The Fourth of July weekend holiday came and went as quickly as the beer did. I spent three whole days in a pool playing football, eating great food and hanging with some awesome friends, old and new.
I must say though, my most memorable moment of my life came during a beer run. No, not stealing, just buying two more cases for the night's festivities at our local grocery store conglomerate. I was in a rush to get back to the pool, and as I was attempting to load my car, a gentleman approached me asking for money. I turned to give him all the change I had, and proceeded to leave immediately. As I was arriving to my destination, it dawned on me that my cell phone was missing. Yes, I have an iPhone, and did not realize how much I depended and was addicted to it until it was gone.
In a panic, and slightly hyperventilating, I ransacked my car, then decided to return and search for the bum who now was in possession of my phone. I was ready for a fight. I searched the lot and did not find him. Assuming he had already been long gone, I left, feeling defeated. I then spotted several other men sitting outside said store and I drove up and asked if they had seen the man, who I was ready to severely injure (I vocalized), to which they responded with an obvious "no."
I returned to my friend’s house and explained the situation, and proceeded to call my phone, which the bums answered, then said nothing. My friend then suggested I return and complain to the staff, at least this way I would have a case, plus video surveillance, to file a police report and all that. I decided to heed the advice and return, once again.
As I was parking to get down, the men sitting outside the store approached me and asked if I was looking for my cell phone. I walked up to the men with as mean a face as any 23-year-old with dimples can possible make, and said, "Yeah, and what?"
The “leader” (I call him that because he wore a sick cowboy hat and spoke for the group) said that the man didn’t steal the phone, rather, I had left it in the cart and drove away. That sounded like something I would do, so I apologized and offered $20 as a reward. I didn’t care about the money, I just needed my phone back and they were actually really nice about the whole situation, even after I threatened physical violence.
To the three homeless gentlemen, wherever they may be, I salute you to being honest and giving me back my phone.
In retrospect, I left my phone in the parking lot, threatened a couple of bums who were holding said phone, then paid $20 as a reward.
Fourth of July weekend win? I suppose….
Cheers…
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Ed Wood
Ed Wood (1994)
Staring Johnny Depp, Sarah Jessica Parker, and a bevy of other celebs
Directed by non other than Tim Burton
Johnny Depp plays the main character obviously Ed Wood, a cross dressing director who wants his cinematic voice to be heard. However, unfortunately he has no real cinematic experience to speak of.
The movie begins with a play, with Sarah Jessica Parker (Wood’s girlfriend) as an angel in some kind of war setting, however it was unclear what the plot of that play was. Perhaps I should have paid more attention, but on the other hand, SJP’s horse face bugs me at times and I start to look away.
*Side note- I like some Sex and the City but over all its nothing more then four crazy New York women who complain and have lots of sex with dozens of men. Story over.
As the movie progresses, the passion Wood has for movie making is apparent, and he cleverly tricks several people into giving him the capital in order to produce his severely under-scripted, under-directed, and under-edited movies. Wood was dubbed as the worst director of all time (seriously Ed Wood is real and really bad at movie making.)
Wood was however, able to recruit aging and drug addicted Bella Lugosi (Martin Landau) who was famous for his stints as Dracula and dozens of other characters in classic horror movies. Landau was magnificent as Lugosi, I only wish I had seen a documentary on Lugosi himself so I could have a better sense of the character, but non-the less I was amazed. I won’t give away too much but towards the middle of the movie, a celebration takes place after the completion of Wood’s latest travesty, but look closely at the “entertainer” for the evening. Impressive is all I have to say about that.
The movie tends to drag (no pun intended) a bit, but in the end picks up and I would recommend this movie to all Tim Burton fans. There are some laughs along the way, however no nudity to speak of. There are some cool bonus materials, including a behind the scenes look at Johnny Depp being directed by Tim Burton. ( I must say I am extremly anxious for the Tim Burton Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland, just saying)
Cheers!
Staring Johnny Depp, Sarah Jessica Parker, and a bevy of other celebs
Directed by non other than Tim Burton
Johnny Depp plays the main character obviously Ed Wood, a cross dressing director who wants his cinematic voice to be heard. However, unfortunately he has no real cinematic experience to speak of.
The movie begins with a play, with Sarah Jessica Parker (Wood’s girlfriend) as an angel in some kind of war setting, however it was unclear what the plot of that play was. Perhaps I should have paid more attention, but on the other hand, SJP’s horse face bugs me at times and I start to look away.
*Side note- I like some Sex and the City but over all its nothing more then four crazy New York women who complain and have lots of sex with dozens of men. Story over.
As the movie progresses, the passion Wood has for movie making is apparent, and he cleverly tricks several people into giving him the capital in order to produce his severely under-scripted, under-directed, and under-edited movies. Wood was dubbed as the worst director of all time (seriously Ed Wood is real and really bad at movie making.)
Wood was however, able to recruit aging and drug addicted Bella Lugosi (Martin Landau) who was famous for his stints as Dracula and dozens of other characters in classic horror movies. Landau was magnificent as Lugosi, I only wish I had seen a documentary on Lugosi himself so I could have a better sense of the character, but non-the less I was amazed. I won’t give away too much but towards the middle of the movie, a celebration takes place after the completion of Wood’s latest travesty, but look closely at the “entertainer” for the evening. Impressive is all I have to say about that.
The movie tends to drag (no pun intended) a bit, but in the end picks up and I would recommend this movie to all Tim Burton fans. There are some laughs along the way, however no nudity to speak of. There are some cool bonus materials, including a behind the scenes look at Johnny Depp being directed by Tim Burton. ( I must say I am extremly anxious for the Tim Burton Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland, just saying)
Cheers!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
General rant about 3 movies
Horror
First and foremost I must mention that during the spring, a group of friends and myself rented a series of horror films. The idea was born after the remake of the last House on the Left premiered. Instead of watching a crappy remake, we wanted to see the original and so I rented the 1972 version.
This movie was greatly disappointing. I had such high hopes thinking that the original would deliver powerful suspense, however fell flat on its boring ass face. Although I must admit, when the parents do take vengeance on the people who hurt their daughter was gruesome. At least the mother’s part. She, with her mouth, detaches an appendage off a person. That’s all I will say about that.
After the disappointing experience, my friend Zach mentioned that this was not the original. Actually, Wes Craven took the idea from Ingmar Bergman’s the Virgin Spring. So I rented it. This black and white version was pure in its delivery. I believe this is in Swedish, but I could be wrong. The ideas were the same, virgin naive daughter gets taken advantage of and raped and murdered, and father avenges her death. However, in this version, the father is ashamed of his actions and builds a church on the site where his daughter took her last breath.
These two films did not live up to the violence we had come to expect from horror films, and this led me on a search. I then came across I Spit on your grave.
I Spit on Your Grave. The title itself is was the driving factor behind this rental. I saw this movie a couple months back and the images still haunt me. Don’t ever watch this movie. But if you insist, make sure to have the remote control next to you so you can skip over some of the most graphic rape scenes in cinematic history. No lie.
The plot centers on a young female writer who sets out into the woods to develop her novel in a peaceful surrounding. She was dead wrong and four-country boys show up and destroy her, yes destroy. She comes back with a vengeance, however it was not what I was expecting.
This movie had all my guy friends looking at me like WTF is wrong with you Erika? Why did you rent this? I was tired of remakes and crappy We Craven originals that had no oomph to them. I asked for more and this went above and beyond the violence we sought.
A very reluctant cheers…
First and foremost I must mention that during the spring, a group of friends and myself rented a series of horror films. The idea was born after the remake of the last House on the Left premiered. Instead of watching a crappy remake, we wanted to see the original and so I rented the 1972 version.
This movie was greatly disappointing. I had such high hopes thinking that the original would deliver powerful suspense, however fell flat on its boring ass face. Although I must admit, when the parents do take vengeance on the people who hurt their daughter was gruesome. At least the mother’s part. She, with her mouth, detaches an appendage off a person. That’s all I will say about that.
After the disappointing experience, my friend Zach mentioned that this was not the original. Actually, Wes Craven took the idea from Ingmar Bergman’s the Virgin Spring. So I rented it. This black and white version was pure in its delivery. I believe this is in Swedish, but I could be wrong. The ideas were the same, virgin naive daughter gets taken advantage of and raped and murdered, and father avenges her death. However, in this version, the father is ashamed of his actions and builds a church on the site where his daughter took her last breath.
These two films did not live up to the violence we had come to expect from horror films, and this led me on a search. I then came across I Spit on your grave.
I Spit on Your Grave. The title itself is was the driving factor behind this rental. I saw this movie a couple months back and the images still haunt me. Don’t ever watch this movie. But if you insist, make sure to have the remote control next to you so you can skip over some of the most graphic rape scenes in cinematic history. No lie.
The plot centers on a young female writer who sets out into the woods to develop her novel in a peaceful surrounding. She was dead wrong and four-country boys show up and destroy her, yes destroy. She comes back with a vengeance, however it was not what I was expecting.
This movie had all my guy friends looking at me like WTF is wrong with you Erika? Why did you rent this? I was tired of remakes and crappy We Craven originals that had no oomph to them. I asked for more and this went above and beyond the violence we sought.
A very reluctant cheers…
Knife in the Water aka Nóz w wodzie
In his 1963 film, Roman Polanski delivers an almost riveting tale of one-up man's-ship (quite a mouth full). The plot centers around a journalist and his much younger wife who head out for a sailing adventure, when they cross paths, or almost run over a hitchhiker who then gets dragged along.
The men then attempt to show off in front of the female, who by the way looks much more attractive sans glasses and propriety.
First of all, the idea that one can be forced into a free day of sailing and food is beyond me. Forced?? You were forced to go on someone’s boat and eat their free delicious food and drink their wine? As my friend Zach said: a good hitchhiker never refuses a free meal, ever. This is true and the fact that he was even reluctant to indulge due to his pride was bothersome.
The movie is in black and white and lacks any humor what so ever, so this movie must be watched with that in mind. It is almost to stagnant for my humor/violence obsessed world and due to circumstances needed to abruptly end.
On the other hand, the closeted art school kid in me still appreciates the film itself, regardless of Polanski’s child molestation charge. But for now I think I am going to stick with more violently awesome flicks that will make a grown man cringe. (I’ve seen it happen before)
Again anyone with suggestions or comments feel free to vent.
Cheers
The men then attempt to show off in front of the female, who by the way looks much more attractive sans glasses and propriety.
First of all, the idea that one can be forced into a free day of sailing and food is beyond me. Forced?? You were forced to go on someone’s boat and eat their free delicious food and drink their wine? As my friend Zach said: a good hitchhiker never refuses a free meal, ever. This is true and the fact that he was even reluctant to indulge due to his pride was bothersome.
The movie is in black and white and lacks any humor what so ever, so this movie must be watched with that in mind. It is almost to stagnant for my humor/violence obsessed world and due to circumstances needed to abruptly end.
On the other hand, the closeted art school kid in me still appreciates the film itself, regardless of Polanski’s child molestation charge. But for now I think I am going to stick with more violently awesome flicks that will make a grown man cringe. (I’ve seen it happen before)
Again anyone with suggestions or comments feel free to vent.
Cheers
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sleeper (1973)
So for this installment, I, along with some friends, sat down to watch the Woody Allen comedy "Sleeper," starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton.
I had high expectations for this film, clearly, with two big-name leads. Woody Allen, of course, wrote the screenplay and it did not disappoint. The plot -- and I won't give the whole movie away -- is set in 2173. Woody believes he was going in for minor surgery in 1973, but then accidentally frozen, waking up 200 years later. Shenanigans ensue. As he wakes up, the loss of general motor skills and actual human consciousness was highly amusing, but drowned out by annoying music. The movie itself is funny, however, the loud, annoying "Benny Hill-esque” music could have been bypassed. There were several scenes in which Woody, "the alien on the loose," was trying to escape capture and was able to get away by running in circles and hitting someone on the head with a small piece of wood. This, I don’t get it and don’t like it. On the other hand, there is no way Woody Allen could pass as the "heroic type" and actually beat someone down. He would rather just sit there and baffle people with his wit and odd sense of humor.
The overall movie was entertaining, and I would recommend it, but be warned about the lame music, so keep that in mind. If you can get past that, Diane Keaton’s character should help distract from the distraction. In 1973, Diane Keaton was gorgeous and hilarious. Her take on the witless poet who gets mixed up in Woody Allen’s world is amusing. I would watch the movie again, but only if I could drown out the music without having to put the whole movie on mute, because that would just seem wrong and dirty.
Cheers.
I had high expectations for this film, clearly, with two big-name leads. Woody Allen, of course, wrote the screenplay and it did not disappoint. The plot -- and I won't give the whole movie away -- is set in 2173. Woody believes he was going in for minor surgery in 1973, but then accidentally frozen, waking up 200 years later. Shenanigans ensue. As he wakes up, the loss of general motor skills and actual human consciousness was highly amusing, but drowned out by annoying music. The movie itself is funny, however, the loud, annoying "Benny Hill-esque” music could have been bypassed. There were several scenes in which Woody, "the alien on the loose," was trying to escape capture and was able to get away by running in circles and hitting someone on the head with a small piece of wood. This, I don’t get it and don’t like it. On the other hand, there is no way Woody Allen could pass as the "heroic type" and actually beat someone down. He would rather just sit there and baffle people with his wit and odd sense of humor.
The overall movie was entertaining, and I would recommend it, but be warned about the lame music, so keep that in mind. If you can get past that, Diane Keaton’s character should help distract from the distraction. In 1973, Diane Keaton was gorgeous and hilarious. Her take on the witless poet who gets mixed up in Woody Allen’s world is amusing. I would watch the movie again, but only if I could drown out the music without having to put the whole movie on mute, because that would just seem wrong and dirty.
Cheers.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Day Zero
So I have begun a task for the summer -- watch as many Netflix movies as possible and very brutally critique them. Mind you, I am just a random blunt person with a computer, but I will try to be as humorous as possible.
For the first installment, I will be talking about "Day Zero." The directorial debut of Brian Gunnar Cole, it stars Elijah Wood and Chris Kline, along with a slew of intense actors of our generation who have numerous credits to their names. The overall plot is a hypothetical situation: What if there was a draft right now? The Netflix summary says it is set in a not-too-distant-future version of America, but the clothes and settings are modern. The movie centers around three friends who obviously get drafted. As is typical, the three friends have dramatically different lives. One (Wood) is a writer, another, a lawyer (Kline) and the third (a lesser-known Jon Brenthal) a cab driver who has -- what else -- but an attitude problem.
Since the three friends have a vastly different lifestyles, it is obvious conflict will ensue and their relationship changes, a boring concept that has been played out many a times.
I am tired of Elijah Wood being the timid, cute-as-a-button dude who has never been in a fight. I love his eyes and he is a great actor, but I am tired of the cliché role he has time and time again. Come on buddy, do something daring like "Sin City" again. His take on the "I look cute but I will eat your face while you watch" character was amazing.
Now Jon Brenthal’s character, regardless of his stereotypical attitude, is great. He does have a soft side, however, and he befriends a neighborhood girl whose mother looks like a crackhead from a subway station. In one scene where he is courting a young female, he perfectly exemplifies the aggressiveness women find attractive. Yeah, he needs to calm down on the "I can't wait to fight some Iraqi pricks notion."
Chris Kline, on the other hand, is just a jerk. He takes on the role of a corporate lawyer who makes partner right before he gets drafted, and asks daddy to help him get out. There is one scene where he does get a well-deserved beating. Sorry, but I hate this guy and think he is a crappy actor.
The movie basically surrounds the 30 days they have before they must report for duty and the typical male bonding experience will no doubt make you want to cringe a couple of times. It is a good idea, I give them that much, but the shoddy camera work, coupled with awkward scene set-ups, it is no wonder this movie went straight to DVD.
If there are any movies you suggest I watch, please feel free to send me your suggestions. I will try to watch as many as possible. Stay tuned: I have several movies I need to write about that I have already watched with my buddies that I need to share.
Cheers.
For the first installment, I will be talking about "Day Zero." The directorial debut of Brian Gunnar Cole, it stars Elijah Wood and Chris Kline, along with a slew of intense actors of our generation who have numerous credits to their names. The overall plot is a hypothetical situation: What if there was a draft right now? The Netflix summary says it is set in a not-too-distant-future version of America, but the clothes and settings are modern. The movie centers around three friends who obviously get drafted. As is typical, the three friends have dramatically different lives. One (Wood) is a writer, another, a lawyer (Kline) and the third (a lesser-known Jon Brenthal) a cab driver who has -- what else -- but an attitude problem.
Since the three friends have a vastly different lifestyles, it is obvious conflict will ensue and their relationship changes, a boring concept that has been played out many a times.
I am tired of Elijah Wood being the timid, cute-as-a-button dude who has never been in a fight. I love his eyes and he is a great actor, but I am tired of the cliché role he has time and time again. Come on buddy, do something daring like "Sin City" again. His take on the "I look cute but I will eat your face while you watch" character was amazing.
Now Jon Brenthal’s character, regardless of his stereotypical attitude, is great. He does have a soft side, however, and he befriends a neighborhood girl whose mother looks like a crackhead from a subway station. In one scene where he is courting a young female, he perfectly exemplifies the aggressiveness women find attractive. Yeah, he needs to calm down on the "I can't wait to fight some Iraqi pricks notion."
Chris Kline, on the other hand, is just a jerk. He takes on the role of a corporate lawyer who makes partner right before he gets drafted, and asks daddy to help him get out. There is one scene where he does get a well-deserved beating. Sorry, but I hate this guy and think he is a crappy actor.
The movie basically surrounds the 30 days they have before they must report for duty and the typical male bonding experience will no doubt make you want to cringe a couple of times. It is a good idea, I give them that much, but the shoddy camera work, coupled with awkward scene set-ups, it is no wonder this movie went straight to DVD.
If there are any movies you suggest I watch, please feel free to send me your suggestions. I will try to watch as many as possible. Stay tuned: I have several movies I need to write about that I have already watched with my buddies that I need to share.
Cheers.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Day the Earth Stood Still
So I recently got Netflix, I know I'm behind on the times and blady blah blah, but I must say it is really convenient. Anyway, instead of renting the typical action thriller comedy or what have you, I decided to go a more classic route.
So those of you who are movie buffs, or for anyone who likes movies at all, has probably heard of the remake of the 1951 classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Apparently the remake had horrible reviews, and I can understand why. Keanu Reeves playing an alien -- mind you, I have not seen the remake -- but in my head, I can just hear him with his surfer accent (the one that plagues him after his infamous stint in "Bill and Ted") with one hand combing the hair from his face, saying, "Hey bra... take me to your leader..."
Now I guess I am being a little too harsh, but he is an actor, and if you get into that type of profession, you must be able to accept critical reviews, even if it is from a 22-year-old nobody in a dump of a town. I am still entitled to my opinion, free speech and all.
Anyway back to the original message: I rented the 1951 version of the movie, and I must say I was impressed. Of course, the acting is not up to today's standards, and obviously the effects seemed to be handled by a 10-year-old with a big imagination and access to loads of cardboard and duck tape, but that aside, the message of the movie was blasting me in the face. Watching movies with an actual message behind them is a rarity nowadays and it was refreshing.
I recommend this movie to those with patience and a sense of humor ... or you can just watch it while on your poison of choice... either way it should be interesting...
Cheers...
So those of you who are movie buffs, or for anyone who likes movies at all, has probably heard of the remake of the 1951 classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Apparently the remake had horrible reviews, and I can understand why. Keanu Reeves playing an alien -- mind you, I have not seen the remake -- but in my head, I can just hear him with his surfer accent (the one that plagues him after his infamous stint in "Bill and Ted") with one hand combing the hair from his face, saying, "Hey bra... take me to your leader..."
Now I guess I am being a little too harsh, but he is an actor, and if you get into that type of profession, you must be able to accept critical reviews, even if it is from a 22-year-old nobody in a dump of a town. I am still entitled to my opinion, free speech and all.
Anyway back to the original message: I rented the 1951 version of the movie, and I must say I was impressed. Of course, the acting is not up to today's standards, and obviously the effects seemed to be handled by a 10-year-old with a big imagination and access to loads of cardboard and duck tape, but that aside, the message of the movie was blasting me in the face. Watching movies with an actual message behind them is a rarity nowadays and it was refreshing.
I recommend this movie to those with patience and a sense of humor ... or you can just watch it while on your poison of choice... either way it should be interesting...
Cheers...
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