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Valentine’s Day
20 Feb2010
Very rarely after watching a movie do I feel regret. Valentine’s Day did it for me. It was not because it wasn’t entertaining; it was entertaining. But it was entertaining for all the wrong reasons.
I admit I was rather forced to watch this movie, although I didn’t put up much of a fight. It has Taylor Swift in it, how bad can it be? Wrong. It was terrible. And Taylor Swift made it just a bit worse. But I digress… I thought the movie was going to go a bit deeper than the clichéd boy meets girl, girl’s a phone sex operator (or guy’s already married and is cheating, or girl says yes to getting married but later says no, or guy who’s love with his best friend, or girl who’s not ready to have sex, or elderly woman admits to infidelity, or little boy in love with girl, or guy who comes out of the closet), but alas, it didn’t. And the length of the damn thing. 2 hours! Although 2 hours was not enough time to cover each of the individual stories without each story looking like a breaking news clip, 2 hours was enough time to catch my attention and throw it away.
The way the story was set up is akin to 2006’s Crash. You know, the one about racism in L.A.? All the stories are interconnected somehow, and at the end they all come together, but for what? In Crash, it’s to show that racism affects everyone. In Valentine’s Day, however, they seem to come together just for the hell of it. And that kind of apathy is kind of how I felt at the end of the movie.
- In: Movies
Predictions on the iPad
31 Jan2010
Last Wednesday rolled around rather uneventfully. After the previous track record of the iPhone 3GS, the MacBook Pro unibody, and the iPodtouch 3G (third generation) announcements, I’ve been pretty much bored by the recent string of Apple keynotes. Instead of having iPad force me to rethink that notion, it only solidified it some more. Admittedly, there was a lot of hype for the iPad, but I did not buy into it much. Not sure as to what to expect, I planned on a full-fledged Mac, or at least some form of Mac OS X on it (not iPhone OS) that would make it at least as useful as a laptop, but with the usual Apple ingenuity.
However, when the announcement came out and all I saw was an over-sized iPod touch, I was, needless to say, underwhelmed. And that’s an understatement. Now that isn’t to say I don’t want one — I do, but mainly because of my lust for shiny gadgets. And I should probably pick one of these up fast, because honestly, I don’t expect them to be around for much longer. Maybe it won’t go the way of the Apple TV that quickly, but if Apple doesn’t change the purpose of the iPad, it may go the way of the Newton — a long, sad, and embarrassing existence. Now why do I say this? There are a few reasons why I predict the iPad (and the tablet category in general) will fail:
- Let’s take a look at the Tablet industry in general. Tablets have been done before. Granted, not in the same manner as the new iPad, but they’ve been done. Sure, they’ve had a mildly successful run, but they didn’t turn out to be the answer the computing industry was looking for, as Bill Gates predicted a few years back. Specifically focusing on the iPad, it’s been done before. By the same company. Does the iPhone ring a bell? What does the iPad do that the iPhone can’t (except for a few unfocused apps that Apple has developed solely, so far at least, for the iPad)? Nothing? Well there’s the problem.
- What category does the iPad fall into? Steve Jobs tried answering this question in the keynote, calling it a third middle device in between a smartphone and a laptop. Call it Apple’s answer to a netbook — just don’t call it a netbook. However, the problem is that this middle device is intrinsically the same thing as the smartphone, or worse, as another product they have — the iPod touch. Sans the portability. In Jobs’ keynote, he doesn’t target a specific audience, but rather describes a variety of apps that could potentially hook people from different demographics. iWork for businesspeople. eBook readers for book worms and housewives. Games for the teens and twentysomethings. None of these are compelling enough to warrant a complete device, let alone an entire category.
- The iPad is too much like the iPhone. I’ve probably already beaten this to death, but I’ll put the nail in the coffin. How is the iPad different from the iPhone? So it has a larger screen. And it has customizable backgrounds. Hell, even the interface is the same, who are we kidding here? Not to mention the name is similar to an existing product — the iPod. What the iPad is is a confusing product, with no distinct identity at the moment, and fills a nonexistent need, and worse yet doesn’t create one.
Will my predictions come true? It’s tough to say at the moment, but if Apple doesn’t step up to the task of truly convincing us that tablets are the future, I’m convinced that the iPad will go down as Apple’s biggest bust since the Newton.
Avatar…?!?!
23 Jan2010
After watching Avatar, only one question popped into my head: “WTF??????????????????????????????????”
Okay, I don’t really care if the story is “exactly identical” to Pocahontas or whatever, since I don’t even remember the story of Pocahontas that well. First off — the Na’vi people…James Cameron and the crew had an ENTIRE alien race to work with. A completely foreign culture. And instead of doing something new, they make them BASICALLY Native American people. Bow and arrows…feathers…hair braids…the heavy emphasis on oneness with the earth…
Then, the story line. Oh my god…I felt like I was watching the “Earth Song” from This Is It…cept with blue people! “The sky people…come from a place where there is no green.” Maybe it’s just because I’m not much of an environmentalist? Throughout the movie I felt no connection or sympathy towards the Na’vi. Or towards the humans, either. I mean, sure, I felt kinda bad that the Na’vi were having their land destroyed, but really…so what? Maybe I’m just a heartless a-hole. Oh yeah, and the alien sex? Was that even necessary?! “I can..see through you.” Maybe if they made the blue people a bit hotter it’d be more believable. What type of normal hot-blooded male would find those blue aliens hot, or even attractive? I hear James Cameron wanted to make it more graphic, but hey: woulda, coulda, shoulda.
The only redeeming quality of Avatar was the multitude of explosions. And they were big. Especially on IMAX 3D. That was amazing. The scene where they cut down the tree? Genius. The millions of dollars were clearly well spent. Should’ve spent some more on that script, on the other hand…
Do I recommend Avatar? Not really, but if you don’t care about the storyline or the dialogue and only want to see it for the explosions, sure. Actually, I take that back. Don’t widen the gap in box office success between Star Wars and Avatar. Don’t continue the atrocity. Star Wars was a FREAKING classic!!!! Avatar on the other hand? Are the American people retarded? STOP WATCHING AVATAR!!!
- In: Movies| Uncategorized
Snapshot
17 Jan2010
Ever I since I started this blog, I haven’t really documented stuff that’s been happening in my life. Maybe it’s because I feel that nothing significant ever happens to me. Or just that when they do, blogging it isn’t the first thing that comes into my mind. In any case, I’ve decided to give a snapshot of what life is like on this date, January 17, 2010.
A few days ago, I was involved in a public bus accident. I was about to get off at my stop when, all of a sudden, the bus comes to a screeching halt. Now in Taiwan, this is not uncommon. Public buses drivers slam on the brakes like there’s no tomorrow pretty much every time I ride the bus. But this time, they braked especially hard. Apparently some senior citizens flew around on the bus like clothes in a washer, but I didn’t notice. I got off the bus and looked at the damage. Four cars. Niiiiice. And then I walked away (Not very eventful, no?).
I’m in day 4 of treatment for my toe infection. After years of constant toe stubbing, my toe has decided to screw me over with an infection. And it hurts like a bitch. Hopefully in 2 or 3 days it’ll be back to normal, but at the moment it’s not too promising. It’s still red, bleeding, and still hurts like a bitch. Hell, I can hardly walk. Again, not very eventful.
With schoolwork largely out of the way as a second semester senior, I’ve taken it upon myself to watch a bunch of movies I haven’t been able to watch normally. In the past few days, I’ve watched Abre los ojos, [REC], You Only Live Twice, Being John Malkovich, and right after I press “Publish,” I’ll be watching The Hurt Locker. I tried watching Avatar on 3D IMAX yesterday, but little did I know that the tickets would be sold out. And I thought Taiwanese people didn’t watch movies! Or at least that’s what I inferred after watching This Is It in a half-empty theater during the first-showing. Shows how much I know.
I’ve also been having these crazy dreams lately. But of course, I’ve been having so many that I can’t really separate them from each other. But I recall…getting shot by a Yakuza gang…that was strange. I’m racking my brain to try to remember some more, but alas, I cannot (UGHHH THIS IS KILLING ME!!!).
And at the moment, I’ve been playing the Jason Mraz: Live at Java Joe’s album on repeat. I never liked Jason Mraz too much, but after listening to his early live albums, I’ve gained a newfound respect for his music.
I’m pretty much too lazy to come up with anything substantial to blog about, so this is the best I can do for now. Bear with me.
- In: Random Musings| Self
For a split second
8 Dec2009
I was in the shower washing my ears when for just a split second my ears were covered and I heard the sound of the water hitting my head. For just a moment I was transported back to when I was 7 (or any other arbitrary little kid age). I can hear the raindrops smacking the metal gutter on the other side of my bedroom wall. I can feel the rain hitting my rain jacket, like bullets pelting me. I stick my tongue out and drops of rain fall into my mouth. I can see the miniature ripples in the puddles, white bubbles scintillating in a frenzy. “Don’t jump in the puddle!” For just a moment all my worries disappear as I stare at rain drops overtake other rain drops on the car window as we’re driving down 101. Going nowhere. And everywhere at once. For a second I feel safe. And in a second I’m transported back to reality.
- In: Random Musings
This Is It.
28 Oct2009
After much anticipation, the day finally came for the This Is It premiere. First off: The film starts off with a “disclaimer” of sorts: “For the fans…” This is very true. It truly is for the fans primarily. As seen in my previous blog post, I was at first a bit hesitant about what the film would ultimately be like. Concert movie? Documentary? Director/Producer Kenny Ortega was right when he described it as a “musical mosaic.” Wall-to-wall music? Check. Concert experience/rehearsal footage? Check. Documentary-style interview? Check. And with perfect balance. Everything said about the movie in the press was very true. The audience gets sucked into the reality of the movie and is suspended within it. It is very easy to forget the tragic end to the story while watching This Is It, as no mention of it is made. The movie makes you wanna groove while watching it; it gives you a feel for what he was soon going to show the world. All the classics were there: “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” “Smooth Criminal,” “I’ll Be There,” “Black or White,” “Thriller,” “Billie Jean;” they were all present. With pieces of various rehearsals strung together seamlessly, the movie flowed together flawlessly. My only gripe was that Michael wasn’t in his full fighting mode. That isn’t to say he didn’t look fabulous — he did — but for example, in “Billie Jean,” the moonwalk in the bridge was completely out of sight. The fedora was nowhere to be seen. But alas, “that’s why we have rehearsal.” A moving tribute, This Is It is enough to (temporarily) satiate the fans’ hunger, and even for the casual MJ-listener, it is an interesting view inside the mind of a perfectionist, detailing the intricacy of the planning behind his comeback tour. Worth it to watch in theatres? For novelty and if you’re an impatient fan. Worth it to watch on DVD? Definitely. 4/5
This Is It?
25 Oct2009
Mark your calendars. Next Wednesday, October 28, 2009, is the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s This Is It, which will either be the most amazing concert movie experience of all time or another crappy rehash work on the part of Sony. Honestly, I have no idea which of the two it’s going to be. The way Sony’s been handling the marketing for this film makes no indication of what to expect. So far, the clips they’ve released show some cuts of rehearsal footage mixed with intermittent interviews from producers and choreographers, which leads me to suspect it’s going to be mostly documentary rather than a run-through of the entire production. Maybe they’ll save that for the DVD release? The title track off the soundtrack, “This Is It,” is so sub-par Michael Jackson that I was shocked when I heard the song. Michael definitely would not have intended this to reach the public’s ears. Why else did it go to Safire? Just because of the eponymous first three words of the song, Sony decided to release this track? I’m going to go into the first showing of This Is It at 5:05 PM with an open mind. Hopefully, Sony and their people will get their act together and not screw up what could potentially be one of the most memorable movie events of the year. Or they could screw it up, like Invincible or Visionary. I’m certainly hoping otherwise.