Pick of the Week: It Only Takes a Moment
Yeah so obviously this whole post once a week thing isn’t going to work. Instead of setting an arbitrary deadline for myself these things are just going to happen when I want. So there.
Movie: Wall-E
I’ve always loved the Pixar movies. Sure they’re aimed at kids, but I’m a bit of a kid at heart, and if you ask me, their movies can and should be enjoyed by adults as well. I think there are plenty of things in the world that literally everyone can enjoy, so why can’t movies be that way? There’s no reason to make a kids movie and then put some adult ‘jokes’ in their so that the parents getting dragged to the theatre can laugh at certain moments and not explain to their child the reason they’re laughing at a joke the kid doesn’t get. SHREK I’M LOOKING AT YOU.
I digress. I saw this movie twice this summer, and was absolutely floored. I was expecting to like it, but I was unsure if it would be ‘enjoyable’ like The Incredibles or ‘really awesome’ like Finding Nemo or Ratatouille. Luckily it was of the latter category, and then some. I am confident in saying this is one of the greatest animated films I’ve ever seen. The story is rather simple, but the execution of said story is bordering on a masterwork. The character of Wall-E is one of the greatest characters ever, and the way they animate him and give him personality is done better and with more heart than the majority of real, human actors.
Honestly I could go on and on about this movie but it’s hard to do so without just sounding like a little kid. Watch the movie. I don’t care if you never liked a Pixar movie before, or if you hate ‘kids movies’ or whatever. Just watch it. It’s a work of art, really.
Pick of the Week: Slaves to the Tyranny of Beauty
Week of August 23rd, 2008
Television Show: Nip/Tuck
So I’m only in the second season of this show so far but I was hooked on the first episode. It’s a pretty strange show, to be honest, with the promise from some friends of mine that it just gets stranger, but I have loved every minute of it.
I think this show has some of the craziest character dynamics on any TV show, and while the main characters are always there, there are some characters that return often and others that don’t. This makes the show feel much more alive than any others I’ve seen, and it is highly enjoyable to the point where I can’t wait to watch the next episode. Never since 24 have I felt that strongly about continuing the story line of a TV show.
Of course, the best part of this show for me is Christian Troy, who is pretty unlikable in the first season until the storyline involving possibly becoming a father. At that point he becomes much more human and has really been the character that has grown and changed over the series the most (from what I’ve seen anyway). He’s played excellently by Julian McMahon, and I HATED him in Fantastic Four as he played a terrible ‘Dr. Doom’. But he has all but redeemed himself with this show and I don’t even think about that movie anymore.
Pick of the Week: Lashing At Him With Contempt
Week of August 16th, 2008
I’m a little late this week – my apologies. But it’s always worth the wait, right loyal readers? Right!
Video Game: Braid
This game is so ridiculously beautiful I can’t even describe it properly. Along with the amazing visuals is such great music that I actually found myself lost in the game for one of the first times in a long while. Not only that, but the gameplay is so awesome and part of my favorite genre (puzzle).
You play a character trying to rescue a princess from a castle. Not very interesting huh? It doesn’t matter. And there may be much more to the story than that, as I still have only played the first two worlds (with six total worlds to explore). Basically you go into each world and collect puzzle pieces (think jigsaw puzzles) using various platforming techniques, but at the same time you have the ability to rewind time and manipulate the flow of time. There are some objects immune to your time changing abilities, so it takes some creative thinking to get things working your way to collect all those puzzle pieces.
I’m looking forward to continuing this game as I’ve been told it just gets better and better and I’m sure I’ll be able to rant and rave about the game even more once I finish it. It’s currently only available on Xbox Live Arcade, for 1,200 points ($15) and it’s probably the best fifteen bucks I’ve spent on a game. I believe a PC version is coming out soon, so for those of you who don’t have Xbox, definitely consider checking this game out. It’s definitely worth it.
Pick of the Week: A Difficult Pancake
Week of August 9th, 2008
So here’s the deal: I’m going to try this pick of the week thing again, this time, I’m just picking one thing. So I’ll be able to talk about it a bit more and feel less pressure to find five things that fit a theme each week.
Book: The Third Policeman
I had decided to check this book out after reading about it in a LOST episode guide, which explained that it was featured on the show (which is notorious for having many literary references and influences) and that the creators stated if you read this book you’d have more ‘ammunition’ to theorize what was going on on the show. So I decided to check it out, and I owned it for a good four or five months before I started actually reading it proper.
What I was treated to was a strange and humorous story about a man lost in some strange world after certain events take place, and meeting strange characters while learning more about their world and what not. The whole book is fairly confusing as you go through it, but really interesting and really makes you want to reach the end so you can figure out what it’s all about. The ‘twist’ ending is pretty great, and I did not see it coming so I was pretty happy with it. And I definitely felt the impact the book had on LOST and I think I enjoyed it even more because I was a fan of the show.
Oh yeah, the one character constantly refers to things as ‘difficult pancakes’ and I thought it was the funniest thing in the world.
Picks of the Week: Indypendant
Week of June 21st, 2008
Isn’t that a clever title? Huh? I thought so. This week, in addition to publicly exclaiming my love for the new Indiana Jones movie, I’ve done some picks for things that are, in my eyes, ‘independent’ and therefore lesser known.
Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I admit I went into this movie with some reservations, as I loved the original trilogy like most sane people, and was worried this would screw up the franchise (mostly due to George Lucas’ involvement). Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by the pure unadulterated awesomeness that came from this movie. I was confused during the first few scenes, but soon, as Indiana Jones randomly discovers a nuclear test site and survives the impending explosion by hiding inside a lead lined (clearly marked) refrigerator that this movie was made to be hilarious and campy. The plot was decent (although pretty ridiculous), but the dialog and the events throughout were so lame that it was AWESOME. Harrison Ford was great for being really old and Shia Labeouf redeemed himself in my eyes after pissing me off to no end in Transformers. Also I loved that Janitor from Scrubs and Charles Widmore from LOST both showed up in the same scene.
Picks of the Week: Hookers N’ Clones
Week of June 14th, 2008
I’m a little late this week but it’s worth it because last night I watched a fantastic movie that inspired this weeks theme.
Movie: Frankenhooker
That tagline alone should make you want to see this. While the titular character is not actually revealed until a good two thirds into the movie, the scene leading up to it is worth it alone. Basically this is the story about Jeffrey Franken, whose girlfriend is killed in a freak lawnmower accident. Being the expert medical school dropout he is, he concocts a plan to rebuild his girlfriend using hooker parts. He goes to the hooker pimp (who is named ZORRO) and gets a huge selection of hookers to choose from. We’re then treated to a montage of him examining the various body parts and deciding which ones are the best (including putting a checkmark on one girls ass with a sharpie) before ‘accidentally’ exploding them all with super crack he invented the night before. He builds the girl, crazy shit happens, and the worst part in the movie is when various hooker body parts form a bunch of creepy ass mutant things that crawl at Zorro and kiss him then drag him into a deep freeze. It’s probably one of the scariest things I’d ever seen put to film. But the movie is hilarious.
Picks of the Week: His Name is Bruce
Week of June 7th, 2008
It’s Bruce Campbell theme this week, so grab your boomsticks and gimme some sugar baby! (those are quotes from his films)
Movie: Alien Apocalypse
Probably my favorite Bruce Campbell movie after Army of Darkness. Bruce plays an astronaut who has been away from earth for 40+ years and returns to find it overrun by aliens! The reason this movie is so awesome, aside from Campbell himself, is that the aliens are hilarious. Some of their dialog is the funniest stuff I’ve ever heard, especially the ‘Humans are our favorite delicacy…after wood!’ part. That’s the part that stands out in my mind. But the whole ‘humans leading the resistance against the aliens’ plot becomes so great and so campy that it’s hard not to love this movie. If you love Bruce you’ll love this one, but even if you don’t, you should be able to enjoy it as it’s full of great cheesy one liners and moments.
Picks of the Week: I’ve Made a Huge Mistake
Week of May 31st, 2008
I’m trying to make themes to these, but it’s hard to do within the five items. I’m pretty sure 3 of the 5 work with this theme though, so shut up. I’m also trying to pick things that not everyone in the world know about. Here we go!
Movie: Oldboy
A very dark, very disturbing Korean film that took me by surprise. I had never watched too many foreign language films (cause my language is the best obviously) and therefore was never expecting such a complex, intricately woven tale of revenge and betrayal. I wrote that last sentence hoping they’ll use it and quote me on the back of a DVD box one day. Anyway, There are some cool action scenes, like a long hallway battle that is done in one shot that is really epic and awesome, as well as some interesting plot devices which I appreciated quite a bit if I wasn’t a little disturbed by them. Shyamalan, take note. This is the proper use of a so called ‘twist’ in the story.
Picks of the Week: Favorites
Week of May 24th, 2008
For this inaugural week, I’m going to go with my favorite (or at least current favorite) picks.
Movie: Magnolia
Still one of my favorite movies, this is such a beautiful film and I loved every minute of it. The actors were all phenomenal (including Tom Cruise whom I normally despise) and the story really moved me. The movie was written around an Aimee Mann lyric which is spoken by one of the characters as well, and the majority of the movie is done to Aimee Mann songs and it is really well done. I believe this movie is what initiated my secret man love for Paul Thomas Anderson and I am kicking myself for still not having seen There Will Be Blood.
