I’m thankful for…

• my family that love and support me.
• my friends that make me happy.
• my best friend who I enjoy talking and listening to almost everyday.
• my independence for the last 2 years.
• my job that I absolutely love and enjoy doing.
• my apartment that I have slowly but steadily furnished.
• the CTA for providing me with transportation everyday.
• my laptop for without it, I’d be lost!
• CSS3, jQuery, Ubuntu, Chrome, VLC, and Eclipse (to satisfy my inner computer nerd).
• Tumblr for providing me with hours and hours of enjoyment and distractions.
• Netflix and its instant streaming for providing me with hours of television to watch.
• Joss Whedon for Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, and Dollhouse.
• my newfound love for free movie screenings.
• J.K. Rowling for HARRY FREAKIN’ POTTER.
• the finale of Lost.
• Schubas and Lincoln Hall for having lots of awesome shows.
• Chicago Comics for being my local comic book shop.
• Fables and The Walking Dead for being consistently entertaining comics.
• relationships; even though they can be turbulent, they still provide lots of good memories.
• the city of Chicago for being a wonderful place and giving me a home.

What are you thankful for?

Sorry about that.

You know the usual excuses: work, life, laziness, etc… I’ve been more dedicated to microblogging; posting on my tumblr and twitter. Also, my readership has increased by like 2… and they’re from work. And that makes me a bit more wary about the personal stuff I post online, even though they’re pretty cool about most things.

So updates: work has been awesome, joined a softball team in the spring, had a fun summer, had an AWESOME birthday, and most recently been starting to go to movie screenings. I also met a girl… but I don’t think it’d be appropriate to blog about that right now.

I decided to finally update the site theme as well as make this post. I’ve been really lazy about updating this site, and my friend really berates me for it. So here you go: one new blog entry!

I have some draft posts actually with only one or two really interesting ones. I’ll try to post and write more, especially with what’s going on in my life. Until then, thanks for sticking around!

I kept telling myself to write this review, because I didn’t want others to miss out on it. I’ve been putting it off, mostly because of the new job, but now’s a good time as any to give my impressions of Moon.

I had no idea of the film’s existence until I saw a quick preview of it on Current TV’s Rotten Tomatoes show (awesome cable station, BTW). Set in the future, the film thrusts you right into the life of Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, an employee of Lunar industries at the end of his 3 year contract to mine helium-3 from the moon, an energy source that powers much of planet Earth. He is the sole worker on the station, his only companion being the computer robot Gerty (voiced by, that’s right, Kevin Spacey).

So, I’m thinking, this guy must be on the brink of a psychotic breakdown due to the prolonged isolation and tedious repetition of his duties. He has a wife and daughter back home whom he communicates with via recorded messages—the live feed satellite has been broken down apparently and isn’t on the company’s priority list of things to repair. At first he seems to be managing well on his own… until he is visited by a strange hallucination of a woman sitting in his chair in the rec room. He burns his hand from hot water from the apparent vision, but he quickly dismisses the vision, choosing not to tell Gerty about it. Sam sees the girl again on a routine excursion outside to the harvesting machine, only to crash his rover and blacks out.

This is where things start to get a bit crazy. The next scene we see is Sam waking up in the infirmary, hindered by slight memory loss about what happened. He soon recovers, but is locked inside the base by Lunar headquarters for his “own safety.” Not happy being cooped-up like a child, Sam concocts a way to trick Gerty into letting him out. When he ventures outside, he comes across the wreckage. Looking inside, he discovers… HIMSELF. It’s the same one that was in the crash. He wasn’t rescued. Yeah, that’s right, there are TWO SAM BELLS.

The rest of the movie is Sam and Sam interacting and trying to puzzle out what the hell is going on. Has Sam finally lost it? Is Sam a clone? Did Sam desperately imagine himself rescuing himself? Apparently, the second Sam (that woke up in the infirmary) is the younger version, thinking that he is just beginning his 3 year contract. He’s more immature, brash, and easy to upset. The older Sam is more calm and collected. I think Rockwell does an excellent job interacting with himself. They are two very different characters, and I hardly noticed the split screen effect to put himself in to places (like what Michael Fox did in Back to the Future II).

Oh yeah, SPOILER AHEAD. You will want to dismiss the theory that Gerty is an evil computer a la Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey. You’ll learn soon enough that Gerty only has good intentions and just wants to help Sam(s). And it’s kind of cute how he expresses himself through simple emoticons.

I don’t want to give away the ending, because this is a film I highly suggest you check out. It’s been lost among all the summer blockbusters, not getting much press. I think that works to its advantage though. This is a great word-of-mouth, possible cult-classic. It is an awesome science fiction film… if not a rare one that doesn’t rely on aliens, time travel, and outrageous space battles. Almost reminds me of Sunshine at some points. Actually, I like to compare that Sunshine is energetic and action packed like the sun, while Moon is a bit more mellow and thought provoking… like the moon!

I’d rate it 9/10. I saw it twice! Catch it while you can, if it’s playing in your area! If anything, check out the trailer!

I finally got around to seeing Sunshine. I loved it. Based in the future, the film follows a crew of eight that is sent on a mission to re-ignite our dying sun after the first craft to attempt to had seemingly disappeared. And sure enough, shit hits the fan, things go wrong, and the fate of everyone on earth is in jeopardy. Yeah, we’d all love a space movie where the mission isn’t compromised and everyone makes it back safe and sound, but where’s the fun in that?

I think what made Sunshine really compelling for me (at least for the most of it) was that when things went wrong, there wasn’t any clear “bad guy” to blame. It was just a miscalculation, or a loose grip, or a suicide. There wasn’t really a chance for justice or a way to right the wrongs. Conflict creates some great tension and drama, but to see it happen without any evil character to focus my anger and frustrations at was a nice change of pace for me. Of course, the antagonist comes into play eventually.

And that was my only gripe with it. It suddenly turned into a “slasher” flick. I can understand how one can mentally break down in the absolute vastness of space combined with the immense pressure of the mission, but “nekkid-skin-burned-religious-crazy-guy” was a bit over the top. I didn’t need a psycho stalker killing people one by one. I want them battling the actual difficulties of the mission itself. It’s more compelling to see them deal with the consequences of their own actions and decisions.

I absolutely loved the visuals and original score. Beautiful and breathtaking. Most of the acting was great, not spectacular, but enough to make it work.

Rating: 8/10. Story was solid, with no melodramatics like any other doomsday films. I loved the science fiction aspects of it. The visual direction and futuristic scores are probably what won me over the most. I’m getting the soundtrack as soon as I can.

And director Danny Boyle… you are talented! I am intrigued and surprised by the different types of films you create. Trainspotting. 28 Days Later. Sunshine. Slumdog Millionaire (which I saw and also thought was really awesome). All very different genres, but great movies nonetheless. What do you have next?

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I think I had some prejudiced expectations going in that probably led to my disatisfaction. All I knew was that it was some sort of romantic/drama with vampires in it. I’m thinking, “Oooh, vampires!” However, movie posters showing pretty boy teens hindered my desire to see it; because to me, vampires should be blood sucking monsters like in 30 Days of Night. These are definitely not your typical vampires. I can understand that the pretty ones are in fact “good” vampires that feed on the blood of animals rather than humans, therefore depicting them as young, attractive humans makes sense. But come on… they freakin’ sparkle in the sunlight? I am not down with that, both as a man and as a fan of the old school vampires.

The acting… I wouldn’t say was atrocious, but more grating than anything. I’m not sure if it was the delivery or the lines, but a lot of the romantic scenes were a bit too cliche for my tastes.

Edward Cullen, the main pretty boy vampire, (played by actor Robert Patterson, better recognized as the immortal Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter films), was bearable. The first third of the movie he was so stand-offish… his emo-like stares almost made me want to laugh hysterically. It was like he tried really really hard to perfect the stare that it seemed like it was supposed to be a joke.

The action sequences were nice, but the final fight between Edward and the “bad” vampire James seemed waaaaay too short and anti-climactic. When I see a movie with vampires, I expect some level of blood, gore, and violence. This film seemed way too censored… but again, I guess it needed to be to keep to its wimpy romance theme.

I discussed my criticisms with my friend today. She says that a lot was cut from the book and that I should read it before judging the movie so harshly. I probably will give the book a chance. It has a few interesting characters I want to learn more about. And she says the series is just as engaging as Harry Potter. And I likes my Potter books.

So, for now, I shall have to rate this movie 3/10. It gained points with a few characters that have real potential. I’m probably being way too generous.

Oh yeah, best line in the movie? “Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin,” said by Edward describing his infatuation for the blood of Bella, the human girl he falls in love for. Almost wanted to get up and leave after that one.

Cool vampires don’t smile.

No, they aren’t putting on a play for them.

We were like 15 minutes late, but I’m sure we didn’t miss anything critical. We got right in where Liv Tyler is taking off her panties before being rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. She and her boyfriend (played by Scott Speedman, who seemed strangely familiar to me and then I found out that he played Ben from Felicity) answer the door to find a young woman asking, in a very creepy way, for someone who obviously didn’t live at the house. They shoo her away, the guy leaves to buy some cigarettes, and then the fun begins.

The Strangers is best summed up as being about a young couple being terrified by three lunatics in masks. And man… those masks are really fucking creepy. They’re great, because there are some awesome moments where they just slowly walk forward from the darkness or around the corner and you are completely spooked. The first time we see The Man in the Mask… DAMN! One of the best scary moments ever. Liv Tyler is just having a glass of water in the kitchen, and behind her in the background the dude just appears (all fuzzy and out of focus due to the perspective) and just stands there and watches her. FUCKING CREEPY.

OK, I am not totally in love with the movie; it has it’s horror cliche moments, but it was effective in making me (and especially my little cousin) squirm in my seat. Plotwise, it worked for me because all I cared about was getting scared. I didn’t want to learn the backstories of the characters and what motivates them. I mean really, the boyfriend puts it exactly how it should be when asked why they’re terrorizing them: “They don’t need a reason when they come through that door.” There are plenty of points in the film that get really tense, and I’m just waiting for the obligatory “jump in your face” moment. It rarely does that, but my expectations for it helped me get my tension up.

I think they did a good job with the music and sound. It doesn’t use an overpowering score, or those big sharp, sudden strings at the scare moments. Actually, the silent scenes are pretty crazy and all you hear are the taunting and intimidating sounds of the masked assailants banging on the walls, heavily breathing, and creepily making footsteps. And, personally, I liked the effect of the old fashioned music playing on the record player in one scene.

The movie also had its parts where it got me thinking, “God, no wonder they are in this shit, they are just fucking stupid.” There’s a point in the movie when a friend comes down to the remote house. He’s leaving a message for the couple on his cell phone when BAM! His windshield is shattered by what I think was a rock. So, I’m like, “RED FLAG.” Then like a dumbass, he proceeds to walk to the house and sees his friends’ car completely WRECKED (which was totalled by the psychos to prevent them from leaving). I’m all like, “HELLO?! Call the fucking police, dumbass!” But nooooo… he keeps going and WALKS INTO THE FUCKING HOUSE, which is now a complete mess and any sane person can tell there was an attack there. I’ll leave it to you to find out what happens to him.

As for the ending… hm. Big spoiler alert, so stop reading if you are thinking about watching the movie and don’t want to know what happens to the couple. Ok, here it comes… I like how the attackers just take off their masks, their faces not completely shown, and proceed to stab the tied up couple to death. It isn’t gory, just how’s I likes it cuz I HATES torture films, but you can definitely feel the impact of the murders. And then the killers just drive away, one of them saying, “Next time, it will be easier.” And then the END, end… two young Mormon boys come into the house and find the massacre, one of them reaches out to the bled out Tyler, and then she suddenly reaches out and screams straight at the audience and then the fade to black. I could have done without that one. It seemed kind of put in there for a scare you at the last minute when it didn’t need to.

So… I thought it was so-so. I was entertained, both because I just love going to the movies and I got scared when I wanted too, but it’s not one of those “Wow. I am completely impressed by all aspects of it” movies. Probably would rate it a 6/10. If you want a good scare, check it out, but don’t expect something deep or dramatic.

And yeah, the power still wasn’t back on when we got back home afterward. I just read some comics by flashlight until it did… about two hours later.

01/22 – 49.13

02/07 – 63.11
02/21 – 62.88
02/28 – 62.73

03/27 – 33.61
03/31 – 53.93

04/15 – 70.98
04/21 – 72.55
04/28 – 30.01
04/29 – 50.08

05/05 – 73.71
05/12 – 59.28

That’s almost $700 spent on fuel this year… This is ridiculous. Yeah, I should probably be getting a more fuel-efficient car. AND be fueling only one car.

When the hell are we getting Mr. Fusion anyway? I’d love to run my car on trash and leftover beer. 2015 is not so far away…

Atonement
I missed like the first 10-15 minutes of the movie, but I don’t think I missed anything that vital. I thought it was a story about a love strong enough to overcome the trials of war and soldiering. The whole time I’m thinking that it’s all about Robbie and Cecilia (I came in at the part where he’s typing that explicit letter and you see in humongous letters on the screen: “In my dreams I kiss your cunt, your sweet wet cunt.” That’s a priceless moment right there), but it’s actually more about Cecilia’s little sister, Briony. After some misunderstandings and a little jealousy on her part, Briony accuses Robbie of raping her cousin and he’s sent to prison. Three years later, he’s able to get released but at the cost of signing up for the military in World War II. Cecilia has never forgiven Briony and the little sister has matured and realized her mistake. The rest of the movie follows Robbie trying to make it back home and Briony serving in the nursing corps. There’s a sort of twist in the ending concerning the fates of Robbie and Cecilia… and ultimately Briony. And it’s Briony in the end who is trying to atone for her mistake, because if it wasn’t for her, Robbie and Cecilia could have had the happiness together they deserved. As for the film aspect, the direction was pretty good and the actors did their job well. The music and scores were excellent, I think, and the theme of a typewriter plays big into it, since you hear big clacks of the typewriter at some pretty intense moments. My rating: 8/10.

No Country for Old Men
Holy shit. This movie is fucking nuts. I’m talking about the violence… it’s not so much action packed, but more about the way the killing is shown. They don’t pan away for a lot of the killing blows, and the villain, Anton Chigurh, certainly gets creative with a captive bolt pistol. And damn… Anton is one cold-blooded killer. He has a real intimidating presence and I actually felt a little fear whenever he was on screen. Now, the movie pretty much follows Anton, a hitman; Llewelyn Moss; and sheriff Tom Bell. Llewelyn finds a satchel filled with two million dollars and throughout the movie, he’s dodging Anton who is following him in order to get the money, killing everyone in his way mercilessly. Llewelyn is pretty smart and it’s interesting to see his cunning work when attempting to fight back or hid the stash. But Anton is relentless and promises Llewelyn that he would kill his wife if he didn’t hand over the money. Sheriff Bell is attempting to solve the string of murders in Anton’s wake, and tries to get Llewelyn’s wife to cooperate with him. I loved the action and the writing in the movie. And Anton is just fierce. However, my little beef is with the ending… Llewelyn ends up dead (though not killed by Anton), Anton gets away (after leaving Llewelyn’s wife’s house, not implying whether he killed her or not), and Sheriff Bell never encounters either of the other two at all and ends the movie with him talking about a dream he had. I think there are supposed to be some underlying themes in the movie, but it’s been a while since I seen it. I would definitely see this one again. I rate this movie: 9/10

Cloverfield
I wanted to write a whole post on this movie… OK, I’ll admit that I was just too damn lazy to. Anyway, if you haven’t seen this movie, check it out! I saw this movie twice, and it was just as good. I was psyched to see the movie for a couple reasons: 1) You don’t know exactly what to expect other than it’s a monster movie; 2) It’s presented through the view of a hand-held camera; 3) Lost co-creator, J. J. Abrams produced the movie; and 4) It just looked like a fun movie to see. They generated a lot of buzz around the movie with its tiny sneak preview a year ago… no one knew what it was about and rumors and speculation were rampant. I also thought it was interesting that they presented it through the documenting of a video camera, similar to the Blair Witch Project. I think it really worked to its advantage, because it really immerses you into their world, like you’re experiencing everything that they are on screen, seeing it through their eyes. The action gets a little shaky, but the direction was well put together and you see enough to know whats going on and the dire situation everyone is in. And omg… the MONSTER. I had no inclination of what it would look like, but the progression of the movie slowly introduced it and when it was finally revealed… I was like, “OH SHIT.” Crazy. There are a lot of elements in the movie I just thought were awesome, but I really would do you an injustice if I revealed all to you if you haven’t seen it. My rating: 10/10. Yeah, that’s right.

Charlie Wilson’s War
Yay, Tom Hanks! One of my favorite actors. And his character, Charlie Wilson, is pretty awesome himself. Alright, there was a lot of dialog in here that went over my head, so a lot of how Charlie did what he did kind of went in one ear and out the other. But the reasons for why he was doing it were pretty clear. While defeating the communists was the number one goal, helping out the people that were being slaughtered was more important to him. And it’s unfortunate that in the end, we didn’t follow through on helping Afghanistan rebuild. But other than that, the story worked really well. Philip Seymor Hoffman was brilliant, his character really worked well with Hanks’. Julia Roberts was okay, and I think the movie might have worked just as well without her character. But what’s this? ::gasp:: Amy Adams is in it too! I didn’t know that, and I was all like, “That’s gotta be her.” Hehehehe… I love her. And her character, while minor, was still great. I rate the movie: 9/10. And I gave it 2 extra points for Amy Adams alone.

How She Move
Oh geez. Move on and don’t waste money on this one. It’s not even worth talking about. 1/10.

Jumper
Saw this one last night. Don’t go in expecting an outstanding movie. I still think it’s fun, but I also think it fell through on some points. The film centers around the concept of “jumping” where people can teleport anywhere, anytime. The special effects are pretty cool to watch, and the action and creative use of ‘jumping’ (particularly, the driving scene in China) is awesome. I don’t really have any interest in Hayden Christensen after he killed those little Jedi kids, but I’ve got a thing for Rachel Bilson, knowing her as Summer from The O.C.. Samuel L. Jackson was cool too… although it’s weird to see him with so much white hair. And that’s probably all that I like about the movie. The story ran short on a lot of plot lines and fell through near the end. One is the fight between the main character, David Rice, played by Christensen, and Griffin. The fight was awesome, but really, there was no build up for it… it looked like they were going to team-up and do some cool stuff together, but the fight seemed rushed and needless. The whole thing with David and his mom was kind of lame too. Oh wooo… she’s one of the Paladin’s that hunt Jumpers. That could have been a cool thing to explore, but it was lame how in the end, she’s all like, “I’m only giving you a head start because I love you.” Whatever, like it’s no big deal. Blaaah… the story could have been really cool. Almost on the scale of Heroes. But it felt like it was just an excuse to show off cool teleporting effects. But overall, I thought it was a fun, kill some time, movie. Creative, but no depth, I guess. And yeah, Bilson needs to be in more movies… maybe together with Amy Adams? I shall bestow upon this movie a rating: 7/10.

Next movie? I dunno… I have a strange urge to go see Step Up 2. I haven’t seen the first one, but I’m diggin’ on the soundtrack… and that Briana Evigan? Yow. She’s hot.