Up and Star Trek: Good Movies For A Change

Hey guys let's mix it up and talk about honest to god GOOD movies for once, shall we?

First of all, I just got back from seeing Pixar's new flick: Up.

I will not say a lot about this movie because it is completely fantastic in every way and I think the less you know about it when you go into it the better. It had me crying within the first few minutes and I laughed so hard my gut actually hurt after awhile. I love this new trend of 3D movies, too. I originally thought the 3D craze was stupid, but the technology has really advanced and instead of being blurry and horrible and "kind in three dee but now my eyes hurt" it's actually "oh wow this looks like it's in 3D this is pretty cool." Also the Pixar Short before it was pretty cute. Although I think it was all just an excuse to show off how well they can render clouds. I always get giddy when I see wings rendered realistically, which is a stupid thing to get giddy about but there you go.

Anyway it's a great movie. "All ages" in the best sense of the word, meaning that everybody can enjoy it and not in a patronizing "Oh this is a movie for the kids" sorta way. And there will be no more talk of this movie.


IN OTHER NEWS IS SAW STAR TREK TOO. Here's what I thought:

Okay that's an exaggeration but honestly this movie was so good. I forgot that I liked Star Trek so much until I watched it and it just reminded me of seeing the Original Series and Next Generation with my dad for years and years. It retains the original feel of Star Trek and all it's characters to a tee, it's amazing. Also:



Also: Simon Pegg. I just couldn't find a good photo of him as Scotty. All the characters have the look and feel and mannerisms of the original characters, but they don't feel like they're trying too hard to be Shatner or Nimoy or Deforest Kelly or anything, it's a really good balance. I was grinnin' like a moron the entire time I was watching it because it was FUN. PURE AND SIMPLE FUN.

The only people I could see NOT liking this film are people who don't like Star Trek at all. Because this movie is Star Trek through and through. So if Star Trek doesn't ring your bells then this movie probably won't do a lot for you. Also if you're a huge Star Trek fan that loves to hate Star Trek you'll probably hate it too for a variety of retarded reasons.

Also anyone who takes Star Trek too seriously just needs to calm the hell down and watch this:


Also this:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I don't really have much to say that Kory hasn't already said in her charming review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, except that I am a fan of any franchise where a legitimate mutant power is "shoots guns" or "swords".


The poster is remarkable inasmuch as it looks exactly like a shitty decal you'd put next to those fake bullet hole stickers on your pickup truck.

Obviously, if you are looking for a profound film full of complex characters and a nuanced plot then you need to freakin' get your name in the game and stop going to comic book movies. However, if you are looking for a movie full of explosions, grown men screaming at the sky as the camera pans up dramatically, epic side burns, mutants fighting, and unforgivably poorly CG'd fat rolls, then X-Men Origins is the sweet ticket you've been looking for.


two thirds of the movie I swear to god

I was a little baffled by how seamlessly they could render will.i.am (plus one metric tonne of jade jewelry) teleporting, yet Sabertooth running around on all fours still looked as awkward and uncomfortable as ever. You had a budget of $150 million for this film, guys. I'm just saying: it is not impossible to have a guy running around on four legs and have it look realistic. Maybe next time you could spend less on Wolverine's Sideburns Budget and more on Let's Not Make Every Stunt Performed On Cables Look Like Crap.

Verdict:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is no good at all, but that doesn't make it any less fun to watch. Plus, if you're like me you can play "SPOT THE VANCOUVER SHOOTING LOCATIONS" which is a game that never gets old. If nothing else, the trailer for Transformers 2 looked cool.


you tell it like it is, Tony O. Jones

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Colon: Long Title: More Titles

Wolverine is a movie that is pretty terrible. But if you know that before going in then you can enjoy it greatly! I kept making the mistake of trying to figure out which characters were which mutants in the comic, which I should have learned from X-Men 3 wouldn't work because despite having 40+ years of mutants to choose from these movies prefer to make up people instead and then add in some token "for the fans" characters that have nothing to do with their comic book counterparts so I don't understand how that works. Although let's be honest, Will.I.Am was pretty great, but perhaps this is because I have a weakness for people in stupid cowboy hats wearing too many turquoise rings. Also they made up a mutant for him to be. Honestly? They couldn't find a black mutant for him to play? Is X-Men really short on minority mutants? I am pretty sure they are not, honestly. I am sure if you dig through enough comics you can find a jive-talking black teleporting mutant.

This is a better Deadpool than Deadpool in the movie.



HOWEVER. I knew it was gonna be pretty horrible going into the film, and went in expecting to see mutants use their superpowers and then see shit blow up. I was not disappointed. You can make a pretty good drinking game out of it. Take a shot each time Wolverine and Sabertooth growl at each other. Take a shot every time Wolverine looks at his hand. Take a shot every time there's blatant fanservicing. Take a shot every time someone looks up into the sky and screams. Take a shot every time the guy playing Gambit forgets that he's supposed to have a Cajun accent.

You will die of alcohol poisoning.

Movie Macro: Watchmen

I'm sure one of us will do a better review later, but Kory said this when we were debriefing about Watchmen (p.s. go see it) and it was too funny not to macro.

Coraline

I have been really busy lately and haven't been able to keep up with this blog. But I saw Coraline awhile ago and felt bad that I never posted anything. So here's something real quick:

That's basically all I have to say.

Favorite Albums of 2008

Hey ya'll, I like listening to music. Did you know that a lot of good music came out in 2008? Let's look at some of my favorites!

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd CoupleGnarls Barkley came out with another album this year and hey ya'll I kinda super dig it. I'd be hard pressed to say if I liked it more or less than St. Elsewhere, their first album, but I mean most bands Sophomore albums kind of blow hardcore and this one definitely does not. And I mean any band that dresses up like Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, Droogs, and Napoleon and Pedro for funsies is a band I can get behind. When I hear music like this I am happy because it is proof that good music can also be popular. Also PS apparently it is impossible to find a decent video of this band playing any Odd Couple songs online. So here's an .mp3 instead. I hope the link doesn't die immediately.
Gnarls Barkley - Surprise

Vampire Weekend - Vampire WeekendVampire Weekend is pretty adorable, I will not lie. They've got a pretty great African sound thing going on. This sort of sound isn't new if you're at all familiar with Paul Simon's 'Graceland' (or, you know, African music), but that doesn't mean I don't love it any less. There's not a lot to this album, but it's an enjoyable listen. I defy you to watch this and not smile at least a little.

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

Todd Sickafoose - Tiny ResistorsThis is a mostly instrumental jazz album, which is weird for me because usually I do not dig on the jazz. I might be a little biased because Andrew Bird is in this ensemble, contributing violin and his amazing whistling abilities. Also there is a song called "Bye Bye Bees" and I kind of love anything that references the strange disappearance of bees. There's a lot happening in this album, and I think even if you're not that keen on jazz there is stuff in here for you to like. I like to listen to this album while I am working. It gets me focused and surprises me with little bits I did not hear before.
Todd Sickafoose - Bye Bye Bees

The Islands - Arm's WayThe crazy concoction that was once The Unicorns has added about 10 million members and become The Islands. They had an album before this, Return to the Sea, but this was the first album I heard. It might be my favorite album of the year, it is so good. Where the Unicorns were simple "We made this in the basement while playing with the Moog", the Islands are "We spent a long time in the studio with this but it doesn't sound over done PS you love strings, right?" Basically I love it a lot. This is an album you have to listen to start to finish. It plays out like a rock opera, and the first song sounds a lot like an overture. I just love it a ton. Lots of screaming and GREAT bass playing along with random woodwinds and strings and synthesizers. I've said this a lot already with all the previous albums, but there is a LOT to this music. You have to just sit and listen. In the Rushes might be my favorite song, and not just because it turns into A Quick One While He's Away (my favorite Who song) at the end. It was hard for me to pick between In the Rushes, The Arm, Creeper, and Abominable Snow, but in the end I went with In the Rushes. Just listen to this stuff man, seriously.

The Islands - In the Rushes


Girl Talk - Feed the AnimalsThis album used to be a guilty pleasure but it's graduated to full fledged non-embarrassed enjoyment. Girl Talk gave this album away for freezies on his website (or you can throw a few bucks his way), Radiohead-style. Girl Talk is basically a big "UP YOURS" to record labels and the RIAA, as the entire album is made from music downloaded off the internet and sampled without permission. I'm a big fan of mash-ups to begin with, but this guy is something else. When I first got this album I listened to it with my sister over iChat and we played a game of "guess as many songs as we possibly can recognize" and it was an amazing experience. Any person that can convincingly mix Nirvana with Salt-n-Peppa and that "Groove is in the Heart" song and make it actually listenable is amazing in my book. Also the music videos are pretty great.
Girl Talk - In Step

Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the ConchordsOkay I honestly have not actually heard the entirety of this actual ALBUM, but I have watched the show a bajillion times and I absolutely love the music. I honestly cannot decide which song I want to link here because they are all gold. Flight of the Conchords is a two-man music team that makes stupid hilarious songs. They have a show on HBO that is also hilarious in every way. Jemaine also does a dead-on David Bowie impression, which cracks me up every time I see it. Okay i'll put the Bowie song here, but I highly recommend you take a look at the other songs because they are all brilliant. I don't even care, these guys are amazing and I will hear none of your naysaying.
Flight of the Conchords - Bowie's in Space

Man Man - Rabbit HabitsThis competes with the Islands for my favorite album of the year. I just love Man Man to DEATH. At first I did not like it as much as 'Six Demon Bag', the other album of theirs I own, but after listening to it a few times it has far surpassed my love of Six Demon Bag. There's just a lot more to this album than the last one, and the more you listen to it the more there is. Here I'll just let Rama and Tony explain Man Man for you.

That's basically Man Man in a nutshell, and the reason for my love.

Man Man - Mr. Jung Unstuffed

Albums that would probably be on this list if I actually had/listened to the albums: Of Montreal - Skeletal Lampings, Deerhoof - Offend Maggie, Fiery Furnaces - Remember.

James Bond: Quantum of Solace

HEY GUYS I JUST SAW QUANTUM OF SOLACE. We decided to try out the new movie theater that they built across the street. Turns out it's a digital theater that also can play 3D movies awesome. Also it is expensive. 5 bucks for a small popcorn that is ridiculous.



If you don't like chase movies or action movies or movies with explosions or JAMES BOND MOVIES you will not like this movie. I never cared for Bond flicks outside of the wonderfully kitschy 60's Connery ones, but I love these new ones with Daniel Craig. They have all the parts that make Bond movies great: the opening credits with silhouettes of naked women with a song sung by a singer that was popular at the time (Jack White and Alicia Keys have surprisingly similar voices and the song was really pretty good), chase scenes (ALL OF THEM. THINK OF A CHASE SCENE, IT IS IN THIS MOVIE), bond girls, cocktails, a bad guy with a slightly crazy evil plot (although it was also feasible, it just sounded a little nuts). It felt like a Bond film, but unlike a lot of Bond films, and especially the Pierce Brosnan Bond films, it didn't feel like the movie was FORCED to put all the Bond cliches into their film if they didn't want to.

Whatever, point of the story: I like Daniel Craig a lot. Also: this movie was a lot of fun. Also: There was a car chase and then a foot chase and then a boat chase and then an airplane chase and then several more chases and don't tell me that ain't fun to watch. ENJOYABLE MOVIE. IF YOU LIKE JAMES BOND YOU'LL LIKE IT. Also it had really cool typography whenever they went to different countries.

There were also trailers for Watchmen (looks like it could be good, I remain cautiously optimistic), 2012 (I'm not sure what it's about but it looks like a "THE WORLD WILL END IN FOUR YEARS" kinda movie and man I'll dig anything that involves giant natural disasters), and Star Trek (it actually looks pretty awesome despite my first misgivings about it. PS Simon Pegg is Scotty WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE). There was also one for Angels and Demons which I thought looked cool till I realized it was Angels and Demons. Just put the word "Illuminati" into anything and I'll instantly be interested. Although stick Dan Brown into and I'll probably lose that interest.