The Literate Ape

Inception

2010-07-21T19:37:00.010-05:00

If I were a movie executive, I'd push back all my upcoming release dates to distance them from Inception, because this is the yardstick by which all new films will be measured for the next year. If you release a film in 2010, the best reaction you can hope for is, "It was good, but not Inception good."

Alright, I admit I may be overstating things, so I'll back off with the hyperbole and simply put it this way: you may not love this movie as much as I did, but I dare you watch it and not be entertained--both during the movie and for hours of pondering and discussion afterward. And, Dear Reader, keep in mind that although I issue this challenge with no knowledge of who you are and what you like in a movie, whoever you are, you're almost certain to be entertained by one or more of the following:

mind-bending metaphysical sci-fi (as opposed to mind-numbing Syfy^®)
well-paced action that's shot by someone who doesn't use ShakyCam^® like a crutch
a love sub-plot that actually has something resembling love, rather than the sappy, overacted, hypersexualized, happy-ending Hollywood version of "love" (which incidentally, thanks to a new deal between the MPAA and Satan, has now been rebranded as Luv^®)
seeing DiCaprio given a chance to act (which he's quite good at) without being forced to fake an accent (which he's not good at)
having to use your brain in order to keep up with what's going on, rather than simply waiting for the next car chase or fight scene (and then getting some brilliantly trippy car chases and fight scenes anyway)
immediately wanting to watch the film again as soon as it's over
being rewarded by getting to the end of a complex sci-fi plot and discovering that the writers DID know what the hell they were doing (thanks for nothing, LOST)

I would be genuinely surprised, Dear Reader, if you found some reason not to like this movie, but if you do, let me know.

IMDb rating: 9.3/10

My rating: 9.8/10

2010-01-21T14:30:00.001-06:00

This is why I do it. :)

2010-01-13T00:43:00.001-06:00

My Rock Band pedal broke over Christmas. I fixed it, and replaced the snapped metal plate with brass. Step 2: replace that pesky plastic with wood. :)

Something must be said.

2010-01-06T15:55:00.003-06:00

Where to begin?

1) Oh, the internet...

2) I know it's fake, but I wish it was real. Why don't sharks attack more helicopters?

3) I'm not sure that 'officialquiz.com' knows what an illusion is.

4) I guess if crap like this means I can have free ad-driven services like Pandora, I'll take it. Ad-clicking morons are subsidizing a good portion of my online life--yet another way in which stupid people are useful.

5) This is just one Syfy meeting away from becoming a movie (in the same vein as Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus). The sequel will feature the offspring of a Pave Low and a Great White; it will be called "Sharklocopter."

What is it?

2009-10-13T18:27:00.006-05:00

I'll give you a hint: it has a head and legs and flipper arms, and though you can't tell from this photo, it's very good at wiggling. Oh, and it's stuck in my wife's innards and it's making her throw up all the time.

An alien parasite? No (close, though).

Give up? It's a 10-week-old fetus-baby!

Pay attention, parents

2009-08-25T10:37:00.005-05:00

I can't say it any better (or more humorously) than this:

In other news, the semester started yesterday and it's too humid outside. In further other news, I'm at Radina's planning for tomorrow. When I'm done I'll go eat lunch with Netty and then... home to play Batman: Arkham Asylum! Woot!

Totally worth it

2009-07-24T03:28:00.021-05:00

If we spent half as much time actually playing Necromunda as I spend making things for it, our campaign would be over now...but it's just so fun. For those who haven't read my Guilder reports (so...everyone, I'd guess, especially since the first one is just now working again), the campaign involves two competing companies--Neat John's Brewery and Creep Fine Liquor. I just finished making the main Creep distillery. It was built in a converted Guilder stronghold after the Guild was driven out of the region years ago.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this little project, but summer is the only time I can spend ridiculous amounts of time on things, so I have no regrets. I've also started designing signs and billboards that will add a little variety to the tabletop. Here are a few samples.

Over construction?

2009-07-18T19:26:00.001-05:00

That's enough reblogulating, I think. Time to make some ice cream.

Under Construction

2009-07-18T04:32:00.002-05:00

The change isn't complete yet, but you get the idea. I'll probably finish up tomorrow.

Wow (the good kind)

2009-07-17T18:11:00.003-05:00

The term 'customer service representative,' in theory, refers to an individual who will provide service to the customer. Most of the time, these people provide headaches and frustration to the customer instead. How many times have you had to practically yell into the phone to deal with these people to get them to reading from their prepared scripts that are designed to frustrate/confuse you into giving them more money?

But I'm not here to rant, because I just had the best customer service experience ever. Here's how it went down: Two years ago, I bought a domain and hosting plan from GoDaddy.com. In the last month or so, I've been getting emails telling me the plan was about to expire and that it was set to auto-renew (i.e. automatically debit my account). I didn't want the plan anymore, so I went to the website and turned the auto-renew off, expecting that to take care of the problem. But then today I check my email and there's a receipt for the auto-renewed plan.

Sighing the deep sigh of a guy who hates phones because of things like this, I called GoDaddy. The dude asked how he could help, and I told him what happened. Without missing a beat, he said, "Alright, I'll just go ahead and cancel your plan and get you that refund." No annoying questions about why I didn't like the service, no trying to sell me on the benefits of a hosting plan, no tempting me with a 30-day free trial. Just one 20-second conversation and the problem was solved to the customer's satisfaction. Wow.

The sad part is that I'm amazed by something that should happen all the time.

2 in one wake?

2009-07-17T06:54:00.005-05:00

Here's the second Guilder report from our Necromunda campaign. I'm using a different hosting site this time, so we'll see if this one works better. I forgot to add a start button again, so this one autoplays, too. Oh, well.

Can I have 4 beers?

2009-07-17T02:37:00.004-05:00

Hi, punk!

It took the brilliant combination of Will Ferrell and a baby to bring me out of my four-month blog retirement. I was searching Funny or Die for a series called 'Drunk History,' which I'd heard about on Current TV. It's actually not as funny as I'd hoped (well, Volume 3 is actually pretty good) but while I was there I came across the following hilarity:

[Edit: the embeds apparently don't like to load promptly. If you get tired of waiting, click on the links.]

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

Good Cop, Baby Cop from Will Ferrell

This is the kind of stuff I want to do with my own kids. You know, exploit them for the sake of comedy. :)

[Update: There's also an outtakes vid.]

Guilder report

2009-02-22T17:42:00.011-06:00

Netty and I have started a long-term Necromunda campaign (long-term because we don't play often, not because the campaign is particularly epic) and I wanted a creative way of recording its progress and such, so I came up with this over the weekend: (I can't for the life of me get it to stop autoplaying, so you'll have to refresh the page to watch it from the beginning.)

[Update: I still can't get this embed to play properly, so here's a direct link.]
[Update 2: Right after adding the last update, it started working, so...]

Three Deceased People I Would Clone...

2009-01-27T10:54:00.013-06:00

...and the Ridiculous Jobs I Would Hire Their Clones to Do:

1. Colonel Sanders, whose clone I would hire not as my chef but as a guy to sit on my front porch, shouting chicken recipes and shaking his cane at passers-by.

2. Paul Newman, whose clone I would hire to follow me around everywhere, each day dressing in a different costume based on his Newman's Own products.

3. Buckminster Fuller, whose clone I would hire to say the phrase "bucky balls" whenever I press a button on my Bucky Remote®. In theory, this will help accelerate my new plan to phase out the word "shenanigans." In the future, when you hear a load of crap, you'll say "I call bucky balls on that one."

And...cue repressed disappointment

2009-01-20T10:59:00.006-06:00

Obama's being sworn in right now, and when I felt a twinge of the Fever that's running rampant, I decided it was time to say something. I mean, this excitement is infectious, but so is avian flu.

Constant media-induced aggrandizement has elevated a President-Elect (not a President who has done anything, mind you) to the status of Savior of the Free World in a matter of two short months. I obviously have a problem with heaping praise on anyone before they've earned it. But let's table that issue for the moment. The bigger problem here is that it's rare to hear someone say with any clarity or specificity how Obama might actually become worthy of their praise. That is, relatively few people are saying, "I can't wait until Obama does ______." They're simply saying "I can't wait until Obama." This is lazy thinking at its worst. So many people out there have only vague notions about our new President, notions like "notBush" and "firstblackpresident" and "ohboychange" and "holyshitimbrokemaybeobamawillfixthat," and somehow these vague notions were enough to earn votes. Obama voters who can actually justify their choice are in the minority.

I imagine this atmosphere of mindless Obamania will lead to some interesting results. I expect he'll start his term with a couple of high-profile "game-changers" that won't actually change the game in any significant way at all, but will make a lot of noise in some circles and quiet a lot of noise in others--that's the "Change" we've heard so much about. Once people realize he's not a messiah and isn't going to "fix" the world (because that's not really his job, after all), I anticipate a two-year, nationwide period of cognitive dissonance that should be all sorts of fun to watch.

Let me be clear: I don't have any major fears about Obama's presidency. In fact, I'm hopeful about at least one of his plans. If he actually closes down Guantanamo Bay, that would be a good thing. We're not the freaking Inquisition here.

Yes, he'll try to socialize health care and I don't care for that. But if we're being honest, the country has been moving in that direction for years now, and if it finally happens on Obama's watch he still won't be solely to blame for it. (On a side note, the very act of establishing a government is a step toward socialization, so the world has been on this road for a while, like it or not--and I don't.)

No, I don't anticipate any significant reduction in gun rights, at least not within a single term.

Yes, I think that, to the rest of the world, it makes us look good to have a black president, and to a certain extent I may even agree that it's a big step for us. However, the world is fickle and racist and has relatively little interest in Obama as a person or political figure, only as a member of a particular race, so screw them.

No, I don't interpret the election of a democrat as a sign of the End Times, any more than I would interpret the election of a republican as such. In fact, in a country that enjoys polarizing itself (and if that sounds dirty, it's because it is), we actually must have a democrat for a few years to balance out all those republican years. If we were willing to elect reasonable, moderate candidates, we wouldn't have this problem. But, alas, despite my vote for the impeccably-mustachioed Bob Barr (said vote being, as I understand it, one of several tens of tens), we will, apparently, continue on in our zigzag journey, first riding an elephant that consistently veers to the right and then a donkey that tends toward the left of the Path of Reason, which runs arrow-straight toward The Future. We'd get there a lot faster if we were on a Segway--those puppies only veer if you do.

Necessary to adhere

2008-12-21T18:21:00.005-06:00

There are mods that are fun to play, and then there are the ones that have no earthly reason for existing. This one's hilarious. It changes your pet dog in Fallout 3 from a normal-looking dog:

To this:

I laughed pretty hard when I saw this. I don't know...maybe having a dog with angry eyebrows would make the game more fun. The description this modder gave makes it even better:

"Icannot speak English. Sentences are made on the WEB page of the translation. Thus, please forgive me though sentences might be wrong. This is a texture that puts up the eyebrow to the dog. It is lovely that the eyebrow has adhered to the dog, and always thinks that it is necessary to adhere. Nevertheless, because no one made it, it made it formyself."

If you're interested in an eyebrowed dog (And why wouldn't you be? It is lovely that the eyebrow has adhered to the dog, after all.), you can get it here.

A handwritten post, for kicks

2008-12-20T22:19:00.000-06:00

This is what you've waited over two months for.

2008-12-11T20:50:00.003-06:00

So, I'm giving an exam tonight, which means there's not much for me to do, so I was clicking around my computer and found something I wrote two years ago. I don't know if it was meant to be the beginning of a story, or something I wrote in the middle of the night, but I've decided that it makes a great story on its own. Here it is:

"Romance Chicken"

“Tell me something romantic.”

That damn chicken better get here quick.

SNL debate

2008-10-05T19:06:00.000-05:00

If you watched the actual VP debate, this is hilarious. If not, it's proably still mildly funny.

The Braskey Chronicles: Episode Two

2008-09-21T21:20:00.002-05:00

Ok, that didn't take long. My GCast player is now in the sidebar, and Episode Two is up (it's not nearly as long as Episode One was, but it is a bit harder to understand because it was recorded in public).

P-p-p-podcast!

2008-09-21T00:53:00.003-05:00

I wanted to discuss Spore, but I didn't feel like typing (and yet, here I am typing...) so I decided a podcast was the way to go. I'm tentatively calling this experiment "The Braskey Chronicles," and the first episode features Netty and I discussing Spore and other things for 25 minutes. Enjoy! (If this becomes a regular feature, I'll probably put the player in my sidebar.)

Subscribe Free
Add to my Page

First Response to "The Dark Knight"

2008-07-19T05:44:00.006-05:00

I'll get right to it: this movie beat the bejeezus out of me with an Awesome Stick and I plan to go back for another thrashing because I f-ing loved it.

Batman Begins did a fantastic job of setting up Nolan's new Caped Crusader as a guy who fights crime for his own reasons--not because he's a self-righteous do-gooder, but because deep down he's just fracking angry. He doesn't hate crime because he feels sorry for the victims, he hates crime because of the criminals. Because of the attitude they swagger around with--the "I own this town" crap that Tom Wilkinson portrayed so well as Falcone. Because he can't stand the notion that the ones with all the guns and all the money can scare everyone else into submission.

And Batman's fierce pissed-offedness, his desire to bash the snot out of bad men, which was set up so well in Batman Begins, makes The Dark Knight's introduction of the Joker all the more fun to watch. This is a guy whose only agenda is to be bad.  He's not after money or control.  He's just out of his mind, and the best part is we never find out why. The film never explains him, and although he gives us a couple of pseudo-origin stories, we're not given to believe any of them--although they are fantastically creepy as hell. He's a bad guy without a reason to be a bad guy, a schizo-elemental, and Ledger takes that idea to a level that is scarily real.  His last scene is absolutely brilliant. Ledger can freaking act. I seriously don't know how he got that look in his eyes--a mix of child-like wonder and Krueger-like sadism that actually freaked me out for half a second when he combined it with that laugh. You do not see Heath Ledger in this movie. You see the Joker.

Ledger's Joker takes the Batman of the last film and turns him onto one mean S.O.B., and for me, that's the best element of the movie.  He's still technically on the right side, and there's still a line he won't cross, but in this movie he'll walk right up to that line and groin-punch it and spit on its grandma if he thinks it'll help clean up Gotham.  This is a morally gray Batman.  He's willing to hurt people.  He's willing to use all of the resources at Bruce Wayne's disposal, even when he has to strain the bounds of morality to do it.  And the best part is that it works...and at the same time, it doesn't.  You'll have to see the end to know what I mean.

I can't go without mentioning the supporting cast. Gary Oldman takes Gordon to places I honestly didn't expect the character to go, and it just works. Aaron Eckhart, an actor that hasn't impressed me up to now, makes Harvey Dent/Tw0-Face into a character I wish we could have seen more of.  Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes was a vast improvement over Katie Holmes' weak performance (I mean, seriously. Who actually found that Scientologically-brainwashed twelve-year-old believable as an assistant D.A. in a town like Gotham? No one, that's who.)  Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman reprise their roles as Batman's moral compass and moral compass/gadget man, respectively, and both do a fine job of developing their characters both as Batman's support team, and as interesting people in their own right. (Hunting jewel thieves in southeast Asia?  Who knew Alfred was such a deep well?)

If I haven't made it clear up to now, this is a great film and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Whether you saw the first one or not. Whether you like Batman or not. Whether you trust my judgement of film quality or not. After all the hype, I actually lowered my expectations a bit before going in to this one, just to avoid the kind of disappointment I experienced with Indy 4. Turns out I didn't need to do that. Like I said, I plan to see it at least once more, and I'll let you know if my opinion changes dramatically, but I suspect that I'll only enjoy it more the second time.

IMDb rating: 9.6/10
My rating: 9.8/10

Two things

2008-07-13T01:32:00.004-05:00

Ahoy, internets. I bring you two (2) Items of Interest:

1. Hellboy 2 is a lot of fun. Quite different from the first one, and better, I think. Less Nazi occultism, which is kind of a shame, but more fairy tale-ness and steampunkery, which is spiffy. I could probably watch the Troll Market scenes eight times and still not catch all the spiff. If you like the first movie go see this one. If you didn't like the first movie, go see this one.

IMDb rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 9.0/10

[And remember, this weekend was Hellboy 2, next weekend is Dark Knight, and the next is X-Files 2. Try to keep up.]

2. I just finished playing Portal, and the song during the end credits is, without question, the best song I've ever heard in a video game. It's freaking brilliant. It might not be that great if you haven't played the game (I'm actually curious about its non-Portal-player appeal), but here's the link if you want to give it a listen. Note that there are a few minor spoilers in the song, so don't listen if you think you might want to play the game sometime--which you should.

Day 4

2008-05-27T01:24:00.001-05:00

Our scenic adventures continued yesterday as Jenette, Michelle, and I went down to the Mile High Flea Market to do some treasure hunting. The place was huge, and a lot of it was just standard flea market crap--cheap/ugly clothes, obviously stolen car stereos, dirty children, carnival rides whose last safety inspection was in the late '70s, and mustaches a'plenty--but we came back with a few pieces of quality loot, including some ridiculous t-shirts (see pics in sidebar) and a really spiffy globe for our house. I might post some pics when we get home.

Later that evening we went to Colorado National Speedway and watched cars drive in loud circles while we ate unhealthy amounts of unhealthy food. I hope that last bit of funnel cake doesn't slow me down on my way to the checkered flag of life (yeah, the announcer actually uses that phrase in his ridiculous pre-race loudspeaker prayer). Normal races are ok, but I know what you're thinking. You're wishing you could see a race in which half-drunk yokels chain three cars to each other and then place mildly retarded dropouts behind the wheels of the resulting metal monstrosities so they can race in a figure-8. You know, like they do in the Book of Revelation. Well, they do just that at the end of the night. Here's a bit of video of the trains (sorry for the bootleg quality, but cameras are verboten at the races, so I was trying to keep mine somewhat hidden while I recorded).
EDIT: Blogger is being stupid, so the video will have to wait until my patience meter fills back up.

Today we braved the rain to check out the the Boulder Hippie Festival (or whatever it was called) and the Pearl Street Mall. We sampled hippie food, got rained on, saw some not-that-great-but-ok-I-guess belly dancers, got rained on, bought a couple of hanging chairs for our porch (spiff), got rained on, and ate at a pretty decent Japanese restaurant. Oh, and then we got rained on. I would post some video of the day's activities, but I didn't even take out the camera because, as I may have mentioned, it was raining all day.

Tonight, my hat and boots dry out. Tomorrow, Estes Park.

Summer trip!

2008-05-24T18:51:00.004-05:00

So we're up in Colorado now doing some visiting and whatnot. We got in yesterday evening, after dodging most of the inclement weather, and ate with Gary and Linda at a little place called...something (I can't remember at the moment). They had excellent homemade pasta and decent alferdo (sic) sauce. It happened to be karaoke night, and although I didn't think we were the karaoke type, Michelle, Gary, and then Jenette & I got up to sing. Unfortunately, I only have video of Michelle because my camera battery died. But the real treat of the evening was that Kevin (yes, that Kevin, from "Scrantonicity") got up to sing. Michelle and Kevin are both in the video.

On the way home, we Red Box'd "30 Days of Night"...it was ok, but they could have done more with the background of the vampires (their history, how they got there, etc.)
My rating: 6.9/10
IMDb rating: 6.7/10

Today we went and checked out Main Street in Longmont. Highlights included a coin shop (or is it shoppe?) where they had some boxes of random bills and coins from around the world. We got $10 worth of some pretty neat stuff, like the Japanese 10-peso note that was printed when the Japanese occupied the Phillipines. We also found a coffee shop (or is it shoppe?) that had stop-worthy gelato.

Then the rest of the crew headed back to H.Q. while Jenette and I went to an amazing anqtique store, where we got some nice home decor--including a pair of very steampunky lamps. Now I'm back at H.Q. while part of the crew enjoys a soccer game (not my thing) and part goes to the races (which we'll all be going to tomorrow, anyway.) Nap time for me.

May 22! (Update: Indiana Jones and the MPAA of Doom!)

2008-02-14T16:30:00.005-06:00

Lately it takes a lot to drag a blog post out of me, and this one isn't even going to requre any original thought on my part. I'm simply here to point my finger and say "Look, isn't this freaking sweet?" (Oh, and it is.)

UPDATE: Thanks to the MPAA, who likes to treat people like children, the above U.S. version of the trailer has been edited. Apparently, it's not ok in a trailer to have a gun pointed at another person, so the guns that WE ALL KNOW ARE POINTED AT INDY had to be hastily CG'd out in order for the trailer to be accepted. We saw the Reds, we saw their machine guns pointed in a decidedly Indy-ward direction. But if we were to see the guns and Indy in the same frame, we might all...crap our pants...or something... I don't really understand the logic. Check out the comparison pics here.

Anyway, this little edit, along with an unnecessary and somewhat distracting American flag pasted across a few frames, has caused a bit of geek controversy around some of the Internets. I know, I know. Geek controversy would be flying around the Internets with or without an MPAA'd Indy trailer, but this little bit of it struck me as interesting.

If you want to see the unedited international version in 1080p, click here. (Also available in 720p and 480p.)

Movie Catch-up

2007-12-24T00:55:00.000-06:00

Haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately (still not, actually), but I figured I should catch up on a few movie reviews. Since I'm lumping them together, they'll be short.

First up, The Golden Compass. I was really looking forward to this one. The early trailers made it look deliciously brass-and-leathery (which is to say steampunky), and I got the book for Christmas last year. The beauty of the book isn't so much the story as the setting. It's a pretty simplistic story, but it's set in a world with such a rich mythology that it made for a very entertaining read, despite the "young adult" focus (as with the Harry Potter books, or so I hear). However, while that book series has translated well to the screen, The Golden Compass did not. They took most of the important scenes from the book, pared them down just enough to be annoying to anyone who's read the book, and then crammed them all together. The result is a gorgeous, well-casted mess of a movie that I won't be running out to buy on DVD. Oh, and for no reason whatsoever, they wanked up the ending. It'll be interesting to see if the sequels are ever green-lit.

IMDb score: 6.6/10
My score: 6/10

Next: I Am Legend. This is another one I'd had my eye on for some time, and fortunately, this one didn't disappoint. If you're worried about Will Smith's typical overacting--which, let's be honest, was perfectly suited to movies like Men in Black, et. al.--you don't need to worry here, because he turns in a nicely understated performance
for this role, which is exactly what it needed.  After all, it's more about obsession
and loneliness than vampire/zombie things.  Actually, the CG monsters kinda look like crap when you see 'em up close, so it's good that they're not really the focus.  It's kind of a horror-ish version of Castaway, but set in an abandoned New York.  Not a masterpiece, but I
enjoyed it.

IMDb score: 7.6/10
My score: 7.9/10

And finally, Jenette, Michelle, and I went to see Sweeney Todd, which the fellers over at AICN have been hyping for a few months.  Of the three films in this post, this one wins. This is Tim Burton at the top of his game...his dark, creepy game. The sets and costumes are amazing, as was the casting. Casting for the two lead roles was maybe a tad obvious (Burton loves him some Depp and Helena Bonham Carter), but it would have been a lesser film with any other actors. Johnny Depp proves once again that in addition to being the definitive pirate for a generation, he can flip a switch and become someone entirely different, and Carter did her "creepy Victorian goth chick" thing even better than usual. Then there were the nice surprises, like Alan Rickman as the evil judge...hm, I guess that's not surprising at all...but his performance was fun to watch. And Sacha Baron Cohen made a hilarious appearance as a rival barber. I won't say much about the story, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but I will say this: there is a lot of blood.  A lot.  Enough to make me squirm in my seat
a couple of times, and movie blood doesn't usually bother me.  Speaking of "usually," I usually
hate musicals too, but this one kicked ass.

IMDb score: 8.7
My score: 9.2

Aftermath!

2007-12-12T15:27:00.000-06:00

Snowpocalypse Now

2007-12-10T16:59:00.000-06:00

"The horror... the horror..."

Prepare your mind.

2007-12-10T15:06:00.000-06:00

No, seriously. Prepare your mind. I'd hate for it to be shattered into a thousand pieces by the crack of the metaphorical bullwhip that is...

...the official Drew Struzan poster for the new Indy movie!

!, no?

Finals Week sucks, but...

2007-11-28T23:19:00.002-06:00

I am so looking forward to this movie now. I finished the book a few days ago, and it was excellent, and it looks like the movie adaptation is going to be amazing. I'm hoping we get a midnight showing here, because that sounds like a lot of fun right now.

The simulated 3rd dimension can be cooler than the real one

2007-11-18T14:53:00.000-06:00

We drove to KC on Friday to see Beowulf in IMAX 3D. I'd been looking forward to it for months, and after seeing the Harry Potter wizard's duel in 3d (which rocked), I wanted to see if they put the 3d to good use or not. Overall, they totally did.

It took a few minutes to get used to the extra dimension, which makes sense if you think about it. They're trying to simulate depth in two very different ways: with CG and with the 3d trick. So at first, characters kinda looked like cardboard cutouts, each at different distances from the screen, and each with a CG body painted on it. But if you let yourself get used to it, it can be quite an immersive experience. There were a couple of times where I flinched or dodged out of the way of something on-screen. I felt kinda stupid the first time, but the the second time made me realize that in a normal movie, there's usually only one kind of physical reflex--the jump (as in, "I actually jumped out of my seat a little when that zombie popped out"). And while there were plenty of "jump" moments in Beowulf, this was the first time I've instinctively tried to dodge an axe that was thrown at the screen.

It may not seem like that big a deal if you haven't seen it, but I think it's another great immersive tool that I hope filmmakers start using more. Some people probably still see it as "gimmicky," but I imagine that's how people saw surround sound when it was first introduced. I mean, think about it: how much sense does it make to surround us with sound when the movie's only in front of us? The answer: it makes perfect sense. You wouldn't think of building a theater today without surround sound, because now it's seen as such a useful tool, allowing the filmmaker to overcome one of the limitations of a non-interactive medium. 3d can do the same thing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not calling for a 3d Revolution. Just as there are plenty of movies that don't need surround sound, there are plenty that don't need 3d. Star Wars, however, most certainly does need it, and I can't wait to see how that turns out. In general, I'm glad the technology is coming along, because I don't see holodecks coming out in my lifetime.

As for the movie itself (which is showing in non-3d theaters, as well), I found it thoroughly entertaining. My last encounter with the story of Beowulf was a year and a half ago, translating pieces of it from the Old English, so I particularly enjoyed the fact that Grendel spoke only in Old English, and that a bard in Heorot recites from the actual poem at one point. The plot followed what I remember of the story, with some creative licence taken with the origins of both Grendel and the dragon. I suppose a true Beowulf scholar might not approve of the adaptation, but I do.

IMDb rating: 7.0/10
My rating: 8.7/10

Beowulf in imax3d!

2007-11-16T21:09:00.001-06:00

Hobbit party in Manhattan?

2007-10-26T17:58:00.000-05:00

I like storms

2007-09-30T22:56:00.000-05:00

I'm still working on a comic strip of the weekend (it's not looking too promising), but for now, here's this--some video of a huge effing storm that we drove through on the way here.

Day 2

2007-09-29T14:06:00.001-05:00

According to the Awesome Counter, yesterday was only an 8. Today's already up to 6 thanks to a 6-pack of Harvey Weinhard root beer.

A different kind of blogging

2007-09-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

A couple of thoughts about this: 1) Netty, you should try Sketchcasting some dreams, since Audioblogger is dead; 2) This has some cool potential for teaching; and 3) This weekend is the 1-year anniversary of my comic book depiction of our adventures in Colorado. Maybe this year I'll do a sketchcast version. (Although I'm hoping we can avoid those kinds of "adventures" this time around.)

Ok, for a matinee

2007-09-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

I had a few reasons for wanting to see this movie, even though it was undoubtedly going to be somewhat stupid. First, it was one of those "Well, I saw the first two, so I guess we'll do this one, too" kinds of movies. I may complain along with everyone else about Hollywood's current sequel-itis, but I buy into certain franchises just like all the other suckers. Despite my having only played one RE game (RE4 for the Wii--great game), I keep finding myself interested in these movies.

Second, judging from the trailer, it seemed to have a kind of Mad Max vibe going for it--armored convoys traveling through the desert, and what have you. Until Fallout 3 comes out next year, I'll get my post-apocalyptic-desert-wasteland fix whatever way I can.

And my third reason? Zombies!! (Though, it should be noted, this movie follows the "28 * Later" model and never uses the Z-word...not sure why.) Shallow and disturbing as it may be, I like watching undead getting shot and run over and decapitated.

So, did the movie meet expectations? As the third movie in a series...not really. They decided to take an increasingly-common risk here in not really setting anything up. As Netty pointed out, if you didn't see the first two, you really don't care about these characters. And as someone who did see the first two...I still didn't care all that much. Plus, despite what might be considered foreshadowing in the title ("Extinction" => either humans or undead become extinct), this movie doesn't resolve anything. It only advances the plot of the overall series in one significant way which, for the sake of spoiler-free-ness, I won't mention here. So, as a sequel, it more or less fails.

Luckily, the Road Warrior vibe did actually work for me, though I can see others criticizing it as derivative. Heck, it is derivative, but the idea of a bunch of dirty, tired, scared people banding together for survival, and welding together a convoy of armor-plated vehicles is always cool to me. It's too bad they didn't play it up more, but I guess the whole T-Virus plot (you know, the thing this series is supposed to be about) got in the way of that...

Maybe I should just go rent The Road Warrior.

Bottom line: a decent zombie movie that feels cooler than it actually is.

My rating: 6/10
IMDb rating: 6.5/10

(BTW, I'm hoping to catch 3:10 to Yuma either tonight or tomorrow. I expect it to be quite a bit better than this movie was.)

Holy Food, Holy Quest

2007-09-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

Question: what's the one flavor that makes (or would make, if you were daring enough to try those wilder ideas) any food better? Obviously, I refer to that holiest of holies: bacon. When salted, cured, and smoked to the peak of artery-clogging deliciousness, bacon has the potential to transform even the most mundane food into so much more. In short, bacon can turn a lesser food into a culinary experience.

Do I exaggerate? Certainly not. Name me a sandwich, a burger, a cheese fry that is not improved by bacon. Name me a grilled meat, be it chicken, pork, or shrimp, that is not brought closer to the Divine by wrapping it and/or stuffing it with bacon. You cannot name such a food, and indeed, to even try would be to blaspheme, for Most Revered Bacon sits at the head of the Holy Trinity of Food, with noble Bread at its left and mighty Cheese at its right.

My message today concerns the crusade of two brave young men who wish to spread the gospel of Most Revered Bacon with the flick of a wrist and the shake of a bottle. Brother Justin and Brother Dave are on a holy quest to "make everything taste like bacon." The miraculous product they've created to achieve this goal? Bacon Salt. I don't know what arcane rituals they had to perform in order to capture the essence of bacon in a bottle, but they seem to have done it. Visit their website. Read the testimony of other Bacon Disciples. And support this noble crusade by purchasing each of Bacon Salt's three flavors: Original, Hickory, and Peppered. I'm going to try it; won't you? Bacon can one day rule the world, if we all do our part.

[Update: I just ordered the 3-pack! Bacon!]

It's over!

2007-09-09T19:37:00.001-05:00

That was fun. And i am tired.

This weekend doth rock.

2007-09-09T10:45:00.001-05:00

We're off to the K.C. Renfest! (Netty's still getting ready to bring the pain, so to speak.) I'll be posting pics on my sidebar all day, I'm sure.

34-14. Booyah.

2007-09-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

2007-09-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

First home game.

2007-09-08T16:48:00.001-05:00

My new little kingdom

2007-08-17T14:56:00.001-05:00

Lookin' at m'programs.

2007-07-28T04:25:00.000-05:00

*Last time, on Bliggety Blog...*

Me: "We're on a weekend trip for our anniversary!"
You: "Cool."

*One Week Later....*

Me: "Now we're at Newgen's for a Warhammer Weekend! We already played one whole turn, out of six. My hovering mummy frog smashed a wall of the castle with an awesome spell. He was all BIFF! ZOK!, and it came crashing down! I rather enjoyed it."
You: "Cool."

*Tune in next time for more excitement! Same Bat-time, same Bat-URL!*

I got mail!

2007-07-23T18:01:00.001-05:00

Anniversary! Pics in sidebar (<---)!

2007-07-21T14:34:00.000-05:00

For our fifth anniversary, Netty are in Kansas City for the weekend. The hotel we're staying at is about two blocks from Country Club Plaza, which is a really cool shopping area that's modeled after a Spanish town. We took the hotel shuttle down there yesterday (not knowing how incredibly close the Plaza actually is), and asked the driver to recommend an Italian place. I can't even tell you how very not Italian that place was. I mean, they had some pasta, but it was mostly just normal food, and a bit expensive at that. Luckily, we'd asked for a table outside, so we made an easy getaway after we were disappointed with the menu. After some wandering/map checking, we found Figlio's, which had very good spinach manicotti and their breadsticks changed my life.

Next, we came back to the hotel for the car and drove about 30 minutes to the IMAX theater to see Harry Potter again. It was a great movie the first time around, and we were curious to see what the big wizard's duel at the end would look like in 3D. Overall, it was pretty cool. Some of the closeups were blurry, which was distracting, but the wide shots looked amazing. When it worked well, it really got at that "immersive" feel they're going for. I'm really looking forward to Beowulf now.

Today we're going to go explore the Plaza properly. There are quite a few cool stores down there. There are plenty of pics of yesterday in my sidebar (to the left now, in case you somehow missed the change), and I'll continue posting pics today, too.

And we're off!

Who/what are they?

2007-07-19T05:33:00.000-05:00

If you've been keeping up with the Internets and/or movie news, you've no doubt been wondering who, exactly, the Fredericks are. Well, the mystery deepens. There's finally a trailer up, but it doesn't really tell us very much. Judging from the front page, and from the very end of the trailer, I'd guess that Fredericks are some kind of fruit, but the rest of the trailer kinda throws that into question. Maybe the fruit's just a metaphor for something. All I know is that this thing has me pretty excited, which is saying something, considering how little is actually known about this project/film/whatever-it-is. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

2007-07-15T01:39:00.001-05:00

Game Nut

2007-07-12T16:51:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say here, but I just wanted to plug Game Nut for anyone in or around Lawrence, KS who's a gamer--especially a PC gamer. I thought the days of buying used PC games were more or less over. Game Guy stopped selling them long ago, and they're becoming more and more rare in the EB/Game Stop realm, as well. But Game Nut...oh, Game Nut. There are stacks and stacks of PC games there, along with a very respectable selection of console games, and some DVDs to boot.

It's a great store and I highly recommend it. Oh, and they're thinking of opening a store here in Manhattan. Maybe I should get on that...

2007-07-04T21:57:00.001-05:00

2007-07-04T21:45:00.001-05:00

Setting up camp for Cuatro de Julio

2007-07-04T21:09:00.001-05:00

Oh, giant robots from space, how I love thee.

2007-07-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so Tr ansformers rocked. It was two and a half hours of smashy fun, and I'll tell you why.

We'll start with the most important reason: Optimus F'n Prime. The purists--"wankers," if you will--have been all up in arms about Optimus for months now, worried that Michael Bay would ruin their favorite freedom-loving philosopher/warrior robot, and generally getting pissed off that he doesn't look exactly like he did in the cartoon (a look which someone out there in internet land has described as "a stack of dishwashers."). Well, despite the whole "Flames on Optimus! OMFG!" to-do, I think Bay and company did right by the Big Rig. He's still the same guy as he was before--well, not "guy," but you know--but maybe just a bit cooler. And he has a sense of humor now. One of the funniest lines in the movie is his "What's with you?" during a scene where Ironhide is getting overly anxious to shoot stuff. Ok, it doesn't sound that funny now, but in context, it's hilarious. This movie actually got quite a few laughs from the audience, and from me, and they weren't the forced laughs that Pirates 3 got. Oh, and one more thing on Optimus--they got the original voice, Peter Cullen. I'm not a raging Transformers lunatic (usually), but even I was excited to hear that voice.

The acting here was actually better than I expected, at least on the part of Shia LaBeouf. That kid's going places. No more Disney channel crap for him--now it's freaking Transformers and Indy 4. He's got a kind of earnestness about him that makes you believe he's really carrying on a conversation with giant robots from space. Everyone else gave adequate performances, with the notable exception of John Turturro, who apparently wasn't told which movie he was being hired for. He acted like he was on a Mexican kids TV show, and I'm not even exaggerating. He could have been wearing the frickin' Mexican bee outfit from the Simpsons the entire time, and it wouldn't have been any worse. Luckily, the acting overall was merely a bruise on the movie, not a mortal wound.

The story, as expected, is largely irrelevant. It's not bad, but its main function is clearly as an excuse for cool cars and military vehicles to transform into giant robots that smash the hell out of each other. And holy crap does it look cool when they transform. Sometimes they'll switch back and forth four or five times in a matter of a few seconds. I could watch that all day and not get bored. If that makes me shallow, then so be it--at least I'm wading in Awesome.

So, why, with mostly crap acting and a story that's just ok, did I enjoy the experience so much? Well, first of all, in case you missed it: robots. That's the last time I'm going to say it. But second, and perhaps more importantly, the movie does exactly what it sets out to do: be a lot of fun. I am highly recommending this as a summer movie, and it'll definitely be at the top of my DVD wish list next year.

My rating: 9.2/10
IMDb rating: 8.3/10

Smashy smashy.

2007-07-03T00:55:00.000-05:00

We just saw Transformers, and while I don't feel like writing a full review right now, suffice it to say that I was far from disappointed. It was a lot of fun.

It doesn't matter how old this guy gets...

2007-06-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

...he is freaking Indiana Jones.

I am seriously geeking out over this.

Mediocrity...with guns.

2007-06-28T02:48:00.000-05:00

I finally Netflixed Smokin' Aces last week, and figured I'd give it a quick review. This is one that I was looking forward to well before it came out, but I somehow never made it to the theater to see it. And it's probably just as well that I didn't.

This movie tries to be eight different kinds of cool, but only achieves moderate success on a few. Coming in to the experience, I was hoping it would be something akin to early Guy Ritchie, and at times, it was just that--a crazy cast of characters all with their own nefarious motives, tied up in a complex plot, and intersecting with each other in a ridiculous blaze of gunfire and yelling and kersplosions. The characters were definitely there--I especially loved the redneck neo-Nazis and Jeremy Piven was great as the magician/wannabe crime boss.

But when I got to the "twist" at the end, my reaction was just, "Oh," when I was really hoping it would be something like, "Holy freakin' crap, that changes everything and now I have to watch the whole thing again!" And really, that's how the whole movie went. Great characters, but none of them gets enough screen time because they're competing with crap like those pointless Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman cameos. A plot that's complex, but not terribly interesting until the end. And a style that's adequate for this kind of film, but doesn't really push any limits or do anything new. So, while I don't feel like it was a waste of my already-paid Netflix bill for the month, I probably would have felt a little cheated if I had shelled out theater money for it.

My rating: 6.2/10
IMDb rating: 6.7/10

The most I'd pay for this movie on DVD: $6

Next up on the Netflix queue: Lord of War.

A token game at Daylight Donuts.

2007-06-24T03:34:00.001-05:00

Except those aren't tokens. They're quarters. And there's a wad of cash in there, too. That's called gambling, Donut Man. And i'm pretty sure it's not legal... It would suck, but i'd still laugh if they got shut down for a gambling violation.

Touchdown.

2007-06-24T02:27:00.001-05:00

That's right. We came back for more early a.m. donuts.

Vampires!

2007-06-22T14:29:00.000-05:00

I've decided to watch all of my vampire movies this summer while I'm working on the vampire hunter costume, and I started with one I picked up a few weeks ago, aptly titled Vampires (technically, John Carpenter's Vampires). It's ok, but it's certainly no Escape from New York.

I could tell you the whole story without giving anything away, because it's exactly what you'd expect: a guy (Crow) hunts vampires with the sanction and support of the Catholic church, people die gory deaths, the master vampire must be stopped, et cetera, et cetera. Other than James Woods' decent performance in the lead role, the acting sucked pretty hard, as you might imagine in a film that also stars Daniel "I Have a Couple of Brothers Who Are Ok Actors So Somebody Please Give Me Work" Baldwin.

So why don't I hate this movie completely? Well, first of all, since I'm working on my costume anyway, it doesn't have to be great. It just has to make good vampirey background noise. And second, any movie that's set on the fringes of a global Catholic conspiracy (here, hiding vampires from the world) is enough to get me interested. It's the same reason I dig Van Helsing when so many others hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning Stephen Sommerses.

Well, I need a score if I'm going to finish out this review, and here it is.

My rating: 5.8/10
IMDb rating:5.6/10

P.S. The rest of my vampire list: Van Helsing, Underworld 1&2,the Blade Trilogy, Interview with the Vampire, and maybe Night Watch. It's not a huge list, just all the movies we have that happen to have vampires in them. I'm sure there are some essential ones I'm missing. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

I believe.

2007-06-21T01:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I have a working theory that Peter Jackson takes on the appearance of the characters/actors in whatever movie he's currently working on. Hear me out.

Start with Lord of the Rings. Jackson worked on those movies for like 10 years, and what did he get (besides ungodly amounts of money and respect)? A distinctly hobbit-like appearance: plump, furry, and unshod.

Coincidence? Maybe. But did you notice how his appearance started to change as the LOTR hoopla started dying down and he began work on King Kong? He became, if I may, more Brody-esque in coutenance: thinner, sporting more closely trimmed facial hair, shod (though you can't tell it here), and noticibly less-bespectacled.

I see some of you nodding your heads. I propose to you, then, that if this trend continues (and if the rumors are true), Peter Jackson will begin to look like this when he starts his next movie:

Let's hope/pray that I'm right.

Cap'n Stubby

2007-06-19T20:40:00.001-05:00

Patch and Crow's Nest got a spiffy new sign.

My hillbilly wife

2007-06-16T19:34:00.000-05:00

I just had my el mind blown. o.

2007-06-13T04:38:00.000-05:00

I just heard Rodrigo y Gabriela on some music channel or other, and immediately downloaded their album from iTunes. It's really good stuff. Here's a taste.

I'm easily amused

2007-06-13T04:14:00.001-05:00

My phone + a monkey = Fall Out Boy's video for "Thnks fr th Mmrs"

Sweet.

Frickin' Lasers

2007-06-12T18:39:00.000-05:00

I'm generally a big fan of paleo-futures--basically yesterday's visions of tomorrow (think The Jetsons). But I'm an even bigger fan of what might be termed "meta-paleo-futures" which, I suppose, are today's visions of yesterday's visions of tomorrow (that phrase alone is enough to get me excited). The best example is probably the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, an homage to old matinee serials and comic books and such--all the stuff that was geek before geek even existed. It's a movie that knows its ray guns and giant robots are ridiculous, but it revels in the ridiculosity, as do I.

Nobody's using the term meta-paleo-future that I know of, since, as far as I know, I just made it up, but you might have heard of "steampunk," which I'd consider to be an MPF subset (look, I already have a 3-letter abbreviation for my own silly term!). Steampunk is a type of science fiction, set in a time when everything ran on steam power. If you can summon an image in your mind of a Victorian-era steam-powered rocketship or a clockwork robot (of doom, preferably), you'll have a basic understanding of steampunk.

Now that you have a bit of context, I give you: two cool MPF videos! The first could be called steampunk, and the second is something I came across while I was doing reasearch for my 1950's Literature & Culture class.

Weta Rayguns!

Brotronic Rayguns!

Click for a nice list of steampunk links!

1 a.m. Donuts!

2007-06-10T01:05:00.001-05:00

Midnight bike ride!

2007-06-10T00:50:00.001-05:00

Check one off the list

2007-06-08T23:40:00.001-05:00

We just saw Ocean's 13, so I thought I'd review it before I forget. It was an entertaining movie, and even though it's a sequel, I think it could stand on its own for those who didn't see 11 or 12. A lot of people complain that the "Ocean's" movies are just becoming the "cool actors club," and they're right. But I think it's a good thing. These guys clearly enjoy working together, and lot of the acting in these movies doesn't feel like acting at all.

That said, if you didn't enjoy the first two, you probably won't like this one--it's the same actors in another storyline that involves a heist. And, I have to admit, the "how are we going to get past this security system?" bit is getting a bit stale, but it's by no means enough to ruin the movie. I found it to be, if not an amazing two hours, at least a very amusing two hours, and that's all I ask for my $7.50.

My rating: 8/10
IMDb rating: 7.3/10

My piratey wife.

2007-06-07T20:44:00.001-05:00

The Uber-Fan Film: "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men"

2007-06-07T18:23:00.000-05:00

Is it really just a fan film if you can get a dozen "real" actors from all five Star Trek shows to act in it (and one to direct)? Well, after watching the trailer, the answer is: yes, this is still, without a doubt, a fan film. But it looks like a pretty decent one.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

(Star Trek: Of Gods and Men)

Fallout 3 trailer

2007-06-05T12:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it finally came out, and while it was just a teaser and didn't show any actual gameplay, it did get me that much more excited for the game, which is due out in Fall 2008--a long time to wait. If you're a fan, you should definitely check it out. I'm still somewhat concerned, as many are, that the gameplay will be "Oblivion with guns" (which wouldn't be that bad, but this game deserves more), but the trailer assured me that they're at least getting the feel right. The archaic radio, the music, the setting, the bottle of Rotgut, the Brother of Steel at the end--everything felt Fallout-y. But Bethesda's best move by far with this trailer was to include a new recording of the now-iconic line, "War...war never changes," delivered by Ron Perlman. I guarantee that elicited a few cheers out there in Fan Land. It got a smile from me.

Summer Movies

2007-06-04T04:18:00.001-05:00

In case you were wondering, here's the list of movies I plan to see this summer ("summer" meaning from now through August):

Ocean's 13 - June 8 [Update: saw it, reviewed it]

1408 - June 22

Transformers - July 6

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - July 11

Sunshine (not 100% sure about this one)- July 20

Stardust - August 10

That's actually quite a few movies--a good summer's worth, for once. If something's missing that belongs on this list, convince me it's worth my time/money and I'll buy your ticket.

I updated The + List.

2007-06-04T03:51:00.000-05:00

That is all.

My post-apocalyptic senses are tingling!

2007-06-03T17:40:00.000-05:00

Only two more days til the teaser for Fallout 3!

If that doesn't thrill you the same way it does me, then: 1) You never played Fallout 1 or 2;
or 2) you didn't read that right the first time, so here it is again: Only two more days til the teaser for Fallout 3!

Rocking out...

2007-06-02T16:21:00.001-05:00

...in a supremely wedding fashion.

Mission accomplished

2007-06-02T14:31:00.001-05:00

I have now blogged from a wedding.

Pre-wedding Warm-up

2007-06-02T12:33:00.001-05:00

Look at them. They're pumped.

Gun. Law. Justice.

2007-06-01T14:23:00.000-05:00

Finally, a movie poster that sums up the Chris Experience.

The Gay Cowboy Inn... or Comfort Inn

2007-06-01T12:51:00.001-05:00

This hotel is ridiculous. There's stuff like this everywhere.

It's a Mario Party!

2007-05-31T23:25:00.001-05:00

Of the 8 variety.

Laser tag!

2007-05-31T20:52:00.001-05:00

We just played 3 games here. I am tired.

The future is now-ish.

2007-05-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

Air travel is about to become ridiculously practical thanks to Skybus, a new airline that's running on a self-serve model. You book your flight online, check in at the automated Skybus kiosk at the airport, and go. Not only does this cut out the hassle of flying, but it significantly lowers the cost as well. Flights start from just $10 one way. Ten freaking dollars. They also help keep costs down by only flying into smaller, less busy airports. After a few minutes of playing on their website, it looks like the further in advance you book your flight, the closer you get to that $10 mark. If you want anything extra (checking your bags, getting a meal on the plane, etc.), you can add it, but you don't pay for anything you don't need. Spiffy, yeah?

It's not perfect yet. The company is based out of Columbus, OH, so the only flights available go to Columbus, so if you want to go to any of their other destination cities, you have to go through Columbus. And right now, there are only 9 other cities, but that list is expanding, and once they get bigger, they should start offering non-Columbus flights (word from the Colorado rumor mill is that a Denver-area Skybus system is in the works). Also, you usually don't get a choice of what time of day your flights leaves, which might be a problem if you're on a business trip, or somesuch, where you're on a tight schedule. For the casual traveler like me, though, this could easily become the best way to avoid ungodly gas prices. If they just added Denver and Fort Worth, I'd be set.
Just for fun, we checked on a flight from K.C. to (you guessed it) Columbus. For two people to fly out on August 21st and come back a week later would cost a grand total of...(drum roll, please)...$81.60! Heck, that's cheap enough to fly to Columbus just to see what it's like there.

What-ball? Base-what? What-what?

2007-05-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

Me. At a baseball game. It boggles the mind.

A new (to me) Root Beer

2007-05-18T13:26:00.002-05:00

Mmm...Eastern Promise...

2007-05-18T02:25:00.002-05:00

A few sequel tips

2007-05-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

Based on my viewing of 28 Weeks Later this past weekend, here's my list of what not to do when creating a sequel to a good movie:
1. DO NOT give the camera to a seizure-prone elderly woman whenever you want a handheld shot. Despite what many directors seem to think, "nauseatingly shaky" doesn't equal "gritty."
2. DO NOT dumb down the sequel. If the first film was fairly believable (which, despite the whole zombie thing, 28 Days Later was), don't ruin it by making a sequel in which ridiculous and unbelievable things happen all the time. ("Oh crap! We never suspected the zombies would find the back door!", etc.) Also, DO NOT break the rules of your world. In the first film, the Infected came to have certain predictable behavior. We expect to see that in the sequel, and in at least one incredibly distracting instance (I won't spoil it for you, in case you still want to see the movie), the established rules are completely broken. Don't get me wrong--a sequel should do something new, but this isn't it.
3. DO NOT write a story that isn't anchored to any of your characters. We didn't really know whose story this was until the story was over. The whole experience felt like the first 30 minutes of a movie, stretched out to fill 90 minutes.
4. DO NOT waver between "decent movie" and "complete crap movie." Be bad enough that I can laugh out loud at you, or good enough that I don't feel like I wasted my money. This in-between business doesn't work for me.

I gave this a 6/10 (IMDb average: 7.9/10).

2007-05-01T00:10:00.001-05:00

2007-04-28T18:12:00.001-05:00

For those who've played disc golf on the KSU campus, you know how impossible this is. For those who haven't, you'll just have to trust me.

Someone's a little overconfident.

2007-04-26T13:14:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Netty!

2007-04-23T16:03:00.000-05:00

In honor of my wife's b-day, I made this stunning video (with stunningly bad compression, but oh well):

Muffin Wars: Episode 1

2007-04-21T23:38:00.000-05:00

I made this today. It took about 30 minutes, which, now that I look at it, seems like way too long. :)

Call of Duty

2007-04-20T23:31:00.000-05:00

Ok. I just played Call of Duty on the PC using the Wiimote, nunchuk, and a candle, and it's freaking awesome. It works just as well as the Wii version of CoD. I am infinitely pleased.

[Update: I just downloaded the "wiinsaber" script. It's stupid fun, and does just what you'd guess. Get it here.]

Enter the Wii-puting age

2007-04-20T20:08:00.000-05:00

For some reason it never occurred to me that the innovative and fun Wiimote uses Bluetooth for its wirelessness. Most companies are, let's face it, evil (Sony). They insist on using proprietary technology that's not compatible with anything. But not Nintendo. The Wiimote uses Bluetooth and good ol' IR. So I shouldn't have been surprised to find that there's a growing community of users finding ways to use the Wiimote on the PC.

I don't need to tell you that there's a lot of potential in that idea. Replacing the mouse in FPS games, making homebrew PC games using the Wiimote, etc, etc. I've started playing around with it, and even though it's still a little rough, it's also pretty spiffy. Here's how to get started:

1. You need Bluetooth. If your compy has it, great. If not, buy a USB adapter. I got the Kensington 33348 for $30 at Best Buy, but here's the complete list of compatible devices. Install the drivers from the included CD.

2. Download GlovePIE. This program runs all the Wiimote scripts. It comes with quite a few prewritten scripts, and new ones are fairly easy to write (I'm still learning).

3. Get your Wiimote connected. This can be tricky. You have to hit buttons 1 and 2, just like you do to connect to the Wii, but the controller only stays in "search mode" for a few seconds, so you'll have to keep hitting them until your Bluetooth program finds it (it's called Nintendo RVL-CNT). Connect to it as a human input device (HID).

4. Run GlovePIE. File-->open-->testWiimote.pie. Once the script is loaded, hit "Run." If the numbers in the white box change when you move the Wiimote, it's working fine. Now click File-->open-->Wiimote Scripts and find a script that interests you.
So far, I've played with WiiDrums and Wiiitar, which are both pretty fun, and I now regularly use the Windows Media Player script so's I can have a remote control for my media (Note: the volume controls in that script are messed up. Change "Wiimote.Left" to F8 and "Wiimote.Right" to F9. You'll get what I mean once you see it.) If you want to run any scripts that use the IR features (like the pointer/FPS scripts) you'll need an IR source. Until I can work up something with IR LEDs, I've been using a candle, which isn't perfect, but works ok.

If you mess around with this, let me know how it goes for you, and if I come up with any fun scripts, I'll post 'em here. Happy Wiiputing!

A disc golf vista.

2007-04-15T17:05:00.001-05:00

Remakes and adaptations and sequels, oh my!

2007-04-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

The last two movies I saw?
300-- adapted from a graphic novel
TMNT-- a remake from the original animated series and/or the comic book

Movies I'm looking forward to?
Transformers--obviously adapted from the old animated series
Pirates 3-- end of the trilogy
Indiana Jones 4-- noticing a trend yet?
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time-- adaptation from an excellent game
Hitman-- another game adaptation
Get Smart-- adaptation of an old TV show I don't care about, but starring Steve Carell, which interests me
Die Hard 4-- probably not something I'd pay theater money for, but definitely Netflixable

And these are just the ones that immediately come to mind. There are probably a lot more that I can't remember. (not to mention all the ones I don't care about--the recent Rocky Balboa, for instance.)

This certainly isn't a new trend, but it's starting to bother me. Don't get me wrong. I'll more than likely enjoy all of these movies. But not every movie I see has to be part of a giant franchise with sequels and games and freaking coloring books. Excellent movies that stand on their own do still happen--The Prestige is a recent one that comes to mind. We need more movies where the majority of the money and the creative energy goes into the movie itself, rather than this incessant franchise-building.

Sometimes, remakes do this well--both 300 and Sin City tried to translate Frank Miller's artistic vision to a new medium, and they both did such an amazing job that the adaptations were justified as more than just money-making ventures for the studios. Transformers, though? Michael Bay has no vision. He's just out to make some serious bank, as always. (That won't stop me from seeing it, though. A giant-robots-fighting-each-other-and-smashing-stuff movie is, after all, a giant-robots-fighting-each-other-and-smashing-stuff movie. Still, I hope I've made my point here.)

Right now I can only think of two films I'm looking forward to that aren't part of an existing franchise: Hot Fuzz and Stardust (which is going to blow my mind). There are probably a few others, but I need more.

It's about time

2007-04-08T00:34:00.000-05:00

For many years now, I've been waiting for a DVD release of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. It is, quite simply, the best version of the play I've ever seen on film. I mean, look at this cast: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Gérard Depardieu, Charlton Hesston, Jack Lemmon, Richard Attenborough...some of these are pretty small parts, but seriously. All of those great actors in my favorite Shakespeare play, and no DVD? Hondo, the Imaginary God of Mischief is clearly at work here.

Well, Hondo, I stab at thy heart! Warner is releasing a 10th anniversary edition that should be out by the end of this summer. It's about time.

[A bit of Me and Aaron trivia: back in the day, we started rotoscoping the duel at the end of this film, between Hamlet and Laertes, giving them lightsabers instead of swords. Why? Because we're awesome. It was a pain, too, since we had to capture the footage from crappy VHS. 'Twas a worthy pursuit, but we only got about six seconds of film rotoscoped before the tedium got to us. Any idea where that footage is, Aaron?]

Wounded

2007-04-01T16:28:00.001-05:00

My disc didn't come out of the ordeal without a few scars (and shards of light globe embedded in it). The disc and I both agree: it was totally worth it.

Justice is served.

2007-04-01T16:27:00.001-05:00

That light'll think twice before dissin' my disc golf crew again.