Thursday, July 31, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin! I've been taking a journey through the Indiana Jones franchise, and today we get to the much-reviled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This shows up in my notes at November 2, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Saturday, July 26, 2014
The Good Ol' Days of Weird Al Videos
With Mandatory Fun being his first #1 album on the Billboard charts, and his recent "8 Videos in 8 Days" campaign causing a viral sensation, there's no doubt that it's a good time to be a Weird Al fan. And the good news just keeps coming, with the news this morning that UHF is finally getting a Blu-Ray release this November!
It's kind of funny...a year ago, I read an interview with Weird Al where he'd been told by the studio that owns UHF that they had no plans to release it on Blu-Ray because everything's going to streaming video now. What a difference a #1 album on the Billboard charts makes! Well, to be fair, the studio that owns UHF -- MGM -- isn't putting out the Blu-Ray. It's being put out by Shout! Factory, which has really done a good job putting out cult classic films on Blu-Ray recently. And they are Weird Al friendly, having put out The Weird Al Show: The Complete Series a few years ago.
But that's not all! Shout! Factory also announced they'll be releasing The Compleat Al on DVD at the same time. The Compleat Al was a TV movie that Weird Al starred in in the mid-80s. It was a mockumentary, chronicling his rise to fame. Weird Al has used clips of it in his Al Music specials, and I've seen bits and pieces on YouTube, but I've never seen the whole thing. So the Weird Al completest in me is glad that this is finally coming to DVD. It was released on VHS back in the day, but it's been out of print since the early 1990s.
But all this Weird Al video goodness has me spoiled. Thanks to YouTube and other streaming video services, every "Weird Al" Yankovic music video ever made is now at my fingertips. Not like the good ol' days, when you'd have to watch Much Music for hours on end, just praying that they might show one of his videos. But if you were lucky, one of Weird Al's TV specials might come along, and you could tape it, and finally have all the Weird Al videos for your very own. Going through my old shoebox of VHS tapes, I see that I have several such specials recorded.
The first one I find is The "Weird Al" Yankovic Music Video Collection. This was a 1-hour TV special that Weird Al did for MuchMusic in 1999, to promote the release of Running With Scissors. For this hour, they played nothing but Weird Al's videos, and new comedy sketches of him making mischief in and around Toronto. At his official website at the time, Weird Al explained why he did this instead of another Al Music special. Turns out MuchMusic was starting to get nervous about the Al Music specials. With Weird Al's trademark fake interviews, and mocking commentaries of music videos, MuchMusic started worrying that they'd get in trouble with one of the artists. So, the "Weird Al" Yankovic Music Video Collection was the compromise that Weird Al and MuchMusic came up with.
But then, there were the Al Music specials. Those were pure gold. Weird Al did three in the 1990s: in 1992 to promote Off the Deep End, in '93 for Alapaloza, and '96 with Bad Hair Day. It was pure magic when I saw that first one. It was the spring of 1992. It was Track & Field Day at school, so, the gym-hating, nonathletic kid that I was, I was "sick at home." I was flipping around the channels, stumbled upon Much, and there was Weird Al! And...he was like a VJ! And...he was making fun of the videos! Of course I wound up watching the whole thing. I wish I still had that one on VHS. He did a bit on the differences between the USA and Canada. Back in the 1990s, the exchange rate between Canadian and American money was pretty consistent: $1 CAD = $0.70 USD. So, while outlining the differences, he holds up a loonie and says, "In the USA, a loonie is only worth 70 cents. But here in Canada, it's a whole dollar!"
I do, however, have the second one, Al Music 2. A co-worker gave a copy a few years ago. With Jurassic Park being Weird Al's lead single, and the Dinosaur World Tour having just stopped in Toronto, about the last half-hour of the special was Weird Al messing about at the Dinosaur World Tour. For those who don't remember, the Dinosaur World Tour was this massive traveling dinosaur museum that showcased a bunch of new fossil finds from China and the Canadian Arctic. It opened in the summer of 1993, and Edmonton was its first stop. I went. I loved it. And that was the extra fun of Al Music 2, as I watched Weird Al mess around with exhibits that I myself had seen just a few months earlier!
And then a fun little blip was, in the late-1990s, MuchMusic did a couple of specials called Laff-a-Thon. As we know, it's become custom for a stand-up comic to add a song to their comedy albums to get some airplay, and then a music video to get some exposure on the music video shows. So, MuchMusic did the Laff-a-Thon where they had a marathon of all these comedic music videos. For the first one, there was controversy. They kept hyping that they were going to play a Weird Al video. Weird Al came on to introduce it, but the bit was, they then did not play a Weird Al video. Annoyed, Weird Al introduced a second video, promising that this time it would be one of his. But it wasn't. For the third time, a very angry Weird Al introduced the video, and it was finally one of his. However, the fans weren't happy with this. And later in the special, a very downbeat VJ came on and said, "Because of all the complaints just got over playing just one Weird Al video, here now are 3 Weird Al videos back-to-back." When they did the second Laff-a-Thon a year later, they dedicated an hour in the middle of it to nothin' but Weird Al.
But for me, it all began way before any of this. For those who may not recall, back when MuchMusic still played music videos, one of their daily programs was called Spotlight, where, for a half-hour straight, they'd play nothing but Weird Al videos. When my family first got cable, it seemed to be on everyday just as I got home from school. One snowy spring day in 1990, I came home from school, flopped down on the couch, started leafing through the TV guide, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Today's Spotlight artist was..."Weird Al" Yankovic. But damn it! I missed the first 10 minutes! But that was OK. Back then, I quickly discovered that MuchMusic repeated a lot of their programming 4 hours later. So, 4 hours later, after supper and my homework was done, I took control of the TV, popped a blank tape in the VCR, and hit "record" when Spotlight began.
I'll never forget the first line of VJ Dan Gallagher's introduction: "'Weird Al' Yankovic! The man has made a living...looking like George Fox." For those who don't know, George Fox is a Canadian country music singer who was big in the late-1980s. At around this time, he had just done a big TV special on CBC and...yeah. When George Fox wore glasses, he was the spitting image of 1980s Weird Al. I remember seeing George Fox's picture on the cover of TV Guide and thinking, "Is George Fox Weird Al's real name?"
Anyway, I taped that episode of Spotlight and damn near wore out the tape watching it over and over and over again. And now, for you, I will recreate the line-up of that episode Spotlight. After Mr. Gallagher's introduction, we got...
I Love Rocky Road
Eat It
Like a Surgeon
Living With a Hernia
Fat
An old interview clip of Weird Al in the MuchMusic studios plugging UHF, thus ending the show with....
UHF
It's kind of funny...a year ago, I read an interview with Weird Al where he'd been told by the studio that owns UHF that they had no plans to release it on Blu-Ray because everything's going to streaming video now. What a difference a #1 album on the Billboard charts makes! Well, to be fair, the studio that owns UHF -- MGM -- isn't putting out the Blu-Ray. It's being put out by Shout! Factory, which has really done a good job putting out cult classic films on Blu-Ray recently. And they are Weird Al friendly, having put out The Weird Al Show: The Complete Series a few years ago.
But that's not all! Shout! Factory also announced they'll be releasing The Compleat Al on DVD at the same time. The Compleat Al was a TV movie that Weird Al starred in in the mid-80s. It was a mockumentary, chronicling his rise to fame. Weird Al has used clips of it in his Al Music specials, and I've seen bits and pieces on YouTube, but I've never seen the whole thing. So the Weird Al completest in me is glad that this is finally coming to DVD. It was released on VHS back in the day, but it's been out of print since the early 1990s.
But all this Weird Al video goodness has me spoiled. Thanks to YouTube and other streaming video services, every "Weird Al" Yankovic music video ever made is now at my fingertips. Not like the good ol' days, when you'd have to watch Much Music for hours on end, just praying that they might show one of his videos. But if you were lucky, one of Weird Al's TV specials might come along, and you could tape it, and finally have all the Weird Al videos for your very own. Going through my old shoebox of VHS tapes, I see that I have several such specials recorded.
The first one I find is The "Weird Al" Yankovic Music Video Collection. This was a 1-hour TV special that Weird Al did for MuchMusic in 1999, to promote the release of Running With Scissors. For this hour, they played nothing but Weird Al's videos, and new comedy sketches of him making mischief in and around Toronto. At his official website at the time, Weird Al explained why he did this instead of another Al Music special. Turns out MuchMusic was starting to get nervous about the Al Music specials. With Weird Al's trademark fake interviews, and mocking commentaries of music videos, MuchMusic started worrying that they'd get in trouble with one of the artists. So, the "Weird Al" Yankovic Music Video Collection was the compromise that Weird Al and MuchMusic came up with.
But then, there were the Al Music specials. Those were pure gold. Weird Al did three in the 1990s: in 1992 to promote Off the Deep End, in '93 for Alapaloza, and '96 with Bad Hair Day. It was pure magic when I saw that first one. It was the spring of 1992. It was Track & Field Day at school, so, the gym-hating, nonathletic kid that I was, I was "sick at home." I was flipping around the channels, stumbled upon Much, and there was Weird Al! And...he was like a VJ! And...he was making fun of the videos! Of course I wound up watching the whole thing. I wish I still had that one on VHS. He did a bit on the differences between the USA and Canada. Back in the 1990s, the exchange rate between Canadian and American money was pretty consistent: $1 CAD = $0.70 USD. So, while outlining the differences, he holds up a loonie and says, "In the USA, a loonie is only worth 70 cents. But here in Canada, it's a whole dollar!"
I do, however, have the second one, Al Music 2. A co-worker gave a copy a few years ago. With Jurassic Park being Weird Al's lead single, and the Dinosaur World Tour having just stopped in Toronto, about the last half-hour of the special was Weird Al messing about at the Dinosaur World Tour. For those who don't remember, the Dinosaur World Tour was this massive traveling dinosaur museum that showcased a bunch of new fossil finds from China and the Canadian Arctic. It opened in the summer of 1993, and Edmonton was its first stop. I went. I loved it. And that was the extra fun of Al Music 2, as I watched Weird Al mess around with exhibits that I myself had seen just a few months earlier!
And then a fun little blip was, in the late-1990s, MuchMusic did a couple of specials called Laff-a-Thon. As we know, it's become custom for a stand-up comic to add a song to their comedy albums to get some airplay, and then a music video to get some exposure on the music video shows. So, MuchMusic did the Laff-a-Thon where they had a marathon of all these comedic music videos. For the first one, there was controversy. They kept hyping that they were going to play a Weird Al video. Weird Al came on to introduce it, but the bit was, they then did not play a Weird Al video. Annoyed, Weird Al introduced a second video, promising that this time it would be one of his. But it wasn't. For the third time, a very angry Weird Al introduced the video, and it was finally one of his. However, the fans weren't happy with this. And later in the special, a very downbeat VJ came on and said, "Because of all the complaints just got over playing just one Weird Al video, here now are 3 Weird Al videos back-to-back." When they did the second Laff-a-Thon a year later, they dedicated an hour in the middle of it to nothin' but Weird Al.
But for me, it all began way before any of this. For those who may not recall, back when MuchMusic still played music videos, one of their daily programs was called Spotlight, where, for a half-hour straight, they'd play nothing but Weird Al videos. When my family first got cable, it seemed to be on everyday just as I got home from school. One snowy spring day in 1990, I came home from school, flopped down on the couch, started leafing through the TV guide, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Today's Spotlight artist was..."Weird Al" Yankovic. But damn it! I missed the first 10 minutes! But that was OK. Back then, I quickly discovered that MuchMusic repeated a lot of their programming 4 hours later. So, 4 hours later, after supper and my homework was done, I took control of the TV, popped a blank tape in the VCR, and hit "record" when Spotlight began.
I'll never forget the first line of VJ Dan Gallagher's introduction: "'Weird Al' Yankovic! The man has made a living...looking like George Fox." For those who don't know, George Fox is a Canadian country music singer who was big in the late-1980s. At around this time, he had just done a big TV special on CBC and...yeah. When George Fox wore glasses, he was the spitting image of 1980s Weird Al. I remember seeing George Fox's picture on the cover of TV Guide and thinking, "Is George Fox Weird Al's real name?"
Anyway, I taped that episode of Spotlight and damn near wore out the tape watching it over and over and over again. And now, for you, I will recreate the line-up of that episode Spotlight. After Mr. Gallagher's introduction, we got...
I Love Rocky Road
Eat It
Like a Surgeon
Living With a Hernia
Fat
An old interview clip of Weird Al in the MuchMusic studios plugging UHF, thus ending the show with....
UHF
"Tomorrow on Spotlight...10,000 Maniacs."
Labels:
Weird Al Rocks
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Time once again to go Fishing in the Discount Bin! I've been working my way through the Indiana Jones franchise, and today we get to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This appears in my notes at October 27, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Here we go again, with Fishing in the Discount Bin, as I blog about a movie I happen to own. I'm marching through the Indiana Jones franchise right now, which brings us to the second the series (but first chronologically), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. This is originally in my notes at October 20, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Another Birthday Shopping Spree
Well, it was my birthday about a week ago. And, much like I did last year, I decided to celebrate by going to iTunes and spending five whole dollars on some of the movie themes I'd always adored, but could never find the soundtrack albums for. And, going back to my college radio days when I just couldn't wait to play a new album on my college radio show, I think music is the best when you share it. Hence, this blog entry today. So what did I blow my $5 on this year?
Theme from Astro Boy - Composed by John Ottman
The CGI movie version of Astro Boy from a few years ago was such a mishmash. They strayed too far from the source material, and instead wound up just cramming in every popular idea about robots from Saturday morning cartoons over the past 30 years. However, John Ottman's score wound up being a true highlight of the film. As I said when I did the film on Fishing in the Discount Bin, it's a far, far better score than the movie deserved.
Welcome Back - End Titles from X-Men: Days of Future Past - Composed by John Ottman
And speaking of Mr. Ottman, he is director Bryan Singer's composer of choice. A friend recently remarked that the X-Men films seem to be cursed with bland scores, but I don't feel that way about Ottman's music for X2. That's the only X-Men theme that sounds like an honest to God superhero theme that you'll find yourself humming. Needless to say, I geeked out hard when I discovered that Ottman returned to the franchise with Days of Future Past, and I was grinning like an idiot when I heard the opening bars of his X-Men theme during the opening titles. The theme in question kicks in at about the 1 minute mark in this end credit suite.
Overture from It Could Happen to You - Composed by Carter Burwell
When I first saw this romantic comedy way back in 1994, I remember thinking, "Wow. The music in this film is perfect fairy tale music." It's something I was reminded of when I caught it on TV a few months ago. For those who don't remember this film. Nicholas Cage is a hard-working, New York city beat cop. Bridgette Fonda is a waitress with a heart of gold who's fallen on hard times. When Cage has lunch in Fonda's diner one day, he discovers he doesn't have enough money for a tip, so he shows his lottery ticket to Fonda and promises to split the winnings with her, 50/50. When he winds up winning the $4 million jackpot, he stays true to his word and splits the winnings with her...much to the chagrin of his wife, Rosie Perez. As the money begins to turn Perez into a materialistic harpy, Cage and Fonda begin to fall in love, as they both enjoy using their winnings to spread random acts of kindness about the city. It's just a sweet movie. There's just two tracks of the score on the soundtrack album...I really should just buy them both.
Ringo's Theme (This Boy) from A Hard Days Night - Composed by Lennon/McCartney; Performed by the George Martin Orchestra
It doesn't matter what your opinion of the Beatles is, A Hard Day's Night is just a good movie. And what little score it has is amazing instrumental versions of Beatles songs, courtesy the Beatles' longtime producer George Martin and his orchestra. The most famous piece from the movie is the instrumental version of the Beatles song This Boy, which plays as Ringo temporarily ditches the band to go for a walk, think things through, and winds up having a conversation about life, the universe, and everything with a kid ditching school.
The Simpsons Theme from The Simpsons Movie - Composed by Danny Elfman; Performed by Green Day
Because. That's why.
Theme from Astro Boy - Composed by John Ottman
The CGI movie version of Astro Boy from a few years ago was such a mishmash. They strayed too far from the source material, and instead wound up just cramming in every popular idea about robots from Saturday morning cartoons over the past 30 years. However, John Ottman's score wound up being a true highlight of the film. As I said when I did the film on Fishing in the Discount Bin, it's a far, far better score than the movie deserved.
Welcome Back - End Titles from X-Men: Days of Future Past - Composed by John Ottman
And speaking of Mr. Ottman, he is director Bryan Singer's composer of choice. A friend recently remarked that the X-Men films seem to be cursed with bland scores, but I don't feel that way about Ottman's music for X2. That's the only X-Men theme that sounds like an honest to God superhero theme that you'll find yourself humming. Needless to say, I geeked out hard when I discovered that Ottman returned to the franchise with Days of Future Past, and I was grinning like an idiot when I heard the opening bars of his X-Men theme during the opening titles. The theme in question kicks in at about the 1 minute mark in this end credit suite.
Overture from It Could Happen to You - Composed by Carter Burwell
When I first saw this romantic comedy way back in 1994, I remember thinking, "Wow. The music in this film is perfect fairy tale music." It's something I was reminded of when I caught it on TV a few months ago. For those who don't remember this film. Nicholas Cage is a hard-working, New York city beat cop. Bridgette Fonda is a waitress with a heart of gold who's fallen on hard times. When Cage has lunch in Fonda's diner one day, he discovers he doesn't have enough money for a tip, so he shows his lottery ticket to Fonda and promises to split the winnings with her, 50/50. When he winds up winning the $4 million jackpot, he stays true to his word and splits the winnings with her...much to the chagrin of his wife, Rosie Perez. As the money begins to turn Perez into a materialistic harpy, Cage and Fonda begin to fall in love, as they both enjoy using their winnings to spread random acts of kindness about the city. It's just a sweet movie. There's just two tracks of the score on the soundtrack album...I really should just buy them both.
Ringo's Theme (This Boy) from A Hard Days Night - Composed by Lennon/McCartney; Performed by the George Martin Orchestra
It doesn't matter what your opinion of the Beatles is, A Hard Day's Night is just a good movie. And what little score it has is amazing instrumental versions of Beatles songs, courtesy the Beatles' longtime producer George Martin and his orchestra. The most famous piece from the movie is the instrumental version of the Beatles song This Boy, which plays as Ringo temporarily ditches the band to go for a walk, think things through, and winds up having a conversation about life, the universe, and everything with a kid ditching school.
The Simpsons Theme from The Simpsons Movie - Composed by Danny Elfman; Performed by Green Day
Because. That's why.
Labels:
Just Sharing Music
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Time for Mandatory Fun!
It's that wonderful time that comes around every 3 or 4 years...the time when those three little words are uttered that bring me so much joy.
"Weird Al" Yankovic is out today with his brand new album, Mandatory Fun. There's already been a lot of pre-release hype around this album, mainly due to the fact that this marks the end of Weird Al's record contract. Some interpreted that to mean that Weird Al is retiring, but he's disputed that in many interviews already. If anything, he's one of the artists who think that the end of the traditional record contract is right around the corner, and everything's going digital from here on out. Weird Al has been grumbling for a while now that he'll be going to an all-digital distribution model. It'll allow him to be more timely and topical with his parodies. And besides, his main competition these days are the billions of parodies that pop up on YouTube shortly after a song becomes a hit, while he's sitting around, twiddling his thumbs, amassing an album's worth of material.
Of course I pre-ordered the album on Amazon. I rarely pre-order stuff months in advance, but a new Weird Al album is one of those exceptions. I even paid the extra shipping to have it delivered the day it comes out. So, since it comes out today, you'll understand my confusion when I got the alert from Amazon last Wednesday that it had shipped. "I'm not going to get it early, am I?"
And sure enough, look what the friendly UPS guy delivered on Friday.
Needless to say, I was excited. I texted my friends right away to share the good news. "Dude! Now rip it and leak it to the Internet!" one of my friends joked. Although, as I started going through the tracks and sharing some of the lyrics with my friend, he changed his tune to, "Umm...I was just kidding. But if you do want to rip it and send it to me...." But nope. I decided not to ruin the surprise for the world.
That being said, I did have the entire weekend to sit down, listen to it, and pick it apart. So now that it's the official release date, time to share my thoughts on Mandatory Fun!
Labels:
Weird Al Rocks
Monday, July 14, 2014
Oh, Yeah. There's A World Out There
See? What did I say? The day job got busy, and the whole going out to movies and having adventures on weekends started taking a back seat. But I'm kind of in the eye of the hurricane right now, so while I have this brief moment of calm, may as well take a moment to celebrate the little things.
Like my birthday. 37. In a row.
It was a my birthday a week ago. Didn't do anything spectacular, just a little family get together with my folks. And, as has been the traditional way to celebrate my birthday ever since I turned 11, we went to see a movie. This year, I dragged my parents to see Transformers: Age of Extinction.
It's been five years since the Battle of Chicago (aka the last movie), and thanks to the devestation caused by the Decepticon invasion, humanity has decided they want the Transformers off of Earth. The friendly military team NEST, that helped the Autobots fight the Decepticons, has been replaced with Cemetery Wind, a CIA black ops team dedicated to hunting down and exterminating all remaining Transformers. And they're led by a very evil Dr. Fraiser Crane.
Enter Cade Yeager, a struggling inventor living in rural Texas. One day, he purchases an old beat-up semi with the intent of stripping it for parts, but soon discovers it's actually a badly wounded Optimus Prime. Cemetery Wind descends on Yeader's farm, and now Optimus Prime, Yeager, Yeager's daughter and her boyfriend, are on the run. Before long, Yeager is swept up in a war that he (and the audience) barely understands, including a Transformer bounty hunter named Lockdown working for the mysterious "Creators," and a robotics firm looking to build their own Transformers, with their star project being a robot known as "Galvatron."
I'm not ashamed to say I loved this movie. After the steaming pile that was Revenge of the Fallen, and the "yeah, we're out of ideas" that was Dark of the Moon, it's like for Age of Extinction, Michael Bay finally got my checklist of everything I hated about the last two. Stupid-goofy comic relief from the humans? Toned down considerably. Straying away from the Autobots just as things are getting interesting to focus on the stupid human subplot? Gone. Focusing more on the Autobots and allowing them to breathe more as characters? Yes.
That's what really got me about the character of Optimus Prime. We've never seen Optimus Prime like this. He's angry at how humanity has turned on him. He's pissed off that his kind is being hunted down like dogs in the streets. When he growls that he's going to find the human who's been slaughtering Transformers and kill them, it's shocking. But, it gives Optimus Prime a character arc, something I don't think he's had in the past few films.
And yes, I got my geek on hard when they started dropping names like "Galvatron."
It does have its flaws, though. Damn, it's a long movie. When what felt like the end happened, I realized we hadn't seen the "all over the ads" Dinobots yet. There was about another hour after that point. And while we don't have the stupid-goofy human subplots anymore, they make up for it in quantity. Lots of people doing stuff, it's easy to get confused.
I give it a very entertaining three Nibs. Complete review is over at the main website.
Jump forward a week, and I decide to hit the city again, flush with birthday money. I'd been saving my dollars to make this my birthday present anyway, and with some birthday cash to push it over the top, I figured it was time to buy the one thing I wanted to complete my home entertainment system.
I bought myself an Apple TV.
For those who don't know, Apple TV is Apple's streaming media device. Plug it into your TV, and now all your iTunes downloads can run off your TV. But that's not all. It's got your various streaming video services like Netflix built in. While it doesn't have as many apps that other streaming video players have, it more than makes up for it by playing stuff streaming off my computer, meaning I can watch things I've downloaded from other services. And if the app's not on the Apple TV, it's on my iPhone, so AirPlay to the rescue!
Granted, such a thing is a "want" and not a "need" because I've got a Smart TV with those apps built in, but playing with it last night, watching Netflix on the Apple TV just looked better. Probably because the Apple TV can put out 5.1 channel surround sound, and because it's an external device, I can turn off the damn soap opera effect.
But even with such wonderful new technology, I'm still hooked on buying new Blu-Rays. I stopped in at HMV because I was growing frustrated with Amazon. The classic Beatles film A Hard Day's Night just got a spiffy new Criterion edition. Even though I pre-ordered it in May and it came out in June, Amazon was telling me they weren't going to be shipping it until August. So with that bugging me, I went into HMV, and there it was, sitting on the shelf. And for $10 cheaper, too. So I canceled my Amazon order on my iPhone and bought it then and there.
After some browsing in the mall, there was just one last thing to do my my city trip checklist. I'm sure you know by now of my love of fast food. And I've noticed over the past few months that the American burger chain Carl's Jr has begun making inroads into Canada. Apparently, they began their Canadian expansion a few years ago, and they've finally begun popping up in the Edmonton area. So before heading home, I knew I had to give Carl's Jr a try.
The only problem was, I had lunch at lunch time, and I was heading home at 3PM, so I was still pretty full from lunch. Sadly, my first meal at Carl's Jr was going to be a light one.
I settled for their Famous Star, which looks to be their basic cheeseburger. I skipped the combo, so no fries, and just a small Coke to wash it down. Being a flame-broiled burger, I found it tasted very similar to other fast food burgers that boast that claim, such as Harvey's or Burger King. In fact, if I closed my eyes and tuned out my surroundings, I could have sworn I was eating a Whopper. I'll have to try them again, and when I'm not so full, so that way I can have one of their bigger signature burgers, fries, and the whole deal.
And with that, it was time to get home. I was eager to get home. What, with the Apple TV, I was eager to fire it up and start testing it out. All in all, a nice break. I think my eye of the hurricane analogy was appropriate, because if what they said at Friday's staff meeting pans out, things are about to get crazy again.
Like my birthday. 37. In a row.
It was a my birthday a week ago. Didn't do anything spectacular, just a little family get together with my folks. And, as has been the traditional way to celebrate my birthday ever since I turned 11, we went to see a movie. This year, I dragged my parents to see Transformers: Age of Extinction.
It's been five years since the Battle of Chicago (aka the last movie), and thanks to the devestation caused by the Decepticon invasion, humanity has decided they want the Transformers off of Earth. The friendly military team NEST, that helped the Autobots fight the Decepticons, has been replaced with Cemetery Wind, a CIA black ops team dedicated to hunting down and exterminating all remaining Transformers. And they're led by a very evil Dr. Fraiser Crane.
Enter Cade Yeager, a struggling inventor living in rural Texas. One day, he purchases an old beat-up semi with the intent of stripping it for parts, but soon discovers it's actually a badly wounded Optimus Prime. Cemetery Wind descends on Yeader's farm, and now Optimus Prime, Yeager, Yeager's daughter and her boyfriend, are on the run. Before long, Yeager is swept up in a war that he (and the audience) barely understands, including a Transformer bounty hunter named Lockdown working for the mysterious "Creators," and a robotics firm looking to build their own Transformers, with their star project being a robot known as "Galvatron."
I'm not ashamed to say I loved this movie. After the steaming pile that was Revenge of the Fallen, and the "yeah, we're out of ideas" that was Dark of the Moon, it's like for Age of Extinction, Michael Bay finally got my checklist of everything I hated about the last two. Stupid-goofy comic relief from the humans? Toned down considerably. Straying away from the Autobots just as things are getting interesting to focus on the stupid human subplot? Gone. Focusing more on the Autobots and allowing them to breathe more as characters? Yes.
That's what really got me about the character of Optimus Prime. We've never seen Optimus Prime like this. He's angry at how humanity has turned on him. He's pissed off that his kind is being hunted down like dogs in the streets. When he growls that he's going to find the human who's been slaughtering Transformers and kill them, it's shocking. But, it gives Optimus Prime a character arc, something I don't think he's had in the past few films.
And yes, I got my geek on hard when they started dropping names like "Galvatron."
It does have its flaws, though. Damn, it's a long movie. When what felt like the end happened, I realized we hadn't seen the "all over the ads" Dinobots yet. There was about another hour after that point. And while we don't have the stupid-goofy human subplots anymore, they make up for it in quantity. Lots of people doing stuff, it's easy to get confused.
I give it a very entertaining three Nibs. Complete review is over at the main website.
Jump forward a week, and I decide to hit the city again, flush with birthday money. I'd been saving my dollars to make this my birthday present anyway, and with some birthday cash to push it over the top, I figured it was time to buy the one thing I wanted to complete my home entertainment system.
I bought myself an Apple TV.
For those who don't know, Apple TV is Apple's streaming media device. Plug it into your TV, and now all your iTunes downloads can run off your TV. But that's not all. It's got your various streaming video services like Netflix built in. While it doesn't have as many apps that other streaming video players have, it more than makes up for it by playing stuff streaming off my computer, meaning I can watch things I've downloaded from other services. And if the app's not on the Apple TV, it's on my iPhone, so AirPlay to the rescue!
Granted, such a thing is a "want" and not a "need" because I've got a Smart TV with those apps built in, but playing with it last night, watching Netflix on the Apple TV just looked better. Probably because the Apple TV can put out 5.1 channel surround sound, and because it's an external device, I can turn off the damn soap opera effect.
But even with such wonderful new technology, I'm still hooked on buying new Blu-Rays. I stopped in at HMV because I was growing frustrated with Amazon. The classic Beatles film A Hard Day's Night just got a spiffy new Criterion edition. Even though I pre-ordered it in May and it came out in June, Amazon was telling me they weren't going to be shipping it until August. So with that bugging me, I went into HMV, and there it was, sitting on the shelf. And for $10 cheaper, too. So I canceled my Amazon order on my iPhone and bought it then and there.
After some browsing in the mall, there was just one last thing to do my my city trip checklist. I'm sure you know by now of my love of fast food. And I've noticed over the past few months that the American burger chain Carl's Jr has begun making inroads into Canada. Apparently, they began their Canadian expansion a few years ago, and they've finally begun popping up in the Edmonton area. So before heading home, I knew I had to give Carl's Jr a try.
The only problem was, I had lunch at lunch time, and I was heading home at 3PM, so I was still pretty full from lunch. Sadly, my first meal at Carl's Jr was going to be a light one.
I settled for their Famous Star, which looks to be their basic cheeseburger. I skipped the combo, so no fries, and just a small Coke to wash it down. Being a flame-broiled burger, I found it tasted very similar to other fast food burgers that boast that claim, such as Harvey's or Burger King. In fact, if I closed my eyes and tuned out my surroundings, I could have sworn I was eating a Whopper. I'll have to try them again, and when I'm not so full, so that way I can have one of their bigger signature burgers, fries, and the whole deal.
And with that, it was time to get home. I was eager to get home. What, with the Apple TV, I was eager to fire it up and start testing it out. All in all, a nice break. I think my eye of the hurricane analogy was appropriate, because if what they said at Friday's staff meeting pans out, things are about to get crazy again.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Raiders of the Lost Ark
It's time for Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch something in my library and blog about it, because I don't have a life. I never know what to write when it comes to these truly legendary, much-beloved classics. Books have been written on them, many another critic has heaped praise on them...so what more can I add? But yet, I try once again as we look at Raiders of the Lost Ark. This shows up in my notes at October 19, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Thursday, July 03, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Sherlock Holmes
Fishing in the Discount Bin is upon us once again, where I watch one of the many films I own, and the blog about it, because I'm o so lonely. Today, we have the film that signaled pop culture's recent return to a love of Sherlock Holmes, 2009's Sherlock Holmes. This pops up in my notes at October 6, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Iron Man 3
Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin. Again, I love how the timing of this thing works out. It seems that I always wind up revisiting the big blockbusters of a year ago. Hence today's entry, Iron Man 3. This is dated in my notes at September 29, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Rocketeer
Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly viewing of one of the many, many, many movies I own. Today's film is yet another classic adventure film produced by Disney that was hoped to launch a franchise, kinda flopped in the theatres, yet grew to become a cult-classic. And that is The Rocketeer. This is dated in my notes at September 22, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Shadow
Time once again for Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly viewing of something in my movie library and blogging about it, because I'm terribly alone. Today, I finally get around to one of my favourite guilty pleasures, The Shadow. This is originally dated in my notes at September 21, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Django Unchained
Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog about one of the many movies I own on a home media format of some kind. I think this is the first Tarantino film I do, and it's his most recent, Django Unchained. This shows up in my notes at September 18, 2013.
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Fishing in the Discout Bin
Monday, June 02, 2014
Last One For a While
I look at my bank balance, and I read this chronicle of my leisure time, and it makes me sad. I have seen far more movies at this point in the year than I have at this time last year. And all these weekend trips into the city are starting to make a serious impact on my savings. So I think I'm going to have to impose a moratorium on going to see movies. It's just starting to become unaffordable.
But, much like a dieter who has one last day with all their favourite foods before starting the diet, I knew there was one last movie I had to see before swearing off the movies for a while: X-Men: Days of Future Past.
It began like most days. Up at the crack of dawn, a leisurely breakfast, and then hitting the road. I do like driving. As I said in a previous podcast, if I ever win the lottery, I'll probably take a month off work and just drive. And driving early in the morning is the best. Clear skies, empty roads, just go. No side stops on this trip. I knew I'd be heading straight to West Edmonton Mall, catching the movie, and then coming home.
Although, as I remarked to friends, I was on the fence when it came to seeing X-Men in the city, or in the small town, one-screen theatre in the neighboring town of Barrhead. I'd been wanting to sample it for a while. But, ultimately, tradition won out. I've seen every X-Men movie in West Edmonton Mall, and darn it, that's the way it shall continue. The first and only midnight screening I've ever been to was for the first X-Men, and that was at West Edmonton Mall.
Didn't do much browsing in the Mall before the movie. It had been two weeks since I was last there to see Godzilla, so I didn't really think there'd been much new since then. However, while browsing in HMV, I did succumb and buy a new album. As I've already mentioned several times, I was pleasantly surprised by Wreck-It Ralph and how much I enjoyed it, so when I saw the soundtrack album at a decent price, I couldn't help but snatch it up.
Entering the ol' Scotiabank Theatre in West Edmonton Mall, I was a little bit turned around, as it's currently undergoing renovations. I can hardly believe it's been a part of the Mall for 15 years now. I remember being there in Y2K for that midnight screening of X-Men. The theatre had only been open for a year at that point, and to a few of my friends, it was the first time they'd been treated to the animatronic fire-breathing dragon, and the giant Batman and Yoda hanging from the ceiling. Back then, I was still in awe of all the glitz, but my friends weren't. "Too Vegas," I remember one commenting.
And the final scene. I don't want to say too much, but I will say it's a cameo-palooza.
Not much to hate about this. As one friend pointed out, the music score is kind of bland, and it seems this franchise has always been cursed with bland music. That being said, when the orchestra struck up with John Ottman's X-Men theme, I was thrilled to hear it again. Ottman also did the music for X2, and as far as I'm concerned, his X-Men theme was the only one that was any damn good. (Skip to 2:15 to hear the theme I'm talking about.)
All in all, I loved it greatly. I've got the complete review up at my main site.
And that's it. My money-saving, movie-free summer can now begin. It shouldn't be to tough, as there's really nothing on my radar until Guardians of the Galaxy comes out in August. "But what about Transformers: Age of Extinction?" you're probably asking. Well...I think I'm getting burnt out on Transformers. Granted, I got excited when I first saw the Dinobots in the Super Bowl spot, but everything else I've seen since then has me going, "Eh, what else ya got?" So I think it's time I take a break from Transformers.
Anyway, I've blogged enough, and it's sunny out, so I think I'll go outside and play. That's still free, right?
But, much like a dieter who has one last day with all their favourite foods before starting the diet, I knew there was one last movie I had to see before swearing off the movies for a while: X-Men: Days of Future Past.
It began like most days. Up at the crack of dawn, a leisurely breakfast, and then hitting the road. I do like driving. As I said in a previous podcast, if I ever win the lottery, I'll probably take a month off work and just drive. And driving early in the morning is the best. Clear skies, empty roads, just go. No side stops on this trip. I knew I'd be heading straight to West Edmonton Mall, catching the movie, and then coming home.
Although, as I remarked to friends, I was on the fence when it came to seeing X-Men in the city, or in the small town, one-screen theatre in the neighboring town of Barrhead. I'd been wanting to sample it for a while. But, ultimately, tradition won out. I've seen every X-Men movie in West Edmonton Mall, and darn it, that's the way it shall continue. The first and only midnight screening I've ever been to was for the first X-Men, and that was at West Edmonton Mall.
Didn't do much browsing in the Mall before the movie. It had been two weeks since I was last there to see Godzilla, so I didn't really think there'd been much new since then. However, while browsing in HMV, I did succumb and buy a new album. As I've already mentioned several times, I was pleasantly surprised by Wreck-It Ralph and how much I enjoyed it, so when I saw the soundtrack album at a decent price, I couldn't help but snatch it up.
Entering the ol' Scotiabank Theatre in West Edmonton Mall, I was a little bit turned around, as it's currently undergoing renovations. I can hardly believe it's been a part of the Mall for 15 years now. I remember being there in Y2K for that midnight screening of X-Men. The theatre had only been open for a year at that point, and to a few of my friends, it was the first time they'd been treated to the animatronic fire-breathing dragon, and the giant Batman and Yoda hanging from the ceiling. Back then, I was still in awe of all the glitz, but my friends weren't. "Too Vegas," I remember one commenting.
So. X-Men: Days of Future Past. I quite enjoyed it. Based on the classic X-Men story of the same name. In a nightmarish future, humanity is ruled by the Sentinels...giant, mutant-hunting robots. The remnants of the X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood form the resistance. With time running out, they come up with a desperate plan. The nightmare of the Sentinels came about in 1973, when Mystique assassinated Bolivar Trask, the inventor of the Sentinels. This made Trask a martyr for the cause, and thus the Sentinels were pressed into action. Our heroes have developed a method for time travel. They want to send Wolverine back in time to 1973, unite the younger Professor X and Magneto, and present a united front to stop Mystique. Will the plan succeed?
The film continues to explore the Professor X/Magneto/Mystique trinity that they started in First Class. The way I see it, Mystique has become Darth Vader. Magneto is the Emperor, seducing her to the Dark Side, and Professor X is Obi-Wan Kenobi, trying to pull her back from the edge.
And I loved the scenes in the future. Bryan Singer has said that he considered The Terminator one of the best time travel films ever made, and that The Terminator was his model to follow. He says he even had a nice, 2-hour lunch with James Cameron where he picked Cameron's brain about time travel in the movies. And in all the future scenes, you can feel The Terminator's influence.
Quicksilver. Dear God, Quicksilver. I hope DC finally gets their act together and makes a Flash movie, because that's exactly how you depict superspeed. And as a friend pointed out, it's become so rare to see a character who actually enjoys their superpowers and has fun with them. And Quicksilver definitely has fun.
And the final scene. I don't want to say too much, but I will say it's a cameo-palooza.
Not much to hate about this. As one friend pointed out, the music score is kind of bland, and it seems this franchise has always been cursed with bland music. That being said, when the orchestra struck up with John Ottman's X-Men theme, I was thrilled to hear it again. Ottman also did the music for X2, and as far as I'm concerned, his X-Men theme was the only one that was any damn good. (Skip to 2:15 to hear the theme I'm talking about.)
All in all, I loved it greatly. I've got the complete review up at my main site.
And that's it. My money-saving, movie-free summer can now begin. It shouldn't be to tough, as there's really nothing on my radar until Guardians of the Galaxy comes out in August. "But what about Transformers: Age of Extinction?" you're probably asking. Well...I think I'm getting burnt out on Transformers. Granted, I got excited when I first saw the Dinobots in the Super Bowl spot, but everything else I've seen since then has me going, "Eh, what else ya got?" So I think it's time I take a break from Transformers.
Anyway, I've blogged enough, and it's sunny out, so I think I'll go outside and play. That's still free, right?
Sunday, June 01, 2014
For The Targ, It Is Time To Rest
Well, gang, it's getting to be that time of year again, where my day job is cutting into my free time just a little too much, so it's time to put U62: The Targ on summer hiatus. But before I go, I'm giving you a season finale in the form of Episode 7.15: Summer Fun. The ramblings to tide you through the summer include:
- My thoughts on Godzilla
- My thoughts on X-Men: Days of Future Past
- A quick rundown on some of Disney's Star Wars plans
- And offering my thoughts on all the Ant-Man hubbub
So download it, and stock up your MP3 player with summer reruns as well. And I'll be bringing back U62: The Targ this fall!
Click here to go download it!
Head here to subscribe in iTunes!
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U62: The Targ
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Muppet Movie
Here we are again, Fishing in the Discount Bin. Watching a movie I own and then blogging about it because why not? This time out, one of my childhood favourites, The Muppet Movie. This pops up in my notes at August 30, 2013.
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Fishing in the Discout Bin
Monday, May 26, 2014
The Unofficial Journalism School
I've finally begun the long and arduous task of rebuilding my website, Chaos In a Box.com. I mean, I still give that URL out to people as my online calling card, and I'm paying for the URL, so people should see something a little better than my early-2000s HTML-ing skills when they go there. Besides, when I first moved servers some 8 years ago, I wound up with a lot of dead links that I've been meaning to go back and fix. A friend of mine installed everyone's favourite web software for me, WordPress, and I'm slowly starting to transfer everything over.
But, seeing as to how I wrote every page by hand before my website had a proper back end, that's some 400+ webpages I have to reformat and copy over. It's a lot of cutting and pasting, pretty much.
Yesterday was my first real day of copying and reformatting. I managed to copy over and reformat the earliest pages of my website, the very genesis of my blog, and that's my opinion column, Chaos in Print, which ran in The Dagligtale, the student newspaper of Augustana.
See, back in the day, I had my radio show on the college station, but I wanted more listeners. So, in a flash of cross-promotional genius, I started writing an opinion column for the Dagligtale to plug my radio show. This being the late-1990s, the dot-com bubble was still blowing up, so I desired a web presence. Following the advice of some friends, I found some free web space and started building a website. Needing content for my website, I started posting my columns. Then, I graduated from college. I no longer had my radio show, or my opinion column in the newspaper. But I still had my website, so I thought, "Why not keep writing the column, and posting it on the website?"
And thus, I started blogging. I don't think I actually heard the term "blog" to describe what I was doing for another 2 or 3 years.
It was interesting, skimming over those old articles and reformatting them. What happened to you, college Mark? So full of passion and fire... Here's some of the highlights:
So, when the paper came out, and nominations were open, I got behind the mic on my show and said, "Hey, everybody! Be sure to nominate me as one of the most interesting people on campus!" The Dag came out monthly, so on my show, for a whole month, I encouraged people to nominate me. I was told later on that the co-editors were very unhappy with how I encouraged the listeners to vote for me, and I could tell when they called me up to inform me that I had made it and asked for my article that, yeah, I had made them grumpy.
But I knew it was the only way I would be able to get an article in the final issue, as I really offended one of the co-editors in my final months. That guy...I did not get along with him at all. He wanted to make the paper "edgy," and thus printed a lot of highly bizarre, surrealistic, offensive articles. He told me once he kept trying to dump my column, considering it not "edgy" enough, but the other editor always vetoed him, because the other editor liked my stuff. Things came to a head when that one co-editor was running unopposed for Student Union President, and thus launched his "edgy" campaign. I countered by running an equally "edgy" campaign, encouraging people to vote no for him. And I learned a lesson that's still true in the real world: people who tell you to question authority really don't like it when you question them.
(Just typing those words makes me want to go back into the newsroom.)
But reading those articles and remember those struggles, I just couldn't help but laugh. It's like finding the diary you kept when you were 8-years old in the back of your closet. There's no doubt in my mind that, at the time, I felt THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER! 15 years later, I just can't laugh at how silly it all was...at how silly I was.
That's another reason why I've been hesitant to start rebuilding my website. I know I'll be running into a lot of stuff like this. How many of YOU want to make the diary you kept when you were 8-years old public? But on the other hand, it has been public for 15 years. If someone really wants to read it, they're going to find it regardless.
That being said, though, a few names may be changed to protect the innocent.
And while we're on the subject, all this reminiscing about my time writing for the school paper made me decide to go back in my notes and dig out this reminiscing I wrote a few years ago. November 20, 2010 is where it appears in my notes. I only shared it with a few friends when I wrote it, but now, I feel it's safe for public consumption. I titled this piece The Unofficial Journalism School. Inspired by an article I read in the Edmonton Journal celebrating the anniversary of the Gateway - the student paper of the U of A - I decided to write my remembrances of the student papers I wrote for. In addition to the Dagligatle, I wrote for the Nugget, NAIT's student paper, when I attended NAIT.
So here's The Unofficial Journalism School.
But, seeing as to how I wrote every page by hand before my website had a proper back end, that's some 400+ webpages I have to reformat and copy over. It's a lot of cutting and pasting, pretty much.
Yesterday was my first real day of copying and reformatting. I managed to copy over and reformat the earliest pages of my website, the very genesis of my blog, and that's my opinion column, Chaos in Print, which ran in The Dagligtale, the student newspaper of Augustana.
See, back in the day, I had my radio show on the college station, but I wanted more listeners. So, in a flash of cross-promotional genius, I started writing an opinion column for the Dagligtale to plug my radio show. This being the late-1990s, the dot-com bubble was still blowing up, so I desired a web presence. Following the advice of some friends, I found some free web space and started building a website. Needing content for my website, I started posting my columns. Then, I graduated from college. I no longer had my radio show, or my opinion column in the newspaper. But I still had my website, so I thought, "Why not keep writing the column, and posting it on the website?"
And thus, I started blogging. I don't think I actually heard the term "blog" to describe what I was doing for another 2 or 3 years.
It was interesting, skimming over those old articles and reformatting them. What happened to you, college Mark? So full of passion and fire... Here's some of the highlights:
- Armageddon is the greatest movie ever made!
- Dax from Deep Space Nine and the Pink Power Ranger are the hottest women ever! (This was a recurring motif)
- Physics is the last bastion of free thought. (I was told that a philosophy professor quoted this on a final exam.)
- Today, I visited 100.3 the Bear and acted like a total hick. I'll never work in radio for real. (Yes, I visited the Bear and wrote an article for the paper about how real radio stations operate.)
- When something's this big, you can't help but get swept up in it. (This was me describing the hype for Episode I)
So, when the paper came out, and nominations were open, I got behind the mic on my show and said, "Hey, everybody! Be sure to nominate me as one of the most interesting people on campus!" The Dag came out monthly, so on my show, for a whole month, I encouraged people to nominate me. I was told later on that the co-editors were very unhappy with how I encouraged the listeners to vote for me, and I could tell when they called me up to inform me that I had made it and asked for my article that, yeah, I had made them grumpy.
But I knew it was the only way I would be able to get an article in the final issue, as I really offended one of the co-editors in my final months. That guy...I did not get along with him at all. He wanted to make the paper "edgy," and thus printed a lot of highly bizarre, surrealistic, offensive articles. He told me once he kept trying to dump my column, considering it not "edgy" enough, but the other editor always vetoed him, because the other editor liked my stuff. Things came to a head when that one co-editor was running unopposed for Student Union President, and thus launched his "edgy" campaign. I countered by running an equally "edgy" campaign, encouraging people to vote no for him. And I learned a lesson that's still true in the real world: people who tell you to question authority really don't like it when you question them.
(Just typing those words makes me want to go back into the newsroom.)
But reading those articles and remember those struggles, I just couldn't help but laugh. It's like finding the diary you kept when you were 8-years old in the back of your closet. There's no doubt in my mind that, at the time, I felt THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER! 15 years later, I just can't laugh at how silly it all was...at how silly I was.
That's another reason why I've been hesitant to start rebuilding my website. I know I'll be running into a lot of stuff like this. How many of YOU want to make the diary you kept when you were 8-years old public? But on the other hand, it has been public for 15 years. If someone really wants to read it, they're going to find it regardless.
That being said, though, a few names may be changed to protect the innocent.
And while we're on the subject, all this reminiscing about my time writing for the school paper made me decide to go back in my notes and dig out this reminiscing I wrote a few years ago. November 20, 2010 is where it appears in my notes. I only shared it with a few friends when I wrote it, but now, I feel it's safe for public consumption. I titled this piece The Unofficial Journalism School. Inspired by an article I read in the Edmonton Journal celebrating the anniversary of the Gateway - the student paper of the U of A - I decided to write my remembrances of the student papers I wrote for. In addition to the Dagligatle, I wrote for the Nugget, NAIT's student paper, when I attended NAIT.
So here's The Unofficial Journalism School.
Labels:
life,
Opinions I Should Keep to Myself
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Marvelous Marvel Trailers
This past week, we were lucky enough to get, not one, but two new trailers for Marvel Comics adaptations! Let's take a look at the bigger one, shall we? Guardians of the Galaxy.
That's the poster, now here's the trailer.
I don't know what to say...I'm totally diggin' this. Every time I hear the classic rock accompanying epic shots of spaceships, I get fond flashbacks to watching Heavy Metal late at night on basic cable in my teen years.
This is why many are saying this is the big gamble for Marvel. First up, it's not a widely known property. Secondly, the trailers are making it look just so darn quirky. But, the more I see, the more I like. I like quirky. Things like a walking talking raccoon *ahem* adjusting himself. What? This just look so strange it might work.
Now, this was the bigger one of the week, so you're probably wondering what the second Marvel adaptation trailer was.
When Disney bought Marvel five years ago, the immediate question was, "Does this mean we'll be getting Disney animated movies based on Marvel Comics someday?" Ladies and gentlemen, today is someday.
Big Hero 6, like Guardians of the Galaxy, is one of Marvel's lesser-known properties, only surviving 2 mini-series. It follows the adventures of Japan's premiere superhero team, with each member being Marvel's take on a beloved stock character from manga and anime. Marvel's editor Joe Quesada said he wasn't surprised when Disney gravitated towards Big Hero 6, as the relationship between between young hero Hiro Hamada and his robot Baymax did seem rather Disney-esque.
There's a lot of rage already from the Marvel zombies that the Marvel logo isn't at the front of this trailer, but I'm not surprised. Again, according to Quesada, Marvel's been pretty hands-off with this one and it's been Disney Animation's baby all the way. Besides, at the end of the day, since Marvel owns Disney, does it really matter what label Disney chooses to stick at the front?
Again, I kind of like what I see. With the "armor popping off a chubby hero" gag, they're trying to invoke memories of Pixar's The Incredibles. I do like the gag with the soccer ball, though. I want to see more the heroics, though! I've always been a big fan of superheroes in animation, so let's bring on more of the heroes!
The creative talent behind this one are Don Hall, who did Disney's last venture into 2D hand-drawn animation, 2011's Winnie the Pooh, and Chris Williams, who co-directed Bolt. The voice cast has yet to be officially announced. It's due out this November.
And while I'm talking Marvel movies, I feel like offering up a comment on yesterday's shocking news that Edgar Wright is no longer directing Ant-Man. This is shocking, because Wright has been attached to direct Ant-Man ever since Marvel started producing their own films in 2006. For the past 8 years, he's been refining the script and he's been responsible for the casting of Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas. This has been his baby for so long that, for him to be gone, it's surprising.
But then, maybe not too surprising. I have read that, ever since Marvel decided to do their whole "build up to an Avengers movie every few years" plan, the studio has become more hands-on, and more involved in the creative process. Jon Favreau once said that's why he turned down Iron Man 3. He had so much freedom making Iron Man, but making Iron Man 2, the studio starting insisting on all this extra stuff to be added in to start building up to The Avengers that it became frustrating.
Which pretty much explains why the split is being described as "differing visions" for the film in their official news release. Wright has been pretty up-front from the beginning that he wanted it to be largely comedic in tone, which probably wouldn't mesh too well with Marvel's current plans. While they are lighthearted, they aren't comedic.
No word on who the new director is, but Marvel says it'll be announced shortly. Maybe Marvel will do like Pixar does with their constant changes in directors on their films, and Wright will get a co-director credit for his efforts. Or at least a special thanks.
That's the poster, now here's the trailer.
I don't know what to say...I'm totally diggin' this. Every time I hear the classic rock accompanying epic shots of spaceships, I get fond flashbacks to watching Heavy Metal late at night on basic cable in my teen years.
This is why many are saying this is the big gamble for Marvel. First up, it's not a widely known property. Secondly, the trailers are making it look just so darn quirky. But, the more I see, the more I like. I like quirky. Things like a walking talking raccoon *ahem* adjusting himself. What? This just look so strange it might work.
Now, this was the bigger one of the week, so you're probably wondering what the second Marvel adaptation trailer was.
When Disney bought Marvel five years ago, the immediate question was, "Does this mean we'll be getting Disney animated movies based on Marvel Comics someday?" Ladies and gentlemen, today is someday.
Big Hero 6, like Guardians of the Galaxy, is one of Marvel's lesser-known properties, only surviving 2 mini-series. It follows the adventures of Japan's premiere superhero team, with each member being Marvel's take on a beloved stock character from manga and anime. Marvel's editor Joe Quesada said he wasn't surprised when Disney gravitated towards Big Hero 6, as the relationship between between young hero Hiro Hamada and his robot Baymax did seem rather Disney-esque.
There's a lot of rage already from the Marvel zombies that the Marvel logo isn't at the front of this trailer, but I'm not surprised. Again, according to Quesada, Marvel's been pretty hands-off with this one and it's been Disney Animation's baby all the way. Besides, at the end of the day, since Marvel owns Disney, does it really matter what label Disney chooses to stick at the front?
Again, I kind of like what I see. With the "armor popping off a chubby hero" gag, they're trying to invoke memories of Pixar's The Incredibles. I do like the gag with the soccer ball, though. I want to see more the heroics, though! I've always been a big fan of superheroes in animation, so let's bring on more of the heroes!
The creative talent behind this one are Don Hall, who did Disney's last venture into 2D hand-drawn animation, 2011's Winnie the Pooh, and Chris Williams, who co-directed Bolt. The voice cast has yet to be officially announced. It's due out this November.
And while I'm talking Marvel movies, I feel like offering up a comment on yesterday's shocking news that Edgar Wright is no longer directing Ant-Man. This is shocking, because Wright has been attached to direct Ant-Man ever since Marvel started producing their own films in 2006. For the past 8 years, he's been refining the script and he's been responsible for the casting of Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas. This has been his baby for so long that, for him to be gone, it's surprising.
But then, maybe not too surprising. I have read that, ever since Marvel decided to do their whole "build up to an Avengers movie every few years" plan, the studio has become more hands-on, and more involved in the creative process. Jon Favreau once said that's why he turned down Iron Man 3. He had so much freedom making Iron Man, but making Iron Man 2, the studio starting insisting on all this extra stuff to be added in to start building up to The Avengers that it became frustrating.
Which pretty much explains why the split is being described as "differing visions" for the film in their official news release. Wright has been pretty up-front from the beginning that he wanted it to be largely comedic in tone, which probably wouldn't mesh too well with Marvel's current plans. While they are lighthearted, they aren't comedic.
No word on who the new director is, but Marvel says it'll be announced shortly. Maybe Marvel will do like Pixar does with their constant changes in directors on their films, and Wright will get a co-director credit for his efforts. Or at least a special thanks.
Labels:
Movie stuff,
The Trailer Park
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Fishing in the Discount Bin - Daredevil
Here we are again, with Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch one of the many movies I own and blog about it, because I really need to get out more. With all the Ben Affleck as Batman news, I figured it was as good a time as any to revisit Daredevil. This shows up in my notes at August 24, 2013.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Waste of a Long Weekend
Well, the Victoria Day weekend has come to a close. As much as I enjoyed just sitting around my house, enjoying the silence, I figured I should try to get out and do something. So, with the final day of the long weekend here, I jumped in my car (Ol' Bessie-Lou, I call her), and headed off into the city!
As I've blogged before, in order to assuage any guilt I feel about spending too much money, I always figure I should buy at least one thing I actually need. Well, then, lucky for me, I'm in need of a new jacket. I've had my old one for 12 years now, and I've worn holes in all the pockets. I've grown quite tired of losing stuff into the lining. That, and I've grown quite a bit in the past 12 years (i.e. put on weight), leaving my old one embarrassingly tight in some places. So a new jacket was definitely in order.
First stop, then, one of the many reasonably priced department stores! And, I found one quite quickly. It fit, it was in a colour I liked, and there were no holes in the pockets. I'm now ready for long walks in the rain!
With the necessities acquired and my guilt subsided, it was now off to my beloved West Edmonton Mall. Did some browsing at my usual haunts, and made a grand discovery. Something has finally happened that I've been wondering about since that fateful day in the autumn of 2012.
The Disney Store now stocks Star Wars stuff. I didn't snatch up anything because I found it to be mostly ridiculously overpriced, however, don't be surprised if one of those exclusive talking Han Solo action figures eventually finds its way to my collection.
Then off to HMV to peruse the DVDs and Blu-Rays, because my collection isn't big enough. I managed to finally find a copy of Father Goose, released to Blu-Ray around a year ago. This is one of my mother's favourite movies, and I wound up watching it a few times when I was a kid. Released in 1964, Father Goose stars bonafied Hollywood legend Cary Grant. Grant plays Walter Eckland, a beach bum content to drift with the tides in the South Pacific. However, it is during World War II, and one of his pals, an officer in the Australian Navy, shanghais him into becoming a spotter -- he hides out on a deserted island and reports any enemy planes that fly overhead. Hilarity ensues when a sassy French schoolmistress and her seven students get stranded on Walter's island. My 10-year old self enjoyed it well enough, so it'll be interesting to see if my grown-up self gets more of the jokes.
And now, with summer blockbuster season upon us, I of course, had to go see the big movie of the weekend.
Ah, Godzilla. 16 years after the last time they tried to do an American remake, Toho granted the USA a do-over. And may I say, this time out, they do Godzilla right. This feels like a Godzilla movie. The music, the acting, the pacing, the giant monster fights. It's a Godzilla movie!
But, because it is a Godzilla movie, it suffers from the same problems inherent to the franchise. That is, it's kind of weak when there's no giant monster fights. But the actors do the best they can with what they're given.
And it's such a tease! Lots of other reviews have pointed out the similarity to Jaws, and how they only tease Godzilla for most of the film, only bringing him in for the climax, and I tell ya, it gets incredibly frustrating. But it works, as when he does appear, I had to literally bite my tongue from cheering.
So, yeah. It was pretty good, but dang it, I want more Godzilla in my Godzilla movies.
I've got the complete review up at my website, for you to see.
And that was pretty much it. Just an attempt to get out and about and enjoy some of my long weekend.
As I've blogged before, in order to assuage any guilt I feel about spending too much money, I always figure I should buy at least one thing I actually need. Well, then, lucky for me, I'm in need of a new jacket. I've had my old one for 12 years now, and I've worn holes in all the pockets. I've grown quite tired of losing stuff into the lining. That, and I've grown quite a bit in the past 12 years (i.e. put on weight), leaving my old one embarrassingly tight in some places. So a new jacket was definitely in order.
First stop, then, one of the many reasonably priced department stores! And, I found one quite quickly. It fit, it was in a colour I liked, and there were no holes in the pockets. I'm now ready for long walks in the rain!
With the necessities acquired and my guilt subsided, it was now off to my beloved West Edmonton Mall. Did some browsing at my usual haunts, and made a grand discovery. Something has finally happened that I've been wondering about since that fateful day in the autumn of 2012.
The Disney Store now stocks Star Wars stuff. I didn't snatch up anything because I found it to be mostly ridiculously overpriced, however, don't be surprised if one of those exclusive talking Han Solo action figures eventually finds its way to my collection.
Then off to HMV to peruse the DVDs and Blu-Rays, because my collection isn't big enough. I managed to finally find a copy of Father Goose, released to Blu-Ray around a year ago. This is one of my mother's favourite movies, and I wound up watching it a few times when I was a kid. Released in 1964, Father Goose stars bonafied Hollywood legend Cary Grant. Grant plays Walter Eckland, a beach bum content to drift with the tides in the South Pacific. However, it is during World War II, and one of his pals, an officer in the Australian Navy, shanghais him into becoming a spotter -- he hides out on a deserted island and reports any enemy planes that fly overhead. Hilarity ensues when a sassy French schoolmistress and her seven students get stranded on Walter's island. My 10-year old self enjoyed it well enough, so it'll be interesting to see if my grown-up self gets more of the jokes.
And now, with summer blockbuster season upon us, I of course, had to go see the big movie of the weekend.
Ah, Godzilla. 16 years after the last time they tried to do an American remake, Toho granted the USA a do-over. And may I say, this time out, they do Godzilla right. This feels like a Godzilla movie. The music, the acting, the pacing, the giant monster fights. It's a Godzilla movie!
But, because it is a Godzilla movie, it suffers from the same problems inherent to the franchise. That is, it's kind of weak when there's no giant monster fights. But the actors do the best they can with what they're given.
And it's such a tease! Lots of other reviews have pointed out the similarity to Jaws, and how they only tease Godzilla for most of the film, only bringing him in for the climax, and I tell ya, it gets incredibly frustrating. But it works, as when he does appear, I had to literally bite my tongue from cheering.
So, yeah. It was pretty good, but dang it, I want more Godzilla in my Godzilla movies.
I've got the complete review up at my website, for you to see.
And that was pretty much it. Just an attempt to get out and about and enjoy some of my long weekend.
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