10.1.07
There was once a time when virtues were praised in this society. I can remember growing up and being taught life lesson to be polite, nice, courteous, unselfish. I want to know what happened to kindness. Where did we get screwed up were these qualities are no longer admired? We live in a world where rudeness and bad behavior litter the domain of a once innocent existence. In this place, vices infect, dilute and undermine those now hollowed values that were once instinctively fought for. We look to drown ourselves in alcohol, partying constantly, and overdosing on any kind of drug we can find that will alter our feelings and ability to live. Choosing to “live for the now and not give a f#*!”. And if you’re not apart of these activities then you are shunned as an outcast. “Not cool”. “Lame”. “Boring”.
Nice guys finish last. You have to be an asshole. You’ve got to be rude, crude and obscene to get ahead. I have found that to be certainly true. You just can’t be nice, honest and polite and expect to be noticed and respected. It’s like people have to know that you can bitch them out in order to pay attention to you. They have to fear you to do what you ask. You just can’t ask. You must demand; command.
I was once asked what my vice was. And I honestly could not answer immediately. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t do drugs. I believe in being loyal to your partner. I believe in telling the truth. The group of guys that asked me just started laughing and saying that I had to have something. Somehow these qualities are considered as being weak. That I can’t handle certain things just because I’m sober 24/7.
I wonder if we are swirling around the bottom of the bowl. Are we going to consistently degrade? Getting worse and worse. Will we ever realize that by doing what we do now we are only showing kids that this is the way they should act? And they will. Then, they teach there kids. And so on and so on. The same shit that plasters the walls will corrupt and break down the entire building.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Artistic Filmmaking: Art or Fart?
Why is it that so many young filmmakers feel the need to make an artistic film. First of all, isn’t the act of filmmaking art in itself. I could be wrong but that’s what I believe. Why is it that they feel their films need to be artistic and complex and so dynamic. Don’t get me wrong all that is great. And I love artistic films. Even though I don’t get most of them. And that’s the thing, most artistic films that I like are done by experienced filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky and Stanley Kubrick just to name a few. Art films can be great but they are difficult to make and even more difficult to get your point across. So why would someone so inexperienced attempt to make a film that is so much more difficult to produce. I feel that every time someone makes a film they must take their audience into consideration. Do they have a target audience? If so they really need to make the film so the audience can relate to it and that way understand and enjoy it more.
Second, what’s wrong with just making an entertaining film? Why does everything have to be so big, and artistic and Academy Award winning? What’s the big deal with that. I would say 90% of my favorite films are just ones that are flat out more entertaining than anything else. Now, in those there is some political/social commentary and visually/technically appealing ones as well. But for the most part they are films you can just sit down and enjoy. Anytime.
The answer to these questions is originality. People and filmmakers seem to believe that there are no original stories worth telling without making it artistic or having a complex story with millions of characters and thousands of plot twists (i.e. CRASH). Nothing can be straightforward storytelling anymore. It’s considered lazy and unoriginal. Therefore young filmmakers see the opportunity for making a mark by creating an artistic film. Personally I’d rather make, and see, something that I enjoy and deals with topics that I like and can relate to. For example, my favorite type of film is a zombie apocalypse film, even though they have spread into popularity quicker than a zombie outbreak itself. Seems like every year a dozen major/semi-major ones are being released. It would start to get old for me if they weren't so darn entertaining. As more are released they seem to become an archetype as if there is a blueprint for them that everyone is using. But I like them regardless. And most of those are straightforward, entertaining horror films that try to scare you and freak you out with gore. Most people don’t like that or can only take it in small dosages. I love it.
My point is I wish we could make movies without having to worry about whether it’s been done before or being artistic and just create something that people can sit down and be taken away from their world for two hours and just be entertained.
Second, what’s wrong with just making an entertaining film? Why does everything have to be so big, and artistic and Academy Award winning? What’s the big deal with that. I would say 90% of my favorite films are just ones that are flat out more entertaining than anything else. Now, in those there is some political/social commentary and visually/technically appealing ones as well. But for the most part they are films you can just sit down and enjoy. Anytime.
The answer to these questions is originality. People and filmmakers seem to believe that there are no original stories worth telling without making it artistic or having a complex story with millions of characters and thousands of plot twists (i.e. CRASH). Nothing can be straightforward storytelling anymore. It’s considered lazy and unoriginal. Therefore young filmmakers see the opportunity for making a mark by creating an artistic film. Personally I’d rather make, and see, something that I enjoy and deals with topics that I like and can relate to. For example, my favorite type of film is a zombie apocalypse film, even though they have spread into popularity quicker than a zombie outbreak itself. Seems like every year a dozen major/semi-major ones are being released. It would start to get old for me if they weren't so darn entertaining. As more are released they seem to become an archetype as if there is a blueprint for them that everyone is using. But I like them regardless. And most of those are straightforward, entertaining horror films that try to scare you and freak you out with gore. Most people don’t like that or can only take it in small dosages. I love it.
My point is I wish we could make movies without having to worry about whether it’s been done before or being artistic and just create something that people can sit down and be taken away from their world for two hours and just be entertained.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
The CELTICS are BACK!
8.4.07
The Celtics are Back!
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Boston Celtics ever since I could remember. I grew up during the Bird era in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the Celtics haven’t been much competition since Larry Bird left in 1992. They’ve had mild success with Paul Pierce, the current face of the franchise, and Antoine Walker in the late nineties and have only been to the playoffs six times since Bird’s departure. But, last year was one of their worst seasons ever which saw a franchise record 18-game losing streak. It was clear to everyone, including the Celtics’ director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, that a change was needed. And that’s exactly happened.
The trade for All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen immediately following this year’s NBA draft on June 28th was an attempt to change the trend of the previous three years to draft and build young players. Instead choosing to trade young talent and acquire valuable veteran players who can make an impact immediately. However, Allen wasn’t the only support for Paul Pierce Ainge was going to get.
On July 30th, the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett, the All-Star power forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and one of my favorite players. The blockbuster deal sent a number of young soon to be stars to the T-Wolves including up and coming Al Jefferson. It was definitely a hefty price, but I can’t be happier. Garnett has consistently been one of the top players in the league for many years. Now with Ray Allen, who is one of the best long-range shooters in the league, and Paul Pierce, who shows no signs of stopping his brilliance in the organization, the Celtics are already contenders and one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. And more importantly, these recent moves show me that the team does care about winning and getting back to the level of the once dominant Boston Celtics of previous years.
The Celtics are Back!
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Boston Celtics ever since I could remember. I grew up during the Bird era in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the Celtics haven’t been much competition since Larry Bird left in 1992. They’ve had mild success with Paul Pierce, the current face of the franchise, and Antoine Walker in the late nineties and have only been to the playoffs six times since Bird’s departure. But, last year was one of their worst seasons ever which saw a franchise record 18-game losing streak. It was clear to everyone, including the Celtics’ director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, that a change was needed. And that’s exactly happened.
The trade for All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen immediately following this year’s NBA draft on June 28th was an attempt to change the trend of the previous three years to draft and build young players. Instead choosing to trade young talent and acquire valuable veteran players who can make an impact immediately. However, Allen wasn’t the only support for Paul Pierce Ainge was going to get.
On July 30th, the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett, the All-Star power forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and one of my favorite players. The blockbuster deal sent a number of young soon to be stars to the T-Wolves including up and coming Al Jefferson. It was definitely a hefty price, but I can’t be happier. Garnett has consistently been one of the top players in the league for many years. Now with Ray Allen, who is one of the best long-range shooters in the league, and Paul Pierce, who shows no signs of stopping his brilliance in the organization, the Celtics are already contenders and one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. And more importantly, these recent moves show me that the team does care about winning and getting back to the level of the once dominant Boston Celtics of previous years.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Film Review: THE HOST
7.24.07
Film Review: GWOEMUL a.k.a THE HOST (2006) D: Joon-Ho Bong
First let me start out by saying the trailers and previews for this film were amazing when I saw them. I’ve been trying to see this film seen I saw the trailer three months ago. I got it the first day it came on DVD. Needless to say, I had high expectations.
Well, it let me down. Big time. I was really disappointed. Everything I’ve seen and been hearing about the film, even now after I’ve seen it, is how this is such a great “monster movie” and how it’s one of the best “horror films”. All that’s bull shit. First of all it’s not a “monster movie”. It’s a creature feature. Straight out of the fifties’ Big Bug movies and government experiments gone wrong. Just like GODZILLA. Another Asian creation. In fact it is incredibly similar to GODZILLA. I don’t understand why this particular film has been getting so much great publicity. Yes, there were great special effects. Yes, the mutation did look pretty cool.
The first time you see the mutation, when it’s just hanging there and all the people are looking at it talking about what it could be. Then, it moves suddenly and jumps in the water. The first thing it reminded me of was ALIEN. I got extremely excited. Unfortunately, that was the apex of my excitement for the whole film.
This film is an integration of a variety of genres that range from horror to comedy to fantasy to drama and so on. However, I personally like horror films to have a level of seriousness and sincerity to it otherwise it looses it’s appeal and can make it seem campy and silly. Thus, not gaining a maximum entertainment value based on fear and being scared. Which is the essence of a Horror film. This film fluctuates so much from that it’s hard to gage what emotion you as an audience member are trying to feel. For example, the funeral seen. First the name of the scene kind of tells you that it’s going to be serious and heart-felt. Guess again. Humorous. Distastefully so. I understand the difference between horror and comedy. And that if you can make someone laugh at a situation you can also make them get scared just as easily. That’s the beauty about blending comedy and horror. I just feel that it was not done well in THE HOST.
Another thing I notice with THE HOST, and with many Asian films, is a loss of translation. I don’t understand why in a lot of Asian films they turn to comedy to alleviate the tension in a scene instead of trying to take it to the next level. They bring it back down with comedy. It’s like that in some horror flick and just about any martial arts films and a bunch of action films as well. Let’s say they just need to stick to what kind of film they’re trying to make. If it’s a horror film you don’t want to make it silly. There were a number of scenes like that in THE HOST, and I just don’t understand why. I hate to be the ignorant American, but maybe it’s Asian-thing. There’s obviously a cultural difference. Maybe that applies a great deal to filmmaking.
I won’t mention much about all the anti-American undertones throughout the film. I’ll just say they’re definitely there. So don’t be offended. And honestly I had absolutely no problem with it. Especially, since the opening scene in the film actually happened. For more info on that check out http://imdb.com/title/tt0468492/trivia.
With all that being said. I did enjoy many parts of the film. Every creature scene is worth watching. I like the story of Park Gung-du and his daughter Hyun-seo. The containment/hospital scenes are cheesy and campy. And the whole story falls apart when the family disbands. The final battle scene is pretty good. That’s one of the scenes that has no humor and it was handled well. The score was often inappropriate. Overall I would recommend checking it out. After all, we all have different taste. I’m just a huge Horror movie fan and THE HOST it let me down.
Rating = 5.4/10
Film Review: GWOEMUL a.k.a THE HOST (2006) D: Joon-Ho Bong
First let me start out by saying the trailers and previews for this film were amazing when I saw them. I’ve been trying to see this film seen I saw the trailer three months ago. I got it the first day it came on DVD. Needless to say, I had high expectations.
Well, it let me down. Big time. I was really disappointed. Everything I’ve seen and been hearing about the film, even now after I’ve seen it, is how this is such a great “monster movie” and how it’s one of the best “horror films”. All that’s bull shit. First of all it’s not a “monster movie”. It’s a creature feature. Straight out of the fifties’ Big Bug movies and government experiments gone wrong. Just like GODZILLA. Another Asian creation. In fact it is incredibly similar to GODZILLA. I don’t understand why this particular film has been getting so much great publicity. Yes, there were great special effects. Yes, the mutation did look pretty cool.
The first time you see the mutation, when it’s just hanging there and all the people are looking at it talking about what it could be. Then, it moves suddenly and jumps in the water. The first thing it reminded me of was ALIEN. I got extremely excited. Unfortunately, that was the apex of my excitement for the whole film.
This film is an integration of a variety of genres that range from horror to comedy to fantasy to drama and so on. However, I personally like horror films to have a level of seriousness and sincerity to it otherwise it looses it’s appeal and can make it seem campy and silly. Thus, not gaining a maximum entertainment value based on fear and being scared. Which is the essence of a Horror film. This film fluctuates so much from that it’s hard to gage what emotion you as an audience member are trying to feel. For example, the funeral seen. First the name of the scene kind of tells you that it’s going to be serious and heart-felt. Guess again. Humorous. Distastefully so. I understand the difference between horror and comedy. And that if you can make someone laugh at a situation you can also make them get scared just as easily. That’s the beauty about blending comedy and horror. I just feel that it was not done well in THE HOST.
Another thing I notice with THE HOST, and with many Asian films, is a loss of translation. I don’t understand why in a lot of Asian films they turn to comedy to alleviate the tension in a scene instead of trying to take it to the next level. They bring it back down with comedy. It’s like that in some horror flick and just about any martial arts films and a bunch of action films as well. Let’s say they just need to stick to what kind of film they’re trying to make. If it’s a horror film you don’t want to make it silly. There were a number of scenes like that in THE HOST, and I just don’t understand why. I hate to be the ignorant American, but maybe it’s Asian-thing. There’s obviously a cultural difference. Maybe that applies a great deal to filmmaking.
I won’t mention much about all the anti-American undertones throughout the film. I’ll just say they’re definitely there. So don’t be offended. And honestly I had absolutely no problem with it. Especially, since the opening scene in the film actually happened. For more info on that check out http://imdb.com/title/tt0468492/trivia.
With all that being said. I did enjoy many parts of the film. Every creature scene is worth watching. I like the story of Park Gung-du and his daughter Hyun-seo. The containment/hospital scenes are cheesy and campy. And the whole story falls apart when the family disbands. The final battle scene is pretty good. That’s one of the scenes that has no humor and it was handled well. The score was often inappropriate. Overall I would recommend checking it out. After all, we all have different taste. I’m just a huge Horror movie fan and THE HOST it let me down.
Rating = 5.4/10
Comic Review: Marvel's CIVIL WAR
4.7.07
Marvel’s CIVIL WAR comic review
This highly anticipated blockbuster event started off with a bang. Literally, with the villain known as NITRO, who has the ability to explode himself, blowing up a part of Stamford, Connecticut and killing over 600 people, including 200 children who were at school. The reason for Nitro’s action were due to a raid by the superhero group known as the NEW WARRIORS. After the event, citizens urge for there to be something done to people with supernatural powers. Congress passed the superhero registration act which would force metahumans to register with the government, reveal their identity and join a task force or... be arrested. Some heroes, like IRON MAN, agreed with the registration act seeing it has a natural evolution for the role of superheroes in today’s society. Others, like CAPTAIN AMERICA, opposed the registration act and felt it went against people’s rights as American citizens. Thus a war began. Those who are for the act. And those who oppose it.
As a whole the event was pretty good. It had some great moments (new Spidey suit, Spidey unmasking, Thor’s clone killing Goliath, Cap vs. Shellhead). However, it lost something towards the end. Marvel built the event up so much that by the end the events that transpired didn’t meet expectations, especially after delays and an over abundance of tie-ins. The conclusion was lackluster and overshadowed by the death of Captain America in the following issue (number 25) of his series after the event had already ended.
Not to mention that Iron Man, my favorite character, was turned into a villain by an overwhelming support against him and his pro-registration views.
Overall, CIVIL WAR was entertaining but I can’t help but believe that much motive for the series was based singularly on selling comics rather than making the best stories, which Marvel has always prided it's self on.
Rating = 7.5/10
Marvel’s CIVIL WAR comic review
This highly anticipated blockbuster event started off with a bang. Literally, with the villain known as NITRO, who has the ability to explode himself, blowing up a part of Stamford, Connecticut and killing over 600 people, including 200 children who were at school. The reason for Nitro’s action were due to a raid by the superhero group known as the NEW WARRIORS. After the event, citizens urge for there to be something done to people with supernatural powers. Congress passed the superhero registration act which would force metahumans to register with the government, reveal their identity and join a task force or... be arrested. Some heroes, like IRON MAN, agreed with the registration act seeing it has a natural evolution for the role of superheroes in today’s society. Others, like CAPTAIN AMERICA, opposed the registration act and felt it went against people’s rights as American citizens. Thus a war began. Those who are for the act. And those who oppose it.
As a whole the event was pretty good. It had some great moments (new Spidey suit, Spidey unmasking, Thor’s clone killing Goliath, Cap vs. Shellhead). However, it lost something towards the end. Marvel built the event up so much that by the end the events that transpired didn’t meet expectations, especially after delays and an over abundance of tie-ins. The conclusion was lackluster and overshadowed by the death of Captain America in the following issue (number 25) of his series after the event had already ended.
Not to mention that Iron Man, my favorite character, was turned into a villain by an overwhelming support against him and his pro-registration views.
Overall, CIVIL WAR was entertaining but I can’t help but believe that much motive for the series was based singularly on selling comics rather than making the best stories, which Marvel has always prided it's self on.
Rating = 7.5/10
Film Review: 300
4.7.07
Film Review: 300 (2007) D: Zach Synder
300 was one of the best films I’ve seen in theaters…ever. It was great. The most visually stunning movie I’ve ever seen. Some of the best visual and special effects. Spectacular cinematography. I believe this film has created a new style of filmmaking, and I believe people will be seeing more films made as this one was, digitally on a soundstage in front of a green screen. Zach Synder upped his game following the 2004 release of DAWN OF THE DEAD (remake). He is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. He’s not afraid to make a film gory and keeps a story flowing, action packed and interesting. I found the acting to be terrific with stand out performances from Lena Headey (Queen Gorgo), Michael Fassbender (Stelios) and of course Gerard Butler (King Leonidas) whom I remember as Dracula in DRACULA 2000.
This film was based on a graphic novel by Frank Millar (Sin City, Daredevil, Batman). It matched it almost perfectly. Probably the best adaptation from comic book to film. Miller’s great art was seen in motion as if he himself had drawn each frame of film.
Overall, 300 will probably become one of my favorite films for a long time.
Rating = 9.2/10
Film Review: 300 (2007) D: Zach Synder
300 was one of the best films I’ve seen in theaters…ever. It was great. The most visually stunning movie I’ve ever seen. Some of the best visual and special effects. Spectacular cinematography. I believe this film has created a new style of filmmaking, and I believe people will be seeing more films made as this one was, digitally on a soundstage in front of a green screen. Zach Synder upped his game following the 2004 release of DAWN OF THE DEAD (remake). He is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. He’s not afraid to make a film gory and keeps a story flowing, action packed and interesting. I found the acting to be terrific with stand out performances from Lena Headey (Queen Gorgo), Michael Fassbender (Stelios) and of course Gerard Butler (King Leonidas) whom I remember as Dracula in DRACULA 2000.
This film was based on a graphic novel by Frank Millar (Sin City, Daredevil, Batman). It matched it almost perfectly. Probably the best adaptation from comic book to film. Miller’s great art was seen in motion as if he himself had drawn each frame of film.
Overall, 300 will probably become one of my favorite films for a long time.
Rating = 9.2/10
Saturday, February 24, 2007
THE DESCENT review
2.23.07
THE DESCENT review
I found THE DESCENT to be a pretty good horror flick. I enjoyed it. It sucked me in and I cared about most of the characters. The cinematography was excellent and the score was terrific. The acting was fairly good. I felt the director, Neil Marshall (DOG SOLDIERS) did a great job. The gore throughout was a real treat for any gorehound.
I do have a couple of problems with it though. First, I would have liked to see at least one male character with the group so I could relate more closely. However, I believe that was done for a reason. This is a story of a group of women seeking adventure and at the same time dealing with the incident of Sarah’s husband and daughter’s death. So, I could live with that. The other thing that I didn’t like was how Juno was treated. She definitely did not deserve what she got. She had nothing but the best of intentions for the group. Even though she had an affair with Paul, Sarah’s husband, she was trying to make up for it by exploring an uncharted cave system and name it after Sarah. Killing Beth was clearly an accident. I don’t know why that was made into a big deal other than to supplement the conflict between Juno and Sarah and set up the ending. I mean Juno was freaking out and full of adrenaline and was merely reacting when she stabbed Beth with a rock climber’s ax. As for leaving Beth, that was pretty shitty but what could Juno really do other than put her out of her misery. Maybe that was too much for Juno so she just left. Understandable. I wouldn’t have done it. But it’s understandable. So from that Sarah injures Juno and leaves her for dead to be attacked by incoming crawlers. I mean that’s cruel. It’s kind of smart to leave her as bait so she could escape but DAMN!! That’s inhumane.
Overall I thought it was really good. Better than what I expected. I would recommend it to horror fans.
Rating = 7.4/10
THE DESCENT review
I found THE DESCENT to be a pretty good horror flick. I enjoyed it. It sucked me in and I cared about most of the characters. The cinematography was excellent and the score was terrific. The acting was fairly good. I felt the director, Neil Marshall (DOG SOLDIERS) did a great job. The gore throughout was a real treat for any gorehound.
I do have a couple of problems with it though. First, I would have liked to see at least one male character with the group so I could relate more closely. However, I believe that was done for a reason. This is a story of a group of women seeking adventure and at the same time dealing with the incident of Sarah’s husband and daughter’s death. So, I could live with that. The other thing that I didn’t like was how Juno was treated. She definitely did not deserve what she got. She had nothing but the best of intentions for the group. Even though she had an affair with Paul, Sarah’s husband, she was trying to make up for it by exploring an uncharted cave system and name it after Sarah. Killing Beth was clearly an accident. I don’t know why that was made into a big deal other than to supplement the conflict between Juno and Sarah and set up the ending. I mean Juno was freaking out and full of adrenaline and was merely reacting when she stabbed Beth with a rock climber’s ax. As for leaving Beth, that was pretty shitty but what could Juno really do other than put her out of her misery. Maybe that was too much for Juno so she just left. Understandable. I wouldn’t have done it. But it’s understandable. So from that Sarah injures Juno and leaves her for dead to be attacked by incoming crawlers. I mean that’s cruel. It’s kind of smart to leave her as bait so she could escape but DAMN!! That’s inhumane.
Overall I thought it was really good. Better than what I expected. I would recommend it to horror fans.
Rating = 7.4/10
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