My Big Spending
A few days before December, I looked online and saw that my credit limit had just tripled. Well, shit. That's how they get you. I mean, it's a good indicator for my credit, but very dangerous. Needless to say, I fell for it, and I've now spent several hundred dollars on presents. Good presents, though! For my mother, a new digital camera, and tetris magnets. My father, the Rocky DVD gift set, a USB drive shaped like a poker chip, and a paperweight of the Tumbler (he loves Batman Begins even more than I do). My little sister Becky gets Kirby Squeak Squad (Which I'm currently playing to, you know, make sure it's not too hard for her) and an LED flashlight with ten different colors. For Ally, the older, a laptop bag made of blank canvas for her to decorate however her little artistic heart chooses, and Mario Galaxy. She wanted Thrillville or whatever that shitty game is for her Wii, but I made an executive decision and bought her Mario. I am here to protect my family from the kinds of video game purchases one makes without checking out reviews. Besides, she loves Mario 64, so she'll like this. Finally, my little cousin Bryan is getting Drawn to Life for the DS, and a coin bank designed like a 1-Up Mushroom (or Super Mushroom, I haven't made a final color choice yet.) Lotsa shopping done!
So I came in from work tonight to find a big package from Amazon on the shelf where my mail goes. At first I thought it might have been something I had ordered. After deciding that it was not, it occurred to me that Cameron and Monica had mysteriously stopped asking me what I wanted for Christmas. Perhaps they'd found my Amazon wishlist? After settling on this hypothesis, I mentally reviewed the contents of said list and determined that if that were the case; Neil Gaiman's Absolute Sandman was probably in the box. Sure enough, that was precisely what greeted me and my humbling deductive talents when I opened it. Thank you so much, guys. Some notes on the book- the site online gives no indication whatsoever of how ridiculously large and heavy it is. It can only be described as a tome. Also, it smells funny.
Other business...hm. My maternal grandfather flew in tonight, he's staying till Saturday. I'm looking forward to spending some time with him. Tomorrow we're going to get lunch, and then there's a museum I'd like to take him to, and the Space Needle of course, and perhaps a few other things that are around....it's a nice change of pace for me.
Gaming-wise, I'm still in the middle of Phantom Hourglass, Mario Galaxy and Assassin's Creed...but they've fallen to the wayside as Mass Effect has dug its claws deep into my soul. It's basically more KotOR, with a better combat system. I am intending to finish up Mario over my cousin's winter break, as he enjoys playing co-star mode with me.
I sat down the other night and figured out how to write my first Wikipedia article, about a band I like. I was more pleased with myself than I have any right to be.
More on the Ipod Touch! It is awesome. I know I said that, but again- awesome. Granted, it appeals mostly to the part of me that just likes gadgets. But the touch controls are great, the web-browsing is nice (you've probably chatted with me on it), and the screen is so crisp and clear...the video quality on it is amazing. I sit and watch movies on it at work all the time now. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I found some awesome freeware for ripping DVDs and converting them to Ipod videos. I also paid about $200 to get a hookup installed for it in my car, and I'm not even sorry. It makes driving such a pleasure.
Speaking of movies, it's long past time I talk about some that I've seen since my last roundup-
The Golden Compass: I saw the sneak preview of this. It's visually nice, and certainly star-studded (although some of those stars, particularly Kathy Bates and Christopher Lee, are barely in the film at all. They have maybe fifteen seconds of lines. Even Daniel Craig, who is touted as one of the stars, doesn't have more than ten minutes or so of screen time). However, the major problem with the film is that it moves too fast. I don't know the books, but I can tell they cut a lot out, and what's left is just a lot of nice visual effects. Craig's character escapes from the captivity we last saw him in roughly 40 minutes ago and sets up a new base of operations, and we only hear about it from a passing mention. The movie also ends too soon, which I've thought about a lot of films, but never to the degree of this one. I can't recommend it, unless you just want a bit of fantasy fluff with a talking polar bear warrior. If you want -good- fantasy, go out next week and buy Stardust on DVD, which, again, was fantastic.
South Park movie: I dunno what to say about this one, really. It was a long episode of the show with more language. Had it been a regular episode, it wouldn't have been my favorite, but it wasn't bad.
The Life Aquatic: This one was a little too quirky for my tastes, but I did laugh at times. The cast is great. I'd describe it, somewhat ironically, as rather dry.
Hollywoodland: Slow and somewhat dull, but Adrien Brody is terrific as always. It's got some intrigue to it.
The Mist: Really enjoyable. Frank Darabont continues to reign as lord of adapting Stephen King stories. Hard to swallow ending, but I liked it. And I can totally see how this was the inspiration for the Half-Life games. Go see it if you like horror movies, suspense, or King.
Philidelphia: Sort of long and drawn out...but then I don't usually get into legal dramas too much. You can only go so wrong with Tom Hanks as your lead though.
Beowulf: Definitely see it in 3D if you can, otherwise I don't know if I'd bother. It's an interesting take on the story, and the animation is not as bad as you think. But ultimately it's underwhelming.
In the Land of Women: A capable enough drama. I tend to like movies that are advertised as primarily focused on a romantic element, but actually end up less straightforward. I liked this one less than I hoped to but more than I feared I might.
The Lookout: Pretty good little thriller. Not much I can think to say about it. You might check it out if it sounds like your thing.
Bee Movie: Meh. Read a list of quotes to extract the Seinfeld-y goodness out of it. The rest isn't worth much.
Reign Over Me: An excellent drama. Man, Adam Sandler has considerably more range than I thought. And Don Cheadle, well, he's just one of the best actors working today. I choked up at this one.
Butterfly Effect: What is it about Kutcher's movies that I end up wanting to like them more than I actually did? Same thing happened to me with A Lot Like Love: They both seem good enough, but something about them just bothers me. Anyway, one's a pretty decent supernatural thriller, the other's a surprisingly tolerable romantic dramedy. Maybe check them out.
Match Point: The most disturbingly plausible and personal depiction of an extramarital affair that I think I've seen. Good performances, relatable characters that ultimately make the film all the more disturbing, and an ending that I didn't see coming. The movie rhymes, which I appreciate. You'll understand what I mean if you see it. Also, Scarlett Johansson may have my babies at any time.
Underworld / Underworld Evolution: Not as bad as I'd feared. They're fairly straight action films, maybe a little less enjoyable than Blade (at least, the first two). If you're into Matrix meets vampires and werewolves, this is pretty tasty. I only saw them because I was interested to see what Len Wiseman had been up to before Die Hard 4.
Conversations With Other Women: A nice little indie drama with an incredibly interesting gimmick- the entire film is shot in split screen. Most of the time, it shows both characters, but sometimes one will switch to a flashback, or a wide shot, or something else...it's really cool, and worth seeing just for that. Plus, Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter are both delightful and have great chemistry here.
Arachnophobia: The end of this movie may contain the single most awesome moment of cinematic excess I've ever seen. You'll know it when you see it; it involves fire. If you're in for a slightly cheesy suspense movie about killer spiders, give this a try.
Shaun of the Dead: Didn't like this as much as I expected to. I guess british humor just isn't my thing. Well, that and my zombie flick experience is limited. Still kinda funny though. I liked Hot Fuzz a bit more I think.
Interview with the Vampire: Before vampires were sunglass-wearing ninjas, they were faggy goths. This one is pretty damned slow. I mean, it's a good cast, but they don't do much with it.
Space Cowboys: Ugh. Take any other astronaut movie and extract the better plot elements from it, and this is what you're left with.
The Longest Yard (1974): I think I liked this one more than the recent remake. That's not saying much, but it's something. Nice to see Burt Reynolds again.
The Holiday: Aside from some interesting things to say about the film industry in one of its subplots, this one fell flat for me. Largely because it's hard to accept these ridiculously beautiful women as unhappy singles.
Amistad: Now here was a legal film I -could- sit down and enjoy, largely because it gained points for the civil-war era setting. This is a nice little Spielburg gem.
Once Upon a Time In Mexico: Bigger budget, strong cast, but I think I liked this less than the two prequels. Not awful though. Depp was great as always.
Aurora Borealis: Another good life drama in disguise as a relationship film. I found this one somewhat charming.
Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles: Well, I hope you like subtitles. This one has an understated sort of power to it, though. Everything I liked about Babel tied up into a smaller, more personal film.
The Girl in the Cafe: Another very dry film, but sweet. Recommend if it appeals to you in concept.
The Cooler: Not bad, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Panic. What is up with William H Macy? Every independent movie I see the guy in, he has a steamy sex scene with a much younger, hotter girl. He'd better get his agent something nice for Christmas.
Battlestar Galactica- Razor: I was privileged to see the Xbox and Mass Effect-sponsored sneak preview of this. I even met Jamie Bamber, who plays Lee "Apollo" Adama. He was very nice and graciously endured my dorkiness for a few moments after the show. Even got a couple of pictures with him, though they're not good ones and I'm sort of looking away. As for the movie, it was good; if you like the series then you'll like this.
3:10 to Yuma: Okay movie, great acting. I'd say see it if you have any affection at all for westerns, and you won't be disappointed.
Shoot Em' Up: I liked it. Completely over-the-top action. It doesn't even try to be anything different. You're supposed to laugh at how outrageous everything is, and I did.
Whoa that was a lot of reviews, and I still think I'm missing a couple of things that I saw since last time. If you want more great reviews, check out TheMovieBlog.com, a great site I just found. Gotta love a place that describes themselves as "The offical home of correct movie opinions". Their podcast is my new second favorite, I think, I almost busted a gut on it last night. My first is still obviously the Penny Arcade podcast, but sadly they only do that occasionally.
And finally, speaking of podcasts, I find myself liking the 1Up Show more than I would have expected. It's kinda like The Office for gamers, only obviously not as funny. Similar humor though, all tied together with gaming news segments. And the theme song is catchy.
Wow look at the time, I must sleep. I'll update again soon.
I don't wanna take it nice and slow
I wanna get ready to go
So I came in from work tonight to find a big package from Amazon on the shelf where my mail goes. At first I thought it might have been something I had ordered. After deciding that it was not, it occurred to me that Cameron and Monica had mysteriously stopped asking me what I wanted for Christmas. Perhaps they'd found my Amazon wishlist? After settling on this hypothesis, I mentally reviewed the contents of said list and determined that if that were the case; Neil Gaiman's Absolute Sandman was probably in the box. Sure enough, that was precisely what greeted me and my humbling deductive talents when I opened it. Thank you so much, guys. Some notes on the book- the site online gives no indication whatsoever of how ridiculously large and heavy it is. It can only be described as a tome. Also, it smells funny.
Other business...hm. My maternal grandfather flew in tonight, he's staying till Saturday. I'm looking forward to spending some time with him. Tomorrow we're going to get lunch, and then there's a museum I'd like to take him to, and the Space Needle of course, and perhaps a few other things that are around....it's a nice change of pace for me.
Gaming-wise, I'm still in the middle of Phantom Hourglass, Mario Galaxy and Assassin's Creed...but they've fallen to the wayside as Mass Effect has dug its claws deep into my soul. It's basically more KotOR, with a better combat system. I am intending to finish up Mario over my cousin's winter break, as he enjoys playing co-star mode with me.
I sat down the other night and figured out how to write my first Wikipedia article, about a band I like. I was more pleased with myself than I have any right to be.
More on the Ipod Touch! It is awesome. I know I said that, but again- awesome. Granted, it appeals mostly to the part of me that just likes gadgets. But the touch controls are great, the web-browsing is nice (you've probably chatted with me on it), and the screen is so crisp and clear...the video quality on it is amazing. I sit and watch movies on it at work all the time now. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I found some awesome freeware for ripping DVDs and converting them to Ipod videos. I also paid about $200 to get a hookup installed for it in my car, and I'm not even sorry. It makes driving such a pleasure.
Speaking of movies, it's long past time I talk about some that I've seen since my last roundup-
The Golden Compass: I saw the sneak preview of this. It's visually nice, and certainly star-studded (although some of those stars, particularly Kathy Bates and Christopher Lee, are barely in the film at all. They have maybe fifteen seconds of lines. Even Daniel Craig, who is touted as one of the stars, doesn't have more than ten minutes or so of screen time). However, the major problem with the film is that it moves too fast. I don't know the books, but I can tell they cut a lot out, and what's left is just a lot of nice visual effects. Craig's character escapes from the captivity we last saw him in roughly 40 minutes ago and sets up a new base of operations, and we only hear about it from a passing mention. The movie also ends too soon, which I've thought about a lot of films, but never to the degree of this one. I can't recommend it, unless you just want a bit of fantasy fluff with a talking polar bear warrior. If you want -good- fantasy, go out next week and buy Stardust on DVD, which, again, was fantastic.
South Park movie: I dunno what to say about this one, really. It was a long episode of the show with more language. Had it been a regular episode, it wouldn't have been my favorite, but it wasn't bad.
The Life Aquatic: This one was a little too quirky for my tastes, but I did laugh at times. The cast is great. I'd describe it, somewhat ironically, as rather dry.
Hollywoodland: Slow and somewhat dull, but Adrien Brody is terrific as always. It's got some intrigue to it.
The Mist: Really enjoyable. Frank Darabont continues to reign as lord of adapting Stephen King stories. Hard to swallow ending, but I liked it. And I can totally see how this was the inspiration for the Half-Life games. Go see it if you like horror movies, suspense, or King.
Philidelphia: Sort of long and drawn out...but then I don't usually get into legal dramas too much. You can only go so wrong with Tom Hanks as your lead though.
Beowulf: Definitely see it in 3D if you can, otherwise I don't know if I'd bother. It's an interesting take on the story, and the animation is not as bad as you think. But ultimately it's underwhelming.
In the Land of Women: A capable enough drama. I tend to like movies that are advertised as primarily focused on a romantic element, but actually end up less straightforward. I liked this one less than I hoped to but more than I feared I might.
The Lookout: Pretty good little thriller. Not much I can think to say about it. You might check it out if it sounds like your thing.
Bee Movie: Meh. Read a list of quotes to extract the Seinfeld-y goodness out of it. The rest isn't worth much.
Reign Over Me: An excellent drama. Man, Adam Sandler has considerably more range than I thought. And Don Cheadle, well, he's just one of the best actors working today. I choked up at this one.
Butterfly Effect: What is it about Kutcher's movies that I end up wanting to like them more than I actually did? Same thing happened to me with A Lot Like Love: They both seem good enough, but something about them just bothers me. Anyway, one's a pretty decent supernatural thriller, the other's a surprisingly tolerable romantic dramedy. Maybe check them out.
Match Point: The most disturbingly plausible and personal depiction of an extramarital affair that I think I've seen. Good performances, relatable characters that ultimately make the film all the more disturbing, and an ending that I didn't see coming. The movie rhymes, which I appreciate. You'll understand what I mean if you see it. Also, Scarlett Johansson may have my babies at any time.
Underworld / Underworld Evolution: Not as bad as I'd feared. They're fairly straight action films, maybe a little less enjoyable than Blade (at least, the first two). If you're into Matrix meets vampires and werewolves, this is pretty tasty. I only saw them because I was interested to see what Len Wiseman had been up to before Die Hard 4.
Conversations With Other Women: A nice little indie drama with an incredibly interesting gimmick- the entire film is shot in split screen. Most of the time, it shows both characters, but sometimes one will switch to a flashback, or a wide shot, or something else...it's really cool, and worth seeing just for that. Plus, Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter are both delightful and have great chemistry here.
Arachnophobia: The end of this movie may contain the single most awesome moment of cinematic excess I've ever seen. You'll know it when you see it; it involves fire. If you're in for a slightly cheesy suspense movie about killer spiders, give this a try.
Shaun of the Dead: Didn't like this as much as I expected to. I guess british humor just isn't my thing. Well, that and my zombie flick experience is limited. Still kinda funny though. I liked Hot Fuzz a bit more I think.
Interview with the Vampire: Before vampires were sunglass-wearing ninjas, they were faggy goths. This one is pretty damned slow. I mean, it's a good cast, but they don't do much with it.
Space Cowboys: Ugh. Take any other astronaut movie and extract the better plot elements from it, and this is what you're left with.
The Longest Yard (1974): I think I liked this one more than the recent remake. That's not saying much, but it's something. Nice to see Burt Reynolds again.
The Holiday: Aside from some interesting things to say about the film industry in one of its subplots, this one fell flat for me. Largely because it's hard to accept these ridiculously beautiful women as unhappy singles.
Amistad: Now here was a legal film I -could- sit down and enjoy, largely because it gained points for the civil-war era setting. This is a nice little Spielburg gem.
Once Upon a Time In Mexico: Bigger budget, strong cast, but I think I liked this less than the two prequels. Not awful though. Depp was great as always.
Aurora Borealis: Another good life drama in disguise as a relationship film. I found this one somewhat charming.
Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles: Well, I hope you like subtitles. This one has an understated sort of power to it, though. Everything I liked about Babel tied up into a smaller, more personal film.
The Girl in the Cafe: Another very dry film, but sweet. Recommend if it appeals to you in concept.
The Cooler: Not bad, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Panic. What is up with William H Macy? Every independent movie I see the guy in, he has a steamy sex scene with a much younger, hotter girl. He'd better get his agent something nice for Christmas.
Battlestar Galactica- Razor: I was privileged to see the Xbox and Mass Effect-sponsored sneak preview of this. I even met Jamie Bamber, who plays Lee "Apollo" Adama. He was very nice and graciously endured my dorkiness for a few moments after the show. Even got a couple of pictures with him, though they're not good ones and I'm sort of looking away. As for the movie, it was good; if you like the series then you'll like this.
3:10 to Yuma: Okay movie, great acting. I'd say see it if you have any affection at all for westerns, and you won't be disappointed.
Shoot Em' Up: I liked it. Completely over-the-top action. It doesn't even try to be anything different. You're supposed to laugh at how outrageous everything is, and I did.
Whoa that was a lot of reviews, and I still think I'm missing a couple of things that I saw since last time. If you want more great reviews, check out TheMovieBlog.com, a great site I just found. Gotta love a place that describes themselves as "The offical home of correct movie opinions". Their podcast is my new second favorite, I think, I almost busted a gut on it last night. My first is still obviously the Penny Arcade podcast, but sadly they only do that occasionally.
And finally, speaking of podcasts, I find myself liking the 1Up Show more than I would have expected. It's kinda like The Office for gamers, only obviously not as funny. Similar humor though, all tied together with gaming news segments. And the theme song is catchy.
Wow look at the time, I must sleep. I'll update again soon.
I don't wanna take it nice and slow
I wanna get ready to go