I had the Wii version The Force Unleashed at Blockbuster way back at the beginning of this year. I was genuinely excited. Well, Force Unleashed is finally here and I got my hands on a copy as soon as I could. It played well enough, but the main reason I’d been so excited for the game (Wiimote lightsaber swinging) was a complete wash. It made more sense to completely ignore your saber throughout the game because of the arbitrary swinging system. I bought a PS3 and decided it would be a good idea to compare the two different versions. After playing through the PS3 version, I can say with confidence that it is almost a different game. A much better one, in fact.

Level design is actually fun. The order of the levels and different visuals the PS3 offers really makes the Wii look old in comparison to what they can both show. The physics on the PS3 are just plain fun. Each throw, push, or lightning from your pool of force powers looks gorgeous as it rips the environment and your enemies apart. Smash open a window on a space ship, and watch as all the objects and people in the room fly out into space before the emergency door shuts. It just looks fantastic.

Controls on the PS3 feel tighter. Even without swinging around the Wiimote, the Dual Shock controller feels more natural and response time is quicker, which means a lot on higher difficulties. Try pulling off a 6 button combo on the Wii and you’ll develop arthritis before you can pull it off in melee. The fighting isn’t quite as quick paced or combo oriented as the Devil May Cry or God of War series. If you’re backed into a corner by multiple enemies, you’re probably dead. This makes certain areas of the game where hordes of enemies keep showing up more difficult than most of the bosses throughout the game. Once you press an attack button, you’re committed. Your character will finish out the entire combo even while being shot in the face or swung at. I don’t expect every melee game to be like God of War, but with titles like that floating around, there is no reason every game shouldn’t be as polished.

Overall, I really liked the game. There is something completely cathartic in throwing storm troopers into one another. Or force gripping Darth Vader himself, throwing my lightsaber through his chest, and sending a bolt of lightning at him right before I throw him to the ground. The apprentice seems a bit overpowered compared to anything I’ve ever seen in the Star Wars, but that’s what makes him so fun to play. Who wouldn’t want to rip a Star Destroyer from the sky? They even manage to work him into the story of the series acceptably.

If you have either next generation console, definitely take that over the Wii version. The graphics and controls pale in comparison to the experience on the PS3 and X360. A solid chapter of the Star Wars video game universe.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for X360
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for PS3

As many of you no doubt were I was glued to my computer screen this afternoon as Apple unveiled its new notebook line up, a whole new way to build their products out of machined aluminum, and a new Apple display.

The new Macbook and Macbook Pro are incredible updates to the line up, but they are much more than that. As Jony Ive, the Senior Vice-President Design at Apple, says in the Macbook video above - they’ve started over. I think that is a little strong, but they’ve definitely gone back to the drawing board for how they manufacturer these notebooks - and they took experiences from the production and use of the Macbook Air to help them along the way.

The most notable updates to the two notebooks are that they new have a much more powerful Nvidia graphics card (the Pro sports a dual GPU) built-in, the all-new LED screens, and a new touchpad. The graphics are purported to be up-to 5-times “faster” than the Macbooks of yesterday. The screens are made of glass and are LED-displays. This means that not only do the screens eat less power, but they are brighter and turn on instantly. The touchpad, also all glass, is now also the mouse-button (you just push on it). It also supports two, three, and even four-finger gestures to do things like scrolling, paging through slideshows, and switching applications.

A few thoughts sprang to mind as I watched the live coverage by Engadget. First, since when does Jonathan Ive officially go by Jony Ive? I’ve heard Steve Jobs call him Jony a few times, but “in print” I thought his name was always Jonathan Ive. Second, regarding the new mini-display port; why is it in front of the two USB-ports? When I’m connected to an external display I will have to reach around the mini-display port to attach/detach devices? Third, and something that is getting a lot of attention, is that Apple doesn’t have Firewire 400 or 800 on the Macbook. To take advantage of Firewire you will now have to buy a Macbook Pro and even then you will only have the choice to use Firewire 800.

I’ll be upgrading to one of the Macbooks or Macbook Pro before the year is out. I was thinking that I’d go with the higher-end Macbook, but without Firewire that may not be an option as I have several Firewire hard drives that house my photo and video libraries.

Either way, solid updates from Apple today.

I know this firsthand. A few weekends ago my wife and I had a few friends over for a party. Musically I thought I had it all. I fired up iTunes, meticulously combed through my library, hand-picked each song, ordered them just how I wanted. I ended up with was a fantastic playlist dedicated to the event. Enough for 4 or 5 hours of continuous play. To top it off I had the iTunes remote application for my iPhone installed so that I could control the music and volume from wherever I was in the apartment. Party music bliss.

But that was a few weekends ago. A lot has changed since then. Apple released iTunes 8 which comes with a brand-new feature that, if I had iTunes 8 a few weekends ago, would have saved me tons of time.

This new feature is called Genius. After using it for a little over a week I can say that it is exactly that. The underpinnings of Genius, though I have no knowledge of the precise pieces that are working behind the scenes, are not really all that new. Other applications and social Web sites have done what Genius does for a while. In fact, some might argue that they do it better and are indeed more fun than the way iTunes 8 does it. That is, create a playlist based on your listening habits, and the listening habits of other iTunes users, with the click of a button.

As with many products that come out of Apple it isn’t what iTunes 8’s Genius feature does that is amazing. It is how simple it is to use. It is how useful it is. And, the fact that it is built into the most popular jukebox and digital music players helps too. So useful in fact that it has changed the way I listen to my music library completely.

You see I’m of the sort that, up until the release of iTunes 8, really enjoys using the iTunes Party Shuffle feature. What Party Shuffle does is it will take my entire iTunes library, throw it up in the air, and whichever songs fall first are put into a never-ending list that just keeps playing. There is some logic behind Party Shuffle, I believe, but the logic isn’t palpable in the list as you see it. So in effect, it is completely “random”.

This saves me from making any decision whatsoever about what I want to listen to each day. I just fire up iTunes, hit Party Shuffle, and hit Play.

I’ve seen people who put together some really great playlists to listen to while at their computer, and they do it in several different ways. I’ve seen some based on metrics (which can be done with iTunes’ Smart Playlist feature). Playlists created based on the number of times you’ve listened to the song or, perhaps the amount of time that has passed since the last time you listened to it. Others I’ve seen are created completely by hand. These are the real audiophiles that I’ve met. Those that used to burn really great mixed CDs for road trips, workouts, or easy-listening.

Again, I don’t do this. I don’t have the time or the desire. I just want some music playing in the background when I’m working and, on occasion, get an appetite for a specific artist or soundtrack. But then iTunes 8 Genius has, again, changed the way I listen to my music library.

Now, instead of just using iTunes to create a random, never-ending playlist using my library, I stop and think for a moment what sort of mood I’m in. I find a song that I believe reflects that mood, and I click the Genius button. Immediately I’m presented with a list of either 25, 50, or 100 songs that go really well with the song I selected. Apple called this feature Genius for a reason. The song selection, which comes out of your very own library, is incredibly good. I have yet to come across a single Genius-created playlist that I thought didn’t work well.

How in the world are they able to do this? I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest version. iTunes has always kept track of what you listen to. You’ll notice, regardless of the version of iTunes you have installed, that iTunes knows the number of times you’ve listened to a song and when you last played it, as an example. But Genius goes a bit beyond that. Genius takes this, and other information, and sends it over the Internet to a central database. When you request to make a playlist on, say, Zhane’s Hey Mr. DJ., iTunes looks at this central database to determine what other people have listened to with this song and constructs a playlist based on other iTunes user’s music-listening habits.

It works. It’s quick. And I can’t imagine iTunes without it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to create a Genius playlist for my next bike ride based on The Raconteurs - The Switch and The Spur from their album Consolers Of The Lonely.

Our goal is to show our users every movie and TV show on the Internet for free on IMDb.com.

says Col Needham, IMDb site founder. At first, I was happy. I thought, we can always use more online media. The more groups that get involved, the closer we are to having full control of how, when, and where we watch our media. FilmSchoolRejects picked up this story as well, throwing IMDb into the middle of Hulu and TheWB as competition. But there was something about Needham’s quote made me take another look at the IMDb “service.”

Let’s not jump the gun on IMDb yet and call them competition of any kind. Most of the movies and shows available are streamed on a Hulu flash player. Some are even from CBS’s online streaming service. The only part that seems at all worth looking at is the Independent Shorts selection, but in today’s age, most could probably be hosted anywhere from Vimeo, Viddler, or YouTube. What makes IMDb so special?

In short, not too much. IMDb was bought by Amazon, and so it has access to plenty of media. It could, I suppose, aid in the distribution of indie filmmakers, but I’m not so sure as to what degree. paidContent.org has an article, explaining Amazon’s decision a bit more.

…it is likely IMDb video would be used more as a promotional tool. It even says so in the release: The rotating video content is provided by CBS, Hulu, Sony Pictures Television and about 500 indie filmmakers.

That seems unfortunate. The article eludes to over 6000 titles that could become available, but only as rotational content. This is more of a feature that should’ve been available a while ago, and is just now coming out like an afterthought. IMDb is doing what is described by its name: being a database for all things movies, including the movies and clips themselves. Only, they aren’t showing anything you can’t find elsewhere, and in a prettier package.

Here’s another look at something that’s been around on the internet that I’ve just found: tumblr. It’s another in the long line of blogging tools at the disposal of the masses of internet users who want an outlet. It goes about doing so a bit differently, though.

First off, you cannot comment on the posts by default. There isn’t even an option through tumblr itself. DISQUS can be used to add comments to the posts, though. So you’re not completely without the ability to have a discussion strictly on your own tumbelog. I’ve struggled with how I feel about the lack of a commenting system. I’m never one to accrue a healthy line of dialog on my posts, so I don’t miss it too much. But the question remains: why didn’t the tumblr staff add a commenting system to tumblr?

Simply, it doesn’t really need one. Every tumblr has the ability to Reblog another’s post. You reblog what someone else has posted, and you add a bit of text or a response of some kind to it. Now you’re in a dialog with the poster themselves. They can reblog your reblog, and you can reblog it back, until you’ve run through the conversation. It keeps everything public. You can also subscribe or follow specific tumbelogs so that any updates to them show up in your own dashboard. It’s pretty similar to Twitter, in that everything you do or reblog is public. Most users post their email address or IM names so that they can be contacted, I’m to assume, if the conversation needed a private arena.

As far as design goes, I couldn’t be happier. Unlike the free WordPress.com blogs, you can completely customize the entire look and function of your blog. You don’t have rely on a set of preordained themes to encompass who you are. Just get a little CSS knowledge, HTML, and Java Script, and you’re on your way. tumblr even let’s you place Google AdSense on your tumbelog if you want to. The look of the site is pretty, and really reminds me of Vimeo’s design, which I also enjoy.

One of the features I find oddly missing is the ability to search through all the tumblr blogs. You can search your own blog, but not the rest of tumblr. I’d love to be able to find others that are discussing similar topics. They even let you mark your posts with tags, but I’m assuming those are only for the searches on your own tumblr page. tumblr does provide an “Explore” feature, but it shows you only posts within the last couple of days from a mere 18 tumbelogs. With over 100,000 posts daily, you’d think they’d give you more to look at than 18.

tumblr seeks to get you active in it’s own “tumblverse,” as they call it. Start following people, reblogging, become active with other tumblrs. They, will in turn, reblog and follow you if what you post interests them. You have to be social, to rank socially anywhere on tumblr. As it stands, it feels a bit difficult to actually navigate the spiderweb that is tumblr. I’m enjoying my time, it just feels as if I may be missing so many other tumblrs out there.

So am I ready to throw out my WordPress blog and dive whole heartedly into tumblr? Not quite. tumblr isn’t really suited too well for the long diatribes and rants I enjoy going on. The text posts are like a secondary function. Images and video take center stage at tumblr. I’m using it now, as a social aggregator. It serves as a portal to all my public online activity: Twitter, FriendFeed, TUG.n, WordPress, and whatever other social networks I belong to. It’s my online footprint. It’s my tumblr.

my tumbelog

Pineapple Express

Snifflefits. Go ahead, it’s alright to chuckle. You don’t have to smoke weed to laugh at this movie. Everyone will think you do, but we all know what happens when people assume. I don’t really like the term “stoner comedy.” Does any movie that involve smoking marijuana make it one? Or are there more stringent guidelines set forth by the great stoner public? I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that I enjoyed this flick.

Seth Rogen turns in his typical character; a raspy voiced slacker. It works great, unless you’re just completely tired of him. James Franco was a real surprise. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Freaks and Geeks, but apparently it’s not much of a surprise to those who’ve seen it. Danny McBride is a welcome addition to the Apatow crew. He’s got such a dry delivery, his character had me scratching my head and laughing at the same time.

The plot is pretty much what you’ve seen in the trailers: buyer sees murder, goes to drug dealer to escape, and they go on the run. Most of the jokes hit their mark. Some miss, and miss bad. In the middle of the movie, there is a slump. There isn’t much to laugh at from here until the third act. The third act itself also sticks out a bit. This is an action/comedy, and it earns it in the last thirty minutes. But this is also the least funny part of the movie, and it feels a bit out of place when compared with the whole.

It’s a solid Apatow entry, but hardly a classic or shining example of what he and his crew have done in the past.

Score: 3/5

Step Brothers

Ferrell is genuinely a fun/funny guy to watch. I think his ramblings are when he’s at his best comedically. I didn’t enjoy Semi-Pro. Nothing seemed to really work or click the way his other character comedies do. I was still excited to see this one, as it was a little reunion of John C. Reilly and Ferrell, arguably the funniest aspect of Talladega Nights. I didn’t think I would like Step Brothers. The previews made it feel like it would suffer from the same shortcomings of Semi-Pro.

The plot is outlandish. It’s an excuse for these two comedians to yell dirty words and say ridiculous things. But that’s the beauty of the movie. It throws a paper-thin plot and actively pokes fun at how absurd the situation is. They try and make up for it with some story about an older brother trying to actively ruin Brennan’s (Will Ferrell) life, but I didn’t care. Adam Scott’s character isn’t very threatening, and he’s not very funny. The real meat of this movie is in the back and forth between Reilly and Ferrell.

The two comedians do what they do best. The exchanges they have together are rarely unfunny. They are playing two men in their thirties, who act like they are still in grade school. Unfortunately, there isn’t much more to laugh at than that. If you’re not a fan of Will Ferrell or John C. Reilly, you’re not going to enjoy this one. But if you are, you’ll find yourself laughing through most of this movie.

Score: 3/5

For a three days when I moved into this new apartment, we had no cable. I needed some kind of entertainment to pass the time, and I’d had Hulu bookmarked for a while. Armed with only my iBook and some stolen wifi, I dived into the site. Everything from clips of television shows, to the entire seasons of the shows themselves are available for watching on Hulu — for free. I started watching Burn Notice, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and older episodes of The Office. There is limited commercial interruption, but it’s not at all as annoying as watching multiple commercials for three minutes for every five minutes of actual TV. In a 42 minute episode of Burn Notice, there are normally five commercial breaks, ranging from 15 to 30 seconds. They even offer a healthy amount of movies, which continues to grow with each week.

I could go on about how decent the quality of the video is, and some of the extra features (queuing, subscribing, the amount of shows available, and some HD offerings) but there are plenty of other reviewers that have done a much better job than I probably could. See this (Gizmodo), and this, this one (ThinkMac), this one, and even this one (Ars Technica). There are plenty more out there, but you get a general sense that most people are happy with Hulu.

The most surprising aspect of Hulu to me is where it came from. NBC has done a good job of actually putting together a solid platform for its online media. It doesn’t feel like a corporate mess that we’ve come to expect from the Networks. It’s far from perfect, but it’s leaps beyond what the big Networks have been afraid to do thus far.

Best comedy of the summer for me, hands down. I’m not a Ben Stiller fan at all, but his writing effort and acting left me laughing long after I left the theatre. It earned my respect and the R rating.

Before the film starts, the audience is treated to fake trailers and a commercial for the principal characters. It completely gets people in the mood for what’s about to take place. You have the fading action star in Ben Stiller, the award winning Australian method actor Robert Downey Jr., the Rap star Brandon T. Jackson, and the crazy comedian Jack Black. Of course those are just the characters they play in the movie.

If you’ve seen the previews, you know what’s going on. A bunch of prima donna actors are dropped off in the jungle to get a more realistic war movie. Like most comedies, things go horribly wrong and they are thrown in the middle of a real life battle. Hilarity ensues as they try to figure out what’s part of the movie and what’s not. That’s pretty much it for the plot. It’s there as a vehicle for the actors to say ridiculous things and get out of hilarious situations. The real comedy comes from the dialogue. The conversations the characters have provide the core of the laughs. Robert Downey Jr. steals almost every scene he’s in. Each and every character gets at least one big laugh, even the smaller roles and cameos. Speaking of cameos, if you haven’t heard yet, there’s a pretty spectacular one with Tom Cruise. I’m not one to speak kindly of Cruise lately, but this role makes me want to forgive all previous blunders and bizarre antics. Seriously, he’s the only other person snatching scenes when he’s there.

About the boycotts and negative comments about its offensive nature: they just don’t know what they’re talking about. The movie is about Hollywood, the Academy, actors, and big budget movies. In fact, the only negative thing I can say about the movie is sometimes it’s too direct in it’s bashing of Hollywood. There were a few jokes that were over my head, and I spend a lot time watching movies. But they still manage to do enough with the physical comedy, sight gags, and other jokes to keep even those not familiar with the Hollywood system rolling in the isles.

If you’re at all a fan of movies and need a good laugh, I really recommend this one. Jack Black needs to do more rated R comedies and Robert Downey just needs to be in more movies, period. I even found myself wishing for more Tom Cruise, which is miraculous, all things considered. So what are you waiting for? Go laugh!

The new design was just released a few days ago, and I think it was a good update. Most of the major changes aren’t visible, which is good, because I think the layout of del.icio.us was fine the way it was. Everythin. Even the name change is welcome. I personally found the separation of the word “delicious” with periods to be annoying, even if it was a clever domain name.

image taken with Skitch by plasq

There was a little problem that I ran into while bookmarking some pages today. When I used the old bookmarking shortcut I had on Safari, it would leave out the recommended tags or popular tags that I’d enjoyed from before the update. Not only were there no recommended tags, but even my own tag cloud was missing. The only thing that would come up was an autofill feature for tags that I’ve used previously. Handy, but not enough when I can’t remember exactly what tags I’ve used before.

I had thought that they might have left it out in the update, but when I used the “Create New Bookmark” feature, it revealed the old glorious cloud of tags to choose from. It was a small scare, but a scare nonetheless. I don’t know what causes everything else to work fine except that, but I was able to fix the issue simply by using the new supplied posting shortcut. So be sure you update your “post to Delicious” button so you don’t lose the features.

I’ve held off for a few days before writing this review because I was actually a little unsure as to how I felt about the movie. That’s not to say that this was a bad movie by any means. I enjoyed it, just as I enjoyed the first one of the franchise.

Golden Army is different than its predecessor in that it takes a much more comedic approach to the material than the first Hellboy. Sure there were some good laughs in the first installment, but the sequel sets out to be a much more even mix of comedy and action. This can be either a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on what you were expecting of the movie. It felt a bit out of place at first, leaving me wondering where the film itself was going. But around the middle of the film, it seemed to gel together and the laughs delivered alongside most of the action scenes pretty seamlessly.

Ron Perlman is Hellboy. It’s great to see him in the role again, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a third movie. Hopefully Guillermo won’t be too big by then to take the helm again. Selma Blair plays Liz again, though she is more important to the plot this time around. If you’ve seen the first movie, you know her character and Hellboy have a rough relationship. That carries over into this movie from the first, but it’s not so much funny as it is annoying. They never really make any kind of connection that makes you believe she’s in love with a big red devil of a man. The real surprise was Abe Sapien, played by Doug Jones. He’s funny and his relationship with Princess Nuala is much more interesting than Liz and Hellboy’s.

In terms of action, Hellboy II: The Golden Army certainly delivers. The action is fast, grand in scale, and pretty to look at. Prince Nuada performs a variety of martial arts flips and spins, dispatching those that stand in his way. Hellboy is back with his guns, and a lot more hand-to-hand combat than the we’ve seen before, which I was glad to see. The costumes and special effects are the real show here, though. Pan’s Labyrinth has become one of my favorite movies, so I’ll likely follow Guillermo del Toro anytime and anywhere he gets to put his creatures on a screen. The monsters and creatures in Hellboy are different than most big budget movies nowadays, in that they are largely done with costumes, rather than overused CGI. It creates an authenticity that most movies seem to be missing in today’s CGI infested action flicks. In fact, the creatures left the biggest impression of the entire movie.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a bigger, badder version of the original. As much as I liked the first movie, it had a very forgettable ending. While The Golden Army fixes that, it still feels a bit hollow. It has flashy designs, memorable creatures, but a pace and mood that feels uneven throughout the entire film. The Golden Army makes for a solid appetizer before this week’s Dark Knight.

The initial Wii Sports gets a pass from me. It was bundled with the system, and served, more or less, as an example of what the system and controller could do. Plus, I despise bowling. No more sore fingers, gutter balls, low scores, or having to actually go into a bowling alley and put my feet in a pair of shoes worn by a hundred other people. Spray or no spray, there are benefits to Wii Bowling that I’m not prepared to give up just yet.

Scuba diving costs a lot and requires an ocean. Billiards is fun, that video game works. Ninja Reflex training? Okay, I’ll give them that one. Even cooking makes for an interesting game. But for every idea that does work, there are some that are just plain laughable.

Carnival games are impossible to beat in real life, why would you play them in a video game? Virtual Sudoku? It’s cheaper to buy an entire book of sudoku. Another Monopoly reincarnation is coming in Q3 of 2008 (I never understood the allure of board games on a console). And now, coming soon to a Wii near you, Beer Pong! And you thought the gaming industry was running out of ideas. Psh!

That video is amazing. Look how happening all the parties are in the actual gameplay. And the one old guy playing looks like he’s loving it. But what benefits does a video game version of beer pong offer over the real thing? Well, let’s take a look.

The Good

The Bad

Sports Anonymous has made up their own drinking rules to supplement the lack of alcohol in the WiiWare title. So I guess you could still drink while playing.

The name of the actual game is Pong Toss, changed from Beer Pong. It would’ve lost the T rating from ESRB if they didn’t change it, apparently. This game is actually being released via WiiWare for the system, from a division of developers called Frat Party Games. Look for other future classics from Frat Party Games: Flip Cup and Quarters.

The Dark Knight officially comes out July 18th, 2008. Even though that’s over two weeks away, there are already some reviews (RollingStone, IGN) coming in on the latest Batman movie. Of course, they have all been resoundingly positive. Something else they’ve all had in common has been their praise of Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. What if he’s nominated for a best acting Oscar?

Apparently, the last posthumous Oscar winner was Peter Finch, for Network (1976). How bizarre would it be if an actor from a comic book movie, won an Oscar for the portrayal of a clown villain? Has that Happened before? The RollingStone reviewer says he’s willing to join any movement to get the late Ledger an Oscar for his Joker role, and I like the sound of that.

If Nolan has crafted what these reviewers say he has, this isn’t just a simple comic book movie anymore. It opens the door for serious interpretations of the superhero myth in American cinema.

Would it be fair if Ledger is, in fact, nominated for the Oscar for The Dark Knight? Some critics may argue that he has more sympathy due to his passing away. I would hate for a possible Oscar win, or at least nomination, to be tarnished by such a suggestion if he truly deserves it. All these reviews and talk of Ledger as the Joker just make me wish it was July 18th already.

Fourth of July is here again, and what better way to welcome in the long weekend than with Mr. Fourth of July himself; Will Smith. As far as studios are concerned, Will Smith is the king of the box office. His last seven movies have all grossed over $100 million without so much as breaking a sweat, and has 11 total that have reached that mark. He’s the closest thing to a sure-fire hit Hollywood has. Hancock is positioned to be his eighth consecutive hit and give him his 12th $100 million movie. But does it even deserve to be?

As of this review, Hancock is at 34% on RottenTomatoes.com. It’s another Wild Wild West sized misfire for Will Smith, but it’s not his fault. Will Smith plays the title character, a superhero who destroys more in the process than he saves. Smith is as charismatic as he can as an alcoholic, jerk of an antihero here. Jason Bateman plays the PR agent who tries to change Hancock’s public image, and is hilarious — for the most part. Charlize Theron seems out of place here. There are moments where everyone is cracking jokes and having fun, while she’s being overly melodramatic.

As the previews show, the special effects are great. Seeing a superhero fly drunk through the sky, blowing up everything he launches from and tossing whales into the ocean is a blast. Aside from that, it’s your standard superhero CGI fare. There is a scene in particular that was way too overdone. It felt out of place in the movie and looked awful. I don’t care how much time they spend on a scene, but a fully CGI character’s movements will always look fake. It’s noticeable and detracts from the movie. One of the action scenes got to the point where there were no actors. Just CGI storms in the background and CGI characters. It felt like a cartoon and stood out like a sore thumb.

Hancock has some hero-sized problems in its plot. I was really into it for the first 35 minutes. I was beginning to wonder what everyone was talking about and why it had such a low rating. And then, it happened. The movie shifts gears. It starts out as a vulgar, satire of the superhero and has some good laughs. But really quickly, it hits the breaks. The laughs slow down and the jokes get recycled. They replace the mean, aggravated Hancock, with a wooden, reformed Hancock. Maybe I’m a callous, sarcastic jerk of a human being, but I liked Hancock more in the beginning when he was an asshole.

From what I’ve found out, Hancock went through six cuts just to get its PG13 rating. And that’s a shame. They shot a different ending, cut a bunch of scenes (including a statutory rape plot point), and dubbed over a bunch of the dialog. It runs a short hour and a half, which is probably due to all the cutting. It feels rushed and completely uneven. The movie doesn’t know what it’s trying to be. In a time when a superhero movie comes out every weekend, it could’ve have been a refreshing take on the genre. But, no. It’s like the studio heads saw the original cut, got scared, and turned the entire second half of the movie into generic swill, complete with terrible twist, goofy ending and throwaway dialog that attempts to explain bits and pieces of the movie (unsuccessfully I might add).

I can’t recommend this one at all. It just misses every mark it set out for itself. If anything, look for it on DVD if they release an uncut version. But what does it matter what I say? It’s Will Smith, Fourth of July weekend, so people will go out in droves to see it anyway. Go see WALL-E or Wanted instead.

Here’s a spoiler filled take on what Hancock should have been: 9 Ways Hancock Could Have Been A Pretty Good Movie. I have to agree on nearly every point he brings up.

Pixar can do no wrong. The reigning kings of animation have done it again with WALL-E. It’s a kid’s movie with more heart than anything in recent years, save the other Pixar releases. I don’t normally feel so… how do I put it? Emotional! It makes me feel like a little kid again. I’m already drawn to cartoons, but WALL-E goes above and beyond my expectations and delivers a delightful film for those of all ages.

There is no dialog in the first 30 minutes or so of the movie. At least not in a conventional sense. WALL-E talks through beeps and clicks, similar to R2D2, but conveys his emotions more efficiently than trained Hollywood actors. Pixar’s ability to bring an inanimate object to life and make it an adorable character is one they seem to have mastered. From his binocular eyes to his wheels, each part of this robot is made to feel alive. The plot moves along at a brisk pace and never drags.

There are so many little details in the animations, background, and little character quirks, the robots with screen time really feel like characters. WALL-E is a living, breathing being, and is portrayed beautifully in this CGI masterpiece. The CGI looks amazing. All the dirt and grime, the smoke effects, the spaceship, and space itself look gorgeous. I thought their previous effort, Ratatouille, was stunning effects wise, but WALL-E raises the bar again.

The story is cute, the characters lovable, and the comedy is there. I’ve read comparisons of WALL-E to Charlie Chaplin, and they’re pretty accurate. Most of it is physical comedy, and just seeing the characters all interact with one another. But as I said, it appeals to all age ranges. It’s just a genuinely well told story and is very easy to enjoy.

The only bit that may bother some, is the underlying message. If you haven’t paid attention to the trailers, this may spoil it for you, but Earth is covered in trash. It is a very environmentally friendly movie and may seem like a bit of propaganda to some. It’s unfortunate that some people will complain about this like they did with Happy Feet. However, unlike the penguin flick, WALL-E doesn’t bring it to the forefront of the story and beat you over the head with cries for green peace. It leaves it in the background as a setting to illuminate the much bigger story and journey that WALL-E embarks upon.

I can’t gush about Pixar enough. I’m waiting for them to slip up somewhere. It seems as though they will continue to delight for years to come with all their future projects. I’m planning on seeing this one again, just to catch the smaller details I might have missed. I recommend this for the families, the kids, and anyone who enjoys animation or just a good film in general.

Wanted is another movie in a long line of comic book adaptations. It is brought to you by Timur Bekmambetov, the director behind Night Watch and Day Watch, two films I caught on DVD. His ability to fill the screen with so much mayhem carries over brilliantly for this adaptation.

James McAvoy kicks some ass. His character, Wesley Gibson, is a loser working in a cubicle until the sultry Angelina Jolie enters and changes his life. He joins The Fraternity, a league of assassins, and changes his life forever. That’s the story in a nutshell. If I had to compare this to another movie, it’d be a combination of Shoot ‘Em Up, Fight Club and The Matrix. That’s saying a lot, because I liked all three of those movies. The story isn’t quite as deep or amusing as Matrix or Fight Club, but there are some very welcomed similarities throughout Wanted that make it enjoyable.

The actors do nothing new here. There were a few surprises though. McAvoy handles the action role really well. Morgan Freeman mails in the same performance we’ve seen him give over and over again, but uses some more colorful language this time around. And Angelina Jolie is hot. I don’t know if it was seeing all those tattoos down her back as she got out of a tub, or if it was watching her wield a shotgun while hanging out the front window of a car with her legs spread apart steering and bracing herself while speeding down a highway shooting at the bad guy. Either way, she was a joy to watch.

This is a violent movie. I have no issues with that. It’s rated R and for good reason. It’s a movie about assassins trying to kill other assassins. It has to be violent and bloody to make any sort of sense. And Timur does it all with style. The car chase scenes are so over-the-top, it may seem a bit unbelievable. And that’s where the film may lose some people. It’s not quite as crazy as Shoot ‘Em Up, but it comes close. Who wants dirty realism in their popcorn flicks anyway?

I walked out of the theatre satisfied. It was an orgy of mayhem that delivered on the thrills. I’m not so sure as to how faithful an adaptation it was, but I had fun. Don’t expect the next Matrix. This isn’t nearly as deep. But if you want to see an action movie in the same vein as 300, this is your ticket.

I remember the Speed Racer cartoon when I was younger and watched it and I remember it well, but I never had a desire to really see it stretched out on the big screen. Transformers worked, so maybe the studio was looking to capitalize on another gem from so many others’ childhoods. But Transformers, along with G.I. Joe, may be in the rare circumstance that they transfer well over to the live action format. Unfortunately, a beloved anime is being transformed into something that will torture any fans’ very soul.

Dragonball

Source: Dragonball Movie Blog

From the casting alone I want to call this movie dead in the water. Not that I don’t think Justin Chatwin can act, it’s just that I don’t see him as a young Goku. Nothing about him screams Asian mythology. And I just know Piccolo is going to look like a man with green paint on his skin or a cheesy CGI recoloring. I love Dragonball. It was a great series. I really don’t want to see it get a live action treatment. It won’t benefit well at all.

The story worked because it was about an innocent little kid that had enormous strength. He fought off the bad guys pretty easily, but there was an innocent charm to his abilities that made it all work. Chatwin, at age 26 doesn’t exactly exhibit these qualities of boyish nature Goku has.

Look for this to loudly crash into theaters sometime in 2009 and quietly sulk away when it fails to gross half of what it cost and is chewed alive by critics.
(Note: I really want this to be good, but have faced reality.)

Another Marvel superhero movie during the 2008 Summer Blockbuster season. The biggest problem to overcome for this movie was being better than the last movie, which is does, easily. I didn’t despise the 2003 effort by Ang Lee, but I certainly didn’t care for it, either. Mutated poodles just don’t make for an intriguing villain (and I have a thing for well-crafted villains). But The Incredible Hulk solves that problem by introducing an equally strong nemesis, The Abomination. It just makes sense. After the umpteenth time I saw Hulk smash a tank, you wanted to see him brawl something — a robot or other monster (poodles excluded).

There isn’t much to really review here. It was as I expected, a typical summer blockbuster. That means there was little to mentally digest, but an orgy of special f/x exploding on screen. The action was fun, the Hulk seemed strong, but never so strong that it seemed ridiculous. It genuinely looked like he struggled when lifting some objects. I’m still wondering whether this was a sequel or a reboot. Elements of the film suggest both. It seems to pick up right where the first left off, but the events seemingly never happened.

The tone of the movie was a bit uneven. In the beginning, it was a very serious attempt at showing the origin of Bruce Banner. It reminded me of the ending to each episode of the TV series, where Banner walks away and the sad music plays, the same thing made fun of on Family Guy. But somewhere in the middle of the movie, it throws a few jokes that don’t mesh well with this tone. That may be one of its problems. It seemed to take itself too serious. It felt melodramatic, and I have a strict policy of keeping melodrama out of my action movies.

It was fun, made for a good watch but offers little beyond a better, revised version of the 2003 catastrophe. What it really does is set up for the big movie in 2011, The Avengers. It will feature, at least, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and possibly the Ant-Man. Aside from The Fantastic Four and The X-Men movies, most movies include only one hero at a time. This could be a shift in the way these blockbusters are made. It had me wondering whether or not we’ll see Edward Norton, Robert Downey Jr., and the other stars all in one mega-movie? That could be huge.

Steve Carell can get me into the theatre any day of the week. Get Smart was no exception. I watched the TV show when it used to be on Nick at Nite all the time, so I was familiar with the character and the show itself. I’d been pretty excited to see this one, and wasn’t disappointed.

Steve Carell, as I said earlier, will get me to show up anytime. His casting here is perfect. His delivery and demeanor make the role what it is. If there was ever going to be a remake, it could only be done with Mr. Carell. I was honestly a bit worried at first. I generally don’t find physical comedy to be that funny, and the trailer seemed to be completely full of just that. I was half expecting a repeat performance of Evan Almighty, but the physical gags worked here. Carell was able to pull it off, when I previously thought physical humor wasn’t for him. Carell put this movie on his back and made it what it was. Agent #99 is played by Anne Hathaway and is also a joy to watch. She’s sexy, funny when she has to be, smart, and kicks some ass along the way. Allen Arkin shows up as The Chief and has some good lines. Even Dwayne Johnson, the artist formerly known as “The Rock,” was able to get some chuckles out of me. A few cameos and some familiar faces round out the cast and all give a couple good lines each.

The plot is really nothing to take seriously. Double agents, cliche spy characters, and some expected twists make it easy to follow. It’s very textbook, but it’s not the plot that is going to make you laugh. It simply serves as the vehicle to put Agent #86 in as many awkward situations as the 110 minute running time will allow. Don’t expect a Bourne style plethora of fight or chase scenes, or serious plot. That isn’t to say that is free of these action devices. This is a spy movie, but it’s a comedy first. Everything is there to serve as a joke, and for the most part, they hit their mark each time.

I went in neutral. I figured I would at least get some laughs from Steve Carell, and I did. But the whole movie itself was better than expected. It felt new, but still had some of the charm of the original. The few moments Carell’s voice became nasally, it was like he was channeling Don Adams himself. The movie is by no means a classic or stellar comedy, but it’ll keep you laughing the majority of the time. And that is all you can really ask of a comedy when your only other option is The Love Guru.

However, despite becoming well-known based on a commercial (which seems likely to end in a very short career), this chick isn’t just a one-hit wonder in the vein of Natasha Bedingfield, who I doubt will have anything relevant again following “Unwritten.” If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong, but I think that chick about as much talent as the members of Good Charlotte combined. A multiplication of zero is still zero.

Okay, maybe I was a little harsh. If so, I apologize.

I also have to admit that I was wrong in these statements that Natasha Bedingifield is a one-hit wonder. But, the fact that she isn’t due to the song “Pocketful of Sunshine” makes me upset.

This song is perhaps the worst “popular” song I have ever heard in my life. Seriously, I’m not exaggerating.

To be fair, I’m not even saying that I don’t enjoy some of her songs. In fact, I didn’t even hate her last album, although I thought a good portion of it was manufactured cheese, but I digress. It had some redeeming qualities. However, to me the popularity of this song in particular proves that people will buy anything that is jammed down their throats.

I saw this song performed on American Idol and since then I have heard it everywhere. Why? Seriously, what is good about this song? The sound is beyond generic, the lyrics are excruciatingly bad (’Do what you want, but you’re never gonna break me. / Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me. / No.‘ Really? Really? Are you kidding me?), and the little rappy sections make me embarrassed for the poor girl. Yet, I see it in the top ten of iTunes.

I’m genuinely flabbergasted. I get the song has a positive message, I get the fact people love and need cheerful songs (so do I), I get the fact that she doesn’t have a bad voice, but I don’t get why this song is popular. The only thing I can come up with is it has been shoved in our face and told we should like it. I’m not buying.

I’ll root for the girl in the future. I hope she makes something that is relevant, that is popular, but that is deserving of being so. As Simon would say, “Sorry,” but this song is not it.

Up until a week ago, I’d been using Safari 3 with the Netvibes homepage as my primary web browser and RSS reader. Safari uses a lot of memory, and has been hanging up or crashing on me more frequently. That is to say, very occasionally, but it was still a pain. I decided to give some other browsers a go and see if anything stuck. If not, I would be fine going back to Safari.

In comes Flock. It’s billed as “The Social Web Browser,” and for the most part, it’s true. There have been a couple reviews of early builds and betas here at TUG.n: First was Colin’s review here and then a Screencast by Josue (video doesn’t work, but he says it has gotten much better). Another good article is from SolutionWatch. But these are from a couple years ago. Where is Flock at now?

I’m enjoying my time so far. It still feels a bit slower than Safari, the same thing Colin found in his time browsing, but not so much that it pushes me away. But this could be because I’m running it on a G4 iBook, with 1.33GHz with Leopard. Aside from that, there are still some memory leak issues, but nothing deal breaking that other browsers haven’t faced, or currently face.

In this newest version, Pownce and Digg have been added to the people services. People services allow you to login once and then add photos, digg stories, send tweets, or update Facebook status right in the browser. There are a healthy number of services supported, with probably more to follow in future updates. I like the people services and I think they are well placed in the scheme of the browser. They aren’t obtrusive and allow you to sign up for the services you use. Choose Flickr, Photobucket, Piczo, or Picasa, whichever is best for you.

The blog editor and photo uploader are also pretty useful. The photo uploader let’s upload to any of the image hosting sites you’ve logged into while on the browser, including Facebook, right from the browser window. The blog editor, in conjunction with the Web Clipboard, previously called Shelf, makes posting to blogs easier. Web Clipboard allows you to save bits of text, images or links right there in the sidebar of the browser for later use. While in the blog editor, just drag and drop to add to the post.

The feeds sidebar for RSS and XML is a bit cumbersome. Any time you click a site, it opens it up in the current window. I think I’d rather see a separate window for the feeds, similar to the blog editor and image uploader, so that I can scroll through the feeds without having to open a new tab as to not lose the current page I’m viewing. Still, the actual browsing through feeds is nice and straightforward.

There is also a media bar feature that I haven’t found useful for myself just yet. I can see how it can be used, but the feature itself is a bit slow and so I’ve avoided it for the most part. It opens up in the top of the browser and allows immediate access to photos you’ve uploaded, videos you have on your favorites list on YouTube. Simply right click any of the media and you can copy the url, add it to a blog, or e-mail it. It looks slick, and if I did more with media on the web, I’m sure I’d find it more useful.

Aside from all these major features, there are little things that make Flock unique. When browsing websites. Next to the address bar are three buttons that light up whenever a specific option is available on a page. If a feed is available, that button lights up. If a search bar for that specific site is found, that button lights up, allowing you to search that site anytime. The third button looks for media streams on a site, specific YouTube users, Flickr accounts, and adds that stream to the media bar, so you can sort through them using that feature.

With one of these types of apps, one that has so many features and attempts to wrap everything into one, there is always the problem of being too bloated. But Flock is here specifically to be this type of social browser. Share everything, all within one application. It may be missing a few people services *cough*Viddler*cough* but those can be added later. I’m happy using Flock for the time being. I find most of the options genuinely helpful. Aside from it being a bit sluggish sometimes, the design is sleek and the browser does what it sets out to do.

Before I even start the review, let’s get the big question out of the way. Is this a good Indy movie? I sat in my seat and watched like a little kid, giggling at the sight gags, enjoying the one-liners, and just having a good time. I can say with great confidence that, yes it is the Indy movie we hoped for.

That isn’t to say it’s perfect. All the Indy films come with their flaws, but I’d say Crystal Skull can hold it’s own among them. The first in the series is arguably the best. Raiders is the epitome of what an action/adventure should be. Crystal Skull’s plot is out there. Of all the movies, it is the most absurd and has the flattest arc. But none of the Indy movies were ever really grounded in reality. Nazis gathering religious artifacts to take over the world? The new movie isn’t a far cry from this, so in that sense, the plot still works. No matter how crazy it gets, as long as the characters and action are solid, you still have an Indiana Jones movie

The real meat of movie comes from the characters. Harrison Ford comes with a bit of dust on his shoulders, but Henry Jones Jr., excuse me, Dr. Jones is back. Of course, he’s older this time around and he’s been through countless other adventures that we’ve missed these last years. His character is there in all its macho, superhero glory, but it’s matured a bit. The first thing we realize is that this is a post-WWII Indy, now living in a Cold War period, so his attitude seems somehow more righteous. He’s the good guy, and he wants to stop the bad guy. To me, it seemed like he cared less about the adventure, and more on the outcome.

Shia’s role was a bit weak, but the movie is about Indiana, and not Mutt Williams. I refuse to hate this guy, though. I think he’s funny, his delivery is witty, and fun to watch. He reminds me a bit of Michael J. Fox from the Back to the Future movies. One of the few problems I have with the movie, aside from the ridiculous plot, was the chemistry between Shia and Ford. It felt like they were together because they had to be. There were a couple moments that they looked like they were having fun, but those were few and far between.

The real test of this film will be its ability to draw new fans to the franchise. I wasn’t a huge fan before this movie, but I’d say the movie pushed me into being one. Look beyond the plot and some absolutely absurd moments in action (monkeys, snakes, and refrigerators are the clues, but you’ll know them when you see them) and enjoy the movie. Indy returns to where he needs to be: saving our world with archeology.

The summer blockbusters officially kick off with Iron Man and I got a chance to sneak out of my apartment and leave all the studying and books behind for a night. My expectations were pretty mediocre. After seeing Fantastic Four’s first outing, I have reasons to doubt any big budget super-hero movie. I have to say, Iron Man is definitely better than the latter, but not by much.

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is excellent. I laughed out loud way more than I thought I would. I think if you put Downey in any movie as a quick-witted, pompous billionaire, you’d be entertained to some degree. The rest of the cast pales in comparison to his performance, but the movie is Iron Man, and not Iron Man and Company.

The beginning of the movie sets up a good origin story. As has been shown in the previews, Tony Stark is kidnapped by terrorists and busts his way out in fire-breathing, beta version of the Iron Man we all know. It’s funny, the action works, and the characters are evil enough that you want Tony to get out. Once he makes it out, his character starts to change, and Iron Man is born in the aftermath of his capture. Unfortunately, the movie’s clever humor is replaced with a more serious, pious tone once the suit is complete. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it’s not very good either.

The bad guy isn’t what I wanted to see, at all. It didn’t feel epic enough. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to use Batman Begins as a template for superhero origin stories, and this just didn’t compare. The change of tone made it feel as if there was some heroic cause that only Tony Stark could champion, and the bad guy wasn’t a genuinely evil person, just someone after money. I don’t think a villain with a simple desire to make more money is a strong enough bad guy to carry the nemesis in a movie. It just doesn’t feel big enough. And here, Iron Man suffers for it.

But what about the action? The action is great. The special effects make Iron Man look good in all his hotrod red and gold glory as he flies through the skies. The opening scene in Afghanistan really set the bar, in terms of action, for the whole movie. Sadly, great effects don’t make a great movie.

Would I recommend this film? Yes. It didn’t blow me away, but it’s leaps beyond what could’ve been. A great start to the summer.

Buy From iTunes

Song Name: Between the Lines
Artist: Sara Bareilles
Album: Little Voice

Why This Song?:

Sara Bareilles has gained national attention from her song from a TV commercial. Much like Yael Naim’s “New Soul” for the MacBook Air commercial, Sara’s “Love Song” has become synonomous with Rhapsody.

However, despite becoming well-known based on a commercial (which seems likely to end in a very short career), this chick isn’t just a one-hit wonder in the vein of Natasha Bedingfield, who I doubt will have anything relevant again following “Unwritten.” If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong, but I think that chick about as much talent as the members of Good Charlotte combined. A multiplication of zero is still zero.

Sara’s album “Little Voice” is filled with potential hits. Although, it might not be ground-breaking it is easy to listen to and is undoubtedly memorable.

By far, the best track on the album is the slow-paced, piano-ballad “Between the Lines.” Her voice sounds great, the piano sounds beautiful, and the song sounds like it’s something I can listen to quite a few times through.

I have a lot of hope for Sara and really would like for have some staying power. That’s more than I can say for most women singer-songwriters, especially ones that have had any type of radio success. Hopefully she’s more Alanis Morisette than Meredith Brooks, Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Imbruglia, Joan Osbourne or [ insert your own choice of female singer-songwriter one hit wonder here ].

The internet and its hundreds of video websites offer completely new avenues for someone involved with film/video. But are these seriously viable options? One of the most powerful use of YouTube has to be Lonelygirl15. Not only did the series reach an astounding 70+ million hits between all the videos, but it lead to some success for a few of those involved. Mesh Flinders, one of the co-creators, won an award for a script he wrote in 2006. Aside from that, the only other acknowledgement he has as a writer is for Lonelygirl15. While the young actress has gone on to appear in the television show Greek, others have seen little success outside of all the traffic they’ve received.

As much as I want to utilize the internet and the many video sites available, I’m a bit hesitant to do so. Internet phenomenon seem be exactly that; just a phenomenon, and not something standard or static. They come and go with what people find popular. There is a vast graveyard of all the ghosts of internet memes that have fallen to the more popular ones. And the cycle keeps repeating itself. Even avoiding this type of popularity and simply using video sites as a tool to get your project seen doesn’t seem very beneficial to me either. I’ve seen the argument from many that as long as someone is seeing it, the site is accomplishing what it should be doing. But just being seen isn’t my goal here, it’s to break into a field that keeps growing and getting tougher to infiltrate.

Assuming I forsake all the internet sites as a means to success, many options fade away. I can simply try and network with people who’ve already found some success. But this is largely cumbersome to me, and seems to not mesh well with my personality. The other option, is the festival circuit. I’m beginning to see more and more commentary from others in the same position as myself, that festivals are becoming less independent and more about selling a product. I’m not so sure this is a completely viable option for myself either. It’s very time consuming and is becoming more and more expensive.

I’ve come to a point where I need to make a decision and begin to develop a portfolio or begin a project that may some day be sold. And I’m confused as to where to start. I’ve begun by doing what I think is best, and that’s reading up and watching those in the same position as me. Triggerstreet.com is something I’ve found to be extremely helpful. Not only does it allow for me to read scripts and comment on them, but I can submit my own and have them critiqued. Not only is this feedback on my own writing, but it’s also getting it out there. Triggerstreet partners with other groups who recruit or survey what is being submitted and considers representing them or the script. Another site, Withoutabox, streamlines the entry process to film festivals.

While I don’t feel like all these video sites will necessarily help me in finding an audience or the attention of some Hollywood executive somewhere, I will use sites like Triggerstreet to get my writing out there. And with the help of Withoutabox.com, I’ll try a run at some festivals.

I’m still unsure whether this makes sense as a choice or not yet. Colin wrote up a nice piece that is very relevant to my dilemma. The comments are full of good insight as well. I don’t want to throw up my films/scripts just anywhere. I want to have control over them. But at the same time, that limits the amount of people who will have access to them and the possibility of my getting noticed. Hopefully, a healthy blend of controlling my own content and and health number of submissions to film festival and script writing contests will win out and get me somewhere.

Before I get to the review of 21, I want to comment on the theatre experience I had on the particular night I saw the movie. I went this Friday, which was also the first night of Prom Night. Never in my life have a seen so many tweens (is this even used anymore?) and young teens in one place in my life. I couldn’t scratch my neck without accidentally slapping some thirteen-year-old on the back of his head, conveniently attached to a cell phone. Which is another thing, why does every kid have a cell phone now? Are their lives so hectic they need a cellular phone to keep in touch with people? Anyway, on to the review.

I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen Kevin Spacey playing a professor. It’s been often enough that he is becoming synonymous with the role, like Billy Bob Thornton as a drunk, philandering buffoon. But that’s fine; it works and Kevin Spacey is still solid. Jim Sturgess plays the vulnerable college student well. They really tried to bring it to the audience’s attention that he was supposed to appear vulnerable or innocent, but it only seemed to bring attention to itself in the beginning. All the other actors have their roles and moments and work just fine as a supporting cast.

The story is based on a true story about some MIT students who count cards and make loads of money in Las Vegas. Of course, the events don’t all really happen and it’s mostly Hollywood-ized. Regardless, it’s a good plot with a lot of commentary on a wide variety of subjects. College issues, gambling, character studies, revenge, and a love story thrown into the mix. It’s also pretty smart. Everything makes sense, and they do a pretty decent job of making the whole premise as believable as possible. There was only one event that left me scratching my head over the motivation behind a choice. It wasn’t even all that important, but Kevin Spacey’s character made a decision or two that seemed to be completely out of his character.

There isn’t anything really new here. All the actors put in their performances, the plot delivers on most of its promises, and in the end I was pretty happy I’d seen it. Definitely worth a watch on DVD, or if you’re looking for something to watch, I’d suggest it over 10,000 B.C. or Prom Night.

I’m completely thrilled by the prospect of getting my anime fix the day it’s aired. If this model works for Gonzo, it’s possible others will follow their example. I know that Crunchyroll offers the ability to download the full episodes for a donation. The donation prices are $2, $5, and $10, and it also has an option to donate more where you fill in the blank. This open pricing method is pretty interesting, and I wonder how well it actually works. They have a list of the top donators, with some giving as much as $50. I tried donating $0, but it wouldn’t let me, so apparently this is a mandatory donation. The file size of the first episode of BLASSREITER is 312MB, which will probably be the average for all the episodes.

“The download video file is a high quality Xvid encode and DRM-free, so you can use it on anything! In order to play the file, you will need a video player that supports the Xvid codec. Crunchyroll recommends the VLC media player!
You will be PMed and/or emailed the download link. You can download each file as many times as you need from 5 different IP addresses with login required.
This download is for personal use only. Please do not share this file illegally! Information will be embedded into the downloaded file that can be traced back to your purchase.”

For those of you that are cheap, or can’t afford to shell out cash for an episode, don’t worry, you can still watch it for free on the website itself. Like Youtube, the quality is pretty bad. It’s definitely watchable, but it will skip a bit and look pixelated if you watch it in anything bigger than the window they give you. And that, I’m assuming, is because they are free.

Now, on to BOST TV, which is the third site to air the two series. BOST TV is a little different, in that it requires you to first create an account to view any video. Once you have your account, to view a video, you have to rent it. To rent though, you need to add points to your account (Note: The first episodes of the two Gonzo anime are both available to rent for free). Every 500 points is $9.95, and you can buy points in four quantities: 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000. Unfortunately, aside from the two Gonzo anime, the others aren’t available in my region, but the majority of rentals clock in around 100 points to rent for 14 days. During those 14 days you can download PSP and iPod compatible files right to your computer for mobile viewing. The quality is substantially better than the other two, and loads itself in small chapters so that video loading and buffering doesn’t slow down playback.

If there wasn’t the price tag, this would be my first choice. BOST TV does allow for season passes to ease that, though. The entire season of The Tower of DRUAGA -the Aegis of URUK can be purchased for 1000 points (or $19.90) and BLASSREITER for 2000 points (or $29.80). However, you still have to follow the rules of the rental period. Only once you add them to your library via rental, does the rental period start. So you can purchase them and watch them at your leisure, but make sure you actually watch it once you start, because you’ll have to get it again if you stop and don’t finish it during the rental period. It’s about $2 an episode without season passes, and between $1.25 and $1.65 with the pass.

There are a number of options available here depending on what suits you best. Hopefully, these are just a sign of things to come for anime and online video streaming. You can pay for it and get excellent quality, or watch for free and deal with a bit of pixelation. Either way, you’re watching it without waiting years for it on DVD or having to hunt down a fansub somewhere.

Long title and a bit of a tongue twister, but it’s anything but that. As if I didn’t already have enough good things to say about the guys over at Gainax, they give me another gem of an anime.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a new action/comedy/mecha anime from them that promises insane action sequences and delivers. On the surface, it’s your standard action/comedy blend. And it does entirely well, even if that was the only thing it had going for it. But this is so much more. It’s an homage to all the great, epic hero tales that have come before it. A young boy finds a key to an incredible power, and as the story progresses, he learns how to use it. The anime itself spans about thirty years. It has love, action, laughs, and loss. It even dives headfirst into some deeper issues about mankind and life. But it never dwells upon them. It never takes itself too seriously. And that’s part of what makes this series so great. It has all the pieces you’d expect to find from past films and movies: young hero destined for great things, dark evil villain bent on destroying the world (multiple villains in fact), attacks that have signature names, transformation sequences that are repeated over and over again, and the good guy walking away victorious. It celebrates all these things, and with a care and ability that doesn’t come along too often.