Film: Rambo (2008)

Blu-Ray


Review: After a twenty year gap since the third movie, this last sequel is a hybrid cross between Rambo's character in the first film and the two sequels. Rambo is now old and beaten down, living a quiet, isolated life in Thailand and making a living catching snakes along the river. At first reluctant when a missionary group requests his help to enter Burma, he finally agrees to take them across the border on his boat. After the missionaries are taken captive by the Burmese Army, he agrees to escort a mercenary team back up river to recover them. Sylvester Stallone directs this sequel and isn't afraid to show the brutal treatment of the Karen people by the Burmese Army and Rambo's bloody retribution. After the first film, this is my favorite as it avoids a lot of the cheesiness of the middle two.

Quotes:
"These boys are now our soldiers! They belong to me now! If you try to get them back, your whole village will burn! If you ask the Karen Rebels for help, I will cut out your tongues! If you go against me, I will feed you your intestines! Hear me, believe me, and fear me!"

"Burma's a warzone."
"Well, that's what people call it, but it's more like genocide than war. Anyway, this will be my fifth trip in, so we're aware of the risks."
"I don't go that far north."
"Let me explain our situation. Our church is part of a pan-Asian ministry, located in Colorado. We are all volunteers who, around this time of year, bring in medical supplies, medical attention, prayer books, and support to the Karen tribespeople. People say you know the river better than anyone."
"They ain't lying."
"So what I'm asking is that we compensate you for a few hours of your time that will help change people's lives."
"Are you bringing any weapons?"
"Of course not."
"You're not changing anything."
"Well, it's thinking like that that keeps the world the way it is."
"Fuck the world."

"Am I boring you, mate? Or is it... is it the trip? Has it got you nervous? 'Cause really, you should appreciate the action, you know what I mean? Got to be better than looking at the ass end of a snake... You really are an uptight bastard, aren't you? You can drop the thousand-yard stare. I've seen it all before, and I'm not impressed."

"One man and a kid? You've got to be fucking joking! This all the rebels put up?"
"I'm not liking it."
"You're in the jungle, puss-nuts. There's nothing to like."

"Any of you boys want to shoot, now's the time. There isn't one of us that doesn't want to be someplace else. But this is what we do, who we are. Live for nothing, or die for something. Your call."

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

TV: Family Guy - It's a Trap! (2010)

1 Disc


Review: A good conclusion for Family Guy's parodies of the Star Wars movies. They do a good job with Return of the Jedi, highlighting its best parts and lightly teasing its status as the least favorite of the original trilogy.

Quotes:
"Luke Skywalker has returned to his home planet of Tatooine in order to... Okay, you know what, we don't care. We were thinking of not even doing this one. Fox made us do it. When we did 'Blue Harvest', they said, 'Oh, you guys are crazy.' They tried to talk us out of it, and it ended up making a ton of money. By then we were just finishing 'Empire', and we were absolutely exhausted. But Fox suddenly had dollar signs in their eyes, and they said, 'Seth, if you don't do 'Jedi', we're not gonna let you leave to go direct your movie.'"

"Greetings, exalted one. It's me, Luke Skywalker. I seek an audience with Your Slimness to bargain for Captain Solo's life. As a token of my good will, I present to you a gift, these two droids."
"Wait a minute, does he have the right to give us away? He just stole us from his dead uncle."

"Oh, my God, that was absolute hell! I just... I don't understand why... I mean, we're in a galaxy far, far away, and we still have to change in Atlanta."

"How are we gonna get out of here?"
"Wait a second, guys. I got an idea. Remember that laser I used to break Leia out of Jabba's handcuffs? Well, here comes a little tiny saw!"

"All right, everybody, hands in the air! All right. Now I want you to take off your helmets, go outside and dig up your own graves with them."
"Han, that's kind of dark."
"Shut up! There's enough cutesy crap in this movie. I think we all need this. Now get outside!"

"Give yourself to the dark side, Luke."
"I will not fight you."
"Well, all right. I guess that's no problem. I can always get Seth Green to fight me. He'll do anything for money. I mean, did you see Sex Drive? Oh, of course you didn't. You're a person. Of course, I guess it did respectable foreign numbers. Asians really liked it. And you gotta hand it to Seth Green. I mean, he works hard, you know? I mean, the work is much harder when you know the project is no good. Still, all those small paychecks must add up. I wonder if his fan base knows how Jewish he really is."

"The end. And that's the final chapter in the Star Wars saga."
"What about the prequels?"
"I think the Cleveland Show is gonna do those."

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

TV: Family Guy - Volume 7 (2008-2009)

3 Discs


Review: Episodes, 'The Man with Two Brians' and 'Family Gay', are my favorites from this volume.

Quotes:
"Stewie, why are you nude?"
"Oh, just a little something I do once a week around here called a 'naked tea party'. Got my teacup here and now all I need is a teabag. That something that interest you, my friend?"

"Yeah, just look at all the dumb-ass Manilow fans."
"I mean he's got like one good song."
"Yeah... I mean 'Mandy' is not terrible."
"Yeah, the opening is okay."
"And I guess you can't hate 'Copacabana'."
"Yeah, if you're in the right mood."
"'Daybreak' is a good song."
"Oh, yeah."
"That's a good song. And I like 'Weekend in New England'."
"Yeah, that's a good one. 'Looks Like We Made It'."
"Yeah, it's not bad."
"Right..."
"I love Barry Manilow!!!"
"Oh my god, he's the best!"
"I have everything he's ever recorded!"
"Me too, in my car!"
"We have to go to that concert!"

"Knock-knock."
"Who's there?"
"You're there."
"I'll always be there, Dylan."

"Ugh, you know. This is why you... Brian, remember. For the last couple of weeks, I kept saying 'Can I have a couple of minutes of your time to talk to you about something?' This is what it was about! This evening is rueened!"
"Look, I... Wait, what?"
"This evening is rueened! The whole evening is rueened!"
"Why are you saying it like that?"
"Saying what? I'm just pointing out the party's rueened."
"You know what? I'm not gonna get sucked into this............ Okay, just so that I'm sure. Really? Are you just trying to piss me off or is that really how you say it?"
"What are you talking about? I'm talking about this rueened evening."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! What are you doing in my room? Don't touch my stuff with your dirty, walking-on-the-street paws!"

"Time machine? I didn't know you had a time machine."
"Yeah, I built it after I got bored with that European See 'n Say."
"The cow goes SHAZOO!"
"It most certainly does not!"

"Hey, New Brian, bad news. You gotta leave."
"What are you talking about? This is my home."
"Nobody likes you here, man."
"Well, I disagree. I think everyone likes me."
"No, we don't! We don't like your cooking, your stupid karaoke nights and we especially don't like the way you hump that chair in the den."
"Well, Rupert seemed to like my humping."
"What did you say?"
"Rupert. I humped him for two hours yesterday. He just laid there and took it."

"What's it called?"
"Susie."
"Wow, a song named after a girl. There aren't a million of those already."
"Name twenty!"
"Rosanna, Roxanne, Michelle, Alison, Sarah, Angie, Brandy, Mandy, Gloria, Cecilia, Maggie May, Jessica, Nancy, Barbara Ann, Billie Jean, Layla, Lola, Polly, Helena, Jenny From the Block."
"Name six more!"
"Sherry, Laura, Wendy, Maria, Peggy Sue, Minnie the Moocher."
"Name five more!"
"Tracy, Jean, Jane, Mary Ann, Eleanor Rigby."
"Go fuck yourself!"

"Peter, are you... gay??"
"Guiltyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"

5 out of 5 Stars

Film: Jumper (2008)

Blu-Ray


Review: Another great film from Doug Liman who directed the 'Bourne Identity'. While Hayden Christensen is not a great actor, he is able to pull off the smugness required of a young thief who has the power to teleport himself anywhere with just a thought. Samuel L. Jackson plays the agent of a secret organization tasked with tracking him down while Jamie Bell plays a more experienced Jumper who has managed to survive the Paladins' hunt and take the fight back to them. I wish this had done better at the box office because I would have liked to see the sequels that Liman had planned. His visual skill in showing off the jumpers ability to teleport around the world was exhilarating.

Quotes:
"What I'd like to know is how you rob a bank without opening any doors."

"Only God should have this power."

"You speak Italian?"
"No."
"Well, uh, l'ingresso means 'Come on in'."
"Oh, I thought it meant 'bullshit'."

"Who are these people?"
"Paladins. Paladins kill Jumpers, I kill Paladins. Class dismissed."

"I just came through your jump scar."
"What do you think you're doing here? Huh? If I were you, I'd jump back. You're not supposed to see all this stuff. Get out! So if you'd like to kindly fuck off, as in now."

"Why are you walking?"
"I like to walk for a change. Makes me feel normal."

"You can't just keep following me."
"Actually, I'm the only one who CAN keep following you."

"Where'd the Paladin go?"
"Swimming."
"Pacific?"
"No, Actually, Atlantic. Nice little shark pit round Cuba."

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: Above the Law (1988)

Blu-Ray


Review: Steven Seagal's first film, introducing the effective action template he would follow for his next several films, especially 'Out for Justice'. The story is simple, Nico, an ex-CIA agent during Vietnam turned Chicago police officer has uncovered a plot by some of his past associates to assassinate a senator. Using his Akido martial art skills, he takes down wave after wave of thugs, armed and unarmed, who attempt to stop him throughout the film. Entertaining and it has aged well.

Quotes:
"What the hell kind of high is this?"
"Sky-high. Military explosives. C-4, my man, C-4."

"This maniac should be wearing a number, not a badge."

"You're gonna need me."
"Need you? For what?"
"To get your ass outta jail."
"You think you can afford my bail?"

"I don't think you can take us all, badass."
"No, but I'll get an A for effort."

"Tell me something old buddy, do we kill our own senators now?"
"Why not? The Romans did."
"Are we the fucking Romans?"
"We're an empire too."

"Not one C.I.A. agent has ever been tried, much less accused of any crimes. You guys think you're above the law. Well, you ain't above mine."

4 out of 5 Stars

TV: The Tudors - 1st Season (2007)

Enhanced 16x9 (4 Discs)


Review: A dramatic telling of Henry VIII as the young king of England as he pursues Anne Boleyn. This first season concerns Cardinal Wolsey's attempts to get an annulment from the Pope for King Henry and Queen Catherine's marriage. While the show takes a lot of artistic license, it is entertaining and interested me into learning more of the actual history.

Quotes:
"I intend to be a just ruler."

"Though I love Your Majesty and I'm loyal to you, in every way, I cannot disguise my distress and unhappiness."
"Well, you're going to have to."

"Is he handsome?"
"He certainly thinks so."
"Is he vain?"
"Your Majesty, he's French."

"Ah, Mr. Pace. I trust you're keeping a good eye on my interests?"
"Of course, Your Eminence. Like an eagle."
"I don't want an eagle, Mr. Pace. They can soar too high. Be a pigeon, and shit on everything."

"As a humanist, I have an abhorrence of war."
"As a king, I am forced to disagree."

"I won't sign it! I won't sign the treaty! Tell them I won't sign it!"
"Your Majesty..."
"Tell them!"
"Fine!! If you want the world to know that the King of England is easily changeable, shallow, intemperate, incapable of keeping his word! Then of course I will go and tell them. After all, I am merely Your Majesty's humble servant! "

"What we lack in men, we can more than make up for in ships. We are an island race, Cardinal. We have the best and bravest sailors in the world. I will have the greatest navy."

"Lady Anne, what are you doing here?"
"I have an audience with His Majesty?"
"What would a silly girl like you have to say to a king?"

"I make you this promise. When we are married, I will deliver you a son."

"Is this not Mademoiselle Anne? Enchanté. His Eminence, Cardinal Wolsey, has told me all about you, but he did not tell me how beautiful you are. For a Frenchman, that is almost a crime."
"But the French tell every woman she is beautiful. Is this not a crime also?"

"Your Majesty, I beg that you yield to the King's will."
"And what is his will?"
"As His Eminence proposes, that you join a religious community of your choosing and take a vow of perpetual chastity."
"You speak to me of chastity. Have you not a mistress and two children, Your Eminence?"

"I want you to go to Rome Mr. Cromwell. I want you to force his fucking holiness into submission. If necessary by telling him that if he does not grant me my fucking annulment, then England will withdraw its submission to Rome and I will withdraw my allegiance to him."

"Have you no kind things to say?"
"Kind?"
"To your wife, the mother of your child. You treat me so unkindly and in public neglect me."
"Katherine, you must accept the inevitable. The weight of academic opinion is against us. We were never legally man and wife. And the court will decide in my favour and if the court does not decide in my favour, I shall denounce the pope as a heretic and marry whom I please."

"I am... reminded of something Wolsey once told me. That I should only ever tell the king what he ought to do, not what he could do; for if the lion knows his own strength, no man could control him."

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: District 9 (2009)

Blu-Ray


Review: When a derelict spaceship arrives over Johannesburg, South Africa, the authorities are surprised to discover a starving insect-like alien race trapped aboard that displays limited motivation or even the intelligence to operate their own advanced technology. After moving over a million of the surviving aliens into a refugee camp on the edge of the city, the helpless, sometimes violent Prawns become a burden on the city who begins to despise them.

Sharlto Copley plays Wikus, the official in charge of evicting the Prawns from their slum into a more isolated camp, who becomes exposed to an alien chemical that alters his DNA. On the run from the agency that wants to exploit his condition, he hides in District 9 and meets the one smart alien, Christopher Johnson, who is working on a way to travel back home. While I thought this was a decent movie the first time I watched it, I was much more impressed the second time by the deep story and its satirical take on racism and apartheid.

Quotes:
"When dealing with aliens, try to be polite, but firm. And always remember that a smile is cheaper than a bullet."

"Get your fokkin' tentacle out of my face!"

"You hear that? That's a popping sound that you're hearing. It's almost like popcorn. Here, you can take that, you want to keep that, as a souvenir of your first abortion, ay. You can feel like you've done one of these too."
"Thanks, boss!"

"Hello, little guy! It's the sweetie man coming!"

"How many moons does our planet have?"
"Seven."
"This planet only has one. I can't wait to see our planet again... it's bigger than this one, isn't it?"
"Enough."
"We go home now?"
"Not home, no. This is where we must go. See that tent there? That might be ours."
"I want to go home!"
"We can't go home. Not anymore."

"I would never have any kind of... pornographic activity with a fokkin' creature!"

"This whole's thing's under your shack? For 20 years, you've had this fokkin' thing hidden out here? This is, this is very illegal, I mean, this is... this is a find."

"Fuel goes in here!"
"That's enough! QUIET!"
"...then we fly away."
"I said QUIET! We cannot trust him."
"What is he saying about the fuel, is this, are you trying to start this thing? He-he. Are you little fookers trying to start this, and get away, ay?"
"Never mind."
"Ha-ha. Yeah, you sneaky fokkin' prawns, heh?"

"I thought you said not to kill them?"
"He shot at me!"

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: The Rock (1996)

Blu-Ray


Review: This is one of Michael Bay's few good movies, probably because it was one of his first films and he was more restrained from his later excess. Bay is famous for his action scenes, well-shot but senseless since he seems to have scripts written around his action set-pieces instead of the other way round. In "The Rock", he has three great actors bringing their 'A' game and a fun, energetic script that isn't overwhelmed by unnecessary action scenes. After Ed Harris' Marine General takes over Alcatraz Island and threatens San Francisco with chemical weapons, the government sends Nicholas Cage, a WMD expert to help disarm them with the only convict who escaped the famous prison, Sean Connery, as a guide.

Quotes:
"I'm one of those fortunate people who like my job, sir. Got my first chemistry set when I was seven, blew my eyebrows off, we never saw the cat again, been into it ever since."

"The men of marine force recon are selected to carry out illegal operations throughout the world. When they don't come home, their families are told fairy tales about what happened to them... and denied compensation. Well, I have choked on these lies my entire career. Well here and now the lies stop!"

"Have you ever been in a combat situation before?"
"Define combat, sir."
"An incursion underwater to re-take an impregnable fortress held by an elite team of U.S. Marines, in possession of eighty-one hostages and fifteen guided rockets loaded with V-X poison gas."
"Oh. In that case, no sir."

"Major Anderson, if you have any concern for the lives of your men, you will order them to safety their weapons and place them on the deck."
"Sir, we know why you're out here. God knows, I agree with you. But like you, I swore to defend this country against all enemies, foreign, sir... and domestic."

"You enjoying this?"
"Well, it's certainly more enjoyable than my average day... reading philosophy, avoiding gang rape in the washrooms... though, it's less of a problem these days. Maybe I'm losing my sex appeal."

"You've been around a lot of corpses. Is that normal?"
"What, the feet thing?"
"Yeah, the feet thing."
"Yeah, it happens."
"Well I'm having a hard time concentrating. Can you do something about it?"
"Like what, kill him again?"

"What is wrong with these people, huh? Mason? Don't you think there's a lot of, uh, a lot of anger flowing around this island? Kind of a pubescent volatility? Don't you think? A lot of angst, a lot of 'I'm sixteen, I'm angry at my father' syndrome? I mean, grow up! We're stuck on an island with a bunch of violence-for-pleasure-seeking psychopathic marines, SHAME-ON-THEM!"

"You know, I like history too, and maybe when this is all over you and I can stop by the souvenir shop together but right now I just... I just wanna find some rockets!"

"I'm not about to kill 80,000 innocent people! Do you think I'm out of my fucking mind? We bluffed, they called it. The mission is over."
"Excuse me, general... but what about the fucking money?"
"There is no fucking money. The mission's over."
"Bullshit, it's over!"
"You're talking to a General, marine! Maintain discipline."
"I'm not a marine, Major. The day we took hostages, we became mercenaries. And mercenaries get paid. I want my FUCKING money!"

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)

Blu-Ray


Review: A cute film that follows several teenagers as they travel around Manhattan one night searching for their favorite band's secret concert venue. Nick's is still trying to get over his ex-girlfriend when he meets Norah, his true musical soulmate, but it takes him a while to fight off his depressive funk and realize it.

Quotes:
"Also that mix CD... uh, that I left on your doorstep was the last one that I'll be making for you. More or less..."

"Ohh! It's much better than the uni-boob."
"This isn't going to work, okay. He's hung up on Tris."
"You look gorgeous. And let me tell you something, Nicky is definitely worth the underwire. He just needs a little push, that's all."

"You don't have to yell. It's not a train station. We're in a tiny car."

"Are you off-duty?"
"This isn't a cab."
"Are you off-duty?"
"It's not a cab, my friend, I promise you."

"Okay. I'm just gonna tell you something. I was kidnapped tonight. Seriously. In this van with these guys talking about going balls deep. Sounds like fun, right? Not always. Scary."

"If anyone is getting raped in that van, it'll be a guy."

"I never wash my pants. I like to keep the night on them."

"Are you sad that we missed it?"
"We didn't miss it. This IS it. C'mon. You wanna go home?"

4 out of 5 Stars

Film: The Terminator (1984)

Blu-Ray


Review: I am a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Terminator series, but I was never smitten by the first film. While Linda Hamilton grew into the Sarah Connor role for the sequel, I didn't have much empathy for her character in the original so I kinda lost interest in the never-ending chase even though I loved the sci-fi concept behind it. Arnold is great as the imposing killer cyborg, but I preferred his later takes where he could show more of his comedic timing. With this Blu-Ray, I've have now watched the film only for a second time.

Quotes:
"Come with me if you want to live."

"There was a nuclear war. A few years from now, all this, this whole place, everything, it's gone. Just gone. There were survivors. Here, there. Nobody even knew who started it. It was the machines, Sarah."
"I don't understand."
"Defense network computers. New... powerful... hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. They say it got smart, a new order of intelligence. Then it saw all people as a threat, not just the ones on the other side. Decided our fate in a microsecond: extermination."

"The 600 series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy, but these are new. They look human... sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot. I had to wait till he moved on you before I could zero him."

"Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

"Why were the other two women killed?"
"Most of the records were lost in the war. Skynet knew almost nothing about Connor's mother. Her full name, where she lived. They just knew the city. The Terminator was just being systematic."

"What've we got? Moth balls, corn syrup, ammonia. What's for dinner?"
"Plastique."
"That sounds good. What is it?"
"Nitroglycerine-base; it's a bit more stable. I learned to make it when I was a kid."

3 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: The Other Guys (2010)

Blu-Ray


Review: A very funny movie centered around less heroic 3rd String detectives who stumble onto a massive financial fraud case. This is Mark Wahlberg's first comedy, but he successfully builds off the comedic aspects of the foul-mouthed police sergeant he played in "The Departed" and he interacts well with Will Ferrell's forensic accounting detective who loves doing the desk-work other cops despise. Directed by the Adam McKay of "Anchorman", the film is filled with improvisations and quotable lines.

Quotes:
"What is this?"
"It's my car, it's a Prius."
"I feel like we're literally driving around in a vagina."

"If you were in the wild, I would attack you, even if you weren't in my food chain. I would go out of my way to attack you. If I were a lion and you were a tuna, I would swim out in the middle of the ocean and freaking eat you and then I'd bang your tuna girlfriend."
"OK, first off: a lion, swimming in the ocean. Lions don't like water. If you placed it near a river or some sort of fresh water source, that make sense. But you find yourself in the ocean, 20 foot waves, I'm assuming off the coast of South Africa, coming up against a full grown 800 pound tuna with his 20 or 30 friends, you lose that battle, you lose that battle 9 times out of 10. And guess what, you've wandered into our school of tuna and we now have a taste of lion. We've talked to ourselves. We've communicated and said 'You know what, lion tastes good, let's go get some more lion'."

"You know what, I'm going to hang onto the wooden gun."
"To give me back my real gun?"
"No. I'm going to give you this... It's a rape whistle. You blow that if you're in any trouble, and someone with an actual gun will come and help you out."

"Your farts aren't manly."
"Are you serious?"
"They sound like a baby blowing out birthday candles."

"At age 11, I audited my parents. Believe me, there were some discrepancies, and I was grounded."

"I think the best way to tell the story is by starting at the end, briefly, then going back to the beginning, and then periodically returning to the end, maybe giving different characters' perspectives throughout. Just to give it a bit of dynamism, otherwise it's just sort of a linear story."

5 out of 5 Stars

Film: The Hobbit in High Frame Rate (HFR 3D)

While I think "The Hobbit" was a great movie and I enjoyed it more than the Lord of the Rings movies on a first viewing, this is not a regular review of the movie's creative content but more about my thoughts on the new High Frame Rate (HFR) technology that it introduced. I have now seen the movie twice, once at the Standard Frame Rate in 3D so I could watch the movie without being distracted by the new format and then again to experience the HFR 3D. I think I made the right choice.

Since the introduction of sound, film has been shot at 24 frames per second, while HFR has doubled that to 48 fps. As long as the frame rate is over 14 fps, the human eye can not see the individual frames. The higher the number, the smoother the motion becomes with less visible motion blur. Like flipping a picture book at a faster and faster rate.

My first impression is that HFR 3D is much better than the motion-smoothing settings on HDTVs which I hate and turn off. Since the HDTV setting adds extra frames to movies/TV shows that were originally shot at 24 fps, the extra clarity can expose flaws in the makeup, costumes and sets that the director didn't expect the audience to see. But since "The Hobbit" was originally planned for 48 fps, Peter Jackson was able to make sure the level of detail on the makeup, costumes and sets was high enough that the added clarity did not expose these seams. (I still noticed Gandalf's contact lens in one close up though. Ha!)

While Jackson solved that first basic problem of higher frame rates, it created another that I am not so sure I will get used to. The biggest change is that the motion is so smooth and clear, that it feels like you are watching the most expensive, lavish theatrical production ever instead of a movie. If you love a theater experience, you may find this to be amazing but to me it made this epic fantasy film set in Middle-Earth seem like I following along with a talented, well-costumed group of LARPers (Live Action Role Players) running around New Zealand. Instead of being swept up in the movie, I felt like I was the cameraman, actually riding along the dolly track or on the crane near the actors. (This effect lessens the farther the camera moves away from the actors, restoring the filmic look in mid-to-far shots.)

The upside of this clarity is that while actual humans and sets looked too real in HFR, the computer-generated-graphics (CGI) felt just right since the motion blur at the standard frame rate causes problems for CGI characters placed in a real environment. For example, while the sled chase in "The Hobbit" looked cartoonish at 24 fps, it looked like the wizard, Radagast, and his rabbits were actually running across the real landscape and dodging rocks at 48 fps. Matte paintings in the background looked faker though at 48 fps, but that might be from the 3D effect instead of HFR. In one shot, it looked like Bilbo and the dwarves in the foreground were looking at an obvious painting of Rivendale in the background.

For the future, I can see HFR working great for documentaries, nature films, and pure CGI movies like Pixar's, but I don't know if it is the right tool for fictional story-telling where I am trying to suspend my belief with a little movie magic. James Cameron mentioned that he wanted to film his "Avatar" sequels even higher at 60 fps and I can see it looking amazing in that 90% CGI environment.

Film: Frailty (2001)

DVD: Enhanced 16x9


Review: This isn't a jump-scare horror, but the more effective kind that makes the viewer wonder how they would deal with a horrible situation. This is Bill Paxton's first film as a director and he also plays the father who claims he has seen a vision from God and tells his two young sons that they were given a mission to destroy demons living among them. The film is told from the perspective of the older skeptical son trying to cope with his dad's religious fervor.

Quotes:
"What is that, Dad?"
"That's a demon, son."

"You didn't think anyone knew about that, did you? But God saw you! And you can't escape God's wrath!"

"Don't cry for her son, she wasn't human."

"He was my father. I loved him even if he had gone crazy."

"Ain't that Travis kid the boy whose been givin' you trouble at school?"
"Yep. He's a demon."
"You can't make things like that up, son. Killing people is wrong, destroying demons is good. Don't worry, God will send you your own list when you're older."

"I hated Dad's God, and I would have run away if it weren't for my brother. I just couldn't leave him there."

"Come in and close the door. Are you afraid?"
"Of what?"
"You."
"Only demons should fear me. You're not a demon are you? The angle said you were. I can't believe that. I won't. You're my son, and I love you more than my own life. You know what's funny about all this Fenton? I'm afraid of you."

5 out of 5 Stars

Film: Unstoppable (2010)

Blu-Ray


Review: Tony Scott is the perfect director for this type of movie. It is a simple thriller about a runaway freight train that takes advantage of his skills in filming propulsive action as it ramps up the tension all the way to the end. The film cuts back and forth between the railway control center struggling to deal with the issue and two employees on another freight train heading toward it on the mainline.

Quotes:
"How the hell did this happen?"
"It just got away from me."
"It got away from you? It's a train, Dewey, not a chipmunk!"

"So, red means..."
"777 blew through a signal. Everything in red means trouble on the mainline."
"That's a lot of red!"

"I only got one rule. One rule only: you're gonna do something, you do it right. You don't know how to do it, you ask me, all right? Likewise, if you need anything from me, you'd better speak up. 'Cause, uh, you're the conductor. Once we get our freight, it's your train. I'm just the guy driving it."

"Tell Galvin we got two guys out on the mainline about to play chicken with our train."

"Married?"
"Yeah. Well, sort of. It's a long story."
"We got a long day."
"How about you, you married?"
"Short story. Once."

"There's a good chance the derailer won't work."
"It's called a derailer, for Christ's sake! That's what they do!"
"A train that size going that fast, it will vaporize anything that gets in its way."

"Maybe you didn't hear what I just said, Colson. I will fire you!"
"Well, that's too bad. I was just starting to like this job."

"Hey, don't get sentimental on me. Makes me think I'm gonna die."

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: The Matador (2005)

Blu-Ray


Review: This is not an action film like the title and poster suggest, but a talky dramatic comedy about an assassin suffering from a mid-life crisis. Without any friends from his solitary lifestyle on the road, he latches onto a equally-troubled businessman staying in his hotel in Mexico City. While Pierce Brosnan was a decent James Bond, it is his anti-hero roles like in this film and in "The Tailor of Panama" where he really shines.

Quotes:
"I'm as serious as an erection problem."

"Margaritas always taste better in Mexico.
"They certainly do."
"Margaritas and cock... Sorry about the cock thing, it's kind of a conversation stopper."

"A Vietnamese girl I once knew had her legs so locked together I couldn't get a whiff of her spring roll. Two drinks, half a quaalude later, I was at an all you can eat buffet. Every lock can be broken. It's just a matter of will and whether it's worth it."

"I need a break. There's no retirement home for assassins is there? Archery at four. Riflery at five."
"Goddamn it, Julian, you leave the game, even for a while, I don't know if they'll gonna let you back in. And then what the hell are you gonna do? Waste your days picking up illiterate teenagers for suck-and-fuck sessions behind the Old Navy store?"
"Sounds delightful to me."

"An assassin without confidence is a horrible thing to behold. It's like a relief pitcher who fumbles the ball."
"Please tell me you know you mixed two sports in a metaphor."
"Huh? Yeah, I can't do that."

"Just consider me the best cocktail party story you ever met."

4 out of 5 Stars

Film: Dark City (1998)

Blu-Ray


Review: An atmospheric sci-fi thriller that lives up to the film's title, Dark City. A man wakes up in a hotel room with a dead girl and no memory before he escapes to wander the city while avoiding the police and a group of pale men with strange powers. As he struggles with his own confused identity, he discovers more about a city that seemingly has no exit and shape-shifts at the stroke of midnight.

Quotes:
"Excuse me. How do I get to the end of the line?"
"You want the Express."
"Hey, how come that train didn't stop?"
"That's the Express."

"When was the last time you remember doing something during the day?"
"What do you mean?"
"I just mean during the day. Daylight. When was the last time you remember seeing it? And I'm not talking about some distant, half-forgotten childhood memory, I mean like yesterday. Last week. Can you come up with a single memory? You can't, can you? You know something, I don't think the sun even... exists... in this place. 'Cause I've been up for hours, and hours, and hours, and the night never ends here."

"There is no ocean, John. There is nothing beyond the city. The only place home exists... is in your head."

"I know this is gonna sound crazy, but what if we never knew each other before now... and everything you remember, and everything that I'm supposed to remember, never really happened, someone just wants us to think it did?"
"But how can that be true? I so vividly remember meeting you. I remember falling in love with you. I remember losing you."

4 out of 5 Stars

TV: Family Guy - Volume 6 (2007-2008)

DVD: 3 Discs


Review: A collection of 5th and 6th season episodes with the 100th episode where Stewie finally kills Lois.

Quotes:
"What the hell are we doing here? What is this place?"
"Welcome to your first toddler pageant, Stewie. This is what you do in Texas."
"Ah, yes... lovely. A first-class ticket to a semen-covered death in the basement."

"Coming up, a local claims to have spotted Big Foot. We've got the exclusive interview here."
"I was about to bone my girlfriend, but suddenly she yelled. I looked up and it was Big Foot?"
"So what did you do after that?"
"I went back to bone her, but the mosquitoes went crazy and she said there was no way."

"Buttscratcha! Buttscratcha! Get your Buttscratcha here!"
"Buttscratcha!"
"Buttscratcha?"
"Buttscratcha!"

"Something just poked me!"
"It's okay, It's okay. It's just my penis."

"Who ate all the Pecan Sandies?"

"Hey... Chris... have you ever seen the movie 'Cruel Intentions?'"
"No."
"Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar make out... it's pretty hot. 47 minutes, 16 seconds in."
"No way!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, you know what another good movie is, 'Career Opportunities' with Jennifer Connelly. I mean, that's one of those movies where... she's... really hot in it... but it's also a good movie."
"She was in 'A Beautiful Mind' and I gotta say the direction was excellent but I was very disappointed that she... uh... wore clothes the entire film."
"Was she hot in it?"
"Yeah, in the way that like classy women with expensive clothing, who never take them off are hot. Ya' know?"
"No."

"Hey, and look on the bright side. Maybe you've got another chapter for your... Ha, Ha, Ha! ...book!"
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"Oh yeah, pile it on! Pile it on!"
"Welcome home, asshole!"

"I think it's gay."
"Oh yeah? Well, if I'm gay then Freddie Mercury was gay."
"Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen? He was incredibly gay!"
"He was not. He had a mustache. That's practically like having a wedding band."

"Brian, pick up. Over."
"What?"
"Brian, please say 'Over' when you finish talking. Over."
"What? Over."
"Do you see the wire yet? Over."
"No."
"No... What? Over."
"No... Over."
"Okay, I'm gonna start feeding it through. Over."
"Wait, if you haven't started feeding it, why did you asked me if I can see it?"
"Didn't copy that. Over."
"I said, why you asked me if I can see it if you haven't started feeding it... Over."
"Oh, that's better, I can hear you now. Over. You see it yet? Over."
"You know? You're a jackass. For the record, I don't wanna hang out with you anymore when this is over."
"When this is what, Brian? Over."
"I said, I don't wanna hang out with you anymore when this is over."
"When this is what? You have to finish your sentence. Over."
"That's it! My sentence is over."
"Your sentence is what, Brian? Over."
"My sentence is... Wait a minute, I have to say 'Over' even if the sentence ends with the word 'Over'?"
"Ends with the word what, Brian? Over."

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: The Contender (2000)

DVD: Anamorphic


Review: A political thriller with great acting from the whole cast. Joan Allen plays a female senator picked by the President to replace the VP who died in the middle of his second term. Opposing her appointment, the House Committee Chairman uncovers a salacious college incident from the senator's past and attempts to use it against her to sink her confirmation. A tiny bit of preachiness is the only thing that keeps the film from 5 Stars.

Quotes:
"Who doesn't want a shortcut to greatness?"

"So, how are Will and the boy?"
"Let's forego the small talk today, Shelly, I'm not in the mood."
"Let the big talk begin."

"It seems to me that all you can claim about me... claim, is that I had sex."
"Deviant sex."
"Oh, deviant? Who says it was deviant?"
"I do. What I say, the American people will believe. And do you know why? Because I will have a very big microphone in front of me."

"The people of this nation can stomach quite a bit. But the one thing they can't stomach is the image of a vice president with a mouthful of cock."

"Principles only mean something when you stick to them when its inconvenient."

"I should have come down here and pointed my finger your way... pointed my finger YOUR way, and asked, 'Have you no decency, sir?'"

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Four Levels of Interaction on Facebook

Four Levels of Interaction on Facebook

1.) First Level - While you may be Facebook Friends with your closest friends and family, you communicate infrequently with this inner circle on Facebook. Except for sharing photos or funny links, most of your normal interaction takes place in person, on the phone, or by text instead.

2.) Second Level - In my experience, this second group is the one that Facebook serves the most. They are the close friends and family who would be in your inner circle if only they lived closer or they are second-tier friends that you normally only see a few times a year. (This group also contains former classmates, co-workers, etc.)

3.) Third Level - This third group consists of acquaintances you would probably never have met again in your life if it wasn't for Facebook. You friended them after hanging out once at a fun party or spent time with them on a vacation or business trip. You like or comment on their posts every once in awhile and they have the possibility of moving up to the second level after a while depending on the quality of interaction.

4.) Forth Level - This level contains the "Friend of a Friend" category. You have never met them, but they show up on your Newsfeed occasionally when they tag your mutual friend in a post or photo. This group also contains the people you didn't have the heart to reject their friend request. You rarely comment on any of their posts or have set them on Ignore.

(These levels exclude celebrities or people who frequently friend request total strangers.)

Film: Shrek Forever After (2010)

Blu-Ray


Review: Surprisingly for a third sequel, this may be the funniest Shrek film after the original. Weighed down by the pressures of family life, Shrek signs a contract with Rumpelstiltskin for a bit of escapism, one day of freedom from his responsibilities to enjoy his true Ogre nature. But like most contracts, there is a hidden catch and Shrek must fight to restore his family and the kingdom.

Quotes:
"Help! I'm being assnapped!"

"Okay, I know you don't remember me but we're married, and at the birthday party with some pigs and a puppet, the villagers wanted me to sign their pitchforks and this boy kept saying 'Do the roar! Do the roar!' Then I punched the cake that the pigs ate, and the next thing I knew, my donkey fell in your waffle hole."

"Why don't you just tell her what you told me? You know, about how you're her true love and you came from an alternate universe."
"Oh, and while I'm at it, why don't I tell her that you're married to a fire-breathing dragon and you have little mutant donkey dragon babies?"
"I do?"
"You saw what happened. She's going to think I'm crazy."
"I'm a daddy?"

"Puss, what happened to you? You got so fa... fancy!"
"Hey! I may have let myself go a little since my retirement, but hanging up my sword was the best decision of my life. I have all the cream I can drink and all the mice I can chase... Eh. I'll get him later."

"You know what would pick up the morale in here? Flip-flop Fridays. You can feel the breeze in your toes."

"You know, I always thought I'd rescued you from the Dragon's Keep."
"You did."
"No. It was you who rescued me."

4 out of 5 Stars

Film: Drive (2011)

Blu-Ray


Review: I have never understood the fuss about Ryan Gosling. But after watching this, I think I have a man-crush on him. This is a superb film about a stunt man/mechanic who moonlights as the best getaway driver in LA. Loved the cinematography and soundtrack. I want that jacket!

Quotes:
"What do you do?"
"I drive."
"Like a limo driver"?
"No, like, for movies."
"Oh. You mean all the car chases and stuff?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"It's only part-time. Mostly I work at a garage."

"Kid, I want you to meet Mr. Bernie Rose!"
"Nice to meet you."
"My hands are a little dirty."
"So are mine."

"You're Shannon's buddy right? We met last year. You drove me and my brother back from Palm Springs. We hired another wheelman. I spent six months in jail. My brother, he got himself killed. I got this sweet job coming up."
"How 'bout this. You shut your mouth. Or I'll kick your teeth down your throat and I'll shut it for you."

"If I drive for you, you get your money. You tell me where we start, where we're going, where we're going afterwards. I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything a minute on either side of that and you're on your own. I don't sit in while you're running it down. I don't carry a gun. I drive."
"You look like you're hard to work with."

"Here's what I'm prepared to offer. You give me the money, the girl is safe. Forever. Nobody knows about her. She's off the map. I can't offer you the same. So, this is what I would suggest. We conclude our deal. We'll shake hands. You start the rest of your life. Any dreams you have, or plans, or hopes for your future... I think you're going to have to put that on hold. For the rest of your life you're going to be looking over your shoulder. I'm just telling you this because I want you to know the truth. But the girl is safe."

5 out of 5 Stars

Film: Shrek the Third (2007)

Blu-Ray


Review: Prince Charming returns as the central antagonist, rallying all the fairy tale villains to help take over Far, Far Away while Shrek is away on a mission to find an heir to the throne so he can go home to his swamp. Pinocchio and the Ginger Bread Man are the standouts, stealing every scene they are in of this funnier sequel.

Quotes:
"Onward, Chauncey! To the highest room of the tallest tower, where my princess awaits rescue by the handsome Prince Charming!"

"Fiona, try to be reasonable. Have you seen a baby lately? All they do is eat and poop, and then they cry, and they cry when they poop, and poop when they cry. Now imagine an OGRE baby. They extra cry, and they extra poop."

"You! You can't lie! So tell me puppet... where... is... Shrek?"
"Uh. Hmm, well, uh, I don't know where he's not."
"You're telling me you don't know where Shrek is?"
"It wouldn't be inaccurate to assume that I couldn't exactly not say that it is or isn't almost partially incorrect."
"So you do know where he is!"
"On the contrary. I'm possibly more or less not definitely rejecting the idea that in no way with any amount of uncertainty that I undeniably..."
"Stop it!"
"...do or do not know where he shouldn't probably be, if that indeed wasn't where he isn't. Even if he wasn't at where I knew he was that'd mean I'd really have to know where he wasn't."

"Listen, Artie. Eh, if you think this whole mad scene ain't dope, I feel you, dude. I mean, I'm not trying to get up in your grill or raise your roof or whatever, but what I am screamin' is, yo, check out this kazing thazing, bazaby! I mean if it doesn't groove or what I'm sayin' ain't straight trippin' just say, 'Oh, no you di'n't! You know, you're gettin' on my last nerve.' And then I'll know it's... then I'll - I'll know it's wack!"
"Somebody help! I've been kidnapped by a monster who's trying to relate to me!"

"Alright people, let's do this thing. Go Team Dynamite!
"But I thought we agreed we'd go by the name Team Super-cool."
"As I recall, it was Team Awesome."
"I voted for Team Alpha Wolf Squadron."
"Alright, alright, alright. From henceforth, we're all to be known as Team Alpha Super Awesome Cool Dynamite Wolf Squadron."

4 out of 5 Stars

Film: Shrek 2 (2004)

Blu-Ray


Review: This is my least favorite of the four Shrek films. I think it is because it has the weakest villain and Shrek is depressed for most of the film which is a bit of a downer. Puss in Boots is a great addition but he is better in the later films.

Quotes:
"Pray for mercy from Puss... in Boots."

"I'm sorry, the position of annoying talking animal has already been filled."

"Oh, Shrek. Don't worry. Things just seem bad because it's dark and rainy and Fiona's father hired a sleazy hitman to whack you."

"I mean, how good looking could this Prince Charming guy be anyway?
"Are you kiddin'? He's gorgeous! His face looks like it was carved by angels."
"Hmmm... he sounds dreamy."

"Donkey, you're a..."
"A stallion, baby! I can whinny... I can count... Look at me, Shrek! I'm trotting!"

"What about my Miranda rights? You're supposed to say, "You have the right to remain silent." Nobody said I have the right to remain silent!"
"Donkey, you HAVE the right to remain silent. What you lack is the capacity."

"Yep, that's catnip..."
"Um... that's... not mine..."

3 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)

DVD: Anamorphic


Review: A very 80's movie that I wouldn't think is very good except for my crush on Helen Slater. She plays Billie Jean who goes on the run with her brother after he accidentally shoots the father of the bully who trashed his scooter. The film's plot gets confused and illogical as it tries to compare her to Joan of Arc as the media exploits her image and she becomes famous.

Quotes:
"Hey, get your hand off that!"
"What, your sister? Or your fagmobile?"

"Billie Jean, you're a very pretty girl. This Hubie was probably trying to get your attention. I have a feeling he'll bring your brother's motor scooter back."
"Hubie, won't bring it back."
"How do you know?"
"Because he's a fucker. That's how I know."
"Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. Here's my card. If that Honda's not back on your front lawn in two days, you give me a call..."
"We live in Breeze Haven..."
"All right, in front of your trailer, then... give me a call, we'll... drag in the fucker."

"Is that a boy or a girl?"
"Girl, Joan of Arc. She dressed up as a man and led the French in fighting the English. She heard voices, 'stop being a peasant', 'France needs you', 'the truth needs you'. And she won, she beat the English, but then..."
"Then what?"
"The French, burnt her, alive!"

"Can I have your autograph? Please..."
"You know, my dad says you're gonna end up dead."

"They all say they're Billie Jean."
"Call their parents, send them home."

2 out of 5 Stars

Film: 25th Hour (2002)

DVD: Enhanced 16x9


Review: One of Spike Lee's best films about a convicted drug dealer's last day of freedom before going to prison for 7 years. Interspersed with flashbacks showing how he got to this point, Edward Norton's character spends the day reflecting on his fate and his relationships with his girlfriend who may have ratted him out, his faithless friends and his drunk father.

Quotes:
"Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends."

"What do we say to him?"
"We say nothin'. The guy's going to hell for seven years. what are you going to do, wish him luck?"

"Fuck ME? Fuck YOU, Fuck you and this whole city and everyone in it."
"Fuck Jacob Elinsky. Whining malcontent."
"Fuck Francis Xavier Slaughtery my best friend, judging me while he stares at my girlfriend's ass."
"Fuck Naturelle Riviera, I gave her my trust and she stabbed me in the back, sold me up the river, fucking bitch."
"Fuck my father with his endless grief, standing behind that bar sipping on club sodas, selling whisky to firemen, and cheering the Bronx Bombers."
"Fuck this whole city and everyone in it. From the row-houses of Astoria to the penthouses on Park Avenue, from the projects in the Bronx to the lofts in Soho. From the tenements in Alphabet City to the brownstones in Park Slope to the split-levels in Staten Island. Let an earthquake crumble it, let the fires rage, let it burn to fucking ash and then let the waters rise and submerge this whole rat-infested place."
"No. No, fuck you, Montgomery Brogan. You had it, and you threw it away, you DUMB FUCK!"

"One minute ago, you were my friend. Are you drunk? Tell me you've been drinking too much. You're fucking drunk."
"I'm Irish. I can't get drunk, all right? I know exactly what I'm saying."

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: Funny Farm (1988)

Blu-Ray


Review: Not as funny as "The Money Pit", but it has the same concept of a couple moving into a dream home that ends up wrecking havoc on their relationship. Chevy Chase plays a sports columnist who moves out to the country to write his novel, but struggles with never-ending problems with the rural environment and the success of his wife's new found writing skills.

Quotes:
"You slept on the floor huh? We slept outside with the bugs and the wild animals. A bridge nearly killed us. Nobody knows where the hell Redbud is. And we haven't eaten since yesterday morning. So stay the hell out of our way and keep your mouth SHUT!"

"Remember, Mrs. Farmer. Whenever you buy a house, whatever's in the ground belongs to you - whether it's gold or oil... or Claude Musselman."

"Call me Mr. Lamb Fries!"

"I'm convinced that our marriage has been one of mutual betrayals. I know it! YOU know it! Even Yellow Dog knows it!"
"I know it and you know it. Yellow Dog doesn't even know what town he's in."

"We came to Redbud filled with hopes and dreams of a better life. And basically, we've seen those hopes and dreams crushed and battered before our very eyes."

3 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Film: Into the Wild (2007)

Blu-Ray


Review: This is a film about a young man who abandons society after he graduates from college, giving away all his money, leaving his car in the middle of nowhere to wander the country searching for enlightenment. As he makes his way to his ultimate goal of Alaska, the story follows each major encounter where he makes an impression on others or vice-versa. What is great about this film is that even though I would never want to live this lifestyle, Sean Penn did a great job as the director to make me appreciate it. It's a gorgeous road-trip movie from the perspective of a penniless hitchhiker.

Quotes:
"You're an industrious little fucker, aren't cha?"

"If I wanted to paddle down the river, where's the best place to launch out of?"
"To launch out of? Next available is May 17, 2003."
"12 years? Twelve years... to paddle down a river?"

"That poor girl's about ready to vault herself onto a fence post."

"Alaska. I'm gonna be all the way out there, all the way fucking out there. Just on my own. You know, no fucking watch, no map, no axe, no nothing. No nothing. Just be out there. Just be out there in it. You know, big mountains, rivers, sky, game. Just be out there in it, you know? In the wild."
"In the wild."
"Just wild!"
"Yeah. What are you doing when we're there? Now you're in the wild, what are we doing?"
"You're just living, man. You're just there, in that moment, in that special place and time. Maybe when I get back, I can write a book about my travels."

"Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one."

"I'm going to miss you when you go."
"I will miss you too, but you are wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from the joy of human relationships. God's place is all around us, it is in everything and in anything we can experience. People just need to change the way they look at things."
"Yeah. I am going to take stock of that. You know I am... I want to tell you something. From bits and pieces of what you have told me about your family, your mother and your dad... And I know you have problems with the church too... But there is some kind of bigger thing that we can all appreciate and it sounds to me you don't mind calling it God. But when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines through you."
"Holy shit!"

5 out of 5 Stars