A Lot About Nothing – Wordpress

Category: Entertainment

  • Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

    The Bourne Ultimatum - Photo from bourneultimatum.comIt’s very rarely that I’ll watch a sequel and say, “Wow… now that was a great sequel”. Okay, I don’t actually say that, but The Bourne Ultimatum certainly lived up to, if not surpassed, the success of it’s predecessors.

    The film follows amnesiac Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), who is struggling to fit together the pieces of his violent missing past, as well as stay one step ahead of the agency that wants him terminated. Now I never pegged Matt Damon as the action type, but after the Bourne Identity he’s proven to audiences that he’s a well rounded actor. The film is complemented with strong performances by David Strathairn, Joan Allen and even Julia Stiles.

    Not only is the acting superb, but the cinematography is well-executed. The camera-work actually makes you feel like your there on the run with Bourne, and the scenes of the many international locals adds to the rush.

    The action sequences will have you hooked with excitement. If you stick around for the end credits you’ll realize how much choreography and stunt-work actually went into making this film one filled with incredible chase sequences and fight scenes. The amount of international stunt people involved is probably 6x the amount of the actual cast.

    If you enjoyed the first two Bourne flicks, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. It leaves the trilogy with a sense of closure, yet open-endedness that will leave the audience wondering if another successor will rise to the surface.

  • 10 Sure Signs A Movie Character Is Doomed

    Ignoring the negative balance in my bank account, I decided to stop and browse through the shelves of Indigo today after work. I’m glad that I did because I picked up a nice bargain from the discount table: Richard Roeper’s 10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed & Other Surprising Movie Lists. The first thing that struck me was the giant $3.99 price sticker on and the word ‘movie’ in the title (I’m a pretty big movie-lover). Flipping through the pages, I was struck with lists like “7 Movies in Which Ben Affleck Cries Like a Big Fat Baby”, “Age Difference Between Michael Douglas and His Leading Ladies” and “Best Porn Titles Based on Legit Movies”. The latter will have you laughing at the creativity, or lack thereof… “Free My Willy” or “Jurassic Pork” anyone?

    Here’s an excerpt from the title list of a sign that movie character is doomed:10 Sure Signs A Movie Character Is Doomed

    The bad guy is locked in a life-and-death clinch with the good guy, when suddenly a gun goes off. We see the look of shock on the good guy’s face as he falls away–but of course it’s the bad guy who’s been shot in the gut.

    And one list that I found particularly funny was “5 Things That Happen When a Wrongly Accused Fugitive Walks into a Bar, a Restaurant, or a Convenience Store”:

    1. A television will be turned on, and the news will be playing.
    2. The fugitive will glance nervously at the TV and then order a drink or a pack of smokes.
    3. The newscaster will start reading a story about the fugitive, with a mug shot of the fugitive prominently displayed.
    4. A customer will glance at the fugitive an then back at the TV.
    5. Just as the customer realized the fugitive is RIGHT THERE, the turns–and the fugitive is gone, the door swinging in his wake.

    As much as I disagree with Richard Roeper’s “critiques” on the Sunday night movie review show Ebert & Roeper, I must admit that this book is a fun read so far. I had no idea he could be so hilariously witty. And for $3.99 it’s well worth the price (the original price of $20 when it first came out 4 years ago was way too much). You’ll be laughing to yourself saying “That is sooooo true!” after some of these lists (well, maybe not his picks for bests and worst movies). The paperback would also make a nice, cost-efficient gift to a film buff you know.

    So if you’re planning on passing through a Chapters or Indigo this week, take a look for this book. It’ll cost you less than a round trip fare on the TTC, and it’s make some nice light reading on public transit.

  • An Eventful July Weekend

    Today is the final day of Harbourfront’s Global Hip Hop: The Four Elements festival, part of their free summer weekend festival World Routes. I had the privilege of watching one of the best classic Hip Hop films ever made, Wild Style.

    Okay, so I had to leave an hour into to the film because I promised my friends that I would head down to watch Russell Peters‘ free performance at Yonge-Dundas Square, but that was worth it. The place was packed. I heard there was an estimated crowd of at least 15,000 that packed the Square. I was in the back b/c I got there around 7:30, but the speaker system was pretty good. Russell Peters had the large crowd in hysterics as he performed snippets of his well-known cultural routines. Filipino-American Jo Koy was also up from L.A. to perform. This guy his hilarious… I’m glad I got a chance to catch him live. Italian-Canadian musical duo The Doo-Wops also performed that evening.

    After that I went off with my friends to add more clothes to my very large wardrobe: H&M had a big clearance sale (50% off all red ticketed items). I was shook by what I thought was some sort of terrorist attack (along with some other jumpy spectators), but I realized it was just the beginning of the pyrotechnic performance by the Bängditos. :D

    I then rejoined my other friend at Harbourfront to catch one of the most amazing live shows I’ve seen in a while: The Wild Style 25 Concert featuring Grand Wizard Theodore, Busy Bee and Fantastic Five. Now this is what real Hip Hop is. Theadore (the inventor of the ‘scratch’) was phenomenal with his sets. And when the Fantastic Five and Busy Bee came on stage, they had the crowd go wild. I really wish more young people would listen to the roots of Hip Hop, and stop falling into the superficial traps of the ‘bling’, the money, the cars and the ‘hoes’. Hip Hop isn’t about guns, violence or how many years you’ve spent in prison. Hip Hop is about peace, love, unity and having fun.

    Here’s a clip from one of the famous scenes from Wild Style:

    [youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=WES5TGfijLI[/youtube]

    Yesterday I also had to chance to see two interestings screenings at the festival: From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale, and Remixed in Japan. Henry Chalfant’s From Mambo to Hip Hop examines the rhythms that blossomed in the Bronx in the late 1940s with mambo, through the birth of Hip Hop in the 70s, and it’s connections. Melody Weinstein’s Remixed in Japan shows the explosion of Hip Hop in Japan, it’s meaning, it’s form of self-expression, and follows some very intriguing Japanese people immersed in the Hip Hop culture.

    Here’s a trailer for From Mambo to Hip Hop:

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72WK_7zfQYo[/youtube]

  • Review: The Simpsons Movie

    Still from The Simpsons Movie - Courtesy of 20th Century FoxMeh!

    That pretty much sums up my review of The Simpsons Movie. It wasn’t bad, per se, but for a big screen movie I felt it was missing something new to be discovered about the town of Springfield or one of it’s characters. If this was an 87 minute epsisode airing on Fox, then sure, I would think it was a pretty good episode.

    In the movie, catastrophe-prone Homer, polluts Lake Springfield after a strong attempt by the town to clean up their act. This leads to some political action that has major consequences for everyone who lives there. And yes, a pig is involved.Monique’s Simpson’s Avatar

    The movie has a steady flow of laughs (especially Bart’s skateboarding sequence), a great three-dimensional feel from some of the scenes that used digital tracking shots, and a peppering of famous scenes from cinematic history peppered throughout the script.

    If you’re a fan of the television show, then, you’ll enjoy it. But I would probably save it for one of those discount days at the movie theatre. Like Homer said in the beginning of the film, “What kind of idiot would pay for something we can get for free, on TV?”

    I must admit though, the official site for the movie is amazing. Check out my Simpsons avatar!

  • I Just Experienced A Dance Dance Revolution

    Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA for PlayStationI should’ve gotten a PlayStation and Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA instead of Hip Hop Abs. Man, this game is a workout! Just got back home from my sister’s BBQ, and my brother had this game on his PlayStation. I’ve always wanted to try that cabinet arcade version, but I think it slipped my mind that they have an ‘at home’ one (I really need to get back into the gaming scene…)

    The low level is pretty easy… but I fathom to think how much game practice a person has to do to get a good score at the advance level (damn those speedy arrows!). The game needs better songs though… (although Fall Out Boy’s “Dance Dance” is one of my favs ;) ) I think I lost all the calories I gained eating all that BBQ! I didn’t even know that the home version has a workout mode to estimate calories burned!

    I just wish I can move as good as this kid:

    [youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=6JzcqALklRs[/youtube]