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Monday, March 31, 2008

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007)

This was on last night. I watched most of it. It was wild. I've seen the show before. The info for the program called it "surreal." I guess I've never thought about that aspect of the show. I just took it as natural.

That's probably because Aqua Teen Hunger Force isn't the weirdest show that's on during it's normal content block. On Cartoon Network's Adult Swim (at night), there are usually some pretty bizarre things to watch. ATHF is pretty cool compared to some of the sick stuff that's on.

What I like about it is it seems to represent success in a weird sort of way. What I mean is, we live in a country where you can build up so much success that you no longer have to play by the rules. Rich people can be eccentric, right? So oddball characters having adventures sometimes reminds me of how lucky we all are that we can afford non-functional things. Like if we lived in a Totalitarian society, we'd wear gray and be told what to eat, how much to exercise, what to do for work, and how to sit and stare at the wall during break. But since we've got freedom and live in a land of abundance, we can feel free to judge or take in off-the-wall humor. That to me is a pretty valuable thing.

The movie, I thought, was pretty entertaining. One of my favorite parts was how the overweight balding guy got strapped into a fitness machine which basically did the workout for him. He soon became more muscular than any human should become. He couldn't move, there was so much muscle mass! So I'll be he'll lie around for awhile, wait for the huge muscles to atrophy, and then get up and walk around when he's still buff enough to win Mr. Universe. No-effort reverse workout!

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Monday, March 24, 2008

The Mechanic (1972)

I watched most of this a while ago. I was looking for a film similar to one of the "Death Wish" series, and since "The Mechanic" had Charles Bronson in it and a somewhat similar plot, I thought, "Why not?"

It was very interesting. Like a door through time. Some of the dialogue was a tad confusing, because we don't use some of those expressions or slang terms anymore. But for the most part it was clear and easy to understand.

I thought it was neat how they took their time describing the idea of a paid assassin (or "mechanic"). It was like the issue was so sinister and unheard of that someone not in the know had to persist for weeks just to get an inkling.

When the action finally started up, it was pretty neat. I thought the ending was incredible. So all in all, it wasn't quite like a "Death Wish" movie, and was a bit more relaxed, but was definitely enjoyable.

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Monday, March 17, 2008

300 (2006)

I finally watched "300," and boy was it good. Although, I have to admit there were a couple things I found ...disappointing.

First off, waiting so long to watch such a huge movie probably isn't a good idea from an enjoyment perspective. It is economically sound (i.e., why pay to see a film when you can watch it for free on TV a year later), but there was some definite loss of suspense. The film was heavily marketed, and so I was familiar with the catchphrase, "This -- Is -- SPARTA!!" Plus, I'd seen the "South Park" spoof version, and a bunch of fan-made goofball videos online that feature the main character's trademark facial expressions.

So when the movie finally got to the "This IS SPARTA!!" moment, I struggled to suppress the memories I had accrued of the moment's outline, in an effort to preserve the tension and suspense.

Another thing I felt mildly let down about was the action. I felt that the film was going to be heavily, heavily action oriented. The ads seemed to all say that "300" was going to be full of action sequences, guys killing each other left and right. And that did happen at times. But largely, the film was story-based, about how the king grew up, the days leading to conflict, how he fought to hold his ground in the face of overwhelming odds, and how people he and his wife thought they could trust turned out to be enemies in disguise. I did enjoy the story, but I realize now that for most of the film I was waiting for some crazy jaw-dropping action sequence to live up to the bluster of the marketing. I guess the action scenes did, but it was kind of subdued... It was like, "Sure, the guy's head fell off, but that's not why we're here. We're here... for the story."

It reminds me of "Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco." I had seen a trailer or theatrical preview in which the dog voiced by Michael J. Fox grabbed a hot dog from a vendor. That scene enticed me into watching the film, and I was disappointed to see that the specific hot dog scene wasn't included. I hate it when ads make something seem like one thing and it turns out to be different. It's like they lie from time to time.

Anyway, "300" really was great, but struck me as subtly different from the months-old ad campaign. But I guess that doesn't matter anymore, does it?

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Monday, March 10, 2008

More On The Sonic Movie

A while back, I had posted about a potential Sonic The Hedgehog Movie. Really, it was pure speculation on my part. I thought the video game franchise was strong enough to merit a major motion picture. If it looked good, and seemed to lean toward big kid and adult entertainment, I think I'd watch it! But alas, it is nothing more than a happy dream... or is it?

The other day, I suddenly came across a piece of internet art that made me seriously wonder.

Sure, it seems goofy, and I know what the "milkshake" line is about, but I thought the whole thing might be a goof based on a real, future event. So I went to IMDB to check Daniel Day-Lewis' future projects.

Alas, there was no mention of a Sonic film... But I still think the YTMND was wild, and I definitely still think a Sonic movie has potential, especially if it's not a cartoon.

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Monday, March 3, 2008

Grindhouse (2007)

I just watched the two films, "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof." Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the fake trailers and whatever other extras were included in the theatrical viewing. Still, it was a decent experience. I say decent because that is what I consider the average of the two films to be. Really, "Death Proof" wasn't that great (in my opinion), while "Planet Terror" rocked! "Planet Terror" comes after "Death Proof," but I'd watched it first, which is why I was disappointed after...while watching "Death Proof."

"Planet Terror" features zombies, action, violence, gore, intense situations, some drama, and some coolness. It was amazing. Over-the-top at some parts, but planned out so well that it works perfectly. Edge-of-your seat entertainment. It totally lives up to the Grindhouse ad campaign.

But "Death Proof..." There was too much talking. It was really boring at some parts. Then some crazy action. Then a lot more talk. BORING! Then more action. Then a dissatisfying ending. I'll explain why, but it will contain spoilers...

[SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ unless you want to...]

Kurt Russell is a great guy. A hero in many films. In "Death Proof," he's a whacko. A killer. First half of the film, he kills. Second half, he toys with some women who are obviously tougher than he thinks. Then they terrorize him, and beat him to death. It was really lame to see Kurt Russell, who is usually morally upright and triumphant, get taken down. But it makes sense. If you do bad, bad will be done unto you. Still, the boring talking scenes seemed like they were leading up to something. The more bored you get, the more tense you get, anticipating some huge payoff. And what's the payoff? And abrupt ending where a well-known action hero dies in a crude way. Lame. Lame I say!

But "Planet Terror" was awesome. If you like gore and action, it's for you!

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