Movie Review: Xmen III The Last Stand

This movie has had mixed reactions among us Kuyas. Personally, I think it was an ok movie. However, I seldom get disappointed with a movie and I always give it a chance knowing that each time I watch a movie, I understand how the movie was created by a different director, different writer, and each time, the graphics and effects would most likely be different or would have improved due to various technological advances.

I found Xmen III to be quite intense. Perhaps it is because there is war going on. I found that there’s too much death (of course consistent with war) that is somehow not what you would expect from a comic book fiction. Graphics as usual was quite good. Effects were quite good there’s been some interesting mutant powers featured in this film.

Jean Grey/Phoenix didn’t quite turn out the way I imagined. She seemed so cold and ruthless. My Marvel-reading Kuyas can confirm whether this is in line with Marvel’s depiction of the character. It is sad and disappointing that several major characters died. (I can’t say anymore for those who haven’t seen the movie). Rogue as usual is probably the most useless mutant. I have a feeling that this role damaged Anna Paquin’s profile and image in Hollywood. That’s ok Anna, come back to NZ and do a couple of Shorty Street episodes.
One funny thing my wife asked me..."What does The Beast do?" :) implying that he seems useless and that his only mutation is his blue skin and hair.

The very last scene was unclear. Did he or did he not move the chess piece?



Here are some award-winning comments from other Kuyas who’s seen the film:

Rem (pretend Kuya i.e. not a contributor in this blog)
It sucked

B0LOG3R
I thought the movie was short :-)

JIGGASAURUS
I thought it the story sucked and there was lame direction.. good graphics tho...

They've also just deviated too much from the original.. it doesn't even feel like X Men anymore... more like Lavagirl and Sharkboy crap (not that I've seen it)

Overall I gave it 3 out of 10

I've been an Xmen fan since childhood and I can't say enough about how much the characters, the interaction and the creative stories always captivated me. This latest installment, The Last Stand, was downright boring. Let me quickly explain:

Xmen 1 - Mags wanted to turn everyone into mutants Xmen 2 - Government dude wanted to kill all mutants Xmen 3 - Government trying to cure every mutant
It's consistent themeing but I think it's already been well-stressed enough.

Three (because it's part 3) personal beefs with the movie:

1) I've had enough of the Jean Grey/Wolverine/Cyclops tryst. Don't get me wrong, they're of course probably the most famous of mutants but it's not really about just them, is it? Great to see Angel make his debut but just a token one same with Kitty Pryde/Colossus (again)/Juggy etc.

2) Cheese, cheese, cheese. Visually the movie was great - the awesome power of Magneto/Phoenix displayed and many more mutants this time around. But some cheesy parts eg, Cannonball special and Wolvy appears from the rear of the Sentinel head.. or the pre-ending shot of Wolvy staring in the distance panning out. Oh, and lest we forget the Magneto moving the chessboard piece ending..

3) Holey stories, Batman! For example, with Magneto de-powered, a criminal with that kind of record I doubt they'd just put him in a rest home to live out the rest of his 'peaceful' life. How about a life prison sentence in a maximum security jail?

I guess with the thousands of possibilities of stories that they could've told, they settled for a movie that just barely floats in the sea of hollywood mediocrity.

'Nuff said.

el Niño

i'm not one to think that the movies should reflect the comicbook a hundred percent (this was pretty obvious from the first film... hello, leather!), but to this humble graphic novel enthusiast, it is believably a film about the X-Men. the third instalment is a joyride that's much more enjoyable than Van Helsing in terms of roller-coaster scenes and almost rivals the special effects of the Matrix Reloaded by representing the mutant abilities in a realistic light (i won't include Angel here though).

i give this a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars because, although I would recommend this to anyone, the film isn't a perfect comicbook-related x-perience for me.

i only have a couple of gripes: 1) Juggernaut should've died when Shadowcat pulled him down into the earth (never mind about his costume) and 2) who the hell is that porcupine kid (Gambit or Psylocke would've have been more x-citing)?

the performances of Stewart, McKellen, and of course (introducing!) Grammer were flawless. loved the phoenix. loved the death of cyclops. loved the 15-second clip that came after the credits. x marks the spot for me on this one.

eXcelsior!

Cold Snap

Today we have a cold snap in Auckland. Very cold. I believe it went down to 2 degrees C at my place.

It is during cold snaps like these when people catch cold. Luckily I was able to take some precautions and I believe this improved my resistant to the virus and cold bacteria.

...and you think you are smart?

Here is a little test for you. It will only take a minute ... literally.

Dont't scroll down any further unless you want to see the answers now.

What would you do?

I'm glad that double amputee Mark Inglis decided to defend himself from the pointless criticism made by Sir Edmund Hillary. This may sound cold but first of all David Sharp went up the mountain without having enough gear. True, he should not be to blame but he is an experienced climber and had climbed many mountains and this is definitely a misjudgement on his part.

Second, Mark Inglis and his team were not a rescue team and they did try to give him help but even surgeons know when to stop reviving a dying patient on the table. It is simply too late.

Let us say they did rescue the man and went back down the mountain. Would Inglis' team have enough oxygen to spare? Would the guy survive? In a dangerous expedition such as this one, if you are not prepared to take on extra "baggage" then you will endanger your team if you do.

When I was training with the Red Cross during my scouting days, the first rule I was taught was never try to rescue a person if I cannot rescue myself. e.g. if you are at Piha and a fisherman managed to get swept off by a freak wave, you do not simply jump in to try and rescue the man. Even if you are a strong swimmer, the forces of nature may simply be too strong and you'll end up stranded as well, or worse, dead. What help would that do to the fisherman? If you are alive and on firm ground then you can find a way to rescue the man. Maybe use a fishing rod or call of professional help (from life guards or rescue agencies).

Same principle applies here with David Sharp. First he is already dying. Two, he doesn't have enough clothing which will make the trek down the mountain much worse than sheltering under a rock. Three, Inglis and his team are not equipped to take on another member and will most likely end up endangering the whole team - i.e. another member may die or suffer in addition to Sharp.

What do you think you would do?

On a different note, Telecom ordered Web site to remove a video yesterday. The video was here but is currently unavailable. Try again later. It is quite entertaining and a large bit of truth in it. Telecom staff I sent this too don't find it amusing though.

In Support of Marvel's Civil War...

Movie Review: The Da Vinci Code

As most people flocked the Gold Class for this much-awaited film, I think most of them were expecting a bed scene involving Mary Magdalene! So everyone probably went home saying it's all so boring. All kidding aside, I'd give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars. And with that out of the way, let's get down to the essence of it.

The movie was a very good adaptation of the book. Remember that word: "adaptation". This must not be mistaken for the book itself, that's a purely different encounter (as I stubbornly learned eventually). So for those of you who haven't read Dan Brown's bestseller, even if you're not into reading books, do give this one a try if you want to savour the universally-famous DVC adventure. And you might as well throw in Angels And Demons for safe measure.

Going back to the silverscreen, unfortunately the entire experience for me was spent either admiring the portrayal of Langdon (although his dialogue played safe towards the whole Church conspiracy) or deciding whether that particular scene was actually in the text (thus, my mention of adaptation).

The runaway performance would have to have come from the ever versatile Sir Ian McKellen (Magneto or Gandalf?) as Sir Leigh Teabing. "Sophie" was ok, but I thought the aptly named Sophie Marceau should've played the part, as I imagined the character to be more mature than Audrey Tatou.

The plot development was swallowed by the whole Paris landscape, and although that was an integral part of the book, I thought it was slightly distracting for the pacing of the movie. I wish the initial Louvre sequence had more substance to it though. I didn't particularly like Ron Howard's somewhat sublime style on this adaptation, but I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery film.

Oh. the drama of the last scene is a fitting ending.

Finally, my question that I pose to all who have seen it and read the book as well: where's Mickey Mouse?

Something wrong with this picture...

Found posted in toilets at Orbit restaurant on the top of the Sky Tower...

Poker Face

New Idol Judge

The third NZ Idol is about to hit off, the organisers have finally found the third idol judge to complete the trio of judges. Frankie Stevens is still there. To replace Paul and Jackie, we now have Iain Stables (a ZM DJ) and, wait for it..., Megan Alatini !!!! WTF?

I mean Fiona MacDonald, yeah...she was a veteran singer, part of a band...etc... Jackie Clarke...ok. To be honest I do not know much about Jackie Clarke but I do know that she's been performing for a while and occassionally appearing at "Christmas in the Park" concerts and of course Lotto commercials. But Megan Alatini?! Yes she was part of True Bliss - acclaimed to be a platinum-sale music group. Lemme tell you something about what I learnt from the way they rate music sales...I was told by a former radio industry DJ that music companies record the number of WHOLESALE sales of CDs and albums and count that towards the rating (whether gold or platinum, etc). What's wrong with it? What if the music shops don't actually sell the whole lot that was purchased? What if they were sold for 75% off a month later? What if they were given away as promos? I do not think that counts, does it?

Another thing, True Bliss was a one-hit wonder (if you can call them a hit just like Hear say - who?) As a judge, I do not think Megan Alatini is right for the job. I am willing to bet she will use the phrase "You made it your own." which seems to be the trademark phrase of NZ Idol. If they are going to choose a former True Bliss member, then it should be Carly Binding 9who's had several pretty good hits) or, if they have to, Joe Cotton who until still has a band called Mermaids.

I suppose NZ doesn't have many music talents they can use and any talent that do pop up tend to go overseas.

Some comments from idol fans: http://www.idolblog.com/node/2008053

Movie Review: Mission Impossible III

What can I say? MI3 didn't give me the 'oohs' and aahs' at first. Part of the reason is that Ethan Hunt is now retired (in the beginning at least) and his life is somewhat normal. But Ethan Hunt is not suppose to be normal. An IMF agent is very skilled. Perhaps even more than MI6 agents. They are suppose to be ghosts - master of disguises that can fool even spouses. They are daredevils, jumping off choppers into tight spaces. So to fix this terrible fact in the beginning of the movie, they showed a very emotional scene from the middle (of the movie) where he was captured by his enemy. Now you got my attention!

After retiring and with wedding plans, he was force to carry out one final mission to rescue his student, agent Ferris played by Keri Russell captured by the enemy. Russell was quite impressive in this action movie and I predict this to be one of maybe a couple more action films for her. She handles herself very well as a serious female action star - good with guns and tumbling around, etc...

The mystery of the IMF office was bared open in this movie. In previous MI films, it felt like agents are somewhat nomadic meeting in strange places receiving self-destructing message devices with (big) central command like the FBIs do.

The bad guy (Owen Davian), played by Philip Hoffman, is Hunt's ultimate nemesis. His evil twin. His is strong, and ruthless. Unlike any MI bad guy before. All the previous ones are motivated by money. At the end of the day, it is about stealing something and selling it for money. Davian is very personal.

What about the action? I felt that I've seen all the action sequences before. For example the famous hanging from the ceiling only a couple of inches from the floor; they seem to have repeated this too many times. At least they didn't dwell too much on the scenes.

The story was a lot more personal. It was about Hunt and not about saving the world. In the first one the main item of interest was the Noc list. In the second it was the Chimera. Both these can have big consequences either to the whole world or to the agency if it got out "in the open". For MI3, it was the Rabbit's Foot. The movie didn't really explain what it does. It is as "biohazard" but what can it do? The story is too personal to explain what the Rabbit's Foot actually is. It was as though the whole movie was one big rescue mission.
Nevertheless, you still get that edge of the seat feel. The tricks they do are still nerve racking. The weapons are still cool (somewhat) - I really like the explosive implants. The movie didn't have a draggy beginning. Action is scattered all throughout. Overall, it is enjoyable and it does have a good twist at the end.

I would rate this...8.5 out of 10

Auckland transport

Petrol prices have gone up so much now where I use to spend about $16 per week on my motorbike to now a full tank costs me $24. So I decided to start carpooling whenever I can. Yesterday was one of them.

What I’ve noticedFirst of all, it is terrible driving to the city every morning. The traffic is very bad and what normally takes 15 -20 minutes (normal speed) to get to town now takes more than an hour sometimes during rush hour.

What is to blameWell on the motorway I noticed plenty of cars with no passengers. We are talking about sedans, SUVs and vans with only one person (the driver) in it. I looked at all the cars surrounding the car I was in and out of the 8 cars around me, only one have a passenger.

Public TransportI would use public transport if it is more reliable and easy to take. In fact I take the bus from Newmarket (where I get dropped off) to my work in Westhaven. But why wouldn’t I take the bus from Henderson? The problem is, it would cost me more and it is very inconvenient. I first have to walk three blocks to the closes bus stop to take me to central Henderson. From here I can take another “flyer” straight to town for take the train to town. Either way, I get dropped off to downtown which is about 20 minutes walk from my work. So in addition to walking, say, 1.5 hours total in a day, I will also have to spend about say $8-$10 a day which totals to about $50 a week; twice that if I ride my bike. Plus there are other factors like “buses do not come on time” or “trains break down”. On my bike, I get to park in the building I work in.

Currently, I carpool once in a while to Newmarket and I take the Link from there to VPM and walk for 5-10 minutes to work. Believe it or not, this usually takes an hour and most of it from waiting for a Link bus. Yesterday when I got to Newmarket outside the Lion Breweries, I saw a Link bus. Then while I was walking to the bus stop, I saw another Link bus (i.e. within 5 minutes). When I got to the bus stop, I waited for 20 minutes in the rain for a bus. It took another 50 minutes on the bus for me to get to work.

…and government officials ask why people won’t take public transport?!

Solution?
Is there a solution? Possibly not a perfect one but there are several things that can be done to improve transport and travelling in Auckland. First of all the geography of Auckland is like an hour glass so there will always be merging of traffic into the centre of town. What must be developed is a train system that centralises at the Britomart. It should spread out in 2-3 directions south and later the outside 2 should spread west and east. The train should also spread north (2 routes) to the north and one northwest towards the beachhaven way. At the end of the terminals should be a network of bus services to go into suburbs and smaller places. There should also be a free bus (like in Melbourne) that go around town. Actually we have that here now but the route is limited and small. One of the stops is at Sky City. I occasionally use it.

Tax breaks for buying smaller cars will encourage people to buy smaller cars. i.e. less petrol consumption and easier to park in town (or everywhere).

Bus / motorcycle /carpool lanes on the motorway; there should be more of these lanes on the motorway where only active buses, motorcycles (and other 2-wheeled motorised vehicles), and cars with more than one occupant should be allowed to use. Currently motorcycles are allowed on bus lanes on normal roads. That’s good but motorcycles should be allowed on motorway bus lanes too. For one it is safer than weaving through traffic which a lot of bikers do. These type of lanes exist overseas and they work, why not here.

Lastly, Auckland residents should get out of their comfort zone and start embracing solutions like this or we will not move forward.

Hmmm...Ice Cream....

I like kitchen appliances in general and along with the whole line of Breville 800 class kitchen appliances (which includes blenders and expresso machines), I've been looking at ice cream makers and food driers. I like the 800 class because they look commerical, professional, and they are stainless steel, hargh, hargh, hargh...

One of the things I got for my bday was an ice cream maker. Very nice machine, line with shiny bits. The control on top is simple. One on/off switch and a LCD screen with a really cool blue backlight. There is something about cool blue, ain't it?

So...yesterday I made my first home made ice cream. The machine didnt quite freeze the ice cream properly but I have a feeling it was user error. I was suppose to freeze the container for at least 24 hours at -18 C. Since I was in a hurry to use it and demonstrate it, I only manage to freeze it 22 hours at normal freezer temperature (whatever that maybe).

Still, I think it is really great. You turn the machine on and pour in the mixture (which is something I've prepared earlier ;)). The machine will turn the mixture while the container freezes it. The machine turns off by itself (this model does) and I ended up with a soft serve textured ice cream. I suppose I can serve it immediately if it is to be consumed right away. After all this is gourmet ice cream.

The ice cream was yummy. The machine doesn't make it yummy of course. I spent the night before preparing the mixture and didnt go to bed till 1am.

The ice cream is pretty much set now. I'm not sure if the ingredients I used had high enough fat content because the ice cream has an almost gelato feel to it. It is quite light. All good though as it is more refreshing than normal tip tops.

What did I make? ..... My first home made ice cream happens to be "Baileys" flavoured!

With a big crash and a bang...

and an almight whoosh, I was startled awake as the thunder crashed somewhere off in the distance... followed shortly by, what seemed like, a storm-like wind which gusted for several minutes... then imagine the sound of a bucket of water being splashed forcefully against a wall... then multiply that by... well, a LOT, and you'd kinda get an idea of what it sounded like...
Then, when I walked out of the house at around 7.30, there were several large patches of what seemed, at first glance, to be snow. However, on closer inspection, it was just hail stones... a lot of hail stones... wonder what it would've looked like directly after it came down... all this, just from the tail end of summer - makes me wonder what the winter holds in store

Telecom destroys leaked evidence

I smell something fishy!

No appreciation

You bastard! Gimme your money if you don’t appreciate the whole shebang!