Thursday, May 29, 2014

Elliot Rodger My thoughts...

Elliot Rodger My thoughts...

I've been sitting on this story until most of the facts have been floating to the surface. The things this kid did were horrible, and he's a monster. He had no right to cause so much terror in the name of being a lonely guy. However, I went through similar things growing up. I didn't have a normal family structure (divorce) and had a stuttering/learning problems in my really younger years. These things set me aside as being normal, thus not having many friends.
In middle and high school, it became apparent to me that women either found me very unattractive or didn’t know I existed. I just wasn’t considered an alpha male and I didn’t have the family money.  And, that’s what’s confusing about this Elliot guy; he had the money for even the most shallow of chicks to give him a double take.  I drove around in a 76 brown piece of shit car that had smelly leather seats.  Nobody was going to talk to me in that thing.  Oh, and I was in the marching band...instant chick deflector. 
 Being black, I had black girls look completely down on me because I didn’t “talk” black.  (Remember, one black woman recently stated I had no swagger, as if that’s the most important thing in life.) I knew I wasn’t attractive, but that didn’t stop the black girls from reminding me of that.  They made it be known they had zero interest in me. I didn’t really fit in with the normal groups in middle and high school.  In the black community you have to like and dress the same manner as the cool kids or you were seen as being a loser, or worst a sellout. 
I had to find other outcast people, and we formed our own group.  Of course, there were zero girls in our group.  I dressed my own way and acted the way I wanted to.  I knew that no woman was going to find me interesting or attractive, so I “went my own way”.
I didn’t even bother trying to find a date for prom.  I didn’t even bother going to prom.  I knew my limits and getting any girls to even embarrass themselves to be my date was out of the question. However, I didn't blame the girls for that. They weren't interested in the nice nerdy types.
It took me a long and painful time to realize I couldn’t socialize with people on a normal people.  I came to the conclusion that I would constantly have problems “pulling the chicks” and being in the forever “friend zone”.   At this point, I don’t date anymore or bother “holla-ing” at women.  I don’t have the capacity for socialization and compassion. These are the key things for getting into a meaningful relationship.
So, I worked on myself.  I decided to do things that interested me and, go out all into those hobbies and other things.  Music, writing and biking keep me from turning negatively inward.  And, that’s the thing you have to remember.  Negatively toward yourself will totally destroy you and it has been constant battle for me due to my increase depression.  Nothing is easy, but you have to fight.
Rodger was so full hate and frustration that he turned it on innocent folks.  That is selfish and just stupid.  It’s sad to keep seeing people that have had the same background as me lash out and hurt people on a grand scale.  If things are that bad in your life, you don’t have to inflict your pain onto the rest of the world by hurting others. 
There seemed to be this entitlement in everything that he wrote about.  “Why aren’t women interested in me?” That’s the hand you got dealt, work on yourself.  In my high school, you never really saw any lonely/sad rich boys; they all had the shallow good-looking chicks on their shoulders.  Even the lower-class alpha males had chicks.  I’m guessing Elliot gave off a creepy vibe that every woman felt from the get go. 
So here are some key points I would have taught younger confused self. Hopefully someone suffering the same things I went through growing up will read these points.
-Work on yourself:  That means not letting negative thoughts destroy you, because they will.  They won’t disappear overnight, but you can fend then off by getting treatment and trying to work on yourself. 
-Find something you enjoy and dive completely in it: Writing and riding my bicycle keep my mind from the negative things in my life.  Having something to look forward to and build upon will help you. 
-Stop caring about what people say about you:  There is one thing everyone that knows me personally is fully aware. I go my own path without a care about how people feel about me.  This also took me a long time to understand too.  If you like me, fine.  If you hate me, f’ you I don’t care.  Now, I’ve taken things back that have hurt people (I’ve deleted a few blog post), but as far as random people judging me on my lack swagger or the way I talk, I don’t care.  
 Sorry football uniforms get chicks, band uniforms get laughs. 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Taylor Swift gets You Tube Poop

Taylor Swift gets You Tube Poop
“You're on the phone”: song ends.
I've turned the tide on Taylor Swift. I find her annoying. I kind of felt bad for her when she got Kanye West-ed by Mr. West himself. After that, the public started to turn against her when they discovered she was king of an ass.
Looking at this video, she seems to be okay with “playing” teenagers. Was this done during her teen years. By the way, how about texting the boy across the way?

Facebook Blues

Facebook Blues (blu)
The whole point is avoid these people. 
I signed into FB and there sitting on my main feed was something I didn't anticipate or want. A 9/11 conspiracy link to a story staring at me. One of my friends posted this on his feed thus having it show up on the main feed. I sighed and thought, really? You really believe this shit? While I won't cuss someone out for posting such garbage, it does amuse me that he posted it as if he's sharing the truth. I actually respect this guy a lot because he's worked with some famous people in Hollywood.  (I remember when he was a confused young guy.)
I would feel the same way if someone posted a “birther” post in their feed. I would hope people they consider themselves my friends would at least not fall into these cliche camps. I get pissed every time a conservative friend posts that Bill Cosby “I am sick and tired” link. Do just a little research before posting that shit. When I call them out for it not being connected to Bill Cosby, they either leave it up still or change it to a non-comment post (WTF?). (This actually happened)
I am all for posting info in your feeds, just not the Bill Cosby one or the 9/11 truth-er shit. I'd had a problem with someone posting, "Hamburgers make you gay" truth-er group.  Is that real? 
Post random stuff like this in your feed. Yes, I posted this in my feed.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

20th Century Fox X-Men music variant

20th Century Fox X-Men music variant
I always like seeing and hearing movie logo variants. For Singer's X2 and X-Men Future's Past Fox logo music, he had Ottman add the X-Men theme to the end of the track. I had a big smile on my face when I heard this variant in theater Friday. By the way, the rest of the logo music is the updated version of the 20th Century music rewritten by John Williams. Alfred Newman wrote the original version back in the 30s.
By the way, the “X” in Fox now fades last after the screen fades again.
Alien 3 did a similar thing. Here it is.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (Part 1 of 2)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (Part 1 of 2)

Somehow, Singer gives us a streamline storyline that takes everything into account. Every X-Men movie does play into the storyline, but the story is just so damn good too. There are enough nods to the continuity to keep smiling. The movie not only has a good story, but a some great performances from both the old and new cast members. I always say that character and story develop should take importance over style. All this sums up to a great X-Men movie that feels like a true sequel to X2 and all around a great summer movie.
In the future, the mutants are rounded up and killed. Humans that side with them are also captured. The ones doing the capturing are the powerful Sentinels . Professor X and what is left of the X-Men send Wolverine back to the 70s to stop a branching point in history.
Since hearing that Bryan Singer would be taking over the directing duties, I was really looking forward to seeing Singer take on his franchise again, but this time with help from Matthew Vaughn . Clearly most of the background stuff in the 70s is all Vaughn while the rest of the writers handled the X-Men lore. And, the movie takes in the comic book and movie franchise lore. Singer does a subpeb job with editing the past and future elements together.
It truly feels like a shared universe of the various X-Men movies, which were done by different teams. Singer tries his best not to step on the toes of what came before. I'll get into the story elements in my second part of the review. I wanted to dive more into characters here.
Jennifer Lawrence has an extended role as Mystique.  Her character is the one that literally pulls the trigger on the terrible events that lead to the bad future.  Besides having an amazing body under that makeup, Lawrence is an great actor.  She is again conflicted on which side to trust, Professor X or Magneto.  Lawrence really shines. She conveys a lot of emotions in this movie, and she plays the central role.
The other role worth noting is James McAvoy’s version of Professor X.  This guy is defeated, yet is given a chance to walk again.  He is upset that Magneto and Mystique left him.  Heck, he even closes down his school due to Vietnam War. McAvoy plays well with Jackman and even brings back the funny cameo from First Class.
The breakout character that everyone will love is Quicksilver.  Evan Peters’ Quicksilver will make you smile.  He really loves his super speed and causing mayhem.  When we are introduced to him, we see that he steals all kinds of stuff due to his super power.  Peters take pleasure in teasing people with his power.  This is how you convey Quicksilver.  Let’s just say there is an impressive sequence involving his super powers that is just stunning and clever. We'll have to see Marvel's take on Quicksilver in the Avengers 2.
Ellen Page:  Looking much older, has an important role to play in the time travel.  I always thought she was a good choice from X-Men 3.  Juno is all grown up.
Omar Sy:  He plays Bishop.  He gives them the idea for time travel, but he’s not in the story much.  He will probably play a much bigger role in the next movie. 
Shawn Ashmore:  He returns as Iceman.  His effects are very cool.  They seemed to have aged him up a bit too like Page and that’s a nice touch. 
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart reprise their roles and they do a great job together.
Peter Dinklage : He's great as the villain (of sorts) of the piece and the branching point for the timeline.
The other thing that is worth noting is John Ottman composed the score. Ottman did a wonderful job with X2's score, so it is really nice to see him back on board for Singer's return movie. Because of Ottman's return to the franchise, we get the main theme from X2 making a powerful return. However, Ottman also added a brand new theme to the franchise called (Hope/Xavier). This theme is all over the score and it is nice somber piece. They even mix it into the end credits. I can hear the Zimmer influences in his newer themes, but it is still great to hear the old stuff mixed in with the new stuff.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Pharrell's Happy will get you arrested...in Iran

Pharrell's Happy will get you arrested...
You can't make people happy I guess. Yes, this video is really harmless. It is just some people dancing around to the Happy song. Yet, this pissed some people off and six people from this video got arrested.
From Billboard.com, ((According to CNN, Tehran Police Chief police chief Hossein Sajedinia ordered the arrests of the dancers over an "obscene video clip that offended the public morals and was released in cyberspace." Sajedinia said the "vulgar clip" had "hurt public chastity." ))
Let me be the first to tell you to f' off, Hossein. And, you're showing your age by calling the Internet “cyberspace”. Next, you'll be talking about a “series of tubes”. Have you been to X-hamster or YouPorn? Your head will explode, actually both heads.
Well, cooler heads released the people in the video. They had to make a public statement though. From The Wire, ((The six people in the video were featured on state television to apologize, and explained that they were just trying to express their love for Iran. ))
Also, something good did come from Twitter in the form of #FreeHappyIranians
I've also read reports that the director is still in jail.  


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Godzilla 2014 (Part 2 of 2)

Godzilla (Part 2 of 2)
 The origin of Godzilla has changed a great deal in this movie. There are hints to the origins of old Godzilla here there with it showing up in the 1950s. I liked all the nods to the previous continuities in the Godzilla mythology. A lot of this is given to us through an impressive opening credits scene.
At one point, they're building up these monsters, which is an amazing scene, in Hawaii. Then, you get this build up with hundreds of people running away from the raising ocean. Then, Godzilla appears being a total badass. Then, they cut away to news footage! We get this huge intro and buildup and no payoff. We only get to witness this supposedly epic fight through a TV screen via news footage. How can you mess that up? They do that a few times when there are incredible fights happening off screen. I understand buildup, we shouldn't have the payoff in the last act. Let's see some fights in the second act.
The other glaring problem is, once Cranston is gone from the movie, we follow his son around. He doesn't carry the same weight as Cranston does and either does his family. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen will probably be compelling actors in The Avengers II, but here they are pretty bland. For a movie wanting to focus on the human aspects, the humans aren't that interesting. The acting just takes a huge dip in the third act.
The third act is probably the best thing about this movie. We finally get to see a totally messed up city and three monsters fighting. And, the payoff is pretty good. Now, there are hints that Godzilla is fully aware of the humans and even makes eye contact with one of them, despite killing a lot of them. At one point, it is strongly implied that Godzilla helps out a human that saves his life. Make no mistake though, Godzilla doesn't really care about the humans really as he's a hunter that preys on other monsters and that's all he cares about. He even gets pissed when the US government starts firing on him.
One can't overlook the sheer coolness of Godzilla, as he's not a pussy mutant in this version as the 90s US movie wants us to believe. And, I freaking loved that fact Godzilla isn't really a good guy per say, he's a gray character that more of just a blunt instrument to wipe out the other monsters. Most people cheered when Godzilla finally breaks out his fire breath and takes out both monsters. And, that powerful roar is just great to hear again. You can tell this was produced by people that actually cared about the history of Godzilla.
The special effects are amazing and the monsters are sensational. The fight scenes, while limited, are fun. It is weak acting that takes away from a fun film. We need more fighting and better acting. However, it is nice to see an American studio finally get Godzilla right.
Welcome back, Godzilla.
Grade: B-

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

No Holds Barred: Dukey (Dookie)

No Holds Barred: Dukey (Dookie)
I was listening to We Hate Movies Podcast and laughed out loud when one of the guys mentioned something very funny. He stated that the guy that shits his pants, the driver, is actually named Dukey in the credits. In this No Holds universe, you're saying the guy that shits his pants is actually named the same as the action? Were his parents lazy when they named him? 
Hulk realizes he will be known for shitty reality shows and a lame sex tape in the future. 
I also like that Hulk Hogan acts like a complete animal leading up to the Dookie speech. And, did we really need to see the stain on his ass as he tries to wipe it away? Oh, and it's liquid. Eww
So, who is the guy behind the award winning Dookie (Dukey) scene? Geoff McKnight. I certainly hope he has that scene preserved somewhere in a shrine in his house. It just plays on a continuous loop. Unlike Hogan, McKnight still works today as an actor. And, the only post on the message board is about this movie! Hey, he's a good actor in my book, because he sold me on him shitting his pants. 
(Now watch, I am probably going to get an e-mail from Mr. McKnight) 
I'd love to interview him about this scene and the movie as a whole. 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Google Doodle Rubic's Cube

Google Doodle Rubic's Cube
40 years, pretty soon Rubic's Cube with be wearing his pants higher and yelling at kids for playing on his grass. 
It is the 40th anniversary of this mind-f' puzzle. I remember the nerdy kids at school showing off their skills by solving these damn cubes. I believe I had a few of these back in the day and being too stupid to solve these things. These were for the super nerds and not people like me. This was the non-electronic version of Simon.
So, yeah I tried playing this thing on Google and got no where. BTW, I still play the Google Pac-Man doodle from time to time. Note: I kind of think the cube from Hellraiser is based on this thing. 
 Someone already made one.
Also remembered the Pyraminx? The Pyramid version? I always thought the Pyraminx was just a copy of the Cube and made by the same people. However, I was wrong. From the Pyraminx wiki, ((It was invented and patented by Uwe Mèffertbefore the original 3 layered Rubik's Cube by Erno Rubik, and introduced by Tomy Toys of Japan (then the 3rd largest toy company in the world) in 1981. ))
Side Story: There is an unpleasant story about my dickish father and a Rubic's Cube. I believe this happened years before I was born. My mother, being a nice person, bought a Cube for my father. He played around with it for a few hours and got frustrated with the puzzle. Out of rage, he threw the Cube hard into a wall, destroying the Cube. My mother was hurt by the action and vowed never to give him a random gift again. Yeah, he was that sort of prick.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Godzilla 2014 (Major Spoilers) Part 1 of 2

 Godzilla 2014 (Major Spoilers) Part 1 of 2
Okay, this remake/reboot of the Godzilla franchise is both well made and frustrating. This is a disaster movie that turns into a complete monster movie in the third act and the payoff is totally bad ass. I get what Gareth Edwards is trying to do here. He wants to make a kick ass monster movie with a lot human emotions tied to the story. It doesn't always work. Going for little is more approach sometimes harms this movie. Unlike the 1998 version, this is the Godzilla we wanted to see on the screen despite some major flaws. This isn't the stupid Godzilla from the 90s with cartoon characters in the human roles. Godzilla 2014 isn't perfect, but it is certainly fun.
Of the bat, the best aspect and character in the movie is by far Godzilla. He is huge and hulking, but total bad ass when it comes to fighting the other monsters. He isn't a good guy, but he totally an anti-hero. He probably kills hundreds of people himself just getting on land. So, he is a mixture of the early movies and the later ones (Early Bad Guy, Later Good Guy). This Godzilla isn't the type of monster that runs away from the army or the other creatures. He is a hunter and tracks these other monsters down. He wants to fight and destroy the other monsters.
There are just some impressive scenes with Godzilla, like the one where he towers over the bridge or the last few moments in the movie, but I wanted more scenes of him fighting. The CGI Godzilla is very nice to see and there isn't any shaky-cam to obstruct or view of this God of Monsters.
This Godzilla is bigger and cooler, but pays tribute to the earlier versions.
Now, the other amazing portion of the movie that works for me is the bombastic score. You have to have a booming score that overpowers the roars and crashing moments from the sound department. Godzilla has always had brassy scores and this one is no different. Alexandre Desplat knocks it out of the park with music, and this is coming from a guy that liked the 1999 score. You won't hear the classic Godzilla theme, but this one is a nice replacement. I love this score.
Bryan Cranston is also amazing as the father and hubby that loses his wife at the hands of these monsters. Cranston really captures a guy that threw everything away to find the truth about what happened in 1999. It was a huge disappointment that Cranston's character dies right at the end of Act 1. He's almost forgotten about given that he is the driving force for the entire first act. Cranston should have had a bigger part in the movie. Heck, have him die but at the end. He was such a great character.
Cranston takes it seriously and so does the rest of the cast and the production crew. Gone are the goofy military people from the 90s version. These people know that thousands of people are being killed by these monsters and there's not joking going on. So, basically, they're taking the more serious Nolan approach to Godzilla.

One of the weaker features has to be the acting from most of the cast other than Ken Watanabe and Cranston. They are really bland, but not goofy. Some of them only get a mention before being promptly wiped away by the monsters.   

Friday, May 16, 2014

Rihanna, that wasn't nice...

Rihanna, that wasn't nice...
Rihanna has shown her stupidity over the years by continuing to mess around with known woman beater Chris Brown. He beat the living shit out of her and she went right back with him. Now, she makes fun of her own fan by re-tweeting a trending series of photos. 
 This 16 teen year old foolishly wore the same dress style as Rih a number of years ago. Is the prom dress stupid? Yes. Should people make fun of the picture? Yes. However, the very person that wore the damn dress years ago has no room to talk or mock her own fan. You're not going to see me dress like my favorite artists. However, it is kind of an unwritten rule to not mock the people that buy your product.
Okay, okay, I did do a Google Search on Prom Bat and there are some amusing photos up, but take bench on this one, Rih. Let people like me make fun of stupid styles...like the one you wore years ago. And, for the teen that decided to wore the flying suit, you should have been aware it was a bad dress. I also have a problem with everyone calling this a cyber bullying case. It is not. Internet bullying is when people put out your personal info and track you down. This is just trolling and being a viral hit. We have to be careful about throwing that word around for minor things.  
It is also troubling that any girl would look up to a woman that was willing to get back with a man that nearly killed her in a fit of rage.  How is that being a good role model? 

 Okay, this one is kind of funny.  
________________________________________________________

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Do taze me, bro?

Do taze me, bro?

I want to know what happened before and afterward. This is so strange, because neither one seems to want to leave the scene. Clearly Yellow Shirt Guy and Tall Guy know each other. The cameraman is right, run away from him.
This video has everything you ever wanted in a viral video.
-You have a few people yelling out “World Star”. Thank, you for that shit.
-Someone trying to run over another person with a truck.
-Someone proclaiming they're crazy. If you have to shout it out, you're not that crazy. Crazy people think they're the only ones that are sane in the world of crazy people.
-The yellow shirt guy is out of breathe. Dude, you're not out of shape.
-Yellow Shirt Guy turns Cameraman into a friend! “You ain't going to touch my friend.”
- “Police, help!” So, we no longer have to call 911. Just yellow out police will bring them to you.
Now, here's the best part of the video. The police show up and the cop tazes the wrong guy! He tazes the shorter (getting beat up) yellow shirt guy! Then the taller man attempts to help him.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Fun With Terms From the Internet: The Return

Fun With Terms From the Internet:
I haven't done these posts in a long time and I figured I bring this back because I had a lot of fun. And, people seem to really like them. Usually, I post a term from Urban Dictionary and leave my comments about it. So, here we go.
0Harassenger : A passenger who is constantly on your ass about your driving skills. He/she constantly cautions you to keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, checks that you're obeying the speed limit, and is always quick to point out your navigational errors.
Comment: Sadly, I am one of these “assholes”. I can't stand being a passenger in another person's car. I want to drive my own way. I get nervous because my life isn't in my own hands. I will even stomp my foot down to try to stop the driver from getting too close to another car. I am also calculating “outs” if someone pulls out in front of us. I usually don't get into other people's cars of late.
facebook mommy : One who is a worthless mom in real life but posts photos of them with their kids like; #lovemybabies #kidsaremylife
Comment: Yes, I have a few FB friends that are moms now. And, they tend to focus on their kids in almost every post. Remember, there was a time when there was a mommy blogger. That's sort of dried up of late. FB moms aren't worthless, but they're focused on a single subject, posting hundreds of photos of their children. I wouldn't want to do that given there a lot of creepy people stalking FB.
Wikipedant : a person who is excessively concerned with looking up minor details and rules on wikis (notably Wikipedia) or with displaying their internet-learning, esp. when it has just been learned.
Comment: Sadly, this is me as well. I will rush to wiki just to look something minor up. Anytime I am watching a movie, I will go to its wiki page to look up random facts. And, I will look up stuff just for the hell of it.
Whitespoken : Adjective: to sound Caucasian when you are not, usually to someone's surprise.
Comment: I've been accused of this type of speak my whole life by white and black people. “You sound like a white guy.” Screw you.
Tip Slip : when the tip of a penis slip out of the bottom or the hole on your underwear
Comment: Uh, no comment. Let's just say I thought this was something completely different.

Alec Baldwin arrested...he can't get a break

Alec Baldwin arrested...he can't get a break
Is this a 30 Rock deleted scene? I certainly hope so, because it was funny. Or should I say that The Shadow got himself arrested?  What kind of place do we live in when a freaking superhero can't get a break?
From CNN, ((The "30 Rock" star allegedly became angry and started yelling at police after they asked him for identification to give him a summons, police said. The other summons was for riding a bike against the flow of traffic. Baldwin is to appear in court July 24. ))
So, they basically asked, “What's in your wallet?” People and cops know that Alec has a short fuse, so they were hoping he blow up. And, given that cops love issuing tickets for revenue purposes, they are going to be quick to write those up. Remember, solving crimes doesn't bring in extra revenue, issuing tickets does.
Now, Baldwin probably should have known better because you can't go against the flow of traffic on a bike. And, you can't blow up every time someone tells you to do something.
By the way, Baldwin is looking pretty fit in those pictures. And, I have the same wheels on my bike too. It looks like he put some street slick tires on those wheels. 

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Batman Suit via Ben Affleck

Batman Suit via Ben Affleck

Okay, okay, I like this version of this suit. When isn't getting banned from blackjack tables, he's fighting crime in this suit. I really like how it models The Dark Knight Returns suit. Since Ben is older, they're going for a more seasoned Batman. Batmobile looks great though. It looks like a cross between the Nolan's and Tim Burton's versions of the Batmobile.
Zack tweeted this out today.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Random Things

Random Things
 ~Agents of Shield: Did they have to kill the dog? Man, I hate seeing dogs die in movies and shows. Okay, it makes Ward look a little more interesting than just a bad guy. It seems to really bother him that he has to do these bad things. I am really liking where they're going with his character. I just hope they don't turn him into a good guy again. He can change, but make him an anti-hero. The turn they've made on the show has really made the show interesting and less of a monster of the week. 
~Casey Kasem in bad health?: I read a story about his daughter gaining conservator-ship over his health. So, the man I heard on TV's cartoon shows might not be long for this Earth. Allegedly, his wife has taken him into hiding in order to keep control of him. When a judge rules in favor of the children instead of the wife, something is gravely wrong. It is just creepy that no one knows where he's located at this moment. Looking at his wife, in the words of Kanye West, “Now I ain't sayin' she a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke...” 
 ~Tyrion Lannister is still bad ass: It seems everyone has turned on Tyrion in the last episode of Game of Thrones. The expression on Peter Dinklage's face was priceless when he finally gave up. I've had that same look many times in my life and it was real. I loved that he turned to the crowd and told them how he really felt. These ungrateful pricks. 

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim
After watching the movie, I came to the conclusion that it was a fair movie, but not a great movie. Pacific Rim was one of those movies where I wanted less of the “comedic” elements and more of the giant robots wrecking shit up against giant monsters. Then, there is that glaring plot hole that bothers me to no end. The movie needed another pass through with the script. It has that “Almost there” feeling to the overall project.
The movie is about Earth getting constantly attacked by giant monsters called Kaijus. These Kaijus appear through a space and time portal at the bottom of the Pacific (thus the name). After a while, the humans construct and defend Earth from these attacks with giant robots called Jaegers. Two-manned crews control the robots. These tactics were working until the Kaijus started getting smarter and stronger each time through the portal.
Truth be told, there is a lot of eye candy to marvel at. The fights aren’t shaky-cam like current action films today, and that is a plus. When they happen, the fight scenes are pretty good. The world-building aspects are also neat. (Though, the Jaegers seem to get the shit kicked out of them too much to make them bad ass robots for my taste. We needed to see them at least win some of the fights.)
The action scenes, if far too few, are truly fun and nice callbacks to Japanese animation shows and movies. The giant robots are all different and are really cool designs. Take that, Transformers. These things were just simply cool and it feel like an eastern animation movie coming to life. Also, throw in a great extended cameo by Ron Perlman.
There are two glaring problems with the movie.
1 There aren't enough fight scenes or action scenes with the monsters vs. robots: The movie seems to be more interested in doing a melodrama than showing us some kick ass robot vs. monster scenes. You came for the robots and they give us half ass character development and a strange (attempting) humorous plot involving Charlie Day. Day is a funny guy, but I am not sure we needed to spend so much time with him. Come on, this is a giant monster movie, people.
2 The alt-plan by the governments of the world is just simply stupid: So, just because they lose some robots, the governments around the world scrap the program and build giant walls near the oceans to keep the monsters out. Uh, how about making more and more robots? And, how would a wall keep out a monster that wants to destroy humanity? If he couldn't break through the wall, he would just take long way around. Of course, the monsters can break through the walls.
Charlie Hunnam: He does an all right job as the lead guy, but there are times when I just see Jaxx in his performance. However, he’s clearly channeling some anime lead characters with his standoffish approach.
Idris Elba: I almost wanted Elba to be the lead character. His character has an interesting background and Idris does a great job with the part. In the movie though, he’s the old school leader of the giant robot program.
Rinko Kikuchi: She does pretty well with her part,there just isn't enough with her especially with the robot stuff.
Pacific Rim is somewhat a letdown due to some of the major plot problems, like the goofy comedic subplot, and some of them aren't forgivable. The robots and monsters are truly impressive, as are the fights. There just needed to be more of them. Build upon them with each fight getting bigger and bigger. PR should have been better, because it had all the right components.

Grade: C

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Strange Fake CIA guy


Strange Fake CIA guy


Well, that was very creepy… The whole interaction was very creepy .  Red Alert signs should have went up when you saw the fake CIA hate and the very high pitched voice.  These are signs of something isn’t right with this driver.

Also, clearly the girlfriend filming the CIA guy scared him.  He was probably going to jump out and attack the boyfriend.  I think the girlfriend saved their lives.  And, the “good driving though,” seems to indicate that something is really wrong with the CIA guy. 

Why do I get the feeling that the CIA guy is no stranger to this sort of thing? 
And, who the hell wears a fake CIA hat? 

Friday, May 09, 2014

Family Matters: Re-focusing of a show

Family Matters: Re-focusing of a show

Not funny...
I remember watching this show in the first season (early in the season). The show was about just an Afican American blue collar family and their adventures. It is a nice sitcom-based concept right? By the way, most people aren't aware this was a spinoff from Prefect Strangers. Think of it in the same relationship as Different Strokes and Facts of Life.
Then halfway into the first season, they introduced a new character.
From TV Tropes, ((Midway through the first season, the annoying neighbor and Hollywood Nerd Steve Urkel was introduced, intended as a one-shot character revolving around Carl finding a tame guy to take his daughter Laura to a dance. ))
Yes, they intended for Urkel to be just a throwaway character for one episode and never to be brought back. I remember my friends talking about how cool Urkel was in that episode. One friend let me barrow his tape of the episode and I watched it. I really didn't get the hype. Of course, the studio and the producers knew they had a hidden goldmine and tapped it as much as they could by making Urkel a main character.
The show just got sillier and dumber by each episode as the focus of the family aspects were pushed aside for Urkel's sci-fi antics. It became more like Small Wonder than Family Matters. Jaleel White really wasn't that good, but he stole the spotlight. Similar thing happened on Good Times when JJ stole the focus of the show away from the family aspect of the show. They also added more side characters for White to play on the show!
I hated Urkel and I hated the cheesy sci-fi aspects of the show once he took over. Even the actress that played the mother on the show revealed some of the tension with the changing of the focus. The show was push aside to become the Urkel show and I'd be pissed. 
 Look, no Urkel.
This show went from one network to another, (ABC and CBS). This means the show was on long enough for one network to lose interest and another one wanting to make some change.
This is part of the reason why I really don't watch network TV with the exception of Agents of Shield and Community. 
He infected other shows...
 
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