2011 Arab World Protests

Across North Africa and parts of the Middle East, the biggest story in recent news has been a series of mass-protests from the people of Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and several other countries of the de-facto Arab-speaking world. I've been keeping rather focused upon it, since it's been a really interesting scenario of how these events have unfolded. But lately, the attention has been drawn upon Egypt - the protests surrounding the forced expulsion of their president Hosni Mubarak. Some of these demonstrations across these countries have included demonstrations, riots, and even self-immolation; something I've been unfamiliar with since the Buddhist monk who did so in protest of the Vietnam war. I wanted to examine the case at issue with these protests, since it could present some interesting political changes across these countries.

Tunisia has apparently been the tipping point: What I've read from several sources was the people's general exasperation over problems with unemployment, corruption, and poverty became targeted upon their president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Ben Ali has since fled Tunsia with his wife, and Interpol has a warrant out for their arrest. An interim president, Fouad Mebazaa, has been appointed according to the Tunisian constitution, but the protests continue to this day.

And then, there's Egypt. Under the similar circumstances, the people have been revolting under the 30-year regime of president Mubarak in reaction to his administration of repression and human rights violations. Mubarak has not stepped down as of this writing, but has revamped his administration and appointed a new Vice President. Needless to say, the people do not seem at all pleased.

I am in agreement with a lot of the news pundits who believe that this is an excellent opportunity for the governments of these countries to finally respond in full to the requests of their people, and allow a true democratic forum. Unfortunately, the response from those like Mubarak I feel has been less than adequate; cutting off Egypt's internet access, temporarily restricting cellphone use, and appointing new leaders who reputedly follow the same ideology as he does is doubtfully the step in the right direction. It's also an incredibly difficult situation for international relations, especially in the US's case, because Mubarak has been an important ally in combating the War on Terror. Still, I feel that regardless of whether or not one supports a greater cause, if a leader cannot govern their people and be expected to adhere to his or her people's expectations, then there is unquestionably a problem. The people should always come first in any circumstance, which is why these events are rather unnerving to me in the event that they represent the effects of large-scale government that has lost control and trust over it's subjects.

Revolutions are unpredictable, do we remember how quickly Iran's protests were silenced after Mamoud Ahmadinejad took power, once again? Who knows what will come out of the protests currently in effect now. At this point though, it seems the groundwork has been laid clear, at least for Egypt - Mubarak's presidency will cease to exist, or will never be the same. I hope whatever comes out of this, the people of these countries will finally get the representation they appear to have been fighting for. Whether the internet, or advances in community organization and journalism are responsible for these events, the people have found their voice, now it is being heard.

If you have family living in any of these countries, my thoughts are with you.
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Mr. Deeds (2002)

Every so often, there's an Adam Sandler movie that tends to fly under the radar for me. Mr. Deeds is one of them; a Sandler-ized remake of an old comedy from the 1940s of the same story. Needless to say, I'm sorry I missed it when it came out. Add to the fact it has a great soundtrack, even unexpectedly so, one of my favorite Dave Matthews Band songs "Where Are You Going" is featured rather prominently in the film. It's a nice unexpected touch, and for a Sandler comedy, I'd say Deeds is rather underrated.

An 82 year old billionaire kicks the bucket, and his investors scramble to find an heir to his $40 billion fortune. All they can find is a distant beneficiary; a pizza delivery boy from New Hampshire named Longfellow Deeds. Untainted by greed, Deeds enters his benefactor's home in New York City with naivetee and generousity, whilst being dogged by a sexy reporter who he ultimately falls in love with, played by Winona Ryder.

The cliches of Sandler comedies run abound in this one, with greedy villains, goofy stock characters, and that moment of broken trust which forces a temporary break-up with the love interest. Additionaly, Sandler's character has a special talent that figures in the end as his saving grace to a better life. These elements are of no surprise to me now, and make the story a bit predictable, but hey, it's still funny! And for once, Sandler isn't playing a complete jerk who serendipitously turns his life around, his character of Deeds is genuinely likeable and good-hearted. I wouldn't be surprised if this signaled a turnaround in his career when he started playing less clowns and more "characters". I can definitely say I'm glad I watched it, it was a nice refresher from the glut of dramas I'd been watching lately.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Inferno (1980)

Continuing my little Dario Argento-fest has been much more of a mixed bag than I expected, not to say that I haven't been entertained, but most of the time they've raised my expectations a little high. From the stellar Tenebre to the disappointing Bird with the Crystal Plumage, I've now seen Inferno; Argento's second entry in his supernatural "Three Mothers Trilogy". I have no desire to see the third film right now, as by all accounts, I'm told it's terrible. Inferno however, shows he still has some of the stylistic edge he retained from the brilliance of Suspiria, but it lacks some momentum on its story.

Inferno starts off with a woman uncovering tomes regarding three evil witches known as The "Three Mothers", one of whom inhabits New York and threatens to terrorize the world upon her release. When the woman goes missing, her brother, a music student, goes searching for her around the city, and finds her apartment. Among her eerily-lit abode, he encounters the strange denizens, all connected in some way to some big secret, surrounding the woman's involvement with the Three Mothers.

Most of this sounds pretty compelling, and stylistically, it is. So much of the lighting and mood are almost exact duplicates of the amazing work Argento did in Suspiria. Inferno is supposed to be it's spiritual sequel, so it's no surprise it shares some stylistic qualities in common with its predecessor. The problem is, a lot of the story is bogged down by some plodding kill sequences that are meant to build suspense by showing the characters searching around for someone, or something, but up until the actual horrifically graphic murder, it's just boring. And these kind of sequences happen a lot, so there's a lot of unevenness with the plot. They didn't really bother my enjoyment of the movie, that much, and I will say Inferno is worth checking out if you're willing to maintain the patience.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Robin Hood (2010)

"Robin Hood" is one of my all-time favorite folktales; it's a guy's fairy tale, but without the magic. It's a story of good versus evil and a classic romance. It has an incredibly engaging cast of characters, and for a damsel-in-distress, Maid Marian is pretty atypical in regards to her resourcefulness, intelligence, and courage. Only Star Wars comes as close to "Robin Hood" in my heart as a "timeless tale". I've seen and read many versions, including Errol Flynn's brilliant Adventures of Robin Hood, Disney's goofy animated spin, Kevin Costner's campy Prince of Thieves, Mel Brooks' hilarious Men In Tights; and one day, I do need to get around to seeing Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn's legendary Robin and Marian, which portrays the characters' autumn years. So, how does this revisionment of Robin Hood turn out? Ehh...

Ridley Scott is a misunderstood director, he's made a lot of great movies that were regarded as failures when they came out, but gradually became cult favorites. Perhaps Alien, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down were the only instant successes of his that I can currently name off the top of my head. I will admit though, he can often bite a little more than he can chew when it comes down to style over substance. While I won't go into a synopsis, since I'm sure many of you are familiar with the story; it would appear with Robin Hood that Scott is trying to incorporate some of England's background history into the tale itself. Such blending fantasy and history is evident in one subplot where Eleanor of Aquitaine, disgusted with her son, King John (Richard is killed early on in the movie!), appeals to higher power to somehow dethrone him, or in another where William the Marshall tries to convince King John to sign the Magna Carta. My knowledge of Robin Hood's "historical" background is nebulous at best, since it was always a folktale for me, so I found this very jarring. Acting-wise, Crowe does fine, even if he's playing Maximus with a Scots-Irish accent. Cate Blanchett is refreshingly taut as Maid Marian, and everyone else services their roles fine.

This was a well-put together production, overall. However, I really had a lot of trouble letting go of the traditionalist angle of the story in favor of this revision. It didn't help that I found the storytelling to be surprisingly dry in light of Ridley Scott's visual flair and panache for action scenes. The action itself is cool, but scenes were sadly too far in-between, and the final battle is very over-the-top in an unnecessarily "Lord of the Rings" melodramatic fashion. This was easily one of my least favorite interpretations of "Robin Hood", but hey, at least it had some style to go along with it.

6/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage continues my enjoyable high off of Dario Argento films. This one, being his first is an interesting start, because for his debut film, Argento already displays the talents of his one-of-a-kind style. Unfortunately, as a thriller, I found it quite underwhelming in comparison with the intensity of Argento's later giallo and supernatural horror works.

Set in Rome (no surprise!), a young writer encounters a woman being brutally attacked in an avant-garde art gallery by a black-cloaked figure. Unwittingly involved as a witness to attempted murder, he decides to take matters into his own hands and solve the mystery on his own. A ton of red herrings ensues and some unsettling, but not exactly scary "kills" occur, until the killer is finally revealed. Rather than any reaction of shock, mine was disappointingly dulled to more of a rhetorical "oh, really?"

Perhaps it's unfair for me to judge the start of a healthy artistic career as inferior in comparison to later work, but as it stands, Bird didn't grip me as much as say Suspiria and Tenebre did. Both were relatively successful films later on in Argento's career, so I'm glad this one was enough of a hit for him that it allowed him to expand his creative wings. The relatively mild tension, somewhat aimless plot, and flimsy intimidation that the film exuded though, just happened to make it less of an enjoyable experience for me. It's a good thing some of Argento's later films fared much better.

5/10

MOVIE REVIEW: Carandiru (2003)

Films concerning human rights fascinate me, Carandiru happens to be one of those films. Set in a Brazilian prison of the same name during the early 1990s, a young doctor enters Carandiru in order to treat the predominatly male prisoners from a rampaging AIDS epidemic within the cells. Not only does he (and the audience) come to learn about some of his regular clients colorful backstories, but he discovers a whole culture within the thick, concrete walls of the prison. A culture where a skewed pecking order is established and the prisoners; murderers, drug dealers, hustlers, and pimps alike - some of whom even happen to be LGBT - all live within an unorthodox but tangible harmony. Only when conditions get worse, do things culminate in the horrific and real-life 1992 Carandiru massacre, where many of the prisoners met their end executed by riot police.

Carandiru is presented as an interesting neorealist slice of life. Although the actual massacre doesn't occur until the last 20 minutes of the film, we become as fascinated by the inmates as much as the doctor who is treating them does. Apparently, the director made a point to cast as few professional actors he could, and populates the cast with mostly non-actors - some of whom were allegedly former inmated of Carandiru, themselves. This gives the production a very authentic quality, and refreshingly unglamorous from the usual Hollywood or high-profile indie treatments. By the time the massacre hits, you understand how the prisoners felt as the violence hailed upon them; this is intentionally biased, because it is from the prisoners point of view, and it's done wonderfully.

With all it's splendor, Carandiru does actually happen to be quite long. At two hours and twenty-five minutes, it's a lot to take in at once. The stories can feel a little exhausting, but thankfully, the film moves at a brisk enough pace that length doesn't appear too much of an issue. Just as long as you can stomach the film's vividly visceral nature, the film is enjoyable enough.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Heavy Rain (2010)

Heavy Rain is one of the most technically impressive and innovative video games I've ever played. Although I purchased it long before Sony enabled it for PlayStation Move capability. Once I acquired the Move, I decided to revisit this amazing achievement in interactive entertainment. Heavy Rain is proof that video games can transcend their reputation as ridiculously overpriced toys and function as a respectable art form. In this day and age, as the industry becomes stronger and stronger; to me, it's a sign that video games are achieving a greater admirability, and the production values as well as the creativity exuded by Heavy Rain certainly reflect that.

Created over a period of four years by the French digital animation/motion capture company Quantic Dream, Heavy Rain tells the story of Ethan Mars; an architect and single father, Norman Jayden; an FBI agent harboring a drug addiction, Madison Paige; an insomniac journalist, and Scott Shelby; a noble private eye. All four playable protagonists are searching for a serial killer known as the Origami Killer, who leaves the eponymous paper figurines with the corpses of his victims and who's main MO is abducting children. When Mars' son Shaun is kidnapped by the Origami Killer, the four individuals jump into action, each with their own, individual agenda to stop the Origami Killer.

The story is presented as a gripping noir mystery worthy of Hollywood, but the gameplay helps flesh things out and makes the plot more organic. You control your character from a third-person persective and interact with your environment searching for clues and making judgments based on your character's thoughts, which can be executed either in self-reflection or during conversation. Certain moments of action or high-intensity may require a "quick-time" event, where buttons need to be pushed in a certain order and time when they appear on screen. This makes for a very visceral gaming experience, because failure to complete these actions can result in a less-than desireable outcome for your character a la Mass Effect. I'll post a video of the demo here:

Playing with the standard PS3 wireless controller isn't too challenging, there's a slight learning curve with the "QT" events, but it's nothing too hard. Playing with the Move was pretty cool, but very frustrating without a tutorial. I still have yet to try the full game with the Move, which starts with the tutorial. I initially tried it while playing the Downloadable Content Level Heavy Rain Chronicles: Episode One - The Taxidermist, which lacked a tutorial, and I was embarassed at myself. Casual gamers like myself, therefore, may feel more comfortable using a wireless controller.

The attention to detail with the graphics is outstanding, Heavy Rain has a look that's similar to the Final Fantasy films by Square or Avatar, in that each of the characters are all motion captured, modeled, and voiced by the same actor. A few months ago, I played the game in front of a friend who was interested in seeing a demonstration, and he commented on how was impressed by the lack of "doll's-eye" in the facial models (especially in the loading screens when all you can see are the characters' faces). Although physical movements can still be a little stiff at times and the acting, a little shaky due to the accents from some of the foreign actors, the visuals are an incredible piece of work. They even made my video game-abhoring parents stop and stare at the screen in awe at times.

I love the music in Heavy Rain; it's a wonderful score that captures the bleak, somber mood of the game, along with the tension of the action scenes. Sometimes it has that quality of quiet unease like Bernard Herrmann did in Hitchcock's films, other times it has the stinging rush of energy like Danny Elfman. Either way, it's great. Each character has their own main theme: Ethan's is soft and somber, Norman's is dark and mysterious, Madison's is quiet and contemplative, Scott's is strong and forboding - heavy on bass. They all sound great, and I've even found myself studying along to the soundtrack due to its introspective nature.

To top it all off, the game has a myriad of endings that it makes a perfectly reasonable incentive to play through it again while encouraging experimentation. I've beaten the game already about four times and I never get tired of the story or seeing what happens strictly from trying new things. I consider Heavy Rain to be one of my all-time favorite video games and I strongly encourage any open-minded gamers with a PS3 and who enjoy a good adventure/mystery to check it out.

10/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The King's Speech (2010)

At the time of this writing, The King's Speech has won the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Picture (and, irrelevantly, Green Bay is beating the Bears in football). This puts the film in a strong running for it's Oscar chances as The Social Network's Best Picture-winning streak comes to an end. In my opinion, the film is certainly one of the best of the year, but definitely "Oscar bait" with some fine trimmings. The King's Speech presents a piece of strikingly complex British history, while it's nothing extraordinary or unique amongst it's competition, it's a fine piece of work.

In 1925, Prince Albert, The Duke of York delivers a speech on behalf of his father, King George V of England. His stutter botches the public display and he develops a reputation of social awkwardness amongst his people. Upon becoming the heir apparent to the British throne during the mid-1930s, an incognito Princess Elizabeth hires Lionel Logue, an ambitious but unorthodox speech therapist whose methods occasionally come at contention with his royal client. The two must realize the need to meet a consensus in their goals, as the morale of their country in the dawn of World War II unexpectedly depends on it.

The King's Speech fascinates me as a story, because of what I presume to be it's relative unfamiliarity to many Americans. Of particular interest to me is the theme revolving around the changing role and adaptation of age-old monarchy in modern society. With the advent of sound technology, and the increased role of Parliament in politics, the Royal Family started to rely more on their status to influence the people, rather than political power. Like Spider-Man "with great power, comes great responsibility". King Bertie understood this too, but in spite of his intellect and cunning, communication became an increased priority. Underneath it all, The King's Speech poises the question, how do we as people compromise in the face of technology and a changing world around us? If The Social Network does this on a more global level with Facebook, The King's Speech is pretty much the same theme on the more individual, local level.

2010 is going to face some tough acting competition from this film. While I still hold a candle for Jeff Bridges in True Grit, Colin Firth is very compelling and genuine in his portrayal of King George VI. I still give Bridges the slight edge because for an actor, it's more challenging in my opinion to create a fictional character as opposed to a slick imitation of a real-life figure, but that's my opinion, and nothing more. Geoffrey Rush as Logue and Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen Mother are the other big guns in this film, and service their parts with much needed jolts of charisma. The screenplay took me aback as incredibly humorous for a historical drama, you could almost classify The King's Speech as a frank comedy, but more in the vain of Pygmalion, given the context.

As good as this all may sound, The King's Speech doesn't strike me as unique as Black Swan or The Social Network in terms of cinematic storytelling. It's still a very compelling film, but it definitely caters to audences who will prefer a more conventional kind of story for this year's Academy Awards. I will confess though, the strongest scene in the film, the one that had me staring at the screen, slack-jawed in awe of it's beauty was when Bertie gives his ultimate speech. Oddly enough, it's set to Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, II. Allegretto" (a German funeral march), but the scene is a wonderful example of how music can amplify and complement the action of a scene. Absolutely stunning!

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: True Grit (2010)

True Grit is a riveting love letter from the Coen Brothers to Golden Age-Hollywood westerns. Thought to have been a remake of the critically acclaimed John Wayne Oscar winner from 40 years earlier; from what I read apparently, the Coens went back to the original source material and based their screenplay more faithfully on the novel. Therefore, True Grit is not intentionally a "remake", nor do I think Jeff Bridges is playing off of John Wayne, either. This is a Coen Brothers imagining of a well-told story, which services their talents quite nicely.

In the American West of 1877, feisty fourteen year-old Mattie Ross enlists a rough U.S. Marshall named Rooster Cogburn to track down Tom Chaney, an employee of her father who murdered and robbed him in cold blood. Cogburn initailly refuses but agrees when Ross convinces him that his enduring quality of having "True Grit" is perfectly suitable for tracking Chaney down. They set off on an adventure that forms the real heart of the story, and transports the audience on a journey that wonderfully recaptures the rugged, minimalistic atmosphere of yesteryear western films blended with the Coen Brothers' penchant for vivid but engaging characters and surprisingly frequent but effective moments of deadpan and dark humor. For me, this was an unexpected and welcome touch from the Coens after the bland and aimless A Serious Man left a bad taste in my mouth.

Jeff Bridges is outstanding in his own rendition of Rooster Cogburn. Again, while I have yet to see the original, I believe it would be unfair to draw comparison. Plus, I've seen The Duke act, and I'm confident that his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn is in an entirely different league from Bridges' interpretation. Here, Cogburn is a crusty, swaggering anti-hero with a taste for whisky that exudes the same bumbling appeal that Bridges gave The Dude in The Big Lebowski. One wonders if Bridges' Cogburn was descended from Jack Sparrow, given his charming clumsiness but endless resourcefulness that gives him the drive to do his job better than anyone else. I consider Bridges portrayal of Cogburn to be one of my favorite characters of 2010, and I really hope he locks another Academy Award nomination for his role,

Supporting Bridges in the stellar acting department are Matt Damon as the stubborn Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who's reluctant entanglement with Ross and Cogburn makes for some interesting character dynamics. Hailee Steinfeld makes her big break as Mattie Ross, and while I'm not quite sure she steals the show as much as Bridges did, her presence and performance are both strong for a young actress of her relatively ingenue status in Hollywood. The fast-talking, smart-as-a-whip young lady who manages to outwit her male "superiors" has become somewhat of a stock character since the days of Tatum O'Neil in Paper Moon. I don't believe this is Steinfeld's Academy Award-winning role, but I do think True Grit will open a lot of promising doors for her hopefully optimistic career.

True Grit may not live up to the expectations of overly-sentimental lovers of the original version, but the Coens have crafted their version with a careful hand. Thanks to the wonderfully charismatic cast and detailed production design, their vision is amplified to echelons that I would hope appeal to even the snobbiest of film critics. While it also isn't the most emotionally engrossing of films either, it does the western genre excellent justice, and that's something cinema has not seen very frequently in the new millenium.

9/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Patriot (2000)

2000 was a good year for movies, or at least what I remember of it. Among them, we had Gladiator, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Almost Famous, and Traffic at our disposal. And then there was The Patriot, an underrated historical-drama/war picture directed by disaster-film cheesemeister Roland Emmerich and starring Mel Gibson; in the days before he went "Four Loko" on us. Like most films of it's kind, to call The Patriot 100% historically accurate is questionable, but does it manage to entertain in some way, shape, or form? Certainly.

The story concerns a widowed farmer, who takes a pacifist stance on the eve of the American Revolution when tensions have risen at their highest. After one of his sons is killed trying to save another from persecution by the gallows, the farmer has a change of heart and joins the militia with his eldest son as they fight to protect Charleston, South Carolina. The Patriot grapples with many themes of honor in war, and revenge versus compassion, this is where I felt the film's strongest points were. It also helps when you have a strong, symphonic score by John Williams and some incredible set design. There were times because of the meticulous attention to these details, the melancholy score, and the plot that I felt things were very reminiscent to Braveheart. Obviously, Mel's presence doesn't help things much, but I don't think it would have mattered either way. It was a welcome sense of familiarity that kept my interest throughout the film's two-and-a-half hour length.

Emmerich's presence as a director made me nervous at first, but now I consider this to be one of, if not, his best film. He brings the right level of tension and alacrity to the action scenes, yet he does do a few things that bothered me. One of them was giving Mel Gibson near-superhuman strength in a sequence where he takes down a caravan of 20 redcoats along with his miraculously crackshot juvenile sons. Another was Mel's final showdown, where he makes the beaten hero pull a last-minute-hat-trick-in-order-to-kill-the-bad-guy cliche. It's done well, but it's still a cliche (and amusingly bears uncanny resemblance to the Maximus/Commodus fight in Gladiator). What bothers me the most, probably is the artistic liberties taken with history - there were a few glaring ones that I don't really feel like going into detail, but that's something unavoidable with these films.

I still enjoyed The Patriot because of how it portrayed the ire of many Americans of the time through a select few fictional characters as a representative sample. Most obviously is the one of Gibson, who resolves to fight in order to justify his son's sacrifice. It hits a little closer to home when my country is still in the midst of a war right now, but all historical innacuracies aside, thank goodness historical fiction at least allows us to think.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Stepfather (1987)

The Stepfather is a slick thriller with a pretty creepy villain, but sorely lacking in a compelling story or characters. Terry O'Quinn, whom some of you may remember from "Lost" as John Locke is the titular "stepfather" - a serial killer whom is established in the first few minutes of having butchered a suburban family, changed his appearance, and relocated to a small town near Seattle to prey upon another unsuspecting family. His reason - to find the perfect family. When things don't go "perfect", he snaps into a murderous rage. This family in particular, has a troubled daughter, who's relationship with the stepfather is rocky at best. She starts getting suspicious when his behavior gets more irrational, and tries to uncover more about him.

From the looks of things, all of this may sound good on paper. But in fact, the film is very short on plot, and events seem to happen "just because", which only makes for predictability the majority of the time. Worse, it seems the writers gave O'Quinn's character the red carpet treatment, in terms of depth, but not as much to his supporting cast members. Perhaps it's the acting? For example, the lead heroine is this pipsqueak young lady who looks like she lept off of the cover of "Seventeen", and she's supposed to be a rough, violent, misanthrope who ultimately gets expelled. She plays vulnerable throughout the entire film; I felt like she was miscast. The same disappointment can be expressed for a lot of the other characters too - a clueless mother, and a meatheaded detective with an 80s semi-mullet.

O'Quinn however, steals the show in The Stepfather, his deadpan delivery of the film's darkly humorous dialogue and ability to flip personalities like a switch is a treat to watch. It's a shame the rest of the film is out of his league. The film reminded me somewhat of Orphan, only that film actually toyed with your sympathy for some of the characters, and here, the backstories are nebulous at best. We never actually figure out what compels Mr. Stepdad on his bloodthirsty quest, but maybe the writers couldn't either.

Apparently there's a remake out there that seemed to have came-and-went with little fanfare. I guess the remake's predecessor had enough of a cult following to justify being released in the first place!

6/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: House (1977)

There's this well-known home video label in the US, known as The Criterion Collection; famous for putting out carefully selected independent, foreign, and culturally significant cinema. Every so often, one of my cinematically-inclined friends will persuade me to rent one of their products out of specific interest. Luckily, some insightful (and loaded!) patron supplies my local library with nearly every Criterion Collection DVD out there, so obtaining them usually isn't a problem for me. Especially when the rest of the population has to obtain these DVDs or Blu-Rays by either NetFlix or forking over the lump sum and praying it's a movie they'll not regret buying. The DVDs/Blu-Rays are intentionally expensive, due to processing costs (for more info, click the link to the Criterion site).

Needless to say, when I found out from one of my friends that Criterion put out a crazy, cult, Japanese horror film named House, whose box describes itself as "An episode of "Scooby Doo" meets Mario Bava", I had to check it out. Even with Criterion's pedigree, it didn't surprise me that they released something like this, especially when they had the balls to release the S&M torture-porn "masterpiece" Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (the thought of seeing it again still makes me shudder). The end result with House is some wacky fun that may turn off serious horror fans, but will definitely please anybody else who enjoys a good helping of "WTF?!" in their film.

House is about a girl named Gorgeous who takes her six female friends to visit her ailing aunt, for the summer, at her lush, cabin in the woods (already, you can see where this is going!). If you ever wanted to know where the stereotype for cute, sailor-clad, Japanese girls with machine-gun laughter came from, you need look no further than House, since the film promulgates it to no end! The seven girls themselves are a vague parable for the "Seven Dwarves" or the "Seven Deadly Sins", each with their own unique personality or talent (my favorite was the girl named Kung-Fu, for obvious reasons!). Upon reaching auntie's house, strange things start happening when a watermelon turns into a disembodied head and tries to bite a girl on her rear, or when the guest-room mattresses start to gang up and try to suffocate another. This is only the beginning, as the gags start to get more violent and weird. But boy, is it entertaining!

The director, seems to set us up for what would seem like an ordinary haunted-house movie with a gaggle of giggling teenage girls. Only unlike many films of House's time, these girls aren't getting drunk, horny, and naked (...okay, one of them does take a bath), they're simply hanging out, making dinner, and being all domestic until strange things start happening. This film isn't meant to be exploitation or straight-up horror, rather a stylized, 88 minute-long dream sequence with a really annoying theme song (It's no surprise either, that the director used to do music videos). As someone who enjoys crazy movies like Dead Alive or Airplane!, I felt right at home with House (no pun intended!). Although the film's bizarre nature can be a little grating at times, and the fact that I felt the ending dragged itself out a bit, House is a must-see for all fans of general comedy-horror.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Conversation (1974)

The Conversation is definately a product of it's time. Released around the time of the Watergate Scandal, it raises some serious ethical questions of the consequences of wiretapping (nowadays, this would be relevant as Dick Cheney's worst nightmare). This was directed by Francis Ford Coppola the same year he released The Godfather: Part II. Interestingly enough, he would go on to beat his own movie for Best Picture at Oscar time. But was it a deserved win? Definitely. The Conversation, while it has moments of great tension that represent the best of psychological thrillers, builds up to an unsatisfying conclusion.

Set in early 70s San Francisco, Gene Hackman plays a professional, self-employed "bugger" who is commissioned by a wealthy businessman to tap his lover (ha-ha...) while she is out, because he suspects she is having an affair. During recording of the titular conversation with "the other guy", Hackman picks up an incriminating message, and zealously sets out to find the meaning of it. Stylistically, this is one of the film's high points; the editing goes back-and-forth between the sound booth and repeated footage of the couple speaking as if we're envisioning exactly what is going on. To enhance this effect, eerie distortions are placed over the dialogue so the audience knows they're not actually watching "cinema", but a fabricated image based solely on the voices. As Hackman begins a descent into madness later on in the film, he starts having freakish visions of murder that almost belong in a horror film. The change in tone is jarring, but it works wonderfully.

Sadly, while thrills are plentiful in The Conversation, not so much can be said about the plot. Fans of Michael Haneke may enjoy this more than I did, as I wouldn't be surprised if this landmark film influenced his work. The film has a very nihlilistic theme running through it, but I felt as if I was set up for some sort of resolution for the main character and his antagonists. Unfortunately, there is none, and the ending feels extremely anticlimactic and abrupt. I literally sat there thinking "That was it?" And sometimes there's a purpose for those types of endings, but for me, it simply wasn't all that clear. All I can say is, it's a good thing the Academy chose The Godfather: Part II over this.

6/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: 2012 (2009)

2012 isn't the worst disaster movie I've ever seen, but it's definitely one of the dumbest. All scientific innacuracies aside, I'm generally a lot more willing to suspend my disbelief in the name of science fiction than the average American film critic usually is. With 2012 though, I'm highly distracted at the film's grating jabs at melodrama, which is worse than say, Titanic. Although the special effects are impressive, it's obvious where all the money went. If only they could have afforded a better screenwriter for characters, let alone, actors.

This latest entry, starring John Cusack and directed by Roland Emmerich, follows in the same vein as his previous films: Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow, which is to say: big, dumb, and filled with cookie-cutter characters of the disaster genre that are somehow intricately linked to one-another. Capitalizing on the upcoming 2012 phenomena, a group of geologists discover the apocalypse is immenent when cosmic conditions cause the sun to melt the Earth's core and cause "Earth Crustal Displacement" - which translates to massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions - basically bringing out the End of Days. Blissfully ignoring the fact that we'd probably all fry from extreme heat before "ECD", a downtrodden writer decides to take his kids camping in Yellowstone, I don't need to elaborate much more on the plot from there, except there's a little government conspiracy and human rights issues that eventually arise. These plot devices are probably the most thought-provoking thing in the whole film, it's a shame I gave up caring for the characters at this point.

In case you're THAT curious, scientific research has shown that the 2012 phenomena is no more valid than was Y2K, nearly ten years ago. I even have a whole FAQ page from NASA to back me up on this. Neverheless, it hasn't stopped a load of books from being written by religious figures, philosophers, and whackos alike. There are loads of sources dismissing the accuracy and interpretation of the Mayan calendar, which some belive was the first tip-off to the apocalypse, such as this one from The Guardian. But hey, in a fatalistic sense, if the world were to end on December 21, 2012, I sure as hell had a great time on it while it lasted...shame I wouldn't get to finish law school, though.

2012 does nothing more than fuel the fire for the belief that something like this could happen in the most scientifically innacurate way possible. It's a pretty package, but it's nothing extraordinary.

5/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Blue Valentine (2010)

Blue Valentine is the spiritual successor to (500) Days of Summer, but with a more somber tone. It is the cinematic complement to Eminem and Rihanna's "I Love the Way You Lie". In either case, it's the tragic story of the life and death of a marriage, told in a fragmented timeline as the audience is contrasted the courtship between the heated contentions leading towards breakup. All of this is directed with an apt hand by relative unknown Derek Cianfrance, who portrays the story under a more realistic and authentic light than similarly-themed, but glossier productions like Revolutionary Road. 50 percent of the film's strength comes from the tour-de-force performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, who in my opinion, richly deserve Oscar nominations for their complex portrayals of the couple in turmoil.

The story is about a young couple living in rural northern Pennsylvania with their young daughter. Gosling is a high school dropout who paints homes for a living, but functions mainly as a stay-at-home dad, and it is implied he has an alcohol problem. Williams is his wife - a career-oriented nurse who quit medical school upon discovering she was pregnant with her daughter. All of this may sound familiar at first, because it is a story of countless relationships that we are cognizant of in our lives that are headed for disaster. What's different about Blue Valentine, however, is that it shows the breakdown in such an emotionally conflicting manner, that it's hearbreaking to watch. Despite the intoxication we may experience when falling in love, as time passes, there is still a chance for individuals to change personality: Gosling is the talented, directionless boy who never grew up, but truly finds happiness living simply with a wife and child. Williams is the ambitious girl who felt she threw away her lucrative educational potential for a life of stagnant domesticity. You desperately want these two to see a positive means to their ends and become content and civil. But like a devastating terminal illness (another subtle theme within the film), it just isn't meant to be.

Initially given a dubious NC-17 by the MPAA, but re-rated R after appeals, I wonder if the whole fuss was more a publicity stunt, rather than a controversy. The most graphic thing that occurs in this film are two brief sequences of strategically-obscured cunnilingus, and the rest of the film is standard R-rated fare. Case in point, I'm convinced by this film about the double-standard that the MPAA truly chastizes sex over violence, which demonstrates one of many unfortunate and absurd social maladies in America. Blue Valentine features a nice, folk-sy musical score from the band Grizzly Bear. The main characters' song, while pleasant out of context from the film, becomes incredibly melancholy after seeing the film itself.

9/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Tenebre (1982)

Lately, I've been on a bit of a Dario Argento kick. Don't ask me why, but I guess it all started when I rented Suspiria, after hearing that it was considered one of the scariest films of all time. Since seeing it, I was very pleased (and scared sh*tless!), so naturally, I've been taking interest in what has to be some of the most artistic horror films I've ever seen.

Tenebre is about an American horror-author who travels to Rome in order to promote his latest novel - a crime/slasher of the same name as the film. Upon arrival, an obsessed fan starts comitting murders similar in fashion to those outlined in his book. The author begins to become suspicious, and then nervous, as the bodies of those close to him begin to pile up...

Tenebre had a similarly brilliant effect on me as did Suspiria, in terms of atmosphere. Although it may seem unfair to compare the two, because Tenebre is more grounded in reality, Argento's use of style appears to have remained consistent in this period of his work. The drawback from these Italian horror films, aside from the dubbing is the misinterpretation of sleazyness or going "over-the-top" that may seem apparent to American audiences. In this case, we get extended sequences of gore, nudity, and unnerving musical score by the rock band Goblin. All of which are done well, and effectively in my opinion. Watching Argento can truly be like watching a nightmare unfold in front of your eyes, due to the vividness of all these qualities. Much of this is also supported by some great camerawork.

In spite of it all, I wasn't quite as captivated by the story in the end as I'd have hoped. Tenebre built itself up to what I hoped would be an explosive conclusion, but it came off more like a "Wait! That was it?"- kind of feeling. Not necessarily anti-climactic, but maybe not as shocking as I'd have hoped. At least they played the killer's demise and final showdown appropriately enough.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

The New Zodiac or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying, Because It Doesn't Really Matter

I'm very amused by this whole "New Zodiac" business. I came home from work to find a number of my friends on Facebook flipping out because they now have a new Zodiac sign. So I did a little research, and discovered that there's even a new sign itself: "Ophiuchus". More on that, later. Since my birthday is on August 16th, I'm still a Leo. But does it really make a difference?

According to a blog on Time, and a couple of other sources I checked out here and here, it appears all this craziness started because some scientists made big news about the Moon's gravitational pull shifting the Earth's position from the stars. This means that the Zodiac is off by a month or so. As the Minnesota Star-Tribune says (and I blatantly plagiarize from one of my sources):

The ancient Babylonians based zodiac signs on the constellation the sun was "in" on the day a person was born. During the ensuing millenniums, the moon's gravitational pull has made the Earth "wobble" around its axis, creating about a one-month bump in the stars' alignment.

And on top of that, astrologers want to add a 13th sign to the mix: "Ophiuchus, the Serpent-Bearer". He looks a little something like this:

Hmm, really BA? Or sexually suggestive? The jury's out on my end. Apparently, his story is that the ancient Babylonians threw his sign out of the mix because they only wanted twelve of them to begin with. I'm still bewildered by this reasoning, but then again, it's astrology.

Now realistically, how much does this really matter? Some of the sources I saw mentioned the new Zodiac only applies to those born after 2009 since that was when it was agreed upon. Others seem to really be buying into it (and maybe I'm guilty as charged for blogging about it). Nevertheless, TRUE science has shown there is absolutely no correlation between the stars and your personality. Unless your like some of my friends who have been saying the changes have stripped them of any excuse to be stubborn, grouchy, or any of the negative traits they scapegoat the Zodiac on. And that's why people care about the Zodiac, because we need something to explain the quirks of our personality and rely on horoscopes to lead us in some arbitrary direction of positive reinforcement, utilizing the good traits of the sign we fall under. Most of the time, that's all Zodiac signs are: GOOD TRAITS! Who wants to fall under a sign that characterizes themselves collectively as stubborn, grouchy, unnatractive, and lazy?

In that case, there's always the opinion of Weird Al Yancovic (with animation by AlbinoBlackSheep)...

The new signs are as follows:

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.

Still discouraged about your new sign? Don't worry, there's always the Chinese, elemental, and natural signs to think about.

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Network (1976)

Network is a film that at it's core is about the depiction of verisimilitude in broadcast media. Despite being 35 years old and grounded in 1970s social commentary, it's amazing how some of the issues prophesized by Peter Finch's character still ring true today. Many of us are quite "mad as hell" for what's been going on in the world, lately. Many of us wish there was something we could do about it. Like Anchorman but more serious, and Broadcast News but more dark, Network is that magical wake-up call for everyone; and a marvelous blend of satire and drama it is.

As a once-prominent news station starts to cut back on resources, including their head anchor, due to low ratings, the anchor announces to commit suicide on his final broadcast. This spirals off a media circus that spikes the station's ratings and resurrects their lineup for fresher programming under the fastidious eyes of execs Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall. Ultimately, the new life for the network becomes a beast that no one in the station realizes they really know how to tame. Aside from the aformentioned valid social commentary, Network is also a complex drama that personifies the trend in the media with it's characters. From the kings of the "good-'ol-days", with William Holden, to the vapid, but "hip-and-fresh" Faye Dunaway. Network is not only outstandingly acted, but written in mind that we're not only telling a story abut characters in broadcast news, we're telling a story about characters representing the evolution of it as well.

Despite all my kudos, I will say that Network can be a little slow at times with it's heavily engrossing subplots. The ending is also somewhat anticlimactic, without any tangible resolution towards some of the major characters. Obviously, this was intentional, but a touch nihilistic, which seemed random to me in the context of the story. Otherwise, in this day and age with a bad economy, senseless violence, and technophilia, Network definitely deserves revisiting by everyone.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (2009)

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is a wonderfully oddball feature from British quirkster and Monty Pythons alum Terry Gillam. The film may more be well known as Heath Ledger's official swansong from Hollywood, as his death required completion of his role by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell as alternate personifications of his character. The effect works wonderfully; I was uneasy that Gillam could pull it off at first, but I was wrong, and found myself enjoying a whimsical, if not overly-bizarre fantasy gem.

Aesthetically, the film is great. Gillam brings together a world full of colorful art direction that's augmented by some respectfully well-done CGI. It's very reminiscent of films like MirrorMask that serve as the film's larger attraction. I'm sure if the production had a bit more money, this would fit right in IMAX territory with it's visuals. As I may have inferred earlier, the acting is good, with a lot of familiar faces from British cinema, and even Verne Troyer as a right-hand to the Dr. himself.

So, what could have possibly kept me from falling completely head-over-heels with this tale of whimsy? The fact that the story was a lot for me to take in on the first try. I got a basic gist of what was going on, but I was so engrossed in the visuals it was really hard to pay attention to the story. When I finished, I looked up a synopsis and it made a little more sense to me, I just didn't understand why it was much harder to convey to me the first time around. Nevertheless, if you enjoy fantasy, this should be right up your alley.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

Tuscon Arizona Shooting UPDATE: Christina Taylor Green

As many of you are probably already aware, Jared Lee Loughner; the gunman in the Tuscon, Arizona shooting on January 8th testified in court today. Although the details from what I'm trying to read about it are sketchy, it appears he didn't speak much; the media is still trying to scapegoat like crazy and the affected are still reeling in from the shock, and I don't blame them. I did want to bring attention to one of the victims, who's plight deeply affected me, as I'm sure it has to many others: Christina Taylor Green

This nine year-old girl was the youngest victim of Jared Lee Loughner's heinous spree. Born on September 11th, 2001; a day forever etched in my memory when terrorists conducted the deadliest attack on American soil. She was among those featured in a photograpy book called Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11. Her father spoke on CNN so arrestingly: "She came in on a tragedy, and she left on a tragedy. But the nine years between were special". Only because her interest in politics moved her to meet her state representative where the violence broke out, Christina's death was a horrible consequence of simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

While at work, I mulled over copies of The New York Post and New York Daily News articles over who the victims were last Saturday. Although they're not my favorite newspapers in the world, the articles about Christina from the perspective of her grandfather (Dallas Green, former manager for the Yankees and the Mets) were very moving. I'll post them here and here.

People die and are born every day of human existence, but the circumstances and personal history of Christina's death are disturbingly, and saddeningly symbolistic. I like to think that as Americans, we are able to learn something from 9/11, and come together in greater strength as a nation. Nearly ten years since that tragedy, we still face the grim reality that not everyone shares the same optimism as many of us would hope to. I'm pretty sure Jared Loughner had no idea the girl he killed was born on 9/11, but what she meant to her family because of that day, and for many of us who would later learn, it's as if Loughner killed a piece of hope that she represented to so many people. In the days of a bad economy brought on by irresponsible spending, and acerbic political smear campaigns, it makes me wonder if we are still learning about what it takes to be civilized in the moral sense of the word. With every tragedy that occurs in our lives, we stop and pause for reflection, but there's a reason why we took history classes in school - to learn about preventing them happening again.

My thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is probably my favorite western film. I know some chickenhawk out there is groaning over this clean-cut American boy appreciating a spaghetti western over some good 'ol John Wayne, but hey, this has Clint Eastwood! And spaghetti westerns were filmed with an appreciation for the American Old West. How much more American can you get? In case you were wondering, spaghetti westerns were Italian westerns filmed usually in the arid plains of southern Spain with international casts who were later dubbed into English or Italian. Back in the day, Sergio Leone was the master of them, and aside from the hysterical dubbing, they pulled off an uncanny resemblance to the American Southwest. And how can I forget the iconic theme song:

The film deals with three bandits of different personalities (personified by the title) on a rat race for treasure, two of the bandits (Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach) frequently cross paths with one another and reluctantly join forces, because both know something about the location of the treasure that the other doesn't. The unspoken condition is they can't kill each other, or all is lost.

Along with this story, comes some sharp dialogue that may surprise you in it's cleverness as being quite ahead of it's time. It's easy to see from films like this where Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez derived all the written moxie from their own works. And yes, while at almost three hours in length, it's a considerable time investement, they seem to fly by like you wouldn't even realize it. It's easy to become so engrossed in the adventure aspect of the whole movie; it's films like these that really make westerns come off as art. I highly recommend anyone to check it out at least once in their lifetime.

10/10

Peace,
- Jon

Food for Thought: Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup

Again with the Perfect Thai cookbook, I was originally going to prepare this along with the chicken dish I posted the other day, but I just didn't have the energy. So I cooked it up yesterday, and I was quite pleased with the results. I even had some leftover noodles that I served up with the chicken, and it was amazing. And since I altered the recipe just slightly, once again, I'm going to post it. I substituted the ingredient vegetable stock for chicken broth, so it's not completely vegan, but then again, I'm not vegan, and I never will be. So I didn't see the point in buying or making vegetable stock when I had a more savory substitute. You be the judge on which one's more palatable:

- 1 Onion, sliced

- 2 Garlic cloves, chopped

- 1 Carrot, sliced

- 1 Zucchini, sliced

- 2 Broccoli heads, chopped

- 4 Cups vegetable stock or 1 32oz carton of chicken broth

- 1 Can of coconut milk

- 4 Tbsp of soy sauce

- 1 Small package of red curry paste

- 1 Small package of rice noodles

- 1 Can of soybean sprouts

- A handful of chopped fresh cilantro

- Olive oil

Heat a skillet and coat with olive oil. Stir-fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrot, zucchini and broccoli, stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Pour the stock/broth, coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Add the soy sauce, curry paste, and noodles for about 2-3 minutes or until the noodles are cooked. Add the bean sprouts and cilantro, and serve immediately.

It's pretty spicy on the first try, but I got used to it after that. My mom had to cut it with Greek yogurt because she couldn't really handle the heat, so you always have that option. I thought this soup was delicious, and it's pretty easy to make!

It's currently snowing out like crazy, and the Jets are driving me crazy on Saturday Night Football...

Mangia!

- Jon

DOUBLE VIDEO GAME REVIEW: God of War III (2010) & Time Crisis: Razing Storm (2010)

God of War III, and the rest of the series are a guilty pleasure for me. I say that not because they're bad games, but their reputation as gratuitously violent and brutal hack-and-slashers, loosely based on Greek mythology is in stark contrast to my personality. In this entry of the series, the protagonist, Kratos, the God of War is waging an assault on Mt. Olympus with the exiled titans who were once betrayed by Zeus. Upon confrontation, Kratos once again finds himself against all odds and with little allies in taking down the gods once and for all.

Although I bought a PS3 mainly for the Blu-Ray player, I've been amazed by the quality of the games that have been put out for it. GOW3 is one of those games that despite it's grisly nature, is absolutely beautiful to look at and play. For example: cutscenes run seamlessly with the gameplay, and utilize the already impressive visuals. It goes without saying that as impressive as they are, I was definitely wincing during some of the game's more gorier moments. Gameplay remains roughly the same with a few new added touches, such as magic being incorporated into weapons and a couple new maneuvering tricks. One fun element was the "Icarus flight sequences" which took me back to the Nintendo platforming days when you were moving from one end of the screen to another at high speeds, avoiding debris and anything that got in your way. With all the fun you'll have, it's a strange feeling when you start realizing how dark the game gets in mood. The ending itself even falls in tragic Greek fashion. This didn't necessarily hamper my enjoyment, but it left me feeling a little negative for the characters. Still, everyone who made this game did an amazing job, and it shows.

9/10

Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to own one of the Time Crisis games, but I could never shell out enough cash for the game and the accessories. Well, 10+ years later, all that has changed since I invested in the PlayStation Move - Sony's competition in the wireless games market.

Sure, I think the controllers look ridiculous, but they're supposed to have better tracking than the Wii, or Microsoft's Kinect on the Xbox. Plus, they're extremely versatile, as is in this case. For the game though, there's not a lot of depth to either of the three games that are included in the package. I can't understand all the mixed reviews they've been getting, though. I knew what I was getting myself into when I invested in these games and I love them for what they are; an excuse to blast pixelated terrorists off my TV screen (that didn't sound psychotic of me at all, huh?). "Razing Storm" takes place in the future and is about a counterterrorism team fighting robots in South America. The other two games are "Time Crisis 4" which is a port of the arcade game you can find in the movie theatre about counterterrorists fighting through various exotic locales, and "Deadstorm Pirates", a pirate-themed shooter with a crew on a treasure hunt. The calibration was pretty easy, and I didn't have too many problems with it. The gun controller does get pretty heavy in my hands after awhile, though.

8/10

Whew, onto my other postings that I promised...
- Jon

Tuscon Arizona Shooting

Earlier this morning, it was reported that a 22 year-old gunman by the name of Jared Loughner opened fire on a shopping center in Tuscon, Arizona. Among his eighteen victims; six of which were killed, included Federal Judge John McCarthy Roll and Democratic State Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Roll was killed, while Giffords survived an "in-out" gunshot wound to the head. At the time of this writing, she's been sent to the ICU.

One of the more interesting things I've been hearing across the web is Sarah Palin's "involvement" in this unspeakable tragedy. Apparently, her PAC had made the following campaign ad, prior to the 2010 midterm elections. The ad placed a target over Tuscon, representing Palin's wishes for Republicans to defeat the incumbent Giffords because of her support and ultimately pledged protection for President Obama's healthcare reform. More can be read about "Sarah PAC"'s campaign goals here.

Now, don't get me wrong, I dislike Sarah Palin as much as the next person with an ample amount of brain cells. Her credibility as a politician and a helmswoman for the Republican party are, in my opinion, embarrassing for conservative Americans (and Americans in general). She's a hyper-charismatic cheerleader for the GOP with too much money and too little social cognizance or cultural sensitivity. This kind of political campaigning; putting targets on a map, is an example of her lack of insight towards considering the type of implications that ads like these can make.

However, in her defense, I think a lot of what these bloggers are insinuating by saying malarky such as "Palin ordered a hit on Giffords!" or "Palin provoked the gunman with her campaign!" is a tad far-fetched. I think the global lesson here is where one person makes a mistake, the other side makes themselves no better by turning a horrible tragedy into an excuse to sling mud at the other side of Giffords' political party. How come none of these crazy bloggers are calling this a hate crime, either? Didn't anyone fail to point out that Giffords is Jewish? No one is going to win by pointing fingers at each other, but hopefully this event will serve as a call to review the kind of language and themes politicians use when they make these campaigns.

I don't think we're going to know for a while what Jared Loughner's exact motives were to attack that Tuscon shopping center, whether they were politically motivated, or if he's just crazy. What I did find was this interesting video from his (now deactivated) MySpace page:

Misunderstood visionary? Or misguided, unrestrained radical? I know typically not to judge a book by it's cover, but senslessly killing six people inclines me to lean towards the latter.

My thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims,
- Jon

DOUBLE FEATURE MOVIE REVIEW: Death at a Funeral (2010) & The Muppet Movie (1979)

Death at a Funeral is an unfortunate case of a missed opportunity. In this American remake, and in the same mold as the original, a dysfunctional family reunites at the patriarch's funeral, only to find the cracks deepen in their bonds as secrets, revelations, and mishaps drive them out of their minds. Although I had seen the original, and rather enjoyed it for it's quirky-yet-screwball blend of humor, I was willing to give the remake a chance since I felt it actually showed some promise: All-star cast of funny people and decent actors, along with the original screenwriter. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, I have no problem with re-hashes, as long as they're done right, like Home Alone 2, but this plays out more like a bad TV-movie remake of the original with shockingly bland crude humor. Like I said before, with the pedigree of the cast, it's disappointing that neither Chris Rock nor Martin Lawrence even bothered to bring their own brand of humor to the table. They along with the majority of the famous people in the cast seem like they're striving to play parts that are horribly underwritten for what they are normally capable of. And when it seemed like things were going blisfully silly for the first hour, the first of a few arbitrary gross-out gags happen, and it is gross. I won't spoil it, but I will say it involves Danny Glover, and feces.

All in all, I will warn anyone who enjoyed the original that they may be let down, perhaps unsurprisingly by the lower quality this American remake is. The cast tries hard, but their energy gets trounced by the awful script. However, I'll admit that I did laugh here and there, just not enough to satiate my level of expectation that I had for a "stupid-brainless-comedy", it's that, but very "blah" at the same time, too.

6/10

Living at home for the time being, I find myself with more leisure than I anticipated. Part of that involves these random moments of recapturing my childhood with things like movies I'll expect to still find remotely good as an adult. The Muppet Movie is one of those movies.

Part-road movie, part-musical. Muppet Movie deals with Kermit The Frog re-telling his big move to Hollywood from the swamp, how he got famous, and met his current friends and colleagues. A number of stars from the time the film was released make some hilarious cameos, as well. I had not seen this in quite a number of years, but in between that time and now, it still managed to make me laugh. There's something about The Muppets that makes them enjoyable for adults as well as kids, perhaps it's that they're still adorable and innocently-humored, but their naivete is something we can all relate to. Apparently, the powers-that-be have Jason Segal resurrecting them in a new movie due out later this year, and I hope it's going to be good. If I had any problem with The Muppet's first feature, it's that the story goes so quickly, the characters lose a little credibility in how their friendships started and relationships developed. But hey, they're The Muppets! And you can't necessarily expect Shakespeare when watching their stuff, either.

8/10

(Next review: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966))

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim was one of those movies that came out of nowhere last summer and became one of those minor cult hits. Although I missed it in theatres due to the majority of my summer being unfortunately owned by studying for the LSAT, I slowly learned of this film's origins after my interest was piqued over Facebook via buzz from my friends. Apparently, Scott Pilgrim started out as a graphic novel, seeded in anime and video game fandom. The movie does great justice at honoring the novel's "cultural heritige" and it's pretty entertaining, too.

The opening logo for Universal Studios sets the tone with 8-bit graphics and two-tone MIDI fanfare, plus, I found it hilariously cheesy.

Scott Pilgrim deals with a 22-year old wayward guitarist of the same name who falls for an enigmatic, hipster with technicolor hair named Ramona. However, in order to date her, he must battle her "seven evil exes". These spurned boyfriends (mostly) are Scott's main conflict of the film and test his moral balance between his love life and friends.

As you can see from the opening credits, the film's style is saturated in comic book/anime visuals and countless throwbacks to second-generation video games. This makes for a very entertaining and unique approach, and makes Scott Pilgrim really feel as if we're watching a living manga or casual RPG video game a la River City Ransom. The director is Edgar Wright, who also worked on Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. The acting is pretty servicible for a movie of this genre, Michael Cera is still playing a pathetic loser, but at least he knows how to pull a punch, this time around.

If I had any problem with Scott Pilgrim, it's probably that it's a slight case of style over substance. The momentum of the film felt a little uneven for me; and I found myself in a position where halfway through, I was waiting for Scott's next fight scene and hoping his exhaustingly emo attitude would eventually be shoved aside. This only made things slightly predictable, but overall, the film was a fun romp. I really appreciated the time and energy the production team put into making the film as flashy and dorky as it could be; definitely a guilty pleasure.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

(Next review: Death at a Funeral (2010))

Food for Thought: Thai Yellow Curry Chicken

Last Christmas, I received a cookbook called Perfect Thai from my sister. As some of you may not already know, Thai happens to be one of my favorite cuisines. I love cooking in general, and I'll make anything as long as it's good. But something about the freshness and complexity of flavors in Thai food is something I find very enjoyable. And since I tinkered with the original recipe a bit, I'll share it without hesitation:

- 1 package of chicken breasts, cut into strips

- 1 and 3/4 cups of water

- 2 small onions, chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 2 8oz containers of plain yogurt

- 1 small package of yellow curry paste

- 1 small package of baby corn (didn't use in this 'round, 'cause the supermarket was sold out)

- A handful of chopped basil

- A handful of chopped cilantro

- A 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric (for color)

- Olive oil

- Some flour (optional)

Here's the thing with cooking - I'm not a stickler for exact amounts because sometimes that drives me a little nuts. After cooking something the first time, I get a basic sense of what it needs, so I guarantee you, these directions won't steer you wrong.

In a large skillet, coat the pan with olive oil and add heat. After the oil is heated, cook the curry paste for about 2-3 minutes and add the yogurt, water, cilantro, turmeric, and basil, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add a bit of flour if the sauce needs extra thickening. Lower the heat when it starts to boil and let it simmer. In a separate pot, cook the chicken with the corn, onions and garlic. Add the sauce to the chicken and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is ready. Serve with rice, garnish with chopped cilantro. Should take about 35-40 minutes, tops.

...and the finished product:

Even if you're not a fan of spicy, this dish has a warm, buttery taste that has only the slightest kick at the end.

Hmm, it's apparently supposed to snow in my neck of the woods tonight. Good thing I'm off from work tomorrow! Maybe I'll just enjoy some more of this...

Mangia!
- Jon