the weekly stack: May 29th 2008

Hello Starbuck

Wizard World is this weekend in Philly.  Hope I don't blow too much money.  

Sometime soon I'd still like to get the reviews up for the new Weezer, counting crows, and Hold Steady.  

Review > Movie > Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull won't win any Oscars or replace any of the original three installments as your favorite Indy flick but I can't hate on it.  There was a point in the opening 5 minutes, during a drag race, where I rolled my eyes and half-cursed George Lucas.  Then, the little kid in me, that's been waiting 19 years since I was 12 for a new Indy adventure on the big screen, told me to shut up and enjoy the experience.  For example, the bitchers and haters have complained about the scene in the jungle with Mutt (Shia LeBeouf) swinging through the trees from vine to vine.  THIS IS AN ADVENTURE MOVIE!!! That is exactly the kind of stuff I want to see!  

I know I wasn't thinking about what was plausible and what looked realistic in the original trilogy, so to compare this one to them I had to see them all through the same eyes.  This isn't making excuses for the film.  I'll tell you right now, it's ranks number 4 out of all them.  

The original 3 movies were all made in the 1980's ('81, '84, & '89), and the movie world has changed as much as the rest of the world.  So the enormous gap between then and now is definitely noticeable, but I had a great time watching it and look forward to seeing it again in the theater and many more times on DVD.  Remember in Hook, how Peter Pan turned out when he grew up?  A miserable bastard that needed to be taken back to NeverNeverland to remember what it was like to be a kid again. I never want to get to that point, but it seems like a lot of the Spielberg/Lucas youth have turned from Peter Pans to Peter Bannings.  

All in all, I had a great time and the Indiana Jones legacy will still be standing strong for years to come.  

Rating 3.0 out of 5

UEFA Final

Was it any surprise?  Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United finished on top of Chelsea to win the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.  Man U beat out 2nd place Chelsea to take the top spot in the English Premier League as well this year. 

the weekly stack: May 21st 2008

Wiizer

My girlfriend snagged us a Wii Fit today.  Let's see if this thing can help me shed a few unwanted lbs or if it takes away from my Mario Galaxy time.  40 hidden stars found. 1/3 the way through baby!

      Weezer's Red Album release date gets bumped up to June 3rd.

Summer Movie Reviews!!! Round 1 - Iron Man! Plus, Harold & Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay

First up this summer, I saw Marvel's Iron Man, directed by Jon Favereu. I didn't think he was such a weird choice for helming this, and he does a fine job.  He knows comedy (Swingers, Made), and proved he can capture a kid's (and adult's) attention with Elf.  

This was your basic superhero film done right.  The first half is all origin story leading to the Tony Stark learning how to be a hero and beating the big bad at the end.  It was funny, the pacing worked despite a 2 hour run time, and had some fun action scenes.  

As much as I love origin stories, I'm also tired of them. Spiderman 2 and X2 both surpassed their predecessors, and I'm pretty sure The Dark Knight will as well. In any case, this film worked for me and you need a good origin tale after all to get to a sequel.  

Rating:  3.5 (out of 5)

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Okay, I really liked the first Harold and Kumar movie.  It had plenty of funny moments, cameos, and characters.  It took the basic stoner movie concept and improved it, in my opinion, by not making the main characters goofy/dumb/moronic, but rather smart ethnic stoners.

Maybe it was the simple "we're stoned, let's get White Castle and see what kind of crazy adventures happen along the way" premise that was appealing but the sequel just seemed too "epic" for lack of a better word.  The whole beginning where they are arrested and thought as terrorists is pretty damn hilarious, but once they escape prison some of the adventures are pretty out-there.  This is a comedy, no need to amp it up like a summer action movie.  Then again, they did ride a cheetah in the first one.  There are plenty of good parts that make this worth seeing, especially Rob Corddy's insanely over-the-top, racist Homeland Security agent.  All in all, Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay was funny. I'm just curious if it gets better a 2nd time, or worse. 

Rating:  2.5 grape sodas (out of 5)

It's not the years, it's the mileage

The Indiana Jones movies were my absolute favorites growing up, even more than Star Wars.  Needless to say, May 22nd cannot get here fast enough.  

Review > Movie > Paris, Je T'aime

I picked up Paris, Je T'aime (Paris, I Love You) from the local video store and was really glad I did.  The movie is broken into 18 different segments, all by different directors, following unrelated stories around Paris' many neighborhoods.  Probably not for everyone, (and yes, there are many parts in French).  It has a bit of a Richard Linklater feel to it, the way we get 5-7 minute slices of life before moving on to the next story.  As short as some of the segments are, you never really feel cheated.  There are beginnings, middles, and ends in all of them.  It's a great way just to see little pieces of this spectacular city.  





I visited for the first time about a year ago and only had 2 days there. Definitely not enough time, but after watching this film, you feel like you know the city better even if you've never been there.  You'll recognize famous American actors and directors throughout, but each piece stands toe to toe with each other.  One treat was cinematographer Christopher Doyle's (Hero) turn at directing a segment.  I meet Doyle on pre-production of Lady In The Water, my last film job before going "legit".  He's a fantastic DP & photographer, and definitely a bit eccentric. 

This is definitely a film I'd give another viewing.  

Rufus Sewell & Emily Mortimer visit Oscar Wilde

Christopher Doyle's segment

play count

Most played songs on my iPod. Click to enlarge. 

the weekly stack: May 14th 2008

The Big Red "S", Mario, and the Weez

Geoff Johns almost single-handedly got me back into comics when I read his run on the relaunch of Teen Titans.  Since then I've tried to read whatever he wrote simply because he's that good. Green Lantern, Justice Society of America, Booster Gold, and Action Comics are must-reads every month.  Anyway I just finished two awesome Superman stories of his from the past year or so.  "Up, Up, And Away" (with co-writer Kurt Busiek) and "Last Son" (with co-writer/Superman director Richard Donner)

"Up, Up, And Away" was the story Superman Returns needed to be, dealing with a Clark Kent who's been powerless for a year, leaving the world without a Superman.  He returns of course, but learns about being "more human" from his year without powers. It all ends with a great (fair) fight between him and Lex Luthor.

"Last Son" lands Superman a son.  A super-son born in the Phantom Zone who escapes his abusive, natural father, General Zod.  Naturally Supes fights to save the boy from Zod, and it's a whole lot of fun along the way.  (art by Adam Kubert)

 

This is a few months late but I just got hooked into Super Mario Galaxy big time. I was getting worried that Wii Sports was going to be permanently fixed in my console. Endless Ocean was getting some use but that game is for purely relaxing.

I've heard a leak of the first 8 songs off of the new Weezer record and I'm really digging it. There are already a few instant classics ("The Greatest Man That Ever Lived", & "Dreamin'"). Weezer are in my Mount Rushmore of bands so I'm looking forward to the full release (iTunes have a hefty extra SIX songs in addition to the regular 10.)

Finally, congrats to Parvarti Shallow (lord knows I wasn't rooting for you) on winning Survivor Micronesia: Fans Vs. Favorites.  It was definitely one of the most entertaining and unpredictable seasons of the show. Not bad for a show on its 16th season.

London Eye View

My photo from the top of the London Eye won 2nd place (out of 45 entries) in an international travel photo contest. 

Victory!

My fantasy team, The Scranton Dundies, were a dismal 6-16 last year.  After an equally painful 0-3 start this year, my squad had a fantastic weekend, winning out by 1 point and propelling me to my 2nd straight victory.  Now 2-3, it's time to try and get to .500!

Welcome back, Barry Allen

Barry Allen returned this week in DC Universe #0 just in time for Final Crisis.