Month: March 2005

  • bah, too busy to write a full blog today.  I'll get back to this later.

    speaking of busy... a lot of my free time in March was eaten up pretty
    well that I wasn't able to watch many movies this month.  I did
    not see a single one in the theater and I only saw four DVDs. Pretty
    bad in my movie watching hobby this time around, with January being the
    best one this year so far.  Hopefully with SinCity opening April, I'll be able to see more stuff.

    - Big Screen -

    NONE

    - DVDS -

    cowboy bebop : knockin on heaven's door = B+
    ghost in the shell 2 : Innocence = B-
    inuyasha - Affections Touching Across Time (Toki wo koeru omoi) = C+
    saw = C-

  • missing_by_a_mile requested that I answer some questions of his, so here goes...


    > I’d like to ask your opinion on
    movie adaptations about your favourite comic books and graphic novels.
    Do you think Hollywood is doing an adequate job in adapting the comics
    on the screen?

    I think that for the most part, Hollywood is in fact doing an adequate
    job in adapting comics on the screen.  There has been more of an
    emphasis these past years to please not only the mainstream movie
    audience but comic book fans as well.  Compared to how it's always
    been, that is in fact a step up for Hollywood. They are being more
    conscious at what made the comic books worked in the first place, and
    tries to apply that to the movie adaptation.  It also helps that
    CGI has really liberated some freedom in the visual aspects of comic
    books.


    > Do you think that they are especially targeting your
    generation, because there is clearly a huge market for comic book movie
    merchandise?

    Well, first off, I don't know if my generation relates to comic book
    movie merchandise (being that I'm late 20's). I understand the need for
    comic book movies to have merchandise to tie-in with it, but lately
    there are far less of that going around.  And by far less, I mean
    particularly the toys.  Kids today have more or less gone
    dissenchanted with toys, which results in less merchandise needed for
    movies to make.

    But going back around to movies targeting my generation, I would
    determine that on how serious the adaptation are.  If all
    Hollywood does is make movies that cater primarily to the PG-13 crowd
    then I would easily say that they do not target my generation. 
    But we do in fact have comic book movies that try and please a more
    adult audience.  Adult meaning stories, characters, and situations
    that is primarily associated with dramas and epics.  Ironically
    enough, those "adult" types of stories, characters, and situations are
    actually more faithful to the feel of the comic books.  Not every
    comic book is all POW BIFF ZAM and actually have realized characters
    with drama and tragedy and such. The problem there is that the majority
    of the audience only want to see fantasy and action sequences when it
    comes to comic book movies.  Most cannot get past the idea that
    comic book movies can't always just be action sequences.


    > Are you a purist who nitpicks every single flaw that
    departs from the original comics, or do you think that film is just
    another medium to explore the world of the comic book creators?

    I think film is just another medium to explore comic book creations.
    But like all movies, I will nitpick on how the movie is made first and
    foremost, before I start nitpicking on what the changes are from the
    original source. If there are creative liberties done by changing
    things from the comic book to the movie, it has to be done in a logical
    fashion that would work better for the film. Afterall, not everything
    in the comic books can be translated to film anyway.


    > Finally, what are your favourite comic books?

    Favorite comic books of mine would be The Sandman, Stray Bullet,
    Lucifer, Uncanny X-Men (Claremont/Byrne era), Ultimate Spider-Man,
    Kingdom Come, Marvels, The Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, Man
    Without Fear, and many others.  This also includes Japanese Manga
    like Maison Ikkoku, Vidoe Girl Ai, Rurouni Kenshin, etc...



  • oddly enough, one of the major highlights of my trip to
    Arizona was
    finding this cute little round doggie foam bead plush doll. Since my
    girlfriend loves dogs, I thought I'd buy it for her.  But in
    actually, I'm buying it for myself.
    For the longest time, I've loved round things, especially if it's soft
    and huggable.  When it comes to animal toys / dolls, them being
    round is hella cute. I know I sound like a child and all, but I don't
    care if I still like these things.  It helps keep me acting young,
    and heck, they are a comfort item for me.

    Anyways, round dog thing became a huge staple to the rest of the trip,
    especially in the back seat.  We ended up playing with it like
    crazy.  We took pictures of it in many different poses, and really
    abused how much we can manipulate the shape of it.  With that, we
    needed a name for him.  Names like licky, roundy, siopao, and
    ..uhh.. cameltoe were used for it,
    before I made the final decision later on to call it "squishy."
    Ofcourse my friends kept insisting I call it "cameltoe," but no way
    that's going to happen.

    At the end, I kept squishy, although me and my girlfriend might buy a second type in the near future. happy happy joy joy

    I've even got some video footage of squishy!
    1) spinning
    2) punching
    3) running

  • oohhh, I've been awake for 24 hours now.  I'll re-edit this post
    later today.  Lyndon, if you're reading this, no Street Fighter
    today, sorry.
    okay, time to go to sleep.
    z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z
    - 9 hours later -
    *beep beep beep beep beep*
    *yawn*
    *stretch*
    *goes to PC*


    Random Has Been


    cars stolen most often list
    (link)


    rotoscope play
    (flash)


    stinkoman
    (flash game)


    get ready for Jurassic Park
    (link)


    scissors in the arm
    (video)


    wild words
    (flash game)


    Finger in Wendy's chili
    (link)


    Fantastic 4 trailer
    (video)


    tickle the girl
    (flash)


    magnet game - "dir keys to move, space bar to magnet"
    (flash game)


    the pink lady
    (pics)


    gallery of huge beings
    (pics)


    Asian version of Eminem's "Just Lose it"
    (video)


    heavy metal
    (flash game)



  • Well, I'm still in Arizona as I write this.  I should be back in
    California in 18 hours from now.  I've got to say, going here
    opened up some things in my thoughts.

    Firstly, when flying on the plane in clear skies with no clouds, I got
    to see the world from up high.  I've never noticed it until now,
    but the world looks fake.  The mountains, the sea, the rivers, the
    roads, the houses, etc.. looks like some movie's CGI effects that you
    can tell is fake.  It's funny, but apparently the world is suppose
    to look that way afterall.

    Another thing is the time difference.  I guess I've always been
    ignorant about the East, but I actually travelled one hour into the future
    when I arrived in Phoenix AZ from Ontario CA. When I fly back, I'll be
    going back to the past.  Pretty cool actually.

    Being that I'm Asian, I actually felt like a minority going into a
    store. Which is odd, because in California I would not feel that way at
    all.  It just makes me appreciate the cultural diversity of
    California even more than usual.

    Houses houses houses.  Damn, it's hella cheap in Arizona compared
    to California houses.  Sure the prices are reaching California
    levels, but it's still very much affordable to the common joe.  I
    swear, my generation and the generations after me got the short end of
    the stick when it comes to buying houses in Cali.

    Lastly, the "scene" in Arizona is pretty much non-existant. There is no
    real place that is as exciting to go to like the bar, club, social
    scene in California.  Arizona doesn't really have any real
    significant trendy places to go to.  I suppose "they" might see
    those places as trendy, but for us Californians it's quite "dead."

    Well, I still got many hours left over here until I come back home, and
    not only that but I still have to work the graveyard shift Sunday
    night.  Damn, I might end up having to stay awake for 20+ hours
    before I'll get to sleep Monday morning.

  • well, I'm off to visit Arizona to check up on some possible rental
    properties and stuff and junk. Besides Nevada for Las Vegas, this will
    be the only other state in the U.S. that I'll actually get to go to. Be
    back Sunday!

    Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego?
    created with QuizFarm.com

    You scored as Donald Duck.
    Your alter ego is Donald Duck! Try as you might, you have a nasty
    temper that is hard to control. But you try hard to please, and you
    arn't one to go down without a fight.

    Donald Duck

    94%

    Goofy

    75%

    Peter Pan

    69%

    Sleeping Beauty

    69%

    Ariel

    63%

    Cinderella

    56%

    The Beast

    56%

    Cruella De Ville

    44%

    Snow White

    38%

    Pinocchio

    31%

  • Kaiser Chiefs - Employment"
    is a pretty good debut album by this new band.  It's a mixture of
    punk, pop, and rock, which is enough for them to be a popular BritPop
    band.  They catch some catchy hooks in their songs and very much
    in the infectious sing-a-long variety.  But since this is afterall
    a debut album, it isn't particularly perfect.  The first half of
    the album is really well made and is enough to convince people to
    purchase this, but once you get to the second half you start noticing
    them veering off into B-sides territories. This is definitely worth a
    listen to at least, but it might not be for everybody.

    2 - I Predict A Riot
    3 - Modern Way
    4 - Na Na Na Na Naa
    6 - Oh My God
    7 - Born To Be A Dancer

    ----------------------------

    Pepper - "Kona Town"
    is very much a feel good cool album, perfect to drive around town with
    the top down in a nice breezy but sunny afternoon.  It just evokes
    that feeling. Their sound is mostly a mixture of reggae music laced
    with some rap, ska, and rock.  At first listen, the first thing
    that would come to mind is that they sound like Sublime or 311,
    which isn't entirely untrue but doesn't give recognition to Pepper's
    own style. The lead singer stands out the most with a very nice
    pleasant voice, and the guitar riffs, bass lines, and drum beats are
    quite stellar themselves.  As an album it doesn't really stand out
    enough in a crowd (except that it's practically the successor to
    Sublime), but it's definitely a good listen. Check it out.

    3 - Dry Spell
    4 - Face Plant
    8 - B.O.O.T.
    9 - Give It Up
    10 - Sitting On The Curb

    -----------------------

    Hot Hot Heat - "Make Up The Breakdown"
    is a great record that sounds like the post-punk pop acts that spawned
    New Wave in the '80s.  In fact, there has been a recent boom of
    this sound lately, with Franz Ferdinand or the Killers,
    but in part it was helped because of Hot Hot Heat's appearance a couple
    years ago. This album is very upbeat and should be able to get people
    up and about. The vocals can be a little over the top a bit but it
    works with the energetic sound of the band. The album is a little on
    the short side though (31mins) and goes by pretty darn quick.
    Definitely gives me a nostalgic throwback to the '80s, and that in
    itself gives me reason to praise Hot Hot Heat.

    2 - No, Not Now
    3 - Get In Or Get Out
    4 - Bandages
    5 - Oh, Godamnit
    8 - Talk To Me, Dance With Me

  • There were some people I met at work visiting, and they asked me how
    long I've been working there.  I joked about it and asked them how
    long do they think I worked there.  Somebody shouts out "10 years"
    and I just smiled, then told them that I'll be there seven years this
    July. They look at each other and go "see, I told you we've seen him before."

    wow, apparently they recognized me, and there simply is a lot of people
    employed at my work place. I didn't recognize them, but they did
    remember me.  At first my mind was thinking that this is a nice
    complement that they recognized me, but then it dawned on me that I've
    been at my job for almost seven years!  Holy, that's a lot of
    years if you think about it. It almost makes me look at how old I am
    already.

    I miss being a young kid.

  • I remember years ago, back in High School (and even College), image was
    king and people cared about it. The need to be cool and hip was
    at the forefront of a lot of people's minds. Though some will deny they
    ever felt that way, I'm sure it's crossed their minds more than once.
    Peer pressure will do that to a person afterall. The trick of being
    cool and hip besides looking good, was to be into
    the fads.  The fads could be a band, a song, types of clothes, a
    dance, a movie, a tv show, a slang term, etc... If you didn't know the
    latest dance, you're lame.  If you didn't know the latest slang
    term, you are living in the past.  If you haven't seen the popular
    movie, you are left out.

    Many many things were considered really important to be relevant to a
    hip and cool kid. But what if you are 25 years old?  Should you
    still be concerned about what's hip or cool? Should you care what's
    popular out there? Most of the time, these fads just fade away and
    proves itself to be a waste of time.  When you are not a kid
    anymore, should you really bother spending time on a fad that won't
    mean anything to you weeks from now?

    Are you that person?