Archive for "Reviews"
Finally Got to See Twilight
Posted on November 29, 2008 by Ching under Movies, Reviews.
Managed to talk Brian into taking me to see Twilight this afternoon. It was a bit of a disappointment. It did not do the book justice at all. This is a perfect example of why I loathe reading books before watching the movie version. Despite my apparent lack of imagination, they somehow never live up to my expectations.
Then again, if I would have watched the movie first and find it spectacular then I probably wouldn’t want to read the books. Similarly, if I really enjoy the movie and think it is fantastic then sometimes I don’t feel the need to read the book, or I think that reading the book might ruin the movie somehow. So you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. I guess if I really want to read the book, the only way to go about it is read it before watching the movie and just hoping that the movie doesn’t suck.
I guess I’m kind of glad that I started reading the books first because I definitely would not want to read them after such an unimpressive movie. The movie plot followed the book for the most part, but they took liberties and rearranged the events and cut some stuff out. I’m sure all of this is necessary, but I think they could have come up with a better screenplay.
Casting could have been better also. The vampire characters were not nearly half as beautiful as the book made them out to be. Edward could have been more handsome, and Carlisle too. Alice was okay, but I imagined her hair shorter. Rosalie definitely should have been more beautiful (no offense to Nikki Reed because is definitely a babe in her own right, I think maybe she just looks better as a tan brunette). None of them met my expectations. Then again, I could have been distracted by the horrible makeup and bad acting. =P
I told Brian that the movie was only worth two and a half stars in my book. Brian said he could have waited for it to come out on Netflix, but it wasn’t as bad as that. He gives it three stars. I’m thinking that he wouldn’t be so forgiving if he read the book. I guess the book kind of ruined the movie for me. I can’t decide, though. I’m not sure if the movie was bad because I read the book prior or if it was just poorly done altogether and reading the book or not reading the book wouldn’t have made a difference. I just hope they do a better job on the sequel.
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Michelle Monaghan
Posted on October 19, 2008 by Ching under Movies, Reviews.
Just finished a Michelle Monaghan movie marathon. First, we caught The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
Heartbreak Kid
Made of Honor (2008)
The movie was better than I expected. It was nice to see Kevin McKidd, though his was more of a supporting role. I really loved him in Rome
What I liked about Made of Honor
I guess it gives hope to the lonely man-hos of the world. You too can find true love. After all, everyone deserves a shot at happily ever after right?
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Hard Candy (2005)
Posted on October 18, 2008 by Ching under Movies, Reviews.
Ellen Page in Hard Candy (2005), a twisted movie depicting what can happen when the predator becomes the prey.
If you thought that Ellen Page was great in Juno
She is fantastic in it. I can’t believe that I hadn’t seen in until now. And, I can’t believe that Brian didn’t want to see it.
I added it to my Netflix queue without having watched its trailer or preview and without any preconceived notions so I really didn’t know what it would be about. Brian started the movie for me before his nap. When read the description on the sleeve, he made a comment about it being another “Lolita” movie. I asked him what he meant. He replied simply that it is a movie about a teenage girl who hooks up with an old guy. That is totally not the case. Well, that’s what Jeff (the male character in the movie thinks)… But he had no idea what he was getting himself into. There are just some really twisted people out there.
Hard Candy
The end of the movie left me feeling that this is one movie that is a must-see for those guys who keeping getting busted on Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” series. I think it would really make them think twice about what they’re doing. Seriously.
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Unlucky at Poker but Lucky in Life
Posted on July 21, 2008 by Ching under Life, Poker, Reviews.
I was a bit downtrodden after getting knocked out of the $45 (plus one $20 rebuy) 11 PM poker tournament at the Sahara last night with three tables still going. I was severly short-stacked and was pretty much folding everything.
I was big blind with a third of my stack already folded. This guy looked at my stack and asked how much I had left. Fearlessly, I showed him what I’ve got left even though this is one of my pet peeves. He raised just enough to put me all in. Everyone else folds and action goes back to me. I look down at K-9 off suit. Normally, I would never even play these cards but given the situation I felt the correct choice was to call and put my tournament life on the line.
I figured that he was weak and was simply bullying me into surrendering my big blind. When I called he said, “You caught me.” I read him correctly. He had 3-6 off suit and was totally bluffing. I suppose he expected to be able to buy the pot uncontested. I’m thinking if I were a guy, he never would have made such a move on me. However, since I’m a girl he thought he could bully me.
What he failed to take into account was the fact that I was short-stacked and already had a third of my stack in the middle. Given the odds offered by the pot, I was committed to call with any two cards just about.
I was pleased that I made a good read. The flop was all junk, but I did manage to hit top pair. I hit the 9. The turn was blank and I was so close to doubling up. Unfortunately, the bully rivered a 5 for a straight. Just like that, I was knocked out of the tournament. I was a good sport and told him “Nice hand,” before I got up from my chair and left the event. You can’t beat lucky, no matter how foolish they might be.
Now, I had been enduring a “backless” phone for the last three days. I had lost the back cover of my phone somewhere between the Sahara and Mandalay Bay while we were on our way to the wedding yesterday. We were in a hurry and there were crows everywhere so I didn’t even realize when it came off. Anyway, as much as I hate having to spend another $300 on a new phone, Brian and I figured we would just hit the local T-Mobile store and look for any 2 MP phones they might have. They are more common now than when I first got my Wing so we were thinking we might be able to get one cheaply with another 2-year contract.
When we got there, there weren’t really any phones that were of interest. They didn’t have any other 2 MP touchscreens. The new phones don’t come out until fall, about September. The guy at the store said we might be able to save money by just ordering a new back cover for my Wing from HTC. It would be way cheaper than getting a new phone. The downside is that I would have to wait for them to ship it to me.
I guess he felt sorry for me because he pulled off the back cover from another phone and just gave it to me to put on my phone. So now my phone has a back cover again. And, I got to save my money. I totally didn’t expect this so I was truly dazzled. It’s not everyday that someone goes the extra mile and does something that they really don’t have to do. We asked him a couple of times if he was sure that this was okay and he told us not to worry about it. Wow! Is that lucky or what? It works out because I had originally planned to hold out and just keep using my crappy phone until the new phone models come out.
I love T-Mobile! Not only do they have the best rate plans, but they have good people too. I am going to be a loyal customer for life. Well, that and I’m contractually obligated. LOL.
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Cloverfield Revealed
Posted on January 20, 2008 by Brian under Movies, Reviews.
Well I took advantage of the weekend lull in my schedule and went to see Cloverfield. Let me tell you that I was a little disappointed in the movie. I was impressed with the special effects but that was about it. The camera footage was very nauseating and was almost a little too much to watch. The monster was pretty cool but you don’t really get to see too much of it because the the camera footage is so jerky and bad.
As I stated before, I was excited to see this film because it was a J.J. Abrams film. However, I was worried about this being just a Sci-fi version of the Blair Witch Project and I was right on. The story was not complete, it did not tell us where the monster came from. It did not really tell us if the monster was destroyed. It gave no real explanation of the creature other than it was really big, dropped little bugs that could infect you with something that made you explode and was damn near indestructible.
When the credits rolled there were so many people just sitting in the theater wondering if that was it. As the music started people slowly got up and walked out but still looking at the screen like they were waiting for more to happen. I sat and waited till the very end just in case (but mostly because I was disappointed and wanting more). My wife was with me as was my father and my wife looked at me after the credits and said quite disgustedly “What the hell was that”. Then I had to listen to how dumb that was for the next hour. Now I am going to have to go see at least 4 chick flicks to make up for it.
All-in-all, I was a little disappointed in this film as was most of the people that I saw in the theater. This was not J.J. Abrams best in my opinion.
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