Best and Worsts of 2009 and other short reviews

hi all, havent posted in half a year. i didnt make any new years resolutions, but im going to try and post more often on here, especially because i dont have a job and this might keep me sane. 2009 was really an up and down year, most of the quickie reviews here are ups, but there definitely were major downs as well.

1) best meal i had all year: TENZAN (285 Columbus Avenue)

i really like this place. my dad's friend is the manager and he treated us to a feast the first time we went. im not sure, but we might have had everything on their menu, the manager ordered for us and there were copious amounts of sake. subsequent visits were not as amazing but still very good. anytime my dad asks where id like to get dinner, Tenzan is somewhere on top of my list. not every single item on the menu is great, but nothing was bad. if you stick to what you know about good japanese food (which is the raw stuff), prepare for some wonderfully prepared fish. screw the teriyakis and negimakis. just give me sushi and sushimi. the fish is fresh and usually pretty large bites, especially when it comes to their sashimi. some highlights include sweet shrimp which melt in your mouth and taste like they just came out of the sea. their king salmon is amazing, but get it only in sashimi form to fully savor its flavor, compared to regular salmon. my first night there, there was a salmon that supposedly was from new zealand. im not sure ive ever had better salmon. the majority of the time, fatty tuna is the king of sushi, this new zealand salmon was amazing. not sure if its teh king salmon on their menu, but i expect that it is. the special rolls were pretty great, especially the oyster roll. this was probably their best cooked item and one of the cheaper special rolls.

pricewise, its nyc japanese. it costs as much as you'd expect it to, but its not ridiculous. regular rolls range from 4.50 (salmon skin roll) to 7.50 (the chilean sea bass roll). and special rolls go from 6.75 (shrimp tempura roll) to 13.50. the restaurant is aesthetically pleasing and has a great bar with an excellent selection of vodka (EVERYTHING I LIKE). one word of advice, try to get a table where you're usually in the line of sight of the waiters. if you get stuck around a corner, the service isn't bad, but it might a little effort to grab someone's attention, not to mention be seated and wait for friends to come in to wave them over. oh, attractive and mad chill female bartender. Tenzan, you win. like i said, this bar had everything i like.


honorable mentions: General Greene (pre-dinner menu: salt & pepper pork ribs with a white ale), BarTabac (dinner: mussels, mushroom risotto)

2) worst movie of the year that i wasted $11 on: Terminator 4

this movie sucked so much. not really much character development. people died all the time. shooting and robots. sam worthington was alright. thats it.

i wanted to put a picture up here. thats christian bale, shooting me in the face after landing a helicopter on me and stealing $11 from my wallet. to make things even worse, apparently, there was another ending (the original ending) which was leaked before the movie came out, so they changed the ending to what we all saw in the theaters ($11!!!!! ARGH!!!!!) and that original ending SUCKED MORE!!! WTF!!! the original ending is (SPOILER ALERT) here (END SPOILER ALERT). the ending i liked most was the one that was very much like the original ending but without the stupidness. also in that link. $11!!!!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!

honorable mentions: GI Joe (really? you ruined my childhood fondness for crappy cartoons, i did like the ninjas tho)


3) best movie of 2009: Hurt Locker

this was a tight race. i absolutely loved Pixar's Up. my favorite movies are usually animated movies that appeal to both children and adults, they appeal to all parts of my brain. funny in stupid kid ways, jokes for adults that i get that stupid kids wont, and visually stunning for geek in me, it even made me cry with a great love story. nothing better. however, hurt locker won this one, maybe not in the long run, but for 2009. maybe i should change my mind about this decision... too late, ok...

"War is a drug." DAMN, this movie was awesome, it even opens like the Fallout videogames. its about bomb defusal specialists in the war and sort of a character study on the main character who has to be a little nuts to do what he does. he gets right in there with the bomb, it could go off right in his fuckin face! it takes a certain kind of person to do that job and Jeremy Renner puts in one of the best performances of the year as the protagonist. the direction by Kathryn Bigelow is equally as good, from the desolation that soldiers encounter in the middle of the iraqi streets (usually busy with foot traffic) to the sense of distrust and panic between the soldiers and iraqi citizens. this movie was just so incredibly good, and i was more than happy to spend $11 (damn you terminator!!!!!) on this, when i should have been in the library studying for the bar exam.

Honorable Mentions: Pixar's Up (see above), Funny People (well, half of it, take out the love parts between sandler and apatow's wife and you have one AMAZING and funny movie)

Where's my movie that I liked???: The Hangover (eh, galifinakis was awesome, rest of the movie was... not amazing, throw in some ridiculous stuff, call it a movie, heather graham was hot as usual), District 9 (still have not seen it, really want to tho), Avatar (looked amazing, plot is substandard)


4) best off-broadway show that i saw: State of Undress

yea, its sorta cheap that i'm friends with half of this production, but damn, this show had all sorts of stuff i like. naked girls? check. good music played by a house band? check. naked girls with pretty voices singing? check.

great show. i brought my friends with me and everyone enjoyed the show. this was just a whole lot of fun to watch, unlike a previous show ive seen by (ahem) M and E which was really artsy and not for me. SWEATER SONG!!!


5) best album i revisited this year: Genius Loves Company, Ray Charles (2004)

i re-listened to this album on my dad's super awesome and expensive sound system. ray charles' duets are so very enjoyable to listen to. i could listen to his rendition of "Over the Rainbow", with Johnny Mathis, all day. if you've never heard this album before, find it, put on a great pair of headphones or go to my dad's house, and savor one of the great music experiences of your life.


6) best tv show of 2009 (that will never be on tv again): Pushing Daisies

keeping it short. great character development. great visuals and visual jokes/easter eggs. amazing concept and story by Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls). there really hasn't been a show thats been such a joy to watch in a long time. i love the office, and top chef, but those shows don't make me feel happiness the way this show does.

unfortunately, not enough people watched Pushing Daisies and it was cancelled before the end of its second season. the final ending was sort of abrupt and unsatisfying, but i'll chalk that one up to a lack of time to flesh out the ending they wanted.


7) the rest

top chef this season was probably the best season ever. the chefs were ultra talented, especially the final 6 or so. it was a lot of fun to watch them compete for surprise cash prizes based on the vegas theme.

went to eat at Ippudo (65 4th Avenue). eh. ramen noodles were alright. im a cheapskate, it was not really worth the cost for a single bowl of really oily soup and not enough ramen. sure, there's a ramen refill for $X, but i want my expensive bowl of ramen to sate my appetite in the first place. the taste was good, but the oiliness ("richness") was a big turn-off for me. so was waiting around for a table, only to find a few other open tables around me when seated. i think our wait wasn't as bad as others because my dad also did the dumbwaiters or wahtever ippudo contracted him for, but it was still annoying. the appetizers were too small in size, but definitely tasted better than their famous ramen bowls. id rather go to chinatown, 10 minutes away. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Borderlands (videogame) is so addictively awesome. i'm on my second playthrough. i literally had dreams of shooting and blowing people up and shiny prizes in all sorts of colors exploded out of their carcasses. addictively awesome.

Magic the Gathering. its official. im addicted to this game again. so many cards and combinations and just thinking about all the possibilities and making decks!!! appeals to my obsessive tendencies. and my inner geek. i used to play this in junior high school. and ive recently rediscovered it and the new expansion, Zendikar, has rekindled my love for this game. they even have stores that have events every week! and tournaments all over the world with huge cash prizes. pro tour events have around $250,000 in cash prizes. im not sure they had that when i was younger.

passed the NY bar exam. worst experience ever. won't ever have to do it again, unless i want to practice in another state. UGH.

2009 was overall a pretty crappy year. the economy still sucks. i have no job. winter is cold. war overseas are not over yet. universal healthcare took a beating from Congress. good tv shows are cancelled while they still show Heroes (?!?). 2 out of 5 stars. cmon 2010, expectations are low.

The Dark Knight

i wasnt fortunate enough to see the new batman movie as soon as it came out, so my expectations grew along with my anticipation as i listened to the general public rant and rave about the new batman movie. two nites before i went to watch, i was at a bar near my place here in SF, and i overheard a guy and gal talk about the movie. the woman hadnt seen the movie but was complaining about how she's was so disappointed in how the production company was using heath ledger's death to promote its own movie, with his Joker face plastered everywhere. she felt that the movie was only doing well because of that publicity. what about the fact that MAYBE heath ledger's Joker was the best performance of his career, and probably the best Joker ever? (this was before i saw the movie) the previews i had seen all gave the notion that this was going to be a great movie in every way. the next night, the bartender at the bar said she saw it and she loved it. i was skeptical, but she assured me about her love of comic books and Frank Miller's Batman. i was sold.

the plot of The Dark Knight starts with batman, lt. gordon, and new D.A. harvey dent (aaron eckhart) all working to put the mafias out of business in gotham city. the joker shows up, new on the scene, and proceeds to wreak havoc upon gotham without any particular reason but to fuck shit up. he's dark, creepy, and completely sadistic, the way batman readers love him. this movie was so good, i really dont want to ruin it for any readers that havent watched it yet (what are you waiting for??? GO SEE THIS MOVIE, DUMMY). all i have to say is that its pretty good throughout because it mainly progresses through such a wonderful joker. but beware, the movie is 2.5 hours long. ull think its over, but it wont be. at least everytime that happens... something or someone is about to have a bad day.

the acting in this movie is superb and makes the decent plot so much better. all the hubbub about heath ledger's joker? its true and so much more. non-comic readers are especially creeped out by this joker because theyre so used to the dancing, smiling, mirthful nicholson joker. ledger does the joker some real justice. the way he looks, the way he speaks, the way he licks his lips nervously... all sum up to one of the best performances i have ever seen by any actor in any movie. he definitely deserves the oscar for best actor in a movie, but he will most likely not win it because superhero movies probably aren't on oscar voters' minds. but maybe its time that people take summer blockbusters more seriously, not just for the excitement but for actual compelling stories and performances. there's really no need to go further into the other actors in the movie, but they are all very good. ledger simply just steals the movie, and its really a shame that he's no longer with us. one thing, christian bale needs to stop making that stupid fake gruff batman voice. oh, and i think maggie gyllenhaal is so very hot in a not very hot way... she's definitely a better choice than katie holmes was, looks and acting ability. aaron eckhart gets a thumbs up.

visually, the movie is great. its not neon, thank god. its not bright, just the way it should be. gotham city is a dark city in need of a dark knight, and nolan's gotham amazingly depicts that with its chicago-style buildings that block out the sun in the daytime and its cold and grimy streets during the night. i read somewhere that the scenes where batman overlooks the city and glides through it were filmed using IMAX cameras, they looked like it.

aurally... lets not talk about music, its really not that important in the scheme of things. one note tho, some people really found certain sound(s) annoying, such as this ear aching one whenever the joker would do something suspenseful. it was annoying, but if one steps back and thinks about it, its really sort of the joker's theme. there's no melody or tune when dealing with this complete psycho, its just... a painful noise anticipating more pain.

the dark knight is especially good for fans of frank miller's batman stories, The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: First Year. miller brought batman out of the silver age of comics, he was no longer the adam west sort of batman, but a whole different animal... tougher, grittier, cruel-er. miller not only created the best batman stories to date, but influenced the majority of batman stories to come. gotham city's villains became some of the most demented figures in comics and their depraved lunacy festered and grew within arkham, occasionally escaping and destroying a life in batman's world. nolan's movie captures this realism and is what makes it so incredible to see on the big screen. i really would have never thought that people who made superhero movies would stay true to their source material, and i am glad we are at a point where a movie does not need to pander to the general public in order to attract moviegoers. WARNING: its a superhero movie, but don't bring your kids. the movie is pg-13, so please don't bring a child under that age. unless you think your child should be allowed to watch scenes of torture, the psychological carnage caused by the joker could be far worse than any blood and gore.

in conclusion... this is the BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR, thus far. its not only the best superhero movie ever made, but also a movie filled with several solid performances. go for all that, but if its not enough, go because you will never see an actor more perfect in his role as heath ledger was.


great: heath ledger
good: everyone else in the movie
bad: bale's batman voice

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

it's always grueling for a comic book reader/fan like myself to try and watch a superhero movie. the characters and their stories are never completely transferred over when a big movie production movie decides to take that intellectual property and create something they think would appeal to a mass audience in order to recoup costs and to profit immensely. one tragedy, albeit a great movie, is Wanted. i downloaded the original mark millar comic series the other nite and spent some time getting through the 8 issues or so. whereas 300 was 99% like Frank Miller's original comic, Wanted is 99% not like Mark Millar's creation. (according to algie, he was paid handsomely to let them). there are a few things in Wanted that are similar but the comic is a whole different animal about the same guy who becomes a supervillain and there's no curving of bullets, he's just a natural born killer.

back to Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the plot revolves around Hellboy (for an explanation on who he is and where he comes from click here) who likes beer and pancakes, oh, and he works for the B.P.R.D., a secret government agency that deals with all things paranormal. he's big, red, gruff, and has a huge right fist for punching paranormal baddies. in this second movie, we delve deeper into the world beneath the one that humans only know and find a whole kingdom of other beings. Prince Nuada had exiled himself after the long-forgotten truce between the humans and elves... he's back and ready to lead the non-humans in a war to reclaim the world. To do that, he seeks the power to control the Golden Army which, built by goblin smiths and indestructible, were golems that laid waste to human race until the truce made by the compassionate elven king, Nuada's father. big secret, he eventually activates the golden army. part of the movie also centers on hellboy's dreams of exposing the truth to mass society and trying to co-exist and maybe be a hero to all the people that don't know theyre being protected everyday by him. the movie does a decent job depicting the prejudices big red encounters when his dreams are finally realized.

the plot of the movie kind of sucks. ill be the first to say it because the stories written by Mike Mignola in the comics were already so good. after a few scenes in the beginning, it was clear what was going to happen at the end of the movie. penning a whole new script for the sake of attracting a new movie-going audience is not necessary. im a big traditionalist when it comes to comic book movie adaptations (ex. hate any and all batmans between 2 and begins). dont get me started with the love between red and liz sherman(Selma Blair), thats just for the movie-goers, there is no such thing in the comics. hellboy fails me with its plot, but what it does best is capturing who the characters really are. Ron Perlman plays big red magnificently, he's hard and gruff but there is a part of him underneath that cares for others and is important because he's prophecized to be the hellbringer, an internal struggle the character constantly has to deal with.
abraham sapien is my favorite character in the movie. he's intelligent and well-meaning and is much more fleshed out as a main character in this sequel. the best scene in the entire movie involves a drunken karaoke with abe and red. on the other hand, selma blair is not good. her acting consisted of three things, angry, pouty, and some kind of sweet lovingness. usually, thats not bad, but she never makes the character stand out on its own, liz sherman is always reacting to some outside stimuli.

the visuals are where its at with hellboy2. director guillermo del toro is of Pan's Labyrinth fame, which won oscars for best art direction, cinematography, and makeup. he is a master of creating dark fantasy worlds with hosts of indescribable that inhabit them. i cannot wait to see his work on the upcoming tolkien Hobbit movies, pan's labyrinth was a visual masterpiece. in this, del toro's fantasy world and people are just as good as they ever were. the troll market was like entering mos eisley for the first time and stepping into someone's vivid and untapped imagination.

i had a real problem with the soundtrack and score for this movie. outside of the singing scene with red and abe (amazing), everything else really annoyed me. the rock songs that segued/transitioned between changes of scenery were too loud and always started a little late and too abruptly. too much attention was paid to how the movie looked and not how it sounded.

overall, this is a decent summer movie. its not a comic book movie masterpiece, but its not really that bad if you're not expecting the greatest experience ever (save that for the new batman!). if you're torn between Hancock and Hellboy this summer, i'd say give hellboy a shot, hancock has will smith but hellboy is at least based on a proven comic book character and looks great.

good: visuals, hellboy, abraham sapien
bad: selma blair, predictable cookie-cutter plot

kung-fu panda

Image via Wikipedia the name Kung Fu Panda really makes a person feel like its another dumb movie made just for kids, but hey... its dreamworks and they made shrek, one of my favorite animated movies of all time. i had heard good things about the movie from everyone that's seen it, so july 4th was as good a day as any other to go check it out.

the plot involves a fat panda bear named Po who loves kungfu, but is stuck working in his family's noodle shop. after being chosen to fulfill a prophecy, fat Po's dreams of learning kungfu come true as he joins china's greatest masters in training. there's a baddie that believes he should be the one to fulfill the prophecy and he's coming back to take what he believes is his, and Po eventually, as the chosen one, fight him. moral of the story? (SPOILER!!!) true power is inside oneself.

the visuals in the movie are really good. like in shrek, dreamworks does its usual great job of rendering lifelike animal characters and backgrounds. additionally, the opening scene in the movie itself is one of the most gorgeous in any animated movie yet. its not super hi-tech or anything but is more of an artistic rendition of Po's dreams of being a kungfu master in the style of Okami.

the music of the movie was... chinesey. its sorta the usual fare with any movies for white people about chinese culture type of music. it wasnt bad or anything. on the other hand, the voice acting was superb. jack black is pretty perfect for the role of Po because he's sorta the same kind of character in real life, a fat, lovable, galoot. in addition to Po, there are a buttload of big name actors. in addition to black, there's dustin hoffman (as master shifu... which kinda means master master cuz shifu means master...), angelina jolie (as tigress), jackie chan (as monkey, so very fitting...), seth rogen (as mantis), lucy liu (as viper), david cross (as crane), michael clarke duncan, kyle gass (the other half of TENACIOUS D), wayne knight (newman!), and the greatest asian american-cinema actor of all, James Hong (as Po's father). its an all-star voice acting class.

overall, this movie is fantastic. the story is good, the voice acting superb, and its really really funny for all ages. its even better because i was expecting it to be bad when i first heard about it. go catch this movie if you can, and if you gotta wait... try to get it on blu-ray, its a beautiful movie.


good: very funny, great voice-acting, great animation
meh: music was not inspiring

wall-e

disney pixar is the probably in the top 5 best things to ever happen in the history of civilization. it all started with toy story (1995), then came toy story 2 (1999), monsters inc. (2001), finding nemo (2003), ratatouille (2007), a few others that are great but not on the same level, and now in 2008 they bring us Wall-E.

wall-e is essentially a story about a lonely robot who is one of many wall-e robots left on earth to clean up the mess humans have made of the world, this one particular robot is apparently the only one still functional and its much more than just a robot. the humans, during more than 700 years waiting and relaxing in space, have become fat boobs that no longer require the use of their own limbs to move around or do anything but eat, sleep, and talk on the videophone. ironically, humans have lost what makes them human and the robot wall-e is more human that anyone or anything because he yearns for more than complacency. wall-e is very much like will smith's i am legend character in that he has no real companions other than his pet (cockroach in this movie) and is the only person around to clean up the mess set forth by the movie. eventually, wall-e meets eve who is a super high-tech robot who has come from the human mothership to look for any signs of vegetation, so that the human race can return to an earth thats a little less messy.

the first 30 minutes of the movie actually dont involve any dialogue, its really cool that this direction was taken because it shows that conversations are very inconsequential to our understanding of what is going on and where the movie may be going. as usual, disney/pixar has created a movie where grownups and children can enjoy the same visual jokes but on different levels. most kids probably dont know what a rubik's cube is, or why an ipod in the movie is funny, but everyone definitely has a good laugh at the very well done utensil joke. the plot is good, its pretty simple sci-fi stuff and its well executed. wall-e is a great protagonist because he feels. he can be lonely, sad, happy, brave, timid... more than those in the movie, he is everything humans are and more, while only capable of beeping out three words.

the visuals and score for the movie are good for what it is. its not the best anyone has ever seen, mostly because so much of the movie is spent on a dust-storm covered earth and inside a neon infused spacecraft, both of which do not have the same visual appeal that nature itself has. the best visual portion of the movie is when wall-e and eve are moving around in space, but thats only a small percentage of the movie. additionally, its also not a leap above the animation in previous movies such as finding nemo or ratatouille. aurally, the music can be described as ... whimsical. its about a robot that acts human, its good, not breathtaking, but its expected.

overall, this is a movie that should be seen in theaters, its worth the 10bux to see it with other people on the big screen. its really great to experience scenes where everyone in the theater, children included, are laughing at the same joke. this movie doesnt quite crack my top3 or even top5 animated movies of all time, but its still really good.


good: nice plot, all the robots, fat babies
bad: not everyone would let themselves get so fat, forcing message on me to take care of the earth...

momos & a movie about a mongol

its been a pretty busy Friday at the ol' legal beagle office, but ive got some time before a meeting with a client at 2:30 so im gonna start this post. the SF gang had ourselves a nice evening of asian delights this past sunday (after dominating in a kickball game, YEAAAA!!!).

after washing off the sweatiness and pouring the dirt out of our sneakers, we had dinner at Yak and Yeti (2985 College Ave., right off of Ashby). its a nepalese restaurant which is sort of like indian food with chinese influences, which makes sense because of where nepal is.

my dinner companions, lillian (i am the bff's bf's bff, yes, he did win Carmen San Diego, with an asian rat tail) and amy, already reviewed this place on yelp!, so ill just add my thoughts...

si.. i did think the mahi was the best thing i had all night, but the rest of the food was really great too. i really enjoyed the lamb dish, mostly because both of my chunks were pretty tender, and i like it when my lamb tastes predominantly like lamb. makes sense to me, i usually dont put sauce on steak. i also completely agree about the desserts. their naan was exceptional.

the restaurant has a lot of 'vegetarian dishes', but theyre prolly not as good cuz its just veggies. im very glad we didnt have to sit on the floor, racle and i are too tall for that.

client meeting rescheduled, lets keep blogging.

after Yak&Yeti, we got some Ici ice cream... (ill review Ici another time, ITS AWESOME, just go!)... deep breath, stop salivating..

after ice cream, we went to see Mongol playing at the movie theater across from the restaurant. its a movie about the origins of genghis khan, who i like to say is my ancestor. odds are he is... or isnt... he did father a lot of babies, and my last name is han... we'll say he is. but its a great story about how Temudgin (his real name) became the fierce, proud, and revered leader of the mongol hordes.

the movie does a great job of depicting Temudgin as a very honorable leader who is respected by his people because of his compassion and his fair treatment of those that fight and die for him. it also is a great look at how genghis khan was also a man who loved his wife and his children, even those of which that were not fathered by him. the fight scenes are very cool, some were pretty brutal and bloody, and made me giggle a little in joy. oh, and i hate that chinese guy that didnt listen to the prophetic monk who told him that the mongol dude would wreak havoc upon the chinese in the future if he bought him as a slave, wtf man, look what u did... (thats not a spoiler, its history)

good: mango mahi, meat, great movie, ici!!!
bad: service a little slow at y&y, not enough table space

Sunshine (2007)

i got to watching Sunshine this past sunday after the bball game because i was pretty bored and too poor to go out and drink. ive had this on dvd since... february maybe, but i never have time to watch all the movies ive 'acquired', and have wanted to see.

(insert joke about staring directly into the sun)

the movie is sort of a drama/thriller in a sci-fi setting. sunshine is set about 50 years into the future and something has happened to the sun in our solar system and its quickly extinguishing. after a mysterious failed first mission, the plot centers around a mixed crew of scientists and astronauts who are tasked with bringing a second giant bomb, and last chance, through space and into the core of the sun so that they might re-ignite the dying star and save mankind from extinction. the premise of the plot is pretty cool, and the sun is dying, its just that it will probably take hundreds of thousands of years to get to that point instead of the fifty in the movie. the movie people take a little bit of liberty with their science facts...

the main protagonist is cillian murphy, most would know him as the scarecrow in the more recent christopher nolan's Batman Begins. or in that movie Red-Eye, i think. the dude has some seriously interesting eyes. he plays a physicist who knows the most about the bomb and how to use it if the computer system would ever malfunction...

the casting is pretty good. i liked all the asian cast members (unbiased?), which include Michelle Yeoh as a biologist, Hiroyuki Sanada as the ship captain, and Benedict Wong as the navigation type guy. the potential love interest for Murphy was pretty good as well. another well known actor, Chris Evans from fantastic four is also in this movie, but i thought his acting lacked any substance.

the movie is really a great look at human behavior and interaction facing not only a battle against extinction & self-preservation, but also the effects of being in an environment so different from what we may be used to on Earth, isolated with no communications with our loved ones. additionally, there's also a bit of philosophy in the movie, the ship in the movie is called the Icarus II, so its named for the son of Daedalus who crafted wings for himself and his son to esape imprisonment in Crete... Daedalus warned his son to not fly so close to the sun or else the wax would melt and he would die, but as we all know, Icarus did not heed that warning as he flew, joyfully in their escape, too close to the sun and soon fell into the sea, which is now called the Icarian Sea. the movie sort of follows this idea when the crew makes the decision to check out a distress signal, detouring the mission... the commentary also notes technology and man's misuse, intentional or otherwise, of it. overall, its about the value of human life as a whole and the individual sacrifices made to preserve it.

visually and aurally, this movie is stunning. if you can watch it on a big hd screen with 5.1 surround, do it. the images of the sun and planets is just so impressive that you actually feel like you are on the mission. the cg in this movie is even more impressive because it only cost about $40million to make, compared to other huge CG blockbusters which usually cost five times that amount.

the extras are... decent. there's director commentary, but the best part was a separate commentary by dr. brian cox, a real-life physicist who was also the science consultant on this film. his commentary about the science of space is informative and insanely interesting. there's also deleted scenes with director commentary as well

one gripe i really had about the movie was that the ending and plot twist were pretty bad... this movie is so very close to being the best sci-fi movie of this decade until certain elements were added to make it more exciting or whatever. nevertheless, overall its a movie worth watching.

boyle and gardner worked on 28 Days Later, so any fans of that movie should check this out. i recommend the movie to all, just dont expect it to be very action-y. its sort of like... I Am Legend... its about human behavior more than beating up mutants or killing aliens. this is perhaps one of the better sci-fi movies in a very long time (see George Lucas), and i recommend it for anyone that doesnt mind things progressing a bit slower in order to paint a better picture of the setting and premise of the movie.


good: story premise, overall acting, visuals, sci-fi
bad: climax/ending

indiana jones and the wish it remained a trilogy SPOILER ALERT!!! (but really who cares)

i was going to review EXTREME PIZZA!!! first, but i'm at work and i dont really have access to the crappy notes i made on a napkin about it... so heeeeeere's indy!

it was terrible. i want my money back, AMC theater in emeryville. and your mall sucks because all your restaurants were closed by the time the movie was over before 11. you made the experience even worse by closing at a non-realistic hour.

back to the movie. it was bad. harrison ford looked like he didnt want to be there, his voice sounded really weird, like he is still Star Wars - age. shia lebeouf is a good actor, but there's no way he's indiana jones' kid... c'mon, he has the body of a junior high school boy!!! ill admit there's a certain cheesy funniness to the movie, like the previous indy's, but those moments were so often that the movie never really had a serious feel about it, there were no moments where the movie conveyed a dire sense of peril. one such scene that was supposed to do that was with the ants... but it ended up looking fake and more funny that scary. it is really surprising that with today's CG tech, especially with LucasArts, that the animals, the effects, the backgrounds lacked any sense of realism (not to mention the plot). fuck, even the people looked fake, there wasnt much blood, and i dont think anyone other than the chubby triple agent had sweat glands.

ill have to agree with racle that the idea behind the plot was solid. aliens spreading knowledge to human civilization during that time period is a pretty convincing theory as to how the human race was able to advance itself so rapidly in such a short period of time., especially in quasi-scientific areas. nevertheless, lucas and spielberg still managed to come up with a plot thats convoluted and weak. the ending... was terrible. im going to spoil it, itll save someone 11bux. the aliens are in fact archaeologists, just like indy!!! and they find their little treasure trove of treasures from all the different human civilizations. and there's this throne room and the crystal skull gets put back on a body, and the whole place was actually a spaceship which disappears and there's a big CG effect of water filling up the giant whole where the ship was and creating waterfalls that lead to this basin... and the commies die, the head commie lady gets all the knowledge she wants, but then the stupid alien disintegrates her, for some unknown reason. bam.

overall, this movie was bad. i dont recommend watching it in theaters, so maybe rent it when its out on dvd. if you've ever seen the Spielberg ending to Stanley Kubrick's A.I., this movie is basically a 2 hour version of that. or StarWars:E 1&2... basically, south park was right... spielberg and lucas MUST BE STOPPED!!!


good: cate blanchett, swordfight, great picture of Sean Connery on desk
bad: plot, effects, lack of peril