The District-9 Post

District-9 is the best movie I have seen all year, if not longer. Emotionally compelling, visually stunning and well balanced- it succeeds in every category it dabbles in. It’s nice to see a science fiction movie that focuses on dramatic character development and poignant undertones rather than making an adrenalin fueled blast-fest. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy alien blasting movies once in a while, but D-9 spreads its focus across other avenues and the end result really pays off. Where D-9 really succeeds however is in its universal appeal. You don’t need to be a sci-fi geek to really appreciate this movie. I can honestly say I’d recommend it to anyone who likes movies, period.

The movie is composed of many different camera styles, which adds a level of realism to the otherwise very believable visual effects. The interesting mix of gritty handy cam shots and aerial panoramas works well and is mixed seamlessly, resulting in a very ‘real-world’ feeling presentation. The effects on the aliens are truly impressive. You honestly forget it’s CG on the screen as they feel as though they are as part of the scene as the people and props. It really is a masterful weave of elements.

This movie is borderline perfect. That pacing, plot, effects, acting; all phenomenal. The main character is a bumbling bureaucrat played by Wilkus Van De Merwe. After seeing him blab to the camera for the first few scenes I was asking myself how the hell I was going to survive watching him for 2 hours…. However the transformation of his character (both inside and out) during the course of the movie turned me into a believer. He does an unexpectedly terrific job of the role, and I can’t think of any way to improve his efforts. (Sorry for ever doubting you.)

The movie as a whole is a bit racist, which is a bit hypocritical considering it’s supposed to highlight the dark underbelly of human ignorance.

Every character, besides the two protagonists; fit neatly into the following categories. White people: heartlessly sadistic oppressors. Black people: Gun wielding, voo-doo obsessed criminals and Prawns: Trash rummaging cat food junkies.

I don’t think there are any actual racist implications of course, however this is the only thing I can see critics having any wiggle room with.

I am very glad to see this movie turn out so well for the directorial debut of Neill Blomkamp after the whole ‘Halo’ fiasco. Admittedly having Peter Jackson producing doesn’t hurt things, but it is nice to see new talent in the theaters. Very cool that in the current Hollywood environment a short film could impress the right people and net someone a big break still. He earns his success with this first entry into what will hopefully be a long list of future projects. Simply put District-9 is the most thrilling and emotionally charged science fiction movie to come along in a long time. Definitely a must see.

The GI-Joe Post

GI-Joe: Rise of Cobra, is like the popcorn and large soda you scoff while watching summer blockbusters; You know its bad for you but you want it anyway. By all accounts this is a terrible film, but hell if I wasn’t entertained the entire time.

The movie has so many faults that you stop noticing them pretty quickly. The acting in particular will have you wanting to pull your hair out. There is one character, ‘Cover Girl’ (who thankfully doesn’t last too long in the storyline), who is portrayed so poorly it’s almost painful. I could play a more convincing blonde chick in uniform than this girl can. It’s sad when the best acting in a movie comes from the writer and star of White Chicks…but Marlon Waynes is actually the only ‘Joe’ besides Dennis Quaid who’s bearable in the movie. Ray Park is the man, but he doesn’t talk and his face is covered the entire film and Sienna Miller is a good Baroness, but both roles are eclipsed by shoddy screen time taken up by the film’s lead ‘Duke’ played by Channing Tatum. Good lord this guy can’t act. It’s very evident that they picked him for his look and nothing more. Duke is actually pretty funny, charming and likable, but all the soul of his character is sucked out and crapped on by Tatum’s abysmal efforts.

I think we are spoiled these days with movies oozing eye-candy from every orifice, because GI-Joe’s effects often seemed really cheap and fake looking. Some of the more action oriented parts where right on point, but a few of the vehicle portions looked notably dated and very ‘computer graphicy’ if I had to use a term.

Fortunately there are a lot of scenes where the Baroness kicks stuff….so the eye candy quota was well met come curtain fall.

Considering the ridiculousness of the GI-Joe brand and all its aforementioned shortcomings, as a whole this movie is remarkably watchable. The plot features brainwashing, evil-doers living under the polar icecap and terrorist missiles that melt national monuments- basically it’s a 80’s cartoon. What many people will fail to see is that this film doesn’t want to be much more than a cheap (scratch that EXPENSIVE) thrill. ‘Joe is a pretty explosion wrapped around a nostalgic franchise for old school fans and people who like seeing bad guys getting blown up. If you can’t get behind that then you are as and as the monument melting Cobra terrorists.

The Funny People

Funny People relies on its well equipped cast and crew to pull laughs out of a dark and depressing plot-line. It’s hard to describe a laugh-a-minute comedy as a story that centers around a home-wrecking, lonely man who is dying from a terminal illness. But somehow Apatow’s ever present penis jokes and traditional cast pull it off. I’m a fan of the Apatow crowd and Funny People does a great job expanding the stable and letting a few new comediennes into the group of familiar faces. Adam Sander fits right in and adds his distinctive flavor to the movie. Its not old toll-booth-Willie-Sandler and it’s not Punch-Drunk-Love Sandler either- it’s a believable mix of aged comedian and it fits the tone of the film perfectly.

The movie’s direction and tone take a few interesting turns, but it starts out as an homage to Sandler and his past efforts through his career, thinly veiled as a tribute to his character who is all but Sandler in name. The use of real-life clips from past efforts really adds to the realism of the character. As well as cameos and bit-parts that make it feel like the audience is being let into the secret world of comedy that only ‘funny people’ know about. The support from Rogan and co. is top-notch and the whole movie feels as real as one can expect. A far cry from the Will Ferrell ‘scream-comedy-romps’ that are all too common these days. I did tire of the cameos after a point however, primarily because they weren’t that funny.

There are a few scenes where we see a bunch of comedians from across the board like Sarah Silverman and Dave Attell to Andy Dick and Paul Reiser just sitting around being ‘hilarious’. Unfortunately it feels like an inside joke and little more than validating the comedians implied humor supremacy.

That said its a small taint on a otherwise very enjoyable film. I was expecting something less demanding and more situational as far as the comedy goes, but I am honestly glad that Funny People is as weighty as it is. Hardly an emotional roller coaster by any means, but enough drama mixed into the hilarious jokes and charming cast to pull out a win.

The Ugly Truth Post

I wasn’t expecting The Ugly Truth to be as raunchy or aggressively vulgar as it was. The advertisements for the film had painted to look like a classic chick-flick, when in reality the end result is closer to There’s Something About Mary than Bridgett Jones or a Meg Ryan vehicle. Honestly it’s a breath of fresh air to see a romantic comedy that fits guys into the equation. What’s the point in having a romantic date-movie if the girls can’t drag their guys along to see it? The Ugly Truth adds just enough inappropriate hilarity to keep guys strung along while women get the cliché love arch that has sold so many memberships to the Mr. Darcy fan club.

That being said there is a lot wrong with movie as you might imagine. Catherine Heigl continues to be borderline unwatchable in everything she does, and is a very unrealtable main character. Her ‘too busy for her own good’ character who works as a producer at a failing TV news program is too far away from the every-woman who will ultimately want to go see the movie. If I had to do a chick-flick reference I’d say she was a cheap caricature of Cameron Diaz from 2006’s The Holiday. Gerard Butler is pretty much on point as Heigl’s counterpart and plays a role that every guy would like, short of his King Leonidus in 300 (2006 also). The only problem I have with Butler in this movie is his atrocious American accent. We are so used to hear forced British accent attempts, especially in romantic comedies, but this is beyond the opposite. His rootn’ toon’ attempt at sounding like a good-ol-boy is almost as laughable as the awkward scenes he puts Catherine Heigl through. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it-- keep him sounding like the gruff Scot that he is.

Besides those issues the movie is honestly a lot of fun. I was laughing out loud along with the sold-out theater of couples who looked like they where genuinely enjoying themselves. There are some scenes that will offer laughs for everyone while sticking to a love story that meets all the requirements for the chick-flick genre.

It is a perfect date movie that will keep guys happy and girls appeased. Get in your boyfriend points while this one is still in the theaters, before something sappy comes out. (Or you might end up sitting through 130 minutes of Meryl Streep)

Characteristically though, if you strip it of all the hilariously inappropriate comments from Butler and awkwardly amusing scenarios Heigl gets into, it is a tad formulaic. Honestly the film feels like director Robert Luketic went to the movies one lonely Saturday night back in 2006 to watch Butler’s 300, then snuck into a late showing of the Holiday and decided to go home and write a combo-script. Then when he found that it wasn’t that good he decided to take out Leonidus’s weapons and replace them with vulgarity. Three years later someone gave him the money to make film and this survivable little movie pops out. “And that my friends is The Ugly Truth”.

The Half Blood Post

Harry Potter is an acquired taste and many people write it off as a franchise altogether. Those who tough it out all agree that it is a charming and wonderful series of books. Among the book’s fan base however there is a large rift of people that do and don’t like the movies. In the films’ defense there is an awful lot packed into those books and the vivid wizarding world is not one that can be summarized with ease. Many directors have tried their hand at a film (or two) and some have been hits for me…and others big misses. The hardest part is sitting through a movie you have high expectations for and a very vivid understanding of what should happen before the curtain falls. If the director puts his own spin on the film, or a particular scene is shifted, shortened or even cut, then it really rubs you the wrong way. Goblet of Fire is my favorite of the books, with the dragons, the Quiddich Cup, Mad Eye Moody, Uncle Sirius… so much great material. Unfortunately the movie fell so short of my expectations that it actually soured me to the series as a whole.

Half Blood Prince is my second favorite of the Rowling’s books, and I can happily say that David Yates does not disappoint in his second Potter directorial role.

All the drama, magic and character entanglements that riddle (!) the latter chapters in the Potter saga are fully realized in ‘Prince, and nothing feels compacted like it has in the previous few entries. At close to 3 hours this movie definitely has a lot in it, but it is presented at a perfect pace and never feels rushed. I will say that while everyone else seems to be growing with their characters, Emma Watson is struggling. Her overacting is really noticeable this time around compared to her more natural classmates, which is unfortunate. That and the fact that Fenrir Greyback’s wolf-hair looks more like a full body, lunch lady hair net…are the only real complaints I have with the movie.

The effects are substantially more action-packed this time around and everything from wand-work to Quiddich matches are much more gritty and effective. There is a certain level of cheese layered on, especially towards the end with the various climaxes and love interests, but the movie keeps a hold and doesn’t let anything get too carried away. It really is a pitch-perfect port of seemingly unmanageable content. I am both impressed and enthralled by this entry to the collection. With the exception of the first movie (that will always have the upper hand with it being the initial magical introduction to Potter’s universe,) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is the best of the Harry Potter films to date.

The Bruno Post

Vatsup!? Bruno is a hard movie to review because it breaks all the conventions of what a ‘movie’ is supposed to be. Yeah there is a plot, and a few characters, and a conflict, but that’s about it. The whole premise is pretty much to stuff an ostentatious character into awkward situations with real people, and to watch their horrified reactions or see them do (or say) some incredibly stupid things. It’s amazing to see the situations Sacha Baron Cohen is able to get himself into while keeping the guise of ‘Bruno’ up in front of the oblivious victims. And for that he should be commended. It's even more amazing some of the real reactions he is able to get out of people. It’s a bizarre world we live in, and this ‘movie’ does a great job of pointing that out to us.

Unfortunately Bruno is simply another flavor of Borat, and without its forefather setting the stage, this movie would be unable to exist on any level. Instead of pushing ethic boundaries, this Cohen effort pushes the sexual orientation issue and exploits people’s fears and ignorance much the same way its predecessor did. The boundaries get pushed further with Bruno though, for shock value if nothing else.

There is far too much penis on the screen in this movie for no other reason than to gross out the audience and make everyone feel uncomfortable.

While that in itself is funny, it has pretty much alienated Bruno from being the sort of movie people would see again or want to own…or even speak favorably about. I am glad I saw Bruno, it was a roller coaster of awkward horrors that had me laughing the whole way. Will I ever see it again. Most definitely not.

The Co-Op Launch Post

Last Friday was the official launch of Co-OpComic.com! Treebeerd and I worked on 5 strips to open with, and will be supplementing the site with a new episode every Friday from here on out.

To promote the site I’ve set up a few ad banner exchanges with some friendly sister sites as well as got a FaceBook group going, to which we have quite a few members already helping to spread the word. Twitter has a new Co-Op Comic feed @coopcomic which you can follow if you want reminders and updates whenever anything new is added to the site. I just wrapped up the colors on this Friday’s episode and we’ve got the next months worth mapped out and ready to go into production. I’m really excited to have the ball rolling on this and finally getting back into regular updates. Check out the site at http://www.co-opcomic.com and tell your friends!

The Year One Post

Year One feels like the end product of a small child making up a story as they go along. Seemingly random events occur for no other reason that it might be a little amusing and keeps the plot moving. With the Ghostbusters having a 25th anniversary revival I was looking forward to getting on the Harold Ramis bandwagon and enjoy this movie, but it seems that Egon needs to stick to PKE-Meters and leave the writing to Apatow’s other cronies. This movie rambles on and never accomplishes anything besides the simple gags that we all have seen from the trailer.

Jack Black and Michael Cera play the same roles they have for the past five years, though Black fits the bill and works with the formula. The odd-couple pairing doesn’t fair so well for Cera, who’s 100th iteration of his Arrested Development role doesn’t work with a caveman wig on. In fact this movie simply highlights how horribly typecast his career has become. With cameos by anyone who ever made you laugh before, this film has all the ingredients for a hilarious movie- but unfortunately the sum is less than the parts. It really feels more like a costume party for funny people that somehow ended up being videotaped.

Honestly you really should skip this one. I didn’t have the highest of hopes for it from the outset but after sitting through this mess I feel compelled to save anyone else the bother if I can.

The Transformers 2 Post

Transformers was a massive hit and a movie I really liked. It’s flawed to a degree that any legitimate critic can do little but point out all the faults, but what it lacked in Oscar nods it made up for with good old fashion ass-kickery. Transformers 2 follows suit and is exactly what everyone is expecting; a second high octane adrenaline romp with amazing eye candy, awesome action and some good laughs. It’s the quintessential summer blockbuster. Is it a ‘good’ movie? No probably not. But is it is a must see experience that is just all out fun. What I like best about Transformers 2, is that everything that was good in the first one is created exactly the same way in the follow-up. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it they say, and apparently Michael Bay agrees with that mantra.

Unfortunately the roster gets padded out with too many new robots that are never really fleshed out. With the exception of the ‘Twins’ all the new characters go largely unannounced and feel very tacked-on. Somehow their inclusion is able to rob enough screen time form the original cast of mechanized monsters just enough that they seem shortchanged. Mainstay Bumblebee is the most notable victim here, which is a shame because he is my favorite character. Optimus Prime fans won’t be disappointed however as his role is actually increased from the original and is jacked up with extra-badass for good measure. Megatron, the previous villain is overshadowed now by a more evil and more powerful enemy; The Fallen, who honestly is a pretty weak enemy. Why not just have the exact same plot but by Megatron’s design instead of diluting his evilness and bringing in someone more senior than him? Doesn’t make sense to me.

The first movie had too many humans (Anthony Anderson I am looking at you) and this movie seems to have too many robots.

Eye candy-wise this movie definitely delivers. The transformation animations are still spectacular and some of the battles are really pretty gritty and epic. From the giant wheel-bot rampage in the first act, to the massive, multi-transformer beast, 'Devastator' at the films climax- the cgi is simply amazing. I do worry that the novelty of transforming cars has been overshadowed now and that things are only going to get even bigger form here on out. The charm of a boy finding that his car is a guardian robot is lost in the sequel and the characters seem more jaded to the idea of transforming aliens than they should be. Ok its two years later, but come on…that semi-truck just turned into a talking robot! We don’t need to simply see bigger and bigger robots to keep the Transformer franchise engaging- I hope that Bay and co. can see that.

Speaking of jaded, maybe I am just getting picky, but Meghan Fox was a little weird looking in this film and was not the knockout she was in the original. I think its largely due to a change in her character, who now has been reduced to a waif of spends most of the movie doting on Shia laBoeuf. But the real damage comes form her botoxed looking lips. Those things are as big as some of the robots in this movie- chill out lady!

All said and done this movie is exactly what everyone is expecting, including myself. It’s big, its expensive and its good old fashioned summer fun. This is why they invented popcorn. And Cameros.

The Up Post

I always had my reservations about Pixar’s Up. To be perfectly honest, when I first saw the concept sketches and promotional art for the movie I had genuine worry that Pixar might have dropped the ball. With such strong entries in the stable like The Incredibles, Toy Story and the recent Wall.e, Up has a high bar to hurdle right out of the gate. Unfortunately I don’t quite think it cleared the post.

Up falls into the sub-category of less than stellar Pixar movies along side A Bugs Life and Cars. These are not bad movies, not by a long shot, but they just don’t blow me away like their other classmates do. Up honestly feels like it should have been a Pixar short, shown before a real entry to the prestigious library. The main character, the plot and the whole approach to the film seems like it could have been a 5 min charmer before a big film. It’s pretty much an atmospheric music video, stretched out over an hour and a half.

Visually it’s of Pixar caliber, and the animation is top notch. Pixar are the best of the best when it comes to CG animations and Up has all the polish and frills that we have come to expect from these guys over the years. The characters are rather charming and the pairing of the grumudgeny old Carl with the overly enthusiastic boy scout; Russell, works quite well. They are an odd-couple pairing that bring out the best in each other, which is quite enjoyable to watch. The movie is actually very morose at times and the back story on Carl is rather touching.

People where crying during a Pixar movie…that’s weird to me.

Once the heartbreak tapers off, the adventure begins and unfortunately after the adventure gets underway, sheer randomness takes hold and the movie starts to fall apart. Ok a guy ties balloons to his house to sail away on an adventure…yes that’s pretty weird, but these movies are allowed a fantastical element or two. But it’s when an army of talking dogs in biplanes, a chocolate obsessed, 15-foot rainbow toucan and an airship piloted by a madman join the mix this movie just felt too oddball to be taken seriously. On one hand our hearts are bleeding for a old man who wishes to fulfill a promise to a long lost love, and on the other we have to deal with a talking dog who wants to take an extinct bird prisoner. The randomness robs the movie of any real soul and we are left with a rather empty movie when the crazy-dust settles.

The scenery is fantastic, the modeling and animation are phenomenal and the main characters are rather endearing. However everything else is a soulless romp through randomness, and that ultimately hurts this movie.

The Twitter Killed This Post- Post

When I started out as a blogger I was a little hesitant to really dig into the idea of a glorified online diary. What’s the point of sharing these posts with people may or may not even know? Who cares? After giving it a go primarily as a method of communicating my goings-on with those I left behind when living in Orlando, I found myself thinking like a blogger. If I did something cool or came across something interesting I instantly started thinking “oh I need to get this up on my blog!” and started thinking what I wanted to say before I even got to my computer. My life soon became a string of events that where justified solely by an online presence. If I did something, I did it to blog about it later.

Simply put, Twitter is killing my blog.

How could I go from positing 5-6 times a week about anything and everything, to barely getting 5 posts off in a month? Its not the fact that I am back home again, because my 2nd blog took off right where the Orlando one left off and boasted just as many posts as its predecessor. Honestly the downfall of my blogging fervor is that little blue birdy that everyone is talking about: Twitter.

The ability to shoot of a rapid posting from my phone at any point, is much more appealing than sitting down at the keyboard and hammering something out at the end of an evening. Twitter is so much faster, better streamlined and much simpler than a fully fledged blog. It’s Facebook and Blogspot’s illegitimate lovechild. All the benefits of both, with none of the drawbacks. Social networking has never been easier and neither has blogging. I still like posting more than 140 characters once in a while, particularly movie reviews. But Twitter has undeniably put a dent in my (and many others) blogging by appealing to short attention spans, hunger for updates and the need for social networking.

The Hangover Post

The Hangover pushes a lot of boundaries and relies a lot on shock value to fuel its gags. But where films have tried and failed before, the Hangover actually pulls it of and has the whole audience laughing from start to finish (especially the finish).

The key I think is that while these characters are the cause and effect of all of their misadventures, they are not necessarily the focus of the movie. The characters all have their own roles to play and they fulfill them well, but the truth is that you could sub any one of them out for another actor and the movie would still stand strong. I don’t mean to say I’d like to swap-out Cooper, Helms or Galifianakis- far from it, they are brilliant together. But their movie is hilarious despite their efforts and its nice to see that the comedy doesn’t hinge on their celebrity to make it funny. The end result is something genuinely hysterical, not a movie we feel should be considered funny simply because of all the components. We’re all fed up of Will Ferrell playing the same character and making a fool of himself (see this week’s box office open for Land of the Lost) and this movie goes to show that you don’t need to have big stars doing slapstick with a silly voice to get a rise out of the audience.

The premise is as simple as they get and harkens back to director Tod Phillips’ Old School in its effortless, but rewarding approach to story telling. These guys aren’t really ‘everymen’ and this isn’t an ‘everyman scenario’ (when taken to the extremes that this movie does) but somehow the characters and story connect with the audience by simply being outrageous and perverse enough to make you stop and think

“yeah that’s pretty much what I’d do if I found a tiger in my bathroom… or if my friend got punched in the face by Mike Tyson…”

One of the best parts about the way the movie came to a head was that during the whole film you are with these poor guys who are trying desperately to retrace their debaucherous night, and have to follow a trail of evidence that implies that things got pretty wild. Then at the end of the movie there is a surprise that allows the audience to see (with an odd mix of utter disgust and pure jubilation) exactly what did transpire at that fateful bachelor party. The payoff was unexpectedly rewarding and ties together all the terrible events that where implied and hinted at through the film.

The Hamptons Post

For the Memorial Day weekend Eric, Sarah and I headed up north to the Hamptons to visit Paul and Christina. They moved up about a year ago and I’ve often said I’d go visit but have never made it up. This long weekend served the perfect opportunity to take a road trip and do just that. Being that my car doesn’t have AC and Eric’s car cannot go in reverse anymore, Sarah stepped up as the wheelwoman and drove. It took a little longer than we’d have liked heading up due to the holiday traffic but we made it eventually. It was really nice to see Paul again and spend some time with the newlyweds in their own home. We hot up a few of the popular Hampton shopping districts to meander about and grab some grub. We also drove along the shoreline checking out the massive mansions that line the coast. Some of the houses out there are absolutely beautiful. Others…not so much. It seems that some people think that ‘massive’ is the only criteria for a multimillion dollar house, and forget about taste…

We went to a local brewpub so I could get my fill of regional brews, aswell as a local bar that was featured on Kitchen Nightmares; Finn McCool’s. When we weren’t out drinking and eating we headed back to Paul and Christina’s house to hangout with Roxy, their adorable dog, and just enjoy each other’s company. I look forward to going back during the summer months to enjoy the season bars/clubs that weren’t quite open yet.

The ride home was a bit hectic as we missed our exit and ended up having to navigate downtown Manhattan with a failing GPS. It was a little scary, but cool to get to see the city again; albeit for a few minutes and from the confines of Sarah’s Yaris. Snapped the piccie below on the way out. Fun weekend.

The Post Hunt Post

Sunday, Sarah and I teamed up with Katie, Aaron, Eric, Coy, Chelsea and Jason to take on the 2009 Post Hunt, in DC. The hunt is organized by the Washington Post Magazine, and is a series of riddles and puzzles spread out across the Freedom Plaza area of the District. Thousands showed up from all over to race to the finish and take a shot at the $2000 reward. Our team wasn’t really in it for the money (not that we wouldn’t take it of course) more so the thrill of the chase and see how far we could compete. The contest consisted of 5 lesser puzzles hidden throughout the area that competitors needed clues and a copy of the Post Magazine to locate. At each location there was a different riddle awaiting the teams- each yielding a number as the solution. Once all 5 solutions where found the numbers corresponded with a series of clues also found within the magazine. Those, combined with a clue that was presented by Dave Barry after a few hours had passed, was the super-puzzle that offered the grand prize. We put a solid dent in 4 of the 5 puzzles and solved 3 of them correctly- which is more than we where thinking we would. Collectively as a team we where pretty good, though I felt like dead weight to a degree, with only a few useful revelations to contribute. Check out the official Post Hunt website to see the puzzles and the solutions. They are worth watching! I was very impressed with the production value that went into this thing. It was a Da Vinci Code/Carmen Santiago hybrid, and a ton of fun from start to finish. I am really glad we went out for it, and look forward to trying our hand at it again for the 2010 Hunt!

The Star Trek Post

I will come right out and say it; I have never liked Star Trek. It’s a little odd that I dig Star Wars, but not the ‘Trek I suppose, but when you consider that all the action and drama in Star Trek’s past has been presented with wiggly camera, flashing red lights and constant yelling to ‘use full shields’…maybe it’s not that big of a stretch. What my predisposition does prove though, is that JJ Abram’s reinvention of the brand a high caliber, because I really, really enjoyed this movie. The characters where all great casting jobs and where instantly likable, Kirk in particular (Chris Pine) was terrific thought the movie, and Zack Quinto’s Spock was exactly what he needed to be. My favorite part about the movie though was that the action was gritty and frantic while still having an air of futuristic sophistication about it- a nice fresh take on what I have always thought to be a stifled aspect of Star Trek as a whole. Yeah we’ve got laser beams and spaceships, but sometimes its all about throwing fists!

I don’t want to spoil too much, but it’s safe to assume that no Trekkie would ever read an amateur blogger’s review at the expense of camping out on opening night for a new Star Trek so I feel safe telling you that the plot involves time travel. More specifically Spock’s time travel and the effects he has on all the cannon Star Trek characters. This is a really clever way of both meshing this new franchise with the old while a the same time completely separating it. Spock Prime (played by a returning Leonard Nimoy) serves as a central plot point and lip service to the old-school fans, while at the same time taking a back seat to the Next Generation (yeah I said it). It works well and is something not often seen these days. Perhaps cutting all ties to previous efforts and starting with a complete reboot is the coward’s way out? If so Trek deserves recognition for its accomplishments in this regard.

It’s not a perfect movie however…. The bad guy; Nero is terrible and pretty weak to be honest with you. He wants to avenge his planet that he thinks is destroyed. But the guy doesn’t think to go and check on it, which he really should do because he went back in time and the thing is just fine. Does he go and look for survivors? Nope, he hangs around in space waiting for Spock to get revenge. Sure he uses his Death-Star-wannabe ship to take out a whole planet; but he just doesn’t seem like the kind of villain to pin a franchise relaunch on. Why not stick in some Borg-Klingons? All we get is Eric Bana with Darth Maul face paint flying around in a space-laser… meh. Besides that though everyone does a bang up job and are instantly likable. Simon Pegg wins though with Scotty, but Kirk is a close second.

The Biker Gang Post

This weekend Ken and I went out in search of a new bike so I might join the elite cyclist group (as ken likes to refer to them as) Living in Reston yields the fantastic payoff of having some lovely public parks, walks and bike paths on my doorstep. I wanted to get a bike that wouldn’t break the bank, but would be a good fit for me. If left to my own devices I’d probably end up riding a girls bike I got from WalMart… so I enlisted Ken to help me size up something that would be economic but still what I need. I ended up grabbing a hybrid Schwinn Frontier that I am really pleased with. Well as pleased with it as can be expected considering I have only ridden it around the parking lot behind Performance bikes…The earlier has been so miserable however that I haven’t had a chance to take it for a spin yet. The weekend is looking like it will be the first chance I get, so I am looking forward to the sun. Might want to look into getting some shorts to. Some EXTRA tight ones! Ow Ow!

The Getting Goosed Post

Last weekend Sarah and I went over to Leesburg to hang out at Ali and Bob’s and see Nana and Papa during their week stay with them. We also got to meet the newest member of the extended family ‘Goose’. Goose is Ali and Bob’s new dog, he’s four years old and full of energy. The special thing about Goose is that he is stone cold deaf. Trained to respond to hand commands and pulses from an electronic collar, he is one of the most trained dogs I’ve seen, and you honestly wouldn’t be able to tell that he had a disability from seeing him romp around the garden with his tongue and ears flapping behind him. He gets his name from the way he likes to great you. Getting ‘Goosed’ is the now trademarked act of him sneaking up behind you and pushing through your legs from behind. It’s quite funny when he catches people by surprise. Binti is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to having another dog running about the house, but I’m sure she’ll adjust. Getting to wear the Alpha-dog hat will surely help deal with the new whippersnapper.

The Il Fornaio Post

Nana and Papa are in visiting from Scotland this month. They spent last week with Ali and Bob out in Leesburg, this week with Lel right across the street in Reston, and plan on spending their third week over with Mum and Dad at the house. Last night we all met up in Reston Town Center at Il Fornaio, a really nice Italian restaurant in the Midtown area of the town center. I hadn’t been down that end of the block in a good while, and the new fountain area is really nice now that the majority of the construction is over and done with- I definitely want to make a point of wandering down there again once the weather gets consistently pleasant. The restaurant was really nice, very clean and open feeling. The food was fantastic and we all definitely ate more than our fill! Somehow we made it thought three courses and a fair few bottles of wine and left the restaurant after the sun set, rubbing our bulging bellies. It was a really pleasant evening. Sarah and I are having N&P over for dinner on Thursday so we will have time to work off the massive meal by then.

The Rock The Red Post

It’s a good time to be a Caps fan, and I am definitely taking advantage of their awesomeness. As of today I am 5 days into a Playoff-Beard which is getting on my nerves to be honest with you…. Yesterday I grabbed an Ovechkin jersey for the game, and I’ve been out to bars in the area to catch games with friends whenever possible. I am really looking forward to Game 7 tomorrow and have high hopes that the Ranger’s will head back to New York empty handed. Fingers crossed! Planning on heading down to the Chinatown area to catch the Verizon Center buzz from a neighboring bar with friends.

The Co-Op Content Post

Co-Op is coming soon. We are a few weeks away from opening the site officially, but the content Kelly and I have completed is looking good. I hope to finish the back-end stuff this coming week and then start promoting it though various community blogs and sites, hopefully we’ll get some buzz going in our favor and it will be a successful launch. Eric said he'd help program some advertisement rotation code for sponsors too, so all in all I think things are going well. More to come.

The Games Night Post

Last night Sarah and I hosted our first Couples Games Night. We had a few of our paired-off friends to come round and face off with each other over board games. Pictionary, Scategories and Balderdash where featured amongst others. We spent more time than we probably should the week prior picking up booby-prizes and adding polish to our grand prize: a spray painted Mr. Perfect action figure/trophy we dubbed Senoir Perfecto. It was a fun night and I think everyone there got into the spirit of the evening. Definitely something we’d like to try again, maybe have a theme and ask people to bring their own prize to add to the pool... Either way we need to have another chance to win back Senior Perfecto! Pictures are up on Sarah’s Facebook. If you aren’t friends with either of us on there then…well why aren’t you friends with us!?

The I Love You Man Post

I Love You Man is a terrific movie that I toughly enjoyed (Dare I say I loved it man?... Yes, I dareth). Peter is getting Married but doesn’t have any friends because he has always put all his efforts into his girlfriends. Now he’s stuck trying to wrangle up a friend to be his best man. During a humorously unsuccessful search he meets Sydney, a down-to-earth, honest-to-god ‘dude’ in every sense of the word, and hilarity ensues. Rudd and Segal are in top form and deliver heartfelt and lovable characters that the audience can’t help but instantly relate to. Their nonchalant back and forth dialogues are priceless and bear an Anchorman-eske quotability. "Totes m’goats" has completely replaced ‘totally’ in my vocabulary. I really hope this, along with last years ‘Sarah Marshall’ helps put Segal on the map; he’s a really funny guy that I’d love to see get the Seth Rogan treatment more often.

Supporting cast where perfect from JK Simmons and Andy Sandburg in Rudd’s hilarious family, to Jon Favreau and Thomas Lennon’s distasteful encounters with Peter throughout the movie. Everything fit so well. In fact the only weak link the chain is Rashida Jones who plays the to-be-wife. She’s just not likable enough for some reason. I kinda wanted Rudd and Segal to ditch her and go on their bro-mantic way. In fact the females don’t really pull their weight in this movie on the same level that the guys do. Considering the plot this isn’t necessarily unexpected, but with two characters so instantly likable and a supporting cast of hilarious male actors, it is very noticeable which team wins this movie’s battle of the sexes.

This movie had me laughing out loud and really enjoying it all the way through. There where a few too many awkward moments that where a bit rough to sit through, but squirming at the unfortunate circumstances always paid of with pure hilarity. I definitely see where this film will strike cords with people and be very reliably hilarious. Strongly recommend this one if you are looking for some good laughs.

The American Celebration Post

Last night we headed out to Georgetown to celebrate my citizenship. Putting the word out with FaceBook I tried to wrangle up as many of my fellow Americans in the area to come out for a beer at the Guards. I had a great night spending time with my good friends. It was a lot of fun and was great to see everyone. Erin and Tim sent on a bag of goodies than included an Uncle Sam hat amongst other very patriotic paraphernalia which made for some interesting photo ops with friends and strangers alike. (Pictures on Sarah’s FaceBook) I don’t think I had ever been to the Guards before but it’s definitely a place I’d head back to; nice bar environment with a lower deck for the more dancing-inclined patrons. It was a really nice ending to a day worth celebrating. Thanks to everyone who made it out, for all the well wishes and congratulatory texts, tweets and IMs. You guys are the best, thank you so much.

The Swearing In Post

Friday morning we got up bright and early to head into DC for my Naturalization Ceremony. Sarah and I where both really tired after a late night thanks to AirTran delaying and rerouting Sarah flight in from Texas, but we made it out to the Capitol Building for the 8:00 arrival time. After waiting in some long lines we were seated in the auditorium to wait for the ceremony to start. Skipping breakfast was a bad idea because the whole thing didn’t kick off until 10:00. Once it got going though I quickly forgot how loud my grumbling stomach was as I was caught up in a very moving lineup of speakers, video packages and singing of the Star Spangled Banner. The DC Police Color Guard brought the flags out for the Pledge of Allegiance and Michael Aytes- the Acting Deputy Director of the Immigration Services performed our oath. A few speakers where there to welcome us to the country and speak a little bit about what it means to become an American. Amongst the speakers where Representative Zoe Lofgen (CA), The Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Rand Beers and Representative Anh Cao (LA). All had very kind things to say and extended warm welcomes to us all.

There where 150 people swearing in at the ceremony hailing from 48 different countries. One by one they called out the names of the countries participating and everyone stood up when their country was called. There where lots of press and TV crews filming the whole thing as not only was it a special ceremony but it was the first time the new auditorium had been used, it was pretty cool to be among the first to be there. After all the speakers had welcomed us and the countries recognized, we where all called up one by one to the stage and handed our certificates of citizenship by Mr. Aytes, followed by a round of handshakes from all of the speakers. It was really genuine and very moving; I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear as I shook the lineup’s hands. Seeing some of the other fresh citizens’ faces light up with pride and happiness when they received their certificate was incredibly stirring. It was really a wonderful event and I am so happy and proud to get to take part in the proceedings. I can’t think of a better place to become an American than the Capitol Building and I am ridiculously proud and excited about getting to partake in the special ceremony. It’s a day I will always remember and a defining moment in my life.

The Birthday Fridge Post

Monday was my 25^th birthday. I am now officially a quarter of a century old…I don’t know how I feel about that to be honest. While I don’t feel old, I definitely am not as jazzed to be a year older this time around. Before now each birthday was a step in the climb towards adulthood. Now I appear to reached a point where getting older just doesn’t seem as appealing… That said I still had a great birthday so I definitely not complaining!

The weekend before Sarah and I went down to Ballston to hang out with Eric and Coy at Union Jacks, which is fast becoming my favorite bar in the area), and on Sunday I went bowling with Jake and Dad which is always a fun (if not humbling time). On the actual day Mum whipped up some crab cakes and bought a massive chocolate cake to celebrate on the day with the family, which was nice. We spent the evening around the table eating and making fart jokes (maybe I am not that old after all!). Ali and Bob came over too. Sarah is away this week on a businesses trip to Texas, so she unfortunately wasn’t able to be there, but she will be coming home early to attend my citizenship ceremony on Friday so I completely forgive her. Eric started a new tradition of me receiving present sin the refrigerator… how he came up with it I am not quite sure, but his delivery method inspired subsequent present deliveries so it looks like its hear to stay.

Eric: “Hey want a beer? Check the fridge”

Jamie: “Sure thanks,” *Opens Door*

Eric: “Present!!!!”
*Pointing excitedly to frozen Xbox game nestled amongst beer bottles*

It does save on wrapping paper I suppose. Though when Sarah copied it she wrapped her gift… Spread the word, gift-giving is going green! I just hope no one ever decides to give me a puppy.

The Mystery Goose Post

Across from my office building there is a multistory parking deck for a neighboring office building. It’s about 3 stories shorter than my window so I have a pretty clear view of the entire roof of the structure. It came to my attention last week that there is an unexpected inhabitant of the rooftop in the form of a lone Canadian Goose. Every morning around 10 the goose wanders to the corner of the roof closest to my building and stares out across the street, He’ll stay there for a good 2-3 hours barely moving. Occasionally he will leave by noon-ish depending on the day, and often reappear briefly later in the day. I find it comical how clockwork his activities are. I only noticed last week, but he has been there constantly every day since. I wonder how long he has laid claim to that rooftop? What is the fascination with that particular corner of the complex? Is he waiting for a V of geese to fly overhead and join up with them? I’ve seen him fly away, so it’s not like he’s stuck in a goose prison up there. My theory is he’s a trained spy-goose for the Canadian government. There are government offices around here and an unusual amount of helicopter traffic in the area….hrm.

The Going GaGa Post

Update: The show has been cancelled!?! DAMN IT. Pissed. (link)

I am knackered! After waiting in line for over 4 hours on a moderately miserable night I sit here with my ticket to the Lady Gaga show next month at 9:30 club! I know a 25 year-old guy should probably not be so excited about going and seeing such a poppy show...but damned if it isn’t catchy. (And between you and me she is far from unattractive) Jevan waited with me in line so it wasn’t too bad, though when people started dancing and singing in line I started to get a little fed up. When the doors opened and they actually went on sale the line moved pretty quickly so I can’t really complain. Flashbacks of waiting in line for HFS tickets where aplenty. Tickets weren’t cheap either but there where still some balcony spots left which we grabbed. Long wait, but it will all be worth it come show time!

Happy April Fool's Day!!!

The Paul Walker Post

Last night Sarah and I stopped by Nick’s place for the oddly themed ‘Paul Walker Experience’ party. There where cutout Paul Walker heads hanging on every wall; a giant Fast and The Furious theater banner in the kitchen and the TV was running back-to-back PW films (featuring such classics as Joy Ride and Running Scared). I personally love a good theme for a party, and the idea of picking the worst theme possible and doing it justice is hilarious to me. Even though we couldn’t say for long (Sarah being important enough to warrant business travel the next morning, and all) it was good to stop in and catch up with Nick. The guy’s portfolio has some impressive pieces to it, and it’s nice to see creative people getting to enjoy their work. I’d love to take him up on his offer to collaborate on a video project in the not to distant future.

The Tweater Post

I really like Twitter. At first I didn’t really ‘get it’ as many of you probably don’t. But after giving it time and seeing the power of the social networking tool I am beyond sold. For those of you still on the fence or in the dark about the whole thing, let me try and pitch it to you.

Twitter is a micro-blogging service. What’s micro-blogging you say? Well think status updates or mini, one-sentence blog posts and you are pretty much there. The beauty of Twitter is that you subscribe to the people you’d like to ‘follow’ and every time they post a comment (Tweat) then you are notified. Over a given day you will be constantly connect with whomever you want to follow and will receive updates during the day. Some people use the service to promote things with links or offers. Others simply like to keep you updated on whatever they are thinking or doing at any given time. What you use it for is completely up to you. I keep track of my favorite webcast releases and the score of the Caps games for example. As well as follow people you can view mini-profiles of anyone on Twitter and see who they are following. This is a great way to expand your network as well as see what other streams people are subscribing to. I am particularly fond of Twitter’s iPhone abilities and find having a mobile Tweatdeck to be very addictive and engaging.

So that’s pretty much it. Its one of those things that is blowing up right now and will become the norm very quickly. With celebrities and companies jumping on the bandwagon, and other sites mimicking its features and layout (I am looking at you Facebook) Twitter is going to be around for a while. Might as well get in on the ground floor.

There are many pages out there (like this one) that list celebrities and Tweater’s of note. Some Celebrity Streams I subscribe to, to get you started:

• Jimmyfallon
• rainnwilson
• BarackObama
• Trent_reznor
• algore
• Seth_MacFarlane
  

In the world of Jamie (@ lobodestroyo) a few of my friends have jumped on board. You can catch there streams below:

• EricFerrara
• TreeBeerd
• BrianCoy
• Jevan
• bobragsdale
• RvanHilst

The South Korean Post

Last night I headed out to Auld Shebeen to get a few drinks in with Alex, Jev and Matt in a little send off for Alex. He is moving to South Korea of all places for work and will be gone for the better part of three months. The usual Alex nonchalant attitude hid his excitement pretty well, but it was pretty evident that he was excited about the opportunity. Can’t say I blame him though! His company will be sending him over there to observe clients and assess needs in person, and will be putting him up in a swanky hotel and compensating him for his time. I imagine he will have a fun few months over there seeing all the things the country has to offer. I can’t imagine living in a foreign country that’s so…well foreign, but I respect the hell out of his adventurous endeavor.

I convinced him to start a blog of his various misadventures, so stay tuned and I’ll update you guys with links when he has something up. It was good to get to spend some time with him and the guys before he got on his plane. There was a bachelorette party going on at the bar while we where there and I have a pretty hilarious picture of the bride to be autographing Alex’s rear-end. So if he never makes it back from the other side of the world at least I’ll have found memories of him immortalized in my iPhone.

The Duplicity Post

Duplicity is a tough movie for me to review because it is so bland I can’t rant or rave about it- which generally makes for boring blog posts when it comes to a reviewing things (least in my case). The movie failed to excel in any given category and left a bland taste of nothingness in my mouth after leaving the theater. I had high hopes for the film,
Not-so-secretly-hoping it would be a marriage of Ocean’s 11 and Mrs. & Mrs. Smith, based on what I had seen from the trailers, and deliver as a quirky crime drama/romantic comedy. Unfortunately nothing about this film impresses.

There is a lot wrong with this mess but the real kicker is that the whole thing relies on the performances of its leads (Owen and Roberts) but sticks them with stereotypical, cardboard-cutout roles that are pretty much self-centered conmen who are completely unrelatable on all fronts and fail to woo or charm anyone but themselves. The director clearly picked two people he thinks would look good in bed together and slapped them on the cast list without a second thought because there is zero chemistry in this movie between the two otherwise competent actors.

Considering this movie is essentially a longwinded chronicle of said non-existent chemistry (with a side of cliche money grabbing) it is safe to label this movie a failure.

Besides the soulless cast, the film’s plot is redundantly pointless. I found it far too much effort to care about two wooden characters stealing formulas from stereotypically evil shampoo companies… taking into account all the wrongdoing that goes on in this world I think they could have come up with something a little more engaging.

The whole thing just felt like a big waste of time. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

The Perverted Puppets Post

After our DIY dinner at Ali and Bob’s on Friday we decided to head down to the Tally-Ho theater in Leesburg (it’s a quick walk from their house) to catch the improve comedy show that was going on. The show started D-Cup, a comic troupe specializing in off-color comedy. We came in halfway through the first act which was…lets say…a little terrible. Ok, a lot terrible. We had been there for about 15 minutes when they took an intermission to set up for the second half of their act. We where debating if we wanted to stick it out but ultimately decided to give it a shot. Fortunately for us our perseverance paid off because the second part of the show centered around ‘Simon, Simon and Simon’, three eerily decrepit ventriloquist dummies with a tendency to say the most horrendous things you can possibly imagine.

I am no comedy connoisseur, but when you have awkward situations and an abundance of vulgar references it’s just not very funny. However if you have the same references and foul mouths coming out of puppets…well then it’s instantly hilarious. Some of the lines from the night had us all in absolute stitches, and one comment in particular became the quote of the evening for us long after the show is over…no I won’t repeat it, for fear of loosing my bloggers license. That and out of context it would make no sense…actually come to think of it, in context it makes even less sense…maybe that’s why its so damn funny! If you get a chance to catch the Simons with D-Cup I’d recommend it (least the Simon-portion of the act). That is if you have as poor of a sense of humor as I do, and can stomach puppets doing and saying things that puppets should never do or say....

The GWFD-Dinner Post

On Friday Sarah and I headed over to Ali and Bob’s for the first official “Guests, What’s For Dinner-Dinner”. Ali and Bob suggested the idea a few weeks back and we’d been looking forward to giving it a try. The concept is pretty simple, but makes for a really interesting dinner event. Guests bring 4-5 random ingredients over for dinner which will have to be used in some way to build the meal everyone will be eating. For every ingredient brought an additional ingredient can be added. So for example if I brought over a lettuce, we could add some tomatoes to the list of items and make a salad. Necessary extras like seasoning, salt and sugar are free passes. Sarah and I brought over the following for the trial run:

• Chicken Breasts
• A Cucumber
• A packet of English Muffins
• A bottle of Morimoto Soba (Beer)
• Dipping chocolate

After deliberating around the table for a while thinking about our options we eventually settled on what we where going to shoot for and what we needed to add as the 5 allowable ingredients to add to the mix. After some thought about what we could and count leave of the list Ali and Bob added the following ingredients:

• Apples,
• Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Rice
• Feta Cheese

The evening was spent working away as a team building the meal out of what we had. I am not a cook by any stretch of the imagination, so working with Sarah, Ali and Bob was fun and educational for me. I learnt the best way to chop chicken (against the grain) and methods of determining when certain foods are cooked properly. When the dust settled we where left with a three course meal starting with a tasty Feta Salad, followed by a zesty dijon chicken dish served with toasted peppers over rice, and followed it up with a baked apple log drizzled with chocolate. It worked out really well and the meal was very tasty. If definitely didn’t taste the like the random assortment of ingredients that where splayed on the counter top a few hours before. The whole evening was a lot of fun and definitely something we’d like to try again. Hopefully any future attempts will result in as tasty a meal. Bob’s tagline for the event is ‘If the Dinner Goes Badly You Can Blame the Guests’- so we’ll have to be sure to pick wisely next time!

The Office Lurker Post

My company operates on three floors of an office building behind Tyson’s 2. There are other tenants in the building which I believe spans about 9 floors or so. ID badges are issued to everyone that grants access to the necessary levels and offices. Anyway, being sick and slovenly in the mornings last week led me to forget my ID badge on Wednesday. I made do all day by borrowing co-workers’ tags when I needed to hop floors or go on a break. However on one particular trip away from my desk I forgot to procure a card and found myself locked out. I began dialing a co-worker to come let me in, but as I did so someone came out of the elevator and walked towards our door. I hung up and politely waited for her to open the door. I explained that I was locked out and calling to get in but now I can just tag along with her. She smiled and seemed very obliging. I went back to work and thought nothing more of it.

An hour later an email came in to all tenants reporting the sighting of an ‘unidentified person lurking on one of the floors’. The note advised that we keep an eye on who is in our suites and to lock up all valuables. The incident with my key-card had long since left my mind, so I was actually taken aback by the email. I asked my cube-mate Eric if he got the email, and he told me that this sort of thing is rather common, and that he had known of people being robbed in the past in a similar fashion. The whole thing shocked me to be honest, and the use of ‘lurking’ on the email made me picture an evil man in a trench coat luring children into abandoned offices with candy. Then it dawned on me… what if I am the lurking creep? I had never seen the woman who let me into the office before, and while she seems obliging she might have just been polite to cover up her worries that I was some sort of evil-doer… There wasn’t any other instance reported during the rest of the week, so either the lurker moved on, or he’s still in hiding. Possibly behind the water cooler. Waiting for the perfect time to strike!...Or its just me and I need to lose the trench coat if I ever want to be accepted in the workplace.