Transformers 3 and Zebra Mussel

Went to see Transformers: Dark of the Mood with Dan and my mom. Wasn't bad. I think I liked it more than the second one. Not sure, they're pretty much all the same thing.

I also made a little graphic for my cousin Janaya's Husband, Brandon. Yesterday Brandon called saying he needed a favor and that they just bought a pontoon. They were naming it "The Zebra Mussel" and wanted me to make a graphic to go on it. He also said he wanted it in an hour, but that wasn't going to happen. So last night I finished this and sent it off.

Pirates 4... again

I went to see Pirates 4 again. This time in Disney Digital 3D... instead of the one with the glasses that look like the lenses had gasoline poured on them.

It was better the second time, mostly because I was awake through all of it. But there were a few parts where even I went, "really?" Just things that break the laws of physics... which usually isn't cool in a SEMI-realistic movie.

But anyway, I'm glad I saw it again. Now I want to watch the first one again and see how much better it was.

Pirates, Hangovers, and Pandas... OH MY!

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"

To tell you the truth, I was dozing in and out this whole time... It was a midnight release for me. I went with Paul, who is finally back from Hawaii for good.

Pirates 4 was good, but only as good as the second and third pirates movies... so not as good as the first. But, as usual, a must see for a fan of the series.

"Hangover Part II"

This movies was actually really funny. Sometimes sequels just drop the ball, especially for comedies, but they kept the main idea and characters from the first movie so this ended up pretty solid. A for sure, MUST SEE, for anyone who saw the first and wasn't appalled.

"Kung Fu Panda 2"

This one was the best of all the movies I've seen so far this year, or at least my favorite. I just got done seeing this with Gretchen, who also liked it, despite her reaction to the first film which she wasn't impressed with. Different time, different place I guess. But we both liked it.

Angelina Jolie's character "Tigress" had a much larger part in this film than she did in the last. The other Furious Five had much smaller parts, but at least they kept the same voice actors.

From what the paper says, this was the first Full Length Feature Animation Directed by a Female, Jennifer Yuh. She was a Story Artist on the first film and really showed what she can do with this one. Kudos to Jennifer on this film... Wow.

A must see for sure.

My Green Thumb is back

The Garden is back in. And I actually influenced michael to start his own garden as well.

This year we planted beans, peas, jalapenos, super sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, onions (red and white) carrots, corn, cucumbers, watermelon, garlic, broccoli, green peppers (ishy), Lettuce, and Thai peppers.

Gunna be awesome.

TONIGHT gretchen and I just got back from seeing Bridesmaids.

It was really funny, and actually pretty good. I don't know if it's worth the 4/4 stars it got in the newspaper but it was a solid 3/4 for sure.

Other than that, I've just been working... a lot...

Adjustment Bureau

Best movie of the year... so far.

I just got back from seeing this with Gretchen and we both loved it. I would highly recommend it. I didn't quite know what to expect going into this movie, but coming out I was in awe of how well it was done. I kind of wish they would have explained things a little more, but hey, they left me wanting more and that's what anything good does.

check it out.

Gulliver's Travels

Ehh... It was funny.... for the most part. But lots of it SCREAMED little kid movie, although it had plenty of adult jokes in it.

Jack Black was good... kinda felt forced though. I like Jack Black, but I'm going to go with a pass... You don't need to see this movie... at all... You could rent it if you are like me and love watching movies of all kinds. I'm glad I saw it, and might want to see it again... but not any time soon.

2/5 stars from me...

Tron Legacy

Last night, at midnight, I saw TRON Legacy with Zac, Ashley and my friend/coworker Dan. We all loved it. SO AWESOME! We ended up going to the IMAX at Rosedale and we saw it in 3D, but not before we watched the original TRON at Dan's house... also amazing.

Dan had never seen the original TRON before and I think all of the talking that we did, his roommates and us, kinda brought down the experience. But he still liked it.

It was really fun and anyone who was a TRON fan should definitely see this, and in 3D if at all possible. It's worth the extra $3... I shelled out the extra $6 per ticket for IMAX 3D and the experience was one to remember.

TRON Legacy... See it...

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Very fun to watch. I saw it with Paul and Britney. Paul really liked it. He read the books. I thought it wasn't bad but it's not my favorite thing... Seemed pretty preachy with the whole, "everything is related to christianity" thing...

Still, entertaining enough.

Didn't see it in FAKE 3D...

Tangled

Tangled...

Was actually pretty awesome. It was a LOT better than I originally expected. Disney really did a good job with this Computer Generated (CG) movie. Gretchen and I saw it in Disney Digital 3D and it only enhanced the experience.

The plot was CLASSIC Disney, princess, hero and all. I am still surprised how they actually pulled it off, what with their track record of... ALL of their CG movies to date SUCKING. This one being the only exception. Keep in mind I'm not including Pixar movies or Disney live action films.

The animation was so fluid and right that it could easily have been made in 2D from the get go. Disney really did a fine job with this one and my hat goes off to them.

I highly recommend seeing it while it's still in 3D. It seems like 3D just pulls that little bit extra into the film, although it wasn't the GREATEST 3D, still better than usual.

P.S. - The movie kinda seemed like a foot fetish movie... The chick NEVER had shoes on... Just different.

Due Date

Very funny movie. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakias make a good contrast in character styles in this comedy. The ending seemed a bit rushed to me but I'd still give this a solid 4/5.

Not as good as the Hangover but still worth seeing on the big screen.

RED

Saw RED at midnight on Thursday.

Was pretty good. But then again it's hard for me to find a Bruce Willis movie I don't like. Worth every penny. Go see it. 5/5. Awesome stuff.

Catchup Movies

Over the last couple weeks I saw Two movies worth mentioning, "The Social Network" and "It's Kind of a Funny Story."

"The Social Network" was actually a really good movie. I guess it's somewhat inaccurate but when was the last time a COMPLETELY TRUE STORY made a good movie?... never. I thought it was kind of cool seeing how this crazy site came together and where it started... but still, it was a movie about legal battles and facebook... as far as content goes, it was meh, but overall i'd say it was good.

"It's Kind of a Funny Story" wasn't quite as funny as I'd hoped for. But what it lacked in "funnies" it made up for in "good". I enjoyed it quite a bit, even though it was about an emo kid who checks himself into a hospital seeking help for thinking about killing himself. The crazy everyday life that takes place between him and his awesome hospital neighbors. The slight love story, molded together with humor and creativity of inner thoughts, makes for a very entertaining movie. And Zach Galifianakis is ALWAYS WIN... so see it... on DVD.

Avatar EXTENDED

In other news... I saw Avatar again... This time it was the extended edition. Was as good as always but the little added things really advanced the story. There was a whole hunting scene added along with extended sex scene and little add ins here and there. But the most memorable, aside from the sex scene and hunting scene, was the Tsu'tey death scene.

Pretty awesome, even it was only an extra 8 minutes added on to 2 hours and 42 minutes.

Still good stuff.

Scott Pilgrim Round 3

Saw it with Mike and my mom this time. They both loved it and commented on how it's nice to see a movie doing different things and making it work.

Another 7 out of 5 :)

Scott Pilgrim Round Two

I saw the movie again, for the second time. And I must retract my previous review, or at least the recommendation to not go see it. The movie is really good... and everyone should go see it just for something different. And then tell me what you think about it because I'm interested in how everyone else's take on this movie will be.

Just as good the second time. Although I've also read the comics and compared to the comics, the movie isn't as good. BUT STILL AMAZING.

Check it out.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Kinda went into this thinking I might fall asleep just because I was seeing a midnight showing and I got up at 6am this morning.

COMPLETELY WRONG! This movie was one of the most original movies I've seen probably ever, even though it's based on a comic book series.

Before I went to see it I actually read the first few parts of the comic, just so I had something to compare the movie with. As far as I've read, the movie is exactly like the comic... WHICH IS AWESOME!

I will have to finish reading the comic now since I liked the movie so much.

It has it's sappy moments but the whole thing is LITTERED with video game references which, right there, made the movie for me. I mean, it really had everything that I like in a movie including animation, although they were very short sequences. "SPVTW" was also filled with bad ass fight scenes. I was actually surprised who well they integrated all of the make believe actions into the movie, making it feel like it's the normal thing going on. Michael Cera was an excellent choice for this role in my opinion. Just about all of the characters felt like they really fit nicely with each other and the story.

I'm giving the movie a 5/5 with a strong recommendation NOT to go see it because you (most people I know) probably will think it's weird and not get a lot of the little things that really MAKE the movie. With that said, a select few of you (and you know who you are) MUST GO SEE IT! It's amazing and an INSTANT cult classic. This movie is really for anyone looking for a good time with a flashy, adventure, action, fighting, comic, video game, love story type movie.

Inception

Not much I can say about this movie other than it was amazing. I loved it. I heard a review that said it was a cross between the matrix and some other movie... and it was exactly that. Just as awesome as the first matrix movie.

Probably one of the better movies I've seen this year. I hated myself for having to leave near the end for a bathroom break. But I don't think I missed too much so that's a plus. I'd like to go see it again for sure.

definitely have to give it a 5/5. Worth every penny.

My parents came and picked me up from Zac's House and we went to the mall of america and tried to get the DBOX seats... but they were sold out... It was only later that I realized that the DBOX seats are just four or so rows in the back of the theater that have seats that move... Kinda lame... but the one person we talked to said that it was cool and worth the extra money.... the extra $8. :/

But the movie is a definite MUST SEE.

Movies and a Dog

Last week I saw "Predators" with Michael and midnight. I hadn't seen the first two in their entirety before this one so I made it a point to watch them within the days after. And as far as I can tell, this one was probably my favorite. It introduced a concept that the rest of the predator movies only toyed with, and that concept was that the predators have been doing this for a LONG LONG time.

I have seen Aliens vs Predators but not the second one. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the sequel, even though it's been out for quite some time now.

But as far as "Predators" goes, the reason this one was probably my favorite is because it was set on a planet/reserve where they release different species to hunt. Really pulled the whole idea of a Predator together I thought.

I'd give it a 4/5... go see it.

NEXT I went and saw Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" last night with Michael and my mom at midnight. This movie was pretty good, aside from the usual disney silly stuff they throw in here and there. I actually thought it did a great job of setting itself apart from Harry Potter. This had much more to do with Merlin and the "traditional" magicians... I guess you could call that traditional... i don't know.

But anyway, it was still a good movie. I thought it would be a bit more "epic" near the ending but still good.

another 4/5... don't miss it... as long as you remember it's disney and that this movie stemmed from the Fantasia short about Mickey and the magical hat with the mops.

And Finally, the dog. Last week my friend/old roommate, Zac, called me up and asked if I could do him a solid and dogsit for them while they're in Canada. I, of course, excepted and am now keeping an eye on this hell hound.

Just kidding. This dog has been nothing but perfect ever since he got him my car. The whole ride back from 35w he was sitting/laying in my passenger seat, watching the road and catching some Z's. He's actually doing a really good job of staying put and not barking every time I leave the room.

For some reason I thought there would be more work than thi..... omg... I'm not kidding you... He just farted... Silent but deadly... WOW LOUIE... wow.

I'll be sure to keep you posted of all the crazy shenanigans I get into with this Louie this week. Will probably go over to Zac and Ashley's place tomorrow. They originally asked if I would like to stay there and watch the dog. Which I wouldn't mind doing... But there's this HUGE fuggin computer in my room that likes it when I stay here. :)

The Last Airbender

I know I need to post about the rest of my trip... And I should post about the most recent Twilight movie I saw last night... but neither of those are as urgent as this.

*WARNING* This is going to be a rant about how much I didn't like this movie and for what reasons. If you have not yet seen the movie and don't want to be affected by this, please stop reading now.

That being said... WOW, this movie was a large gathering of feces. Nothing was right about it... nothing. Graphics were sub par, actor choices were impossibly wrong, the parts of the series that were held from this movie had to be a mistake... they just had to.

The effects were by ILM which were by Industrial Light and Magic which was somewhat surprising. I mean, they were passable but a definitely expected more. But I can let that slide. The actors chosen for this had to be a random drawing. No one, NOT A SINGLE PERSON, seemed like they should've been in this movie. Okay, Katara, maybe but everyone else was just plain SHIT. I really didn't think that this was going to be worse than prince of persia. But with the combination of shit actors and leaving the best parts out, it was.

If you ever watch the show, or even talk to someone, like myself, who HAS watched the show, you'll be smothered with reasons why the TV series is amazing. The way they tell the story, the hilarity of it all, the cartoon character acting, the voice talent, the creativity... ALL OF WHICH was left out of this movie. They even fucking changed the names to some extent.

Aang was pronounced like Bang. In the movie it's pronounced Ong... Like Dong.

Katar was the same. Thank gawd.

Sokka was pronounced with the "o" sounds like soccer. In the movie ti was like soak-ah.

Zuka was the same...

His uncle Iroh was like eye-row... in the movie, ear-o... and the list continues...

The movie seemed like it was one big April Fools prank. Sometimes on April Fools Day some companies will release fake movie trailers that look like they COULD be a movie but are still missing something... This movie was like that. Visually it was nice... but once people started moving around and "acting" it was like watching paint dry.

There were actually a lot of parts that they STRAIGHT UP CHANGED from the show. This made no sense to me. The object of the movie is to get other people who weren't interested in the series MORE interested in it. But I don't see how anyone who hadn't watched the whole series would have understood or even been able to follow this crap. Characters in the show were made out completely different in most of the movie. AHH it's even hard to talk about, it was so bad.

I actually saw the twilight movie last night at midnight with Gretchen, my mom, my aunts, my cousin and her friends, and that was infinitely better than this. At least it kept my attention throughout the whole thing. In the final "epic" battle of "the last airbender" I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I was drifting in and out threw the whole last battle, and it WASN'T EVEN BAD ASS!!!! The New Twilight's battle was WAY MORE BADASS... well, it was actually bad ass w/o being compared to "the last airbender"... But still.

One of the characters in Twilight actually played one of the main characters in this. The kid who played Jasper in twilight also played Sokka. In the most recent twilight, I thought he started to seem much less like a pussy and more of a badass. I ACTUALLY really enjoyed his performance in the new twilight movie. But in this... WOW... I was let down. Everything he built up with his acting in twilight was flushed down the drain with this.

OK, I think I'm done.

Toy Story 3

Pretty awesome, as ALL pixar movies are. I liked this one because it was a long awaited farewell to the characters that we fell in love with back in 1995. I'm Glad they finally made a commitment to not doing any more Toy Story Movies.

Sequels have always seemed like they are just made for a quick buck. And even though I don't like to think of PIXAR that way... They did make 3 toy stories and have a Cars sequel, a Monster's Inc sequel, and maybe even A Bug's Life sequel on the way. I don't like that. Pixar is known for the amazing story telling and creativity when it comes to making movies, by recycling the same old characters doesn't make anything any better.

Yes this movie was good, and yes Pixar will probably have a hard time making a BAD movie, but I'm glad Toy Story was finally put to rest and that we can expect NO MORE sequels from the title.

With that said, the movie was a brilliant ending to an even more brilliant franchise. Toy Story 3 really pulls the heart strings. It's a very sad but also happy way of going about the final chapter to the series. But it's done. And it, as a whole, was amazing.

Pixar, once again, you've out done yourselves... But... as far as YOUR movies go... this wasn't the best... Up was better :)

And I think that the leap that DreamWorks made, from their previous movies to "How to Train Your Dragon", was on a much grander scale. Everything that Toy Story 3 made you feel, was stronger and done better in UP.

I can't recommend this movie enough... don't walk, RUN to go see it in theaters. We saw it in 3D, it was amazing. If I could have changed one thing, I would have made Gretchen see Toy Story 2 before we saw this one... BUT I would have MADE her watch that first had she told me before we were on our way home from the theater.