The incoherent bloggings of a die-hard Star Wars fan.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Nirvana - Come as You Are
There are now exactly 50 DAYS left until the release of the final Star Wars film EVER.
Saturday night, I went down to Art's apartment to hang out with some of the LUn members and brought Mike along so he could meet them for the first time. Apparently they're working on a documentary comprised of testimonials from the line members talking about their Star Wars fandom; we recorded ours in front of greenscreen. When LUn TV begins streaming online, be sure to see it.
Sunday morning, Sam and I went down to Irvine to spend Easter with Tim and check out Sam's Athena speakers. We feasted like kings and watched Gladiator in stunning surround sound. Oh and Tim seems to have mastered the art of eating yogurt with chopsticks.
I've been working my ass off getting my text layout project for Graphic Design done. I should have been spending time on it during spring break, but I was so caught up with work during the week, and as you can see my weekend was booked. As I promised before, I'll post some of my work here soon.
LINE-UP BEGINS IN 3 DAYS!!! I need to start packing.
2 days until Sin City! 3 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith merchandise hits stores, the debut of dark chocolate M&M's, & the Hollywood line-up at the Grauman's Chinese Theater begins! 50 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
CLONE WARS ROCKS!!! Argh, I can't believe it's already all over. Wow... So much badassery in so little time. I was kinda worried that Season 3 might not live up to the high caliber of the first two seasons, but it totally did and then some. I wasn't too impressed after seeing Chapter 21 which was mostly just exposition, but Chapter 22 was even better, and Chapter 23 fucking ROCKED. Best episode EVER. Chapter 24 was awesome too (Anakin's vision was hauntingly prophetic), and Chapter 25 was pretty chilling (Shaak Ti rocks; I loved how she played such a huge role in this). Can they just stitch together all the episodes and make that Episode III, then Episode III will be IV, and so on? Hyperspace members, find all 25 episodes of Clone Wars here. Non-members, find them in smaller resolution here (Chapter 25 has yet to release online for non-members).
So after 9 months of working at the Cleveland Coin arcades, it's at last over. I'm so tired; I worked 8-hour shifts nonstop all week, and it is also apparently sort of tradition to work people's asses off when they're quitting. I did so much cleaning today it was ridiculous, lol. Oh well, it's all for money, which I really need to survive through April and May while I'm living in line.
This is what you do when you're bored and you're working at the Mining Town arcade. You play two Conquest accounts on Soul Calibur II and get them on the high scores list so that it recreates your screenname. My Vader account is currently ranked second on Galahad after Jordan's Aurora account.
ONE WEEK until Sin City! 8 days until the Hollywood line-up at the Grauman's Chinese Theater begins! 55 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
I forgot to mention this earlier, but last Sunday I put in my two weeks notice at the arcades. I had always been planning to find a different job for the summer for varying reasons: I wanted something that paid better, had better hours, and actually required a smidgen of expertise as opposed to just the ability to tolerate. However, now that plans have changed and I've decided to devote my time to the line-up, I chose to end my job prior to the line-up and prepare to find a new one to start once school is finished. So in essence, yes... I quit my job for Star Wars. But you make it sound so harsh! ;)
Well, it's finally here. I've been waiting a whole year for this, and today is at last the day I've been yearning for. In a little over 14 hours, the third and final season of the Emmy award-winning Star Wars: Clone Wars will debut. And guess what? I'll be fucking working during the premiere!!! *sigh* Oh well, I need the money. I'll just sit through the pain of waiting several hours and watch it late at night. I love this series. It's just so unbelievably awesome. It's everything the prequels should be: breathtaking action and intense emotion without the banter. I'll post again probably on Friday after the series is over, probably to scream like a little girl about how awesome it was. :)
Oh and one other very important note: on Thursday, George Lucas, accompanied by fellow directors James Cameron, Robert Zemeckis, Robert Rodriguez, Randall Kleiser, and Peter Jackson, announced at the ShoWest film industry convention that he will rerelease all six Star Wars films in 3D, one per year beginning with the 30th anniversary of the first Star Wars in 2007. George Lucas and his fellow directors are all 3D digital filmmaking supporters who were showcasing new technology done by a company called In-Three to create 3D images from 2D in a presentation that included 3D film clips from the speeder chase from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Top Gun, Lilo and Stitch, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the entire first reel of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Currently, only IMAX screens are outfitted to project 3D movies, and these directors are rallying for the cause to have 3D available in every multiplex. James Cameron even said that he would be making all of his films in 3D in the future. Lucas also intend for Indiana Jones 4 to be in 3D. It seems 3D movies, which have been around for years but never mainstream, are the way of the future. I can not wait to see that Star Destroyer fly overhead in 3D.
zoomuzakgirl: we should make star wars themed cookies.... zoomuzakgirl: little death stars! hitokirivader: YES hitokirivader: and little alderaans zoomuzakgirl: these will be the greatest cookies ever..... hitokirivader: and they'll have pop rocks in them! zoomuzakgirl: ooh poop rocks zoomuzakgirl: it would be like alderaan exploding in your mouth! hitokirivader: hehe you said poop rocks zoomuzakgirl: i can't type for shit today zoomuzakgirl: no pun intended hitokirivader: obviously
SPONSOR ME! NOW!!!
1 day until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 11 days until Sin City! 12 days until the Hollywood line-up at the Grauman's Chinese Theater begins! 59 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
There are now exactly TWO MONTHS left until the final Star Wars film EVER.
That being said, I have an announcement to make (of which some of you are already aware). I am going to line up for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith at the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, the movie capital of the world, for over six weeks. Why? Because this is the final Star Wars film, and Star Wars is my life.
The organization of Star Wars fans arranging the over month-and-a-half long line-up in Hollywood is called LiningUp.net. I offer you a brief history of the famous Star Wars line-ups: Back in 1999 with the release of Episode I, the then-new CountingDown.com arranged three 6 week line-ups for the Starlight Children's Foundation in Los Angeles (Hollywood), San Francisco, and New York City. CountingDown got huge as the press went crazy over these public displays of extreme devotion to Star Wars, and its messageboard became instantly flooded with constant activity. There was live streaming webcam footage from the lines, not to mention an enormous amount of publicity, including several documentary films on the fans. Before long, the immediately successful CountingDown was bought by Dreamworks and made into a website posting news about any upcoming movie; its ever-popular Star Wars messageboard was dropped, forcing its members to create a new messageboard for their own, which still thrives today (I have been an avid member of this messageboard for almost six years). As Episode II came around in 2002, CountingDown made no effort to reorganize the line-ups, and all the die-hard Star Wars fans were forced to band together and organize their own lines in their own respective cities; thus, LiningUp.net and NYline.org were born (no central organization became of the San Francisco fans). The press' attention on the lines died down without the presence of live webcams, and the lack of publicity (aside from a certain Conan O'Brien piece making fun of the New York fans in line) had the fledgling line-ups raise much less money for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. Nevertheless, the fan-organized line-ups were still a huge success. Now that the final Star Wars is here, LUn and NYline are back in full swing, and the 24-hour live webcam will be back.
The line-up will be a Star Wars experience like no other. In addition to the live webcam, we will have power and wireless DSL. Plans are in the works with Microsoft to have X-Box Live tournaments with the New York line. Publicity will be enormous as documentary filmmakers and the press are expected to make a full return. Being there for over six weeks at what is arguably the greatest and most famous movie theater in the entire world, we will be often visited by celebrities attending premieres which are periodically held at the Grauman's and the El Capitan just across the street (Cameron Diaz and Weird Al were among those who stopped by for the Episode II line). In fact, as the midnight release nears, some celebrities will even join us in line (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin joined the fans at the last line-up, not knowing the other would come). I got on TV for lining up for one day for the Star Wars Trilogy DVD's; imagine over 6 weeks for the final Star Wars film.
Now for the specifics. The Hollywood line-up is based on a check-in check-out system. On April 2nd after a reunion party, members of LUn (of which there are currently over 200) will begin accumulating hours in line. Members who live within 250 miles of the line must have at least 72 hours total, while members beyond 250 miles have a minimum of 48. All members must be present for the insanely hectic final 24 hours, and at 8 PM on May 18th, the order of the line will be arranged by the hours accumulated. In addition, every member must accumulate at least $50 in donations to Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, either in straight donations or hourly pledges from friends and family. While most members are just there for the bare minimum, I, among a few other devotees, will basically be living there, leaving the line only when very necessary (I'd be leaving to go to school). I intend to be in line for at least 500 hours, making it very likely that I will be very close to the front of the line, if not first in line, come 8 PM on May 18th. If indeed I am first in line, I could very likely become a Star Wars fan celebrity, along the lines of the now-legendary Ghyslain Raza and Jeff Tweiten (hopefully more like the latter, lol).
And last but not least, my shameless plea for donations. As you are aware, the line-ups are done to raise money for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, and for Episode III our goal is to reach $20,000. I intend to make a straight donation myself, but I would also like you, my friends and family, to sponsor my place in line and join me in donating to this charity. Straight donations are just fine, but you may also pledge money by the hours I am in line. Since I intend to be there for at least 500 hours, the hourly pledge must be small (like 5 cents, for example). Please let me know if you choose to sponsor me with a pledge, and if you would like to donate a fixed amount, you can just give that directly to me. Thanks in advance! :)
For more information on the Hollywood line-up, go here. For more information on the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, go here.
2 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3! 3 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 13 days until Sin City! TWO WEEKS until the Hollywood line-up at the Grauman's Chinese Theater begins! 61 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
Johann Sebastian Bach - Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043, 3rd Movement
Sometime Tuesday morning around 1 AM, my curiosity overtook me and I installed a statcounter in my blog's script to monitor the hits I was getting. I was vaguely aware I was getting stray hits somehow in addition to hits from my friends, but I didn't know I was getting so many. In that 23-hour active period on Tuesday, I got 87 hits (not including my own visits)! Apparently I'm getting a ton of hits from people searching on Yahoo and Altavista. Most of them are searching for the Episode III theatrical trailer (or a quote from it), but some of the queries that include my blog in the results are bizarre (i.e. "shit eating," "how to say nasty things in spanish," "spanish word for cherry," "recent research on the new zelda game," etc.). While most are only looking at my blog for a few seconds, others are staying for several minutes, even a few for over an hour. As for the IP address locations, most are coming from the US, but I also got hits from Taiwan (several return hits from there, actually), Australia, Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, Serbia and Montenegro, Iran, and two hits from unknown locations. And this was just Tuesday!
Bluetooth is an interesting little Powerbook feature. People in my vicinity can send me their cell phone pictures instantly, like this stunning photograph of Maksim.
hitokirivader: what program are you using for recording this? dural1999: Sound Recorder dural1999: that comes with Windows hitokirivader: ah... i can do that with garageband hitokirivader: comes with mac osx dural1999: do you have a mic? hitokirivader: it's built into the powerbook dural1999: so makes songs dural1999: its hella fun hitokirivader: actually, you know that bach concerto for two violins that sita and i played for you acdec ppl? dural1999: yeah, that was awesome hitokirivader: i've been trying to record myself playing with myself dural1999: dont ever say that again
Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3 begins THIS MONDAY and continues throughout the week! I'm as giddy as a little schoolgirl. I don't have Cartoon Network, but I'll likely see the episodes encoded from the Eastern broadcast and on the Star Wars board prior to their airing in our time zone. :)
4 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3! 5 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 63 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
The Revenge of the Sith theatrical trailer is now available online to the general public. Though you're not supposed to know about it, you can download the trailer directly to your harddrive via a hidden URL here.
I wanted to see the Episode III trailer on the big screen first thing Friday morning, and since this was the final trailer for the final Star Wars film EVER, I just HAD to do what some fans did for Episode I: pay to see the movie and walk out after the trailer. There was an IMAX screening of Robots at 11:30 AM, so I went with Mike to see it. Unfortunately, as Jeff Tweiten also discovered, the IMAX version of Robots did not have the Episode III trailer. Disappointed, we left as the movie began and asked theater management to transfer our tickets to a regular theatrical showing, telling them we were only here to see the trailer. They complied and gave us tickets to a 12:15 PM showing as well as the refund for the price difference. So then we went and saw the trailer on the big screen, cheered our heads off, and left (I heard a guy laughing as we did, lol). What an experience. :)
"Do you read the Jedi Archives, Chancellor? Because I have this passage memorized. Qel-Droma 25:17. The path of the righteous Jedi is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil Sith Lords. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and the will of the Force shepherds the weak through the valley of the Dark Side for he is truly his master's keeper and the finder of lost padawans. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and Force lightning those who attempt to mind trick and destroy my Jedi, and you will know that I am the Force when I lay my vengeance upon thee!"
It took me a while, but I have compiled and written...
Ten of the Most Often Used Reasons Why the Prequels Suck and Why Episode III Will Be Different
1.) The acting is terrible. Jake Lloyd could hardly deliver his lines and Hayden and Natalie lacked chemistry and were completely wooden. Hayden and Natalie are superb, absolutely fantastic actors if you care to take a look at their other repertoire (after all, Natalie is a Golden Globe-winning Academy Award-nominated actress). Chemistry however is a term thrown around at Hollywood actors far too easily; I believe that if any two actors play their roles adequately, they have infinite potential for chemistry. The problem with these fully capable young actors is that they're thrown into George Lucas' world, a visual director far more involved with his post-production crew and how the aliens in the background look than how his actors are performing. They endure hours upon hours of makeup and wardrobe, are handed a few pages from the highly secretive script, and told to perform without the aide of a dialogue coach. Under this kind of pressure, some of the actors manage to pull through, but finding your character is no easy task. There is hope for Episode III. Along with the fact that Hayden, Natalie, and Ewan have probably taken all of the harsh criticism to heart, Revenge of the Sith will be the first Star Wars film with the aide of a dialogue coach who was there on set working solely with the actors to help them craft their performances; Chris Neil was recommended to George Lucas by the great Francis Ford Coppola himself. The actors' performances are perfect in the trailer and should be fantastic in the film.
2.) The prequels lack the characterizations of the original trilogy. Jedi and Senators are flat and uncompelling. Sure there are no Han Solos in the prequels so far, but there is no room for cocky mercenaries in this era of the timeline. The prequels tell the story of a grand and powerful Republic and follow high-class members of society. Whether or not you find these characters interesting is up to you. Episode III chronicles the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. Many characters will die and many new ones will arise. War always cultivates compelling heroes, and I'm sure we'll see many in Episode III. Remember Chewbacca? He's back!
3.) The plots are silly, what with Qui-Gon betting on podraces to get ship parts and the Jedi sending Padme to her home planet to hide from assassins. Indeed, Episode I and II are both rife with contrived plotpoints, but that is often due to the need to cover a lot of important events in a short amount of time, i.e. the need to introduce Anakin on Tatooine during the conflict on Naboo and the need to set up a love story between Anakin and Padme while the Clone Wars are about to erupt. I can't really vouch for Episode III since I don't really know all of the plot, let alone the details, but in any case the previous prequels suffered from having too much plot to tell. This segues directly into the next complaint about the prequels, as follows:
4.) The pace is way too fast. The movies progress far too quickly for any of the character development to be believable. While the original trilogy really only follows the events in the lives of its characters, the prequel trilogy is forced to tell the grander story of the galaxy and cover a plethora of major events in the grand scheme of things in addition to the character development. Thus, Episode I and II were forced to cover a lot of ground in a couple of movies that span over 10 years, from Anakin's discovery to the thick of the Clone Wars. Episode III will be fast as there still is a lot of story to cover, but since it will be the darkest of the films, it demands attention to its characters and where they arrive at last. Thus, this film will inherently be more character-driven, personal, and emotional.
5.) The editing is atrocious. Cuts between Tatooine and Geonosis are confusing and the fight with Dooku is noticeably choppy. The impression a movie gives the viewer can depend extremely heavily on how it is edited. Sure, the story has to follow the writer's script and the impact of the film requires the actors' performances, but it is the editor who is given the job of presenting all of the work to you in the most adequate and entertaining way possible. Paul Martin Smith and Ben Burtt edited Episode I and Ben Burtt alone edited Episode II; judging from the fact that Episode II's editing was arguably a lot worse than Episode I's, I'd say the fault for the prequels' bad editing is mostly on Burtt. Ben Burtt is a busy man, as not only was he the sole editor for Attack of the Clones but he was the sound designer for all six Star Wars films, and both jobs require full attention Why a separate editor wasn't hired and why he was forced to do both jobs is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, Burtt is an extremely talented sound designer (after all, he is the creator of some of the most iconic sounds of popular culture like the lightsabers, R2-D2, Vader's breath, etc.), but I don't think he's the greatest editor. Never fear! Burtt will only be required to work on his amazing sound design for Episode III, and the editing will be done by newly hired Roger Barton, who too will have just one job to devote his time to.
6.) The dialogue is cheesy. The original films are arguably the most quotable movies of all time, but you can not quote a single line from the prequels. George Lucas, fantastic storyteller that he is, is hardly the greatest screenplay writer (he had others write the screenplay to the most quotable film of all time, The Empire Strikes Back). However, if it's a testament to the quotability of Episode III, I'm already avidly quoting the frigg'n trailer. Expect the awesome Star Wars one-liners to make a stunning comeback in Revenge of the Sith.
7.) The comic relief is almost painful to watch. Jar Jar Binks ruined Episode I and C-3PO's antics in Episode II were no different. George Lucas often feels the need to lighten up his movies, often with his own sense of comic relief. And let's face it, Lucas is no Chris Rock with the prequels. But what can I say? Episode III will be the darkest Star Wars film. Betrayal, despair, and cold-blooded murder will taint this film, which is likely to be slated with a PG-13 rating, a first for a Star Wars film. We will see some sick and twisted shit (as so eloquently described to me by other Star Wars fans who don't mind reading spoilers). Worried about comic relief? There won't be any.
8.) There is a lack of mysticism in the prequels. Midi-chlorians are a load of bullshit. Yes, the introduction of midi-chlorians, which adds a scientific explanation to the existence of the Force, stomped all over the mysterious nature of the Force, but there is a reason why George Lucas brought them up (not just for kicks). After all, we still need an explanation for why Jedi in the prequels do not disappear when they die. And it's not like George Lucas pulled this out of his ass; he's been planning it since the beginning. Obi-Wan told Vader in A New Hope, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Expect answers to this 28-year-old mystery in Episode III.
9.) The villians are lame. Darth Maul hardly speaks and just gets killed, and Count Dooku isn't even scary. For what it's worth, the villains in Episode I and II are supposed to be inadequate Sith Lords. Despite their skill and power, they fail as Darth Sidious' apprentices, and the only one who succeeds in Sidious' grand plan to overthrow the Republic and the Jedi Order is Darth Vader, who we will at last see in Episode III. But more importantly, we will see the evil Palpatine in action. Palpatine has always played such a minor role, so we almost forget that he is the grandmaster pulling the strings, the epitome of creepy, frightening, and pure evil. Palpatine dominates the Episode III trailer as we see him square off against Mace Windu and Yoda. Sure, Episode III is about Anakin's downfall, but Palpatine is the real star here. Oh, and then of course there's this General Grievous character... Make no doubt about it, the villains are the stars of Revenge of the Sith. It's in the title.
10.) The prequels don't match the original trilogy. Technology looks far more advanced in the prequels. I hear this one a lot. You must understand that this isn't a fault of the prequel trilogy nor is it a testament to modern-day moviemaking compared to what was available in the 70's. The sleek and streamlined starships we see in the prequels reflect the era of a vast and prosperous Republic, while the angular and industrial warmachines of the original trilogy represent a galaxy thrown into rebellion and chaos. The whole reason why George Lucas made the latter half of the story first is because he knew he didn't have the technology to create his vision of the Old Republic. He does now. In Episode III, we will see this grand galaxy fall apart.
Don't get me wrong, I have many doubts about Episode III and I don't expect it to be as great as The Empire Strikes Back, but it will most certainly be an incredible experience worth far more than just the ticket price.
1 day until The Incredibles on DVD! ONE WEEK until Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3! 8 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 66 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
That was THE BEST movie trailer I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
Ok ok, must calm down...
Sometime around 7 PM, I was casually visiting the Star Wars board when I suddenly realized people on the East Coast have already seen the trailer. Sure enough, vincehardy had already had it encrypted and uploaded for just a couple hours. I couldn't help myself knowing that those East Coast members had already seen it and were talking about it, so I watched it then. If you missed it on TV, I'm sorry, you seriously missed out. You will have to wait a few more days until it releases online to the public (it's currently only available for Hyperspace members). I will provide a link for you non-members as soon as I can. The official site is really slow right now as nearly every member of the Star Wars Fan Club is trying to get in. You NEED to see this trailer. It is nothing short of awesome. It is glory in digital form. Wow. I'll stop talking about it now; don't wanna spoil it for you semi-fans.
The official site has also released the final Drew Struzan artwork for the Star Wars saga. The circle is now complete. Behold the final release poster of the final Star Wars movie ever (available here in high res thanks to TFN):
Not my favorite of the posters (doesn't quite match the others, Vader bleeds off the edge and the other characters seem kinda low), but awesome nonetheless. This was actually a composite of two Struzan posters sent to Lucasfilm for approval, hence the seemingly offset feeling, at least in my opinion. I showed the poster to my graphic design professor, who personally knows Struzan and is actually working with him right now on the packaging for the Revenge of the Sith video game. He told me Struzan can be a pushover sometimes, but that's really because he's the best in his field. Damn straight he is.
5 days until The Incredibles on DVD! 11 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3! 12 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 70 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
Over the weekend, early in the evening, I noticed a strange eerie light coming from over the hill eastward. Sam noticed it too, as once it got dark the pulsating light grew brighter, almost as if explosions were continually occurring in the distance. We joked that it looked like the teaser trailer for War of the Worlds in which people in suburbia notice distant explosions as Martians invade Earth. As I learned the next day, it turns out they were actually filming a night shoot of War of the Worlds.
This Thursday, ladies and gentlemen... THREE DAYS until the official release of the full theatrical trailer for Revenge of the Sith. This is history in the making. The first trailer for Episode I was arguably the greatest moment in movie hype history, and in three days comes the final trailer for the final Star Wars. Aren't you PUMPED?!!
Ok, and now we take a temporary reprieve from the world of Star Wars to have a glimpse of Batman Begins. Behold, our first (good) look at Johnathan Crane as the Scarecrow. Creepy, no?
We now return to Star Wars... Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3 begins in TWO WEEKS!!! I'm gonna have a seizure.
Some more good news: my humanities professor, knowledgeable idiot that he is, apparently expects only a cursory writing ability. My level of writing, which is pretty good but hardly stellar, seems to please him greatly; my essay on the Tao Te Ching which I hardly did any research for got remarks like, "Nicely done, my man!" and "Thank you for putting good thought and care into this assignment." My current grade: 100%. If Webb could see me now...
Oh yeah, and they finally released a trailer for Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbithere.
3 days until the theatrical trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith! 8 days until The Incredibles on DVD! 14 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3! 15 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 73 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
I have a big graphic design project I've been meaning to work on, which will basically take up my weekend on the Powerbook. I've been meaning to post some of the classwork I've been doing lately for my art classes, but I'm either dissatisfied with the work, it's not yet complete, or I don't quite have access to it at the moment; I promise I'll have some up sooner or later. In the meantime, ONE WEEK until the Revenge of the Sith theatrical trailer! Check out a preview of the preview here. I've also learned how to crack the encryption on Hyperspace videos and access the complete movie file directly, so now I have the teaser trailer on my harddrive. Sweet.
I moved the Tag-Board down the page. The site has a tendency to be periodically shut down, preventing anything below it on the side bar to appear until the browser recognizes the fact that the page is down. My apologies for those of you who now have to scroll down further.
You think you like a girl in your class and then you find out that not only is she taken, not only is she married, she's a mother. Well that's college for ya.
Artwork by Ian McConville and writing by Matt Boyd, creators of Mac Hall, updated every few days.
ONE WEEK until the theatrical trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith! 12 days until The Incredibles on DVD! 18 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3! 19 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 77 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
Well the Oscars are over. Sam and I went to Caroline's Oscar party on Sunday night, which was pretty cool. She'd even put out a red carpet in front of the door. Slick. I'd kinda wanted to see Sideways and Million Dollar Baby before the Oscars, but I guess it didn't turn out that way. I just voted for anything on the ballot, sometimes regardless if I've seen it or not (the others were doing it too), but hey, I subscribe to E Weekly so I have a pretty good sense of what the Academy prefers in its nominees. Thus, I wasn't surprised that Natalie didn't win, but I was pretty bummed Clive Owen and Martin Scorsese didn't either. Oh well. I got 12 out of 24. Chris Rock should host every Academy Awards show. I can't even believe he got away with saying some of the things he did.
It's been a while since I reviewed some movies, hasn't it? Well never fear, it's more movie review time!
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior - This movie had a pretty terrible plot, bad scripting, horrible camera shots, choppy editing, and holes everywhere. It was corny, often unintentionally silly, and had completely one-dimensional characters. Still... I was totally blown away. The absolute exhiliration of watching Muay Thai boxer Tony Jaa leap through the air, no strings attached, and do the jaw-droppingly amazing stunts that he does makes up for any of the faults in this movie. This guy easily rivals Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan in their primes. Every stunt in this movie appears to be full contact. Don't expect a good movie, but you will most definitely be entertained.
American Psycho - Being the first movie I've watched on the Powerbook, American Psycho will always somehow be special to me. An eminently disturbing movie, it initially left a very unsettling impression on me. However, looking back I realize how much of a sharp satire it was on the lifestyles of businessmen in the 80's, men who were so obsessed with outward appearance that they spent half their time worrying about getting restaurant reservations or how their business cards looked. Oh, and Christian Bale rocks. He plays a homicidal maniac like it's no thing. I give it a mild recommendation.
Mean Girls - Wow. Your typical teen movie doesn't have this witty of a social commentary on the petty lives of high schoolers. Aside from some overly cheesy moments (particularly towards the end), Mean Girls has some surprisingly intelligent humor. After all, SNL comic genius Tina Fey wrote the screenplay. As the story plays out almost in chapters, Cady, the main character, narrates in a Wonder Years-esque manner that not only lets you look past the superficial scene but actually brings a lot of humor into each situation. It was almost like Zoolander in the sense that the ads made it look really stupid but it turned out to be a hilarious movie. I'd like to have seen a better resolution between Cady and Regina (and that guy she likes, he's so frigg'n shallow), but I still think it's a thoroughly entertaining film.
An early incarnation of Vader's life-preserving suit. Later, the Dark Lord would reconsider its design so as to actually strike fear in his troops.
9 days until the theatrical trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith! 14 days until The Incredibles on DVD! 20 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 3! 21 days until Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1 on DVD! 79 days until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!
