(no subject)
First order of business: I have (finally!) updated my RP character list, which can be found here. Most of my pups have moved on the Retired list, but I am certainly up for playing them on AIM by request. And possibly doodling them.
Second order of business: My vacation last week rocked, and I come bearing movie reviews.
Terminator: Salvation- I'd like to start this review by saying that I do love Christian Bale. He's a great actor and he's fun to watch. But he shouldn't have been cast in the role of John Conner. It's a good movie, true, but if you go I would pay more attention to three members of the supporting cast - Helena Bonham Carter, Moon Bloodgood, and Sam Worthington. I would also recommend taking this review with a grain of salt, since I'm part of the camp that feels this series should have stopped with Judgement Day.
Drag Me to Hell- As a horror movie fan, I always look forward to new films in my favorite genre. As a fan of director Sam Raimi, I was stoked to see him return to his roots in campy horror flicks. If you're one that gets scared easily, I probably wouldn't advise you to see this. However, it's a fun romp with fantastic visuals and a generous dose of dark humor.
The Hangover- Ridiculously hilarious, and not as vulgar as you might think. However, it's still not one for the kids to see. Stay for a while as the credits roll to catch a little extra (and extra surprising) footage.
Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian- I saw the first movie on my birthday a couple years ago; it was like a bowl of chicken noodle soup on a chilly day. It had sort of restored my faith in children's movies, and I was very excited when I heard that a sequel was coming out. Battle for the Smithsonian, while not as good as the original, is still fun fare and worth a watch. The visuals are excellent, and some of the favorites from the first movie make a return.
Up- The other kid's movie on our list, and the better of the two, ranking in my personal Top 3 of the week. The visuals are stunning (and don't require 3D), and the story writing is superb. Dug the talking Dog adds a great deal of comic relief to the movie. But I would like to issue my first-ever TEAR-JERKER ALERT: take along a few tissues, because you might just start crying during this movie. Also of note is the short film that comes before the film, an adorable little romp about where babies of all sorts come from.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen- The Transformers are back, and back with a vengeance. This review will be woefully short, due to potential spoilers, but I can say this: Expect a few old friends... and a few old enemies. The visuals are magnificent, which makes up for the occasionally-garbled plot, and there are many more Transformers joining the ranks, though it means that many of them have their personalities left by the wayside. There's plenty of humor present, but I would advise against taking kidlets to the movie because of the kind of humor this turns out to be on many occasions. Though I have one character of special note: Jetfire, who is the most awesome Badass Grampa in the entire history of Badass Grampas. I don't care who you are, you will love him.
Gran Torino- One expects certain things from Clint Eastwood, whether he's acting or directing. Let me tell you, he once again delivers. There's quite a bit of humor, if you're willing indulge in that little racist part of you during the movie (yes, you're a little bit racist too; Avenue Q is totally right). It's a fascinating and strangely touching movie about a man who learns that not everyone in a subgroup is rotten to the core.
Spellbound- I will admit, I watched this documentary about the national spelling bee a couple weeks ago, but it deserves a mention on this list. It's an excellent movie, that leaves you wondering how you should feel about these children who have devoted so much time (sometimes against their wills) to the tricky and frustrating art of spelling words that nobody uses in casual conversation. There are triumphs and failures, and more than likely you'll find yourself cheering for several of these students.
Who Killed the Electric Car?- The second documentary on the list, this one is about the Electric Car. Specifically, a wave of them that hit the roads of California in the 1990s, and then just as suddenly disappeared. Several celebrities make appearances, and many experts and some of the owners of the cars speak about GMC's EV-1 line, and the corresponding cars from Ford, Honda, Toyota, and other companies. I have a TEAR-JERKER ALERT on this one as well: If you love the environment, or come to love these cars like I did during the film, their final destinations may make you cry.
As an almost unrelated sidenote, if you're planning on getting an electric car, for God's sake get a Tesla. They have more milage to the charge and they're gorgeous.
Later: maybe I'll finally review some TV shows if I remember to!
Second order of business: My vacation last week rocked, and I come bearing movie reviews.
Terminator: Salvation- I'd like to start this review by saying that I do love Christian Bale. He's a great actor and he's fun to watch. But he shouldn't have been cast in the role of John Conner. It's a good movie, true, but if you go I would pay more attention to three members of the supporting cast - Helena Bonham Carter, Moon Bloodgood, and Sam Worthington. I would also recommend taking this review with a grain of salt, since I'm part of the camp that feels this series should have stopped with Judgement Day.
Drag Me to Hell- As a horror movie fan, I always look forward to new films in my favorite genre. As a fan of director Sam Raimi, I was stoked to see him return to his roots in campy horror flicks. If you're one that gets scared easily, I probably wouldn't advise you to see this. However, it's a fun romp with fantastic visuals and a generous dose of dark humor.
The Hangover- Ridiculously hilarious, and not as vulgar as you might think. However, it's still not one for the kids to see. Stay for a while as the credits roll to catch a little extra (and extra surprising) footage.
Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian- I saw the first movie on my birthday a couple years ago; it was like a bowl of chicken noodle soup on a chilly day. It had sort of restored my faith in children's movies, and I was very excited when I heard that a sequel was coming out. Battle for the Smithsonian, while not as good as the original, is still fun fare and worth a watch. The visuals are excellent, and some of the favorites from the first movie make a return.
Up- The other kid's movie on our list, and the better of the two, ranking in my personal Top 3 of the week. The visuals are stunning (and don't require 3D), and the story writing is superb. Dug the talking Dog adds a great deal of comic relief to the movie. But I would like to issue my first-ever TEAR-JERKER ALERT: take along a few tissues, because you might just start crying during this movie. Also of note is the short film that comes before the film, an adorable little romp about where babies of all sorts come from.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen- The Transformers are back, and back with a vengeance. This review will be woefully short, due to potential spoilers, but I can say this: Expect a few old friends... and a few old enemies. The visuals are magnificent, which makes up for the occasionally-garbled plot, and there are many more Transformers joining the ranks, though it means that many of them have their personalities left by the wayside. There's plenty of humor present, but I would advise against taking kidlets to the movie because of the kind of humor this turns out to be on many occasions. Though I have one character of special note: Jetfire, who is the most awesome Badass Grampa in the entire history of Badass Grampas. I don't care who you are, you will love him.
Gran Torino- One expects certain things from Clint Eastwood, whether he's acting or directing. Let me tell you, he once again delivers. There's quite a bit of humor, if you're willing indulge in that little racist part of you during the movie (yes, you're a little bit racist too; Avenue Q is totally right). It's a fascinating and strangely touching movie about a man who learns that not everyone in a subgroup is rotten to the core.
Spellbound- I will admit, I watched this documentary about the national spelling bee a couple weeks ago, but it deserves a mention on this list. It's an excellent movie, that leaves you wondering how you should feel about these children who have devoted so much time (sometimes against their wills) to the tricky and frustrating art of spelling words that nobody uses in casual conversation. There are triumphs and failures, and more than likely you'll find yourself cheering for several of these students.
Who Killed the Electric Car?- The second documentary on the list, this one is about the Electric Car. Specifically, a wave of them that hit the roads of California in the 1990s, and then just as suddenly disappeared. Several celebrities make appearances, and many experts and some of the owners of the cars speak about GMC's EV-1 line, and the corresponding cars from Ford, Honda, Toyota, and other companies. I have a TEAR-JERKER ALERT on this one as well: If you love the environment, or come to love these cars like I did during the film, their final destinations may make you cry.
As an almost unrelated sidenote, if you're planning on getting an electric car, for God's sake get a Tesla. They have more milage to the charge and they're gorgeous.
Later: maybe I'll finally review some TV shows if I remember to!