Archive for "Movies"
Movies
Posted on May 9, 2004 by Ching under Movies.
Brian and I went to see Van Helsing yesterday with his friend Keith (he went with us to Exploration Place last year). I think I would’ve enjoyed the movie more if it weren’t for the crappy dialogue. They obviously spent a lot of money on the effects — hell, even their website isn’t the kind that you get on the cheap — and then, of course, you have to spend a pretty penny to develop a game.. I think after all the spending, it suddenly dawned on them that they didn’t have a script and there was no money left! Either that or the script writer was asleep or drunk most of the time because the quality of the dialogue just wasn’t up to par with the special effects and actually the rest of the movie.
I’m not sure if they were meaning for it to be a satire and the cheesiness was on purpose (think LXG, that would be a good example of “good” cheesy). But throughout out the movie I couldn’t decide if they were wanting us to take the movie seriously or if they’re intentionally trying to be cheesy. I just didn’t get it.
Thank God for Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsdale (two actors that I happen to like) even though they got screwed in the dialogue. They’re both good looking people who are pretty to look at (that’s not enough for most folks, though).. Carl, the friar, had the best lines (I thought) and that’s pretty sad considering he’s just the bumbling sidekick. Actually, what saved me from utter boredom was the good special effects and action sequences. Remember Hellboy was the opposite: more story, less action (not to say it was better because I was kind of bored during that movie and struggled to keep myself awake — could be because I was really tired that day, though, hard to say). I think if VH would’ve had the same depth as HB, it would’ve made for a much better movie overall. But then, with limited resources, certain compromises have to be made. It is obvious that the dialogue was not a high enough their list of priorities.
I felt bad because Brian had been eagerly anticipating the release of this movie and it turned out to be crap. He didn’t seem phased by it, though. He says he liked it. So all is well that ends well, I guess.
P.S. Great previews at the beginning of the movie! That’s something that I was truly excited about. Three interesting films that I want to see: The Village, The Bourne Supremacy (a sequel to one of my favorite movies, The Bourne Identity, if you’ve been living under a rock) and The Chronicles of Riddick (I think this was the theatrical trailer because it showed way more scenes than what they’ve been showing on TV; I actually found out that Thandie Newton is in the movie so I am even more eager to see it now).
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Mona Lisa Smile
Posted on December 19, 2003 by Ching under Movies.
So mom, Brian and I are talking about seeing Mona Lisa Smile on Sunday. But dad, being the stubborn person that is, is trying to be difficult as usual. He makes it seem like it’s a horrible, horrible movie — which it isn’t. I’m like, it’s not like he has anything else better to do. But dad always finds excuses.
So I continue to beg and plead for him to watch MLS with us. Dad’s like, “Why would I want to watch movie whose title rhymes with PMS?”
Anyway, I went to their website today and found this. I guess creativity and great sense of humor run in the family. But somehow, I don’t think mom finds it as amusing as the rest of us do. Â
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Not Doing Homework
Posted on November 9, 2003 by Ching under Movies, School.
Someone should really be doing homework right now. I think because I know I’ve got As in all of my classes I’ve become complacent. I should really keep up the effort because if my grades could still slip. The end of the semester is not quite upon us after all.
By the way, The Matrix: Revolution was okay. We went to see it with Ashley and Andy last night. Erin and Jason were there too. I wish that I would’ve asked them but I asked Ashley and she said no one else wanted to go. Incidentally, Jason proposed to Erin last weekend. That was really exciting!
I was kind of disappointed with the movie. I don’t know what I was expecting and why I wasn’t expecting peace but I didn’t like that it ended in a truce. I wish that the humans would’ve won or even if the machines won the war and decimated that humans that would be fine too. That’s how it ended the previous times because, remember, there have been other “ones” before Neo. I don’t like this peace thing.
The effects were really good though. The robots were good. I liked the rain-drop-face-punch, that was good. The ending was anti-climactic but overall, I guess the movie was pretty good.
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Underworld
Posted on September 21, 2003 by Ching under Movies.
Underworld was ten times better than I ever imagined it would be. The movie thoroughly exceeded my expectations but I totally dug it. Brian has always been the one fixated on vampire films. We both thought the movie would be great because, simply put, it was like Blade but with Matrix flair. We were wrong. It was so much more than that. I enjoyed it immensely and I didn’t get bogged down with the usual loopholes that I find in most films. There were none. They did a great job with the story line. It was a Romeo and Juliet story that touched on the racial stuggles that may not be as prevalent today but still exist in certain cultures. The message I came away with was, by uniting together we can be better, stronger people. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a preachy movie. Neither did it try to force the moral down your throat. Brian didn’t even notice the profundity of the movie until it was brought to his attention. It’s action from beginning to end. The effects were great. On the surface, it is an awesome film. Digging deeper only makes it better. I have nothing bad to say about this movie. If we were able to pre-order our DVD copy now, I would. Yes, it’s that good.
If Underworld isn’t enough to get your lazy ass out of your easy chair, then how about bonus time at Clinique? They’re offering a fabulous free gift offer just for making a purchase of $19.50 or more. That’s one of the best deals I’ve seen of late. So go to your nearest Clinique counter before supplies are depleted!
While you’re out, stop by On the Border and pick up a Kahlua ice cream pie and some of their yummy empanadas. That’s what we had for dinner tonight. Carry out — it’s a good thing! Â
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Our Weekend
Posted on September 20, 2003 by Ching under Life, Movies.
Brian and I didn’t get up and start getting ready until about two o’clock in the afternoon today but we were still pretty productive. It didn’t dawn on me that it was late until we were at KFC. The last couple of times we’ve dined there, we were there during the lunch rush (after school and before going to work) so they’re always busy. Today it was just the two of us and one other patron.
“This is weird,” I told Brian. “They’re usually busier than this during lunch time. Where’s everyone at?” When I looked at my watch, I realized that it’s after three already!
After lunch we stopped by T-Mobile to give Brian’s team lead Jennifer $20 for the Entertainment 2004 coupon book that he purchased from her thru her son’s school fundraiser. Then we were off to Shoe Carnival to buy Brian a pair of hiking boots. We actually did pretty well. For a little over a hundred bucks we got Brian a pair of comfortable and sturdy Columbia hiking boots and I got me two pairs of boots. They were the same kind but I always get multiple colors of stuff that I like so I got a pair in black and a pair in dark brown. Brian didn’t think that he would find any shoes that he would like there but I made him a deal that if his shoes were $40 or less I would buy them for him. His shoes came out to $49 and some change but the difference was only $10 so I went ahead and bought them. They match his A&F camos (I was going to link to them but I can’t find them on the website, we got them for $79 at the Towne East store) that I got for him a couple of months ago. He was just teasing me about having expensive taste in clothing too but I told him, “I’m not the one with an $80 pair of pants!” Actually I’ve got some that were that much or more but I’ve usually purchased them on sale for half price. That doesn’t count, though.
But I digress.. I really went there to look for some tall lace up boots to wear with my skye pleated mini (shown below) but I couldn’t find any that would work so I’ll just have to check out what Journeys has to offer. Incidentally, Brian absolutely hates that store because there is this one guy who thinks he knows Brian and he is always overly chatty. I don’t think it’s the fact that he knows Brian, I think it’s just because they make money on commission so they have to be overly assertive — not as aggressive as those Jamaicans outside Dunn River Falls though, that’s another experience altogether!
By contrast Shoe Carnival is more laid back. Plus it’s the most fun shoe store ever! I got to play basketball (like the ones at the arcade) while Brian was looking for his shoes and I didn’t even have to use any quarters! They also have trivia questions and then they give you prizes if you guess correctly. And then there’s the money wheel for discounts off your purchase. You get to spin it if you buy socks but I didn’t find out until we were checking out and I couldn’t find socks quick enough. Next time, you better believe I’m spinning the money wheel!
Brian wanted to get some DVDs because he’s going to be off work the rest of the week with nothing to do so Hollywood Videos was our next stop. We rented Malibu’s Most Wanted, Cowboy Bebop the Movie, Anger Management, The Core, Identity and The Debut. I wanted to rent Deliver Us from Eva too but I really didn’t know when I would find the time to watch it so I didn’t force the issue. I was just really relieved that Brian agreed to rent The Debut, a Filipino movie that I first heard of on Trinnah’s site. Eddie Garcia, Tirso Cruz III and Gina Alajar (these are some old-school Pinoy actors, if you don’t know them) are all in it. Mom, if you’re reading this you can find it on Amazon. It’s not a bad movie.
After the movie, we went to Sumo for some sushi (our every other week routine). We had California Rolls, Shrimp Tempura, Chicken Yakitori and rice. I had some Kampai (a yummy frozen concoction) and didn’t get carded so that was nice. I hate having to whip out my driver’s license every single time. I took it as a sign of familiarity, which is always good. I hope someday we’ll reach the same level of familiarity there that we’ve reached at Felipe’s Jr. — except now that Felipe’s has expanded, there are more people that don’t know us now.
Anyway, I still have photos from our trip to Topeka last week. We have some pictures from the National Guard Museum at Forbes Field. I posted some highlights on Fotolog but I haven’t really had the opportunity to process any of the pictures for posting here. It should be up in the next few days. Stay tuned!
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