Sometimes, You Get What You Pay For

Target had $8.99 Bluray Disc movies as part of their Black Friday deals.  I picked up two this afternoon on a whim.  Stargate: Extended Edition and V for Vendetta.  I love both of these movies, so it isn’t like I didn’t have any other reason to pick them up, but still, I was anticipating the crisp beauty of a high definition picture.  Sadly, I was disappointed.  V for Vendetta holds up a little better, since it isn’t as old, but both movies, Stargate expecially, has grainy blacks and darker hues.  I was hoping, with Stargate being a bit of a cult classic, that they would have treated it a little better.  I know there is another anniversary edition out, somewhere, so I guess that’s what they were saving the big guns for.  Still, for $8.99, I guess it wasn’t a total loss, even if the pictures aren’t as great as they could be.

The Proposal (2009)

Allow me to start off by saying, I’m a Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds fan.  I enjoy the majority of the movies they star in and think they have a knack for comedy and can play some edgy dramatic roles when they are called to do so.  So, when The Proposal came out at the theaters, I wanted badly to go see it.  Of course, I was working two jobs and sleeping the remainder of my time, so that didn’t happen.  My wife, mom and one of their friends went to see it, however, and all I’ve heard for the past few months is how great the movie was!

Last week, the movie finally came out on dvd.  Sunday, we bought it (for my wife).  I have to say, while it isn’t the funniest movie I’ve seen in awhile, it is a decent one.  Bullock and Reynolds prove they can straight-face a comedy with the best of them.  A note of interest, though: while Sandra Bullock is still in great shape (which you’ll see in the movie) she is starting to show a little age. 

My only complaints are 1) the pacing seemed rushed from beginning all the way up to the end.  And 2) it wasn’t as funny as I was led to believe.  The story was great and had potential and could even lead to a hilarious, drawn out sitcom concerning their trials and tribulations in pretending to be in love.  But as a movie, they had to rush the plot into the alotted time and, as a result, it was lacking in some storytelling elements.

All-in-all, though, it was a good movie and I would watch it again.  In fact, I’d probably gain more from it the second time around, as I usually do with movies I enjoy, because upon first viewing, I’m usually going in with higher/lower expectations and do not have as much fun enjoying the story or actions taking place on screen.

The Proposal (Official Movie Myspace Page)

Boomer & Six, At It Again …

To support my blog post about “My Two Favorite Cylons,” and in honor of the upcoming Battlestar Galactica movie, “The Plan,” Tricia Helfer and Grace Park are ready to hit the news stands in the November issue of Maxim.  They have nothing to hide, including photoshopped art that looks darn good to me :)

Stargate Universe – “Air,” Parts 1 & 2 (Series Premiere)

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and Comcast’s OnDemand, I was able to watch the two-part series permiere of the latest “Stargate” incarnation, “Stargate Universe.”  And yes, I realize I’m a week or two late, but I’m not a professional that can sit around and blog all day :P

Stargate Universe: Syfy Channel

I’m not sure how they originally aired, as either a 2-hour premiere or 2 one-hour episodes, but “Stargate Universe” came in with a bang.  The opening scene was of a spaceship flying through space.  The camera slowly moving from deck to deck and through corridors, showing it slowly coming to life.  Then we move in on a Stargate.  Suddenly it comes to life, too, exploding and settling into a rippling puddle.  And that’s where the action begins.  People and objects come hurling through the gate in rapid procession, so fast, in fact, that injuries are stacking up.

How did this all come to be and who are these main characters we’re quickly introduced to?  That is told over the course of the two hours via flashbacks.  Mostly it is a military crew, but, a’la “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” you’ve got some civilian and scientific folk thrown in there, too, due to an emergency evacuation of a base on an alien world.

The purpose of the base is to use the planets natural energy to try and unlock the mystery of the Stargate’s 9th chevron.  The chevrons are used to “dial” addresses into the gate.  The movie used 7 I believe to dial a planet and the series “SG-1” expanded the 8th chevron to dial different galaxies.  “Stargate Universe” unlocks the mystery of the 9th in the nth hour before the base is destroyed by mysterious invaders.  Using the help of a “contest winner” who solved an energy problem via a hidden puzzle in a video game, the main scientist, Dr. Rush, defies orders and activates the gate using the new address.  Seconds before the entire planet is destroyed, all possible personnel is evacuated through the gate into …

A mysterious unknown vessel.  We come to find out the vessel is one of the first Ancient ships launched with no crew.  Its purpose is currently unknown to us, but Dr. Rush seems to know more about it than he is volunteering to the rest of the crew. 

As is par for a show like this, tensions are tight and there are problems abound.  One thing I found interesting is that the ship takes them to places they may need to go, as witnessed in the second part.  They were in need of something to clean the air buffers because life support was failing.  So the ship came to a planet … conveniently with a Stargate.  It dialed the address and gave them a total of 12 hours to accomplish their mission of finding something to clean the buffers.  Very “Sliders-“ish in the time limit given before the ship closed the gate and went back into warp.

“Universe” did a decent job of setting up future issues and romances in the first two hours.  I just hope it can continue on a forward momentum and succeed like its predecessors.  The “Stargate” universe is a fun and exciting one, but poor writing can bring anything down in a matter of time.  I’m also looking forward to questions being answered.  As much as I love a good story, I sometimes hate mysteries that aren’t answered in good time.  “Universe” could have some good mysteries, we’ll just have to wait and see.  The good thing about Syfy is that they do provide good backing for their shows, unlike other networks, giving them a chance to grow and develope an audience.

Highly recommend checking this series out. 

Heros, Season 4: Redemption

Monday, September 21, 2009 will see the return of NBC’s “Heros.”  A 2-hour season premiere will be our lead into the next chapter of the universe everyone seems to love to hate.  Will the writers be able to pull a rabbit out of their hats and leave us in awe, this time around?  Or will we be treated to the same old formula that they’ve stuck to for 3 seasons now? 

The formula I’m referring to being: a convoluted one or two episodes, a flashback to several days, week, months or even years ago to catch us up on the convoluted episodes.  Then we’ll be treated to some form of the future being put in jeopardy, usually caused by something our “heros” end up doing anyways that they then have to undo making the whole season pointless. 

Yes, it may have worked the first time around because it was new, shiney and everyone loved it.  Season two left many fans jilted.  And season three, divided into two parts, tried to redeem itself in the end, but I fear it was too late.

Nevertheless, tomorrow I’ll happily sit down and watch it all over again. 

NBC: Official Heros Online

Over-saturation

I remember, not too long ago, when “Enterprise” was failing, the Trek film franchise was doing poorly and everyone had more than their share of “Star Trek.”  There was talk of over saturation of the property, that people needed a break from the universe since we’d seen the property in one form or another since TNG appeared. 

Well, I personally don’t believe the break was long enough.  Here we have an article from IGN: Next Star Trek a Two-Parter?  In short, it describes a comment from “Star Trek” screenwriter Robert Orci giving a vague sentence or two that hinted the next movie would actually be two movies filmed back to back. 

The general fact that they were already planning another movie before the first reboot was even released tells me that we’re going to be sick of “Star Trek” again very soon.  There are some properties that can benefit from quick turn around between releases.  The “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Harry Potter” are two excellent examples.  But “Star Trek,” or even “Star Wars,” for anyone thinking I’m showing bias, just aren’t on my list.  They are already too widely spread into our culture in novels, comics, cartoons and movies. 

Over Saturation.  Too much.

Transformers 2

Warning: Spoilers Below

 First edit on July 10, 2009 for content.

Thursday evening I attended a viewing of Michael Bay’s Transformers 2.  For a Thursday evening, the theater was packed, and the movie had been out for a week already!  I was a tad bit surprised by the audience size, but let me also add that my opinion may be a tad bit tainted as I wasn’t feeling well this particular day.  In fact, it was the start of a 2 day illness.  I’ll try to take that into consideration as I type, as well.

So, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past month, you know that the Internet has lambasted Bay’s second installment of the Transformers series.  All explosions, no substance.  A mindless retelling of the first movie.  Bad acting.  Action scenes that blend into one another to the point that you can’t tell what the heck is going on.

I guess I’ll go ahead and say, yeah, for the most part, these folks are all right in some way or another.  It is a big old mess of explosions, over/under acting and forced humor that just doesn’t work when it needs to.  Megan Fox was everything but naked as her clothing options must have dwindled as the budget got larger.  Rumor has it that her lips were the most expensive CG effect in the movie – always pursed and pouty and on the verge of a quiver.  In fact, all the human actors were the downfall of this film.  They brought back many of the original cast, even though Duhamel and Gibson were wasted with the mish-mashed story.

Maybe I’m being a bit too harsh, after all, this is a movie series based on a cartoon created for the sole purpose of selling a toyline.  Let me back up and say that this is an ideal Summer movie.  Check your brain at the door, enjoy the popcorn and soda and watch the action unfold.  The movie is good, just don’t go in looking for deep plots, interesting subplots and three dimensional characters.  Like I said, ideal Summer movie.  If you want to pontificate on the moral decay or growth of characters with invested interest and incredibly involved and intricate storylines, then the next Harry Potter movie will be out very soon!

Two of the three writers behind Transformers 2 are the same guys that brought us the storyline for the relaunch of Star Trek.  Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.  I didn’t pay attention, but I have heard that they actually aren’t even credited at the intro of the film, which I kinda wonder if that is at their request or not.

Story … er … action-wise, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen picks up two years after the first movie.  The Autobots are part of a Transformer/Human elite military unit that have the job of keeping the robots existence on Earth secret.  Yes, for two years, the governments have somehow managed to cover up the destructive battles of giant alien robots that can transform.  Hmm, evidently there really IS more than meets the eye to this story. 

The movie opens with the elite squad tracking down a Decepticon in Japan (or maybe it’s China).  After many explosions and casualties, we get to the meat and potatoes by having them call in The Big Guy …  Optimus Prime comes in and saves the day where numerous Autobots and highly trained military personnel have failed.  The last words of the Decepticon lead us to the rest of the movie as he proclaims the Fallen are coming.

We discover that the Fallen is the first Decepticon, and he has been to Earth before, as have the “elders” of the Transformers.  In fact, their history is mixed with our own, as we come to find out.  The Decepticons and Autobots/Humans are on a mission to find an ancient construction that can harvest entire suns for energy.  This creates a variation on the Matrix of Leadership, as it comes into play as a key to activate the powersource.  And for old school Transformers fans, no, it isn’t in Optimus Prime’s chest.

Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) is the best part of both Transformers movies.  He was the original voice in the cartoon series and was brilliantly recast for the movies.  Also making appearances in Revenge of the Fallen are Soundwave, Arcee and several other motorcycle-bots, Devestator, Jetfire (who I was highly disappointed in) and Ravage.  Soundwave – the super cool tapedeck in the old cartoon – is a satellite orbiting the Earth.  Ravage is a cat/dog like robot that Soundwave launches for a couple of missions in the movie.  And Jetfire?  Oh my lord, they’ve taken my second favorite Transformer and raped his image in my mind.

There is also some controversy for three other characters.  First and second are the jive-talking twins.  All I can say is: get over it.  The movie is made, grossing millions of dollars and they aren’t going away any time soon.  Third is something of a spoiler if I post it here, but since you were warned above, I’ll say it.  The girl that is actually a robot.  I haven’t followed all variations of the Transformers universe, but I’m assured that she (or at least those like her) do exist in the lore.  So, it is nice to see Michael Bay and the writers digging in and spanning the entire Transformers universe to create the movie universe.

Transformers 2 is a must see for fans, especially if you like the first movie.  Don’t let my negative takes or anyone elses discourage you from going to see it.  It is fun, and after the initial viewing I’d recommend a second one, just so you can focus more on what is going on and not so much on what everyone is saying and trying to do. 

Happy Independence Day ‘09

It’s been a long time since I last posted anything not WoW related, and even though this will have a bit of that, too, I’ll try to limit it a bit.  But, it’s good to be back and writting a little something.  Most of my time, these days, is spent working many hours at both Parthenon (full time) and Lowes (part time).  The hours, which are usually about 70-75 a week total, aren’t really that bad.  As long as I’m schedule for both jobs on the same day, I’m good, but it’s the lull in the day when I only have to work at one or the other that throws me off track.  Seriously, it’s better for me to have a full day of work than a half one.

Parthenon is still an iffy deal.  We were busy right before the one week of shut down.  I attribute the bustle to a few customers wanting to build up stock before the holiday, but we’ll see come next week.  As far as any more layoff’s go … pardon me, the term for 2009 is Riff … so as far as any more riffs go, I’d dare say things still aren’t on stable ground.  I still worry for my job.  I say MY job because it has gotten to the point where it is every man for himself.  I hate to say that, but yeah.  If someone else gets the boot, that means I’m more likely to stay, you know?  That may be bad karma or whatever, but it is the truth, my friends.

At Lowes, my part time seasonal job seems to have been expanded.  I was promoted from Loader to Building Materials (Lumber) and now have been moved on to the sales floor as an OPE (Outdoor Power Equipment) team member.  The HR director assures me that she’s received nothing but awesome reports, so I’m a tad bit happy about that.  I’m just there to do a job, you know?  And if I happen to make some friends along the way, all the more the merrier.  The only downside of the job is the early hours and the 2 week pay periods.  I’m a little spoiled by the weekly pay at Parthenon, but it’s all good.  At least, at Lowes, I get pretty much straight pay – no insurance or other unnecessary items get deducted.

Of course, there is always a downside to everything, and the part time job is no exception.  This particular downside is: my son misses me.  He asks me how much longer I’ll have to work two jobs, when I’ll be able to quit and come home.  I explain and he seems to understand the reason why I’m working two jobs, he just doesn’t like it (any more than I do, I’ll admit).  Even though I’m worn out and tired, I try to make the most of my days / half days off and spend time with him.  Sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way, though, as there are chores to be done around the house.  My wife is doing a pretty good job of keeping things tied down here while I’m at work, but even she can’t do it all and babysit, too.  Yes, she does work from home, and as such much of her attention during the day is focused on that and keeping our son entertained.  So, it’s not like either one of us is out busting our chops expecting the other will hold down the home front.  In todays times, I still say that, while I’d be proud to have my wife stay at home and take care of our children, it does still require pretty much two incomes (two and a half) to make a middle-class lifestyle work.  We could rely on only my income, but we’d have to make alot of cuts in our expenses, and not even my wife would want to do that unless it was necessary.  We’re spoiled that way – use to our car payments, cell phones and cable television.

And finally … in my small attempts to keep some sanity in my little world, I seek entertainment and gameplay.  As I like to say, videogames are my hobby.  Working two jobs and maintaining a family is no small task, so the few wee hours I have left that aren’t spent sleeping, are spent relaxing with a good game.  True, I do need to catch up on my reading, but I already own the videogames and they aren’t taking up any more room.  Ahem … now if I had a Kindle, perhaps I’d find a little more time to read <wink,wink>

I’m still playing the same two games … aren’t I always?  Fallout 3 on the 360, which I’ve downloaded the Broken Steel expansion for.  Broken Steel sort of eliminates the end of the game so that you can continue to play after completing the main storyline.  I’m still enjoying the Fallout 3 world and badly want the other expansions.  And of course, on the PC, I’m playing World of Warcraft.  I’m doing a fairly decent job of sticking to my guns and leveling only my warlock.  With this week off from Parthenon, I’ve managed to work him up to 50 (almost 51) and upgraded my gear a bit.  I’m wanting to find some nice spellpower enchants to boost my damage, but haven’t felt like bartering with the various folk.  Actually, I’m waiting for my pal to come online and hook me up for a small fee.  B, if you’re reading this, get your butt online!  I’ve also been playing my hunter main, working on some dailies, here and there, and doing alot of Icecrown quests I skipped over leveling up.  Making some decent money on there, and that makes me a happy camper since I’m 80 and still don’t have my epic flying skill. 

Movie-wise, I’ve broken down and actually been to a few movies this Summer.  First was Star Trek, which I reviewed awhile back.  We went to see Disney/Pixar’s UP, which was a fantastic movie.  The best Pixar movie to date.  I can’t wait to get that one on bluray when it comes out.  And last but not least, I saw Transformers 2 this past Thursday.  I’ll try to talk more about it later in a different post, but yeah, it was typical Michael Bay action.

So that’s it.  That is my life in a nutshell of the past few weeks/months.  Not much to tell, not much to share … but there you go.  I’m a working fool who dreams great things in the common threads of the now.  Maybe I will be able to pick back up my blogging again, too.  I need to get those fingers banging out some text every now and then. 

Til next time chiiiiiiiiildren … This is Three Dog …

Star Trek

Warning: Spoilers Below

 

My wife, son and I went to see Star Trek today.  I was hyped about this “reboot” since the first trailer was released.  I’ve talked constantly about how I wanted to go see this movie.  I practically drug my wife and son to see it with me.  What were the results?  Did it live up to the hype?  Do I think it is as “epic” as everyone else believes it to be?  Why?  Why not?  Well, let me tell you …

I guess I’ll start of with the bad.  As I said before, I was hyped about this movie.  My desktop had artwork on it, I was watching the trailers over and over, checking up on the previous works the actors had contributed to …  This movie was going to be A W E S O M E !

But, as with most thing you expect great things out of, I was let down a tad bit, this time.  Over all, the entire story seemed choppy.  There was little transition of time, the beginning scenes skipped around from Kirk’s birth, a point in his childhood when he stole his stepfather’s car, then to him getting his butt beat in a bar fight after hitting on Uhura.  The entire opening sequence of the U.S.S. Kelvan being attacked by Nero’s ship and George Kirk sacrificing himself to save the crew and his wife who is in labor w/ James T. Kirk, wasn’t really that exciting or dramatic.

This was my problem with the entire movie.  Not the special effects or the acting or even the choppy story.  It was the fact that none of it was exciting or breathtaking.  Yes, there were plot elements that sent the entire Star Trek Universe into an entirely new direction from what we all grew up with, but there were no jaw dropping moments.

I guess the lack of mystery and thrills is what I’m groping for in my complaint.  We all know that none of our beloved historic characters are in jeopardy, so when Kirk and Spock head over to  Nero’s ship, we know they’re going to make it back.  Scotty caught in the water flow tube after him and Kirk beam back to the Enterprise from the ice planet … so what, we know he’s not going to die, he’s the chief engineer of the Enterprise, for crying out loud!  Sulu and Kirk’s fight on the drilling platform … it could have been an intense fighting sequence, but what is intense about it when you know neither of them will lose?

There was also the issue of Spock “Prime,” as some folks are calling him on the interwebz, pointing out characters as if we wouldn’t have figured it out ourselves.  Such as when he and Kirk discover Scotty at the Federation Outpost on the ice planet.  “Fascinating.  You are Montgomery Scott.”  No, really?

The story was written by J.J. Abrams, creator of shows such as Lost, Alias, the movie Cloverfield, etc.  He is great at mystery and carrying on interesting storylines.  But action and storytelling in the Star Trek Universe … he left me wanting … something better.

Don’t get me wrong, there was a nice mix of drama and comedy, nothing over the top, but enough to keep folks entertained.  But the entire film was, from what I could tell, suppose to be an action adventure … and it lacked a bit in the action and the adventure.  Instead of an epic space battle, we get the Enterprise warping in and firing phasers and photo torpedoes for about 30 seconds, and that’s the extend of the really big fight scene. 

Okay, so my list of complaints may be a bit longer than I wanted, but really, it was a good movie, just not the “epic” adventure I’ve been reading about.  There were some bright spots, such as the interaction between Kirk and Bones, which was brief and not very fleshed out.  Spock was a bit of an ass, but you could kind of see where him and Kirk could flesh one another out should their relationship be allowed to bloom.  Scotty was given too little screen time and Simon Pegg was wasted, though I thought he did well with what he was given.  I couldn’t stand Uhura or Chekov, but Sulu had potential, too.  I think Karl Urban was the most true to his character, despite what I read on other sites.  He WAS Leonard “Bones” McCoy, but, alas, he was given very little screen time. 

All in all, this was most definitely an “origin” story, if I may call it that.  Should you go see it?  Definitely.  Evidently it appeals to a much wider audience than the other Trek films.  Where I was let down a bit, my wife, who didn’t want to go see it, actually enjoyed it more than she expected she would.  And let me tell you, she doesn’t like Star Trek and has made fun of me several times over wanting to see this movie. 

So J.J. Abrams may have done what he set out to do: attract a new audience to the series and genre.  My hats off to him.  I just hope, if there is a sequel, it’ll be a bit better than this one. 

If you want to see a great action adventure set in the Star Trek Universe, go rent or buy First Contact.  If you want a great story with suspense and intrigue, go rent or buy Star Trek Nemesis.  If you want just a near perfect Star Trek Story, then check out The Wrath of Khan or The Voyage Home.  But, if you want to see a summer blockbuster that makes things go boom with very little thought, then check out J.J. Abrams Star Trek.

My Two Favorite Cylons