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Song of the Day: Kissing Families - Silversun Pickups

• Author: David Mitchell
• Category: Fiction

There are books that hook you, grip you and will not let you go until you finish them and this one is one of those, falling in the category of Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and Atwood’s Oryx & Crake, and though thematically they are different, they all have that engrossing quality to them. Needless to say, I am quickly becoming a David Mitchell fan, who has batted two out of two for me with amazing skill.

Like Cloud Atlas, Number 9 Dream was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, unlike Cloud Atlas, this book is a lot more accessible, with a straight forward storyline that does employ a number of flashbacks and side stories to set itself up, but done in a way that is easy to follow and rather entertaining.

Based in japan, Number 9 Dream tells the story of Eiji Miyake, a young man of twenty with an overactive imagination that is determined to find his father, whom he has never met, in Tokyo. Having suffered enough as far as his family life goes, Eiji is sure that finding his father will be the first step to a better life, or at least a life that he will have an easier time understanding. However, what the young aspiring soccer player and country boy does not know, is that in his search for father, he will be tugged into the ruthless underbelly of Tokyo in a way that will change his life forever, not to mention his point of view in the meaning of family.

Mitchell impresses, with a voice that is clearly in control, characters that are unique, believable and interesting, though they may or may not be likable. Throughout the novel the author does a magnificent job balancing, suspense, thrills, fantasies and humor. If anything, this book ended up reminding me of my experience reading Catche in the Rye, and that is a tremendous compliment.

There is one minor plot point which I found too convenient and given the complexity and the multiple layers that Mitchell operates in, it sticks out like a sore thumb, which is unfortunate because it could have easily been changed to make it less obvious (for those wondering, I am speaking of Suga’s gift). Outside of that, this is a fully entertaining read that keeps you  hooked through the entirety of the read.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Notes: Some violent content here, not exactly a read for the younger crowd.

Song of the day: Green Grass - Tom Waits

• Director: Julian Schnabel
• Genre: Drama/Biography
• Year: 2007

I have used the term visual poetry to describe a film before: The New World. I would like to use the term again, but not in the same fashion. If we were talking music, The New Word would be the symphony and this would be far less orchestrated, simpler, definitely more approachable, but by no means lacking power.

You know that shot that I loved from Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice? The peach colored veil with dancing patches of salmon and gold that is meant to represent Lizzie’s closed eyes, aimed at the sun registering the shadows produced by overhead foliage swimming over her? Well, it seems to me Julian Schnabel liked it as well and decided to dissect it, study it and then run with it.

Tilted shots, indecisive focus, streaks and blurs all culminate to create an unorthodox way of telling a story where part of the time you become, with surreal effect, Jean-Dominique Bauby, former editor of Elle magazine and highly acclaimed journalist as he wakes from his coma. His world, becomes our world, his frustrations our own, his sadness and triumphs, become that much more personal.

No intrusive soundtrack here, but the sound of lightly reverberated voices that lock you up, in that diving suit he continues to see himself in, as if a sheet of glass separated him - us- from the world. The effect is frighteningly real and though the story is not entirely told this way and we are given the opportunity to step out for a ‘breather’, so to speaks, this first person tool is utilize with great effectiveness throughout the film.

Make no mistake, the artistic touch is here, in every askew shot and blinding flash of light, from the sideways buildings that threaten to collapse over you after granting you a novel angle to the alienating, symbolic shots of the wheelchair on a barren platform surrounded by the chaotic play of the waves.

The reality of the event, a man who lived success only to have it taken by him when he suffers from a stroke that leaves him almost entirely paralyzed, which leaves him - in his words - with three working parts, his imagination, his memories and his left eye. He communicates through blinks and after forcing himself to pick up where he left off, he goes on to write a memoir which eventually became the basis for this movie.

Humorous at times, highly emotional at others, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a tremendous biographical ride of the sort that leaves you watching the credits quietly, trying to digest the affective load that has been dumped on you and connecting dots together, in an effort to marry what has just been witnessed and the way it applies to one’s individual life. In a word: profound.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Notes: Brief nudity, adult situations and some highly emotional moments. French language with English subtitles. I should also note, Marie-Josee Croze is as charming as ever and Mathieu Amalric continues to impress.
Quote: Jean-Dominique Bauby: A poet once said, “Only a fool laughs when nothing’s funny”

Song of the Day: Duality - The Martial Arts

…is this thing on? It looks like the site has come back, which is a good thing, the bad news is that I am also trying to meet my deadline to get my show up on the air by the start of the month so this means that I may not be able to get you the other chunk of my report on Comic-Con until later…possibly tonight if I find myself with some time. I appreciate your patience on this.

-Fco.

Song of the Day: Run - RZA

So it begins, the Con and as always I am entirely excited about this. Well, perhaps not as much as other times I have come, mostly due to the fact that there are no real impending movies which I am really looking forward to, that are going to have panels. Nevertheless, the Con is the Con and that is always enough to get me excited.

This morning  we got the professional passes and no sooner than I was stuffing my bag of goodies into my backpack, than I was asked if I was Vin Diesel’s younger brother. Really? Cause I shave my head, is that it? I’ve never looked in the mirror and thought of Vin Diesel, but whatever. The exhibit floor has been rearranged, the organization format that I was used to is now different, which makes it a little bit confusing now and I actually have to go back to using the map again, which sucks. However, for a comic-con that is sold out, I was actually surprised to not find it as full as it should have been.

We attended three panels today, the first one being, the one for Red Sonja with Robert Rodrigez (Sin City, dir.), Rose McGowen (Charmed) and Douglas Aarinokoski (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, dir. Second Unit) and surprisingly enough, the panel was actually quite boring. It was really unfortunate that the timing just did not work out for them, by next Comic-Con, the movie will be almost ready for release, which means they probably felt they really had to push things on this one, except that…nothing has been shot, casting has not been done, and really only location has been accomplished. On top of that they were not ready to talk about villains, or plot points, which rendered this entire panel worthless. Robert failed to charm, and Charmed Rose failed as well, but that there does not surprise me. All one really got to see that was worth it on this panel, was a series of promotional pictures of Rose as Red Sonja and I have to admit, wielding that bloody sword, wearing a metal mesh bikini and with her red hair to the wind…those pics were pretty dang awesome.

The second panel we attended was the one for Afro Samurai: Resurection, which surprised me in the amount of people that turned out for this. I honestly did not realize so many people were fans of this anime, but it was good to see their support. The panel was the creator Takashi Okazaki, Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) and The RZA (American Gangster and Wu Tang producer) and this was the sort of panel that one comes to the con for. A Con-exclusive trailer for the new movie, due to premier on Spike in January 2009, was shown to musical cuts by the RZA. They also announced that Lucy Liu has been cast as the voice for the main villain. But the news do not stop there, Takashi Okazaki has announced the manga has been completed and it will span a respectable 300 pages, which will be released in two parts starting this fall. And lastly…the video game, which will be released in conjunction with Afro Samurai: Resurection. Game play was shown and is also available for play at one of the booths on the exhibit floor and honestly looks spectacular. The backgrounds, the controls, the graphics, the comic-book style side panel that warns of actions in other parts of the sets and the graphic violence that remains true to the anime. If you liked Afro Samurai, keep an eye out for this and know that they also confirmed another set of series to come after the movie!

The third panel we attended was the one for Dark Castle, which essentially was filled with mostly crap movies. The first one being The Hills Run Red, a gory, straight to DVD horror that drew so little attention nobody wanted to ask questions and which had the panel leaving the tables as quickly as they came. They announced a new series of comics called “The Ferrymen” which looks somewhat interesting but nothing worth spinning your head over. It was the last two movies they announced that drew a reaction, the first one being Ninja Assassin, starring Rain, who apparently is a pop icon in Korea and who brought fan girls to this panel by the boat load. It was actually pretty amusing to watch. The footage they showed for this film actually looks pretty decent, with good camera work but also graphic violence that will set this appart from the mainstream martial arts movie. What actually brings some credibility to this is the director, James McTeigue, who is more famous for his highly acclaimed V for Vendetta. That, if nothing else, leaves me wanting to see more.

The second interesting movie they brought to the table was Guy Ritchie’s new project RocknRolla with a cast that includes among others Gerard Butler, Ludicris, Jeremy Piven, Thandie Newton, and Tom Wilkinson. That is a rather impressive cast, which would be a good thing if things were not looking so dim for Guy Ritchie. The fact of the matter is that Ritchie is not looking so hot lately. After Lock, Stock and Two Smokin’ Barrels and Snatch, homeboy has not made anything worth mentioning, including the hyped up Revolver. So the question is, will this be his triumphant return to his original state of genius? Or is Ritchie going the way of Shyamalan. This is an important question considering that on top of this Ritchie will be working on the remake of Sherlock Holmes. The footage shown looks promising, but I am done making assumptions with this guy, he needs to prove himself once more as far as I am concerned.

That is my report for the day on the Con, I leave you with three random quotes heard while walking the halls, and clearly this is stuff you would ONLY hear at the Con. Also, I am taking pictures, but I do not have my cable with me (my bad) so the pics will have to be uploaded later. Sorry.

Random Guys on the exhibit floor: In ten minutes we get to find out if we won a man slave.

Random Guy to his buddies on the exhibit floor: This is great, I finally get to tell the guys I humped Pikachu

Conversation between two loud mouthed ijits:
Ijit 1: Lara Croft is better than Indiana Jones
Ijit 2: No way man, Indy is better, its all on the hat.
Ijit 1: No, its all on the hips.

I will keep you updated on any exciting news tomorrow.

-Fco.

Song of the Day: The Love Letter — Blaqk Audio

• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Genre: Action/Crime/Mystery/Thriller/Drama
• Year: 2008

Believe the hype! I was hesitant, because more often than not the masses get entirely hyped up about a movie that is simply different and are quick to label it ‘the best ever’, one look at 300 or Transformers is enough to prove my point. How many people do you know that came out of there saying it was the best movie ever only to come out scratching your head? Furthermore, I had my hesitations. Last year, while Turtle Pellets was still running, we announced the cast of this movie and the fact that they had signed Heath Ledger as the Joker. I will be honest and admit to not being thrilled about the idea. I think, looking at Heath’s record, there was nothing to support that he would be able to carry out this role and at the time I was thinking of a Joker much more like Jack Nicholson’s rather than the one presented to us in this movie.

Needless to say, I went into this braced to take things with a grain of salt, but the movie is not meant for you to sit back and be cautious with it. It opens with a brilliant scheme to rob a bank and propells you from there into a roller coaster of action that never exactly lets up. Gone is the origin story, which I love. While I loved Batman Begins, the thing that I did not enjoy quite as much was having to get another origin story. It is interesting, yes, intruiging, yes, but the entire time I just wanted to see Batman. That is one of the beauties of a well done sequel, that you no longer have to worry about setting things up. Christopher Nolan makes the assumption everybody saw the previous movie and he jumps off right where he left off and never lets off the pedal.

This is what comic-book movies should be like, and I know I said that about X-Men 2, Sin City and Iron Man, but Dark Knight has just topped them all and truly moved itself to a higher tier of credibility. Already, I have heard this movie being compared to The Godfather 2, Heat and Seven and be that as it may, I think the bottom line one must take out of this, is that if you are squimish about seeing a comic book based movie, that should not deter you from seeing this masterpiece, which is every bit as good as Nolan’s gem, Memento without the unorthodox storytelling.

All the talk you have heard about Heath Ledger’s Joker being brilliant, is absolutely on the mark. Finally, I am seeing a Joker that is so psychotic, so unscrupulous and so genial, rendered with believability, that at this moment I really do believe he is my favorite movie villain. Oscar worthy or not, the point is that Heath Ledger’s last role, was a true mark of his exceptional gift and it is sad to think that he could have only gone upwards from this. As a result, The Joker is brought to us as a mad genius that is frightening in various levels and who pushes the plot of this movie in so many directions that you never feel like you can fully recover your feet.

Driven by an obsession to unmask The Batman, the joker hatches up plans that fully delve into terrorism, lacking any sort of conscience for his actions, pushing a city that had recently begun to clean up, into desperate measures, where its hero’s and polititians are struggling to get a hold of the situation which is careening out of control into an obscenely orchestrated orgy of violence that pits innocents against themselves.

By now you may have heard the one major complaint: the movie is long. Yes, I will not argue with that, it is a long movie, but in this case that is not a bad thing. There is no part in this film where I felt there was still fat to be trimmed. It is a movie that keeps all the crucial parts and if you are a fan of Batman, are you really going to complain that you are given more content instead of less? There are so many layers to this film that the time it takes to tell the story is quite enough and never feels like it drags. So see it as a blessing and not a curse.

There are a couple of things I did not like, the first one being Batman’s voice while under the mask. I realize what they were trying to do, protecting Bruce Wayne’s identity while under the mask, but frankly, Baele did not have to make it sound like he had a pencil stuck where the sun does not shine. That’s it. That is my one complaint. There is one other thing I could comment on but it is so minor I do not think it is worth bringing it up and risking the spoiler.

So, in short? Go watch this movie and go watch it multiple times and be reminded that Nolan is in fact on of our generation’s greatest.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Notes: So you like bringing your kids to comic book movies, I do it all the time, but believe me when I say this movie is NOT for kids. The moment the Joker makes his pencil disappear you will understand why.
Quote: The Joker: I am an agent of chaos.

Song of the Day: Neanderthals - The Cyanide Valentine

I am here, I am here, I have not forgotten the blog  by any means, things just sort of hit life a bit harder this last few weeks and I have been busy with all sorts of things. But believe me, I have movie reviews lined up for you, a couple of book reviews and other random things to discuss. For now, however, until I get some more time to write something more substantial, here is a quick little video that gives all the secrets of some of the most popular national selections. Its all very…very accurate, I guarantee it.

Before too much time has passed, I feel compelled to say a word or two on Spain, beause it seems that for the first time one of my soccer teams actually accomplished what they were supposed to! How many times has a team looked so promising only to fail in quarter finals? Spain has been pulling that sort of nonsense for 44 years now. I have gone through this with Mexico too, though I am not sure that their selection ever looked as capable as Spain’s looked during this Eurocup.

When dealing with European teams, there are two sides I normally support, Spain and the Netherlands, the latter because I like the color orange and therefore as a kid I always supported the team (childhood teams are hard to die, just look at me and the Patriots) and the former because like it or not it is the Mother land.

During group play Eurocup 2008 both of these teams looked like they would be unstoppable, from the gates both sides were showing incredible form, Netherlands with a surprising attack and Spain with truly beautiful football, short passes that seemed to cut the midfield with ease. The difference only seemed to come during quarters, when Spain pulled through the way they were supposed to and Neatherlands failed too keep up.

The feat of beating Italy during quarters was of course a huge moral victory, particularly considering the fact that the game took place during the previously cursed (as far as Spain is concerned) July 22nd date and that it came down to penalty shootout. From then on, los Matadores seemed to get all the momentum they needed. It came down to the final, where they met up with German side that in all honestly was not looking to form and in my opinion never truly did. Somehow, by sheer luck, the Germans slipped as far as they did, even when they struggled so much with Turkeys entire bench (pretty much, since nine of their players were out due to injuries or suspension).

Nevertheless, if one team is known to be able to pull out enough muscle to do what it takes, the German side certainly would be that, so a final promising a showdown between Germany and Spain would be surely a good one. It was, for the most part and exciting game, low scoring sure, but not without excitement and in the end Spain finally got it well deserved victory, the only team that played without a hitch throughout the tournament, able to make the needed changes, out play their opponents and consistently deliver when it was needed.

So…there it is, Spain lifted its cup and I could not be more content. Now, lets hope Mexico can look at that team and do something similar.

-Fco.

• Director: Andrew Stanton
• Genre: Family/Animation/Sci-Fi/Comed/Romance
• Year: 2008

The fact that they would be dealing with a cast almost entirely made of robots was difficult enough for many people to swallow. It does not take an animator genius to realize a robot has only so many movable parts with which to express emotions, so having to add to that the fact that this would be essentially a silent movie, in which each robot is given a very set number of noises and sounds they can make…well you can see how this task seemed like a daunting challenge, even for a company with a sterling record such as Pixar. However, the fact that they took it on most certainly made me respect them (as if I didn’t already). This was not an out of left field idea. In fact, when they got together to decide which movies to make during their first few shots out of the gun, all the movies Pixar had done so far were all conceived…all of them leading to this one. That is, if you can take their own teaser/trailers to the word.

The fact that they saved it as one of their last was promising in that perhaps, from the very beginning, they knew that all of the other movies were merely a precursor to a masterpiece they could see in the horizon. Forgive me if I am talking a bit too poetically, but I truly feel this is how it all worked out. It may sound like blasphemy but I dare say this movie might be better than The Incredibles, the movie that I hailed hands down over all of the other Pixar movies. One thing has me saying maybe however, and that is: watchability. Already The Incredibles has proven that it is a movie that can be watched multiple times and satisfy, will Wall-E deliver the same?

I ask this because, if you have not seen the movie, which is likely the case if you have read this far into my rant, you probably do not know that this movie is perhaps the least kid-friendly movie Pixar has put out. Not to say it is not kid friendly, because it has plenty of comedy and cuteness and touching moments as well as action to keep kids of most ages occupied, save perhaps the very little ones. But there is very minimal dialogue as previously stated, plenty of social commentary to go around and a complex set of layers that beef up this film into what is in my opinion, the most meaty film Pixar has done to date.

The story is really not that complicated, essentially, planet earth, has gone to crap, thanks to our commercialism that has turned humans into lazy blobs perpetually connected to the net, forgetting the world around them. To save themselves, they have launched all of the surviving population into outer space, inside enormous, commercially sponsored ships, while wall-e robots are left to clean up the mess. But the mess is too much and the wall-e robots all have pretty much failed and stopped working, except for one that has continued faithfully to do his duty, while at the same time developing human emotions, curiosity, humor, and a desire to be needed. For all intents and purposes, our little friend is becoming human, with a cockroach as his only friend (I hate cockroaches with a passion, but in this movie, you just gotta love that little bug, which ends up getting stepped on more than it probably cared).

Though the cast is limited in its motions, expressions, emotions and vocals, none of that proves to be a barrier too difficult to overcome to a series of robots that break the mold in their personalities from what one is used to seeing in animations. It was refreshing to see the protagonist be not the ultimate machine, but the most antiquated piece of functioning equipment and not only that, the little guy is not only inquisitive, but also timid and not your rampaging, go-get-’em sort of character. Rounding him out is E.V.E., who again is not your typical out of the mold female character, but actually a lot more realistic and believable, temperamental, impulsive and with a sharply focused mind which keeps her aimed to the task at hand, but which does make a drone out of her until she meets Wall-E and learns to open her eyes to see the world around her for what it is.

All in all this is a very welcome film, worthy of the praise it has gotten from the critics over all, which have cumulative made this film the highest scoring film of the year (according to metacritic.com), no small feat considering the fact that the next highest ranking film is Up The Yangtze with 86 points next to Wall-E’s 93. Or consider this other little bit of trivia, in metacritic.com’s list of ALL TIME high scores, Wall-E is solidly set at 15.

So, now that I have expressed my own personal satisfaction with this movie, allow me to play devil’s advocate for a second. This movie will NOT satisfy all people the way it did me. You do have to consider the fact of the limited dialogue, which in many ways makes of this film a Charlie Chaplin-esque display, some people may be turned off by this. Consider also the fact that this movie was emotionally more taxing than all the other Pixar movies, with plenty of heart tugging moments to put a lump in your throat. As an adult, one may be able to appreciate the drama that unfolds and the unfortunate moments that do happen, but a very young child may fail to grasp it. I use my own four year old daughter as an example who often felt so bad and sad at the situations Wall-E found himself in, that she cried at least four times during the movie, and got upset when us as adults laughed at the unfortunate humor that developed from the circumstances. While this may make it a film that is more enjoyable for the adult audience, it may have actually had to sacrifice the youngest members of the market they were aiming for. Or who knows, maybe my daughter is simply overly sympathetic, in which case, bless her heart.

Ultimately, expect a non-traditional animation film and if you end up not being entirely convinced…that’s alright, Kung-Fu Panda is still out in theaters.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Notes: Great family film with a good number of morality to be had.
Quote: Captain: I do not want to survive. I want to live.

• Director: Louis Leterrier
• Genre: Adventure/Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
• Year: 2008

“Hulk, smash!!!” Two words that are surprisingly descriptive of this movie. You can choose to look at this in two ways; the half empty statement would have you thinking this is numbingly simple; the half full statement would say numbingly simple but also unpretentious and unapologetically so. In comparison to Ang Lee’s visually stunning but thematically convoluted and metaphysical nightmare of an attempt, The Incredible Hulk is really a stripped down chase movie, but it is a fun chase movie that makes no attempt to disguise itself as nothing other than that, and in that, one can only respect it.

Gone is the tediously boring origin story, compressed into one quick paced opening scene that tosses more cookies and biscuits at you than you can shake a finger at, which if you look closely makes all sorts of references to other members of the future Avengers team. This is a neat little tool that is placed from beginning to end and which adds another sub-level of fun. It also should be said that it is a good thing that the origin story is mostly forgone, because as it is the movie starts off with a stagger. Nevertheless, like the character at the center of this movie once the movie gets rolling, there is nothing to stop it all the way to the no-holds barred blow up of a climax between Hulk and Abomination.

This is not a perfect movie, by any stretch of the imagination, even when compared to other comic book movies, a number of them easily come to mind that surpass it (Iron Man, X-Men 2, Spider-Man). The acting also falls short, which is unfortunate, Liv Taylor, is basically useless in this film and John Hurt is about as scary an antagonist as a walrus in a military uniform. Thankfully, both Tim Roth and Ed Norton pick up the slack where the rest of the cast fails. It also needs to be said that Hulk and Abomination never quite seem to fit into the world. This is a problem that plagues a lot of the movies that choose to employ CG. Something that Lord of the Rings did superbly and something that this one did not. In the end, the Hulk looks something out of a video game superimposed into our world and never is fully believable.

Going into this film without high expectations then, is a good idea, because this film delivers on the surface everything it tells you is. Hulk, smash! If you want to see a big green guy bust the crap out of things using cars as punching gloves, then yes, this movie will satisfy. On the other side of the token, when you compare this movie to the main body of work based on comic books, it still is a shinning star, because it stands head and shoulders above a great many others.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Notes: Violence, of course, all over this one, but it is PG-13 violence, never quite so gory to justify most kids out of the theater.
Quote: Betty Ross: [Betty and Bruce need to get across own in New York City] The subway is probably quickest.
Bruce Banner: Me in a metal tube, deep underground with hundreds of people in the most aggressive city in the world?
Betty Ross: Right. Let’s get a cab.