Songs That Stick With You

Like anyone and everyone, I use Pandora Internet Radio. A couple days ago, the nifty program threw up a song that I hadn't heard in quite a long time, but still am very fond of it. The song was "Juicy" by the late Notorious B.I.G. and why I'm fond for it is because it was the first rap/hip-hop song that I heard and fell in love with. Me being young at the time, I couldn't really grasp the story to the song of going from struggling to making it big and having that big house and everything. No, at the time, what stuck out for me other than the beat was this lyric:

"Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, when I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this."

Then I saw the music video and what did you know...they were playing "Street Fighter II." At the time, it felt like an "oh snap" moment because it was just cool. The year that song came out, the Christmas of that year (1994) was also when I got one of the greatest gifts ever, the Sega Genesis. For a song, any song at the time to incorporate something I really loved, which in this case was obviously video games, just registered something in me. That is why I love the song "Juicy." Let's take that stroll down memory lane and watch the music video.




It got me thinking about some other songs that stuck with me. Perhaps I could do a series over time of such songs (what do you think? Interesting reading?). Another song that I remember and I'm sure you could recall it too is "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals. Think about that song and on just some sort of random run-in with the song thanks to just random, unexplainable searching on YouTube and it definitely had me thinking that the lyrics for this song then hold up pretty well in today's society of self-image, wanting to take in/do/be everything, etc. Sure it's a "one-hit wonder," but it's still an effective song; you don't even have to look far into the song to find a good message. Hell the title has it clear as day. "You only get what you give." Give love and respect to people, then you'll get it right back (or so that's how in theory it's supposed to be). At the song's highest in popularity, much was made about the closing lyrics which called out Beck, Hanson, Marilyn Manson, and Courtney Love for being "fake" and wanting to kick their asses. Regardless of your views on said celebrities, it sure got people talking. Did this band have issues with them? In this VH1.com article, the singer Greg Alexander said "the track was meant not as an intentional slam of the rockers cited but rather as an experiment in mixing together real issues and big names, to see which the media would focus on." It was true then and it sure as hell is true now. You can have one helluva commentary in your song, whatever it may be, but the second you name-drop another celebrity and say they're a deviant, that is what people will be squawking about on the blogs. "Oh man, did you hear (Name 1) say (Name 2) is fake!" To avoid rambling, let's just sit back and watch the music video to what I consider to be an underrated song.


With that being said, I will be taking a small vacation. Come tomorrow, I will be in an airplane on my way to Philadelphia. I will be back next week and as if this post didn't have enough embedded videos, here's one more. Enjoy. WHOOO!

If "Avatar" Wins, We Riot: Your 2010 Oscars Liveblog

[ Image courtesy of LA Times ]

Hailed as "Hollywood's biggest night," here are the 82nd Annual Academy Awards aka the Oscars. All eyes are on James Cameron and his movie "Avatar" to see if the 3D visual spectacle can takeover the awards like how he took over the box office. However, competition comes in the form of the movie that a lot of people feel should win the top prize of Best Picture in Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker." And of course, the pot-stirrers want you to believe there is some underlying blood feud between Bigelow and Cameron being that they were married and it will result with the two coming to fisticuffs or swinging steel folding chairs at the show. If that is the case, then maybe that bed wetter George Clooney can get caught in the fray and lose a tooth. I kid, we love George Clooney around here.

Anyways, this liveblog will constantly be updated throughout the afternoon and as the show is going on. Commentaries on the pre-show, happenings during the show and the winners being announced will all happen here. So come on in and participate in the fun. Hit the jump to see list of the nominees for the major awards, all updates and commentaries on the Oscars.

Movie Review: "Breaking News"

NOTE: I am trying out a new format with reviews. Tell me what you think about it.

[ Image courtesy of Wikipedia ]

SYNOPSIS
Shamed by the televised escape of five bank robbers, the Hong Kong police pull out all the stops to catch the crooks. When a detective (Nick Cheung) happens upon the gang's hideout, Inspector Rebecca Fong (Kelly Chen) decides to take charge of her department's image and broadcast the stakeout. But ultracool baddie Yuen (Richie Ren) has a few tricks up his sleeve, and soon, news isn't the only thing that's breaking in this fast-paced shoot-'em-up. - Netflix

THE OPENING SCENE
"Breaking News" opens up with a soft-music laden morning in Hong Kong. Just like any typical morning. People are going to places, doing work and etc. That's about the only normal thing as soon enough a shoot-out happens on the streets of Hong Kong. The reason I'm bringing it up as something impressive is that the entire opening sequence is done in one continuous shot. Such a shot of any kind is challenging enough even if it were just simply dialogue. Adding in the elements of weapons and exact timing, well you can just understand why very few movies would attempt such a thing. However it's the creative mind of the director Johnnie To (more on him later) that decided to start off this crime opus with a six minute gun fight. It definitely grabs your attention and I would say it surpasses the oft-talked and (rightfully praised) shoot-out in Michael Mann's movie "Heat."

HOI
With any crime drama, you're always going to have a protagonist that will stop at nothing to get the bad guy. Nothing will ever change in that aspect. Sometimes though, there is a secondary character that balances out the one who the audience is supposed to cheer for. Usually this character is someone that keeps the protagonist grounded and human. And their efforts typically come through innocent humor. This is where the character Hoi (played by Benz Hui) comes into play. Hoi is the elder statesman on the division that Inspector Cheung heads and he is the cut of what you'd normally expect from "the old guy of the group." Just has a little bit of time left until he retires and has the Danny Glover body language of "getting too old for this shit." However Hoi doesn't just lurch around complaining and telling his younger boss to slow down, nope he is as involved as everyone else is on the police force. It's his amusingly as it is unfortunate weak stomach that acts as comedy relief and helps the movie not take itself too seriously. Call it juvenile if you must, but having someone cut a fart in the midst of searching for bank robbers is just funny.

IT'S A STANDOFF...BEST WE EAT
Continuing with the movie not taking itself too seriously, there is an interesting as it is amusing break from the shoot-ups (and there's plenty of it) in which the bad guys sit down and have a meal. Rather than taking this as an insult, the police decide to feed their own as well as the reporters covering the standoff. The whole premise of a "timeout" is kind of funny, but then again, that's what happens when standoffs become well...standoffs. It reminded me of the scene in "Dog Day Afternoon" where the pizza boy makes his delivery and he is full of glee because he got to be on television.

THE SCOPE & SCALE
Hong Kong has a lot of people. Something in the millions, but bottom line, a lot of people. I'm sure it's not necessarily too hard to film a movie and just use a bunch of extras. Even still, the scope and scale of the movie was impressive. I think of how movies are made here where they call for very large groups of people and what is normally done is just take a small group and multiply them ten times over using technology. Obviously there aren't any cities around here that can easily boast having their populous in the millions, however with the movie incorporation quite a few scenes where the shot was continuous, I was impressed.

I HAVE BECOME A JOHNNIE TO FAN
This is the first Johnnie To movie that I've seen and it certainly will not be the last. Once the movie was finished, I just had to see what other films he had done, as well as curious about what the general reception was on "Breaking News." A quick glimpse into the synopsis of his other works has led to my interest in Johnnie To increasing. It's hard to turn away from a movie in which just about everyone gets shot and of course there's the way of doing that in which it just happens, it's exaggerated to some levels that are even too absurd for video games and in the end it just doesn't make sense (I'm lookinng at you "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever"). Then there's the cut of grain where shoot-outs are done properly. Believe it or not, there is a science to a shoot-out. Of course it has to be entertaining, but there still has to be some purpose to it. Much like to people dying in any kind of movie. "Breaking News" is a movie that does the latter. Save for a couple of acrobatic and minor quibbles in which really someone should've at least been more banged up, the action scenes are done well. With the element of the Hong Kong police doing what they can to control the information in a manner that not only restores, but improves their image with the people, is a nice touch of commentary. I found myself chuckling because we all know that happens pretty much all the time, especially in this day and age of never ending media.You can bet that you will see future reviews of other Johnnie To movies on this blog, as this could be a name that is going on my list of favorite directors.

Rick Sanchez & Hawaii

Growing up, I watched the hell out of the PBS show "Where In The World Is Carmen San Diego." It was the perfect marriage. You learned things about the world and then the musical stylings of Rockapella. What more could you ask for?

Over the weekend, while reporting about the devastating earthquake that hit the South American country of Chile and the threat of a tsunami to islands in the Pacific, the info-giver for the everyman Rick Sanchez had this (*facepalm*) moment on television.

I think Rick Sanchez could've used this before going on air at the time.

Game Review: "Heavy Rain"

[ Image courtesy of Gamespot ]

As far back as people can remember, video games have often been something where you push a button, get from point A to point B, are set in a fictional world where at the end of the day, you save the world, save the girl, etc. When the technology of video games evolved, so did the process of telling a story, basically to the point where some of them felt like more a movie than just pushing buttons to jump onto blocks and collection out of this world items.

In the case of "Heavy Rain," you can ask if this is a video game in the "traditional" sense or if it is a movie that just happens to be interactive. I think it's the latter, that is reminding of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. If you are looking for a "traditional" video game where you can jump around, shoot at things, throw magic spells, etc., this will not be your cup of tea. What "Heavy Rain" is though is a vehicle that uses some of the most amazing technology in video games to deliver one solid storytelling experience.

The premise of "Heavy Rain" is that in the city of Philadelphia, there have been a series of murders in which young boys are being drowned and each time are left with an origami. Dubbed The Origami Killer, the latest victim is the son of an architect. The architect, Ethan Mars is just a simple man. He is not a cop, not a super soldier who moonlights as someone saving people from burning buildings. Just a man who has lost his son and is put to through a series of tests all to answer the question, "How fare are you prepared to save someone you love?" I'm sure it's a question we've all asked ourselves. How far would you go to save a loved one? It's in "Heavy Rain" where you can control just exactly how far you are willing to go. The gaming aspect of "Heavy Rain" comes in a series of "quick-time events" where you have to make a decision in a short amount of time and each and every single decision comes into play. This is where the reminder of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books comes into play. Do you choose to go down path A or path B? There are some moments though where it may not seem like if you do or don't do this, there won't be a consequence, however as the story of "Heavy Rain" unfolds, you will quickly see that doing or not doing certain things can come with an actual consequence. Here's an example, if you were caught in what is obviously a crime scene, but you know you had nothing to do with it, wouldn't you make sure your prints weren't on anything so that you aren't considered a suspect? It's this structure that has often been considered "ambitious" because well it is. The creators of "Heavy Rain" have made a fantastic effort of making it truly feel that your decisions matter. It's been said (and I couldn't verify it for myself when I did a first playthrough) that if a character in "Heavy Rain" dies, you do not get an undo. They are removed from the story for good and the overall story accounts for this. This creates a great level of replay value because after one playthrough, you want to see how the story could've ended had someone not died.

"Heavy Rain" has been in development for a long time. It was first announced in 2006 utilizing technology which at the time, a lot of people hailed as remarkable in the realm of creating facial expressions that had only been mostly seen in feature-length movies. It's funny if you think about how far the technology and visuals have evolved in video games, yet it's only so recent that some developers seem to be able to dig deeper into motion capture technology to create faces that can display emotions. Since the initial announcement of the game in 2006 and at the time, it's remarkable technical demo, "Heavy Rain" has been given the proper polish and finish and I have to say it's one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen. Sure there aren't a lot of pretty and vivid colors, but the world and characters all come to life because everything is alive. You see it in loading screen moments where you get a close-up shot of a face of a character. The movements of the eyebrows, the cheeks, all of those subtle movements are those little touches that have set "Heavy Rain" apart from a lot of other video games. It would not surprise me one bit if at the end of the year, "Heavy Rain" is praised and awarded with honors if not for overall game experience, sure as hell for the technical marvel that it is.

If you have a PlayStation 3, you owe it to yourself to invest at least one playthrough of "Heavy Rain." You get such an engaging storytelling experience, that is real. You're not traveling to some mystical world where dragons and magic spells are your bread and butter. This is your personal trip through a psychological crime-noir thriller that invokes emotion. For one of the year's most anticipated games, "Heavy Rain" has delivered.

Note: The structure of "Heavy Rain" is set up in a way that a lot of decisions, pivotal or minor can affect the outcome of the story. Who lives, who survives, all shapes the outcome of the story. This review was written up having completed one playthrough in which the identity of The Origami Killer was revealed and no one died.

Shutter Island: Not a Horror Movie

Martin Scorsese is a man whose name is synonymous with brilliance, according to most. So with that in mind, it is understandable that his latest film, Shutter Island, has been met with high expectations. Before going to see the film, I managed to read several reviews. The general consensus about the movie was that it was mediocre for a Scorsese film (meaning it was a good film, just not up to his usual caliber).

Personally, I felt the movie had TONS of promise. The trailers showed that it was set in my favorite time period (the early 50s) at a mental institution (which is ALWAYS a recipe for a good time), and was not lacking in what seemed to be some good, jump-out-of-your-skin scenes. The movie, though, ended up being a bit different than advertised. As a horror film fanatic, I found this to be more of a contemporary film noir than anything else.

The plot follows the misadventures of a Federal Marshal named Teddy Daniels. You learn in the first 5 minutes of the film that Daniels lost his wife in a terrible fire, and you’re privy to WWII flashbacks. Daniels was headed to Shutter Island in order to investigate the disappearance of a criminally insane patient that supposedly drowned her three children. The story goes from Daniels claiming he’s been trying to get an assignment on the island to him finding himself engulfed in paranoia and attempting to uncover a conspiracy that has managed to corrupt the entire population of the institution.

I felt that the plot got more and more exciting, and then, just as it was going to reach a huge, pivotal peak, it hit a plateau and stayed there for the rest of the film. I suppose had I gone in expecting film noir instead of horror, I would have appreciated the film quite a bit more. Instead, I kept waiting for something awesomely gruesome, or frightening, but was just given more puzzles and clues, with an occasional loud noise to keep me from drifting off to sleep (granted, I spent the previous day in the hospital, and was on quite a grand dose of Loritab which, I’m sure, entirely explains my drowsiness).

Now don’t get me wrong. I didn’t leave with a giant feeling of disappointment. There were a few dreams or hallucinations that the movie would flash to, and they were incredible works of cinematic art. The suspended reality in these dreams allowed Scorsese to really show off his creativity. And while most of the friends who accompanied me to see the film were irked and bored with the ending, I believe the entire film was salvaged by Leonardo DiCaprio’s last line (and now, if only to hear this, you HAVE to see it… even if you do RedBox it for $1 once it’s out on DvD).

Were I to rate this movie on a scale of one to five miscellaneous shapes/ themed objects/ etc., I would give it 3 ½ stars, or clams, or geese, or whatever. I would watch it again, but only if someone else paid for it, and only if we made up some fun drinking game to add to the entertainment value. The moral of this review? Everything is better when you add drinking and games, even Leonardo DiCaprio's tragic but persistent attempts at a Boston accent.

Chuck Palahniuk On How To Stop Shoplifters

A random browsing around YouTube led me to this find. It's author Chuck Palahniuk in a Borders in Michigan and he gives us the valuable life lesson of how to identify a shoplifter, specifically what kind of books a shoplifter would steal. Sure he's just giving rubs to some of his favorite authors, but it's Chuck Palahniuk and if you've read any of his books (which you should), you know he is all about entertainment. As a bonus, he mistakenly says Josh Brolin was in the movie adaptation of "30 Days Of Night," when it really was Josh Hartnett, but who is going to dare say Chuck was wrong?

Movie Review: "Interview"

[ Image courtesy of Wikipedia ]

I just finished a movie that really I stumbled upon while looking for something to watch on this chilly Sunday afternoon.

The synopsis according to the on-screen guide sounded interesting enough. A political correspondent is assigned to write a fluff piece on a soap opera actress and it results in an evening of verbal jabs at each other. Not a bad cast too, in the form of Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller.

What I saw was a cat and mouse movie where Miller and Buscemi constantly try to one-up each other. Buscemi being the "serious journalist" obviously can't believe he has to interview a "run of the mill, eye candy tabloid generator," and Miller is surprised that someone interviewing her doesn't know a lick about her.

I wonder if people who have seen this movie, especially those in the field of journalism and that have had to write fluff pieces about said people who are better know through tabloids than the actual films they've worked on, if they can relate to the agony of, "What did I do to get this gig thrown at me?" It's evident in Buscemi's character that he feels his is above this (and in the movie, you find out why he gets assigned this job, of course I won't spoil it) and the way he conducts himself towards Miller seems to be more of frustration than him thinking he is better than her. If you are familiar with any of Steve Buscemi's work, you know that his characters are quirky, funny, memorable or good enough that you don't have to worry if he is phoning in a performance. What I found to be interesting was Sienna Miller's effort. You have to wonder if the role was one she could relate to since you can say that the body of Sienna Miller's work hasn't been exactly full of "serious roles" and she's more known for being involved with Jude Law. Miller is sharp and pulls no punches to show that she can outsmart the journalist. I was impressed with her performance in "Interview" as I'm sure there were plenty of aspects about the role that rang true to her.

After finishing the movie, I found out that this was a US remake of a Dutch film of the same name and exact same premise. That being said, "Interview" was an interesting look as to how possibly some interviews have happened. Especially given that anyone can become famous in this day and age for doing next to nothing on television, you have to wonder how often "serious journalists" are having to write these "fluff pieces."

"Interview" is worth a viewing because the cat and mouse banter reminded me of Michael Caine and Jude Law in "Sleuth." The interviewer and interviewee are constantly trying to one up each other and at times you wonder who is telling the truth. It's the good performances by Buscemi and Sienna Miller that make it work.

TV Review: Tosh.0

What the hell is this? Another clip show that shows nothing but YouTube clips? Isn't there already a show like that on G4? And do we need another one where, surprise, surprise, a comedian makes smarmy remarks on the videos? If it's Daniel Tosh at the helm, then yes, yes we do. Why? Cause the other one is crap.

Daniel Tosh is quickly becoming one of my favorite comedians as of late. With his upbeat appearance along with a delivery of a biting and politically incorrect comedic style, it blends in perfectly with the videos of pain and failures shown throughout. Instead of taking the lazy route of just showing clip after clip and doing one-liners, Daniel Tosh makes the most of the situation of creating little segments for some of the clips shown. There's one dedicated segment called "Web Redemption" where he invites over an individual who became famous thanks to the video posting of them doing something humiliating, and have them do that same event again with some inspiration of some sort. Some of the past individuals included the football player who tackled his own teammate, the Nintendo64 kid, and David, the kid of "David After Dentist" fame.

Tosh.0 has become a surprise hit for Comedy Central, in that they expanded the first season from 10 episodes to 16. And now the second season is underway with 25 planned episodes. Catch Tosh.0 on Comedy Central, Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. eastern.

Game Review: "Batman: Arkham Asylum"

[Image courtesy of PlayworksOnline]

"I'm Batman."

That is one of the most famous sayings from the The Dark Knight, so much that people often make a joke with it, usually in regards of not knowing who they are after getting hit in the head.

Head injury jokes aside though, I can't remember the last time I played a Batman videogame. It might've been back in the Sega Genesis days where there was a game based on the animated Batman series that was on Kids WB. Talk about a long time ago. When I first heard about "Batman: Arkham Asylum" I was already excited about the premise. Batman's greatest villain, The Joker manages to take control of one of the most iconic locations in the Batman universe, Arkham Asylum and challenges Batman to stop him. Along the way, Batman encounters some of the other famous enemies, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, The Riddler, Killer Croc, and Scarecrow.

First things first, the visuals in this game are fantastic. Being that Arkham Asylum is home to some of the most insane and hostile criminals in Gotham City history, there's an expectation that the facility that houses them all would be look scary. The developers at Rocksteady Studios did a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere. The visuals don't start and stop with the setting. The people in "Batman: Arkham Asylum" look fantastic. I would have to say that the visuals are only second to "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves." Batman looks in every aspect the way he does, The Joker is The Joker is just plain scary. It should be noted about The Joker in this game is voiced by Mark Hamill as in yes, Luke Skywalker.

Combat gameplay in the game is simple hand-to-hand attacks and for the most part is button-mashing, which fits given that it's Batman. What is a lot of fun is when Batman utilizes "Detective Mode." Remember people, Batman is as much a detective and scientist as he is a guy who will punch your lights up. You'll be using the mode often and what it is, is you see a near x-ray look of whatever room you're in. You can locate and identify enemies, see any and all hiding locations and does a good job of invoking the feel that you are Batman and you have a world of awesome gadgets at your disposal. Yes you can use the famous Batarang and his grapple gun to perch up on some high points. I found myself more often than not perched atop a gargoyle statue, waiting for an escaped inmate of Arkham Asylum to walk underneath my position and with a press of a button, Batman swoops in, grabs the inmate and strings them up. From there you can leave them cocooned upside down or throw a Batarang at the rope and sending them crashing to the floor. How could you not be entertained by that? When you're not stringing up bad guys and thwarting The Joker's plan, you can try and outsmart The Riddler, which really is finding relics and answering his riddles, however it does add to the story and the immersion of the game, especially the collection of patient interview tapes.

"Batman: Arkham Asylum" was a lot of fun to play. Any fan of Batman and obviously that has access to the video game should play it. You won't be disappointed.

The WWE Knows How To Make A Hype Video

If there's one thing I can say is a constant when it comes to the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is that they know how to create a hype video. The effort they put into production values, you can argue is right up there with the major television networks. One aspect about their production values in their hype videos is taking a song that more or less will be in the Top 40 (or just has that feel that it would be) and making it catchy. At least that is the case for me. Kevin Rudolf and the Cash Money associates (Birdman, Lil' Wayne, etc.) aren't ones that don't make a regular rotation on my music playlist, however the use of this song "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)" for the upcoming WrestleMania 26 event is pretty proper given the spectacle that is often called amongst wrestling fans, the biggest night in wrestling.



WWE WrestleMania 26 is on Sunday, March 28 in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and is on pay-per-view.

The 80s...The Real Greatest Generation

Tom Brokaw is one amazing journalist. However, he was wrong about the 50s being the "greatest generation." Good sir, I contend that the 80s were the greatest generation. That decade gave us such amazing television shows, toys that could take your eye out and you had no one to blame but yourself, videogames and a lot of life lessons that are still applicable today.

Thanks to Matt @ Afraid Of Ed Hochuli for this all important life lesson.



Happy Valentine's Day-weekend everyone.

My Thoughts On The Oscar Nominees...

...because "the academy" is so invested in my opinion, right?

1) "The Hurt Locker" should win the Best Picture award.

2) Respectively, Kathryn Bigelow should win the Best Director award. I'm sure Hollywood is already geared up to hoist James Cameron back on it's shoulders being that his first movie in a decade surpassed his previous movie "Titanic," but Bigelow deserves the award and recognition because she directed the better movie.

3) Jeff Bridges and Christoph Waltz are going to win the awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively. I've yet to see Bridges in "Crazy Heart," but we're talking about Jeff Bridges here. The Dude. Waltz's character "The Jew Hunter" in "Inglorious Basterds," was nothing short of a breakout performance. Looking at the field, I don't see anyone playing the role of upset in these two categories. Though, it'd be awesome if Jeremy Renner pulled a shocker because of his work in "The Hurt Locker," but it is very unlikely. Let's just say if I were to pick a dark horse sleeper pick, it'd be him.

4) I can't form much of an opinion on who will will Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress. I have seen "Up In The Air" and enjoyed it and it's good that Vera Farmiga is getting as much recognition for her effort in the movie as has Anna Kendrick had been getting. I saw "Julie & Julia" because Julia Child is one of the greatest cooks ever and really, who doesn't like food, though really, does Meryl Streep need another Oscar? People are saying the favorite for Best Actress is Sandra Bullock. At the same time, I am reminded of how Frank Costanza in one episode of "Seinfeld," reffered to her as "That girl in the movie about the bus."

5) This year, it will be hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. You know, I wonder when they'll bring back Billy Crystal. He always seemed to deliver.

Dumbfoundead's "Jam Session 2.0"

The video before you is the work of a man that goes by the name Dumbfoundead. What he has done is created a "virtual jam session" with other musicians all over the world through webcams and compiled it all into the genius video you see. When I first saw this video a couple weeks ago, my jaw dropped. I was just found speechless at the sheer beauty of it. It's ambitious projects like this that we need to see more of. Do yourself a favor and watch the video. It's just an incredible effort on all the musicians.

Dumbfoundead's YouTube
Herbal T's YouTube
Esna Yoon's YouTube

Movie Review: "The Hurt Locker"

[ Image courtesty of ScreenCrave ]

When I first saw a TV spot for "The Hurt Locker" in mid 2009, I had a feeling that this would be one of those movies that wouldn't make a whole lot of noise in the box office. However it would make a lot of noise in the aspect that movie critics would say it was one of the year's best, and consider it an Oscar contender. Now that the Oscar nominations were announced earlier this week, I can't but help having one of those, "I knew it!" moments.

The fact is, "The Hurt Locker" deserves all of the buzz, the praise and the nominations for awards that it's getting. I know I had already posted my list of favorite movies in 2009, that I saw, and I really wish I managed to catch it in the theaters. Then again, there's no such rule as "not being able to make a late-addition to your end-of-the-year favorites list," so that being said, "The Hurt Locker" is one of my favorite movies of 2009 and I will be rooting for it to win the top two prizes (Best Picture and Best Director) at the Oscars.

The movie follows an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team during the Iraq War. It's not a team of super-soldiers that can clear out a room with deadly accuracy. These are just your average soldiers that get called in to defuse a bomb under the most tense of situations, which I wouldn't even want to picture putting myself into. I mean, how can difussing a bomb be more tense than being engaged in close-quarters urban combat where any turn around a corner, you could be met with a bullet into your head. But, that is the work environment this EOD team and all EOD teams in real life go to. It's this tension that is done so well in "The Hurt Locker." Even though the EOD team has been trained in this, I still found myself sitting on the edge of my seat thinking that one wire that shouldn't have been cut would trigger the bomb. Yes I know it's a movie, but it's a movie about the grim reality that our servicemen and women face everyday over there. I attribute this ability to create the tension, not just for the sake of creating it because it's a movie about a serious subject, but creating the tension because without it, it would have not been authentic, to the movie's writer Mark Boal and the director Kathryn Bigelow. The calm panic that the lone technician going towards the bomb and their support soldiers, a great length of distance away from the technician and the bomb is uncomfortable, but you accept it.

The tension when they're out on the field and the stark contrast of when they are back in the barracks and done for the day, trying to find some sort of normalcy and repeating it over again is done by a cast that really you probably have never heard of. Names that might be a bit more familiar to you, Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes make cameos in the movie, but it's the cast of Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty as the EOD team that I believe for all three individuals are breakout roles. Especially Renner, who was most recently seen in the ABC sitcom that never got a chance, but oh brother should it have, "The Unusuals." Renner is the man that goes in to diffuse these bombs and he does with such reckless abandon that on one hand you think is just cool and badass, but it goes back to the uncomfortable feeling that you experience because let's face it...the man's job in Iraq is tinkering with devices that blow people and buildings to bits. There's no better display for Renner's character's reckless attitude than in one scene where he removes his protective bombsuit and says, "There's enough bang in there to blow us all to Jesus. If I'm gonna die, I want to die comfortable."

While Renner is the breakout in front of the camera (as much as the breakout comes with him defusing bombs, there is a scene in the movie where he delivers one of the most powerful lines I've ever heard in a movie), it's the director Kathryn Bigelow that is experiencing a breakout herself. All of the praise that she is getting is well deserved. She's making a lot of noise as possibly the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar award. Her efforts in "The Hurt Locker" have created a very raw and immersive picture of the horrors being in Iraq; about three-quarters of the way into the movie, the EOD team is going through a building where they find, well to take what was said in the movie, a lot of "fucking disgusting" things. However this is the daily life over there, in a combat zone and Bigelow makes no attempts to make it look sanitized.

I tell people that I've seen "The Hurt Locker" and they ask, "I want to see that. Is it good?" I tell them yes. It is worth the buzz that it's been getting, because it is. "The Hurt Locker" is a very vivid, real, tense and uncomfortable picture about the Iraq War and modern warfare in general in all the ways that "Saving Private Ryan" was for World War 2. While some movies are shatting oft-debated all-time box office grossing lists, albeit with some very impressive visuals, it's raw, back to reality whether you like it or not movies like "The Hurt Locker" that just stick with you.

Movie Review: "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus"

[ Image courtesy of Wikipedia ]

Everyone knows that Heath Ledger passed away while working on "The Dark Knight." While most of the general filiming was completed before this, he was also working on another movie. A movie with Monty Python alumn Terry Gilliam, the man responsible for the wacky, but hilarious animations in-between sketches on that legendary comedy show. The movie the two of them were working on was "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus," a man who somehow has the gift of immortality and has the ability to transport people into a world composed of their personal dreams and what it is they want.

If you are familiar with Terry Gilliam's past work (The Brothers Grimm, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, Twelve Monkeys) then you know you will get striking visuals that are often describe as an acid trip to with some sharp chatter with the characters. With this one, the visuals take the spotlight as you see the beautiful results of what you get with Terry Gilliam's mind coupled with CGI.

Christopher Plummer plays "Doctor Parnassus" and you don't have to question if he does a good job. Half of the time he's drunk, which I'm sure to him is every other day. Matching and sometimes one step ahead of Plummer is the always awesome Tom Waits as "Mr. Nick," who is pretty much The Devil, armed with a cigarette and a pencil mustache that John Walters would approve. Without spilling the beans, Parnassus and Mr. Nick are in constant competition with each other and this time, the stakes are really high as Parnassus' daughter (played by Lily Cole) is on the line. It's almost easy to forget that the movie also gives you a strong supporting performance by Verne Troyer. Yes, Mini Me. For a second there, I had forgotten the Austin Powers and reality TV era of Verne that most people are familiar with, however being as something of a "I told you so," reminder to Plummer in the movie, it definitely grabs your attention. Kudos to Troyer. Of course the elephant in the room that you're wondering about is how did Terry Gilliam compensate for the fact that Ledger only completed one-third of the movie.

Enter Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.

Law and Farrell are friends of Ledger and Depp worked with Gilliam on "Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas" and all three of them stepped in to finish Ledger's role and the execution was done very well. When it was the real world, modern day England, it was Ledger. Whenever his character would enter the Imaginarium, this is where the aforementioned three actors would step in, each time would be a different transformation of Ledger's character. Really, it's done as well as one can be in the unfortunate instance where the lead actor passes away during production. It is interesting to note that apparently upon Ledger's death, many actors offered to lend their services to Gilliam to finish out the role, but Gilliam had treated this project as something of a second family and wanted to keep it that way, and thus opted for using personal friends of Heath. This personal touch is also noticed when at the start of the ending credits, it says, "A film from Heath Ledger and his friends."

"The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus" was one of the movies I was looking forward to seeing in 2010 and I'm glad I did. Obviously part of the interest was the fact that this was Ledger's final movie, but even before that, when I heard this was his next project, I was intrigued enough because of the work of Terry Gilliam and just the evolution of Heath Ledger in his craft, obviously from "The Dark Knight," but also from what I have heard is just one amazing, must-see performance in the movie "Brokeback Mountain."

Underneath the visuals as one you can only expect from Terry Gilliam is a solid story of what it is we dream of having in our lives fused with the eternal battle of good versus evil. Would you take the temptations of evil especially if they were offering you the very thing(s) that you want in life?

Despite the fact that this is the first movie in 2010 I have seen, I'm fairly confident that "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus" will be on the list of my favorite movies of this year.

The 2010 Oscar Nominees

And here they are, your nominees for the 2010 Oscars. The nominees listed below are obviously "the big ones," the ones that you tune in to watch ad see who wins it. The full list of nominees is here. My take on the nominees will come in a later post, because, you know my opinion matters on this, right? I mean that's why you read this blog right? Anywho, and the nominees are...

Best Picture
“Avatar”
“The Blind Side”
“District 9”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Best Supporting Actor in a Leading Role
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Best Director
“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Critiqulous Is Giving Away Free Stuff: Caption This Photo, Win A Prize

Remember this post about how we announced we were going to have a contest and give away a prize.

Well, here is the contest. Let's keep it simple. Whoever has comes up with the funniest caption for the photo in this post will win a copy of "Glee, Volume 1: Road To Sectionals" on DVD. Funny can be witty, reference something going on in pop culture or a movie or just plain silly. Myself and the other writers will take a look at all of the captions and determine which is the funniest. So click the jump to see the picture and also to read the rules.

Music Video Break: I'm Leaving You

The song: "I'm Leaving You:"
The band: Scorpions
The reason: This past Sunday, the Scorpions have announced that after 40 years of music making, touring and being the masters of power ballads, have decided to call it a day after the release of their final album in 2010 and a tour to wrap up sometime in 2012, give or take a year. So as a tribute to one of the greatest and longest running heavy metal/hard rock bands of all time, I picked "I'm Leaving You". Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could've gone with the more popular fan favorite and obvious pick like "Wind of Change" and "Still Loving You". And I won't deny that this video itself is cheesy and pretty laughable. However, coming from one of their finest albums with a buttload of hits, "Love at First Sting", it's a very underrated song, but a song that just kicks ass. Enjoy it while in full leather getup, spike bracelets and all.

As We Wait For The Final Season Of Lost...

...which by the way is next Tuesday, February 2nd (can you believe that January 2010 is coming to a close). It sure has been an tense, engaging and damn near confusing ride for everyone that's followed the show since it started way back in September of 2004.

In addition to waiting for "Lost" to come back, here's some other random thoughts I've had of late in regards to television.

Now that the Conan O'Brien/Jay Leno/NBC fiasco is over, at least until Conan comes back with his own show on FOX, perhaps people can stop talking about it. It's done. It's over with. I thought Conan's final speech on his last broadcast as host of "The Tonight Show" was done well. Don't get me wrong though, it's always entertaining to hear people pick on Jay on the general fundamental fact that he's not funny.

So it's the New Orleans Saints versus the Indianapolis Colts in this year's Super Bowl. Readers, who ya got?

I want new episodes of "Glee." Right now.

Looks like F/X will have another hit on their hands in the form of "Justified" starring Timothy Olyphant. If you saw him in "Deadwood," chances are you will be heavily interested in this one. He's a modern day vigilante in rural Kentucky. With this, "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia," "Damages," and "Sons Of Anarchy," it's no wonder F/X is just that damn good and has some of the best shows on not just cable, but TV in general. Check out the trailer below.