mode=related&search=

He simply says, “Next time.”

Friday, June 22, 2007

Superbad

Superbad

I’m not sure if this will be a good movie, but these are some kick ass trailers

Here’s the unedited trailer http://youtube.com/watch?v=YCcagk26siA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MNpoTxeydiY

I’m guessing this is the 40-year-old virgin meets American Pie.

BTW, I still need to see Knocked Up.

Direct to DVD

Direct to DVD Sequels you didn’t know about…

Half Past Dead 2: Did you know that there is a follow up to the dreadful Steven Seagal/ Ja Rule movie? Yep, and they actually got a worst cast than the one in the first movie. Bill Goldberg and Kurupt, too bad they didn’t throw in Stone Cold. You know a movie is bad when they couldn’t afford to bring Ja Rule back.

Bring It on Again and Bring It On: All or Nothing: Yep, they made two more crappy movies. Think of this series as the new Mighty Ducks.

Walking Tall 2 and Walking Tall 3: So what do you do to a movie that’s already a remake of a TV show that is a remake of a movie based on real life events? You make two crappy follow-ups with the ultimate tool Kevin Sorbo! I actually laughed when I saw this on the stands at Blockbusters.

Inside Man II

Inside Man II

http://imdb.com/title/tt0893499/

Comment: I loved the first movie, and I thought it was one of Spike Lee’s best films. Yet, do we really need a sequel? I felt the first movie was a self-contained story and a follow up would hurt the first one. But, I will keep an open mind.

Looking at other sources, it would appear they’re at the writing stage of the pre-production.

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/05112006/6/lee-developing-quot-inside-man-quot-sequel-0.html

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Another-Inside-Man-3788.html

So, does that mean we can look forward to She Hate Me II: The Revenge or Bamboozled II: The Aftermath? I certainly hope not.

Corridor of Time at look at a two Chrono Trigger songs

Chrono: “As long as my hair doesn't turn gold, we don't have to worry about those Dragon Ball Z guys.”

More Video Game Music coming your way...(Chrono Trigger 600 AD theme)

This time I thought I'd present some of Yasunori Mitsuda's best music from Chrono Trigger.

The one I want to you to listen to is a track called 600 A.D. (The Wind Theme). It's amazing how well written this theme was and it's nice to listen to. (Note: Each time period in the game has its own theme music.)

As it is played in the game: Certainly better instrumentation than FF7.

Sarah Plays a nice version on Piano: Okay, she's playing it a little too fast, but I like her arrangement of the theme.

This guy is pretty good: I still think it's a little too fast. He does a good job with the middle portion.

Here it is on the Guitar: I think it works here. I wonder if Mitsuda composed it on guitar

This one is pretty good: He Keeps the counter medley complex, which I like. He gives us a nice break in the middle too. I like this guy's take on theme. He's very good. Like the others he's a bit too fast, but still a good one.

This person has a nice slower pace: I like it, but some of the moving background notes are a bit much.

Uh, I'm not going to give this one away, just watch: I'll give him points for using that instrument.

____________________________________________

Corridor of Time

Here's another great song from Chrono Trigger

Corridor of Time is probably my favorite song in the entire game. Basically, the theme is the theme for the Zeal Kingdom.

As it is played in the game: Some of the basic themes from this track will make their way into Chrono Trigger.

Pretty Nice: It is complex song, so I'll tip my hat to her for playing it.

Someone playing this theme in a Night Club: Not a bad arrangement, and I think piano player is best one out of the group.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

WOW and kids

A World of Warcraft nerd cries to his mom and dad.

http://gigglesugar.com/332913

I guess this is real. A kid gets in trouble for playing WOW all day. When his parents want him to stop, he argues with them and cries, and gets grounded. From firsthand experience, I played this game over someone’s house for hours and it is very addicting, but I don’t think I’d cry over it.

The best part is the guys listening in to the family argument on the Web.

Stan Lee action man

Stan Lee has his own action figure coming out…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070620/ap_en_ot/people_stan_lee

Comment: At the age of 84, He might be the oldest action figure character out there.

(("We feel it's long overdue that Stan Lee be immortalized as an action figure, much like the dozens of marvelous characters that he has created for years and years," said Eric Nyman, Hasbro's vice president of marketing. "And it couldn't be more fitting than to create him as a `Marvel Legends' figure."))

I think it’s neat that he’s getting his own figure. I want to know who is next?

JMS: Creator of B5 and one of Marvel’s writers

Frank Miller: It could work

George Lucas: I’ll sit next to my Jar-Jar and Ewok action figures.

Semaj: I want an action figure of myself.

The Buzz is bad

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19295076/

A movie I probably won’t catch on its first run is this Evan Almighty. I didn’t like Bruce Almighty, so I didn’t really think they needed to make another movie. Sure Morgan Freeman was great, but Jim Carrey worrying about his girlfriend during most of the movie was annoying.

Sure, Steve Carell gets a pass because he was extremely funny as the 40-year-old-virgin, bet I am not a fan of most of Steve Oedekerk’s scripts. (Kung Pow was funny).

The worst part is the fact that this movie is considered one of the most expensive comedic movies of its time. I understand that FX has a huge price tag, but paying a lot for a Comedy is crazy.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Evil Cartoons

Religious Guys discuss the Evils of Voltron and The Transformers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tzwNi_1Bhw

Comment: This clips comes from some show in the 80s. The two dorks discuss the evil nature of witchcraft and cult activities in these 80s shows.

They say it shows ‘people’ dying on the Transformers clip. Actually, if they did research, they’d find out these robots didn’t die. The clip is a flashback to a character named Prime before he became the leader of the Autobots. He gets rebuilt along with his girlfriend.

I then started getting a little angry when he says the shows have influences from ‘Mystic Religions’ from the East. The remark borders on complete racism.

Hand Dancing

Hand Dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cYWfq--Nw

Uh, at first I was a little iffy about this, until she starting using her hands with the words from the song. I'm not saying anything else about it. Just watch, this girl has skills.

This is just another reason why the Internet kicks TV's ass.

Update: I'm guessing these are a Dude's hands...

Spiderman’s Theme vs. Superman’s Theme

Spiderman’s Theme vs. Superman’s Theme

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hGC1R6q6JuE

Taken in the same style as the other parody Marvel vs. DC. A different guy does it, but I love how he makes fun of Spiderman’s theme song. There is also a knock against the new Transformers movie as well. Bumblebee only uses music to talk to people, or at least that’s the rumor.

Some people say Spiderman doesn’t have a theme song, or at least a strong theme song. I disagree. I think Elfman took a more complex direction with the theme.

Unlike the Superman Theme, you can’t sing the tune. And in the video, Spiderman tries.

He did another funny one, where Bumblebee owns Spiderman and Superman!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZSZDt1SL8R0

Radio Killed the Blogger

I just wanted to give you all a heads up that the Pop Culture Supreme Court will have another decision up on June 27. So, make sure you check it out.

In the current media environment, are radio personalities being held to a different and tougher standard than their peers in print and on television?

It should be interesting.

Movie Popcorn is bad for you

Evil Movie Popcorn is a killer

Comment: When I went to see Ocean's 13, I noticed a couple with a big bag of movie popcorn. I thought to myself, I bet they had to take out a loan to even get the popcorn and tickets. Think about how much money you spend on the Junk food from these theaters.

When I go to the theaters, I never buy anything from the theater food stands. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like spending 4.00 on a f'ing soda pop. And another 3-4 on freaking dry ass popcorn. On the few dates I've taken to the theaters, I've basically told them to smuggle the drinks and snacks into the theater in their purses.

When I go to the theater, I generally don't want to be shoving large handfuls of stale popcorn into my mouth. I'm there for the stinking movie.

Side story time...

I went to see a movie once in a crowded theater and I was forced to sit beside an overweight fanboy who generally didn't smell too swell. He got the super tub of popcorn with the smell of fake butter weaving off the top.

As the movie went on, he would pour the popcorn into his mouth with his shovel-like hands. His smacking of his lips got on my nerves, but I was able to get through most of the movie. Well, toward the last portion of the film, I guess he had enough of the popcorn, so he passed it to me!

“Here, take it,” he said, shaking the tub of popcorn.

I waved him off.

“I don't want anymore, you have it,” he said.

I didn't want to be a complete jerk, so I took it to please him. Of course, as everyone knows you never finish movie popcorn because the last layer of popcorn at the bottom is always the worst. It is made up of dry and small crumbs. I'm sure he thought, Dumb ass is really going to eat that mess.

You know what, I did...

It was bad.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Myspace II: Space Forever

Yet, more Myspace loving

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=201808262

Yeah, she sent a request to be a ‘friend’. She offers a link to show us more of her.

Her name is Gia.

She’s got a cute face, but I don’t like the fake boobs.

I’m sure it was some fat hairy guy that created this myspace account.

Crazy lady

There are some crazy people on the Internet. However, there are some really crazy people out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSvChlVUJDc

Comment: Yes, she completely breaks down in front of her webcam. Basically, she goes from crying to turning completely insane. The story goes that she cheated on her Youtube ranking and here she says it was ‘promotion’. Okay…

So if I rob a bank, I can merely call it a pay increase, right?

Well, she left youtube and it appears she just got out of jail!

Just scroll down to the screen and ignore all the flash shit.

I think she’s attractive, but I would never want to cross her, because I’d end up in her backyard buried.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Soundtrack Review Part 2

Back for the second part of my Pirates review…

7. The Brethren Court: It begins with the Jack Sparrow theme and morphs into one of the newer themes in the score. I liked the low male voices in this section. The track then turns into a playful comedic tone with some silly stuff thrown in. I didn’t really enjoy some of the stuff at the end, but it is a short track.

8. Parlay: As every reviewer has stated, this is Hans Zimmer’s tribute to Ennio Morricone. It is purely a Morricone Western cue. It is totally out of character with the rest of the score, but I’m sure it was thrown in for Film Score fans. The guitar has a little bit of Broken Arrow vibe as well. It’s a fun little cue.

9. Calypso: Not my favorite track, but there are some intense Chorus notes in there.

10. What Shall We Die For: The track has an Armageddon feel at the beginning, but I love the military drums and the build up to the Chorus singing at the end, which leads us directly into track 11.

11. I Don't Think Now is the Best Time: This is the big track with the big battle. Here’s where Zimmer mixes many of his major themes together in one final battle. The Chorus is strong and we get a lot of Zimmer’s action ‘hits’. Some of the cues I don’t care for, but the Chorus saves those portions. The Jack Sparrow theme comes back in full force and it’s fun to hear it doing battle with chorus themes. The Love Theme also shows up and adds its hand in the mix followed by the old school Pirates Theme from the first movie. Part of the fun is to spot every theme Zimmer has in this track.

12. One Day: Here’s another track I love. Yeah, there are a few too many Armageddon notes at the beginning for my tastes, but it really turns into a heart-felt song around the 1:30 mark. Here, Zimmer combines all his major new themes and turns it into a touching song. It ends on a nice flute solo.

13. Drink Up Me Hearties: We are at the end, and Zimmer saves his best for the last track. He's a Pirate theme comes in and it changes into a small bit with the Jack Sparrow theme. From there we get a faster paced suite of Zimmer’s new themes before ending on a very Batman Begins ending.

Overview

Something inside Zimmer changed during the time between this and the Pirates II soundtrack. I can see him saying, “I’m going to write a score like John Williams did back in the 70s and 80s.” In this score, there are some wonderfully conceived themes that Zimmer wasn’t afraid to explore. He knows how to turn a romantic cue into an action cue on a dime. This score shows that Zimmer is growing out of his action phase into a more traditional composer.

Well done, Zimmer

Grade: B

Monday, June 18, 2007

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Soundtrack Review Part I

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Soundtrack Review Part I

Okay, a lot of people are taking dumps on the movie. They simply hate the movie. Somehow, Zimmer is getting a lot of flack for his work, yet surprisingly it’s one his better scores he’s made recently.

For the third movie, he’s nearly moved completely away synthetic sounds he’s used in many of his scores. He’s basically using a huge orchestra with only a few synth added to score. At World’s End is a richer score than the other two pirate movies combined.

He’s added some new themes and thrown in an Asian feel to some of the tracks, which is a nice touch. Plus, He’s brought back many of the major themes from the other movies as well, but his new stuff outshines the old material.

Note: I haven’t seen the movie yet, so I’m reviewing it from the soundtrack point of view.

Let’s get started on the tracks shall we.

1. Hoist the Colours: This is a dark track, and it opens with a drum roll. A child’s voice sings followed by some men. It’s short, but works nicely.

2. Singapore: It opens with a slow classical Asian feel to it, with some of Zimmer’s famous ‘hit’ chords. I loved the way this track opens. Somehow, Zimmer fights the urge to use his Last Samurai stuff, which was a good choice. The track moves faster with some more Asian music and action cues. It slows down and plays some of the same notes that were at the beginning. The track completely changes gears and we hear the famous Pirates of the Caribbean theme ending with the Jack Sparrow theme. This is a great track with a very East meets West feel.

3. At Wit's End: This track is long, and we hear another new theme in the opening. I believe it’s the Love Theme, but I could be wrong. I can’t tell you how much I love this new theme. There’s some real Chorus work here with some creepy female voices, giving us another new theme. The music builds up until we hear the return of the Music Box from part II playing the Davy Jones theme. The Davy Jones theme mixes with the Love Theme, and Zimmer does an outstanding job mixing the two themes. The track builds up to a grand version of the Davy Jones theme. The only weak portion of this amazing track is the action junk at the end.

4. Multiple Jacks: There some horror, sort of Silent Hill, elements at the start, and then it goes into a playful Jack Sparrow theme. There are hints of some Asian tones mixed in with this strange track. This track is completely different from anything that’s come before. I’m not sure if I like it or not.

5. Up is Down: We hear one of the newer themes in a bright and up-tempo. I love how each instrument bounces around this playful theme. This is a fun track to listen to.

6. I See Dead People in Boats: Zimmer takes the theme we just heard in the last track and makes it a somber beginning here. It’s very nice to hear Zimmer have a lot of fun with this theme. We return to some dark music with some creepy female voices. The track picks up and ends on some action stuff. Not the best track, but there are some good things to listen for here.

End Part 1

Ocean's Thirteen

Ocean’s Thirteen

It’s safe to say that the second movie in the series will always be the weakest of the three films, and there was only one way to go with the third film…back to its roots. That means the crew returns back to Vegas. This time Willie Bank (Al Pacino) is the main bad guy, and he’s a mean SOB too. After Bank puts one of the guys in the hospital, Danny Ocean and his crew decide to get revenge on Bank, but this time they need outside assistance from an unlikely source. That’s when the fun begins.

After a rather boring start, the movie starts to take off once they initiate planning the big heist. It feels like the entire crew is in fine form in this movie, unlike the last one. Everyone appears to be having fun, and it translates well to the people watching the movie. On a whole, the story is slightly weaker than the first movie, but has wonderful moments that just make you laugh and cheer them on. I loved the entire subplot about one of Danny’s guys starting a labor revolution in Mexico; despite it was never a part of the bigger plan.

Pacino is just badass as the main bad guy, and Pitt is charming as ever. I felt Clooney was a little too weak in this film, but still a fun character to watch. I don’t want to give away anything, but say that the movie works for the most part. Not as entertaining at number one, but it comes close.

Welcome back Ocean.

Grade B+

Die Harding

Bruce Talks Die Hard 4

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=20922

While the PG-13 thing does get on my nerves, I do like some of the things coming out of the trailers. Plus, I have to give credit to Bruce Willis for answering questions and making fun of Bay on Ain’t it Cool News.

Bruce Willis has proven time and time again that’s he’s a good actor, and yet I’m not sold on this new director.

Question: Did we really need the new trailer to give away that his daughter has been kidnapped? Can we keep some plot points covered up when selling a film?


((Second Life: You've said that this movie is as good as the first. Could you elaborate on that?
Willis: Well, two things. Len Wiseman and I both were of a similar mind in that we wanted the film to have as little CGI effects in it as possible. We wanted the film to be as hardcore as possible and as smashmouth when it came to the violence as possible, to have stunts and kills in the film that were unique, which posed a particular set of problems because you not only had to compete with our own first three films, but with the "Lethal Weapon" series and all the other knock-offs of the "Die Hard" films that have been done since 1986, of which there are many. Not to mention how good stunts and special effects have become on TV shows like "24," of which I'm a big fan. TV's come a long way, you know. Special effects, especially CGI effects, have been made much more cost-effective since those days. So Len, I think really more than myself, was really responsible for some of the big set pieces in this film. It wasn't until I saw the film cut together that I realized how big a part of the mythology of "Die Hard" elevators are. There's an elevator scene in every one of the films and now, in the fourth instalment, there's a huge set piece with this ongoing fight that I have with Maggie Q, who plays this expert martial artist. I have to fight her in order to… I actually have to take a tremendous beating in order to give Justin Long time enough to do what he has to do from the technical side.))

Well, having Maggie Q in the film is a big plus in my book.

BTW, loved Bruce’s cameo in Loaded Weapon 1.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

To Zanarkand and back

The music to Final Fantasy X was truly amazing and heartfelt. It was a touching tribute to all the fine work of Nobuo Uematsu has done over the years. FFX has different vibe from many of his other scores. It is more New Age and While I understand why left the FF series, but I miss his music.

One of the best songs from the game soundtrack was 'To Zanarkand'.

Here is the way the song is presented in the game.

Here's a young lady playing it nicely on her piano. Her name is Maaikees and she has some skills. (Only one thing, I think she plays it a little too fast. It should have a more somber pace.)

Orchestra Version: This one is simply wonderful to listen to, check it out. It has a nice arrangement to it.

Bonus Clip, A guy in a Banana Suit playing it: I'm not making this up, he plays the piano with a Banana suit on. Yes, I'm easily amused. I guess his “sh*t really is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S”. Is it Peanut Butter Jelly Time FFX style?

Best FFX Character EVER

RIAA: I'm telling on you

RIAA, you're a jerk...

I found this on Digg, and I have share this. Basically, a Professor at University of Central England had a link that member of a record company didn't like. The Record exec asked him to remove some anti-RIAA links.

When the blogger did do it, the Exec threatened to tell his University!

Here's more of the story...

I can't believe this, so free speech gone? We can't say anything negative about the RIAA or they'll tell on us? This is like grade school behavior.

Here's the statement.
"It expresses opinion, it’s not factual. If you persist then I shall make a formal complaint to the University.

Your choice."

I hate to break it to you, but having an opinion doesn't mean you have to be factual, it is merely your opinion. Like it or not people have opinions, and telling on them just makes their opinions negative on you, Mr. Birch.

Note: I'm sure I'll become a target of the RIAA Empire now...

More Myspace Fun

Giving the Myspace 'picture'

More Fun with Myspace

As you already know, I hate Myspace, yet I have an account there. I never use it except to look up friends I used to work with and I only have Tom as a ‘friend’. Considering there’s nothing on my page, you would think people wouldn’t be bothered with me. I was wrong…

Then I got this strange message in my inbox with a close up of some woman's ass. I guess she just wanted to be up front about the whole thing and give me the goods up front. Well, Ashley has a site, imagine that, that has various pictures of her taking pictures of herself. I'm not leaving a link to her site, but you can find it her blog entries .

Okay, so she's sort of cute, in a goth kind of way. I'm a brother and I'm down, but I'm amazed she was able to tell that I'm a great guy from seeing my Myspace profile, which has nothing on it.

The sad thing is I'm having better luck with 'fake' webcam girls than with the Real Life ladies.

So, thank you for spamming me, Ashley.

Note: With the Skull on her shirt, she doesn’t look like an Ashley.

Supergirl Returns

The Samurai Frog has a neat concept for a new Supergirl movie.

http://samuraifrog.blogspot.com/2007/06/movie-ideas-2.html

I’ve always liked the various stories behind Supergirl and I was thrilled when they brought her back into the DC fold. Plus, she had some kind of special power to keep her skirt from flying up too. Anyway, check out the link above.

I also like seeing how each artist draws her. I found Bruce Timm’s version an interesting take on her by not really giving her a busty size, but a normal girl look. Don’t get me wrong because I find This Picture to be one of the hottest pictures ever between Power Girl and Supergirl.

Helen Slater didn't kill the franchise alone. She had help from an evil group called The Salkinds.

Note the lame product-placement in the back with stupid lettering. 'Love that Chicken'

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Supergirl from Bruce Timm's universe. I always liked the friendship she had with Batgirl in this Universe. Later on, they would change her look to resemble the more recent version from the comic books.

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Okay, so she's sort of Elf-like, but I always liked her look here.

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Ah, Powergirl, another form of Supergirl. She's like the 7 of 9 of comics. If I were a male superhero and I had to work with her, I'd be more than a little distracted by her.

 
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