~synonymous blue

Food Videos

2010-10-12T12:24:00.001-04:00

Just a couple of videos my bro discovered last night, and that I thought were pretty neat. Mostly just throwing them on here so that I will have posted something.

If you like modern war history, you’ll really like this vid, which depicts the wars (WWII – present) as food fights, with each food representing its respective country.

This YouTuber does stop-motion videos using ordinary household objects. However, they may not be used in an ordinary way. Extremely creative and fun to watch, the above video was one of my favorites. Also, it inspired my bro to make spaghetti immediately after viewing last night, so I had a tasty dinner waiting for me when I got home from work. (Note: If you typically put meat in your spaghetti sauce, try substituting bacon for a delicious, smoky flavor.)

Autumn Cometh

2010-09-08T11:37:00.001-04:00

So… after receiving ZERO comments on any of the posts I’ve made over the past month, I finally had the sense to go and check the blog and see what the heck was going on, and… BLOGGER HAS NOT EVEN BEEN DISPLAYING THE POSTS!!!

…….

Haha, yeah… no… I seriously just have not done any posts within the last month. o_o My bad. So, insert various half-hearted excuses about being busy, seemingly self-deprecating criticisms of inherent apathy, and earnest (but ultimately unrealized) promises of improvement here: ____________________, aaannndddd… moving on!

What have I been watching? Well, since late July when I went and saw Inception, I have viewed (in theaters): The Karate Kid, How to Train Your Dragon, Salt, and The A-Team.

Of those four films, only one of them was on my “top ten” list (The Karate Kid), and one was on the “runners up” list (Salt). How to Train Your Dragon would have been on my top ten list, but I created the list after the movie was released in theaters. I ended waiting to see “Dragon” at the cheap theater, which doesn’t get stuff in until waaaayyyy after the other theaters have stopped screening, but you only pay $1.00-$3.00, so… worth it.

I had debated going back and doing a review post on each film, but it’s really trippy trying to review a movie more than a few days after you’ve seen it, so the longer I kept trying to do that, the longer I ended up putting off posting, and I finally just said, screw it. I’ll post whatever the heck I want, and it’s not gonna be movie reviews. However, I will note that the above films were: Good (Salt), Good (The Karate Kid), Great (How to Train Your Dragon) and Good (The A-Team). Interestingly, I saw each one with a different person, and none of them were the people I usually go with. All good company, however.

If you’re an avid movie-viewer, and would recommend at least renting all of them. Salt and The A-Team had very summer-movie-type plots with either a very simple or “been there, seen that” feel, but were great on action. How much you enjoy them might depend on how you like your protagonists (testosterone-laden Army Ranger team, or femme fatale Russian spy), but both are good entertainment.

The Karate Kid was a little better story-wise, and seeing Jaden Smith in action will always be a treat. Definitely worth a viewing, even if you’re not into martial arts, but definitely if you’re into Jackie Chan. He really digs in with his acting spurs, drawing emotion out of his otherwise-quite-stoic character at the appropriate moments. Other than the mom getting kind of obnoxious at times, and the love story being a little awkward-tween-icky, I enjoyed this one (and was glad to cross the first “to watch” film off my top ten list, finally).

My favorite of the four was definitely How to Train Your Dragon. An excellent picture from Dreamworks that has received loads of positive reviews, I convinced my mom to take me to see this one for my birthday. She was iffy because of the title, and because if was from Dreamworks. I think she had more a of a Shrek-like film in mind, with the oft-inappropriate humor and spoofy story-line. However, she walked out voicing surprise and approval at how good the film was. Another winner from the ol’ Dream machine. They may not be quite on par with Pixar (yet), but they’re sure as heck giving it their best shot.

In completely unrelated news, my Mozy backup has passed the halfway mark like a herd of turtles. Also, I found out the upload speed was being severely throttled (my bad), so I adjusted that and it’s running a little faster now. I just hope these segmented sessions don’t results in a fuzzy backup. Only time will tell.

PS- My fellow bloggers whose posts I normally comment on… do not despair. I’m still reading, I just haven’t had time to comment. I’ll get right on that.

James and the Giant Peach on Blu-ray

2010-08-05T12:14:00.001-04:00

Guess what came out of Blu-ray this past Tuesday?

Guess who hasn’t been able to pick it up, yet? :(

When I was a kid, my brothers and I used to watch this one over and over (on VHS, of course). I remember, this was pretty much the first movie my mom ever took us to see in the theater that was rated PG. Back then, PG-rated films were taboo with my family. We just didn’t go there. Sadly, if that film were re-rated by today’s standards, it would probably score a G.

However, I cannot seem to find this title for a decent price. Anywhere. Granted, Disney titles are almost always priced higher than other studios’ releases (even catalog releases like this one), but retailers usually offer some kind of special pricing during the first week. Typically, Disney titles can be had for somewhere around $20 right at release, and you end up getting them for $10 because Disney almost always offers a $10 coupon on their Blu-rays.

But, everywhere I go, $24.99… $24.99. Even Amazon is not giving me a break on this one. I may just have to fold and cough up the $15, which is right at my BD price limit, and doable, but…

In other news, I finally got around to seeing The Karate Kid (yes, the new one) last Wednesday. As always, a review will be forthcoming. This is just a filler post to keep the blog from dying completely. *cough*

Reel Time Updates: Inception

2010-07-27T13:45:00.001-04:00

On Friday, July 16th, I and my regular crew hit the cinema for a 12:35pm showing of Christopher Nolan’s box office hit: Inception.

I’d been looking forward to this one since I saw the first trailer, though I probably would have gone to see it based simply on the fact that it was directed by Nolan. Or because Ken Watanabe is in it. Take your pick.

It was a great drama/thriller/brain-bender, and while there were adequately-spaced action sequences throughout, if you don’t like movies of some complexity that require a little thought during playback, you might want to sit this one out and just pick it up from Netflix or Redbox later on down the road. That way, if you end up falling asleep, you can do so in the comfort (and privacy) of your own home. The film was obviously a little too much for the viewer sitting directly behind us, as he yawned and muttered sleepily to his companion throughout the showing. Maybe he should have read the prequel comic before attending.

The Trailers: Unfortunately, it’s been over a week since I saw this one, and I typically try to rely on my (hardly reliable) memory for what was previewed before the film. I do remember seeing a lot of trailers that I’d never seen before. I remember: Due Date (starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. Heard of, but never previewed); The Town (never seen or heard of); The Social Network (heard of, but thought it was just some kind of internet joke. It’s basically taking something mundane and trying to make it dramatic… either that, or trying to make people hate/distrust Facebook less. Or both); Tron Legacy (I’m a little iffy on this one. Still need to see the first one). And, yes, I’m going to try and start linking to the trailers I saw, because, otherwise, what’s the point?

My Take on Inception: Because of the nature of this film (it’s complex and makes you think), there are a whole lot of reviews out there discussing all the in and outs, the what-ifs and various aspects that Nolan touched on without going into further detail. One thing I will not discuss here is the controversial closing scene that everyone seems to be stuck on. At most, it was merely Nolan’s way of leaving an open window for a sequel. Beyond that, I don’t think viewers should let it change how they view the film as a whole.

Inception certainly lived up to my expectations, and they were relatively high (probably the highest I’ve had in a while), especially after seeing all the A and A+ reviews. Nolan presents the very unique concept of stealthing into and raiding people’s minds through dreams, and proceeds to strap that idea to a runaway freight train, taking it to its limits. Just when you think the film’s protagonists cannot delve any deeper into the minds of those they’re attempting to exploit, they do.

The score was superb. That “bass horn blast” I mentioned in my “Top 10” post? It was every bit as awesome as I expected it to be in theater surround-sound. I will almost definitely hunt down the soundtrack. It will be like giving my bass speakers crack.

Of course the casting was top-notch, and the visuals were excellent. I’m sure a lot of the film was green-screened, but the cast breezed through like pros, interacting well with the digital sets.

There was only one scene that I felt a bit let down by. (SPOILER ALERT) Throughout the film, DiCaprio’s character, Cobb, is haunted (both in and out of the dream worlds) by memories of his deceased wife, Mal, whose death he feels responsible for. She is painted as both villain and victim as she pleads with Cobb to remain with her in the dream world, and then tries to destroy him and his team when he refuses. Near the end of the film, when Cobb finally realizes that he must let go of his twisted, tainted memories of his wife, the tortured farewell scene was not quite as emotional as I thought it should have been. This is likely because we do not get to know Mal very well, or at least not beyond her status as Cobb’s unforgiving, relentless, and mostly memory-based personal issue. While the scene was very dramatic, and somewhat dragged-out, I just wasn’t feeling it when Cobb severed the crumbling, imaginary relationship he’d been failing to sustain with the person he loved and longed for the most. (END SPOILER ALERT)

If you haven’t seen this film, yet, you need to. Go see it on the big screen, and then pick it up when it’s released on Blu-ray (or DVD if you prefer inferior video/audio quality). It has great action, performances, dialogue, sound, visuals, and the story actually forces you to think. If this is Chris Nolan’s way of throwing us a bone between The Dark Knight and “Batman 3”, I, for one, am gnawing away with relish.

(Oh, and I snuck in a little reference to the reason it took me so long to get this post up. If you spotted it, congratulations! If not… you probably don’t need to know. *grin, wink*)

A Successful Recovery

2010-07-15T16:08:00.001-04:00

So, as you may have guessed from my absence (and for that, I do apologize), or to reiterate if you’ve been following me tweets, I got my data back on Friday, July 9th, and have been working to catch up on everything since that point. The professional service I’d entreated to help me out (I did my best not to whimper when I handed the technician my comatose drive) was able to make a full recovery, and so it’s time for some name-dropping (because you have to earn that):

Data Recovery Group – I was helped by a Mr. Ron Davis, who is, apparently, a regional manager, and was very courteous and helpful. The diagnosis on the drive was a single bad head, which was replaced, and then I brought in a second hard-drive for him to transfer the recovered data onto.

The place was like a doctor’s office (a hard-drive doctor), and there were several previous patients (I guess they’d donated their bodies to science) lying dissected on a table by the check-in desk. It was very educational; I think all physicians should look into it.

The office was complete with a sign-in sheet and paperwork to fill out. The front desk extended from wall-to-wall like a blockade. The only way through was to climb over, and it was at least chest-height. I assumed this was for when the “doctor” had to tell people that the patient hadn’t made it. I can imagine folks getting pretty pissed/irrational in their grief, and I wondered if the technician kept some sort of ranged weapon behind the desk. I almost asked him if they had any referrals for grief counselors.

But, as I’d noted previously in Put Your Data in The Cloud, I hit up Mozy.com for a 2-year subscription as soon as I got home. It was around $88USD after a 15% off + 1 Month Free coupon I found on RetailMeNot. (As of 07.15.10, it’s the one at the top, BESTOFMONTH. It says 20% off, but it’s actually 15%.) I downloaded the Mozy software, selected what I wanted it to backup, and let’errip. The little spinning circle of life that indicated ~~someone knew how to use Flash~~ ~~progress~~ activity churned to life, and… and now I know why it’s called “Mozy”:

~~mo·sey~~ mo·zy / [moh-zee] –verb
1.to wander or shuffle about leisurely; stroll; saunter

In other words, this sucker is slow. And when it’s on, the internet has a bad case of the lags. Granted, this will only be the case for the duration of the initial backup, but, if I did my calculations right, that could take anywhere from 2-5 months to complete. Yeah.

I’m only averaging 1.5 – 2 GBs of data uploaded per day at full speed, and that severely throttles bandwidth. Because of that, I’m only allowing Mozy to run at night when no one’s using the internet. Yes, I could decrease the amount of bandwidth Mozy’s allowed to use while uploading so it could run 24/7, but even then, the lag is just noticeable enough that the other household members get pissed, and shoot strings of frustrated, “R u d/ling sumthin!?” texts my way. I guess I’ll keep fiddling with it.

Once the initial download is completed, Mozy will run in the background (I’m hoping with little-to-no resource-hogging behavior), quietly backing up only the files that it detects have been updated since the last backup.

So, while the old, faulty hard-drive was KIA, I guess you could say “all’s well that ends well”. And while I may be significantly poorer because of my lack of foresight, whenever I lose money due to my own ineptitude, I like to look at it as the cost of a lesson well learned. In this case, the moral of the story is: always backup your data, because you’ll never know how much it’s worth until it’s (almost) gone.

More Awesomeness from TeeFury

2010-07-07T13:48:00.001-04:00

One of my last posts over at the “old” ~synonymous blue LiveJournal blog showcased the nine awesome tees I’d received via three separate TeeFury.com grab-bags ($17 shipped gets you three random tees, chosen from what was on sale the previous month). Why would I pay good money for mystery shirts that I don’t even know if I’ll like? For the thrill, my friends! Also, most of their tees are, at the very least, interesting and well-designed, so my indulgence in these little bundles of 100% cotton joy is rarely a waste.

Last month, TeeFury posted up another grab-bag for May 2010, and I (of course) pounced on it. Here’s what I received:

JUNE 2010 GRAB BAG

Galactic Sideshow ~ Thomas G. Sullivan | This one was the best of the three. It has a great geek/Trekkie reference, it’s hilarious, and it has good colors. FTW.

Abaeterno ~ m. Brady Clark | Apparently this is a LOST shirt, but I guess I haven’t gotten to whatever point in the show it’s referencing, because I don’t quite get it (I’ve only watched season one… taking a break to watch other stuff, now). However, even if it did make sense, I don’t particularly care for this shirt for two reasons: 1) the design is somewhat *ahem* phallic in nature; 2) it’s a white tee. Blegh.

Lost Collage ~ jimiyo | Another LOST homage, and one that I also do not completely understand. I see a few familiar elements from the show, but I guess all will be revealed as I progress through the other seasons. At first blush, the shirt appears to be ancient Egyptian in nature, which is pretty cool. Also, it’s black, and that’s a plus.

So, one, possibly two good tees out of three is not too bad at all. The second shirt would probably just be something to throw on around the house, mostly because it’s white. White ≠ win.

OH! This tee was not part of the June grab-bag, but I have to post it because it’s from TeeFury and it’s awesome (and you know it’s awesome because I paid $11 shipped for it on its sale day):

Pandora BlueSkins ~ WinterArtwork | Sorry, but I liked the movie Avatar, and don’t care what the haters say. Not really a Washington Redskins fan (the design is a spoof of their logo), but that doesn’t really matter. This really appeals to the geek in me, and I had to have it.

Want one of these tees? Too late. If you don’t grab a TeeFury tee you like on the sale date, or unless you’re lucky enough to get it in the next month’s grab-bag, the only way to acquire a previous tee is if someone is selling/trading theirs. Sorry. ;]

Reel Time Updates: The Last Airbender

2010-07-04T13:26:00.001-04:00

Saturday night saw me and a gaggle of mis compañeros at our local cinema for a 9:50pm viewing of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender in 2D. (I’d heard reports that many theater-goers had been able to [clearly] view a good chunk of the 3D version sans glasses, so that was out.) Also, I didn’t want to pay an inflated ticket price for a film that was receiving such lousy reviews.

I did attempt to purchase a student admission, but was informed that, “We don’t do student admissions on weekends.” What, so if it’s not a normal school-day, I’m not a student? The only period of my academic career when I got weekends off were grades K-3 in private school. After that, between home-schooling and higher education online, any attempts to take weekends off resulted in projects getting turned in late. And what are students on the weekends if they’re not students? Delinquent dropouts? All that being said, I’m technically not attending school right now anyway, but it’s the principle of the matter.

The Trailers: For some reason, it seems that less trailers were played before this film than most of the others I’ve seen this year. I remember seeing: Gulliver’s Travels (good for some cheap laughs, but otherwise a waste of time); Rango (I think this film looks like it could be good/interesting. I’d seen the trailer, but, as always, bigger is better); Green Hornet (the action looks good, but I’m still not buying Seth Rogen as the Hornet); and Megamind (it’s about time for a new trailer. This film still has five months before release).

My Take on The Last Airbender: Okay, so several people are threatening to publicly disown me because I went and saw this, but… guys… it’s on my Top Ten list! (Yes, that means I had to go see it.) While I respect and value the reviews of my fellow cinephiles, I simply cannot base my opinions on their opinions. Especially if it’s a film I’ve been wanting to check out. The same for the vice versa: if it’s a film I don’t think looks all that great, I usually won’t go and see it just because everyone is raving about it (e.g., The Hangover, Paranormal Activity, Splice).

But in any case, while there was quite a bit of chatter going on during the film, I managed to take most of it in, and while it was lacking in quite a few areas, I still enjoyed it and may actually give it a second viewing when it hits the “cheap theater”. (Those folks who want to publicly disown me have just upgraded my status to “lynch in a back alley… it’s for your own good”.)

In order to appreciate Shyamalan’s films, I’ve found that it’s best to view them as works of modern art. You know, like those weird pieces you see in museums with blobs of paint on an enormous canvas, or an awkward, toddler-quality line drawn across a piece of plywood.

While some may look at this and say, “This is crap. Anyone can splash paint on a board,” others will find meaning in the work, or will appreciate what the artist was envisioning when they created it. When watching Shyamalan films, I try to do so from the standpoint of the latter group. This makes the film more enjoyable (or more bearable), and I find myself spotting some of the really neat perspectives and camera angles Shyamalan uses.

Now, that viewpoint does not apply as much to The Last Airbender as it has for Shyamalan’s other films because this is the first movie the oft-bashed filmmaker cannot claim to be an original work. It’s based on a very well-written, much-loved Nickelodeon cartoon series, so there was a built-in and very ~~rabid~~ ~~possessive~~ loyal fan base that the writer/director was having to cater to (yes, I have seen and am a fan of the series).

I have automatic sympathy for anyone associated with a reboot or adaptation, because the same fan base that will guarantee ticket sales will also guarantee outlandish expectations. It was silly for anyone to expect this film to be as great as the series. The series was epic, and you simply cannot condense 8+ hours and of epicness (the first season, aka “The Water Book”) into 2 hours and expect it to be just as good (or even comparable, apparently).

The best thing about the film was probably the visuals, and that includes CGI, sets, scenery and costumes. Most of the costumes were close, if not spot-on. While a lot of the hairstyles were off, it’s ridiculous to expect animé hair to translate perfectly into real-life ‘dos (see: Dragonball). While we often got only fleeting glances of a lot of locations included in the film, they were fairly accurate and aesthetic.

The worst thing about the film was the pronunciation of certain names, places and terms. I can’t believe the series’ creators (who purportedly worked with Shyamalan) allowed some of the changes he made in this area. Name pronunciation is a tabula rasa when translating from book to film, because readers have never actually heard how a particular name is pronounced. When they hear it differently than they had been pronouncing it in their mind, there’s the initial annoyance/shock, but then they think, “Okay, I had it wrong all this time,” and move on (see: Hermione). However, when viewers have already been audibly exposed to a particular pronunciation for three entire seasons of a TV series, trying to switch that up is a no-no. Sorry, Shyamalan, but… epic fail.

Probably the most oft-mocked of these was the name of the titular protagonist: Aang. In the series, the name was pronounced AING (rhymes with “slang”), but in the movie, characters pronounced it ONG (rhymes with “long”). Sometimes it even came out as UNG. By about halfway through the film, our entire row (as well as the row behind us) would, in unison (and correctly), chime, “Aang!” every time a character mispronounced the name (which was every single time it was mentioned). Needless to say, said occurrence would be great for a drinking game.

Other than that, the bending was pretty awesome (all though there wasn’t enough of it, and the pre-bending warm-ups were way too long), Sokka (pronounced SOCK-UH, not SOAK-UH!) was not very funny, there wasn’t enough meaningful dialogue, the plot was a poorly-sewn patchwork of the series’ first season, and pretty much the entire Fire Nation (except Dev Patel’s Zuko, why’d they decide to pronounce this one right?) was miscast.

As usual, I understand why this film is taking such a beating. For all intents and purposes, it royally sucked, but I like to try and look at the glass as half full, and there are films that I’ve walked away from feeling much, much worse. Shyamalan, I’m still a fan and it may not be your destiny to remain involved with this project, but I really hope the other two films get made. It would suck if The Last Airbender turned out to be another Eragon or The Golden Compass. C’mon, Paramount/Nickelodeon: yip-yip!

Put Your Data in The Cloud

2010-06-30T23:45:00.001-04:00

Word of advice, friends: never, ever, ever, never place sole trust in your equipment to keep your data safe. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been keeping all your photos and documents on the same computer for 10 years and it’s been running just fine, there are absolutely no guarantees. I used to do backups a couple of times a year, but that was when all of my files could fit on two 700MB DVD-RWs. Ha.

But why waste a hard drive bay or USB port (for an external HDD) for yet another drive which only serves as a backup device? Why not keep your data in the “cloud”? For those unfamiliar with the cloud, it is derived from the term “cloud computing”, which is basically just like regular computing (store your files, check your email, run software and tasks, etc.), only it’s done completely on the internet. Pretty cool, hey?

A much simpler use for the cloud, though, is simply as online storage for your files, and as a backup service. One such service (and one I’m definitely going to invest in) is Mozy.com. They offer unlimited storage space, a solid program for keeping your stuff backed-up, and very reasonable rates. Probably not for the security freaks, the paranoid, or the conspiracy theorists, but it’s a great alternative to dozens of DVDs or an extra hard drive lying around waiting for your computer to crash.

I say I’m “going to” invest in it, because I currently have no data to backup, and so Mozy is of no use to me at this moment in time. Why do I have no data to backup? Because it’s all sitting on a hard drive in a data recovery shop down the road. Why does the data recovery shop have my hard drive and, thus, my data? Because the piece of junk went and had an aneurysm during one of the recent electrical storms that have been passing through my area, and my data became inaccessible.

Frustrating? Yes. Scary? Yes. A very expensive lesson learned about backing up your data? Heck, yes. Should have kept my data in the cloud.

Microblogging

2010-06-26T13:58:00.001-04:00

What is microblogging? A lot of people are active (or semi-active) microbloggers and don’t even know it. I think UrbanDictionary suitably defines the term:

“Microblogging is a form of blogging that allows users to write brief text updates (usually less than 200 characters) and publish them.”

Twitter and Jaiku are used as examples of microblogging sites/services. Even Facebook status updates, in a way, can be considered a type of microblog. The term “blog” is a portmanteau (a two or more word combo) of the words “web” and “log” (weblog), and was shortened to just “blog” because that’s one less syllable and sounds cooler. A blog is like a journal or a log of events/discussion online, so microblogging would be pretty much the same thing, only, as UrbanDictionary noted, usually within some 200 characters or less.

I personally use Twitter to microblog, posting everything from status updates (what am I doing right now?), to links to stuff I find newsworthy/interesting/entertaining, to general back-and-forth chatter with other Twitter users. Unfortunately, the downside of this fun and unique service—requiring posts of 140 characters or less—is: I do not make posts here (on my full-sized blog) quite as much as I’d like. That being said, if you want to hear more from/about me, you should (at your own risk) follow me on Twitter. Or, at least… you know… go check out my page (I added a new background, ooooh…).

I’m thinking about becoming redundant and reposting some of the same stuff here that I post on Twitter, but with additional commentary. The whole point of (and one of the things I love about) Twitter, though, is that you’re forced to keep things brief. I’m a person of few words (input over output), so short info-bytes suit me perfectly. I don’t need five paragraphs to tell you I’m excited about Ridley Scott’s latest project. However, my unwanted opinions may occasionally exceed a 140-character-limit. ;)

Reel Time Updates: Toy Story 3

2010-06-21T14:32:00.001-04:00

Friday the 18th was opening night for the third and final chapter in Pixar’s Toy Story saga. My fellow cinefreak and I were shooting for a 9:40pm 2D showing of the film, but I did not get away from work until almost 9:30pm, and so we ended up snagging tickets for a 10:05 showing in 3D. This turned out to be a really good thing.

I’d purchased both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on Blu-ray when they were released on March 23rd, both of which included “movie money”, good towards tickets for Toy Story 3. While the movie money certificate was only good for up to $8.50 of the ticket price, the ticket clerk was either clueless or very generous, and I didn’t pay a thing for my late/opening-night $13.25 adult 3D admission.

The Trailers: Most of the previews featured were for family friendly films, I suppose because we were at a “kids’” movie. I remember seeing: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (gah, so awful); Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (they didn’t even show the newer trailer!); The Smurfs (please end the lame reboots/adaptations); The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (saw it online earlier that day, but the theater trailer was in 3D!); Tangled (a.k.a. “Rapunzel”: already seen, but, again… 3D); The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (I could really hear Baruchel’s “Hiccup” voice coming out); and, of the course, the obligatory Despicable Me trailer (Universal is just promoting the crap outta that thing).

My Take on Toy Story 3: As various trailers emerged for this film in late 2009/early 2010, the Pixar magic was evident, but I’ll admit I had some doubts. Sneak peeks included a lot of explosions and mayhem that seemed a little unrealistic in the Toy Story world I’d come to know and love. These doubts were dispelled in a brilliant opening sequence that basically combined those of the first and second films in story and style, respectively.

If you’ve seen the trailers, you know the film’s basic storyline: the toys’ owner, Andy, is leaving for college, and so the Toy Story gang ends up getting donated to a local daycare center. While initially excited about their new circumstances (getting played with all day, everyday), the toys soon discover that Sunnyside Daycare is not all it was cracked up to be. Throughout various trials and tribulations, the toys must once again figure out how to extricate themselves from the mess they’ve landed in, and find their way back to Andy (before he leaves for college).

We are introduced to many new toy characters throughout the film, and while some felt that there were too many new faces to keep up with, each one added to the story in their own way. The humor was on-par with most of Pixar’s films, with a lot of kid-friendly goofiness, and a little “over their heads” humor for older viewers. The action was neither dull nor over-the-top, and the elements of the pint-sized protagonists’ world were used realistically, and to their full advantage. I never found myself thinking, “Wow, that was kinda dumb,” like I so often do with sequels trying to live up to their predecessors.

A lot of reviews I’ve seen for this movie put a lot of focus on the end of the film, and rightfully so. In the (supposedly) last film of a trilogy, there must be a definitive conclusion that leaves viewers satisfied. If the writers can throw in a little respectful reminiscing or jerk a few tears, all the better (oh, yes… I got choked up). The film’s closing sequence was very well done, and I think most viewers will be happy with it.

I only had a couple of very minor complaints (not even really complaints) about Toy Story 3. The absence of Jim Varney (succumbed to lung cancer in 2000) as the voice of Slinky Dog was very apparent, though newcomer Blake Clark obviously did his best to embody the stretchy canine with a southern drawl. The other thing I noted was that the main antagonist in the third film had a very similar story, personality and demise as Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2. There was a great likeness between the two characters, and while this was not necessarily a bad thing (maybe it was intentional), I did wonder if anyone else noticed.

Overall, I urge those who haven’t already indulged to go and catch this three-quel on the big screen. Also, the 3D version is highly recommend. One of the things I dislike about 3D films is when you become so quickly accustomed to that third dimension, you’d forget that you were even at a 3D screening except for the clunky glasses sitting on your face. In these cases, the added dimension has no life, and was not worth the higher admission price. Toy Story 3 is not one of those films. There are enough “wow!” moments where the 3D really pops to justify the higher price, and it definitely adds to the experience.

Oh, and make sure you hit the theater early enough to catch this film’s short: Day & Night. It’s brilliant, and portrays a heartfelt, crystal-clear lesson about understanding those who are different from us.

Rentals for the People

2010-06-19T01:49:00.002-04:00

So, Mr. MG Siegler of Techcrunch (follow him on Twitter!) posted an article the other day about Paramount Home Entertainment’s deal with Redbox to continue making their movies available for rental on the same day they are made available for purchase.

Wait, A Hollywood Exec Actually Making Sense With Regard To Movie Rentals And The Web? ~ MG Siegler (TechCrunch, 06.17.10)

Siegler reminds readers that Paramount’s is a decision that has been vetoed by other major studios (e.g., Fox, WB, Universal), who have instead opted to make renters wait 28 days post-release before they can pick up their films through Redbox.

Now, I personally do not indulge in movie rentals because I don’t have time to watch the dozens of unopened films I already own. (Okay, I do have time, but always seem to end up following more trivial pursuits, despite my passion for movie-watching.) In addition, I’m more of a collector than a borrower. If I really like a film (or think I will), I have to own it. Granted, there are probably hundreds of movies that I would like to take a peek at, but that I don’t feel like adding to my collection, most namely: comedies/romedies. Great for a few laughs and some mind-numbing entertainment, but lack of real plot and overused raunchy humor usually turns me off of actually purchasing any titles falling into those categories.

Back on topic, it seems that Paramount has to chosen to exercise a little common sense. In the long run, pushing back the rental window for new-release films is not going to send the masses running for their nearest media retail outlet, desperate to plunk down $20-$30 for a title they’d hoped to view (and return) for a dollar. Most people will probably either:

a) Find another (perhaps illegal) source for viewing the film (studio gets NO money)
b) Rent an older title instead and wait out the 28 days until the film they really wanted to watch is available (studio still only gets $1 per rental)
c) Mill about the Redbox kiosk, murmuring in confusion because the title they’re looking for is on the COMING SOON list, even though the retailer in which the kiosk resides advertises the movie as ON SALE TODAY. This will result in angry complaints to retail employees, who “never did anything to deserve this, curse you Redbox” (studio loses money because angry consumers and retail employees have sworn to boycott Redbox altogether).
d) Decide to just go to the theater instead (studio may or may not make money, depending on which film is ultimately viewed).

Or, folks may turn around and actually pay for a copy of the movie. While this seems unlikely, some people are like sheep and will go where directed if prodded hard enough. The question is: is delaying rentals actually the best way to direct consumers towards buying a (legitimate) copy of the film? I cannot speak for the average consumer, but, for me, removing something that I’m accustomed to having day-one access to is not going to inspire a sudden urge to go looking for a more expensive alternative. A little more incentive needs to be produced. For instance: create a special “coming soon” section of the rental kiosks for titles available in stores, but not for rental. Each title could have a placeholder with the date it will become available for rental and $5 coupons good towards the purchase of a DVD or Blu-ray copy of the film.

For those who were only looking to spend a dollar on a cheap movie night, or didn’t have more than a dollar to spend anyway, that’s not going to be a very effective sales tactic. However, for those who may have been considering a purchase anyway, but wanted to preview the movie before deciding, while finding out the movie was unavailable would have sent them on their way, the coupon might cause them to look twice and reconsider investing in their own copy. Especially if the coupon is only valid for a limited time.

Retailers use coupons to manipulate consumers’ “it’s-on-sale-so-it’s-a-deal” impulse buy instincts all the time. Something that a shopper would never have considered buying previously is suddenly a hot item because, “Oh, there’s a coupon.” Why shouldn’t movie distribution studios take the same approach? In order to coax people into doing something they would normally do (purchase a new-release film on disc), you don’t punish them with pointless restrictions (delay of availability for rental); you offer a little incentive, and make consumers think they’re getting a deal (e.g., coupons). Less stick, more carrot.

Confessions of a Blu-ray-aholic

2010-06-18T00:04:00.001-04:00

Is this awesome, or is this awesome?

I’m still trying to decide where to put it. It hangs by a chain, but it has to be plugged in, and the cord kind of gets in the way (in addition to disrupting the sign’s aesthetic qualities). It’ll probably get centered between my posters for Ponyo and The Incredibles.

Want one? I got mine for $30 from likelightsign2009 on eBay.

Top 10 Anticipated Films of Summer, Fall 2010

2010-06-10T02:10:00.001-04:00

PLEASE NOTE: The films are numbered in order of release date, not in order of personal preference or level of anticipation. The films were selected based on my immediate and high level of interest upon hearing about them, viewing a trailer, or viewing stills and a synopsis.

BREAKDOWN

01) The Karate Kid (07.11.10) – It is important to note that I have never seen the 1984 version of this film, or any of it’s sequels. Initially, the focal point of my interest was Jaden Smith. I really enjoyed his performance—alongside his dad, Will Smith—in Pursuit of Happyness, as well as his work with Keanu Reeves in the 2008 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Jaden appears to be a very promising young actor, and his role in the updated “Karate Kid” film puts a lot of demands on him, both physically, and because he’s taking on a reboot of what some consider to be a classic movie.

02) Toy Story 3 (06.18.10) – Pixar. Enough said.

03) The Last Airbender (07.02.10) – I am a fan of M. Night Shyamalan. I am also a fan of the Nickelodeon series that this movie is based on. (If you haven’t seen the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, do whatever you have to to get your hands on a copy of all three seasons on DVD and watch it. Now. Even if you don’t plan on seeing the film.) While I know that Shyamalan is a big turn-off for some people, and while he would not have been my first choice to helm this adaptation, I’m extremely curious to see what he’s done with what is slated to be the first film in a trilogy; one per season of the show.

04) Despicable Me (07.09.10) – Universal Pictures is not exactly known for its CGI features, but everyone else has jumped on that ride, so it was really only a matter of time. Ever since I caught the first teaser trailer for the film, which ended with a snazzy beat from hip hop artist Pharrell, I’ve wanted to see more. And, I mean, Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews… what’s not to like?

05) Inception (07.16.10) – Christopher Nolan. Enough said. Well… okay, the concept, visuals and cast list are also awesome. Also, I think I’d buy a ticket just to go and hear that spooky/awesome bass horn blast in theater surround sound.

06) The Expendables (08.13.10) – I think I was browsing through trailers via the iTunes web site (the one and only reason I ever visit), and saw the red and black “skull poster” for this film. The poster art was pretty awesome in and of itself, but when I looked closer and began to read some of the names associated with the project, I nearly choked with excitement, and had to go double-check on IMDb to verify that such an unbelievably friggin’ awesome cast list had indeed been put together. Oh, yes, they did.

07) Centurion (08.27.10) – I only recently heard about this film (made in Spain) and saw the trailer for it, but I was intrigued and initial reviews have been good. Movies based in/on ancient Rome are always cool. (Okay, okay… I just wanted to see more of Olga Kurylenko as a woad-wearing bounty hunter chick.)

08) Megamind (11.05.10) – Dreamworks has really begun to impress with their last several CGI endeavors, specifically Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon (still want/need to see the latter). While Universal’s Despicable Me will have beat Dreamworks to the punch with the whole super-villain-turned-good-guy thing in this year’s CGI line-up (why do they always play the copycat game?), I want to see if Dreamworks has managed to keep up their winning streak.

09) Tangled (11.24.10) – Actually, it’s Rapunzel. The Disney marketing team has just lapsed into a bout of temporary insanity, and—any time now—are gonna be all, “Psyche! You didn’t really think we were going to replace the classic title of a classic fairy tale with some kind of 21st century, tweenie, horror-title-wannabe name, did you?” Other than the ~~title~~ working title, anything from Disney animated is a must-see for me.

10) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (12.10.10) – Besides the fact the The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was my favorite book in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series, I thought the first two films were awesome. I was devastated when Disney pulled out of the “Narnia” series, leaving it in limbo. That turned out to be only a temporary setback, however. Fox FTW.

RUNNERS UP

These titles didn’t make my top ten list, but are still worth mentioning:

Jonah Hex
Knight and Day
Salt
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Buried
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Morning Glory

Reel Time Updates: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

2010-06-03T13:45:00.001-04:00

Tuesday night, beginning at approximately 21:55 hours, another helpless action flick fell prey to the expectant, critical eyes of myself and the other members of my usual movie-crashing crew.

I’m a fan of the Ubisoft game series, which is what fueled my initial interest in this film. (Okay, I’ve only played the first two games of what’s come to be known as the “The Sands of Time Saga” all the way through. I’m still working on "The Two Thrones”, and actually kind of hated "Warrior Within”.) Granted, I probably would have seen this movie regardless, because it’s an action flick, and it stars Jake Gyllenhaal, and looked like overall good summer entertainment. Playing the games (or even having heard of them) is definitely not a prerequisite. There are multiple instances of homage paid to the games throughout the film, but this film can definitely stand alone as a Disney action/adventure movie. Lots of sword-fighting, flashy CGI and bad dialogue ensues.

The Trailers: Okay… seriously? I think I have viewed the trailer for Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (a.k.a., “that stupid owl movie”) before every single film I’ve gone to see this year. This will probably continue to be the case throughout the summer, because the film is apparently not going to be released until September. Fans of the book series, I’m sure you’re excited, and—yes—I’m sure you’re very deserving of a film based on your favorite, feathery fiction fables (ha!), but I don’t think it’s fair that I have to watch your trailer (and hear all of its bad pop music) over and over and over again at full volume on an enormous screen. I’m just saying…

I also remember seeing trailers for: The Karate Kid (still excited about this one), The A-Team (first time seen on the big-screen), Inception (July 16th can’t come soon enough), and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Nic Cage, meh). I’m actually a little POed at that last film, because one of my fellow “Prince of Persia” attendees theorized that the release of Disney’s two “Fantasia” films (Fantasia / Fantasia 2000) on Blu-Ray had been delayed to coincide with the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the live-action “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. (The 1940 Fantasia animated feature debuted the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” short film starring Mickey Mouse that the new live-action movie is based on.) The timing is about right, with a mid-July release in theaters for the new flick, and the animated “Fantasia” films coming out in December. Thanks a lot, Nic Cage and guy from “She’s Out of My League”.

My Take on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: Going into the theater, I’d forgotten that “Prince of Persia” was helmed by Disney. However, my memory was jogged only a few minutes into the film as the very cheesy dialogue began to flow. I don’t know about the rest of my fellow cinephiles, but dialogue can be a deal-breaker for me. When the characters are speaking in a way that in unrealistic and/or cliché, it totally kills the effect. It bothers me, which makes it more difficult to really get absorbed into the film. The petty, overdone bickering between the titular hero, Prince Dastan, and the way-too-independent-and-outspoken-for-that-culture princess, Tamina, showcased some of more poorly-written exchanges. In Pirates of the Caribbean, similar techniques were used, but it was all very tongue-in-cheek, and so it worked. Prince of Persia tries to pull off the same thing while consequently attempting to take itself seriously, and… just… no. It didn’t work for me. The only character who even came close was the comic relief, Alfred Molina’s Sheik Amar.

The SFX and CGI were great, the Parkour was great, and the story worked, for the most part. I would have preferred to see Prince Dastan battling his way through hordes of mindless sand armies throughout the film, but I guess Disney did not want to make a zombie movie. Instead, we are introduced the the “Hassansins”, a group of silent, deadly, and decommissioned warriors that are sicced on our hero later in the film. Their use of various mystical/ancient killing methods makes for some decent fight sequences, and really push Prince Dastan to his limits.

One thing I wanted to see more of was the dagger’s special ability. The writers did not seem to utilize it very much at all. Heck, I used it every couple of minutes during my bouts of Prince of Persia gameplay. Granted, the games offer a quick and easy way to recharge the dagger’s powers whereas they were very limited in the film. (Also, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a much better Prince than I do.)

Overall, a fun action flick with little complexity. If you’ve played (and enjoyed) the games at all, I would recommend at least renting this film. At just under two hours, it’s worth a viewing. If you enjoy Disney’s family friendly action flicks, give it a watch. If you’ve realized and are annoyed by the fact that Gemma Arterton is prone to playing obnoxious characters that waffle back and forth between damsel-in-distress and warrior-chick-wannabe, don’t see this film. (She’s still obnoxious.) If you can’t stand cheesy, family friendly action films, and/or Disney, then go pick up the Sands of Time game for your favorite platform, and play it (or dig it out of your closet and replay it). While I do recommend the film, I highly recommend the game it’s based on. Not as kid-friendly, and Jake Gyllenhaal is not included, but lots of fun, and it may lead to a greater appreciation of the film.

The HTC Droid Incredible

2010-05-29T00:25:00.001-04:00

I ordered my new smartphone at my local Verizon Wireless kiosk on May 9th. It arrived on May 25th, a little over two weeks later. Considering that the phone had only recently been released (and was therefore a hot item), was backordered, and was shipping out of Memphis, TN (currently underwater), I’d say that two weeks was not a bad wait at all. A hard wait, oh, yes, but nothing to complain about (I still did).

It this phone incredible? Well, comparing it to the LG Voyager Titanium (my previous phone), yes. Yes, it is. According to other users, it lives up to its name when compared to competing top-of-the-line smartphones, as well.

I cannot post a lengthy or comprehensive review as of yet, because the only thing I’ve really gotten good at on this phone is playing WordUp (like Boggle). However, I am pretty impressed with the speed and dexterity. The touch screen capabilities are nothing to shake a stick at. The battery life is about what you’d expect from any of the newer smartphones. Per the advice of several Motorola Droid users, one of the first apps. I downloaded was the Advanced Task Killer for Android, by ReChild. It’s kind of like a Task Manager for the phone, allowing you to see what apps. are running in the background and “kill” them to help preserve battery life.

The quick and easy web access is also a plus. While I could do this with my Voyager, it was extremely sluggish and unreliable. I’m still getting used to the fact that I can pull out my phone and bring up a web site or search results almost as fast as I can on my PC.

I’m still getting used to the touch screen keyboard. Unlike its Android-based predecessor from Verizon, the Motorola Droid, the HTC Droid Incredible is not a slider, and does not have a QWERTY keyboard. While this initially caused some hesitation, I told myself I could get used to using a touch screen. To speed this process along, I did a little exercise that I’ve taken to doing whenever I get a new phone: I manually transferred all of my contacts.

The (wonderful) Verizon rep. who helped me with my phone setup was a little surprised when I requested she refrain from doing the transfer for me. If you’re the sort of person who has dozens, or even hundreds of numbers stored on your mobile device, I can see how a manual transfer might be out of the question. However, I feel that the exercise is beneficial because it helps me begin to learn the layout of the new phone, and (especially in this case) get used to any new input methods. I had 42 contacts to enter. It took me roughly an hour and a half, and I was able to weed out a bunch of numbers that I no longer needed.

I’ve also been enjoying the 8MP camera. Like some have noted, the quality is approaching that of a compact point-and-shoot camera. There are a lot of options to tweak lighting, contrast, resolution, white balance, etc. A noteworthy flash capability also makes it possible to take decent nighttime pictures. I feel I should note that the camera function is the only time I’ve ever used the main “joystick” button at the front/bottom of the phone. Other than acting as the camera’s shutter button, I’m not really sure what it’s good for. (I did download the 206 page manual, and plan to find out more about this mysterious feature.)

So, I’m less than a week in, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I sincerely doubt that I’ll have learned everything there is to know about the HTC Droid Incredible by the time my next 2-year upgrade rolls around. All in all, and as I told a Verizon Wireless rep. who inquired how I liked my new device: “It’s a little overwhelming.” But it’s also incredibly fun.

[ Booyeah. ]

iPhone Users are a Stubborn Lot

2010-05-24T12:19:00.001-04:00

I saw this snippet of news in a headline sometime last week, but it resurfaced in my feeds today via a Yahoo! tech article:

AT&T early-termination fee nearly doubling for iPhone, other smartphones (Ben Patterson, Today in Tech: The Gadget Hound).

In the article, Patterson notes that the wireless carrier is yanking its early termination fee for smartphones up to an outrageous $325 (it was previously $175). AT&T users who start to have second thoughts about their new phones are given only a slight break in that the fee is reduced by $10 for every month they hold their two-year contract (the fee will be prorated).

Now, you might ask yourself, “Why would anyone use AT&T except to own and use an iPhone, and why would anyone want to give up their iPhone?” A valid question, and one I asked myself upon learning of AT&T’s decision.

If you keep up with this kind of news, you will likely have also heard rumors of a Verizon/Apple contract in the works. Yes, such rumors have been around since Apple’s exclusive AT&T carrier contract was put in place, but they’re really starting to heat up. Combine those rumors with AT&T’s recent decision (and their crappy service), and you reach a very obvious conclusion: the Texas-based company sees Apple eyeing greener pastures and is scrambling to set measures in place that will help them recoup some of their losses when iPhone ~~addicts~~ users jump the fence and fling themselves into the open arms of a superior wireless service.

Now, I know that there are a lot of folks out there who have had little or no problems with their AT&T service, and I both congratulate you and recommend you continue to carry your rabbit’s foot, four-leaf clover and wireless signal booster around with you (the world is your dead zone). However, there are also a lot of people who have a lot of problems with the service and (I should think) are praying for a chance to port their iPhone over to a more reliable provider. I’ve never been an AT&T wireless subscriber (except for a few weeks when, unbeknownst to me, someone hacked my account, ordered phones, and set up a wireless plan from a local hotel), but I do use their internet (DSL) services, and can honestly say that they suck.

As a note of interest, I queried one of my local Verizon reps. about the Verizon/Apple contract rumored to be in the works for this fall, and he said, “It doesn’t matter.” With the release of the Motorola DROID being hailed as the coming of a Verizon-based iPhone rival, and now with the faster/sleeker/better HTC Droid Incredible flooding the market, Verizon has seemingly begun to find their niche in the iPhone-dominated world of smartphones without Apple’s help. Hello, Android 2.1.

(Oh, and as a side note, I hope to be receiving my HTC Droid Incredible either today or tomorrow. Review coming soon.)

Also, this made my (last) Sunday: Foxtrot - iPhone Prototypes

Reel Time Updates: Shrek Forever After

2010-05-23T01:59:00.001-04:00

On Friday the weather started out gloomy and eventually disgorged a looping torrent of warm rain that took the already uncomfortable humidity to intolerable levels. However I was completely unaware of this onslaught, as I was seated in an upscale, air-conditioned theater taking in the latest (fourth) installment of Dreamworks’ Shrek series: Shrek Forever After.

Now, I’ll admit up front that I never saw Shrek the Third, and while the Shrek series has never been one of my favorites, I can see the appeal of the original movie, and perhaps even Shrek 2. However, bad reviews and my general apathy prevented me from ever viewing the third one. It didn’t really matter, though, as each film is able to stand alone for the most part.

The Trailers: I and my regular movie-going associate arrived at the theater quite early, and so were not only able to catch all of the trailers, but also all of the pre-trailer advertisements (which are glossed over and pawned off as “sneak peeks”). I recall seeing previews for: Marmaduke, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Prince of Persia (kind of a featurette), The Last Airbender, Despicable Me, The Karate Kid, and Megamind.

I hadn’t seen trailers for either of the first two films, but… as my friend repeatedly remarked, “Who asked for these?” I mean… adapting a movie from a single-panel comic strip originating in the 50s? Marmaduke is basically a remix of Scooby-Doo, Beethoven, Marley & Me and Homeward Bound. The plot, and probably the majority of the gags, have been done: suburban family copes with destructive, inconvenient animal.

As for Cats & Dogs 2… what? The first one was atrocious. I can usually find a few redeeming qualities in just about any film, no matter how poor the plot, acting, directing or dialog (I thought The Happening was a good watch), but Cats & Dogs had none. Zero. Zip. It was crap, and I cannot fathom why Warner Bros. felt compelled to create a sequel.

I’d seen all the rest of the trailers online at some point in time, but it was great to catch some of the newer stuff on the big screen, especially the Megamind preview. And… correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the title (and the title character) originally Oobermind? It seems like the first snippets of news regarding this film used that name, which I guess ended up being a working title. I personally prefer Oobermind because it’s quirky and different. Megamind sounds like the name of a bad 40s comic book villain. But I guess that’s the whole point.

My Take on Shrek Forever After: I enjoyed it, though many have correctly compared it to “It’s a Wonderful Life”, ogre style. Like some critics have remarked, the spark has mostly gone from a franchise that has seen better days, but the irreverent humor remains. The story seemed to progress as an amusing drunk, careening to and fro, but mostly in the same general direction, occasionally stumbling into a trash can or a bush and drawing a laugh.

The most enjoyable performance (and also the highlight of the film) was courtesy of Walt Dohrn (Rumpelstiltskin). While the rest of the voice-actors seemed to slog half-heartedly through their lines, newcomer Dohrn lent his character a sly, greasy quality that made you feel you would have despised him even sans villain status. I can’t help but feel that it was Dohrn’s inexperience as a professional voice-actor that enabled him to really go the extra mile in bringing his character to life.

Dohrn had previously only graced the crew list of features such as Madagascar, Shrek the Third, and several kids’ cartoons, contributing to writing and animation. However, while filling in as a script “reader” during recording sessions, Dohrn received compliments on his portrayal of the villainous “Rumpel” (who had not yet been cast), and a star was born.

All-in-all, Shrek 4 was good entertainment, especially for fans of the franchise. I’ve seen a lot better from Dreamworks, but then everyone says Shrek the Third was worse. I’m just glad they were able to acknowledge that the Shrek premise has grown old and tired, and put it to pasture. Apparently, they do still want to play the spin-off game, though, and give the Bambi-eyed Puss in Boots his own film. (Can’t let go of the franchise completely if there’s still the slightest chance they can make money off of it.)

Recommended if you like mindless entertainment, are a fan of the Shrek series, or just want to shut the kids up for an hour and a half. Be sure to show up early enough to catch the Megamind trailer, a brief glimpse of what will hopefully be somewhat better fare from Dreamworks (or at least something to tide us over until Kung Fu Panda 2).

Don’t You Dare Call It an iPod

2010-05-18T02:35:00.001-04:00

All right, so I’m going to expound a little bit on a term I used in my previous post: proprietary eponym. Why? Because it’s awesome.

In the last post, I ~~pompously challenged~~ recommended that those unfamiliar with the term and its application have a look-see on Wikipedia to find out exactly what it meant. I will briefly expound on it now, just so we’ve got all of the bases covered.

The term proprietary eponym is defined by Wikipedia thusly:

“A brand name or trademark of a successful product, that has come into general use to refer to the generic class of objects rather than the specific brand type.”

If the light bulb still hasn’t come on, refer to these examples:

Kleenex
Band-Aid
Zipper
Q-Tip
iPod

“Why, yes,” you might say. “You’ve just named several common household objects. Give yourself a pat on the back.” I might then respond, “Why, thank you,” and then proceed to give myself a pat on the back. Or, I could inform you that whenever you use any of the words listed above to refer to the (respective) common household objects typically associated with them, you’re using a proprietary eponym. Ha. Allow me to translate:

Facial tissue
Adhesive bandage
Zip fastener
Cotton swab
MP3 player

“But, a kleenex is a kleenex, a zipper a zipper. A rose, by any other name, is still a rose,” you might protest. Well, you’d be right about the rose, but as for the rest, they were all originally brand names for the products they’re associated with. Kleenex is a brand of facial tissue, iPod is a brand of MP3 player, Toyota is a brand of car. You don’t refer to all cars as Toyotas, do you? But when informing a friend that their jeans are hanging wide open, you’ll probably never say, “Your zip fastener is open,” either.

So if a zipper is not really a zipper, then why do we call it that? It could be because the company that developed and named the product had a monopoly on that particular market, and because no other brands were producing said product at the time, consumers just naturally began calling it by the brand name alone for convenience. The Zipper zip fastener became, simply, the zipper. The Dempster garbage receptacle became the dumpster (which was both clever wordplay and a proprietary eponym).

Or, even if there are multiple brand names associated with a given product, one particular brand may stand out, either through popularity, or simply because it’s better than all the rest. Then again, it may be something no more complicated than an influential person deciding one day to begin referring to their state-of-the-art home security system as their “Brink’s” for a proprietary eponym to be born. It’s a phenomenon that can often take decades and a loss of trademark rights to occur (see: genericized trademark), or it may occur within a few years (e.g., the iPod).

It’s really enough to drive one mad, if you think about it long enough. Is a lamp really a lamp, a magazine really a magazine? When you refer to things like granola or a frisbee, everyone knows exactly what you mean, because we’ve reached an understanding (at some point in time) that that’s how we will refer to said object. But was that always the case? Next time you’ve managed to chase down the ice cream truck and are asking for a popsicle between gasps, take the opportunity to inform the ~~pedophile~~ driver that you’ve just used a proprietary eponym. Not only will you astound the driver with your acute intelligence, you’ll be introducing yourself to a healthier, more frozen-dairy-products-free lifestyle because the ice cream truck will probably never come down your street again.

CDs, PCs, MP3s and ATX

2010-05-14T22:45:00.001-04:00

So, I’ve lately been contemplating my music collection (such as it is), and whether I should take the plunge and go completely digital. I’ve got most of my favorite albums ripped to my PC, and never even think about the CDs anymore, much less use them. How many people under 30 really do?

I used to listen to my CDs all the time. Even after the iPod overtook and mauled the MP3 player market and became a proprietary eponym (Wiki that), I was perfectly content to take my little CDs in and out of their fragile cases and pop them into my dinosaur of a stereo.

It’s a Sony shelf micro-system with a five-disc changer. I received it back in 2005 as an 18th birthday present from my dad. I used the crap outta that thing, tossing in five random discs and letting them play all day long, even if I wasn’t there to listen. Needless to say, the poor thing eventually keeled over and died, unable to play a single note more of Enya’s “A Day Without Rain”, despite my best efforts to will it back to life by removing and re-inserting my discs like a broken jukebox arm.

Of course, the warranty had recently expired (manufacturers design their products to only break after the warranty expires, you know), so I hauled the beast into a repair shop and ended up paying over again what I paid for the stupid thing brand new. I remember the serviceman grumbling about how much he hated working on micro-systems. At the time, I was obviously thinking, “Like I give a fritter… just fix the piece of junk.” However, now that I’ve worked with both ATX and Micro-ATX PC cases, I have a little more sympathy for the poor guy. It can get pretty tight in there.

[The big black one on the left sporting the cop lights is an ATX case. That’s my baby. The HP case on the right is micro-ATX. That’s the overcooked child that was donated to science.]

[This angle gives you a better idea of the size difference.]

However, when I had to rip up my carpet and put down hardwood last fall, the Sony system was boxed up and packed away, never to be heard from again. I have two CD drives in my PC, which is not quite the same as a five-disc changer, but it means I can listen to two CDs at the same time. Try to wrap your brain around that one.

But other than the compulsory rip when they’re initially obtained, most of my CDs never see the light of day again, much less get popped into a disc drive to do what they were made to do. Which brings me to my question: are CDs obsolete? Should I dump all of my CDs at a used media store and forget the format ever existed?

According to one enthusiast, despite the popularity and portability of digital media, CD sales still made up 80% of all album purchases in 2009. Do that many people really still use Walkmans and shelf-top CD players that they absolutely must have the original hard copy of the albums they’re purchasing? Do we still have that crippling distrust of technology that mandates a “backup copy” of every single album in our digital collections in case our media storage unit of choice decides to crash and burn? Why are people still buying CDs? They’re bulky, they collect dust and they’re fast becoming obsolete (did I answer my own question, there?). How much longer until music downloads overtake CD sales and collectors are left with piles upon piles of grimy, chipped cases embodying mankind’s desolation and despair…

Sure, the album inserts are cool and the CD art can occasionally impress, but even if you keep your discs in a media wallet, that’s still stuff that takes up physical space rather than a few megabytes on your hard drive, thumb drive or MP3 player. Buy a nice, cheap external hard drive and back up your tunes every once in a while if you’re afraid of losing your collection to some rogue virus, unexpected hardware glitch or super-hacker (you paranoid freak). You should be backing up your music collection regularly anyway. For shame.

I suppose I’m just trying to convince myself that I really don’t need all of those CDs I’ve got stashed away in my closet somewhere. I’ve been trying to get them organized for years, and if they were suddenly teleported away tomorrow by an alien exploration vessel attempting to analyze human pop culture, I doubt I’d miss them (although said aliens would likely return the CDs and then destroy me for my lack of taste). Half of them are cheap instrumental samplers from the dollar store.

Yes, I know the argument is old and tired. It has been bantered back and forth by audiophiles, collectors and enthusiasts far greater and more knowledgeable than myself. Some don’t trust technology to keep their music safe and intact; some insist that CDs produce a better audio quality than MP3 files; some argue that CDs can be had for less money; others have a crippling mental illness and will hoard anything that’s not nailed down. In all honesty, though, I did not really intend to present a detailed argument here about the pros and cons of physical versus digital media. I just wanted to use that “drowning in CDs” shot in a post. ;)

Reel Time Updates: Iron Man 2

2010-05-11T19:36:00.001-04:00

So, yes… I did go see Iron Man 2 this past Saturday night with a couple of my movie buddies. The theater was buzzing, but not packed like I thought it would be. The showing was at 10pm, so I guess the heavier crowds had come and gone a little earlier. We did have a little trouble finding three seats that were: a) adjacent to one another, b) not near any kids, and c) not directly in front of anyone using our seats for Ottomans.

The Trailers: There was a decent spread of trailers prior to the film: Inception, Despicable Me, The Last Airbender, Grown Ups, Shrek Forever After, Super8, and Eclipse, to name a few. I’m really looking forward to the first three. Shrek I can take or leave. Grown Ups is a comedy (Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, etc.), and I can take or leave that entire genre. The Super8 trailer was yawn-worthy and had a real “been there, done that” feeling to it. It was basically just a big name-dropper (Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams), and while that combo may stir up geeky squeals from some people, I was not impressed.

The trailer that seemed to elicit the biggest reaction from any part of the audience was the Eclipse preview, which sent several front rows of adolescent girls into shrieking fits, particularly when Taylor Lautner appeared on-screen (I think Team Edward is starting to fizzle out after two films). As we watched hordes of unhealthy-looking vampires stepping out of murky lakes and knocking over trees, one of my friends wryly remarked that the film would actually be a little scary if it weren’t “Twilight”.

My Take on Iron Man 2: I’ve read several reviews that have accused Iron Man 2 of being too choppy plot-wise, with a story that jumped around too quickly. I did not really sense this during my viewing, but then I was too busy enjoying the film, and, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m not a very objective movie reviewer.

There were quite a few little sub-plots, yes, but not enough to distract from the overall story. It definitely seemed to give a lot more focus to Tony Stark than to Iron Man, but that made sense because of the situations Stark’s character was going through/being placed in. The off-the-cuff humor seemed to have doubled in the second film, and the snappy dialog elicited plenty of laughs from the audience.

Samuel L. Jackson’s character (Nick Fury) was upgraded from appearing as part of Marvel’s end-credits teasers to an actual film participant. One disappointment was that Scarlett Johansson’s character (Black Widow / Natalie Rushman) spent a lot more time as Natalie, and not nearly enough time as the bone-crunching, leather-clad Black Widow. When she did finally start breaking out the arse-kicking moves, though (towards the end of the film), they were pretty awesome. As was the finale showdown fight between a bunch of evil military drones (they can salute!) and Team Iron Man/War Machine. (Oh, and I’m sorry Terrence Howard fans, but Don Cheadle kicked his butt as Col. Rhodes.)

I could probably give a more comprehensive take after a second viewing, but for now Iron Man 2 freakin’ rocked. Good story, good dialog, good acting, good special effects, and lots of action. Perfect film to start off what looks to be a great summer at the movies.

There Was a Time…

2010-05-11T02:27:00.001-04:00

So, it’s 01:22 and I’m fighting a strong urge to get up, take a few steps across my room and fall into bed. That urge is currently being hindered by several things: firstly, I’ve already started this post, so I can’t go to bed until I’ve reached some manner of completion here; secondly, there are several pillows and pillow-filled baskets and old chenille sweaters and protective vinyl coverlets coating my bed making it impossible for me to just “fall into” it in way that will result in my becoming comfortable enough to achieve sleep.

Why are these things all over my bed? I have cats. If you had cats, you’d know exactly what I was talking about. During the day, you see, the (you’ll notice I said “the” instead of “my”) bed belongs to the cats. At night, the bed belongs to the cats. That’s all there is to it.

[See?]

Cat baskets aside (oh, how I wish they were… then I could go to bed), I find myself thinking back to a time not too long ago when my night would have just been getting started. Used to be I would be rocking the keyboard until the later wee hours of the night (you know, the not-so-wee ones), wasting precious time on pointless internet-related activities.

Now that I’m getting old, I try not to be up any later than 2:00am, rising no later than eleven, usually somewhere closer to ten. It’s awful because I love to sleep and I hate getting up early (anytime before ten… anytime before I feel like it, really), but it’s like I’ve lost my touch. It’s 01:45 and I’m already starting to get brain fuzz over adjectives.

I do have one small comfort in all of this, however… I know who’s behind my sudden adherence to some sort of normal sleeping schedule. Unlike so many assault victims, I know my attacker’s face, and I shall reveal it here for you tonight:

[I am become Keurig, destroyer of unhealthy night owlishness and taste buds…]

Every. Morning. This herald of caffeine and intermittent bathroom trips awakens me with its distinctive sucking, hissing gurgles, signaling the impending arrival of a scalding, aromatic beverage of my choosing. Like Pavlov’s dog(s), I respond to the noise of the water reservoir being drained, crawling meekly out of my warm bed to select a cup size (which is always the largest, 9oz. Always. They thought this would be enough coffee why, now…?), and feed my tormentor with my ~~drug~~ flavor of the day. (My “flavor of the day” has actually been Coffee People’s “Donut Shop” medium roast for the past month because I went momentarily insane and bought a 50pk. off of Amazon. Don’t get me wrong, I love the flavor, but the whole point of having a Keurig brewer is for the variety you can indulge in.)

And so, the time of the 5:00am movie marathons and 2:00pm alarms has come to an end. I even have a little morning “coffee hour”, now, during which I check my emails, feeds, Twitter activity, Facebook page, news sites, deal-a-day offerings and play all the bonus points games on SonyRewards.com. (Oh, and drink my coffee.) It’s actually kind of pathetic, but that’s all there is to it.

It is now 02:14 and I’m going to go to bed so I can get up and have my coffee.

Last Day of Vacation

2010-05-08T19:47:00.002-04:00

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

I’ve been on “vacation” for the past week, which (for me) entails doing the same things I do when I’m not at work during a normal week: lazing about at home playing Xbox360 and messing around on my PC. Yes, I have no life. At some point during the week I tried to tidy up the room a bit… met a friend for breakfast Wednesday morning… spent most of today helping my pops clean out his garage (lots of tossing things in the garr-BAHGE ensued). Subsequently, I spent an inordinate amount of time outside, which is not really a good thing at this time of year because of the overwhelming swarms of ~~plague-bearing vampire swamp parasites~~ pesky mosquitoes.

And tonight I am going to “end my vacation with a bang” (as a friend put it) by going to a 10pm viewing of Iron Man 2. wOoT.

(currently gracing the front of my LG Voyager, booyeah)

I have to say that, as much as I’ve been looking forward to this film, I’ll be glad when it’s had its run in the theaters because I’m really sick of my feeds being cluttered with Iron Man 2 snippets, interviews, exclusive photos, and clips. Of course, any room that’s made by the absence of Don Cheadle junkets will be filled by Avengers hype. *sigh*
I believe that Robert Fure of Film School Rejects had a similar complaint in his weekly entertainment-related rant (and one of my favorite columns from FSR): Boiling Point.

I may or may not post a review of Iron Man 2 later on. I am generally pretty lousy at writing movie reviews, as much as I enjoy watching movies, because I’m not very objective. I can find a reason to like (and justify the purchase of) just about any flick. Hence, the inordinate (so I used the word inordinate twice… okay, three times now. So what?) number of Blu-Rays cluttering my desk and bookcase shelves. What can I say? I have a problem.

Got Calcium?

2010-05-07T13:46:00.005-04:00

The Dairy Disaster: Milk Does Not Do Your Body Good ~ Allison Biggar (NaturalNews, 02.08.10)

So, I received an article via email today from fellow blogger faithgraceandjoy, which pretty much put the smack-down to all “dairy” products, or products that touted high calcium content. For example:

The author states that the product, which sported the “it does a body good” slogan in the early 1980s, may actually be more harmful than beneficial.

“Too much dairy can cause obesity, cancer, heart disease, allergies, diabetes, and even osteoporosis. The dairy industry has led us to believe that we can only get the calcium we need from their dairy products, [but] calcium ... can be found in a plethora of plant sources such as broccoli, cabbage and spinach.”

Biggar bases her conclusions on information gleaned from the osteoporosis research center, among other sources.

I see the point that the author is trying to make. Too much moo-juice can be bad for you. But here’s my beef: twenty years ago, we could not get enough calcium. People drank a glass with every meal, or at least once a day with their afternoon snack of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. A daily intake of milk purportedly led to strong bones, big muscles and a healthy mental state. Now, despite the overabundance of calcium-infused products available in the supermarket, we are told that our daily dose of calcium can be found in our dinner salad. I think we’re going to have to redesign the popular “got milk?” ads:

The conclusion I reached after reading the aforementioned article is the same one that I’ve been advocating for several years, now: we should all just eat whatever the heck we want to, because "scientists" and "researchers" are ~~learning new things~~ contradicting themselves every other day about what is and is not healthy or “the best” for us to eat. This week pomegranates and blueberries are the new “super food”.

They’ll cleanse your colon and prevent heart disease. Next week, they are a potential cancer risk due to “previously undiscovered” high amounts of blahblahblah. The story changes everyday, and if I religiously followed the advice/warnings of these people who continuously claim to know what’s best for my health, I’d spend 87% of my life on the toilet due to dietary inconsistency. My advice: use common sense to figure out what's right for you. For example: watermelon tastes good and it's a fruit. Fruit is good for us because it comes from plants. I will eat watermelon. Cheese tastes good and it's made from milk. Milk is good for us because we give it to babies. I will eat cheese.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a quart of Ben & Jerry’s Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream calling my name from the freezer.

(Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the images or slogans used above, nor am I affiliated with any of their respective owners. I am not making any money off of their usage which is intended entirely for personal amusement. Please don’t sue me.)

Bloggerific

2010-05-06T20:01:00.005-04:00

So, rather than be all cliché and state the obvious by telling you that this is my first post here on Blogger, I will simply comment on the absurdity of creating this blog when I hardly ever post on the one I have with LiveJournal (also called ~synonymous blue). I may post on both, I may discontinue LiveJournal and only post here. Who knows. This is a product of my sheer boredom, and I'm still tweaking the layout, so... the fun is still ensuing.

We'll see how this goes...

PS- I really like how Blogger puts a little edit button right at the bottom of the post instead of making me go into a menu, and then choose the post I want to edit from a list of recent posts. Right on.