04 March 2010
Say hello to my little friends
28 February 2010
Shutter Island , Bad.
Almost a year ago, when I first saw the trailers for the movie, I wasn't too thrilled.
I'm a firm believer that movie trailers can be way too revealing. I'm not saying that all movie trailers are bad. I've watched the Inception trailer a couple times now and I still have no idea what that film is about. I remember the original Matrix trailers. I don't recall showing any part of the 'real world' in the various spots.
The Shutter Island trailer choreographed the whole film. Scenes from the trailer were cut from various parts of the movie, including some near the end. This is what you understand from the trailer:
1) Main character, a federal marshal, arrives at Shutter Island, a prison for the criminally insane.
2) Originally sent to investigate a missing inmate, he soon finds out that there's a huge conspiracy around.
3) Trailer shows him speaking with the missing woman, who informs him that there's a huge conspiracy and everyone's in on it! (the orderlys, doctors, guards, everyone!) They're doing nasty experiments and he's the latest victim.
4) He's trying to get out before they make him insane through psychobabble drugs which are in the good, medicine, cigarettes that he's been using.
Now, I don't think its a spoiler in stating that there's a twist to this movie. The real twist (here it comes) is that it is so blatantly obvious. The main character has always been a patient at the hospital. He's a federal marshal who was so grief stricken with the death of his wife and kids that he fabricated the whole story of going to Shutter Island to investigate the guy to blame for their deaths... and that's himself! Brilliant stuff, right?
I'm not a doctor, and I don't claim to know anything, but I wish that I could have delusions as great as the main character's. To be able to fabricate a story like that and then delude himself into believing it. Wow.
Anyway, movies aren't just about plot. The acting in the film was great. I thought the pacing had some problems. The action and drama slows down dramatically the moment that the twist is revealed. It felt a little too pretentious to me with the whole name-anagram idea. Really, an insane man is going to create his alternate persona with the same anagram as his real name? Yeah, right. I was waiting for the other twist to drop, that somehow he was correct and that Shutter Island was a brain-washing camp. Nope. The movie ends with Leo still being crazy.
Also, I thought the music score in the film was strange and out of place. There were several points in the movie where there's an increasingly loud blast of low tone (like a ship's horn or something) such as when Leo first enters the prison facility. I'm not sure what that was about, but I didn't like it.
I'm a firm believer that movie trailers can be way too revealing. I'm not saying that all movie trailers are bad. I've watched the Inception trailer a couple times now and I still have no idea what that film is about. I remember the original Matrix trailers. I don't recall showing any part of the 'real world' in the various spots.
The Shutter Island trailer choreographed the whole film. Scenes from the trailer were cut from various parts of the movie, including some near the end. This is what you understand from the trailer:
1) Main character, a federal marshal, arrives at Shutter Island, a prison for the criminally insane.
2) Originally sent to investigate a missing inmate, he soon finds out that there's a huge conspiracy around.
3) Trailer shows him speaking with the missing woman, who informs him that there's a huge conspiracy and everyone's in on it! (the orderlys, doctors, guards, everyone!) They're doing nasty experiments and he's the latest victim.
4) He's trying to get out before they make him insane through psychobabble drugs which are in the good, medicine, cigarettes that he's been using.
Now, I don't think its a spoiler in stating that there's a twist to this movie. The real twist (here it comes) is that it is so blatantly obvious. The main character has always been a patient at the hospital. He's a federal marshal who was so grief stricken with the death of his wife and kids that he fabricated the whole story of going to Shutter Island to investigate the guy to blame for their deaths... and that's himself! Brilliant stuff, right?
I'm not a doctor, and I don't claim to know anything, but I wish that I could have delusions as great as the main character's. To be able to fabricate a story like that and then delude himself into believing it. Wow.
Anyway, movies aren't just about plot. The acting in the film was great. I thought the pacing had some problems. The action and drama slows down dramatically the moment that the twist is revealed. It felt a little too pretentious to me with the whole name-anagram idea. Really, an insane man is going to create his alternate persona with the same anagram as his real name? Yeah, right. I was waiting for the other twist to drop, that somehow he was correct and that Shutter Island was a brain-washing camp. Nope. The movie ends with Leo still being crazy.
Also, I thought the music score in the film was strange and out of place. There were several points in the movie where there's an increasingly loud blast of low tone (like a ship's horn or something) such as when Leo first enters the prison facility. I'm not sure what that was about, but I didn't like it.
08 February 2010
Heroes Season Finale. Disappointing.
The final episode of the season (series) has just aired and I can't help but feel it didn't live up to its full potential.
Fans everywhere have been saying for a while that the series has gone sour and bad. I personally felt that the 'badness' first began to show at the showdown of Season 1. I mean, that episode was just anticlimactic.
Season 4 began pretty good. It was definitely a slow start, focusing on less plot points than usual. In a lot of ways, I think its similar to SGU. I was holding out hope that the season would build up to something great, and it all depends on the finale. Unfortunately, it just didn't deliver.
So, Samuel has been collecting meta-humans because his ability is exponentially increased with more mutants around. His power is to move dirt. During the whole season, Samuel has been saying that he wants to build a home for his mutant friends, so that they can live in peace without hiding their powers. I dig that. Of course, Samuel is also the season's villain, so the heroes had to be against his plan. He killed his own brother out of rage (the brother did hide the secret to Sam's power his whole life) and used various manipulations to gather more mutants. He must be bad! Claire/Bennett believes that he's gathering all of these people so that he can magnify his power to kill "thousands of people".
It would have been a genuine surprise IF Samuel, although his methods were evil, actually did want to build a mutant paradise. Imagine if the Heroes were barging in to stop him, and then Samuel and his circus freaks battle it over. In the end, all of the 'heroes' have been rendered useless and they could only watch what Samuel had planned. He reveals to the world that mutants do exist, and then he creates his paradise somewhere in the midwest, inviting all mutants to join him. He would announce that this town will succeed from the USA, being its own country, etc. No bloodshed, no harm. The heroes who tried to stop samuel would be banished from this new town.
Doesn't this sound more interesting than what we got?
In the televised final episode, Claire and the gang go to stop Samuel. They convince that Samuel is a bad man, and then tells everyone to leave so Samuel doesn't have anymore power. While everyone is trying to get away, Peter fights Samuel with his cloned power. Dirt battle! Exciting! Hiro appears and teleports everyone out.Samuel and Peter both lose their powers, so Peter knocks Sam out with a punch.
The teaser for Volume 6 is that Claire, wanting to not hide anymore, decides to show the world that meta humans exist by getting camera people to film her hurting herself and regenerating. Lame!
Anyway, the ratings for the show have been so abysmal that I doubt there will be another season. I think I'm done with the show regardless. I liked my ending so much better.
Fans everywhere have been saying for a while that the series has gone sour and bad. I personally felt that the 'badness' first began to show at the showdown of Season 1. I mean, that episode was just anticlimactic.
Season 4 began pretty good. It was definitely a slow start, focusing on less plot points than usual. In a lot of ways, I think its similar to SGU. I was holding out hope that the season would build up to something great, and it all depends on the finale. Unfortunately, it just didn't deliver.
So, Samuel has been collecting meta-humans because his ability is exponentially increased with more mutants around. His power is to move dirt. During the whole season, Samuel has been saying that he wants to build a home for his mutant friends, so that they can live in peace without hiding their powers. I dig that. Of course, Samuel is also the season's villain, so the heroes had to be against his plan. He killed his own brother out of rage (the brother did hide the secret to Sam's power his whole life) and used various manipulations to gather more mutants. He must be bad! Claire/Bennett believes that he's gathering all of these people so that he can magnify his power to kill "thousands of people".
It would have been a genuine surprise IF Samuel, although his methods were evil, actually did want to build a mutant paradise. Imagine if the Heroes were barging in to stop him, and then Samuel and his circus freaks battle it over. In the end, all of the 'heroes' have been rendered useless and they could only watch what Samuel had planned. He reveals to the world that mutants do exist, and then he creates his paradise somewhere in the midwest, inviting all mutants to join him. He would announce that this town will succeed from the USA, being its own country, etc. No bloodshed, no harm. The heroes who tried to stop samuel would be banished from this new town.
Doesn't this sound more interesting than what we got?
In the televised final episode, Claire and the gang go to stop Samuel. They convince that Samuel is a bad man, and then tells everyone to leave so Samuel doesn't have anymore power. While everyone is trying to get away, Peter fights Samuel with his cloned power. Dirt battle! Exciting! Hiro appears and teleports everyone out.Samuel and Peter both lose their powers, so Peter knocks Sam out with a punch.
The teaser for Volume 6 is that Claire, wanting to not hide anymore, decides to show the world that meta humans exist by getting camera people to film her hurting herself and regenerating. Lame!
Anyway, the ratings for the show have been so abysmal that I doubt there will be another season. I think I'm done with the show regardless. I liked my ending so much better.
04 February 2010
LUElinks is dead. Car Crash
The site is no more. The url leads to a dead page.
Goodnight, sweet prince.
I witnessed a car crash today. I was driving on Marine drive, where 41 intersects with the road to UBC. There was a sudden drop of speed in the vehicle in front of me. Since I often leave enough space, I was able to stop in time. The car behind mine was able to stop in time (due to my longer braking period). I heard a sudden screeching of tires and a loud bang. The car behind the car that's behind mine crashed. I lol'd and continued driving when the light turned green.
Goodnight, sweet prince.
I witnessed a car crash today. I was driving on Marine drive, where 41 intersects with the road to UBC. There was a sudden drop of speed in the vehicle in front of me. Since I often leave enough space, I was able to stop in time. The car behind mine was able to stop in time (due to my longer braking period). I heard a sudden screeching of tires and a loud bang. The car behind the car that's behind mine crashed. I lol'd and continued driving when the light turned green.
20 January 2010
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Today, my maintenance class was canceled, so I had 6 hours of free time between classes.
I used that time to go to a theatre and catch the matinee of Doctor Parnassas.
If you don't know, the film is directed by Terry Gilliam, and is the last film that the late Heath Ledge starred in. In fact, he died halfway during filming, so there were some creative choices made to explain another actor, which made sense.
The film itself is decent. The visuals were hit and miss. The story was straightforward, except that the 'deal' was never really explained well. Doctor Parnassus has a deal with the devil that whoever got 5 souls first wins the bet. Now, I presume that the devil will evil his way into the people's hearts to get their soul. I don't really know what the doctor is doing to get the souls.
*upon reading the summary, it looks like Parnassus is trying to 'inspire' the people to become better, while the devil is tempting them with fear/lust.*
Another problem is that I never felt connected to any of the characters at all. I understand that I'm supposed to cheer for male-love-interest, but I really don't give a darn.
Side note: I was the only person in the entire theatre. I guess the combination of it being at 11:35 AND that this film doesn't have a big buzz explained it.
I used that time to go to a theatre and catch the matinee of Doctor Parnassas.
If you don't know, the film is directed by Terry Gilliam, and is the last film that the late Heath Ledge starred in. In fact, he died halfway during filming, so there were some creative choices made to explain another actor, which made sense.
The film itself is decent. The visuals were hit and miss. The story was straightforward, except that the 'deal' was never really explained well. Doctor Parnassus has a deal with the devil that whoever got 5 souls first wins the bet. Now, I presume that the devil will evil his way into the people's hearts to get their soul. I don't really know what the doctor is doing to get the souls.
*upon reading the summary, it looks like Parnassus is trying to 'inspire' the people to become better, while the devil is tempting them with fear/lust.*
Another problem is that I never felt connected to any of the characters at all. I understand that I'm supposed to cheer for male-love-interest, but I really don't give a darn.
Side note: I was the only person in the entire theatre. I guess the combination of it being at 11:35 AND that this film doesn't have a big buzz explained it.
Bed time
Over the past week or so, I've been exprimenting with a different sleeping schedule. Instead of sleeping for a block of Six to eight hours, I've been going for shorter chunks of three to four hours twice a day.
I didn't try to do this pattern intentionally. It just kinda came together that way from the hours I've been working. I have to confess that I love the quietness of late night. Really the best time to work.
I didn't try to do this pattern intentionally. It just kinda came together that way from the hours I've been working. I have to confess that I love the quietness of late night. Really the best time to work.
25 December 2009
Giant Untainted Apple Man
Ocean Man
Landing Pads for Alien Spaceships
Rotating Pope - Doesn't rotate anymore due to failure of mechanizm
Miniature statue of Liberty. Feels just like New York!I have to confess, I knew nothing about what or where Guam is before I came here. Here's a short lesson. It is an Island-Nation/Territory of the USA in the Pacific Ocean. It is about three and a half hours of travel by plane from Japan and Taiwan. Plastered on the walls here are posters proclaiming that "Guam: Where the Sun first Rises in the USA". Neat.
So, Spain owned the island for about a billion years. The Americans came in the 1800's and won it. During the second world war, the Japanese took over for a while. It went back to the United States after the war. Cool man.
Guam is a hugely popular tourist place for the Japanese people. Thus, I've been mistaken for being Japanese a couple of times. When they try to speak with me, I just say Domo Arigato and ohayo gozaimasu, which doesn't make sense for most of the conversations. Neato.
Anyway, I've been here a couple of days. After the wedding tonight, I'll be hopping on a plane back to the Hong Kong Land. The place is pretty nice. The first couple had been marred by the occasional rain. Today is gorgeous though, with the sun and blue skies and stuff.
Woo!
Videos:
24 December 2009
Imagine this was a tweet.
Guam hot humid. water undrinkable. humid, condensated windows.
lack of sleep first day.
paid internet good, happy.
swam today. beach water salty, shallow
not good at swimming anymore
lack of sleep first day.
paid internet good, happy.
swam today. beach water salty, shallow
not good at swimming anymore
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