"Art challenging technology, and technology inspires the art."

The Pixar Story, 2007. Four Stars.

I don't know anything about how computers work, or about computer graphics. I know about binary code, but I still can't wrap my head around it! It's very cool to see how involved Pixar was in the development of computer graphics. And it's cool to see their old stuff and how it all came about. And that Toy Story changed so radically (and for the better!), and how truly innovative it really was.

Collaboration and a fun environment equals creativity and a unique way of seeing! (I've always felt this way.)

Computers do NOT equal creativity: Couldn't agree more!!

I grew up watching Brave Little Toaster, and man did it do a number on me. It's so sad, and I'm still getting over the belief that inanimate objects are alive. That really messed me up. Even just thinking about that movie makes me anxious.

"I don't think the government's the one screwing you. Five in a hole."

The Hoax, 2006. Three and a Half Stars.

I'm always ilways iffy about Richard Gere movies (I don't know why!), but I didn't know a lot about Howard Hughes, so I decided to check this out. Very interesting! And pretty good! That's all I have to say. I enjoyed it.

"The missiles are flying. Hallelujah, Hallelujah!"

The Dead Zone, 1983. Three and a Half Stars.

An 80's sci-fi movie starring Christopher Walken? Yep, my kind of movie!!

It's cool that everyone believes him. One of the most frustrating things in movies is when no one believes the main character.

His house reminds me of my great aunt's and gramma's house: It feels familiar and cozy, and it's decked out in the style of my childhood (I was born in 1982).

Martin Sheen is awesome. Baby shield!!!

I checked out some of the "making of" features after the movie. The Look of Dead Zone: "sparkling." It sure is!! If this was filmed in Ontario, then I belong in Canada. It's pretty and cozy. I like wearing cold weather clothing.

"I've been drinking green tea all goddam day!"

Hot Rod, 2007. Two and a Half Stars.

I LOVE THE LONELY ISLAND.

But, this is not a Lonely Island movie. There are FUNNY parts and lots of little gems. The Dudes did a great job taking over this movie that was meant to star someone else. But still, sometimes the story and dialogue felt forced and flat. I would love to see what The Dudes could come up with if given the chance to do their thang.

Akiva's cameo was pretty funny! I think he's a good director, I like his music videos and seeing his movie work was pretty cool!

Also, what a surprising and good cast!

And, CHEZ!!! I'd imagine that his appearance in the film might seem random, but if you're familiar with Chester Tam, YOU LOVE IT LIKE I DO.

(If you're curious, this is still one of my favorite Chez videos, featuring Kal Penn and Superman.)

I enjoyed this interview with them. I wish I could hang out and drink beers and make fart jokes with them.

"People who eat Army food often end up dead."

Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It., 1971. One Star.

This was listed in the TV Guide as "Gas-s-s-s" and was intrigued! The description said, "Roger Corman's futuristic tale of a youth takeover after gas fumes kill everyone over 25." Since it sounded pretty awesome, I set up a DVR recording and watched it the next day.

Some things that happened during the film: Biker gang golf club. Football Town: "Rape Pillage Loot." Native American vegetarian commune: "You're having a protein deficiency hallucination." And the ending? Everyone that was ever in the movie climbed up out of a hole in the ground and there was a big dance party. This sounds fun and interesting, right?

IT'S NOT! Essentially, it is an obsolete counterculture comedy. At first I thought, "It's only 79 minutes, I can handle sitting through it." But I was so antsy and bored the whole time! At it's heart, it's basically one big boring hippie road trip. Though it did, however, bring up valid alternative viewpoints on established social hierarchies and countercultures at the time, and I appreciate that it was done in such a cool, weird way.

This movie probably went over my head. It's probably brilliant. I'd probably think it was the best thing ever if I were my age now back when this movie was released.

This situation begs the question: is it better to be the pinnacle representation of your time, or to be timeless? Both are legit goals. If you're a filmmaker, I guess it depends on what's important to you.

"In my opinion, the existence of life is a highly overrated phenomenon."

Watchmen, 2009. Three Stars.

I'm personally giving this movie Three Stars because I really liked it. But, it's not a very good movie!

I love the comic book, and it was so cool seeing the characters come to life and the story unfold on the big screen. There's so much that happens in the comic book, however, and it was a good move to not include every single thing in the movie, and instead focus on the larger overall themes. That being said... the pacing was so slow at some points and so fast in others, that the things that were supposed to have a big impact on the audience (like, Holy Shit The Comedian! and, Oh, THAT'S why Bubastis exists!) ended up coming up short.

The beginning of the movie was well-done: Totally dug the snapshot-ish narrative of the history of the Minutemen and what happened to the superheroes, it was fun and effective.

The ending has been changed, but it's just a different means to the same end. I thought it was pretty interesting and okay. Plus, the movie couldn't handle including the original ending.

I didn't like some of the casting. Matthew Goode was good as Veidt, but he lacked the "god-like" physique which added to his "superhuman-ness" in the comic. I GUESS Malin Akerman did a great job because Laurie Juspeczyk is a pretty vapid and one-dimensional character, but she sounded like Drew Barrymore and it was annoying.

Who's actually great in this? Patrick Wilson is perfect as Dan Dreiberg (and he's wicked cute!!). Jackie Earle Haley is everything I could have hoped for in a Rorschach. And I gotta say, it was SO COOL seeing Doc Manhattan! Way to go, Billy Crudup! The blue wang didn't freak me out as much as it did everyone else in the cinema. Everyone else in it was pretty decent too. Jeffrey Dean Morgan looked just like The Comedian.

So like I said, I liked it. If you're a fan of the comic book, you'll probably like it more than dislike it. If you're not familiar with anything about it, you'll most likely leave the cinema confused, dissatisfied, and tired.

**UPDATE 3/18/09**

There is something important that I forgot to mention. The soundtrack SUCKS. Cheesy, dumb, uninspired. The music during the awkward sex scene would've been HILARIOUS, only if the movie had that fun self-awareness to pull it off. But it didn't! Totally sucks!

(If memory serves correctly, I don't think I minded the song used in the opening credits though. Eh.)

"Very sexy stuff. Very very sexy."

Tha Manchurian Candidate, 1962. Three and a Half Stars.

Such a cool movie!! I like it so much! Though I think the content of this movie could benefit even more from a richer and more complex structure, I still really dug the straight-forwardness of the way the story was told.

Looking forward to watching the remake, and reading the novel!

Janet Leigh? Very cute.

Laurence Hardy? Great wacko.

Frank Sinatra? Liked this bastard!

Angela Lansbury? So cool.